Equestria At War - In the Shadow of the Sun

Colton stared with empty eyes as he saw the memorial that was now gathered in the town square. Candles, flowers, pictures - little signs and cards expressing the wishes for the dead to rest in peace.

The largest sign that Colton stared so much at read...

To the victims of the Weter Central Hospital bombing - rest well. We will never forget you.

Colton sighed, and allowed himself to look around.

Jagged Hope; a town that was a curious place. Built on perhaps a lucky streak of geographical features, that there was a relatively stable plot of land among the cliffs and mountains to allow a settlement to be built. The small town began thriving, with a nearby ridge overviewing the entire mountain range of Southern-Western Nova Griffonia. It now housed a couple thousand creatures. Colorful houses and stone-based architecture, the style was a personal spin of Nova Griffonia on the Herzland architecture.

With these geographical features, it was no wonder that it was so easy to protect against the cannibal tribes of the Mad Tremble. Colton's cold heart had allowed him not to feel just how eerie it was, to be able to look close enough at the snow in the valleys and the bottoms of mountains, and see clear outlines of hundreds of corpses.

"S'cuse me sir!" A young squeaky voice of a griffon girl called out as she tugged Colton on the sleeve of his heavy waterproof coat. He looked down at her, and saw the bird giving him a wide smile and holding out a newspaper.

"Newspapers, huh? How...old fashioned." He quietly said to himself, but was able to produce a small smile. "Aight, I'll take one. Thanks." He said, hoofing the child a coin, who excitedly ran away with it. Looking at the newspaper, Colton wondered what the first headline would be.

Ah, yes. Of course - how could he be so blind to the recent news? Daybreaker ascends over Equestria. Princess Luna disappears. Queen Chrysalis signs treaty.

He laughed softly. Either the kid tried to resell old newspapers, or the news didn't travel fast here. It may have been a near-border town, but it was relatively remote. Or maybe it was really just to sell paper itself for warmth. It was endearing enough - and paper was always good, especially as he suspected in a town that probably didn't have water pipes. However; it was time for him to stop wasting time. He looked at the building he was to enter, and pushed the door open.

The outside was cold, and the frost nipped at his fur like a rabid Pekingese.

But here - in this inn-cafe...He felt as if he was embraced by a mare from behind. And another one from the front. The warmth made him release a sigh of relief. A barmaid approached him and smiled. "Hello, sir. What can I do you for?" The griffon asked.

"Pardon - I'm just here to meet my friends." He smiled back at her.

"Ah - the rather diverse group that's reserved a room for themselves?" She giggled. "You'll find them in room two."

"Thanks, miss." Colton smiled - and made his way to the door...not entering just yet. He could hear voices on the other side...

And on the other side, there was the familiar chaos of his team.

"So hold on, hold on, hold on!" Gomer grunted as he assertively bumped his tankard of mead against the table. "Umi, there's no way you wouldn't wanna fuck Queen Chrysalis!"

"Well considering what she actually is and what she does with her...victims." The Zebra said with a chuckle, trying to contain his laughter as he sipped hot chocolate.

"Let's ignore that bit - she can turn into anything." Gomer reminded him. "Whatever you want - and as we discussed, she can be a male too, so what's the big deal?"

"Hey!" Chari grunted as she set her cup of spearmint tea on the table. "Why do you talk about Queen Chrysalis when you can just discuss changelings as a whole? I mean, shit - I'm in this room!"

"Because..." Plymouth said, waving around his cup of Lake City-style rice wine using his levitation. "If your partner wants an alicorn, you'd need to be able to keep it up."

Cipher sighed as he took a sip of his coffee. "I honestly think you four need to consider religion."

Colton smiled softly, and slid the door open as he stepped into the room. "I think you five need to consider finding more productive things to chat over."

"Yo!" Cipher grinned, and the rest had welcomed Colton, letting him take a seat. The barmaid came, and Colton requested a cup of black coffee.

"Colton - you gotta help testify." Gomer exclaimed. "Umi claims he wouldn't put his Umi Jr. anywhere near Queen Chrysalis. What about you? You gotta be a sane one, right? You're looking at a shapeshifter who can basically satisfy you anyway you want - no strings attached. Well?"

"Assuming she won't slurp me dry and put me in a cocoon..." Colton hummed a thoughtful tune. "Nah."

"Huh!?" Gomer rose a brow. "Why not!?"

