Equestria At War - In the Shadow of the Sun

Standing above Cipher, the Ascended stallion rose his hooves with sheer anger and rage, prepared to tear him asunder into a fiery flurry. To ash, to cinders...Cipher felt the anxiety just by his proximity. Why did he feel that power? Why did he feel her? His burnt hoof was in agony, but there was an additional layer of pain - brought by a Pavlovian reflex of being next to a being that reeked of her spiteful scent.

That day replayed in his head, but one sound brought him to reality.

"Cipher!" He heard the muffled sound of shouting beyond the wall of flame - the sound of his friends rushing to help him. He heard Gomer's voice, Chari's, Umfuni's, Colton's, Plymouth's...And the other rebels that tried to get to him to support him. They couldn't clearly see what was happening, the ring of fire was a wall that kept them out.

The voices struck his ears harder than the pain. Apart from the fact that Cipher wanted to see the faces of his friends once again, he had the rational thought that the longer this monster was alive, the more likely was the possibility of it harming them, or reporting their location.

The pain didn't matter not one bit when he thought of them. The only family he's ever had.

He had a score to settle with that bitch, Daybreaker. He had comrades to get back to. He had a future to sort out, and a dream to see Equestria in a normal state once more. Most importantly...he had a job. He wasn't going to clock out before his shift was over.

He was not going to die here.

The last time he was missing one of his limbs, he resorted to a rather ungentlecoltly tactic...

Why not again?

On his three last hooves, he pounced.

CHOMP!

The ponies who were trying to douse the flames were met with an ear-piercing howl of suffering, pain, and frustration. They did not understand what happened beyond the fire, only the glimpses and silhouettes of struggle.

With no other option, Cipher had jumped teeth-first to bite the creature right in the face. Tilting his head horizontally, his jaw was able to get purchase on the beast's muzzle - from one cheek to another. In normal circumstances, there should have not been any way this was a good idea. His teeth would have cracked or broke. The being wrapped its hooves around his throat, to choke him even break his neck...But the more it tried to subdue him, the harder his jaw clamped on the Ascended's face.

Something gave Cipher's jaw strength. Something gave Cipher strength as a whole. Something was giving him the power needed to start standing on his hooves while the monster tried to push back. Somehow, with his teeth sinking deeper and deeper into the face of his assailant, he was able to stand right onto his hind legs, miraculously resisting the pressure of a demigod...

And then he shut his jaw, both rows of teeth touched.

The monster made in Daybreaker's image let go of him. It let out a scream of pain, immediately recoiling and writhing. Blood rushed from its bisected face - and when it spilled, it immediately vaporized. There was no real gore to speak of - whatever flesh it had was a fiery amalgamation of tar, dripping off onto the grass and evaporating.

Now, he had momentum. And he had the socket of his broken hoof - conveniently jagged and sharp. He'd bear the pain. Life with pain was better than no life without it, no?

He shrieked and lunged forward. Then, he swiped the broken hoof right across the neck of the monster. It slid in like a knife through butter, the heat of the metal allowing for additional damage.

Cleaved clean off, the head rolled through the flames...and screamed. It had no lungs, no mouth - and yet, the scream could freeze blood, as if the trumpets of heaven had played in Minor. The body fell to the side, burning and melting, while the half-broken head rolled away. It kept screaming.

Then...

FWOOOSH!

The fire had washed the entire forest. Cipher feared immediately that it would ignite his comrades, and yet...Fire turned into harmless cinders, and cool embers. The fires were doused, and all that surrounded them was greyness. The fire had extinguished color and light. By now, Cipher had realized the fight had taken them back down the highway where they initially took off the planes. A little clearing of concrete that gave the rebels a rally point as they ran up to Cipher.

The screaming of the beast stopped. To Cipher, this meant the target was neutralized, so he finally allowed himself to fall to the side. At-least now, with his hoof being artificial, there was no blood from it to bleed.

