A Swansong Played to the Sound of Hooves

by DualSoul1423

Chapters

Chapter 1: Destination Unknown
Chapter 2: Unexpected Visitors
Chapter 3: First Contact
Chapter 4: A Warm Welcome
Chapter 5: A Pleasant Breakfast
Chapter 6: Stare into the Abyss

Chapter 1: Destination Unknown

connection:established

SQ: Have you all heard the news? They found it! 0.0

LQ: Of course we have heard. Believing the news is something else entirely, however.

SK: Honestly I'm impressed that there are any left, let alone one in such good condition.

LK: It's in a bad spot. Dangerous. We will have to be subtle.

SK: I agree with that. Gods only know how many of the things still exist. This may be our only chance to secure our survival. If all goes well, at least.

LQ: We can send out a team to secure the site and begin setting up equipment. You Solars don't do "subtle."

SQ: Hey, I can do subtle things! You're one to talk, the way you go around dressed in spikey dresses. You look like a villain out of one of those old 20th century cartoons. =_=

SK: Ladies, please. Can we stay focused here? I second the notion of sending in Lunars. They're better equipped to deal with those types of environments. Quite frankly, I don’t think my Solars are mentally prepared for that kind of extended excursion.

LK: I have already taken the initiative and sent a team to the site. Once the location is secure, the Artificers shall begin their work.

SK: I should have guessed you would have. You've always got your eyes on the prize, don't you?

SQ: All work and no play makes for a dull boy, Hound. :P

LQ: Better a workaholic than a promiscuous party-goer like you.

SQ: Hey! I always get my work done on time, thank you very much! I just do it faster than any of you, so I get time for lots of R&R. -w-

LK: Enough. You have all read the dossier, correct?

SK: Of course.

LQ: Naturally.

SQ: No duh. Still blows my mind though. How have you kept this under wraps for so long? 0-o

LK: I lied. I was not sure of who to trust then. The situation has become dire enough that I decided now is the time to try something new.

LQ: So what is our next step after that? The documents you sent us weren’t clear.

LK: Once we know the device is operational, we shall send in a team. Two Lunars, two Solars. We each pick a candidate of our own choosing. Hopefully, there will be no need for violence. But ensure your candidates are combat veterans regardless.

SK: That seems fair and reasonable.

LK: Then I am closing this line. Prepare your selections.

LQ: Very well.

SQ: Okie dokie lokie! ^w^

connection:terminated

Although he couldn’t feel anything through the mechanized hands of his suit, he couldn’t help but run his fingers across the surface of the tomb walls beside him. Sand still clung to the edges of the ancient brick, snug between the eroded mortar and in the weathered etchings. Rhys couldn’t make out what the symbols meant, as they were either words of a long-lost language, or perhaps just insane scrawling. Hundreds of thousands of the glyphs lined the walls up to the ceiling, which only stood a head above him. He continued down the hall towards where the Lunar Knight at the entrance had directed him, looking for the man in charge. "Speak to Lieutenant Lionel, down the hall to the right." Rhys echoed the simple instructions to himself, looking for a passage on his right. Thankfully, the doorway leading in was well-lit and opened up into a large chamber that he easily fit into.

It looked similar to the hallway, with old, engraved, and weathered stone bricks making up the walls, but was even taller still. Another notable difference was a massive pristine mirror, untouched by dust or wear that appeared to cover the entirety of the cave wall. Surrounding it was an indecipherable web of wiring and machinery, which contrasted with the smooth, clean glass in such a way that it could be mistaken for an art piece. More importantly, in the center of the room, there was another Lunar soldier hunched over a terminal that was connected to the machines. A quick glance at the Heads-Up Display in his helmet told Rhys that this was the man he was looking for.

“So, Lieutenant Lionel. What's going on here?” His massive frame of white and gold strode into the room, the sound of his heavy footsteps echoing across the cold stone of the only recently excavated ruins. The bright colours of his armour were contrasted by the dark black and violet of the much smaller but still heavily armoured individual before him. The one known as Lionel looked up, his helmet visor hiding the annoyance on his face at the sudden interruption. The Lieutenant's own HUD told him the identity of the lumbering intruder who was now blocking his light.

“Rook Captain Rhys. And what do I owe the pleasure? Is there a reason you’re stumbling through my research site in your battlesuit? It is unusual for your ilk to be so far from home.” The mountain of metal in front of the comparatively small Knight chuckled heartily before responding.

"Ah, my apologies for the intrusion Lieutenant, but I'm actually here on official business. Orders passed down from the King and Queen themselves, you see. Colette and I have been selected to be recon for… wherever this thing goes." Rhys kept his voice even, dismissing the antagonistic tone of the Knight in front of him. He had regular enough dealings with Lunars to know to expect it. "The briefing said this thing is a teleporter, but I've never seen one in person before. Ancient technology, isn't it?" The Lunar Knight turned his back to Rhys and continued tapping away at the console he was working at.

"Hmph. Ancient is putting it lightly. These gateways are older than most of the daemons we have in the Guard. Thank the gods that our tech is still compatible, otherwise I don't think we would be able to salvage this damnable thing." The Lunar Knight stopped typing for a second, sighing deeply. "That being said, the code is all but completely foreign to me. Even the Artificers had a hard time cracking it, and the fruits of their labour amounted to merely turning it on and finding the last used coordinates. I'm just using their notes to get the teleporter ready for your departure."

"Which would be… where? A different sector? There would have to be a relay, so it's not like it could be connected to a different planet… right?" A silent glance from the Lunar piqued Rhys' curiosity. "You're kidding me. The coordinates are to a different planet?"

"You're thinking far too small, Solar. If I'm reading these coordinates correctly, and I'm fairly certain I am, this device appears to be paired to a whole other universe entirely." Rhys crossed his arms in disbelief, his helmet hiding his expression of awe.

"So not only is this an exceptionally rare teleporter, it's an experimental trans-universal gateway?"

"Did I hear you right, captain? Did you say we're going off-world?" Another Solar ran into the room, taller than the Lunar, but still comparatively small next to the three meter tall mountain of metal already present. Her armour was similar in appearance to the captain, resembling knights of ancient fantasy. However, her armour differed in that she wore a blue surcoat, and helmet stylized after a dog-headed god, both in reverence and also to better fit her inhuman physiology. "I've never been off-world before! Especially not using a teleporter!"

"Oh, wonderful. I was hoping I misheard you when you said there were two of you here… Colette, was it? You're a canid. Don't see many of your people too often. Canids tend to keep to themselves outside the cities." The younger solar crossed her arms and cocked her head.

"I may be from the tribes, but I prefer the city. A lot more things to do. And the guard lets me use some pretty cool weapons." Colette's posture was tough, but her tone was playful and full of youth. "My parents didn't want me to go, but you can't keep this dog down."

Lionel nodded dismissively, deciding it was better to return to his work than continue conversing with the visitors. An awkward silence settled on the room, only interrupted by the sound of Lionel's work as he put the finishing touches on the machinery connected to the mirror. After a few minutes of waiting patiently, Colette lost her patience and spoke out.

"So, who else is coming? Aren't there supposed to be Lunars on the team too?" A voice from the hall behind them responded to the question, dripping with annoyance.

"Obviously. We can't expect you Solars to get it right, so we get to babysit you on this deployment." The brightly armoured pair turned around, looking for the speaker. The owner was a Lunar woman in armour to match Lionel, except hers had a pair of horns sprouting from the top of the helmet. Beside her was a man moving just as quietly as she was, but he wore no armour, instead wearing a practical uniform with a long trench coat over it. The only armour he wore was a helmet, but unlike his partner’s deep violet, his visor glowed a baleful orange. Rhys recognized the woman's voice, and nearly choked when his HUD showed her name.

"Claire… is that you? When did you get here?" His relaxed posture was gone, replaced with an anxious stance that was magnified tenfold by the bulk of his mechanized battle suit. "Don't tell me… you're the Lunar representatives on this mission?"

"Yes, we are. I do hope you don't fumble the operation like you did like last time we worked together. I'd hate to see any other… unnecessary casualties." Rhys held his breath, looking for his words. He knew exactly what she was talking about. Colette looked sideways up at him, expectantly. Instead, he chose to change the subject. He turned his gaze to the Lunar beside her, trying to pep himself up again with an insincere laugh.

"Ha-ha! Let's discuss something else, like this charming fellow here," Rhys checked his HUD to identify the silent knight. "How are you, Knight Lieutenant Ignatius? Nice name. It's very…"

"Perhaps fiery is the word you’re looking for," Ignatius offered. His voice was monotone and robotic, but indifferent and polite, unlike Claire. "I would hope so. I chose it myself. Befitting one of my talents." Rhys understood the implication, and smiled behind his visor.

"Ah, a pyromancer, eh? Try not to burn me, would you? I'd like to come out of this with all my hair on my head." Rhys laughed heartily at his own joke, as forced as it was. Colette joined in, wanting to help defuse some tension. Unfortunately, the two Lunars only continued to stare silently. The laugh carried for a while longer than was necessary or comfortable, and the quartet found themselves in another awkward silence. Once again, Rhys took the lead in redirecting the group, turning back around to Lionel.

"So then, Lionel! How are the preparations going? I'd love to get a taste of some new scenery. Can't be worse than this hellhole we call a home. Unless it's literally Hell." Claire audibly snorted at Rhys for that comment, and he recoiled apologetically. "Of course, not that I've ever actually been to Hell. Could be rather pleasant." Lionel looked up from his console and rolled his eyes, not that anyone could see.

"Yes, I'm about through here… And no, it’s not a portal to Hell. Just stand by the mirror, and wait for my signal. Then just step through the gateway and you should instantly arrive on the other side." He paused for a moment, as if trying to remember something else. "Ah, yes. Make sure you all have your protections activated. Would hate for you all to morph into some horrible abomination once you pass through. Apparently that had happened a few times in the early days of trans-universal teleportation. Something about different realities having certain 'templates' for intelligent life." The four soldiers double-checked their life support systems to ensure that the aforementioned safeguards were in place, and gave the affirmative to Lionel.

"Excellent. Do you all have your necessary equipment? There is no coming back once you're over there. The gateway will be closed for ten days, as described in your briefings. That should be more than sufficient time for you four to make first contact, and establish the foundation for negotiations between the UDE and… whoever is on the other side of this." Rhys pointed with his thumb to a large, boxy device connected to the back of his suit. It was painted white like much of his armour, and looked almost like a large refrigerator, being nearly as tall as his squad mates.

"I have everything we would need and more right here. Should have plenty of material for rations, repairs, munitions, and medical. I figured if someone were to lug around a printer, I should be the one to do it." Colette looked it up and down a few times, fascinated by the technology that she still wasn’t quite used to being around, even after several years of service.

“We were both sure to triple-check our equipment before arriving,” said Claire without looking away from her reflection in the massive mirror in front of her. “We are ready.” Ignatius stood rigid and still beside her, not needing to speak. The two of them were almost like statues, with only the slow breathing of Claire to break the illusion.

“Very well then. I am opening the gateway. Go with the faith of the UDE, and the strength of the gods. This expedition may mean the fate of our world.” With those final words of encouragement, Lionel pressed a key on his console, and a shimmer of light passed along the surface of the mirror, giving it an ethereal glow. The glass rippled slightly, distorting the reflections of the four soldiers, and the room around them. The Lunars stepped forward first, without any hesitation, the glass flowing like water as it took them in, their black armour disappearing inside the silvery waves. Rhys held his breath as he stepped through the mirror next vanishing like the first two, like a large stone dropped into the ocean.

This left Colette standing alone for just a second. She hesitated, her instincts warning her of this unnatural thing in front of her. Every cell in her body ordered her to flee, but she knew that she could not abandon the mission. She was chosen for this, and accepted wholeheartedly, knowing it was an honour that her ancestors would smile down on her for, and an honour that her descendants will sing of for centuries to come. Another second passed before she leapt forward, not allowing herself the time to change her mind again. She, like the rest, disappeared without a sound. As soon as the last ripples faded, Lionel pressed the button again, and the mirror went silent. For a moment, he stared at the mirror, seeing himself in the glass. He allowed himself to whisper a prayer to the four soldiers who had just stepped out of this world, wishing them luck. He stopped himself from feeling hope, however. That was too much for him to muster anymore.

Ignatius stepped forward, slowly and cautiously. The portal had exited into what appeared to be a cave, with a nearby mouth opening out into a bright light. The loud, droning sound of running water echoed through the cave around him, which he took note of. If he was right, and it was water, running water meant life, which is already a step ahead of his homeworld. He looked to his right, and saw Claire collapsed on the ground, gasping. She clutched her chest, heaving for breath. He thought that the trip had likely been harder on her than him, considering she had organs that could have been disoriented from the transition. He assumed she would be fine on her own, and instead chose to press on towards the mouth of the cave.

As he neared it, the sound grew louder, and the light became blinding. His eyes adjusted accordingly, and as he came to the entrance of the cave, Ignatius found himself standing just behind a waterfall. Placing a hand underneath the downpour proved his suspicions correct, as the water neither hurt nor burned him. Stepping through the waterfall, he found himself surrounded on all sides by… green. Not like the farms of Earth. This flora was wild, bright, and full of life. His eyes drank in the colours all around him, and the more he looked, the more he was assaulted with new sights. Not just green, but reds and yellows and purples and blues. All the colours he had ever known and more, overwhelming his mind in a cacophony of hues. When he looked up, he saw an expansive blue sky dotted with small, white clouds. A gentle, calm, blue sky which he had only ever seen in pictures of ancient Earth. A blazing, bright sun that strained his optics to their limit, so much so that he had to look away. He returned his gaze to the ground, feasting his eyes on a smorgasbord of life which he could never have imagined before. A voice in his ear called out to him.

"Knight Ignatius," coughed out the voice of Claire over the radio, "What is the situation report? What does it look like outside? Describe the environment. Is it secure?" Ignatius was so enraptured that he couldn't think clearly. Emotions he had never known were flickering across his brain like lightning.

"It is beautiful. Beyond words, Captain. Just… beautiful." Claire snarled back angrily in response.

"What is that supposed to mean? Stay there. I'm coming out with the other two. Just… stay there." Ignatius couldn't disobey the order if he tried.

“Pretty crazy that the sky is blue here,” said Colette as she kneeled on a rocky outcropping above the cave entrance, using an atmospheric scanner to analyze the air around them. “Until now, I couldn’t imagine any kind of sky besides a red one. A good omen, perhaps? My people passed down tales of a blue sky from millenia ago, but I always thought it was just stories.” Rhys stood below her, listening with one of his arm-mounted rotary cannons brought to bear. He was scanning the surroundings for any movement, but so far only saw small alien creatures amongst the foliage. They looked similar to the rodents on Earth, but were much fluffier, with pronounced tails.

“You never did spend much time studying history, did you, Colette? Earth was once lush like this, thousands of years ago.” Ignatius sat nearby, carefully admiring the flora around him, taking pictures with his optical sensors. He plucked a small flower with pink petals, twirling it in his fingertips. The canid scoffed, fiddling with the sensor as she responded.

“I didn’t care about it, no. I went to the mandatory courses to be a soldier, sure, but I was always more worried about my combat training. I came from a tribe of proud warriors, and non-practical skills have never been my style.” She smiled under her helmet as she inputted a series of commands, and the sensor began its second round of tests. “Though, I have always been really into tech. Where I come from, the most advanced things we had were crappy guns and shoddy swords. My grandparents would have totally lost their minds over a suit of power armour, or you know... A toilet with plumbing.” Ignatius seemed to not hear her, absorbed in his own thoughts.

“I have spent a long time studying our history. The knowledge and wisdom of those who came before me once filled me with awe. Learning about the grand achievements of humanity, touching the stars and exploring the universe. With time, knowing what has been lost left me with nothing but rage.” The Lunar’s voice trembled with emotion, and heat radiated from him. The air swirled around his body, blowing loose foliage away as the flower in his hand began to smoke. Both of the Solars looked down at him silently, before looking at each other, acknowledging their shared worry. Rhys lowered his weapon and stepped closer, still being mindful to keep his distance from the walking fire hazard in front of him.

“Are you… well, Lieutenant? This is a rather bad place to start a fire. On account of us being in the middle of an alien forest and all.” Ignatius snapped around to face Rhys, now gripping the flower tightly in his fist, the smolder turning into an open fire. For a second, they both stood completely still, staring at each other with only the crackle of the flame between them. Rhys heard his own heartbeat as the seconds ticked by. He knew that he could not defeat a Lunar Knight in single combat, especially not a pyromancer. Colette could only watch, afraid that any action might escalate the situation. Thankfully, a few seconds later, Ignatius sighed and let his shoulders fall as the flame went out in his hand. He opened his grip, and let the ashes of the flower fall to the ground.

“My apologies. I shouldn’t be angry with you. One can say it was humanity’s fault for what has happened to the Earth, but I cannot reasonably hold your race accountable. No one could have foreseen the consequences of what was merely scientific curiosity. We are all victims. I shall retain my fury for those truly responsible.” The two Solars managed to let out a breath of relief, and Ignatius looked up at the tree he was standing at the foot of, seeing his Captain in the branches far above him. He used his helmet’s radio to hail her. “Captain Claire, do you see anything of note up there?” In response, she leapt down from the top of the tree, landing beside him with a barely audible thud.

“From atop that tree, I was able to better survey our surroundings. We are in the middle of a vast forest spanning dozens of kilometers in all directions, but I did see an interesting landmark. To the far northwest, there appears to be a massive structure of crystal. Almost certainly not natural.” She paused, considering her next words carefully. “It… actually looks like a castle from a children’s storybook.” She glanced at the pair in white behind her. “There is almost definitely intelligent life here. I’ve marked it with a waypoint that you should be able to see on your HUDs.” The three others checked, and on their compass was indeed a marker showing them the distance and direction of the castle. As Colette was checking that, there was an audible beep from her scanner. She looked at the results of her tests, and then hopped down excitedly, showing the screen to her squadmates.

“Good news! The atmosphere is perfect! It’s practically identical to ideal breathing conditions on Earth! Plus, there are no hazardous airborne toxins or micro pathogens detected!” The four of them looked at each other, trading apprehensive glances. Annoyed at the lack of celebration, Colette decided to act first. “If no one else is going to take this opportunity, then I will. Fresh air, here I come!” Ignatius raised his hand to interrupt her, but lowered it again just as fast. Either way, by the time he did, Colette had already pressed the release switch on her helmet, letting it retract into her armour smoothly and quickly, leaving her face exposed to the alien air. The caves she grew up in had stagnant, musty air only kept livable by underground flora. The air in the city was scrubbed and re-circulated, giving it a slightly mechanical taste. This air was truly fresh, and she inhaled deeply through her nose to truly experience it in its fullest with all the scents it carried. However, immediately after this first breath, she shrieked in surprise and pain as the eyes that had been so used to dark caves and synthetic lighting were for the first time exposed to true, unfiltered sunlight. Her squadmates watched in silent fascination as Colette seemed to wrestle with the desire to continue breathing fresh air, and the desire to cover her burning retinas. Eventually, she gathered her senses and elected to simply sit on the ground, hands cupped over her delicate eyes as she kept on breathing deeply. She enjoyed every breath, and challenged herself to identify and memorize as many scents as she could while she had the opportunity.

