To say I was a little nervous was a slight bit of an understatement. Seven hours had passed since my initial conversation with Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and the other leaders I had spoken to over the impromptu radio chat. I was in my room, performing the meditation I so badly had been wanting to do. I love doing this. Heightening my senses and being able to pick up on the tiniest sounds, smells, and even memories that I otherwise would never be able to recall. Rebecca had said meditation even helped improve mental stability and neural reflex, something that had begun to show over the years.

Right now I was reliving a particular memory vividly. It was a dreamlike trance I was in as I remembered some really great times with Rebecca and my crew, one in particular on a battlefield, then at a bar, grabbing my attention. Shortly after becoming ship commander of the FyreByrd a mission we were on had gone sorely south. It was a rescue mission for a dignitary that supported the Militia cause from a city that had broken into riots even before fighting had broken out between Militia and IMC on the world. Hell we weren't even that far from Demeter at the time. Rebecca and I were on the run, our charge close behind. We had been cornered by a particularly notorious Ogre pilot. That was the first time we met the rest of our squad. The first we heard on the radio were the words: "Need a hand!?" Then we heard a second voice yell ",WAAAAAHOOOO!!!" as two militia Atlases, a Stryder, and an Ogre, all bearing Militia colors and the Dragon emblem, came bursting down the road. They had caught the IFF tags of Rebecca and I nearing the edge of the city and were charging headlong at the enemy pilot. They called themselves "Dovah Squad" claiming that the name was based out of an old, twenty first century videogame that they had found before joining up. Skyrim was it?

Either way, the friendly Ogre had tackled the enemy down from behind, having come from the opposite direction. The enemy Ogre stumbled out into the clear line of sight of the rest of Dovah Squad. The two Atlases raised their XO-16 Chainguns, both equipped with accelerators, and began peppering the enemy Titan while their Stryder zoomed around with it's dash module to flank with its Arc Cannon, upgraded with Capacitor, and it's multi-target missile system. The enemy Ogre barely had time to react before the combined firepower of unguided missiles from the Atlases, locked on missiles from the Stryder, and a cluster missile from the Dovah Squad Ogre left the enemy pilot without time to even eject. The Arc Cannon, chainguns, and a trio of shots from the friendly Ogre's burst fire 40 mil simply sealed the deal and made it completely overkill.... which Dovah Squad was notorious for.

By far one of the best ops ever in my opinion. Later, me, Rebecca, and the entirety of Dovah Squad had evacuated with the asset in a Goblin Jumpship and left the battle far behind, four Auto-Titans shooting any IMC dumbass that came too close. Not long after that, the six of us were sharing drinks at a pub only two planets away. Then we all got commissioned to work together on the Fyrebyrd as big goddamn heroes since, one, the Fyrebyrd still needed a filled out pilot team, and two, HIGHCOM saw how well we worked together, not to mention the reports on how well we got along, and three, Rebecca and I wouldn't stop badgering HIGHCOM about it. It made sense. A tight knit crew was an effective one after all, so HIGHCOM gave us the green light. Since then, we've been together for months.

Something out of a fairytale yeah, but it had happened. I see it as one of the best days of my life as my list of best friends jumped from one to five pretty fast, then six after meeting our Jamaican friend on the bridge. Rebecca and I were the closest yeah but.... damn it felt good to relive that memory. It was a happy one....

I came out of my meditation after that and felt much calmer. I stood with a smile and looked to the clock. Still one and a half hours till the nine hour mark. I pulled out my Guardian Chip.

"Hey Jeeves?" I said.

Jeeves appeared above the holoprojector with a smirk of his own. "Enjoy your escape from the now?" the AI chuckled.

I scoffed and shook my head with a goofy grin. "You know I always do. Do you know where Dovah Squad is?"

"One moment..... they're chatting in the mess hall, swapping tales."

I simply laughed out loud that time. "Sounds like them. Boisterous goofballs. Ah well, I hope they're having fun. Anyways, I think I'll go talk to them for a bit. Let Rebecca know will ya?"

"Of course sir," the British AI replied, "Consider the matter handled. Is there anything else?"

I shook my head. "Nah I think that's all for now. Thanks Jeeves."

