The USS Vector is the fifth Terra-class vessel built under the banner of the United Systems and Colonies (USC). It falls under the category of a ‘Supercarrier.’

Being a Terra-class war vessel, the USS Vector excels in military capability, being able to assault entire solar systems in mere minutes, and possessing the thickest hull the USC is capable of producing. However, in terms of pure firepower and armor penetration capabilities, Terra-class vessels are outmatched by the Mars-class Superdreadnaughts.

Even so, Terra-class vessels are the biggest to date with the USS Vector, at approximately six hundred kilometers in length, being the largest. The USS Vector is also the only Terra-class vessel capable of performing orbital troop drops, as it possesses a “Z-Grav” generator that allows it to get close to planets without altering both the vessel’s and the planet’s gravitational state, as well as rendering the ship almost frictionless, thus allowing it to enter atmosphere without suffering structural damage. However, it should be noted that although atmospheric entry poses no threat to the USS Vector, the same cannot be said for the surface of the planet, due to the destructive forces produced by the ship as it moves the air around it.

Every Terra-class vessel has the necessary equipment to initiate the colonization of planets. These ships are capable of building small but relatively secure colonies which will later be utilized by one of the major corporations of the USC, such as “Landrex Arms and Construction”.

Another feature of Terra vessels is that they are almost completely self-sufficient, possessing an inner factory complex that provides its crew with all the supplies and commodities they may require, with the exception of food. Of course, that does not mean that Terra vessels are unprepared should they find themselves in a lack of supplies. Every Terra-class vessel has six months’ worth of basic supplies and two months’ worth of building materials.

In the event that a vessel such as the USS Vector is in need of additional supplies, a small military colony may be established by the crew on any suitable planet or asteroid it comes across, so long as the gravity and temperature at the surface are within the nominal operating range of the Colonial Guard’s vehicles and personal infantry armor.

The entire crew of the USS Vector consists roughly of five billion individuals, the vast majority of them capable of operating most military equipment on board, and is able to host half a billion more should the need arise.

Due to their nature as both battleships and colonisers, Terra vessels may often come across planets with sentient life forms. For that reason, the members of each Terra vessel are carefully chosen to fit the profile of the ‘Exemplary Human’; strong, stern, dutiful, and trained to operate efficiently should they find themselves in a 'First Contact' scenario.

The staff of the USS Vector consists almost solely of Humans, as having a mixed species crew (Lakuran and Gektar, for example) would require many technological adaptations to accommodate for practical multi-species use.

Colonial Guard: Peace Through Unity And Strength.

*End of entry*

Lying on the lower half of a bunk bed was an unnaturally large man who squinted as he read the words being displayed by a small holopad. The whole setup was almost comical as the device he was holding was like a glass walnut nestled between the teeth of the fleshy nutcrackers that were his fingers. His knees were bent towards his chest, almost forcing him into a fetal position as the bed was not big enough to fit the entire length of his legs.

This man was commonly known as “Atlas”.

He sighed, carelessly tossing the pad onto the bed as if it was nothing but a useless rag. This was the start of his third day on board the Vector, and since he had been having trouble sleeping, he opted to spend his time reading about the ship in which he would probably spend the next couple years of his life. He found the ship itself to be slightly boring. Maybe it was the fact that it was so clean and orderly unless it was in the middle of a battle, then it got better. He smirked as he pictured a few projectiles flying across the hallways, coupled with explosions resonating all throughout the ship. Perhaps such a thing would not be as enjoyable for the rest of the crew, but he enjoyed a change in pace every now and again.

Another sigh escaped his lips as he attempted to sit up in his bed. He cringed as it creaked loudly under his massive form. Then he regretted moving altogether as a dull pain shot up his lower back, forcing a groan out of him.

“This is stupid,” he thought. “They might as well stuff me inside a crate.”

He relaxed as the pain subsided, resting his elbows on his knees as he rubbed at his eyes. He yawned as he looked just above the doorway. 7:02 am, Universal Time.

He sat on his bunk, looking around the room. Metal walls fenced him in on all sides. Halfway across the room sat a small sink, while the far end housed a second bunk bed, occupied top and bottom. He proceeded to check the top of his own bunk, finding it empty.

A loud hiss suddenly came from his left as the door slid into the wall, a dark-skinned man promptly stepping through the open portal, leaning on the wall just inside. He was clad in a suit that was quite familiar to Atlas.

This outfit was standard issue armor. The outer layer was a synthetic muscle, most commonly known as ‘Syntex’. This was all reinforced with a strong, lightweight alloy of metals that could endure the harshest of conditions. The shoulder pads were large, etched with the initials ‘CG’ and painted blue with a yellow stripe cutting across the middle, which identified him as a combat technician.

"Hey Atlas. How'd the 'normal' sleep go?" the man asked, emphasizing his comment with air quotes.

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” Atlas groaned, stretching as he got to his feet, popping several joints as he did so. Because of his insomnia, Atlas had always had problems with sleep. The only way for him to get any real rest was through the use of stasis. However, this did not affect him too severely; humans had the ability to go days, even weeks, without rest, and Atlas was no exception.

"Hah! I figured. You don’t look so pretty," the trooper said as the door slid shut behind him.

"I don’t recall being pretty to begin with, Morris…."

Atlas shifted his view back to one of his bunk-mates across the room, a man laying face-down on the bottom bunk, snoring loudly, and a slimmer figure, occupying the bunk above the first.

Atlas stepped across the small space, crossing the distance between the two bunks in a second, and gave the man on the lower bunk a slap on the back. “Wake up, Allen.”

“AH!” The man woke with a start, briefly thrashing about weakly as he came to his senses. “Shit! Did you really have to do that? Again?” he asked as he sat up, rubbing his back as the other two in the room chuckled at him.

“Well, yeah actually,” Atlas replied honestly.

“Last time we were in a ship with you and got attacked, it took damn near fifteen minutes for the explosions to wake you up. We thought ya' died!" Morris added in between laughs. Allen could only growl in response as he got off the bed, stretching as he did so.

"G'morning boys," came a chipper, feminine voice from the upper half of Allen's bunk.

"Mornin’ Torres," the three men replied in unison.

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed, allowing them to dangle freely, while Atlas went back across the room and pulled out a footlocker from under his bunk. From within, he extracted a pair of pants, a shirt, socks and his boots.

Atlas quickly pulled on his socks, pants and boots. As he struggled with the shirt—which was too small once again—the ship’s AI bellowed out over the loudspeakers, “Attention all crew members, re-route to your nearest armory to retrieve your equipment, then report to your designated briefing chamber. Attention all crew members....”

“Alright,” Atlas said, interrupting the announcement, “I’ll see you guys soon.” He promptly ducked under the doorframe and stepped out into the hallway. He immediately fell in step with the flow of men and women heading towards the armory. To his left was a series of viewscreens that allowed one to view the expanse of the universe, or at least part of it, without the inherent danger of having glass blown inward and an atmospheric breach sucking you out.

His destination, known as the Heavy Armory, was one of many located throughout the ship. Heavy troopers like himself clad themselves in enormous exoskeletons that could tower up to twelve feet in the air—just a touch taller than Atlas stood without any assistance. They were placed on the front lines as walls of metal and muscle carrying a large variety of weaponry, all for one purpose: eliminate the enemy. Heavy troopers were equipped to deal with almost any ground threat, ranging from triple-barreled autocannons for anti-infantry use to anti-material kinetic pulse launchers against light and medium armored vehicles.

He soon found himself in front of the Heavy Troopers’ Armory, with a much more comfortably sized doorway to boot, with a pair of guards, clad in the signature exo-suits of an average Heavy Trooper, flanking the entrance. They were completely black aside from the dark green shoulder pads, the logo of the Colonial Guard clearly etched upon them.

The troopers stepped aside as Atlas approached, allowing him to enter the armory. As he stepped inside, he was immediately swept up in a current of motion, weaving himself through the flow of men, armored or otherwise. Much of the bustle in the room came from the already armored men moving from dispenser to ceiling-high dispenser, collecting their assigned equipment as they did so. The dispensers often reminded him of a joke that involved a private mistaking them as coffee dispensers, allowing a little chuckle at the thought.

A few moments later, Atlas found himself entering a familiar chamber. Inside was almost nothing; just a grated floor, various vents, a sealed door to the next chamber, and a series of nozzles along the wall. This was the first step in the armoring process, which he was privileged with undergoing every couple of weeks. He smiled to himself as he looked forward to having his rest in the cryo-tubes, glad to be rid of the small, uncomfortable bunk beds for the next week or so.

The door slid shut behind him, leaving him sealed within a small chamber. He removed all of his clothing, dropping them into a small hatch in the wall to his right. He shivered as the cold air of the ship rippled across his bare skin. A few moments after he deposited his clothes through the hatch a metallic voice rang across the room.

“Initiating decontamination and scanning cycle.”

A clear liquid was sprayed on him from the nozzles around the room, only taking a few moments before it had completely evaporated, making him shiver once again. In another instant, a device that resembled an eye popped out from its case from above the door in front of him before scanning his body from top to bottom, the familiar red light crossing through his vision in a fraction of a second. As the device retracted back into the holding chamber, the door that it was above slid open, allowing Atlas to step into the next room. He walked into the middle of the room as the door slid closed around him, now finding himself within an array of mechanical arms.

“Error: User data nonexistent. Requesting bypass.”

A small screen extended from a recess in the ceiling with the words “REQUESTING RETINAL SCAN” displayed prominently across the screen. Atlas quickly complied with the machine, leaning towards the device. A moment later, a flash of light went off before the machination retreated back into the ceiling. Atlas stood upright once again as he waited for the armoring process to continue.

“Scan complete; subject ‘Atlas’ recognized. Initiating assembly of the ‘Titan Mark Two’.”

A small section of the wall slid open, allowing another set of mechanical arms to produce a silver bodysuit. He knew from all of his training and previous uses that this suit was a strong, flexible nanocomposite that was created to keep the wearer safe from the vacuum of outer space and other factors. It was specifically fitted to his body, covering everything except his face. He grabbed the suit and pulled it on, the arm sealing it shut as he did so. The friction of the nanocomposite against his skin made the experience mildly uncomfortable. The mechanical arm receded as the voice spoke up again. “First layer: Complete. Preparing Syntex layer.” As the words cut off, the arm came right back, along with the next layer: another bodysuit composed of muscle-like fibers that interlaced with each other, forming a replica of the human body. Atlas quickly took this new piece and slipped it on as well. It felt quite heavy at this point, as it was not yet physically connected to him and his neural system.

The mechanical arm welded the suit shut, and then retreated back into the hatch.

“Second Layer: Ready. Beginning assembly of third layer.”

Suddenly the room was filled with a brief flurry of motion. All the arms in the room started moving in sync, preparing to finish his armor. All but two of them obtained a piece of black metal; the last two grabbed a pair of orange shoulder pads imprinted with the logo of the Colonial Guard: a shield with rifles crossing the center in an X and the letters "CG" engraved over the intersection. At this point, the arms froze for a moment before the automated voice sounded once more, “Assembling.”

The arms came back to life immediately, swiftly connecting the various pieces of alloy on his armor, while a pair of arms began to work on his back, initiating the attachment of the Syntex to his nervous system. Meanwhile two tubes latched onto his shoulder pads and began pumping a blue, gel-like substance between his skin and the first layer of the armor. Known by most simply as Nanogel, it consisted of a mix of nanites and various minerals that allowed any wounds on the body to be repaired quickly and efficiently. The nanites would then, be absorbed into the wearer's bloodstream. There they would spread throughout the body to couple with the biological enhancements implemented in the men and women of the Colonial Guard. By interacting with neural boosters, the nanites would provide an amazingly quick reaction time.

As the arms on the back finished preparing the wiring of the suit, they sealed the power pack shut and connected two cables to it which proceeded to begin charging Atlas’ suit. He flinched slightly as several needles pierced his spinal cord, which finished the transformation of the suit into a second skin. The weight of the suit didn’t just disappear, he actually felt lighter. He brought his hands in front of his face, flexing his fingers before taking a step backwards. This triggered the release of all the tubes and cables, a series of pops sounding as they detached and receded into their respective housing compartments.

And with that, it was done. His armor was ready and functional, covering everything but his eyes. With a tap on the side of his neck, an orange visor slid into place over his eyes, displaying a typical HUD: heart rate, body heat, motion sensor. Everything that he’d ever want to know, and more. As he confirmed that everything was in working order, he turned on his heels and walked back out through the decontamination chamber. Once he reentered the main room of the armory, he quickly scanned the room and located a dispenser that was currently not in use.

He moved over to the glorified vending machine and tapped a few buttons on the side, folding his arms impatiently as the machine whirred to life, clunking and beeping as it processed the commands he had given. A few moments later, the machine opened revealing a large rifle accompanied by several magazines alongside it. His visor promptly identified the rifle as a BAUR-80 Gauss Rifle, a long-barreled weapon that fired large caliber rounds made of a compound based on depleted uranium. Atlas grabbed the rifle, quickly slinging it over his back and engaging the magnetic locks to secure it with a mental command, ready to be disengaged once more at a moment’s notice.

Having everything he required, Atlas promptly made his way out of the armory, greeted by the sight of the virtual windows. Out there was a vast emptiness, a large amount of nothing. Atlas had little time before he had to catch his tram to the debriefing chamber, but he decided it was worthwhile to take a moment for himself.

A midnight blue equine with a flowing mane of blue rimmed with a translucent border paced about the large room. Aside from her physics-defying mane, she was defined by the wings on her back and the horn protruding from her forehead, as well as the black splotch on her flank that displayed a white crescent moon on each of her hips.

“Tia, you really should get some rest. You have been up for over five days now. Besides, your work will improve after you do,” the mare implored. She was watching as a snow white mare, also adorned with an ethereal mane, a pair of wings, and a horn, was using her magic to write several letters simultaneously.

Tia sighed as she briefly looked at the dark-furred mare before promptly returning her attention to the letters. “I know, Luna. I just need to finish these letters. I have enough pressure on me already, and being late with these will only serve to reinforce their belief that I don’t care.” Luna knew, unfortunately, that her sister was right. The ambassadors from the various nations surrounding Equestria would take anything negative and blow it out of proportion. Something as small as a letter arriving late could very well satisfy the criteria for them to do just that. This was made even more likely during the last meeting, in which they had made it very clear that they were not content with Equestria’s policies, nor the way that they were handling their emigrants, and it was starting to affect the Equestrian economy.

Luna walked over to Tia and proceeded to nuzzle her gently. “Well, at least hurry it up so you don’t miss out on the meteor shower,” Luna prodded as she trotted over to the balcony. “You know: ‘Enjoy the small things.’ Did I get that right?”

While the blue pony chuckled at her statement, Tia redoubled her effort to finish the letters. She had been awake far too long due to the recent meetings between various ambassadors as well as a number of other politicians, not to mention the veritable plethora of correspondence associated with such tasks. She was concurrently working on three letters with three quills moving independently. As each quill began to run dry, they would dip into an ink pot to resume their task. The speed and accuracy with which she wrote was awe-inspiring and would have made even the most adept of writers jealous.

However, her appearance detracted much from this awe-inspiring performance. Her entire body showed signs of exhaustion; her eyelids were tinted an unusual shade of purple and bags had formed under her half-closed eyes. Her ethereal mane and tail, which normally sparkled and fluttered as if they were the proud flag of a nation, had fallen limp, appearing as that of a normal pony’s. Under normal conditions, she was considered to be the most beautiful mare in all of Equestria, only rivaled by her own sister; however, the stress of the last five days had taken a great toll on her, giving her the appearance of having aged another thousand years.

With a great, heaving sigh, the three quills were returned to the single ink pot amongst the many others that still remained filled. The three letters were then encased by a yellow aura and promptly placed into envelopes, quickly being sealed with a wax emblem of the Equestrian Royalty shortly before being sent off in a bright flash. Having completed her work, she gave a long, satisfied sigh and closed her eyes, allowing herself a moment of rest. Celestia stood up and stretched each of her legs in succession. Trotting across the room to join her sister on the balcony, she carefully avoided the variety of items that were scattered around her room, such as cushions, disregarded notes, empty ink pots, and several tomes.

The two sisters nuzzled against one another, and Luna placed her midnight blue wing over Celestia’s back. "The meteor shower should start any moment now."

"I really hope we can make amends with the other nations...” Celestia looked up at the stars. “At least Docaro appears to be loosening up.”

"We do share a lot of similarities with the Zebras,” Luna said. “I find it hard to believe that so many ponies think of them as evil. I remember reading that letter from your student, about that Zebra that lives in the Everfree… What was her name? Ah yes, ‘Zecora’. Maybe if everypony knew more about them, the immigrants from Zebrica could make a better living here in Equestria.”

"I know… Nowadays it seems most of our little ponies are xenophobic."

Silence reigned supreme for the next few minutes before Luna turned to her sister once more. "I really wish for things to go back to normal, Tia."

"I know, sister… I want that as well."

Both of the sisters looked up as pieces of rock and ice hurtled into the atmosphere, lighting up the midnight sky. The friction brought on by such an entrance caused the rocks to ignite in an astonishing flash of light, producing a spectacular show for those watching from below. Though the whole process took less than a second, the ionization of the high atmosphere and the sheer amount of meteors ensured that the show would continue for a fair while longer than that.

The two ponies were grinning contentedly, enjoying a moment of peace in the sea of stress in which they were currently submerged in. Just as they thought the sky was out of tricks for that night, a bright, blue flash was followed by the appearance of another meteor, burning in an aura of the same hue.

Celestia looked up, smiling widely. "Luna, that's beautiful. I know that I keep telling you, but I really do love the night." She then turned to her right, towards a rather confused looking Luna.

Luna cocked an eyebrow. "Thanks for the compliment, sister. But… this one doesn't feel right…" She narrowed her eyes as she monitored the bright, blue burning object that was hurtling through the night.

"What do you mean?" Celestia inquired.

Luna took a step backwards, her eyes widening. "What is—It’s getting closer!" Celestia followed her sister’s gaze back towards the sky; the blue meteor had gotten significantly closer.

Their hearts leapt into their throats when the crackling of superheated air reached their ears, as the object charged through the sky at speeds that would have made any pegasus jealous. The Princesses’ horror-filled gazes met for a moment. They shared a simple nod as their looks of fear swiftly transformed into cold, stern expressions. They stood in tandem, planted their hooves down on the bright, white marble below them, and ignited their horns as they channeled magic through their entire beings.

The meteor was now clearly visible, a blue aura, made of several interconnected hexagons, wrapped all around it, forming the image of a bright blue, glowing net. Not only could they see it, but they could also sense the energy emanating from it. This was no ordinary meteor. The two alicorn sisters released the pent-up energy together, producing a magical barrier that would protect Canterlot from the meteor. The light from the barrier could be seen for kilometers in all directions, ready to test its strength against that of the oncoming meteorite.

Their preparations complete, all the two sisters could do now was wait; wait for the unavoidable impact of the meteorite, confident that the shield would be enough to deflect the debris. They were confident in this outcome; they had conquered far larger and more dangerous obstacles, blocked even more powerful attacks, and defeated more devious foes than a meteor. This was just foal’s play. The alicorn sisters gritted their teeth in anticipation. With a mere moment left before the meteorite collided with the barrier, they shut their eyes in preparation.

And then nothing. Their eyes snapped open once more as they scanned the sky. The barrier was still there, but there was no trace of the meteorite. A dumbfounded look was exchanged by the sisters for a moment before the barrier dissipated. Then an explosion rocked the castle.

The sisters’ hearts skipped a beat. That should not have happened. They each moved objects that were much larger than a mere meteorite; for them to not be able to control something of that size was unthinkable. Yet it had just happened.

The two sisters froze in horror, the next moments feeling like a thousand years, before a night guard landed next to them. Desperation was spread across his face as he panted as if he’d just finished a marathon. For a moment, an awkward silence reigned as the royal guard caught his breath. “Something hit the Southern Tower,” the guard exclaimed, still panting heavily, “it went right through it!”

The princesses took off at full speed, leaving the floundering night guard in their wake. All of Canterlot was awake at this point; the streets were full of alarmed citizens as screams of terror echoed throughout the city. Every window was lit up, and doors were left open as confused and terrified ponies fled their homes. Most of the ponies were in nightgowns, having been rudely awakened by the explosions and not having the time to worry about their attire during the commotion occurring in the destructive wake of the meteorite.

It only took the alicorns a few minutes to cross Canterlot, soaring through the sky at full speed. As they made their way into the south district, they found themselves in a storm of paper fluttering through the air. Moments later they found themselves in front of the Canterlot Library, and discovered that the source of the maelstrom of paper was a hole that had been blasted clear through the third floor of the Southern Tower.Books that had been stored inside had been strewn everywhere. Fortunately there appeared to be no threat of fire breaking out, as it would take next-to-no time to spread through the paper-laden environment.

The alicorns set down near the entrance of the tower amidst the evacuation proceedings. Royal guards were quickly escorting terrified citizens out of and away from the crippled spire. Most were bruised and battered, although a few ponies were not quite as lucky. Almost everypony was shouting, trying to figure out what had happened to the building, and those who weren’t yelling were simply standing there, dumbfounded.

