Tartarus Divers

Hell took a breath like she always did when the Pelican locked in and shifted twice as the mechanical connectors attached it to the hull of The King of Starlight. The secondary inertia thrusters cut out and the whole thing fell about a hoof into shock absorbers that bounced the craft in place.

She extricated herself from the upright seat and the harness, and just as Horizon had said, the Democracy Officer was revealed as the ramp lowered. There was a tiny crowd of ponies standing just on the outskirts of the black and yellow landing marking strips. The Officer himself stood ramrod straight right in front of the lowering platform, and didn't flinch or blink when it came within a hair of his nose.

Once the ramp was fully lowered, and she was standing in front, but slightly elevated inside the Pelican, he spoke. "Tartarus Diver. Please remove your armor."

Uhhh Of all the things she was wondering about, that was definitely not it. She wasn't about to refute a direct order from a Democracy Officer though, not without a compelling reason to. Horizon came up next to her as she removed her helmet. Despite the presence of clothing on most ponies in the vicinity, there was still something deeply awkward about taking off a suit of armor around other ponies.

After the helmet came the armor plates, versatile things that could fit inside most models, then it was just a matter of clips and zippers. She undid the zipper down her stomach, and half stepped out of the sleeve that kept most of the armor in place, the tear along the front made it particularly easy. The combat boots remained firmly attached to her hooves, as they were nailed in. She tried not to look over at Horizon.

The Officer took a few rigid steps forwards while eyeing her up. "Exactly as the Ministries suspected." He shifted to the side, and looked over her flanks. "Congratulations Tartarus Diver."

Her eyes were drawn to what he was looking at, there, right on her dirty grey fur was a cutie mark. A yellow skull the same colour as her mane and tail, in the shape of the Tartarus Diver symbol. Her eyes went wide. She snapped her gaze over to Horizon, who was looking on in barely restrained worry.

The Democracy Officer's declaration pulled her away from Horizon's confusing expression. "As per procedure, Divers with destinies aligned to their calling to defend Equestria are invaluable resources. Go get some rest, and know that you, personally, will be pushing the boundaries of Equestrian Civilization." He snapped a salute so fast that it ruffled her mane, "I will have a briefing prepared for you when you have completed your minimum of twelve hours of rest."

On reflex, and mostly due to her exhaustion, she snapped a salute back without hesitation. Then the Officer nodded and walked back down the ramp, out and away from her field of vision.

"Looks like you're off the clock." Horizon said with a mix of sarcasm, and the worry bleeding into his voice.

She turned to look at him again, and he cringed.

"Geez, Hell. You look like you're about to drop."

Hell's ears wiggled at the sound of metal on metal, something moving elsewhere in the hangar. "Huh?"

All of that was way too much for Hell's mind. She was awake, sure, but that didn't mean she had the capacity to understand anything that just happened, or that she had a cutiemark. Tartarus Divers get breaks? Where have I heard that before?

"Hey uh, Hell, do you know where the crew cabins are?" Horizon tried softly.

Hell blinked away her thoughts, "Me? Yeah, I know where they are... they're..." She pointed a hoof towards one of the walls on the ship. "That way?"

Horizon chuckled and leaned forwards, he grasped her hoof and turned it towards the other side of the hangar. "That way."

Hell tried to fight off a blush. She didn't have a helmet on. He's gonna see you doofus! "Thanks!" She said, her wings unconsciously flapping as she made a hasty retreat. Leaving all of her equipment behind. She half power walked over to the nearest entrance into the bowels of the Super Destroyer from the hangar, past the main internal gangways and into the multipurpose structural hub of the ship.

She didn't get the moment of peace she was looking for, a blue buzz cut stallion wearing grey operations apparel approached from the widened space she had just stumbled into. "Hey, you're Hell Diver, right?" He swayed himself up to her, nearly sashaying.

While tempted to say no, Hell wasn't much of a liar. "Yeah, that's me... How do you know who I am?"

He waved a hoof exaggeratedly. "Oh you know, scuttlebutt is the only thing faster than light." Then he elbowed her, "And Super Destroyers, ahmaright?" He laughed out loud to himself.

"Yeah. Yeah..." She said, slowly leaning away as his laugh carried on for a worryingly long amount of time.

He wiped a false tear from his eye. "Say, what are you doing back here?"

"I was just looking for the crew quarters." She said, followed by, "I was given a mandatory twelve hour rest period."