"'Cause you just don't stick your dick in crazy, Gomer. That's why." Colton stated, deadpan.

***

As time was spent, as the atmosphere in the room became relaxed...it was time to discuss work. When silence set in and it was clear that all in the room were ready to get on with it, Colton produced a file, which he put on the table.

"The mission." He said. "According to the intel we recovered, one of the Solarist spies has a safehouse here in Jagged Hope - codename "Snare". This Snare-fellow may be aware it's compromised, maybe not. Either way, we figured out he operated somewhere in Eastern Griffonia, so he couldn't have gotten back here so soon. We're going to see what we can do with him and his safehouse."

Cipher looked at his empty cup. "So we're already making a move on Daybreaker's spies..."

"Gloves off." Colton looked at Cipher. "We've already stirred some shit up. The Empire knows someone's trying to make moves, so we're going to see some escalation. Our best bet right now is just to keep as anonymous as possible." He said. "So, no point beating around the bush; let's start nipping our problems at the buds."

Chari put a hoof to her mouth in thought. "Still, why bother grabbing one spy who probably won't talk, or checking his safehouse?"

The pegasus turned to her. "At this stage, our goal is to gain as much knowledge as we can. We need to clear up the fog, get enough insight on what moves Daybreaker's making, and what moves she anticipates us to make. This is going to at-least help us start."

Gomer finished his ale. "Where do we start lookin'?"

"I got a bit of a hunch." Colton said. "It's a small town and we might perhaps figure out which of the residential buildings haven't been lived in for a time. And in a town this small I don't think we'll need long."

"We'll, let's get to work--" Gomer said as he was beginning to stand up, but was interrupted as the barmaid entered the room.

"Hello, excuse me!" The barmaid softly said. "Uhm, I'm not sure how to put this, but someone called us and is requesting to talk to a group of foreigners that has a griffon, a changeling, a pony with a metal hoof, two other ponies, and a zebra? I assume that's you...She's been trying to reach us for the last week or so..."

"...Hm." Colton looked at her, and at his team. "May we be able to have this call in privacy?"

"Well, the cord can extend to the staff room?" The barmaid suggested.

"That'll work. Let's go." He said, standing up - and letting the others follow.

...

As they walked across the inn, they approached the counter. The phone was placed on the edge, but as the barmaid promised, the cord was long enough to allow the six creatures to enter the staff room where the voices would be muffled. Plymouth nodded, and fired up a spell - that would produce the invisible bubble that completely isolated all noise.

Looking at the phone...Colton put it to his ear. The rest of the team was huddled up to hear it as well.

"...Yes?" Colton spoke into it.

He was met with a hushed, female voice - partially distorted through the speaker of the phone.

"Finally." The voice sighed in relief. "I need you to stay on this line and listen very carefully."

Colton rose a brow. "I don't like being told what to do over the pho-"

"You're being led into a trap." The voice interrupted him, her tone full of anxiety and some fear. "Clover Island was bait. It's a part of General Aurora's plans to lure foreign agents and capture or kill them. The information held there - it was all fabricated, and designed to lead you here into Jagged Hope, because this town is close enough to the border to quickly transport you in the case of a capture." She said.

"W-Wait, who are you!?" Colton said, furrowing his eyebrows as confusion overtook him.

The female voice stammered somewhat - almost as if trying to think of what to say quickly. "You--...Y-You can call me Corvus. But that doesn't matter - listen; you need to act carefully. You cannot act in any way that will compromise me. You are going to need me to provide you with vital information. I cannot tell you what I do - but I need you to trust me."

"Why should we do that?"

"Because..." She sighed over the phone. "I am in close proximity to Daybreaker and her court. I know what's happening and what's being planned here - at-least to an extent. I listen in on what I can."

Colton stared forward, her words making him anxious. "How'd you find us? I don't like the implication they may know we're here right now."

"I'm afraid so." She said. "But I guessed that you were here myself. I read reports from the island, and from Yucoltan, so I figured it's only logical that it's you - the group with a zebra, griffon, a pony with a metal hoof, and a changeling. I know that this inn is the only place in Jagged Hope where you could be, but I had no idea when you'd arrive. I've been calling this inn twice a day for the last week, trying to ask the barmaid if any such foreigners appeared here."

"Resourceful." Gomer hummed.