"You're very welcome sir. I'll let you know when to be ready for the launch," the AI replied.

"Thanks buddy."

Jeeves nodded with a smile before his hologram vanished back into the chip.

It had been a brisk five minute walk from my chambers.... actually it was supposed to be. In reality, fifteen minutes had passed between the time I left my chambers and the time I arrived at the mess hall. I chuckled as to the reason why. The younger engineers had decided to play a prank involving a door and a water bucket on their senior officer. To his credit, Chief Engineer Bradly had taken the prank rather well. He hadn't even put the newbies on toilet duty. I had been about to but when I heard that it was really a harmless prank war, I let it slide. Since they were stuck orbiting a world beyond the fringes of known space, I figured they needed the little break. Besides, this wasn't a strict as fuck IMC Megacarrier. It was a standard Militia Carrier with a few uncommon upgrades and that was it. The crew here was practically family so they knew how to work well together and how to keep each other smiling. After clearing things up and helping to clean up the small mess of water, I had moved on, an even bigger smile on my face than the one I had when I had left my quarters.

Before me was the decent sized mess hall. It wasn't too big, but not too small either. It was a homely chamber with all the decor the crew had pulled together, and reminded me more of a cozy, out-in-the-country, coffee house. It certainly made the vessel feel a lot more like home. Command had been lenient about such a "small" break in regulations considering the many hells the crew had been through together and let them have the comfort. There was even an electric fireplace and a ventilation chute to filter away the smoke. Some crew members were sitting in modest couches reading books or calmly talking with one another around the fire. I looked around the mess hall further till I found who I was looking for. Squad Captain Natalie Graves, an American accented woman who piloted one of Dovah Squad's Atlases, sat with her team at the bar, eating simple noodles. Beside her, Lieutenant David Harper, the other Atlas Pilot, was laughing at a joke that their Stryder Pilot, Lieutenant Tracie Wilder, had apparently told. The team's Ogre pilot, a generally silent, gentle giant of a Russian called Lieutenant Victor Ivanov, simply sat and enjoyed his beefy meal with a satisfied smile. Often scoffing or lightly chuckling at one of Wilder's jokes. This was Dovah. These were the Dragons of the Fyrebyrd.

I chuckled and approached them as I heard the end of Wilder's latest joke.

"And she says 'Thank you sir, may I have another?'"

Harper was busting a gut now. "OH MY GOD WOOOOOW! You have got to be pulling my leg."

"Nnnnnoooope," the hyper female pilot replied with a giggle/snort that was actually kinda cute.

"You guys having fun?" I asked.

"You have no idea," Graves replied, shaking her head with a grin. "The tales Tracie pulls out of her ass are the best ever."

Tracie scoffed. "I did NOT pull those out of my ass you bitch."

Graves simply turned and stuck her tongue out at Tracie like a kid off the playground.

I couldn't help laughing. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you two were engaged or married."

"Didn't you hear!?" Tracie began, "We get married in seven days!" she joked.

"We do not!!!" Natalie jumped back a few feet.

Tracie was just giggling like a maniac while David busted a gut again and even Victor cracked an amused grin.

"Da," the Russian said in his deep voice, "I plan the reception."

Tracie just laughed harder at that.

At this point, I too was busting a gut. It took me a moment to regain my composure. "You guys are a card you know that!? No wonder I brought you aboard, the comic relief is amazing!"

"Naaaaaw, we all know you brought us aboard for more than that," Tracie hugged me with a near rib-cracking embrace. Certainly squeezed the breath out of me before she let go. "So what brings you here Annie?"

"Don't call me that," I deadpanned.

"Antsy?"

"No."

"How bout Greg?"

"Hell no."

"INVADER ZIM!"

"ARE YOU ON MEDS!?"

And again the young pilot just started giggling her ass off. I simply couldn't stay mad (not that I was) and I, along with the rest of Dovah, started laughing my ass off once more. At this point we would be drawing a few stares from surrounding people but the rest of the crew was used to our antics, so they thought nothing of it. We eventually calmed down from our mirthful high.

"Seriously though, what brings you here Commander?" she asked curiously.

"A breath of fresh air with some friends for one thing, and to let you know I'll be leaving the ship in abooout.... wow not long actually. It's diplomacy now. We got sentient alien life here."

