Far Away

CHAPTER XXXVIII

Things are not always what they seem, and everything must be perceived with an open mind.

Jack sat on a comfy, cushioned recliner as Celestia mixed the potion herself with the utmost care and perfection. Her magic danced in the dark room like a waltz of lights, sometimes emerging there, sometimes emerging here. She picked up the vial of golden fluid and placed it above a gentle blue flame, which caused the fluid to bubble, then streaks of crimson flow though the liquid like streamers. All these elements eventually mixed into one, a rose gold fluid with a viscosity similar to warm honey.

Celestia floated the vial up to Jack, who smelled the pleasant rose scents it emitted in tantalising wafts. “I do not really know what this potion will cause, since it has been used only five times in the history of ponykind. We have not fought many wars, which limits the amount of times such treatments of illnesses affecting the blood occurs, since Equestria has been, and is, a very clean country. The bacteria causing blood poisoning has almost been wiped out.”

“Well, this is it,” whispered Jack, staring into the liquid, “It looks divine, princess.”

Daring, who was beside Jack came closer, wing wrapping around him. “Drink. I doubt it will do more good than harm.”

“Well, let’s hope so,” replied Jack as he tilted the vial and let the viscous liquid flow down his throat. He first felt a pleasant warmth down in his belly, and neck. After seconds, the warmth evolved into a painful burning sensation which caused the room to spin, then white. Nothing but white…

Daring watched with a sense of horror, that Jack just fell limp in her grasp. “What happened to him?” she asked loudly, to which Celestia responded:

“I do not know, my little pony. I do not know…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Argh. Where am I,” Jack said through clenched teeth and gravelly voice as a harsh, bright beam of white light struck his eyes. He quickly closed them again, cursing in his head about how unfair the world was. ‘Fucking hell,” he thought, ‘If this is what it is like to be in heaven, no thanks.” Instead, he heard a very familiar voice call his name.

“Daring, is that you?” he asked softly into the blackness of his closed eyelids.

“You’re awake!” she exclaimed. Jack felt he was tugged into a sitting position, then pulled into a suffocating embrace.

“Stop. Air,” croaked Jack as he opened his eyes slowly again to look Daring in the eyes. Those beautiful magenta eyes.

“I can’t believe it,” she remarked as she stared at him in pure amazement.

“What?” asked Jack, now becoming more and more irritated at nopony giving a straight up answer.

“Well, firstly you survived being in a two-week coma,” Daring started to list, “And secondly, if you haven’t noticed, you are an alicorn.”

“Yeah, whatever Daring. I’m not in the mood for jokes,” grumbled Jack as he slumped onto the bed again and closed his eyes. He felt Daring nudge him with a hoof. “Celestia is here as well, why don’t you ask for her opinion?” This statement caused Jack to sit straight up again, causing his head to spin again.

“Are you alright, Jack?” Celestia asked softly, taking strides to the bed Jack was laying on, “And before you ask me, yes. Yes, you are an alicorn now.”

Jack stared at the princess with a look of disbelief. “No. It is not possible,” Jack whispered to himself.

“Well, you are the proof that it is possible,” Celestia argued, and kneeled down to Jack. “Let me help you to your hooves.” Celestia then proceeded to help Jack out of bed, and into a recliner next to the bed. “Now to answer where you are. You are in one of the guest suites in the castle. Don’t worry, you’ll be cared for thoroughly here, prince,” she said with a smirk.

“You, of all ponies, must know I don’t like formalities. That’s why I usually call you Celestia,” Jack tried to explain to the princess, who still bore that smirk on her face.

“Well, you should get used to it. Under our constitution under section three, statement twenty-six; “All alicorns who are citizens of Equestria must be adopted into the royal family, and bear the title of ‘prince’, or ‘princess.’” she lectured, “Due to the dire times, your coronation will be postponed until our current conflict resolves. If you don’t mind, I also wish to let my prodigy to examine you, and your magical footprint. Somepony just turning into an alicorn like that has never happened before.”

“Ok, Celestia,” said Jack, “If I am an alicorn, can I use magic then?”

“According to all trends in data past and present, all unicorns and alicorns can cast spells. For your information, every race of ponies has their own magic, expressed differently. Pegasi have magic which enables them to fly and very fast, mind you. Their magic allows them to withstand high G forces, heat and cold due to the stresses of flying. The earth ponies also have magic. They have an aura of magic around them that makes plants grow faster and stronger,” Celestia explained, “So, you should be able to channel your magic if that answers your question.”

