Above and Beyond

Christmas Eve in Lagsity...

All beings of the Interwebs were snug in their homes with each other, or at friends and families for the most wonderful night of the year. All but one.

With a barely noticeable whisk of wind and a blur of movement; a thin, lanky avatar leaped from rooftop to rooftop, his boots silently gripping the shingles as he raced toward his objective.

With one last flip that would make a professional parkour green with envy, Tomoya Dengen landed in front of the large, ominous building known within the Local Area Network or LAN as the Fortress. With a flash of Blood Red and Toxic Green Binary code, a black Fedora appears on his head. He always hated coming here, even though The Fortress was his Base of Operations when his Human wasn’t online. He stepped in the Fortress and looked for his boss.

He wandered the halls of the Fortress for what seemed like hours, he finally pushed open the door to the Boss’ office. He took a look around the Reception area.

It was simply furnished with the idea of Function over Form. Black leather chairs and sofas sat below paintings of famous characters from around the Internet. He turned to his right and took a seat under the portrait of Master Chief from the iconic HALO games and grabbed a floating article on the latest LAN to fall victim to the Obliterator Virus. He shook his head as he read while he waited for the Boss to call him.

Roughly five minutes later, the Boss poked his mustachioed head out of the office door and bellowed (literally) for Tomoya to come in for his next assignment. He got up off the floor and, after righting the chair and a nearby table, entered his boss’ office.

Unlike the Reception area, the Boss wasted no expense on furnishings. From high end Oak chairs to a marble and Mahogany Desk. The large leather chair was turned away from Tomoya as he sat down. Tomoya jumped when the Boss began speaking in his booming voice, “Tomoya, How long have you been assigned to this LAN?”

Tomoya racked his brain for a moment, “Roughly 3 years Boss. Why do you...”

“You’re the best Specialist I could have ever hoped for in this war against the Obliterator virus, but the Higher-Ups have made a game change.” Tomoya sat on the edge of his seat, not liking the tone in the Boss’ voice. “Tomoya...You are being Transferred.”

Tomoya was speechless. Transferred? The last time someone was Transferred they were Deleted soon after. Who had he pissed off???

“Don’t fret Tomoya, There’s a reason for this Madness. There is a new Universe that has recently come to gain much attention as of late.” The Boss turned his chair around and tapped his desk twice, which brought up a very colorful Map of the new World. Tomoya couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Sir...I’m being Transferred to...Equestria!?!?!? That cesspool of Pastel Colored Ponies that thrive on such trivial things as Friendship and Magic???”

The Boss nodded, “Yes. The Higher-Ups fear that Equestria is an easy target for the Obliterator Virus. Effective Immediately, You are Assigned to the 1st Equestrian Viral Defense Force. You’ll meet your supply sergeant at Launch Dock 15 in 45 minutes. You will gear up and ship out; upon arrival you are scheduled to a Meeting with the Rulers of Equestria. A fair warning Tomoya, they are Princess’ so utmost respect is Mandatory. You are representing the ENTIRE Viral Defense Force on this assignment. Good Luck.”

Tomoya stood up, saluted, picked up the file folder and headed to his Barrack to grab his gear, reading the file as he walked. He couldn’t get mad at Boss, it wasn’t his call. But it really pissed him off that the Higher-Ups picked HIM to Guard some freakshow of a Universe that just recently gained Internet Stardom. He kicked in the door of his room and started packing.

A half hour later, he stepped off the Broadband Express and made a beeline toward the Wi-Fi Launching Docks. He walked right to Dock 15 where a sleek, black beauty of a ship was waiting for him to arrive. He wasn’t alone however; crowding the Dock was a whole flotilla of pastel ponies.  He cringed as he realized what they were...OC’s...Although as he looked closer some of them looked rather decent and humble, then as he looked around, he nearly vomited at some others and their outrageousness.

He shifted his way through the crowd toward the Supply Sergeants office and slipped in the door, away from the masses. Straightening his hat, he slipped off his pack and sat it on the floor waiting for the Sgt. to arrive.

He didn’t have to wait long. He looked up to see a new face in lieu of the regular, gruff Grizzly fur he knew. Not that he minded this new one too much. She had curves in all the right places, a pair of breasts on her, a nice rump and fur of an amber gold color. She set down the clipboard she was holding and looked him in the eyes, “Specialist Dengen I assume?” He nodded. “I’m Staff Sergeant Amber Farlough; it’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

“The pleasure is mine Sgt. Farlough. What happened to Lt. Graff?”

