XCOM: Pony Unknownby Prince BossChaptersPrologueChapter 1: The Beginnings of an InvasionChapter 2: Going HomeChapter 3: HomeboundPrologueEquestria. A beautiful land full of luscious colors and rolling landscapes. The lands inhabitants are small equiens, more known as ponies, gryphons, small shape shifting bugs called changelings, and other types of animals from across the animal kingdom. The dominant species of the planet are the ponies. There are three main types of ponies: Earth ponies, who use their strength to (mostly) help out food production by farming. Unicorns, who use their magical abilities to help with just about everything. And finally, the Pegisi, who use their wings to fly and magic to create and control the weather. The rarest of them are the Alicorns. In all of Equestrian history, only five have been known to exist. Those would be sisters Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, Princess of Love, Mi Amore Cadenza (or Cadence), Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle, and newborn, Princess Flurry Heart. Equestria's history is known to be rough. Evil powers tried, and some did, conquer the large country before being turned to stone or banished by Princess Celestia and Luna with the Elements of Harmony. The Elements of Harmony are six magical items that can only be activated by it's bearers. I'll get more into this later. The last Princess Celestia had to battle was her own sister. Luna, jealous of her taking all of the spotlight, turned into Nightmare Moon, a dark version of Princess Luna, and plunged the world into eternal darkness. Celestia had a showdown with her and, with the help of the Elements of Harmony, sent her to the moon for one thousand years. For the next thousand years, life was peaceful for the country. Nothing really important happened during that time frame... except that one pony broke the sound barrier and did something called the Sonic Rainboom. we'll talk about her in a bit. The day before the Summer Sun festival, a festival to celebrate the longest day in the year, a unicorn mare named Twilight Sparkle was looking into the legend of Nightmare Moon and warned her teacher, Princess Celestia, about her return that Summer. Celestia purposeful lied and told her that she needed to get out of that study she was in and meet some friends, so she moved her to a town named Ponyville with her dragon assistant, Spike. Twilight met some... interesting characters that were crazy! one being a bright pink earth pony with a curly mane and three balloons as a cutie mark, a mark that shows a ponies special talent. Her name was Pinkie Pie. Another was an orange earth pony with a cowboy hat and a Blonde mane, and three apples as a cutie mark. Her name was Applejack. She met two pegisi on her route for the Festival. One being a yellow coated, pink maned mare with three butterflies as her cutie mark. She was called Fluttershy. The other pegasus had a cyan blue coat and a rainbow mane with a rainbow lightning bolt coming out of a cloud as her cutie mark. This one was named Rainbow Dash. Twilight met a pure white unicorn with a curly purple mane as she was getting cleaned up from an accident caused by Rainbow Dash. The white unicorn was named Rarity. When the festival started, the mayor of Ponyville, Mayor Mare, did a short speech and pulled the curtains only to not see Princess Celestia standing on the pedestal. It was Nightmare Moon! Scared, Twilight and the one's she met ran to the local library to find a book about the Elements of Harmony and found that they're located at the old castle that Celestia and Luna once lived in. Unfortunately, it was in the Everfree Forest, a forest that scares everone for it's appearance. They went through the trials of the Elements of Harmony. Applejack passed Honesty, Pinky Pie passed Laughter, Fluttershy passed Kindness, Rarity passed Generosity, Rainbow passed Loyalty, and Twilight passed the most important part of the Elements, the one that brings them all together. Magic. With the six elements in hoof, they blasted Nightmare Moon and turned her back into her normal self. The following years passed with new and old enemies coming and going. Twilight was turned into a princess by Celestia herself and was given the title, "Princess of Friendship." One day, she was just studying all six of the Elements of Harmony for a way to improve their efficiency when Rainbow barged in, interrupting her focus. Twilight accidentally casted a teleportation spell, sending the six to an unknown world. Unknowingly, they landed on top of someone. That someone is me. Maverick Howard. I took them in at my home in New York. It wasn't the best house but they didn't seem to mind. After about a month of them in my world, a pink alicorn asked for them. I obliged and gave her the six. It was tougher on me then for them. I haven't had such good friends since before the Iraq war. Once they left, I cried. I'm not a religious man at heart but I prayed to God for me to have another chance to meet them. Three days later, it seemed like he got my message and a blue warp gate opened in my bedroom and sucked me in. I awoke on the other side of the warp gate in a very vibrant, almost cartoonish, world. Long story short, I found Twilight, we found out Luna went missing, we went to seach for her, I got captured twice, I found Luna, I got killed by Tirek and revived into an alicorn by Celestia, found the missing seventh element of Freedom, banished Tirek to Tarturous forever, and I got married to Twilight. While all of this was happening, Earth was just passing to March of 2015. In New York city, the U.N. were talking to sixteen individual countries about threats from outer space. The meeting lasted for a few days until they all agreed on the cause, calling it XCOM, the Extraterrestrial Combat unit. The sixteen countries that made up the council were the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, the U.K, Germany, France, Russia, China, India, Australia, and Japan. Each country had to give a certain pay roll if the Commander of XCOM would launch a satellite in that area. North America all together would give 340,000 dollars, Europe would give 440,000 dollars, Africa 250,000, Asia 830,000, and South America would give 150,000 dollars if satellites were launched over all of their countries for the continent bonus. North America promises to lower costs on aircraft and time on maintenance. Europe would improve workshops and laboratorys by 50%. Asia will help increase the effectiveness of the troops on the battlefield. Africa would increase XCOM funding by 30% and South America would give it's best scientists to speed up autopsies. When all of that was done, they then turned their attention to the staffing. They needed three staff members that would lead each department. Science, engineering, and mission control. The leader of the science department would be Doctor Vahlen, a German physiologist from Munich who was also an interrogator for the German military. Engineering would be led by Cheif Engineering Officer Doctor Raymond Shen, a Taiwanese engineer who is world renowned for his construction and help in the world military's effort versus terrorism. Lastly, the leader for mission control would be Central Officer John Bradford, a previous American soldier who is now the executive officer of XCOM. Now the problem for the council was the Commander. They couldn't just pick someone from a known database and chose them. No, they needed a strategic powerhouse, one that will expect every move the enemy makes. Generals and politicians were out of the question. Even the best chess players wouldn't know what to do in a real war. The U.N. gave orders for all the countries to come back in two hours with a list of three possible candidates for the role of Commander. When they came back the list read: Possible candidates for the role of Commander in order from most competent 1. Maverick Howard 2. Brittany Murphy 3. John Armstrong The U.N. gained permission from Canada for the base to be built with the most important and futuristic technology the world has ever seen. It would be built a week before the Summer Sun festival in Equestria and a week before the start of April. They also ordered 10 of the most elite soldiers from all around the world to help fight the possible menace from outer space. The council finally came up with a motto for XCOM. One that, if said, would send shivers up anybody's spine. Vigilo Confido. To be vigilant and have confidence. Have fun reading! -Prince Boss. Chapter 1: The Beginnings of an Invasion"Maverick!" Twilight yelled up at me. I sat up in my bed and rubbed my eyes together with my hooves. I looked over at the clock and went into panic mode. Today was the Summer Sun festival! I told myself to not forget today but look at what happened. I jumped out of bed and ran downstairs to Twilight's angry glare. I'm fucked. I thought to myself, putting on a nervous smile and a soft chuckle. She looked at me like a disappointed mother who saw the failing grade he got on his last test. "You're lucky that we're running late or else I would've chewed you out as soon as you saw me!" she said, using her magic to get my mane and coat ready for the festival. I still don't know what's so important about a silly festival celebrating summer but I didn't say anything. In one part of my mane, she found a clump of hair that wouldn't straighten out, so she got the comb. I hate the comb. She pushed it in my mane and began to get rid of the clot. Everytime she pushed against it with the comb, my scalp would be tugged in that direction. "Can't you just use your magic to straighten the clot out?" I grunted. She kept brushing and answered with an "nu uh." I rolled my eyes. She pulled the comb out and with a last ditch effort, got a bucket of water and dumped it on me. "H-Hey!" I yelled, water rolling around my eyes. She ignored me and kept brushing. Finally, the clot broke and straightened out. Twilight sighed a sigh of relief and got a towel to dry me off. The small pitter patter of footsteps were running towards us. Spike. "Twilight!" the baby dragon said, "we're going to be late, we need to go now! the rest are already there waiting." Twilight groaned, and told me that she'll finish me up on the train to Canterlot. We ran over to the train station and got on the eleven o'clock train with almost half of Ponyville on it! The ride took thirty minutes before we were allowed to get off and rush to the main courtyard. Plenty