The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

by FlyingKitsune

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Human, Alternate Universe
Length: 78381

Equestria Counter-Earth Airship Homage Last Exile

The year is 2025, most of humanity has lost and relocated to enclaves around the continents to prepare for war. Airships are now a common method of transportation along for waging war.

In this new world, privateers are the new heroes as they take up their personalized airships to attack the Equestrian Sky Fleet and colonies on former countries of the Earth. These are their stories, of brave men and women risking it all to free the lands that are colonized by Equestria.

This story was inspired by the many Conversion Bureau stories and pays tribute to one of my favorite animes: Last Exile.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-04-25 02:58:22 UTC

Origins and Privateers

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 1

Origins and Privateers

That was several years ago. Several years ago, on December 21ST of the year 2012, we looked at the skies and those who said the Greeks were just making tales about a planet that was hidden on the other side of the sun were proven wrong.  It was real, Counter-Earth was real. We all mocked them endlessly, seeing that they writings. Geocentric theory? They  were right. Apparently, it’s Celestia who rises the sun and lowers it, her sister Luna is the one who brings the night to both our worlds.

The Earth and Counter-Earth became connected by the atmospheres, joining the planets into one. This made travel by air much easier. It is curious how one can go to Equestria or say Europe by flying so high up in the sky. To do that, one must brave a bottleneck-like storm. The winds there are violent, unpredictable, to them, crossing over is not a issue, they have mapped out the areas of calm air that make flight a possibility.

It happened that fateful day. It was broad daylight, the skies began to act strangely….a giant whirlpool composed of clouds appeared, spinning rapidly as it got wider. From the bowels of the whirlpool, there was a light, a light that shone beyond the sea of clouds. Several objects exited through, one large airship followed by what seemed escort vessels, said escort vessels launched small craft. From a distant sight, they have appeared to be jet fighters, wrong, it was Pegasi.

Contact between Earth and the biggest nation in Counter-Earth, Equestria has begun. Ponies began to migrate to the Earth, mostly as tourism and migrant workers while humans took airships to visit Equestria. As time went on, many humans went to Equestria as they felt attached to this mystical land above the skies. The Ponies developed a serum which could convert a human into a pony. They opened up centers dedicated to this task. They went by many names but where mostly known as Conversion Bureaus. One came to convert, spend a week to learn to be a pony, and then they were shipped off to Equestria in what was dubbed a Migration Capsule:  Large craft that were launched into the skies carrying the many converts away from their life on Earth, as their leader, Princess Celestia promised;  a new life away from all the lies, deceit, and corruption of the many human regimes.

This was met with a lot of resistance. Several people formed groups to try kick the ponies out and shut down the Bureaus. No one listened to the demands of these people, calling them close minded, racists, every name out there in the book. No government listened to the cries and rallies of these people, only to be ignored and many more converted. It was an alarming rate…something was wrong.

On the Fall of 2015, it finally happened.

People began to arm themselves with whatever they had available. Bureaus were stormed; the people who worked there and the recent converts were killed and maimed violently.  Pony immigrants were lynched brutally; the wind blew a putrid aroma of death and chaos as the riots spread.

Winter of 2015, Princess Celestia gives a speech, saying that the Equestrian Sky Fleet will enter the Earth‘s skies to protect Equestrian interests in every continent, the UN approved of this plan. The peoples did not.

By  early 2016, airships of massive size floated in the skies, blocking out the sun. To the many Equestrian immigrants and Newfoals, this was a sigh of relief. To the people, it was a sign of occupation. The Bureaus continued to convert people, some refused and extremist ponies began to forcefully convert innocents.

On March 12, 2016, a dozen dissidents of various nationalities hijacked the yacht of the Princesses during a diplomatic visit. The airship was rammed against a Migration Capsule that was preparing to leave for Equestria. Millions of converts were killed that day, the airship damaged beyond any repair…but they never found the hijackers.

June 21st, 2016, Celestia gave a speech demanding that all areas with a high pony to human ratio is a Equestrian colony and must leave in 24 hours. The response was a declaration of war against Equestria by every nation.

"Under the authority granted to me by Princess Celestia, I order the humans to leave Eastern Russia in 24 hours."

"Just try it!" A Russian villager pulled out a double barreled shotgun. "To Hell with Equestria! To Hell with Celestia! To Hell with you Ponies!"

There was violence against the newfoals and the Colonizers, ponies who came to Equestria to colonize the New World as it was known to them.

The war didn’t last long…the moment the Equestrian airships exited the cloud whirlpool, everything was over in a matter of hours. The airships bombarded serum all over the place, if bombing the area didn’t do the job, they’d deploy Pegasi and Unicorns to finish off the stragglers. This became known as the Human-Equestrian War or the Serum Wars, Colony Wars, the War of Equestrian Aggression, the War of Equestrian Imperialism, the 12 Hour War…you name it.

Many flags were lowered and replaced with the Equestrian flag.

In the end, Humanity lost: Eastern Russia, Central Asia, parts of the Middle East, about 1/2 of Western Canada, 3/5ths of Eastern Europe, half of China, 1/3rd of Japan, almost all of Africa, the Southern portion of Mediterranean Europe, all of Brazil, the former Great Colombia of the past: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama . All of Southern Mexico was lost except for the Yucatan Peninsula, which became an Equestrian puppet state. America was forced to give up most of the West Coast along with parts of the Midwest. All these areas haven now become Equestrian colonies…those who refused conversion were kicked out of their countries… The Yucatanese, seeing this as a perfect chance made a pact with Celestia to gain their independence from a broken Mexico.

Hope was not lost as the remnants of humanity reformed their nations. The governments of the nations began to issue something that wasn’t seen in the history of the world: Letters of Marque. If anyone had a privately-owned airship and a crew willing to attack the Equestrian colonies and vessels, they were promised a great bounty along with rewards for their deeds.

Privateers were the heroes of this new world. Stories circulated about the brave men and women hijacking Equestrian ships, plundering entire towns and cities, robbing ponies of their valuables while others killed them for taking away their lands…

This is the story of the brave band of privateers who defied everything in the face of danger…this is the story of the Palladium Wings, a title given to privateers who pulled off the most hard of missions in the world to show Celestia a lesson on who she messed with.

Earth, 2025

Skies of Panama, Republic of Yucatan

A highly modified airship continued its cruise above what used to be Panama. If the intelligence was correct, an Equestrian cruise ship would be here in a matter of minutes. Months of planning were finally going to pay off. Time to make these horses that for every action there’s a reaction. A few conversations took place in Slavic tongues, mostly nostalgia about their former motherlands and the anger that burned up inside them. Most were excited about the acts that are about to committed. One mentioned about jewels and their bits, wondering if the ship was full of the typical pony snobs that were made such an easy prey.

The spotter saw something glimmer off in the distance. Focusing on the glimmer, he noticed a airship flying the flag of a sun and moon joint by halves with a angel white on the left with the blue on the right. The spotter turned, telling the communications officer to report this to the Captain.

The Captain gave a animalistic grin. Many of his crew respected him out of fear. Nikolaos Drakonakos …also known as the Dragon of the Skies went into the business not for the profit, but out of revenge. He is a Maniot Greek, piracy and bloodshed is in his blood, he had a blood feud against the one behind it all; Princess Celestia. She too will know what a man can do once the feud begins.  He was a man of average height, no muscles or anything grand. Green-eyed and of a sun-kissed skin.  His penchant was of seafood, poultry, and wine. He despised Equestrians since childhood after he and his fellow Maniots were kicked out of Greece to allow the Colonizers to settle in. His last decree was a vendetta against Princess Celestia for this crime.

Nikolaos heard the news. He began to gear up for the boarding. Grabbing the classic weapon favored by privateers, the AK-47. If there’s anything that these stinking ponies like to see, it’s this one. They have an unnatural fascination with the gun…seeing it as an object of awe and mystery.  The weapon was used by human hands since the War of Equestrian Imperialism.

The Equestrian airship was close.

The Observation Post looked at the ship. A cruiser carrying tourists from Equestria…he thought as he scanned the ship.

The XO barked the order, the ship’s guns fired out against the unsuspecting veesel. Grappling hooks anchored on the ships, followed by the whirrs of it being reeled in. A black flag with a white dragon spewing out fire with a pair of crossed pistols under it was raised into view.

“PIRATES!” A unicorn mare fainted.

“CHARGE!” The Maniot rallied as he jumped to the Equestrian ship.  He could hear the men full of energy as they followed his lead.  “If they refuse to cooperate with us kill them all!”  Blasting the door hinges, he entered, scanning his  corners with his rifle’s sights.  Kicking the door open, he fired his weapon into the air, ponies began to scream.

The rest of the privateers entered.

“ALL YOUR BELONGINGS! HAND THEM OVER!” A privateer rifleman yelled as many pulled out sacks. “HAND THEM OVER OR YOU DIE!”

Many started filling the sacks, fearful of the raiders and their weapons.

Nikolaos began to head upstairs. With a grin, he kicked the door with brutal force. The captain and the crew, mostly Earth ponies and Unicorns looked at the black-clad figure. The horns began to glow, but the man knew that this was futile.

Spraying the contents of the magazine into the crew, he approached the captain, stepping over the spent bullet casings.

The Earth Pony Captain began to tremble in fear. “P-please!” He started to sob. “Don’t kill me! I’ll do everything you ask!” He performed a kowtow as the man stopped.

The man pulled the pony by the mane, bringing him to eye level. “The ship’s manifests and schedules, now!”

The Earth Pony quickly opened the safe, the man stuffed them in his pockets.  “Are you going to kill me? He continued to tremble.

A TT-33 was pulled out. Firing 4 bullets into the legs of the pony, he gave it a twirl. “No.” The pistol went back to its holster. Dropping the AK-47 to the agonized pony, he walked to the lower levels. “Tell your Princess that the Dragon Nikolaos did this.”

As the sacks were filled with loot, they all heard the door open. They were happy to see the Captain. “Captain! We have all the loot the sacks can hold.”

Nikolaos looked at the ponies, all scared, shaking…perfect.

“No hostages?” A rifleman asked.

“No…not this day…next time, there will be hostages.”  Nikolaos said as he exited the ship with the raiders.

The grappling hooks were removed; the pirate airship took off for the horizon.

Days later

Reports were coming in about the human sky pirates that attacked several Equestrian airships, most of the ships attacked were cruise ships, along with cargo freighters, military ships were valued by them. In the past month, 3 Alicorn-class Battleships, 6 Luna-class Frigates, and 1 Canterlot-class carrier were hijacked by them. By the photos, the humans modified the airships by fixing their weak spots, adding weaponry, along with making the ships more durable to attacks.  She had credit the humans with persistence and failure, they are only delaying the inevitable she thought to herself. But she was curious about the pirates and their motives…

The island of Bermuda used to be known as a grand tourist spot , with a beauty unmatched that could rival any  Equestrian landscape. The island was once famous for being the many hideouts of the pirates of the old days, that fame came back when the mighty privateer ships would dock to do business or nurse spirits back to good health. A highly modified Luna-class Frigate entered a dock, the crew happily exiting the airship, sans a few members who stayed behind to keep an eye on the ship and watch over it.  They knew of the artificial reefs that surrounded the island with all those AA guns…but even that is not enough to stop them from coming and ponifying anything with a pulse.

Nikolaos entered a tavern, he scanned around for his contact. Spotting him, he walked over to the table and sat down. “Benjamin.” He said to the man.

The Israeli smiled and shook his hand. “Nikolaos, how did the raid go?”

The Maniot smiled. “Good, we got loot without much resistance and I got the ship manifests and records.” Pulling them out, he placed them on the table for his eyes.

The Israeli’s eyes scanned the documents. “Good…” He looked at the privateer captain. “The governments of the enclaves will be pleased, and of course, Israel has a mission for you that may be interesting.”

“I’m all ears.” He said with a devilish grin.

The Israeli pulled out several photos of a ship in construction, along with maps of the Congo. Circling the southern portion of the country, he wrote a few notes. “The New Celestia Governate AKA Congo has become the main Equestrian shipyards…what you see here is a new Alicorn-class Battleship being built, it’s being finished, from what my sources tell me, next week will be its maiden flight. We want you to hijack this ship and deliver it to the Tel Aviv Port.”

“No bonuses?”

“Blow up the shipyard and you’ll cripple their entire fleet for a time, without any chance to make repairs, they’ll be an easy target.”

This was good enough for the Maniot. More places to plunder, perhaps take a few hostages for the occasional ransom.  After shaking his hand, he left the tavern.

Skies of Eastern Russia

It was nighttime,  most of the ponies were in bed…little did they know that tonight was going to be the one thing they will learn to fear.

“Comrades!”  A uniformed old man said, many others turned to him. “What we are about to do is for the glory of all Mother Russia! Many years ago, these ponies came when the traitors outnumbered us and we will NOT let this go by! The cover of night gives us the element of surprise! We will head down and raid their settlements! Bring all the loot you can carry, stuff every pocket until you cannot fill it anymore. Let it be known that today, we show them the hearts of true Russians. FOR MOTHER RUSSIA!”

Several AKs were raised into the air, followed by cheers.

The airship, a highly modified Pegasus-class Cruiser continued its course to the settlement.  The cannons swiveled to the direction of the town. “MAIN GUNS READY CAPTAIN!”

"Commence firing!"

The cannons fired.

The shells exploded on the town hall.

Lights began to turn on. Rapid fire began to rain down on the town, ponies panicking as they tried to find a way to escape the violence.  The airship landed, opening a ramp. Several men began to fire their rifles against everypony. Others kicked doors, followed by screams of panic that were silenced by gunfire. The gunmen began to stuff their pockets with anything of value.

The town was engulfed in flames as the shells continued to rain down.  One raider blasted the door of a house, kicked it and entered. Opening many drawers, he found objects of value and stuffed his pockets. Hearing clops, the assault rifle was cocked. As the unicorn mare saw her door opened, she rushed down. Two bullets took away her life. The man moved upstairs, searching for more valuables.

Fillies and colts were carried away by the raiders, thinking of the ransoms they would get out of them. Their parents would try to reclaim them, but rifle bullets brought them to the ground. All they could do is watch as they were taken by them.

A raider ordered a unicorn to hand her belongings to him. The unicorn refused, her horn glowing with a green aura. The man squeezed the trigger, the unicorn was dead seconds later.

The airship landed, the raiders boarded the ship with their loot and hostages.  The ship took off for the skies while the wounded could only see it fly away…

One Week Later…

Princess Celestia was fuming, her eyes slowly turning red. Her blood was boiling. First a cruise ship and now a settlement? As she read through the report, she felt an urge to vomit. Fillies and colts were taken by the raiders to be held for ransom. According to the scroll, the raiders demanded 10,000 bits per head, if they refused to pay the ransom, they would be executed…Monsters…they are the monsters for their barbaric acts of piracy.

The Pony Princess decreed that all Fleet airships could now bombard the human enclaves with the serum. It was all for the greater good. She offered them salvation from themselves, they had polluted the world, damaged the ecosystem,  slavery, war,  genocide…all these evils must be purged and ponification was the only way to achieve salvation.

Skies of Congo

15:00 Hours Local Time

The pirate airship began to approach the shipyard at high speed. In the insides of the ship, several small jet fighters were being prepared to launch.  As they got closer, the planes exited the airship. As they zoomed across the skies, their machine guns fired at the docks. Pegasi saw the threat and began to engage in combat.

Ball lightning fired out against the incoming fighters, but they moved out of the way. Splitting up, they performed several maneuvers only known to man. The Pegasi just watched in awe as the flying machines performed moves that would put too much blood in their head.  Machine guns fired out in bursts. Several Pegasi became red mists as the bullets tore them to shreds.

The pirate ship was getting into sight. The crew members grabbed their weapons while Nikolaos watched the action from the bridge. The helmsman confirmed that they’ll reach the shipyard in 5 minutes. “I want the AA guns manned…we’ll be the target of the Pegasi soon enough.”

Several machine guns on the deck were manned. The sights were calibrated to hit a moving target, the gunners began to move the machine guns scanning the skies for the winged horses. Spotting one, the bullet cases began to hit the deck as the tracer shots left the barrels.  Smoke exited out from the main guns, explosions dotted the skies.

The Pegasi dropped their jaws in shock. The Chimera has arrived into the fray.  Rumors and legends about this airship came into their minds…about a ship manned by agents of chaos themselves that came to bring destruction under the name of Discord. Others said the ship was crewed by angry spirits of this world, demanding pony blood to satisfy them, whatever they believed about the ship…it was here to rain hell on them.

“I want the port guns to fire harpoon cables when we get near the battleship on my signal.  All fighter craft are to keep the Pegasi away from us, should a few land on the deck, attack the infiltrators, extreme force authorized.” Nikolaos ordered.

The XO repeated the orders.

“Beta Squadron, keep the enemy fighters engaged. Omicron Squadron, engage the enemy battleship. Omega Squadron, provide backup for Omicron Squadron.” A Unicorn said over a glowing crystal, overseeing the battle from the shipyard’s tallest tower.

Several Pegasi began to flock around the attacking ship. The AA fire began to get intense as they tried to land. A Pegasus screamed as bullets tore him to shreds, the others gasped and in a range landed on the deck of the airship. A crewman saw the pony land. A loud blast was heard, the Pegasus dropped to the floor with a pool of blood forming as it seeped out of its head.  More began to land into the deck of the ship, bucking the hull. Pistol fire flew towards them, annihilating them.

Several Pegasi broke in through the starboard side of the ship.

“ENEMY INFILTRATION IN CREW’S QUARTERS  B16!” The PA bursted. “WE GOT ANOTHER INFILTRATION IN THE GALLEY!”

The Pegasus saw the crews aim their guns.  With a battle cry, the charged towards them at full speed. The VZ.58s cracked in full auto, sending lead to their bodies, dead before they hit the floor.

The fighters continued to engage the Pegasi, their machine guns making short work of them.

The Chimera got close to the prized vessel. The cannons fired, as the smoke cleared, several harpoons with steel cables sticking out of them were attached to the Alicorn-class battleship. “Sir! The enemy ship is now ours!”

“Hard to port, we’re leaving! Call all fighters to provide escort and mop off the stragglers that have infiltrated. Starboard guns, fire Armor Piercing High Explosive Shells at the shipyards.”

The starboard guns turned towards the shipyards. Shells were loaded into the barrels of the cannons. The lights went red to green, a sharp buzz indicated the gunners to fire. Smoke hissed out of the breech as the casing was ejected from the bore of the gun. Loud blasts could be heard from the outside.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” The ponies around the shipyard began to run away from the explosions that were consuming the whole place. The raging fires caught to a unicorn, and then everything collapsed.

A huge cloud of dust and debris was lifted into the air.

The Maniot sat on his Captain’s Throne with a smile of satisfaction. “Set course for Tel Aviv!” He ordered. “We got a ship to deliver.”

“Captain!” A voice from the PA called. “We have succeeded in killing off the infiltrators.”

“One huge insult to Celestia and her Sky Fleet, without her precious shipyards in the Congo they are nothing but weaklings.”  He said to the crew. “Even if they do cross the Pegasus Corridor to get here, their ships will be battered by the violent winds that they alone created. Once we possess the maps for the Corridor, the dream of raiding Equestria itself will be closer to reality.”

Canterlot

One Week Later

“Your Majesty,” Gold Scroll the Equestrian Prime Minister said. “A pony who survived the attack on the E.C.S Firebird wishes to have an audience with you. He brings an object left by the pirate who attacked the vessel.”

Celestia nodded.

“You may proceed.” The auburn pony’s ears began to twitch.

“Princess Celestia…” The pony said. “The attacker was the Dragon Nikolaos.”

Celestia silently cursed that name.

The earth pony pulled out something then pushed it with his hooves. “It was left  as he took his leave.”

Celestia’s horn began to glow as the weapon began to hover in the air. She examined it side by side. It was a human weapon, they called this one the AK-47, she never understood why the humans gave their weapons strange names.  Putting the weapon on the floor, she thanked the earth pony.

The visitor left.

“Prime Minister…” Celestia said with a serious tone. “I want the flagship prepared for the hunting of Nikolaos, I will personally see that he is captured and brought to Equestria to be interrogated.”

“Anything else?”  Gold Scroll bowed.

“Shining Armor is to become my Vice-Captain  during the hunt.” Celestia added.

“Yes Your Majesty, as you wish.” The auburn pony left the throne room.

This was going to be interesting, hunting for a single pirate that did all this damage. It would be her ship against his. So be it! Let the games begin.

Foul Winds

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 2: Foul Winds

The Pegasus Corridor, the name struck fear into the hearts of fliers everywhere.  The eternal storm that rages above the skies of both worlds that it connected making the travel between two worlds easier if one dared to do so, braving it is a achievement possible for a few thus earning the respect of both sides. Winds howled with a ghostly fashion as thunder boomed every second or so, as if the Devil himself gave a mocking laugh, taunting many to cross to the other realm. Wrecks of airships dotted several sectors of the Corridor, forever trapped to wander with no hopes of exit.

The large flagship’s engines were silenced by the winds as they moved in a spiral pattern, the currents moving at various speeds. Some moved slower than others, others moved faster. The crew of the ship saw a derelict vessel as they passed by them. They all felt something cold pass by them, they began to shiver, an unnatural cold…as if the dead could travel across them.

“We’ll be reaching Earth in 2 minutes.” Shining Armor said as he sat down on his post.

Celestia thanked him.

As they reached the edge of the Corridor, the ship began exit the swirling cloud.  From up above, a rocket fighter flying for the American Federation’s Air Scout Division began to fly around the entrance of the storm.  A large battleship slowly began to slip away from the entrance. The co-pilot pulled out a camera and took photos of the ship. Telling his friend to get closer to it, the pilot pulled on the control sticks, allowing one more minute of photo shooting.

“Princess! We detected an American Federation scout ship!” The Earth Pony spotter howled.

“Shoot it down!” Shining ordered.

“No.” Celestia countered. “Let it fulfill its mission.”

“But Princess…”

“As of right now, I am Captain of this ship, you will address me as Captain.” Celestia stared at Shining.

“But Captain, if the scout reports to its HQ we will be in serious-.”

Celestia interrupted. “If it reports to its HQ, it will be of no importance, we are here solely to capture the Chimera and her crew.”  She looked to the Helmspony. “Set course for the Republic of Yucatan, we will dock for a few days before resuming our hunt.”

“Aye-aye!” The helmspony responded. “Setting course for the Republic of Yucatan and keeping steady as she goes.”

“Engineering is to divert all power to the main engines.” Celestia added.

Inside the center of the ship, a thumping sound was heard making rhythmic patterns. This was the Star Swirl Generator. Named at the sage himself, the Generator was the masterpiece of Equestrian science and technology. The Generators created an anti-gravity field which allowed the ship to fly and also provides thrust, hence the ship’s engines were attached to it. The Generator uses a form of exotic matter only found in Equestria dubbed Lunastium, a crystal that exhibits the exoticness of anti-gravity. The Generator houses many of these rocks, which are then pressurized and converted into the Generator’s source of power. The power was piped through the engines of the ship.

Equestrian Colony Town, Somewhere in Central Asia

“HELP!” The Earth Pony mare pleaded to the uniformed woman.

The Cossack woman looked down at the mare. She saw nothing but a robber of lands, the AIMS-74 was raised to her head. The mare began to sob, a stream of tears exited her eyes, trying to plea to have her fillies from a burning house. The assault rifle roared for 3 seconds followed by the whistling of an old Russian folk song.

Across the town, fillies and colts were taken away. Sacks were loaded with valuables if they refused, they were killed on sight followed by the looting of the corpses. Guardsponies fell to the bullets, their armors no match for the projectiles. If they were unicorns, a sword made them shiver.

A privateer pulled a unicorn guard by the mane and sliced the horn off. The unicorn turned pale, as if the life force was leaving the body. Picking the unicorn horn, the man smiled as he examined and pocketed it.

A stallion began to buck away any privateer that dared get too close to his family. Several chains snared him, and then pulled to the ground. Looking up, several men and women brandished out their shashkas and with screams of anger sliced and stabbed the blades on his body. He groaned in pain as his life was slowly robbed. Their attacks got brutal and angrier, they started to stomp and kick as they moved their swords. Everything went black and red for the stallion.

The mare and 3 fillies shivered as they approached with those sharp blades. “HAND ANYTHING OF VALUE OVER!” A man pulled out a sack. “BELONGINGS OR WE TAKE THEM!”

The mare went inside, minutes later, she placed the contents into the sack. With a smug smile, the man whipped his blade on the mare’s face.  The young ones screamed in fright. “LET THIS BE A LESSON TO YOU!” Another one said as his sword entered the sheath.

The town was set ablaze as they left. They watched them leave with their jewels, currency, and worst of all, their fillies and colts for ransom.

As the town was nothing but cinders and ashes, a single mare gave a wail of pain and agony. Nothing could make her stop her tears from shedding, the survivors looked at all the chaos. Whatever filly or colt that was left on the town, they sobbed as they saw friends and relatives down on the ground…  Bullet wounds, sword stabs and slashes, even being burned by those Dragon Guns that released a trail of fire.

Across Central Asia, airships fired on towns and cities, while men and women marched demanding objects of value or they’ll take the young ones away.

Sky Fleet vessels were purged of their crews as they were hijacked.

And the question that they all had: Where are you Celestia! Why have you forsaken us!?

Days went by…  but they could never get those images out of their heads. The violence. The arson. The destruction.  Many began to have mental breakdowns when they saw what they did or when the word pirate was mentioned.

Skies of the Caribbean

Local Time:  12:00 Hours

“Captain!” The spotter said. “We have detected an Equestrian battleship ahead of us. It’s raising a lavender flag with a sun, crescent moon, and several stars on it.”

“Lavender flag…” Nikolaos’ said silently. Giving a growl, he got up. “Get the pilots ready! Load up the guns!  All combat crews are to prepare for enemy infiltration! We’re fighting Princess Celestia!”

The bridge crew gasped.

The Maniot gave a sinister chuckle. “So you came for me eh Celestia? Let’s give her the proper Maniot vendetta declaration.”

Celestia gave a stern look as she saw the enemy ship up ahead. Clearing her throat, she began. “Our objective is to capture the Chimera intact. We will engage the enemy in close quarter combat. Pegasi Squadrons 1,2, and 3 will distract them from any form of defense. Squadrons 4,5,and 6 are going to lure the ship close to us so we may board it. Ahead at 2/3rds.”

“Ahead 2/3rds!” Shining Armor repeated.

The Equestrian ship began to advance to the enemy.

“We are going to engage Princess Celestia’s flagship!” The 1st Officer’s voice said on the PA. “All fighter pilots are to prepare for take off! All crews are to engage in combat protocols!”

“Celestia won’t retreat even if we damage her ship, we will have to endure it.” Nikolaos said.

Weapons and ammunition were being handed out to the crews. They all got into combat positions while others manned the machine guns on the deck. The gunners began to load shells into the cannon breeches. It was the combat that was granted to them.

The hangar elevator went up, carrying 6 fighters to the runway. The little jet fighters launched towards the enemy ship.

“6 metal birds have launched! They’re heading straight for us!”

“Change of plans! Squadrons 1, 2, and 3 are to defend the ship from their interceptors! I authorize extreme force against them!” Celestia ordered.

60 Pegasi launched.

The jet fighters fired their machine guns at the incoming attackers.

The Pegasi dodged the incoming bullets as they began to tail the fighters.

One of them steered upwards, slowed down and then began to head down. The dual machine guns fired out rapidly against the winged ponies. One of them screamed as a bullet impacted the spine, sending him down towards the sea below.

“I’m going in!” Fighter 4 said as he approached the flagship. The machine guns fired its shots against the ship. The holes in the hull plating were big, if the Equestrians didn’t develop a concept of armor, good for them.

“Captain! We’re entering the combat sector!” The 1st Officer said.

“Launch all the remaining fighters. Keep them away from us. Gunnery Chief, you may commence firing on the target once it is in our targeting range.”

The remaining fighters launched. Several jets along with pusher configuration fighter craft launched.

The Chimera valued its fighter crews and played this ploy:  All jet fighters were to engage the enemy ship along with its Pegasi force at all costs. The pusher planes were to fly around the ship, plucking down any enemy that might get to close to the ship. If they managed to infiltrate, the crews will take care of them.

“Captain!” Shining announced. “The enemy vessel is within our range.”

Loud blasts were heard.

“ENEMY VESSEL IS FIRING ON US!”

“Brace for impact!” Shining ordered.

The flagship began to shake violently. The ponies began to grab hold of anything nearby to prevent them from losing their hold on the ship.

A Pegasus landed on a jet fighter. The pilot growled as he pulled off several maneuvers to shake it off but refused to budge. Seeing the engine hissing, its rear legs gave it a strong buck. The engine began to cough smoke. The pilot pulled on the control stick desperately, but it was of no use. The Pegasus continued to buck the engine, seeing that it was about to detach, he pulled out a remote and knocked on the glass.

The Pegasus looked at the human and then the strange box.

He pressed a button.

What is going on?

All the Pegasus felt was a fire that consumed her every being.

“Fighter 10  self-destructed and took down a Pegasus.”

“Order Anti-Aircraft to assist any fighters.” Nikolaos said calmly.

The deck mounted machine guns began to open fire at any Pegasus that flew close by. One pink Pegasus took a few shots to the abdomen. With one last breath, she pleaded for forgiveness for her failure. Closing her eyes, she accepted her fate as she plunged to her death.

The cannons continued to fire.

“Damage report!” Shining Armor ordered.

“Port engine piping is damaged, we lost engine output by 30%!” A unicorn engineer said via ship phone.

A fighter fired its last bullets into the Equestrian ship.

Around the ship, AA fire continued to spread, discouraging any Pegasi to land on the deck.

A pusher plane pilot ordered the gunner to take aim at the Pegasi ahead. The gunner cocked the PKM machine gun and set the winged menace on his sights. Conforming the lock on, the muzzle flashed several times as the orange projectiles flew towards it. The Pegasus rolled to the right, avoiding the shots. “Damn it! She’s dodging! Follow her!” The gunner said.

An orange with blue mane Pegasus increased its speed. Seeing the attacking plane, she gave a grin as the target was in sight. Ramming against the plane, the two men screamed as they were being dragged down. The plane began to tear, the two were sent plunging down along with the scrap metal of the plane.

“PUSHER NUMBER 7 IS DESTROYED!” The PA blurted out.

“AA GUN NUMBER 3 IS DESTROYED!”

The Pegasus bucked the door leading to the insides of the ship.

“ENEMY INFILTRATION IN MAIN HALLWAY!” A voice yelled on the PA.

The Pegasus looked around the hallway, looking for any humans.

The chef along with the janitors were hiding behind the corner. Their Mauser rifles were loaded, slapping the bolt close, they took a deep breath. Popping out of cover, loud gunshots were heard. The Pegasus dropped from the bullets. Spent bullet cases dropped as the weapons were cycled.

A Pegasus landed on the lower deck. Seeing the locked door, she gave it a buck. The force was enough to break it.

Entering, she began to search for her objective: The hangar deck, if she could damage what they called the gas tanks, their metal birds would not refuel as told. Climbing up the stairs, all she noticed was silence.

A loud click was heard. Her eyes followed the strange small pineapple-like object that rolled towards her.  “What’s this?” She asked out loud.

The sound of a blast echoed through the lower deck. As the smoke cleared, the only thing that remained was a few feathers that landed on the charred floor.

A fighter fired its machine guns on the Equestrian ship.

Hatches opened around the flagship. Unicorns began to release blasts of magic towards the skies, trying to pluck out any fighters getting to close.

A fighter shaked from a magic blast, the panel began to wail as several red lights began blink rapidly. The pilot smirked as he steered his plane towards the attacking vessel. “BOSS! GIVE THE PRINCESS HELL!”  As the ship got close, he gave a insane scream as he crashed against the sides.

Celestia could feel the ship shake from the explosion.

“One of the humans did a suicide run on us! The starboard side has a damage of 25%!” An Earth Pony engineer announced.

“Get me to the enemy ship! We’re going after their Generator!” A Pusher Gunner said.

“Are you crazy!? We’ll get gunned down if we get near it!”

“It’s the only chance to hit them where it hurts!”

The pilot steered the craft towards the battleship. Magic was fired out from all corners of the ship. Diving down, the pusher airplane performed a roll. The underside was full of piping. The gunner pulled out what seemed a flare gun, opening it, he inserted a strange night blue shell.  “Range to target!?”

“500!” The pilot said.

The PKM fired out against any Pegasi that flew by the airplane.

“400!”

“If we manage to overload the Generator, then the ship will be a sitting duck.”

“350!”

The gunner pulled out the flare gun.

“200!”

Glass shattered, a pegasus entered the bridge of the Chimera. The crew gasped as the pony entered but a gunshot took its life away. They all looked at their captain holstering his pistol calmly.

“100!”

Celestia saw explosions and red mists all over the skies. The Chimera was putting up a good fight against her.

“TARGET IN SIGHT!”

The gun fired.

The pusher pulled to the left.

The shell continued its path upwards. The fuse began to chime rapidly. A blue blast was released.

Engineers across the ship began to report that the Generator’s levels began to reach peak levels. Meters began to spin rapidly followed by the shattering of glass. Pipes began to release pressurized gasses across the whole engine sectors.

“This is Pusher 5; we have disabled the enemy Generator! She’s all yours Captain!”

Nikolaos smiled. “Bring the ship to our opponents, we’re boarding it. Order all AA guns to cease firing.”

“But Captain! That’ll expose us to the infiltrators!”

The Maniot left the bridge.

The AA guns ceased firing.

Pegasi took this as the chance to get into the enemy ship. As they planted their hooves on the deck, small arms fire greeted them. A pair of pegasi dropped as M1 Garand fire made short work of them.

The hangar was infiltrated by several pegasi.  They all had different tasks to do. A pair was bucking the planes that weren’t launched. Their hooves impacted their wings several times. The metal began to whine as the dents got bigger and bigger. One pegasus began to buck the fuel tanks, hoping to drain them soon enough.

A loud gunshot brought the tank-bucking pony down.

“THUNDER BALL! NO!”

A mechanic walked in. The remaining pegasi looked at the human. They all looked at her angrily. The woman pulled on the hammer of her revolver, aiming at the winged pony. The gun roared, the pegasus dropped.  The hammer was pulled again. “I suggest you leave my hangar before I kill you like your friends here.” The sights were aligned towards the pony’s head.  “Go on...get out of my sight.”

The pegasus launched to the mechanic. Pushing her to the floor, the crimson with black mane winged pony began to stomp his hooves on her. The mechanic rolled to the sides, avoiding each attack. Seeing her revolver on the floor, she struggled to get it. Her hand struggling to reach for it, panic was flowing across her nerves, her hand trying to reach for the weapon. Feeling the wood on her fingers, she pulled the trigger several times.

The pegasus saw the blood drip out of the wounds. Shaking in fear, she landed on her back. A yell of pain escaped her.  The mechanic looked down at her, a smug grin plastered on her face as she pulled on the hammer. “No! Please human! Have mercy!”

“Mercy?” The mechanic chuckled. “God has mercy. Humans don’t.”

“NO! PLEASE! I’LL DO ANYTHING! PLEASE DON’T KILL ME MISS!”

The gun thundered. Smoke hissed out of the barrel as the weapon was raised. The woman blew the smoke off, twirled her revolver and into the holster it went.

Despite all the gunfire in heard across the ship, the Greek whistled a tune as he prepared his M4 rifle for the raid.  The boarding crew was waiting for the moment of truth, and the end of this insanity. The black-clad crew prepared their weapons. Saluting, the man looked as they got closer to the ship. “Charge!”

The boarders gave a battle cry as they jumped over to the ship.

Hinges were blasted followed by a strong kick. The Unicorns began to attack with magic, one raider got pushed to the wall while others fired from cover.

TAT-TAT-TAT-A-TAT-TAT!

“Reloading!” A boarder slapped a fresh magazine into his AK-47. Seeing a few unicorns come into the area, he cackled insanely as he loaded up the GP-25 launcher. “BOOM!” He pulled the trigger. The blast sent the unicorns flying across the area. “You are dead!”

“He’s coming…” Celestia said. “I can feel it.”

Shining Armor looked at her.

Nikolaos punched the elevator buttons. Pulling on the bolt, he saw a bullet in the chamber.  “This is for Anastasia, you monster.”

The elevator doors opened.

Nikolaos stepped out calmly. Seeing all the ponies in the bridge, he gave a animalistic smile as he fired the whole magazine on them. The screams were like music to his ears, the bullet cases bounced off the floor as they were ejected from the gun. Walking into the bridge, the assault rifle was reloaded. “I have waited a long time for this…” He turned to face Celestia. “And here we have the leader of the Pony Invader herself.”

He bowed. “You may know me as the Dragon of the Skies…  that’s my Nom De Guerre in the world. Call me Nikolaos Drakonakos of Mani. I have ended many families in my land like my ancestors killed the Ottoman occupiers. Now I get to follow my blood’s calling.” He aimed the gun at Celestia. “Before I pull the trigger and spray the magazine’s contents into you? Any last words before I send you the darkest pit of Hell?”

Shining Armor tackled the Greek, the assault rifle fired a few rounds to the side.

Nikolaos looked at the white stallion and gave a growl. “You must have death wish eh!?” He got back on his legs. Discarding the assault rifle, a long knife was pulled out of its sheath. “Very well, I will grant you a painful death.”

“Don’t let him get to close to you.” Celestia advised the unicorn stallion. “That blade will hurt if he manages to get a cut or a stab.”

“Silence.” The Greek commanded. “This is between us two.”

The stallion and the man looked at each other, moving in circles, trying to read their moves. The knife began to twirl in his fingers. “Because I am such a gentleman, I’ll allow the first attack.”

Shining Armor went for a tackle.

The Greek dodged the attack, these ponies are too predictable.

The unicorn’s horn began to glow. A blast of purple magic fired out.  Seeing the blast head for him, the man dropped to the floor. The blast destroyed a portion of the wall, debris landing all over him. Getting back up, he looked at the unicorn. “Come now, magic? Then I’ll have to even the odds.” His free hand whipped out the TT-33 from the left holster.   Pulling the trigger several times, the bullets flew towards the unicorn.

Shining summoned a shield. The bullets bounced like ping-pong balls.  “It’s going to take more than that to hurt me.”

“A shield eh?” Nikolaos reloaded his pistol. “Tell me pony, how long do you think that shield will last you?”  The pistol cracked seven times.

The bullets bounced off again.

The pistol fired again.

“Come on! Attack me while I’m reloading!” Nikolaos taunted.

Shining Armor began to dash towards the human. The shield went down as he got closer to him.

The knife was brought down.

Shining stopped as he felt something inside him pierce his flesh. He looked to the man’s face. He was smiling. Removing the knife, he pushed the stallion away. Picking up the assault rifle, the bolt was pulled back, the bullet being chambered. “This is how it ends.” Nikolaos said as he raised the rifle.

A purple aura wrapped the sky pirate.  “No…one…hurts the Princess!” Shining proclaimed as he slowly got up. Lifting the man, the unicorn threw him to the wall.

“Damn you!” Nikolaos groaned. Getting back up, his hand raised the assault rifle. “Stupid pony, you will die like the rest of your kind for stealing our lands.” Both sights were aligned towards the enemy’s head.

Celestia tackled the pirate.

Nikolaos dropped his rifle.

Celestia’s horn began to glow, pointing down at his chest.

“Go ahead!” Nikolaos goaded. “Kill me! If I die here, my crew will avenge my death, killing me will not stop the privateer attacks on your people. You have me where you wanted Princess, but then what? Will that make Equestria’s problems end?”

“No.” Celestia replied. “But it’ll take care of the problem, one at a time.”

Nikolaos cackled as his hand reached for something.

“What’s so funny?” Celestia asked. “Why the laugh?”

“Oh Princess, you should never underestimate your opponent. Always make sure he’s out of ammunition before he uses it against you.” There was a gunshot.

“PRINCESS!” Shining Armor screamed.

Blood escaped from Celestia’s mouth. Her underside was bleeding from the shot. She couldn’t believe the error she just did. That sneaky move got her stomach shot.  She dropped, the man got up.

Shining Armor fired a blast of magic against the pirate.

The pirate dodged the blast. Turning to face Shining Armor, he pulled out a fragmentation grenade. “Fire in the hole!” He released it, letting it roll towards him.

Something inside Shining said to buck that thing away. Following his gut, his forelegs kicked the object away. The blast lifted dust and debris into the air. Seeing the elevator doors shut, he couldn’t help but giving an angry neigh at the pirate.

“We are getting out!” Nikolaos announced. “Tell the crews that we’re leaving!”

The Chimera left as all the surviving raiders climbed onboard.

Pegasi followed but AA fire along with escorts made it impossible. It was best if they let go… Next time, there will be another chance in taking the ship.

“Go get me a medic!” Shining ordered. Putting his forelegs on the wound, he pressed on it. The pressure made the wound stop bleeding. “Please Princess…hold on.”

Celestia was taking heavy breaths. “Send…signal…to…Yucatan…we…need…repairs.”

Hours later, an airship flying the naval jack of the Republic of Yucatan towed the damaged battleship towards a dock. The crew was given shore leave for a week until the engines and bridge were fixed, the rest of the repairs will be done in Equestria.

Gobi Desert

The Gobi Desert was a unique area in the world. Despite Northern China fell to the Equestrians, the humans managed to work out a deal with them: Gobi was to be treated as a Special Economic Zone, towns would be of mixed populace while others were exclusively for humans and ponies. Trade of all sorts took place, tourism was big due to the ponies wanting to experience the weather that the desert had to offer along with the wildlife that roamed it.

But of course, the Gobi was also known as a nest of spies and defectors. Information was valuable, if you had the cash, you could have a piece of the pie.

A bronze pegasus with blue eyes and a saber crossed with a quill flew across the skies of the Gobi.  His name was Saber Quill, a courier who worked in the Gobi delivering message tubes between the cities and if needed, to the outside world:  Human Enclaves or Equestria. Not many ponies know about the former Pegasi Courier Fleet flier, but most humans know he’s a Defector.

Saber Quill increased speed, the landscape passing by rapidly. Seeing the city ahead of him, a relief of sigh escaped his mouth. At last, the mission would be complete and he can finally get a drink or two before taking the next mission if there was one. Life as a defector had its ups and downs. For one up, he was welcomed in every enclave, no one would try to shoot him.  One downside was if discovered, he’d have a bounty on his head for joining the humans.

Landing on the pavement, he looked both sides before crossing the street. A right to this block here to a left to this block there and then keep going straight until reach your destination. Entering the dark alley, a large door with graffiti painted on it was there. Tapping the door several times with his hooves, the security camera swiveled towards the pegasus. The door opened up.

The pegasus went inside.

Despite all the men and women greeting him, he ignored them as he trotted to the red doors.  Knocking on them with a specific pattern, they opened up.

As always, the people would greet him. But he didn’t have the time for small talk.  “Saber, you look like hammered shit.” A Russian-accented voice said.

“No shit Grozny, you try to do all these deliveries for a week straight and not catch a break.” The pegasus shot. “Besides, I got a message for you.” The pegasus searched his messenger bag. Pulling out a message tube with a wax seal, it was placed on the table.

The Russian man opened it. Pulling out the scroll, he unrolled it and made a face. “Interesting…” He lowered it. “Tell me Saber, do you read the contents of the messages you deliver?”

“A courier doesn’t read the messages, its stains our honor.” Saber frowned.  “But why do you mention this?”

“A Princess wishes to defect.” Grozny smiled.

Saber gasped. “Who? Which Princess? Luna? Because if she does, it’ll be a cold day in Tartarus when that happens.”

“According to the message, her name’s Italian…does the name Mi Amore Cadenza mean anything?”

“Cadence?" Saber Quill bursted into laughter. “What does Mrs. I-Spread-Love-Around want with what Celestia calls the filthy apes?”

“Defection… and she’s giving us a huge deal of intelligence on the Sky Fleet and maps concerning the Corridor.”  Grozny smiled. “Why don’t you come back tomorrow, I have a mission for you. 10 stars.”

“Insanity!” Saber exclaimed. “No courier in both worlds has taken a 10 star mission.”

“Well you’re going to be the first one.” Grozny grinned as he tossed the pegasus a sack. “Your pay. Get refreshed, take a bath, catch up on your sleep, because I want you here at midday tomorrow.”

“Fine.” Saber put the sack into the bag. “Cya tomorrow.”

Grozny waved him goodbye.

Saber Quill flew to the nearest hotel. He could of flown back home, but that was a town ahead and he didn’t want to fly for hours just to rest.

Checking into a hotel, the pegasus smiled as he jumped into the bed and closed his eyes. At last some rest.

Somewhere in the Swiss Alps

Carved within the mountains of Switzerland, several airships flying the flags of nations were docked while fighters of all makes and sizes patrolled the area.

Representatives from the last human nations: The American Federation, Germany, Czech Republic, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Ukraine, Switzerland, the Republic of Mexico, Austria, the Western Russian Federation, the Trans-Caucasus Union, the Baltic Confederation,  Japan, the Australian Commonwealth, India,  West Romania, South China, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, the United Korean Republic,  the Spanish Enclaves,  France, Magna Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, Ireland,  Thailand, Bhutan,  Pakistan, Bangladesh, Israel, Lebanon, the Canadian Remnants, Singapore, Iceland, and the Caribbean Islands.

The summit began. The men and women representing each nation began to discuss the plans for the world along with the problem of Equestria.  “I say we go out and attack them.” The Representative of Mexico said. “We can’t sit here and do nothing, they’re sending out migration capsules like crazy! Three of them landed in the Chihuahua Desert and they’ve started a colony there!”

“I have to agree.” The Representative of Argentina added. “Tierra del Fuego is now in process of being colonized. Same with the Falklands.”

The Representative of the United Kingdom turned pale, shaking.

“I am sorry to say,” The Representative of Argentina sighed. “According to your soldiers stationed there, 12 capsules landed there. They gave it their best, only to have an entire platoon ponified by them. A few were purified.”

“P-p-purified?”

“It’s a term they use, when they kill a human, they are purified.” The Representative of the American Federation said.   “But our Mexican college is right, they are starting to colonize at an alarming rate, we must take direct action against them. We don’t want to end up like Indonesia and Malaysia.”

Everyone’s minds began to rattle about the loss of Indonesia and Malaysia. When the migration capsules hit the islands and the ponies began to quickly colonize. The governments tried to fight but it was hopeless, many were ponified forcefully. Whatever was left fled to Papua New Guinea while others hid in the jungles or the dangerous islands, away from them and the rest of civilization.

“We still have to do something about the new colonists...” The Representative of France said. "I am going to agree with Mexico, we should attack them, send more privateers to the new colonies. They're so effective to lower their morale and hope."

Somewhere in Eastern California

“MARCO! WE’RE LOSING ALTITUDE!” A Pusher Gunner grabbed hold of the machine gun. “MARCO! PULL ON THAT CONTROL STICK! MARCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

The Pusher Airplane continued its rapid descent into the ground.

The gunner pulled on two handbrake-like levers.

The ailerons opened up, the plane spinned wildly across the air. As it did so, the gas tank moaned loudly as it gave in to the pressure that was bringing the craft down. Fuel escaped from the track, raining into whatever settlement below.

The gunner saw a desert.  It was getting closer and closer as he stared at it. Closing his eyes, he prepared for the eventual impact.

Dragon Runes/ Bloody Sword Dock

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 4

Dragon Runes /Bloody Sword Dock

“You up for a game?” Grozny asked Shining Armor, setting up a chess board.

“Sure, what are we playing?”

“A classic  game with new rules, Equestrian Chess.” The Russian man started to put the pieces in their respective positions.

Shining noticed Princess Celestia and Luna in the game along with the Bearers of the Elements placed aside from the two princesses. On the other side, humans wearing the uniforms of high ranking officers were placed. The pawns, Royal Guards and Human Soldiers of different nationalities were set.  The unicorn stallion was curious. “The rules?”

“It works like a standard game of chess but with modifications: If you capture a piece from me, that piece will be ‘converted’ , allowing you to bring back one captured piece. If I capture one of your pieces, they will ‘defect’ to my side.” Grozny explained.  “The 6 here are special pieces, capturing them means they defected or I can sacrifice them to bring one of my pieces.  The goal is to ‘overthrow’ Celestia and Luna or defeat the Commanders.”

“I see.” Shining took a seat.

Grozny smiled. “I should warn you, I’m pretty good playing this.” He cracked his fingers.

The hours passed as the two were locked into their game.  Shining moved the Twilight Sparkle figure to a square.

Grozny moved his soldier. “Mistake, I now have Twilight Sparkle in my side, but rather than turning her against you, I’ll sacrifice her to bring back one of my soldiers.” His hand moved the piece away and grabbed a captured human soldier and into the board it went.

“Have you had the chance to talk to any benefactors?” Shining asked as he moved his next piece.

“I have.” Grozny replied. “The Americans, British, and Poles want to have you over, but the others are concerned about your presence.”

“Hmmm?” Shining raised an eyebrow.

“The rest of the human nations believe that if you are being sheltered in their lands, Celestia will start colonization of what’s left over or even send a retrieval team to get you.  We heard that Celestia purged the nobility back in Equestria, no doubt your wife is in that list.”

“So what do they propose?”

“They propose sending you two under the watch of a privateer.”

“Privateer? You mean the pirates!?”

Grozny laughed. “Privateers.”

“They’re pirates. They loot and plunder!”

“They do so yes,” Grozny explained. “But what sets them apart is that they have a Letter of Marque. The Letter authorizes any privately owned ship to engage in hostilities against Equestrian ships. They work for every government. We get 50% in the loot and they keep the rest.”

“But why privateers?” Shining wondered.

“Privateers are effective. See, if we went out full force against the Equestrians, it’d be the 12 Hour War again. Only this time, we wouldn’t last 20 minutes. Of course, wars cost money. We have to make weapons, refit the ships to our standards, recruit crews and soldiers. All those are the essentials to us. We don’t know about Contra or the nations in it.”

“I do know of the two Gryphon nations: The Kingdom of Skiri and the Scylas Federation and the Diamond Dog Confederation.” Shining said.

“So there are other countries in Counter-Earth.” Grozny said.

“Yes, and living under what you call a tyranny, not of their rules, but of Celestia.”

“Does she rule the other countries in any form? Puppet governments?”