The stallion's eyebrows did a near series of acrobatics and he stepped away. "Oh-oh-oh. I'm sorry for holding you up then. Don't let me get in the way of Democracy." He kept stepping back until he was totally out of her way.

"Actually." Hell fought down more flushing. Everypony being almost a head taller than her was irritating enough in basic, being a fully fledged Tartarus Diver and everypony still being taller than her was bordering on embarrassing. "Could you point me to the lodgings? I-"

"Say no more!" A bombastic smile covered his features, and he approached again in a zip and took her by the shoulder. His height advantage simply allowed for him to tow her along, as she stumbled not to fall. "You see, we actually had them moved over from the opposite side of the ship. Two separate lodgings, mares and stallions. You'll be in with the mares, of course, unless there's nothing you're not telling me?" He tossed an invisible mane and then laughed before she had any response. "Oh ho! Come now, Hell, be honest, what do you think of it all?"

"The-"

"I mean seriously. Among the military operations, you're the only pony here that's actually seen the ground with her own eyes, the lasers, the monsters, the cracking of bullets. Four years in the operations program and I haven't even seen a gun yet!" He kept towing her along, still rambling on and on. Eventually he led her out from the main area and into the thin hallway that marked the bunks and supply closets for the staff bathrooms. It was odd, seeing something so... modern, inside of a battleship.

"Anyways, here we are. I'll leave you to it!" He did half a salute, tipping his hoof up instead of down, and then simply disappeared in a blur of matte grey and blue.

Hell put a hoof down, as her mouth tried to work through a response to the first question he had asked.

"Uhh..."

The... what? Her mind caught up. At least she was in the crew cabin, the hall was metal, as was the rest of the ship. Each individual bunk door was roughly two body lengths across from each next one. Right next to the sliding metal plates was a plaque with a tag with names and numbers.

Hell, dazedly, walked the hallway until she found her name, and then walked into the room. It was a simple affair, as close quarters as possible, with two individual beds, both bunks, and a locker up against the wall in-between them all. If she was careful, she probably could have stood in the center of the room without touching any of the mattresses.

From the top right bed, there was a vibrant green and orange tail twitching over the rim, and a brighter orange coat of a mare sleeping away with several loud snores. Hell's mouth set itself into a line, and she stepped inside the room, the automatic door shutting behind her. She took two steps forwards, poked the mattress to test it, forgot what she was doing, then passed out on the floor.

Hell woke up in a ball, gripping something between her forehooves. The cold metal she was laying on had warmed slightly due to her body heat, and there was a paper thin blanket up to her neck that had been tossed over her.

"Wuhuh?" She moved the pillow she had snuggled in her sleep over, and rolled onto her hooves. The blanket fell from her shoulders as she did so. The lights on the ship had dimmed, signifying the night cycle of the atmospheric regulations systems. The mare snoring away in the top bunk was gone. She must have given me the pillow and the blanket on her way out.

She would have felt well rested if she wasn't absolutely starving. The pain was a good sign though, she had read once that ponies who couldn't feel how hungry they were anymore were the ones that were in danger of permanent damage. Nonetheless, a hoof went to her stomach the moment she was standing as she cringed.

There wasn't really any space to turn around, so she just awkwardly backed out of the doorway and into the hall again. It was empty, just like it was when that crazy stallion dragged her here. Now, with a clearer mind, she gave a half-smirk half-smile at the antics. Concerning, at first, endearing at se- er... that's not how that phrase goes. Maybe she was still asleep. Just a little.

Food should sort that out

She wandered towards the internal gangway, and followed a grated staircase down past all of the tubes and internal workings of the Super Destroyer until she found the bulkhead door that led to the galley. The promising smell of food was enough to overcome the menagerie of colourful ponies filling the dining hall glancing at her as she entered. She ignored the looks and walked straight up to the mare mareing the counter. Luckily, unlike most places, the counter here was short enough to not be a constant reminder of her age.

The mare was fiddling around with something under the counter, so Hell tapped her hoof on the metal plate. "Excuse me?"

The mare pulled herself out from the cabinet, or hole, Hell couldn't see for sure. She was a white mare, wearing a smock that hung all the way down to the tops of her hooves. There was a hairnet involved, keeping her almost aggressively green mane in check.

"Oh!" She spoke with an accent, one Hell recognized from her home world. "You must be Hell Diver. What can I do you for?"

"Uhm..." Does everypony know who I am already? "Can I have soup? Something with broth?"