of stands were already up selling memorabilia like Celestia and Luna bobble heads, sun glasses, and other sun themed items. Food and drink stands were also up with Applejack and Pinkie Pie already having customers. We walked up to them and they gave us a wave. "Well, if it ain't Maverick an' Twilight! For a minute there Ah thought you two wouldn't show up." Applejack said with a big smile on her face. "You wouldn't believe the morning that we had. Maverick slept in and he had a clot in his mane that was being a pain so I just dumped water on him and it finally came out. I'm just glad we got to make it before Celestia made her speach." Twilight told her with a sigh. While they were talking, I looked around at the festival. It was made well. Much better then any festival back on Earth at least. I then layed eyes on three strange unicorns. they were all wearing the same black and blue suits and glasses. They also had the same coat and mane colors. I thought maybe triplets. They were not showing any expression and the only thing they payed attention to were the other ponies. Against my best judgement, I went to talk to them. I walked up with a smile and held out my right hoof. "Names Maverick, what's yours?" I asked still waiting for one of them to shake my hoof. They stayed silent and walked by me with their expressionless faces. I was confused. Did I do something wrong? "You noticed something strange about those three as well?" Pinkie whispered. I jumped a little on the inside but stayed calm. "Yea, they just seem... creepy. I have a bad feeling about today." I said in a low whisper. Pinkie agreed and went back to her stand. I was contemplating telling Twilight about this but they could be a new kind of guard Celestia had just for this celebration so I ignored it. I walked back to Twilight, who was chatting with another stand owner. They were talking about their excitement for the festival and how their days went. When I got closer, I realised who she was talking to. Minuette. She was selling solar powered toothbrushes at her stand though they don't look like they're selling well. I tapped Twilight on the shoulder and asked where Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Rarity were at. "Rainbow's probably stretching her wings for the Rainboom she's supposed to do today. Fluttershy is in charge of the music so she's in the gardens and Rarity is at her shop right next to the castle. Is that all you need?" She asked with a tilt of her head. I nodded and took flight to find Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow!" I yelled, "Rainbow, where are you!?" A sudden rainbow trail blurred past me and laughed. I tried to catch up to her but she was moving too fast. I yelled her name again and she slowed down enough for me to catch up. A simple, "What's up" is all she asked me. I was agitated that she didn't say sorry but I let it slide. "Rainbow, can you do something for me?" I asked her, looked around cautiously. She said sure but to not take too long because she's not fully warmed up and the start of the festival is in a few minutes. "Can you keep an eye out for three suspicious looking ponies? They're all wearing the same black and blue suits and glasses with blank expressions. I have a bad feeling about them." She said she would keep a close eye on anyone that looked suspicious. I thanked her and flew back to the ground. The minutes would ticked by, Rainbow reported that she hasn't seen or heard anything about the three strange ponies. I groaned and thanked her for the help anyway. I heard the Ponyville clock tower go off. SHOWTIME! Trumpets blared and a royal guard spoke up in a deep and mesmerising tone. "Greetings mares and gentlecolts. To make sure this festival kicks into high gear, please give a round of applause for our wonderful Princess of the sun, Princess Celestia!" Everyone was clapping their hooves and cheering as Celestia walked out on the stage set out for her. Celestia's flowing super nova like mane and her pristine white coat were twice as clean as it usually is due to her getting out and about on meetings. It's actually rare for her to get a shower or bath cause she's barely at the castle most of the time. She usually puts on a quick freshener spell that makes it seem like she bathed. She had a bright and gentle smile that could make anyone feel safe in her vicinity. "Hello everypony, it is so good to see you all again this Summer Sun festival. Today marks the beginning of summer, a wonderful time for me and my sister to bring the best of our abilities to their peaks! Today also marks the fifth anniversary of the return of my sister from her prison on the moon and the defeat of Nightmare Moon. I don't want interrupt anymore of this festival's time so without further adue, let the Summer Sun festival begin!" Celestia flew up high in the air as gracefully as grace can get and the sun shone brighter then ever before. I was amazed at the sight. I pulled out the specially designed glasses Twilight made and put them on. Rarity wasn't kidding when she said this festival was majestic! I heard a faint humming sound from the other side of the mountain but I was too amazed at the sight in front of me to worry about it. I looked up and saw Rainbow Dash diving down with a mach cone around her. She was close. Two seconds later, a ring of rainbow colors followed by an explosion. That explosion was not from the rainboom. Everyone was quiet. I looked around and no-one moved. The humming was getting louder and the vibrations were making the ground shake. Foals and fillies alike were screaming and crying in fear as more explosions occurred in the lower part of Canterlot. Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie, and Twilight were all running to where the impact zone was. I ran in the other direction to get Rarity and Fluttershy so we were all together. I knocked on Rarity's boutique and she opened the door with vigor. "Oh my! Maverick, darling, are you okay?" She asked, suprised at my exhaustion. I caught my breath pretty quickly and told her everything. Surprisingly, she reacted calmly and ran off to get Fluttershy. "You go and help the others darling, I'll get Fluttershy!" I would lie if I said I wasn't scared. This is my first Summer Sun festival and, of course, it was ruined by an unidentified attack. Just my luck. When I arrived, Twilight and the others were being shot at by green, plasma like goo from the three strange ponies I met earlier. They couldn't even peek around the edge without getting shot at. The conclusion was that they were pinned. All I could feel was anger. Not only for pinning my wife and friends behind a building, but also for attacking Equestria in general. I snuck around the side to flank them and used my magic to grab one of the weapons they were using. When I stole it, they weren't happy. One focused their attention on me and the other kept firing at the others. This wasn't my plan but I could work around it. I got down in cover at poked out and shot at the one I stole the weapon from. The shot hit. It's body was launched backwards into the one suppressing Twilight and the others, ejected a cloud of purple gas, and knocked 'em down. I chuckled until the weapon in my magic crumbled into fragments. Damn it. The one on the ground was still trying to get his senses together so I yelled at them to make their move. And move they did. Rainbow was the first to strike, attacking the one suppressing me in my small bit of cover I have left. Twilight used her magic to shoot the one Rainbow hit and it died the same way as the one I killed. Ejecting purple gas. Applejack and Pinkie Pie both ran up on the last one and bucked it into another building. It also ejected purple gas. We all regrouped, careful to avoid the gas that stood in our way. Twilight and the others looked both scared and relieved. Scared of what happened, relieved that Canterlot was safe for now. Twilight was the first to hug me, then Pinkie, A.J, and Rainbow. "Twilight!" Spike yelled from behind a building, "is it safe to come out yet?" "Yes Spike, you can come out now." Twilight said, a bit of trembling in her voice. Spike peaked out from his hiding place and layed eyes on something below Twilight that almost made him scream. I looked down around our hooves and saw green casts of dead ponies everywhere. I felt sick. Some even held foals in their hooves before death. I had to look away. A second later, I heard the rest of them scream in terror. They must've seen what I saw. "What in Celestia's name is going on do- OH SWEET LUNA!" Rarity yelled, noticing everything we saw. I could hear Fluttershy scream right behind Rarity. I wanted faint. Who in the world would do this to innocent ponies? Rarity and Fluttershy ran down as quickly as they could and hugged everyone. They couldn't believe their eyes and neither could we. Can we have one month without having anything crazy happen around here? I used my magic to grab one of the corpses and levitated it over to our position. Now that I look closer, it does look different from a ponies body. I removed the glasses and the eyes were reptilian like. "Fluttershy, you think this is a bat pony?" I asked her. She shook her head and pointed to it's back. "It can't be a bat pony. It doesn't have any wings." She replied. I continued to check on what this creature is by removing it's suit. Under it was a reptile like body shape with scales and everything. It was cold to the touch. I shivered. "So it's a mix between pony and reptile. Anything in Equestria that matches that description Fluttershy?" I asked. She thought for a second then looked over the corpse again. After scanning every bit of it, Fluttershy shook her head. "Nothing in Equestria has a mix between pony and reptile. At least... not from what I know anyway." She whispered softly. Without thinking, I punched it's head in. Greenish yellow blood splattering everywhere. I was angry, okay? I couldn't hold it back anymore. "Maverick." I heard Celestia call out to me. I gasped and looked up. She was looking down at me with that same smile she had during her speech. "You have to be calm during times like these, no matter how angry you may seem. It's hard for me to not get angry at these intentions, especially Luna. She's probably yelling at one of her guards to find out who's responsible for these actions and have them executed." She giggled, "This is probably a one time thing so if anything like this happens again, I'll take this as a sign