When she didn’t keel over, Rhys followed her lead, except having learned from his fellow Solar’s mistakes, he turned his back to the sun and used the shade of his own bulk to protect his eyes before opening his helmet. The sheer size of his mechanized war suit provided ample cover for himself as his helmet slid open, revealing his pale face to the new environment. The shade offered some comfort, but his eyes were still left stinging, though it didn’t hurt as much as it appeared to have hurt Colette. He allowed his eyes to adjust one at a time, squinting and winking them back and forth, all the while breathing in the lovely forest air. There were even multiple smells he couldn’t recognize, making it all the more exciting for him. He was the first human to smell the air on this planet, and the idea that the rest of the UDE may have an opportunity to experience this hardened his resolve to see the mission through. Perhaps someday, the people of Earth wouldn’t have to live sheltered and afraid anymore, and maybe they can someday look upon the sun again as they did millenia ago. After some time, he was able to look around and admire his surroundings properly, smiling contently at the serene sight.

Claire was the third to remove her helmet, but unlike her teammates, she chose to face the sun directly, as if to challenge it. When her helmet retracted, her eyes were already shut, and she bathed in the light. It irritated her dark and leathery skin, as it was not used to ultraviolet rays. After a few seconds, it actually began to burn slightly, with a small amount of smoke beginning to emanate from her. With one deep breath, she finally opened her eyes, glaring directly into the celestial body above her. The pain was immediate, and stabbed directly into her brain, but she stared, unblinking for several seconds, her reptilian slit-eyes narrowing to a hair’s width from the burden of overwhelmingly blinding light. Finally, she turned away, her helmet snapping shut as she did. She made an audible growl as she tried to stomach the pain, but a few more deep breaths allowed her to compose herself. Afterwards, the Lunar drew a small ampoule from a pouch on her waist, and slotted it into an injection port in her wrist. The hyperdense material drained into her suit, and into her body where it was used to speed up the healing process for her newly acquired and self-inflicted injuries. When it was empty, Claire nonchalantly tossed the vial to the ground, not thinking twice about her casual littering.

Ignatius watched his companions silently, not removing his own headgear. Without lungs, a nose, nor organic eyes, he didn’t really have a good reason to bother. While he was able to admire the sights and sounds of a lush forest, his appreciation of his new environment stopped there. But he did find interest in observing how an actual organic organism would react to the experience. The excitable canid acted without hesitation and quickly adapted in a somewhat rudimentary way when her actions immediately wrought negative consequences. While there were better solutions, she found one that suited her. The human waited and learned from the mistake of his friend, and found a less harmful solution so that he could better enjoy the situation, adapting in a more intelligent manner. Most fascinating was the daemonkin, who chose to use the pain that her squadmates avoided as an opportunity to harden herself, bearing the full brunt of the threat and not adapting, but instead embracing the ordeal. Whether this was a racial trait, or a result of her Lunar training was uncertain to him. Ignatius silently chuckled, realizing that he will likely never understand organics, but still found their unique struggles fascinating. He then moved his sight to the northwest, where their new destination was. He would love to meet new, unfamiliar lifeforms that he could study. With any luck, they would have discovered philosophy by now, and he would be very interested in a new perspective on things.

“Alright, that’s enough, team. This is not a vacation. Focus.” Claire spoke up, catching the group’s attention. Rhys and Colette re-equipped their helmets and turned to her, listening intently. “We still have a job to do. Find civilization, make first contact, and hopefully negotiate with the leaders of this world. The UDE is depending on us right now, and I for one am not about to disappoint.” No one could argue with that, with the team nodding in agreement together.

"Let us begin moving then," added Rhys, "If this planet's days are similar to ours, we likely do not have long to cover this distance, and I suspect that the forest will have its fair share of obstacles to overcome. I for one feel very excited to press on." Without another word the team began walking together into the alien forest, with the pair of Lunars leading and the Solars taking the rear. Together, they walked out of the light of the clearing, and into the darkness of the unknown.

Author's Note

Welp. Here is it. My first large-scale writing project since I was 16. Hope you enjoy the ride as much as I've enjoyed making it.

Chapter 2: Unexpected Visitors

"I can't believe I'm saying this, Spike, but being ruler of Equestria is really boring." The adolescent dragon cocked his head to the side, looking at Twilight. The two of them sat in the throne room of Canterlot together, light of the afternoon sun bleeding through the dozens of stained glass windows in the massive room, painting a menagerie of colours across the floor. Twilight sat in a large, ornate throne with Spike beside her. He was atop his own throne, albeit a smaller but no less ornate one. While Twilight was happy to replace the seats of the sisters before her, she almost regretted commissioning the designs to Rarity, who was not known for her subtlety.

"Bored? You're kidding, right? You're always busy doing things. Settling disputes between nobles, going to awesome parties, raising the sun and moon… How could you be bored doing all that?" Spike was fidgeting as he spoke, passing between his hands the medallion that hung around his neck. It denoted him as a Royal Advisor, a weight that he was not quite yet used to wearing.

"Yes, bored. None of those things are interesting, or exciting. It's all the same tedium. Day after day I just do the same things with different ponies, with the most interesting part of it being that sometimes it's some creature besides a pony I'm working with. I've only been at it for a year and I'm already completely exhausted. Now I understand why Celestia and Luna were so excited to retire." Spike crossed his arms at her now, raising an eyebrow.

“No offense, Twilight, but there’s not much to exhaust you. I get that it can be tedious, but it’s the cushiest job in Equestria, especially after those reforms you passed that made delegating even easier. The country practically runs itself now.” Twilight made a loud, exasperated sigh and slumped backwards into her oversized throne. She reasoned that it was big now, but she’ll probably grow into it, if her fellow princesses were of any indication. For now, she just felt tiny sitting in it, getting another pang of regret at replacing the old throne so soon.

“That’s exactly the problem, Spike. There’s nothing to actually do anymore besides look pretty and settle the occasional disagreement. I wish something exciting would happen!” She sat back up again, raising her hooves skyward, almost beckoning the universe. “I would love to have a reason to run out of the throne room and spring into action. With most of the world seemingly getting along for the first time in forever, I feel like I’m not needed anymore.” Spike stood up and put a claw on her shoulder, smiling reassuringly.

“Listen Twilight, just because there’s peace, doesn’t mean you’re not needed. You’re one of the primary reasons why there’s a chance for world peace to begin with. Sure, most creatures can take care of themselves, but when there’s a huge threat like Sombra or Tirek, everyone has always counted on you and your friends. You’re the same reliable hero you’ve always been, and the lack of world-ending catastrophes doesn’t change that.” She gave him a half-hearted smile and relaxed a bit, allowing some pride in herself.

“You’re right, Spike. Maybe I just need to get out of the throne room for a while. I know I have a habit of getting a little stir-crazy when I do the same thing for too long.” Twilight ignored the rolling eyes of her dragonoid companion, electing to get up and make her way to the door. Spike hopped down from his own seat and followed her, already thinking of things to do.

“How about we go visit Donut Joe? It’s been a while since I swung by there to say hi, and I don’t want him missing his best customer.” Twilight giggled at the notion.

“Spike, didn’t you go there just last week? And I’m pretty sure Celestia ate more of his donuts than you ever did. She always did have a pretty big sweet tooth.” The two of them shared a laugh at the expense of the former princess before leaving the room through the open doors. Twilight decided to address her guards, a pair of identical white stallions, to let them know of her absence.

"Spike and I are finished with Day Court for the day. Please close the hall and redirect anyone who comes looking for us to come back tomorrow. We're taking a much-needed break. Once you do that, you can take the rest of the day off as well." The two stallions saluted and replied with a "Yes Princess!" in unison, before turning away from her to follow her orders. Just as Spike was still getting used to his new position of authority, Twilight was still getting used to giving orders like that. It'll still take some time.

"Oh Spike, before we go, let me go back to my room. I need to bring some bits for the food." Spike waved a claw at her dismissively.

"C'mon, Twilight. You're the ruler, and you've saved the world plenty of times. I think you've earned some free donuts." Twilight shook her head in amusement.

"You know I can't just demand free things when I please, Spike. That's not a good look for a ruler. Besides, it'll only take a few minutes. If you want, you can go ahead of me. Ask Joe to open a tab, and I'll pay when I catch up, ok?" The dragon's eyes lit up with excitement then.

"Really? Well, alright, if you insist. Don't take too long, Twilight!" As he excitedly scampered off to fill his belly with pastries, Twilight smiled, admiring his youthful enthusiasm. She continued onto her bedroom at a steady pace, waving thoughtfully to the guards she passed, who returned the gesture with a salute. Eventually, she did make it back to her private quarters, and the guard stationed at the door opened the door for her, letting her in with yet another salute. She never noticed how much the guards saluted Celestia or Luna before, but now it feels ever-present. A good reason to get out of the castle for the afternoon. Another such reason reared its head when she stepped into “her” room. It was the same room that once belonged to Princess Celestia, now refitted to suit its new inhabitant. The theme of the sun and daylight was replaced with iconography of the stars and dusk, the pure white paint job replaced with a more calming lavender. While it may have been suitable for Twilight, it still felt very strange to live in the room of someone who was only until recently a beloved goddess. Perhaps what was most strange however, was that when the door closed behind her and she was left alone, she heard a faint buzzing sound coming from somewhere in the room.

"What's that noise? Is that… buzzing?" Twilight spoke aloud, questioning the room as if it would answer her. She started walking around slowly, searching for the source of the mysterious intrusion. She checked her dressers, under her enormous bed, and even the windows. "I don't have anything in here that would make that noise… Do I?" However, upon following the sound to her bookshelf, she found herself quickly proven wrong. On the highest shelf wedged between dozens of other books, there was a journal vibrating and glowing. Twilight stared at it for a few seconds before suddenly remembering what it was.

"Sunset!" Twilight quickly grabbed the book with her telekinesis and pulled it off the shelf, running to her desk and opening it up in front of her, flipping to the newest page. In the upper left corner of the page was a single, ominous, sentence. "I need to talk to you." Twilight's stomach sank. She scoured her memory for the last time they had spoken, and realized it had been nearly ten full moons, almost a year. Twilight had all but forgotten about her, being so occupied with all of the events in Equestria. She felt a pang of regret and sorrow, knowing that so much could have happened since then. She couldn't possibly put this aside, even if Spike was waiting for her. Picking up a quill, she wrote back:

"I'm sorry for not speaking to you for so long, Sunset. A lot has happened this past year, and I'm ashamed to admit that I had forgotten to keep in touch. I hope you can forgive me and let me help you now." Twilight nervously waited for a response. Thoughts of doubt and worry began to flash through her mind, as every possible worst case scenario played out. What if she wanted to tell me she didn't want to be friends anymore? What if my absence has driven a wedge between us that I can't fix? What if me being so distant has made her feel abandoned? What if- The book buzzed again, interrupting her thoughts. She read the message that magically appeared before her, and her fear quickly turned to relief.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I've been busy too, so no harm done. I actually feel like it might be better to discuss this in person. Do you think I can come by for a visit?" Twilight waited for the magical ink to dry, and then started her response.

"Of course you can come by. I was just about to meet Spike at Donut Joe's, but I can activate the portal for you before I leave. I can have it open in ten minutes." Twilight put her quill back down and waited patiently, smiling. The thought of having her first student back in Equestria for a visit was exciting, especially because she was too busy to see her other friends in Ponyville. Within a minute, another message appeared.

"Donut Joe's? Are you living in Canterlot again? Sounds like we have a lot to catch up on, so I'll be there as soon as I can. Is it ok if I bring someone with me? She's kinda important to the discussion. She's also sorta my girlfriend." Twilight's concern suddenly returned. Is Sunset trying to come to her for dating advice? Friendship advice she could understand, but romance is completely out of her scope. She's never had to help anyone with their relationship besides her brother, and that hardly counts because he was dating the actual Princess of Love. Maybe Cadence would be a better pony to talk to? No, Sunset is coming to me for help. I can't let her down… even if I'm not sure how I can help. Twilight readied her quill once again, and set it to paper.

"Of course, Sunset. I am so happy to hear you've found love in the human world, and I would be delighted to meet her. I don't have much experience in this field, but I would be honoured to help you in any way I can. I'll meet you at the portal." Twilight set her quill down and made her way across the room to her closet to put on her saddlebag and collect some bits for dinner. While she did so, the journal buzzed one more time. The last message in particular confused her slightly.

"You've actually met her already. Which is part of the issue I wanted to discuss. Like I said, it's better to talk about in person. I'll see you soon, Princess." Twilight's mind immediately started swimming with this last message. She closed the book and lifted it back up into place on the shelf with her magic, trying to understand who Sunset would be talking about. She began making her way down the hall to her work room, which was formally Luna's room. Luna had a mind for science and tinkering, much like Twilight, so the room was already well-equipped. Telescopes, work tables, and most importantly, lots of outlets to supply power to the various electronics she would use in her projects, as well as keeping the room well-lit during her long nights. It was less weird for Twilight to refit Luna's room than it was for Celestia's, seeing as the room was already suited for the role that Twilight had in mind for it nowadays.

"Who could it be? Definitely not Fluttershy, she's too reserved for someone as outgoing as Sunset. Not Rarity either, she could never keep up with all the physical activity that Sunset does. Could it be Rainbow Dash or Applejack then? Probably not, because they would both fall asleep if Sunset tried to talk about science to either of them. Maybe Pinkie Pie?" Twilight paused, frowning. "No. No one can handle Pinkie Pie except Cheese Sandwich. But then if none of them, then who?"

Twilight continued to rattle off hypotheticals to herself as she neared her workshop, to which the Guards stationed there let her through without a word, knowing better by now than to interrupt her while she's arguing with herself. She stood in front of the portal, and flicked it on with her magic, electrical bolts arcing through the powerful coils and mechanisms that brought the mirror to life. Preparing herself for anything, Twilight watched the portal intently, mentally crossing Trixie off her list. She was intent to figure it out before her old friend arrived, but was disappointed to see the familiar mare step through the portal before her mental math was done. Sunset stumbled through, walking on two legs for a moment before landing back on all fours. She giggled and smiled at Twilight.

"Hi there, Princess. It's been a long time since we got to see each other. I'm really glad you had some time for me. I've been meaning to visit for a while, but today just seemed like a good reason to." Twilight hugged Sunset, and as she let go, she tilted her head inquisitively.

"Today? What's special about today?" Sunset blushed deeply, her cheeks turning orange. Just then, the second visitor stepped through. Like Sunset, she stood on her hind legs for her first few steps. Unlike Sunset, she fell flat on her muzzle immediately after, in a fashion that would be expected of a human trying to walk on all fours. It took several seconds for Twilight to realize who she was looking at, and the implications of the situation. Just as her brain started doing flips, Sunset answered her question.

"Today marks the first anniversary of the day Twilight and I started dating."

—

Sunset stood between two versions of Twilight Sparkle. Her mentor, and the girl she had fallen in love with. For the past year, she had been struggling to incorporate both into her life, as both of them were deeply important to her. She didn’t want to have to choose between them, or live without one in her life. She cherished both of them for different reasons, and was afraid of what happened when she finally told Princess Twilight about the new kind of relationship she had formed with the alternate version of her in the past year. She wasn’t sure if Twilight was going to be angry, or confused, or shocked, or something else. What she wasn’t expecting was for her to be completely accepting of it.

“I’m very happy for you, Sunset! You’ve really come a long way, haven’t you? I’m so proud to hear you’ve found love, especially with someone so good looking!” As Twilight laughed at her own joke, Sunset blinked a few times, surprised at the fact that Twilight would make light of the situation. She searched the princess’ face for any sign of dishonesty, but found none. Only genuine pride and joy.

“I did not expect you to be so ok with this, Twilight. I mean… I’m dating an alternate version of you. That doesn’t bother you at all?” Her girlfriend stomped a hoof at that, speaking up in mock-annoyance.

“Hey now! Who said anything about me being an alternate version of her? She might be an alternate version of me! She’s not as good looking, that’s for sure.” With that final jab, she couldn’t help but crack a smile, which was shared with her doppleganger. A second later, they both burst out laughing together, all the more to the confusion of Sunset. The princess wiped a tear of laughter from her eye before turning back to her student.

“Sunset, you should probably understand that a lot has happened since we last spoke. I know that a few years ago I might have been toppled by this, but I've grown a lot since then. I'm really just happy for you two." Sunset Shimmer couldn’t help but smile now, finally accepting the reality of the matter. She had truly done no wrong in her pursuit of love, and she was being congratulated by her teacher and friend. Her fears evaporated and she decided to relax finally.

“Alright, I believe you, Princess. I can’t wait to hear all about everything that happened over the last few years. I’m sure you’ve been really busy saving the world a bunch of times, which is definitely way more exciting than what I’ve been doing.” The bespectacled Twilight raised an eyebrow at this, giving Sunset a knowing grin, which made her audibly choke. Princess Twilight thankfully didn't notice this, and she instead gestured for the pair to follow her through the castle.

"Well I can certainly say things have been pretty boring lately, but some major events you missed were the retirement of Celestia and Luna, my becoming sole Ruler of Equestria, and a pretty crazy battle between the combined forces of Equestria against superpowered Tirek, Cozyglow, and Chrysalis. But those three are sealed in stone now, so they're not a problem anymore." Twilight Sparkle absorbed this information relatively calmly, having very little insight into their importance. Sunset on the other hand, was left slack-jawed at the short but shocking infodump from her mentor, even if she didn't know who Cozyglow was. "Oh, right, and I'm currently working on establishing global peace. About as hard as it sounds, but I have a pretty good 50-year plan in place to make it work."

"So you're telling me that Celestia and Luna are… gone? They don't live in the castle anymore? And you're in charge of… everything?" The princess nodded in affirmation as she continued walking in front of the couple. "Wow. You've certainly filled those horseshoes you were dealt. To think that in the time it took us to finish highschool and start college, you became the leader of a nation. Difficult to think that we're the same age." Princess Twilight waved a hoof dismissively, laughing.

"Well you've been in a world without magic this whole time. You can't really compare our accomplishments. Besides, you've done something pretty impressive that I haven't. You found love." This time, the other Twilight spoke up.

"Wait, you're the leader of a nation, and you don't have any consorts of any kind? No one has proposed to you or anything? I would expect ample opportunities to marry in your position." Princess Twilight shrugged, giving them a gentle but apathetic smile.

"I've gotten plenty of requests from potential suitors, but I guess it's just not my thing. I had a crush on a guard once, but we decided it wasn't anything more than that. He's stationed here in Canterlot, actually. Besides that, I've never really felt the appeal. Though suppose I’ll have centuries to figure that out for certain." Sunset laughed, prodding her girlfriend in the ribs.

"Guess that's another big difference between you two. My Twilight here is a total sap. For a long time, she had the biggest crush on a guy in town." Twilight jabbed her back, interrupting Sunset’s recounting with her own side.

"We tried dating, and it didn't work out, but we’re still friends. When Sunset and I finished high school, I decided to take a chance and asked her out. As it turns out she was crushing on me for even longer, though in hindsight it was pretty obvious.” Sunset once again turned a shade of orange in embarrassment as her girlfriend continued the story. “We wound up moving in together for college, and the rest is history." The couple looked at each other warmly, sharing a quick kiss as Princess Twilight watched. She felt a pride that must have been the same felt by Celestia watching her own pupil grow. Finally, they had reached the large, heavily reinforced doors of Canterlot Castle, which were effortlessly opened by the resident alicorn. Twilight looked on in wonder through her glasses at the impressive display of power before her. She definitely had a long way to go before she could even hold a candle to the telekinesis of her winged counterpart.

