Sins Of A Solar Empire: Price Of Peace

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Omake - Milk - NSFW - Read if you want, but have some sulphuric acid ready
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Omake - Tea Time With A God

Chapter 1

All was quiet and calm in the Everfree Forest during night. Barely a noise could be heard. Princess Luna looked around her, satisfied. Once the moon had been raised, she found some free time for herself and she had decided to take to the skies. Wind ruffled her wings as she darted through the dark skies and she felt thrilled to fly again. She gazed at the sky above her, where a myriad of stars glittered magnificently and sighed contentedly. Truly, night was a wonderful time. Her attention was drawn to a star that flashed brightly once, leaving a cluster of smaller lights in its wake. Puzzlement overtook the young alicorn’s mind. Her confusion only grew as minutes later, a small ball of fire descended from the skies, roaring as it ploughed through the trees and hitting a pond in the Evefree Forest. Her curiosity growing by the moment, she decided to contact her sister before doing anything. With any luck, Celestia was still awake and her thoughts would be heard.

Celestia? Celestia! BIG SISTER!

Mhhyes? What is it, Luna? Is something wrong?

I’m not really sure. I saw something crash in the Everfree Forest.

Very well, I shall assemble the Royal Guard at once. Should I get Twilight Sparkle to help us as well?

Better safe than sorry, Tia. I’ll wait for you at the forest. Be careful.

Elsewhere

Galanthus was a disaster. From the hundreds-strong fleet that was stationed there, only dozens remained, badly mauled and scattered everywhere. Vasari technological prowess was unmatched. Once the phase lane had been established, hundreds of Vasari cruisers and frigates had poured through. The defenders didn’t stand a chance. They ran, leaving the Galanthus undefended and ripe for taking. After eliminating all resistance, the Vasari enslaved the planet’s population. Despite their efforts, small groups of dissidents banded together and called themselves the Ghosts of Galanthus, raiding the Vasari factories and inconvened them in any way possible.

But this story is not about the brave rebels, or the constant struggle for freedom. This story is about Battlegroup 71 and their defence of Equestria.

Phase space

Battlegroup 71

Flagship Onto the Stars

Smoke filled the air, an acrid smell of burnt plastics and wires, the metallic tang of spilt blood suffusing it. Numerous bridge crew ran around, administering first aid to injured crewmen and helping to put out the fires. Commander Weaver looked around her grimly, reading the flickering screens as the damage reports from across the fleet poured in “All ships, report in! The damage is too severe to be taken care of while we’re in transit, so we’ll have to drop out in realspace! Acknowledge?”

The captains of the fleet responded curtly, awaiting her order. A minute later, she triggered the fleet-wide order, and the phase drives of sixteen Trader and Asli ships cut out, and, with a rumble, the constantly swirling lights of phase space was replaced by the deep black of space. The sonorous drone of the phase drives quieted down and sub-light drives took over, automatically levelling the ships out. For now, they were safe and could proceed with repairs.

Three hours later

War Room

Onto The Stars

The door opened with a quiet hiss and Weaver looked up, seeing the casual figure of Lieia Grisova step through and she let her shoulders slump a bit. Grisova was a much-celebrated EXO captain, able to turn the tide of battles on her own, but often had trouble following orders. Many hated her, others venerated her. What mattered now was whether she’d follow Weaver’s request. Grisova saluted her casually.

“Ma’am.”

“Grisova. Take a seat.”

“Nah, I’m good. Ma’am.”

“…Right, then. I’ve got a little task for you, Captain. We’re in orbit of a planet, but it’s not on our charts. I ran a search on Asli and Asahi charts. Nothing showed up. I need you to drop down on the surface and do some recon, ‘cause I’m not ruling out the chance that there is sentient life down there.”

“Right.”

“Well, since your EXO is still in repair, take one of the Seven-Tens, ‘kay?” Seven-Ten was a massive exoskeleton, heavily armoured, designed for protracted campaigns and rated for orbital drops.

“Gotcha, commander. When do I leave?” Weaver bristled, the EXO’s disrespectful attitude getting the better of her.

“Immediately, Captain.” Lieia flashed a smug grin, clearly pleased with getting a rise out of Weaver, but she left nonetheless.

Ten minutes later

Hangar bay 6

The floor shook as Lieia walked over to the hangar doors. The two huge plates of metal opened a fraction, letting her through as she clambered clumsily over the hull, and kicked off a moment later, hurtling towards the planet, impacting a large forest minutes later.

Luna glanced uncertainly at the strange contraption lying in the crater. It was dull grey, but covered in soot, which was reasonable. She landed softly near the edge, glancing around her. Everfree Forest was never a safe place, even less so at night. Carefully, she descended towards the strange thing, taking care not make any noise, hoping nothing would-Wrmmmmmmmm.

The contraption lit up, multiple beams of bright light coming from it. The ground trembled as it started to move. Luna leapt out with a yelp, taking refuge behind a boulder and peered over the edge, just as a massive, grey paw appeared on the rim, and with a grunt, it hauled itself out, standing up to its full height. It seemed lost, muttering in a quiet voice, then turned and walking away, earth shaking with every step, when Luna sneezed, unable to tolerate the dust the machine left in its wake. In an instant, it turned around, and held something in its arms, pointing the device directly at the boulder and shouted authoritatively “Come out. Now! And no funny tricks!” Trembling, Luna decided to comply. She took several shaky steps and only now she could truly appreciate the strange machine’s size. Twice as tall as a manticore, with entire body covered in grey armour plates. After several excruciatingly long seconds, the machine eased off, placing its device on its back, and Luna noticed that the being had a window of sorts near its top. Could be there someone inside the machine? She felt reasonably certain that that was the case, when a loud hiss and a cloud of steam later, the window slid upwards and the machine’s occupant leapt out and now that she could see it clearly, she decided to introduce herself “Um, hello. My name’s Luna. Who are you?”

There were things Coalition Marine Corps taught to you. How to create an improvised shelter, how to forage for food if your rations ran out or were lost, how to survive when stuck behind enemy lines, among other things, and she’d seen stuff no amount of training could prepare for, but this topped ‘em all. Snapping out of her thoughts, she returned her attention to Luna “Uh… hey. Name’s Lieia. Uh, hang on for a sec.” She turned around, climbing back in the Seven-Ten and picked up the microphone “Overlord, Overlord, this is Gold Lead, do you copy?”

“This is Overlord, report in, Gold Lead.”

“Overlord, I have established first contact with a local inhabitant. It’s a horse, speaks our language as well.”

“…Say again, Gold Lead?”

Chapter 2

Luna looked quizzically at Lieia “I’m sorry, but what sort of creature are you?”

“Human.”

“Oh! Are there more of you?”

“Why are you asking?”

“Just curious.” She seemed uncomfortable.

“Well, do you have a leader or something I could talk to? I’m sorta lost. I ain’t exactly familiar with this place.”

“Currently, you’re in the Everfree Forest.”

“A’ight. Go on.”

“If you wish to see Princess Celestia, you can just wait here. I notified her a while earlier when I saw you crash here.”

Lieia nodded “Makes sense. So, why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?”

Luna opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a loud crash that rocked the trees nearby. Instantly, Lieia’s Seven-Ten’s canopy snapped shut and she pulled out her weapon, aiming it around “Better get to cover, lady. Shit’s about to go down.”

“But-“

“Now. GO!”

Luna decided to comply, dashing off between the trees, but turned around, trying to see what got the human so spooked.

Lieia looked around, aiming the ‘Backbreaker’ chaingun at the massive beast that just emerged from the freshly created crater, groaning as she recognized it. Marines called them ‘Maulers’, due to the massive amount of destruction they were capable of. Heavily armoured and terribly strong, the beasts wrecked everything in their path. If Vasari had decided to unleash one, things would go all the way to hell in a fancy paper hat. The beast roared, charging at her and she wasted no time to fill it with lead.

Hidden behind a tree, Luna watched, horrified as the human stood her ground, her massive weapon ripping chunks of flesh from the beast’s body. Heedlessly, the beast slammed in her, knocking the weapon from her grasp. Lieia tried to push it off her, but its huge paws kept raking across the armour plates, gouging them. Luna saw one of the hands hammer on the beast’s head relentlessly, forcing it to back away. Lieia stood up groggily “That’s it. The kiddie gloves are coming off.” Although Luna was confused by the remark, she clearly saw that the human was angered. She drew a massive knife from a slot on her armour, and charged at the beast as it tried to do the same. The clash shook the earth and Lieia slammed her fist in its throat. The beast responded by lunging at her, but she sidestepped, carving its side open with her knife, then kicking its knee in. The loud roar cause Luna to flinch, but she was more horrified by the casual act of brutality, and saw Lieia arm herself with another weapon, clamber on the beast’s back and unload a hail of projectiles at the small of the back of the beast.

Lieia cackled as the quad-barrelled shotgun roared, sending buckshot after buckshot in the pain train’s flesh. Blood was flying everywhere. The air shook with the beast’s pained roars. Finally, the shotgun ran dry and Lieia tossed it away, leaping off the grievously wounded thing as it tried to rise and strike back at her. She punched it, and again and again, never letting up, until the ground around her was slick with dark purple blood. The beast finally gave up, slumping on the ground with a pitiful groan. Lieia climbed atop its back again, calling to Luna “It’s all clear now, kiddo! You can come out now!” Cautiously, she walked out in the clear, speechless at the scene before her. Lieia grabbed the beast by its horns and twisted its head violently as it pawed at the ground feebly.

“Wh-what are you doing, human?”

“Breaking its neck, of course. This thing is too dangerous to be kept alive.”

“No! Why do you want to kill it? You have already defeated it!”

“Too risky to keep it on a leash.” She wrenched the head again.

“What’s this?”

“Oh, Celestia, thank heavens you’ve come! The human’s trying to kill it!”

“Leave that animal alone!”

“Yeah, how ‘bout no?”

“Do as I say!”

“Stop her! Please, Celestia!”

“I won’t repeat myself!”

“Almost there…”

Lieia doubled her efforts, and then, there was a dull crack, muffled by skin and flesh. The beast twitched once, and then laid still, its last breath issuing as a bloody gurgle from its lungs. Luna felt sick immediately, and emptied her stomach contents on the ground.

“Ugggg… What on Equestria possessed you to kill it?”

“These things are dangerous on their own, but even more so when wounded. Right then, now that that’s over with, I need to find out how the Vasari already got here.” She turned around, setting up a comms link, when she found herself turning back against her will. “What the…?” She came face to face with Luna, who was scowling at her angrily.

“Answer me! Why would you kill a defenceless animal?”

“Lady, you better let me go if you don’t want this to turn ugly.” Lieia could hear the servos whine in protest as she struggled to break the magical shackles placed on her, even as the one called Celestia landed lightly by her side and a number of other horses leapt out of a flying chariot that landed behind them, all of them staring at the massive exoskeleton with various degrees of worry and surprise. Lieia tried flailing about once more, and got lucky. Luna could no longer maintain the spell, and gave up, letting Lieia to crash on the ground.

“Ow. And thanks.” She hauled herself upwards, looking around for her chaingun and found it nearly buried in dirt. Shaking it clean, she reconnected its ammo belt to it, holstered it and turned to the ponies “Right then. So, what is this all about?” Celestia glowered at her for a moment, and then decided to respond “My name’s Princess Celestia and I rule over Equestria with my sister, Luna. May I ask what brings you here?”

“Well, I’m here on a recon mission. That’s all I can say.”

“Oh. But I must ask, why did you kill that poor animal?”

Lieia snorted “Poor? Those things can kill hundreds of troopers on their own. Takes a lot of effort to kill one of these, even if you got a tank squadron with you.”

“Even so, it was a terrible thing to do!”

“You really think that being nice to enemies on battlefield will help? That’s so naïve. You hesitate for one second, either someone dies or you do.”

Celestia scowled “I’m afraid I can’t just let you wander around. Please come to the Canterlot with us. I need to know more about you.” The words raised a red flag in Lieia’s mind at once.

“Yeah, right, I’ll have to say no to that.” She slowly reached for the chaingun, but Celestia froze her in place.

“I’m afraid it isn’t up for discussion. Please do not resist.”

“Princess Celestia? What’s happening?” A pony with lavender-coloured coat ran up to Celestia, breaking her concentration, and Lieia was finally able to grab her weapon, aiming it at the startled princesses “I’m pretty sure I’ve outstayed my welcome here. Overlord, do you read me? I need immediate teleport out of here!” The comms system hissed blankly.

“I say again, Overlord, I need evac right now!”

Ssssssssssssss

“Fiddlesticks.”

“Human, it’d be better in your own interests to surrender peacefully.”

“Name’s Lieia, princess. And no, I won’t just hand myself over to ya. That’s not the EXO way.”

“I insist that you stand down.”

Lieia took a step back “Not gonna happen.” She charged at the two princesses, trying to scare them.

“GET OUTTA MY WAY, THE TWO O’ YEZ!” The gamble worked, and the princesses leapt out of the lumbering machine. Celestia frowned, then turned to her lavender-coloured companion “Twilight, be so kind and retrieve her for us.” She nodded and teleported away at once.

Lieia backhanded a tree out of the way, and strode on further, trying to put as much distance as possible between the pony folk and herself, all the while trying to contact the battlegroup in orbit, when a bright flash filled the cockpit. Yelling something incomprehensible, she veered off, tearing down another two trees before she righted herself and saw she had a guest.

“You should have listened to the princess, you know.”

Lieia started to say something, but then Twilight teleported her out. The thing is, Seven-Ten is one of the most advanced pieces of equipment used by the TAC forces. To use it to its full extent, one must undergo surgery for a neural lace implant that grants the user a heightened sense of awareness, effectively uniting the user and the suit. If one were suddenly disconnected from it, one would experience severe pain. Such was the case when Twilight Sparkle teleported the obdurate human out of her Seven-Ten.

Luna looked around, still in a shock from the fight she’d witnessed, when she saw Twilight Sparkle arrive with the human. She seemed lost.

Lieia looked around her blearily, and then felt the pain she’d been warned of. It felt like someone was driving a white-hot drill through her head. She fell to her knees, clawing at the back of her head. A shrill cry of pain broke through her teeth. It felt like someone was pouring acid over her brains. Thankfully, she passed out from the pain a moment later, just as Celestia reached her, both surprised and horrified at her pained expression “Twilight, what did you do to her?”

“Nothing! I simply teleported her out of there! I’ve no idea what happened to her! We must get her to a hospital at once!”

“I concur, sister! Take care of her, while I transport her armour to Canterlot for studying.” Celestia nodded, lifting Lieia’s motionless body with her magic and carried her into the chariot and took off towards the hospital of Ponyville.

Chapter 3

The pegasi-drawn carriage came to a halt outside the hospital and Celestia rushed inside, the unconscious human in her grasp. Wasting no time, she explained what had happened in the Everfree Forest, and the doctors laid her down in an empty bed, then ushered her out of the room and there she waited.

An hour later, Luna, Twilight and her friends arrived, and Luna spoke to her sister “I’ve taken care of her machine. How is she?”

Celestia shook her head “I have no idea. The doctors have been in there for an hour. Twilight, are you unharmed? After seeing the pain the human went through, I don’t want to see something like that to happen to you as well.”

“Well, I’m not really feeling anything. Maybe this was her first teleportation. I’ve been trying to dig up whatever I can, but I’ve found nothing so far.”

Celestia nodded, feeling rather uneasily, when the doctors came out “You may come in now.”

Twilight gasped “Is she alive?”

One of the doctors nodded “Yes, her condition is fine, but she did go through a great deal of pain. We’ve tried to discern the reason of it, but so far, we’ve been unsuccessful. We did, however, find something strange about her.” He rolled her over and pointed to the back of her neck. “See this? We think she was connected to that machine of hers you told us about, Princess, and when Twilight Sparkle teleported her out of it, well, this happened. For now, I think it’s best to keep her asleep.”

“I agree with him, sister.”

“But, princess, how can we find out anything out about her?”

Celestia thought about it for a minute, and then her horn lit up with magic. “There might just be a way.” She said slowly.

“Are you sure this will be safe, princess?”

“Perfectly, Twilight. We’ll be able to see her memories, but she will not suffer from it in any way.” She placed her horn on Lieia’s forehead and concentrated for a moment, then pulled back “There, that should do it.” A sphere of light was forming in the room, and as it cleared, they could hear a voice, and they could see an image that was obviously drawn from Lieia’s memories.

“Lieia, what’s taking you so long? I’m not gonna wait for you much longer!”

“Sheesh, Cara, calm down! I’ll be down in a moment!” Lieia shouted out through the window, fighting to get her shoes on. “Alright, I’m ready-Whoa, Cara, you see that?” A fiery yellow beam of energy was hitting the ground in the distance.

“I’m not falling for that, lil’ sister!”

“I’m serious! Something bad’s happening!” Another beam of energy hit the ground, creating a small tremor, and Cara finally looked behind her.

“What the hell…?” Another beam shot from the sky, much closer, making the whole house rumble and shake.

“Lieia! Get out of the house! We have to go! Now!” A swarm of fliers were now descending, firing at everything that caught their eye. One of them landed nearby, disgorging a number of soldiers that advanced towards the house, and Cara turned to Lieia “Now listen to me, ok? Get in the car and drive away from here, as fast as you can! Get to the spaceport!”

“B-but what about you?”

“I’ll delay them as long as possible, or they’ll get you as well! Now go!” She rummaged through her pockets, finding the keys and giving them to Lieia, and then took a length of pipe from the boot. “Lieia, get in the damn car!” They could hear alien voices, and one of the aliens came around the corner. Instantly, Cara swung with her pipe, dropping the alien like a sack of potatoes, following up with three more blows, before picking up its weapon.

“Lieia, get the hell out of here!” She turned around, just as a green bolt of energy hit her in the back. She managed to stay on her knees.

“LIEIA! GO!” Cara shouted, her voice hoarse with pain. Another bolt hit her, and she dropped. The fear that seemed to held her in place was suddenly gone and she quickly got in the car, started it and took off, driving as fast as she could, heading to the nearest spaceport. After a couple of minutes, her netphone rang, and she quickly answered “Yes?”

“Lieia, is that you?”

“Mom? Mom! Thank god you’re alive!”

“Lieia, is Cara there?”

“No. She… she… she’d dead, mom.”

“Oh no… Lieia, listen to me. Where are you?

“I’m heading towards spaceport.”

“Good, keep going and don’t stop. We’re trying to get there as well, but if we’re not there, don’t wait for us.”

“No, Mom, I’m not leaving you! Where’s Dad?”

“He’s right here. I’ll put him on.”

“Dad? Please hurry. I’ll wait for you both when I arrive.”

“Lieia, we’ll try our best to get there, but you must get on a ship and get out of here. Promise me you will. If you stay here, you’ll die.”

“I… I will, Dad.”

“That’s my girl. Goodbye, Lieia.” The phone went dead, and she returned her attention to the road. Among the way, she picked up several other fleeing people. No one knew what was happening. After an hour, she pulled up by the gates to the spaceport, and felt the ground tremble as a cargo freighter took off, its holds filled with refugees. Immediately, a squadron of old fighters fell in formation around it, providing a degree of safety while it took to orbit. Another ship lighted off as well, following the freighter. Lieia got out, and took off full-pelt, scanning the crowd of people, trying to find her parents. She tried to slow down, but the jostling crowd swallowed her, carrying her along in the cavernous belly of another freighter. Once inside, she found a window and desperately scanned the milling crowds for any sign of her parents. Minutes later, the ship shook as its engines started up, and slowly, almost reluctantly, it rose into air. The fighter escort returned, bearing scars of fierce fighting. She felt like someone had punched her in the gut. The dreadful knowledge that she’d never see her family again finally hit her and she slumped against the wall, tears running down her cheeks, as the heavily laden ship took to space.

The memory faded as it came to an end, leaving the equine spectators speechless. Applejack spoke first.

“Wow… Ah certainly didn’t expect that.”

Twilight nodded in agreement.

“You can say that again, Applejack. Princess Celestia? Your thoughts?”

“I think we’re making a decision too fast, Twilight. We know next to nothing about her. We need to look further in her mind.”

“I agree, but after what I saw, I have a feeling she’s suffered much. But it’s the only way.”

Celestia nodded, then returned to the sphere and brought up another memory.

The streets on Marivan, capital of Galanthus were full of people. Everyone was gazing at the vast screens hovering in the air. They announced the death of last of the Alexi blood, leaving the Trade Order leaderless. But, good news was also spread. Lord-General Denaros Wersian had recently established the Trader Emergency Coalition, bringing the Trader worlds united under a single banner. As if that wasn’t enough, the first Trader Defence Navy battleship had scored a decisive victory against the Vasari. Everyone was cheering. In addition, a widely-known Trader merchant by the name of Lucius Mannacher was dedicating his entire wealth to the Coalition. He was giving a fiery speech right here on Galanthus at this very moment.

“Our only option for survival is the Coalition!” shouted the elderly man, raising supportive roars from the onlookers. He slammed his fist on the pulpit in his front.

“We all must do our part, no matter how small or insignificant! All of it will help our war effort! Seek out your local recruitment station, fellow people! I know I will!” This raised more cheers from the crowd.

True to his word, Lucius Mannacher did enlist, distinguishing himself as an able logistics officer, ensuring every soldier was equipped with everything he needed.

Lieia watched the spectacle from distance. Truly, she couldn’t wait to reach her turn. She had nothing left in this world, but she would fight. Her parents would approve, she guessed. She would fight to save humanity.

The next memory revealed them how Lieia saved one of Asli, establishing a friendship with her, the celebration following liberation of the Asli homeworld. Everyone gasped when the human went after the downed fighter without a second thought. Shortly after, the memory ended.

“Um, princess? Can I say something? If that’s, um, okay with you…”

“Go ahead, Fluttershy.”

“Well, we’ve all seen that she’s a good person, right? She saved somepony’s life, after all.” The other ponies nodded, but Rainbow Dash interrupted. “Hold on, now! We all saw what she did to that animal back at the Everfree Forest! I say she’s dangerous and should be locked up! Who’s to say that she won’t attack us?” Twilight took a step forward. “Rainbow Dash, tell me what you thought about the Daring Do book when you were stuck in the hospital?”

“How is this relevant, Twilight?”

“Just answer the question.”

“…I hated it.”

“Indeed you did. And tell me, what did you think of it when you had read it?”

“That it was, in fact, a very good book.”

“You liked it so much that you snuck back in the hospital, didn’t you?”

“…I did.” The admission wasn’t easy for the cyan pegasus.

“Well, then, that taught you not to judge a book by its cover, right?”

“So, you mean we should try to know the human better?”

“Exactly. I’ve been noticing that she is unconsciously resisting the spell Princess Celestia used to see her memories. Not exactly the best way to gain someone’s trust, is it?”

“Certainly not, my student. One more memory, and then we’ll take her to the castle.”

Lieia shoulder-rammed the Vasari soldier in the boulder, swiftly ending his life and turned her attention to the rest of his squad, who were madly firing their weapons at her. She noted, with a sort of grim satisfaction, that her shields had dropped only by two percent. She laughed when they unhooked their close-quarters weapons and charged at her. She took a step back, pulled out her dagger and started systematically slaughtering them. She bisected one, impaled another two and backhanded the others across the battlefield. Lost in the haze of close combat induced frenzy, she looked around, finding one left alive. She advanced on him, raising her left hand and curling it in a fist. The terrified alien didn't even manage to say something before a hail of bullets ripped his body apart. With a sigh, he fell, landing face-first in a pool of his own blood. Alerted, she looked around, until found the culprit - a white-armoured woman with compact, wrist-mounted machine guns. She took off her helmet and Lieia's heart stopped for a moment.

It was Cara.

Moments later, she enveloped her sister in a crushing hug.

"Hey, hey, hey! AaaaAAAARK! Stop that! You're breaking my back!" Lieia nearly squealed, unable to contain her joy.

Lieia finally stopped crushing her sister and lowered her back on ground "I thought you were dead! I mean, I saw you get shot!"

Cara shrugged "I did. Turned out, it was some kind of a stun charge. Look, I don't want to talk about it. It was bad enough already. For now, let's just be happy that we're both alive and kicking ass."

"I hear that! Let's go!" Together, they charged off towards the enemy line, more and more troops following in their wake as the final Vasari stronghold fell under assault.

“Well, that’s it for today, then. We’ll see you tomorrow, Twilight.”

“Very well, princess. Until tomorrow, then!”

Chapter 4

Lieia awoke with a start. The last thing she remembered was the purple pony somehow snatching her outta the Seven-Ten. She took a look around her. She was in a cell, lying on a bed. Strangely enough, it was soft. Then it came to her.

She was in prison.

Quietly, she crawled over to the door. Unsurprisingly, it was locked, and the door handle was terribly hot. Suckling her singed fingers, she looked around, trying to find a way out. A single window was in one of the walls, but thick iron bars blocked it. Sighing, she ran a quick inventory check. It came to her as no small surprise that her revolver was still in place. They hadn’t even bothered to check her for weapons. She cast another look around the cell, when an idea came to her. She took out her knife, slicing the mattress in long strips, weaving it in a rope. Next, she took her clothes off, stuffing them with the filling and hanging the whole thing from the chandelier. Now, she waited, and as she crouched in wait, she realized that a dungeon cell wasn’t the best place for someone in underwear. Luckily, she heard someone coming down the stairs, and stop by her door.

“Right, then, don’t try anything… foolish… Oh, Celestia!” The unicorn guard shouted, unlocking the door and rushing inside the cell, lowering the dummy from the chandelier, but was knocked out instantly as Lieia pounced on him, but then she heard a voice right behind her.

“You’ve got nowhere to run, human!”

Had it only been a voice, she might have succeeded in her escape, but she’d be questioning her own sanity afterwards. Alas, the voice also had magic, and it didn’t hesitate to bind her legs and arms at once, leaving her thrashing on the floor wildly.

Celestia looked at the silently seething human. “You certainly are very resourceful. But please, trust me when I say we mean you no harm. Please, tell me who are you and how you found our world.”

“Lieia Grisova, Captain of 3rd EXO Company, Trader-Asli Coalition Marine Corps Service Number 2566-891-683-8990.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Name, rank and service number. That’s all you’ll get from me.”

“Hum-Lieia, please, talk to me. I’m not going to harm you.”

“Riiight. I’m supposed to believe that? My head still feels like someone is having at it with a jackhammer.”

“I truly didn’t mean for that to happen. Please, talk to me. You don’t have to fear us.”

“Lieia Grisova, Captain of 3rd EXO Company, Trader-Asli Coalition Marine Corps Service Number 2566-891-683-8990.”

Celestia sighed. This was going nowhere. Casting one last look at the human, she left, trying to decide what to do with her, meeting Luna just outside her bedroom.

“Oh, hello, Luna. Where are you going to?”

“Hello, Celestia! I was going to talk to our guest, see if I can coax something out of her.”

“Good luck with that. She tricked the guards in her attempt to escape, and she might just well have gotten away.” Celestia explained how she Lieia had done it. “She didn’t say anything to me, either, except for her name, rank and service number of her armed forces.”

“Wish me luck, then!” With that, Luna cantered off.

Luna arrived at Lieia’s cell and knocked on it. “Hello? Are you awake?”

Silence.

“I must say, that was a fine trick you pulled on the guards. Serves them right for not being more thorough.”

More silence.

“Human, are you there?” She peeked through the small hatch, and her heart stopped for a moment.

The human had killed herself, hanging from the chandelier. Without a second thought, she tore the door open, rushing inside and lowered the human on the ground and placed her ear to her chest, listening to pulse. She felt something cold press against her neck.

“Unless you want to find out what colour your blood is, I suggest you do exactly as I say.”

Oh, horsefeathers.

Lieia stalked over to the door, slamming it shut, and got out of the rope harness. The neck loop was only for distraction. She turned to the trembling princess. “A’ight then. Where’s my rig?”

“What?”

“My armour? The Seven-Ten?”

“In a storage area.”

“Take me there. Now.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Need to get back to HighCom. I got a report to send in. Right, then. Lead the way, miss.” She gestured with the knife. “C’mon, I ain’t got all day.”

“Uh, okay.” Luna concentrated for a moment, teleporting them both to the storage room where Lieia’s armour was kept.

“What the-Oh. Now that’s handy.” Her eyes caught sight of the armour, and without much ado, she leapt in and started it up. “Oh, baby, momma’s missed you! Say, lady, could ya point me to a door big enough for me?”

“I teleported your equipment here. I’m afraid there are no doors big enough for you here.”

“Well, sorry, but I must get out of here. Vasari ain’t known for doodling around.”

“Perhaps if you would trust me again, I could teleport you outside the castle.”

“No. I’ll just make my own exit.” Turning her chaingun on the wall, she unleashed a hail of bullets, tearing a hole in the wall. Luna stared at Lieia, who waved at her. “See ya! Or not. We’ll see how things turn out.” Luna didn’t even have a chance to warn her that the castle was pretty high up from ground. “OH FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaahhh…!” A distant thud could be heard. Horrified, Luna ran over to the wall, looking downwards. Much to her surprise, Lieia was already running away, heading for the Everfree Forest.

“Luna, what is happening here? Why is there a hole in the wall? Wait, don’t tell me she…?” Celestia appeared at her side.

“Yes, she did. She pulled that trick of hers again, forced me to teleport her here, then she put a hole in the wall and ran off.”

“How exactly did she get you to do it?”

“She put a knife to my throat, sister. It is not something you ignore.”

“Ah. Well, she’s certainly far more resourceful than even our best guards. But I can’t leave her running around free and unchecked. Send the guards out to find her.” Luna nodded, running off to gather the Royal Guard, while Celestia gazed at the retreating figure.

“Overlord, Overlord, this is Gold Leader, please come in!”

“Gold Leader, this is Overlord, where the hell have you been? We lost contact with you shortly after you reported your contact with the indigenous folk down there.”

“Yeah, well, things escalated pretty quickly. Also, I found a Mauler down here, but it’s dead for a while now.”

“We suspected as much. A small Vasari recon fleet arrived here as well, not long after you left for surface. We managed to destroy it before they could escape, but we have to withdraw. The battlegroup is in serious need of repairs. Suffice to say, we can’t retrieve you at the moment, but we can send you some supplies down.”

“I’ll take what I can get. A dropship with an LRV, some fresh food wouldn’t be amiss either. And a squad or two, perchance?”

“You got it, Gold Leader, reinforcements coming down soon as you mark a location.”

“Roger that, Overlord.” She ran through the small town, taking care not to crash into anything as quite a few ponies jumped out of her way, screaming in surprise. She shouted to warn the ponies, successfully managing to get clear of the town and once again, headed towards the Everfree Forest. Once there, she’ll call in the reinforcements and disappear from the face of the world until the TAC returned en masse. Then things would finally go her way.

IF ONLY THIS DAMN PURPLE UNICORN WOULD LEAVE HER ALONE.

She popped the canopy before she could be teleported out, tumbling in the grass. Quickly disentangling, she stood up, pulling out her revolver and pointing it at the unicorn. “Now, why can’t you just eff off, huh? Why’s it so hard to leave me alone, hmm?!” The unicorn shrunk under her gaze.

“You try that again, you’ll be sorry for that.” She walked over to the Seven-Ten, but then heard more wings fluttering. She groaned. The day just couldn’t get worse, could it? She turned around to see Celestia land a small distance away, a stern expression on her face.

You had to jinx it, huh?

Shut up.

Karma’s kind of a bitch, right?

One day I’ll find you and kill you. Oh yes indeedy.

We both know you’d have to put a bullet in your head, and we both know you’re not that crazy. Although, having a conversation with oneself does count as crazy.

How about we sort this out later, hmm?!

Meh.

“You leave me no choice, human.”

“Same here. I was going to leave, but what with you keeping me in your prison, the fleet has to leave without me, so I’m stuck here anyways.”

“Please, do not make this any more difficult than it already is.”

“Ah! Don’t you even try any of your space magic on me, lady!” The revolver now pointed at Celestia, who flinched slightly. “I’ve just about have had enough of this. Now you listen to me: I’ll be getting in my Seven-Ten and leave for somewhere quiet. You won’t see me again. However, should you try to stop me, should you try anything, I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger. We clear?”

“Princess, look out!” Twilight screamed in terror, drawing Lieia’s attention away from Celestia.

“Hey! Shut it already!” Her eyes turned back to Celestia, who was doing the magical boogaloo, throwing a rock at her, cutting a gash across her cheek.

“You dirty motherf-“ Lieia spun around, aimed at Celestia and squeezed the trigger.

The shot shook the air like a thunderclap and Celestia’s chest exploded in a red mess of blood. The alicorn princess let loose a colossal cry and collapsed. The empty bullet casing tumbled through the air, landing in grass.

“Told you I wouldn’t hesitate.” With that, Lieia turned around, got in the Seven-Ten, and took off, just as first of the Royal Guards arrived.

Chapter 5

Trees cracked and splintered as she forged on, as she tried to understand what she’d done.

She’d shot the pony leader. Oh shit, she was so fucking done for. The best she could expect was a firing squad, without a trial. The worst wasn’t much different, but involved airlocks and spacing. She blundered deeper inside the Everfree Forest, without much regard for anything. Wildlife scattered before her. She went on for almost an hour before she calmed down. Sure, she shot the princess. After all, she did warn her not to try anything, but no, she had to try and take her out. Another copse of trees disintegrated in her wake.

“Gold Leader, this your last chance for reinforcements; fleet’s pulling out in an hour. You sure you’ll be all right down there?”

“Yes, Overlord. Activating beacon now.”

“Receiving signal, Gold Leader, reinforcements underway. Good hunting. Overlord out.” Lieia found a small clearing in the forest, deciding to take a break. She climbed out, trying to steady herself, to shake the last of adrenaline out of her system. Damn it, her arms were shaking like she’d subsisted entirely on coffee and energy drinks since she was born. Speaking of coffee, it’d been ages since she last drank some. While she waited, she might as well get some grub ready for her reinforcements. She set about preparing some field rations, as the world around her slowly sinks in darkness. A while later, as she is thoughtfully chewing on some canned beef; she hears the whine of jet engines. A pair of spotlights flashed across the small fireplace, and moments later, the dropship landed nearby, sending a cloud of dust everywhere. The roar of jets slowly died down, and the hatch of the bulky flier opened, sending a dozen soldiers out to meet Lieia. The closest one, bearing the rank of sergeant, saluted to her “Sergeant Nicole Briggs reporting as ordered, ma’am. Where do you need us?”

Lieia clapped the woman on her shoulder “At ease, Briggs. Nothing’s happening at the moment. We’ll just have to wait until Coalition comes back. A couple of weeks are my guess. You hungry? I got some stuff cooked up over by the fire. Come on, take a seat.” Briggs motioned for the rest to follow and the group of troopers settled down around the small campfire and Lieia handed out the meals. The soldiers muttered their gratitude.

“Think nothing of it, guys. Right, what have you brought with yourselves?”

Briggs swallowed her mouthful of food before speaking “We got a pair M62 Jackals, both the standard one and the cargo model. Plenty of ammo, medication, food, and then some. Say what you want about Weaver, but she got us everything you requested, ma’am.”

“Then all we gotta do is wait until she returns, eh, Briggs?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“A’ight. How’ bout you introduce me to your squad, hmm?”

“Well, we got two 1st Battalion commandos, for starters; Mordecai Salwir and Thomas Driscoll.” She indicated to the two quietest soldiers present. They were shifty-looking individuals, both seeming ill at ease, like they were waiting for an excuse to start shooting, but there were few better soldiers in Corps.

“They ain’t the friendliest guys, are they?”

“Nah. They’ve hardly said anything, ma’am. Moving on, we got a couple of Ortalians on the loan. Sticks, Sharp, and the other two are… are… bleh, I can’t remember their tags.” Ortalians were clone troopers from a world that had been so deeply embroiled in war that the original inhabitants had died out long ago. The remaining clones kept fighting, until they were discovered by Asahi and integrated in their empire. Utterly fearless, the Ortalians were an excellent psychological weapon, since they would obey even the craziest orders, and usually be successful.

“Right, we also got an Asli sniper team. Alsivra and Wrimali from Ordantuu tribe. Twins, but I ain’t too surprised about that.” Lieia nodded. Asli twins were quite rare, but they worked as brilliant two-soldier teams.

“Tal Marrin, the heavy weapons and explosives expert, Faye Dunbar, our resident medic, and Xrengri, our tech specialist.” Briggs gestured to the two humans and a Xalathii. Xalathii were a race of robots, the only remaining legacy of a race long extinct. Though no one was sure how they died, most historians blamed a supernova. All that remained was the technology.

“Okay, then, thanks for introducing them, Sergeant.”

“Anytime, ma’am.” Briggs did a half-assed salute and sat down, munching absent-mindedly on her share of beef. The sky slowly turned black. Lieia stood up, stretching her back, wincing as her spine popped.

“Aaagh, that’s better. Right, you lot, I’m turning in for the night. D’ya have tents or something aboard?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Whoo-hoo. Right, who’s first on guard duty?”

The commandos stood up “We’ll take care of it, ma’am.”

“Very well, but if you see any colourful horses, do not shoot them, or things will turn bad. Either knock ‘em out, or scare them away. It’s bad enough I shot one of them already.” Mordecai raises an eyebrow, but says nothing; instead he picks his weapon up and sets about patrol duty. The rest of Marines, Ortalians and the sole Xalathii also clean up, setting up their tents for the night. Soon, the ad-hoc camp was quiet, the only noises around were the stealthy footsteps of Coalition commandos.

Ponyville hospital

Twilight nervously fidgeted in her seat. Her friends weren’t faring much better. The horrible memory was fresh in her mind. The loud explosion, princess collapsing in the grass, and worst of all, the grim, uncaring face of her attacker.

“Told you I wouldn’t hesitate.”

She shuddered. How somepony could hurt others so simply was above her understanding. And the human was still at large, and the Royal Guard was combing the Everfree Forest for Lieia and the strange object that had dropped from sky earlier. It was the talk of the town; streets were awash with rumour and speculation. But all Twilight could think about was Celestia, wishing with her entire soul that her teacher survive. Luna was pacing to and fro in the corridor, her face blank. After two hours, the doors to the operation hall opened and a unicorn in bloodstained overalls stepped through, getting himself assaulted by a barrage of questions. Patiently, he waited until they calmed down.

“She’ll live. It was touch and go for a while, but she’ll be good as new in about a week. The projectile grazed one of her ribs, sending lots of tiny shards of bone flying.” He held up a blunted chunk of metal. “Luckily, they didn’t hit anything vital.”

Luna was hard-pressed not to squeal with joy. “Is she awake now?”

“Yes, but please be quiet. She’s very weak at the moment.” They filled the quiet room, looking at the sole bed in the room. Celestia’s usually pristine alabaster coat was dull and seemed to have taken on a sickly white pallor. Luna was immediately at her side, whispering quietly.

“Tia? Please, answer me, Tia.”

“I… I’m here, Lulu.”

“How are you? Does it hurt?”

“You have no idea. Serves me right for not paying attention, I guess.”

“What? She shot you, how can you even justify that?”

“When she was distracted, by Twilight Sparkle, I thought I could knock her out before things got out of hoof.”

Twilight stepped forward. “Don’t worry princess, we’ll find her. You just have to rest and recuperate.”

“Ah, Twilight, you always were so steadfast, always ready to fight.” Luna laid a reassuring hoof on Celestia’s shoulder.

“Worry not, sister. I shall take care of the court business until you return. And I will double the efforts to find the human. She will pay for what she did to you.”

Applejack tsk’ed sourly. Another tree was missing a sizeable number of apples. That human was making a mockery of the Royal Guard! Three weeks and she still was at large! Princess Celestia had recuperated without any problems, but that still didn’t make it all right. Angrily, she bucked the tree, filling the basket. As she bowed down to pick it up, something shiny caught her interest.

“Well, don’t that beat all!” A bar of gold was lying in the grass, glittering in the morning sun. A small note lay taped to it.

I didn’t have any local currency, and I doubt you’d take Coalition credits. Hope this covers it.

Though the note wasn’t signed, there was no doubting who the sender was. She scrutinized the gold further, when the wheels clicked in her mind. She knew how they would find the human. Oooh, she couldn’t wait to rub it in the Royal Guard’s faces!

Wrimali’Ordantuu was out gathering some berries when she heard the commotion. Dropping everything, she sprinted back to the camp. “Teelah! We’ve been found!” Lieia bolted upright immediately. “Get everything aboard the dropship! Take my rig as well! I’ll distract them! And no, this isn’t up for discussion! Just do as I say!” Briggs simply sent the command chain to hell. “No way, ma’am, you’re the reason we’re down here. Might as well see it through.”

“I told it wasn’t up for discussion, Briggs! If you stay, we’ll all get captured! And I think we won’t be alive when TEC returns!” She tore her dog tags off. “Take these. I’ll be around, I guess.”

“Whatever happens, it was an honour serving with you, ma’am.”

“Fight well, Sergeant.”

“Will do, ma’am.” She took off towards the dropship and seconds later, it flew off. Lieia turned around, checking her trusty sidearm for the last time, making sure her combat knife was also in place. The undergrowth behind rustled as dozens of ponies advanced on her.

“How’d you find me?”

“You left gold for the apples you took from the Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack’s dog was easily able to track your scent to this place.”

Lieia chuckled slightly. “I knew I messed up somewhere. So, what happens now, huh?”

“You will surrender and be taken into custody.” Lieia turned around slowly. “You know what? Where I come from, attacking a high-ranking person equals death penalty, without any chance to render it null and void. And I’m not going to let you capture me again.” She was facing Celestia again. “Not while I’m alive.” She raised her revolver to the side of her head, her finger tightening slowly. Celestia immediately understood what she was trying to do and leapt forward, a cry of terror on her lips.

“No! Don’t do it!”

Lieia flicked her wrist, sending eight bullets above her head. Everyone ducked instinctively and Lieia took off, full pelt. She splashed through the shallow stream in her path, eventually ending in the river proper. She heard the distant voices of her pursuers. A small smile forms on her lips. Maybe she’d escape after all. Briggs was a good soldier, she’d be searching for her. Then she fell down a waterfall, without her even having a say whether she wanted to or not.

Balls.

She crawled out of the river, the dull frothing roar of the waterfall behind her now. She must’ve struck a sharp rock or something and was bleeding like a damned siv. She got up, her legs screaming in protest and wandered towards the trees. She didn’t get far. Slumping against the first tree trunk she reached, she inspected her wound. Blood was pulsing out of her stomach, and she grimaced. She wouldn’t last long. She checked her comm-bead. Somehow, it still worked. Tapping it once, she began speaking.

“Briggs, this… this is Grisova. I’m sorry, but I won’t be seeing ya again. Take care of everyone will ya? Gnnnh… Damn, it hurts. Never mind. Listen to me. When you have time, go to Linv. I have a small stash of rare candy hidden in my house. You can have it, you stubborn bitch. When you pass away, I’ll be there. Drinks are on me.” Unbeknownst to her, she had a listener.

“Cara, this is your lil’ sister. Take care, will you? Nnnnnn… I… I don’t have much time left. Take care of Dad, will ya?” She coughed violently, sending flecks of blood flying. “Shit. Listen, back in my quarters aboard Hope is a box hidden in my mattress. Remember you thought you’d forgotten those old pictures? Yeah, they’re there. Have fun.”

“Naela. I… I don’t even know what to say. Remember how we met? That was the most awkward encounter ever. Well, you gotta take care of yourself now. I won’t be there to keep you safe anymore. And… and… I leave the Thundercharge to you. Take care of that car, she’s a vintage beauty. Right, I’ve an appointment to keep with good ol’ Death. See you on the other side.” Her hand fell as the weariness overtook her, but then she heard the branches crack and Celestia appeared, a somber expression on her face. She sat down in the grass in front of Lieia, looking at her sadly.

“What am I going to do with you?”

Lieia pulls out her knife and looks at it.

“Take it.”

“What?” Celestia seems confused.

“Take the knife.” It floated out of her grasp and Celestia observed it.

“Well, then. Do it. Finish me. Put it through my heart. Be quick about it.” If Celestia’s surprised, she doesn’t show it. She’s got one helluva poker face.

“Defiant to the end, aren’t you?”

Lieia offers a bloody grin. “That’s the EXO way, lady. Now, if you don’t mind puttin’ me out of my misery…” She lost consciousness, falling on her side. She welcomed the darkness. It was calm, soothing, promising to take all her worry and pain away.

She was lying somewhere soft. That was all she could discern of her surroundings. Forcing her eyes open, the first thing she saw was Celestia’s benevolent smile.

“Welcome back, Lieia.”

Chapter 6

Celestia hid in the shadow of the trees, listening to the human’s strained words. Her voice fell silent and she took it as her cue to appear. She sat down in the arm grass, regarding Lieia quietly.

“What am I going to do with you?”

Lieia handed her the knife from her holster. Celestia was surprised by her defiance, but she could see it in her eyes that Lieia no longer had that stubborn spark in her eyes. All she could see was tiredness in her features. Shortly afterwards, she collapsed, the blood loss getting the better of her. Without a second thought, Celestia teleported her to the hospital.

One week later

Celestia looked at Lieia, who had a confused expression on her face.

“Am I dead?”

“Far from it. You are in the Ponyville hospital, in fact.”

“So, will you just execute me when I’m healthy again? Sorta harsh, that. Not like I care.”

“There has never been a case of capital punishment in Equestria as far as I can remember. I intend to keep it that way.”

“But I. Shot. You. I nearly killed you, didn’t I? In Coalition space, that equals a firing squad.”

“Well, you’re not in Coalition space, whatever that may be. You’re in Equestria. You ask so many questions of me, yet I know nothing about you, or where you are from. Please, tell me about yourself.” She sat down in a chair. Lieia was about to simply ignore her, but then noticed the motherly aura Celestia had about her. In many ways, it reminded her of her own mother, and she had a brief, but difficult battle with her loyalties to TAC.

“Linv.”

“Hmm?”

“My home planet. Linv. My family wasn’t too big, jus’ me, my dad and mom, and my sister, Cara. Dad ran a car service; mom had a shop at the state capital. Cara and I were at high school at the time.”

“Oh. Do continue.” Celestia wasn’t sure what had caused Lieia to drop her barriers, but she still listened.

“Right. My dad was the best grease monkey around. Ran in the blood, he said. There wasn’t a thing he couldn’t fix. He’s why I fell in love with cars in the first place. My bedroom walls were completely covered in posters. Mostly, they were of the classic race cars. Selvar Thundercharge was my favourite. Selvar’s most celebrated ride.”

“What is a race car, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“A vehicle designed or modified purely for speed. Thundercharge was like a thoroughbred horse, if you’ll forgive the expression. Everything in it was designed for speed. Lemme tell ya, there’s nothing like hammerin’ down the highway at more that 500 kilometres an hour, music on full blast, so loud it shakes my teeth.” She smiled contentedly. “Good times. Good times.”

“Would you tell me more of yourself?”

“Whaddaya want to know?”

“I don’t know, really.”

“Same here. D’ya want to continue this tomorrow, maybe? ‘S been ages since I’ve slept without needing a helmet.”

Celestia nodded graciously. “Maybe this time you won’t try to escape.” She turned to leave, when Lieia sat up a bit higher.

“By the way, I never caught your name.”

“I am Celestia, ruler of Equestria.”

“Honoured t’make your acquaintance, ma’am.” She did a half-assed salute to the alicorn. As Celestia exited the room, she heard Lieia again.

“I seriously don’t know what I was thinking. For what it’s worth… I’m sorry. ‘Bout everything.”

“I accept your apology, Lieia, though others may be less forgiving. Now, sleep and regain your strength. We shall talk again tomorrow.”

Next day, they spoke of Lieia’s life before war. Celestia in particular was interested in the music that humans listened to.

“It was the craze back then. All the teens listened to it. Yes, the revolution that was heavy metal swept through Trader planets like nothing else at the time. Everyone was enthralled by it, for lack of a better word. Of course, the Trade Order tried to shut the bands down. Dozens of planets went in total chaos, since a lot of people were rebelling against the government. ‘Stick it to The Man’, they said. But, a couple of days everyone quieted down, since there was no booze left anywhere. In the end, the rebels ended up with the ungodly lovechild of a hangover and a migraine. I didn’t get off too easily either. I was seriously wasted for days, could hardly act coherently, but that’s life. And I lived it as if it were my last day alive. Walked around in torn jeans, a leather jacket with slogans printed all over it – ‘Metal forever’, ‘Join the revolution’, everything along those lines. The most offending ones were the best regarded ones, usually. Galaxy’s weird that way, I guess.”

“Indeed it is. Do you have any songs from that time with you?”

“Do I?! Hundreds of ‘em! I have a music player in my jacket at all times. If you’d be so kind as to retrieve it, please, I’d show you some of my favourites.” Celestia busied herself over the piece of clothing. A small piece of paper fell out of one of the pockets and she picked it up. It was a photo of Lieia and a group of other humans, all of them grinning broadly at the camera. Celestia smiled a bit, and then pulled out the device Lieia had requested from the jacket. As she put it down, she could see something stencilled on the jacket. Curiosity got the best of her and she took a closer look. She immediately wished she hadn’t.

When I die, bury me facing downwards so the world can kiss my ass.

Ears burning with indignation, she rushed back, handing the music player to Lieia.

“Much obliged, princess.” She fiddled with it for a few moments, and then noise poured from it, making Celestia flinch, but after a few moments, she could make out the words as Lieia started singing.

Decisions that kill

And bullets that fly

Lords of inferno

That litter the sky

Shattered cries of the prayers never heard

Wars of the gods drown out of words

As the world burns

Beneath the ground

Godspeed

Hellbound

The gears that grind

Shall never be still

The grudge that burns

Obsessed 'til it kills

Shattered cries of the

Prayers never heard

War of the gods that

Drown out of words

Crashing burning all shall fade

Dead and dying here to stay

Against his maker

No regard for his fall

The winds of the west

Bow down to his call

Famine and murder

Beside from within

The vultures gather

Devouring sin

Much to Celestia’s surprise, she found herself nodding with the song’s rhythm. As the song ended, Lieia smiled satisfiedly.

“That’s the good stuff. Seems you like it too.”

“No, it is too loud and brash for my liking, but it’s quite enjoyable nevertheless.”

“Ah. I guess it’s the old people music for you, then.”

“Pray tell, what would that be?”

Lieia chuckled wryly. “Basically, anything that isn’t metal. So, you feel up for another song?”

“Maybe some other time. For now, we have other things to discuss. Your arrival wasn’t quiet, you know. The nobles have been all over me, pestering me with questions.”

“Lemme guess. They want to talk to me.”

“More or less, that is the case. I would not want to pressure you into that.”

“Meh, how bad can it be?”

“We’ll find out, I guess. The Grand Galloping Gala is going to take place in two days time. Go to the Carousel Boutique in Ponyville as soon as you’re released from the hospital. The shop owner there will help you out with a dress. We need you to be presentable.”

Lieia shrugged “Can’t argue with that.”

“Very well. We are agreed then?”

“I’ll need someone to guide me around the town.”

“How forgetful of me! Not to worry, I’ll assign one of my guards to show you around.”

“Many thanks, ma’am.” Celestia turned to leave, but she paused on the doorstep.

“Lieia, I am investing a great deal of trust in you on this. Do not disappoint me.”

“I… I won’t. Word of an EXO.” She thumped her fist against her chest. Celestia’s smile was so warm, Lieia felt like she was looking at her mother again. She felt reasonably ashamed. “So, when do I leave?”

“Right now, as a matter of fact. Your wounds are healed, though I’d take it easy for a while if I were you.”

Lieia slipped back in her old clothes. “Right. Well, I’ll see you later, I guess.” Celestia nodded slowly, grace incarnate, and left. Moments later, one of the Royal Guards entered, a Pegasus by the looks of it.

“Princess Celestia has assigned me to you for the day. I’m Diamond Feathers.” She held out a hoof and Lieia grasped it and shook it.

“Well met, soldier. Name’s Lieia. So, shall we get on with this lil’ excursion of ours?”

“That would be for the best.” They both left the hospital room, as the other medical staff gaped after the human amidst them and minutes later, they were heading down the road.

“You really had us chasing their own tails, y’know. How do you hide something that big?”

“You mean my armour? It’s nothing, really. We kept moving around, never staying in the same place for more than a single day. EXOs are trained to be sneaky.” Lieia took a small paper box from a pocket, retrieving a small paper cylinder she stuck between her lips and lit it with a match. She looked at Feathers dourly. “My last cigarette. At least, the only one that’s not wet. Never mind.” She puffed on the cigarette for a moment, before Feathers asked another question.

“What are eksos, anyways?”

“EXOs, first of all. The best soldiers the Coalition has to offer. We get the best armour and best guns. But it’s only for the nutjobs. Wanna know why?” Feathers nodded.

“Well, first of all, EXOs deploy from space, jumping directly out from the ships that carried them, falling for dozens of kilometres. Fastest way to strike at the enemy, that. The battles are always the toughest ones, too. If you’re a marine and you receive EXO reinforcements, that means whatever’s going to go down is going to be an unimaginably bloody hell. Stuff like that can make or break a person. I didn’t get off too easily, either.” She ran her finger along a scar that stood out on her cheek.

“What do you mean?”

“I took a phase halberd to guts once. It went right through the armour, turning my stomach to so much mulch. Had to get a synthetic replacement. Next, I nearly got my neck blown out.” She craned her neck, letting Feathers see a cluster of cables in the right side of her neck. The Pegasus in question blanched, but Lieia continued talking.

“Lost my left arm to a disintegrator bolt. Got a bionic replacement and my lungs had to also be replaced. But here’s the cool part. When they replaced the arm, they hid a weapon in it. Wanna see?”

Warily, the pegasus nodded. Lieia flicked her arm and a small blade leapt out from her wrist. Lieia grinned.

“Quite the party trick, eh? This way, I am never without a weapon.” She flicked her arm again and the blade disappeared with a quiet snikt.

“Like I said, EXOs are the best Coalition’s got. 1st Battalion disagrees, though. A dedicated stealth commando unit, the lot of ‘em. They always compete for the Deadliest Killer award with the EXOs. I’m pretty sure that’s what makes them all, EXOs and commandos alike, so efficient at their business. Someone once said: ‘War is business. And business is good.’ Can’t argue with that, now can I?”

Feathers was quite galled by the human’s attitude, for she seemed so callous, uncaring and brutal. She had never been so relieved in her life to finally see the Carousel Boutique in their front.

“Allright, we’re here, Grisova. Go on right inside. I guess I’ll see you at the Gala.” Feathers took off, flying back to the castle. Lieia stared after her, quite impressed.

Dude, that was so boss.