Two guards exited the building, carrying another pony clothed in janitor’s overalls, a nametag showing his name to be “Scruffy”. He was covered in all manners of debris, his clothes ragged and his eyes wide. “This one was on the same floor that the thing went through, your highnesses,” one of the guards stated plainly, as they set the janitor pony down in front of the pair of alicorns.

The janitor pony, knees still shaking in fright, focused on staying upright as Luna approached him. “Are you alright?” she asked, carefully examining his figure in an attempt to locate any wounds, though not finding anything outside of minor bumps and scratches. “What happened?”

"I-I-I was c-c-clean-ning t-the floor y-y'know, a-and then I l-looked out t-the wind-dow a-and saw the... t-thing!" The janitor took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down.

Luna gently placed a hoof over his shoulder. "Please, relax and take your time." giving him a smile, hoping that it would help him calm down.

The janitor took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, "I dove out of the way a-and covered my head, and then... then it came through and it made a bright blue flash a-and this weird sound...."

Luna tilted her head to the side out of confusion. "A sound...? Mister Scruffy, what sound did it make?" she asked with a slight hint of curiosity in her voice.

Scruffy’s legs gave out, putting him back on the ground as he considered her question. "Oh, I-I don't know... I guess it was a really deep sound; I swear it shook the tower almost as much as the crash itself! It was deep, like, 'HOOOMMPH'!" He left his mouth closed while he made this last sound, while gesticulating wildly for effect, stunning the princesses with the craziness of it all.

"I see... Thank you, Scruffy. You will be rewarded for your troubles. Guards, please make sure that Scruffy and the other ponies get to the hospital and are checked for any injuries," Celestia said.

“Oh, but I ask that a contingent of pegasus guards remain with me,” Luna added, a mischievous excitement in her voice as she turned back to Celestia. “Sister, you need to stay here and rest, please. I can handle this. We need to go find out what this thing is.” Her eyes pleading with her sister.

Celestia hesitated, taking a deep breath. "Alright Luna, but please do be careful."

"Oh, don't worry, I can do this!" Luna said, a smirk playing across her face.

With the discussion completed, the pegasi of both the day and night guards gathered before Luna while the unicorn and earth pony guards went about their assignments. There were eleven guards left in front of Luna once the clamor had died down. Luna looked over to Celestia one last time, exchanging nods as Celestia lifted off and headed back towards the castle.

Luna noticed that a crowd was starting to form around the spectacle of the smoldering tower. She indicated the guard at the far left of the line. “You! Tell the rest of the guard to form a perimeter around the tower. Nopony gets in without permission from a captain of the guard, Celestia, or myself.” The guard immediately bowed and took flight to carry out his orders as Luna looked back over the remaining guards. Luna cleared her throat. "Alright, the ten of you are going with me. We're going to track down that... whatever that was. Now, does anypony know where it landed after it went through the tower?"

"It flew over Ponyville, your highness, and landed near the Everfree forest," one guard stated promptly. Luna furrowed her brow as the pony mentioned Ponyville, causing him to gulp worriedly in response.

"Ponyville? I hope it did not wake up the entire town. Let us make haste!" Immediately taking to the air as she finished speaking, she sped off towards Ponyville with the pegasus guards close behind.

A yellow pegasus with a pink mane was hiding under her couch, shaking like a leaf in a late autumn wind while clinging to a small white rabbit who was noticeably displeased with the situation that he currently found himself in: stuck under a couch, getting the life squeezed out of him. The pegasus kept repeating the same phrase to herself under her breath, “Oh please, please, please, don’t let anything happen to me, Angel Bunny, please.”

Her eyes constantly swept the room as the night’s shadows played around the corners of her room. Though she knew the only beings in her humble abode were a variety of creatures that she was taking care of, the commotion outside had awoken many of them. Her eyes snapped back to the window as she noticed something out of place; a pair of glowing red eyes staring inside. “EEP!” she shrieked, crushing the bunny even more as she shrank even further beneath the couch.

The meteor had crashed on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest and had dug a trench a fair way into the forest before it had come to a halt. The grass around the imprint was singed, trees had been reduced to splinters and much the dirt in the area was hot to the touch. The sound of flapping wings could be heard in the distance as Princess Luna and her contingent of pegasus guards came into view, illuminated by the midnight moon. The group landed a safe distance away from the impact site, not sure of what to expect from the object.

Luna took in her surroundings as she approached the crash site. The cottage of Fluttershy, the spirit of the Element of Kindness, stood off to her left, while Sweet Apple Acres was visible far off to her right, the Everfree forest, along with the recently-formed ditch, in front of her.

She could still see a faint red glow in spots where the friction between the object and the ground, leading Luna to believe that it whatever the fallen star was, it was composed of metal. Then she looked at the object itself, and it was like nothing she had seen before. She couldn’t make out the details from where she stood, but they did not look natural. She quickly looked over the guards, “Spread out, look for anything of importance,” she ordered as she trotted towards the object lying in the forest.

Just what in Equestria is this? Luna thought to herself as she circled the alien contraption. Now that she’d taken time to examine the crashed object, she found that it appeared to have a window on the front, and opposite that was a door, hinges located on the bottom, that was currently lying open. Inside was a large compartment, its inside containing seats and lights that glowed with a faint hue of blue, which tried but ultimately failed to give a clear picture of said compartment. There were a pair of metal wings fixed to the outside of the object, which itself was mostly composed of metal. She concluded that the design must have been created with high speeds in mind, as it had flown faster than anything she had ever witnessed before, giving her an idea of what it was probably used for. Coming to the conclusion that this thing was for use in transportation, and most definitely not alive, Luna breathed a sigh of relief.

After a few moments of trying to figure out what this thing was, she noticed the two guards that had rescued Scruffy from the tower earlier that night were standing nearby, idly chatting. She approached them, receiving salutes from the two ponies as they noticed her presence, “your Highness.”

"I need you both to come with me,” Luna said. “We are going inside of it."

The two guards hesitated for a second before nodding their understanding, "yes, Princess."

Luna turned back to the box, and walked over to the side that had the door. It was almost pitch black inside of it, save for some spots and bits which glowed in a faint blue, but aside from that, nothing too interesting or eye-catching could be seen.

Luna ignited her horn, shining some light inside the metallic contraption as she walked confidently towards the entrance, the two guards close behind, clearly unnerved by the situation - one visibly shaken, the other merely hesitant. The Princess’ light illuminated the insides of the contraption, allowing a better view of what was found inside.

Along the sides were what seemed to be seats, but different from those that she would normally expect. Each of them had a strap that was clearly not meant to be used by a pony; they were far too large and constricting. A large, rectangular black surface took up much of the far wall, opposite the strange seats. It was pitch black and unreflective, so Luna quickly discarded the idea that it was a mirror. Perhaps it has some form of enchantment on it?

A rotten odor invaded their senses as they continued further inside. As Luna’s light illuminated the interior of the contraption, the three ponies noticed that the floor was bathed in blood. The rotten stench crawled deeper into their nostrils with every step they took, eventually causing one of the guards gag.

"Copper! Are you okay?" asked the other.

"Yeah... d-don't worry, Shield Soul," was all the guard could manage between gags.

Luna, having kept her composure thus far, cast a momentary glance back at the guards before catching her hoof on something. She looked down at her hooves, "O-Oh my...." In between her forehooves she found the head of an unknown creature looking right back at her. Unlike the cranium of a pony, this one was far more rounded and lacked a muzzle. It was completely devoid of any fur, scales, or feathers, just two empty holes in which the eyes should have been, amid the decomposing flesh.

She stepped back, her hooves splashing in the blood, as the guard gagged once more. Luna kicked the head and watched it roll away. As her eyes followed the path of the skull, she saw more bones; entire bodies lay in a pile next to a door leading to another compartment, consisting only of bone and rotting flesh. The skeletons were larger than those of a pony. They had no tails, and their feet each divided into five separate appendages, presumably claws. Those on the forelegs looked to be particularly dangerous. Even in their current state, the bones looked strong, dense, and none of them had been broken during the crash.

Luna looked away as she began to feel sick. As she did so, something that just... wasn’t quite right caught her attention. Strapped to one of the seats was an object that stood out among the bones and blood. Part of it was soaked in the red fluid, but most of it was a bright pink. Luna could tell that it had the basic features of a bipedal creature, similar in structure to that of the other bodies. She slowly walked over to it.

Why would there be a doll in something as crazy as this!? Her mind lit up. The chairs... the straps... This is... This is a vehicle! Like a chariot of sorts, except... different... Much different.

Luna was distracted from her revelation by Shield Soul, who had fallen into the pool of blood. Or rather, she was distracted by what happened as he pulled himself up using a nearby surface. When he placed his hooves on the table, he hit a couple of buttons and, in response, the black surface suddenly lit up. Amazing... Luna marveled. The glass was now displaying an image and sound emanated from an unidentified location. A scene played out from within the confines of the formerly black screen.

The setting was the same that they were in now, though much brighter and cleaner. They saw two creatures strapped into the seats, presumably asleep, while another was standing in the same spot that Luna currently occupied. The three beings had very short manes, all of them wearing clothes and showing no signs of having any hair or fur aside from their manes, just covered in bare skin. The image showed by the glass was rather distorted, but they could distinguish the eyes of the creatures; they were beadier than those of a pony.

The creature that was standing was holding a smaller one in its forelegs, bouncing it up and down playfully. This smaller creature had a longer mane, was dressed in pink and held the plush doll that was currently strapped to one of the seats in its claws.

"It's like... a filly...." Luna took a glance at the pile of bones, then looked back at the glass.

The bigger creature walked over to the glass while holding the smaller one, and seemed to be looking right through the glass, staring at the ponies though never acknowledging their presence. It then began speaking, its tone clearly that of a male, joined by the giggles of the smaller one.

"Say hi to Mommy!" the male creature said, waving at them.

The smaller creature obeyed, "Hi Mommy! I love you!" it said, smiling at the group of ponies.

The male creature spoke up again, this time looking at his daughter, "Sweetie, how about you show Mommy the new toy daddy got for you!"

The little one smiled, holding the doll in front of the glass, as if she was showing it to Luna and the guards, "Mommy, this is Guardswoman Kelly! Daddy got her for me, and I named her like that because she is part of the Colonial Guard! She’s strong and always takes care of people!” She held out the doll for the ponies to see. The toy itself had the same figure as the bipeds, including a set of pink armor, but not much else could be distinguished as the image was too distorted.

Luna was covering her mouth with one of her forelegs, avoiding her bloodstained hoof in shock; unsure of how she should react to something like this.

The male figure stepped away from the glass and gently placed his daughter back on the ground, allowing her to stand on her own. She proceeded to approach a chair before strapping the doll into it. She was talking to her father, but she was too far away for the voice to be distinguishable to the ponies.

Once she had secured the doll, her father lifted her into an adjacent chair and strapped her in before sitting down next to her and doing the same for himself.

Then the image flickered before resolving into something quite different, showing some letters that read "Loading next entry... Warning, Energy Critical..."

The image started distorting, flickering on and off several times, but enough for Luna to catch a glimpse of another creature and the others backing away from it. After that it went back to its original pitch black, leaving three very confused ponies.

This—this isn't right, she thought. Did she call me... Mommy!?

Luna walked over to the seat the doll was on, gently grabbed it in her mouth and slid it out from under the strap, carefully avoiding the bloodied parts. She turned to the two guards that accompanied her, and saw them looking above her, scowling.

Luna flinched and backed away, slowly looking up. On the ceiling was a square hole with a yellow substance that had begun to drip out of it. She moved out of the way just in time for a drop to leak down from it onto the floor, mixing with the blood. She channeled more magic into her horn and used it to illuminate the newly found hole; it led to another room of sorts, but she saw nothign but a few metal boxes within.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and then looked back at the guards. "Go to Ponyville, make sure everypony is safe. I do not think everything that was inside of this... chariot was dead when it arrived. Hurry, I will go to Canterlot to speak with my sister. I will be back in no time."

Copper and Shield nodded. "At once, Princess."

Luna trotted out of the contraption, promptly pushing off from the ground with a mighty flap of her wings, taking flight in the direction of Canterlot.

She never noticed the two glowing, red eyes that stared at her from within the forest.

A soft breeze meandered through the fringe of the Everfree Forest. Creatures, both large and small, could be seen scurrying amongst the shadows provided by the trees that blotted out the afternoon’s sunlight, preventing it from reaching the depths of the forest. The area, often avoided by ponies, looked as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened; unless one were to notice the large crater left by the object that had fallen from the sky the night before.

A cordon had been set up, preventing access to both the forest and the crash site. Guards stood in groups of three at fifty meter intervals along the metallic fences that had been erected during the night, only a single gate provided to access the site. Corporal Shielded Spirit stood next to the gate, adorned with a golden set of armor. Alongside him was a dual-bladed sword, inset with a ruby, which was bonded with him through an enchantment which allowed for him to wield the sword effortlessly. He stood militantly, silently watching as a lavender unicorn mare and some other worried ponies argued with the guards stationed at the gates. She had been there for more than ten minutes, desperately trying to get through to the other side. Shielded and a few other guards rolled their eyes at every argument she gave, as they were already bored with the whole situation.

“But this could have a significant scientific value! Think about it!” the mare exclaimed, magically opening the saddlebags set on her back and retrieving a parchment from it, then shoving it at the face of one of the guards. “Rarely does a meteor ever reach the ground, and, as Princess Celestia’s student, I demand to be given access!”

The guard frowned and smacked the piece of paper off of his face with one of his armored forehooves. “Lady, this area is locked down by the request of Princess Luna, not Celestia. She strictly ordered us to deny passage to anypony, unless they have permission from Luna herself. I do not care if you are Celestia’s student, so you will stand at at least ten meters from this fence, is that clear?” He stepped towards the mare, an angry expression spread across his face.

After snorting, the mare glared at the guard. “Fine!” She turned around and stomped her way back to the nearby town, followed by the rest of the preoccupied ponies. “But I will tell Celestia about this!”

Once the mare was away from hearing distance, the guard scoffed, looking at Shielded Spirit and the rest of the armored ponies. “ ‘I demand access!’, yeah right... Like we don’t have bigger things to worry about.” Shielded and the other ponies nodded in agreement.

“Alright!” another voice said, this one gruff and loud. Corporal Spirit and the other guards turned to see Captain Burning Arrow trotting up to them, his purple armor shining as it reflected the light of the sun. All of the guards immediately saluted, bringing their hooves down once the Captain returned the gesture.

Shielded Spirit carefully sheathed his dual blade in the sheath on his armor, then turned back to the Captain and adopted the typical stance of a Royal Guard. He was currently fighting his need to close his eyes for a few minutes, having guarded the meteor since it had crashed last night. What he really desired was to return to his home and get a few good hours of sleep. The Captain looked around, as if searching for something. Corporal Spirit raised an eyebrow as he quietly waited for the gruff pony to speak.

“As you all know,” the Captain continued, lowering the volume of his voice. “A meteor crashed down last night. Now, this is a strictly need-to-know basis.” He looked around again, then continued, “It appears that it was not a meteor, but rather some type of vehicle. We suspect that whatever it was that came with it is somewhere inside the Everfree forest, so our orders are to split into teams and comb through it. Be prepared, as we do not know if it is friendly or hostile.”

“Yes sir!” the lower-ranking ponies exclaimed.

“Good.” He pointed at the forest with his left hoof. “We’ve already sent two teams in, and you are the third.” He nodded at Shielded Spirit and the two ponies standing by his side: Private Breaking Kick, an earth pony, and Sergeant Sharpy Senses, a unicorn who wielded the same type of blade as Shielded.

“Sergeant Senses,” the Captain said, “you will lead this team. Twenty minutes tops, then you will rendezvous back here with the others. The other two teams have started combing the south and north ends of the forest, so you will take the middle. Be careful out there.”

“I will take good care of them, sir.” Sergeant Senses brought a hoof to his forehead, saluting.

“I would expect nothing less from you, Sergeant.” The Captain returned the salute. “Now go, the clock is ticking.”

“On me,” the Sergeant said, breaking rank and beginning to trot towards the forest, with the other two guards following suit.

As the trio ventured into the dense forest, Shielded Spirit could not help but gulp at the prospect of having to find a completely unknown creature, and the fact that it was somewhere in the Everfree did not help his anxiety. He knew that the forest was said to contain some of the most dangerous creatures in all of Equestria, such as manticores and hydras, a thought that made him feel uneasy.

Deeper into the forest, the scenery began to change. No longer did the chirping of birds reach the Corporal’s ears, instead replaced by distant howls and roars. He could see creatures scuttling amongst the bushes and trees, their eyes warily watching as he and the other two guards walked through the gloomy forest.

Something in a nearby bush moved, causing the guards to spin around, the two unicorns retrieving their blades from their holsters and readying them in front of themselves with their magic, while Private Kick prepared himself to deliver a swift buck to whatever was hiding inside the vegetation. They stood there for a few seconds, waiting for the creature in question to make the next move.

A rabbit jumped out of the bush, sniffed the air and looked at the ponies before hopping away. Shielded Spirit sighed in relief and lowered the blade, then chuckled to himself. Scared of a rabbit? he thought. Although... what if it hadn't been a rabbit?

He was snapped back to the real world by Sergeant Senses, who motioned for the Corporal and the Private to follow him.

“Did you find something, Sarge?” the Private asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You could say so...” the stallion responded. “There is an odd scent around here... one of death.”

Shielded stopped in his tracks for a moment before continuing after the Sergeant, levitating his blade close to himself. He took a few precautionary sniffs, but the only thing that he could make out was the normal smell of the forest.

Naught but a moment later, a rotten stench crawled into the Corporal’s nostrils. He grimaced and huffed, trying to breathe through his mouth instead in order to avoid the foul odor.

“And here we are....” The Sergeant pushed a few bushes aside. Corporal Spirit’s eyes widened as he found himself looking at the corpse of a large manticore. It was disgusting. Half of it had been shredded, torn to pieces by something. The other half looked as if it had been dipped in acid; much of the muscle, fur and tissue had melted off the bones and pooled on the ground, producing a horrid stench. It’s face was contorted in pure agony, and upon taking a second look, he saw that the wounds on the more intact side of the body seemed to be self-inflicted.

“What in Luna’s name did this?” he asked, covering his muzzle with one of his hooves.

“We’re going to have to find out.” The Sergeant pointed at a trail left by whatever had attacked the manticore. The grass was matted down with dark crimson blood, and a gouge in the earth divided the length of the trail as though something had dragged itself away from the gruesomely slain animal.

After shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Shielded Spirit looked back at the stallion leading the team and nodded, keeping a tight grip on the gem of his blade. “I’m ready.” The private, repressing a gag, nodded his own confirmation.

Sergeant Senses nodded to confirm their responses. “Let’s keep moving, then.”

The three ponies began following the trail, the Sergeant leading the way. Shielded was happy that he was no longer within range of the rotten smell, but that didn’t change the fact that he was worried about what they were tracking. Never before had he imagined that such a way to die could be possible, let alone seeing the aftermath firsthoof. The simple thought of a pony, such as himself, suffering the same fate as the manticore made him shudder.

The path eventually led them into a cave. Nothing could be seen from outside the entrance; the trees all around them blocked the light from the sun, and no light shone from within the cave.

Gritting his teeth, Shielded Spirit followed the Sergeant into the darkness of the cave, along with Private Kick. The gruff stallion lit his horn as they made their way inside, while the Corporal kept a firm grip on his blade.

And then the trail suddenly came to an end. The three confused ponies looked at each other, unsure what to do. Shielded felt his heart start to beat faster, and his grip on the blade tightened even more.

A distorted, maniacal laugh sounded from behind them. They turned around, and saw the outline of a massive creature with glowing, red eyes standing between them and the exit.

The Sergeant drew his sword and took a deep breath as he stepped closer to the monster. “It’s been an honour...”

A blue portal opened amidst the empty space, bending and swallowing all light around it. As the space warped, the portal began to expand, and a massive starship started to push through. It was official: the USS Vector had reached its destination.

The ship had spent three days in hyperspace, heading for “Zeta-Twenty”, a mining station orbiting a small rocky planet. It had gone silent roughly six days before, and the Vector had been dispatched to investigate. The station itself was large and ring-shaped, with several antennae protruding from almost every section—some of which were bent, or simply not there at all. Docked right at its center was a large cargo vessel, and a myriad of lights could still be seen flickering in every section of the station, signaling that it was at least still powered.

Deep inside the Vector was its command bridge, a large chamber outfitted with consoles that had both men and women sitting in front of them. When they were not typing on or managing their stations, the technicians were either voicing commands through their commlinks or, more rarely, sipping on a cup of coffee.

Aside from the consoles, the entirety of the walls were composed of virtual windows, including the ceiling. This allowed for a panoramic view, even from the inside of the ship, while still keeping the bridge safe from any immediate damage that could be caused from the outside.

Standing in front of the main window was a single man clad in a suit of white armor, its shoulder pads a golden yellow. The right one was adorned with the logo of the Colonial Guard, while the left one had a vertical blue stripe on it with a star in the middle. It was the typical armor of an Admiral.

His name was Adam Becker, a veteran of the CG who was entering his early three hundreds. He was a respected man amongst the USC, known for his heroic actions and loyalty to the USC.

