Echelon: Equestriaby EluChaptersPrologueChapter 1: Battle For Crystal EmpireChapter 2: The NegotiationsPrologue Jason "Wolf" Scott: GF-MAF 121567/BV (Last update 2354.04.10) General information: Name: Jason Surname: Scott Date of birth: 04.03.2319 Place of birth: Sirius system, Peski planet, settlement New Oasis. Call sign: Wolf Rank: Major Character: Loyal to the Federation. The speed of the nerve impulse — 12 meters per second. Strong. Enduring. Able to withstand tenfold overload. David Joyce index - 250. Resistant to mutantion. Single. Discreet. Does not have bad habits. Rational thinking, with a preference to the exact calculation of the factors affecting the outcome of the situation. Has a composure. In a combat situation is capable of instantaneously switching to user-reflexive thinking and take immediate right decisions. Drinks to the extent necessary. Jason Scott was in the hangar of FAF Tango main airship, along with his two other men, waiting for their INT-2 Spirits to be loaded with ammo. Repairmen in orange jumpsuits ran around, carrying boxes of ammo and rockets, loading them into the aircrafts. "Hey, Jason," one of repairmen called him. "Your aircraft's ready." His Spirit was different from others. There was a gray wolf's angry snout painted on both wings of the aircraft. Jason nodded to the repairman, then got into the cockpit of his interceptor. The cockpit closed with a hydraulic hiss. Jason took a seat, strapped himself, put on his flying helmet, then flicked a few tumblers on the dashboard. Dashboard's lights turned on, glowing green. "Life support system engaged." soft and calm feminine voice of aircraft's on-board computer spoke through the speakers in Jason's helmet. The visor of the helmet flicked a few times, and a speedometer appeared along with a height meter. "Weapon system engaged." four lines appeared in left corner of the visor, as well as the bar of energy. "Engines engaged...." While the systems were being engaged, Jason spoke over the radio: "Alright, everyone's ready?" "Time to kick ass, Jason!" his mate replied cheerfully. "Let's give 'em hell!" the second one agreed with the first one. Jason chuckled. "Alright, then." He pushed a button, turning on long-range radio and spoke: "This is Foxtrot, request permission to take off." A few seconds later he got a response. "Foxtrot one, cleared to take off." Jason turned on the engines, his aircraft started vibrating ever so slightly, quiet humming filled the cockpit. The hangar door opened, revealing brown, lifeless land and cloudy evening skies. Jason flew across the skies, chasing down velian interceptors. They were fast, but not as fast as his. The cross of the targeting system got into the HUD circle of the enemy bat-like interceptor. Jason pressed the trigger, releasing a sphere of hot, green plasma from one of his APC. The sphere connected with the enemy, blowing it up with a loud boom. "Nice one, Jason!" one of his mates spoke over the radio. "Yep." Jason replied. "Two others are on you." Suddenly, a hysterical beeping noise appeared inside Jason's helmet. He cursed under his breath and changed his course, avoiding a missile, which exploded a little behind him, shaking the aircraft a little, as well as draining a few percents of energy. "That was a close one." he sighed in relief. His aircraft's energy regenerated back to a hundred percents. "Foxtrot two and three, you better land. I cannot risk your lives." "But what about you, Jason?" "I'll be just fine, survived even worse. Now go, I'll be alright." "Alright. Take care." Two other interceptors turned around and flew to the Fleet Tango. They almost got hit by missiles, but they were successfully destroyed by airships' plasma cannons. Jason sighed in relief as he saw his mates disappearing from his HUD. "A missile has started." Jason was informed by his on-board computer. "Damn it!" Jason was flying lazily around the big building of the Null-T portal. "Began the capture procedure." ShaBoR spoke on the radio. Jason's laziness disappeared in a blink of an eye, replaced with professional seriousness. So here it is, the portal will soon be under the control of Federation, preventing any velian from invading Rokada IV ever again. Jason's gripped the wheel harder, his eyes scanning the minimap for any potential threats. There was none, fortunately. "This is Fleet Tango, moving." commander's voice appeared on the radio. Jason checked the minimap and saw that one of airships began moving towards the big red square which was the portal. "A missile has started." calm feminine voice appeared once again, then repeated the message. Jason dodged every single one of the missiles, then flew to the HTR. After three shots of plasma, the rocket turret was destroyed with a loud explosion. Dodging a plasma shot from the angry velians, Jason grinned. "Whatcha gonna do now, huh?" he mocked in his thoughts, returning to the portal. Fleet Tango was already there, preparing to enter. Alpha squad of battlefield fighters has already landed on the big airship, preparing to teleport with it. "The capture has been completed. You better use it before they shut it down from the other side." ShaBoR reported. Four branched blue rays shot out of the building's highest spots, connecting with the inner circle's center. "This is Fleet Tango, I'm entering the portal." Two escorting airship vessels of the fleet stopped while the main airship moved to the portal. It successfully entered, the blue rays intensified. "Stop! They changed the channel!" ShaBoR yelled over the radio. A moment later the airship disappeared in a bright white flash of light. Jason blinked, blinded by the flash. "Damn, it's too late..." Suddenly, the portal opened again, blue rays had gone wild, shooting around. The inner circle of the building cracked and broke in two. "What the hell?!" ShaBoR yelled, panicking. "The control is coming from somewhere else! And it's not velian!" Suddenly, Jason's interceptor shook, a blue beam engulfed it completely. Hysterical beeping filled his ears as his aircraft shook violently. "Foxtr... what... ppening?" the radio went crazy as Jason tried to regain control of his aircraft. Static filled the radio as he disappeared into the portal. Jason opened his eyes. He was still in the cockpit of Spirit and flew across the clear blue skies with a speed of four hundred kilometers per hour, slowly slowing down. He looked around and found an unfamiliar scenery. It was full of white, snowy mountains and valleys were everywhere in sight. "This is F... Tango, Jason, wha... the hell ar... doing here?!" aircraft's radio faded in and out before stabilizing. "This is Foxtrot, I have no idea. It seems the portal sucked me in here." Jason replied, turning the autopilot on. "Where are we? Is it Escobar? "This is not velian nor any human planet I know." Fleet Tango replied. "This place is... strange. There is something in the air, flowing through it, flowing through us. And every line of communication is cut off, I cannot contact anyone. The radio is completely silent, there isn't even static." Jason circled the airship on autopilot, slowly breathing in and out, looking around. Still nothing but snowy mountains and snowy valleys. "What if this place is a new planet that neither us nor Velians have discovered until now?" commander Fedman Cassad continued. "And we cannot let velians control it. The snow, it looks so pure. The skies are like... Jason, have you ever seen old photos of Earth?" "A couple of times, I suppose." Jason replied. "It looks exactly like the South Pole, but with clouds and without extra ultraviolet. The air is breathable. No toxins found. "Now, listen closely, Jason. What is your status?" "All systems are functioning, commander." Jason replied. "Excellent. Scout the area around Fleet Tango. Do not engage in combat. If you find something interesting, report immediately and get the closest look possible. Direction - north." "Will do." Jason turned autopilot off and flew to the north of Fleet Tango. Flying on the top speed of nine hundred kilometers per hour, Jason could see snow and nothing else. However, he noticed a faint glow over the horizon. He turned his aircraft and flew to the glowing's source. He closed in fast, and now could see some kind of architecture in the distance. "Fleet Tango, this is Foxtrot, I see something that looks like buildings." "Velian or human?" "It's hard to say..." Jason narrowed his eyes. "It's too colorful to be Velian. I'll take a closer look." He flew closer and closer, making his way to the strange buildings. He flew over the snowy hill and saw a big city in all its glory. The city was made entirely of something glass-like, Jason assumed that the material is crystal. He saw that the city was surrounded by a bluish spherical barrier. He passed the barrier without any effort. While the outside was snowy, the inside was completely green like it was summer. He also noticed that the city itself was shaped like a star, all the roads leading to the central building which was at least a few hundred meters high, and made of blue crystal. He noticed that the blue barrier had been forming there, somewhere inside. Technicolor quadrupedal creatures ran around, pointing at Jason's aircraft. He used his outer cameras to record a short footage of his flight, making sure to get a shot of the barrier, creatures and the central building. "Fleet Tango, this is Foxtrot, it seems I found a city." Jason spoke over the radio. "I've recorded a short footage of my flight and will show it as soon as I get back." "A city? Who is inside?" "Strange technicolor quadrupeds, as far as I can see. They were pointing their... something at me, some of them were shouting something, I think. It seems I caused quite a ruckus." "So, completely new sentient species?" commander spoke. "If they're not Velian and not human, who are they? Jason, you must return immediately, we don't know what kind of defense they have and if they're hostile or friendly." "The city is surrounded by a spherical blue barrier. I passed through it without effort, though. The source of the barrier is somewhere in the center of the city, in the tall tower-like structure." "Alright, Jason, now you must return before we find out exactly how that barrier works. After you land, doctors will check you, and then you must report to me." "Will do, commander." Jason replied and flew around the crystal tower, turning to the Fleet. Jason was on his way to the Fleet when he was contacted by radio. "Foxtrot, this is Fleet Tango, there is something strange... Oh god damnit!" "Commander, what is it?" Jason asked worriedly. "This is some kind of black smoke with eyes! What the hell is that thing?!" Jason heard plasma being fired. A few moments later he saw that thing. A big black smoky mist towered above the airship, glowering at it with its evil green-pupiled red-irised eyes. "Foxtrot, I can see you on sensors!" Fleet Tango spoke. "We are going your way. Lead us to that city, perhaps it can give us at least some protection. Our air defense seems to do painful but not lethal damage to that... thing." "Follow me, commander." An hour before, Crystal Empire. Princess Cadance was sitting on the crystal throne. She was tired, keeping the barrier still, holding dark forces of King Sombra out of the empire. She was waiting for her husband Shining Armor to come back. He'd gone to the train station to meet his sister and her friends, ones that, hopefully, could save the empire from evil tyrant. Suddenly, she heard yells from outside. She stood up and