The mare gave her a sideways look. The kind of look Hell was used to getting when somepony recognized the tufted ears, extruding fangs, and batwings. "Yes ma'am. I can make one noodle soup, just give me a moment." She smiled, then disappeared behind the wall and pushed the door that hung up behind them.

"Hey!"

Hell jumped, nearly leaving her fur behind. She took a swing at the pony that was suddenly standing next to her, though she missed, the swipe left an audible 'frrzzt' as it passed through the air.

It was the same blue stallion from before. "Whoah! Careful there Diver, you almost sent me to the infirmary."

Hell stumbled backwards, hoof over her heart as the blood rushed up into her ears. She took several shaky deep breaths to steady herself.

"Say, did you find your bunk okay? Didja? I'd hope so, I mean, I led you right to the stack!" He continued to invade her personal space.

She reached out the hoof that was desperately trying to calm her heart and pushed him away. She sent him a glare in addition to making some space between them. "Yes. I did."

"Well I'll say. You look less like you're about to keel over and die on the spot." He smiled wide, "You must have slept well!" Despite the distance, he still clapped a hoof over her back, "I'm glad! You need the most 'are 'en 'are out of any of us, you know?"

Hell ducked away from his hoof, and turned to face him directly. Her wings spread out a little as she bared her teeth at him and hissed. Immediately his expression dropped from glee to guilt, his ears pinned back and he stepped away.

"Personal space." She said, straightening up.

"You're not bothering the help are you Jay?" The white mare came back around the corner. "I hope you remember what I 'old ya." She tilted her back to the side, letting a metal bowl slide off her back and onto the counter. Hell's sinuses filled with the delicious smell of chicken broth and boiled carrots.

His eyes went a little wide at the white mare's comment. "Yeah! Yeah of course I do. I wasn't bothering her, I really wasn't." He turned to her, "Right? I'm sorry, if I was. I don't mean anything by it, I was just excited to see you in better straits."

Hell pulled her attention away from the soup. "Uh-yeah, that's right. Just reminding him about personal space." She offhoofedly stated, far more interested in food.

"Uh-huh." The mare brandished a wooden spoon at 'Jay' clearly unconvinced. Hell wasn't sure where she got the spoon from, but she had it, and Jay apparently felt very threatened, if his body language was anything to go by. "That's all I better hear ya hear?"

He nodded and held up his right hoof. "Yes ma'am."

Holy Equestria, only two words in one sentence? Hell reached forwards for the bowl.

"Oh, here you go dear." The mare used the wooden spoon to push the bowl forwards, and then turned away from the pair. Hell got her soup and stuck her nose over the fumes to get a sense for how hot it was, in addition to filling her nose with the scent. Her eyelids fluttered a little when she did, and her mouth filled with saliva. There may have also been a slight purring noise.

"What is that?" Jay said, leaning forwards, still a little in her personal space, but apparently trying to dodge the bubble by only using his head. "Smells funny."

"Right." Hell's ears folded down, "Listen, thanks and all for being so nice, but I'm gonn-"

"Wait, wait." He sat back and moved his hooves into a time out gesture, "I know I'm a little annoying. A little." He emphasized in a low voice, "Lemme make it up to you, would you come sit with me? Us?" He pointed off to the side, and Hell followed his hoof to see one of the square tables occupied by the unmistakable mess of hair that was Horizon, and Star Spanner, who waved her hoof frantically with a wide smile once they met gazes.

The request was probably the most genuine she'd heard him be. Not that she was a great judge of character, but... Ugh... Just go over and say hello, at least.

"Okay. Sure." She pulled the annoyed frown off her face, something that slowly transitioned into a smile as Spanner started to gush as soon as they were both close enough.

"Hi! Hey, did that new fuel blend work out for you? The three oh one's always use a more viscous solution, and I didn't really have anything on hoof to-"

"Calm down Spanner." Horizon gently said, poking at her side with a hoof. He turned to Hell, "Hey, go ahead and take a seat."

Hell's smile turned forced, "Oh, no. I wouldn't want to impose, I just thought I-"

The steel came into Horizon's eyes again. "Please?" Mismatched away from his tone, which sounded almost desperate.

Hell put her bowl down on the table and sat down on the highly reproducible cushion that could barely be called a seat. Jay followed suit a second later, and Horizon turned to him with a tired look. "I told you to go get her, not antagonize her."

Jay shrugged. "Well it worked, didn't it?"

Hell spoke after blowing over her soup. "Is everypony that works here this colourful?"