He folded his arms and gazed out through the window, attempting to get a better view of the station as the ship continued to move towards it. He was brought out of his thoughts, though, by the quaking sound caused by someone walking up to him. He turned around and found himself face-to-belly with a titanic man clad in heavy armor, also known as "Atlas". The Admiral glanced up at him, then went back to his previous task of looking out the window.

"So... that's Zeta-Twenty, right?" Atlas inquired, then folded his arms.

"Yes, it is,” the Admiral replied. “Normally there should be some other ships around here, carrying supplies back and forth, but I don't see any. Besides, it’s been on blackout status for what? Six Terran days now?”

“Guess so,” Atlas mumbled.

The Admiral nudged Atlas with his elbow and gestured back at the window; the ship was getting considerably closer to the station, where it began to pass through a cloud of debris, composed mostly by the twisted remains of small civilian ships, cargo crates, and even the occasional body.

"This ain't looking good..." Atlas said. He then glanced at the Admiral, who was completely impassive. The tension grew as the ship slowly closed the gap between itself and the station. Everyone on the bridge was silent as the Vector slowly slipped across the field of debris, the space-station growing bigger as the two got closer. More details could be seen as the distance diminished, the Admiral noticing that ‘Zeta-Twenty’ was somewhat damaged. Some gaps could be seen, most likely made by explosions, and most of the antennae that were still standing were either bent or missing parts.

“Anything on the sensors?" demanded the Admiral to no one in particular, unfolding his arms and facing the general direction of the bridge's crew.

The crew over at a cluster of particularly large consoles began working rapidly, shuffling through a multitude of information. They sat there for a while, immersed in their work, until one of them stood up and said, "There’s nothing on the scan, sir... just scattered energy sources from inside the station, probably emergency cells. No life signs..."

The crewman's statement made Atlas flinch on the inside. He turned to face the Admiral, who was looking out the window once again.

Atlas watched as the Admiral’s face slowly twisted into a scowl. "Set course, move behind the planet," he ordered, and almost immediately the ship began moving faster, circling around the planet.

Only a few seconds afterwards an alarm began to sound off, accompanied by several several emergency lights. A crewman stood up, yelling, "Sir! Multiple contacts! Three Ubor frigates!" He then sat back down, continuing to manage the console. Soon after, three small ships dashed from behind the planet, heading towards the Supercarrier.

These ships were small, almost minuscule compared to the Vector, but what they lacked in size they made up for with superior speed and maneuverability. Their design was much different from the average Human ship; Ubor engineering being somewhat crude in that area, as they often went for frames with sharp edges and cuts complemented with ridged ends and spikes. Whereas Humans prefered their ships smooth, sturdy and well made. True, it took longer to build a ship by the standards the Humans had, but it paid off in the end. Another difference was that most of what the Ubor built were coated red, while the Humans favoured blue, though they had no real preference.

The automated voice from the ship then spoke up, “Attention all crew members, multiple Ubor ships detected nearby. Assume battlestations, and prepare for possible boarding attempt. Code: SET, REPEL, CAUTERIZE.”

Becker turned around to face Atlas. "That means you as well, son."

The giant nodded, and started running towards the tram station along with several other men, the chorus of their footsteps resonating throughout the ship.

“SS Batteries: ON.”

Becker sighed, looking through the window again, his arms behind his back. Outside, the Ubor frigates were flying loops around the Vector, evading the rain of fire the carrier’s turrets unleashed on them. The Admiral knew that they would not last long, but he also knew that they were not meant to. The Ubor often left some cheap scouts wherever they attacked, used as expendable forces to keep the enemy in one place, only to come back in more numbers, many more. His expression remained unchanged as he watched one of the frigates explode due to turret fire.

The Vector’s tram system was thought to be a lifesaver by many, seeing as the ship was several kilometers long. It ran through the entire vessel, capable of getting everyone to wherever they needed to be and fast. The only problem was that, sometimes, the trams could get a little cramped.

Atlas stepped onto the tram station, pushing through several other men. He did not have to wait for too long; a tram soon stopped at the station, its doors automatically sliding open and allowing several troopers to step inside, Atlas being one of them. It then closed its doors and began to speed through the interior of the ship.

The tram reached its stop, and everyone eagerly walked out. Atlas moved through the ship’s hallways, heading towards the ‘Drop Center’, his designated battlestation. Some simply called the launch tubes ‘Man-cannons’ as the troopers inside were literally launched out of the ship at supersonic speeds, either in individual drop pods or in pods capable of holding entire squads.

One of the tactics involving the Drop Center during ship-to-ship combat was to launch a swarm of drop pods at the enemy ship. They would either punch right through the hull of the vessel in order for the troopers inside to rapidly board the ship, or should they be unable to pierce the hull, the pod would be capable of latching onto the ship, allowing the trooper inside to get out of the pod and walk along the hull, looking for a hatch or another spot they could use to board the vessel. Heavies often chose the latter, seeing as they did not have individual drop pods, instead using only their exo-suits.

As Atlas ran through the long hallways leading to the Drop Center, he was soon joined by a group of Heavy Troopers. They passed by the motor pool, watching for a brief moment as pilots climbed into their combat walkers, and all other kinds of vehicles. After running past the motor pool, he looked through one of the virtual windows lining the hall to catch a glimpse of one of the frigates exploding into a cloud of twisted metal and fire.

They made their way to the Drop Center, into the 'Heavy Infantry' section. Atlas and two of the troopers that were with him walked into a chamber that had three large tubes, where another soldier greeted them. He and the two troopers got inside of a tube, and a transparent hatch closed behind them, sealing them shut and locking them in place. Heavy troopers did not need pods, as they could easily be launched out of the ship, making use of their suits as their own drop pods.

Admiral Becker was still standing in front of the window, observing as the last frigate was turned into a smoldering chunk of metal. Some of the crew around the command bridge began to cheer, while the Admiral slowly shook his head. He carefully examined the surroundings of the Vector. “There...” He saw five bright flashes in the distance, followed by the appearance of five more Ubor ships. The whole crew stopped cheering, and fell silent.

One man broke the silence, "Sir... five ships just came out of hyperspace: three Ubor Super-Dreadnoughts, one carrier and another frigate."

The Admiral sighed, and slowly turned towards the crew, "We won't hold against that many ships; prepare for a jump."

One of the men stood up, "But sir! We don't have enough time to-!"

"Make it a blind jump, we don't have another choice! I am not letting them take this ship!"

“Sir yes sir!”

Once again, the deep, metallic voice of the ship spoke up, "Attention, all crew members begin preparations for imminent hyperspace jump. Code: LOCK, CHARGE, EVADE. Attention, all crew members..."

Atlas was still inside the launch tube when the ship’s automated voice boomed across the hallways. The soldier standing in the chamber next to the three tubes grabbed onto a railing as the Vector’s hyperdrive began charging up. Atlas remained still and held his breath. The Vector rapidly accelerated, the force pushing Atlas against the launch tube.

In a span of milliseconds, the Vector was propelled into a flash of blue light. Atlas felt the pressure on him subside, followed by a massive headache. The last thing he saw was the soldier in the chamber collapse onto the floor.

“No! There will be no more negotiations!” the half lion, half eagle barked, “This has to end now! You have expanded more zan enough, and have even begun to twist and deform the face of Gryphos! Just a few weeks ago, your ‘Ponies’ desecrated an ancient Gryphon temple and turned it into their camp! The old tales were true! Ponykind has always been a plague!” The Gryphon Ambassador, Ivan Razorwing, stood up and pointed his claw accusingly at Celestia, who remained in her chair, her solemn expression unchanged. Razorwing began pacing around angrily, constantly shooting furious glares at Celestia. He wore a red robe embroidered with gold, which had the shield of the Gryphonic Kingdom sewn into it with the finest of threads.

“You have disrupted the natural order of ze world! Not only do you control ze sun and ze moon, for the benefit of your country ONLY! But the increasing population of pegasus ponies in Gryphos is beginning to cause the weather to stall! Soon, ve vill have to pay THEM to make OUR weather function!”

“What Razorwing says is true; ponykind can live in harmony, but only among ponies and ponies alone. Or else they bring trouble to our own.” said Docaro, the Zebra Ambassador. He wore a dark green cloak, and underneath it several golden rings and other types of jewelry jingled every time he moved.

Celestia opened her eyes and looked at Razorwing, who shot another angry glare her way.

“I’ve already told you, Princess. Either you give us part of your land, or ve vill throw those vile pests back to Equestria.”

Celestia took a deep breath, considering her options. If she refused, there was no way of knowing what the Gryphons would do. It was always a gamble with them, even centuries ago.

She opened her mouth to speak, but almost as if on on cue, a deep, low growl shook the palace. As Celestia and the two Ambassadors stood up, a bright blue light flashed from the night’s sky into the meeting room. She frowned before taking flight and racing through the long hallways, followed by the two Ambassadors.

They ran past many of the confused and scared palace servants before they reached the castle’s courtyard. Another deep, but loud growl surprised them. They looked ahead, and their minds refused to believe what their eyes were showing them.

The moon was not visible anymore, and neither was the rest of the sky. Something was eclipsing it, something massive that was slowly inching its way over the city. Parts of it glowed blue, and hundreds of tiny specks of light adorned its entire form. It was bigger than Canterlot, probably by several hundreds of times. It was no dragon and neither was it a mountain. It obscured the sky and replaced the stars with its own blinking lights, while floating effortlessly far above the castle.

Celestia’s eyes widened. She could not believe such a thing was heading towards Canterlot. The monster slowly lost its momentum, and came to a complete stop. It then released a final growl, this one being far louder than any of the ones before it. The ground began quaking, and the windows across the city began shattering as the growl swept through it.

Razorwing stood still as the windows around him shattered. He too could not comprehend the situation, but slowly the gears in his head started moving again. He scowled and looked at the Princess.

“Y-You! This is your plan, is it not!?” he snarled. “You summoned this... thing! I have had enough of this! You and your kind have taken things too far!” Following his statement, Razorwing took flight, and headed back towards his room to fetch his guards and begin the trip back to Gryphos.

The Alicorn Princess was bewildered. She had heard Razorwing, but she simply could not be bothered to respond. Deep inside, she knew that after this, there would be no way to change his opinion.

She bit her lower lip, looking at the ground. The city had lit up already, the screams of terror echoing throughout its streets as Canterlot’s inhabitants panicked at the sight of the monster that hovered above them.

Being more than a thousand years old, Celestia had seen her fair share of monsters, spirits and other kinds of evil creatures. She had lived through the reign of Discord, witnessed wars, and had had to banish her own sister to the moon when she turned into a monster. Even considering her life experiences, this was completely out of her grasp; there was no prophecy, no legend, nothing. “Perhaps... perhaps it is finally the end of days?” she thought to herself.

She banished that last thought from her mind.“No,” she thought. The Alicorn mare lifted her head and put on a stern expression.

“No!” she said to herself out loud. “I do not care what that monster’s purpose is; I will not allow it to hurt my subjects. It shall face me first.”

With her newfound determination, Celestia unfurled her wings and leaped into the air.

Luna took in a deep breath, filling her lungs with the sterile air of the medical facility she was in. She then spent a few seconds adjusting the white overall that was covering her body, making sure the attire was sealed and leaving no room for anything to come into contact with her dark blue coat. Once done, she sighed through the surgical mask placed over her muzzle.

She mentally prepared herself for what was about to come, gathering all of the calmness she could manage. The Princess examined her surroundings for anything she might have missed, but everything was just as before. The group of four unicorn guards standing between her and the metallic door had not moved an inch, and the nurse by her side scratched her head, waiting for the Princess to continue.

“Are you certain it is ready?” Luna asked, looking to the nurse.

“Yes,” the mare responded. “It stopped thrashing about an hour ago, and even... talked to us.”

“I see...”

Luna looked at the door guarded by the four ponies, and gulped. It would have been a blatant lie to say that she was not scared, but she had to keep herself calm, especially considering what was waiting for her beyond the door. Her mouth was dry, but she nodded at the guards regardless of her fear.

The four armored ponies saluted her, then turned around. Each of them inserted their horns into a series of holes in the metallic door, and shortly after a mechanical click sounded, signaling that the door had been unlocked.

Slowly, the Princess trotted towards it, and the guards stepped aside for her. “Stay outside, I wish to be alone with it.” She gently slid the door open with her magic, and walked into the adjoining room.

As she closed the door behind her, her eyes were immediately locked onto the creature lying on the medical table located in the center of the room, which was composed entirely of white tiles. She slowly began her approach, the sound made by her hooves as they hit the floor resonating through the chamber.

She stumbled back as the creature lifted its head and looked at her with its red eyes, its stare drilling into her soul. She frowned and moved closer to it, swallowing her fear.

“You... look different,” the creature said, its voice raspy and distorted. “What are you here... for?”

“I am Princess Luna, ruler of the night.” She began pacing around the bed. “But the biggest question is: who are you?”

“I... am nobody,” the creature replied. “Nothing but a distorted reflection of what I used to be...”

“Very well, then. What were you?”

“They took that away from me...”

“Took what?”

“The memories... only shards now.”

“Are you saying you were not always like this?”

“Yes... they turned me into a monster.”

“Who are ‘they’?”

“The machines...” The monster let its head rest on the bed’s pillow, looking up into the ceiling. “All that’s left... is pain. I remember the pain... only pain.”

“Why are you here? Why did you attack us?”

“That was not me... it was them, controlling me... But the signal is gone, now I control... It is a twisted joke; to let you see what you are doing, but be incapable of stopping yourself...”

“You did not answer my first question.”

“Nor did your disciples answer mine...” The monster sighed, “Where am I?”

“You are in our land, Equestria.”

“What... is the name of this planet?”

“Earth.”

“You... what are you?”

“We are ponies.”

“Are you... synthetic?”

“No. Why?”

“I am... on Earth, but with your kind instead... and speaking the same language... Luna, I must warn you...”

“About what, exactly?”

“If... if I made it here, then others can do so as well...”

“What do you mean?” the blue Alicorn asked, her voice taking a tone of wariness.

“I am merely the first...” It coughed, fluids beginning to seep out of its mouth. “Of the inevitable many. This world is not yours... not anymore.”

“Why do you say that?” Luna stopped pacing around, trotting closer to the creature.

“Pray to your gods...” The creature took in a deep breath, then sighed it out as steam, “That your kind will live to see another day.”

“What will happen!?” the Princess asked, furrowing her brow and looking directly into the creature’s eyes. “Where did you-” Right on cue, a deep growl shook the room, making dust fall from the ceiling.

“I recognize that sound... The gears... they are already turning.”

The object hovered above Ponyville and Canterlot, and as it ceased to advance, it released a final growl, the loudest yet. Everypony on the plaza dropped onto the ground and plugged their ears with their hooves.

Twilight could faintly see the dust being lifted off of the ground as the shock wave advanced towards Ponyville. She closed her eyes shut as the wave hit the town, making the windows vibrate loudly, yet they did not break. She slowly stood back up, and so did everypony else. Everything was perfectly silent until a mare decided to change that.

“The horror! The horror!”

That was enough to trigger the panic button on the rest of the ponies. They began running in every direction, some of them crashing into each other. Several of the Royal Guards that had been stationed in the town were attempting to calm them down, with no luck. The best they could do was to keep them from running out of the town and into the woods. Twilight was surrounded by the multitude of panicked ponies. She was confused; she had to hide somewhere, but her brain was refusing to comply.

“Twilight!” a familiar voice called out to her.

The unicorn turned to the source of the voice, Sugarcube Corner. She could see that Rarity was standing at the entrance, waving at her. Twilight began galloping, closing her eyes and hoping not to crash into anypony. Halfway to the building, she crashed into another pony, making her fall and roll a couple times on the ground. She quickly stood back up, her coat dusty, and continued to make her way towards the bakery, galloping as fast as her legs allowed her to.

Twilight came crashing into the store, followed by a series of gasps as she collapsed onto the floor, panting. Rarity sat down next to her.

“Are you okay, Twilight?” she asked, to which Twilight replied with some frantic nodding. “Oh, nonono. You are NOT okay darling. Your coat is all dusty and your mane... Oh no, I must do something about this!” She levitated a brush and began to adjust Twilight’s mane.

Occupying the store, aside from Twilight and Rarity, were Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and the Cakes. Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were looking out the window, observing the behemoth that floated above the ground. Fluttershy was sitting by one of the tables, her mane covering her face.

Carrot Cake trotted out of the kitchen, carrying a small plate that had a cupcake on it. He placed it on the table in front of Fluttershy, who looked up at him and gave him a small smile. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Carrot Cake smiled. “No problem, sweetie.” Afterwards, he walked back into the kitchen.

Rainbow was sitting in front of one of the windows, looking at the object that currently obscured the stars and recently emptied the streets. She looked up with a confused expression, then stood up and walked over to the table where Fluttershy was, noticing that she had been joined by Rarity and Twilight.

Rainbow cocked an eyebrow, looking at Twilight. “Uh, Twilight? Do you know anything about what just happened? I mean you must’ve read something about it in one of your books and stuff, right?”

“I was just talking to the girls about that... My books have never said anything about such a thing. I don’t know if it’s dangerous, or if it’s even alive for that matter! All I can say is that it must be using a HUGE amount of magic to keep itself in the air.”

“Uhm... Twilight?” Fluttershy nervously clopped her forehooves together. “I need to tell you something... It might be important... I guess... I mean, it’s okay if you don’t want to...”

“No, it’s okay. What is it?”

“Uhm, well... do you remember the meteor shower a few nights ago?” Fluttershy asked, looking at Twilight from behind her pink mane.

“Yes...” Twilight got closer, eager to hear what her friend had to say.

“And the one meteor that landed nearby...?” Fluttershy inquired again.

“Yes, the one I wasn't allowed to see because of the guards that kept saying it was royal business, the meteor the Princess told me not to worry about...” Twilight huffed, then rolled her eyes.

“Uhm, yes, that one... You see, I was up that night watching the meteor shower with Angel Bunny... And when the meteor landed, I kind of... Uhm, I hid under my couch... And then...” She took a deep breath, “And then I looked out the window and saw... something... It had two red eyes that... that glowed, I think... When I saw it looking at me, I screamed, and then it just disappeared.”

“I see...” said Rarity, “That is indeed, somewhat creepy. But what does it have to do with the meteor? Do you think that-” She was cut off by Fluttershy.

“Yes, I think it came from the meteor... Later that night, some guards came by, and told me it wasn’t safe... and since I had nowhere else to go, and couldn't leave all my little animals behind, they offered to stay to make sure nothing happened.”

“Oh, wow.” Twilight conjured both a quill and a piece of paper, and started taking notes.

“But... that’s not the most important part. The next day I snuck out and made my way to where the meteor had landed, and hid in some bushes. There were... a lot of guards around it, but it turns out it wasn’t a meteor at all...”

The three mares looked at her, dumbfounded. “Well, what was it then?” said Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy turned around to see that Pinkie and Applejack had been listening as well.

“Oh...well... uhm... It wasn’t alive... but, it was so weird... the only thing I can say is that it gave off the same feeling that other big floating thing does... They are... similar...I couldn’t see anything else because one of the guards caught me... He told me to never ever talk about it...” She finished by hiding behind her mane once again.

Twilight placed the quill and paper on the table, and scowled, “If they are related... I wonder how many of those red-eyed things Fluttershy talked about could fit inside that huge thing above us.” The mares shot each other some worried glances.

Applejack cleared her throat. “Twilight, ah was meanin’ to tell ya’ll ‘bout somethin’. Y’see, ah was watchin’ the big floaty thing, and ah noticed that on its side it had summin’ written on it. Though it was kinda wierd lookin’, y’know. Ah couldn’t really make out much of it.”

Twilight stood up, and trotted towards the window, followed by the other five mares. She looked up at the massive contraption, her mouth hanging open due to to its sheer size. Applejack was right; there was something written on its side. Due to the size of the object, the letters were big enough to be visible from quite a distance. Twilight began scribbling the words into the paper she had brought. Upon finishing, she took a look at it. “It sorta looks like Equestrian. It’s only slightly different...”

Pinkie Pie began bouncing up and down. “Oh! Oh! Does it say ‘Doom’? Or something like, ‘The Eater of Worlds’?”

Twilight shook her head, dismissing Pinkie’s crazy antics. “N-No, It says U-S-S... Vector?”

Rainbow Dash cocked her head to the side. “ ‘Vector’? The hay is a ‘Vector’?”

The lavender unicorn scratched her head. “It's supposed to be some sort of mathematical concept, not... whatever this thing is. I’ll have to go to my library and see if I can find anything... “

A book flew out of Twilight's room, clattering down the stairs to join a massive pile of similarly discarded books that lay in piles scattered around the floor. The only sounds that came from within the eerily quiet library was the shuffling of pages and the frustrated groans of the lavender unicorn that inhabited the place.

Another book flew out of Twilight’s room, this time tossed out the window to join another pile of books just outside the library. Inside, the lavender mare was lying on her bed, flipping through another book before throwing it away and grunting angrily. She had gone through everything, from legends to cooking, but not a single one, book or scroll, mentioned anything about the ‘USS Vector’. Even then, her assumptions were correct, since a few books mentioned a mathematical concept with the same name.

Twilight let out a loud groan as her head sunk into her pillow. She had not managed to get any sleep at all, as she was instead focusing on her search for answers. “This ‘Vector’ could be a danger to Equestria,” she told to herself. “It could require the use of the Elements of Harmony, and if it destroyed Equestria, it’s going to be my fault!”

