Grandbeach, Leonia.

Dear diary. Another day, another 12 hours of work at the canned fish factory. Just need to put words on paper to empty my head of thoughts, like I do every evening.

I wish I knew what Grandbeach was like, before all of this, I mean. Before the invasion. Before the Event.
It's a small coastal town, we have beaches, we have fishing, we have hotels, and we have restaurants. I imagine we had all kinds of fancy, wonderful things on top of all this back then.

Today, things are different. Since the Cloneling Forces invaded, the town is under occupation. Its coastal location made it easy to fortify. Of course, they didn't build walls to protect us. It was to keep us in. I heard it's like that with every town the clonelings control.

We are forced to continue living, fishing, selling, producing like usual, but on top of having to sustain ourselves, a large part of the town's resources goes to them. They view it as "paying tribute," but it's not like there's a choice.

It's not just to keep the population under their control. They need it. After all, these creatures reproduce within weeks. In two months, they can pop a whole batch of adults. So of course they need to be fed, clothed, equipped, given things to do. It's honestly terrifying. They'll eat anything too. Meat, fish, bones. Anything that could possibly have calories.

At least it's relatively safe to live under cloneling occupation... Flamium gangs haven't tried raiding our town in almost a year now. If there's any fighting, disorder, let alone criminal activity, they squash it. Hard.
Even some of the roads outside of town are safe, from what I heard. But it's not like we're allowed to leave easily. In fact, most of us do not have any authorization to leave. I don't know what kind of lucky or privileged pony gets that elusive free travel authorization, but they sure as hell didn't give one to anyone I know.

We have to make do with what they allow us to have, which isn't much. To keep us fed, they demolished whole patches of land down to the earth, then they built those... strange farms, putting some of us to work in them, telling us to use this strange but useful fertilizer. We're not quite sure where it comes from, just that it's quite efficient. Crops grow quickly and in good health. After they take their "tribute," we get to keep the rest.

In short, we're well-fed and well-protected, but it's like a prison. We work for them, we sustain them as well as ourselves. If we don't comply, if we try to resist or escape the town, they beat us, they shoot the stallions, they take the mares away. I heard whole towns got razed that way... I heard they don't even sleep. They're always watching. I always feel like I'm being watched, especially when I'm at work.

If only magic came back. Maybe we could throw all of them out in the ocean...

The only time I have some respite is when I make it home. But I don't know if we can really call it living.
Oh, Sun above... Please, please send some help... And please don't let the clonelings find this diary. They'll kill me if they read what's inside...

- Slack Water, Former Mayor of Grandbeach

February 20, 2103
06:30 AM

Although it's still dark and cold outside, officially, the day has started about an hour ago for the inhabitants of Grandbeach.

If this was any other day of the month, it would be business as usual; get up early, get ready to toil away at work. But today is a little different: many locals are grouped together near the old harbor, awaiting eagerly. After all, today is a special day: the ferry from the Sey Islands is about to return; this only happens four times a year.

Many of the ponies waiting in the cold are expecting the visit of an "islander;" a friend or a family member who lives and works on Kelpsey Island, or its close neighbor, Kadansey Island.
Those who aren't are waiting to board the same ferry and return to their lives on one of the islands, their three-month stay in town having ended.

Just as the sky turns from black to a cool shade of blue, announcing the rising sun, the ferry slowly approaches on the horizon, a small black speck soon becoming a large, rusty boat transporting a few hundred passengers. The ferry is, of course, escorted by token cloneling security on their "gunboats" - really, repurposed civilian dinghies equipped with machine guns on pintle mounts.

The ancient boat slowly approaches the docks, and the gangway is deployed, allowing its passengers to set hoof on the mainland at last. Most of the ponies on board quickly find their friends and family members waiting for them at the old marina. Some, however, disperse directly onto the streets, presumably walking their way home alone.

Among these passengers are six mares. They had a plan: meet each other out of sight from the local ponies, or worse, one of the 'lings. The plan was simple: the team leader goes first and marks the agreed-upon location. Then, each of the others come out, one by one, keeping themselves as inconspicuous as possible. Once the team is gathered in the same location, they'll be able to plan their next move.

The first of these six mares is a purple-furred unicorn with a short violet mane. This mare is clad in all-black; leather jacket, dress pants, sturdy boots, subdued tactical gloves. Sharp eye, neutral expression, brisk pace. Although she's dragging a heavy, silver-colored travel bag behind her, she knows exactly where she's going. No drawing attention to herself, just straight to the objective. She quickly clears the harbor and the small crowd of ponies, crossing the road and disappearing into nearby streets.

