Equestria At War - In the Shadow of the Sun

The cabin of the plane was filled with a few particular noises. The hum of the engine...The sound of Plymouth checking his weapon...The sound of Cipher adjusting his metallic hoof to prepare it for additional pressure...The sound of bat fangs popping open a bottle of mango cider while Raz multi-tasked as she piloted the aircraft...

And the sound of Chari rapidly hyperventilating into a bag.

Plymouth groaned softly. "You're gonna screw up your breathing." He told her. "You really don't wanna get hypoxia."

"I-I've jumped with a parachute before..." She squeaked. "B-But at THIS height!?"

"11-ish kilometers." Raz said, sipping her drink.

"...You sure it's a good idea drinking soda right now?" Plymouth rose a brow.

"I'll be fine." Raz rolled her eyes. "I need some way to cope with the fact I'm piloting a transport plane."

"What's wrong with transport planes?" Cipher asked.

"Can't maneuver with 'em. Slow as hell - annoying engine sound, and I'm not sitting in the damn center of the aircraft. I should've known Handler grouped me with you because I'm your taxi, blegh."

"You are a pilot." Plymouth rose a brow.

"Bitch." Raz turned to him halfway, only one hoof on the controls, making Chari hyperventilate harder. "You seen the shooting range? I scored better than Cipher y'know!"

"That's because Cipher just had the damn hoof installed and was getting used to it, idiot. You're like a basketball player who just dunked on a pony in a wheelchair."

"Wheelchairs are only for bipeds." Raz rose a brow.

"Who cares!?" Chari yelped. "Eyes on the sky!"

"Riiight." Raz groaned.

"And anyway, why are we flying at this distance!? I'd prefer a nice freefall not at an altitude where I can see the world's curvature through the damn window!"

"It's called a porthole." Raz coughed.

"Raz!" Chari yelped like a child who was feeling frustrated, making Raz giggle.

"We're flying this high because this range is above the vertical range of most contemporary radars that Equus has access to." Raz explained. "And may the Sky of Seas and Sea of Skies will it, they haven't improved them much. Still, this type of aircraft is also designed to be less noticeable by radars; albeit it's smaller and not so fuel efficient that I could fly this thing deeper into the continent. Oh, and even if we get spotted - I set the plane's IFF to perfectly replicate the patterns that were noticed on Solar airplanes, so we should be identified as a civilian plane. The SIB's magic lets us find out this kinda stuff."

"Why do we gotta jump though?" Plymouth asked. "Wouldn't Gomer and Colton, and Chari - be able to jump and then fly out of the airplane? Weird how they picked a unicorn and earth pony for this op..."

"Because at this height..." Raz said. "Between the lack of oxygen, you would either not have enough energy to fly safely to the ground - or were you to not fly immediately, the sheer air pressure and speed of descent would make it hard for you to start flying - and the g-force would rip your wings off if you tried, if not kill you."

"How grand." Plymouth scoffed. "Cipher - go over our mission once more."

"The Princess reported that Rarity disappeared after the radio was set to a Lunarist frequency, and from what she told me, these frequencies would have no chance to still be up in the continent...unless you go more south where things are still a bit more chaotic. SIB elements within Equus reported that a possible Lunarist frequency came from Yucoltan. Our objective is to find the source. If possible, it's also important to identify what the station was transmitting on the day of Rarity's disappearance."

"Won't they be hostile to us?" Plymouth asked.

"The Lunarists? Yeah. We may need to use less diplomatic means." Cipher said. "On the other hand, if we can convince them we're against Daybreaker..."

"But we ain't rooting for Nightmare Moon either..." Plymouth muttered.

"Raz." Cipher said. "Have you ever encountered Nightmare Moon in the world of dreams?"

"Nah. The fuck you think I was doing in my dreams?"

"...P...Piloting?"

"And having the best sex of my life. I ain't got not a damn bit of time for some weird moon bitch." Raz exhaled through her nostrils.

"...Still, I assumed all thestrals have some kinda connection to her - or at-least Luna..." Plymouth spoke up.

"I just couldn't be bothered. You think I really care what happens on the other side of the ocean?" Raz asked. "This is, in-fact - my first time in Equus. And I really don't feel much about it. It's just another airspace for me - without the warm waters of my home underneath." She said.

