Mares of War

Chapters

Prologue: A Bad Day
Chapter 1: Every Freakin' Time
Chapter 2: Are We Dead?
Chapter 3: Mighty Good Cider
Chapter 4: Well, Fuck Me...
Chapter 5: Friend Or Foe
Chapter 6: Memories And Emotions
Chapter 7: Doom Has Come
Chapter 8: THAT'S FIVE, MOTHERFUCKERS!
Chapter 9: You First, Asshole

Prologue: A Bad Day

"War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend."

-J. R. R. TOLKIEN, The Two Towers

Prologue:

The moon sat full and heavy in night sky. An eerie glow filtered through the twisted boughs of the Everfree Forest, casting ominous shadows on the ancient temple concealed in its deep recesses. The ruined pyramid had for the past few months seen the comings and goings of intelligent life for the first time in millennia. Hooded ponies shuffled quietly across the frigid floor, its stone cut perfectly smooth by slave-ponies long dead. In the colossal chamber at the heart of ziggurat, "the Sanctuary" as some had come to call it, the cloaked figures gathered, speaking in hushed tones. Easily large enough to hold a crowd of a thousand ponies, the chamber felt vast and cavernous to the two dozen or so equines who currently occupied the monumental hall. They found themselves dwarfed by the titanic granite pillars that held the ceiling in place. Marble sculptures of ancient ponies in lavish armor lined the walls. Light came from large braziers, raging in several places around the room. The near silence of the chamber was shattered by a voice.

“The time has come.”

As the assembly gathered in the center of the room, one dropped his worn hood to address the rest. The congregation knew him simply as Sanguine. His mane was unkempt, and he bore many scars beneath the crimson war paint on his wrinkled face. His eyes were milky white with cataracts, and his gait was slow to ease the pain of movement in his gnarled old bones. The horn atop his head was lined with stress cracks from decades of advanced magic use. To an outsider, he might be pitied, well advanced in years and seemingly overcome by the burden of deteriorating health. When he spoke however, his voice carried with it a weight of dominance. An authority unquestioned by those present. He was their leader, keeper of their secrets, and it was by his command that they had assembled here in the deepest hours of the night.

"My friends, tonight our brotherhood fulfills its ancient purpose. Tonight, we take the first steps towards achieving a world free of weakness. A world in which we, the chosen few, shall rise up and lead our misguided people from the sad, pathetic stagnation of "peace", and onward to a glorious new dawn! So begins our journey down the road to restore the pride of our race! The pact we make tonight shall ensure the return of our savior, and the dominance of pony-kind over all of Equis!"

The cloaked crowd cheered as they stomped their hooves.

Their leader cried with passion, "Brothers, let it begin!"

His disciples commenced chanting around a large circular rune on the floor, their horns glowing softly beneath their hoods. They spoke in a tongue not used in Equestria for over one thousand years. It had been passed down to them through ancient rites and rituals for generations, always in secret. If it were ever to be discovered that their sect still thrived in the shadows, they would assuredly be banished to some celestial body by those wretched princesses. Sanguine watched in wicked glee as his followers completed their ritual. The room stood still for but a moment, then the glyph swirled with light. Electricity sparked through the air as a sphere of light began to coalesce above the magic circle. As the energy flowing through the room began to die down, an image began to take shape in the floating orb, and soon one could discern a figure in its depths. The creature was utterly alien to the cultists. Bipedal, and extremely pale, she was clad in an eloquent carapace the color of bone. Her eyes were icy, calculating, and pierced Sanguine to his marrow.

The leader of the cult stepped forward and briefly knelt on his foreleg. "Queen Myrrah, all goes as planned."

"Very good. My soldiers have nearly completed the first device. I am told that we can expect it to be operational within a few days."

"Excellent news my liege. We shall begin preparations at once. "

"I shall leave you to it, then."

"Your highness, if I may," Sanguine spoke with hesitation. He hated to cower before anypony, but even he had learned to respect the brutality of this monarch. "We would like your assurances that, once the gate has been opened, your forces will uphold your end of the bargain."

"You think me to be a liar, Sanguine?"

"No, my lady, not at all. However, our Order has been preparing for this opportunity for centuries. The chance to free our Lord weighs heavily on the minds of us all. Failure is not an option for us."

Myrrah eyed him coldly. "Very well. You have my word as the Supreme Ruler of the Locust Horde, Queen of the Hollow, and True Empress of Sera, that my children shall assist you in recovering your master."

"Thank you, my lady. You are most gracious."

"Farewell, Sanguine. I shall expect your report the moment preparations are complete."

"Of course, my lady."

The sphere faded away as the cultists allowed the magic to dissipate. Sanguine allowed himself a brief smile. With the help of Myrrah’s Locust, The Cult of Discord would soon step forth from the shadows, and there wasn't a force in all of Equis that could stop their plans.

Sergeant Marcus Fenix was having a bad day.

For someone who had been shot at on nearly a daily basis for almost his entire life, this was saying something. Colonel Hoffman had been running him ragged for weeks. Ever since the battle of Jacinto, Hoffman’s growing distrust of Chairman Prescott had translated into Marcus’ team, Delta Squad, personally inspecting anything that Hoffman had questions about. Abandoned facilities, old laboratories, military warehouses, anyplace Prescott might have hidden any dirty little secrets, Hoffman had made it Delta’s exclusive duty to investigate. Now, this alone was fairly lax duty, especially since the Locust hadn’t been seen nor heard from since humanity’s last great city, Jacinto, had been dropped into the Locust Hollow, along with a few trillion gallons of sea water.

Not that Marcus was complaining that possibly the deadliest force to ever walk the face of Sera had seemingly vanished overnight without a trace. Especially when said force had spent the last 15 years doing its best to eradicate humanity. These recon missions were almost a cake walk when you didn't have to worry about Drones looking to take your head. Sure, you’d get a random group of Stranded humans cracking the odd pot-shots, but they were fairly tame. Just people looking to survive, not ravenous monsters with an inbred desire to peel the flesh from your bones.

No, Marcus’ foul mood was due to the mission briefing he had received an hour ago. Someone had taken the liberty of breaking into the old Imulsion drilling stations near Aspho Point, and they were running equipment there that had been condemned for almost two decades, shut down ever since the precious fuel had started leaking uncontrollably into the local water table.

Marcus had been there during the Battle of Aspho Fields, and he spent a great deal of time trying to forget it. Just thinking about the drained swampland was enough throw his day into a downward spiral. Too many good men lost on that god damned mission. Sure, it had enabled the Coalition of Ordered Governments to finish their doomsday weapon, an orbital laser called the Hammer of Dawn. Its use had brought an end to the century long Pendulum Wars. But Marcus wasn't convinced it had been worth the trade-off, especially when the very same weapons were later used to commit acts of unforgivable destruction. Marcus did not look forward in the slightest to returning to that miserable place.

It didn’t help that Dominic Santiago, Marcus’ best friend and squad mate had lost his brother Carlos on those bloody fields nearly twenty years ago during that same battle. To make matters worse, Dom hadn’t been on top of his game since they had found his wife Maria a few weeks ago. She had been brutally tortured by the Locust, left a broken husk of her former self, alive in only the most technical of terms. Dom had been forced to...commit an act of mercy. Since then, Dom had become reckless, looking for any excuse to take a risk. Marcus couldn’t help but worry that the memories of Carlos would only make things worse on his friend. As their King Raven helicopter banked toward the drilling platform, Sergeant Fenix addressed his team.

“Alright Delta, our orders are cut and dry. Go in, find out who’s been playing with the COG’s toys, pull the plug, and get out. If we’re dealing with Stranded, let’s do what we can to avoid confrontation.“

“Yeah, we’ll just give them a time out then, shall we?” cracked Damon Baird.

Marcus did his best to ignore the smart-ass. “If we’re dealing with hostiles, well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Augustus Cole banged a fist against his chest, psyching himself up. “You know it baby! The Cole Train’s comin’ to clean house!”

Dom sat in silence as the helicopter made it’s final approach.

“Are we gonna have a problem?” Fenix asked his friend.

“I know what I have to do.” Santiago replied, his voice devoid of emotion.

“Dom, if you need to sit this out, Cole, Baird, and I can handle this one.”

“Marcus, I’ll be fine. I just need to focus on the mission right now.”

Marcus had his doubts, but let the matter go for now. He had known Dom since childhood, they had served together for years. He trusted his friend’s judgment, but after this mission he would request some leave for Dom. Hell, he'd request leave for the whole damn team. They hadn’t had more than a moment’s peace since the assault on Ilima almost a month ago. They were all exhausted, both mentally and physically. They just had to get through today.

As their craft touched down, the Gears moved out.

"Control, this is Delta," Marcus said, touching his earpiece, "We have arrived at the facility, proceeding with our investigation."

"Roger that, Delta. Good luck. Control out." replied the voice of Anya Stroud, Delta Squad's liaison, and mission coordinator.

Taking point, Marcus pulled the charge lever on his Lancer assault rifle, and led them down off the helipad to the nearest entrance. A quick glance at the door, and it was obvious that it had been welded shut. Not a problem.

"Jack, rip this door."

The hovering robotic drone dropped out of cloaking mode. Its arms unfolded, and built in plasma cutters began the work of slicing the heavy door open. Moments later, the task was done, and the floating robot disappeared back into stealth mode. As Delta moved into the inner corridors of the drilling facility, it wasn’t long before they noticed signs of activity. Pumps that should be decommissioned were up and running again, and there was a familiar stench in the air. It was a rotten reek that Marcus had come to associate with the Locust.

Though he didn't want to believe that their old enemy had returned so quickly, Sgt. Fenix’s suspicions were confirmed minutes later, when they caught sight of a pair of Grubs attaching strange devices to one of the pumping stations. To Marcus' deepest regret, they lost the element of surprise almost immediately, when one of the ugly bastards happened to glance up at the COG soldiers. Growling in a voice like blended gravel, "Groundwalkers!", the hideous mockery of human form brought a crude rifle to bear.

"ENEMY CONTACT!" Marcus shouted to his squad, snapping off his weapon's safety while sliding into cover.

Sergeant Marcus Fenix was having a bad day. And he had a sneaking suspicion it was about to get much worse.

Chapter 1: Every Freakin' Time

Chapter One: Every Freakin' Time!

Delta Squad. The group was well known throughout the COG forces as being some of the toughest Gears in the service. They were an elite group of, reputedly, unbeatable soldiers. They always accomplished their objective. Come Hell, high water, or giant glowing monsters. They had taken out thousands of enemy soldiers, fought nightmares that other hardened soldiers could scarcely imagine, and they always beat the odds. Delta got the job done.

“So why the hell are we having such a hard time taking back this god damned drill?” thought Sergeant Marcus Fenix.

The Locust had never been a faction to retreat, to show any sign of weakness. They fought without mercy, and their cruelty was matched only by their absolute disregard for human life. But the way these Grubs defended this old drill, it was beyond anything Marcus had ever seen. It wasn’t out of duty, or service, but sheer zealotry. They held ground as though the run-down Imulsion mining platform was sacred territory. Marcus hadn’t seen anything like it since Delta actually invaded the Locust Queen’s Palace, and even then it was different. Today, the Locust were almost literally jumping in the path of the Gear’s bullets, as if their lives were worth every precious second the COG force was delayed. And it seemed there was just no end to their numbers.

Baird had also seemingly noticed this disturbing fact. “What the fuck? Where are they all coming from?” The blonde engineer had a special talent for sounding annoyed rather than stressed, even under the most dire circumstance.

“Hell if I know! Just keep shooting!” Marcus shouted, letting loose another burst from his Lancer. Two more of the pale monsters fell to his assault.

“They must have dug in through the bottom.” Dom said, priming a grenade, “There could a whole damned nest pouring in!” Dom tossed the explosive down a stairwell. There came in response a very disappointed sounding moan from below. A percussive “WUMP”, and a wet splashing sound later, and the Gears pushed forward down the stairs, and passed the remains of the Locust troops that had been guarding the bottom.

After dispatching several more enemies, they found themselves in an old locker room, likely used in the past by the platform’s engineers and rig dogs to gear up for performing maintenance on the lower pumps and drill motor. The room seemed secure for a moment (or at least no one was trying to kill them), so Marcus ordered Delta to take a breather. In a fight like this, you had to take what rest you could. Get sloppy, and you get someone killed. Marcus had seen it happen before, and wasn’t about to let it happen on his watch.

“Alright, let’s assess the situation. Try to figure out what the fuck the Locust are up to.”

Baird plopped down on a bench. “I’ve been looking at the equipment they have rigged all over the derrick, and from what I’ve seen, it seems like they’re using the station’s built in refineries to tamper with the properties of the Imulsion.”

Cole, who had been guarding the door, swiveled his head back at Baird. “The hell are they gonna do, messin’ with the juice?”

“I don’t know, make it cherry flavored?” the resident sarcastic replied, “All I know is that my field kit says that it’s chemically different from what we normally see, and that the Grubs are pumping it back downstairs once it’s been altered.”

Marcus considered this for a moment. “Whatever they’re up to, it can’t mean good news. We’re putting a stop to it.” He ordered them to police any ammo they could find, while he reported in what they had learned to Mission Control.

“Control, this is Delta. We have confirmed Locust presence within the platform. Baird’s been looking at the gear they’re hooking into the existing machinery, and it appears they are chemically altering the Imulsion for reasons currently unknown. We are proceeding to investigate where they’re pumping it to, then we’re going to shut down whatever they have planned.”

“Roger Delta, proceed with caution. Support is on standby. And Marcus? Be careful.”

“Thanks Anya, Delta out.”

The Gears swapped out fresh magazines, and refilled the ammo pouches built into their armor.

“Alright, we’ve gotta be near the bottom of the platform. Move out Delta.”

They moved quickly. All of the resistance they had faced only minutes ago seemed to have vanished. Dom was the first to speak up. “Marcus, I don’t like this. One minute we’re flooded by creeps, now this place is a freakin’ ghost town.”

“They’re probably regrouping up ahead. Eyes open Delta.”

Marcus hated being right.

Minutes of careful progress later, they reached (according to the schematics provided by Control) the bottom floor of the Imulsion derrick. They walked down a relatively dark hallway, and came to an open doorway. Having thought he heard something, Sergeant Fenix silently signaled for Delta to hold position, then used his pocket mirror to peer cautiously around the corner, into the next room. It was swarming with Grubs.

“Shit.”

The Drones weren’t the worst of it either. Marcus had also spied a couple of Grinders, the big heavy S.O.B.’s with rapid fire chain guns. The guns alone were pretty devastating(COG troops often referred to them as “mulchers”), but the real trouble were the over-sized brutes carrying the weapons. The room was fairly tight, having so many troops packed in. A few successive grenades could wipe out the lion’s share of the Locust forces, but the heavy bastards would likely shake off the explosions and unload the full force of those “confetti sprayers” on the Gears. Marcus withdrew his mirror and silently relayed his findings to his team, as well as his plan.

Moments later, numerous grenades flew into the crowded room, and the air was filled suddenly with screeches of alarm and panic, and with a series of piercing *BANGS*, those cries fell suddenly silent. As Cole and Baird leaned in from either side of the doorway, picking off any remaining Drones, Marcus and Dom charged in headlong at the Grinders, closing the gap in seconds and getting behind the slow-turning behemoths while they were stunned from the grenade blasts. From the monsters' most vulnerable spots, the Gears revved up the built-in chainsaw bayonets of their Lancers, and proceeded to carve the giants to pieces.

“Most satisfying part of my job.” Dom muttered, as much to himself as anyone, as he wiped the blood and grime from his face and spit on the remains of the eight foot tall walking murder machine.

After gathering up what useful tools and weapons they could find from the dead Locust (Cole in particular had happily picked up one of the chain guns), they inspected the room further. It appeared to be the coring room, where the long drill would normally be. It was conspicuously absent however, and the large hole in the floor where it had been previously was now lined with hoses, pumping raw Imulsion up into the facility, while the strange modified fuel flowed back down into the abyss. Marcus ordered them to equip rappelling gear.

As he staked an anchor, Cole grumbled unhappily, “Man, why is it we always end up going underground?”

“Stow it Cole, let’s get moving.”

“You know, he’s right?" chimed in Baird," It’s like every FREAKIN’ time, we end up crawling down into some dark, nasty hole, and picking a fight with every unpleasant, smelly, pointy-toothed thing we find.”

Marcus was getting annoyed, “Focus Gears. We have a job to do.”

“Alright, but if run into any gargantuan city-chomping worms, don’t come crying to me…”

Delta slid down their ropes, using one hand each to brake, the other hand occupied with a rifle pointing below. They reached the bottom without incident, and followed the Imulsion hoses down a series of rough hewn tunnels. They traveled for what seemed like hours, occasionally running into Locust patrols, but quickly putting them down before any sort of alarm could be raised. Finally, the tunnel seemed to be widening.

“Heads up Gears,” Marcus said, barely above a whisper, “Structure ahead. Fan out, and stay in cover.”

The COG soldiers pressed onward, and soon the full scope of the “structure” came into view. A massive spherical building, suspended by enormous wire tendons anchored to the surrounding bedrock. Though large in scale, the structure appeared rudimentary in design, and was seemingly built in haste. The tubes of fuel that had lead them here dumped into large tanks, which spilt the supply of tainted Imulsion into smaller pipes, all of which bled into the super structure.