"Anyway, where are we going now, Twilight? To meet with Spike? You said he was at Donut Joe's." Sunset looked around, taking in the beautiful view of Canterlot, before her expression soured at the sight of massive fans protruding from all the nearby buildings, utterly ruining the regality of the courtyard. "Also what are those things all across your roofs? Are those… giant fans?" Twilight giggled, remembering the story behind it all with amusement.

"Yes, they are, and thank you for reminding me to take them down. My brother has them installed as part of a challenge posed by Celestia. It was really silly, to be honest. The fact that it took you mentioning it to notice just shows how much I need a break. Good thing that's what I already had planned for today."

The three continued walking together, shrugging off looks of confusion by passersby along the way. Much of the walk was spent with either Sunset or Twilight asking their hostess questions about goings on in Equestria, mostly for Twilight's benefit of knowing what to expect. Her previous visit was quite short, and primarily consisted of the princess detailing about the many achievements of her and her friends. Learning about the history and culture of Equestria was far more interesting to her. Eventually though, they did arrive at their destination; Donut Joe’s Donut Shop. As the three walked in together, laughing about Twilight’s coronation story, Spike sat up straight at the sight of not just one Twilight, but two.

“Wow. Either Joe is putting something weird in the donuts today, or there’s one more Twilight than I was expecting to see today.” He hopped down from the stool he was sitting on and walked up to the trio, waving with a smile. “I take it that you two decided to come by for a visit. Is something going on?”

“Sort of. It’s our one-year anniversary together, and I wanted to bring Twilight to Equestria as a weekend getaway. Show her around, maybe get to explore Canterlot a bit. I was hoping we would get to see Celestia, but I guess that she’s retired now.” Spike returned to his seat, gesturing for his friends to join him by the bar.

“Yeah, I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that Twi has taken over for them. It’s been pretty good so far. She’s made lots of reforms, and creatures from all over the world have been slowly moving into Equestria thanks to new citizen laws. We’re gonna be a real melting pot in a few decades.” Spike turned to Joe, snapping his claws to get the Earth pony’s attention. “Can we get a party platter here, Joe? You can put it on the Princess’ tab.” Joe nodded, walking off to get their food while muttering something about him “getting all the weird ones”.

“You know Sunset, I didn’t take you for the type to have such a cute lookin’ relationship. Then again, I didn’t expect you to change so easily either. You’re really full of surprises.” The compliment only helped to widen the smiles on the faces of the couple, who were both beginning to feel embarrassed from all the praise they were receiving.

“Equestria really is a friendly place, isn’t it? I wasn’t expecting to be so warmly welcomed. Last time we had to sneak around a lot.” Twilight playfully nudged Sunset as she said this, remembering their previous impromptu visit together. “It’s a lot nicer to be able to walk around and just get some food together. There’s a lot to worry about in the human world, but this place really is just, for lack of a better term, magical.” Princess Twilight beamed at the praise, accepting it on behalf of all of ponykind. Just then, Joe returned with the donuts and set a tall platter of freshly made desserts for the party to enjoy. Each of them took a different flavor and began to happily dig in, the visiting human in particular finding the treats to be especially delicious. “Wow. These are really, *really* good. These might be the best donuts I’ve ever had. Is there something special about the food here in Equestria?” Sunset shrugged, swallowing the bite she had in her mouth.

“I guess it’s probably something with Earth pony magic. Makes the food better. Never studied much about agriculture, but I also noticed it going into your world. Everything there tastes bland by comparison.” Twilight made a mental note of this, deciding to visit a library while in Equestria to learn some more about magic. After several moments of eating quietly, something broke the stillness between them. A sound that Twilight hadn’t heard for many moons. A sound that Sunset had never heard before, and was shocked to realize it was coming from her. The four looked in shock and awe at the fact that Sunset Shimmer’s cutie mark was now inexplicably glowing and flashing, hailing her.

“The map! It’s calling for you, Sunset Shimmer! You’ve been summoned to the map!” Twilight stood up suddenly, gawking at her pupil. Her wings outstretched in surprise, knocking over some donuts, much to Joe’s annoyance. Sunset jumped off her chair and started pacing in place in concern. Spike and the other Twilight remained in their seats, watching intently, chewing their donuts and unsure what to do.

“What? Me? What am I supposed to do? Is this bad? Am I in trouble for something?” Princess Twilight shook her head, smiling. She put on her best “teacher” expression, emulating the calm demeanor that Celestia once wore for her.

“The Cutie Map hasn’t been used for years, but it appears that it has found a new problem that only you can solve. I don’t know where or why, but you have been chosen to use your own special talents to address a serious issue somewhere in Equestria. We’ll need to return to the Ponyville castle to know for sure what you need to do.” Sunset looked up from her flank, confusion clear in her eyes, before being replaced with frustration. She stomped a hoof on the ground, making it clear that she was not in the mood for this.

“Ugh! This is so typical. I come here for a vacation and get swept up in a magical quest.” She turned to face her girlfriend, who was still watching in fascination. “You see, Twilight? Equestrians have their own problems to deal with. Magical friendship quests that pull us away from our donuts and girlfriends.” Spike shrugged and waved his claw dismissively at Sunset.

“Don’t worry about it. These things usually take like, an afternoon to solve. We’ll just take a chariot to Ponyville, beeline for the problem, and have it done in no time. You’ll get your vacation, I’m sure.” Twilight folded her wings and gave Spike a very unimpressed look. He just shrugged again, and turned back to his donuts. Sunset looked back at her flank, and furrowed her brow in annoyance.

“Is… Is this going to stop glowing on its own, or do we have to go to the map to make it stop?” The princess smiled sheepishly, stepping making her way to the door.

“Yeah… it doesn’t stop until you get to the map. You have some more donuts, and I’ll go prepare a chariot to take us to Ponyville.” As she left the shop, leaving the couple to eat their confections with Spike, Donut Joe shook his head again, muttering to himself.

“Always get the weird ones, I swear.”

—

Sunset was thoroughly through with the Cutie Map. The constant glowing on her flank had gotten on her nerves within five minutes, let alone the hour it took to get a chariot and fly to Ponyville. Twilight had explained along the way that the reason they didn’t teleport was because she wasn’t yet comfortable teleporting so far, especially with passengers. She had the magic to do it now that she was a fully-realized Alicorn, but was worried that she’d miss her mark, or injure someone in the process. Sunset secretly wished that her mentor had taken the chance, as she wouldn’t mind losing a limb if it meant making the constant shrill alarm of her cutie mark cease a little bit sooner. Finally, they had arrived at the castle, and not a moment too soon. Sunset could see the School of Friendship not too far away, and decided that if the Map didn’t cease the noise, she would go and have Starlight Glimmer peel her cutie mark off for her. As soon as her hooves touched the ground, she sped ahead as fast as her legs could take her, swinging the doors of the castle open with her magic. Having visited before, she knew where to go, and made her way straight there, leaving the princess and her girlfriend both at the entrance. The sound of her hooves echoing on the crystal walls around her only added to the ringing coming from her rear. At long last, she arrived at the main hall and threw the doors open, running up to the Cutie Map. Her mark thankfully stopped flashing as she saw it appear on the map. It listily floated down into place in one of the last places she expected. Sunset stared at the map, looking closely, but there was no mistaking where it was.

“The friendship problem is in the middle of… The Everfree Forest?” There was the sound of a collapsing body behind her, and she spun around to see two Twilight Sparkles staring at her, both panting from exhaustion of running after her. Her girlfriend lay on the ground struggling to catch her breath, but it was the one with wings that echoed her statement.

“Did you say the Everfree Forest? Why would the map send you there?” She trotted up next to Sunset to examine the map as well, and sure enough Sunset Shimmer’s cutie mark of a blazing sun was circling the forest. “I mean, the Cutie Map has never been wrong before, but that’s strange. It’s the first time it has sent anyone to a location so… Dangerous.” Spike finally entered the room, flying through the open door and landing on top of the table next to the pair. He looked at it for several seconds and then looked at them.

“Am I crazy, or is it moving?” The three of them were now watching the swirling cutie mark silently, and sure enough, the orbit was slowly but steadily moving west, to the outskirts of the forest, as if tracking an invisible anchorpoint.

“Now that’s really weird. I’ve never seen it moving before either. But it seems to be making its way to Ponyville. By extension, that means whoever it is we’re looking for is headed that way too.” Sunset gave an exasperated sigh, already disgruntled with the fact that she was dragged to Ponyville in the first place.

“So I need to go into the Everfree Forest and find whoever needs my help, and solve whatever problem they’re having before they get eaten by a monster. Great. I might as well start moving now.” As she started making her way to the door, her girlfriend stepped in front of her, a look of worry on her face.

“Are you going to be ok, Sunset? This sounds dangerous. Do you want me to come with you? I don’t know if I can help, but I don’t want to leave you on your own.” Sunset smiled reassuringly at Twilight, kissing her gently before walking past.

“Sorry, Twilight. This looks like a solo job for now, but I’ll be back as soon as I can. The Princess can look after you until then. I promise I’ll be ok.” Twilight bit her lip anxiously, but nodded in approval. The three of them walked together back to the chariot before properly saying goodbye to each other, with Sunset reiterating that she wouldn’t be gone for long, and that she will be back soon. The two Twilights took off for Canterlot again, while Spike stayed behind at the Ponyville castle to ensure that Sunset had an easy way to contact Princess Twilight when she was done. After waving goodbye one final time and watching the pair disappear into the clouds, Sunset Shimmer dropped her pleasant demeanor and let her aggravation show. She had been robbed of a pleasant weekend getaway with her girlfriend, and on their anniversary no less. She was going to deal with this matter as quickly as possible.

Author's Note

Well! Look at you, reading two whole chapters. Glad to see you're sticking around. Good news for you, I can say pretty confidently now that I can update this story once a week. If you're liking it so far, drop a like. Helps spread the story.

Anyway, I'll see you next Friday! (Unless you're from the future and I have more than just the two chapters posted, in which case, by all means. Read on.)

Chapter 3: First Contact

The group of soldiers moved through the forest swiftly, but not recklessly. It was surprisingly easy to find a path to follow, one large enough even for Rhys. The group reasoned that this was likely a path taken by large animals through the forest, so it was best to remain on guard. Unless any altercations occurred, they would follow this path to the fringe of the forest and hopefully exit near the settlement they had seen to the northwest. The group was currently travelling in pairs, with the Lunars in the front and the Solars bringing up the rear. The Lunars, being light and agile due to their lightweight equipment, scouted ahead to identify possible threats up the road. The Solars, being less stealthy, lagged approximately 30 meters behind the Lunars, so that their noisier equipment would not alert any potential hostiles before the Lunars could identify them. If need be, the two Solars could close the distance within seconds and aid in combat with their impressive firepower. The other unspoken reason for this splitting of the party was so that the respective sides could take a much needed break from each other. Solars and Lunars were not known to get along well, due to contrasting and clashing ideologies.

Because Rhys walked as fast as Colette jogged, she was riding on the shoulders of her captain, his battlesuit being more than sturdy enough to support her despite her and her equipment weighing in at nearly 500 kilograms. The highly advanced hydraulic musculature of his Goliath suit could carry a dozen of her and still have carrying capacity to spare. This made for relaxing travel for both of them, as neither of them were really using their legs at the moment. Even better, thanks to the shade provided by the treeline, the two of them could comfortably lower their helmets and enjoy the fresh air while keeping their radios open for any calls from their darker associates. While the trip was so far pleasant, several questions weighed on her mind, and so she turned to her commander to question him.

“What’s the deal between you and Claire? You act like you two have history, and not good history either.” Rhys’s brow furrowed, and he sighed deeply before answering her.

“Claire is my sister-in-law. She used to be a Solar, but then her husband… My brother died.” Colette’s eyes widened in shock, struggling to swallow the information. Not allowing her to interrupt him, he continued with his story. “He and I fought in the same battle. I’m sure you heard of it. The Battle of City Seven.” Colette’s shocked expression turned to deep sadness.

“I heard about that one. A hundred thousand Celestial Guard fought and died there. One of the worst losses in the history of the UDE.” Rhys shook his head, his brow dipping deeper as his lips curled back in anger.

“Not just the Guard. The entire city was destroyed. Five million people, killed because we couldn’t hold the line. No one could have. I don’t know what they told you in your classes, but I can tell you first hand that it wasn’t even a battle. It was a massacre. The First Fear was there.” Colette’s hair stood on end just hearing the name. She had only ever heard of the bane of Earth from stories, but she didn’t know he was present at the Battle of City Seven. It would explain why it was such a crushing failure.

“I… I don’t doubt you. But how did you survive that? I’ve heard that the First Fear leaves no survivors.” Rhys stopped moving, his suit lurching to a halt. Colette was thrown off his shoulders by the momentum, landing on her back in the dirt. She looked up at him in confusion, but saw that he had a large smile on his face again, his sullen expression suddenly and completely gone.

“By the gods, this conversation is gloomy. Much too gloomy for my tastes, especially considering that we’re exploring a new world, eh? We should be excited for such a task, not thinking back on old tragedies.” Colette immediately sensed that Rhys was deflecting, and rather poorly at that. However, she decided to leave it be. While she worried for him, it was ultimately his decision to open up, and if he wasn’t ready for that, she would be the last person to force him to. She returned his smile, trying her best to look as enthusiastic while pushing her doubts from her mind.

“Yeah, sure!” Colette quickly tried to think of anything else to talk about. “How about music? Do you have any music you like?” Rhys continued beaming at her, almost to an uncomfortable extent. Slowly her smile started to falter and fade, becoming more of a grimace as she became increasingly guilty over reopening an old wound of his. Suddenly, he grabbed her in his enormous hand, and lifted her back onto his shoulders, settling her down gently. He began moving again before finally answering her.

“I for one absolutely love the classics that were written millenia ago. Humanity really seemed different back then. So lively and naive. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and see it for myself, but I don’t think I could stand to live in a world with money or segregated countries. Seems so senseless to me.” Rhys flicked on his suit’s PA system, and began to play one such ancient song. It began with the gentle strumming of a guitar, and Colette immediately recognized the chords. A feeling of comfort washed over her, filling her with a nostalgia for a world she had never seen.

“This song… I know this one. It's the song of the Kind Soul, right? She’s a god, isn’t she? I’ve heard it somewhere before.” Rhys nodded, smiling warmly at her, his faux smile now gone for good, which only made her feel more at ease.

“You have a good ear. Many temples perform this song during public services. I used to go with my mother, as a child. This song always gave me the strength of hope to look to a better tomorrow, to not dwell on the past.” The canid nodded, returning his smile in earnest now. “Do you have a favourite god, Colette?” She placed a finger to her snout for a few seconds in contemplation, before shaking her head.

“No, I never got too much into the pantheon. We had gods in the tribes, but when I came to the city and learned that gods aren’t real, I abandoned the concept.” She frowned for a second, thinking about her childhood. “I kept the cool helmet though. It looks nice.” Rhys nodded knowingly, giving a chuckle.

“Of course, that is understandable. Many also spurn the pantheon, and I do not blame them. I of course know that they aren’t real, living beings, and they likely never were. They are, however, ideas. Concepts to guide us. When the King asked me to be his ambassador to another world, I couldn’t help but think of the Kind Soul again. It is said that she was the first ambassador between humans and daemons. Without her, the UDE likely would have never been formed centuries later. Of course, that is assuming she was ever real.” He gave Colette a wink, to which she snickered in response.

“I never thought about it that way. Sounds comforting. Maybe when we get home, I’ll read up on the gods. And hey, if all of them have music that’s this nice, I might start visiting the temple more often.” Rhys said nothing in response, choosing to let the music play as they continued together down the forest path.

—

The two Lunars were moving quietly and gracefully through the forest near the path, being sure to remain out of sight, but with clear vision of their surroundings. They took advantage of the shade provided by the thick canopy to blend into the environment, with the only sign of their presence being the occasional glimpse of their faintly glowing visors as they passed. Most animals gave them a wide berth, which Ignatius took note of, but did not pay much mind to. Small critters were of no concern to him, only large creatures that may prove to be threats. Unfortunately for the pair, all of their perimeter scanning equipment was malfunctioning, likely due to some sort of atmospheric conditions that he couldn't identify. This meant that the two of them were limited to what they could see and hear, which was less than ideal. Regardless, there were few forces on Earth that could escape the attention of a Lunar, let alone two. Especially not when one of them could see living auras like Claire. He followed her through some underbrush, being sure not to step on any twigs or let his longcoat get caught on the bushes as they passed, but most of his attention was on his captain. She had not spoken since she split the team, but he could tell something was bothering her. Being a synth, he lacked many of the biological ticks that other races had. As a result, he learned to study the mannerisms of others, not only to appear more approachable himself, but also to better understand those around him. After twenty-two years of life, he could easily sniff out such minute changes in behavior to signify that someone is hiding something. Finally, he decided to speak up through a private line to his captain’s headgear, as opposed to speaking aloud.

“Captain. You seem unusually irritable. What is wrong?” She hissed back at him through the com-line immediately.

“Why are you breaking silence? We must stay alert. Now is not the time to discuss this.” Ignatius frowned, not that she could see it.

“Now you’re deflecting. There is definitely something wrong. What are you hiding?” He heard an audible growl come from her, signaling that his intuition was correct.

“It is not your place to pry, Lieutenant. I am the commanding officer here. Remember that.” They swiftly slid down a short ditch and leapt back up into the cover of foliage, like a pair of predators on the hunt.

“Do not attempt to pull rank on me, Claire. You may have once been a Solar, but you know as well as I do that such titles are all but meaningless in the Lunar Guard. I have full authority to question your leadership if you are hiding important information.” Claire went silent for several seconds, even halting her movement. The pair sat crouched as Ignatius waited patiently. Finally, she turned to face him, her violet visor hiding whatever expression she might have been making.

“Very well. I have been hiding something from the team. Not out of malice, but for the sake of the team’s composure. When I was scouting from that tree, I saw in full the life energy of this world. It is beyond anything I have ever seen before.” She leaned in close, grabbing his shoulder. Her grip was firm, and betrayed her anxiety. “Not only was this forest teeming with energy equal to a battalion of Lunar Mages, but that town was brimming with magical potential unlike anything I have ever seen before. As of right now, I cannot say for sure if the creatures of this world are capable of magic, but if they are, then they may be a terrible threat to us if they are hostile.” She tightened her grip on him, her voice shaking. “I have been trained to know no fear, Ignatius. I would face my own death without hesitation if our king demanded it of me. But this world terrifies me.”

He stared at her for a moment, at a loss for words. Fear was not commonplace in the Lunar Guard, and seeing his senior so shaken almost affected him as well. Thankfully, she breathed deeply and regained her composure, dispelling his concern for her. “I think we should tell the others, Captain. This is important information.” She shook her head, finally releasing his shoulder and turning back around, finally moving again.

“No, they do not need to know yet. It is disturbing information, and is not yet relevant. I do not want their judgement clouded with this knowledge. With any luck, nothing will come to pass.” He nodded in acknowledgement, following after her. He did not necessarily agree, nor did he like keeping secrets, but he did understand that scaring his teammates for no reason did them no good. If the subject comes up, he will debrief them in full. But unless he sees the wildlife casting magic, it should be of no concern.

