Cassidy awoke to the feeling of two very strong arms wrapped around her waist, she smirked quietly as she leaned her head back and felt Altair’s breath on her neck. They had been sleeping together since both of them had turned eighteen, so far nothing physical had really happened, but Cassidy still enjoyed being in the same bed as Altair. The young woman closed her eyes and rolled over so that she was facing Altair, his eyes were still closed and she could tell that he was very much asleep. He had been issued duties patrolling the castle grounds, they kept him out late… But Cassidy didn’t mind waiting up to see Altair when he got home.

Birds chirped cheerily outside while the morning sun shined in through the window of their shared bedroom. Cassidy leaned her head against Altair’s muscled chest, she could hear his heart beating while his chest rose up and down. Unlike his father, Altair shaved his chest regularly so it was thankfully smooth. The woman move her arms around Altair’s waist as the two of them slept closer to one another, even if he was asleep Cassidy knew that Altair was enjoying the contact. Altair wore only his boxers to bed, while Cassidy chose to wear a nightgown, the soft fabric was something Altair could recognize in his sleep.

Cassidy let out a little yelp when she felt Altair’s hands shift to her rear and give it a squeeze, the man then smirked quietly and opened his eyes. He moved his hands back to Cassidy’s waist before leaning in and kissing her on the forehead.

“Morning…” He said in a warm voice, Cassidy hummed and nuzzled up against his chest.

“Morning.” She replied, the woman had really grown into her body since she had been a teenager. Her hips were perfect, as were her breasts, at least as far as Altair thought. In truth, she was a little on the short side, but that didn’t bother Altair. Now that they were both eighteen, Altair had been thinking more and more about what he wanted to do with Cassidy… In a romantic sense, not a physical one. They had been together for two years, most of the time they had been living together, in a way it felt like they were meant for eachother… Altair just wasn’t sure where else to go with the relationship. “Altair, Earth to Altair!”

“Huh?” Altair asked as his thoughts snapped back into the present. “Sorry, was just thinking about something…”

“Oh? What was it?” Cassidy asked.

“Just how beautiful you are.” Altair said with a slight smirk, Cassidy rolled her eyes and gave him a smack on the side.

“Your mom was right, the cheesy lines must be a genetic thing.” Cassidy said with a look of mirth on her face, Altair smiled and leaned in again, this time kissing her right on the lips. “Mmm, I wish we could just stay here all day.”

“I do too…” Altair said with a hum while he ran a hand over his head, Cassidy ran her hands along his chest up his neck and onto his cheeks. She paused as she felt the familiar scar on his cheek, but that didn’t stop her from pulling her boyfriend into yet another kiss. He hummed softly and put a hand behind her head, closing his eyes as he kissed her back passionately. It lasted a good twenty seconds before the two of them pulled away from one another. “I really need to get up or else I might just stay here with those beautiful lips of yours.”

“Would that be such a bad thing?” Cassidy asked as she watched Altair swing his legs out from under the blanket and stand up. He stretched quietly, giving Cassidy a show of the muscles on his back.

“No, unless I don’t want to get in trouble with my CO.” Altair replied simply as he walked to his dresser and pulled the top drawer out. He had already showered the night before, so it was only a matter of pulling on his socks and fatigues. “You get me all the other mornings, but I have to go in early today… The orders came from my Mother, it would have to be very important for her to drag me in early.” Altair pulled on his socks, followed by his grey undershirt. Cassidy sat up in bed and watched the man getting dressed, frowning faintly. “Look, with any luck I’ll be done early, then we might actually get a chance to see each other during daylight hours.”

“Fine…” Cassidy said with a slight huff, Altair pulled on his fatigues next. The camouflage pattern was a new design. A mix of old Russian Pixel camo and German Flecktarn, it had replaced the old flat grey fatigues that had been the standard for twenty years. Altair walked quietly to the window as he finished buttoning his jacket, he sighed quietly as he looked down on Canterlot. The streets were being cleared of the final bits of snow, the pegasi were ushering in the beginning of spring.