Baird spoke up, “So this is what they were hiding. Erm…what is it?”

“Let’s see if we can get inside.”

The only sign of an entrance was a tapered opening across a bridge, which at that very moment began retracting toward the spherical edifice. They narrowly made the jump onto the receding platform, and rode it all the way to the entry. Inside was a curved hallway that seemed to follow the exterior wall, with archways leading further into the interior at regular intervals. Marcus gazed around the corner of one such archway.

There was but one giant inner room, and in the center was a strange device. All of the pipes carrying the tainted Imulsion led here, and dumped into this machine. It looked like an elevated ring, easily twenty feet tall and standing on its side. Several Locust were working various controls, causing the apparatus to spark and shudder. Whatever they were doing, Delta planned to put a stop to it. Of course, this was made far more difficult by the fifty or so Theron Guards standing watch over the machine. Elite units far better trained and better armed than the run-of-the-mill Drone. Delta wouldn’t be able to move against numbers like that. So they would wait.

The COG troops watched intently as the sinister contraption began to kick and spin to life. The ring glowed blue as it rotated rapidly, creating a field of energy. From an injection port at the base of the ring, copious amounts of the corrupted Imulsion began to flow upwards into the luminescent field.

“We have to do something about this, Marcus.” Dom whispered, his eyes full of anxiety.

“Not yet Dom, we don’t have the munitions to take on a force like that. We don't even know what the hell that thing does. Let’s wait it out, look for a chance to get back across that bridge, and signal for Control to start dropping troops in here via Grindlifts. Then we’ll storm right back here with enough Gears to wipe this whole place out.”

Marcus could see that Dom wasn’t comfortable with the idea of waiting while the Locust carried on with whatever plans they had in mind, and frankly it didn’t sit right with him either. But they simply didn’t have the force to stop it, and Marcus wasn’t exactly feeling like committing suicide today.

Inside the chamber, the device’s force field had filled to the brim with Imulsion, but still more poured in, powerful pumps compressing more and more of the contaminated fuel into the machine. As the befouled liquid coalesced within the ring, the air around the soldiers started to buzz, things began to fall in and out of focus.

“Hey Marcus, this ain’t cool, man.” the voice of Cole shook Sergeant Fenix out of a daze he hadn’t realized he had fallen into. “They’re up to something down right dirty in there.”

“As much as I hate to agree with the Cole Train, something’s not right here. This ain’t good.” Baird chimed in.

Dom looked his old friend in the eye, “Marcus….we have to stop them.”

Marcus looked at them all, then back to the turmoil beginning to rage in the inner chamber.

“Ahhh…shit. Alright. Let’s do it before I change my mind.”

Delta Squad flipped around the corners of the arches and opened fire. Cole laid down heavy suppressing fire with his confiscated chain gun, while the rest of Delta hurled their remaining grenades into the fray before spraying near-molten lead from their assault rifles. The elite guards quickly retaliated, firing back with heavy Boltok pistols and burst-fire Gorgon smg's, and a number of exploding arrowheads were sent the Gears’ way, courtesy of several Torque Bows.

Marcus started taking hits on his armor, even through the cover of the archway. He sighed. Now that they were committed to this, he was determined to at least put that strange machine out of commission. Swapping his Lancer out for his Longshot sniper rifle, Sergeant Fenix prepared himself to make a single shot. It was all he would have time for with the amount of enemy fire coming his way. He took a breath and thought of Anya, of his Father, his Mother, and of all the people he had lost or cared about. He even spared a (brief) moment for Colonel Hoffman, the magnificent bastard.

He rolled halfway across the archway, stopping in the prone shooting position. Eye down the scope, Marcus took only a fraction of a second to line up the shot with the base of the swirling ring, the spot where the Imulsion flowed through.

The shot was beautiful.

The heavy caliber, armor piercing bullet struck the device full on, and the spinning ring came to a sudden and immediate stop. All of the energy built up in the force field began to bulge out as the sphere weakened, and then ripped apart altogether. Waves of radiant energy crashed through the halls, light consuming everyone. Marcus could feel his body vibrating. No, not quite his body. It was as if the very molecules that made up his being shook of their own accord.

The world shattered. Everything fell apart. It was as though the entire universe dissolved. Marcus would later remember how strange it felt to seemingly watch the end of his own existence, and how oddly calm his mind had been through it all.

Darkness overtook him.

Then, slowly at first, but growing like a flame, a warm glow faded in all around him. Soon enough he could feel his limbs, and cool grass on his face. He could hear the sounds of wind in the trees. Birds chirping.

Birds?

Marcus opened his eyes. He was laying on a forest floor, Delta Squad sprawled out around him. After taking a moment to check all of his limbs, he stood and looked around. The bright dell was wholly unfamiliar to him.

“Where in the hell am I?”

Chapter 2: Are We Dead?

Chapter Two: Are We Dead?

Queen Myrrah was not a forgiving being.

From within the unfathomable depths of Sera’s vast interwoven tunnel network, locked away in an ancient fortress carved into the very earth, the leader of the Locust Horde sat upon her throne. She was most displeased. She had always demanded immediate updates on her army’s endeavors, and thus the news of her soldiers’ failure had reached her rather quickly. The surviving members of the advanced guard she had sent to watch over the humans’ filthy facility were brought before her. In a voice colder and blacker than the deepest bowels of Sera, she proclaimed the consequence of their misdeed. There was only one fate for those who committed the sin of failing the Queen.

“Death.”

With a guard’s pull of a lever, the floor beneath the pitiful guilty ones gave way, and they fell into the pits below. The royal honor guard remained absolutely still in the throne room, enabling all to hear the horror unfolding beneath them. A metal gate creaking open. A deep sniffing sound. The moans of the weak, struggling to stand after their fall. The roar of the Berserker. The wet tearing sound of the blind behemoth ripping them apart. Myrrah took no joy in punishing her children in such a manner, but her reign was absolute, as was her discipline.

As her attendant brought in her evening meal, the monarch felt the now familiar twinge in her mind of Sanguine reaching out to contact her. Clearing her thoughts, she closed her eyes and communed with the curious equine cultist.

“Your Majesty, we have nearly completed the receiving platforms, and the stability matrix spells are finally ready. We will be standing by when your troops make the jump.”

This news pleased her, almost as much as it loathed her to have to relay the misfortune of the humans’ interference.

“Unfortunately, there have been….setbacks, on our end.”

“Your Highness?”

“It seems that a contingent of humans have sabotaged the primary device. Its repair will take time. My children are attempting to find those responsible, but have lost their trail at the ruins of the machine. I am told that it is unlikely they escaped. The sabotage occurred during a test of the portal, and the collapse of the Modified Lightmass Field caused a violent explosion. Nothing in the Containment Chamber survived. Regardless, the other devices should become operational in a matter of days, and our plans shall proceed unhindered.”

“Excellent news your Highness. We shall await in readiness. Farewell, your Majesty.”

As Myrrah felt the foreign presence recede from her mind, a bleak smile spread over her lips. These ponies were fascinating creatures. Of particular interest to her were the unicorns, blessed with “magic” capable of seeking out entire new worlds. She would continue to watch them with great interest. In the meanwhile, she had another, more pressing matter.

“Scryed.” She spoke to the shadows.

A form materialized from the blackness. Tall and slender, but sharply toned with muscle. His teeth stained the color of rust with the blood of countless victims. His eyes, pitiless ebony gems gazing into the void. Clad in leather armor the hue of ravens, and carrying a wicked sword strapped to his back, he was in many ways the embodiment of the primordial fear of darkness. Even a few of the Theron Guards cringed slightly at his presence.

The Queen looked him over, inwardly beaming with pride at the magnificent specimen who stood now in her presence.

“You are my greatest assassin. My shadowy left hand, my dagger in the night. Never have you failed me in your duty.”

The menacing individual before her straightened slightly at her words, her coveted praise being the highest reward he could ever hope to achieve.

“And now, I have a new task for you…”

The first thing that struck Marcus as unusual was the sky. It was absolutely pristine. It was painted a deep, saturated azure, so unlike the dirty gray skies to which he was accustomed. Birds sung happily as they fluttered through the air, a rare sight for the veteran soldier. The ravenous bat-like Kryll who came out in the shadowy nights tended to devour birds and their eggs wholesale, threatening to bring extinction to the entire Aves class. Here though, they were cheerful and abundant. The scene was beautiful in it’s simplicity. Marcus had never seen anything like it. Everywhere he had been since his childhood had either been ravaged by nearly a century of war, or developed into industrial jungles of concrete and steel. Even the forests near his childhood hometown had been dead and gray. The surreal moment was brought to an abrupt halt when he heard the other Gears stirring.

“Marcus…..are we dead?” Dom asked, eyeing the serene landscape.

“You know Dom, I’ll get back to you on that one.”

“Well my back sure seems to think we’re still alive,” Baird groaned, his joints creaking and popping as he forced himself upright. “Where in the COG’s name are we?”

“Hell if I know Baird. Last thing I remember, we were getting our asses handed to us a mile and a half underground.”

Marcus keyed his earpiece.

“Control, this is Delta.”

No response but static.

“Control, this is Delta, do you read? Anya, do you copy?”

The buzz of white noise continued to play in his ear. Marcus checked his communicator, but the transmitter and receiver were both in fine working order. Baird checked his GPS, but found he had similar difficulties. The equipment worked fine, but they simply had no signal.

“Man,” Baird said, deep in thought. “In order for us to be out of range of the satellites, either someone hauled us to the ass end of the globe when we weren’t looking, or…”

“Or?” Dom questioned.

“Or we were…I don’t know. Warped? Teleported? In fact, now that I think about it, I kind of felt like I was being broken down earlier, when Marcus blew us up.” Baird started pacing around the grove, his mind working overtime. “At first I figured that was just, you know, us dieing…but now I wonder if the Locust haven’t been toying around with some sort of warp technology. If I’m right, we just got broken down and beamed somewhere like we were television waves.”

Marcus had come to trust Baird’s theories over the years, even when they made no sense to him. “Which means, we could be anywhere. Great.” On the other hand, Marcus thought, it was better than being dead. It also gave him something new to worry about though. If the Locust were developing tech that allowed them to bypass the COG’s remaining defenses, then humanity may be well and truly screwed.

Cole had been spying their surroundings more closely, when suddenly he spoke up, a serious note in his tone. “Yo Marcus, check it out.” Sergeant Fenix followed his gaze. Twenty yards or so away, one of the Theron Guards lay, unconscious but breathing on the ground. As they drew closer, they saw that this solider was not alone. All around, the elite Locust were passed out.

“Why ain’t they up yet?” the former thrash ball star asked.

“Maybe they got hit harder by whatever the hell that light was, being closer and all,” Baird considered, “Or maybe it hit them harder because they’re Grubs. Their biology isn’t exactly human you know.”

“Either way, let’s clean this mess up, before it gets ugly.” Marcus said. Delta took advantage of their good fortune in having woken first, and proceeded to slit the throats of each of the comatose Locust guards.

“Alright, Delta.” Marcus called as they finished up, “Ammo check. We’re cut off until we can get back to COG territory. Supplies aren’t exactly guaranteed. Let’s conserve what we have.”

When all was said and done, with what they had strapped to their armor, combined with the usable arms they could strip from the dead Grubs, they had quite the formidable arsenal. Four Lancers, with nearly two thousand rounds of ammunition (and full Imulsion tanks for the bayonets), two Gnasher shotguns with about a hundred shells, one working Torque Bow with a quiver of a couple dozen exploding arrowheads, Marcus’ Longshot sniper rifle with twenty rounds of ammo, a handful of frag and incendiary grenades, two smoke screen grenades, four pistols with a few clips each, and their standard issue combat knives, which doubled as backup bayonets. They each had rations for a couple of days, and judging by their lush surroundings, water wouldn’t be an issue. Baird’s field kit was intact, so repairs and maintenance could be taken care of. The most remarkable find, however, was that Jack, their floating repair/recon drone had made the trip with them. With his onboard storage holds now brimming with extra ammunition, they were ready for whatever ugliness that came their way.

“Alright Gears, move out” As they had no bearings, they chose a direction at random, and soon they were rewarded with a clear path. Marcus ordered Cole and Baird to shadow them from a short distance to either side of the trail, ready to back them up in case of ambush.

Marcus and Dom marched along the trail for some time, their hidden squad mates tailing them the whole time. They came to a point where the trees began to thin out, and Marcus eased up on the pace a bit. They turned a corner…

….and to Marcus’ infinite surprise, they were met by a pair of pastel colored horses, each about three and a half feet tall, one of whom was wearing a cowboy hat.

“What the hay?” The one with the hat spoke.

It spoke.

“A fucking orange horse just....talked.” The thought rang around in his head. All else was forgotten. Marcus was so taken aback, he couldn’t even lift his rifle.

“Dom, I think we might actually be dead…”

Chapter 3: Mighty Good Cider

“Uh…howdy.”

The miniature orange equine was gazing at the Gears curiously, while her companion (a similar creature, except with a cyan coat and prismatic mane) gaped openly at Sergeant Fenix.

“Whoa…so cool…”

Marcus blinked. Nope, they were still there. Two petite, brightly colored horses, both of whom spoke perfectly clear English. Glancing sidelong at Dom, he whispered, “Are you seeing this too?”

Unsure of himself, Corporal Santiago replied, “That uh….that depends Marcus. Are you seeing a pair of tiny talking horses?”

“Yup.”

“Then I guess I am too…”

The tangerine cowpoke in the ten gallon hat stepped forward, “Um, ‘scuse me. But we’re actually pony folk. Y‘all mean to say you ain’t never seen a pony before?”

This was ludicrous. Marcus keyed his short range comm. “Baird, Cole, come in. Dom and I seem to have uh…gone insane. We’re seeing something that’s impossible.”

“What?”

“Just get over here.”

Moments later, rustling was heard on either side of the road as the rest of Delta converged on the strange scene.

“Alright Marcus, what’s this abou-….whoa…..” Baird removed the goggles from his eyes, as if they were to blame for his mind not comprehending what he was seeing. Cole gaped openly.

The ponies took a step back at the arrival of the newcomers, but still the orange one attempted to greet them. “Are uh, y’all new to these parts?”

The sky blue pony was staring directly at the old wound on Marcus’ face.

“Where’d you get that awesome scar? And that armor is radical!” She declared as she fluttered into the air, held aloft by a pair of wings sprouting from her sides. Yet one more thing that Marcus’ already overloaded senses strained to accept. “It makes you look so cool!”

“That can wait Rainbow, why don’t we settle for introductions first? My name is Applejack, proprietor of Sweet Apple Acres!”

“And I’m the one and only Rainbow Dash! Fastest pegasus in all of Equestria!

The sarcasm engrained in Baird’s DNA was likely the only thing that allowed/forced him to respond at this point.

“Equestria, huh? Isn’t that right between Gondor and Narnia?”

The blue pegasus cocked her head quizzically. “No. At least I don’t think so, geometry was never my strong point.”

“You mean geography?.”

“Yeah whichever. I’ve always been more of a honed athlete than an egg-head anyway.”

The engineer chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’s for sure.”

“What‘s your problem?” Rainbow Dash said, her tone beginning to turn harsh.

“Nothing, I was just wondering if you were the fastest in Pony Land because you’re trying to run away from that hair. Seriously, I can hear its cries of agony from here.”

The tiny flying pony’s mood flipped in an instant. She floated right up into Baird’s face and began to retaliate.

“Oh yeah? Well at least I’m not rump ugly like you! And it’s Equestria, not “Pony Land”. Who made you the head of the fashion patrol, anyways?”

“Actually it was the same committee who apparently made you the Queen of the Pride Parade.”

“Well I…what?” Rainbow Dash said, not quite understanding the jab at her mane. Her eyes darted around while she tried to recover. “Well, you’re the…mayor of…Lamesville!”

“Listen ‘Cupcake’, we-”

But Marcus would never find out what Baird had intended to say, because at that very moment a pink blur rushed by his peripheral vision, which turned out to be another (much more energetic) young mare. Baird and Rainbow’s argument was forgotten in a sudden typhoon of sugar fueled chatter.

“Diiiiiiiiiiiid somepony say cupcakes?” she asked with a strange twinkle in her eye, as she held aloft (without fingers, Marcus noted) an entire tray of the frosted confections. Then she spotted the Gears. A moment passed in complete silence before she spoke again. Well, she made noise at least. “GUUUAAAAAAAAH!!!!!”, she gasped, her eyes going (almost) as wide as Baird’s mouth.

“Woooow! Who are you? Are you new to town? Well obviously you’re new to town, because I’ve never seen you before! And I know everypony! But, I’ve never seen anypony like you before! My name is Pinkie Pie! Do you like cupcakes? I LOOOOOVE cupcakes! I love making them, baking them, selling them, eating them, and even saying them! Saying cupcakes I mean, not “them”, though “them” is a pretty neat word too! Them, them, them, them, them, them, them, them, them, them! See? The more you say it, the funnier it gets! Are you lumberjacks?”

Marcus‘ mind could only handle so much at once. On some primal level, he knew she expected a response, yet all he could muster was, “Lumberjacks?”