The lavender mare was deep into her session of thought when her purple, draconic assistant walked into the room, holding a plate with a daisy sandwich on it. He made his way through the heaps of books and placed the plate on the bed next to Twilight, who still had her head stuck in the pillow.

“Twilight...” Spike poked her. “Twilight, you have to eat something. You’ve been up for hours. Besides, everypony’s been told to go to the Town Hall. They said it was something really important.”

The unicorn lifted her head and levitated the sandwich, taking a bite out of it. “Fine... But if the world ends because of me...”

“I-I’m sure it won’t, Twilight...” Spike shakily rubbed his claws and walked out of the room, Twilight levitating the sandwich along with her as she followed him. He muttered under his breath, “At least... I don’t think it’ll be your fault...”

They made their way through the field of books, and emerged outside through the front door. The Vector was eclipsing the sun, casting the town into darkness and taking away some of the happy and optimistic essence that it normally possesed. Twilight and Spike walked through the empty streets, noticing that many of the windows and even some doors had been barred with planks. The food stands that usually decorated the streets taken away, leaving nothing aside from the dust settling in the street.

Twilight looked up at this so called Vector, causing her to gulp as chills ran down her back; even after all this time, it had not moved a single inch.

They both made their way into the town’s center, where almost all of Ponyville’s inhabitants had gathered. The podium had been set up right in front of the Town Hall, but it was vacant. Twilight merged into the crowd, with Spike on her back as they pushed past other ponies in order to get as close to the building as possible. Only a few minutes passed before Mayor Mare approached the podium and cleared her throat, making everypony stand attentively as the cacophony of worried voices died out

“My dear and beloved friends, residents of Ponyville. I am here to tell you that I've received a letter from Princess Celestia.” The crowd was swept by a wave of whispers as the Mayor opened said letter.

She cleared her throat. “Dear citizens of Equestria, my little ponies. I am more than ashamed to announce that despite our negotiations, the Kingdom of Gryphos has declared war on us...”

Sharp gasps broke the silence that had built up, but the mayor only took a deep breath to regain her composure and continued, this time louder.

“They have taken a population of pegasus ponies captive. These ponies emigrated to their lands for the sole purpose of making a home for themselves there, and have now been enslaved. It is likely that they have already begun building their armies, and we must keep pace. They are no strangers to conflict, and as such, I would imagine that it will not be long before they begin advancing."

“We ponies on the other hoof, are, and have always been, a very peaceful species; a conflict such as this happening more than a thousand years ago. However, due to these recent events, our time of peace is coming to an end. The griffins may interpret our desire to avoid fighting as weakness, but we will show them otherwise. For the sake of everything we hold dear, we will need to prepare ourselves for the inevitable battles to come. There will be a recruitment center open in every city, town, and settlement, and the ponies chosen to form the new army of Equestria are asked to report to the nearest center to receive their instructions and training. Additionally, everypony who desires to willingly enlist and fight in the defense of our nation may simply walk into the recruitment center alongside those who have already been called upon.”

“In the bigger cities such as Canterlot, Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Hoofington, Cloudsdale, Stalliongrad and Trottingham, those who are called to service will receive a letter instead of being addressed directly.”

“This will be a time of great suffering, I understand that, and I am very sorry. But the suffering will only continue for as long as we allow it to. We will rise against them. We will rise up and show them that we are not the inferior race they believe us to be. To this end, we must fight! We must fight for ourselves, our families, our foals, and for the ponies residing within Gryphos. We must fight so that those we love may see the tomorrow.” The mayor took a deep breath and adjusted her glasses.

“And addressing the issue about this ‘USS Vector’, which is currently floating above in the Equestrian sky. All I can say is that nothing like it has been known to exist before. We have done all the research we could, but to no avail. There is no mention of such a thing in our records. Yet I promise you, both my sister and I will make sure that it will not cause any harm. Whatever is its purpose, it will have to go through us before anything else.”

Mayor Mare sighed and stepped down from the podium, a Royal Guard taking the spotlight soon after.

“Citizens,” he called, his voice gruff and loud, “the Recruitment Center will be held inside the Town Hall. We will now begin calling the names of those who have been chosen to form the New Equestrian Army.” The guard took a scroll out of his saddlebag, unrolled it, and began reading aloud. “Berry Punch, Caramel Apple, Carrot Cake, Bon-Bon...”

As they were called, the ponies walked into the Town Hall; some of them were hesitant, and others refused to accept the fact that they would soon have to leave their loved ones behind.

Carrot Cake stood in front of the guard, giving him a pleading look. “Please sir! I-I have two foals! I can’t leave them!”

The guard shook his head, “I’m sorry sir, but there is nothing I can do. Now please, go into the hall.” Carrot Cake opened his mouth to say something, but quickly frowned and walked into the building, defeated.

Twilight had reunited with her friends after Mayor Mare finished redacting the letter. The six mares and Spike watched silently as the ponies formed a line and walked into the Town Hall.

“Do you think they’ll pick any of us...?” Rainbow Dash broke the silence, and turned to face the other ponies.

“I... I really hope they don’t.” said Rarity.

The mares continued to look at the guard while he continued reading the list, “Carrot Top, Applejack, ...”

Applejack’s eyes widened, and her friends moved closer to her with worried expressions, but froze as the list continued.

“...Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and lastly, Fluttershy.” With that, the guard placed the scroll back into his saddlebag, and kept observing the crowd of ponies that had significantly diminished in numbers. Most of the stallions and mares that had not been called into service started walking back to their homes. The few that remained were deep in thought, some looked at the ground, others at the sky, and some others appeared to be completely zoned out. After a few moments, half of them slowly began walking towards the Town Hall, while a couple of them shook their heads and joined the others in returning to their homes. Among the ponies who had decided to enlist, was Big Macintosh.

Applejack noticed that her brother had just finished talking to the guard, and was starting to head into the Town Hall. She frowned, and ran towards him. She drifted to a stop between her brother and the building, giving him a burning glare.

“Jus’ what do ya’ think yer doin’? Ya’ gonna enlist!? What ‘bout the farm? A-And Apple Bloom? I was called, and if you enlist there won’t be no pony to take care o’ the farm and our lil’ sister!”

The soft-spoken stallion looked down at his sister, and slowly scowled. “Sis’, I’m not expectin’ ya’ll to understand, but ah have to do this. Why? ‘Cause then there’ll be one more stallion between them Gryphons and our lil’ sister. One more stallion between ‘em and Ponyville. It is the best ah can do for our town, our farm, and our sister. The folk that'll stay here durin’ all o’ this will take care o’ the fillies and colts, and the military itself will take care of the farm to help supply the troops. The way ah see it, each of us has to sacrifice or do somethin’, because in the end, it’ll pay off. It's what ah gotta do.”

Applejack averted her eyes from her brother. Somewhere deep inside, she knew he was right. Her life had been simple: she had grown up on a farm, she lived there, she worked there, she got her food from there. During the cowmare's peaceful life, war had been nothing more than an old mare’s tale, and now it was here, and it was calling for her. She would have to leave everything behind; her life, her family, but she had to, because it was the best thing she could do for them... Wasn't it?

“AJ...?” The orange mare turned to her right. Twilight and the rest of her friends were standing next to her.

“Girls... This jus’... I'm havin' trouble letting this sink in... “

“I know... I mean, we knew the Gryphons didn’t really like us... I was just hoping the Princess could have kept them away...” Twilight bit her lip, and looked at the Town Hall.

Rarity shook her head, “But why us? I cannot go to war! It involves getting dirty! And... And... I’m not a fighter... None of us are! Perhaps Rainbow or Applejack, but hardly anypony in all of Equestria is fit for this!”

The guard, who had been listening in, approached the group. “It’s nothing like that," he said. "Soldiers are made, not born. Now please, go into the Recruitment Center.”

The six mares shared concerned looks, and slowly trotted into the building.

“What do you mean by that?” the Admiral asked, rubbing his head with one hand. He found himself standing next to one of the many workers in the command bridge not long after having woken up. His most recent memory was of the hyperspace jump, then all he could remember was falling limply onto the metallic floor of the Vector, before waking up with a painful headache. He looked at the viewscreens surrounding the chamber, which displayed a blue sky and large expanses of land covered by vegetative life.

It was obvious to him: something had gone wrong.

“I’m not sure, sir,” the technician replied, busily typing into his console while shooting worried glances at the Admiral. “Unless our sensors are malfunctioning, the sun is orbiting this planet.”

Becker slowly turned to the man. “How many G’s?”

“Standard one, sir.” The man typed into the console, bringing up measurements of the composition of the planet’s atmosphere. “More than enough oxygen to support compatible lifeforms, and the humidity indicates the presence of water.”

“So it’s Earth-like...” Admiral Becker stepped away from the console, looking at the main viewscreen and sighing, “Can you raise high-command?”

“... Negative, sir.”

Atlas opened his eyes, and his senses were instantly overwhelmed by a massive headache. After recalling the events from before, he opened the hatch of the tube and climbed out of it. He looked around the chamber and noticed that the trooper in charge of the launch chamber was lying face-first on the floor. He knelt down next to him and shook the man’s shoulder, “Hey, you okay...?” he asked. The trooper groaned in response, and Atlas shook him again.

A few moments later, the trooper began to wake up. “Ugh...” he said, standing up and holding his head. “Sir...” he groaned, “What... what happened? My head’s killing me.”

“I think we passed out during the hyperspace jump.” Atlas checked his suit’s display, “It’s been about fourteen hours.” The soldier responded with a disgruntled groan.

Atlas peeked out of the chamber; several soldiers were lying on the floor, unconscious. A few had already woken up, and had set upon the task of getting the others up. He walked into the main hallway, which was soon filled with groans and moans made by the soldiers who had started waking up. Fortunately, none of them seemed to have been hurt during the jump, everyone just had a really bad headache. While he was walking, Atlas noticed a group of soldiers staring through a window, and quickly being joined by more and more soldiers. He calmly walked over to the group, and took a look outside. He squinted at first, the light making his head throb, but soon, his eyes adapted to the brightness.

The Vector was floating dangerously close to the surface of a planet. It was filled with vegetation; every inch of the surface that wasn’t covered in green pastures and hills was instead a forest that extended as far as the naked eye could see. Mountains adorned the majority of the surrounding areas, and in the distance there was a massive cluster of clouds. These clouds had a rainbow waterfall going down from them. “You know...” Atlas thought, “the more I look at it, the weirder it gets.”

The trees that covered the land seemed to be mostly pine trees. It would have been a completely normal sight, if only pine trees had not gone extinct about five hundred years ago. Looking back at the clouds, Atlas could see that they had some buildings on them, which seemed to be made of clouds as well, completely slapping physics in the face. Other than that, this was clearly not the barren planet that ‘Zeta-Twenty’ was orbiting.

One of the soldiers shook his head. “You know what? We’re delirious because of the headaches. How about we don’t give a damn?”

The rest of the group, including Atlas, nodded in response. A few of them responded with “Let’s go with that.”, “Yeah, why not.”, and so on.

Atlas sighed, and decided to make his way back to the command bridge. While walking through the long hallways of the Vector, he noticed that everyone had already woken up, for the most part, and were now helping those who had suffered concussions upon losing consciousness and collapsing to the floor. It seemed like everyone had decided to just disregard the surroundings of the Vector, and instead opted to keep themselves busy with something. There were a few exceptions, of course. Some of the soldiers could not bring themselves to do anything other than gaze at the strange cloud city, but nonetheless everyone kept shooting a glance at it every once in a while. Atlas was not sure whether to be amused or worried about the strange anomaly. By all means, something strange was happening, and he needed some answers.

After having made his way to the tram station, Atlas was thankful to find that it was, at least, only partially full. He walked into the tram and the door closed behind him, before it began to move through the tunnels that ran across the entire ship. Once the tram reached full speed, Atlas realized that he was actually completely alone, so he decided to move to the tram’s windows and look outside.

The tram's panoramic windows allowed those riding to see what sections they were passing through. Often, it would enter a tunnel, and re-emerge in some other area of the ship. At the moment, it was going through the factory complex, which contained several machines, from small to massive, that built even bigger machines. Conveyor belts transported the bits that would gradually be shaped to become parts of military vehicles, weapons, armor, and pretty much everything else the Vector’s crew might need. Several of the workers could be seen waking each other up, and the factory itself was inactive, as it was only set in that state when more vehicles and weapons were needed.

After overlooking the factory, the tram went into a tunnel again, before emerging once more, showing a view of the hangar bay instead. In the hangar, the same situation could be observed; the pilots waking each other up, while others were making sure their ships were still intact.

The tram entered another tunnel, and shortly after, it reached the station on the Command Bridge.

It opened its doors and Atlas walked out, heading into the bridge. Inside, the crew had suffered the same fate as those in the rest of the ship. The few that had already regained their senses were helping the others up. The ones that still remained unattended were on their work-stations, looking like they had fallen asleep with their heads on the consoles. In front of the main window, Admiral Becker was idly chatting with one of Atlas’ roommates, Torres.

Torres was a ‘Raider’: slim and agile troopers often filling scouting roles. Raiders were usually women, as they possessed a slimmer and more agile figure compared to the common trooper. Even if they were not required to perform the six year campaign on the Guard, women were not an unusual sight. The Raiders were widely known for being the one of the most respected divisions within the CG, as they were as capable and in most cases more so than a common trooper, despite the fact that women could not be augmented as far as men.

The armor of a Raider was similar to the armor of the common trooper, except lighter. On their backs were two razor-sharp wings often used to sever limbs, and for extra maneuverability when flying in atmosphere.

At the sound of the loud footsteps behind them, both the Admiral and Torres turned around.

“Ugh, Atlas. Those footsteps of yours aren’t really helping with this headache...” Torres complained.

“Please, do you think I was all dandy on the way here? At least I’m starting to feel better.” Atlas then turned to the Admiral, “Sooo... Where are we?”

The old man sighed, turning to the window. “I have absolutely no idea... We are above an uncharted planet, inhabited by who knows what.”

Atlas huffed, “I also saw a city made of clouds. ”

“You’re not the only one.” the Admiral sighed. “There is also something strange going on with this planet’s sun; the orbital pattern is all wrong. The sensors show that it’s orbiting the planet, but that can’t be. There is also a strange energy field surrounding it... We haven’t been able to put our fingers on it, but it may be the reason as to why we fainted. I’m starting to think that some of our sensors burnt down...”

"What-?"

“And that’s not even the end of it!” the Admiral continued, unfazed. “We’ve lost all contact with the rest of the fleet. We'll just have to wait until we map the stars to know where we are exactly.”

The trio was struck by a wave of silence.

Atlas sighed, “Well... What do we do now?”

The Admiral pointed at the main virtual window; directly under the ship, a rather large city was built into the side of a mountain. In the middle of the cityscape stood a large castle. “Since we’re pretty much stuck here, with no immediate way of going back, we might as well make ourselves comfortable. We are going to have to initiate first contact and find out what lives in this place, but you’re not going into that city. There’s a small village nearby, and if what lives in this place is dangerous, you’ll have a better chance escaping a village rather than a city.”

Torres stepped up to the Admiral. “Hold on, who do you mean by ‘you’?”

“You, Atlas, and Mac.”

Torres cocked her head to the side. “Why us? It’s just first contact....”

"I don't want to get the rest of the crew stirred up just yet. Just go there, find out what's below us, and get back. Mac can also take some DNA samples if necessary. This is a level one operation; you know the drill. You don’t tell anything to anyone unless they have my permission.”

Atlas huffed, “Yes sir...”

The Admiral nodded. “Now, go. Mac is waiting for you with a dropship.“

Torres and Atlas walked back out of the bridge and onto the tram station, boarding one of the trams.

The Admiral walked over to his console, and held down a button.

“Attention, this is your Admiral speaking... As you may have noticed, we're above an uncharted world right now. We've lost all contact with the fleet, and we don't know what our exact location is. But we will find a way to make it back... Stay safe, soldiers.”

After giving his speech, the Admiral sighed, and looked back at the main window.

“Sir?” came a voice from Becker’s right. He shot a glance to his side, discovering an armored man that had approached him, then resumed to gaze out through the viewscreen.

“Yes, Commander?”

“Those two that you were talking to... they do not show up on my visor.”

“And let’s keep it that way,” the Admiral said.

The man sighed, “Will do, sir.”

The Vector had regained its normal levels of activity. Everyone was feeling uneasy, but most of the ship's crew managed to keep themselves busy in a bid to try and set any uncomforting thoughts aside. Most of the crew had decided to stick to the ‘First Contact’ protocols and refrain from asking any questions, it helped keep some of the pressure off of them.

Atlas and Torres walked out of the tram and began making their way down the hallway that led to the hangar.

“Do you think that we’ll go back?” asked Torres.

Atlas shrugged, “I'd try not to think about it...”

“Right...” she sighed, “I wonder what lives down there, it’s all so... earth-like.”

“Well, I’m just hoping it ain't dangerous.”

Both of the troopers walked into the hangar. On the ceiling, several rails kept Fighters, Interceptors, and Bombers stacked neatly, while some of them remained on their landing pads, ready to depart when needed. Most of the pilots were chatting with each other, others were playing card games, or performing maintenance on their vehicles. Several of the pilots shot some odd glances at the two as they made their way through.

“Hey, uh...” Torres looked up at Atlas. “Whatever happens, we’ve got each others backs, right?”

The giant nodded. “You can count on me.”

On the central landing pad, ‘Mac’ was standing next to a dropship, waving at Atlas and Torres before walking up the ramp and into it.

“How should we do this?” asked Torres.

“I say we keep it simple. We land nearby and then walk to the town, stop at the entrance and wait for something to happen.”

“Good enough for me,” she added.

The two walked into the ship, and the hatch closed behind them. Mac was in the cockpit, getting ready to pilot the transport vessel.

“Mac, land us by the main road that leads to the village, make sure there’s about fifty metres between them and us. Don’t wanna take chances...” Atlas held onto the railings on the ceiling, using them to support himself.

The dropship‘s engines fired up, and lifted it off of the landing pad.

A small black dot flew out of the Vector. Derpy Hooves was lying on a cloud as she tried to align her eyes to get a better view of it. She closed her right eye and looked at it with her other eye, noticing that the dot had gotten considerably bigger.

“Uh-oh...”

She leapt off of the cloud, and began flying down towards Ponyville as fast as she could. This was her moment, if she could not warn everypony in time they would all suffer terrible, terrible fates.

While in deep thought, she crash-landed into the fountain next to the Town Hall.

Ignoring the pain, she pointed towards the dot, which was not a dot anymore, but a creature-contraption-flying thing.

“It’s here! It’s here to take us! Everypony run!!!” she yelled, but her words were muffled since she had yet to take her head out of the water.

All the ponies nearby turned to the fountain, then back at where the mailmare was pointing. Many of them gasped as they noticed the metallic machine landing on the road that led to the town. They began screaming and running in every direction, getting into whatever place they could to hide from the monster. In mere seconds, the streets were empty.

The dropship touched ground and its engines turned off. Slowly, the hatch opened, allowing those inside to have a look of the village.

“Huh... looks like a ghost town.” Said Atlas.

“I think that whatever lives here is downright scared of us.” Torres stepped out of the ship, followed by Atlas and Mac.

They started walking towards the town. Not a single sound could be heard besides their footsteps. Many of the houses had planks covering their windows. The architecture of the buildings was almost worthy of a fairy tale, being extremely colourful. One of the buildings even appeared to be made of gingerbread.

The trio of bipeds neared the centre of the town. They could feel the dozens of eyes watching their every move. As they stopped walking, Atlas turned to face his two companions.

“And now we wait, I guess.”

Apple Bloom and the crusaders were hiding in a bush near Carousel Boutique, silently observing the three creatures that had walked into the town.

The three creatures stopped, the one in the middle turned to the others and said something, to which they responded with a nod.

They were tall, taller than Celestia and Luna. They stood on their hind legs and had claws on their forelegs, like dragons, except their claws were not sharp, and seemed to have rounded tips instead. They had no fur, and no skin, their bodies were covered by a metallic set of armor, perhaps something like a shell. Despite those common traits, each of the creatures was substantially different from the other two.

The one in the middle was enormous; its bulky figure almost completely covered in a dark grey set of armor, or a shell, or perhaps a chitinous plating. The few exposed areas of their bodies showed some form of tissue, seemingly made of some fibers that interlaced with each other, resembling muscle, but the disturbing part of it was that its colour was also dark grey. It had a single, orange slit for an eye, and lacked a mouth. In fact, none of them had mouths.

The one on the left was very different. Its outer shell glowed blue in several places, and its colour was a shiny silver. The parts that did not have a shell over them also appeared to be muscle, but it was much, much different from the one in the middle. The muscles on this one were also metallic, like the rest of its body, and they were made of several parts that folded into each other, creating something that looked like muscle. Its eyes glowed blue, like the rest of its complex body.

The one on the right was the one that differed the most. It was the shortest one, and its body was very slim. The shell covered its entire form, leaving no spot exposed. The most interesting feature it had was the set of wings on its back. Unlike those of a Pegasus, they had no feathers, and were sharp and metallic like the rest of its body. However, it did not have eyes. Instead, its face was a round and completely orange dome, it had no features whatsoever, and faintly shone with the light.