She knocked twice on the shop’s door, and a second later, the door popped open, and Lieia saw the proprietor, a brilliant white unicorn with a lustrous purple mane. Three diamonds adorned its flanks. The unicorn was staring at her, looking like she’d throw up any moment. Lieia shrugged uncomfortably.

“What?”

The unicorn fainted, collapsing on the floor and Lieia rubbed her face sullenly. Dealing with this one was going to be a trial, she just knew it.

Rarity was unceremoniously woken up as a splash of freezing water hit her in the face. The human was staring at her, holding an empty cup in her hand, an amused look on her face.

“Wakey, wakey, sunshine!”

“What happened?”

“Well, you passed out, that’s what.”

“Well, your clothes are simply awful! I cannot simply stand by and let this crime against fashion continue!”

“…Excuse me?”

“Your apparel, my darling! It’s simply hideous!”

“Hey! I love this jacket! I’ve had it for years! Never mind, okay? That princess of yours intends to introduce me to the royalty at the Gala, whatever that is, so she sent me here, said you’d be able to help me with a dress or something.”

“YOU! You nearly killed her! You monster!”

“Hey, do you know how I feel about it? Not a day goes by without me thinking about that moment! I’ve been regretting it since! When Coalition returns, it’s the firing squad for me and I’ll be chalked up as a random casualty of war.”

“Oh, surely it isn’t that bad.”

“We’ll see, I guess. Okay, how ‘bout we try anew? I’m Lieia Grisova. Nice to meetcha.”

Rarity shook Lieia’s hand. “My name is Rarity and this is Carousel Boutique, the finest place for anypony who’s looking for some marvellous clothing! OH! The princess sent you?” Rarity’s eyes seemed to grow bigger. “Worry not, my darling, I will create a dress for you that will outshine everything I have created before!”

“Whoa, there, miss! I don’t need anything flashy. Just a simple dress, if you will. I never did take to fashion, no matter how much my mum tried.”

“Well, I’ll just need to take some measurements for the dress. If you’d take that dreary jacket off, please?” Grumbling, Lieia complied and Rarity set to work, taking measurements for the dress, chatting about something that she simply let wash over her, but minutes later, she was asked a question she couldn’t ignore.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what are these things on your body?” She pointed at the strips of metal curving across Lieia’s chest.

“Oh, these? Armour plating. It’s there to reinforce my ribs.” Rarity was shocked, to say the least, but she ventured further.

“And how did you come to need them?”

“Let’s just say that I was seriously wounded at the time.” Rarity finished taking the measurements and nodded. “There! That’s done. The dress will be ready tomorrow. Drop by at noon.”

“Will do. See ya tomorrow then.” She bade her farewell and left the shop. As she descended the steps, she was confused as to what she would do now, when she remembered something.

Briggs was still at large, and presumably, she would be looking for a target to strike, and she didn’t have a sure way of communicating, but the she remembered her comm-bead.

“Briggs, this is Grisova, can you hear me? I need you to lock on my signal. We got stuff to talk about.” That was all she could do for now.

Chapter 7

Somewhere else

A day before

The dropship roared as it weaved through the air, avoiding a flock of birds. Briggs cursed, steadying the ungainly flier, when Xrengri called her.

“Sergeant, I have discovered something of interest.”

“What’ve you got, then?”

“I have discovered a number of the equine indigents that seem to be kept imprisoned by what seem to be bipedal canines.”

“Guh?”

Driscoll interjected, fortunately, bringing much-needed clarification to the statement.

“There are pony things being kept captive by dogs.”

“Oh. So, what’re we supposed to do about it?”

“The logical option would be to rescue them. That way we can exchange them for Captain Grisova.”

“Well, what have we got to lose, eh?”

“Very little, in fact.”

“Okay, people! Let’s save us some ponies.”

Cheerilee cried out as she was kicked by the growling Diamond Dog guard. Hurriedly, she scurried in the cage, joining the rest of captives. No one knew where they’d be taken to. They squeezed together, trying to share the body heat in the cold night. Her stomach rumbled and she groaned miserably. It had been hours since she last ate. Her ears twitched at a sound that reminded of an angry bear roaring, and then sound was gone. She tried to lie down and catch some sleep, when the sound returned, much louder than before. Uneasily, she stood up, seeing flashes of light in the nearby forest. The roaring sound grew louder until the Diamond Dogs could no longer ignore it. A number of them had gathered, barking at each other, when a strange vehicle smashed its way through them. Cheerilee gasped as another one showed up, letting a number of creatures off, who proceeded to slaughter the dogs nearby. By now, the entire camp was in full alert, with more and more Diamond Dogs rushing towards the intruders.

“Dunbar, take Sticks and Sharp and get the prisoners out!” Briggs shouted over the gunfire, while Tal was busy with his machine gun, pouring lead into the Diamond Dogs, cackling loudly.

“And wrath shall pour from mouths of steel on these lowly dregs of the underworld!” He was doing a good work of keeping the aggressors at bay as Dunbar sprinted over to the cages, the two Ortalians standing guard over her. She blew the locks off, and tore the doors open. “Come on, quickly! There are more of those damn dogs showing up every second!” Of course, the ponies were hesitant to follow her, but Cheerilee took initiative, following Dunbar. Anywhere was better than being stuck in a cage. Soon, others followed her, roughly three dozen ponies in total.

Briggs slipped a new clip in her rifle, and keyed her comm-bead “Alright, Arcelia, this is your cue!”

“Understood, Sergeant. ETA seven minutes. Sit tight.”

She let off another burst from her weapon, bringing another dog down, just as Dunbar arrived, bringing the ponies with her, Sticks and Sharp acting as rearguard. Driscoll and Mordecai were a blur, engaging the enemies in hand-to-hand. Just as she could hear Arcelia’s engines, a single roar rose from the clamour, overpowering every other noise.

“Stop this now or she gets it!”

A brute of a dog was standing in front of his mob, holding a small light grey unicorn in his huge paw, shaking the other threateningly at the Marines.

“You will put your weapons down, or I break her neck!” Tal gritted his teeth, but complied. Reluctantly, others followed. Briggs raised her fingers in an imitation of a gun, pointing it at the leader, who snorted derisively.

“Alsivra, I do believe it’s your turn.” She whispered in her comm-bead.

Briggs clacked her tongue, twitching her thumb. Immediately, the dog’s head exploded in a mess of brain matter and blood. At this, the rest of the dogs howled in fear and despair, running away as fast as possible.

“Unseen, we move in the shadows.” The voice in her ear whispered and Briggs grinned.

“Nice one, you two! Alright, everyone, pack your stuff, we’re mobile in five!” A chorus of ‘yes ma’am’ reached her ears, but she was off already, picking her way through the corpses, finding the small unicorn. She was dirty and trembling from the coldness. She bent down to pick her up, only for the unicorn to yelp in fear.

“Don’t worry; I’m not going to hurt you. You have my word on it.”

“Promise?”

“I promise. Now, come on, I’ll take you somewhere safe. You must be hungry. I got some food for all of you.” The small unicorn instantly perked up, leaping in her hands and Briggs laughed.

“Thought as much. Let’s go. You have a name, I presume?”

“Sweetie Belle.”

“Nice t’meetcha, Sweetie Belle. I’m Nicole.” She strode up to the rest of ponies, just as Arcelia showed up. The crowd of ponies stared at the dropship as it landed just near them, its front ramp lowering.

“I’m here, Sergeant. Two point sixteen minutes since last communication.”

“Much obliged, Arcelia. Okay, everyone get aboard!” Though initially distrustful of the machine, they nevertheless got inside, followed Briggs and her squad. She set Sweetie Belle down by her side, ruffling her mane. “I think we’re good to go. Everyone here?” A chorus of replies reached her and she sighed relievedly. “Dunbar, see to it that everyone gets some food and water, turn the heater on as well. So, anyone here know where’s the capital? We need to get there ASAP.” One of the unicorns stepped forward, raising a hoof. “I can point you the right way, though you’ll need a map.”

“I got that covered. Come on.” She clambered up in the cockpit, the unicorn following her, gaping in wonder around him and he whistled in awe.

“Like the setup, huh? Okay, here’s what ORBINT managed to scan before the whole fleet pulled out. I just need you to find the capital, if you have one.”

“Hmm. Well-oh, there it is! Right there! Canterlot.”

“Many thanks, man. You can go now. Get some rest. Arcelia, you got the coordinates?”

“Yes, Sergeant. When shall we depart?”

“In a moment. Could you send Sweetie Belle up here? I want her to do the honour.”

“Will do, Sergeant.” The announcement sounded, and sure enough, the small unicorn clambered up the stairs moments later.

“Yes? Did you call me?”

“Indeed I did. I’d like you to tap that icon.” She showed at the glowing representation of Canterlot and Sweetie Belle complied.

“Autopilot coordinates set.” Arcelia chimed in.

“Good! Now, say ‘start engines.’”

“Start engines.” Immediately, the dropship started shaking and rumbling.

“Aaah! What’s happening?”

“That’s the engines firing up. Now, say ‘execute flight plan.’”

“Execute flight… plan?” In an instant, Arcelia fed more power to her engines, and in one smooth manoeuvre, the dropship took off, heading for the Canterlot Castle. Briggs ruffled Sweetie’s mane again, grinning widely.

“Nice work, kiddo. We’ll make a pilot out of you yet. Whaddaya say ‘bout getting some grub?”

“Yes please!”

“Sit tight, I’ll be back.” She stood up and left, rummaging through the storage lockers.

Sweetie Belle looked around her for a moment, but curiosity soon got to her and she leapt in the pilot’ seat, looking around her. She felt reasonably certain that it was midnight. She reached for the controls, when a disembodied voice stopped her dead in tracks.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

“Aah! Sorry! Won’t happen again! Why can’t I see you?” She glanced around frantically.

“Because you’re inside me. Gah, that sounds so wrong. What I mean, I’m this ship.”

“How’s that even possible?”

“For starters, I’m an artificial intelligence installed on this dropship’s computer system.”

“Uhhhhhh…”

“Never mind. I’ve locked the controls anyway, so if you’d like to have a crack at piloting, go nuts.” Without a moment’s pause, the small unicorn was all over the control panel, living the dream as she plied the seas in a mighty pirate vessel, and-

“Enjoying yourself?”

Sweetie Belle fell out of the seat and turned around, seeing the amused Nicole standing nearby and she grinned sheepishly.

“I trust Arcelia locked you out, right?”

“Yeah, she did, I guess.”

“Don’t worry none ‘bout it, kiddo. You still up for a meal?” She held up a cardboard box and passed it to Sweetie, who opened it eagerly, then frowned as she lifted a cylinder out of it.

“Uh, how am I supposed to eat this?”

“Just twist the top around once and wait.” She did as instructed and several seconds later, steam poured out of its cap and she almost dropped it.

“Now, take the cap off.” A curious smell now reached her nose as she inspected the broth inside the container.

“What is it?”

It’s, uh, whatchamacallit, rice soup with spice and dried bread. C’mon, tuck in before it gets cold.” Briggs watched curiously as Sweetie Belle levitated the container and took a sip from it. Her suspicious expression instantly changed and she drank it as fast as she could, sighing contendedly once she finished.

“That was soooo tasty.”

“Glad you liked it. You up for some more? Those MRE packs have chocolate as well, some nutritious bars as well. Everything the common frontline soldier needs.” She chuckled as the unicorn rummaged through the box, plucking a bar of chocolate out. She inspected the wrapping quizzically, before ripping it off and devouring the treat. She finished the rest of her meal minutes later, stretching sleepily.

“Do you know where I could get some sleep?”

“Sorry, Sweetie, but the bunks are all taken. Don’t worry ‘bout it, though.” She reclined the pilot’s seat and lay down, and the unicorn leapt in her lap. Briggs smiled as she fell asleep and Arcelia carried them towards Canterlot.

Hours later

Ponyville

Lieia looked around, trying to pinpoint the sound, when she saw the dropship go howling across the town, heading right for Canterlot. A startled Rarity bounded outside her shop, and she turned to Lieia.

“What is that noise?”

“My dropship. It’s headed towards the castle. Hoo, boy, we better get there as soon as possible.”

Celestia was interrupted from her lunch by a pegasus guard who dashed through the door. Thinking the worst, she stood up.

“Has Lieia done something already?”

“No, it’s something else! A patrol spotted a strange vehicle heading towards the castle, Your Highness. It’s nothing like our own chariots. We believe that it belongs to the human.”

“Let’s go and meet it then. Lead the way.” Together, they galloped out, just in time to see the crowd of guards and castle servants gape at a quickly approaching transport. Moments later, it slowed to a stop just in front of the castle gates, kicking up a cloud of dust as its vectored-thrust engines swivelled and seconds later, it settled on the pavement below it, the dull roar of its engines cutting off.

Briggs rechecked her rifle again, ensuring safety lock was on, and then turned to her squadmates.

“Remember, we’re not here to start a war with this planet, so stay on your best behaviour.” She slipped the weapon in the holster on her back and pressed a couple of key on the wall. With a hiss the ramp slowly opened, and everyone fell silent as light poured in Arcelia’s hold.

Well, no backing out of this now, Briggs thought grimly. “Fall in, squad. Let’s get this over with.” The mix of troopers descended the ramp, coming face to face with Celestia.

“I welcome you to the Canterlot Castle, strangers. I am Princess Celestia. May I know your name and purpose here?”

Briggs straightened out, saluting her.

“Nicole Briggs, Staff Sergeant, Reaver Squad, Trader-Asli Coalition Marine Corps Service Number 1346-563-578-2306. We’re here for Captain Grisova, ma’am.”

“Oh! Lieia’s in Ponyville at the moment, but I guess she’ll be here shortly. A lot of my ponies saw your approach.”

Briggs grinned. “Yeah, Arcelia here ain’t exactly a quiet one. Anyways, let’s get down to business. Sticks, bring our guests out here.” Celestia peered over her shoulder, and was surprised by the sight. A crowd of ragged ponies were exiting the dropship. The onlookers gasped in surprise, a couple of them rushed forwards, meeting their friends or family members. Celestia looked back at Briggs, stunned.

“How did you manage to free them? I have been trying to get the Diamond Dogs to free them for weeks!”

“They were a problem. And problems are meant to be solved, whatever way you deem necessary. So we went in guns blazing.” Celestia was shocked, to say the least. “This is terrible! Do you have any idea how precarious our relations are with them? They’re sure to seek revenge for this!”

Briggs took several steps towards Celestia, her eyes growing colder with every step. As she stood inches away from the alicorn monarch, she could see the growing fear in her eyes.

“What those bastards were doing is slavery. And I won’t stand for that. And if any of those dogs show up, they’ve got beef with us, not you. After all, you didn’t even try to free them.” Her usually calm voice had an edge of steel to it, making Celestia shiver. How could she resolve the situation before it got any worse?

“Briggs! What’re you doing here?”

The marine turned around, surprised to see Lieia striding across the pavement, a big grin on her face.

“Captain? You’re alright!” Lieia grasped Briggs’ outstretched palm, slapping her on the shoulder twice.

“Indeed I am, soldier! So, how ‘bout y’tell me what’ve you been up to all this time?”

Briggs shrugged “Not much. Saved some ponies from slavery, but Princess what’s-her-face isn’t too happy about that.” She made a face.

“I presume you gunned the slavers down.”

“Oh, indeed we did.” Lieia nodded grimly at that.

“They didn’t deserve any better. So, how did it go?”

“Perfect, I’d say. Freed everyone on site, no casualties or injuries whatsoever. Oh, and I also made a friend.”

“Do tell.” Lieia leaned in closer.

She looped her arm around Lieia’s shoulders, guiding her towards the crowd of ponies.

“Well, we was just ‘bout to haul ass from the place, when this big, ugly, bastard stands up and shouts, waving a kid around in his grasp, demanding that we scoot off. Well, what he didn’t know was that there was a certain Asli sharpshooter waiting for my command to pop his head like a grape. After that, I picked the kid up, took her back to Arcelia. You know the rest. Yo, Sweetie Belle, come here for a moment! I want you t’meet someone!” A small, white unicorn bounced through the milling crowd, smiling broadly. Briggs knelt down, and Sweetie Belle tackled her to ground at once.

“Sweetie Belle? Oh, Celestia be praised, you’re alright!” Lieia saw Rarity gallop up to the two, relief clearly visible on her face as she scooped her up and hugged her tightly.

“Oof, watch it, sis! I can’t breathe!” Sweetie Belle managed to extricate herself from her sister’s grip, smiling sheepishly.

“Oh, do forgive me, but I’m so happy to see you well and unharmed!” She squee’d with joy, and then turned to Briggs, who was chuckling amusedly.

“I understand I have you to thank for saving my dear little sister.”

“Aw, ‘twas nothin’. I serve to protect others.”

“Come on, that was awesome, Nicole. You just pointed your hoof at that dog and BAM! He was done for! How did you do that?”

“It wasn’t me, kiddo. Alsivra is the one who chalked him up. I just gave the order.” Rarity simply brushed her words away.

“I simply must reward you! I know! Mayhaps the Princess will invite you to the Gala as well! I will make you all simply magnificent suits and dresses!” Sweetie Belle chuckled mischievously. “Oh, she’s got you now, Nicole. She won’t take no for an answer, now.” A short distance away, several court ponies were trying to wrap their heads around the idea of a race of sentient machines as Xrengri diligently tried to explain the topic at hand. Celestia was engaged in a heated conversation with Lieia, while Twilight and the rest of her friends wondered at Arcelia, inspecting the Titanium-Armargolian alloy hull plating as the AI-controlled dropship in question chuckled giddily. The whole place had descended in chaos, until Xrengri released a shrill burst of noise, bringing a semblance of order to the congregation.

“Thank you, Xree. Now, listen up, Reavers! I talked to the good princess over here and we’ve decided we’ll get to know these people, er-ponies, better. So we all are invited to their annual party, which will take place in two days time. I hope that the good fashionista would help us out with that.” Rarity was simply overjoyed to hear that.

“You will not regret this decision, my darling! I will be able to wade into unmarked territories of fashion! What more could I ask for? If you’d drop by my shop, I’ll take the measurements for the clothes and I’ll get to making them immediately.”

“Alright, then. Y’need a lift back? We can go to your place directly.”

“I admit I’m quite curious to see how this contraption of yours works, although it looks simply ghastly.”

“That was uncalled for, Rarity. She’s saved our bacon more times than I care to remember. She’s as reliable as any marine I’ve ever known.”

“If I had a face, I’d be blushing furiously, Captain. But I don’t have one, so I’ll make do with wise-cracking.” Rarity scowled a bit, but said nothing. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, was excited at the prospect.

“Well, then. Everyone who’s going to Ponyville, get aboard!” The excited ponies followed the humans onboard, and Lieia bade her farewells to Celestia, promising to keep her soldiers in check. She settled in the pilot’s seat, and the castle residents were once more treated to the fiery roar of Arcelia’s engines as she disappeared in the distance. Celestia shook her head slightly, wondering how this all would end.

Chapter 8

Lieia finished the last of her drink, tossing the paper cup in the replicator. She wandered outside Arcelia, taking in the serene beauty of the rolling fields around her, but she still felt tense. Unaccustomed to simply sitting idle, she was itching for a fight. Her eyes wandered around, until she decided to head to the Sweet Apple Acres. Moments later, she headed down the road in one of the Jackal LRVs, enjoying the roar of the big V10 engine.

Applejack struggled to fit the wheel on the cart, when she heard something roaring angrily. The cart slammed down on the ground, its replacement wheel trying to make a run for freedom, but its escape was cut short as it bounced off the Jackal’s bumper. Applejack simply stared at the strange machine, when Lieia cut the engine and leapt out, patting its hull fondly, and then turned to Applejack.

“Hey, how ya doin’?”

“Oh! Hey, Lieia! Ah was tryin’ t’fix this cart, but it’s too heavy f’r me.”

“Here, let me help you with that.” She cracked her knuckles, and then lifted the cart upright single-handedly, while the pony stared in surprise.

“That wheel ain’t gonna put itself on, Applejack.”

“Oh, right. Sorry. You kinda surprised me there.” She bucked the wheel in place, and Lieia let go of the cart.

“Much obliged, pardner! Now, what can Ah do f’r ya?”

“Well, I was wondering if I could help you around the farm or something. I know the Gala’s only a day away, but it’s killing me to sit around doin’ nothing.”

Applejack chuckled, motioning Lieia to follow her.

“We could use some help ‘round here, even though all of the Apple family is here. The harvest’s pretty big this year ‘round. Also, that bar o’ gold ya left previous time sure helped out a lot. We could fix up our roof; buy a new plough, and other much-needed odds ‘n ends.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Hey, Big Macintosh, come ‘ere fer a moment!” Lieia eyed the big red stallion as he cantered up to meet them.

“Lieia, meet Big Macintosh. Big Mac, meet Lieia.” He extended a hoof and Lieia grasped it, shaking it.

“Howdy.”

“Man-er, stallion of few words, aintcha?”

“Eeyup.”

“So, shall we get to it?”

“Eeyup.”

“Right, Lieia, Ah think Ah’ll have ya buckin’ the apple trees. Jus’ fill the baskets an’ bring ‘em to the barn.”

“I’ll get right on it, AJ.” She sauntered off, picking a tree and shook it, taking care not to break it. She gathered up the apples, carrying the full baskets to the barn, picking up a couple more of empty ones, and then headed back, unaware that she was being watched by a minty green unicorn with glinting yellow eyes. As Lieia knelt down to tie up a shoelace, she was pounced upon by the unicorn.

“Whoa, what the hell!” She twisted around, using her close-quarters training to throw the unicorn off her and pin her to the ground. Her wrist-blade leapt out and she was about to slip the seven inches of steel between her assailant’s ribs, when she heard the unicorn squeal in fear and she was hard-pressed to stop herself, pumped up as she was by the brief tussle. She stood up, and the unicorn stared at her both fearful and interested.

“Okay, first things first. What the hell do you think you’re doing, ambushing me? D’ya know how close you came to being dead?”

“Oh, I-I’m sorry…”

“Yeah, well, sorry’s not gonna cut it. I nearly put this knife through your heart! What possessed you to attack me?”

“Your hands, of course! They’re glorious!”

“I’m sorry, what? You nearly got yourself killed because of my hands?”

“Tell me how it feels to have them! Pleasepleasepleasepleeeeease!”

“Well, how does it feel to have hooves?”

“I don’t know, I’ve always had them.”

“Well, that’s how I feel about my hands. I can’t explain it any more than you can. Now, if there’s nothing else, I gotta get back to work.” She turned back to pick up the baskets she’d dropped and headed towards another tree, shaking its load of apples free. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. The only interruptions were by the rest of the Apple family, as ponies went about, carrying baskets both full and empty, greeting her with a friendly call, and she responded in kind. The skies had gone a dark red as the sun crawled closer to the horizon when Applejack sought her out.

“Alright, Lieia, you’ve done a very good job o’ this indeed! Ah’m in yer debt, friend.”

Lieia shrugged awkwardly. “Think nothing of it.”

“Yep, there’s nothin’ better than a day of simple, honest toil.”

“The best kind.” Lieia agreed.

“Say, want to stay over f’r dinner? You’ve really helped us out today.”

“I’d like that, Applejack.”

“C’mon, then. Granny Smith’s just about finished cookin’.” She followed the orange mare back to the farmhouse, where a number of tables were already occupied by a number of ponies, their amiable banter rising in the air. Lieia sat down in a free spot besides a mare that introduced herself as Apple Fritter and sure enough, she’d drawn quite a lot of attention and was surrounded by a crowd of ponies. Rescue came in form of Granny Smith and Applejack, who brought with them a big pot. In an instant, they were back in their places, waiting eagerly for the dinner. Whatever it was, it smelled delicious and she tucked in, relishing the taste of something different than freeze-dried food.

“Sure you don’t want t’stay for the night? Ah’m pretty sure we’ve got a free room or two.”

“No, I’ll be fine. Thanks again for the dinner, though.”

“Well, don’t be ‘fraid ta drop by again! You’ll be always welcome here!”

The Jackal’s engine came to life with a splutter and Lieia grinned sheepishly.

“I guess I’ll see you sometime later, I s’pose.” She took off, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. She’d made a friend. An honest to god friend. That’s not something you’re trained to do in EXO corps. She sighed happily, relaxing for the first time in a long while.

This planet ain’t that bad, all things considered.

Next evening

Carousel Botique

Rarity opened the door, and brightened up, seeing the Reaver squad had arrived.

“Oh, greetings, friends! Do come in, I have the dresses and suits all ready!”

“Hey, Rare, how ya doin’?” Lieia closed the door behind her, as the white unicorn doled out the suits to the wearers.

“Very good, thanks for asking! Here’s your dress!” Lieia studied the dark red garment, her eyes lingering on the sparkling gems worked in the fabric.

“Oh, I almost forgot! Here’s the necklace that goes with the dress, and the shoes.” She brought over a golden necklace, inlaid with diamonds and rubies in a stylised sun, causing Lieia to shake her head as the colour-matched high-heels landed at her side.

“I don’t know what to say, Rare. You really don’t cut corners, do you?”

“I never have done so, and I don’t intend to.”

“Well, I must pay for this. I, er, got some gold bars with me. Will those do?”

“I believe so. How much do you have?”

“Three kilograms. Purest Arcelia could replicate.”

There was an audible thud as Rarity fainted and collapsed on the floor.

“Boss, what just happened?”

“No idea.”

Briggs knelt down and gave Rarity a shake.

“Yo, sleeping beauty! A dog’s eating your dresses!”

“AAAAGH!” Rarity shot upwards, nearly taking Briggs’ eye out with her horn.

“Whoaaaah, calm down, I was jus’ kiddin’. Nothing to worry ‘bout. Why’d ya pass out all of a sudden?”

“Oh, it’s just that the gold Lieia offers me… Well, nopony’s ever managed to refine even a single drop of completely pure gold! Oh, this is just brilliant! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ll never forget this!”

“No worries, Rare. Thanks for the suits. Soon as Navy returns, y’might be looking forward to expanding your business. I’ll pass on the word. ‘S the least I can do. D’ya mind if I take a shower? I feel kinda sweaty.”

“By all means, darling! It’s upstairs, second door on the right side.”

“Much obliged.” She picked her dress up and headed towards the stairs, returning after half an hour, dressed in the glittering dress, the sun necklace nestled in her cleavage. Driscoll gave a low whistle upon seeing her.

“Damn, Cap. You could’ve been a fashion model with that figure.” Lieia blushed furiously.

“So, do I look good?”

“Simply splendid, ma’am.”

“Okay, enough with the brown-nosing, get yourselves suited up. We got an appointment to keep with the royalty.” Mumbling in agreement, the rest of her squad changed out from their combat fatigues, exchanging them for the clean suits and dresses.

“Moriv’i srilie, ormalae!”

“A’lrav astari, Wrimali!”

Rarity leaned closer to Lieia.

“What are they saying, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“They like the dresses. They’re speaking in their native language. It’s a bit difficult to understand; even I know little of it.”

Rarity nodded understandingly.

“Ah. Well, I’ll see you at the Gala, then.”

“Ditto. Thanks again for the suits, Rare. I appreciate what you did for us.”

“Think nothing of it, dear.”

Luna glanced around, greeting the arriving nobleponies, but she was somewhat concerned that she’d yet to see hide or hair of Lieia. As she greeted another pony, she heard the rustle of wings and turned to see Celestia, smiling as always, looking splendid in a beautiful dress.

“Oh, hello sister! What’s the occasion? I’ve never seen you wear a dress before!”

“Oh, I just felt like it this time.” Luna felt the answer was a bit rushed, but said nothing, instead returning her attention to the guests, just as the familiar roar of Arcelia drowned out every other noise and the all-too familiar bulk of the dropship appeared, scattering the nobility of Equestria as it landed in front of the castle. Luna tsk’ed irritably.

“Always with the dramatics, right?”

“I guess it’s a human thing.” The ramp opened and Celestia’s breath caught in her throat a bit. The woman striding down the ramp bore little resemblance to the Lieia she knew, dressed as she was in a dark red dress, lacking the aura of wary edginess she had. The rest of her entourage followed, all of them dressed in fine clothes, coming to a stop in front of the two alicorns.

“Good evening, princesses.” Celestia noted, with some surprise, that Lieia had a necklace around her neck, in the shape of sun.

“Oh, hello, Lieia, how are you?”

“Pretty good, all things considered.”

“Applejack told me of your time at her farm. What you did was a step forwards to earning other ponies’ trust. I’m very proud of you.” At this, Lieia blushed, chuckling awkwardly. Inside, though, she was a mess of swirling emotions as she was taken back to when she’d won the Linv Annual Thunder Run and her parents had scooped up in a crushing hug. It had been the best day of her life. And now, Celestia had brought those memories back with a couple of words.

“Lieia, are you alright? You zoned out for a moment.”

“Oh? No, it’s nothing. Just a bit preoccupied.” She tugged at her ponytail, pulling the rubber band out, letting her hair loose and for a brief moment, Celestia wondered what it felt like to touch.

“Let’s go inside then, shall we? Almost everypony is here, too. I’ll join you in a moment.” Nodding to Lieia, she returned to greeting the guests.

As they entered the grand hall, Lieia ran into a light brown stallion who was wearing a tie, of all things. His mane was dark gray, and he scowled at her, obviously thinking himself higher above others.

“You’d do well to learn some manners, human. I have friends in high places, and they could make your life very uncomfortable.”

“I’m sorry, what was that? I can’t hear you ‘coz your head’s so far up your ass, you knobhead.” The stallion spluttered with indignation, while Briggs chuckled quietly.

“Good one, ma’am.”

“My name is Filthy Rich, and you will shut your mouth unless you want to spend the rest of your life in jail!”

That sort of did it for Lieia. She grabbed Filthy by neck, pulling him towards her effortlessly.

“Now, you better listen carefully, prick. I could snap your scrawny neck with my bare hands, but I promised Celestia I wouldn’t do anything of the sort while here, but my patience only lasts so much. So. Shut. The. Fuck. Up.” She shook him like a rag, the let him fall on the ground and walked away without so much as a second glance.

“Money and power don’t matter anything to me, so don’t try to cow me with threats or I might just break that promise to Celestia.” Briggs leant down to face Filthy, shaking her head.

“You really don’t want to get on Cap’s bad side, y’really don’t, take my word for it, dude.” She stood up and followed the rest of her squad, leaving the stunned pony behind.

Sticks and Sharp opened the huge doors, looking more like bodyguards than guests. Dunbar gave an appreciative whistle at the sight. Dozens of ponies were inside, either deep in conversation or sitting at the tables and eating.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m hungry. I’ll see what grub they have. Be polite to the ponies, got it? Okay, move out.” The troops scattered, striking up the odd conversation or trying the Canterlot cuisine, but kept to themselves. Lieia was quite impressed by the array of food available, and made sure to try a bit of everything. She wandered outside in the gardens absentmindedly, gazing at the starry skies, picking at her nails with her wrist knife.

“I say, that dress is positively glamorous!”

She looked up, seeing a light gray unicorn with a light blue mane trot up to her, holding out a hoof to shake, but then noticed the wrist blade and chuckled nervously.

“Heh heh, do you mind putting that away?”

“Oh, right. Sorry.” The blade disappeared in her arm and he stared at her arm for a moment, then introduced himself.

“Name’s Fancy Pants. I couldn’t help but notice that simply amazing dress you’re wearing. I’ve never seen such a seamless blend of fabric and gems! If you don’t mind me asking, who made it?”

“Rarity did. Celestia intends to introduce us properly this evening.”

“Oh, you’re friends with Rarity? She’s a pony everypony should know, and no mistake! She’s one of the most talented fashion designers I’ve had the luck to meet.”

A bell rung loudly, echoing through the air and Fancy Pants perked up “Oh! Princess Celestia is going to address us very soon. Better get back inside.”

“Yeah, I guess so. Nice meeting someone who isn’t a total snob for a change. Name’s Lieia.” Fancy Pants did an exaggerated bow, smiling amiably.

“Nice to make your acquaintance. Well, we better get going. Wouldn’t do for us to be late, eh?” They entered just in time to see Celestia land in her throne, Luna at her side. Everyone bowed to her.

“Rise, my ponies. As some of you may know, we have guests from alien worlds. I’ve been told that the fleet that brought them here has left, but will soon return.” Everyone started protesting, but quieted down, albeit unwillingly, once Celestia raised a hoof.

“Rest assured, they bear no ill will towards us.”

“How can you know that for sure, Princess?” A grey stallion in the crowd asked, and those nearby murmured their agreement. Celestia chuckled.

“Why, because they are amidst you this very moment. Take a look around and see for yourself.” Surprised cries came up from the crowd, as they finally saw the Coalition troops among them.

“As you can see, they’re here, and hopefully, they’ll answer any questions you have. Lieia, if you’d please come here.” She complied, and was standing besides the alicorn moments later, the squad clustering behind her. She could feel power and authority flowing off her. She faced the dozens of eyes facing her, waiting for answers and cleared her throat.

“Uh… Hi.”

That was so lame.

Chapter 9

Briggs leaned closer to Lieia, whispering in her ear.

“Boss, that’s the best you can do?”

“Briggs, am I the highest ranking officer present?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“So does it seem a good idea to speak to me like that?”

“Not sure, ma’am.” Lieia grinned despite herself.

“You’ve got guts, Briggs, I’ll give you that. We could use someone like you in EXOs.”

“Excuse me, but who are you people?” One of the ponies piped up, clearly impatient. Lieia straightened out a bit.

“My name’s Lieia Grisova. I’m a Captain of the 3rd EXO Company of Trader-Asli Coalition Marine Corps, currently in command of Reaver Squad. I’ll try my best to answer whatever questions you have, but I hope you’ll understand if I don’t answer questions that touch classified topics.”

“Why?”

“Officers of my rank have knowledge of sensible information, information that can severely damage Coalition’s war efforts, so we’re not at liberty to talk ‘bout it.”

“I suppose that makes sense. Can you tell us about the Coalition, then?”

“What would you like to know?”

“Well, what’s like for a civilian there like?”

“Peaceful, if you’re living on one of the Core Worlds. Although most of our industry is war-oriented, our people don’t starve. Those who aren’t afraid of honest work will always be welcome in the factories, where you’ll be set up with personal quarters, company-paid meals and life insurance, and then some. We take care of our own. Those who want some payback on the Vasari, they can enlist in Marine Corps or Defence Navy.”

And so it went on, with either Lieia or other Reavers answering the questions, until Celestia stepped forward and announced the end of the Gala. Many of the ponies weren’t pleased with that, since they also wanted to ask their questions, but Lieia promised that once Coalition returned, they would make their databases available for studies.

Lieia looked as the ponies left the hall, and then picked at one of the tables, choosing an éclair and taking a bite.

“You did a good job tonight, Lieia. You handled the situation very diligently.”

“I made you a promise, Celestia. I keep my promises. Well, if that’s all, I’ll be going now.”

“Actually, Lieia, I wanted to ask if you were available for a moment. I’d like to introduce you to the captain of the Royal Guard.”

“Alright, then. Lead the way.” She followed the princess through the hallways, eventually arriving in a small room, where they were met by a white unicorn and a pink alicorn.

“Lieia, meet Shining Armour, captain of the guard, and his wife, Princess Cadance, my niece. You’ve already met my sister, Luna. She’ll be joining us shortly.”

“Well, so you’re the one who caused so much trouble, huh? You don’t look that tough, truth be told.” Cadance stood up, trying to calm Shining down, but Lieia interjected.

“That a challenge? If so, I’m all too glad to accept.” Her bionic arm shifts and clicks, and a number of armour plates crept across the synthetic skin. The wrist blade also leapt out.

“Come on, tough guy. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Luckily for him, Celestia intervened, stopping the fight before it even started.

“Lieia, I do believe you promised that you’d be on your best behaviour. I intend to hold you to that promise.”

The woman in question stared for a moment longer at Shining, and then took a step back, sitting down in a chair, letting herself revert to normal state. Cadance finally managed to persuade Shining to sit down, just as Luna arrived.

“Okay, so everyone’s here. What did you want to talk to me about, Celestia?”

“Well, your arm, for an instance! And… are those steel cables in your neck? Who did this to you?”

“You sure you want to hear the whole story? You’d be the first one to hear it in its entirety, but it’s not a happy one. Y’might want to keep a bucket handy.” She leaned back in the chair.

“So, when I joined the Marine Corps, I didn’t get to be an EXO straight away. I enlisted as a private. My neck was shot out by a drug dealer I came upon during shore leave once. I killed him, but I nearly bled out before I was found and taken to hospital. They replaced the torn tendons, muscles and blood vessels with synthetics.” She chuckled briefly at the shocked faces of her four-strong audience, and then continued.

“Next time was the worst one. I got separated from my squad, and then got captured some time later. The Vasari Warmaster threatened to kill my CO if I didn’t reveal our encryption codes. I looked to him, but he shook his head, ever so slightly. So I offered myself up for execution. We were low on experienced officers, so he was a valuable commodity, so to speak. But they shot him anyways. I don’t remember myself being angrier than that time. I broke free from the two Vasari holding me, but I didn’t get too far. A disintegrator bolt blew my left arm off. The shot boiled my left lung, and it swelled, snapping my ribs, crushing my other lung, and nearly making mincemeat of my heart. So, while I lay there, bleeding out in the mud, EXO reinforcements arrived. They later told me it was nothing short of a miracle that I lasted as long as I did. My lungs and heart were beyond repair, so they had to get rid of them. I spent best part of a month in a bed, medical machines keeping me alive. They fixed my ribs, and covered them in armour plating for extra protection. My heart was replaced with a pump powered by a tiny fusion reactor. My lungs now permit me breathing polluted air if need be. That’s how I got accepted in EXOs. Only the toughest ones will get the invitation. When I joined the EXOs, I got a couple of augmentations: carbon-titanium nanolattice to strengthen my skeleton and my muscle density was increased threefold. I can rip a man’s arm off and beat him to death with it. So, now you know what makes me tick. Think what you will of it.” Celestia noticed only now, that Cadance was going to throw up any moment now. The alicorn in question managed to conjure a bucket in time. Shining Armour was simply speechless. Celestia really didn’t know what to make of Lieia, when Luna piped up.

“You’ve been through so much pain. How did you deal with it? Did you at least get a vacation?”

“Pfft. I’m an EXO. I don’t get vacations. I don’t live a normal life.” She sighed wistfully.

“These augmentations mean I can do things others can only dream about. I’m a lot stronger, faster, and tougher than the average human and I’ll probably live for another two hundred years unless I buy the farm someday. But it’s not the same.” She inspected her arm for a moment, and then rubbed her face.

“It’s not the same.” She stood up, walking over to the window and gazed out in the night, while the ponies looked at her, uncertain what to say, when Shining stood up, clearing his throat.

“I find it hard to believe that you had your heart replaced, I really don’t believe that.” Cadance turned to him shockedly, but everyone was frozen by the death glare Lieia gave Shining. She fiddled with her right shoulder, pulling out a small cylinder with a cable that snaked inside her.

“This proof good enough for ya? If you still don’t believe me, you can check that I don’t have a heartbeat.” Hesitantly, Celestia reached out with her magic, and was shocked. Indeed, Lieia had no heartbeat, just a barely audible thrum from the pump where her heart had once been.

“She’s not lying, Captain.” Shining’s face fell, and he stuttered as he tried to apologize to Lieia, but she cut him off.

“I don’t want to hear it. Look, if there’s nothing else, Celestia, I’ll be going now. Good night.” She put the reactor back in place, then left without saying anything else. The three alicorns looked at Shining accusingly. Celestia stood up, intent to find Lieia before she did something bad.

She found Lieia back in the throne room, where she was pacing restlessly, muttering quietly, before heading out on the balcony, with Celestia joining her moments later.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap like that, Celestia. These last few weeks have been trying for me.”

“No harm done. Captain Shining Armour takes it as a personal insult that you managed to evade his soldiers so easily, nothing more. Perhaps he’ll treat you nicer now.”

“Well, a woman can always hope, eh? I’ve never been a favourite among other officers. They always say I can’t keep my mouth shut, which is true. I always got myself in trouble by speaking out of turn. I would’ve gotten myself thrown outta the Corps if I wasn’t so good at my business.”

“If so, why not treat them with at least some respect?”

“The way I see it, they’ve got to earn my respect. I hate it when they demand it without reason.” Celestia looked at her, puzzled.

“Then what about me? Have I earned your respect?” Lieia found the magenta eyes a bit hard to look into.

“I’d say you have. You could’ve had me executed for all the shit I caused, but you didn’t. Takes real know-how to make decisions like that. I still have no idea what Coalition brass is going to do with me.”

“Because of what you did?”

“Bingo. They’re nowhere near as forgiving you are. Might be I’ll be sitting in a nice prison cell soon. After that, it’s the firing squad for me.”

“I’ll speak to your leaders on your behalf.” Celestia blurted out before she had even formulated the thought.

“Come again?”

“I… I’ll do what I can to reverse the sentence.” She blushed slightly at her outburst.

“Why?”

“I think I understand why you tried so hard to avoid capture. You were in unknown territory. You had no way back to your fleet. And I didn’t exactly try to reassure you, did I?”

“Heh. I guess that’s kinda true. But I’m one stubborn bitch, so I’m guiltier than you.”

“You really are stubborn, trying to carry all of the guilt on your shoulders. We’re both equally guilty and that’s that. Besides, I am the diarch of Equestria. My word carries weight.”

“Well, suit yourself. Have fun trying to talk sense in them.” She fidgeted with her necklace for a moment, before looking back at Celestia.

“Thanks. Most people-er, ponies wouldn’t do something like that for me. Truth be told, I didn’t exactly endear myself to them. Still, you have my gratitude.”

“Think nothing of it. When can we expect them to arrive?”

“I’ve no idea, actually. I guess Seventh Recon Fleet will send Arcovas ahead to scout out the space. We might be able to intercept them and get an exact date of arrival. Although, if they’re as good as everyone says, we won’t even know they’re here. Sneaky bastards, the lot of them.”

“Why do you curse so much, anyways?”

“It’s sort of a way of life, actually. Once you get into the habit, it’s impossible to stop.” She grinned crookedly.

“Luna, you can come out now. There’s nothing to worry about.”

The alicorn in question cursed quietly. She’d used her best invisibility spells, but Celestia had known all along.

Chapter 10

Lieia left the Canterlot castle in high spirits, taking a pegasi-drawn chariot back to Ponyville, since Arcelia had already departed with the rest of Reaver squad. After talking to the princesses for another hour, she chose to bid her farewells. She hummed quietly to herself as the chariot set down outside Carousel Boutique. Strangely, enough, the lights still were on inside. She knocked on the door once, and waited until a slightly dishevelled Rarity appeared.

“Oh! Hello, Lieia! What can I do for you?”

“I left my clothes upstairs when I got changed in this dress. Again, I really appreciate what you did.”

“Think nothing of it, darling. I’ll go and get your clothes right away. Just wait here.” She cantered back inside, and Lieia could hear her hooves as she ascended the stairs and returned moments later, carrying her clothes.

“Much obliged.”

“Oh, it was no problem at all! Well, good night, then!” As the door closed, she caught sight of something that stood out like a sore thumb in the boutique.

Applejack’s hat.

That’s odd. Oh, well. Doesn’t concern me.

“Night, Rare!”

Next day brought much-needed changes to the normal routine of Lieia’s life. A large host of Diamond Dogs was spotted approaching, all of them heavily armed, quite a few of them carried what seemed to be antique flintlock rifles. Of course, Celestia roused the Royal Guard, bringing them to full mobilisation.

“So, how many are there?” Lieia asked, eager to get in a fight.

“At least two hundred, possibly more.” Celestia looked at her doubtfully. “They have weapons, rifles for most part.”

“Don’t worry. I can have Arcelia strafe them long before they reach Ponyville. Should whittle down their strength nicely. Then I can send the twins in with the Jackal; keep up a harrying action, while I assault them with the rest of my team.”

“No.”

“No?” She wasn’t quite sure she’d heard that correctly.

“You heard me. I’ll meet the leader of their group and find a non-violent compromise.” Lieia threw her arms up in frustration.

“Fine. But don’t come to me complaining when those shitheads are tearing Ponyville a new one.” She stalked off, muttering quietly, while Celestia shook her head at the human’s behaviour. Did she not understand how Celestia toiled to keep her lands peaceful? The relations with the Diamond Dogs were often precarious at best. She dispatched another two squads of guards to keep watch for the Dogs’ arrival.

Alsivra crawled on her stomach, with Wrimali in her tow. They were careful to make themselves scarce, since they were uncomfortably close to the Dogs. Wrimali tapped her earpiece.

“We’re in position, Captain. We see three hundred and seventy-nine enemy footmobiles. We can smell their dirty hides from here.”

“Do not engage them, repeat, do not engage them. Keep observing them; see if you can find a leader or any weaknesses.”

“Understood, Captain. They’ll never see us until it’s too late.” Lieia look up to Briggs and the rest of her squad, who looked at her expectantly.

“You’re the hitters, alright? If things go down badly, I need Driscoll and Salwir on distraction duty. Don’t let the Dogs get organised. Marrin, Xrengri, keep watch over Dunbar. Briggs, you’re with me.”

“What for?”

“You’ll be an EXO for the day. We got the Seven-Ten and my first-gen EXO suit. We’ll use them both.”

“It’s an honour, ma’am.”

“Let’s get you suited up. Once ready, take some time to acquaint yourself with it.”

Lieia was sitting on a cart when it happened. She wasn’t in her Seven-Ten, though, but it was close enough should need arise.

Celestia swallowed nervously. She saw one of the dogs approach her and she cleared her throat.

“Welcome to Ponyville. I am Princess Celestia. I-”

“Shut it, you dumb horse! Ya killed my boys! You’ll pay for it!” Before she could move, he had pulled out his flintlock and shot her in chest.

“Oh, shit! Wrimali, you and Alsivra are weapons free! Driscoll, Salwir, Briggs, you are go! Dunbar, over here! We got a casualty!” She leapt up, but was forced back in cover by the volume of fire coming her way.

“Briggs, gather up some of those pony guards! I need covering fire!” She snapped off a couple of shots, but didn’t dare pop her head up.

“Cap! We’re almost there!” She heard Dunbar’s panting in her ear.

“Give me covering fire! Same goes for Marrin and Xrengri!”

“Roger that, Captain! On three! One, two, three… SUPPRESING!” Lieia heard a roar of gunfire and she leapt over the cart, running full-pelt towards Celestia’s unconscious form. The dog that shot her was still there, snapping off shots towards the Coalition and Empire troops. She wasted no time to put her wrist blade through his neck and crushing his skull. Other dogs were howling angrily, but she paid them no heed, even as bullets whizzed past her. She looked at the messy wound and grimaced. She looped her arms under Celestia, grunting with effort as she picked up the not inconsiderable bulk of the full-grown mare, but she didn’t stop. She kept going on even as bullets struck her in the back, and she gritted her teeth, even though the underpowered slugs failed to tear through her armoured skeleton and corded muscles. They still hurt as hell. She let Dunbar fuss over her, however, pulling the lead pieces out and patching the wounds up, and she returned to battle in the Seven-Ten, tearing into the Diamond Dogs with savage abandon, leaving none alive to tell the tale.

Celestia woke up in a bed. For a moment, she was confused, but then she remembered what happened. She glanced around quickly. She was in a hospital bed, no less. Her chest hurt something fierce, and no mistake. Her mouth was awfully parched.

“So, what’s up with you and getting shot all the time?” She turned her head quickly, but became woozy.

“Whoa, easy there. Take it slow.” Her sight cleared again and she saw Lieia sitting in a chair besides the bed. Her face was unreadable.

“I told you they’d make trouble.”

“Mmhhmhhh…” She couldn’t part her dry lips.

“Hang on. I’ll get you some water.” She picked up a jug and a glass, pouring it full of water and placing it against Celestia’s lips. The wounded mare drank it eagerly, and sighed once it was empty.

“Thank you. I really needed that.” Lieia gave her a lopsided grin.

“That’s what I’m here for.” Her face turned more serious now. “I told you that would happen. Why didn’t you listen to me? We could have wiped the ground with them. Diplomacy ain’t gonna always work, Celestia, however hard you try.” Her features softened up, taking on an expression of concern.

“Celestia? Don’t you go dying on me now.”

“I… don’t… intend to. Could I get some more water, please?”

“You have but to ask.” She poured the glass full again and let Celestia drink it. She could hardly see the resemblance to the brash, headstrong human in the Lieia she looked at now.

“I should probably get out of your hair. You need to have a long rest. See you later.” Lieia stood up and walked towards the door.

Celestia felt a wave of panic overtake her. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, willing her voice to work, but to no avail. Finally, just as Lieia was closing the doors behind her, she found her voice.

“Lieia!” It came out a bit more desperate than she wanted to, but it worked nevertheless. Lieia poked her head back inside, and Celestia was once more caught off-guard by the concerned expression Lieia wore.

“Yes?”

“Don’t leave. Just… yet. Please. I hate… to be… alone.” She looked at Lieia pleadingly, who was seemingly entranced by the magenta eyes.

“Uh… Okay.” She came back inside, taking the seat besides the bed occupied by Celestia, who sighed with relief. Lieia eyed her strangely for a moment, but said nothing, reclining in the chair. Celestia felt strangely peaceful, now that Lieia was at her side again. She felt her eyelids flutter and she saw that roguish smile of Lieia’s before she fell asleep.

This was quite a dream she was having. She wandered through the shallow snow, searching for something that she knew not of. She felt now that she was ascending a small hill and continued upwards, the gentle snowfall continuing around her. Her heart was restless, she was sure of it. But for what did she yearn? She kept walking, eventually coming across a moonflower.

A moonflower? I thought these were long extinct!

Confused, she pressed onwards, finding more of the moonflowers scattered around, somehow flourishing in the cold. She now was certain she could see somepony ahead, amidst the moonflowers. She started walking faster, feeling her heart urge her on. She was a couple of meters away when the snow abruptly cleared and she could now see the figure clearly.

Lieia was smiling at her warmly, spreading her arms to embrace her, and she heard the human’s quiet voice.

“Among the moonflowers' gentle glow,

your dearest dreams you'll come to know.”

Everything went pitch black and she woke up back in the hospital. She looked around her, and sighed wistfully upon seeing that the chair was empty.

I love Lieia. I love her and I’m completely smitten by her. I suppose I’ll have to tell her. Best do it soon, before I go crazy.

She closed her eyes, trying to calm her fluttering heart, when the doors to her room burst open and an overjoyed Lieia ran in.

“We got a signal! A Coalition recon fleet just jumped in. They’re saying reinforcements will be here in three days, maybe less.” Celestia sat up straighter, both at the news and seeing Lieia.

“Oh? They are?”

“Yeah! They’re sending representatives, too!”

“That’s good new, I presume?”

“Of course! We can establish a new supply route and fortify it against Vasari! I’ll be able to get back to my buddies back at Marine Corps! That is, I would if it wasn’t the firing squad for me.”

The thought of Lieia being executed now chilled Celestia to the core. She stirred in the bed uneasily.

“I already said, I’ll talk to your leaders. I’ll have the sentence rescinded.” Lieia looked at her weirdly.

“Why are you so worried about it? I appreciate that you’d do that on my behalf, but now, you’re worrying me. What’s got you so unsettled?” Celestia dearly wished to confess her love to Lieia, but was frozen at the same time by fear of rejection.

“I… That is, I mean… Well…” She stammered, tripping over her own words, while Lieia looked at her quizzically.

“Don’t worry yourself over it. We need to prepare for their arrival. I’m not really sure if they stand on ceremony, but we’ll make sure to be prepared either way. Get well, Celly. You got people to meet.” She left the room again, leaving Celestia to ponder on the moment.

Celly. She called me Celly. Could she have feelings for me as well?

Celestia was released from the hospital two days later, the doctor having declared her fit as a fiddle. She trotted around the Ponyville, taking in the decorations adorning the buildings. She spotted Twilight ticking off squares on a checklist, but she was looking for a particular woman, in fact. She was going to tell Lieia of her feelings. But she was proving an elusive target to find this day.

“…as soon as Celestia arrives, we’re pretty much set. So, any news on when can we expect our guests, Commander?” The man on screen shrugged.

“I’d say they might just arrive today. Empire techs gave us blueprints for advanced phase drives. 1st Liberation got the dibs on the refit, along with Battlegroup 71. They should be here in a couple of hours, give or take. We’ll keep watch, anyways.”

“Much obliged, Commander. Grisova out.” She cut the commlink and looked at Briggs.

“Let’s get this party started, Briggs. They’re going to be here soon. So. Do I really need to wear this?” she hefted tidy uniform.

“You can’t be caught looking like this, ma’am. We need you in that uniform. Come on. We’re also going to wear ‘em. Can’t have you be the odd one out.” Grumbling about stupid dress codes, Lieia slipped in the bunk room of Arcelia and emerged in her uniform, a scowl on her face.

“It’s too clean.”

“Cap, you could pass as a Navy officer in that.”

“Thanks, I guess.” A grey, black-maned mare cantered up to her and she smiled.

“Hey, Octavia. You got everyone ready? They know the tunes?” The mare nodded eagerly.

“I got the orchestra ready and eager. We just finished rehearsing again, and I’m proud to announce the orchestra ready!”

“Good work, Octavia. We’ll give them a greeting they’ll never forget.” She straightened out a bit, then left the dropship, heading for Ponyville, just as a certain alabaster mare bounded up to it.

“Have you seen Lieia, Rarity? Have you seen her anywhere?”

“I’m afraid I haven’t, Princess. You might want to try her camp.” She was slightly puzzled by Celestia’s somewhat erratic behaviour, but paid it no mind, as Celestia cantered away.

“So, Twilight, everything’s ready?” The mare in question nodded brightly at Lieia.

“Ready as we’ll ever be. Now, we wait for them to arrive, right?” Lieia knelt down to ruffle Twilight’s mane.

“That’s right. I guess you’ll like the databases aboard the flagship.” Twilight perked up at that.

“Databases? I think I like how that sounds.”

“Millions of realbooks on Coalition and our allies, no ship should set out without a Coalition Codex.”

“Oh, I love books! I wish I could manipulate time, I really do!”

“Patience is a virtue, my purple friend. When they arrive, I think you’ll agree that the wait was worth it.”

“My coat’s not purple, Lieia, it’s lavender.”

“Okay, okay. I was jus’ kiddin’.”

Celestia felt a surge of panic flood her when she couldn’t find Lieia. She came to a stop when she noticed a flash of gold. Her heart felt a ton lighter as she saw Lieia walk up the street. She felt especially taken by Lieia’s crisp uniform, neat and tidy ponytail, but her eyes took the prize. They glittered like flawless sapphires as Lieia saluted her crisply.