“No, but she lent them the Star Swirl Units long ago before coming here, if any of their ships tries to rebel against Equestria, the Unit gets recalled.”

“And the ships plunge down to its doom, does it?”

Shining nodded.

“Hmmm perhaps an alliance with them would be… beneficial.” Grozny commented “We have a common enemy: Equestria. If we join forces, we can have a chance in getting an unconditional surrender from the Princesses. It is the perfect plan.”

The door opened. A bronze pegasus entered. “Grozny!”

The Russian man turned. “Ah Saber, how did  the deliveries go?”

“Bullshit.” The pegasus replied with a hostile tone. “I had a bad two weeks delivering here and there and I want my fucking break now.”

“Whoa buddy, language.” Shining meddled.

“Well well well, if it isn’t Princess Celestia’s toy.” Saber said. “Why did you defect? Oh wait you didn’t want to defect, you let your wife order you around.”

“HEY!” Shining got on the defensive. “I WILL NOT let you talk about Cadence like that.”

“What? Miss I-Spread-Love-Around?” Saber laughed. “Why do you defend her, when she is supposed to bust her plot and come here and defend herself, she don’t need the toy to defend her.”

Shining was fuming.

“Oh look, now you’re getting angry. Oooh scary, what are you gonna do? Write an Anger Report to Cadence? I can imagine it.”

“Saber cut it off.” Grozny ordered.

“Alright.” Saber groaned. “Before I leave,” He pulled out a message tube from his bag. “Your buddy at the Russian Air Fleet sends you his regards.”

Grozny took the tube.  Setting it on the table, he looked at Shining. “I want to see the maps.”

The maps were brought, one was unrolled into the table, showing the two worlds and the Corridor.

“I…I… Don’t believe it!” Grozny looked at the maps. “The writings…”

Cadence raised an eyebrow.

“Dragon Runes…” Grozny gasped.

“Dragon Runes?” Shining and Cadence asked.

“You may not believe it, but we humans invented roleplaying games in worlds similar to yours. The lore of said games said Dragonic is oldest tongues, or the true language from which all others descend.”

Shining and Cadence looked at each other and the man.

“Funny thing is…Equestrian does descend from the Old Dragonic Tongue.” Cadence said shaking in awe.

Grozny looked at the map. “I can see Equestria and the bordering nations, but what are these two landmasses west of Equestria, the ones divided by the South and West Equine Seas."

“The one on the West is the Eastern Ponysphere, the one south is the Northern Ponysphere.” Cadence explained. “The lands are barely inhabited, there’s nothing but ruins there.”

“How much do you know about these two places?” Grozny asked.

“All I know is that my Aunt told me not to go near them.” Cadence replied. “They’re off limits to anyone who doesn’t have a Crown Permit to enter.”

Grozny began to think.  “Then it won’t be a problem for us. We can use those two places as a dock or as a resupply center. Once the maps are distributed, we’ll send out privateers to attack Equestria.”

Bloody Sword Air Dock

Skies of the Pacific Ocean

Several airships docked in the massive flying installation, armored blinds covered the ships, to prevent any Equestrian Presence Ship from gathering information.  The crews disembarked and looked around, while others looked at the neighboring ships. Privateer jolly rogers were flying from their ships, causing crew members to taunt the ship next t them, claiming on who got more bounty.

The Ship’s Armorers were at the many gun shops, trying to buy, sell, or trade weapons for new ones. Some were getting a good deal, others haggled for the goods, others traded whatever they had for better weapons, while others were getting ripped off.

“100 Escudos for an AN-94!?” The Armorer for the Chimera, a 25 year old Mexican-American man exclaimed in anger.  “Last time I checked, they were a measly 50 Escudos!”

“Prices have gone up because of the scarcity of the rifle, and it’s not quite in high demand plus the fact the Treasure Hunters are having trouble retrieving the rifles.”

“So this is what you have left? 20 AN-94s?”

The clerk nodded.

The Mexican-American sighed. “Alright, got anything chambered in 6.8 SPC?”

The clerk brought an AK rifle. “This one recently came out of VDK Armor Workshop. Basically it’s your AK-74 inspired variant but comes with a 25 round magazine. Very popular with the American Privateers, heck, the Southern Vixen uses this baby on her raids.”

“Only 25 rounds for a 6.8 SPC Kalashnikov variant?”

“It packs a punch but the gun would malfunction if fed 30 rounds, it’d jam very often hence the choice.”

“What about any AR-15 style rifles?”

The clerk pulled out one. “Treasure Hunters came in a few days ago and dropped these off. Ruger SR-556. We just finished polishing them up and fixing them. Chambered in both 5.56x45mm and 6.8 SPC.”

“Can they fire in full auto?”

“Luckily, these are police and military models.”

“How much do you want for them?”

“50 Escudos per unit.”

“How many units do you have?”

“200.”

“I’ll take 100 units.” The Mexican-American tossed a bag full of gold coins. “Have them delivered to the Chimera.”

“Will do.”

At a shooting range, Nikolaos was firing his dual pistols at the Celestia-shaped targets.

“A Russian gun would never do ya’lls justice, unless it’s a AK-47.” A Southern accented feminine voice said.

The Greek turned to find a blonde woman wearing daisy dukes, a tank top along with tactical gear, military style boots and two holsters. Her left hand was holding  a heavily customized M1911 pistol.  “Annabelle the Southern Vixen, doesn’t it shame you that you bash my gun when you have two expensive guns that use expensive ammo? 20 Escudos per box while mine cost 2 per box.”

“All ya use is cheap ammo.” Annabelle countered. “Weak and doesn’t pack a punch.”

“Well excuse me Miss Confederate Vixen!” Nikolaos flipped the safety of his pistol. “This very same pistol is the one that shot Princess Celestia’s gut!”

“Ya’lls making up that storeh.”Annabelle growled.

“My ship went against Celestia’s flagship. After damaging it enough, we boarded it and attacked it. I went in to execute the Princess but one of her officers thought he’d be the big hero and fought me. Taking care of him, I got ready to shoot Celestia. I then saw her fly out of her post, she had me where she wanted, but my hand went for my pistol and shot her gut at point blank range.”

“Tall storehs made by a European, which is what ya’lls are good at.” Annabelle rolled her eyes. “Mah point being, cheap Russian gun and ammo does no one justice.”

“I beg to differ.” Captain Ivan of the Cossack Privateers entered. “A TT-33 is a good weapon if handled by the right user. My crews value the pistol over the Makarov or the other pistols.”

“Seems you are outnumbered Annabelle.” Nikolaos grinned.

“Well I counter your notion!” Captain Alvarez of the Chihuahua Privateers interjected.  “A .45 ACP packs a punch, good enough to stop a pony on its hooves.”

“It may stop them on their tracks, but a pistol with much recoil wouldn’t help me.” Nikolaos argued. “I need something lighter and cheaper.”

The four started to get into an argument on which caliber was good.

“The best caliber is 9x19mm.” Captain Zhou of the Imperial Dragon Privateers said as he twirled his QBZ-92. “I get more rounds per magazine, aftermarket magazines don’t count.”

“You’re wrong Chinese,” A Japanese privateer holstered his revolver. “.357 Magnum is the superior cartridge out of them all.”

The whole shooting range exploded into a debate into which bullet was superior to the others. The owner of the shooting range pulled out his revolver and fired a shot into the air. “I am going to ask all of you to leave. I will not tolerate debates on ammunition. Either shoot your guns to practice or you leave now. Your choice.”

Several of the privateer Captains left while others resumed shooting their firearms.

A/N:I know its a short chapter, but it was done on purpose to introduce a few more of the privateers, advance the story a bit, and of course, preparing for what's coming. For those wondering where the HLF is or when will they appear in the story, that will be expanded in a later chapter.See you in the next flight!

Edit: Due to discovering a legit map of Equestria, I have tweeked the locations of the Ponyspheres.

Cherub Chess

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 5

Cherub Chess

Any nation with a high pony to human ratio is now a Equestrian Colony. All remaining humans must either convert or leave!

Breaking news! The hijacked yacht of the Equestrian Princesses has been rammed into a Migration Capsule! 100 million newfoal lives were lost!

WE ARE HUMANS! WE WERE PLACED IN THIS EARTH BY GOD TO TAME AND MASTER THE ELEMENTS! THESE PONIES HAVE COME TO DESTROY US ALL! LET IT BE REMINDED THAT WE WERE HERE FIRST AND AS GOD AS OUR WITNESS WE WILL NEVER FALL!

HUMANS! LOWER YOUR WEAPONS AND REJECT VIOLENCE! A UTOPIA AWAITS YOU! COME TO US AND LIVE AWAY FROM THE DECEIT AND LIES OF YOUR GOVERNMENTS!

The Middle East has been lost, save for Israel and Lebanon. Thousands of surviving refugees are arriving to escape the persecution of humans by the Equestrians.

THERE’S SHIPS COMING OUT THE GIANT CLOUD WHIRLPOOL!

Nikolaos opened his eyes, breathing heavily.  The radio voices were finally silenced by the surroundings of reality.  Looking at the window, all he could see was the night skies and the cloud ocean that accompanied it. Memories of the past were reflected on the window, all to remind him of the dark times, when many were kicked out to make room for the pony settlers.

Pulling out his bouzouki, the strings were plucked one by one.  They all formed a sad melody, the only way for the Maniot to release his inner pain that plagued him to no end.

As the sun rose, no doubt the act of Celestia, Nikolaos silently cursed her for all she was and represented.  Heading to the bridge, he saw the bridge crew preparing for new orders to start the day. They all saluted as he sat down on his post.

*Canterlot*

Celestia and Luna walked down into a sector of the castle that only a few had access to. Walking down a flight of stairs, they were in a garden full of roses. In the middle of the garden was a large wooden X with something that made Luna sick.  A human male had his hands and feet nailed shut. He was starved, becoming nothing but a pile of bones. His head was down, soft breaths entered and escaped.  Camo pants were ragged and torn as the time went on.

“W-what is this!?” Luna demanded.

“A former pirate we captured many years ago.” Celestia explained. “What you see here is what they called a crucifixition, they would execute criminals like this in their ancient times and I’ve taken a… fondness for said method. It fits the punishment, and once all the human pirates are captured, they will follow suit.”

The man slowly raised his head, struggling to look at his captor.

“Come pirate, there is no need to pretend to struggle.” Celestia said mockingly. “If you could survive these 6 years here, then you must have the strength to face me.”

“What….strenght... all….of…it…gone….” The man said weakly, his vision slowly fading. “God…please…have…mercy…”

“You’ve put up quite a resistance here…” Celestia commented, admiring the man’s willpower over the doom that was taking his life away.  “But rethink of my offer. Tell me everything I want to know and I may let you live.” Her horn began to glow, bringing a bottle of serum into his face. “All your pain and suffering can end here and now. Just give me what I want.”

The man used his remaining strength to spit on her face.

Celestia cleaned off the spit. “Come Xander Rowe,”

Xander went limp.

Celestia knew what to do. Approaching him, her lips meet his. Her horn was glowing, brightly. As she kissed, her horn tugged something from whatever it was that was pulling the man’s essence away. Putting it back on the body, the man’s eyes slowly opened. “L…et….me….die….I…b…eg…of…you.”

“I cannot let you die after 6 years of trying to break you.” Celestia said with a motherly tone. “Why not end all this and be reborn? Be free, start a new? I could even offer you a life as an alicorn, to be my husband and we live happily ever after.”

Xander shook his head. “Suf…ferred….6…years…it…will…end…”

“Think of the new life ahead of you.”

“Then…I…am…doing…a deal…with…the…Devil…” Xander replied.

Celestia frowned. “Ah yes…the fallen angel that tried to rebel against your God and was cast down to burn in your version of Tartarus…were the wicked souls are punished. Only thing is, your God is nowhere to be found. All your holy books are nothing but tales written to keep humans in check and shackled to beliefs.” She felt the man’s wish to die, but her horn tapped his heart. His life extended for a week. “But make no mistake, we are not…demons or fallen angels as you claim. We wish to help you live the lives you all deep inside wanted. We offer that life, and all you have to do is abandon your humanity.”

“At the cost…of…soul…damnation…fire…brimstone…” He closed his eyes.  “Go…to..hell…”

Celestia frowned. “I’ll give you time to think of my offer. One week  to live, enjoy it while you can.” She left.

Luna looked at the human with concern. “What…did she do to you?”

*Skies of the Republic of Yucatan*

Mexican Republic Air Navy Ships approached the Yucatan Peninsula. Their shells began to fire out against the enemy ships that were on patrol. Seeing the enemy ships, the Yucatan ships turned their cannons towards the incoming fleet, pumping out shells rapidly.

“Traitors of Yucatan!”  Mexican Admiral Escudero said over his flagship’s radio. “You have kept us busy long enough but now your end is at hand!”

“No quarter!” Fleet Commander Ludovico of the 324th Yucatan Fleet exclaimed. “Show these dogs we mean business!”

Explosions dotted the skies .

One shell from a Mexican battleship impacted the middle section of a Yucatan battleship.  The crews screamed as the ship tore into halves.  “Enemy battleship has been sunk!”

“Commander! We have lost the Espada Maya!” A voice howled on the PA.

The Yucatan Commander growled. “That was our best ship…” Looking directly into the attacking Mexican fleet, he knew this was his shine to chance. “All ships! Battle formation V! Break through their centers!”

The Yucatan Battleships formed large Vs. The Star Swirl Units began to pump their energy through the piping, the engines receiving a boost. The battleships propelled through the skies, firing at their opponents rapidly. Smoke came out of the damaged Mexican battleships, but they refused to go down, returning fire.

After several hits, the Mexican Battleship Cristero sunk into the land below. The crews saluted the dying ship as an explosion was seen. Orders were being shouted across the ships.

The Mexican riflemen prepared their FX-05 assault rifles for short range combat. Small hatches opened up on the enemy ships, revealing unicorns wearing Yucatan Navy uniforms.  Their horns began to give a threatening glow. “SHOOT THEM!” A Mexican rifleman fired his rifle in semi-auto.  One unicorn was killed, but the rest released blasts of magic towards them. The rifleman screamed as the magic bolt pierced his body, ending his career as a warship sailor.

“Admiral! They are using Unicorns to repel our riflemen attacks!” The Ship’s Observer said over the PA.

“I want all available snipers to pick off the unicorns at a safe distance, all riflemen are to engage whatever enemy sailor or unicorn at close range!”

Mexican Airship Sailors carrying assorted scoped rifles began to climb up to the higher levels of their ships. With their scopes fixed on the position of the unicorns, their spotters began to give out the adjustments for windage, elevation, and bullet drop compensation. One spotter called out a unicorn, the sniper pulled the trigger. Cycling the old Argentine Mauser, the scope continued to scan for any enemy attackers.

A Yucatan Unicorn Sailor released a comet of magic towards a Mexican battleship. The ship exploded in midair, whatever remained of it went down below.  One of the Mexican snipers saw the offending unicorn, in a rage, the scope’s reticule locked on its head. “I’ll see you Hell….you monster.” The rifle roared once, his hand cycling the bolt of the Arisaka rifle.

The shelling continued, ships from both sides were giving it their all.

Three Yucatan battleships were destroyed. But the barrage was getting furious and violent.  Shells and magic blasts flew towards the Mexican ships, damaging or destroying them.  It all appeared hopeless for the attacking fleet. The Admiral closed his eyes and got his hands together and did what he didn’t do in a long time. Despite that he wasn’t much a religious man, he began to pray for a miracle.

Outside the combat sector, an Old Equestrian Battleship was cruising in full speed.  The Ship’s Spotter announced that up ahead there was a battle between Mexico and Yucatan. The captain of the outdated yet upgraded ship ordered the Mexican flagship to be hailed.

“Crimson Lightning? Admiral! It’s the Wonderbolts!”

“Team Wonderbolts, ready for duty.” Spitfire saluted.

“Ah leave these losers to the pros, we’ll beat them in no time.” Soarin commented.

The human crew members of the ship looked at Soarin while the Helmsman steered the battleship towards the combat zone.  “We are glad to see you Team Wonderbolts, we are trying to do a hit and run on the Yucatan Peninsula, but this fleet is getting in our way. We need you to destroy most of their offensive firepower.” Admiral Escudero explained. “We’re counting you Team!” The radio channel went silent.

The Wonderbolts prepared for the mission. The hangar crews were giving them their weapons. Twin saddle mounted dual gun system, a long machine gun barrel with a rocket launcher under it.  An earpiece was placed on their heads.  The hatches on the hangar deck opened up, the pegasi took flight towards the combat zone.

Shell and small arms fire dotted the skies.

“All Wonderbolts! Avoid the naval fire! Head for the offensive ships!” Spitfire ordered.

“Here we go!” Rapidfire said as he maneuvered out of the weapons fire path.

The pegasi were avoiding shots from both sides.  To the Wonderbolts, it was a thrill to be here. The adrenaline, the skill to survive a fully fledged naval combat between ships.  The radio lines of the mercenary pegasi team chirped. “Alright you guys! We found the enemy ships. Split up and take it to them.  Spitfire, Soarin, Fire Streak take the left side.  Silver Lining, Rapidfire, Lightning Streak, hit the right. Everyone strike now!”

“Alright! Hit them hard and don’t hold back!” Fire Streak turned to the left, doing a barrel roll in the process.  Spotting a Yucatan battleship, he entered the midsection truss that connected the ship. A pair of rockets were fired against the Star Swirl Unit. Seeing fire and smoke escape from the piping, he accelerated. The ship was torn in halves, the remaining crews screaming as they plunged down below.

Soarin flew up, avoiding machine gun fire at all angles. “IMMELMANN TURN!” He cheered as he performed the move, firing the twin machine guns at the crews on the deck of the ship.  As he entered the truss, he spotted his target. A salvo of rockets exited the barrels, hitting the exposed Unit. With a large smile on his face, he turned around and exited. The ship exploded from the inside out

.

“Excellent! The Yucatan Fleet lost 60% of its offensive power!” The tactical analyst radioed.

The Wonderbolts regrouped.

The Yucatan Fleet was panicking at the loss of their six best ships.

“COMMANDER! IT’S THE WONDERBOLTS!” The Yucatan First Officer yelled.

“THOSE TRAITORS-TURNED-MERCENARIES!? I WANT ALL SHIPS TO PLUCK THEM OUT OF YUCATANESE SKIES!” Commander Ludovico’s eye’s turned blood red.

Yucatan sailors of both species began to open fire on the Wonderbolts. “DON’T LET THEM GET AWAY!” A Yucatan human sailor howled in Spanish as pulled the trigger of his rifle at the pegasi.

Machine guns started to pump lead towards the 6 pegasi.  It wasn’t enough to bring them down, the whines of metal echoed, the artillery cannons turning to their direction. A few shells detonated in midair, but they dodged swiftly.  “Try not to get hit by stray bullets, I think we just angered them.” Spitfire said.

“We should paint a few of their ships for Gunnery to take them down.” Rapidfire thought out loud.

“Good idea! Split up and fire a red smoke rocket at the ship.” Spitfire ordered.

The pegasi split up, dodging every attack the Yucatan threw at them.  A pair of rockets exited the launchers, stacks of red smoke rose into view of the distant Old Equestrian Battleship.

“We see the targets!” A female voice exclaimed. “What type of shell?”

“Rainboom Shell!” Spitfire replied.

The gunners began to load silver shells into the bores of the cannons.  The gunners began to calculate the shells path and range. Green lights buzzed, indicating the men and women to open fire. The cannons roared as rainbow smoke hissed out of the bores as the casing was extracted.

A Rainboom Shell was like a standard explosive only that its core was full of weaponized magic. It can be either an impact or time fused. The shell was developed by several defector unicorns and a joint team of human scientists who wanted a way to override a Star Swirl Unit, if that failed then the Sonic Rainboom’s shockwave would damage the ship, creating heavy damage to the hull or weapon systems. If any unlucky soul was caught in the middle of the blast, they’d be thrown off the ship or have every bone in their bodies turned into dust.

One of the shells impacted the Yucatan ships. The colorful explosion made the Star Swirl Unit go haywire. The engineering crews panicked as they did all they could to stabilize the Lunastium from going explosive. It was all in vain as the insides were consumed by fire.

Around the skies, Rainbooms were seen by the people below.

A shell detonated above a Yucatan ship, the colorful wave sliced through the armor plating. Several explosions escaped the insides of the ship, the ship was torn in halves. Nothing but scrap metal to be consumed by the winds.

Commander Ludovico’s face turned pale at the destruction of his fleet.  His officers begged for a retreat, but he was silent,  his mind could not process what happened. Spitfire fired at smoke rocket at the bridge. The projectile shattered the glass, entering and releasing the purple smoke that called it out to the guns of the enemy.

“COMMANDER!” The Helmsman cried. “COMMANDER! WE HAVE TO MOVE OUT!”

There was a sound of thunder.

The silver-hued shell hit the bridge.  It bounced then rolled to the man’s feet. Seeing the fuse slowly chiming, he laughed insanely.  A colorful flash consumed him followed by screams that begged for mercy.  The Yucatan flagship was consumed by fire as it sunk into the ground. The remaining Yucatan ships began to retreat, fearful of the Wonderbolts secret weapon.

“We got a message from the Mexican Fleet: Thank you for the assistance, we were getting worried about losing the fight and entering the Yucatan territories. We will discuss payment for your services the next time you stop by Durango. Signed, Admiral Escudero.”

The Wonderbolts headed back to their ship.

The Mexican Fleet began their incursion into enemy territory.

Cairo, Egypt

The city of Cairo has changed since the Colonization of Equestrians. The desert now bloomed, capable of sustaining life. The Nile River still flowed, giving life to the new Egypt. The ruins of old were destroyed per a Royal Decree, no memory of human presence in Egypt is to be left standing. The Sphinx, the Pyramids, and all other achievements by the Ancient Egyptians were destroyed by the ponies.  Gold and Jewelry was given to Celestia as a tribute, while the mummies of kings, queens, and other important members of society were destroyed. All places of worship were defiled, either destroyed or being converted into temples for the ponies to worship their deities as they pleased.

The Chimera along with the Iskander were preparing for the raid against Pony-occupied Egypt. Dropships were warmed up, their engines purring. The Armorers were handing out guns and their corresponding ammo.  With their guns in place, the raiders boarded their dropships and loaded their guns.

They launched from the airships and into the city below they went.

Nikolaos extended the M4-style stock on his AK-47; his raiding crews were fiddling with their own guns. Calling his crew, he gave them a short Maniot blessing.

The dropships landed.

Nikolaos pulled out a walkie-talkie. “Commence firing!”

From the skies, thunderous sounds filled the air. Shells of all calibers rained down on the pony city. Panicked screams along with fear came into the minds of the ponies.  Gunfire erupted in all corners, Guardsponies began to respond to the panic.

“BELONGINGS! NOW!” A Iskander Privateer threatened by poking the unicorn stallion with the blade of his rifle’s bayonet.

The stallion refused.

The Lebanese rammed the bayonet into the eye of the pony. The pony screamed violently as the blade was plunged deeper. Pulling it out, the rifle cracked once.

A Chimera Privateer pulled out a Kilij, twirled it, and then slashed a mare’s face.

A Unicorn Guard fired off blasts of magic towards an Iskander Privateer. The Lebanese woman was pushed off by the blast. From the distance, three privateers unloaded their magazines content into the stallion. They reloaded and continued their attacks into the city.

A Chimera kicked the door open. Entering the house, he began to search for anything of value.  Pulling drawers, he began to rifle through the belongings, only finding jewelry and some spare bits. Something walked down, turning, his purple eyes locked into a single pegasus mare of purple coat and orange mane. “WHAT THE!”

The black-clad man pumped his M1897. The sound made the pegasus flinch. “I want your belongings! Anything of value?  Do you have a filly or colt?”

The mare nodded.

“Valuables or I’ll take them.” He aimed the shotgun at the head of the mare. “Don’t try anything funny.”

The mare guided him to a safe.  Blasting the hinges off, he collected everything inside. Turning to the mare, she was shaking from the loud blast. “Are you going to kill me?” She asked.

“No.” He shot the forelegs.

The mare screamed as she dropped to the floor, the pain was something she never experienced.

The spent shell was ejected, rolling towards her. She curiously looked at the red cylinder as it stopped right in front of her.

Nikolaos whipped out his Tokarev pistols as charging Guardsponies approached him. 8 Earth Ponies, 5 Pegasi, and 2 Unicorns wanted to die. The left pistol shot first, the butter yellow Earth Pony dropped dead. The others ignored the death of their comrade, charging him at full speed. Taking a deep breath, the man could hear his own heart beat. Slowly raising his pistols, he fired them multiple times as the bullet cases were ejected.

The Guardsponies dropped, except for the last pegasus and three Earth Ponies.

Nikolaos pulled out his knife, sprinting towards the Earth Pony Guards.

The Pegasus Guard crossed his forelegs and tackled the Maniot from above.

“CAPTAIN!” An Albanian Chimera fired her AK-74 at the Pegasus Guard. Seeing the pony’s body full of holes from the bullets, it dropped dead. Aiming her rifle at the Earth Pony Guards who got ready to stomp on the Greek, she pulled the trigger. A loud empty click entered her. They were getting ready to stomp. Pulling out her Makarov, she pulled the trigger several times.

The Earth Pony Guards gave a moan of pain followed by their bodies dropping.

The Albanian woman offered her hand to the Greek. “Are you alright Captain?”

Nikolaos took her hand as she helped him get back up.  “I’m alright, thanks for the assist.” Picking up his AK-47, he sprinted off towards a building.

Shells continued to rain on the city. Fires were spreading as shells detonated.

An Iskander Privateer slashed his Shamshir violently towards a stallion, the blood flying off the wounds. The pony tried to ram him, but the blade cut his throat open. A pool of blood formed next to the body. Twirling the blade, he ran towards a Unicorn guard. Raising the blade, it was brought down with brutal force, the horn was destroyed.  Seeing the dead body, he removed the armor and examined it.

Nikolaos pulled out his walkie-talkie. “That’s enough shelling for us. Let the Maronites have their fun.”

“Roger.” Came a voice from the other line.

Nikolaos smiled at all the destruction. Seeing a pony struggling to move, he looked down at it. Tears of fear and terror drenched his face. The mare wrapped her hooves on his legs. “HELP ME PLEASE! MY FOALS ARE IN THERE!” Without a moment to spare, he pulled on the charging lever of his weapon, aiming down at her head. “No…NO! NO! NO! HAVE MERCY!”

“That was for all of Greece.” Nikolaos lowered the rifle.

One of the Iskander Privateers pulled out a Jericho pistol and shot the keyhole. Entering, he heard several noises from the closet. Opening, he found a family of Earth Ponies, each one holding their fillies and stallions in a tight embrace, sobbing out of fear. Leaving them, he began to scour for any valuables.  Opening a drawer, he found a Fire Ruby necklace. Commenting in his native Arabic, he pocketed the jewel.

A congregation of ponies hid in a Sun Temple, the humans would not dare attack this place.  A few were praying to Celestia to watch over them.

Several loud bangs were heard. Voices in a unknown language got louder followed by blasts of gunfire. The door was kicked open, the Lebanese Maronites looked at the temple dedicated to Celestia. One of them balled a first of anger. “HOW DARE YOU!” He yelled in heavily accented English, raising his Galil rifle at the fearful worshippers. “HOW DARE YOU COME HERE AND CONVERT A HOUSE OF GOD TO A TEMPLE OF YOUR HEATHEN IDOL!”

The ponies began turn pale, trying to find a justification.

“IF ANYONE DEFILES THE HOUSE OF GOD, LET IT BE PAID WITH BLOOD!” The man fired a single shot into one of them.

One of them dropped dead.

Dropping the rifle, the man pulled out his Shamshir. With a war cry, he slashed the ponies until they were nothing but a bloody mess. Walking up to the altar, he smashed the statues of Celestia into the floor. The stained glass windows of her, her sister, and the so called Elements. Picking up his assault rifle, the bullets destroyed the windows as he screamed in rage. Bullet cases fell to the marble floor to no end until the gun gave the signature click.

The rest of the Maronites saw their comrade kneel to the floor, shaking from all the anger and disgust of the sight.

The Chimera and Iskander Privateers continued their raid on Cairo.

Sacks full of valuables were stuffed, while others carried the colts and fillies into the dropships.

Three hours later, the colony city was nothing but a citadel of death and destruction. The last fires were dozed off by rain brought by the weather team.  The survivors looked at their destroyed homes and businesses while others struggled to get up.  A few mares cried, the separation from their young ones brought great distress. One of the surviving Earth Pony Guards placed his hooves on his face, to him, the whole world was a blood red with burning pegasi feathers. Covering his eyes, he screamed while the others went to comfort him.

Canterlot

“Princess Celestia. The Ambassadors of the Diamond Dog Confederacy, the Kingdom of Skiri, and the Scylas Federation wish to have an audience with you.” Gold Scroll said.

Celestia nodded.

“What you did a few days ago was nothing but a barbaric act. We never broke part of the deal with you so we want to know why did you recall several Units in a single day?” The Scylatian Ambassador demanded. “We pose no threat to Equestria whatsoever.”

“The Diamond Dog Confederacy extended a paw to help the Gryphons with their ecological crisis, surely helping out our neighbors is a sign of friendship isn’t it?” The fox-like Diamond Dog asked. “Unless we are mistaken.”

Celestia just listened to them, ignoring the key essentials.

“Princess Celestia, the Council of Skiri and the Senators of Scylas want to end the dispute for the Dragon’s Maw Islands which our nations are in dispute.” The Skirian Ambassador said. “We understand that it is your territory marked on your maps but to us, it split between the two nations. We ask that we may pipe the fresh water into our lands until the ecological crisis is settled.”

“No.” Celestia said coldly.

The three recoiled, as if the word was a direct physical assault.

“What!?” The three gasped.

“You see…” Celestia got up, walking around the three. “If I let your kind eat and drink whatever you pleased, you’ll multiply and breed like rabbits. A huge Gryphon and Diamond Dog populace would be a threat not just to Equestria but to World Order as we speak.”

“You can’t do this!” The Scylatian Ambassador exclaimed. “Millions will die of starvation and dehydration! Our peoples are suffering, we are losing our workforce! Our economy will be down we might never recover!”

“I can see that…” Celestia kept circling the three. “But… this world is mine.”

The three turned pale.

“This world and the world beyond the Corridor are mine. They belong to me and my little ponies. I can go wherever I want whenever I want.”

“This is an act of war!” The Diamond Dog Ambassador cried. “Madness! How dare you say the world is yours! ?  OUR world belongs to YOU!?”

“War?” Celestia burst into laughter. “You can’t do nothing! I have been benevolent enough to lend you my Star Swirl Units for your ships to fly. I image it must be sad to fly on a pair of wings that can be clipped any time soon.”

“You monster!” The Skirian Ambassador growled.

“Monster?” Celestia gave another laugh. “What about you? Your kind reminds me of the humans. Filthy and brutal, you’re willing to sell your kind for money or even exploit them, or discriminate them based on their appearances.”  She looked at the three and flashed a sinister smile. “Oh I know! Perhaps we can ponify your kind. That’ll end our disputes and the world will be a better place.”

The Scylatian turned red at those words. “Hypocrisy! Racism!” He pointed a claw at the angel white alicorn. “You speak of friendship and how we should help one another. The Diamond Dogs give us a hand and you recall many Units because they were helping us with foodstuffs and drinking water. But you didn’t see that act, does friendship apply to you only!? Or your blasted little ponies!? I have NEVER in my life serving the Federation seen such hypocrisy! The Chancellor and the Senate will hear about this!”

“So will the Council.” The Skirian added.

“The Diamond Dog Representatives will also hear this.” The fox-like Diamond Dog said.

“Go ahead and tell your leaders about this. I have felt my benevolence has long expired.” Celestia said with a threatening tone.

“But mark my words Pony!” The Scylatian balled a fist, pointing his index talon at the Equestrian Sovereign. “Your kingdom’s might shall be broken, never to be restored ever again! No empire stays forever, for as the pillars of an empire will crumble as they age.”

“We’ll see about that.” Celestia gave a sneer as the three left. She turned to Gold Scroll. “I want the Units recalled for the ships that brought them here.”

“But…”

“Do so.” Celestia interrupted. “Right now, we have plans to ponify the last of the human nations and they will NOT get in my way.”

“As you wish Your Highness.” Gold Scroll gave a submissive bow and left.

Luna managed to sneak in some bread and milk for the human.  “Shhh…thou shouldn’t speak. Eat.” She levitated the freshly baked into his bread. The man began to wolf down on it, she could see how desperate he was after 6 years of being tortured like this. The Princess of the Night understood the man was a pirate, but this was against everything Equestria was established on. She couldn’t imagine seeing him nailed shut… she knew that this was a punishment executed in the Antiquity Period of Human history and the man from Nazareth who died this way and resurrected. Was Celestia making a mockery of the man’s beliefs?

Levitating the bottle of milk, she placed it on the man’s mouth. The container was empty in a matter of seconds.

“You poor thing…” Luna commented.

“I… don’t…. want…your…pity.” Xander said looking at Luna.  “I will…die… after being tortured like this… I will finally rest from …. This pain…and suffering.”

“Don’t say that…there’s hope for saving thine life.”

“If there is... then that… hope…is…false…”

Gobi Desert

Shining Armor and Cadence were sipping from the tea that their Russian host served them. Cadence’s eyes diluted from the flavor of the beverage, gulping it all. Shaking, she gagged. “Too…strong…” A blue aura wrapped the spoon which added more sugar into the cup

.

Grozny chuckled. “It’s a start, your body will get used to it.” He took a sip. “By the way, I managed to translate the map Cadence handed over to us.” He pulled out a sketched out map, where the Dragon Runes used to be, it was all replaced with English. “And they said this hobby of mine would get me nowhere.”

Cadence looked at the work in progress. “Amazing, you even translated the names of the countries and routes.”

Shining looked at the map. “Not bad for a human.”

“But something got me.” Grozny pointed at what seemed a triangle in the middle of the Corridor. “This area is known as the Star Swirl Triangle. What’s with that?”

“That area is to be avoided at all costs.” Shining explained. “From what Princess Celestia told me, there’s a lot of magical energy which disrupts a Star Swirl Unit. There is no way to cross that area without the Unit shutting off.  It was created originally to prevent Human airships from getting close to Equestria should they try to attack.”

“A death trap basically.” Grozny rubbed his chin.

Shining nodded.

“Also,” Cadence added. “Any news on benefactors who want to take us in?”

The Russian man thought for a few seconds. “We got three who would like to take you in. One is the Wonderbolts, they defected long ago and became mercenaries. The second option is that the British would like to have you over; they have a few questions relating to intelligence. The last option is the Chimera who would like to have you as special guests.”

Shining’s eye twitched at the mention of the ship.

“Something wrong? Cadence asked with concern.

“Hearing that name makes my blood freeze. I had an encounter with the captain of the ship not long ago. He’s a sneaky violent one.” He said as he flashed back to that day. How he got his gut stabbed by the blade of the knife, how he prepared to execute Celestia with his weapon.  He never hopped to hear or see him again.

“You don’t know Niko well.” Grozny defended.  “He may be a violent person, but deep inside, he’s a kind person. He uses the whole Dragon of the Skies thing to make himself look fearsome to the pony colonizers. But you can depend on him.”

Dutch Opening

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 6

Dutch Opening

Cadence and Shining felt sick as Grozny retold his experiences during the Second Chechen War.  “How could your leaders be so…brutal?” She asked.

“When your country is hijacked by racist Ultranationalists, the neighboring ones will jump in to defend their interests and any citizens that are living there.” Grozny explained. “It was a brutal time for being a soldier. You had to follow your orders, I have to guess that in the Royal Guard, disciplinary action was taken. Not in the Russian Army. Defying an officer meant death by his hand.”

Shining Armor stuck his tongue out in disgust.

“I was just a soldier, I still believed in orders.  Yes, I burnt a town full of innocents.  I executed civilians who were accused of supporting the insurgency.”

“Do you even regret doing all that?” Cadence wondered.

Grozny sighed. “I do. But sometimes, sleep is not possible. Every night or so, I go back to those days, forced to relive the moment and I can’t do nothing about it. Other times, I see the ghosts of who I killed, they came back to get their revenge on me.”

“Ghosts? Impossible.” The white stallion countered. “Ghosts are just an old pony’s tale.”

“When you kill people, you will feel their souls have been wronged. They want payback for what you did. Their bodies may be resting from living but their souls are immortal, they live forever. Some go to Heaven and live in paradise, others go to Hell to pay for their evils, while others go to Purgatory to be cleansed of the sins they regret.”

“I see.” Cadence nodded.

“From what I hear, Hell sounds like a horrible place compared to Tartarus.” Shining commented.

“A place that’s full of fire and brimstone and being punished for all eternity. No one wants that, and there’s a old saying around here: The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

Cadence raised an eyebrow. “Hmmm?”

“A saying, no matter how good or noble your intentions are and they are hurting everyone, then you are surely going to burn for all eternity. No amount of good can save you from eternal damnation.”

Shining Armor shrugged at the thought of being punished for all eternity for all wrongs he did.

“Changing the topic.” Grozny smiled as he sipped his tea. “Have you thought about the current offers?”

“We haven’t discussed that yet.” Cadence replied.

“Take your time.”  The man said as he got up. “Excuse me.  I have more pressing matters to attend to.”

As the door was closed, the two ponies began to discuss the offers.

“I can’t say your Aunt will send a retrieval team to get us.” Shining said. “If we stay with the British, it can be worse, we can’t be a burden or give your Aunt the excuse to send a migration capsule.”

“Hmmm….” Cadence placed a hoof on her muzzle.

“The Wonderbolts are mercenaries, they might think you’re gonna pay them cash. From what Grozny told me earlier, mercenaries  are after cash, to them, this is what did he say? The jackpot?  Is that the word?”

“Seems we don’t have much of a choice, we’ll have to go with the pirate.” Cadence said.

Shining sighed. “I hope he isn’t planning to kill me in my sleep…”

“We’ll discuss this more.”

Crete

The Exiled Greek ships began to hover over the island. The surviving Pony populace looked with fright and awe.  Messages were written in the sky by their military fighters, demanding all ponies to leave the island or suffer the consequences. A team of pegasi flew to intercept the ships only to be quickly shot down by a volley of AA fire.  The ships began to land across the island.

Many of the Exiled began to look around. So this was the land of their ancestors before the Colonization. The ponies tried to fight back but were quelled and executed to avoid any confrontation. Whatever was left of the Colonizer Ponies, they were expelled from the island to make way for the original settlers of the island and the Peninsula.

A highly customized battleship flew above the island.

Nikolaos shed a tear of joy as his people finally reclaimed one part of their land. It may not be much, but to him, this was more than enough.  It was the start of taking back what was stolen 10 years ago.

The Chimera departed, heading into the horizon.

Canterlot

“Princess Celestia.” Gold Scroll said. “I have received a report from the colonists in the Mediterranean Sea.  The Exiled Greek Fleet has expelled all Colonizers from the island and begun settling there.”

Celestia’s nostrils flared up.  Walking up to the highest tower in the castle, she looked at the giant swirling storm that raged in the skies.   “Those humans…they’re ruining EVERYTHING! But I’ll show them what I am capable of doing.  No one rejects my friendship and no one will. This world and the world beyond the Corridor are MINE!”

The wind blew a foul aroma.

The next day came, it was the day that all of Equestria was ready to celebrate: The Day of the Covenant.

The Day of the Covenant was a big time celebration. It was the pact that the three pony tribes made with the Alicorns to ensure the safety and prosperity of Equestria.  Nationwide, the feasts were being prepared while the religious temples received many flocks of the faithful to receive a blessing from the priests while others fasted before sundown.

Canterlot was preparing for the festivities.  As the hours flew by, the Princesses and the Bearers of the Elements began to prepare for the ritual dance, the same one done by the three tribes, followed by the offerings of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the Princesses.

“DOWN WITH EQUESTRIA!” A voice cried.

Everyone gasped.  Several Diamond Dogs and Griffins were heading towards Celestia with swords and flintlock weapons. Shots were fired, many were wounded or killed by the lead balls.  A pair of Diamond Dogs pulled out their sabers and began to slash anyone who got in their way.

“THIS IS FOR SCYLAS! SKIRI! AND THE CONFEDERATION!” A Scylatian screamed as he fired his pistols at incoming royal guards.  Dropping them, he pulled out another pair of pistols and fired them again.  With a sinister cackle, he brandished out a sword and decapitated the last guards.

Canterlot exploded in panic, the ponies began to look for a safe place to hide.

A pair of zeppelins with propellers on their wings came into view.  Diamond Dogs and Gryphons fired their weapons down at the streets.  Battle cries echoed as the ones in the ground massacred everypony that dared to stop them on their rampage.

A team of Gryphons and Diamond Dogs walked up towards the Princesses and the Elements.  They pulled out their pistols and aimed it at the Princesses.  “Today! The detachment of our ship’s Units end! Today marks the day that the Solar and Lunar Tyrants are gone from this world! TODAY IS THE DAY THE WORLD KNOWS PEACE!”

Celestia remained calm despite the gun barrels aimed at her. “Monsters…” She managed to whisper.

The Gryphon prepared to pull the trigger. Something didn’t make sense… why was she smiling? Her horn began to glow, a golden aura wrapped every inch of his body. Screaming, he looked at his team, they too were wrapped by the golden light.

The weapons were dropped, the team of attackers yelling as they tried to break free.

The Zeppelins flew towards their comrades in distress. Musket fire rained down towards them. Rainbow Dash flew up towards the dirigible. The crews pulled out their pistols, yelling racist slurs at her. Cyan hooves flew in all directions. Screams of pain were heard as the crews were thrown out. The craft began to spin and crashed against a building, fire consuming the rest of it.

The last zeppelin began to unload its musket balls into their targets. “SISTER!” Luna dashed to push Celestia out of the way.  The Night Mare screamed in pain as a musket ball hit her foreleg, blood seeping out of the wound.

Celestia brought the zeppelin down. The crews disembarked with their sabers in hand. As they got close to the Sun Princess, she gave a smile as they were restrained by the Bearers of the Elements.  “You fools! You have damned us all!” The Scylatian growled.

The 6 ponies looked at them as if they were insane.

“Scylas and Skiri are going through an ecological crisis and the Diamond Dogs offered help but YOUR so called benevolent Princess recalls the Star Swirl Units on their ships!” A Skirian exclaimed. “We are suffering from thirst and hunger while your Princesses here eat and drink to their hearts desires! Is this the message Equestria promotes? Friendship? While the Dogs offered us a hand, Equestria has not.”

“I was not even aware of an ecological crisis affecting Gryphon lands.”  Celestia said with false sincerity.

“LIAR!” A Skirian cried. “LIAR! YOU SAID THAT THE WORLD AND THE HUMAN WORLD BEYOND THE CORRIDOR ARE YOURS!” He struggled to break free of Rainbow’s hold. “ YOU ARE A MONSTER! YOU ARE COMMITTING GENOCIDE ON THE HUMANS LIKE YOU ARE DOING IT TO US! EQUESTRIA IS BEHIND THE SUFFERING OF THE GRYPHONS!”

The Bearers of the Elements gave the team of attackers looks of doubt.

The Skirian broke free and grabbed his saber. “FOR HONOR! FOR REVENGE! FOR SKIRI!” The blade was raised as the gryphon lunged towards her. “DIE MONSTER! YOU ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD!”

Celestia’s horn fired a dark red beam.

The Gryphon screamed as every single atom of his body was torn, his body was turning into sparkles that were pushed by the air. The curved sword was dropped. The Elements gasped in shock. They have never seen the Princess do this.  The angel white Alicorn turned over to the rest of the team. “I was forced to this as your comrade tried to kill me. But I will be merciful and let you go after your interrogation.”

The attackers managed to break free. They all grabbed their swords and performed a salute. Raising them, they twirled the blade so it would point down. “Princess Celestia! L’inferno ti aspetta!”  The gryphon stabbed the blade into his gut until it sticked out of his back.

The rest of the attackers did so.

Fluttershy gave a scream of terror as she saw the bodies drop. All she could see was the blood pooling up near the corpses. Their soulless bodies looking at them calmly, their lifeless eyes just staring… as if they were judging their very souls. Despite no one could hear them, the souls of the dead released a vengeful yell as they departed to the afterlife.  They would come back later for them, but now it wasn’t the time. The end of the hourglass wasn’t full yet.

It was a horrible Day of the Covenant… aside from a terrorist attack by enraged Gryphons and Diamond Dogs, blood tainted the day. News spread about the attack, wondering why did this happen in one of Equestria’s sacred days.

Deep in the secret passage of Canterlot Castle, several crucified  noble ponies looked at the human endure the pain brought by this torture. They didn’t understand what did they do to deserve this, and yet, here, in their presence was a human. They envied the willpower, from what they learned about him was that he was pirate and he was captured 6 years ago. He was in this condition because Celestia made a mockery of his religious beliefs. Many knew that one of the human faiths talked about a man who died like this and resurrected, promising salvation not in an earthly form like Celestia offered, but spiritual.  Such concept was unknown to them.

Royal Guards came in pikes on their hooves.  The blade was plunged into their bodies, screams and wails of pain echoed across the rooms. Many begged to die to end their pain, while others began to spew blasphemies against Celestia.  The guards moved towards the human, they wanted to see if he was still alive. Stabbing the stomach, the man reacted by twitching.  The other guard stabbed the pike into the right side, this time deeper.  With their check done, they left.

Knowing that this was his last moments of life, he began to sing to soothe the suffering of the ponies.

When dark days came to us

We found no haven or escape

All our prayers go unanswered, to take away this fear within

Our screams shake this tear stained land

They all looked at him, why is he singing? Is this how the pirate wants to die? Did he regret it all he did?

Our souls have been stripped bare

Can madness be the only Cure?

Even death is no respite from all this pain, our worldly plight

When will we see heaven's light?

Blood and tears mixed, the marble floor staining with the combine.  Screams of agony echoed for a while. Many asked the human what is Heaven, where is it?  How does one see its light?  Many began to think when they made contact with the humans, and the opening of the Bureaus. The violence that started out from a simple offering of friendship. Why were humans like this? Why were they so violent? Did these lines meant they all regret the evils they did?

I think of you whenever a bell tolls

If I tell your tale, will this pain cease?

For I pray for tempest tossed, lost souls

Eternal sleep is where you find true peace

Many yelled for the human deity to take them with him. They did nothing wrong to deserve this cruel punishment.  Others closed his eyes to listen to the heartbeat slow down until there was nothing. A pegasus mare looked at the human. He was dead, but she now she understood what the last line meant.  The real peace is the one when you die, it’s not found in any worldly paradise, there are no Elements of Harmony, there is no magic, no Equestria, no world, no troubles.  All there is rest for the body after years of living.

And now his eyes were closed. He was now gone from this realm. “Sleep well…you deserve it.” An Earth Pony noble whispered.

Hours later, Celestia came to check on the prisoner.  All the tortured ponies were silent, refusing to give her a look. Despite the room was dirty with stains of blood, tears, and other bodily fluids, the room smelled like frankincense. Impossible! All the blood should have made it smell horrible. Thrusting her horn into the man’s body, she expected blood to come out. It did not. “WHAT!?” She exclaimed. Out of the wound, milk started to seep out.  “W-what is this!? What’s the meaning of this!?” Scanning the body frantically, no trace of magic was found.  How can he bleed milk out? Why does the room smell like burning incense?

The ponies began to sing in a choir-like fashion. Celestia ordered them to stop but their voices got louder as they went over the lyrics.   The angel white alicorn began to panic, those lyrics, even though being nailed and suffering pain beyond anything imagined, their spirits were unbroken… Silence filled the room for a few seconds, and they began to sing it again, their voices getting louder. Ordering to stop, it was useless. The song was heard all over the palace, from there, all of Canterlot, and from there, all of Equestria.

Alicorn Fire

The Conversion  Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 7: Alicorn Fire

Celestia and Luna looked up as a massive Sky Fleet task force entered the Corridor. “And now… we will rid the Earth of the resisting human nations. We have delivered them an ultimatum: Join us or be exterminated.”

“Sister!” Luna exclaimed. “The humans you are trying to wipe off have a history of warfare. Attacking them will stir nationalism in their hearts. Please stop this madness.”

Celestia smiled. “If our plan fails to force them to surrender and accept ponification, then we will do what you planned to do a thousand years ago.”

Luna gulped, sweating ice cold beads all over her body.

“1000 years ago, if you couldn’t make the night last forever, you threatened to bring the moon down to Equestria. It would have been the end of all Equestria and perhaps…the world.”

“We will NOT do such act with the humans.” Luna shot.

“I am afraid we have no choice. If they refuse conversion, then let them be wiped out of the map.” Celestia said. “Besides…you haven’t forgotten that the Elements may have left us, but we can still use whatever power we have left. And I still know the Poem of Harmony and the Astral Bodies.”

“You…you can’t be serious! Using the Sun and Moon as weapons is low and degrading! We will never stoop ourselves to such level.”

“Let us not forget, the humans brought it on their own, not us.  We offered them our friendship and they reject it. Equestria is peace. Equestria is prosperity. Equestria is order! Humans do not have anything of that, or tolerance, or the essence of the Elements. Something which we will give them once converted.”

“Sister…”

“Now, let us wish our little naval ponies good luck.” Celestia trotted off.

Luna sighed and followed.

All over Equestria, an impossible number of Alicorn-class Battleships began to enter the Corridor. The Night Mare gave a face of uncertainty, seeing how many years ago a dozen human hijackers took their yacht and had the guts to pull a suicide attack on a capsule launch site. Going to attack them head on is a direct provocation… what if they still had nuclear weapons? Could they launch a missile to Equestria and wipe off a city randomly?

“Now they shall witness the might of the Equestrian Sky Fleet.” Celestia began to preach. “With many of our battleships heading to whatever nations they have left, we will force the humans to convert in a matter of hours. It will be the 12 Hour War again, only that they won’t last a minute.”

“Sister…”

“Once we are done with the humans, the Gryphons, the Diamond Dogs, and the Changelings will follow. This world belongs to the Equestrians, we must purge it clean of the impurities that are polluting it all.”

Luna felt sick. Her beloved sister has gone mad with power.  She knew what had to be done and first, she needed a flag to openly declare her rebellion.

The Corridor was full of hymns of “GLORIA CELESTIA! GLORIA LUNA!” They stopped as they reached the other side of the storm.