The pink pony eyed the jagged teeth of their bayonets. “Yeah, lumberjacks! Those are some pretty fancy saws you have. I had an uncle that was a lumberjack! Or was it that he just loved flapjacks?” Her eyes drifted to the corner of their sockets, and her stare became glazed over and unfocused, as though she had literally become lost in that last thought. Marcus took the opportunity to signal Delta to store their weapons.

“Enough!” Apple Jack interjected. “Everypony simmer down. Now, what’d you say your names were?”

The Coalition of Ordered Governments had very strict regulations concerning first contact with a new species. Strict, but simple. “Assume Hostilities.” Now, Marcus wasn’t exactly an expert, but he was pretty sure that these soft, vibrant ponies meant no harm. At any rate, he seriously doubted that the miniscule horses could do any damage to the battle hardened war veterans even if they wanted to, so he saw no reason to not be polite. Besides, Marcus had never exactly been one for regulation.

“The name’s Sergeant Marcus Fenix, and this is Delta Squad. Corporal Dominic Santiago, Private Augustus Cole, and Corporal Damon Baird.” Marcus said, motioning to each of them in turn.

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet y’all.” Apple Jack said through her teeth, pulling Rainbow Dash out of Baird’s airspace by her tail. “What are y’all doin’ in this neck of the woods?”

“We’re a bit lost. We’re not really sure what happened, but we need to get back to our command at Anvil Gate.”

“Well, Ah’m not rightly sure were that is.”

Marcus had figured it would be too much to hope for.

“But if anypony’d know,” The orange mare continued, “Ah know just the pony it’d be. Listen, Ah have a farm not too far from here, how would y‘all like to come by for a barrel of cider while we get this sorted out?”

At this, Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped almost to the ground.

“B-but…tha-…OH COME ON!!! That’s the cider you made for me for my birthday!”

“Ah know Rainbow, but Ah think these are some extenuatin’ circumstances. It won’t hurt ya’ none to share. Besides if it means that much to you, Ah’ll make you another barrel next week.”

“Besides,” Pinkie Pie offered, “Good cider tastes even better when you share!”

The cyan pegasus glared coldly at her bubblegum-colored companion.

Marcus considered Apple Jack’s offer. Unlikely though it seemed that there could be a pony who might be able to point them home, it was still more of a plan than they had a minute ago.

“Alright Gears, fall in.”

Baird cocked an eyebrow. “Really Marcus?” He said, not quite loud enough to carry to the ears of the colorful equines. “Are we really gonna go waste time having a tea party with the pony pals?”

“Listen, we need to get back home as soon as possible. If the Locust really are working on some sort of warp technology, then COG Command has to be warned. If these ponies think they might be able to help us get back, then I’m not gonna pass that up.”

“Alright, but we’re going to need to iron out Cole’s sundress before tea time.”

The muscled ex-sports star scoffed, “Baird’s just jealous ‘cause he knows the Cole Train makes it look good, baby.”

The COG soldiers followed the ponies to a new stretch of forest, or to be more precise, it was an orchard. There were apple trees for as far as the eye could see, each one bearing many plump, vibrant fruit. Further still the group walked, and soon they saw in the distance an idyllic little farm, complete with red barn.

Apple Jack paused for a moment, turning to Rainbow Dash. “How’s about you fly off and round up Twilight, then meet us back here in the barn?”

“On it! Be back in a flash!” Rainbow Dash. As she disappeared over the tree tops, they heard her call back, “Save some cider for me!”

Apple Jack and Pinkie Pie led the Gears to the barn. “Sorry about the accommodations, Ah wish we could offer y’all a seat inside the house, but I’m afraid y’all are a little tall for our ceilings.”

“This is fine.” Marcus said, looking around. The space was fairly clean, for being a farm building. Hay bales were neatly piled along one wall, wooden barrels stacked along another. A row of stalls stood empty near a workbench. The air smelled of dirt and grain. It was a good, honest smell. He turned back to their pony hostess. “Thanks.”

“Ah’ll be right back, feel free to make yourselves at home.” She turned and headed for the farmhouse. Pinkie Pie bounced around the stables, humming happily to herself, while the Gears sat down to rest on some overturned barrels, having a moment (mostly) to themselves to converse.

“The Cole Train ain’t never seen nothin’ like this. The hell is up with this place?” Cole turned to Baird, his eyes looking for answers.

“Hey, don’t look at me! I’m just as lost. Just because I actually use my head for things other than thrash ball stats and train-based humor, doesn’t mean I know what’s going on.”

“Settle down. We’re going to figure this out, and get back home.” Marcus said. He noticed that Dom had been staring up into the rafters, and followed his friends gaze. “What’s up Dom?”

“Thought I saw something in the loft…”

At that moment, a tiny “Eeep!” escaped from somewhere above them, and a rustle of movement could be heard from the haystack in the loft.

“Maybe it’s a hay thief!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “OH! Or maybe it’s a barn ghost!” She suddenly donned a clerical collar and a pair of spectacles. Speaking in a much more serious tone, she bade, “The power of Celestia compels you! The power of Celestia compels you! Out with you, dark spirit!”

Marcus could only watch with an odd mixture of confusion and amusument at the spectacle. Pinkie then climbed the ladder into the loft, and proceeded to fish around in the haystack, pulling from it an even tinier pony, this one the color of sunshine, with a scarlet mane tied up in a pink ribbon. Marcus had thought that the ponies he had met so far were small, but this one was easily half the size of the pink mare holding her up. From the way she spoke, the young filly was obviously related to Apple Jack.

“Let go a’ me!” the diminutive pony squeaked.

Pinkie Pie looked aghast. “Apple Bloom! I didn’t know you were a ghost!”

“I ain’t a ghost!” she said, shaking out of Pinkie’s grip. “Ah’m sorry, I didn‘t mean to scare ya. Ah was playin’ ‘round in the barn when y’all came in!”

Marcus looked at his old friend. Dom was clearly taken aback, seeing a child, pony though she may be. He had lost both of his own children 15 years ago on E-day, the day the Locust emerged from below to wage war on an already battle weary human race. Back home it was rare to see children, even in Stranded camps. Parents tended to guard the younger generation most protectively, many children hardly ever leaving their homes until they were old enough for the COG to conscript into service.

Apple Jack had chosen that moment to return, carrying a sealed cask on her back. “Apple Bloom!” she said with a stern look. “What have Ah told you about playin’ up there? You could fall ‘n get hurt.”

“Ah’m sorry, sis.” the smaller pony said, riding down the ladder clutching to Pinkie Pie’s back.

“Just promise to be more careful.” Apple Jack said, as she let the laden barrel slide off her back, and onto the workbench. Turning to Marcus, she remarked, “Mah little sister. I hope she wasn’t bothern’ ya none.”

Dom spoke up, his eyes still locked onto the teeny filly. “No, not at all.” Apple Bloom shot him a grateful grin.

The orange cowpoke continued, “It’s a shame that Granny Smith and Big Macintosh are off visiting family in Appleloosa. I woulda loved for you to meet them.”

Using her teeth, Apple Jack pulled the cork from the barrel, and replaced it with a spigot. She then pulled out a number of dusty glass jars from under the counter, and wiped them down before filling them with clear amber liquid from the cask. “Drink up, everypony!”

The ponies sat with the Gears, quietly enjoying the spiced apple beverage, the whole while Apple Bloom kept eyeing Dom over her make-shift mug. “Seems you got a fan, Dom.” Marcus said with a grin, taking a swig of his own drink. The cider carved a cool path down Marcus’ gullet.

“Mighty good cider, ain’t it?” Apple Jack said with a smirk. Marcus had to admit, it’d been awhile since he’d enjoyed a simple drink so much that wasn‘t alcoholic.

There was a knock at the doorway. Rainbow Dash had returned, and she had brought with her a lavender pony. The newcomer had a horn poking out from under her blue-ish purple mane, and a bursting star pattern adorned her flanks. The rainbow haired pony rushed passed them to a waiting glass of cider, heaving it back and gulping it down greedily. The other pony walked in slowly, taking her time to size up each of the armored warriors.

“Wow, Rainbow wasn’t kidding, you really are strange looking.” she said to the soldiers. “My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

Baird attempted (unsuccessfully) to stifle a snicker, as Marcus introduced Delta squad to the unicorn.

“Wooow.” said a small, starry eyed reptile, stepping out from behind Twilight and eyeing the Gears with reverence.

“And this is my number one assistant, Spike!” The purple mare continued cheerfully. “Rainbow tells me you’re lost.” She proceeded to pull a number of books and scrolls from her saddlebags. “So!” she said, spreading a large map over the floor. “Where are you from?”

Marcus looked at the map, and his heart sank. Not only were the names unfamiliar, but the very shape of the continents were wholly strange to him. Alien. Baird’s words from earlier rang clearly in his ears.

“I wonder if the Locust haven’t been toying around with some sort of warp technology. If I’m right, we just got broken down and beamed somewhere like we were television waves.”

Marcus wondered how accurate that guess had actually been, as he looked at the words on the heading of the map. It read “World Map of Equis”.

“Not from here,” Marcus said, responding to Twilight’s query.

“I’m sorry?” Twilight choked out, “Not from here? You mean like…”

“We’re not from this planet.” Marcus finished bluntly. “We came from a place called Sera.”

The full weight of what Marcus had just proclaimed fell full upon everyone in the barn.

Cole was the first to break the silence. “Marcus man, you mean we ain’t even on our own planet?”

“Is it so hard to believe Gus? Look around. You’re having cider in a barn with talking ponies. I think Baird was right earlier. I think we got beamed to some alien planet.”

“Well technically,” Twilight Sparkle said slowly, “You’re the aliens, since we‘ve been here all along.”

Baird started up at this, “Listen up Twinkle Star, I really appreciate the input, but that’s a little less than helpful.”

“Hey, leave her alone you goggle wearing freak.” Rainbow spat, quick to defend her friend. She had not yet forgiven herself for “losing” to Baird earlier.

“Sure thing, you flying eyesore. Why don‘t you flutter off and let the big boys talk?”

“What’s that Captain shiny pants? You say you’re just angry because your face looks like it was hit with a shovel from both sides? Maybe we could hire somepony to buck the front to match.”

“Oh sure, right after we find someone to bleach out that train wreck of a mane.”

“Why you-”

“That’s enough from both you.” Marcus said, raising his voice above the bickering. “We’ve got bigger problems here.”

Twilight Sparkle agreed. “Yes, arguing right now isn’t going to help anypony.”

Rainbow Dash, obviously frustrated that she failed to get the last word in, stuck her tongue out at Baird, blowing him a raspberry when she thought no one was looking.

“Well, I guess we should start from the beginning, then.” The purple unicorn continued. “Tell me about yourselves, and how you got here. Maybe we can find some clue to how to get you home.”

“Alright, well sit back” Sergeant Fenix said, readjusting his seat. “This is going to take awhile…”

“…and when we woke up, we found ourselves in the forest nearby.” Marcus finished. He had spent the last hour recounting their mission to the Imulsion rig, as well as providing a lot of background on the Locust War, the COG, and humanity in general. They even talked about the world they came from. The endless graveyards, the ruined cities. He decided it best however, to omit the fact that a couple dozen Locust soldiers had also made the trip to Equestria, and that Delta Squad had dispatched them in cold blood.

“Whoa.” Rainbow Dash managed to utter. Her face was full of awe, and she and Spike both eyed the Gears with a new respect.

“That’s….wow…that’s a lot to hear.” Twilight stammered, “I can’t believe you come from a planet where war has been raged on a global basis for almost a century! That‘s a little hard to accept.”

“Believe it sister. And it’s a little harder when you’re living it rather than hearing it.” Baird said, an icy chill running through his voice.

“I’m…I’m sorry. I’m sure that it’s been a harsh life.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Marcus interjected before Baird could insult anyone further. “But it’s all finally starting to wind down. Humanity is running out of resources. Weapons, vehicles, fuel, supplies, places to hide. The stockpiles from the end of the Pendulum Wars are largely what have kept us going the last fifteen years, but they’re starting to run dry. Pretty soon we’ll lose our Air Force, unless we can find a new stockpile of refined fuel, or someway to manufacture it with our broken down refineries. And a lot of Gears have been reduced to using older weapons, the ammunition for our modern gear is getting pretty scarce. It’s not all bad though, the Locust are on their last legs as well. We sunk an entire city into the Hollow, their biggest nest, we flooded most of their tunnels, and ran their Queen out of town. We may be running low on supplies, but they’re beginning to run low on troops. In fact, before today, it had been a month since anyone had even seen a Grub. One day very soon, maybe in a month, maybe a year, maybe five years, but soon, this war will come to an end, if only because one side will no longer be able to fight back.”

Apple Jack cleared away everyone’s empty mugs. “Well that’s mighty depressin’.”

Apple Bloom had curled up next to Dom’s boot and fallen asleep some time ago, missing out on most of the history lesson. Corporal Santiago sat very still, so as not to disturb her. “Yeah, you’re telling us.”

Twilight Sparkle sat up again and began rummaging through some additional books she had Spike run and get while Marcus told his story. “Well, this gives me some idea of how you got here. From that, maybe I can rework the procedure in reverse. Of particular interest is this machine the Locust were building.”

Baird had been flipping through a book called Equestrian Astronomy: A Scholar‘s Guide, “You know,” he said, “I recognize some of these constellations, just under different names. Maybe I can cross reference a few with Jack’s database, and try to triangulate where we are, and where Sera is.”

“And how exactly does that help us get home B-man?” Cole said, doubtfully.

Twilight smiled once again. “Well, If I can devise a spell to send you back, I’ll need to know the exact position of your home world. I don’t want to literally send you to the middle of nowhere!”

“Spell” Marcus thought. Apparently unicorns could perform acts of magic. Yet another thing about this place that he chose to shake off, rather than struggle to see the logic. This really was one strange world. One thought had been nagging on him though, ever since Apple Jack had invited them into her home. Turning to the ponies, he asked, “Why are you doing this? We don‘t have anyway to pay you back, and you had no reason to help us in the first place.”

Apple Jack cocked her head, “Ah reckon Ah just felt it was the right thing to do. Ah pride myself on bein’ able to tell when folks is bein’ truthful, and there’s an honest look in your eye. Ah don‘t reckon it woulda sat right with me to leave you out in the woods, even if it did look like y‘all could take care of yourselves.” She added with a grin, “Besides, Baird took Rainbow‘s ego down a few notches, and that’s always healthy for her. Not to mention hilarious to me.”

“Hey!” Dash protested, her face breaking away from attempting to suck the last drops of cider from the keg.

“That’s right.” Twilight agreed with a curt nod, then adding an addendum, “About the helping you part, not about Rainbow Dash. Apple Jack is always helping other ponies, and as her friends, we help her in turn.”

Marcus could definitely identify with their camaraderie, and was grateful to have met such kind people. Or, ponies. Whichever. “Thank you. All of you.”

“Not a problem.” Twilight beamed, cracking open a copy of The Codex of Cosmic Magic.

After a few hours of intense reading however, she closed her book. “I don’t think I can do this.”

Marcus looked up in surprise. He had been admiring the fiery colors of the Equestrian sunset, a sight more vivid and beautiful than those on Sera. Applejack had just returned from carrying Apple Bloom off to bed. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash had bidden them goodnight, assuring them they would return first thing in the morning. Cole and Dom were catching some much needed shuteye a pair of empty stalls lined with hay, and Baird was in a corner on his own, flipping though a few tomes about astronomy and star gazing. Marcus turned to look at Twilight.

“What do you mean?“ He asked the unicorn.

“I don’t think I can wrap my mind around some of this. At least, not on my own. There is some rather advanced quantum spatial magical theory involved in this, and I think I need a second set of eyes.”

Apple Jack raised an eyebrow, and said with a chuckle. “Now that’s a surprise, Ah didn’t think there was anything too smart for Twilight Sparkle. You thinkin’ of writin’ the Princess, sugarcube?”

“It’s not that it’s ‘too smart’, I’m just unsure some things.”

The apple farmer smirked. “Uh-huh.”

“Anyway, yes, I think it’s time to report to Princess Celestia on this. Maybe she can point me in the right direction. She is kind of an expert on moving things through the heavens. She should at least have a chance to meet Marcus and the others in any case. Spike, take a letter.”

The tiny dragon sat up. He had been staring at Marcus for hours, enthralled by visions of battle and glory after hearing some of the soldier’s story earlier. Shaking his head clear, he pulled a quill and a piece of parchment from the bag he had brought with him.

“Who’s this Princess?” Marcus asked, leaning towards Apple Jack.

“Princess Celestia, one of the Alicorn Sisters who rule over all of Equestria. Celestia is also the one who raises the sun in the mornin’, and she’s been Twi’s teacher since she was a filly.”

“Raises the sun? You’re shittin’ me.”

“Nope. No foolin’.”

Meanwhile, Twilight was dictating to Spike.

“Dear Princess Celestia,

A rather remarkable thing has occurred today! Apple Jack of all ponies, has stumbled across alien life! They call themselves humans, and claim to be from a planet called ‘Sera’. They seemed dangerous at first, after all they are soldiers. But, while they can seem harsh, or abrasive, I believe this to be a result of living in an equally harsh existence, not due to any personal flaws. Their planet has been at war for nearly one hundred years! Yet, despite this, I believe there is a goodness in them that I can’t quite explain. We’ve decided to help them try and get home, which leads me to the purpose of this letter. I’ve been exploring possible spells and looking at some advanced celestial magic, but I’m coming up at a loss. If they were sent here, it stands to reason they can be sent back. If it wouldn’t be a trouble, could my friends and I bring them to meet you? Maybe you and I could discuss some of the more advanced magic theory I’ve been struggling with.