"Not nearly as much as me!" Jay half shouted, beaming with pride.

Spanner rolled her eyes, "Only because you have no shame."

"Not even a drop." He retorted and then turned to her, "So what is it? You never told me?"

Hell opened her mouth, but Spanner beat her to it. "Chicken Noodle Soup. Roasted carrots, MTE pasta noodles, chicken broth, and spring onion." Spanner wiped her nose, "I didn't even think we had spring onion. Aether must really like you."

Hell met eyes with Horizon, who sent her a calm smile as Jay started questioning Spanner on the nature of chicken broth.

"Well if it isn't the mare with golden flanks." A tray roughly landed down next to her bowl of soup. It would have surprised her had she not heard the approaching hoofsteps on the metal grating. The mare from her bunk sat down next to her on the floor, rather than the cushion; now Hell could see she was a pegasus. "Didn't think we'd see you down here, what with how you passed out up there."

Hell moved her soup a little to the side, "Thanks for the blanket."

The mare lifted an apple in her hoof and bit into it, talking with her mouth open. "'unno whach you meemn"

Okay. The table was getting increasingly crowded with ponies turning away from their own meal to scooch towards their table. Hell turned back to Horizon who was tracking another mare who had just entered, it was the standing officer of the ship in all her maroon glory. Hell grasped her soup bowl a little tighter as the mare approached, and most ponies went back to what they were doing. She came right up to the table and sat down without a word.

"Well that's not ominous at all." Jay chimed in to break the silence as he rested his head in his hoof.

"I'll say. You sure know how to make an entrance." Said the orange pegasus.

Hell watched the ghost of a smirk appear on the mare's face before she spoke to hide it away. "I hope nothing... Code defying is happening here, I'm off the clock, and wouldn't be able to stop it." She said towards Horizon.

He nodded, "It's a good thing too, we wouldn't want anyone else listening in right? Getting the wrong idea?"

She just nodded.

Spanner breathed a sigh of relief.

Jay spoke in a deeper tone than Hell thought was possible, "How much time do we have?"

Hell was getting increasingly bad vibes from this particular situation. "I'm sorry. What is going on right now?"

It was the standing officer who responded with, "For now, it can wait. You're hungry aren't you? You're clutching that soup like it's going to save your life."

Hell's stomach took that particular moment to angrily grumble: 'There is soup right there, eat it mare!'

Hell leaned forwards to take a sip, despite the looks from the other ponies at the table. The sip turned into a gulp, despite how hot the fluid was. Her eyes closed of their own accord, and she savored the first thing she had enter her mouth in nearly a whole day.

The first thing that wasn't blood, at least.

"So what's the deal? Huh?" Said the orange mare.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Came the officer's near aggressive retort.

"Airwing Five." She held out a hoof over the table. "Name's Cross Fire. I'm the transfer pilot."

The officer's eyebrows raised in an 'ah' as she reached over and they met hooves. "Beach." They shook.

"A pleasure." Cross Fire rolled her eyes.

Horizon waved a hoof to get the other ponies attention. "I think we can answer Hell's question now?" He asked Beach.

"We can. We're doing something a little off the books." She said into the air, not looking at anypony. "Horizon came to me with a personal request after you took off on your third mission."

"You did?" Hell pulled the bowl closer until it was touching her chest. Combat shoes weren't very good for manipulation, she mostly had to rely on tilting the bowl with her nose. That being said, the environment suddenly felt like she was surrounded, and pulling the thing in her hooves closer to her was a subconscious choice.

"I did." Horizon said simply.

Jay cut in, leaning forwards over the table, "Remember how I tol-"

Spanner shushed him, "Quieter Blue."

His ears flopped around as he mimed what he said back to her, but he nonetheless spoke quieter. "Remember how I said I've been working here for four years?"

Hell nodded.

"Hell, you've been on ice for that long." Horizon said in a low voice.

What? Her mind immediately tried to rationalize that, it only came up with questions and excuses. "But-" Her ears pinned back of their own accord, "Isn't this Destroyer equipped with a TDPCD? How could the journey have taken four years?"

"It didn't." He said, "You were rejected by the algorithm for that long because..."

"You're smaller." Jay said monotone.

"I don't-" Her mind glazed over the vague insult, her soup was forgotten, just something she was holding to her chest. "I don't understand..."