A silhouette appeared above Cipher. Normally, angels would have welcomed him, spoken kind words of admiration and respect, of love and sheltering as they raised him to the heavens.

This angel was cussing him out.

"Fucking asshole...Prick...You fucking prick..." Gomer tried not to show tears as he carefully raised Cipher. "Pull that cowboy shit again, then Boreas help me I'll fucking pull your other hoof off myself."

"Is he okay!?" Cried Chari's voice.

"Looks like it!" Plymouth said, having run up from the other side to help support Cipher, immediately checking him for injuries. The rebels immediately swarmed the one-hooved stallion to help and observe the situation. One of them quickly ran up to the body of the beheaded monster and dumped a submachine gun's entire magazine into it. Babs Seed quickly ran over to the head, not even thinking, and stomped it, crushing it into ash and fat-like goop.

Cipher was helped up by Chari. He looked at the others, weakly smiling.

"Maybe it doesn't bleed, but...we can still kill it." Cipher smirked.

Immediately, a holed-hoof slapped him across the muzzle. Chari's eyes were full of tears.

"NEVER..." She hissed, holding back tears. "NEVER...Do...do that again."

Cipher couldn't help but smile. "...Don't be that upset you didn't get a chance to-..." He cut himself off, seeing the fury and desperation in Chari's eyes. He frowned, and lightly nodded. "...Y-Yeah. Okay..."

The changeling sighed and began to treat his broken hoof. In her first aid kit was ointment, which had nearly run out from the amount of burn injuries she had to deal with since Fillydelphia.

"I thought they were immortal..." Tempest Shadow whispered in sheer disbelief, approaching with Trixie beside her, having left Starlight and Sunset Shimmer at the infirmary back at the base.

"...So did I." Said Colton, who stood above Cipher while looking at the quickly decaying body and head, which vaporized immediately. "Granted, I think none of us even got a shot at one of those things. Hard to hit flying targets that fire the sun's power at you. Yet, Cipher...You don't want to tell me you just...Used basic CQC on it, did you? Or like when we got you in Zebrica..."

"...Well, y'know..." Cipher blushed. "Might call my dentist my weapon's dealer..."

Chari took the hint, grunting with annoyance and opening his mouth to check his teeth, which much to her suspicion were cracked and bleeding. "What is it with you and biting the enemy?"

"...Our rations suck. Have to live off the earth." Cipher chuckled.

Plymouth was the only one who smiled, but not at the joke. "It's true that a near-death experience gives you a sense of humor, huh?"

Cipher spoke, in-between hisses of pain as Chari injected morphine into him. "Fuck you. My sense of humor was great before, too."

Colton was deep in thought however. The fact that Cipher was able to single-hoofedly do all of this shocked him, confused him. "I still don't understand how you pulled it off. Is there something you wanna tell us?"

"..." Cipher was not one to lie. "Not in-front of the rebels." He whispered.

Colton was one to keep secrets.

The short reprieve and rest was broken, however, once a shrill scream came from one of the rebels, who immediately dropped their gun and began to run with tears in her eyes. The others looked at her, then at each other in confusion. Then, at the sky.

Deafening silence came when they looked up. There was a silhouette.

A winged silhouette. An avatar of fire.

"Oh FUCK me! More of these cunts!?" Gomer hissed, pulling out his gun and training at it, hoping that one well-placed shot would take it out. Yet, it flew faster than any plane.

In silent disbelief, all watched as another Ascended pony descended upon the road, landing several meters away. This newcomer was already injured, and the wings were barely operable - as if they had just spent hours flying at high speeds. It was partially injured, but the high-caliber bullet holes seemed to already have healed on their own.

"Shit, you got any more of that teeth-fu you?" Plymouth quietly whispered to Cipher, while he walked forward to shield the injured pony.