They continued moving together along the path, with Claire leading and Ignatius following. He couldn’t help but take notes of the various plants and animals he encountered. He was constantly taking pictures of his surroundings using his optics, hoping to aid in research of this world later on when he returned home. He caught pictures of various beautiful flowers of every colour, scurrying rodents of various sizes, and even a few plants that seemed to try and bite him. For the first time in the last two decades, he felt a feeling of curious joy, wanting to explore this new land to its fullest. He was, however, brought back to reality by Claire halting him with her hand on his chest. He looked around, not seeing anything immediately out of place, but followed her other hand to where she was silently pointing. That’s when he realized why they had stopped.

In the middle of a small clearing, was the remains of a massive tree that seemed to have been felled many years ago, with jagged bark sticking from the top. What was particularly interesting was that the remains had been converted into a primitive hut, with various colourful masks adorning the outside. On the few low-hanging branches were what appeared to be dozens of glass bottles hanging on strings. Each bottle was full of a different liquid, each glowing a different colour. Even more alarming was that they could see lights inside, along with at least one shadow moving around behind closed curtains. If Ignatius had eyebrows, they would surely be raised in surprise at this sight before him. Claire opened a channel for the whole team, being sure that her mask was still muted so that anyone nearby wouldn’t hear them.

“Attention, team. I have confirmation of intelligent life. Ignatius and I have discovered a hut along the path with various signs of life, including movement inside. We will approach and try to make first contact. Rhys, Colette. Hold your position. I will keep you posted, but until then, don’t come lumbering down the path.” Rhys’ voice came through the headset clearly, as if he were just beside them.

“Affirmative. We will stay right here until you’re sure that they’re not going to try and kill us. Just try not to scare them too terribly, Claire. First impressions matter.” The Lunar captain snorted at the comment, closing the line. She gestured at Ignatius to follow her as they made their way up a tree, using the branches to cross the open dirt path unseen. They dropped down quietly behind the hut, using the trees and bushes as cover to get closer. Creeping forward, they both heard the voices inside at the same time. Ducking beneath a covered window, they waited and listened through the thin walls.

“So it’s just you out here? No one else? If you were alone out here, why would the map send me?” Claire and Ignatius both noted that whoever lived here spoke Common Terran, the universal language of Earth. This was a massive boon to them, as it would make communications easier. They continued listening.

“It is just me all alone out here, and I have no problems to solve, I fear. Perhaps there is a newcomer in Everfree, though I do not know who or where they would be.” Ignatius cocked his head in confusion while listening. At least two individuals, one of whom appears to speak in rhymes, which was odd. He had never before met someone who spoke like that, but it was a new world so anything goes, he reasoned. Both of the Lunars snapped to attention as they heard a door around the other side of the hut open, and what appeared to be… four pairs of footsteps?

“Alright, well thanks for helping me anyway. I guess I should head back out again and look for these mysterious newcomers before they get eaten by a manticore or something. That would probably not help their Friendship Problem, whatever it is.” The two Lunars looked at each other at the casual mention of a manticore. Apparently this forest was much more dangerous than their eventless trip had made it seem.

“Remember to keep yourself safe, Sunset Shimmer. Would be a shame if you instead became a monster's dinner!” With that final verse, the pair heard the door shut, and listened carefully as the pair of footsteps move towards the back of the hut, presumably following the trail south, where Rhys and Colette were waiting. Claire decided to peek around the corner carefully, to get a better look at the approaching alien. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw walking along the path.

She saw what appeared to be a creature of equine descent, but nothing like the horses of Earth. It was about half the size, but with a massively disproportionate head, with equally enormous eyes. Not only that, but they were forward-facing, implying that this was no prey. Atop the head was a horn that was the same colour as its coat, implying it was more similar to an antler, with living skin and blood vessels than just solid bone. Even stranger still, was the pigmentation. Bright orange across the body, with even more striking reds and yellows in the mane and tail. The eyes were bright blue, and it appeared to have some sort of strange marking on its flank, that appeared to be a bright red and yellow sun. Despite all of this, what was most striking about this creature in front of her, was the magical aura it radiated. It looked like a bonfire of power radiating from such a small thing, easily equal in power to Ignatius or herself. Claire ducked back into cover, and opened the com-link with Ignatius again.

“That thing is a mage. No doubt about it. No mere animal could contain such magical potential. What do you think we should do, Lieutenant?” Ignatius thought for a moment, before shrugging indifferently.

“These creatures speak our language, have a concept of friendship, and are equals in strength to us. Might as well just talk to it, and see if we can make a good first impression.” His captain stared at him, surprised by his forwardness. It was unusual for a Lunar to be so direct, but she ultimately nodded in agreement despite her reservations. He has always been more social than she was, so she trusted his judgement in this matter. The two stood up from their position and made their way over to the creature, with Ignatius in the lead this time. It was muttering to itself quietly, eyes forward and oblivious to the pair approaching from behind. When they were far enough from the hut to avoid a scene, the lieutenant spoke up.

—

“Hello there, little one.” Sunset immediately jumped with a yelp at the sudden voice behind her, spinning around to see who it could possibly be. In front of her stood two humans, or at least what looked to be humans. The one in front seemed to be a man, and his visor glowed an ominous orange colour, like fire was just behind the glass. He wore a long overcoat that hung down to his knees, and she could see that he was also wearing a relatively plain outfit underneath it, with a pair of slacks and a durable looking high-collar shirt underneath. Finishing his ensemble was a pair of knee-high boots and elbow length gloves worn on top of his coat sleeves, both made of either leather or some kind of synthetic material. His partner was even stranger still, looking like a slim, shorter woman, but wearing comparatively heavy armor. She had dark metal armor covering her torso, shoulders, and parts of her limbs, similar to half-plate armor. The difference being that she could see that this armor was far more technologically advanced and probably machine-made. Underneath that seemed to be an undersuit that was made of similar material to the man’s boots and gloves, covering all but her hands, which were peeking out from a pair of fingerless gloves. They both appeared to be prosthetics, made from lavender-coloured metal, but far more intricate and advanced than anything Sunset had ever seen on Equestria or Earth. Her helmet glowed a subtle purple, and had a pair of horns sprouting from the top. Either they were decorative, or these were in fact not humans. Lastly, she realized that both of them wore identical colour schemes, black with violet trim, implying that they were both from some sort of organization.

Once the initial shock of being surprised in the middle of the forest by strangers wore off, Sunset began to wonder how in the world could there be two humans in front of her. She knew that anyone who came through the portal were turned into ponies just like her and Twilight. Did that mean that they were from somewhere on Equestria that she had never heard of or seen before? That seemed even less likely. She looked them up and down, trying to figure it out, before she realized they had actually spoken to her in Equestrian.

“Wait… Did you just speak my language?” The tall man nodded politely, having just waited several seconds for Sunset’s answer. He stood relaxed, with his hands open and at his sides. The woman, however, stood very impatiently with her arms crossed.

“So it would seem. I am Knight Lieutenant Ignatius. This,” he gestured behind him to his partner, “Is Bishop Captain Claire. We are members of the Lunar Guard, a subdivision of the Celestial Guard. We are not of this world, and are seeking allies. I take it that you are of the dominant species?” He spoke with a strangely metallic and echoey voice, like he was standing in a manhole. Sunset nodded, being extremely weirded out by this entire situation. They looked potentially dangerous, so she decided to play along.

“I’m Sunset Shimmer. Nice to uh… Meet you both. I guess you could say I’m a part of the dominant species? I’m a pony, and you’re in Equestria right now. Where did you say you were from?” With each of them standing at least two feet above her, Sunset was suddenly wishing that she was in human form herself, so that she could at least speak eye-to-eye with them. She felt mildly uncomfortable having two strangers tower over her. He turned away from her for a moment, looking back at his companion. They exchanged a nod, and if they said anything, she didn’t hear, but he turned back to her again just as quickly again.

“I have a pair of friends that would like to meet you. They’re further in the forest, but I can call them over if you’re interested, Sunset Shimmer.” Sunset nodded slowly, trying to keep herself from panicking. This whole situation was moving way too fast, and she had no idea what to do. She was expecting to find some lost campers or something, not aliens from another world.

“Uhhh… Yeah, sure. Why not? The more the merrier, right?” Sunset audibly gulped, trying to not say anything antagonistic. She wasn’t sure what they were capable of, and wanted to play it safe. Ignatius nodded again to Claire, who nodded back. They stood silently for a moment, and Sunset looked back and forth between them, wondering what just happened. Suddenly, she could hear it. What sounded like large footsteps started making their way to her. She felt very worried now, because she didn’t think their friend was a giant. These aliens were becoming stranger and more terrifying by the minute. She was really hoping that they were her friendship problem, just so she could get as far away from them as possible as soon as possible.

The stomping got closer and closer, and she watched the treeline with apprehension, and was horrified to see a giant medieval knight step out from the shadows, shining white armor with gold trim and with glowing blue eyes. The tremors were coming from it, and she quickly realized that riding on its shoulder was another bipedal, who appeared to be similarly dressed in white and gold plate, but with a blue surcoat and a jackal head instead of a helmet, complete with glowing blue eyes of their own. The mountain of metal was easily 10 feet tall, and looked down at her inquisitively. The smaller figure jumped down from its shoulder, and landed with a heavy thud beside it. Sunset was now surrounded on all sides by bipedal aliens, one of which was large enough to step on her. She considered teleporting away, but wasn’t sure what would happen if she left them alone, especially so close to Zecora’s house. She had to figure out what these aliens wanted with Equestria.

Suddenly, the metal giant’s head popped open, and inside was a perfectly normal looking human man. He had brown hair, brown eyes, and pale white skin with a bushy mustache and beard. Maybe not perfectly normal, as the facial balance was not the same as the humans she had seen before, but he was definitely some kind of human. He wore a huge smile, which actually slightly relieved Sunset, as it implied friendship instead of hostilities. She then realized that his head was very small compared to the rest of his body, and he was likely wearing some sort of mechanized suit, like she had seen before in sci-fi movies on Earth. He crouched down, the sound of mechanical whirring and whining as he did so, which helped support her theory.

“Hello there, little pony! Sunset Shimmer, was it? I see you’ve already met the Lunars, I hope they didn’t scare you too much.” Sunset nervously chuckled, seemingly confirming his suspicions. In reality, they all scared the daylights out of her. They were unlike anything she had ever encountered before. “Ah, of course they did. Lunars are terrible with first impressions. I’m Rook Captain Rhys, of the Solar Guard. We’re much more sociable, I assure you.” Beside him, the jackal-headed knight stepped forward, leaning on his knee. Sunset realized now that the head was actually a helmet, intricate in design that closely resembled the head of Anubis, the Egyptian god of the Dead, which was another Earth thing she learned in high school. What caught her off guard was that when the helmet retracted like Rhys’, there was in fact an actual dog head underneath. With black fur across the face and ears and brown hair on the mouth and neck, this one actually looked like some kind of bipedal german shepherd, with a fauxhawk on top. Unlike the dogs of Earth, however, this one’s pale blue eyes gleamed with intelligence.

“Wow! When Ignatius said that he met a talking pony over comms, I couldn’t believe it, yet here you are in the flesh! My name is Colette! Solar Knight Lieutenant Colette, at your service, miss Sunset Shimmer.” The dog-woman named Colette bowed noblely with a big smile to match her partner. Reeling from information overload, Sunset turned back to the two dressed in black, and was met with two more faces, both entirely inhuman like Colette. Claire was some sort of strange lizard-like creature, with an elongated face and leathery, black skin. Unlike Rhys or Colette, her eyes were an intense orange with slit pupils, and she had a pair of short, bent horns sprouting from the sides of her forehead, just above the eyes. Also unlike Rhys or Colette, she had a large frown on her face, clearly unhappy with the situation she found herself in.

Most surprisingly, was that Ignatius did not appear to be organic at all, with his face being almost entirely a skull-like visage of white metal. Thankfully, he lacked any nose or teeth, which toned down the eeriness of his face, if only a little. What Sunset found particularly interesting was that his eyes had black sclera with pinprick pupils, and what would have served as an iris seemed to be brimming with a swirling inferno just behind the lens. They very literally glowed with the ferocity of a raging fire, quite the contrary to the polite and soft spoken man she had so far experienced. He wore a deadpan expression, either because he chose to, or because his metallic face could not emote.

“What… Are you people? You’re not humans. Not like humans I know, at least. Where did you all come from?” Sunset was feeling incredibly overwhelmed at this point, but her curiosity was overriding her panic, at least for the time being.

“Well, I’m pretty sure I’m a human,” said the Solar Rook, giving her an amused expression. “As for the others; Colette is a canid, Claire is a daemonkin, and Ignatius is a synth. We all came through a portal in the forest back there, one that was linked to our world, although it’s closed for now. We’re on a reconnaissance mission to determine if this world is hostile or not, and if you’re any indication, it seems like a fine world to live on.” Sunset now had her confirmation that these people were definitely not from Equestria, and also not from the Earth she’d been living in for the last few years. There were definitely no androids or dog people and especially not scary demon people. She was feeling somewhat glad to hear that the portal was closed.

“Well, if I’m gonna be honest here, I’m completely out of my depth here. Can I bring you four to town? So that I can get in contact with the princess, and maybe she can talk to you all? This seems like a little bit bigger than just a Friendship Problem to me. You’re talking about interplanetary relations, and I don’t think I’m exactly the mare for the job” The four soldiers exchanged glances, and nodded to each other, quickly agreeing on the sentiment.

“Meeting the local regent would definitely make our job easier. And I for one am quite interested in seeing your culture.” Ignatius stroked his chin at the thought of seeing a society developed by equines, his mind buzzing at the possibilities.

“It’s settled then!” Rhys shouted, his helmet snapping shut as he stood back up to his full height, “Off to the pony town to meet the princess!” Sunset watched as the rest of his team replaced their own helmets, which extended from somewhere on their backs to quickly envelop their heads, technology that she had never seen before. As Sunset started to walk forward, a large hand stopped her, and she looked up at Rhys in confusion.

“Want a ride, Sunset Shimmer? Your legs are tiny, and I don’t want you getting left behind.” She contemplated the offer for a moment, and then shrugged, completely giving into the insanity that her day has become. Riding on the back of an alien mech suit seemed perfectly normal at this point.

“Sure, why not. I’ve been on my hooves all day, so I’ll take a break.” He scooped her up and sat her down on top of the large rectangular device on his back, with her forelegs hanging down on either side of his head. Not the most comfortable position for a pony, but Sunset wasn’t about to complain. She pointed ahead, signalling for the team to start moving. “I’ll give you directions. The road splits a few times up ahead, so just turn where I say, and we should make it to Ponyville pretty soon.” Sunset heard an excited laugh from below her, and saw Colette practically jumping with anticipation.

“The town is called Ponyville? That’s so cute! I can’t wait to see it!” Ignatius nodded in agreement, and Claire just groaned aloud.

“If anyone is having a Friendship Problem, it’s that Claire woman,” Sunset thought to herself, “I just need to figure out who she’s having it with. Then once it’s settled, I can let Princess Twilight handle the rest and get back to my anniversary.”

Author's Note

Wow, it took me three chapters to actually describe the faces of my characters. Hope y'all are still enjoying this! I'm definitely having fun making it. Be sure to give me feedback if you have any! I'm always looking to better my writing, for your sake as much as my own. See y'all next week!

Chapter 4: A Warm Welcome

Sunset Shimmer was riding on the back of a massive mechanized warsuit piloted by an alien, with three more aliens ahead of them on the road, and she was still trying to process how she wound up here. What was supposed to be a simple anniversary vacation with her girlfriend to Equestria has spiraled into a game of interplanetary politics. Her brow was furrowed with concern as she thought about what kind of world needs soldiers such as these. The other thing that confused her was that they were seemingly completely unarmed, which couldn't possibly be true. She decided that before they arrived in town, she would need to learn more about these strangers to better assess them. They claim to be here peacefully, but she felt skeptical, because too much was strange about them. She would have to start by addressing the obvious, and work her way from there.

“So, you guys said that you’re from another world, right? I have a pretty good record that humans get turned into ponies upon entering Equestria, so what’s the deal with you four? You clearly didn’t get transformed into anything new.” Ignatius was the one to answer, looking over his shoulder at her.

“That’s because interuniversal travel is not a foreign concept to our people. In the early days, it was quickly discovered that moving between universes would sometimes result in… unsavoury modifications to the traveller.” He paused, ruminating silently. As Sunset was about to ask for further explanation, he abruptly continued. “Different universes will have different equivalent templates for specific lifeforms, and upon passing between those worlds, your body will be remade into those shapes. With some trial and error, a procedure was developed to inoculate travellers from the effect. One we all have undergone.” Sunset winced, having been hopeful that their solution was less intrusive.

“So you’re saying some sort of surgical procedure allows you to keep your original forms? I thought the transformation was magical. You make it sound like some kind of science.” The synth shook his head at her in response, almost like a teacher to a child.

“Not quite, but I understand why you would say that. In a way, they are the same thing, but from different perspectives. Admittedly, much of the science has been lost to time. Several thousand years ago, our Earth suffered a terrible catastrophe that resulted in much loss of life, and knowledge. The truth to the matter is one such scientific morsel.” Sunset frowned, sensing a discrepancy in his story.

“If the science was lost, then how are you able to undergo the procedure? Surely you would need to understand the technology to replicate it.” This time Colette interrupted, skipping backwards to face her. The weight of her heavy armor made her footsteps into a rhythmic thumping as she moved.

“You’d think so, right? As it turns out, the nerds of the past kept everything stored on huge data centers that were very imaginatively named Archives, with each one storing about a zettabyte of data each. Unfortunately for us, not all of them survived the apocalypse, and the ones that did were so fried that whatever data was left over was pretty much an arbitrary mish-mash of fact and fiction. We wound up with the blueprints for the implants, but not the science behind them. Thank the gods it was labelled, otherwise we’d never know what it was for.” Sunset nodded silently, getting some better understanding of their world.

“So you basically just stuck an implant into your body, not knowing how it worked, just because it said it might help you travel between universes?” Rhys and Colette both laughed at this, as if it was a joke and not an honest concern.

“Of course not! The Baus is a general-use platform with many benefits. Only one of the functions is interuniversal stability.” Sunset couldn’t help but smirk at the excitable Solars, but Rhys mentioning this ‘Baus’ caught her attention. She once again diverted the conversation to learn more about their technology.

“So this… Baus implant does even more? You said it has a bunch of other uses. Like what?” Rhys continued, seemingly oblivious to Sunset’s interrogation tactics.

“Well the Biomechanical Augmentation System, or as we like to say, ‘The Baus,’ is an implant that gets inserted and sewn into the host’s nervous and respiratory systems. Then, it uses a series of self-replicating nanomachines to modify and manage the host’s body, allowing for unobtrusive and painless work. It can heal injuries, alter your physiology as you see fit, and even build other implants directly into your body. Most of us get it implanted as a child, and grow up with it. Synths like Ignatius have it built into their bodies as standard, seeing as it works with inorganic material just as easily as anything else, and just makes life easier.” Ignatius gives a small thumbs-up without looking back, showing his nonverbal approval for the augmentation.

Sunset was aware that they spoke of some sort of horrible calamity in the past, but she still felt confused. These people seemed to come from an Earth of miraculous technology, and she couldn’t understand what they would possibly want from Equestria. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand why you all are here. You said that you’re here on a mission to study Equestria, but I don’t know what we could offer you. Unless you’ve got a sugar shortage or something, I’m not sure what you’ll find here.” The whole team grew quiet, with even Colette losing her jubilation. A palpable tension manifested in the air around them, and Sunset realized that she had hit some sort of nerve with her visitors. She was about to apologize until Claire sighed deeply, looking over her shoulder at her, speaking somberly.