Colton nodded at that. "I see. So if Jagged Hope is a trap, what do we do - "Corvus"?"

"There are three who were assigned to this town, and I assume they already identified you. Elite spies who have experience from the war. I do not know their identities, but I'm sure you can draw them out. You need let them tail you for longer - and you need to find the safehouse; a white building with a green wooden fence in the north part of the town, next to a ruined barn. Lead them to the objective, and take them out. You need to play the fool so that as they report their operation by long-range radio, the headquarters won't figure out you were tipped off about the safehouse."

"...Right." Colton sighed.

"I need to tell you something important." Corvus said to get his attention. "These spies should be aware of classified information, so I can tell you this without anyone figuring out you were tipped off by me. There is a high-level security prison in the mountains, in the Crystal Empire, known as Fort Cherish. It was an ancient castle that fell and was repurposed. You need to go there and seek a prisoner. This prisoner has no name or number - but they are held in the deepest, most secure level. All I know is that it's a female, and that she is known by her designation - "Mirage"."

"Why is she relevant to us?" Colton asked.

"I do not know who she is - but as I understood, Mirage is someone that Daybreaker does not wish to be released. From what I can tell, Daybreaker despises her - but General Aurora expressed fear that if Mirage is to be seen in public, then it would cause destabilization. It must be important. Getting into the prison will not be easy - but in the Crystal City there is a certain...network. Search for a fixer named Gardenia. She'll help you make contact with the "Floral Heart"."

"...Right." He Colton sighed.

"I'll find a way to contact you again later. The more Daybreaker learns of you and your team - the more efficient I will be at making contact with you...Silver lining, I suppose."

"You think she will find out about us sooner than later?" Colton asked.

"I'm afraid so. Daybreaker's spy network has integrated the VOPS, and learned all their secrets."

Chari looked at Colton, and gestured to the phone. Nodding, the pegasus passed it to her. She spoke. "...You wouldn't have heard of a certain changeling spymaster by the name of "Geist", have you?"

"I have." Corvus admitted. "Daybreaker has been searching for him, but he disappeared. Why?"

"I'm looking for him as well..." She softly said.

"I'll do my best to share any information - but it's been a near impossible chase with how well he went off the grid." Corvus said. "...I-It's time for me to go. Listen, I do not know your names - but if you aim to do what's best, go to the Crystal Empire to make contact with the Floral Heart. Understand? I will attempt to make contact with you again later."

"...And why should we not think all of this is a trap?" Cipher softly said into the phone.

"Because every second I spend on this phone, I tempt fate." She simply said. "Go - and...good luck." The voice said - and finally, the connection was terminated as the phone was hung up.

In the silence, the team looked at each other.

"So what do you make of this?" Colton asked his team.

"...Well." Cipher sighed. "The instinct of working in this career says not to trust her. Yet if she's telling the truth..."

"It's an asset which we may regret passing up on." Umfuni said. "If it isn't a ruse."

Chari finished thinking over it and perked up as she sat. "Right - okay, she said there's three agents tailing us, right? And she mentioned that the safe house where they intend to trap us is up north, correct?"

"Sure." Colton watched her.

"Let's us how true that is - and from there on out we'll be able to make judgements." She said.

Cipher took a moment to slightly lean back to look out the staff room. The inn was full of other clients right now... "How're we going to go about it without alerting them about the tip off?" He asked.

"We act normal - if we're this close to capture, then I doubt that they want to kill us." Cipher concluded.

***

Night began to fall as the sun allowed a show of mercy - receding, either because its owner knew the land could not survive under its permanent scorch, or perhaps because she believed that depriving her subjects of it could make them appreciate it - to understand how dearly they felt the hole in their souls without their precious sun, so that they would grow dependent on her.

At that point, Gomer could only wonder how an entire race of ponies believed that the sun and moon were controlled by magic.

The six approached the building they were looking for - and watching them from a secluded area were three stallions. One held the microphone to a long-range radio. Dropping its volume to quiet, he spoke into it.

"They found it." He said. "Entering. Orders?"

"Plan A. We may have use for them yet. Incapacitate them." The voice from the radio responded.

The three stallions all nodded in mutual agreement - and turned off the radio. They entered the house.

And if one would listen in, they'd hear the muffled sound of gunshots and fighting.

***

The white stallion sat there with his hooves bound. He stared blankly forward - missing his tooth that contained the suicide pill as per Plymouth's expertise. Another suicide pill was found concealed under a graft on his hoof - and promptly destroyed. His comrades perished - quickly via headshots.