of war. I want all of you to return home and get some rest. You all did a great job with defending Canterlot from these creatures." We all quietly walked to the train, traumatized by the days events. I couldn't get the images out of my mind. Mares and stallions laying in green casts, dead. The poor foals who didn't make it through the attack. They never got to see how good life was. The train ride was dead silent the entire trip and beyond. When we got off, we all went different ways except Twilight, Spike, and I. No-one was outside making the trip less awkward for all of us. "Twilight... I-I don't know what to say." I murmured. She said nothing in return. She must be more traumatized then I was. The castle was quiet when we arrived. Her guards must've been informed on the events in Caterlot because they said nothing. We just went to our room and silently drifted to Luna's dreamscape, hoping to forget these events. Chapter 2: Going HomeThe night came and went like a wave in the ocean. I didn't have any dreams nor did Twilight. It was strange. Luna was supposed to make sure everypony had dreams and keep them in check. I was bit freaked out to be honest. The sun shone through the blinds in the windows, hitting me right in the eyes. I quickly got up and covered them, cursing at how beautiful but painful the sun is. I looked around trying to find Twilight but she wasn't anywhere to be seen. I looked at the clock and it read 10:00 AM. It ticked in my head that she must be downstairs having breakfast with Spike and her student, Starlight Glimmer. Starlight's been staying with us for quite a while now and it seems that she won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Her lessons with Twilight have been phenomenal the past few months, surpassing even Twilight in some areas. She hasn't had the best track record though. Starlight was a mad dictator of a small town in the middle of nowhere because she wanted everyone to be equal, no one pony more special than the other. Twilight and her friends quickly freed them and set Starlight packing. She returned for vengeance against Twilight by stopping Rainbow Dash from doing the Sonic Rainboom, bringing all of them together. That plan failed for Twilight showed her the devastation that would happen if they never met. She quickly pulled herself together and apologised to them and the towns ponies. They accepted it and here we are now. I first went to the bathroom to freshen up. I didn't want Twilight to find another clot in my mane and get the comb. I didn't even want to think about it. I picked up the brush and started to brush my mane. You got to be kidding me! I found another clot in my mane. This is the fifth one this week! Why on earth does this happen?! I remembered what Pinkie Pie told me a few days ago about how to quickly deal with these clots. "Whenever I get clots in my mane, all I do is use peanut butter! My Nana Pinkie told me that the oils in peanut butter can soothe out any clumps, no matter how tough." I just shrugged it off because it sounded weird at the time. Seriously, who in their right mind wants to put peanut butter, a food product that is supposed to be sticky, in their mane? The more and more I struggled to get the clot out, I started to actually consider that solution. With one final tug, I put the brush down in frustration and walked downstairs to the kitchen. When I entered, my suspicions were answered. Twilight was sitting across the table from both Spike and Starlight. They all smiled at me and asked me to sit down with them for breakfast. "I'm not hungry at the moment but do you know where the peanut butter is at? I need it for a second." Starlight levitated it over to me with a simple "here you go." I thanked her and went back up to the bathroom. I grabbed the knife that was in it and got a small bit of peanut butter. I took a deep breath and hoped the smell wouldn't linger for too long. Levitating the knife in my magic, I started to apply the sticky condiment on the spot where my clot was and started to use the knife to rub it in. I didn't even have to use the brush to break it up because the knife did it for me. The clot was broken! I had to thank Pinkie later. I washed my mane so the peanut butter was gone and down the drain. I grabbed both the knife and peanut butter and went downstairs. Everyone was still there. "Hey Mav." Starlight said. I turned around and faced her. "Yes?" "You think I can have the peanut butter for a second? I want to put it on my toast." She asked. I levitated the items over to her and sat down next to Twilight. Twilight gave me a warm smile. I returned it. God, she can be cute at some times! She nuzzled me and inhaled deeply. It tickled. I let out a little giggle and she pulled back with a confused expression. "Maverick, why does your mane smell like peanut butter?" She asked, puzzled. I looked over to Starlight and she carried on without a care in the world. "Um, I put some of it in my mane because I had a clot and I may ot may not have used the knife to help." I chuckled softly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Starlight put down the piece of toast she had in her hooves and went to the trash can, spitting the rest she had in her mouth out. Spike burped. I groaned and faced him. "Come on Spike, it isn't that gross." My eyes widened when I saw that he hadn't gagged but had a scroll from Celestia. The seal wasn't red but yellow. That wasn't good. Celestia has different seal colors for different purposes. Red was a normal meeting, green was international affairs, purple was military, and yellow was urgent. Yellow was barely used. Spike opened it up quickly and read it. My dearest student, As you can see from the seal, this is an urgent request. I can't explain everything in this one letter so I want you to get the rest of your friends and report at the castle as soon as you can. The guards are on high alert but I told them to let you through. From, your teacher, Princess Celestia I looked towards Twilight and she had that face that I always feared of seeing again. It's the same face that she used when she realised Tirek had returned. She quickly got her saddle bags and ran out the door. "Twilight!" I grabbed Spike in my magic and ran after her. She was already at Rarity's boutique and had gotten her to join with her. I've never seen her run this fast since Tirek was attacking Manehatten! I put Spike on my back and continued to run faster, slowly catching up with her. Thwack! A door suddenly opened in front of me, knocking me out immediately. The darkness was all around me. Nothing felt safe. I looked around in all directions to find anything. Nothing. "Maverick," a voice called out to me from the darkness. That voice. It sounds... familiar. Then it clicked. Luna. "Listen to me. Tia and I had visions last night. They were not good. My sister will explain everything once you arrive but I just wanted to forewarn you of the adventure you're going to experience. See you when you arrive." She vanished. I woke up abruptly on some comfy seat cushions and looked out a window. We must be in a tunnel because I see nothing when I looked out it. I heard gasping from behind me. It was the rest of the six. How do I know? They do this almost everyday. It's annoying as hell. I turned around and saw all of them looking at me. "What? Is there something on my face?" I asked. Twilight squealed and hugged me tightly. And I mean tight! "Jeez Twilight, I was just knocked out!" I gasped out, hardly breathing. She loosened it a little bit and I took in a deep breath. "I know, but if you were hit hard enough, you could've been in a concussion or even a coma! I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. I'm sorry." Tears were flowing from her eyes as she spoke. I didn't expect this to have such a impact on her. Wether it was her being scared of losing me again or the entire thing about the attack the other day was beyond me, but her crying made me want to as well. I pulled her in and gave her a comforting hug. "Shh," I said, leaning into her ear, "I'm fine and that's all that matters." Her sobbing slowed and she pulled her head away with a smile. She mouthed, "Thank you," and gave me a peck on the lips, enlisting a giggle from me. I looked around and saw the rest talking to each other. Pinkie talked to Rainbow and Rarity talked to A.J and Fluttershy. I couldn't understand what they were talking about but by the confusion, it seemed it was about the meeting Celestia called us to. "You know Dashie," I overheard Pinkie say, "if those things that we saw yesterday weren't from Equestria, maybe they're aliens!" Dash just scoffed and looked outside. "Pinkie, there are no such thing's as aliens. You need to stop reading conspiracy theories about that stuff before you believe everything. They're probably just hybrids between a hydra and pony that went crazy." Pinkie snorted at Rainbow's reply, that smile never leaving her face. She pulled a book out of one of her bags and turned to a picture of a hydra. The picture was taken by Pinkie a long time by the date two years before my arrive. June 19, 20XX. It showed the large, four headed creature chasing them away from the Everfree Forest. The hydra was clearly the size of the redwood like trees. "Dashie, if it was hydra mix then it must've been a large mare. I don't even think hydras and ponies can breed anyway." I looked over and saw Fluttershy's ears pointed straight up. I did the same and heard a faint humming sound. It is the same one from the attack on Canterlot and apparently I wasn't the only one who noticed it this time. "Fluttershy, you hear that too?" I asked, making sure the rest could hear. She nodded. "Yes, I've been hearing it for about two minutes now and, until you said something, I thought I was hearing things." The train came to a screeching halt. Rarity, Applejack, and I were launched over to the other side of the coach with a loud bang. I got up slowly. Smoke filled the coach, making it harder to breathe and see. I casted a teleportation spell and got out of the train before I suffocated. When I left the teleport, I looked around at the surrounding area. Apparently, the entire front of the train was gone. I looked up and saw pegasi quickly closing in on the crashed locomotive. The closer they got, the more I realized that they were the best acrobatic and rescue team in Equestria. The Wonderbolts. I threw out a flare spell and they flew in my direction. Spitfire, the leader of the