Jet Force Twilight

by Moon Flame

Rating: mature
Tags: Royal Guard, Pinkie Pie, Sex, Science Fiction, Suicide / Self Harm, Twilight Sparkle, Profanity, Violence, Crossover, Wonderbolts, Dark, Death, Alternate Universe, Main 6, Thriller, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 71824

An epic space adventure with high stakes action and a character driven B story. Prepare for sex, blood, tears and cute ponies!!!

Canterlot has been attacked, the princess of friendship is single hoofly responsible for the return of Mizar, the evil robot and inter-galactic space dictator who carried out the cowardly deed. But Mizar did one fatal mistake – He failed to kill Twilight Sparkle.

The mane 6 started out as happy inseparables. With or without Twilight's lust for vengeance cleansed the question still shoots across the infinity of space like the red scar across her face. - Will Twilights friendship with Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Apple Jack ever be the same again after everything is said and done?

As for Mizar, he won't stop until the only threat against his supremacy is taken care of, nor may Juno, Vela and Lupus, along with the rest of the Gemini Squadron ever forgive the ponies for setting him loose again. The forte of the mane 6 is friendship, but where their inter galactic journey goes, they may find themselves without the latter. Space is no place for ponies, and these ponies are far away from Equestria.

Authors note: All connections are explained, Goldenpie is not required to read in order to understand this story, neither are a playthrough of Jet Force Gemini necessary. I hope you enjoy this character driven B story of mine about my favorite game and TV Show. /) ! ! !

Published 2018-07-16 20:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2019-04-30 05:46:21 UTC

The Red Gala

Starlight’s spell hit Mizar straight on his robot arm, causing him to stagger. The blast from his pistol flashed the side of Twilights face. Starlight growled while her horn gave another glow. Twilight was flung halfway across the room by Starlight’s throwing spell.

Twilight heard more blasts as she opened her eyes.

“Wrap this up.” Mizar ordered his soldiers. The ants answered their commander by making a noise that sounded like a highly pitched pig grunt.

“Grueeei!”

The mingling room was formed like a square. Mizar’s minions had the entrance behind them. Not far to their right was an open door that lead to the room next door. There were no other entrances and only tables for cover. All the ponies were unarmed. The ants aimed their rifles into the crowd and squeezed the triggers.

Twilight’s mind was still trying to progress what was happening. Her ears were ringing with grogginess and the sound of laser fire. She saw Rainbow Dash push a table to take cover behind. She saw a Wonderbolt crumble to the ground.

“Help! Help me ha...!” Her pleading was cut abruptly. More pleads could be heard around the room, each one ending with the same cut.

Mizar saw one of the target ponies fall to the ground. He wasn’t sure how long this would take. It didn’t matter though, by the time the Jet Force group made it here this thing would be wrapped up.

The world almost appeared to stand still, moving like in slow motion. The earth pony counted three targets. She noticed two more ant soldiers coming from the other room as she galloped out from her hiding place. Her blue eyes became dreamy. What was it called when someponys eyes became dreamy and the ‘dream’ part of the analogy was a nightmare? Pinkie Pie had no idea, all she knew was that she felt like sharing it.

The blue ant turned around and spotted one of the target ponies coming toward him. He raised his weapon and fired. The laser went straight through the flying pink dress, leaving behind black holes. Confused the ant looked down and spotted the pink pony that recently wore it. When he first had seen her, her mane had been fluffy on top of her head. It was now hanging limply down at her sides, her blue eyes looking coldly at him. She jumped up on him, grabbed his arm and twisted.

“Griiiih!”

The other bug wailed around and spotted the pink pony hanging on his friend. He raised his weapon and fired, watching the pink pony hurl herself and turn his friend before he was able. The blue ant screeched when the fire from his friend hit him in the chest. The shooter saw the gun of his friend fall toward the ground. The pink pony reached down and caught it in midair. It was the last thing the shooter saw. The door behind the ant spattered green with bug blood.

Suddenly the room was filled with bug screams instead of pony screams. Rainbow Dash leaned out of her cover and spotted Pinkie Pie. She was running on two hooves while dual wielding the weapons recently belonging to the shooters. She fired both of them toward the other doorway were several other ants were. One of them was standing in the open now, probably expecting the ponies to be unarmed. Pinkie Pie used both guns to riddle him. The body of the ant twisted and turned. His severed arm went sailing before he fell.

“Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash called.

Pinkie Pie tossed one of her weapons to Dash, who went on plain gut concerning how to use these horrible things. The recoil wasn’t the worst but she could feel the heat from the firing mechanism.

The room littered with the flashing lines of incoming lasers, making Whooing sounds as they came. The party cake was hit. The laser made a large hole through it while the cream melted by the heat. Glasses that was hit shattered and burned black.

Mizar was firing from the room next door. The pink pony showed herself now and then but it was almost like she knew exactly when he and his ants, which were actually mechanical drones, would fire in advance because she always had perfect timing. One of the drones waited for her. Once the pink pony leaned out he took the shot. She dodged the laser by moving her head slightly to the left. Pinkie’s returning laser went straight through the drone, who fell sideways onto the castle floor in green splatter.

Mizar thought he could just make use of his self-mending abilities, charge the pink menace and kill her but one shot was all Twilight needed with her horn to undo his self-reviving spell, just like Mizar only had needed one to end Twilight. Stupid diamond pony!

Suddenly, Mizar heard more blasts coming from the other side of the room. He turned around and spotted a blue-haired human woman with braids at her sides. Following her was a dog. It was an all too familiar sight.

Jet Force Gemini

“Finish this!” Mizar ordered his drones and fired at the window, causing it to shatter. Several blasts came from the woman. They flashed by Mizar before he successfully made his escape.

Pinkie Pie heard more bug screams coming from the other room, along with more blasts. Her face twisted in bewilderment. What is going on?

Silence fell over the mingling hall. It went on for almost a minute. The ponies slowly realized that they were out of harm’s way. The silence was then cut with wails of despair when their attention shifted to the ponies on the ground. Twilight looked out from behind her hiding place. In the corner of her eye she saw Apple Jack trying to stand up. Rarity still seemed to be in the progress of realizing what just happened. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash looked out from behind their table cover.

But Twilights eyes focused on neither of these things. Her head spun around in circles by the sight of Starlight Glimmer. Twilight wasn’t sure how, but suddenly she found herself standing over her, looking down over her lilac colored coat with purple, blue streaked mane. A small creak of blood ran down from underneath her unicorn head.

“Starlight?!” A highly pitched voice panicked. Pinkie Pie came galloping. She pressed her pink hooves against Starlight’s coat and buried her face inside it, feeling it’s pulseless touch. It was then like the castle itself was screaming. Pinkie Pie’s uncontrollable crying filled the hallway like a hurricane. Twilight stared down at her former student in disbelief.

“Starlight!?” Fluttershy wailed.

“Oh no!” Rarity screamed.

“Sweet Celestia, not Starlight!” Apple Jack screamed.

She was the raiser of the sun. Her name was known throughout Equestria as both a name and an expression. She now heard that expression coming from Apple Jack with the following name that pretty much confirmed her worst fears. Princess Celestia watched the doors to the mingling room open. What she then came to grips with would come to be not her worst fears, but a nightmare version of it.

The entire room was completely swallowed up with ponies screaming over coats of different colors. She saw a mare crying over one of the guards. She saw Wonderbolt member Fleetfoot crying over the lifeless body of Blaze, the usually confident Spitfire holding her with a gradually cracking face. She spotted Lyra Heartstring, trying to shake life in BonBon. Coco Pommel was doing the same over what appeared to be her grandmare. To her right Celestia spotted two foreign figures standing in the doorway. One of them appeared to be a dog with a military uniform and a weapon attached on his back. The other, Celestia recognized, was a human female with blue hair. She appeared to be staring at the scene.

Right in the middle of the room Celestia spotted Pinkie Pie being nothing but a screaming heap of pink coat over Starlight Glimmer. Behind the pink pony was Fluttershy and Rarity sobbing in each other’s hooves. Rainbow Dash was just starring with pupils small like breadcrumbs at the whole scene. Apple Jack was halfway to Starlight but was hindered by her hoof being wounded. It was now that Celestia’s eyes meet Twilight Sparkle.

Blood was pouring down over the left side of her lavender face. Twilight’s purple eyes looked into Celestia’s, guilt swimming inside of them. They waited for Celestia to say something. Celestia usually had so much to say, but now, for the first time in a millennium, Princess Celestia was trying to chase the time passed instead of the time chasing her, she had no idea what to say. Once Twilight realized this she felt like she needed to ask a friend.

Maybe she could ask Starlight Glimmer for advice? Yes, she could ask her. Why wouldn’t she? If Twilight had been able to always ask her before then why wouldn’t she be able to do it now?

Twilight looked down at her former student. She folded her hooves around Pinkie Pie and let her own tears fall.

A princesses farwell

The tall grass wavered over the green slopes outside Ponyville. Patches of dirt offered ways for rodents to dig colonies under it and opportunities for berries to bloom in the summer. Indeed, somepony could say that these berries came from the earth below, and that the very same earth received nourishment from the dead things that laid under it.

Twilight remember what she herself had said to Starlight Glimmer when she had stood in front of Trixie’s gravestone inside the Goldeneye movie.

I know it’s hard. Even though she will be back if we sort this out, she still died in your hooves.

But this was no movie. Starlight Glimmer was dead, from Equestria and from every possible place. Twilight thought about all the friendship advices of Starlight that had turned out valuable, even though Starlight herself had been pretty cynical as a pony. Even after her time as a dictator of a small village Starlight Glimmer had stood tall as an antihero and a true friend that always had something good to say.

It had gone days since the Canterlot attack. Twilight looked down at the gravestone that had a pink star with two tail-like symbols engraved on it. It was the cutie mark of Starlight Glimmer. Starlight’s family had already been there and mourned the loss of their daughter.

Twilight took a glance sideways at her friends. Pinkie Pie had laid down a flower for the pony she loved. Apple Jack was far from her modest self, her cowboy hat removed in respect. A bandage was covering her back hoof. Rarity was sad, not like the shifting diva she usually was, but like a pony that could stay that way for the rest of her life. Fluttershy was sobbing while having her hooves embracing Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash was far from the confident flier she usually was, her face lowered in sadness. Trixie the unicorn had just spoken about what her best friend in the world meant to her. Twilight had one of her hooves laid on her back in a comforting gesture.

Yes, it was the gravestone of Starlight Glimmer, and the earth would be her contribution to the berries that would be growing in the summer, but Twilight would not be growing with her. It was exactly this thought that sent the alicorn princess into the state of rage that she was in right now.

Twilight was seeing Starlight’s smiling face in front of her, but at the same time imagining Mizar stuck under her hoof. When she found him he had been nothing more than a computer chip. She had given him a body, her alicorn magic, a reason to live and this was how he had repaid her?

Oh yes, Twilight imagined him stuck under her hoof while watching his robot eyes fading into everlasting darkness. For so long Twilight had lived to see other creatures let friendship into their hearts, but this one she wanted to just die. She hated him. She hated Mizar with all her heart.

Twilight faced the blue sky. She couldn’t help but feel that Mizar was waiting for her, somewhere out there. Waiting for her to find him, take away that undeserving alicorn gift she gave him, pin him to the ground and snarl.

WHY!?

Twilight thought about the speech Celestia gave to her subjects immediately after the attack.

“We may only be mere ponies, but mark my word, we will not rest until the party, guilty of this cowardice attack on the free ponies of Equestria, have been brought to justice!”

This was what Twilight had heard Celestia say in public. Behind closed doors, though, things had sounded completely different. Twilight thought back on the earlier meeting that she had with Celestia, her sister Luna and some other ponies that were responsible of political relationships. This was the moment when Celestia's strong voice with consequent words had turned into weak reasoning with hesitation. Twilight had slammed her hooves over the table during the meeting.

“Then what are we waiting for?! Let us gather the troops and go after him!”

“Twilight. We all understand that you want justice after what happened but we really need to be careful how our actions are interpreted by the other parties involved.” Celestia had replied.

The meeting had then been about politics. Ambassadors, spies, offerings and deals. Twilight knew that, as a princess, she should take all these things into consideration, but all she could think about was those cutting pleads inside the castle. She imagined one of them belonging to Starlight Glimmer, screaming in agony, calling for help and then, just like that, gone.

“Where are you going sugarcube?” Apple Jack asked when she saw Twilight leave the grave.

“To talk to Celestia.”

Twilight used her alicorn wings to fly all the way to Canterlot. Underneath her ran the main town with its colorful houses and shops. The ponies that were out was walking along the streets with nervous appearances.

Ever since Mizar’s drones attacked Canterlot it was almost like ponies were walking with death himself by their side. For days Twilight hadn’t seen any of the relatives of the ponies that was killed in the attack. Only the Wonderbolts seemed to defy the silence as they have had several flight-shows in the memory of Blaze. Lyra Harpstring had written a harp piece in the memory of BonBon. Rarity was still trying to grasp what had happened, even now when days had passed. Maybe that had something to do with her watching Starstreak take a blast to the head and die before hitting the ground? Caramel was still at the hospital, fighting for his life, his coat burned severely by laser blasts that luckily hadn’t reached his heart. Thinking about all this made Twilight only more determined. She began a spiral dive.

Princess Celestia heard the door to the throne room open. The moment she saw Twilight’s face she knew why she was there.

“Yes Twilight?”

“I am going after him!”

Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Twilight, we talked about this.”

“No, With all respect Celestia, no more talking. That monster is out there because of me and for every moment we hesitate we will only give him more time to prepare his next strike.”

“You don’t know that Twilight.”

“I know that he came for me and that ponies died because of it. Nopony else is dying, I must at least know why!”

“We all want those ponies’ death’s not to be in vain Twilight, not me, not Luna, not those other ponies, not even those two strangers that arrived during the attack. I haven’t told you yet Twilight, but one of those fighters went by the name of Vela and she gave me some worrying reports.”

Celestia leaned her head forward and made her voice clearer. “We still do not know why, but it appears that you aren’t the only one who is blaming you for Mizar’s return. Apparently, a large number of humans that make up the Gemini Squadron sees it that way too, some of them even belonging to the leading ranks.”

Twilight’s angry face gained a guilty core the longer Celestia spoke.

“After you accidentally helped Mizar he went out and rebuilt is army again. Ever since then he has terrorized entire planets and invaded Earth, the home planet of the humans. To many of them you are the creator of Mizar and therefore their enemy. If we march out with a pony army now we risk sending the signal that we are coming for his aid. We might face the full wrath of the human space armada upon arrival.”

“Then I’ll go first and tell them that I won't stop until Mizar is brought down.” Twilight suggested.

“We can’t risk it being interpreted as a trick. They might decide to take you as a hostage. I can't risk it.”

“I can risk it.”

“It is too dangerous.”

“I am dangerous.”

“Now, young mare. Let’s not be that way...”

“STARLIGHT GLIMMER IS DEAD!”

Twilight’s breathing echoed inside the throne room. “I helped him because I felt sorry for him, because I thought that he needed a friend and he repaid me by murdering my very first pupil!”

“Mizar lied to you about his identity and what he did before. He manipulated you. There is no way you could have known. You must not blame yourself.”

Twilight was shaking with anger. “Blame has nothing to do with it! I deserve to know why!”

“And what are you gonna do when you find him?”

Twilight glared at Celestia with her eyes and mouth half open. The barely healed wound from Mizar’s pistol was showing as a red scar that ran all the way across the left side of her face. “I’ll ask him why.”

“And what are you going to do after you have done that?” Celestia asked firmly.

Twilight turned around and started walking toward the exit. “I will know why.”

Celestia closed her eyes, her face contorting in realization. Twilight was going to leave whether she wanted it or not. Maybe she would have let her too if it weren't for those half-closed eyes she just saw, those dark pupils of remorselessness, the scar only adding to the menacing truth.

“ANSWER ME LADY!” Celestia exploded.

Twilight turned her scarred appearance around. Celestia took one more look into the eyes of the Princess of Friendship. They told her all she needed to know.

“Do you mean to kill him?”

Twilight hesitated. Within her hesitation she blinked, lowered her head and laid her hoof behind her head.

“No.”

“Do you mean to kill him!?” Celestia spelled out. Twilight’s face remained static with guilt. “Twilight. I really wished I didn’t have to remind you of this, but you are the princess of friendship, not the princess of vengeance!”

“He deserves to die.”

“That is beside the point! Right now, hundreds of thousands of lonely fillies and colts are looking up to you as an inspiration that they too will have a friend one day! Tell me Twilight, how will it affect their hope if they see you bringing home Mizar’s head?!”

Twilight had seen Celestia angry a few times before but now the thousand-year-old alicorn was bordering with fury. Her white face seemed to almost be covered in shadows in front of her hardened pupils.

“I don’t want to kill him. I just want to know why.”

“For the same reason, and that reason won't bring Starlight Glimmer back!”

Twilight lowered her head and spread her wings. “You are right, Celestia.” Twilight faced the ancient alicorn again. “As much as I can't live with myself if I never know why Starlight died, or how unable I will be to be an adversary for friendship when it was friendship that lead me to trust Mizar in the first place, as long as I am the princess of friendship this is not a mission that I can go on.”

Celestia was taken a back. She hadn’t expected the conversation to head in this direction. “What are you saying Twilight?”

The throne room became silent. Its windows were painted with glass pictures of Celestia, Luna and Twilight Sparkle, the princesses of Equestria. They had been brooded to last for a thousand years, maybe even longer then the alicorns lived themselves. Celestia shook her head.

“Twilight, I can't.”

“I resign.”

“Do you know what this means?”

“Yes.”

Celestia studied Twilight’s face, who did not seem to show any sign of regret. Celestia felt sadness.

“I am sorry Celestia, but I don’t think I will ever be able to live with myself again unless I know why.”

“Is this what you truly want?” Celestia asked.

“Yes.”

Celestia raised her giant, white wings and closed her eyes.

“As you wish.”

Twilight readied herself. Celestia opened her eyes again to warn her.

“It will hurt.”

“I have made my decision.”

Celestia’s horn started glowing with an intense light. Twilight Sparkle was engulfed with an orb that lifted her from the ground. The throne room was filled with a curving banderole of light that flowed from the flashing orb. Twilight could no longer subdue her senses. Her painful moans could be heard when the light intensified. The orb flashed again before disappearing, along with Celestia’s gift that she had once entrusted her student.

Twilight stood still on the castle floor. She took a glance back at her flank. Her cutie mark remained a pink star but her mere unicorn back gaped wingless.

“Now I can’t stop you.” Twilight heard Celestia say. She looked up at her old mentor, but her mentor wasn’t looking at her. “Just go.”

Twilight looked at her flank again, then at the door. She felt the urge to face Celestia again but that, Twilight thought, would only cause her to develop regret. The former alicorn kept facing the exit as she walked out of the throne room.

Twilight decided to take the train back to Ponyville. She was walking along the main station when a mare and a colt approached.

“Excuse me Miss. You are Twilight Sparkle, right?” The mare asked nervously. Twilight stopped and looked at the mare, then at the young colt, who were laying his hoof behind his neck nervously.

“Yes.” Twilight answered.

The mare reached out a copy of the friendship journal that Twilight released some time ago. “Princess, Twilight Sparkle?” The mare asked and brought out a quill to sign the journal with. The colt looked at Twilight with admiring eyes.

Twilight felt herself reach out to sign, but in reality, her hooves stayed in place. Obviously, the mare hadn’t noticed that Twilight had no alicorn wings. Twilight shook her head.

“You mean Twilight Sparkle the princess? I’m sorry, but you got the wrong pony.”

Twilight proceeded boarding the train. The colt looked at his mother with a questioning face. The mare looked bewildered after Twilight while the train doors closed.

The land of Equestria sailed by outside. Twilight watched the passing green hills and tall mountains from the train window. She still had no idea how she would travel to space, but for now she needed to focus on breaking the news of her resignation to her friends. Twilight spotted a giant blue aircraft outside. Two of its engines was pointing down toward the ground while two pointed back toward the rear. Ponyville laid just ahead and Twilight never remember seeing it before. She wondered if it belonged to the Gemini soldiers that Celestia mentioned earlier.

Twilight made sure not to be seen by anypony on her way to her castle. Upon entering she was approached by her dragon assistant, Spike.

“Twilight. I’ve been looking everywhere for you! The others saw you leave and...” Spike paused. His eyes widened in shock. “Twilight! What happened to your wings?!”

“Gather the others Spike. I need everypony here now.”

“Yes, of course. What happened?”

“I explain later Spike, just make sure that you bring all of the elements here.” Twilight ordered.

Spike watched Twilight disappear into a dressing room, the door closing behind her. Being a humble dragon assistant, Spike followed orders and asked questions later. He brought Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Apple Jack and Fluttershy there. They too were now standing outside Twilight’s dressing room.

“Did you have any luck with Pinkie Pie?” Rarity asked Spike.

“No Rarity. I tried again and again but she seem to have locked herself inside her room at Sugarcube Corner.”

“Could anypony please tell me what in tarnation this is about?” Apple Jack asked. Being an apple grower, her country accent sailed upon her vocals. Suddenly, the door to the dressing room opened. Twilight’s hooves sent echoes along the hallway as she walked out. Apple Jack’s eyes widened in chock.

“What the?”

Twilight’s lavender coat could barely be seen behind the brown leather clothes she was wearing. They were held together by metal rings that went around her hooves. Small silver star ornaments covered the side of her body. Her mane had been cut and greased sideways, ending in a raggedy point. Her purple and violet streaked tail had also been cut poorly, resulting in a messy end that was similar to Rainbow Dash’s look.

“Darling, what happened to your wings?!” Rarity asked shocked. Being a fashionista, Rarity’s cobalt colored mane and tail curled in gracious ways.

“I resigned.”

“So, you’re not a princess anymore?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight walked past her friends without looking at them. All of them stared bewildered at their friend, whom they felt had changed in more ways than one. Twilight stopped and glanced back at them. The red scar could barely be seen due to the shadow over her face.

“Anypony want to help me bring Mizar to the scrap yard?”

Rarity, Apple Jack and Fluttershy studied the intentions of one another. Rainbow Dash’s face twisted into a rad grin. She flapped her wings and hovered above the floor.

“Oh YEA! Now we’re talking! I love your new look by the way Twilight, you look awesome!”

Twilight turned around and faced the pegasus pony.

“It is going to be extremely dangerous.”

“Danger is my middle name! If getting through it means that I get to smack the asshole responsible for the death of Starlight and Blaze then count me in!”

“What’s the plan?” Rarity asked.

“The plan is to convince the humans to help me get rid of Mizar. I am not asking you to come with me, but if you are, then make sure to tell your loved ones’ goodbye, we might not come back alive.”

Rarity and Apple Jack glanced at each other nervously, remembering how fast the lives inside the Canterlot mingling room had ended.

“Of course, we want to come with you sugarcube.” Apple Jack said.

“Me too. It’s just the way you put it, are you sure that this is not a suicide mission?” Rarity asked worried.

"I’m not.”

“In that case, we’re not so sure.” Rarity replied with regret.

“As a matter of fact, we’re not sure if we want YOU to go sugarcube.” Apple Jack pleaded.

“I will go, with or without you, and if you aren’t sure then you shouldn’t come with me.”

“Twilight darling. Are you sure you aren’t rushing this?” Rarity asked diplomatically. Rainbow Dash’s face twisting in irritation.

“Come on guys! Can’t you see that she is ready for anything?! I am a Wonderbolt, and when you have a mission you follow through without hesitation.” Rainbow Dash sounded like a general. She looked at Twilight and smiled, treating her like the latter. “I will follow you through rain and snow Twili, and if Mizar’s blue bug dudes stand in the way, then I will do to them what Pinkie Pie did to them at your gala party!”

Twilight hesitated. She hadn’t expected her friends to be so forthcoming in coming with her. Part of her wanted to remain bluntly focused on her own goals but she felt the noble spirit of the pegasus pony reach inside her heart. Being rebellious wasn’t going to be enough, Twilight needed to become a leader.

“That is exactly what I wanted to hear soldier!” Twilight boomed.

Rarity and Apple Jack still seemed hesitant to the idea. Fluttershy looked at Rainbow Dash with googly eyes. She felt her final decision dancing at the tip of her tongue due to previous events.

When Trixie, Pinkie Pie and the late Starlight got stuck inside the Goldeneye movie a while back it had been Twilight’s decision to not go with them, fearing it would only make matters worse. However, during an extreme circumstance when the ponies inside had suddenly been attacked by a military helicopter, Twilight decided to send Rainbow Dash in to aid them.

Rainbow Dash had successfully destroyed the helicopter but lost one of her wings in the progress. It was then that Twilight had sent Fluttershy as an emergency nurse to save Rainbow Dash from dying of blood loss. Of course, Rainbow Dash got her wing back again after they all made it out of the movie, but it hadn’t been easy to nurse the proud pegasus back to health. Fading in and out of extreme fever, Rainbow Dash had been plagued by nightmares. Fluttershy remember it like yesterday. Watching her lying there, shaking constantly while seeming so lonely.

Fluttershy remember herself, in that moment, thinking back to when she was just a filly, lonely and afraid, tormented by bullies. Rainbow Dash had been the only pony that stood up to them. Watching Rainbow Dash lying on that cloud bed, Fluttershy felt that Dashie was the one who was lonely and afraid while it was Fluttershy’s time to aid her, and that was exactly what the yellow pegasus did. With every moment Rainbow Dash got better, Fluttershy had felt more like her guardian, repaying her for the time in flight school when Rainbow Dash had been hers.

Rainbow Dash had eventually gotten well enough to get out of bed. Fluttershy remember walking up to her, feeling like her role as a guardian would end. It was then that she had realized the truth. Her role as Rainbow Dash’s guardian would never end. It reached all the way from her hooves to her heart.

Fluttershy still remember the time inside the Goldeneye movie when it reached, not only to her heart, but to her head. From her head to her mouth. From her mouth to Rainbow Dash’s mouth. From Rainbow Dash’s mouth to Rainbow Dash’s heart, beating against hers as she laid with her on that cloud.

“I’m coming with you too!”

Apple Jack and Rarity looked bewildered at the yellow pegasus pony, known for her shy ways and prone to violence.

“Fluttershy?” Rarity asked surprised.

Fluttershy though about another moment inside Goldeneye, when she had been forced to snap out of her fear, pick up injured Rainbow Dash’s assault rifle and suppress a group of advancing human elite soldiers because she didn’t want Rainbow Dash to die.

“We may not all be ready to face what’s about to come," Fluttershy said, raising her voice. "But if our friends are ready to face it then the least we can do is being ready to carry them when they don't have the strength to carry on!”

Twilight knew she was wearing tight leather, but hearing the speech of Fluttershy made her feel like a small filly, trying to be a grown up by putting on her mother’s clothes.

Apple Jack and Rarity looked with shameful eyes at one another. If Fluttershy had the guts to join Twilight with such determination then what dignified reason did they have to decline? Rarity remembered herself during the same shootout as Fluttershy, wielding a wall demolishing shotgun. Apple Jack remember the same shootout too when she covered them with a sniper rifle, helping them to drive the soldiers away. Apple Jack and Rarity grinned at each other.

“Twilight. You can count me in!” Apple Jack boomed.

“I have a dress at Carousel Boutique, made for Starlight Glimmer that will never be worn. Mizar will pay for his crimes!” Rarity exclaimed.

“Good.” Twilight said grinning.

“Eh, hello. Haven’t we forgotten about somepony!?” Rainbow Dash asked while waving her hooves incredulously. Twilight had waited for the question to pop up.

“Right. Where is Pinkie Pie?”

Pinkie Pie thought she heard the sound of a teleporting unicorn behind her. She immediately recognized who it was without turning around.

“Pinkie Pie. What are you doing in the darkness?”

The upper floor window had been drawn and the door locked. The only light source was a candle that burned on the writing table. Pinkie Pie sat in front of it.

“I knew this would happen.” The pink pony said with a weak voice.

Twilight sighed. “I should never have been so naive when Mizar called himself Floyd.”

“That wasn’t what I meant.”

Twilight looke bewildered at Pinkie, as if to ask. What was it then? Pinkie Pie looked down at her own hooves.

“I knew she would find me.”

“Find you?”

“Pinkamena.”

Twilight’s horn gave a spark, hoping to shed light over more than the room. She trotted up to Pinkie Pie.

“Pinkie Pie, what...?” Twilight felt her throat drop. “Pinkie, what are those scars!?”

All over Pinkie's right hoof she had a set of scars that ran diagonally. Some of them seemed fresher than others.

“I made them myself. Twilight, Pinkamena is real and she’s breaking free.”

Twilight grabbed the party pony and spun her chair around. Pinkie Pie’s mane was curly and fluffy as usual, but her face was far from smiling.

“How long have you been doing this to yourself Pinkie!?”

“Recently.”

“RECENTLY?! Is that a day, a moon, several moons!?”

Ever since Twilight came to Ponyville Pinkie Pie had pretty much been happiness ponified. What hope did Equestria have if Pinkie Pie sank into despair, let alone in such a tragic way?

“A couple of days.”

Twilight’s face softened in realization. “Is it after what happened at the Gala?”

Pinkie Pie closed her eyes and nodded. Her mouth twisted, her eyebrows dropping. Tears leaked out from under them. Sobbing, she collapsed in Twilight’s hooves.

“It is Starlight, isn’t it?”

“I can’t live without her!”

“You loved her.”

Twilight felt the pink head in her hooves nod. “I wanted to marry her!”

“That is beautiful Pinkie Pie, Starlight Glimmer would have been so happy.” Twilight comforted.

Several minutes passed. Pinkie Pie’s crying faded, thinking about Twilight’s last words. It calmed her down when imagining Starlight’s happy face upon receiving the news.

“Feeling better?”

Pinkie Pie nodded. Twilight ran her hoof over her back in a comforting gesture. Of course, Twilight would never ask Pinkie Pie to come with her, not while she was in this fragile state, but she couldn’t leave her unknowing either.

“Me and the girls will be going away for a while.”

Pinkie Pie had stopped crying. She looked up at Twilight with bewildered blue eyes.

“Go away? Where?”

“To space. We’re going out to find Mizar.”

“Find Mizar? But Twilight, Mizar is dangerous.”

“I know Pinkie, but I have no choice. The return of Mizar is my fault and the humans feel the same way. I have to find him and stop him from terrorizing the universe on my account, every second I spend here means more danger of Equestria becoming a target again.”

“But then you might have to kill him.” Pinkie pointed out.

“Yes Pinkie, I might, but I don’t think you should come, not in the condition you’re in. You need to stay here and seek comfort among your other friends.”

“But aren’t you the princess of friendship? What signal would you killing somepony send to your subjects?” Pinkie Pie asked the same question that Celestia had asked earlier. Twilight did not need to answer. Pinkie Pie realized why her hooves around Twilight had felt oddly free.

“Your wings. Twilight, your wings are gone!” Pinkie Pie’s face relaxed while the realization hit her. “You quit, didn’t you?”

“It was the only way. I simply could not live on as a princess without knowing why Starlight died, why I needed to die. Either Mizar tells me the truth or I’ll send him to the grave with it.”

“But don’t we already know the truth? That magical gift you gave him can only be undone by you.” Pinkie Pie argued, still not sure why Twilight needed to go.

“I don’t know, but if that is the case.” Twilight’s voice gained a snarl. “If my gift that I gave to him as a sign of our friendship became the reason for him to murder my friends...” Twilight released Pinkie Pie and started walking toward the exit. The red scar on her face glistened in the wake of the patching sunlight coming from the curtained window. “Then he’ll better pray that I never find him.”

Pinkie Pie turned her face down and let her thought’s race for a moment. She gasped. “Twilight, wait!”

Twilight turned around

“Who am I?” Pinkie asked.

“Who are you?”

“Yes, who am I?”

Twilight’s serious face of vengeance softened. “You? You are Pinkie Pie.”

“I am Pinkie Pie?”

“Yes, of course you are.”

There was an explosion. Twilights mane was covered in confetti from Pinkie Pie’s hidden party cannon. The room lit up again, along with Pinkie’s party smile.

“Then Pinkie Pie is coming with you!” She trotted up and shook Twilight’s cheek. “Who else is going to put a smile on your grumpy faces?”

Twilight felt her mouth rise, feeling all her previous worries disappear. Maybe Twilight needed Pinkie Pie more than Pinkie needed her? One more worry remained though.

“But no more hurting yourself!” Twilight scolded.

Pinkie Pie looked bewildered at Twilight.

“Hurting? Why would Pinkie Pie hurt herself?”

“Promise!”

“Yes, I promise.” Pinkie Pie answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Good!”

Twilight already knew how to go about this. She remembered the blue ship that she saw during the train ride back to Ponyville. She was sure it belonged to the Gemini fighters. Twilight and her friends watched it from a vantage point on top of a hill. The ponies were just about to head down to it when Twilight had second thoughts.

“Wait!” Her friends faced her. “I’ll head down first. You stay here and watch out for trouble. If you see a Gemini fighter don’t intervene.”

“Not much of a ‘Watching out for trouble’ if we don’t do anything when it arrives.” Rainbow Dash pointed out.

“We don’t want to scare them away if they come back. I’m going to take a look inside. Unless you hear the sound of gunfire, wait here.”

It felt like a fever dream, thinking they would see Twilight head down there alone and hear the sound of gunfire. They did as she said though.

The vessel turned out to be as large as Sugarcube Corner, something that surprised the lonely unicorn. A large transport door gaped open behind the ship, revealing an area which seemed to house enough seats for a platoon. The sound of the dropped door squeaked as Twilight walked over it, entering the ship. She spotted stairs that lead up to the upper part of the vessel. Further back was door that seemed to lead into some kind of armory. Beside it Twilight spotted a running computer. The unicorn recalled a spell that Starlight taught her before she died. It allowed her to access electric devices.

Twilight walked up to the computer. Her horn gave a glow. She searched through the files and found a mail conversation.

Message from V
Mission 2471 status changed: [Mission Complete]
Mission notes: Target is alive. Heading back to base.

Twilight kept reading the conversation from oldest from newest.

Message from J
Mission 2471 status changed: [Mission active]
Mission notes: That was not your mission V

Message from V
Mission 2471 status changed: [Mission Complete]
Mission notes: The mission was to make sure that the target was being kept alive

Message from J
Mission 2471 status changed: [Mission active]
Mission notes: No V, the mission was to keep the target alive until safely brought into custody.

Message from V
Mission 2471 status changed: [Mission Complete]
Mission notes: That wasn’t what we discussed at the briefing.

Message from J
Mission 2471 status changed: [Mission active]
Mission notes: I am the leader of this squadron and you WILL bring your assigned target into custody!

Message from V
Mission 2471 status changed: [Mission Complete]
Server Action: Send_Mission_2471-: History Folder 10
Mission notes: sdfgsetgryhsrthgsrghsrth

Message from J
Mission 2471 status changed: [Error: Mission status change failed: Missions added to history folder 10 cannot be changed / Admin]

Message from V
Private message sent…

Twilight never had time to read the last message. The sound of growling came ominously from behind. Slowly, she turned around. The dog showed his dirty teeth gray while glaring at Twilight with aggressive eyes. On top of his back he had a gun that was pointing straight at her. Behind the dog Twilight spotted the blue haired woman from earlier.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here Lupus?” The woman asked her companion. She had a soft voice with a coldness in it. Twilight remained silent. “Looks like someone, or somepony as they say here, wants to get a medal in snooping.”

“You saved us at the Grand Galoping Gala.” Twilight said.

“Is that what you call it? Sounds like something I would visit to get a lap dance back home.”

The woman appeared to be holding a pistol. She was pointing it straight at Twilight.

“I need your help.” Twilight said.

“Are you sure? You seemed to be handling yourself pretty well reading my private e-mails.”

“I’m sorry about that.” Twilight didn’t sound sorry.

“Then you know that my brother Juno wants me to bring you in.”

Twilight looked the weapons, then at her company.

“Well.” Twilight turned to the human and the dog. “Then, your brother can suck my horse vagina.”

The lavender unicorn and the woman glared stubbornly each other. The woman raised her mouth slightly, giving Twilight a subdued smile. She lowered her gun.

“That’s what I told him also.”

The dog looked up at his colleague, then at Twilight. He ran up to the unicorn and leaned against her flank. His eyes sparkled with happiness while his tongue hung out.

“Eh, heheheh.” Twilight looked at the woman with expecting eyes. The woman shrugged.

“Don’t look at me. He is the squadron mascot, I’m not his master.”

“Who is then?”

“No one is. Lupus handles himself.”

Twilight looked down at the dog. His teeth were all gray after what must have been countless cases of caries. His body seemed more like a large tuft than fur and had, as far as Twilight knew, never been cleaned in his life. A warm patch of air came out of Lupus's mouth and reached Twilights nose. Her throat bounced upon her brain.

“Hugh… I see. And I guess you are the one they call Vela?”

Vela walked pass the lavender unicorn without answering. She took a short glance at the leather clothes of the unicorn on the way, having it spin as she rolled her eyes. Vela had seen this before, this rebellious look, put immediately upon a fragile shell that was trying desperately to escape how little she knows.

“What are you planning on doing sister?” Vela asked.

“Find Mizar.”

“And then?”

Twilight turned to Vela. The scar that ran across the left side of her face luminated by the entering sun.

“Kill him.”

Vela stopped walking. She felt her stomach turn.

“WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Vela’s girly laughter pulsated the inside of the ship. Twilight’s face turned into an inch of shame. “Aren’t we…haha…Aren’t we getting ahead of ourselves just a little, princess? What are you going to do, jam a silver spoon into his socket!?”

Twilight face twisted in anger. “No. And am not a princess!”

Vela looked teasingly at Twilight. “You were when I saw you at the castle.”

“I resigned. Despite, I wasn’t born into a princess, the title was given to me as a gift.”

Vela tried to subdue her chuckles. “Given? Why?”

“By studying hard.”

“Study? Where?”

“Celestias school.”

“Celestia, your princess without a king?” Vela leaned closer to Twilight’s angry face. “And I guess your pony parents lived in Canterlot when you had your little test to get in there?”

“So?”

“So, one happy little pony family, living happily with their little pony daughter in the main capital, and then this amazing opportunity shows up, a chance for their daughter to apply to the fanciest school in the land. Now, who could say no to that?”

“I studied hard and Celestia recognized my talents. That is how you succeed in life, but I didn’t come here to study, I came here to end Mizar.” Twilight said.

“Let me tell you another story pony princess.” Vela lectured. “It is a story about two human parents living with their human daughter and son in the outskirts of the main capital, inside a hut made out of mud and sticks. The son in the family is already playing with guns made out of wood but their father does not have the money to send him to a military school. In fact, he doesn’t have the money for pretty much anything. But then this amazing opportunity shows up, a chance for them to buy food that will last them for months.”

Vela un-sheeted pistol and pressed it against Twilight’s forehead.

“It turns out that the pay is immensely high within the child slave market. The space pirates bring the money over to the parent’s doorstep and the parents bring their wares over to the hallway. But then, in a sudden act if brilliance, the pirates decide that they want to keep both the money and the wares. So, one of them pulls a gun, just like this one here, and pulls the trigger on both parents …” Vela pressed the silvery barrel harder against Twilight before ending. “Right here.”

Twilight barely kept her stubborn look going. She managed to answer without trembling. “Must have been hard on the kids.”

“Very, but it all turned out fine, because one day, by the time you were having your cute little test to apply for Celestia’s royal school as a cute little pony girl, this cute little human girl received her own test. You see, one of the space pirates became careless and left one of his guns laying. This cute little girl was at first not sure what to do, but she eventually picked it up and passed her own cute little test with flying colors, all five of them as a matter of fact. She then swore with her brother that they would dedicate their lives to protect the universe from scumbags like that.”

“Good for them.” Twilight said, her stubborn eyes fading into sadness by the second. She wasn’t sure what was worse, the fact that Vela’s parents were killed or the fact that they were going to sell her.

Vela sheeted her pistol. “Have you ever killed anyone?”

“Yes…” Twilight lied. “… And I will kill Mizar. He has an alicorn gift that I gave him, a magic stone.”

Vela rapidly put her pistol against Twilight’s head again. “Oh, so that is why he rebuilds himself again every time I try to shoot him?”

This time Twilight kept her bearings. “Right, and I am the only one that can undo it. So, are you going to help me get to him, or am I going to be forced to use my horn, teleport you both thousand meters up into the air, hack this vessel and find out myself?”

Vela lowered her gun.

“It is worth a shot, but I doubt it will help. So far, the Gemini intel about Mizar’s whereabout have sucked Tribal balls. He moves around, like to make copies of himself to use as distractions, both coded and physical. I know some people who might know but you are going to need the help of me and Lupus.”

“What about your brother?”

“Juno? About as helpful as an ass-pimple.”

“Twilight!” Twilight heard Rarity call outside. Once exiting the ship the white unicorn was close to hysteria. “Twilight, we tried to stop them!”

A group of stallions with golden armor approached behind the fashionista. One stepped up and took of his golden helmet. Twilight felt joy shower over her while her face stayed bewildered.

“Shining Armor?”

“Twili.” The colt addressed.

Twilight was just about to ask her brother what he was doing there when the ground was suddenly covered in shadows. The pegasus pony named Spitfire landed not far from the members of the royal guard. One by one, the rest of her Wonderbolt members landed beside her.

Next to Spitfire’s left stood High Winds, who had a white coat and blue mane. Next to her stood Misty Fly, a yellow pegasus mare with a light blue mane. Next came Silver Zoom, a pegasus stallion with a gray coat and white mane. Next to him stood Soarin, a white stallion with a dark blue mane. Next to him came Fleetfoot, the light blue mare with white mane. Twilight remember her being the one who cried over fallen Blaze at the gala. To Spitfires right stood Surprise, a vanilla colored mare with a yellow mane that stood up in a Rasta way. The last pegasus had a black coat and a white mane with sky shaded stripes. His name was Thunderlane. All seven Wonderbolts stood hoof fast in discipline while their leader stepped forward.

“Twilight Sparkle. Nice to see that you’re still in one piece!” Spitfire boomed. The pegasus mare had a yellow coat. Her red and orange mane stood up in a punky way, making her almost look like she was on fire. Her face lowered slightly in sadness. “We came to offer our condolences. Starlight Glimmer was a fine unicorn!”

“Thank you. You all came for that?” Twilight asked bewildered.

Spitfire took a glance back at her Wonderbolt members, letting her face rise into a grin. “Not quite princess, we heard you were heading after Mizar.”

“Yes.”

The snorting of Fleetfoot could be heard from the line of disciplined fliers. Spitfire looked sideways at her. She signaled the pegasus stallion Soarin to handle it. She proceeded explaining their cause to the princess.

“Blaze was a fine flier and a friend. She did not deserve to die simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, all because of some petty war criminal that is too busy murdering defenseless ponies. After all that has happened we feel like our discipline and morale are wasted in showbiz, we came here to fight the coward!”

“It’s going to be very dangerous.” Twilight said.

Spitfire grinned. “Was that supposed to talk us out of it? We got your back princess!”

“I am thankful for your offered help, but I am not a princess.”

Twilight turned and showed of her wingless sides.

Spitfire took a glance back at her Wonderbolt fliers, who all grinned at her. “You still are in our books, Twilight!”

Twilight looked at her brother, who was looking back at his guard. It was like they were an all stallion version of the Wonderbolt fliers. “What she said.” Shining Armor flung his eyes sideways in modesty. “Almost, at least. Our presence may be off the books, but me and Celestia had a little chat earlier.”

“Plus, we came here to honor the memory of Highmane and Littlehoof.” One of the guards broke in. “They died while preforming their duty, and now our duty is with you, Twilight!”

“I am so thankful for your help boys, but this is no ‘dying for’ mission.”

“I am not leaving my sister alone, not when that monster is out there!” Shining Armor answered his sister with determination.

Twilight caught sight of another white pony. The mare was a familiar sight.

“Nurse Redheart.” Twilight addressed.

Redheart had been a nurse in Ponyville for years. She looked worried but determined at Twilight.

“Twilight. I was called in as backup after that horrible attack on Canterlot, I’ve seen the wounds the enemy weapons cause. I know I’m not much of a fighter, but if things go bad I know where I need to be.”