They all stood, undecided between fight or flight. They learned they could be killed, but the glimpses of its atrocities in Fillydelphia flashed in their heads. A rebel immediately took action, and attempted to fire at it with his rifle. The monster took a brief look at him before its horn fired a concentrated beam of sunlight, burning a massive hole through his body that killed him instantly, the body bisected.

Another rebel tried to run - and another pinpoint beam had taken his head clean off, leaving a headless corpse behind, almost as if to symbolize it was here to avenge its sibling. It was not going to let them run, nor fight. It was going to have them stay just where it wanted.

Its horn began to glow. Gathering fire. Cipher understood what this was - exactly how Daybreaker wanted to get rid of him. With a cry, he pushed past Plymouth and tried to limp at it.

"Cipher, no!" Colton cried out, trying to restrain Cipher. The three-hooved stallion pushed his commander aside. Past the pain and the morphine which was numbing his body, he could not let this monster do any more harm. Besides, if the blessing of Nightmare Moon had protected him now and then, surely the third time was the charm, wasn't it?

He just had to run up to it. He had to cover a twenty second's sprint. Even as the glow became more potent. It began to screech. Again, the sound of Heaven's trumpets playing in Minor. It bared its fangs, eyes set on immolating its targets in one swath of fire.

But as the horrible trumpets of Daybreaker's power pierced the skies, it became clear that it was another sound that shook the air along with it. A solo that was turned into a duet.

There was a muffled sound from the clouds...

The sound of a nose-diving jet.

And somehow, despite the deafening sound from above and the distance above them...It was possible to barely hear a high-pitched, female scream.

"VAAAFAAAANCULLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Raz shrieked at the top of her lungs as the F-105 - pointed nose down - kept descending with an obnoxious howl, the jet engine whining with rage and pain. It let out a cry of death - but not before Raz had pulled the ejection.

The parachute burst out from the seat's back compartment, leaving the batpony to watch as her jet plunged right into the highway right in-front of Cipher and the others.

The F-105 made contact nose-first with the standing Ascended. The beast screamed, unable to stop its planned attack, and unable to react on time. Thirteen tons immediately fell upon it and smashed into it from above - bringing with it whatever explosive material the jet had. The jet crumpled immediately, crashing into the ground, gliding across the highway as it rendered the monster into mush that it now smeared all over the road.

With a roar of the engine, the F-105's remains rolled through the forest, carrying the body of the Ascended through the woods and scattering its body. The explosion of fire was minimal for the jet had little to no fuel, but the terrible crashing sound and falling trees made it clear that the landing had likely reduced the once-proud jet into absolute nothing, along with its target whose remains now began evaporating.

Completely in disbelief, the rebels began to scream and cheer - many of them not understanding where this Deus Ex Machina appeared from.

In the sky, the parachute jerked Raz upwards before it began to descend - its fabric, however, was faulty. As it started to come down, the descent would accelerate. The prolonged dogfight with two of these beasts damaged her only lifeline, and the bat let out frustrated cries. She tried to hold onto the cords of the parachute, to purchase whatever drag she could to soften the landing.

And then, there was the sound of impact.

POMF!

Cipher looked in horror. He saw how quickly the ejected seat fell to the ground. The sound appeared soft and harsh at the same time. He saw where it landed, into the nearby layer of treeline beside the highway.

"Shit, Raz!"

Cipher panted for air as he limped and ran, not stopping for a second. "Raz! Raz!" He screamed, stumbling without his metallic hoof. It wouldn't stop him, neither would his team or the rebels trying to catch up - he wanted to save his friend. He approached the tangled belts of the ejection seat, and the body of the batpony ensnared within them. Cipher had no knife...But he thought fast. He used the charred and jagged edge of his destroyed hoof to start cutting the ropes. Without the third hoof however, Cipher had no way to catch the body as it fell right atop of him.

"Oof!" Raz coughed as she fell on top of the stallion, the two rolling through the grass, as they were slightly uphill. Intertwined with one another, they would roll until finally reaching the concrete of the highway.