After about ten minutes of walking past ruined buildings and abandoned shops, the purple mare finds her way around ever-increasing inclines, walking up narrow streets, looking for a specific building, until she finds the location she's looking for: the Big Blue Hotel.

According to pre-Event signs, the Big Blue had just gotten its fourth golden horseshoe, becoming the first hotel in town to achieve the prestigious rating. But the purple mare ignored all of it, finding instead the access door to the hotel's underground parking lot, full of the rusted, ruined remains of old manafuel-powered cars, long rendered useless.

There was no light inside of the parking lot, so the purple mare reached for a set of glow sticks inside of her jacket, bending the first until an audible snap is heard, then vigorously shaking it until it begins glowing bright green.

"Let there be light," she mutters to herself, as a small area near the parking lot's service door is now glowing green.

The mare snaps and shakes the second one, before tying it to a string and attaching it to the door handle, causing it to glow green as well. This is the signal for her teammates to follow, the confirmation that it's indeed the right meeting point.

Glow sticks are brightly visible, but it's the crack of dawn and a part of town full of abandoned buildings. She gambled on the fact that whoever was brave enough to face the cold would probably be at the harbor, if not at work, and that there wouldn't be any 'lings patrolling here anytime soon.

"And now we wait," she mutters once again, sitting on her travel bag, just a few paces from the door. By now, the sky turned a brighter shade of blue, right at the edge of daytime. The purple mare's tail flickers. She hopes her teammates would arrive soon, before it gets too bright. There's a whole day of work ahead of them, after all.

After no more than three minutes of waiting, the purple mare hears the sound of hoofsteps approaching. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but the very brief moment of uncertainty - Who is it? Is it my teammate? What if it's a patrol? - made her tense up, heart rate increasing.

"Twilight?"
An unmistakable Amareican accent. Soft-spoken. It is my teammate. Thank the Sun, she thought to herself, before responding and inviting her inside the abandoned parking lot.

"AJ. Come in."
A tall orange earth pony mare comes inside the green glow-lit parking lot. Long blonde mane capped with a brown cowboy hat, green eyes, short-sleeved plaid shirt, blue jeans, tan ranger boots. There's no mistaking it. It's her.

AJ drags in two travel bags behind her without so much as breaking a sweat. She joins Twilight, choosing to sit cross-legged on the cold floor.

As soon as AJ seats herself, Twilight asks. "Are the others on their way?"
"Pinks was right behind me," the Amareican responded. "Ah just pulled ahead on the inclines. Donno about the others, but they shouldn't be too far behind."

Just two minutes later, more hoofsteps. A very pink mare, with an unkempt, raspberry poofy pink mane done up in a ponytail, and a pair of piercing blue eyes. A faded yellow tank top, a white ballcap, a cyan hoodie, olive green cargo shorts, and a pair of jungle boots.
Most importantly of all, a jovial facial expression. It's as though she is incapable of not smiling.

"Hiiiii! I hope I'm not late!"
Twilight couldn't resist cracking a grin in response. "Hey Diane. You're on time. Have you seen the others?"
"Ummmm... I think they said something like "wait five minutes after Pinkie's gone," so I imagine Doc will be here in five, and the other two in ten!"

The purple mare looked displeased. "The sun's rising, they better be here fast."

Pinks pulls in another travel bag, totaling three mares and four suitcases in the abandoned parking lot. AJ reaches for a half-finished pack of Pacer 200 cigarettes and a metal lighter, bringing one up to her lips. One silent glance in Twilight's direction before lighting it, who nods in response.
"I suppose you have time for a smoke..."

Exactly three minutes and one cigarette later, the three mares hear the sound of a travel bag hitting the pavement outside, followed by that of two landing hooves.
"Is this the right spot?" A timid voice asked.
Pinks responded enthusiastically. "It's Doc! Yay, the Doc is here!"

A short-stack of a butter-colored pegasus makes an entrance, with her own bag in tow. Light pink mane, mildly pudgy constitution, and soft facial traits. A simple dress of plain, pastel colors: a tan dress coat over a grey sweater, brown cargo pants, and a pair of brown ranger boots, similar to AJ's.

"Hey again, girls... It's good to be in pleasant company," the "Doc" said, with a very muted voice.
"You can speak up a little louder, Flutters. It's not the ferry anymore," replied Twilight with a snicker.
Flustered response from the pegasus. "O-oh, of course, yes..."
"That leaves the last two. Did you catch a glimpse of them behind you?"
"No, not really... But to be honest, I wasn't really looking. As soon as I was out of view, I just hovered my way here... Didn't want to waste time... or make noise..."
As if to demonstrate, Flutters unfolds a wing while responding, the feather tips pointed at the door.