The first two were carrying blunt sticks on their backs, while the slimmer one was carrying two abstract objects on its sides.

Apple Bloom gulped, then whispered, “What are they...?”

“I’ve no idea... They look kinda scary. Uh, not that I’m scared or anything,” responded Scootaloo.

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom shot her a glance. “What? It’s true!” she said.

“Why aren’t they doing anything? They even look... I dunno, bored?” Sweetie said.

“Ah think they’re jus’ waiting for us... Ah mean, the same thing happened with Zecora, maybe they jus’ wanna talk to us and buy sum’ stuff? Like Zecora,” said Apple Bloom.

Scootaloo huffed, “Yeah right. Why don’t you go and talk to them then?”

“Ya’ know,” Apple Bloom stood up, “Ah think I will. They’re not doin’ anything, ah think that if they wanted to hurt us they’d have done it already. If it weren’t for me, we would’ve never gotten to know Zecora, and maybe I’ll even earn mah Cutie Mark!” She smiled at the unicorn and the pegasus, and hopped out of the bush.

She began to trot towards the three creatures, who had started talking to each other, looking away from the direction Apple Bloom was. As she got closer to them, she immediately started regretting her decision, as they turned out to be much larger than she had originally thought.

They must have heard her approach, because they had turned around and were looking down at her. She froze, and skidded to a halt right in front of the bigger one, who towered over her. She slowly looked up at its single orange eye that stared inexpressibly at her. She carefully gave the creature a sheepish grin, while simultaneously breaking out in a cold sweat.

Atlas turned around when he heard something running towards him. He saw nothing until he looked down, and found that a tiny yellow creature, with red hair, a pink bow, and big round eyes was giving him a wide, awkward grin, while starting to shake, most likely out of fear.

He wasn’t sure what to make out of it, for all he knew it could be dangerous, but it sure did not look like it. As the creature’s big, round, frightened eyes looked up at him, a wave of compassion washed over him.

Slowly, he kneeled down, the sound caused by the servos in his armor making the little creature even more afraid. He slowly examined it; it was not as alien as he had thought the creatures of this world would be. Looking back at the ‘First Contact’ procedures the USC had taught him, he realized he had to make the creature know he was not actually going to hurt it.

He extended his right arm slowly, the creature tried to hide its fear, but kept glancing back and forth between his hand and his face. As he moved his hand closer, it got to a point where the creature simply froze, the wide grin still on its face. Gently, he rubbed one of its ears with his fingers, the creature still frozen in place. Afterwards, he began to gently scratch its head, and the creature closed its eyes, and its hollow grin was replaced by a real one, as it started giggling.

Behind his visor, he smiled. “Cute little thing, isn’t it?”

“It... It tickles!” the creature said, causing Atlas to stop scratching its head.

“Hold on, you can talk? Terran?” he said.

Immediately afterwards the creature spoke up, “Wait, ya’ll can talk? Equestrian?”

Torres clapped her hands together. “D’awww it’s so cute!”

Atlas looked at Torres while chuckling. “First time I’ve ever seen you act girly.” He then looked at the little creature again. “Well uhm... Hi, my name’s Atlas. Do you have a name?”

“Mah name’s Apple Bloom! Pleased ta meet ‘ya, Mister! Wait, you are a mister, right?” said the little creature, Apple Bloom. Atlas decided it was better not to ask about the names. Not yet, at least.

Atlas scratched Apple Bloom’s head again, “Yeah, I am a mister... Glad someone decided to come out and say 'Hi'.”

“Yeah! They’re scared ‘cuz yer all big ‘n stuff! But ah knew ya’ll weren’t bad! Yer jus’ scary is all, yer’ big, and ya’ll stand weird...” Apple Bloom trailed off, and waved at some bushes. Two other little creatures emerged from them, and began walking towards the group.

Atlas chuckled, and looked over at the two creatures that were approaching them. One of them was orange, and had purple hair. The other one was white, and its hair was pink and purple. Upon closer inspection, he noticed the white one had a horn, and the orange one had wings.

He looked back at Apple Bloom. “Friends of yours?”

“Eeyup! Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle!” She said.

Scootaloo walked right over to Torres, and Sweetie awkwardly placed herself next to ‘Mac’, who just observed her.

“U-Uh... Hello? M-Mister?”

‘Mac’ kneeled down, “Interesting... Equine anatomy... small size... And a.... horn. You would not happen to be an ‘Unicorn’, would you?” His voice sounded distorted.

Sweetie Belle gulped, “Ehm, Yeah... Is something wrong with your voice?”

“Would you believe me if I told you I was a robot?” he said.

“What’s a ‘Rowbot’?” Sweetie Belle rubbed her hooves together, looking up at ‘Mac’.

“...Nevermind. What is your name?”

“Sweetie Belle!” she said, smiling at him.

“Sweetie Belle... I am ‘MAC-2945’... But you can just refer to me ‘Mac’.”

“Uhm, Hi ‘Mac’... “

The ambiance between the two became awkwardly silent for a couple minutes, especially since ‘Mac’ was staring a hole into Sweetie Belle.

“Tell me about your species. I see you are an Unicorn, but your friend has wings, and the other does not have any of those.” he said.

“Uhm... Well, we’re Ponies. There’s Unicorn ponies, Pegasus ponies, and Earth Ponies.”

“Earth Ponies... Interesting.” After his statement, he noticed how awkward the Unicorn seemed to feel.

“Is something wrong?” he inquired.

Sweetie Belle looked up at him, “Huh? Oh, N-No.”

“You stuttered. There must be something bothering you.... Am I boring you?” he bluntly asked.

“N-No.. it’s fine.” She said.

“I must be boring you. I will try to be more ‘Funny’ or ‘Entertaining’.” Mac then took a look around.

After aimlessly glancing around for some seconds, he looked back at the little unicorn. “I give up, this is really not my speciality.” he said. “Also, may I have some of your hair?”

Atlas shuffled his fingers together, “Can I ask you a few things?”

“Sure!” She sat on her haunches and smiled up at him.

“What are your species called? Is there a leader or some other figure I can talk to around here? Preferably someone who knows a lot of stuff? And finally, is the rest of your race the same size as you?”

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “We’re called Ponies, there’s three types of Ponies: Earth Ponies, Pegasus Ponies, and Unicorn Ponies. Ah think ya’ll want to talk to Twilight Sparkle; she knows alotta stuff, and I think she's like, very close with the Princess. And uh... what was the last question? Ah yeah! Well, I’m just a filly, I go to school and all.”

“Hmph... That’s very interesting... Say, where is this ‘Twilight Sparkle’?” He placed both of his hands on his knees.

“Twilight? Oh, she’s with mah sister, and the rest of her friends over at the farm. They said somethin’ about spending a lot of time together today... Also, where do you come from?”

“Uhm.... We come from a very far away land, using that thing that's floating above us. It’s called the ‘Vector’.” Behind his faceplate, he bit his lip, hoping that Apple Bloom would refrain from asking much more.

She looked up, “ ‘Vector’? You come from THAT? Woah... Hey, what’s that thing on yer back?”

Atlas was taken aback by the question. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea to talk about his rifle. “I’m not trying to be mean or anything, but can you lead us to this ‘Twilight Sparkle’ of yours? And the thing on my back is something really hard for me to explain...”

“Jus’ tell me what it’s for, pleeease?” Apple Bloom looked up at him with puppy dog eyes.

“I’ll... Fine.. It’s a.. sword, yeah, a blade comes out of one of the ends. Why did I bring it with me? Well, we didn’t know what really lived here so... we could’ve been attacked.... Can we please go now?”

The little filly tilted her head to the side. “That’s one weird sword... Anyways, come on, let's go!”

Atlas nodded. He stood up and turned to look at his companions. Sweetie Belle was awkwardly talking to ‘Mac’, and Torres was talking to, or rather, being bombarded by the questions of an eager Scootaloo.

“Torres, Mac, we’re gonna go to Apple Bloom’s farm. She says there’s someone there who can get us up to speed.”

As the three creatures and the little crusaders walked out of the town, the ponies who had been hiding inside their houses began to walk out, observing the group as they walked away.

After seeing the group walking past the flying contraption the creatures had brought with them, and instead heading towards Sweet Apple Acres; the gathering of townsponies sighed in relief, and shared some worried glances afterwards.

::> Search query: USC

::> Displaying results...

1. The United Systems and Colonies (USC) is the only non-hostile, multispecies government that is currently known to exist across our galaxy. It is currently composed of three main races, as well as several others that have accepted the embrace of the USC in order to begin their first steps towards a new era.

Formed in 2891, the USC is the result of the alliance between the Humans and the Lakuran. In 2892, both races began to openly accept each other’s members into their respective territories and the construction of several mixed-species colonies was approved.

By 2905, the cultural exchange between both races had been a success. The newly established colonies were flourishing, and both races had warmly accepted each other.

During the year 2908, the Gektar Republic made first contact with one of the mixed-race colonies on the USC’s border. The exchange was a success, and both sides agreed to host a meeting between the two Chancellors of the USC and the High Matriarch of the Gektar Republic.

Subsequently, both sides acknowledged each other as allies. In 2936, after the Genesis War, the Gektar Republic ceased to exist, and instead, the Gektar merged with the USC, forming the government we know today. [MORE]

::> Search query: Genesis war

::> Displaying results...

1. The Genesis War was a massive conflict that actively lasted ten Terran years. It involved the newly formed USC, the Gektar Republic, and the Serven.

It boiled down to two sides, the USC and the Republic, against the Serven.

The Serven are a machine race with no known origin, which unleashed an insidious, bio-engineered virus upon the Human race in 2900-2905 (the exact date is unknown). This nano-virus severely hindered the Human birth rate and caused Humanity to go into a steady decline for several years. The virus itself remained unnoticed for more than ten years. Then, in 2915, the birth rate for Humans dropped dramatically as thousands of miscarriages began occurring simultaneously.

Having debilitated the Human race—who had been the bulk of the USC’s power until then—the Serven began to attack their colonies, bringing them down one by one. The USC was unable to form a proper defense in most cases, and the aid provided by the Gektar Republic arrived too late.

The Serven infantry towered over the USC’s and the Republic’s in terms of sheer power, and many attempts to defend the colonies often resulted in failure.

Weakened by its diminishing numbers, the USC began to invest more resources into the Saviour Project upon discovering the virus. Seven hundred thousand subjects were chosen out of one million volunteers. They received various forms of genetic treatments and prototypical antidotes in hopes of counteracting the Serven bio-weapon and augmenting the Human physique to level the fight against the Serven’s ground forces.

The results were more than spectacular. Over the course of a year, not only was the bio-weapon nullified, the project also discovered that the average Human seemed to accept genetic changes surprisingly well, due to having a fairly malleable genetic code. Scientists were able to augment muscle-mass, muscle-density, bone-density, height, etc. The downside was that the more changes they made to the DNA, the more likely it was for the subject to turn sterile, regardless of the virus.

A cure was produced, along with a relatively short term gene-treatment made to augment the Human body, which altered the Human physique while still ensuring that the subjects remained fertile. Even so, the project’s mortality rate was nearly eighty percent.

Through the reverse engineering of Serven technology, several breakthroughs were made in the fields of nano-technology and biochemical-engineering. By combining this research with physical augmentation already in use, the USC was able to create infantry capable of effectively stopping Serven assaults.

In the year 2935, a detachment of the USC fleet intercepted a single Serven carrier headed towards Lumniku Das, one of the colonies within Gektar territory. The carrier was captured, and it was discovered that the ship was harboring several containers of a strange, blue substance. Further analysis revealed that the substance was composed of a very aggressive nano-machines which, upon contact with most forms of biological tissue, would immediately start to decompose it, breaking it down on a molecular level in the course of mere hours. It was immediately secured and shipped to the nearest research facility.

An order was issued to every available USC vessel: to assume defensive positions on the most vulnerable colonies.

Twelve days later, the Serven launched an attack on Korgólo, a mixed-race colony of Lakuran and Humans which was orbited and defended by a York-class space station, a small detachment of three destroyers, and five frigates.

With a fleet made up of six carriers, eleven frigates, and seven destroyers, the Serven launched their attack with brutal force. They targeted the space-station at first, making use of several boarding parties in order to disable it, as the facility possessed a ‘Mass Accelerator Cannon’ that ran through the entire length of it which posed a great danger to their fleet.

They were met with heavy resistance by part of the station’s crew, who managed to bring down three Serven destroyers, severely damage one of their carriers, and take out two other lesser vessels before the station’s command center was seized. However, while the Serven were cutting through the defensive line of the USC, a few of their frigates had already breached the USC’s perimeter and were wreaking havoc on the cities of Korgólo.

A slip-space rupture was torn open as the USS Phobos, a Mars-class Superdreadnought, entered the battle zone, backed up by two carriers, three destroyers, and three frigates.

The battle that followed was brutal; the Phobos ravaged the unsuspecting Serven, who began to accelerate towards the planet.

With only two carriers and a few frigates left, the Serven continued to approach the planet. The Phobos, and the only destroyer that was still operational, took down one of the carriers. Unfortunately, they were not capable of reloading in time to take down the other carrier.

While the vessel continued to make its approach towards the planet, the space-station began to turn, as if trying to aim at the carrier. The Serven were not able to react in time; the slow, massive carrier was struck on its side by the equally large station, ultimately causing the destruction of both the carrier and the space-station.

Fifteen minutes afterwards, the USC had managed to neutralize the rest of the Serven fleet. Later assessments discovered that the Serven carriers had been loaded with the same nano-virus found on the vessel headed towards Lumniku Das. It is speculated that their objective was the mass extermination of Korgólo’s populace.

However, the battle was not won without its losses. The USC’s fleet had been obliterated, only a single frigate and the USS Phobos remained, which was decommissioned the next day. Afterwards, it was restored, and has been orbiting the planet Mars ever since, serving as a museum/space-station.

The USC has remained in alert since the Battle of Korgólo, even though the Serven have not been sighted to this very day.

A year and a half later, as negotiations continued whilst gaining strength for a possible Serven offensive, the Gektar Republic was disbanded, and instead merged with the USC.

The date the Gektar joined the USC (November 29th, 2936), has been formally recognized as the end of the Genesis War.

All across the vast apple orchard, hundreds if not thousands of the bright fruits that hung from each tree shone radiantly as sunlight washed over their glossy surfaces. Unlike Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres was far enough from the town to avoid being obscured by the shadow of the Vector, managing to keep its usual optimistic and blissful demeanor. In the middle of the extensive apple orchard, a bright red barn stood proudly, and right next to it, as one would expect, a farmhouse, painted the same colour as the fruit the farm was famous for.

The leaves of the many apple trees ruffled gently as the soft, midday breeze swept past them. It was perfectly peaceful, and almost a perfectly silent paradise.

A rather loud thumping sound caused by a pair of mechanical legs interrupted the silence, coupled with the high-pitched voices of three excited fillies.

Six shapes could be seen walking under the hot glare of the sun and along the road that led to the center of the apple orchard. Two Humans, an android, and three little fillies, one of each type of pony, and each of them as colourful as the joyful world that surrounded them.

Atlas, Torres, and Mac walked along with the little ponies. During the first few minutes of their journey, the gruff troopers had been the victims of a barrage of questions provided by the fillies, but soon enough the little creatures had run out of questions, and thankfully the three travelers had managed to avoid most of the delicate inquires.

“Could you guys... slow down... please?” A rather tired looking Sweetie Belle looked up at Mac.

The rest of the group came to a halt and turned around to look at the little unicorn. The Humans and the android looked at each other, shrugging.

“Are we moving too quickly, Sweetie Belle?” asked Mac, with his typical cybernetic monotone.

The little white unicorn scratched the back of her head with her hoof. “Uhm... Well yeah, wait no... I dunno, it’s just that you guys can cover a lot of distance with just one step.”

The other two fillies looked up. Scootaloo spoke up, “Well, yeah kinda. Though I don’t mind, it doesn’t tire me, anyways.”

Atlas shrugged, “Well, still though, we could go faster.” He knelt down in front of Apple Bloom, and motioned towards his shoulder. “C’mon, hop on.” he said.

“Huh?”, she gave him a confused look, “Sorry but ya’ll like... walk on two legs, so I think I might kinda fall right off yer back when ya’ stand up...”.

Atlas shook his head, “No, not like that. Look, climb up, I’ll show ya’.” He then leaned down a bit more.

“Uhm.. well, alright.” Apple Bloom walked up to him and began to climb up, stepping on his knees. Atlas helped her up, placing the little filly on his back. “All you have to do is sit on the base of my neck, let your legs hang around the sides, then wrap your arms-... I mean, forelegs around my head, just make sure you don't cover my eyes.”

Following Atlas’ instructions, she sat on his back and placed her hind legs around his neck, letting them hang down.

“Okay, now hold onto my head.” Atlas said. The filly did as she was told to, wrapping her forelegs around Atlas’ head.

“Are ya’ll sure ya’ can see- Wooooaaah!” Atlas stood up, with Apple Bloom holding tightly onto him as the blood rushed out of her head and was instead pushed throughout the rest of her body. It took her a moment to get rid of the dizziness. She then took a look at her surroundings, noticing that everything was smaller.

“Woah....” she said, looking around; she was now taller than any of the the apple trees planted across the farm, and able to see even the hills that stood around Ponyville.

Atlas cleared his throat, “You can stop covering my eyes now.”

Apple Bloom giggled sheepishly, and changed her grip on Atlas’ head.

Torres knelt down, and allowed Scootaloo to climb up and sit in the same manner Apple Bloom was, but carefully avoiding the sharp, metallic wings.

“Woah! Cool! Hey, do you think you can fly with me on your back?” she asked.

Torres shook her head, “I told you, it’s too loud. Besides, I don’t think you’ll be able to hold on anyways...”, she said. The purple-maned filly groaned and rolled her eyes.

The only ones left were Sweetie Belle and Mac, who stared coldly at her. She crossed her legs and averted her eyes from him. Slowly, Mac knelt down, offering a hand at her.

“Do you want me to carry you?” It was noticeable that he made an attempt to sound a little bit more comforting, but he ended up sounding the same as always: blunt.

She looked up, meeting his cold gaze, and looked away again. “Uhm, n-no, it’s fine...”

Almost immediately afterwards, he asked again, “Please?”

“Uhh...”

“Please?” he asked exactly as before, like someone had taken a recording of him and replayed it.

The little unicorn sighed, looking up at Mac’s glowing blue eyes. “Okay... I guess.”

She awkwardly began to climb up. Mac placed his hands under her hooves, helping her up. After Sweetie Belle sat on the base of his neck, Mac steadily stood up, and then looked at the rest of the group.

“See? He’s not that bad.” Torres said, holding back a chuckle.

Scootaloo snickered, “I knew Sweetie would get the weird one.” After her statement, Mac shot her a burning glance, making her look ahead and whistle like nothing had happened.

“Well, let’s get moving.” Atlas said.

Apple Bloom bobbed up and down with each of Atlas’ steps. She had to admit, even if she didn’t know much about him, she did feel a bit comfortable with the titan; he had a somewhat friendly, yet gruff demeanor. The point of view she had just from sitting upon his shoulders was amazing, no longer was she bound by the height that came with being a filly. She proceeded to rest her head on top of Atlas’, then she closed her eyes, imagining the look on her sister's face as Apple Bloom looked down at her and said “Who’s the big pony now, huh?”.

“Hey, how fast can you go?” Scootaloo asked.

“When flying? Well, I can break the sound barrier, if you know what that means...” said Torres.

Scootaloo’s jaw hung open. “Woah... So you can make a sonic rainboom?”

“A sonic rain...boom? I don’t know what that is, but I can make a sonic boom for sure.” Behind her helmet, the woman’s lips curled into a smile. “Hey, how fast do you think the Vector can go?”

“You mean that huge thing floating up there? Well DUH! Something that big must be like, super slow!”

Torres clicked her tongue, dismissing Scootaloo’s argument. “It can go faster than light! It moves so fast you can't even see it, so fast that it could spin around the world a thousand times and even milliseconds aren’t small enough to time it. And it can also go to space.”

To say that Scootaloo was dumbfounded would be an understatement. Her mind had been absolutely blown. “How could something like that go so incredibly fast!?” she thought, “She must be lying! And space? What... I don't....” As she eventually became overloaded with her own questions, Scootaloo decided to let go of the subject, letting her brain cool down.

It was not often that Sweetie Belle felt awkward. She thought Mac was scary; his voice was weird, and he felt cold. She was not exactly holding tight onto him, even the thought of him complaining about her grip being too hard was kind of scary for her.

She sighed and looked up, resting her forelegs on top of Mac’s head. As she did so, she began to slip off of the android’s shoulder. She was about to fall down when a pair of cold hands gently stopped her from doing so.

“Are you okay, Sweetie Belle?” Mac’s tone had changed, he really did sound like he was somewhat concerned, but his regular bluntness was still somewhat present.

“Oh, um, yeah, thanks...” She readjusted her position, and Mac slowly allowed his arms to go back to their regular location.

“Please, hold on to me as tight as you want, it does not matter to me. Besides, it is my duty to protect.” After he finished talking, he noticed Torres and the rest of the group were looking at him as they walked.

“Is something wrong?” he said.

“Oh, nothing,” said Torres with a laugh.