Twilight looked over the group of ponies that were standing proudly in front of her. She watched Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Apple Jack join them up front. She felt a smile form on her face. For every second, Twilight felt less and less lonely concerning what happened at the gala. “Thank you, fillies and gentle colts.” Was all Twilight could say. She still had to add though. “But I’m not sure if I have a…”

A ship for all of us. The phrase was cut when firm footsteps walked out onto the dropped door.

Vela studied all the ponies that had gathered, who were looking at her like they were watching an alien arrive to their planet. Of course, Vela knew, just like Twilight was about to mention, that she hadn’t given any permission for an entire stable of ponies to board her ship. Vela pressed her hands against her shin. She bent her knees in a girly fashion and awed hoity-toity.

“Woooo look, look over there! Look at all those cute little ponies, aaaaaawe! Lupus, aren’t they adorable?!”

Twilight frowned. The pony-squads looked bewildered at one another. Spitfire’s red eyes did what her name suggested. Shining Armor’s bewildered eyes were wide and cute, almost like he was about to appeal to the woman. Pinkie Pie was already appealing. She curved her pink body and widened her sparkling blue eyes so that they looked like oval glass ornaments by the window frame.

“Woooo, and look Lupus, they all need a ship, and I am the only one around who has one, along with a storage of fire arms that I stole from Mizar’s drones earlier!”

The ponies looked at one another, all except Spitfire and Rainbow Dash, who was not enjoying being stepped all over. Little did they know that Vela was enjoying them not enjoying it.

“Can’t we keep them Lupus? Yes, good idea, let’s keep them!” Vela turned to the ponies again. “Well, what are you waiting for ponies? Come with me, we have a long journey ahead!”

“Who does she think she is?!” Rainbow Dash whispered angrily to Spitfire while they all followed Vela inside.

Apple Jack looked around in wonder while entering the ship. She had never seen this kind of technology. A dog came up to her. His tongue hung out happily.

“Wo there, little doggie.” Apple Jack reached out her hoof to pat him.

“Watch out pony, he bites.” Vela warned.

Apple Jack was used to dogs, much due to her having Verona back at the farm. She saw the dog glaring briefly at her once her hoof got close to his belly. She pulled it away.

“Don’t like that, heh little doggie?”

Lupus looked up at the orange pony, whose accent had an odd spin on it. How could she know that? He wondered, thinking about how belly rubs always felt like the greeter was trying to lift him up, which was something that Lupus had always hated, even those rare times he allowed it.

All around Apple Jack and Lupus there were other introductions going on, mostly between Shining Armor’s royal guard and Spitfire’s Wonderbolts, whom had all started to realize that they might need to consider each other brothers and sisters if they were to survive this journey. Spitfire was ready to give Vela a chance.

“Nice vessel you have here lady. What does she do, 400, 600? One flier of mine, Rainbow Dash over there can reach the sound barrier at 1000 kilometers per hour.” Spitfire bolstered.

“This? This is just a troop transport ship, nothing special.”

“What does she reach?”

“Just about over the speed of light, 1400 000 000 kilometers per hour.”

Spitfire’s mouth dropped. Her red eyes hovered in a combination of disbelief and dreaming.

“What?!” A raspy voice awed. Vela turned and was faced with the similar eyes of Rainbow Dash’s. The blue pegasus raised her blue wings with excitement. “When is the takeoff!? Somepony tell me!”

“What is our destination?” Twilight asked Vela.

“A planet called Rith Essa. I know some creatures there who could point us in Mizar’s direction.”

“What resistance can we expect?” Shining Armor asked serious. There was an answer of half interest coming from Vela.

“Anything really. Sometimes the flying robot has an army of drones behind him, sometimes he travels all by himself to avoid attention, sometimes he is home eating chips and watches robot porn while one of his robot doubles pretends to be him.”

“I don’t like the randomness of what we’re up against.” Shining Armor whispered darkly to Twilight.

“We need a way to know for sure if its him or one of his doubles that we are chasing.” Twilight requested from Vela.

“I'm gonna have to agree with the princess.” Spitfire said.

“There are ways, but none of them are one hundred percent.” Vela turned around and started walking toward the pilot seat. “I could entertain you with it once we reach Rith Essa.”

Spitfire leaned closer to Twilight.

“I know we need her help and all, but if I were you I would keep an eye on her.”

Twilight did not pay attention to Spitfire. Her mind, recently happy with all the ponies coming to aid her, was now spinning with a growing darkness.

What if I get them all killed?!

Just as Twilight was thinking about other ponies dying because of her decisions the room suddenly went quiet. Twilight turned and spotted who the crowd was looking at.

Celestia’s wavering mane glistened by the sunlight patching through from behind.

“Celestia?” Twilight addressed.

“I came to…” Celestia hesitated. She looked at her old student with her mind reaching out. It reached past the fact that Twilight was dressed in leather, past the fact that she had an ugly red scar that ran across her face, past the fact that she had declined her responsibilities and begun a journey toward vengeance, the opposite of friendship. Yes, Celestias mind went past all this while watching Twilight walk up to her.

Instead, Celestia’s mind went to Twilight’s wingless body, the same one that was her student before Celestia sent her to Ponyville to learn about friendship. The simple innocence of a young unicorn, about to make foolish choice, about to travel to a world of which she did not understand. Celestia smiled. She reached out her wings and folded them around Twilight. She imagined her lavender hooves belonging to a small filly unicorn.

“Please, come back alive.”

Drone Slaughter At The Cruiser

The excitement laid thick in the air of which Vela’s transport ship produced for its passengers. The Wonderbolts had all seated themselves on one side of the ship while the royal guard had the other. The belts had been firmly fastened around their bellies, ready for the G forces that was about to hit them. There was a hissing sound when the engines started. Pinkie Pie felt something start alright. Her highly pitched voice spurted now.

“Oh! Isn’t this exiting!? I’ve never been to space, but I heard that things float around there so I figured I didn’t need to bring up any tables for my cakes, we can just leave them floating in the air and hurl over and take a bite whenever…”

Pinkie Pie continued spouting words on an astronomical level. Rainbow Dash’s eyes filled with tears because she couldn’t raise her hooves and cover her ears while fastened inside her chair.

“Pinkie Pie. Aren’t you going to take a seat?” Fluttershy asked worried.

“Yes, Pinkie Pie. No rude intentions, but I don’t think being slammed up against a metal wall is going to do well for your complexion.” Rarity added worried.

“Are you kidding me? I’ve always wondered how I would look with a flattened mule.” Pinkie Pie touched her nose. “I wonder if it would be funny creepy or just creepy?”

There was a cracking sound coming from the speaker. Vela, the pilot that was about to take the ponies higher than any pegasus, spoke with the calm and informative voice of a flight host.

“Good evening passengers and welcome onboard Vela’s class 5 transport ship. I would just like to inform you that our launch, mustering G forces that are three times the gravitation of your planet, lies just around the corner. Be sure to check that your seat belts are properly fastened. Also, be sure to look under your seat for drone heads that I may have forgotten earlier so they don’t go flying into another passenger’s face. Also, be sure to watch out for flying pink ponies.”

“Pink ponies? Where!?” Pinkie Pie screamed.

All four jet engines started at once, causing the entire vessel to rumble violently. The ship lifted from the ground. Once the vessel was hovering midair Vela and Lupus maneuvered the nose skyward and launched the boost engine. The ship then accelerated from 20 kilometers per hour to 200 in 2 seconds. Pinkie pie went flying across the room and face planted the closed transport door with a smack. The ship gradually accelerated to 800. The faces of the ponies inside contorted with tensions. All, except the Wonderbolt fliers, who was still experiencing the speed of an extra intense evening flight.

“Is this it?!” Rainbow Dash asked incredulously.

By the time the ship was close to reaching the cloud line Vela and Lupus launched the orbital engine, quickly accelerating the ship toward roughly 30000 kilometers per hour, the speed needed to reach space from the planet Equestria was located. Apple Jack still remember the speed she experienced when she and her family lost control of their family reunion cart and trashed their barn with it. Apple Jack was now imagining the same cart spearing through the barn, go around the planet, come back from the other side and fly through the hole again, all while the barn was still falling apart.

“OH YEA!!!” Fleetfoot roared.

“NOW WE’RE TALKING!!!” Spitfire blasted.

“THIS… IS… AWESOME!!!” Rainbow Dash awed.

“I CAN SEE MY HOUSE FROM HERE!!!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, her face still flattened against the metal door.

It felt like the launch went on for just a couple of seconds. Little did the ponies know that they had been pressed against their seat for nearly ten minutes. Twilight felt the nausea rocking her head. Rainbow Dash felt herself lift from her chair.

“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash scolded.

“What?”

The pegasus quickly realized that Twilight’s lavender horn wasn’t sparkling.

“What is going on?” One of the royal guards asked.

“It’s zero, or rather very low gravity that we are experiencing. I read about it. It’s a phenomenon that occurs when somepony leaves their planet.” Twilight informed.

“Leaves the planet?! Does that mean?”

“Yes, Rainbow Dash. We are far from Equestria now, we are…”

Twilight never had time to finish. A humming sound went. The ponies felt the gravity return again. Twilight unbelted herself and walked up the stairs, leading to the cockpit. She used her horn to open the hatch. The sight she was met with put her in a trance.

There were stars, in front of blackness, as far as the eyes can see. Twilight was looking out from the oval window around the pilot seat, but the gadgets of the ship was the last thing that the unicorn payed attention to. Her purple shaded eyes were wide, sparkling like the uncountable number of suns that laid across the blackness. They seemed to reach out infinitely, all while at the same time close in and embrace Twilight like she was its mother. Twilight remember her own mother and father waving her goodbye before takeoff.

“Have fun slaughtering giant bugs sweetie!” Twilight Velvet had exclaimed merrily.

Twilight heard the sound of mewling beside her. Lupus was sitting beside Vela, who now noted Twilight’s presence. Vela smiled and turned the stick sideways. Slowly, the fabric of space turned. Twilight was completely captivated by it. She may have read about it a dozen times, but no amount of reading could have prepared her for this. Little did she know that the moment was about to go even deeper into wonder. A colored globe slowly came into view.

“Sweet Celestia!” Apple Jack awed, having followed Twilight into the cockpit. Raritys silent awe could be heard fading behind her. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy said nothing while they joined their friends in gazing dreamily at the world as they knew it.

“Is that Equestria?” Fluttershy awed.

“It is, Fluttershy.” Twilight replied.

“All of it?” Rarity asked.

“All of it, I guess.” Twilight answered hesitantly.

The planet itself was round and spun slightly. It was shining with a grayer shade of all the colors that could be found on the surface.

“This will give me inspiration for years to come.” Rarity awed, referring to her sewing.

“But what is out there?” Apple Jack asked, pointing her hoof toward space.

“Who knows, Apple Jack, who knows.” Twilight answered with a slight whisper.

“Having your tiny pony minds blown?” Vela asked teasingly.

“Yes.” Twilight admitted, almost proudly.

Pinkie Pie poked her pink head through the hatch. She opened her mouth wide.

“SPACE!”

Rainbow Dash turned to Pinkie, her face twisting in confusion.

“Eh, cockpit?”

“We are in space!” Pinkie Pie stated again, still trying to progress the scope of what she saw. Her face widened in awe. “It’s beautiful.”

“Wonder how far it reaches?” Fluttershy asked.

“Us humans have come a long way in technology, but the question you just asked pony, it still perplexes us.” Vela replied.

After Twilight and her friends had gazed into space they returned to their seats downstairs. The other ponies then took turn beholding the infinity from the view of the cockpit. Twilight had now seated herself next to Spitfire. The Wonderbolt general leaned closer to her and whispered.

“Mighty impressive of Pinkie Pie to be in such a good mood after what happened at the gala.”

“Indeed.” Twilight agreed. Both of them now watched Pinkie take a seat opposite of them.

“I only heard rumors, but is it true that Pinkie Pie and Starlight Glimmer had a romantic relationship?”

She wanted to marry her. The full answer laid at the tip of Twilights tongue. “Yes.” She answered.

“It’s unfair that Starlight Glimmer was killed in the attack. She really saved us all Pinkie Pie. If it hadn’t been for her taking care of those shooters, I wouldn’t bet that any of us would be here now.”

“Yes, it is unfair.” Twilight answered Spitfire, then adding darkly. “And when I find Mizar, he’ll know the hard way how unfair any of those ponies’ deaths were.”

Pinkie Pie trampled her hooves with excitement. The thought boomed inside her head. My name is Pinkie Pie and I live to see my friends smile!

“Yes, you are.”

Pinkie Pie felt a hoof reach from the seat next to her. It was Starlight. She spoke to her in a familiar tone.

“To me you will always be the same happy, kind and funny Pinkie Pie that I've always known, no matter how this turns out.”

Pinkie felt like she was being covered with a warm blanket. Hearing Starlight’s voice, the screams of all the ponies crying over their dead friends faded away, along with the drones she herself killed at the Gala. Pinkie Pie let her own hoof move over Starlight’s, feeling her coat tickle her in more ways than one. Pinkie Pie closed her eyes. She chuckled.

“Pinkie Pie?”

Pinkie Pie opened her eyes again and looked where she previously had seen Starlight. Twilight’s nervous smile was hovering underneath her blushing cheeks and wide pupils.

“Eh… hehehe. I asked you if I you were alright.”

Pinkie Pie removed her pink hoof and replied embarrassed. “Oh right, I heard you did.”

Twilight looked away from Pinkie Pie while placing both her lavender hooves together, as if to say: Right, so what now?

“So, what now… I mean, how are you?”

“Great.” Pinkie Pie answered, then adding. “Thanks for asking, Twilight.”

Both ponies delayed looks at each other. Twilights nervous smile softened.

“You can…” Twilight hesitated. The lavender unicorn closed her eyes, leaned back and laid her hoof on the arm holder beside Pinkie Pie.

Twilight felt her mind reach out. It filled her head like liquid in a glass. Suddenly it was like the water transformed into a bubble, a bubble that grew bigger, bigger than her, bigger than the ship they traveled, bigger than their planet, yes, even bigger than the galaxy itself when she felt Pinkie’s hoof grasp hers. The unspoken phrase echoed within the darkness of space.

You can hold my hoof if you want to.

Twilight was awakened by the opening of the ship door. She quickly blinked away the blurry image of Vela.

“What?”

“Twilight, we have a problem. I need you to get inside the armory!”

“What’s going on?” Twilight asked, noticing first now that Pinkie wasn’t sitting beside her anymore.

“I made a mistake, I was caught in the tractor beam of a drone cruiser. They are going to start asking questions. They cannot see you Twilight, now, do as your ship captain commands you and hide inside the armory.” Vela sounded calm, despite the firm way of making her point. Twilight glanced toward the opening door, catching sight of the nervous faces along the way. She spotted Pinkie Pie spying out of the opening, but Twilight realized that there was no time for questions. She did as she had been told.

Vela closed the door to the armory behind Twilight and turned to her pony passengers.

“Mizar’s drones can be a bit nasty at first but they will leave you alone if you stay calm.” Vela ensured the group. “Stay here and be still, this thing will be over in a just a minute.”

Rainbow Dash saw Vela walking past her. She felt the pistol that she snatched from the armory earlier tucked in between the seats.

“What are we going to do?” Fleetfoot asked worried.

“We’re completely unarmed!” High Winds wailed.

“Shhhh,” Spitfire hushed. “We have an armory in the back, now stop panicking and make this easy for our ship captain!”

Pinkie Pie glanced out of the ship, taking note of where they had landed. It was the hangar of a giant space cruiser. Large orange-steeled walls towered high above, ending in catwalks that went back and forth. Ahead laid a gigantic hangar door that seemed to be of a sliding variant. If Pinkie Pie looked to the right she could see the area go on with the capacity for several more ships. Barrels had been placed along the way, probably containing emergency materials. She looked to the left and saw Vela walk out into the open. Several blue ants came marching toward the human woman. They all had laser rifles. Behind them were some kind of control room and an entrance to a command area.

Vela calmed herself when facing the officer, who made a motion with her blue bug arm. One of the drones came up to her while holding something in his hands. A necklace was placed around the head of the officer.

“Grii girliiiii?” She asked. The necklace lit up. “What’s your business here?”

“I am carrying urgent mining gods for Fernando. He himself have requested it and he doesn’t appreciate delays. If you value your position I suggest you don’t keep him waiting.” Vela replied.

The officer motioned one of her drones, who motioned back before walking toward the parked transport.

Rainbow Dash saw Pinkie Pie hurry back to her seat. The transport door rumbled with firm steps. She felt her heart stop. The blue ant entered the ship, eyeballing the ponies along the way.

“Griirii!”

Shining Armor had his stubborn eyes hidden away. Spitfire and Fleetfoot did the same.

Rarity already had a phobia against bugs, and right now one was walking toward her that were the height of a toilet booth. Her white unicorn body shook with fear. Her seat made squeaking sounds. The giant ant stopped in front of her. His black insect eyes, large as the one of a bison, glared with his antennas twitching.

“Griiliriii?! GRIII!”

Insect saliva came sailing and landed all over Rarity’s face. Her heart was thumping so violently that it knocked her brain. She was sure that this was all a bad dream. It made her ignore the real danger of the situation.

“No! please! LEAVE ME ALONE!” Rarity panicked.

The ant backed away from the exploding diva. He figured the mining mogul Fernando wouldn’t mind one dead mule, his workers were slaves after all. The ant raised his rifle.

Rainbow Dash had already rocketed out from her seat and pulled out her pistol when the drone was suddenly thrown to the ground.

Lupus, the genetically engineered war dog, had his paws pounced ón his prey. He had a new uniform put on that had some kind of contraption on the back. The ant grunted and flung his bug arms around. Lupus leaned forward and grabbed the side pistol of the drone with his teeth. He tossed it up so that it landed neatly inside the gun contraption.

“Wroaw!” Lupus barked and shot the ant three times in the chest. The drone blood splattered all over Rarity, who’s blue eyes had sailed far into denial at this point. Apple Jack was looking down at Lupus from her seat, disbelief swimming in her dropped face.

“Little doggie?”

Lupus looked at Rainbow Dash.

“You’re a war dog?!” A huge grin formed across Dashie’s face. “That is AWESOME!” Her grin quickly contorted into anger. “HEY! You stole my kill!”

The sound of laser firing echoed inside the hangar. The ants hissed and looked toward the transport ship. Making use of the distraction, Vela grabbed the rifle of the officer, pulled out her pistol and killed both guards. She then proceeded pressing the pistol against the chest of the officer and fired several times. The back of the ant exploded into slobber.

More ants exited the command center. Lasers came whooing in a blue spectacle that could almost be considered a celebration. One of the lasers hit Vela in the chest. She felt the energy tickle her as it was soaked up by her suit. It did feel strong though, almost hurting. She guessed that her Gemini core must be almost out of power. She needed to find a circuit if this fun little trip was not to be her last.

But this did not subdue Vela. On the contrary, she felt the adrenaline, coming from the fear that she might die soon, flow through her veins and tickle her vagina. Her face gained a crazy smile. She stepped sideways while firing her standard Gemini laser pistol, dispatching one of the blue soldiers. She heard his rifle hit the ground as she took cover behind a barrel.

Rainbow Dash had an overlook of the hangar from the ship. She was aiming her pistol at the ant soldiers, ready to help Vela. She watched the human woman advance from cover to cover. one by one the ant soldiers fell to the ground in a green mess of blood. Vela made a front flip over two barrels of which two ants had taken cover behind. She shot the first one while flying through the air. After landing she kept the momentum going and kicked the rifle of the second one before killing him.

Rainbow Dash lowered her pistol, her eyes captivated. She’s is a badass!

After dispatching the last drone Vela approached the transport ship.

“Wait here! I will go and disable the tractor beam that are holding us in place!”

“Yes ma’am!” Dashie saluted.

“Lupus!” Vela called. The war dog ran out onto the dropped ship door, the gun still attached on his back. Rainbow Dash had no idea how the dog was able to operate it. “I need you to down on and clear the other hangar! I’ll head for the command center!”

“What about me!?” Rainbow Dash asked desperately, not sure how to feel about a dog receiving more tasks than her.

“Stay here and guard the ship.”

The pegasus looked disappointed after Vela and Lupus while they both ran off in opposite directions. Here Dashie was with an entire base of baddies to slaughter and she was immediately degraded to door watch. The sparkle of a teleporting unicorn sounded behind her. Twilight trotted up to Rainbow Dash, of which somepony did not know what to feel about. The royal guards exchanged nervous glances.

“Twilight. I really think you should head back to the armory and stay down.” Shining Armor said worried.

“I heard shots. I just wanted to…”

“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash pushed Twilight out of the way. A laser wooed by only decimeters from them. The hangar door in front of them slid open with a hiss. A swarm of blue soldier drones came pouring out of gap. Dashie fired at them. She felt incoming lasers stir the air beside her. There was no cover inside the transport and the free air between the giant door and the vessel made all the ponies inside sitting ducks.

“PROTECT THE PRINCESS!” Shining Armor and the royal guard stood fast. Their horns started glowing. A barrier was created that covered the ship entrance, stopping the incoming laser fire. Shining Armor’s white teeth growled. The energy from the lasers was stronger that he had imagined. The barrier started fading.

“We have to do something!” Thunderlane exclaimed. There was a flash. It was Twilight Sparkle teleporting herself. She dropped a bunch of weapons among the Wonderbolts.

“We fight!” She blasted.

Shining Armor was just about to release the spell, charge and take the ants head on when Twilight galloped up to him.

“Everypony, close your eyes!”

Twilight horn started glowing before flashing violently, causing the entire hangar to briefly be filled with a white light. The drones covered their eyes and screamed.

“Greeeeeiii!”.

The royal guard released their spell and allowed the Wonderbolts and Twilight’s friends to exit the parked transport. Within seconds the blinded ants were riddled with laser blasts. Green blood splattered the station and bug limbs went flying.

“Wonderbolts! Stay in cover and avoid the air!” Spitfire ordered.

Twilight had her pistol raised. The red scar on her face flashed of blue as she fired. Her brown leather vest and purple mane gained a gray fragrance when the lasers, fired by her pony friends from behind, swooshed by. The group of ants in front of her was still gaining their bearings after her improvised flashbang. Twilight watched the ant she aimed at twist and scream. The one beside him raised his rifle. Twilight felt her mane waver by the incoming fire. Twilight had a feeling that one of them had hit her and that she was already dead, even as she was leaning safely behind cover.

Rainbow Dash had taken camp behind a toppled barrel. She was backed up by Fluttershy, who rained fire during the times when Rainbow Dash went for cover again. Apple Jack and Rarity had taken lean not far from the pegasus ponies. Rarity’s face was still covered in bug blood. It flashed of blue while she squeezed the trigger of an automatic pistol.

“STAY…AWAY…FROM ME…ICKY…PICKY…BUGS!!!”

A large number of ants had taken cover behind a large stack of barrels. Twilight tried in vain to dispatch them. One drone saw what she was doing and fired from another position, forcing Twilight to barely make it back behind her cover. She saw the royal guard still holding up inside the ship. They had cut their magic shield in half, allowing for Shining Armor and the rest of them to use it as a barricade.

“SHINING ARMOR!” Twilight called.

Twilight saw her brother looking at her. She made a head motion toward the barrel stack. Shining Armor understood.

“COVER TWILIGHT!!!” He ordered his guards.

The distraction worked. Twilight leaned out and went to work with her unicorn horn. Her scarred face showed its teeth pearly white under her contorting muscles. The barrels were way heavier than she had anticipated. The entire stack toppled, crushing some of the ants. The rest became completely exposed when the barrels rolled away.

Spitfire and Fleetfoot was firing a bit further away. They saw Shining Armor and his guards picking of the exposed ants one by one. Some of them made it back behind another stack. Spitfire did not hesitate. In a flash she thrusted her yellow wings, flew across the field and flanked them. This caused the group to panic and shatter, making them easy targets. Fleetfoot was aiming for one now. A blast came from somewhere. The light-blue pegasus screamed while her hooves gave in.

“Pony down!” Surprise shouted when she saw Fleetfoot falling.

Spitfire turned and spotted the shooter, a green ant on top of a catwalk above them. Another blast came from somewhere. The head of the drone went sailing in one direction while the rest of his body fell to the hangar floor. Spitfire spotted Pinkie Pie galloping, seemingly coming directly from the command center. Her curly hair hanged limply down at the sides of her head, meaning her codename was no longer a license to bake cupcakes. The two ponies arrived at Fleetfoot at the same time. The light-blue pegasus with sky-colored mane tried in vain to stand up. “AH! It hurts! It hurts as fuck!”

“Agent Pinkie Pie I presume!?” Spitfire boomed.

“Get her back to the ship, I cover you!”

Having taken role as agent again, Pinkie Pie’s highly pitched voice was no longer blasting with an arguably hilarious tone of insincerity. Instead her proposal was delivered with a darker, more grown-mare like vocal tone.

“Roger that! Come on Fleetfoot!”

More blasts came from above. Pinkie Pie aimed and picked off another green ant from catwalk. Her Pinkie-sense registered a blast rocketing toward Fluttershy in the future, a future of which the shooter would never experience. Pinkie was aiming for a third drone when she spotted more coming from the open hangar door. She shot the third drone but found her lasers being blocked by the newly arrived party guests, all of whom she had not invited.

“They got shields!”

The shields of the two ants was so high they covered their entire bodies. Twilight was trying to get a clear shot with her horn but found herself pinned. The abdicated princess watched in horror as Spitfire dragged screaming Fleetfoot toward the ship while incoming lasers barely missed them.

Rainbow Dash saw what was about to happen to her team leader and did not hesitate. In a flash she spread her wings, flew around the battlefield, rocketed down and rammed the ants exposed flanks, sending them and herself tumbling with the shields sliding against the floor.

It was like Dashie’s grogginess never had existed when she raised her gun and ended one of the ants who was trying to stand up. Green blood spattered her blue wings. She faced the other ant, only to see his pistol already aiming at her as she did. She instinctively raised her blue hooves in a display of surrender when the arm of the ant was shot of, causing it to severe and fly away, still holding the pistol as it sailed.

“Greeeil!” The ant grunted smacked Rainbow Dash with his remaining limb, sending her tumbling. The ant was then finished by one of Dashie’s friends. Lying on the ground, Dashie saw her pistol laying right in front of the open hangar door. She hurled herself toward it, only to see the feet of another ant appear from the ominous darkness. He aimed his rifle at her. Several blasts came from the pony group. The ant screamed and fell sideways in a green splatter. Rainbow Dash hastily hurled herself forward, grabbed the pistol, barely managed to raise it and kill the next drone. The drone after was yet another one with a shield that covered his entire body. Rainbow Dash fired in panic. The shield stopped the blasts.

“GIIIIERG!” The ant screamed and bashed. Dashie’s pistol went sliding across the hangar floor, leaving her disarmed. She felt something grab hold of her hooves and drag her into the darkness, away from her friends covering fire.

“RAINBOW DASH!” A horrified Fluttershy wailed.

Rainbow Dash barked and bit toward everything that came close to her like a rabies dog, but whatever it was it managed to pin her to the ground. A light suddenly revealed four ants standing over her. Dashie’s face was fighting, but her heart was gradually dropping into hopelessness. One ant leaned himself over her. The light came from the torch carried by another one, revealing all the small details of his bulky ant head with antlers. His pincers moved sideways as he glared down at Rainbow Dash with his pitch-black eyes.

“Grleeeeeeerl!” The saliva dripped down from the mouth of the drone. It gave the rainbow-colored mane of Rainbow Dash a seventh, darker shade of green. The face of the ant twitched in anger over the resistance the ponies had put up. Rainbow Dash frightened face reformed into stubbornness.

“Well, what are you waiting for!? TAKE THE SHOT!”

The ant made a loud hiss. Something ran by in the darkness. The other ants looked around in confusion. Several lasers suddenly flashed the darkness. The ant that stood over Rainbow Dash jerked and fell over her.

“Huuuuh!” Dashie grunted. The ant was way heavier than she had imagined. The other ants screamed and fired at something that was running fast.

“Wroaw!” Lupus jumped up and landed on one the shoulder of one of the drones, causing him to turn around in confusion. Lupus shot the other two while standing on him. He then jumped down and riddled the last drone with five blasts. The green blood splattered the darkness. The drone fell over the one that had already been piled on Rainbow Dash.

“HUUUUH.”

Lupus jumped up on top of the ant/pony pile and looked worried down at Rainbow Dash.

“Huuuh. Please, heavy.”

Seeing she was alright, Lupus let his tongue out in happiness. He leaned down and licked her face. Rainbow Dash huffed out of breath.

“Yea, I’m happy to see you too, now get down from there before your rescue mission turns into an assassination.”

On her way back, Rainbow Dash walked over all the dead drones. The silence laid over the hangar, marking the end of a very close call for the ponies of Equestria. Her hooves stepped in drone blood. It was all slimy.

“Urgh.”

The others had already gathered inside the ship, all except Vela, who was still somewhere inside the cruiser. Fleetfoot was lying in a corner, moaning in pain while Nurse Redheart was tending to a nasty wound. Beside them laid one of the royal guards, who appeared to have been hit in the hoof. Once her presence was noticed Rainbow Dash saw Twilight, Apple Jack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity look at her with broad smiles of relief. Decisive hooves sounded on the metal floor. Fluttershy broke through the crowd walked up to Rainbow Dash, showing her cobalt tinged, green eyes googly. She raised her yellow hoof and smacked Dashie, who looked bewildered at her.

“Don’t… EVER, do that again!” Fluttershy’s cobalt eyes quickly turned from angry to relieved. Tears forming inside them, she folded her hooves around Dash and hugged hard. Vela entered the ship. She appeared to be in a good mood.

“Good news ponies, the tractor beam has been disabled. I see you handled yourself pretty well though. You bunch of ponies truly are more than meets the eye.” Vela looked at Twilight and smiled. “Am I right?”

Twilight didn’t know what to answer. She wondered what exactly Vela meant by that.

“Totally!” Rainbow Dash turned to Vela, smiling confidently. “I don’t know about you, but you should have seen me back there. I totally blew those bug dudes away!” She raised her wings. “It took only one swing with my awesome flying and then BANG, they were all eating my dust!”

“But you almost got yourself killed!” Fluttershy scolded. Rainbow Dash turned to the yellow pegasus. She folded her wings and answered half irritatingly.

“But we were almost all killed anyway! Sometimes you need to take risks, especially in crisis situations. Despite, those dudes back there was about to kill Spitfire and Fleetfoot.”

“And we are more than thankful that you saved them, but to what cost did that almost happen?! Don’t you understand Rainbow Dash that ponies here love you, and we almost lost you?!”

Rainbow Dash frowned. “You almost.”

“What?”

“You mean, ‘you’ almost lost me.”

Fluttershy had a strange feeling inside. She glanced around. Everypony was looking at her and not Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy turned and marched straight into the armory. She slammed the metal door behind her so hard that it echoed throughout the entire carrier. Apple Jack and Rarity looked bewildered at each other, the same thought coursing through their heads.

What was that all about?

“Did you find out where we can find Mizar, Vela?” Twilight asked

“No, I didn’t. Ever since Mizar returned with your help he has stopped hanging out inside his old palace.”

Twilight felt shame creep up on her when hearing Vela mention her involvement in Mizar’s return. Twilight masked this by putting on a face of determination. She felt the pain from her red scar, made by Mizar’s laser pistol, burn as she formed it. It reminded her of what she would do to him once she found him. Vela continued with a reserved appearance, clearly confident being the one in the know.

“He covers his tracks by putting up false traces, not even his drones know where he is, or the whereabouts of his doubles. That is why we need to make our way to Rith Essa and get in contact with Diamond Geezer.”

“Diamond Geezer?” Twilight asked.

“A mercenary arms dealer.”

“Can we trust him?” Shining Armor asked.

“No, we can’t, but he sells weapons to Mizar and he is said to be the only one who has access to the codes that will allow us to decrypt Mizar’s binary-code maze, manipulated to set up the constantly changing IP addresses with confetti versions of his multiple mac address and jinx lines inside the Nano computers inside his robot doubles.”

“Right.” Shining Armor rogered, desperately holding his dumbfounded face inside the secure vault of his muscle memory.

“In other words, he will help us determine, not only Mizar’s whereabouts, but also where his doubles are?” Twilight asked.

Pinkie Pie approached Twilight, Vela and Shining Armor. Ever since the shootout ended her hair had gone all fluffy again. She spoke with her highly pitched voice and constantly smiling face.

“Well, I have no idea what binary-codes manipulated to set up IP addresses with confetti versions of multiple mac addresses and jinx lines inside Nano computers inside robots are, but give me a moment with this Diamond Geezer and we will have a new friend in no time!”

“Oh, he can be a good friend alright, if you have the money.” Vela motioned her hand toward the other part of the hangar. “Luckily, it so happens that I found some loot… I mean weapons down by the other hangar. It looks like it belonged to one of our guests out there.” Vela looked toward the green mess of dead ant drones. “Since they seem to have taken the day of, I figured we could use it to gain Diamond Geezer’s favor.”

“Are you sure that is necessary? Sometimes, all you need is to show someone is a fun time and they will do anything for you.” Pinkie Pie said.

“Oh, you mistake yourself pink pony. Diamond Geezer is not a funny guy, only money matters to him.”

“That’s a shame, and here I thought he had such a funny name. Diamond Geeeeeeezer!” Pinkie Pie showed her teeth pearly white.

“Life is more than fun and games.” Vela said seriously. She looked toward the dead drones again. “Although, you seem to have had your share of fun already.”

Vela looked at the pink pony again, whom she at first had thought was the same pony that killed those ants at the gala. In time Vela had come to realize though that this was a completely different pony. This pony was just a party pony: Balloons, cakes, confetti, acting all silly and insincere while her friends shook their heads and thought the same tired ‘Same old’ line. Granted, Vela did not hesitate to enter the realm of fun-without-borders herself. The only difference was that her confetti was lasers, her balloons was flying drone heads and cake was the loot that Mizar’s ant drones left behind.

“How were you going to pay Diamond Geezer if we hadn’t been pulled in here?” The pink pony suddenly asked happily.

How were you going to pay Diamond Geezer if we hadn’t been pulled in here?

The question still circulated Vela’s head. She recalled the smile of that pink face remaining static while waiting for an answer. In the end Vela had just been honest and said.

“I have my ways.”

The stars laid peaceful across the blackness of space outside the view of her cockpit. Vela had her body calmly resting across both pilot seats, making use of the fact that Lupus wanted to sleep downstairs with the ponies this sleep round. Vela took a glance at the screen above the ship controls. It would take three more earth days to reach Rith Essa. Right now, the ship was only hovering, allowing for everypony inside to sleep peacefully without the running engines. At least, that had been Vela’s impression, before she heard the sound of hooves hitting the metal floor. Vela turned her head slightly while still having it rest on the seat.

Unlike the last time, the mane of the pink pony was now hanging limply down at the sides of her head. It was no longer curly. Instead, it had been brooded into graceful lines, ending in a big curl as it dragged against the floor. Her blue eyes were no longer wide open with eccentric enthusiasm. Replacing them were half closed eyelids on top of deducting blue eyes, looking calmly at Vela as she curved her pony body in a sexy way. She wore a pink suit.

“So, this is where you’re hanging. Not that there’s many places to hang in here.”

Vela looked up at the stars again, watching the constellations paint themselves above. “So, you were the pony who killed those drones at the gala?”

“I know it is hard to believe. Me and my party planner self has a delicate relationship.” Pinkie Pie faced one of the panels behind the pilot seats. Vela remained silent, trying to grasp what the pink pony just said. Pinkie felt her confusion. “I know what you’re thinking, and I guess that I am crazy in a way. Split personality? Isn’t that what you call it?”

Vela felt a smile if incredulous form on her face. “You’re joking.”

“If I had been the party planner, maybe. She likes to become different things too, different characters, mostly to amuse her friends and get them to smile. It wasn’t too long ago that she had been forced to rethink that role.”

Pinkie Pie told Vela about the time when Starlight Glimmer used her magic to transport herself, Pinkie Pie and Trixie into a James Bond movie. She told vela how they had been trapped inside the movie and the only way out had been to put the movie back on script again. She told Vela how she accidentally killed James Bond and how that caused the movie to pick her as its agent instead of him. She told Vela how she had been forced to finish James Bonds work in order to save her friends. And, since that role involved killing people, Pinkie Pie had chosen to become two ponies at once in order to achieve that and still remain herself.

Vela laughed. She answered with a low, confident voice. “That is impossible. The brain cannot be trained to literality become two people at once. Either you’re fucking with me or I’m about to have my head up in crazy.”

Pinkie Pie studied silently all the buttons and displays in front of her. She answered with an equally low and confident voice, far from the fast and jittery pony she usually was. “You handled yourself pretty well back there, girl.”

Vela turned her resting head and looked at the pink pony. “Don’t call me girl.”

“Oh, but you are a girl. A thin, sweet, innocent little girl. Good looking, ready to make all the men fall.” Pinkie Pie teased.

Vela rose from her seat, glaring at the pony with hardened eyes. Pinkie Pie looked goggly at Vela.

“Oh, did that make you angry?”

After a moment of hesitation Vela replied. “No.”

“No?” Pinkie Pie curved her backside. “It is nice to hear that I didn’t anger you, even though I like angry.”

“Who are you?” Vela asked.

The blue eyes of the pink pony gazed at Vela with relaxing eyelids.

“The name’s Pie, Pinkie Pie.”

007 approached the human woman, who raised her arms in hesitation while backing away. “I saw you back there. There was a time that I too was a little pony girl, but after I was employed by the British Secret Service I found my calling in life. Those colts down there, or men as you call them, they don’t understand how women like you can become so strong.”

Vela smiled, much to her own disapproval. She had no idea how she was letting herself become seduced by a pony, but somehow it was happening. “No, I guess not.”

“It must get pretty lonely out here, traveling space all by yourself.”

Vela smiled nervously. Pinkie Pie stopped walking and laughed. “Oh, don’t worry. Interspecies relationships aren’t my thing, I just came here to make a friend.”

“Do you often make friends with humans?” Vela asked.

“Not very often, no. But, as they say, there is a first time for everything.”

“Great.” Vela said, not sure if she approved or not.

“Was that an approval?”

Vela thought back on all the hardships she had to make it into the Gemini squadron because of an overrepresentation of men in the group. She imagined the pink pony facing the same hardships. “Yes, let’s be friends.”

Pinkie Pie turned around and started walking toward the stairs. “I am glad to hear that.” Pinkie Pie stopped. She faced Vela gain. “Although, it was just one more thing.”

Pinkie Pie thrusted her hoof forward. Within a second the contraption that had been hidden underneath her Q suit extended out of her sleeve. It delivered to her hoof standard weaponry among employees of the Secret Service. Vela had no time to even see the PPK pistol before Pinkie Pie pinned her against the wall and pressed it firmly underneath her chin. Vela struggled in vain. 007 spoke with a calm but firm voice.

“I followed you. I visited that command center after you and opened the schematics for the cruiser. Class 4 cargo ship, model 6,3, adapted for non-military use, does not come equipped with any tractor beam.”

“That is… Urg… Odd.” Vela gurgled.

“I don’t know what business you have with that Diamond Geezer, or how you can enjoy hopscotching around and killing creatures for fun like you were going out of style. But, if you ever risk the lives of my friends for money again, then, you are going to become aware, exactly, how different I am from party planner Pinkie.”

Vela’s eyes drowned in fear. It was the confirmation Pinkie Pie had been waiting for. She released Vela, extended the Q contraption and hid her pistol again. She smiled at the female human before walking back toward the others.

“See you around, girl.”

Rith Essa Tribal Rebellion

Twilight glanced back where she came from. Vela’s transport ship was parked in the distance. Twilight calmed herself, closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

I just need to ask my parents what in Celestia they are doing here, then I’ll be heading back to the others.

The lavender unicorn proceeded toward the house that seemed to be made out of the roots of an old tree. The sky laid dark across whatever the equivalent of sky was on this planet. Its blackness was covered with purple nova’s and stars. Blue lights streaked across space in an uneven pattern, like if the colored lights from one pf Pinkie’s dance parties had become stuck in time. The atmosphere of this unknown planet had its wind gently flowing through Twilight's mane. She raised her hoof and knocked on the door. The pony opening was her mother.

“Hello sweetie!” Twilight Velvet greeted.

Behind Velvet stood Night Light, Twilight Sparkle’s father. He smiled in his usual bingo way. “Good evening, we have been waiting for you sweetie.”

“Mom, dad, what are you doing here?”

“We live here now honey.” Night Light said.

“We got so worried when you left us that we decided to move to this planet here where we can be close to you.” Velvet boomed.

“But how did you two get here?”

“Iron Will helped us.” Night Light replied.

“Look, there he is.” Velvet pointed her hoof.

Sparkle turned around and spotted the giant Minotaur. He was chopping wood with an axe. Behind him stood his zeppelin. Sparkle remember Iron Will taking her family on a cruise with it once. Apparently, the air vessel could also pull off space travels.

Sparkle was shown to the living room, which seemed to have been recreated almost exactly like Velvet and Light’s house in Canterlot. Velvet’s used her unicorn magic to close the door before turning to her daughter.

“It was good of you to come here sweetie. It’s harsh out here and we are almost out of money.

“Why do you need money here for?” Twilight Sparkle asked confused.

“Iron Will helped us build this house and he hunts for food every day.” Night Light informed, ignoring his daughter’s question.

“How is Floyd doing by the way?” Velvet suddenly asked.

“Floyd?” Sparkle asked bewildered. There was a moment of silence. “Floyd is evil.”

“Not based on what we have heard.” Night Light said. Sparkle shook her head.

“…No, I mean Mizar. Floyd doesn’t exist, Mizar…”

Twilight was interrupted by the clonking sound of the door knocking. “I’m sorry sweetie, you don’t know what you’re talking about. I have to take this.” Night Light proceeded to open the door. He seemed to exchange some words with two human males.

“Yes… Do you have the money?... Yes, she is right here.”

Sparkle watched two human space pirates enter the house, both of them looking at her with lustful eyes. One of them dropped a bag full of money in the hallway. Twilight’s face dropped, along with her heart.

“You’re selling me?!”

“I am so sorry sweetie, but we really need the money.” Night Light replied regretfully.

“We too.” One of the pirates said and raised his gun. The laser blast subdued inside the wooden house. Sparkle turned around and galloped toward the stairs, the glimpse of her parents crumbling still painted in her mind. She arrived at the stairway. The steps went blurry with tears.

“What did you expect?” A cold voice asked.

Twilight felt horror creep up on her. Slowly, she faced the door again. There were two more blasts, followed by the thumping sound of the pirates hitting the floor. The silvery surface of Mizar’s robot body gave a small reflecting light. The pistol he held with his retracted robot arm smoked from the barrel. Below him laid the unmoving coats of Sparkle's dead parents and the pirates. Mizar’s eyes glowed red.

“What did you expect was going to happen, Twilight Sparkle?” Mizar lectured.

Twilight turned her teary face and hastily galloped up the stairs, barely avoiding crumble over the last step. She entered her room and slammed the door. Ahead of her laid her childhood room exactly as she remembers it from when she was a filly. All her old toys laid spread across the floor. On top of her bed sat her old teddy bear Smarty Pants with his legs spread. Twilight faced the door again and held it shut. She felt the cold wind blowing from the open window behind her, sending chills through her hollow bones.

Mizar can fly!

“What did you expect?” A voice teased behind her.

Twilight did not hesitate. In a flash she galloped across the room, her tail toppling dolls and toy structures along the way. She closed the window in panic and turned down the hatch.

“What did you expect?” A voice teased from inside the room.

Slowly, Twilight turned her head sideways. Smarty Pants was looking at her with his button eyes.

“WHAT DID YOU EXPECT?”

“Woaaaaah!” Twilight gasped and opened her eyes. The truth made all her muscles relax. It was just a nightmare.

Everypony else was sound asleep inside the transport ship. Twilight saw Lupus lying on the floor next to Apple Jack for some reason. Fluttershy had taken the seat furthest away from Rainbow Dash, probably still angry at her. Rarity was sleeping next to Apple Jack. Twilight leaned her head against the chair and closed her eyes. She relaxed, but the state did not ease her nerves.

What did you expect?

Twilight opened her eyes again in panic, first now realizing that she had only heard the words in her head. She felt the pain from her scar cut her as her muscles contorted. Was it even worth trying to go to sleep again?

Yes, it was. In fact, she had to go back to sleep again. She was the leader of this expedition. Without her being rested the other ponies would be doomed. But how would she…?