“I’m going to be completely honest with you, little pony. Our world is dying. The land is barren, and the air is so polluted that a hundred generations have passed since anyone has seen the sun with the naked eye. We wage a never ending war against an enemy we cannot defeat, only stall. Our coming here was an act of desperation. We cannot win, so all we can hope to do is flee our universe into one that has not been tainted by the First Fear.” As soon as she was done speaking, Claire turned away again, looking straight ahead once more, clearly unwilling to continue this line of discussion. No one else spoke up, and Sunset felt dread creep up her spine as the truth of the words settled in. These were not a group of mighty soldiers from another world; they were refugees from a war on a scale beyond her imagination. She felt guilty for doubting them, and decided for certain that she would speak to Princess Twilight about getting them some kind of help.

Thankfully, that would be soon, as they were nearing the edge of the forest, and could see the sky peaking through the canopy as the trees thinned. Sunset was about to announce this, but stopped herself when she saw the two Lunar Guard. Claire and Ignatius had both stopped, raising their fist in the air in unison. Colette and Rhys both stopped as well, and the four of them stood in silence, slowly turning their heads back and forth. Sunset looked down at them, confused at their abrupt change in demeanor. “Is something wrong? Why did you all-”

“There is danger, little one. We have been surrounded.” Ignatius spoke softly and calmly, turning his body to face her. “You are a mage, are you not? Can you defend yourself?” She nodded in response, swallowing her anticipation. Whatever they had noticed, she had been completely oblivious to. She wasn’t sure if she should be glad to have the extra bodies to help defend with, or curse the fact that it was likely the noise of the party that drew in predators to begin with. Rhys slowly and carefully reached up to her, lifting her up gingerly and placing her back on the ground as he shifted his stance to a defensive one. It was only once she was on the ground that she could see the number of glowing eyes slowly approaching from all directions.

“Timberwolves. A whole pack. We should run.” Colette audibly scoffed, giving Sunset an amused glance as she rolled her shoulders, warming up for the fight. The Solar Knight then reached across her body to her hip, making a fist. It was only as she began to draw her hand back that Sunset realized that she was drawing a massive sword from seemingly nowhere. It looked as though the sword was being pulled from an invisible veil, but upon closer inspection, Sunset realized that the blade was being drawn into reality inch-by-inch by a small rectangular box on her hip, with a dozen bright blue lasers seemingly printing the weapon with nothing but pure light. Within seconds, Colette was wielding a massive greatsword that was as long as she was tall, looking to be about 6 feet in length. More shockingly, the blade was over a foot wide, making it look even more disproportionately huge than it already did. It glowed with a faint blue light, and electricity seemed to crackle along its surface, brimming with an ominous energy that made the frightening weapon all the more intimidating. Despite the sheer size and weight of the weapon, Colette seemed to handle it with the same ease as Sunset would wield a fencing foil in high school. Looking at the Lunars showed that they too had manifested weapons from seemingly nowhere, with Ignatius holding a long-hilted glaive and Claire wielding a sinister-looking serrated curved sword. Both of their weapons were black as pitch and glowing with a faint violet light along their edge, similar to Colette’s own weapon, but dissimilar as they looked practical rather than like something out of a video game. Rhys had simply taken what looked to be a boxer’s stance, holding up his massive metal fists that were in of themselves powerful crushing weapons that could probably bring down a house with ease.

“Trust me when I say that we’ve seen a lot worse than this. This will be over in a flash.” The snarky bark of Colette emphasized just how comfortable they all were with combat, seemingly treating this otherwise lethal encounter as nothing but a casual bout. Each of the four soldiers stood with their backs to Sunset, clearly seeing her as something to defend. While momentarily annoyed at their coddling, she quickly reasoned that this would be a good opportunity to see what they were like in combat, which might give Sunset some valuable insight on the visitors. Even as much as she wanted to trust their confidence, she couldn’t help but feel anxious, bubbling herself in a magic shield as the growling of timberwolves grew closer. For a few seconds, Sunset was unsure if anything would even happen. There was complete silence as the two groups stared at each other, with only a few feet of foliage separating them now. The hardened wood of the timberwolves was clearly visible, and if her companions were surprised by the appearance of the wolves, they didn’t show it.

And then, without warning, there was noise.

A massive wolf made of wood leapt out of a bush at Rhys, pouncing for his head but only managing to get a mouthful of Solar adamantine as it instead bit into his forearm. Rhys responded by grabbing the timberwolf around the waist with his free hand, easily pulling it free and slamming it into the ground in one movement, instantly shattering it into twigs and logs. The Solar captain laughed into his transceiver as he stomped on the remains with a boot, crushing the rest into splinters. “These beasts remind me of the marionettes back home! They break just as easily, and are about as smart!” A voice in his ear responded with equal vigor as Colette swung her massive sword overhead, bisecting a pouncing timberwolf from nose to tail with her sword.

“It’s almost too easy! They telegraph all their movements, and they go down in one hit! At least the marionettes had a *chance* to hurt us. These things can’t even scratch my paint!” Another ran at her from the bushes, and she waited until it sprang for her neck before grabbing it by the throat with her off hand and plunging her sword through its midsection with her other. It whined in pain before falling apart pitifully, its remains left smouldering from the burnt wound. The Lunars were fairing just as well, if not better. Claire charged off the path into her enemies, slashing at them with ferocity and grace. She roared with an incoherent fury as she tore through several wolves in several seconds, reducing them to piles of split wood. Her smaller sword cut with lightning fast slashes and accurately, dismembering her foes with ease.

Back on the path, Ignatius stood by Sunset, intending to protect her from any that slipped by. One such wolf ran between the legs of Rhys as he tried and failed to grab it, being occupied by another two wolves currently hanging from either arm. This lone wolf leapt for Sunset, maw wide with hunger and rage. She recoiled in fear, but stood her ground knowing that her shield would easily weather the attack. It never did, however, as Ignatius spun around quickly and snapped two of his fingers together at the wolf. In the time it took for the wolf to jump off the ground and impact Sunset’s shield, it had been reduced to hot, white ash as his magic had instantly immolated it in less than a second. The fiery explosion and sudden rush of heat did more to frighten the pony than the wolf ever could have, as she had never before witnessed such a powerful display of lethal force before. Her eyes wide in shock and awe at the Lunar standing behind her, his emotionless visor betraying nothing and sending another shiver down her spine.

In less than a minute, it was over. The last of the wolves ran in fear from the quartet of warriors, having never before faced such opposition. They had prey fight back before, but never with such ferocity such as this. Sunset was left in the middle of it all, surrounded by pieces of burnt, crushed, and chopped timberwolf. She was thankful that it was timberwolves and not a manticore or cragadile, because she wasn’t sure she could handle seeing a flesh and blood creature being so viciously eviscerated like the wolves were. She sat shivering for a moment, before realizing that her shield was still up. She considered leaving it as it was, but decided against it, her fear of these aliens being renewed in their combat prowess. The last thing Sunset wanted to do is make them feel unwelcome, because it was becoming increasingly apparent to her that animosity between their worlds was the last thing she or anypony else would ever want. Claire, Colette, and Ignatius all stowed their weapons, each disappearing in a flurry of lights just like when they were drawn. Sunset took a deep breath, and stood up, looking up at the four of them. Rhys was the first to speak, his helmet sliding back open again to show his concerned expression.

“You seem awfully shaken, Sunset Shimmer. I assume you’re not used to combat like that, and I apologize on behalf of myself and my companions. We meant to protect you, but it seems we have only made you more distressed.” He seemed genuinely sorry, and she appreciated the gesture, even if it didn’t help to calm her nerves. She knew about war, as there were a small number in Equestrian history, and even more in human history. She had read many times before about battle, bloodshed, and even wartime atrocities, but had never been as close to any of it as she was today. Magical rainbow lasers and friendship had all but completely sensitized her of the true brutality of conflict, and she realized that she would have to get used to it if she was going to work with these four to help them, and solve whatever Friendship Problem brought her to them. The other members of his party also opened their helmets in an attempt to put her at ease, but she was still not used to their strange appearances, and they only served to remind her how alien they really were. She then had another abrupt realization.

“Oh sweet Celestia, I can’t let you four into town.” The group seemed taken aback by the statement, but Sunset quickly began to explain to try and save face. “Listen, I’m pretty well-travelled. I’ve seen a lot of crazy stuff in my time, but you guys definitely take the cake. There are some more open-minded ponies these days, but the pretty normal response to new stuff is to run screaming, and the fact that you four are objectively terrifying doesn’t help. No one in town besides me has seen humans, let alone canids, or synths or uh… daemonkin.” Sunset looked Claire up and down again, grimacing slightly at the memories of her own demonic stint on Earth. “Most ponies have never even met soldiers before, beyond the Canterlot Guard, and those guys are mostly just glorified security officers. The concept of war is pretty foreign in this country. Princess Twilight’s castle is pretty much the only place big enough to house you guys, but it’s also in the center of town. I have no idea how to hide you to prevent mass panic.” Sunset’s brow furrowed in thought, considering her options. The four of them were too big to try and sneak through, and she couldn’t teleport them. She had a hunch that their implants would likely interfere with teleportation, and even if they didn’t, they were too big and heavy to teleport so far. The Lunars likely weighed at least twice her weight each, and the Solars would be much, much heavier than that with their powered armor.

“I may have an idea, though I cannot guarantee it will work.” Ignatius stepped forward, his arms crossed in thought. Sunset still did not like looking him in the eyes due to the sheer intensity of his unblinking stare, but she forced herself to do so in order to listen carefully. “I am not only trained in pyromancy, but also alteration. I believe I can create a veil to obscure us by manipulating the light around our bodies. It will not hide the sounds of our movement, but it may just work to prevent the average person- er, pony from detecting us as we cross the town.” Sunset blinked several times, wondering if she had misheard the Lunar Knight.

“Wait, wait, back up. Did you just say that you can cast invisibility magic? That’s never been done before in Equestria!” Ignatius shook his head humbly, much to Sunset’s disappointment.

“Not true invisibility, no. It is merely a refraction of light, as opposed to allowing it to pass completely through the subject. As a result, it is an imperfect effect that does not hold up to scrutiny. Regardless, it is an invaluable skill to Lunar Guard such as myself, as we primarily operate at night, and such a spell makes us all but undetectable. And it should help us now.” Ignatius pointed up at the sky, and everyone’s gaze followed his finger. The sun was hanging low now, and they all together understood what he meant. “It is the afternoon now, and we can use that to our advantage. Unless your people are nocturnal, then they are likely to be returning to their homes for evening soon. We can use the reduced street traffic along with the low light to allow us to pass without trace. I would rather wait until night, but that may take several more hours that we should not waste.”

Sunset was smirking, with an eyebrow raised deviously, because she knew something that none of them did. She knew from her own time on Earth that normally the sun and moon move across the sky on their own through cosmic forces. What these four definitely did not know was that such rules did not apply in Equestria. Colette noticed her smirk, and cocked her head, curiously.

“Hey Sunset. What’s with that look? Is something funny about Ignatius’ plan? Is something wrong with it?” The unicorn giggled, unable to contain her anticipation.

“Oh, just keep your eyes on the sky. You’ll see in a moment.” The four Celestial Guards exchanged looks of curiosity and confusion. They looked back up at the sky, wondering what was so strange about it, shielding their eyes from the dwindling light of the sun. Then, they all watched in horror as the sun suddenly dropped out of the sky, plunging it into darkness. A moment later, the moon rapidly rose to take its place, bathing the world in a much more subdued light. The group stood in stunned silence, eyes wide and mouths open. Sunset was laughing, but quickly stopped when she realized she was the only one laughing. She took a cautious step forward, looking up at the quartet and unsure what to say. Claire finally broke her eyes from the moon, and looked at Sunset with an expression of complete shock, finally breaking the silence with a single, flabbergasted sentence.

“What in the gods damned fu-”

—

“So then, this world is completely brimming with magic, isn’t it, Sunset Shimmer?” Rhys was sitting on the ground, with his companions around him. They all needed to take a short break upon the epiphany that the sun and moon of this planet was controlled by a magical pony and not gravity. He turned his head to Claire, who was sitting furthest away from him on his left. “When were you going to tell us, Claire? You can see auras. You should have known from the very beginning what this world had in store for us. The timberwolves, the ponies, and even the ground we walk on are all overflowing with magic. Why did you hide that from us?” Ignatius stood up between them, blocking the rook’s view.

“She told me, but I also hid such knowledge. We decided it was not of immediate importance, and could distract the team. Now… we know better. There was no avoiding this.” Rhys frowned with disappointment in both of the Lunars, angry that they would hide such valuable information. He averted his gaze from the pair in black, and turned his head to see Colette, who was looking up at him. Her icy eyes shimmered in the pale moonlight with a look of sadness on her face.

“I don’t get it. We’re supposed to be a team. Why can’t we just be honest with each other?” Rhys snorted in frustration, before sighing in defeat, his frown going from bitter to simply dejected.

“Lunars are not the trusting type. Especially not Claire. She hasn’t trusted me since City Seven. I do not blame her, but I am sorry that you must suffer her ire alongside me.” Sunset was sitting nearby and overheard this, and it piqued her curiosity. She may have spent longer than she hoped with these four, but she was all but certain now that the Friendship Problem she was sent to deal with was between Rhys and Claire. She just needed to figure out what happened between them, and solve it. Easier said than done, unfortunately for her.

“What’s City Seven?” Sunset saw Rhys flinch, and immediately regretted asking, but decided to follow through. “It seems like a sensitive topic, but maybe discussing it with a new friend will help?” The Solar captain shook his head, smiling.

“I appreciate that, Sunset Shimmer. Perhaps in these magical lands, problems can be so easily solved with some nice words and tea, but that is not the case where we come from. Things are more complicated than just that.” Claire glared at him, and then shifted her gaze to Sunset. Her eyes seemed to soften just slightly, but it may have just been the light. If looks could kill, Claire still wore a lethal expression.

“City Seven was a massacre, plain and simple. Rhys was stationed there, and a lot of good people died on his watch. My husband was one of them. Rhys was supposed to keep him safe, and he failed.” She spat the last word at the Solar, making him flinch again. Without daring to look at her, he responded, his normally booming voice barely a whisper.

“He was my brother, I loved him too. If I could go back and change things, I would. I did all I could-” She stood up suddenly, cutting him off as she shouted at his slumped shape, rage in her voice.

“You did nothing. You laid in the dirt and watched him die. You were weak then, and you are weak now. That is why you wear that suit, because you’ve always been too weak to stand on your own!” Rhys could only sit and weather the verbal lashing that his sister delivered to him. Nothing she said was wrong, and he was all too aware of the fact. Still, Sunset couldn’t help but stand at his defense. She did not know the pain of losing family the way they did, but she did know senseless anger when she saw it.

“Claire, please stop this.” The daemonkin turned, hate in her eyes as Sunset spoke. Her sharp, jagged teeth were bared, and she looked ready to kill. “I don’t know your people’s history, or the tragedies you’ve suffered, but you can’t take them out on your family. You’ve both lost someone you love. Hurting Rhys won’t bring him back. Hurting others won’t fill the hole in your heart, either. Pain only brings pain, and you can’t heal with hate. I know that better than most.” Sunset’s determination clashed with Claire’s rage, and the two of them stared into each other’s eyes for what felt like an eternity as seconds dragged on and on, neither wanting to back down from their convictions. Sunset was surprised when Claire looked away first, looking back down on her younger brother. She spat on him, her spit landing on his armor just below the neck, before turning her back to them both. She began to walk away, but Ignatius appeared in front of her, holding out a small, grey cylinder.

“Eat, captain. Your kind becomes belligerent when hungry, and you have not eaten all day.” She snatched it out of his hand without a word, and snapped it in half. She knocked back the contents of both halves at the same time, chewing loudly and quickly. When she finally swallowed, she then threw the empty halves on the ground unceremoniously. Sunset watched in confusion, wondering what the contents were, until the smell wafted her way. She immediately recognized the acrid smell of raw meat, and grimaced in disgust. Her time on Earth had made her used to the consumption of meat, and she was aware that even some ponies in Equestria ate the meat of less-intelligent species. None of that compared to seeing someone like Claire devouring raw, nearly-rancid flesh in such a ravenous manner. Looking over to the Solars, it seemed that Colette had decided to follow suit in a quick meal, drawing forth two similar-looking canisters. Thankfully, they appeared to contain a muddy-brown looking energy bar when she opened them. At first, Rhys waved off the food, clearly not in the mood to eat. The canid put on a pout, not caring about his feelings.

“You have to eat, captain. If I have to eat this garbage, I am not eating it alone. Take it before I stuff it in your mouth hole.” With that, the rook hesitantly took the humble meal. Rhys ate slowly and sadly, glancing up at Sunset. Upon making eye contact with her, he smiled briefly, before looking down again, still dejected. She felt a pit in her gut, their pitiful state dramatically contrasting with their strength that was on display earlier. She no longer wanted to help them for the sake of the map, feeling determined to fix this relationship just so she didn’t have to see such painful expressions anymore.

Ignatius interrupted her thoughts by stepping up beside her and kneeling down, whispering to her. “Once the other two are done eating, shall we depart, little one? I do not like the idea of spending the night outside in a foreign land, even with a sky so beautiful. Additionally, my companions need rest. I do not need sleep, but they still do.” He paused, glancing back at Claire who was sulking away from the group. “Even if they are too proud to admit it.”

“That’s probably a good idea. If these two have to spend much longer around each other, I have a feeling that she’s going to kill him.” Ignatius nodded in return, wanting to be through with the hostilities for tonight. He was tired of seeing his superior make a fool of herself. Even if he believed her feelings were justified, her childish actions were not. He stood up and looked to the Solars, who were finishing their meal. Colette had stuffed her entire ration bar into her mouth at once, and was struggling to manage the massive ball of synthesized foodstuffs. Rhys was chewing the final bite of his own bar, showing that slow and steady did indeed win the race. Upon looking up from his lieutenant and seeing Ignatius at the ready, he took a deep breath and stood up as well, pushing the empty food cylinder into his hip holster, which deconstructed it into energy as easily as it did anything else. Colette did the same, still fruitlessly chewing the mass of mushy bar in her mouth. Ignatius gestured for Claire to rejoin the group, and she did, begrudgingly.

“With the cover of night, this will be easier. I have never had to veil an entire goliath-class battlesuit before, but I should be able to manage it. Follow Sunset, she will remain outside of our veil and lead us to the castle. Once inside, we can rest until morning.” Rhys chuckled halfheartedly, his exhaustion obvious.

“You know, for a lieutenant, you’re making an awful lot of decisions. Maybe you two should exchange rank.” Both Lunars shot him a deadpan glance, and Rhys grew silent again. Sunset was all too eager to get these four to the castle, just so she could at least sleep after such a long day. She thought about how nice it would be to share a bed with her girlfriend, and then became irritated as she realized the Twilight was back in Canterlot with the Princess, and she likely wouldn’t see her until at least tomorrow. She sighed in exasperation, before turning towards town.