Your Faithful Student,
Twilight Sparkle”

When he had finished, Spike rolled up the letter, and to Marcus’ surprise, green fire spewed from the dragon's mouth and incinerated the note. The twinkling smoke hung in the air for a moment, then sped off through the night sky. Minutes later, the purple dragon burped, and a new scroll magically materialized from the belch, this one wrapped in a red silk ribbon and adorned with a golden seal. Spike ripped off the binding and read aloud.

“My Dearest Student Twilight,

I would certainly welcome a visit from you and your friends. Concerning these ‘humans‘, I would be most interested in talking with them. I would advise caution however, when dealing with these aliens. It can sometimes be difficult to discern somepony’s true intentions, especially when you have only just met, but I trust your judgment. If you say they can be trusted, then I have faith in you. I shall look forward to your arrival.

Your Teacher,
Princess Celestia.”

Twilight smiled. “Spike, pack our things. We should let everypony sleep. They have a date with royalty tomorrow.” Twilight, Apple Jack, and Spike walked out the barn door, closing it behind them. “Goodnight Marcus!” Apple Jack called. “If y‘all need anything, don‘t hesitate to ask!”

Marcus bid them goodnight and kicked his feet up in an empty stall. He had to chuckle to himself.

“A date with royalty, huh?”

The last time he had met a monarch in her throne room, he had been there to gun her down. Hopefully this visit would be slightly different.

(a/n: WOW, this turned out to be a surprisingly hard chapter to write. I ended up scrapping it and starting over twice! I'm still not quite not 100% happy with this chapter, but it gets the point across, and sets up the relationships between the Gears and the ponies rather nicely. I may come back and tweak it someday, but sometimes you have to know when to move on. SUPER big thanks to my sister/editor for putting up with this in the midst of her already busy life. Anyhoodlums, thanks so much to everyone who's taken the time to read my story so far! I have some pretty fun things planned for the future, so stick around. Your thumbs are appreciated :-P. The next chapter should be up in a few days!)

Chapter 4: Well, Fuck Me...

Chapter 4: Well, Fuck Me…

Noise filled the dark fissures of Sera’s underbelly. Miles under the surface, the Locust Horde gathered its forces. The open cavern had become an ocean of activity, a consortium of ordered chaos. Drones stumbled over themselves in an attempt to keep up with the rapid orders being barked at them by wrathful Theron Guards. One unfortunate soldier tripped and spilled an ammo crate, and was mercilessly slain by one of the overseers as punishment for slowing progress. Reaver riders prepped their mounts, the tentacled beasts ready to fly at a moment’s notice. Blood Mounts chomped at the bit, howling rabidly while pulling at their restraints. The giant arachnid Corpsers hissed as they were led by heavy chains through the lines of Grunts lined up for inspection, their many glowing eyes darting about. Several large cages stood ready, filled to the brim with the living landmines known as “Tickers”, all of which scuttled and chirped in captivity. Throughout the cavern, the restless feet of saurian-like Brumaks beat down like a chorus of hammers; their handlers were tossed about and occasionally trampled in their efforts to equip enormous rocket pods and artillery to the backs and arms of the behemoth living tanks. Ten thousand troops made ready for battle, an army gathered with but one purpose. Invasion.

Scryed surveyed the force with contempt.

This was but a paltry gathering of power, a meager show of force that paled in comparison to the Horde that the master assassin once knew. The humans had wiped out millions of Locust in mere minutes when they had poured the sea into the Hollow. The once unstoppable might of the Locust had been reduced to a shallow fraction of the numbers they once knew, all in a matter of moments. But that would change. This new world their Queen would lead them to, so rich and full of resources, would be the breeding ground from which a new tide of death would soon flow. All would tremble at the coming of the Locust once more, and this time there would be no stopping them.

The Queen’s champion jumped off of the high ledge from which he had overlooked one of the Locust’s few remaining battle groups. His personal Reaver stood ready, waiting obediently for its master. Mounting it, he took to the air and made for a structure at the far end of the cavern. Inside, he guided his flying beast down and alighted next to a large ring shaped contraption in the center of the chamber. Though the crude device was not yet ready to sustain a portal long enough for an army to pass through, it was certainly ready for one warrior. At the assassin’s signal the engineers activated the device. The machine whined loudly as the ring began to rapidly spin on its axis, projecting an energy field while tainted Imulsion poured in. As it compressed, the already luminous substance glowed ever more intensely.

Scryed left his mount in the care of a Theron Guard and pulled from his belt a stone he had found at the ruins of the primary portal. To any other soldier it was a simple piece of rubble, but his finely honed senses could smell the wretched stench of “human” upon the rock. He inhaled deeply, allowing the scent to permeate his mind. He felt the blood-lust boil inside of him, and he let it consume him. The hatred he felt for his targets burned white hot. His Queen had ordered him to find those responsible for the sabotage, and by her command he would follow them anywhere.

The portal moaned in a quiet bass as it stabilized. Sanguine’s cultists had been instructed to expect his arrival, and their stabilizing magic now shaped the energies flowing across space-time. The miniature sun inside of the Modified Lightmass Field dulled quickly, and soon Scryed could see the tunnel into another world. Without thought or hesitation, he stepped through.

He cared not where his quarry led him, he would find them. When he did, they would suffer. In the name of his Queen, they would die.

Marcus was sitting on the edge a grimy cot. The air was drenched in the wet reek of rusted pipes and mildew, the walls were covered in filth. He could hear the scuttles and screeches of something in the air ducts above him. The ceiling dripped incessantly, and several flies buzzed around the room.

There was a noise at the door, someone pulled back the cover of the view slot into his cell.

“Jack, rip that door.”

Marcus looked up, wondering who it would be. The bright light of a plasma cutter traced the lock on the heavy steel cell door. With a shudder the door swung open, and Carlos Santiago stepped into the dingy room.

“Huh! What are you doing here?” Marcus found himself asking.

“Getting you out.” his old friend replied. “Here,” he continued, tossing a heavy rucksack onto the damp floor. “Put this on. You’ll need it.”

Once again Marcus heard his own voice speak. “You could get into a lot of trouble for doing this.”

“Not anymore, things have changed…”

Marcus pulled his armor from the bag and donned it quickly. He followed Carlos down the rotting hallway, and to another closed door.

Carlos turned and looked him in the eye. “They need you Marcus…” He said, as the edges of the door shone with a bright light. Then the door burst open.

Marcus found himself somewhere he had never been before. He was surrounded by small houses with thatched roofs, tiny market stalls, and everywhere he looked he saw ponies. The sun shone high and bright in the sky, and colorful equines went about their business, paying the COG soldier no mind. It was relaxing to watch.

A small, mint colored unicorn with two toned hair turned to him, and he felt her gaze pierce his soul. Time seemed to slow, and the world turned gray. Then in a small voice, the little pony spoke.

“Help us.”

She recoiled, and began screaming in agony. A fire was lit under her skin and soon it spread over the entirety of the pony’s hide. The tiny horse burned from within, and as the fire died, it was replaced by ash. There, before Marcus was the still standing form of a pony, reduced to cinders, her mouth still wide in a silent cry of untold suffering.

Marcus dropped to his knees and reached out to touch the heartbreaking sight. As he did, the pony dissolved, her ashes spreading to the winds. Everywhere the ash landed, fire spread. Soon, the skies blackened and the town blazed, ponies all around him began writhing in tortured agony. The cold grip of panic filled Marcus, and he began desperately looking for some way to help, but his legs were like lead weights, unmoving. He could only sit in horror and watch as the fires roared all around, quickly engulfing the entire town. Soon Marcus found that he was alone, a solitary figure amidst a raging inferno, though the cries of the townsfolk still pierced his ears. Marcus’ face fell into his hands, and he wept.

“I am coming.”

The voice was cold, but underlined with a burning hatred as hot as the hellfire around him. Marcus looked up and saw a silhouette through the flames. Tall and slender, but with eyes of deepest ebony.

“You can not save them. You can not even save yourself. I am coming.”

Marcus screamed as the fire consumed him.

Sergeant Fenix’s eyes shot open. His heart throbbed like a hammer in his chest, and he was drenched in sweat. His glance shot around quickly, trying to focus, trying to remember where he was. Memories of the day prior slowly trickled into his mind, and he groaned loudly as he sat up. Gazing around the barn, he saw that he was the first one up. He rose and stretched his limbs.

That had been one hell of a nightmare. Marcus was by no means unaccustomed to such terrors; after fighting the Locust, most Gears developed horrible visions at night. He had been haunted by a nightmare similar to this one for some time, but this was different. It had started familiarly, with him trapped in his old cell. He had spent years in the “Slab”, the result of a court martial for disobeying orders. A year ago, Dom had come to liberate him and re-instate him into the COG.

In his dreams however, the person who released him often varied. Sometimes it was Anya, sometimes his father or mother. Most of the time it was one or more of the Gears he had served with over his long career. This however, was the first time it had been Dom‘s elder brother. It had been a bittersweet moment, Marcus had nearly forgotten what Carlos looked like. This was also certainly the first time that a burning pony village had awaited him beyond the door. Then there were those eyes…

In an attempt to clear his mind, Marcus began his daily workout regimen, a quick series of exercises to help him stay sharp. After he was done, he noticed a breakfast of milk, eggs, and apples had been lain out for them on the work bench. He filled his plate quietly, and walked outside to enjoy his meal in the morning sun. He was surprised to be greeted by Apple Jack.

“Mornin’!” She said cheerfully. “Ah’m just finishin’ up the chores, then we’ll be getting ready to head on down to Canterlot. How’s your breakfast?”

“Compared to our combat MRE’s, this is a god damn feast.” He said, digging in.

The orange mare chuckled. “Well, there’s a fresh water trough 'round the back if y’all feel like washin’ up a tad. Ah’m going inside to get Apple Bloom ready for school.”

As Apple Jack disappeared into the farmhouse, Marcus leaned against the barn and enjoyed the sunrise. He was continually astounded by how vivid the sight was, as if the skies of his own world were nothing but a cheap forgery of what they should be. He finished his meal and after splashing some cool water on his face, he roused the other Gears. Once they were fed and washed, they met the Apples outside.

The walk into town was quiet and peaceful. Apple Bloom skipped happily alongside Dom, chattering excitedly about her friends and something called the “Cutie Mark Crusaders“. Apple Jack was proudly discussing the business of apple farming with Cole, and how the Apple family provided food for the greater part of the valley. At the back of the group, Baird yawned loudly as he trudged along. He had been up into the wee hours of the morning reading up on local astronomy. From over the treetops came a voice.

“Hey! ‘Morning!” Rainbow Dash came streaking down from the sky.

“You’re up awful early!” Apple Jack remarked, ”Ah hadn’t expected you to be ready ‘til closer to noon!”

“Yeah well, Twilight wouldn’t stop shouting outside my house until I got up. Anyways, everypony is down at the station waiting for us. Oh, hey Baird,” she added with a grin, “You mu-”

“Yeah, that’s great Sunshine, but Daddy doesn’t feel like playing this morning.”

Rainbow looked furious. She has clearly spent all night thinking of a great zinger to put the blonde COG in his place.

“Well you-”

“Listen ‘Precious', why don’t you see if you can’t find me some coffee and a bagel?”

Rainbow growled in frustration, and told them that she’d wait for them at the station with the others.

“Don’t forget the cream cheese!” Baird called after her as she tore through the early morning sky.

Cole chuckled at the engineer. “That was pretty cold man.”

“What can I say? I’m a people person.”

“Ah’m gonna be sad when you go,” Apple Jack added between bouts of laughter, “Ah ain’t never seen no one shut her down the way you do.”

As they crested the hill, Ponyville came into view. The sounds of a sleepy town was just waking for the day drifted through the air. The Gears could make out tiny school-ponies trotting along to a one room schoolhouse on the outskirts of the village. A gray pegasus fluttered about, toting a large bag of letters. Marcus gaped at the serene little hamlet, at the thatched roofs and market stalls. It was the same village from his dream.

“Well, fuck me…” he whispered.

Chapter 5: Friend Or Foe

"Marcus? Hey, you okay man? Marcus.....MARCUS!"

Dom's voice cut through the tempest of emotions in Marcus' head. He had been so caught up in his own confusion, he hadn’t noticed that they had already made it to the edge of town. Though he hadn’t said anything to the others about his dreams, subtle things often betrayed emotion between old friends, and Dom had obviously picked up on his long time squad mate’s unease. The slight dip of his head, his slower and more deliberate stride, a twitch of his fingers aching to feel the security of a rifle in their grasp. Any one of these were clue enough to Dom that Marcus was tense about something. He placed a hand on his old friends shoulder, outwardly a small show of support, but enough to refocus Marcus. Ever so slightly he relaxed the tension built up in his body, but he continued to keep his eyes open for any sign of trouble. With a slight nod, he let Dom know to do the same. Baird, Cole, and the Apple’s continued their trot into town, unaware of the silent exchange than had just taken place behind them.

As Marcus picked up his pace to catch the others, he eyed the small village warily. Was this really the same town he had seen consumed by ravenous flames in his dream? Or was his mind simply filling in details that hadn’t actually been there? As he gazed around, he noticed that many of the ponies were gazing back. They whispered quietly to one another, some scurried off indoors, others poked their heads out curiously. A few ponies even began following the group of humans at a distance.

The Gears and their pony guides stopped now at the school house, and Applejack fussed over her sister’s hair.

“Alright Apple Bloom, y‘all have a good day!”

“Applejaaack!” the filly whined, “Y’er embarrassin’ me! Besides, here come the other Crusaders!”

Sure enough, at that moment a small cart came into view. It was towed by a little scooter which was in turn being driven by an tiny orange pegasus, and in the cart was an equally small white unicorn. The scooter skidded to a halt in front of the group, and its driver spoke excitedly.

“Goooood morning Apple Bloom!”

“What are we gonna do to find our cutie marks today?” added her passenger.

“Scootaloo! Sweetie Bell! Ah want y’all to meet my new friend!” Apple Bloom replied as she stepped aside, and for the first time the tiny newcomers looked passed their friend and her sister. The intimidating sight of the Gears in their full battle armor was enough to make Sweetie Bell sink down in her wagon, and Scootaloo ducked behind her handlebars.

Applejack smiled. “Come on out y’all, they ain’t gonna hurt ya.”

Marcus watched in amusement as Apple Bloom did her best to drag Dom forward by his gloved hand.

“Diff iv Dom! He’v reawy nyff!” she attempted, Dom’s armored finger still firmly between her teeth. Realizing how it had come out, she released the warrior’s hand and tried again.

“This is Dom! He’s really nice!” Turning now to the tall human, she introduced her friends. “This is Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell! Together, we’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders!”

“The WHAT?” Baird spat with a laugh, before Cole smacked the back of the engineer’s head.

“The Cutie Mark Crusaders!” Apple Bloom continued proudly. “We crusade every day to find our special talents and earn our cutie marks!” She motioned to her side, which lacked one of the strange images that Marcus had seen on many ponies‘ flanks.

“So, the marks represent your special gifts, huh?“ He began thinking about the ones he had already seen, and tried to guess what they were symbolic of. Applejack’s apples were an obvious nod to her farm, but others were less obvious. A lightning bolt? A starburst? What was the significance there? He looked around and saw many more. An hourglass, some bubbles, a clef note; some were obvious markers of one talent or another, others seemed harder to place.

“Now remember y’all,” Applejack said to the three fillies. “We’re gonna be outta town for a few days, so y’all are gonna have a sleepover at the library with Spike tonight, then Granny Smith and Big Mac should be back by the time school gets out tomorrow. Don‘t go causin‘ too much of a ruckus at the library neither. Y‘all can crusade for your cutie marks quiet like, ya hear?”

As the three young ponies nodded to Applejack in earnest, Baird leaned in and whispered to Cole. “What do you think your cutie mark would be? A Thrashball, a train, or maybe just a sack of rocks? Get it? Because you‘re an idiot.”

“Well” Cole chuckled back, “It’d be better than a giant asshole.”

As Baird and Cole bickered to one another about their potential ass stamps, Applejack waved goodbye to Apple Bloom and her friends, then continued to lead the COG soldiers on to the train depot. The colorful locomotive stood waiting as generous amounts of coal were being loaded into the fuel car, and several passenger and cargo cars were being hooked to the back of the steam engine. Waiting for Applejack and the soldiers near first class as promised, were Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and two more ponies the Gears hadn’t yet met. The lavender unicorn greeted them with a smile.

“Good morning everypony!” she greeted, “Girls, this is Delta squad,” introducing each of them in turn. Looking up at the humans, she went on. “These are our other friends Rarity and Fluttershy. Rarity owns a fashion salon here in town.”

The white unicorn with a luscious purple mane bowed with great flourish. “A pleasure to meet you all, I’m sure.” She eyed Marcus appraisingly. ”While I can’t say I approve of the filthy state of your garments, you simply must tell me more about what you’re wearing! I’ve never thought add lights to my designs! It‘s a spark of brilliance!”

