HMS Paris
Cosmo

For once I feel like I’m out of place. Well lit, orderly… After the hell I’ve been dealing with for the last week just standing in a place like this feels way off.

“Cosmo?” Trixie asked. “What’s wrong?”

I shrugged. “I’m not used to peace and quiet.”

“Well you’ll get used to it.” I heard the Captain say as he walked onto the bridge. “Alright, everyone listen up!”

Commander Tremble took the fore and pulled up a projection on the holotable in the center of the bridge. “This is Carniola, our new home for the next few days. Our goal is simple; we liberate the island by any means necessary.”

“At the moment the island is under the control of our friend here.” Baxter added as an old picture of De Witt was added to the display. “It’s an old file photo, but this is the bastard you have to thank for fucking up your weekends.”

“In short, we’re gonna mess up his.” Captain Sentry added as he approached the table. “I’ll be blunt, De Witt is not our target. Our goal is to take back Carniola alongside Griffon Marines. The Northern Guard will be handling our wannabe dictator.”

“Now, any questions?” Baxter asked.

“I got one.” Cloud said, walked out from behind me. “When do we leave?”

“Well aren’t you eager?” Tremble asked. “You’re young, you’ve got a life ahead of you. What’s with the death wish?”

Cloud chuckled. “You really think I’ll be the one dying down there?”

“Son, have you heard yourself?” Baxter asked. “You don’t even have a dog in this fight and you’re willing to run straight into a line of bullets. That armor of yours might be good, but that line of thinking of yours will get you killed.”

“Ha!” Cloud just slapped his knee before shaking his head, seemingly still amused. “Of course I got a stake here.”

I noticed Cloud’s face went from amused to angry in a matter of moments and he started to march towards Baxter. I ran forward and got in front of him. “Go take five.”

“Cosmo, come on.”

Now it’s my turn to get angry. “That wasn’t a suggestion.” The little voice in the back of my head let off a sigh of relief when he relented and walked off the bridge.

“Does anyone want to tell me what the hell that was?” I heard Baxter ask.

“I don’t know.” I said. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen Cloud act like that.”

“That’s not to say he hasn’t done something similar.” Sky added. “When we found De Witt’s agent in Canterlot he looked like he was about ready to beat him to death.”

“Don’t forget those holes he put in the wall.” Phalanx pointed out. “I know it wasn’t the thickest, but that was granite he broke.”

“He did what?” I asked.

“You heard me.” Phalanx retorted. “Didn’t even see a scratch on him afterwards.”

“Wouldn’t that be something to tell me?”

Sky rolled her eyes. “Cos this is the longest conversation we’ve had in days and you’ve been goddess knows where. How the hell am I supposed to tell you?”

I shook my head before looking over at Palmer. “What do you think?”

“Well I’d have to go back through the reports…” She said. “But there has been a marked increase in aggressive behavior in some Spartan candidates post-augmentation. There’s also been some issues with similar behavior based on different equipment. No real answer on that front just yet.”

“How many?” I asked.

Palmer shrugged. “Maybe half a percent if that, so I doubt that’s the source of Cloud’s problems.”

“What if he was aggressive to begin with?” Sky asked.

“Maybe that could make it worse... I just don’t know. There have been psychologists working on that question for years and there’s still nothing that they’ve found that says that certain behaviors can influence what they’re seeing after the augmentations.”

“Palmer, you’re telling me that no one has ever bothered doing a proper psychological exam on Spartan recruits?” I asked pointedly.

“Up until the current program it’s never been a major concern.” She said. “Previous generations were conscripts that were either taken from their homes or who had lost their entire family to Covenant attack. Spartan Fours are all volunteers.”

“Cos.” Sky said as she caught my attention. “With what little we do know… His history isn’t what I’d call squeaky clean.”

“I’m debating that.” I reassured. “But we can’t stop him coming even if we wanted to. Might I point out he’s practically a walking tank?”

“Then you’ll need to keep him on a short leash.” Baxter spat. “I don’t have time to deal with a wild card.”

“Understood Captain.” I said. “Time to go.” I said, walking off the bridge with Sky on my heel.

“Cosmo, what do we do about Cloud if we can’t keep him under control?” Sky asked.

I shrugged. “Point him towards De Witt’s mansion. He’ll either tire himself out or blast all the way through to the bastard.”

“Or he could get killed.”