"Getting homesick, Chari?" Cipher smiled.

"..." Raz smiled softly. "Yeah. But what I do here may prevent my home from being one of the first areas to be invaded by The Solar Empire." She softly said. "I don't have the time to be homesick."

"..."

"And besides..." Raz turned to him. "You're the one who's returning home, aren't you?"

"..." Colton looked quietly at the ground. "Not that I remember much. I don't even remember where I lived in South-east Equus..."

Raz was about to speak - but an ear-piercing sound emerged from the plane's instruments.

"Raz!?" Chari shot up in panic.

"A-A missile!? What the fuck!?" Raz screamed. "No, no, no! Fuck! This can't be happening! We're above their effective range! D-Deploying countermeasures and maneuvering!"

A flick of a button had allowed the plane to shoot out two dozen of scalding, hot flares - forming a wing-like drawing made of smoke behind the plane. With that, she had also started to turn the plane - banking it to the side.

With some miracle, Raz was able to put some ten meters between the plane and the rocket, allowing it to whistle past into the sky and detonate at a flare that was several meters higher.

"...I've never seen that missile before, what the fuck!?" Raz yelled.

"You can tell missiles apart!?" Plymouth yelled.

"Sound, speed, even in a blink of an eye I can see the general shape! This isn't what I fucking expected! These aren't the fucking S-to-A missiles I'm used to! How the fuck did it even climb up 30,000 and more feet in such a short time!?" Raz yelled back. Cipher looked at everypony for a moment and cursed softly.

"We're gonna jump now - walk the rest of the distance. Raz, get back to safety. If they only just started locking on maybe it means you can still get outta their range." He exclaimed.

"Or they fucking waited for us to get in the damn middle!" Plymouth shouted.

Raz grit her teeth. "Shit, o-okay! Opening the ramp, get your fucking oxygen masks on now!" She yelled. Cipher had complied, and so did the others - pulling up the small masks that covered their muzzles, connected to small oxygen tanks attached to their fronts.

However - as they did...another warning came.

"Fuck! Not another one..." Raz whimpered. "The IFF is civilian! Why the fuck would they not even bother to try and contact me first!?"

"Fuck these Solar Empire bastards..." Plymouth anxiously said past his mask. "Totalitarian pieces of shit - won't blink before shooting down whatever they see."

"I'll evade, just hang on!" Raz yelled - starting to deploy flares from out of the plane, and banking in the same manner as she did previously. However, as the warning of the incoming missile blared on louder and louder - a scream of terror came from the batpony.

A powerful explosion tore through the back of the plane, ripping out a large portion of the back and opening the hole that the ramp had intended to. All except for Raz fell towards the pilot's seats as the plane had started to tilt downwards - fire and smoking coming from one of the engines and the hull.

"S-Shit...Fuck..." Cipher attempted to stand. "R-Raz, put on your parachute, you're jumping with us."

"And who's gonna keep this fucking coffin steady, genius!?" She yelled. "You jump! I'll stabilize it! I can pull it off! It's not that fucked yet! I'll try to find a place to do an emergency landing!"

"Don't be stupid, damn it!" Plymouth yelled at her. "Jump!"

"No!" She exclaimed. "I said go first! Fuck! Just jump already or we're all gonna die if another fucking missile hits!"

"Y-You better jump, Raz! Or at the very fucking least you better not let yourself die!" He shouted.

"I'll be fine! Fucking go!"

With a curse, Cipher pulled Chari and ran up the inclined path to the opened tail. With a lunge powered by his hooves, he, alongside Chari and Plymouth, were able to eject themselves out the back of the airplane - entering free fall about twenty thousand feet.

"Come on Raz..." Chari whispered to himself, watching the airplane continuing to fall down and inclining even steeper down. "Just jump! Just--"

In horror, Cipher could only witness a narrow trail of smoke emerging from the clouds below, and rapidly approaching the plane...

"Raz!" Cipher yelled in horror as his mask had come undone.

An explosion had tore the airplane in half - and a fireball of burning fuel had remained as the wreck would descend even faster under the clouds - disappearing from their sight.

