(A1) - Finale: Past Regret

No Glory Won

Act 1 Finale: Past Regret.

“It never leaves you permanently, but sometimes, you can make the effects of it diminish for a small time. And that is the best you can ask for.”

Prespective: Sunshine Tempest

Night Light looks Broken I thought to myself. She had a very sorrowful, guilt-ridden expression smitten across her features. Now I felt guilty for even trying to talk about this in the first place.

I scooted closer and embraced her gently. She sniffles in my into my mane, just above my withers. “I am so sorry you had to through the pain that you did.” She whispered.

“No don’t be sorry, I am sorry. I’m sorry I tried talking about this in the first place.” I softly apologized.

We just sat together, holding each other in silence, as if for dear life. I looked out towards the western horizon, thanking myself for being able to experience such a moment like this in the first place. The war was devastating to most ponies, both physically, mentally, and emotionally. It had not been kind on the princesses either, I can only imagine.

But it was done. The war is over. And Harmony is here once again. It’s almost like nothing happened. I believe that’s what everyone is trying to hope for, at least. Like nothing ever happened over the past 7 years. If only it was that simple. I looked to the west, finding the sun dipping below the horizon. It painted the sky with an Amber hue.

“It’s late. Maybe we should call it a night. That sounds better, in my opinion.” I suggested.

Night light rubbed her eyes with her wings and sniffled softly. “Yeah, that… that does sound nice.” She looked up to my eyes. I couldn’t help but gaze and admire how beautifully green her eyes were.

We kissed. Gods, I missed this. It felt like heaven after going through hell on earth. We parted lips after what felt like forever and gazed each other once more.

“You know what I wanted to tell you when I wanted to write back to you?” I asked her coyly.

“Mm, what’s that?” she hummed happily.

“I was fighting for you. For us. I was fighting for the small, yet burning hope that I would see you again.”

We kissed again, more heavily this time. She moaned and embraced me tighter, knocking me down to my back upon the soft cloud. Night light then began to softly nibble my neck.

Maybe we could stay up here a little longer.

I woke up to the bright sun glaring directly at my eyes in my comfortable cloudy bed, shimmering through the small window slit. I sat up with a groan and stretched my wings, basking the comfortable warm feeling tingling down my spine. My frizzy mane fell down across my face.

I suddenly smelled bacon.

It didn’t take me long to hover out of bed and make my way downstairs. I was greeted with the sights and sounds of Night Light cooking breakfast in the kitchen. I sat down in one of the dining room chairs, watching her cook.

“You woke up just in time. You looked very peaceful, so I didn’t bother you. Breakfast is almost ready.” Night Light spoke, without turning to look at me.

“I can’t remember the last time I had bacon. It feels like it’s been forever.”

Night Light giggled. “I figured the war had not been kind on you, at least in the aspect of how tasty your food was. Or rather, how tasteless it was.”

“It was rather bland. But it was filling at least. Hay and Veggies were not bad, nutritionally speaking.”

“Well, I have something even better; Homemade waffles with Syrup, Bacon, Toast, and some Milk.”

“Mm, definitely better. I forgot how great your cooking was.”

“Well then, how about I refresh your memory?” Night hovered in the air and placed a plate of delicious-looking food on the cloud table. I savored the smell, and ever so slowly begin to bite down on the crispy, yet chewy pieces of bacon.

Perfect.

“This is… really good.” was all I said, as I continued to munch down.

“You really think so?”

“Oh yes! This is the best plate of food I’ve ever had in ages. Seriously, thank you Night.” Night blushed furiously, but she was obviously glad I liked it, because she embraced me warmly afterward.

“Oh, I thought you might like it. Didn’t think you would be this ecstatic about it though.”

“You kidding? All I ate regularly during my time out there were Hay, Veggies and an assortment of other bland, tasteless foods. This is, literally, the best plate of food I had in years!”

Night couldn't help but whinny in joy. It didn’t take her long to get her own plate of the same food, and it only took me about 5 minutes before I was finished with my plate first, leaving me immensely satisfied and full of food. I took on the chore of clearing the plate of scraps myself, as a way of thanking Night for her cooking. As I was continuing to wash my plate, Night trotted next to me, intent to do the same with hers.

“I figured I would have to reward you for your… service.” Night smiled, blushing furiously.

“My service? Well, I think serving me breakfast is a perfect way to come home from service.” I then caught her “it was a joke” look on her face, raising an eyebrow at me.