“Thank you Celestia,” Jack thanked.

“Anything else?”

“No, Celestia.”

“Alright, I’ll leave you two be now. See you at dinner in two hours,” she farewelled as she walked out of the room and closed the large doors behind her.

“Come on! Haven’t you been dying to try out your magic?” begged Daring, “I want to see it.”

“Nope, “declined Jack, “Never have, never will.”

“But… why?” Daring said.

“You might know that I may be stubborn at times. Some wise pony once said, it is normal for everypony to fear the unknown,” Jack explained the best he could, “I don’t know how, and I don’t want to know how much chaos I can cause. Since I know that magic is channelled through the soul, I think it may be dangerous. I have had a pretty… traumatising past. Let’s stop and put it at that.”

“Well, you’ll come to terms to it at your own pace I guess,” Daring sighed.

“If you don’t mind, can you take me for a stroll around the castle?” asked Jack after some time of staring out of the window, “I bet you my life that boredom is the bane of me.”

“Well, what are you waiting for then?” asked Daring as she was already up from beside Jack and hauled him up as well, draping a protective wing over him, as he leaned on her. They walked through the castle aimlessly, enjoying the presence of one another in peace. Jack soon directed Daring to the castle gardens. The gardens always looked beautiful in the red evening light. It was dark enough to see the select few special flowers glow, and also the ones which don’t, of which the deeper hues were brought out by the dimmer light. Daring and Jack sat side by side until they heard hoofsteps muffled by the grass behind them.

“Enjoying yourselves?” asked the regal voice of Celestia, “I always liked the look of the gardens at sundown.”

Jack turned his head to see the white form of Celestia behind him. “Yes, it is quite beautiful at sundown,” he replied, then turned his head back to see the horizon darken slowly.

“Would you like to join me at the dining hall?” asked Celestia, “I know it is a bit early.”

“Of course, Celestia,” Jack answered as Daring helped him up onto his hooves again, and walked beside Celestia.

“Can I ask you a question, Jack?” Celestia asked as they rounded a corner.

“You just did,” Jack remarked with a smirk, as they trotted down the stairs.

“Smartass,” Celestia whispered, but misjudged how audible it was.

“I heard that too,” Jack said with raised eyebrows, “I never knew the princess made those sort of comments.”

“Well, apparently,” Celestia rounded the table as they entered the dining hall, and sat at the chair at the front of the table, “I do.” As she finished her sentence, a group of other ponies streamed into the dining hall, including Twilight and friends, Cadence, and Shining Armour. “Oh yes. I forgot to tell you that I also invited these ponies,” Celestia said as she gave a small smile as Daring flinched and awkwardly folded her wing back from Jack.

“Y-you’re an alicorn?” asked Twilight, who was geeking out at the moment, “Really?” She poked and prodded Jack as she sat down next to her, causing Jack to flinch.

“Wait,” Dash said as she entered the room and looked at Twilight, then Jack. “You really are an alicorn. That is so awesome!” she exclaimed. Then hell happened to Jack. All Twilight’s friends swarmed around him, shooting questions in rapid-fire mode. Jack made a mental note to himself: stay away of the pink one. Especially if she was on caffeine. The thought made him shudder.

Jack gauged the personalities of these ponies as they crowded him. The pink one was hyper. The yellow one was as shy as a tree. The prismatic one had too much of an inflated ego. The orange one, who he had seen before and talked to before, he recognised as Applejack. She didn’t really seem to be too involved; quite passive. The classy one was too into the nobles and finally Twilight. Good old Twilight, as curious as ever.

“Ok guys,” Jack grumbled irritably, “I’m not really in the mood to answer questions right now.”

The six ponies stopped and slowly backed away except Twilight. “I’m sorry about that. We were just so excited to see another alicorn in Equestria,” she said, looking a little downcast.

“I understand that you may be excited, but for the time being, just keep your distance, ok?” Jack asked.

“Alright, Jack,” she answered as she shushed her friends. “Come on girls, Jack needs some space. I’m sure he will be willing to answer your questions at a later date.”

Dinner was a quiet affair, the attempts to start a conversation by Celestia blew out like a torch in a strong gale. “Well, it was nice seeing all of you,” Celestia farewelled as she stood, “I must attend to some things now.”