Beach spoke, softly, but with a sternness that brooked no argument, and no lies. Exactly what one would expect from a mare with her stony demeanor. "This Super Destroyer has been dropping Tartarus Divers along the front lines, not only you. You're part of the third contingent we've fielded. There's maybe... Fourteen more Divers frozen in the rocket. You were frozen four years ago, and have been waiting for the algorithm to wake you up, and send you out to die."

"What?" Hell choked out, more in confusion than anything else.

"Geez. Take it easy on the poor girl. She just woke up." Came the voice of reason from Cross Fire. She reached out with a wing and placed it over Hell's back. "Listen, it isn't your fault. None of it is. We do what we do for Equestria, even though it's..."

"Grim." Horizon interrupted, "The word you're looking for is grim."

Hell shook her head, and leaned away from the wing and the comfort that came with it. Unlike Jay, Cross Fire recognized the movement and folded her wing back up. "Wh- what? What?" Hell looked around, all she saw was sympathy. "I don't..." What really sent the message home was the barely visible tears in Star Spanner's eyes.

"Can I try to explain it to her?" Jay said, turning towards Horizon.

The stress rushed into her muscles as all of the confusion decided to express itself as frustration. Hell smashed a hoof against the table. "I don't want it explained!"

There were looks of shock that passed around the table, both at her outburst, and the dent she left in the solid metal table. Hell's mind was whirling. What are they-what does it mean-are they telling the truth?-why would the standing officer lie?-four years?-wha- Hell gasped, "My mom and dad."

Several ears flopped down.

"Basic, they were weeks away from their relocation papers. I left for basic when they were moving to a larger colony. It's been four years." Hell looked up, "What happened to them? Where are they?"

"I'm sorry Hell, but the program you joined?" Horizon led.

Spanner finished, "They were likely sent a note of your death the moment you passed your training course."

Hell's eyes went wide.

"That's what we're trying to tell you." Jay said, "Tartarus Divers aren't supposed to come back."

Cross Fire leaned over the table and growled, "Hey, cool it. What did I say, huh? Dial it back a bit."

"I know it's probably hard for her to he-"

"I don't care! Look at h-"

Hell tuned out their arguing. The pieces came together, and now the cryogenics made sense, the way ponies talked about resources. How there was a functioning ship without their technical Tartarus Diving captain. The ringing and adrenaline of the battlefield filled her ears and chest, but she didn't realize it.

Her home, gone probably. They told my parents I died. She didn't have any friends back home, but she'd never see a familiar face again. I wasn't supposed to come back.

Why would they fire her in a steel coffin directly towards the enemy with nothing but a basic tac map and a pistol if she was meant to come back? What was so important that investing the technical captain of the ship into fighting the monsters was a viable strategy?

They lied to her. I'm not in control of this vessel, I'm the bullet, fired and discarded. They told her she'd be a hero. I wasn't supposed to come back.

"Hell?"

I wasn't supposed to come back.

"Hell?"

I wasn't supposed to come back.

"Should I get a medic?"

Hell was starting to feel light headed, in-between circular thoughts and visions of flashing lights. I wasn't supposed to come back. She felt weightless, like she was trapped inside a Tartarus Pod that wouldn't eject her.

"Give her some space!"

"Hell!"

Hell blinked

"Hell." Horizon was taking up her vision, she met eyes with him as her breathing slowed. "Hey..." He patted the side of her neck with his hoof. "You okay?"

She had soup dribbling down her chest, the bowl had been upturned, and the open side was pressed tight enough against her fur that the metal was digging into the skin. She let go and the bowl rolled down onto the table again.

Jay appeared with a stack of napkins in hoof, and Hell just looked away as everypony at the table breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll go get you some more soup." Spanner moved to get up.

"N-" Hell coughed once, her throat hurt. "No thanks. I'm not hungry anymore." She watched plenty of ponies scattered around turn back to their food and conversations. Her ears burned. I wish I could be a unicorn, invisibility would be perfect right now.

"Still, you should eat." Beach said.

"Actually. I have to go." Hell stood up, and grabbed the stack of napkins from Jay in her teeth as she walked past. The protests of the table were drowned out by her trot that turned into a run as soon as she reached the bulkhead. The blood and muscles in her legs flowed, and she ran. She ran so hard that the sound of her boots on the metal drowned out her heavy breathing. She just wanted away. Anywhere else from there.

She came to a stop when the tears won out over the air blowing into her face. She flopped down onto the grating and cried. Her tail came up over her haunches, her wings spread up over her neck and shoulders, and she fell onto her side and curled into a ball and cried.