“OK, you might be-” I stopped when I saw Halsey walk around the corner with Archer right behind her. “Hey Doc.”

“You’re a busy man Cosmo.” Halsey chided.

“All in a day’s work.”

Halsey rolled her eyes. “Well do you have some free time?”

I nodded. “We got what, three hours? What do you need?”

“It’s not really what I need, per say…”

Archer tapped my wrist. “You can’t be a hero on an empty stomach!” She said, wry smile plastered across her face.

You know what? She’s got a point. “Trixie, Sky, I think the mess has started calling to me.” Here’s hoping the humans make good salads.

***

HMS Paris, Hangar
Cloud

“NO! LET ME GO!”

I felt someone shove me, snapping me out of my funk. I opened my eyes to the blue glow of the helmet’s display. Staring me right in the face was Sombra. “You alright?” He asked.

I clicked the speakers on the helmet back on, having killed them when I sat down so I could doze off without anyone hearing me. “I’m fine, why?” I asked, managing to choke down the chills that were running down my spine from that old nightmare.

“You were fidgeting.” The old king pointed out.

“I was trying to take a nap.” I snipped as I sat up straight on the bench.

“And having a nightmare at the same time.” I felt my brow furrow as Sombra cocked an eyebrow. “Princess Luna isn’t the only one able to dreamwalk.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I said, feeling a bit relieved that the helmet hid my face.

Sombra rolled his eyes. “Boy, I wasn’t born yesterday.” He sat down on the bench next to me and hunched over. “Cloud, what the hell was that?”

“Just a nightmare.” I muttered. “Why the hell do you care anyway?”

Sombra shrugged out of the corner of my eye. “I’d say we’re both tortured souls. But why were you a Pegasus? In there I mean.”

“Hell if I know.” I said as I reached up and tugged off my helmet. “I’ve been having that same nightmare for years.”

“Years?”

I nodded. “Started having it when I was in the hospital after my sister was kidnapped. I’ve had it sporadically…”

“And there’s something else along with it.” Sombra stated.

“Yup.” I said, leaning back against the wall. “I’ve had that nightmare every night since Halsey was done with me.” Come to think of it Dusk said he’s teach me to fight... I might want to bring that up with him when he gets back.

Sombra nodded and leaned back against a post on the edge of the bench. “What happened to you anyway?”

“I was having dinner in Canterlot with my parents when the Enclave attack began. A group of soldiers busted into the restaurant and started barking orders to surrender…” I chuckled as I though back to the memory. “I tried to get the drop on their leader... But it didn’t work. He saw me coming and blasted me in the chest.” I said, knocking on my chest plate. “Lost a chunk of my lung to that.”

“And after that…” Sombra started.

I nodded. “The augmentations that Halsey did all helped me. At the time I was angry though, so Dusk didn’t have to convince me at all to get the neural lace implanted so I could use this armor.”

“So let me see if I follow here. You never killed anyone before, but the moment you got shot in the chest you were willing to turn your whole life on its head?”

“It seemed like a good idea at the time!” I insisted. “Granted… I’ll agree, I’m no killer. But the world around me seems like it’s falling apart and at the time I felt absolutely powerless.”

“And you acted on that feeling.” Sombra stated, myself nodding in agreement. “Call me crazy, but it sounds like you haven’t had much of a break as of late.”

“Nope.” I muttered. “I’ve been shot, cut open, found out my missing sister is alive and amnesic, fought a dragon-.”

“You fought a dragon?”

I nodded. “Cosmo took the brunt of it. Lucky for me that armor he had lying around is fireproof. I’ve also helped fight an Alicorn, take in a criminal mastermind… Oh, and got laid. So ya, no real breaks for me.”

Sombra nodded as he got up and looked down at me. “Take it from me Cloud. When all this is over, you need a vacation.” I watched as the old king walked off and thought back on those last few words. He is right though… I do need a vacation.

***

HMS Paris, Mess Hall
Cosmo

“-and you should’ve seen the look on my face.” Trixie said with a chuckle, finishing off her story about that time she inadvertently convinced some of ‘Ponyville’s Finest’ that she could take down an Ursa Minor.

“You’ve obviously mellowed out since then.” I pointed out.

Trixie nodded. “It took me a while and another lesson in self-humiliation, but I did.”

“The moral here Archer is don’t inflate your ego like dear Trixie here.” I said patting Trixie’s shoulder.