“Likewise,” Jack agreed as he stood up with Daring and walked out of the dining hall behind Celestia.

After they exited, Celestia stalled Jack. “I need you to meet me at the Wonderbolts Headquarters tomorrow at 3 o’clock sharp in the afternoon. I shall assign some pegasi to you from the guard as your transport.”

Jack nodded, “What for?”

“You’ll see,” Celestia said vaguely as she strode off down the hallway.

Jack returned to his room to find it cleaned and tidied, probably by the servants. He laid himself down and stared at the white ceiling. “What am I? What have I become?” he asked himself quietly.

“My prince,” Daring answered from beside him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Morning came, the bright sunlight penetrated through the curtains bathing the room in a soft yellow light. Jack cracked open an eye and yawned, stretching his wings to their full length. He could hear the birds sing sweetly outside, and the normal bustle of city life. He sat up slowly, the stood, feeling the cold morning air seep through his fur. “New day, new beginnings,” Jack said to himself.

After breakfast at the dining hall with the princesses and Daring, he took a walk around Canterlot with Daring. It was hard walking down the streets when everypony stared at him, like he just won the lottery. Canterlot was a large city, so wandering around in it took a substantial amount of time, as Jack found out that day. He checked the clock tower that stood tall among the rest of the buildings, and saw that it was already two in the afternoon before he had seen everything that the city had to offer.

“Damn, I’m lost. Daring, do you know how to get back to the castle?” Jack asked his companion.

“Follow me,” she answered.

It took almost half an hour to get back to the castle. Although it was the largest building by far in Canterlot, the streets were very cramped and you would do well to see clock tower standing in the middle of the city, which was very tall. Awaiting them was Star Streak pacing at the entrance of the castle, looking slightly irritated.

“Afternoon, cap,” Jack greeted him casually.

He stopped pacing and looked at him. “I have been waiting for you for Celestia knows how long now! We must get a move on, the princess requests that you meet her at the HQ.”

“But it’s only two thirty!” Jack retorted, “I thought we had to be there by three.”

“It takes roughly forty-five minutes to get there, now come on! I’ll be escorting you,” he said hurriedly and dashed off, expecting Jack to follow him, which he did.

They went up a couple of flights of stairs until they reached the outdoor platform Jack landed on a few days earlier that week. A chariot was standing idle there, with two guards standing either side of it, chatting nonchalantly. As Star came into view, they snapped in a rigid stance, saluting their superior officer.

“At ease, soldiers. Just make sure you be swift. We do not have much time on our hooves to play with,” Star addressed his soldiers. “Come on, Jack. We don’t have all day,” he said as he hurried Jack along with Daring onto the chariot.”

As soon as they boarded, the chariot lurched forwards, and took off into the air. “Hey Star, you got let in on this as well?” Jack asked.

“Yeah, Celestia appointed me to keep you safe. I know how much of a trouble magnet you are,” he winked.

Jack watched the fields and paddocks sprawl out like a map under him, the rivers like blue traces and ploughed farmland littering the valley like a checkerboard with many shades of green and yellow. Out in the distance, he could barely make out the white silhouette of the city of Cloudsdale, it’s skyscrapers made purely of clouds sticking out of the main mass like stalagmites on a cave floor.

Very quickly, the mass of clouds expanded to take up quite a large portion of the field of vision in front of the chariot. Soon, the tiny specks of pegasi could be seen flying around the densely populated, floating metropolis. The chariot weaved through the bustling city at quite a fast pace. The skies were chaotic here, with pegasi flying in different directions and whatnot.

They seemed to approach a much calmer part of Cloudsdale when Jack caught his first glance of the Wonderbolts Academy again. It was floating amongst the familiar obstacle course that Jack has grown to know above the city, and quite a bit away. Didn’t want any sonic booms shattering local windows, that’s for sure.

As they drew closer to the academy, they could see the recruits training as always on the bitumen runway, and manoeuvring through the obstacle course. An unexpected sight greeted them, however; Celestia was standing with Spitfire and Soarin already on the tarmac, heads down, discussing something secretively.

Celestia looked up at the sky and located the chariot which carried Jack, and alerted the other two. They stood straight, awaiting the descent of the chariot. Jack felt the familiar rough bump of landing, and leaned forwards as the vessel came to an abrupt stop. He stepped off with Star and Daring, then greeted the princess courteously.