Wonderbolts, landed right in front of me as the others went to find any survivors in the wreck. "Are you okay sir? Can you tell me what happened here?" She questioned me in a calming tone. I was having a coughing fit, unable to speak. She grabbed a bottle of water she had in one of her bags and handed it to me. I grabbed it and drank it greedily. I took a deep breath and started to tell her what happened. "Me, my wife, and our friends were on our way to see Princess Celestia for an urgent meeting she requested a few minutes ago. When we got out of the tunnel, the train just stopped and my friends Applejack and Rarity were launched across the coach. I couldn't see anything when I got up for smoke filled the room before I got to look around and see if everypony was alright." She joted everything down on a notepad and then asked me what the what the meeting was about. I looked behind her to see the rest of the four she had pulling out two ponies per minute. Pretty fast compared to first responders on Earth. "She didn't say what it was for but we got on this train from Ponyville to reach Canterlot." She put that last bit of evidence down on the pad and went back to the rest of the Wonderbolts. The minutes passed, they didn't find anyone who I recognized from the wreckage and they waited for investigators to arrive on scene. When the investigators arrived, they were also accompanied by the royal chariot with Celestia in the back. Not only I, but also the Wonderbolts were surprised to see Celestia arrive at a crime scene. The chariot stopped in front of the train and Celestia got out with guards on all sides protecting her. She walked up to us and the Wonderbolts bowed. Celestia dismissed them. "Celestia, I-I don't know what happened! We were just riding the train one minute and then it was on fire the next! The couldn't find Twilight and the others! I didn't exp-" She stopped me, putting a hoof to my mouth. Her expression wasn't of anger or sadness, but grief. N-No! T-They can't be dead! They just can't! Tears stared to swell up in my eyes and sobs escaped my mouth. I had to look away. "Maverick," She whispered, "I know you're scared about Twilight and the others but I can assure you that they are not dead." I looked at her, sobbing slightly. "R-Really?" I sobbed. She put on her best comforting smile and nodded. I hugged her. She hugged me back. "Maverick, I need you to do something for me that will be completely classified for any other pony to listen too." "O-Of course Princess! What is it that you will have me do?" I asked her. She told me that I had to go back to Earth and gather allies in help if we were uncover who or what is under the attacks on Equestria. I agreed and gave her a salute, telling her that I wouldn't let her down. "Glad to hear! Now I understand that it will take some time before you find help for our cause but I believe that it shouldn't be too hard for you." She giggled, adding magic to her horn and allowing a blue warp gate open in the middle of the grassy field. I looked one last time before going into the gate to my home. Time for me go home and find help. Twilight, I will find you and our friends too. Chapter 3: HomeboundThe trip through the warp gate felt... weird but comforting at the same time. It felt like the one I was in when I was heading to Equestria all that time ago. It's still fresh in my mind. I was sitting in my bedroom after a long day of work at J.F.K. International Airport working on Boeing 747s and other types of aircraft. This was three days after Princess Cadence arrived at my front door and asked to see the six, who had been living in the spare bedroom for the past month, and took them back to their world. I would cry from time to time knowing that my great friends were gone and would never come back. I would sometimes pray to God for another chance to meet them. However, I knew that it wouldn't come to fruition. Or so I thought. It was a quiet and practicality boring Wednesday evening. No planes came in for repairs or tune ups, which I almost mastered. After my shift was done, I drove down to the closest Burger King, got a Whopper combo with a medium Coke, and went home. I ate the burger and fries on the way home due to a traffic jam on Fifth avenue. I got home an hour after going off shift. The house wasn't any different from the rest in the neighborhood so it wasn't special. A buzzing noise pulled me from my daydream. I looked around. Still in the warp. I didn't remember that it took this long to exit the warp. I then heard someone calling my name. "Doctor Whooves?" I said outloud. The doctor and I have been friends even before I became a pony. He was like a brother to me, letting me stay with him 'till I found Twilight, fed me good food, you name it! What caught my attention about the brown coated pony was his likeness to Doctor Who, my second favorite t.v. show. He seemed to be based off the tenth doctor by his appearance. The doctor even showed me his tardis! "Maverick!" He yelled, "If you were heading back to Earth, you just missed your exit about ten kilometers back!" He pulled his tardis in front of me and put his hoof out. "Grab on!" I grabbed his hoof and he pulled me in. Though the outside looks like a normal tardis, the inside is completely different. It's like a laboratory in there! He closed the door and locked it, walking back to me. "Well, thanks for coming at the time you did! I was in a bit of a daydream and I lost focus on my surroundings." I chuckled slightly. He started to walk to a big control console in the middle of the room. "Well that's all fine and dandy but I'm wondering what in Equestria you're doing out in this rift? It's quite dangerous with Celestia knows what flying out here." I remembered that Celestia didn't want anypony knowing about my mission. I didn't want to lie to him, he would see right through it. I sighed and told him the truth. "I'm not allowed to tell anypony. Celestia sent me on a mission but that's all I'm saying." I told him sternly. Doctor Whooves stopped and turned around. He had the expression of a toddler who's about to play with his first toy. "A secret mission by the princess herself?! That's fantastic! I wonder what your mission is? Assassinate an Earth leader, conquer the planet and take it for ponykind? Oh! maybe-" I stopped him short. I know he's a scientist and "time lord" but my god he can be annoying. "Doctor! Please, I'm on a tight schedule here and if I don't get to Earth right now, Equestria could be in big trouble!" I yelled. I didn't want to yell at him but the only way I can get my point across to his thick skull is if I did so. He snapped out his guessing game and hurriedly went over to the console of controls and turned a few knobs and pulled a few levers. "Much apologies Maverick. Where on Earth do you want to be dropped off at?" He apologised. I told him it didn't matter where I was placed as long as it was near a city. He pushed a few buttons, set a few knobs and pulled a big red lever on the middle of the console. The tardis shook slightly and it shifted to the left. The first time I was traveling with the doc was when he wanted me to test the latest upgrade for his tardis. That was five months ago. When I was still a human. I felt like I was re-taking my private pilot exam just in a remade telephone box. "So when do you think we'll arrive on Earth?" I asked the doctor. He was looking at a repurposed clock that would estimate the time of arrival in a warp. The time read 9:17 PM. "By my calculations I would estimate that we'll be on Earth..." The tardis stopped suddenly. I fell to the ground by the unexpected stop. "right about now." The ground hurts. My face hurts. Why must the floor be made of metal? I got up and stretched my neck to make sure I'm still able to move it. A twinge of pain shot through the left side. Damn, I sprained my neck! The door opened and a blast of cold wind shot in, making me shiver. I lit up my horn and teleported a jacket from my closet back in Equestria on my body. Normally, I wouldn't mind the cold but I haven't been on Earth in a while so my body isn't adjusted to the temperature. The warmth surrounding my body feels very comforting, almost soothing. I thanked Doctor Whooves for the ride and walked out. On the way out, I heard him talk to himself. "Hm, that's strange. Why do I smell peanut butter all of a sudden?" I quickened my pase so he didn't question me. The door closed behind me and the tardis teleported away. I looked around and saw that I was in an alleyway. I didn't know what city I was in but it seemed like a very populace city due to the size of the buildings and roads. Speaking of roads, the street signs were not in english. Dorfstraße? The only language that has that is German. I believe straße means street if I'm not mistaken. I was shaken out of my thought by gun shots from my left. I just then released that no-one was outside on the street. It felt unsettling. The shots only got more and more repetitive as explosions were also brought into the mix. I was fighting with self conscious about what to do about the situation. Eventually, fight beat flight as I flew over to the combat zone. The flight took only but thirty seconds before I was fired upon. I quickly landed behind a parked car on the side of the road and peaked out. POP! another shot zoomed by my head. I had an idea; a risky one at that. I focused on my magic and casted an sheild spell in front of me. Using the emerald green shield that I casted, I walked out from my cover to be immediately fired upon once again. I did this for two reasons; one, to get out of my easily flankable position, and two, to see who was attacking me. Humans; of course it was Humans. There's four of them and, by their equipment, I would say they're military. The bullets were bouncing off my shield like it was a bouncy castle. I wasn't gonna last long out in the open like this. I ran over to the other side of the street and took cover behind a building. Getting rid of the shield, I took a peak around the corner again. One of them were gone. I tried to move out of cover, but everytime I tried to move I would be shot at to stay where I was. Damn! I'm pinned! THUMP! I quickly turned around too see the missing soldier run towards me. He was a big, bulky Caucasian male with black hair. If I had to guess his height at that moment, I would say he's probably over six feet tall. I was paralyzed with fear as running to me. He flipped the assault rifle in his hands rammed the butt of his stock into my face, knocking me out immediately.