"This...This isn't real." Cipher whimpered to himself - and if Plymouth or Chari had attempted to say anything...He would be unable to hear them from the sound of rushing air.

As they descended, they would see greenery. A lush forest - far as they eye can see, was underneath them. But Cipher was not caring for this. He didn't know what to care about right now. Only a distressed and panicked Plymouth would be able to nudge him into attention. As they were low enough, Cipher quickly sprung to attention. In sync, they had pulled out their parachutes, and began to descend into the jungles of what they assumed to be Yucoltan.

***

A sharp bowie knife had undone the straps of the parachute, dropping Plymouth onto the grass underneath.

"Shit, thanks...Teach me to sheathe my knife behind my back."

"..." Cipher only quietly watched the unicorn, sighing. From the side, Chari approached them.

"Should...Should we continue with our mission?" She softly asked.

"...No choice." Cipher whispered. "It would make Raz's death in-vain if we backed out."

"M-Maybe she's not dead!" Chari chirped up. "M-Maybe...Maybe we didn't see her deploy the parachute? Maybe we just didn't notice something? Maybe--..."

Plymouth looked at Chari and softly shook his head. With a whimper, Chari sighed.

"...Let's go." The earth pony said, and pulled up his saddlebags, as well as his rifle.

"Yeah - uh, where are we gonna go?" Plymouth asked as they began walking through the dense jungle. "We don't even know where we landed from our original intended LZ. We're just gonna walk and hope to find some landmarks, or what?"

"We'll make do." Cipher said. "We'll find a way to a settlement, and go on from there."

***

The night fell, and darkness consumed the jungles. They sat around a campfire. A special technique of making the campfire smokeless had allowed this endeavor to be safe. Cipher looked into the fire as he prepared to eat the last of his MRE, while Chari napped, and Plymouth had already been drinking the tea after having eaten his portion.

"Nice hiss." Cipher softly spoke, opening a can of fruits. His MRE and Plymouth's were different - both of them able to pack whatever country's style they deemed fit as long as it fit their requirements. Plymouth enjoyed a Lake City MRE that included a tofu curry, a soup, bean-paste taiyaki, some green-tea flavored chocolate, and a cup of caramel tea, as well as a cup of banana-flavored vitamin-rich juice.

Cipher meanwhile had eaten an Equestria-style MRE that went out of official production some five years ago; it contained a hot portion of vegetarian chili mac, some crackers with peanut butter spread, a small piece of pound cake, a cup of coffee, a cup of lemon-flavored vitamin-rich juice - and the aforementioned canned fruits which he requested to be put in himself.

Chari instead - had no need to rely on MRE's, and her own food came in a different way. Instead she had a pair of headphones which would play the soft voices of adoration and love; a passive way of feeding and ensuring pleasant dreams.

"...South, huh? You think getting close to the coast is a good idea?" Plymouth asked, responding to a conversation that happened as they began eating.

"Might increase our chances." Cipher softly said. "The thestrals in this region are very unlikely to support Daybreaker, but there is a high military presence in the region to suppress them. It's a saving grace that the government isn't cracking down on them too hard, but that might change sooner or later." He said.

"..." Plymouth nodded. "Okay, that's fair - but I don't know if I can trust them."

"The thestrals are somewhat divided between who they really support - be it Princess Luna or Nightmare Moon. But at the end of the line, they want Daybreaker gone." Cipher said. "If we want to win their support by performing a bit of sabotage or some revenge work by killing a few officers, I'm not against it."

"And if they don't need us?"

"...Then such is life." Cipher joked.

"Indeed. Such is life." Said a female voice behind Cipher, as a pair of dark hooves wrapped themselves around his neck - unable to see that the same had been done to Plymouth and Chari.

***

Thirst. Blindness. And deafness. Cipher felt all of these things as consciousness returned to him. However - squirming and trying to get himself upright was able to remove the loosely placed headset packed with cotton on his head, letting him hear once more.

"I'm telling you to wait!" A male voice exclaimed. "We don't know who they are, and--"

"Yes, exactly!" A female voice barked back. "We don't know who they are! Changelings, ponies - from Equus, or Griffonia - Zebrica; wherever - they're not one of us, and they're in our territory, with map markings indicating they're trying to locate us! We shoot them - and we remove this liability!"

