Empress Celestia softly opened her eyes, her dream being interrupted as she heard a choir sing. A choir that song something that she could identify as human music. She thought that she banned those sounds, but this seemed different. Her surroundings were similar…It was in the country that the humans know as Greece, and mostly colonized by her little ponies. It was a temple of some sorts, and the choir got louder as she got closer.

She noticed what appeared to be three human women in robes of various colors who were singing. What made her sink was the sight of Cadence? Shining Armor? They were singing along with the choir? She could also see ponies, and they were wearing the robes of that Order whose secrets she appropriated, the same Order who built the ship that brought them here. The same Order whose science allowed them to escape the death of Old Equus. The same Order she thought to have seized the title of Grand Master.

The three women began to sing.

Chasing your tail
You’re DOOMED to fail

The alicorn took this with indignity, the Earth will be hers, it will belong to Ponykind. It will belong to them. This planet will become New Equus! And no one will deny her that! Not the human gods! Not the Fates! Not even the traitors! Can they not see what she is trying to do for them!? Can they not see what is being sacrificed for them?

To have a world free of predators! Free of dark magic users! Free of violence! Free of every problem!

Now it was Cadence’s turn to sing.

Just like your nephew prior

Tears were shed. She cursed herself for not being there for Prince Blueblood. She watched the footage of his Warbird over and over. As his fighter spiraled out of control, his final tear-stained words haunted her to this day.

“HELP ME AUNTIE CELESTIA!” Were his final words, followed by an explosion. A PMC fighter delivered the killing blow, ensuring that his craft would forever be made into pieces. The combat happened in the Himalayas. So much for occupying the area and poisoning the waters with the serum to ponify those who got their water from the mountains.

That operation was a massive failure.

Now the women sang.

Vermin under my heel
A mere disgrace

Now everyone sang.

Contractors versus Equestria
Who will rule supreme?

Now a red dragon wearing a foustanella with two curved swords on his waste walked in, along with a Chinese tigress, a Hellhound, and other beasts of human mythology.

Cry and neigh as leave my mark on time and space.
Keen to get on our way, but this is the end
Allow us to dig your grave
No one will stop us
From hunting you down

Now she was looking at Equestria in flames as several former Equestrian Sky Fleet vessels, modified by human hands rained destruction all over the country. Shells of various calibers flew, exploding violently. Missiles and anti-aircraft guns fired, mowing down Warbirds and Pegasi. Plumes of smoke arose everywhere as the human and traitor-controlled airships continued to move.

Everyone sang loudly.

SHELLS AWAY!

Now it was the dragon’s turn, and his curved blades out.

Here I stand as the final shield to your victory
[Take down the strong dragon!]

Now they were in the throne room. She blocked the curved blades, sparks coming out as both were trying to break the lock they had on each other.

There was a flash of white.

It all felt familiar.

The bridge of the Wings. They were orbiting the Earth.

The blades danced in all directions as she blocked them with her horn. She could see the blue world, a world that wanted for her ponies, a world that is rightfully theirs. A world free of the evils from back home.

No more rules in this deadly duel
Now your tale can’t end without me!
No running from this hunt
I’ll GUT you, useless mare

True to the words, she felt a pain as one curved blade went into her insides. She screamed in pain and rage as the blade was pulled out. All she could do was collapse, a pool of blood forming as she struggled to cling on to life.

Everyone sang.

Chasing your tail
You’re DOOMED to fail

Now the dragon sang as he sheathed his swords, looking at the dying alicorn.

Always having your ponies at your command
But where do you stand without your herd?
Nobody to save you from my attack
[Don’t hold back!]

It ended, the dream ended. She was not dead. She was not in a pool of her own blood waiting for the end to arrive. No, she was alive and in her bedroom in Canterlot Castle. She looked outside the window, Sol was rising on this part of the Earth.

The only thing about here was that here, she did not have to raise the sun, and Luna did not have to raise the moon. This world was perfect, it was, but the only impediments were the humans and their nations that refused to convert. But sooner or later, they will.

But the thorn on her side were the PMCs that the human governments hired. PMCs…Private Military Companies.

A nice way of saying mercenaries.

It was an irony because once Equestria was settled in the Earth, the Changelings broke the truce that would give them autonomy and a seat in the Federation High Council. The only ones who ended the rebellion where the PMCs that she hired. And now many of them were fighting against her.

She knew which ones were major thorns on her side, and could name them all.

Hellhound Company

Tiger Solutions

Phoenix Military Contracting

Cerberus Group

Iron Musketeers PMC

Dragon Tactical

There were others, but these were the major ones. The human nations and their exiled communities relied on them to do their dirty work. No doubt that there were also traitors in their ranks who assisted them. Especially the remnants of that Order. Only they could have provided them with the technology and the means to fight them. She understood why their had modified her Sky Fleet’s ships to their standards.

But she had all the cards on the table.