They just have to be lying... It can't be true... She'd known about the Tartarus Divers for years. She'd thought they were an elite sting operation, black ops team of elites. They're just throwing fillies at tactical objectives behind enemy lines. She'd known something was up since they unfroze her, she just hadn't accepted it. It was that easy to shatter her perceptions, her dream.

Hell wasn't a very good liar. That included, to herself, despite how much she wanted to believe otherwise.

Quiet tears fell from her slitted eyes. She pressed herself up against the wall as she heard hoofsteps on metal

"Hey girl." Came Cross Fire's voice. "I know you're going through a lot right now, but we really can't be out here."

"Go away." Hell said from underneath her wings.

"Heh. Alright." There were more hoofsteps, and Hell flipped open her wings to see the orange mare stepping in place with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, I thought so." She walked up towards Hell. "Cmon girl, up you come." She reached a hoof around Hell's front leg and hefted her up.

"Hey-" Hell tried

"No arguing." Cross Fire snapped out. "I don't want you getting in trouble on top of everything else, cmon."

Cross Fire started to pull, and Hell went along with her, it was that, or falling over. Cross Fire was strong. "How'd you find me?" Hell asked in a quiet voice, still trying to brush the tears away from her face with her hoof in-between steps.

Cross Fire smirked, "You left a trail of napkins."

"Oh."

A corner, and then into a sliding door, and Hell was pushed into a single bathroom. Cross followed her inside and shut the door behind them, pressing on the console in the wall to lock the door. "There. Privacy. There's only one camera in here, no audio, and it doesn't point into the shower." Cross walked up to the open door with tile flooring and beckoned Hell to follow her in. A step later, Cross turned on the water. "Cmon Hell, let's get you cleaned up, you smell like soup."

Hell joined her, and let the lukewarm water take precedent for thought. Cross silently cleaned her off, no soap or anything, just rubbing at her fur to get the grime and blood out. There was a lot of dried blood. Only when the water around their hooves started going down the drain with nothing but near fully red hues, did she realize just how attention grabbing she must have been, walking around covered in blood.

"Thank you." Hell said quietly, as Cross had at some point, stopped washing her, and was just massaging her back.

"Don't mention it." Cross went silent for a moment, "What I'd give to have wings I don't have to preen."

Hell scoffed, "At least you get to fly."

"Yeah. Sucks to be born with wings, but no flight."

"Was everything they said true?"

"Nah."

Hell's ears perked up, "Really?"

"Don't get so excited." Cross reprimanded, "What they were saying was right, but they way they were tellin' you was wrong. They tried to give you a picture of your tombstone and thought you'd be able to handle it. Except you already came back two times more than every Tartarus Diver I've ever seen."

Hell drooped again, after that.

"Remember, you're fighting for Equestria. That's what matters." The massage stopped and Cross stepped up towards Hell and sat down next to her.

"Why are we hiding from the cameras?"

Cross smirked, "To make ponies think something else is happening in here." The smirk dropped, "Privacy, mostly. You don't want to catch the ire of the Democracy Officer. He's the real head honcho around here, and he doesn't take anything sideways. He'd probably would throw you back to Equestria with a dishonorable discharge if he found you crying on the gangway."

"I wasn't crying." Hell huffed.

Cross rolled her eyes. "You're right. Dunno what I was thinking."

They lapsed back into silence, silence and the pitter patter of water.

"They all got together to help you. You know." Cross rubbed the back of her neck with a wing, "I kinda jumped in at the end, but I'm just as gung ho as everypony else to see you come back again. They had good intentions."

"Thanks..." Hell shifted in place. Am I... It's not that simple is it?

Maybe it all wasn't going to hell, no pun intended. Maybe she could just... keep doing what she was doing. Protect Equestria, be what she thought she was. Become the dream she had for herself.

"Don't thank me yet. Next time we get a spare hour, you're doing me next." She bumped Hell playfully. "I promise that G-force fluids are twice as bad as blood, and they smell a lot more."

The water was still running, and a smile worked its way onto Hell's face.

For now, she could forget about it all.

"You're a pilot? You said?" She asked

"Apparently, I'm your new pilot, Hell."

"What do you fly?"

Cross Fire smirked, and rubbed a hoof against her wet chest floof. "I don't mean to brag, but I can fly anything Equestria has on assembly line."

Hell giggled, "I mean, what are you flying here."