It felt like a stone was building up inside Twilights throat, jammed her inside and stopped her from breathing. She leaned back in her chair, but no matter how many seconds, how many minutes, half hours, yes, even hours she tried to relax her body she could only feel the pain of her scar, or was it another kind of pain?

Twilight had no idea how long she had been awake. She felt the panic rise within her. It was then that Twilight glanced sideways.

Pinkie Pie was sitting next to her. It was like the pink fragrance of her coat flowed down Twilight's throat and flushed away the stone. Twilight closed her eyes again, feeling her heart stay in place, as if it was waiting for her to do something. Gradually, Twilight let her lavender hoof reach down. She hesitated at first, not sure what her choice would imply. She emptied her mind, reached further and fiddled Pinkie’s hoof. She felt Pinkie Pie stir beside her. Twilight felt Pinkie’s hoof hurl hers up the arm holder and grasp it tight.

“Having nightmares?”

“Yes.” Twilight answered.

“Screams? Faces?”

“My parents.”

There was a moment of silence. Pinkie moved her hoof, giving Twilight’s a massage.

“Mizar?”

“Yes.”

“Mizar kills your parents?”

“No. Space pirates kills my parents, then Mizar kills the pirates.”

Pinkie Pie seemed to think for a moment. “Does he say anything to you?”

Twilight remained silent for a moment, not to remember, she will always remember those words. “What did you expect?”

“Careful Twilight.”

“Careful?”

“Be careful what you do from now on. It was not Mizar that you saw in your dream, it was hatred. It waits for the pirates to kill the ones you love, then it kills the pirates for you, making itself look like a savior. Then it bullies you, breaks you down so you cannot hinder it from taking over you.”

“I wish I never built him.” Twilight said darkly. She heard Pinkie Pie grow quiet. “Do you have nightmares too?” Twilight asked, making this not just about herself.

“Xenia Onatopp” Pinkie Pie referred to the assassin that killed Trixie when she was trapped inside Goldeneye. “I dreamt that she saved Starlight from falling down a ravine during a mountain climbing expedition, then I caused her to fall anyway. Xenia kept teasing me. ‘Why did you lose grip? Why did you lose grip?’.”

“Wow Pinkie, I never realized that you were so deep.”

There was a highly pitched laughter, followed by a joking response. “Yea. Hatred is trying to consume you and make your friends not recognize you anymore until you have this big realization at the end that vengeance might not be so sweet after all. Just saying.”

Twilight laughed. Hearing Pinkie Pie being herself made her calm inside. Twilight felt a tickling sensation.

“Hey, Pinkie?”

“Yes, Twilight?”

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Yes.”

Twilight paused for a moment before asking.

“When did you first find out that you liked mares?”

“Do you really want to know that, Twilight?” Pinkie Pie asked.

Twilight laughed. “Yes.”

Pinkie Pie remember very well when she had first known that she was either lesbian or bi-sexual. But that was not what was forming in her mind. All Pinkie Pie could remember was when somepony had first won her. Pinkie’s blue eyes stared dreamy into the air. She could hear Starlight Glimmers voice, spoken from the Russian Trans-Siberian Express inside the Goldeneye movie.

To me you will always be the same happy, kind and funny Pinkie Pie that I've always known, no matter how this turns out.

Pinkie Pie now imagined how much that must have been left unsaid, unsaid before…

“I really miss her.”

“Who? Starlight?” Twilight asked.

Pinkie Pie felt all her emotions boil up to her head and leak out from her eyes. “I’m sorry, Twilight, I…h…h… heard you…” Pinkie’s voice drowned in sobbing.

“Shhhhh, it’s alright Pinkie.” Twilight leaned over and embraced the pink earth pony. “It’s alright, I miss her too.”

They both went back to sleep again after Pinkie had calmed down.

The planet of Rith Essa was often described by mercenaries as a mountain planet. Most of its surface was covered in rock and water. Between the mountains stretched green forests, forming beautiful valleys for its massive population of unique birds to lay their eggs. It wasn't long before Mizar’s first defeat that Rith Essa would have been considered mostly inhabited. Nowadays several communities of Tribals had taken residence there.

“What are Tribals?” Rainbow Dash asked while Vela was going for landing.

“A native bear group that originates from Goldwood, a forest planet several parsecs away from here. They are our allies in the war against Mizar.”

“So, Goldwood is where they have their relatives? But what are they doing here on Rith Essa?” Rarity asked curious.”

“Working for Fernando.” Vela replied. There was a tinge of disapproval in her voice. She put the ship on autopilot and faced the ponies. “Listen ponies. Before we begin our landing, there is some things that you should know about this Fernando. First of all, he is one of the mole brothers and one of the richest creatures in the universe so don’t anger him! Second, if our sources are correct he is the one who is funding most of Mizar’s war.”

“Doesn’t that make him the enemy?” Spitfire asked.

“No. On the contrary, it makes his favor a necessity to have. At least if you ask my brother. You must understand ponies; the Jet Force Squadron are on their bare necessities at the moment. Mizar are in control of most of Earth’s leadership and money is running low. We have been proud to protect the galaxy for a long time but without our political roots supporting us we have been forced to do some things that we are not exactly proud of.”

“Like what?” Twilight asked.

“Alright ponies. Go down and take a seat, we’re going for landing!”

The landing would turn out to be a turbulent one, but Vela was an excellent flier. The ponies barely felt when her vessel touched the ground. The transport door opened slowly, letting in an atmosphere that had a northern forest feel. The ponies stepped out of the ship while their eyes adjusted to the light. There was a wave of awes among them.

Thick pine trees towered above, rising as high as some of the medium scaling cliffs. The giant crowns offered some protection from the burning of the sun. One of Rith Essa’s two moons could be seen above, fully visible during the day because it was so close. When Twilight squinted her eyes, she could even see some of the massive craters on its orange surface. Her attention then went to the massive mountains that pointed skyward, like if the ground of Rith Essa was dripping upward. Her ears filled with the untamed music of hundreds of bird spices. Twilight’s scholar eyes sparkled with wonder.

“An entirely new echo system.” A huge smile formed on her face. “So much new to STUDY!”

“So many animals to relate to.” Fluttershy awed.

“Yes Fluttershy. This must be heaven for you with your animal skills.” Rarity said.

Fluttershy had a unique gift when it came to communicating with animals. She was a well-respected pony among the animal population surrounding Ponyville. During celebrations she was known for entertaining the attendances by leading bird choirs. “I wonder which animal language they speak.”

“Yea, wonder.” Rainbow Dash walked up behind her. Fluttershy avoided eye contact. Rainbow Dash waited until the others had walked a bit further away.

“Hey, Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash’s voice bathed in regret. “About what happened up there at the cruiser.”

Fluttershy stopped walking. Her tail wiggled in a contemplating manner while Rainbow spoke.

“I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have singled you out like that.”

“I’m the one who’s sorry.”

“Sorry? For what?”

“I’ve been a fool.”

Rainbow Dash’s face twisted in bewilderment. “You practically saved my life back there. You cared for me when I risked mine and I repaid you by being ungrateful, what do you have to be sorry for?”

“For believing in…” Fluttershy hesitated, still faced away from the pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane. “I accept your apology.”

“Then why are you facing away from me?”

Fluttershy felt her hooves aching and her tummy turn in an odd way. This is it. Fluttershy told herself. If she turned around now and faced Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy would find herself galloping into her hooves, get pushed away, being asked What are you doing?! And those curious eyes she got from her friends earlier would remain for the rest of her life.

“It was nothing.”

Rainbow Dash watched Fluttershy walk away with a knowingly look. Of course, she knew. Rainbow Dash had known all along that Fluttershy was in love with her. Rainbow Dash only wished she knew what she felt.

Apple Jack was walking behind Twilight and Vela. To her side she had her friends.

“Here you have an entirely new world to look for wind currents Surprise.” Wonderbolt colt Thunderlane boomed.

“Yea. I wonder if the atmosphere here is different?” Wonderbolt mare Surprise asked.

“Well, you will have to wait for that. We don’t know what’s out there so stay away from the air until I say otherwise!” Spitfire ordered her fliers.

Spitfire still had fever dreams about Fleetfoot being dead after she had dragged her to safety inside the ship. Thankfully, she was all well, resting while being tended by Nurse Redheart back at the vessel. Spitfire kept telling herself that this was a soldier’s quest. She had hardened her mind for the fact that deaths could come at any moment.

Spitfire turned her yellow head around and took a glance at all her six fliers. Her face sank into a blank stare of cold fear. Despite her feeling relatively ready, Spitfire wasn’t sure if she would ever forgive herself if she lost one of her fliers.

“Is everything alright Spitfire?” Apple Jack asked.

Spitfire pulled herself together. “Oh… yes. Yes, its fine.”

Apple Jack was a country farmer the most straightforward pony in Ponyville. “Are you sure about that? If I am to be perfectly honest with you, you’ve seemed tense ever since we left our home planet.”

Spitfire was taken a back. For years she had bossed around even the most resilient of ponies, but hearing Apple Jack’s honesty about something she herself knew was right, somehow it didn’t matter how much Spitfire wanted to keep it in. She sighted. “You’re right, Apple Jack.” Spitfire turned to the earth pony, modesty swimming in her garnet red eyes. “Your honesty is exactly what I needed, thank you for telling me.”

“You’re welcome.” Apple Jack thanked with equal modesty. Her orange face twisted in confusion. “So, what was it I was honest about again?”

Spitfire looked back at her fliers, then at the farmer again. “I tell you later in private, for now I would keep my honesty to a minimum. I’m not sure how much this Fernando fellow should be allowed to know about Twilight’s quest.”

Vela raised her hand. The ponies stopped and caught sight of what she was looking at.

The sunrays fell over a short figure with two legs. He was holding a staff and his body was covered with thick fur. Fluttershy guessed he belonged to some kind of bear family since he had a nose like the latter. However, despite his body looking like a bear, his green eyes seemed more like the ones of a cat. His ears were, when put together, almost as big as his head. The creature’s total height barely reached up to Vela’s chin. Pinkie Pie, the curly haired party planner thought he looked funny.

“Hi there!” She greeted happily.

“I told you.” The bear creature said darkly to Vela, whom the ponies now heard was a male. Vela raised her arms to greet her old friend.

“King Jeff! Nice to see you again. I bring wares for Fernando and your people.”

“I told you Vela not to bring her!” Jeff raised his voice.

“Bring who?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Shhhhh!” Spitfire hushed.

“Don’t look at me, she’s the one who wanted to go.” Vela explained.

“Then you should have STOPPED HER!” Jeff’s voice almost appeared magically amplified as it rumbled the earth. Twilight stepped up.

“Excuse me sir. My name is Twilight…”

“I know who you are. Twilight Sparkle, what are you doing here?! You are the princess of friendship, you should be home and watching over your pony subjects!” Jeff scolded.

Twilight hesitated telling Jeff that she was not a princess anymore. “Celestia is, I came here to end Mizar.”

Jeff grumped. “To serve him more likely!”

“Hold on there, Teddy...” Rainbow Dash stepped up. She raised her wings in aggression. “…You don’t speak that way about Twilight!”

“I am the king of the tribals and you will hear me speak!” King Jeff declared.

“I didn’t come here to serve him, I came to stop him!” Twilight was growing angry.

“As much of a service to him as any. What if he kills you? If we lose you, we lose everything!?” Jeff wailed.

“What about what I have lost?!” Twilight asked irritated.

“Twilight, I am aware about the attack on your capital, I do not mean to insult your choice of path, I merely ask you to re-consider. You are the only one that can take away the power that Mizar has been bestowed. Right now, he is waiting for you to make a mistake, he wants you to come after him and he wants you to be unwary about it.”

“I understand the risks, but with every passing moment that lunatic terrorizes the universe, my very own Equestria is running the risk of becoming a target again. I am sorry King Jeff, I hate to begin our relationship this way, but I have no choice.” Twilight declared.

“Spoken like a true fool, ‘I have no choice’, whoever thought up that tired line?”

“He is hiding something.” Rarity suddenly spoke up, having studied Jeff. King Jeff looked at the white unicorn.

Of all the ponies in the group, Rarity was the one who had the most social skill. She owned several clothing shops and had designed countless clothing lines. Her work required interaction with the most sophisticated and, therefore, the most complex ponies in Equestria.

“And who are you?” Jeff asked.

“My name is Rarity, darling. I do not mean anything personal about it, but it just perplexes me. You said Twilight was the only one that could undo Mizar and that Mizar wants to kill her. If that is the case, then why aren’t you offering her help?”

“Thank you, Rarity.” Twilight nodded at her. “King Jeff, I hope we can make a great alliance in the future, but we have traveled to far and lost too much to turn back now.”

King Jeff looked at both Rarity and Twilight. He motioned Vela to come to him. After Jeff and Vela had exchanged words he went away for a while, leaving the ponies standing while Vela insisted them to wait for him. He evenly returned, holding something in his free hand.

“I do not like this, but life is rarely likable. Follow me,”

The ponies followed Jeff toward something that looked like a town in the middle of the woods of which they traveled. The Tribal king tossed two large robes to Twilight and Rarity.

“Put these on and keep yourselves hidden.”

“Why?” Twilight asked.

“No time to explain, do you want to find Mizar or not?”

Twilight and Rarity did as Jeff told, continuing into some kind of mining town. The houses were all made out of wood and the citizens were all of the same kind as Jeff.

Rarity watched Tribals of all ages look at her with googly eyes, some of them being only babies. They were chugging naps in their mouths, wobbling away from their parents before being grabbed and brought inside again.

Pinkie Pie was jumping happily on all four hooves, returning the looks of the Tribals with a welcoming smile. Every face she saw she registered inside her Pinkie mind, beyond doubt that, before they left this place, all of them would have given her a smile. Suddenly there was a familiar patch of lilac. Starlight Glimmer was leaning her hoof over a wooden railing.

“Hello reflection of a happy memory that is really more sad than happy in the eyes of the reader.” Pinkie Pie greeted happily.

The railing snapped. The happy memory grunted and fell hoof fallen from the wooden balcony.

The ponies eventually started coming across Tribals with pickaxes. They did what they could to free stones from everything that might have been crystalized inside. Twilight had her face and body safely hidden underneath her robe. Suddenly she felt something block her hooves. She looked down and found herself standing face to face with a Tribal child. His green eyes widened in fear. He ran gasping to his mother.

“I saw her. I saw Keshi!” The Tribal boy cried in his mother’s arms.

Soarin leaned closer to Thunderlane. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

The crying of the Tribal child reached the ears of the other Tribals. Their bear like faces stared at the ponies with a growing tension in their eyes. The royal guard looked nervously at each another. They turned to their leader. Shining Armor returned the Tribals look with a ready one.

King Jeff showed the ponies into a large facility that had been built into the mountain. The inside of the building was massive and had metal walls. The sound of pickaxes caused them to rumble. Tribal workers grunted and brutishly shouted requests between each another. The rocky walls had lanterns fastened on them, lighting the mining holes for the workers. At the end of the giant room towered a mountain wall which housed the entrance to the mine. A railway lead into the mine with a cart that had been filled with pickaxes and other tools. If the ponies looked to the left they could see some kind of administration office that towered over the miners, allowing for the ones inside to look down at their workers. The area could be accessed via stairway that connected with an outside catwalk. One of the Tribal miners walked up to Jeff.

“Jeff. It’s good that you are here. The other miners are growing restless.”

“Where is Fernando?” Jeff asked.

“He went away, said there were trouble at camp C and that he needed to check it out.” The Tribal spotted the ponies. “Who are they?”

“Max, I don’t have time for introductions! Have you seen my brother?” Jeff asked irritatingly. Twilight could see that Jeff was a king that preferred to go down to the level of his subjects when preforming his role. Max shook his head.

“No, your majesty, not since we left camp B.”

“Send one of your workers and see if you can find him. I’ll take these guests upstairs and wait for you.”

Jeff lead Twilight and her friends into administration office. Spitfire, Shining Armor and the rest stayed downstairs. Vela proceeded talking to Jeff.

“Jeff, I need to get in contact with Diamond Geezer…”

While Jeff and Vela were talking Apple Jack looked out from the window overlooking the mining ground. She watched the Tribal miners carry rocks that often fell down and bruised their sides. She watched the pickers stretch their legs and grab their backs, some of them grinning in pain. She leaned closer to Fluttershy.

“I know I am a pony for hard work and all, but don’t you think that some the work those fellas down there preform seems a little too hard?”

“You know what? I think you might be right!” Fluttershy agreed.

Twilight was standing behind Fluttershy and overheard what they said. She turned to the king.

“King Jeff?”

Jeff halted the conversation he had with Vela.

“Don’t worry Twilight, Fernando will be here any moment. Whatever your business you might have will surely be arranged.”

“Jeff, I couldn’t help but notice your workers. I heard that you Tribals originally came from Goldwood.”

“That is correct princess.”

“Then, what are they doing here?”

King Jeff looked at Vela. “Maybe you should tell them, Gemini warrior?”

The ponies turned to Vela.

“An agreement has been made between the Gemini squadron and Fernando. He uses his contacts to make Diamond Geezer supply us with extra weapons and ammunition in our war against Mizar, in exchange…”

“…The Tribals work in the mines for Fernando.” Twilight ended with a saddened face.

“It is better than raiding and looting. You saw what we were up against inside that cruiser.” Vela pointed out.

The ponies looked nervously at each other, knowing they all thought the same thing. Jeff was fast to defend himself.

“You may have been noticing by now how my people are suffering. Well, that is exactly why I’m here. I came here from Goldwood to negotiate better treatment for them.” Jeff’s voice filled with irritation. “That Fernando fellow and his Mole Brothers Company have been mistreating my Tribal people for years, especially in times of war and suffering! So, when I said ‘negotiate’ I meant more like ‘asking politely’, with emphasis on ‘politely’.”

“But what about this Diamond Geezer?” Twilight asked.

“I was just about to tell you, he has gone off for a planet called Cerulean.”

“Argh, perfect! Our target has literality LEFT the planet!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed incredulously.

One of the tribals suddenly burst in.

“King Jeff! There is trouble downstairs.” The tribal paused for dramatic effect. “It’s your brother.”

Jeff followed the Tribal to the catwalk. He looked back at Twilight before exiting the room.

“Stay here and keep out of sight.”

Jeff stepped out onto the catwalk. His brother was standing by the facility entrance. Around him he had a large number of his Tribal followers. Barry were Jeff’s younger brother and stood taller than him. Otherwise, it was like they were twins.

“Ah. My dear brother.” Barry greeted and pointed his staff skyward. Unlike Jeff’s staff, which had a brown ball at the end, Barry had a purple. “I came here to see how my people are doing, working for the humans and the slave drivers.”

Jeff ignored Barry’s rebellious behavior.

“It is good to see you again brother. You are the reason I still believe in our family and our land!” Jeff exclaimed proudly.

“Samewise brother, and together, you and I will deny Keshi’s influence over our people and destroy her servant, Mizar!”

Jeff laughed. “I have missed you brother. You have come so far from what you were before, and I almost know no words: I could not be prouder of a brother! But I must also be honest with you, all this time thinking about your past mistakes have left you superstitious. Keshi is a human demon and none that, as far as I know, has any real power over our people.”

Barry laughed, almost like he was miming his brother. “I have missed you too brother, I could have no better teacher and friend! But even though you taught me, I must also take that role, when it is necessary, to teach you. Keshi is an evil horse demon that has awoken Mizar from his slumber in order to bring an end to the universe.”

Twilight and her friends was listening too Jeff from inside the office. Suddenly, they heard the squeaking sound of a door. Another entrance into the office slowly opened, revealing two large figures.

Outside Jeff was about to respond to his brother. He did this while walking down the stairs from the catwalk. “Maybe so, maybe not, but our resolutions have never been about the occult and magic. I tried resolving things with magic on planet Tawfret, and we all saw how well that turned out!” Jeff laughed at his own mistakes.

A crazy smile festered on Barry’s face. “Yea, see how well that turned out. Tell me brother, if you truly have learned your lesson…”

“Stop! Leave her alone!” A voice shouted from inside the office. Two large tribal came out of it. They were double the size of a normal Tribal and had arms as big as their legs. One of them was holding Twilight Sparkle by the horn. She screamed and struggled while the Tribal dragged her so violently that she almost lifted from the ground.

“Ahh! Stop! Let me go!”

Barry continued passive aggressively. “…If you truly have learned your lesson brother, then tell me why your new advisors seem so...” Barry appeared to be looking for the word. “…Magical?”

The large Tribal warrior dropped Twilight at the edge of the catwalk so that everyone below could see her. There were gasps of horror. Twilight had no time to glare angrily back at the massive Tribal that had brought her there like cattle ready for slaughter before her eyes festered on the Tribal workers. She watched their judging eyes looking at her.

“Look, It’s Keshi!”

“Wow, she even has the purple star!” One younger Tribal awed.

“Child eater!” One Tribal female chanted.

Most of the chants came from Barry’s Tribal followers, but for Twilight they appeared to be coming from everywhere. Spitfire and Shining armor stood not far from the crowd. They glared disapproving over all the Tribals. They were getting ready to intervene when their eyes suddenly locked with Twilight’s. She advised them not to by shaking her head. The chants continued.

“You are responsible for everything!”

“Is it true that you fly to hell and dance with the devil?!”

“My son is dead because of you!”

Twilight felt like she had been showered in ice water, taken out into the cold and hung out on a cloth hanger to dry in the middle of the rain. She felt exposed, singled out, and not in a princess and official business way, but in a private way. For her it felt like every chant, coming from below, rounded her belly, curled inside and formed a large stone. Twilight wasn’t a princess, she wasn’t a friend, she wasn’t even a daughter. She was bare, a lonely unicorn with an ugly red scar across her face, facing the music of which she had no control over. Twilight felt like she was falling down from the catwalk, even though she was still standing on top of it. Behind her the rest of her friends was hindered by the Tribal guards.

“I am so disappointed at you brother, I expected better off you than to consult with demons.”

“Barry. Please, stop this, these ponies are our guests!” Jeff pleaded.

Max the Tribal watched his idol stand up for these colorful ponies with pride in his heart, and resentment. From the moment King Jeff decided to allow his brother amnesty from his prison Max had known that it was a bad idea. Barry may have been manipulated by Mizar after he built him, but Max still saw the essence of a mad Tribal in him. Max turned and looked at his co-workers, whom all returned their team leader’s glance. Nothing needed to be said, they all felt the same way. Max took a firm grip around his pickaxe and walked behind Jeff. His work team, consisting of three Tribals, following him.

“Guests?” Barry continued. “Are you sure about that? Because I could swear that the term ‘guest’ around these parts would imply that they’d be holding a pickaxe and work for free.”

One Tribal worker threw his pickaxe down to the ground. “Barry is right! I have been working three days straight with no time to be with my family!”

“And I am just as angry about that as you are.” King Jeff fired back with a calm voice. “I know your daughter Isabella is turning mature age soon David, and I wouldn’t want to miss it for the world. I came here to negotiate better conditions.”

Another worker dropped his pickaxe. “These are the third negotiations going on, but nothing is happening!”

Max stepped up and made himself larger.

“Watch your tongue, you are speaking to your king!”

Jeff motioned Max to calm down. “I never meant for any of your situations to become this way but we need the help of the humans to combat Mizar or else we are all going to be enslaved forever.”

“Then why aren’t the humans here breaking rocks? Why do we always have to bend out knees for those furless monkeys!?” The other Tribal spat.

“There aren’t many of the Gemini Squadron left, they need to focus on damaging Mizar’s supply lines. To do that they need the weapons and ammunition we earn by working in these mines. For every step they take forward is one step closer for you to be with your family. Without them we’ll be all alone against both Mizar, all the scattered rouge drones and all other interests that seek to abuse us, without them we are lost.” Jeff hammered.

“You went lost the moment you allied yourself with Keshi, brother!” Barry dictated.

“MY SISTER IS NOT A DEMON!”

Shining Armor stepped up and placed himself not far from Barry and Jeff. He glared angrily at Barry. “My sister is the princess of friendship and she is not evil!”

Barry smiled crazily. “The princess of friendship?! A princess of friendship that uses her evil magic to make a robot do her bidding and enslave my people?”

“She did not use her magic to enslave your people, she used her magic to…!”

“Shining Armor!”

Shining Armor looked up toward the catwalk. Twilight was standing straight while making her voice heard.

“I do not know what this name Keshi means, but if that is what you want to call me, then I guess that is what I’ll hear, but know this: whatever different names you may call me, the truth of who I am remains the same!”

“Enough of this! Remove this demon from my sight!” Barry ordered.

One of the large Tribals walked up behind Twilight. Twilight frowned. Her horn gave a spark. The Tribal disappeared out of thin air and re-appeared behind Barry. The Tribal did not realize that Twilight’s teleportation ever occurred. He took a firm grip around Barry and lifted.

“What! Who are you?! What are you…. What!? What are you doing here!? What sorcery is this!?”

“What is it Barry? I thought you said you knew about this magic stuff.” Twilight teased. She continued speaking to everyone in the room.

“Listen Tribals, as I said, I do not know what this Keshi name means, but in my world of Equestria I go by the name of Twilight Sparkle! As the princess of friendship, it was my job to make sure that every creature that may be lonely, or every friend that might face loneliness didn’t need to.”

Vela was standing inside the office. She and Lupus had kept out of this, fearing the presence of Gemini fighters would escalate the situation. She now heard Twilight speak.

“…When I first came in contact with Mizar he was nothing more than a computer chip. Without knowing who he was, I gave him a power source and he introduced himself as Floyd, a friend and ally of the humans!”

Vela’s face froze. Floyd?!

Barry’s face twisted in anger by the last thing mentioned.

“That is a LIE! THAT CANNOT BE TRUE! I DEMAND THAT…!” Barry’s voice was suddenly cut when Shining Armor put a bubble of silence around him. Barry just kept on gorming inside the bubble, unaware of its effect. Twilight continued.

“Thank you. As I said, he told me his name was Floyd and that he had been floating in space for years, fully conscious, lonely and afraid. He told me he would give everything to just have a friend, and I was the Princess of Friendship. Now, let me ask you a question Jeff and Barry.” Twilight pointed her hooves at the Tribal monarch. “Your duty is with your people. Would you give up that duty when it was needed the most? No?! I didn’t think so, and neither would any of you have the right to deny me mine when I helped Mizar, calling himself Floyd in Equestria!”

Twilight’s shattered trust became more apparent the further she spoke.

“As the princess of friendship, I was so happy to be of service, helping a soul that sacrificed himself to save his friends. In fact, it was after hearing about his sacrifice that I felt compelled to give him a magic stone, infused with my princess magic, so that his robot body would stay powered for decades. It was a personal gift as a sign of our friendship. You called me the Princess of Friendship Jeff, even you Shining Armor called me the Princess of Friendship. You Tribals and you, Barry, you called me Keshi. Well, I am sorry to inform you that I am neither of these ponies today. Before I left Equestria a resigned from my princess duties. Why!?”

A dark aura started forming around Twilight’s face. Her voice, now amplified by her horn magic, rumbled the building.

“Why, because it was during the gala that my ‘friend’ returned and revealed that our friendship and everything he told me about his sacrifice had all been a GIANT LIE! He then repaid me by giving me this scar and by having his drones murder Starlight Glimmer, my very best student and my very best friend!”

Twilight turned around and trotted back toward the office. “I am going out to find Mizar, put a spell on that stone inside him, turn it over thousand degrees hot and watch the body I gave him melt around it. After that you can do whatever you want with me, until then you can either help me get to him…!”

One of the Tribal warriors exited the office and walked out onto the catwalk. He found himself staring straight into the dark void. “…or you can GET OUT OF MY WAY!”

The Tribal warrior raised his hands and backed down the stairs, allowing for Twilight to enter the office. She slammed the door behind her.

The rest of the miner argument turned out sour of a milder degree, but sour none the less. Twilight had managed to convince most of the miners that she had no intention of helping Mizar, with only Barry’s closest followers being blunt about her demand for revenge. But only a few of the miners believed that she would actually be an ally in the war. Jeff had done his best to try and talk to his people but in the end Barry had left the building, taking most of the miner families with him back to Goldwood. The only Tribals left were Max and his followers, along with a few others. There was now complete silence around the otherwise loud mine entrance.

“What are we going to tell Fernando?” Max asked.

Jeff laid his hand over his face and sighed. He turned to his way younger friend. “I will handle Fernando, head back to the mines and report back to me the current worker situation.”

“Yes monarch.”

“In fact, when you find them, bring them all here.” Jeff added.

Twilight was sitting down with her back hooves crumbled. Her purple eyes were sparkling with tears. She was looking out of the window overlooking the mining ground that recently had been filled with Tribals of all ages. Twilight saw Max walk into the mining entrance.

“Huh, this is the worst party ever.” Pinkie Pie sulked with her curly hair fluffy on the top of her head. She reached down underneath the table and brought out a small cake “And me who had a cake to celebrate the birthday of Daniel’s daughter.”

Rainbow Dash snapped out of her sulking just to answer Pinkie Pie.

“That Tribal outside first told us about his daughter during the argument, how could you POSSIBLY have had time to make that?!”

“Emergency cake, by the way, when you are friends, or possible friends within a possible future of possible friendship, you make the time.” Pinkie Pie answered with a sulking voice. She then raised her hoof and pressed the cake against her own face.

“How long are we staying here?!” Rainbow Dash asked restlessly.

“Shhhh, quiet. Can’t you see that Twilight is down? We leave when everypony is ready.” Rarity whispered irritatingly.

“But did you hear what those Tribals called her earlier?” Fluttershy spoke up. “If that’s what Twilight is going to be forced to hear throughout our entire stay, as her friend, I’m not so sure if we should waste any time.”

Vela was sitting in the corner with Lupus, watching the ponies hang. Vela liked hanging, even though she usually preferred action. But her mind did not circulate around the hanging, she was watching Twilight sulk in front of the window. Vela’s eyes seemed shrouded in mist, reaching out for a distant memory. The door into the office opened. Jeff walked inside. His mood said that he was ready for action.

“Well, that was unexpected, and highly unfortunate. I do not know what you ponies are planning on doing now, but quite frankly, I don’t think that matters anymore. The humans can’t take down Mizar without Twilight and Fernando aren’t going to stand so many of us leaving at once. Our destiny is hereby tied together. We are grabbing the Tribals and going back to Goldwood, Fernando can look for another way to make money out of this conflict.”

“But what about the weapons from Diamond Geezer?” Vela asked, turning to Jeff.

“Wrof!” Lupus said.

“They are going to run out of ammo eventually, making this new mission of yours critical that you do not waste any time.”

“New mission?”

King Jeff walked up to Vela. He pointed his staff at her and pressed it against her chest while saying his words.

“You and Lupus are going to look up your brother Juno, become again what you were always meant to be, Jet Force Gemini. You three are then going to help these ponies get close to Mizar, help Twilight use her magic to take his self-rebuilding spell away, kill him and end this conflict now.”

“Oh YEA! Now we’re talking! Swift, simple and hard action!” Rainbow Dash boomed.

“And you ponies’ stay behind the Gemini warriors. They have suits that protects them from incoming enemy fire, you don’t.”

“Don’t need to tell Fleetfoot that.” Apple Jack mumbled to Rainbow Dash.

“How are your princess doing by the way?” Jeff asked, looking at Twilight in front of the window. Twilight didn’t look back. “Listen Twilight, we all could have done things differently back there, but after how some of my people treated you. I would say, seeing you angry only did them good.”

Twilight knew she only had one path to follow, but she couldn’t stop looking at the empty mining ground and compare it to the grassy field between the Smokey Mountains in Equestria.

It had gone a couple of years now, but Smokey Mountain had been the place where she had whiteness the Hooffields and McColt families reunite after decades of fighting. It had been the common deed of Fluttershy and her, Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, that had lead the families to start working together instead of giving in to mistrust.

Twilight’s eyes widened in horror. She suddenly found herself at the Grand Galoping Gala, staring straight into the barrel of Mizar’s laser pistol again. It was swaying slightly up and down while being held by the hovering robot. Mizar glared at her with his red robot eyes. Was there a tinge of regret inside them?

Why?

In the corner of her eye Twilight could see Starlight Glimmer aim her horn, about to cast the spell that thwarted Mizar’s assassination attempt and saved her life. Twilight saw a bright flash, feeling the burning pain again.

“Ah.” Twilight moaned. She closed her eyes and put her hoof over her scar, which was now hurting outside as well as inside her mind.

When she opened her eyes again she wasn’t seeing the mining ground of Rith Essa, but the gala floor of Equestria. Starlight Glimmer’s diamond coat had burned away on several places, leaving behind bloody wounds after receiving several blasts to her body and head. Her mouth was half open with her eyes slightly visible underneath her limp eyelids. A small streak of blood ran down from underneath her unicorn head.

Twilight’s pupils widened, inside her daydream as well as outside. It suddenly dawned for her. The gala attack may have been carried out by Mizar’s ant assassins, but those specific blasts Twilight heard after Starlight used her magic to throw her out of harm’s way, those were the same blasts that gave Twilight her scar. She recalled the moments after Starlight’s spell had been cast. Twilight hadn’t remembered it before, but now she did.

She saw her. After Twilight gained her bearings, before Mizar’s assassins started firing at the other ponies, Starlight Glimmer was already lying dead on the gala floor.

It was you.

Twilight’s eyebrows lowered in anger.

It was YOU who killed her!?

The silence laid thick inside the mining office. Everyone was waiting silently for Twilight to reply to Jeff. The former princess turned her head slightly.

“Ever since that day, ever since that moment, everything that I have done have taken me one step away from everything Celestia taught me.”

Twilight got up and turned to her friends. She looked at them, as much with sadness as with anger.

“Let us find Mizar and get this over with.”

The Crazy Four Tribals

After Max and his team had gathered the remaining workers Jeff informed everyone about the changed situation. The Wonderbolts and the royal guard was waiting for them outside once they came out. Spitfire immediately galloped up to Jeff.

“Hey, Tribal leader!”

“Please, just call me Jeff.”

“And my name is Spitfire, nice to meet you your majesty. But listen, we will have to cut our introductions short. I have a flier here that have some information that I think might be troubling to you.”

The yellow pegasus pony named Misty Fly came up to them.

“This is King Jeff. Misty Fly, tell him what you saw.” Spitfire ordered.

“Did a covert areal recon by the order of Spitfire and I saw a group of green ants. They appeared to be sneaking through the woods and take position outside of camp C.”

“Rouge drones!” Jeff blasted, suddenly alert. “They are getting ready for a raid! Those ones are sneaky, how did you see them!?” Jeff asked surprised.

Spitfire and Misty Fly laughed. “It will take more than sneaking to avoid a Wonderbolts attention!” Spitfire bolstered.

King Jeff looked dead into the air as he was thinking. It took him only three seconds to make a final decision. He tossed a set of keys to Max. “Take these keys and open up the armory, you will have to head over there and protect the Tribal families until they can escape!”

“Don’t you have security there?” Rainbow Dash asked bewildered.

“You mean Fernando? Only a few of Mizar’s blue drones he hired personally but they are going to be overrun quickly, these rouge drones don’t mess around!”

“What are they after?” Twilight asked.

“Tribals. They take us prisoners and use us for ceremonies. A horrible way to die, and those back at C are mostly families with children.”

“Then you can count on us!” Rainbow Dash blasted. The pegasus pony was known for her loyalty.

“And you too, Vela and Lupus.”

A crazy smile festered on Vela’s face. She turned to Pinkie Pie, who’s hair was curly and fluffy at the top of her head.

“What do you say party pony, shall we go and have some fun?” Vela winked and raised her hand of which she held a small mini gun.

The pink pony glanced at Vela with a spark of excitement in her blue eyes. She looked back and saw her other self. Agent Pinkie Pie was standing behind her, shaking her head disapprovingly.

007 refused to kill for fun, but she recognized where she was needed. She looked at Vela, a grin forming between her hanging, curly hair. She thrusted her hoof forward and brought out her PPK pistol. She then posed with it like a pink James Bond.

Party planner Pinkie looked at Agent Pinkie, then at Vela again. There were the sound of confetti popping.

“Then, LET’S PARTY!”

Agent Pinkie Pie looked nervously around whilst party balloons and confetti floated around her.

Not far from Vela and Pinkie the young and promising Tribal worker Max was saying goodbye to his family. The only parent Max had left was his mother. His father had been killed years ago by one of Mizar’s ant drones during the time when the space dictator was piloted by Jeff’s brother Barry. Max had three sisters, one of them barely out of her baby years. Max was kissing his mother on the cheek now, although he wished it had been someone else’s. That’s right, over his mother’s shoulder Max was watching the Tribal girl Carla leave with her family. His mother sensed where his attention was.

“Carla is going to be so happy if you come with us.”

Max laid his hand on his mother’s shoulder.

“I come back, I promise.”

Max turned around and walked away from his mother, who was failing to keep the memory of Max father walking away from her for the last time. She used her hand to wipe away the lonely tear.

After the groups had armed themselves they all headed out for camp C with haste. The gathering was a sight to behold indeed: One group of pegasus ponies called the Wonderbolts, one group of pony friends of varying kind - one being a pink pony, jumping happily up and down like she was on a trampoline - one human woman with braided blue hair, one genetically engineered dog with a gun fastened on his back, five Tribal miners armed with laser guns - or walking Teddy bears if one asked Rainbow Dash. Following these strange squads of misfits was a white unicorn stallion. Shining Armor had left the rest of the royal guard to escort Jeff and the Tribal families in case there would be more rouge drone’s out there that they didn’t know about.

Once they closed in on camp C the group were relived to find that there were no sound of laser blasts yet, and horrified, since that meant the raiders could be hiding anywhere. Since Max and his workforce knew the land they were leading the way. The camp laid just ahead. Shining Armor had a laser carbine hanging around his neck by the strap. Beside him he had his sister and her friends. They had all taken camp inside a large ditch behind some bushes.

“I don’t like this. It’s too quiet.”

“I’m afraid I have to agree with Twilight’s brother on this one, don’t know if I want to risk sending any fliers up there either.” Spitfire said.

“Do you think they saw me?” Misty Fly asked worried.

“If so, I’m afraid to find out.”

Vela rose up and unsheathed her mini gun.

“What are you doing?” Twilight asked.

Me and Lupus are going in loud. We draw their fire while you get around their flanks whenever you can.

“Roger that, and hey.” Spitfire got Vela’s attention. “Don’t die on us, we need you two on the road ahead.”

Vela smiled and posed with her mini gun. “Don’t have too much fun without me.”

Vela and Lupus left the bushes and walked toward the camp. There were the sound of low whistling. Lupus turned around and spotted Apple Jack.

“Be careful now little doggie.” She said.

Lupus made a small bark for an answer before continuing after Vela.

Minutes went, the ponies waiting. Their hearts thumped faster with every passing second of complete silence. One pony’s heart was beating in particular, although the reason wasn’t the same as for the others.

“This is so exiting! I remember the last time we had epic shootout with laser weapons with our very lives were hanging in the balance! They’re so flashy!”

“Shhhhh! Quiet Pinkie Pie, you’ll get us all killed!” Rainbow Dash scolded whispering.

It was then like Pinkie Pie had placed an order in advance. All above the treetops the entire forest was suddenly filled with the roaring sound of automatic laser fire and ants screaming. Pinkie’s smiling face kept on going as it went.

“That’s it, let’s go!” Rainbow Dash was grabbed from behind. It was Max the Tribal miner.

“Hold on, they don’t know we’re here yet, we wait for an opportunity to take them by surprise.”

“And who made you the boss?” Rainbow Dash asked irritated.

Max looked at the pegasus. He smiled challenging while raising his gun.

“I did.”

Rainbow Dash saw Max leave the ditch and crouch against the ground for the next tree cover. He seemed to listen, not just at the sound of laser fire, but also for other sounds. She saw him glance toward the deep part of the forest.

“His mother sure aint gonna to be happy about this.” A voice with the clearest S’s Rainbow Dash had ever heard said. She turned around and spotted Max’s three Tribal followers. The one talking to her now was the smallest one.

“The name’s Joseph.” Joseph didn’t sound proud of his name. His Tribal chin was lowered in submission. He had his gun raised like he was getting ready to set the entire forest on fire. The Tribal behind him laid his hand on it and lowered it.

“Not yet Joseph, they’ll show themselves soon.” The Tribal male had a dark voice that rumbled Rainbow Dash’s ears. Despite this, he was unusually thin for a Tribal. “Hi Rainbow Dash, the name is Isak. Cool name you have by the way.” Isak sounded polite, like he was getting ready to have a fancy dinner in the middle of the raging war.

“Thanks?” Rainbow Dash said bewildered, the sound of fighting still sounding in the background.

“That was so rad Isak, you should attend the rock throw contest and win over the Barry boys with it.”

“Shut up Konrad!” Joseph blasted while shamefully facing the ground.

Konrad seemed completely unmoved by Joseph’s outburst. “Buckle up Joseph, arguing with you is like arguing with a wall.”

“And arguing with you is like arguing with your mother.” Isak immediately started laughing at his own joke. Konrad punched Isak in the arm, who continued laughing.

“Shhh, quiet.” Max hushed as he jumped back into the ditch. Rainbow Dash quickly saw what Max had urged silence about.

All the Ponies and Tribals in the group lowered their heads while a group of green ants came sneaking through the forest. Twilight thought they were probably trying to flank Vela and Lupus, who was still holding of ants coming from another direction inside the camp.

“Oh, this is so exiting!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed in whisper range. Irritated, and absolutely horrified, Apple Jack punched her on the hoof. Max turned around and looked at the pink pony. How can she be so eccentric in a dangerous situation like this?

Soarin was the white colt pegasus of the Wonderbolts and had been a member for as long as Spitfire had. He watched Spitfire raise her yellow head now, probably to scan the situation. Hearing the sound of laser fire in the distance, he felt all the years working with her pass him by. He got up and urged her with his hoof.

“Boss, I really think you should…”

The blasts from the laser weapon was so close that Soarin never had time to hear it before it entered his flank. The massive plasma energy spread all over his inner organs within a millionth of a second. The energy made all his muscles jump, giving him no options beyond falling headfirst into Spitfire’s hooves. By the time the rest of his body hit the ground he couldn’t feel the tickling of the leaves lying there, not even the wound surrounded by third degree burns, just the largest muscle cramp that the stallion had ever experienced in his life.

Thunderlane wasn’t sure what drove him, but the black Wonderbolt stallion aimed and fired by pure instinct. The green shooter ant screamed and fell backward into the bushes. Soarin’s agonizing scream and cursing started sounding, along with the whooing zip of lasers coming from the depth of the forest.

“RETURN FIRE! KEEP YOUR HEADS DOWN!” Spitfire ordered while failing to let somepony else look after Soarin. She threw herself down to him, leaving the Wonderbolts leaderless.

“Soarin!”

“I can’t… I can’t feel… My right hoof, is it still there!?”

“It’s still there, old timer!”

“IF YOU LIE!” Soarin roared sobbing. The energy still circulated inside Soarin and cramped his muscles, making it feel like his back hoof was pulling out from his body and stretched everything inside him. His screams came in intervals.

“Boss! What do we do!?” High Winds wailed.

“If they flank us we’re done!” Surprised shouted.

Apple Jack quickly realized the real danger of the situation. She threw herself down to Soarin. “I’ll look after him!”

Spitfire didn’t look at the apple farmer. It was like Soarin’s wavering screams rocked Spitfire’s head and made her thoughts waver to. Her mind spun around in circles with the nagging question. Why did I expose myself like that!?

“Spitfire, your fliers need you!” Apple Jack retried.

But Spitfire wasn’t responding. How could she respond to somepony else when she couldn’t even respond to her own thoughts?

Twilight Sparkle looked back at Spitfire, then at Apple Jack’s hopeless eyes. The former princess quickly realized that she had to take lead.

“Wait until they need to cool their weapons down!” Twilight ordered the group.

“Roger! You heard the lady!” Shining Armor exclaimed.

At first, Twilight’s tactic seemed to keep the ants at bay. As the fight went on though more and more of the lasers started coming from the sides.

“If they make it around us we’ll be trapped, we need to fall back!” Thunderlane was already on his way. Rainbow Dash stopped him and scolded.

“It’s to open! They’ll shoot us in the back!”

“Fall back and leave me!” Soarin sobbed.