The humans will never find the Palladium Wings. It was her ace in the hole. The colony ship can become a weapon once it's under control. She first hand experienced its destructive power when they entered an asteroid field back when they cruised through the Cloud. Its defense systems were aggressive, anything that dared get too close would be destroyed by swarms of tendrils that would not stop until nothing remained.

She remembered that the plasma engines could be used as weapons in case problems arose in the surface. All it would take was to position the ship in low orbit and bring punishment to the surface. But as she was warned, such usage could damage or even destroy the engines. There was still some hope that they will return to Old Equus.

Our stay isn’t meant to be permanent, Princess. We are guests on their world.

She could only scoff at that sentiment. Return home? How long has it been since they left Old Equus? They had a home now here, Earth. Soon it shall be New Equus, once the Human Problem has been dealt with.

Many of them were converted, those who were, a new term was given to them; Newfoals. While she deemed it a success, many of her ponies did not like what was happening. Such a move was not received well by the humans who did everything possible to hinder then. Could they not see that this was for their own good? Could they not see that she offered them salvation? Salvation from greed, their violent tendencies, from their path of self-destruction?

Could they not see that what she offered was nothing but a way out? Could they not understand that this is all for their own good?

But in her dream…The bridge of the Palladium Wings…Merely a dream? Or a sign of things yet to come?

Somewhere over the Adriatic Sea

A lone Princess Luna-class Frigate that was modified to human standards gently cruised the skies of this part of Europe. A little more to the south and they would be entering Equestrian-occupied Greece, which covered most of the Peninsula. The Greek Government escaped to Crete where they hold the line against Equestrian incursions that were trying to access the Mediterranean Sea. Something that could not happen at all, the Mediterranean could not be lost to the Federation’s forces at all, if not, all of Southern Europe would feel the tip of the Equestrian sword on their throat.

This lone ship belonged to the Dragon Tactical PMC, which was Greek in origin but had all people from the Balkans composing its crew and fighting forces. Many have lost relatives or lost it all when the Conversion Bureau opened, and then Celestia ordered the Rain of Steel so many years ago which was a declaration of war against humanity as a whole. In its modified state, it gave the Equestrian Sky Fleet nightmares as many of its vessels were shot down or raided.

Chimera was its name, and it had the Greek mythological beast on its bow, ready to attack. Its cannons pointed ahead at all times, along with the various anti-air guns though they could be moved to engage enemies at all sides. The flags of the Balkan nations and the PMC it belonged to flapped against the wind, letting friendlies and hostiles know who they were and their intentions were.

And to not mess with them.

In the bridge, loud rock and roll music played loudly from the jukebox as only four were present.

“ An old woman shouted, calling someone in accented Greek. “”

The captain’s chair turned around, revealing a Greek man of 5’9’’ of black hair and green eyes. He wore nothing but combat clothing, heavy-duty boots, and a baseball cap with his crew’s logo.

This is Nikolaos Anastasio Drakonakos, the commander of Dragon Tactical and the one who inherited the PMC from his father after he was killed during a conflict long before the Rain of Steel. He was also one of Equestria’s most wanted human as he was part of the war machine that raged against Equestria’s imperialist goals.

He even got infamy as he appeared on a playing card deck along with his bounty information. 500,000 Bits to the pony who managed to slay him. Ponification was out of the question for he had something that made him immune to it. Something that most human militaries and PMCs had to prevent ponification-It was the standard if you wanted to join the fight against Equestria and her followers.

While he looked like a normal human, he and the rest of his crew had small mutations on their spinal cords. They were what Celestia feared, she called them the Untouchables as the Ponification serum had no effect on them.

The Vaccine…

An injectable serum composed of Equestrian DNA. Taking the Vaccine was the one thing that could prevent Ponification. Sadly, the effects were not reversible and were permanent, but it would be worth it as they were fighting a long war against her forces. This is why Celestia wanted them dead, if humanity can perfect and mass-produce the Vaccine, then the war will turn to humanity’s favor.

In truth, the war has always turned to humanity’s favor. What Celestia failed to realize that this was a natural state. She may have declared war against humanity, but she was in for a surprise. And she’s going to realize that wars can be expensive. How long before her treasury is empty? How long before she decides to raise taxes to finance Equestria’s expansion and her mad goal of world domination?

“” The old woman called again.

“” The Greek man said as he looked at the Equestrian unicorn mare who clad in a white and gold suit of some sorts along with strange runic tattoos on her face. “Steamer! Turn it off! Dzeneta’s complaining!”

“Mwreh mwreh mwreh.” The unicorn mare, Gear Steamer simply lit up her horn and threw her wrench to the jukebox.

“HEY!” Nikolaos did not like that the jukebox was silenced that way. “Gear! That jukebox was hard to find, and tonight is smooth jazz night.”

“Relax,” The regal-looking mare chuckled. “I’ll have it fixed before nightfall.”

“” The old Bosniak woman said. “”