Scootaloo smiled. “Did you see how fast his arms went? It was like, wham!”

“Believe it or not Sweetie, he may look cold and scary on the outside, but that’s just because he has trouble expressing himself. I think he kind of cares about you,” Atlas said, and then added a chuckle.

“Awww, is that true, Mac?” asked Torres.

Mac continued to stare ahead. “I will neither acknowledge nor deny,” he stated.

Atlas smiled. So far he and the others had been enjoying themselves.

A stray thought crossed his mind, changing his smile into a frown behind his faceplate. "Maybe a little too much..."

The group reached the farm. Apple Bloom’s house was just a few meters up ahead. It was a warm-looking, rather rustic farmhouse. The doors were tiny compared to those the humans were used to. After all, it belonged to ponies.

Atlas walked up to the front door and leaned down to look through the window. Inside the house, no form of activity could be seen. Old yet well conserved furniture could be observed, several family photos hung from the walls, and many of the antiques and other decorations were apple-themed.

Apple Bloom gave out a huff, “They gotta be at the barn...”

Atlas kneeled down, “Alright... you go meet them first. Just tell them someone needs to talk to ‘Twilight Sparkle’. We’ll be waiting here.”

Apple Bloom hopped off of Atlas. “Why can’t you go and meet’er yerself?”

“Weren’t we at the same town just a few minutes ago?”

Apple Bloom’s mind flashed back to the moment in which she was looking up at Atlas, fear washing over her. “Oh... Yeah, ya’ make a good point.”

Torres and Mac kneeled down as well, letting Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo get back on their hooves again. The three fillies then began their trot towards the barn, excitedly chatting with each other.

Torres let out a long sigh, “Ponies? I almost didn’t make the connection, but weren’t there ponies on Earth?”

Mac nodded. “Affirmative. Ponies were miniature equines that used to live with Humans on Earth. Though unlike these ponies, the ones on Earth did not show any signs of advanced intelligence, and were far less colourful.”

“There’s too many coincidences: same language, similar facial structure, the architecture... “ Atlas shifted his weight from leg to leg.

The three remained silent for a second, then Torres spoke up, “Well, I guess we’re lucky. We could’ve popped right above a barren planet in the middle of nowhere, but at least there’s plenty to go around in this place.... Just what is this place? Maybe we... dimension jumped?”

“Let’s talk about something else...” Atlas sighed deeply, and gave his surroundings a quick glance.

“Apple Bloom... Apples...” he chuckled inwardly at the thought; apparently these ponies were named after their profession, or something along those lines. He thought back to the moment in which he stepped into the village, remembering that there was no sign of any advanced technology whatsoever, not even any sort of vehicles. “Wooden buildings, a castle... kinda medieval. But of course, there’s apparently also magic, something we haven’t even seen yet. They must have some surprises here and there, but probably far less than what we have...”

Snapping out of his thoughts, Atlas peeked around the corner of the farmhouse, shooting a quick glance towards the barn. He saw the three little fillies talking to someone who was inside, then they turned around and began walking back to where he was, followed by two other ponies.

Atlas got behind the house again, figuring it was a good idea to remain unseen for now, as to get this “Twilight Sparkle” as close as possible to avoid her running away.

With Atlas’ size, Torres’ feature-less faceplate, and Mac’s cold stare, they did not exactly look harmless, after all.

“And who are these ponies?” asked Twilight as she, Applejack, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders walked towards the Apple family’s house.

Apple Bloom looked at her, sporting a slightly forced grin. “They’re not- I mean, eh...” she trailed off.

“It’s a surprise!” Scootaloo added.

Sweetie Belle piped up, “Eh, yeah! And it can’t be a surprise if we tell you, now can it?”

They received a rather angry snort coming from the orange mare, “It better be a darn good surprise...” muttered Applejack.

The group was only a few steps short of rounding the corner of the house. The lavender unicorn mare sighed, looking at the ground in deep thought. The Crusader’s had managed to pry them out of Pinkie’s “Best-friends-forever-and-possibly-last-party” party, which had a sad aura rather than Pinkie’s usual happy gatherings. She had to admit, it was almost scary to see Pinkie in such a depressed state.

“Well...” she said out loud, “It isn’t much of a surprise now that you’ve told us it’s a surprise,” she rounded the corner of the house, “I mean, once you know you’re going to be surprised, you logically won’t be surp-” she was cut off when her head met an immovable object, which produced a dull metallic bang against her horn and forced her to fall back onto her haunches.

It all happened in probably a second or two. She looked ahead and groaned, rubbing her forehead, noticing the two metallic beams that her head had collided with. No, that was not right, those were not beams: they were too complex. Her eyes slowly followed the length of the two objects as they merged into a single shape whilst continuing to go upwards, with some orange lights decorating its midsection, and some sort of metallic pockets. Afterwards, they divided again into two more parts that hung down loosely, and perched on top of the object, there was a head with a single, orange slit that looked down at her.

“Wait, what?” She glanced up and down; legs, torso, forelegs, head; it was not an object, nor was it part of the farmhouse. It was a breathing, living creature made of metal.

Her eyes went wide. She noticed that two more creatures stood behind the one before her. They were much smaller than it, but one of them had a pair of blue eyes that bore into her mind, and the other did not have anything, just a shiny, round orange dome for a head.

She was wrong after all, the ‘surprise’ did, in fact, surprise her.

Homo Evolutis / Humanus Defensor: Adaptable. Evolving. Devoted defenders. Those are some of the few traits that apply to the majority of Humans.

All Humans are substantially different from one another. Out of trillions of Humans, none are really the same. While most of them share many similarities, they will always focus on their differences, going as far as to fight each other simply because they don’t like the same hyper-ball team or something silly like that.

But in any case, once you add a common factor like say, survival, they will set aside their differences, stick to each other like brothers and face every challenge that may be waiting for them.

Not that threatening the survival of any race won't bring them together, it’s just that Humans have a different way of doing it.

You see, during all their time on their home planet, they never went more than half a century without some war sprouting up, most of them because of religion. (Yes, religion. Who would’ve thought someone could make a war out of that?)

Ahem, I seem to be getting sidetracked here.

Point is, whatever they need to do, they will do it. That, my friends, is why they compose more than half of the USC’s army nowadays. They are more than willing to walk that extra mile. And thanks to centuries of continuous conflict, they know what they're doing... most of the time.

Not to mention that their species is the only one that can accept significant genetic treatment without horrible, horrible consequences. They possess full control over their genetical structure, and can adapt to slightly different environments in a short lapse of time.

When, or if, they decide to join the Colonial Guard (it’s mandatory in most colonies), they must go through a gene-boosting procedure that upgrades their rather soft, squishy mammalian body, into a taller, far more muscular version with greater bone density. And there you go, you now have your average Human.

Truth is, the gene-boosting treatment has been passed down from generation to generation, and now, even without going through the procedure, the average Human is considerably tougher than what they used to be about two hundred years ago.

Yes, with today’s technology they could all, most likely, be turned into mutants with four arms that have chitinous plating rather than skin. But no worries, significant augmentation has been outlawed for more than a hundred years, why do you think the 'Human Augmentation Crisis' happened? No need to have nightmares about evil men under your bed.

Although they are now a primarily militarised species, they have no real limitations as to what they can do with their lives. Humans are not bound by honour codes as some other species are, though that doesn’t mean that they are barbarians. They’re just, as I said at the beginning, adaptable, flexible or whatever term you want to use.

As one great Lakuran comedian once said: “Kes tu’vur, ege Humanae! A’ve ru hibe kala uven’thul! Ma’saalak, Law’erk, Fuderbak, vethelan!” Roughly translated as: “I swear, these Humans! They can turn into anything! Soldiers, lawyers, strippers, whatever!”

Fragment of “Facts about the USC: All you ever wanted to (But mostly didn’t) know about our government.” E-book by ‘Lorak S’lakavah (Deceased)’. Rating: 3.4

*ERROR* Unable to download.

A loud, high-pitched scream swept across Sweet Apple Acres, interrupting the usual silence of the area and causing several birds to take flight. Next to a wooden farmhouse, three fillies and three bipedal creatures stood next to a pair of mares, one of whom had started panicking at the sight of the foreign beings.

“AAAAHHH! AAHHHH!” the purple mare kept screaming while she struggled to back away from Atlas, to no avail. Behind her, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were giving their best efforts to keep her in place. To their left, an orange mare with a cowboy’s hat was staring at the three bipeds with wide eyes and a loose jaw.

“Agh, Twilight! What are ya’ doin’!” Apple Bloom said in between grunts.

“They don’t want to hurt you or anything!” added Sweetie Belle, pushing her forehooves into the mare’s back.

Scootaloo fluttered her wings, grimacing as the screaming mare kept pushing back. “Torres... guys.... Do something!”

Atlas, Torres and Mac stood confused while the purple mare, supposedly ‘Twilight Sparkle’, was desperately trying to get away from them. Her screams of fear could be heard through the entirety of the orchard, not doing any good for the three visitors.

After shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Atlas knelt down in an attempt to meet the mare’s eye level, while resting his elbows on his knees. “Wait, wait!” he said, his voice sounding somewhat distorted due to the vo-coder installed in his faceplate, “We’re not here to do any harm to you, we just wanna-.... ”

Before Atlas could finish talking, the orange mare came back to her senses and snatched Apple Bloom from the ground, grabbing her with her teeth; this caused the purple one to tumble backwards, taking Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo with her. They rolled through the dirt a couple feet, then managed to get back on their hooves. The purple mare took her place alongside the orange one with the fillies in front of them, except for Apple Bloom of course, who was being held by the orange mare.

The mare with the hat placed the filly behind her, and then turned back, taking a defensive stance. “Girls! Ya gotta get outta here! Get away from these things!” she yelled while pawing the ground, readying herself to charge at the trio of bipeds.

Apple Bloom walked up next to her. “Applejack! They don't want to hurt ya’, they jus’ wanna talk is all!”

“Yes, we just want to talk. That’s all, we promise!” Atlas said.

“Ya’ll got ten seconds to get outta mah-! Wait, what the what now?” The mare loosened up, looking confused instead of angry.

“We just want to talk... that alright?” said Torres.

The two mares shared a confused glance. The purple one opened her mouth a couple times, her attempts to formulate words failing at first.

“Wh-... w-what? Talk? Just... t-talk?” she finally blurted out.

Atlas let out a deep sigh, “Yes, just talk...”

“Hiya!!!” a raspy voice echoed from the distance. The whole group looked up towards the source of the cry.

Atlas looked up and had just enough time to catch a glimpse of a multi-coloured blur set on a crash course against him. A net of bright blue hexagons formed around him, absorbing the force of the attack, then pushed the aggressor a good few feet away from him.

“Rainbow!” the orange mare cried out.

Atlas looked back at the rainbow blur: as it had stopped moving he realised it was actually a rainbow-maned pegasus mare. She flapped her wings and regained her balance, scowling at him.

She growled and yelled out, “Get away from my friends, you monsters!”

“Wait, I’m sorr-” Atlas was cut off as a pink pony dropped on top of him and wrapped her forelegs around his head, obscuring his vision. Shortly afterwards, two more creatures clung onto each of his legs, a white unicorn and a small reptile being. He frowned behind his faceplate and reached down, pinching the white pony and prying her off of his leg while ignoring the other two creatures.

“Release me, you ruffian!” the mare snarled, wiggling her legs in the air as Atlas held her in front of himself. He reached up to his head with his other arm and tried to grab the pink pony, who squirmed and dodged out of his reach.

“Quick! Everypony run while we distract them!” the pink mare exclaimed while avoiding the giant’s hand.

The rainbow mare shot off towards Torres, who extended her metallic wings, lit up her suit’s thrusters and flew upwards, barely avoiding the mare’s attack. The two began a game of cat and mouse, with the mare repeatedly darting towards Torres, who swiftly dodged every attempt against her. Every failed attack served to make the mare more and more infuriated.

“Mac! Do something!” Torres yelled before she noticed that the android was engaged in a staring contest against a yellow Pegasus mare.

Mac tilted his head from side to side, examining the mare. She stared back at him with a menacing glare, yet looking oddly disturbed at the same time.

“Could you please tell your friends that we just wish to talk?” he asked.

She did not respond, and the android kept observing her, not saying a word. He could literally see her body temperature rising, and both her breathing and cardiac rhythm increasing. She was either scared, or about to attack him.

“STOP! STOP NOW!” the orange and the purple mare yelled simultaneously.

The assault on Atlas ceased. The pink mare promptly hopped off of him and onto the ground, followed by a dizzy lizard and a similarly dizzy white mare with a ruffled purple mane. The pink mare shot an inquisitive look at Atlas, which he replied to with an annoyed grunt.

Torres stopped mid-flight as the mare chasing her came to a halt. The mare gave Torres an angry look as they both descended back onto the ground, and in return, Torres folded both of her arms and huffed, holding her chin up.

The yellow pegasus broke away from Mac’s stare and nervously backed away from him, hiding her face behind her mane and muttering under her breath while the android simply continued to stare at her.

Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calming herself down. She then opened them and allowed herself a moment to get a good look at the creature that stood before her. Its bright orange eye swept across Twilight and her friends, and was soon joined by its two companions who walked over and stood next to it, flanking it on each side.

She wondered if her friends’ actions had made them angry, and the thought alone sent a shiver crawling down her spine as her mind shuffled through several of the possible outcomes.

The big one had summoned some sort of spell that hurled Rainbow Dash away with little to no effort on its part, seemingly without even noticing the attempted attack against it. At least it had made no real effort to fight against Pinkie, Rarity and Spike, instead opting to groan and stay still after trying to shake them off.

The more slender one had taken flight to avoid Rainbow Dash, using a rather interesting method: fire, blue fire, and it moved through the air with no problem, nay, gracefully even.

The silver one with the blue eyes was arguably the most disturbing one; it had gotten caught up in Fluttershy’s stare, yet had remained completely unfazed by it, even going as far as to ask her questions such as “Are you okay?”. Another odd trait was its voice: it was unnatural, at least by Equestrian standards. Perhaps it was a trait of its race.

Twilight gulped. “Please ehm... excuse my friends here.” She felt a shiver run down her spine again as the eyes of the creatures locked onto her. “They must have thought you were trying to... hurt us,” she finished with a bashful grin and a giggle, and was relieved as the bigger creature nodded at her.

“Alright... alright.” She took in a deep breath, “You want to talk, that’s fine, but who are you? Or rather, what are you? And most importantly, why are you here?” she asked, managing to maintain a degree of composure despite feeling utterly terrified on the inside. Upon hearing her questions, the bigger creature looked up and took a deep breath before returning its attention to her.

“We’re travelers,” it said, through no visible mouth, its voice definitely male. “Travelers from far away, and we happened to stumble upon your land. We really don’t mean to do any harm. In fact, we were just looking to strike up a conversation, you know, for the whole cultural exchange and such, but nobody in your village seemed really enthusiastic about it. They just seemed to be downright scared instead. Though honestly, we kind of expected that one. Anyways, Apple Bloom and her friends were brave enough to walk up to us.”

Applejack scowled slightly and looked at Apple Bloom, who gave her an apologetic smile.

The creature continued, “She told us about a ‘Twilight Sparkle’? Supposedly she’s a leader figure of sorts, is well informed, and is very close with this ‘Princess’ of yours.”

Twilight beamed up, “O-oh, that’s me!” She thought back to the mention of a cultural exchange, and considered all the possibilities. “I-I guess I can spare some time....”

“But Twilight...” said Pinkie.

The unicorn mare turned around to see the rest of her friends looking at her disapprovingly. She was not about to leave them, no, but she could not dismiss the travelers, either.

“What if... can we take them to the barn with us?” she asked.

Applejack shrugged, “Ehm... sure, s’long as they don’t cause any trouble.”

“Wait! We don’t have enough cake! Especially for that big one, he must eat tons!” said Pinkie Pie, causing the slim, faceless creature to snicker.

Twilight raised an eyebrow at the pink mare, and then looked back at the creatures, gulping.

“Uhm, you eat cake... right?” Twilight asked.

The large creature nodded. “Yes. I know what you’re thinking, and no, though we are omnivorous, we won’t eat you or anything like that. Cake sounds nice.” Upon hearing this, the crowd of ponies gave out several relaxed sighs. He then shrugged. “Well, lead on.”

The whole group began to walk through the dirt road leading to the barn, but after a few seconds they were abruptly stopped by Twilight.

“Oh! Wait, we never really gave you our names. Well, as you already know, I’m Twilight Sparkle, the town’s librarian.” She beamed up at them.

“Name’s Applejack, nice to meet ya’. Me an’ my family run this here farm.” she said, tipping her hat.

“Rarity, my dear. Ponyville’s fashionista.” She struck a fashionable pose, which did not exactly cause the desired effect due to her mane being in a rather deplorable state, thanks to the big creature.

Pinkie began to hop around the trio of travelers, “I’m Pinkie Pie! Ponyville’s super-duper-most-awesome-party-pony!”

“I’m Flutters...” Fluttershy’s voice trailed off into a whisper as she nervously hid behind her mane.

“She’s Fluttershy. She runs the animal shelter, and she’s... well, shy.” Twilight finished for her.

The travelers nodded as each of the mares voiced their names and occupation. The winged one had to stifle a laugh on several occasions.

Rainbow Dash leaped off of the ground and flew a couple times around the group, then stopped and hovered face to face with the bigger creature, smirking.

“I’m Rainbow Dash!” She switched positions, now directly in front of the winged one, “The fastest flier in all of Equestria!” She placed extra emphasis on ‘Fastest’ and ‘All’.

The slim creature chuckled, “You can call me ‘Torres’.” It, possibly a she as hinted by the tone of its voice, folded its forelegs. “And I think you’re in for a treat,” it retorted, adding an undisguised pinch of smugness to its statement, causing Rainbow to glare defiantly at it. The rest of the mares and fillies rolled their eyes; she was just being Rainbow Dash, after all. Scootaloo, though, was too busy gaping at the two.

“You may refer to me as ‘Mac’,” the silver one said, causing all of the mares’ eyes to turn to it, and Applejack to lift an eyebrow. She chuckled softly at the coincidence.

“And I’m Atlas,” the big one said, “Nice to meet you too.”

“Okay then! Let’s get going!” Twilight said, her voice filled with excitement.

The group got moving again, heading towards the barn. Twilight walked next to Atlas, careful not to get too close to him. “Hey, ehm... Could we maybe start that cultural exchange right now?” she asked sheepishly, fighting hard to contain her inner scholar. She really wished she had a quill and a roll of paper right at that moment.

Atlas chuckled, “Sure, ask away.”

“Okay.” She quickly went through her mental list of questions, and finally settled for what she thought was the best one to set a starting point with.

“Where do you come from? We haven’t ever seen your kind around here!” she said, letting some excitement slip into her voice.

“Ah, well...”

The bedroom of the Princess of the Night had always been a reflection of her eccentric personality. Dark blue walls lit by candles that shone with a similar glow, a product of the magic, Luna’s magic, that kept them lit. The ceiling was painted with the darkest of blacks, so dark in fact that it seemed to absorb the light around it. Encrusted on this ceiling were dozens, maybe hundreds of tiny spots that, contrary to the rest of the room, shone with the brightest of whites, providing most of the illumination and resembling the night’s sky.

Her chambers were always kept tidy and neat. However, that was not the case at the moment. The room was littered with scrolls and tomes of all kinds, covering up a significant portion of the polished obsidian floor. In the middle of the bedroom was a circular bed, with a blue Alicorn sprawled on top of it.

She remained motionless for a few more minutes, the only sign that she was alive being the steady rise and fall of her chest.

With a disgruntled groan, the Princess got off of the bed and made her way over to a nearby desk, head hanging low. On the desk were several books, ranging from ancient legends, prophecies and the likes, to even the most modern fairy tales of Equestrian society. Some of the books were so big and ancient, that they could have easily been as old as the Princess herself, perhaps even older. Right on that desk were books that contained information long forgotten by Equestria, books that were usually kept inside of vaults for tens or hundreds of years.

Even so, no mention of ‘USS Vector’ could be found except for a book that depicted a ‘Vector’ as some sort of mathematical concept, but that was hardly relevant concerning the situation at hoof.

She sat down in front of the desk, levitating all of the books into an orderly pile. She then began to do the same with several sketches and photos, all of them showcasing several skeletons, all of them lying on medical tables, and all of them from the same type of unknown creature.

Sighing, she summoned her magic to pull open the drapes on the wall adjacent to her desk, and looked out through a window that was shaped like a crescent moon.

Canterlot was supposed to be bathed by the afternoon’s sunlight, except that ‘Vector’ happened to be hovering right in front of the sun, making the city look dull and dark.

Luna took a deep breath, and her eyes shifted to a bipedal doll clad in a dinky suit of pink armor standing merrily on top of her desk. “And just a few weeks ago, I was living the normal life of a Princess...” She grabbed the doll with her forehooves. “Then all of a sudden, a thing crashes through a tower, and inside that thing I find the remains of... something, and a doll. Of course it had to be a doll...”

She looked at the doll, and it happily glanced back with its fixed eyes and smile. Her mind quickly flashed back to the image of the bloodied doll it originally was, causing her to flinch. She had spent three hours frantically brushing her teeth after realising she had actually carried it all the way over to Canterlot using them instead of her magic. She touched her lips with one of her hooves and flinched, as her gums were still sore.