“Eh, sounds a bit boring to me.” Archer said with a shrug.

“Then be happy you’ve never seen an Ursa Minor.” Trixie pointed out. "It's an experience I wouldn't wish on anyone."

Archer just looked between Trixie and Halsey, hoping that one of them would reassure her. Halsey just shrugged. “Don’t look at me. I’ve never seen one.”

That’s when Archer looked at me with that quizzical look plastered across her face. “Cosmo?”

I mimicked Halsey’s shrug. “I’m pretty sure they’re extinct where I’m from.”

“Well could we go find one?”

I had to stop to really think about the question before Trixie jabbed me in the side. “When you’re a bit older.” Trixie jabbed me in the side again. “What?”

“Do you really want to take her into the Everfree?”

“I said when she was older!” I insisted. “Besides, I’m an expert at dealing with dangerous situations. We’ll do fine.”

“Right…” Trixie droned as she rolled her eyes.

“Sky, back me up here!” I looked over at the other mare at the table and noticed she was just smiling at the two of us. “Sky?”

“I’m just gonna sit here and admire the fact that you’re actually happy for a change.” She said. “It’s refreshing.”

“What are you talking about? I’m plenty happy.”

“I don’t know…” Archer added. “You’ve been pretty grumpy.”

I wanted to yell at Archer, but damn those eyes. Innocent in every sense of the word. “In my defense…” Damnit, I just can’t. “I really don’t have a defense.” I said, making sure to keep it short and to the point.

“And that’s why this is refreshing.” Sky added. “You’ve been a bit of a grouch since I showed up. Seriously, is that just how you operate these days?”

“Sky…” I groaned. “I’ve survived a siege, got my butt handed to me in a fight club that I broke up, nearly got roasted alive by a dragon, almost got blown up by the air support I called in to deal with the dragon, very well could've drowned in freak tsunami, helped fight an Alicorn to a stand still, took down a crime boss and now I’m involved with an invasion of a sovereign nation.”

“You need a vacation.” Halsey pointed out.

I nodded. “And I’ll gladly take one once we’re done in Carniola.”

“Archer, how about some ideas on what to do after we get back?” Trixie suggested.

The filly shrugged. “That can wait. I want to ask Cosmo a question.”

I nodded. “Fire away kiddo.”

“Did your parent’s really die in Dodge City?”

Shit, this again? “Obviously there’s a lot to tell you about, but that’s no lie. Granted it’s not the Dodge City that you might know.”

“We’re not really from around here.” Sky added.

“What she said.” I said. “Once we’re done… Once we’re done, we’ll sit down and go over everything. As far as I’m concerned you do deserve to know.”

“Just another reason for you to come back, right?”

I just looked at Archer and smiled. “I’d come back anyway kiddo.”

I didn’t have a chance to keep up the conversation when I felt someone tap my shoulder. “Can I borrow you for a few?” Sombra asked.

I sighed in defeat and followed the followed him away from the table, glancing back over my shoulder at Archer one last time before I walked out into the hall. “Alright, what’s so important that you’re interrupting what could be my last meal?”

“Has Cloud mentioned any nightmares to you at all?”

“Nightmares?” I mumbled. That’s a new one. “No, he never has.”

“Well I happened to walk in on one.” Sombra probably realized that I had no idea what he was talking about. “I can enter dreams too you know.”

“Ah.” That makes far more sense. “So what did you see that has you running to come find me?”

“Cloud is an earth pony, right?”

“Unless I missed the horn, wings, whatever… He is.”

Sombra nodded. “Well in this little nightmare of his, he was a Pegasus.”

“Alright, it’s just a nightmare.” I said. “What’s the worst it could mean?”

“Cosmo… He was having those wings ripped out of their sockets.” Sombra said, a frown plastering itself across his face. “And it was a Griffon that looked distinctly like De Witt that was doing the mutilating.”

“He saw a picture of De Witt on the bridge. What's the big deal?” I asked.

“That’s the kicker. He said he’s had that nightmare on and off since his sister was kidnapped.”

“And you think it’s the same nightmare?”

Sombra shook his head. “I have a theory, but I need to see his medical scans from after the attack on Canterlot.”

I nodded. “Alright, then you share?” Sombra nodded in agreement and we walked off down the hall to the infirmary. All I had to do was look at the nurse and she stepped away from her desk to let me use the computer. “What exactly are we looking for?” I asked.