Altair turned around and paused as he saw Cassidy getting out of bed, only she had removed her nightgown and was walking to the dresser completely naked. She looked over at Altair and smirked when she saw how red his face had gotten, he quickly looked at the floor, but occasionally she caught his eyes glancing at her. There was a tradition that had formed in the wake of the plague, the family of a couple in love would talk about how they had made their relationship work in all details. Altair’s mom had been very, VERY, open about what she did to help keep things fresh. Altair coughed a couple times and went to put on his boots, still glowing red.

“Don’t worry, Alley Cat. I’ll be here when you get back.” Cassidy called over her shoulder as she pulled on her own clothes. Altair double knotted his boots and tucked his pant legs into them, then stood up and looked at the now fully clothed woman.

“O-Okay…” Altair stammered as he walked towards the door, she could tell he was still in a state of uncertainty. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He said, Altair paused as he reached for the handle. The man stopped and looked over his shoulder at Cassidy. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Cassidy replied with a smile, Altair smiled back at her, the red on his cheeks starting to recede as he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. He closed the door behind him and began walking through the halls towards the military wing of Canterlot Castle.

[♠]

The labs built beneath Canterlot Castle had never been so quiet as they were now, every technician and scientist had gathered in the main hangar sized area to see the result of all they had worked for. The room was massive, grey walls of concrete supported by thick steel beams, and at the very center was the device that had been consuming the resources of every scientist for the past several months. It was a large platform with two large antennas reaching up and forming a horseshoe shaped arch. Wires ran all along the insides and outside of the arch, control panels were set up all around it. The platform had four armed guards standing on it, though they had been instructed to be more focused on the arch than on the crowd.

At the very center of the arch, contained within a glass container, was the glowing orb that had been recovered in the Farlands, something that the staff had started to call ‘The Seed’. A seed that could open a portal to an entirely different dimension, something that could change the future of the world forever. Once the device was activated, the Onorussians would be able to keep the residents of the other dimension from opening portals anywhere but through the arch. It would be a moment of triumph, Onorus would be able to put its full attention back on the Crystal Empire. It was for that reason that the military was anxious to have the device activated as soon as possible.

Of course the scientists wanted to celebrate before they turned it on, and they were entitled to celebrate, but the military just wished they would do so after they actually turned it on. The generals in attendance were getting antsy, the longer they waited the more they worried something would go wrong. After all, the people of the other dimension had nearly started a Thermo-Arcane War several months prior, and it was theorized they had also tried to send an invasion force of some kind. Needless to say, opinions were divided on when the machine needed to be activated.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” A woman announced from the platform, getting the attention of everyone in room. Her name was Doctor Laverne Mason, she had been the lead researcher on the project to build the Portal interceptor. “I’m so glad to say we’ve finally done it! You’ve all worked so hard to make our nation a safer place! I thought it would be best if all of you had the chance to see our hard work come online, so please stand by as we power up the interceptor.” There was a cheer that went up through the crowd as Doctor Mason moved to one of the control panels, technicians manned the others.

“Doctor Mason, I have a question…” One of them called out as he looked at his screen, there were strange readings coming from the arch and The Seed. Mason flipped a couple switches on her console before she approached the technician and looked at his screen. “The numbers, Mason. What do they mean?” Mason looked a bit puzzled at first, her eyes running over the screen as the crowd continued to chatter. There was cake and snacks for everyone, so no one was too worried about what was going on with the machine. The four guards moved closer to the device, each of them holding their rifles as they looked over the orb.

“That doesn’t make any sense… According to these numbers, the machine is already on, but… Running inverted…?” Mason said allowed as she rubbed her neck, her eyes moved back and forth between the screen and the device itself.