“Hey, Princess. Everything’s set and ready. Everyone’s waiting for the fleet to arrive, but I guess they’ll be here soon enough.” Celestia nodded slowly.

“Lieia? I need to talk to you. In private.” Concern flashed briefly across Lieia’s face, but she nodded nonetheless and they slipped in a side alley.

“So, what is it? Something wrong?”

“Well… I just… Oh, damn it, I can’t even…” Celestia decided to damn words to Tartarus and was just about to lean in and kiss those full, inviting lips when the skies were filled with a series of rapid flashes and she looked upwards distractedly.

“They’re here, aren’t they?”

A/N: I admit I borrowed the 'Moonflowers' idea. I hope everyone can forgive me for that.

Chapter 11

“Yep. They’re here.” Those words seemed like a death knell to Celestia. Her Lieia would be taken away and she’d never see her again!

No! Calm yourself down, Celestia. Nothing’s decided yet. Better go and meet the guests.

“Well, Celestia, it’s make or break now.” Lieia patted Celestia on her shoulder, unaware of the alicorn’s emotional distress. To Celestia, it felt like she’d been struck by thunder.

“You go on ahead, Lieia. I’ll catch up soon.”

“Don’t be late.” Lieia walked away quickly. Celestia craned her neck and breathed in the invigorating smell of Lieia’s hand. She shuddered slightly. She couldn’t go on like this. Before long, she’d run out of self-control and simply force herself on Lieia where she stood.

Lieia stood at the end of the red carpet as Celestia cantered up to the palace guards chosen to meet the arrivals. She’d checked in with Arcelia, and received news that the shuttle carrying the representatives and their security details was only minutes away, so she ran a quick last minute check. Everything was ready. She turned around, watching the skies. A minute passed, then two. A whine, not unlike that of a mosquito reached her ears and she straightened up.

They were here. She could almost see the small flier, as it descended from skies, escorted by five fighters. They circled Ponyville once, before coming in for the landing proper, homing on Lieia’s signal. She squinted as the transport kicked up a cloud of dust, settling down in front of the carpet. She coughed discreetly. As the roar of engines died down, the escort fighters roared overhead, pulling off a loop before heading back to orbit. Many a pony tracked them with eyes before returning their attention to the shuttle that just landed. The boarding ramp lowered and ten heavily armed EXOs walked out, taking up positions around the shuttle, glaring at anyone who would get too close, as the rest of the occupants disembarked.

Hoo, boy. Things just got interesting.

Denaros Wersian, Gyliel the Farsighted, the two co-leaders of Trader-Asli Coalition had arrived. But then someone else appeared; someone who held rule over a multi-galactical empire.

Alikera the Red-Winged, one of the last Asahi to still live gracefully joined her companions, her ornate staff clanging against the metal of ramp. Her six wings were folded against her back and she observed her surroundings calmly.

Lieia strode up to the trio, and saluted crisply.

“Welcome to Equestria, everyone. If you’ll follow me, I’ll get you introduced to the royalty.”

“By all means, lead the way.” They fell in behind her, just as Lieia winked at Octavia, who winked back and turned to the assembled orchestra and started playing the Coalition battle anthem, never missing a beat. Denaros looked at Lieia in surprise.

“I take this was your doing?” She smiled mischievously.

“So that’s where I left my music player… Huh.”

“I appreciate the gesture. And it’s very uplifting, given the occasion.”

“I have to agree with Lord-General. You have nothing to be ashamed of, Lieia.”

“We’ll see about that.” She muttered under her breath. Moments later, they stood in front of Celestia and Luna and Lieia went about introducing them all to each other.

“Princesses, I’d like you to meet Lord-General Denaros Wersian and Sambe-Ar Gyliel’Sylael, the co-leaders of Trader-Asli Coalition, and Alikera the Red-“

“It has been many years since I last saw you, Celestia. You look well.” Alikera took a step forwards, bowing cordially to the alicorn in question, as was their tradition, for they would greet anyone, no matter their social standing or wealth.

“Alikera! It certainly is good to see you!” Lieia scratched her head confusedly. Denaros and Gyliel shared that sentiment.

“I think I’m missing something here. You two know each other?” Celestia smiled at Lieia before answering.

“Yes, she came here on her search of Nell-Tiray. By the way, how’s the search going, Alikera?”

“We found her. On Gyliel’s homeworld, no less.” The Asli leader tilted her head sideways, speaking quietly, politeness incarnate.

“Nell-Tiray raised our people, for lack of a better term. She was like a mother to all of us. Though it saddens us that she left Brighthaven, we are joyful, for she has rejoined her own.” Her soft, melodic voice befitted her perfectly.

“I do believe one of us still hasn’t been introduced. Denaros, Gyliel, meet Princesses Celestia and Luna, diarchs of Equestria.” Alikera took up the slack in the conversation, bringing the introductions to an end.

Though Celestia was delighted to meet Alikera once more, she was impatient to talk to the leaders in private, to explain the situation Lieia was in. But there was a protocol to be obeyed. They had to get through lots of small talk, a meal or two, before they could get to the important topics.

Denaros scowled at Celestia’s words.

“So, she shot you? Such a thing cannot go unpunished.”

Luckily, Alikera came to Celestia’s aid at the moment.

“Her actions speak for herself. Though she wounded Celestia, she came to her aid when she was shot by the Diamond Dogs. Were it not for Lieia’s act of selflessness, Celestia might have died.” Gyliel nodded in agreement, tugging idly at her plain white robe.

“If Celestia’s words are anything to go by, I’d say that Captain Grisova has been very cooperative. She hasn’t tried to cause any trouble, despite her headstrong nature. If Celestia chooses to protect Lieia, I suppose she has a good reason to do so.” Celestia squirmed slightly as Gyliel turned her calm, yet intense gaze towards her.

“May we know that reason?” Denaros also joined her.

“If I am to rescind the sentence, I must know why you are so adamant on this.” Alikera simply shrugged.

“I trust you enough to know that you have nothing bad in mind towards Lieia, but I’ll listen anyways.” She sipped on her tea. “Hmm. Needs more sugar.”

“Very well, but you must promise not to tell anypony of this.” She breathed in deeply, steeling herself.

“I love her. I love Lieia.”

Denaros choked on a gulp of tea that had gone down his windpipe. Gyliel seemed surprised, while Alikera simply inclined her head and smiled.

“Ah. You were always hard to figure, Celestia. What say you, Denaros?”

By now, he had cleared his lungs of the drink and he stared at Celestia suprisedly.

“Are you serious?” Celestia nodded sombrely.

“I find myself quite taken by her, actually. I cannot stop thinking about her.” Denaros rubbed his face, lost in thought for a few minutes. Celestia looked at him hopefully.

“I would be a fool not to trust an Asahi’s word. Very well, I shall acquiesce to your request, but on one condition.”

“What do you have in mind for her?”

“She shall observe the methods you train your guards with, and endeavour to teach some of our own ways of war. I cannot promise she will be able to remain here indefinitely, but I shall try to convince the Council that Captain Grisova deserves a vacation of sorts. She has been fighting endlessly, sneaking herself aboard troop transports bound for frontlines, even when she’s explicitly ordered to get some shore leave. No one has been able to get a straight answer out of her why she punishes herself so.” Celestia felt like someone just removed a boulder from her back.

“I cannot thank you all enough.”

“Think nothing of it. If you can get her to take a break from the war, that’ll be reward enough.” They talked for a while longer, before Celestia excused herself and left. Denaros and Gyliel looked at Alikera questioningly.

“What? I do think that Lieia should be given a chance. Either way, you do not want to anger Celestia. She has control over the sun, you know.” She sipped her tea nonchalantly, before making a sour face.

“Really needs more sugar. Or… wait. I smell salt. Hmm. Never knew Celestia was one for pranks.”

Celestia found Lieia in an alcove, playing with a knife. It twirled through the air up and down, throwing flashes of light that danced across the walls. Lieia’s eyes never left the blade, following it as it did its deadly dance. She turned to look at Celestia just as her fingers closed around the blade. She slipped the knife back in its holster and stood up.

“Well?” Celestia smiled crookedly.

“Guess who’s staying here for a while.”

“You… you did it?”

“Indeed I did. Denaros even said he’s going to…” She trailed off as Lieia slid to the floor, slumping against the wall and breathing in shakily.

“Wow. Feels like someone removed a ton of lead from my chest. I… I really appreciate you doing this. I still don’t understand why you would go to such lengths to save someone like me.”

“I… I will explain everything to you tomorrow. Meet me at noon in the castle courtyard.”

“Will do, Celestia. You can count on me.” She pulled herself upright, and walked away.

Celestia nearly pranced about, barely able to contain her excitement. This was going to be the best day! She would confess her feelings to Lieia. She knew Lieia felt the same about her, she just knew it! The signs were there, subtle though they were. They’d both agreed to meet at noon, but Lieia was ten minutes late. Celestia fidgeted nervously, glancing around her. A few minutes later, a tall, armour-clad figure plummeted from the skies, but somehow landed lightly in front of Celestia. It looked like one of the Coalition EXOs, but carried himself differently. The helmet retracted and she found herself looking at Lieia.

“Hey, Princess. Sorry I’m late. My neural lace was giving me trouble. I’ll have to undergo surgery later. Don’t worry; it’s nothing serious, just some software issues. So, what did you want to talk about?”

“Would you like something to eat, maybe? I find that a conversation always is more relaxed with some drinks and food.”

“I wouldn’t mind something to eat, actually. Hang on a moment…” Her helmet popped back in its place and Lieia muttered something. The chest plates of her armour slid back, permitting Lieia to snake her way out.

“I’m ready. Lead the way.” Celestia cast an uncertain glance at the EXO suit, prompting Lieia to laugh.

“Don’t worry about it. It can’t move on its own. You need one of these.” She tapped the back of her neck.

“A neural lace that links up with your neural system. Nothing to worry about. How about that lunch, then?”

“Oh, right. Follow me, Lieia.” Together, they entered the castle, following the winding walkways until they were on a balcony, where a table awaited them, laden with drinks and food. Lieia stole a look at Celestia. She was somewhat worried about the alicorn’s odd behaviour, but said nothing. Instead, she sat down and enjoyed a lunch with Celestia, taking in her pristine surroundings. She felt reasonably certain that Celestia would spill the beans in her own time.

After some time, Celestia looked at Lieia worriedly and spoke.

“I have something to tell you, Lieia.”

“Go ahead. I’m all ears, Celly.” Lieia leaned forward a bit.

“It’s been a long time coming, I guess. I’ve been feeling strangely as of late.”

“So, you need a doctor, then?”

“No. It’s… Oh, look at me, tripping over my own words. Oh, well. Here goes nothing.” It seemed like a brick had lodged itself in her throat. Lieia seemed pretty uncomfortable at the moment, looking at her strangely.

“Lieia, I love you.”

Lieia tried processing the words she heard Celestia say. She failed miserably.

“I’m sorry; I think I misheard you, Celestia. Did you just say what I think you said?” Celestia nodded in response.

“I love you, Lieia.”

“What the… Oh, I get it, you’re just joking. Good one, Celly. You had me going there for a moment.”

“Why would I be joking about this, Lieia? I truly love you. I am not lying. I had your death sentence overridden for that very reason!” Lieia’s smirk disappeared instantly.

“Wow. You actually have the hots for me. I… I’m speechless, actually.”

“What about you, Lieia?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you feel the same about me?” Celestia asked hopefully.

“I’d be lying if said I didn’t. I know this sounds strange coming from me but you’re really hot.” Celestia blushed at that.

“But we can’t be together.” Celestia felt like she was punched in the gut.

“What? Why not?”

“Celestia, you got a country to run. I got a war to fight. Simple as that. It ain’t pretty, but it’s the truth. I’m… I’m sorry.” She stood up and left, just as the first raindrops hit the balcony. Celestia couldn’t believe what just happened.

No… No, this isn’t happening! Why is she doing this if she loves me, too? No, I must find her and prove her she doesn’t have to leave!

Her resolve thus fortified, she jumped upwards, and ran after Lieia.

Celestia ran through the rain, looking around her, desperately searching for Lieia, but to no avail. The downpour was simply too intense. Her mane was waterlogged and plastered across her back. She was about to give up, when she noticed a big, sturdy oak in her path. Deciding to take refuge from the intense downpour there, she cantered up to it and felt immense amounts of relief flood her when she saw Lieia was there, too. As she came closer to her, she noticed a look of resignation pass across the human's face.

"What're you doing here, Celestia?"

"Lieia, we need to talk. Why'd you leave like that? Why can't we be together?" She felt tears gather in her eyes, but held them back.

"Celestia, I-" Lieia tried to steer conversation before Celestia got the wrong idea.

"Am I not appealing enough to you? I can fix that, I promise!" She knew she was getting irrational, but she cared not.

"No, Celestia, it's not that." Lieia rubbed her face sullenly. This was what she tried to avoid.

"Is it because I'm not human? I'll use spells to change into whatever you desire, just don't leave me, please!"

"It's not that, either."

"Then why do you reject me so?" Celestia pleaded, kneeling down on the ground in front of Lieia, feeling hot tears roll down her cheeks.

"I'm a soldier. And a good one at that. War's my life. They need people like me on the front line."

"I will talk to Denaros. I will make him understand the situation. Maybe Gyliel and Alikera will side with me. Whatever it takes." Celestia heard Lieia settle down beside her.

"I don't know if they will agree. Maybe they will. Either way, fleet's staying for three more weeks at the very most. However..." She cupped Celestia's head, smiling as she brushed a lock of the wet mane from her eyes.

"... I'm willing to give it a try." Celestia's heart was overflowing with joy and she crawled closer to Lieia, pulling her in a loving hug.

"Thank you, Lieia. That's all I ask of you." She whispered huskily, tickling Lieia’s neck with her breath.

“D’ya want to wait out until the rain’s over, or should we make a run for it back to the castle?” Celestia draped her wing across Lieia’s shoulders.

“Anywhere’s perfect as long as I’m with you.” Together, they sat as the rain poured down around them.

“Lieia?”

“Hmm?”

“I love you.”

“You don’t say.” Lieia deadpanned, and then looped her right arm across Celestia’s shoulders. “I love you too, Celestia.” Those kind, true words made Celestia smile and she made the clouds dissipate, permitting a beam of light shine down on the oak tree as they embraced each other, opting to stay there for a while, enjoying each other's company.

Next morning

Lieia gritted her teeth as she cut her thigh open. The painkillers were doing squat and she was fairly sure she’d bitten her tongue, judging by the metallic taste on her lips. She quickly found the locator chip and crushed it between her fingers. Already feeling a bit dizzy, she slapped a medi-patch over the cut, letting the DermaGen gel do its work. She pulled up the dirty orange overalls, pulling them over her ordinary clothes. She stuffed the rest of her belongings in a rucksack and strode up to the shuttle. The guard on watch hardly looked at her as she got onboard.

Just another knuckledragger, boyo. Nothing to worry about.

She sat down, the still-stinging cut in her thigh making her guise as a retired soldier-turned-worker more believable. A minute later, the shuttle took off, heading for one of the Korlov-class freighters waiting in low orbit. Ships were already passing through this region of space, now that it had been established as a quicker and safer route for supplies. The freight fleet was due to leave in two days, but she would find a place to hide. She only hoped Celestia would someday forgive her for this.

The alicorn princess in question all but pranced in Lieia's room, babbling happily about the day she had planned for them. When she saw no one, she got somewhat worried. Her worry turned to despair when she noticed the note on the bed. It was simple and to the point.

I'm sorry, Celestia.

"No... No, she wouldn't do this to me!" She muttered disbelievingly. The empty room seemed to disagree with her.

She slumped on the floor, tears flowing over her cheeks, as outside, the sun abruptly disappeared below the horizon.

Lieia looked behind her quickly, then slipped through the half-opened door and locked it behind her. A plethora of LRVs and trucks littered the cargo bay, all of them in various states of disrepair. She chose one that had a reasonably soft chair. Ripping it from its mountings, she transformed it into a makeshift bed and laid down on it, taking a yawn that threatened to dislocate her jaw. Soon, she fell asleep.

"Hello, Lieia. We need to have a talk, you and me." Lieia leapt up, taking in her surroundings. A plain, nondescript room with a single window and a door. An easel with some canvas and paints took up most of the place. And on a nearby chair, sat a doppelganger of her.

"You're me."

"I look like you, but I'm not you, Lee."

"Okay, then, who are you?"

"I'm your heart."

"I don't have one. I have a pump instead."

"Fine, then. I'm Pump. Reactor and Lungs are busy, actually doing something good. No idea about Arm, though." The doppelganger deadpanned.

"What do you need from me, anyways?" Heart or Pump stood up, stepping up beside the empty canvas.

"I'm here to show you what we both desire."

"And that would be...?"

"I'm not going to tell you, Lee. You have to draw it yourself. You'll know what to draw." Doubtfully, Lieia picked up a brush, but froze with indecision.

"Hmm. Maybe Coalition banner? Maybe I want victory over Vasari?"

"Not a bad idea, but wrong. Try again."

"Uhhhh. A verdant planet, maybe? Y’know, peace and prosperity for everyone?"

"Nope. Try again."

The room suddenly went dark. Not-Lieia cuffed Lieia hard on her ear.

"OW! What was that for?"

"Why'd the lights go out?"

"I tried to clear my mind, think of nothing, since I hadn't tried it." The room was barely illuminated, but Lieia saw her double snatch the brush and start painting.

"How dense can you be? Denser than a neutron star, apparently. Go get the door, will you? I hate to be so rude, but you're being too stubborn to accept the truth by yourself."

"Aaaagh. I really hate you." Nonetheless, Lieia opened the door, but nothing happened. Moments later, Not-Lieia stood up and joined her.

"It's done. Don't look at it until the door's closed, right?"

"A'ight. What's this all about?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Without a further glance, Not-Lieia left. Lieia wasn't sad to see her go, no sir, not at all. She slammed the door shut and sat down in front of the barely visible painting.

Damn me if this isn't one helluva trippy dream.

With a blinding flash, the room was bright again. She screwed her eyes shut, but slowly opened them as the light dimmed a bit. She picked herself up from the floor and looked at the painting.

She found herself looking at a flawless painting of Celestia. The memories came flooding back to her and she felt her stomach plummet through the floor.

What have I done?

Immediately, she awoke, leaping out of the truck and running full-pelt towards the doors, punching a sizeable hole in them. Minutes later, she made planetfall in a stolen shuttle, making a hard burn for Canterlot Castle.

Luna tried to calm the angry ponies. Ever since Celestia had refused to raise the sun, Equestria had gone mad, for lack of a better description. No one had been able to coax a word out of the sun goddess, who was sitting on her throne in the grand hall, head hanging down, her lustrous mane obscuring the tears in her eyes. She didn't pay any attention to anything, instead brooding in her memories. She didn't hear the angry shouts of her ponies. She didn't hear Luna’s pleading.

And she most certainly didn't notice it when Lieia lifted her head up and kissed her deeply.

After a few moments, Lieia noticed that their makeout session was strictly one-sided. Concernedly, she pulled back, vaguely aware of a strand of drool bridging the gap between their lips. Celestia was staring at her in shock. Lieia could almost hear the gears turning in her mind.

"Lieia...?"

"I know sorry won't cut it, buAAAAAGH!" She yelled out in surprise as Celestia tackled her to the ground, squealing with joy. As Lieia lay on her back, panting slightly, with Celestia crouching over her, she saw the alicorn's face turn deadly serious as she jabbed Lieia between her ribs with a hoof, making her flinch.

"That's for breaking your promise to me." And this..." Celestia leaned in closer, until their lips were a hair's width apart, her magenta eyes promisingly seductive.

"...this is for coming back."

She smiled slightly as their lips met again in a passionate kiss, just as the sun soared back in the skies.

Chapter 12

As Celestia broke the kiss, the silence hit her like the proverbial ton of bricks. Everypony was staring at her and Lieia. You could hear a pin drop. Lieia pulled herself up, grinning sheepishly and whispered to Celestia.

“Well, I guess it’s official, then.” The ponies still stared at them. Lieia turned to them, scratching her head, thinking of what to say, but Twilight beat her to it.

“WHAT THE BUCK?”

As if a dam had been blown, the rest of the ponies joined in, clamouring at what had just taken place.

“…what is the meaning of this?”

“…Princess, why did…”

“…she just walked up and…”

“…how dare she…”

“ENOUGH!” Celestia thundered, standing up to her full length, and glaring at the crowd, before smiling apologetically.

“Sorry about that, but you all have to understand. I’m in love with Lieia.” She gestured to Lieia with her hoof who smiled bashfully.

“And I love her back.” The ponies still stared, mouths agape.

“So, uh, yeah. That’s about it.”

“So, Princess, when did you have your revelation?” Twilight asked, and Celestia smiled a bit distantly.

“I believe it was a couple of days earlier, give or take. When I woke up in the hospital after that Diamond Dog shot me and Lieia was there to greet me, I was taken aback by how caring she’d turned. When I fell asleep minutes later, I had a very strange dream.” She explained the dream.

“Then I woke up, just as Lieia arrived, bearing news of the Coalition’s arrival. I still don’t know if she suspected of my feelings back then.” She cast a sly glance towards Lieia, who shrugged.

“I had my suspicions, but nothing concrete.”

“Princess, I assume you know that you have Lieia to thank for saving your life.”

“What? I didn’t know that. Could you explain, Twilight?” Lieia shifted uncomfortably as Twilight beamed happily.

“She ran right into the thick of it, braving Diamond Dog gunfire and carried you back all the way where their medic treated your wounds. I saw the gunshot wounds on Lieia’s back. She risked her life to save you, so I guess there’s no doubting how she feels.” Surprised, Celestia turned to Lieia.

“You really did that?”

Nod.

“Could you let me see those wounds?” Reluctantly, Lieia turns around, hefting her shirt and jacket, which Celestia sees are covered in fresh patches. She gasped as she saw the stitches on Lieia’s back.

“It’s nothing, really. My bones and muscles were too tough for those stupid flintlocks. You needed the medical aid more than mMMMMMMMH.” Her eyes widened in surprise as Celestia kissed her. Twilight and her friends blushed slightly. After what seemed like eternity, Celestia broke the kiss, leaving Lieia a bit winded.

“You saved my life that day, Lieia, and you have my love. You have no longer anything to be ashamed of.” She nuzzled the human’s cheek, smiling gratefully.

“Yeah, well, I’m not that good with words and… stuff. So, if there isn’t anything else, I think I’ll be getting some sleep.” Celestia stood up after her and whispered in her ear.

“Would you join me in my room tonight? I do believe we have some… catching up to do.” She wore a decidedly sultry look on her face, which Lieia returned.

“You just read my mind.”

Rainbow Dash looked like she’d puke any moment.

“All this romantic stuff is making me sick. Get a room, you two!”

“Oh, we intend to. Follow me, Lieia.”

“Damn, nice room, Celly.”

“That’s nice of you to say, Lieia. Won’t you come in?”

“Well, no, I was going to stand right here for the rest of my life.” Lieia deadpanned, and then entered, closing the door behind her. Celestia was busily picking through a bookshelf and Lieia took the chance to cast an appraising eye over Celestia. Her eyes wandered over Celestia’s shapely, slender legs, the long, graceful curve of her neck, her round pl-

“Do you like what you see, hmm?” Celestia turned her head, regarding Lieia with a piercing eye.

“Uhhhh…”

“You could have just asked, you know.” Her gaze softened and she smirked. “I’m still waiting for an answer from you. Do you like what you see?”

“I suppose I do.” Lieia removed her jacket, tossing it in a nearby chair. “So, what do you want to do?”

“You know, I really didn’t think it through that far.” She sat down on a pillow in front of the fireplace, and Lieia joined her, smiling mischievously.

“I think I have an idea or two.” She reached up, kissing Celestia’s cheek softly. Another kiss followed and, before she knew it, she was on top of Celestia, letting her lips run rampant across the alicorn’s neck.

“Oh, Lieiaaaaaaah…” Celestia’s voice trailed off as she craned her head back, a low moan escaping her throat. Lieia crawled forwards a bit, coming face to face with Celestia. The sun goddess was panting, her cheeks flushed.

“That was, ah… refreshing.”

“You’ll like what’s coming next.” Lieia grinned, leaning in closer to Celestia. Before she could say anything, Lieia had locked their lips together, and was trying to snake her tongue in Celestia’s mouth. Unfortunately, Luna chose to make her appearance, so deep in thoughts she forgot to knock on the door of her sister’s bedroom, and was treated to the sight of Lieia on top of Celestia, her tongue deep in the alicorn’s mouth. Said alicorn was returning the gesture.

“Holy shit! Luna! Were you born in a tram or something? Knock first!” Lieia rolled off Luna’s sister, taking cover behind Celestia’s body. Said mare rolled on her side, gulping air greedily.

“Ah… Ah… Luna. What is it…? Is there trouble?” Luna was rooted to the spot, racking her brain for anything to say, anything to break the terrible silence that filled the air.

“Luna? Maybe you could come back at a later time. Me an’ your sister are a bit busy at the moment.” She tickled Celestia, who laughed despite the situation.

“I, uh, I will go now. Um…” She backed out, and locked the door behind her.

“Well, that was awkward. What’s with her wings, anyways?”

“They’re, uh… sensitive.”

“You mean that-oh. Oh.” A sly smile passed over her face and she rubbed her fingers gently across Celestia’s plumage, and the alicorn bit back a gasp.

“Lieia, what are you…?” She let out something between a gasp and a moan as Lieia’s fingers danced across the wing again, and she kept at it for a couple of minutes, even as Celestia begged her to stop, until she cried out, her wings unfurling to their full width, sending Lieia tumbling across the floor.

“Wow. Did I just…?” Lieia muttered disbelievingly, picking herself up from the floor, crawling slowly back to Celestia, who was sprawled on the floor, her sides heaving as she panted.

“Ah… ah… Lieia, that was… quite something…”

“Wait, so you’re not mad at me for not stopping?”

“Quite the opposite.” Celestia stood up with some difficulty, her legs trembling slightly. “That… I haven’t had myself teased quite like that in a long time. I do think I’ll return the favour someday. When I will, you won’t even see it coming.”

“I guess there’s more to you than meets the eye, eh?”

“I suppose you could say that. Anyways, enough talk for this day. Will you sleep with me?” Celestia removed her regalia, climbing in the bed, with Lieia following her moments later, taking a couple of seconds to extricate herself from her clothes. She sighed happily as she felt Celestia curl up around her. Was this how real love felt? She didn’t know. But she didn’t care, either. She wouldn’t swap this for anything.

She woke up a couple of hours later, mouth drier than a desert. At first disoriented slightly, she calmed down upon seeing her surroundings. She was pressed up against Celestia’s stomach, her long, slender legs cradling Lieia. Celestia radiated a lot of heat and she felt like she was being cooked alive. She needed a drink. Celestia didn’t make it easy, whimpering softly as Lieia tried to disentangle herself from Celestia’s grasp, holding the human in her embrace.

“Celestia.”

“Mrrrhhmmm…”

“Celestia.”

“Mhh. What is it, Lieia? Is something wrong?”

“No, everything’s alright. I just need some water. But you’re being clingy.” At this, the half-awake mare grinned sheepishly.

“Sorry. Promise you won’t run away.” Lieia gave her a quick peck on her nose, smiling gently.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Even though she needed the drink, she was reluctant to leave her lover’s embrace. She wandered inside the bathroom, finding an empty glass and filling it with water. She drank three glasses before her thirst was slaked. As she returned, she noticed something unorthodox about the shadows dancing across the wall. She wasn’t alone, she guessed. As she tossed another couple of logs in the fire, she sensed someone sit down beside her.

“We need to talk, Lieia.”

She turned to see Luna looking at her, her face completely serious.

“I know what this is about. You’ll probably tell me not to betray your sister, lest my soul be damned.”

“Not only that.”

“Do tell.”

“She hasn’t had anypony to love in her life, though she has always tried to find somepony to fill the hole in her heart. But she has been rejected many times.”

“Why? You’d think everyone would be falling head over heels for her attention.” Luna shook her head.

“Those who did often only thought of themselves, caring only for fame and recognition. They did not last long. You, however, aren’t after her riches or recognition.”

“I am not.”

“Though Celestia would not admit it, she needs you.”

“I won’t leave her again. You have my word on it.” Luna nodded satisfiedly, before melting back in the shadows.

Celestia groggily sat up, seeing Lieia sitting in front of the fireplace, gazing at the fire. After a moment, she sat down beside her.

“A bit for your thoughts?”

“Why me?” Celestia sighed at that, obviously expecting the question sooner or later.

“Everypony else who has tried to woo me is either arrogant or a snob. They just walk up to me, declaring their weight in gold and more or less demanding that I fall head over heels for them. Needless to say, I sent them packing. You, however, are none of those things.”

“Yep. Instead, I’m a loud, rude, insubordinate bitch, who somehow fell in love with you. Logic, eh?”

“No, Lieia. You are brash, but brave. You are selfless, but not suicidal. You do not tolerate fools easily, but you care about those close to you. That’s why I love you. You are one of a kind.”

“All these compliments are gonna go to my head, Celly. But thanks. Coming from you, it means a lot to me. Look, I haven’t been entirely honest with you. You know that I got the replacement parts for my lost organs. But it’s only half the story.”

“Lieia, I will not make fun of you. I love you too much for that. I do not… I do not want to lose you.” Lieia rubbed her face against Celestia’s neck lovingly at that.

“Thanks. I mean it. Okay, here goes.” She drew a shaky breath and Celestia wrapped her wing around Lieia’s shoulders.

“When they removed my destroyed lungs, heart, and what remained of my left arm and shoulder, I had no way of surviving on my own. I had to remain hooked up to a machine that kept my blood rich with oxygen.” She pulled free of the wing embrace, and guided Celestia’s hoof across the long, pale scar running down her chest, splitting up at her neck, curving along her collarbone, and then let Celestia’s hoof rest on a small, curved scar just above Lieia’s left breast.

“That’s where the tubes went in. Since my lungs were gone, I couldn’t speak or breathe. I was kept nourished through an IV drip. As it was, most of the time I was too weak to even move my head. Occasionally, I’d have panic attacks, trying to draw a breath on my own, even though I wasn’t able to. I had to be kept sedated most of the time.

“Last time was the worst one. I had been alone too long. Had another panic attack, nastiest one to date. I tried to rip those tubes out of my chest, but I was too weak. Then, I tried to break the machine keeping me alive. A bunch of guards rushed in, restraining me and tying me down on the bed. I remember screaming, crying, pleading them to just kill me. Of course, they heard nothing.”

“L-Lieia, please, say no more! I-I can’t believe you’d try to kill yourself!” Celestia became aware of tears running down her face, as Lieia grimly looked at her.

“I was a complete mess. I didn’t want to live the rest of my life as a useless cripple, hardly capable taking care of herself. There was the chance that my body would reject the replacements, too. I didn’t want to remain a shell of what I was. A husk that can’t be called a person. A nothing.”

“Lieia, that changes nothing between us. I still love you. I always will.”

Lieia said nothing for a few seconds, before burying her face in Celestia’s neck, weeping silently, while Celestia whispered soothingly. After a few minutes, Lieia calmed down enough, smiling at Celestia.

“Thanks. Felt good to talk about it.”

“You have suffered much. It isn’t healthy to keep all those feelings bottled up in yourself. Want to get back in the bed?”

“You read me like a book, Celly.” They shared another kiss, before climbing in the bed.

When Lieia woke again, it was bright outside. She was still with Celestia. Carefully, she got out of the bed, taking care not to wake her up. She slipped back in her clothes, and looked around for a piece of paper. After leaving a message for Celestia, she cast a loving glance towards the sleeping alicorn.

Celestia woke up some time later. At first worried about Lieia’s absence, she calmed down when she read the note left for her.

Meet me in the courtyard.

She recognised Lieia’s handwriting instantly, and she wondered what the human had in mind.

Lieia smiled when Celestia cantered up to her.

“Hey there.”

“Hello. So, what do you want to do?”

“Well, I have something special in mind. I’m going to Hope for that neural lace surgery. Thought you’d like to come along for a little tour.”

“I’d love to, Lieia. Could Luna, Twilight and her friends come too?”

“Who’s going to fill in for you while you’re away?”

“I have a couple of trustworthy nobleponies in mind. Just let me notify them.”

A couple of minutes later, Luna joined them, still seemingly uncomfortable.

“You saw nothing last evening.”

Nod.

“Cool beans, Luna. So, you ready for a tour?”

“As soon as we pick up Twilight and her friends, yes.”

“I called Arcelia a couple of minutes ago. She’s collected them already. They’ll be here in a couple of minutes.”

After said few minutes passed, the hulking shape of the dropship appeared over the gardens, alighting in their front.

“I’m here, Captain. The ponies are safe and sound in the cargo hold. Shall we depart?”

“By all means. I thought Briggs was piloting you.”

“Sergeant Briggs is busy at the moment, as is the rest of Reaver Squad.”

“Okay, I get it. They’re not available. I’ll be the pilot then. A’ight, then, you two, let’s get on.”

“This is your pilot speaking; we’ll be airborne in a couple of moments. Please stay seated while I skip the pre-flight checklist.” Celestia didn’t know what that meant, but it sounded ominous. Ignoring other’s protests; she stood up, joining Lieia in the cockpit. Lieia was busily flipping through several holographic screens, before connecting her music player to one of the dashboards. She turned to look at Celestia for a moment, the turned back, flipping a number of switches.

“I told you to get seated. My flying skills are a bit rusty.”

“What is a pre-flight checklist and why would you skip it?”

“Relax, I was just kiddin’. You’re too important to die in a horrific crash.” She smiled wrily, before finishing whatever she was doing. A low, dull rumble started. Lieia grabbed the controls, applying more thrust until Arcelia lifted off.

“Now comes the fun part.” The vectored-thrust jets swivelled, and Celestia nearly fell over as the dropship hurtled off into the skies. As she heard Lieia cackle gleefully, she could now hear the words blasting from the speakers.

Gimme fuel, gimme fire

Gimme that which I desire

Turn on, I see red

Adrenaline crash and crack my head

Nitro junkie, paint me dead

And I see red…

Celestia shook her head in disbelief.

Sky above, she’ll be the end of me someday.

Chapter 13

As the dropship shot upwards, Celestia saw the sky gradually turn darker. It eventually became pitch black. The dropship levelled out, the furious thrum of the engines turning in a gentler rumble as Lieia held onto the control yoke, a goofy grin plastered across her face. Her fingers danced across one of the screens, and then she slid back in the seat.

“I’ll let Arcelia take it from here. We should rendezvous with the fleet in about half an hour, maybe less.” She stood up, motioning Celestia to follow her.

“I think you’ll like this bit.” She joined the rest of the ponies in the cargo hold. She fiddled with a couple of switches on a panel, and one of the screens flickered to life. Celestia gasped in surprise when she saw the green and blue sphere that was Equestria, floating in space, white trails of clouds scattered about.

“That’s Equestria? It’s so… so… beautiful.” Others voiced their agreement, causing Lieia to grin.

“I was the same when it was my first time in space. I couldn’t stop gawking at everything. Oh, there’s the Sun.” She pointed to the distant star.

“We’ll come across Coalition patrols in a couple of minutes.” She climbed back to the cockpit, Celestia following her.

Lieia was humming absentmindedly, occasionally checking the ETA until they’d make contact with 1st Liberation Fleet. She felt a hoof brush against her leg and she sighed.

“Cel, this really ain’t the time, as much as I’d like it to be.”

“Oh, come on, Lieia. Just for a moment.”

“Sorry, no can do.” Celestia wasn’t deterred, however, and Lieia had to resort to drastic measures. She disabled the autopilot, and threw Arcelia in a wild barrel roll.

“OW! Lieia!”

“See? I told you to stop. Look, I’ll make it up to you later.” A ping on the sensors screen caught her attention.

“Okay, we just tripped their sensor net. We can expect their pickets to intercept us pretty soon.” After a couple of minutes passed, Lieia heard a voice emanate from the speakers.

“This is Patrol 7, identify yourself. Failure to do so will be considered an act of hostility. You have thirty seconds to comply.”

“This is Captain Lieia Grisova, I read you, Patrol 7. Here’s my ID code.” She entered a string of numbers, and a few tense seconds passed.

“Access granted, Captain. Have a good time aboard The Newborn Hope. Patrol 7 out.” Lieia smiled smugly.

“Having a reputation like mine helps sometimes. Okay, we should be within visual range of 1st Liberation Fleet in a couple of seconds.”

“I can’t see anything yet.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.” She turned off the screens and the windows were suddenly filled with a cluster of warships.

“Behold, the 1st Liberation Fleet and Battlegroup 71.” She banked the dropship, heading for the biggest ship of the bunch.

The Newborn Hope, flagship of Coalition Defense Navy.

Celestia’s jaw dropped as she gazed at the immense human warship.

“How big is it?”

“Ten kilometres exactly.” She chuckled at Celestia’s crestfallen expression. “Those beam cannons can pretty much slice through everything.” The small flier was seemingly swallowed by one of the two cavernous hangars. The ponies muttered in awe. Lieia slowly decreased the speed, landing gently on the vast deck.

“This is your pilot speaking; we have arrived at our destination. Shipboard time is 1400 hours. Be aware that your luggage in the overhead racks may have shifted during flight. We hope you enjoyed this flight and that you’ll use Grisov Airlines in future.”

She heard Rainbow Dash’s irritated voice float up from the cargo hold.

“My peanuts were stale!” Applejack caught on immediately.

“Yeah, what gives? The seats are terrible! Ah’m never using this thing again!” Lieia grinned crookedly at that.

“There’s no pleasing some people. Or ponies, for that matter.”

She cut the engines and rose from the seat, then turned to Celestia.

“We’re here. Let’s get going, eh? We’ve got some things to sort out.”

“Oh, this is simply dreadful, I say! What were the designers thinking when they built this thing?” Rarity moaned, making Lieia cringe as she lead the pony congregation towards a tram station.

“This is a warship, Rare. Get used to it. Although, the Akkans have biodomes. When we sort the details out, feel free to take a dropship over to one of them. They were cruise liners before the war. Ah, there we go.” A tram slowed to a halt in front of her, opening its doors with a hiss. “Everyone aboard. Okay, I guess we’ll be going to the bridge first. I need to notify the captain of you all.” She reclined in one of the seats, just as the tram took off. A voice poured from the speakers and she perked up.

“Anther ten battlefleets have been dispatched from Imperial space, courtesy of the Asahi. The reinforcements will be sent to reinforce key locations after the Battle of Galanthus, giving Coalition Engineering Corps enough time to construct the new series of Argonev starbases. That is all for now.” Lieia chuckled briefly.

“Vasari are in for it now. Empire’s got some wicked weapons at their disposal. They really helped us amp up our defences. For example, their scientists spent some time knocking heads with our own lab dudes. They cooked up some sort of alloy that repaired itself. Result – the average navy cadet is more likely to survive to fight another day. In addition, the alloy is stronger when it repairs itself. The more battles the ship survives, the tougher its hull becomes. The oldest ones in our fleet are near-invincible, like Hope here. Oh, looky-looky. There’s one of the autocannons.” She pointed to a huge contraption far away below them.

“Fires ten ton armour piercing slugs, rate of fire – 300 rounds per minute. The firing and loading mechanism is a piece of work. They toss those shells like they weigh nothing. See that huge pipe? That’s the railgun. Lugs a megaton of depleted uranium encased in tungsten at about one third of speed of light. No way of avoiding it.” Celestia shifted uneasily at that, dreading the thought of such weapons turned against Equestria.

“Celestia, do you trust me?” Lieia looked at her levelly.

“I do.”

“Then trust me when I say this – You do not have to be afraid from Coalition. We’re not here to nuke you from orbit.”

“Well, that sets my mind at ease.”

“Good to know, Cel. We’re almost there. Top floor: Bridge, CIC, and obdurate navy officers.” The tram was slowing down and eventually came to a halt. The group disembarked and Lieia led them down the hallway. The walls were decorated by portraits of famous soldiers of Coalition. Celestia noted, with some degree of surprise, that Lieia wasn’t among them. Lieia noticed her questioning gaze and shrugged.

“I don’t really care about recognition and all that. Easier to fight that way.” She nodded to the two guards standing on either side of the doors.

“They’re with me.” The guards nodded and the doors opened with a hiss, revealing the pandemonium behind.

Dozens of blue-clad men and women manned their stations, all of them deeply involved in running the joint fleet. Lieia strode up to the captain, standing at attention. She caught his eye soon, and immediately struck up a conversation with him. After a few minutes, she returned, smiling victoriously.

“Sweet deal, guys! He’s okay with you wandering around, as long as you stay away from off-limits areas. Let’s go. I’ll need to set you all up with PDAs.”

“With what?” Twilight frowned, puzzled.

“Personal Data Assistant. Sorta like a minicomputer, map, and wallet all mixed together. Never leave your room without one.”

After another uneventful tram ride, they arrived at the deck where most of the 2500-strong crew resided in their free time. Lieia inhaled the recycled air deeply and sighed.

“Home sweet Home.” She led the ponies through the grey, non-descript corridors, eventually arriving to a door that had Lieia’s name, surname and service number on it. She entered her passcode and the door slid open, revealing an empty room with a viewport and a simple table in the corner of the room. Rainbow Dash frowned in surprise.

“Is this it? How does somepony live here?”

“Simple enough.” Lieia whistled sharply. Right on cue, a bed popped up from the floor, along with a chair on wheels. A screen and a keyboard rose from the table. In a matter of moments, the drab room was transformed. Lieia sniggered at the ponies’ flabbergasted faces.

“This is my room. It’s like many others but this one’s mine.” She grinned slightly, and then removed her bandolier with the revolver, tossing it on a hook in the wall. She flopped on the chair, scooting over to the table, tapping away at the keyboard. Celestia looked on curiously, just as more music poured from the speakers.

I've seen the lightning

Can't wait for the thunder to roar

This is my battle

For honor and glory will soar

Afraid of my name

They shatter with pain

The army of horrors

Getting them all…

Lieia had a huge grin plastered over her face, still letting her fingers dance across the keyboard. After a while, she leant back, lowering the volume a bit. Now the song was simply ear-shattering instead of ground-splitting.

“Okay, I got the PDAs ordered. They’ll be here in a couple of minutes-Oh! Cara’s online! Haven’t seen her in ages.” A few moments later, the screen was filled with the smiling face of a brown-haired woman.

“Lieia! How’s it going? Everything alright? The BattleNet’s awash with news that you’ve found more aliens. They friendly?”

“Everything’s fine, Cara. Hey, ponies, say hello to my sister!” She rolled aside, letting the ponies introduce themselves. Cara was confused to no end by this turn of events.

“Well, Lee, you were always the strange one. I’ll have to get over to you someday. I’m so jealous of you I could be spread on a toast.” Celestia laid her head on Lieia’s shoulder, brushing against her cheek. Cara gaped for a moment, the coughed awkwardly.

“Um… Lieia? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“All in its own good time, Cara. All in its own good time. Look, I gotta run. I got a gun to upgrade and a surgery to get to. My lace’s been giving me trouble lately. See you next time. Bye!” Cara seemed about to protest, but Lieia was faster. She tapped the screen and the video link was terminated.

“Oops. Looks like we lost signal. Look, Luna, can you and others give us a moment? We won’t take long.” Moments later, the room was empty, with only Lieia and Celestia present.

“Are you embarrassed of our relationship, Lieia?”

“No. I just want it to be a surprise. Come on, Celly, nothing to worry about. Besides, it’s better to keep it this quiet. The last thing we need is the rumour mill to go on overdrive, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I suppose that would be unwise.”

“Twilight? You can come back now! Oh, y’hear that?” A nearby vent was rattling. Moments later, a mottled grey cat crawled from it, holding a dead rat in its mouth. Celestia shuddered, but Lieia knelt down, smiling as the cat ran up to her, purring.

“Calypso! There you are!” She scratched behind the cat’s ears. “What have you got there? Oh, a rat.” She turned to Celestia. “Years have passed, technologies have evolved, but you can still find rats on ships. No idea how they find their way inside. Calypso here finds ‘em. And disposes of ‘em.” The cat grabbed the rat again, disappearing in the vent again.

“She’s very independent. She even has birthed some kittens aboard. How did she find another cat here is beyond me, but there it is.” She turned to Twilight, just as the box containing the PDAs arrived through the mail tube.

“Sweet deal! Okay, everyone, gather ‘round!” She handed out the small devices, fitting them on their heads.

“They’re voice activated, so just say the word if you need to find anything. I’ll wire them with my bank account, so feel free to buy something while out and about.” Celestia shook her head at that.

“Oh, I possibly couldn’t spend your savings.”

“It’s nothing, really.” Rarity trotted over to her.

“I’m not trying to sound greedy, but how much money do you have?”

“25 thousand credits and change. I had more, but I spent it on getting my hands on some upgrades. Hang on, I’ll get you all linked up.”

Minutes later, they were all again in a tram, heading towards the medical deck.

Lieia turned around, smiling beguilingly at Celestia.

“This is where we part ways. For now, at least.” When Celestia said nothing, she laid a reassuring hand on the mare’s shoulder, her face softening somewhat.

“Celestia, relax. No one’s going to vivisect me. Now go on, enjoy yourself.” She rubbed Celestia’s shoulder, and then turned around, walking down the bright, white corridor, disappearing through one of the doors.

“Princess, is everything alright?” Rarity asked her, and, reluctantly, she turned around, boarding the tram.

Rarity needn’t be worried.

Everything was fine.

Chapter 14

The tram came to a halt, announcing its arrival at the mess hall. Everypony in the group felt the pangs of hunger in their stomachs, so they decided to see what was available. They entered the bustling room, unsure where to head to.

“Can I help you with something?” Applejack turned to see a tall, broad-shouldered man looking at the ponies.

“Oh, hey. We’re with Cap’n Lieia, an’-“

“Whoa! You’re Grisova’s pals? Damn…”

“Yeah, Ah guess you could say that. Well, she’s busy at the moment. She hooked us up with these fancy things, too. Anyways, could ya point us to some grub?”

“Oh, right. Just head over to that wall. You can choose your meal there.”

“Much obliged, pardner!”

“No problem! Enjoy your stay!” He waved at her, before heading to the wall flickering with dozens of holoscreens. As she stood in front of it, she indecisively skimmed over the available meals, grimacing whenever she noticed a meal containing meat. Eventually she chose a plate of fries, settling down at a table. Others followed suit, until Celestia remained. She froze with indecision. She scrolled through the selection, darting this way and that, an-Hold it right there.

Pasta with… sugar? My, it seems they have something for everyone! Very well, it is settled.

She tapped the screen, and, sure enough, it popped out in front of her moments later. She held it aloft with telekinesis, and went to join the rest of ponies at the table. A couple of Coalition marines scooted sideways to free up some space. She thanked them as she set the tray down. She craned her neck to take a bit of her meal. As she munched on the mouthful of macaroni, she became aware that she’d drawn quite a few stares to her.

“Pssst! Princess! Use the fork!” Twilight whispered. Celestia reached out with her magic, grabbing said piece of tableware. The spectators only grew in number. A rustle of feathers and Rainbow Dash was hovering mid-air, giving the soldiers the evil eye.

“What, you’ve never seen anypony eat or something?” The sight of a pegasus drew their attention to her now.

“What is it? What’re you staring at?” One by one, they turned back to their meals, though they did cast the occasional glance towards the ponies.

“Oh, my, that was simply delicious. Wouldn’t you say so, Celestia?” Luna mumbled as she finished off the last of her toast. A nearby marine turned towards them.

“Coalition takes good care of their own. Our guys put their lives on the line every day.” Celestia nodded graciously.

“We appreciate their efforts. Lieia certainly has proven she’s a good friend to us.”

“You mean you know her? The most ruthless woman ever to join Marine Corps?” The man leaned closer, whispering. “You don’t want to sneak up on her. She nearly killed a dude who thought it’d be a good idea to prank her. Poor bastard got scared shitless. He quit the Corps next morning. You do not screw with Grisova. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was a robot. I mean, quite a few people have tried to get her to loosen up, but they all failed. There’s something about her that’s… off, for lack of a better word. She instils fear by simply being around. No idea how she does that. How’d you meet her, anyways?”

Celestia gave the man a short version of Lieia’s time on Equestria, leaving her romance with Lieia out. The marine gave a low whistle when she finished.

“Wow, that’s one helluva story. Sounds something like the good Captain would get herself into.” A disembodied voice rang through the multi-leveled mess hall, and most of the soldiers stood up, clearing out, leaving only a couple of dozens remaining. The talkative marine also stood up, waving goodbye to the ponies. One by one, the ponies also left, either in pairs or alone, until Celestia was left. She didn’t know where to go first. She wanted to go to the medical deck, see if Lieia was out yet, but she’d been told the surgery would take several hours. She stared at the empty bowl in front of her. Well, best get to it, then. She stood up, deciding to take a stroll around the ship, to clear her mind.

Applejack stopped in front of the doors, examining the letters above them.

“Gym. Ah think Ah like how that sounds. Ya up fer some exercise, Rainbow Dash?” Said cyan Pegasus grinned challengingly.

“Bring it.” They trotted inside, and were instantly awed by the rows of treadmills, weights, and every manner of exercise machines imaginable. Numbers of both humans and aliens were present already. The whole room practically screamed ‘BEEFCAKE’.

“Whoah… These guys don’t mess around, do they, AJ?”

“Nope. We don’t. Not when it comes to Vasari.” A deep, baritone voice rumbled from behind them. They turned around to see a tall, muscled man peering down on them. He was broad-shouldered, built like an ox. Applejack felt certain he could snap her spine like a twig.

“You sure you should be around these parts, missy?” He leant down, inspecting her with a steely grey eye.

“Don’t worry none ‘bout me, sweetums. I can handle myself. And so can she.” She indicated to Rainbow Dash.

The man blinked in surprise, then roared with laughter.

“Well, I’ll be damned! You’ve got some nerve, lady! Name’s John Murphy.” He extended a hand and Applejack shook it.

“Ah’m Applejack. This here’s Rainbow Dash.”

“Nice to meet you. Say, what gives? How’d you get aboard?”

“We’re with Lieia. She took us along for a tour of the fleet.” John’s eyebrows rose at that.

“You’re with Grisova, huh? Why didn’t ya say so? Feel free to use any of the equipment we got here.” He strode off, busying himself with weightlifting. Ranbow Dash leaned closer to Applejack, whispering.

“Boy, Lieia wasn’t kidding when she said she’s got a reputation.”

“Ah hear that. Come on, let’s get goin’. Ah wanna see what they got in store.”

“Um, Rarity? Where are we going?”

“Lieia mentioned that some of the ships in the fleet are actually cruise liners. I intend to see what they’re like. We do need to find a transport, however, or we’re stuck aboard this dreary ship.” She turned around, hearing footsteps, and saw an Asli jogging down the corridor.

“Oh, excuse me? Could you help us, please?”

“Kylieh’e, har. Nori’tye sa brei’llar.”

“I’m sorry, what?” The blue-skinned alien repeated in her sing song voice.

“Nori’tye sa breillar, har.” She eyed the two ponies for a moment longer, and then chuckled slightly.

“Sorry. I couldn’t help myself. My name’s Dalyara’Sholas. May I know yours?”

“I’m Rarity and this is Fluttershy. A pleasure to meet you.”

“So, how can I help you?”

“We’re sort of lost. This PDA isn’t being cooperative with me.”

“Where’re you trying to get to?”

“The hangar. We’re trying to get to one of the ships. I was told it was a cruise liner before the war.”

“Akkan? You’ll want Prosperous for that. It’s a place where one can really unwind.” She tapped her own earpiece, bringing up a three-dimensional hologram of the Kol.

“Set path to Hangar Bay B.” A green, pulsating line flashed in life on the wall, and Dalyara smiled.

“There we go. I’ve transferred the location to your PDA, so just follow the line. Once you’ve arrived, just commission a shuttle to Prosperous.”

“Thank you very much, my darling!”

“Think nothing of it. Alright, I’ve got to hurry. Stay safe. Queral’e, har’l!” Dalyara took off, jogging away, leaving the ponies to follow the green guideline.

“HEY! Get out of here!” The exasperated engineer shouted, chasing after the evasive pink pony. How’d she’d gotten inside the reactor bay was beyond him.

“Someone get a tranquiliser gun here! She’s more slippery than a damn politician!” A Xalathii joined the merry chase, but to no avail. Minutes later, the requested tranquiliser rifle arrived, and was handed over to an Asli sharpshooter. She took aim and fired.

*psch*

*thud*

“Got her! Better take her to the medical deck now. How did she get in here?” The engineer shrugged.

“I honestly have no idea! She just appeared from thin air! Captain’s going to have a fit when he gets a wind of this.” He phoned the security crew, instructing them to take the unconscious pony to the care of medical staff.

Rarity trotted up to one of the deck crew, tapping his hip lightly.

“Ahem. Excuse me?”

“Yeah? How can I help?”

“I was wondering where I could request a transport to take me and my friend to a different ship.”

“Oh, just head over there, miss.” He pointed to a raised terminal a ways off.

“All outbound fliers should report there.”

“Thank you!”

“Don’t mention it.” The man strode off, leaving Rarity and Fluttershy free to requisition a shuttle. Half an hour later, they were heading for the Prosperous.

Fluttershy was awed by the lush plains. The brilliant curve of the dome above her stretched far. She pranced about, relishing the peace and quiet. Rarity was behind her, nearly gushing with surprise.

“My, this is simply amazing! How did they build this? I could spend my whole life here! Lieia wasn’t kidding when she said these were cruise liners! What shall we do now? Oh, let’s see if they have a spa!”

“Oh, I’d love to go to a spa.” She tapped her PDA, bringing up the map. After a few moments, she found the required location.

“My, you seem to be getting the hang of it, Fluttershy!”

“Oh, thanks.” The butter-yellow mare smiled shyly at the compliment.

Luna stepped through the doors, her heart stopping for a moment. Rows of strange devices were lined along the walls, a soldier in front of each. The room was awash with noises emitted by the machines. A nearby marine turned to her, waving amiably.

“Hey there! Welcome to the Game Room! Take your pick!”

“Game Room? Pray tell, what purpose it serves?”

“Video games, of course, for the consummate nerds! The best and the newest in the market! I always come down here in my free time. I hold the high score in Space Impact on this ship. Want to give it a go?” Intrigued, she stepped up to a free machine at the marine’s side, inspecting the screen.

“See the controls? You move around with that joystick and fire by pressing that button. Tap the screen to start the game.” She did as instructed, and the screen flashed, displaying a small spaceship that was flying around. She took hold of the joystick and immediately flew straight in an enemy that had appeared on screen. The marine chuckled.