“Why do you resist my magic...”

She scowled, channeling her magic around the doll. A blue aura enveloped it, and the doll slowly rose up in the air, reaching Luna’s eye-level before dropping back onto the desk.

She sighed, rubbing her head. The doll simply repelled magic, and even Luna had a bit of trouble keeping hold of it. She had it tested for incantations, and found none, so she was eventually forced to settle down and accept the fact that the doll was resistant to magic, for some reason.

Groaning, she levitated a few of the sketches and photos in front of her. She shuffled through them and picked one of the photos. It showed four skeletons lying on surgical tables. They belonged to the bipedal creatures Luna had seen three days earlier. Two of them were significantly bigger than the others, and each bone was incredibly hard. The next one was slightly smaller, with less bone density. The last one was much smaller, most likely an infant. At the end of their forelegs, they all had a claw-like appendage that, according to the palace’s doctors, most likely had soft tips, indicating that the skeletons belonged to the members of a highly dexterous species, similar to minotaurs.

But of course, she already knew most of that. After all, she had seen images of them from before they had died.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and placed the plush doll on the desk.

“Okay,” she sighed while levitating a quill and various pieces of paper. “Let’s do taxes.”

Twilight opened the door to the barn and trotted inside. Trailing behind her was Atlas and the rest of the group.

“I see... well, I had figured already that you had something to do with the ‘Vector’. So, it is like a city then?” she asked Atlas, who had to crouch through the barn’s doors, allowing the rest of the group to walk in.

“Not exactly....“ he responded.

A large table suited for several ponies stood in the middle of the barn, on top of it were seven dishes with half-eaten pieces of cake, and in the center, a large cake and various apple treats. The entire barn was covered in streamers, and a large banner hung from the ceiling.

“BEST FRIENDS FOREVER”

An awkward silence took over. The six mares and the single dragon walked over to the table and sat down on the wooden chairs that were placed next to it. Following suit were the three ‘Humans’, as they referred to themselves, and the Crusaders, who never seemed to stop giggling and exchanging whispers.

The silence was broken by a loud crash, and everypony turned to look at Atlas, who was sitting in what used to be a chair, and was now a pile of splinters under him.

Sitting on the other side of the table, Torres began snickering, and then broke out into laugh, followed by the Crusaders and Pinkie.

“Uhm... I’m sorry?” Atlas said.

“Oh don’t ya’ worry none,” Applejack waved a hoof dismissively. “It was gonna break sometime soon anyways.”

Twilight sat down next to him and perked up. “Sooo... what is the Vector, exactly?” she asked, barely able to contain her excitement.

He took his time to pull out some of the remains of the chair from under him before speaking up. “It’s...” he trailed off, looking at the ponies.

Torres groaned and folded her arms. “Just tell ‘em already!”

“Fine,” he sighed, and looked back at Twilight, “It’s a ship, the Vector’s a ship.” he said.

Instantly, the eyes of all the Ponies locked onto him, their expressions showing total confusion. Twilight tilted her head to the side, one of her eyebrows raising. “Like... an enormous airship?”

“Yeah, it’s not that kind of ship, it’s a spaceship.”

The Ponies grew even more confused, some of them even letting out a “Huh?” and leaning in closer, as if they were unsure of what they had just heard.

“We are here on behalf of an interstellar organisation called the ‘USC’, it stands for ‘United Systems and Colonies’. The Vector is a spaceship, think of it as a ship that, well, flies, able to go through space.”

“We,” he gestured to his friends. “are ‘Humans’, though the USC is home to many other species. We happened to stumble across your planet and, well, decided to drop by.”

The barn was taken over by a cold silence as the Ponies processed what they had just heard. Atlas and his companions exchanged glances, unsure of what to do next.

“So you come from... outside the Earth? How is that even possible?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking at them with wide eyes.

“Earth-...? I, uh, there’s a lot of things your race is yet to discover, it seems.” Torres said.

Twilight looked down and then up to Atlas. “I-I see... Let’s continue with the more simple questions, shall we? First off: how do you breathe? I don’t see a mouth or anything. Actually, do you breathe at all?”

“Huh? Oh...” Atlas tapped his face. “This is a faceplate, it’s part of our armor.” He looked at Torres.

“Masks off?” he asked her.

She gave him a nod. “Sure, masks off.”

Instantly, a stream of gas shot off from their heads, and they began to take off their so called faceplates.

The mares and the fillies prepared for the worst, bracing themselves for the alien eyes that were beyond the masks, the sharp fangs and the green, slimy skin.

Eyes, mouth, eyebrows... The Ponies breathed a sigh of relief, the Humans didn’t look all that alien, they were just... A little odd.

Their faces were not so different from the face of a Pony. They did not have fur covering their skin, except from their eyebrows. Their eyes were smaller compared to those of a Pony, but they had the same structure. They had a small bulge on the center of their face, which could only be assumed to be their nose.

Atlas’ features were more defined, as it would be expected from a male. His eyes were green, he had a stubble beard and a short-cropped mane, though most of it was hidden away by his helmet.

Torres, on the other hoof, had a much more feminine facial structure. Her skin was a bit darker than Atlas’, her eyes were brown, and she had a long mane that was held back in a pony tail.

“Heh, ya’ll don’t look so bad...” Applejack said.

The man chuckled, “Heh, thanks?”

Twilight perked up again. “O-Oh my... And you-” She began to squeal like a little filly out of excitement.

Atlas smiled, and opened his mouth to say something. He quickly closed it, and his gaze locked onto nowhere.

He nodded. “Yes sir.” he said, to no one in particular. “Understood.”

“Excuse me, but... who were you talking to?” Rarity asked.

Atlas looked up. “Huh? Oh, uh, no one, don’t worry about it. Say, Twilight... How close to the Princess are you?”

She beamed up at him. “Well I... I'm her personal protege...” She smiled, her face taking on a shade of crimson.

“Right,” he said. “Would you be so kind as to set us up for a meeting with your Princess? Do you have a way to contact her?”

Her smile intensified. “Yes! I mean, I-I... Let me ask her first!”

“Spike!” Twilight called, her eyes glistening.

Spike rushed to her side, and stood at attention.

"Yes, Twilight?"

“Go fetch my saddlebags!”

Luna sat quietly in front of her desk while she did some paperwork. A doll and a large stack of papers were lying on top of her desk. The Princess opened her mouth, and gave out a yawn that almost shook the roof. She allowed her head to rest on the desk and closed her eyes, letting the quill she was levitating fall onto the glossy surface of the wooden surface.

A loud knock on her chamber’s door snapped her out of her peace. “Who dares to interrupt our royal rest!” she thought.

“Princess Luna?” asked a gruff voice, most likely one of the guards.

“Yes?” she groaned.

“Princess Celestia requests your presence in her chambers. She said it is of utmost importance.”

Luna let out a deep sigh. “Alright, alright. I’ll be there soon.” The Princess stood up, stretching all of her limbs, some of her joints popping, and then slowly made her way over to the door, opening it with her magic.

Outside, she met one of Celestia’s guards. He was clad in shiny golden armor, and had a retractable lance strapped on his shoulder.

She began the walk through the castle’s hallways towards her sisters bedroom, the guard walking alongside her.

Midway through the hallways, Luna cast a glance through the multiple windows of the castle, some of which had not been replaced yet, ever since the floating contraption had made its appearance.

‘Vector’ still hadn’t moved a single inch. It was obscuring Celestia’s sun, which in turn highlighted its massive shape.

“Almost like an eclipse, really.” Luna thought. “It's just missing the moon...”

The Princess and the guard reached the door to Celestia’s room. Luna gingerly opened the door with her magic and trotted in, leaving the guard in the hallway.

Inside, Celestia was sitting on a cushion near her fireplace, sipping on a cup of tea. All around her were several stacks of papers, a few folders and some books. She looked over to where Luna was standing.

“Ah, Luna, I’m glad you came by. Take a seat, please.” she said, smiling.

Luna trotted over to the fireplace, and sat down on one of the many cushions. “The guard said it was of ‘Utmost Importance’ for me to come here. Did something happen?”

“Ah, yes.” Celestia levitated a scroll to her sister. “Please, read this.”

Luna took the scroll with her magic and unrolled it in front of herself.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I have discovered the mystery behind the ‘Vector’! It turns out it is actually a ship, a ‘Starship’, and it belongs to an interstellar organisation called ‘USC’, which stands for ‘United Systems and Colonies’.

Not too long ago, me and my friends were visited by three representatives of the ship. They refer to themselves as ‘Humans’, though according to them there are many more species within the ‘USC’. Can you believe it? They come from outside the planet! And they say that stars are actually other suns that are very far away!

So far they have been, for lack of a better term, nice, and have agreed to stay with us for the moment. I can’t wait to hear about their culture!

They have claimed that they want to schedule a meeting with you - Today, preferably. (According to them).

I wish I could explain more, but I don't think this scroll is big enough...

I’m so very sorry that I have to trouble you with this, especially in times like this. I understand If you cannot answer this letter right away.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

::> Search query: Human Augmentation Crisis

::> Displaying results...

Human Augmentation Crisis: During the early 31st century, Humankind was flourishing. Multiple breakthroughs in medical nano-technology had allowed for the removal of every disease that affected them. Limbs could be rebuilt or replaced by mechanical variants.

Corporations like 'Bio-Augtech' and 'Life Central' were leading this race. With trillions of credits, they provided the majority of the augmentation services that Humans required.

But how far can you alter your body before it becomes too much?

The blue aura encompassing the scroll abruptly vanished, allowing gravity to pull on the parchment, drawing it down onto the marble floor. Princess Luna remained frozen still, her pupils reduced to a fraction of their original size. She mentally reviewed the contents of the letter several times.

“Vector... Ship... Interstellar... Humans... Meeting...”

No, it still did not make much sense to her.

She slowly summoned her magic once again to bring the scroll up to eye level. With another quick glance over its contents, Luna was sure she was not imagining things.

Her efforts to uncover the mystery had been for naught. Twilight Sparkle, her sister’s “Faithful Student”, appeared to have done so purely out of luck, and now the unicorn was claiming that she had been visited by three extraterrestrials.

In front of her, Celestia remained placidly sitting on one of the many cushions that she possessed, sipping her now nearly empty cup of tea. Luna’s jaw hung loosely while she did her best to try to formulate words, only managing to get a nearly inaudible whimper out of her mouth.

Celestia noticed the reaction of her younger sister. She finished her cup of tea with a final sip and then gave her sister a stern look. “Perhaps you are wondering if this letter is truly from Twilight Sparkle herself, and yes, it is.”

Luna’s mind reeled back once again, her thoughts finally beginning to unclog.

“W-What...” she trailed off. Her eyes narrowed while she glared at Celestia. “How can thou be so impassive!? Do you not comprehend what hath been written upon thy parchment!?” she exclaimed, her tone almost rising into the ‘Royal Canterlot Voice’.

“Luna—”

“Not only does it appear to be no more than a mere jest! If the content holds true, then the very safety of Equestria might be compromised!” She stood up, letting out an angry snort.

“Luna!”

“We hast the remains of four creatures that may very well be members of the ‘Humans’ that were mentioned by thy student! How shalt we explain!? Perhaps they are here to avenge their fallen comrades!”

“LUNA!”

“And they calleth us ‘Mommy’!”

Silence fell upon the room. Luna looked down at the floor and returned to a sitting position, hiding her blush. Meanwhile, the elder sister sighed, “I was hoping that you would not panic...”

“I’m... I’m sorry, I should not have... ‘slipped’.”

“It’s alright.” The white Alicorn levitated a quill and a roll of paper from a nearby desk. “I’m going to send her a letter asking for confirmation. Mmm, I should be able to adjust my schedule to have an hour or two available this evening. How about you, sister?”

Luna perked up. “You’re going through with this!?”

“Well of course, I am in no position to deny their request.”

“But what if they are here to cause harm?”

“In case they are, we will be prepared... How tall were the skeletons you found?”

“Well, assuming that they stand on two legs, a couple of them were about nine hooflengths tall, one was almost seven, and the smaller one was three, maybe four.”

“It will be quite a challenge to muster up a good number of guards, considering their height. But then again, these ‘Humans’ may be a completely different species from what you found.” Celestia then began scribbling on the paper.

Luna watched as her sister furled the parchment, and then gave it a single touch with the tip of her horn, causing it to be consumed by yellow flames. Afterwards, the remaining ashes flew out of one of the room’s many windows, as if carried by a ghostly breeze.

The younger sister sat quietly for a few seconds. A smile spread across her face, and her sibling watched her expectantly. “Alright,” she said. “I can make space for eight o’clock this evening, how about you?”

“Yes, eight o’clock sounds perfect.” The Princess of the sun replied.

Luna got up on all fours. “I will go and inform the guard.” She began to walk towards the door.

“Oh, one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“Make sure our... Guest, is prepared.”

“I will do my best, sister.” Luna then pushed the door to Celestia’s bedchambers open, and walked back out into the large hallway.

Sitting in front a table inside the barn of Sweet Apple Acres were three figures that appeared to be too big for the single piece of furniture. These were “Humans”, as they referred to themselves. Surrounding them was a group of six ponies and three fillies, all of them watching the armored figures warily, recoiling at each sudden movement the Humans made.

The tallest and bulkiest human, Atlas, was looking at the small dragon the Ponies referred to as “Spike”, who exhaled a flame into a small scroll. The whole group watched as the letter burned into ashes that were soon carried away by a non-existent draft of wind. Atlas looked back down at the little lizard that had set fire to it, raising an eyebrow.

“Why did you do that?” he asked.

Spike puffed out his chest in pride. “Well, since I was hatched with magic, my fire's always been sorta special. Twilight says I've got some 'Magic-fire' thingamajig—”

“'Magic-infused fire',” the lavender unicorn interrupted.

“Yeah that,” Spike continued. “After a while, I figured out—”

“WE figured out.” Twilight cut in again.

“Fine.” He rolled his eyes. “We figured that we could send letters to the Princess using it; it's much faster than actually using the mail.”

“Huh, I thought you just wanted to set it on fire.” Atlas said, “Had forgotten about your... 'Magic'...”

“Oh!” Twilight piped up. “Speaking of which, what kind of magic do you have? How do you use it? What makes the Vector stay afloat?” With each question, she began to speak with increasing speed.

“Whoa, one question at a time, please.” Atlas said, gesturing for her to calm down.

“Oops, hehe,” Twilight giggled. “I'm getting a bit excited, sorry... So uhm, how does your magic work? I don’t see any horns or anything similar.” she asked.

“We don't have magic,” the man answered. He watched as the unicorn froze for a few seconds, then shook her head.

“Oh, stop it!” she giggled. “Seriously though, I don't see a horn or anything, so how are you able to use magic?”

“We don't, really,” he stated once again, his expression showing complete seriousness. “The shield you saw when your friend tried to attack me, the Vector, none of those things work with magic.”

“Well how do they work then?” Her voice began to rise in volume. “It has to be magic! There's no other way!” She looked up at him, pouting.

An orange hoof gently pulled Twilight away from him, and then wrapped itself around her neck.

“Sorry,” Applejack said, grinning awkwardly. “Ya’ll gotta excuse Twilight here. She can get mighty excited about some things.”

Spike snorted. “Yeah, she can't control it. The idea of not knowing how something works is terrifying to her.”

“No it's not!” she retorted.

Everyone in the barn stared at her in silence, even Fluttershy, who had taken to hiding behind a bale of hay, peered out of her hiding spot to look at her.

Rarity stepped up to her, covering her grin with one of her hooves. “Deary, do you remember the time you tried to explain the 'Pinkie Sense'?”

Twilight's ears flopped down, and she blushed out of embarrassment. “Well... okay fine, I may go overboard sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” Rainbow Dash scoffed. All of the ponies, including Twilight, engaged in a fit of giggles. Atlas and Torres smiled at them, while Mac sat silently, hands resting on his knees.

“Hey,” Pinkie said, walking up to the android. “Why haven't you taken your mask off?”

Mac looked down at her, and to the surprise of many, the pink pony showed no signs of being intimidated by his burning stare.

Torres shuffled uncomfortably on her seat. “He uhm, he's really ugly! Yeah...” Atlas looked at her with an unamused expression.

“Should I take my mask off as well?” asked Mac.

“If you want to...” Fluttershy said. She squeaked and hid behind her mane as she received several surprised looks upon finding her in front of the table instead of hiding behind the bale of hay.

Mac shrugged, and moved his hands up to his head.

Atlas looked over at him. “Mac, wait—”

With an audible click, Mac's faceplate came loose, and he gently slid it off.

All of the Ponies gasped. Fluttershy ran and hid behind the bale of hay again, while the rest of them simply stared at him, their bodies refusing to move.

A metallic skull was presented to them, covered by a layer of thin, tendon-like tissue that in turn was held in place by several rivets. The lower half of the face looked as if it had been ripped apart by an enraged beast, leaving only a few tendons preventing Mac’s jaw from falling, and two dark holes in the place in which the nose was supposed to be. A pair of inexpressive eyes stared coldly at the group, with pupils that glowed with a dim hue of blue.

“Is something wrong?” he asked. All of the ponies recoiled as his eyes scanned over them in an almost mechanical motion.

“O-Oh my Celestia. You did not lie when you said he was ugly...” Rarity said, receiving a light kick from Applejack, who grinned awkwardly at her while gesturing towards Mac.

“Mac, put your mask back on,” Atlas said.

“As you wish.” He complied and grabbed his mask, placing it over his face. Another click could be heard as it was locked in place. Some of the ponies sighed as Mac’s face was once again hidden behind the metallic faceplate. The barn then fell silent while Pinkie Pie walked up to him.

“Did something happen to you?” she asked, concern filling her voice.

“Pinkie!” the other mares shouted.

“I'm just asking!”

“No,” Torres doubted herself for a moment, but decided to speak anyways. “He's... he's what we call an 'Android'.”

“'Android'?” Twilight asked. Before any of the Humans could answer, her eyes went wide with realization. “Oh! I get it, it's sort of like how we have Pegasus, Earth and Unicorn Ponies, isn't it? You have different types of Humans!” She grinned and rubbed her forehooves together.

“Uhm, not exactly,” Atlas said, growing more uncomfortable as he noticed Twilight's grin fade away.

“Ugh, screw it,” Torres muttered, placing her arms on the table. “An android is a machine, built to resemble Humans, and to work for Humans,” she stated.

“Whoa, hold yer horses there,” Applejack said, walking closer to Mac and examining him. “Ya'll mean that he's a machine that thinks, and can talk and feel and all that?”

“Kind of like a golem?” Twilight asked.

“Golem? No... I mean...” Atlas shook his head. “Listen, it's really complicated. We could be talking about this all day. What's important is that he's not going to harm any of you, and neither are we, so could we talk about something else and maybe...” He eyed one of the apple pies at the center of the table, “maybe eat something?”

The ponies shared worried looks before going back to their respective seats. Rarity walked over to Fluttershy's hiding place and began trying to convince her to come out and join the rest of the group.

Twilight, meanwhile, sat back down next to Atlas, who handed over a slice of apple pie to Mac. The android stared at it for a moment before giving a nod to Atlas. The man then brought the pie to his mouth and took a bite out of it, smiling at the taste.

Next to her were the three crusaders, sitting right next to each other in silence, looking like they were about to doze off. They had not slept at all last night, in fact, nopony could; having the Vector hovering above them prevented them from any sort of relaxation.

She felt a hoof prod her side, and she turned her gaze to discover Rarity, who gestured for her to come closer. Once they were far enough from the table, the white unicorn leaned in and began whispering, “Twilight, don't you think that perhaps we may be being a little too... open with them?”

“What? Rarity, how can you say that?” Twilight retorted, “We are the first Ponies to ever meet a Human!”

“Ssshh! Keep it quiet!” Rarity whispered harshly. “And that's exactly what you should be worried about. Nopony has ever even heard of them. Why, do not tell me you actually believe what they're saying!”

“Well... I'll admit it's pretty far fetched. But I mean, look at them!” Twilight discreetly pointed a hoof at the massive figure of Atlas, who was busy chomping down on a slice of pie. “Look at the complexity of their armor! ...Actually, why do they wear armor anyways?”

“You see, Twilight? Something is not quite right!”

“But... there's so much we could learn from them!”

“Darling, I understand that.” Rarity replied. “Listen, I propose this: we should try to find out why exactly they're here, before telling them anything else.”

“Don't you think that if they wanted to do anything, they would have done so already?” Twilight asked, cautiously looking over the group.

“...You make a valid point.”

The two mares stood in silence, awkwardly shuffling their hooves. Twilight looked at Atlas and could not help but shudder; the man was truly enormous, so big that he almost did not fit through the barn door.

A loud burp interrupted all conversations. All eyes turned to Spike, who walked up to Twilight holding a scroll in his claw. The mare's horn lit up as the scroll was taken away from the dragon's grasp. She unfurled it in front of herself and read it aloud.

“My Dear Student, Twilight Sparkle.

Before anything, I would like to remind you that I will most certainly always have time for you, even now. In fact, I enjoy it.

Now, on to the matter at hoof. To say that I was surprised would be an understatement. You have to realize that what you mentioned to me in your previous letter was... somewhat hard to believe. Nevertheless, you have my absolute confidence.