“Alright, Ignatius. Do your stuff, and let’s get moving.” Before she was even done speaking, the Lunar Knight was already casting his spell. Focusing, he quickly performed a series of gestures from his memory, his mechanical body allowing for exact precision. As his fingers moved through the air, he envisioned his delicate manipulations of the invisible paths of energy in the universe. While such magical pathways were far more lively than the ones back home, they were still familiar enough to work with. He carefully flowed minute quantities of his soul through his fingertips, painting a new series of paths and directions for the localized universe to follow. As complex as the process was, his practiced hands made short work of the spell, bringing it to life in only a brief few seconds. The four soldiers quickly found themselves enwreathed in a shimmering sphere as the light was refracted and bounced around them. Colette in particular was awed by this, the fabulous lightshow appealing to her canid humors.

Looking back, Sunset would have been startled to see that the four had vanished, had she not been in on the plan herself. Looking carefully, she could just barely see a distortion of light in a wide semicircle, almost like a faint mirage. Satisfied with the illusion, Sunset began walking along the path. Unfortunately, it became quickly apparent just how obvious the sound of Rhys walking was, with his massive warsuit not only loudly stomping around, but also the whirring and hissing of the servos and hydraulics with every step. She suddenly felt glad that night had fallen, otherwise the plan probably wouldn’t have worked. Then again, most ponies can be pretty oblivious, so who could say for sure? At the very least, anyone hearing the noise will only be confused if they decided to look out their window and only see a lone unicorn mare.

As they moved slowly, the four knights inside of the veil couldn’t help but admire the idyllic town of Ponyville. Even at night, it looked very approachable and pleasant. The houses all looked comfortable, warm, and quaint, a far cry from the uniform and practical bunkers that everyone lived in back on Earth. Ignatius in particular, was enjoying seeing the peculiar architecture. While he was devoting most of his attention and energy to maintaining the spell, he was pleased and somewhat confused to see that the buildings were easily identifiable as ancient human styles, brushing off the oddity as cosmic coincidence. If the ponies spoke Common Terran, the odds of there being similarities in culture or architecture are just as likely. What certainly awed the group more than anything was the massive castle of crystal that towered over the rest of the town, looking quite out of place among the thatch-roof buildings everywhere else. It was perhaps the largest building any of them had seen, only possibly matched in scale to the Royal Watchtower in the Capital City.

Sunset approached the massive main doors of Twilight’s Castle, and just as she stepped on the stairs leading up, the doors began to open, with Spike on the other side. He strained himself pulling the massive doors open, but was excited to see Sunset return at last. “I was starting to get worried about you out there! You’ve been gone all afternoon, and when the moon rose, I wasn’t sure if you were coming back at all tonight! Just in case, I waited here by the window to watch for you. How did your friendship quest go?” Sunset smiled awkwardly, and Spike’s excitement quickly wore off as he realized that there was a very unusual shaking occurring around him.

“Well, unfortunately, my quest isn’t exactly done yet. I’m gonna need you to write a letter to the princess.” Before Spike could ask what was going on, Ignatius released control of his spell, causing the entire team to instantaneously appear in the room behind Sunset. Spike went wide-eyed and slack-jawed, gawking at the four aliens standing in front of him. He spent several seconds looking back and forth between Sunset and the group behind her, before shaking off the shock. Throwing up his hands and turning around, Spike started making his way to his room, deciding that he was too tired to even think about this.

“Nope. I don’t get paid enough for this. I’m going to bed, you all can just find a bed of your own. Don’t care what room as long as it isn’t mine. I’m gonna have Twilight deal with this tomorrow. This is not my problem.”

Author's Note

Whew. Had a lot going this week. Wasn't sure I'd finish this in time, but I made it! Hope I'm not boring everyone with my expositing. I really love worldbuilding, and I look forward to making the next chapter! More ponies are inbound, I promise.

Chapter 5: A Pleasant Breakfast

All was quiet in the castle, besides the slow, muted steps of Ignatius as he walked the grounds. The gentle echoes of each step only emphasized how enormous the castle was, further enticing his curiosity. Sunset Shimmer had helped the team find rooms to rest in before going to sleep herself, but Ignatius was uninterested in sitting still and waiting for morning. He had found himself wandering the castle, examining the strange, magical crystal that made its composition, as well as learning the layout. Starting from the living area, he made a mental note of the rooms that his team, Sunset, and Spike were staying in, as well as a room that he was warned against intruding into. He assumed it must be the private chambers of someone he has not yet met, but the lack of sound inside implied they were not yet home. Moving down the hall, he found a rather well-stocked library, and decided he would come back for it later, interested in reading more about Equestrian history and culture, but not wanting to attempt to learn their written language just yet. He found the kitchen, dining room, and what appeared to be the remnants of a laboratory, albeit mostly gutted of its equipment. Many rooms were empty and unkept, with dust lining every surface. He came to the conclusion that the original owner must have moved out, and while the castle was still lived in, it certainly no longer received the care it might have once gotten.

What caught his attention in particular was a pair of large doors that were left ajar, with a large amount of light seeping through. Peering inside, Ignatius found that the room was by far one of the largest in the castle, sporting a wide, circular shape and a massive wooden chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It looked to be made of tree roots, and from each root hung a series of multi-coloured crystals, finely polished and reflecting light around the chamber. In the center of the room was a large table, surrounded with seven thrones, although one was smaller than the rest. Most interestingly, was what was on the table. He stepped inside to get a closer look and affirm his suspicions. In the center of the room was a table, and atop the table was a holographic map. Using the landmarks he had seen earlier, he was able to determine that the map was centered on the castle, and that the map itself likely depicted the entirety of Equestria. Taking photos of the map with his oculars, Ignatius began to study it to get a better bearing of what this world was like. He decided that he would definitely spend the rest of the night studying in the library, using this map as reference material.

After being sure that he had it memorized and archived, Ignatius made his way back towards the library. Quietly closing the doors to the map room, he moved down the halls brimming with curiosity. It would be the first time he ever held a real, physical, paper book, and he found himself longing for a nose to properly experience the "book smell" that he had read about in his studies. Apparently it was once considered a euphoric scent for avid readers such as himself. The soft clicking of his bootheels on the crystal floor felt like a ticking clock to his destination, his anticipation growing. A wealth of knowledge at his fingertips, free for him to grasp if he so wishes. After making a few wrong turns, he eventually found his way through the castle and back to where the library was. Pushing open one of the large doors, he took an additional few moments at the threshold to drink in the sight. Hundreds of books lined the shelves, though not even enough to properly fill them, with many empty gaps where dozens more books could be shelved. His helmet slid open as he made his way past the small tables and up to the large wall of literature. Pulling a random hardcover down, he opened it to the first page. Predictably, it was written in a language completely foreign to him. Putting it back, he began to make his way through the books, one-by-one, looking for two books in particular. The first of the books was a cartography book. Using that as a basis, he found a map of Equestria and Ponyville, using the fact that Equestrians spoke Common Terran to determine if the written language had the same alphabet, but merely with different symbols. His hunch was correct, as the titles of the two maps had nine letters each, reflecting on his hypothesis. Taking a note of the letters he now knew, he went in search of his next book, a dictionary. With the fourteen letters he knew, it was simple enough to find a book that had those letters in the correct order on the spine. Armed with those fourteen letters, he quickly determined the final twelve letters that he needed to know by skipping across the book to each . With this new data in mind, his electronic mind was quickly and easily able to translate the Equestrian written language into Terran in real-time, and a quick skimming through the dictionary proved his procedure to be effective, as it was all completely legible now.

With that out of the way, he excitedly dove headfirst into the history section, wanting to know everything he could learn from this humble collection. Being able to read at a cool six-thousand words per minute, Ignatius tore through the books with a rabid ferocity that he had not shown since he was a newly-built youngling. Hours passed as he devoured the literature of ages, everything he could want to know and more. The information filled his mind to bursting, and yet he couldn’t stop his search for more knowledge of this new and infinitely fascinating land. The two sisters of Equestria, their battle, and reunion. The Elements of Harmony, and their predecessors, the Pillars of Equestria. The founding of the country, and the many monstrous creatures that inhabited the land, and those beyond its borders. Magic, agriculture, architecture, biology, mythology, military, and sociology. The “Magic of Friendship” in particular he found fascinating, and struggled to grasp the fundamentals of it. He found a book called the “Friendship Journal,” and poured through it, drinking in the wisdom of the Elements of Harmony over their journey together that they shared across years. For hours, Ignatius continued reading dozens of books in all but complete silence, the only sound was that of the pages being rapidly flipped as his eyes subsumed every word with an enthralled enthusiasm. The only way it could have gone faster is if they had a computer archive for him to interface with, but he learned in his reading that they had only just recently developed the semiconductor in this world, and its power had not yet been realized, meaning that their current level of computing amounted to glorified calculators. Besides, he was having far too much fun with the paper books to possibly care to use a computer right now. He was in fact so absorbed in the books, that he wouldn’t ever even realize that he was smiling for the first time in twenty years.

—

Somewhere in town, a tail twitched. A certain mare awoke suddenly in the middle of the night. Her tail twitched again, and she knew what that meant. She got out of bed, and got to work.

—

Starlight Glimmer stumbled across town at the break of dawn, head throbbing from the previous night’s debauchery. She should have known better than to go out drinking with Trixie, but couldn’t help herself. Sleeping in that cramped wagon didn’t help her situation, but Starlight was ultimately thankful that today was not a school day. It meant that she could spend the day relaxing and nursing her hangover in her home, away from all of her many responsibilities as headmare, if only for a day. Using her magic, she pushed open the massive doors in front of her, happily stepping inside and out of the sun’s painfully bright light. “Gonna go to the kitchen, make some coffee, a bagel, and then sleep this off,” Starlight mumbled to herself as she slowly plodded her way across the foyer of the crystalline castle. The clip-clop of her hooves echoed through the building, announcing her approach to Sunset Shimmer who came around the corner with a large and somewhat strained smile, but Starlight was far too hungover to notice. She did however, recognize her friend who she hadn’t seen in several years, bringing a much more genuine smile to her own face.

“Sunset! Wow, this is a surprise. You’re the last pony I expected to see this morning. What brings you to Equestria?” Starlight tried and failed to pep herself up, but she was far too tired to look anything but tired. Sunset looked over her shoulder nervously, which drew Starlight’s attention to the faint sounds of music and kitchenware clanging. Starlight raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Wait, is there someone else here? Is that… electro swing music I hear?” Sunset blocked her view by stepping in front of her, trying and failing to act natural.

“Oh, that? That’s nothing. That’s just Spike making breakfast! I’m visiting with Twilight from the human realm for our anniversary! It’s a little vacation, and I just happened to be in town. Princess Twilight let us into the castle, and I stayed the night.” Starlight scrunched her face in thought, putting a hoof to her head as she strained to think clearly.

“Hold on, so you’re here visiting with other Twilight? And Princess Twilight let you in? Where are they now?” A bead of sweat formed on Sunset’s brow which she quickly flicked away, which Starlight did notice.

“Oh, they’re both in Canterlot! Princess Twilight wanted to show her the sights while I did an errand here in Ponyville. Turns out, I got called by the map to solve a friendship problem, and Spike stuck around to help. I sorta… crashed here for the night, I hope you don’t mind.” Starlight waved her friend off with a considerate smile, pushing past her as she made her way to the kitchen. Sunset tried to stop her, but decided that trying to prevent Starlight from entering her own home would be even more suspicious than she was already being.

“That’s no problem, Sunset. Celestia knows that this place is too big for me. I’m happy to have a guest. How’d the problem go? I’m guessing you got it done and are headed back to Canterlot after breakfast, right?” Sunset was walking beside Glimmer now, trying to think of how to handle this new problem.

“Well no, actually. Turns out the folks I had to help were from out of town, and their problem is a lot more complicated than I thought. This was really the only place I could think of to bring them to, so we all stayed the night here. I figured it wouldn’t be a big deal, considering how many spare rooms there are here in the castle, right?” Once again, Starlight dismissed her friend’s concerns with a wave of her hoof.

“Of course, Sunset. A friend of yours is a friend of mine. I guess these mystery ponies are the ones making all that noise in the kitchen? I hope you made some coffee, because I definitely need some. Trixie kept me up way later than I should have been last night, and I barely got any sleep.” It was only when Starlight looked at the puzzled expression on Sunset’s face that she realized she might have given away more than she intended to in her stupor. Now it was her turn to deflect. “You know, because of her snoring! I stayed the night with her because I couldn’t make it home and she’s a pretty loud snorer so I had a hard time getting to bed…” Sunset shot her a knowing smirk, and Glimmer blushed, deciding to change the subject before she made more of a fool of herself. As the pair approached the Kitchen, Sunset was actually the first to do so by blocking the door with her body, sighing in defeat.

“Alright, Starlight. Before you walk through that door, I need you to promise that you won’t panic, ok? Because the ‘visitors’ I’ve been talking about are anything but normal ponies. It’s super complicated, and I’m going to need to explain, but I just need you to not freak out ok?” Starlight Glimmer gave Sunset a sideways look, smiling confidently.

“Come on, Sunset. I’m close friends with a Changeling King, a Dragon Lord, and Discord. I’ve travelled through time, and I’ve been to the human realm. I’m pretty sure I’m immune to shock by now, because I have seen it all.” Sunset shrugged, stepping aside to allow her friend through. Starlight pushed open the doors, eager to see what all the fuss was about, and came face-to-face with a metal man making pancakes in her kitchen. He stood in the center of the room at the isle countertop, flipping a flapjack in a pan with one hand and holding a cookbook in his other. At first, she was shocked, as it certainly defied expectations. That feeling quickly dissipated into barely-suppressed laughter however, as she realized that he was wearing a frilly pink apron that blatantly clashed with the rest of his ensemble. Black boots, slacks, and a button-up shirt with rolled up sleeves definitely did not go well with bright pink. He turned to look at her, curious as to who stepped into his workspace. When he saw the unfamiliar pony, he turned and bowed as he introduced himself.

“Hello there, and good morning, madame. I am Knight Lieutenant Ignatius. I assume you are the owner of this castle?” The fact that he was still holding the pan and book as he introduced himself only made the gesture look sillier, but Starlight managed to swallow her giggles. She put on her best headmare face, which was a mixture of professional and welcoming.

“Why yes, I am. I am Starlight Glimmer, headmistress of the School of Friendship. I am happy to officially welcome you to my home, Ignatius. Sunset says she brought you here, and any friend of hers is a friend of mine.” She paused, surveying the room and seeing that there was not just pancakes ready, but also eggs, sausage, toast, juice, milk, and most importantly, coffee. Pointing at the steaming press, she asked him sheepishly, “Mind if I help myself to some of that coffee? I’m still waking up and would love a cup or two.” Ignatius rose from his bow, nodding as he set down the book and flipped the final pancake gracefully out of the pan and onto the waiting stack.

“But of course, Starlight Glimmer. It is, after all, your kitchen. I hope you don’t mind that I raided your stores for supplies, but I wanted to try these fascinating recipes that I read in this ‘cookbook.’ I may not need to eat, but my team does, and I thought that making breakfast for everyone would be… Fun.” He turned off the stove and put the book down on the counter, circling around the center isle to get to the numerous trays and jugs on the other side of the room. “Before that, however, would you care to help me bring this all to the next room? Everyone is waiting and I am sure they would like to meet you as well.” Lifting up the huge platters of pancakes and eggs, he shouldered his way through the swinging doors into the dining room. Sunset and Starlight both took the rest of the food and drinks in their telekinesis as they followed him through, and Starlight was once again surprised to find three other strangers in her home, along with the source of the music.

At her dinner table was a human man, a dog woman, and what she could only describe as an actual demon. The man wore a white and blue coverall that looked to be made of plastics and rubberized textiles. It covered his whole body from the neck-down, and was clearly an advanced piece of technology if the various glowing lights and sockets were to tell. It reminded Starlight of the ‘plugsuits’ from the weird comic that Fluttershy liked so much, the one with the giant monsters and religious iconography. The dog woman was standing beside the table in much more familiar clothing, dressed in blue pants, white boots, and a t-shirt of both colours. Her clothes were tailored in a similar sci-fi style, but not as immediately obvious as the man beside her. What was more obvious, was that her right arm was mechanical. It was clearly some sort of prosthesis, but it was much more advanced than anything in Equestria. She was dancing with Spike, using a portable stereo system playing the electro swing music that Starlight had heard before in the hallway. Lastly, the frightening demon-thing sat far from everyone else, and was dressed in a jet-black suit of armor uniform. They weren't wearing a helmet, and their annoyed frown was clearly visible. Starlight could immediately tell that whatever friendship problem was going on here, it revolved around that one. Before she could ask for names, Ignatius quickly introduced everyone as he put down his two platters.

“This human is Rook Captain Rhys, the canid is Knight Lieutenant Colette, and the daemonkin is Bishop Captain Claire. Everyone, this is Starlight Glimmer, our unwitting hostess. With that, breakfast is served, so eat up.” The Rhys and Colette both gave their greetings as they sat down, with Spike joining them at the table. Claire remained silent, brooding by herself at the other end of the table. Starlight took her seat between Sunset and Spike, as the other three sat across from them. The upbeat and bouncy music helped to wake her up, but she still poured herself a hot cup of coffee for good measure. While Rhys and Colette began to eat, Ignatius folded up his apron and set it aside, sitting down and resting his head on his hands. The most unsettling thing was how he did not have eyelids and did not blink, but it still wasn’t the most disturbing sight Starlight had encountered. She decided to focus on her breakfast instead of worrying about the details.

With his first bite, Rhys looked like he was about to faint with ecstasy from the flavour of pancakes. Never before had he eaten such a thing, and the experience left him reeling. The sweetness of the syrup, the fluffiness of the pancakes, the spongy consistency of the two mixing in his mouth was unlike anything he had ever had the pleasure of eating on Earth. Such confections had been lost to time, as many of their ingredients had gone either completely extinct over the last several thousand years. Beside him, Colette began to inhale the eggs and sausages at a frightening pace, reveling in the joy of eating non-synthesized animal products. Having only ever subsisted on various foodstuffs made of plant-based proteins and the occasional meal of “meat” synthesized from insect colonies, the real thing felt like heaven on her taste buds. For once in her life, she felt like a true predator, and the thought of eating ponies to see what they tasted like even crossed her mind for a moment, only to be dismissed as rude.

“These pancakes… are by far the most delicious thing I have ever eaten in my life. I cannot believe that such food could exist in this world.” Sunset gave him a wry smile, chewing her own mouthful of the stuff.

“Oh, trust me. It gets way better than this. I bet you don’t have pastries or candy where you come from, do you?” Colette practically jumped out of her seat, leaning across the table with wide eyes.

“It gets even better than this? Can you show us?” The three Equestrians shared a laugh as the canid settled back into her seat, with Sunset assuring them that they will make time for it later.

—

The visitors were generally friendly and relatively good company, despite their bizarre physiology. While everyone ate, Sunset and Ignatius helped catch Starlight up to speed with the current situation, telling her about the portal, the team’s mission, and a little bit about their Earth. Ignatius seemed perfectly happy to re-explain all of the same questions that Sunset had earlier about the team, and helped reassure Starlight that they were not going to be a problem. Sunset also regaled the story of the team violently dispatching a pack of timberwolves, which the visitors were quick to disregard as nothing special. Sunset was thankful that Starlight was taking the whole ordeal much better than she was, especially while hungover. She decided that she had underestimated Starlight Glimmer, and was impressed with her cool head in stressful situations like this. Then again, she likely had a lot of practice dealing with strange creatures at the school of Friendship.

“So Spike, I’m guessing you already sent a letter to Twilight about this situation? I’m sure she would love to meet some real aliens.” Starlight punctuated her question with another long sip from her cup of coffee, which was now her third this morning. Sunset was beginning to worry that this was a little too much, even for Starlight. Spike rolled his eyes and answered through a mouthful of pancakes.