“You’re supposed to shoot ‘em, not ram ‘em.” A new ship appeared and Luna was more cautious this time. Moving around, she let loose a stream of bullets, obliterating the row of enemy ships. She grinned, dropping lower down, avoiding an enemy projectile, blasting the culprit to space dust. She kept deftly avoiding the enemy shots, all the while whittling away at the enemy numbers, defeating the first boss easily. She grinned victoriously at seeing the monster explode.

“Take that!” On screen, Luna’s ship flew to top of the screen, boosting away as her score was displayed.

“That was quite fun!” The screen changed, displaying a cliff on bottom as the ship arrived, and Luna was in control once more…

Two hours, many deaths and restarts later...

Luna chewed her lip nervously as she confronted the last boss. It was a huge thing, nearly impervious to her fire. It had a tiny weak spot, and she always was mere moments away from death. A group of marines were spectating, cheering her on, as she kept relentlessly hammering away at the monster. Mere moments later, it died, disappearing in a huge explosion. The screen went blank for a moment, and then the speakers rumbled.

“Congratulations! You have won the game!” On screen, she could see a list of names and scores. The current top score beat others by a wide margin, and then was replaced by her name. She’d beat the marine’s score by several hundred points. She entered her name, settling her high-score firmly in top.

“Man, that was awesome! You’ve really got a knack for gaming, miss!”

“Please, call me Luna.”

“Alright, Luna. Want to try something else?”

“I would indeed!”

Twilight was up to her ears in the digital counterpart of a realbook. She was soaking information up like the proverbial sponge. She had lost all track of time in her pursuit of knowledge. Occasionally, she wondered what her friends were up to.

Celestia wandered through the quiet hallway, unable to devote herself to any meaningful activity, absorbed as she was by her concern for Lieia. She trotted up to a window, idly examining the nearby ships. The fleets were miniature cities, truth be told. Soldiers and crewmen alike earned their credits and spent them on food, weapons, and other necessities. Her eyes followed a trail of fighters that flashed past the window, and she sighed. Twilight and her friends were spread throughout the fleet, exploring the human ships. Last she’d heard of Luna, the alicorn was busy with some sort of entertainment systems. Pinkie Pie was under constant guard since her latest mischief. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were in the medical deck, getting their sprained muscles tended to. The competitive ponies had nearly broken a couple of exercise machines. Rarity and Fluttershy were the only ones not to cause trouble, living the life of luxury aboard Prosperous.

Three hours later

Celestia stepped off the tram, glancing around to make sure her mane didn’t get caught anywhere. She headed down the hallway, entering the medical deck moments later. She trotted up to the reception desk, coughing politely to get the man’s attention.

“Hello! How can I help you?”

“Is Lieia Grisova receiving visitors at the moment?”

“Hang on, let me check… Yeah, she got out of surgery an hour ago. She’s in room 412.”

“Thank you.” The man nodded in response, turning back to his screen and Celestia set about to find Lieia’s room.

The doors parted with a quiet beep and Celestia entered the room. A single bed stood near several medical machines. In the bed lay Lieia, pale as death. When she heard Celestia stand by her bed, she opened her eyes and grinned weakly.

“Hey there.” Now that Celestia was closer, she saw a grid-like arrangement of thin, red scars across Lieia’s body.

“Lieia… what did they do to you?”

“Oh… just some augmentations. When they replaced my neural lace, they rewired my haptics for more precise handling. Dermal reinforcements to toughen my skin. They shaved a couple of microseconds of my reaction time, too.” Celestia leaned closer.

“How do you feel?”

“Like death warmed over. Ah. They drugged me up with something fierce. I saw lobsters flying on bears for some time.” She tried to sit up a bit straighter, but Celestia laid a restraining hoof on her chest.

“You have to get some rest, Lieia. I’m not going to let you overexert yourself.” Lieia reluctantly complied, and Celestia sat down beside her.

“So, how’s everyone doing, Celly?”

“Better than I thought, actually. Twilight’s reading as usual, Pinkie Pie has a squad of soldiers on her, Rainbow Dash and Applejack also had a visit here following a too-enthusiastic competition. Rarity and Fluttershy seem to be enjoying themselves aboard that cruise liner. Luna has taken quite a shine to those video games.”

“Whoa. Hold the phone. What did Pinkie do?”

“Apparently, she managed to get in the reactor bay. The eyewitness told she simply appeared inside.”

“How does one get inside the most secure place of the Coalition flagship?”

“Very easily, it would seem. It’s just Pinkie being Pinkie. Twilight tried to find an explanation for how she does all the things, but…” She trailed off.

“I get it, I guess. So, the gist of it is that she defies logic?”

“More or less.”

“Well, how about you? What were you up to today?”

“Uh… well…” Celestia stammered.

“Go on. I won’t laugh.”

“Nothing.”

“Huh?”

“I couldn’t do anything! I just couldn’t stop worrying about you. I’m terrible at controlling my feelings, no?”

“It’s okay. I understand. At least, I think I do. God, these painkillers are making my brains slower than a snail on weed.” She shifted closer to the edge of the bed, winking at Celestia.

“I saved you a spot.”

“What if someone comes in?”

“They know better than to disturb a sleeping EXO. Come on, then. Oh, wait a minute. I taste blood.” Celestia barely restrained herself from screaming in terror.

“What?”

“Don’t worry. It’s nothing, really. My lace’s still meshing with my body. I wouldn’t mind a glass of water, though.”

“You just wait here.” Soon enough, she returned with the requested item.

“Much obliged, Celly. Well, hop in, then.” Celestia climbed in carefully, curling up at Lieia’s side, feeling her fingers caress her cheek.

“Still. What if someone does walk in? Then what?”

“Y’know, at this point, I don’t even care.”

Somewhere else, two security officers were ogling the screen, shocked at seeing the alicorn and human share a kiss.

“Dude! What the hell am I lookin’ at here?”

“D’ya think we should report this?”

“You got a death wish, do you? Grisova's going to tear you a new one if she hears of this!”

“…We didn’t see this.”

“Nope. I was busy with, uh… stuff.”

“Ditto.”

“…”

“Why is your nose bleeding?”

Chapter 15

The Armoury was a place of constant activity. At any time, there was someone inside, upgrading or repairing their equipment. This was one of Lieia’s favourite places onboard any ship. She loved the smell of gun grease in the air, the constant clamour of weapons and armour being taken apart, modified and put back together.

She turned to face the crowd of ponies, making sure she got their attention.

“Okay, so this is the Armoury. Watch yourselves here, don’t stray from the marked pathways and take care at crossroads. Seven-Tens are always moving around here, doing heavy lifting, same goes for cargo trucks. The PDA will give you a fair warning if anything’s nearby, so keep it on at all times.” She eyed the crossing once more, then led the congregation forwards, presenting the Coalition arsenal to them, explaining the various types of firearms and armour their troops used, until they arrived at a storage locker. Lieia flashed her access code, and the doors opened.

“This is my own little world. A workshop just for me. Well, looks like they already delivered the parts I requested.” She strode over to where her 1st-gen EXO suit stood, along with the vaunted NX-61, the bread and butter of EXO soldiers. She lifted it on her shoulder, grunting slightly at the weight, settling it down in a gun cradle, where she could easily access every nook and cranny of her weapon.

“Don’t worry, I won’t take long.” She removed the ammo box, pulling the long belt of flechette rounds out.

“This is the standard projectile fired by the NX-61. Magnetically propelled, armour piercing; devastating against footsloggers. The usual powder charge is replaced with a magnetic one. Magnet sleeves within the gun’s barrel shape that magnetic charge when it goes off, providing far better muzzle velocity, range and accuracy than conventional firearms.” She pulled the shell casing away, letting the rows of laser-sliced blades pop out. She held it up for closer inspection to the ponies.

“It isn’t uncommon for some unlucky sod that got gutshot by this to get his digestive tract strung out behind him, pinned to a wall. Hit him anywhere else, it leaves a nasty laceration that will bleed him dry in minutes. If you feel picky, you can choose explosive rounds. Those contain ten milligrams of 100% pure cyclotaurite, the most explosive substance available. Other types are also available, like incendiary, tracer, shieldcrackers, and then some.” She tossed the bullet at the wall. It struck it with a twang and Twilight could see it was half-buried in the surface.

“Okay, then. Let’s see what the Logistics coughed up for me.” She ripped open a crate that lay nearby, pulling out several strange objects.

“Neat!” She announced seconds later, and took her weapon apart; replacing the parts with quick, methodical efficiency, before putting it back together. The whole operation lasted five minutes.

“Okay, that’s that. Who would care for a quick demonstration?” She strode over to her EXO suit, climbing inside and powering it up. She donned her helmet, staring at the ponies with a blue-lit gaze for a moment.

“Uh, Lieia? You’re kinda creepin’ me out.” Applejack spoke up, fidgeting nervously.

“That’s the idea. C’mon, let’s go. I want to show you what this baby does.” She picked the NX-61 up like it weighed nothing and squeezed herself through the doors, beckoning the ponies to follow her to the firing range.

The firing range bore the permanent smell of gunpowder, metal and cordite and other smells that were completely alien to the ponies, but Lieia could identify most of them. She herded the ponies in a viewing room, and then hefted her rifle.

“You might want to cover your ears!” She braced herself, taking careful aim at the pock-marked target downrange.

“Firing!” she squeezed the trigger, and a stream of blue fire erupted from the barrel, as Lieia felt the rifle shake in her grip. The gunfire sounded like a sheet of metal being sawed in two by a dull circular saw. The ammo belt ran out in about twelve seconds. She zoomed in on the target. Little of it remained untouched now, peppered as it was by ten-centimetre projectiles. She waved to the ponies.

“It’s safe now! Boy, that felt good. Okay, let’s keep going. I’ll get out of this and then I’ll take you to on a small tour to some of the other ships. Meet me in two hours in my room.”

As Lieia headed down the corridor, she became aware that she was being followed. She had a fairly good idea of who was it, and she checked that her revolver was still fully loaded. Her reputation meant there were many who were jealous of her. Luckily, most of them were smart enough to leave her be. Some, however, were practically suicidal. She’d refrained from killing them, handing the sods to courts instead. Still, she had to watch her back. She rounded another corner, and deftly slipped behind a pipe, quietly readying her wristblade. As the quiet footsteps approached, she tensed up, waiting for a moment to fully exploit the element of surprise. She jumped out, reaching for the stalker’s neck, and received the surprise of her life when she came face to face with Celestia. She barely managed to divert the blade so it hissed through empty air.

“Celestia? What do you think you’re doing, sneaking up on me? You know that if you wanted to have some time alone with me, you could’ve just asked.” She relaxed, sheathing her knife and pulling Celestia closer to her, whispering quietly.

“Come on. Let’s have a walk. Just you and me.” They resumed the walk, their quiet voices barely rising above the background thrum of Hope’s reactors.

“Celly, I still don’t understand how we got together.”

“What do you mean?”

Lieia started to answer but was cut short by a fist that smashed her against a wall. Celestia stared in shock as Lieia collapsed on the floor. A sneering man stepped out from the shadows, pulling out a gun and aiming it at her, just as Celestia stepped in front of him.

“Leave her alone! You-“She recoiled as the man backhanded her and she landed heavily at Lieia’s side.

“If you know what’s good f’r you, you’ll shut your trap. I got no quarrel with you.”

Lieia shuffled blearily, but froze at seeing what had happened to Celestia. The alabaster alicorn sat there, staring in disbelief at the man, as blood welled up from the gash on her lip. She watched, hypnotised as the small drop of red fell through the air and hit the floor. She retreated somewhere deep back inside her mind, emerging far more dangerous than she usually was.

Rage doesn’t just conquer fear. It obliterates it, along with any sense of self-preservation or caution. Lieia surged to her feet, leaping at her assailant. He turned to her, raising his gun, but the lead slug didn’t even slow her down. She was on him immediately, her blows snapping three of his ribs immediately. Then she did something that Celestia never forgot.

In her rage-induced frenzy, Lieia tore the man’s right arm off, stuffing it down his throat and dumping him in a chute that led straight to the waste incinerator.

“A shame he decided to commit suicide like that. I could’ve stopped him.”

Then, she just stood there, her shoulders shaking as she burnt through the adrenaline in her body.

“Lieia…?” Celestia flinched slightly as Lieia turned to her and winced.

“Ah! What the…? Oh.” She glanced down, seeing the torn hole where she’d been shot. The dermal augmentations had been worth it, apparently. Still, the bullet was sticking out from her stomach, and she knelt down, gritting her teeth.

“Boy, does that tickle.” She grasped it firmly and pulled it out.

“Okay, maybe that wasn’t too smart of me. A hundred credits says that I bleed out before I get to medical deck.” Celestia was horrified, to say the least.

“How can you regard your own injuries with such casualty?”

“The way I see it, it’s either laugh, cry, or go crazy. And I hate crying. I suppose you don’t have any bandages on you? The hell am I talking about? Here, let me see what he did to you.” She wiped her hands clean of the blood, reaching towards Celestia’s face, causing her to flinch.

“Celestia… come on. You don’t have to be afraid of me. I’m not going to hurt you. I will, however, visit a world of pain upon those who do.” She caressed Celestia’s cheek, wiping the tears away, inspecting the cut on her lip.

“Hmm. Well, it’s quite nasty. We should get a medkit or something.”

“No need. I can take care of it.” Her horn lit up with magic and she quickly fixed the wound.

“Wow. That’s quite something.” Lieia gasped as Celestia turned to her, flooding her body with restorative energies, knitting flesh and ruptured blood vessels.

“Ooogah, that really tickled. Neat, now I won’t have to leave cryptical messages written with my own blood! We should, however, clean up all this blood.” Celestia stood up, ‘magicking’ the blood away.

“Okay. Whatever floats your boat.”

“Why did he attack you?”

“I turned him in once for drug smuggling. Bastard should’ve known to leave me alone. That’s what, the seventh attempt on my life? I’ve kinda lost count.” She pulled Celestia close to her again.

“You’re an odd one, Lieia.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Shhh, here comes the best part! Quiet down!” Lieia waved frantically, turning the volume up.

…Wheel of Time

Save my soul, find a way

May it be as the pattern has chosen

Oh, Wheel of Time

Turn the Wheel of Time

It keeps on spinning

There's no beginning

There's no end, Wheel of Time

There's no beginning

Just keep on spinning

Lieia was singing along, her clear, strong voice adding to the harmony.

Shine on,

Embrace and deny me

Turn on, Wheel of Time

Shine on,

You've burnt me, now guide me

Weave on, Wheel of Time

She opened her eyes, smiling as she picked the book up again.

“That bit never fails to give me the chills. I love that song.” She glanced at Celestia, who was studying the book in Lieia’s hands.

“What does it say on the cover?”

“Oh, it’s The Gathering Storm. Twelfth book of Wheel of Time. I’ve yet to read the final book, since it’s still in the works. Wheel of Time puts other fantasy novels to shame, though the Deepgate Chronicles isn’t to be underestimated.” She stood up, rummaging through one of the lockers, eventually lifting a box out. She picked a somewhat worn book out, handing it to Celestia.

“The Eye of the World. First one in the series. Have a go at reading. We still got something like an hour or so left until we go.”

Celestia opened the book, settling down comfortably at Lieia’s side.

Chapter 1

An Empty Road

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to

myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the

Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose in the Mountains of Mist. The wind

was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it

was a beginning…

One hour later

“Right, then. Time’s up. Twilight and the rest should be here shortly.”

“Do you have a bookmark I could use? I’m really enjoying this book.” Lieia found an empty snack bar wrapper, tossing it to Celestia.

“I’d say this will do the trick. Better than nothing, eh?”

Celestia laid it in place, closing the book. Moments later, she heard Twilight’s voice through her PDA.

“Princess, are you there?”

“Yes, Twilight. Are you ready?”

“We’re waiting on you, actually.”

“Cool your jets, Twi. We’re coming.” Lieia joined the conversation, slipping in her jacket. She looked at Celestia.

“I want to make something clear to you. I know you’re still worried about that incident with that dude. You’re worried I might snap again, right?”

“You were so brutal! How do you have it in yourself to kill so easily?”

“I just do. I have to eschew my own humanity to get through this war. Look, the day I hurt you again is the day I kill myself. I wasn’t quite sure earlier, but I cannot imagine my life without you anymore.” She pulled Celestia closer to her, feeling the mare shiver slightly.

“Lieia, I… I love you so much, but you scare me sometimes.” Celestia whispered.

“I know. I know. I’m really starting to wish the war was over, see if I could actually live a normal life.” She sighed shakily and stood up.

“Right. Let’s put that behind us, shall we? We’ve got a day to waste away.”

Arcelia banked sideways lazily, and Lieia pointed to another ship.

“There. That’s one of the carriers. Holds two squadrons of strike craft. Next, we have a Kodiak, Coalition’s heavy hitting cruiser. It can easily take a punch on the chin and send it right back with interest. Ooh, look there. That’s an Asli Talar-class dreadnought. Deadly at long range. Their particle cannons will eat through most armour easily.” She continued her monologue, explaining the various types of ships the Navy used. Minutes later, as they neared their destination, she could see the vast vessel slowly growing in the viewports.

The Ravager.

“That’s a Marza-class dreadnought, Coalition’s long range hitter. Before war, it was used as a recovery workhorse and destroying asteroids and other small planetoids that posed a threat to our holdings. Now, it has those massive siege cannons. They are powerful enough to cause earthquakes.” Arcelia landed in the hangar bay minutes later. The captain of Ravager, a short, stocky man by the name of Mark Farretto.

“Welcome to the Ravager, dear guests!”

“Nice to be aboard, Captain. I’m just showing my friends here around the fleet.”

“They know the rules?”

“Yeah. I’ll take full responsibility for any trouble or damage they cause.” She eyed Pinkie Pie, causing the pony to chuckle nervously. Farretto frowned, but said nothing, excusing himself moments later.

“Okay, everyone, this is perhaps the most dangerous sort of ship to be on. Half of this vessel’s weight is high-yield warheads, so don’t touch anything. That goes double for you, Pinks. Denaros is still fuming about your little stunt back on Hope. If this ship goes up in flames, the explosion might just wipe out the entire fleet. Equestria might get worked over, too. So, do I have your word that you won’t touch anything without asking? That you’ll stay away from locked doors?”

Pinkie Pie wilted slightly under her glare, but then puffed out her chest proudly.

“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. You have my promise, Lieia!” The human in question said nothing for a few moments, holding Pinkie’s gaze a bit longer, then stood up.

“I believe you. Okay, feel free to wander around. And remember. Don’t touch anything that has the destructive power to tear the universe a new one.” With that, they went their separate ways.

“Welcome to the Sideliner, ladies! What’ll it be?”

“A bottle of whiskey and two glasses, please!” She leaned closer to the man, slipping a fifty-credit chip to him.

“Comin’ right up!” he turned around, rummaging through the shelves behind him.

“Word is that Vasari have been spotted just a couple of jumps away. Might be they’re headin’ this way.” Lieia leaned forward at that.

“Where’d you hear that?”

“Well, I can’t exactly recall the fellow’s name. Might need somethin’ to jog my memory…” He rubbed his fingers together. Lieia tossed in another fifty credits and he grinned.

“Ah, I just remembered it. A guy aboard Resolute. Said PSIDAR had detected several ‘sari Jiks probin’ the space around here. Might be we’ll have a fight on our hands pretty soon.” He handed the bottle and glasses over to Lieia.

“Many thanks for choosing Sideliner for all your drinking needs.” She nodded at him, and led Celestia over to a vacant table.

“Are we in any danger, Lieia?”

Lieia sighed, choosing her words carefully.

“Maybe, maybe not. Either way, Denaros will leave a defence force here. This has become a key route for reinforcements and we’re not going to let the Vasari take it.” She leaned closer, whispering.

“Besides, I won’t stand for some filthy Vasari slaver getting his claws on you. Come on. Let’s have a drink.” She poured the amber liquid in the glasses, handing one to Celestia, raising the other to her own lips.

“Bottoms up!” She swallowed the shot of whiskey in one go, gritting her teeth.

“Oooh. That’s the stuff.” Celestia took a small sip and nearly spat it out.

“Ugh!”

“You swallow it all in one go! Come on!” She refilled the glasses, standing up, whistling for attention.

“To victory!” She downed her drink, and others in the bar cheered, raising their glasses.

“HOOAH!” She refilled her glass again.

“To those of us who leave this world too early. May they live in our memories forever.” This time, the cheers were more subdued.

“Amen to that.” A marine nodded somberly.

“I hear that.” Another one clapped the man on the shoulder. Others echoed their agreement. Lieia smiled sadly, before turning back to Celestia. As they downed another couple of shots, Lieia heard two new arrivals arguing at the bar.

“…Women are like mules, bro. No. They are like goats. Goats, except every damn one of them thinks she’s a horse and a prize racing mare to boot.” His companion nodded at that.

“Pure poetry, that.” Lieia turned around, facing the two. “Now, how about you say that to my face, tough guy?”

The offenders stood up, clearly not knowing who they were dealing with.

“You know, you’d better watch your mouth, missy.”

“Or what? You’ll hit me? Are you man enough? I don’t think so.” He snorted at that.

“You think you could fight me?”

“Fight you? I’ll beat seven shades of shit out of you both and then wipe the floor with you and your butt buddy.” By now, everyone else in the room was staring at the three of them, but the barkeep was having none of it.

“Y’got a score to settle, take it somewhere else.”

“Oh, I intend to. Well, kiddies, how about we finish this in the ring? You got the balls to fight the lil’ old me?”

The muscled marines glared at her, but she didn’t even so much as wink.

“You’re on.”

Chapter 16

The news spread like a wildfire. Pretty soon, the entire crew of Ravager knew of the impeding fight. Bets were made, while hundreds of crewmen crowded in the hangar bay, where an impromptu ring had been set up.

“Do you really have to do this, Lieia?”

“Yep. I’m not going to kill them, Celly, don’t worry. Just need to teach them a lesson or two about humility and common sense.” She took her jacket off, tossing it on a nearby crate, turning to her two opponents. They were regarding her smugly. She stepped in side the ring, winking at Celestia, before facing the Monobrow and Thickhead.

“Okay, so I want to lay down some ground rules first. No spitting, no pinching, no tearing hair, and no complaining to your moms about getting beat up by a girl.”

That was the last straw. Howling in anger, the Moronic Duo hurled themselves at her. She easily avoided them, but they didn’t think about trying to rush her again. She struck out with her foot, tripping Thickhead and going after Monobrow. He swung a wild haymaker, which she intercepted, easily stopping his fist. He gasped in surprise.

“How did you do that?” She grinned at him, raising her other fist.

“Should’ve checked whom you were pickin’ a fight with.” She landed a solid one on his face, throwing him back a couple of feet. By now, Thickhead had recovered, going after Lieia, swinging his fists wildly, but she kept toying with him, deftly avoiding his punches, letting him exhaust himself. The spectators kept jeering. At once, she went on the offensive. She swept her right leg, scything his legs out from below him, pushed herself in the air with her arm and kicked him across the ring while they both still were in mid-air. The onlookers roared in awe, shaking the deck, but then a medium-sized crate slammed between her shoulders, sending the lithe woman flying across the deck. The viewers gasped. Monobrow laughed gleefully.

“Told you I’d beat you!” Lieia didn’t even move, and Celestia felt cold, icy fear take hold of her. Others started muttering and she futilely fought to keep tears out of her eyes.

“HEY! I’m not done yet, assholes!” The defiant shout rang out clearly. Celestia wiped away the tears and saw Lieia standing. Blood was trailing down her cheek, but she was standing steadily. She took off at a slow jog, heading back towards Monobrow. He blinked in surprise, but hefted another crate, lobbing it towards Lieia. She leapt on it, using it to keep herself in air, before landing in front of Monobrow, delivering a flat-palmed strike to his chest. All air left his lungs and he collapsed to the ground, wheezing, with a sound that could best be described as ‘chahhh’ escaping his lips.

She heard Thickhead shout and turned around, right in time for said moron land a solid punch on her jaw. Her head whipped sideways, and a stream of blood flew from her mouth. Once again, silence descended. Thickhead’s victorious leer changed to an expression that resembled a man being given a tube of Vaseline by a very muscular individual winking at him as she grabbed the sod by his throat and lifted him up like he weighed nothing. She glared at him venomously, drawing back her other arm.

“Don’t do that again.”

As she threw the punch, he frantically waved his arms, trying to latch onto her.

*smack*

He flew backwards, Lieia’s shirt fluttering in his grasp. As the hundreds of pairs of eyes followed his trajectory, cringing collectively as he tumbled head over ass through several crates, getting knocked unconscious in the process. Everyone looked back at Lieia, Celestia included.

It seemed Thickhead had ripped off more than her shirt. A gasp went up from the spectators, but soon a lot of the males were whistling appreciatively. Celestia blushed fiercely when she realised what had happened. Lieia’s shapely breasts were bouncing around, unrestricted by the bra that now was in Thickhead’s grasp. She paid that no attention, however, instead tearing off a large piece of Monobrow’s shirt, tying it around her ample chest, and then picked the half-conscious man up by his shoulders. He barely could stand straight. She eyed him for a moment.

“Next time, you might want to stay quiet, or at least make sure no one's eavesdropping.” She headbutted him, the loud, dry clack echoing quite nicely. Monobrow went down like a felled tree. Lieia turned to her spectators. The entire fight had only taken a couple of minutes. One of the spectators stood up, shouting as loud as possible.

“And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why you don’t fuck with Captain Grisova!” The cheers and applause broke free, with many of the crewmen cashing in a nice amount of credits from the bets they’d made.

Celestia pushed through the milling crowds, eventually meeting Lieia, who was getting some medical attention for her cuts and scrapes. She smiled when she saw the alicorn, just as the gash on her forehead was stitched up.

“Hey, Cel. Those two didn’t stand a chance, did they? S’pose they were a couple of FNGs, since they were so eager to fight me.”

“I don’t even know what to say, Lieia, I really don’t. How did you take them down so easily?”

“They relied on brute strength, while I have those augmentations to call upon. They should’ve asked around who they were going up against.” The medic finished the work on her face, and walked away. Lieia worked her jaw for a couple of moments, and then chuckled.

“Well, so much for simply spending the day quietly, eh? We still got a couple of ships left to visit. Let’s get it over with.”

Four hours later

Lieia’s personal quarters

“Twilight, you alright there?”

“Y-yes, Lieia.”

“You lie like a rug, Twi. Tell me what’s bothering you.”

“This may be a bit hard to believe for you, but while I was reading those databases, I came across something that is related directly to you.” Lieia sat up a bit straighter.

“Do tell.”

“Well, believe it or not, you’re royalty.”

“…What.”

“I’m serious! It took some digging, but I found your full family tree. You are the direct descendant of one Liiyah Tavrian. I looked around some more, and found out she was the Rebel Queen of Linv, back when there was no organised government or Coalition to unite your worlds. She waged a guerrilla war to bring Linv under her control. She succeeded, too, leaving a last will while she still was young. I have a copy of it on my PDA.” She sent it over to Lieia, who opened it impatiently, displaying it in front of her.

“That’s Old Linv. We had to learn it back in school, but hardly anyone speaks it, instead using the Common. Let’s see…” She licked her lips.

“Last will of Liiyah Tavrian, Rebel Queen of Linv. I leave everything I’ve conquered to my successors, be they young or old. My heraldry bears my will. Liiyah Tavrian, Rebel Queen of Linv. Boy, she doesn’t say much, does she?” Twilight chuckled dourly at that.

“No. She seemed to know what she did, though. Since she didn't name a specific heir, the rest of her family killed each other over the years following her passing, each of them trying to consolidate the position. In the end, there were only a handful of them left. They were the smarter ones, giving up on any chance to claim the throne, turning instead to simply living out their lives.”

Lieia nodded distractedly, rubbing her chin.

“It actually makes sense. Mom always said we was of noble blood. Her parents were as blue-blooded as… well, someone who’s nobility. Nearly had a heart attack when she married my dad. He was as simple and down to earth as they came. His family was good and honest people. Once, when I asked my Ma how I got my name, she told me it was passed down through the generations. I thought she was just making me feel better.”

“Lieia, this is the testament of your ancestor. I triple-checked every bit of information. You have every right to assume control over Linv.”

“Whoa, there! I don’t know anything about ruling in the first place!”

“Well, the sources claim that neither did Liiyah. She was a simple worker when she joined the rebellion. She came to be the leader of the entire organization in due time. She was a born leader; she knew the struggles of the simple folk, and sought to improve everyone’s lives, making all people equal. She’s not that different from you. In fact, I even found a portrait of her, preserved in a museum. Here, take a look.” She brought up a holo of a plainly-dressed woman and others moved closer for a better look.

The resemblance was startling. Liiyah had been a handsome woman in her youth, bearing a look of wry confidence on her face, a curtain of fiery red hair framing her head. She wore a simple, practical dress that accented her curves. She was holding a red, gold, and black banner in one hand, and held a pistol in her other arm, hefting it above her, smiling victoriously.

“Lieia, she has your cheekbones. There’s much resemblance between you two.” Celestia muttered, scrutinising the image.

“No. I have her cheekbones. Wow. You weren’t kidding, Twi. And you’re sure that we both are of the same bloodline?”

“Absolutely and completely! You, my dear friend, are the rightful ruler of Linv.” Twilight beamed happily.

“…”

“Lieia?”

The sound of Lieia’s forehead striking the flat surface of the floor was all too audible.

She woke up after what seemed moments later, but she glanced at the clock on the wall, eyes widening in surprise when she saw that she’d been unconscious for three hours. She sat up, muttering quietly, taking a look around. Her room was empty, save for Celestia, who had just lifted her gaze from the book she was reading.

“Ah, you’re awake. Why did you pass out like that?”

“Well, I just found out I’m a queen. How would you react in my place?”

“I see your point. At least we got some time to ourselves, now.” She set the book aside, smiling at Lieia.

“What shall we do, hmm?”

“Make out like there’s no tomorrow?” Lieia suggested hopefully.

“Let’s save that for later.” She climbed in the bed, laying her head on Lieia’s chest, gazing calmly in Lieia’s deep blue eyes. Neither of them said anything for a few moments.

“I could just spend the rest of my life like this, Celly. Just you and me.” She scratched Celestia’s chin, making the mare chuckle softly.

“That tickles.”

“Oh, does it, now?” Lieia scratched Celestia’s neck, and she giggled again.

“Stop it!”

“Nope. Now I know you’re ticklish. You’ve got nowhere to run now!” She rolled Celestia on her back, dragging her fingers across the alicorn’s slim chest, causing her to flail a bit frantically.

“Aaagh! Lieia, stop that! Seriously!” Celestia managed to squeal between the bouts of hysterical laughter. Lieia managed to keep her onslaught of tickles rolling for a few more minutes before Celestia went on the offensive, licking Lieia’s neck. The human flinched, drawing back instinctively.

“Eeeh! That’s playing dirty!” she shot Celestia sly glance, dragging her tongue across Celestia’s neck. She overbalanced herself, however, thumping her head on the wall.

“Ow!”

Celestia used the distraction to her advantage, however, brushing Lieia’s shirt aside, pressing her lips to the woman’s flat stomach and blew.

*THRRBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBT*

Lieia squealed, but failed to get free, pressed against the wall as she was. Celestia blew again, making Lieia flail wildly.

“CelEEEEEEEEEEEH!” She giggled madly, trying to extricate herself, but Celestia restrained her, blowing another raspberry. She was surprised, thinking that Lieia was nowhere near as ticklish as she was, since she was a battle-tested veteran. Said veteran was currently writhing under Celestia’s administrations of raspberries, gasping breathlessly. She managed to shoot Celestia a pleading look. Her eyes conveyed the message – stop the impromptu torture. Somewhat reluctantly, she raised her head, looking at Lieia.

“Sorry. I got a bit carried away there.” Celestia smiled sheepishly. Lieia’s chest was rising and falling like a deepwater swell as she regained her breath. At seeing Lieia’s flushed cheeks, she felt a sudden lust for her, a feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time and she crawled closer to Lieia.

“Well, I won’t be holding it against you.” She scratched Celestia’s ear and the mare nickered softly, laying her head down on Lieia’s chest, looking at her somewhat dolefully.

“Do you want to talk?”

“What about?”

“Well-“ she was interrupted by a quiet drumming that came from the nearby vent, and moment later, Calypso emerged, a ball of fur in her mouth.

“Calypso, what is that? A rat?” It was, in fact, a kitten.

“Meow.” Calypso trotted over to the bed, depositing the mewling animal in it. She disappeared in the vent again, eventually carrying another five kittens out and adding them to the first one in Lieia’s bed, sitting down and looking at her expectantly.

“Meaow.”

Lieia picked one of the kittens up, a mottled grey one, a smile breaking across her face and she scratched its chin. The small animal purred, closing its eyes blissfully. Calypso eyed Celestia unmovingly.

“She isn’t really very trustful of strangers.” She returned the mottled kitten back to its sisters and brothers. She chuckled amusedly as they ran about the bed, tumbling around and fighting with each other. Lieia picked Calypso up, stroking the cat’s coat.

“I knew she had kittens aboard, but I never expected she’d birthed six of them, let alone take care of them all.”

“They’re adorable!” Lieia gave Celestia another one of those crooked smiles she was growing to love.

“Kittens have that effect on people. And ponies, apparently.”

“Could I perhaps have one, as a pet?”

“Sure, but they’re a bit too young for that at the moment. You’ll have to wait for some time for them to grow up. A couple of weeks or so.” Celestia picked up one of the kittens, nuzzling it. Calypso sat up, still eyeing Celestia.

“Errroowwww.”

“She’s hungry, I’d say. I think I have some ham left in the fridge.” She left Calypso, returning with a plastic container a minute later, feeding its contents to the cat. That helped, and Calypso regarded Celestia less angrily.

“Well, what shall we do now?”

“I have something on my mind, Lieia. I was going to ask whether you’d sing something for me. I… You have a beautiful voice.” Celestia blushed, making Lieia laugh.

“You’re spoiling me, Celly. Ah, who am I kidding? I can’t say no to you.” She rummaged through her pockets, pulling her music player out. Moments later, a song started playing and Lieia winked at Celestia, waiting for the words to start.

It cannot be seen

But there's blood on the green

Only god knows I'm innocent

Take me, take me home

A dark seed reigns in me

Like the storm rules over the sea

I challenge thee, do not cross this bridge alone

Don't dare me now

The threatening shadows will pass by

They're getting closer now

Open your eyes

Wake up my dear young friend

And hate shall fade away

I will not move, yet

I'll stand still, instead

There on the battlefield he stands

Down on the battlefield he's lost

And on the battlefield it ends

War and anger shall reign

The clash of iron can be heard

By blindness you're driven insane

I'm lost in anguish and grief

Sorrow won't wane 'til you die

A shattered body deeply hurt

And darkness will cover the light

It's gone forevermore

The field's been left in sorrow

The father and the son

They're gone

The sun shines bright

And anger rises

Lorn and lonely

Torn apart

Don't you think

It's time to stop now

We were charmed and fooled by the old serpent's kiss

Let's pray

That heaven is on our side

Through violence and horror

Shall honour arise

So let's pray

And blessed shall be our leader

We follow the noble and bright

Don't you hear me crying

Crying

Come take me away

I hallow thy name

There on the battlefield he stands

Down on the battlefield he's lost

And on the battlefield it ends

War and anger shall reign

The clash of iron can be heard

By blindness you're driven insane

I'm lost in anguish and grief

Sorrow won't wane 'til you die

A shattered body deeply hurt

And darkness will cover the light

It's gone forevermore

That's what minstrel sings

Join in the horrible screams

Take part in murderous deeds

Renowned be the lion-hearted

Join in the minstrelsy

Wailing in endless grief

It eagerly longs for more

Broken bodies lay down on the ground

Blood sheds all over the place

The green will be stained forever

And hate reigns all over the field

They keep struggling on in anger

Fiercely intense

Outrageous, too blind to see

And in pain they keep on singing

We claim the land for the highlord

God bless the land and our highlord

War and anger shall reign

The clash of iron can be heard

By blindness you're driven insane

I'm lost in anguish and grief

Sorrow won't wane 'til you die

A shattered body deeply hurt

And darkness will cover the light

It's gone forevermore

Lieia never missed a single word throughout the whole song, making Celestia to wonder how she remembered them all.

“That was quite the breathtaking performance, Lieia. I do believe you’ve earned a reward.”

“Oh?” Lieia raised an eyebrow, just before Celestia pressed her lips to Lieia’s, kissing her deeply. Lieia responded, enjoying the blissful sensation, and things sort of got out of hand at that moment…

Chapter 17

A/N: This really got out of hand, yo. Keep some brain bleach handy. You’ll need it. I died a little while writing this first bit. Tell your family and sanity you loved them.

It had started out pretty innocently. Well, not really. Celestia was being pretty eager with her tongue. And crafty with it, too. Lieia tried to pull back, but didn’t succeed, on the account of being pressed against the wall by Celestia’s body. What was Celestia trying to accomplish, exactly? Fish out Lieia’s yesterday meal? Why was her lover trying to make her throw up? She pushed Celestia’s tongue out of her mouth, before wrapping her fingers around Celestia’s muzzle, pushing the mare back.

“Mmmmph! Mmmhhfff…!”

“Celestia, you need to calm down. As much as I’m enjoying this, my lips are getting sore. Now, I’m going to let go of you. Can you get a hold of yourself?”

Nod.

She removed her hand, letting Celestia free.

“I thought you wanted to do this, Lieia. What’s wrong?”

“You’re being a bit too impatient, like I’m just going to vanish in thin air. Why not take it a bit slower? Also, that regalia of yours is poking me in odd places.” Celestia levitated her tiara, shoes and necklace off her, and then looked back to Lieia, who smiled impishly.

“Let me lead this time.” She cupped Celestia’s head gently, bringing her soft palms around the mare’s cheeks, keeping their lips millimetres apart, so close, yet so far apart. Lieia brushed hers against Celestia’s, before bringing them together in a soft kiss. Celestia almost melted at the feeling. Lieia kept them together for a few moments, before breaking the kiss, panting slightly.

“That was nicer, don’t you think?”

“I liked it, but I need to be sure.” Lieia smiled at that.

“You’re a smooth one, Celly.”

Before long, they were rolling around in the bed, moaning passionately. Lieia had the foresight to put Calypso and her kittens somewhere else, lest they accidentally crush one of them.

Lieia wasn’t quite sure where she ended and Celestia began, just a tangled mess of limbs and bedsheets. Lieia still kept being a gentle kisser, and Celestia nearly melted in a puddle by her careful administrations. She knew exactly where to press her lips to. After a few minutes, when Celestia was on top of the world, for lack of a better word, Lieia drew back, straddling Celestia.

“Lieia, please don’t stop. You have no idea how I yearn for you.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got something special in mind.”

“Oh?” Her eyebrows rose at that.

“You just wait there.” Lieia climbed out of the bed, and Celestia got a good look at the woman’s long, slender legs.

“Y’like what you see, do you?”

“I do indeed.” Lieia was rummaging through a locker, taking a bottle out, which was filled with amber liquid.

“What’s that?”

“Maple syrup.” She set the bottle down on the bed, and pulled off her shirt, followed by her trousers and socks. Celestia let her eyes wander over Lieia’s slender, athletic body. The scars didn’t stand out so clearly on her skin as she’d thought they would, though the big Y-shaped cut on her chest was clearly visible. They didn’t make her less appealing however, adding instead to her rugged beauty.

“So, what do you have in mind, Lieia?”

“I think you’ll like it. Lie down on your back, Celly.” She did and moments later, felt something dripping on her stomach.

“Lieia, what are you…” Celestia gasped in surprise as she felt Lieia’s lips and tongue having at the trail of syrup. She arched her back, a low moan escaping her throat.

“Ohhhhhhhhh…” Lieia crawled closer, a smear of syrup on her chin, giving Celestia quick kiss. She could taste the syrup on Lieia’s tongue. After a moment, she turned her attention to Celestia’s neck.

Lieia raised her head, seeing Celestia’s heaving chest, and decided to stop for a moment.

“Lieiaaah… Oh… I… Please… Don’t stop. Please.” Celestia moaned pleadingly and Lieia almost complied. But no. She would have to wait. She was entirely at Lieia’s mercy.

Okay, Lee, you’re creepin’ me out here.

Should I care?

Yes. Very much so.

*Guess what. I don’t! I’m going to make her beg for me to keep going.*

No. Just no. Lee, I hate you. I hate that I’m keeping you alive.

*Shut up, Pump. You’re insane.*

No. If you are going to do this, do it properly. Or you might just suffer pump failure and die a painful death.

Ugh. Fine, you win.

She looked at Celestia doubtfully.

“You sure you want to go through with this?”

“Oh, just do it already, I beg you, or I shall make you to do it!”

Oop.

What did I tell you?

“Okay, calm down! I just need a breath first.” That seemed to work, and Lieia briefly wondered if she could make a run for it.

Don’t. She’s already needy and frustrated; if you try to pull a fast one on her, it’ll get worse and she might just rape you.

Double oop.

You have no idea.

“Hang on, I need some water. I’m parched.”

“Just be quick.”

When this is over, I’m going to get a cold bath with ice. SO. MUCH. ICE.

Oh, you better. Celestia’s burning for you.

…Fiddlesticks.

You started it, you finish it.

Lieia crawled back in the bed again, her thirst slaked, when a genius idea came to her. Well, it more like hit her with a sledgehammer.

“I think you’ll like this.”

“Wha-OH!” She gasped in surprise as Lieia pressed her lips, still chilly and cold, to Celestia’s inner thigh. The alicorn squirmed, but Lieia didn’t let up, instead running her tongue up and down the leg.

“Oh, th-that’s just… Ah!” Celestia’s legs clamped around Lieia’s head with the strength of ten boa snakes, holding her in place as the alicorn’s screams reached a new crescendo.

“Ah! Oh! AaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

“Mmmph!”

“L-Lieia-ah! I-I’m going t-to…”

Errgh! No no no no no no! Nope, nuh-uh, no way, negatory!

Hoo, boy. You really got her worked up.

CAN’T YOU DO SOMETHING?!? HELP!

I’m just a figment of your imagination, Lee. Well, enjoy getting drenched. Karma’s a bitch, no?

I HATE YOU! I’LL END YOU SOMEDAY, EVEN IF IT’S THE LAST THING I DO!

The Game. Bye!

After a while, Celestia had spent herself and Lieia could extricate herself from Celestia’s legs, feeling something warm and sticky covering her face. She saw a spreading stain on the bedsheets and cringed.

Alas, poor bedsheets, I hardly knew ye. I guess it’s the incinerator for you.

Noooo, please have mercy...

Why are you talking to yourself?

Shut up.

She licked her lips instinctively, feeling the strange taste.

Mmmm.

And I’m insane? I can’t even hold a candle to your insanity. How did you end up like this?

No idea, frankly. I’d blame the war, but everyone does that nowadays.

I don’t even…

She got to her knees, seeing Celestia lying on her back, her sides heaving as she regained her breath.

“Oh… Lieia… Ah…”

“Hmm?”

“That was… ah… mmmh…”

“Terrible?” She chuckled, wiping her face dry in the bedsheets, and then crawled closer, to the panting alicorn.

“No. It was… amazing. Ohhh…” She closed her eyes, and Lieia curled up against her chest, wrapping her arms around Celestia’s neck.

“Lieia?”

“Yep?”

“You smell nice.” She licked Lieia’s cheek.

“I’m really exhausted. You are… an excellent lover. Oh… I need to sleep.”

When she woke up, she found out she was alone, save for Calypso sitting nearby, watching over her kittens. Lieia was nowhere to be seen, but she could hear her singing along to a song.

…Working all week till Friday

Wish I could do it my way

Until when I'm living it up

I ain't giving it up

Making the best of my lot

One of these days when I stop

And I'm gonna be living it up

I won't be giving it up

Telling you now it's my day

Oh I'm gonna do it my way

All stand up, let me hear you say never say never…

Celestia climbed out of the bed, stretching her legs and taking a look around her. She could smell something cooking. She shook her mane, walking over to a small room nearby. She saw Lieia there, busying herself over a cooker, swinging her hips from side to side as she sang. She was wearing a loose-fitting shirt and underpants and was enjoying the song. Celestia laid her head on Lieia’s shoulder, brushing against her cheek.

“Good morning, Lieia.”

“Hey, there. How are you?” Lieia responded, kissing her quickly, before returning her attention to cooking.

“Last night was amazing, Lieia. I feel so young again!” Lieia grinned crookedly at that.

“Well, glad to be of use, Celly. Now off with you. The breakfast’s almost ready.”

“What are you cooking there? Smells delicious.”

“You’ll see when it’s done.” She tapped Celestia’s nose lightly, that endearingly roguish smile already on her lips.

Celestia sat in the bed, absent-mindedly watching the kittens tumble across the floor, with Calypso watching over Celestia. Minutes later, Lieia arrived with a heavily-laden tray in her arms, setting it down in the bed, sitting down across from Celestia.

“What do you drink? Tea or coffee?”

“Oh, tea, please.”

“I got peppermint, will that do?”

“Certainly.” Lieia nodded, walking over to a locker and picking two small jars out. “I always make sure to have some dried peppermint leaves with me. Makes for a nice brew now and then, especially with blackcurrant jam.” She dropped some in the empty mug, pouring hot water in it. “I’m a coffee nut myself, though. I like it like I like my princesses - tasty.” She chuckled softly at her own joke, before sipping from her mug.

“I cooked some pancakes up.” She gestured to the veritable mountain of said foodstuffs. “Got some corn flakes, too.” She hefted a cardboard box and a plastic bottle with milk. “Dig in before they get cold.” Lieia grabbed a pancake, spreading some… maple syrup on it, before rolling it up and taking a bite, making Celestia grimace.

“Lieia, I don’t think I’m going to be able to look at maple syrup the same way again because of last night.”

“Mhhh, dhen yhou kan yooshe shugar.” Lieia muttered incomprehensibly.

“What?” Lieia swallowed the bite she’d taken and answered.

“Then you can use sugar. Or chocolate cream.” She gestured at two jars on the tray. Celestia chose sugar, pouring some on a pancake, rolling it up and taking a bite…

“Oh, that was simply delicious, Lieia.” Celestia licked her lips.

“Naah, it was nothing. I’m not really a chef. Can’t cook fancy stuff.” She finished the last of her coffee, setting the empty mug down.

“Even so, it was very tasty. Thank you for the breakfast, Lieia.”

“Think nothin’ of it.” She lifted the tray out of the bed, setting it down on the floor, and then looked back to Celestia, suddenly serious.

“We need to have a little talk, Celly.” The alicorn in question frowned worriedly.

“Is something wrong?”

“Well, not really. I just… We need to take this slower. I mean, I’m enjoying being alone with you, but we should be more careful. If someone finds out we’re in a relationship, they could use it to get to me. Your life would be in danger.”

“I… I understand, Lieia.” She looked away dejectedly and Lieia shuffled forwards, laying a hand on the mare’s shoulder.

“Celestia, don’t get me wrong. I love you, I really do. But I don’t want to put you in harm’s way. You know what I mean.” She was referring to the recent attempt on her life, something Celestia remembered all-too vividly.

“I haven’t even taken you out on a date, have I? We should begin with that.” Lieia grinned suddenly.

“Well, that would make us stand out like a sore hoof, no?” Lieia rubbed chin thoughtfully.

“Hmmm. Do you have any spells that would help with that?”

“I guess I could use a transmorphing spell that would change you into a pony.” Lieia leaned closer.

“Do tell. You’ve got my attention.”

“Well, it’s easier to show it than to explain it. Should I perform the spell on you?”

“Well, you’ve got me intrigued, so I won’t stop pestering you until you do.”

“How about you wait until we’re back on Equestria? Less questions that way.”

“Can’t argue with that. I guess I can wait until we’re down there.” She smiled, pulling the alicorn in a hug, ruffling her mane, just as someone knocked on the door.

“Come in!” The door slid open, letting Twilight and her friends in.

“Hello, my faithful student. How are you?” Celestia smiled.

“Great! I wasn’t sure about letting Rarity persuade me into going to the spa here, but it turned out really nice!” Lieia chuckled.

“Well, glad you enjoyed yourselves.” Fluttershy took a timid step forwards.

“It really was very nice of you, Lieia. Thank you very much.”

“Think nothin’ of it.” She shrugged awkwardly. Twilight stood up from the kitten she’d been playing with, looking at Celestia.

“So, Princess, what about you?”

“Oh… Well, I was quite busy last night.” She winked slyly at Lieia, who responded in kind.

“I’m not even going to ask.”

“If you value your sanity, Twi, you better. Well, we should get going. The fleet’s leaving in three days and I need to sort out the necessary materials if I’m going to train your guards, Celestia.”

“We shouldn’t waste any time, then. Where’s Luna?”

“She’s still playing those video games non-stop.”

“Oops.”

Chapter 18

“Was that really necessary?” Celestia frowned, looking at her snoring sister with worry.

“She’ll be fine. It’s just a tranquiliser, nothing to worry about.”

“Lieia. I wanted to ask something. I know that I… made a mess of your bed sheets yesterday. How did you get fresh ones without being suspicious?” Her voice dropped to a whisper and Lieia grinned crookedly, rubbing her fingertips together.

“Well, it just so happened that I found a credit chip with 500 credits on it and I was feeling especially charitable at the moment and I gave it to the quartermaster as a gesture of goodwill. He didn’t ask anything.”

“You are quite something, Lieia.”

“Why, thanks. Now, then. Twilight, can you get a shuttle ready for us? I’ve got some logistics to take care of.” The purple unicorn nodded in response.

“So, Lieia, how will you train the ponies who enlist?”

“Well, I’ll accept a hundred of them at first, to make management easy. Once that batch is done, I’ll take another hundred. I’ll teach ‘em how to use our weaponry, vehicles, armour, and then some. When I’m done with them, they’ll be fully-fledged Coalition Marines.” She stood up, letting a team of marines cart Luna away to the medical deck, where she’d get the tranquiliser purged from her system.

“I never saw anyone take to video games like that.” A nearby marine shook his head.

“Do tell.”

“She actually broke several high scores while she was at it. She’s real good, too.”

“Well, unfortunately for her, fleet’s leaving very soon. Denaros did, however, mention Battlegroup 71’s going to be assigned to patrolling this space. If any odd Jiks show up, they won’t be able to report back to their commanders.”

“That help to put my mind at ease, it really does.” Celestia sighed relievedly.

“Meet me at the shuttle, ‘kay? I’ll be there in an hour.” Lieia flashed a quick smile.

One hour later

Hangar Bay A

Lieia leapt in the boarding ramp, grinning.

“Yo, I’m back. Got everything sorted out. They’ll drop a prefab base and other odds and ends we might need in five hours.” Celestia sat up straighter.

“You’ve got everything sorted out, then?”

“Yep. Could you make an announcement of sorts when we’re back? I’ll take a hundred ponies who want to volunteer. Any takers here, by chance?” She turned to the ponies in the shuttle. Rainbow Dash jumped in air.

“I’m game!”

“Huh? Did someone say game?” Luna stirred drunkenly.

“Oops. Best we go now.” The pilot nodded, immediately raising the ramp. Moments later, the shuttle took off, carrying them back to Equestria.

“So, Rainbow, you want to be a Marine? You don’t even know what I’ll be putting you through. But it’s your choice and I’ll respect it.”

“Um… Lieia?”

“Yeah, Flutters?”

“I, um, I’d like to join, too.” Others gasped in surprise at that, while Lieia simply raised an eyebrow.

“Y’sure? No one’s going to get any special treatment just because of who they are. I guess you’d make a good medic, but I’m not going to force you.”

“Oh, I want to help to those who are hurt. I’ve been taking care of animals for a long time.”

“Then… welcome to the Coalition Marine Corps, Flutters.”

“That is a very noble choice to make, Fluttershy.” Celestia smiled encouragingly.

“Oh, thanks. I just want to help.”

“Okay, so that makes two.” Lieia offered the two enlistees reassuring smiles. “Soon as tomorrow hits, we’ll get another ninety-eight recruits.”

One hour later

Canterlot

Celestia faced the gathered crowd and coughed softly.

“I have gathered you here to announce something. We all know that we have met the organisation that is called the Trader-Asli Coalition. I will not bother you with details, but I have agreed to train a unit of one hundred guardsponies to their standards, in case of a Vasari invasion. I already have two volunteers, so I ask for another ninety-eight volunteers. Those who wish to join, be present at ten in the morning in Ponyville Square tomorrow. Captain Lieia Grisova shall undertake the training. That is all. Spread the news.” Celestia looked sideways to Lieia, who gave her a big, cheese-eating grin and a thumbs-up.

“So, when should we have our overly late date, Celly?”

“I was going to ask you, since it was your idea.”

“Hmmm. I was thinkin’ something like two weeks. I need to put the enlistees through their paces.” Celestia pouted disappointedly.

“Come on, don’t be like that, Celly. I promise I’ll go on a date with you, soon as those two weeks are over. Besides, we’ve got the rest of this night all to ourselves, don’t we?” Lieia smiled invitingly, leaning back in the chair she occupied.

“That we do, my dear.” Celestia removed her regalia, climbing in the bed, beckoning for Lieia to join her, who wasted no time in doing so. Celestia unfurled her wings around Lieia, who giggled as the soft, white curtains of feathers wrapped around her, bringing the woman close to Celestia’s body.

“You make a good blanket, Celly.”

“Is that all I am to you?” The alicorn looked at her flatly and Lieia smiled impishly, caressing the pouting mare’s cheek lovingly.

“I was just kidding. I love you.” She gave the alicorn a gentle kiss.

“Celly?"

“Hmm?”

“Would you like to see the base where your soldiers will be trained? Tomorrow, of course.”

“I’d love to.”

Next morning

Ponyville Square

The crowd of ponies milled about, muttering quietly. They’d assembled as princess Celestia requested, who was standing nearby, and now they waited.

Minutes later, five three-ton Coalition cargo trucks rolled up to them. Lieia leapt out of the lead truck, whistling to get the ponies’ attention.

“Okay, then! Get on board in an orderly fashion. No pushing or shoving others.” They did as instructed and soon, everyone was onboard. Celestia sat down beside Lieia, just as the woman started up the truck’s engine.

“Hey there. How many do I have for training?”

“Ninety-six, including Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.”

“That’s good. Well, you’ll soon see what a basic Coalition operations base looks like.” She waited for the accompanying marines to get onboard their trucks, and then moved the convoy down the road. Lieia was humming quietly.

I wanna drive, yeah, drive,

I wanna drive, but I can’t get nowhere

Heavy traffic, all over this town…

“Lieia, how big is the base you’re taking us to?”