“I meant last night, Sunshine.” Night coyly replied, whipping her tail against my flank, emitting an “Eep” noise from me.

“O-oh. T-that kind of service. R-right.” I stuttered. “W-well, I try my best, don’t I?”

Night laughed. It was a euphoric, yet soothing laugh, one that put me at ease. And eventually, I joined her.

“How about…” Night then placed a hoof on my right-wing. “I show you…” she was whispering into my ear, making me tingle and shudder. “What I can do?” she concluded with her hoof trailing down from my wing to my upper flank. My wings poofed open widely, making me blush even more. Night Light giggled, and placed a hoof under my chin, making me look at her beautiful features. I leaned forward for a kiss.

Then there was a knock. Both of our heads turned towards the door.

“Um... who is that?” I asked as Night Light trotted to answer the door.

"I don't know... hold on." she replied. As she was walking, I couldn’t help but stare and admire her flank. There was another series of knocks.

“I’m coming, give me a moment.” Night light called out to the door. She reached a hoof out and opened the door. I trotted near Night to see who it was. 2 Ponies, both of them pegasi stallions, wearing a black tux like suit and black aviator glasses, were standing at the door.

“Is this the residence of… “ One of the stallions reached into his suit pocket, pulling out a small piece of paper. “Night Light and Sunshine Tempest?”

“Yes, it is.” Night answered.

“Both of you are requested by Equestrian High Command to ride a chariot to Canterlot immediately. There are some ponies who wish to speak to you.”

Me and Night both gazed at each other, clearly confused by the sudden change of events.

“Why? Who would want to speak to us?”

“Somepony important. We are not required to answer all of your questions. We highly encourage you to ride the chariot at once.” They spoke in a calm and monotone manner.

“And what if we say no?” I asked. Night looked at me, worry etched on her face.

“That would be unwise. This is all we can tell you. You are required to follow our orders, or you will be forced to Canterlot. One way or another.”

I eyed the suspicious individuals up and down. I managed to get a good look at one of their cutie marks. It was a paper with incoherent writing on it, that was near a closed lock.

“I can see the reason why you wouldn’t comply with our orders.” One of the ponies spoke again. It was creepy how identical they sounded. “But if you refuse, we are authorized to use… unorthodox methods, to take you to Canterlot. However, we do not wish to perform such methods, and we encourage you to follow our instructions.”

“Maybe we should listen.” Night whispered cautiously.

I was getting bad vibes and tingles in my mane from these ponies. I couldn’t help but grimace. But, Night Light was willing to cooperate, so me disagreeing probably wouldn’t be the best course of action.

“Alright, I’ll play along.” I finally answered. One of the ponies looked at Night, waiting for her answer.

“I’ll come too.”

“Excellent.” One of the ponies blankly spoke. “Please follow us. The chariot is waiting outside.”

We walked outside of our home and found a royal Chariot, clearly from Canterlot, waiting for us parked in front of our house. I was still anxious, but they didn’t seem to be threatening. Just… Creepy. We embarked the Chariot, and it instantly began to take off, the pegasi visitors flying close behind us. The chariot turned Eastbound, intent for Canterlot.

“Who are these ponies?” I whispered to Night.

“I don’t know. I don’t know what’s happening.” I unfurled a wing, and draped it over her back, intent on comforting her. Something tells me that this isn’t the end of it.

Not by a long shot.

The ride to Canterlot didn’t last long, less than 2 hours at least. We arrived at the sight of the beautiful castle city on the mountain face, the tall spire of the princess’s castle clearly visible. The Agent Ponies following behind us didn’t seem to close or open the distance between us, as they continued to escort us.

When we arrived, we slowly descended downward. I remember myself being in the Ruby Mountains and remembered how gracefully Princess Luna’s Skywagon descended. This chariot was no different, except it looked clearly different than Luna’s Skywagon did.

We touched down, and the side doors opened. I looked at Night, who had a flash of remembrance on her face as well. The Agent Ponies landed softly beside us. One of them spoke.

“Night Light, you will follow Agent #2 here. He will guide you to your next location. Sunshine, you will follow me.”

“Wait wait, what? We never agreed to be separated!” I grabbed Night’s hoof, assuring my point.

“We ordered you to board the chariot to Canterlot, where High Command Ponies will speak to you. We never said you would do it together. And you have no choice. You already complied with our first order. If you fail to comply again, we will use those Unorthodox methods we’ve mentioned earlier.”

“Forget it, I’m not being separated from Night again, after 7 years of Hell!” I yelled.

