August 2nd, 1034 ALB. Barko Gecit Air Base, Naugdaw.

The UPA's intervention in the Naugdawian civil war has been a disaster.

Armies from all over the world, mainly Equestria and Hippogriffia, landed on these shores not many years ago with the firm objective of erasing from existence the communist guerrillas sponsored by Talarayi, in turn sponsored by Stalliongrad and other UPA's rivals in Zebrica.

All the power of the alliance was used to fight simple guerrillas in the jungles.

The result?

Twenty thousand soldiers who did not return home and tens of thousands of locals who now hate our guts, plus hundreds of thousands of families who are now asking for their relatives to come home.

A huge mistake, Celestia still regrets it. Apparently, she's feeling increasingly exhausted after a millenia on the throne... I think it started when the ponies of Puerto Caballo took up arms and aligned themselves with Stalliongrad... Roca Roja was that pony's name, if I remember correctly.

But let's not digress.

At the base of the Third Joint Air Assault Company at Barko Gecit Air Base, the atmosphere was bustling, the princesses' orders for the withdrawal were not long in coming. It was finally time to return home for the soldiers.

Planes were preparing to take off, helicopters were returning to their hangars, ready to be prepared for their return home; trucks and jeeps were moving here and there, carrying boxes with all kinds of contents. Hippogriffs, Zebras, Ponies, Changelings and Deer were doing their daily chores or, alternatively, enjoying their leisure time before packing up.

After months, they will finally be home for Hearts' Warming, or whatever celebration they had.

“Attention Third Company: Your transport will be leaving at 0600. Congratulations, ladies and gentlecreatures, we’re going home,” The hangar’s PA system announced.

Around a table were a zebra, a hippogriff, a thestral and a changeling, the latter of whom was reading.

“Hey, Zash, how many letters did you write to your mother these past few months?” Rain Docker a grey hippogriff, asks.

“Like ten or fifteen… I think,” the zebra answers.

“And how many did she write to you?” the blue thestral, Comet Trail, asks now, curious.

“... About 3 or 4,” The zebra answers again.

His interlocutors just stood there thinking until the changeling reader broke the silence.

“Zash, your mom stinks,” the orange-eyed bug said.

The laughter was general.

"Thanks Thrax, so sweet of you," The zebra told his companion sarcastically.

The changeling just smiled a little before continuing his reading.

The atmosphere was definitely good and lighthearted.

But not for everycreature.

Above, on the railings of the hangar offices, stood Phin Peakard, a green hippogriff, Major and commander of the 3rd Air Assault Company of the 1st Joint Airborne Brigade, awarded several times, including the Aris Medal of Honor for his actions on the Warzenan front by Queen Novo herself.

He saw his soldiers quietly before entering into the offices.

Sipping a beer, Peakard sat at his desk metal desk, behind him a local map, the company's flag and a radio announcing the negotiations.

“What a humiliation," he thought.

As his mind wandered, his right-claw creature, a pony from New Mareland, entered the office.

“Sir,” the light blue pony asks.

“Trotland?” his superior answers.

“Did you need me for something, sir?” The lieutenant asks, confused.

“No…” He answers curtly.

“Understood…” the stallion says, slowly retreating until he is interrupted by his commander, still thoughtful.

“What will you do when you return to the world, Trotland?” Says the Major, opening his box of memories.

“Ah… ehrm… I already have a job, sir, at Mareland Airways, my wife Linda and my son Will have already moved to New Manehattan… Did you know that they are already rebuilding it, by the way, sir?” His subordinate answers, somewhat uncomfortable, but Peakard did not heard it, he was pensive.

Peakard could only remain silent and look at the numerous medals, dogtags and letters that his little treasure chest contained. So many honours and merits for nothing.

"Sir?"

The Major's train of thought came to a halt again.

Peakard just turned around and shook his head.

“Oh, get outta here Trotland, go and have some fun, don't worry about me,” he told him, but the Major's mind was elsewhere still.

“Everything okay, sir?”

"Everything okay."

The pony, resigned, simply left the office.

Peakard became thoughtful again.

Night falls in Naugdaw and with it, tropical rain, one more night for those hardened soldiers, hopefully the last one there.

The soldiers, putting on a brave face in the face of bad weather, returned to their barracks, happy and smiling. Some were joking and laughing.

The Major left the hangar, still pensive, heading towards his barracks until he was interrupted again.

“Major Peakard!”

The hippogriff turned to see a guard, a female deer, in her guardhouse.

“You have a call, sir!” the soldier says, pointing to the phone booth.

Without another word, Peakard walks over and picks up the phone.

“Peakard here.”

“Major Peakard, General Faber Greyfeather speaking. You and your boys have one last mission,” was heard.

The Major felt an internal euphoria upon hearing those words, but he remained calm.

“I wouldn't object to it, sir.”