“By Coalition measures, it’s pretty small. It has everything we’ll need, though. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

“How many soldiers can the base hold?”

“A thousand. And roughly 150 base personnel, like technicians and suchlike.”

“Ah. That’s good to know. I presume you will train more ponies once you’ve trained these hundred?”

“Exactly. I can’t train a thousand of them at once. But when I’m done with them, they’ll give the Vasari a run for their money.” She returned her attention to the road, humming quietly once more.

Minutes later, the convoy diverted to a freshly-dozered dirt road, one which Celestia didn’t recognise.

“I don’t remember this road being here. I take it this is your doing, Lieia?”

“Yeah. I had a couple of bulldozers carve us a path here.” She shifted a gear, just as a dropship thundered overhead, heading in the same direction as the trucks.

“That’s our standard dropship. Not really anything special, but it’s trustworthy, solid and dependable.” Another two craft followed, sending up plumes of dust. Lieia hissed frustratedly.

“Assholes! I tell them to take a different approach vector, but it’s like punching a steel wall! Well, I can punch a steel wall, but you get the idea.” She closed the window, letting the wave of dust wash over them. Loose pebbles clattered under the chassis.

“We’ll be there in a moment.” She eased off the gas pedal, just as they rounded a copse of trees, finally seeing the base proper.

The base was surrounded by a grey wall. There were three gates in the wall. The three fliers they’d seen moments ago alighted on a raised platform. A quartet of Jackals rolled in a large workshop. Some marines were moving around the base, while five large, ponderous-looking vehicles were being serviced by some technicians.

“Here we are. I haven’t named it yet, though.” She slowed down some more, eventually bringing the truck to a halt in the middle of the base. She ordered everyone off the trucks, eyeing the milling crowd sharply.

“My name is Lieia Grisova. Some of you may know me, some of you may not. That doesn’t matter. You will address me as either ‘ma’am’, or ‘sir’. From this moment onwards, I will make it the meaning of my life to make your lives a living hell.” She glared venomously at the ponies, before cracking up in a smile.

“Just kidding. This isn’t the commando boot camp, but the training will be tough. I will treat you equally. If you’ll follow me, I’ll get you all your dog tags and equipment.” Celestia quickly made her way over to Lieia’s side.

“Quite the speech. You really had me worried whether this was a good idea.”

“I have my moments. I managed to get enough weapons for two hundred, some tanks and other vehicles, too. I’m not going to bore you with details, but we’ve got a pretty impressive arsenal arranged here.” Celestia leaned closer to Lieia.

“Oh, but you’re anything but boring, my dear.” She whispered softly. Lieia smiled subtly.

“Thanks.” They arrived at a storeroom that had no identification save a flickering sign that read ‘Armoury’. Lieia turned around, facing the ponies.

“Don’t touch anything unless I tell you to. Those are real guns in there.”

The rows of glow-plates lit up, bathing the low tables in soft light. Lieia strode over to one of them, picking a matt-black pistol up.

“This is the Holm & Bradley Judge. The standard sidearm for a Coalition Marine. Fires fifteen-millimetre rounds from a ten round clip.” She slipped a full clip inside, racking the slide, chambering a round. She sighted down the range, holding the aim for a moment, before ejecting the clip and racked the slide once more.

“Ammo types are as follow – standard solid rounds, high-explosive, incendiary, armour piercing, hollow-points, and hollow point mercuries. These last ones are my favourite. The hollow is filled with liquid mercury. Upon impact, the mercury will slice through flesh and bone. A chest shot is usually fatal. The Judge itself is perfectly weighed, has terrific stopping power, decent accuracy. All in all, a trusty weapon to rely upon.” She handed it to one pony, letting him inspect the weapon for a moment.

“Okay, moving on, we have the KIL-25, the basic assault rifle the Coalition footsloggers use. KIL stands for Kinetic Impact Laser. It’s a directed energy weapon. A bit more finicky to maintain than the gunpowder firearms, but it’s real flashy. Power in cell contains enough juice for fifty shots, but you can fiddle with the power settings for more powerful shots or range. Drains the cell, though.” She hefted a slim-framed rifle, expertly removing its power cell, showing it around, and then replacing it. She led the ponies, acquainting them with but a small shred of Coalition arsenal.

“Um, ma’am?” Rainbow Dash asked somewhat apprehensively.

“Yes, Private?”

“What is that gun you have on your hip?” Lieia chuckled at that, holding the revolver up for everyone to see.

“Another work of art from Holm & Bradley. The Nutcracker. Fires huge-ass bullets. It really got famous when some bodyguard or another purchased one. Turned out the gun’s real heavy when loaded. The guy just bashed a crazed fan in the jewels. And that’s how it got its name. Okay, moving on.” She felt Celestia at her side and she muttered.

“You know, I really want to get rid of this gun. I shot you with it, didn’t I?”

“It did eventually bring us together, did it not?”

“How do you even figure that?”

“That’s for you to ponder upon, then, I guess.”

“Uh… Okay.” She grabbed a heavy-looking weapon, but hefted it effortlessly, a long belt of ammo trailing from it.

“This is the T-91 machine gun. Belt-fed. Fires the .90 calibre bullets. Will tear a lightly armoured enemy apart in seconds. The standard emplacement weapon for Marines. If you’ve got the strength, you can lug it around. I love this thing. The sound it makes when it’s firing is amazing. A real pleasure for ears.” She cradled the gun lovingly, running her fingers over it. The ammo belt clinked as she replaced the weapon on the table. Celestia was somewhat unnerved by how much affection Lieia held for the weapon.

She finished the tour of the base half an hour later, having shown the various pistols, shotguns, sniper rifles, submachine guns, machine pistols they would learn to use. Then set about the task of registering the ponies.

“Name?”

“Diamond Feathers.” Lieia looked up, seeing the familiar mare.

“Nice to meet you again, Feathers.” She got the rest of the pony’s details, handing the dog tags to her moments later.

“Next!” A grey pegasus mare bounded up to the table.

“Name?”

“Derpy Hooves!” The pegasus announced enthusiastically. Lieia eyed the overly happy pony, but said nothing. She would give everyone a chance to prove themselves worthy of wearing the uniform. Moments later, the small device on her right spat out the dog tags, which Derpy happily grabbed, throwing the clinking thread around her neck.

“Thank you, ma’am, captain, ma’am, sir!” She beamed happily, before moving away.

She’d finished with the nerve-numbing ordeal half an hour.

“Well, as of this moment, you are Coalition Marines. You will follow my orders. You will not question them, because I am a competent commander. Right, split up it ten groups of ten, on the double!” The order was carried out quickly.

“The group you are currently with is your squad. Choose a squad leader. They’ll be your sergeants. You will follow their orders. They will get their orders from me. Any questions?” A white unicorn took a step forward and Lieia’s PDA instantly brought up his name: Blueblood.

“Would you not require lieutenants to complete the chain of command? It just so happens I’m available.” He puffed his chest out proudly, closing his eyes, a smug smile on his face.

Silence permeated the air.

“What makes you think I’ll choose you?” Blueblood gasped in surprise.

“B-but princess Celestia is my aunt!”

“So what? Am I supposed to just get on my knees and kiss your ass? I don’t give a flying fuck if you’re the king of the universe; you’re a Coalition Marine under my command and you will follow my orders. Also, nice idea, Alabaster Faggot.”

“WHAT?!” Blueblood practically shrieked.

“Yeah, something I forgot. If any of you don’t address me properly, I’ll address you as Alabaster Faggot.”

“How dare you address me so, peasant!” Lieia rounded on him, a savage snarl on her face.

“Look, dickhead, you don’t like something, there’s the exit.” She pointed to the gate.

“You are just going to throw me out? You can’t do that! I’m royalty!” She leaned closer to him, growling venomously.

“Again, I don’t care, Alabaster Faggot. You can get lost. I’ll find some other recruits, ones who actually are worth talking to.” She ripped his dog tags off, crushing them in her palm.

“Get the fuck out of here. Now. I’m not going to waste my resources and time on you.”

He stared at her fearfully, before bursting into tears and running away. Lieia stared at him with contempt, before turning back to the rest of ponies.

“I’ll give you the rest of the day off. Meet me tomorrow the same time as this morning. We’ll begin the training proper then. The trucks will take you back to Ponyville. Dismissed.”

Three hours later

Celestia’s bedroom

The doors burst open and a very offended Blueblood strode in, glaring ineffectively at Lieia, who was kneeling on a pillow, chatting with Celestia.

“My dear nephew. How nice of you to join us.”

“She completely mocked me, aunt Celestia! She must be banished to the dungeons immediately!”

“Oh. Did she?”

“You saw it! You saw it and you did nothing! She is a disgrace!” Celestia glared at him sharply for a moment, before closing the doors behind Blueblood.

“Now, I want you to listen to me and listen carefully. It just so happens that I love Lieia very much and will not tolerate anypony speaking ill of her.”

“You? And her? In love? Aunt Celestia, I’m not really in the mood for jokes! This human made me look like a complete fool in front of nearly a hundred ponies!” Lieia smirked at that.

“That’s because you are one. You’ve got enough arrogance for a thousand of clones of yourself.” Celestia chuckled briefly, and Blueblood gasped in shock.

“How can you defend her? She has no respect for others whatsoever!”

“I already told you, nephew. I love her.”

“Oh, please. Like that’s ever going to-“He was cut mid-sentence as Celestia turned to Lieia, and they shared a gentle kiss.

“Do you need any further proof?”

The terrified-shocked expression on his face was priceless, to say the least.

Chapter 19

Ten days later

Celestia smiled satisfiedly as the sun rose. It never failed to bring a smile to her face. Moments later, she heard some faint voices singing. She instantly recognised Lieia’s voice.

Damn Vasari came along

Though they’re gonna take us on

Immediately, she heard more voices repeat the words.

Damn Vasari came along

Thought they're gonna take us on

They went on and burned our homes

Grabbing everything they could

They went on and burned our homes

Grabbing everything they could

She saw the ponies in the distance, jogging across a field, with Lieia at their side.

We came back and kicked their asses

All the way back to deep space.

We came back and kicked their asses

All the way back to deep space

I don’t want no goddamn peace

I’ll just have my KIL Two-Five

I don't want no goddamn peace

I'll just have my KIL Two-Five

I was sitting in the trenches

When I saw their ugly mugs

I was sitting in the trenches

When I saw their ugly mugs

So I grabbed my trusty rifle

Painted the ground with their own blood

So I grabbed my trusty rifle

Painted the ground with their own blood

And I’m gonna stand my ground

Send those bastards to their graves

And I'm gonna stand my ground

Send those bastards to their graves

“And again!” They sang three more times. Celestia took off, deciding to see how things were going.

“Okay, everyone, take five!” Lieia shouted at the ponies, seeing Celestia alight a distance away.

“Hey, there, princess. How’s everything?”

“Very well, thanks for asking. How are the recruits holding up?”

“We’ve been jogging for two hours now and they’re still holding up pretty good.” She brushed a stray lock of her hair out of her eyes.

“I’m thinking of starting the weapons training in three days. We’ve already gone through most of basic Marine training.” She placed her hands on her hips, inspecting the ponies who were busying themselves with their drinks at the moment.

“Could I join you on your way back? It has been a long time since I’ve been on a morning jog.”

“Y’sure you can keep up?” Lieia flashed a grin, flexing her shoulders. Celestia shook her wings, getting her game face on.

“I accept your challenge, Lieia.”

“One moment. Okay, folks, get back to base, do some cooldown exercises. Wouldn’t do well for you to end up with aching muscles.” She turned back to Celestia.

“I bet a thousand credits I can get back to the base before you do. What do you bet?”

“Well…” Celestia leaned closer, whispering “If I win, we will have our date this evening. What say you, Lieia?”

“Deal.” She stepped up alongside Celestia, starting the countdown.

“Three…”

“Two…

“One…”

“GO!” Celestia galloped ahead gracefully, then gasped in surprise as Lieia easily overtook her, her enhanced musculature allowing her to gain greater speeds.

“You’re slow, Celly! You owe me a thousand credits!”

“Not yet I don’t, Lieia!” She increased her pace, closing the gap considerably, eventually coming alongside her opponent.

“You’re slower than a snail, Cel!” Lieia pushed ahead another few paces, before Celestia unfurled her wings, taking to air. She overtook Lieia, who shouted indignantly.

“Hey! No flying!”

“I don’t remember you saying that I couldn’t fly, Lieia!” She laughed happily, seeing the frustrated human chase after her. Then, she saw Lieia stumble and trip, tumbling wildly. She didn’t get up.

“Lieia!” Celestia immediately wheeled around, landing at Lieia’s side. She prodded her body, feeling worry seep in her.

“Lieia?” She brushed her muzzle against Lieia’s neck, trying to wake her, when Lieia leapt up, tackling Celestia, and pulling her down on the ground.

“Gotcha!” They rolled around in the grass, their laughter echoing in the air, with neither of them being able to gain the upper hand. Lieia eventually managed to get on top of Celestia, straddling the panting alicorn.

“Well… That was fun. Heh…” She chuckled.

“It’s a good thing that no one can see us, no? We must be quite a sight, you and me.” Celestia squirmed under Lieia’s legs for a moment, just as she smiled slyly.

“Well, we are alone for now.” Her fingers caressed Celestia’s neck, before she leaned down, whispering.

“I suggest we make good use of that time.” Celestia met the kiss halfway, craning her neck. She held the kiss for a moment, before lunging forward. She got Lieia on her back, eliciting a yelp of surprise from the human.

“Careful, there!” She laughed, wrapping her arms around Celestia’s neck, kissing her again. A moment later, she somehow managed to wiggle free from under Celestia. She stood up, panting, a mischievous edge to her smile.

“Can’t catch me!” She took off and Celestia immediately followed her. It took her a few moments to realise Lieia was nowhere to be seen. She felt a tap on her back and she looked back, seeing an overly smug Lieia stand there.

“How ya doin’?”

“Lieia? How did you get behind me?” They slowed down to a stop.

“I can jump pretty high.” She gave Celestia’s flank a firm slap, before catapulting herself forwards.

“Lieia! Did you just do what I think you did?” Celestia gasped indignantly. Lieia landed a ways off, and then turned to Celestia.

“If that hand-shaped mark on your butt is anything to go by, then yes!” She laughed again, before launching herself in air again, heading towards the nearby trees.

“Can’t catch me! Whoops!” She landed in a tree, snapping half a dozen branches and landing on the ground.

“Ack!” Celestia was bearing down on her, but she managed to evade the irate alicorn, leaping forwards again.

“You want to trade the bread for gold?” She shouted from the top of a tall birch, waving her arms around.

“What are you talking about, Lieia? You’re not making any sense!” Celestia frowned in puzzlement.

“I stole your bread fair and square!” She shouted back again, before jumping again.

What?

“I don’t have a friggin' jetpack, I’m probably gonna die, but bye!” Lieia landed with a thump, running away full-pelt, with Celestia in hot pursuit. Lieia was still shouting ‘Can’t catch me!’, but Celestia would change that soon. Her horn lit up with magic and she teleported right behind Lieia.

“Gotcha!” It was all she managed to say before she leapt forward. Lieia turned around, surprised that Celestia had caught up with her. The next instant, Celestia had tackled her, and they tumbled across the ground once more. When they stopped, Celestia was on top of Lieia, pinning the woman down. Her hair was dishevelled, falling across her face, her cheeks flushed as she panted. To her, Lieia had never looked more alluring. Lieia started to apologize, but Celestia simply kissed her, cramming their lips together.

Unbeknownst to the two lovers, they weren’t alone. A well-concealed pony photographer working for the newspapers who’d been assigned to observe the Coalition base. Now, he fumbled for his camera, staring in disbelief at the scene unfolding some distance away.

Celestia broke the kiss, on the account that she really needed to breathe. She raised her head, failing to hear the soft click over their panting.

“We… we should get going, don’tcha think so?” She slithered out from below Celestia, who looked around her thoughtfully.

“What? Is something wrong?”

“I thought I heard something.” Away in the bushes, the photographer froze, fearing for his life.

“’s probably nothin’. C’mon, let’s finish our race. No flying or magic this time.” They lined up again.

“Go!”

“I gotta say, Celly, you’re one helluva sprinter. You beat me fair and square.” Lieia chuckled, emptying the water bottle. “Well, I guess I’d better get ready for that date tonight.” She tossed the empty bottle in a trash bin.

“Then meet me in Canterlot at six. I’ll have to perform the spell on you somewhere discreet, and then I’ll take you to the finest restaurant in Canterlot!” Lieia couldn’t help but smile at Celestia’s optimism.

“Deal. Meet you there.” She winked at her, leaving the room to address the ponies gathered outside.

“Okay, everyone, listen up! You’ve trained real hard all this time, so I‘m giving you rest of the day off. Have fun. Dismissed!” The announcement was met with cheering from the ponies.

“You’ve earned it. Enjoy while it lasts.”

Later that evening

Canterlot

“So, you’re sure you can do this spell?”

“Ye of little faith. You don’t have to worry, Lieia. I’m perfectly confident I can perform it safely. Now, stand still.” Celestia closed her eyes, her horn lighting up with magic. Lieia squirmed uneasily, as the tendrils of magic enveloped her. The room became unbearably bright. The light eventually began to dim, and Celestia could see Lieia’s outline. After another few minutes, the light dissipated completely and Celestia’s eyes widened in surprise.

In front of her, dressed in now ill-fitting clothes, stood a tall, grey pegasus mare, albeit slightly shorter than Celestia herself was. Her mane was the same dark blond, although it was longer than in her human form. She took a step forwards and immediately tripped and fell on the floor.

“Ow. Okay, I got to learn how to walk on four legs now, eh? Right…” She stood up straighter, trying really hard not to fall over.

“These clothes don’t fit me anymore, Celly. Gerrrr…” She fell down again, trying to extricate herself from the now-useless garments.

“Easy now, Lieia. Let me help you.” She used her magic again, and the clothes were teleported away on a nearby chair. Lieia stood up again, glancing around queasily.

“Dude, I feel so naked right now, it ain’t even funny. Hey, I got wings!” She unfurled them, examining them smugly. “Neat!”

“You’d be wise not to try to fly inside, Lieia. You don’t even know how to.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Lieia sighed wistfully, flapping her new-found wings a couple of times, before furling them up, and then turned to Celestia, a wry smile on her face. “Shall we go and have our date?” Celestia only now noticed something strange about Lieia.

Her eyes had no whites, being completely black. Her irises retained that intense blue colour, though.

“Well, are we goin’ or not, Celly?” Lieia circled around the room slowly, acquainting herself with having four legs.

“Oh, right. Sorry, I sort of started daydreaming. Let’s go.”

The wide streets of Canterlot were relatively empty at this hour, something Celestia was thankful for. Even so, the restaurant she’d chosen was rather busy. An immaculately-dressed unicorn bowed low before her.

“Gooood evening, Princess Celestia! I have your table ready! Ah, and who is your… companion this fine evening?” He gave Lieia a grin so oily she felt like a cubic meter of gun oil had been dumped on her. She started to respond, but Celestia beat her to it.

“Iron Night. She’s a good friend of mine, one that I haven’t seen in a long time.”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“Very well, then. Follow me, ladies.” They entered the restaurant proper, and soon were sitting at a secluded table.

“So, what do you want to talk about?” Lieia sat up a bit straighter.

“Well, I have no idea. I guess I could tell you a bit about what life I had before the war.”

“It was nothing special. I was getting through my engineering degrees at the high school. I was going to continue the family business when Dad retired. I had recently completed my restoration project on the Thundercharge. I found it in a ditch where it’d been abandoned by someone when I was twelve. Towed it back home with Dad’s truck. Mom was livid, lemme tell you.”

“And your father?”

“He has never raised a hand against me. He just inspected the wreck; eventually concluding that is was salvageable. Mom just face-palmed. Me an’ my dad were both obsessed with cars. He helped me with my project when he was free. Even mom helped. She knew a lot of people on Linv. She helped me get my hands on some parts I needed.” She smiled wistfully, decimating her meal some more.

“Cara was always there for me, too. Whenever I was sad, she knew how to cheer me up.” She chuckled softly.

“I had it all. A family, a job, good education. A life. And then…” A tear rolled down her cheek. Celestia leaned across the table, brushing her muzzle against Lieia’s cheek.

“I understand your pain, Lieia. I had to banish my sister to the moon. I have seen many good friends age and pass away before my eyes.” Lieia smiled sadly.

“Well, we got something in common, then. Y’know, I wasn’t really sure about eating something with hay, but I guess my being a pony at the moment makes it okay. It’s real tasty, actually!” She wolfed down some more of the food on her plate.

“Can you explain how I am able to hold stuff without fingers? Sort of an enigma for me.”

“Oh, all ponies are able to. It’s a sort of magic.”

“Good ‘nuff for me.”

Om nom nom nom.

“We lived some distance away from the big cities. Linv was mostly big islands that weren’t quite continents. Each island state was self-sufficient. Every five years a president was elected to lead them all. The biggest thing was the Ring – a huge strip of metal a hundred kilometres wide and circling around the whole planet. Thieves, maniacs, whores and smugglers. And they gather there from all around the galaxy. You can buy almost everything there, for the right prices, of course. Some of the stuff is relatively harmless; some’s just downright idiotically dangerous. But that’s the Ring for you. Most of the gangs on Linv are from there. I ran with one for a while, fixing their rides. They were one of those few gangs that were honourable, the sort who never resorted to slavery, gun-running or drug trafficking. A sort of impromptu police force, if you will. They kept others in check; the government turned a blind eye, most of the time, at least.”

“But I digress. Now, our house was some distance away from the highway to the harbours. Real quiet and peaceful there. Dad built the house some while ago, with his own funds. There were several fruit trees in the garden, too. Dad’s workshop was a stone’s throw away from the house. When I wasn’t working on the Selvar, I’d spend most of my time clambering up and down those trees.” She smiled sadly at the memory.

“Sometimes, I wish I could go back to those times. I’d finish building my car. Take over the workshop when Dad retired. Finish my high school degrees. Find someone to fall in love with and marry. Live an uneventful life. But it’s not meant to be.” Celestia took Lieia’s hoof in her own, smiling reassuringly.

“That’s why I’m here for you.”

“Yeah. Well, I’m almost finished eating. What have you got in mind next?”

“I was going to let you make that choice.” She smiled wryly.

“Let’s get going, then. I’m sort of enjoying being a pony, but could you change me back? I can’t really get used to it.”

“We should go, then.”

“I really enjoyed the meal, Celly.” She stood up, following the alicorn out of the restaurant.

One boring walk later

“So, you gonna cast the spell or not?”

“Just a moment, Lieia. It’s not wise to rush this.” She closed her eyes again, concentrating on the spell. With a flash, the grey pegasus disappeared, leaving a stark-naked Lieia in place.

“CELESTIA! WHAT THE HELL?”

Whoops.

Chapter 20

“Why am I naked?” Lieia nearly shrieked, covering her womanhood with one hand and her ample breasts with her other hand. She stared in shock at Celestia.

“Where’d you put my clothes? Where are they?” She looked around frantically, a blush creeping across her cheeks. Celestia couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Celestia! This isn’t funny! What is someone walks in on us?”

“Well, that’d be bad.” She sat up, and checked the room, quickly finding said garments.

“Thanks! Now, would you turn around? I’m not exactly comfortable at the moment.”

“Why? Are you ashamed of something? I can lock the door if you like.” She did just that.

“I’m not ashamed of anything!”

“You act like you are, Lieia.” Celestia flashed a smug grin.

“Am not!” Lieia scowled, and let most of the clothes drop on the floor, fishing out her underpants and bra. She deftly slipped those on, followed by the rest of her clothes.

“So, what’s up with that spell?”

“I suppose we should’ve gotten some clothes on you before I cast the spell, but there’s no fun in that, now is there? You’re not exactly hard on eyes, Lieia.” She added slyly.

“Sheesh, thanks. Do all ponies have a fetish for naked women or is it just you?” Lieia grumbled, cinching her holster around her waist, rechecking that the revolver had its safety catch on.

“Only me. Shall we go, then?”

“By all means, Celly. You know, I really enjoyed having a dinner with you, I really did.” Lieia walked down the stairs, flashing her trademark grin. They were soon out on the street, walking side by side.

“So, what now?”

“I was thinking about-wait. What is that?” Celestia stopped, and then looked closer at a newspaper stand. The owner had stepped out for a while, but she grabbed one newspaper immediately, scrutinising the front page, her face quickly taking on a crestfallen expression.

“Oh buck…” Curious, Lieia walked over to her, peering at the newspaper.

“What? Is something wron-Oh. Shit.” She froze, staring in disbelief at the big black and white image taking up most of the page, an image that clearly showed them both sharing a kiss.

“I knew I heard something!” Celestia groaned.

“Well, I’d say the cat’s outta the bag now, Cel. Let’s get going before we’re ambushed by paparazzi.” She shook her head in disbelief.

“Princess Celestia!” A herd of clamouring ponies was galloping straight for them, with saddlebags holding their cameras.

“Homeworld damn them, they’re already here! Let’s go, Celly! We need to lose them!” She led Celestia away, making use of the many alleys and backstreets in Canterlot, trying to loose the paparazzi swarm that was hunting them.

“Homeworld?”

“It’s sort of a long story, Cel! I’ll tell it once we’re no longer being chased!”

It took them two hours to lose their pursuers. They were hiding near a public swimming pool, doubled over and gasping for breath.

“Well, that was interesting. Now, how about you tell me the story of ‘Homeworld’?”

“Oh, right. Okay. Well, the thing is, no one really knows our real homeworld, the one where humanity started out from. A lot of knowledge was lost in the Unification Wars. The planet has many names, but the most oft-used are Earth or Terra. A lot of historians and suchlike are trying to find any links that would point them in the right direction, but they haven’t found it yet. It’s more or less just a myth among our people nowadays.”

“Earth, you say? It is written in the history books that the Everfree Forest is a part of Earth that fell here eons ago. The weather patterns there are above the pegasi to control, and the animals that inhabit it are wild and dangerous to ponies.”

“Well, damn. That’s going to draw some attention, Cel. Might be the biggest clue to find Earth again. Right, what shall we do now? Everyone and their dog must know about us by now.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Celestia sighed, and Lieia scooted closer to her, pulling her in a hug.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to leave you. I’ll stay with you, come hell or high water.” Lieia smiled reassuringly.

“Thank you, Lieia.” She wrapped her right wing around Lieia, bringing her close.

“So… Think we can sneak back inside the castle, Cel?”

“What’s with you and nicknames? Why don’t you have one?”

“I do! ‘s Lee! My name really isn’t as long as yours, so I got less material to work with.” She sighed, before smiling mischievously.

“How about we go for a swim? There’s no one around at this time.” She stood up, glancing around.

“You mean in the pool?”

“Yeah! Why not?” Lieia was already out of her clothes. She flashed a quick smile to Celestia, before diving head-first in the pool, surfacing on the other side.

“Come on, Celly! The water’s fine!” Lieia circled lazily in the water. “Are you scared?”

“Of course not!”

“Suuuuure.” Lieia smirked, diving underwater for a moment, and reappearing ten meters away, her hair plastered across her face.

“You’re scared, right?”

“I most certainly am not!” Celestia scoffed, discarding her jewellery and climbing in the pool. She paddled over to Lieia, who was smiling smugly. She breathed in deeply, diving under. Celestia felt Lieia’s fingers tickle her stomach and she giggled. A moment later Lieia pulled her underwater. She struggled wildly, but Lieia held her firmly, before grabbing hold of Celestia’s head and kissing her, breathing some air in the startled mare’s lungs. She saw the surprise in Celestia’s eyes and decided to surface.

They broke the surface of water, with Celestia glaring at Lieia.

“Why do you scare me like that?”

“Sorry. I can’t help it. I really need to rein myself in.” She kissed Celestia again.

“Well, at least I could really test my lungs. I have a built-in air tank that has enough super-compressed air for two hours. Useful, no?” She swam backwards, flicking a splash of water at Celestia with her leg.

“C’mon. Let’s swim.” Her slow, powerful strokes propelled her forward, and she soon was swimming circles around Celestia, humming nonsense.

“Lieia, you do enjoy shoving it in my face that you are physically stronger that me, do you not?”

“Well, you’re a slow swimmer, Cel. But I guess you like to take things nice and slow, huh?”

“True. What’s the point of doing something if you’re going to hurry through the experience?”

“I guess that makes sense.” Lieia hummed thoughtfully, before diving again, reappearing in front of Celestia.

“So… Want to do something fun?”

“Not really, Lieia. Want to simply enjoy this time, maybe?”

“Sounds tempting, Celly, it really does. Okay.” Lieia grinned, swimming alongside Celestia, though she couldn’t help but show off occasionally.

“Okay, I can feel myself get wrinklier than a grape. I should get out now.” Lieia muttered some time later, and was gripping the edge of the pool, pulling herself out, flipping herself around, kneeling down in the soft grass.

“Y’comin’?”

“I think I’ll spend another minute or two.”

“I can wait that long.” Celestia’s eyes were drawn to Lieia. She was mesmerized by the trails of water that rolled down Lieia’s chest, stomach, and across her well-defined hips, soaking in the grass.

“What? They’re not fake!” Lieia’s irritated voice snapped her back to attention and Celestia waved her legs energetically so as not to sink.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“I’m talking about my breasts! They’re not fake. I didn’t go under the plastic surgeon’s knife. Homeworld knows I got enough trouble because of them in school. Like, this one time, some idiot or another thought it’d be a good idea to grope me. I broke his arm, knocked two of his teeth out and kicked him in the balls.” She shifted around, settling down on her knees, and leaned forward in away that did wonders to her already full cleavage.

“The way I see it, if there’s any touching to be done, you better be involved.” She chuckled, before standing up.

“I could use a towel.” Celestia was also climbing out of the pool, her mane and tail hanging limply like a multi-coloured curtain.

“You know, you look really hot like that.” She gestured at the mane.

“Do all humans have a fetish for wet pony princesses or is it just you?” Celestia chuckled.

“Well played, Cel. Well played.” Lieia smiled, before trying to tidy her hair. “Now, how about that towel?”

“Well, I guess this is where we part ways. I have to get back to base.” Lieia scratched the back of her head, smiling beguilingly.

“Oh. Well, um… Would you like to spend the night at the castle with me, maybe?” Celestia proposed hopefully, making Lieia chuckle.

“No date’s ever complete without this awkward moment, eh?” She rubber her chin, humming thoughtfully. “I’d like that, actually. I need to unwind a bit.”

“I’ll teleport us to my room right away, then.” Celestia’s horn lit up with magic and they disappeared in a bright flash of light, reappearing in Celestia’s bedroom. Lieia shrugged her jacket off, tossing it on a vacant chair.

“So… Iron Night? Where’d you pull that one up from?” She noticed Celestia hesitate before answering.

“It’s… it’s the name of my former student. The one I had before Twilight. She and I… had a falling out with each other. One night, it all got out of hoof and we had a really bad quarrel. We both said things we didn’t mean and… well… I never saw her again after that night.”

“Oh. I understand it’s a painful topic for you. I’m not going to pry, Celly.” Lieia’s soft voice was soothing to listen to and she turned to her lover, burying her muzzle in Lieia’s chest, trying to hold back the tears that were gathering in her eyes. Lieia hesitated for a moment, and then wrapped her arms around Celestia. They sunk to the floor, with Lieia hugging Celestia, whispering quietly to calm the distraught mare.

“Shhh… It’s alright, Celestia… Nothing to worry about…”

They spent ten minutes like that, with Lieia crooning nonsense syllables in Celestia’s ear, brushing the alicorn’s mane with her fingers, like a mother consoling her children would. She heard Celestia bite back a sob now and then, but otherwise, her lover remained relatively calm.

Some time later, Celestia drew back, smiling sadly and a bit tearfully.

“Thank you, Lieia. I… I needed to get that of my chest, I really did. Thanks for being here for me. You would make a good mother.” Lieia chuckled awkwardly at that, brushing a stray lock of her hair out of her face absent-mindedly. Celestia found the gesture very endearing to her.

“Eheh… hahaha… Oooohkayy… That’s all sorts of weird, Cel.”

“Well, I mean, not now, exactly. But when the war is over and we can actually settle down…” She let the words hang in the air, making Lieia smile.

“I’d like that, Celestia. I really would.” She hugged the mare again.

“You have no idea how happy that makes me, Lieia.” Celestia grinned happily, nuzzling Lieia’s cheek.

Lieia stood up, pulling Celestia to her feet, and kissing her gently.

“C’mon. We should get some sleep.”

“Sleep sounds nice.” Celestia smiled.

Moments later they lay in the bed, wrapped up in each other’s embrace.

“How do you keep your coat so soft?”

“One day, my dear, I shall introduce you to a spa.” Celestia muttered drowsily, curling around Lieia, covering them both with her wings.

The constant rattle of gunfire echoed through the firing range, and Lieia wasted no time addressing any clumsiness regarding the firearms. Energy projectiles, bullets, scattershot and others slammed against the targets downrange.

“So, Feathers, think they’re ready?” She asked the lieutenant. The pegasus hummed thoughtfully before answering.

“I’d say so, ma’am. We’ve still got the vehicle training to do, right?”

“Yeah, we do. After that, they’re ready and we can take another group for training, right?”

“Right, ma’am.” Feathers squirmed about uncomfortably.

“C’mon, soldier. Out with it.” Lieia looked at her expectantly.

“The newspapers. Are they true, ma’am?”

“Oh. You mean the entire buzz about me and Princess being in love? Yeah, it’s true.” Feathers seemed surprised, but forged on nonetheless.

“Wow. Um, why’d you keep it under the covers for so long, if I may ask, ma’am?”

“I’m not really the poster girl of Coalition, or the best example of the very model soldier. I don’t really make friends easily. Pissed off a lot of officers. I got quite a few enemies. If word was to get out of our relation while the fleet was still here, well… Some might be idiotic enough to try and shank me or suchlike. Use her to get to me. I don’t want to put her in harm’s way.”

“Yeah, it’d suck if one of our rulers was suddenly kidnapped, right, ma’am?” Lieia chuckled at that.

“True, that.” She leaned against the wall, pulling a cigarette out and sticking it between her lips, offering another one to Feathers.

“No, thanks, ma’am. I don’t smoke. You shouldn’t, too. Just saying.”

“Fine by me.” Lieia lit the roll of paper and tobacco before speaking again. “These cigs aren’t harmful anyway. Wonders of medical science.” She puffed out a cloud of smoke, humming thoughtfully, holding the cigarette in her fingers.

“We’ll need another lieutenant. Is there anyone you’d like to suggest?”

“Now that you ask it, ma’am, what about Derpy Hooves? Doesn’t seem that anything can dampen her spirit. That might embolden other troops. She’s handy with the 'Blastmaster', too.”

“Yeah. She’s quite something. I wasn’t sure about letting her enlist, but she’s exceeded my expectations, to be honest. She’ll make a good lieutenant, methinks.”

“I hear that.” Lieia nodded in agreement.

“It’s settled then, ma’am?”

“Yep.” Down on the firing range, Derpy was sighting once more down the range and letting loose a cloud of pellets from the Tahl-Morrien M58 shotgun.

“Bull’s-eye!” She announced happily moments later.

“I think she’ll do just fine, Feathers.”

Chapter 21

Celestia looked up from her paperwork, hearing an odd rumble.

Hmm?

She strode over to the balcony, looking around, just as a flier thundered past, making her wince as the craft banked sharply, returning and hovering in front of her, meters away. It rotated around, and the side door slid back, revealing a grinning Lieia.

“Hey, Cel! Guess who just completed their training!”

“Well, who did?”

“Everyone! The first company’s ready for duty!” She smiled widely, before leaping off, landing in front of the startled mare.

“Okay, sergeant, take her back to base! Get everyone ready for official inauguration! Meet me in Ponyville, okay?”

“Understood, ma’am.” Fluttershy responded, swinging the craft around and flying away.

Lieia turned around, smiling at Celestia.

“Well, it’s done. The First Company is battle-ready.”

“How many more do you think of training?”

“Nine hundred for a full regiment, maybe more. But enough about that. How’re you doin’?” She let a sliver of concern seep in her voice.

“Not too good, my dear. The journalists and photographers continue to plague the castle. I can’t get a moment’s peace, no matter how many times the guards try.” She noticed Lieia’s eyes narrowing ever so slightly with anger.

“We’ll have to do something about that, won’t we? I guess it’s high time we came clear.” She grinned wryly.

“Else they’ll never stop, right, Cel?”

“I… I suppose so.” Lieia hugged Celestia, whispering reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to abandon you to fend for yourself. We’ll face them together.” Celestia smiled thankfully at her.

One hour later

Ponyville

“Three weeks ago, I took a hundred ponies to train them as Coalition Marines. It wasn’t easy, but I’ve done it. They’ll be the first company of 1st Equestrian Regiment, ‘Celestia’s Own.’ I’ll train another nine hundred ponies to complete the regiment. The first company’ll be here any moment.” As if on cue, a row of trucks arrived, laden with ponies in full battle gear. They disembarked, lining up in groups of ten, standing ramrod straight. Lieia’s eyes found Fluttershy, standing proudly as the sergeant of Squad Three in her medic’s uniform and she nodded subtly in approval.

“I have trained them to the best standards of Coalition Marine Corps. Should any Vasari get the idea to try anything funny here, they’ll get more than they bargained for. I’ve made sure of that. In due time, the Coalition presence will be greater here. This planet is a part of a phase route that’s tactically important to us.” A pony piped up, clearly puzzled.

“What does that mean for us? For Equestria?”

“We’ll be here to protect you. The Empire will send fleets to patrol the gravity well and further out in deep space to ensure no Vasari scouts get through. We’ll establish a starbase in orbit and other defensive structures. The garrison will be increased eventually, with more bases deployed in strategic locations.”

Another pony, obviously a reporter, piped up.

“A question, if you will, Captain?”

“Okay. Shoot.”

“I’m sure we all have seen the photo where you and Princess Celestia are… featured, but photos can be manipulated and I know better than to trust the gossip newspapers. So, I hope you’ll forgive me for being blunt, but is the gossip true? Are you really romantically involved with Princess Celestia?” Lieia stood silently for a few moments, before turning to Celestia, who was standing at her side, obviously nervous. She chuckled softly and turned back.

“Yeah. I love your princess. She loves me. Any of you have a problem with that; you can go and floss yourselves with barbed wire.”

“That’ll set the rumour mill rolling, no?” Celestia muttered quietly.

“At this point, I don’t even care.” Lieia whispered to Celestia, and then turned to the clamouring ponies.

“Okay, everyone, calm down! Now, as I mentioned earlier, I’ll need another nine hundred recruits. I sent a request to Coalition Logistics that our current base is enlarged for the additional influx of troops. We can expect the freighters to arrive in about two weeks or so.”

“Yes, yes, yes, that’s all fine, but you’re actually in love with the Princess!” Someone shouted.

“How much barbed wire do you want and where should I deliver it to?” The culprit shrunk back guiltily.

“I’m sorry, but this is no small news!” Another one piped up, hefting a camera magically. “With your permission, I’d like to take a picture, if that’s okay.”

“Go ahead, man.” She pulled Celestia closer to her, hugging the slightly nervous mare, ruffling her mane. The photographer smiled, snapping a quick picture.

“Thanks!” He trotted off, and Lieia looked Celestia.

“Well, that went better than expected, huh? Why were those reporters hounding you after all?”

“It isn’t exactly an everyday event that an immortal alicorn princess falls in love with an alien woman.”

“Ah.” Lieia nodded sagely.

“So, are you up for a visit to spa, Lieia?”

“Can’t hurt, I guess.” She grinned, feeling the alicorn brush her muzzle against her cheek.

“I’m sure you’ll love it.”

Celestia settled down in the small pool, smiling satisfiedly as the warm water soaked through her coat and mane. The scent of herbs soaking in the water tickled her nose. She heard the door open and saw Lieia walk in.

“Hey. Sorry I’m late. Had to get a bikini.” She was wearing the said clothing. It left little to Celestia’s imagination, especially that the fabric clung tightly to Lieia’s curves and-

Celestia gave herself a mental slap, forcing a smile on her face.

“Ah. Hello, Lieia! Get in, the water’s just fine.”

“Okay.” Lieia stepped over the edge, lowering her long, slender legs in the water, followed by her round hips-

She gave herself a mental ice bath.

Enough of that, Celestia! Get your mind out of the gutter, or I shall ram it down as deep as it goes the said gutter! Nice legs, though.

Lieia settled down comfortably, sighing contendedly.

“Oh, that does feel good. Aaaaaahhhh…” A low moan escaped her throat.

“Lieia? Are you quite alright?”

“Oh, yeah. Just haven’t had a real bath in ages. Most of the time, I make do with a shower.” Celestia had a sudden, unbidden wish to be in the same shower as Lieia. With lots of soap involved.

“Uh, Cel? You’re blushing like crazy. Is everything okay?”

“Oh, uh… No, there’s nothing to worry about, my dear.”

“So why’d you blush all of a sudden? Something wrong.” Lieia tilted her head sideways, her golden hair spilling over her shoulder, a sly smirk on her lips.

“Nothing.”

“Why’re you so nervous, Celly? I’m not going to laugh.” Lieia scooted over to Celestia’s side, giving her a playful nudge. Celestia blushed an even deeper shade of red, feeling Lieia’s near-naked body press up against her.

“You’re really cute when you’re blushing, Cel. Like, a whole new level of cute.” Celestia felt herself redden some more.

“Oh, Lieia, stop that. I’m getting uncomfortable.” She muttered bashfully, her cheeks blazing like coals. Lieia chuckled softly, playing with a lock of her hair.

“Okay, don’t worry.” She sat up, whispering in Celestia’s ear. “I still say you’re cute when blushing.” She leaned backwards, soaking in the pool.

“Oooh, this feels real good. You were right, Cel. I love this.”

“Oh, just you wait until we get to the massages, Lieia.”

Two hours later

“Celestia, I cannot thank you enough. Seriously. I’ve never felt this clean and fresh before. Those showers we have on our ships and bases basically use recycled water and after it’s been purified for the umpteenth time, it makes you want to claw your skin off. But that spa… Oh, it’s just heavenly. My hair feels so soft!” Lieia giggled giddily, planting a kiss on Celestia’s cheek. “Thanks, Celly. It was nice to actually do something together without needing to keep this under the covers.”

“Me too, Lieia. Now, what say you we go and find somewhere quiet and… secluded?”

“Oh… I like the sound of that.”

“How did we get here? I see no path or any walkway of sort that leads here.” Lieia frowned, looking around her.

“There aren’t any. This is my own little sanctuary. I come here whenever I need a rest, a moment of reprieve.”

“It’s very quiet here, except for the sound of bugs mating.”

“You can hear bugs mating?”

“No, I just hear the funky music in the background, but I can guess what they’re doing.” Celestia looked at her surprisedly for a few moments, before snickering quietly, eventually falling to her knees, almost laughing her lungs out. Some time later, she managed to stand up, gasping, with Lieia still standing and waiting patiently.

“You okay, Celestia?” The breathless mare looked at her.

“Lieia, how did you come up with that?”

“Y’know, I’m not really sure. My mind wanders sometimes.” Lieia shrugged nonchalantly, sitting down on the green grass, Celestia at her side, draping a wing over her shoulders.

They sat quietly for a while, neither of them saying a thing, instead enjoying each other’s company.

“Lieia?”

“Yes, Celestia?”

“I don’t want you to leave.” Lieia felt Celestia’s wing wrap around her tighter, pressing her to Celestia’s side. She could smell the faint scent of oranges wafting from Celestia’s coat.

“I’m not leaving yet. It might be some time, Cel.”

“No, Lieia, I meant I want you to stay with me. Here. On Equestria.” Lieia looked at her levelly, meeting her slightly sad gaze.

“You know I can’t do that, Celestia. At least, not until the war is over.”

“Why? Would it not be better to forget about the war?” Lieia’s expression became serious.

“Celestia, you’re asking me to do something I won’t do. My friends- hell, my sister is out there, fighting every day. And I’m supposed to leave them? No way, Cel.”

“B-but…” A hollow ache had taken hold of Celestia’s heart. She didn’t want Lieia to leave.

“I have been sitting on this planet, scratching my ass all this time. I’m sick with worry about my sister. She’s putting her life on the line constantly, while I’m just dicking around and hardly doing anything that would help the Coalition.” Those words angered Celestia and she drew away from Lieia.

“And what about me, Lieia? When is it my turn to be selfish, just for a moment? W-when can I ask for something and expect to receive it?”

“Celestia, don’t get me wrong, I love you. You mean the world to me. But there can be no peace for me as long as the war lasts.”

“It’s always war with you!” Celestia shouted angrily.

“Hey, I didn’t start the war, but I sure as hell will finish it!” Lieia glared balefully at the mare.

“You… you war-mongering savage! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT, GRISOVA! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!” Her use of the Royal Canterlot Voice flung Lieia backwards, straight in a tree. The tree broke.

Celestia was mortified by her actions. A very angry Lieia was striding towards her.

“Oh, Lieia, please forgive me… I j-just let my emotions get the better of me and-“

“Fuck off.” The woman snarled, pushing past the distraught mare. Celestia flinched like she'd been struck.

“Soon as I’m done training that regiment, I’m out of here. I’ll grab the first ship bound for the frontlines and never come back to this damn place!” With that venomous retort, she left, disappearing in the woods.

What have I done? Lieia hates me. She hates me and it’s entirely my fault.

Three days later

Alpha base

Lieia downed the debilitating mix of whiskey, absinthe and vermouth. Oooh, does that hit the spot. After the mess with Celestia, she wasn’t able to concentrate on doing any training whatsoever. Feathers had convinced her to get herself sorted out. She filled the glass again, emptying it seconds.

Oh, well. Time to have some sleep, I guess.

She stood up unsteadily, swaggering off to her bedroom.

“Huuuuuuurf!” Lieia retched, throwing up the contents of her stomach. The acrid-smelling mess washed down the toilet and she grimaced.

Eeeehhh…

Her head much clearer now, she discarded her clothes, climbing in the bed and falling fast asleep.

Hours later

Nudge.

“Mhhhhhmm…”

Nudge.

“Fugoff, Cara… the clock is a liar and you know it.”

Nudge, nudge.

“Lieia, please, wake up.” Lieia stirred finally, looking around her blearily.

“What… Who…?” She found herself looking at Celestia, who was sitting right beside her.

“Please, we need to talk, my love.”

Chapter 22

At first, she was confused. She didn’t understand how’d the alabaster mare had gotten inside the constantly-guarded base. Then again, Celestia was a goddess, after all.

“I thought you said you never wanted to see me again. What’re you doing here?”

“I’ll be honest with you. I cannot stop thinking about you, Lieia. I do not think I’ve loved anypony this much in many, many years. Please, Lieia, let me love you. Let me be with you once more.” The object of her desire sighed, rubbing her face wearily.

“I’m a mess, Cel. I had to take a break from training. I can’t get you out of my head. Tried to drink myself unconscious. Didn’t work.”

“Lieia, I’m sorry. About everything. I didn’t mean to-“ Lieia pressed her fingers to Celestia’s lips.

“Shhhh. I’m sorry too. It’s just that I’m so damn wound up and frustrated all the time. I can’t stop worrying about Cara. She could die any moment and I can’t do a damn thing to stop that from happening.” She reached up, kissing Celestia.

“But I’m being too selfish as well. I care about you, Celestia. But my nerves sometimes get the better of me. Haven’t had a good fuck in ages. Actually, I’ve never done the deed. Might be why I’ve got so much pent-up frustration.”

“Have you never had a…” Celestia paused, trying to choose her words diligently. “…a sexual conversation with yourself?” Lieia snickered loudly at that.

“That must be the fanciest way of saying I’m fingering myself. ‘What’re you doin’, soldier?’ ‘Wait a minute, sir; I’m having a sexual conversation with myself. Ohhh, I’m about to punctuate! Mmmmm, semicolon!’” She cackled again, before sobering up. Celestia couldn’t understand how Lieia could be so blunt.

“But, to answer you question, no, I haven’t done it. I don’t really have time for it, what with me being an EXO and all.” Celestia crawled closer to Lieia, a wicked, wicked glint in her eyes.

“I could… help you ease the frustration, Lieia. If you know what I mean. Besides, I owe you.”

“Oh, yeah, right, you came all over my face that time. That aside, you know how to tempt me, Celly.” Lieia grinned, pushing her blanket aside, pulling Celestia closer, and kissing her again, more passionately this time. She rolled Celestia on her back, dragging her tongue along Celestia’s neck, but said mare retaliated, eventually positioning herself above Lieia, kissing the taut skin of the woman’s throat.

“Oh, that’s good. Aaaaahhh…” She moaned, craning her head back. Celestia bit gently, and was rewarded with another moan. Her lips wandered down, trailing across Lieia’s supple cleavage, showering the smooth flesh with kisses. She felt Lieia arch her back, pressing her chest against the caress of Celestia’s lips and tongue.

“Aaah, right th-there…” Lieia whispered, reaching out, rubbing at Celestia’s wing sockets. The large, feathery curtains unfurled slowly, stiffening with each passing second. Celestia drew back, biting back a gasp. She could now see the freckles scattered across the woman’s face, something she’d never noticed before.

“Lieia, are you trying to turn the tables on me? Just lie back and let me… do my part, for lack of a better term.” She bit the tender flesh of Lieia’s right breast and was rewarded with a surprised gasp, feeling Lieia’s legs twitch below her.

“Ohhkayyy… You do that, Cel…” Lieia muttered, laying back, fiddling with the clasp of her bra and tossing the piece of underwear aside.

“C’mon. Have at these twins.” She grinned lustfully. Now that the piece of garment had been cast aside, Celestia could see that there were freckles scattered across Lieia’s breasts as well. She barely noticed the scars now. She kissed the soft skin, eventually letting her lips settle on the left nipple and tugging on it softly. Lieia let loose a moan she didn’t even try to stifle, her fingers gripping Celestia’s shoulders tightly. “Oh… Ah… More… Please… Mmmhhh…”

“Ask and ye shall receive.” Celestia pulled on the stiff bit of flesh again, coaxing another moan out from the woman. She kept teasing Lieia for the best part of fifteen minutes.

Outside the door or Lieia’s quarters, a very uncomfortably-feeling Feathers tip-toed away. She’d intended to see if she couldn’t get Grisova back on her feet, but it looked like Princess Celestia was already on it, judging by the noises they made. And she’d almost walked in on them. Their passionate moans echoed in her head and she knew she’d get no peace of mind this evening. A sinister voice was whispering in the back of her mind.

Go on and clop. You know you want to.

“The shit I put up with…” She muttered angrily, heading towards her bedroom, fighting to keep her arousal hidden for as long as possible.

“Oh… Aah… Cel…” Lieia moaned lustfully, feeling the warmth take hold in her loins.

Celestia raised her head, humming satisfiedly; giving a thoughtful glance at Lieia’s wet, heaving breasts.

“Yes, my love…?”

“Ah… Do it… But be gentle, would you…?” Celestia grinned in response.

“I think not.” Lieia chuckled softly at that.

“Oh, you are a wicked little thing, Celestia… Go on, then…” Celestia felt the faint scent of Lieia’s body and the strawberry-scented shower gel she used. Both scents were equally tempting. The former one eventually won her over. She kissed her way down to Lieia’s waist, then hips. Celestia could smell her arousal and wasted no time to nudge one of the long, smooth legs aside and pull the woman’s underpants off.

“You… shave?”

“It’s a matter of personal hygiene, actually. I mean, I could’ve grown a veritable forest of hair to deter the occasional would-be rapist, but sweat tends to collect there and may cause a rash that even a belt sander won't ease. So there. Also, it’s more fun to reverse the roles on said rapist and scar him for life.”

“Lieia, I still can’t understand how you treat this matter so easily.”

“I already told you so. It’s either cry, laugh or go crazy. And I hate crying.” She spread her legs apart, beckoning to Celestia.

“Well? I’m ready.”

And then they totally did it. And if I would’ve been there, I would’ve been all like ‘Aw, sweet. Granted, it’s all sorts of weird, but still.’

The End.

(Nah, just kidding. My face is getting redder than a boiled lobster, though. Writing clop isn’t easy, no sir, not at all. But I babble. Too. Damn. MUCH. Enjoy!)

Celestia nearly dived in head-first, before composing herself. She would not ruin this. So she licked the edge of Lieia’s glistening womanhood first instead.

“Yessssssssssss…” Lieia hissed quietly and Celestia rewarded her with another flick of tongue, closer this time. Lieia’s hips bucked slightly.

“Oohh…! J-just do it already! Fuck me limp! Or whatever it is called doing it with your tongue!” She was about to keep ranting, but was interrupted by Celestia slithering her tongue up in Lieia as far as she could, parting the pink, fleshy folds aside. Lieia almost shot through the ceiling, her back arching as she screamed in pleasure.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaah! Oh! AAAH! OOOOAAAAAH!” That only served to spur Celestia on, who explored every nook and cranny of Lieia’s sex, making the woman writhe with pleasure. What was that taste, exactly? Hmmm… Ah, she knew it. Pistachio. She liked pistachio. Good for your cholesterol level.

Celestia could feel her own marehood getting wetter with every passing moment and she started to rub at it as well with her hoof.

Despite Lieia’s claims of pent-up frustration, it took some time to get her to go over the edge, as some would diligently put it. Lieia would’ve just said ‘fuck your brains out’, but she was in no position to make her caustic remarks, so Celestia pulled out her tongue, crawling on top of Lieia, who moaned disappointedly.

“C’mon! Don’t leave me half-finished!”

“Oh, I don’t intend to…” Celestia crawled a bit closer, rubbing their nether regions together, and making Lieia writhe.

“Oh, you dirty b-Nnnnhh!” She cried out, her arms clenching around Celestia’s shoulders, as the lust-frenzied mare thrust again, grinding at the woman’s groin, feeling the lubricated folds of sensitive flesh rub against each other.

“O-oh, Cel-l, I’m… AH!” Said mare was grunting nonsense syllables, gritting her teeth, grinding roughly against Lieia one last time, just as they reached that blissful pinnacle of exhaustion where nothing mattered.

Celestia raised her head some time later, having regained enough control over her body. The first thing she realised that her legs were wet and sticky. Next, she felt how painfully erect her wings still were, thought they were slowly curling up.

Heavens above, that was good…

She cast a glance at Lieia, who seemed on the verge of unconsciousness, before setting to cleaning up the sticky mess covering their bodies.

“Mmmmhhh… Celestia, what’re y’doin’…?

“Cleaning you up.”

“Wait, you mean you’re licking all that up?”

“Not all of it. I do think I’ll be using magic instead to clean the bedsheets.”

“Ew. Just ew. I could’ve requested new ones tomorrow, you know.”