An American Federation Rocket Fighter turned back to base as it spotted the massive invasion force exiting the giant cloud.

Private intelligence services all over the world reported the arrival of the task force.

“BITCH!” Grozny banged the radar with his fists. “THEY’RE COMING! CELESTIA HAS ORDERED TO FINISH THE JOB! GET READY EVERYBODY! THEY’RE COMING TO FETCH OUR SOULS!”

Alarms began to wail all over the human towns in the Gobi Desert.

“Shining! Cadence!” A staff worker called. “We got reports all over the place that Celestia has sent a MASSIVE invasion fleet.”

“What!?”

“She’s going to wipe humanity off the map, whatever straggler there is, they’re getting ponified.” The woman said.  A fellow worker tossed her a SIG 550. “We have to get you out of here!”

“Acoustic picked up something exiting the Corridor.” Soarin relayed. “90,000 Star Swirl Units… It’s an invasion force heading to the last human nations and the Exiles!”

“All hands and hooves prepare for combat!” Spitfire ordered.

Every human crew member was given a gun along with ammo. The ponies serving the ship prepared themselves for whatever combat situation approached.

“Captain! Equestrian task force descending from the Corridor.”

“WHAT!?” Nikolaos yelled. “ALL HANDS PREPARE FOR COMBAT! SCRAMBLE ALL FIGHTERS AND PUSHERS! RADIO TO ALL SHIPS IN THE AREA TO PREPARE!”

The Equestrian Sky Fleet battleships began to open fire in all directions.  Beams of magic flew out against any ship, any city, anything that was caught in their blast radius.

The many naval vessels took off for the skies to engage the threats.

Carriers launched their fighters while the others fired shells into the incoming vessels. Inside the ships, the crews were getting ready to be boarded by the pegasi or preparing for manning the AA guns for close ranged combat.

Pegasi launched from the battleships, heading towards them at full speed.

“ENEMY PEGASI APPROACHING!”

“SHOOT THEM DOWN!”

Guns fired their loads into the many ships that were coming from above. A few hits were reported but they still continued to descend. Bolts of magic impacted whatever human-flagged ship there was.  Fires broke out while others were torn to pieces.

The Crimson Lightning was boarded by attacking pegasi.

The whole ship was expecting them. The human crews were hiding behind corners, tables, and barriers they made out of everything.  Most of them totted assault rifles, shotguns, and SMG. A woman pulled on the forward assist of her M4WB and checked the chambering.  Nodding, she raised the rifle, waiting for the intruders to attack.

One of the cooks moved his Wildey pistol around the hall.

The intruding pegasi came in. They all carried vials of a purple liquid.

“THOSE SONS OF BITCHES! THEY ARE CARRYING THE FUCKING SERUM!” A human crew member fired his AK-103 at the pegasi. “SHOOT THEM ALL! DON’T LET THEM GET TOO CLOSE!”

The invading pegasi began to scream as the bullets tore them to shreds but more were entering.  The walls exploded as many more began to enter.  Looking at the humans, they began to throw their vials towards them.  Bullets flew, destroying the incoming glass tubes.  “We have to protect the Gunners! Don’t let them get through!”

Three janitors took cover in a corner. Hearing hooves head for them, they all cocked their G36s and released a storm of full automatic fire. The invaders were torn to shreds as the bullets hit their bodies.

Inside the cannons, the Wonderbolts were helping out the gunners load up chambers with the Rainboom Shells.  The ship was shaking violently. The PA announced the damages across the ship, panic in the voice. The ship gave a loud moan, the armor plating has been breached, they were open for attack.

“PORT CANNONS READY!” A Gunner said over the ship’s phone which was relayed to the rest of the ship.

“STARBOARD CANNONS READY!”

“MAIN CANNONS READY!”

Spitfire nodded. “OPEN FIRE!”

The cannons began to thunder as the shells exited the barrels. The casing was extracted, followed by a new shell being loaded up. As the shell was sent flying, the gunnery crews loaded another one and then another one.

The shells detonated, releasing Rainbooms all over the place.

“What the? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!” A fleet of pegasi screamed as the Rainbooms pulverized every bone of their bodies.

The colorful shockwaves began to slice through the many airships. The crews screamed as they plunged down to their deaths. If the blasts didn’t cut them, the Units overloaded and detonated violently. Explosions began to devastate the ship from the inside, wiping the crews out as it went down.

“WE’RE ALL DOING GREAT! KEEP IT UP!” Soarin cheered over the ship’s phone.

“ENEMY INFILTRATION IN THE HANGAR DECK!” A mechanic yelled over the PA. “OH GOD THEY GOT SANDERS!”

A pegasus took cover behind one of the pusher planes.

“FIRE IN THE HOLE!” A woman called.

A pineapple-like object landed next to the infiltrator.

The pegasus looked at it with curiosity.

A loud blast was heard.  The plane along with the pegasus was destroyed.

“SHOOT THE PLANES WHEN THEY LAND NEXT TO THEM! WE’LL KILL THEM ALL QUICKLY!”

“ARE YOU CRAZY! WHAT WILL SPITFIRE SAY!?”

“WE CAN GET MORE OF THEM LATER! JUST FIRE ON THEM!”

More of the invading pegasi entered. Vials of the serum were thrown across the hangar.

One of them broke on a mechanic. The man was screaming as his body was changing. A shot to the head put him out of his misery.

All gunfire concentrated on the parked planes.  More and more were entering.

Flames came out of the vehicles.

One mechanic got an idea. “I’m going in.”

“WHAT!?”

“The gas tanks are still full, we can take them out and deny them entry to the hangar if we blew it all up. It will critically damage the ship but it’s the only way to prevent this ship from being captured. If they see the smoke coming out, they’ll think they’ve sunk it.”

“You’re a crazy bastard. You’ll get converted right away!”

“It’s the only chance to preserve Captain Spitfire’s honor and life. If they capture her with the rest, she will be executed for defecting.” The man readied his AK-12. “Cover me.”  He began to run towards the gas tanks, firing at any pegasi that dared to stop him.

Gunfire erupted towards the pegasi focusing on the man.

The man placed his hands on the valve, struggling to make it budge. Groaning , every last big of strength transferred to his hands.  The wheel began to squeak as it spinned.  A liquid creeped over on his back followed by a flash of light, the man felt his humanity leaving, the call of Equestria being chanted on his ears. The fuel began to spill all over the floor. In one last act of twisted payback, he pulled out a cigar and lit it. His transformation was almost done, and a puff of smoke exited his mouth. The lit cigar fell on the spilled gasoline. The Newfoal curiously looked at the liquid and the flames it produced.

A grenade landed in the pool of liquid. The Newfoal looked at the pineapple shaped explosive.

The mechanics locked the door as they escaped the hangar.

A loud blast was heard as several explosions began to exit the ship.  Smoke began to escape from whatever opening available. Orange flames burned everything in their path. The invaders screamed as the flames ate them alive. A pegasus gave a insane laugh as his body was slowly calcinated.

“This is the Hangar Crew.” The head mechanic announced. “We had no choice to destroy the hangar. Leroy managed to open up the gas tanks…” A heavy sigh escaped him. “But he got converted , but managed to take the bastards down.”

Rainboom Shells began to fire rapidly against the attacking ships. Explosions escaped the ships as their Units were overloaded or sliced up by the shockwaves. Gunfire around the ship killed off any infiltrators that got inside.  After the combat, the Crimson Lightning turned towards a safe location.

Skies of Europe

A Pusher Plane was being tailed by a pegasus. She was a persistent one, trying to down the craft one way or the other. The reserve fuel tanks were dropped, they dived towards it. The machine gunner fired a few bullets into the containers as they dropped.  Passing by them, the humans gave the flying pony the finger. A loud blast was heard, the pegasus was nothing but a memory.  Up ahead, an Equestrian battleship continued its salvo of fire.  As they craft got close, the FN MAG’s muzzle roared for several seconds. The pilot swiveled the craft away from the ship’s magic fire

.

Several infiltrating Pegasi managed to enter the Chimera at the cost of a few compatriots. Their mission was to either destroy the ship or ponify the crews. They were nowhere to be found. Was this a ghost ship as the legends said? From the walls, small hatches opened up, revealing gun barrels of assorted guns. Their front sights sticking out, getting a bead on the ponies’ heads.  How wonderful their anatomy is, there is just so much fun getting headshots out of them.  As they got closer, the guns began to crack several times. Their bodies went limp after several rounds.

One managed to reach the bridge.  Seeing that the bridge crew was gone, he looked around and sat in the throne-like seat.  A gun was cocked, his ears twitched following the sound.  Seeing the barrel of a Tokarev, the pegasus gulped. An animalistic smile was printed on the man’s face followed by a loud gunshot. Many stormed in, looking at the man. Their wings prepared to hurl the serum at him.

“Ah, the little ponies following their Princesses command.” Nikolaos cackled. Whipping out a remote control,  his index finger pressed the button. The bridge turned red, the ponies looking confused about the situation. Panels opened up, revealing several machine guns slowly coming out. The gun barrels locked on the ponies and rained lead on them. The machine guns retracted, the bridge was a bloody mess.

A pegasus turned green seeing the raw beef hanging from the steel hook.  “You poor thing…we’ll avenge you.”

Another one looked curiously at the big bagels hanging from another set of hooks. Did the crews eat these?

Another one smell the delicious stew that finished cooking.  She could see lettuce, potato halves, bread pieces that were no doubt from the bagels.  Perhaps they’re not as bad as they thought, there is some vegetation cooking.  She began to eat the mixture like there’s no tomorrow, savoring every second of it.

“I hope you liked my beef liver stew.” A calm voice said.

The pegasus looked at the broth.  She gasped as she saw slices of cooked liver float up. Grasping her stomach, she gave a scream of insanity. “WHAT HAVE I DONE!? I AM A MONSTER! KILL ME! KILL ME! I BEG OF YOU!” A stream of tears flowed like a goblet overfilled with wine.

The chef locked the door. Pulling out a Smith and Wesson revolver, he pulled the hammer and slowly brought the gun up. “Now…I am curious of tasting pony meat… I bet its bittersweet or maybe…. It tastes like spices… yes… only one way to find out.” Laughing a bit, he threw away the weapon. “Oh… but this would be TOO easy.” A long cleaver was pulled out. “Main course? YOU!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!”The pegasi screamed as the sounds of a blade ended them instantly.

The robust Serbian man whistled a happy tune as he began to cut the slabs of meat of the dead pegasi. The door opened, he continued to cut.

The infiltrating pegasi turned pale, seeing the corpses being defiled by the large square knife.  One of them gave a scream, another one vomited as the meat was placed into piles. The others began to go mad, the images forever branded into their minds.  They turned tail and ran away, fearing to be next victims of the mad cook.

“They are leaving the ship!” A voice on the PA said.  “We are in the clear!”

“Gunnery Chief! You may commence firing now!” Nikolaos ordered.

The guns of the Chimera began to fire upon any ship close to its vicinity. The Alicorn-Class Battleships began to take damage.  An armor piercing shell hit a Star Swirl Unit, creating a blue explosion that could be seen by the attacking ships.

“All ships! Battle formation V!” The German Fleet Admiral ordered. “Prepare the rams! Break through their centers!”

The German Air Fleet formed up.

The engines roared as the ships dashed towards the enemy. The bow sections opened up, revealing a massive blade-like structure.  As they got close, the German ships rammed the Equestrian ships.  The enemy vessels began to cough up huge plumes of smoke. “GUNNERS! OPEN FIRE!”

The main guns of the ship aimed up at the impaled ships. A symphony of destruction was heard all over as they were blown up from the skies.

A Russian fighter tailed a flock of pegasi. The pilot confirmed the lock on and pulled the trigger. The machine gun erupted into bursts as its bullets flew towards the winged ponies.  A few were hit, becoming red mists.  The others looked back and performed a U-Turn, attacking the aircraft.  The pilot grinned as he flew up. The pegasi followed.  The man pulled on the control stick, his craft going down.

“OH BUCK! AN IMMELMANN!” One of the pegasi screamed as bullets tore him to shreds.

They began to follow the craft angrily.

“Now you pissed off the Cobra!” The pilot pulled on the control stick, decreasing speed.

The pegasi got ready to follow him up but passed by.

The plane was brought down.

Getting a lock on, the missiles flew out.

The explosion turned the pegasi into memories.

The Irish Air Navy began to engage the attackers.

Grappling hooks were fired towards any Equestrian-flagged ship. With the hooks latched on the ships, they were reeled in. The boarding crews cocked their weapons, while reciting prayers or mantras that will grant them protection from the ponies.

A loud buzz was heard.

“NOW CHARGE!”

Several war cries were heard as gunfire erupted in the ships.  The Unicorn Sailors countered. An Irish Sky Marine was pushed back while another one unloaded his MP5’s magazine into it.

The whole bridge crew felt their ship shake violently. Up ahead, a British ship sank down three ships with a barrage of cannon fire. “No…”

The elevator doors opened up. A duo of Irish Marines revealed their M60 machine guns and pulled the trigger. Screams filled the bridge until nothing was left but the two breathing heavily.

Skies of the American Federation

“When Ah say FUCK YOU PONEHS! AH FUCKING MEAN IT!” A pistol fired once, downing a Unicorn sailor.

A Cajun whistled as he examined the corpse. “Now that’s some grade-A shootin’.” He looked at the rest. “All right everybody, I’ll brief you again on the situation: The government wants us to down this flagship so that the ponies lose their chain of command. Any questions?”

Silence

“Alright, we split up and take the ship. I want the engineering section clear. This is Coozan Annabelle’s orders. Cornwallis, McDoogal, you have the explosives?”

Two men from Mississippi nodded. “So bawss said we can make things go boom?”

“You can blow up things when we clear the ship from them stupid ponehs.” One of the raiders cocked his shotgun. “Are we gonna let Anna here hawg all the fun?”

“Can’t let Coozan get it all.” The Cajun pulled out his AA-12. “Alrighty! We go gung-ho and trigger happy. First one to break the Coozan’s records makes the chitterlings for tonight’s dinner.”

The Southerners took off for the kills.

The Southern Vixen calmly walked to the upper levels of the ship.  The spurs on her cowboy boots were full of blood from previous ponies she fought, trying to get a ride out of them.  Reaching a huge door, the shotgun gave a loud click followed by a loud explosion of gunpowder. The door hinge fell off, followed by the next one.  With one final blast, the door collapsed.

The bridge crews turned around. They saw a female human wearing cut off shorts, a tank top, cowboy boots with bloody spurs, and carrying ammunition for her weapons.  Two Earth Pony sailors dashed to her. “Lord have merceh on yer poor souls.”  She pulled on the slide. The shotgun exploded two times. The stallions moaned and dropped. “And which one of ya’lls wants to die first?”

“GET THE HUMAN!” The Pegasus Vice-Admiral ordered.

A team of Unicorn sailors surrounded the Southern woman.

“Whoa nelleh, if ya’lls think you can surround a vixen, yer graveleh mistaken.” Annabelle taunted. “Ya’lls feels mighteh with them big horns of yers. Ta be honest, Ah think yer all too depent on them.” The Southern girl pumped the shotgun, the spent shell rolled towards one of the unicorns.  Seeing their horns glow, her hand flipped the selector. The shotgun fired several blasts. The Unicorns dropped with many holes on their heads, blood seeping out of the openings.

Pulling out two M1911 pistols, she fired them at the bridge crew. It was all over in seconds. Pushing the Vice-Admiral’s corpse off the seat, she sat down and gave a sly smile of satisfaction.

An Earth Pony sailor bucked one of the raiders. The man hit the wall and moaned. Hearing a gun click, the pony’s purple eyes turned to the direction of the sound. The barrel of a MP5 poked his forehead. Swallowing, he closed his eyes. The barrel flashed several times, the pony was on the floor seconds later. The man offered his hand. The raider got back up. “I suggest you don’t try riding these guys the Captain knows how to.”

“Yeah, Ah managed to learn the hard way…” The raider groaned. “Ah think mah spine hurts.”

“I’M ON AN AIRSHIP! DON’T YOU EVAH FORGET!” A Southern black man fired is Remington shotgun sideways. The ponies screamed as the buckshot tore their bodies.  From behind, a Unicorn sailor got ready to ponify the man.  His horn enveloped the vial of the purple liquid. The man turned around and aimed the shotgun.  A loud blast echoed across the hallway.

The unicorn dropped seconds later.  The black man looked down at the mess he made. The head was completely detached from the neck. The head was full of buckshot, the face was frozen, and forever giving a silent scream of terror as the weapon killed him. He will be forced to relive this moment as eyes stared at him.  The man cycled the weapon, the spent shell rolling towards the cadaver, releasing hot steam.

More shotgun fire was heard, accompanied by screams of agony.

The Engineer Unicorns fired out against the two intruders who were taking cover behind the corner.

McDoogal popped out cover, firing a few rounds from his BAR.  Seeing a beam of magic heading for him, he gave a panicked scream and hugged the wall. “Aw damn it all! There’s too maneh ponehs in here.”

“Leave it all to Cornwallis.” The Mississippian loaded a shell into his rifle’s grenade launcher.  Sticking his arms out, his fingers pressed the trigger for the launcher.

FWOOMP!

The whole room began to shake. Several screams were heard followed by a deep silence. Seconds later, the silence was broken by the beats of the Star Swirl Unit.   McDoogal pulled out his walkie talkie. “Hey bawss!  We cleared out them ponehs from the engine section, can we plant the bombs now?”

“Not now boys, we need to collect intelligence. Now don’t go on blowing up that Unit, we need it.”

“Awwww!” The two moaned.

“Do it or no food for you.”

“We’ll be good.” Cornwallis and McDoogal said in unison.

“Something don’t feel right.” The Cajun said. “I can feel it in my bones… there’s more to this ship than just an attack.”

“Sebastian, everehtime ya saeh that, it feels creepeh.” The black man argued. “You sound like them freaky voodoo people back in Louisiana.”

“Look Johnny boy, when I tell you I can feel something it my bones, I can feel it. There’s something wrong and my bones are aching. My BONES are aching and that’s a sign there’s more to the ship.”

The black man sighed. “Fine! But where in the ship?”

“Follow me.” Sebastian walked off.

Johnny followed.

Reaching a large door, Johnny blasted the lock with a well placed shotgun blast.  Sebastian opened the door. The two gasped at what they say. “Good Lord!” Johnny dropped his weapon. “That’s enough goddamn serum to convert the whole South!”

“It wasn’t another attempt at the 12 Hour War. It was to force conversion to all of us… Mon Dieu, it’s the whole Conversion Bureau again, only this time… it was en masse…”

Johnny pulled out his walkie talkie. “Yo bawss! We made a huge fuckin’ discovery here. This ship is full of that Poneh serum! Yes, the same serum shit they used 10 years ago to convert.”

“Where?” Annabelle’s voice was heard on the other line.

“In the cargo hold.”

The Southern woman took off.  She came to a full stop as she saw the many gallons along with bombs being filled with them.  A vein throbbed on her forehead, a fist was balled. A dent was made in the wall, followed by several shots against the vials, spilling the purple liquid on the floor. “Tell Cornwallis and McDoogal to set the bombs for 5 minutes, we’re gettin’ out of here.”

Sebastian whipped out the portable radio. “Corn, McDoogal. Plant the bombs and set them for 5 minutes. Then head back to the ship. We’re getting out of here.”

“YAY!” Their voices were heard.

A few seconds later, they confirmed that the explosives were planted.

Grapple hooks were detached from the flagship. A highly modified battle cruiser turned to port at full speed. The Equestrian ship exploded, screaming as fires consumed every part of it. The ship was nothing but a skeleton, it slowly plunged to the ground below while smokestacks called it out to the people below.

Gobi Desert

Blasts of gunfire erupted across the building.  Several ponies wearing black jumpsuits dropped to the floor. “The heck are these guys?” A man reloaded his assault rifle.

“Those ponies belong to the No Quarter/ Retrieval Squad, they hunt down defectors to take them back to Equestria.”  Another man cocked his FAMAS and scanned his settings.  “Area clear!”

A door was bucked open. The pegasi began to scan the room for any signs of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor.  One of them noticed a red light flowing out of a strange device emit a red light beam. The pegasi walked over it. There was a series of quick beeps heard across the room. Screams were heard as fire consumed them. All what was left was charred bodies.

On the roof of the building, Grozny along with a few of his men escorted Shining Armor and Princess Cadence to the dropship that landed. Sounds of violence were heard from the lower levels. Screams filled the air. The Russian man heard the beats of wings in the vicinity. Turning to the direction, several pegasi appeared. Cocking his AK-107, the weapon was raised at the flying threats.

The rest of Grozny’s men started to group around the two ponies. “Move when we move, we’ll keep you covered.” One of the men said.

The Russian fired a burst towards the pegasus. The bullets brought the pony down while the others began to fly in circles. “Get them out of here!” Several bursts fired out.  “EAT LEAD YOU NASTY SQUIRTS!” Bullet cases dropped on the floor as the pegasi were hit by the bullets.

The ponies began to move towards the two defectors.  The men fired their weapons at them, stopping them in their tracks. Picking up the pace, they managed to reach the dropship.  The door bursted open, several unicorns entered, their horns giving a threatening glow.

Grozny reloaded his assault rifle and aimed it at the unicorns.  The muzzle flashed several times as the bullets hit the unicorns.  His ears registered the dropship’s engines roaring to life.

“Grozny! Get in here!” Shining called.

Several blasts of magic missed him. The attacks were countered by a spray of assault rifle fire. “GET CLEAR! I’LL HOLD THEM UP! GET THEM TO NIKOLAOS! YOU CAN COME BACK AND PICK ME UP LATER!” The dropship’s engine engaged in flight mode. The aircraft shot for the skies. “I hope I can fend them off…”

A unicorn fired at him.

The beam felt like being punched with an iron fist. The man was sent flying a few inches through the air. Hitting the helipad, he rolled for several seconds in the pavement. Everything was slowly going black.  A pegasus landed, giving him a sinister face. “Don’t worry human…” The pony assured. “You won’t be ponified yet… I think you’d love to meet the Princesses. You have a lot of talking to do.”

Grozny blacked out.

Ouzo

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 8

Ouzo

After hours of intense fighting, the Equestrian Sky Fleet began to turn towards the Pegasus Corridor.  Many of the human ships began to hit them with all they got. A few were sunk while the others continued their escape.  Whatever crews remained alive, they were taken in for interrogation.  The Privateers reported capturing many ships, which equaled a large amount of Escudos for the prizes.

The Chimera received a message that two defectors wished to be under the protection of the ship. The request was accepted on the condition that the two defectors would not be treated as special guests, but as part of the crews. No special treatment will be given to them, defector or not, everyone puts his or her part to the ship.

The dropship landed in the deck of the ship. The many soldiers formed two lines and raised their swords as a salute. The hatch opened up, revealing the two ponies. The soldiers turned to the white unicorn stallion as they murmured how the Captain beat him in a fight.

Shining Armor didn’t like the idea of being on the ship commanded by the Dragon of the Skies. This was the same ship that destroyed many settlements, raided many innocents, and humiliated Princess Celestia.  The First Officer came into view with his hands on his back.  Ordering the swords to be sheathed.

“We welcome you to the Chimera. The Captain will speak with you in his private dining room. Follow me.”

The two ponies followed the man. They reached what seemed the Mess Hall. The man pressed something on the wall.  A portion of it opened up, revealing a secret elevator. Getting in, it went up followed by a stop. The door opened up, revealing a fancy room with several ornate decorations along with several yellow flags of two-headed eagles with their heads looking at opposite directions.

The two ponies stepped in. The elevator door closed behind them.

“Sit down…”  Said a Greek accented voice.

The two looked at the chairs and did so.

The chair in front of them turned. There he was. Green eyed and wearing a black uniform with several pins and medallions on it. “Oh it’s you.” Nikolaos said with a grin. “Came back for the rematch?”

Shining’s nostril flared. “This time I came prepared. There will be no more sneaky knife attacks.”

Nikolaos countered. “Rather than using a knife, I have a new friend who is just dying to turn you into shreds.”

Shining’s horn began to glow aggressively.  Niko responded by whipping out his TT-33, his thumb pulling on the hammer. Both getting ready to blast each other into oblivion.

“Stop it you two! You’re like foals with toys.” Cadence frowned.

The two looked at Cadence.  They took their seats.

“Feta cheese… back in Equestria, this thing is expensive.” The light pink alicorn commented.  “Only the highest of Canterlot nobility can access it.”

Nikolaos raised an eyebrow.

“Back in Canterlot, it was common in the diet of the nobles to eat it. A single block costed about 10,000 Bits. And here you are, eating this like it’s frequent. How is that possible?”

“Unlike in your world, it’s part of the Balkan diet.” Nikolaos explained.  “This cheese has been around since the times of the Byzantine Empire.”

“All this food looks so good.” Shining started to dig on the dakas. “It’s all vegetarian. I was expecting seeing more meat-based food.” Levitating a dolma, a vine leaf stuffed with rice and vegetables.  The stallion ate the roll in one bite, liking the flavor so much, he stuffed his face with them.

Nikolaos sighed. “To be honest, meat is scarce.  Unlike Equestrian propaganda which says we value money more than life itself, it’s wrong. We value every morsel of meat we can find. When we raid, and I mean every privateer out there tends to go for the farms: Livestock and poultry are more valuable than a sack of gold.”  He took a bite of a dolma.  “But in my ship, its Greek food that’s King.”

Cadence took a sip of her glass.

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Hold it there!” Nikolaos bawled. “You can’t drink ouzo like that! Drinking it dry hammer?”

Cadence put the glass on the table. “What now?”

“Drinking it dry hammer; Drinking ouzo without eating something. Eat something before the alcohol gets processed by your metabolism… trust me, the hangover will not be pretty.”

“WOOOO HOOO! I am Queen of ze Vorld!” Cadence hiccupped.

“Uh…” Shining looked at her with concern.

“I cannot torture ze Changelings without powah, Celeshya, you go turn it on.” The Princess of Love got up, stood up on her hind legs, trying to regain her balance. “Don’t vorry Aunt Woona, I vill buy you some Wodka after zis.” She fell to the floor. “Shining! Ze evil block of moon cheese is after me! KILL IT VITH FIYAH!”

The man and the stallion looked at each other and then at the drunken princess.

“I think you should let her sleep it off.” Nikolaos suggested.

“Hey-its-a-Me, Cadenza.” Cadence said in a cheery tone as she got up.  “Chrysalis kidnapped Shining!? I can’t let that monster get away! Onward with the quest!” She started to jump.

“Uh…sweetheart?” Shining cooed. “I think you need to get some sleep.”

“I’m fiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnneeeeeeeeeeeee.”

Shining enveloped Cadence in a field of magic. Nikolaos opened the elevator door for him. “I’ll have your food delivered to your room.”

“Thanks.” Shining levitated Cadence, putting her in the elevator. Entering, he poked the button and it went down.

The Greek sat down and took a sip of his glass of ouzo followed with a bite of dolma.

Meal and Poem

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 9

A Meal and a Poem

“Wake up Human.” A voice called.

The Russian man groaned as he slowly opened his eyes.   Gasping, he got up and looked around. Patting his clothes, he found nothing.

“Looking for these?” A unicorn levitated a combat knife and a Makarov pistol. “Well now that you see them, you can’t have them back. Where you are going, they’re not needed. You’re going to be the special guest of the Princesses. They are just curious in meeting you.”

Grozny shot the unicorn a defiant look.

“We’re entering Canterlot Airspace!” A voice in the PA said. “ETA! 10 minutes!”

“Get ready human, and when the Princess asks you to bow, you will bow.”

10 years ago… 10 years ago

You and your precious Elements of Harmony saw us die and suffer as many were converted to your kind.  10 years ago, I was kicked out my own home to accommodate the Colonizer and the Newfoal.  10 years ago, you stood there watching us die and SMILED.  In the Moscow Bureau… you were there… smiling as many were stripped of their humanity… you were enjoying everything and your Elements DID nothing.

And your precious pony numbers increased, kicking out many natives out of their lands.  You are no better than the Nazis or the Mongols.

The airship docked in Canterlot. The man was dragged out of the airship. Up ahead was the Princesses themselves. Lowering his head, the angry thoughts continued. He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of a look.

Look at them, the tyrants themselves. They must enjoy all the pleasures of the globe while out there, the rest suffer through famine and hunger.  But once the maps have been distributed, destruction will rain from the skies.

“Ah, the human I heard about.” Celestia said.  “Come now, look at me in the eyes.”

Whatever you do, avoid looking at her. Rumor goes she is capable of stealing your soul.

“My  my,” Celestia clicked. “Such horrible rumors your kind spreads about me. Oh don’t worry, I don’t steal souls nor eat them. That would fall on Luna, she’s the one who steals them in the dark of night.”

Luna’s nostrils flared. “Sister!”

“Oh I am just kidding Luna, everyone knows stealing souls is a hard and near-impossible act of dark magic.” The angel white alicorn said with a sly smile.  “But we won’t be cruel to you human, not yet. For you have what I need.”

“Whatever you plan to get, you aren’t getting it.” Grozny shot.

“If the No Quarter Squad brought you to me, then you must be of relative importance.” Celestia countered. The alicorn then gave a faux embarrassed face. “Oh my, where are our manners? You must be starving. Lunch will be ready soon.” She glared at the Russian. “You will accept our invitation, will you?”

Grozny stayed quiet.

“Take him to the Dining Hall, but don’t be too rough on him.” Celestia took off.

Luna followed.

Grozny was sat down by a Guardspony.

The two Princesses sat down. Servant ponies brought in the meals and poured tea into the cups.  It was nothing but vegetarian. Not a single morsel of meat or fish to accompany this.  The tea could be drugged with either the dreaded serum or some sort of truth formula.  His GRU Spetsnaz training kicked in, along with the horrible memories of the 2nd Chechen War.  Being fed contaminated food to being beat up with anything… it was a miracle that he was still breathing.

“Not hungry?” Celestia raised an eyebrow.

“You think I am stupid?” Grozny laughed. “After enduring the tortures of the Second Chechen War, I have my doubts that eating what’s right in front of me will either turn me into a pony or spill out every single information that’s in my mind.”

“I can assure you that there’s nothing wrong with the food.” Celestia countered with a motherly tone.

“You may have fooled many to convert.” Grozny grinned. “But you can’t fool an Ex-Spetsnaz. I may look old but I know the essentials when I served.” He cackled for a while, then gave a serious face. “That motherly tone of yours, you use it to hide the truth, the same tone you used to have many convert and when your fleet moved to my world.”

Celestia gave a angry face.

“I read your bluff.” He got up. “But I had my fun here, thank you for providing me with a small bit of intelligence.”

Two Earth Pony Guards came into view.

The man picked up the fork and the knife and twirled them. “Do you really think you can defeat a Ex-Spetsnaz?” Looking at the two, he got into a defensive pose.  “Whatever training you got in Close Quarters Combat will be worthless once I wipe the floor with the sukas you call Princesses.”

The two ponies gave each other looks.

“Suka means bitch in my language.” Grozny gave a dark smile.

The two Earth Ponies began to approach the man.

The man moved away and jumped to the table. “Too slow.” Picking up the cup of tea, he threw it towards the Guards.

The hot liquid made the guard scream in pain. “MY EYES!”

The other one got ready to tackle the man off the table.

Grozny jumped and landed on the pony’s back. The Earth Pony began to move, trying to shake him off.  Pulling out the knife, he lunged it deep into his throat. Pushing it deeper, the Guard began to choke. Violent wheezes escaped his mouth while the knife was being pushed further.  The hand quickly pulled out the simple table blade, the pony dropped with a pool of blood forming near his corpse.

“He’s…amazing…” Luna commented, her eyes staring in awe at the human.

Approaching the screaming guard, his hands wrapped around the pony’s head. “When you get to Hell, say hi to the ones I killed for me.”

What the Princesses saw next was shocking.

SNAP!

The Guardspony’s neck was twisted to a full 360 degrees. The face was one of horror and pain, the eyes were devoid of all life as they stared at them. The head spinned back to its original position, hitting the floor seconds later.

Grozny dusted his hands off.

“GUARDS!” Celestia barked. “SEIZE THE HUMAN AND CAUSE HIM PAIN!”

Several Guardsponies bursted through the door.

Grozny got in an offensive stand. They all carried pikes, sabers, and shields.  The pike-totting ones were not a concern, the ones with the curved blades were.  The shielded ones could ram him into submission if not careful with how he moved.  Motioning his hand to come get him, the ones totting the swords rushed to him.

Several necks were quickly snapped.

Luna gasped.

Picking the sword, he gave a yell as he slashed their bodies. Blood flew all over the dining hall, tainting the food with its crimson presence.  The man looked at the guards with shields, they were all unicorns, just the saber-totting ones.  Three ponies with pikes began to look at the fight.

The Unicorns began their ramming attacks.

Grozny jumped to the table and rammed the long curved blade into one of the guards. The rest began to counter by blocking the incoming blade attacks.  Seeing their ploy, a scream escaped him as his leg kicked the shield off. The unicorn guard panicked. “Game over pal.” The blade cut the horn off.

“Princess….Celestia…” The Unicorn died.

“NOOOO! RAM SHIELD!” The unicorn rammed the man.

“You…fucking….pony!” Grozny got up, giving a savage smile. Grabbing the sword, he slowly walked towards the pony. As the shield was held up, he kicked it off. “Those who provoke the wrath of Children of Russia will see their wrath.” Grabbing the mane, he thrusted the blade into the guard’s throat. Pulling it out seconds later, he looked at the bloody blade. The Pike Guards got ready for combat. He just smiled.

Luna was curious of the man’s next move.

Putting the blade near his mouth, his tongue licked it. “Tasty.” He looked at the next attackers. “Come after my blood, I will make you choke on ours.” He said. “But now, because I feel generous enough, I propose this:  Leave now and have your lives spared. If you do fight me, I will kill you in the most violent way beyond any wild imagination.”

The guards murmured between themselves.

“Think of it. Leave and you will spared, your families will be happy to see you. Think of the life ahead of you. What you saw is enough to drive you to the brink of insanity. All the blood, the death, too much for your virginal minds.” The man added. “Attack me and I will show you what violence really means. I have over a million ways to kill you and I will not show any mercy when you beg for it.”

“Guards! Get the human!”

The ponies left, not wanting to be killed in such a horrible way.

With a smile, a dropped saber was picked up.

The sabers were hurled towards Celestia.

As the sharp blades flew, a golden aura stopped them.

Grozny saluted them as he dashed for the door. Shouts were heard across the palace, ranging from orders to panic. Hearing the sounds of water rushing up ahead, he kicked the door open. He stopped. The whole room was nothing but a cave with waterwheels all over the place.  Reaching the edge, he could see that the waterfall lead to down below.

Several hoofsteps were heard.

“Human!” Celestia’s voice boomed. “Come with us and I may show you leniency. I have questions to ask you.”

“Stop! You don’t know what you’re doing!” Luna exclaimed. “You have my word that my Sister will not hurt you… please… stop.”

Grozny looked at Luna in the eyes. He smiled.

Luna gave a confused look.

That which rises from the blue surface of the waters

Luna began to glow an angelic white.

Celestia felt shocked. How did he know the Poem of the Moon? Her mind flashed HER! That traitorous love-spreading alicorn she called a niece! That poem has been passed for millennia only when a threat to Equestria could not be purified with the Elements. How could she give this filthy human the mystical words!?

The angel that looms in the endless sea of stars

Who opens an eye on the world during the dark skies

And shines the light that guides the foal back to her mother

A blue beam was fired into the skies.  The moon of Counter-Earth began to approach the sun. The moon stopped and began cover Equestria in darkness.

“You…” Celestia gave a frustrated scowl. “How DARE you recite those words!"

A long smile of satisfaction plastered on Grozny’s face.

May our Serenity last forever

And long live the Princess of the Night

Whose night allows the world to rest and rejuvenate

With that said, the man jumped down to wherever the waterfall would guide him.

Interview One

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 10

Interview I

The following interview takes place two weeks after Shining Armor and Cadence came into the Chimera and became official crewmembers.  Due to Cadence’s curiosity, she has recorded a series of interviews inside a magic crystal. Bold will be Cadence, Italic will be Nikolaos.

Thank you for doing this Captain.  I really feel this is important. Shall we begin?

Sure.

Can I have your full name?

Nikolaos Anastasio Drakonakos.

I must say, your name is very interesting. What does your last name mean?

Drakon means Dragon and –akos means Strong, so it would mean Strong Dragon in my language.

Human languages are fascinating.  Do you speak any more?

speak my native Greek, English, and some Spanish. Not the European Spanish, but more of the Mexican Dialect. I find it useful to cuss out the Colonists and the Newfoals when raiding the Latin American colonies. Believe it or not, most Newfoals retain the language they were raised in, kind of a second language next to English.

Speaking of raids.  Why do you raid the Colonies?

*Sound of a heavy sigh and anger*  You see Cadence… about 10 years ago. Your Aunt Celestia declared that any nation with a high pony to human ratio was officially an Equestrian colony.  Of course, fighting broke out and the Sky Fleet came in to enforce the kick outs. Millions were displaced and we all blame the Conversion Bureaus for that.

Conversion Bureaus?

They were places that Equestria opened up all over the world to convert humans into ponies. Celestia said it was the only way for a human to permanently stay in Equestria without a tourist visa. Many started to convert, and when the pony to human ratio in the world was balanced, Celestia gave another speech years later. Saying that all human governments, constitutions, religions, they were all nothing but lies and deceit. That humanity is corrupt by nature, that we’re all monsters and that Ponification is our salvation…

*awkward silence*

But why would my Aunt do that?

There’s many rumors. One of them says that the Equestrian populace was struck with some disease that killed off most of the populace and Celestia needs the Newfoals to restore the population numbers. Others say Celestia is after our very souls, that when a Newfoal dies, their souls do not go to neither heaven or hell, but into Celestia’s body.

That’s such a cruel and vicious rumor. Spells focusing on stealing souls are dark magic, and highly shunned.

There’s more to the rumor:  Celestia believes that if she acquires more souls, she will bypass evolution.

Bypass evolution?

She will become more powerful than she is. Not even a gun would wound her.

*Cadence chuckles* You humans have ways to spread fear amongst your kind.

We do, we barely have intelligence about her. So we don’t know much about her.

*Cadence clears her throat* I was always curious…those yellow flags with the two headed eagles?

*Nikolaos chuckles* The double headed eagles represent the Christian Church,  the West which is in Rome. The East which is in Constantinople… the dispute dates back from 1054, when the Church split in two. The West became the Roman Catholic Church and the East became the Orthodox Church. Both claim to be the real church founded by Jesus Christ himself.

The human messiah. My Aunt enjoys making a mockery out of Him

.

A mockery? *anger seeps into the man’s voice* Has she no….respect?

She believes the human religions are nothing but excuses to kill, loot, and destroy. That all human faiths are false, just books written by the power-hungry to keep the masses drugged.

Sounds like the many atheists I knew... some were good friends but…

But what?

They were persecuted heavily, then the PER came along.

The PER?

Ponies for Earth’s Rebirth.  They were a cult-like organization who believed all humans must be converted, saying we have no right to exist. They persecuted many people, they targeted everyone.  Senior citizens, young, and even children, they didn’t care. We were all just monsters that needed to be converted. The governments demanded answers, but Celestia denied the incidents like nothing.

Horrible…

What was horrible was the Saudi Arabia Attack of 2015. When the Moslems would do a pilgrimage to their holy cities of Medina and Mecca. The PER managed to infiltrate the two cities sacred to Islam, it was all planned out.  Months of planning came into fruition when the Hajj came.

What happened?

The PER planted two massive Thoughtbombs full of serum.

Thoughtbombs?

By what a few Unicorn defectors told us, Thoughtbombs were the ultimate weapon. It’s a hollow bomb-shaped composed of pure magic. It can be filled with anything. I believe the PER might have a few unicorns capable of conjuring the weapons.

I see.

When midday approached, the bombs went off, spreading the serum in a gas form across the two cities. About 60 million souls converted that day. It was horrible to many Muslims, their sacred cities were defiled and blasphemized. It drove them to insanity, they all wanted a holy war. A lot of the clerics began issuing religious orders to kill any Equestrian, convert or not for the attack.

*Sound of Cadence sighing*

When Celestia found out about the declaration of holy war, she ordered the Sky Fleet to patrol the Middle East. To the Newfoals and Migrants, it was a sign of relief, but they the people didn’t like seeing those massive airships. Violence broke out against the ponies.  That was a fatal mistake and the beginning of the end.

*Nikolaos takes a drink of water*

The many battleships patrolling the skies were loaded with Thoughtbombs. North Africa, Persia, parts of Pakistan, the Arabian Peninsula, Syria, Iraq, and the Jordan were bombed until 90% of the populace in those countries was converted by force.  Celestia did the unimaginable: She persecuted Islam, defiled their holy cities, and broke its might, never to be restored.

*Sounds of Cadence getting the urge to vomit*

Somehow it had its benefits.  India managed to send settlers to Pakistan in hopes of annexing it since the split up of 1947.  Most of the religious minorities in the Middle East took this as a chance to be free from Moslem rule but they weren’t liberated just yet. They were the next targets for the Equestrians.  The Palestinian dispute ended, allowing Israel to annex the West Bank and Gaza, fearing an invasion or bombardment by the Equestrians. Nationalism rose after that… but it had its consequences.

What consequences?

After the attack on the Middle East, a group known as the Human Liberation Front rose.  They started out as a common street gang, but they targeted mostly Equestrians, Newfoals, members of the PER and anyone who sympathized with ponies… but…

But?

*Sound of a heavy sigh*  The Human Liberation Front did more damage than good.  See, several branches attacked not only ponies, but attacked their own people. The Greek HLF branch took it out on the Cham Albanians and the Slavic community, accusing them of being traitors and sell outs.

That’s horrible! How can your kind be so cruel to peoples who co-existed in the country for years!?

Nationalism is one hell of a motivator. Whenever the majority feel threatened by an outside force, they start making rallies, make racial speeches, and attack the minorities who lived for generations. Surely there are minorities in Equestria who were victims of lynches by nationalists.

There were a few occasions. When one time, the Kingdom of Skiri was threatening to invade a few disputed islands essential to Equestria, many Gryphon-Equestrians were violently attacked, accusing them of being spies, saboteurs, infiltrators.  Many were lynched despite them being Equestrian citizens for generations.

Nationalism…

You sound very distressed.

Cadence, what I saw when I was young changed me.  I was 16 that day. My father was an arms dealer, he sold weapons to rogue nations, militias, gangs, all the scum who are willing to kill. When the HLF rose, these people were murdering not ponies but others. In Serbia, the Serbian HLF killed the Croatians, accusing them of stirring old hatred and yelling out USTASHIE!! USTASHIE!

Ustashie?

And old Croatian movement, which believed that all Serbs are inferior and must be killed.

Oh dear…

In America, the mess was bigger. In there, you have the White Nationalists, Hispanic Nationalists, Black Nationalists, Asian Nationalists, you name it. Violence was common, the law was powerless to stop it as the whole country was plunged into near-total anarchy…

Just why… why do you humans have so much pride on your countries? What makes you think one country is above the other?

I ask you the same; why did the Pony Tribes acted like Nazis to one another?

*Silence*

Even your history is full of nationalism and racism.

*Cadence sighs*

Celestia made her move again, this time by sending the migration capsules years later, declaring the now ravage lands as Equestrian colonies. They had two choices: Convert or leave. Despite that many were dead, some fought till Death for them. The last of the human nations reorganized and began to hand out Letters of Marque to anyone who captured an Equestrian airship. The government would pay for the refitting of the ships if they, the newly formed privateers would raid the colonies for money and hijack Sky Fleet vessels to be repurposed.

I see.

Several industries fallen, such as computers and the essentials. Those technologies are hard to come by, along with the people who know about them.  This happened in a 10 year span. It’s huge step backwards. We still have radio and television, mostly reruns or original works, along with using it for communication.

Sad to see humanity’s achievements being thrown back.

We’ll recover, that’s our spirit. We never give up and we won’t back down.

Thank you Captain for your time.

Make Advantage

JUST KEEP ON TRYING

KEEP ON FLYING

I WILL BE THE LIGHT

[Celestia gives a poisonous smile as she fires off a spiral of golden light. The camera moves away, revealing the massive flagship flying hundreds of battle banners.]

If we think of the dawn

as one beginning

[The sun rises in the horizon, several pusher configuration figthters break formation and fly off to different directions. Several pegasi pass by them. In the ruins of Persepolis, Cadence looks at the skies, Shining Armor runs towards a unknown direction. Doves fly away from his path, scattering feathers everywhere.]

If we think of right now

As the time to come

[Pegasi look at each other and begin to perform several aerial moves such as the Scissors, the Immelmann Turn, and Pugachev's Cobra.]

Together with you its a Cloud Age Symphony

In the direction where the light shines beyond the sea of clouds

[Rainbow Dash stops to look at the various explosions dotting the Equestrian skies. Many human-flagged ships return fire.  The scene changes to several Sky Fleet vessels escorting a migration capsule to the new colonies.]

Oh, can I have a moment

That is just like magic?

In exchange for a cold night

[Several unicorns run towards the edge of the ship and prepare for close range combat. A Mexican warship sailor prepares his bolt-action rifle and runs towards the edge of the ship, opening fire. Cadence fixes her beret and orders all guns to open fire. Cannons of all sorts open fire. A squadron of pegasi perform aerial manuvers across the snowy Siberian skies.]

The two of us

flap our wings

[A Equestrian battleship goes down as explosions surround it. A stray shell hits the middle portion, tearing it in halves. A massive Alliance Fleet begins to punch through the Equestrian fleet, showing no mercy to any ship that dares stop them.]

And grasp hold of eternity towards our journey's end

[Several bombers begin to bomb a Equestrian colony town. The ponies panic as they flee the destruction that came to them. Somewhere in the skies, a aircraft lands on the deck of a privateer airship.]

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 11

Make Advantage

Spitfire whistled as she saw the Old Equestrian Battleship back in operating condition.  Despite the attack a few months ago and spending a lot of their hard earned Escudos, it worth seeing the Crimson Lighting being able to fly again. The ship’s sirens wailed all over the island of Bermuda, announcing the crews it was time to leave.  Many finished up whatever they were doing, and returned to the ship. Roll call was taken.

“Engineering!” Spitfire said over the ship’s phone. “We are ready for takeoff.”

The Unicorn Chief Engineer began to turn several knobs. “Engines are on. Powering the turbines.” A soft roar filled the portion of the airship. Pulling several levers, the Star Swirl Unit came to life, giving off its rhythmic heartbeats.   “Lunastium levels are at 10% and rising.” A meter began to fill up with a milky blue liquid.  “60% and rising.”  The gauge was full. “Lunastium levels are at 100%. Pressure is normal and the Unit is functioning, no anomalies detected.”

The air battleship took off for the skies.

“Where to Captain?” The Helmsman asked.

“Set course for French Polynesia. We’ll meet up with the other Captains as well.”

“Aye-aye ma’am. Plotting a course for French Polynesia and keeping her steady as she goes.” The Helmsman rotated the ship’s wheel a little to starboard.

Canterlot

“Princess Celestia.” Gold Scroll said nervously. “I come to bring you unsettling news. There seems to be riots that have broken against our embassies in the Kingdom of Skiri and the Scylas Federation. The Griffons are demanding that Equestria either help or prepare for war.”

Celestia gave a laugh. “War? They? I control the Star Swirl Units on their ships. If they try anything funny, I will detach them.”

“Princess, we shouldn’t undervalue the gryphons. They may turn their weapons against our Units.”

“Their weapons are slow and not very dangerous, unlike the human ones of course.” Celestia added. “Gunpowder is such a potent force, the gryphons may have found ways to create explosives or propel a lead ball to great distances, but compared to the human weapons, which can fire rapidly without being reloaded is something to consider.” The large hovering crystals appearing, giving the Sun Princess a view of the events of the two Gryphon Nations… she gave a cold glare, seeing how they were lynching ponies. “Gold Scroll, send the 5th, 9th, 17th and 36th Fleets. Remind them who the masters of this world are.”

“Princess…”

The white alicorn shot the goldenrod Earth Pony a look. “Do I detect defiance on your tone my little Prime Minister?”

“As you wish Princess… it will be done.” Gold Scroll said with a submissive voice.

“And now to more pressing matters: The human that escaped from our grasp not long ago. Was the body found?”

“We are still searching Princess. We believe he couldn’t survive the fall. Even if he did, his bones would be broken now or be dead by hitting the water of the Great Lake.”

“His presence would be an utter blasphemy, polluting our sacred waters with his body.” Celestia said. “Two months ago and he hasn’t appeared? How is that possible?”

“The human is a veteran of what he calls the Second Chechen War.” Gold Scroll answered. “He is well versed in the art of warfare.”

“Then we’ll intensify our searches. He couldn’t have gotten away that far.” Celestia said.  “And with the closest town being Ponyville… he’s pretty much trapped like a wild animal. I want him brought back alive with no damage, we still have questions to ask.”

“So why did you save me from drowning, even though I could of potentially hurt you?” The Russian asked. “You saw me snap those necks and kill your guards in the most brutal way possible, yet, here I am two months later in a winter retreat in Canterlot. Just why… ?”

“Because we believe in hospitality, even to our enemies.” Luna answered. “It is a dishonor to us to not help out in any way we can.”

The man began to reflect about what a few veterans of the Soviet War in Afghanistan told him. The Pashtuns has a very complex code of honor. If one committed a crime and escaped, a tribe would shelter the person in question and even defend him. So maybe these ponies had that sort of honor, despite having a little to no history of warfare or occupation by a foreign power.

“All this reminds me of what a few friends told me back home… when they served in during the Soviet-Afghan War of ’79, how they the Afghans would shelter an enemy, give them their hospitality.”

“What has become of these Afghans?” Luna raised eyebrow with curiosity.

Grozny sighed. “Your sister wiped them all out, including the majority of the Middle East and Central Asia. Millions of souls transformed into ponies. She denies that the Ponies for Earth’s Rebirth were following her orders, but they were all converted against their will. This wasn’t just a simple persecution, it was mass genocide so that Celestia could declare those lands Colonies.”

Luna’s lips began to tremble.

“A genocide were blood wasn’t spilled…Celestia has all the land she wants.  How much more does she need?”

“I…”

“Do you know how many people were kicked out of their lands? Their countries, their cultures, their lifestyle, their very blood and sweat demolished.”