“No! We leave no pony behind!” Spitfire wailed over him.

“Spitfire! Leave Soarin to me!” Apple Jack retried in vain.

“We’ll ALL be left behind soon if we don’t do something!” Rainbow Dash rasped.

Pinkie Pie’s highly pitched laughter filled the air. Her pink head poked in and out again from the ditch, all while taunting.

“Where is pinkie Pie? HERE I AM! Where is pinkie Pie? HERE I AM!”

Since Pinkie Pie had her Pinkie sense she could just predict where the lasers would go in advance. She felt ashamed. It wasn’t quite fair she thought. She wished she could turn it off to give the ants a fair chance.

Max went back into cover again after firing toward a group he spotted ahead. He knew he saw them scatter, meaning the black pegasus pony had a point. If they flanked them this ditch would become their grave. He was about to tell his miners to fall back when he spotted the pink pony playing.

“Where is pinkie Pie? HERE I AM! Where is pinkie Pie? HERE I AM!”

Max felt a moment of wonder pass him by. If she can have fun at a time like this, why can’t we?

“Tribals!” Max got the attention of Joseph, Isak and Konrad. He smiled crazily at them while raising his weapon. “First Tribal to ten wins!”

Isak and Konrad looked nervously at each other.

“Your mother aint gonna like this.” Joseph said.

Max readied himself.

“Fuck mother.”

Max and his Tribal followers rocketed out of the ditch and advanced toward camp C. The suppressing green ants was taken completely by surprise by the daring move. Two lasers fired in panic went by Max before he raised his arm and riddled two of the ants. He glided against the leaf filled forest ground, taking cover behind a tree while the third drone fired at him.

“Two for me!” Max screamed.

“One!” Isak screamed while another ant did the same.

Three lasers suddenly rocketed by Max, one of them passing his head only by centimeters. They all hit the ant behind the tree and sent its limbs flying and body exploding into green slabber.

“Hey! Joseph, watch that trigger finger! You almost hit me!” Max scolded.

“Would it have counted if I did!?” Joseph smiled crazily behind the smoking barrel of his weapon. “Four!”

“Bullshit, how can you have four already!” Konrad screamed, contemplating lying about his zero.

Wonderbolt colt Sliver Zoom watched the Tribals. “Those Tribals are crazy!”

“Yes, and their crazy just opened a door for us!” Twilight looked back at Apple Jack tending Soarin. “Apple Jack!”

“I’ll carry Soarin!” Apple Jack rogered.

Twilight waited for the lasers to start raining. She moved a little to the side before peeking out, letting her horn shine a bright light as she did. Blinded, the green ant kept firing at the same spot, giving Twilight ample time to aim. The ant was hit in the shoulder and fell screaming into the bushes.

“Now!”

Twilight let her horn shine while leaving the ditch, her friends following her. She did not need to worry about blinding her allies since her spell only amplified the light in front of her.

“The ponies are advancing!” Isak exclaimed, then adding. “Five!”

“As much as this is a party, I think we should follow them!” Max proposed, then adding. “Seven!”

“DID SOMEPONY SAY PARTY!” Pinkie Pie came sailing via the highest jump Max had ever seen a four-legged creature do. Incoming lasers seemed to hit everything except the pink pony. Joseph aimed and finished the shooter.

“I win, by the way, sorry I forgot to mention... twelve.” The flatness of Josephs voice came off extremely creepy giving how many drones he had slaughtered.

“There is no way you have twelve kills already!” Konrad complained, then lying. “Five!”

“He has, I saw him, and you shouldn’t lie Konrad, you never get better if you never play by the rules!” Pinkie Pie teased happily, then adding bolstering. “I used to be a judge for the Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack competition, you know.”

Half of Pinkie’s competition came galloping through the woods.

“Well, then you can come back and ‘judge’ me down by the camp, the others are waiting for us!” Rainbow Dash blasted grumpily.

All around the group the silence laid itself inside the woods, along with the tension inside their bodies. Rainbow Dash took no chances. “The enemy may have retreated, but who know when they will be back.”

The Tribals walked past Rainbow Dash, all except Max, who stopped and turned to the pegasus pony. He spoke with a slow, teasing voice.

“You colorful little ponies truly are more than meets the eye.” He raised his gun and grinned. “I only hope that your own eye just saw what we Tribals here did for you, my little pony.”

Rainbow Dash looked at Max, then at jumping Pinkie Pie. The recently uttered words went on repeat inside her head.

You colorful little ponies truly are more than meets the eye, my little pony.

Rainbow Dash felt the shame over her playful friend creep up on her. She looked at Max again and hid it with a challenging face. “I sure did, my little Teddy.”

Max saw that he had gotten through to her. He smiled meanly. He was halfway with his fellow Tribal friends when he turned to the blue pegasus again.

“Oh, one more thing. Vela and Lupus have probably evacuated most of the camp already. Would you do me a favor my little pony? Before we head back to Jeff, would you mind make another sweep of camp C, just in case there are Tribals left?”

“Why me?”

Max walked up to the blue pegasus. He put his finger in the air and empathized every word.

“You… Must… Rescue… All… the Tribals.”

“All of the Tribals?” Dashie asked.

“ALL the Tribals.” Max eyes became bulgy. Joseph, Isak and Conrad laughed in the background. There was a highly pitched input coming from the jumping pink pony.

“You heard him Rainbow Dash! You won’t finish the game unless you find every Tribal, even if they are hiding in the most obscure places or if you accidentally shoot one of them!”

Rainbow Dash’s face twisted in anger. Max smiled before heading after his Tribal work force. Rainbow Dash reached out her hoof and prevented Pinkie’s next jump.

“What are you doing Pinkie Pie? This is no game!”

“It is for some.”

“It is for you. Soarin is badly hurt, if that laser had hit a few inches higher we would be having his funeral by now, over by that ditch! Heck, we could be having your funeral, but all you can do, in the wake of all this, is to fool around smiling!”

Pinkie Pie looked sad at Rainbow Dash. “I’m sorry, I just wanted to lighten up the mood.” The smile returned to her pink face. She started jumping happily. “At least the Tribals were having fun. You should have seen them. They were all really good, but it was Joseph who won by scoring twelve points. Twelve points, HA! Can you believe it!”

Dashie’s angry eyes gained a misty core of incredulous. “They were KILLING enemy combatants!”

Pinkie Pie stopped jumping. Dashie’s scolding echoed between the trees.

“Living creatures, individuals!”

Pinkie’s smile slowly faded. Her realizing eyes became shallow with shame. Dashie shook her head and hung the rifle over her neck by the strap.

“Your smile may be fun and game at your parties, but sometimes, Pinkie Pie, it scares me more than the enemy does.”

“Thank you all so much for coming! As you all know, this is Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake’s birthday and I am so happy that you all could be here!”

Pinkie Pie put on a welcoming face while her friends entered Sugarcube Corner. They all looked around in confusion at all the balloons, colored roller strings and randomly placed party hats. Pinkie Pie laughed.

“I know those faces, you probably weren’t expecting a party so soon. Don’t worry, this will only be a short one.” Pinkie Pie then added reassuringly. “I’m sure Vela and Lupus can wait an hour longer before takeoff.” She put on the largest party smile she could. “Now, let’s PARTY!”

Confetti popped up and balloons came sailing via Pinkie Pie’s hidden party cannons. With one push of her back hooves she jumped over to the music player, turned it on and spun around in a pink hurricane of cheer that only Pinkie Pie, the greatest party planner in Equestria, could muster. Pinkie Pie pulled out of her party ecstasy and saw that her friends were still looking at her slightly bewildered. Pinkie put her hoof over her mouth, laughed and added embarrassed.

“Oh, right. The birthday fillies.” Pinkie Pie turned toward the Kitchen and called. “Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake!”

Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake was the children of Mr. and Ms. Cake, the owners of Sugarcube corner. The two foal ponies came walking on their small little hooves, one a filly unicorn and one a colt pegasus. They stopped in the middle of the room. Their big eyes looked worried at Pinkie Pie’s friends. The party pony giggled.

“Oh, I forgot, you should probably remove your robes so they recognize you.”

Pinkie Pie’s two friends reached out their bug arms and removed their robes that covered both their bodies and head. The robes sailed to the floor, revealing only emptiness. Pound Cake turned around and looked at the huge party cake. He opened his mouth wide and screamed.

The Cake towered with its walls made out of cream, colorful ornaments and candles. On top of it a blue ant head had been placed. His black bug eyes stared dead into the air.

Pinkie’s smile widened until her mouth reached outside of her face. She turned and looked at Pumpkin Cake with hardened blue eyes. Pumpkin Cake started crying. She pointed her hoof at Pinkie and shouted.

“Pinkamena Pie!”

“No! I’m not her! I AM NOT HER!”

Pinkie Pie felt the condensed air wetting her face. The lake gulped while its small waves hit the bed. Pinkie Pie’s I’m not her! still echoed around the area as she studied her reflection on the surface.

“I’m not her.” She whispered.

“No, you’re not.”

The party pony turned. Pinkie Pie the double 0 agent had joined her on the lake bed. She was cleaning her PPK pistol. “You will never be her, my forever bound friend.”

“You are wrong.”

“You will never be her, the only pony you will ever be are your own mad self, desperately trying to run from your own reflection.”

“Why are you here?”

“You know why I’m here, and Soarin too.”

“It wasn’t my fault.”

Pinkie 007 turned her cold, blue eyes and glared at Pinkie the party planner. “Yes, it was. I could have sensed that laser, I could have finished the shooter before he even had time to aim for Spitfire.”

Pinkie’s eyes filled with shame. When the pegasus stallion had been brought into the camp he had been in a rough state. After nurse Redheart had taken a look at him the cramps had finally lifted. Now the pegasus was lying inside Vela’s transport ship, unable to use his right wing.

“Now that poor Wonderbolt might have to retire for good, all because of you.” 007 scolded.

“Are you abandoning me?”

“I’m asking you to take a break. This is no place for you, let me handle things from here.”

“You are not my master.”

“I’ll be if that’s what it takes.”

“My friends don’t know you. My friends won’t recognize you. I might lose them forever. I can’t risk it.”

“Their lives you could risk.”

“Shut up.”

“If it hadn’t been for me, all of them would have died at the gala.”

“Shut up!”

“If it hadn’t been for me, you and Starlight would have been stuck inside that Goldeneye movie forever.”

“Don’t you dare mention her, shut up!”

“Wow, look who’s turning to Pinkamena.” 007 teased.

“I… Said… SHUT UP!!!”

“Shut up who? Yourself?”

Who? Yourself?... The words echoed inside Pinkie’s head while she was looking down at the lake. The morning sun reflected upon the surface. A small streak of red came floating. Pinkie Pie lifted her hoof and looked at the pointy rock she was holding. Her left hoof was dripping with blood. The cut she had made with the rock went horizontal over it. Pinkie Pie gasped and dropped the rock.

“No... No, no, no, no.”

“Pinkie Pie?”

Pinkie Pie flung her head around in panic toward the familiar voice. Twilight Sparkle yawned and exited the tree line. “What are you doing up this early? We’re leaving tomorrow.”

“Twilight.” Pinkie said blankly.

At first, Twilight looked at Pinkie Pie with half open and tired eyes. They quickly widened in panic.

“What are you…?” Twilight galloped franticly up to Pinkie Pie and looked straight into her regretful eyes. Twilight shook her head. “No!” She went down on her hooves and discovered what Pinkie Pie had felt had been useless to hide. “No! No! Not this again!”

“I’m sorry, Twilight.” Pinkie Pie whispered hopelessly.

Twilight stood up shook Pinkie Pie.

“Why are you doing this to yourself?! You promised me Pinkie Pie, you promised!”

“What is happening to me?” Pinkie Pie asked weakly.

The former princess became more hysterical by the second. She shook her head and started trotting back and forth. After just a few laps Twilight started walking back toward the camp.

“Twilight, where are you going?”

“I’m going back to Vela. She is going to fire up that ship of hers.”

Twilight’s voice was edgy and final. Pinkie Pie galloped up to her and blocked her path.

“Twilight, please.”

“No, you are going back to Equestria. I am taking you to see a psychologist!”

“You really care that much for me?”

Twilight’s eyes filled with incredulous. “Of course, I care for you! And not just me! Rarity, Apple Jack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, we are your friends, we all care for you!”

“Then don’t leave me alone in Sugarcube Corner. Please, without you I’m no longer Pinkie Pie.”

Twilight’s worried eyes gained a tinge of scolding.

“Exactly! You need us to be with you, not because you care for who we are but because you need to remind yourself of who you are.” Twilight laid her hoof over Pinkie Pie’s mane, who’s blue eyes had started to water. “Don’t you see, Pinkie Pie?! You are not well! This double personality you have going on is tearing you apart, and its tearing me apart. I don’t want you to suffer, I don’t want you to die!”

Twilight’s eyes filled with tears. She put her lavender hooves around her friend and hugged hard. “Don’t die! Don’t die! After all we’ve been through, don’t die! Please, don’t…!” Twilight’s voice drowned in crying. Pinkie Pie gradually went from sad to relieved. Why was she relieved? Her friend was crying for Celestias sake.

But Pinkie Pie wasn’t in the dark. She knew the answer to that question as well as she knew herself. The words she said to herself a moment ago came back to her. My friends don’t know you. My friends won’t recognize you.

Indeed. All this time Pinkie Pie had waited for her to love herself, when in reality she had needed her friends to confirm their love for her, something that she should have known all along. Twilight was right. She had been selfish.

“You are right, Twilight.” Pinkie Pie said softly. She put her pink hoof over Twilight’s head and embraced her. “I may have hurt myself, but I never knew how much I have hurt you. I will go home and seek treatment, if that is what will keep me from hurting you again.”

So far, Twilight had been discreet about Pinkie Pie’s self-hurt, something that she had now come to regret. Pinkie Pie had not proven herself to get any better and had now admitted that she needed help. Twilight gathered the rest of her friends and told them about what she found out after the gala attack. Her friends were shocked and not at all happy about Twilight’s silence until now. Especially Rarity saw this as a personal as well as a group tragedy.

“I don’t mean to be judging darling, it’s just hard for me to understand why there hadn’t been a single word about Pinkie’s problems until now.”

Another pony who had been deeply regretful was Rainbow Dash, who now felt that she had contributed to Pinkie Pie’s behavior at the lake.

“Pinkie Pie, I just wanted you to know that am so sorry about what I said in that forest. I think you are an amazing pony that can be so optimistic, even in dangerous situations.”

“On top of that.” Fluttershy broke in “…being both agent Pinkie Pie and party planner Pinkie Pie, both completely different ponies and shifting between them, I can’t imagine how strong and self-aware you must be to be able to pull that off!”

“Yea, I completely agree.” Rainbow Dash said and looked at Fluttershy, who smiled while looking sideways at her.

“I thank you so much for your support Fluttershy. And Rainbow Dash, don’t blame yourself. You were right back there, laughing isn’t always ok, and I haven’t been strong, I have been weak and self-absorbed. I should have spoken to you all sooner about my feelings and my conflict with my other self, but instead, I locked myself inside a bubble, pretty much the opposite of what I usually do.” Pinkie Pie almost laughed.

“Exactly, and hearing you say this makes our final decision even more final.” Twilight said and smiled at Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie and Twilight exchanged looks.

“You mean that I get to come with you anyway?!”

Twilight had at first felt that Pinkie Pie needed help from an expert. But after hearing Vela say how time was running low she had instead decided that she would keep an extra eye on Pinkie Pie, something that her friends had agreed on helping her with. Pinkie Pie promised all her friends that she would come and talk to them if things got rough instead of taking it out on herself. After the ponies’ conversation had ended there were now little time to socialize with the Tribals. King Jeff already had a ship that would take his own kind back to the forest planet of Goldwood. The Tribals approached Rainbow Dash now.

“See you around, my little pony.” Max teased before leaving with his family.

“Yea, se you around, my little Teddy.” Rainbow Dash teased back.

“Don’t let him bully you, Rainbow pony. You’re a cool broad.”

“I wouldn’t take anti-bullying advice from Joseph if I where you.”

“Shut up, Konrad!” Joseph blasted. Konrad laughed. Isak waved the ponies good bye in a way that he considered tacky.

When the ponies got back to the transport ship Vela was waiting for them. She quickly got Twilight’s attention. Vela then lead Twilight upstairs to the cockpit. Lupus was waiting for them.

“What’s this about?”

“Floyd.” Vela said simply.

“Wraf.” Lupus barked.

Twilight felt a shudder at the mention of Mizar’s fake identity. It reminded her, once again, about the weaknesses that her duties as the Princess of Friendship had befallen her, and why she wanted to take that flying metal banana, fry his circuits and shove him up Barry’s element of harmony. Twilight looked into Vela’s eyes, which seemed to rehearse her entire speech. Twilight realized the truth before it started.

“He was a real robot, wasn’t he?”

“Juno found him on Tawfret.”

“Tawfret? You mean the planet King Jeff used his magic the wrong way?” Twilight recalled Jeff’s argument with his brother.

“Jeff tried to save a group of Tribals, ended up turning the entire planet into a zombie drone apocalypse.”

“Zombie drones?” Twilight giggled. She couldn’t wait for that to be turned into a franchise.

“Floyd saved an entire Tribal group from being executed by Mizar’s ant drones, who made an example of him by shattering him into pieces and putting his head on top of a pole. My brother found the pieces and rebuilt him. Floyd then helped us defeat Mizar.”

By now Twilight was no longer laughing. Her purple eyes stared at Vela with both revelation and confusion. “Wait. So, you are saying that Floyd, the identity that Mizar gave me, was not only a real robot but his backstory was also real?!”

“The way you’re putting it, it sounds like it.”

Twilight looked down at the floor and whispered to herself. “That is so strange.”

“Well, we’ll have plenty of time to talk later. Get down there and buckle up, we’re heading for a planet called Eschebone.”

“Eschebone? What’s there?”

“If my recent reports are right, Diamond Geezer and….” Vela paused for a dramatic effect. “…Mizar.”

Twilight imagined Mizar rushing his vain Sorry! before she pinned him to the ground and put so many lasers in him that the only thing left would be a burnt hole in the ground. Vela saw the hatred in the unicorn’s eyes.

“Hey.”

“Yes?” Twilight replied and turned to the human who she felt herself grow closer to with every passing moment.

In tone, Vela sounded like a cynical version of Fluttershy. Both her jokes and threats were usually delivered with the same low and edgy, almost sexy voice. The fact that somepony weren’t always able to make out if she was joking, flirting or threatening made her both interesting and funny from Twilight’s view. But now Vela’s voice was about to gain an unusual tinge of caring, much like Fluttershy.

“Don’t get careless Twilight. Mizar is still the most dangerous robot in the universe, even if he has the chassis of Floyd.”

Twilight wasn’t sure what to answer, mostly because she wasn’t sure what she would do once she saw him. The only thing she was sure of was that she would make him regret every single pony that his drones killed at the gala.

“You know that he’s probably waiting for you, don’t you?”

Twilight turned and walked back toward the others.

“In that case he is making a fatal mistake.” The unicorn said darkly.

Juno's Wrath

This takeoff would turn out to be not as exciting as the last one. This was mostly due to Soarin being fastened with his banded wing hanging limply beside his seat. The ponies could hear him moan in pain when the G forces hit them. It reminded them awaited if they made a mistake.

For every pony that was affected by Soarin’s suffering one pegasus was deep inside her thoughts for a different reason.

When the ponies had first taken off from Equestria Spitfire had exclaimed NOW WE’RE TALKING! Now though, as the planet of Rith Essa became more distant behind, it was more like, Eh, whatever.

Spitfire had her eyes swimming in a fog throughout the entire takeoff. After the ship left the atmosphere it was traveling through space in an even pace. Spitfire took short glances at ponies now and then, giving them a dwindling nod at best. Thunderlane and Surprise looked bewildered at one another. Misty Fly thought that a conversation might get Spitfire to open up. She proceeded talking flight maneuvers with Rainbow Dash and how the air on Rith Essa had affected her techniques. Spitfire didn’t seem to be interested. In fact, the more ponies that joined in the more she seemed to distant herself from them. In the end it was Shining Armor that finally raised his voice and accommodated the Wonderbolts for their bravery on Rith Essa. Spitfire unbelted herself and walked toward the armory. Only one pony was paying attention to her, one who was running her own family farm.

In her head, Spitfire could imagine all the unspoken praises that she wanted to give the Wonderbolts.

“Thunderlane, you really saved my and Soarin’s asses back there! That was a darn fine shot, taking out that drone hunter.”

“Rainbow Dash, you kept the team collected and game with your inspirational sarcasm, even as the lasers came whooing by and the hour looked the darkest!”

“Misty Fly, if it hadn’t been for your observations, hundreds of Tribals would have been sacrificed!”

“Wonderbolts, I am proud to call you my team!”

Spitfire knew that she needed to focus on her leadership, but all she kept hearing was Soarin’s screams.

“Spitfire?”

Spitfire turned around. The orange earth pony had followed her into the armory.

“Yes, Apple Jack?”

“I don’t mean to delve, but this isn’t like you.”

“Has it been that obvious?”

Apple Jack knew that Spitfire was ashamed, but even though she knew, she didn’t understand. All Apple Jack could think about was her honesty, and that honesty told her that if it hadn’t been for Twilight and Shining Armor stepping up on Rith Essa she and all her friends would be gone.

“What happened to you back there? Your team needed you as a leader, not a nurse. Why didn’t you let somepony else look after Soarin?”

“Close the door.” Spitfire urged.

“But Spitfire, I just wanted to…”

“Close the door!” Spitfire raised her voice. Apple Jack closed the armory door and turned to the Wonderbolt leader again.

"Keep going." Spitfire said.

“Keep going?”

“Keep telling me what almost happened down on that planet.”

Apple Jack had seen Spitfire mad before. She felt the nervosity slowly creep up on her.

“Spitfire, I don’t mean anything...”

“I am not threatening you Apple Jack. You have something you wanna say? Say it.”

“What I meant to say was that everypony back there...”

“Raise your voice.”

Apple Jack gained posture and made her voice firmer.

“Those ponies back there needed you as a leader, not a nurse. I don’t mean to…”

“Stop excusing me. Raise your voice!” Spitfire blasted, then adding softly. “Think about what almost happened to your friends.”

Apple Jack thought about what almost happened to both Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Pinkie Pie. This time it worked. Apple Jack’s country accent rumbled the armory.

“While you were busy beginning your nurse education from scratch, those ant soldiers were about to round our position! Thunderlane was about to turn tail and gallop! If it hadn’t been for Rainbow Dash, doing your job for you and denying him, that scared stallion would have brought the entire group into the open and have them becoming easy targets for those drone hunters!”

Spitfire knew what scolding she needed, but she hadn’t prepared for how angry this countryside pony was capable of becoming.

“If it hadn’t been for those Tribals, Tribals with families that waited for them to come home, risking their lives by charging the ants head on, your absence would have costed us everything! It would even have cost the life of Soarin, the reason you became absence to begin with!”

“It wasn’t personal…”

“YES, that’s EXACTLY what it was! Do you remember Rainbow Dash after her first Wonderbolt show, after her stunt with the storm cloud!? You sure didn’t visit her at the hospital, did you?!”

Spitfire’s yellow pony ears laid flat at the side of her head. “He is my friend.”

“He is part of your team!”

“I put Soarin before my team!” Spitfire boomed.

“Yourself!” Apple Jack corrected. “I would have tended for him, but you couldn’t let go of your attachments. You put yourself before your team!”

“No.”

“YES! You did!”

The fire in Spitfire’s eyes had gone out. She still maintained the discipline in her voice. “I put myself before my team!”

“And what are you going to do about it?!”

“Lead.”

“Step up!”

“Yes.”

“I can’t hear you!”

“Yes!”

“Again, mean it this time!”

“I WILL STEP UP!”

Apple Jack watched the fire return inside Spitfire’s eyes. “Welcome back, Spitfire. Listen, everypony loses it sometimes, but some just cannot afford to lose it, and you losing it almost cost everypony here their lives.”

“I hear you, Apple Jack. Thank you.”

“Good!”

Spitfire looked into the eyes of the country farmer, something that almost turned out to be a huge mistake. Apple Jack may have been angry, but she wasn’t used to conveying the special, upfront decisiveness of a general. The friendly eyes of the orange pony tore a hole into Spitfire and lodged inside her shattered pride. It was the most panicked 10 seconds in Spitfire’s life.

Apple Jack walked away from there. Spitfire thanked Celestia, hastily raised her hoof and beat her chest with it. The yellow pegasus hadn’t cried for 15 years and she was not about to break that streak in front of Twilight’s friends.

The yellow hull of the giant cruiser reflected the light coming from the nearby star. The docking bay was located inside a hole that opened at the trunk-like end of the ship, making the entire construction look like a flying vacuum cleaner from afar. Its blue secondary color covered the upside and painted the inside of the corridors that formed the uneven surface of the veteran vessel.

SS Anubis had once belonged to Mizar and his ant drones – The time when Barry controlled the dictator - Once Barry was defeated the ships habitants had turned rouge, looking for helpless victims to plunder in space, of which no one could hear the latter scream. The role of the screamer had eventually befallen the pirates themselves though, when the Gemini Squadron arrived and turned it into their mobile base.

Juno was the human brother of Vela and the leader of the Gemini. The blinking lights from the panels in front of him reflected upon his blue and white Gemini suit. He wore black gloves and the shining rings around the leg part of his military armor indicated that his core still had power to absorb enemy laser fire. The human male had his feet lazily resting on top of the table in front of him. The command center of SS Anubis widened around him. The room appeared to press downward due to the brown roof combined with the vanilla walls. It was a horrible combination that the previous pirate owners had customized earlier before Juno and his team arrived. Some green blood still decorated a few overlooked niches of the room, meaning the pirates contributed some pleasant color to their shitty design.

Juno reached out and grabbed the steaming cup from the table in front of him. He took a sip. He felt the gag reflex dance inside his throat. This bland taste was far from what he preferred but it was currently the only thing that was available. It wasn’t even made from real coffee beans. Grown on Rith Essa, they had been genetically altered to stand the atmosphere there. Juno missed the earth coffee. Acrid, strong and immediately causing the legs to ache due to the caffeine.

Juno scrolled through the messages. His eyes festered on the last one.

Message from V
Private message sent: Suck my vagina, brother.

Juno reached out his hand, grabbed the coffee cup and swooped it. Indeed, he did miss his coffee, almost as much as he missed his sister it seemed. Juno had no idea if Vela was bringing the pony princess in, using her to get to Mizar or committing space bestiality with her. Neither would surprise Juno at this point.

Oh sister, why are you such a bitch?

Juno grabbed his perfectly formed chin, something he always did when he contemplated, and this one was a returner - like a beaten man returning for his nightly drink at the bar.

How many times had he reprimanded his own sister for her over-ambitions? Why hadn’t he kicked her out of the Gemini Squadron yet? His loyal team ensured him over and over again that he had their support regarding the family dilemma that stood in the way of treating his sister fairly.

Juno didn’t believe them.

Juno was a proud general. He knew where his heart was, but better how his iron fist hurled. If he would be given no choice he would kick out his own sister without even blinking, maybe blinking was the one thing that Juno couldn’t do? How long had his sister struggled to get his approval over the years? Juno remember asking Vela that same question a while ago, but the only answer he ever got was that she knew where she needed to be. Bullshit. Vela were an opportunist. She knew that her brother's love stood in the way of giving her the same treatment as his fellow soldiers. Vela was probably on her way to force Twilight to removing Mizar’s magic and kill the robot herself.

Juno remembered a time not so long ago when things had looked up between him and his sister. Was it twelve, or maybe even fifteen years ago? Both them and Lupus had been shattered from the rest of the squadron and went out to fight Mizar alone. For the first time since their parents were killed he and Vela had finally worked together as equals those days. When he raised his gun, she raised hers to. When he headed for certain death, she followed him. Sure, he was still captain, but it truly felt like they were working as one back then.

Then the time came to face Mizar, once and for all. It all went down on the surface of that asteroid. Lupus and Vela was both wounded before the battle even started, leaving Juno and Floyd to fight Mizar. After Mizar was defeated and Floyd sacrificed himself to blow up the asteroid all three returned to earth as heroes, cheered on by the people who would have lost everything if Mizar’s asteroid had reached earth. Him, his sister and their mascot had each received a medal of honor for their bravery. All done and well.

And then everything went to shit.

First earth was hit by an asteroid - No, not that asteroid, but another asteroid – Like a bad joke that killed millions of people and sent earth into a decade long period of black clouds, covering the surface in gray duskiness and dirty rain. It was then like the duskiness fell over him and Vela’s medals as well, along with everything they had accomplished together. The situation sent them both back to the way they usually dealt with siblinghood: An endless cold war, only lightened up by sex jokes.

Floyd.

The name sailed by inside Juno’s mind, like a forgotten chore, and stayed there. Why did Floyd have to sacrifice himself? Granted he still saved millions of people, seeing that the one that hit earth anyway was way smaller. Still, having him present would have been a mending factor between Juno and his sister. Juno can still remember that time on Tawfret when he installed Floyd’s last part. Juno remembered it had been his propeller.

Propeller? Floyd?... NO!

“You disappoint me, Juno.”

Juno already had his hand grasping the sheathed pistol.

“On a scale of one to hundred, how probable is it that I would come alone and not send one of my doubles to talk to you?”

Mizar’s resonating voice accompanied the small rotating sound of his propeller. Juno was one arm movement away from scrapping this flying robot.

“We have a common problem.” Mizar began.

Juno withheld his urge to burst out in incredulous laughter. “We have nothing in common.”

“Your sister is bringing the unicorn to you. Upon arrival that troubled mare will have already caused the Tribals on Rith Essa to shatter by showing her mule together with your sister.”

Mizar told Juno about the breakup between Jeff and Barry.

“Thanks to that girl, Jeff and my previous builder’s relationships have grown worse than ever. They have both taken their Tribal subjects and left the mines of Rith Essa unmanned.”

“So, you care about the Tribals now?” Juno tightened the grip around his pistol, still facing away from the dictator.

“Fernando is furious. We may be enemies my old conqueror, but neither you or I will benefit from Fernando being angry.”

Juno rolled his eyes without actually rolling them.

“You will.”

“Maybe, with some lucky shots of wordplay, but it would be so much better if you simply brought Twilight Sparkle to me.”

Juno’s mind went to all the Gemini warriors that lost their lives while chasing after the robot that Twilight so foolishly re-built, or cleverly re-built to conquer the universe, depending on which pony fool you believed in. The magical stone sure gave the later hypothesis heavier weight.

Juno could still remember it like yesterday. Him and his squad hadn’t known about Mizar’s alicorn blessed abilities at the time. The entire squad threw a giant feast several yards away to celebrate his apparent destruction. Juno promoted the Gemini warrior that preformed the heroic deed, a deed that had her take on, not just an entire squad of drone ants, but also Mizar himself alone.

It had been during Rebecka’s speech, of which she dedicated to Juno for promoting her, when Mizar grabbed the cake knife, hoovered up behind the poor girl and slit her throat. Juno can still remember the red inferno of blood that spurted all over him and his colleagues that evening. No one had shown any reaction. How could they? They had all seen Mizar destroyed earlier They had been absolutely sure that it was all a bad dream. By the time they snapped out of it Mizar was gone.

“And why would I bring you Twilight?” Juno asked, his voice bathing in hatred thinking about Rebecka’s fate.

“The unicorn may have lost her ability to threaten me by resigning from her duties, but she still has magical properties that I can make use of. Vela wants to help Twilight get vengeance for her friend but your squad will never trust Twilight, and you don’t want to fire your own sister. Having the unicorn here will only shatter your squad, just like Twilight shattered the Tribals. I am running a campaign that are going to liberate space, but space is a big place and my drones are few. Bring Twilight Sparkle to me and I am willing to end the campaign on earth and leave your kind alone.”

Juno grunted. Of course, Mizar was lying when he said that Twilight wasn’t a threat to him.

“Twilight hates me.” Mizar continued. “She is going to gallop straight into me. When she does I am going to kill her and there will be no more bargain like this ever again.”

“We are still going to fight you, murderer.” Juno snarled defiantly.

“And I wouldn’t want it any other way. Both our times will come, but Twilight’s will come much sooner, to the despair of human kind and the bore of me.” Mizar’s voice darkened upon saying ‘Bore’. “Bring Twilight to me and I will keep this war of ours, raging or cold, however you prefer it, deep in outer space.”

Juno rapidly unsheathed his pistol. He faced Mizar and took aim. “How about having the war here, right now?”

Mizar’s robot pupils became smaller before going back to their normal size, that being creepy black. “So be it. Still, think about it.”

Juno’s pistol pulled backwards when he fired. Mizar exploded into seven parts that plummeted to the floor with several metallic bangs. Juno walked up to the remainder of the flying robot. He had heard several of his soldiers use the name ‘Floyd Robot’ earlier. Juno thought it was an affront to the brave robot that sacrificed his life to save mankind. He spotted all the internal parts spread all over the floor. There were no magical stone in sight, meaning this robot had been yet another one of Mizar’s doubles. Juno sheathed his laser pistol. The lies that the Mizar double told him still circulated his mind, along with a familiar face.

Oh sister. What have you gotten yourself into?

“What have we gotten ourselves into now!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed with agitation in her blue eyes. Her curly pink hair was all fluffy like cotton candy. She grabbed Lupus and pulled his dog face closer. “Tell me Lupus!”

Most of the time Lupus spent with Vela the opportunities for games were limited at best. He felt the energy of Pinkie Pie flow through his veins and pour into his every muscle.

“Ah, look, the puppy wants to play!” Pinkie Pie awed.

Fluttershy approached them. “He is not a puppy Pinkie Pie. But he is happy to see you.”

Lupus wiggled his small tail and walked up to the light-yellow pegasus pony, who giggled.

“Hi Lupus. Oh dear, you sure need a bath.”

Lupus remember all the moments during his adventures when he had been forced to cross lakes. Every such memory felt like the water merely touched his skin. In the present it made spine shudder. Lupus saw Vela walk by not far from there.

Fluttershy looked bewildered at the leaving dog.

Rainbow Dash walked up to Fluttershy. “I don’t think he took that well.”

“Maybe he is afraid of washing?” Fluttershy asked worried.

Well, he sure as hell couldn’t have been afraid of you. Rainbow Dash joked inside.

The fabric of space glimmered around the hull of the military cruiser. Vela’s transport ship was slowly approaching the docking bay. Twilight could see the vessel from the view of the cockpit. She remembered the last time they entered a cruiser like this, and that time it had almost costed Fleetfoot her life. Vela spun the pilot chair around and faced the worried unicorn. Vela returned it with an equal emotion.

Indeed, this time it was no lie. Vela and her pony crew had been caught in a tractor beam. Vela remember when she had first delivered the news to the ponies’ downstairs. Pinkie Pie had slowly spun her pink head around, her curly hair gradually lowering while the blue eyes of 007 shoot a warning to Vela. Vela had then been forced to take Pinkie’s double personality up to the cockpit and show her the monitor that proved the jammed communication between the controls and the engines.

“Who are they?” Twilight asked.

“Enemies. In fact, this one will probably be the worst enemy that you will ever face on this journey.”

“Really?! That doesn’t sound good.”

“It isn’t. Get down to the others.” Vela ordered

Twilight headed downstairs and took seat next to Pinkie Pie. “Take seat ponies and be quiet.” Vela urged the rest.

Spitfire trotted up to Vela. “Excuse me miss.”

Ever since Spitfire’s conversation with Apple Jack she had decided to judge at each situation abstractly, rather than focusing on specific events like she did when Soarin got hurt. Spitfire glanced sideways at Nurse Redheart. She was sitting next to the pegasus stallion now. Fleetfoot had been feeling much better since the drone cruiser shootout. She was sitting next to Soarin and looked at Spitfire with ready eyes. Apple Jack was right: The time had come to step up.

“We mean no disrespect ma’am, you’ve done a lot for us, but this here situation seems all too familiar for me and my flying crew!” Spitfire boomed.

There was a flash. Twilight teleported herself next to Spitfire. Twilight’s horn shimmered repeatedly as each Wonderbolt and royal guard pony magically received a laser weapon by the former princess.

“With all respect Vela. This time we will not sit down. Step up and tell us how to face this threat together!”

Vela smiled. Indeed, she did enjoy a good fight, even though this one would result in the death of all the ponies if it went down. “I admire your courage pony, but trust me, this is not a threat that you want to face.”

“Is it that bad?” Spitfire asked.

“Worse.” Vela’s word was accompanied by the opening of the ship door. Outside stood an authoritarian human male with a group of fighters at his side. He held a yellow shotgun with one hand.

“Who is that?” Twilight asked.

Vela walked past Twilight. “The worst enemy that you will face on this journey.”

“Mission report!” Juno blasted immediately upon seeing his sister exiting the transport ship.

“Mizar escaped. The princess is safe.”

“And!?”

Juno was furious about the events that transpired on Rith Essa. He couldn’t wait for his sister to explain that one.

“And you’re a dickhead.”

“And?!”

The sound of held in laughter could be heard from Juno's soldiers. Juno coughed. “Ignore my last ‘and’.”

“That will be the most difficult mission of the day.”

“It wasn’t difficult for you to show Twilight Sparkle to Jeff and Barry. Despite countless briefings about their disagreement on the ponies’ role in Mizar’s return you had to send the signal that Gemini was favoring one side of the argument and cause the already fragile Tribal union to shatter. Who will work inside those mines now sister, tell me!?”

“Fernando can lift his rich ass.”

“Discipline!”

“He can piss of.”

“He was OUR ONLY ALLY!” Juno’s shouting echoed inside the hangar. “His money funded our entire resistance against Mizar. What were you thinking!?”

“I was looking for Diamond Geezer.”

“Who is paid by Fernando!”

“Correct, and those money would have favored Mizar the longer we dragged out the inevitable. Fernando would never back us forever brother, because we are fighting a war that cannot be won. You know it as well as I do. As long as Mizar has the ability to rebuild himself we can only delay our defeat. With Twilight on our side we stand a chance.”

Juno laid one hand over his face and sighed. He knew his sister was probably right, but neither he or she knew about Twilight’s intentions. Mizar may have tried to murder her, but if Twilight controlled Mizar with her magic that entire murder attempt could have been faked. Twilight might try to lure them and the remaining human resistance into a trap.

Twilight heard the argument between Juno and Vela from inside the ship. The words Celestia spoke came back to her: We still do not know why, but it appears that you aren’t the only one who is blaming you for Mizar’s return. Apparently, a large number of humans that make up the Gemini Squadron sees it that way too, some of them even belonging to the leading ranks.

Twilight started walking toward the open door. Worried voices could be heard.

“Twilight. No.”

But Shining Armor was too late. Spitfire nodded to her Wonderbolt comrades before they all followed the princess.

Juno and the Gemini fighters looked up toward the ship. The pony princess was standing on top of its open door with her raggedy mane slightly wavering. The tension in the air could have been sliced with a knife. The Gemini fighters raised their guns.

Juno wasn’t taking a single glance away from the unpredictable unicorn. If the rumors about this unicorn were correct she could wipe out the entire squadron with one spark of her horn.

Vela saw the fear in his brother’s eyes. Normally Vela would have looked forward to a fight but this one she had a feeling that she would come to regret if it broke out. She kept eye contact with Twilight while shaking her head. Twilight looked at the human male.

“We have a common problem.” Twilight began. She heard hooves behind her. She motioned the Wonderbolts to stand back with a slight turn of her head. Spitfire rogered. “You must be Juno, the leader of Jet Force Gemini.”

Juno stepped up. He placed the yellow plasma shotgun over his shoulder.

“And you must be Twilight Sparkle, the sworn enemy of Mizar.”

Twilight sensed the sarcasm in Juno’s voice. “Building him was a mistake.”

“Oh, I bet it was.”

Twilight walked down from the ship. Her hooves sent co…clocks over the cruiser floor. She stopped right in front of Juno. The top off her head barely reached up to the chin of the tall human.

“He lied to me. He gave me a fake name and a fake identity, told me he needed a friend.”

“And you gave him one. That’s so sweet of you.”

“Then, after I helped him, after I trusted him, he returned to murder me.”

“Wow, how ungrateful of him.” The flatness of Juno’s voice bannered out his distrust. He started walking around the unicorn. “And what are you going to do once you find him?”

“Take away the alicorn gift I gave him.”

“Oh, really? What gift?”

Twilight looked at Vela, who returned a nervous look.

“A magic stone. It was a sign of my friendship with Floyd, now I have come to claim it back from Mizar.”

“Floyd?!” Juno walked in front of Twilight. His eyes of distrust sparkled with a slight interest.

“The identity Mizar gave…”

“And you believed him?!” Juno cut Twilight.

“Before he betrayed me!”

Juno kept walking around the lavender unicorn. He let the barrel of his shotgun streak over her mane. It sent chills across Twilight’s spine. “Your sister told me that Floyd was a real robot.”

“Tell me, abdicated princess from the land of Equestria, how did the robot that called himself ‘Floyd’ look when you found him?”

“A computer-chip.”

“A computer-chip.” Juno’s voice bathed with incredulous. “I saw Floyd fly into the asteroid with the particle bomb attached underneath him. I saw Floyd’s GPS signal go out the moment that asteroid exploded: Finding a working chip after that is like finding a blooming tree inside the crater of an atomic bomb.”

“Actually! Finding a tree inside a weapon-of-mass-destruction-crater isn’t that unprobeable…!”

Quiet Pinkie!” A country accent cut the highly pitched voice coming from inside the transport ship.

“I didn’t know about Floyd’s fate at the time.” Twilight lied.

“No, of course you didn’t. You knew nothing about this robot. All you did was follow your duties as the Princess of Friendship.”

“Exactly.”

“You knew nothing about him, and yet you gave him a magical power that put him above all other drones and humans in the universe.”

“I felt sorry for him.”

“Sorry? I give you sorry...” Juno told Twilight about Rebecka. “…Rebecka died like a criminal underdog because you felt sorry?”

“I feel sorry you loved her.”

Juno rapidly raised his weapon. The sound of energy loading up hissed before a loud blast echoed inside the hangar. The energy from Juno’s plasma shotgun spun around like two glowing orbs across the room which caused a metal crater ahead to so split. Twilight subdued her gasp. She couldn’t break down now. After all, she was not a princess anymore, just an ordinary unicorn on a foolish mission. If she were to stand a chance out here she could not rely on the victim card. She let her sadness about Juno’s girlfriend turn to dark humor as it fed her lust for vengeance.

“What is it, big boy? Afraid of a little magic?”

Juno stopped and faced Twilight, fury burning in his eyes. He raised his plasma shotgun again. Twilight’s horn sparkled with a bright light. Juno watched his shotgun disappear out of thin air. It was the first of twelve weapons Twilight had counted in advance. The rest of Juno’s squad saw theirs disappear as well.

Juno felt himself be taken over by an invisible force. He felt his body hover until he had Twilight behind him. All the guns hovered mid air while pointing straight at him. His shotgun came sailing. He felt the barrel of it press up underneath his chin.

“Nice weapon you have here boy. Mind if I use it to vaporize Mizar? Listen, I am sorry about your dick teaser, I really am, but my old student was killed in the same attack that would have claimed my life in Canterlot if it hadn’t been for Starlight Glimmer saving me before Mizar shot her.”

Juno grunted when the shotgun pressed further up his throat.

“I feel sorry?” Twilight continued. “You feel sorry? My sorry ran out long ago. The only ones that will be sorry in this universe are Mizar and every Human, Tribal, Drone, even Pony that are dumb enough to stand between me and him.”

All the guns sailed into hands of the human squad again. Juno felt himself land on the floor, facing Twilight.

“So? Are you going to help me take his magic away and kill him or will my journey here be a complete waste of time?” The shotgun hovered into offering position for Juno. “In that case you might as well kill me here and now, leave my friends back there mourning and lose your only hope of stopping Mizar.”

Twilight looked challenging at Juno, who returned hesitantly. She placed the shotgun in Juno’s hand. “I am your friend Juno! I resigned, left my home, my parents, my privileges and my princess tutor disappointed in me. I am in no position of taking over the universe. I am only here to kill Mizar and slaughter every ant drone that stand in my way. So, are you with me?”

Twilight walked up and faced Juno’s squad. She amplified her voice. “Did you hear me, Gemini warriors?! I will take away Mizar’s magic and scrap him, once and for all!” Juno’s soldiers glanced at each other. “Are you with me!”