“Sunshine, please. Just listen. It’s okay.” Night attempted to calm me down.

“No, it’s not okay! I just got you back, now I have to lose you again?!”

“No harm will come to Night Light, or you, Sunshine Tempest. The ponies in question who want to speak to you want to do just that: Talk. This is your last chance. Will you comply?” the agent spoke cooly.

I so badly wanted to rage out and say “Fuck no!”, flying away with Night Light… but looking at Night Light's face, which begged me to follow the agent’s orders, I couldn’t bring myself to doing it. I sighed heavily and groaned.

“Ok. Fine.” was all I replied.

“Then please, follow me. Night Light, please follow Agent #2.” I treaded behind the agent in question, looking back at Night Light as she began to lag behind Agent 2. I lost sight of her when we entered through the Main Gates, and Night was gone.

I looked around me, admiring the Canterlot Architecture. Ponies were trotting all around us, performing their daily chores, doing their jobs, going shopping, socializing with one another. There were so many conversations happening at once, I couldn’t make out a single one. We continued to trot towards a large pyramid near Canterlot castle. That… wasn’t there before. I noticed writing above the entrance:

S.M.I.L.E. Agency

We entered inside, and the door shut behind us, silencing the conversations outside. I was greeted with blank, grey walls and bright lighting hanging from the ceiling, along with a very long and narrow hall with several doorways off to the side.

“We’re almost there. Follow me.” The agent ordered. I continued to trot behind.

“Where are you taking Night Light?”

“To a private location. She will still be in Canterlot.” That was all he answered.

We passed by multiple doorways, each of them secured with a metal door. Each of the doors had a tiny window slit you could peek through, though I didn’t have a good enough look on each of them as we continued to walk by to see what was on the other side.

Eventually, we stopped at the end of the hall, in front of a much larger door compared to the rest. It opened automatically, and inside was a dimly lit room, with a single table and 2 chairs on each side.

“Sit down in one of the designated chairs, and wait here. Somepony else will arrive shortly.”

“Who?”

“You’ll see.”

I slowly entered the room, and the door shut behind me almost instantly. I looked around the room, finding nothing else worth noting. So I sat down, and I began waiting for whoever wished to speak to me.

A minute passed by. 2 minutes. 3. I shuffled my hooves together, and stretched my wings, looking for some way to pass the time. 5 minutes. Still nothing. I yawned from the silence and boredom.

The doors suddenly opened, revealing an entirely different pony. This one was an Earth Pony Mare, with a pale coat and Blue mane. The Mane had a pink strip near her right eye.

“Hello, Sunshine Tempest.” She spoke, more cheerful and energized than the boring, monotone agents from earlier. “My name is Agent Bon Bon.”

Prespective: Night Light

I saw Sunshine disappear from my vision as I continued to walk with the Agent, who so… kindly encouraged us to separate like this. I followed close behind him, sparing about 5 feet or so of distance between us.

“Where are we going?”

“To somewhere where you can talk.” Was all he answered.

“Are you always this Vague and Cryptic?”

“Yes. Sometimes I’m not.”

“Do you ever get… mad, at your profession?”

“Only Slightly Annoyed. That’s the highest I can go.”

I didn’t bother asking any other questions. He was like an impregnable Stone Wall. Nothing could get past him.

We stopped at a very large, 2 Story Stone Building, with the same Canterlot Architecture that was in abundance in this city. No Inscriptions or Words were found, except for a Single Mural: It was a blank and pale pony face, Smiling with a very Wide Grin on her face. It looked like a happy Grin.

And yet, it disturbed me to my core.

We entered inside, and I was greeted with a Maze of Cubicles, and box offices. All around me, ponies were clicking and clacking away on their typewriters, while indistinct conversations were all around us.

“Stay close. We’re almost there.” The agent spoke. I treaded behind him, staying a little closer to the agent this time, as he guided us through the maze of Cubicles. He took a right, then another right, a left, left, right, forward, left, and a half turnaround, and later, we were outside of the maze, leaving my head dizzy and spinning. “We’re here.” The agent spoke.

There was an office door, with a small glazed window on the top portion of it. The Agent opened the door, and there was a room with a table and 2 chairs on each side. There was a Large Glass Window overlooking the cliff where this building was near, giving me a beautiful look over a good part of Equestria. I haven’t had a view like this since I was in the air.

The Door Shut behind me, as I heard the clicking noise. I also looked at me hooves, not remembering moving them inside the room… when did that happen?