quickly trotted to the nearest window. Something metallic moved through the air on incredible speed. Cadance's eyes widened as she watched the strange object's flight. It didn't attack. It flew to the back of Crystal Palace. Cadance galloped to the opposite window and saw that the object appeared from behind the palace and was flying back the same direction it came from. "Princess!" one of the crystal guards entered the throne room. "There is something in the air!" "I know, I've just saw it." Cadance replied tiredly, walking back to the throne. "What is it?" Cadance sighed. "I don't know." Whatever that was, Cadance hoped that at least it wasn't against Crystal Empire like everything else. Jason flew through the cold skies on the speed of about three hundred kilometers per hour. Fleet Tango followed closely on the same speed. The black mist was not as fast as the airship, yet it was not so far behind. Jason turned around and flew to the black mist. He saw that there was someone on the ground, running from the mist. Jason used an outside camera to zoom in. He saw that a lone pony-like creature with a horn in it's head was galloping from the mist, limping a little. Jason fired a plasma shot at the mist's evil eyes. It roared in pain and stopped, blinking. The pony looked up and saw Jason's aircraft. Pony's eyes widened in surprise and it stopped. Jason cursed under his breath and turned on outside speakers and shouted: "Run, you fool! Don't stop! I'll cover you!" Luckily for Jason, the pony understood. It shook its head, then nodded and started galloping really fast. Jason was preparing to do anything to stop that black mist. "I'm going to get you, son of a bitch!" Ten minutes later. "This is Fleet Tango, I see that city." "Good." Jason replied, shooting another plasma sphere at the black mist. It groaned in pain, glaring at him. "The barrier that surrounds the city should let us pass." The airship was only a kilometer away from the blue barrier. The pony that Jason had seen was galloping to the city fast, and there were six ponies waiting for him inside. Seven hundred twenty five meters left. Jason fired another shot of plasma at the menace. It could only howl angrily in response. Suddenly, it tried to engulf the aircraft in the black mist. Jason quickly fired another shot and changed his direction, avoiding contact. Five hundred meters left. The mist became quickier, moved closer and closer, growling angrily. Jason didn't try to shoot it this time, aware of what the mist can do. The airship was far enough and could still fire long-range heavy plasma cannons. "This is Fleet Tango, we're going to it." Fedman spoke over the radio. Jason dodged a black tendril which erupted from the mist. Silently cursing, he flew closer to the ground. Black crystals started appearing, obstructing Jason's way. His aircraft's agility allowed it to be quick enough to evade collision. One hundred meters left. The airship was pretty large, shadowing at least one fifth of the city. Ponies ran around shouting and pointing their hooves at the big metallic thing. Jason noticed it, a pink pony with wings and horn, standing on the balcony of the Crystal Palace. Its horn was glowing blue, supporting the barrier. Jason zoomed in and saw what he could describe as tiredness written on pony's face. He put two and two together and calculated that it won't be long before the barrier falls. Fleet Tango penetrated the barrier, passing through it without effort, keeping firing at the black mist. Once the airship was completely behind the barrior, the firing stopped. The airship slowed down and stopped, it's nose a hundred meters away from the Crystal Palace. Jason passed through the barrier and sighed in relief. "Foxtrot, this is Fleet Tango. Your new objective is to patrol the area inside the barrier. Squad Alpha, I need you to be ready to take of with plasma rockets on your battlefield fighters, and quick!" "Uh, commander..." Jason spoke, looking at the big crowd of ponies below himself. "You seem to forget one little thing." "What thing? Wait... oh damn, it will be very awkward if they won't understand us." "Let's hope for the best, commander." Chapter 1: Battle For Crystal EmpirePrincess Cadance was watching the big airship penetrating the barrier. She stared wide-eyed at it. "Sweet Celestia..." one of her guards spoke in awe. "That thing is almost as big as Canterlot! And it's flying!" Suddenly, the doors to the throne room were burst open and seven ponies entered. "Cady!" Shining Armor exclaimed, rushing to his wife and hugging her. "Oh, Shiny, I'm glad you're finally here." she replied, smiling to her husband. "Did you see..." "That big metallic airship thingie? Yeah I did." he replied. "Just what is it? An enemy or a friend?" "There was something like that, but smaller and faster." Shining Armor started explaining. "I was running for my life, King Sombra was after me, looming over me like a giant black mist. He..." he rubbed his horn, the tip of which had small black crystal shards in it. "Blocked my magic. Thankfully, a small and fast thing saved me. It shot some kind of magical sphere at Sombra. It distracted the king from me, and I was able to escape. And I am sure that I've heard that thing speaking to me. It was hard to hear, but I am pretty sure that it spoke our language. Whatever it is, it's our friend." "That's good." Cadance yawned. "Oh, I'm so tired. Girls, I need you to do something for me." she spoke to the six mares. "While it will be difficult, it will sure help us..." Fifteen minutes later. "Foxtrot, this is Fleet Tango, report." "This is Foxtrot, everything is calm. This barrier is some sort of illusion, I can't see that black mist through it. But I'm sure I heard banging." Jason replied, checking the perimeter. He flew at the speed of about eight hundred kilometers per hour, at the height of one hundred meters. "Whatever that is, it is trying to get into this city." The Alpha squad, consisting of three BFF-1 Tempests, was circling around Fleet Tango and the Crystal Palace. Each one of them had a PPC, APC and two PRx8 mounted on. Jason took a slight turn to the right, flying over a big stadium. "This is Fleet Tango, then we need to help this city as much as we can. That threat has proven dangerous and hostile towards us. It must be eliminated asap. "However, there is no time to contact any of local authorities. We do everything we can to help the city. If we succeed, we stay here and make contact. If we don't, we will evade further conflict with the enemy as long as possible and seek for help. It is quite certain that this city has only the barrier to protect its citizens, and our analytics are sure that it won't last long." Jason slowly inhaled and exhaled. This was proven to be difficult mission, nothing like he has ever encountered before. The outcome of this situation couldn't be calculated by him. Suddenly, the barrier dropped a little, exposing sickly orange skies. The barrier quickly returned to its previous state, but something seemed to be different. "Fleet Tango, this is Alpha, I can clearly see black crystals growing near the southern gate!" commander of Alpha squad spoke. "Destroy them immediately!" Fleet Tango replied, and all the battlefield fighters turned to the southern gate. They quickly made their way to it and unloaded their plasma rockets onto black crystals, destroying them completely. "This is Alpha, the place is wiped clean!" the report came. The aircrafts returned to their patrol duty. Everything was calm for a few minutes, thankfully. Alpha has restocked their ammunition, now ready to fight once again. Then the barrier dropped for the second time, now fading completely. Black mist started seeping into the city, the skies became orange with black clouds. Dark, evil laughter echoed through the city, black crystals emerged from the ground. "Crystal Heart..." a deep voice spoke, Sombra's head forming from the mist. The ponies started screaming in terror. Jason cursed under his breath, watching the surrealistic things happening before his very eyes. He changed the course, now flying straight to it. Alpha squad have already been unloading their plasma rockets. All of them hit Sombra's head full force, forcing him to retreat a little, grunting in pain. "Foxtrot, this is Fleet Tango, I heard that him saying something about crystal heart! If that's what he wants, then it can be the weapon that can defeat him! Find it!" "Roger!" Jason replied, his eyes darting around. He noticed that something was happening on the top of the Crystal Palace. "My Crystal slaves..." INT-2 Spirit with wolf imprints on its wings flew to the top of the Crystal Palace where Twilight Sparkle and Spike were trying to get the Crystal Heart. Unfortunately, Twilight was trapped inside a barrier of black crystals, preventing her from escaping. Fortunately, the heart was thrown outside the barrier, and Spike was able to get it. "What is that thing doing here?" Twilight followed the aircraft with her eyes as it flew around. "Whatever, we have no time for this! Spike, take the Crystal Heart, and go, NOW!" "Uh, commander..." Jason spoke, lots of contacts appearing on his sensor. "Attention! Enemy contact!" his on-board computer reported. "Foxtrot, what is happening?! We see at least fifteen velian aircrafts on our sensors!" Jason looked at the screen of the camera and zoomed in. Lots of crystalline aircrafts looking like his were flying around. They fired something that looked like red plasma. "Multiple interceptors!" Jason exclaimed. "They are not velian, they are all made of crystal and look like my aircraft, and they had some sort of plasma weapons which shoot red projectiles!" "Squad Delta, Charlie, prepare to take off!" Fleet Tango spoke over the radio. "Foxtrot, you have to hold on a little more, the support is on its way! Whatever you do, just destroy the aircrafts!" "Yes, sir!" Jason replied, locking one of enemy aircraft in his targeting system. Once he was close enough, he fired a shot of plasma, successfully hitting the target and destroying it completely. "That's more like it!" Cadance and Shining Armor were staring at the battle wide-eyed. Black aircrafts fought with brownish-gray ones. Last ones were winning without any loss at their side. Shots of plasma flew around, black aircrafts exploding mid-air, and new replacing their place. Ponies down there were running around, trying to hide from the cacophony of strange sounds. "What is happening?" Cadance spoke weakly. "It seems Sombra considers them a bigger threat." Shining replied. "I hope they'll last until the Crystal Heart is found, or everything's lost." "Over there!" someone yelled from the top of the Crystal Palace. The pair looked up and saw Spike, holding the Crystal Heart in his claw. A ball of red plasma hits nearby, destroying the crystal where Spike was standing. He started falling. The crystal of black was rising from the ground, the body of King Sombra forming on it's top. He glared at the Crystal Heart, grinning wickedly. "That is mine!" Spike was falling, trying to grab the Crystal Heart that was just a little further from his reach. King Sombra licked his lips, watching the Crystal Heart fall to its doom, right in his hooves. His shadow crystal grew higher and higher. Cadance tried to stand up, but fell, defeated by her tiredness. She could only watch helplessly. "Jason, do something! That heart is essential!" commander's voice sounded from Jason's speakers. "Oh, I've got a little surprise for our little unicorn king..." Jason grinned wickedly