"Anthony, are you pulling our leeeegs?" Tracie asked playfully, the rest of the squad chuckling.

I remained businesslike in my expression though and Natalie figured it out. "You're serious....."

I nodded. "Contact was this afternoon. Rebecca and I are going down to negotiate, and maybe get some help for our mission to hunt down that bastard Malcovitch."

"Da, I can see the need for assistance with the equipment and skills he has.... did you know he figured out how to mine and smelt metal ore or scrap he finds in the field?" Victor said.

"Holy shit...." was all David could say. "Special equipment?"

"Da, and expanded storage for his Titan if the rumors are true..... all he'd need to do is find a big enough hole to hide in."

I sighed. "Yeah I wish I had known that a little sooner you know that? Rumor or not, I'd like to be as prepared as possible. If you're right, he may have the ability to repair his titan in the field too. Not to mention a Titan's fusion power core can last for at least five years before running out you know that?"

"I wouldn't put it past the fucker to have made his Titan able to stay powered for longer...." Tracie said, all serious now.

I nodded. "We'll cover all the bases and catch him, don't you worry. Then we'll find a way to adapt to whatever situation comes next."

The members of Dovah Squad all nodded in agreement. "We always do," Natalie replied with a smirk.

I chuckled. "In any case, I want you guys to look after the ship with Karish while we're gone and be ready to deploy on short notice in case we need you. Alright?"

Natalie smirked. "We got your back anytime Commander."

"You mean you've got his front straddled," Tracie joked suggestively.

Natalie and I both spluttered. "TRACIE!!!!" Natalie yelled out, and the younger female pilot giggled stupidly and ran off. Natalie gave chase while David just died laughing all over again. After a moment I smiled and shook my head with a chuckle.

"I'll talk to you guys later," I said.

David and Victor replied with "Laters" and "Da, good luck" respectively.

I turned on my heel and left for the hangar.

It was ten minutes past the nine hour mark now. Rebecca and I had our respective loadouts but had made sure to clean up a bit so we at least looked presentable. Cleaned and polished armor, and clean and untorn fabric underlay with basic cloth and straps. We looked far more presentable than the usual tattered look that was for sure. Our equipment was organized neatly on our belts, side arms holstered, and our rifles and Sidewinders slung neatly. Around us, technicians and Marvin assistant droids went about performing their duties. Rebecca and I looked to each other and nodded. We boarded the Crow dropship that had been prepared for us and the boarding ramp closed as the craft began to take off.

I looked to the pilot. "No jumps, just get us there in time and under cover of darkness."

The pilot, a tanned female of German decent, looked back and nodded. "I'll get you two down safe." she said.

I nodded and relaxed. Rebecca and I were going to a city that was perched on the side of a mountain in foreign alien territory. This was going to be one interesting day.

It was late evening in the small town of Ponyville. For one particular Alicorn Princess named Twilight Sparkle, it was one of the best nights to just read and study. She was at the comfort of her castle's forward balcony, sitting in a cozy recliner chair as she read. She continued to do so until something in the distance caught her eye, a glint of moonlight reflecting off of something moving fast.... very fast. She looked out and kept seeing the glint. She cantered over to her telescope to take a look. What she saw made her jaw practically drop. It was some kind of aircraft, though clearly not anything like the Deer could make. It moved faster than the most advanced aircraft the Deer could field even. It was soon barely audible as it began to pass by Ponyville. She watched it intently, tracking its course till she figured out where it was headed. A feeling of dread came over her as she saw it heading to Canterlot. "SPIIIIKE!!!!"

Celestia sighed as she waited for the aliens. It was late and she was rather tired. Her sister Luna however was practically a nocturnal mare.... and she seemed giddy with anticipation, much like one Deer Dignitary named Valiance. The other council members waited nearby as well, two of them indifferent, and two of them a little apprehensive.

While they waited, they were shocked to see a puff of smoke and green dragon fire pop up in front of Celestia and cough up a scroll. She caught the rolled up parchment in her magic with a curious expression. She opened it and read.