“He transferred to another Dock ever since these things showed up.” She motioned outside to the mass of color outside. “So, you’re going in heavy by the look of your Deployment form, and I have just the kit for you. One moment.” She went into the supply room and brought out a box. She set it down and gave it a kick.

Tomoya jumped back as the box fell apart and weapons and tools went everywhere! Amber gave a little giggle and gathered up the scattered equipment. “Ok Specialist, here’s your loadout. One M249 SAW which fires the 7.62 mm NATO round at 800 rounds a minute, 200 round box magazine, ACOG Scope and a Bipod come standard. Your sidearm is a classic M1911 pistol which fires the .45 ACP round. Your other equipment includes a M224 Mortar tube, C4 Explosives and an Ammo Drop chip. Now for the Ammo Drop chip, to use it just slip it into your Datapad and ammo will appear in front of you.”

Tomoya stares at the massive amount of equipment, “Kind of overkill don’t you think SSgt?” She shrugs and helps him load up. After about 10 minutes of struggling, Tomoya looks like some kind of Rambo knockoff with a Fedora atop his head. He thanked Sgt. Farlough and headed back out to the Dock just as the loading process began.

Once everyone was loaded up, the ship rose out of the dock and headed for sky to begin the WIFI Jump. Tomoya was placed in the cargo hold with several of the OC Characters heading to Equestria. He plugged in his headphones to try and drown out some of the racket of the characters loud bragging about their powers and the loudness of the ship itself. He was about to doze off when he felt a small hand tap his arm. He pulled his headphones out and looked at who tapped him.

His eyes took in the little female pony before him. She was short, typical for little ones, big blue eyes, dark grey mane and carrying a teddy bear in her left arm while her right hand had a grip on his uniform sleeve. She smiled at him and it damn near melted his stone heart. He smiled back at her and asked, “Where’s your mommy Little One? Or are you travelling alone?” She shook her head and tugged on his sleeve again. He took the hint and stood up and let the little filly take his index finger to lead him to where her Mother sat.

The mother looked up and gasped, “Oh Aurora! I am so sorry sir!” She pulled the little filly over to her and was about to scold her when Tomoya spoke up, “It’s no problem at all Ma’am. She’s a beautiful little girl.” The mare stood up and hugged her daughter, “I’m Maria Lunar, it is an honor to meet one of the Viral Defense Force’s Warriors.”

Tomoya bowed, “I’m Specialist 3rd Grade Tomoya Dengen. It’s a pleasure to meet you Maria.” He sat down on the floor and set the M249 by his right leg, which caught the attention of many around him, “So Maria, Why are you coming to Equestria?”

Her expression turned sad, “Aurora and I were forced from out home by the Obliterator Virus. My husband was a VDF Sergeant and he tried to battle it along with the Anti-Virus Squad but...they were overwhelmed...” She wiped her eyes and Aurora held onto her arm as she told her tale. Tomoya listened with rapt attention, “So you and Aurora have been on the run ever since?”

She nodded. “Yes. We are hoping to find a better life in Equestria. Settle down and such.” Her amber eyes softened and she hugged her daughter tight, her golden brown mane falling over her ear. Tomoya sat silently then spoke up, “Maria, I’ll take care of you both ok? Once we land I’ll make sure Command knows of your Husbands Bravery and you get the care you and your daughter deserve.” She looked at him, tears welling up in her eyes. She stood up and pulled Tomoya to his feet and, after a few moments, hugged him tight, “Thank you Tomoya...Thank you so much...”

He was taken by surprise as she hugged him, but after a moment returned the hug. He broke the hug and looked down as Aurora hugged his leg. He kneeled down and nearly fell over backwards and she wrapped her little arms around his neck. He actually had to fight back tears as he hugged the little filly.

He stood up and took a seat next to Maria since Aurora wouldn’t let go of him. As the flight went on, he began to think. He liked this feeling of being loved...and this little child and her mother, they were taking metaphorical sledgehammers to his stone heart. That’s not a bad thing, he figured. He sat back in the rough seat and jumped a little bit when Maria laid her head on his shoulder, sound asleep. Well fuckberries, he thought, I’m stuck now. Then again...this isn’t half bad. I could get used to this.