Friendship was magic: the Lunar Republic

The soldier led the trio into small, but comfortable room that gazed into the interrogation room through a one-way mirror. Luna stared into the room, eyeing the enemy soldier, while Tesla and Hydra were noisily eating popcorn. Lunas stomach started growling at hearing the crunch of popcorn. She was about to ask for some, but was instead met with a bag of buttered popcorn. She was a little surprised at this.

"Thought you might want some, so I made sure to bring a lot." Tesla said.

"Thank you." Luna felt satisified after a couple of bits before noticing who the enemy soldier was. He was covered from head to flank in a robbed, black and red armor. But the one thing that bothered her the most was the blank face plate. "This is one of those soldiers that ambushed us a few months ago."

"Oh really, how do you know?"

"The blank face plate they all wear. You never forget it once you've seen it."

A few seconds later, Leo and Phoenix walked into the interrogatio room. Both stood before the soldier, looking him over.

"Who are you, and how did you find one of our soldiers?" Leo asked in deadpan, but serious voice. The soldier looked up, and spoke in a hollow, monotone voice.

"We are the exterminators. It is easy to find our enemy around civilians. All we needed to do is prepare." He looked over at Phoenix, and tried freeing his tied forehooves.

"Don't even try. Ve made sure to tie zem to ze chair your on. Unt don't even try to use magic. Zhis room cancels all types out." Phoenix smirked. "Now, tell us about any of your new plans."

The soldier just chuckled. "We have created a floating fortress that is capable of destroying even the largest and most militarized states. It's name is maelstrom." Both Leo and Phoenix were surprised at this. They didn't expect him to actually tell him anything.

"Why are you telling us this?" Leo asked.

"Because, you are too late." Both of the generals and the trio in the other room were extremely confused. "You see, anything you do from this point is meaningless. Most of the populace is either afraid of you or enlisted against you. Our job is to remove those that know the truth. Isn't that right, dear Luna." He turned and stared through the mirror. Luna felt extreme pain in her skull as the soldier looked at her. Her agonized shrieks were heard immediatley through the glass, causing Leo to beat the soldier to the ground. The soldier just laughed as the cries of pain drifted into the room. "You thought that you were doing this without being noticed, but we have eyes and ears everywhere. We've known about your location for months, and we've be-" The soldier started coughing violenty, blood dripping from the seams of his helmet. "We've been waiting for any movement of yours. Not even your elements of Harmony can stop.......this." His breathing started to slow down, but Lunas agony increased. "All that is..........left.........for you.............to do know................is die." His breathing stoped, and his armor slumped into a pile, giving no appearence that a body was ever in it. All that was left was the armor, and ash.

Lunas pain became so unbearable that her screams of pain made no sound. She even coulden't even hear Tesla calling for a stretcher while Hydra tried to calm her down. Through the pain she could hear the voice again. It sounded familiar, and closer than before. "This is the first step, Luna. Accept the pain into your heart, and become one with it." Luna replied to it, with sorrow and confusion in her voice.

"But why, who are you? I don't understand, what does this mean?!" Her vision began to blur, and a few moments later, she blacked out.

Luna could hear a rhythmic, but calming beeping coming from the darkness of her mind. She saw a bright flash of light as her eyes opened. As her eyes adjusted, she looked around and saw she was in the infirmary. She looked around and saw that she was hooked up to a heart moniter, her pulse slightly increasing as the memories flooded back. A sharp but mild pain resonated in her head.

"OOwwwww." Luna moaned as she sat up. "It feels like I was hit with the moon." She looked over to her right, noticing a glass of water accompanied with a scientist drooling in his sleep. She slowly reached for the glass, picked it up and started taking small sips.

"Good, your awake." Luna jumped, spilling her water in the proceess. Luna saw a groggy Tesla wiping saliva from his mouth.

"Don't scare me like that. You made me spill my water." She found a nearby towel and started wiping up the water. " What happened?"

Tesla sighed. "After you blacked out, you kept on repeating 'step one:accept the pain.' We took you to the infirmery afterwards.Only a few steps left though....."

"what was that?"

"Oh nothing. All I said was that you've been out for three days?" Tesla said quickley.

"Three days?" Luna was surprised to hear this. "What happened to the soldier?"

"Ah yes, He turned to dust shortly before you blacked out." Luna grew a look of shock. "This will explain it." Tesla took out a document with the name 'One mind, body, and soul' on the front. She fread the entire document over and over until Tesla spoke again. " The armor the enemy was wearing taps into the cerebral cortex of a sentient creature, creates a connection with a controller that acts like the Queen bee, and then destroys any resemblance of self awareness. The armor is surprisingly very malleable."

"What do you mean?"

Tesla chuckled."It reforms itself to fit the current user. Once the user is in a situation they can't get out of, it liquifies all internal organs and then cremates the body."

A large noise was heard from outside the door, it grew louder as it neared the door, but as it passed it became quiet.

"What was that." Luna asked, completely dumbfounded.

"Sounds like the soldiers are getting ready for war."

"What's going on?"

"After you blacked out, Phoenix ordered his top pegasi to look for Maelstrom. Apparently they found it."

"Then lets get ready." Luna got up, but was stopped before she reached the door.

"Whoa,whoa, slow down tex. You still need to heal."

"I'm perfectly fine." Tesla saw the determination in Lunas eyes. He just sighed and opened the door.

"Who am I to deny the Princess of the night."