Task Force Harmony

April 10th

Spec armour Mark One-Point-Three revisions:

- Removed the vocal modifier until I can get it to something less...Villain-ish.
-Treated the visor with new materials, enhancing durability without affecting visibility, plus it gives it a neat gold tint.
-Equipment bags remodelled, can now fit more with minimal effect on mobility.

Take care out there, it wouldn't do anypony any good if my designs got you killed! Seriously though, stay safe, friends.

Moondancer.

"So, what happened to mark one point two?" Water Flare asked as she climbed into her armour. Cipher had read out the latest modification list to save time while the others suited up.

"Knowing Moondancer, she either broke enough mouthplates to pass on it, or broke enough visors." He replied with a small chuckle. The matching laughs he got brought a small smile to his face, a brief respite from the worry he felt.

Operation Hive Hunt was ready to go. In a few minutes they'd be headed out to the Undiscovered West, heading further than any land based pony ever had in an attempt to locate a changeling hive, without any immediate help. Princess Luna must have had a lot of faith in their abilities to sanction this operation as it was. He knew he had faith in the others at least. Looking over the six ponies before him brought a sense of calm, knowing that his decisions to include them seemed to be the right ones. With that niggling doubt settled, he checked over their new bags before passing them out as everypony finished suiting up. The redesigns were larger and slightly more bulbous, though the improved capacity was obvious, especially for the likes of Bulwark since each bag was also sized to match the pony wearing them as well.

Between them, the team had approximately a weeks worth of food if they were careful with it, though given pony dietary habits it wouldn't be hard to find more if needed. With that last detail taken care of and everypony ready to move, he lead them out of the armoury again and toward the command center. Under Princess Celestia's guidance, dawn was starting to rise over Canterlot as they made their way through the hallways, filtering a gentle orange glow through the windows they passed. Compared to the night of before, more ponies were about right now, virtually all of them turning for a second look at the black coated ponies making their way to the heart of the headquarters. If any of the team had comments on the attention they drew, they kept it to themselves.

It was almost a relief to enter the command center, the familiar imposing presence of Princess Luna waiting for them. Some of the effect was lost as she greeted them with a protracted yawn, looking ready to get some sleep as soon as she was done here. The moment was something of an icebreaker though, distracting from the nerves of what was coming.

"Princess, we're ready to go." Cipher reported, taking a moment to assess the map and be satisfied that no new situations had arisen in the meantime. Their mission zone had been marked with a dark blue flag, high priority reconnaissance. A little surprising, but then they didn't know exactly what was there.

"Excellent," Luna replied, studying the team closely. "You are all aware of what may be at stake here, so all I can say is, good luck...And be careful."

Even with his mouthplate up, everypony could tell that Cipher was smiling more at those words. This was more his style, leading from the front and making sure everypony came out in one piece. Luna nodded and her horn flared to life, marking the same group teleportation method she had used before. Again the flash came and the group sent on their way. She nodded and informed her logisticians that the operation was underway and that command was transferred to the generals for the day before removing her helmet and hesitating. Part of her wondered if she should have done this, hesitance and concern flashing across her eyes. She closed them and took a long exhale of breath before shaking her head slightly and teleporting back to the castle.

With a flash of blue light, Task Force Harmony arrived in the undiscovered lands. As soon as they could see, each of them put their backs to each other and scanned the area for any signs of danger. Unlike last time, Commander Luna wouldn't be able to pull them out if they got into trouble right away. The princess had made this the last duty of her night before retiring for sleep. Although Aurora could still teleport back to report anything, it would be hours before support could reach them, even longer if something happened to him and Rainbow Dash or Flash Sentry needed to fly back instead. For now, they only had each other to depend on.

Fortunately, the scene of their arrival was peaceful, bordering on serene. With the sun rising in the north-west, it was brighter than it had been in Canterlot, enough to see that nothing was stirring around them. The site itself was a clearing amidst a wood of yew trees, the beginnings of a lake visible to the north. The ground underhoof was slightly spongy but still firmer than expected from the descriptions of marshland they had received. Of course, no earth pony or unicorn had ever travelled this far before, even the best of the Recon Corps forced to abandon their efforts long before. The Barrier Mountains were visible above the trees to the west, the spot where one mountain stood lower than the others marking their destination. It was still a distance away on the ground but likely reachable within a couple of hours if a route could be found without complications.

"Soul, Zippy." Cipher said. Right on cue, Flash Sentry took off and hovered above the treeline while Aurora's horn lit up and he looked round the area.

"Nothing large enough to be a threat, sir." Aurora reported after a minute, looking over at his commander. The look gave Cipher a chance to see how his eyes looked through the new visors while using sensory magic. Unlike before, there was no way of seeing the change through the yellow tint.

"Skies are completely clear, buddy." Flash followed as he landed again. Cipher nodded and motioned for the team to relax. As one, seven bodies relaxed and raised their visors, taking in the environment properly now there was no immediate danger.

"Good, the flyers made a good call making this our entry point."

"So, why here and not right at the foot of the mountain?" Water Flare asked, though she didn't sound too annoyed by it. Indeed, her focus had been taken by the lake just about visible through the trees.