And then, they were laying beside one another. Both gasping and panting for air.

The batpony chuckled as she wiped the blood off her face and muzzle. She turned his head to look at him. "H-Hey Cipher." Raz giggled, interrupted by coughing. "Fancy meeting you here, amico..."

Despite the fear of nearly losing his friend, Cipher couldn't help but laugh. He rolled a little to her side and hugged her tight with one hoof, holding close to her. "Fuck, you're okay...I was so damn worried..."

The batpony blushed and rolled her eyes. "Whatcha been worried about? C'mon, I was just uh...taking that thing for a joyride."

They laughed softly. They ignored how they were being berated by their team, past Chari's typical chastising and Gomer threatening to kill them himself if they kept putting their lives into danger. The rebels immediately brought stretchers, loading them on them.

As they were carried away, Raz had the chance to look at a portion of the destroyed plane. "...You think this is gonna...tank the stock value of Raz Airlines?" She asked Cipher.

Cipher grunted as a rebel put too much pressure on his hoof while putting him on the stretcher. "I uh, think the name tanked it from the get-go..Shit, how did you...How'd you do that? I mean, I got no idea how you even found me, let alone all this..."

Raz's eyes were proud - grin shit-eating, but she knew whatever she'd say was hard to believe. "The big ring of fire was a dead giveaway, man. Plus, I followed one of them. I knew it was too good to be true when he turned tail after being a ball's hair from crashing me." She coughed. "I killed the other one, though."

"Bullshit." Cipher's eyes widened.

Yet, her grin ate more shit. "Fuck yeah I did. Ejected a fuel tank on his ass and shot it."

"...God damn, you're actually serious, aren't you? You're not the type to make shit up..."

The bat snorted. "Bet if I had a dick I'd have three mares on it by now, huh?"

"Most hygiene products on Drosera ran out a few days before we arrived. Don't think with your hypothetical dick, Raz."

***

In the infirmary, Chari rested her head on Cipher's chest, while Umfuni lay beside him. The earth stallion had made an effort to pretend to fall asleep, allowing his two companions to rest. He could pretend to be as still as possible, he could pretend to shut his eyes as long as possible - but sleep never came to him.

He kept gazing at the socket of his detached cybernetic limb. The ointment ceased the physical pain, but the phantom pains were stronger now that he was without a hoof once more. At-least having the metal fake stimulated other muscles, keeping pressure on his pectorals and triceps - but now he was three-legged and vulnerable.

Death glared him in the eyes today. The fact he was alive - it seemed to be a miracle. It seemed to be a dream that he hadn't woken up from yet. He softly sighed, wrapping his remaining hoof around Chari.

He wondered what he was doing, wordlessly getting into this unofficial, unspoken polycule. In this line of work, anyone could die. Tomorrow, their entire squad could get ambushed and shot down. Was the fear of death so strong that this strange three-way relationship was rational? If one of them died, they'd still have the other.

Intrusive thoughts like these - he hated so much. He hated his brain for producing that image - of any of his comrades in some ditch and lifeless. But was he truly irrational when it could happen any day, at any time? It could happen any time. Tomorrow, in a week or two - in a year...Death was a shawl that threatened to fall upon them all - to tangle and ensnare them all.

Yet, despite the terrible thoughts, he found the resolve to fall asleep.

Almost as if something - or someone had helped him rest.

...

***

The abyss had no up nor down. There was only a comparable sensation - to float in the middle of the ocean with no moonlight. Utter clouded darkness, only able to lie in the maw of complete omniscience.

Cipher however caught a sensation. A chill - yet one that ended on a hint of warmth. Slowly, his hooves found purchase on a sort of ground. He was no longer floating - there was something tangible now...

He was in a dream, this he knew. But there was a shape in the darkness - taller than him, with a horn and wings...Approaching slowly, so as not to startle him. Cipher found himself unable to produce a proper reaction - unsure whether to bow, go forward, or even go backward.

