Triomphant class Submarine Téméraire, somewhere in the Southern Lunar Ocean, 3:00AM, +17 days after event

With the negotiations in Saddle Arabia underway, the French has dispatched a bunch of ships throughout the Lunar Ocean in order to conduct exploration missions to find a passage to the far eastern continent. The expedition is conducted because when Mr Julien asked Princess Celestia about a naval passage to Saddle Arabia, she simply said that ‘we haven’t explored enough of the planet to know that’. This expedition is conducted in lieu with the satellite map provided because during their mapping operations, the ESA have found a passage at the southern tip of the continent and the Téméraire has been dispatched to confirm whether or not the ‘Guiana passage’ is passable or not.

“Capitaine sir! the ship is about to reach the passage in ETA 15 minutes, sonar and radar detected nothing unusual”
“roger that Seaman, proceed with the course”
“Aye aye sir”

As the Téméraire approaches the ‘Guiana passage.’ The Submarine radar pings as well as sonar signals starts getting louder and louder.

“uhh sir, sonar pings are getting louder. Permission to arm torpedoes and prepare Exocets sir”
“That is confirmed seaman, prepare torpedoes and put them up in all four tubes. Arm exocets as well, don’t wanna caught unprepared in this magical world after all”
“Yes sir”

As the Téméraire reaches the passage, the radar is starting to go haywire with signals. It appears there must be something interfering with the submarine’s sensors

“Capitaine! this is getting very weird sir. Permission to dive up to 300 meters sir”
“belay that order seaman, I want to know what the hell is interfering with the sub’s sig…” the Capitaine never got to finish his words as the sub suddenly lurched, throwing most of the crew around.

“DAMAGE REPORT!!”
“Ship’s mostly fine sir, detecting target 500 meters on the peninsula, target is labeled as hostile sir. Permission to engage!”
“Permission granted Seaman, fire the Exocets NOW!!”

The familiar sound of a ‘pop’ followed by the sudden shirek of multiple missiles was heard

“Exocets are launched sir! It appears that further scans confirms the attack came from the direction of the target”
“DAMMIT SEAMAN I CAN’T DO ANYTHING WITH THAT INFO!! what does the attack look like? depth charges? torpedoes? and how the hell did they get past the Téméraire’s sensors”
“Sir, further investigation reveals that the target is purposefully jamming us while being under the disguise of a magnetic anomaly, the attack looks like a depth charge sir”
“Good seaman, how long till the missiles hit the target”
“The missiles will hit the target at ETA less than 1 minute”

After seconds of waiting as the ship conducts every single evasive maneuvering on the book. Positive contact has been made and blip on the radar fades.

“Seaman….prepare for emergency resurface and approach that peninsula very carefully, prepare the Commando teams for a land incursion as well”
“Understood capitaine” as the seaman grabs the shipwide radio and says “General quarters, general quarters. All hands this is not an emergency, Submarine is about to conduct emergency resurfacing. General quarters general quarters, this is not an emergency. Commando teams, prepare for land incursion to identify downed target” this announcement was put on repeat as the submarine resurfaces a couple of minutes later.

The submarine then approaches the desolate peninsula, weapons hot all the way, and then deploys the small Commando team to the coast.

“Move out! Move out! fan out and approach target carefully, Jean prepare that LRAC just in case”
“yes sir” as private Jean lowers a huge anti-tank missile launcher in position and prepares the missiles inside for firing “missile hot and ready sir, you can approach the target now”
“Understood private. Team Gray, move out” The squad leader ordered the team as they approached the downed target. Nightvision readied and laser sights pointed at the target
“Capitaine, what is it that you’re seeing?” The Captain of the ship asks
“uhh it appears to be an Alicorn sir”
“Come again, did you say Alicorn?”
“Positive contact sir, charred remains of a yellow coated Alicorn confirmed sir. Appears to be female as well”
“Good job Capitaine, bring that Alicorn in a bodybag, I’m contacting the President about the situation”

Elysee Palace, 5:00AM, +17 days after event

“Mr President, we have an urgent situation at the southern passage” the defense minister abruptly wakes up the President as he was sleeping soundly in his bed
“ugh...what is it le Drien? did you find another Alicorn? heh” the President replied sarcastically
“Apparently yes sir, the Téméraire just shot down a hostile Alicorn just off the coast of the guiana passage, further searches reveal an ancient city nearly destroyed by years of neglect” The president shot up after the defense minister’s report
“What else do we know about that city, If fantasy books have taught me one thing. Is that ancient cities with powerful guardians usually contain powerful secrets as well”
“The Téméraire unfortunately have to leave the area sir. But we have put a notice ordering ships to stay away 500 meters from the area where the Téméraire is attacked sir, all shipping is about to get the notice in the morning”
“good then, continue with your job. I’m going to address this after 6 O’clock” the President dismisses the defense minister as he goes back to sleep.