as the red circle of his GM targeting system became green completely. "Target locked." the soft voice of his on-board computer informed him. Jason exhaled and released two deadly missiles. Somehow, his targeting system could detect King Sombra, marking him as UKn, yet making him red on the HUD. The King's eyes widened as he saw the two missiles closing in. They hit him full-force, blowing up in his face. The big black crystal began to break under the sheer power of explosion on its top, collapsing. The black aircrafts exploded one by one, leaving nothing in their place. Squads Delta and Charlie cheered. Cadance's eyes widened in surprise. Jason watched as Spike and Crystal Heart still were falling. He flew closer and closer to the two, and saw no option but to open the cockpit to let them in. With a loud thud, both landed behind Jason's seat, shaking the aircraft. He quickly closed the cockpit. "Ugh, my head..." Spike muttered, his claw finding the heart and hugging it closely. "Mm, so warm... Wait, I need to take the heart to Cadance!" "Listen here, buddy, you're on board of my aircraft." Jason spoke. "You tell me where you want to deliver this heart, I'll do." "Who are you?" Spike's eyes widened. "Oh, come on, there's no time for Q and A session!" "Uh, fly to the base of Crystal Palace." "That crystal tower in the center?" "Yeah, that's right." Suddenly, something hit the aircraft hard, making it shake violently, the right wing and engine marked yellow on the HUD. "Damage." the computer informed as Jason cursed. "YOU WON'T GET AWAY!" Jason looked on his outside cameras' screens and saw the angry looking Sombra, chasing the aircraft in his shadow form. Cadance and Shining Armor were rushing to the base of Crystal Palace, the later supporting his wife. "We... need to get to the heart..." Cadence weakly spoke. They exited the Crystal Palace and saw it, the aircraft chased by Sombra. Jason was closing to the two ponies, his aircraft's cockpit glowing blue. "Citizens of Crystal Empire!" Cadance started speaking, giving the last bits of her strength to her voice. "Use the love that you have inside to ensure that King Sombra does not!" The aircraft shook violently as the heart released a wave of energy. Jason'd HUD became blue, his aircraft repaired in a second. "What the..." he looked back and saw that the heart was glowing brighter. "Commander, something is happening! This heart seems to get more and more powerful!" After a few moments of silence, Jason heard his commander speaking through outside speakers on the airship. "Citizens of this city!" All attention of ponies was turned to the airship. "The Crystal Heart is just a heartbeat away from defeating your enemy! We try our best, but only you can make it, only you can give the heart the true power!" Ponies cheered, the heart glowed brighter and brighter, finally releasing a large wave of blue light. It blinded everyone and went like a shockwave, destroying King Sombra completely, returning the sky its natural blue color. The aircraft shook violently, barely holding itself in place as a source of power released new waves after waves, overpowering the energy system and engines. Jason opened the aircraft's cockpit, and the heart flew out of it to the center of Crystal Palace's base. Jason barely evaded crashing into one of support constructions of the Palace. A big blue barrier appeared around the Crystal Empire, now protecting it from any threat to come from outside. "Oh wow..." Jason spoke. He saw that his craft became as if it had been polished for a month straight. "Fleet Tango, do you see it?" "The most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life..." commander replied, struck with awe. "Woohoo, I'm made of crystal!" Alpha spoke, cheering. Three shiny, bluish Tempests did a barrel roll. Jason turned on the autopilot, took off his helmet and wiped off the sweat. "Oh, what a day this was..." Chapter 2: The Negotiations"Foxtrot, this is Fleet Tango; the battle is over. Now we must contact a local authority. We must create a stable and prosperous relationship with this city, especially if it is a part of a greater organization. We must find out where we are and gather as much information of this place as we can. "Jason, I know politics isn't your thing, but you'll have to act as ambassador. There is no one that can be better than you." "Yes, sir." Jason replied. He was patrolling the area, just in case. Ponies down below still watched him, but with less fear and more respect than before. "Uh... Hey, you forgot about me." Spike frowned, sitting behind Jason in a very uncomfortable position. "Oh, sorry." Jason apologized. "Fleet Tango, I've got a local from this world on my aircraft. It's a..." "Male baby dragon." Spike said. "Male baby... dragon." "Foxtrot, you bring him back to the people. Change the aircraft so you can land safely, then return that dragon to them." Jason was in the hangar of the airship. White BFF-1 Tempest was before him, without any weaponry. He didn't like that, he always felt naked and defenseless without anything to protect himself in the air. Well, he was allowed to carry a plasma pistol with him, just in case. It didn't make him any more comfortable, though. Commander Fedman Cassad was standing nearby, looking at the Tempest. "Well, Jason, your task is simple," Fedman spoke, turning his head to the pilot. "You must establish a relationship with this country. Explain what happened, don't hide anything that is not classified. Show them the holotape of short history course, of course. "Stay calm and ask questions as well. We need as much information on this new land as possible. There is a microphone in your suit, so I'll be able to hear all conversation. "Don't forget about your little friend." Fedman threw a glance at Spike, who was standing nearby, staring at the aircrafts with amazed expression on his face. "You must bring him back to them." "Understood, commander." Jason saluted. "Good luck, then. Dismissed." There was no need for second pilot in this Tempest because of lack of weaponry, so Spike took a seat. It was large for him, unfortunately. Jason was turning on various systems of the aircraft, preparing to take off. "Listen here, Spike." he spoke. "Don't touch anything at all, alright? I will return you to ponies, don't worry." "It's just amazing to see aircrafts!" Spike replied. "I've read about them in my comic books, but none of those aircrafts were real nor they could be!" "I was amazed when I first saw an aircraft, too." Jason chuckled. "Alright, prepare to take off, it will shake a little." Jason turned on the radio and spoke: "This is Ambassador, request permission to take off." The hangar door opened, revealing the Crystal Empire from a bird's eye. "Ambassador one, cleared to take off." Cadance watched as the white aircraft descended, and she was sure she saw Spike in it. The aircraft landed a ten meters before the Crystal Palace. The cockpit opened and Jason put his feet on the crystal road. Soon enough Spike followed. "Alright, stay calm. They are just a bunch of sapient equines." Jason thought to himself. "Be nice and polite to them and everything will be just fine." He slowly walked to the Crystal Palace, a bunch of armored guards stood there, guarding two ponies: a stallion with white fur and a mare with pink fur. Jason quickly understood that those are in charge of everything, especially the pink one - she had a tiara on top of her head, identifying herself as some sort of royalty. He stopped three meters before them and bowed. "Hello, I am Jason Scott, the ambassador of Federation of Free Planets." he introduced himself to the two ponies. "Hello, Ambassador Scott, I am Cadance, princess of love." Cadance introduced herself, bowing a little. "I am Shining Armor, her husband." Shining Armor introduced himself as well. "Well, mister Armor, your majesty Cadance, I guess you both want to know many things." Jason gestured at the airship and battlefield fighters flying around. "Yes, we would like to know all the story, if it is possible." Cadance nodded. "Please, follow me." Once they were in the throne room, the explanation began. "So, to better understand us, I brought a holotape which has a short course of history of recent few hundred years." Jason pulled a small holographic recorder out from one of his pockets, then turned it on, starting the record. After the record ended, Cadance and Shining Armor just stared at it. "So..." Shining Armor cleared his throat. "You are saying that there is a big war between that Federation of Free Planets and Velians, correct? Who is winning?" "We were winning, as far as I remember." Jason replied, frowning. "We aren't able to contact any federal forces, though. But what I do remember is that we appeared here because of Velian Null-T technology. Something changed the course, sucking me in along the way. Thankfully, we came out unharmed, and now we want to know where we are." "I guess I can tell what I know." Cadance said. She explained everything she knew about Equestria and its recent years, as well as a short course of history. "Well, you've just said that you possess what you call 'magic." Jason scratched his chin. "Can you demonstrate it?" Cadance nodded. Her horn started to glow, the holographic recorder was enveloped in light blue glow, lifting itself up. "That is clearly something I haven't seen any human doing..." Jason stared at the flying recorder in awe. "Our technology can make things move around like you do, but with such precision? No, ours can't do that." "But your technology is sure advanced." Shining Armor interjected. "Things made of metal don't fly on their own, especially for so long as yours does." "That is the result of many years of technological progress, mister Armor. We have nothing like magic, so in order to be better we make new technologies. For example, just three hundred years ago we lived about sixty to one hundred years, now we can live up to two hundred. The progress of medicine made us able to live that long. For example, our president is one hundred fifty three years old. He outlived the Galactic Empire, and I'm sure he's not looking forward to dying soon." "That is fascinating!" Cadance exclaimed. "Well, we as representatives of the Federation of Free Planets would like to establish a connection between us and Equestria." "I'm looking forward to it too." Cadance nodded. "But I am not the head of Equestria. Celestia and Luna are. I will send them a letter, and I think they will either come here or invite you." Fifteen minutes later. "The reply came." Cadance stated, the letter appearing out of thin air. She opened it and read. "Well, mister Scott, they are inviting you to Canterlot to discuss the terms of agreement between Equestria and the Federation of Free Planets. Canterlot is located to south from here, on the lone mountain in the center of Equestria. You will notice it instantly, it is on the side of the mountain."" "I will report this to command center, your majesty." Jason nodded. "Now, I must return to the airship. This meeting was pleasant, your majesty. I am looking forward to seeing you again." "Thank you, mister Scott." Jason Scott was back in the white Tempest. He turned on the engines and put on his flying helmet. "This is Fleet Tango; Jason, your professionalism is on the highest level." his commander spoke over the radio. "Now, we will take course to Canterlot. In case of someone attacking us, you must change the aircraft to armed one." "This is Ambassador; understood, commander." Jason replied, taking