He was not tortured, not beaten; everything was done very cleanly.

Because everyone knew that this stallion was going to die. They would be unable to let him go, for he would report the fact someone had tipped them off. Colton understood it, and so did the captive.

The white stallion didn't sigh nor groan, just blankly looking ahead.

"Look." Colton sighed, sitting in-front of him. "You do not need to take Daybreaker into the grave with you. If you are going to die, then you don't need to stay loyal to her. If you've been in this work for so many years, you've served Celestia. Tell us something - anything; we'll return Equestria to the way it was."

"Loyalty's not the right word in this line of work." The white stallion said. "I don't care about that. I care about what happens if word gets out that I talked..."

Umfuni frowned, leaning in. "...Your family is in danger?"

"Everypony who works this job has the risk of their family being hurt once they slip." The white stallion simply said.

Umfuni kept looking at him. Colton knew that the zebra may have been attempting the diplomatic approach - or maybe...was asking out of genuine curiosity.

"So..." The zebra said. "What's your family like, then?"

The white stallion smiled. "Wife - son, daughter - also a nephew. Sister died in the Vanhoover bombings, so I've been taking care of him."

Umfuni smiled. "How long have you been married? How old are your children?"

"You sure are nosy." The white stallion remarked, but didn't refuse to answer. "We celebrated our 8 year anniversary recently. As for the kids - son's seven, daughter's eight - nephew is ten."

"..."

"..."

There was a long silence in the room.

"...We can't let you go." Colton simply said. "But if you cooperate, we'll help your family."

The stallion rose a brow at him, giving a sarcastic, and displeased smile. "Uhuh. I'm sure you will."

Cipher stepped in. "Our word doesn't mean much - but if you want to be pragmatic, it's the same principle why New Mareland gave immunity to all those Changeling scientists and officers." He said. "We could've just used them and disposed of them - but if we did that, word would spread. If we keep this promise, then we can ensure that we'll be trusted once again in the future."

The captive looked down at the ground. "As if I'll be alive to tell others of it."

"Your wife will be able to get the word out." Colton said. "Word will get out one way or another. Just give us something to go on."

"...And when we bring your family back..." Chari softly spoke. "We'll return them to Equestria, not the Solar Empire."

"..."

The white stallion sighed. "We have received less and less transparency from Daybreaker and higher-ups as time went on. We no longer have as much as information as we used to on the situation, hence we've effectively been kept in the dark, so that if we're captured we won't be able to reveal much." He said. "But - there's one thing I can tell you of."

"Go on." Colton said.

"General Aurora. She's been taking authority whenever and however she can; so much so that she has a big influence on our intelligence and counter-intelligence operations. Maybe she plans to undermine Daybreaker. Maybe she's got ambitions of her own. Maybe it's such fierce loyalty and she only trusts herself to be the only one able to give Daybreaker what she wants." The stallion said - enjoying the fact that as he was to face death, he had the chance to speak more, and speak his heart out, for it was the last thing he'd be able to do.

"That much we can piece together..." Colton commented.

"Yes - that was just me saying my thoughts out-loud." The white stallion chuckled. "But the point of me saying this is that General Aurora has a long, detailed plan. I do not know even a percent of its details. What we have been told however is that she already has a suspect."

"...Shit." Colton sighed.

The white stallion smiled. "So she was right, huh? New Mareland made the most sense, to us and to her. The Elements of Harmony would flee there, or Hippogriffia. But your recent actions in Clover Island, Yucoltan, and now the fact that someone seemed to have taken the bait here; well, I think Aurora has enough to go on. Not to mention - Hippogriffian intelligence would be stupid not to include a hippogriff in the team."

"She knows where to look." Gomer sighed.

The captive nodded. "A dead pony's advice isn't worth much, circumstances what they are. Aurora and Daybreaker know New Mareland's going to seek cooperation from the other Griffonian nations and intelligence agencies. So before you kill me, heed my warning."

"..." The team listened, and the stallion looked at them all in the eyes, one by one, to make sure they listened well. His eyes ended on Plymouth. "Aurora is cunning, and Daybreaker's cruel. Together, they're dangerous - because they know the worst, most efficient way to break you inside, and out. How to kill you - inside, and out. How to make you a husk, whether as a charred corpse in the dirt, or as a soulless being." He said, each word decreasing the temperature in the room.