Marcus glanced down at his battle-worn armor. She had been referring to the “Friend or Foe” indicators that adorned their armor. Many Gears often complained that having large blue LED lights on their torsos equated to wearing glowing “kill me” signs, but Marcus knew better. It used to be that when you were fighting at night or in a dark cave, you didn’t waste time to see if a moving shadow was hostile. On the battlefield, a spilt second is often the difference between life and death, and if something went “bump” in the night you brought a swift end to it. This however, caused many Gears to fall to friendly fire when someone got spooked in the dark. The FoF lights were introduced soon after, and accidental friendly fire incidents had been cut in half almost overnight.

“And Fluttershy,” Twilight continued, “Lives near the Everfree forrest, where she takes care of many of the animals that live in the area.”

The butter cream pegasus with a swirling pink mane crouched shyly behind her lavender friend. She made something of a mumbling noise, possibly an attempt at a greeting. Cole knelt down and offered his hand.

“Hey there, the name’s Cole.”

Fluttershy moved cautiously forward, extending her foreleg. Cole shook hands/hooves with the pony, a giant grin plastered on his face. Marcus had long ago noticed that the muscle-bound ex-athlete had a special gift for making anyone feel at ease. The timid pony whispered almost inaudibly, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“So Baird,” Rainbow Dash said with a wicked grin. “Is it true that you bathe in manure? Because it smells like you were swimming in it.”

“You know, loud, conceited, and stupid is no way to go through life, Peaches.”

“Yeah,” retorted Rainbow, clearly growing agitated once again. “Well, at least I wasn’t voted ‘Most Likely to Fail at Life‘!”

“Oh, didn‘t you hear? The judges overturned the ruling after they heard how terrible that joke was. You were voted in unanimously. Congratulations, I heard the position comes with a lovely plaque. I’m jealous. No really, I’m overcome with envy.”

“Oh, you mother bu-,” At that moment, Rainbow noticed the rather large crowd of ponies that had followed the unusual visitors to the station. The crowd stood silent, every eye adhered to the spectacle. Nearly everypony in town had just witnessed Baird school her yet again.

“What’re you lookin’ at? Don’t you all have more important things to be doing?“ the cyan pony said as her cheeks flushed. To her dismay, the pitiable attempt at crowd control wasn’t working, and several whispered murmurs passed through the mob.

“Let’s just get on the train.” Twilight said sheepishly, the weight of hundreds of eyes closing in on her from all sides. They squeezed the Gears through the doors, and climbed aboard a private car.

“Well THAT was fun!” Pinkie Pie said as Rarity closed the blinds. “The whole town came to see us off! Gee, you’d think they’d never seen a human before!” Everyone in the car stared at the giggling pony, but no one could bring themselves to say anything to her.

“So what’s the plan?” Cole asked, resting on a bench. It was almost comical to watch him try and get comfortable on a seat made for beings half his size.

Twilight was storing what luggage they had brought along (mainly Rarity‘s clothes). “Well,” she said, climbing down from the luggage rack, “It will take the train the better part of the day to reach Canterlot, so for now we can just relax. Once we arrive, it’s straight to the castle.”

“Sounds easy enough.” added Dom.

Outside, the train’s whistle blew. Marcus could hear the loud puffs of the engine building steam, and with a shudder the locomotive crept forward. He slipped a finger between the shades, pulling them aside so he could watch as the town got left behind. They built up speed, and the ponies who had gathered to get a look at the humans began to pass by. Just as Marcus was about to sit back, he locked eyes for the briefest of instants with a unicorn on the platform. She was mint green with two toned hair, and she had piercing yellow eyes. In a flash, she was gone, out of sight as the train moved steadily down the track. Marcus pressed his face against the cool glass, trying to get a glimpse back at the crowd. Had he actually seen her? Or was his mind trying to play tricks on him again?

Marcus leaned back in his seat and shut his eyes, silently longing for the simplicity of fighting Grubs in open combat. It seemed preferable to possibly going insane.

Sanguine was not pleased. Queen Myrrah had instructed the decrepit cult master to prepare a full portal ceremony, but to his astonishment, only a single warrior had crossed the threshold. The figure had been tall and intimidating, to be sure; but he was hardly the swarm that the Locust Queen had promised. To Sanguine’s further indignation, the warrior had taken a single look around at the gathered cultists, sneered his grotesque teeth at them, then sprinted from the temple and into the Everfree Forrest. The head of the cultists quickly reorganized his followers to contact Myrrah, and in minutes the cross-dimensional communication spell took shape.

Sanguine addressed the monarch with only thinly-veiled anger. “Queen Myrrah, there seems to have been some sort of…misunderstanding. I was promised an army, not one rogue agent. I would like an explanation!”

The Empress of the Horde took her time before answering. Sanguine could almost feel the bitter chill of her glare, even an entire universe away. The underlying irritation in her voice was almost palpable, as she replied with firm deliberation.

“My soldiers shall cross over once I have deemed that it is time, and not a moment before. Scryed, my child whom you received this morning, is not a member of the army that shall soon be entering your world, but rather a member of my personal guard, whom I have sent ahead with a singular purpose.”

“And might I inquire as to what that purpose is?” the old pony spat, his frustration seeping through. That the Queen had gone over his head infuriated the cult leader. Any unknown elements could bring his plan crumbling to the ground. He couldn’t help but let his anger show, and a small part of him was pleased for standing up to Myrrah. The rest of him quelled this small part almost immediately, as he realized his dreadful mistake.

“You dare raise your voice to me?.” The Queen’s voice burned with the fiery wrath of a volcano on the verge of eruption. “You will learn your place worm, or you will forget our bargain. All will be revealed in due time. Take heed Sanguine, my designs are not to be meddled with. I have authorized Scryed to eliminate anyone he feels is a threat to his mission. ”

Sanguine cringed at the thought of the dark warrior returning to turn his blade on the cultist ponies.

“Very well,” he conceded. “We await the arrival of your main forces.”

“You may expect them soon.”

Sanguine cut the transmission without another word, and stormed from the Sanctuary. How dare she? Did she not understand the lengths to which he had gone to ensure that their plans would remain secret? Did she not comprehend what would happen if her lone soldier was caught slaughtering some village before all was ready? If those accursed alicorn sisters caught wind of the storm that was brewing on the horizon, the Equestrian Royal Guard would be placed on high alert, their scouts would begin scouring the country for any sign of trouble. They would be found and banished.

No, he would not allow failure, even if it meant tempting the wrath of the Locust Queen. Once his lord was free, she would quickly learn respect. Sanguine gingerly lay on the cot in his private quarters. Soon enough, his lord would free him from the bonds of this decaying form. His reward for serving faithfully would be great indeed.

“She will learn respect…” the old cultist muttered to himself as his heavy eyes dragged him into deep slumber. “She will…learn….”

“All right y’all, looks like we’re here!” Applejack said, poking her head through the blinds. The Ponyville Express chugged steadily up the final hill on its way to the Equestrian capitol.

“FINALLY!” blurted Pinkie Pie exasperatedly, “I was beginning to run low on confetti!”

“Finally…” Marcus thought to himself as he pulled a wad of confetti off of his COG regs. The bubblegum pony had brought along a large supply of games, snacks, and decorations, (though where she had stored them, Marcus had no idea) and had been partying non-stop since they left Ponyville. Despite Pinkie Pie's best efforts to include the Gears in bouts of "Pin the Tail on the Pony" and various food-related contests, Marcus and Dom couldn't bring themselves to join in, and Baird's participation amounted to wiping stray frosting from his goggles and throwing the occasional snide remark to Cole, who was thoroughly enjoying himself.

A loud "WHOOOOOOO" rang through the cabin and Marcus ducked just in time to avoid the sticky remnants of an airborne cupcake. Cole had just succeeded in defeating the ponies in a cupcake eating competition and was throwing back shots of fruit punch to celebrate. “The Cole Train can’t lose on the rails, baby! Home field advantage!” Marcus chuckled at the scene as their locomotive pulled into the station.

“Oh boys?” Rarity said sweetly. “Would one of you be a dear and help me with my things?”

Baird eyed the large trunk of clothes and said with a grin, “Private Cole! Sounds like a job for you!”

“Oh really Corporal?” retorted Marcus. “Sounds to me like that trunk is too important for the hands of a mere Private.”

“Aww, Marcus come on-”

“Suck it up Gear.”

Rainbow laughed uproariously at Baird’s struggles until Rarity asked the pegasus to help with her second trunk (one exclusively for her hats), when Dash suddenly became very interested in the floral patterned carpet design.

The Gears squeezed out of the car into the sunlight, and were stunned by what they saw. Canterlot was a marvel to behold. Tall spires topped with colorful flags fluttering in the breeze. Lush, fragrant gardens lined the streets, each full of colorful flowers that filled the air with intoxicating aromas. Extravagant fountains launched streams of water into high arcs, creating rainbows in the mist. Ponies dressed in formal attire trotted up and down cobblestone roads, whilst art merchants shouted above the din to advertise their wares. Even the very atmosphere seemed somehow grander to Marcus than Ponyville had been, and he immediately hated it.

It reminded him too much of his lonely days growing up on his family’s estate. It hadn’t been until his parents had sent him to a public elementary school in attempt to make him “mix with regular people”, that he made his first real friends in Carlos and Dominic. He spent much of his time at the Santiago household, learning to fix engines and playing Thrashball. They taught him about the joys of friendship, as well as the miracle of hot sauce. Those had been the happiest days of his life, right up until his mother had disappeared. After that, the Fenix estate only served to remind him of his missing parent, and Marcus began spending nearly every waking hour with the Santiago’s.

“Alright!” Pinkie bounced around excitedly, pulling Marcus‘ attention back to the present. “Where’s the party store? The confetti cannon won’t reload itself! Only the deluxe model does that!”

Rarity looked aghast, “Pinkie Pie! A visit to the royal capitol, and you wish to waste time on confetti? Hoity Toity’s summer line is in, and I simply MUST have a glimpse of his new designs!”

“Now hold on y’all,” Applejack firmly interjected, “This ain’t a social visit.”

“That’s right” Twilight added with a curt nod. “Princess Celestia will be expecting us. We’ll have time to visit the shops afterward.”

As they walked up the narrow streets, Marcus noticed that the ponies here gave them a much wider berth than those in Ponyville had, and they eyed the soldiers as if every scuff on their armor was a personal offense to the equines’ honor. ‘Yup, already hating it here.’ Marcus thought.

“Whoa,” Baird gaped as they rounded a corner. “That’s one hell of a stable.” Marcus followed the engineer’s gaze to an enormous castle, boasting the largest towers and brightest walls in the whole city. Armored ponies stood at attention in uniform gilded armor, and enormous golden doors barred the way.

“Good day sirs!” Twilight said to the guards as they strolled up to the gate. “The Princess is expecting us.”

“Of course Ms. Sparkle, we were informed to expect your arrival.“ said the Gate Captain, before eyeing the humans. He continued, “Are these your, uh…guests?

“Yes, sir.”

“Very well. The Princess will just be finishing her court duties at this hour, please proceed to the Great Hall.”

As the Gears followed the ponies into the palace, it struck Marcus that the guards had not taken their weapons. Was this due to the ponies’ unfamiliarity with projectile weapons? Or did Twilight Sparkle’s influence really extend that far? He decided on the former after discreetly eying the armored sentinels, taking note that they wore no weapons themselves.

Inside of the castle was a world wholly unfamiliar to the Gears The hallways were lined with colorful tapestries and vibrant paintings, servants dashed about worriedly, dignitaries were discussing foreign politics(Marcus was reminded of a political cartoon he had seen once), and every facet of every surface was absolutely pristine. The sterility of it all was the thing that threw Marcus for a loop. Such a grand structure, but untouched by bombs or bullet holes, and free of debris? It was unheard of back home.

They passed through another set of imposing doors and into a large chamber with a high arching ceiling. Beautiful stained glass windows cast colorful light into the room, and the entire hall felt warm and alive. At the far end, sitting upon a dais was easily the largest pony Marcus had yet seen. She had both a set of magnificent wings and a majestic horn, and her coat has the color of ivory. The hues of her multicolored mane were less saturated than Rainbow Dash’s, but flowed in an ethereal manner, granting a supernatural quality to her appearance.

Twilight and the other ponies ran forward excitedly, stopping a few feet from the throne to bow. When the Princess spoke, her voice was full of the warmth of pure sunshine, and Marcus found it soothing just to hear.

“My little ponies! Please, there is no need to stand on ceremony, it’s so good of you to come. Twilight, my dear student, it is wonderful to see you again.” Glancing up she locked eyes with Sergeant Fenix, and he suddenly felt like an insect being inspected by a being far his superior.

“And you must be the humans,” she continued. “Please, do come in…”

(A/N: Well, between watching the Olympics and my usual procrastination, this one took a bit longer to get out. Another boring chapter with no action, but I promise fun stuff is around the corner, lol! Super big thanks to Ciera_Bells for being my pre-reader and helping me through this tough chapter, and thanks to all of you for your continued support! I'll have the next chapter up soon! Well...eventually anyways!)

Chapter 6: Memories And Emotions

Marcus found himself in the unusual position of standing before a god. Well, goddess really, but semantics were the last thing on the soldier’s mind. He was unnerved at the relative coldness in Celestia’s last statement compared to the warmth he had felt radiating from her when she spoke to the ponies. The stark contrast put Marcus on guard, but at least Applejack and the others were present to help smooth things over.

The Princess turned to the ponies, once again donning a tone of sunshine, she bade, “Twilight, girls, please leave us. I wish to talk to our guests alone.”

‘Shit.’ Marcus cursed internally.

"Come on Princess, let us stay! We..." Rainbow Dash began, but was cut short by Celestia.

"I must insist. Girls, I'm sure you can find plenty to occupy yourselves with while I get to know your friends."

The Princess' unusually decisive tone caught the ponies off-guard. Reluctantly, they left the hall, the heavy ornate doors shutting tightly behind them.

“There now, we can speak in private. Twilight Sparkle has informed me of the basics of your situation. However, before we begin to attempt to unravel this problem, I believe that introductions are in order. I am Princess Celestia, Sovereign of the Day, and Elder Ruler of Equestria."

Marcus stood at attention while he introduced himself and his team. He had grown up learning upper-class etiquette, and he was now hoping that what he remembered of it applied in Equestria.

“Ma’am, Sergeant Marcus Fenix, Coalition of Ordered Governments Army, 26th Infantry Division, Delta Squad. These are Corporal Dominic Santiago, Corporal Damon Baird, and Private Augustus Cole."

Christ, he hoped he wouldn’t have to keep up the formal attitude. Most Gears didn’t bother with it back home, officers were often familiar enough with their troops that it seemed unnecessary, unless you were talking to someone who significantly outranked you, which seemed to apply here.

"Thank you Sergeant Fenix." The pale alicorn bid the COG warriors to step forward, and with a flash of magic from her horn, four comfortable looking chairs of human size materialized before her throne. As the Gears sat, the monarch continued. “I must admit, your situation is an unprecedented one, and therefore, I must require that unprecedented precautions be made to ensure that your intentions are pure and that no harm will befall my little ponies."

“And just what does that mean?”

“Well Sergeant Fenix, if you wouldn’t mind, there is something I wish to do. I know you told your tale to my student already, but I would like to see it for myself.”

“It’s kind of a long story, but if you’ve got the time-”

“You misunderstand me.” Celestia interjected. “With my magic, I could view your entire life in a matter of seconds. It would allow me to see the truth of your account, unfiltered by biased storytelling. I find it polite to ask permission, as you will be unable to lie or hide anything from me. It is rather a gross invasion of privacy, but it would be the quickest and surest way to determine your intentions.”

Marcus hesitated. War was a hideous thing, and he had lived a lifetime of it. He had done terrible things in the name of his government, and had seen far worse. Not to mention all of the classified information that would be exposed should he agree to this. ‘Ah, screw it’, he resolved to himself. ‘If we don’t make it home, classifications won’t mean a damn thing anyway.’

“Marcus…” Dom started.

He waved away his friend’s concerns. “It’ll be alright Dom.” Turning to Celestia, he said with a hint of uncertainty in his voice, “Let‘s get this over with.”

The glorious alicorn stepped down from her throne, and strode gracefully towards the Sergeant. Her lengthy horn began to shimmer with an aura of power, and ever so gently she touched it to Marcus’ forehead. In that moment, his gaze was locked into hers, and he was unable to look away. Deeply he stared into her eyes, and what he saw astonished him. Each was a pool of timeless wisdom, and behind her gaze was a well of depth and knowledge spanning across infinite ages. Suddenly, Marcus was thrown back into his chair, as his life literally flashed before his eyes. Familiar images began to strobe in his vision, some only for an instant, while other scenes played out for what felt like minutes, or even hours.

He saw his parents - he watched his mother, the deliberate motions of her practiced hands weeding through her garden, as she taught him about the many beautiful plants growing there. He looked up at his father, sitting in his favorite chair in the library telling him what it meant to be a soldier. He spoke of honor, glory, camaraderie.

The image shifted, and he saw himself in the locker room of his old school on his first day, when those boys had decided that killing him at Thrashball wasn't torture enough. He and Carlos Santiago had chased the bullies off – it had been the first time he understood the word 'brotherhood'.