“Don’t worry about it, my dear. Now, rest and let me finish.” Several quiet seconds passed, before Lieia spoke again.

“Celly?”

“Yes, Lieia?”

“That was fucking awesome.” The mare grinned at that.

“Blunt as ever, I see. Now quiet down and get some rest.”

The warm water cascaded from Celestia’s flanks and she closed her eyes to protect them from the shampoo Lieia was massaging in her mane. She could’ve done it herself, but she wanted Lieia to do it for her this time. It was nice to feel her fingers sifting through her mane, ridding it from the unsavoury mix of bodily fluids that had soaked her mane last night. Once she’d finished rinsing the suds out of the wet curtain of hair, she grinned wryly at the wet alicorn.

“Can you wash the rest of yourself or are you going to need help with that, too?”

“Well, I’d appreciate if you did. I’m a bit sore from yesterday.” She pouted a bit, making Lieia laugh.

“I can’t say no to that face, can I?” She reached for the bottle of shower gel, squeezing some on her palm, rubbing it in Celestia’s coat, washing the stale sweat and love juices out.

“Oh, that does feel rather nice.” Lieia shook her head resignedly.

“I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did.”

I most certainly did not!” Celestia repeated, recalcitrant.

“Yes, you did! You snuck back in there and watched me soap myself up!” Lieia’s voice took up a mock-hurt tone, but she was grinning subtly. She wandered over to the small kitchen, where a tray waited, laden with what might have been sandwiches at some point in the past. Or was it cereal?

“Uh, Cel?”

“I, um, tried to make us some breakfast while you were washing.” Celestia gestured lamely at the carbonised foodstuffs.

“Don’t worry about it too much. I’ll get something delivered here. I appreciate the gesture, though.” She logged on her PDA, ordering some breakfast for the two of them and sat in the bed while waiting. A minute passed before the order arrived, carried by a pony. She took it out of his saddlebags, giving him a ten-credit tip.

They ate in silence, occasionally glancing at each other and chuckling softly, unspoken motes of mutually affectionate understanding passing between them.

“You weren’t lying when you said you felt young again, Cel. Feels like you had been perching on my shoulders all this time.” Celestia’s face fell at that.

“And to think I put such effort to stick with my diet.”

“Relax, I was just kidding. I like you the way you are.” Lieia lifted the now-empty dishes out of the bed, and then lunged forward, pulling Celestia in a hug.

“Lieia! Is something wrong?”

“Everything’s perfect, Celestia! I-I just can’t express how much I love you! Whenever I think of you, I find myself grinning like a fool. You’re everything I could ever want – you’re perfect.” The white alicorn smiled sadly at that.

“Oh, I’m far from perfect. In fact, I’m anything but.”

“What? Come on! You’re sexy, beautiful, smart, charming, funny, loving. To me, you are perfect.” Lieia settled down at Celestia’s side, rubbing her shoulder reassuringly. (Listening to this as I’m writing this bit.)

“Is something bothering you, Cel? You know you can talk to me about it. I’m here for you.” The alicorn sighed wearily before answering.

“I may seem young and attractive to you, but I am thousands of years old, in fact. All alicorns are immortal. It is both a blessing and a curse. We live for ever, but are damned to watching everyone else eventually age and die. It is enough to drive one insane.”

“Then why dwell on their deaths? You should instead focus on how they changed your life. Remember what they were. Remember all the good times you had together.”

“That’s exactly it! I cannot! They fade from my memory in weeks! And I do not make friends easily. Everypony is afraid of me, of the power and authority I wield, despite assuring them I would never misuse them. It always is a terrified pony cowering in front of an all-mighty sun goddess. The more I try…” She sighed again. “This mask I wear, this stoic façade of composure and serenity… I loathe it. But I have to keep it on when others are around. But you are steadily chipping away at it, Lieia.”

“Sorry?” The woman at her side offered an apologetic smile.

“Lieia, I thank you for doing it. Before you arrived, I was stuck in a dreary routine, an endless circle of meetings with the Royal Court, public appearances in Ponyville and other cities and towns, seemingly unending paperwork. Twilight Sparkle, my proud, faithful student, was getting more and more distant from me, now that her studies with me were over and she had started an independent life in Ponyville. Even my own sister was always busy, now that she’d resumed her royal duties. I was alone.”

“And then I fell from the sky.” Celestia chuckled softly.

“Exactly. You were completely different. Always on the move, doing something. You are so full of energy, that bright, vivid spark what drew me to you so. You turned my life upside down. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Not for anything. I love you, Lieia.”

“And I love you, Celestia.” She smiled, feeling Celestia’s wing wrap around her, bringing her to the solemn alicorn’s side.

“I don’t feel like going anywhere today. What about you, Cel?”

“I feel the same, my love.”

“We’re agreed, then.”

“Oh, shut up and kiss me already.”

Chapter 23

They’d been going at this for an hour. At first, they’d simply been lying in the bed, when Celestia had nudged Lieia’s shoulder softly. She’d returned the gesture by scratching Celestia’s neck gently. That’d gotten a giggle out of her and moments later she’d felt the alicorn’s warm, soft lips pressing against her cheek. In response, she’d glomped the unsuspecting mare and now they were rolling around in the bed, giggling, kissing, and generally not acting sensibly.

Lieia fell on her back, panting.

“That’s the fifth time already. You’re certainly not running low on stamina.” The alabaster mare chuckled softly, pulling Lieia to her chest, soaking up the warmth from each other’s bodies.

“You’re a hard one to figure, Cel.”

“How so?”

“You never asked, you never even questioned how I came to be interested in you.” Celestia smiled a bit, sitting up, and pulling Lieia up with her in a wing hug.

“All that matters to me is that I know you love me.”

“Celestia, you have been pouring your soul out to me. I have to tell you. I wouldn’t even deserve your attention any other way.” She sat down more comfortably.

“Well, you know about my life. How I lost it all. Joined the Corps. Became an EXO, a ruthless one at that. You were saying the truth when you called me a war-mongering savage. I-“Celestia interrupted then, kissing her softly.

“Lieia, I had no right to say that. You fight for a just cause. You wish to return peace, freedom and justice to your worlds. Those are noble ideals, ones that every warrior worth his word should strive to uphold.”

“That’s like the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me, Celly. Well, to put it simply, you’re my sanctuary of sorts, a place where I can take a break from the war. And, at the risk of sounding too sappy, you’re my everything.” She poked Celestia in the chest softly.

“You always make me feel safe and welcome, Cel. That’s why I love you. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” Celestia smiled, laying on her back and pulling the woman on top of her.

“It warms my heart to hear you say that, Lieia.”

The doors to the room opened, presenting a griffon who was staring in surprise at the two of them, in particular at Lieia, who had grabbed her sidearm from somewhere, aiming it at the new guest.

“Princess Celestia? What’s happening here?” The griffon demanded, puzzlement written across his face and the alicorn was hit by recognition.

“General Stonefeather? What are you doing here?”

“I could ask the same of you, Princess.” He gestured at the unmoving woman straddling her. She was still pointing the bulky revolver at his head.

“Lieia, he’s a friend. There’s no need for alarm.” Hesitantly, she lowered the gun, climbing off Celestia to find her trousers.

“I’ll be with you in a few moments. And then we’ll have a conversation, the three of us.” She wandered inside the bathroom. Moments later, music started blaring from the room, with Lieia belting out the words in earnest.

Gunfire from the hill

Will bring the overkill

We're born to fight with a heart of steel

Comrades follow you

That's what we'll always do

One for all no one stands alone, no…

Stonefeather glanced at Celestia quizzically, who shrugged in response.

“It’s a long story.”

“I guessed as much.”

General Stonefeather was a close friend of Celestia’s. He was the liaison officer between Equestrian Republic and Griffon Empire and often travelled between the two states. In the past few weeks, strange and worrying rumours had filtered down to the Emperor’s council about otherworldly visitors. Of course, Stonefeather had been dispatched immediately, on the account of his good rapport with pony folk. He’d been delighted, of course. Celestia and Luna were good leaders. The Griffon Empire could learn from the Equestrians in the ways of peacetime ruling.

That and he loved Sugarcube Corner cupcakes. It was his only weakness.

Lieia emerged from the bathroom, sufficiently refreshed, her hair once more in the signature ponytail with a fringe.

“Right-o, I’m here. So, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Her steely gaze met Stonefeather’s, who bowed his head slightly.

“I am General Stonefeather of the Griffon Empire. I was dispatched a couple of weeks ago to learn more about these aliens that arrived on Equestria. I presume you’re one of them?” Lieia nodded in response, unconsciously straightening out a bit.

“Indeed. Captain Lieia Aladara Grisova, Coalition Marine Corps Special Forces, 3rd EXO Company.”

“Your middle name is Aladara?” Celestia piped up in surprise. Lieia shot a wry grin in response.

“You never asked, Cel. Okay, back to business. Y’might want to sit down, General.” Celestia climbed out of the bed, shaking her mane.

“I need to freshen myself up, Lieia.”

“By all means. We can wait, right, General?”

“Indeed.” The stoic griffon agreed, though internally, he was feeling rather impatient.

Celestia returned several minutes later, clean and resplendent. Now they could proceed with explaining the situation to the suspicious griffon, which took the better part of an hour to do. Once they’d finished, he could only shake his head in amazement.

“Well, now I’ve heard everything. At least I’ve got what I came for. Perhaps you could show me around the base, Captain?”

“I see no harm in that. Follow me.”

“The base was rather small when I began the training. Only a hundred ponies. When I finished training those, I took more in.”

“How many are you aiming for?”

“A thousand. They’ll have the best weapons and armour I can provide. Care to take a look at our armoury?”

“You’ve got me intrigued, Captain. It’s not every day I’d get a proposition like that.”

Once outside, Stonefeather flinched as three K-52 dropships passed overhead, followed by a pair of twin-rotor gunships. A pair of P-19 medium tanks rumbled out of the garages, heading towards their patrol routes, followed by several Jackal LRVs. The training grounds were bustling with ponies exercising under the watchful eyes of drill sergeants. The whole base was thrumming with activity. Celestia noted the griffon’s eyes widen as he nodded appreciatively.

“They are all put through the same training regimen as the average Coalition marine, but slightly modified. I have some experimental equipment made to fit the ponies’ physique. For example, a scaled-down grenade launcher that can be carried around on the pony’s back. Or, a harness for pegasi that provides us with rapid-response air support when needed. There’s a lot of room for improvisation and new tactics when I’m working with ponies.” A Behemoth Mobile Base Vehicle roared to life, moving ponderously away from the base. Celestia recognised it as one of the five such vehicles she’d seen on her first visit of the base.

“Lieia? Where are the other four?”

“Out on patrol. They’re mobile Forward Operating Bases. Well, what do you think of our base here, General?” The griffon thought on that for a moment.

“It certainly is impressive. You have done a good job of training these ponies. But I have a request, if you will, Captain.”

“Shoot.” Lieia looked at him somewhat suspiciously.

“If it isn’t a trouble, could you consider training a unit of griffon warriors? Even though our troops are renowned as the best available, I am not so sure anymore. I’d like to see if you can teach us some new tricks and tactics.”

“That’s doable. We might need to expand the barracks a bit, but that’s not really a trouble. I’ll take a hundred of ‘em. Deal?” She extended her hand to shake and Stonefeather obliged.

“We’re agreed then, Captain.” His grip was strong and steady, the mark of a good, reliable soldier. Lieia instantly took a liking to him.

“Feel free to look around while you’re here. I have something I need to deal with.” She winked slyly at Celestia, who responded in kind. Stonefeather shifted uneasily.

“…Right. Good day to you both, then. Until next time.” With that, he took off, heading towards Ponyville, eager to purchase some cupcakes.

“Well, now that that’s over with, what do you want to do now?” Lieia whispered in Celestia’s ear. A moment later, the alicorn pulled a nearby door open, pushing Lieia inside and locking the door behind them.

“Oof! Cel, what are you-!” Lieia managed to utter before the mare kissed her fiercely. The kiss lasted for quite a while, with both participants exploring each other’s mouths as much as they could. Lieia managed to pull back for a moment, though.

“What’s the hurry, Celestia?” No answer, just more kisses.

“Cel. Really! Calm down.” Reluctantly, her lover stopped, gazing at her sadly.

“I really don’t want you to go, Lieia. It would tear my heart apart.”

“I feel the same way, Cel. I’m not going to enjoy leaving you.” She sighed wearily and Celestia craned her head down, until their lips were a hair’s breadth apart.

“I am yours, Lieia.” Celestia’s words made Lieia smile and she cradled the mare’s cheek gently, reaching up and kissing her.

“You’re full of surprises, Cel. Look, I’ve got a bit of routine check-up to do in half an hour. Would ya like to come along, give your troops a surprise inspection?”

“I’d love to.” She pulled Lieia upwards.

“In the meantime, I think we can stay here.” She pushed Celestia down on her back gently, lying down on top of her, popping a piece of candy in her mouth before kissing Celestia again. After a few moments, Celestia could feel the sweet, sugary taste seeping past Lieia’s tongue and she tried to coax the small, sweet chunk out of Lieia’s mouth. She succeeded eventually, surprising Lieia.

“You stole my candy.”

“I didn’t see your name on it.”

“You’ll pay for that.” Lieia reached up, wrapping her fingers around Celestia’s horn, giving it a rub. The mare shuddered, and the candy dropped out of her mouth, sticking to Lieia’s cheek.

“L-Lieia… You d-don’t have any idea w-what you just did…” Lieia hastily drew back her hand.

“Oops. Sorry.”

“It’s just about the most sensitive place one can touch. But, if there’s anypony I have complete trust in, it’s you. I know that you will be careful.” She lowered her head, letting Lieia plant a gentle kiss on her forehead, at the base of her horn. Celestia moaned softly and received another kiss.

“How many sensitive spots are there on your body?”

“Ah… well… Wings, horn and my cutie mark.”

“Your what?”

“It’s on my flanks.” Immediately, Lieia rubbed the marking on Celestia’s right flank, receiving another moan from her lover. Her other hand was busy with Celestia’s left wing, while her tongue was licking the mare’s horn. Celestia’s moans got louder and longer as Lieia’s hands explored her body, making the mare shiver with pleasure.

“Oh, Lieia! I… I… AAAH!” Celestia cried out, lunging at Lieia, ripping her clothes off.

You can guess what they did next.

Twenty minutes later

“Well, we did it again.” Lieia muttered, caressing Celestia’s neck.

“We did. Oh, it felt so good.”

“Didn’t we just have sex yesterday?”

“You started it this time.”

“You were the one who locked us in here.” She scratched Celestia’s ear and the mare nickered softly.

“Well, I hope you won’t hold it against me.” Lieia turned her head sideways, gazing in Celestia’s expressive, magenta eyes, kissing her.

“No. I won’t, even though you tore up my fresh clothes.” Celestia felt Lieia’s naked body press up against her.

“Don’t worry. I’ll teleport us to your bedroom.” A flash of gold filled the small storeroom and the two lovers vanished.

Celestia cantered up to the flier, somewhat curious.

“What is this machine, Lieia?”

“A tactical strike aircraft. Tyker Industries V-14. We call ‘em Shrykes. Real useful for strafing runs.” She gestured at the two turboprop fans on either side of the craft.

“Why not take a dropship?”

“I want to show what this baby is capable of. C’mon. Strap yourself in.” Lieia leapt in the pilot’s seat, pulling the canopy closed. Celestia got in the small passenger compartment, and the door slid close with a hiss. The jet powerplant came alive with a whine. A minute later, the Shryke took off, heading towards one of the Behemoth MBVs.

“Lieia?”

“Yep?”

“I’m bored.” She received a sigh in response, and then heard a click.

All of your life you've tried to survive

You're working so hard to get a real good start

You won't be a loser, you will be the first one

You can't break free, that's your destiny…

Chapter 24

...we're standing - we're standing

Really standing - standing like a rock

Some men drown in waters deep

Others just can't stand the heat around them

They fall to power in control

Bend to spirit and to soul destruction…

Music blasted from the speakers as Lieia piloted the aircraft through the valley, pulling off the occasional barrel roll or two, much to Celestia’s chagrin. She expected the Shryke to hit something any moment. But her concern was misplaced when Lieia set the small flier down a couple of minutes later. The thrum of the fans died down slowly as Celestia freed herself from the harness, opening the door. Lieia was already waiting for her.

“How’d ya enjoy the ride, Cel?”

“To be honest, I thought we’d crash a couple of times.” Lieia made a sour face at that.

“But I didn’t. Besides, the V-14 is fireproofed. Tyker Industries did a good job on this baby.”

“How does your war industry work, actually?”

“We have many companies, organizations, and rich, influential people, all of them putting in their two credits to the war effort. Some do more and get more tantalising contracts, ones that have high importance. They may join up with another company, like Eija Atio Foundries and Naeve Arms Research did when the Foundries received a request for a railgun sniper rifle. Both companies received a boost in popularity. It’s a bit complicated, but they get the work done. C’mon.” Celestia followed her, soon coming in sight of the Behemoth base. Celestia scrutinised the drab grey vehicle-turned-outpost. A couple of ponies and humans were outside, turning to face the two arrivals.

“Princess Celestia? Captain Grisova?” One of the ponies straightened out, saluting to them both.

“At ease, private. Where’s your CO?”

“Inside the Behemoth. Go on ahead, ma’am, Princess.” As soon as they were outside the pony’s earshot, Celestia whispered to Lieia.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“Well, they are under my command; they take their orders from me, but are torn between their loyalties to you and me.” She stood aside, letting Celestia enter the stationary vehicle first.

“Princess! We didn’t know you were here!” Another pony called out, snapping to attention, as did everyone else in the vicinity, pony or not. Celestia observed them all for a moment.

“At ease, everypony. There’s nothing to be worried about.” The troops relaxed slightly, returning to their duties. She looked around, finding Lieia talking to the pony in charge. Though she didn’t hear what they were talking about, she saw Lieia’s worry and anger at something the pony told her.

“Lieia, is something wrong?” Celestia asked the woman once they’d finished the small tour of the ponderous vehicle.

“No. Don’t worry your head about it.” She tried to walk faster, but the alicorn cut her off, coming face to face with her.

“Lieia, please do not keep any secrets from me. You worry me already as it is.” She held Lieia’s gaze firmly for several tense seconds. Lieia gave in, then, having lost the battle of wills.

“Fine. The patrols have spotted Diamond Dog scouts skulking around. Though they always slink away before we can stop them, we can expect a confrontation with them soon. They have minotaurs, too. My guess is that they are hired mercenaries. Smart of the damn bastards.”

“You defeated them twice already; both times you were outgunned and outmanned. But the Diamond Dogs are famous for stubbornness and they are known to hold grudges.” She sighed somewhat disappointedly before continuing.

“I would say that the time for diplomacy with them has passed. We must confront them and teach them a lesson they shall never forget.”

“I will do that, Celestia. Your place is in the castle, safe and sound with your guards.”

“Denaros put you under my command, Lieia. I do not think I will take orders from you.”

“Celestia, as your girlfriend, I advise you to stay in Canterlot. It’s safer there. The Diamond Dogs are going to come in their hundreds this time.”

“And as your marefriend, Lieia, I am saying that I will join you in the battle. I am not weak or frail. I have armour and weapons. I know how to fight.”

“And when, pray tell, was the last time you fought or even practiced?”

“…A thousand years ago.”

“My point stands. You’re not going to fight this one.”

“Yes, I am! Lieia, I care about you. I always will. Do you think I’d be feeling any better, locked away in my room, not knowing whether you survive or not? I need to do this. I want to be at your side. I can cast powerful spells. Our enemies shall yet know the might of the sun. Please…” She looked at the solemn woman pleadingly.

“…Fine. My mind is screaming at me for being an idiot, though. Well, if you’re to accompany us, you’ll need better armour. Once we’re back at the base, we’ll get you something better than plain old plate armour.” The words made Celestia scoff, though she hugged Lieia.

“It is not plain! The most skilled of metallurgists crafted my armour and sword! The most accomplished of Equestrian mages enchanted it, and it was skilfully decorated by the most renowned of artisans!”

“But we have reports of the Dogs having guns and small mortars. Those can do some damage. You’ll need something tougher, being soft and squishy as you are.” She gave Celestia’s flank a soft squeeze, making the mare gasp.

“Lieia, you’re playing with fire here. You keep teasing me like that, you’ll need new clothes. That said, I do not mind you teasing me.” She bumped her hips against Lieia’s side.

“And I am not soft.” Celestia pouted, making Lieia chuckle. It was almost as if Celestia was asking to be touched. Her fingers rubbed across the flank again and she barely avoided Celestia’s wing as the alicorn whirled around.

“Ah! You asked for it, Lieia!” Celestia gasped, starting to chase the woman. Lieia ran, heading away from the overheating mare. She could hear her hoofsteps as she headed to the Shryke, hoping to find refuge in the flier’s cockpit. She nearly made it, but Celestia dragged her out with magic, pulling her inside the passenger compartment, locking it behind her.

“Damn it, Celestia, at least let me get my clothes off this time!” Celestia drew back, her eyes glazed and unfocused. Lieia could almost feel Celestia burning with desire. In future, she’d have to create a contingency plan for such situations like this one.

“Thousands of years old, my ass.” Lieia grumbled, putting her jacket on. Celestia chuckled softly, tidying her mane.

“I am not exactly sure how old I am, but I certainly am very old.”

“You certainly don’t behave like someone old.” Celestia grinned wryly.

“Perks of being immortal.”

“Seriously, if we’re going to have sex this often, you’re going to wear me out very soon, Cel. C’mon. Let’s go back to the base and kit you out.” She leapt inside the cockpit, as Celestia settled down in the seat again, looping the safety harness around her shoulders. A minute later, the nimble aircraft took off.

“Aaand we’re back.” Lieia sing-songed, cutting the engines and popping the canopy open, waiting for Celestia to join her. Together, they entered the base again, heading to the armoury.

“So, how does this work, Lieia?”

“Just step on the square here. The scanners will take measurements for the bodysuit that the armour plates are to be attached to.” Celestia did as instructed.

“Stretch out your wings. Good. Now stand still. The scanner’s spinning up right now.” A flurry of bright blue beams danced across the unmoving mare’s body.

“There! All done!” Lieia announced happily moments later. The elastic composite mesh that made the bodysuit up was spun in a machine that triple-reinforced the already resilient weave.

“Now what?”

“We wait. It only takes a couple of minutes for it to be done. You’ll have to choose the armour plates yourself, though.”

“Oh. I can customise my armour?”

“’xactly. Y’can paint it, too.”

A medium-sized package arrived through a hole in the wall some time later, which Lieia caught deftly, tearing the packaging away, revealing the black bodysuit.

“Well, put it on, Cel.”

“It’s rather tight.” Celestia squirmed uncomfortably.

"It’s just fine. It’s not skin tight just for show. Although you look really good like this.” Lieia let her eyes wander over the black-clad alicorn. The fabric clung to her tightly, showing off her curves.

“No, it really is a bit tight.”

“Yeah, your butt is showing.” Lieia was fighting to refrain from laughing. Celestia sighed resignedly.

“I figured as much. I should eat less cake.”

“Why? I wouldn’t mind having more of you to love.” Celestia shot her a wounded look.

“Stop tempting me!” They were interrupted as the armour plates for Celestia’s suit arrived, freshly trimmed, ready to be attached. Lieia latched the light but durable composite parts to the mare’s bodysuit.

Celestia slipped the helmet on her head, taking a look at the reflection in the mirror.

“Well? What do you think?”

“It’s so light! How do you create something like this?”

“Wonders of composite materials, Cel. I gotta say, you look ready to kick ass.” She smiled as Celestia unfurled her wings, inspecting the nanofibre that protected them. She flapped them harder, hovering mid-air for a moment.

“You’ll be able to fly, albeit at the expense of some agility. The armour has a kinetic gel layer that helps absorb nearby explosions and minor falls. The ceramic layer helps disperse intense heat from energy weapons. There’s more to it than I care to remember. Suffice to say, it’ll keep you safe.” Celestia finished her inspection of the dark grey armour suit, turning to Lieia.

“Now, we’ll need to get you a gun or two.”

Celestia grasped the assault rifle with her magic, spinning it around, scrutinising it.

“How does this work?”

“Pretty much like those flintlocks, but a lot more sophisticated. The barrel is rifled, spinning the bullets around their axis, improving the accuracy and range. The clip holds forty rounds. You interested?”

“Hmmm… No. I’d like to see what else you have available for me.”

“A tough customer, eh?” Lieia flashed a grin, tapping a few buttons on the weapons rack. It cycled, delivering a different weapon. Lieia grabbed it, handling it expertly.

“Rakatt X-84 SMG. Silenced, laser sights, sixty round clip. Select-fire is also available.”

“SMG? What does that mean?”

“Sub-machine gun. Like the Rath T-91, but smaller, for close-quarters fighting. Want it?”

“Hmm… No.” Lieia replaced the SMG in its cradle, bringing up another weapon.

“Salker Corporations Q-50 chaingun. Will bowl over most asshats in your way. You likey?” She let Celestia inspect the bulky weapon.

“Why does it have three barrels?”

“To keep it from overheating. Well, you taking it or not?” The armoured mare nodded, satisfied.

“This one will do.”

“Neat! Let me attach it to your armour.” Lieia grabbed a couple of tools from a nearby table, manoeuvring the weapon closer to Celestia’s left shoulder, coupling it with the socket that had been designed specially for pony armour and weaponry. Seeing as they couldn’t stand on two legs for extended periods, the research lab had devised a laser-guided targeting system. Where the pony looked, the gun followed, held stable by gyros and powered by motors. The IFF tags prevented from friendly fire occurring.

Lieia finished mating the lockbolts together, letting Celestia become familiar with the chaingun’s weight.

“Ooh. That rather unbalances me.” Celestia staggered slightly

“Well, the ammo pack goes on the other shoulder, because the Q-50 is belt-fed. Hang on, be right back.” Lieia returned a couple of minutes later, lugging a cube-shaped container with her.

“Don’t worry; it’s not as heavy as it looks.” She secured the clinking pack to the mare’s right side, feeding the ammo belt in the chaingun’s receiver.

“Aand now for the power pack. It’ll feed the systems of your armour and the gun.” Lieia opened a panel on Celestia’s back, pressing a couple of buttons. With a quiet whirr, the drooping chaingun twitched. Celestia could see a grid of light-blue lines cross her vision, before the HUD lit up properly. She saw the two-dimensional map, her vitals, time, and weapon status. That last one was blinking red. The red blip disappeared, turning a calm blue after a moment.

“That’s that.” Celestia saw a thin, red beam light up from her helmet, and sensed the chaingun follow. She looked to her left, noticing Lieia duck out of the gun’s way as it swung left, too.

“Careful!”

“Oops! Sorry. It’s a bit strange, is all.” Celestia smiled sheepishly.

“Want to give it a try at the shooting range?”

“Why not?”

Celestia gritted her teeth, bracing herself as the weapon at her side chattered. She saw the ammo counter flicker, counting down the remaining bullets. A target flittered across the ceiling and she raked it with bullets.

“Good shot, Cel!” The last of the ammo belt clattered through the receiver and Celestia heard the whirr of the chaingun’s barrel assembly.

“Well, that’s it. You’re now ready to rock their socks off.” She helped Celestia remove her armament, storing it on a rack, and then turned to the mare, hearing her low voice.

“Well, what shall we do now, my dear?” Lieia sighed.

“Don’t tell me. You’re going to pounce on me, aren’t you?”

The only answer she got was a sultry smile from Celestia.

“Damn it.”

Omake - Milk - NSFW - Read if you want, but have some sulphuric acid ready

A/N: I… I don’t even know why. I really don’t. If you read this abomination, it’s of your own choice. Be sure to have plenty of brain bleach and the entire written works of Robert Jordan to bludgeon me to death with. If you make it through this alive, I commend your mental resilience. You are the hero of my people.

Lieia was woken up by feeling something wet on her chest. Was the ceiling leaking? No, this was something else. Felt like a snail was crawling across her breasts.

Okay, this is getting ridiculous.

She opened her eyes warily, lifting her head up and saw something she couldn’t even imagine. Celestia’s head was resting on her chest, which wasn’t all that surprising. What was surprising was the fact that Celestia had chewed through her shirt and the strap that held the bra cups covering her pectoral accoutrements. And now the sleeping alicorn mare was suckling on her left breast, muttering quietly. Lieia stared at her in shock, her jaw opening and closing, failing to find a suitable expletive. She settled eventually on the simplest one.

“FUCK!” Celestia jolted awake, sitting upright.

“Who dat?” Lieia noted, now, with dread that there was milk on Celestia’s lips.

“What the… did you just…?”

“I don’t understand. What happened? Is something wrong, Lieia?”

“Is something wrong? IS SOMETHING WRONG?” Celestia winced at the shrill tone in Lieia’s voice.

“Lieia, if you do not explain anything to me, I cannot understand why you are so upset.”

“You… you… you were suckling on me!” Lieia went off to rummage through her locker in search of new underwear.

“Oh. I can see how that would distress you.” She licked her chin, giving a thoughtful ‘hmm’ at the faint taste.

“How can you be so calm? Why aren’t you freaking out?”

“Well, I-“

“This sort of shit doesn’t happen everyday! Women don’t just go around, breastfeeding princesses!”

“Women also do not have relations with alicorns, but you seem to be disregarding that.” Celestia responded sternly. That took the starch out of Lieia and her shoulders drooped ever so slightly.

“Homeworld damn me, I need to chill the fuck down. I… Sorry. Shouldn’t have blown a fuse like that. You were asleep. I am a total asshat, taking my stress out on you. Can ya forgive me?” Celestia looked at her levelly for a moment, before blooming in her warm trademark smile. “Don’t worry, Lieia.” Said woman sighed internally.

Well, at least things are normal now. I hope I don’t get nightmares, though.

“If you’d like, I could feed you. That’d be only fair.”

Aaand there it goes. AGAIN. I can hear the person who invented sanity rolling over in his grave somewhere.

Lieia stared at Celestia with a sight that suggested she’d been offered a sandwich that had been prepared in a war-torn kitchen that was entirely crewed by neurotic, leper, cross-eyed Brood warriors that had little to work off aside from dead rats, weapons-grade cyclotaurite, and irradiated toilet paper. It didn’t help that Celestia had spread her legs apart slightly, the very image of desire.

“Lieia? Your hands are twitching.”

Luckily, she managed to catch the unconscious woman before she hit the floor and put a hole in it with that thick head of hers.

Lieia woke up some time later, finding Celestia curled up around her protectively. She smiled at that. She could always count on Celestia to be there for her. She still couldn’t understand how she’d fallen in love with the graceful beauty that was Celestia. Everything she did, even the slow rise and fall of her sides as she breathed softly, had a certain degree of grace to it. Then her smile faded. Celestia’s odd offer was still in her mind. Could she really have meant what she said? It didn’t help that she was curious, too. She tried to go back to sleep, but to no avail. Her curiosity was needling her on, saying that she could give it a try. After all, Celestia invited you to her teats, whispered the conniving little voice in the back of her head, one that she could not find and squash like a little bug with extreme prejudice.

Balls. I’m not getting any sleep until I do it, eh?

She carefully turned around, nudging Celestia’s left leg aside softly. She couldn’t believe she was doing this. The faint smell of oranges wafted from Celestia’s body, so tantalising to her senses. She reached forward, exploring Celestia’s soft underbelly with her fingers. The sleeping alicorn stirred, moaning softly. Lieia held her breath until Celestia stopped moving. After another couple of minutes of careful search she found the figurative pot of gold at the end of a non-existent rainbow. Wait, wrong metaphor. Les’see…

And Bingo was his name-o!

Yeah, that’ll do better.

She crawled closer, prodding the small nub of flesh with her tongue. Celestia’s left ear twitched once. Thus encouraged, Lieia tried again, using her teeth to pull on the nipple, feeling it slowly getting firmer. Celestia’s leg twitched slightly, but Lieia paid it no heed, instead settling her lips firmly to kneading the small area around the nipple, trying to coax some of the milk out. Celestia was getting more restless with every passing moment, aroused by Lieia’s mad venture.

Could she actually be drier than Araek desert and I’m just playing with fire here? Wait…

She felt something flow on her tongue and she quickly worked the new liquid around her mouth. And once her taste buds acted…

Sweet nectar of the gods!

It was really, really tasty, a slight taste of strawberries to it. That simple fact went against so many laws of logic and sanity, real or not. Invigorated by her success, she kept suckling for several more minutes until Celestia was threading the zone where she’d wake up any moment. She decided to stop then, her curiosity sated.

Time to sleeeeeeeeeeeeep!

She curled up against Celestia once more, soon drifting off to the land of ZZZZZZZ.

Celestia woke up, calm and rested. It was a bright morning outside, with the usual mish-mash of noises emanating throughout the base.

“Boo.” A quiet voice whispered in her ear and Lieia tackled her from behind, kissing Celestia’s neck. They tumbled around in the bed for a couple of minutes, before Celestia excused herself, claiming she wanted to spend some time in the firing range to improve her weapons skills. Just as she was about to leave the room, she turned to Lieia, smiling impishly.

“I hope you liked the taste.” With that, she left, her hips swinging from side to side provocatively, throwing a sultry smile over her shoulder at Lieia.

Shit. She knows. She was awake the whole fuckin’ time? Motherfuuuuuuuuck…

In the end, her overloaded brain managed to mangle together a sentence.

“It was tasty.”

Way to go, scumbag, she whispered to her brain.

Celestia kept chuckling all the way to the firing range.

Chapter 25

The following weeks were among the most exhausting in Celestia’s life, and she had plenty of experience regarding those. Lieia had finished training the 1st Equestrian Regiment, declaring them to be ready for their real test – the clash with the Diamond Dog army that slowly drew nearer Equestria with every passing day. Now that the training had been finished, she turned to Celestia, taking private lessons with the nervous alicorn. The training made her limbs ache, but she didn’t complain. If a little exhaustion was the price to fight at Lieia’s side, so be it. Lieia taught her every dirty trick she knew and then some. Only the dead fight fair, she said. If you have a chance at disabling your opponent, take it. Your honour means nothing if you have a hole the size of a dinner plate in your chest.

But the pain had been worth it. She now carried the armour like a second skin and could run for a lot longer before needing to rest, despite Lieia making quips about Celestia needing to lose more weight. The chaingun fitted to her armour felt like it always had been there, and she could take it apart, clean it, and reassemble the weapon without preamble. Her accuracy had also improved, now that she had learnt to shoot in bursts. Lieia always would ramble about how her accuracy was worse than a drunk’s, that she couldn’t hit the broadest side of a broad-sided barn in a town of broad-sided barns but Celestia could tell the snarky woman was secretly proud of her achievements.

Lieia crashed on the floor heavily, seeing stars flash in front of her eyes. A moment later, she felt Celestia land on top of her, pinning her down, a hoof pressed against her neck.

“I win.” Celestia announced smugly to the panting woman beneath her.

“That you do, Cel. You still weigh a hundred tons, though.” Celestia scoffed at that.

“Oh, enough of that, Lieia.” She pulled the woman up.

“Naaaaah. Needling you is fun.” Lieia chuckled, before turning serious.

“Well, now you’re ready. We’ll move soon so we can intercept them before they can reach any towns.” Celestia nodded in response, before Lieia wrapped her arms around her neck, pulling them close together, her right hand sinking in Celestia’s mane.

“I’m afraid, Lieia.” She feels the woman’s hands tighten for a moment.

“It’s only natural to be afraid before a battle. Show me someone who isn’t nervous about the upcoming fight and I’ll show you a damned liar. Hell, you even got me on the edge.” She sighed nervously, playing with a strand of Celestia’s mane absentmindedly.

“Don’t worry, Lieia. I’ll be there to protect you.”

“Heh. Where’d you get the macho attitude from, Cel?”

“You are rubbing off on me, my dear.” Lieia groaned defeatedly.

“I’ve created a monster. Now we’ve got a rude, loud-mouthed princess to deal with.” Celestia laughed.

“Oh, and I’m here to stay.”

“Who are you and what have you done with Celestia?” Lieia asked half-seriously, half-jokingly. Celestia chose that moment to kiss her, feeling Lieia’s strong, soft arms press her closer. Celestia leaned in, trying to prolong the hungry kiss. After several long moments, she pulled back, her eyes filled with ardent desire.

“I’ve waited for weeks, Lieia. We are alone and I do not think anypony will interrupt us.”

“Aaand now you’re a sex fiend. What have I done to you? What religion and its deity have I offended this time?” Celestia snickered at her lament, pushing Lieia on the ground.

“Do you ever take anything seriously?”

“Never have and never will.” Her lover declared seriously, kissing her again. “Yeah, I’m fairly sure I pissed Alikera off this time.” Her hands crept across Celestia’s wings, ruffling the feathers and she felt the mare quiver with anticipation. Celestia’s lips danced across her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

And then they fucked.

…Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.

… No, you’ll wait for the next chapter with clop until I post it.

…No, I won’t accept human sacrifices.

They woke up next morning, having spent the night in the private training room, curled up against each other. They had just woken up when a frantic group of ponies ran inside, Twilight Sparkle at their head. She sighed relievedly, having found Celestia at last. Then she noticed Lieia, who was covering herself with the alicorn’s right wing. The two lovers took it in stride, however.

“Hey, Twilight. What’s the hurry?”

“Well, there’s trouble. Diamond Dogs have been reported to be on the move. They’ll reach Ponyville in ten hours at their current speed.”

“Go get Feathers and Hooves. Tell them to get everyone ready.”

“R-right.” The lavender unicorn stuttered, backing out with the rest of the pony troops, shutting the door behind her. Lieia turned to Celestia, her face deadly serious.

“Well, it’s make or break now. Let’s go.”

Hundreds of ponies marched to the rows of waiting dropships and trucks. Others took to tanks and the heavy artillery they towed, ready to be unlatched and rain hell at a moment’s notice. The M67 Jackals were acting like their namesakes, racing around the base. A flock of Shrykes were spinning up their engines. Celestia sought out Lieia, who was deep in a conversation with General Stonefeather. The griffon had been true to his word, returning with a hundred of his best warriors, handing them over to Lieia for training, testing even their legendary endurance and strength. But there they stood, proud and resplendent in their armour and weapons. They had also been kitted out by Coalition armourers. The griffons still couldn’t believe in the craftsmanship of their equipment. Due to their close-combat tendencies, Lieia had equipped them with scaled-down copies of EXO close-quarters weaponry, namely swords, shields and automatic shotguns. Some of the griffons even had micro-missile packs in lieu of conventional firearms, acting as short-range artillery. The tactical opportunities that Lieia could improvise with and implement were plentiful, with manoeuvres that would me nigh-impossible to achieve even with Ortalians or 1st Battalion commandos, both of which were renowned for being able to do the impossible. The ponies and griffons, however, were quick learners, dedicated and patient.

Celestia looked; slightly overawed at the suit of armour Lieia was wearing.

“It’s a first-generation EXO suit. Terribly expensive, but nearly indestructible. Made from the same alloy we use on our ships for armour. Ain’t a single first-gen EXO that has ever died while wearin’ this. Of course, the second, third, and fourth-gen suits are cheaper to make, but nowhere near as durable. It does allow, however, having thousands of EXOs. That has to count for somethin’, eh? Now go on, get on the dropship. We’ll meet at the designated landing zone.” She climbed on top of a tank, thumping the side of the turret lightly and the machine of war surged forward, joining the rest of the ground force. Celestia clambered inside the waiting aircraft, just as the hatch closed behind her and they took off.

This was it. They were going to war.

Celestia looked out the window, seeing a row of what Lieia referred to, somewhat dismissively, as ‘shelltossers’. To the alicorn, however the artillery pieces were rather unnerving. The large guns thundered rhythmically, sending ordnance to a distant location. A couple of tracked trailers held the high-explosive shells. The dropships set down, but she saw no sign of Lieia. They debussed quickly, however, and Celestia heard her earpiece crackle.

“Celestia, you get there in one piece?”

“Lieia? Where are you?”

“I’ll take that as a yes. I’m somewhere else. I need you to post two companies to guard the artillery brigade. Once that’s done, meet me at the waypoint I’m marking. Can you do that?”

“Yes. I’ll get right on it.” She called up two hundred ponies, ordering them to dig in around the heavy guns. Leaving the troops to building fortifications, she headed in the direction the blinking blip on her mini-map, the rest of ponies following her.

Lieia calmly observed the expanse of land in front of her, seeing ponies huddled down along the entrenchments. The Diamond Dogs would charge right through the no man’s land, right into the kill zone. Her thoughts were interrupted when Celestia cantered up to her, slightly flustered at the collection of firepower gathered here.

“Lieia. Am I glad to see you’re safe.”

“Ditto. Now, let’s talk tactics.” She led the alicorn over to the small assembly zone, where Stonefeather waited with a couple of ponies and griffons, all officers, waiting for their orders.

“Okay, now that we’re all here, let’s talk about a plan of counter-attack. We’ve got this front secured. The Diamond Dogs will of course try an all-out charge, seeing as they outnumber us greatly.” Celestia felt worry at that remark.

“How many are we facing?”

“By the last count, about six thousand.” She heard everyone else gasp. “Don’t worry, thought. Weaver’s sending bombers in for strafing runs, soften ‘em up some, maybe take a mortar or two out. Besides, the force multiplier works in our favour. And they won’t be expecting us to be armed like this.”

“Yes, but there’s still so many of them! What will you do when they are assaulting the fortifications?” Lieia smiled at Celestia reassuringly, pointing instead to a wide growth of trees a distance away.

“Look there.” As they kept eyeing the trees, a couple of them fell over.

“Tanks. Twenty five of them. They’ll ram right down the middle of the main host. Once that’s done, Jackals will circle around, hitting them from behind. Then, Shrykes go in, supported by our griffon troops. Once they start hitting, we charge ‘em, surround ‘em, and waste the lot of them.” She slammed her fists together, grinning maliciously.

“What about the wounded?”

“I ordered a refit on the Behemoths. They’re now mobile hospitals, ready to be there at a moment’s notice.” Stonefeather inspected his claws, before turning his attention back to Lieia.

“Well, looks like we have a plan.” A series of low, rumbling explosions reached them.

“That’d be the bombers. Let’s hustle.”

They could hear the rumble of hundreds of paws striking the ground, just as the first of the bipedal dogs showed up and received a bullet through his head for his efforts. He was quickly replaced by dozens of other dogs. Moments later, the sniper teams let loose, sending dogs to ground with precision shots. A couple of kilometres behind the Equestrian lines, artillery still kept hammering, sowing destruction among the enemy lines. As the seething mass of canines approached, Lieia stood up, hefting her NX-61.

“FIRE AT WILL!” She shouted, opening up with the deadly weapon, just as more than a thousand guns followed suit.

Celestia braced herself, sowing a line of lead through the advancing throng, seeing Diamond Dogs stumble and collapse, trampled by their comrades. She saw a Minotaur fall over, most of his head missing. Just then, her chaingun ran out, and she called for a reload. Two ponies ran up to her, carrying a fresh ammo pack. They replaced the empty one, and she quickly reloaded the weapon, shooting in bursts this time. By her estimate, the Dogs were a hundred metres away when the tanks struck.

The machines rumbled forward in a V-formation, their guns sending shells downrange, softening the right flank for their imminent impact. Celestia felt bile rise in her throat when it happened. The charge sent limbs and corpses flying everywhere as hundreds of Diamond Dogs died with every passing moment. A cloud of dust heralded the arrival of Jackals. The small, agile vehicles kept up a harrying action, never letting up, disrupting any attempt the Dogs made to organise themselves. Five minutes later, the air stirred overhead, and everyone looked upwards, seeing the V-14s hurtle forward, letting off swarms of missiles and swiftly taking out the enemy artillery, the griffon detachment following in their wake.

“This is it, Cel. Be ready. Stick close to me.” Lieia got a nod in response and she turned to face her troops.

“Fix bayonets!” The rasp of hundreds of blades being readied reached her ears and she nodded; her face a grim mask. Lieia stepped over the edge of the trench, extending her own bayonet, thirty centimetres of shining titanium, razor-sharp. Celestia followed her. Moments later, a thousand ponies followed them, advancing at a slow jog. As soon as the Diamond dogs noticed them, they broke out in a full sprint. The ground shook as hundreds of ponies galloped forward, firing on the run. The distance shrank, and Celestia cringed. The upcoming melee would not be pretty.

She was right.

They slammed in the yapping mass, kicking, stabbing, slashing, punching and shooting the rabble with a fury that stunned their opponents. Even though the Dogs managed to land aplenty of good blows or shots, the ponies’ armour protected them from seriously wounding them. Lieia was a storm of wrath, never letting up, her armour covered in blood. The bloodied EXO was spouting profanities, swinging wildly, killing a Dog with every punch or stab.

The Behemoths were making their way through the combatants, too, picking up the wounded soldiers, also serving as a rally point for others.

Slowly, but surely, the Diamond Dogs and their Minotaur mercenaries were encircled and denied any hope of escaping. Though it took a while to disengage from the melee, the ponies managed to draw back, leaving the now-meagre numbers of their adversaries staring down the barrels of hundreds of guns. Roughly two thirds of the Dogs had been massacred.

“Well, Celestia, it’s your cue now.” Lieia whispered to the mare and she stepped forward, clearing her throat and spoke, her voice echoing clearly.

“I offer you one chance to surrender. You shall not attempt to wage war against Equestria or enslave my ponies. Ever. If you can accept those two promises, I shall spare you and let you leave alive. Should you decline, none of you will live to tell the tale.” Silence set in after her ultimatum for a moment. Then, one of the Dogs threw down his flintlock.

“I dun’ wanna die, please spare me!” Others followed his suit, their now-discarded weapons clattering in a big pile moments later, whimpering fearfully.

“Should you, however, try to break your promise, our retribution will be swift.” The whimpering grew louder.

“We promise, princess! Promise!”

“You better.” Lieia added her two bits, credits or what have you.

Celestia trotted around, trying not to look at the mass graves that were being dug a ways off. She tried to find Lieia, who was overlooking the departing Dogs. She’d allowed Fluttershy to treat their wounded, but nothing else. In the end, there had been no deaths among the 1st Equestrian, but aplenty of wounded, roughly 150 ponies having been injured in the battle. No losses among the vehicle crews, too. A couple of Shrykes needed new fanblades and windows, but not much beyond that.

Lieia retracted her helmet, feeling Celestia’s hoof tap against her shoulder.

“How’re you holding up, Cel?”

“Not too bad, all things considered. I keep having these shakes, though.”

“That’s just the adrenaline burning through your body. Don’t worry about it too much.” She looped her right arm across the exhausted mare’s shoulders, her armour whirring quietly.

“Hopefully, we will not have to fight them again.”

Celestia muttered quietly, removing her helmet, letting her mane fall free. They sat there together, neither of them saying anything.

Ponyville shook with cheers as the 1st Equestrian returned, their ground vehicles rumbling through the main street, and with the fliers stirring the air above the houses. Civilians were waving at the returning troops, victorious from their first battle. Celestia sat in one of the trucks, smiling at her ponies’ enthusiasm. The celebration was just beginning, too. She looked at Lieia, hopeful, and got a nod in response, telling her they’d stay for the aforementioned celebration.

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie.

“Let us get this party started, everypony!”

Chapter 26

“Lieia!”

The woman in question flinched, almost dropping her duffel bag. She turned around, seeing Celestia canter up to her.

“Yeah?”

“I just saw a dropship set down in the courtyard.”

“I know.”

“What? How-“ Realisation dawned across the mare’s features and she shook her head unbelievingly.

“It’s time for me to go, Cel.”

“No.”

“I have to.” Lieia repeated; her voice barely louder than a whisper.

“No! I refuse to let you go!” Celestia objected, holding her tears back.

“Do you now, Celestia?” The alicorn shrunk back guiltily at the sharp tone in Lieia’s voice.

“I-I didn’t mean to say that…” She muttered sadly, hearing a weary sigh from the woman in front of her.

“Look, I’ll be honest with you, Cel. It might be a while before we see each other again. But Coalition’s sending survey teams over. They’ll explore this planet and give you the juiciest offer for joining the Coalition. You’ll be the third co-leader of our government, should you accept, giving you leverage. Of course, you’ll need to construct a fleet and a military force, but that’s for you to decide. Simply put, you might be able to find me more easily. Come on. Be strong. Can you be strong for me, Celly?”

“I will try, Lieia. For you.” Lieia wrapped her arms around Celestia, hugging her tightly, failing to stifle a sob of her own.

“Damn it all to hell, I hate crying.” She managed to utter. They stood there, motionless, trying to delay the moment they both dreaded.

Lieia pushed Celestia away reluctantly, but the mare didn’t let go, instead hugging the woman tighter. She tried again, but Celestia started crying, begging her not to go. Eventually, she managed to push the sobbing alicorn away. There she sat on the floor, sad and defeated. Lieia couldn’t bear this anymore and walked away before she burst into tears.

“Lieia!” Celestia’s pleading, tearful voice nearly did it for her, almost flooring her.

“I… I’m sorry.” Casting a last tearful glance at the alicorn, Lieia left. Minutes later, the small flier took off, heading for its mothership.

Fluttershy found Celestia in Lieia’s old quarters.

“Um… Princess?”

“She’s gone.”

“What?”

“Lieia. She left an hour ago.” She looked sadly at the non-descript walls. Lieia had removed all of her personal belongings. Celestia guessed that she was now the one whom the base belonged to. Still, everything seemed different without Lieia.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Princess. What will you do now?”

“I will wait until she returns.”

“…” The butter-yellow pegasus poked at the floor absent-mindedly.

“Fluttershy?”

“Yes, Princess?”

“I could really use a hug now.” Without a pause, the shy pony had wrapped her forelegs around Celestia’s shoulders, hugging her.

“There, Princess. It’ll be alright. She’ll be back, you’ll see.”

“I dearly hope so, Fluttershy. I miss her so much already.”

As Lieia had predicted, representatives arrived next week, carrying out a survey and presenting their offer to her and Luna. To her surprise, they did not spin tall tales like Equestrian nobility, instead aptly presenting their case to them. The deal was signed and the Equestrians became a true member of the Coalition. Surely enough, freighters arrived, carrying parts for the starbase and drydocks. Additional surveys of space revealed very expansive asteroid fields, rich in high-grade ore, something that helped cement the alicorns’ position. With the princesses’ permission, a refinery was established near the asteroids. Also, the news of ‘space ponies’ reached the Coalition citizens, bringing an influx of tourists and travellers to Equestria, a significant boon to their economy. Though they managed to build a small fleet and triple the number of their ground troops, they rarely took part in combat operations, happy to stick with patrol and escort duties. In time, the Equestrian regiments established themselves as some of the most reliable Marines the Coalition could field.

In a strange surge of inspiration, Luna started a moonbase, establishing a useful outpost for fleets that moved through Equestrian space. She jokingly called it the ‘New Lunar Republic’.

Celestia often would talk to Lieia over the communications web that now included Equestria. Her career had soared somewhat, having been promoted to a Colonel and taken control of a battlegroup of her own, proceeding to pursue a campaign of terror against the Vasari. She even became an impromptu celebrity after a while, having allowed a couple of reporters to join her fleet. From what Celestia gleaned, Lieia had earned the loyalty of the troops under her command with her daring tactics. As a couple of the soldiers remarked, she was ‘the craziest damn commander we’ve ever served under, but she gets the job done.’

There was trouble, though. It turned out that the now-dead Santor Alexi, the former leader of Coalition, had a child, Ayra Alexi. To Celestia, the young woman reminded of Prince Blueblood – vain, spoiled and arrogant. Ayra immediately tried to assume control of Coalition, neglecting the fact her blood relations meant nothing. That didn’t go down too well with Lieia, of course. The two women instantly became mortal enemies.

“Well, that’s good news, Cel.” Lieia sighed, her eyes narrowing slightly as the screen flickered for a moment. “Damn. Looks like we’re getting out of the relay’s range. I’ll call you as soon as I can. I love you.”

“I love you too, Lieia. Take care of yourself.”

“I always do.” Lieia grinned in response.

Famous last words.

It was June 7th by Coalition time when the long-awaited counter-offensive started. Of course, Lieia was at the front, sending her ships on a bold move behind the enemy lines where a weak spot had been distinguished by the Imperial Intelligence. The entire battlegroup was lost to a thousands-strong Vasari fleet that the Coalition barely managed to fend off, nearly disrupting their plans for the attack. But no sign of Lieia, either. With no way to reach the planet where her forces met their untimely demise, they could only wait. Celestia spent many a sleepless night, willing for her to have survived.

Three months later, her prayers had been answered. Lieia returned, with some other POWs from the prison where she’d been held, along with some Vasari defectors. There was more to the war than it seemed.

Celestia was conferring with Denaros and Gyliel through a video call when it happened. The doors to the room were torn from the hinges and a very pissed Lieia strode in, heading straight for Ayra, pausing only to grab a chair and lug it at her. With a yelp, Ayra dodged the projectile, staring in surprise at Lieia, who snarled in anger.

“YOU PIECE OF SHIT!” A pair of Marines rushed over, trying to restrain her, but failed.

“I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!” Denaros acted, moving in front of the trembling woman.

“Lieia! What is the meaning of this?” Said Colonel barely restrained from punching the elderly man, and Celestia knew it was only the immense respect Lieia felt for him that had saved him from a certain death.

“That. Slut. Is. A. Damn. Traitor.” She ground out, pointing at Ayra.

“What?” Gyliel asked, aghast.

“She is responsible for the loss of my battlegroup. Now, Denaros… Let me past.” Her eyes narrowed to murderous slits.

“No.”

“Revenge demands blood. Her blood.” She pointed a unmoving finger at Ayra.

“You have no proof I did anything! You lie!” Ayra declared shakily, just as three EXOs arrived, encircling Lieia, letting Denaros distance himself from her.

“No one will care when you’re dead, bitch!” She screamed, finally succumbing to her anger, tossing one of the EXOs out of her way, just as she was restrained by his comrades.

“Seventy-five thousand men and women, dead! Dead because this cocksucking piece of shit thought she could play at war and screw me over! Well, guess what, you traitorous little bitch, you’re wrong! And I will kill you, even if it kills ME!” She screamed, trying to dislodge the EXOs holding her. All Celestia could do was watch in horror.

“You would do well to calm down, Colonel! You’re treading on thin ice as it is!” Ayra quipped smugly.

Wrong thing to do.

“YOU WERE THERE! You watched as those Vasari fucks sliced me up, put me back together, and carved me up again just for fun! And you just stood there, laughing!” She struggled some more, before slowly calming down, but it was a cold sort of calm. She shook off the EXOs holding her.