And so he continued.

"They will destroy you - by endangering the very essence of your soul, dreams, and hope. They will take everything from you - but your life is last. And they will make this well known across the world, so that all will bend to their will in fear of being subject to the same fate."

"..."

Plymouth looked at the ground, Cipher's gaze became blank, Chari gulped, Gomer sighed, Umfuni took a reflexive step back...

And Colton kept looking into his eyes.

"There is one more." The stallion said suddenly.

"What?"

The white stallion sighed. "Shortly after Daybreaker attacked the Sombrists in the Crystal Empire, she realized she needed experts. Someone more professional - for the purpose of deep-penetration counterintellgience. She found a unicorn who was banned from several magic institutions - because he knew limited spells..."

"He was banned for being bad at spells?" Umfuni asked.

"No." He chuckled. "He was banned because the few spells that he knew all derived from dark magic. None of his spells can help or heal. They can only maim and kill."

"What's his name?"

"Not sure if it's his real name, but...He's known as Gonelove. Lieutenant Major Inquisitor Gonelove."

"An inquisitor?" Umfuni tilted his head.

"Just a fancy word to describe someone whose job it is to weed out whatever Daybreaker wants removed." He explained. "Last I heard, they sent him up north. Not sure when."

"..." As silence settled into the room, Colton sighed and spoke first.

"...What's your name?" He asked.

"..." The white stallion smiled. "My name is Clement. Clement Spring. Thank you for asking. And...do me a favor."

"Of course."

"Don't shoot me in the head, please." Clement asked. "I want to make sure my face is still recognizable. I...don't want my wife to wonder if maybe I'm still alive."

"..."

"You sure?" Gomer asked. "Anything but a headshot with a powerful-enough caliber...it's gonna make the last moments of your life suffering."

"I'm sure." Clement firmly said. "...Besides, I'd rather die slowly. Let life flash in my eyes and all that - no reason for things to happen...too fast."

"...I'll do it." Plymouth said. "Lake City special forces guerilla tactics; I'll strangle him. Death isn't instant - but putting pressure on the right places will make it relatively more painless."

Colton sighed. "Are you sure you can do this, Plymouth?"

The unicorn could only give a soulless smile. "Boss - after all these years, now you're asking?"

Colton's eyes cast down to the floor. "...SIB's motto. No deed too impossible. No mile too far. No cause too noble."

Clement was able to laugh - a gift before his death he appreciated. "Long and corny. Can't believe you lot did us in."

And with that, Clement released a sigh. "...Yeah. I'm ready." He closed his eyes. "Don't count down. Just do it once you're ready."

"...Okay." Plymouth whispered.

Clement then spoke too silently, heard only by Cipher - and Plymouth, due to his close proximity. "...Goodbye, all. Sorry I didn't keep my promise, hun."

Plymouth closed his eyes.

His hooves wrapped around Clement's neck, and began to apply intense pressure, while using his magic to keep his limbs still. Clement had tried not to struggle as best he could - all of it involuntary. His legs began to kick and violently thrash, knocking over things in the room...

Before the kicking stopped; and a final additional bit of pressure from Plymouth snapped his neck, once he knew that his victim could no longer feel a thing.

***

The sound of static, and the smoke of cigarettes filled the room. A dozen griffons, all with headphones and radios, microphones and other machinery that fed them information. Their work had intensified due to recent events; especially here in the capital.

For Weter had enough time to shed tears. Now, it was time to shed the blood of those responsible.

"...Is this really a good idea?" Asked a griffon with yellow feathers. "I want the heads of the bastards who bombed the hospital, but...We might be provoking the big bitch down south."

The griffon to his left, with a long beak and glasses, shrugged. "It's not really provocation. We're just removing her spy network from our country. Things that happen in the shadows, stay in the shadows. Besides, if Daybreaker attacks, she risks involving Griffonia in this."

"Implying Griffonia would be interested in helping." Chuckled the griffon behind him.

"They have to." Said the griffon sitting in the corner. "The recent GC Summit - there's been rumors that the Griffon Republic seeks to cooperate with us. Probably backed by Aquileia. Officially - it's the rumors of Vedina rebels trying to start shit here in Nova Griffonia. Unofficially, I think Western Griffonia is shitting itself at the prospect of Nova Griffonia being used as a trampoline into their continent."