He saw himself with Carlos at the recruiter's station, signing their lives away for the greater cause. He watched as they struggled through those first missions under Bernie, the old lady teaching them to be proper Gears. He remembered the endless days spent sweltering under pounds and pounds of equipment in the extreme heat, the nights camped out with Carlos in hastily constructed foxholes under enemy fire.

He saw the dying faces of the many men he had killed in the Pendulum Wars, their final screams burned into his mind. He watched as Carlos was shot at Aspho, the blood gushing from his wounds as his innards spilled out. He saw his own face screaming as Carlos pulled the pin on the grenade that saved the mission but ended his life. The bright flash of light gave way to the funeral and the Embry Star awarded to his friend, given to his parents by Dom.

He saw the surrender of the UIR, and the beginnings of peace. People finally returning to some semblance of normalcy. He saw the hope rebuilding in the human race, people ready for the end of war.

In a burning flash, the scene changed again. He saw Emergence Day. He felt once more the horrific sense of loss of hope as the monstrous Locust first appeared, tunneling their way into human cities from below. He watched in helpless despair as they poured endlessly from the earth, slaughtering everyone with absolute disregard. His heart, hardened by the extreme life he lived, broke again at the sight of the mangled bodies littering the streets, at the sight of the tiny corpses of children whom the COG had failed to protect.

The memories began to flash faster and more intensely than they had before. He saw himself carving Grubs to pieces with his chainsaw with bitter joy, and in the same instant saw Kryll shred and devour his friends whole. He watched the choppy news feeds of the Hammer Strikes on Char, an attempt to drive the nightmares back into the bowels of Sera with humanity’s mightiest weapon. He saw the twisted forms of mutated Lambent Wretches forgo cover, closing the gap on COG soldiers until they were close enough to explode, tearing the humans apart in a volatile display of violent death. He saw the moment that he and Dom had slain the Locust General RAAM on the train delivering the light mass bomb. He relived the victory they felt at it's successful detonation, and felt familiar anguish as they realized that the bomb hadn't wiped the Locust out at all. He saw Tai Kailiso, the “Immortal Gear”, who had defied death at every turn, broken by Locust torture take a shotgun to his own face.

He saw the recording of his father on a Locust computer terminal, telling them his plan to cripple the Locust. By sinking Jacinto, by sacrificing humanities last mighty stronghold and final bastion of security, the Locust would suffer such devastating loss it would be nigh impossible for them to recover. He witnessed once more the tumultuous rumblings and quaking as Jacinto fell beneath the surface of Sera, and he felt again the uncertainty that tomorrow would bring.

All of the fear, and anger, all of the sorrow of these events surged through Marcus. The memories and emotions that he had longed worked so hard to suppress came rushing back, and he fell to the floor, powerless and overcome.

Marcus felt his awareness returning, and the black shade of unconsciousness peeled back. He could hear the other Gears scrambling to his side. “I’m…I’m fine.” It took Marcus several minutes to even sit up again, his emotions had all boiled to the surface. Tears burned in his eyes as the pain of the loss of countless friends came flooding back in a tidal wave of heartache, and even the hardened veteran couldn’t suppress all of it at once. Attempting to recover, he dropped all pretense of courtesy and choked out, “Christ lady, you could have warned me abou-”

He couldn’t continue. He had been gazing in the Princess’ general direction, when he had noticed small wet stains on the floor before her. He turned his gaze up to Celestia’s face, and he saw the streaks of tears on her alabaster coat.

“You-” her voice cracked, “You have truly seen great pain in your lifetime. I hadn’t realized…it‘s been centuries since Equestria has last gone to war, but even in our darkest hours my people have never been subjected to anything as….brutal as what I have just witnessed.”

The Princess walked over to gaze out of an open window, surveying her kingdom, suddenly vastly more grateful for the peace and prosperity her land enjoyed. Marcus couldn't help but notice that the alicorn seemed much wearier, and somehow less radiant than mere moments ago. After taking a moment to compose herself before she continued.

“You have done horrible things….haven’t you. Despicable things. But never I think, without reason. I…I don’t believe you would harm my subjects.” As she spoke, her resolve(and color) began to return, “You may stay here in the castle until such time as arrangements can be made for you departure. However, I must impress on you the seriousness of the actions you made upon your arrival. Such violence has not happened in Equestria in ages.”

Marcus’ mind shot back to the forest, to the Theron Guards who’s throats the Gears had slit.

“We weren’t about to let those Grubs go free. If we had, they would be out there right now doing God knows what to your ponies.”

“Yes, I understand your reasons. These Locust, they do not show mercy, and they are certainly not to be trifled with. However, the intentional taking of a life isn’t something that I take lightly. At the very least, they should be given a proper burial. I will dispatch a contingent of my guard to take care of it.”

“I’m sorry,” Baird butted in, “But what the fuck? They’re Locust. These aren't fluffy bunnies from Hop-a-Long Corner, they are very literally bloodthirsty monsters. You can’t “love and tolerate” them away, the only thing they deserve is a bullet between the eyes.”

“I can certainly understand your feelings, but it is the decent thing to do. And from what I have seen, doing the decent thing seems to be what separate you humans from the Locust.”

“But-”

“Let it go Baird, it’s not like you have to go bury them yourself. Ma‘am, thanks for the hospitality.” Marcus said as the Gears rose to leave.

“One more thing, I will expect you to leave your weapons in your quarters for the duration of your stay.”

Marcus froze. It was unthinkable for a COG soldier leave his weapon behind. They had been trained to never be without their firearms. Hell, "trained" might not be the word for it. Thoroughly ingrained came a little closer to the mark. You ate with your gun, you slept with your gun, you took your gun with you to take a piss. Getting caught without your weapon was inexcusable when the enemy could appear literally at any time, anywhere. It was almost a god damned sin.

“That might be an issue.”

“I’m sorry, but while you remain in my kingdom, you will obey my laws. If you really feel that strongly, I will allow you to carry your…”she searched the memories she had gleaned from Marcus for the proper word, “Side arms? But your larger weapons will need to be kept away.”

Marcus wasn’t happy about it, but it was better than nothing. The Princess bid them farewell, and the Gears rejoined their pony friends in the foyer.

“So how'd it go?” Applejack inquired.

“Well, we're not being thrown in the stocks.” Marcus responded, still a little shaky from the ordeal of the memory spell. “We're being allowed to stay here until we can find a way home.”

“Excellent!” chirped Twilight, clapping her fore-hooves excitedly. “I'll get started right away, there are several rare reference tomes in the Royal Archives that-”

“They get the point Darling,” Rarity interposed, “I'm sure they don't wish to be bored with the details.”

Baird spoke up at this point. “I think I've nearly figured out where we are, astrologically speaking. I'm still working on finding Sera, but if you've got some high powered telescopes, it would help me get our bearings.”

“Oh boy, do we have telescopes! The Starswirl Memorial Observatory here in Canterlot is home to Equestria's Chetlin Space Telescope, the most advanced star gazing tool ponykind has to offer! And-”

“Yeah, we get it Twilight, you're an egghead!” Rainbow jested. “Anyways, the sooner we can send them home, the better. I'm a little worried that I won't be able to get Baird's smell out of my nose.”

“Oh, I'm just gonna miss you to death when we go, Sweetheart. I don't know how I've gone all these years without your shining personality to brighten my days. I may have to take up a journal to spell out the depths of my woes. 'Dear Diary, my days are SO lonely and incomplete without Rainbow Dash here to utterly humiliate herself...' ”

Everyone (except Rainbow Dash) laughed as a servant arrived to lead the Gears to their quarters. They soon found themselves in a luxurious penthouse, with beds large enough for their overgrown frames, and were treated to a great feast of various fruits and deserts. It was delicious fare, but Marcus couldn't help but sneak bites of beef jerky from his field rations when he could. That these ponies didn't eat meat was disappointing, if understandable. At any rate, their stay would be pleasant enough if they were to remain in such lavish accommodations. Baird and Twilight would begin their research in the morning, and God willing, they'd be home before they knew it.

Scryed prowled the wooded terrain with masterful stealth and guile, his presence went undetected by even the most alert of the forest’s denizens. After crossing the portal, he had been greeted by Sanguine's pathetic pack of simpering creatures. Their weakness disgusted him, but he had paid them no heed as he began his mission. It had taken nearly the full day, and the sun was beginning to set by the time he eventually caught the scent of the humans. He followed the trail deftly, never allowing himself to leave the shadows, and soon he was rewarded with the sounds of activity in a clearing ahead. He scaled a strong tree and glared out into the murky twilight. There in the dell were a number of armored ponies, digging trenches and moving large bags about. The assassin quietly circled the clearing, making note of the positions of the various guards. Then he saw what they were loading into the sacks.

A Theron Guard lay against a tree, his weapons gone and his throat slit, and two of the ponies were hiking a cloth bag past his legs. The reek of the humans lingered in the air, and Scryed could easily piece together what had happened. Those miserable fools, to be defeated by a mere handful of the humans' fighters, it sickened him to his core. Not only had they failed their mission, but they had inexcusably failed the Queen. The anger brewed to a full rage within the deadly Locust's gut, and soon he could hold himself back no longer. Someone had to pay for this display of weakness.

Slowly, he reached for the blade he carried on his back. Longer than the weapons of the Cleavers, it was both crude and predatory in appearance. Shifting his weight, he let loose his battle roar and leaped upon the unsuspecting equines. He cleaved one as he fell, then used the momentum to spin around and catch a second before he was even aware of what had happened to the first. In moments, the half dozen remaining armored equines were facing the assassin, woefully unprepared for his wrath. One stepped forward and addressed the dark warrior in a voice that trembled with a mixture of overwhelming anger and fear.

“H-halt! In the name of Celestia, y-y-you are under arre-”

Before he could finish, Scryed had dashed forward, his blade making a single stroke through the pony's form. The golden-clad guard collapsed as his crimson life-fluids erupted from the gaping wound in his chest. Before the others could retaliate, the assassin jumped and whirled, cutting down a pegasus from the air. One pony, who lacked both wing and horn, attempted to buck the shadowy knight, but his armored leg was snatched mid-kick and he found himself being hurled into one of the other guards. Before the two could pick themselves from the ground, Scryed impaled them together, pinning them to a tree with a leaping stab of his cruel blade. Only two guards remained, both of them unicorns, their horns charged with luminescent magic. Not even bothering to retrieve his weapon, Scryed charged the closest one, locking the steel bands of his arms around the diminutive pony. He could feel the desperation in the unicorn's struggles, it's horn radiating a singeing heat while his small form writhed in a feeble attempt to escape. With a sharp jerk, the assassin snapped the pathetic creature's neck and dropped the limp corpse to the cold ground. Slowly, he turned to the other unicorn, who was screaming and backing slowly away, his mind lost in utter terror. Scryed advanced on the weak creature, ready to slaughter this creature like the rest, but in a blinding flash, the unicorn was enveloped in light, and he disappeared.

After a moment of initial shock, Scryed cursed himself. He had been warned that unicorns were capable of magic, and for the first time in years, he had let a victim escape. He drew from his belt a wickedly curved knife, and ran it sharply against the back of his arm, a blood offering to his Queen. He bore many such marks, they were his way of chastising himself for failures.

Now that he had sated his blood lust, his mind returned to his mission. He retrieved his sword from the bodies of the two ponies under the tree, and re-sheathing it, he turned he nose to the wind. He could pick up on the strong scent of COG warriors, their foul stink blazed a clear road for Scryed to follow. Though the small pony had escaped his wrath, the humans would not be so lucky. Now that he had their trail, it was simply a matter of time.

Chapter 7: Doom Has Come

As Sanguine watched his brethren file one by one into position around the runic glyph carved deeply into the ancient stone temple floor, he enjoyed a feeling of immense satisfaction.

They had spent the two days since the arrival of Queen Myrrah's servant secreted away within the depths of their temple, tuning and perfecting the giant magical barrier projectors. Through their labors, the devices were capable of containing the immense magical energies need to sustain a tear between worlds long enough for larger numbers of soldiers to pass through. As the cultist ponies began chanting low and rhythmically, great tendrils of magical energy shot about spastically, accompanied by the smell of ozone. The projectors hummed to life, buzzing in time with the cultists' ceremony.

The tempo of their chant increased, and the cultists charged the glyph on the floor with their unicorn magic. Light flowed along the carefully placed grooves, and the air around the cloaked ponies raced in a whirlwind of excitement. Sanguine's lips spread in a wicked smile as a combination of twisted technology and sheer overpowering magical force ripped a hole through space and time. As the portal stabilized, a shock wave of pressure shot out, and the first Locust soldiers stepped through. Scores of bulky figures with strange weapons and crude armor marched into the temple. They were led by a dozen even taller creatures, clad in robes that appeared to be made of leather. As even more of the Drones began to pour in behind them, the tall ones knelt before Sanguine, and one spoke in a horrid, raspy voice.

“We are Kantus. Our Queen commands that we obey.”

"At last...” Sanguine thought to himself as his cruel grin grew even wider. So, these were the priests and field commanders of the Horde. Although it would still be some time before the larger portal devices were ready, allowing for the bigger and more powerful Locust to cross over, these warrior monks would prove to be quite an asset. He glanced back to his followers, and could see that they were already growing weary from the strain of maintaining the portal. Just over three hundred soldiers had already crossed, and though these were merely the first few drops of the ocean that was to come, they would be sufficient for what Sanguine had planned next.

“Signal your forces to halt,” He commanded the Kantus. “My brothers need rest. We will continue to bolster our numbers later.”

The flow of deadly monsters slowed to a stop and the cultist ponies breathed a sigh of deep relief, many nearly collapsing from exhaustion as they allowed the magical wormhole to close. Sanguine went to each of them, making sure they were still useful, then instructed them to rest and replenish their energy. As the cultists left the main chamber, the Kantus ordered the Locust Drones to form ranks and present themselves. The vile display of military might gave the lead cultist chills of anticipation. He stood atop a podium that had long ago been used as a throne's dais, and he addressed the pale, scaly soldiers.

“My new brothers-in-arms,” he began. His voice was an expression of pure force of will, and though he was by far the physically weakest being in the chamber, he had no trouble using his imposing charisma to establish his dominance. “We find ourselves on the precipice of great destiny. The union of our two peoples will soon prove to be an unstoppable force, ready and able to wipe out all who stand in our path! Together, we shall achieve a new prosperity, a new golden age in which our alliance shall dominate all! But, before we march towards this glorious new dawn, the opposition of our past must first be dealt with. Before our peoples can truly become one, we must eliminate the old guard, and their weak ideals of “peace”! Tonight, we shall open the floodgates, and let our presence be known. You shall be the vanguard of our wrath, and the world will tremble in your wake!

There was then a great deal of growling and hissing from the troops, and Sanguine took it to be a sign of their approval. Good. All was falling into place. Shouting now, his voice reverberated through the halls and could be heard by all in the ancient pyramid.

“Doom has come to Equis, and it's name is LOCUST!”

“Sergeant Fenix?”

Marcus forced his eyes open, and groaned under his breath. Though there were many exciting and wonderful things to see in this alien capitol, Marcus had spent much of the last two days sleeping in his quarters. It had been absolutely fantastic to be able to sleep in for as long as he wanted, to not have to worry about scrounging together his meals, to have functional (if awkwardly sized) indoor plumbing. What's more, the ponies were, for the most part, content to let him be. It had been the most relaxing two days Marcus had known in decades. He rolled over and looked to the door, where stood the intruder on his serenity.

“Princess Luna, what brings you up here?” He asked, as he rose to stretch. He had once again slept in his armor, being unable to rest without it. It always made him feel more secure, even if he payed for it with stiff limbs when he woke. The dark indigo alicorn waited patiently for him to provide her with his full attention. The Gears had met the Princess of the Night at the feast in their honor the first night of their stay. Though she had a habit of speaking very properly, Marcus found her much easier to deal with than Celestia, and had spent much of his waking hours in the castle talking to her.

“We have come to fetch thee, our sister wishes your opinion on a matter of...some importance.”

“Alright, gimme a sec.” Turning to the figure passed out on the couch, he kicked the furniture hard enough to rouse its occupant. “Dom! Get up, we got a date with the Princess. Go round up Baird and Cole, then meet us in...”

“Celestia's private study” Luna finished. “Twilight Sparkle will know they way, and we last saw Corporal Baird with her in the astronomy tower."

“Right, on it...” Dom slurred sleepily as he rolled back over.

“That means now Santiago. This is important.”

“Right, right...just two more minutes...”

“You can sleep when you're dead, Gear.”

Marcus gave the sofa one more good kick and chuckled to himself as he and Luna began the trek to the study. Curiosity got the better of him as the began the decent down a large flight of stairs.

"So, what am I in for?"

"As thou may recall, my sister dispatched a squad of soldiers to deal with the remains of the fiends whom you slew in the forest. They were simply to bury the remains, scout the area to ensure that all of the beasts were in fact destroyed, before returning to Canterlot."

"So what's the problem?"