“Get the fuck off me.” She turned to leave, glaring at Ayra venomously.

“You’ll regret being born. That I can promise you.” With that sentence, she left. Celestia was stunned, of course.

“W-what just happened?” She muttered, turning to look at Denaros.

“I have no idea.”

Lieia deserted that day, disgusted with Coalition. Celestia could not find her, too, but something important came up. The Vasari defectors had important news for Nell-Tiray. It became known that her daughter, Tala’Hiri the Shadowsong was alive, but a captive of the Vasari leader. Charra’Tiil, leader of the defectors, sought asylum for her people. Though the young Vasari was mistrustful of others, she helped as much as she could.

But that is a different story altogether.

After seeing nor hide or hair from Lieia for two weeks, the Coalition concluded she had gone into hiding. They were wrong. She had much bigger plans for the war.

With several Corsev-class freighters on the loan from East Valc Front militia, she staged an assault on the freshly-completed Ragnarov Titan, boarding the warship with pirate mercenaries, taking it for herself. What happened next was described as the most monumental event in the history of Coalition.

Lieia returned to Linv, claiming the throne and the title of Rebel Queen, also designating the Titan her flagship, naming it Celestia. Hours later, Lexmada announced that they were throwing their lot in with the Rebel Queen. Various Trader militia fleets also flocked to Linv. Numerous pirates, enticed by her promises of full pardons, should they abandon their marauding ways, renounced Brass Jaw, the pirate leader, and joined the Rebels. Provians soon followed suit, adding their forces to her rag-tag fleets of motley ships. The Asahi Empire and Asli weren’t unmoved by this great shattering of unity, either. Various Asli and Imperial fleets deserted, placing themselves under Lieia’s command. Her rebellion had torn the Coalition apart. Even various Vasari commanders left the Exodus Fleet, disgusted by the Lord’s constant failing of the Vasari people. The Rebel Queen swore she would help restore their civilisation, promising she would put an end to the war, one way or another.

“What is the price of peace? The complete and utter destruction of our enemies. And we will annihilate them. Where they try to strike back, we will crush them with impunity. Where they threaten our planets, we will burn them from existence! We shall not rest until they are nothing but memories!” Lieia was stirring up the crowd with her speech, looking every bit the fierce, confident leader her people needed. Celestia’s heart swelled with pride, but she still felt worry for Lieia. The woman seemed increasingly haggard, bearing a haunted look.

She is driving herself too hard. Why doesn’t she talk to me? Surely she can contact me.

Those questions, however, did not help her whatsoever.

That’s it! Enough is enough! It’s time to pay somepony a visit. But first, let’s take care of some business.

In the end, she’d found out Blueblood had been responsible for the attack.

Motherbucker.

Celestia had been furious to find out her nephew had attempted to raze Ponyville. She had assembled the First Company, raiding his estate and locking him up in the long-unused dungeons, leaving him at Luna’s ‘mercy’, if you could call it as such. The midnight-blue mare had smiled knowingly when Celestia had announced her intentions of visiting Lieia.

“You just go on, Tia. I have everything under control. Blueblood will pay for his transgressions.”

Still, that didn’t solve finding Lieia. She never told where she was, instead staying on the move. Fortunately, she had help.

A Lieutenant by the name of Sal Corrin, a Coalition officer working with Asli recon fleets. A friend of Lieia’s. She recognised the woman from Lieia’s photo, the one she’d taken in boot camp.

“Ms Corrin, good to meet you.”

“I’m Sal. Ms Corrin is my mother. So, what can I do for you, Princess?”

“It’s about Lieia.” Sal chuckled at that.

“Yeah. She’s a piece of work, huh?”

“She is quite something indeed.”

“She named the Ragnarov after you as well. What gives?”

“I’m afraid it’s a secret. But that is not why I am here. Can you find her for me?”

“I already did.” Sal grinned crookedly.

“What?” Celestia gasped in surprise.

“I always come prepared. When you mentioned Lee, I was sure you’d ask me to find her. You and her must be in cahoots, eh?”

“W-we’re good friends, and I am worried about her. She seems to carry a great burden.” Celestia held back her blush, not willing to let Sal know how close she was to truth.

“She’s at Linv, actually. She likes to spread misinformation to keep safe. Go and see her, Princess. Give her my regards.”

Celestia swallowed nervously. The imposing warship that shared her name was looming in front of her. Luckily, her shuttle had been admitted to land once her name had been mentioned to Lieia.

The Rebel Queen looked at Celestia levelly.

“Princess Celestia. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“It’s… it’s me, Lieia. I wanted to see how you were doing. I wanted to talk to you.” Who was this cold, uncaring woman? What had happened to Lieia?

“Talk? We can do that. I currently have a free spot in my timetable. If you’d follow me…” She led Celestia to a waiting tram.

They disembarked somewhere. Where exactly, Celestia didn’t know.

“Lieia? Where is this? I-“ She was interrupted as the woman in question leapt at her, kissing her fiercely. She backpedalled, startled, but then calmed down, kissing back. The kiss seemed to last for ages. Lieia drew back after a while, smiling warmly.

“Nice of you to drop by, Celly.”

Chapter 27

“Where are we, exactly?”

”One of the access tunnels to a power conduit. Now quiet down.” She peeked through a door, leading Celestia in a wider room, but the alicorn lost her quickly. Celestia wandered, lost in the maze of machinery.

“Lieia?” She eventually found herself near a table.

“Lieia!” After a moment, she felt a pair of soft arms caress her hips, moving up and down her skin.

“You’ve no idea how long I’ve waited for this…” Lieia’s low, gentle voice made Celestia’s heart race like nothing else. Celestia knew full well what her lover intended to do and she spread her hindlegs wider apart, hefting her forelegs and chest on the table, raising her rump a tad higher.

“Aren’t you an eager one, Cel?” Lieia chuckled, kneeling down, pressing her lips to Celestia’s flank, feeling the mare stir and received a faceful of Celestia’s tail for her efforts as it whisked from side to side impatiently. Well, that was a bit of distraction. She grabbed the tail, tugging on it gently. The response from Celestia was a bit unexpected, to be honest. The flustered alicorn moaned loudly, her wings flaring for a moment.

“Oh… Lieiaaah… Take me. Right here. Right now.”

“Well, well, well, someone’s worked up.” Lieia chuckled devilishly, leaning in to give a lick, just outside of Celestia's moistening nethers.

“L-Lieia… Don’t tease me like t-that…” Celestia whimpered pleadingly, eliciting a low chuckle from the woman behind her.

“Oh, but I will… I want to have some fun, too.” She turned her attention to Celestia’s thighs and she felt shivers of pleasure running through the needy mare’s body.

“T-this is j-just the worst f-form of torture! Hhh-aah!” Celestia cried out, legs quivering.

Okay, enough of that.

She grabbed Celestia’s rump with both hands, holding her in place firmly. Celestia moaned, breath heavy, looking at Lieia pleadingly, the ardent gaze telling that she was ready, eager and willing for everything Lieia had in mind for her. She leaned closer to Celestia’s dripping slit, the musky scent of her arousal clogging her nostrils. She lifted the tail out of her way, seeing the drip turn to a staccato trickle. The sight of Celestia’s lower lips, so ready for her they were almost parting on their own accord almost blew her mind. There was no turning back now.

She started with a long, slow lick, dragging her tongue all the way from bottom to top. She instantly felt the juices on her tongue, but couldn’t readily discern the taste. Her action did have an effect on Celestia, though. The aroused mare bucked slightly, giving a satisfied moan, gasping heavily.

“More…”

Yeah, okay, that was a bit scary. But, duty calls. She licked again, dragging her tongue to right side, left side, doing anything that made Celestia’s legs kick, spurred on by her lustful moans. The alicorn’s wings were fully unfurled, stiff as stone.

Celestia could barely think lucidly, debilitated as she was by Lieia’s tonguework. And she kept praying Lieia would not stop.

Just then, she felt Lieia slip two of her fingers inside her drooling marehood, also thrusting her tongue in as deep as possible.

That sort of did it for Celestia. Her breath caught in her throat for a few moments, head thrashing about weakly, overwhelmed by the assault on her senses. Then she regained her voice, but all she could do was scream out her pleasure. She felt Lieia’s tongue rub against her clit, sending spasms of ecstasy down her spine. Nothing measured up to that feeling. She wasn’t even sure where Lieia had learnt these things, but that was irrelevant at the moment, seeing as what she did made her want to buck and squirm and cum like a burst water pipe. Lieia’s left hand kept tugging at her tail occasionally, with each tug being an unexpected shock of pleasure to Celestia.

Okay, she knew it now. Cinnamon. Celestia tasted like cinnamon. Yep, that was definitely it. But that wasn’t important. It was time to make Celestia cum. Lieia dove in ravenously, her tongue thrashing about through her sex, those crafty fingers of hers spreading the sensitive folds apart; that luxuriously rough tongue driving Celestia up the proverbial wall.

Lieia only got a small warning when Celestia reached her climax, but she acted nonetheless, flipping Celestia on her back and pushing her fully on the table, resuming her tonguework with renewed ferocity.

“Gnnh-aah! Lieia! I-I’m going t-to cum!” Celestia managed to wail before she came.

Well, this was quite something. Did Celestia carry a hidden fountain around? The thick, heavy squirts of her cum completely drenched Lieia’s face, even though she greedily lapped up as much as she could, Celestia’s screams the only thing she heard.

All Celestia could do was pant and try to regain her breath. Her orgasm had taken a lot out of the mare. “You know, when I woke up this morning, I didn’t realise giving oral to you would be my priority, Cel. But I guess priorities change.” Celestia’s love juices were dripping from her face, and her tongue flicked in and out between her lips to lick up the occasional stray strand of the liquids. Celestia could only moan breathlessly, her wings twitching occasionally, splayed out across the table. Lieia chuckled softly, examining the large puddle on the floor. She felt pity for the poor bastard who’d have to clean that up. She also needed a towel.

“Oh-h-h-h-h, Lieia… That was beyond compare… Where did you learn something like that…?”

“You’d be surprised to know that there are books on the subject. I bought a couple of ‘em.”

“Did you, now…?”

“Yep.”

“Well, I am certainly glad you did. Ahhh… I’ve never been so exhausted before.” She stirred weakly.

“I guess even your stamina has its limits, Cel.” Slowly, Celestia rolled over on her stomach, trying to climb down from the table. She wasn’t all that successful at doing so. Her legs gave out below her, but luckily, Lieia managed to grab her.

“Whoa. Easy there.” She wrapped her arms around Celestia’s limp body, letting the exhausted mare settle her head on her shoulder. She carried Celestia back to the tram.

“Where… where are we going now?”

“To my bedroom, of course.”

“And how do you intend to sneak me past? I’m not exactly at my best right now.”

“Well, it just so happens that we’re taking a tram that goes all the way to my bedroom, no stops in between.” Celestia chuckled at that.

“You have an answer for everything, no?”

“Maybe.” She more felt than heard Celestia’s contended sigh, the low breath that escaped her.

“It has been too long, Lieia. Far too long.”

“Totally. I’m half tempted to just put you on that table again and have my way with you.”

“I could use a bit of a rest first, my love.” The doors hissed as they opened, and Lieia set Celestia down on the floor gently. The tram took off a moment later.

Celestia flopped down on the large bed, giggling quietly.

“You get some sleep, Cel. I’ll be back in a while.”

“Oh, surely it is nothing important.” Celestia muttered playfully, rolling around the bed like a cat.

“No can do, Celly. Herdunt Guard is arriving with reinforcements soon. I have to be there to greet them. Don’t worry, I’ll be back as soon as possible.” They shared a brief kiss.

Though somewhat pompous, Ortan Lavari was a good man, a reliable soldier. He could see more to others than they let on. He was to be the liaison officer between the Rebels and Herdunt Guard. He was somewhat impatient to meet with the Rebel Queen. She truly had divided the Coalition. The Rebels wished to burn the Vasari from existence, to reclaim what was theirs and make the alien invaders pay for their transgressions, while the Loyalists, those who stuck with Denaros, claimed that they needed to secure their current holdings in order to organize and strike back. Two completely incompatible ideals and leaders. A descendant of a famous leader and a respected man who held Coalition together. And they were itching to attack each other.

“If you can send us another fleet, I can deploy some of our Vasari squadrons to the front. Even with all the defectors, their numbers are still somewhat scarce.” Lieia muttered, examining the map of galaxy, the fleet locations and planetary defences of her territories.

“Tell you what, my Queen, if you can loan us credits, I’ll do my utmost to send two fleets instead of one. Do we have a deal?”

“I’d say so. How many credits do you need?”

“Twelve million. We need to do an overhaul on our capital ships.” It actually was eleven million and something, but it was easier to deal in whole numbers.

“A rather steep sum, wouldn’t you say so?” Ortan grinned sheepishly.

“Yes, I know. We sort of missed out last refit.” Lieia smiled at him reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. I’ll send some of my engineers to help with the refit.” She shook his hand.

“You are wise and generous, Queen Grisova.”

“Naaah. I’m not much of a queen. I try, though.” Lieia chuckled lazily, pulling out a pair of cigars from her pocket, tossing one to Ortan.

“To our eternal cooperation, my Queen.” He lit his cigar, leaning back in his chair, puffing contentedly on the smoke factory wedged between his teeth.

“I hear that.”

When the officer of Herdunt Guard left, his meeting with the Rebel Queen had left a lasting impression on him. Despite her outward appearance, he knew there was reliability and determination to her, and in spades at that. But there was a deep, underlying pain to her affable friendliness, like a sliver of darkness driven through her soul. Yes, he was getting a bit too analysing, but it was his ability to look past others’ exteriors that had helped him foster good relationships with other people.

“Celestia? Where are you?” Lieia asked the seemingly empty room.

“Under the blanket.” She got a slightly muffled response. All she could see from Celestia was her horn.

“Why’re you hiding?”

“It’s a surprise.” Celestia answered coyly.

“Well, can I see it, whatever it is?”

“Sure.” Lieia watched, with surprise as a number of pale fingers wrapped around the blanket, pulling it down some, revealing a shyly smiling woman.

“Surprise.”

“Celestia? How’d you pull this off?” The mare-turned-woman waggled her eyebrows at her, the magenta eyes glinting mischievously.

“Magic.”

“For serious? Where’d you learn to do this?”

“It’s actually the same spell I cast upon you back in Canterlot, but a little different.” She examined a stray lock of her multi-coloured hair that was billowing over her shoulders.

“Then why do you still have your horn?”

“Without it I cannot channel any magic, so it would be foolish of me to remove it as well.”

“Makes sense.” Lieia shrugged simply.

“I’m sure you’ll find the rest of me attractive.”

“No, it’s okay. A bit unexpected is all.”

“Then how about you get in the bed with me?” Celestia threw the blanket aside, sitting up slowly, giving Lieia a good view of her body. Her skin was a pale white, with a slight violet tone to it. A luscious pair of breasts adorned her chest. Her slender waist gave way to wide, round hips that had each a long, shapely leg attached to it. Even her cutie mark was present, a stylised sun logo on each hip. Simply put, she was hot enough to put anyone’s dick in a wheelchair.

“Sorry. Torsan Militants are arriving soon with a freight fleet.” Celestia looked at her flatly, trying not to appear frustrated. She failed.

“Are you serious?”

“Nope. I just need to have a shower.” Celestia tsk’ed sourly.

“You do enjoy needling me so. Why is that?”

“Life’s boring otherwise! We all have our guilty pleasures, right? For example, you crave cakes.” Celestia tsk’ed again.

“And you, Lieia, have a weakness for… what, exactly?” The woman’s mirth faded away.

“You. You’re the big chink in my armour, Cel.” She smiled sadly, before closing the bathroom doors behind her. Predictably enough, music started rumbling from there, with Lieia’s muffled voice soon joining in.

Never again will I be dishonored

And never again will I be reminded

We're living within the world of the jaded

They killed inspiration

It's my obligation

To never again, allow this to happen

Where do I begin?

The choices are endless

Denying the sin

My art, my redemption

I carry the torch of my fathers before me

The thing I treasure most in life cannot be taken away

There will never be a reason why I will surrender to your advice

To change myself, I'd rather die

Though they'll not understand

I will make the greatest sacrifice

You can't predict where the outcome lies

You'll never take me alive

I’m alive

I'm alive...

Celestia sat on the bed, contemplating what Lieia had said, but was constantly distracted by her lover’s singing.

Heh. Singing. She’d certainly make Lieia sing later.

She stood up, still a bit mistrustful of her legs. How humans managed without four legs was a mystery to her. She wandered over to the closed door, opening it, receiving a cloud of steam in her face. She slipped inside, heading for the shower. She stopped in front of the fogged-up pane of glass, seeing Lieia’s vague shape move around on the other side.

“Are you just going to stand there forever? There’s enough room in here for both of us.” Without waiting for an answer, Lieia slid the door open, pulling Celestia inside, pressing the startled mare-turned-woman close to her, tongue already dancing inside her mouth. Celestia felt Lieia’s wet body press her against the wall and a small moan escaped her. This was definitely different. Then again, she was an open-minded mare and liked to try new things. And Lieia was definitely showing her new things. Her right hand was slowly making its way downwards, teasing Celestia’s thigh. Her other arm was massaging one of her breasts, and she gasped, the sensation completely alien to her. Lieia then pulled back, turning Celestia around, her hands sliding across her wet, voluptuous body. Celestia felt Lieia’s lips on her neck, kissing the pale skin fervently. Celestia could feel her arousal soar and she steadied herself, placing her arms against the glass pane, feeling her lover’s hands caress her.

“Haa-aaah!” She cried out, feeling the proverbial dam inside her burst, her legs giving out, the debilitating wave of pleasure washing over her.

Celestia pulled the shirt over her head, shaking her head. Lieia eyed her appreciatively, letting her eyes feast on Celestia’s well-endowed chest, more or less undressing her mentally.

“It would seem you like this form, Lieia.” The pale-skinned woman wiggled her hips, slipping in the panties and Lieia licked her lips at seeing the fabric stretch and curve around Celestia’s hips.

“That I do, Celly. I’d say you’ve done a bang-up job with that spell. I just want to eat you up with ice cream and chocolate.” Celestia fought briefly with the pants, also given to her by Lieia. The piece of clothing proved slightly difficult to get in, making her jump about on the spot for a moment.

“Well? How do I look, Lieia?”

“Sexy.”

“Is that your answer to everything?”

“Nope. My answer to everything is to blow it sky high.”

“Ah. Figures.”

“You still look hot though.”

Chapter 28

Celestia awoke, calm and rested. She looked around lazily, seeing the drab grey walls around her. She raised her head, feeling Lieia’s arm drop from her shoulders. She looked at the sleeping woman and smiled half-heartedly at the careworn face. The task of being a queen was taking a toll on Lieia, though she would always stubbornly deny it. That only affirmed Celestia’s doubts and suspicions that Lieia carried a dark secret in her thoughts. Her eyes wandered over Lieia’s chest, the blouse she now wore half-opened, and the clear, surgical cuts on her skin barely visible in the dusky room. The small incision above her left breast was half-obscured by the fabric and she pushed it aside, dragging her finger along the line. To her, Lieia’s scars were a testament of the woman’s resolve and persistence, each and every one of them a hard-earned mark of her resilience.

“Hello, Princess Celestia.” A quiet voice drew her attention and she turned around, seeing an Asahi sitting calmly on a nearby chair, regarding the mare in disguise.

“Who are you?” Celestia sat up, casting a worried glance at Lieia.

“I am Nell-Tiray. Worry not; I am not here to cause harm, to either of you. I simply wish to talk to you.”

“I guess we can talk.”

“I shall not tarry and get to the point. I know that you and Lieia are in love.” She raised a hand to halt any rebuke Celestia would make. “Alikera told me. Know that what Lieia claims is true. Ayra Alexi is a traitor. Alas, we cannot prove it.”

“But you are-“Celestia tried again.

“Almighty? Able to do anything? I am not. The Asahi are not. I am the Guardian of the Well of Knowledge, but I cannot control it, only take the occasional peek in its waters and ward off those with evil intent in their heart. It is controlled by forces far greater than me. But I am getting off-topic. The coming times will test the forces of good. Your own people will have their mettle tested. There will be a war the likes of which may rend this universe apart.” She stood up, still holding Celestia’s gaze, pointing at Lieia.

“Hers are not scars that can ever be fully healed, nor will their damage be easily made undone. Remember that, Princess Celestia. Your mutual love will be tested to its limits.” With that, Nell-Tiray vanished, leaving Celestia alone with her thoughts.

“Cel?” Lieia stirred sleepily, blindly grabbing at empty air.

“I’m right here, my dear.” Celestia whispered, letting Lieia pull her down, pulling her in a hug, one that she returned happily. A small blush crept on her face as her face came to a rest in Lieia’s cleavage, but she giggled softly nevertheless.

“Oh, Lieia. I love you so much.”

“Anything wrong? You sound a bit worried.” Lieia’s quiet, calm voice reverberated through her chest.

“It’s nothing, Lieia.” She snuck her fingers inside Lieia’s blouse, making the woman chuckle softly.

“Celestia, remember what happened to the last person who groped me?”

…broke his arm, knocked two of his teeth out and kicked him in the balls…

“Ah.” She hastily pulled her arm back.

“Well, you’re the only one who has permission to do so, actually. So, if you want to go and do things to me, go ahead. Things that are definitely of the sexual kind.” She smiled, pulling Celestia on top of her, her right hand settling on Celestia’s butt, just as she was about to kiss her. Their faces knocked together.

“Ow! Sonuva…!” Lieia muttered indignantly, rubbing her forehead, while Celestia fell on her back, wincing. Pretty soon, though, they both were laughing at their clumsiness.

“Ooohkayyy… Strike two.” This time, Celestia managed to kiss Lieia just below her nose.

“Third time’s the charm.” This time, they struck the proverbial gold. Lieia’s arms wrapped around Celestia’s waist, and they both rolled around in the bed, making out like there was no tomorrow.

The rather long-winded makeout session came to a halt after a while when Celestia announced she needed to have sex. Plainly, that sentence had rather rattled Lieia.

“You sure, Cel?” Lieia cast a somewhat nervous glance at Calypso. The creepy little fucker was sitting on the table.

“Oh, definitely. I want her to watch. Oh, it makes me feel so dirty.”

“Right, once we’re finished, I’m drugging you and educating you on abstinence. You’re getting out of control.”

“Do you not enjoy it when we make love, Lieia?” Celestia pouted, putting on her best puppy eyes.

“Sheesh, alright. I do. Sex with you is just amazing. Like, best thing ever.”

“Then there is no problem, Lieia.” Celestia chuckled playfully, pulling off her shirt, her shapely breasts bouncing slightly.

“I’m still sedating you lat-” Lieia was silenced as Celestia kissed her, slowly unbuttoning her blouse and slipping the bra straps off her shoulders, a somewhat unsettling smile on her face…

The door slid open, and someone walked inside and Lieia fired off a curse.

“Fuck! Who is-“ She rolled over, covering Celestia, glaring at whoever had gone against her ‘Do Not Disturb’ order.

“Denaros? What the hell are you doing here?” She offhandedly refitted her bra, buttoning up her blouse, as Celestia quietly hid under the blanket.

“I am sure you know why I have sought you out, Grisova. This petty rebellion of yours has gone on too long. You are tearing the Coalition apart. And who is that woman in your bed?”

“That would be Celestia. So watch your mouth, Lord-General.” Lieia nearly snarled.

“Back to my reason of this visit, I insist you stop this foolishness. You will bring ruin to us all. You have few allies and cannot stand against us.” Celestia interrupted then.

“You forget me, Wersian. As of this moment, I stand at Lieia’s side. The Rebels shall have Equestrian support immediately.” The Loyalists’ leader growled angrily, finally venting his anger.

“Y-you damn horse! After all I have done for your little world, you betray me like this? You owe me, Princess!” A hovercam showed up at that moment, just in time to record Denaros getting backhanded to floor by Lieia.

“Fuck you!” The Rebel Queen shouted angrily, looming over Denaros. The small video clip later became famous in Coalition space.

“You dare?”

“You’re damn right I do! I’m done playing nice! Next time any of you assholes show up anywhere near my territories, you’ll be free-floating atoms! I am the Rebel Queen! And I am a queen that bows to no one!” Celestia glowered at Denaros disapprovingly.

“I owe you nothing, Lord-General. It was not me who yapped at your heels to be part of your alliance. Your fleets no longer shall have passage through Equestrian space. My wealth and armed forces are at Lieia’s disposal.” Denaros shot them both a hateful glare, slowly standing up, before looking at Lieia again, a sort of grudging respect in his eyes.

“God, you’re stubborn.” He turned around, just as a security team arrived to manhandle him away.

“You got that right.” As soon as they left, hovercam in tow, Lieia closed the door and turned to Celestia, rubbing her face sullenly.

“This day just keeps getting better and better…”

“There. Araek Desert.” Lieia pointed at the sandy brown landmass encircled by a thin strip of lush green. Celestia snuggled closer to Lieia, their naked bodies pressing together, bathing in the afterglow.

“And there’s the Tikai rainforests.” Lieia pointed at a dark green mass emerging over the horizon, partially obscured by clouds.

“Winterhold’s up all the way in the north. Home of the mountain eagles. Biggest damn birds you’ll ever see. Skiing is good there, though. Snow-filled valleys and mountains as far as the eye can see.” Celestia sighed softly, content with listening to Lieia’s quiet monologue.

“I’d like to go there someday, Lieia.”

“Well, first we’ll see if I survive this war.”

“Oh, do not talk like that, my love. You have me worried as it is.” She paused for a moment. “I believe you, Lieia. About Ayra Alexi.” She heard Lieia’s sharp intake of breath.

“Why? You have no reason to believe me.”

“Let’s just say it’s a secret, but I know you are right about her. Besides, she is so ill-mannered she puts my nephew to shame. She would make a terrible leader.”

“Oh, right. Blueblood. What happened to him, anyways?” Celestia smiled, glad to discuss a different topic.

“He’s in jail.”

“Uh…” Lieia looked at her surprisedly.

“Turns out he was responsible for that Diamond Dog army.”

“Bullshit.” Lieia’s curt response made Celestia snicker.

“I am quite serious. He sunk a lot of gold in funding their forces.”

“Really? Son of a bitch. I am so going to wring his neck one day.” Her attention was drawn to a myriad of flashing lights on Linv’s surface.

“Ooh! There it is, Cel. The Ring.” That jogged Celestia’s memory some.

“The home of thieves, maniacs, whores and smugglers. From all around the galaxy, right?” Lieia grinned crookedly.

“Totally.”

“Think we have time to pay a visit there?” Celestia muttered quietly, a note of hopefulness in her voice.

“That place ain’t for the timid or faint-hearted. Or those serious of temperament. I wouldn’t be able to protect you at all times. Even though I am the Rebel Queen, I cannot get all the gangsters, smugglers and other assholes to stop causing trouble occasionally. If you want to go down, you’ll need some serious kit.”

“As you wish, my Queen.”

“You don’t have to call me like that, Cel.”

“As you wish, my Queen.” Celestia repeated, deadpan.

“Oh, I’m going to regret this, I just know it.”

“Sexual innuendos aside, how long do we have?”

“Two weeks.”

“Seriously? That’s great news. Oh, Lieia, you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to have some time alone with you. Just you and me. Nopony else.” Celestia kissed Lieia, a content sigh escaping her.

“Celly? You don’t have to join the Rebels. I won’t think any less of you. I don’t want to ruin your chances at consolidating yourself in the galaxy.”

“The political backlash for trying to subdue a single planet would be serious, I’d say. Alikera would not react well, either.”

“Politics make everything so damn complicated. Luckily for us.” Lieia muttered, slowly sitting up, pawing at the floor in an attempt to find her underpants, succeeding moments later, and finished dressing a minute later.

“C’mon. Let’s make like a banana and do the splits. I shall take you to the place where debauchery, greed, corruption and sin are plentiful to be found. Oh, and violence. Dirty, bloody gang violence.”

“When you put it that way, it sounds even more… exciting. And dangerous.”

“That’s the point. Get your clothes on. Linv waits for us.” She said with aplomb in spades.

“If you’re so much as to even show your face on The Ring, you’ll need a gun and some body armour. We’ll need to sell you off as a badass. Some tattoos and a wild haircut. A scar or two.”

“What?” Celestia looked at Lieia surprisedly.

“Merely cosmetic.” She assured the surprised princess.

“What else? Ah, a gung-ho attitude. But you already have that largely covered. That leaves guns and appearance. C’mon. I know a good shop or two that can help us out.”

“Shops? Aboard a warship?”

“It’s a warship-slash-city in space, you know. People have to make a living somehow, Cel. Well, aside from those booze stills. And black market dealers. I hate those dicknuggets. Grey market’s fine, as long as no one gets killed. I always need to have SWAT teams on the clock, rooting out the seediest nests.”

“SWAT?”

“Special Weapons And Tactics. A hard-ass bunch, but they get shit done. We’ll have a squad of ‘em covering you while we’re planetside. They make a lot of noise, but can be helluva sneaky when they want to be.” They boarded a tram.

“When I’m done with you, you won’t recognize yourself, Cel.”

Chapter 29

“Freakin’… Hide that horn, Celestia! Make it invisible or someshit!” Lieia hissed as the tram began to slow down. The mare-turned-woman closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating on the spell. Once finished, she turned to Lieia, who nodded in response.

“It worked. Nice one, Cel. No sign of that horn there.”

“It’s merely invisible, Lieia. I dare not remove it for that would severely limit my magical abilities.”

“Well, okay. Just take care.” The doors slid open and they headed towards the rows of various shops, the wide streets and walkways full of soldiers off-duty. Celestia noted that they all would nod to Lieia, uttering a respectful ‘My Queen’ to her.

“They hold you in great regard, Lieia.”

“I’ve worked hard to forge our merry alliance of dissidents and deserters. We’re all we’ve got. We don’t have the resources and manpower the Loyalists have. But we make do with what we have. We’ve been trying to secure the Lower South-Eastern Wastes, seeing as it’s an untapped motherload of ore, but asteroids collide there all the time, making for a very dangerous mining operation. We’ve barely managed to even scratch the surface.”

“I could help you, Lieia. Perhaps with my magic, I could create a safe pocket from which your people could operate. A shield spell of sorts that would ward off any stray projectiles.” Lieia offered her a quick smile

“I’ll gladly accept any help you can offer, Celestia.”

“I’m not impatient, but you should really hurry up a bit, Cel.” Lieia muttered; eyeing Celestia as she indecisively wandered through the aisles.

“I’m not guilty there’s so much to choose from, Lieia.” Celestia replied, letting her eyes wander across the selection of apparel.

“Just pick something simple and practical. No fancy dresses.”

“Don’t hurry me, Lieia. Nothing good can come of that. You know I have no experience with human fashion.” Celestia answered, irate, finally finding something that caught her fancy. After having assembled a whole new outfit, she occupied one of the stalls, changing into her new clothes.

“But why?”

“First, your hair is liable to get snagged somewhere. And, it’s a tad too attention-drawing.” Lieia brandished the scissors threateningly.

“Don’t worry; I’ll just cut it shorter. The colouring should help convince others you’re an off-worlder. Throw in some tattoos and we’re good to go.” She grasped a handful of Celestia’s hair carefully and she winced involuntarily as she heard a shirrk as the scissors cut some of her voluminous hair away.

It took the better part of thirty minutes to finish with Celestia’s haircut.

“Well, this is different.” Celestia turned her head sideways, examining her hairdo. Her long hair had been severely shortened by Lieia’s scissorwork, but it still retained its rainbow colouring. With her new clothes, it took her a moment to recognise herself.

“And now, for the piece de resistance… tattoos.” Lieia flashed a grin, leading Celestia towards a whole new location.

“Is this completely safe?” Celestia cast a hesitant glance at the strange machine.

“Totally. It used to be needles and stuff earlier, but now, it’s sprayed on your skin. Doesn’t fade away or wear off easily, but can be washed off with a special solution if you want to. Now, take off your shirt.” Celestia blushed slightly.

“I don’t think this is the best place for having sex. What if someone walks in?” That earned her a flat stare from Lieia.

“Get your mind outta the gutter, Cel. The machine can’t spray the tattoo on if you’re wearing clothes. Besides, it’s all automated and the door can be locked if it makes you feel better.” Somewhat disappointed, Celestia removed her shirt and bra, sitting down in the chair as Lieia busied herself over the glowing screen, her fingers dancing over the keys.

“Just sit still. I’ll apply some local anaesthetic so you don’t get tickled.”

“Ever so kind and thoughtful, eh?”

“And don’t you forget it.” The metallic limbs of the machine jolted to life and hovered over Celestia’s bare chest and arms, painting curling lines of black and red across her bare skin. Celestia watched, slightly dizzy as the robotic arms moved around fluidly, tattooing her without a hitch. As Lieia had assured her, she didn’t feel a thing. Lieia was humming a song quietly, waiting patiently.

“To answer your question, it’s Tikai tribal patterns. And to answer your other question, we’re in low orbit, so the shuttle ride will only take an hour or so.” Lieia returned her attention to the high-calibre sidearm in her hands, slapping its magazine back in place and handing it to Celestia, who slipped it in the holster on her hip, with additional ammo secured to her belt.

“With a bit of luck, you won’t have to use it while we’re down there. Well, let’s get going. We have a shuttle to catch.” They left the armoury, heading for the hangar bay.

“Good heavens… how big is this place, Lieia?”

“Huge. You could park a Marza in here, actually.” The cavernous hangar bay was alive with the thrum of shuttle engines, the din of tools and innumerable conversations.

“Really, now?”

“No one’s actually tried it, to be honest.” Lieia chuckled, smiling dreamily. “Just imagine. As if it isn’t bad enough a Titan shows up. Then said Titan launches an additional capital ship. Shit gets wrecked.” They wandered over to a small booth. As soon as the man inside it noticed them, he snapped to attention, saluting Lieia.

“My Queen! What can I do for you?”

“At ease. I’d like to requisition a shuttle to Linv.”

“At once, my Queen!” The crewman bowed to her respectfully, turning to the array of holoscreens. After a minute, he turned back to them.

“It is done, my Queen. I am uploading the shuttle location to your PDA right now. Have a good one.”

As they headed to the shuttle, Celestia leaned closer to Lieia, whispering.

“They seem to be very devoted to your cause.”

“Well, if the news networks are anything to go by, the people seem to be glad that there is again a single leader for Linv, unhampered by politics. And while I do have absolute power, I listen to others’ counsel. I do my best to keep everyone happy. They all look up to me.” They arrived at a waiting shuttle that had several crewmen attending to it, fuelling it up. As soon as they noticed her, they stood up.

“My Queen!”

“How can we serve you?”

Lieia eyed them good-naturedly.

“At ease, men. Is the shuttle ready?”

“Yes. We are almost finished refuelling it.”

“Good job.” She pulled a credit chip out of her pocket, tossing it to the team leader. “Here. Have a drink on me.”

“Thank you, my Queen!”

“Think nothin’ of it.”

“So, how about you tell me what you’ve been up to, Celly? I know next to nothing about what’s happening back on Equestria. How’s Luna? Twilight? Applejack and everyone else? I want to know everything.” Lieia activated the autopilot, leaning back in her seat and turning to Celestia.

“Oh, where to begin? Rarity’s famous now. Her fashion lines are among the finest to be found. People from distant worlds flock to Equestria, intrigued by our lands. Rainbow Dash made Captain of 7th Company of 2nd Regiment. I imagine the Wonderbolts are furious at not accepting her earlier. Fluttershy is still a Sergeant, though. She seems content with her position. Twilight’s thinking of applying for Officer Academy at Canterlot. Her brother’s not really all too happy about that. Applejack’s brother, Big Macintosh has joined our Engineering Corps. As soon as I make my allegiance public, you can expect my troops and fleets to arrive, ready at your disposal, Lieia. We recently purchased a Dunov-class freighter from Naos Reservists and are nearly finished refitting it for combat. It’ll be our second capital ship.”

“Second?” Lieia looked surprisedly at Celestia and she nodded in return.

“Indeed. Our other capital ship is a second-hand Sova-class carrier. It was a bargain, really. Only seventy-five million credits and change, though we had to invest a considerable amount of budget to bring it up to full readiness.”

“Where’d ya pull that amount of creds out from?”

“We trade with other worlds in ore. And tourism brings a significant inflow of money to Equestria as well. While our fleet isn’t big, we are attempting to increase the number of combat-ready vessels.”

“You’re really a very shrewd politician, Cel. I’m glad to have you on my side.” The small shuttle hurtled through space as it dropped into Linv’s atmosphere as they spun their long-winded conversation.

“It is, or at least was, Liiyah Tavrian’s castle. Now, it’s my castle.” Celestia looked out the window as stray wisps of clouds whizzed past, intrigued by the large castle sitting in the edge of a cliff.

“A castle fit for a queen, no? It certainly looks rather grand.”

“Thanks. It’s right beside the spaceport as well, so I’ll be able to show you around a bit before we leave for Ring. And then… well, prepare for the craziest time of your life, Celly.” Lieia returned her attention to the controls, slowing down the shuttle. Celestia, ever curious, watched as the launch lanes whizzed past below the small craft. Looking up, she saw the low-set spaceport grow larger as the shuttle grew slower. Expertly handling the shuttle, Lieia alighted on one of the numerous landing pads, and then cut the power to the engines. Celestia hadn’t really noticed how omnipresent the thrum of the engines had been until it was gone.

“We’re here. The heart of the Rebellion. Linv.”

As they entered the castle-turned-museum-turned-castle, Celestia could not help but be awed. Large, domed halls made up the majority of rooms, supporting their weight on tall, painstakingly engraved pillars of marble. Numerous people, both human and alien, were busily moving about, occasionally approaching Lieia and delivering a report or two. As she followed Lieia, who was walking with purpose in her gait, a breathless man ran up to them, bowing to Lieia briskly.

“My Queen! Admiral Brusilof arrived yesterday, requesting to see you!”

“Brusilof? Where is he?”

“We don’t know. He said he’s taking a look around. Should I assemble a security team?” Lieia waved him off.

“Nah. I think I know where to find him. Return to your post, and thanks for bringing this to my attention.”

“As you wish, My Queen.” He bowed to her, walking away.

“Well, this day got a lot more interesting. Let’s go.”

Lieia’s personal chambers were quiet. But that was expected to be so. Lieia had deposited the mare in disguise there, and then wandered off in search of the elusive admiral. Celestia sat comfortably on a chair, letting her eyes wander over the wide array of weaponry, both modern and ancient, on display in the spacious rooms. She did not doubt Lieia knew well how to use most of them. Wandering over to a rack of greatswords on display, she carefully lifted one out, inspecting it. The blade was certainly old, but well-kept and sharpened. Intricate curls and words had been engraved on its hilt by craftsmen long dead. She placed it back on the rack, wandering over to the firearms.

“Are you supposed to be here, missy?” A deep, gruff voice alerted her and she spun around, seeing a tall, grizzled man enter the room. His right arm was missing, the fabric of his coat’s sleeve folded and buttoned up so as not to get snagged anywhere.

“I could ask the same question to you.” She responded, wary.

“I was looking for Grisova. Figured she’d be here, but I guess I was wrong ‘bout that.” Something clicked in Celestia’s mind.

“Admiral Brusilof?” The weathered man grinned, walking over to her, and extending a hand to shake.

“The very same. High Admiral Sunnar Gilva Brusilof, at your service.”

“Nara Odenall, bounty hunter.” Celestia responded, accepting his handshake. Lieia had come up with a false name and bio for her to use while planetside. Brusilof merely nodded, before leaning closer to her.

“You’re a bad liar, princess.”

“I’m sorry?”

“You heard me, Princess Celestia.” Brusilof repeated, straightening out, a knowing grin on his face.

“But how-“

“The hair colour. The skin tone. And you’re far too polite for a bounty hunter. So, what brings you to Linv?”

“I’ve decided to join the Rebels.”

“Have you, now? That’s good to hear.”

“And what about you, Admiral?”

“Well, I needed to talk to Grisova about something important. But I suppose we can wait until she returns here, eh?” He walked over to the sword rack, selecting a shortsword, handing it to Celestia and armed himself similarly.

“Let us have a duel.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Surely you know how to handle a blade.”

“Well, yes. But that was in a completely different body, as you can imagine.”

“Too late!” Brusilof called out, lunging at the woman in front of him, disarming her in a heartbeat. The sword clattered across the floor.

“Again, Princess.” She picked the weapon up, steeling herself as Brusilof swung again. This time, she blocked his blade. Steel ground against steel as she forced his sword aside, and she tried to disarm him like he’d done to her moments ago. In a flash, he parried, forcing her on defensive.

Lieia was right. I have grown soft. I should have trained more with my blade.

Celestia grunted, attacking again, getting a tad luckier this time. Her opponent stumbled slightly, and she went to disarm him. Sparks flew as steel clashed, and this time, it was Brusilof’s blade that clattered on the floor. Celestia offered a hand to the man on the floor.

“Again, Admiral?” Brusilof chuckled in response, grasping Celestia’s outstretched hand, pulling himself up.

“Maybe some other time, Princess. I really should meet Grisova.” Celestia nodded, picking up the two swords, placing them in the rack.

“I’m right over here, Admiral.” Celestia heard Lieia’s amused voice and she saw the woman herself leaning in the doorway, a lopsided grin on her face.

“A good day to you, my Queen. I have finally decided on a response to your request. You shall have my tactical expertise at your disposal.” With that, he turned about, leaving.

“Uh, Cel? What just happened?”

“He swore allegiance to you. I think that’s fairly obvious.”

“But why? I’ve been trying to get him to our side for weeks! He’s the best tactician Coalition has! He’s a strategist without compare! Wait, what were you two doing here? You know what? It doesn’t even matter. He’s with my forces and that’s all that matters. You’ve done a great thing for me already, Celly. Ask anything of me. If it is within my power to provide, you shall have it.”

“Well, how about a kiss, Lieia?”

“I think I can do better than that, Cel.”

Chapter 30

Celestia flinched slightly as the wave of cheers assaulted her senses. Lieia strode forward, waving enthusiastically at the large crowd of people. Celestia watched as Lieia climbed atop a small kiosk, and then gasped in surprise as she was unceremoniously deposed at the rebel leader’s side.

“My people! Today is a glorious day! High Admiral Brusilof has agreed to marshal our armies, bringing death and defeat to our enemies!” That elicited another roar from the crowd.

“But! That is not all! Princess Celestia of Equestria has decided to join our cause! Give her a proper greeting to Linv!” Celestia faced the full brunt of the enthusiastic crowd’s cheering. If she was being true to herself, she was feeling a bit jealous that Lieia could command such loyalty and enthusiasm from her people.

“That’s the spirit! Thank you, everyone! You are all amazing!” Lieia grinned widely. “With our combined efforts, we shall end this war! Our enemies…”

“…WILL FACE DEFEAT!”

“Our worlds…”

“…WILL PROSPER!”

“Our people…”

“…WILL BE FREED!” The unified chant faded back to a dull roar.

“That was a rather short speech, my dear.”

“I know. But we’re not ones to spin tall tales, now are we?”

“I suppose so. Well, shall we proceed with our endeavour?”

“Totally. C’mon. The car park’s just nearby.”

“You know, this really isn’t what I expected you to drive, Lieia.” Celestia announced, eyeing the vehicle curiously.

“What did you expect?”

“I have no idea, actually. I had imagined you’d have a chariot, but that’s just silly, now that I think about it.”

“Pfft. Chariots are so out of fashion, Celly. And me no likey limousines. This is the only car I’ll ever drive.” She gestured at the low, wide vehicle. It was flush dark red, with chrome glinting over its bodywork. Celestia saw a string of letters on its side and leaned closer.

Thundercharge

“Oh! Is this your car? The one you rebuilt?”

“The one and only 2967 Selvar Thundercharge.” Lieia grinned, unlocking the door and taking the driver’s seat of the sleek coupe. “Hop in, Cel.” The other door popped open and Celestia slowly seated herself. “Don’t forget to strap yourself in.” Celestia repeated the motions as Lieia started the engine. Celestia couldn’t help but flinch at the loud, bubbling roar that emanated from below the hood.

“Ah, the sound of the good ol’ W16. It used to power Talwen R-37 atmospheric fighters, but those’ve been outdated for centuries. Museum relics the lot of ‘em. Of course, seeing as our resources are strapped at this point, I’ve been forced to use them. But I’m getting off-track. Selvar Industries decided to stick one of the engines in a prototype shell just for shits and giggles. The result was this.” She toed the throttle, slowly moving to a lane where they would join the highway.

“Turn the radio on, would ya?”

“Uhhhh…”

“Just press the ‘On’ button. It’s right on the dashboard. I’d do it myself but I need to keep my eyes on the road.” Celestia complied and a moment later, heavy metal music started pouring from the speakers.

When I look around me

And see what's going on

I think about the time we had

And where we all came from

Here comes the dream that's been waiting

The triumph we seek is so close it's so near

I love the chance we've been taking

The moment for us is right here

Lieia caught on, starting to belt out the song in earnest.

Get into the spirit

Reach up to the sky

Get into the spirit

Raise your spirit

Raise your spirit high...

Celestia made to ask her something, but was interrupted by a sudden surge of power that mashed her in the seat as Lieia slammed her foot on the throttle, sending the car thundering down the highway, engine roaring. Vehicles ahead of them did their damnedest to get out of the supercar’s path. Trees and buildings whizzed past on both sides of the highway. Lieia’s enthusiastic singing and the roar of the engine was all she could hear. After a couple of minutes, the song ended. Celestia could tell Lieia was reluctant to slow down, but the speed dropped considerably anyways.

“That was Get Into The Spirit by Halford! One of my personal favourites! Don’t change the station, folks, because we have something special comin’ up next!” A disembodied voice announced from the speakers. “R’member, folks, if y’have any special requests, call now!”

Of course, Lieia was quick to catch on that. Tapping her PDA a couple of times, she phoned the radio station, lodging a request of her own. Sure enough, her chosen song started a moment later.

Do ya wanna get rocked?

Let's get, let's get, let's get, let's get

Rocked......

I'm your average, ordinary, everyday kid,

Happy to do nothin'

In fact that's what I did.

Got a million ways to make my day, but daddy don't agree

'Cos when I try to get away he says

He got plans for me…

After a while, they came to stop at a small collection of buildings near the road.

“Wait in the car, Cel. I won’t take long, just need to refuel. Anything I can get you from the shop?”

“I’d like something to drink, please.”

“Gotcha. Sit tight.” With that, Lieia exited the vehicle, leaving Celestia alone with the music. After a couple of minutes, Lieia reappeared, carrying a pair of plastic bags with her. Depositing her luggage in the coupe’s rear seat, she set about refuelling the vehicle. Soon, the acrid, sugary smell of cyclotaurite filled the air and Celestia could hear the fuel glug as it filled the car’s tank. After some more time, Lieia joined Celestia, once more starting the car up.

“Bought ya some stuff, Cel. It’s in the bags. Go on and dig in. I won’t mind. We have some distance to cover, too. Hopefully, we’ll get to Meridi next morning.”

“Meridi?”

“It’s the closest harbour city we can reach. From there, we can get on a ferry that’ll take us to Ring.” Lieia responded, eyeing the highway, waiting for a free spot so she could join the traffic. Celestia deposited one of the bags in her lap, perusing through its contents busily. A surge of power later the Thundercharge had rejoined the busy highway, its explosive powerplant roaring with gusto.

They spent several hours on the road, but it soon became clear they wouldn’t make it to Meridi by nightfall.

Celestia yawned widely, making Lieia chuckle.

“You’re barely staying awake. Truth be told, so am I. We’ll have to stop for the night. The closest parking lot is about five kilos away, Cel.”

“Well, it’s not just sleep deprivation, my dear. Maintaining this form is rather exhausting, even for me.”

“All the more reason to get some sleep, eh?”

“Indeed so.”

Several minutes later, they arrived at a quiet parking lot. Lieia cut the engine, stepping out and stretching her arms wide out, with Celestia following suit.

“Well, that’s it for today, Celly.” Lieia wrapped her arms around Celestia’s waist from behind, bringing her close and rested her head on her shoulder. “Your first day light-years away from your homeworld. Thoughts?” Her soft breath was tickling Celestia’s neck.

“It’s certainly different. I still feel the connection to my sun. I can feel the star this world orbits around, too. It is… a curious sensation.”

“Really, now?” Lieia’s lips pressed to her neck momentarily, making her smile. “Look. There’s the moon now, Cel.” A glowing curve appeared above the horizon, slowly growing in size.

“Good heavens… it’s so big.”

“Yeah. It’s in much closer orbit than back on Equestria. Habitable, too. A scientific oddity, to be fair.” Her words proved true as Celestia could see scatterings of blue, green and brown across Linv’s satellite. Islands, continents, shores and inlets, while brilliant white wisps of clouds curled lazily across the small planetoid. Celestia fancied she could see a couple of settlements on its surface.

“What is it named?”

“Oramte. Guardian. Before it was colonised, it took the majority of asteroid strikes that could’ve hit Linv. So the name stuck.” She released Celestia, starting to fuss with the Thundercharge’s seats. Curious, Celestia walked over, seeing Lieia finish transforming the seating arrangement into a makeshift bed.

“Hey, presto! It’s a car-slash-bed!” Her chuckling gave way to a yawn and she sighed, removing her jacket and tossing it on the floor, motioning for Celestia to join her.

“One moment, Lieia. I should change back to my normal form. The magic exhaustion is nearly toppling me over.” Quietly, Lieia nodded, wincing as tendrils of light enveloped Celestia. A couple of moments later, she stood there, wings stretching out as she struggled to rid her body of the now- obsolete clothing. She sighed, more at ease with her normal body and collected the clothes, depositing them on the car’s dashboard. As soon as she shut the door behind her, Lieia wrapped her hands around Celestia, pulling her in a loving hug.

“Oh, Celestia, you beautiful, beautiful princess…” She whispered as Celestia returned her affectations with a deep, loving kiss.

“I missed you so much, Lieia. Why did you not contact me? You know I always have time for you, my love.”

“I’m often busy. And, I don’t want to put you in any danger. Ayra might try to do something stupid. And I don’t really have the manpower to stage an assault on wherever she’s hiding. But enough about that. We should get some sleep.” She reached up, cranking the side window open a tad. That done, she returned to Celestia’s warm embrace. The alicorn smelled of oranges. Chocolate and oranges. She liked that smell. It was familiar. Reassuring. Calming.

Something woke her up. After the initial moment of confusion and sleepiness, she became aware of the dim light that was reflecting off Oramte. Then, she felt Celestia’s muzzle brush along her neck, the mare’s breath tickling her skin. Seemed like Celestia was up for some fun.

“Hey.” At that, Celestia froze, turning to look at Lieia, surprised.

“Y-you’re awake?”

“Am now.” She grinned, reaching over and settling her hand on the alicorn’s hip, giving the location a rub. “Any reason in particular you’re feeling me up while I’m asleep, Celly?”

“Well, I-“ She made to answer before Lieia pressed her fingers to her lips.

“Shh. You don’t have to say anything.” She chuckled softly, pulling the lust-inclined mare on top of her.

“I… We really shouldn’t… But…” A light grip at the base of her left wing is all it takes to silence her. Well, not exactly silence her, but whatever Celestia was going to say is lost amidst her incoherent moan of pleasure. That threw Lieia for a loop.

“Celestia?”

“Aaah… Yes?”

“A question, if you will. Are you a virgin, Celly?”

“I… Well… Yes.” Celestia looked away guiltily at that.

“So you’ve been holding back all the previous times?”

“Correct. What would you think if I started acting like a mare that’s with a stallion for a first time?”

“Well, I’d say that you are in need of some loving. It just so happens I’m free.” She squeezed Celestia’s wing more firmly, making the alicorn moan loudly. Lieia’s other hand started to slowly make its way downwards, slowly kneading her supple flank. That got a response from the lustful mare. With another moan, Celestia moved slowly, grinding against Lieia, her breathing becoming heavy. The alicorn buried her face in the crook of Lieia’s shoulder, moaning loudly.

“Lieiaaaaaaaah…”

“Yes…?”

“M-make love to me… Please…”

“On one condition. You don’t get a say in anything I choose to do with you. You’re. All. Mine. To play with.” There was something about Lieia’s voice that sent expectant shivers down Celestia’s spine, the woman’s eyes predatory and lustful.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, my dear.” Taking that as her cue, Lieia’s free hand crept further, crawling tentatively across the alicorn’s plot, finding Celestia’s proverbial flower and her fingers immediately slid in the dripping slit. Celestia threw back her head, nearly hitting the roof as she let loose a loud, unrestrained moan. Lieia started building up a slow rhythm, her fingers already slick with Celestia’s love juices…

“Wow… Uh… Just wow…” Lieia whispered, utterly exhausted, but satisfied. Celestia echoed that sentiment. The smell of cinnamon and pistachio hung heavily in the air.

“I don’t think that there ever will be anypony that can do quite the same things the way you do, Lieia. I am completely yours. For lack of a better word, you own me.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“There is nothing I will not do for you, my love.”

“Well, I’ll make sure not to abuse the trust you place in me, Celly.” She whispered, pressing herself against Celestia. “Well, we should get some sleep now. It’s a couple of hours ‘til sunrise.”

“Of course.” Celestia responded, slowly curling up around her, content with everything. A couple of silent moments passed.

“Celestia?”

“Yes, Lieia?”

“Thanks for coming here. I seriously needed to see you.”

“Oh, it’s quite alright, my dear.”

The rest of the night passed quietly, with the two lovers wrapped up in each other’s embrace. Celestia could feel Lieia’s mood brighten even as they drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 31

“Say it again, Lieia.”

“No. I dun’ wanna.”

“Please?” Celestia pleaded.

“You are my special somepony and I love you very much.”

“Oh, I never get tired of hearing you say that.” Celestia lay back on the large bed, giggling, experiencing a moment of vertigo as their transport ploughed on through the waves.

The two of them had reached Meridi quite swiftly, having woken up in the early hours of the morning. There, they purchased tickets aboard a liner. Of course, seeing as they were more or less full-blown royalty, they were able to acquire a first-class suite all for themselves. While waiting for the ship to arrive, Lieia took the time to take Celestia on a tour around the harbour town, showing her the huge battleships anchored offshore, the sprawling residences and factories – wherever they went, they were received with friendliness and Celestia had to admit Lieia could be very charismatic when she wanted to. So, they had spent a very interesting afternoon in Meridi. Celestia in particular enjoyed learning about Linv’s various cultures and lands. To her, it was a wealth of knowledge and she absorbed it like a sponge.

Now, they were enjoying their several hours of utter privacy to the fullest as the vessel steadily ploughed towards The Ring. As in, they had a lot of sex.