"How generous." Scoffed the long-beaked griffon. "So, what progress have we made this mornin'?"

The griffon in the back passed him a sheet of paper. "Detained about eight. One incidentally turned out to be one of Serov's. The rest were confirmed to have been with the Solarists. Two swallowed cyanide pills in the arrests."

"Neat." The long-beaked griffon said.

"'Neat'?" Laughed the griffon in the back. "Since when do ya say "neat"?"

The sole pony in the room, a unicorn whose magic was necessary for fine-tuning the instruments, patted the yellow-feathered griffon on the back. "Yo. Maintenance crew came in today, right?"

"Six AM sharp, yes." The yellow-feathered griffon replied.

"My instruments are buggin' out." The unicorn said.

"Ah?" The yellow griffon fully turned to him. "How so?"

"I'm receiving looping information." He said. "Real-time radars seem to be repeating the past thirty seconds, same as all the other reports..."

"The fuck?" The griffon in the corner stood up and walked over. "Lemme see. Scoot over."

"She's all yours." The unicorn said as he wheeled away on his wheeled chair.

"Strange..." The griffon that took his place said. "H-Hey, who's got long-range comms with radar stations 1 through 4? I need you to contact them ASAP and report what they see."

"On it!" Said the griffon in the back, and began to dial the radios.

"I-Is it interference?" Asked the yellow griffon.

The long-beaked griffon shook his head. "Could be, but we're using old radars. And with the mountains added to the equation, are we surprised we're having issues?"

"But now...?" The unicorn shook slightly. "Of all times?"

"One isn't coming into contact." The back griffon said.

The griffon who commandeered the unicorn's place nodded. "Radar one's radio always had problems and I guess they've been neglecting it. Tune to two."

"On it."

"..." There was gradual silence entering the room. Something felt off.

The long-beaked griffon sighed. "Not like there's any reason to panic. It's probably just faulty sensors. Seasons are changing and the weather patterns and clouds and all that are interfering with the instruments."

"...Two is quiet as well!" The radio griffon exclaimed.

"What...? T-Three!" The griffon at the unicorn's instruments called out.

"Tuning!"

The sound of whining radio waves and static filled the room.

"Radar station three - do you read!?"

"..."

"T-Tuning to four!" He exclaimed, frantically shifting to it.

"..."

"No - no no no..." The griffon swallowed. "No response - we aren't even establishing any connection!"

"C-Contact the auxiliary mobile radar unit immediately!" The griffon at the instruments shouted.

The long-beaked griffon sighed. "Right - I forgot we had a mobile radar in the area." He softly spoke to himself.

"According to the schedule..." The yellow griffon looked at a graph. "Today - 4:00 to 4:40 AM...S-Should be at point Hotel! That's going to be good reception!"

The radio griffon nodded and immediately set the long range radio. "Come on...Come on...!"

The static was obnoxious - but gradually...it began to clear, and the faint speech of a griffon was heard. "M-Mobile radar!? This is Control - Western Station 6! Respond! Do you read!?"

A voice attempted to answer - panicked words coming through, yet incoherent.

"S-Say again! Mobile radar!" The griffon yelled. "Repeat your last--"

"<<--Everywhere!>>" Screamed the voice on the radio.

All heads turned to the radio, watching carefully as the griffon gulped. "What!? What...What are you saying!?"

"<>" The voice yelled. "<>"

"Holy shit..." The griffon on the radio gulped.

The leading griffon grunted. "Shit. We need to warn the others. Make contact with the Weter Central Command and--"

Gunshots rang through the room. The unicorn and griffons could barely react - too slow in their ability to turn around as one by one they received pistol shots right into their heads. The last to be shot was the leading griffon, who was shot in the neck.

The perpetrator was the long-beaked griffon, who stood with a semi automatic pistol in his talon.

The leader tried to say something - anything; but he was robbed of speech. He could not speak; all he could do was try to reach for a weapon; but he was far too weak.

The traitor smiled softly. "Apologies." He said - and delivered an executing shot. With a flash of green - the griffon disappeared; and a changeling took his place. He approached the radio...and tuned into a frequency.

"This is Eight. Western Station 6 is subdued, Lieutenant Major Inquisitor."