course to the airship. A minute later he spoke: "This is Ambassador; request permission to land." "Ambassador one, cleared to land." After changing the aircraft to INT-2 Spirit, Jason was back in the air, escorting the airship along with a squad of four BFF-4 Lightnings. The camouflage was changed to winter one, so the aircrafts blended with the snowy mountains of Northern Equestria. Nothing but snow was in sight. Celestia and Luna were patiently waiting for the outlanders to arrive. They both took place in a secret room which was on the other side of the mountain that was the base of Canterlot. The room was small, allowing only the two princesses to be there at once. It had a small window with a telescope attached to it, so that the sisters could see what is happening in the Crystal Mountains. They could already see a black spot which rather quickly became bigger. "What is that?" Celestia narrowed her eyes, trying to see the details. "Cadance's written that these aliens that call themselves representatives of the Federation of Free Planets have some sort of a big, metallic airship, and lots of smaller ones, that the humans referred to as the aircrafts. Just what are those? Are these like flying round objects that the young like to read about in the comics?" "Whatever these are, their speed is more than a hundred kilometers per hour." Luna said. "Well, it... It looks like nothing we have." There was a big blocky airship made of metal that looked more like it was an actual ship that was made to swim in the water. Six aircrafts escorted it: half of them hovering above it while the other half was circling it. "It would cause quite a ruckus if we hadn't told the ponies of Canterlot about it as soon as we've received the letter." Luna noted. "Imagine what would have happened if they showed up uninvited!" "Yes, that would cause chaos that Discord himself would be proud of." Celestia nodded, chuckling. While they were talking, Fleet Tango and squads Alpha and Foxtrot were closing in to the mountain. "Fleet Tango, this is Foxtrot one, my scanner detected two life forms on this side of the mountain. Their signature is green, marked 'Ac', no callsign detected." Jason reported. "What is data on 'Ac' signature?" "This is Fleet Tango, there is no data on this signature." commander replied. "Alpha, do you see what Foxtrot one does?" "This is Alpha, our scanners show the same thing." the captain of squad Alpha confirmed. "Two green Acs, approximately seven kilometers from us." "This is Foxtrot one, they are hidden in the mountain, can't get a clear image." Jason stated. "Orders?" "This is Fleet Tango, keep an eye on them, we don't need surprises." Celestia and Luna watched as the aliens approached. "I feel something..." Celestia stated. "It's a... scanning spell! A very powerful one." "I feel the same thing." Luna nodded. "I think they found us. We should better return to Canterlot to avoid anything that would lead them to us. If they'll lose us on, they will likely think that it was a glitch in their spell, if they use one." Both princesses teleported back to Canterlot, accompanied by bright flashes of light, golden and midnight-blue. "This is Foxtrot one, both signatures disappeared. However, I saw two flashes of light. They appeared simultaneously, golden and dark-blue. Flashes were too small and not as bright to be the result of Null-T technology use. No preparations for the Null-T could be seen either." Jason reported. "This is Alpha, we confirm the disappearances and the flashes." Alpha confirmed. "This is Fleet Tango, continue observation. They might return. Report if any other signatures are detected. Finally, Fleet Tango arrived at the Canterlot. The big airship was at least half as large as the city itself. Ponies stared at the airship, struck with awe by its sheer size. "This is Foxtrot one, I see multiple green Bld and BigBld signatures, the biggest one has a callsign 'Canterlot'. No turrets but medieval age cannons were found. I guess that the signatures we see can be detected because of what ponies call 'magic'." Jason reported. "Their magic seems to be able to interfere with our scanners, allowing us to see the signatures that are on screen right now." "This is Fleet Tango, this will be added to the information about Equestria." the commander replied. The Alpha squad was ordered to patrol the area around the city, while Jason was ordered to change aircraft to the diplomatic one. The rest of the Foxtrot squad was ordered to scout the area and take aerial photos to make a map later. "This is Ambassador, request permission to take off." Jason requested over the radio, now back in the white Tempest. "Ambassador one, cleared to take off." permission was granted. Celestia and Luna ordered the guards to clear the place for the aircraft to land, deciding to meet the ambassador in person rather than have him to be escorted to the princesses. The place for landing was found near the entrance to the castle, where guards had to draw an "L" on the ground to mark the landing pad. Fortunately, the pilot of the diplomatic aircraft understood that and landed on it successfully. The cockpit opened, allowing Jason to put his feet on the ground. He noticed the two alicorns standing nearby and bowed to them. "Hello, I am Jason Scott, the ambassador of the Federation of Free Planets." he introduced to the two. "Hello, Ambassador Scott, I am Celestia, Princess of the Day and the diarch of Equestria." the alabaster alicorn introduced herself. "And I am Luna, Princess of the Night and the diarch of Equestria as well." the midnight-blue alicorn did as well. Jason was stunned by the beauty of the two. He's never been attracted to horses nor to ponies, yet he knows what a beauty is when he sees it. Their ethereal manes and tails enchanted his eyes, their majestic appearance, everything about them told him that they are truly the powerful rulers of Equestria. And loved, too. "Please, mister Scott, follow us." Celestia invited him into the castle. "We have much to discuss. The three were sitting at the round Table of Negotiations, a large table that was summoned only once in the old days of Canterlot. The table was made of wood, which color is gold. It was richly decorated, becoming a work of art. There were a few reporters, they had their cameras pointed at the three. It made Jason a little nervous, he never liked to be the center of attention. "So, mister Scott," Celestia started speaking. "Princess Cadance told us that you and the other humans helped in defeating King Sombra. Without your help, the Empire would have fallen into his hooves. Why did you do that? By that time, you knew nothing about us nor him." "Well, there isn't much of a story, your majesty. Sombra attacked us without reason, and he perhaps could have destroyed us all without the Crystal Heart that was later found. I see no reason that would tell us to join his side. And, if we knew who he was, we would go against him too. Slavery is not acceptable in any form in the Federation of Free Planets, and we'll make sure that there is nobody that does that, no matter what the reason is." Jason replied. "There is nothing that justifies slavery." "So, what the Federation is?" "Well, it is a union of planets, each ruled by a president that is elected every ten years. Our federation bases on peace and prosperity through economic and social development. The violent method of war has proven itself to be unnecessary and resultless. Much more can be reached with peace. However, it was until Velians attacked us without reason." "Please, tell us more about them." "They are like us, humans, though in a little different way. Not much known about their society; the only thing we know is that it is matriarchal. Their technologies are based on genetic engineering, a very painful and unpleasant process, often resulting in death or mind instability unless developed and studied enough to minimize the chances. So, the genetic engineering was banned in the Federation, though their Null-T technology was allowed, as it was the advanced technology of moving through space instantaneous, teleporting from one place to another. This technology was, in fact, a Trojan horse." earning confused glances, Jason cleared his throat and elaborated. "It means that those technologies were traps, not gifts. At one point Velians opened the gates, their armed forces came in and started attacking every planet, capturing humans and using them as genetic material." "That is horrible!" Celestia frowned. "Why would they do that?" "The reasons behind this is unknown." Jason replied. "Perhaps, they were not pleased with the ban of genetic engineering. However, they never went against the decision, they agreed to this in the first place." "That makes them untrustworthy!" Luna said angrily. "Why start a war when there can be a peaceful solution to the problem?" "All our attempts to start negotiations were denie." the ambassador replied with a frown. "So, may I continue?" "Yes, please." Celestia nodded. "So, me and the fifth air group under command of Roman Kasev was located on the planet Rokada IV. We were capturing the Northern Citadel on the main continent, which was almost free from Velians at that time. We have received a message through the Null-T portal that was located there. The message told us that federal forces needed help at planet Escobar. Fleet Tango, the big airship just outside Canterlot, decided to capture the portal and use it to quickly travel to the planet. It seems that something else took control of the portal, sending Fleet Tango here, sucking me in along the way. My aircraft has recorded the battle, so I brought the record here for your majesties to see. Maybe you'll see something that neither me nor others has seen. Would you like to see the whole battle or the part where the portal is taken under control?" "I think we better see the whole thing." Luna suggested. "I agree." Celestia nodded. "If we are to notice anything, it could have happened at any time." Some time later. "Well, I see nothing that could relate to our world." Celestia sighed. "The Null-T technology we see in this record is nothing like what we use. And only powerfull unicorns and alicorns are able to use teleportation, and it is instant, there is no need for such big building." "I expected that." Jason nodded. "So, it seems that me and others are stuck here, in Equestria. So, in order to not cause any trouble to any of its citizens, we, as the official representatives of the Federation of Free Planets, would like to establish a relationship with Equestria." After long and boring discussion of terms of agreement, Jason was back in the airship, taking a nap from his long and eventful day. The terms are quite simple: all humans are allowed to stay in Equestria as long as they like. Anyone that will commit a crime, would be judged as a citizen of Equestria. The princesses agreed to send humans food free of charge until they could grow it themselves. Fleet Tango changed its location due to princesses' request. Now, the airship is hovering above empty field between White Tail Woods and a banks of the river which flows through Ponyville. Fields were decided to be turned into farmlands, a part of the river to be turned into fishing grounds. Although, it was decided that no serious ecological damage must be done. It was also decided that hunting is to be banned as it is already banned in all of Equetria. For humans, these terms were acceptable for everyone. No one would dare to ruin the relationship that has just started to blossom into friendship between different planets.