“Seriously, Cel. No more. For the day, at least.” Lieia gasped, trying to crawl away, but Celestia wasn’t having any of it.

“Oh, come on, Lieia. Just one more time.” She felt the alicorn’s teeth on her earlobe, nibbling gently, her breath tickling her cheek. Lieia sighed explosively, rolling on her back, receiving a faceful of Celestia’s sweat-matted mane for her efforts.

“I… I can’t. Not so soon. You’re wearing me out. Gimme a break, Cel.”

“Lieia, you make me feel so sexy and desirable again. I haven’t felt like that in years. Please. Just one more time.” Lieia found a hidden reserve within her and tackled Celestia, rolling the surprised mare on her back.

“Then you better be ready for this, honey.”

Celestia was content with just lying with Lieia in the mess of crumpled bedsheets, gazing in the woman’s seemingly bottomless blue eyes. At least they still had half a day left until they reached The Ring.

“So… Want to do anything, Celly?”

“I’d rather spend our time together. This ice cream isn’t going to eat itself, too.”

“So, you’re aboard a two-kilometre cruise ship and you want us to spend the day eating various desserts of each other’s bodies?” Celestia blushed at Lieia’s forward manner, but nodded.

“Well, who am I to decline such an offer?” She grabbed the tub of ice cream, brandishing a spoon in a vaguely threatening manner. “Well, then.”

“Y’know, maybe we should cut down.” Lieia muttered thoughtfully, looking at the ruined bed. Three of its legs had been broken. Most of the mattress filling had been incinerated. The pillows and blankets were mere charred scraps, covered in smears of various foodstuffs.

“I swear, this is the first time that’s happened to me, Lieia.” Celestia muttered bashfully, rubbing her forelegs together, the very image of awkwardness. Lieia’s shoulder still bore the teeth marks where Celestia had bitten her.

“Well, uh, you done busted the bed, Cel. I can pay for it, of course. Pass it off as an accident with matches or a lighter.” During their admittedly last session of lovemaking, Celestia had broken the bed in their rigours, and then set it aflame by a stream of sparks that had shot out of her horn, nearly burning Lieia’s tongue off.

“Maybe it was a bad idea to lick your horn, Cel.”

“I have no regrets about asking you to do so, my dear.”

“Well. I suppose I could just leave some credits and an apology note. For now, however…” She picked Celestia up, making the mare yelp in surprise and she pressed her against the wall, feeling Celestia’s hindlegs wrap around her waist, pressing her closer and she clamped her arms over Celestia’s shapely flanks, pulling the mare up a bit.

“Oh! Lieia!” She laughed playfully as her lover buried her face in the alicorn’s chest.

Hours later

On approach to Steel Town Harbour

The horn rang out, a deep, sonorous boom that made Celestia’s teeth rattle as she buttoned her jacket up. Lieia was already seated and ready, waiting for the ship to dock and let them disembark.

As they waited, a nervous young man respectfully knocked on the window.

“My Queen?”

“Yes? How can I help?” A young woman joined the man.

“Well, we were wondering if you could give your blessing to us. We have decided to get married.”

“Well, you could’ve gone to the ship’s captain, but okay. Let’s see if I can do something right.” She stepped out of the car, and the couple immediately knelt down in front of her.

“What are your names?”

“Marek Orikssen.”

“Altria Seyger.” The three of them had drawn quite a few stares already and Lieia looked around for a moment, letting out a soft chuckle.

“We have gathered here today to witness the union of these two young souls – Marek and Altria. Bless their hearts; they sought me out to wed them. Now rise.” The two kneeling lovers in front of her stood up, smiling. She placed her hands on their shoulders, looking at them both.

“May Ara herself bring luck to your marriage and may you both live a long and fulfilling life.” She declared, stepping back from the newlyweds as cheers arose. A small group of musicians immediately struck up a tune.

Aye’ter mo arrat, sil

Noremar telleckar, tu

Weren’ter ma sileran

Oooh, ba’day ramel’to…

The ramp hit the deck with a resounding thud and the first vehicles rolled off the cruise liner. Soon, the lanes were filled with transports of all manners.

“We’re meeting the SWAT team in High Stacks district.” Celestia paid next to no attention to Lieia, instead enraptured by the bustling city. Hovercars zoomed above them, along with personal speeders, using the nano-asphalt lanes seemingly defying the laws of gravity and physics. Big blimps were alight with advertisements, ponderously moving about in the sky as shuttles and small freighters both dropped from orbit or made a hard burn to break free from the planet’s gravity well. Wherever she looked, there was something happening. Her senses were almost overloaded with the sheer amount of things going on. She saw many aliens, some rather similar to humans, while some looked outright bizzare. The sounds, sights and smells of the proverbial boiling pot of myriad alien cultures held her attention during the entire ride.

Lieia slammed the door shut behind her, eyeing the azure unicorn trotting up to her, clad in the colours of 71st Force Recon and bearing the insignia of a Lieutenant.

“Hey, Trix.”

“Lee. I have the team ready and waiting.” Lieutenant Trixie Lulamoon responded, saluting her smartly.

“Good. They give you any trouble?”

“Nah. When they heard we’re going to be escorting two VIPs, they straightened out proper.” Celestia chose to join the conversation that moment.

“Trixie Lulamoon. How did you get here?”

“Princess? Princess Celestia?” Trixie’s eyes widened in surprise. “What’s happened to you?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“Yeah… It’s sort of a long story, princess. Remember when I caused that Ursa Minor incident in Ponyville? I kept wandering all around Equestria when Coalition found us. I managed to sneak aboard one of the freighters and run away. Long story short, the Queen here found me and pretty much saved my life. She would’ve sent me back to Equestria but I’m more or less the laughing stock back there, right?” Trixie smiled lopsidedly, magically grabbing the sidearm from her chest holster, offhandedly examining it. “So I joined the 71st.”

“She’s a pretty damn good soldier, too. She got her stripes during a joint-op with 29th Drop Rangers. Craziest thing I ever saw. But that’s a whole another story. Let’s hustle.” Trixie nodded at that, tapping her earpiece.

“Right, people. Locke, you have the civvie duds ready?”

“Affirmative, ma’am.”

“Put ‘em on, then. All of you. And remember – machine pistols and sidearms only.”

“Roger that, ma’am.”

In all honesty, she should’ve seen this coming. Daisy was a stubborn, power-greedy bitch. And a tight-fisted one at that. And, on countless occasions, she’d made it clear she’d very much enjoy Lieia hogtied in her bedroom and fuck her until cows came home, whatever that meant. Still, attacking her was a daft idea. She cringed as another bullet struck the crate she was hiding behind. Celestia tried curling up tighter. A bit further away, Trixie was taking potshots at the gang thugs Daisy’d sent after them. A bullet struck her in chest, but she was saved by the Kevlar nanoweave that made up her bodysuit. Firing off a curse, Trixie slid back into cover.

“We need somepony t’flank them!” She snarled, pawing at her back uselessly for a splinter grenade she knew wasn’t there.

“Don’t worry! I’ll do it! Fuckers won’t know what hit’ em!” Lieia called out, leaping over the small barricade. She didn’t get too far before her torso was riddled with machine gun fire at point-blank range. A hail of bullets tore through her midsection and she fell back in a puddle of her own blood. Celestia cried out in shock, but her voice caught as she saw Lieia change. Her jaw distended, letting a secondary row of sharp fangs emerge and she let out a blood-chilling howl, leaping for the machine gun-toting thug’s throat. It took her only a few moments to tear his throat out and kill him. The rest of Daisy’s thugs had the good sense to flee, valuing their lives more than the credits Daisy’d promised them.

Lieia inspected her right wrist, seeing the small slit of skin part and a grooved spine shot out, embedding itself in the wall thirty metres away. The small incision in the skin sealed up immediately, but she could feel a new spine grate against her bones, ready to be fired.

“Well, that’s definitely new.” Her bullet wounds had also sealed up by themselves, knitting the reinforced skin and flesh back together.

“That, too. I think I know who’s to blame.”

“Really?” Celestia peered over the edge of her cover, both curious and fearful.

“Yeah. I don’t want to talk about it.” Celestia noticed how Lieia’s demeanour had abruptly shifted and decided to drop the matter, for the time being.

“Trix!”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Remind me to later assemble 7th Department for a raid. Daisy’s crossed me for the last time. It’s time we put her down.”

“Understood.”

With that nerve-wracking encounter over, they resumed their excursion. Trixie and the rest of her team were spread out, so as not to draw attention to them. Celestia got the chance to sample different fiery drinks and foods; she bought quite a few good luck charms and trinkets, crafted by what few followers of Old Faith remained on Linv. All in all, they spent three exhilarating days on The Ring, complete with avoiding gang battles that seemed to happen with frightening regularity. Many a time Celestia awoke to the sounds of roaring engines and gunfire outside, as rival gangs raced through the streets in their souped-up vehicles, gunning each other down with reckless abandon, howling gleefully. But such was the life of The Ring – mad. Celestia had never felt more alive, too accustomed to the serene calmness of Canterlot – the planet-spanning construct reminded her of the more seedy Equestrian metropolises, ones she did not visit frequently. She made a mental note to do so someday.

Celestia had opted to lie down on the back seat in the Thundercharge, once more taking her normal form. She cast a longing glance at the megacity slowly shrinking in the distance behind them. The sun was slowly sinking lower and lower, painting everything in a lustrous golden. She had seen odd, borderline insane things in Steel Town. And boy, had she been enjoying her time there. As if sensing her sadness, Lieia spoke up.

“Don’t worry, Cel. Next up, we’re going to the Serriat Plains. I have something really special planned for us there.”

“It’s not that, my love. Just… I have experienced something truly new these few days. I cannot forget this feeling. I already miss the bustling streets...”

“Even the mad, raving gangs?”

“Even the gangs.”

“I think you’ll enjoy our stay at the Plains, Cel. It’ll be something you’ve never seen before. I guarantee that.”

“Couldn’t we have taken a liner again?”

“Nah. It’d take too long. This here highway goes all the way to Keypoint Junction. That’s where we need to go.”

“Oh. Okay. Makes sense, that.” A couple of silent moments passed.

“Lieia, I cannot thank you enough for doing this. Just… We haven’t had that much time together, have we? I understand you do not wish our relationship to become public and I accept that. As you said, ‘all in its own good time’.”

“Yep. Get some sleep if you want to. It’s going to be a long-ass ride ‘til we get to Keypoint.”

Chapter 32

Celestia uncoiled, trying to stretch her legs out as far as they went and she yawned. Unwillingly, she sat up, blinking in the sunlight.

“Well hello, there, beautiful.” She heard Lieia’s voice from the driver’s seat. She was eating something from a plastic box, but smiled warmly at Celestia nonetheless.

“You looked so adorable while sleeping, Celly.”

“Really?”

“Yep. C’mon. We reached Keypoint a couple of hours ago. I pulled over to catch some shut-eye at that point. Got us a bit of grub, too. Want some?”

“I suppose so. Can’t hurt.” She sat down in a more comfortable position as Lieia scooped up something with her fork and extended it towards Celestia. A big, goofy grin split her face as she leaned forwards a bit.

“Here comes the train, Celly!”

“You’re treating me like a foal, Lieia.” She grumbled, but opened her mouth anyways.

“Mmph. What is thish?”

“Rice and chips. With curry.” Celestia swallowed thoughtfully.

“I haven’t ever tasted anything like this. Is there more?”

“’f course, Cel.” She rummaged through a bag on the floor, lifting out another plastic container and passing it to Celestia.

“There ya go.” Muttering a quiet thanks, Celestia opened the tray and her nostrils quivered as a cloud of steam billowed forth, bringing with it a wave of spicy flavours.

“Hmm. That does smell rather delicious.”

“Be careful, though. It’s still somewhat hot.” The alicorn tossed the fork aside, opting to eat the somewhat-belated breakfast without it.

“There’s some stuck to your nose, Cel.” Lieia chuckled.

“Really?” Celestia dropped the tray, squinting.

“Yep.” She leaned forward, dragging her fingers across Celestia’s muzzle and showing the small clump of rice to her. Without much thinking, the white mare started licking Lieia’s fingers, her tongue curling aroung the slender appendages, her eyes never leaving Lieia’s surprised gaze. As soon as she’d finished, she pulled back, looking away shyly, embarrassed by her oddly erotic actions.

“Well, that was… strange, but a good sort of strange.”

“I have no idea what came over me.” Celestia muttered, blushing furiously.

“Nah, it’s okay.” Lieia cracked a small grin, leaning forward and planting a kiss on the alicorn’s forehead, nudging the horn with her nose for a moment. Sure, it was a small gesture, but to Celestia it told volumes that she was loved. Cared for. Appreciated.

“Now, if you’re quite done being the irresistible seductress, Cel, we should get a move on.”

“Right.” They sat quietly for a few moments before Celestia spoke up.

“Lieia?”

“Hmm?”

“Want to have sex?”

“I don’t see why not.”

And things happened.

Celestia was simply stunned. The surrounding landscape was a lush, vibrant field of undulating hills and barely noticeable depressions, while a snow-capped mountain range stood proudly in the distance. The Serriat Plains covered most of Enar state, as Lieia had explained her some time ago. Though The Ring was alight with industry, the rest of her homeworld’s surface remained relatively rural, save for the capital cities. The Thundercharge rolled slowly down the narrow dirt road. Celestia had noticed Lieia became rather somber and quiet as they progressed.

Celestia fought her unruly mane for a moment as it billowed in the wind. The sun was slowly sinking towards the horizon as Lieia stared at the burnt-out husk of a house.

“We’re just about slap-dash in the middle of Plains, Cel. Dad built this with his own funds. Whenever it was sunset, I used to climb on the roof and sit there until the sun disappeared.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah… I’d think about things and suchlike.” She muttered quietly, starting to walk slowly. Celestia fell into step at her side as Lieia approached a tree that bore a wealth of shiny red apples. She plucked two, offering one to Celestia.

“If I feel down sometimes, I come back here. Reminisce a bit in the memories of the good old days. Climb a tree. That sort of stuff.” She did so immediately, looping her legs around a branch, hanging upwards. “Anything to clear my mind. But all I ever saw was ashes and broken dreams. I couldn’t talk to anyone, either. They’d freak, thinking I’d gone crazy or soft in the head. Stuff like that.” Celestia stepped forward, softly rubbing her muzzle against Lieia’s cheek.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, Lieia. Anytime.”

“I know. I’m just one helluva stubborn jackass, right?” She grinned, swinging to and fro gently. With a grunt, she swung herself upright, landing effortlessly on her feet in front of Celestia. Her brief smile was replaced with a rather wistful expression.

“Everyone expects so much of me, Cel. It’s almost impossible to keep ‘em all happy. The Loyalists are just waiting for me to fuck up. They’d pounce immediately and wreck everything I’d worked for. Me, I’d be put up against the wall and executed.”

“But-“

“Celestia, what I committed when I went AWOL was a capital case of high treason. There’s no second chance for me. Once the war’s over or I mess up somewhere…” She dragged her thumb across her throat. “That’s that for me.”

“I will not let them. Denaros will not lay a finger on you.” Celestia interrupted heatedly, holding Lieia’s gaze firmly. “I will not let any harm befall you, Lieia.” The woman in front of her stared at her blankly for a moment before smiling gratefully.

“Thanks. Hearing you say it means a lot to me.” She leaned forward, giving Celestia a peck on the nose.

“I am with you, Lieia. For better or worse.”

Celestia opened her wings with a rustling whoomph and took off at a slow trot, eventually galloping at full speed. With a powerful flap of her wings, she took to skies, quickly gaining speed and altitude. Her joyful voice echoed slightly.

“It has been quite a long time since I’ve last flown!” Lieia’s eyes followed the agile alicorn hurtling through the slowly darkening skies. Celestia was pulling off all sorts of loops; corkscrewing, weaving and generally being awesome too look at.

“Cel, that was effing awesome!” Lieia cried out in awe, as the sonic rainboom dissippated above them and Celestia was coming in for a landing, her wings flaring as she slowed down, her hooves thudding across the ground as she came to a halt in front of Lieia, panting from the extertion, but smiling radiantly nevertheless, her mane tousled.

“Well, I could use the exercise, my dear. It does me no good to not use my wings now and then.” She nuzzled Lieia’s cheek fondly, sighing happily.

“Either way, thanks for the air show. Was real nice.”

“So, where will be going now?”

“To Maerne Lakes.”

“Do tell.”

“Well, there’s a yearly occurrence that can only be best viewed from there. I’m fairly sure you’ll enjoy it.”

“Oh, you tease. Why cannot you tell me what it is?”

“Because then it wouldn’t be a surprise, now would it, Cel?”

“I guess.” She sighed, climbing back inside the Thundercharge, Lieia joining her a moment later. The engine came to life and they continued down the road, Lieia feeling much better, having confessed to Celestia about her own fears. She would not admit this to anyone else, but Celestia always knew how to make her feel better – it was like a mountain removed from her shoulders.

“Eelah barianda, weaz’ti!”

“T’rema, minetwu’sal! Biwal’te valarin!”

“Niriaka! Soem’ra ta melera prittan’ma!” Lieia retorted, but the wizened man in front of her stood his ground, shouting back at her defiantly. A wad of paper currency was clutched in Lieia’s fist. She tried again, intending to give the ferryman half of what she had in her hand, but he shook his head furiously.

“Nera! Firenda’kir! Hul’me tarriende, sur’ta Kore Swar!” Celestia watched, speechless, as the two of them kept assaulting each other with their rapid-fire language. She could barely separate out words, let alone understand their accents – Lieia’s was more sharp and pronounced, though, her ‘e’s and ‘a’s leaping off her tongue without preamble. Eventually, though, she managed to reach a compromise with the old boatman, passing him about third fifths of what she had in her hands. They shook hands and Lieia turned to face an intrigued Celestia.

“What was that all about?”

“Haggling. I tried to keep the cost as low as possible; he had to get it as high as possible.”

“Why not just give him enough money?”

“Haggling’s in our blood, Cel. If I were to give in to what he asked so soon, it’d be an insult to his honour. And mine, too.” She climbed inside the car, starting it and slowly rolling it on the ferry. With a wheezing cough, the ancient, rickety vessel came alive, casting off and turning to slowly chug across the expansive lake, a thin string of smoke trailing from its exhaust. Soon, they were surrounded by clear blue water, a plume of foam left in their wake.

The timbers creaked under the car’s weight as they disembarked in the Thundercharge. The ferry’s owner waved cheerfully at them as they left.

Several hours later

"So, it's a yearly occurrence?" Celestia turned to the quiet woman sitting across from her.

"Yep. More or less happens on the same night, every year. You've seen meteor showers, right, Cel?" Lieia responded, pulling herself upright, turning the small yacht's engine off. The clatter of anchor being dropped momentarily drowned out everything else and Celestia waited until the clamour had subsided.

"I have indeed. But what you're telling of is quite something else. A crystal shower?" The Rebel Queen grinned crookedly.

"No one knows where they come from. Hundreds of teams have spent years probing deep space, not even using phase drives, relying on sub-light engines. And they have found squat. Billions of credits down the drain. If I had to guess, I'd say they come from Lower South-Eastern Wastes. Surveyors can never get a decent reading on ores there."

"What are the crystals used for?"

"Well, most of the chunks burn up during planetfall. But good-sized lumps remain behind. They've a very tough mineral composition, which is why we use 'em for laser focusing arrays on our warships, like Cobalts, Arcovas or Cielos. They last longer than synthetic ones, too. Logic, eh? When our technology wasn't as sophisticated as it is now, Linv was a hub for crystal merchants. Now, everyone and their dog can grow synthetic crystals. Organic ones don't provide as much punch as synthetic ones, but the molecular structure allows for the laser bolt to travel further before it starts to lose cohesion." A flicker of purple lights shimmered across the calm water.

"Oh. It’s starting now." Celestia grabbed her binoculars, focusing on the small specks in the night sky. Her breath caught as she saw the fiery shard of crystal soar through the atmosphere. Without warning, it split, sowing a glimmering sea of smaller shards in its wake.

"It's so beautiful..." She murmured, awestruck. More crystals followed, leaving criss-crosses of shimmering trails behind them. Some even collided as they fell, leaving plumes of quivering glow. She watched as a massive brute of a crystal got struck by a smaller one, punching right through. The strange trails the red-hot crystals left in air as they plummeted in every direction forever remained a vivid memory in her mind.

Two hours later, they were moving again, the last of crystals having made planetfall. The small vessel steadily cut through the water.

“That was simply a breath-taking spectacle to behold, Lieia. Thank you very much.” Lieia grinned at that.

“Nah, ‘s nothin’. It’s one helluva tourist attraction, though.” Celestia leaned closer to her, planting a kiss on her cheek.

“Well, that’s it for the day, Celly. We’ll continue tomorrow.”

“That seems reasonable.” The alicorn yawned, unable to ward off her sleepiness anymore and sat down more comfortably, settling her head on Lieia’s shoulder, slowly drifting off to sleep.

Chapter 33

Three days later

…I’ll sit and spin for a little while

If it’s the end of days

I’m goin’ out in style

Too much, too young, too fast

I’m gonna drink it up, while it lasts

Too much, too young, too fast

I’m gonna tear it up, so fill my glass…

Celestia was nodding absent-mindedly in rhythm with the song as the Thundercharge crept slowly along the snow-covered bridge. The heater was rumbling at full force, managing to keep the car’s interior relatively warm but Celestia pulled her hat down tighter, somewhat hampered by the gloves on her hands. Her task finished, she returned her attention to the mountain range in the distance. They were now well and truly in Winterhold, where snow reigned supreme.

The cold, crisp air tickled the back of her throat as Lieia inhaled deeply, a wistful sigh escaping her.

“’s been ages since I was last here.”

“Really?”

“Yep. I was only seven that time. It was Cara’s tenth birthday. Mom paid for the trip.” She scooped up a handful of snow from her car’s roof, making a small snowball, tossing it away lazily.

“I was so terrible at skiing. Always kept falling over and didn’t get any further than thirty metres before tripping.” She chuckled before opening the car’s trunk, lifting a pair of bags out, handing one to Celestia.

“So, what’ll we be doing here?”

“Skiing. Some exploring. And other stuff. S’mores at the fireplace, yo!” She laughed, motioning Celestia to follow her.

“I am not sure I feel completely comfortable with this, Lieia.” Celestia muttered, looking at the two rikstan-fibre skis attached to her boots. Naturally resilient and flexible, the wood was long-lasting and was often used in construction of sailboats, but found use in other applications of a rather wide range.

“Don’t worry, Cel. Just hold your legs apart at shoulder width and steer by leaning left or right. Are you ready?”

“Not really, no.” The backpack seemed unnaturally heavy for a moment.

“Don’t worry, Celly. I’ll stick close. Let’s go.” Lieia gave the mare-turned-woman a push and Celestia gave a small cry as she started moving downhill, slowly gathering speed. Lieia kicked off, soon coming alongside her.

“It’s really easy once you get the hang of it, y’know.” They were approaching a turn at a leisurely pace. “Remember – steer with your weight. Bend your knees a bit, lower your gravity centre some or you’ll fall over.” Celestia did as instructed and laughed giddily as the skis cut through snow.

“Have you really never gone skiing before?”

“Well, no, not really.” She dug into the snow with her poles, grunting with effort, eventually catching up to Lieia. “There is ice-skating, though. Never did try that either.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything.”

“Indeed.”

Lieia doubled over with laughter, barely managing to stand upright. Celestia tried to wipe her face clean of snow but failed miserably.

“Your legs… Th-they just… Oh, Gods, that was freaking hilarious, Cel!” Her fit of giggles resumed, stronger than before. Celestia looked helplessly at her lover from her position. “Okay… Okay. Sorry ‘bout that, Celly.” She calmed down, helping Celestia get up and reattach her skis. “Y’okay? It was quite a fall you took there.”

“I am quite alright, Lieia.”

“Sorry ‘bout that. Kinda needed a good laugh.” She pulled Celestia closer, giving her a kiss. “Let’s go. We’re almost there.”

“Where?”

“You’ll see. C’mon.” They resumed their ski trip then, the sky already tinted red by the setting sun.

“Just stick it in the snow, pull the cord and take a step back, Cel. The tent’ll do the rest.” Celestia did as instructed. Moments later, the small, orange pack twitched violently, unfolding and growing in size, clicking dryly.

“Hey, presto! We have ourselves a tent.” Lieia exclaimed, opening the entrance and tossing her backpack in there, Celestia following her inside.

“How is the floor so soft already?”

“Nanofoam. All we gotta carry with us is the heater-slash-furnace, sleeping bags, food and other odds and ends. So let’s get cozy.”

The small heater rumbled quietly, filling the tent with warmth.

“You look kinda exhausted, Celly.”

“That I am. We were trekking for a couple of hours, no?”

“Yep. On a side note, you’ve got curves to die for.” Lieia reached over to the alicorn, rubbing her hip fondly, getting a smile in return.

“You’re not hard on the eyes, either, Lieia.” The white mare shuffled closer to her, suppressing a yawn.

“You really are tired. Never mind. I’ve almost got the food ready.” Celestia nodded, laying back, her eyes never leaving Lieia as the woman hummed quietly.

“Do continue doing that, my dear.” Celestia sighed, rolling on her back, letting Lieia’s fingers access her stomach. She purred blissfully as the woman scratched her stomach.

“Are you secretly a cat, Cel?” Lieia muttered resignedly; eyeing Celestia as the alabaster alicorn rolled around on her back, all but moaning with joy.

“Well, no. But I do enjoy being cared for. And you know really well where to touch me.” Celestia bit back a gasp as Lieia’s fingers wandered further down south. Of course, her lover didn’t miss that, letting out a low chuckle. Before Celestia could say anything, Lieia resumed her teasing, her fingers now slowly kneading the mare’s thigh.

“Aa-ah.” Celestia gasped, her body going rigid. Lieia gave her a sultry grin, shuffling closer to her.

“Well… it’s a couple of minutes until the food’s ready. I’m sure we can have some fun ‘til then.”

“W-we really shouldn’t… Wh-what if I burn the tent down by accident?”

“Don’t deny it, Celly. You like it.”

“I-“

“Y’know, sometimes you’re a complete enigma to me. Other times, you’re an open book. You love the fact that I’m not obeying you. You, my dear, have a fetish for being dominated. You could’ve forced me to stop, yet you didn’t.”

“But… Oh, fine. It is true. All my ponies, they are all so small and weak, compared to me. You, however…” After Lieia said nothing, she quickly continued. “Please don’t hate me.”

“Why would I hate you, Cel? Truth be told, I’m getting ideas for some… unorthodox ways to have fun.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. It’ll have to wait ‘til later, though.” She let her fingers brush across Celestia’s marehood, making the mare shiver in anticipation.

“I cannot wait.”

“Wow. How does it work?”

“Science. As the saying goes, ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’” Lieia responded, returning her gaze to the transparent roof of their tent.

“That makes sense, I suppose.” They fell silent, looking at the northern lights lazily curving across the skies.

“The magnetic field from Oramte interferes with Linv’s. Result – some pretty damn awesome light shows that sometimes bridge the space between the two of ‘em. What’s your opinion?”

“Amazing. No other word for it. And to think I once presumed Equestria was alone in the universe. Even with the war, there is much beauty to be found, no?”

“That’s right, Cel.” Lieia whispered in return, snuggling closer to Celestia, enjoying the warmth radiated by the alicorn. Celestia’s soft, silky coat felt incredibly… soft as she gently stroked the mare’s chest.

“So… Now?” Celestia piped up.

“I guess. If it’s okay with you.”

“It’s not like I can stop you, hmm?” Celestia murmured quietly, craning her head closer to Lieia’s, letting the woman kiss her, driven by a desperate need for intimate understanding. After several tantalising seconds, Lieia moved on, her lips dancing across Celestia’s neck, coaxing out a moan from the alicorn. Lieia’s fingers were ten points of contact on her neck, soft yet supple, kneading her neck.

“Ooooh… L-Lieiaaahh…” She moaned, feeling desire burn brighter within her. The woman in question didn’t hurry, however, slowly, teasingly making her way downwards – past her withers down to her chest. Every kiss earned her a chord of vocal approval from Celestia. “P-please don’t stop.”

“Wasn’t intending to.” Lieia answered quietly, her hand reaching around Celestia’s back, her fingers sinking in the alicorn’s plumage, threading gently through the well-groomed feathers. Immediately, Celestia went stiff as a board, whimpering, barely restraining herself from screaming, prompting Lieia to hastily pull her arm back.

Holy shit.

“N-no, keep going!” Celestia cried out, panting.

“Wait. So you aren’t in pain?”

“Well, no. That was a very, uh… sensitive area. R-right between my wings.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, then.”

“Y-you’re not going to do that anymore?” Celestia pouted, looking at Lieia pleadingly.

“I could. But I’m not going to.”

“W-why?”

“Because that takes the fun out of it, Celly.”

“O-out of what?”

“Making you beg.” Lieia’s voice took on a darker, more commanding tone that both shocked and delighted Celestia, though at the moment she was particularly aroused and was in no mood to beat around the bush, so to speak. She let out a frustrated whinny.

“Lieia!”

“Ah-ah-aaah! You didn’t say the magic word.” Her eyes shone intensely.

“But-“

“Beg.”

An order. Now that was something of a novelty - something Celestia hadn’t heard in a very long time. And did it send her heartbeat skyrocketing. Not that she would ever admit it to anypony. Well, maybe to Lieia.

“Please. I beg of you, Lieia.” For added effect she flattened her ears against her head, her lower lip quivering. Apparently that did the trick, since Lieia grinned almost-maliciously, her fingers once more digging into the spot right between her wings. Immediately, Celestia went rigid again, her whimpers of pleasure music to Lieia’s ears. Already, she could feel the warmth take hold between her legs and she rubbed them together reflexively, turned on as she was by the alicorn’s moans. By Gods, Celestia was so easy to work up. Her breathless gasps did start to worry Lieia after a while and she stopped. Celestia immediately went limp, panting.

“K-keep going, Lieia… Please.”

“If I do, you’ll pass out from lack of oxygen. Get your breath back.”

“I… Okay.” A couple of moments passed before Celestia had recollected herself, her breathing now more even and the alicorn got up, turning around, offering herself to Lieia.

“Don’tcha think that’s sort of unromantic, Cel? Sticking your ass into my face? I have to say, though, it’s a nice ass.”

“At this point, I couldn’t care less, Lieia.” Celestia muttered, her tail whisking about impatiently. A thin line of driplets were visible where she’d lain previously as Lieia got to her knees, shuffling closer to Celestia’s rear, once more getting a faceful of the mare’s tail.

“Gah, stop that.” Acting more decisively, she pushed the mass of hair out of her face, dragging her tongue along Celestia’s dripping slit. The alicorn in question moaned, calming down a bit. Encouraged, Lieia licked again, her fingers sinking a bit in Celestia’s supple flanks.

“Oh, YES!” Celestia all but screamed, her wings flaring.

“Aren’t you worked up something fierce, huh?” All she got was a whimper in response and she chuckled, leaning in closer, beginning to pick up her pace. She let her tongue and lips dance all over Celestia’s marehood. The taste of cinnamon did eventually made her tongue go numb and she had to take a break. Pulling her tongue out proved to be a tad complicated – Celestia’s walls kept trying to hold the writhing muscle inside.

Celestia collapsed, moaning and shivering, her coat glistening with sweat.

“W-why’d you stop…?”

“My tongue’th numb. You tathe like thinnamon.” Lieia muttered, her chin smeared with Celestia’s love juices.

“Oh…?”

“Yeth. You’re very thpicy.” Celestia blushed as Lieia kissed her, tasting herself on the woman’s lips.

“Ah. Well, uh… I’m inclined to agree with you.”

“Mmh. You’re tathy, though.” Lieia leaned away, grabbing a bottle of water, taking a gulp. “Right, I’m okay. So how about you lie down on your back? I have more access that way.” Celestia did as instructed, but felt terribly exposed as Lieia got to her knees. She could feel the woman’s warm breath on her needy, inflamed sex and she stirred impatiently.

“Calm down, you’ll get yours.” Her lover muttered, her face inches away from her crotch.

That was when Celestia’s patience finally ran out. With a snarl, she reached down with her forelegs, forcing Lieia’s face in her groin.

“Damn it, Lieia! Stop foaling around and make me cum!”

Well, now.

No rest for the horny, it seemed.

Chapter 34

Oh, well.

She’d screwed around for too long. Celestia deserved to get some, uh… release.

Wrapping her fingers around the needy alicorn’s hips, she dove in, for lack of a better word. Instantly, Celestia’s hindlegs twitched wildly as she screamed in relief.

“OH, BUCK YES!” No longer held down by Celestia, Lieia was able to slip her fingers inside Celestia’s marehood, making the alicorn whimper as she tried to move about. Her tongue was soon numb again from the intense tang of cinnamon, but that’d become irrelevant by this point. Every thrust of her fingers, every flick of her tongue made Celestia writhe with pleasure.

That’s right, Celestia, let it all out.

“Ah! O-oooh! Nnnnh! Ah! Lieia! I-I’m so close!” Celestia cried out, feeling a pressure increasing within her body. Once she was a hair’s width away from reaching her climax, Lieia slowed down, depriving the alicorn of much-needed release.

“Llieiaa-ah… Wha-what’s w-wrong?” The woman in question chuckled softly, examining the large puddle of Celestia’s juices soaking the mattress.

“Nothing. I’m just having a go at taming you.”

“W-what do you m-mean?”

“Just a bit of fun.”

“Please. Don’t toy with me so, love…” Celestia whimpered, but all she got from Lieia was a sultry grin.

“Quiet down.” The notion of being so cruelly tempted threatened to bring tears to Celestia’s eyes and the alicorn failed to stifle a sob. Immediately, Lieia crawled forward, kissing Celestia.

“Hey, now. Don’t get upset. I’m just messing about.”

“L-Lieia, you know I would do anything for you. Why cannot you treat my feelings seriously?”

Shit, this was getting downright depressing now.

“Celestia, you know I’ll finish what I started. And I didn’t mean to upset ya.” With that, she crawled backwards and resumed her ministrations. Immediately, Celestia calmed down some, letting out a satisfied moan. Once more finding her rhythm, Lieia got busy with tending to Celestia. Pretty soon, the alicorn’s lustful moans were the only thing she heard. She found a strange sort of pleasure in seeing the muscles in the alicorn’s abdomen tense and twitch, her long, white legs fidgeting like crazy.

“Oh! Aah! Nnnnh!” Celestia’s cries rose in volume and pitch as she once more neared her climax. Her wings started to beat wildly, sending several loose feathers whirling around the tent. “I’m! So! Close!” She all but screamed, feeling the pressure build up again. It was like a fire within her, waiting to be released. And only Lieia could set it free.

Don’t worry, Celestia. Let me take care of you.

The alicorn’s love juices were a spicy, yet sweet nectar to her lust-addled senses and she drank all of it up. How the hell she managed to secrete that much liquids was somewhat of a mystery, though.

“Agh!” Celestia let out something between a scream, a grunt and a moan. Her cum splattered across her lover’s face. And again. And again, as Celestia rode out the paroxysms of her orgasm. Quickly, she started lapping it up, coaxing out every last shred of the alicorn’s climax.

"Ah! Oh! Aah! Yes! Yeeeessss...!" Celestia let out a low, prolonged moan, her wings going completely rigid. Lieia continued tending to her flower the whole time...

Celestia tried to stop her teeth from chattering as Lieia kicked the burning remains of their tent downhill, scattering snow and sparks everywhere.

“F-fuh-fuck!” The shivering alicorn stammered, wrapping her wings tighter around her. Lieia tiptoed over to her backpack – she’d had the foresight to toss it out when Celestia’d set the tent on fire – and stared surprisedly at the foul-mouthed alicorn. A couple of rogue sparks leapt from her horn.

“Well, fuck me sideways, Cel. Y’actually cursed.”

“S-so w-w-what? I’m f-f-f-freezing my a-ass off!”

“Gods have come to reap the sinners, Cel. Stop cursing.”

“F-fuck no! I-it’s my f-fault the tent’s trashed!” Lieia tsk’ed, pulling out a spare tent from her belongings and set it down, pulling the cord to expand it.

“I’m so going to Hell when I die.”

“H-huh?”

“I’ve been a corrupting influence on you all this time, Cel. ‘s only a matter of time before you start smoking and drinking, too. Shit. Shoulda kept my mouth shut.” She stepped back, collecting the clothes scattered across the snow, waiting as the new tent finished transforming. Soon as it was done, Celestia rushed inside, shivering uncontrollably, Lieia hot on her heels, dragging their belongings inside.

“Okay. We should tone it down next time, right, Cel? I don’t have any more tents with me.”

“But I’ve yet to return the favour, Lieia.”

“Oh, uh… it’s already a bit too late for that.”

“Oh?”

“I, uh…” Lieia pointed to her stained underpants and the gears turned over in the alicorn’s head as she smelled pistachio.

“Ah. I see. Well…” She was cut off as Lieia pulled her close, kissing her gently and she didn’t resist as she moaned into the kiss. After a couple of moments, Lieia pulled back, smiling.

“Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are, Cel?”

“Many times. And I will never grow tired of hearing you say that.”

“Really?” Lieia’s trademark grin made a short appearance.

“Yes. Because I love you. I will always love you, Lieia. No matter what happens, you will always be in my heart.”

“I’d say the same, but I don’t have a heart.” Celestia chuckled softly at that, kissing Lieia. “Well, a physical heart. I still love ya. I just try not to get overly sappy.”

“Aww, what’s wrong with that, my dear? You, for example, are like the sun to my heart.” Celestia frowned confusedly before continuing. “If there were organ-stars. Metaphorical organs, I mean. Having a star inside me would be too hot to survive.” Lieia looked at her surprisedly. Celestia sighed.

“…you warm my heart is what I’m getting at.” Lieia giggled, placing a kiss on the alicorn’s forehead.

“That’s why I love you, Celly.”

“Why?”

“Because you were so timid, shy and awkward back on Equestria. Now, you’re confident and decisive. I miss the old you.”

“The old me’s still here, Lieia. I just have to put up a strong front. Nowadays, my ponies look even more often to me and Luna for guidance, seeing as I am an ally of yours. They are nervous. Many do not understand why I have joined the Rebels.”

“Well, you will have my help regarding any trouble. I’ll send ships to Equestria and have the orbital defences bolstered.”

“Lieia, it’s not that.”

“The what’s the problem?”

“The nobles think that I joined the Rebellion merely because I love you. They think that I am letting my feelings for you influence my decisions.” The woman’s features seemed to harden for a moment.

“Is that true, then?” Her voice had a razor-sharp edge to it and Celestia understood she had to tread carefully. Lean too strong to one side and she would be lying to herself and her ponies. Lean other way, however and she would lose Lieia forever. She would be alone. Again. As she had been for many millennia.

“I may not be the Element of Honesty, Lieia, but I know you are no liar. Ayra Alexi is a traitor. The Loyalists have grown meek and complacent behind their fortress worlds. The fact that the Vasari defectors choose solely to join the Rebels, not the Loyalists speaks for itself. Your cause is just. And I know you will lead us to victory. You are the only one I love, true. But I would not have joined you if I had any doubts.” Her voice fell silent as Lieia’s scrutinising gaze bored deep into her, making her feel very, very small and very, very insignificant. There was no secret that remained hidden from the Rebel Queen. Celestia could feel fear taking hold in her heart, but Lieia smiled after a couple of moments, her dark blue eyes full of warmth and love.

“I believe you, Cel.” Their lips met one more and Celestia was glad for that. Lieia believed her and that was enough for her. The woman in question yawned widely, curling up against Celestia, letting out a soft chuckle as the alicorn’s brilliant white wings wrapped around them.

“Lieia?”

“Hmm?”

“I don’t usually say this, but… good night.”

“Good night to you too, Celly.” Lieia whispered, slowly drifting off to sleep. After a couple of moments, however…

“Lieia?”

“Yes?”

“I do believe you have tamed me. But only because I let you to.”

“We’ll have to see about that later.”

Two days later

The dry, popping noises made Lieia sigh with relief as she worked out the kinks in her spine. Celestia had put a simple charm on herself to ward off the biting cold and was rolling around in the snow, giggling. She claimed she needed a bath and the molten snow was a suitable substitute for her. The alicorn’s joyful laughing reached her ears and she smiled. After a couple of minutes, she’d prepared some late breakfast, just as Celestia came back inside, wings slightly damp from snow water. Her face was a flush red from the exertion as she shook her mane clear.

“That’s better. I feel much cleaner now. What’s for breakfast, my dear?”

“Nothing much, really. Some sandwiches. Coffee an’ tea. Methinks we should head back today, so we can go to Araek and Tikai later.” She passed the tea thermos to Celestia.

“I agree, Lieia. If I see another mountain eagle, it’ll be too soon.” Celestia muttered, sipping on her tea. The nerve-wracking encounter with the huge bird at Dockclaw Pass had left her unnerved. It had been dogging them for several hours as they had explored the mountains.

Heh. Exploring mountains.

Oh, goodness, she was really getting worse. Lieia was right.

Anyways… they were now slowly but decidedly making their way back to Hightask Cliff, where they’d started out three days earlier. Their backpacks now much lighter – in large degree because of Celestia’s pyromaniac tendencies – they skied across the vast, picturesque valleys and hills. Still, Celestia was hampered by the thin air. Lieia, however, had no problems in that regard, bolstered as she was by her canned supply of air that conveniently resided inside of her ribcage. Whenever Celestia became woozy, they would kiss as Lieia filled her lungs with air as she did so until she was clear-minded enough to proceed.

…Spent all of my life breaking all the rules

Stepping out of line, the streets are my school

Can’t get enough, all the good time

Down and live it up, while stand alive…

Once again, Celestia was treated to the majestic sight of Tirian mountain range as the Thundercharge slowly made its way downhill.

“So, that’s that. Next, it’s going to be a visit to the Araek Desert, where dunes and sand reign supreme.” Celestia fidgeted around in her seat, overcome with a strange sort of excitement. Whatever awaited her, it could not happen too soon.

Chapter 35

“Celestiaaaa…” Lieia’s voice, low and sultry, reached the alicorn’s ears as her lover wrapped her arms around the mare’s shoulders, cradling her caringly as she drew the expectant alicorn in a deep, loving kiss.

“Mmmmmmmmhh…” Celestia responded, moaning into the kiss. Her legs – no, her whole body - felt weak and unresponsive as she eagerly submitted to Lieia’s caress. Several minutes later, Lieia drew back. A couple of strands of saliva bridged the gap between their lips, but Celestia broke those as she leaned up, their lips making contact again, a desperate moan leaving her as Lieia held back. The tantalising gap was mere millimetres wide and she stirred impatiently, eager beyond reasoning to be kissed again, desperate to feel her lover’s soft, warm lips pressing against hers.

“Please, Lieia… Keep doing that.” She pleaded as Lieia rubbed her cheek gently.

“Okay, okay… I just need to catch my breath.” A minute later, the blessed contact was made again, yet Lieia couldn’t stop herself from teasing Celestia. She would start at the alicorn’s chest, biting gently into the supple flesh, then continuing upwards along her neck, planting slow, deliberate kisses and bites, each and every one of them coaxing either a moan or a gasp out of Celestia. Then, she would slowly, tantalisingly kiss her way up to the corner of Celestia’s lips, lingering there. Celestia would flick her tongue out, trying to draw her lover into a kiss. Eventually, though, Lieia would acquiesce and kiss her. This time, she kept their lips together for the best part of half an hour. After a while, though, their world tilted slightly sideways and Celestia clung to Lieia a bit tighter. The airliner was making course corrections, she presumed. They’d spent only three hours aboard the aircraft and already they were almost at Northlight, the main trading outpost of Araek’s inhabitants. Lieia had been secretive and terse about what they’d be doing during their time in Araek, despite Celestia often ambushing Lieia in an attempt to get a clue or suchlike out of her.

“You’ll see.” Those two words were what Lieia always repeated, a sly, yet warm smile on her face. And then she would launch into a completely unrelated story. Every time, she wore a sad, longing smile on her face - the war was definitely taking a toll on her.

Celestia conjured a wide-brimmed hat, placing it atop her head as she followed Lieia. The sun was beating down mercilessly on this part of Linv. The skies were crystal clear. Lieia had explained to her earlier that the frequency of the crystal showers over Araek prevented any definite weather patterns consolidate above the desert continent. Life here relied utterly on the irrigation channels that drew on water from the oceans and seas surrounding it. That and the crystal trade.

The houses were all mostly white-coloured, with black solar panels starkly standing out on their roofs and the hillsides. Celestia found it amusing to see solar power being used like that – why hadn’t she thought of this? This could really help boost their economy! Making a mental bookmark to invest some of their budget into solar panels, she followed Lieia into the bustling city.

It never ceased to amaze her – the simple and the sophisticated coexisting in the Coalition – simple folk like farmers and blacksmiths offering their wares alongside off-world merchants bringing advanced equipment that would be of use to live in the desert environment. Celestia cantered up to a young shy boy, his tanned face creasing into a smile once he saw his potential customer and he bowed to her.

“Salaam alaykum.”

“Oh, uh… hello, little one.”

“Would you like to buy something?”

“What do you have to offer, then?” That got a grin out of the young merchant and he hefted several bags and backpacks from under his table. At that, Celestia nodded understandingly.

“Ah. Those could be useful. I’ll take two.” That earned her another white-toothed grin as the young boy set to modify the straps. Immediately, Celestia understood what he was doing – he was adapting the two bags for her to use as impromptu saddlebags. He was sharp-eyed, this one. Once he was done, he slung them over her back, cinching the straps around her waist. Stepping back so she could inspect his handiwork, he waited. After a few moments, finding nothing out of place or uncomfortable, she nodded, satisfied.

“How much will it be?”

“Sixty-five credits.” She nodded again, passing a hundred-credit chip to him.

“Keep the change.” She could swear his grin got even bigger as he bowed low to her.

“Many thanks for this generous gift!”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I have you to thank for these nice saddlebags. It was quite ingenious handiwork you did.”

“Inshallah, they will serve you well.”

“Indeed. Well, thank you again, young one. Goodbye.”

“Come again soon!” She chuckled softly, turning away, seeking Lieia out in the bustling crowd.

She found the woman in question quite close. She’d watched the exchange between the boy and the princess with a warm, amused smile the whole time.

“Bought something, I see.” She eyed the saddlebags.

“Quite so.” Celestia nodded in response, feeling quite proud of herself.

“We’ll need those, methinks.”

“Lieia, you are such a tease. Why cannot you tell me what’ll we be doing here?”

“Patience, my dear.” Lieia chuckled softly, tapping Celestia’s nose once before motioning her to follow. After half an hour, they had bought some supplies Lieia deemed necessary, stuffing them into the alicorn’s saddlebags.

The alicorn eyed the large vehicle. Its big, ribbed tyres seemed like they could chew her up in moments.

“It’s been modified for desert – a nitrogen-cooled V10, heavy-duty chassis, reinforced hull… and then some, like food and water and medical supplies. And you’re driving.”

“What?” That jolted Celestia out of her reverie and she looked at Lieia, surprised.

“Yep.”

“But I have no idea how to drive it!”

“Then I’ll teach you, Celly.”

“I guess I should change to my human form, then.”

“You can do that later, when we’re out and about, Cel.”

“Ah. Very well, then.” Opening her wings, she hovered over to the passenger side door, opening it and crawling inside, settling down somewhat comfortably. Moments later, the modified vehicle creaked and rocked a little as Lieia climbed up, taking the driver’s seat. After strapping herself in place, she started the engine and Celestia clung to her seat as the big vehicle gently lurched forward.

Celestia winced at the bright glitter of the recently-fallen crystal shards. Though charred and covered in soot, they had been cleaned by the sandstorms that swept across Araek and now shone in the sunlight. They’d come across several explorer teams who were busy excavating the half-buried shards and loading them onto trucks.

They were atop a large, yet smooth dune when Lieia stopped. She turned to Celestia, a grin on her face.

“Well, I think it’s high time you learned to drive stick.”

“A-are you sure about this?”

“Totally. C’mon. Do your magic thing.” She climbed into the cargo bed of their vehicle, seeking out a bottle of water and waited as the truck’s cabin was filled with golden light. Once it faded, she saw Celestia, fur-less and wing-less, no longer an alicorn, donning her clothes.

“Okay. That’s that, then.” She soon was finished with her apparel and tentatively sat down in the driver’s seat as Lieia sat down at her side.

“First, strap in.” She did as instructed.

“Now, there are three pedals, the handbrake, the steering wheel and the gear lever.” Lieia pointed to the items in question.

“First, depress the clutch.” Celestia mashed down on the pedal in question.

“Now, put it in the first gear, like so.” She pushed the lever into the position.

“And now, release the clutch. Gen-“ She was interrupted as the truck lurched forwards violently, its engine dying immediately.

“Gently!” Lieia cried out, almost slamming face-first into the dashboard. Celestia flinched, sitting ramrod-straight.

“What’d I do?”

“You killed the engine, that’s what. Now, take it easy this time. Depress the clutch and start the engine. Then, release the clutch. Slowly.”

“O-oh-okay. I’ll try.”

“There’s no pressure, Cel. Take your time…” Lieia responded, leaning back in her seat, humming quietly. The soothing tones helped Celestia to calm down somewhat and she did as instructed. Though still somewhat jarringly, she managed to move the truck. The vehicle gathered speed as she finally released the clutch, rolling downwards the dune.

“Now, depress the clutch, put it in second gear and release the clutch. Gently.” Once more, she followed Lieia’s instructions and chuckled once the vehicle began to move forwards faster.

“Hah. I’m driving!”

“Indeed you are, Celly.” Lieia grinned, taking a long gulp from her water bottle. As she did so, Celestia could not help but notice a drop of water that slipped past Lieia’s lips, slowly trailing down her jaw, then her neck, before disappearing in the woman’s ample cleavage. Shaking her head to get rid of some rather unneeded thoughts, she returned her attention to driving.

The windshield crackled as it self-polarised, dimming the glare of the setting sun. Celestia brought the truck to a standstill, cutting the engine and stretched out her arms, yawning widely as she did so.

“Well. That’s that for today.” Lieia spoke, climbing on top of the truck’s roof, waiting as Celestia did the same. There, they sat, quietly watching as the sun slowly slipped beneath the horizon, just as Oramte peered over the edge. Celestia felt Lieia’s arm wrap around her shoulders as she rested her head on Celestia’s shoulder, letting out a thoughtful ‘hmm’.

“It’s quite beautiful, Lieia – seeing both the sun and the moon at the same time.”

“Yep. Such sights are quite rare on Linv. You need to be just in the right place, just in the right time to see it happen.”

“So, that was what you wanted to show me?”

“Among other things.” Lieia leaned closer, gently kissing Celestia. “But that’ll have to wait for tomorrow. Let’s get some sleep.” As they got busy with setting up their campsite, Lieia spoke again. “By the way… you did well today, Cel.” The short compliment made the mare-turned-woman smile for a moment as they secured the tent to the ground with weights near the truck.

“If it’s anything like the deserts on Equestria, I presume it’s going to get really cold at night.”

“Yep.”

“Ah.” Their conversation ended as Lieia unloaded some of their stuff from the truck, covering its cargo bed afterwards.

“So, how about you don’t burn our tent down this time, Cel?”

“I think it’s unlikely to happen this time, Lieia.”

“Just makin’ sure…” The woman lay down on her mattress, yawning. Moments later, Celestia joined her, still in her human form as she snuggled up to Lieia. She felt Lieia’s arms, gentle yet strong, wrap around her shoulders as they embraced, and she felt utterly safe and protected with her lover. The soft hissing of sand as it moved and shifted served to lull her into sleep and they both had fallen asleep within ten minutes as Oramte once more began its trek across the skies.

Omake - Tea Time With A God

Alikera set the cup down, smiling at Twilight.

“This is a very tasty tea, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Thank you!” The purple unicorn smiled.

“So, you are the town librarian, yes?”

“Indeed! I have the biggest collection outside the Royal Archives in the Canterlot Castle!” Alikera smiled.

“Do you have any novels to read?”

“You mean like fiction?”

“Exactly.”

“That’s madness! Why would you read something that’s not true and proven?”

“Entertainment, Twilight Sparkle. I have always said one’s imagination is one’s greatest asset. Let me tell you about Wer’Ghan the Librarian.”

“The Librarian? You’ve got my attention, Alikera.”

“Very well.” The quiet Asahi’s wings twitched as she sat down more comfortably.

“There were many of us eons ago. I was in command of the fleets. Korgal was always busy managing our worlds, with a wide flock of clerks and assistants. No one was suffering under their guidance. Tala’Hiri the Shadowsong was a musician without compare. She could compose the most stirring musical pieces. Nell-Tiray, quirky little Tala’s mother, was our leader. She was an honest, just leader. She never boasted her accomplishments. But I digress.” She sipped some more tea from her cup.

“Wer’Ghan was in charge of our entire written works. Blueprints. Maps. History books. Everything we knew or wrote down. And his most valued possessions were his novels, though the term ‘endless chronicles’ comes to mind. He had such an imagination, such flair for writing. Even the smallest idea he got, he turned to realising it with such passion. He would write breath-taking tales of bravery, epic adventures of ages beyond and worlds unknown that would leave you wanting to read more. He would create characters, pit them against insurmountable odds, and have them emerge victorious. He paid such attention to details, even the smallest ones. He believed strongly in a happy ending.”

“Where did he keep them all?”

“Otherworld. A planet that was his home and his domain. He kept everything he wrote there. Imagine, if you will, a world of libraries. Tall, magnificent buildings that held the knowledge of our entire race.” Twilight was practically drooling by this point.

“A world… of libraries?”

“It would warm Wer’Ghan’s heart to meet you. Alas, none have seen him for many, many years. We fear that he and Otherworld are gone, though there is no proof to that. I hope that, someday, we may find him again.” She stood up, holding out her hands in front of her.

“I have a parting gift for you, Twilight Sparkle, if you would accept one from me. One of Wer’Ghan’s writings.” She conjured a thick tome in front of her, handing it to the dumbstruck unicorn.

“I sincerely hope you will enjoy it. I must leave now. There are fleets to marshal. Troops to move. Planets to liberate. I hope I will meet you again, Twilight Sparkle of Equestria. Farewell.” Twilight lifted her eyes from the tome in her hooves, but Alikera had already disappeared.

The Asahi’s words echoed in her mind and she reverently opened the old book, seeing the strange alien sigils change shape, until she recognised the language.

Equish.

I was but a simple worker when my life was destroyed. I had a good life. I had a nice girl I was planning to propose to. And then the Aal’Tharian Sovereigns attacked…