"<>" Replied a calm, male voice. "<>"

Letting go of the phone of the radio, a stallion who wore a suit calmly walked towards a highly ornate building - one that was surrounded by guards who stood with weapons loaded. The Weter's Ministry of Internal Affairs. The stallion smiled at the sight, and a spark produced from his horn.

The resulting explosion tore a massive hole in the building, that shred it open with a flurry of fire, debris...and blood.

"This is Gonelove." He spoke into the radio with a soft smile after very slowly picking it up. "Initiate phase Sunrise."

***

"Fuuuuck..." Gomer whispered softly as he stood by the ridge that gave a massive overview of the horizon. He saw them. Hundreds of dots on the sky - all heading towards the direction behind them.

"I can't believe it..." Chari whispered. "They're...They're actually invading?"

"...Daybreaker's got balls." Sighed Plymouth.

Colton was already setting up his long-range radio with Cipher's help, the latter adjusting all the instruments to ensure a swift and reliable connection.

"Ready." Cipher nodded, and the pegasus leaned in to speak into the microphone.

"All-Father." Colton spoke. "This is Alpha - comm clearance Oscar-9, Sierra-3, Bravo-2. Copy?"

"<>" Said the older stallion's voice through the radio. "<>"

Colton took a look at the horizon, before turning back to the microphone. "We're seeing bogies approaching; transport and bomb planes. The Solar Empire is invading Nova Griffonia - and based on the trajectory, I assume Virgillia too. Over."

"<<...Affirmative. We may be able to secure you an exfil - Frenzy 1 is on station, over.>>

"Send Frenzy 1 - but not for exfil. We'll need her." Colton replied.

"<<...Say again?>>"

Colton looked at his team...They looked at him, but the gazes were of determination, and trust. They weren't backing out.

"We need Raz." Colton spoke into the microphone. "Send her. We've been tipped off by an informant, possible insider or defector. There's a VIP in a prison located in the Crystal Empire known as Fort Cherish. We may also be able to establish contact with the resistance cells in the area, as per our general directive."

"<<...Alpha, be advised - we cannot guarantee exfiltration if you stay in enemy territory in an active military situation. How copy, over?>>"

"Loud and clear." He smiled. "We'll be okay, All-Father."

"<<...Copy. Frenzy 1 is en route. Stay safe, stay careful. All-Father out.>>"

There was an awkward silence as the team sat on the rocks, watching the bee-like swarms of airplanes buzzing above them. They knew they were safe; for Jagged Hope was of no interest to either army; for better scouting and sentry areas were present anyhow. Colton frowned as he looked towards the town, and saw the griffons that gathered...watching in horror, shock, and fear as they saw the planes. The small griffon girl with the newspapers could only clutch them, shaking as she tried to mouth a plea for help.

Gomer sighed. "So, we're letting ourselves come closer to Daybreaker's freaky hooves. Colton, Colton, Colton...What'dya rope us into this time?"

Colton's answer was deadpan as he looked off at the sunrise. "A wasteland with constant sub-zero temperatures, within the borders of a hostile, megalomaniac empire that's entering an active state of war."

"...You could've said something more pleasant." Umfuni coughed. "Roped us into doing the right thing, for an example."

"You won't have time to think about right or wrong when you're knee-deep in snow and mud. Besides - right thing or not..." Colton smiled, looking off in the distance to see a helicopter approach them from their north. "This isn't the worst you've been in."

Plymouth scratched his muzzle. "True - nothing is gonna beat Prywhen in terms of shittiness."

Chari shuddered. "No - I'd say after all the things I've seen from the Fascists, North Wingbardy was worse."

Umi smiled. "Barrad - albeit that was before we met. The stuff of nightmares."

Gomer smirked. "And I'm still taking Blackrock as the top spot. Cipher? I assume Zebrica?"

Cipher laughed. "Zebrica was a cakewalk compared to, well...You know."

Not intending to have reopened the wounds, Gomer frowned - but he saw that with Cipher's resolve, it was fine.

Cipher's radio buzzed - he flicked it on to receive Raz's signal.

"<>" The batpony's voice asked, the sound of an approaching helicopter in the distance came closer.

"You know him." Cipher smiled, giving his leader a cheeky grin, who looked back with a challenging smirk. "Colton loves his drama. Say, Raz...Which country was your worst experience in your work?"

"<>" She flatly said.

"Eh?" All turned their heads to the radio.

"<>" She groaned - and a sigh of relief and understanding came from the group.