"Dunno yet. Maybe I'll be Horizon's co-pilot. Pretty sure there's a working order for an Eagle, a ten thirty model." She made a whooshing noise and spread her wings, "Real nice stuff." She tossed her wet mane, "Not top of the line, obviously, but reliable, and fast. Fast is my favorite."

Hell let out some of the tension along with her growing smile. "I hadn't been able to guess that about you."

She gave an exaggerated shrug, "Well what can I say? I'm one of the quiet ones." She stood and turned in one fluid motion, the water cut off in the next moment, and Hell got up herself to open the door. "Hold on a sec, you've never showered with a pegasus before have you?"

Hell shuffled, hoof falling away from the latch, "Not any nice ones. Not like you."

"I ain't nice." She grumbled, rolling her eyes, "I'm cashing in on this favour to you later, don't get it twisted." She spread her wings and beckoned Hell over to her. "Give yourself a good shake, and enjoy the temperature." Once Hell was close enough, Cross began what looked like a weird tribal dance, flapping her mane along with her wings, spraying water everywhere. In a second, Hell registered the sudden updraft in the room, as her own fur started getting blown upwards by a gust of cool air. Her mane followed suit a second later, floating up in the little closet of a shower.

She shook it out, enjoying the refreshing cooling temperature as told.

"There you go." Cross said, after they were done. She opened the latch and they both stepped out into the bathroom again. "You look like a million credits Hell."

Hell tried to push her mane back, "I look like a hairball." All of her fur was poofing out, having filled with air and static.

Cross tossed her own mane back, it settled into exactly the same position it was in before it was vaguely washed. Messy and not in her eyes was apparently enough for the orange mare. "Ahhh- you just need some brushing. Or some rushing, activity of any kind really. Cmon, let's get outta here girl." She said, giving Hell a few pat downs to smooth out the fur on her face.

They trotted out together, and Hell steadied herself as she recognized Cross leading her towards the hangar. They were already in the gangways, so it didn't take long. Several ponies looked up to see Hell enter with Cross, she caught several smiles and nods, but that was it.

"Alright Hell." Cross flipped a wing up, "Get up there, show 'em how it's done."

Hell smiled, despite the weight that settled in her chest. "I will."

Hell trotted on, Cross stayed behind.

One trip up the elevator, one without sparkles this time, and Hell was greeted with the slightly worried look of: Star Spanner, the normally stone faced Beach, the Democracy Officer, and another Tartarus Diver. At least, Hell thought so, they were wearing all the armor. The pony in question tilted their head when Hell trotted forwards to meet the group, and Hell swore she heard a scoff.

"Tartarus Diver." The Democracy Officer was the first to address her, stepping forwards and snapping a salute. "I trust that you have adequately taken care of yourself within your allotted time to do so?"

Hell lowered her own hoof from the salute, her stomach grumbled as she sniffed the air and smelled warm bread. "I uh- missed dinner sir. An issue with my facilities."

"Ms. Breach said as much. Ma'am?" He looked towards the mare in question, who stepped forwards and produced a loaf of bread. Hell... awkwardly took the food in her hoof and just held it there in mild confusion. Am I supposed to eat this now?

The Democracy Officer continued, "In light of your emergent destiny, Equestria and the Ministry of Defense have taken an interest in your operations. Already, combat footage has been reviewed, and the powers that guide our hooves are impressed with your prowess on the field of battle." He gestured to the other pony, "As such, in accordance with standard high value operations procedure, and in order to better utilize the full might of this Super Destroyer; you are being placed in charge of a squad of two. This Tartarus Diver is now under your command, and together, you will be the hammer and anvil of Justice that our enemies find themselves crushed between."

Hell slowly took a bite of the bread while he was talking.

He didn't seem to mind.

"In addition, you are being given streamlined access to more potent stratagems and equipment. I saw that you already met our transfer from Airwing Five? She will be piloting your new fast response strike craft. Several management systems are already in place to increase our relative power, but remember, Democracy does not come free Tartarus Diver. You will have to continue to gather resources and complete objectives on the battlefield in order to convince The Ministry of Prosperity of the value of continued investment in this Super Destroyer."

"I understand, sir." She said into the silence after swallowing another bite.

"Good. Then there is no time to wait." He turned towards Star Spanner, equally just as rocky in movement as Beach was in demeanor. Are those servos? "The Chief Engineer has been given the go ahead to give you a full armor refit so you can be your best out in the field. Suit up Tartarus Diver." With that command, he spun around, and walked back up into the command room.