PrologueEquestria. A beautiful land full of luscious colors and rolling landscapes. The lands inhabitants are small equiens, more known as ponies, gryphons, small shape shifting bugs called changelings, and other types of animals from across the animal kingdom. The dominant species of the planet are the ponies. There are three main types of ponies: Earth ponies, who use their strength to (mostly) help out food production by farming. Unicorns, who use their magical abilities to help with just about everything. And finally, the Pegisi, who use their wings to fly and magic to create and control the weather. The rarest of them are the Alicorns. In all of Equestrian history, only five have been known to exist. Those would be sisters Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, Princess of Love, Mi Amore Cadenza (or Cadence), Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle, and newborn, Princess Flurry Heart. Equestria's history is known to be rough. Evil powers tried, and some did, conquer the large country before being turned to stone or banished by Princess Celestia and Luna with the Elements of Harmony. The Elements of Harmony are six magical items that can only be activated by it's bearers. I'll get more into this later. The last Princess Celestia had to battle was her own sister. Luna, jealous of her taking all of the spotlight, turned into Nightmare Moon, a dark version of Princess Luna, and plunged the world into eternal darkness. Celestia had a showdown with her and, with the help of the Elements of Harmony, sent her to the moon for one thousand years. For the next thousand years, life was peaceful for the country. Nothing really important happened during that time frame... except that one pony broke the sound barrier and did something called the Sonic Rainboom. we'll talk about her in a bit. The day before the Summer Sun festival, a festival to celebrate the longest day in the year, a unicorn mare named Twilight Sparkle was looking into the legend of Nightmare Moon and warned her teacher, Princess Celestia, about her return that Summer. Celestia purposeful lied and told her that she needed to get out of that study she was in and meet some friends, so she moved her to a town named Ponyville with her dragon assistant, Spike. Twilight met some... interesting characters that were crazy! one being a bright pink earth pony with a curly mane and three balloons as a cutie mark, a mark that shows a ponies special talent. Her name was Pinkie Pie. Another was an orange earth pony with a cowboy hat and a Blonde mane, and three apples as a cutie mark. Her name was Applejack. She met two pegisi on her route for the Festival. One being a yellow coated, pink maned mare with three butterflies as her cutie mark. She was called Fluttershy. The other pegasus had a cyan blue coat and a rainbow mane with a rainbow lightning bolt coming out of a cloud as her cutie mark. This one was named Rainbow Dash. Twilight met a pure white unicorn with a curly purple mane as she was getting cleaned up from an accident caused by Rainbow Dash. The white unicorn was named Rarity. When the festival started, the mayor of Ponyville, Mayor Mare, did a short speech and pulled the curtains only to not see Princess Celestia standing on the pedestal. It was Nightmare Moon! Scared, Twilight and the one's she met ran to the local library to find a book about the Elements of Harmony and found that they're located at the old castle that Celestia and Luna once lived in. Unfortunately, it was in the Everfree Forest, a forest that scares everone for it's appearance. They went through the trials of the Elements of Harmony. Applejack passed Honesty, Pinky Pie passed Laughter, Fluttershy passed Kindness, Rarity passed Generosity, Rainbow passed Loyalty, and Twilight passed the most important part of the Elements, the one that brings them all together. Magic. With the six elements in hoof, they blasted Nightmare Moon and turned her back into her normal self. The following years passed with new and old enemies coming and going. Twilight was turned into a princess by Celestia herself and was given the title, "Princess of Friendship." One day, she was just studying all six of the Elements of Harmony for a way to improve their efficiency when Rainbow barged in, interrupting her focus. Twilight accidentally casted a teleportation spell, sending the six to an unknown world. Unknowingly, they landed on top of someone. That someone is me. Maverick Howard. I took them in at my home in New York. It wasn't the best house but they didn't seem to mind. After about a month of them in my world, a pink alicorn asked for them. I obliged and gave her the six. It was tougher on me then for them. I haven't had such good friends since before the Iraq war. Once they left, I cried. I'm not a religious man at heart but I prayed to God for me to have another chance to meet them. Three days later, it seemed like he got my message and a blue warp gate opened in my bedroom and sucked me in. I awoke on the other side of the warp gate in a very vibrant, almost cartoonish, world. Long story short, I found Twilight, we found out Luna went missing, we went to seach for her, I got captured twice, I found Luna, I got killed by Tirek and revived into an alicorn by Celestia, found the missing seventh element of Freedom, banished Tirek to Tarturous forever, and I got married to Twilight. While all of this was happening, Earth was just passing to March of 2015. In New York city, the U.N. were talking to sixteen individual countries about threats from outer space. The meeting lasted for a few days until they all agreed on the cause, calling it XCOM, the Extraterrestrial Combat unit. The sixteen countries that made up the council were the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, the U.K, Germany, France, Russia, China, India, Australia, and Japan. Each country had to give a certain pay roll if the Commander of XCOM would launch a satellite in that area. North America all together would give 340,000 dollars, Europe would give 440,000 dollars, Africa 250,000, Asia 830,000, and South America would give 150,000 dollars if satellites were launched over all of their countries for the continent bonus. North America promises to lower costs on aircraft and time on maintenance. Europe would improve workshops and laboratorys by 50%. Asia will help increase the effectiveness of the troops on the battlefield. Africa would increase XCOM funding by 30% and South America would give it's best scientists to speed up autopsies. When all of that was done, they then turned their attention to the staffing. They needed three staff members that would lead each department. Science, engineering, and mission control. The leader of the science department would be Doctor Vahlen, a German physiologist from Munich who was also an interrogator for the German military. Engineering would be led by Cheif Engineering Officer Doctor Raymond Shen, a Taiwanese engineer who is world renowned for his construction and help in the world military's effort versus terrorism. Lastly, the leader for mission control would be Central Officer John Bradford, a previous American soldier who is now the executive officer of XCOM. Now the problem for the council was the Commander. They couldn't just pick someone from a known database and chose them. No, they needed a strategic powerhouse, one that will expect every move the enemy makes. Generals and politicians were out of the question. Even the best chess players wouldn't know what to do in a real war. The U.N. gave orders for all the countries to come back in two hours with a list of three possible candidates for the role of Commander. When they came back the list read: Possible candidates for the role of Commander in order from most competent 1. Maverick Howard 2. Brittany Murphy 3. John Armstrong The U.N. gained permission from Canada for the base to be built with the most important and futuristic technology the world has ever seen. It would be built a week before the Summer Sun festival in Equestria and a week before the start of April. They also ordered 10 of the most elite soldiers from all around the world to help fight the possible menace from outer space. The council finally came up with a motto for XCOM. One that, if said, would send shivers up anybody's spine. Vigilo Confido. To be vigilant and have confidence. Have fun reading! -Prince Boss.
Chapter 1: The Beginnings of an Invasion"Maverick!" Twilight yelled up at me. I sat up in my bed and rubbed my eyes together with my hooves. I looked over at the clock and went into panic mode. Today was the Summer Sun festival! I told myself to not forget today but look at what happened. I jumped out of bed and ran downstairs to Twilight's angry glare. I'm fucked. I thought to myself, putting on a nervous smile and a soft chuckle. She looked at me like a disappointed mother who saw the failing grade he got on his last test. "You're lucky that we're running late or else I would've chewed you out as soon as you saw me!" she said, using her magic to get my mane and coat ready for the festival. I still don't know what's so important about a silly festival celebrating summer but I didn't say anything. In one part of my mane, she found a clump of hair that wouldn't straighten out, so she got the comb. I hate the comb. She pushed it in my mane and began to get rid of the clot. Everytime she pushed against it with the comb, my scalp would be tugged in that direction. "Can't you just use your magic to straighten the clot out?" I grunted. She kept brushing and answered with an "nu uh." I rolled my eyes. She pulled the comb out and with a last ditch effort, got a bucket of water and dumped it on me. "H-Hey!" I yelled, water rolling around my eyes. She ignored me and kept brushing. Finally, the clot broke and straightened out. Twilight sighed a sigh of relief and got a towel to dry me off. The small pitter patter of footsteps were running towards us. Spike. "Twilight!" the baby dragon said, "we're going to be late, we need to go now! the rest are already there waiting." Twilight groaned, and told me that she'll finish me up on the train to Canterlot. We ran over to the train station and got on the eleven o'clock train with almost half of Ponyville on it! The ride took thirty minutes before we were allowed to get off and rush to the main courtyard. Plenty of stands were already up selling memorabilia like Celestia