Prologue Jason "Wolf" Scott: GF-MAF 121567/BV (Last update 2354.04.10) General information: Name: Jason Surname: Scott Date of birth: 04.03.2319 Place of birth: Sirius system, Peski planet, settlement New Oasis. Call sign: Wolf Rank: Major Character: Loyal to the Federation. The speed of the nerve impulse — 12 meters per second. Strong. Enduring. Able to withstand tenfold overload. David Joyce index - 250. Resistant to mutantion. Single. Discreet. Does not have bad habits. Rational thinking, with a preference to the exact calculation of the factors affecting the outcome of the situation. Has a composure. In a combat situation is capable of instantaneously switching to user-reflexive thinking and take immediate right decisions. Drinks to the extent necessary. Jason Scott was in the hangar of FAF Tango main airship, along with his two other men, waiting for their INT-2 Spirits to be loaded with ammo. Repairmen in orange jumpsuits ran around, carrying boxes of ammo and rockets, loading them into the aircrafts. "Hey, Jason," one of repairmen called him. "Your aircraft's ready." His Spirit was different from others. There was a gray wolf's angry snout painted on both wings of the aircraft. Jason nodded to the repairman, then got into the cockpit of his interceptor. The cockpit closed with a hydraulic hiss. Jason took a seat, strapped himself, put on his flying helmet, then flicked a few tumblers on the dashboard. Dashboard's lights turned on, glowing green. "Life support system engaged." soft and calm feminine voice of aircraft's on-board computer spoke through the speakers in Jason's helmet. The visor of the helmet flicked a few times, and a speedometer appeared along with a height meter. "Weapon system engaged." four lines appeared in left corner of the visor, as well as the bar of energy. "Engines engaged...." While the systems were being engaged, Jason spoke over the radio: "Alright, everyone's ready?" "Time to kick ass, Jason!" his mate replied cheerfully. "Let's give 'em hell!" the second one agreed with the first one. Jason chuckled. "Alright, then." He pushed a button, turning on long-range radio and spoke: "This is Foxtrot, request permission to take off." A few seconds later he got a response. "Foxtrot one, cleared to take off." Jason turned on the engines, his aircraft started vibrating ever so slightly, quiet humming filled the cockpit. The hangar door opened, revealing brown, lifeless land and cloudy evening skies. Jason flew across the skies, chasing down velian interceptors. They were fast, but not as fast as his. The cross of the targeting system got into the HUD circle of the enemy bat-like interceptor. Jason pressed the trigger, releasing a sphere of hot, green plasma from one of his APC. The sphere connected with the enemy, blowing it up with a loud boom. "Nice one, Jason!" one of his mates spoke over the radio. "Yep." Jason replied. "Two others are on you." Suddenly, a hysterical beeping noise appeared inside Jason's helmet. He cursed under his breath and changed his course, avoiding a missile, which exploded a little behind him, shaking the aircraft a little, as well as draining a few percents of energy. "That was a close one." he sighed in relief. His aircraft's energy regenerated back to a hundred percents. "Foxtrot two and three, you better land. I cannot risk your lives." "But what about you, Jason?" "I'll be just fine, survived even worse. Now go, I'll be alright." "Alright. Take care." Two other interceptors turned around and flew to the Fleet Tango. They almost got hit by missiles, but they were successfully destroyed by airships' plasma cannons. Jason sighed in relief as he saw his mates disappearing from his HUD. "A missile has started." Jason was informed by his on-board computer. "Damn it!" Jason was flying lazily around the big building of the Null-T portal. "Began the capture procedure." ShaBoR spoke on the radio. Jason's laziness disappeared in a blink of an eye, replaced with professional seriousness. So here it is, the portal will soon be under the control of Federation, preventing any velian from invading Rokada IV ever again. Jason's gripped the wheel harder, his eyes scanning the minimap for any potential threats. There was none, fortunately. "This is Fleet Tango, moving." commander's voice appeared on the radio. Jason checked the minimap and saw that one of airships began moving towards the big red square which was the portal. "A missile has started." calm feminine voice appeared once again, then repeated the message. Jason dodged every single one of the missiles, then flew to the HTR. After three shots of plasma, the rocket turret was destroyed with a loud explosion. Dodging a plasma shot from the angry velians, Jason grinned. "Whatcha gonna do now, huh?" he mocked in his thoughts, returning to the portal. Fleet Tango was already there, preparing to enter. Alpha squad of battlefield fighters has already landed on the big airship, preparing to teleport with it. "The capture has been completed. You better use it before they shut it down from the other side." ShaBoR reported. Four branched blue rays shot out of the building's highest spots, connecting with the inner circle's center. "This is Fleet Tango, I'm entering the portal." Two escorting airship vessels of the fleet stopped while the main airship moved to the portal. It successfully entered, the blue rays intensified. "Stop! They changed the channel!" ShaBoR yelled over the radio. A moment later the airship disappeared in a bright white flash of light. Jason blinked, blinded by the flash. "Damn, it's too late..." Suddenly, the portal opened again, blue rays had gone wild, shooting around. The inner circle of the building cracked and broke in two. "What the hell?!" ShaBoR yelled, panicking. "The control is coming from somewhere else! And it's not velian!" Suddenly, Jason's interceptor shook, a blue beam engulfed it completely. Hysterical beeping filled his ears as his aircraft shook violently. "Foxtr... what... ppening?" the radio went crazy as Jason tried to regain control of his aircraft. Static filled the radio as he disappeared into the portal. Jason opened his eyes. He was still in the cockpit of Spirit and flew across the clear blue skies with a speed of four hundred kilometers per hour, slowly slowing down. He looked around and found an unfamiliar scenery. It was full of white, snowy mountains and valleys were everywhere in sight. "This is F... Tango, Jason, wha... the hell ar... doing here?!" aircraft's radio faded in and out before stabilizing. "This is Foxtrot, I have no idea. It seems the portal sucked me in here." Jason replied, turning the autopilot on. "Where are we? Is it Escobar? "This is not velian nor any human planet I know." Fleet Tango replied. "This place is... strange. There is something in the air, flowing through it, flowing through us. And every line of communication is cut off, I cannot contact anyone. The radio is completely silent, there isn't even static." Jason circled the airship on autopilot, slowly breathing in and out, looking around. Still nothing but snowy mountains and snowy valleys. "What if this place is a new planet that neither us nor Velians have discovered until now?" commander Fedman Cassad continued. "And we cannot let velians control it. The snow, it looks so pure. The skies are like... Jason, have you ever seen old photos of Earth?" "A couple of times, I suppose." Jason replied. "It looks exactly like the South Pole, but with clouds and without extra ultraviolet. The air is breathable. No toxins found. "Now, listen closely, Jason. What is your status?" "All systems are functioning, commander." Jason replied. "Excellent. Scout the area around Fleet Tango. Do not engage in combat. If you find something interesting, report immediately and get the closest look possible. Direction - north." "Will do." Jason turned autopilot off and flew to the north of Fleet Tango. Flying on the top speed of nine hundred kilometers per hour, Jason could see snow and nothing else. However, he noticed a faint glow over the horizon. He turned his aircraft and flew to the glowing's source. He closed in fast, and now could see some kind of architecture in the distance. "Fleet Tango, this is Foxtrot, I see something that looks like buildings." "Velian or human?" "It's hard to say..." Jason narrowed his eyes. "It's too colorful to be Velian. I'll take a closer look." He flew closer and closer, making his way to the strange buildings. He flew over the snowy hill and saw a big city in all its glory. The city was made entirely of something glass-like, Jason assumed that the material is crystal. He saw that the city was surrounded by a bluish spherical barrier. He passed the barrier without any effort. While the outside was snowy, the inside was completely green like it was summer. He also noticed that the city itself was shaped like a star, all the roads leading to the central building which was at least a few hundred meters high, and made of blue crystal. He noticed that the blue barrier had been forming there, somewhere inside. Technicolor quadrupedal creatures ran around, pointing at Jason's aircraft. He used his outer cameras to record a short footage of his flight, making sure to get a shot of the barrier, creatures and the central building. "Fleet Tango, this is Foxtrot, it seems I found a city." Jason spoke over the radio. "I've recorded a short footage of my flight and will show it as soon as I get back." "A city? Who is inside?" "Strange technicolor quadrupeds, as far as I can see. They were pointing their... something at me, some of them were shouting something, I think. It seems I caused quite a ruckus." "So, completely new sentient species?" commander spoke. "If they're not Velian and not human, who are they? Jason, you must return immediately, we don't know what kind of defense they have and if they're hostile or friendly." "The city is surrounded by a spherical blue barrier. I passed through it without effort, though. The source of the barrier is somewhere in the center of the city, in the tall tower-like structure." "Alright, Jason, now you must return before we find out exactly how that barrier works. After you land, doctors will check you, and then you must report to me." "Will do, commander." Jason replied and flew around the crystal tower, turning to the Fleet. Jason was on his way to the Fleet when he was contacted by radio. "Foxtrot, this is Fleet Tango, there is something strange... Oh god damnit!" "Commander, what is it?" Jason asked worriedly. "This is some kind of black smoke with eyes! What the hell is that thing?!" Jason heard plasma being fired. A few moments later he saw that thing. A big black smoky mist towered above the airship, glowering at it with its evil green-pupiled red-irised eyes. "Foxtrot, I can see you on sensors!" Fleet Tango spoke. "We are going your way. Lead us to that city, perhaps it can give us at least some protection. Our air defense seems to do painful but not lethal damage to that... thing." "Follow me, commander." An hour before, Crystal Empire. Princess Cadance was sitting on the crystal throne. She was tired, keeping the barrier still, holding dark forces of King Sombra out of the empire. She was waiting for her husband Shining Armor to come back. He'd gone to the train station to meet his sister and her friends, ones that, hopefully, could save the empire from evil tyrant. Suddenly, she heard yells from outside. She stood up and quickly trotted to the nearest window. Something