Negotiation room, Saddle Arabia, 7:00AM, +17 days after event

“Hello and welcome to the formal peace talks between the Changeling Swarm, The Principality of Equestria and The Republic of France. My name is Sultan Rabin ur Rashid and I will be moderating the peace negotiations for I am a neutral subject. We will first discuss land and concessions first, take a 2 hour break and return to discuss the matter of Changeling Love sharing and lovemaking. Will all parties agree to this segment of the negotiations” the Sultan declared as negotiations between France, Equestria and the Changelings are about to begin. Hopefully we can reach an agreement today. The last time formal negotiations with the Changelings are conducted. It all descended into namecalling and mockery until I need to forcefully calm them down, hopefully I won't do that again he thought

“yes I agree” said Princess Celestia
“yes I agree” said Julien Thomas
“yes I agree” said Queen Hivemind

Realizing that the negotiations are starting, the Sultan first addresses the subject of land “30 days after the Changeling attack on Canterlot. Equestria deploys troops into the badlands in order to depose Queen Chrysalis” He can see the new Queen grating her teeth when she said ‘depose Queen Chrysalis’. “The operation is an utter failure and as a result, Equestria was left with practically no military and just when the world thought that the royal sisters would be deposed. France intervened and things suddenly took a turn for the worse for the swarm. Is this report correct?”

“Very correct Sultan, the Changelings have conducted an unlawful incursion into Equestrian territory and I wish that the swarm would pay for war reparations as part of the treaty” Mr Julien Started

“Absolutely not Mr Julien, you do realize that the Changelings have been in a desperate position for quite a long time and now you wanted war reparations after you’ve smashed our armies?” The Queen rebutted

“Please note that although your Swarm has been declining for centuries, it is their own resistance to change that bought them into said position. Now we can offer you tax free food exports and a free breeding ground in the mild west as long as you are willing to be an Equestrian protectorate as part of the treaty, it is very reasonable and I hope that you would accept our proposition” Princess Celestia replied

“Of course you would claim that your treaties are reasonable, now that you have defeated us you now have the right to dictate terms, so 'reasonable' is just agreeing to your demands isn't it? where’s the reasonable Celestia that we have heard oh so may times by your subjects?” The Queen sarcastically replied

“The reasonable Celestia is the Princess that have tried to make advancements to ensure the prosperity of the Changeling race through 1.546 treaties throughout a 1000 year period. Some of these treaties Celestia proposed are some of the most reasonable I’ve ever seen and even some concessions are given. But apparently your Kings and Queens of the past decided to let their pride get into them and rejected all 1.546 treaties. If that is not reasonable, I don’t know what is” Julien quickly defended Celestia

“Oh human, you’re so gullible. These ‘treaties’ are mere gestures from Celestia and we have every right to deny every one of them, we know that these treaties are secretly a ploy for Celestia to secretly overturn Changeling society in line with their own so we rejected every single advances they made to ensure their domination over our race. I assume that from a species so soft they have to attack their enemies from afar that you do not understand such concepts as honour and integrity” The Queen slyly replied

“First of all. DO NOT ACCUSE ME OF SOMETHING I DID NOT DO NOR DO I PLAN TO DO!” Celestia suddenly replied in fury as the temperature of the room just rose a little bit higher, “We have every right to demand war reparations as well as ensure that you are NOT a threat to Equestria by making you a protectorate. Do note that you are negotiating in WEAKNESS and that being unreasonable is an act I do not take lightly. So please….ACCEPT THESE TERMS and ensure that your race have a future, I have enough of these foolish demands!”

The Changeling Queen was about to snap before the Sultan suddenly interjects the meeting with 3 loud knocks. “Alright alright calm down everyone, Queen Hivemind. I understand that this is your first time negotiating a peace treaty. But do know that you are negotiating from a position of weakness and that not a lot of ponies will support your cause if you get all your demands met”

“but, the Changeling Swarm cannot receive such a humiliation!” as the tough demeanor of the Queen snaps “We must ensure our race’s integrity and we cannot be a lapdog to the Equestrians! this treaty is an infamy!”