The Night Mare felt she was going to cry.

“She destroyed the ruins of Babylon, Egypt, many of the Greek ruins, Persepolis, the many great tombs of military leaders across Central and Southeastern Asia.”

Luna’s eyes bursted in tears.

“All because your sister thinks we built it all on war, slavery, destruction. This isn’t genocide on were many die, it is also a cultural genocide.” The Russian continued.  “We humans left all these achievements to give the generations of the future what we did and what we stood for.  We have fought against disease, the weather, predators,  against powerful oppressive regimes who want us to submit and live in fear.”

The man looked at the Night Mare in the eyes. The tears… those very tears, hot and flowing out slowly.

“You fear Celestia. You regret being Nightmare Moon but you still can’t shake the fear of being banished to the moon for 1000 years.  Inside, you’re afraid and paranoid. You hide it with a confident and ruling appearance, but that doesn’t fool me at all.” He continued. “You could of stopped this from the start, but that fear only made Celestia stronger, knowing no one can oppose her. I’ll be honest, if Celestia feeds off that fear and she’s unchecked, then there’s a name for that kind of people.”

Luna looked at the man.

“In my world, there’s people who feed off the desperate emotions: Anger, hatred, despair, vengeance. They come when they know you’re going through a hardship or difficulty. They say they want to help but you just feel they’re sucking the life out of you. Do know what we call those people?”

Luna nodded.

“Vampires. VAMPIRES! They don’t give a care about what happens! They’re all saying that they’re trying to help but all they do is make things worse.  All they want is you going through that stage so they can feed off the drama and make whispers and slander? Why? Because that’s what they’re good at! Freaking parasites that attach to you and suck all the life until they had their fill, let you recover and BAM they’re back for more. Celestia here is the biggest vampire , she saw our nature,  so she feeds on it, and then when she had a taste, she wanted MORE of it. And then the Bureaus opened…  and it would be over right? Oh no, she still wants more, and she’s not going to stop feeding on those emotions until we’re all dead or converted.”

The man’s hands balled up, shaking. “Nothing but a real kelpie.”

“A what?”

“According to the Celtic myths, the kelpie is a horse or pony that offers people to ride on their backs. If a person rides it, the coat becomes sticky and he or she can’t get off.  Then the kelpie goes to the nearest lake and drowns whoever was unlucky to ride it.”

Luna felt sickened.

“Oh that’s not the bad part, once the kelpie has drowned the victim, it begins to feast on the flesh.”

The Night Mare’s face turned green.

“The Scots, Irishmen, and Welsh use it as a slur on Equestrians, Defectors, and Newfoals…  fearing getting converted or anything. They have a name for you two: Queen Kelpies.”

“We…do not…feast on human flesh. Why dost humans make such things?”

“Because we humans are pretty much crazy, if we can’t find a logical explanation, we’ll make something up to explain it.” Grozny’s face plastered a wicked grin, then to seriousness. “Luna, there’s still hope to stop the genocide of the human race.  There are a lot of ponies here in Equestria who oppose this.”

“But…”

The Russian frowned. “You are weak and helpless. You will live in fear of your sister, and as long as you give her fear, she will use it to intimidate you. Stop it alright! Stop giving the vampire a reason to mooch on your very own life and stand up to her. Stop letting her bully you.  If Celestia succeeds in wiping off the human race, who will be next?”

“Sister mentioned doing the same thing with the Gryphons and Diamond Dogs.”

“Convert or die huh…” Grozny felt rage pumped to his veins.  “We need, no, YOU need to stand up against Celestia. You need to declare a rebellion.”

“WHAT!?” Luna shot. “Pony VS Pony? We can’t see the reason in that.”

“It always comes down to the brother VS brother thing.” Grozny explained. “But across human history, we had to turn against our own for many reasons: Economic reasons, a change of government, demanding peace, or overthrowing the rulers of our very own country.”

“But that will upset the balance of the world itself.”

“Who cares if you raise the moon and the kelpie on the throne is going to convert whole peoples into ponies against their will. This is a call for war. Not a war of expanding, it’s a war to defend what is most dear to us: Our lands, our culture, our way of life.”

“But Celestia did it for peace.”

“A peace that was forced? A peace based on kicking millions out of their homes? A peace based on a herd mentality? A peace based on genocide of not only my world but in your world as well?  You are letting your fear get a grip of you.”

Luna’s head began to hurt. Inside, two voices were fighting to make her reason. She screamed as she dropped to the floor.  The whole room was full of blood-stained feathers, the illusion changed of her being crucified to a large Persian saber against a green sky with 6 moons. Down below was a massive armada of Sky Fleet vessels. Celestia was wearing a military uniform while surrounded by three unicorns, two humans from Yucatan, and a gryphon. The Bearers of the Elements bowed to Celestia, they all agreed of her plan for peace.

And all she could do is scream.

Blasts of magic fired out from every corner of the ships. There was a deep moan of pain… the land was screaming as everything was being killed.  The blasts killed old, young, and the newborn… all humans. Whatever survived, the serum was dumped into them, converting them into Newfoals.

And then the Gryphons and Diamond Dogs… they screamed as the airships began to fire down on them.  All the hard work, all the things they did to make a name for themselves… destroyed under the banner of peace.

Ten years ago… Grozny’s voice rang in her head. 10 years ago… she stood there watching us die as many converted and SMILED! She stood there watching everything from the sky… and SMILED! She saw how the Human Liberation Front murdered their own kind following the beliefs of racist men and SMILED!

Luna turned her head, she was on the flagship… but how?  The large hovering crystals were showing her all the death and chaos spread. She gasped, watching how members of the HLF began to kill men, women, and children. One of them showed Serbians killing innocent Croats while they yelled that dreaded word. “USTASHIE! USTASHIE!”

The Night Mare gazed at another crystal.  African-American members of the HLF placed blindfolds on Newfoals and men of different ethnicities.  The guns cracked several times, the blindfolded dropped, blood pooling next to the cadavers. Another one showed angry Greek HLF hanging many Newfoals, along with Albanians, Macedonians, and Bulgarians.  One switched as the Japanese HLF murdered Newfoals and immigrants alike, while the words “Traitor”  “Sell Out”  “Spy” and “Celestia-fucker” was written in blood.

Luna turned pale.

And then Celestia turned to face her. She gave a venomous smile. Her horn gave a glow, levitating a bouquet of black roses.  “Peace. Prosperity. Order. Stability.” She chanted.  “It’s all for peace Luna. The humans must be converted or they will be destroyed. After the humans, the Gryphons follow, and then the Diamond Dogs.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

A golden light began to shine, and enveloped everything.

Luna opened her eyes. She looked around, the Russian man stared down at her and extended a hand. “So what now Princess? Will you give those who rebel against Celestia a banner to fly? Or will you let her get away with all the pain and suffering?”

Luna placed her left foreleg on his hand. The fingers wrapped around it and she was back on her legs. “We are going to stop all of this.”

“Good.” Grozny said and began to walk, thinking. “For now, what we need is forces. Regular and irregular.”

“The Night Guard have sworn allegiance to me and no one else.”

The man began to think. “Mercenaries. We can hire mercenaries for doing the dirty work of your rebellion.”

“Mercenaries?”

“Soldiers for hire, freelance commandos, private military companies, free men not bound by a flag, nation, or ideals. They will fight for whoever can pay them the most.”

“We have heard that the Skirian Azure Guard was disbanded, but roam the world looking for adventure.”

“Mercenaries.”  Grozny summarized.  “Contact them, tell them you are willing to pay what they demand plus a bonus.” He then looked at Luna. “I need you to confirm me this: Did the Sky Fleet capture pirate vessels?”

Luna nodded.

“Then chances are that Celestia is studying the weapons to give the Sky Fleet personnel and the Royal Guard the training on what to do when facing a gun-totting enemy.  But we’ll give them to the Mercenaries. I know a few spies in the Royal Guard who will pull the strings.”

“Pull the strings?” Luna blinked.

“They’ll smuggle the weapons out of Canterlot, but we need a safe place we can meet with the mercenaries.”

“We shall take care of that.”

“Princess, this is the start of a wonderful friendship.” Grozny quoted a famous movie.

French Polynesia

“The time has come to raid Equestria.”  Nikolaos said to Cadence and Shining, watching his crews train from below.

“But all the training would be for nothing.” Shining commented.

“Not unless we have the Elements of Harmony.” Cadence added. “If we could get them, we can really threaten my Aunt.”

“The Elements of Harmony…  Ah yes… the six ponies.” Nikolaos rubbed his chin.

“Twily…” Shining sighed.

“I guess it’s time to tell the ancient Mysterio of Harmony.” Cadence closed her eyes. Opening them,  she now knew them. “Captain, memorize these words, they will allow the Elements to obey whoever knows them.

Nikolaos turned to face the alicorn.

The Sun and Moon

Fire and Water

Earth and Air

Sky and Ether

The Elements that created the World

Each one co-existing in harmony.

The blue Skies give the Waters its blue surface

The Ether blows out the Air, carrying the leaves and pollen across great distances

The Earth nourishes life as Fire burns through all

Destroying all it crosses but purifying everything in its wake

The Sun gives out the warmth of day

A golden light that flows, and dyes our land gold

And the Moon the cold of night

A white light that shines on the land below

Scaring away the chaotic darkness that threatens to consume all

The Elements in Harmony

Harmony that breathes life to the world

“What a strange poem.” Nikolaos commented.

“It is a very old poem, passed down for generations.” Cadence responded.  “Now that the Elements for this generation exist, there is a chance for Equestria’s surrender.”

“If Celestia surrenders… but I doubt she will be given a fair trial.” Nikolaos looked to the many crews training for the big day. “Many of us want her dead for all the pain and suffering she caused to us. Many want her and all Equestrians to suffer what many of us felt when we were kicked out of countries for years.”

Cadence and Shining felt uneasy.

“Regardless, we all want Celestia to pay for converting millions, kicking people out of their homes, and to pay for all the suffering she caused.”  Nikolaos summarized.  “With the maps distributed to the nations, we have a chance to cross the Pegasus Corridor and into Equestria.”

A young man wearing a green uniform entered and saluted. “Captain Nikolaos, we await you at the meeting room.”

“I’ll be there shortly.” He replied.  “Let’s go.”

The two ponies followed.

The meeting room was full of men, women, and strangely ponies.  To Cadence and Shining Armor, this was very strange.  The light pink alicorn recognized the Wonderbolts here, why would they the mercenaries be here?  And these ponies, did they become pirates too? Or mercenaries? Or  Treasure Hunters?   A pony inserted something into a projector. The lights were turned off; a large paper screen was lit with the map of the Corridor.

It was all translated into English. It showed the two globes and their continents, oceans, and seas in perfect detail.  Up above them were many arrows pointing back and forth. The arrows formed a strange midsection that resembled the neck of an hourglass.

An Armenian man came up.  Cadence and Shining recognized him. He was the one in charge of the study back at Grozny’s place. “Before we start, I would like to thank Princess Cadence and her husband Shining Armor for providing us the original map which Grozny translated.”

The room was full of claps.

“Now to move on, ladies, gentlemen, Defectors. At long last we possess the map to Counter-Earth.  The tubes that you see in front of you contain a copy of the map. Your navigators shall pick the route which has the calmest current of air to smoothly navigate it.”

Everyone opened the tubes, revealing copies of the maps.

“What is this Star Swirl Triangle?” Captain Hiroshi of the Onyx Dragon Privateers inquired.

“It’s an area in the Corridor that will shut down any Unit.” Cadence answered. “Never go through it. It looks tempting to make a bypass through, you can see Routes 1 and 6 and the Triangle looks like the easy way to bypass but it’s a trap. Go through it and your Unit shuts off and no hope of turning it back on.”

The Japanese privateer bowed. “I thank you for the information.” He sat down.

“Now, the task comes on picking out the towns to raid.” The Armenian continued. “There’s a multitude of towns, we don’t know if there’s a Sky Fleet presence or not. Or if they’re building a new class of warships.”

“They only have a huge presence on the main shipyard towns. Stalliongrad being one of them.” Spitfire said.  “Smokey Mountain is another one, followed by the Neighara Falls, and the clandestine Oneighcron-27.”

“Oneighcron-27?” The Armenian eyed Spitfire.

“A closed city.” Cadence said.

“Ah, like the closed cities of the Old Soviet Regime.” Captain Ivan huffed.  “Tell me, why is it closed off?”

“A state secret, not even Shining could enter even if he had all proper authorization. Only my Aunt can enter.”

“Whatever it is, we’ll get to the bottom of it.” Captain Ivan said. “Just tell me where the city is and we’ll raid it to oblivion.”

“Ah’ll take Appleloosa.” Annabelle placed her feet on the table.

“Los Pegasus will provide a fine raid.”  Captain Korsakov said.

“I’ll take Ponyville.” Nikolaos said.

“Canterlot shall be dishonored by my crews.” Captain Hiroshi declared.

“Now,” The Armenian cleared his throat. “The various representatives of the last human countries have agreed that the Wonderbolts, the Dark Firebirds, the Zmey, and other mercenaries to transport them and their cargo to the Scylas Federation, the Kingdom of Skiri, and the Diamond Dog Confederation. We will try to form an alliance with them, once that set, we’ll have a powerful fleet enough to make Celestia and Luna surrender to avoid any bloodshed.”

Everyone nodded.

“This is how you make advantage.” Nikolaos whispered to the two ponies.  “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

The two looked confused. How does one make a friend out of an enemy?

“I’ll explain it when the meeting ends.”

Across the islands, several Heavy Polish Pusher Fighters were engaging in mock dogfights with the pegasi. If they were going to raid Equestria, they needed to know how to attack, evade, and pull out when the time needed. As the name said it, these pusher planes sacrificed speed and maneuverability for heavier armor and weaponry. Twin 12.7mm machine guns provided the main armaments, along with rocket pods located next to the heavy Lunastium engines found on the wings.

In another part of the sky, helicopter gunships practiced a V-Run as their cannons fired blanks in the mock town.

Several dropships landed in another island, the crews exiting and practicing on the false town.

In another island, riflemen began to practice the ship capture course.

In another island, several of the highly modified ships began to engage in faux duels. One side pretended to be the Equestrian Sky Fleet and the other the privateers and mercenaries.

Another island was full of the Treasure Hunters, ponies and humans began to look around for valuables, once the raids were over.

In the shooting range, many practiced their firing.

“One month’s worth of training will pay off once we get to Equestria.”  An Armenian rifleman said. “I can’t wait to burn it down.”

“We will.” An American totting a shotgun reloaded.

“Aye, me family will be happy to hear that I killed them damn kelpies.” A tall Scotsman reloaded his customized M4. “Fucking bastards, they think they can just come and convert us? Well not under old Magnus’ watch.” He fired at a Princess Celestia target, destroying the head. “Watch out Queen Kelpie, we’re coming for you.”

“Whatever ya say Scots.” The Armenian fired off his AK-47.

The meeting was adjourned.

Everyone left to their respective areas.

Nikolaos and the two ponies continued to walk across the hallways.

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend?” Shining raised an eyebrow. “How does that work?”

“An old saying.” Nikolaos explained. “Three factions are fighting it out in battle, until they realize that both have a common enemy. So they join forces to rid themselves of that enemy.  Scylas, Skiri and the Confederation may have their issues with Equestria, so do we, so the enemy:  the three nations, of my enemy:  Equestria is my friend: Humans.”

Two Weeks Later

Private Island Residence, Dragon’s Maw Island chain

The gryphons clad in azure armor looked at the Night Mare curiously. She explained of her rebellion against Celestia and promised them a hefty reward for their services plus combat pay, sick pay, and other benefits. The gryphons were interested, seeing how many months ago, the demands for mercenary services were on the low. But supporting a rebellion?

“And of weapons.”

“No, that won’t be necessary Princess.” The leader pulled out his custom flintlock pistol. “We have what we need.”

“I am afraid by our standards… that is an antique.”  A voice said.

The gryphons began to look for the source of the voice.

Grozny stepped in.

Their beaks lowered. The stories were true. They did exist!

“Like I said, those guns by human standards are antiques… just collector’s items.  We have better equipment.”

The gryphons murmured to each other.  They all looked at the human curiously, and then to each other.  Nods followed.  “If you human say you have better equipment, then show us.”

“Follow me.”

The gardens of the mansion were decorated with pony-shaped targets. The gryphons looked curiously as the man pulled out a Howa Type 64 assault rifle.  The man shouldered his rifle, and then fired two well placed shots into one.  Flipping the selector to full automatic, the gun roared as the casings were quickly ejected. A loud click was heard, then the gun was lowered.

“Impossible! What sorcery is this? No musket can fire that fast. Even a trained gryphon musketeer can’t fire several shots like that.” One of the Azure Guards said.

“There is no magic involved, just the advancements of human kind in the art of war.” Grozny explained. “What you saw with your eyes was a demonstration of an assault rifle.”

The gryphons looked at the human amazed.

“If you wish to accept this contract, then let me show you how to use these weapons. Those crates are full of them, courtesy of Princess Luna.”

The gryphons began to hunt for the new weapons.

Grozny began to explain the concept of the assault rifle to them. It was the beginning of the end of the Equestrian superpower…

Equestria will break. Thought the man as he continued to instruct.

Astral Chess

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 12

Astral Chess

The Azure Guard went over the mission objective. They were to hijack an Alicorn-Class battleship and deliver it to this island.  The attack would happen right after Luna raises the moon.  The target ship was the Commander Hurricane, which was assigned to patrol Canterlot.  According to Grozny, the objective is to wipe out all the crews in the Engineering section and the Bridge.   Once that is done, the ship is theirs without opposition.

“Whatever you do, don’t shoot the Star Swirl Unit.” Grozny explained pointing at a technical drawing of a pyramidal construct with pipelines, levers, and valves.  “If that does happen, you’ll blow up the ship and everything in it. When clearing out the Engineering section, fire in semi-auto. Full auto on close quarter fights is a risk. Always remember, one of the bullets will veer off its path and hit something else. When in doubt of shooting, just try ramming the butt of the gun on their heads.”

The Gryphons nodded.

“Get your guns prepared, stock up on ammo. Tonight you’re hijacking a ship.”

The Gryphons cheered.

French Polynesia

“Allow me to introduce you to Shqipe.”  Nikolaos said as a fairly tall woman with purple eyes and blond hair entered the room.  “Meet Shqipe, the Monster of Tirana.”

“Why is she called a Monster?” Shining raised an eyebrow.

“Because little pony.” The Albanian woman spoke. “I killed many many ponies with anything I got my hands on.  If I had nothing, then I’d use my hands.”

“Shqipe was in the Albanian Branch of the HLF. Her father was a Colonel in the Army, managed to supply them with a lot of weapons to kick out the ponies out of Albania… but the Albanian HLF had other ideas. They picked it out on the others because of old Clan feuds or vendettas against one another.”

“The current Equestrian colonies were the result of the Human Liberation Front’s blind devotion to the ideas of racial superiority or the goals of establishment of an utopia in their nations.  When Celestia saw our numbers dwindle down because of the HLF’s attacks, the colonists came and we were kicked out.”

“I’m sorry to hear…” Cadence placed her hoof on the woman’s shoulder.

“There is still hope for people to regain their lands, once the Elements are captured.”

“Shqipe here is head of our intelligence operations.  She needs information on the Bearers of the Elements so we may capture them.”

“Just don’t hurt Twily!” Shining shot. “If you hurt my little sister…” His nostrils flared.

“Rest assured that Shqipe will not hurt your sister.” Nikolaos said. “Now that we know this Twily is one, I’ll make sure that she isn’t hurt.”

“Better.” Shining left.

“You have to forgive him,” Cadence shook her head. “He’s just very sad not being able to see his sister.”

“He’ll see her in a matter of weeks, when we cross the Corridor and into Equestria.” Nikolaos gave a thumb up.

The sun set in the horizon.

Canterlot

Princess Luna finished raising the moon.

It was time. The gryphons spread their wings and flew to the patrolling air battleship. They landed on its deck. Up ahead was the large glass dome in the middle that formed the bridge.  The leader signaled to the rest to split up and clear the ship. They’ll meet in the bridge once it’s over.

An access hatch opened up, revealing a pegasus sailor whistling. One of the gryphons pulled out a knife bayonet, he approached the winged pony, the blade was brought down on its neck.  The pony’s mouth was covered. His eyes were closed, the gryphon threw the body off the ship.  “Clear.”

They entered the ship.

One of them pulled out the maps of the ship.  A claw pointed to several parts of the ship. They nodded and took off to their targets.

A Earth Pony sailor was complaining about patrol to a Unicorn. “I mean we’re the crew of a warship! Not a Royal Guard battalion. We crave action. We live through action. This is so boring there is no action here!”

The Gryphon lunged at the two.  Screams echoed in the hallway, followed by two gunshots. The bodies dropped, holes in their heads.  Hearing hooves heading his way, he hid the corpses in the shadows and waited. The pony went along his way. A knife blade quickly slices the pony’s throat.  “Good night little pony. See you in Hades.”

The sound of knocking echoed across the Engineering sector. A Unicorn engineer sighed as his horn glew, opening the door. He screamed as a gryphon holding a weapon stood right in front of them. The gun barrel flared once, the pony hit the floor in a instant.  The others began to scream out, taking cover behind the pipe work. Beams of magic flew towards the intruder.

The gryphon rolled out of harm’s way.  Getting up, he fired his rifle at the horned ponies. Engineering was clear, they weren’t so much of a threat with these new weapons.

The bridge doors were kicked open. The Captain of the Ship turned and saw several Griffins toting human guns… "HUMAN GUNS!?" He screamed as the bullets tore the crews to shreds. The Captain got in a defensive position, ready to charge the gryphons.  Sprinting towards them, he stopped as something felt… wrong.  He looked down, blood was coming out of his chest.  Shaking in fear, the pony closed his eyes.  There was a loud thud.

“Lukia!”  The lead Gryphon called over the ship’s phone. “Lukia?”

“Engineering’s clear Sorush.”  Lukia answered. “She’s all ours.”

Sorush placed his talons on the ship’s wheel.  Turning the wheel to starboard, the warship was slowly turning. “I freaking hate these kinds of ships. They’re so slow to maneuver around. How do the Equestrians even fly in these things?”

“That’s up to Celestia’s shipyards.” One of the Gryphon’s answered.

Several flares came out of the main palace tower.

“Black ,Red, Blue.” A gryphon said.  “They’re asking us what the fuck we’re doing with the ship.”

“Let them find out.” The lead gryphon spat.  “They won’t be able to pursue us.” Grabbing the ship’s phone, he pressed a button. “Lukia! Give us full speed!”

Lukia pulled on several levers. The turbines began to spin furiously; the Star Swirl Unit began to give louder beats.

Merida, Republic of Yucatan

If there’s anything the common people of Yucatan hated was living the Old Quarter sector of the city while the New Quarter overlooked them.

Those who refused to convert or were commoners were sent to the Old Quarter.  To some, this is the only way to live if not wishing to convert.  Others say this as social control, or as an experiment to see who converts and who doesn’t. Propaganda posters are found in every corner, conversion is the key to cease the lifestyle of the Old Quarter and move into the New Quarter.

The New Quarter always looked down upon them.  It was the creation of the Earth Ponies, who terraformed this part of the city to create a vast mountain range which housed a magnificent city.  To the commoners, this was a symbol of Equestria’s presence. The New Quarter could only accept the highest ranking members of society, the military, or Newfoals.  Entry was strictly prohibited unless a special pass was handed out. If one wished to go to the Conversion Bureau to turn into a pony, one needs to write a letter to obtain a pass and be converted.

The Yucatan Senate was full of the representatives from around the peninsula and the provincial nations of Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. Several trumpets sounded, the representatives got up as a platform lowered from the upper levels, revealing a Unicorn stallion wearing a military uniform and an eyepatch on his left eye.  This was General Platinum Halberd, the Premier of the Republic of Yucatan.

As the Premier made his descent, reports of the provinces were given out.  The Representative of El Salvador mentioned the increase of Resistance activities in the province, along with the crimes of arms trafficking, destruction of government property, and 345 Newfoal deaths.

Guatemala reported an increase in Conversion.

So did Nicaragua.

Honduras and Belize reported the loss of major shipyards and facilities to small privateer raids in the area.

As they kept discussing the current state of affairs of the Republic, up in the skies, something headed their way.  Disguised as clouds by pegasi under Mexican employ, the massive fleet of battleships moved at full speed towards Merida.  Today, the puppet state of Yucatan ends.  Months of training in the Chihuahua Desert, expelling colonists out of there was just a warm up.

Today YUCATAN BURNS!

The pegasi moved the clouds.  Several flags were raised.  One flag was the Mexican Republic naval jack, the second one was a red Cross of Saint James.

The spotter in Merida, a Unicorn levitated her binoculars. Focusing them on the waving flags, she gasped.  She trotted out, yelling that they were here.

The 34th Fleet also known as the Catholic or Cristero Fleet has arrived into Yucatan.

The one fleet they never wanted to open fire on them.

“Commander!” A sailor called. “We are within firing range of Merida. All ships await your orders.”

The Commander of the Fleet, an old Mexican looked at Merida as it got closer. “I want all ships to form several rows. We’ll go with the Musketeer tactic.”

The XO relayed the order.

The fleet began to form 8 lines.

Air raid sirens wailed all over Merida.

“PREMIER! PREMIER!” A Navy Pegasus entered. “MEXICO! THE CRISTERO FLEET!”

Platinum Halberd’s nostrils flared up. “I want the AA defenses ready! Scramble all pegasi! Call the provincial fleets to come here as fast as they can! We cannot let Merida fall!”

“Ladies, Gentlemen, and Equestrians who defected to our cause!” The Commander spoke. “Today is a glorious day for our Fleet. Today is the day we bring down the Equestrian Puppet of Yucatan and punish the traitorous separatists who sold our once glorious Republic to Celestia.  Months of training by expelling the Colonists from Chihuahua will bear fruit!”

Mexican sailors and Marines got their guns ready.

“Today we show them the hearts of true Mexicans!  Today YUCATAN WILL BURN! Let us show to Celestia that Humanity will not bow to her, but will bow to the true King! VIVA CRISTO REY!”

“VIVA CRISTO REY!”  The chant echoed across the ships.

“FIRST LINE OPEN FIRE!”

The first line of battleships aimed their deck mounted quad guns down into the city. Smoke stacks were seen as countless shells rained on the city.  Destruction rained across the city.  Fires started wherever the shells detonated.

A spotter looked at incoming objects heading for them.  “YUCATANESE PEGASI COMING AT FULL SPEED! 120! NO! 180 PEGASI HEADING AT FULL SPEED!”

“SECOND LINE! PREPARE FOR AA FIRE! DO NO LET THEM GET NEAR THE THIRD LINE!”

AA guns were mounted across the ships of the second line. From .50 calibers to the 23mm Russian guns, they all calibrated the sights, others cocked their guns, around the ship, and hatches opened up, revealing rocket pods, Gatling guns, and missile launchers.

The pegasi managed to break past the 1st line.

“OPEN FIRE!” A voice commanded.

Rockets and missiles hissed out as gunfire erupted around the ships.  A Pegasus landed on the deck of the ship.  A Mexican sailor unloaded his assault rifle’s magazine on it. Across the sky, explosions dotted the skies.  One of the pegasi screamed as the bullets plucked him out of the skies.

“PAYBACK YOU SONS OF BITCHES!” A Mexican sailor fired his Mauser rifle at a passing pegasus. Pulling on the bolt, the sailor moved his rifle to the direction of the flying pony.  The rifle fired another shot, the gun ejecting the spent casing, another bullet being chambered.

A tripod mounted M60 fired at any pegasi that passed through its line of sight.

The pods hissed again, releasing a salvo of rockets at the sky.  Gatling guns rotated rapidly as a stream of hot lead towards any enemy that dared to get close.

“PRINCESS CELESTIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” A pegasus spiraled down to its doom.

“THIRD LINE! OPEN FIRE ON THE MOUNTAINS!”

The guns of the third line aimed at the mountains that housed the New Quarter. The gunnery crews loaded up high velocity shells on the bores of the cannons.  Lights went green, the gunnery chief gave the order. The cannons made a symphony of chaos as the shells detonated on the mountains.  The city began to panic as they felt horrible tremors.

Across the panic-stricken New Quarter, several Unicorns lined up. Their horns gave off glows of various colors. Beams flew off to the skies.

“They are opening fire on us!”

“FIRST LINE! SHELL THE CITY TO OBLIVION!”

Shells rained down on the city. Casualties were climbing every second.

“Premier… it would be best if we surrendered.”  The Representative of Belize suggested.  “The Mexicans are not going to stop until Merida is in flames. We can’t lose so many lives! Sir!”

“I won’t stand down. We’re giving it our all to defend our nation. GLORIA CELESTIA!”

The Representative of Belize pulled out a revolver. “Gloria Celestia nothing! Don’t you see!? Celestia started a war she cannot WIN! Her Conversion Bureaus angered a lot of people! Expelling people from their lands just added more wood to the fire!” He pulled on the hammer.  “If you cannot rationalize and follow the ideals of a false peace based on converting humans into ponies or expelling them on their lands, then fuck you.”

The unicorn stallion’s nostrils flared. “You DIRTY HUMANS!” The horn gave a glow.

The man fired his revolver several times. The barrel hissed out hot gasses.

The unicorn’s body was riddled with holes, blood seeping out of them.  Premier Platinum Halberd was no more.

Yucatan was leaderless.  Explosions shook the city.

The whole Senate gasped.

“It’s over!” The Representative of Belize exclaimed. “Yucatan is over! We were all fooled by Celestia and we are being punished by God Almighty for this sin.”  He removed his hat and placed it on his chest. “And we should all accept this punishment.  We are all sinners and we will be cast down to Hell for this. But so be it! The flames of Hell shall purge us clean.”

“ALL SHIPS! PREPARE FOR THE ALPHA STRIKE!”

The Cristero Fleet prepared their arsenals. As they city was in view, everyone awaited the moment of truth.  Fires were spreading out to the city, people and ponies panicked, trying to find refuge from the destruction.

“OPEN FIRE!”

Cannons, pods, launchers roared as their payloads exploded on the city. Screams were heard as the blasts consumed everything in its path.  Across the Peninsula, eyes stared at the massive plume of black smoke that rose into the air.

Merida was wiped out of the map.  The Mexicans cheered and howled, Yucatan was finally punished for its rebellious nature.  Around the peninsula, the human populace rose against the Elite and Newfoals, lynching them without any consequence. Many flags of the Republic were set on fire, waving in the air as fires devoured them.

The Cristero Fleet separated, each line will deploy its Marines to occupy the Peninsula and the provincial nations until a stable government can be put to power.

Amalek

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 13

Amalek

The Amalek of this generation is Equestria! For every generation, there has been an Amalek to mock us and wish for our destruction but we have stood still and tall.  Now a new Amalek has risen from the shadows, one that seeks to destroy our forms and replace them with a brainwashed shell that is a mockery of us.  We as Jews, we are told to remember what Amalek did to us as we left Egypt and now I will remind you that the Amalek of today is Equestria and its ruler is Princess Celestia and her sister Princess Luna.

They have promoted a hideous blasphemy, to convert into ponies and leave this world for theirs! WHO ARE THEY!? The ponies worship her and engage in disgusting behaviors and worship these…these monsters as idols! I say this because of the terrorist attacks committed by the PER many years ago, they have converted the entire region, we’re surrounded by them and we don’t know when they will seep into our  borders and try to convert us.

It is time for all Jews in Israel to take arms against the Amalek of this generation. And I quote “You shall blot out the name of Amalek from under Heaven. Do not forget!”

This is a call to arms! All Jews are to purchase a weapon and form a militia to train in the use of firearms, explosives, and tactics. We must be on alert and be prepared to move out to smite the Ponies out of the world. DO NOT FORGET!

A unicorn was sobbing as she was being dragged across the asphalt, the motorcycle stopped, the rider whistled, several men and women popped out with Galil rifles of different barrel sizes. The rider, a young man pulled out his Jericho and racked the slide one time. The men and women cocked their rifles and aimed it down at the mare. “Any last words?” The man asked as he pulled the hammer.

“I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING! PLEASE! I’M IN YOUR SIDE!”

“Likely story!” The man said. “Now go to wherever you ponies are punished for all the misdeeds you’ve done.” The trigger was pulled several times.

The unicorn mare went limp. The wounds began to seep out blood. The men and women fired a few times and left the scene.

Rockets were fired from Israel and Lebanon to pony-occupied Jordan. The rockets detonated everywhere, they did not discriminate age or gender or sexuality. Fires destroyed buildings, fillies cried out for their parents, only to see their homes or workplaces being hit with the warheads.  The towns and cities were afraid…afraid of these rockets and their explosive payloads… why did they do this?

In the darkness of night, rocket launchers fired out against the settlements. Fires were reported from every city in Jordan.

The days seemed like forever. Everyone was afraid to leave their homes.

And then it happened….

A massive fleet of Old Equestrian Battleships flying a white flag with light blue stripes and a Star of David appeared out of the rising morning sun.  Their guns aimed down while several of them carried massive bombs in their undersides.  They were moving at full speed, the captains of each vessel ordered for the green flares to be fired out.

Green flares were seen.

The Israeli airships turned their guns down to the surface.  Shells of all calibers began to rain down on the Jordan. Explosions destroyed everything in their path.  The bombs were released, fireballs erupted from the ground and turned into plumes of black smoke.

Ponies began to flee from the destruction, as others began to pray to Celestia. But they found out it was futile…the blasts killed them.  More bombs were released, the earth shaked as the bombs detonated, releasing their payloads into whatever it hit.

“DO NOT FORGET!” An Israeli Captain cried. “NEVER FORGET WHAT AMALEK DID! BLOT THEM OUT OF THE FACE OF THE EARTH!”

Several of the ships landed, releasing armed men and women. Gunfire roared everywhere. Screams of pain and agony echoed non-stop.  An Israeli soldier shot a pregnant mare in her gut, the mare dropped and sobbed, mourning the loss of her fillies. She looked at the soldier who prodded her nose with the barrel of her rifle.  There was a sound of thunder.

A statue of Celestia was damaged beyond repair. A stray shell impacted it, destroying it for good.

A dozen of pregnant mares were surrounded by Israeli soldiers. Their faces hidden through the ornate masks. The rifles cocked. The mares began to kowtow to them, others begging for their lives, mentioning how they too were young. Others tried their best to defend themselves from the attackers. “Kill the Amalekites!” The lead soldier said in Hebrew.

Gunfire roared out of the rifles.

The mares lied dead, their wombs and bodies riddled with bullet holes.

Jordan was set on fire as the Israeli ships and soldiers tore through the land.

French Polynesia

“So…” Nikolaos said as he heard the radio transmissions. “Israel found Amalek and will now blot them out of existence.”

Cadence raised an eyebrow.

“Come, I will show you something.” Nikolaos got up and lead the two ponies into the ship’s study. Pulling out a book in Greek, he tapped the cover. “The Bible, the Holy books of the Jews and Christians that was written by the Prophets of Israel and the Apostles of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

“What does a book have to do with Israel?” Shining asked.

Nikolaos opened it and stopped at a page. “Book of Deuteronomy Chapter 25, Verses 17 to 19.” He cleared his throat. “Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked those who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God. When the Lord your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land He is giving you to possess an inheritance, you shall blot out Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!”

Shining felt sick upon hearing those words.

Cadence turned pale. “G-g-genocide!”

“Indeed.” Nikolaos closed the book.

“How can…. I don’t get it! Isn’t the Human God supposed to be benevolent and peaceful?” Shining gagged again.

“This is the Old Testament, when God was strict with the Jews. The Amalekite Genocide was a direct order from Him, disobeying His Orders was punished severely. The Amalekites attacked the Jews so God saw what they did, He ordered to kill them all.”

“How does that text relate to this?” Cadence demanded to know.

“A Jewish friend told me that in every generation, there is an Amalek to stand up against. The Amalek of this generation is the Equestrians: Colonist and Newfoal. They will not stop until they are erased out, they may have offered peace to them if they accepted Noahide Laws, but the Ponies could have rejected them.  Now comes the war to erase them all.”

Cadence and Shining gulped.

Jordan

A surviving mare looked at the destruction of the Colony.  Around her, dead bodies lay; the buildings were scorched and sacked of anything that belonged to the former owners.  The airships blocked out the sun, casting a massive shadow. Looking up, she screamed to the heavens and began to scream blasphemies against Celestia. Foam came out of her mouth as she violently twitched, spewing out words in Pashto, and then Persian, Turkish, Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. She screamed as her mind was flooded with visions.

She dropped and took one final breath. Raising her head, she screamed out. The voice was heard everywhere followed by a deep silence.

The Beginning of the End

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 14

The Beginning of the End

The airships ascent ended when the dark blue end of the sky gave a white glow.  The humans looked amazed at the spiraling winds that howled in a spiral, resembling those of the rifling of a gun barrel.  Thunder exploded around every corner, as if some demonic force laughed at them. The howls matched those of the dead, their souls trapped, forever to wander the air currents alone. To many, the Fall of Equestria begins right now.

The Navigation Officer of each ship prepared their routes to Equestria.

The engines of each airship hummed softly, the Star Swirl Units giving off their heartbeat rhythms. “Sometimes…” The Chief Engineer of the Chimera, soot black Unicorn with amber eyes and a cog with a machete cutie mark said. “I wonder if the ship is alive…”

The pink alicorn and white unicorn stallion looked at the C.E with a puzzled look.

“Star Swirl Units are the hearts of the ship; it’s what keeps them flying. When Celestia detaches them…I see a ship scream and then silenced as she is grounded…such a despicable little shrew… Many a Gryphon and Diamond Dog lost their ships on crimes they never committed.”

Nikolaos looked out from the bridge at the air currents. Ships of all makes began to make their way across the storm that connects the two worlds.  Flags of all colors flew, from the defectors who wanted Celestia dead, the Privateers who wanted payback, and the Envoys with the diplomatic cargo.

The days passed as they saw a massive golden orb glow in the distance.

“Brace yourselves! We’re entering Counter-Earth!” It was the message radioed to all ships.

The crews grabbed hold to anything they could find. The ships rumbled for seconds and then it stopped.

Maps of Equestria were rolled out.

“You just stood there and smiled…” The Armorer of the Chimera said as he clicked through his rosary beads. “10 years ago…you came here and watched us die out…and SMILED.” His mind began to flash him those memories, those years of suffering…the anarchy, the chaos, and the many that were kicked out of their homes. Putting his religious beads aside, he pulled out a hammer and continued to work on his current project: A souped up .454 Casull revolver dubbed Alicorn Killer.

“There is no force, no money, and no power to stop us now and change our fate.” A Croatian privateer said darkly.

The fleets continued their flight across the storm.

MACHINES WE ARE SENDING TO THE SKIES

ABOVE US ALL

AND LEAVE BEHIND THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW

OF THE FINAL DAY

WE LEAVE IN SLEEP THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW

AND WE LEAVE AT DAWN

WE ARE DRIVEN BY THE B-MACHINE

THAT NEVER STOPS

The Cossack captain raised his swords, giving a war cry to rally his crews.

Combat crews were refining their aim on the shooting ranges of their respective vessels.

Cooks were preparing for large meals.

Accountants opened up the ship’s vaults, making sure that there is enough space for the fillies and colts along with the loot.

“It ends now.” Nikolaos pulled out a customized TT-33 and racked the slide.

The airships began to exit the Pegasus Corridor. It was early morning, at this hour, Celestia would raise the sun.

The angel white alicorn gasped as she saw the many airships exit the storm. A golden light behind it. As she finished raising the sun, she turned towards Canterlot. They were here and now they were going to run loose across the country.  Landing on the balcony, her horn began to glow.  Black and red flares were seen all over Equestria.

We are driven by the B-Machine

Wild B-Machine that never stops

Let the sun fall into the ocean

Let the Earth erupt in flames

It is enough to have the strength and knowledge

To raise our dream machines into the sky

“Set course for Ponyville!” Nikolaos ordered. “All combat crews are to prepare for Operation Prometheus.”

The airships began to split up, each one heading towards a particular destination.

Cannons aimed down at the towns and cities across Equestria. There was the sound of thunder that echoed across the winds.

MACHINES WE ARE SENDING TO THE SKIES

ABOVE US ALL

AND LEAVE BEHIND THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW

OF THE FINAL DAY

WE LEAVE IN SLEEP THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW

AND WE LEAVE AT DAWN

WE ARE DRIVEN BY THE B-MACHINE

THAT NEVER STOPS

MACHINES WE ARE SENDING TO THE SKIES

ABOVE US ALL

AND LEAVE BEHIND THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW

OF THE FINAL DAY

WE LEAVE IN SLEEP THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW

AND WE LEAVE AT DAWN

WE ARE DRIVEN BY THE B-MACHINE

THAT NEVER STOPS

In Ponyville, a pink Earth Pony screamed as an airship came into view.  Everyone looked at her, her hoof pointing at the skies. They all saw the black hued ship with a golden lion with a goat’s head sticking out of its back and a snake for a tail mounted on the bow of the ship. Its guns aimed down at the quiet little municipality.  The barrel roared as a high explosive shell exited, smoke hissing out as the rest followed.

Elephant Gambit

The Conversion Bureau: The Paladium Wings

Chapter 15

Elephant Gambit

“We are here for six ponies! And six ponies only! These are the Elements of Harmony.” Nikolaos pointed at the photos on the chalkboard.  “They are to be brought alive to this ship. Disobey this order and you will be shot. We clear out in 10 minutes! Get ready.”

The combat crews saluted. They all exited the briefing room and went into the lockers, getting out their equipment. In the Armory, the Mexican-American began passing out the weapons and spare magazines to the black clad troopers. The dropships were loaded, and they launched into the skies. The airship ceased its firing, the scared ponies looked at the metallic constructs land. Hot steam hissed out as the hatches opened, revealing dozens of them, with guns of all makes and periods.

Panic exploded.

The Chimera Raiders began to march in an organized fashion, as if they were ordered by a machine that never ceased to operate. A wild machine that never stops.

“ATTACK!” A Serbian raider cried out.  Plugging the bayonet into his M48 rifle, he saw a curious little filly and raised it. He brought it down with such a force. The little pegasus cried out as the blade sticked out of his stomach, the blade pushing deeper and then it was pulled out.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” The mother mare cried out.

Gunshots erupted everywhere.

A house was breaked into. The loud footsteps filled the entire house. The raider checked his corners, ensuring no one or anything could attack him. Opening the drawers, he began to examine the contents. Just some scratch money and silver jewelry. Something was something. Pocketing, he took his leave to the rest of the violence.

“HERE YOU GO YOU SONS OF BITCHES!” A raider hurled a Molotov towards a statue of Celestia.  “REPENT FOR YOUR SINS! FOR THE HOUR OF JUDGEMENT HAS COME!”

Several royal guards surrounded a shotgun-wielding raider. The purple eyed Albanian woman gave a smirk as she raised the weapon and pulled the trigger once. The buckshot tore through the guards’ head. Flipping the selector to a different position,  the gun was aimed at the next guard.  Pulling the trigger, one blast put the guard down, the shotgun moved to the next, he went down instantly. Two shells were ejected.

The town hall’s door exploded as several rifle bullets pelted it. Two figures entered, checking their corners with their Vector rifles, the South African version of the Galil. Opening the drawers, they began to look for intelligence on the location of the Elements of Harmony. As they looked across the folders, the found what they were looking for.  One of them pulled out his communicator. “Chimera 17 to Flagship. We found the location of the Elements of Harmony. Stand by for the location.”

“Roger that Chimera 17.” The Communications Officer pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.  “We are ready.”

“Pinkie Pie: Sugarcube Corner.” Chimera 17 said. “Applejack:  Sweet Apple Acres.” He looked at the sheets of paper. “Rarity: Carousel Boutique.” He eyes scanned the documents. “Fluttershy: Cottage outside Ponyville.” He continued to scan.  “Rainbow Dash: Skies of Ponyville, we’re gonna have to flush her out with cannon fire.”  His ears caught something, quickly turning, his hand whipped out a TT-33 and fired it at the incoming threat. The Royal Guard dropped from the pistol shots to his head.

“Chimera 17! What’s going on down there!?”

“Royal Guards were coming in, here’s the continuation for the rest.” He cleared his throat. “Twilight Sparkle: Golden Oaks Library.”

“Copy that. We are sending the locations of all Chimeras.”

“Roger, we are withdrawing from Town Hall and resuming the raid.”

Canterlot

“PRINCESS!” A Royal Guard screamed, but several shuriken penetrated his skull.

Celestia looked at the direction of the sharp metallic stars.

A tall Japanese man pocketed them, pulling out his three piece staff. “It has come to this Solar Tyrant. Your kingdom is starting to fall. We are going to destroy you no matter what.”

Remaining calm, the white alicorn’s glow gave off its golden aura. The man threw one portion of the staff at her. The chain wrapped on her neck. “Bow down.” He said.  She gave him a cold defiant look. The man pulled on the chain, forcing Celestia to bow to him.  “Good. Now DIE!” His hands began to pull on the chain. Celestia groaned in pain as the chain began to squeeze her neck.  “Yes… I can see it, I will be remembered as the man who slew Celestia!”

Celestia began to slowly get up. The golden aura of her horn turned into a dark purple. “Welcome to the herd my little pony.”

The man looked frightened.

The beam flew to the man.

There was a scream of pain as the body was horribly deformed. It ended with silence as an innocent red Newfoal looked around in confusion. All there was a three piece staff and a few shurikens. A Vietnamese man looked at the scene. “ROSHI! ROSHI!” He raised the Type 81 Assault Rifle at Celestia.  “YOU.MONSTER! YOU DISGUSTING ABOMINATION! I WILL SEND YOU TO HELL AND BURN!” He pulled the trigger, the rifle discharging the contents.

The bullets bounced off Celestia, she smirked as a invisible barrier was revealed.  “You think I am ignorant of your weapons? I have studied them and their effects.” She smiled as her horn gave a purple glow. “Don’t worry, you will soon be with Roshi but this time as one of my little ponies.”

The Viet reloaded his assault rifle, bringing it up to her head.

“Come now, you know that isn’t going to work.” Celestia approached the man slowly.

A stray shell impacted the palace. Both tumbled to the floor. The man got up in a panic, lit a pipe a bomb and rolled it towards Celestia’s direction.

The man ran and dolphin dived into the floor. The sound of a deafening explosion was the only thing he could register. No one could have possibly survived that blast.

“THE TREASURY IS HERE!” An excited Korean said. “CHONG! ZHANG! LI! GET OVER HERE AND HELP ME BLAST THE DOOR!”

Three Chinese raiders loaded up their AK-47s. “FIRE!” Li commanded.

The four blasted the metallic door until the magazines went dry. Metal began to whine as the screws dropped to the floor. The four looked at the contents… They were mesmerized by the contents. Platinum, gold, and silver in all shapes and forms. The four entered and began to stuff their pockets with whatever they could fill them with. Something was heard entering . They turned around.  The Chinese brought their rifles up. “You!?”

Celestia was smiling.

The four fired their weapons at her.

The projectiles bounced off her. A red glow enveloped the horn. “Goodbye forever, disgusting humans.” Celestia said darkly.

Zhang whipped out a TT-33. Celestia flinched as the pistol was pointed at her. The dreaded gun of Dragon Nikolaos was gaining infamy with the pirates. She slowly backed off, the Chinese keeping the gun’s laser sight on her head. “Tokarev would be proud that his gun killed an Alicorn. They still make them like they used too.” He walked towards Celestia, noticing a scar on her side. “His bullet is lodged…it slowly moves towards your spine, you feel stronger every day, but that bullet is like a ticking clock.” He fired at the roof, the harsh crack made Celestia twitch in fear, backing away in panic.

The pistol fired again, it went through its cycling process.  The sights were aligned to her scar. “One pull of the trigger…and the Greek’s bullet will be propelled to your spine. You will suffer the most agonizing pain…”

A shell from the attacking airships shook Canterlot again. Below them, the city was on fire. Ponies began to flee the destruction as the fires spread across. The men finished their looting while others began to massacre the ponies, the young ones were taken for the ransom.

“Look outside…”The Chinese man said. His free hand gave a signal to leave. “Outside, your city burns just like lava.” He pulled the hammer. “Your kingdom’s time has come. There is no power, no money, and no force to stop us. You started this and now you will pay the price.”

Celestia looked at the Chinese aggressively.

A shot missed her by a few inches. The man took his leave.

Shells continued to rain down at Canterlot.  A home was set on fire; the raider killed the occupants with extreme prejudice.  All that was left were corpses along with bullet cases.

Celestia looked outside. She screamed in rage. All over Equestria, airships rained death and destruction to all the populace.  Large smoke stacks rised from the horizon. A shell impacted a part of the castle, setting whatever contents on fire. “You…FILTHY APES! JUST DIE ALREADY! DIE ALREADY!”

A small cruiser came into view. It raised the flag of the defected ponies. The Princess flinched as the turrets turned on the palace.

“Load high explosive shells!” The unicorn captain ordered.

The gunnery crews loaded the bores with the massive projectiles.

Celestia gave a scream as the cannons fired against the palace. The projectiles detonated against  the structure, weakening it with every blast.  Getting up, her wings spread.

“All ground units! Leave the city! The defectors have fired upon the palace, mission complete.”

Ponyville

The Golden Oaks Library seemed empty. The two men lowered their weapons, one of them said something in Czech, the other responded in Slovak. The two nodded as they began to search the library for Twilight Sparkle.  A pair of purple eyes looked at them from a small opening on the floor. The two men began to search, looking for anything of value. The Slovak began to knock on the walls, hoping that one of them was hollow. Twilight noticed a large clump of red cylinders with a white cloth rope coming out of them.  The Czech began throw books to the floor, saying how the old knock on the wall was useless, pulling out his CZ75, the pistol fired several times at the shelves. “Bah!”  The Czech complained. “Nothing here.”

“Patience….” The Slovak replied. “Remember, we need the Unicorn alive. That was Shining Armor’s orders and to the extent, the Captain.”

Shining is with them? Twilight wondered. She decided to keep low to watch these two.

The Czech continued to throw books around and firing a few shots into the empty shelves. “Where is she? I’m going to run out of ammunition if I keep this up.”

“Perhaps she is not here.” The Slovak said slyly. “Let’s leave, maybe she escaped.”

Footsteps were heard, along with the shutting of the door.