“Good afternoon, princess,” Jack waved as he stepped out, as did Daring and Star.

“Good afternoon,” Celestia said briskly, “We are in a bit of a hurry so just follow me, and we shall lead you to the meeting room.”

Jack followed Celestia caught up with the two Wonderbolts behind Celestia. “So, how has the war effort been?” he asked, trying to start a conversation.

“Not good. Not good at all. We lost many good fighters at Manehattan, and our forces have crumbled on the eastern front. We are currently trying to send reinforcements, but it might take a while. The western front, bordered with the Griffins is protected well by their capital, but they are too slowly crumbling. We have lost half a million souls, and we are not sure if our efforts are in vain.”

“Don’t give up, Captain,” Jack encouraged, “For we have harmony on our side, and the most powerful magicks known to any being. I’m sure we will find a way.”

“No, you don’t understand,” Spitfire began, “The scale of destruction and absolute power of those weapons that the Drakes had acquired is unmatchable by any defensive magic we currently possess. If they cast, we are all doomed.”

“What magic can they possess that can be so powerful?” asked Jack as they arrived into a room with many maps and papers strewn across it in a disorderly fashion. Large tables bore miniature figures representing the fronts of the current war raging on Equestria’s doorstep. A series of dim lights lit the room, and candles were placed strategically around the tables to maximise the amount of light that lit the room dimly and dully.

Spitfire strode over to the far wall, and hit a switch, which to Jack’s surprise lit up a piece of wall in the colours of a photograph. What happened next amazed him. Celestia used her magic to somehow alter the picture so that a map of Equestria was shown on it, with lines and markers displaying the fronts of combat.

“What is that?” Jack stared in amazement at the large screen.

“It is a very new piece of technology produced by our best scientists and mathematicians called the computer. It relies on what they call ‘logic circuits’ to operate when connected to a source of electricity. It can do calculations faster than the most talented unicorn, and allow us to display a map which can be drawn over, then cleared for ease of use,” Celestia explained, like she was unsure how the thing operated as well.

“Well, what am I here for then?” asked Jack.

“Today, we are assembling some of our most elite forces to launch an assault on the Everfree. We will be using fire magic to clear a path to the where a fortress lies, uncovered by my best scouts. Our primary objective is Luna, alright?” Celestia asked in a hushed whisper.

“Why are you not giving this briefing to everypony on the mission?” Jack asked, suspicious of Celestia’s motives.

“Look Jack, Luna is very important to me. I will never abandon her, and I know personal issues should not be put forth above state issues, but she is my sister. If the rest of the personnel knew, word would probably get out, and it would not be good for public image. Please promise me to keep this a secret between us, and ones you trust with your life,” Celestia explained, looking ashamed of herself.

“I’m sure whatever you do, your nation will stand behind you. Luna is one of the co-rulers of this land, and is important to all of us. For your sake, I will not let word get out, but I want you to know this one thing: nopony will blame you for recuing your sister,” Jack replied softly, “Now where do I go to meet up with the rest of the company you were inferring to?”

“Right outside, on the tarmac,” Celestia replied, “I will give a universal briefing, and then you shall assume your roles.”

“Oh shit, I forgot my rifle!” Jack exclaimed before he exited the room, just realising he was missing his prized armament.

“Do not worry, it has been taken into account. I have personally paid for a new firearm to be crafted, specifically for this mission, which will be yours forever,” Celestia reassured, “It is currently in the Academy’s armoury. I will accompany you to it after the brief.”

Jack strode out briskly to the tarmac next to Daring, with Spitfire and Celestia trailing him. There was a much larger company of ponies than he had imagined. Jack estimated two hundred after making a few sweeps of the crowd for familiar faces. Quite a few ponies he knew were involved, including the elite first squadron of Wonderbolts and the iconic mare with the rainbow mane and tale.

As Celestia approached the front ranks of the company, they all bowed politely. Jack followed this act himself, never having to bow to Celestia these days, as they regard to each other as friends. “Stand, my little ponies,” Celestia announced with her voice, projected by magic. “You might know why we assemble here today. There has been a downed squadron of pegasi in the Everfree who have access and knowledge of highly confidential documents. This is a search and retrieve mission, leave no prisoners unless they know something of vital importance. I have marked the position of this enemy base on the maps in the launch room. Head there and wait for your squad leaders and chariots.”