metallic moved through the air on incredible speed. Cadance's eyes widened as she watched the strange object's flight. It didn't attack. It flew to the back of Crystal Palace. Cadance galloped to the opposite window and saw that the object appeared from behind the palace and was flying back the same direction it came from. "Princess!" one of the crystal guards entered the throne room. "There is something in the air!" "I know, I've just saw it." Cadance replied tiredly, walking back to the throne. "What is it?" Cadance sighed. "I don't know." Whatever that was, Cadance hoped that at least it wasn't against Crystal Empire like everything else. Jason flew through the cold skies on the speed of about three hundred kilometers per hour. Fleet Tango followed closely on the same speed. The black mist was not as fast as the airship, yet it was not so far behind. Jason turned around and flew to the black mist. He saw that there was someone on the ground, running from the mist. Jason used an outside camera to zoom in. He saw that a lone pony-like creature with a horn in it's head was galloping from the mist, limping a little. Jason fired a plasma shot at the mist's evil eyes. It roared in pain and stopped, blinking. The pony looked up and saw Jason's aircraft. Pony's eyes widened in surprise and it stopped. Jason cursed under his breath and turned on outside speakers and shouted: "Run, you fool! Don't stop! I'll cover you!" Luckily for Jason, the pony understood. It shook its head, then nodded and started galloping really fast. Jason was preparing to do anything to stop that black mist. "I'm going to get you, son of a bitch!" Ten minutes later. "This is Fleet Tango, I see that city." "Good." Jason replied, shooting another plasma sphere at the black mist. It groaned in pain, glaring at him. "The barrier that surrounds the city should let us pass." The airship was only a kilometer away from the blue barrier. The pony that Jason had seen was galloping to the city fast, and there were six ponies waiting for him inside. Seven hundred twenty five meters left. Jason fired another shot of plasma at the menace. It could only howl angrily in response. Suddenly, it tried to engulf the aircraft in the black mist. Jason quickly fired another shot and changed his direction, avoiding contact. Five hundred meters left. The mist became quickier, moved closer and closer, growling angrily. Jason didn't try to shoot it this time, aware of what the mist can do. The airship was far enough and could still fire long-range heavy plasma cannons. "This is Fleet Tango, we're going to it." Fedman spoke over the radio. Jason dodged a black tendril which erupted from the mist. Silently cursing, he flew closer to the ground. Black crystals started appearing, obstructing Jason's way. His aircraft's agility allowed it to be quick enough to evade collision. One hundred meters left. The airship was pretty large, shadowing at least one fifth of the city. Ponies ran around shouting and pointing their hooves at the big metallic thing. Jason noticed it, a pink pony with wings and horn, standing on the balcony of the Crystal Palace. Its horn was glowing blue, supporting the barrier. Jason zoomed in and saw what he could describe as tiredness written on pony's face. He put two and two together and calculated that it won't be long before the barrier falls. Fleet Tango penetrated the barrier, passing through it without effort, keeping firing at the black mist. Once the airship was completely behind the barrior, the firing stopped. The airship slowed down and stopped, it's nose a hundred meters away from the Crystal Palace. Jason passed through the barrier and sighed in relief. "Foxtrot, this is Fleet Tango. Your new objective is to patrol the area inside the barrier. Squad Alpha, I need you to be ready to take of with plasma rockets on your battlefield fighters, and quick!" "Uh, commander..." Jason spoke, looking at the big crowd of ponies below himself. "You seem to forget one little thing." "What thing? Wait... oh damn, it will be very awkward if they won't understand us." "Let's hope for the best, commander."
Chapter 1: Battle For Crystal EmpirePrincess Cadance was watching the big airship penetrating the barrier. She stared wide-eyed at it. "Sweet Celestia..." one of her guards spoke in awe. "That thing is almost as big as Canterlot! And it's flying!" Suddenly, the doors to the throne room were burst open and seven ponies entered. "Cady!" Shining Armor exclaimed, rushing to his wife and hugging her. "Oh, Shiny, I'm glad you're finally here." she replied, smiling to her husband. "Did you see..." "That big metallic airship thingie? Yeah I did." he replied. "Just what is it? An enemy or a friend?" "There was something like that, but smaller and faster." Shining Armor started explaining. "I was running for my life, King Sombra was after me, looming over me like a giant black mist. He..." he rubbed his horn, the tip of which had small black crystal shards in it. "Blocked my magic. Thankfully, a small and fast thing saved me. It shot some kind of magical sphere at Sombra. It distracted the king from me, and I was able to escape. And I am sure that I've heard that thing speaking to me. It was hard to hear, but I am pretty sure that it spoke our language. Whatever it is, it's our friend." "That's good." Cadance yawned. "Oh, I'm so tired. Girls, I need you to do something for me." she spoke to the six mares. "While it will be difficult, it will sure help us..." Fifteen minutes later. "Foxtrot, this is Fleet Tango, report." "This is Foxtrot, everything is calm. This barrier is some sort of illusion, I can't see that black mist through it. But I'm sure I heard banging." Jason replied, checking the perimeter. He flew at the speed of about eight hundred kilometers per hour, at the height of one hundred meters. "Whatever that is, it is trying to get into this city." The Alpha squad, consisting of three BFF-1 Tempests, was circling around Fleet Tango and the Crystal Palace. Each one of them had a PPC, APC and two PRx8 mounted on. Jason took a slight turn to the right, flying over a big stadium. "This is Fleet Tango, then we need to help this city as much as we can. That threat has proven dangerous and hostile towards us. It must be eliminated asap. "However, there is no time to contact any of local authorities. We do everything we can to help the city. If we succeed, we stay here and make contact. If we don't, we will evade further conflict with the enemy as long as possible and seek for help. It is quite certain that this city has only the barrier to protect its citizens, and our analytics are sure that it won't last long." Jason slowly inhaled and exhaled. This was proven to be difficult mission, nothing like he has ever encountered before. The outcome of this situation couldn't be calculated by him. Suddenly, the barrier dropped a little, exposing sickly orange skies. The barrier quickly returned to its previous state, but something seemed to be different. "Fleet Tango, this is Alpha, I can clearly see black crystals growing near the southern gate!" commander of Alpha squad spoke. "Destroy them immediately!" Fleet Tango replied, and all the battlefield fighters turned to the southern gate. They quickly made their way to it and unloaded their plasma rockets onto black crystals, destroying them completely. "This is Alpha, the place is wiped clean!" the report came. The aircrafts returned to their patrol duty. Everything was calm for a few minutes, thankfully. Alpha has restocked their ammunition, now ready to fight once again. Then the barrier dropped for the second time, now fading completely. Black mist started seeping into the city, the skies became orange with black clouds. Dark, evil laughter echoed through the city, black crystals emerged from the ground. "Crystal Heart..." a deep voice spoke, Sombra's head forming from the mist. The ponies started screaming in terror. Jason cursed under his breath, watching the surrealistic things happening before his very eyes. He changed the course, now flying straight to it. Alpha squad have already been unloading their plasma rockets. All of them hit Sombra's head full force, forcing him to retreat a little, grunting in pain. "Foxtrot, this is Fleet Tango, I heard that him saying something about crystal heart! If that's what he wants, then it can be the weapon that can defeat him! Find it!" "Roger!" Jason replied, his eyes darting around. He noticed that something was happening on the top of the Crystal Palace. "My Crystal slaves..." INT-2 Spirit with wolf imprints on its wings flew to the top of the Crystal Palace where Twilight Sparkle and Spike were trying to get the Crystal Heart. Unfortunately, Twilight was trapped inside a barrier of black crystals, preventing her from escaping. Fortunately, the heart was thrown outside the barrier, and Spike was able to get it. "What is that thing doing here?" Twilight followed the aircraft with her eyes as it flew around. "Whatever, we have no time for this! Spike, take the Crystal Heart, and go, NOW!" "Uh, commander..." Jason spoke, lots of contacts appearing on his sensor. "Attention! Enemy contact!" his on-board computer reported. "Foxtrot, what is happening?! We see at least fifteen velian aircrafts on our sensors!" Jason looked at the screen of the camera and zoomed in. Lots of crystalline aircrafts looking like his were flying around. They fired something that looked like red plasma. "Multiple interceptors!" Jason exclaimed. "They are not velian, they are all made of crystal and look like my aircraft, and they had some sort of plasma weapons which shoot red projectiles!" "Squad Delta, Charlie, prepare to take off!" Fleet Tango spoke over the radio. "Foxtrot, you have to hold on a little more, the support is on its way! Whatever you do, just destroy the aircrafts!" "Yes, sir!" Jason replied, locking one of enemy aircraft in his targeting system. Once he was close enough, he fired a shot of plasma, successfully hitting the target and destroying it completely. "That's more like it!" Cadance and Shining Armor were staring at the battle wide-eyed. Black aircrafts fought with brownish-gray ones. Last ones were winning without any loss at their side. Shots of plasma flew around, black aircrafts exploding mid-air, and new replacing their place. Ponies down there were running around, trying to hide from the cacophony of strange sounds. "What is happening?" Cadance spoke weakly. "It seems Sombra considers them a bigger threat." Shining replied. "I hope they'll last until the Crystal Heart is found, or everything's lost." "Over there!" someone yelled from the top of the Crystal Palace. The pair looked up and saw Spike, holding the Crystal Heart in his claw. A ball of red plasma hits nearby, destroying the crystal where Spike was standing. He started falling. The crystal of black was rising from the ground, the body of King Sombra forming on it's top. He glared at the Crystal Heart, grinning wickedly. "That is mine!" Spike was falling, trying to grab the Crystal Heart that was just a little further from his reach. King Sombra licked his lips, watching the Crystal Heart fall to its doom, right in his hooves. His shadow crystal grew higher and higher. Cadance tried to stand up, but fell, defeated by her tiredness. She could only watch helplessly. "Jason, do something! That heart is essential!" commander's voice sounded from Jason's speakers. "Oh, I've got a little surprise for our little unicorn king..." Jason grinned wickedly as the red circle of his GM targeting system became