“We are with you, princess Twilight!” Shining Armor appeared out from the transport ship with his royal guard. Twilight looked at Juno, then at the Gemini warriors.

“I said: are you WITH ME!?”

Vela saw his brother exchange looks with his squad. She knew her brother would be too stubborn to admit verbal defeat and his squad would never agree without his approval. Vela walked up to Twilight.

“Let me talk to him.” She whispered. Twilight nodded. Vela approached Juno and spoke to him so that the others couldn’t hear them.

Vela told her brother about what she witnessed at the Grand Galoping Gala. She told him how completely devastated Twilight and her friends had been over the dead body of Starlight Glimmer. She told her brother about Twilight’s eyes when Celestia had entered the mingling room. Vela gave Juno the final ‘And!?’ part of her report

Those eyes could not have belonged to anyone else but someone in complete disbelief over Mizar’s violent ways, and that there was no way that Twilight could have had that reaction while at the same time plot to help Mizar with his space conquest. Twilight was, without reasonable doubt, innocent and had been misled by Mizar.

Lupus came running out of the transport ship. He became joyful when he saw Juno and Vela together. The others could hear Juno greet the tail wiggling dog. “Hi there, Lupus, how’s it been old pal?”

Juno took a minute to think. Vela asked him again to trust Twilight. The squad leader looked at Lupus. Despite not speaking his language Juno could register an agreement within the dog’s enthusiastic ways. Juno patted Lupus before rising up and walking back toward his squad members. After exchanging a few words with them he turned to Twilight.

“While it is too early to say that my men here will die for you, for now, you have my permission to stay here on SS Anubis and you have our full support, if that means finding Mizar killing him as quickly as possible.”

Death On Eschebone

Rarity didn’t have time to get scared. She immediately galloped into action. She walked firmly up to the horrified pegasus. “You DARE mention that traitors name!?”

Apple Jack felt a glimmer of hope rise inside her stomach. She played along. “Rarity, I’m sure she didn’t mean it!”

“I’m sorry girls, I failed you.” Rainbow Dash wasn’t playing along. Inside her panicked mind she and the girls were already dead. Rarity had no choice but to make shameless use of it.

“Sorry? You’re SORRY!? Well, sorry you will be, my dear pegasus, when Fancy Pants hears about your rude behavior! Twilight Sparkle was our pride until she resigned and became the biggest disgrace the Canterlot royalty ever had the misfortune of having in its history books! Granted, her student was killed and other ponies lost loved ones when Mizar attacked, but that didn’t excuse rubbing my fiancés name in the dirt!”

Rarity looked pleading at Rainbow Dash, as if to say. If you don’t play along and reveal that I’m not really married to Fancy Pants, I swear, I am going to kill you myself and save these drones the bother.

Rainbow Dash still didn’t understand that their scheme was still going on. Her simple brute mind was completely numb with fear and guilt. Instead, her head now spun around in confusion about why Rarity was mad at her.

“I’m sorry, Rarity.”

Rarity saw that Rainbow Dash still wasn’t playing along. I pained her, but she simply had no other options.

“You’re not my friend! Get out of here, you’re fired!”

Rarity pushed Rainbow Dash away. She tried using her well-meaning eyes to signal that she didn’t mean it.

It didn’t work.

In Ponyville Rainbow Dash had been known for her loyalty. Much like the case with Equestria, that loyalty now felt million lightyears away. But neither Rarity or any of the other ponies thought about that. All they felt was relief when Rainbow Dash walked away from them, her ears lowered in sadness. Diamond Geezer seemed to fall for Rarity’s double bluff. He retracted his arm.

Twilight Sparkle saw everything through Juno’s binoculars. She breathed a sigh of relief. Juno was laying behind her with his sister by his side.

“I’ll head down and scan around the backside in case there are hidden drones that we need to worry about.”

“Be careful.” Vela urged her brother.

Juno laid his hand on his sister’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about me sister, I’ll be careful.”

“No, not you - The ponies - If you blow our cover you’ll blow theirs to and, right now, they are surrounded by hostiles.”

“Oh.”

“But if you were to die...” Vela stood up and started walking away in a sexy manner. “…Be sure to tell me first, so I know when I can start missing you.”

Twilight turned to Juno. She head-motioned Vela.

“How do you get along with that?”

“I don’t.”

After Juno had left for his recognizance Twilight took a good look around her. She noted all the positions that the ponies and Gemini warriors had taken around the cliffs. If things turned sour for her friends down there they had the capacity to quickly eliminate all enemy resistance in front of the base. The problem with doing so immediately was that Diamond Geezer could easily escape before they got to him. The plan was to lure Diamond Geezer out in the open where it would be easy for Twilight to use her magic and paralyze him. That’s right: Giving how the situation with Fernando and the Tribals were they had decided that it was necessary to kidnap Diamond Geezer and force his co-operation.

So far, they had the chance to tease him with the notion that Equestria might be open for a weapons deal. If they attacked him now and failed they would probably never get another chance like this, plus the humans would lose hope of ever striking a deal with him again as long as they were allied with the ponies.

If this happened it would make Equestrias relationship with the humans impossible to maintain. No, this mission simply could not fail, it was either win this battle or lose the war. In other words, this wasn’t going to be pretty. Twilight remember Juno telling her to hope for the best and plan for the worst. The worst that could happen was that none of them made it out alive. Even an almost perfect execution of this mission would probably end in Twilight standing over another dead pony. The mere thought made her head spin.

Once Rarity and her friends entered the building they were met with an entire squad of red ant drones. Diamond Geezer gave them an order via a series of beeping sounds. The leader ant looked at Apple Jack.

“Gruuuuuil.” He motioned her and the others to come with him.

“Your friends will be escorted to the visitor area. Don’t worry, you’ll be with them in a short while.” Diamond Geezer informed.

Diamond Geezer showed Rarity into a dining area that seemed to be connected with a kitchen. It was more of a tool shop though as the cooking desk was covered in repair tools instead of food. Behind the desk was a cooking stand and refrigerator. But Geezer didn’t come here to cook food, he came here to cook liars. He turned to Rarity.

“I know about you and Twilight.”

Rarity played confused. “Twilight?”

“I know you came here to lure me out.”

“Darling, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Rarity put on a bewildered smile. Geezers artificial eyes diminished into dots. He made a beeping sound of aggression.

“You could have been dead already but instead I choose to lead you here. Either you co-operate now, or never.”

Rarity felt their entire plan of kidnaping Diamond Geezer turn to liquid in her brain. Worse, Twilight wasn’t here. Diamond Geezer was the only hope of finding Mizar, save the humans, the Tribals and Equestria from future terror. Now Diamond Geezer was about to either kill them or disappear forever, meaning their entire cause now fell solely on Rarity’s back. She put on a regretful face and changed her voice into a more serious tone. “Talk was all we ever wanted, Diamond Geezer. Tell me, are you going to help us stop Mizar from enslaving the universe or not?”

“Where is Twilight Sparkle?”

“Out looking for Mizar, me and my friends came her on our own.”

“Liar.”

“Excuse me Mr., Did I come all the way here on Twilight’s behalf to be insulted?”

Diamond Geezer pulled out a laser pistol. He held it halfway in the air, ready to point it at Rarity. “You told me you were married to this ‘Fancy Pants’ and considered Twilight a traitor.”

Rarity’s heart thumped in horror. If Diamond Geezer knew that Fancy Pants wasn’t really married to her and she tried to lie to him again Rarity would surely die in this kitchen. The question was, would Diamond Geezer still kill her even if she admitted lying? Rarity was about to put on an angry face and stand ground. But then she was hit with the words that Diamond Geezer spoke to her outside.

I know the warm air must be hard on your complexion - I might have a scientific way of making that right for you. Please, come inside.

The words may have been spoken with a static robot voice, but Rarity knew that he actually meant to be polite. Her blue eyes sparkled with sadness.

“I did lie to you Diamond Geezer about Fancy Pants being my fiancé and I am so sorry. You treated me like a lady and I repaid you with deceit. I was just so scared to tell you about my friendship with Twilight because I know how dangerous Mizar is.”

“Where is Twilight?!” Geezer demanded.

“She’ll be here any minute. Out plan was to bend the reality a little, just to arrange a private conversation between you and her, that’s it.” Rarity ensured.

Diamond Geezer raised his pistol and pointed it straight at the unicorn’s head.

“Lie again!”

Rarity’s hooves turned to gel and her brain went into complete lockdown. She could try and convince him that working for them was better, but that business discussion would only make Diamond Geezer feel outmaneuvered and anger him more. She had no choice but to reach for his heart, if one was to find inside his metal body.

“I lied to you and still you were nice to me. You have been wronged, not me. Please, Diamond Geezer, I beg you. I came with Twilight on her journey to protect my best friend from her own hatred for Mizar. If you kill me she is going to come after you too.”

“Is that a THREAT!” Geezer put the gun closer to Rarity.

Rarity became hysteric. Tears formed in her eyes. “No, it’s a pledge! Princess Celestia may have taken Twilights alicorn powers away, but she still sees her as a daughter! She is praying that she’ll come home alive every day! At first, I came to have revenge myself, but the truth is that I just want all this to end! Please, Diamond Geezer, I heard you outside, you’re a good robot! I’m just a lady and, right now, you’re scaring me!”

Diamond Geezer saw the crying unicorn. It was the same one he had seen outside, but this time it was different - Or was it?

“You cried outside too.”

“That wasn’t crying, that was whining! I was a damsel, a lady, a diva, but I was also a friend, that is, until I treated you unfairly!” Rarity’s teary eyes stared dead into the air. Rainbow Dash. “Geezer, you’re a good robot, please, don’t let that part of me be the last my friends saw of me!”

“One question…” Geezer lowered his gun slightly. “Your friends are still looking for Mizar. If I let you live, what will you do now?”

It was almost like Rarity sensed her own pleading. It felt like it was embracing something inside Geezer. Could a robot really have a heart? But that wasn’t just Rarity’s only hope, it was her element. She said the one thing that she would be happy with if they were to be her last words.

“Please, Diamond Geezer. Help me save my friend!”

Diamond Geezer raised his gun. The crying white unicorn closed her eyes and held her breath.

Ever since Geezer started selling arms for real during the reign of Barry’s Mizar robot he had made a name for himself as one that puts business before everything. He recalled all the other fools that had failed to respect him, others that had cried in front of his pistol, all of them being tears that fell before he pulled the trigger. It was either make square or make fair, all in-between that was business as usual. But now, somehow it felt like he was pointing the pistol at himself, or was it because he saw potential in being friends with Twilight Sparkle, the symbolic daughter of Celestia and a chance to exploit the magic of the alicorns for weaponization?

As good of an excuse as any. Diamond Geezer thought to himself and lowered his pistol.

“Oh, stop crying for goodness sake!”

Rarity opened her eyes again.

“Go out and tell Twilight that she can come to my base. Tell her I’m ready to make a deal that will end Mizar.”

“Geezer I…” Rarity was amazed she was still alive. “I don’t know what to say, I can’t thank you enough!”

“Don’t thank me, just go before I change my mind.”

Rarity turned around and started walking toward the exit. There were two doors. The chock of almost being dead made her wobbly. Little did she know that she was about to make even further acquaintance with that feeling.

“It’s the right door.” Geezer instructed the groggy unicorn. Rarity went left. “No. Right. I said Right!”

Rarity wasn’t really present in in the moment, but she eventually found the door that Geezer was constantly reminding her of.

“Right, right, right, right…”

Rarity put her hoof on the handle. “Yes, Diamond Geezer, I found it.”

“Right, right, right, right…”

“Diamond Geezer?”

Rarity turned around bewildered. Slowly, she started walking back toward the dining room. Her blue eyes hardened in shock.

Diamond Geezer’s rockets still held him airborne while a sharp metal pipe pierced his body. It entered his back and came out through his left eye socket. His last uttered word wavered in frequency.

“Right, right, right, right…”

Rarity heard the small rotating sound of a propeller. A dark corner of the room lit up with two red eyes. The bouncing sound of laser fire filled the kitchen. The same pistol that killed Starlight Glimmer and scarred Twilight’s face flashed of blue. Rarity barely had time to put up a protection spell. She wasn’t as good with magic as Twilight. The plasma energy still entered Rarity though through her own spell. Moaning in pain she threw herself behind a counter.

“Mizar! You may kill me and Diamond Geezer but Twilight will make you pay for killing Starlight Glimmer!”

Mizar hovered closer to Rarity’s hiding place. “You are way in over your head, fashion pony!”

There was a blast, but this time it was not the pistol that maimed Twilight. Mizar’s severed robot arm still held his gun as it sailed away from him. He hovered around and faced his attacker. The metal pipe was still stuck inside Diamond Geezer. He had stopped repeating the same word over and over again. His remaining eye showed no sign of regret before pulling the trigger of his pistol. Mizar made beeping sounds and exploded into seven parts.

Rarity looked out of her hiding place. The light flickered inside Diamond Geezer’s remaining eye. His static robot voice came out un-even.

“White… unicorn… Not… Much time.”

Below Geezer laid the magic rock that Twilight had built Mizar around. It flashed repeatedly. One by one the seven pieces gradually started rebuilding the evil robot. Geezer opened the hatch under him.

“I…will…drop…my…hard drive…and die. All the…Information…You need… Is in there.”

“No, Geezer.” Rarity shook her head.

Geezer made small beeping sounds. “Thank you…White unicorn. You showed me… Something better… Than… Money.”

Geezer closed his remaining eye. A releasing sound followed. A large metal box fell out of his hatch. Diamond Geezer stopped functioning and his pierced chassis plummeted to the floor.

Rarity tried to not think of Geezer as she galloped out from the kitchen, carrying the hard drive with her horn magic. She was immediately faced with three of the Diamond Geezer-paid ant drones. The one up front was the one that spoke to her with the necklace earlier. He gained posture to stop the unicorn.

“Gruuuuul!” The necklace lit up “Not another step!”

“You have to let me through, Diamond Geezer is...” The sound of laser blasts filled the building. The red ant raised his weapon and fired toward their attacker. Mizar made a couple of evasive maneuvers and dodged. Having taken cover behind a pillar he leaned out his robot arm and returned fire. Violet blood spattered the walls before the red ant crumbled to the ground. Rarity managed to put up a protection spell to repeal the lasers that went for her. She picked up the pistol of the fallen ant and returned Mizar’s generosity.

The other three ants went for cover and helped Rarity in keeping Mizar at bay. It worked for a short while. That is, until two of Mizar’s blue ants appeared down the corridor and came to their commanders’ aid. The red ant beside Rarity was hit and fell backwards.

“Rarity!”

Rarity turned around. The pink pony came galloping on three hooves. The recently fluffy and curly mane was hanging limply down the side of her head, meaning that she was no longer looking for that kind of party. 007 laid down a couple of lasers before taking cover beside Rarity. Rarity did not waste any time explaining the situation.

“I saw the magic stone, it’s the real Mizar! Get Twilight so she can use her magic on him and finish this!”

“No Rarity, we’re being attacked out there, Mizar’s blue ants ambushed us!”

One of the allied red ants got his legs shot off. Mizar executed him as he laid on the ground. 007 leaned out and fired three lasers toward the flying robot. They all missed but one of Mizar’s blue minions was hit, who managed to raise is wounded arm and force agent Pinkie back into cover. Rarity waited for his lasers to stop coming before leaning out. She felt the heat of the pistol warm her hoof as she watched the wounded blue ant scream, twitch and fall sideways while the wall behind him smeared with green blood. She saw the remaining blue ant open the heavy metal door at the end of the corridor, allowing Mizar to fly into what seemed to be a base-connected cave. The ant closed the door behind his commander and fired his automatic death bringer at the ponies and the last of Geezers drones. Rarity and Pinkie Pie felt the heat from their stone-wall cover intensify as the lasers streaked and created small cracks on its surface.

Rarity’s horn lit up. She used her magic to hover the laser pistol, allowing her to rain blind fire from across the corridor. The blue ant seemed to believe that there were more enemies after the move. He fired toward Rarity’s hovering pistol. It was hit and exploded into a pulse-wave of plasma energy and metal parts. By the time the wave faded 007 had already pinky sensed the entire event in advance, leaned out and taken the shot. The blue ant fell down to his knees. Agent Pinkie finished him by shooting of his head.

“What about the red drones?” Rarity asked as the silence laid inside the building.

“Gruuuil.” The red ant beside the ponies answered.

“Oh, sorry there, didn't realize I was being ignorant.” Rarity apologized.

“They’re allies now, but... What is that?” Agent Pinkie Pie looked at the metal object Rarity was holding with her horn.

“It’s what we need. Its Geezers hard drive, containing the data to reveal Mizar’s robot doubles.”

“What about Geezer?” 007 Pinkie Pie asked.

“Dead. Mizar killed him.”

“We needed him!” 007 cursed. Her voice was low and didn’t sound at all like the playmate her party planner self was. “Come on, we need to head out and help the others!”

While agent Pinkie stood up Rarity caught sight of the self-made cuts on her hooves. Rarity blocked her with one hoof.

“You’re tearing her apart, you know that?”

007 looked coldly at Rarity. “We don’t have time for this. Our mission now is to help our friends!”

Upon exiting Diamond Geezer’s base Rarity’s ears was quickly filled with the blur of laser fire. The usually brown and red air of Eschebone flashed of blue. Diamond Geezers ant drones had taken position around the base perimeter. Joining them were the Gemini Squad, the royal pony guard and the Wonderbolts. Mizar’s blue ants had taken position above the cliffs. They fired the same weapons that Geezer probably sold to Mizar earlier. Geezers red drones grunted while the ponies and humans shouted. Rarity spotted Twilight and Shining Armor firing from a military defense stand. She and 007 joined them. Twilight turned to Rarity, her eyes widening in relief.

“Rarity! I’m so glad you’re alright! What’s the situation!”

“I got Diamond Geezers hard drive.”

“And Geezer?!”

“Dead. Mizar showed up and killed him. Geezer managed to scrap him but he escaped before me and Pinkie Pie could get to him.”

“Scarp him? You mean he rebuild himself again?!” Twilight felt the urge flow through her muscles. If the Mizar robot that attacked Rarity back there had Twilight’s magic stone that meant that he was the real Mizar. They had a chance to end this, here and now.

Shining Armor read Twilight’s intentions. “Sister, I advise you against that. We need you here.”

Twilight pulled herself together. “Of course, one fight at the time.” She agreed. In that moment there was a sudden flash. Twilight screamed and staggered when a laser hit the metal cover only centimeters from her. Shining Armor aimed his rifle and fired. It was single fire but Twilight’s brother had familiarized himself with it pretty well. The ant on the other side of the cliff fell backwards while his gun went spinning through the air.

“Twilight, are you alright!?”

“Yes!” Twilight reassured her brother.

“Pony down!” A voice shouted. Nurse Redheart came galloping behind two Gemini soldiers. Twilight saw High Winds drag a royal guard into cover before the nurse arrived to help him.

The group had their covers but the enemy had the high ground. This wasn’t looking good. Twilight spotted most of the enemies above a cliff. They had a huge rock to hide behind and a hill line of which they could rain down fire at the unlucky soul that happened to peak out at the wrong time. Most of the red outlook ants had already been killed by Mizar’s blue ants. Twilight told herself she could easily teleport herself and launch pest control from behind the enemy, but the former princess had received strict instructions by both Spitfire, Shining Armor and Juno not to take any insane risks.

Rainbow Dash laid fire with Fluttershy and AJ. “We need to do something to break this stand. The enemy have us totally pinned!” Apple Jack felt life pass by every time she peaked out of her cover.

“We should fall back indoors!” Fluttershy pleaded to her pony friends.

“No! If we do that they’ll smoke us out! We need to stand ground!” Rainbow Dash laid down fire at the big rock. There was a swoosh, followed by a huge explosion. A slabber of bug limbs and blood splashed from behind and over the rock.

“Huh?”

Rainbow Dash spotted Juno. He was advancing along the top-side of the cliff. He was holding a bulky launcher.

Juno aimed Jerry, which was the name of his homing missile-launcher. The targeting screen locked onto a group of drones. The launch was so loud that it could have been heard several miles away. The rocket homed in. Half the bolder blew up while the splatter of five drones smeared the Eschebone night sky. Another drone group saw Juno and returned fire. But now another fighter had seen his chance.

The blue ants looked up in horror. Lupus was using his hover boots to fly above the drones. The dog dropped a blue grenade like a bomber. The bug splatter imploded like a globe and smeared the war dogs belly green before he landed on all four. He then proceeded firing his standard Gemini pistol, decapitating one ant and riddling another four times, like adding a blue cherry and the last creamy treat on top of a birthday cake.

One drone aimed and was ready to shoot the war dog in the back. Instead there were six rapid blasts riddling his own. Vela still had the trigger pulled on her mini gun while she turned her arm. The weapon shook violently, but Vela had experience. Almost all of the plasma lasers hit their target. One ant lost his arm and his head. One was riddled eight times and almost cut in half. The same story went for the third, the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eight…

Rainbow Dash watched in T-awe - as in ‘Totally awesome’ – the three heroes doing their daily chore. The Gemini squadron cheered.

“Jet force! Jet Force! Jet Force! Jet Force!”

The red ants looked at each other and shrugged. They may have lost their commander and their pay but they certainly felt glad that they had fought on the side of the humans tonight. They joined in on the cheers.

“Spitfire, look! Jet Force! Jet Force! Jet...!“ Dashie's halted her chants when she saw that Spitfire wasn’t joining in. Looking into her soul, she watched the red eyes of the leader of the Wonderbolt swim in a fog, like if they were picturing something they had seen before. Rainbow Dash felt her belly drop to her hooves.

The picture came into perspective, the one Rainbow Dash had seen in Spitfire’s eyes. But she wasn’t looking into Spitfire’s eyes anymore. The apathy had completely fallen over the gathering of Wonderbolts.

In front of them laid one of the rocks that they had used earlier to observe Diamond Geezers base. Against the rock laid one of the royal guards. Further away laid another guard in the middle of the dusty ground. Between the dead colts, by the warm wind of the hot lava planet, wavered the yellow mane of Wonderbolt mare Surprise. Both her and the guards had tried to escape, most likely when Mizar’s minions first showed up. Rainbow Dash saw that Surprise had been sliding against the ground before she died, her yellow wings laying spread. She had probably tried to take of in panic when she realized that she had no cover from the flanking drones.

Twilight Sparkle stood beside Spitfire. She had the ability to show a slightly distinguished face. She may have slightly foreseen this, but it still didn’t keep the emptiness out of her heart. Here she stood, yet again, over another dead pony because of her mistakes, because of her over-faith in friendship, because of Mizar.

The thought kept pounding the mind of the lavender unicorn, even as she stood over the metal coffins, the ones that the Gemini Squadron used for bringing their dead back to their home planet. Surprise, High Leap and Everbold Hoof would be kept at SS Anubis until they could be safely brought home to Equestria for burial. The ponies now held a small ceremony. They had each laid something personal on top of the coffins, tears being the offering of some. Twilight had not given anything yet. Much like the case during Starlight Glimmer’s funeral, Twilight was completely swallowed within her own imagination of what she would do to Mizar once she found him. She now regretted that she hadn’t chased after him and stopped him from exiting the cave that he used for his escape, which had run out on the other side of the mountain. The other ponies looked at Twilight, noting her hardened pupils and absent mind. One pony noted it more than others. One pony also remembered the same look during Starlight’s ceremony. One pony felt she had enough. One pony walked up to Twilight.

“Twilight!”

Twilight snapped out of her dreaming. Two cerulean blue eyes glared at her. “Can you see what you have done here!?”

Twilight didn’t answer Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus breathed heavily with anger. The others looked silently on, even Shining Armor and Spitfire. Fluttershy raised her wings. “Can you see that your hatred is doing more damage to your friends than Mizar!?”

Twilight felt her mouth hang in apathy. Fluttershy closed her eyes and lowered her head, as if she was thinking something through. She raised her hoof and smacked the former princess over the muzzle, causing her to tumble the ground in a cloud of dust.

“Can you see what you have done here, Twilight!?”

Twilight made no attempt to gain posture or rise up. She simply looked in apathy at the yellow pegasus. A small streak of blood ran down from her facial scar, which had opened up after getting smacked. Fluttershy walked away from the crowd, crumbled to the ground and exploded into a river of tears. Rainbow Dash made her way over to her.

Spitfire stepped up in front of the coffins. She felt the sorrow for Surprise overtake her, but thanks to Apple Jack’s earlier scolding she now knew how to take that sorrow and use it as fuel instead of letting it drain her.

“None of us could have prepared for this!” She looked at Twilight on the ground and added. “None of us.” She eyeballed the entire group before continuing.

“Surprise was brave flier and High Leap and Everbold Hoof were fine soldiers of Celestias royal guard. None, I repeat, none of us could have prepared that they wouldn’t be with us anymore.”

Spitfire lowered her head in sadness. “That being said - we gave it our best shot. We have Diamond Geezers hard drive. It will lead us to Mizar. We will follow it, we will finish what we started, and we will not let ourselves get distracted. This is the first time we ever faced war together, and in war we honor the brave, and Surprise, High Leap and Everbold Hoof were brave ponies and we will honor their memories with bravery of our own! We have the Gemini Squadron on our side, the best fighters in the galaxy!”

Spitfire paused before finishing.

“With that said, I can honestly tell you all, earth ponies, pegasus ponies and unicorns that I couldn’t feel any braver than by having you fighting by my side. We will find Mizar and we will finish this!”

Ponies Is Love, Ponies Is Life, Money Is A Rich Mole

The bold speech of Spitfire sank into each present mind. It gave the ponies something to aim for beyond their loss. Twilight Sparkle felt none of it, she didn’t even feel anger anymore. All she felt was emptiness. It stayed with her the rest of the day, all the way up to SS Anubis and the sleeping barracks. She thought she remember all the times Spitfire and Shining Armor tried to get through to her, but all she could see was Fluttershy’s angry face.

Can you see what you have done, Twilight?!

Twilight knew what she had done, but she also knew what Fluttershy really meant, but knowing so did not mean that she understood, and Twilight did not understand. Twilight knew her hatred was hurting her friendships; which she had read in a book meant anger that stayed on one target and feed itself without logic or reason. Yes, Twilight knew what hatred was, she knew that it was destroying her, but why could she not understand? Why did she still imagine how good it would feel to have Mizar breaking under her hoof?

Twilight raised her hoof and touched her face. She felt the protruding skin along her bloody scar. Twilight thought she would never be rid of it.

Can you see what you have done, Twilight!?

“Twilight?”

Twilight looked up. It was Fluttershy, outside of her day dream this time. Behind her stood Pinkie Pie.

“Fluttershy.” Twilight said.

Fluttershy galloped up to Twilight and folded her hooves around her.

“Twilight, I’m so sorry! I just felt so… Angry!”

Twilight saw Pinkie Pie standing behind Fluttershy. Her curly hair was fluffy on top of her head. She gave Twilight a half smile while rolling her eyes, hearing Fluttershy cry for the fourth time that day. Pinkie Pie knew it was no laughing matter really, but she still though she might give Rarity a run for her money at this pace. Twilight felt like smiling to, but not for that reason. She felt relief knowing that Fluttershy wasn’t mad at her anymore.

“Thank you Fluttershy.” …Knowing you have been honest with me only proves what a great friend you are. The remaining speech of the princess of friendship hanged in the air. But as things was now, silence was more of a friendship mender than Twilight. Fluttershy couldn’t help but to look slightly bewildered at her. Twilight continued.

“How is Rainbow Dash? I can’t imagine how sleepless the Wonderbolts must be after what happened to Surprise.”

The yellow pegasus didn’t want to seem rude.

“She’s in chock. I will head back to her again. I’m sorry I smacked you Twilight.”

“I sort of needed it. I never imagined you being such a hard puncher, Fluttershy.” Twilight nudged Fluttershy’s flank.

Fluttershy didn’t know if she were to be flattered or horrified by that compliment, but she was relieved that Twilight was able to joke about it. She gave her the sincerest smile that she could muster.

After Fluttershy had left Pinkie Pie stopped by the doorway. She closed the door and turned to Twilight.

“I heard you earlier. Is it nightmares again?”

“Not really, more like daydreams.”

“I never told you Twilight, but I had a nightmare too, not so long ago.”

“Really?”

Pinkie Pie joined Twilight on the bedside. She told her about the dream she had when she turned into Pinkamena Pie in front of Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake. Twilight shuddered.

“Urgh, and I thought my nightmare was awful.” Twilight had to strain herself not to think about when her nightmare turned into a wet dream about Pinkie Pie. She had no intention of starting a romance now, nor make a complete fool out of herself.

“That’s just the thing, Twilight. I had that same dream again, just recently.”

“You did?” Twilight asked surprised.

“Yes, but this time, it was no nightmare.”

Pinkie’s blue eyes sparkled like the sea. Twilight felt herself sink into it.

“Why was it no nightmare this time?” Twilight felt her voice trail away.

“Because of you.”

“Me.” Twilight wasn’t asking.

“You were in it.”

Twilight’s face relaxed. Her eyes filled with lust. “You were in mine to.”

Pinkie Pie leaned forward, but to Twilight she felt that she had always been the same distance from her. “Shall we try?” The sea whispered to Twilight.

Twilight felt the warm breath of the sea hit her face “I’ll try.” She said and kissed the sand. No previous decisions mattered, it all came naturally. Her breath shifted to her nose. Twilight removed her mouth and looked at the sea again. Pinkie Pie closed hers and joined again. Twilight had not kissed this way since foal years.

Pinkie Pie had almost been married and had experience. She kept it simple, not to pushy. After a minute of kissing Twilight started talking.

“Was this…Your…Dream?” Twilight asked

“Be braver… And I… Show you.” Pinkie Pie replied. Twilight moved closer. She laid her hooves around Pinkie’s neck. She let her tongue go inside her mouth. Pinkie Pie moved in and gently pushed Twilight into the bed.

“This was.” Twilight wasn’t sure if she had said the last part or Pinkie had, but it didn’t feel at all like the dream.

A sweet dream is always the sweetest when it begins and quickly fade out in sweetness when it ends. Making love for real is the opposite - At first it feels odd, out of place, even disappointing. - Pinkie Pie knew this from her previous romance with Starlight. She knew she needed to be bold but gentle, maintain the rhythm but feel Twilight change hers, keep Twilights expectations up but not rush, talk to her but not converse. She knew she was excited about Twilight being new to this. She fed it with questions.

“How does this feel?” Pinkie simply kissed Twilight while laying over her. She let her kisses move behind her ear. Twilight answered with a hum, then with a word.

“Yes.”

“Just hum.” Pinkie Pie said softly. Starlight had been the driving part when they had made love. Pinkie Pie knew she needed to teach Twilight.

“This?”

“Hm.”

Pinkie Pie knew it was working when Twilight picked up the pace and her breath became heavier. After doing this for a minute she reached down her front hoof. She enjoyed hearing Twilight gasp when she pressed it further inside her.

“Was this your dream?” Pinkie asked.

“Mm.” Twilight answered no.

“What did I do to you?”

“You where...” Twilight moaned.

“Yes, Twilight?” Pinkie’s usually high voice had a dark core of a lover. “Are you on the brink?”

“Almost.”

Pinkie Pie eased her rubbing so not to make her come to early.

“Tell me, was I nasty or nice?”

“I was just standing in my room, and, ah…”

“Yes, Twilight?”

“You walked up behind me and fucked me.”

“Just like that?”

“Yea… Fucked me… hard.”

Pinkie Pie leaned forward. She used her wet lips to kiss Twilight passionately. “Your dream has great taste.” Pinkie Pie used the back and forth rhythm to pull out, allowing Twilight to turn around. She kept the rhythm going while she hurled herself on top of her.

“Got that bubble of silence?”

“Yea.” Twilight moaned. She recognized a handsome deepening in Pinkie’s voice. “Agent Pinkie?”

“Show me your magic girl, you’re going to need it before I’m done with you.” 007 said masculine.

A small sparkling sound - That was all that could be heard if one were to stand inside the barrack. Twilight had no idea how Pinkie Pie was able to make her feel like she was being penetrated by a giant cock, but somehow she managed. Twilight wondered how high she screamed in the end, but she was willing to bet that the entire cruiser would heard if her horn hadn’t been active. Twilight’s orgasm made the bubble of silence flash before disappearing. The bed covered in sweat as Twilight made herself comfy sideways. Pinkie Pie was still laying over her belly.

“Ah… Pinkie.” Twilight breathed.

“Yes?”

“You fuck me better than my dream.”

Twilight heard her lover of the night let out a jittery laughter. Exhausted, Pinkie Pie made herself comfy inside the warm embrace of Twilight’s hooves. They barely said anything more that evening, but minds did race before sleep would fall inside the barrack. Twilight had never had sex before, but it wasn’t at all how she had imagined. She recalled the time when Discord had brought VHS tapes from another human dimension. Twilight had thought love was kind of like in those human movies. In them the newly met couple had simply barked into their apartment, sucked lips, breathed ‘ah’ and before they knew it they had their eyes closed in bed, rubbing their bodies against one another while seemingly automatically being in all-time high, much like how things was automatically great in a dream.

Twilight positioned her head on the pillow and buried her muzzle inside Pinkie’s curly mane. She felt her sleeping body move up and down. Twilight smiled and kissed her on the neck. This was all Pinkie’s doing. She had put the effort in. She had been the reason Twilight’s life had become better than the dream.

Dust swirled up around the ship. The roaring sound of the engines stopped, ending its recent landing with a hissing sound. A group of drones marched up and formed a corridor that lead up to the vessels opening doors. The first thing that came into view was two of Mizar’s red elite ants. In-between them the space dictator himself hovered. The flying robot looked out over the gathering of blue ants. He could see that some of them was shaking. Pathetic, he thought.

These ants had been built by Mizar to never feel any fear, but he also wanted them to be smart and tactical if they were to stand a chance against the humans. This quest for battlefield brilliance had given the drones the ability to think ahead, which in time had resulted in them developing fear for the future. This made the entire project for intelligent soldiers a waste of time Mizar thought to himself as he opened his chassis compartment, brought out his gun and killed one of the ants that was shaking, not as a punishment, but because he simply did not bother. The other ants looked nervously at each other before regaining discipline. Mizar contained his urges to waste another drone for his tired amusement. He’d rather have thousands of ants slaughtered by the humans that one coward.

Mizar remember the time when there had been a group of special ants. These ants had simply raised their bug arms and surrendered the moment they were faced with an enemy. On top of them being designed to cowardice, these special ants had been yellow colored. They had, without any form of subtlety, been created as a joke, a passive aggressive way for Mizar to show his disappointment about being forced to accept his drones having fear. It amused him that the Gemini warriors sometimes had been forced to kill these ants, despite the fact that they were surrendering.

The rain was pouring down over the planet of Ichor. Mizar hovered past the dead drone and proceeded along the line. He heard the water hit his chassis. His eyes gave a flash of red. Once again, he managed to contain the urges to kill another drone. Oh, how he hated his pathetic robot body that Twilight had given him, this shell that once had belonged to Floyd, a petty servant. But as things was now, Mizar had no choice but to roll with it. The spell that Twilight had put on the magic rock inside him only allowed minor changes to his design.

Mizar studied all the barracks and military facilities around him. Unlike Mizar’s palace, Ichor Military Base had been in business ever since Barry built him. Even after Mizar was defeated by Juno the base had been a holdout for drone remnants. Now it was the main capital of his galactic empire. It was shitty, granted, but it would have to do. Mizar’s palace was just to exposed for Mizar in his current form. He was still vulnerable, despite Twilight’s alicorn magic and his robot doubles. But Mizar was convinced that this new subtle approach would take him much further than last time this conquest was underway. This time Mizar would be sneaky and tactical, not obvious and stay in a palace where the Gemini Squadron could simply bark in and use Tri-rockets on him like they were going out of style. Tri-rockets was a devastating Gemini launcher that fired three rockets at the same time, causing massive destruction.

Speaking of someone going out of style, or rather, some-mole. Mizar wasn’t good at wordplay, but then again, neither was the ponies. As far as Mizar knew, this fat git with a tailored black costume and golden necklaces hated ponies, or maybe that was only what Fernando wanted Mizar to believe? The large, two-legged rodent had bulgy eyes with dark pupils. His youthful brown fur had started turning gray a long time ago. He had four claws that should be big and blunt by all the digging for a mole at his age. Instead, this spoiled ego had trimmed them down and painted them black, adding a tinge of glitter. He was holding his golden watch while shaking it frantically.

“Is this thing on?!”

Fernando’s voice was hoarse and had a rusty core, probably the giant weight of his fat belly pressing down his poor vocal chords. Mizar subdued his desires to grunt.

“I know I’m a little late.” Mizar admitted, then almost adding. To my base!

“Isn’t it like when an excavation hitting a lake when your belongings stop working?” Fernando turned his mole face and looked at Mizar. “Especially when you paid so much money for them.”

“I did not kill Diamond Geezer.”

“No, of course you didn’t.”

“Let’s get inside.”

Mizar was getting ready to lead Fernando into a private room. Before he was able Fernando cut in front of him.

“You’re right. Let’s go somewhere where your drones, paid with my money can’t hear us.”

Mizar’s eyes gave a small flash of red. He wanted to tackle this mole, rake his head off and put it on a spike, but Mizar knew that Fernando were right with his sarcasm, this was as much Fernando’s army as his. Mizar reluctantly followed the mole into a meeting room. He told his guards to stay outside before closing the door. Mizar immediately went to his point.

“I was there. He was murdered by a white unicorn that goes by the name of Rarity.”

“Now, that’s a rarity.” Fernando joked and coughed into his arm pit. His belly twisted in pain from all the smoking he had done over the years. One day this will claim my life. Fernando thought to himself while he grabbed another cigar from his pocket and lit it. The smoke curled into circles above the rodent’s head.

“He was a real dick that metal can, but he being dead is a reeeeeal setback.” Fernando sailed upon the word.

Mizar did not know what to say. He now regretted admitting being at the scene. “Listen old grit, I saw the unicorn stab Geezer.” Mizar lied.

“You saw? You were there? For what reason?”

Mizar’s eyes gave a sudden flash of red. “I was TRYING to warn him of Twilight!”

“I respect that, or, Geezer would have respected that, if you hadn’t failed to kill Twilight Sparkle in the first place.”

“We talked about this Fernando, I’ll HANDLE it!”

“You’ll handle nothing, our partnership is over.”

Fernando looked around the room. “Are there by any means a bottle of Goldwood whine around here?”

“Help me or not, that is your decision earth digger, as long as you keep your end of the bargain.”

“…And give you a share of the income from my mining operations that we agreed upon long ago when you were still intimidating? Relax robot, a mole brother always pays his debts, no matter how small they are.”

Mizar’s eyes lit up. “I don’t need your money to toss you into space.”

Fernando gave a smug laughter of incredulous. “You toss me into space? Please, keep going with your threats robot, I rarely find reasons to laugh out here.” Fernando arrogantly snapped off the burnt top of his cigar onto the table in front of him. “Now, did you have any liquor here, or do I need to brew my own?!”

Mizar hesitated before reluctantly opening his chassis and bringing forth a bottle of Essianian Vodka and a glass. Fernando sat down on the couch, poured himself one and immediately swooped it. “It’s nice to see you again old buddy.”

“We may have started off as buddies, but then you failed me by cooperating with the Gemini Squadron.”

Fernando rose his arms incredulously into the air. “Are we bringing this up again?! I told you, I made a judgement call. You lost your palace to those siblings and that dog. Then you went crazy with that asteroid thing, a move that was going to kill you in the progress, leaving me with no friends. I can’t make business with a nut job!”

“Fair enough, but we had a bargain then, either way.”

Fernando lowered his cigar. His smiling face dropped slightly. “Are you questioning my loyalty to you now?”

“No, but just like the Gemini Squadron was our common problem then, Twilight Sparkle is our common problem now.”

“So, what? You need me to lure her into the open?”

“I need you to help me get through to Juno. He doesn’t understand that it is in all our interest that she is taken care of.”

“Right. Because she gave you that magic stone.” Fernando poured himself another glass and drank half of it. “But see, this is what I don’t understand old boy.” Fernando leaned closer to the flying robot. “Why did you try to kill Twilight Sparkle in public? She considered you a friend.”

“Are you getting soft on me?”

Fernando let out a smug laughter. The smoke puffed out of his mouth and circulated above his head. “Friends are important, granted, but it’s much more important to be smart. You could have lured her into a private room, just like this one, and assassinated her without anyone noticing.”

“The chance of me getting away with that would have been next to zero anyway, despite, I needed to send a clear message to the ponies of Equestria that anyone who stood up against me would be put down without mercy. And it worked, so far the other ponies have backed down from entering the war.”

Fernando grunted. His face twisted in mistrust. “Please! Don’t tell me you’re that naive?! It’s only a matter of time before the ponies start bringing their magic into the fight, and with your pony ex-girlfriend seeking revenge against you that time will come sooner than you think.”

“Haha, very funny. While you’re joking about me and Twilight you are about to lose the loyalty of the humans, all because of your mistreatment of the Tribals.”

“Ahahahah.” Fernando’s laughter was calculated and flat. “You’re a funny robot Mizar. ‘Mistreatment of the Tribals’” Fernando mirrored diminishing. “The Tribals mistreat themselves. Both them and the humans should consider themselves lucky I have supported them this far.”

“Right.” Mizar said darkly. His eyes glowed of red. “You’re supporting them.”

“I’m a business mole robot. You should know that by now.” Fernando was completely oblivious of Mizar’s fury. “Do you know who else I am supporting…?” Fernando looked at his glass. He spun it and watched the vodka inside circulate. He swooped it.

“Hurgh…You.”

“You told me our partnership was over.”

“I overreacted. I will help you get to Twilight, no problem.”

“With your contacts it should be no problem.”

In that moment the door into the private room opened. Five blue ants entered the room. Three of them were each holding a tray with vegetables and fruits.

“Ah, finally, my well needed cooling. Here, bring it here!” Fernando motioned the food like a husband did his lover. Mizar’s ants approached him from both sides and put the food within reach of the rich mole. Fernando grabbed a salad while nudging one of his claws at the ant. He pointed at Mizar.

“Kill him.”

The blue ant raised his rifle. Mizar artificial eyes diminished in disbelief before his world flashed of blue.

Mizar felt himself sail through an empty void while his artificial soul slowly swam back into consciousness. It only felt like a second had passed when Mizar opened his eyes again. He felt his last piece magically attach to his metal body due to Twilight’s alicorn magic.

Mizar found himself lying on the floor. He used his robot arm to hurl himself back up before going back into hovering. He was still inside the same private room where he had been shot by his own bloody drones. Fernando was still eating. Mizar’s personal body guards was still present in the room. They were pointing their guns at Mizar.

“Hurg.” Fernando grunted with his mouth full. “Awake again? You see, that’s what I have always perplexed me about your lot - Every dictator always thinks that just because they have people that are loyal to them they are not touchable when it comes to money. All of you are simply too full of yourself to realize that all it takes for me is one phone call and you won’t be able to show yourselves in this galaxy again.”

Fernando stopped eating. His smug smile remained, but his pupils gained a dark core. “Don’t ever second guess my private affairs again.”

Mizar made his way outside with an unusual feeling of humility inside. He didn’t even think about the brutal reprimand he would give to his body guard that shot him. Of course, Mizar did not trust Fernando one bit about him luring Twilight to him. He is more likely to make a deal with her. Mizar thought. He hoped that his hit-squad would be more successful this time around and put an end to this problem, once and for all. Otherwise he would probably need to shoot another drone.

The air blew through the steel pipes below the pegasus as she flapped her way through the inside of SS Anubis. The enormous plasma reactor hummed with a sound that vibrated the whole room. Fluttershy did feel vibrations inside her alright. She felt a moment of hesitation as she landed on a catwalk. She closed her eyes and blocked her hasty thoughts.

This was it. This was the time she would either tell Rainbow Dash exactly how she felt or be rejected and just forget about everything. Fluttershy knew she needed to do this. Surprise was dead, the Wonderbolts was in sorrow and Twilight was devastated. These ponies needed Fluttershy as a faithful friend, not as a silly fool, living in a childish fantasy of a filly romance. Fluttershy raised her wings and prepared to take off. She halted when she spotted a patch of rainbow behind a generator and some metal crates. Fluttershy thrusted herself airborne. By the time she rounded the crates Rainbow Dash had already sensed her. She smiled at her and greeted.

