Chapter Two - Twilight Sparkle

Princess Celestia sat at the wooden oval table. Her attention focused on the papers levitating in her pale yellow aura. She set the papers down neatly and scanned the others sitting at the table with her poudrette orbs. To her right sat the Dragon Princess, Ember, the youngest Secretary General of the International Open Trade Alliance, followed by the Griffin Ambassador, Gallus Regallius Magus, next to him sat the dusky Changeling Duchess Lacewing. On the left side of Princess Celestia, the Yak diplomat, Leif Forslund, next to him sat the Zebra Foreign Minister, Zakia. All the Generals wore their respective country's military uniform and stoic expressions.

"Do you think she should be here?" Gallus broke the silence and pointed a suspicious beak at the Changeling Duchess.

Duchess Lacewing smiled politely back at him and refrained from speaking.

"Absolutely," Princess Celestia affirmed, "the Changelings are part of the alliance now. Why we are here goes above a single country. The attacks, the bombings, the threats. . . I have good reason to believe all are from an individual group of. . . terrorists." Princess Celestia, the head of IOTA, let that word sink with the Secretary Generals.

"'Terrorists,'" Zakia sighed and shook his head, "Terrible."

"Then is simple what we do!" Leif projected, his voice booming in the small room, "Find the leader and kill him! No more terrorists!"

"Alright, Secretary Leif, go out and locate the leader for us and kill him," Princess Ember remarked.

"I will!" the Yak stood up violently which threw the chair against the wall.

"Please, sit down, Secretary Leif," Princess Celestia politely ordered. She stared down the hotheaded Yak who, after moments of tense silence, picked up his chair and sat back down at the table. "Which brings me to the purpose of this meeting: the reactivation of Team Rainbow."

"I knew it!" Gallus shot up then quickly sat back down. He pointed a talon at the Duchess, "She should not be here for this!"

"What is 'Team Rainbow'?" the Changeling Secretary General asked Princess Celestia with curious eyes.

"They were the elite group of individuals that. . ." Princess Celestia began to explain but trailed off.

"They quelled the Queen that initiated the quarrel," Zakia finished for the Princess bluntly.

"Ah," Lacewing replied, "This 'Team Rainbow' assassinated Queen Nymph." With all eyes on her she continued, "Well, it is not like we were fond of that lunatic. She incited the attack against the ponies, ignoring the objections of the other Hives."

"Team Rainbow is a secret, joint, multispecies, group of soldiers. With only a talon to count the surviving members, we need new operators," Princess Celestia shared with Duchess Lacewing.

"I agree with Director Princess Celestia, Team Rainbow needs to be reinitiated," Gallus stated matter-of-factly.

"Although I was but a dragonling at the time, my father said that we had special forces that could rival any military. You will have our best Dragon Warriors," Princess Ember stated.

"Why would our warriors not want to fight?" Zakia input.

"Yaks will fight! Yaks will win!" Leif enthusiastically declared.

"As the heads of our military, we decide this, yes? Superseding our heads of state?" Duchess Lacewing questioned.

"The heads of state can refuse to help, but if a large attack were to happen to any nation in IOTA, Article Five dictates full cooperation of all allied nations," Princess Celestia explained.

"Right. Of course. I have no reservations about this. I can not say the same about Queen Chrysalis. She still holds a grudge about the 'murder' of her mother," Lacewing informed.

"Understandable," Princess Celestia said. "I will give you a week to forward dossiers of suitable candidates to me. Please, only share this information with your respective heads of states. That concludes this meeting. We are adjourned."

Slowly, the Secretaries gathered their belongings and left the room, except for one. A light blue, dragoness remained. She walked over to the sitting Princess Celestia.

"What do we tell the soldiers?" Princess Ember inquired.

"Tell the ones that are picked that they will be part of an exclusive, elite, task force," Princess Celestia smiled politely. "Do not worry, Princess Ember, I will have letters explaining, in part, about the task force to prospective operators."

"Thanks," Princess Ember sighed, "I am not that great with words, to be honest."

"You do fine. You are much better than your father. Are you sure he wasn't raised by Yaks?" Princess Celestia quipped playfully.

Princess Ember laughed, "I wonder sometimes! Have a good day, Princess Celestia," she bowed respectfully before taking her leave.

"You, as well."

Twilight sat in the hallway, reciting pi in her head to try and calm her nerves when a voice interrupted her.

"Hello there," the mare greeted warmly.

Twilight shot up from the bench and blurted out the decimal points she was on, ". . . 49387!"

"Excuse me?"

Twilight blushed pink and turned to face the mare. Once she saw who it was her face flushed red with embarrassment, "P-P-Princess C-Celestia!" Twilight stumbled over her words and immediately knelt before the solar princess, her horn threatened to make contact with the floor.

"Greetings, my little pony," Princess Celestia greeted warmly, keeping her laughter in check, "You may rise."