I looked back at one of the chairs, and instinctively chose the one facing the large window, to bask in the view. Almost immediately after I sat down, I heard the door open to my right, and a tall, brown coated, muscle bounded stallion walked through.

“Good Morning, Lieutenant Night Light. Or should I call you Garuda 1 instead?”

What? How the f... How did he know that name? Only very few squadrons knew of that name! How did-... who is... what?!

“How… How do you know that name? How do you know who I am?”

“We in the agency are good at our job. My name is Grim Hooves.” He reached into his Suit Pocket, and pulled out a silver tiny medallion, and dropped onto the table in front of me. I looked closer and stopped cold. It was a Blue Pheonix that extended its wings and its claws, it's beak open as if it let out a predatory screech before catching its prey. Below the decal of the medallion was an inscription.

Garuda

“And you are Garuda1, the Ace overseas... Right?”

I didn’t answer, I just kept staring at the medallion. Then, very slowly, I spoke. “What do you want from me?”

“I want answers. You know first-hoof what happened over much of Equestria, a small part of Olenia, and pretty much anywhere in the ocean where your carrier was at. You survived all of your duration as a pilot for the RAF. And I don’t know if you noticed, but veteran pilots from the Great War are not in abundance here in Equestria. You survived the entirety of the war. Not a lot of ponies can say that.”

“Don’t remind me. It was hellish to be out there.”

“Right, but there is something else you know. Don’t you?”

“What are you talking about?”

He stopped, and turned away, contemplating about something. Then he asked slowly. “Does the name ‘Aigaion’ or ‘Strigon’ sound familiar to you?”

I felt an icy cold shiver travel down my spine. He was very accurate with his choice of words. I haven’t heard those names in a very long time.

“Huh... that thing, huh?”

“You saw it first hoof then, with your own eyes. We need intel on it, not even the agency has any leads on it.”

"Why?" I simply asked. Grim Hooves proceeded to sit down in the chair in front of me.

"S.M.I.L.E. Agency is dedicated and devoted to one thing and one thing only: Containment. Right at this moment, there have been sketchy reports arising from all across Equestria about various acts of criminal activities that violate the integrity of our government. Weapon shipments are being stolen, Aircraft are mysteriously disappearing, and various vehicles from mothball sights around the continent are scrapped and stolen with no record or trace.

Now, normally, we wouldn't get involved with this sort of thing and let the respective PDs and Detectives sort this problem out with the help of the various Onhoove Divisions that are now scattered about Equestria. But there was something else attached to this mystery that just so happens to be related to you - which is why you're here now. And that is 'Strigon'."

“Why does it matter anymore? The war is over! It’s done! I saw the Aigaion blow apart with my own eyes! The Strigons are dead and gone! Why does any of this matter now?”

Grim looked at me squarely in the eye. “Because, If we ever have a chance for another ‘Eternal Peace’, we need to learn from our mistakes. And make sure that such a horrible, destructive event, or in this case ‘weapon’, will never occur again. And we need you to tell us everything you know. A lot of good agents lost their lives trying to get this intel.”

I couldn’t help but feel sorrow from this whole ordeal, the emotional whiplash settling down on me. One moment I was the Happiest Mare alive with Sunshine, and now I am here reliving a terrible awful tragedy that has inflicted our world so much pain and death. I wanted it all to just end. I wanted everything to go back to the way it was. Before the war, and make it stay that way.

If only I could.

“Look. I can let you and Sunshine go when this is done. When you, and inevitably Sunshine, tell us everything you two know, we will let you go, and you won’t be bothered by us again. You have my word.”

I sat there, staring out into space through the large window. I saw a formation of planes flying together in the distance.

“What do you want to know?” I asked.

“Everything. From beginning to end, We want to know everything.

“Answer me this question, then I will help you: I can understand the Agency wanting me, knowing the Aigaion and all, but why do they want Sunshine just as badly?”

Grim pulled off his sunglasses, neatly folding them and clipping them in his pocket. “Because she also knows a terrifying weapon. Something you 2 seem to have in common.”

I shuddered.

“I want you to start from your first sortie, all the way to your last. Every major one, at least. I don’t need the details of minor skirmishes. I need to know the Big ones.”

“Well… Where do I start?”

“From the Beginning.”

“...Okay.” I reluctantly answered.

"I remember a warm, and sunny day..."

Author's Note

With the Words "Garuda", the Curtain rises.

Act 2 Begins...