Jack felt a cold shiver down his spine. He had never heard Celestia sound so bitter before, or say ‘leave no survivors.’ Was he dreaming, he wondered, because he knew that Celestia would not normally say something as dark as that. As Celestia promised, she motioned for Jack to follow her. “Are you alright?” Jack asked, feeling slightly concerned.

“I’ll wait for you in the launch room!” Daring called before she went with the continuous flow of the rest of the ponies into the lobby of the Academy.

“I’ll see you there then!” Jack replied back before he focused his attention on Celestia again, waiting for her response. She only sighed and shook her head slightly, and walked on, head lifted high, like she was acting to be fine. Jack returned to focusing on his hoofsteps again, not bringing up the question again.

As they rounded the last corner, into the armoury, Celestia floated out a key with a delicate design, and gilding. She turned the key in the lock of a medium sized box of army green, and it popped open with a satisfying click. Inside laid the most majestic weapon that Jack had ever seen with his mortal eyes.

It was a beautiful gun made almost completely of a nice Jarrah wood, save the breach and barrel. The magazine was of blackened magnesium, build with the highest quality product in mind. The barrel was rifled, with the most perfect grooves that Jack had ever seen. He pulled out the rifle, and pressed the trigger gently, knowing the gun was not loaded. The firing pin cracked down sharply, and the trigger was as smooth as butter. Jack then looked down the scope. It looked like it was a times twenty zoom, and could be adjusted for range. The glass seemed flawless, and the markings looked perfect.

“Is this an automatic rifle?” Jack asked.

“Yes and no,” Celestia replied vaguely, waiting for Jack to inquire why that may be.

“Why?” Jack asked.

“Well, you see, it can use a normal .50cal bullet, or it could use one of these,” Celestia replied, while holding up a metal cylindrical object with curious marking on it. “You can slide it on here, and switch your rifle to ‘magic mode’,” she said as she slotted the cylinder into a connector that Jack had not noticed yet, on the side of the gun, and switched the safety to a third setting. “Try this, but at the range,” Celestia said with a wink.

Jack headed towards the range, and took aim carefully at one of the bullseyes. He pulled the trigger as always, but a jet of green struck the target with a hiss, melting through it. He recoiled with surprise. “What was that?” Jack exclaimed.

“That, my son, is a magical energy weapon,” a familiar voice said from the door. Jack could not really put his hoof on who it was until he looked at him. “Gunslinger?” Jack asked, shocked for the second time today as he stared at the ash coloured pony with positively glowing amber eyes.

“Yes, I designed it myself to emulate the destructive beams that powerful unicorn mage’s can cast,” he said thoughtfully, “It looked like the weapon worked.”

“Yes, and it is quite powerful as well!” Jack exclaimed in awe, “What sort of ammunition does this armament consume?”

“It uses energy cartridges, those small cylindrical metal cases you see on that table there. One of those can hold up to twenty shots, I believe, give or take,” Gunslinger explained, “Use them well, there are a very limited supply of them around. Use normal .50cal shells against the softer targets.”

“Very well, it is nice seeing you again, but I must get moving. The company will leave without me,” Jack said as he hurried towards the door, and quickly farewelled Celestia.

It took a few fast minutes to reach the launch room in the Academy. It was a large round room, similar to the one in the Manehattan base but with a nice coat of deep blue on the walls and many emblems hung, waving slightly in the turbulent air, where pegasi were testing their wings, and unicorns their magic.

“Hey Daring,” Jack shouted as he tried to get his lover’s attention, from the opposite side of the room. He strode briskly to her, and acknowledged Spitfire, Soarin and Rainbow Dash, who were chatting about some things in a small group beside where Daring was resting.

“Hey, so what was all that about?” she asked before she noticed the weapon hanging from Jack’s neck. “That is a peculiar weapon,” She remarked, “What is that metal thing attached to it?”

“I’ll explain later, but first, let us find out what we are supposed to be doing, and where we should be,” Jack replied, scanning the room, looking for chariots and other flying machines and whatnot. Without looking to hard, he could see four large battle carriages in the corner. They were laden with small potholes with large armaments sticking out of them, and what looked like the standard issue green ammunition boxes.

“Let’s head there,” Jack said as he pulled Daring along. Spitfire, and the rest of squad one seemed to be following too.

“Hey Jack!” Spitfire yelled at him as he approached one of the carriages, “take the smallest one, designation number double zero three. It should be marked clearly on the side of the carriages.