"Dear Princess Celestia,

I fear I must inform you of a strange object I witnessed heading towards Canterlot at speeds greater than that of the fastest aircraft the Deer can currently field. It had an odd, swept back wing structure and a rather bulky central frame. I couldn't make out many other details, but this foreign object is heading towards you with haste. I can only hope it is not a threat. Please respond quickly.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle"

Celestia looked at Luna, who had been reading the letter over her shoulder. Luna looked rather upset with herself. "CURSES! I forgot to inform Twilight! She's probably scared out of her wits now that she's seen the alien craft and will likely be upset that I told her nothing of it sooner....."

"Easy Lulu. We can just write a quick letter," Celestia comforted her.

Just then, mechanical whining and whistling could be heard in the distance, rapidly growing louder.

"Ooooor we could be interrupted before we get the chance," Luna snarked.

As the volume increased, they guessed what it was. An olive drab colored alien craft with a somewhat reflective cockpit canopy and matching Twilight's description appeared from the nighttime darkness before them, engines whining loudly as it slowed down and hovered to a stop next to the edge of the docking berth's boarding platform, the side folding upward to reveal two bipeds. They were armored and clothed almost fully sans the helmets they held at their sides. All objects attached to them were out of their hands at the moment, so anything that resembled a weapon was not in a ready position. One was slimmer than the other, its chest jutting out just a bit, with moderate length blonde hair, fair complexion, and hazel green eyes. The larger one didn't have the bump on its chest (gender based anatomical difference perhaps?) and was a slight bit taller with messy brown hair, blue eyes, and a fair but strong complexion. The two parties stared at each other after the alien beings stepped off of their aircraft, which hovered still behind them.

The other dignitaries behind Celestia and Luna had mixed expressions of suspicion, fear, surprise, and/or curiosity.

The two aliens in front of them held looks of curiosity and apprehension.

It felt like they stared at each other for hours, no one daring to breathe a word.

Celestia finally decided to break the ice and step forward, the aliens eyeing the scroll hovering next to her, though she paid it no mind.

"Greetings," she said, getting their attention. "I am Princess Celestia. On behalf of the races of Equis, we welcome you to our world, and to my home nation of Equestria."

Author's Note

Dovah Squad Lieutenant Victor Ivanov
Dovah Squad Lieutenant Tracie Wilder
Dovah Squad Lieutenant David Harper
Dovah Squad Captain Natalie Graves
Lieutenant Commander Karish Anderson (Fyrebyrd secondary XO)
Lieutenant Commander Rebecca Thorne (Fyrebyrd primary XO)
Commander Anthony Dubias (Fyrebyrd CO)

These are our most primary human characters in the story now :)
(Random Name Generators and Imagination employed in equal measure to come up with these OC characters.)

A little backstory recap about the Fyrebyrd crew. Many of these guys are veterans of the Battle of Demeter. Dovah Squad was one of the Pilot squads assigned to the battle that covered Rebecca and Anthony's escape when they were rescuing a diplomat/dignitary that supported the Militia. Their intervention was a stroke of luck but it was one of the best possible ones since it led to both mission success and new friendships. They were quickly assigned as the go to squad on the Fyrebyrd under Anthony's and Rebecca's command. They are the last four of six total titan pilots in the Fyrebyrd crew. Karish was simply assigned to the crew as an extra gesture of goodwill from Militia HIGHCOM. He is an experienced XO and a militia veteran of the Battle of Demeter. Seeing as both Anthony and Rebecca would both constantly go active on the ground with their Titans, it made sense to assign a secondary XO to their crew. Karish, Anthony, and Rebecca became fast friends, along with Dovah Squad, as they dove head first into the depths of hell again and again together. Now here they are. They and their crew are now practically family and would give their lives for one another. You'll never find a more tightly knit crew this side of the Frontier. Being a friendship oriented crew, it kinda makes sense that they are the ones to arrive at Equestria, accidentally or otherwise. (Heavily based on me and a group of friends who were a tight knit and effective crew on Titanfall.) Oh and you all know the basics of Rebecca's and Anthony's friendship story thanks to the Prologue.

Also.... woooooow, their timing, am I right? I guess Twilight may end up waiting for a response. Wait how would she respond if she didn't get an immediate response from Celestia.....?

...........

Fffffuuuuuck.....

Also, MUAHAHAHA CLIFFHANGER XD

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