“Hey, Fluttershy. I was looking for you.”

Fluttershy landed. She felt her heart give a jolt. “You where?”

She studied Rainbow Dash’s garnet red eyes. They were filled with worry, granted, but they were also filled with expectation, and love.

“I know you love me.” Dashie said softly.

Fluttershy felt her breath stop. Her wings remained slightly raised. Not only did her life pass by: Her entire future did, a future with Rainbow Dash by her side. She felt her entire being fill with happiness, a huge smile form on her face.

Rainbow Dash walked forward, her eyes staying wide open. Fluttershy felt herself sink into them. She leaned forward to meet them. Rainbow Dash laid her hoof over her mouth.

“I’m sorry Fluttershy, but I don’t.”

Fluttershy’s smile remained, but her happiness halted. “You don’t want me to kiss you?”

“It was a movie Fluttershy, nothing more.”

The yellow pegasus felt her happiness plummet and hit the bottom of her stomach with a thump. Her wings slowly lowered at her sides. She did not blink, did not turn away. She did nothing.

Rainbow Dash was not good with emotions. She did love Fluttershy, but only as a friend. “We can still be friends, Fluttershy.”

“Yes.” Fluttershy answered statically. She didn’t even know what she said, her mouth moved without her permission. “Rainbow Dash. I love you. I want to be with you forever.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. Her face formed in mistrust. “Now you’re just being crazy.” She spread her wings and took off. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Rainbow Dash was gone, but Fluttershy kept staring at the same place. Her eyes were stuck between having all she ever wanted and a life without meaning. Half of her smile still hanged on her face. Her brain was numb. She was to absorbed to notice the blue ant that snuck up behind her.

Rainbow Dash And Juno Rumble at SS Anubis

“Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow Dash flung her eyes open. Shielded Mane, one of Shining Armors royal guards was standing in the doorway. “Miss, we’re under attack!”

“What!?”

“The enemy boarded us while we were asleep! Get down to the holding area. Twilight Sparkle and your friends will meet you there!”

Rainbow Dash saw the human and pony warriors advance toward the generator room while she exited the barrack. The door to the holding block opened automatically. Twilight, Apple Jack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie held up in the middle. Several royal guards with carbines circulated their princess.

Rarity walked up too Rainbow Dash, her face forming in regret. Rarity still remembered her hurt expression after she had told her that she was not her friend. The diva wasn’t sure if they would make it out of SS Anubis alive and the last thing she wanted was that moment to be the last Rainbow Dash remembered of her.

“There you are - Rainbow Dash. About those things I said down on Eschebone…”

“Where is Fluttershy?!” Rainbow Dash Interrupted Rarity. Her friends looked at her with sorry eyes. Dashie’s face widened in panic. One of the guards turned to her.

“She never made it out of the generator room. Don’t worry, I’m sure the others…” The guard never had time to finish. Rainbow Dash galloped up to him, swooped her hoof around his neck and took his rifle from him.

“…Give me that!”

“Rainbow Dash! No! It’s too dangerous!”

But Twilight was too late. The blue pegasus had already rocketed through the door leading to the holding area. Rarity looked after her like she had just seen the ghost of a family member.

Rainbow Dash used her blue wings to fly over the secondary storage area. The giant belt that would carry crates up and down the rising warehouse laid inactive below her. She could hear laser being fired now and then ahead. An open door separated the area where she had meet Fluttershy earlier. Several royal guards and two Gemini warriors held up there.

“What is going on?”

“Watch out!” The guard used his hoof to prevent Rainbow Dash from walking into the open. Two lasers came wooing by from somewhere inside the allocator room.

“Woa! Thanks soldier.”

“You’re Rainbow Dash, one of Twilight’s friends and the element of loyalty. What are you doing here?”

“Well, if you value the elements then you better help me. Fluttershy is somewhere in there!”

The guards looked at each other, then at the two Gemini warriors. The first guard turned to Rainbow again. “Well, if you want to reach her this is not the way. The area ahead offers no cover and the other side of the generator chasm is swarming with enemy ants.”

“What about the depository?” The other guard asked his colleague.

“Probably safer, but I wouldn’t settle down for a cider break there.”

“But it comes out behind the enemy. Maybe we could flank them?” The other guard proposed.

“…And save the ponies that are pinned down ahead!” The first guard added.

“...And Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash blasted her input.

The first guard looked around. “Where is Shining Armor?”

“Where is time!?” Rainbow Dash started galloping toward the depository. The second guard called after her.

“Hey! Be careful, and good luck!”

I’m sorry Fluttershy! I’m sorry! The thought rushed through Dashie’s head, not just because the blue pegasus regretted her decision of telling her that she wasn’t in love with her but telling her in such a clumsy way and, on top of that, leaving her standing like somepony that had random bothered her on the street.

Just like when Apple Jack had played with Lupus there large crates towering inside the depository. These piles formed narrow passageways that was lit up with marked pathways. Dashie decided against flying in case there would be ants covering the air. She trotted silently along the path.

“Griiii!” The pig like grunt startled her. She threw herself behind a crate and cut her breathing.

Dashie could hear the sound of ant feet hitting the steel floor on the other side of her cover. She made herself as small as possible. She heard steps coming from two sources. Both ways of getting out of there would lead to complete exposure - She was trapped. She heard the steps come closer.

Celestia. Watch over Fluttershy and my friends.

Rainbow Dash leaned out - Her laser carbine pushed her hooves backwards when she fired. The ant standing only a half meter in front of her fell backwards screaming. Green blood splattered Dashie’s face. She watched the ant behind get his arm shot off before half of his face exploded, his body falling sideways against a crate.

Rainbow Dash could see movement further away at the other end of the passage. Blue lasers came whooing. She kept firing, hoping to Celestia that her plasma hit its mark. - She heard movement to the side. She went back into cover, only to suddenly see the flanking drone appear from a small passage. She never had time to gasp before the drone lost his head. It bounced against the crate before rolling over the floor.

“Don't shake to much rainbow pony, or you’ll drop your gun!”

Juno didn’t seem bothered at all by the lasers. The human male fired his standard Gemini pistol toward the suppressing drones down the corridor. He grabbed cover, although Rainbow Dash had already pressed herself against hers. She was usually a very stubborn and brave pony Rainbow Dash, one that did not hesitate to fly immediately into danger. But that didn’t mean that she wasn’t scared, and right now she was shaking with instinctual fear.

“Hey!?” Juno called. Rainbow Dash allowed herself a peak to look at him. “It’s going to be alright rainbow pony! Just follow my every command to the letter and we’ll both live through this!” Juno’s voice was booming and authoritarian. Rainbow Dash didn’t answer. “I said, follow behind me and do exactly as I say! Roger!?”

“Roger!”

Rainbow Dash galloped forth and joined Juno against the crate. “But I’m not scared. And my name is Rainbow Dash."

“Here, take this instead.” He gave her his weapon. The pistol was Cyan green and had a yellow patch at its rear. The barrel was silvery and bruised. It looked like it had seen countless years of action.

“It’s a standard Gemini pistol. It’s much better than that drone crap.”

Juno reached down and brought out his yellow plasma shotgun. He leaned out and counted the drones ahead. He looked at Rainbow Dash again, who was grinning readily. Despite this she had that deep look in her eyes.

“Hey. It’s good to be scared, it means you know what’s at stake.”

“I said. I am not scared!”

Juno pressed down the trigger of his shotgun. There was a hissing sound of energy loading.

“You will be.”

Juno made his way out of cover and started walking toward the drones. One ant exposed himself ahead. Juno aimed and released the massive energy of his yellow plasma shotgun. The sound of drone splatter filled the depository corridor along with the jitter of bug limbs scattering.

“Stand behind me!” Juno ordered.

“Roger!” Dashie answered.

Incoming lasers either missed or was absorbed by Juno’s Gemini armor, which still had some energy left. Juno didn’t put any trust in it. He aimed for the drone in front while noting a sound to the left.

“West corridor, aim and fire!”

Two drones appeared. The first one Rainbow Dash shot in the chest. The second one staggered when Dashie hit him in the arm. The next two shots missed. Her raspy curse echoed along the pathway.

“Fuck!”

This time she took time to aim. Juno’s cyan pistol had a very distinct Dong! sound. She could really feel the power of it. Despite that, it had almost no recoil. The ant screamed and fell forward.

Juno managed to hit the hiding drone in the leg, causing him to fall out of cover. He finished him while he was lying on the ground.

“Above us! North east!”

Dashie aimed and fired. She saw the green sniper drone grab his chest and plummet down the container. Every time a drone was killed the other drones gave out ear piercing shrieks of anger. Ahead appeared three enemies, one carrying a small shield. “Move!” Juno pushed Rainbow Dash into cover. “East!”

Rainbow Dash aimed down the right corridor and fired. She wasn’t even taking time to acquire her target anymore, it seemed to come by pure instinct. She finished the first, the second and the third drone. How they died she had stopped noticing, like the way you stop noticing how you bite apart a potato ship after emptying half a bag of them. By the time the last drone hit the ground the pegasus ears filled with the booming sound of Juno’s shotgun again. The plasma hit the shield of the Deflector Drone, sending it sailing through the air.

“All yours, Rainbow Dash!” Juno offered.

Rainbow Dash aimed and shot of the leg of the drone. She proceeded executing him while he was lying on the ground. Two more drones reinforced their fallen friend. The two plasma balls from Juno’s shotgun spun around in circles. The first ant splattered completely while the second drone was decapitated. Rainbow Dash though she saw his head blink for a moment as it laid on the ground. She closed her eyes to repress the image.

“Hey! Focus!” Juno kicked her on the flank. “…Or I’ll be seeing your head soon!”

Juno and Rainbow Dash made their way further down the depository, killing drones as they went. Every time Rainbow Dash started fumbling Juno was there to give her a kick in the flank. She was now watching Juno storm the position of the last drones. She saw him strike one of the ants so hard that his head spun around. Another one he cut in half with his shotgun. The last one managed to shoot away Juno’s armor. Juno grabbed his arm, twitched it and finished the ant with his own gun.

“Rainbow Dash!” A kind voice called from somewhere inside the depository.

“Fluttershy?! I’m coming Fluttershy!”

Juno saw the rainbow pony answer an unspoken call and fly off above the crates.

“Rainbow Dash! No! Discipline!”

Rainbow Dash heard Juno’s call. There was a blast, a stretching sensation, followed by the metal floor coming closer below. Then there were darkness.

Only for you.

The familiar female voice seemed to call in the distance. Rainbow Dash thrusted her wings and gained speed. The sun was peeking out from behind the snowy mountains along the Ukraine border. The light from it seemed gray and foggy, as if she was looking at a painting in a Canterlot exhibition, if Dashie had brought herself to visit one that is. A patch of light sparkled in front of her now, like the missile from a helicopter.

“Xenia?”

Only for you.

The last time Dashie had encountered Xenia the human woman had been an assassin employed by Ourumov, an evil government traitor inside the Goldeneye movie. Xenia had almost murdered Dashie’s pony friends with an attack helicopter. Rainbow Dash had managed to blow it up by using her own heat seeking missile against her. The explosion had caused the tail blade to loosen and cut her right wing clean off, sending Rainbow Dash into days of coma and strong fever. If it hadn’t been for Fluttershy nursing her back to health again she might have never made it out from the movie and regained her wing.

The light came closer ahead. Rainbow Dash looked right, then left. The feathers on both her wings captured the air as they should, but she did not feel the cold touch of it.

Only for you.

The voice ahead had softened. The light became dimmer, revealing the silhouette of a winged creature. The yellow pegasus pony spread her wings. Her soft voice seemed to whisper in Dashie’s ear.

“For your eyes only.”

“Fluttershy?”

“Welcome to Sekhmet.”

“Sekhmet?”

“Welcome.” The voice had changed significantly. There was a cold sensation. Rainbow Dash gasped and felt herself regain consciousness. The chill of the cold water ran along her back. Once she opened her eyes she was meet with the blurry image of a flying banana. It was an all too familiar sight.

“Mizar.”

“Rainbow Dash, was it?”

“You will pay for killing Starlight Glimmer.”

“Oh right. You were the stubborn one.” Mizar’s voice didn’t sound like Fluttershy anymore. He hovered a meter away from the tied up pegasus pony. “You know, there was a time that I, Mizar, would have enjoyed watching you wither away inside a cell like this, my little pony.”

Rainbow Dash looked around. She thought she saw a blue ant stand by the entrance. She answered Mizar with a stubborn core in her ruffled-out voice.

“In that case, he will be waiting a long time.”

“Yes. But unfortunately, that is not time I have right now. So, I am going to ask you nicely. Back in Equestria, after Twilight Sparkle fixed me, she introduced me to you and your seven friends…” Mizar hovered closer to Dashie’s face. “...What other friends did she tell about my visit at the time?”

“Why do you care?!” Rainbow Dash asked stubbornly.

Mizar hovered himself back and forth in a display of head-shaking. Rainbow Dash wanted to bite hold of his propeller and watch his banana chassis spin around.

“Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash, why do you have to be so stubborn?”

Mizar hovered out of the way and allowed Dashie to notice his other prisoner. The blue ant by the doorway grabbed the nearby blanket and tore it off.

“Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy looked up. She smiled. “Hello, Rainbow Dash.”

“So?” Mizar opened the hatch under him. He used his robot arm to bring out his laser pistol. “Why do I care?”

Dashie’s face dropped.

“No. Please…”

“Why do I care? Why do I… Why do I… Why do I care?”

“I didn’t mean...”

“Are you sure? It sounded like you meant it, the element of loyalty.”

Mizar aimed straight for Fluttershy’s head. The yellow pegasus kept looking at Rainbow Dash, as if to say ‘everything is going to be alright’. Dashie’s garnet eyes bathed in pleading.

“No.”

Mizar gave a long sigh. “At least now you can tell me what other friends Twilight told about my first visit to Equestria.”

Dashie looked straight into Mizar’s artificial pupils. She felt herself fall into them, and that no wings would be able to carry her where she went.

“I don’t know.”

Mizar looked straight at Rainbow Dash for one several panicked seconds.

“Oh, Dashie. That was the wrong answer.”

“No. Please…”

The blast from Mizar’s gun subdued inside the cell. Fluttershy’s bindings made squeaking sounds when her body became limp.

“NO!”

“What was that? What did you say?”

“MONSTER! I WILL KILL YOU! I SWEAR!”

“Monster? Maybe I am? Should I bring one of the others?”

Mizar’s flat and calm voice showed no sign of remorse. It was enough to quell Dashie’s anger and replace it with emptiness. She thought she saw a glance of Fluttershy’s pupils inside her half-open eyes.

“Fluttershy?” Dashie’s voice cracked.

“Should I bring one of the others?”

Liar. Dashie’s mouth barely moved while miming the word.

“Am I a monster? Me? Floyd? The hero that saved earth from an asteroid?”

You’re no hero.

“Will you kill me? The ruler of the universe? The ruler of your home world? The ruler of Equestria?”

Celestia is my ruler. Dashie’s mouth froze in place. Her lips started shaking.

“What’s that? No wordplays? No more cool remarks? No more ‘awesome’ displays?”

Dashie’s sobs contorted her face. Tears leaked out from her eyes. “You’re a monster.”

The blue ant walked up to the lifeless pegasus and tied her loose. He proceeded dragging Fluttershy out of the cell. Mizar hovered up to the ruffled up pegasus with a rainbow mane. He brought out a knife.

“Bow before me.” He demanded coldly while cutting her loose.

Dashie looked up at the hoovering robot. She felt the urge to gallop up and trample him into scrap. Mizar shook his head. “On second thought, don’t bow. I want to see your face when I try this knife here on that orange country friend of yours.”

Apple Jack.

There was no fight left in Dashie, only emptiness. She hid her crying by doing as Mizar requested.

“Maybe you’re not as stubborn as you thought?”

Mizar left the bowing pegasus pony alone. A blue ant poked his head in. He made a screeching sound before shutting the prison door.

Not All Princesses Wear Dresses

One thousand, five hundred and eighty-one years. That’s the time it would take for her light to finally reach her. She had no brain, granted, but that did not mean that she wasn’t still existing in symbiosis with her, and that alone was enough for anyone to long for the good old days that only a happy family life would bring.

Zion System C and New Gaia had been born together. Two stars, both spinning next to each other within the infinity of space. New Gaia had been Zion’s binary star but after five hundred billion years of close sibling hood Gaia had entered an odd angle of her gravitation. This had caused her to gradually orbit further away from her sister.

Now Gaia had a family of her own of several planets and moons. This included the forest planet of Goldwood, the home of the Tribals. It was the biggest of Gaia’s planets and were roughly ten billion years old. New Gaia could still feel the emptiness that the connecting part of her gas surface had with Zion and all those years ago. The times when they played together fed bright memories, even though space around them remained as dark as can be. Much closer to Gaia’s light was the population of Goldwood. Right now, it was shining upon the blue hair of a female woman.

Vela pulled out of her dreaming. She needed to focus if she wanted to pull this feat off. Oh yes, she was no fool Vela. She knew from experience that her connecting emotionally with someone was not exactly her forte. In fact, the last time she tried to convince someone to abandon their worries and focus on the task at hand that someone, which in that case had been a Tribal, had been brought to tears and ended in an even worse state than before Vela shone with her psychological brilliance. That time Vela had saved the situation by doing something that she was much better at - finding a bottle of Goldwood rom, having her patient empty it and fall asleep on a pile of leaf’s in the middle of the forest.

But Twilight Sparkle would not be drinking tonight. Oh no, this time Vela would pull through and convince the pony unicorn to snap out of her sulking and get her head back in the game. She approached the hut where she had been informed that Twilight was. The wooden door was shut. Vela reached out her hand and pushed it. She saw Twilight sitting at the wooden table. Her horn gave her unicorn head a tripod while she had her face seemingly buried in the table made out of Goldwood corn.

Ever since Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy was captured by Mizar’s drones Twilight had been in a mental state that bordered between hysteria and passive aggressive silence. The ponies reason to go to Goldwood had been violently debated after the drone attack on SS Anubis. According to Geezers hard drive they needed Barry’s help to crack Mizar’s code. That meant traveling to Goldwood, talk to King Jeff and arrange a meeting with him. But they had no idea where Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had been taken, meaning that if they wanted to find them again they needed to follow their trail while it was still fresh.

The ponies debated for rescuing Twilight’s friends while Juno with his squad meant they should go to Goldwood and not risking getting Twilight killed and sacrifice the freedom of the galaxy for the sake of two ponies. In the end Juno had taken the bold decision of approaching Geraldine, the soldier that he incarcerated earlier for disobedience and pardoned her. He then sent her along with Lupus, Thunderlane and High Winds to Ichor Military Base. Their mission was to look for clues regarding the whereabouts of Mizar’s prisoners.

But this hadn’t done much to comfort the former princess. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy was still kidnapped and, for everything she knew, at least one of them was probably dead. Twilight was like in a trance, constantly reliving the good times she had with them before she fucked everything up by rebuilding that flying dildo. She heard the door open. She allowed herself a look at the entering human female.

“Twilight?” Vela launched her phycological session.

The light from the planets three moons gave the Goldwood forest a light-blue fragrance. The sound of girl giggling filled the air. The camp fire rose toward the starry night sky and casted yellow beams across the bottles of Goldwood rom that stood on a nearby table.

“Wah!”

Something bumped the table and sent one of the bottles to the grassy ground.

“You ARE the dance partner I never had!” The unicorn blurted.

“You suck, Twilight Sparkle!”

“Bruath!?

Vela pierced the sky with her pointing finger. “You are a teeeeerible princess!”

“I am... Hugh ...almighty!”

Vela took a long slurp of her drink. “You are crazy.”

“Wahahahahaha.” Twilight’s laughter sounded like vibrating raccoon. “What? You mean that?!”

“I dunno. Maybe it has something to do with you chasing the most dangerous robot in the universe?”

“I’m not crazy, I’m just eccentric like HUGH!” Twilight’s horn lit up and amplified her hiccup, causing it to rumble the camp. “...Like Pinkie Pie.”

Vela tried to stand on her legs as she continued her phycological session.

“You really need to get your head in the game.”

“Oh, I am game. I am the has been, but still in a large way, but not overly stated, the princess of friendship and the protector of all the friendships of Equestria.”

“The universe.” Vela corrected and took another sip.

Twilight’s head swayed silently back and forth as she gazed into the air, her eyes half closed. “Oh, right.” She blurted.

The night went on, although it appeared to stand still in the mind of the human and the unicorn. They played a drinking game where the loser needed to take ten sips in a row. Twilight had a spell that allowed her to conserve the alcohol in her body so that it didn’t reach her blood in the same amount.

She couldn't remember it.

“How did you become a Gemini soldier anyway?” Twilight drunkened.

“What do you mean?”

“You know, I don’t mean to be rude, but you with your brother being all queasy on you?”

Vela smiled. The fun of seeing the lavender pony drunk was stronger than her anger.

“My brother is a dickhead. He would kick me out anytime.”

“Anytime?”

“Anytime. You see what happened to Geraldine? Granted, she disobeyed orders, like me if I’d been emptying all of yours tonight as well, but there is no way that she’d been both locked up and sent away on a boring recon mission if she had been one of his male soldiers.”

“Really?”

“Really. The only reason Juno allows me to stick around is because I am his sister.

Twilight’s rom bottle made an arch through the air. It spilled some of its content before Twilight took a big gulp of it. “That doesn’t seem fair. Didn’t you save him by killing those pirates that killed your parents?”

Vela bent her neck backward and looked up toward the sky. She raised her bottle and heaved herself a big swoop. Most of the content missed her mouth and ran down at the side of her head.

“Urmh, Yea, I passed the test. Not much of a test, I would have felt sorry for them today if I knew that their sacrifice would amount to…” Vela hesitated.

“What?”

“He’ll never treat me as an equal.” Vela looked down at Twilight. Her eyes sparkled with sadness, but her face seemed to look forward to everything. “I’ll never be enough.”

Twilight shrugged. “At least you enjoy the challenge.”

Vela gave out a deep, drunken laughter before emptying the remainder of her rom.

“I live for it.”

I live for it. The words seemed to spin around inside Twilight’s head, even though the night kept on going. Now and then she could remember small portions of it but mostly it came down to whatever her eyes registered at the time. Twilight Sparkle wasn’t stupid. She knew from her extensive reading about alcohol that everything after I live for it would be one giant gap in her memory after she woke up tomorrow, but that insight was buried deep inside her cerebellum. For now she simply blurted out what her senses picked up.

“Apple Jack!”

“Twilight.”

“Come! There’s some for you too!”

Apple Jack didn’t know what to think. All she knew was that she would not take a single sip of the poison that Vela had fooled into Twilight.

“Twilight. What in tarnation do you think you’re doing?!”

“Apple Jack, you’re a farmer. Tell me and Vela about farming!”

Apple Jack saw five empty bottles lying on the ground. The only reaction she could possibly have was her honesty.

“Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are kidnapped, we are about to ask a fellow who thinks you’re a demon for help, Rarity is devastated over Rainbow Dash and, on top of that, we could be attacked any moment by one of Mizar’s ant parties! But all you can do, in the wake of all this, is to fool around here drinking your mane off!”

“I’m not drinking my mane off. Can’t you see its still on my head?!” Twilight laughed at her own joke. Vela allowed herself a couple of steps toward the orange earth pony.

“You must be Apple Jack. Twilight told me you were the honest one.”

“Darn right, she is!” Twilight bolstered about her country friend in the face of the latter. Twilight and Vela laughed. Apple Jack wasn’t laughing. Her broad accent bounced upon the atmosphere around the camp.

“Enough! It is time for you to hit the hay Twilight! King Jeff needs you clear headed tomorrow.”

Apple Jack turned around and started walking away from the party of two. Twilight and Vela exchanged drunken smiles. Apple Jack turned to them again, raw honesty swimming in her serious eyes.

“I wasn’t joking about Rarity, you know. Ever since she told Rainbow Dash to bugger off on that fiery planet she thinks ponies are angry at her. She thinks you’re avoiding her, Twilight.”

“Whaaaaat! I’m not avoiding her!” Twilight blurted.

“She thinks you do. To be perfectly honest with you Twili, ever since Mizar lied to you you’ve stopped listening to you friends. Getting revenge for Starlight is one thing but what good is that when the one pony that brought us together forgets why we should listen to one another? Rarity needs you as much as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy right now, and you just met her a couple of hours ago.” Apple Jack scolded.

Twilight’s eyes became sad. Apple Jack walked up to her and reached out her hoof.

“Let’s go and talk to her. Shall we?”

Twilight raised her hoof to touch Apple Jack’s. She had it sail skyward in an arch

“Prrrrft… Hahahahahaha!” Twilight’s drunken eyes turned teary. Apple Jack frowned. “Wahaha, if you know all this then why didn’t you talk to her yourself?!”

Apple Jack realized it would be hopeless trying to talk to Twilight in this state. She continued walking away from them. Twilight and Vela exchanged laughter’s like two school fillies that had just pulled pranks on their teacher. Twilight’s chuckles were rapidly cut when a rope lassoed around her neck and pulled. Her hooves dragged against the ground when Apple Jack pulled her drunken friend out of there like a stray cow. Vela raised her hand and waved.

“See you later, princess.”

I live for it.

The last words of Vela drilled the back of Twilight’s brain while the bright light of the morning burned her eyes.

“Ungh." She moaned in its wake.

Twilight could tell that immediately upon exiting her hut that she had slept for at least 11 hours. On her way she noted that the other Tribal families had already left their homes and headed off for work. Only the elderly Tribals could be seen outside their homes. One had her fury hands dipped in a casket of soap-filled water. Twilight avoided stepping in a stream of it while the Tribal granny made the clothes ready for the family’s return later that day.

Observing the everyday life of the Tribals was like following Apple Jack at her farm - If she had also had a job at Rarity’s boutique in Canterlot.

One time of the day the Tribals were doing their dirty work in the mud like any earth pony-farmer would. Then, when their workday was considered over, they would put on nice clothes made out of beautifully crafted animal fur and live a surprisingly civilized lives. They would even use titles, much like the Canterlot elite, and give even the most unwashed scoundrel a small tip of the head and a polite greeting.

Of course, there were always room for exceptions.

“Hi there.” Twilight greeted with a tired voice.

The Tribal woman glared at Twilight. It was then like she was trying to make up her mind before rapidly facing down and returning to her washing duties. Twilight ignored the rude behavior. She closed her eyes and grinned. The hangover pierced her front lobe.

“Aaaaah.”

Twilight knew she was probably late for the meeting with King Jeff. She made her way through the main village. Much like the case with the Tribals at Rith Essa all the houses had been built under the cover of trees. Twilight spotted a row of dead Murrils that had been put on a stick to dry in the sun. They were a local squirrel species and a delicacy among the Tribals. Whether it was her vegetarian reaction to this or the alcohol that twitched her stomach Twilight wasn’t sure. At least she managed to gallop away from the public road before a gallon of rom rocketed out from every exit that was orally possible.

After gaining her bearings Twilight proceeded past some kind of landfill. Old clothes and rotten rodent carcasses tossed into a big pile of dirt. Since the Tribals only used material from mother nature to craft what they needed they could just dump all their waste and let the molding process do the rest. Twilight decided that she would pass by Velas hut and see if they could walk together. She would feel a lot safer. The Tribals around here, although loyal to Jeff and not his brother, still seemed suspicious of her.

The hut turned out to be empty. Twilight was about to make her leave when she spotted a pouch lying on a nearby table. She immediately recognized it. Vela had been wearing it for almost all the time. Twilight was about to leave it alone when she noticed a pointy thing peeking out from the half open zipper. Twilight let the magic flow through her horn. She magically pulled out what appeared to be a figure of a human woman. She felt a laughter form on her face when studying it.

“Vela? Why?”

“Why what!?”

Twilight gasped. She faced her announcer.

“So? Creeping again, are we?”

“Vela. I didn’t mean.”

“Are you always snooping into the private affairs in Equestria?” Vela caught sight of the woman figure that Twilight was holding. “You’ll forget this.”

“Forget what?”

Vela brought out her gun and pointed it at Twilight.

“If you dare mention this to any of the Gemini warriors, or your pony friends, this picture here will be the last thing you’ll see, do you understand!?”

Vela reprimanded Twilight for snooping for the second time since they met. That time Vela had been calmly sarcastic and subtly irritated. Now her hardened eyes burned with fury.

“You’ll forget this!” Vela ranted.

It was like Twilight was a furniture herself. She wasn’t scared, wasn’t sad, she was paralyzed. She released the spell and let the doll fall. There was a tucking sound when the figure hit the floor. The light from the window sent flashes against the glittery princess dress that the doll wore.

“You’ll forget…!”

Vela’s voice dwindled. Her Twilight riveted eyes gained a dreamy depth. She lowered her gun.

“Get out.”

Twilight didn’t move a muscle. Vela faced away from the unicorn. Was she flinching?

“Vela?”

“GET OUT!”

“Where could she be?” Fleetfoot asked, turning to Soarin.

“Probably still in her sleeping hut. Didn’t you hear Apple Jack earlier? She must be so out.” Soarin answered.

Spitfire turned to her squad. “Yea. She did drink a lot last night.” And who can blame her?

Spitfire wasn’t at all surprised about Twilight giving in to the booze. In fact, she thought she had earned a break after everything she had been through.

The yellow pegasus looked around the chief’s hut, which were bigger than any other building in the Tribal village. The interior was lined with burning candles and comfy fabric that hanged down from the tilting walls. The meeting was about to begin, if all invited attendances would find their way there, that is.mThe souls gathered right now was Spitfire herself, Soarin, Fleetfoot, Misty Fly and Silver Zoom. Present were also Juno and four other Gemini male soldiers. In the middle of it all stood King Jeff with his robe, necklace and staff. He was talking to a green frog-like dude. The frog stood on two legs and were slightly lower in height than Jeff. His green ears protruded at the side of his head. He was holding a wooden cane while wearing a fancy purple jacket. From what Spitfire understood he was the Goldwood ambassador.

“Hey. The others are gone now to.” Soarin remarked.

Spitfire saw the empty space were Apple Jack and Pinkie Pie had recently been.

“They’re probably out looking for her. Stand fast.” Spitfire ordered.

“There she is!” Pinkie Pie screamed.

“Twilight! Come on, the meeting is about to begin.”

“I hear you Apple Jack. Where is Rarity?” Twilight looked around for the fashionista.

“That is why we wanted to find you before you arrived Twilight. Rarity is gone. This morning was the last time me and Pinkie saw her.”

Pinkie Pie’s smiled at Twilight with her teeth pearly white.

“Slept well, sleepy head?”

Twilight held the giggle inside her. Now was not the time to reveal her feelings for Pinkie Pie in public.

“Right. Then we got to go and find her. Does anypony here have any idea where she might have gone?” Twilight asked.

The three ponies thought silently for a moment. Pinkie Pie only managed for a second. “Wooo, look at all those fancy new dresses that the Tribals are wearing! But who am I kidding!? That can’t possibly be a clue to where Rarity might be. Am I right?”

Twilight and Apple Jack caught sight of what Pinkie Pie seemed to deem perfectly normal. Without so much as a pre warning the village road started filling with Tribals that seemed to wear outfits imported directly from Discord land.

One Tribal wore an improvised tree trunk with diamonds imbedded in it. One Tribal woman had a big leaf-cape that had been brooded with acorns and glitter. One fellow had an improvised suit made out of sticks that had been sewed together with swamp weed. They all looked down at their outfits with embarrassing faces and dim eyes that said it all - They weren’t just contemplating their new outfits, they were contemplating every day of their lives which had brought them to this moment.

Following the walking bayou the pony friends eventually found its source, an eroded old cave that had been remade into some kind of shop. Twilight used her horn to pull away the drapes, entering something that looked more like a fortune tellers backroom than a clothing store. The dark parts of the room had eyes in them. The improvised mannequins consisted of tree trunks with faces carved into them. A Tribal came wandering in a manner of mental grogginess. He had a giant mushroom on his head. He appeared to be looking nervously for the exit. While the Tribal slithered out behind the ponies they caught sight of a white patch among the plant clothes.

“Rarity? What are you doing?”

They white unicorn turned to Apple Jack, her eyes covered in dried out tears above her crazy smile.

“Hello friends, welcome to Rarity’s SWAMP INSPIRATION!”

“’Swamp’ inspiration?” Apple Jack asked dumbfounded.

“AWESOME!” Pinkie Pie screeched.

Rarity glanced at her friends before frantically going back to work. Twilight thought that she avoided looking at her.

“Eh, what was it that was awesome again?” Pinkie asked, suddenly confounded. Rarity’s ears twitched.

“Ah, a CUSTOMER!”

Rarity frantically galloped outside. The ponies then heard her speak to someone in an aggressive sales voice. Once she returned she had a confused Tribal with her.

“Don’t worry, it’s all on the house!” Rarity ensured her customer/prisoner before bringing out some of the strangest clothes that Twilight had ever seen.

After the scared Tribal had left with a vest made out of tree sap and bark Twilight turned to the clearly stress-sewing diva.

“Listen Rarity. We all miss Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, but Thunderlane and High Wind are out to find them. We need to focus on breaking Mizar’s code.”

Rarity looked at Twilight like she was about to apologize to her mother.

“Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy? Yes, they’ll make it back here, her and Rainbow Dash, especially Rainbow Dash.” Rarity’s eyes started to water. “I mean, it’s not like I am a selfish idiot for worrying about her not wanting to see me when, really, I should worry about ever seeing her again!”

“Why in the world would she not want to see you again?! Listen Rarity, I know a lot of bad things have happened, awful things, but trust me, we must not blame ourselves. This is because of Mizar.”

Rarity’s crying stopped. Apple Jack’s face contorted in disbelief. Twilight’s scar that ran across her face almost appeared to get redder as she ranted.

“Mizar killed Starlight Glimmer, he killed those ponies at the Gala. His drones murdered Blaze, Surprise, High Leap and Everbold Hoof. Mizar may also murder me but he will never murder our friendships! I swear, if it’s the last thing I do I will maim him, take away his self-reviving spell but leave just enough magic in him to keep him alive. Then I will toss him out in space where he will float, not for measly twenty years, but for a thousand years!”

Apple Jack casted a glare at Twilight from behind, her orange face formed in anger. Rarity’s mouth remained slightly open while her eyes was shrouded in mist. Pinkie Pie remained silent which, giving her usual mood, said more than her sad expression. There was so much more to say but somehow those polarizing words would come to be the last ones ever spoken inside Rarity’s Swamp Inspiration.

The awkward silence seemed to follow the ponies, even as they made their way outside. While heading for the king’s hut Twilight’s friends walked ahead of her. Apple Jack had her hoof around Raritys back. She seemed to run through some kind of comforting routine with the white unicorn. Pinkie Pie walked between Twilight and the others. Once in a while she looked back with sad eyes at Twilight, then at Apple Jack and Rarity. She seemed to have a hard time deciding which one she should give attention.

But Twilight did not notice Pinkie’s dilemma, nor the hanging unease that still needed absolving. Twilight was too occupied with looking at the landfill from earlier. It was still covered in mud and clothes, with one more item that someone had deemed unnecessary to have.

Twilight walked slower. Her raggedy mane wavered in the wind, as did the princess dress around Velas doll, its silvery beauty covered in mud as it laid in the landfill, tossed away with the other junk.

The Tasering

Only for you

The light ahead seemed to illuminate the entire night sky. Rainbow Dash squinted her eyes against it.

“Fluttershy?”

Only for you

Rainbow Dash used her wings to hoover midair. The yellow pegasus in front of her offered the only light. Sadness fell over the obvious dream. Rainbow Dash decided to make use of her only chance.

“I’m sorry, Fluttershy.”

The yellow pegasus looked at Rainbow Dash with innocent eyes. Her beautiful ivory mane hanged flat in the windless air.

Dashie suddenly felt herself falter in flight. She looked down. Her detached blue wing sailed limply down toward the ground. Dashie felt her stomach squirm as she plummeted. She tried to take one more look at Fluttershy but the world was spinning to fast. She saw her left wing still attached to her body. Her right human hand had no feathers.

Rainbow Dash gasped. She felt the cold prison floor greet her back to reality. She hoped that it wasn’t real, because in reality Fluttershy wasn’t flying anymore. She wasn’t speaking to her with her cute little voice anymore.

Never was she going to laugh again, smile again, not even show those disappointed eyes when Rainbow Dash told her that she didn’t love her. Dashie could feel herself gallop and hug that disappointed pegasus now, squeeze hard and never let go. She imagined taking her to Vela’s ship, fly them both home and take her on the longest cloud cruise above Equestria ever.

But none of that would ever come to pass. Rainbow Dash looked at her right wing, the one she felt she didn’t deserve. What was she going to tell Twilight, Rarity, Apple Jack and Pinkie Pie? Was she going to tell them that her stubbornness got Fluttershy killed? Was she going to tell them that she panicked when Mizar asked her to recall what happened after Twilight found him in Equestria? Was Rainbow Dash going to look Rarity straight into her teary eyes and tell her how she treated Fluttershy before they got captured?

No. Dashie’s words would never come out. It would all boil down to one phrase.

“I killed her.”

Rainbow Dash growled after hearing her own words. She galloped across the prison cell and slammed her hoof against the soft wall in a rage. Despite it being soundproof there was a small metallic vibration inside it.

The rage was silenced, but not the memories. There was a black hole inside Rainbow Dash. She felt her stomach squirm again. Dashie leaned against the wall and crumbled. Her rainbow mane bounced while her tears hit the floor.

Fernando thought he heard a sound somewhere inside the walls. What was it? The mole reached into his pockets and lit a cigar.

“Probably one of Mizar’s toys.”

Part of Fernando hoped that Mizar wouldn’t kill Rainbow Dash. From what his spies had told him she did put up a decent fight against that sad robot. Luckily Fernando’s plan had worked. He put the cigar in his mouth and sucked in a long, poisonous breath. The smoke whirled around him as he took one more glance at the yellow patch in the middle his private Sekhmet suite.

The pony coughed. She took a minute to gain her bearings before studying her location. She used her front hoof to bring herself up.

“Where am I?” The yellow pony caught sight of the smoking, fat mole. “Who are you?”

“Welcome to military cruiser Sekhmet Fluttershy. My name is Fernando. You and I have a lot to discuss.”

“We have a lot to discuss. But first, let me introduce Magnus.” King Jeff motioned the frog like fellow beside him. “He is going to fill you in on some politics.”

All the ponies and Gemini warriors had gathered inside the Kings Hut, which was the largest building in the Tribal village. The fireplace kept the heat rising and the cold shill of the Goldwood jungle outside. Magnus coughed before beginning his speech.

“Good evening ponies, tribals and humans.” Magnus had a queasy voice. He had a habit of cutting his ending consonants. “As my old friend Jeff here just informed, my name is Magnus and I am the ambassador here. Recently, my work here has been doubled thanks to some community relations setbacks in the forest planet off Rith Essa.”

Twilight blushed. Magnus looked in her direction for a brief moment before continuing.

“But all this has passed. For now, we must focus on what to do next. You ponies may not be fully aware how things are here right now. Long story short, it’s not the most pleasant endeavor right now. Due to diplomatic complications within the Tribal community, a rift have been created among the people."

Twilight looked around. She saw the few gathered Tribals look dead into the air with frustration swimming in their eyes. Magnus continued.

“Once we were united against Mizar, and we still are in a way, but differing ideas how to go about it has left us fragmented. Hunting grounds are disputed between Barry’s and Jeff’s followers. Bullying have become a problem, both between adults and children. If we do not do something about Mizar now we might never be united as one bear race ever again.”

King Jeff kept looking at Twilight throughout Magnus entire speech. The unicorn could feel his eyeballs pierce her. Magnus continued.

“I have recently been informed that you ponies’ have managed to get hold of Diamond Geezers hard drive. But, well, Juno?”

Magnus looked at the leader of the Jet Force Gemini. Juno took a step forward and spoke with a clear, manly voice.

“We tried to access the encrypted parts with the help of our hackers but so far we have only managed to gather a small portion of it. The security is simply too tight. Since Mizar himself built the database and had Geezer download decades ago we need the help of whoever built and had control over him at the time. That someone is the only one that could have a clue to the passwords needed to get us access to the full hard drive.”

“And, let me guess. That someone is Barry?” Apple Jack asked.

“But both of you want Mizar gone. Why all this fuzz?” Rarity asked the obvious question. Magnus opened his mouth to answer, but hesitated. King Jeff laid a hand on Magnus shoulder.

“It’s alright old friend, I’ll take it from here.”

Jeff turned to the Tribals present in the room.

“I see no reason to keep this from you any longer. It’s about time that you know why my brother is being such a rotten egg.”

King Jeff used his staff as support as he walked up to the ponies. Twilight thought she saw Vela standing in a corner ahead. Jeff began his confession.

“Twilight Sparkle. I know my brother has been difficult and, trust me when I say, I do not have much hope that he will show a better side any time soon. So, before we head over to the Rainy Meadow where Barry and the other half of my people have taken hold you must understand.”

King Jeff looked around at the others. His old voice grew stronger.

“My brother is still ashamed about what he did all those years ago! He is still ashamed about building Mizar!”

He turned to Twilight again, his voice remaining strong. “Ever since Mizar’s return my brother has been terrified, terrified that my people will remember his crimes, terrified to be cast out again.”

Jeff closed his eyes and added. “...Terrified that his own brother will remember his old quest for vengenance and never speak to him again.”

Jeff looked straight into the purple eyes of the lavender unicorn. His catlike eye glittered like a wettened ball made out of glass. The rest of his speech he aimed directly to Twilight.

“So, you must understand, princess Twilight Sparkle, that when my brother heard that you were the one who helped Mizar all he could see was a chance to shift the focus onto a new enemy.”

“An enemy he did not need to take responsibility for.” Rarity put the words in Jeff’s mouth.

“An enemy like me.” Twilight ended. She used her hoof to streak the pointy edges of her facial scar.

The regret in Jeff’s eyes were apparent. “I am sorry Twilight. You have been dragged into far more messes than you deserve. On behalf of all the Tribals, I apologize about Barry and the part of my people that are still foolish enough to think that you are anything but the kind, loyal, honest, generous and cheerful princess of friendship.”

Twilight felt the gratitude lay at the tip of her tongue. She gave Jeff a slight smile that quickly faded. She felt that she should be happy that someone other than her closest friends actually had faith in her. Could it be that she was unsure about Jeff’s sincerity? - Or was something in what he just claimed sending doubts into her?

“Hold on furry. I understand you’re sorry and all but you just said that we should head over to that Rainy, whatever, place?”

“I’m afraid I must agree with Apple Jack sir. If Barry is your brother than why don’t you head there yourself?” Pinkie Pie asked.

Magnus made a small floor slam with his staff. “Out of the question! Barry already knows that Jeff is friends with Twilight. If our king heads there by himself it will only arouse more suspicion among his followers.”

“Magnus is right Twilight. I’m sorry about the way I treated you the first time we met, even though we now must face the music together.”

Twilight wanted desperately to be bold but she could still feel the vibrations of those angry Tribal chants inside her stomach. Jeff could see the fear in the eyes of the pony unicorn. He reached out his paw and put it around her mule.

“I know you’re thinking about what happened inside those mines. Those Tribals were only mimicking what my brother taught them. If things get out of hand like that again, I promise, I will handle it myself this time.”

The calm and manly voice of king Jeff had the composure of a ruler and yet the rusty core of a nice uncle. Twilight felt the vibrations inside her disappear. She smiled.

“Thank you, King Jeff.”

“Please, Twilight, just call me Jeff.”

“Where is Rainbow Dash?!” Fluttershy was suddenly angry. She had her wings raised in aggression.

Fernando blew out the smoke he had in his lounges. “Not here, and If I were you I would keep my voice down. Mizar doesn’t know you’re alive.”

Fluttershy looked questioning at the mole, who did not wait for her reply.

“Electric paralyzing gun, tases your artery and stopps the blood flow in all parts of your body except your brain. The effect makes it appear as if the victim is dead. Don’t ask me how I smuggled into Mizar’s arsenal, just thank me that you’re still alive.”

“In that case, if what you say is true, then I thank you sir.” Fluttershy lowered her wings, but her mind remained worried. If Mizar would have shot her in cold blood like that how long before he killed Rainbow Dash too, for real this time?