“If Cloud was surgically altered there would have to be some sort of scan on his bone structure, musculature, et cetera.”

I typed in Cloud’s name on the search function and came up with a series of recent entries. “Let’s see… Psych eval, pre-op and post-op reports, alright here we are.” I said as I clicked on the recent exam file. The screen asked if I wanted a holographic display of the files, which I readily accepted. The first layer was Cloud’s muscles. “What are we looking for exactly?”

“Well first I need you to rotate the scan horizontally one hundred eighty degrees.”

“Alright, rotate…” That did the trick. I looked up and down and noticed two holes in Cloud’s muscle layer. “What the hell?”

“Hell indeed…” Sombra muttered. “Look at this section here.” He said, point out the area around the ‘holes’ in Cloud’s back. “Those muscles are barely even developed.”

“What makes you say that?”

“The layer right there is thinner.” The nurse said, having never left the room. “Generally speaking, muscles that are actually used are thicker and more built up to handle the activities they’re called on to perform.”

“There’s only one other thing I want to see. Pull up the skeletal scan, same orientation.”

I clicked it up and almost didn’t want to look up when I heard the nurse gasp. Almost. I looked up, focusing on the same spot where the voids were in Cloud’s muscles. I felt my eyes go wide and I looked over at Sombra. “What exactly am I looking at?”

“You’re looking at two joints that were forcibly broken and cut out in a haphazard manner.” Sombra said.

“Then would you like to share your theory now?” I asked.

Sombra nodded. “I don’t think our friend is having nightmares. I think he’s seeing repressed memories.”

I looked back at the spots on the scan. “Goddess.” I muttered. “De Witt got to him… When he was a child?”

“He’s a monster that doesn’t differentiate between young and old.” Sombra said quietly. “Now do you see why I’m so willing to help you?”

“Because you know De Witt’s a monster.” I don’t think I’ve ever said anything truer, and the proof has been in front of me the whole time. Cloud’s no earth pony, he obviously never was. “Do you think Cloud knows?”

“I severely doubt it.” The old king noted. “For some memory to assert itself as a nightmare like that… It must have buried. And someone would’ve had to bury it.”

“Could De Witt of done that?”

Sombra shook his head. “Not his MO. He wants to make his victims suffer, no forget about it.”

That does it then. I don’t care if this bastard is evil or not. De Witt will pay. That’s another promise I plan to keep.

***

Three Hours Later, Somewhere off the Coast of Carniola
Cosmo

“So who are we listening to again?” I called over the sounds of music blaring over the radio and air rushing around the open cabin of the Falcon that was bringing us to the island.

“Jimi Hendrix.” Palmer said over the radio from one of the flanking transports. “It’s called ‘All Along the Watchtower’. This is easily one of the most iconic songs from the twentieth century.”

"Never took you for a music junkie Palmer."I said, focusing on the music as we got closer to the island. “I like it.”

“This is Captain Baxter to all units. The word is given. Commence Operation North Star.”

“Alright gang, it’s showtime!” I called into the radio as I spotted one of the sandbars that was exposed by the tide down on the beach below. “You ready Trixie?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

I nodded. “Just stay behind me.” The Falcon shuddered as it hit the beach. Already bullets were kicking up sand as I slid off the seat and hit the ground. The bullets didn’t stop coming, but the locals have some really shitty aim. “Palmer, take out those guns!” I yelled as I grabbed a rifle off the rack on the Falcon’s side.

“On it!” The Commander yelled as she charged up the beach towards the impromptu barricades.

“What do you need me to do?” Cloud asked as he jogged over and a bullet clipped his shields.

“That sniper that thinks you’re a target?” I asked as another shot glanced off the armor’s shields. “You might want to deal with him.”

Cloud nodded and ran off after Palmer, leaving a smaller group standing on the beach as bullets buzzed around. “Are we really standing out in the fucking open!?!?” Felix yelled as he jumped over rounds as they smacked into the sand.

“Just wait for it.” I said.

“Wait for what?” Phalanx asked.

A moment later the sounds of gunfire up the beach from us disappeared and the bullets stopped flying. “Machine gun nest is down.” Palmer called over the radio.

“That answer your question?” I asked. "This is Ranger to Force Recon. Landing Zone is clear, send the cavalry."