"...Princ...Nightm...I..."

The alicorn formed before him. Yet, there were no monstrous fangs. No dreadful cold presence or feline eyes. Just the graceful face of a tired, vigilant mare.

"...It's...This is really you, isn't it, Princess?"

The alicorn nodded, gently. "Hello. Cipher. We have...much to discuss.""

"Wait, but what about Nightmare Moon?" Cipher immediately tensed. "If I'm...If she's planted a part of her magic in me, then won't she appear? What if--"

"No, she is not here." Luna spoke. "Nightmare Moon is living in the consciousness of Daybreaker - her attempt to harness my...or perhaps our power led to the separation. I am both free of her parasitic presence, and lacking the deeper powers her existence grants me."

"...I don't know what to even say." Cipher softly said. "I...Never really thought I'd get to meet you - not with how things are going...I'm definitely a bit lost right now..."

The Princess wanted to get right to it, to the purpose of her chat. Yet, she could not bring herself to be cold. She softly smiled, and her horn flickered for a moment. The deep-blue abyss of stars shifted, those very stars spinning and rotating as lights appeared, shapes formed...Momentarily, Cipher and Luna found themselves standing on soil. Around them were tropical hills, and a cool mist that draped over the rolling trees. South-Eastern Equus.

"I understand there may have not been many places you'd call home, but I assume this is the closest."

Hearing those words, Cipher immediately scanned the horizon. She thought it may have been some kind of misunderstanding, for this region was the source of his nightmare...Then, he saw that little cabin. The couple of old thestrals who sat together at the porch of a house, happily knitting and sipping coffee. They saw Cipher and both smiled. They waved.

Cipher's body felt a little weakened. His anxiety disappeared, and he was no longer tense. He knew that in the context of all this, they were just illusions. Yet, here they were.

"...They brought me in after I ran away from the cultists." Cipher told her.

"I had assumed they possessed a parental association, to you." Luna softly said, standing beside him, two heads taller. She placed a hoof on his shoulder, looking fondly at the old couple. "...Why didn't you stay?"

Cipher wished he knew. Or, at-least he wished he was certain he knew. "I did for a bit, 'till I looked old enough to pass for a milk-drinking eighteen-year old. I thought that...maybe I could repay them. Told them I found a job at a plantation, while in reality I'd signed up with mercenaries to send them money back each month. Helped them cover health costs, fixed their radio, fixed up their utilities...Got them a truck to replace that jalopy that started after prayers and promises to sacrifice your first-born to it, hah..."

Luna's gaze was soft, both humored and endeared. "And did they believe this whole time that you worked at the plantation, as you promised?"

"Yes and no." Cipher said. "They started suspecting something was up with the cash being this good, so I confessed. Except, I confessed that I was working at a sugar plantation instead of a maize one. Then the old stallion figured I was actually making and selling rum. That little scapegoating tactic worked. Better to be pegged as a guy who gets people drunk instead of shooting at them..."

Luna softly laughed, though the obvious question began to burn. "...And when did you stop? Sending them money, I mean?"

Cipher looked at the couple in the distance once more, fondly looking at the projection of his memory. Them talking, laughing, knitting ponchos, drinking coffee, reminiscing of the old times. He turned back to Luna. "They both passed away while I was protecting a ship on a two week trip. By the time I came back they must've been de-...gone for a few days. They were together in bed. Natural causes - I...never really asked the coroner to estimate who went first. I only assume the other just, went because of heartbreak. Unwillingness to keep living alone?"

He kept looking at them. He couldn't stop. He gently shook, even in the dream world he felt that cold sense of guilt. Luna understood, her hoof stroking his shoulder.

"Regret is dangerous. It's a leftover bile that will poison you the more you return to it. Do not blame yourself, not for trying your best, not for the impulses that may have influenced you due to youthful misconceptions or lack of knowledge."

"...Thanks Princess." Cipher sighed, but found the resolve to smile once more.