Twilight did as her princess ordered, "It is an absolute honor to meet with you, Princess Celestia."

"Thank you," Princess Celestia smiled politely, she turned around and beckoned the young unicorn to follow, "Please, come with me."

After a short walk, the two found themselves in Princess Celestia's office of Canterlot Castle, the International Open Trade Alliance headquarters. Twilight Sparkle shifted in the chair nervously under the intense gaze of Princess Celestia.

"Twilight Sparkle, you are one of the top analysts of the EIA, and thanks to you, we have gotten closer to uncovering the forces behind the attacks."

"I only want to help and protect all the civilians I can, Princess," Twilight replied honestly.

Princess Celestia smiled contently, "Which is why I am giving you a promotion." Twilight's violet eyes grew wide. "I am assembling a team of individuals who are the best at what they do, and I want you to join these elite soldiers."

"W-with all due r-r-respect, Princess, I am not a soldier by any means," was Twilight's hesitant response.

"Twilight Sparkle, you excel at everything you set your mind to doing. You graduated as the most honored valedictorian, you completed EIA training with top marks and broke two shooting records. Twilight Sparkle, you are a great pony and this team will benefit from your expertise greatly. Furthermore," Princess Celestia grinned mischievously and stated with finality, "this is not negotiable."

Twilight audibly swallowed the lump in her throat, "I-I will not fail you, Princess!"

"I know you will not, my little pony."

"When do I start?"

"Right now," Princess Celestia floated folders that were hidden inside her desk to Twilight who accepted them with her magic, "These are dossiers of prospective operators for the team. The top two files are the surviving members of the previous team. They will serve as trainers for the new operators." A knock on the door stopped the Princess. A small smile formed on her lips.

The first thing Twilight noticed from the stack of manilla folders was the big, red stamp that labeled them as "Ultra-Top Secret."

"Twilight?"

Hearing the Princess call her snapped her out of her trance, "Y-Yes, Princess?"

"You will not be alone in this endeavor. Team Rainbow's former leader will assist you. His designation was 'Thatcher,' but you may know him as," Princess Celestia opened the door and revealed her guest.

"Mister Grey Vulcan?!" Twilight voiced in surprise.

"The one and only," the older stallion smiled as he entered the room. He closed the door behind him and went over to his stellar student to pick her jaw off the floor.

"Thank you again, Colonel, for returning to Team Rainbow. Your experience will be invaluable," Princess Celestia complemented.

"You are going to be a trainer?" Twilight asked.

"I am used to dealing with foals," he commented.

"But aren't you. . . kinda. . . too old?"

Princess Celestia snickered.

Grey Vulcan released a strained sigh, "I did miss your brutal honesty so."

"I-I'm sorry," Twilight's ears splayed back.

Grey Vulcan tussled the young unicorns purple and pink mane, "I am getting on in my years; that's why I'm only going to be a trainer."

Princess Celestia, content with the situation, stood up from her chair, "Since you two have everything you need, I suggest you start recruiting."

"My thoughts exactly," Grey replied. He bowed respectfully to the Solar Goddess and turned to leave.

Twilight quickly scrambled to her hooves, stuffed the folders into her briefcase, and bowed to the Princess, "Thank you, Princess!"

Princess Celestia waved a gilded hoof "good-bye" to the first two official Rainbow operators.

"After all this time we have known each other, how come you didn't tell me about this?" Twilight interrogated the older black stallion.

"What part of 'ultra-top secret' do you fail to understand? Perhaps I can clarify it for you," Grey Vulcan remarked sardonically.

Twilight pouted but saw what he meant. A second question popped into her mind, "Why did she call you 'Thatcher'?"

"It is my callsign. Since this is a secret organization, anonymity is a must. Which reminds me, you must not tell anyone your real name. Princess Celestia trusts us with the actual names of the prospective agents, but they can not know our names. Lest there is a repeat of Las Pegasus."

"What happened in Las Pegasus?" Twilight inquired.

"We were betrayed by our own. A Changeling infiltrated our ranks and revealed the roster of Team Rainbow to criminals. Three of us survived because we had destroyed any written documents about us and we never told others our names." He answered her, much to her surprise. "We can talk more when we are in my car," he informed her as they left the empty hallway that opened out into a busy reception area.

Name: Dark Eidolon

Callsign: Mute

Rank: Specialist (ret.)

Age: 47

Place of Birth: Everfree

Height: 5"7'

Weight: 289 lbs.

Background: Dark Eidolon was the youngest to graduate from Everfree University, at the ripe age of fourteen. He graduated at the top of his class and with two Doctorates, one in Science Engineering and the second in Electrical Engineering. Dark Eidolon was integral to the creation and programming of new and improved communication technology, namely "smart" devices. When he turned eighteen, he wanted a new challenge in life and joined the Everfree Special Intelligence Agency, as a signals intelligence specialist. His knowledge and analytical properties quickly rose him up in the ranks.