“Of courth I tid, it wath the firth thing I did thith mornin.” He swallowed the food, clearing his voice before continuing, “I spoke with Colette and Rhys, and I passed the info onto Twilight. She says she’s going to be here later today after day court is over. I also asked her to bring back other Twilight, because I know how much Sunset misses her girlfriend.” He emphasized the last word with a mocking tone, sneering at Sunset mischievously. Sunset sneered back, and they shared a quick laugh. Rhys sat up in his seat, a look of surprise and excitement.

“Oh-ho! Sunset, you never mentioned that you’ve got a lover! You must tell us about her!” Colette joined in, her eyes sparkling with youthful exuberation.

“You’ve got a girlfriend? What’s she like? Is she pretty? How long have you two been together? Will you introduce us?” Sunset put up her hooves, defensively, trying to actually answer some of the questions currently barraging her.

“Woah, woah. Slow down there, you two. She’s a unicorn like me, and yes she’s pretty. We’ve been together for a year now, and yeah, I guess you’ll all meet her later today.” Not wanting to pry any more than was socially acceptable, the pair of Solars finished their meals, both looking quite giddy at the prospect of young love. On the far end of the table, Sunset caught a glimpse of Claire devouring another tube of meat and averted her gaze. “At least Colette has the decency to eat cooked meat. I don’t want to think about what that red goop in there is.” Starlight stared at Claire in morbid curiosity, her fork hanging in front of her slack mouth. Spike on the other hand, was wide-eyed with horror. Ignatius saw this, and followed her gaze over to his captain, nodding knowingly.

“Yes, I suppose that is a shocking sight to prey-creatures such as yourselves. Claire is a daemonkin. Her biology is unique in that she can only properly digest the raw flesh of creatures with a soul, much like her daemonic ancestors. Thankfully, daemonkin are extremely tolerant to disease and poison, allowing them to consume any flesh from any creature at nearly any stage of decay. Cooking the meat purges it of any residual life, making it no better than eating clay for them. Therefore, all daemonkin carry mealtubes full of meat harvested from slain beasts and enemies.” He spoke very calmly and matter-of-factly, as if all of that didn’t sound completely insane. Starlight put her fork down, and looked at the Solars, who nodded in agreement with Ignatius’ assessment. Spike was practically shivering in his seat, thoroughly unsettled now. He raised a claw, scared of the answer to his question.

“So you’re saying that she eats… souls?” The synth shrugged nonchalantly before nodding as well.

“In layman’s terms, yes. The daemon race, and by extension, daemonkin, is very different from humans or canids. Their biology is in theory much more efficient than others, as long as they have a proper means of sustaining themselves. It was not uncommon for daemons to domesticate and farm beasts for their souls, consuming the hapless creatures for their lifeforce while they still lived. Though many modern daemonkin instead rely on hunted or butchered meat. It is less filling due to the soul having left, but still serves the purpose.” Rhys leaned in, whispering to the ponies with a hand covering his mouth. Sunset, Starlight, and Spike looked back and forth at each other apprehensively, now significantly more uncomfortable with Claire’s presence.

Rhys smiled at them, warily. “Don’t worry, she won’t eat you. As moody as she can be, she’s no murderer. We’re here peacefully. Other than ‘Captain Ever-Vigilant’ over there, we’ve all even disarmed. No threats here in town, so we decided to get more comfortable.” To emphasize the point, he leaned back in his seat, placing his hands behind his head. He made an expression of realization, looking back at the large chair that he sat in. “Huh. I just now realized that your chairs are big enough for us. How convenient.” Starlight didn’t pay attention to his musing, and instead raised an eyebrow at him at the word ‘disarmed.’

“Wait, you all came here peacefully, but brought weapons? Where are they now?” Starlight pushed aside her plate of half-finished pancakes, having all but forgotten them by now. Spike, seeing the opportunity, happily began to claim them for himself. Colette got up out of her seat and started pacing around, belly full of delicious fish sausage and intending to digest on her feet.

“Sunset asked the same thing, so I’ll tell you the same thing I told her. All the equipment is coded to our Soul-Signature, so literally no one could ever use it besides us. Back in the day, stuff like this was coded to genes or prints, but those could be pretty easily spoofed. Soul-Signatures are totally one-hundred-percent infallibly secure. So… we just dropped it off in our rooms. It’s all just dead weight without an authorized user, and in storage mode it’s basically just a lump of metal. So don’t worry about a random thief making off with our guns or anything like that.”

Starlight breathed a sigh of relief, and then furrowed her brow again. “Wait, what’s a gun?” Sunset put a hoof on her shoulder, giving her an understanding smile.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll explain later.” Starlight looked at her friend for a moment, trying to get a read on her. As cool headed as she had been, Starlight felt completely out of her depth. She knew that Sunset had spent a long time in the human realm, and was likely the only pony in Equestria who could understand a fraction of the culture and technology that these aliens had brought with them. If anyone was going to help them, it was her. Suddenly, she turned around and started making her way out of the room.

“Alright! That’s enough excitement for one day. I’m still hungover, and I need to pass out now. Nice meeting you all. If you need me, I’ll be in my room trying not to die.” Sunset and Spike watched her leave, and then turned to each other to exchange unamused expressions. Spike turned back to the table, collecting the dishes and platters. Impressively, all the food was eaten, with nothing to waste.

“I’m gonna take care of this mess while Starlight sleeps. Maybe Sunset can take you all out to town or something, I don’t know. Twilight and Twilight won’t be here until later today, so you’ve got some hours to kill.” Sunset looked across the room, surveying the four guests at the table. She still didn’t think that bringing them outside was a good idea just yet. The Solars were friendly enough, but the pair of Lunars were just plain scary. Starlight gave Sunset some hope, but not much. Starlight had seen some pretty crazy stuff in her time, and was pretty desensitized. The average pony definitely wouldn’t be able to handle a shock like this. Then again, more and more non-ponies were hanging around Ponyville these days. Sunset knew that Discord was practically attached to the hip with Fluttershy these days, so maybe it wouldn’t be that bad. She shook her head, unable to decide how to approach the situation.

It was at that moment that she could hear a faint knocking sound. Perking up her ears to the direction, she realized that it was coming from the front door. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one who heard it. Colette and Claire asked simultaneously “Who’s at the door?” They shot each other annoyed glances as Sunset turned away to figure out the answer to that question before anything else. It wasn’t a school day, so it probably wasn’t a student coming to see Glimmer. That also meant that it wasn’t going to be the mail pony, because she has today off as well. Sunset couldn’t think of who it possibly could be, and was both surprised and relieved when she finally opened the door. Waiting on the other side was Pinkie Pie, who had a massive smile and was practically vibrating in place with excitement. For a second, Sunset wondered what she was doing here. Then, as the realization dawned on her, she opened her mouth to stop Pinkie, but it was too late. The pink mare was already a quickly dissipating cloud of dust, with the real one speeding past faster than the eye could follow. Back in the dining room, Sunset could hear a party cannon go off, accompanied by mixed shouts of surprise and anger. Sunset took a deep breath, and started making her way back to the team in a sprint, hoping no one mistakenly killed Pinkie Pie.

Author's Note

Now I know what you're thinking. "Why in Equestria would Starlight have animal products in her home?" Well for one, eggs are used in baking all the time, so nothing weird there. And two, we have confirmation from EG that ponies have some kind of history of eating meat, or at least an understanding of it. That, paired with the fact that we've seen Fluttershy feed her animals fish before, in addition to the fact that seemingly carnivorous (or at least omnivorous) species like Griffins, Dragons, and Hippogriffs are living in Equestria, I believed it's certainly possible that such foodstuffs would be available, if not increasingly so.

On a completely different note, I was considering commissioning some art for the story. Let me know if you think this story is worth it or not. As always, thanks for reading!

Chapter 6: Stare into the Abyss

Claire had seen many things in her lifetime. She had just turned seventy-eight years old last month, and she had been a soldier for sixty of those years. A veteran of hundreds of battles, and she had witnessed things that would drive most to madness. She had witnessed the deaths of countless brave souls, torn to pieces by terrible monsters that defied logic or description. Some may argue that she had indeed gone mad from it all. She certainly felt insane when she witnessed a pink pony appear as a blur from nowhere and without warning. With a swiftness unlike anything she had seen before, this mare ran into the room, reached into her puffy, curly mane with a hoof, and withdrew a bright blue cannon. Before Claire could even vocalize her shock, she watched helplessly as the mare fired the cannon directly into the face of Ignatius, who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Multicoloured paper scraps and tiny, glittery specks of plastic blew out from the end of the barrel of the bizzare weapon, absolutely covering the unsuspecting Lunar Knight. A few tense seconds passed as the team waited for the smoke to clear, the three unassailed members stared at the pink pony, gawking at the audacious action. The Lunar captain put a hand to her hip, ready to draw her pistol if Ignatius was anything but unharmed. However, when the smoke cleared, that hand quickly met her face as she turned away. She covered her mouth with her hand to hide the barely-stifled laughter rising in her throat in the aftermath of the pink pony’s attack. She did not consider herself easily amused, but seeing her Lieutenant so… Sparkly and colourful managed to wrestle a small laugh from somewhere deep in her core. Thankfully, neither of the Solars noticed this small slip, as they were too busy openly laughing at Ignatius as he tried and failed to wipe the scraps off of himself. Unbeknownst to Claire however, the pink mare did indeed notice her slip, and it made her own smile just a bit brighter. It was when everyone was done with their laughing that the mare decided to introduce herself in the most long-winded way possible.

“Welcome to Ponyville! I’m Pinkie Pie, and I am so happy to meet the four of you! Last night, my Pinkie Sense got all tingly and weird in a way that it never did before, and for a little while I wasn’t sure what it meant but then I realized it was weird because I had never had this kind of Pinkie Sense tingle before, and so I had to spend like an hour trying to figure out what it meant but when I figured it out I was all like,” Pinkie made a loud gasping sound which was both the expression she had made before, and also her taking a breath of air, “So when I figured out what my Pinkie Sense was trying to tell me, I just knew I had to whip up an extra special party for the four of you, because you’re all from another world and exploring Equestria for the first time so I have to show you the best possible first impression so that you’ll stay around for a long time and we can all become the best of friends!” The team of soldiers had to play catch-up with the pink pony’s words, but once they fully processed the verbal barrage, they all decided individually that she was of no threat. The Solars in particular were excited for this one.

It was then that Sunset Shimmer and Spike entered the dining room from opposite ends, with the former entering from the hall and the latter entering from the kitchen. Sunset breathed a sigh of relief as she counted the heads in the room, and found that they were all attached to their necks, Pinkie in particular. “Oh thank Celestia, no one is dead. I wasn’t sure how you four would react to Pinkie Pie.” Spike rolled his eyes, drying his claws with a dishrag that he then tossed over his shoulder. He walked up to Pinkie Pie and gave her a hug around the neck, which she eagerly returned in kind.

“Hey Pinkie, I was wondering when you’d show up. You always know when someone new is in town. It’s really good to see you again, even if it’s only been a few weeks.” He turned to face the soldiers and began to introduce them, from left to right. “That guy over there is Captain Rhys, and next to him is Lieutenant Colette. He’s a human, and she’s what’s called a canid. That guy you blasted with the Party Cannon is Lieutenant Ignatius. I guess he’s some sort of robot, but he’s pretty cool. The one over there though,” he pointed over his shoulder to Claire, who was watching the introductions through squinted eyes, “That’s Captain Claire. She’s pretty intense. Maybe you should keep your distance from her.” Pinkie put a hoof to her chin, squinting back at the Lunar captain as she sized her up. Once satisfied in her assessment, she turned to the other three.

Colette was still giggling at a sparkly Ignatius, who seemed to have given up on cleaning himself off, instead choosing to simply sit back down quietly. Rhys had successfully collected himself from the explosive introduction, and stepped forward to speak. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Pinkie Pie. As our friend Spike said, I am Rook Captain Rhys, of the Solar Guard. Your exuberance is refreshing, and reminds me of the Solar Queen back home. She too has a fondness for parties and I think you two might get along well, if you ever meet.” Pinkie didn’t seem to be batting an eye at the newcomers, which was relieving for Sunset. She was almost worried that Pinkie would freak out and run outside, screaming about aliens and causing a panic.

“Oh you have a queen? That’s pretty neat! We have a princess in Equestria, but I’m sure you already knew that. You’re in her castle, after all! At least, this was originally her castle. She lives in Canterlot now, so she had to give this castle to her student, Starlight Glimmer! I bet you already met her too, so I don’t have to tell you who she is. Anyway, you said that your queen likes parties? That sounds super-duper-neato! I’d love to meet her sometime, but I’m sure she’s back on your world doing queen stuff and is suuuuper busy, so why don’t we have a party together in the meantime?” It was Colette’s turn to join the conversation as she walked over, wiping one last laugh-tear from her eye.

“Sorry, I couldn’t get over that great stunt you pulled on Ignatius. Never seen a Lunar so stumped before. You said something about a welcoming party for us?” Pinkie Pie nodded vigorously, always excited to talk about parties.

“Of course! You four are new to town! I always have to throw a party for anyone and everyone who’s new! I’m Equestria’s contested number one party pony, and it’s always my pleasure to make new friends! We can have it over at Sugarcube Corner, I throw a lot of my parties there. Either way this is totally happening tonight, because I have to introduce you to everyone in town as soon as possible!” Rhys and Colette exchanged a puzzled glance before looking back down at Pinkie Pie.

“Ok, but why do you have to introduce everyone to us tonight? I know we’re cool and all, and I love a good party as much as the next gal, but why so eager?” Pinkie Pie looked at them as though they had sprouted an extra head each.

“Because how else are we going to advance the plot if you stay cooped up in the castle all the time, silly? You need to get out of here and explore, otherwise how else are you going to solve your Friendship Problem?” Spike cocked his head at Pinkie, crossing his arms.

“Uh, Pinkie. You’ve officially stopped making sense. You’re gonna have to run that by us again.” Sunset stepped forward now, just confused as everyone else.

“And wait a minute, I didn’t tell you about the Friendship Problem yet. How did you know about that?” The pink mare rolled her eyes and gave a loud, exasperated sigh.

“Come on, Sunset! It’s obvious that you’re here for a Friendship Problem as the Element of Empathy. Your ability to see other people’s memories is perfect for this job!” Sunset blinked a few times, flabbergasted by Pinkie’s knowledge of the situation. She knew that she shouldn’t be surprised, but this still completely caught her off guard. Then, a piece in her mind clicked and she came to a sudden realization.

“Wait, Pinkie, you just said ‘people,’ and you know about my Element. Are you the Pinkie from the Human Realm?” Pinkie Pie waved off the accusation with a wry smile.

“Come on, Sunset. We both know it wouldn’t matter either way. Anyway,” she looked back up to the now completely flummoxed soldiers in front of her, “Like I was saying, you four should totally come to my party tonight! There’s gonna be food, games, music, and pretty much everyone in town! Don’t worry, I’ll let everyone know how crazy you four look. I’ll vouch for you four, and hopefully no one goes too crazy when they see you.” She gave a sly wink before bouncing past Sunset and the Solars towards the door. “I gotta go do some last preparations and hand out invitations to everyone! I just wanted to drop by and say hi!” Spike ran after her, stopping at the doorway of the dining room.

“Sorry for that, everyone. She’s a lot at first, I know. But she’s a really great pony once you get to know her! Also, her parties are pretty legendary in Equestria, so be sure not to miss it. I’m gonna go walk her out.” As the small dragon left, Rhys and Colette looked at each other, brows raised in disbelief. They looked to Ignatius, who was sitting with his head resting on his crossed fingers. Seeing their gaze on him, he merely shrugged. When they looked at Claire, she had managed to return to her deadpan expression as per usual. Now, however, she was staring directly at Sunset Shimmer. She got up from her seat, and moved down the table towards the others. She made her way around to the other side of the table, switching off the boombox and the music as she moved before standing directly in front of the unicorn, who was at this point worried that she had done something terribly wrong. Even though both of the Solars were taller than Claire, their presence beside her didn’t make her feel any better at the daemonkin looming over her.

“So, Sunset Shimmer. You’re some sort of psionic empath, is that it? You can relive the memories of others?” Sunset nodded slowly, not sure what to say. She was feeling the same terror as she did yesterday, having watched the team tear through a pack of timberwolves. Except now, all of that animosity was bearing down on her. Surprisingly, Claire’s eyes softened slightly, and a small measure of tension was released from her shoulders as she exhaled slowly. After seconds that felt like minutes, she spoke again. “Then in that case, maybe you can understand where Rhys cannot.” Sunset looked up at Rhys, who was now looking away, shame written across his face. Colette was frowning with concern, a hand on his shoulder as she stared hard at the Lunar captain.

“I know what you’re thinking, and I don’t think it’s a good idea, Claire. You became a Lunar for a good reason. Sharing that burden with another… Doesn’t that go against everything you people believe in?” Colette’s voice wasn’t provocative, but completely earnest, which made Sunset all the more worried. If Pinkie Pie was right, and the map had chosen her specifically for her empathic powers, what kind of memories would she have to witness to understand Claire? She knew that she shared a loss with Rhys, but she had no idea as to how it happened, or why. She watched the two continue their discourse as the Solar captain began to walk away, head held low.

“The magic of this world brought her to us in a quest to help, Lieutenant. If she were not capable of shouldering the weight, why would it send her?” Claire spoke slowly and without malice. As the tension slowly rolled off of her, she suddenly looked weary, as though she had not slept properly in years. Maybe she hadn’t. “I have abided by the Lunar code long enough to know that it is… a difficult path to walk alone.” Ignatius had silently joined the group, standing behind his captain. His eyes looked no less intense when he was covered in glitter and confetti.

“There is not a Lunar on Earth that does not wish they were not a Lunar.” Claire looked at him, and they seemed to share a moment of understanding. Colette let a frustrated growl escape her muzzle, pushing Sunset aside as she got right up into the Lunar captain’s face. Claire’s expression didn’t change, however.

“You don’t get it, do you? Your guilt, your shame, all of that angst in that messed up skull of yours is gonna get mixed up in Sunset, and you’re gonna leave a permanent mark on her. That sort of empathic connection isn’t just something that you can walk off. Your souls will meet in the middle, and you’ll leave some of that burden on her for the rest of her life. She doesn’t deserve it.” Now, the hateful snarl had returned to Claire’s face, as her patience seemed to have run thin.

“Do you think I like the idea of tainting her like this? Who are we to question this world’s customs? Everyone we have met has been familiar with this ‘Cutie Map’ and all recognize the importance of her quest! Are we to believe their faith is misplaced? I have never been in this position before, I am just as clueless as you, but at least I am not pretending like I understand this world and its magic!” Sunset watched as the two argued over her, bickering back and forth over what was the correct choice of action. As their tempers rose with their voices, Sunset shut her eyes to think.

She understood what it was like to bear a burden of guilt. She had to live with the consequences of her actions at Canterlot high, and it took a long time for anyone to even look at her after what she had done. It took even longer for her to be able to look at herself in the mirror, the guilt hanging from her heart like a heavy weight, always threatening to crush her. There were times where she was unsure if she could live with the pain, but her friends helped keep her eyes ahead, and reassure her that there was still a future for her. Eventually, others forgave her, and she even came to forgive herself. Without the help of others however, she doubted that she would have been able to survive on her own. Her mind was made up, and she used her magic to shove the two apart. The two women stumbled but caught themselves, looking down at Sunset in shock. She looked back up at them with conviction, and spoke up.