"..." The alicorn gently guided him towards a path. "Walk with me, please."

He nodded. They walked, their hooves planting and disturbing the tropical soil. Even if this was all "fake", it was made from the abstract, yet strong sensations of his childhood and teenage memories. He felt the breeze, the singing of tropical birds, fragrant and crisp air that filled his lungs and surrounded his fur. They walked alongside one another, both gazing around the tropical path.

"Cipher..." The Princess spoke. "There is a reason I have entered your dream. Before you leave Equestria, there is something I need you to do. A place I need you to investigate. I understand the situation is dire, but you are one of the few who I am able to communicate with directly."

Cipher's ears perked. "Do you know where we are right now, ma'am? I mean, in the real world?"

"Approximately." Luna said. "It's not exact, but I do have someone who also shared your approximate location. A friend on the inside of Daybreaker's court."

"...What is the importance of that place?"

Luna sighed, tense and heavy. "I am deeply sorry, but I don't know. I can only feel one thing at the core of it all."

The alicorn shook, the memories too intense. She found the resolve to recall, and continue.

"...Nightmares." She whispered with a shake to her tone. "Nightmares so difficult and impossible to navigate that...That I have...I am ashamed to admit, but I have been unable to help. These nightmares are impossible to navigate without the presence of Nightmare Moon in my soul. She was an anchor. A beacon. A lighthouse that would ensure I would neither drown nor be lost. It's a thick miasma of misery and suffering, one that I may only observe."

"...Princess..." Cipher whispered.

They stopped. The alicorn turned to him, facing him as she looked down at him. "Cipher, I would not dare do this under normal circumstances - this...calling someone to do something, perhaps against their will, knowing that you may be running into danger...But please, you need to understand - what I felt...It...It was not natural. It was not normal. I heard...So much screaming, so much torment...I will hate myself for a thousand years more, but I need you to investigate this. Please. I understand your team may have already suffered injuries, if not casualties, but..."

Cipher stood strong. "We'll do it, Princess. I promise. I'll tell my commander and we will investigate it. "

Weakly, the Princess smiled. "Thank you, Cipher. It means a lot to me. I feel so useless, so far away and in hiding, but..."

"Please never say that, Princess." Cipher said immediately, calming himself before he appeared too intense. "Just, tell us where we can find it."

"It was once a summer camp." She explained. "The Sun Lake's Smile, it was called. Abandoned since the war...It should be perhaps a day's worth of travel by car, following the roads."

"Understood." Cipher said. "We'll do it, Princess."

"Thank you." She sighed, her shoulders losing tension. "I've been so...sleepless, as irony would have it. May we spend some more time here? It's so calm...I've almost forgotten what all of this is like. A real dream, a pony's happy place..."

"Of course. I'd...I'd love nothing more than that." Smiled Cipher, as they walked along the beach - with the brilliant orange skies above them, and the sun setting to their west beyond the trees.

***

The life of an operator within a high-level intelligence agency was wild. From life-and-death situations, to the breakfast you'd eat every morning. One day you may be able to eat in a five-star restaurant while you're on protection duty, others you may need to eat snakes and tree frogs, no matter your dietary preferences. In a makeshift base full of guerillas, the team had to make do with rations. They sat at the table, eating the dried and processed food. Each time, Gomer and Plymouth were like drug dealers having an intense argument, poaching from each other's rations and trying to find a fair amount of their preferred foods to exchange. Umfuni happily ate the dried fruits that Chari was too picky to eat, instead taking some of his peanut butter rations, to which he was allergic to.

"So..." Colton rubbed his face. He did not like mornings, and Cipher's revelation was making it even harder. "...Luna came to you in a dream and gave you that intel."

"Yes." Cipher responded. "...You don't think that I'm--"

"I believe you." Colton murmured. "Though there's things I'm antsy about. Could've been an actual dream rather than Luna appearing. Y'know. A "dud". Who's to say your brain can't conjure her up on its own?"