"Copy that Ranger. FR elements on final approach." Three Pelicans buzzed overhead and headed inward before one landed on the beach, disgorging it's cargo of Equestrian Rangers.

“Mostly.” Phalanx retorted as a group of rangers brushed by on their march towards town.

“Then we’ll answer the rest once we regroup.” I clicked on my radio and was met with a short blast of static from the receiver. “Copy that Palmer. Stay put, we’re coming to you.”

“Up the beach then.” The guard said, swinging a rifle into his hands from across his back.

“You’re the one who said it.” I quipped as I started off towards the hill overlooking the sand. Other than the gunfire and bombs, this place really isn’t that bad. It could definitely do without the criminal mastermind running things… But that won’t be a problem much longer.

“Something on your mind Cosmo?” Trixie asked.

I shrugged as I stepped over one of the logs marking the end of the sand. “It’s too bad that we’re turning this island on its head. It’s rather nice here.”

“You got no reason to feel bad.” Phalanx added. “De Witt takes anything he wants and corrupts it.”

“But the griffins here didn’t do a damn thing.” I retorted.

Phalanx shook his head with a frown growing across his face. “Then I shouldn’t have to yell you that war is messy.” We finally crested the hill and Phalanx pointed at the town off in the distance. “None of the children in that town deserve to see what war does to their world. They don’t play a role in De Witt’s madness, but he doesn’t care. To him it’s all about his big picture, regardless of who gets crushed under his heel along the way.”

“Sounds like fun.” I muttered.

“What sounds like fun?” Cloud asked as he and Palmer joined us.

“Nothing.” I said. “Alright, where do we start?”

Palmer typed something into the tacpad built into her armor and a hologram of the area grew out of the projector in her armor. “We check the villa first.” She said, a rather expansive estate about a half-mile away from us lighting up in red.

“And if he’s not there?” Cloud asked.

“It’ll be likely that De Witt has other safe houses here in Carniola.” Sombra said. “If we’re lucky we’ll be able to find something in the villa to point us towards them.”

“What are we waiting for? Let’s get moving.” As I started walking down the path on the other side of the hill I realized that the Villa was in a wide-open field. No walls, no fences, nothing. As we got closer I noticed the windows; many of them were filthy, some were boarded up while at least one was cracked. I focused on the villa, pushing the sounds of gunfire out of my head. I heard the nearly silent crunch of gravel under my feet, the soft movement of the breeze across my ears… But nothing else. “Shouldn’t there be someone here?” I asked as I walked up onto the stone patio. “And De Witt lives here, why does his house look like a shithole?”

“Can’t say.” Phalanx said. “I’ve only been here once. Looks like someone moved out and let the place go.”

“Maybe.” I retorted. “But wouldn’t-”

“Cosmo, look!” Cloud yelled as he jogged past me.

I noticed what he was pointing at and frowned. “Blood?” I joined the young stallion and knelt down next to the puddle. “And it’s fresh.”

“Someone’s likely been here.” I heard Sombra mutter.

“Head’s on a swivel then.” Sky replied, followed by the click of her rifle’s receiver as she chambered a round.

Palmer knelt down with us, pulling a probe out of one of her armor’s compartments and plugging it into her tacpad. “If we’re lucky we’ve got the DNA in this puddle on file.” I listened to the scraping that the probe made across the stone as it picked up some of the blood. Immediately Palmer’s instrument started beeping. “That was fast…” She pressed a button on her arm, I’m assuming to show her the file on her head’s up display. She didn’t say anything, instead looking over at Cloud.

“What?” He asked.

“Cloud…” Palmer said, sounding somewhere between confused and angry. “This is your blood.”

The stallion shook his helmeted head. “No way. Can’t be.” He jumped back to his feet and looked up at the house. “It can’t be…”

“Can’t be what?” Palmer asked, getting back to her feet herself.

“It’s got to be a mistake.” Cloud insisted.

“Cloud, is there something wrong?” I asked.

He nodded. “I think I’ve been here before.”

I glanced over at Sombra, who was looking rather concerned, before turning my attention back to Cloud. “How could you have been here before?”

“I’ve got one way to find out.” I didn’t have a chance to stop him before Cloud marched over to the back door and kicked it off its hinges.

“Sombra, what’s he doing?” I muttered.

“Remember his nightmare?” Sombra asked. “It didn’t end out here.”