[redacted]

Psychological Profile: Dark Eidolon is a brilliant unicorn, he is used to being the smartest in the room (which he usually is). Being a stallion of few words, his curt, stoic nature gives first impressions of being rude, standoffish, and brash, which could not be further from the truth.

Training: Everfree University: Ph.D. Science Engineering/ Ph.D. Electrical Engineering, ESIA signals intelligence specialist, [redacted]

Relevant Experience: Founder of the Macrofruit Corporation, creator of multiple Mfruit products, [redacted]

Notes: Currently runs ESIA's counter cyber terrorism division, [redacted]

Twilight set the file down with a confused look. "Why are there redacted portions of his file?" she turned to ask Grey who was driving.

"Probably has to do with Rainbow," he answered nonchalantly.

"How come your dossier isn't in here?"

"Whatever you want to know about me, you can ask me," he offered with a small grin.

Twilight thought for a moment, "What can you tell me about him?"

"Darklon wasisa heck of a soldier. His tenacity and ferocity can even rival my own. He's calm under pressure and executes orders swiftly and precisely. He prefers knives for close quarter engagements. He is extremely loyal and motivated to end all terrorism."

"What motivates him?"

"He's got good reasons. Let's leave it at that."

Twilight pursed her lips, wanting more information, but settled for asking, "Where are we going?"

"To go visit him. He should be waiting for uswell meat a cafe in the Government District. A little place called 'Donut Joe's.'"

"I love Donut Joe's!" Twilight elated.

Ten minutes later, Grey Vulcan turned into the shop's driveway with his older 963 Mustang FG. The pinnacle in motorization forty years ago; the old, gas guzzling, metal beast of a car stopped in the only parking spot he could find.

Grey Vulcan sat with the motor running, admiring the sounds of his baby. "Just listen to her purr," he sighed contently.

"I hear nothing but the environment coughing and wheezing from your carbon emissions," Twilight snarked. She received a deadpanned look from her former teacher.

"And now, I hear you walking home," he harrumphed and cut the engine off.

Twilight chuckled but stopped when she saw his unamused expression, "Wh-what?! You can't be serious?"

Grey grunted and opened his door. With Twilight frantically catching up to him, he cast a quick locking spell over his pride and joy.

"I-it was only a j-joke. . ."

Grey stopped at the diner door and smiled at her, "I know, filly, relax." He opened the door for her and allowed her to enter first. A quick scan of the room and he spotted the stallion in the far back of the cafe.

Twilight noticed the lack of "Joe" in Donut Joe's. Where was he?

Grey made his way over to his target with Twilight behind him. "This seat taken?" he greeted the black stallion with his muzzle in a newspaper.

The unicorn lowered the paper and looked at Grey with unamused crimson eyes. He switched his attention to the young lavender unicorn mare behind him. As the two sat in front of him he spoke, "Still cradle robbin' I see," he spoke with a slight Trottingham accent.

Grey Vulcan laughed, "You know how it goes, forbidden fruit and all that. It's good to see you again, too."

Twilight was taken aback by their exchange.

"We should not be seen together in public," was the other's flat response.

"Just because you don't want others to know about our love, doesn't mean we have to hide it from each other!" Grey said in a slightly raised voice, which turned a few heads their way.

Twilight face hoofed and sunk in her chair.

The corners of Dark Eidolon's mouth rose to the faintest of smiles, "What d'you want? And why d'you bring EIA's top analyst with you?"

"Tell your squints to get lost; then we can talk," Grey smiled.

Dark Eidolon raised his left hoof and flicked it quickly which was the cue for all the patrons to leave. He folded the paper and discarded it to the side. He waited for Grey to speak with crossed forehooves.

"I have some good news, and I have some bad news for you. . . Mute," Grey began. Dark Eidolon furrowed his brow. "Good news: you're getting a promotion! Bad news: it is to Rainbow."

"No," was his immediate reaction.

"Darklon," Grey sighed, "We can do this the easy way or the fun way, your choice."

"I don't want to lay out an old stallion in front of a young gentlemare," Darklon threatened.

"Oh Kay!" Twilight interjected she held up her hooves in front of the stallions, "Settle down, colts. Dark Eidolon, sir, surely you have noticed the rise in attacks recently. Our intel suggests an organized terrorist cell is behind them."

"My intel says the same thing," he replied and quickly quipped, "Don't call me 'Shirley.'"

Grey chuckled, "Never gets old."

"We need all the veteran soldiers we can get to train a new generation of Team Rainbow, since I am sure tactics are a tight secret," Twilight continued.

"Grey can teach and tell you everything," Darklon commented.

"But it won't be as fun! With Onyx, it'll just be like old times," Grey reminisced.

Darklon snorted, "That's if he can get off a female long enough to cooperate."

Grey smiled, "So, you in?"

"Already put in my month's vacation," Darklon smirked.