"Because this was the nearest spot found that seven ponies could be safely teleported to," Cipher answered, tapping Flare's shoulder to get her focus back. "I'm guessing you'd rather a point where we couldn't see the target?"

"Of course not," Flare shook her head slightly and re-joined the team. "So what's the plan for approach?"

"Crash and Zippy will hover overhead and scout, though don't make yourselves obvious," Cipher started, watching as Flash and Rainbow primed themselves. "Flow, you'll take point as we move on Mount Silvat. You're the lightest of us, so if the ground bogs down you're least likely to get into trouble."

"I resent that implication." Healing Wave remarked.

"No you don't, I can feel your smirk. Besides, you'll probably be going next." Aurora replied. Wave looked at him and noticed his magic was still active before laughing softly. The sound drew everypony's attention and they stared at her for a second, unused to such a thing from her.

"Soul, you know how long you can keep your magic going, but pace how you use it regardless. We can't afford to overwork anypony right now," Cipher warned him, looking back toward "Everypony else, keep to single file, one body space between you, and stay attentive until we reach Mount Silvat. Understood?"

Once everypony had nodded in readiness, Cipher fitted his visor again and pointed skyward. Rainbow and Flash took off instantly, moving out of sight above the treeline but making sure to remain close enough for their comms to work. As soon as the others were ready again, he brought his hoof down and pointed toward the mountains. Flare headed off first, testing her hoofsteps to make sure the ground didn't get any worse as she advanced. Wave went next, keeping watch and ready to use her magic on Flare if something happened. Aurora was third in line, followed by Cipher with Bulwark bringing up the rear and moving rather gingerly due to his weight.

The next few hours were quiet and tense, broken only by birdsong and the occasional rustling of wildlife in the undergrowth. Progress was slowed several times by unexpected marshes, wetlands and rivers forcing the team to detour several times. It was easy enough to keep track of where they were going though, the rising sun made it easier to see forward and the smaller mountain stuck out like a foal among stallions. Though none of them said it, all of them thought it at some point. They were the first ponies to actually set hoof on these lands, a hidden gem that had lain undisturbed for thousands of years. Each of them silently took in the lay of the land, mentally taking notes on what was familiar and what wasn't, anything that may warrant further expeditions this way.

It was around mid-day before the ground began to firm up properly and the trees gave way to rocky ground. Flash and Rainbow landed as the team cleared the forest and looked up at the imposing, snow-capped peaks of the Barrier mountains, rising thousands of feet above them. Cipher gave a sigh of relief and stepped ahead of the others, patting Water Flare on the shoulder as he passed.

"Alright, good work everypony," He told them, glancing back at the mountain. "Before we go any further, there's one last detail I wanted your input on. Considering we're dealing with the very real possibility of changelings, it'd probably be smart to come up with some kind of identification method if and when we're separated. I'm open to suggestions."

"How about if the one being approached says 'klutz' and the incoming says 'draconequus'?" Flare offered. Almost immediately, a disembodied lion paw popped into existence behind her, slapped the back of her head hard enough to bring her head forward and disappeared again. Flare groaned as she rubbed the back of her head and shot a glare at Wave next to her, not knowing any better.

"Hey, you're the one who made fun of Discord." Rainbow commented with a giggle. Water Flare looked away but didn't say anything.

"Good point," Cipher commented, instinctively bringing his hoof to his faceplate to try and hide his own chuckles. "I think code questions would work better though. Things only we know from our time together, tailor them to each other as best you can."

"So something unique for each pony? Clever." Bulwark commented, tapping his chin as he started thinking of what he could use.

"Don't tell us your questions. Less chance of anything finding out," Cipher turned toward the mountain and looked up at the ridges they'd have to climb to reach their cave entrance, just about visible approximately fifty feet up. "Task Force Harmony, let's go."

The moved forward and carefully started to scale the rocks. The pegasi could simply fly over and the smaller ponies had less trouble navigating the outcrops that hindered their way up the mountain, the larger members of the group needed to go further to find clear spots and hauling their increased mass up ledges was a tiring process. Despite how close the entrance was above them, it was another half hour before they all reached it.

Cipher motioned for Flash to take point and followed the pegasus into the cave. The light available at the entrance faded quickly as the team steadily moved deeper, though a new light source became apparent as they moved, a luminescent lichen that bathed patches of the area in a pale green glow. It did little to soothe any nerves they were feeling though, the colour only serving as a reminder of what may be waiting for them in the darkness. The further they went, the more the caves opened up, pathways branching off and larger caverns regularly appearing. It was clear the interior of the mountain was something of a maze and hunting through it was going to take some time, even more so if the tunnels really did move into the adjacent mountains.

One way or another, this operation was not going to be easy.

The caverns remained silent, dark, lifeless as the team passed into another wider space. Though none of them had any idea that the area was already occupied. From a lightless alcove bored out of the roof, two pairs of ice blue eyes watched intently, their faded, almost soulless white pupils never straying an inch off their targets. The owner of one set leaned forward slightly, bringing a rough, dried, chitinous muzzle just into the faint light, exposing a razor sharp fang.

"Delessa hi safi, noma term peniffal..." It hissed. The two of them moved back into the darkness, never taking their eyes of their targets. Their prey.