"They didn't return. After the first night, we dispatched another squad to investigate. Unfortunately, upon their arrival at the scene, all but one of the original contingent had been killed. They found the lone survivor nearby, wandering in the woods. He hath been rambling incoherently since, the only discernible word we have managed to decipher is 'Monster'. The Everfree forest is of course, full of dangerous creatures. Hydras, Basilisks, Manticores and the like, but the Royal Guard is well trained to deal with such beasts. Whatever foul creature did this was able to defeat seven of our most veteran soldiers, and traumatize another into insanity. My sister would like your consultation.”

Marcus paused in his stride. Had they missed one of the Theron Guards? Had he allowed such a tragedy to occur because of a careless mistake? No, he resolved. They had thoroughly swept that area. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been Locust. He silently mulled over what Luna had told him as the Princess of the Night led him to the Royal Study, leaving him to his thoughts just outside. Marcus quickly composed himself as he pushed the ornate door open.

The tension in the dimly lit room was palpable. Princess Celestia was seated at an large oak table just across from a brown unicorn pony wearing the sterile white coat of a medical doctor, who rose to leave just as Marcus entered the room. Another pony was seated on the floor in front of a grand fireplace just behind the Princess, his back facing the door.

"Sergeant Fenix, I'm relieved that you could join us. I assume that Princess Luna has apprised you of the current state of affairs?"

"Yes Ma'am, she has."

As Marcus took a seat at the table, the Princess turned to the pony staring into the fireplace. “I would like you to meet Private Regal Blade, one of the soldiers I sent to bury the Locust you left in the forest.”

Marcus got a good look at the stallion for the first time, and he was absolutely ragged. His coat was splotchy, he hadn't washed out the white dye used to make all guards uniform in color, but it was was wearing off in places. His eyes, illuminated by the flickering light of the fire, were frantic and bloodshot, he had obviously been losing sleep. There were several wounds on his forelegs that appeared to be self inflicted bite marks. He quivered slightly, almost imperceptibly, as the door opened and they were joined by Twilight Sparkle and the rest of Delta. Twilight and the others sat around the table, and Regal Blade twitched nervously.

"Christ, what happened to him?" Baird blurted as he claimed a seat of his own. "I've seen filthy Stranded bums who look better."

“Cut the chatter Baird. This is one of the Guards sent to clean up our little mess in the forest. Apparently he's the only one who came back.”

Twilight's eyebrow rose in confusion. “What mess? Where are the other guards?”

“You think we missed one?” Dom asked, ignoring the lavender unicorn and looking more intently at the emotionally scarred pony in front of the hearth.

Baird shook his head in earnest. “Nah, we couldn't have. We swept the area cleaner than Cole's bowl on chili night.”

“Maybe something else got the jump on them?” Cole proposed.

Now it was Celestia's turn to shake her head. “My soldiers are well equipped to deal with the dangers of the Everfree forest. Even if they had been attacked by one of the more dangerous creatures, my ponies would have simply evacuated magically.”

“Princess, what is this?” Twilight pled, her tone growing with concern.

The equine monarch sighed heavily. “Twilight, when our friends here came to this world, a number of 'Locust' came with them. Sergeant Fenix and the others...'dispatched' the fiends, and I sent some of my guard to bury the bodies. They were slain by something in the forest. Something extremely dangerous.”

“Hold on, lemme try something.” Baird said absentmindedly as he pulled his field notes from a pouch on his armor. He began flipping through the pages, past repair notes, requisition orders, and hastily drawn maps of mission locales. He stopped on a page full of sketches of Locust units and artifacts. Turning the notebook over carefully, he revealed the drawings to Regal Blade, who's eyes tore from the fire for the first time Marcus had seen since entering the room. Page after page, Baird flipped through, showing Regal the various Locust units. All the while, the traumatized guard began seething and sweating profusely. Baird turned one final page, and Regal Blade snapped. He began screaming and thrashing about, scrambling to escape.

“Be calm...” Celestia bade as her horn began to glow. The crazed guard went stiff for a moment before melting back to the floor. The princess signaled to a pair of armored ponies standing along the wall that Marcus hadn’t noticed before. They each wrapped one of Regal's forelegs around their necks, and walked him out of the study. Celestia watched them leave, a note of sorrow in her eyes, before she spoke again.

“He will be looked after. I have sedated him and will see to it that he is taken to our hospital immediately. A more pressing issue is at hand however, it would appear that one or more stray Locust are running free in my country. I already suspected as much, but his mind was too clouded for me to read properly. So Sergeant, now we get to the business of why I called you here. This is your enemy, and while I do not hold you responsible for what they did, I do need your help in dealing with them. I need to know how they will act, and what will they do. Will they remain confined to the forest? Or will they attack more of my subjects?”

“Marcus...” Baird said, a hint of worry betraying his normally level tone. The engineer flipped the notebook around to show him the page that had caused Regal Blade to ultimately lose what little composure he had. Marcus recognized the portrait immediately. Tall and slender, with wicked teeth and hateful eyes, the figure carried a long staff, capped on each end with the teeth of crude chainsaws.

“Fuck...”

“That's impossible, we killed Skorge ourselves outside of Jacinto.” Cole said, rejecting the notion that the Kantus High Priest had returned.

“Maybe so, but who's to say there aren't more where he came from?” Baird countered as he stowed his notebook.

“I...take it this is particularly bad?” the Princess interjected.

Marcus didn't want to admit the truth to the Princess, but he couldn't hide a danger such as this. “Ma'am, if what your guy saw is what I think it was, we've got a massive fight on our hands. We're dealing with a Locust General, or something on the same level. This is a threat that needs to be dealt with immediately, if he's killed already, he'll do it again.”

Dom shook his head, looking as confused as any of them, “Marcus, even if it is another Locust big shot, how did he get here? I didn't see anyone like that in the forest, or back at the drill.”

Marcus had a theory, but it would be almost too cruel to admit it. He had assumed that being dropped into a land of magical horses had just been a mistake, or a fluke...but maybe he had been wrong. Was it really possible? Did the Locust really intend to forgo the fight with the humans in favor of an easier target? Before Marcus could answer, an armored pegasus burst into the study, dread in his eyes and urgency in his tone.

“Your Majesty! There are intruders in the palace! Terrible creatures with strange weapons! They've bypassed our outer defenses, and we must evacuate you quickly!”

There was a flash and a thud somewhere outside the window, and Marcus heard the familiar staccato of gunfire. Rushing to the window and throwing it open, his fears were confirmed. Below him, Drones were swarming the castle, emerging from holes inside the perimeter of the walls.

The Locust had come to Equestria.

(a/n: Alrighty! Super giant props to my editor/pre-reader who took the time to help me out between dealing with a sick kid and losing sleep. While this hasn't been one of my favorite chapters, I'm still glad to get it out here. I'm super stoked to get goin' on the next one though, things are about to get good.)

Chapter 8: THAT'S FIVE, MOTHERFUCKERS!

Chapter 8: THAT'S FIVE MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!

(20 years ago)

The scent of incense lingered in the dimly lit stone hall. As light from a bronze and stone brazier flickered excitedly, dimly illuminating the faces of those gathered, a low steady chant emanated from their tidy rows. The priests of the Order of Kantus continued their meditative drone as the high priest rose to greet the initiate striding forward to meet them. As he reached the altar he knelt before the head of the priesthood, who drew forth from the burning pit a smoldering brand. The high priest Skorge swung the burning tool upright, holding it aloft as he spoke to the young neophyte in a voice as pitch as the dark caves in which they dwelt.

“Bare yourself. Speak the Oath."

Without a moment's restraint the young priest removed his chest coverings, revealing a pale and scaly abdomen.

“With dedication, I surrender my flesh, that it might be the face of the shadows.”

“With loyalty, I surrender my bone, that it might carry our people forward.”

With each phrase spoken, the high priest used the brand to carve a line into the initiate’s bare chest. The rancid burning smell wafted into his nostrils as he continued.

“With diligence, I surrender my blood, that it might flow for the Horde.”

“With subtlety, I surrender my footsteps, that I might walk the dark path.”

The assembly watched raptly for any sign of hesitation, for the slightest hint pain. Should the candidate be found unworthy of the Order into which he was being inducted, they would tear him limb from limb for the insult of weakness. He went on however, the strength in his raspy voice unwavering.

“With reverence, I surrender my life, that it might serve the night.”

“With pride, I surrender my soul, that it might become the Will of our Sovereign. ”

The ecstasy and agony of the fiery rod seared his flesh again, driving his mind into sharp focus. It was at this moment, seemingly dragged out across hours, that he was struck by an epiphany. These words were not merely a code for his Order to live by, the code itself was to become his very existence. The last line of the Oath roared from his maw, each syllable uttered with complete faith and devotion.

“With absolution, I surrender myself, that I may please my Queen!”

The dimming glow of the brand was returned to the fire, and the chanting ceased. The initiate rose to his feet, light headed, but filled with satisfaction. The high priest turned to a large box, bound with leather made from the skin of pitiful humans. From it, he drew an ancient long-blade, rusted and bloodied, but of sturdy make and with a look of deadly cunning. Skorge hefted the weighty sword with ease, gingerly offering it to the newest member of his sect.

“The Order of Umbra Kantus welcomes you, Scryed. From this moment, you are a blade in the shadow, you are the vengeance of our people. Today, you are Assassin.”

(2 days ago)

'Those fools, they make it too easy.' Scryed thought as he tracked his prey. The distinct and pungent human stench left a trail remarkably distinguishable from the painfully bright and unworthy vermin who inhabited this world of valuable resources. In almost no time, he had tracked them to a deserted barn where they had obviously spent the night. From there, he followed their trail to an entire town of the soft little creatures. As much as he detested the very sight of them, there were simply too many for him to dispatch efficiently, and this was not his mission. He skirted the town, hoping to catch the humans' scent again, succeeding as he came across a set of train tracks.

“Too easy...” he repeated aloud. He would find them, and when they were alone, he would end them. For his Queen.

(The Present)

The shrill screams shook Marcus the most, and for a moment, it was E-Day all over again. Bodies already littered the streets where the drone army had caught the ponies unaware, those who remained stumbled over each other in their efforts to flee. Monsters of the Locust army poured from the devious tunnels they had dug under the outer walls of the city. A massive explosion tore through the wall on the east side of the city, opposing the cliffs, and boulders of mortar and stone rained down on the buildings and inhabitants. More Locust flooded the city.

The guards tried in vain to defend the citizens, but were quickly gunned down by the Locust's superior weaponry. At this rate, the city would be overrun in less than an hour.

"Like hell..."

Marcus drew his Snub pistol from its holster, chambering a round as he turned to Princess Celestia.

"Ma'am, I need to coordinate with whoever's in charge of your defenses. The faster we act the more lives we can save."

"I...w-what?" The Princess stammered, trying in vain to process the scene unfolding below, the sight of her beloved subjects being murdered before her eyes rendering her aghast.

"MA'AM! We need to secure the city and try to evacuate as many of these ponies as possible before it's too late! Who's in charge of your defenses?"

"That would be me Sergeant." A white unicorn stallion with a blue mane charged into the room. Unlike other guards, his armor was a deep lavender, and encrusted with an emblem on the chest. "Shining Armor, Captain of the Guard.”

“Big brother!” Twilight exclaimed,

The newcomer smiled briefly at his sister, before turning back to Sergeant Fenix, once again becoming stone-faced. 'Good, all business.' Marcus thought, 'That's exactly what we need right now.'

“Captain, You've got a world of pain coming down on you. The Locust are merciless, and honestly your defenses aren't ready for them. We'll do what we can to organize your forces, but I need to know what are our assets?”

“The royal guard consists of four branches. The Terra Infantry squad is our main fighting force. The Royal Air Force is ready and able to provide airlifts and launch storm based attacks. The Rune Squad is very capable in tactical magical support, and Princess Luna's Night-Guard has a balance of the other three, making them very versatile.”

“The Grubs will be using projectile and explosive based weaponry. It'll be more than enough to tear through your armor. Do we have anything to defend our guys with?”

Shining Armor pondered a moment. “I...suppose we could project high density magical barriers. But, they won't be able to move very quickly, and it'll occupy our entire unicorn battalion to shield everypony.”

“It'll be worth the trade off to give your guys some cover. Now, do we have anything in terms of weaponry?”

“Our earth pony troops are well trained with spears and swords, and the pegasus squadrons often use wing-blades in conjunction with high speed dashes. We also have a number of balistas and siege weaponry, but I'm afraid they weren't designed for the tight quarters inside of the castle.”

Marcus considered this a moment. “We need more fire power. Captain, our first objective needs to be to evacuate civilians and dignitaries, then we need to secure the castle. After that we can drive them back underground and out of the city. Arm your men, and organize them into diverse squads. Every group needs a shield, and whatever you can muster to defend it with. Dom and Cole, I want you with the Captain. Watch his back and help him organize our defense. Baird, you and I are gonna get the rest of our gear before rounding up as many troops as we can to start the pushing the Grubs out. Jack, weapons.”

The droid dropped out of cloaking mode for the first time since the Gears had arrived at the castle. The ponies were startled at the sight to say the least. The panels on either side of the droid folded out, revealing a pair of Lancers. Marcus tossed one to Dom and Cole each, before handing them the few spare clips Jack still had room for after Marcus had stored the larger weapons aboard. Celestia shot him a glance of disapproval, but refrained from rebuking the blatant defiance of her wishes.

Shining Armor motioned to his fellow guards and moved to leave the room when Twilight Sparkle came to a horrifying realization.

"My friends are down there! Rarity, Fluttershy and the others! They're down there, we have to save them, we have to help them!"

Princess Celestia composed herself, the sound of her panicking student calling her to action. "Twilight, my student, you need to remain calm. Losing your head won't help them. The best thing we can do is to help in the evacuations by assisting with the barriers.”

“You....you're right Princess,” the lavender unicorn said, regaining her composure. “We need to make sure that everypony gets out safely, not just my friends.”

The Princess allowed her student a brief smile. “They'll be safe. We'll find them, and with any luck, they'll have escaped already. Captain? Lead the way, we must begin at once.” Turning back to Marcus, she gave him a brief nod of gratitude. “Sergeant Fenix, good luck.”

The alabaster Princess and her guards left to begin the evacuation of the palace. Shining Armor, along with Cole, Dom, and the other guards took a different hallway, heading to organize the defense efforts.

“Everyone, watch your backs!” Sergeant Fenix called after his friends.

Marcus and Baird left the study as well, cautiously making their way back to their room in the tower where their weapons were. As they approached the central stairwell, frantic ponies scrambled past them, desperately trying to escape something ahead. A howling screech reverberated through the halls, and Marcus know immediately what it was the ponies had been fleeing from. A percussive series of 'crack's rang from the stairwell, and one pony fell mere feet from Marcus, a mist of blood erupting from a wound in his neck. With a gurgling noise, he closed his eyes forever.

For an instant, Marcus' mind shot back to his nightmare a few days ago. The images of burning ponies and the sounds of their tortured screams swam through his mind, paralyzing him for a brief moment. It was Baird's voice that snapped him out of his shell shocked rumination.

“Marcus, enemy contact!”

Up the stairwell came the familiar figure of a Kantus, flanked by a trio of Drones. The momentary look of surprise on the Locust's faces was enough for Marcus to gauge that the humans weren't expected, as well as enough time for him to unload three rounds into the forehead of one of the Grubs. A shower of blood and brain matter splattered over the rest of the hostile soldiers, who immediately responded with a hail of their own gunfire. Marcus and Baird ducked into the cover of a doorway, which turned out to be a small corner linen closet. The bright streaks of the Locust bullets relentlessly whizzed by the the open door, pinning the Gears into the cramped room, lit only by the light of an open window. Baird glanced quickly out the window, before turning back to the Sergeant.

“Marcus, draw their fire, I have a plan.”

“Make it quick.” Sergeant Fenix said, popping off a few blind rounds down the hall.

Corporal Damon Baird poked his head out of the window, and found that there was a ledge of satisfactory width leading to another window. Easing his large frame slowly out the window, he gently shifted his weight onto the outcropping. Carefully, he began side-sliding his way to the next window, and was soon struck by how much more narrow the ledge seemed now that he was on it.

“This was a terrible idea. A stupid, terrible idea. 'Yeah, I'll just spider-monkey over to that window, standing on a two inch lip over a thousand foot plunge. No fuckin' biggie...'. Real smooth jackass.” he reprimanded himself, as he shuffled slowly along, belly to the wall, hands spread wide, searching for firm purchase. “Just take your time, there's no rush...”

From inside the linen closet, he heard Marcus holler, “Baird! I'm runnin' low on ammo! Whatever you plan on doin', make it fast!”

“God damn it...” Baird's heart sank as he picked up the pace. He was still a few yards from his goal, when a strong crosswind caught him by surprise, pushing his balance just over the edge. He reached out desperately, trying to grab a hold of anything to save himself, only to find himself halting mid-fall. He felt something pressing against his back, shoving him back up onto the ledge.

“Holy buck, you're heavy!” cracked a strained voice behind him. As Baird found a firm handhold in the masonry, he turned thank his savior.

“Rainbow Dash?”

“The one and only!” the cyan pony said as she struck a pose. “The guards asked all of us pegasuses to help airlift ponies out of the castle. I was just flying back in when I saw you slip.”

“I...I owe you one Kid-...Rainbow,” Damon said gratefully as his fingers finally grasped the edges of the next window. “Listen, You're gonna want to get out of here before too much longer, it's getting ugly in there.”