“First of all, you will not be a lapdog Hivemind, you will have a say in the Canterlot court and you can also decide your own foreign policy. It’s just that in an event of a war that you must come to the aid of Equestria and help us defeat the threat, you are even allowed to trade with us even”

The Queen finally realized the Celestia has finally made her move. There is no position she can move now and continuing the war with Equestria would spell the end of the Changelings. In the end she relented and said “I accept all your terms Celestia, may….this treaty brings peace to both nations” she finally signed the peace treaty and waited for her chance to talk about the issue of love sharing and lovemaking. She was about to shake hooves with Celestia when suddenly the door burst open and a changeling loudly yelling “DOWN WITH THE USURPER” was heard. Oh plot the Queen thought as the French, Equestrian and Loyalist Changeling guards engage the turncoats.

Living quarters, Sultan’s palace, 9:00AM, +17 days after event

Lieutenant Archnid walks in circles, desperate to find out whether or not his conspirators are safe. If it’s only me then I would rather die in glory charging the room than die here Arachnid thought as he continues to walk in circles on his room. Suddenly the door is suddenly opened and out comes a bunch of turncoat Changeling guards fully intent to wage a final act of glory in order to capture the Sun Princess, Depose the usurper of the throne and give the French a bloody nose while at it.

“Ahhh fellow loyalists, welcome. I guess I didn’t need to tell you anymore about the plan do I?” he simply asked his fellow broodmates which is responded which a bunch of nods and wing ruffling. Perfect he thought to himself as he simply smiles and says “move out” rather quietly. After that everything has been a buzz for Arachnid as the group prepares their armour, ready their spells and marches into the negotiation room.

When Arachnid sees the Saddle Arabian guards blocking the door he quickly nods his head to his comrades as they fire a blast which instantly kill the Saddle Arabians before they could even respond. The group then waits patiently at the door and when Arachnid nods, forcefully slams the door forward as Arachnid shouted “DOWN WITH THE USURPER!!”

Negotiation room, Saddle Arabia, 9:00AM, +17 days after event

“Open fire!” shouted Capitaine Caron as the room descended into a hailstorm of bullets and spells. As soon as she heard the Changeling shouted the words ‘down with the usurper’ she knew what is about to happen.

“Traitors to the Chanelings, you di...” “got him” as the French Commando Marines’s training kicked in and they start dropping the Changelings one by one. As the firefight between Changeling, Royal Guard, Saddle Arabian Guard and French Commandos continued. The initial objective of killing Queen Hivemind suddenly became more obscure by the moment.

“Form shield bubble!!” she heard a Changeling yell and then she saw it. Changelings are forming a protective shield around the rest of the group and are slowly advancing towards the delegates who are now hiding in sight.

“Team!! switch to full auto and give those bugs a taste of some 5.56! break their shields now!”
“understood captain”
“understood captain”
“understood captain”

and with that the French would earn the distinction as the ‘shield breakers’ by both the Equestrian and Saddle Arabian royal guards. The already loud sound of the guns the French are firing got even louder when the started firing it in full auto. The shield just broke after the first 10 rounds and what happened next was a slaughter as the Commandos tore apart through the Changeling lines with Grenades and bullets. Once the smoke clears and the traitors dead, the captain asked for a bodycount

“20 traitors sir, Queen is shot but it’s only a grazing wound. Mr Julien and Celestia are fine” replied Toulouse as they check the now dead Changeling bodies for any signs of life

“and what about the Sultan?” Emma Caron asked
“Thd Sultan is…...dead sir, Rabin was unfortunately caught in the first magical blast and did not survive the hit” as Mayotte examined the now dead body of Sultan Rabin ur Rashid
“oh no….” Celestia quietly says as he brought the now dead Sultan’s body into the table and closed his eyes in respect
“you there!” Celestia yelled at a Saddle Arabian guard
“Yes your highness?” The guard replied
“Bring me Amira ur Rashid. Tell him that traitors have killed his father and bring her here. I want to personally comfort her”
“as you wish your highness” the guard responded

Sultan’s palace, Saddle Arabia, 12:30PM, +17 days after event

Amira is just sitting there, utterly dumbfounded looking at the dead body of her father as he is about to be prepared for cremation, she wanted to shed a tear but founds out that she can’t.

“h...how did it happen” Amira asked, Hivemind was about to respond but was interrupted by Celestia simply shaking her head
“it happened so fast. The turncoat Changelings suddenly burst open the door and tried to kill everyone inside. Fortunately Hivemind managed to form a bubble shield but her shield did not form fast enough before a stray magic blast hit your father in the chest” Celestia responded with a clearly saddened tone. She was also good friends with the Sultan and the passing of Rabin was yet another one of her friends that died
“I….I should’ve been there, I should’ve protected father while he was under attack. It’s my fault, my fault, MY FAULT!!” Amira responded with an emotional state Celestia know all too well.
“It’s okay Amira, you shouldn’t…..”
“NO SHUT UP!! I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE TO PROTECT MY FATHER!! THESE CHANGELING WHORES AND TAIL LIFTERS SHOULD PAY WITH THEIR LIVES!! I...I” she finally broke down after that and cried while hugging Celestia in an effort comfort herself