True to her word, each carriage had a large set of three numbers painted to their sides. A small carriage, probably only suited to carry around five ponies had the designation double zero three. Jack walked around the entrance into the small vessel located at the back of it. Inspecting the carriage, it still had guns sticking out either sides, but these were of a smaller calibre and different variety. They were laser weapons. This new technology was very expensive and only the most prestigious of commanders walked around with laser pistols and rifles. The fact that this carriage had laser rifles sticking out of it meant that it was for a special team of ponies, and speak of the devil, they came as Jack boarded along with Daring.

“Greetings, Jackson,” said a familiar voice once again. Jack managed to recognise this voice immediately this time, having heard it once again today. The ash grey pony boarded and sat opposite Jack. Following Gunslinger, Star Streak boarded along with Twilight?

“Twilight Sparkle, what are you doing here?” Jack inquired.

“I have been practising my offensive spells recently and they’ve been coming along quite fine,” said she, “Dash is going along, as well as you, so I thought I should probably provide some support too.”

“Very well,” Jack acknowledged, “Just try not to get yourself slaughtered.”

“Will do,” Twilight replied, “Don’t worry about me.”

A rumble was felt resonating from below the carriage, then a smooth humming nose started. “Ready?” asked Spitfire, who peeked her head into the carriage from the front window.

“Anytime, cap,” Jack replied with nods from the rest of the company. A light tug threw Jack slightly back into his seat as the launch bay became more and more distant. Outside the window, he could see half of squadron one flying level with the chariot, which was presumably being pulled by Spitfire. They were going slow enough for the rush of the wind not to drown out conversation.

“Hey Soarin!” Jack called from the small window above the weapon mount.

“Hey Jack,” said he, “So, what do you expect this time?”

“Probably more guns. Lots more,” Jack speculated thoughtfully, “Last time they did have some advanced tech. I doubt that they will have the resources necessary to crush a whole unit of special attack forces.

“You would be surprised. We have gained quite valuable intel about Dark Flames. He seemed to have quite a spectacular defines the last time we scouted the area.” As he said that, the flight of forces started seeing a great black fortress protruding from the earth in the middle of the trees of the Everfree. It looked like there were many fortifications and with no doubt there were adequate defence systems.

“Get the damned flight down!” Soarin shouted at Spitfire, who just realised the same thing.

“Follow me!” she called as the whole flight dived for the trees just as yellow tracers tore through the air, luckily not managing to make any direct contact with the ponies diving into the thick green canopies of the evergreen forest.

Jack’s carriage landed with a rough bump on the ground. “Any unicorns, take the heavy weapons from the carriages and use them in combat, we will need all the firepower we can get!” Spitfire shouted over the raucous chatter of the company. They complied, Twilight managing to haul a Magic Gatling Laser without passing a sweat.

The company started silently advancing across the forest towards the large blackened fort. Not even ten minutes of walking brought them to a small clearing, with a thin layer of foliage and canopy hiding them away from the prying eyes of guards on the fortifications, keeping a watchful eye out for anypony who dares trespass.

“Where’s our explosives squad?” Spitfire asked softly, not wanting to risk the chance of being heard over the wind.

“Here we are,” replied a peach coloured earth pony in the same tone, “The mortars are being set up currently.”

“Good, fire at will”

“Aye aye, cap.”

The mortars were large things, each probably weighing over one hundred kilograms, with wide barrels which presumably fired a large payload of explosives. The explosives squad took ample time to set up the devices, then loaded in hefty shells of a very high calibre. “Firing!” called the commanding officer, and the levers were pulled, igniting the gunpowder. The shells left the barrels with a deep rumble and ear splitting explosion, blasting them, high into the air. The shells whistled as they came back down from their high arc, right on top of the fortifications closest to the company, erupting with an earth-shaking boom, and a blinding flash. Debris flew everywhere, the dust suspended in the air which blocked out the sunlight.

When the dust cleared, a large hole was found in the building, but it would take at least three more barrages to knock a portion of the wall to the ground. More salvos of shells were fired, as the soldiers readied their weapons, and polished their armour, ready to charge into the fort. On the fifth strike, the whole section crumbled, revealing the ground on the other side, a dull shade of black, scorched by the heat of the explosions that were happening right above it.