“Enough. I don’t need you two to make up my mind for me. The map chose me for a reason. No one else can do what needs to be done, and I’m done beating around the bush.” She turned to Colette first, whose mouth hung open in surprise from the sudden show of force from the small unicorn. “I don’t need you to defend me. I’ve been through a lot over the years, and I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I’ve carried guilt for years, and I already know how painful it can be. Out of everyone I know, I stand the best chances of living with a little more.” Colette’s maw snapped shut, having nothing to say in response. She pursed her lips, but ultimately nodded in understanding. She turned away, and went after Rhys who was sulking in the corner to try and comfort him. Sunset knew she would need to deal with him next, but for now, focused on Claire. She turned to the Lunar, who had calmed down. Her face was once again somber, but that was better than hostile.

“Claire… Are you sure you want to do this? I’ll see everything through your eyes, everything that happened… You won’t feel anything, but I’ll feel everything. Not everyone is comfortable with the idea of that level of intrusiveness but-”

“It is fine, Sunset Shimmer. You have my consent. I want you to understand. I believe you can understand.” She paused, looking around the room, before returning her eyes to Sunset. “Perhaps we should go somewhere more private. I’m not sure how your empathic magic works, but you may want to be settled in and comfortable for… everything in my mind.” Sunset considered it for a moment, but decided it would probably be best to take her up on the offer. Every other time she tried using her magic to see someone’s thoughts, it was very on-the-spot and she could never maintain a connection for long. She may be able to stay connected for longer if she can concentrate comfortably. Besides, she had a feeling that Rhys wouldn’t want to be around for this.

“Yeah. Let’s go do that. We can go to my room.” With that, Sunset turned to leave, leading the way. But Ignatius put a hand on his captain’s shoulder, stopping her. They silently looked into each other’s eyes, unblinking for a moment, sharing an unspoken sentiment that only two Lunars could understand. After several seconds, Ignatius nodded, and let her go, letting her catch up to Sunset who was waiting at the door. She considered asking what that interaction was about, but decided against it. It was unspoken for a reason.

—

When the pair arrived at Sunset’s room, she opened the door and let Claire inside, closing the door behind them both. She set a pair of pillows down on the ground for them both to sit on, and took her own seat. However, the Lunar captain did not immediately sit down. Instead, she pressed a button on the back of her neck, where her armor met her spine. Much like how her helmet had retracted into itself to slide into her chestpiece, the armor began to retract into itself, starting at the extremities. After a few seconds of watching the metallic pieces sliding into each other silently and elegantly, all that was left was the cuirass, which Claire lifted over her head and placed on the ground. It was strange seeing the normally fiercely intimidating daemonkin doing something so mundane as undressing. She kneeled down, and unfastened her boots, pulling them off to reveal that much like her hands, her feet were also prosthetics of pale violet colour. She placed the boots beside the armor, and stood tall in front of Sunset in nothing but a jet-black bodysuit. She thought that was all, but then Claire reached up to her neck and began to undo some sort of invisible fastener, opening the suit from throat to groin. Sunset was about to object, but her mouth clamped shut when the undergarment fell to the ground, revealing the daemonkin’s body, or the lack thereof. From the neck down, Claire’s body was entirely cybernetic. An incredibly advanced series of prostheses that encapsulated every aspect of her body, all made of the same pale violet metal as her hands and feet. Sunset’s eyes were wide with shock and horror, and eventually met Claire’s own, which were firm with conviction.

“What… What happened to you?” The daemonkin said nothing for a moment, and kneeled down, taking her seat. She folded her legs underneath her, sitting on her heels similar to a samurai that Sunset had seen in old movies back in the Human Realm. Claire held out a hand to Sunset, who hesitated to take it. Sensing this, she answered the question.

“Take my hand, and I will show you how I became like this.” After several more seconds of deliberation, she placed her hoof on the cold, clawed metal hand. She focused her magic in her horn, and reached into Claire through their physical connection in order to form one between their very souls. Her eyes turned white with magic, and she felt a rush as her consciousness left her body, and entered the memories of the Lunar Captain.

—

She found herself in the body of Claire, who was standing in a wide open and dark field. At first she thought it was night, but then when she looked up, she realized that the sky was red and filled with dark clouds. A faint dot of light peered through the haze, and dread crept in as Sunset realized that it was the sun, and this darkness was the day. It reminded her of the eternal night that Nightmare Moon promised, but the sickly colour of the sky betrayed how much worse this was. The field she stood in was no better, with not a single speck of green in sight. As far as the eye could see were sprawling red dunes of sand, with huge jagged rocks protruding from the surface. It didn’t take more than a few seconds to realize that these jutting structures were in fact derelict remains of a city, long collapsed and ruined, with only the strongest materials left to erode in the dunes. This sorry state stretched all the way to the horizon, leaving Sunset cold, as she couldn’t bear to imagine what had wrought such destruction on such a massive scale, nor could she even think about the countless souls that must have inhabited the sprawling supercity before her. It was only this inability to further observe the environment that allowed Sunset to realize that while she was definitely Claire that she was watching from, it was not the Claire she knew. This woman was wearing a heavy powered suit of white and gold armor, more similar to the armor that was worn by Colette than what Sunset saw the Lunar captain wearing previously. Despite this, Sunset could tell without a doubt this was Claire. Underneath the armor, she could feel a beating heart and warm blood, and more importantly she could feel the legs and arms of a whole person, instead of the numbness of mechanical replacements. She reasoned that this was before Claire suffered the mutilations that called for such drastic modifications.

Curious to learn more about her situation, Sunset began to observe the direct surroundings. She realized next that in her hands was a massive machine gun, which looked far too huge and heavy to ever be wielded by a normal human. Much like her armor, it was painted a bold white and gold, which clashed just as intensely with the dark red world around her. It was only while looking down at the gun that she noticed the chest-high barricade in front of her. It was of sturdy-looking metal, easily two feet thick. As heavy-duty as it appeared, it too contrasted with the pretty armor and weapon, being rusted at the edges and very heavily worn from the seemingly toxic environment. Whatever was written on it had long faded away, leaving faded and illegible words on the face of it. The writing likely would be unintelligible to Sunset anyway, if the HUD in the helmet were of any indication. Multiple widgets were on the screen in front of her face, and she could read none of them. Looking around her revealed thousands of other soldiers in similar armor standing in a line that looked to be miles long. Each of them stood in a neat formation, but many of them were idling like she was, looking around aimlessly or facing each other, likely chatting. Behind her was an enormous wall that was topped with a massive clear dome. She could see light coming from inside, and it occurred to her that this must be a city that all of these soldiers were intending to protect. It didn’t take Sunset long to figure out that with so many soldiers stationed in one place, it could only mean one thing. They were anticipating an attack.

A man’s voice appeared in her ear, but it wasn’t the soldier beside her. In fact, her helmet seemed to be blocking out all noise from the outside, as the wind that was blowing the sand across the ruins was completely absent. “How are you feeling, hon? Nervous?” Sunset felt her eyes roll and her mouth make a smirk, and she remembered that she was merely an observer in this memory.

“Of course not. We’ve done this a hundred times, and I’ve done it hundreds more than you ever have. This’ll be just like any other battle. I bet I can kill more of them than you.” She heard laughter over the communication system in response. It reminded Sunset of Rhys’ laugh.

“Ever cocky, aren’t you? One of these days, that attitude is gonna cost you your ass, love. Mark my words.” Sunset was surprised to hear Claire giggle in response, much like a schoolgirl talking to her crush. It suddenly hit her that the man on the comms was Claire’s late husband, and Rhys’ brother. The following realization was much more grim; this was the battle that he died.

“How about this, darling? When you have more medals on our wall than me, then you can lecture me about my ego.” It was weird hearing Claire make jokes, but this seemed to be many years ago. She really had changed a great deal since then.

“That’s hardly a fair contest, hon. You’ve got over twenty years of service on me. If you retire after this battle, I might have a chance to catch up before I’m an old man.” Claire blew a raspberry at him, playfully scoffing his offer.

“You humans pass your prime so early. I can’t imagine growing so frail so young. Who’s going to take care of you when you’re skin and bones?” He laughed again, clearly enjoying the banter.

“You, of course! You’re going to stay young and sexy when I’m a shriveled up cadavre in fifty years. When you married me, you promised ‘Until death do we part.’ I’m going to hold you to that oath.” Their back and forth left Sunset feeling warmed, almost forgetting that she was standing in the middle of a hellscape on an alien world. It was unfortunately interrupted by a third voice, one she recognized.

“You know, you two could do without the mushy talk when we’re on the field. It’s terribly distracting for everyone else on the channel.” Rhys was apparently listening to all of that, and he sounded rather embarrassed by it. Both Claire and his brother laughed in response, before giving their apologies.

“Sorry, little brother. Forgot we had you in the call. You can’t blame us, can you? It’s always boring waiting on the attack.” Sunset had been right. They were deployed in wait for an invasion force. The confirmation only made the pit in her gut return, swallowing up the warmness from a moment before.

“I would apologize for getting mushy with your brother, but I did also marry him. I think mushy talk is the least I’m owed for swearing my life away to him.” Claire giggled again as Rhys’ voice responded, sounding annoyed.

“You know, James is right. You’re technically only sworn to him for the length of his life. If you like, I can shoot him and free you of your life oath.” Once again, the eyes rolled with a smirk.

“No thanks, Rhys. I rather like your brother, as inconvenient as the oath can be. I’d be terribly disappointed if you killed him, especially considering the surprise I have in store for him after this battle.” A groan of displeasure echoed from the younger brother as the elder sibling laughed.

“Please tell me that’s not a euphemism for sex. Because I really don’t need to know about how the two of you spend your evenings together.” Claire didn’t answer, instead smiling deviously. She took a hand off her gun and placed it on her stomach, with pride swelling in her heart. Sunset’s dread grew even deeper as she understood the silent implication. Was there no end to the loss of this battle? Just then, a new voice sounded over the communications system in the helmet, snapping Claire to attention as she readied her weapon, pointing it ahead at the sprawling ruins.

“Alright ladies, gents, and everything in between! We’ve got confirmation of the hostile forces one klick out. They’re approaching on foot, and so far it just looks like an absolute ton of infantry. No sight of heavy units, so it looks like it’s going to be a shooting gallery. Oh, and of course, music is on channel 20 for anyone wanting something to listen to while they kick some ass. Lock and load, everyone! Let’s show these freaks a good time! ”

A grin crept across Claire’s face as her HUD showed the first of the hostile forces crawling out from through the ruins. They were shambling bodies, vaguely humanoid but very clearly wrong in both proportions and movements. Sunset was happy that they were so far away, because she didn’t think she would want to get a clear view of them. Before engaging the incoming invaders, Claire switched on the other channel, filling her helmet with loud rock music. The song seemed to be a thinly veiled euphemism for sex, using gunfire as the metaphor. Even if the lyrics weren’t exactly appropriate for the situation, Sunset could understand the appeal. The passionate vocals and instruments definitely got the blood pumping. Finally Claire squeezed the trigger on her gun, and there was a muted sound like thunderous drumming. It was clear that the weapon was so loud and powerful that the reverberations of the gunfire managed to make their way through the helmet’s noise dampening, even if just barely. The sound grew slightly louder as more and more soldiers along the row began to open fire on the quickly massing hordes of things charging at them. Thousands of guns fired nearly non-stop, with only seconds of pause during reloads to remove the magazine and insert a fresh one. Claire would hit a latch on the side of the gun, dropping the empty box into her waiting hand, and pushing it into her side holster where it was immediately replaced with a full one, allowing for lightning fast reloads to keep firing.

This went on for hours, with the cacophonous sound of gunfire never ending. Hundreds of millions of rounds of ammunition were expended, with millions of the incoming horrors dropping dead against the onslaught of firepower. Missiles and grenades exploded along the enemy lines, sending showers of limbs and gore, but those quickly ran out within the first hour of fighting. Over time, the things got bigger and tougher, with more rounds needed to bring down each one. Some were twice the size of others, clearly vile amalgams of multiple desecrated bodies. The bodies piled up high, and the tide slowly crept closer and closer across the field. Two hundred yards away, then one hundred, then fifty. The things were close enough that Sunset could now see that they were crude and revolting mockeries of the human form, made of twisted and blackened wood intertwined with what appeared to be rotten flesh and bone. From a distance, they looked like wooden figurines, and moved in a sporadic, jerking motion like a puppet on strings. Most worrisome were the sharp protrusions on the ends of each arm, looking like blades of various quality and make. Some looked like large pieces of scrap metal honed to a cutting edge, and some were old, broken swords still gripped in the hands that must have held them in life. Sunset guessed that these monstrous creatures must be the Marionettes that the team were talking about while they fought against the timberwolves back in the Everfree. The way that the creatures splintered apart from the endless stream of bullets was vaguely reminiscent of timberwolves, but the black blood and sinew added an extra level of repugnance to the display. Sunset was certain that if it wasn’t for the closed-breathing system of the power armor, the smell alone would kill the defending Solars. By this point, Claire’s smile had faded, replaced with a grimace of concentrated will as she continued to aim, fire, and reload as fast as she could. She had turned off the music an hour ago, when the neverending mass of bodies had cross the one hundred yard threshold. The voice of Rhys came over the comms again, after nearly three hours of fighting. His voice trembled with a forced calm that was clearly disingenuous.

“I've never seen so many before... They just won’t stop coming. We’ve been at this for hours, and if this doesn’t let up soon, I’m going to run out of ammo!” Claire gritted her teeth, still trying to focus on the threat looming closer and closer to her. Still, she spared a fraction of her attention to her brother-in-law.

“Don’t worry, Rhys. We’ll get through this. There’s no way that there’s many more. We’re going to kill the rest of these things, and go home. We’re going to have a nice hot meal at the mess hall, and we’re gonna talk about this for years to come. This is going to be the greatest victory of the UDE!” She emptied another magazine, and as she reached down to replace it, a blur swept past her, coming over the barricade and tackling the soldier to her left. She looked over, and saw what looked to be a Lunar knight standing on top of the body of the Solar knight, who was now impaled with a massive sword, not unlike Colette's. The blade glowed with arcing electricity like the weapons that Sunset had seen the team use in their fight against the timberwolves, except this one was in much worse condition with rust along its surface and a chipped edge. It only took a second glance to realize that the thing in front of her was no Lunar Guard. It wore black, but only because it was caked in layers of filth and grime. The armor was cracked and broken in multiple spots, revealing a rotting and emaciated form underneath. The helmet was split open along the mask, with a skeletal face peering through, the eyes long since fallen out, leaving hollow sockets that seemed to glow with a deep, dark, green light. The thing stared directly at Claire as it twisted the sword in the chest of the writhing Solar beneath it, blood gushing from the gaping wound. As it violently withdrew the blade, the Solar finally went still, and Claire suddenly remembered how to move, shouting into the communications system as she backpedaled away from the pair of corpses. Her voice was full of fear and horror as the thing lunged at her next, bloody blade raised over its head and mouth open in a silent scream.

“DEATHKNIGHTS! THEY HAVE DEATHKNIGHTS!” With no time to reload or draw a secondary weapon, Claire raised her rifle in front of her in an attempt to block the blow. The Deathknight's swing came down hard, cleaving straight through the weapon, but thankfully with not enough force to make its way all the way through her armor. Even damaged however, the energy-wreathed sword still bit deep into Claire's pauldron, sending pain arcing through her body as blade met flesh. Luckily, she was able to leap backwards before any more damage was taken, bumping into the knight behind who was stationed to her right. He swiveled and aimed over her shoulder, firing a volley of rounds into the Deathknight, causing it to flail from the force of the rounds. Each round seemed to explode with a small detonation on impact, leaving the monster covered in holes and craters before it collapsed. Claire's savior quickly pivoted back to his previous stance, returning his fire into the writhing crowd.

Although Claire managed to save her arm from being severed entirely, it had still gone completely numb, hanging limply beside her. This pain was unlike anything Sunset had felt before, but she managed to hold onto the link for the time being. Several notifications had appeared on Claire's HUD, one of which seemed to indicate her body, with the left arm in a deep red. Using her other hand, she drew a small ampule from her right holster, injecting it directly into the still-smoking open wound with a pained hiss through gritted teeth. Dropping the empty vial on the ground, she wasted no time in drawing her backup pistol with her good hand, firing into the crowd alongside her Solar comrades. The voice from earlier, likely a commander officer sounded off again in the helmet.

"We have confirmation of the presence of Deathknights on the field! Remember, Deathknights have no recollection of their former lives. Kill them on sight and with extreme prejudice! Stand strong, and we will not fall today!” The announcement may have been intended to be informative and reassuring, but the line started to become increasingly busy as other Knights on the channel began to panic.

“Deathknights? Here? The intel said it was just a large mass of Marionettes!”

“The intel was obviously wrong! Keep your head on straight and keep firing, damnit!”

“My squad is almost out of ammo, we’re going to have to counter charge them soon, and if they don’t thin out by then we’re not going to make it!”

“Does anyone see that? It looks like a Mass Grave over the hill! Gods, please tell me I’m just seeing things!”

“I see it too! We don’t have the equipment to deal with that! Who the hell gathered the intel for this shit?”

“They won’t stop coming! They just keep climbing over the corpses! We can’t hold them off like this! There’s too damn many of them!”

“The line is broken! I just heard my friend in the fifth division go down!”

“Fifth division? That’s right in the center of the line! The damn things split our forces in half! I thought they were supposed to be stupid?”

“Sweetgoddessofmercypleasegrantmeyourlightinthistimeofdarknessandsavemysoul.”

Claire shut off all of the comms frequencies except for her private channels to James and Rhys, and the command channel. She leaned over the barricade and looked to her right, and sure enough through her eyes Sunset could see a huge swarm of the monsters colliding with the barricade a mere few hundred yards out, climbing over and killing everything in reach. She could feel the panic rising in the hardened soldier’s heart, and she looked straight ahead again, trying to determine how close the inevitable melee was. But that’s not what her eyes locked onto. In the far distance, behind the enemy lines, was a lone figure standing above the chaotic mass of flesh and bloodshed. Literally hovering in the air, was a tall, spindly thing that Sunset couldn’t see clearly, but suddenly felt pure fear run up and down her spine.

Fear beyond anything she had ever experienced before in her life. Beyond the fear of the dark, of being abandoned, beyond even the fear of death. It felt like the whole world vanished, and all there was left was overwhelming terror beyond comprehension. Every neuron in her brain wanted to run, hide, even death was preferable to looking at this thing for even a second longer. But the terror trapped her mind and body in a feedback loop of horror and indescribable dread. She couldn’t peel her eyes away from this thing, she couldn’t move at all, even as the wave of monsters came closer and closer. Then, for just a second, she could feel it look directly at her, and her mind finally gave up entirely as the world went black.

Author's Note

Hehe. Now the fun begins.
I've got a pretty good plan laid out going forward, so I hope y'all are excited for what's to come. And hey, if you wanna ask questions or theories, by all means ask. I love talking to my readers.
See y'all next week!

Edit: Weeks later, and I haven't updated. Why? Because it seems like no one gives a damn about this story. If someone, anyone reads this and posts another comment, I will continue this story. Until then, I think this is dead in the water. Shame, because I actually really cared about this one.