“Wo there, my little pony!” Fernando urged when he saw the pony move toward the door. Fluttershy froze in place. “You’re too young to die. Mizar has this place swarming with drones. You won’t make it down the corridor, trust me.”

“But then you must help me sir. Please, my friend is in grave danger!”

“Hahaha!” The laughter of the fat mole rumbled the suite. “Give me a break. Mizar makes himself look hard and merciless. In truth, that pathetic fly has as much bone in his body as any robot.”

“How do you know that sir?” Fluttershy’s eyes sparkled with fear.

“I worked with him since before when Barry was his pilot. Was a coward then and is a coward now. Come to think of it, I think he’s gotten even worse since your princess rebuilt him. Maybe it’s that wheelchair magic of hers that is making him thin skinned?!”

Fluttershy did not know what to make of all this. Her hesitation didn’t go unnoticed.

“Well!? Don’t be shy, Fluttershy.” Fernando laughed at his own wit. “Come over here, sit down.”

Hesitantly, Fluttershy made her way toward three couches and coffee table. She almost felt sorry for the small couch that Fernando sat on. It appeared to be on the brink of breaking apart sideways. Fluttershy sat down on the couch that seemed to be furthest away from him.

Fernando glanced at the pony for a brief moment. He restrained his contentment. He knew that Fluttershy would have no choice to do whatever he asked from now on, all under Mizar’s nose. This was a dream scenario, a way for Fernando to finally become the savior of the universe and its ruler at the same time. If Mizar found out that Fluttershy was alive Fernando could just blame one of the drones for misplacing the paralyzer where Mizar stored his three other guns which he used.

“Care for some Essian vodka?!” Fernando boomed and grabbed a bottle.

“Oh no. Thank you sir, I don’t really drink.”

“No, I insist.”

“I really don’t drink sir. But thank you.”

Fernando put the empty glass and the bottle of vodka between himself and the yellow pegasus. He grabbed a glass that he had already filled and sipped it.

“Rainbow Dash is in no trouble, you have my word on that pony girl.”

“If you say so.”

“Mizar say so. He is out for your abdicated princess, not some hoofed rainbow broad. He is planning to use Rainbow Dash as bait to get to Twilight but for that to work he only needed one of you, you’re lucky to be alive Fluttershy.”

The ominous voice of Fernando was enough to release the existential feelings inside Fluttershy. Suddenly, she realized that all she now was could easily have been nothing if earlier events had turned out different. Her eyes gained a dark depth.

“You really did save my life.”

Fernando heard the soft voice of the yellow pony. - He usually liked creatures being thankful to him, that usually meaning easy favors, but this felt different. This felt to close. He grumped, opened a drawer and brought out a clef of Tawfret drapes. He quickly filled his mouth with three of these horrible things. Fluttershy looked at the creature whom she at first had disliked.

“Sir. I apologize for screaming at you. I owe you my life.”

“Urm.” Fernando swallowed before answering weakly. “Yes, you do.”

“I owe you my life.”

The blue pegasus closed her eyes.

“I owe you my life.”

The yellow face became clearer in her mind. The abandoned school house blurred behind it.

“I owe you my life.”

Rainbow Dash had been talking to herself for a good while now. Part of her thought it wasn’t that odd. She had been imprisoned in this cell with the same silvery fabric walls and rubber floor for Celestia knows how long.

“I owe you my life.”

“What do you mean?”

“You saved me. You saved my life.”

“I didn’t save you, I just did what any friend would do.”

“Why am I talking to myself? Am I going crazy?”

“No, you’re just alone.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head and rid it from creepy. One Pinkie Pie is enough. she thought to herself. Her simple brute mind may not be able to wipe Fluttershy’s memory away, but one thing she was smart enough to realize.

“This isn’t me.”

Dashie raised her wings and somehow managed to bring herself airborne inside her incarceration space. She made a violent thrust, rocketed into the prison door and slammed her hooves against it.

“Hey! Mizar! MIZAR! Is that all you got!? You pony murdering banana!? When are you going to come back and break me!? I’ve been waiting in here for days!”

The door suddenly opened inwards. Rainbow Dash was violently tossed backwards and hit the wall. The doorway was populated by an unwelcome sight. Mizar’s eyes flashed of red.

“Break you? Oh Dashie, when are you gonna learn to shut your mouth?”

Dashie didn’t care how many friends would die now because of her. All she knew was that she rather died herself before that happened. In a flash she rocketed toward the silvery banana drone. The blue ant behind Mizar raised his arm. Something flashed. Dashie quickly realized the hard way what it was.

Dashies entire pegasus body went into lockdown as she shook helplessly on the floor, the electricity flowing constantly from the taser. Her mouth she held shut. Despite the excruciating pain rushing through her wingtips, this flying dildo had heard her scream for the last time.

“Buckle up Rainbow Dash. Cruiser change awaits.”

The following minute Rainbow Dash was tied to a stretcher, which had small rockets holding it airborne. An entire armada of shield carrying ants escorted her through the cruiser toward, what Rainbow Dash guessed, the next boring prison. She had the ability to turn her head sideways. Most of the time an escorting ant blocked the view, but the glimpses she did get spoke of Sekhmet being a gigantic cruiser. Suddenly the space around her widened. She felt a nauseating feeling from all the time spent in a small room.

It seemed as if the roof would never appear above. The slightly tilting walls were red and towered. Huge metal platforms were guarded by countless blue drones. They all looked down on her with murderous black eyes, holding laser rifles. Dashie thought she heard the sound of flowing water beside her. She couldn’t see if Mizar was following her or not. Not that it mattered. She was as tied to this stretcher as Fluttershy was...

Fluttershy is Dead.

“Mizar.” Rainbow Dash said his name. “Mizar!” Her hooves started shaking. She imagined using them to turn the robot into scrap. “MIZAR!”

Her escorting torture buddy turned to the raging pony. Without thinking he brought out the taser again and fired.

Rainbow Dash felt her entire body burn with electricity again. The electricity caused her wings to turn in an odd angle. The blue pegasus didn’t feel when the bone inside her left wing broke, all she felt was the liberating freedom when it wiggled out of its bindings. The binding then moved sideways, causing her right wing to also free.

There was a rainbow blur when the pegasus pony rocketed toward the roof with stretcher and everything. She bumped the taser on the way, causing it to turn toward its user. The ant screamed and fell unconscious to the floor. There was a wave of ant screeches. Blue lasers came whooing. The stretcher rockets were still burning bravely but the wing power of Rainbow Dash was simply too great for it to have any effect.

Dashie approached one of the platform ants with blurring speed. He barely had time to raise his rifle before the Wonderbolt flier flew into him. The stretcher hit the ant in 30 miles per hour and killed him instantly. His rifle went sailing. Rainbow Dash grabbed it midair and fired at his shield wearing buddy. The first laser hit his shield but the second severed his foot. Green blood splattered the cruiser.

Rainbow Dash kept flying toward the end of the giant room. The drones ahead still seemed to be in progress of grasping what was happening. Dashie landed and killed two ants in front of her. One ant came up behind her, aimed and fired. The shooter saw his own reflection inside the metal stretcher before the ricocheting laser hit him in the chest.

Rainbow Dash did not know where her mind was. She had no idea if she was flying in the same direction as before or not. She didn’t know - She didn’t care. - All she felt was the adrenaline coursing through her blue body when ant after ant took turn trying to kill her before seeing them twist and crumble behind her iron sight.

The irritated screeches became fierce the longer the drones tried to hit the way to fast Wonderbolt flier. The stretcher suddenly came lose. It hit the floor below with an air cutting crash. Despite that fact that its owner hadn’t noticed it was broken yet the right wing of Rainbow Dash Suddenly decided it have had enough. It went numb.

Rainbow Dash gasped when she hit the floor. Within a second she was on her hooves again. She roared while firing at the five drones appearing behind the corner ahead. One of them dropped his shield. Dashie shot of his arm. She proceeded fire at the second, third, fourth, fifth and even sixth drone. Did her lasers hit their bodies or their shields? Dashie wasn’t sure. In fact, she wasn’t sure about anything anymore. She wasn’t sure if the rest of her friends would ever make it back to Equestria again. She wasn’t sure if they would ever find out about Fluttershy’s death. One thing Rainbow Dash was sure of though, and that was that she couldn’t feel the right side of her body anymore.

Mizar hovered effortlessly up to the lifeless pony with a rainbow mane. The rifle she had stolen earlier from one of his drones laid slightly inside the pool of pony blood that was forming under her. Mizar gave out a long sigh.

“Idiots.”

Mizar turned around and left the scene in a bizarre state of surprise and not at all so. The self tased drone regained consciousness. Mizar didn’t bother looking at him as he opened his chassis, brought out his gun and pulled the trigger.

This was the second time that day that a none lethal taser weapon had rendered the poor drone unconscious via shot to the face, but this was something that Mizar was unaware of at the moment.

“Are you sure we’re not in danger?” Fluttershy asked worried, still remembering the echoing laser fire. Fernando gave the yellow pony a Vegas smile.

“No need to worry. Trust me Fluttershy, this happens all the time. Mizar’s robots are idiots. They get into brawls as easy as a group of Tribal’s arguing over who has the largest garden stones.

Fernando’s booming laughter suddenly filled the suite like one of Trixie’s indoor fireworks. It was impossible for Fluttershy not to join in. On the outside her face giggled but on the inside she felt like something big had just been ripped out of her heart. She felt her joy turned to acid in her throat. As for Fernando, he did enjoy a good Tribal joke. At least that’s what he tried to tell himself as he watched Fluttershy’s giggle transform.

“Heh…” Fernando’s grumped. At least he tried, he thought to himself while ignoring the sobbing pegasus.

Lies And Truths And Mole Words

The stars of the night sky casted shiny reflections in the blue eyes of the white unicorn. One of them sparkled more than the others. Zion System C was it called, although that was something that Rarity did not know, what she did know though was ponies. The star seemed so lonely in the sky, like if its light was trying to reach for somepony lost a long time ago.

Why did friends and family tend to gravitate apart from each other? The truth caused a burning sensation in Rarity’s throat. She heard Apple Jack behind her.

“Will it ever be the same again?” Rarity asked.

“Say what now?”

“Our friendship.”

“If this is about Rainbow Dash and Twilight again, I’m sure they’re just caught up in the heat of recent events.”

“It’s not just them.” Rarity turned to Apple Jack. “It’s all of us. You, me, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Pinkie Pie.”

“What about us?”

Rarity recalled the feeling when she looked at the stars. She had no explanation yet, but for some reason it felt like that a big piece had just been ripped out of her heart.

“I don’t know Apple Jack, but something tells me that, when all this is over, when we get back to Equestria again, our friendship will never be the same again.”

Apple Jack sighed. “Maybe It’ll be a tad different, but we’ll always be friends.”

“Oh, I know that, I have always known that. But with Starlight Glimmer gone, the Wonderbolts burdened by memories of war, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash possibly gone or scarred for life, and Twilight Sparkle?

Apple Jack walked up to the fashionista. She gave her a smile. Rarity returned. Both hugged each other under the starry sky outside the window.

“Our lives may change but our friendship will stay the same. As for Rainbow and Shy, I just know they’ll pull through.”

“Thank you, Apple Jack.” Rarity felt better, but not at ease. In her mind she went through the events of the last weeks of which had passed. She faced away from Apple Jack, who studied her unicorn friend.

“Something is wrong.” Rarity mumbled out loud.

“Our friendship is never wrong.”

Rarity looked passionately again at her country friend. “No Apple Jack, all of this. Mizar, Fernando, Jeff, Vela and the Gemini squadron, Floyd. Everything, it is all wrong.”

Apple Jack seemed to think for a moment. “You know what Rarity? - Everything about these Juno, Vela, Lupus and Jeff fellas have seemed strange ever since that rundown with the Tribals at Rith Assa.”

“Rith Essa.” Rarity corrected.

“Yes. I don’t know what though.”

“For a start, about Jeff’s brother, Barry.”

“What about him?”

“I can understand why he would blame Twilight for Mizar and how that would allow him to avoid guilt, but do you remember how he screamed at Twilight after she told the Tribals about Mizar’s fake identity?”

“You mean when Twilight told them about Mizar calling himself Floyd and he said: That is a lie, that cannot possibly be true?”

“Yes.”

Apple Jack grumped. “Yea. That deluded Tribal can scream all he want about Twili.”

“But why Apple Jack? I know he’s wrong, but he seemed so certain when he said it.”

“He’s obviously a liar.”

Rarity’s eyes trailed away. Apple Jack could hear a slight mumble from her.

“Do you think he and Mizar are in cahoots?”

“I don’t know.” Rarity said Ominously.

It had been hard for her to focus for the past few days. Twilight still had a lot on her mind, or at least that was how she thought she felt. The only thing that was clear to her right now was that Mizar would pay for his crimes, for the sake of Celestia and all the ponies in Equestria. The abdicated alicorn princess figured she needed a break from all this, her emotions needed to be laid to rest. There was only one pony that could lay her to rest, on the floor or in bed didn’t matter. She reached out her hoof and knocked on the door to the hut. Its pink habitant opened.

“Hey Twilight.” Pinkie Pie said tired.

“Hello Pinkie. I couldn’t sleep.”

“Oh. You neither?”

Pinkie made eye contact with the lavender pony. Twilight’s lips rose into a smile.

“Can I come in?”

Pinkie Pie let her previous worries run through her mind. It couldn’t affect her answer.

“Yes. Sure Twilight.”

Both walked into the hut. Twilight closed the door with her horn magic. She didn’t waste any time rubbing her muzzle with the pink pony.

“Mmmm?” Twilight asked and kissed her.

“Mm.” Pinkie replied.

Both ponies knew the other so well, both physically and mentally, which meant that things happened fast. The warmth of their bodies became one. Twilight went gently most of the time. Pinkie Pie asked if they could lay down in bed. Twilight obliged. She had her eyes closed as she felt Pinkie’s tongue dare going everywhere it wanted. While lying in bed Pinkie Pie briefly lifted her head to look into Twilight’s eyes. But the pony she slept with now wasn't Twilight. Starlight Glimmer returned Pinkies look with a half-smile.

“Pinkie?” Twilight asked worried as she felt the movements of the pink pony fade.

“Sorry. I’m just tired.” Pinkie Pie lied and cuddled herself into Twilight’s hooves.

Twilight proceeded kissing her on the neck. “We can rest for a while, if you want to.” She said.

Both ponies fell asleep for a short while. Now and then one of them awoke and gave the other a kiss.

“Hmm, yea.”

“What?” Pinkie asked.

Twilight made a pleasuring sound. “Nothing. I just love laying here with you.”

“You do.” Pinkie wasn’t asking.

“Yes. And…”

“And you love me?”

Twilight laughed and exclaimed. “Mare, we just fucked!”

Pinkie Pie returned Twilight’s laughter hesitantly. She had no idea why that statement sounded familiar.

“Pinkie?”

“Yes, Twilight?”

Twilight laid her lavender hoof over Pinkies belly and hugged tight. She rested her muzzle over her ear and let her heart mumble out loud.

“I want this moment to last forever.”

“It won’t silly.”

“What?”

Realizing what she just said Pinkie Pie looked up and saw, not Starlight, not just Twilight, but something more.

“I said, it will.”

“You did?” Twilight asked confused.

Pinkie Pie smiled while the tears of joy of started to form in her blue eyes. She kissed her before Twilight saw them.

“I love you Twilight.”

Pinkie Pie was lost in the moment, but that didn’t mean that her mind wasn’t absent. Inside her head Pinkie Pie spotted a scene.

Inside the scene was Twilight Sparkle. She was wearing a Grand Galloping Gala dress. She was having her hooves and face buried inside the coat of a lifeless pony. Her body bumped up and down as she was crying.

The coat of the dead pony was pink.

“…Forever, Twilight.”

The rest of the night the two ponies spent sleeping. Despite being really tired Twilight decided to head out early and watch the morning sun rise. Before exiting she looked back at Pinkie Pie. She had her pink hooves spread where Twilight had recently rested in them. They seemed to reach for her.

“Hm, Twilight?” Pinkie Pie mumbled sleeping.

“I’ll be right back, Pinkie darling.” Twilight said before heading out.

The Goldwood forest spread around the Tribal village. Twilight found herself on the balcony overlooking it. It was free of Tribals, meaning a lot of them was probably still asleep. Twilight took a deep breath, feeling the clear air fill her lounges. She hoped it would clear the maddened mind of Jeff’s brother too.

“I know you’re not Keshi.”

Twilight turned toward her addresser. The Tribal girl was standing on a nearby balcony. She had her hands on the wooden handle. Twilight thought she had seen her before.

“I’m sorry, have we met?”

“No, we haven’t, but I remember you from Rith Essa, before Jeff brought his people back here to Goldwood.” The Tribal girl had a soft voice, almost like Fluttershy. She had a beautiful face and a red fly tied to her hair. Her face lowered in sadness. “I am so sorry for how the rest of my people treated you back there.”

“Who are you?” Twilight asked

“My name is Carla.”

“Carla? now, there is a name that I have heard.”

“You may remember my boyfriend. His name is Max.”

Twilight remember now. “So, you were a couple?”

“Not really, more of a childish romance. We’ve broken up several times but Max has his wits and he always manages to win me back again.”

The joking way Carla explained something so personal impressed Twilight. She smiled.

“Sounds like Max is a real charmer then.”

Carla giggled. “Yea.” She looked at Twilight, then at the half open door behind the lavender unicorn. Twilight looked shamefully toward the ground.

“What is it?”

“Oh, no. Nothing, I just. Well…” Twilight hesitated.

“Did I hear you?”

Twilight looked pleading at Carla, who made a cute giggle. “Don’t worry, lavender unicorn. I won’t tell anyone about you and the pink pony.”

“Thanks. They’re bound to find out sooner or later though.”

“Do you love her?”

“I think so.” The unicorn and Tribal exchanged smiles. “Do you love Max too?”

Carla’s eyes filled with doubt and certainty at the same time. Her face contorted with conflicting feelings. She nodded.

“Well?”

Carla giggled. “Well, what?”

“Well? Go and tell him.” Twilight urged.

“I can’t.”

“Come on, now you’re being a pussy. He seems like a good Tribal to me.”

“It’s not that. He’s gone.”

“Gone?” Twilight smiled nervously, not sure what ‘gone’ really implied.

“He’s been kidnapped.” Twilight’s face froze. Carla’s face filled with sadness. “Didn’t Jeff tell you about the drone docking ship that we encountered on our way to Goldwood?”

“No, he didn’t.”

Carla told Twilight about what happened after Jeff and the Tribals left Rith Essa. Their ship was captured by a hunter cruiser named Deep Star 2, or more commonly known as Sekhmet. The entire Tribal people would have been imprisoned or worse if it hadn’t been for Max, Joseph, Konrad and Isak holding of the drone boarding party and giving King Jeff enough time to disable the mechanism that kept them bayed. After an intense fight they eventually managed to escape without any Tribal dying. Max and his Tribal friends couldn’t make it though and was captured.

“I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

Carla’s mouth rose sideways in a display of disingenuous laughter. “It is funny, isn’t it? – When you’re so uncertain what to do next and you try to make up your mind and then, when the moment finnaly come and you make up your mind, the opportunity is taken away from you and you’re back at square one.”

Twilight didn’t know what to answer. In an event of dark irony, once she finally decided how to approach the situation, Carla turned around and walked inside.

“It’s been nice talking to you, Twilight Sparkle.”

The morning light gaped through the half-drawn curtain made out of hanging fabric with brooded red patterns. Pinkie Pie saw her marefriend stand outside on the balcony. She appeared to be talking to the neighbor.

“It was fun while it lasted.”

Pinkie looked toward the end of the bed. Starlight Glimmer was lying over her, giving her the same smile as before.

“Starlight?”

“Hi Pinkie.”

Pinkie’s face twisted in anger. She whispered aggressively. “What are you doing Starlight!? I can’t be seen fucking a ghost or everypony will think I’m crazy!?”

“Me? What about Twilight? You’re not just fucking her while thinking of me, do you?”

“Argh! Maybe? I don’t know. Maybe if you stopped showing up in my bed like The Grudge ponified I would be able to give a satisfying answer to that!”

“Remember when we watched that VHS movie together, Pinkie Pie? That one was scary.”

“Yea.” Pinkie’s angry face contorted into sadness. “I do remember everything.”

Starlight and Pinkie Pie exchanged looks, only one of them smiling.

“Why did you have to die Starlight? I needed you.”

“You don’t need me.” Starlight moved closer to Pinkie’s face. “You need Twilight, and Twilight needs you.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” A voice asked.

Pinkie Pie fixated her eyes. Twilight Sparkle was lying over her, about to kiss her.

“Damn you Starlight! Why do you always turn out to be Twilight in the most inconvenient situations!” Pinkie Pie scolded.

“What?!” Twilight laughed. Pinkie Pie suddenly turned regretful.

“I’m sorry Twilight. I think I’m crazy.”

“You were always crazy.” Twilight moved in and kissed Pinkie. “Mm.”

“Mm?”

“Mm, and I like you so.”

“Hm, yes?”

“Yes.” Twilight replied before letting go of her morning horniness. She then fucked the energetic pink pony like the universe depended on it.

The white letters ‘Deep Space 2’ covered the red surface of the giant military cruiser Sekhmet. The inside housed many functions and social opportunities. One of these were Fernando’s suite where a yellow pony pegasus felt like she was floating into space right now. She still remembered those lasers. The thought made Fluttershy stare dead into the air.

“She’s dead.”

Fernando lit another cigar. He took a deep breath as he inhaled the one thing that kept his mind focused.

“She is not dead. I told you Fluttershy, you have my word.”

“I should have been there for her. I should have helped her, tended her.”

“I said, she is fine!” Fernando boomed.

“You’re a liar. You work for Mizar!” Fluttershy cried.

“Mizar works for me! That robot is nothing without me.”

“You tricked the Tribals because you thought they were weak! You helped Mizar because you thought that the others were weak! You favor the strong and care nothing for friends and family!” Fluttershy ranted.

“You’re damn right pony!” Fernando’s booming voice caused Fluttershy to gasp. “I favor the strongest, and right now, I’m not so sure Mizar are. Why do you think I kept you alive?”

“So that you can use me to gain the favor of my friends and our princess to use Equestrias magic to conquer the universe. - FORGET IT!”

“I don’t need your stupid magic.” Fernando motioned the Sekhmet suite. “All of this is mine, payed with my money. If I want to conquer the universe now I can do that, no problem. But there is one thing to conquer the universe and another to keep it from tearing itself apart after you’ve done that.”

“So, you want to conquer it?!”

“I want peace.”

“You make money of this conflict!”

“Geezer made the money, but all I have done since signing that stupid contract with Mizar is losing money, that stupid robot is an even worse business partner now than before. Do you want to see your rainbow friend again or do you want me to toss both her and you into space!?”

Fluttershy calmed down. She ruffled her wings.

“What do you want?”

“Your friend is the princess of friendship.”

“Was. She abdicated.” Fluttershy informed.

“She’ll be again. Trust me, after my good for nothing partner is gone I will talk to Celestia and get her to square things with Twilight, make her believe in friendship again.”

“What about Mizar?” Fluttershy didn’t sound angry anymore. “Twilight will never be princess again if she manages to kill him.”

“I’ll handle him.”

“Twilight will never stop chasing him.”

“I’ll kill him myself, don’t worry. I’ll show Twilight his metal carcass when it’s done.”

Fluttershy looked at Fernando. Her eyes slowly filled with interest. “What will you do?”

“After I kill Mizar I will need someone charismatic to be the face of peace and prosper in the galaxy. I will make use of my contacts to spread Twilight’s message and make her, not just the princess of friendship in Equestria, but the princess of friendship across the entire universe. I keep the order and she keeps its habitants from fighting, it’s as simple as that.”

“But only Twilight can kill Mizar. With his metal rock and…” Fluttershy was cut when Fernando’s laughter filled the suite.

“I am Fernando! For Fernando there will always be a way. Do you want to see your rainbow friend again or not?”

Fluttershy sighted. “What do you need?”

Fernando inhaled another big doze of Tawfret weed. It stimulated his braincells and left them just enough dead that he felt calm but enough alive for him to be game.

“Let’s get back to that hard drive of Diamond Geezer again, shall we?”

“What about it?”

“Where is it and who has it?”

Fluttershy’s face formed in suspicion. “What is it to you?”

“It contains information, codes that is better if it stayed out of Mizar’s robot hands.”

“Why?”

Fernando laughed. “Information for information, my little pony.”

“I’m not your little pony!”

“Wo there. Calm down. You know, you’re angrier that you look and sound Fluttershy. Be careful with that alter ego of yours?” Fernando joked.

The yellow pegasus held her answer at first, but eventually she knew why her feelings couldn’t agree with one another. She really did need the fat mole, whether she liked him or not

“And I am sorry if I was rude before, but I really need to find my way back to Twilight again.”

“Geeee! Wrong answer.” Fernando mimicked a buzzer. “First rainbow pony, then princess of friendship.”

Fluttershy’s eyes sparkled with emotions. “She’s really alive?”

“I told you Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash is alive! Hardsoil! I believe I’ve said it a thousand times by now! Help me get that hard drive and I promise you’ll see her again.”

Fluttershy’s face formed in horror. It suddenly dawned for her. “You want me to steal it from Twilight, don’t you?” Fernando took a blow from his giant cigar. “But… What should I tell her?” Fluttershy asked desperately.

“How you get it is your business, delivering Rainbow Dash safely to you upon completion is mine. After that the business is between me and Twilight.”

“Then I tell her that Rainbow Dash is in danger and…”

“Geeeeee!” Fernando’s buzzer became more over the top than Celestia's acting. “Double wrong, your friends can’t know about your mission.”

“But then I have to lie.” The yellow pegasus cried.

Fernando’s mole eyes dug deeper into Fluttershy than any soil would allow. “Consider it a free lesson in space survival, from yours truly.”

“Shining Armor? What are you doing here?”

Spitfire watched the white unicorn tuck in beside her fellow Wonderbolts. Ahead of them laid the Rainy Meadow and Barry’s village. Spitfire glanced back at Thunderlane, High Wind and Fleetfoot.

“I want to see what my sister is up against.” Shining Armor said.

“Its fine.” Fleetfoot said after exchanging a look with Spitfire.

“Yea, as long as you don’t blow our cover.” Thunderlane said, referring to the bushes they had taken cover behind. Spitfire had no idea how the unicorn had managed to keep up with her Wonderbolt spy party but she trusted him enough. Shining Armor turned to the Wonderbolt stallion.

“It’s nice to see you back again Thunderlane. What did you and Lupus investigation of the drone base turn up?” Shining Armor referred to the mission that they were given by Juno after the attack on SS Anubis.

“Worrying. In fact, it’s not very good at all.” Thunderlane answered.

“Why is that?” Shining Armor still hadn’t had time to discuss this with Juno. He noticed Spitfire looking down in sadness. Shining Armor feared that she already knew the answer.

“Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash aren’t dead, are they?” Shining Armors voice started filling with dread.

“We overheard a group of drones with speech necklaces, and I’m afraid that the rumor is that both are.”

“Both are dead?”

“It’s what the intel suggests.” Thunderlane had the voice of a soldier on duty while describing the possible death of Rainbow Dash. Shining Armor didn’t feel as bold. How in the name of Celestia would his sister react to this information?

“Does Twilight know?” Shining Armor asked.

“I don’t think so.” Fleetfoot said.

“I agreed with Juno earlier that he would tell her. I bet she knows it already.” Spitfire said

“I don’t know how she will take it.” Shining Armor turned to Spitfire. “I know you have your fliers to think about Spitfire, but can I trust on your support if I need to keep Twilight from doing something stupid when she finds out?”

“Our survival depends on it. You have my full support general!”

“Thank you, Spitfire, and you will always have mine.”

“Thank you.” Spitfire said hesitantly. For some reason she kept eye contact with him. “Yes, that’s nice to know.”

They broke eye contact, but it had stayed long enough for Fleetfoot and Thunderlane to exchange one themselves, the same thought coursing through their heads. She do know he’s married, right?

It didn’t take long before the trail ahead started filling with Tribals. They gathered around a heap of branches that had been placed to form a balefire.

“What is happening?” Fleetfoot asked.

“Quiet!” High Wind hushed.

The weather was dusky and the ground laid wet from the recent rain. The mud formed clear tracks under Barry as he walked toward the ceremonial event. The gathering Tribals parted way for him. Behind him he had his two bodyguards. They were holding the sacrifice; the same one they had used every time this celebration was underway.

“We’ll make it through this, your highness.” One tribal male said as Barry passed him.

“Your brother will understand one day.” A Tribal woman ensured.

“Keshi will pay for her crimes!” One chant came from somewhere.

Barry approached the balefire. His guards walked ahead of him.

Meanwhile, the ponies were watching from the secure location in the forest.

“What is that?” Fleetfoot asked.

Shining Armor squinted his eyes. He saw Barry’s guards walk up to the wooden pile. He recognized them being the same Tribal warriors that forced Twilight onto the catwalk when they were on Rith Essa. Once again it appeared as if the tribal was holding something by the horn. Both of them went to work on strapping whatever it was onto a pole that protrude from the balefire. Once done they walked away from it, allowing for Shining Armor to see what it was.

It was a unicorn made out of hay. It was tied to the balefire pole by the neck and front hooves. The unicorn’s eyes were made out of two green fruits and the mane and tale were constructed by some kind of string material. It had been dyed purple. On its flank a pink star had been painted. Shining Armor saw Barry position himself between hay Twilight and the Tribal group.

“Fellow Tribals! It was good of you to come this cheerful evening! This is the forth, but god knows, not the last night that we celebrate the new and fresh by casting out the old and oppressive!”

“Yea!” Chants sounded from the Tribal group.

“My brother…” Barry paused for a dramatic effect. “…My brother has gone mad. It is with deep sorrow that I find that he has fallen under the influence of Keshi, the evil horse devil!”

“Death to Keshi!” One Tribal female screamed.

“With the help of her magic,”Barry continued. “Twilight Sparkle, Keshi, has kidnapped my poor brothers mind, just like she gave our old enemy Mizar one in an attempt to scare us into submission!”

“Never!” One Tribal male chanted. Now more and more mumbles started coming from the entire group.

“Yes! Dear Tribals, NEVER! We will never bow down to such a vile beast! The time has come to celebrate the day when we…”

Shining Armor kept listening to Barry’s speech. Even though he was hiding quite the distance away he could still see his hard pupils of Barry shaking, vibrating with true stirrings of the mind. There was no doubt about it. This Tribal was mad.

“Now we Celebrate the day when Keshi’s rule finally ends and we let the fiery gates of hell open up and pull her in! Now we celebrate the day when Tribal girls don’t have to be taken away from their mothers and be forced to watch Keshi as she dances the Pinkie dance, all while the lustful eyes of the devil himself watches!”

Shining Armor watched one of the big Tribals approach the wood while holding a burning torch. The sound of exploding sap jittered the Rain Valley. The two fruits on the Twilight doll imploded by the heat and fell into the rising flames. Shining Armor turned around and walked away.

“I’ve seen enough.”

“I’m not letting you go in there by yourself!”

Juno heard Twilight’s brother scream at her as he approached them. He saw his opportunity to break the news about her friend’s apparent deaths slip before him.

“We can’t risk an open conflict.” Jeff broke in.

Shining Armor turned to King Jeff. “With all respect, your majesty, but this is between me and my sister now. You deal with your own sibling-hood.”

“Shining Armor, now you’re being arrogant.” Twilight scolded.

“I saw the ceremony that the Tribals had. They are going to burn you, Twilight.”

“I have my magic. I can just turn the fire into ice!” Twilight said incredulously.

“Haven’t you walked into enough traps Twili!? It almost killed you on that cruiser. It killed Surprise, Everbold and High on that volcano planet. It killed Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy after that attack on SS Anubis! Am I forgetting anything? Oh, yes…Ao!”

Shining Armor was cut when somepony suddenly punched his flank. It was Spitfire who had flown all the way across the lawn in a flash. “Why did you…?”

“She didn’t know.” Spitfire interrupted Shining Armor.

The white unicorn turned to his sister again, just in time to see her face drop in disbelief. Behind her was Apple Jack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity. Rarity’s eyes started to water. Her cracking voice managed to ask. “What?”

“Tell me you just don goofed Shining!?” Apple Jack demanded.

For a moment Twilight seemed to gain confidence since her brother couldn’t possibly have known that without her also knowing. That was, until she saw Spitfire’s sorry face. Twilight shook her head in disbelief. “No.”

“I’m afraid the intel Thunderlane brought back is clear Twili.”

“No!” Twilight wailed.

Rarity broke down into crying. Apple Jack managed to prevent her from falling to the ground. Pinkie Pie’s mane fell toward the ground. Her sad appearance quickly transformed into 007’s analyzing eyes. “Do we know for certain that the intel is correct?” The agent asked.

“Beyond reasonable doubt I’m afraid, agent Pinkie. I’m afraid that the source is… Well?” Spitfire turned to Thunderlane, who answered his commander professionally.

“We overheard a gossip conversation between a Tribal engineer and a drone. The drone worked on a cruiser called Sekhmet and apparently...” Thunderlane hesitated.

“How!?” Rarity demanded.

Thunderlane and Spitfire exchanged nervous glances. They contorted in determination. The truth was better than a white lie.

“The drone was in the room when Mizar interrogated Rainbow Dash. He used Fluttershy to get her to talk. When Rainbow Dash refused." Thunderlane paused, allowing himself to swallow his nervosity. "...He saw Mizar kill Fluttershy with one shot.”

Thunderlane glanced at Spitfire before continuing, as if to ask. Too much?

“Then Rainbow Dash was to be transported to another cruiser. She managed to escape when the drone tazed her at the wrong time and she broke free. The drone passed out after tasering himself. When he woke up again…” Thunderlane hesitated again.

Apple Jack had already given up trying to hold Rarity, who had crumbled to the ground. As for Apple Jack, she was starting to wonder if she wanted honesty this time. Pinkie Pie was no longer an agent. Her hanging mane slowly rose into cotton candy again while her eyes began to water.

“…When he woke up he saw her. She was killed by drones while trying to escape.” Thunderlane ended.

Twilight was in complete disbelief. She couldn’t believe it, she didn’t want to believe it. She thought she saw Shining Armor talk to her behind the blur of her own tears, but his words seemed too hollow for her to pick up. She felt movement by her hooves. It was Lupus. He made mewling sounds while licking her flank.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves! It may be highly probable, but it is still just a rumor. We don’t know for sure yet.”

Spitfire’s voice boomed. It reached the ears of everypony present and gave them some hope, all except two of them. Hiding in some nearby bushes the yellow ears of Fluttershy lowered. Her eyes filled with tears while anger bubbled up inside her chest.

Fernando you liar!

Fluttershy felt her hooves walk out of the bushes and show to her friends that, at least, she was alive, but then another thought suddenly hit her.

…Or, you’re not a liar!

The dilemma left Fluttershy paralyzed.

What if Thunderlane’s information was wrong and Rainbow Dash was still alive? Then Fluttershy needed to keep her own survival a secret or else she would need to explain to her friends about Fernando’s involvement and ruin his trust.

Turning the events around didn’t make the situation easier. What if Rainbow Dash was truly dead and Fernando was lying? Then he would probably kill Fluttershy the moment he got his hands on that hard drive.

Fluttershy saw Pinkie Pie walk up to Twilight and hug her. Seeing her friends again was all she ever wanted, but to solve this Fluttershy realized she needed to be colder than that. Fernando was probably a liar, whether Rainbow was alive or dead. He had probably orchestrated this entire thing, from Starlight Glimmer’s murder to this rumor about Twilight being Keshi. Part of Fluttershy still felt like she should tell her friends the truth, but if she was right about Fernando then all of them were already dead if Fernando wasn’t defeated. Mizar was probably just a puppet while Fernando pulled all the strings, deceiving every friend he had in the progress. Fluttershy needed to find a way to outsmart him, beat him at his own game.

Fluttershy looked dead into the air. The realization suddenly hit her.

Mizar was never the villain, Fernando is. Twilight is chasing the wrong culprit!

Fluttershy took another look at her mourning friends. Seeing the usually conscientious Apple Jack cry for her almost made Fluttershy feel like she really was dead, in a way.

“I’m sorry. I'll come back for you later.” Fluttershy whispered before leaving the scene unnoticed.

Floyd And Twilight Sparkle

Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise. A broad smile formed across the face of the pony princess.

“Floyd!”

“Hello, Twilight.” The propellers of the flying robot rotated more fiercely. It gave him the boost he needed to fly up to the alicorn. The royal guards were soldiers of the crown and wore golden armor. Two of them walked toward the newly arrived guest. Twilight looked at them and smiled nodding, signaling that she did not take offence to Floyd’s presence. The guards backed away.

“I see that you have mustered quite the gathering here.” Floyd remarked about the atmosphere of the private party. All around them the air filled with the sound of ponies chatting. Floyd turned his silvery appearance downward and beheld the beauty in front of him. His two artificial eyes, which were usually nothing more than two small dots, widened until they gazed like two black stones. “Oh, Twilight, I anticipated I was going to be happy to see you, but I never thought that you would awe me.”

The alicorn pony was wearing a dark-blue dress that sparkled like the night sky. She had violet ribbons hanging down from her back that mixed perfectly with the streaks that ran across her purple mane. The dress had purple lines running down from her tail to her hoof fittings. The dress had a round brooch fastened up front, which in turn had a lavender sapphire in the middle, glimmering like a star version of the pony that wore it.

“Thank you, Floyd. I had my friend Rarity make it.” Twilight replied, trying not to sound hoity-toity. She knew by now that being herself was the best way of being a good princess.

“Rarity? Now, excuse me, princess, it has been so long. Where…?”

Floyd glanced around the mingling room of the Canterlot castle. It was broad with giant, pink curtains hanging down beside its tall windows. The towering roof made the room almost feel like being outside in a way. Twilight giggled. She had forgotten how long it had been since she gave Floyd his new body. She pointed her hoof at another beauty that sparkled ahead.

“Over there.”

The white unicorn, a rare one whose name was also Rarity, did not notice the extra attention. She was too busy entertaining the one she had already received. Her light blue dress had diamonds on it that formed a slightly chaotic pattern. She had a crown made of gold and blue gems, making her almost look more princess-like than the actual princess in the room. Rarity chuckled at a joke that had just been told by the colt she was speaking too, who was wearing a white costume.

“And the one she is talking to now is named Star Streak, they are both in fashion.” Twilight informed.

“I see, and the others?” Floyd asked.

“The others?”

“The ones you introduced me too after you helped me.”

“You mean Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Apple Jack, Rainbow Dash and Starlight Glimmer?” Twilight pointed her hoof at a group of Pegasus ponies. “Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are over there.”

Rainbow Dash’s rainbow-colored mane stood out more than her dress did over her blue coat. Fluttershy had a cobalt dress that made her yellow coated face appear like a rising sun. Both pegasus ponies had their wings folded at their sides. They were talking to a group of others wearing blue uniforms with yellow lightning bolts painted across them.

“And the ones they are talking to are members of the Wonderbolts, an elite flying group that Rainbow Dash is part of.” Twilight pointed her hoof at a pony that was standing behind a stand. “And Apple Jack is over there.”

Being an earth pony, Apple Jack had neither a horn nor wings. Her orange coat almost appeared to be a part of the bakery wares she was selling. She smiled invitingly to every passing pony. She had a light brown mane that was tied into a large braid behind her head.

“I see,” Floyd said.

Twilight was genuinely surprised to hear how eager the robot was of meeting her friends again. She guessed that having him socialize with them after she gave him his new body a had been a great idea. It was times like these that Twilight was proud of being the princess of friendship. Nothing felt more fulfilling for the alicorn than watching a recently lonely soul let friendship into his heart. That, and reading about the science behind it. Twilight studied Floyd’s changed appearance.

“I see that you have upgraded the body I gave you.”

“I knew you noticed that, Princess Twilight.” Floyd said polite.

After randomly finding Floyd’s computer chip in the middle of the forest Twilight made sure to give him a plastic body along with propellers and a rocket engine that allowed him to navigate through space. That was several years ago. Floyd was now glistening with his platinum surface. His metal propeller was rotating so even and gracefully that almost no wind current could be felt. A small door opened at the side of his chassis, allowing for Floyd to extend a robot arm. He grabbed a champagne glass from the table nearby.

“A toast, for the princess of friendship,” Floyd said with a proud boast in his voice. Twilight smiled and grabbed one herself. “Now, where are the pink one?” Floyd asked.

“You mean Pinkie Pie and Starlight Glimmer? Away somewhere.”

“Will they come back?” Floyd asked with a tinge of worry in his voice. Twilight laughed.

“No doubt they will, they needed some time away from the crowd, that’s all.”

The door to the dressing room had been shut tight. The locking spell that Starlight Glimmer had put on it prevented curious ponies outside from entering. The pink earth pony named Pinkie Pie was lying on a large table in the middle of the room. She felt Starlight’s lips move across her chest. Pinkie Pie touched Starlight’s purple mane with light blue stripes and whispered.

“Starlight.” Starlight Glimmer looked up at Pinkie. “I want all of you.”

The lilac unicorn named Starlight climbed up on the sturdy table, giving the on-top spot to Pinkie Pie. Pinkie then proceeded kissing Starlight on the mouth while letting her strong agent hooves push the table, allowing for her to infuse a back and forth rhythm. Pinkie let her kisses run downward across Starlight’s belly. She then ran her tongue inside her. Starlight’s unicorn horn gave a spark. The magic flowed behind Pinkie Pie and grabbed her tail. She pulled it.

“Oh, Starlight, you are so mean.” Pinkie Pie said.

The two mares continued breathing in the same rhythm as they made love. Beside the ponies laid the dresses they wore in public before getting dirty in private.

“Ah… Pinkie…”

“Yes… Starlight.”

“I think… I think I’m…Ah!”

All the muscles in Starlight pulled at once. She gave a loud moan while her orgasm flowed through her body. Pinkie looked up at her lover.

“Starlight, careful. The others might hear.”

Starlight grinned. “Will you ever learn Pinkie Pie?” Starlight used her horn to pull Pinkie up until she laid face to face with her. Her breath warmed Pinkies face while whispering. “I…Don’t…Care.”

Pinkie Pie looked at Starlight with a loving gaze. It was the same words that had been spoken when Pinkie and Starlight first realized that they liked each other.

Pinkie Pie recalled it like yesterday. It had been after a magical experiment pulled off by Starlight and her best friend Trixie. All three of them had been magically transferred into a VHS movie called Goldeneye. There they had accidentally changed a scene in the movie, leaving them all stranded inside. Their mission had then been to put the movie back on track.

It hadn’t gone well.

For every action the took they only managed to drive the movie further away from its intended script. Tragedy had struck when Trixie was killed inside the movie. Even though they knew she would be revived once they successfully made it out, the death of her best friend still tore a hole in Starlight. To make matters worse, Pinkie Pie had accidentally killed James Bond, the main hero of the movie.

This unfortunate event had caused the movie to pick Pinkie Pie as its agent instead of James. Since 007 was the main protagonist of Goldeneye, Pinkie Pie had been forced to finish the agent’s job, or else, she and Starlight would have been stuck inside the movie forever.

From that moment Pinkie Pie had decided that she would become two ponies at once: Pinkie Pie the party planner, the happy pony that always sought out fun, even in even the most threatening situations, and 007 Pinkie Pie, the secret agent that relied on a blacker humor and didn’t hesitate to kill.

This intentional split personality allowed Pinkie Pie to avoid becoming Pinkamena Pie - the incompatible and horrible combination of both ponies - meaning a smiling, insincere, anti-social and psychotic pink nightmare that kills for fun.

Starlight let her hoof run inside her lover’s curly, pink hair. Her loving eyes looked straight into Pinkie’s blue eyes. “You are my party pony.”

Pinkie Pie answered Starlight by kissing her on the mouth.

Indeed, Pinkie Pie was a party pony or a party planner in working terms. Pinkie Pie had planned this party they were having right now. Not the fucking, oh no, that one Starlight had kept as a surprise, but the one the other ponies were having throughout the rest of the castle.

Pinkie Pie was known throughout Equestria for her friend-making skills, much of it being a direct result of her amazing ability to remember ponies faces. This had proven to be a great skill after being forced to mantle James Bond’s role as this allowed her to read the intentions of her targets and pick out double agents in the field.