green completely. "Target locked." the soft voice of his on-board computer informed him. Jason exhaled and released two deadly missiles. Somehow, his targeting system could detect King Sombra, marking him as UKn, yet making him red on the HUD. The King's eyes widened as he saw the two missiles closing in. They hit him full-force, blowing up in his face. The big black crystal began to break under the sheer power of explosion on its top, collapsing. The black aircrafts exploded one by one, leaving nothing in their place. Squads Delta and Charlie cheered. Cadance's eyes widened in surprise. Jason watched as Spike and Crystal Heart still were falling. He flew closer and closer to the two, and saw no option but to open the cockpit to let them in. With a loud thud, both landed behind Jason's seat, shaking the aircraft. He quickly closed the cockpit. "Ugh, my head..." Spike muttered, his claw finding the heart and hugging it closely. "Mm, so warm... Wait, I need to take the heart to Cadance!" "Listen here, buddy, you're on board of my aircraft." Jason spoke. "You tell me where you want to deliver this heart, I'll do." "Who are you?" Spike's eyes widened. "Oh, come on, there's no time for Q and A session!" "Uh, fly to the base of Crystal Palace." "That crystal tower in the center?" "Yeah, that's right." Suddenly, something hit the aircraft hard, making it shake violently, the right wing and engine marked yellow on the HUD. "Damage." the computer informed as Jason cursed. "YOU WON'T GET AWAY!" Jason looked on his outside cameras' screens and saw the angry looking Sombra, chasing the aircraft in his shadow form. Cadance and Shining Armor were rushing to the base of Crystal Palace, the later supporting his wife. "We... need to get to the heart..." Cadence weakly spoke. They exited the Crystal Palace and saw it, the aircraft chased by Sombra. Jason was closing to the two ponies, his aircraft's cockpit glowing blue. "Citizens of Crystal Empire!" Cadance started speaking, giving the last bits of her strength to her voice. "Use the love that you have inside to ensure that King Sombra does not!" The aircraft shook violently as the heart released a wave of energy. Jason'd HUD became blue, his aircraft repaired in a second. "What the..." he looked back and saw that the heart was glowing brighter. "Commander, something is happening! This heart seems to get more and more powerful!" After a few moments of silence, Jason heard his commander speaking through outside speakers on the airship. "Citizens of this city!" All attention of ponies was turned to the airship. "The Crystal Heart is just a heartbeat away from defeating your enemy! We try our best, but only you can make it, only you can give the heart the true power!" Ponies cheered, the heart glowed brighter and brighter, finally releasing a large wave of blue light. It blinded everyone and went like a shockwave, destroying King Sombra completely, returning the sky its natural blue color. The aircraft shook violently, barely holding itself in place as a source of power released new waves after waves, overpowering the energy system and engines. Jason opened the aircraft's cockpit, and the heart flew out of it to the center of Crystal Palace's base. Jason barely evaded crashing into one of support constructions of the Palace. A big blue barrier appeared around the Crystal Empire, now protecting it from any threat to come from outside. "Oh wow..." Jason spoke. He saw that his craft became as if it had been polished for a month straight. "Fleet Tango, do you see it?" "The most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life..." commander replied, struck with awe. "Woohoo, I'm made of crystal!" Alpha spoke, cheering. Three shiny, bluish Tempests did a barrel roll. Jason turned on the autopilot, took off his helmet and wiped off the sweat. "Oh, what a day this was..."
Chapter 2: The Negotiations"Foxtrot, this is Fleet Tango; the battle is over. Now we must contact a local authority. We must create a stable and prosperous relationship with this city, especially if it is a part of a greater organization. We must find out where we are and gather as much information of this place as we can. "Jason, I know politics isn't your thing, but you'll have to act as ambassador. There is no one that can be better than you." "Yes, sir." Jason replied. He was patrolling the area, just in case. Ponies down below still watched him, but with less fear and more respect than before. "Uh... Hey, you forgot about me." Spike frowned, sitting behind Jason in a very uncomfortable position. "Oh, sorry." Jason apologized. "Fleet Tango, I've got a local from this world on my aircraft. It's a..." "Male baby dragon." Spike said. "Male baby... dragon." "Foxtrot, you bring him back to the people. Change the aircraft so you can land safely, then return that dragon to them." Jason was in the hangar of the airship. White BFF-1 Tempest was before him, without any weaponry. He didn't like that, he always felt naked and defenseless without anything to protect himself in the air. Well, he was allowed to carry a plasma pistol with him, just in case. It didn't make him any more comfortable, though. Commander Fedman Cassad was standing nearby, looking at the Tempest. "Well, Jason, your task is simple," Fedman spoke, turning his head to the pilot. "You must establish a relationship with this country. Explain what happened, don't hide anything that is not classified. Show them the holotape of short history course, of course. "Stay calm and ask questions as well. We need as much information on this new land as possible. There is a microphone in your suit, so I'll be able to hear all conversation. "Don't forget about your little friend." Fedman threw a glance at Spike, who was standing nearby, staring at the aircrafts with amazed expression on his face. "You must bring him back to them." "Understood, commander." Jason saluted. "Good luck, then. Dismissed." There was no need for second pilot in this Tempest because of lack of weaponry, so Spike took a seat. It was large for him, unfortunately. Jason was turning on various systems of the aircraft, preparing to take off. "Listen here, Spike." he spoke. "Don't touch anything at all, alright? I will return you to ponies, don't worry." "It's just amazing to see aircrafts!" Spike replied. "I've read about them in my comic books, but none of those aircrafts were real nor they could be!" "I was amazed when I first saw an aircraft, too." Jason chuckled. "Alright, prepare to take off, it will shake a little." Jason turned on the radio and spoke: "This is Ambassador, request permission to take off." The hangar door opened, revealing the Crystal Empire from a bird's eye. "Ambassador one, cleared to take off." Cadance watched as the white aircraft descended, and she was sure she saw Spike in it. The aircraft landed a ten meters before the Crystal Palace. The cockpit opened and Jason put his feet on the crystal road. Soon enough Spike followed. "Alright, stay calm. They are just a bunch of sapient equines." Jason thought to himself. "Be nice and polite to them and everything will be just fine." He slowly walked to the Crystal Palace, a bunch of armored guards stood there, guarding two ponies: a stallion with white fur and a mare with pink fur. Jason quickly understood that those are in charge of everything, especially the pink one - she had a tiara on top of her head, identifying herself as some sort of royalty. He stopped three meters before them and bowed. "Hello, I am Jason Scott, the ambassador of Federation of Free Planets." he introduced himself to the two ponies. "Hello, Ambassador Scott, I am Cadance, princess of love." Cadance introduced herself, bowing a little. "I am Shining Armor, her husband." Shining Armor introduced himself as well. "Well, mister Armor, your majesty Cadance, I guess you both want to know many things." Jason gestured at the airship and battlefield fighters flying around. "Yes, we would like to know all the story, if it is possible." Cadance nodded. "Please, follow me." Once they were in the throne room, the explanation began. "So, to better understand us, I brought a holotape which has a short course of history of recent few hundred years." Jason pulled a small holographic recorder out from one of his pockets, then turned it on, starting the record. After the record ended, Cadance and Shining Armor just stared at it. "So..." Shining Armor cleared his throat. "You are saying that there is a big war between that Federation of Free Planets and Velians, correct? Who is winning?" "We were winning, as far as I remember." Jason replied, frowning. "We aren't able to contact any federal forces, though. But what I do remember is that we appeared here because of Velian Null-T technology. Something changed the course, sucking me in along the way. Thankfully, we came out unharmed, and now we want to know where we are." "I guess I can tell what I know." Cadance said. She explained everything she knew about Equestria and its recent years, as well as a short course of history. "Well, you've just said that you possess what you call 'magic." Jason scratched his chin. "Can you demonstrate it?" Cadance nodded. Her horn started to glow, the holographic recorder was enveloped in light blue glow, lifting itself up. "That is clearly something I haven't seen any human doing..." Jason stared at the flying recorder in awe. "Our technology can make things move around like you do, but with such precision? No, ours can't do that." "But your technology is sure advanced." Shining Armor interjected. "Things made of metal don't fly on their own, especially for so long as yours does." "That is the result of many years of technological progress, mister Armor. We have nothing like magic, so in order to be better we make new technologies. For example, just three hundred years ago we lived about sixty to one hundred years, now we can live up to two hundred. The progress of medicine made us able to live that long. For example, our president is one hundred fifty three years old. He outlived the Galactic Empire, and I'm sure he's not looking forward to dying soon." "That is fascinating!" Cadance exclaimed. "Well, we as representatives of the Federation of Free Planets would like to establish a connection between us and Equestria." "I'm looking forward to it too." Cadance nodded. "But I am not the head of Equestria. Celestia and Luna are. I will send them a letter, and I think they will either come here or invite you." Fifteen minutes later. "The reply came." Cadance stated, the letter appearing out of thin air. She opened it and read. "Well, mister Scott, they are inviting you to Canterlot to discuss the terms of agreement between Equestria and the Federation of Free Planets. Canterlot is located to south from here, on the lone mountain in the center of Equestria. You will notice it instantly, it is on the side of the mountain."" "I will report this to command center, your majesty." Jason nodded. "Now, I must return to the airship. This meeting was pleasant, your majesty. I am looking forward to seeing you again." "Thank you, mister Scott." Jason Scott was back in the white Tempest. He turned on the engines and put on his flying helmet. "This is Fleet Tango; Jason, your professionalism is on the highest level." his commander spoke over the radio. "Now, we will take course to Canterlot. In case of someone attacking us, you must change the aircraft to armed one." "This is Ambassador; understood, commander." Jason replied, taking course to the airship. A minute later he spoke: "This