Awe shit. I glanced at Palmer before I tore off into the house. “Cloud!” I yelled. “Where-” I didn’t have to look far. He was standing in a parlor just off the kitchen standing over another pool of blood. But that wasn’t what had his attention. It was something on the other side of the room. “Cloud?”

“No…” I heard him mutter as he walked over to the far wall. “This is just a bad dream.”

“Cloud!” Sombra yelled as he ran into the room.

“You’re a bit late to the party.” I chided.

“It wasn’t a dream, was it?” Cloud asked as he took something down off the wall and tossed it to the floor. “Well... was it?!” He yelled.

Sombra shook his head. “It never was a dream Cloud. It was a memory. Someone who knew what they were doing managed to hide it from you.”

I looked down at the plaque and almost instantly wanted to puke. Goddess, De Witt turned his wings into a fucking trophy.

BLEGH!!! “Ugh…” I heard Felix groan as he caught his bearings after emptying his gut. “That sick, twisted fuck!”

“I need some air.” Trixie said before running back outside.

I walked over to Cloud and grabbed his shoulder pauldron. “Cloud, listen to me and listen good.” Alright, I don’t know if he’s listening at all, but it’s the best I got. But I really don’t care. I’m more concerned about how hot I felt my face getting “We are going to find De Witt. I’m going to personally beat his brains out and then we’re going to bomb whatever’s left into ash.”

“No.” Cloud muttered. “You’re not doing anything.”

“What?” I asked, almost yelling.

“He’s mine.” Cloud said, almost growling.

Beep.

“Anyone hear that?” Palmer asked.

Beep.

“Wait…” Palmer pushed Cloud and I apart and marched over to the wall and bashing her fist into it. “What the fuck?” I noticed she had pulled out a small black box with a camera hanging off it by a red cable.

Beep.

“Aw shit.” Palmer said. “Palmer calling Paris, respond.”

“Palmer…” I said, forgetting that I was in the middle of an argument with Cloud.

“Cosmo, hit your radio.” The Spartan ordered.

I nodded and flicked it on

zzzzttttt

“What the fuck?” I asked.

“It’s a jammer.” Palmer said.

“And why would someone be jamming our radios?”

She turned it over in her hand before she stopped. “If you have the right equipment, you can home in on a jamming signal to find its source.”

“Meaning what?” Cloud asked.

Palmer’s head turned towards the few of us that were left in the room. “It’s a rangefinder.”

“Rangefinder…” Oh fuck. “It’s a trap!” I yelled. “Everyone-”

BOOF!

I felt pieces of glass glance across my face as one of the windows shattered inwards with the explosion from… Goddess knows what. All I know is that I was tumbling across the floor before I smacked into a broken bookshelf. “Everyone still here?” I yelled.

“Forget about it, just go!” Sombra yelled.

BOOF!

I felt the second blast kick against my chest as the ceiling over the fallen form of Sombra dropped. “Sombra, move!” I yelled.

CRRACK!

Sky ran over and tried to help him up but one of the beams in the ceiling swung down and smacked her into the wall.

BOOF!

I didn’t pay attention to the third blast, I was just too dazed. I didn’t realize where I was until someone splashed my face with water and I felt it quickly drying under some sort of heat. “What happened?” I muttered.

“Rocket artillery.” Palmer said from over me. “The locals used that beacon to find the range.”

“And the camera confirmed that we were there.” I finished as I sat up and looked at the burning house and remembered the ceiling falling to pieces. “Where’s Sky?” I asked.

“Cosmo…” Palmer said. “I’m sorry.”

“No.” I struggled to my feet and tried to approach the burning house before stopping at the heat wave. “Sky!” I yelled.

“Cosmo even if we could get to her and Sombra they have a whole building on top of them.” Palmer insisted. “And if someone see’s us up and walking then you can guarantee that we’ll have more bombs coming down on our heads.”

“No, we’re getting them out!”

Palmer got between me and the burning ruins and jabbed me in the chest with her armored finger. “We. Need. To. Go.” She said, driving every word home with jab after jab.

“Sky…” I muttered. Damnit, I can’t believe I’m doing this. “You’re right.” I said. “Fall back to the beach.” I got one last look at the house as one of the few remaining outer walls collapsed inward. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” I whispered, forgetting that there were others around me that could see the tears starting to stream down my face over the weight of the move; I was abandoning my best friend to die.