“Come on Spike, it’s safe.” Twilight opened the secret basement door.

The baby dragon sighed in relief.

The sound of something made the lavender unicorn’s ears twitch.

The Czech pointed his Vz.58 at the two, the Slovak kept the barrel of his Galil rifle pointed at the unicorn’s head. “I used to be an egghead like you ,until I took a bullet to the knee.” The Slovak cocked the weapon. “It’s  set on full automatic, if you try to do anything funny… if you try to run away…if you try using your… magic on me or my friend here…you will be riddled with 35 5.56x45mm bullets, enough to disfigure your corpse.”

The Czech looked at Spike. With a grin, he pulled out his knife. “Let’s see if the myths of old are true.” He approached Spike and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him to his face.

“Leave him out of this, the last thing we need is a bitter dragon… and the Archangels will not spare us a suffering.” The Slovak hissed.

Spike turned a bit pale. “Please…”

The Czech smiled as he prepared the knife.

Something in Twilight’s mind kicked in. Seeing the Czech, she slammed the raider, the knife slipped away.  The man kicked her off, and began to wrestle her.  The two were struggling to pin each other to the floor or any wall.

“MOVE!” The Slovak switched to semi-auto. “FUCKING MOVE!” He tried to get a bead on Twilight.  Seeing the man getting ready to fire, she turned around. The rifle fired. The Czech dropped to the floor hard. “FUCK!” He turned the rifle to the unicorn. The rifle gave a loud click. “FUCK! JAMMED!”

Twilight levitated Spike and placed him on her back.  She trotted out. She stopped. Ponyville was in flames. Gunfire erupted from all sides; yells in different languages were heard.  Behind her, several bullets passed her, she turned around. Several of them were coming, and they looked too happy to give a chase. Spike yelled about how they were running towards them.

From afar, a raider lowered his binoculars and prepared his grenade launcher. Loading up tear gas shells, the raider aimed the launcher into the sky. The shells headed downward.

The shells landed on the unicorn’s path.

“I got a bad feeling about this Twilight.” Spike commented nervously.

The shells began to hiss a red mist. The two began to cough violently as the gas entered their noses. Tears escaped their eyes. Everything was going blurry, the darkness overtaking them. The gas was vented out, a raider gave a devilish grin as he looked at the defeated pony and dragon.  Pulling her mane,  their eyes met. “We have plans for you pony…” He said.  “Guys, take her to the dropship, make sure she doesn’t try to escape.”

Several raiders nodded.

Twilight tried to get up.

A raider raised his AK-74 into the air and brought the butt down with brute force.

Everything went dark.

“HERE YOU GO YOU SUKAS!” A Raider threw a Molotov at an apple orchard. “YOUR LIVES ARE OURS! YOUR APPLES ARE OURS! YOUR FARMS ARE OURS! THEY ALL BELONG TO THE CHIMERA NOW!”

A few raiders lobbed grenades at the house. “BURN!” A Hungarian said as he continued to throw them.  “BURN IN HELL PONIES! THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM JUDGEMENT! THE FINAL DAY IS COMING!”

Several lights turned on.

The raiders cocked their weapons, aiming them at the door. “COME ON OUT APPLEJACK!” said a East German.” VE PROMISE VE VILL SHOW MERCY! VE COME IN PEACE!” He continued. “IT IS NOT YOU WHO WE HAVE IT AGAINST, IT IS AGAINST ZE NAZI TYRANT YOU CALL CELESTIA! VICE-CAPTAIN SHINING ARMOR PROMISES SAFETY AND FOOD AND WATER ABOARD OUR SHIP!”

“No response…” The Hungarian raider groaned. “Can’t we set this place on fire now?”

“Dummkopf!” The East German shot. “And vaste all ze delicious appels? THINK OF ZE APFELSTRUDELS! AND ALL DELICIOUS PASTRIES!”

“I don’t have the time to deal with a Nazi like you.” The Hungarian countered. “Or waiting for a redneck pony to come out peacefully.” He cocked the G3 rifle. Going up the small stairs, he blasted the door. Kicking it open, he checked his corners. “Come on out little redneck pony, and this Hungarian motherfucker will be merciful to you and your hick family.” Hearing something upstairs, he grinned as he moved the rifle to the roof and pulled the trigger.  Holes blasted across the roof, bullet cases hitting the floor…silence.

Reloading quickly, the Magyar man fired again to the roof.

“AAAAAAAH!” A scream was heard.

“APPLEJACK!” A young voice screamed.

Going up, he kicked the door open. He found a orange mare bleeding from the wounds. The exit hole was bigger. There was a red mane filly sobbing on her body. The man slowly lowered his rifle.

Hearing a pair of footsteps, the East German looked at the bleeding Applejack and then to the Hungarian. A vein throbbed angrily, his eyes going red. “DUMMKOPF! THE CAPTAIN WANTED HER ALIVE! NOT BLEEDING TO DEATH!”

“She had to be incapacitated! We couldn’t let her fight.”

“THERE WAS A HUMANE WAY TO STOP THIS!”

“NAZI!”

“I DON’T HAVE THE TIME TO DEAL VITH ZIS VASTE OF TIME! EITHER YOU HELP ME OUT IN SAVING WHAT’S LEFT OF HER OR THE CAPTAIN WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD.”

“And let this hick pony live? After HER kind kicked us all out?”

The East German pulled out his trusty PPK and pointed it at the Hungarian’s head. “If you speak again, I will put a bullet in your skull and end your sad, pathetic miserable life, are we clear?”

The Hungarian spat.

The East German pulled out what seemed a med kit.

“Oh now you’re going to heal her?” The Hungarian growled.

“She needs emergency treatment….” The East German shooed Apple Bloom away. Something caught his nose. “Oh nice work Attila, her intestines are starting to spill over.”

The Hungarian gave a grim smile. “Proud of that…”

The East German pulled out several disinfectants, ointments, bandages, along with several scalpels, pliers, and picks. Pulling out a large cork, he stuffed it into Applejack’s mouth. “Zis vill hurt a lot…when you feel the pain, just bite.” He began to work in the bullet area. He could hear Applejack give muffled screams, biting on the large cork, tears streaming out of her eyes.  A large metallic object was removed. Picking it up with a plier, he examined it. Looking angrily at the Hungarian, the pistol roared several times.

The Hungarian dropped to the floor, with seven holes in his chest, each one bleeding profusely.

Apple Bloom screamed.  The Hungarian’s eyes staring at the wall, lifeless.

“Sorry you had to vatch that…” The East German holstered the pistol.  He continued to work on Applejack. “There…” He finished bandaging her. Hearing a few footsteps, a raider came in, he lowered his rifle. “Call in a dropship, we got the cargo.”

“Unhand me you brutes!” Rarity demanded.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” The raider said as he pulled out a grenade and waved it threateningly. “IF YOU DON’T SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH! I WILL STUFF THIS SHIT INTO YOUR PONY ANUS AND SEND YOU TO FUCKING HELL!”

Rarity gulped.

The raider grinned as he pocketed the explosive. Raising the rifle, he slammed into her head. The white unicorn blacked out.

Fluttershy easily complied with the raiders. To them, the easiest capture ever.

Rainbow Dash took a smack to the face after a struggle with several raiders.

Pinkie Pie took a dart…everything was getting swirly and then it all faded into darkness.

The airships set course for various destinations.

Several dropships landed on the Chimera, bringing back the raiders along with the captured Elements of Harmony.

The airship set its course for a safe haven.

Private Residence, Dragon Maw Islands

Grozny looked at a pheasant through the sights of his Los rifle. The bird was unaware of the man’s presence. Aiming through the scope, he took a deep breath and pulled the trigger. The bird dropped dead a second later. Pulling on the bolt, the spent casing was ejected as a new one chambered in. Behind him, the griffins were observing. Another pheasant came into view. Aiming at it, he took a deep breath, locked the sights, and brought the bird down with a well placed shot. “In scenarios like this, food is essential. All birds can be eaten, but they must be cooked. Game birds such as pheasant are a blessing.”

Guiding the gryphons across the tropical forest, he motioned them to stop. Several water buffalo appeared. “Heavy animals like water buffalo get a small wound using these bullets.” Seeing the weapon’s crate he placed there, he pulled out a big double rifle. “This is the Holland and Holland double rifle, it is chambered in 600 Nitro Express. This gun is a rarity, only available to the rich and elite, and even to this day, it is still rare due to ammunition prices and scarcity of the gun.” Pulling out the large bullet, he opened the rifle and loaded it into the chamber. Aiming it at the buffalo, he fired it. Grozny was pushed by the massive recoil. The water buffalo went down.

One of the gryphons helped him get back up. “Thanks, and I have to warn you about that recoil.” He felt a pain in his spine. “And ...I’m getting old...”

Chimera

They say that when Celestia came…it was all a Test of Faith.

Faith?

Faith has the power to move mountains. No unicorn magic can do that. Faith is what split the Red Sea to allow the Children of Israel to escape from the bonds of Egypt.

But Princess Celestia and Luna…they are goddesses.

False goddesses…they claim to master the sun and moon. What miracles have they done? Have they fed a multitude with just one fish and a loaf of bread? Turned water into wine? Have they the power to save the damned?

But your religions…

You think you can come here and insult us!? Who do you think you are? Who gave you the right to come in and insult us!?

But Princess Celestia wants to help you…

Help us? We don’t want your help NOR DO WE NEED IT!

Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes and gasped.  She looked around in panic. “Girls!?” She called out.

“They’re in another cell.” A voice with a Bulgarian accent responded. “The hick pony is in the infirmary, she needs urgent treatment.” He looked at her. “Listen, you are Twilight Sparkle right? Your brother and sister-in-law want to have a word with you.” He opened the cell slowly, patting his holster. “I going to put good faith in you and trust that you will not do anything funny with that horn..” He opened it, revealing a Beretta 76. “I am a pretty good shot despite how this pistol is meant for recreational shooting.” He motioned her to move. “Follow me.”

The two arrived at the mess hall. The Bulgarian pressed a secret button on the wall. A portion of it opened, revealing a elevator. The doors opened. The two went inside. Pressing a button, the doors shut and up it went.

Cadence, Shining Armor, and a green-eyed human were discussing something of importance. The man looked at the purple unicorn. “Twilight Sparkle…allow me to introduce myself. I am Nikolaos Anastasio Drakonakos.” The man said with a smile. “Take a seat, we have much to discuss.”

The lavender unicorn took a seat.

“You are wondering why you are here.” Nikolaos said. “You have been brought to my ship due to your….special status…” He said. “I have to apologize for the actions of my crew, they had to resort to…violent actions to capture you.”

Twilight turned red of anger. “Shining….explain yourself.” She said, trying to restrain the anger.

“Twily listen, its not what you think…”

“Not what I THINK!?” Twilight’s nostrils flared. “Have you gone insane!? You’re allied with the HUMAN PIRATES! PIRATES! All they do is loot, kill, destroy, rape! Its in their nature! They’re morally corrupt! They have no souls! They should be grateful Celestia promised them salvation.”

“Is that so?” Nikolaos got up. Pulling out his Tokarev, he racked the slide and placed it in front of the lavender unicorn. “You have the right to take my life from me.” He said with a challenging smile. “But if you kill me, my crew will avenge my death.”

Twilight Sparkle looked at the pistol.

“Killing me will not stop the attacks on Equestria….” Nikolaos continued. “We were kicked out…just as the Children of Israel taken to Egypt and into Babylon for many years. We are angry towards your Princess and the ones who left their humanity for the false paradise.”

Twilight looked at the man again.

“He’s right…” Cadence added. “You have a right to take his life, but it will not change things.”

“Why...?” Twilight asked. “Why all this violence? All your history has been violence.”

“Not all of it.” Nikolaos took his pistol back.  He pulled out a Cuban cigar and sat down on his chair, lit, and took a puff.  “But this violence is a reaction…you see…after your little speech on the UN 10 years ago, the occupation by the Sky Fleet and the eventual kick out of many people…not to forget the genocide of Arabs, Pakistanis and Afghans under Celestia’s orders.”

“WHAT!?” Twilight Sparkle bursted. “The princess would never do it!”

“She ponified those people…genocide by human standards.” Shining explained. “Twily, there is no excuse for what Celestia did to the humans.”

“But she wanted to help.” Twilight countered.

“We humans had to endure a lot: The weather, nature, and conquering armies.” Nikolaos said. “Unlike you, we can’t control the weather, so we made homes and clothes to keep us warm or cool during the season. The animals and plants wanted to kill us, so we developed tools and weapons to cut and kill, but we also developed paper to record the knowledge for future reference. The more powerful nations take over the weak, but the people do not put up with it and sooner or later, they fight for their independence.”

“But then Ponification is the only way to stop these burdens and live a better life.” Twilight said. “You could have so much potential in magic.”

Nikolaos took a puff. “Magic…Divination? Necromancy?  Tarot? Tasseomancy?  Crystal gazing? Horoscopes?”

The three ponies blinked.

“Magic to humans refers to unveil the future or see it…it also means resorting to occult practices such as speaking to the dead or summon beings from Hell to reveal the future or make a pact with them for powers or wealth.” Nikolaos took a puff. “How sad of us, we resort to the darkness and sorcerers to grant us our deepest and darkest desires. Power. Wealth. Love. Immunity. But all these things have price…it’s called damning yourself to an eternity in the Lake of Fire.”

“Not nice.” Twilight commented.

“Do you believe in God?” Nikolaos asked.

“God?” Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“God. The Almighty. The Omnipotent.” The Greek explained. “He created everything and everything has a purpose. What has Celestia done so you ponies can worship her? Or her sister?”

Twilight sprouted on the defense of the Princess. “They control the sun and moon.”

“Simple optical illusions and trickery can deceive even the smartest ones.” Nikolaos countered. “But can she move mountains with faith? Or turn water into wine? Or heal the sick? Or smite the enemies of Equestria with one blow?”

Twilight didn’t know what to answer.

“You see…” Nikolaos took another puff. “Those humans who didn’t convert didn’t want to lose what made them human…our cultures, our ways of life, and most importantly our faith… what Celestia offers is a paradise by her terms…but paradise on a earthly term is a lie…looks can be deceiving.” He doused the cigar off.  “There is no escape from the Death, Conquest, Famine, and War.”

“The 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse?” Cadence raised an eyebrow.

“Yes… and Celestia has been compared to Conquest…the White Horse.” Nikolaos nodded.  “She has conquered our world, promised the Equestrians more lebensraum.”

“Lebensraum?” Twilight blinked curiously.

“Living space in German.” Nikolaos said. “Why most of the world is covered in ponies…” He smiled at Twilight. “But I have use for you and your friends. We don’t plan to ransom you…I know the Princess will be concerned deeply about you and your friends… but we are not savages or mass murderers.”

“Then what are you?” Twilight wanted to know.

“We are all brothers and sisters in arms. We were expelled, abandoned, and forgotten.” Nikolaos explained. “Expelled, when the Newfoal and Colonialist came to our lands and kicked us out. Abandoned, when those closest to us like friends and relatives converted for the promises of a paradise, we were left on our own. Forgotten, because no one knew us, we knew no one. We wandered what was left of home…leaving us to our fates.”

Twilight kept listening.

“All the crews of this ship lost their homes or were called by it to serve.” Nikolaos continued. “Of all walks of life, even a few ponies wander the halls of this ship, each one contributes to her. We are here for many causes…to make a living, to fight for what was lost, revenge against Celestia…and most importantly…love.”

“Love?”

“Most of the crews lost a loved one…especially if it was  their soon to be bride or groom.” Nikolaos said. “Most of the crew members tend to have a tattoo of a burning crucified man or woman…it has a meaning, the love for a man or a woman drove them to violence…the result of seeing a loved one being ponified willingly or by Celestia’s little terrorists, the PER.” He pulled out his pistol and removed the magazine, and pointed it at Shining Armor and Cadence. “If I were to kill either one of these…they’d be under the influence of the most powerful drugs in existence.”

“Drug?”

“You see.” Nikolaos pulled out a bottle of scotch and poured it on several shot glasses, passing them to the ponies. “Love is a drug far more powerful than cocaine or marijuana or the opiates secreted by the poppy flower...it is a far powerful painkiller than any medicine, gives out more of that high that cocaine addicts strive to reach. If Shining were be killed, I can assure you Cadence has lost not just something she held dear but also a piece of herself.” Taking the shot of liquor, he wiped his mouth. “Love can make you do the impossible, love can make do stupid things, love can drive you to murder, love is a drug, it will give you that high, that rush, that healing touch that’ll make the pain go away…a single though… a single memory. And when that is gone…all that is left is the darkest violent desires coming out, to avenge what was killed, to avenge the love taken away by the cruel hands of fate.”

“Let me ask you this Niko, have you ever fallen in love?” Cadence asked.

Nikolaos poured himself another shot. “I never did.” He swallowed the liquor. “But I have a love for firearms…I grew up with them. Heckler und Koch, Walther, Mauser, Colt Patent Firearms, Magpul  Beretta…all the manufacturers. I once mentioned my father sold weapons to the higher bidder and to anyone.” He took a breath. “Somalis, the Serbs, the Bosniaks, various separatist movements, the gangs of Europe, America, South America. If we had it, we can sell it. If you wanted it and we didn’t have it, we’ll get it. That’s how the Arm’s Trade works.”

“You’re nothing but a merchant of death…” Twilight said with a tone of sorrow.

“I have seen and killed people, I lost count…then the ponies came, I lost count of the killing.” Nikolaos replied. “But I know I have a lot of to answer for in the next life for what I did. Do I repent? Yes I do. Why? Contrary to the lies of Celestia, we do a have a soul. It’s there in the Old and New Testaments…”

Shining levitated the glass of liquor, down the hatch it went.

Cadence also took it, she moaned how her head began to hurt.

Nikolaos chuckled. “Can’t handle your alcohol Cadence? The last time you drank Ouzo, it was quite a show.”

“Don’t remind me…” She moaned as her lowered her head.

Twilight looked at the shot glass. Taking a small sip, she began to cough. “What the hay is this!?”

Nikolaos showed her the bottle. “Scotch whiskey.”

“Lucky enough it wasn’t Ouzo…” Cadence groaned. “Trust me, that stuff bucks you right in the head.”

Twilight refused to touch the shot glass.

The holding cells of the Chimera were empty except for one. 4 ponies and a dragon along with a Albanian guard whistling a old tune from the Balkans while performing maintenance on his SKS. The prisoners were still demanding to be released from time to time, he would just ignore their pleas and keep calm. The phone began to ring.  “Yes?” The man answered. “Lunch is done? Alright, I’ll give it to them.”

The Albanian opened the cell door slightly, sliding the plates of Dolma into the cell. “Eat up, and oh, the red plate is for the dragon. They are stuffed with meat.”

Fluttershy started to whimper. “Why do you eat poor little critters?”

The Albanian gave them a stare.  “You think living off plants and vegetables is easy? Let me tell you something,” he brought his chair and sat down, putting the customized rifle on his lap. “Meat is an essential because plants have LITTLE protein we need and can’t be produced in our bodies.” He looked at Spike. “He’s a kid in growing and you ponies feed him vegetarian crap? He should be eating his daily dosages of fish, poultry, and beef.”

“I personally don’t mind the meat.” Spike took a bite of the vine leaf roll. “It’s good. What’s in this?”

“Aside from the beef meat? Rice and yogurt.”

Spike continued to eat the rolls. “Tasty.”

“You should eat those dolma ponies...”

“Why should we?” Rarity argued. “We’ve been fed this…stuff for the past 3 days now.”

The Albanian patted his rifle. “Let me tell you something about my homeland.”  He raised unfolded the bayonet. “The Perit, beautiful women from the mountains but with a purpose: They punish those who are wasteful with bread. In this case, ponies. Do you know what she does to those who waste food?”

“You tell me.” The white unicorn mare shot back.

“They disfigure them so much they end looking like a crooked hunchback.” The Albanian got up, sliding the barrel into the cell.  “But since she won’t appear out of nowhere…a bullet or a bayonet stab?”

“Hey! Leave her alone funny speaking human!” Pinkie defended. “You’re a bully.”

“Bully!?” The Albanian laughed. “You want to know who the bullies are? There’s one people who make ponies life miserable and that’s the French.

“Pfffffff.” Rainbow Dash retorted.  “You’re all the same to us. Just two legged freaks who kill and do war and that kind of stuff.”

“Oh really? Because the French would LOVE to stuff you into an oven.” The Albanian replied. “I’ve seen them doing it. It depends on the gender. If they are colts and stallions, they force feed them this stuffing until their stomachs are bloated, to the point they’re going to explode. They are walked into a massive oven and cooked ALIVE. Mares and fillies? They open up the reproductive part and cram as much stuffing as possible…and they shed tears…all their innocence is lost as they feel this things going into them. Once their wombs are so full of this stuffing, they go into the ovens. I’ve seen it and heard it all. They all cry for mercy…they all cry that they want to defect, they don’t want to die…and its worse when they see a relative next to them being cooked.”

Pinkie began to turn green upon hearing that.

“You disgusting humans! How can you be so soulless!?” Rarity placed a hoof in her mouth, not letting any vomit escaping her.

“The French do it and they do this all the time. A saying goes that as long as the Newfoal and Colonist wanders the Earth and Equestria still exists, they will never run out of food.” He retracted the barrel. “But be grateful you’re not in their hands…they would of stuffed you and into the ovens you go…and become a nice lunch or dinner for them.”

Mercy

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 16

Mercy

Ponyville

It was night time and the worst was yet to begin. Whatever survivors were left, they were rounded up into large steel cases.  A Swedish flag with a Jolly Roger flew, waving in the wind.  Several men with G3s, Valmet AK variants, FN FNCs, along with assorted weaponry began to keep an eye on the cages. Some were ignoring the ponies while others were taunting them on how they have fallen.

“Have I failed to entertain you?” A Swede crewman said to a cage that was full of Newfoals. “I mean, what’s the matter? Why aren’t you laughing like before? Is this not fun?”

Another Swede was looking at the confiscated records and was looking at the prisoners in the cages. “Let’s see…Apple Bloom, Granny Smith, and Big Macintosh.” She lowered the captured records and whistled suggestively at Big Macintosh. “My my, you are really big, and I like them big. If I am lucky enough, I might buy you for myself.”

A Dane man growled. “Olga! Stop harassing the merchandise already, go and check on the rest of the cargo. Captain wants the Native ponies and the Newfoals split.”

The Swedish woman winked at the big red pony and left.

“My daddy is a very powerful pony and he will-…!”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” The Finn crewman bursted at Diamond Tiara. “Look at me in the fucking eye you spoiled bitch.” His voice got angrier as the light pink pony stood defiant.  “I’m the one here with the goddamn dick. I rule this kingdom, so shut the fuck up...” He flipped the safety off his RK95. “Or you die.”

“Hey! Leave her alone!” A mint green unicorn yelled. “She’s just a filly! She didn’t do anything!”

The Finn approached the cage. “Do you have a death wish? Do you seek death? Because I can offer you two choices. I can put a bullet in your skull or I pull my knife out, open you inside out and watch as I pull out every single organ.”

“Is this it? Is this what I thought humans are?”

“Lyra, hush!”

“I thought humans were better than this, not these savages that go around and kill everything with a pulse.  I used to think of your kind all the time…and what have we here? Savages! Savages! All of you are savages! And here we are for what?”

The Finn chuckled evilly. “Because little pony, the Swedes here like to hump you, see, way long ago, the Swedes legalized bestiality and then you came, perfect, a little slave trade was created, we raid colonies and capture whatever the others left off to survive, and then we sell you to the highest bidder.”

Lyra gulped.

“Oh don’t worry, realizing that you’re going to suffer a fate worse than death, allow me to euthanize you quickly.”

“Maunu!” A Danish accented voice called. “They want you to execute the Newfoals. Come on.”

The Finn shot a stare at Lyra. “I’ll be back to deal with you later.”

Lyra sighed in relief as the man took off.

Somewhere in the makeshift camp, a group of privateers entered the Captain’s tent. A Swede man yawned as several concerned crew members voiced their concerns, the man heard how they feel being engaged in the Swedish Pony Slave Trade made them feel horrible instead of feeling patriotic towards their home nation and Scandinavia in general.

“She’s right.” A Dane nodded in accordance with what the Icelandic woman said. “We’re better than this, we came to the ship, to you to give us a chance to fight back, but what we are doing is just wrong, we’re no better than them, enslaving them is the worst thing we can do. Have we stooped this low?”

The Swede gave a laugh. “Then how else will you get your pay? Hmmm? You didn’t think of other ways to get the money you wanted? You see all those beautiful little ponies and Newfoals out there? They are worth thousands and perhaps millions. I have customers all over Sweden expecting this shipment, just think of it…top Escudo for them. Saw that red one with the green apple cutie mark? Oh I know he’ll make a fine partner for a customer that will love him.”

“Captain!” A young Swede growled in disgust. “Do you not see what you are doing is wrong!? The Swedish population has been dying out ever since we passed those laws! Diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea , hepatitis, you name them are making a resurgence. And it became worse when the Conversion Bureaus came and dwindled our populations to a mere hundred thousand and still sinking!  Our own government said that in less than 10 years, our culture will be gone…we will be gone.”

“He’s right.” The muscular Norwegian added. “It pities me that our fellow brother will be gone in 10 years. For what? For satisfying those needs? That’s what women are for, not ponies.”

“Captain…” The young Swede said threateningly. “Let the ponies go.”

The man growled at those words. “And lose our profit?”

The Swede pulled out a gun the Captain abhorred to see. It was a Spanish copy of the M712 pistol, this one had gold and silver engravings along with a large 20 box magazine, and it was chambered for a larger 9mm round used by a few weapons such as the rare and valuable Star Z-45 submachine gun. “My pistol says different…"

“Don’t you stand there!” The Captain barked. “Do something!”

The 9 crewmembers did nothing.

“TRAITORS! YOU ARE ALL TRAITORS!”

There were sounds of thundering.

The man went limp. Blood gushed out three holes in the chest.

“Ladies and Gentlemen.” The Swede reloaded his Astra Model F. “It appears that due circumstances and the failure of a peaceable release of the ponies has lead us to move to Plan B.” He turned to his fellow sky sailor. “Can I trust in you?”

“You have my trust.” The muscular Norwegian gave a grin. “We’ve waited too long for this.”

The Icelandic woman nodded. “We cannot fight evil with evil, it’s the right thing to do.”

The Swede grabbed the Captain’s radio. “If this fails, we go weapons free on the rest of the crew, after that, we take over the ship. Clear?”

The group nodded.

“Attention all hands! This is Vice-Captain 3rd Class Gustav speaking.” The Swede said. “Your Captain has been executed for the crimes of involvement in the Swedish Pony Slave Trade and I along a few members of this crew have decided that we had enough of being part of this criminal enterprise. Aren’t we supposed to better than the Equestrians? And here we are, enslaving them and attributing to genocide of the Swedish people: Not one of violence and tyranny, but one based on perversion and unnatural lusts for these beings.” He took a deep breath and resumed. “For years, we have done the immoral thing, even some of you bought ponies to be your personal pleasure slaves, and how the people here with me see it, it’s wrong and sick. We are Scandinavians. NO! We are humans! We are civilized and we are better than this! If you reject what the Captain stands for, remove the patches, the shackles that bind you to the ship and the man who commands it.

The Finn pulled out a combat knife, and began to cut off the patch. It was two crossed pistols with a skull. The rest of the group looked as theirs fell to the ground.

Around the camp, several humans were cutting holes in their sleeves while the others were calling them traitors.

“IMPERIALISTS!” A Swede shouted. “COLONIALISTS!  YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN THEM!”

A Norwegian countered. “ZOOPHILES! YOU SICK FUCKS ARE GOING DOWN ONCE AND FOR ALL!”

Gunfire erupted from all sides.

Gustav holstered his Model F and picked up a engraved model M1887, opening the action, he inserted  5 shotgun shells into the tube magazine.  Grabbing spare shotgun shells, he pocketed them and looked at the group.  “Anna, Artur, Bard, Fridrik, Aki, Akseli, Jonna, Kaija, Petra…are you ready?”

The group nodded.

“Let’s go!”

A Finn without patch pulled out two combat knifes, seeing a few of the Patched Ones, he moved his hands, and blood flew out of the open wounds, splattering on his uniform.  With a cry, the blades lunged into the head of his opponent, and then pulling them out. Unbeknownst to him, from afar, a smile was given followed by a thundering sound from afar.

“SNIPER!”

Another shot from afar was heard.

Gustav flipped a table, bullets whipped past him while the others fired from cover.

One was taken out by a rooftop sniper.

“Aki!” Gustav called. “We need counter-sniping! Kill a sniper and grab his rifle! We need all snipers gone!”

The Finn nodded, reloaded his AVS-36 and dashed off, avoiding gunfire from all directions.  Seeing a Patched One, he raised his rifle and screamed. The Norwegian turned and the heavy rifle clubbed the man’s head. Grabbing the FNC in midair, he pulled on the charging lever and continued to run towards a sniper position.  A group of 5 began to yell insults at him. Putting his hand on the grenade launcher, he pulled the trigger. “FAGGOTS!”

The blast killed the group, he kept on charging.

“YOU’RE DEAD AKI! I’M GOING TO MAKE SURE YOU GET TURNED INTO FISH FOOD!” Another Finn fired his Rk.95.

Aki pulled out a Luger. Approaching his attacker, he raised the pistol and fired a shot into the opponent’s throat.  Getting close to town hall, his eyes scanned the surroundings. A sniper was there, aiming for him.  The sight was on him, the sniper ready to pull the trigger. Moving to the left, the bullet lifted dirt and dusted. The sniper growled as the target moved in a zig-zag pattern, not able to get a lock on him. Kicking the door open, Aki looked around; there was no one in town hall. Going upstairs, he got his gun ready. As he approached the target door, it was opened with a forceful kick, sending him to the floor.

The sniper pulled out his knife and lunged his arm for the stab.

Aki moved out of the way and pulled out his own blade. Blocking his attacker’s blade, he grunted as he tried to push it away. The insane Swede smiled, giving him a murderous state.  Balling a fist, the man delivered a blow to the stomach. Getting up, he twirled his knife and looked at the Swede. “Come on Zoophile! Bring it on!”

Recovering from the blow, the Swede lunged at the Finn.

Aki kicked the man, the Swede was stunned. With a roar, he plunged the knife into the shoulder. The Swede screamed in agony. Pulling  the blade out,  he twirled it and slammed it straight into the throat. Grabbing the knife, it went straight to the skull.  The Swede was trying to move, but couldn’t. He was still alive for the time being.  The Finn pushed the man down the stairs. “Now I understand why you Swedes think Finns carry knives with us…because we’re so damn good, we can come up with a billion ways to kill with it.”

He locked the door. His ears picked up the gunfire. Picking up the rifle, a Model 1896 with a scope, he opened the bolt and saw no ammunition in the magazine or the chamber. Scanning the area, he picked up a box of ammunition and loaded one round into the chamber.  Aki began to scan for any snipers.  Finding one in a house, he positioned the reticule on the enemy’s center of mass and pulled the trigger.

“MAN DOWN! MAN DOWN!” A sniper called.  “WE GOT A COUNTER SNIPER! FIND HIM!”

Aki opened the bolt, extracting the spent cartridge and loaded a new one.  Scanning again, a Dane with a damned Krag was aiming at him. Lowering his rifle, he moved out of the way. The bullet hit the wall. Aiming again, the Finn saw the Dane trying to clear a jam on his weapon. “See you in Hell!” He pulled the trigger.

The Dane’s chest exploded into a red mist.

Loading another round, Aki scanned his settings for another sniper. Finding a Norwegian with a Remington Rolling Block with the ladder sight flipped up, he loaded another round and focused on him. The Norwegian saw the Finn through the sights and locked on him. The Norwegian pulled the trigger.  The Finn screamed as he felt a burning pain on his leg. Dropping to the floor, he groaned as he realized that he was hit by a blasted 12.17x42mm RF bullet.  His leg was bleeding wildly. The bone must be broken.

The Norwegian extracted the spent casing and loaded a new one. His thumb pulled the hammer and aimed.

Aki got up and aimed the Mauser at the Norwegian sniper.  Taking a deep breath, everything went into slow motion. His heart was beating slowly…he pulled on the trigger. The thunderous boom echoed.

The Norwegian felt something enter his head. He took a few steps back and dropped, blood forming a pool.

Gustav sprinted towards a cage. Aiming the shotgun at the hinges, he pulled the trigger and worked the action two times.  The door fell to the floor. “Go! Go! Get out of here!” He moved towards the next cage.

Anna reloaded her G3 and switched it to full automatic. Seeing several Patched Ones going over to a cage, she popped out of cover and sprayed 7.62mm slugs at them. The 4 pirates went down with agony written in their faces. A gunshot meant for her missed, taking cover, she slapped a new magazine and returned fire.

Bard fired his dual RPKs at any Patched Ones who dared to oppose him.  With a insane laugh, he mowed down a dozen or so, bullet cases ejected all over the place. “CRY SOME MORE!” He began to walk towards any enemy that dared to oppose him.

Fredrik’s pistol roared several times as the hinges whined. “You are free! Go and leave this place!”

Artur grabbed a Glock 18 with a drum magazine from a fallen enemy. Racking the slide, he fired it at any enemy bearing the Patch.

The freed ponies looked around, human against human. But why?

“YOU’RE DEAD PONY!” An Icelandic Patched one roared as he aimed his G3 at a group of escaping ponies.

Several shots from behind filled the man with holes.

“Get out of here! Now!”  Petra fired her FNC at an incoming attacker.

Maunu came back, this time with a Double Rifle.

Lyra gulped as the Finn raised the weapon.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Maunu turned around. “Kaija?”

Kaija fired her pistol several times.  The Finn roared in pain as the bullets hit his shoulder. The rifle fell.

Looking at her, he pulled out a Mini-Uzi and began firing on her.

The woman took several shots to the torso. She dropped.

The man grinned as he kicked out the pistol away from her hands. “Not today Kaija…” The small submachine gun was lowered into her head. The woman closed her eyes, accepting her fate. Two gunshots were heard, opening her eyes…Maunu had two holes in his head.

Anna lowered her dual P210s, holstering one, she extended her hand to Kaija.

Olga walked towards a cage with a shock collar in her hand.

Gustav fired his pistol at the woman.

The woman groaned in pain. She dropped, blood seeping out of the wound. The man approached the cage and blasted the hinges off.   Go! Leave this place! You are free!”

Big Macintosh looked at the human with a confused look.

“Get out of here! You are free! Free from the shackles of slavery! Just run!”

The morning sun began to rise in Ponyville, dead bodies from both sides adorned the ground with spent bullet cases of all calibers. A few of the men and women were collecting the dropped firearms and their magazines. The faces of the dead gave looks of pain, agony, suffering, but some had faces of peace…some were smiling.

Gustav holstered his pistol and took a deep breath. Picking up a dropped rifle, he checked the magazine and raised it. Firing it 5 times, the weapon was dropped. ; it was thrown away stopping next to the body of a dead man. From the distance, several dropships landed, the insignia of the pirates scratched off to show that their allegiance to their former captain was buried in the past.

As the men and women were ready to board the aircraft, Gustav was stopped by something. He turned around. It was a Unicorn Newfoal, it began to speak in Swedish.  “Because if we did, we’re no better than you.” Gustav replied in his native tongue.  “There’s already a silent genocide…not of violence or tyranny…but one involving selling Equestrians into slavery…disease is running wild and our population is dwindling…did you know about what they said…that in 10 more years…the Swedish  people will be a distant memory.”

The rest of the inhabitants of Ponyville looked at the human and the Newfoal speak a strange language. The human pulled out his weapon and turned it around. “If you feel bitter after this…if you think that I deserve to die for what my former captain did…then I’ll be waiting for that day. It may not be today or tomorrow…but I’ll wait.”

The Unicorn Newfoal looked at the firearm and levitated it with its telekinesis, examining the weapon.  He placed the weapon back in the holster of the man. “No…I won’t go back to those habits…regardless of the actions committed here…you are still savages…with you firearms and your killing for what? To be a hero?”

“Would a mere savage like me saved you all from a life of slavery back at Sweden?” Gustav countered.  “And this is how you repay us? We’re not asking for money or loot, but just a thank you or even a nod of agreement for what we did. Brave men and women here got wounded or killed trying to save you.”

“That won’t change our minds…” The Newfoal Unicorn added.

“I hope one day…you realize what you lost and there’s no way to get it back.” Gustav took off.

The dropships took off for the blue skies.

A Small Show of Force

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 18

A Small Show of Force

Across the charred Canterlot, banners of swastikas were hanging from one side, on the other, the banners bearing a hammer and sickle. The Natives looked at these symbols with fear, of these dangerous ideas that promised paradise but at as cost.  Celestia promised the humans freedom from these ideas, yet they found a way into the country. Across the city, the hideous propaganda was blasted at any unclaimed area. They would send a few Newfoals to preach to them why Nazism or Marxism is the best system. Some Natives would combat it, saying that these systems only brought death. They countered, saying it can work here in Equestria if they just invested their time and resources to the cause.

Fighting would erupt between the two sides, many Newfoals lost their lives for the ideas of dangerous men. Innocent ponies would get caught in the crossfire of the fighting.

One Native reported a horrifying thing; when a Native dies, a Newfoal will start devouring the corpse. According to the report, the Newfoals somehow developed canine teeth. Many began noticing how the Newfoal began to develop canines, how they sometimes would develop a craving for meat. Many reports started to come out all over Equestria, the Newfoals attacking Gryphon-Equestrians and other minorities violently, sinking their canines into their bodies, trying to rip chunks of their flesh off.  Whatever drove the Newfoal to this madness was never explained.

Princess Celestia landed in the streets of Canterlot. She felt nauseated by the smell of death, there was corpses of Newfoals and Natives littered everywhere. The Newfoals had symbols on some sort of band on one of their forelegs. One symbol was the swastika, the symbol of the Nazi Party. The other was the Hammer and Sickle. Disgusting symbols, she glared. Ponification would have removed such thoughts and ideas from the humans, but instead, they found a new home in Equestria.

Another blast of propaganda echoed….

Citizens of Canterlot! Your Princesses have abandoned you! They have left you to die and rot in the aftermath of the pirate attacks! The Communist Party of Equestria promises you food, water, shelter, and basic commodities if you swear allegiance to us. We must unite to combat the Royals and the puppets that live in excesses. Citizens of Canterlot, we seek to extend a hoof in the name of comradeship. The Nazis will approach and will begin their slaughters of those who resist them. Do not wait until it is too late!

“How…?” The angel-white alicorn was puzzled. “How? Why? What went wrong!? The serum was supposed to erase these thoughts! How could those destructive beliefs come back!?”

“Tsk…tsk…tsk…” A voice clicked.

Celestia turned.

A dark yellow Unicorn stallion wearing a green uniform stood there. His eyes were covered by tinted circular sunglasses.  “Did you really believe converting us would solve it?” With a savage grin, he revealed the canines, making Celestia flinch. “That all the hate and pain and the desires to eat meat would be gone? Truly you are a poor blind fool.”

“Those teeth….”

“Ah yes, you may have noticed our wonderful canine teeth have come back. A miracle, the Newfoals I knew wanted to taste the sweet juicy flavors of meat again and poof, they are back again. I must wonder how scared the Natives are when looking at us, it’s not our fault really, and we are humans and we still are humans, even in this new form. And I must personally thank you for allowing me and my fellow Communists to come into your country free without any form of hatred or persecution.”

“Who or what are you?” The Princess demanded to know.

“If you must know, I am Comrade Nikita. Chairman of the Communist Party of Equestria and leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Equestria… due to your cowardice and abandoning of Canterlot and the opportunist Nazis taking advantage of the lack of social order, we have decided that we shall take over for you.”

“What!?”

“We are going to bring change into your so-called country. Imagine, the means of production being owned by the state, no more vile capitalists who exploit the common pony for profit. No more titles of nobility, which means YOU the cowardly Princess of Equestria, are going to either leave this country in exile or we shall send you to one of our future gulags and re-educate you through hard labor. No more religion, no more running out of basic necessities, no more hopelessness, no more chaos, no more of this oppressive system that you and the nobles have created.”

Celestia just stared at the Newfoal with anger and fright.

“We will liberate Equestria and we will start with Canterlot.” Nikita laughed like Celestia was some sort of old friend. “The perfect place to put the works of Marx, Lenin, and Mao to the test, and we owe it to you.”

A zeppelin with a swastika came into view. The various rocket pods aimed down at the unclaimed portion of the city. The rockets hissed out violently, flying in a straight path down. Fireballs rose from the impacted sites. Houses and stores were set ablaze, flak and debris being sent into the air. From up ahead, large mechanical birds began to surround the airship.

One of them landed on the zeppelin’s wings. The mechanical bird’s eyes began to scan the craft, detecting several life signs along with a massive thermal signature. The bird began to walk towards the entrance of the craft.

“WE’VE BEEN INFILTRATED! ONE FALCONSHIP!”

“ONE FALCONSHIP HAS MANAGED TO LAND!”

Several unicorns came out to deal with the mechanical threat. Several blasts of magic impacted it.

Not one single dent appeared on the machine.

Small panels on the chest of the bird rotated, revealing four gun barrels. They began to blaze, followed by violent screams of agony.  With the threats gone, the machine continued to walk. Inside, the Nazi Newfoals began to attack it. It was futile, and they realized it when its machine guns sprayed .30 caliber slugs at them.  Locking on the hydrogen tanks, the machine guns fired a few round.  Engaging in flight mode, it left. The aircraft violently exploded, the remains slowly heading to crash down below.

Celestia silently gasped.

A dark red Falconship landed. The stomach and chest area opened up, revealing a cockpit with two control sticks designed specifically for hooves, the doors contained halves of what seemed a television screen.  “You must be curious…say hello to our Falconship, our ground and air superiority fighter. It can walk on any terrain and engage in flight mode if we need to pursue a target. It comes with four .30 caliber machine guns. And do not think bucking or blasting it with magic will damage it, the armor is strong enough to resist those attacks… the marvels of human science, no?” The Unicorn approached the craft and stopped. “And Princess, it would be best if you leave. A new order is rising, and in this order… This new Communist order, ponies like you are not needed.”

“How dare you!” Celestia spat. “I try to help your kind! I make you into one of us and this is how you repay me!? By bringing your toxic ideas and beliefs to my little ponies!? Only a sick human mind could of come up with such foolish and impossible dreams and you brought them here!?”

The unicorn entered the craft.  The machine came to life. “This system is outdated, it no longer works. Capitalism has proven too destructive…now, it is the time for Communism to take the reins.” Nikita’s voice came out of the machine.

“I won’t allow you.” Celestia stepped forward.

“Your mistake.” The machine raised its mechanical wing and brought it down.

Celestia felt the slap, sent flying towards a ruined house. She groaned in pain, and felt something in her insides moving a few inches. Screaming in pain, her mind showing her the bullet that was lodged by Nikolaos on that encounter, tearing her flesh painfully with no mercy, as if the projectile had a will of its own, to cause pain and suffering until she died out of the pain or managed to reach her beating heart.  All she could do is look at the Falconship take off into the skies.

Epsilion and Gamma

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 19

Epsilon and Gamma

The two towering rock islands that made up the entrance to the Kingdom of Skiri and acted as first port of entry was unnaturally quiet, not even the zeppelins which patrolled the seas of Skiri were docking to resupply.  The griffins stationed were given reports by Border Patrol Command that several Equestrian fleets would enter the country to put down the riots that have been going. A gryphon began to scan his surroundings.  Several airships flying the naval jack of Equestria began to approach the Kingdom’s territory. There was nothing they could do, they lost several Units to the riots, depriving them of their airships to fly.

The Equestrian fleets began to get ready for entering the Kingdom.

From above, a large projectile exploded on one of the flagships.

“ADMIRAL! THE SHOT CAME FROM ABOVE! THE ENEMY FLAGSHIP IS FLYING THE BATTLE BANNER OF THE POLISH LITHUANIAN COMMONWEALTH!”

The Earth Pony Admiral turned pale. “The…the Humans!? Here!?”

“Send in the signal! Warn these demons that they either turn tail or we will open fire!” The Polish Admiral said.

A light began to blink several times towards the Equestrian armada.

“We’re getting a message from the humans.” The Unicorn Comms Officer said. “Equestrians! This is a warning to your fleet! You are about to violate the Gryphon and Diamond Dog sovereignty, an act which we will not tolerate. Turn back to Equestria or be destroyed.”

The Pegasus Vice-Captain frowned. “I’ll be damned if we let these filthy apes have the dirty Dogs and Griffs on their side… ALL UNICORNS! PREPARE FOR COMBAT! SIGNAL TO ALL SHIPS TO AIM UP!”

Several green flares hissed out.

“The Equestrians have signaled to begin attacking!”

“We warned them. I want all ships to prepare for rapid fire. All ships are to fire at will when ready. We are taking the Equestrians down with one single blow. Gunners! You are clear to engage the Equestrians! Signal the rest for a joint alpha strike.”

All the guns aimed down.

“FIRE!”

Thunderous sound exploded as countless projectiles rained down on the Equestrian fleet. The Gryphons looked as the ships caught fire, exploding from the inside out. Some rammed against each other violently,  the explosion of one dragged the other. It ended in a few minutes; the ships were crashing against the sea along with scrap metal, to forever float in the waters. More explosions were seen from the downed vessels, a blue fireball would erupt out, casing the waters to shake violently.

The gryphons looked amazed as the airships descended from the skies and began to head towards the rocky islands. A light began to blink several times.

This message is for the Skirian Port of Entry.  We are here with an offer of peace and aid. We are aware of the plight of Scylas and the Diamond Dog Confederation. We are bringing food, water, livestock, and seeds to help you with your crisis and plights. We also offer you military assistance in the form of technology and training. This is your only chance to get back at Equestria for all the transgressions against your kind. The choice is yours.

The gryphon pulled out a light and responded.

The airships signaled back.

The airships began to enter in a single line.

The Gryphons noticed how the human airships were Equestrian models, only that they were modified with guns and other upgrades that told them apart from their pony counterparts.  They noticed many warship sailors with different models of guns saluting the port guards, they saluted back.

“I hear that the Azure Guard is working with Princess Luna…”

“I got a letter from Lukia a week ago.” The second Gryphon said. “He says that they met a human, a Russian.”

“A Russian?” The first Gryphon raised an eyebrow.

“A human from a great nation. He told me he’s a veteran from a war. He’s training the Azure Guard in human weapons such as the machine gun.”

“The weapons I saw in the hands of the humans…could of they’ve been machine guns?”

“Who knows…but if they are…I can hope we get them soon…I want to strangely burn Canterlot to the ground.”

“Not until we reclaim the Units in our ships.”

Private Residence, Dragon’s Maw Island Archipelago

“Damn you Celestia!” Grozny hissed. “How can you send the privateers to such a vile place?”

“That sky prison is known for holding most of the dangerous of prisoners.” Luna explained. “Such as the Nazis, Communists, the MS-13, the warlords hailing from the Colonies and most of them are Newfoals.”

“So the scum of Europe and Latin America found a way into Equestria? Interesting.”  Grozny scratched his chin.  “But what about the captured Privateers?”

“There’s about 1200 of them, all awaiting Ponification in a week.” Luna said.

“Then we’re going to have to break them out.” Grozny thought. “This is going to be a war of attrition.”

“Why are the Privateers so important for this?”

“Your rebellion needs to be funded and rescuing the Privateers would prove essential.” Grozny explained. “Way back then, privateers raided the Spanish Treasure Fleets and stole millions in gold, gems, tobacco, and spices. We can do the same to any ship flying the flag of Equestria. You are going to need money, wars do not fund themselves. Money can buy many things, even power.” He pulled out a platinum Escudo.

“Why are you showing us a coin?”

“This coin…it has many uses. Mostly the power to buy what you need and it can corrupt a person to do your will.” The Russian explained. “The Azure Guard is attracted to money. Money is power, without it, the world would be a miserable place, we would be bartering for what we need.  12 hours of hard labor for a basket of oranges? Money makes our lives easier.”

“We see.”

“Princess, call the Azure Guard,” Grozny smiled. “We are going to rescue them. Operation: Gold Phoenix begins.”

Canterlot

“IT’S PRINCESS CELESTIA!” A Newfoal clad in red pointed a hoof. “GET HER!”

Several of the inactive Falconships sprang to life and began to spread machine gun fire at her. Spent bullet cases being ejected out of the machine rapidly, sending a large number of rounds towards her.  The while alicorn summoned a shield, the bullets began to fall on the floor but the machines continued to fire. Spider webs began to appear as the fire concentrated on her. The magic shattered, exposing her to the quick shots. She began to trot away. The birds engaged in flight mode.

Her ears registered engine noises. Several bullets flew past her. She turned, finding the machines behind her. They began to do maneuvers, displaying the pilot’s skills with the mechanical bird. She continued to flap her wings, and performed a roll as the machine guns fired at her.

One of the birds got ahead and began to hover, the wings expanded; revealing micro-rocket pods. The warheads hissed out. Celestia gasped as the rockets headed for her.

The pilot pressed a button in the control sticks.

The warheads detonated, sending the Princess down below.

The birds flew back to Canterlot.

Ponyville

Princess Celestia woke up with a groaning pain in her head. As she opened her eyes, everything was blurry, ears ringing from the explosions and the machine gun fire. From afar, gunfire exploded, it seems either the Nazis or the Communists managed to set foot in the town. She noticed a dead human body, it uniform had a patch of a Privateer ship. She noticed that his hands were disturbingly hugging a CETME Model B rifle, as if he was going to need it for whatever afterlife awaited him.

More gunfire exploded.

“EAT THIS METAL BIRD!”

A grenade was lobbed towards a quailship, the Nazi equivalent of the Communist Falconship. The bird gave a strange shriek as the explosive detonated. The mechanical avian moaned as it went down.

The Princess entered a abandoned building and began to watch.

Several mechanical quails landed, revealing their machine gun barrels.

Several residents, mostly Unicorns popped out of cover, their horns glowing. Celestia looked at the objects being held. Human weapons, those rifles according to a few Newfoals who worked in the Bureaus said they were antiques but still found use in the ranks of the HLF. As long as someone makes the ammunition for it, it will still be in service.

One rifle cracked.

A Quailship hissed out hot gasses and dropped with a mechanical moan.

Another rifle fired.