and Luna bobble heads, sun glasses, and other sun themed items. Food and drink stands were also up with Applejack and Pinkie Pie already having customers. We walked up to them and they gave us a wave. "Well, if it ain't Maverick an' Twilight! For a minute there Ah thought you two wouldn't show up." Applejack said with a big smile on her face. "You wouldn't believe the morning that we had. Maverick slept in and he had a clot in his mane that was being a pain so I just dumped water on him and it finally came out. I'm just glad we got to make it before Celestia made her speach." Twilight told her with a sigh. While they were talking, I looked around at the festival. It was made well. Much better then any festival back on Earth at least. I then layed eyes on three strange unicorns. they were all wearing the same black and blue suits and glasses. They also had the same coat and mane colors. I thought maybe triplets. They were not showing any expression and the only thing they payed attention to were the other ponies. Against my best judgement, I went to talk to them. I walked up with a smile and held out my right hoof. "Names Maverick, what's yours?" I asked still waiting for one of them to shake my hoof. They stayed silent and walked by me with their expressionless faces. I was confused. Did I do something wrong? "You noticed something strange about those three as well?" Pinkie whispered. I jumped a little on the inside but stayed calm. "Yea, they just seem... creepy. I have a bad feeling about today." I said in a low whisper. Pinkie agreed and went back to her stand. I was contemplating telling Twilight about this but they could be a new kind of guard Celestia had just for this celebration so I ignored it. I walked back to Twilight, who was chatting with another stand owner. They were talking about their excitement for the festival and how their days went. When I got closer, I realised who she was talking to. Minuette. She was selling solar powered toothbrushes at her stand though they don't look like they're selling well. I tapped Twilight on the shoulder and asked where Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Rarity were at. "Rainbow's probably stretching her wings for the Rainboom she's supposed to do today. Fluttershy is in charge of the music so she's in the gardens and Rarity is at her shop right next to the castle. Is that all you need?" She asked with a tilt of her head. I nodded and took flight to find Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow!" I yelled, "Rainbow, where are you!?" A sudden rainbow trail blurred past me and laughed. I tried to catch up to her but she was moving too fast. I yelled her name again and she slowed down enough for me to catch up. A simple, "What's up" is all she asked me. I was agitated that she didn't say sorry but I let it slide. "Rainbow, can you do something for me?" I asked her, looked around cautiously. She said sure but to not take too long because she's not fully warmed up and the start of the festival is in a few minutes. "Can you keep an eye out for three suspicious looking ponies? They're all wearing the same black and blue suits and glasses with blank expressions. I have a bad feeling about them." She said she would keep a close eye on anyone that looked suspicious. I thanked her and flew back to the ground. The minutes would ticked by, Rainbow reported that she hasn't seen or heard anything about the three strange ponies. I groaned and thanked her for the help anyway. I heard the Ponyville clock tower go off. SHOWTIME! Trumpets blared and a royal guard spoke up in a deep and mesmerising tone. "Greetings mares and gentlecolts. To make sure this festival kicks into high gear, please give a round of applause for our wonderful Princess of the sun, Princess Celestia!" Everyone was clapping their hooves and cheering as Celestia walked out on the stage set out for her. Celestia's flowing super nova like mane and her pristine white coat were twice as clean as it usually is due to her getting out and about on meetings. It's actually rare for her to get a shower or bath cause she's barely at the castle most of the time. She usually puts on a quick freshener spell that makes it seem like she bathed. She had a bright and gentle smile that could make anyone feel safe in her vicinity. "Hello everypony, it is so good to see you all again this Summer Sun festival. Today marks the beginning of summer, a wonderful time for me and my sister to bring the best of our abilities to their peaks! Today also marks the fifth anniversary of the return of my sister from her prison on the moon and the defeat of Nightmare Moon. I don't want interrupt anymore of this festival's time so without further adue, let the Summer Sun festival begin!" Celestia flew up high in the air as gracefully as grace can get and the sun shone brighter then ever before. I was amazed at the sight. I pulled out the specially designed glasses Twilight made and put them on. Rarity wasn't kidding when she said this festival was majestic! I heard a faint humming sound from the other side of the mountain but I was too amazed at the sight in front of me to worry about it. I looked up and saw Rainbow Dash diving down with a mach cone around her. She was close. Two seconds later, a ring of rainbow colors followed by an explosion. That explosion was not from the rainboom. Everyone was quiet. I looked around and no-one moved. The humming was getting louder and the vibrations were making the ground shake. Foals and fillies alike were screaming and crying in fear as more explosions occurred in the lower part of Canterlot. Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie, and Twilight were all running to where the impact zone was. I ran in the other direction to get Rarity and Fluttershy so we were all together. I knocked on Rarity's boutique and she opened the door with vigor. "Oh my! Maverick, darling, are you okay?" She asked, suprised at my exhaustion. I caught my breath pretty quickly and told her everything. Surprisingly, she reacted calmly and ran off to get Fluttershy. "You go and help the others darling, I'll get Fluttershy!" I would lie if I said I wasn't scared. This is my first Summer Sun festival and, of course, it was ruined by an unidentified attack. Just my luck. When I arrived, Twilight and the others were being shot at by green, plasma like goo from the three strange ponies I met earlier. They couldn't even peek around the edge without getting shot at. The conclusion was that they were pinned. All I could feel was anger. Not only for pinning my wife and friends behind a building, but also for attacking Equestria in general. I snuck around the side to flank them and used my magic to grab one of the weapons they were using. When I stole it, they weren't happy. One focused their attention on me and the other kept firing at the others. This wasn't my plan but I could work around it. I got down in cover at poked out and shot at the one I stole the weapon from. The shot hit. It's body was launched backwards into the one suppressing Twilight and the others, ejected a cloud of purple gas, and knocked 'em down. I chuckled until the weapon in my magic crumbled into fragments. Damn it. The one on the ground was still trying to get his senses together so I yelled at them to make their move. And move they did. Rainbow was the first to strike, attacking the one suppressing me in my small bit of cover I have left. Twilight used her magic to shoot the one Rainbow hit and it died the same way as the one I killed. Ejecting purple gas. Applejack and Pinkie Pie both ran up on the last one and bucked it into another building. It also ejected purple gas. We all regrouped, careful to avoid the gas that stood in our way. Twilight and the others looked both scared and relieved. Scared of what happened, relieved that Canterlot was safe for now. Twilight was the first to hug me, then Pinkie, A.J, and Rainbow. "Twilight!" Spike yelled from behind a building, "is it safe to come out yet?" "Yes Spike, you can come out now." Twilight said, a bit of trembling in her voice. Spike peaked out from his hiding place and layed eyes on something below Twilight that almost made him scream. I looked down around our hooves and saw green casts of dead ponies everywhere. I felt sick. Some even held foals in their hooves before death. I had to look away. A second later, I heard the rest of them scream in terror. They must've seen what I saw. "What in Celestia's name is going on do- OH SWEET LUNA!" Rarity yelled, noticing everything we saw. I could hear Fluttershy scream right behind Rarity. I wanted faint. Who in the world would do this to innocent ponies? Rarity and Fluttershy ran down as quickly as they could and hugged everyone. They couldn't believe their eyes and neither could we. Can we have one month without having anything crazy happen around here? I used my magic to grab one of the corpses and levitated it over to our position. Now that I look closer, it does look different from a ponies body. I removed the glasses and the eyes were reptilian like. "Fluttershy, you think this is a bat pony?" I asked her. She shook her head and pointed to it's back. "It can't be a bat pony. It doesn't have any wings." She replied. I continued to check on what this creature is by removing it's suit. Under it was a reptile like body shape with scales and everything. It was cold to the touch. I shivered. "So it's a mix between pony and reptile. Anything in Equestria that matches that description Fluttershy?" I asked. She thought for a second then looked over the corpse again. After scanning every bit of it, Fluttershy shook her head. "Nothing in Equestria has a mix between pony and reptile. At least... not from what I know anyway." She whispered softly. Without thinking, I punched it's head in. Greenish yellow blood splattering everywhere. I was angry, okay? I couldn't hold it back anymore. "Maverick." I heard Celestia call out to me. I gasped and looked up. She was looking down at me with that same smile she had during her speech. "You have to be calm during times like these, no matter how angry you may seem. It's hard for me to not get angry at these intentions, especially Luna. She's probably yelling at one of her guards to find out who's responsible for these actions and have them executed." She giggled, "This is probably a one time thing so if anything like this happens again, I'll take this as a sign of war. I want all of you to return home and get some rest. You all did a great job with defending Canterlot from these creatures." We all quietly walked to the train, traumatized by the days events. I couldn't get the images out of my mind. Mares and stallions laying in green casts, dead. The poor foals who didn't make it through the attack. They never got to see how good life was. The train ride was dead silent the entire trip and beyond. When we got off, we all went different ways except Twilight, Spike, and I. No-one was outside making the trip less awkward for all of us. "Twilight... I-I don't know what to say." I murmured. She said nothing in return. She must be more traumatized then I was. The castle was quiet when we arrived. Her guards must've been informed on the events in Caterlot because they said nothing. We just went to our room and silently drifted to Luna's dreamscape, hoping to forget these events.