“Why, what's going on? All I saw were some ponies screaming and the fires.”

“It looks like our war followed us here. There's some real nasty Grubs making my day all kinds of difficult. I'm talking total panic in there.”

“Well then I can't leave yet!”

“Look, I'd love to sit here and play dollhouse with you, but I'm kinda strapped for time.”

“My friends are still in there! I won't leave without them.” The finality in her voice and the resolution in her eyes lent much credence to her sentiment, and the engineer knew that Marcus didn't have time for him to argue.

“Alright. But you do exactly as I say. If I say 'hide', you don't come out until I say different.”

“Gotcha!”

As he climbed into the window, the veteran soldier wondered briefly if she actually did comprehend what she was getting into. He refocused on the task at hand, and found himself in what appeared to be servant's quarters. He instructed Rainbow Dash to take cover under a double bunk, and once he was confident that she was well hidden, he carefully cracked the door, peering down into the hall. He was now on the left flank of the Locust, who were still distracted by Marcus' gunfire, though it was decreasing in frequency. 'Fenix must be almost out of ammunition.' he cringed. He had to hurry before the Sergeant was overrun. Gently, with very slow movements, so as not to attract attention, he slipped his pistol arm though the door and took aim.

They never saw it coming. One took a shot in the jaw, permanently removing his mandible. As he spun, Baird caught him a second time in the heart, putting him down for good. The other Drone stood from cover to try and pinpoint Baird's location, but was caught by a sudden burst of fire from the hallway.

'Nice shot Marcus,' Baird thought as he unloaded on the sole survivor. The Kantus took several hits before dropping to one knee, and began crawling back towards the stairs. Corporal Baird took careful aim with his pistol, ready to finish the deed.

*click*

Out of ammo. 'Well fuck that', Baird wasn't gonna let a single one of these assholes get away. No way in hell would he let them scar another world. He booted the door open and charged the retreating Priest. He kicked the Kantus hard in the ribs, crippling him further and sprawling him on the ground. Using his knee, the engineer put all of his weight onto the Locust's chest, pinning him down. His armored fist burned with rage, and with one hand the Gear held the Grub's throat tightly, squeezing it with every ounce of strength he could muster, while his other fist began raining heavy blows upon the monster's face.

“You. Will. Not. Hurt. These. PEOPLE!”

Every word was accentuated with another powerful strike, and with every bashing jab, the Locust's skull gave just a little further, eventually crushing under the onslaught of Baird's rage. The life fluids of the fallen Kantus dripped quietly from his sore knuckles and a smattering of grime covered his sweaty face. He was breathing heavily as he allowed himself to slide off the lifeless corpse, and only then did he notice the rosy eyes peering at him with utter terror from the door of the servants quarters. Rainbow Dash had seen it all.

“I...told you it'd get ugly...” Baird said weakly.

“Y-you...you k-killed them.....just like that.....”

The blonde engineer groaned as he rose to his feet. He picked up the Kantus' Gorgon sub-machine pistol, and inspected it as he continued. “This is our life. Kill, or be killed.” He holstered the weapon as Sergeant Fenix came down the hall. “You okay, Marcus?”

“I'll be better once I get my hands on a good old Lancer again.” he complained, picking up one of the fallen Drone's Hammerburst assault rifles, “But this will do for now.”

While Marcus policed what ammo he could from the bodies, Baird turned back to Rainbow, and he saw that her gaze was still locked on the motionless corpse of one of the Drones. Dropping to one knee, he looked her square in her tear filled eyes as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I'm sorry you had to see that...this war has made monsters of us all in a way. We bury our hearts deep, surrounded by six feet of armor and hardcore bullshit. But it's for the best. If I hadn't put them down, they would have done the exact same thing and much, much worse to you. To your friends. Now I need you to be strong, for them. Can you handle that, Ace?”

Rainbow's stare turned to Baird, and though he still saw fear, he saw the tiniest bit of resolve return. Her love and loyalty to her friends was too deeply engrained, and in that moment he knew that she'd go to the brink to drag them out of hell.

“So, are you ready to move Kiddo?”

“Y-yeah...I won't let these ugly freaks hurt my friends!”

Marcus smirked with satisfaction as he loaded up the Hammerburst. It wasn't COG tech, but it was still good to have a proper weapon again. He watched as Baird comforted the cyan pegasus, before ordering them to keep moving.

“Alright, we're nearly back to the room. Baird, Dash, let's head out.”

They reached their suite unhindered, and immediately began loading themselves up with every weapon they could carry. Marcus swapped the Hammerburst out for his faithful Lancer and Longshot rifle. They slapped fresh clips into their pistols, and reloaded Jack's compartments with spare ammo and grenades. Moments later, Rainbow's voice interrupted their work.

“Hey, look down there!” She exclaimed, glancing out the window.

Marcus walked over to follow her gaze, and for a moment wished that he hadn't. No less than fifty Locust soldiers were swarming the gardens below. 'Then again,' Marcus thought as he got a better look at the layout of the terrace surrounding the yard, 'If we could push them all down into the center of the garden, we could hold them there from the high ground and wipe them out.' He keyed his mic and relayed his orders to Dom.

“Dom! Get Shining Armor's troops down to the gardens and use those barriers to lock the Grubs there. We'll hold them in place until you show up.”

Between bouts of static and gunfire over his receiver, Marcus caught Santiago's reply.

“We'll try Marcus, but we're not really going anywhere right now. We've got them outnumbered, but they've got us outgunned. The shields are holding, but we're stuck here in the west hall.”

“They need help. Baird, take Jack and the rest of the weapons. Get down there. I'll cover the garden from here.”

“On it Marcus, but do you think you can hold all of the uglies by yourself?”

“I'll handle it. Go!”

“Alright, just be careful.” Baird said worriedly as he jogged out the door, followed by the invisible robot.

“Wait up! I'm coming too!” The rainbow maned pony choked, hurrying to catch the engineer.

'Looks like someone made a friend', Marcus thought with a small smile as he reached for his Longshot Sniper Rifle. He hefted the precision weapon, peering down into the garden, and the world of the scope came into view. Through the lens, he could see the cruel faces of the Locusts troops in gruesome detail. Every piercing, every scar, every snarling toothy maw, they were Marcus' to witness. Time slowed, and Marcus' world shrank. What he saw through the scope became his only reality, the world outside ceasing to exist. He took a breath to stabilize himself as he flicked the safety off of his weapon. Thunder rolled.

*CRACK*

“That's one...”

A Locust Drone fell dead, his head conspicuously absent. Marcus' hand flew back along the rifle, pulling the action open and ejecting the spent casing. In the same fluid motion, he slid it forward once more, locking a new round in the chamber as he re-entered the scope. Again, the shattering crack of the rifle rang clear above the garden.

“That's two.”

Again, and again, more of the Locust warriors fell to his deadly aim. A Kantus priest caught on to his position, but before he could signal his troops to open fire on the tower, Marcus claimed his head.

“THAT'S FIVE, MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!”

Slowly, Marcus picked off the key Grubs who dared make a break for the castle doors. Minutes passed and soon the Drones learned to fear leaving cover, beginning to fire their rifles blindly up at the castle towers, unsure of his location. After twenty minutes, the Locust had stopped exposing themselves altogether, hiding behind hedges and statues to protect themselves. 'Just as well...' Marcus thought. He was nearly out of ammunition. He had made seventeen beautiful shots with his rifle. He had scored seventeen kills. He loaded one of his remaining three rounds, and peered carefully down into the corpse littered garden, watching for any movement. At that moment, the castle doors burst open, and bright bubbles of glowing energy slowly crawled through. The royal guards had made it to the party.

The unicorns carefully spread themselves along the terrace, never allowing even a single exposed point in their rapidly expanding barrier. Soon, the garden was sealed in a ring of magical energy, and earth ponies began hurling heavy spears over the edges of the barrier, raining pointy death on those trapped within, while pegasi stomped on small storm clouds, showering the glade with hail and lightning. Marcus could see his squad mates lob grenades into the ring, not sure whether he was happier that they were all alive, or that the explosive weapons claimed the lives of no less than a dozen of the remaining Grubs.

Satisfied, Marcus turned to head downstairs, hoping to coordinate with the castle defenders to clean up any enemy forces that remained in the palace and city. To his shock and surprise, he was met by a tall figure standing in the door behind him.

Lean and muscular, with burning eyes of dark ebony, and carrying a wicked blade.

With a shrieking roar, the assassin attacked.

(A/N: WOW, this was a hard one to write. Definitely one of my least favorite chapters to write, even if it ended up being one of my favorites to read. Endless thanks must be showered upon Ciera_Bells for her help, this chapter wouldn't have turned out nearly as awesome. I've got work, and I'm starting school in a couple weeks, so I'll try and get as many chapters out as often as I can, but no promises that it won't be awhile between updates. Thank everyone for the reads and the support!)

Chapter 9: You First, Asshole

Death came at Marcus like a thunderbolt. Only razor sharp reflexes, honed by decades of front line combat enabled the seasoned veteran to raise his rifle in time to deflect to deadly Locust blade bearing down on him. The weight of the blow forced the human warrior to one knee as his sniper rifle bent and collapsed under the strain of the onslaught. Desperate to put some distance between himself and his sudden assailant, Marcus rolled backwards across the littered marble floor, dropping his now ruined Longshot and ducking into cover behind the solid oak wardrobe.

After taking a moment to catch his breath, he scoped out his situation. The pale, scaly figure was taller than the standard Grunt, and had obviously been trained much more diligently. He didn't appear to have any firearms, but the reach of his blade and apparent speed would make up for his lack of range. His strength was unbelievable, and the Gear knew he wouldn't be able to match him in a contest of pure power. Marcus was strangely reminded of his battle with the Kantus high priest Skorge in the Locust palace, and a thought entered his mind.

“You've been tracking us?”, he called out, digging for information.

The sergeant caught the briefest glimpse of pure hatred in his opponent's eyes as he replied in a voice like blended gravel.

“I have been hunting you.” The menacing swordsman replied, glaring at the wardrobe the Gear was using for cover, almost like he was trying to ignite it with nothing but the malice of his gaze.

“You killed the ponies in the forest?”

“I disposed of weak fools, not worthy of my strength! Their blood flowed for the Queen!”

“Ah, great.” Marcus thought as he pulled a small device from his belt. “A zealot.”

Sergeant Fenix was not allowed another moment's respite by his foe. The dark swordsman shifted his stance and lunged forward with the speed and grace of an old predator, his face twisted in an awful sneer. The assassin's sword pierced the wardrobe, penetrating into the Gear's cover. For the second time in mere moments, Marcus' fighting instincts had saved him. He dove across the floor and swung behind the lavish sofa, drawing his Lancer as he slid. The fiend drew his blade from the wooden armoire, shattering it in the process. A small “beep” was barely audible over the clatter of the furniture's destruction, and Marcus allowed himself the tiniest smirk of satisfaction in having read his opponent's moves so clearly. The proximity trigger set off the grenade he had planted on the wardrobe.

*WUMP*

A shower of fire and shrapnel violently sprayed the chamber, knocking the evil creature across the room, throwing him solidly into the granite wall. Some might have considered the battle over, but once again experience told Marcus that he wasn't out of trouble yet. Pulling the charge lever on his assault rifle, he proceeded to unleash a scalding rain of molten lead at his foe. Even as the first slugs spewed from the COG soldier's rifle however, the heavily muscled Locust was already to his feet, his mighty legs propelling him forward, dashing and dodging like a shadowy blur. In a moment, he was on top of Marcus again, the wicked steel of his blade striking like a viper seeking the blood of its prey. Sergeant Fenix was ready for him this time, his chainsaw bayonet already revved to speed. Metal blade and smoldering teeth clashed in a rain of sparks and smoke. The angry vibrations of the chainsaw rattled against the ancient steel of the Locust's sword. Though metal shavings and sweaty grime clouded his vision, Marcus stared down the imposing figure before him, each giving their fullest effort to break the others defenses. The Locust warrior pressed down, his full weight behind his blade, his lips spread into a disgusting facsimile of a cruel smile. A voice full of hate seethed from his clenched and blood stained teeth.

“Filthy human, you will die by my hand!”

The shaking of the blades came to a head, and for one dreadful instant the COG soldier could feel his position weakening. His muscles strained, his joints ached, and every inch of him burned. Marcus refused to give in, pushing every ounce of his being with the strength and tenacity he had built over a lifetime of war. Still, the Locust did not relent. Marcus could feel dark thoughts enter his mind. It would be so easy to let go, to just give up. Back and back he fell, his attacker as unforgiving as a hurricane of pure murderous intent. The Gear's heart surrendered hope as he was forced to one knee.

With a final push, the Locust let loose a rank howl as the fiend knocked Marcus' Lancer to the ground, dislocating the Gear's shoulder, and tossing the COG warrior across the room. As Marcus lay prostrate on the ground, his head spinning, his arm pounding and aching in agony, he felt his eyes grow heavy. He laid his head against the cool floor, and let himself drift. The Locust assassin stalked his prey, savoring every moment before the kill. Marcus knew it would be over soon. Then he heard something call to him, like a beacon in the darkest hours of midnight.

“Get up...”

The words washed over him like a wave crashing on a rocky shore. That voice...

“Marcus, get up...they still need you...”

The haunting voice of Carlos Santiago rang clear in his ears. Forcing himself over onto his belly, Marcus drug himself on his good arm through the debris of the ruined furniture. The dull footsteps of the predator pursued him, growing ever closer. Sergeant Fenix pushed himself forward, clawing his way an arm's length at a time. Just as he felt his fingers wrap tightly around something familiar, a scaled hand grasped the collar of his armor, and hoisted him up. Marcus was face to face with a visage of merciless death. The tainted maw spewed rancid breath that nearly made the Gear wretch, and the burning heat of a deepest loathing pierced the human from raging ebony eyes. The Locust's lips peeled back in a nightmarish smile, quivering in anticipation, as his rust colored fangs dripped with satisfaction.

“Know that you perish at the hands of Scryed. Your sins have brought the wrath of the Queen upon you. Now...die...”

“You first, asshole.”

Marcus jammed his ruined sniper rifle against Scryed's chest and jerked the trigger. The hammer fell, and the round detonated inside the twisted weapon, force exploding outward like a small pipe bomb. Shrapnel and fire tore across the Locust's torso, and his dark blood spilled and burned. The assassin dropped Marcus as he covered his wounds and screamed in rage.

“AAARGH, WRETCHED GROUNDWALKER!”

The aging Gear wasted no time in pressing his new found advantage. Tossing aside the smoldering remnants of his faithful Longshot and pulling a smoke grenade from his belt, he rushed Scryed with all the speed he could muster. Flicking the claw mechanism, he rammed the small cylinder into the staggering Locust's chest, the grenade's claws locking to the black leather armor. With every remaining ounce of strength he could manage, Marcus kicked Scryed in the chest, out through the glass doors and onto the veranda. Just as the Locust assassin halted his backward momentum, the grenade detonated. The concussive blast knocked the hideous creature over the railing, and Marcus could hear a blood chilling scream fade into the distance.

Marcus clutched tightly at his dislocated arm. Through the shattered glass doors, he could still make out the sounds of battle. Delicately, he bent down and retrieved his Lancer rifle, then made for the door. His job wasn't done yet.

Somewhere below, Celestia's guards were just completing the work of mopping up the intruders in the garden. As the bulk of the ponies moved on to secure the rest of the palace, a small phalanx remained to protect the area. Cloud Twister, a pegasus in the Royal Air Force had been instructed to patrol the area and report any further enemy activity directly to Captain Shining Armor, despite the young pony's protests and wishes to fight on the front line. He was just making a low aerial pass of the perimeter when he noticed the glass ceiling of one of the garden's many pavilions had been caved in. He alighted on the roof, and peered in.

A large mass lay in a small crater in the marble floor. Dark blood pooled around the figure, and its entire body was covered in lacerations. A long sword lay nearby, shattered and ruined. Gently fluttering down, Cloud approached the body, his curious nature egging him to get a close up view of the face of the enemy. He nudged the body with his hoof gently, and it lay as still as ever. At the back of his mind, Cloud could feel part of himself shouting “retreat!”, but the bold and adventurous nature of his pegasus blood overrode any sense of self-preservation. He prodded again at the figure, attempting to roll the massive being over onto its back, and faster than he could even let loose a yelp, an iron grip was around his throat.

The bloodied Locust's eyes sprang open, and he began heaving blood and glass shards from his lungs. The excruciating pain was good. It meant he was alive. He hadn't yet failed in his mission. Not completely. The element of surprise was gone, but he would redeem himself, and slaughter the humans.

Cloud Twister's small armored hooves beat against Scryed's arm, but the Locust was much too strong, despite his injuries. With a quick squeeze he collapsed the pony's airway, and discarded the body on the floor as though it were trash. With reverence, he took up the hilt of his broken blade, enraged at its ruination. The fire in his icy heart raged and he retreated. This day belonged to the humans, but he would see that they suffered...

A/N: HEY EVERYONE!!! I'm back! I know, it's been a long year, and I'm TRULY sorry for the wait, but with this submission, I hope to return to a regular schedule of updates. Thanks to everyone for your encouraging words while I was away, and I hope you find the action worth the wait. For you new readers, I hope that the story is as entertaining to read as it is to write. See you again soon!