The next Quailship took a hit to its chest. Blood began to seep out of the hole.

“Celestia abandoned us!” One of the Unicorns yelled. “And Luna’s a joke!”

An Earth Pony resident began to buck grenades at the remaining Quailship.

A unicorn fired on the grenades.

The blast killed the pilot of the mechanical bird, the machine went down.

A large zeppelin with a Swastika on it came into view. The airship was armed with several rocket pods. Several pegasi began to head towards it. Around the vessel, several automatons popped out. The machine’s arms reached for its back and pulled out a weapon. They extended the stock to fit their proper shoulder level and began to spray automatic fire at the intruders.  A Pegasus got hit, plummeting down to their fate. The others maneuvered around the rifle and submachine gun fire, landing on the wings and outer deck of the craft. The droids began to aim down the sights of their weapons.

A Pegasus colt bucked the machination. The droid fired its rounds wildly in random directions before going down.

Seeing a robot on the wings of the zeppelin, a Pegasus landed and hoof-punched the machine. It gave a near-shriek of terror as it fell to its fate below.

Princess Celestia watched as the zeppelin caught fire and exploded in midair.

The populace of Ponyville cheered in victory. The Nazis would be back but they were ready.

“No…my little ponies have been driven to violence…” Celestia whispered to herself. “But why?”

“DOWN WITH CELESTIA! DOWN WITH LUNA!” They chanted. “DOWN WITH THE TYRANTS! DOWN WITH THE NEWFOAL!”

“THEY HAVE BROUGHT NOTHING BUT PAIN AND MISERY!”

“THE NEWFOAL HAS BROUGHT ONLY SUFFERING!”

“THE NEWFOAL HAS BROUGHT NARCOTICS INTO EQUESTRIA! THEY HAVE BROUGHT CRIME!”

She only listened…has the serum done nothing to improve the humans? As she revealed herself, the inhabitants of Ponyville began to hiss and scowl at her. Others began to fire the leftover human weapons at the air, howling and screaming insults at her.  They began to chase her until they became sore from following her.  An angry mare began to yell questions at her, mentioning where was she when the pirates raided the town, when the other pirates came and planned to sell them into slavery if not for the intervention of one. Why were most of the Newfoals the majority of criminals?

Celestia could only take flight and take refuge somewhere safe…away from them all.

Sargasso Sky Zone, Equestria

“At attention!” Grozny called. The Gryphons saluted.  “Gentlemen, we are heading for a dangerous mission in the Sargasso Sky Zone. We are going to pull the escape of the century.” He pulled out a cigar and lit it. “Princess Luna has informed me that 1200 Privateers have been incarcerated and will be ponified by the end of the week. We have estimated that we’ll reach the Prison in two hours.”

“All this for a 1200 humans?” Lukia raised an eyebrow.

“These humans play a valuable role in Luna’s rebellion. If we don’t rescue them, they will be ponified.”

“What kind of opposition do we face?” Sorush asked.

The Russian began to remember. “Mostly Diamond Dog mercenaries. Armed with Flintlocks and revolving rifles. But don’t underestimate them, these fellows are well trained to do their job.  We may have the advantage with our weapons, but they have served in that prison for years, they have the advantage in knowing the area.”

“Nothing we can handle.” Lukia replied.

“We’re going to be fighting mostly on the insides of the prison complex. That means mostly sweeping rooms. Submachine guns and shotguns will do nicely.”

“Can’t we use assault rifles for this?” Steelclaw  argued.

“No. This is a closed quarters fighting situation. Even thought an assault rifle would be suitable for attacking them, the rifle would no good at shorter ranges we are fighting in unless we use assault carbines or personal defense weapons to attack. The reason why I dislike assault rifles in this situation is due to my experience back at Chechnya. Mopping up insurgents in close spaces with a rifle seems good, reality is, and you need a lot of space to maneuver with a rifle in such conditions.”

“I see.” Lukia nodded.

“Get your weapons and gear, we are getting privateers out of that prison.”

A yacht launched from the captured battleship. The personal flag of Princess Luna was flown on the back and front. The observing Diamond Dogs nodded and allowed the ship to dock in the complex. The mercenaries expected the Princess of the Night to come, but they were puzzled. Was the ship abandoned during a day or night cruise? They stepped on the deck and began to investigate. Opening the door, they heard something click followed by a blue beam of light dot the head of one. A chirp was heard, the Diamond Dog dropped. The other one raised his flintlock carbine, only to be put down by a well placed shot to the chest.

Grozny removed the suppressor from the PPS-43. “Mission is a go! We kill any guard and Newfoal. They are not worth rescuing.”

“How can we tell?” Sorush blinked.

“Look for canine teeth, if you can’t tell, listen if they start babbling about Nazism, Communism, Marxism, racial hygiene of ponies, worker’s paradise, or anything like that. You are authorized to use force on them. We will keep in touch through radio on the open frequency. Call me if you need anything.”

The gryphons split up, each one clearing a sector of the prison.

Grozny switched to a shotgun. It was a TOZ-194 with a M4-style stock and a double blast feature. As he walked across the first level, several Diamond Dogs were firing their pistols at him. The shots missed him by mere inches. Raising the shotgun, the trigger was pulled several times, followed by the cycling of the weapon. The Diamond Dog mercenaries screamed in pain as the felt buckshot tear them to pieces.

“Let him have it boys!” An Akita Diamond Dog yelled as they all fired weapons. The lead balls flew everywhere.  The Akita fired his revolving rifle at the gryphon carrying the strange weapon. He noticed that the azure armor stopped the bullet. “AH CRIPE!”

“Your weapons are no match for this!” Lukia pulled out his Kiraly 43M and began to pull the trigger. The muzzle flared as several lead projectiles left the barrel. The Diamond Dogs screamed as they were impacted by the fast moving projectiles.  The weapon clicked empty. Pulling out a fresh new magazine, the gryphon gave the bolt a gentle pull. The submachine gun roared again, putting them out of their misery. Walking on his hind legs, he began to search the room. “I found little puppies who misbehaved…woof woof.”

He kicked a door open, he pulled the trigger. The last 20 bullets were quickly fired. The room was left a pulpy mess. Holstering the weapon, he was curious of the shotgun he carried. Pulling it out, he extended the stock and continued his way across the sector.  Furniture was being moved around, forming makeshift cover.  With a grin, he pumped the shotgun, just like how Grozny demonstrated. Two Diamond Dogs popped out, firing their pistols at him. Lukia took a shot to his exposed torso but it was nothing serious. With a scream, he slam fired the weapon several times. Howls of pain echoed across the hallways.

Steelclaw cackled as he fired his M1921 Thompson. “NO MERCY!” He cried as he mowed down the Diamond Dogs that dare approach him. A few began to fire from cover. Remembering the human’s lessons on how bullets can pierce through soft cover like wood or sheet metal,  the gun was aimed at the furniture that hid them from his attacks. “NOW DIE!” He emptied the magazine on the tables. Blood began to pool out.

Sorush took cover behind a corner and heard several orders from the Diamond Dogs. Taking a deep breath, he popped out of cover. Revealing his MAT-49/54 with a 32 round magazine, putting some pressure on the pistol grip, a green beam of light appeared. Dotting over the chest of a Diamond Dog, the machine gun released a burst.  Red mist flew out of the chest out of the canine.

Clutching his chest, the dog began to pant in pain.

“Heart break?” Sorush aimed at the dog’s head. “Let’s end it.” He pulled the trigger once.

Red mist exploded from the dog’s head.  The others looked in terror. Sorush pulled on the trigger, rapid fire flying out of the barrel.

Grozny walked with ease across the hallway. His face changed, his calm demeanor was replaced by an insane look. The killing drove him back to his Terror of Chechnya persona. The shotgun thundered, a Diamond Dog was decapitated violently, the others cried in anger, firing their weapons at him. A bullet from a revolving rifle impacted his leg, but he ignored it. Switching to the PPS-43 with a wooden stock, he tucked the weapon on his arm and began to spray machine gun fire everywhere.

A Saluki Diamond Dog pulled out his saber and charged towards the human. Bringing the sword up, he got ready for the slash.

With an unnatural instinct, the submachine gun’s barrel blocked the blade. Looking at the man, the Dog growled as he tried to break the lock. The human showed his teeth and gave a savage roar. Letting go of the pistol grip, the free hand grabbed the canine by the neck and threw him to the way of the others. Approaching them, he gave an insane grin as he reloaded the submachine gun and aimed it down at them with one hand.  The Diamond Dogs pleaded to be spared. Machine gun fire ended their misery.

Several Diamond Dogs began to open fire on the approaching gryphon.  The bullets managed to hit his armor while others whipped past him.  Lucci pulled out a SPAS-12 and raised the muzzle towards them. Pulling the trigger, a large flame hissed out. The Diamond Dogs screamed in pain as the fires began to devour their flesh.  Seeing them miserable, the gryphon pulled the trigger. The all dropped in pain, their last expression was one of pain and repentance. What have they done to deserve this?

Grozny continued to walk. His PPS-43 in one hand, scanning every corner with it, making sure that not one of them could escape.  A Diamond Dog popped out and fired his revolving rifle several times. The bullets impacted Grozny around his chest and torso…but nothing made him stop. A savage roar of anger echoed across the hallways.

The Diamond Dog pulled the trigger again, only to hear a loud click. Throwing his weapon, two personalized flintlock pistols were pulled out, he ordered the human to stop.  It refused to comply and pulled the triggers. The two bullets impacted his shoulders…but he didn’t even flinch. “No…YOU SHOULD OF DIED! WHAT ARE YOU!?”

“I…” Grozny grabbed the Dog and slammed him against the wall. “I am the psychopath who will kill you. I am the product of countless years of torture and suffering. I am the one who will find your family and torture them slowly, they will beg for death but I will not grant it yet…” A maniacal grin exposed his teeth. “I am DEATH!” He hurled the dog into the hallway and pulled out a grenade.  “FIRE IN THE HOLE!”

The explosive was lobbed.

The Diamond Dogs taking cover saw a green object roll towards them. They looked at it curiously before they saw a fire kill them all.

The Russian gave a maniacal laugh as he walked. Pulling out a drum magazine, he loaded it into the weapon and began to spray 7.62 Tokarev fury into anything that opposed him. Radio chatter began to enter, the gryphons managed to clear off their sectors and began to head towards the cell blocks and free the privateers. Without giving a care, he proceeded to go on his way… only to find more to kill.

You’re in it only for the killing! A voice in Chechen said. You’re no soldier of Russia! You are just like those maniacs sent to my country and kill us all! You’re nothing but a common killer! A thug sent by the criminal overlords to bully us and do what Mother Russia wants.

“SHUT UP!” Grozny yelled at no one in particular. “SHUT UP! SHUT UP YOU DISGUSTING MUSLIMS!”

MURDERER! YOU KILLED ME AND MY FAMILY! WHY!? WHY DID YOU BURN US ALIVE!

The Russian screamed at the hearing of the Chechen family that he killed by burning their house. “SHUT UP! LEAVE ME! LEAVE ME ALONE! MY CONSCIENCE IS CLEAN! I AM NOT GUILTY OF WAR CRIMES! MY DUTY IS TO MOTHER RUSSIA! THE MUSLIMS OF THE NORTH CAUCASUS ARE DEMONS! YOU ARE DEMONS AND I SENT YOU ALL BACK WHERE YOUR KIND BELONGS! IN HELL!”

Hell is for the real demon. YOU!

“THE TSARS SHOULD HAVE WIPED YOU OFF THE CAUCASUS!” Grozny yelled violently, firing the contents of his weapon everywhere. “ALL OF YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN EXTERMINATED! YOU PEOPLE ARE BITCHING AND WHINING BECAUSE OF YOUR SICK RELIGION OF PEACE!”

The Diamond Dogs that remained cowered in terror. They could smell him, they sniffed anger, hatred, fear, and guilt.

The Russian saw Chechen civilians running away from him. His weapon changed from a PPS-43 to an AK-74, he was no longer in Alicorn Prison but in a mop up operation to clear the insurgents from the town.  He fired his weapon at them, some died while others crawled to get away from him. Looking down at them, he pulled out his knife and slit their throats, stabbed them in the stomach, or stomped their chests violently.

All he could do is scream after the violence. He passed out next to the Diamond Dogs he killed brutally, everything went black.

Somewhere in the Unicorn Mountain Range

Native Equestrians, Gryphon-Equestrians, Diamond-Dog Equestrians, Zebra-Equestrians, and Dragon citizens of Equestria were looking at a stage. Murmurs and whispers spread around the crowd, wondering what was going on.

A pegasus mare named Thunder Quill came in. “Equestrians of all races! We have summoned you here to announce the situation that currently plagues all of us. Despite our differences, we can all agree that all of us here have been the victim of the Newfoal and their hatreds.”

The crowd began to talk, everyone remembering how the Newfoals affected.

“They have segregated our society and tore our country apart! We have seen crime rise to impossible numbers. Gryphon-Equestrians are target of lynching for what they are! I understand that all of you are not bad at all. You came when Scylas and Skiri fought a war and we took you in with open hooves. The Diamond Dog here, your ancestors came when the Dust Bowl hit you, like our Gryphon friends, we took you in with open hooves and gave you a country with plenty of jobs and land to settle. But then came the Newfoal.”

“The Newfoal is not one of us! They are the humans who converted and the Princess took over their lands and gave it to them along with many who left to purse better opportunities. But the humans sent in their pirates to attack the settlements, killing all who is a pony.  And here in Equestria, they have brought the ideas of Nazism, Communism, and other beliefs that are dangerous. They have turned the country against us, who lived here for generations! We were and still are proud of country! Regardless, it seems the Princesses have failed to understand what the Newfoal is. We cannot live like this anymore! It’s time to take OUR COUNTRY BACK!”

The crowd cheered.

“IT IS TIME TO EXPEL THE NEWFOAL!”

The cheers got louder.

“IT IS TIME FOR THE NATIONALISTS LIKE US TO RECLAIM EQUESTRIA! WE ARE THE SPIRIT OF EQUESTRIA! THE FOUNDATION! WE ARE THE PILLARS THAT SUSTAIN THE FOUNDATION OF THIS BATTERED KINGDOM! TOGETHER! ALL OF US TOGETHER WE CAN STAND UP TO THE BEAST OF EQUESTRIA!”

Two unicorns came out and unveiled the flag of the Nationalists. It was white with a sky blue, the edges were decorated with dragon runes and Old Equestrian script. The center of the flag had two crossed Mameluke sabers, below them, three arrows and an olive branch.

Appleloosa

The Earth Ponies and Buffalo looked at the skies as a large battleship flying several flags came into view. On closer look, the flags had swastikas and eagles. Around the battleship, zeppelins formed up, as if they were expecting orders to move. Large pods were located under the frames of the dirigibles. Their propellers gave a soft purr as they cruised.  Quailships flew around the zeppelins, doing maneuvers to show what they were capable off.

The Nazis threatened the Appleloosans and the Buffalo to hand over the land.

They all refused to do so.

They came with all their might.

From the Zeppelins, objects fell.  As the dust cleared, they revealed mechanical beings resembling humans in many ways. Their eyes became a blood red and pulled out their weapons, mostly submachine guns based on the MP18, MP28, and the Steyr MP34, and a assault rifle which resembled the FG42 in many ways. The machinations began to spread rapid everywhere. Quailships landed and entered walker mode, and joined the killing.

Bullet casings were ejected as the projectile left the barrel.

Screams filled the air.  Young ones cried over the corpses of their dead relatives, and they joined them in death. From the air, the pods released their payloads, destroying anything in the range of the blast. No one was safe from this attack.  A buffalo tried to attack a quailship but was brutally mowed down by its quad machine guns.

The attack was over in minutes.

Whoever survived was executed. If a Buffalo was still living, the Newfoals who composed the Nazis would feast on the insides, devouring the flesh as if it was the greatest thing they tasted. Eventually, the pain would kill the large beast and they continued to eat it with no remorse or guilt.

The Appleloosan Flag was lowered, and a new one with a swastika was raised.

“HEIL!”

The uniform clad Newfoals performed a salute.

The word got out about the Nationalists.

Native Equestrians and the minorities began to pool whatever resources they had for the acquisition of weapons and vessels if needed. Many Gryphon-Equestrians began to compose the bulk of the militias, along with their Diamond Dog counterparts. The Native Equestrians became financial officers, technicians, nurses, and other supportive roles, a few went into the Nationalist militias to get a piece of the action themselves. Dragons became the heavy hitters and raiders, destroying or damaging any airships with swastikas, hammer and sickles, or Royalist emblems.

Across Equestria, whatever Native remained loyal to Celestia or Luna was seen as an enemy and killed. Newfoals were attacked, regardless if they were affiliated with any movement in which they were the majority. The Nationalist flag flew across many towns and cities not conquered by the Newfoal.

We are free in the land of Equestria

We ain’t going down like this

Come on now

Basilisk

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 20

Basilisk

To all Colonial Governors and Prefects,

Due to the rising crime rates and the chaos that has erupted in Equestria, I will require that all available Colonial Defense Fleets leave for Equestria to supplement the Sky Fleet’s loses. We have lost several ships to warring factions in the country and we fear that they may come into the colonies.

I also ask to deliver the following letters to the Native Equestrians who are warlords in the Africa and Middle Eastern Colonies. These letters contain a full rank in the Fleet along with a redeemable check for 10,000 bits as their first combat pay.

Royal Order 93521 is now in order. All Newfoals are to be treated as enemies of the state. Several Newfoals have contributed an increase in crime and have joined the ranks of the Communists and their affiliates, National Socialist, the MS-13 gang, along with several other groups which pose a threat to all of us.  The use of lethal force is authorized to be used against them.

[Royal Seal of Princess Celestia]

The remnants of the Royalist Fleet in Equestria began to group up in the skies of Saddle Arabia. From below, the natives would see the flags flutter and wave against the wind.  Their massive shadows blocking out the sun, their engines purring while the Star Swirl Unit provided the energy for the ships to float.

Many towns and cities looked with awe and terror.

The Saddle Arabian monarchy was concerned with the presence of the Sky Fleet in their airspace. Rumors spread out that the fabled Humans managed to reach Equestria and came to destroy the Princesses for the Conversion Bureaus.

One month later, more Sky Fleet vessels came from the Colonies, taking up the airspace of Saddle Arabia.

Posters and fliers began to appear everywhere in the desert country, recruiting Saddle Arabians to the Equestrian Foreign Legion. It showed Diamond Dogs and Gryphons saluting to the flag of Equestria along with a couple of Saddle Arabian stallions and mares. It promised them many benefits if they enlisted. A small number of them enlisted, for the promise of adventure and finding a husband or life. To them, marrying an Equestrian pony was a huge honor, and something to brag about back home.

Having enough, the Sultan ordered that all Equestrian airships leave Saddle Arabian skies.

Celestia responded by having her flagship open fire on the capital city without a qualm.

The Saddle Arabians looked fearful as the Equestrians occupied their country. To the many merchants, this was a good day, as they could sell many of their products and services.

Scylas Federation

“What!?” Chancellor Roderick slammed a talon into the rosewood table.

“Saddle Arabia has been annexed by Princess Celestia.” A courier Pegasus said.

“It seems that Celestia is running out of options and fighting power.” An American Colonel named Shamus McCloud said. “The annexation of foreign lands means she’s desperate.”

“Agreed.” Lt. Yossuf, a Maronite representing Israel added. “Going to save them would be a fatal mistake, at this point, we can do nothing.”

“But out trade agreements!” The Chancellor argued. “We have to do something!”

“And risk your ships losing your Star Swirl Units?” McCloud asked. “Be reasonable Chancellor, we can’t do anything yet and risk you losing your airships. Celestia still has a yoke on you and your military.”

“The only way to break free is to reclaim your ships.” A British officer came in. “In other news, the weapon’s design contest is near a close.”

“Design contest?” The Chancellor raised an eyebrow.

“For the new military small arms of the army.” The Briton said.

“What? We’re not getting your weapons?”

McCloud and Yossuf laughed and then gave a kind but serious face.

“Thing is Chancellor, if we did give you the technology, you wouldn’t be self-sufficient.” McCloud said.

“But…” The griffin began to argue.

“By allowing you to have our weapons, it would be easy to go to war with Equestria.” The British officer added. “Or perhaps you will gain an unfair advantage over your neighbors of Skiri and the Confederation. But what if you could produce your own weapons and ammunition? Think of the many great things to your economy. There would be jobs, your military would be ready to face a threat.”

“And of course…you can’t rely on our military. From where I come, the people have the right to bear arms. It’s a unalienable right.”

“What?”

“Oh don’t give me that look Chancellor, in America, the people have the right to bear arms, this right cannot be regulated by the government in any way.” McCloud smiled. “I once remember an old thing my great-grandfather said when he came back from fighting against the Japanese in the Pacific Ocean long ago. The Japanese planned to invade America , but an Admiral said that it would be a stupid move, there would be a gun for every blade of grass.”

“But if the Scylatians have the same firepower as the military, it could mean the end of the country.” The Chancellor shot.

“And let yourselves get invaded by Equestria?” McCloud spat. “Where I come from, the majority of my country was overwhelmed and colonized by the Equestrians. Do you know who had access to machine guns and other weapons? Mostly the rich and the government agencies such as police or federal law enforcement.  They refused to share them with anyone. We were all stuck with war surplus or semi-automatic versions of military weapons. The previous government was so blind to the core they refused to abolish the three federal gun laws, leaving us open to attack. The Equestrians came after every gun owner, back then; you had to fill paperwork to purchase a firearm. They knew who owned a gun…heck, before the Colonization, it was the Anarchy…when the Human Liberation Front branches went crazy.”

“What my American friend here is saying is this,” Yossuf explained. “If your government begins to regulate the ownership of machine guns or other weapons, you deny your citizenry who is the last line of defense against any foreign invader.”

“We Britons learned this the hard way.” The British officer said. “Luckily, all bans on weapons were repealed and we allowed the ownership of firearms to the people of the United Kingdom.”

“Even these…fully automatic weapons?”

“Yes.” The Briton nodded.

The Chancellor went a bit pale.

“I know what you’re thinking…” McCloud sighed. “You’re worried that criminals will use machine guns. Crime will happen anyways and no amount of laws will make sure they don’t end up having these weapons. They will still find a way.”

A team of Scylatian gunsmiths, after a month’s work have finally done it. They have managed to create a pistol, submachine gun, assault rifle, and a simple but effective semi-automatic shotgun. Based on the various blueprints and cutaways showing how the action of each gun works, they grasped the knowledge and began to apply it. They also managed to make a large number of proprietary cartridges along with a 20 gauge shotgun shell. They hoped their designs would beat what the others would come up with. If they won the design contest, the contract to provide the military with firearms would be theirs.

Chimera

Spike was being held up by the arm by the Czech from before. His free hand held a sharp hunting sword. “Now…back to what I wanted to do. Testing the myths of old…”

“Hey!” Twilight Sparkle called. “Just what are you doing?”

The Czech turned, twirling his sword. “Just testing an old myth from back home, dragon’s blood is said to make armor and weapons powerful or…it’s a substance to rotten that nothing accepts it.” He grinned. “And besides, this is an unholy demon, I am sending it back to Hell where it belongs. Dragons are nothing but evil and vile, they should be killed on sight.”

“Stop that! Spike isn’t like that!”  Twilight countered.

The Czech raised the sword.

Twilight’s horn glowed, Spike floated away from his grip and into Twilight’s back.

“Thanks Twilight.” The baby dragon said.

The Czech growled as he pulled a customized GSh-18 pistol. Removing the safety, he aimed it at the two. “You shouldn’t have done that freak…” He put his finger in the trigger. “Give me a reason why I shouldn’t splatter your brains across the halls.”

Twilight gave a grin. “Your Captain wants us alive. If you kill me…well…he will punish you.”

The Czech gave a growl of anger as he holstered the pistol. “You got lucky this time. But just remember, we are keeping an eye on you. I don’t trust you nor your friends and the dragon.”

“What about the ponies who work in this ship?” Spike asked.

“They have been with us for long, they are family to us.” The Czech shot them a death glare. “But remember, we are watching you.” He took off.

Nikolaos was wearing eye and ear protection as he picked up a Star Z-45 submachine gun. Loading a magazine, his hand pulled on the bolt and took aim with it. Several ballistic gel targets in the shape of Celestia were waiting to be shot. Unfolding the stock, he set the sights into one target. The submachine gun roared for several seconds. Reloading it, he held the weapon with one hand and fired it. Spent bullet cases landed on the floor.  With a smile, the petted the weapon. “Happiness is a warm machine gun.”

The target began to bleed. The man picked up a Steyr-Solothurn S1-100, the .45 ACP version of the MP34. Placing his left hand on the magazine, the machine gun fired several bursts at another Celestia-shaped target. Blood began to gush out of the wounds. The man smiled as he saw the targets pour out blood. He chuckled, Celestia would be dead after taking a few shots.

A few shots in fully automatic would do.

Exiting the firing range, he complimented the Tejano for doing a good job in obtaining and restoring the two submachine guns to working order. “No problem Don Nikolaos. It was a pleasure restoring those two guns to perfect order.  Shame we can’t go back home, I hear a few Treasure Hunters discovered left over Arsenal M23s from Estonia.”

“The ones chambered in 9x20mm SR Browning?” Nikolaos raised an eyebrow. “I thought only 520 were produced and sold off to Spain during its Civil War.”

“They made about more than that as the legend goes, about 2000 to 3000 just in case the Russians or the Germans invaded them.  Didn’t you manage those rare and valuable guns?” The Tejano blinked.

“I managed to get a few samples of antique and rare guns. Like that Bergmann 1896.”

“A lovely pistol, I am done making the ammo for it. Come by to my workshop to pick it up.” The Tejano said. “And oh, I strengthened your Mannlicher M1903 pistol and finished the conversion on the Vz.26. Works well with the 30 round to the 48 round AK magazines.”

“What about the drum magazine?” Nikolaos gave a hopeful smile.

“It worked, but the bolt got damaged and the gas tube catches fire, literally.” The Tejano added. “It took me days to fix the damaged parts, but it should work well now. Care to see it?”

“Not now, I have important things to do.”

“And oh yeah, the ponies…those 6 are really getting into the crew’s nerves.  Vuk here nearly killed the pink demon because she insulted his cooking. He came to me asking if he could borrow an AK-74 with steel core ammunition.”

“Next time Vuk threatens one of them, tell him he loses his only family and throw him off the deck…”

“I sometimes ask myself how you found that sad remnant of the Kosovo War?”

“Same with you, how did I find you in the aftermath the HLF brought to the United States?” Nikolaos shot.

The Tejano was quiet, not knowing what to respond.

“It’s Sunday, and I am having dinner with the Elements along with Cadence and Shining…care to come?”

The Tejano nodded.

“Good, bring your best attire. It’s going to be an interesting dinner.”

“I hear it’s when you get philosophical and bash the Equestrian way of life. You surprise me, not bad for a European.”

Nikolaos gave a sly grin. “7 PM don’t be late.”

The hour of dinner has arrived. The Tejano was wearing his best clothing for the occasion. The secret elevator opened up, he entered it and up it went. The door opened up, revealing the fancy dining room. Eight ponies sat in cushions while Nikolaos sat on his throne-like chair, reminding his guests who has the power in the ship. Another luxurious chair was on the other side of the table. Sitting down, he eyed the ponies his left hand petting the exposed grip of his customized revolver.

Dinner began.

Rarity eyed the Tejano’s choice of attire. Western wear and a strange coat that seemed made of fur.

“Its fur alright Yankee girl? It’s fox fur.” The Tejano said.

“F-Fur!?” Fluttershy whimpered. “What have you done to the poor foxes?”

“Poor foxes?” The Tejano spat. “Last time I checked, foxes were pests around ranches and all, and fact is I spent good money on this fur before your kind came in and started screwing us up.”

“There are better choices for clothing, but darling, fur is just cruel and proves of humanity’s greed and views on animal life, just expendable.” Rarity countered.

“Cruel? Expendable?” The Tejano growled. “You remind me of my 3rd girlfriend, always throwing a hissy fit at everything so wrong and cruel. Always wanted to act as the moral police and pester me to change my ways. Believe me Pony, if it wasn’t for Niko’s grace, I would have put a bullet in your head and turn you into a trophy. Complete with making your face one of pain and suffering.  Now I am curious.” He pulled out a customized 1861 LeMat that could fire .475 Wildey cartridges and 12 gauge buckshot from the underbarrel of the weapon.

“Vicente, put it down.” Nikolaos ordered.

“Why should I? This Yankee girl should be dead by now along with the rest. Don’t forget Niko, these are the 6 brutes that Celestia sent to persecute us.”

Nikolaos instinctively pulled out his Tokarev. The pistol’s sights aligned to the Tejano’s head. “Now calm yourself…we don’t want to reenact that scene from My Bloody Valentine.”

“I’d love to re-act that scene, its art!” Vicente kept aiming the custom revolver at Rarity’s head.

Twilight’s horn began to glow.

Vicente pulled out a .44 Russian revolver and aimed it at Twilight. “Try me you slut… and your brother is next.”

“Put them down now Vicente.” Nikolaos warned.

“Or what?” Vicente shot.

“I’ll tell you all a little tale of what happened to a former crew member, everyone knows it except all of you. Long story short, I ordered the death of a crewmember for disobedience and harassing the rest. The punishment? Burnt at stake while falling to the world below.”

The ponies gasped.

“Niko!” Cadence said with anger.

“You’re a sick fuck Niko.” Vicente put his weapons away. “You are a sick fuck.”

“Why thank you.” The Greek gave a disturbing smile. “Point is this, I’m a nice Captain and I will hear you out. Get on my nerves and push my buttons, I will find a way to punish you.”

“You what!?” Twilight’s nostrils flared. “How can you even sleep at night knowing you killed YOUR OWN crew members!?”

Niko chuckled. “Tell me Twilight, have you ever wondered what suffering really is?” He gave her the evil eye.  “Or how taking a life feels like? I can tell you something…it feels like…winning.”

“You’re a big meanie pants!” Pinkie said.

“Barbarian!” Rarity added.

Niko gave an evil laugh. “And it is your kind who tries to destroy humanity. All under the false guise of self-righteousness, to save us all from ourselves, save us from what exactly?”

“This what the Princess wanted to do, save you all.” Twilight said, adding fuel to the fire.

“And in return? You got Nazis and Communists running lose in Equestria. You have gangs and criminals running free, doing whatever they wish because Celestia sees good in them. Isn’t the threat of Nazis something to scare her? Or the drug abuse running rampant? How about rape and molestation? Or the fact your society has to accommodate Newfoals for everything?” He picked up a sausage and took a bite. “Let’s face it, Celestia is going to have to fight a war on multiple fronts. It’s interesting really…”

“How is it interesting?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow.

“The rules of nature take effect.”

“So?”

“This is what nature planned.  Out there, only the strong survive.” Nikolaos answered.  “Ponykind is weak and they will be forced to fight for the preservation of their life despite centuries of peace under the Princesses. Millions will be dead, but the survivors have proven to be selected to pass on their genes to the next generation and repeat the process.”

“Nature plans nothing!” Shining countered. “Nothing is pre-destined or written in stone.”

“Of course it doesn’t, then explain your body build?” Nikolaos scratched his chin. “Combat ready, legs and hooves are made for bucking the strongest enemies. But of course, from a biological viewpoint,” He looked at Cadence and then back at the unicorn stallion. “As I understand, Equestria is a matriarchal society, the reserve of human civilization. Cadence could of picked many other stallions but he picked Shining not just out of love, but for the purposes of creating the next generation of Alicorns with desirable traits.”

“Like I said Niko, you’re a sick fuck.” Vicente took a bite of his dinner.

“Sick fuck or evil genius?” Nikolaos gave an innocent expression. “But enough philosophy, there are important matters to discuss.”

“Like?” Cadence raised an eyebrow.

“This ship is en route to the Northern Ponysphere were we will re-supply and dock for two months.  Once the two months are over, we are crossing the Corridor and begin Operation: Skanderbeg.”

“Operation what now?” Pinkie asked.

“Operation: Skanderbeg is the complete and total removal of the Colonists in the Balkans and Southern Europe. Twilight Sparkle here will aid in the creation of the ultimate Thoughtbomb and it shall be filled with the energy of the Elements of Harmony.  The bomb will be dropped on Greece and the explosion will cleanse the Balkans and Southern Europe, free of all Colonial presence.”

“You’re crazy!” Pinkie said . “You lost your head.”

“Why should we even take part in this mad scheme of yours?” Rarity asked.

“You have no choice.” Nikolaos said in a blunt manner. “If we didn’t come for you, either the French or Swedes would come for you.  The French would of cooked you alive and have you for their meals or made snacks out of you. The Swedes? The Swedes are involved in a slave trade. They gather entire towns and cities back in the Colonies and sell them into slavery.”

“Slavery!?”  Rarity’s eyes diluted.

“Sexual slavery.” Nikolaos replied.

Fluttershy turned green. “I don’t feel so good….”

“Now since they have come here, they are going to capture whatever ponies they see fit and sell them into sexual slavery back in Sweden. Why? The laws there says it’s OK to do so. All of you here have a price on your head. Cadence? I’ve seen the “Wanted” posters. She’s worth about 200,000 electrum Escudos alone. Shining Armor? 100,000 electrum Escudos, you, in total, about 900,000 platinum Escudos…”

Shining and Cadence’s eyes squinted in shock.

“Are you humans that depraved?” Cadence trembled. “How…how disordered are you?”

“Yeah! How perverted are you?” Rarity joined, disgust in her voice.

“We’re not the Swedes nor do we support the Swedish Slave Trade, it’s wrong and degrading. Even the rest of the privateers think it’s wrong to sell a pony to sexual slavery… a fate worse than death.” Niko said. “I may have lost whatever grip on sanity or done things that would make anyone question my sanity… but the blood feud is that keeps me alive.”

“Blood feud?” Twilight was curious.

“I’m a Maniot Greek, we’re known for our vendettas and revenge…if one family wrongs you, and we go after them. Everyone related to the family is to be utterly destroyed or kicked out of the peninsula. But this is between Celestia and me. For revenge and honor, I will not stop until she is dead and so is Luna.”

“What do you get out of revenge?” Twilight wondered. “What satisfaction would you get if you kill the Princesses?

“I can die peacefully knowing my life’s mission is complete.” The Greek answered.  “Once I machine gun the princesses down like the filthy animals they are… it’s all over for me. The violence is over, no more blood and death. Its retirement for me.”

“No plans to marry?” Cadence asked.

“It would be best that the Drakonakos go extinct. Who needs more merchants of death like me running around the post-Equestrian world? We come with nothing, we leave with nothing. But either way, someone will take my place. Someone always does.”

“Still, since ponykind eschews on firearms.” Vicente brought the topic. “I can imagine how hard life on the Colonies must be. I know a few Defectors who rely on armed human buddies when traveling around the Colonies, search and rescue crews, and Treasure Hunters, they know how the wildlife’s gone crazy without human presence. They got smarter, I hear foxes and wolves in the Midwest and West Coast got smarter, they’re working in groups to hunt.”

“Whoa whoa whoa, are you saying the animals in the Colonies are now hunting together?” Rainbow couldn’t believe her ears.

“They get smarter, they have adapted and overpopulated, they have formed clans to compete for food and resources. It’s impossible for a Colonist to live knowing that at any time a clan of wild canines can attack anyone. You’re pretty much dead the moment they walk into town. The two crews, Search and Rescue who dedicated saving pilots and the Treasure Hunter need guns to protect themselves, even the ponies working these two professions know the animals have gone nuts and are ready to kill.”

Fluttershy said something quietly.

“Hmm?” Vicente raised his eyebrow.

“What has Celestia…done to the poor animals?”

“Nature happened Miss Fluttershy, nature happens. They adapted and they kill.  We are powerless to stop the advances of nature and natural selection. You may have tamed the wildlife in Equestria, but in the Colonies…it’s a different game. I still hear about clans of Tigers running loose in Eastern Russia. Not only has Ponification destroyed the only enemy they have, but they have outnumbered the pony population…in fact… a few reports blame wildlife for Colonist deaths, Newfoals seem to die more than Native Equestrians…but still… taming them will be a failure.”

“Why do you think Treasure Hunters and S&R Crews are armed with assault rifles, submachine guns, and heavy caliber pistols? They don’t worry about the towns and cities, they worry about the wildlife that will attempt to kill them. A good spray of automatic fire does the job. I remember that one time, this pegasus I was working for nearly got mauled by a clan of foxes, all it took was a spray of AK-47 fire to save her life.”

“But guns kill!” Pinkie argued.

“I’ve worked all my life with firearms and I heard that argument before.” Vicente grabbed some pita bread and some kulen (Serbian pork sausage).  “Sure, they kill, but they’re just tools. The morons in the  Old Federal Government thought they could get away with the National Firearms Act of ’34, the Gun Control Act of ’68 and the Machine Gun Ban of ’86. Look what happened, the various branches of the HLF went crazy and started killing each other. It was Blacks VS Asians VS Hispanics VS Whites VS Illegal Immigrants. Thank God I was back home in Texas and thank God my grandpa let us inherit his machine gun collection and always preached the one thing until his death: THEY ARE COMING TO TAKE OUR GUNS!”

Nikolaos chuckled. “You silly Americans and your paranoid fantasies of gun confiscation, they never cease to amaze Europeans.”

“Here’s a thing you don’t EVER do to Southerners like me as the pure-blooded Tejano or the Cajun or the people of Dixie in general. That is you should never EVER come for our guns, we are capable of killing you, no remorse and no questions asked. Just shoot on sight.”

“Southerners are the reason why America has a bad name.” Nikolaos said, as if he started fanning a fire to the forest.

“Then you explain to me why the South was never taken over by Equestria? While the West Coast and Midwest fell easily?  I’ll tell you, America owes it to the Southerner for forming the backbone of the military. America owes us the Southerner for saving its hide, but oh no, the Yankees have to go kill each other while we knew the day would come.”

“What day?” Pinkie Pie blinked.

“The day they would come take our guns. See back then you had to fill paperwork if you wanted to own a gun. Now the HLF and the PER had their purposes for the gun owners. One wanted to take the guns, the others wanted to convert them.  Gun owners are a threat to many. The HLF knew who owned select-fire to fully automatic weapons so did the PER. But long story short, the Southerners managed to push the HLF and the PER off the region.  We Southerners are no strangers to violence.”

“What happened to the HLF when they got kicked out?”

“They were converted; last I saw was a purple explosion from afar. News sprang that the West Coast and Midwest fell to Equestria. Celestia was afraid of the Southerners, knowing we have all the guns to fight her off.”

“A Thoughtbomb.” Niko explained. “Most powerful weapon every invented by the Equestrians. And now, we use their weapons against them.” The Greek grinned. “But for now, let’s enjoy this dinner and perhaps play a card game.”

“Ooooh what kind of card game?” Pinkie’s face brightened.

“Let’s say one where we can earn some quick cash.”

After dinner, they began to play Texas Hold’Em.

Neighara Falls

“HERE YOU GO YOU SONS OF BITCHES!” A Diamond Dog-Equestrian threw a Molotov at Newfoal-owned business. “YOUR KIND IS NOT WELCOME! WE DON’T WANT YOU HERE! IT ALL BELONGS TO THE TRUE EQUESTRIANS!”

Zeppelins followed by other types of passenger airships began to take off. The Nationalists began to attack the aircrafts the moment they took off. They knew this well because of Native insiders who sold off the information. The Newfoals were scared to death, bought all tickets for themselves and their families to get out of the area.

“What you have here!? Huh!? Just a stetson!? What am I supposed to do this!?” A Gryphon threatened.

“No! Please!” A Newfoal begged.

The Gryphon pushed the Newfoal down a long flight of stairs. He broke into laughter, followed by his Native Equestrian and Diamond Dog comrades.

A pack of Diamond Dogs gave several blood curling cries as they fired their submachine guns at any escaping Newfoals. Screams of pain filled the air, only to be drowned by the weapons’ fire. The muzzles flashed as the trigger was held. Hearing the guns click, they slapped a fresh magazine into the weapon and pulled on the cocking lever.

A Griffin gave a smile as a Nationalist Pegasus dropped him a care package. Opening up the box, his eyes widened, a childish squeal escaping his beak. It was a Luftschiffschreck. This weapon fired a rocket propelled at high speeds, the warhead was full of explosive material that could be equal or surpass a load of TNT. Loading the rocket, the Nationalist aimed the weapon towards a pair of escaping airships. A look of no mercy was in his eyes, a twisted smile of no remorse on his face. The rocket hissed away, leaving a blue trail of smoke.

The Newfoal-carrying Zeppelin began to shake violently.

A teenage dragon with the Nationalist colors painted on his face appeared in sight. His mouth opened, revealing a blue fire building up.  The Newfoals piloting the dirigible screamed in panic as several blue comets struck the ship several times. An alarm whined several times in the gondola of the airship.  Moments later, it was consumed by a fireball of red and blue, the leftovers plunging into the world below.

Saddle Arabia

Celestia sat in a throne, crystal screens giving her a view of everything of what happened in Equestria. One of them showed pirate attacks on small villages and cities, another showed a fight between the Nationalists and the Communists in the Crystal Empire. The screens showed a hissing rocket explode on a few Communists, bits of their flesh and limbs flying in the air.  Another screen appeared, showing pogroms of the Newfoal. Flags of the Nationalists were being flown wherever they had a presence.  In another screen, the Nazis began to settle Appleloosa, equipment was being moved across the town.

“WHY!? WHY!? WHY!?” Celestia yelled at the heavens. “WHY!? WHY!? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!?”

By the Waters of the Nile

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 21

By the Waters of the Nile

A modified Pegasus-class Drifter entered the airspace of what used to be Egypt.  A flag was hoisted up, revealing to be working for no nation or cause, but one that had a gold bar and a semi-automatic rifle in a white background. This was the universal flag of the Treasure Hunter.

The Treasure Hunter or Hunters were a group of humans or ponies who seeked to make a profit by going into the Colonies and looking for objects of value. What got more money were firearms, due to the halt of industry and more ammunition being made for all sorts of guns, they were in high demand.

The team descended via Hind-D helicopter.

A Circassian, a Abkhazian, and a Terek Cossack exited the helicopter. They all nodded silently, agreeing to wait until nightfall to scour the target. The Circassian pulled out a map of the Cairo district along with a letter from a S. Quill who reported them the base’s location. According to him, there was a whole stockpile of weapons that the Egyptians left, the Equestrians were planning to destroy them, but could never access the armory due to the blast doors.

There’s a base in Cairo that the Egyptian Military locked out before they took over. Sadly, they are using the base as barracks along with a hangar for zeppelins that patrol the skies.  I suggest that you don’t try anything against the Zeppelins if you encounter one; I doubt that you’d bring a rocket launcher to pluck the bird out of the sky.

The doors to the armory are shut. They have tried to get in but have failed to do so. I know you’ll find a way to blast them. An insider has told me that they estimated about 1 ton in firearms and ammunition for them. They are getting desperate in trying to blow the doors, they know the guns are worth money and they don’t want the privateers ending up with more guns or weapons.

One more thing I have to say. Those statues of ponies are not what they seem. They’re golems. Look at the crystals in their eyes. If they change color, they will attack you. They have no sense of self-preservation; they will keep attacking until you die.

I bid you good luck.

Signed,

S. Quill

P.S: Head to the Blue Nile, a group of Defectors will secure your escape.

Crickets began to chirp. The city that used to be Cairo was now asleep, save for the Royal Guard and its Newfoal Battalion that conducted the night patrols. A zeppelin with a search light scanned below for any crime or signs of humans scavenging for objects of value or wildlife that came to look for a feast.

The trio began to move across city. They avoided confrontation, violence was the last resort. They all came with silenced MP-446 “Viking” pistols with overpressure ammunition for a clean shot to the head.  The Cossack went ahead, checked his corners, and signaled the others to come out.  As they moved across the old streets, they heard something. The Circassian turned, he gasped. A patrolling zeppelin was heading their way.  They took shelter in the ruins of what used to be a mosque; they kept a look out for the patrolling zeppelin.

They exited as the zeppelin left the area.

They continued their way across the city.

Reaching the base, the three climbed through the gate. Nodding, each one pulled out their primary weapons. The Circassian favored the punch of the 6.8x43mm round, so he carried a piston operated M4 carbine with a special mechanism to slow the rate of fire, making automatic fire easy to manage.  The Cossack carried an old Colt Monitor, an improved version of the Browning automatic rifle which possessed a pistol grip and a Cutts compensator to cut down most of the recoil produced by the heavy but effective .30-06 round. Despite having 20 rounds, they counted on him to provide the heavy fire against heavily armored enemies.  The Abkhazian being used to the wonders of Russian engineering chose the A-91 assault rifle with a commercial 48 round Kalashnikov magazine, due to the rifle accepting the magazines of the mass-produced and well proven assault rifle.

They entered the base.

They noticed the base was reworked around and given new decorations.  Stained glass windows of Celestia and Luna along with the Elements in various poses, as if they were heroes of Equestria. One window portrayed the two Earths, one facing each other; the middle between the planets was an eight pointed star, surrounded by a field of cosmic magic, forming a hourglass shape. Runes decorated the stained glass windows, each one telling a story.  The Circassian smashed the stained glass window, the others understood how he felt…many friends and relatives were kicked out by the ponies…

There was no need to play it stealthy. It was time to kill them and escape with the treasure. As they moved around the base, they all checked their corners.  A Newfoal pegasus panicked, a long burst of 7.62x39mm fire put him down. Doors opened, revealing Guardsponies. They all gasped at the presence of humans in the base. One Newfoal brought out a vial of the serum. The Cossack responded instantly, firing several shots.

Blood pooled over the body of the Newfoal.

The Earth Pony Guards dashed towards them.

The Abkhazian grinned as his weapon roared for several seconds. Empty casings bouncing on the floor.

One Earth Pony gave a slow moan of pain. The other one gave its last steps. The last three dropped dead.

“Let’s clear the rooms.” The Circassian said. “Spare no one.”

The three split up.

The Abkhazian refused to waste precious rifle ammo. Putting the rifle away, he pulled out his pistol, removed the silencer and entered the room. Holding the pistol with one hand, he walked as if he owned the place. Newfoal Guards yelled as the pistol fired its shots at them.  A few who were Native Equestrians/Colonists were not spared a bullet.  As the bodies dropped, the man laughed sadistically as another spent casing was ejected. “Their screams are so…erotic…”

The Circassian flipped his rifle to semi-automatic. Several mares who were taking their break from guard duty found him, his eye never leaving the sight. They reacted by trying to tackle him. Three shots to the head eliminated them. They gave a strange moan…as if they found some pseudo-pleasure in dying. He examined their mouths. They lacked canine teeth, a sign that told Newfoals and Natives/Colonists apart.

The Cossack gave insane cackles as he fired from the hip, spraying .30 caliber fury into them. “AAHAHAHAHAAHHA CRY SOME MORE! CRY SOME MORE!” The gun clicked empty after 2 seconds. With a groan, his hands removed the spent magazine and inserted a new one. Pulling on the bolt, the automatic rifle roared again. The screams of pain and agony were drowned out by the gun fire.

The next set of doors was kicked open.

The process repeated for several minutes.

Dead bodies littered the floors and walls. Blood formed small pools near the dead bodies. Faces of fear and shock were plastered, frozen to forever relive their last moments. Humans coming in with their guns, putting lead projectiles quickly. To testament this, spent bullet cases of various sizes and calibers decorated the floors.  The smell of death mixed with that of burnt gunpowder created a sick mixture. To a pony, it was the aroma of an unnatural chaos.

A mare guard entered the base, she screamed as she saw the dead bodies. Something began to beep; she wondered where this sound coming from was. The beeps got louder followed by a deep silence. Fire was all she saw, then nothing.

The three stumbled at what seemed a large garden.  It was full of flora that came from Equestria, along with hybrid roses that came in all colors of the rainbow. Artificial waterfalls, aqueducts, and fountains dotted this area. In the center, a large crystal statue of Celestia lay vigilant, as if she was admiring the hard work her little ponies placed for her.

As they passed through it, the eyes began to glow a blood red.

The Circassian stopped. “Get out of here.” He said.

“What?” The Cossack turned around.

“Do it… I’ll handle it from here.”

“Is he crazy? We can’t do this without him.”

The statue came to life, it began to walk towards the trio.

“Just go! I’ll deal with it. Move!”

The two started to sprint.

The Circassian turned. Putting his rifle away, his hand pulled out the shashka. Doing a salute, he twirled the blade with ease.

“You come to my little ponies’ colonies to bring death and terror to them!” The statue said with anger. “My heart is angry, and my patience has run out of options! If you will not accept Ponification, then death shall be your undoing.”

The Circassian taunted.

The statue began to rapidly trot towards the man.

With ease, the man jumped out of the way and delivered several slashes to the crystal statue. Celestia’s voice expressed pain.  With a stomp, several shockwaves were released, sending the man to the floor. Raising its forelegs, she said several insults.  The man reacted by quickly slashing the forelegs. The crystal construct backed away, fearful of the man.  With an angry grin, her wings spread with a yellow load. “How about this!?”  Crystal shards flew out towards him.

The man twirled his sword rapidly, deflecting the crystal projectiles to random directions.

“Not bad for an ape with a sword.” The statue aggressively commented.  With an angry neigh, the construct dashed towards the man.  Her horn began to give off an auburn glow.

The sword and horn clashed, sending sparks flying. Both began to grunt, the Circassian gave a grunt as he let the faux Celestia push him a bit. Taking his time, he started to breathe calmly. Feeling timing was right, he performed a back flip. Twirling the sword, he threw a insult in his native language. The statue began to move towards him.

He also did the same.

The horn’s tip started to move in a circular motion. “HORN DRILL ATTACK!”

The Circassian performed a slide, passing under her. Everything went into slow motion for him. His eyes saw weaknesses in her stomach. Whipping the blade several times, chunks of crystal flew out. The statue screaming in pain.  Getting back up, he got ready for a downwards slice. The statue reacted quickly and gave the man a buck. He crashed against a wall.

The pain was unbearable, his ears buzzed, his heartbeat was getting slower. But it wasn’t over until one of them went down. Grabbing his blade, he performed another twirl. Seeing the sparkles up ahead, he began to run towards them. The crystal statue began to fire several blasts of magic, explosions lifting dust and debris into the air.  Getting close to it, he jumped, remembering all what his family taught him when riding on the backs of horses.  His feet were planted on the statue’s back.