There was a moment of thoughtful silence, interrupted seconds later by a pained grunt. Surprising all was the movement - the injured fiery-maned from the nearby table, supported by the others. "I'm sorry for butting into the convo, however..." Sunset Shimmer sat up, leaning against Tempest Shadow who sat beside her. "Princess Luna cannot appear in a dream in any other way, other than her visiting you. It's impossible. If he saw the Princess, then it really was her."

Colton looked quiet - convinced. Then, skepticism returned once he turned to Cipher. "...Could've been Daybreaker using her magic to fuck with you. What exactly did she tell you?"

Cipher sipped his coffee once to clear his throat. "She said that place is swarming with nightmares, so many and so intense she can't even "navigate" them. That and...She said there was screaming, a lot of pain...torment...That's how she put it."

The rest of the team looked antsy to listen in, the pleasant breakfast slowly becoming a tense briefing. "I don't think we should fuck around." Gomer rubbed his face with his talons. "We've been on Equus since our insertion into Nova Griffonia. Long enough that they've basically capitulated just earlier this week. We've gone through so much shit, gotten injured a bunch, jumping from first aid to first aid..."

Gomer continued as he recounted the events, tapping the table with his talon. "Shit, I mean...Daybreaker's hit squad in Jagged Hope, our assault on Fort Cherish, the siege on Fillydelphia and your run in with the Ascended...We can't carry on. Plus, your hoof, is fucked. Again."

Chari sat up, too eager to let this go. "But Princess Luna herself just up and told Cipher how important all this is!"

"IF that was Luna. Cipher's right. If this is a trap, we're fucked." Plymouth shook his head, dismissively waving a hoof. "Chari, be reasonable. The last fights we've had were close calls. We lose our edge at a bad time, and it's game over. Our combat potential is watering down. We should come back later."

"And if the objective is time sensitive?" Umfuni proposed. "If there is suffering, there may be targets we must save from suffering."

Plymouth threw his hooves up. "I'm gonna be selfish, pal. I don't wanna die 'till my sister is either cured, or I can tell her a proper goodbye. I've already signed like five death warrants on this continent, let's not do a sixth. Hey, we won't do New Mareland a service returning in body bags."

Being the voice of surprising reason, Raz folded her hooves. "Well, Colton is the one who calls the shot on this. Boss, what's it gonna be?"

"..." Colton looked at the table nearby, where the ELF commanders sat. He locked eyes with Starlight, who poked a fork into her oatmeal.

"My opinion, huh?" Starlight muttered. "Last time I gave an order, a lotta ponies got killed. I said I was over it - but I'm not sure I'm the one you ought to ask."

"Then allow me." Suddenly said Tempest Shadow, placing a hoof on Starlight Glimmer's shoulder. The broken-horned unicorn looked at Colton and his team. "Luna appeared to me once. In a dream. I was...in a bad place." She chuckled, pointing at her hoof. "I'm embarrassed over my meltdown on the radio, y'know...Mainly 'cause I remember that cave again. We were playing with a ball, as kids - and...Was it Spring Rain? Or...no. Glitter Drops. She rolled the ball into an Ursa Minor's cave."

The team listened - Chari in particular shuddered. Having transformed into one on multiple occasions, she had an idea of what the destructive potential of such a beast implied.

"...Yeah." Tempest Shadow sighed. "I was stuck for a while. Lost my horn, and that whole day is a blank in my head these days. Still, I remembered how freaked out I was. I was scared. Really damn scared. When I crawled out of the cave, I made my way home. So tired that...I didn't even realize how bad things were. Seeing my horn in the mirror - I freaked out. Cried myself to exhaustion. I remember before I fell asleep I really couldn't cope. Don't know if I thought of committing suicide, but...I thought of something bad. Luna noticed."

"...And what did she tell you?" Cipher quietly asked.