"We don't have ammo for shooting prisoners." An older female's voice said. "You may want to use a machete instead - but unless you've sharpened it, I'd rather hang them...Also, wow - these canned fruits are great - thanks for not spilling 'em when you nabbed these guys."

"The commander is going to come here anyways!" The male shouted, ignoring the older woman's comments. "She will address the situation, damn you - and then we will make deductions!"

"Oh right." The younger female scoffed. "The same commander who got a squad killed because she's a shit tactician? The same commander who denounces Nightmare Moon and fought for the Celestial State? Be it Nightmare Moon's will, we would have fucking shot her."

"Yeah - well I don't fucking bow down to a tyrant! You wanna shoot me too, huh!? Come on - I'm out here and I'm saying; fuck you, and fuck Nightmare Moon. Here--" The sound of something weighing three kilogrammes and made of metal - according to Cipher's hearing, dropped on the dirt. "My gun's down - my fucking hooves are wide open. Shoot me if you're such a bad bitch, bitch!"

"You dare say this sort of shit!?" The younger female yelled. "You believe Nightmare Moon is some "princess Luna"? You really think an inferior title such as that can carry on the legacy of the night? Our strength as Thestrals comes from the Moon. Without Nightmare Moon we have no power, no respect. Is it not enough for you to see that the Equestrians simply brushed us away south!?"

"...Children." The sound of a cigarette being lit came as the older female spoke. "I'm just happy to spend a day without being shot at, psht..."

"We had a chance to fucking live together." The male cursed. "If you "disciples" didn't screw around, if none of this cultist bullshit polluted Luna's mind - mind you who already was struggling with all the shit she had to deal with - and if this fucking stupid civil war didn't start over some stupid religion and racial issue that could've been solved with some fucking patience, MAYBE we wouldn't have FUCKED the whole of Equus, and stood a chance against our crazy damn neighbors - and maybe, just fucking maybe--" The male's voice raised to shouting. "Maybe we wouldn't have fucking Daybreaker sitting on the throne over us!"

"You know what!? Screw you. Fuck you, and fuck your Equestrian bullshit!" The female yelled. "Xo, give me your gun!"

The older female spoke after exhaling her cigarette. "I told you small fry - ammo's not expendable for executions. Use the machete."

Cipher grit his teeth - but before he was going to act, he heard Chari yelling.

"Hey!" She yelled. "W-We're not hostile! We're here to fight against the Solar Empire! We're not your enemies!"

"Shut up!" The sound of impact was heard, making Cipher alert.

"Hey!" Cipher yelled. "Don't you fucking touch her!"

"Tough guy, huh!?" The female yelled. "Going first then? Crane that fucking head back and let's hope this rusty piece of shit can off you in the first three or four slices!"

"Hey, why don't ya go for me first, huh!?" Plymouth yelled. "A stupid bitch with anger issues is just the way I wanted to die! Come on! I'll crane my neck so damn high for ya, ya might have to hurry before I break it and kill myself first! Come on, ya whore!"

"Oooh you're so fucked now, unicorn. I'll start with chopping off that stupid horn of yours first, right below that inhibitor clamp."

Cipher could hear the sounds of struggle - and the female's voice was right behind Plymouth's.

"Plymouth!" Cipher yelled. "Get away from him you creep! If you touch him, you're a dead mare!"

"Raise that head high, unicorn bitch!" Yelled the female. "I'm about to--"

"...About to what?" Asked a new voice. Another female.

"...About to cut these pricks into ribbons." The female threatening Plymouth grunted.

"I don't remember giving that order. Tay, get their blindfolds off." The new voice dryly said.

"Y-Yes ma'am." The male said...

Soon enough, Cipher was able to see once more.

He was tied and bound by a campfire. It seemed to be a small camp with only three tents and weapons scattered about. He and his team were positioned around different parts of the camp, almost in a way to mathematically separate them equally to ensure they couldn't help each other. Plymouth was the last to be released, as the machete-wielding thestral had hesitated to move away.