Chapter 2: Going HomeThe night came and went like a wave in the ocean. I didn't have any dreams nor did Twilight. It was strange. Luna was supposed to make sure everypony had dreams and keep them in check. I was bit freaked out to be honest. The sun shone through the blinds in the windows, hitting me right in the eyes. I quickly got up and covered them, cursing at how beautiful but painful the sun is. I looked around trying to find Twilight but she wasn't anywhere to be seen. I looked at the clock and it read 10:00 AM. It ticked in my head that she must be downstairs having breakfast with Spike and her student, Starlight Glimmer. Starlight's been staying with us for quite a while now and it seems that she won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Her lessons with Twilight have been phenomenal the past few months, surpassing even Twilight in some areas. She hasn't had the best track record though. Starlight was a mad dictator of a small town in the middle of nowhere because she wanted everyone to be equal, no one pony more special than the other. Twilight and her friends quickly freed them and set Starlight packing. She returned for vengeance against Twilight by stopping Rainbow Dash from doing the Sonic Rainboom, bringing all of them together. That plan failed for Twilight showed her the devastation that would happen if they never met. She quickly pulled herself together and apologised to them and the towns ponies. They accepted it and here we are now. I first went to the bathroom to freshen up. I didn't want Twilight to find another clot in my mane and get the comb. I didn't even want to think about it. I picked up the brush and started to brush my mane. You got to be kidding me! I found another clot in my mane. This is the fifth one this week! Why on earth does this happen?! I remembered what Pinkie Pie told me a few days ago about how to quickly deal with these clots. "Whenever I get clots in my mane, all I do is use peanut butter! My Nana Pinkie told me that the oils in peanut butter can soothe out any clumps, no matter how tough." I just shrugged it off because it sounded weird at the time. Seriously, who in their right mind wants to put peanut butter, a food product that is supposed to be sticky, in their mane? The more and more I struggled to get the clot out, I started to actually consider that solution. With one final tug, I put the brush down in frustration and walked downstairs to the kitchen. When I entered, my suspicions were answered. Twilight was sitting across the table from both Spike and Starlight. They all smiled at me and asked me to sit down with them for breakfast. "I'm not hungry at the moment but do you know where the peanut butter is at? I need it for a second." Starlight levitated it over to me with a simple "here you go." I thanked her and went back up to the bathroom. I grabbed the knife that was in it and got a small bit of peanut butter. I took a deep breath and hoped the smell wouldn't linger for too long. Levitating the knife in my magic, I started to apply the sticky condiment on the spot where my clot was and started to use the knife to rub it in. I didn't even have to use the brush to break it up because the knife did it for me. The clot was broken! I had to thank Pinkie later. I washed my mane so the peanut butter was gone and down the drain. I grabbed both the knife and peanut butter and went downstairs. Everyone was still there. "Hey Mav." Starlight said. I turned around and faced her. "Yes?" "You think I can have the peanut butter for a second? I want to put it on my toast." She asked. I levitated the items over to her and sat down next to Twilight. Twilight gave me a warm smile. I returned it. God, she can be cute at some times! She nuzzled me and inhaled deeply. It tickled. I let out a little giggle and she pulled back with a confused expression. "Maverick, why does your mane smell like peanut butter?" She asked, puzzled. I looked over to Starlight and she carried on without a care in the world. "Um, I put some of it in my mane because I had a clot and I may ot may not have used the knife to help." I chuckled softly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Starlight put down the piece of toast she had in her hooves and went to the trash can, spitting the rest she had in her mouth out. Spike burped. I groaned and faced him. "Come on Spike, it isn't that gross." My eyes widened when I saw that he hadn't gagged but had a scroll from Celestia. The seal wasn't red but yellow. That wasn't good. Celestia has different seal colors for different purposes. Red was a normal meeting, green was international affairs, purple was military, and yellow was urgent. Yellow was barely used. Spike opened it up quickly and read it. My dearest student, As you can see from the seal, this is an urgent request. I can't explain everything in this one letter so I want you to get the rest of your friends and report at the castle as soon as you can. The guards are on high alert but I told them to let you through. From, your teacher, Princess Celestia I looked towards Twilight and she had that face that I always feared of seeing again. It's the same face that she used when she realised Tirek had returned. She quickly got her saddle bags and ran out the door. "Twilight!" I grabbed Spike in my magic and ran after her. She was already at Rarity's boutique and had gotten her to join with her. I've never seen her run this fast since Tirek was attacking Manehatten! I put Spike on my back and continued to run faster, slowly catching up with her. Thwack! A door suddenly opened in front of me, knocking me out immediately. The darkness was all around me. Nothing felt safe. I looked around in all directions to find anything. Nothing. "Maverick," a voice called out to me from the darkness. That voice. It sounds... familiar. Then it clicked. Luna. "Listen to me. Tia and I had visions last night. They were not good. My sister will explain everything once you arrive but I just wanted to forewarn you of the adventure you're going to experience. See you when you arrive." She vanished. I woke up abruptly on some comfy seat cushions and looked out a window. We must be in a tunnel because I see nothing when I looked out it. I heard gasping from behind me. It was the rest of the six. How do I know? They do this almost everyday. It's annoying as hell. I turned around and saw all of them looking at me. "What? Is there something on my face?" I asked. Twilight squealed and hugged me tightly. And I mean tight! "Jeez Twilight, I was just knocked out!" I gasped out, hardly breathing. She loosened it a little bit and I took in a deep breath. "I know, but if you were hit hard enough, you could've been in a concussion or even a coma! I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. I'm sorry." Tears were flowing from her eyes as she spoke. I didn't expect this to have such a impact on her. Wether it was her being scared of losing me again or the entire thing about the attack the other day was beyond me, but her crying made me want to as well. I pulled her in and gave her a comforting hug. "Shh," I said, leaning into her ear, "I'm fine and that's all that matters." Her sobbing slowed and she pulled her head away with a smile. She mouthed, "Thank you," and gave me a peck on the lips, enlisting a giggle from me. I looked around and saw the rest talking to each other. Pinkie talked to Rainbow and Rarity talked to A.J and Fluttershy. I couldn't understand what they were talking about but by the confusion, it seemed it was about the meeting Celestia called us to. "You know Dashie," I overheard Pinkie say, "if those things that we saw yesterday weren't from Equestria, maybe they're aliens!" Dash just scoffed and looked outside. "Pinkie, there are no such thing's as aliens. You need to stop reading conspiracy theories about that stuff before you believe everything. They're probably just hybrids between a hydra and pony that went crazy." Pinkie snorted at Rainbow's reply, that smile never leaving her face. She pulled a book out of one of her bags and turned to a picture of a hydra. The picture was taken by Pinkie a long time by the date two years before my arrive. June 19, 20XX. It showed the large, four headed creature chasing them away from the Everfree Forest. The hydra was clearly the size of the redwood like trees. "Dashie, if it was hydra mix then it must've been a large mare. I don't even think hydras and ponies can breed anyway." I looked over and saw Fluttershy's ears pointed straight up. I did the same and heard a faint humming sound. It is the same one from the attack on Canterlot and apparently I wasn't the only one who noticed it this time. "Fluttershy, you hear that too?" I asked, making sure the rest could hear. She nodded. "Yes, I've been hearing it for about two minutes now and, until you said something, I thought I was hearing things." The train came to a screeching halt. Rarity, Applejack, and I were launched over to the other side of the coach with a loud bang. I got up slowly. Smoke filled the coach, making it harder to breathe and see. I casted a teleportation spell and got out of the train before I suffocated. When I left the teleport, I looked around at the surrounding area. Apparently, the entire front of the train was gone. I looked up and saw pegasi quickly closing in on the crashed locomotive. The closer they got, the more I realized that they were the best acrobatic and rescue team in Equestria. The Wonderbolts. I threw out a flare spell and they flew in my direction. Spitfire, the leader of the Wonderbolts, landed right in front of me as the others went to find any