“shhhh it’s okay Amira, it’s not your fault, shhhh calm down. Everything’s gonna be alright” Celestia replied in a motherly voice to comfort the still crying Sultana of Saddle Arabia. To a passerby the scene would’ve looked like a mother comforting her children. Once Amira has calmed down Celestia then asked her something

“Everything’s going to alright okay? do you want me to escort you to your quarters and stay with you for the night?”
“*sobs* yes…..please” replied Amira as both of them walked out of the room filled with servants and tried to comfort each other throughout the day.

Elysee Palace, 1:00PM, +17 days after event

“What happens after that Julien?” President Hollande asks. He was quickly informed about the attacks that has taken place in the pace talks and quickly called the French defense minister as well as the foreign minister into the Murat room to talk about the issue. Just when the Alicorn body is not enough he thought as today will be a very busy day indeed.

“After the attacks on the peace talks are destroyed by our French commandos. Saddle Arabia has put the city on high alert and Saddle mages are prowling the streets looking for Changeling spies” he responded

and it all just gets better and better the president thought, with the remains of the Alicorn put on a freezer in a sub on it’s way to Toulon. President Hollande has been an extremely busy man, and the attacks on the Sultan’s palace just increased his workload he can practically say goodbye to sleep for the moment. Well at least it’s not monday, there should probably be less work for tomorrow.

“alright then, keep me informed and tell Celestia about the Alicorn body would you” The President commnds the Ambassador with a clearly tired tone and closed the telephone.

“so then, le Drien what do you have about the Alicorn body?”
“the body is roughly at the same height as Princess Celestia, has yellow coat and by the looks of it. A bright blue mane that is shaped like Daring Do’s hairstyle” the defense minister replied
“how the hell did that Alicorn then managed to harm our ships then? I heard reports from the captain that although the damage of that spell is only superficial, the Téméraire still got hit even though it’s one of our most advanced subs yet, how can the Téméraire not detect a very obvious target?”
“Mr president, although I cannot provide a clear cut answer to that, the crew of the Téméraire reported about strong magnetic interferences in the area. At first the crew shrugged it off as an anomaly but when the ship got hit. The captain deduced that the Alicorn must be conducting some sort of an interference spell to jam our sensors with so much stuff it’s hard to pick up right and wrong. Don’t worry though, after filtering out the junk signal the sub managed to lock on to the target and…..well yeah”
“Well, can’t blame the crew for tardiness. It is a mission to some desolate wasteland” The president replied as he dismissed the meeting and got back to work

Golden Oaks Library, 6:00PM, +17 days after event

“Spike….I think I’m seeing that new moon again, bring in the notepad” Twilight said as a tired Spike entered the room
“ugh Twilight. Isn’t this a bit excessive….we’ve watched that new moon for over 2 days now, and i’m tired” Spike complained as he gave Twilight the notepad
“Spike? are you saying that we should be….tardy? granted i’ve learned my lesson a couple of days ago but it’s still very preferable to be on time isn’t it Spike?”
“Whatever you say Twilight, i’m going to bed. Getting an early nap is always nice” as Spike goes upstairs into his bed.
“Spike? Spiiiike? ugh, such a lazyhead. Well, more time for me to observe this thing. Train’s coming in only 6 more hours and the night is sitll young!! it’s so exciting!” Twilight said as she pulled out her quill and notepad and starts taking notes on the object passing through Ponyville
“hmm, Judging from the orbit and from the size of the object. It appears that it must be a human object, it’s size is too small to be natural and it’s shape is too precise as well. Hmmm, why are humans putting objects into space? is it because they have some kind of duty laid down from their ancestors? is it because of wealth? well, I’ll later find out in the train to Canterlot anyway so why bother?” deduced Twilight as she continues to monitor these artificial moons orbiting Equestria.

******

Triomphant Submarine Téméraire just shot down an Alicorn, remains of her body to be transported to a military autopsy facility in Toulon. The French have told Mr Julien to inform the Princess on the matter

Twilight observes new objects found on the night sky after the displacement. Thinks that this is a human object

A terrorist plot was foiled as Changeling usurpers have failed in their task of overthrowing Queen Hivemind. the queen personally said that ‘i’m going to have along talk with nobledrone abdomen’ indicating a purge in the upper echelons of Changeling leadership might be possible

the first oil platforms in the northern lunar ocean are declared operational and are pumping oil immediately

Author's Note

The plot thickens!