Other than Cipher's team, there were four in this camp. All thestrals. The older one, Xo, was already adding another cigarette butt to the pile under her. The male, Tay, anxiously studied them with an assault rifle readied. The machete-wielding female stood a bit away.

The new voice belonged to a rugged and scar-faced thestral. She wore what appeared to be a red beret - but this beret was so maimed and damaged, it no longer had any cap badge - only a faint outlined remained. She crouched in-front of Cipher, looking at him face-to-face.

"...New Marelanders." The beret-wearing Thestral said.

"How can ya tell?" Xo asked.

"There's a few reasons - we don't have time to elaborate." The commander said, and went behind the backs of Cipher and his team, undoing their bindings.

"My real name isn't for you." She told them. "But you can call me Azul. You may try to fight me right now - but there's no way you'd find your way through these jungles. If you know what's good for you, stick with my group."

"And you're not worried we might try to smoke you?" Plymouth rose a brow, rubbing his hooves as they had been untied.

"Like I said - the jungles of Yucoltan will become your grave if you try to make it out yourself. Now, grab your gear."

Quietly, and carefully - the others would approach a pile of things. All of their things were there, even with the bullets. This level of trust surprised Cipher - but it was effective; he made sure the safety on his gun was on.

"...You three." She stood up and looked at the other thestrals. "We're gonna get these three to Camp Serpens."

"B-But the search parties!?" Tay yelped. "Surely the Equestrians sent someone armed after that plane!"

"It's an order." Azul said. "That means you too, Bea."

"..." The younger female thestral sighed, and dropped the machete as she began to gather her things. Xo flicked the cigarette butt into the pile, and began to do the same, while Tay stayed pointing his weapon at the three in-case.

***

They had walked for an hour and half. The heat was unbearable to the two ponies - while Chari had no struggle changing her own body's internal temperature. It was worse for Cipher, who's metallic hooves had absorbed a decent amount of warmth, and accidentally trying to wipe the sweat off his brow with it would bring upon an irritating feeling against his fur.

"Remember." Azul spoke. "You're guests here - and a good guest always takes her boots off before she enters someone's home."

"...L-Literally?" Chari squeaked.

"It's a figure of speech." Said Azul as they continued walking. As they chopped away a bush - they would see a larger camp, which now seemed more fitting to be a military encampment compared to where they were before. "Welcome to Camp Serpens - our third headquarters for this month. We'd blindfold you before bringing you here, but I doubt you even know what way we went through."

The camp was populated with several thestrals of various ages, and various appearances. Some donned uniforms that both belonged to the Celestial State and the Cultists that clashed in the Civil War, while several had the telltale markings of mercenaries. No flags were flown - but several flags could be seen in various places. On uniform patches, on vehicles covered in netting, tattoos, and even carvings on trees.

Azul noticed Cipher's confused look, so she turned to him. "Thestrals - and ponies - were at each other's throats those two decades or so ago. But that was when the struggle was of ideology...religion - or even money if you came from Aztlan. Now however - when the manners concern the survival of an entire race and a way of life...these flags are going to have to get along." She explained. "I fought for the loyalists - but many here obey Nightmare Moon. There's veterans, and new blood - those who were even born after the war started."

Azul sighed softly, noticing a young batpony male passing by with a rifle as he patrolled the perimeter. "And..." She continued. "It doesn't make me proud to be their commander knowing that for some, this isn't their war - nor their time to fight. But the circumstances are such." She said, looking back at the earth pony. "We fight now to make sure that we won't have to fight like this any longer, and more importantly...to prevent our own extinction."

Cipher looked her in the eyes and then at the thestrals in the camp. "...You don't really believe war ends, do you?"

"Only the hope of conflict ending allows you to remain being more than a killing machine. Once you start killing for the sake of killing, you become lower than the dirt that fertilizes the soil." Azul chuckled. "...Anyway, there's a reason I came here after Tay radioed me about the three "paratroopers" they found. Come."

Hearing something in her voice made Cipher feel hope...He nodded over to Plymouth and Chari, who followed Azul into a small tent marked with a very makeshift red cross.

"You three go in. It gets mighty cramped with that many pairs of standing hooves." Azul nodded towards the tent...