***

Carniola Landing Zone, Forward Command Post, One Hour Later
Cosmo

I didn’t move after we reached the command post, plopping down on an ammo crate up against one of the barricades and just about collapsing as the physical and emotional exhaustion of the last few days finally managed to smack into me like a wall of bricks.

“Cosmo?” I looked up and saw Captain Sentry staring down at me.

“What do you want?”

“There’s something you need to see.” I didn’t say anything as I followed Flash into the command tent. “This just came in from one of our RFR units.” He said, handing me a tablet. “Look familiar?”

As a matter of fact that Griffon does. “De Witt.” I muttered. “Where was this taken?”

“Emona. Just outside the city hall.” He said. “They weren’t able to get pictures, but RTR did confirm that De Witt has three nebelwerfer batteries set up in the adjacent park.”

“It’s his command post.” Palmer said as she walked up. “What’s the plan?”

“Echo Company can get your team in Cosmo.” Flash noted. “But you’re on your own once you hit the town hall, they’ll be too busy taking out those batteries.”

“That’s fine.” I muttered. “And the rescue team?”

“They’re working on getting to the villa but those rockets are keeping them pinned down.”

I nodded “So the sooner we get moving-”

“The sooner we can get Sky out of that rubble.”

“Alright.” I walked out of the tent and looked around the camp. Off to the side were the few of us who got out of the villa in one piece.

“So what are we doing?” Phalanx asked as I walked up.

“We’re talking first.” I pulled over a stool and plopped down in front of the group, looking everyone over one at a time. Felix looked the worst of us, having stitches running down his right arm. Trixie didn’t seem too bad off physically, but who knows what’s in her head. And then there’s Cloud… I can’t read him under that helmet. “Force recon spotted De Witt outside of city hall in Emona. They’ve also confirmed the presence of the rocket batteries that were thrown against us at the Villa.”

“But what about that blood?” Phalanx asked. “Why’s was Cloud’s blood on the ground?”

“I’ve been there before.” He mumbled. “When I was a child my sister was kidnapped. I don’t remember how I got there but I was taken there and given to De Witt for… Damn, I don’t know why, I thought that was just a bad nightmare.”

“You don’t remember having wings?” Felix asked.

Cloud shook his head. “Aside from that nightmare I don’t remember a thing about them.”

"That's rough." The fox muttered.

“Cloud, I’ll help you figure out why you can’t once we deal with De Witt.” I assured. “But we’re about to walk into hell, and I want to give you all a choice. Will you stay here, or will you see this through to the end with me?”

Phalanx glance around the group and sighed. “I guess I’ll say it then.” He said as he rose to his feet. “We’re all here for a reason. Whether it’s to get justice, out of loyalty to a friend…” He paused before looking over at me. “Or showing a little filly that there’s always a light in the dark. We’re here now and I think I speak for all of us when I say that we’ll go wherever you go Cosmo, whether it’s to those pearly gates or to the depths of hell.”

“As scared shitless as I am, couldn’t have said it better myself.” Felix added.

I nodded. “So you’re all with me then?”

"Cosmo, you are one hell of a bad influence." Cloud said. "Before I met you I wouldn't dare consider going off to fight someone else's war."

"But you have a reason to now." I replied.

"I do." He said, pulling the pistol off his leg and cocking back the hammer. "I want answers. You're my best bet to get some."

Trixie grabbed my shoulder and I felt myself drawn into her eyes. “I think you know where I stand.”

I looked around at the team… No. Not the team, my team. Ponies that have barely known me and are willing to follow me to a possible death. Ponies that in a short time have come to appreciate me for who I am, not the mask that I’ve put on for years. “Thank you.” I whispered. “All of you.” I got to my feet and felt my holster, confirming that my revolver was still there. “Now let’s go cut the head off this snake.”

Author's Note

And that's the first chapter down. While the prologue set it up as if the story is being recounted to a reporter, most of the story will be very Cloud-centric. This chapter introduced something about him (at least in The Long Road) that I'm exploring in Chapter Four and that's his anger issues. Chapters Two and Three will introduce some of Sky's insecurities and show a bit more regarding her instability. Sure the issue regarding Cloud's wings will be resolved early on in a physical sense, but the mental and emotional components will echo throughout the story.

Anyone got questions? Like what you're seeing so far? Hell, maybe have some gripes? There's a comment section, and I want to hear from you fellow denizens of the interwebs. Until next time!
-Striker