Twilight checks her watch, still looking rather annoyed. "Already six-fifty... If they're not here in five minutes, I am tearing them a new asshole."

The clock hits 06:54 when finally, more sounds approach. Two sets of hoofsteps and the noise of rolling plastic wheels against the old pavement. Mild, muffled anger and whining from both of the mares.
"...told you that I'd rather fly up there..."
"...not MY fault..."
"...got too many bags!..."

The purple team leader's expression goes flat. "There they are."

Finally, two more mares come into view. A curvaceous alabaster mare with a well-brushed violet mane and a ladylike demeanor, followed by a dirty, ragged-looking, slouched sky blue mare with a rainbow-colored mane, a seemingly permanent layer of soot and grime all over her body, and nonexistent chest dimensions.

They couldn't be more radically opposed in looks, posture, and even accents. The violet-maned, sapphire-eyed one stands out as the one with the most expensive tastes; a white leather jacket over a light blue dress shirt, a faded violet pencil skirt, and a pair of matching high boots.

In contrast, the rainbow-maned mare wears an old, oil-stained brown beret, a dirty tank top that was once white, a black set of mechanic's overalls, a pair of tan work gloves with the thumb and index fingers cut off, forming partially fingerless gloves, and an old pair of black work boots.

Just about the only thing they seem to have in common is the fact they each carry two travel bags.

Both of them look rather angry at each other. Twilight takes notice, immediately raising a hand to attract their attention.
"Okay. First things first, did either of you make sure you weren't followed?"

The alabaster mare responds first, in a clear, Prench-accented voice. "I have, Twilight. With the racket Phoebe was making, I had to mind our hindquarters constantly. It's a miracle she didn't wake the whole town up."

The rainbow-maned mare responds, with a thick Trottish accent. "Well, maybe if Little Miss Luxurious stopped acting like a keuw for five minutes and remembered I have me a pair o' wings, I woulda' offered to make two right-quick trips so neither of us didnae have to carry bags all the way here!"

To which "Little Miss Luxurious" responds with an offended groan. "Phoebe, why would you bother making three trips to the rendez-vous point? Both of us getting there in one trip, each with our two bags, was enough! I think you're just too eager to fly off on your own again."

"Humph! Think what you want. I was just tryna be nice, ya keuw."
"Hmph! You're the living embodiment of crude."

Flutters whimpers, AJ looks nonplussed, and Pinks keeps silent, but Twilight decides to defuse the situation. "Will the both of you shut up and stop fighting for five seconds? All six of us are here, we're all safe, and we all have our bags. We're also in enemy territory, so please, let's keep it orderly and focused."

The discontent quiets down.

"Let's do the military thing and do a headcount... Line up in front of me, please."

All five of the other mares shift and stand up, forming a single line in front of Twilight, like a small group of soldiers in front of their sergeant. She then begins listing off names.

"Anne-Jacqueline Fielding?"
AJ lifts a hand. "Present, ma'am."
"Diane Pie?"
Pinks bounces and makes a highly exaggerated military salute. "Ten-hut! Ma'am yes ma'am!"
The purple unicorn rolls her eyes and continues. "Fleur Whitehurst?"
Doc Flutters lifts a hand up of her own. "I'm here, Twilight."
"Phoebe Bailey?"
The rainbow-maned Trottish mare responds. "Yea, yea. Can't we just use our callsigns for this?"
Twilight ignores her and finishes the roll call. "Lastly... Agathe Desjardins?"
An alabaster hand rises. "Present, of course. But Dash is right, can't we just use our callsigns for the rollcall? It feels rather uncanny to hear our names again like this."

Pinks lifts up a hand. "Wait! You didn't list all of our names!"
The purple mare raises an eyebrow, staring at the pink pony. The latter giggles and "finishes" the rollcall by calling for her team leader's name.
"Tanya Lumen, are you present, ma'am?!"
With a sigh, Twilight responds. "Yes, Pinks. I am present." The pink mare glees in satisfaction.

Twilight crosses her arms, giving each of her teammates a glance, before speaking up once more.

"Fillies, welcome to Operation Liberate the Light. Starting today, and until this operation is over, you're officially under my command as part of Squad 16.
You've all been trained, equipped, and paid a hiring fee. I shouldn't need to remind you what our objective is, but just so it's clear: We find her, we eliminate her, and we go back to Neighland to get paid.
There's a million bits for each of us if we succeed. I'm sure you all have plans, dreams, desires to put that money to use. Some of you have families, think about what you could do for them."