The Standing Officer gave her a respectful nod, and then looked down at her hoof pad. Star Spanner started walking over to the armory. Hell followed, bread in hoof.

"Horizon did us the favor of collecting all of your equipment when you left the hangar, so I was able to get a good look at it, and clean up all of your weapons." She said, levitating a fresh armor suit over to Hell. Hell's original thought that Star would simply give the suit to Hell was confounded when Star instead continued holding the suit in her glow, open from the back.

Alright. Hell stepped inside the suit, and spent a moment wiggling her hooves and larger combat shoes down the sleeves until her front hooves were flush with the floor. Once she was on the ground, the suit surged forwards and wrapped around her tail. She felt it get lifted up and out of the suit, the same with her wings as the sleeve was roughly shoved onto her body.

Hell made a face of discomfort.

"Oh! Sorry Hell!" Spanner turned and the glow from her horn became less intense, and the pressure subsided. "I'm still getting used to how big you are. Normally ponies are way heavier."

"Uh-huh. Thanks." Spanner had the decency to look sheepish as Hell used her wings to pull at the sleeve to smooth it out.

Several metal inserts and attachments came floating her way in sequence, and she made quick work of either attaching them all, or slotting them into place along the folds of the armor sleeve. Once they were in place, Spanner used her magic to attach the three rails and ball joints to Hell, then came the weapons. Spanner handled clicking the flamethrower into place under Hell's barrel, and Hell sorted the short rifle and...

"Hey, what is this?" She said, hefting up the sleek white pistol to get a feel for it. It was the general shape of a civilian weapon, but she could tell by the balance on it alone that it definitely wasn't. It had a smooth white and grey barrel, an ammo clip, and a latch on the side to attach it to her non dominant hoof.

"That's the new Verdict oh one. We were voluntold to give it to you as part of its testing process." Spanner finished attaching the flamethrower with a 'click-chunk'. "I'm not a fan of sending ponies out into the field with untested gear, so I had some mares run a live fire exercise with it. Expect better stopping power, more accuracy, but a reduced ammunition capacity. Seems fine to me, well designed."

"It's a pretty little thing." Hell turned it over, before using her other hoof to latch it into place. When she looked up, Spanner was giving her an odd look she couldn't read. "What?"

Spanner blushed and shook her head, "Nothing, sorry." She levitated a helmet off the shelf, "And here's the finisher."

Hell pulled the helmet on, and the rubber seal grabbed onto the sleeve that ran up her neck before the HUD ran through its loading procedures. Brand new helmet, got that new helmet smell. She wiggled it down a little bit more, until her ears were properly in their containers.

"You look great Hell." Spanner said, her voice coming in two since Hell could hear her through the air, and through the helmet's speaker system.

"Thanks for the help Spanner, and for the specialty ammo. It does really do wonders." Hell took a step forwards to walk into the prep room, but Spanner held a hoof to stop her.

"Hey... sorry about... before." She said, her ears folding down.

"It's okay... I think I needed to hear all of that." Hell responded in a low tone. Low for her, since she had that telltale thestral squeaking noise along with her higher pitched voice.

"Stay safe out there, okay?" Spanner gave her a knock on the shoulder plate, "I'll miss you if you die, you know."

Hell chuckled, "I'll take the advice under consideration." Then she walked up through the metal walkway, and into the situation room. She got a passive stare from the other Tartarus Diver, and a respectful nod from the DO. Several beep boops went by as she managed the screen's systems and the planetary tac map in front of her until she settled on a mission.

Challenging Operation
Mission, Forty Minutes
Launch ICBM

The Monstrous bug swarm has descended on this planet and Threatens to Infest it.

We must repel this Vile Incursion before it is too late!

"Mission parameters locked, preparing Tartarus Pods." Came the robotic voice of the PA system.

Hell joined the other Tartarus Diver on the way up the metal stairs to the pods in question. He was a stallion, if she was guessing right from how tall he was, and his broader shoulders. He had a stubby SMG at his side and a lengthy long rifle slung underneath his barrel. He turned around and they met helmet visors for a second before he snapped his head away and got into the pod without a word.

Great. One of these... She did the same, and the tac map appeared, along with red zones, and markers from their objective scanners. She saw a smooth path they could take, and selected their drop point. The plate came down over the pod as the PA system announced the launching procedure. Hell braced herself for the launch, and this time, probably due to her slightly full stomach and rest; she passed out a nice twenty one seconds after hitting the atmosphere.