“Doc, is it me, or is that orb getting… Bigger?” One of the soldiers asked, Mason looked over at the orb. It had started out around the size of an apple, but now it was pushing up against the glass canister, at least as big as a cantaloupe. Something was very bad… THe field seemed to be inverted, as if energy was coming through the orb, and it was getting bigger… So much so that she heard the glass crack. It was growing larger with every second that passed.

“Oh god… We need to activate the machine! Now!” Mason shouted as she rushed to the control panel, her panicked shout put the guards on alert. They readied their AK-47s and leveled them at the orb, by now the crowd of people had noticed. Other guards had started to escort them out, picking up on the danger of whatever it was that was happening. As if that wasn’t enough to start a panic, alarms began to blare through the entire castle.

Attention! Attention! Evacuation protocols are in effect! All nonessential personnel are to vacate immediately! This is not a drill!” The PA announced, meanwhile the soldier’s radios began to go wild with radio traffic. Mason frantically pushed several buttons, but the orb continued to expand, now it was nearly as tall as the guards and just as wide. The guards did their best to keep their aim on the orb as it grew brighter, wisps of purple energy began to swirl in its center.

“Get it online! Now!” One of them shouted at Mason, the doctor pushed a final button. Seconds later the orb shrank dramatically to a pinprick of light. Everyone on the platform quietly exhaled and stared at the speck of light, several tense seconds passed… Just when each of them thought it was safe, the consoles and panels began to spark and smoke, alarms blared from the monitors. The orb expanded to its previous size, then grew larger still, until it was a foot wider and taller than any of the guards. What was more, the wisps were swirling even faster, the air was charged with energy as the orb began to flatten out. In an instant the orb had transformed into a swirling portal. The four soldiers raised their rifles, meanwhile more soldiers rushed into the room while the civilians rushed out in panicked droves.

Through the vortex came a metal cylinder, it clattered to the ground at the feet of the four soldiers on the platform.

“Flashbang!” One of them shouted before the grenade went off, two of them staggered backwards and ended up falling over the railing, landing with hard thuds, while the other two were blinded and deafened. The reinforcements took aim at the portal, some of them flipping over tables and chairs for cover. A ghostly silhouette appeared on the other side of the portal, shimmering and wavering like it was under water. Doctor Mason and the technicians stared in stunned shock, unable to leave the platform as the fear had rooted them to the spot. Then, much to the horror of the civilians, a single man stepped through the portal.

“Get on the ground!” The soldiers began shouted as they leveled their weapons, the man looked around simply, ignoring the orders to get down. He was dressed in a white uniform, with numerous odd medals pinned to his chest and an eight pointed sun on his shoulder. The figure began walking towards Doctor Mason. “Light ‘im up!” The soldiers began firing at the man, but to their surprise, the bullets passed through him. He flickered and fluctuated, revealing that this was actually some form of advanced Arcane puppet. “We need energy weapons!”

The puppet stopped and turned back to the soldiers who were clamoring to pull energy grenades from their belts, it looked at them as if they were disgusting creatures. It cleared its throat and approached the railing, as if it was going to make a speech.

“I am Simon Belfold, Commander of the Equestrian Armed Forces! On behalf of Queen Celestia, I order you to surrender your weapons!” The puppet shouted, the soldiers quietly stood up at the mention of ‘Queen Celestia’.

“Onorussians don’t surrender, you cowardly fuck!” One of the soldiers shouted, he happened to be from Brooklyn, and he punctuated his sentence by raising his middle finger to the arcane puppet. This sentiment was shared by the other soldiers in the room, prompting the puppet to scowl.

“I warned you.” The figure said simply before he vanished in a cloud of light, the cloud glided over the soldiers and up into an air vent.

[♠]

Altair stood in the war room with his Father and his Mother, alarms were going off all through the castle while he could hear the air raid sirens going off outside. He could see numerous soldiers and officers rushing around the room, though he had no idea what was going on. Before everything had gone crazy his Mother Luna and his Father were telling him about the race that had come before ponies… About how they could send visions of what could be the future through dreams and meditation. Apparently, his father had had one of these visions the night before, and was just going to tell him about it before all hell broke loose.