Faux Celestia reacted by trying to throw him off her back.

The Circassian violently slashed the back of her head.  “Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Go back to the Hellhole you came from!” He said in Arabic.

It threw the human off.

He landed on the ground, his sword away from his grasp.

The crystal statue got its forelegs ready for a stomp.

With a smile, the Circassian pulled out a RKG-3 grenade from his belt. Removing the pin, it was inserted into the opening of the statue’s abdomen. Quickly getting back on his feet, he grabbed his sword and run away from the explosion.

The sound of shattering glass was heard.

He sighed in relief. Something was giving off a blue glow.

The man approached the source. It was some sort of crystal heart, it was beating still. The fragments began to float and assembled themselves again into the alicorn. He growled. “Can’t you stay dead for once!?”

The statue went for a tackle.

Moving out of the way, the Circassian sprinted towards the statue. Performing several horizontal slashes, chunks began to fly off. Pulling another grenade, he inserted and ran off to a safe distance.

The explosion destroyed the construct.

Dashing to the crystal heart, the blade was whipped on it several times. The man gave several war screams as his blade hit the heart. Delivering more blows to it, several cracks began to appear on its surface.  Lifting his right leg,  it was brought down with whatever strength he could gather. The satisfying sound of glass shattering filled his ears. A rainbow liquid was all that remained.

Throwing the sword into the air, he pulled out the scabbard. As it was going to land, the scabbard caught it. It slid quietly; the Circassian finished the storing of his blade. He smiled.

Exiting the garden, he dead bodies scattered everywhere. Newfoals and Colonists, they were not spared a bullet.

The armory doors were sealed shut.  Meeting up with his comrades, they briefed him on the situation regarding the armory doors.  They were locked shut, there was no way to make them budge.

With an idea in mind, the Cossack pulled out his charges of C4 along with his grenades. Asking for the rest of the grenades, they looked at him curiously. Ordering for the grenades, the two handed the explosives over.  Preparing the breaching explosive, the Cossack ordered them to move to a safe distance. They did so.

A loud explosion echoed across the hallway.  Checking the door, a opening wide enough for them was made.

Their jaws dropped in awe. Thousands of crates were there, each one containing prizes that would be worth a fortune. With excitement, the men separated. Removing the top portions of the boxes, they found firearms of various makes and eras. The Circassian pulled out a Port Said, a copy of the Swedish K submachine gun. “200 to 300 Escudos for one.”

The Cossack opened a crate. Pulling out a unknown rifle, he whistled for the Circassian to come examine it. He listened to what was being told to him. It was a Hakim Rifle, a copy of a Swedish design. The rifle used 8mm Mauser ammunition rather than the standard 6.5 Swedish ammunition. How frequent was this rifle? Not much as the Circassian continued.  They were valuable. They could sell for 500 Escudos each.

“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! We hit the Jackpot!” The Abkhazian flailed his arms. “We’re rich!” He pulled out a Remington Rolling Block along with a bullet. “We have Remington Rolling Blocks!  .43 Egyptian! Do you know how much these will sell!? We’ll have enough to upgrade our ship! We can finally buy those 30mm autocannons.”

The Circassian and Cossack couldn’t help but smile. They examined the weapons. All they needed was to clean the Cosmoline and polish the wood parts of the rifle, along with rejuvenating the ammunition, the rifles would be good as new.

They called in for their ship to come and pick up the treasure.

The base was cleared out of any occupying ponies, allowing the transfer of the former Egyptian military equipment go unmolested by the Guards.

The airship took off into the night skies. Little did they know that were being followed by a small flotilla of two cruisers and a group of zeppelins. With the human crewed vessel on their sights, they engaged pursuit of the ship. Despite the crew’s anxiety to attack them, the Commander of the task force mentioned they will attack once they exit the White Nile, the attack will commence.

The morning sun came into view. The Captain of the Ship, an Uzbeki gave a small morning prayer followed with a blessing to his crew for the faithful service they gave since the first maiden voyage.  The crews listened, and took off to do their daily activities. A voice in the PA chimed in, announcing it was breakfast time.

The clock announced it was midday. As expected, the ship took a turn into what used to be Khartoum.

A beam of magic missed the airship by a few inches.

The spotter on the crow’s next began to scan the skies for anything in particular. He gasped as he found a light blinking several times. Zooming into the light, several Equestrian airships were tailing them. Lowering them, he picked up the phone and punched in the bridge’s number. “Captain! We have an enemy task force behind us! Two cruisers and I estimate 5 zeppelins! They are launching pegasi right at us! 100! No! 190 pegasi heading towards us at full speed!”

Alarms wailed all over the ship.

“This is your Captain speaking!” The Uzbeki’s voice chimed on the PA. “We have been tailed by an Equestrian task force. All crews are to now engage in combat protocols! Anti-Air, begin calibration of your machine guns sights to moving targets. This isn’t like a battle we had before.  There is no 20 minute time limit. We must endure it.”

“5 minutes before contact!” The spotter announced. His voice heard all over the ship.

Hatches opened up across the ship, revealing the hodge-podge of weaponry. M2s followed by M1917 machine guns along with DShKs dotted most of the ship. Several ZU-23s protected the bow,  middle, and rear deck of the ship.

The pegasi were getting close.

The machine gunners began to get anxious.

Seconds later, one of them flew in circles.

The machine guns erupted. Bullets of all calibers began to fly around. The pegasi tried to land to attack the crews but found it impossible due the bullets flying everywhere. Several crewmates came out, firing out their submachine guns and assault rifles into the air.  A gunner gave an insane yell of pleasure as the machine gun released lead shot into the air. The others could not hear him, the sounds of guns firing drowned out the orders.

A crewmate holding a SKS with the 75 AK drum magazine began to pull the trigger, any pegasus that flew by was instantly a target.

“WE CAN’T GET CLOSE TO IT! THEY’RE SPREADING MACHINE GUN FIRE LIKE CRAZY!” One pegasus yelled.

“THEY HAVE TO RELOAD! THEIR AMMUNITION IS NOT INFINITE! LOOK! ONE OF THEM IS RELOADING!”  Another one pointed out.

A machine gunner gave a scream of frustration as the weapon jammed.  He looked up to a pair of pegasi. Both landed, the impact pushed him off. A scream of panic was heard, nothing could be done for him.

A Finnish man with a Calico M955A fired at the two.  They dropped dead in seconds.  Looking at the entire flock, if he could put it that way flying around like that. Firing a few bursts in the air more began to move out of the way of his shots. One pegasus came into view, taunting him with a silly face. The Finn noticed the canines. “DAMN NEWFOAL! DIE!” Spent bullet cases littered on the floor. “GO BACK TO THE HELL YOU CAME FROM!”

Blasts of magic began to hit the ship from behind.

The ZU-23 protecting the rear end swiveled to the direction of the attacker. The sights were calibrated towards one of the offending zeppelins and released a storm of lead towards it. The shells exploded, releasing flak in the air.

An AK-74 fired at the sky. A pegasus took a bullet to the wing. It plunged down into the world below. The Ukrainian smiled as he flipped the selector to full automatic, releasing short bursts at the sky. Quickly reloading, he flipped back to semi-automatic, hoping they would hit another one. A pegasus got ready to land, two shots from the rifle brought the flying pony down.

“How much longer till we reach the Blue Nile Falls?” The Uzbeki asked.

“Two more hours!” The Navigator responded.

The ship began to shake.

“We have enemy infiltration on the lower decks!” A voice on the PA yelled. “Shit! They are carrying the potion! Open fire!”

The pursuing ships increased speed.

The machine gunners noticed that their guns were hissing due to overheating.  Pulling out their pistols, they fired at any landing pegasi.  Those who wielded rifles fired bursts at the winged ponies before they could land, as strategy goes that the loss of blood would kill them before the fall does. Another group tried to land, two rifle-toting men sprayed automatic fire.  They retreated to the insides of the ship.

On the lower decks, a single man with a PK machine gun fired at the infiltrators. The bodies started to pile up. His left hand was getting tired of holding the weapon and the other was feeling the weight of the ammo.  Another group of infiltrators entered, the machine gun released another spray of fire, the barrel turning red due to the constant firing.  Dropping the gun, his pistol fired out several times. He smiled at the sight of the dead winged pony.

“ENEMY INFILTRATION IN BARRACKS!”

“WE GOT 7 PEGASI INFILTRATORS IN THE STORAGE!”

Despite the ship being surrounded by pegasi trying to break in, and 5 zeppelins closing in along with two cruisers, the Cossack and the Circassian calmly walked out. Seeing as the situation turning hopeless, the two nodded. Pulling out their twin shashka, they got into a offensive stance.

“They have swords! They can’t do anything!” The lead pegasi grinned. “Everyone! Get those two!”

They landed, surrounding the two.

The men ran towards the pegasi, bringing their swords up and down. Blood flew everywhere. Their jaws dropped wide, one pegasus charged towards.  The Circassian took a deep breath, everything slowed down. Seeing the incoming pony, he prepared his blade. As it got closer, everything was automatic. Up. Down. Left. Right. Down. Left. Right. Whip.

The pegasus split in various pieces.

“DEMONS!” One of the pegasus said. “THESE ARE NOT HUMANS! THEY’RE DEMONS!”

The Circassian twirled his blades. “NOW!”

The two ran towards the next pegasi. Preparing their swords for the strike, they gave a yell as the whipped them with the cold blade. Blood and limbs flew everywhere. The pegasi turned pale, how they moved their swords against them… cutting them like they are nothing.

The zeppelins got closer. Several Earth Pony and Unicorn Guards with naginatas boarded.

“Pole weapons? I thought they didn’t have those.” The Cossack grinned. “I always wanted to fight with one of those.”

“Bring it on ponies! I can do this all day!” The Circassian announced.

The naginata wielders began their attack.

The Caucasian sabers blocked the incoming blades. Sparks flew out the weapons. Breaking the lock, the two men delivered a brutal decapitation attack. Heads began to roll. Several pegasi began to retreat, others just watched.

The Cossack sheathed his blades and picked up the fallen naginata.  Swinging the blade in several directions, screams of pain and agony filled the air. A burly Earth Pony guard tackled the Terek and bucked him in mid-flight. Landing near a machine gun, the man coughed out some blood. His abdomen was on fire... but something told him not to give in. Slowly getting up, he picked up the pole weapon. With a fire burning in his eyes, he ran towards the offending pony. Preparing the blade, he rammed it straight to the enemy’s skull.

The Earth Pony screamed violently. Blood began to river out.  The onlookers gasped, a cold fear began to grasp their spines. The human began to push the blade further, the pony’s yell was calling for mercy. The human then pulled the blade out, revealing the impaled brain. The body dropped, blood forming a pond.

More pegasi began to retreat out of fear.

Others landed to try their luck.

Throwing the Naginata away, the Cossack pulled out his twin blades.

The Circassian split a pegasus in half.

The bridge crew was looking at the conflict through CCTV.

The Uzbeki smiled. “These two maniacs are genius.” He picked up the ship’s phone. “Attention all hands! Viktor and Blaneshu are on top deck fighting off the ponies. I want all available hands to help them out. Grabs your swords and knifes. Those zeppelins present a problem, shoot them down!”

More dead ponies began to litter the deck of the airship.

The two were tired, but the fight went on.

The doors exploded, several crew members arrived with sabers, knives, along with firearms. Several of them brought rocket launchers along with specialized warheads.  Loading the projectiles into the launcher, they took aim. Rockets hissed out. The gondolas of the zeppelins exploded, sending them off course.

A pegasus took a knife stab to the throat.

Another one took a few shots to the head.

It was over in 45 minutes.

The airship reached the Blue Nile Falls. The crews sighed in relief. The spotter reported seeing a zeppelin bearing a friendly flag. The Helmsman adjusted the Drifter’s course and straight into Lake Tana. Surrounding the lake was a town composed of pro-human ponies who have given shelter and food to the many human-crewed ships for years, since they’re much isolated from the rest of the world, the humans are a source of income and news from around the globe.

Shore leave was announced for a week.

Factions of Equestria

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 22

Factions of Equestria

Royalists: The Royalists are the ponies who are still loyal to Celestia and see her as the source of good in the world. They agree with her that the human race requires salvation through an outside force. Despite the fallacies of the Solar Princess, they follow her and obey her whim. With the current conquest of Saddle Arabia and back up from the Colonial Defense Fleets, Celestia plans to use this might to retake Equestria  to bring back order and stability.  Once she is done with that, she will give humanity the final ultimatum: Convert to accept salvation or die like filthy animals.

Rumors go that four different kinds of serums are being prepared. One for the Gryphons, and another one for the Diamond Dogs, one for dragons, and the last one for the Changelings:  Mass Ponification of the peoples of Counter-Earth. Celestia and the Royalists see the Humans, Diamond Dogs, Changelings, Dragons, and Gryphons as impurities that must be fixed or obliterated.  Speciest to the core, they all believe in the superiority of Ponykind itself, and it is their mission to purify the Twin Earths of the plagues that walk amongst them.

Nationalists:  The Equestrian Nationalists believe that the openness to the Newfoal along with the Colonization of Human lands has brought crime, divorce, and alcohol and drug abuse, along with other things beyond their comprehension. Likeminded Native Equestrians along with Gryphon-Equestrians, Diamond Dog-Equestrians, and Dragon Citizens of Equestria joined for several common goals: Expulsion of the Newfoal, remove all Colonial presence from Human lands, and to remove the Princesses from power.

They have a hatred for all things Royalist or pertaining to the Newfoal, blaming them for the disasters that befell on Equestria and her reputation to the rest of the world in general.

The Nationalists have humble origins, ever since the Occupy Canterlot event of 2018; patriotic ponies counter-protested against the Newfoals’ insane demands, revealing the true colors of the Converted. The “Who is an Equestrian” question came into mind.  The Natives and the Minorities are known for the chant of “NOT ONE OF US! THEY ARE AND NEVER WILL BE ONE OF US!”

Years later, a Pegasus mare by the name of Thunder Quill held a rally in the Unicorn Mountain Range, uniting all like minded patriots. Thus the Nationalists were born.

It is known that the Equestrian Foreign Legion joined the Nationalists.

Due to the discovery of Nazi weapons and airships, the Nationalists turn them against their former creators. Due to the lack of hands, all firearms are assigned to Gryphons, Diamond Dogs, and Child to Teenage Dragons.  The Nationalists also possess a small but deadly air navy composed of captured Nazi zeppelins.  All captured Nazi equipment is “purified” by removing the iconography.

Ponies and Zebras act as non-combat roles, but a few have joined the campaign to reclaim Equestria.

The Nationalists are divided by region: North, South, East, and West.  They are led by a Regional Commander who is in turn led by the Generals of the Nationalist Forces in their HQ in the Unicorn Mountain Range.

Nazis: The Nazi Party, composed of Newfoals believes that they are the master race and Equestria should be only for them. They look down on the Natives and minorities as parasites and undesirables, believing that they will bring race riots and allow even more to migrate to Equestria. Lead by a mysterious Fuhrer, they are responsible for the destruction of Appleloosa followed by the genocide of the Buffalo Tribes, the first step of their master plan. The Nazis are fiery followers of racial purity, eugenics, and Social Darwinism.

The Nazis are also very creative when it comes to the field of mechanics. This has lead to the creation of their fighting backbone such as the humanoid Adaptive Intelligent Combat Android, the Quailship, and various firearms such as submachine guns based on the MP-18 and its derivatives along with full to intermediate power assault rifles, bolt-action rifles, machine guns, and rocket launchers used exclusively by the Android and much to their displeasure, the Nationalists.

They have a hatred of anything that does not fit in their vision of the future.  Anyone who is not a Newfoal is dangerous, it is flawed and must be destroyed.

Communists:  The Communists also composed of Newfoals believe that the current system is outdated and that all Capitalist activities exploit the common pony to ensure that the Princesses are well fed and allowed to lord over them as they please, using trickery and optical illusions to pretend to raise the sun and moon.  Their goal is to overthrow the Princesses and establish a Communist Order, the worker’s paradise where all means of productions will be owned by the Grand Soviet Republic of Equestria.

The Communists have fought in small skirmishes against the Nazis. Due to these skirmishes, they have managed to reverse-engineer a Quailship, leading to the creation of the Falconship they use as their main fighting force.

They have a hatred for all things Capitalist, the Princesses, the Nationalists, and the Nazis, seeing them as their opponents as they fight for control of Equestria and her resources.

Werewolf Gambit

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 23

Werewolf Gambit

“This is a joint operation between the American Federation, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Western Russian Federation and various foreign warships and privateer vessels that have volunteered for this task. Ladies and gentlemen, our task is to retake the Russian Far East from the Equestrian Colonists. From there, we shall move to Central Asia and into Mongolia.”

Ever man and woman inside the ships were getting their guns ready.

Pilots prepared their aircraft for the take off.

Privateers got ready for boarding.

Several Defectors were chanting mantras quietly, the pegasi giving their wings a stretch. Their headset communicators tested and approved, ready for the attack.

As the fleet approached the skies of Eastern Russia, a few patrolling zeppelins were found. The echo of shells firing was all that they heard. The shells detonated on the two small aircraft. As one detonated into a blue fireball, the remaining craft fired two black flares into the skies.

The Defense Fleet would be ready to engage them.

The ships on the rear began to open fire on the ground. A hail of shells of various calibers began to impact whatever colonial town there was.  Birds began to escape the area in fear, not wishing to witness the horrors of war.

“Sir! Enemy presence at 12’O Clock! Defense Fleet vessels heading at us at full speed!”

“Launch all fighters! Tell the privateers once we get close, the ships are theirs for the taking.”

“ 18 Canterlot-class Carriers along with 9 Luna-Class Cruisers, 8 Windigo-class Frigates, and 20 Old Equestrian Battleships along with 5 dozen Typhoon-class Zeppelins.”

“All ships are to fire at will once we get close to them. Relay the message to the rest.”

The opposing fleets got closer.

Aircraft and pegasi exited the ships and began their attack runs.

The privateers had their eyes on the carriers. The carriers were worth a lot of money due to their size and the fact they are large enough to accommodate a dozen aircraft or so.  In the Equestrian air navy tactic, carriers are the dominant force since they can house up to 12,000 pegasi for attack and defense purposes, and the fact in the Equestrian War of Aggression, it was the use of carriers which got the world ponified by majority.

Two privateer ships, flying the flag of Serbia fired their grappling hooks at their targeted carrier. The two began to reel themselves in to allow their raiding crews to board the prize. Unicorns began to use their Gatling Spell, rapidly firing beams of magic but the armor plating denied them the hit.  The raiding crews appeared , attaching karabiners into the steel rope, they descended into the ship.

The Serbian privateers fired their weapons at any incoming ponies. The Unicorns returned fire.

A Serbian pulled out his machete. Running towards a attacker, he thrusted the blade into the head of the unfortunate enemy attacker. The blade came out from the other side, blood decorated the blade. Pulling it out, pieces of brain dropped on the runway. The others looked at the human and began to get a buck out of him.  Seeing the mares getting ready, he instantly stabbed his machete into a mare.

One Serbian released a cone of buckshot. The blast killed a unicorn. Pumping the slide, he switched the custom selector on the Fort-500 shotgun from Single Fire to Double Blast. Pulling the trigger once, the weapon roared twice. One unicorn fell, the other was gasping for air, blood seeping out from her neck. Kicking the mare, the man flipped the selector to Fire and aimed down the sights. One last shot ended the unicorn’s life. A spent shotgun shell was ejected, rolling next to the corpses.

From the attached airships, several of the crews were raining 8mm Mauser shots. A Serb pulled open the bolt, loaded a fresh bullet into the chamber, closed the bolt and looked through the sights. Seeing an earth pony mare, he grinned. The rifle cracked once, the spent casing falling into the world below.

The earth pony mare’s back exploded into a red mist.

“Has anyone noticed how most of the Equestrians are females!” A Serb totting a Gew.98 fired a shot.

“Yeah! Makes me wonder if the Conversion Bureaus was something more than salvation! I heard from a stallion friend of mine, a Native Equestrian that Equestria has a high female population, I feel sorry for them when the mares get into heat!”

A Serb totting a M76 chambered in .30-06 looked through the scope of his rifle. Zooming on an attacking Unicorn, he held his breath as the reticule locked on the enemy’s head.  Pulling the trigger once, the enemy was down.  Pulling the trigger again, another went down with a well placed shot to the head. The process was repeated until the magazine clicked empty.

The doors granting access to the rest of the ship were destroyed.

The raiders entered.

“ENEMY RAID!” A Guardspony yelled.

Automatic fire rattled across the insides of the ship.

“FIRE IN THE HOLE!” A Serbian raider lobbed a anti-tank grenade towards three unicorns taking cover behind makeshift cover. The explosive landed behind them. The blast shook the area, the ponies were dead. “Hehehehe.”

Three Earth Pony mares began to kowtow to a Serbian raider. They all pleaded to be spared. The man looked at them with anger.  Pulling out his pistol, he racked the slide and pulled the trigger several times.

“PLEASE! WE SURRENDER! WE SURRENDER!” A Pegasus kowtowed. “NO MORE VIOLENCE! PLEASE! TAKE THE SHIP! WE WANT OUT!”

“Die pony, you are not of this world.” The Serb raider fired his pistol at the surrendering foe. “They are trying to surrender, do not let them, they’ve done it before.”

Down at the engineering section, the unicorns in charge of the Star Swirl Unit began to fire at the incoming raiders. A beam of magic pushed one away, the raiders began to return fire from cover.  A scream in Serb was heard, telling them to not hit the Unit.  The unicorns did not understand the alien language, what where they saying?  One of them fell to a lost bullet. They continued to return fire, ignoring the death of their fellow.

“Hey! Pass me the SKS!” A raider yelled.

A scoped SKS was thrown. Catching it, he aimed down the aperture tube scope. Setting the chevron on the enemy’s center of mass, the rifle cracked once.  Red mist exploded out of the wound. “Armor piercing? Nice.” Locking on the next unicorn, the gun cracked again.  The last unicorn began to charge towards them, the horn glowing a threatening blue aura.  A bullet impacted her eye and exited out of the back of its head. “The Unit is ours!”

The Serbs cheered.

“BLAST DOORS! NOW!” The pegasus captain yelled.

Several metallic doors sealed off the main bridge doors.

Gunfire erupted. The bullets only punctured small holes in the metal.

A raider planted demolition charges on the doors. Everyone retreated to safety as the explosion occurred.

The doors were blown off.

The bridge crew gasped, seeing the ornamental wooden doors collapse.

The Serbs entered. “DEATH TO THE EQUESTRIAN USTACHE! DEATH TO CELESITA! LEADER OF THE EQUESTRIAN USTACHE! AVENGE MOTHER SERBIA!” They chanted as they drew their curved machetes, they split and began to attack any pony in range.

The captain of the carrier was restrained, several men and women delivered crippling blows to her face. One of the crew members hacked off the wings, making her scream in agony. Being dropped on the floor, she saw the humans kicking, beating, spitting, and stabbing their machetes into her, blood flying out like crazy. With a groan, everything went black and red.

Black, red, and blue smoke arose from the carrier. The capture was confirmed.

A pusher airplane bearing the flag of Poland-Lithuania began to head down towards a zeppelin. Magic blasts rapidly flew past them. The gunner cocked the plane’s weapon of choice, the General Dynamics Lightweight Medium Machine Gun. Aiming down the sights, he pulled the trigger once. Heavy caliber bullets impacted the gondola of the zeppelin.  The ponies around it began to move, hoping to avoid one of the incoming bullets. The pilot pulled on the control stick, doing another pass. The machine gun roared again, the tracer shots flying towards the target.

The unicorns returned fire, hoping to pluck this annoying bird out of the sky.

“Get me to the wings! I have an idea!” The gunner reloaded the machine gun.

“What is this idea of yours?”

“Just do it!”

The craft performed another pass.  The gunner began to calculate how close they were to the wings. Approaching the wing, the gunner pulled the trigger. The rotor began to cough black smoke as the engine was on fire.  Firing another burst, the engine exploded violently, detaching the wing from the gondola. The zeppelin began to lose its coordination. The Earth Pony helmsman struggled to control the craft, but it refused to response.

The zeppelin rammed against another, the explosion destroyed the two craft, sending scrap metal down to the world.

Shells began to fly towards the Equestrian fleet. Plumes of black smoke dotted the skies. “No quarter! Show these horses we mean business!”

The Russian flagged vessels formed up into Battle Formation V. Their engines began to build up energy, speeding up towards the center of the Equestrian ships. “Admiral! We have detected pegasi exiting from the carriers!”

“Then it’s time to test our new weapons.” The Russian Admiral smirked. “All ships, prepare anti-pegasi rockets!”

Hatches opened up across the ship, revealing small launchers. The pegasi were getting close. With the order being relayed, the launchers hissed, releasing salvos of rockets into the aerial battlefield. The Admiral pulled out his Pocketwatch, looking at it, recording how useful the anti-pegasus weapons are.

A rocket detonated, sending a pegasus down to the world below.

The launchers were reloaded, hisses were heard followed by trails of white smoke.

A privateer vessel flying the flag of the Defectors aimed its 30mm Autocannons at a zeppelin firing towards the human fleet.  The Unicorn gunners confirmed the lock, and let them rip. The projectiles impacted various parts of the craft. “Multiple hits on enemy zeppelin!” A Earth Pony Observer said via the ship’s phone. “Zeppelin has lost wings and losing altitude.”

“Finish it off. Send the Celestianites to Tartarus.” The pegasus captain replied.

The Autocannons finished off the Zeppelin.

The gunnery crews cheered as the zeppelin detonated into a blue fireball, the flaming remains plunged down into Eastern Russia.

A flying wing fighter of American origin performed a roll, displaying its maneuverability. Heading for the Old Equestrian Battleships, the pilot dodged every single blast the unicorns threw at him.  Spotting the rotating air panels, the only weak point of this type of airship, the aircraft released two missiles. The warheads entered the insides of the ship and detonated on the Star Swirl Unit.

The ship began to blow up on the inside. The crews screamed as fires began to force their way out of the ship.  The bridge exploded. Without anyone to steer the ship, it headed towards the rest. The crew of a unfortunate ship panicked, the helmspony looking at the incoming ship, the fires of Hell burning through it. The captain yelled, demanding to steer out of the way. It was too later, the ship began to shake. Damage reports came in.

The burning ship rammed against another and began to another one into submission. The impaled ship’s Star Swirl Unit began to act crazy, pipes and dials exploding.

There was a blinding flash followed by one big explosion.

“Reports are coming in! The enemy has lost 60% of their offensive firepower.” The Communications Officer said.

The Russian Admiral gave a lighthearted laugh.

The American vessels began to fire on the enemy frigates.

Icelandic privateers landed on the next carrier.  Reading their guns, they entered the ship and began to gun down every pony that they saw.  One Icelandic woman took cover behind a corner as several blasts of magic flew in her direction. Reloading her G3 rifle, she began to fire blindly at the defenders. A scream of pain was heard.

They continued to slaughter the crews of the carrier.

The conflict ended with a victory for the Allied Fleet. The Equestrian Colonial Defense Fleet was defeated and Siberia was reclaimed. Occupational forces have been set on the mainland to patrol and mop up any resistance met by the Colonists.  The Russian Far East District is still under pony occupation, a small task force will intercept the Colonial Defense Fleet there.

The carriers were taken to Switzerland to be repaired and auctioned off to the highest bidder. 50% of the sales money will go to the Russian government.

“Ah…so what do we have here?” A French privateer entered the local Palace of Justice, inside the cells, scared Newfoals with signs of abuse looked at the man. “Oh look, traitors and deserters…those who abandoned their humanity for the sake of an earthly paradise…do you know what we do to you My Little Newfoals?” He said in a faux Celestia voice.

They all looked nervously at him.

The man cocked his SAR-21 aiming down through the custom iron sights.

“No! NO NO!” A Newfoal stallion pleaded. “PLEASE! DON’T KILL US! WE DIDN’T DO ANYTHING!”

“PLEASE!” A Newfoal mare sobbed. “WE DON’T DO ANYTHING!”

Bursts of automatic rifle fire echoed through the halls.

An Albanian walked up to the torture chamber, noticing many Newfoals in pain. Feeling no remorse, he loaded a 75 drum magazine into his SKS rifle and cocked it.  Raising the weapon, he used the Newfoals as target practice. The released their last sound, but the bullets still impacted their bodies.  The rifle fired its last bullet; he left with a satisfied smile.

The days became hell as all surviving ponies, Colonists and Newfoals were rounded up. They wondered why and then it came. That dreaded flag came into view. They all panicked but gunfire made them stop. The ponies whispered and murmured, they knew the Swedish flag meant a fate worse than death… slavery of all kinds…

They were loaded into the airship, their bodies in chains.

The airship took off into the skies, heading towards its destination. They would reach Sweden in 3 days at current speed.

The cargo hold was loaded with ponies from previous captures. The whole placed smelled of urine, feces, and fear. Many of the newcomers looked scared, their virgin minds unable to comprehend the severity of the situation.  A Colonist began to pray to Celestia, hoping for her intervention, hoping her pleas will reach her divine ears.  A crewman heard the prayer and laughed, cocking his Saritch 308 rifle.  Locking on the praying mare’s head, the rifle cracked several times, a body plopped. They screamed in fear.

The Swede fired on the floor, they stopped. “Listen here you fucking ponies! You are heading towards a new and better life in Sweden. You may end up working in some farms, or factories, or even in the many pleasure service industry establishments around the country.” He lowered the rifle.  “Praying to your so-called Sun Goddess has no effect, she abandoned you and can’t do ANYTHING to save you.”

Many ears drooped.

The Swede grinned.  “Awww poor little ponies…they are depressed? Good. Our customers will pay good money for you. So relax and enjoy the trip AND don’t get any ideas.” Going for the wall, he slid a portion of it, revealing a keypad. Typing a code, the portions of the roof releasing steam. M1895 machine guns connected to a mechanical housing were revealed.  A blinking light turned red.  “These machine guns are programmed to monitor your movements, they won’t shoot anyone but all of you. A long belt of 900 7x57mm bullets await you.  Would you kindly try to not do anything funny?”

Saddle Arabia

“Princess!” Gold Scroll bursted in. “We have distressing news! The Siberian Colonies have fallen! They are heading to the Far East.”

The Princess calmly sipped her tea. “It is of no consequence; we will regain the colonies and do away with the humans.”

“There is more, we have received a report that the Equestrian Foreign Legion has joined the Nationalists.”

Celestia dropped the tea cup. “WHAT!? The Foreign Legion has switched sides!? Are you saying our Gryphon and Diamond Dog legionnaires have defected to that group of pathetic patriots?”

“Yes Milady.” The auburn pony answered submissively.

The white alicorn’s nostrils flared. “What about the Nazis or the Communists?”

“The Nazis and Communists are still trying to obtain territory. The Crystal Empire is now under Nationalist control, along with Ponyville and a few townships around the country. We are discovering more and more Newfoals are joining these two groups for many reasons. The one thing in common that they have is that both groups are composed of Newfoals who feel that they don’t belong in our society as a whole, they feel alienated.”

“So the serum’s effects expired...and embrace the ideals of two dangerous human minds.”

“So what shall we do about this My Princess?”

“We need to build up our forces; we need more Saddle Arabian recruits.” The Princess said thinking. “And more Gryphons… we need to compensate for the loss of the Equestrian Foreign Legion.”

“There are other news relating to the Gryphons and Diamond Dogs. We have spotted several human ships in their lands, humans are training them in their ranks and there is a contest for weapon designs. I also hear they are refitting their ships to new technologies.”

Celestia became silent. Angry thoughts flowed through her head.  Taking a deep breath, she gave a wicked smile. “Then…I want 3 units recalled everyday for every nation.  Until their airships are grounded.” She laughed evilly. “I have long felt my benevolence has expired to those dirty dogs and those disgusting hybrids, let them remember that this world is mine and it belongs to me.”

“As you wish Your Highness.” Gold Scroll took off.

Skies of Macintosh Hills

“WHAT DO WE SAY TO THE NAZIS AND THE NEWFOAL IDEA OF RACIAL HYGINE!?”

“NO!”

“WHAT DO WE SAY TO THEIR COMMUNISTS AND THEIR SICK WORKER’S PARASIDE!?”

“NO!”

“WHAT DO WE SAY TO CELESTIA AND HER LITTLE SLAVES!?”

“NO!”

“WHAT DO WE SAY TO PRINCESS LUNA AND HER COWARDICE!?”

“NO!”

A large Nazi Zeppelin began to fly north to attack their enemies. The Newfoals on observation reported a flotilla of Nationalist zeppelins and gunship escorts protecting them. The voices of the Nationalists echoed across the sky as the gunships made their way across the clouds. The Nazi battle droids entered combat mode and scanned the skies. The Newfoals began to hide, to let their machines do all the work.

The gunships got close. The Nationalists began to disembark.

The droids began to open fire on them.

The Gryphons and Diamond Dogs took cover as the bullets flew in all directions. A Gryphon pulled out a stick grenade, removed the pin, and lobbed it towards a pair of attacking droids. The robots reacted in panic, screaming as the blast destroyed them.  Coming out of cover, they continued to fire on the enemies.

Gas operated machine guns in their tripods rained fire across the massive zeppelin. The supply never ran out as they used the same ammunition that the Nazis used.  A Unicorn spotter called out an escaping Nazi officer, the machine gunner swiveled his weapon to his direction, releasing a storm of lead.

Several Nationalist Pegasi and Gryphons took off from the pursuing zeppelins and began to circle the massive craft. The winged ponies began to pull clouds and release bolts of electricity towards the decks.

A Nazi robot locked on a Gryphon and sprayed automatic fire. Spotting the automaton, the gryphon dived towards it and delivered a punch. The machine screamed as it plunged into the world below. More war screams were heard.

A Nazi droid began to fire his semi-automatic rifle at one of the incoming gunships. A Diamond Dog took cover and revealed a new weapon: The Nationalist Dragongun.  The Dragongun is a copy of the gas-operated Nazi Rifle Model Gamma, a semi-automatic design with a 25 round magazine. Gryphon-Equestrian Gunsmiths who acquired the blueprints for the Gamma made their own improvements, such as giving it a heavier barrel which was shrouded in a cooling jacket, improved iron sights, and a primitive reflex sight consisting of a round piece of glass with a German-style reticule mounted on the side rail of the rifle for fast target acquisition. Unlike the Nazi rifle, it had a 42 round magazine and fired in “slow” full automatic fire.

The Diamond Dog pulled the trigger; the barrel began to heat up as the magazine was emptied. The Nazi droid plopped to the metallic floor.

“Got ammo!” A baby dragon tossed a spare magazine to a Gryphon.

“Much obliged!” The Gryphon reloaded his submachine gun and fired it at the incoming battle droids.

The PA of a Nationalist Zeppelin chirped. “NEWFOALS!  THE HOUR OF JUDGMENT HAS ARRIVED! THE VEREDICT IS THAT ALL OF YOU ARE GUILTY OF CRIMES AGAINST EQUESTRIA! YOUR KIND HAS GAINED THE FAVOR OF OUR COWARDLY PRINCESSES WHO LOOKED UP TO YOU AS MODEL CITIZENS OF EQUESTRIA! YOU AS A WHOLE HAVE DESTROYED OUR COUNTRY, SEGREGATED OUR SOCIETY, DISRESPECTED OUR VALUES,  TRAMPLED UPON OUR TRADITIONS AND FORCESD YOURS  INTO US! YOU HAVE BROUGHT CRIME, VICE, AND OTHER UNSPEAKABLE MACHINATIONS! YOU HAVE EMPTIED THE FRESH WATERS OF PROSPERITY AND REPLACED THEM WITH THE FILTH OF YOUR OWN PERVERTEDNESS! BUT WE WILL NOT STAND BY AND LET THIS HAPPEN! WE WILL RECLAIM OUR COUNTRY! WE WILL EXPEL YOUR KIND BACK TO THE PIT OF TARTARUS WHERE ALL OF YOU BELONG!”

Another Nationalist Zeppelin PA came to life. “THE NEWFOAL HAS BROUGHT SUCH DANGEROUS IDEAS TO OUR NATION SUCH AS COMMUNISM AND NAZISM! THESE IDEAS WERE WRITTEN BY THE TWO OF THE MOST DANGEROUS HUMAN MINDS! LET US REMIND THE NEWFOALS WHO FOLLOW THESE IDEAS SHOULD BE REMINDED THAT THEIR IDEAS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CREATION OF TYRANTS AND MASS MURDERS! HOW DARE YOU BRING THESE IDEAS INTO OUR NATION? HOW DARE YOU COME IN AND TRY TO CHANGE OUR SYSTEM! HOW DARE YOU BRING THE IDEAS OF MASS MURDER FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR SICK IDEAS!? KARL MARX AND HITLER WERE BOTH TYRANTS! HOW CAN THEY EXPLAIN THE BLOOD SPILLED BY THEIR FOLLOWERS? HOW CAN THESE TWO DEAD HUMANS JUSTIFY THEIR INSANITY!? HERE WE HAVE THE INSANE FOLLOWERS OF THESE TWO! THESE AFRICANS, ASIANS, HISPANICS, WHITES, ALL OF YOU WHO COMPOSE THE NAZI AND COMMUNIST MOVEMENTS SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES! BUT CELESTIA STRIPPED YOU OF THOSE HUMAN FEELINGS AND WE SHALL DESTROY YOU ALL! DOWN WITH CELESTIA! DOWN WITH LUNA! DOWN WITH THE ELEMENTS FOR THEY HAVE TORE EQUESTRIA TO PIECES!”

A Diamond Dog was tossed a submachine gun. Pulling on the lever, he gripped it by the left-side mounted magazine and began to check his corners. Two gryphons called, he approached their position. The gryphons kicked the door open, finding a flight of stairs. They went up.

The gunships began to circle the massive zeppelin, spreading machine gun fire at every deck.

The insides of the airship were set ablaze. The battle droids began to counter by returning fire and flanking them. They managed to get a few kills but the situation was getting desperate. A droid removed the pins of his grenades and lobbed them at the Nationalists taking cover behind crates and pods. The blasts killed them, but more began to attack. Kill one and you have five more taking their place.

On the middle deck, a Nazi robot fired against a circling Pegasus. The winged pony dived and hoof-punched the machine, decapitating it with a single blow.

The gunships retreated, allowing the next group to take them out.

Gunships carrying rocket pods came into view.

“ROCKETS!” The Newfoal at the helm cried out. “SHOOT THEM DOWN! NOW!”

The rocket pods hissed out their salvos at the zeppelin. The aircraft began to shake violently as the blasts tore through the armor plating.  A gunship flew towards the multiple biplane style wings. The Earth Pony managing the launcher swiveled a large wheel. “YEEEEEEEEEEEEHAW! FIRE’EM UP BOYS AND GIRLS!”

Lights turned from red to green.

The rocket pods hissed.

An engine began to cough out black smoke, fires coming out of the ruined engine.  A Unicorn gave an insane smile, lifted a Dragongun with her magic and fired the magazine towards the engine. The wing detached, a loud shriek heard all over.

“WE LOST ENGINE 9!” The Newfoal steering the Zeppelin cried as he looked at the various television screens showing readouts and status reports of the craft.  “LUNASTIUM LEVELS ARE DROPPING!”

A Gryphon delivered a quick series of slashes towards a droid.

On the upper decks, several Newfoals boarded their Quailships, taking off to intercept their attackers on the rest of the ship and their craft.

“QUAILSHIP!” A baby dragon yelled as the bird craft approached the zeppelin.

“GUNNERS! SHOOT THE BIRD DOWN NOW!”

Several Gryphons, Diamond Dogs, and Unicorns began to fire on the path of the mechanical avian. The craft veered to the left, circling the zeppelin while avoiding the crossfire.  The Unicorn had an idea, as the craft circled, her horn was enveloped in a green aura, charging up energy. Releasing it, the Quailship was immobile. “HIT IT! HIT IT NOW!” She called.

The machine gun turrets focused on floating craft. Streams of lead made large holes across its armor plating. The Unicorn released it, the craft went down.

A Baby Dragon took cover from the incoming bullets. Taking a deep breath, he popped out of cover, spraying submachine gun fire towards the battle droids. The floor began to shake, the walls exploded violently, revealing a quailship. The dragon began to move backwards, scared of the machine. The machine gun ports revealed themselves, aiming down at him. Closing his eyes, he got ready to take the bursts.

A gryphon screamed and grabbed the quailship from the head with his left talon. The right talon shoved a Dragongun on the back of the craft, a single trigger pull released 42 rounds of rifle fury into the craft. The machine released hot gasses from its body, dropping dead.

A teenage dragon ordered his gunship to move up. The Earth Pony agreed, the craft moved up. Seeing the rails which held the many Quailships, the fire breathing lizard inhaled enough air and fired several blue comets at them. The rails began to soften, moans were heard followed by the satisfying sound of metal snapping in pieces. He looked as the birds plunged to somewhere below.

The Zeppelins got closer to the massive airship, releasing rocket salvos.

A Nazi droid with an assault rifle fired at the many Gryphons, Diamond Dogs, and Ponies that were heading towards the next deck.

A team of pegasi brought several clouds towards the helm. Bucking the clouds, the glass shattered violently. The Newfoal panicked, the battle droid began to fire his submachine gun towards the pegasi. A bolt of lightning disabled it, dropping its weapon. A gryphon entered and began to beat the Newfoal to death. Placing his talons in the control wheel, he began to steer the Zeppelin southwards.

In the cargo hold, several Nazi droids began to fire at the attackers that were hiding across the wooden crates. One droid began to hip fire the entire snail drum of his weapon, spreading high velocity rounds everywhere. A teenage dragon took a hit to the chest, and began to struggle for his life. A Gryphon began to pull him to safety. “MEDIC! DOCTOR! WE GOT A WOUNDED ONE HERE!”

The entire fireteam ran out of ammo.

A gryphon smashed a crate open, revealing a new model of submachine gun. Picking two up, he tossed them to his comrades and repeated. Grabbing one for himself, he returned fire to the humanoid machines.

A Nazi battle droid went down.

The other one picked up the assault rifle and fired whatever remaining bullets to them.

A group spray got it.

The Newfoals began to cower as they forced they way through. Submachine fire pelted their bodies instantly. The lone survivor was put out of his misery by trauma to his skull.

The Zeppelin was theirs for the taking. All opposition was eliminated completely.

The cargo bay revealed weapons and ammunition along with pods containing the Nazi battle droids. The weapons, bullets, along with spare parts, instruction manuals, and blueprints were taken. The battle droids were destroyed, to prevent the Nazis from obtaining more infantry troops.

Northern Ponysphere

The Chimera was moored into the soil of the Northern Ponysphere, remaining vigilant of threats that could come from any direction.

Down below the airship, the campground bustled with activity. Businesses bought, sold, and traded and the ship’s Treasurer, a Unicorn began to cash checks, give loans, and pawned whatever object of value they had.

Music from every region in the Balkans to Southern Europe to the Middle East to the Caucasus began to fill the air, displaying the mixed crew of the privateer vessel.  Kitchen stands began to cook and sell food to the passersby for a good price.

Nikolaos entered his private study and locked the door. Heading over to the table, he removed a book which revealed a keyboard. Pressing a code, the desk revealed a red orb. It began to glow, scattering rays of light into the air. A figure of large table with 11 persons of various ethnicities sitting, each one giving a cold but firm look, the Greek could see it and relived that sole memory.

The day when they hijacked the Royal Yacht which was rammed against a migration capsule that was ready to take off for the Corridor, killing about a estimated one million Newfoals that were ready to leave for Equestria. To them, that day was the biggest insult to the Solar Tyrant and the Lunar Deputy.

“Report.” A Irani said.

“Friends, it is a victorious day for us. I have the Elements of Harmony in blood and flesh.”

The Board clapped, congratulating the Greek for his move.

“Now…” An Italian-accented voice hissed. “We request that you hand them over to us.”

“Not so fast Giovanni.” Nikolaos gestured. “I am not turning them so that they can be ransomed to Celestia just yet. I plan to use them to wipe the Colonists out of the Balkans and Southern Europe, turning them to you now will only make it worse.  We cannot spare resources to wipe every single Newfoal out; the Elements will be used for that purpose.”

“Refusing to hand those to us will result in us taking them by force.” A Pakistani said.

“You want to play war of attrition?” A Romanian asked.

“This is a war of attrition at its fullest.” Niko spat. “But I am willing to fight a war within a war. Your 11 flagships and your subsidy fleets against my sole Chimera and her crew.  You may have the best of the best captured airships on your side, the best armaments,  the best human and Defector crews offered, but the one thing you don’t have is the power to gamble them against one measly Luna-Class Cruiser.  Let me remind you friends, that I took on the Colonial Defense Fleets like nothing, you? I could sink all of you with my eyes blindfolded.”

“We’ll see about that.” Giovanni shot.  “This could have been avoided if you simply agreed if you handed the Elements over to us.”

“Then come and get them. We’ll be waiting.” Nikolaos smiled.

The Hologram vanished.

Nikolaos exited his room

In the Dragon’s Maw Island Archipelago, Zeppelins flying the Nationalist flag surrounded a large chateau. Many ground forces began to surround the residence, their weapons ready to fire.  Pegasi began to look at the windows; they saw humans wearing various uniforms getting their firearms ready for the attack.  Furniture was moved, providing makeshift cover.

The leader of the attack was informed of the humans. The Unicorn mare blinked. “Humans? What are they doing here!?” She shook her head. “Never mind then, if they belong to the Royalist Foreign Legion, we’ll take them down with Luna.” Her nostrils flared. “Form up on me! We’re taking the Lunar Coward down once and for all!”

Gryphons, Diamond Dogs, and Unicorns got ready.

The lead mare bucked the door open.

A Circassian woman totting a custom built M1887 shotgun popped out from the table that was flipped.  Pulling the trigger once, the buckshot impacted the mare’s center of mass, pushing her away. Aiming again, the action was worked, the bead sight on the next target. With a smile, she pulled it again.

There was a blast of thunder.

From the Diary of Nikolaos

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 25

From the Diary of Nikolaos

The following entries were translated from Greek by Twilight Sparkle and Princess Cadence to understand Nikolaos and his mission against Celestia.

December 21, 2012

Who would have thought… there was a planet behind the sun. Counter-Earth. Heh, looks like the Ancient Greeks were right all along.  Papa is worried that this is going to affect business and our future as a whole.

December 29, 2012

Multicolored pastel ponies. We see them everywhere we go. They are across every country…heck, even in Kosovo. It seems the Serbs and the Albanians put their differences aside and started distrusting the ponies. We get demands for weapons that’ll hurt them good.  Ever since those Conversion Bureaus started opening up across the world, people turning into one of them. It may seem like a bad science fiction movie plot, but it’s very real as seen.

Serb and Albanian, these two hate each other, like I said, the presence of these colorful ponies put them into distrust. They are openly carrying weapons, not putting trust or a faith to them.

January 7th, 2013

Our Christmas presents? A lot of old Persian Contract C96 pistols, collectors love those guns. The rarer they are, the more cash they’ll pay out.  Dad gave me one as a Christmas present for a job well done and the fact is I always admire the craftsmanship of a good gun.

February 20th, 2013

More and more of those colored ponies are moving in.  It feels as if they start to feel like they’re above every single person on a country. They start acting like they own the country, believing that they are superior and that they’re entitled to all benefits of citizenship. Many communities started to arm themselves, business was boosting. Papa felt something was wrong, he told me he saw something disturbing in a dream.

Airships. Airships of various designs drowned in flame the achievements of man. He saw zeppelins releasing a purple liquid across the land.

The so-called Ponification Serum…

Papa told me that they were colonizing our countries. Conversion was slow, but one day, they’ll outnumber us 10 to 1 and kick us out of our land.  He always told me the tales of old, when our ancestors would fight and kill the Ottoman Turk invader and impale their heads on pikes to show them who they are messing with. The Ponies are the new Ottoman Turks, he said. We as Maniot Greeks have to take up our weapons and begin to kill them the moment they try to force their rule on us.

“Remember…” Papa would say. “Maniots are Cretans are brothers. We both know of the vendetta, we both had to endure hardships by the Ottoman Turk. Bloodshed is in our nature, and when someone wrongs you, go and erase them and their families. Do not let one of them survive, for as they will return for payback.”

[From here, the only thing found in the diary was several study sketches of various firearms Nikolaos found interesting: MP18, the Naranjero submachine gun, Vz.58, Type 81 Assault Rifle, AA-12 shotgun, K98k rifles, FN FAL and its variants, the MP40 and derivatives, and the Danuvia submachine gun.]

September 25, 2015

Across the world, riots are happening as I write this.  People began to storm the Conversion Bureaus, killing the employees and converts. As I tune in to the radio, I hear a Cretan-accented voice spouting locations were most of the Equestrians and Newfoals were located across Greece.  The voice got angry, mentioning that many Equestrians and Newfoals were seeking refuge in the “Turkish” areas.

This brought back a lot of old sentiments. The radio announcer began to chant Anti-Turkish rhetoric, accusing them for collaborating with the Equestrians.

Old ethnic hatreds were awakened.

The so called Human Liberation Front was nothing but an excuse to take it out on the minorities. The Greeks began to go against all Turks, Cham Albanians, and Slavs.

Blood was being spilled and will continue to be spilled. As I tuned to international news on the radio, I heard that anarchy and mass racial violence has spread to every corner of America. The world is now in conflict and nations are powerless to stop this.

October 10, 2015

Iran was burning….

As we take off with our loot, I looked down to the country to find pillars of smoke from everywhere. What used to be Persia is now but a smoldering hot coal. Corpses of both humans and ponies decorated the streets.  As we passed through Tehran, I spotted Irani HLF murdering Armenians and other minorities, accusing them of ‘collaborating’ with the Equestrians.

We cannot trust the Human Liberation Front, the racists now control the branches and will do anything to wipe away not only the ponies but the minorities who have lived for generations within their borders.

Dark times are coming.

October 25, 2015

America has become nothing but the HLF’s playground. The Federal Government is paralyzed. Racial violence is rampant across the Northern, West Coast, and Southwestern States, strangely, the Southern States are spared this violence.

Fear and paranoia have overtaken the world.

Christmas, 2015

Princess Celestia came to the UN and said that her air fleet will come to provide security to her precious little ponies.