"...Told me stories of unicorns who'd lost their horns and their powers. Abilities." Tempest fondly remembered. "Told me that...No matter what, a unicorn's magic was more than just her horn. That there's more to magic than...that keratin spiral that kept poking holes in my t-shirts and bumping chandeliers. I think if not for the things Luna told me back then, I'd be somewhere worse. Probably worse than I ended up and, trust me...I didn't end up anywhere good. I still hate myself for that stupid choice I've made with my life. Doesn't matter. Listen..."

Tempest Shadow leaned in to the team. "...Listen to what Luna told you. It's often said that those who don't take her advice, heed her warning, listen to what she has to say...That you'll regret it each time you ever fall asleep. If she's willing to contact you at such a moment, knowing that her powers may be strained and the risk of being detected by Daybreaker...I'd go for it. That's just my two bits."

Starlight nodded along, putting her fork down. "...She's right, Colton. It's not like we're in good shape to fight her now, truth be told. If it turns out whatever you find there can help, then we may be looking at a chance to turn things around. Besides - zero percent is worse than a fraction of a percent, right?"

"...Then we'll do it." Colton stood up. "Difficult as things might be, if this information came from Princess Luna then it's beyond important. I know I'm asking a lot from you all..." He looked each team member in the eyes. "But we're not some army recon unit, or some grunts hooked on drugs, given expensive gear. We're the SIB. We're not out until the job is done, because we're here knowing that we've given our lives for our home. We'll drain Daybreaker for all her secrets, and compromise everything she's built...And I trust each and any one of you to carry on, with or without me."

The words prompted a period of silence, each stuck on whatever thing they were looking at. Cipher at his missing limb, Umfuni and Chari at Cipher, Gomer at the young guerillas in the distance, Raz at the sky, and Plymouth at the picture of his sister which he'd been levitating under the table.

With an exhale, Gomer gently bumped his talons on the table. "On your six, commander."

"Shit." Plymouth sighed. "Your-...our funeral. Let's go then. See how much more chaos we can cause till we gotta bail."

"I'm not afraid of anything, knowing what's at stake either." Umfuni confirmed.

"Never was either." Chari smiled. "Would've picked a different way of life, obviously - right?"

Raz and Cipher were both quiet - but their smiles acquiesced.

Having finished their meal, they stood up.

"...Thank you for everything, commanders." Colton told the table of ELF's leaders. "It's good to have spent time with friends."

Starlight smiled fondly at him. "We wouldn't be here without you."

Trixie smiled fondly at Umfuni and Chari, nodding. Ever grateful for what they'd done to keep her love safe.

Tempest tried hard not to shed a tear, coughing and wiping her face. "Y-Yeah. Ditto..."

Sunset Shimmer, however, stood up - once again despite the protests and her better judgment. She approached Colton, limping with her maimed body. She looked him in the eyes, the proud smile on her face growing. "I wish things hadn't turned out as they did. Our world could've been peaceful, and without war, or without batshit insane ideologies. But..."

She leaned into Colton, forcing him to catch her. It was necessary for her to extend her hoof, offering to shake it.

Sunset Shimmer, despite her injuries, did not shake - or gasp in pain. "...But I'm not hopeless. Not afraid. Not when we've still got people like you. Fight for our world, Colton. It's what we all owe to those we've lost along the way."

Colton reciprocated the proud smile. They both shook hooves - and a similar exchange followed each of the ELF commanders, and the SIB team.

***

That night, the base would be empty. Nothing remained. Not a single object or trace of evidence. Drosera was hollowed out - but not to be a husk of what once was. It was merely a part of transition. A struggle that seemed impossible, despite tragedies and setbacks.

But no good fight was without them. Those fighting for a better world faced unimaginable struggles. They woke up fearing for their lives - but knowing that courage was pointless without fear. Knowing that surrendering to evil was real terror. Knowing that complacency and compromise had no value when their loved ones were threatened. And all of them knew, deep in their hearts...

That no good fight was without loss.