Putting two and two together, Cipher practically ran in. Before he even entered, he already exclaimed...

"Raz...!"

...But all he saw, was a male thestral who laid on a makeshift bed, and looked mighty annoyed to be intruded as he read a magazine.

Cipher frowned...

"...Right here, stupid." Said Raz's voice - as the batpony was actually laying on the immediate right of the entrance on a similar bed.

"R-Raz!" Cipher cried out, leaning in to hug her.

"Holy shit, so you actually made it out!?" Plymouth looked flabbergasted.

"S-See!?" Chari smiled, trying to hold back tears of happiness. "I-I told you she might've made it out!"

"But..." Cipher whispered. "How did you--...Wait...W-What happened to..." He looked down to see that in place of Raz's prosthetics were only her metallic sockets.

"Eheh..." Raz nervously rubbed her head. "Yeah, that girl in R&D is gonna kill me...I was able to jump out and deploy my parachute, but I kinda did so late, and the parachute was also a bit damaged...I was able to land sorta okay, but uh...I had to use my legs to break the fall. It worked - but they shattered into bits."

"H-How did you get here though?" Chari asked.

"I was found by these other batponies." Raz simply said. "They didn't even ask any questions. They saw I was a batpony and I was kinda hurt, so they dragged me in here."

"...So if you were to be a Solar spy or something like that..." Plymouth rose a brow. "Weird priorities, these are..."

"They believe that all Thestrals work together and none can be disloyal to one another, whatever that means..." Raz shrugged. "At-least that's what that Azul chick claims."

"The one that can probably hear us through the tent?" Plymouth muttered.

Raz merely shrugged.

"...So, what's the next step?" Asked Chari.

"We're gonna get as much intel from the Thestrals as we can and get some leads. It's a big and broad target - and we may be looking for a needle in a haystack...but Rarity is a high-profile individual. Anyone who's got live information in South Equus could be aware where she had gone." Cipher explained.

"Then let's do it - the less time we spend sweating our assess off in this damn jungle, the better." Plymouth grinned.

***

Eight were gathered outside around a map of South Equus, as well as some other papers on the table that were deemed helpful for the matter. The first four were Cipher and his team - the other four were thestrals consisting of Azul, Xo, and two other higher-ranking batponies, a male and female.

"So you're looking for a single unicorn who apparently took part in defeating Nightmare Moon. A curious thing - to ask us for help finding her." Laughed one of the other batponies.

"Do you know what was being transmitted on this date?" Cipher asked, not bothering to answer the question much to the annoyance of the other batpony.

"This frequency was..." Azul took a moment to think if the information was worth telling. "This frequency was broadcast from a makeshift station with two main purposes - to attract more thestrals to our cause, and to assist in the search for Princess Luna..."

"Search...?" Cipher asked.

"...Her death in Canterlot is unconfirmed. This leaves us with a very important chance that we may not pass up. But here's the interesting detail..." Azul said. "Did you not mention that the SIB - as you call yourselves - were assisting the elements' transport from Eastern Baltimare?"

"That's where they were last before the ship took them to New Mareland." Cipher said. "A complex road that also happened to pass through the jungles."

"That's what makes me wonder..." Azul said. "Considering the range of our stations, there is no way that we could've actually had coverage in Baltimare...But I do know that we did temporarily establish a radio station farther than normal...And it did have a specific purpose to air on that frequency."

"What was it...?"

"There was intel that the position of Princess Luna - or Nightmare Moon, was confirmed..."

"It was...!?"

"...And it came out to be false. The Solar Empire had attempted to bait us."

Cipher cursed softly. "...Oh shit. That means..."

"That means that Rarity has been led to a bait set up by Daybreaker..."

"But if you know it's a bait..." Plymouth tilted his head. "Doesn't that mean it's no longer effective?"

"We know it's a bait, but..." Azul sighed. "We didn't do anything about it. We confirmed it was another fake, but we're not acting in hopes that maybe leaving this bait open would mean that Daybreaker is wasting her resources."

"But that means that Rarity's heading to a trap that's still open!" Cipher exclaimed. "W-Where has the location been reported to!?"