survivors in the wreck. "Are you okay sir? Can you tell me what happened here?" She questioned me in a calming tone. I was having a coughing fit, unable to speak. She grabbed a bottle of water she had in one of her bags and handed it to me. I grabbed it and drank it greedily. I took a deep breath and started to tell her what happened. "Me, my wife, and our friends were on our way to see Princess Celestia for an urgent meeting she requested a few minutes ago. When we got out of the tunnel, the train just stopped and my friends Applejack and Rarity were launched across the coach. I couldn't see anything when I got up for smoke filled the room before I got to look around and see if everypony was alright." She joted everything down on a notepad and then asked me what the what the meeting was about. I looked behind her to see the rest of the four she had pulling out two ponies per minute. Pretty fast compared to first responders on Earth. "She didn't say what it was for but we got on this train from Ponyville to reach Canterlot." She put that last bit of evidence down on the pad and went back to the rest of the Wonderbolts. The minutes passed, they didn't find anyone who I recognized from the wreckage and they waited for investigators to arrive on scene. When the investigators arrived, they were also accompanied by the royal chariot with Celestia in the back. Not only I, but also the Wonderbolts were surprised to see Celestia arrive at a crime scene. The chariot stopped in front of the train and Celestia got out with guards on all sides protecting her. She walked up to us and the Wonderbolts bowed. Celestia dismissed them. "Celestia, I-I don't know what happened! We were just riding the train one minute and then it was on fire the next! The couldn't find Twilight and the others! I didn't exp-" She stopped me, putting a hoof to my mouth. Her expression wasn't of anger or sadness, but grief. N-No! T-They can't be dead! They just can't! Tears stared to swell up in my eyes and sobs escaped my mouth. I had to look away. "Maverick," She whispered, "I know you're scared about Twilight and the others but I can assure you that they are not dead." I looked at her, sobbing slightly. "R-Really?" I sobbed. She put on her best comforting smile and nodded. I hugged her. She hugged me back. "Maverick, I need you to do something for me that will be completely classified for any other pony to listen too." "O-Of course Princess! What is it that you will have me do?" I asked her. She told me that I had to go back to Earth and gather allies in help if we were uncover who or what is under the attacks on Equestria. I agreed and gave her a salute, telling her that I wouldn't let her down. "Glad to hear! Now I understand that it will take some time before you find help for our cause but I believe that it shouldn't be too hard for you." She giggled, adding magic to her horn and allowing a blue warp gate open in the middle of the grassy field. I looked one last time before going into the gate to my home. Time for me go home and find help. Twilight, I will find you and our friends too.
Chapter 3: HomeboundThe trip through the warp gate felt... weird but comforting at the same time. It felt like the one I was in when I was heading to Equestria all that time ago. It's still fresh in my mind. I was sitting in my bedroom after a long day of work at J.F.K. International Airport working on Boeing 747s and other types of aircraft. This was three days after Princess Cadence arrived at my front door and asked to see the six, who had been living in the spare bedroom for the past month, and took them back to their world. I would cry from time to time knowing that my great friends were gone and would never come back. I would sometimes pray to God for another chance to meet them. However, I knew that it wouldn't come to fruition. Or so I thought. It was a quiet and practicality boring Wednesday evening. No planes came in for repairs or tune ups, which I almost mastered. After my shift was done, I drove down to the closest Burger King, got a Whopper combo with a medium Coke, and went home. I ate the burger and fries on the way home due to a traffic jam on Fifth avenue. I got home an hour after going off shift. The house wasn't any different from the rest in the neighborhood so it wasn't special. A buzzing noise pulled me from my daydream. I looked around. Still in the warp. I didn't remember that it took this long to exit the warp. I then heard someone calling my name. "Doctor Whooves?" I said outloud. The doctor and I have been friends even before I became a pony. He was like a brother to me, letting me stay with him 'till I found Twilight, fed me good food, you name it! What caught my attention about the brown coated pony was his likeness to Doctor Who, my second favorite t.v. show. He seemed to be based off the tenth doctor by his appearance. The doctor even showed me his tardis! "Maverick!" He yelled, "If you were heading back to Earth, you just missed your exit about ten kilometers back!" He pulled his tardis in front of me and put his hoof out. "Grab on!" I grabbed his hoof and he pulled me in. Though the outside looks like a normal tardis, the inside is completely different. It's like a laboratory in there! He closed the door and locked it, walking back to me. "Well, thanks for coming at the time you did! I was in a bit of a daydream and I lost focus on my surroundings." I chuckled slightly. He started to walk to a big control console in the middle of the room. "Well that's all fine and dandy but I'm wondering what in Equestria you're doing out in this rift? It's quite dangerous with Celestia knows what flying out here." I remembered that Celestia didn't want anypony knowing about my mission. I didn't want to lie to him, he would see right through it. I sighed and told him the truth. "I'm not allowed to tell anypony. Celestia sent me on a mission but that's all I'm saying." I told him sternly. Doctor Whooves stopped and turned around. He had the expression of a toddler who's about to play with his first toy. "A secret mission by the princess herself?! That's fantastic! I wonder what your mission is? Assassinate an Earth leader, conquer the planet and take it for ponykind? Oh! maybe-" I stopped him short. I know he's a scientist and "time lord" but my god he can be annoying. "Doctor! Please, I'm on a tight schedule here and if I don't get to Earth right now, Equestria could be in big trouble!" I yelled. I didn't want to yell at him but the only way I can get my point across to his thick skull is if I did so. He snapped out his guessing game and hurriedly went over to the console of controls and turned a few knobs and pulled a few levers. "Much apologies Maverick. Where on Earth do you want to be dropped off at?" He apologised. I told him it didn't matter where I was placed as long as it was near a city. He pushed a few buttons, set a few knobs and pulled a big red lever on the middle of the console. The tardis shook slightly and it shifted to the left. The first time I was traveling with the doc was when he wanted me to test the latest upgrade for his tardis. That was five months ago. When I was still a human. I felt like I was re-taking my private pilot exam just in a remade telephone box. "So when do you think we'll arrive on Earth?" I asked the doctor. He was looking at a repurposed clock that would estimate the time of arrival in a warp. The time read 9:17 PM. "By my calculations I would estimate that we'll be on Earth..." The tardis stopped suddenly. I fell to the ground by the unexpected stop. "right about now." The ground hurts. My face hurts. Why must the floor be made of metal? I got up and stretched my neck to make sure I'm still able to move it. A twinge of pain shot through the left side. Damn, I sprained my neck! The door opened and a blast of cold wind shot in, making me shiver. I lit up my horn and teleported a jacket from my closet back in Equestria on my body. Normally, I wouldn't mind the cold but I haven't been on Earth in a while so my body isn't adjusted to the temperature. The warmth surrounding my body feels very comforting, almost soothing. I thanked Doctor Whooves for the ride and walked out. On the way out, I heard him talk to himself. "Hm, that's strange. Why do I smell peanut butter all of a sudden?" I quickened my pase so he didn't question me. The door closed behind me and the tardis teleported away. I looked around and saw that I was in an alleyway. I didn't know what city I was in but it seemed like a very populace city due to the size of the buildings and roads. Speaking of roads, the street signs were not in english. Dorfstraße? The only language that has that is German. I believe straße means street if I'm not mistaken. I was shaken out of my thought by gun shots from my left. I just then released that no-one was outside on the street. It felt unsettling. The shots only got more and more repetitive as explosions were also brought into the mix. I was fighting with self conscious about what to do about the situation. Eventually, fight beat flight as I flew over to the combat zone. The flight took only but thirty seconds before I was fired upon. I quickly landed behind a parked car on the side of the road and peaked out. POP! another shot zoomed by my head. I had an idea; a risky one at that. I focused on my magic and casted an sheild spell in front of me. Using the emerald green shield that I casted, I walked out from my cover to be immediately fired upon once again. I did this for two reasons; one, to get out of my easily flankable position, and two, to see who was attacking me. Humans; of course it was Humans. There's four of them and, by their equipment, I would say they're military. The bullets were bouncing off my shield like it was a bouncy castle. I wasn't gonna last long out in the open like this. I ran over to the other side of the street and took cover behind a building. Getting rid of the shield, I took a peak around the corner again. One of them were gone. I tried to move out of cover, but everytime I tried to move I would be shot at to stay where I was. Damn! I'm pinned! THUMP! I quickly turned around too see the missing soldier run towards me. He was a big, bulky Caucasian male with black hair. If I had to guess his height at that moment, I would say he's probably over six feet tall. I was paralyzed with fear as running to me. He flipped the assault rifle in his hands rammed the butt of his stock into my face, knocking me out immediately.