“Come on! Get in the fort, then find cover!” Spitfire commanded, as the company dashed into the dust and debris. Yellow tracers tore through the air once again, now ripping down the assaulters of the fort into a bloody mess of blood and bone. Unicorns tried to provide a shield, but they proved little of value when the overwhelming majority of the company were pegasi or earth ponies.

Twilight cast a large shield to protect her friends, including Jack and Dash, levitating her weapon in front of it with its terrifying barrel spinning but not shooting, due to the lack of targets to lock on to. The dust was thick as they made their way to the inner wall of the fort, finally finding small guard towers that were completely void of inhabitants, with small stockpiles of aid and ammunition.

Most of the company got behind them, and started setting up more defences and creating a small forward operating base. A few soldiers were left behind in the clearing in the Everfree to relay any message being sent out to the recipient. The first contact was made with an enemy when Jack stepped onto the top of the guard platform, and saw a group of patrols on the wall. They were completely unsuspecting of the direction of fire that Jack was shooting from, efficiently popping round after round into them, one by one dropping dead, red blood flowing freely onto the cold black stone.

Before they had any chance to retaliate, all of them were laying on the ground, life seeping away from them every single second, if not already lifeless. There were many casualties on Jack’s side, the dead and wounded being laid onto the temporary stretchers and hauled into medical tents where they were either being treated or being cremated, a traditional thing to do to a fallen soldier’s body.

Jack spotted Spitfire leaning against one of the guard towers, treating some cuts and grazes. “How you holding up?” he asked her.

“Yeah, I’m doing fine. Don’t worry about me,” she replied, “We must get an assault party in the castle by tomorrow. Now we all rest and heal.”

As Spitfire said those words, a piercing crack tore through the air, the tracer moving very quickly towards Jack from the top of the tall fort’s wall. Jack leaped to dodge it but it hit somepony behind him. With a thump on the ground, Daring, who was behind Jack fell onto the bare earth, with her own crimson blood staining the length of her body. The bullet shot straight through her hindquarters and she was losing blood quickly.

“Help!” Jack choked as he carried the slumped body to one of the medical tents set up. At the sight of Daring, the field doctors carried her into a tent, and ushered Jack outside while they worked their magic. It was going to be a long night for Jack, who walked back to one of the small guard towers, and sat against it, slipping his gun from his shoulder and leaning it on one of the boards that made up the tower.

The camp was in a buzz after what happened, worried whispers sounded all around as ponies were afraid that they would be targeted next by whoever shot that bullet. Only a few ponies looked calm, and one of them was Spitfire, who was still leaning on that same guard tower, looking indifferent.

“Spitfire?” Jack asked as he approached her, “What are your plans?”

“Well, I think I should send a patrol to clear the walls and an assault team to try destroy the insides of the fortification, if this really is as big of a threat as Celestia says it would be, I would want to make sure that it wouldn’t be able to function after this raid.”

“Good plan, I look forward to destroying these bastards tomorrow,” Jack said through clenched teeth.

“Look Jack, don’t fret over Daring. I’m sure she will be fine and herself again in a few days. This is not a mission for revenge anymore,” Spitfire comforted.

“You don’t know.” Jack stated plainly.

“What don’t I know?”

Jack thought about telling the captain about Celestia’s words that she confided with Jack, and through his vision, blurred by anger, he told her, “That this whole mission is to get revenge on Dark Flames for probably torturing our princess of the night, and holding her hostage for us to just stumble into his elaborate little death trap and kill us all.”

“I was suspicious of that,” Spitfire remarked thoughtfully, “I knew that she was trying to hide something but I couldn’t put my hoof on what. This mission now feels complete. Every Wonderbolt recon team knows what they are in for. Death is likely in one of these close impact missions so this was why I felt a little skeptical about Celestia trying to send us into here.

As she said that, a bullet whizzed past Jack’s body and struck one of Spitfire’s wings, blood running freely as the bullet wounded her deeply. She was not aware of what had struck her until she saw the red, bloodied wound in her side, then collapsed. “Get under cover!” Jack commanded the rest of the company, call in for artillery support!”

Everypony got in cover, whether it was a guard tower, or a tall pile of sandbags. The radio operator quickly dialed in the coordinates for the strike and soon enough, the whiz and explosion of the artillery shells were heard bombarding the inner wall, clearing any defender and wrecking previously build fortifications. As the dust cleared, a giant hole in the wall appeared, allowing Jack to see inside the castle walls.

“Oh shit…”