But as great use Pinkie’s abilities had been they had also proven to be her greatest weakness. Pinkie Pie knew smiles better than anypony, and for every face she saw came the possibility of a new smile and a new friend. This was something Pinkie Pie could not simply turn off, it came by pure instinct for her. She remembers the faces of everypony she meets in Equestria as a potential friend, the same she remembered the faces of every human she met as a potential friend, even her enemies, only seconds before she killed them as a 00 agent.

These faces had then stayed with Pinkie Pie the party planner, looking at her with dead eyes and unmoving expressions. This had in turn given her nightmares, filled with bloodstained party cakes and screams, all while the smiles of the ponies from Equestria had slowly faded from her memories. When Pinkie Pie’s psychological problems had been at their worst she had completely forgotten about all smiles. She had felt worse than lonely, she had almost been driven to complete insanity. In her head she had almost become Pinkamena Pie.

It had been during this unbearable part of her life that Starlight had stepped in and chased Pinkamena away. Pinkie Pie stopped kissing Starlight. She laid her head on her chest. The words Starlight spoke inside Goldeneye came back to her. To me, you will always be the same happy, kind and funny Pinkie Pie that I've always known, no matter how this turns out.

“Starlight?”

“Yes, Pinkie.” Starlight answered.

“You know I love you, don’t you?”

Girl, we just fucked! Starlight almost blasted incredulously. She smiled. “Yes, I do, and I love you to Pinkie.” Her face changed to bewildered. “Why do you ask?”

Pinkie Pie hesitated. She had no idea why she needed to ask that question. She said the first thing that came to her mind.

“I want this moment to last forever.”

Starlight laughed while answering. “You know it won’t silly.” She laid herself on top of Pinkie Pie. “But I’ll give you a reason. Do you know why?”

“Why?”

“I just told you.” Starlight replied and landed a kiss. She then gave the same treatment to Pinkie Pie as Pinkie gave her.

(Two years earlier, roughly)

Starlight galloped toward where she heard the explosion. She saw a bright light once she opened the door into Twilight’s library.

“What in Equestria is going on in here?!”

Twilight was standing in front of a black cloud of smoke. She turned to Starlight, her white teeth smiling crazily. Her purple mane had a disorganized look, which could only mean one thing. Starlight frowned.

“You are trying to confirm a farfetched theory by performing a dangerous scientific experiment, don’t you?”

“Farfetched? Oh no, not at all, not this time!”

“If you say so.” Starlight replied bored.

Twilight’s face gained a teasing look. “Besides, who are you to tell me about dangerous experiments?”

Starlight flung her hooves in a ‘same old story’ manner. “I know, I know. You are thinking about the time when I sent myself and Trixie into a James Bond movie.”

“…And my party planner.”

“And your party planner. Look Twilight, I experienced firsthand how that endeavor turned out. I won’t be doing the same mistake again.”

“Well, you’re still doing her, don’t you?” Twilight teased. Starlight did not get it at first.

“I’m telling you, I’m not doing that again… Her? You mean…?” Starlight’s voice dwindled. She turned her face away, trying desperately to hide her nervous smile. Twilight decided to go with the new direction of the conversation, even though she regretted every word that she just said. She put her hoof on Starlight’s flank in a soothing gesture.

“I am so proud of you Starlight. When we first met you had a long way to go, but ever since you graduated from being my student you have taken huge steps in friendship, steps that I could never have imagined within my wildest dreams.” Starlight looked up at Twilight, a smile forming beneath her modest eyes. She turned it down again, only to have it risen by Twilight’s hoof. “And now I get to be proud of Pinkie Pie too. You are both the best friends that a pony like me could have, and I am so happy for both of you.”

Starlight felt relief. She guessed that she had been more worried about what others might think about her and Pinkies relationship than what she had let on to Pinkie Pie.

“So, what exactly is it that you’re doing?”

Twilight showed to Starlight her earlier finding. “Take a look at this. I found this outside Everfree Forest.”

The object was a plastic thingy with red, blue and green wires tangled in a mess, much like Twilights mane at this point. Behind all the mess was a card of some sort.

“Looks like nothing to me.”

“No. But look at this.” Twilight’s horn gave a glow. It pulsated in a bright light.

“That is the life detection spell?” Starlight recalled bewildered.

“Exactly!”

“So?”

“So? Don’t you see? There is life in there!”

Starlight was still seeing an alicorn princess wanting to befriend an inanimate object. “Maybe it’s a bug?”

“No Starlight, no bugs, I have checked. This thing is alive!”

Starlight looked blankly at the plastic mess. And so, the ‘Save The Electronics’ movement was born. Starlight frowned inside. She decided that she would at least entertain the possibility.

Twilight Sparkle and her former student helped each other to give the object a power source. Twilight connected it with a reader that she had in case of crazy scientific experiment emergencies. The data showed up as lines on a screen. Starlight was suddenly overcome by a feeling of uneasiness, like they both were about to walk past a point of no return.

“Are you sure about this? We don’t know what this is.”

“We have to at least try and find out.”

But Twilight wasn’t the only voice that was answering. Starlight picked it up.

“Did you hear something?”

Twilight lit up. “I did!”

“…Oyd.” A voice said.

“Hello?” Twilight called.

“F…D”

“My name is Twilight Sparkle. Can you hear me!?”

“Floyd. My name is Floyd.” A male voice said.

“Hi, Floyd.” Twilight greeted in an alarmingly all-day manner.

“The asteroid.”

“Asteroid?”

“Did it blow up?”

Twilight laughed. “Alright, I have no idea…”

“What about Jet Force Gemini?” Floyd asked, interrupting Twilight.

“Jet Force Gemini?”

“Did they make it? What about Mizar’s drones? Have they all been defeated?”

“Mizar? Drones? Alright, now must slow down. I have no idea what you’re…”

“Then you are going to have to help me back. I need to know.”

“Know what?” Starlight broke in.

Floyd told the ponies about an intergalactic war that once raged between a group calling themselves the Gemini Squadron and Mizar. He told them that Mizar was an evil robot that had been built by the brother of a Tribal leader, a native bear-like group that was simply referred to as the Tribals. This brother and his Mizar robot had then gone on a jealousy campaign against the Tribals, without anyone knowing that it was the brother of the tribal king that was piloting him. The Gemini Squadron had tried to stop Mizar but was shattered, leaving only three members to fight the dictator: A man, a woman, and a dog. Starlight frowned when the last bit of information was given.

“A dog?” Maybe you have been floating in space for too long?

“But what are you?” Twilight asked.

“That was what I was trying to get to. As I said: My name is Floyd and I was a flying robot in Mizar’s army. Now, I know that might sound bad, but I saw what the drones were doing to the Tribals and I decided to switch sides. I helped the remaining Gemini members defeat Mizar and the Tribal leader’s brother.”

“What was their names?” Twilight asked.

The robot moaned. “I don’t remember. You must understand Twilight that I have been floating in space for years.” His voice started swaying. “I have been all alone with no friends and no one to talk to. All I wanted was to know if I succeeded in blowing up the asteroid.”

“What asteroid?” Starlight asked.

“The one that was heading for Earth, the home planet of the Gemini Squadron. Once he sensed that he was going to be beaten Mizar sent the asteroid to collide with Earth and cause massive devastation.”

“Sounds like a charming guy, this Mizar.” Starlight said sarcastically.

“Not at all,” Floyd replied darkly. “Mizar may have been piloted by the tribal leader’s brother, but in the end, it had been the robot that manipulated its pilot. Mizar is one of the greatest evils that the universe has ever faced. Once his demise came on the asteroid's surface it couldn’t have been more welcome.”

Floyd may have been nothing more than an inanimate object connected to a magical generator with a couple of pulsating lines on the tv screen, but Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer were both captivated by his story.

“But unfortunately, his defeat came after Mizar had already sent the asteroid toward earth. The only way of stopping it was to blow it up. I volunteered to do it. The Gemini squadron helped me strap a bomb under my chassis and I flew into its core.” Floyd paused. Twilight wondered why he was hesitating. He eventually ended in a low voice. “The last thing I remember I was closing my eyes.”

Twilight’s eyes sparkled at this point. Such bravery!

“Listen, I don’t know what or who you are, but I really need to get back.”

Twilight looked at Starlight, her face bathing in sadness. Starlight smiled and nodded.

“We are ponies living in this land of Equestria. My name is Twilight Sparkle and this here is Starlight Glimmer, and we’ll do more than help you, Floyd.”

“You’ll do that?” Floyd asked innocently.

“Yes. In fact, I may have an idea how to go about it.”

The following days would be filled with building, and not a big wooden playhouse for the Cutie Mark Crusaders kind of building, but a small circuit board and wire mending with lead kind of building. Floyd showed to Twilight a blueprint that he had stored inside his database. They seemed to instruct how to build some kind of flying robot with a propeller. Even with their magic it had taken all of Twilight and Starlight's concentrations to follow Floyd’s stored instructions.

“We may have a problem,” Floyd said.

“What?” Twilight asked while trying to concentrate.

“My main chip has been damaged. I am not sure if I will be able to muster enough power to run myself.”

That was a dire problem indeed. It hadn’t taken long for Twilight to figure out a solution. She transferred a part of her alicorn powers into a small rock and installed it inside Floyd’s new body. The rock would generate power automatically while giving Floyd power for decades to come. Twilight even threw in an extra feature.

“This rock will sustain you for a long time. On top of that I have cast a self-mending spell and calibrated it to your plans.”

“Which means?” Floyd asked.

“Which means that if you break, all you need to do is rebuild yourself again. Don’t worry, once you and the rock are one you will know what to do.”

“Wow Twilight, you didn’t need to do all this.”

Twilight laughed. “Of course, it’s the least I could do after all the sacrifices you’ve made.”

“I’ll remember this forever, Twilight Sparkle. You really are a true friend.”

Twilight smiled at Floyd’s compliment. Starlight studied it. It was that kind of smile that did not matter how big or small it was. Stretching from cheek to cheek, no matter how you looked at it, it was a smile of pure joy, coming straight from the heart.

Two days passed. The ponies eventually managed to get Floyd airborne. Twilight decided that she would introduce him to her friends, seeing it had almost been fifteen years since Floyd had socialized with someone. They all gathered around the Cutie Map located inside Twilight’s castle. Twilight was sitting on the crystal throne.

“Rarity, Apple Jack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, this is Floyd.”

Twilight’s friends looked bewildered at the flying thing. His body was bulky and his sides jutted downward slightly.

“It looks like a flying banana.”

“Rainbow Dash! Have some manners, didn’t you hear what the poor thing had been through?” Fluttershy scolded.

“It looks like one of those things you read about in sci-fi comics.” Apple Jack remarked.

Rainbow Dash laughed before teasing. “Yea. Apple Jack reads sci-fi.” Apple Jack blushed.

Floyd was now using his propeller to hover above the map table. He spoke to the ponies with a strong, edgy voice.

“Ponies, listen, especially you Twilight.” Floyd turned to the alicorn pony, that meaning she had both a horn and wings. “I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for me, and regrettably I have no idea how to repay you at this hour, but I do know a group of freedom fighters that call themselves Jet Force Gemini.”

Rainbow Dash was suddenly alert. Her garment red eyes sparkled with excitement. “Jet force Gemini!?” She only needed to hear the name of the group to tell that they were totally awesome.

“Once there," Floyd continued. "I promise that I am going to be discreet about the existence of your world, but if you ever need me to call Gemini for your aid I would be more than happy to assist in any way I can. Do you accept this?”

“We accept it!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

Twilight merely doubted herself that this plastic thing would be a life, but she never imagined that it would also have a heart of gold. The lines on her face rose into a wide smile.

(Present day)

Twilight smiled widely at Floyd. The champagne still rocked inside the fancy glasses of which the alicorn and robot were holding. Even though Floyd was a robot, for the sake of socializing, he had installed a tasting program that allowed him to pour the liquid into his chassis and enjoy the treats along with the living.

“So, you found your way back here,” Twilight concluded.

“That stone you gave me really allows me to do more than just survive. You truly are an alicorn to be reckoned with Twilight.” Floyd complimented.

“Oh, thank you, Floyd,” Twilight said, her facial beauty mending perfectly with her lovely gala dress. There was a highly pitched voice cutting through the comfy air.

“Hello, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie noticed the new guest. “Hi there Floyd, nice to see you again, and so close to your birthday too!”

Floyd turned to the party pony and was met with the biggest smile that he had ever seen. “My birthday?”

“Of course! It is only 4 and a quarter of a day until the anniversary when Twilight finished building you!”

“You remember all that?” Floyd asked surprised.

“Of course! You are my friend, after all.”

Pinkie Pie’s smile became more static the longer the seconds of silence went.

“Sorry.”

“Heh?” Pinkie Pie blurted. Floyd shook his robot body. “I mean, sorry I didn’t remember yours.”

Twilight giggled. “There is no need to feel singled out, we are all used to it by now.”

Pinkie Pie raised her hooves in a display of modesty. “What can I say, I am good at what I do.”

The pink pony proceeded toward the next conversation to crash.

“Same old Pinkie Pie.” Twilight shook her head and smiled in a well-meaning way. She lit up. “Look! There is Starlight to.”

Floyd spotted the lilac colored unicorn. She looked at him, her smile bordering with happy to see him and bewildered. Floyd turned to Twilight.

“So, now you’re all here?”

“I guess we are. I am so happy to see you again Floyd.”

“And I am happy to see you too, I really am.”

I really am. The odd choice of words circulated Twilight’s mind. “So, why did you come here?”

“That was exactly what I was trying to get to. You remember the group I told you about?”

“You mean Jet Force Gemini?”

“Yes. There has been a slight mishap, they’re coming here to get you.”

“To get me?” Twilight asked, not sure if it was positive or negative.

“I must apologize to you Twilight. I remember everything you did for me, and I want you to know that I am more than thankful for it.”

Twilight’s smile was bordering with nervous at this point. “Come on Floyd, tell me what is going on.”

“I made a mistake. They know that you build me and they know that you gave me that magic rock.”

“Is that bad?” Twilight asked.

Starlight was standing not far from the alicorn and the robot. Her eyes festered on two tall figures that entered the mingling room. They both had their bodies and faces covered with large robes. The two members of the royal guard walked up to them.

“Excuse me, sir, this is a private party.” One of the guards informed the creature.

“I am sorry Twilight, but they are already here,” Floyd told Twilight.

“Who Floyd, Jet Force Gemini?” Twilight asked.

Floyd looked back at the two figures again. The guard standing beside the creature was getting forceful.

“Excuse me, sir. But I’m going to have to insist that you leave now!”

Floyd turned to Twilight again, his robot eyes glowing with a dark-red light. He spoke with a cold, authoritarian voice.

“My name is not Floyd, Floyd was a nothing but a pity servant!”

The two creatures removed their robes, revealing themselves as two gigantic ant creatures standing on two legs. One of them pointed something at the guard. The roaring sound of the automatic laser fire echoed throughout the castle. The colt guard gave out an agonizing scream and crumbled to the ground. The other guard fell by the hands of the other ant.

“My name is Mizar, and I am the rightful ruler of the universe!” Mizar dictated.

Twilight’s champagne glass shattered against the castle floor. She found herself looking straight into the barrel of Mizar’s gun.

Why? Twilight almost asked, but her mouth wouldn’t move. There was a blast, followed by a flashing light.

Feminism Of A Deadly Kind

It was a new beginning in many ways for Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Apple Jack and Rainbow Dash. So far on their space journey they had come across many new friends, three of these being Vela, Juno and Lupus - Two humans and a war dog. These were widely known across universe as the Jet Force Gemini, the inter-galactic heroes that once brought down the evil robot Mizar. The ponies had also gotten the luxury of meeting Jeff, king of the Tribals and the misfortune of meeting his brother Barry, the former and now reprimanding builder of Mizar. But as fun as meeting new friends had been, it had not gone entirely smoothly. Why? - Because Twilight Sparkle carries a heavy burden in her stomach: She is single hoofily responsible for the return of Mizar. This came to be after his mainframe chip had been seamlessly floating in space for years. After landing on the planet of Equestria it was found by Twilight Sparkle when she was still the Princess of Friendship.

Hearing Twilight introduce herself, Mizar had within seconds devised a plan that would melt the young heart of the alicorn while at the same time mock one of his most cowardly deserters. Mizar cleverly took the identity of Floyd, the small, flying robot that helped Juno bring him to an end, the same flying robot sacrificed himself to save the humans home planet Earth. When Twilight introduced herself, Mizar remembered the sacrifice that Floyd made. Why? - Because when Juno defeated Mizar he shot of his head, the same head where Mizar’s puppet Barry had seated himself with the intention of piloting Mizar, unbeknownst that his creation would end up controlling him.

After Mizar had been brought down by Juno, panic had quickly befallen the Jet Force warriors when they realized that there was no way of stopping the asteroid now when Mizar was gone, an asteroid that was heading for earth with an increasing speed. It was then that Floyd had volunteered to fly into the core of the asteroid and save mankind. Vela, Juno, Barry and Jeff had all cried tears for this brave robot while they helped tie a particle bomb under him. They were completely unbeknownst that Mizar was watching them the whole time, being only a giant disembodied head on the dusty asteroid ground.

Indeed. After Landing in Equestria as a computer chip, remembering the martyr ways of his traitor servant, Mizar took on Floyd’s identity to make himself seem brave, innocent and afraid.

Twilight swallowed everything.

In fact, the lie had worked so well and the idiotic princess had become so snooty and sad about his “sacrifice” that she even infused an ordinary rock with her alicorn powers and installed it into the new body, the same flying robot body that Floyd had before he died. This ensured that Mizar would have power for decades. Twilight had even casted a spell on it that allowed Mizar to rebuild himself magically if he was ever blown up. Twilight thought she was giving the brave Floyd a new chance. Instead she ended up giving the most ruthless dictator in the universe the perfect mean to get his revenge.

Yes, Mizar had been awed by the foolishness of the alicorn. But Mizar’s feelings for Twilight was doomed to turn sour, for years after his re-building, after Mizar used Twilight’s powers to dominate the universe once again, it was only a matter of time before Jet Force Gemini found out about Twilight’s magic rock and her ability to take it away from him. This had sealed Twilight’s fate, or so had been the plan. But Mizar’s murder attempt was thwarted by Twilight’s former student. Instead, his gun merely scraped the side of the alicorn’s face before Mizar used it to kill Starlight Glimmer.

This even chain, of which the lavender unicorn had discussed in detail with Juno earlier, went through her head right now. The dark-red scar streaked across Twilight’s beautiful face. It was iluminated by the giant lights that ran outside of the big window in front of her. The window belonged to cruiser SS Anubis. Beside her she had her friends. They all looked out, feeling the wideness of space overtake their imaginations.

“It’s just so beautiful.” Rarity awed.

Rainbow Dash spread her wings. “It’s a shame that there’s no gravity. Otherwise, it would be awesome to just fly out there and see what’s beyond the stars.”

“Then you have to be careful not to get lost.” Fluttershy teased. The yellow pegasus looked around. She saw that the others had their attention riveted out the window. Fluttershy took the opportunity. As for Rainbow Dash, she didn’t know what to feel when she felt Fluttershy’s muzzle streak the side of her face. She turned her head but was stopped when Fluttershy bumped her. “Don’t let me stop your dreaming.”

“Didn’t you hear Vela earlier, Rainbow Dash? Even if you made a sonic Rainboom it would take you million years just to reach one of them.” Rarity said.

“The last time I checked the instruments here, three million and one hundred and forty-three exactly if you aim for the Gamma G system.” Twilight lectured.

“Don’t you have a quest for revenge to get to Twilight!?” Rainbow Dash asked incredulously.

Twilight laughed. She had been so focused on finding Mizar that she had almost forgotten the overflowing amount of science to discover out here. Rainbow Dash wasn’t the most patient of ponies and often ended up rolling her eyes at Twilight’s informative endeavors. The former princess still remember the first time she came to Ponyville and met Rainbow Dash. She recalled the pegasus crashing into her. After hearing her bolster about her flying Twilight made a bet that she couldn’t make the sky free of clouds in ten seconds flat – Twilight lost the bet – The happy memory quickly reformed in Twilight’s head. She now recalled when Rainbow Dash was dragged inside that hangar filled with hostile ant drones. It was lucky that Lupus had saved her in the end, but if those ant drones hadn’t decided to have fun with her before he got to her?

“I’m sorry girls that I put you through so much danger.”

“Mizar lied to you darling. He put you in danger for his own gaining. It’s all on him, not you.” Rarity was proud of Twilight. She was pretty sure that she too would have headed out for revenge after what Mizar put her through.

“We’ll see this through Twili.” Apple Jack promised while laying her hoof on her back.

“All the way till the end.” Pinkie Pie added.

Twilight still recognized the love for the ponies she cared about, but her mind was not in sync with her heart - Mizar was to die for what he had done - Twilight knew this as well as she knew her own hooves, of which she would use to pin Mizar to the ground. Twilight’s eyebrows flickered when she imagined him break under them…Slowly. Twilight’s hatred for Mizar mushed with the love for her friends. It put her in a state of catharsis.

“Why are you following me girls? I resigned from my duties. It’s death that I’m after, not friendship.”

Pinkie Pie did not answer. She simply walked up to Twilight and hugged her. Soon, the silhouette of six ponies hugging each other shaped in front of the endless number of shining stars, colored galaxies and planets.

It was a long way to go before they would reach Eschebone. Vela told Twilight earlier that Diamond Geezer had a base there and would probably be surrounded by ants on his payroll. They would need to come up with a plan to get Twilight alone with Geezer, something that Mizar would probably want to avoid at all cost. It wasn’t going to be easy. But Apple Jack was sure that, as long as they stuck together, they would come through like they always did. She was now making her way through the cruiser depository level. Steel boxes of different sizes towered on top of each other. There were the sound of metal hitting the floor, like someone was walking with metal shoes. Apple Jack turned around.

“Lupus? What in tarnation do you have on your paws doggie?”

“Wraff!” Lupus barked happily. Apple Jack studied the metal shoes that the dog wore. The treads were of a ridiculous height, looking as heavy as the frying pan Apple Jack used to make pancakes with home at the farm.

“Can you even get around with those?”

“Wraff, Wo!” Lupus jumped forward. The bottom of his shoes spurted rocket fire. It sent the dog airborne, allowing him to ascend far above the earth pony and land on top of a layer of craters. Apple Jack’s mouth dropped.

“What in…?”

“Wraff!” Lupus disappeared around the corner. When he came back he had something in his mouth. He tossed it down. The wrench landed beside Apple Jack.

“What do you want me to do with…? Oh, you want to play?” Apple Jack asked enthusiastically. Lupus answered with a bark. The earth pony picked up the wrench with her mouth and tossed it. Lupus rocket shoes made small bursts as he sailed above the ground in an arch. He caught the wrench midair before landing on another crater. He threw the wrench back to Apple Jack.

“Wa raf wraff!”

“Nice catch doggie! How about this?”

Apple Jack kept throwing the wrench. Every time the dog caught it before ascending again. Apple Jack couldn’t believe how accurate Lupus was with his rocket shoes.

Several smaller rooms connected with the depository, aside from a much larger storage area. Connecting to it was the Landing Zone where Vela’s transport ship was parked. Also connecting to it was the generator room. This gigantic area hosted six massive circle generators that towered, ending in a pointy top. Further away came the allocator room. This area had a large hole in the middle with a large plasma distributor that sparkled with energy.

After the allocator room came a second storage room with a giant conveyor belt that ran diagonally, allowing for boxes to be transported and stored along the way. Below the giant belt one would find the door that lead to the holding block, where energy shielded prisons could store unlucky offenders of whoever controlled SS Anubis.

One of these cells was occupied by Geraldine, a previously serving Gemini soldier that recently had been set on probation for an undecided amount of time. The words she roared about Twilight Sparkle before receiving her punishment seemed to hover in the air over every occupant of SS Anubis.

“She is Keshi! She is evil! She is in control of Mizar!”

Her outburst had come shortly after Twilight was accepted to stay inside the cruiser. Juno’s answer had been swift and consequent. He may be in need every soldier available to fight Mizar, but disobedience was something that he simply could not tolerate. Twilight thought about this as she followed the human leader. They were now passing through the allocator room. The catwalk they crossed made metallic sounds. Below them the round power distributor flashed repeatedly with the four pipes that connected it. Now Twilight felt like she had severed a couple of connections herself.

“I’m sorry if my presence is causing trouble for you.”

“Geraldine lost her brother in an ambush lead by Mizar himself. You’re sorry? I thought you said you were out of sorry.”

“I am, but you need every soldier you can get.”

“Listen, my little pony.” Juno stopped and turned to Twilight. “I made a decision to help you, and my decisions are always final. If I were you I wouldn’t second guess anything. Second guessers are the ones that end up in the ground, that is why you will answer every question that I ask before we decide to act.”

“I didn’t mean to second guess, I just don’t want to cause trouble for you and your sister. I heard you went through a lot together.”

Juno didn’t answer at first. He waited until he and Twilight had walked away from the others into the second storage room. He guided Twilight behind some barrels and turned to her.

“What do you know about me and Vela?”

Twilight gulped. She hoped she hadn’t made a mistake by mentioning her bounding with Vela.

“She told me what happened to your parents.”

“How much did she tell you?”

Twilight feared telling Juno that she knew about how their parents was trying to sell them. “She told me that your parents were killed by pirates.”

“She did. Huh?”

Twilight flung her eyes around nervously. “Yes.”

“Did she tell you what happened to the pirates?”

“She told me she killed them.”

Juno leaned against the crate behind him. He laid his palm over his face and sighed. Not only would he be forced to help Twilight now, he would have to treat her like a friend to the family as well. This was just getting better and better, that being badly timed sarcasm, but 34-year-old Juno was not too old for this shit, not yet anyways.

“It was either them or us. We would have been re-sold as labor to the greatest scumbags in the universe, but Vela was a tough girl and she passed the test.”

“Test?” Twilight’s eyeballs turned sideways with a slight grump. “I don’t know about you; don’t you think ‘test’ might be underselling it. She was just a girl, after all.”

Juno shrugged and grumped. “Try and tell that to her face. Could get interesting: Maybe she won’t punch a pony in the face that hard, who knows? She doesn’t like being called a girl Vela. She thinks its demeanor to her role as a fighter. She thinks its sexistic.”

“’Girl’ is sexistic?”

“Yea, you’re not alone with that reaction. But I guess she has a point: It’s an old word, used since before us humans mastered inter-galactic travel. The word was often used by men that wanted to make a lady look innocent.” Juno explained.

“Oh. in that case I can see why she would find it offensive. Us ponies don’t really have that stigma attached to the word.” Twilight’s voice sounded teacher like.

“But you don’t seem to have any problem with putting girls in charge?”

“In our world its the alicorns that occupy the highest positions and they have always been mares, as far as i know. To be perfectly honest, I don’t think us ponies give it much thought. I know Soarin have been in discussion regarding the Wonderbolt leadership, in case Spitfire ever choose to leave - I guess we never thought of it as a question of gender.”

“And still you manage to agree, maybe removing the stigma is the way of making it fair?”

“If it’s possible, I guess so, I still imagine it must be hard for Vela to be the only girl fighter in your group, apart from Geraldine.”

Juno felt hope of the political discussion keeping the subject away from his family being carried away by that huge conveyor belt.

“Yes.” Juno reply seemed lukewarm. Twilight’s face formed questioning.

“Are you sure you aren’t holding your sister back?”

“Am I sure I’m not second guessing my decision?” Juno threatened.

Nothing more was said from that point on. Twilight looked disapprovingly at Juno while they both walked toward the barracks.

After Juno had parted ways with the unicorn he went for the command room. When stepping inside he saw a dim shadow in the corner.

“I wanted to talk to you in private.”

“What is it sister?”

“See? Now you’re doing it again.” Agitation swam in Vela’s voice.

Juno put his hand over his face and sighed for the third time that day.

“Please, not this again.”

“When am I going to be equal with the others in your eyes?”

“You are equal.”

“You just called me sister and not soldier.”

“That is different, you’re confusing family and work sister. Did I not scold you like I would any other soldier back there?”

“Any other soldier you would have fired.”

Juno flung his arms in anger. “Is that what you want me to do, fire you?!”

Vela had no idea where she was going with this, all she felt was that boiling feeling in her throat. She swallowed it. There hadn’t been any crying from her in years, and this night would be no difference. No one would be having the luxury of witnessing that, especially not her brother. Vela passed him on her way to the barracks.

“See you later, squad general.”

Juno avoided looking at his sister. He knew very well why Vela was on the brink of breaking down. He hoped that it wasn’t too late to turn the tide.

It was always night in space, at least that was the logical conclusion to the fact that there was no atmosphere and planet rotation Twilight deduced. The stars gave flashing lights now and then as they seemed to infuse the dreams of the ponies that was asleep. Twilight knew she was inside one of them now, but that didn’t stop her from feeling creeped out as she watched the space pirates drop the bag of money on the floor beside her parents, again.

“You’re selling me!?” It felt more like a badly read acting-line, knowing she was having the same dream as before.

“I am so sorry sweetie, but we really need the money.” Night Light replied in exactly the same way as before.

“We too.”

Twilight knew what was coming, but that didn’t hinder her world from going blurry with tears. She heard the sound of the laser pistol followed by the bumping sound of her parents hitting the ground while she ran toward the stairs.

“What did you expect?” Twilight heard Mizar ask outside the main entrance. Twilight remember how the nightmare would go from now. Mizar would kill the pirates before chasing after her into her old childhood room, a room inside a house that somehow her parents had managed to build on this unknown planet with the help of Iron Will. Twilight’s old teddy bear would then come to life and say the exact same words with his colored button eyes that Mizar said to her.

Twilight turned her head to look at Mizar. The flying robot hovered midair while holding the pistol with his robot arm. A pink shape appeared behind him. Pinkie Pie bashed the Mizar piñata with a stick, causing him to explode into an inferno of flying candy.

“SURPRISE!”

Night Light and Twilight Velvet both stood up to join in on the celebration. The pirates had disappeared out of thin air. Velvet immediately looked regretful when she saw her daughter’s tears.

“Oh, I’m so sorry dear, we didn’t mean to scare you that much!”

“Are you alright dear?” Night Light asked worried. Sparkle’s father turned to Pinkie “You went too far this time, Pinkie Pie!” He scolded.

Twilight Sparkle recalled how this nightmare would have turned out if Pinkie Pie hadn’t crashed it. She felt her entire being fill with joy. She smiled, feeling her cheek water with tears of joy.

“It’s alright, mom and dad. Pinkie Pie?” Pinkie Pie’s eyes met Sparkle’s. “You turn my nightmares into dreams. I love you.”

Twilight was still seeing the happy blue eyes of Pinkie Pie as she walked into her childhood room. Just like the last time she dreamt about this place, the entire floor was covered in her old toys and furniture. Smarty Pants was sitting, just like the last time, on the bed with his legs spread. He turned to Twilight.

“What did you expect?” He asked. Twilight wasn’t scared of him this time. On the contrary, she felt like something exciting was about to happen.

“Hello, Smarty Pants.” Twilight greeted smiling.

Smarty Pants didn’t answer her. She heard hooves approach behind her. She felt something warm take hold of her, like if the cobalt disco lights in space was coming down to embracing her. Was it all happening inside her dream, or was it a memory from when she was still awake?

The answer came to Twilight like blood running through a sleeping muscle. She felt the head of her visitor move over her back. Her heart thumped while her breathing intensified, like her soul was becoming as big as space itself. Twilight felt hooves pull her flanks. The visitor mounted her. Twilight closed her eyes. She felt the breath of the mounting pony over her neck. Her slit ached. She felt something wet running down her back hoof. The world started moving. Twilight felt like she was soaring through space for every passing minute of fucking. Her hooves became limp and she crumbled to the floor. The toys around her toppled. Twilight rolled over and felt the weight of the earth pony over her belly. Pinkie Pie licked her over the face before putting her muzzle against hers.

Twilight opened her eyes. The bed was all ruffled up. Her slit was wet under the sheet. All questions about her friendship with Pinkie Pie circulated her mind, or at least for a short second, but suddenly it didn’t matter anymore. She had feelings for her, that was as clear as anything Twilight had known in her life, but she felt no pressure – It was just feelings - Nothing had happened yet. Twilight closed her eyes and felt the memory of the dream calm her heart and put her back to sleep.

The ponies had been traveling SS Anubis for two days now. Outside, the planet Eschebone rotated with its surface red and black. Before landing on the planet Juno filled the ponies in about their destination and mission.

Eschebone was a volcanic planet filled with hot air and fire, that being as much about its habitants as its atmosphere. The guy they were looking for went by the name of Diamond Geezer. He was a flying robot with a significantly older form of AI intelligence than Mizar. But this hadn’t stopped him from becoming the richest arms dealer in the universe with so powerful contacts that neither Mizar or Jet Force Gemini could touch him.

Diamond Geezer had a deal with the Mole Brothers. They both did their thing while making sure to benefit the other. After all - Where there were guns, there were wars, and where there were wars, there were creatures willing to work as slaves. Twilight heard Juno speak about the oligarchy of Diamond Geezer and Fernando. Her purple eyes sparkled with sadness while her throat ached in disgust. No wonder the universe was filling with misery. The transport ship was now leaving SS Anubis behind and was about to enter the volcanic atmosphere of Eschebone.

“Does everybody here know what to do?” Vela asked.

The royal guard and the Wonderbolts looked at the human Gemini warriors. There were nods of understanding. Twilight nodded at Rarity, who returned.

The ponies felt a hot gust of air hit them when the door of the transport ship opened. Rainbow Dash had to cover her face to avoid getting burned. “I know that I am all for chillaxing, but this is a little too much tan for me.”

The planet was like an alternate version of Rith Essa, which had been filled with green forests. The sky was covered with red clouds that sailed by five times the speed of the ones found in Equestria. Being a pegasus, Rainbow Dash had the ability to walk on clouds. She imagined hitching a ride on one of them and sight-seeing the planet from above. The ground was covered in red and gray smudge and rocks. Giant cliffs towered above, and the ground was dotted with patches of boiling lava. Pinkie Pie the party planner was happy.

“Look at all the boiling lava! Did somepony brought hay sausages!?”

“This is not the time for grilling Pinkie Pie! We have a bad guy to catch.” Rainbow Dash said.

Spitfire looked at all her Wonderbolt members. Soarin had his wing patched. He glanced at Spitfire and joined her in studying the group. High Winds used her wing to steady the laser pistol that was sheeted around her belly. Surprise walked beside her. She returned Spitfire’s look and nodded. Spitfire nodded back. Surprise then proceeded doing the same thing as High Winds.

Before the ponies left SS Anubis Juno had made sure that each pony received a gun sheet. The sheet had really been designed for war dogs like Lupus, but one handy member of the Gemini squad had gone to work and made them fit the ponies. The royal guard stallions had a special kind of sheet that allowed them to carry a laser rifle on their backs. The reason the Wonderbolts didn’t have one was due to their wings being in the way, plus they couldn’t use horn magic to un-sheet them. The royal guards had left their golden armors behind since they really didn’t offer much protection against plasma energy.

“We’ll make it through this Spitfire.”

Spitfire turned to Twilight’s brother. “I sure hope so Shining Armor. Be safe yourself, I don’t think Twilight would survive losing you.”

“We’re all in this together. I’m ready for anything.” Shining Armor replied Spitfire.

Spitfire still remember the emptiness when standing over Blaze’s body. “I wish I had the same optimism as you do.”

Shining Armor saw the eyes of the yellow pegasus dwindle. “Hey.” He jounced her flank. “Me and the boys got your back.”

Spitfire felt relief. “Thank you.”

“Hey.”

“Yes.”

Shining Armor’s eyes filled with empathy. A serious core swum inside them. “We need to prepare that not all of us might make it out alive.”

Spitfire closed her eyes. She sighed. “We discussed it before we left, I only hope that I could prepare their families home in Equestria.”

“We can’t, but you know as well as I do that we can’t focus on that.”

Spitfire gained posture. “You have my word Shining Armor. Me and my fliers will come through when it matters.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear, general.”

Once the ponies and the humans got close to Diamond Geezer’s base they split up. Twilight went with Shining Armor and the royal guard, the Wonderbolts and the Gemini squadron while her Ponyville friends proceeded toward the base. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Apple Jack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity walked through the tight canyon passage. The stone walls were streaked with lava streams and showed glowing niches here and there, probably formed by raining lava. The pony up front was a white unicorn mare with a beautiful blue mane.

Rarity had her entire speech in her head, with a giant ant head covering most of it. The white unicorn fashionista felt her throat fill with fear, even before they started seeing Diamond Geezer’s ant soldiers. Unlike Mizar’s blue drones, these ones were red. They looked down at the ponies while they stood guard on the outcropping rocks.

“I wonder if…”

“SHHH!” Rarity hushed Apple Jack.

Rarity had started her carrier as a clothing designer when she was just a foal, making clothes for the school play. After that she had discovered diamonds, found her purpose in life and opened Carousel Boutique in Ponyville. Ever since then she had been the cover mare for many magazines, opened two more shops, designed clothes for pop stars and princesses. Rarity had come to far on the glamorous red-carpet stairs and chatting amongst sophisticated ponies - She was not going to die in this burning gutter!

But Rarity was the perfect pony for this job, she knew it as well as the others, and she was not about to let her friends down. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy was carrying heavy coffins filled with dresses and hair styling gear. These chests were crucial for their ruse to work. – Still, the blue pegasus pony had grumped before they entered this canyon.

“Did you really need to pack these coffins to the rim Rarity? We only need to make the impression that you need these things.”

“If we are to fool the enemy we need to sell this act one hundred percent, that means not leaving any cracks in our stage props.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to wear them instead?!” Rainbow Dash asked sarcastically.

Rarity smiled before replying hoity toity. “You know what, that blue hoof ribbon dress you have in there sure would look good on me.”

“Argh, never mind!”

The canyon now widened. A large building seemed to have been built into the mountain. A checkpoint lead into a sealed area that enclosed the entrance to the main building. Large boxes contained weapons that Diamond Geezer was selling. A metal wall fenced the base yard and military defense positions offered covers for Diamond Geezer’s ant drones. One of them walked up. His giant antlers twitched and his gurgling voice made Rarity’s throat jump.

“Gruuul, gruuuuuu.” A necklace the creature wore lit up. “This is a sealed of area. You picked a bad time to get lost.”

Luckily, Rarity’s social experience from her line of work functioned without her calm mind.

“Hello darling, my name is Rarity. Nice to meet you. I saw this establishment from afar and I come here with a business opportunity.”

“Gruuu. Grulearrl?” The necklace lit up. “And who are those?”

Pinkie Pie looked at the drone ant. She felt the party smile lay just behind her lips. The firm words of 00 agent Pinkie Pie went on repeat inside her head.

If you try to make these mercenary drones smile down there – I swear, the last thing I will do before we die is that I will make you shove your own party cannon up your confetti pipe!

Rarity knew she couldn’t mention Twilight to Diamond Geezer. It was their hope that Geezer only knew about the former alicorn princess and not her friends.

“Those are my assistants darling, for my fabulous boutique in Ponyville.” Rarity then gave her friends fake names. She told the ant about her other boutiques in Canterlot and Manehattan. The ant squeaked like a pig.

“Griiiiiirl!”

“Well, that is very kind of you Mr. Bug, thank you for the compliment. Now, where are the leader of this fancy establishment you have here? “Rarity looked around the base. Her diva voice flowed gently as she hoity toityed. “My rich friends are waiting for me in Equestria to return with a deal. There is a war brewing, after all.”

The ant soldier scratched his head as he watched clueless diva. He looked again at her friends, whom he had actually started to feel sorry for. The white unicorn fashionista looked like a big snowball in the middle of the volcanic landscape and harsh climate. Her voice was annoying enough for him to shoot her here and now. Still, he did recognize her as an Equestrian pony, which meant that she probably knew about Twilight Sparkle. The ant soldier left the ponies waiting. Rarity’s heart thumped.

If Diamond Geezer suspects a trap – We’re done.

Rarity was about to get even more nervous, for Diamond Geezer was a fast robot. In a flash he rocketed out from the base entrance and hovered his blue chassis in front of the ponies. Rarity was startled.

“Wah! Get away from me you horrible thing!”

Diamond Geezer had two artificial eyes that were mended into one window-like eyeball. It blinked while his small rockets held him airborne. For some reason he seemed unmoved by Rarity’s outburst.

“Are you from Equestria?”

The robot had a stereotypical robot voice, static and devoid of emotions. It showed that Diamond Geezer was an older AI than Mizar, who had the ability to converse with the shifting vocal tones of a civilized creature.

“My name is Rarity darling, nice to meet you. Are you the leader of this party house?” Rarity hoped that her diva roleplay - more diva than she already was - would make her come off as clueless.

Diamond Geezer had no idea how this white biological creature had made its way ten billion lightyears from Equestria to Eschebone with those heavy chests, but for whatever reason, it must be a good one. Of course, the robot knew that they were probably sent by Twilight Sparkle. Diamond Geezer had always seen Mizar as a robot that was to power-hungry for his own good. It made him sloppy and easy to out-maneuver when it came down to money and contacts.

Still – Diamond Geezer had a bad feeling about this new Mizar that Twilight had re-built. This one wasn’t just power-hungry and ruthless, he was a psychopath. The bare notion what Mizar would do to him if he suspected that sensitive information was being shared between him and Twilight made Diamond Geezers circuits shudder with overloaded electricity from his internal plasma reactor. No, he could not take any chances. He had to kill these ponies now, bury them and hope that Mizar’s spies hadn’t seen any of this.

Rarity saw the contemplating artificial eyes of Diamond Geezer stare like they were looking at walking corpses. Rarity had no choice. She had to act immediately if she wanted to save her friends.

“Urh, I can’t stand this heat. Oh, what happened to my mane!?” She turned to Rainbow Dash. “Did you bring the fan, tell me you did!” Rainbow Dash never had time to get confused. Rarity’s eyes filled with tears. “My beautiful mane, ruined! It took me all day to make it and look, now it’s all slobby!” Rarity ran her hoof through her sweaty mane.

Diamond Geezer made beeping sounds of confusion.

“What am I going to do!? What am I…?” Rarity turned to Diamond Geezer. “Please, if you would be so kind to take me indoors. I really don’t want this to be ruined in case my fiancé Fancy Pants shows up.”

Your fiancé! Rainbow Dash thought incredulously to herself. Rarity broke out in full crying.

“On top of that I have to tell him that I failed to find an arms dealer for the Equestrian army! Oh on, I even revealed my secret mission! I’m worthless! WORTHLESS!”

Rarity crumbled to the ground in an inferno of sobbing. Apple Jack was in on the game. “It’s okay Rarity, I’m sure Fancy Pants won’t mind your hair, and nopony back home needs to know about this.”

“But I had a job to do! Fancy Pants trusted me with his money!”

“Stop blabbing Rarity!” Rainbow Dash played along.

Diamond Geezer wasn’t sure what to do. This fact alone should seal the fate of these ponies, and yet – Maybe this Fancy Pants, which Diamond Geezer recognized as an Equestrian name for a pony, could be a way for Geezer to arm the ponies of Equestria in case all-out war broke out between them and Mizar, or maybe even the humans? After all, Fernando had gone and screwed up the relationship with the latter. Maybe having a pony contact in Equestria wasn’t such a bad idea?

“I know the warm air must be hard on your complexion.” Diamond Geezer said in the most robot way possible.

“Oh, please. Tell me again darling!” Rarity played.

“I might have a scientific way of making that right for you. Please, come inside.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. She leaned closer to Pinkie Pie.

“Spoken like Twilight.”

“Twilight?” Diamond Geezer looked coldly at the pegasus. The silence laid itself over the canyon. Rainbow Dash’s garnet red pupils turned small like breadcrumbs.

“I mean… I…”

Diamond Geezer extended his two ear-like counter weights on the top of his head. A robot arm came out from underneath him. It had a pointing metal finger ready to pierce the sky and signal the drone guards. The eyes of the pegasus turned shallow.

“I’m sorry girls.” She said out loud.

Pinkie Pie’s party smile widened, dedicated that she would at least have that put on when she died in just a second. Apple Jack looked at Rainbow Dash in complete disbelief. There was a bumping sound when Fluttershy’s fainting body hit the ground.