The only thing that Princess Celestia sees is corruption but not within. She believes her precious little ponies are superior to humanity. The more I listen, the angrier I get.  Her words have said it. We are unfit to live, our religions are false, our systems are cruel and oppressive. Salvation is achievable through Conversion.

Her words will cause innocent blood to be spilled.

“My conscience is clear.” She will say one day.

She can lie to herself and her ponies. She can claim that she has no qualm. But she can never hide or run what she has done.

There is nothing to be festive about this year.

January 10, 2016

Airships began to patrol the skies of every country.  The Equestrian flag flaps against the wind.

This is occupation. But the ponies see this as a thing to smile about.

January 13th, 2016

The ponies don’t get it. They just don’t get it! The Conversion Bureaus are still converting people. Can’t they see that the presence of those sites is what drives people to be violent? Are they that blind to the obvious?

January 20th, 2016

Reports of Newfoals forcibly converting people are spreading like wildfire.

These Newfoals claim to be part of the PER. Ponies for Earth’s Rebirth.  They claim humanity is unfit to live, that Ponykind is superior to all. Does that seem familiar? Hitler and his Nazis said the same thing and went into a campaign of extermination.

Only that now, these equine Nazis want all of humanity converted or dead.

February 18th, 2016

Papa is dead. The deal with those Croatians went wrong. They were HLF.

I am hiding from the HLF and trying to find escape from this hell that has been brought to Croatia. Many Serbs and Ponies are dead… they were all executed. I notice that unicorns have their horns ripped off, pegasi have their wings hacked off, earth ponies have their legs amputated, followed by shots to their head. The Serbs? Killed like animals.

Their faces are still stuck with the same expression of terror and hopelessness. Whatever they say before death, I wonder if they are forced to relive their final moments again and again before passing to the afterlife.

My only friend here is the AK-47 that is next to me as I write this. It gives me comfort with its mere inanimate presence.  I have no prayer, so I keep the gun with me.  It makes me question everything I know. Has humanity been abandoned by God? Or has humanity abandoned God? What did we do to deserve this?

February 20th, 2016

For nearly two days I have wandered across Croatia with no course or sense of direction.

Ponies are still looking for converts, especially women and children.  I have noticed that when people are converted…they have this strange demonic smile. It’s not natural even for the Equestrians.

[Sketch of a smiling Newfoal.  The sketch shows several observations of the face. What is disturbing about them is their teeth, the canines are there. Nikolaos left a few notes that read:  “Newfoals can be told apart from True Equestrians by their smiles and their teeth. Newfoals have canine teeth.”]

The most horrible thing seen on the Newfoal is that they crave for meat. I am not sure if it’s random or a flaw by the serum but the Newfoal does eat meat.  I witnessed a herd of Newfoals feasting on the corpses of humans and ponies alike. One of them looked at my direction, I felt disturbed.

[Sketch of the Newfoal looking at Nikolaos/Reader. The eyes of the Newfoal are revealed to be ghastly sight.  The Newfoal’s eyes give a unnatural glow, as if they were possessed by something. Notes focusing on the eyes read: “This is not normal.”  “They glow as if they were possessed by something sinister.”  “The eyes glow bright as the fires of Hell itself.”  “What is in that Serum!?”]

I better watch myself out.

February 21, 2016

Success! I found a Jeep and rode off into the distance below. Driving is not a complicated thing but I can say it is a fun thing.

It was a long ride, the gas ran out so I continue my trek on foot.

No open space is safe. The Equestrians or the HLF can appear out of nowhere. Since I only have two spare magazines, I switched to semi-auto to preserve my ammunition.  Croatia is nothing but a wrecked country. The HLF’s acts of mass violence have gone too far.

March 9th, 2016

A group of individuals wanted assault rifles and submachine guns for an attack.

I offered them a tour of Drakonakos Castle and the Armory of course.  I asked them if they were HLF, an Italian said no, but they were on my side.

March 11th, 2016

Whoever these people are, they have a reason to hate Celestia. I decided to join them in their little attack. The target? The yacht the Princesses came in. We hijack it and ram it against a migration capsule that has been transporting the Newfoal into Equestria.  We go in guns blazing and kill every single pony in the yacht. Spare no one.

March 12,2016

We have reached Canada and not a moment too soon. The migration capsule is ready for launch. We have prepared to steer this airship to the capsule and escape.

We jumped off, during our fall, we saw the migration capsule and the yacht collide violently. It was a critical hit; the center of balance was destroyed. We could see millions of Newfoals jumping out to their death.

Mission accomplished. I am sure we will make Celestia understand that this was unavoidable.

[There is nothing on the next pages]

June 21st, 2016

Airships were all over the skies.  Blasts of unicorn magic killed people from above. Celestia declared all nations with a high pony to human ratio was an official Equestrian colony.  Our lands were stolen and whoever survived was displaced into the lands below. I was told by the Royal Guard to gather up whatever personal belonging I have and leave. To the Ponies, the castle, my castle, my INHERITENCE, MY LEGACY WAS GIVEN TO THE NOBLES OF EQUESTRIA AS A VACATION HOUSE!

CELESTIA! UPON THIS DAY! I NOW DECLARE VENDETTA AGAINST YOU! I DON’T CARE HOW LONG IT TAKES OR HOW I LOOK! I WILL DESTROY YOU!  YOUR KIND CAN BURN IN HELL!

FOR ALL I KNOW IS THAT YOU AND YOUR CURSED SISTER CAN BURN IN THE FIRES OF HELL! YOU HAVE WIPED OUT MILLIONS OF PEOPLE! DISPLACED THEM! WHO GAVE YOU THE AUTHORITY TO DO SO!? WHO IN YOUR GODDAMNED MIND YOU THINK YOU ARE!?

Excavated Secrets

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 25

Excavated Truth

Far into the Frozen North

Several Equestrian warships followed by zeppelins were patrolling the excavation site, to ensure no one would enter or leave with the secrets that are being pulled out from the earth below.  A Presence Ship floated, observing the events unfold.

Princess Celestia levitated a glass of wine, looking with a watchful  eye. The live feed zoomed into the site, a stallion worker died of hypothermia. The rest of the workers looked at their fallen comrade before resuming. A pair of guards took the frozen corpse to a pile where they all shared the same fate as him.

Two Saddle Arabian stallions were curious of what was going on here. Why the digging of this area? What news of here got Celestia so excited about?

She continued to sip her wine.

“Princess... if I may ask what is so important about this place?” The blonde Arabian stallion blinked at her.  “What has gotten you so excited about this frozen wasteland.”

Celestia smiled. “You will see…”

A large beam crimson of light shot towards the sky.

The two stallions covered their eyes.

Celestia couldn’t help but giving a sinister smile. “I believe you have the privilege to know of what is going on here.” She took another sip of her wine.  “What you see here is a ancient starship, a vessel that could cross the endless void of space and of course…the solution to the rebellious humans and their so called allies.”

“A starship?” The brown Arabian raised an eyebrow.

Celestia nodded. “What you see down below is the vessel in which our ancestors came into this world, escaping a great cataclysm that affected the original homeworld.  The immigrants travelled for so long in a state of hibernation, hoping to find a suitable world to inhabit and colonize. After millennia off travel, the ship found a world to inhabit, what we call Equis or as the humans call it the Counter-Earth.  When all the colonists disembarked, the vessel went into hibernation by burying itself in the snow and ice, to rest from its trip.”

The two stallions could not process the information given to them.

“Now arise Palladium Wings…” Celestia called. “Arise for the time has come to bring judgment to the descendants of the original nations, who fled the Original Homeworld to escape the Cataclysm.”

The ice began to melt, revealing a large winged construct.

The excavation crews were washed away the waters.

The two Arabians were very afraid of they saw. Lives were washed away like that, they felt a twinge of guilt and fear, what has the Princess awakened?

The construct began to float.

Day of Verdict

Day of Verdict, the Day has come

As predicted by Solaris and Galaxia

The Nations escaping the Cataclysm

When the world was burning

The flames of disaster spreading out

The Earth dying and the Cosmos rogue

The world covered in ashes of death and ruin

And the Wings were built

Built to escape

Day of Verdict, Day of Verdict

The ancient vessel saw several vessels that it did not recognize, it categorized them as threats. Tentacles came out from every corner of the ship, destroying the threats the airships posed. A zeppelin was cracked open like a nut, explosions destroying its remains.  Two battleships were breached easily, the halves plunging to the world below. Blasts of magic exited from the remaining ships but were all destroyed by the tendrils.

The Arabians closed their eyes in fear of dying. There was a strange silence for a while. They opened their eyes and saw the tentacle frozen in midair. The appendage retracted back into the ship. A tube-like tentacle approached the Presence Ship and opened, revealing a green eye.

Celestia approached the glass that separated them. “Palladium Wings… it has been so long since you were awakened from your eternal slumber. Now the time has come to restore order and peace to the Earths.  Rather than all of us mindlessly consuming and drying out the world’s resources and overpopulating it, I shall bring the Fires of Cataclysm for the cleansing.  I will deliver one final warning to the humans and this time, I mean it.”

Unrealiable Stars

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 3

Unreliable Stars

The Pusher Gunner finished burying the pilot and gave one final salute. To mark the grave, the M1911 style pistol was buried, leaving the barrel pointing up to the skies.

The craft was badly. All those damn pegasi will pay for Marco’s death. Pulling out boxes, he opened them, finding a sack of platinum bits, a M1911 pistol chambered in 10mm Auto, rations of food, along with a cyanide pill.

Render your craft useless. Deny the Equestrians a chance to study our craft.

Packing the equipment, the Gunner pulled on a lever on the pilot’s seat.

As he walked away, the Pusher Interceptor exploded into a fiery inferno.  The gunpowder ignited, firing the bullets straight ahead into the horizon. The sun was setting, and the moon was slowly rising. All he hoped for was to get out to human lands. Remembering the map, he realized he was in Death Valley. The area was undergoing an extreme terraforming process to make the land habitable for the pony colonists. According to intelligence, there was a few settlements scattered around the desert along with railroads. Good… Marco will be avenged.

Nighttime hit the desert. Cold winds brushed against his face, but it could not cool down the feeling of dread, hatred, exhaustion, and revenge.  All he could think of was getting shot down and Marco’s sudden death… It all haunted him. Screaming, he dropped to his knees as the flashbacks came into full force. All he could do is lie on the sand and look into the night sky.  Feeling his eyes heavy, he closed them.

Somewhere in Canterlot

“Princess Luna.” A Unicorn Guard announced.

“We have received a message from your Sister. Due to her encounter with Sky Pirates, she won’t be able to return to Equestria.” A Earth Pony Guard said. “We regret to inform you that her wounds are in dire need of medical attention and she’s staying at Yucatan for a week.”

Luna dismissed the guards.

They bowed and left.

The Princess of the Night looked at the sky, patrolling airships along with pegasi guards were on their patrol duties. Equestria was in a time of paranoia, as the stories of the human pirates spread like a wildfire, burning everything in its path. Such stories of the humans attacking in the dark of night or the light of day, they didn’t discriminate when, where, or how they would attack. They came for valuables even the newborn to take for ransom, some say that they eat the newborns if the ransom isn’t paid and that they send the bones to the parents. Whatever it may be, they were for the first time, afraid of them.

Death Valley

Local Time: 1100 Hours

The sun was getting hotter and hotter as time fly by. The Pusher Gunner continued to walk across the scorching sands of Death Valley. Something inside of him told to give up, just aim at your head and pull the fucking trigger. Life ends like that, simple, you’ll put yourself out of your misery.

From above the Pegasus Corridor, several migration capsules began to hit the Valley. Sand was lifted to great distances. The man screamed as he covered his eyes from the dust that came into his direction. The air pushed him away into the far distance. The capsules continued to hit the sand, creating more sandstorms that spread out. The capsules opened up, revealing many of the pony colonists looking into the new world that they wanted to see.

“DAMN THE PONIES AND THEIR CONVERSION BUREAUS AND THE FUCKING MIGRATIONS!” The man fired a shot in the air. “DAMN THEM ALL!” Another shot fired.  Tears escaped from his eyes, he couldn’t take it anymore.  He dropped on his knees, and screamed into the heavens.

A scout pegasus ear’s twitched. Flying off to the direction of the sound, she gasped as she found a figure poking something into his head. She knew it was a gun. “NO! DON’T!” Increasing speed, the winged pony tackled the human. The pistol rolled into the sands.

“GET OFF ME YOU MONSTER!” The Gunner pulled out his survival knife.  “YOU FUCKING BASTARDS TOOK EVERYTHING FROM US AND NOW I GET TO TAKE YOUR LIFE!”

“Calm down!” The pegasus reasoned. “I’m a defector!”

“LIES!” The Gunner argued as he tried to lunge the knife into the pony’s gut. “IF YOU WERE ON OUR SIDE YOU’D KNOW THE MYSTERIES OF DEFECTION!”

“Go ahead…ask me.” The pegasus said calmly.

The Gunner gulped. “From what land was humanity scattered?

”

“The land where the Great Tower was built and the tongues confused: Babylon.”

Maybe it was a lucky guess. Still doubting the pegasus, he continued. “What element does one come and return?”

“From the earth’s dust we came and as the earth’s dust we return.”  The pegasus recited.

“The path the Cherubs fly towards.”

“The path of monstrous winds: The Pegasus Corridor.”

“What fire can still burn when the elements turn against it?”

“The flame of life that burns a bright red:  The Flame of Hope.”

The Gunner blinked at the pegasus, she said all the Mysteries and knew the responses to all of them. His heart felt a weight being removed. “I…I am sorry for lashing out against you…I…”

“It happens.” She offered her hoof.

The man grabbed it and got back up. “So if you’re a defector… Aren’t you supposed to infiltrate pony society or sabotage it?”

“Most take different roles, I’ll explain it on the ship.”

“You have a ship?” The Gunner raised an eyebrow.

“I have one, follow me.”

The Gunner followed the pegasus across the desert.

“What sent you flying was the result of migration capsules hitting the desert.” The pegasus explained. “Princess Celestia is sending more and more into the New World, especially the Newfoals. Why?” She turned, a familiar expression on the human’s face. “You wonder why;  Celestia thought your world was in dire need of fixing, you can say she fixed it the

wrong way.Sure, millions of your kind converted to ponies and a few resisted but in the end it was pointless. Equestria had the numerical superiority and the humans lost a lot of their land.”

The gunner nodded but something entered his train of thought. “But…why did you defect? I mean, weren’t you happy living in Equestria or the Colonies?”

The pegasus continued. “I never swallowed the speeches of Humans are evil, they have damaged their worlds ecosystem… They enslaved their own kind, waged war against each other for having resources or for religious motives. My little ponies, I have offered the humans our friendship... Friendship? This isn’t friendship. This is what you call Genocide.”

The Gunner nodded. “I see.”

“And I wanted to see the other side, not all of you are bad. I was hooked into all the stuff humans like: Music, books, heck, even anime.”

“Anime?” The Gunner sighed. “I haven’t watched it in a long time.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…the people involved in anime: Voice actors, producers, designers, even the creators went to the local Conversion Bureaus…”

There was an awkward silence between the two.

“So you mean… ?”

“They either ended before they were supposed to or the ending will never be known.” The Gunner said. “But have hope I hear a few Treasure Hunters and Merchants are scouring the Colonies for whatever relics left on the world.”

The pegasus smiled.

“And all this talk and we haven’t introduced ourselves. “My name’s Sebastian Whittaker.”

“Storm Chaser.”

Somewhere in Hungary

Nighttime

Rain sprinkled down across the mountainous area. If the intelligence was right, the storm would last the whole night and into the early morning. “Break time is over.” A voice in Polish said.

Several black-clad men flicked their cigarettes off while others checked their weapons.

“Alright, to make this short and brief you again: A defector has told us that right in this mountain range, the Equestrians have a factory dedicated to making the Ponification Serum, yes THE Ponification Serum used by the Bureaus long ago.  The objective is simple, blow them all to Hell. Any questions? No? Then move out.”

Entering through the ventilation duct, they crawled slowly to avoid any detection. Chattering voices were heard as  they moved. The leader, Alfons ordered the rest to stop. They did so. Pulling out his silenced P99, he aimed down the sights. A Earth Pony guard locked the door and sat on the toilet.  The Pole just groaned. “Is it me or do I have this urge to try that stunt from that Bond movie?”

“I say go for the stunt.”  Dawid  said. “Besides, you’ll give us all a cheap laugh.”

“Fine.”

The Earth Pony was taking deep breaths. “These hay fries are going to kill me.” Groaning, he tried to release it but only to feel failure.

A figure hanging upside down stared him in the eyes. “Beg your pardon.” It said on a Polish-accented English. “Forgot to knock.”

“INTRU-!”

A few well placed shots ended the pony’s life.

“How’s that for a cheap laugh?”

Dawid faked laughter. “Iwo, you wonderful human being…”

“Alright, at this point, we go loud in reaching our objective.” Iwo cocked his AK-74. “We kill a few of them, plant C4 and we get the hell out of here.”

The sounds of rifles being cocked were music to their ears.

As they left the restroom, the team checked their corners. They didn’t want any surprises coming for them.  Iwo opened the door, two ponies were talking about their patrol duties in the next shift. Removing a pin from the grenade, he released it to their direction.

“What’s that?” The Pegasus Guard looked at the object stop.

“It looks like some sort of fruit.”

The grenade detonated, killing the two instantly.

“Move out!” Iwo ordered.

The team began to move out. If it was a pony, they fired on it. If one didn’t know they were there, they’d slash its throat open. If they tried to call for reinforcements, a spray of rifle fire silenced them. The 5 man team was getting closer to the heart of the facility.

The sounds of pumps and other machinery rang in their ears. As they opened the door, they lowered their guns. “Mother of God!” Dawid exclaimed. “There’s enough serum here to cover the last countries standing.”

“Krakowski! Calculate!” Iwo ordered.

The soldier totting the PM-63 looked at the tanks. His blue eyes scanned the machinery and the transparent tanks that held all the serum. “Iwo, this may come as a huge shocker, but from what I calculated in my mind, this facility has 100,000 gallons of the serum. Enough to cover the rest of Europe.”

Everyone in the team gasped.

“Then we’ll blow this to hell.” Iwo pulled out an explosive charge. “Krakowski, plant the explosives and prepare the detonator. Dawid, Damian, and Krol, keep an eye on the door. If it’s a pony, shoot it.”

The three got into position.

Krakowski planted an explosive under the main pump.

Blasts of gunfire were heard.

A Pegasus Guard dropped dead.

“There!”  Iwo planted the last explosive.

The sounds of hooves sent a chill down the Polish’s spine.  “Dawid!? Damian? Krol?”

“Iwo! We’re surrounded!” Krol answered.

“Humans! Put your weapons down and your hands in the air!” A strong feminine voice commanded. “If you do not so! We will use force against you!”

Dawid, Damian, and Krol aimed their weapons at the surrounding ponies. A lot of unicorns along with pegasi.

Iwo took a peek. “Krakowski, any ideas?”

“We can detonate the explosives about now and flood the room with the serum. We’ll drown them but we’ll get ponified.” Krakowski thought.

“Too risky, and I don’t want to give up my humanity.” Iwo said. “Any other ideas?”

“Flashbangs.” Krakowski pulled one out. “We hurl our flashbangs, once they are stunned by the blasts, we open fire on them and we escape.”

“Dawid! Damian! Krol! Get your flashbangs ready! On my mark, throw them. Cover your eyes and ears.”

“I will say it again humans! Surrender and we will show leniency.” The feminine voice barked.

“3…2…1… NOW!”

Several grenades were hurled at the ponies.

The ponies screamed as their eyes began to burn followed by a stinging sensation on their ears. Automatic fire brought them down except for a lone female pegasus in front of the unicorns. The team began to sprint towards the extraction zone.

The pegasus commander groaned. Spreading her wings, she took off.  “Blasted humans.”

“Keep moving you guys!” Krakowski fired his rifle at a Unicorn Guard.

They saw the entrance of the factory.  Blasting the doors open, the five men exited and into the forest.

Captain Lightning Orb chuckled as the five humans fled to the forest. “Oh no you don’t!”

Iwo pulled on the detonator.

The factory began to collapse on itself. Explosions escaped from all corners of installation. Lightning Orb turned around, gasping as a fiery inferno brought the whole place down.  Getting angry,  she increased speed, the humans were still running, but not for long.  Tackling one, she tried to stomp her hooves into him.

Krol raised his rifle and smacked Lightning Orb’s head brutally. The pegasus blacked out. “Damian? You alright?”

“I thought I was a goner.” Damian got up. “Thanks Krol.” He aimed his rifle at the pegasus’ head.

“No.” Iwo put the safety on Damian’s AK. “We’ll take her for interrogation. By that armor, I can tell she’s of a higher rank. She may know something about the rest of the facilities or the Sky Fleet.”

“But…”

“Iwo’s right.” Krakowski interrupted. “We need all information we have. Heck, we might convince her to defect.”

Damian sighted as he lowered his rifle. “You guys are making hard it for me…I thought I’d kill ponies, not take them as prisoners.”

“Damian…” Dawid chuckled. “There’s more than killing ponies. Information is valuable in this war. The more we have, the more prepared we will be. Heck, I know how anxious you are when it comes to the ponies. We’ll go to Canterlot and burn it to the ground. I can’t say when but that day my friend will come.”

“It’s just that…”

“I know how much you want to avenge Matylda’s death under the hands of the ponies and their conversion bureaus.  But now, focus on what we do now rather than on what you want to do.”

Iwo pulled out his radio. Punching a code, he called for extraction.

One hour later, a V-22 Osprey took off for the skies.

Damian looked at the unconscious pony. “All calm and not giving a care. Yet you come here and convert many of us into you. You say we are the monsters for all the things we did. That the world needs to be fixed…  You took everything we loved and cared for. Peace? Friendship? Nothing but simple words to disguise a full colonization and genocide…”

Skies of Death Valley

Afternoon

Sebastian was looking at the glowing construct that gave a near-musical rhythm.  It had a lot of levers, pulleys, and valves.  Pipes of all sorts were connected through what seemed an exterior chamber. Walking towards it, he entered the inner chamber. The middle of the construct had several clock hands that moved every second or so.  A rainbow glow could be seen behind the ‘clock’.  Putting his hand around the construct, he felt nothing but a cold sensation.  “This is…”

“I see you discovered our Star Swirl Unit.” A voice said.

Sebastian turned to find a middle aged unicorn wearing a strange white-and-black jumpsuit with tribal designs on it. “Interesting isn’t it? What allows our ships to float and fly across the sky.”

“Unit? I thought they’re called Generators.”

“The terms are exchangeable.” The Unicorn replied.

“I see...” The human continued to stare at it.  “The science behind it is interesting, I read once that these use Lunastium to power the ship, provide lift and thrust.”

“Correct.” The Unicorn nodded. “Lunastium crystals are inserted, which then through a complex chemical process the rocks which are converted into a liquid state which is then converted into energy. This energy gives the ship lift and thrust.”

Sebastian looked at the many clock hands move.

“And Celestia controls these… wicked little shrew. Who can imagine how many plunged to their deaths…”

“What?” Sebastian turned.

“Back home, the Griffins and Diamond Dogs have their own airships. Celestia made a pact with them; she will generously lend them the Units. One part of the pact is that their vessels cannot be turned against Equestria. If any ship tries to do so, Celestia orders the Star Swirl Unit to be detached. Imagine the deaths of many flying on a pair of wings that can suddenly leave you.”

“That’s horrible!  How can she be so heartless!?”

“It’s how she keeps the enemies of Equestria in check. The Griffins and Diamond Dogs fear to rebel against Celestia, doing so will have every Unit out there detached.”

The human gasped, then a thought entered. “What’s the 2nd part of the pact?”

“No Griffin or Diamond Dog is allowed to enter the New World. If any of their ships tries to do so, the Unit automatically detaches as they near the Pegasus Corridor.”

Sebastian turned pale upon hearing that. “Dear God…”

“Luckily for the pirates on this side of the world, Equestrian ships have them attached which makes them such easy prey. But for a Diamond Dog or Griffin, you worry that your Unit detaches in the middle of a flight, even if you didn’t break any of Celestia’s terms. I’ve seen it with my own two eyes. They cry out for help, to be let in.  They bang against the outer chamber, begging for mercy. I tried to let them in but my friends refused as they followed orders.”

The Unicorn sighed sadly as he continued.  “As I look down, I see a ship that cries out for help. It slowly plunges to the land below. After that, the ship either crashes against something or explodes with all those crews. Mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, sons, daughters, nephews…  How many families were torn apart?”

“Maybe thousands….” Sebastian answered with a stutter.

“Sebastian!” A voice on the PA called. “Our Captain wishes to speak to you in the bridge.”

“It was nice talking to you.” The Unicorn said. “It feels lonely being down here all the time.”

Sebastian walked upstairs.

There was a knock on the door.

“Enter.”

Sebastian opened the door. A peach colored Earth pony with a red mane and a cutie mark with a olive branch crossing thirteen arrows sat in the middle of the well decorated room. Maps of the world which displayed the colonized Earth and the last human nations, next to it was a map of Counter-Earth and its nations. Next to it was satellite photos, showing the two planets united by a bottleneck cloud between the atmospheres.

“Terra and Contra.”  Para Bellum said to the human eyeing the photos. “Two worlds becoming One, joined in a hourglass-like shape.”

The human eyed the Earth pony. “Yes… The union of our worlds came with disastrous consequences for us. But one question gets to me: Why did you defect?”

Para Bellum chuckled. “Boy how I get that question from you humans. It’s still a new thing to you, ponies that defect.” He gave a long sigh. “My answer is this:  I once served the Sky Fleet, I was a Captain of my own ship, I still believed in orders from my superiors. One day in the year of 2018 in the Human Calendar, Princess Celestia ordered the 125th, the 501st, and the 650th fleets to bombard Africa with the Serum, leading to the forceful conversion of many.”

Sebastian wondered about the three fleets. “What fleet did your ship serve?”

“650th Fleet, the worst of worst, the one that attacked South Africa under the cover of night.” Para Bellum sighed. “And after those days, I started to question my orders. Why were we doing this? Was force really that necessary? The Bureaus were opened up for a willing conversion, not force it into everybody. So I did the right thing, I hijacked my very own battle cruiser and gave it to the humans.”

“But if you gave it to the humans, why didn’t you become a privateer?”

Para Bellum looked at the human. “Piracy isn’t my forte, but rescuing your kind here is. See, this ship is under orders from both the Mexican Republic and the American Federation to rescue pilots and other personnel that find their way here.”

“I see...”

The merchant airship continued its trek across the skies. Into the horizon it went.

Two Weeks Later

“Princess Celestia,” Gold Scroll spoke, fear overwhelming him. “We have received a report on the Serum factory in the Eastern European Colonies. A human team destroyed it all.”

Celestia started to fume. “Filthy humans! We offer them friendship and salvation and this is how they react?! We are not invaders, we are saving them from themselves. Humans have no real meaning of friendship or tolerance. Their entire world suffers from the effects of their greed, their ambitions, the ground is so tainted with blood, it refuses to grow crops. They have over-fished their seas, over-mined the land, and when one human nation lacks resources, they invade the other. Their religions promote nothing but intolerance and hatred for one another if, they kill if they refuse to follow their faiths or deviate from them. But worse of all, wars. Wars motivated by their greed, their jealousy, and their false faiths.”

“Aunt, you are gravely mistaken on that.” Cadence protested.  “Not all humans are violent or destructive. I have visited their lands long before the Colonization. I have seen masterpieces of the arts, culinary delicacies that did not involve meat, and the many ruins of the past civilizations: Babylon, Egypt, Persia, the Mayas and Aztecs of Mexico and Central America, the Coliseum of Rome.  You can’t put the blame on all of them for the actions of a few.”

Celestia turned, giving the soft pink alicorn a glare. “Have you ever read their history my dear niece? All they have done is nothing but damage to themselves and the ecosystem.  Or when the Europeans colonized the Americas, Africa, and Asia, treating the natives like they’re below them, destroyed their cultures, their integrities, their honor. All for what they thought they were doing the work of their God.”

“But the humans did good for their world. They overthrew tyrants, fought for their beliefs and way of life, their religion inspired them to create music and art, they pondered and probed the mysteries of life itself, they may lack magic but they compensated it with ingenuity.” Cadence continued. “What we are doing there is destroying their achievements, their legacies.”

“Said legacies were built on blood, slavery, and destruction.” Celestia countered.  “What we are doing is saving the humans from themselves. Equestria is all they need for as Equestria everything that they always wanted and needed. Equestria is law. Equestria is order. Equestria is stability.”

“By converting them and then colonizing their world?” Cadence shot.

“We are fixing their world. Repairing it from the damage they caused millennia ago.” Celestia said. “But seeing that you are somehow…sympathizing with the barbaric beasts, I have to question your loyalty.”

“My loyalty is always to Equestria. But what you Aunt are doing is wrong, it goes against our national morals! Please Aunt! Rethink of what you’re doing! Give back the humans their lands and all ponies to return to Equestria. The humans are like wounded animals now, continuing this will make them aggressive against us. We don’t know when they will cross the Corridor to this side of the world. Please reconsider.”

Celestia gave a silent growl. “Just moments ago…  I ordered for a would-be defector to be sentenced to death.”

Cadence gasped at such thought.

“But now amongst my little ponies there are sympathizers, and I will make an example out of you.” Celestia gave a cold hiss. “I order that you be placed in house arrest.”

“AUNT! WAIT!” Cadence pleaded as two unicorn guards dragged her out.

Nighttime fell on Equestria. Celestia was looking at the night sky from the balcony. As Luna landed on the balcony, she noticed her sister’s face full of concern, fear, and paranoia. “Sister…”

“Luna dear…” Celestia said with a fearful voice. “I now doubt that our little ponies are with us… that they are sympathizing with the savage humans.”

Luna could feel the distress in her sister. “Sister, concern yourself with your matters. We would hate to see a purge of thy subjects who are loyal to us.  Calm thyself sister, there is no enemy to worry about. The only enemies one has to avoid is imaginary ones. The humans are too afraid to cross the Corridor, we are safe from them.”

“Despite all the reassuring words dear sister, I now fear that our ponies will try to defect or sympathize  with them:  Supporting them with words, money, or even our ships.” She took a heavy sigh. “I may sound insane, but I suspect the nobility helping out the humans.”

“Sister!” Luna shot. “There is no way to prove that they are guilty of that. We cannot accuse them without evidence.”

“Evidence or not, the nobility is a threat to our power. Some may be conspiring to rebel or defect to them, while others are sympathizing…  And I mentioned I will make an example of Cadence. Starting with her, the Inquisition begins.”

It was 5 AM in Canterlot, Cadence escaped from her room in the castle along with several defectors. Large travel bags were filled with what they wanted, maps and intelligence. “CADENCE!” Shining Armor called.

She turned, giving him a stern but warm face.

“What…who are they and why the bags?”

“Didn’t you hear?” Cadence said. “Aunt has decided to purge the nobility. She sent you to kill me from what I can see.”

“W-what? Me doing what!? The Princess would never do that!” Shining countered. “She can’t do this! She can’t!

“Princess, we must leave!” A Unicorn urged.

“Why all the bags… ?”

“I am defecting to the humans.” Cadence answered. “The bags carry what they sought after the most.”

“Y-you can’t be serious.” Shining Armor shook his head.

“Princess.” A pegasus stallion wearing a jumpsuit with tribal patterns stepped in. “Is he coming with us?”

Cadence turned to the jumpsuit-clad pegasus and then to Shining. “It will be his choice if he wants to join.” Her eyes locked on Shining.  “We got married months ago and Celestia would have made you a widow by force. She knew of how strong our love is…and she knew as Captain of the Guard, you must put those feelings aside and execute her orders.”

“I…”

“Your choice my love. Stay here and purge Equestria of its nobility and my Aunt has all the power in the military and government. Or come with us and give the humans the chance to reclaim what was stolen from them.”

The jumpsuit-clad pegasus whistled, a modified yacht came into view.

“I am going.” Shining said. “From the good days to the bad, I’ll be with you always.”

Cadence kissed her husband’s lips.

The yacht took off for the skies. A giant cloud whirlpool was within sight. “Brace yourselves!” The Helmspony barked. “We are about to enter the Pegasus Corridor!”

The yacht began to shake as it entered the cloud. Thunder boomed every minute as the winds blew, air currents moving in a spiral pattern at different speeds.

The Navigator Pony pulled out a map of the Corridor and set it on the table. “Terra and Contra.” She said as her eyes looked at the major continents of Earth and Counter Earth, along with the nations and oceans. “Princess Cadence,” She pointed a hoof on what seemed a sector of the Corridor.  “We are currently in Sector One of the Corridor. From here, we have 7 routes that we  can take.”

“Which one can get us to Terra the fastest?” Cadence asked

.

“We can take Route 1 and perform a bypass across Routes 2 and 5, from there, we’ll take Route 6 and be in Terra in 2 days.”

“Then we’ll go by that plan.” Cadence said.

The winds howled as the yacht continued its path across the Corridor. They all looked at an American Federation airship passing by them.  Shining Armor gulped, seeing the destroyed vessel still flying in the air. The Helmspony shivered, feeling the dead passing by him, giving their last screams as they all were swallowed by the winds. “Nothing but scrap metal to be toyed by the air currents.”  Shining commented.

Time went by as the yacht cruised around the Corridor.  It was Day 2, according to the Helmspony, they’d reach Terra in thirty minutes. Up ahead, a light shone. “Follow the light! Full speed ahead!” Cadence ordered.

The yacht exited the Corridor.  The ponies gasped as they looked the skies. So high up in the skies of Terra, the human world. Below them was the lands that humans lived for millennia, which is being colonized by ponies. Above them in the entrance to the storm that connects both worlds.

“So this must be… Terra.” The Navigator Pony said.  Looking down into the map, he nodded  as he looked at the Gobi Desert. “Princess Cadence , we must head to the Gobi Desert Special Economic Zone. Our human contact wishes to meet us and arrange a meeting with potential benefactors.”

Cadence nodded. “Helmspony, set course for the Gobi Desert.”

“Aye-aye! Plotting a course for the Gobi and keeping her steady as she goes.” The Helmspony moved the ship’s wheel to the left and then to the right.

Canterlot

Celestia breathed heavily in victory. At last, all Canterlot nobility has been purged from existence. Nopony will be able to speak out against her or rebel against her. The homefront enemies have been silenced.  All their assets seized in the name of the Crown. “This world is mine…” The Sun Princess said to herself. “I can go wherever I want whenever I want…” A laugh escaped . “All mine… And no human or pony will tell me otherwise.”

Luna’s ears twitched as she heard Celestia speak. Was this her way to cope with the purging of the nobility two days ago? By proclaiming the world to be hers and doing what she pleases? Releasing a concerned sigh, she trotted away to her business.

Several large hovering crystals materialized into the throne room. With a small blast of magic, the jewels lit up, showing live feeds from all over the world. The two Griffin nations, the Kingdom of Skiri and the Scylas Federation were going through a ecological crisis; The once plentiful farm land refused to grow crops, fresh water was becoming scarce, and many began to migrate to other parts of the world to find a better living.  The Diamond Dog Confederation extended a hand of friendship, sending airships with supplies to help them out.

Celestia eyed a Diamond Dog ship hovering above a Skirian town. “Gold Scroll!” Celestia called.

The golden pony came in as fast as he could.

“Gold Scroll, what is that ship doing?”

“Your Highness, I believe that Diamond Dog ship is delivering water to the drought stricken areas.”

“I want its Unit recalled.”

“But Majesty, they have broken no laws or part of our agreement.”

Celestia gave a soul-piercing glare.

“I’ll see to it.”

Ruby Claw Town, Kingdom of Skiri

The gryphons were relieved as they say the airship preparing to land. Buckets were prepared to receive the valuable water they desperately needed.

The airship began to shake.

“WHAT THE!?” The Diamond Dog at the helm exclaimed.

“OUR UNIT IS DETACHING!” The Captain barked.

“THOSE PONY DEMONS!”

The smiles turned into panic as the Star Swirl Unit detached from the airship. All they could see was the ship slowly plunge to its doom.

“They’ve gone too far now!” A Griffin growled. “They have doomed us all while Celestia is eating and drinking to her heart’s desire and here we are… living through this crisis that we did not ask for! WE HAD ENOUGH!"

Dinner with the Captain

The Conversion Bureau: The Palladium Wings

Chapter 17

Dinner with the Captain

“Ponies!” The Albanian called. “The Captain wants you to accompany him for dinner.”

“Dinner with the Captain?” Rainbow Dash raised a eyebrow. “How do we know he’s not going to hurt us? Huh? Huh?”

“Captain Nikolaos isn’t that much of a savage outside the battlefield.” The Albanian replied.  “If he was a savage, he’d already have Shining Armor and Cadence’s heads impaled, but he made them vice-captains of this ship.”  He opened the cell door. “Our master engineer is a pony, our recon officer happens to be a pegasus.”  He looked at the ponies. “Your other friend, the orange one? She’s waiting for you with the Captain along with Twilight.”

They refused to move.

“What will convince you to come? Hmmm?”  The Albanian raised his brand new Imbel IA2, a red dot was placed on Rainbow’s head. “She’s a beauty, ain’t she? Rifles like her are a rarity, with Brazil a pony colony, the guns made by Taurus and Imbel fetch a high price. Lucky me.” Removing the pressure from the laser sight, the dot vanished.   “Now come, the Captain does not like when his guests are late…it is rude to keep him waiting.”

The followed the Albanian across the halls of the ship. A few humans were attending their duties while a few ponies began to hiss at them.

“Imperialists!” One unicorn wearing an overcoat draped on his body cracked. “Racists!”

“Look at them,” A pegasus hissed. “Her Majesty’s brutes…doing Mother Equestria’s dirty work...”

“Aye me stallion, these are Elements of Harmony…the loyal terriers and great persecutors of the human race.”  A rosewood stallion with crossed sabers as a cutie mark said. “What are you looking at lass? Never seen a defector before?”

“Slash Saber…” The Albanian groaned. “Not now.”

“Why did Niko bring these motherbuckers to his ship? This ship was fine until they were brought here and lo and behold, we have the most evil, perverted, and degenerate ponies in all Equestria.  Niko should execute them now but noooo…dinner with the Captain!? We should be chaining them up and throwing them off board.”

“We’re in the middle of nowhere, why the hell do we need chains for?” A Croatian crewmember asked.

“Shut up Slav, we need to throw them off board, their presence pollutes this ship.”

“Oy!” A Serbian accented voice cried out. “Slash, shut the hell up! I’m getting sick of hearing your voice.”

“Keep moving…” The Albanian walked.

“Yeah ! You keep moving you racist colonial bastards! What Equestria needs is a Nationalist movement! Expel the Newfoal! Power to us the Natives! Kill the Diamond and Gryphon immigrant! We don’t need them in our land!”

Reaching the mess hall, the Albanian pressed a hidden button. A portion of the wall opened up, revealing a secret elevator. “Step in and enjoy the ride.”

The ponies gave uneasy looks and stepped in. The elevator went up.

The door opened up.

Twilight, Applejack, Cadence, and Shining Armor were sitting, along with a man with sun-kissed skin and eerie green eyes.

“Welcome welcome, we have been expecting you.” Nikolaos said. “Please take a seat and enjoy the meal.”

The ponies looked down at the food offered on the table. It all looked tasty and of course, not a single trace of meat.

“What? Never seen Greek cuisine before?”  Nikolaos took a sip of his coffee. “Your cuisine is so bland and boring...all about hay and apples and pastries...it must be robotic really. If one really wants to win a war, know your enemies cuisine, it tells their weaknesses. Like pastries…high fats and sugars, target the sugarcane plantations and processing plants, watch the economy go into chaos. Prices go up and wages must go up, money becomes inflated to the point its worth nothing.” He got looks of doubt. “Economics, supply and demand, the basics.” He pulled out an AK-47. “In Africa, where bartering economies still exist, one Kalash for 15 cows, as the supply grows, the price goes down, now to 3 cows.”

“Poor cows.” Fluttershy commented.

“Ah don’t worry about it…there’s no good or bad anymore, just business.”

“No good or bad?” Applejack begged to differ. “What kinds of business is that? Who trades a cow for that thing you have?”

“Let me ask you this Dixie,” Nikolaos said poisonously. “If you lived in a part of a country that is locked in eternal war, where the soldiers come and steal your crop and livestock, rape your women, your daughters, or any family members, and they destroy your property, what are you going to do?”

“Tell’em to get out.” Applejack replied with a firm nod.

“Wrong answer.” Nikolaos countered. “Words won’t cut it, you get a weapon and demand they leave.” The AK-47’s bolt was pulled back several times, giving out the satisfying click of springs and metals.  “What you ponies see in this, you see the history of humanity in a single mechanical device made to fire a metallic slug at one another…but to a human who knows his history, this represents civilization. This, the gun, is an invention that has been praised and denounced. It made history and was responsible for the creation of tyrants and heroes, of armies and guerillas, or the one thing one uses to stand up to tyranny.”

“Are you calling the Princess a tyrant?” Rainbow got on the defensive.

“Was the forced conversion of the Middle East and Afghanistan  justified? Was the conversion of millions of Muslims justified?”

“Muslims are mean!” Pinkie jumped into the conversation. “They are loony, all they do is pray to a rock and think the words of some meanie should tell them how to live their lifes. And they don’t party, and they don’t smile.”

“So was it justified?” Nikolaos asked.

Pinkie couldn’t answer.

“It was justified, yes.” Twilight nodded. “They lived oppressed under the words of a dead man, a man who ordered to kill and enslave anyone who didn’t agree with them. What kind of religion is that? What kind of religion demands blood from anyone who is against the prophet? What kind of sane rational being believes in such a hateful little book!?”

Nikolaos shot back. “The same thing you said at the UN when you attacked the other religions. So we are supposed to bow down to Celestia and Luna? Does Equestria even have something as Freedom of Religion?”

“There’s the Old Believers.” Twilight said. “Ponies who still worship the 365 gods and goddess of old.”

“And let me guess, are they allowed to worship freely or are they discriminated?” Nikolaos raised an eyebrow.

“We let them be.”

“So then its right to allow the Old Believers to worship and us the humans, we can’t worship freely because our religions are evil.” Nikolaos took a bite of the food on his plate.  “But Celestia can’t see the actions of the genocide…for what? To help…are you even aware of what the Conversion Bureaus have brought into Equestria?”

“We are trying to help by erasing all the evil features of the human.” Rarity said.

Nikolaos burst into laughter, then his face became an icy cold, his jade eyes were giving off a sinister glow. Cadence began to shiver, afraid of that cold murderous expression.  “You think the conversions just…erase what they are?” He slammed a fist into the table. “You think that converting a human to a pony will force a smile into the soul?”

“Well yes…” Rarity responded.

“Wrong.” Nikolaos took a sip of his coffee. “Do you know what your Princess has unleashed into Equestria? I will tell you: She has imported not only good obedient citizens who will follow her laws, but also criminal elements. What elements? Rapists, anarchists, vandals, murderers, psychopaths, people with no morals in the absolute, megalomaniacs, those who lust for blood, arms dealers, greedy people who want everything to themselves, or the cruel warlords, or dangerous drug traffickers whose goal is to profit off selling drugs and create drug addicted ponies. Or what about Marxist revolutionaries who seek to bring Communism into Equestria?”

“Communism?” Twilight Sparkle blinked.

“No private property, no more social class, all production belongs to the state, they think your so called Princesses exploit the common pony to keep her fed.”

“The Princesses would never do that, she is…” Twilight was cut off.

“Tell that to the Russians in 1917, or the Cubans who owned the cigar factories and the workers, or the South Vietnamese who lost everything to Communism and your Princess Celestia brought them to Equestria and the Colonies.”

“He’s right…” Shining said. “Remember that whole Occupy Canterlot ordeal? All those angry Newfoals, spewing hate and saying the system is corrupted? What was all of that?”

“And then the Communist Party of Equestria.” Cadence said. “One of the party’s main platforms is the equal distribution of property and wealth through peaceful means or through an armed revolt and the eventual overthrow of the order.”

“Such system…” Nikolaos explained. “Is good on paper, but applying it? If I know history,  Stalin had to murder millions to achieve the perfect systems. Mao Zedong murdered millions of his fellow Chinese for the Great Leap Forward. And now Equestria has a Communist Party? How foolish Celestia is, she has brought what not even she can understand.”

“Is it a Party with balloons and streamers?”

Nikolaos laughed. “Oh no Pink One, it’s a political party. See, when a group of like minded individuals or in this case, ponies, share the same values and want to be represented in the government, they join a political party that will send leaders to voice the people’s concerns. But as I know, Equestria is a absolute monarchy and you haven’t been exposed to political parties and their values and their ideals for the ideal nation…like say…the National Socialist Party that once took over Germany long ago.”

Shining’s eye twitched at those three words. “Maniacs. Racists.”

“So you have a National Socialist Party of Equestria?” Nikolaos gave a grin. “Oh how wonderful, even the scum of Europe found a way into Equestria…”

“Those maniacs. How can they be so hateful?” Shining asked. “They spewed so much hatred, saying things like keeping the pony race pure, expelling the gryphon and Diamond Dog minorities and to add to that, they demanded Princess Celestia to add even MORE living space and demanded concentration camps for all non-Equestrians to be systemically killed. What insanity is this!? Tell me what kind of insanity is this?”

Nikolaos smiled.  “It’s what Celestia tried to get rid of but instead, it found a way to your country.” He pulled out his pistol and twirled it. “She may force a smile on the soul, but the mind of the Newfoal is still the same…only in a different body, it adapted those beliefs to the new host society and body. The importation model, all experiences such as making friends, beliefs, anything before a human became a pony is now imported to the colonies or Equestria. Like say…the self-proclaimed pony warlords in various parts of Africa and the Middle East colonies.”

“Or the Mafia Families of Manehatten, or the gangs of Baltimore, or the MS-13 which is all over Equestria.”

“MS-13?” Rarity raised an eyebrow.

“Mara Salvatruchas, a Central American gang back then. Curious how they managed to find a way into Equestria.” The Greek looked at Shining. “Tell me Shining, you ever fought Newfoals belonging to the MS-13 gang?”

Shining nodded. “They are insane, they can take a beating, and what’s scary is how their coats are inked with gang symbols or affiliation.”

“Any crimes?”

“Rape, vandalism, possession and distribution of narcotics, assault, burglary, blackmail, arson, heck, they even set a noble’s manor on fire.”

“Ah remember them now,” Applejack clicked. “Those ponies set half an orchard on fire if we didn’t pay’em protection moneh.”

“And they trashed the Sugarcube Corner.” Pinkie fumed. “Big meanies.”

“They threatened rape Fluttershy and me if we didn’t do what they demanded.” Rarity added.

Nikolaos took another bite of his meal followed by a slurp of his coffee. “Interesting…so most of Equestria’s crime is done by the Newfoal.”

“Baltimare, a Gryphon-Equestrian was lynched by a mob of Newfoals, which then proceed to attack and loot all Gryphon owned businesses, they even set their houses on fire.” Shining said. “They all said to kill them all, they are not ponies.”

“The living dead, of course, they are the living dead.” Nikolaos bursted out. “WE are the LIVING DEAD!”

The ponies trembled.

“What?” Twilight looked at the man.

“What’s the difference between the dead and the living dead?” Nikolaos asked.

“They don’t live?” Pinkie gave a innocent answer.

The man opened his overcoat, revealing various models of pistols. Holstering his Tokarev, he pulled out a P210 and brought it to eye level. “The difference is…that the living dead know when death is near. All the privateers and mercenaries, all the criminals running lose in Equestria and her Colonies. You see, fear clouds your eyes and makes you afraid of what’s ahead. It makes you quiet and shy, you’re so open to them and they might even try to have their way with you... just like how Fluttershy was threatened to be raped by a MS-13 Newfoal…they know she is weak and defenseless, but they, they do not have any sense of fear or worry or seeing some kind of retribution against them.”

He sipped some more of his coffee. “Same with me. I was born into a world of chaos, death, violence, and misery. I have seen it before Equestria even came.”

“So you’re not afraid of dying huh?” Rainbow asked. “Not even a single bit?”

“I am the walking dead, they are the walking dead, we as a whole are the living dead.” The pistol was twirled several times.  “We are thrown like dice, into a world where the odds are always against us. Me? I was born unwillingly into misery and violence, no one has a say who will be your parents and what kind of life you will born into. It’s the Lottery of Life, we are just random numbers thrown out there without a why or how. No explanation, no reason, yet we look for those two things.”

“But that’s why the Princesses came to help you, to smile and be happy.” Pinkie responded.

“And yet look, Equestria has not benefitted from the Newfoals at all. Sure she may have new citizens to obey her laws, but she has also brought the things she wanted to erase and yet it still found a way. Misery, violence, destruction, chaos, the ideas of racial hygiene and supremacy, radical ideas from the books of dead men who still have legacies and their ideals live within those who were exposed to them.” Nikolaos racked the slide of the pistol.  “The human condition is too chaotic and unpredictable, even for you ponies.”

“Then why hasn’t Discord…” Twilight was interrupted.

“Your Discord, this spirit of chaos, if enough chaos is done, he’d be released, but he has not, he knows what goes outside his stone prison and he must be fascinated with the chaos the Newfoal brought, but he must be commenting about the pleasures the Newfoal imported such as drugs and vandalism, these new ideas such as overthrowing the current government through a armed revolution, or the destruction of the family unit, it’s wonderful, it’s the ultimate manifestation: Chaotic Evil.”

“Lie! Cheat! Steal! Rape! Destroy! Send everyone who opposes you straight to Hell! The world is an oyster! Suck the tender part out, the good part and all what’s left is the shell. Spill the blood of the innocent and strike terror and fear into their hearts. Murder to your heart’s desire. Be persecuted and die a martyr and be remembered to them as a villain of the most unspeakable evil, but to your group, be remembered as a hero who died under their weapons. Start a war, fan its flames and watch as the war consumes resources and both sides lose everything.” The Greek said with a unnatural voice.  “Harmony is a lie, there is only pleasure. There is no good or bad, there is no left and right, there is no black and white…only the middle, the grey, the third path.”

“That’s horrible!” Twilight exclaimed.

“You don’t understand the human condition and you never will.” The man twirled the pistol. “But if you want my view on the human condition, it is this: Shit out of luck and go with my vision. Right on the power, light on the fire. And with a weapon…. I have it all.”