She pauses to observe the reactions. AJ nodded firmly, thinking of her family back home. Agathe - who prefers the moniker of Madame Rarity - thinks of her sister. Diane smiled, thinking of her own sisters, as did Doc, with a warm thought for her parents. Only Phoebe - or Mechanic Dash as she prefers to be called - didn't react much at the thought of family.

"We all know the overall situation. Now, let's think short-term. I brought us here because this hotel is long-abandoned. The entire north side of the building sustained artillery impacts decades ago, and I don't want us to fall off on the beach outside. It's probably too unsafe to stay in."

Cue Rarity pouting.

"...However, this parking lot is still fine. This is going to be our - hopefully very temporary - base of operations. Number one priority is to get out of Grandbeach. We need a vehicle, and we need a plan. Once we're out on the road and away from cloneling attention, all we have to worry about are the patrols, so expect a lot of offroading and camping. Are we clear on that?"

Nodding and noises of agreement.

"Good. Any questions?"

The mechanic mare raises her hand. "Aye, you said we need a vehicle... I don't s'pose ya want to do this the loud an' fast way?"
Twilight nodded in response. "If we can make a stealthy exit, all the better. The last thing I want is alerting the entire country that we exist."
"Then I propose we steal one of the 'ling vehicles. We'll be saor to move about this way."

AJ leans and mutters in Doc's ear. "What's that word she said?"
"- I think it means "free" in Trottish."

Twilight seemed lost in thought for a moment, giving Dash's idea some serious consideration.
"That sounds good to me. We'll have to be careful, but I don't have a better plan. Does anyone have any other questions?"

Doc raises her hand. "So, this is it, then? We're really on our own from here on? It's... I don't want to sound like I'm chickening out, but it's hitting me now... It's just us. On hoof."

Twilight takes a deep breath before responding.

"Yes, we're on our own. Remember what I taught you at the camp in Neighland, about On-Site Procurement tactics? This is it. Outside of what's in those bags, everything we need, we have to secure ourselves. And we will, starting with a vehicle.
Like I said, leaving Grandbeach is our number one priority. Once we're on the road, we'll camp in the wilderness, we'll forage, do some fishing, keep ourselves out of sight, and get ourselves closer, kilometer by kilometer, just like I planned. Fuel will have to be traded or stolen from the 'lings, but if we keep it to a minimum, we should be good. Remember: We do not steal from the locals. We do not hurt our fellow ponies unless they shoot first."

The Doc doesn't seem reassured, but she forces herself to nod-nod.

"No more questions?"

Rarity raises her hand. "I do have one. Are we really going to set up camp here? In an underground parking lot? I thought you'd have liked something with more... practicality."
"Okay," sighed Twilight, crossing her arms under her chest. "What do you propose, then?"

Rarity rests her hands on her hips.
"Well, you did say the north side of the hotel is essentially rubble, but that doesn't mean it's completely gone, is it? I say, we should explore upstairs and find ourselves some proper rooms to stay in. I would much rather spend an afternoon cleaning and dusting ancient beds if it means we have... well... beds and windows than stay in this dark, damp lot lit with glowsticks."

Twilight gives her classy teammate an amused smirk. "Any objections from the team?"

None whatsoever. The rest of the squad seems enthusiastic about the idea of exploring an abandoned hotel to use as a temporary camp.
"All right then. Doc, Dash, the two of you go outside and put your wings to use, I want you to tell me which sections of the hotel look collapsed or too dangerous to traverse. Keep an eye out for passers-by and patrols, and hide if you see anyone. AJ, Pinks, Rares, you're with me, we're breaking in."

Twilight's squadmates respond with an enthusiastic "Yes ma'am," before splitting. The two pegasi leave their bags behind and move out, whereas the rest navigate the parking lot, in search of stairs into the hotel.

Author's Note

In this AU, ponies survive on a pescatarian diet, although they keep the consumption of anything that is technically meat (fish, animal seafood) to a minimum. The staples are fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains.
Besides, it also means I can introduce sentient bovines in the future... No promises. We'll see! :)

If the mix of real names and familiar nicknames felt confusing, or if you need a cheat sheet, here's a helpful list:

• Tanya Lumen - Twilight
• Anne-Jacqueline Fielding - AJ
• Diane Pie - Pinks or Pinkie (plus one more, which will be very important in the future)
• Fleur Whitehurst - Doc, Doc Flutters, or just Flutters
• Phoebe Bailey - Dash, Mech Dash (and a number of other nicknames that will be talked about in detail in the future as well)
• Agathe Desjardins - Madame Rarity, Rarity, or Rares.