is Ambassador; request permission to land." "Ambassador one, cleared to land." After changing the aircraft to INT-2 Spirit, Jason was back in the air, escorting the airship along with a squad of four BFF-4 Lightnings. The camouflage was changed to winter one, so the aircrafts blended with the snowy mountains of Northern Equestria. Nothing but snow was in sight. Celestia and Luna were patiently waiting for the outlanders to arrive. They both took place in a secret room which was on the other side of the mountain that was the base of Canterlot. The room was small, allowing only the two princesses to be there at once. It had a small window with a telescope attached to it, so that the sisters could see what is happening in the Crystal Mountains. They could already see a black spot which rather quickly became bigger. "What is that?" Celestia narrowed her eyes, trying to see the details. "Cadance's written that these aliens that call themselves representatives of the Federation of Free Planets have some sort of a big, metallic airship, and lots of smaller ones, that the humans referred to as the aircrafts. Just what are those? Are these like flying round objects that the young like to read about in the comics?" "Whatever these are, their speed is more than a hundred kilometers per hour." Luna said. "Well, it... It looks like nothing we have." There was a big blocky airship made of metal that looked more like it was an actual ship that was made to swim in the water. Six aircrafts escorted it: half of them hovering above it while the other half was circling it. "It would cause quite a ruckus if we hadn't told the ponies of Canterlot about it as soon as we've received the letter." Luna noted. "Imagine what would have happened if they showed up uninvited!" "Yes, that would cause chaos that Discord himself would be proud of." Celestia nodded, chuckling. While they were talking, Fleet Tango and squads Alpha and Foxtrot were closing in to the mountain. "Fleet Tango, this is Foxtrot one, my scanner detected two life forms on this side of the mountain. Their signature is green, marked 'Ac', no callsign detected." Jason reported. "What is data on 'Ac' signature?" "This is Fleet Tango, there is no data on this signature." commander replied. "Alpha, do you see what Foxtrot one does?" "This is Alpha, our scanners show the same thing." the captain of squad Alpha confirmed. "Two green Acs, approximately seven kilometers from us." "This is Foxtrot one, they are hidden in the mountain, can't get a clear image." Jason stated. "Orders?" "This is Fleet Tango, keep an eye on them, we don't need surprises." Celestia and Luna watched as the aliens approached. "I feel something..." Celestia stated. "It's a... scanning spell! A very powerful one." "I feel the same thing." Luna nodded. "I think they found us. We should better return to Canterlot to avoid anything that would lead them to us. If they'll lose us on, they will likely think that it was a glitch in their spell, if they use one." Both princesses teleported back to Canterlot, accompanied by bright flashes of light, golden and midnight-blue. "This is Foxtrot one, both signatures disappeared. However, I saw two flashes of light. They appeared simultaneously, golden and dark-blue. Flashes were too small and not as bright to be the result of Null-T technology use. No preparations for the Null-T could be seen either." Jason reported. "This is Alpha, we confirm the disappearances and the flashes." Alpha confirmed. "This is Fleet Tango, continue observation. They might return. Report if any other signatures are detected. Finally, Fleet Tango arrived at the Canterlot. The big airship was at least half as large as the city itself. Ponies stared at the airship, struck with awe by its sheer size. "This is Foxtrot one, I see multiple green Bld and BigBld signatures, the biggest one has a callsign 'Canterlot'. No turrets but medieval age cannons were found. I guess that the signatures we see can be detected because of what ponies call 'magic'." Jason reported. "Their magic seems to be able to interfere with our scanners, allowing us to see the signatures that are on screen right now." "This is Fleet Tango, this will be added to the information about Equestria." the commander replied. The Alpha squad was ordered to patrol the area around the city, while Jason was ordered to change aircraft to the diplomatic one. The rest of the Foxtrot squad was ordered to scout the area and take aerial photos to make a map later. "This is Ambassador, request permission to take off." Jason requested over the radio, now back in the white Tempest. "Ambassador one, cleared to take off." permission was granted. Celestia and Luna ordered the guards to clear the place for the aircraft to land, deciding to meet the ambassador in person rather than have him to be escorted to the princesses. The place for landing was found near the entrance to the castle, where guards had to draw an "L" on the ground to mark the landing pad. Fortunately, the pilot of the diplomatic aircraft understood that and landed on it successfully. The cockpit opened, allowing Jason to put his feet on the ground. He noticed the two alicorns standing nearby and bowed to them. "Hello, I am Jason Scott, the ambassador of the Federation of Free Planets." he introduced to the two. "Hello, Ambassador Scott, I am Celestia, Princess of the Day and the diarch of Equestria." the alabaster alicorn introduced herself. "And I am Luna, Princess of the Night and the diarch of Equestria as well." the midnight-blue alicorn did as well. Jason was stunned by the beauty of the two. He's never been attracted to horses nor to ponies, yet he knows what a beauty is when he sees it. Their ethereal manes and tails enchanted his eyes, their majestic appearance, everything about them told him that they are truly the powerful rulers of Equestria. And loved, too. "Please, mister Scott, follow us." Celestia invited him into the castle. "We have much to discuss. The three were sitting at the round Table of Negotiations, a large table that was summoned only once in the old days of Canterlot. The table was made of wood, which color is gold. It was richly decorated, becoming a work of art. There were a few reporters, they had their cameras pointed at the three. It made Jason a little nervous, he never liked to be the center of attention. "So, mister Scott," Celestia started speaking. "Princess Cadance told us that you and the other humans helped in defeating King Sombra. Without your help, the Empire would have fallen into his hooves. Why did you do that? By that time, you knew nothing about us nor him." "Well, there isn't much of a story, your majesty. Sombra attacked us without reason, and he perhaps could have destroyed us all without the Crystal Heart that was later found. I see no reason that would tell us to join his side. And, if we knew who he was, we would go against him too. Slavery is not acceptable in any form in the Federation of Free Planets, and we'll make sure that there is nobody that does that, no matter what the reason is." Jason replied. "There is nothing that justifies slavery." "So, what the Federation is?" "Well, it is a union of planets, each ruled by a president that is elected every ten years. Our federation bases on peace and prosperity through economic and social development. The violent method of war has proven itself to be unnecessary and resultless. Much more can be reached with peace. However, it was until Velians attacked us without reason." "Please, tell us more about them." "They are like us, humans, though in a little different way. Not much known about their society; the only thing we know is that it is matriarchal. Their technologies are based on genetic engineering, a very painful and unpleasant process, often resulting in death or mind instability unless developed and studied enough to minimize the chances. So, the genetic engineering was banned in the Federation, though their Null-T technology was allowed, as it was the advanced technology of moving through space instantaneous, teleporting from one place to another. This technology was, in fact, a Trojan horse." earning confused glances, Jason cleared his throat and elaborated. "It means that those technologies were traps, not gifts. At one point Velians opened the gates, their armed forces came in and started attacking every planet, capturing humans and using them as genetic material." "That is horrible!" Celestia frowned. "Why would they do that?" "The reasons behind this is unknown." Jason replied. "Perhaps, they were not pleased with the ban of genetic engineering. However, they never went against the decision, they agreed to this in the first place." "That makes them untrustworthy!" Luna said angrily. "Why start a war when there can be a peaceful solution to the problem?" "All our attempts to start negotiations were denie." the ambassador replied with a frown. "So, may I continue?" "Yes, please." Celestia nodded. "So, me and the fifth air group under command of Roman Kasev was located on the planet Rokada IV. We were capturing the Northern Citadel on the main continent, which was almost free from Velians at that time. We have received a message through the Null-T portal that was located there. The message told us that federal forces needed help at planet Escobar. Fleet Tango, the big airship just outside Canterlot, decided to capture the portal and use it to quickly travel to the planet. It seems that something else took control of the portal, sending Fleet Tango here, sucking me in along the way. My aircraft has recorded the battle, so I brought the record here for your majesties to see. Maybe you'll see something that neither me nor others has seen. Would you like to see the whole battle or the part where the portal is taken under control?" "I think we better see the whole thing." Luna suggested. "I agree." Celestia nodded. "If we are to notice anything, it could have happened at any time." Some time later. "Well, I see nothing that could relate to our world." Celestia sighed. "The Null-T technology we see in this record is nothing like what we use. And only powerfull unicorns and alicorns are able to use teleportation, and it is instant, there is no need for such big building." "I expected that." Jason nodded. "So, it seems that me and others are stuck here, in Equestria. So, in order to not cause any trouble to any of its citizens, we, as the official representatives of the Federation of Free Planets, would like to establish a relationship with Equestria." After long and boring discussion of terms of agreement, Jason was back in the airship, taking a nap from his long and eventful day. The terms are quite simple: all humans are allowed to stay in Equestria as long as they like. Anyone that will commit a crime, would be judged as a citizen of Equestria. The princesses agreed to send humans food free of charge until they could grow it themselves. Fleet Tango changed its location due to princesses' request. Now, the airship is hovering above empty field between White Tail Woods and a banks of the river which flows through Ponyville. Fields were decided to be turned into farmlands, a part of the river to be turned into fishing grounds. Although, it was decided that no serious ecological damage must be done. It was also decided that hunting is to be banned as it is already banned in all of Equetria. For humans, these terms were acceptable for everyone. No one would dare to ruin the relationship that has just started to blossom into friendship between different planets.