"The coordinates coincide with an old Disciple temple built West of here." Azul said. "Again - we confirmed this to be fake intel as this temple was lost by the Lunarists when Daybreaker's forces came here those years ago. I guess they just didn't expect any survivors to inform us that it was lost."

"From East Baltimare to there..." Cipher thought. "There are no train tracks. No proper highways. The air is risky. Rarity is traveling by hoof!?"

"Your Element of Generosity sounds like a smart mare." Xo scoffed. "I'm sure she must've found somebat or somepony who could guide her. Either way though, if we're going from Baltimare to that temple, and we have no transport to work with...you're looking at a solid...oh, shall we say half a month of travel minimum, maybe give a week?"

"Cipher..." Chari gulped. "It's been about one and a half weeks since the Elements arrived to New Mareland..."

"And it took us about another one and a half to get them sailed." Cipher cursed. "We're way too close. Rarity could've already arrived by now..."

"Or be close." Plymouth nodded.

"...Well, that's all I can give you." Azul nodded. "We're already giving too much information to outsiders. You'll figure out the rest, won't you?"

"..." Cipher looked at the map and shook his head. "...No, we're going to need transport and some security. If it's an ambush designed to target your units, then they'll have the appropriate amount of soldiers."

"...And?" Xo rose a brow.

"We're going to need your help." Cipher said. "We're not gonna pull this off ourselves, as it stands. If we want to retrieve Rarity then we'll need the help to make sure she can be secure."

This prompted Azul to give out a dry, lifeless laugh. "Great joke. I never said anything about helping you. And don't bullshit me with implication." She said, waving a hoof around the camp. "Even if I wanted to help - you think half the bodies in this camp are capable soldiers? The young, the injured, the inexperienced - we're not a regular army you can command to fight. We're a guerilla force. We can maim the enemy with sabotage and dirty tricks, but we're not going to win against them outright."

"But this is our best chance to get rid of Daybreaker." Chari softly said. "If Rarity can reunite with the Elements of Harmony, then they can stop her!"

"They'll stop Daybreaker, but couldn't stop all the other horrible figures that appeared around Equestria?" Xo laughed softly.

Azul shook her head. "You're going for a hypothesis." She told Chari. "You're risking the lives of my fighters for maybes. I can't exchange that."

Raz furrowed her brows, grunting as leg-wheels weighed her down somewhat. "I thought you're trying to fight for a better future. To free South Equus. So what, you're gonna twiddle your hooves making some dumbass little spike pit traps and blowing up another factory or weapon's depot out of the thousands out there, instead of actually trying something and fighting for your lives and futures?" The batpony yelled.

"Maybe the situation looks different to a pilot. But this is the reality. I cannot allow pointless sacrifice." Azul said. "And besides, if you practiced what you preached, then you would fight here - for your home and for your own race."

"Wait, shit, don't--" Cipher tried to stop Azul...But Raz's teeth were already gritting like two stones against one another.

"Home and race, huh?" Raz looked at her. "I don't know a damn thing about this backwater land." She began. One of the senior batponies sprung up in anger.

"You dare call our home a "backwater land"!?"

Raz scoffed. "I've been sweating near damn nonstop, I'm getting bitten by so many fucking mosquitos that I'm probably gonna fucking die of some disease before the enemy kills me. You think just because I'm one of you - just biologically - it means I suddenly owe you my whole damn life?" She asked. "You know who I actually owe my life to? The griffons of Mediolano who took me under their wing. The griffons who hid me from fascists, the griffons who taught me my purpose in life - the griffons who raised me and the griffons who welcomed me with open talons to dine with them. I grew up on those islands, I fought for those islands, and I lost my fucking legs for those islands when I took down the fascist's best ace above Karthin." She exclaimed.

"Oh, I see how it is." The senior laughed. "You're happy to tell others to sacrifice themselves when this soil isn't your own, huh?"

"Shut the fuck up." Raz barked. "You heard me well, so don't pretend you didn't. I sacrificed a lot for my own home, knowing that I could've died. And right now, working for the SIB is another one of those sacrifices. I'm giving up my own safety knowing that cooperating with them will help me keep Daybreaker off of my home's front door. I was shot down and nearly died. You're trying to convey that you love your land, right? Being a bunch of pussies despite knowing that you have the upper hoof to ambush the enemy, and knowing that this may be a good chance to save your homes...Yeah - you're not showing me that you love this jungle a whole lot." Raz scoffed.