“I acknowledge your permissions to go home have already been processed, Peakard, don’t you want to take some time?” the voice on the other end replies.

“I came to carry out the orders given, sir.” The hippogriff says, determined.

“Don’t get too excited, Major, scientists from Luna Nova, New Mareland and the HDI discovered a new island with our satellites.”

Peakard just nodded.

“They need helicopter transport for exploration work and armed escort.”

"Yes, sir."

“Good.” The voice answers, about to hang up.

“And sir.” The Major interrupts, now smiling. “Thank you.”

Night of August 2nd, 1034 ALB. Lotus downtown, capital of Zen Kinh.

Somewhere in the center of Lotus, across the gulf we know as the South Kirian Sea, Twilight and her two friends find themselves in the bustling night streets of this country, with torrential rain pouring down.

“Twilight, I don’t understand, you already got the military escort, why a tracker?” Fluttershy tells her, trying not to get more wet than necessary with the umbrellas they brought.

“Yah, why a follower of Dr. Caballeron, too?” the Dragon asks.

“Because Dr. Caballeron had many followers, mainly mercenaries, they have no loyalty to anyone now,” Twilight says.

They crossed the busy street.

“She fought as a mercenary for Zalathel Zarca, fought in Hindia, in the Zongo war… she also rescued several downed pilots in recent years.” The alicorn continued.

“And our sources say she spends most of her time in a dive bar in Lotus, I wouldn't trust her,” Spike says.

“And you're going to guide us through the jungle, right Spike?” Twilight contradicts sarcastically.

The dragon fell silent.

In the entrance there was a Kirin, who, for a couple of kirian bits, let them enter.

Fluttershy felt nervous as she entered that establishment, full of red and green lights, jukebox music, Kirins smoking and drinking things she didn't want to know about and... female Kirins dancing weirdly, accompanying the males to places she didn't want to know about either... wait... Are you sure they're female?

“Look, there she is,” Twilight says, derailing the pegasus' train of thought.

On the pool tables there was a light yellow pegasus mare with a pretty golden collar, an eagle head helmet and emerald details

This mare was playing billiards.

Fluttershy didn't know anything about that game, but the shot that pegasus made to the last ball was impressive nonetheless.

The pegasus reached out to grab a bunch of bills, it was probably the bet.

However, a kirin approached her and started saying things to her face, he didn't look very happy.

They both saw each other face to face. She stared at the first one.

Another kirin approached her from behind with a knife. The air tensed, there were now four of them around the pegasus.

Without saying a word, the pegasus struck first, punched the first one in the face, kicking the one with the knife, breaking the pool cue in the face of the third and knocking out the fourth with what was left of the stick.

The bar was filled with confusion and a few screams at the scene of how four adult Kirin fell to a mare.

Fluttershy covered her eyes at such a display of violence.

Spike was amazed.

“I think that’s our mare,” Twilight said, equally impressed.

A bag of bills and bits was placed on the table in front of Tailcoatl.

“So an uncharted island, huh, princess?” the pegasus with golden collars and the eagle helmet says.

Before the others could reply anything, Tailcoatl continued.

“Let me recite how you're going to die: rain, heat, mud and all those diseases caused by mosquitoes… ah… just like home at Tenochtitlan.”

Twilight and friends just limited themselves to listening.

“Sure, you can carry chloroquine for malaria, but what about the other bacteria?... and I haven't even started on the things that'll want to eat you alive, ladies... and dragon," the pegasus said, smugly.

“We'll double the pay,” Twilight replied.

“You've got no idea how dangerous that is, your majesty.” She says, even more presumptuously. “Quintuple the amount… plus a bonus if we ever get back.”

“If we ever…?” Fluttershy says, now uneasy, drawing the gaze of the other pegasus at the table.

“Pay her,” Spike says, uneasy too.

Twilight just looks at them out of the corner of her eye.

“I mean, I think Miss Tailcoatl deserves a better compensation, Twi,” Spike corrects himself.

Twilight, already decided, just lifts the mug of cider in front of her.

“Ahuizotl bless you, I guess…” the alicorn said before taking a sip.

“One more question, princess,” the pegasus interrupts. “You came looking for a tracker. I don’t know who or what I’m going to track.”

“That’s all the information we have, unfortunately," Fluttershy says shyly.

“Indeed, there is no map, only satellite images, so we need someone like you, with your background and your particular experience in the jungle. Someone to lead the expedition,” Spike continues.

“We are academics and scientists, normal ponies, we need somepony with experience,” Twilight reaffirms.

Tailcoatl was already looking more convinced of the idea.

“In case something goes wrong…” the alicorn continues. “Creatures go to war looking for something, Tailcoatl. If you'd found it, you would have already returned home, isn't it?”

The pegasus looked at them, thoughtful.

Author's Note

Published on December 22nd, 2024.
I wish ya'll a Merry Heart's Warming, and a sincere thank you for reading.