“What’s going on?” Altair asked as he watched other soldiers rushing past, this time they were carrying weapons and putting on flak jackets. His Father looked at him, adjusting his uniform before he put a hand on his son’s shoulder. “This vision… Do you need to leave again?”

“No, my son…” His father said in an emotionally strained voice, his eyes conveying a look of great concern. “I must stay here, I must stay at the wheel and guide our country through this storm.” Altair could see his mother tearing up, the alicorn wiped at her eyes with her wings, but it was no use. “I must deploy you and your unit immediately, the mission you will have is a very dangerous one.”

“Will it keep Cassidy and everyone else safe?” Altair asked in a stoic tone, his father nodded. Altair snapped to attention, his eyes filling with determination. “When do I deploy, sir!” His father gained a look of pride before he hugged his son as tightly as he could, Altair dropped from attention and slowly put his arms around his dad, returning the hug. The two men stopped after a couple seconds, his father gained a more serious expression.

“First you will help defend Canterlot, afterwards you will receive your mission…” Dominic said in a serious voice. Altair nodded, his father was about to say something else but stopped as a glowing cloud of light exited an air vent. Several soldiers, including Altair, reached to their belts for their side arms when they saw the light form into a figure. Dominic turned towards the figure quietly, his expression becoming cold and stoic as he heard several explosions echo from outside. “So… I assume you’re the one behind all this.”

“I could say the same thing to you.” The arcane puppet replied in a bitter tone. “I am here to free this world from your tyranny, to put the Equestrian flag back where it rightfully belongs!”

“Tyranny? Last I checked, you’re the one sending soldiers to invade my country.” Dominic replied coldly and calmly.

“I won’t need to send them… If you surrender.” The puppet replied as it crossed its arms, Dominic narrowed his eyes at the puppet and stood to his full height.

“I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request.” He said firmly, the puppet looked at him for a couple seconds in confusion. “Mean’s no.”

“Fine, if you want a war, so be it! We’ll see how funny you are when-” The figure was suddenly struck by a bolt of blue magic, it vaporized into nothingness. All eyes turned to Luna, the Alicorn was practically snorting with anger. Dominic sighed and rubbed his temples, then looked at Altair again.

“Go, now. Your mother and I will get Cassidy before we evacuate.” Dominic ordered, Altair nodded quietly and turned. He gritted his teeth and ran out the door with two destinations in mind, first and foremost would be the armory, and afterwards he would report to his CO. He would do as his father had ordered him, he would help defend Canterlot, at any cost. As he ran he occasionally could see the city through windows. There was smoke rising from all over, fighter planes were dueling in the sky, portals were forming everywhere, it was utter chaos. Helicopters flew by, gunships and troop transports, as well as chinooks bearing red crosses that were evacuating civilians.

Altair stopped in front of one window and stared out at the enemy forces rolling through the streets in tanks while Onorussian tanks rolled out to fight them in return. For nearly ten years the world had been at peace, not since Altair was a boy had he seen smoke on the horizon or heard the sound of guns fired in anger. Not since that fateful day, when his mom had been forced to flee, not since he had first tasted hate… Altair gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, these ‘Equestrians’, whoever they were, wherever they’d come from… They had threatened his country, threatened his father, threatened Cassidy... They had earned his wrath.

“By the end of this day… I swear… My blade will taste their blood…” Altair said through gritted teeth before he turned away from the window to continue on to the armory.

Author's Note

This is it, the last chapter before the next big super long story. This is something I've had in the works back since the beginning of MBI, so I'm glad to finally get to write it. I won't go into too much detail here, because I don't wanna spoil anything, but I will leave you with the cover art to wet your appetite.

This chapter was inspired by this song, and the video isn't bad either. I'll see all of you lovely dovelies in the next story, which hopefully will be out soon.