"Hah." Xo laughed. "Big words, small fry. I admit you're not one of us - and since you are a pilot, yeah - you're definitely not in the right place to talk, girl. Why don't you--"

"She's right!" Shouted a voice...Everybat and everypony - and the changeling, turned to see that the voice belonged to Bea - the batpony who had attempted to lop of Plymouth's head with a machete earlier.

"Bea." Xo chuckled. "You're an even smaller fry. Why don't you stop bothering the adults and keep that mouth--"

"Keep your damn mouth shut yourself, hag! I can't believe that a batpony from the other damn side of the ocean knows more about fighting for our home than you lot!" Bea shouted. "We have a chance to ambush an entire unit of Daybreaker's troops! We know they will be there! We know these jungles, we know how to utilize irregular warfare, and we have the assistance of some SIB agents who probably know how to fight better than us! We have an opportunity here to actually get something done!" The young mare exclaimed.

"Bea!" Azul yelled. "Stand down!"

"You're not gonna order me right now, "commander"! This isn't about Nightmare Moon anymore! I no longer care that my hate for you starts from the day you joined the loyalists! Right now, all my hate stems from the sheer fact that your own foolishness led to the death of so many of our best!" Bea exclaimed.

Azul grit her teeth. "Our intel was lacking - none could've predicted--"

"Tomo, Lola, Krovley, Daubenton, Yuma--"

"Bea, that's enough!" Azul yelled.

"Kitti, Pipistrelle - do you even remember the damn fact that she was barely an adult!? She was a damn ammo carrier! She wasn't supposed to die! And the list goes on, so let me continue so all may know of the deaths you were responsible for!"

A gunshot rang. Azul stood with a pistol pointed to the sky, and a look of fury in her eyes. She eyed down Bea...And lowered the pistol at her...Before dropping it on the dirt, and rapidly blinking.

"...I...I don't want that to repeat." Azul whispered. "I...I don't want another incident like this. I..."

Bea looked at Azul with tears in her eyes, hooves planted in the ground firmly. "...We can do this to send a message. And if these foreigners are right...This unicorn may be the key to removing Daybreaker. We either try to do something, or continue doing nothing - slowly dying from the attrition." Bea spoke. "...I don't care about anything else. I just want my home to be safe."

"..."

Azul turned to Raz. "...I'm sorry about that." She sighed, and looked at Cipher. "...Okay. We're...We'll help you - but we are going to minimize our casualties as much as we can."

"Thank you." The stallion smiled. "...Listen." He told Azul. "I don't know what I can give you in return. I can assure you that once I return to New Mareland, I will--"

"Nah." Azul smirked, wiping tears from her eyes. "Even if you have a good heart - your higher-ups may not allow you to bring back any rewards here. But I'll cut you a deal." The commander said. "We'll help you get to that temple. In return, you help us smoke every damn soldier who intended to ambush us. We'll send a message to that fire-maned bitch."

Plymouth smirked. "That we can do free of charge, ma'am."

"S'long as we maintain plausible deniability." Cipher rose a brow at him. "But your terms are agreeable, Azul."

"What's the plan then?" Xo folded her hooves. "You know that they probably set up entrenched positions. Probably with machine guns, armored vehicles - hell, if the Bitch of Baltimare sorted these guys, they might have willy pete too."

"Leave that to me." Plymouth grinned. "Lake City's army corps teaches you a thing or two in guerilla warfare. Cipher - mind if I take the stick in advising our little rag tag group?"

"You go ahead." Cipher said. "You focus on eliminating the enemy - I'll focus on getting Rarity to safety. Also, we might need another element to this job..." He said, turning to Chari.

The changeling sighed. "Who am I gonna disguise as this time then?"

"I don't know why I keep forgetting this, but..." Cipher thoughtfully said. "When changelings transform, they are able to create "clothing" on their bodies, right?"

"...Son of a bitch." Chari groaned.