Please, do tell your guests that they are welcome in the land of Equestria, and that a more formal meeting at the Royal Palace can surely be scheduled today. Both my sister and I can re-adjust our agenda for a meeting this evening. More specifically, we should be able to have a few free hours once I lower the sun and she raises the moon.

Do your guests agree with this arrangement? Shall I send a chariot your way? If so, to where, exactly?

Also, I would like to request that you and your friends come to the castle as well.

Please, reply as soon as you can.

Your Beloved Teacher, Princess Celestia.”

Having finished reading the letter, Twilight lowered the parchment to discover that the eyes of all three Humans were locked onto her. She smiled sheepishly, shrinking a small bit under their combined gaze.

Atlas, with both of his hands upon his knees and halfway turned towards her, was the first to speak.

“When she lowers the sun...” he said, his somewhat gruff demeanor ever present. “Got it.”

Twilight smiled, her confidence building up. “Alright!” She said, fetching a blank piece of paper from her saddlebags. “So, chariot?”

The big man shook his head. “Won't be necessary, just tell her that we'll be there on time.”

“Right then.” She telekinetically took hold of a nearby quill and began rapidly scribbling on the paper. She felt herself about to break out in a cold sweat as the gaze of the three foreigners did not break from her, something they had also done when she wrote the first letter. They almost looked curious. Almost.

She finished writing and was about to roll up the paper, but stopped. She regained a hold of the quill as fast as she could, hoping that no one would notice, and set upon hastily writing a few last lines into the letter.

Atlas observed the unicorn with a stern expression. He raised an eyebrow as the purple pony started adding a few extra lines into the letter while bearing an extremely wide smile on her face.

Twilight finished her frantic scribbling and rolled up the letter, not even bothering to stamp a seal on it before floating it over to her assistant. Spike took the letter out of her magic grasp. He regarded her with a quizzical look, but said nothing. He shrugged not too long after, and blew a stream of green fire that consumed the paper in less than a second. It turned into a silver mist that swiveled around and promptly left the barn, carried out through one of the windows by the same magical wind.

Atlas, Torres and Mac broke their stare away from Twilight to watch as the mist danced through the air and out of the barn. She breathed a sigh of relief and gingerly trotted up to Atlas' side again. The man had eaten several plates of apple pie by now. “No wonder,” she said to herself. “A whole pie is smaller than his hand...”

The barn was silent. The ponies had more or less huddled together on one side of the table, while the Humans kept silent on the other side. Mac was looking towards the front door of the barn, never breaking his stare. Torres seemed to notice that; she turned to him and rose and eyebrow.

“Mac?” She asked. “Something wrong?”

The 'Android' gave one quick nod. “Yes.” He replied, bluntly.

“Well then,” Torres leaned in closer. “What is it?”

“Chatter. Footsteps... 'hoofsteps', more exactly, and many of them, if my motion tracker is correct.” He stood up and walked closer to the door. “They are getting closer. I also detect yelling... there are too many voices to tell any of them apart.”

Twilight and the rest of her friends stood up and edged closer to the door as well. Everyone was silent, the ponies' ears flickered as they tried to pick up the sounds coming from the outside. It was getting closer; the many voices growing louder. Applejack crept towards the big barn door and pushed it slightly, peering outside.

Not long after she did, the cowmare abruptly turned around, her eyes wide.

“Uhhm... I think we got a problem,” she said. The remaining five mares took a step forward, eyeing her with concern.

Twilight gulped. “Are they...?”

Applejack looked at the ground and pawed at it. “Eh... pitchforks n' torches...”

“W-what?” The ponies reared their necks back in surprise. The Humans meanwhile, looked at each other, eyebrows raised. But other than that, they showed no other display of shock. Without saying a single word, Atlas and Torres grasped their faceplates and placed them back into their original positions, a loud click reaching the ponies’ ears as the pieces of armor locked in place.

Twilight took numerous deep breaths and closed her eyes, trying to calm down in order to formulate some sort of plan. Her sleep deprivation, though, was getting in the way of that.

“Alright, I think I know what we have to—” She turned around to meet Atlas, who was standing up, towering over her. “—do...”

The man sighed, looking down at the ponies. “Don't worry, we sort of expected this to happen, anyways.”

“You did?” Pinkie asked, looking up at him curiously. “What're you gonna do, then?”

Fluttershy yelped and flew up to meet Atlas' eye level. “Oh please, don't hurt anypony!” she pleaded.

“No,” Atlas replied, “we're not doing anything like that. We're just gonna leave.”

“Leave!?” Twilight trotted up to him and stood on her hind legs, balancing herself by placing her forelegs on Atlas. “Y-You can't leave! I have so many questions! Why, we just barely started getting to know each other! There is so much!” She looked up at him, her neck aching. “And the Princess... I-...” she trailed off, the inexpressive orange slit of Atlas' mask staring down at her.

He sighed and shook his head. “Don't worry. Tell your Princess that we'll be at her castle once the sun sets.”

Upon finishing his statement, he and his two companions walked up to the barn door. The cacophony of voices and hoofsteps had gotten much louder, and a range of loud questions, insults, and threats could be heard. The Humans paid no mind to that; Atlas casually pushed the door open, allowing the sunlight of the late afternoon to flood into the barn.

Twilight and her friends shielded their eyes, having been in the dimly lit barn for too long. The ruckus of the mob died out soon after the door was opened, there were no more insults and threats being thrown into the air anymore.

Once their eyes adjusted to the brightness, the six mares and the three fillies took in the scene before them.

Atlas was standing in front of a crowd of ponies, with Mac and Torres taking position at his sides, much like they always did. The ponies were looking wide-eyed at them, those closest to the three had shrunk away in fear. What looked like the majority of the adult population of Ponyville were holding an assortment of pitchforks, torches, and other tools in their mouths, the few unicorns among the crowd obviously opting to use their magic instead.

“Classic,” said Mac.

“T-There they are!” one of the Ponies called out, “The monsters!” The mob began to rebuild their courage. Those in the front lines regained their confident stance. “Where did you take those fillies!?” another one exclaimed. Several others yelled the same question.

“They probably ate them!”

“We don't want you here!!!”

The crowd waved their improvised weapons menacingly at the Humans. It was hard to tell from behind the masks, but the three looked rather unimpressed.

Apple Bloom peered out from behind her sister's legs. “Sis? What's goin' on?”

Applejack and the other mares turned to look at three fillies, all of them giving confused looks in return. Before any of them could say anything, the mob interrupted them.

“They're still alive!”

“And they have other ponies with them, too!”

“Save them!”

The mob of Ponies started their slow advance onto the Humans. The three looked at each other, uncertain as to what to do.

“Hey!” Rarity shouted. “Everypony, stop this nonsense!”

Rainbow Dash flew overhead of the Humans. “You don't know what you're doing!” she yelled back at the crowd.

The Ponyvillians did not halt their advance. A few of them even began to haul rocks at the three armored figures. One of the unicorns threw a rather large rock at Torres. Before it could even get close to her, Atlas moved his arm and caught the rock with his hand.

“I can defend myself, y'know?”

“Sure.” Atlas clenched his hand and pulverized the rock into dust. He then turned to address the ponies behind him. “Listen: I'm sorry, but we gotta go, now.” He nodded at his two companions, and two hatches on his back opened, the same happening with Mac. Torres, on the other hoof, unfurled her wings to their full length.

Atlas stomped the ground, assuming what seemed to be a defensive stance. The resulting quake stunned the advance of the mob. “Thanks for the pie, by the way,” he said. “Oh and also, stand back a little bit.”

The mares and the fillies did as he said, taking a few precautionary steps backwards. Atlas moved one of his legs forward.

“Punch it.”

There was a loud explosion as two flames erupted from the hatches on his back. Torres and Mac did the same, although with considerably less noise. Almost instantly, they were lifted off of the ground, leaving a cloud of dust all around the spot in which they had been standing. Every single pony that happened to be nearby engaged into a fit of coughs. The pegasi took to the air to avoid the dust, from where they could see a faint trail of smoke left by the Human's departure.

Twilight's coughing eventually ceased. She glanced around to find her friends, three fillies, and a crowd of ponies, all equally confused. She could see a trail of smoke leading from Sweet Apple Acres to somewhere near Ponyville.

She walked over to her friends to make sure they were fine. Indeed they were, although their manes had been ruffled by the whole event, and Applejack’s hat had been blown away.

“My mane!” Rarity cried. “My beautiful mane!”

“Oh boy!” Pinkie giggled. “Did they seriously just explode!?”

“I don't think so, Pinkie.” Rainbow flew around them, casting her gaze towards Ponyville. “Guys, look!” She pointed a hoof to an odd contraption taking off from the village and heading towards the massive 'starship' at a ridiculous speed. A cone shaped itself around it as it accelerated, and promptly disappeared. A distant boom could be heard a few seconds later.

Twilight looked up to see a dumbstruck Rainbow Dash. “Uhm... Dash?”

The pegasus rapidly shook her head. “Well, mine's cooler!”

Twilight chuckled at her friend's statement. “...But wasn't Rainbow Dash supposed to be the only one who could break the sound barrier?” Her chain of thought was interrupted as Fluttershy landed in front of the crowd of Ponies that had forced the Humans to leave. She scowled at them, making them shuffle uncomfortably.

“How dare you!?” she yelled. “Is this how you show hospitality!? Huh!?”

Applejack, having placed her hat back atop her head, joined her by her side, wearing a scowl of her own. “Ah understand that yer all scared, hay, I'm scared too! But ya'll did not have to act like that!”

Rarity walked up as well. “And we even told you that we were fine! But did you listen? Noooo! And you even went as far as to attack them!”

Twilight felt something boil inside of her. She frowned and joined her friends. “They were representatives of an entire civilization!” she yelled out, her voice getting considerably louder with each word, “I mean, they had magic that I don't even understand! And I've been studying magic for my entire life!” She took in a deep breath. “AND THEN YOU WENT AHEAD AND BUCKED THEM RIGHT OUT!”

The crowd of Ponies backed away from her. “You saw one of them turn a rock into dust like it was nothing! And hay, they flew away with a bucking explosion!” Her face was now almost burning red as she drew in another breath.

“What if they took this as a gesture of hostility!? You may have even started another war! DON'T YOU THINK WE HAVE ENOUGH WITH JUST ONE!?”

The eyes of the Ponies all went wide. Twilight simply kept staring at them, panting hard.

“...S-Sis?” Apple Bloom asked, causing all of the mare's eyes to turn to see her and the two other fillies looking at them with concern. “What's goin' on? Is somethin' wrong?”

Applejack trotted over to them. “No! N-No, it's fine. Everything's fine.”

“...War?” Scootaloo mumbled.

“You said there was a war going on...?” Sweetie asked.

Twilight's expression dropped from anger to regret. She slapped her own mouth shut with her hoof. “Oh, nononono...” She backed away from the crowd. “Oh Celestia, what have I done?”

Her desperation rose as she recalled what had just happened, and slapped herself again. “I... No... No.” She used her magic to levitate a scroll and quill out of her saddlebags from inside the barn.

Luna cantered through the hallways of the Canterlot Palace. By her side was a unicorn stallion clad in a shining set of golden armor.

“Your majesty,” he addressed her. “I'm sorry, but we do not have enough guards for this! Almost all of the officers are either on their recruitment trips or preparing for the military camp! All we have to spare right now are the rookies, and with the amount you've requested, half the Palace will be left unguarded!”

Luna stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face the stallion. “Colonel Duty Driven, I am well aware of how many forces we have as of now, and I am also aware that we do not have any veterans available. In fact, I myself aided General Strong Helm while doing the plans for the training camps, and therefore I can be certain that should we leave the less... vital parts of the palace unguarded, we may have more than enough guards for this.”

The Colonel bowed. “I'm sorry, your Majesty. I should have never doubted you.”

Luna nodded. “It is most understandable.” She then resumed her steady trot down the hallways of the Palace. The windows along the corridor's walls allowed the inside of the Palace to be washed over by the light of a sun that looked not too far from setting over the horizon.

She stopped right in front of a set of large, golden doors. Her sister's private chambers. “Colonel, thou art dismissed.” Upon hearing her, the stallion immediately bowed and trotted away, leaving the Princess alone.

Using her magic, she pushed open the golden doors and entered Celestia's room. Inside was the usual assortment of exotic furniture, expensive silk curtains, and carpets. Sitting quietly on one of the latter, near the room's fireplace was Celestia. Next to her were cushions, stacks of paperwork and the likes. She was sipping on a cup of tea while she read through a scroll when she heard her door open. She turned to meet Luna, who cantered closer to her and smiled.

“Oh, Luna, I was wondering when you would come by.”

Luna sat down next to Celestia. “Well... the Royal Guard can be quite stubborn.”

The Princess of the Sun smiled, setting her cup of tea on a nearby dish. “Mhm? Oh, but I doubt they can resist your charms for too long”

“Sister, I have no charms.”

“You do, but you just don't realize.”

“... Liar.”

Celestia giggled and smiled once again. “So I take it we are ready for this night's meeting?”

“Very much so, although we will have to be accompanied by a set of rather inexperienced guards... I can hardly blame them though, with all of what's going on.” Luna eyed the scroll that Celestia had been reading. “Pray tell, is that one of Twilight Sparkle's letters?”

“Ah, yes.” Celestia levitated the scroll up to Luna. “I received it while I was with General Cutting Edge.” Luna took the scroll off of her sister's magical grip. “It must have been a good ten minutes ago.”

Dear Princess Celestia

I'm happy to announce to you that yes, they have agreed on the time you have set for the meeting. And no, the chariot won't be necessary (At least, they don't need it, but I suppose my friends and I could use it).

I also have to say that... I've been having second thoughts about this. Every time I ask them about their culture they simply avoid going into details. They also seem to be extremely adept at magic, though they constantly deny that, and even state that they don't use magic at all. It's... very odd.

Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle.

PS: I know that I may seem like I'm being a little judgmental but, you should see them. They have the most complex armor that I've ever seen, I mean, the eyes glow! And they have what they call an 'Android', which they defined as a machine that they built, like a golem of sorts. It has to be magic, how else would this ship of theirs keep itself from falling? And why are they wearing armor?

I'm going tohave to cut this short, I think they'restartingto doubt about me andtheyesof the'Android' are socold.

Luna set the scroll down and was about to say something, but her attention was caught by a silver mist that slipped in from one of the windows and materialized into a scroll right in front of her sister.

Celestia unfurled the scroll and held it up, her eyes carefully reading through it. Her eyes widened just a bit as she reached the end. Without a single word, she levitated the scroll up to Luna, who took it herself and began to read it.

Dear Princess Celestia.

Before you read any further, I'd like you to know that I'm sorry.

Not long after I sent the last letter to you, our meeting was interrupted by the rest of Ponyville. They were holding pitchforks and torches, and shouting threats at the Humans. They thought they were some sort of monsters that had been keeping us trapped, but they refused to listen. They started attacking them, throwing rocks, etc. The Humans saw no choice but to leave, though they said they would still go to the meeting with you anyways.

I'm... worried. The Humans said they had been expecting us to do something like that, and they genuinely looked... unimpressed. I'm not sure of what happened next, there was an explosion, and then they were gone... But thankfully nopony was hurt.

Well, what I'm worried about is that they may have left with a bad opinion of us... I don't want them to think that we, you know, hate them... because they may hate us back...

We're sorry, Princess.

Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle.

As bio and nano-technology advanced, the rift between heavy augmentees and those who lacked the funds to afford advanced augmentation became larger. Corporations usually preferred augmented workers who could function more efficiently and in a wider range of conditions over those who could not.

The rapidly advancing technology however would spur increasingly common fights between the two groups. On December 7th, 3009, colonist Rolland Hallman was brutally murdered on the human colony world of Irtal during a street fight on one of the many bridges of the city. The perpetrator was the heavily augmented Michael Bolter. The augmentee with little effort overpowered Hallman, forcing him to the ground, and subsequently curb stomped him. This resulted in Hallman’s immediate traumatic death.

The incident itself raised the attention of the entire population of the USC. Soon, street fights ceased to be a weekly phenomenon and instead became a daily occurrence. Extremist groups were formed, one of these being the “Pure Hearts”, a conglomeration of heavily armed anti-augmentation terrorists.

Adam Becker stood still, watching the main virtual window of the Vector’s command bridge, which displayed a group of pastel colored quadrupeds standing defiantly in front of a barn. In their mouths were an assortment of farming tools and torches, some of which were actually hovering in mid air. On the upper corner of the window was the serial number “MAC-2945”.

“Don’t tell me those things are actually floating...” came a voice next to the Admiral. He turned to see that Infantry Commander Jack Silverback, the Vector’s second in command, was standing behind him. His armor was of a dark shade of grey, while his shoulder pads were crimson red with the logo of the Colonial Guard on one and a star on the other. His face showed years of experience and told the story of his brutal service with the Guard. Several scars displayed themselves prominently; despite the ease at which they could be removed, he chose to leave them as a reminder of his veterancy.

“It appears so,” the Admiral said, looking back at the window. “Our sensors have lit up a couple times; there’s an anomalous field around the planet, but we can’t quite put a finger on it. It almost seems like it purposely stays away from us.” Becker sighed and began pacing around, the Commander’s eyes never leaving him. “There are also several pockets of energy scattered around the exosphere. They should pose no danger to us, but the technicians are still trying to find a reason as to why they’re there.”

The Admiral stopped walking about and turned to the main window. He pressed a yellow button on a nearby control console, and the image displayed in the window changed to the planet’s sky; the sun was setting, and some stars could already be seen.

“They look just like stars,” said the Admiral. “And something is odd with the orbital pattern of the planet. Our sensors say that it’s neither actually spinning nor orbiting the sun. In fact, they show that it’s the other way around. I’m thinking some of the sensors burned out during the jump. That’s the only explanation that makes sense at the moment”

“Maybe the anomalous field has something to do with all of this, sir?” the Commander said.

“Perhaps,” Becker responded, “But we cannot be so sure as of now.” After finishing his statement, the Admiral turned to Commander Silverback. “We managed to schedule a meeting with the leader of this planet’s inhabitants.” He pointed at the window, which was still giving them a view of the sun hiding behind the horizon. “ ‘Once the sun sets’, they said, so I better get moving. I’m taking sections Apex four and five, as well as my personal team.” Admiral Becker then turned on his heels, “You have the bridge in the meantime. Farewell,” he said, heading out of the command bridge and towards the tram station.

“Yes sir,” said Silverback. He turned towards the main window and folded his arms, watching as the sun went down.

“‘Personal team’,” he scoffed, “Those little pets of his...”

The dropship’s ramp lowered itself, allowing Atlas to walk out of it and into one of the Vector’s many hangars, followed by Torres and Mac. He spotted a few empty crates near the ship, and decided to walk over to them and sit down on one.

He sighed, “What in the hell did we just see?”

“Sapient quadrupeds that speak Terran, and can also levitate things,” Torres muttered, “as well as a sapient lizard. And I’ve never seen such colours on any living being...” she trailed off and sat on a crate next to Atlas. “How badly did the jump go? I mean, we got here almost instantly, but it’s impossible that this planet hasn’t been touched by the USC if it’s that close to explored space.... And how is it possible that they speak the same language?” She looked up, groaning, “Where are we...?”

“Maybe not even in the same galaxy...” Atlas said. He watched as Mac walked around the dropship, examining the remains and the skid marks left by both fruit and vegetables that had been thrown at it.

“Perhaps they weaponized vegetables, but it does not work on us?” the android asked, looking at Torres and Atlas, the latter which looked down upon his stomach.

“There is no reason for you to be worried,” said Mac, “The apple pie you ate was perfectly edible, but perhaps it works the other way around for those quadrupeds. Besides, your body is more than capable of eliminating toxins, bacteria and viruses.”

Atlas huffed and looked around the hangar: it was the same one from before, with the same ships stationed in the same landing pads. He noticed a large group of pilots nearby, all chatting with each other. One of them looked at him and broke away from the rest of the group, heading towards Atlas and his two companions, with the eyes of the other pilots following his path. Once the man was close enough, his visor highlighted him as “Squad Commander Tiller Dunkam”. None of the three acknowledged the presence of the man as he walked over to them.

The Commander gave them a mock salute. “I’ve never seen you three,” he said, lowering his hand. “My display isn’t showing me your data, either. Who are you?”

“We’re nobody,” Atlas answered.

The Squad Commander scoffed, “Oh, I see. You three are special, aren’t you?” Both the Commander’s and Atlas’ expressions remained hidden, but the way they both stared at each other from behind their faceplates gave away the fact that both of them were probably frowning.

“Anyways,” the Commander continued. “You were part of the ‘First Contact’ team, weren’t you?” he asked, “You see, my boys are getting quite... anxious. So I was hoping that you could tell me some of what happened down there.”

“Well...” the Raider muttered, standing up and folding her arms. “I mean, we have direct orders from the Admiral not to say anything, sir.”

“Come on,” The Commander took a step forward, gesturing towards the group of pilots. “I’m not asking for details, just something I can tell to my boys so they calm down.”

“I—” Torres sighed. “Fine. We found a civilization of sapient quadrupeds, more or less on a medieval stage....”

“Really?” said the Commander, “That’s interesting... Thank you for sharing that, Raider.”

“No problem, Commander...” Torres said, not sounding entirely enthusiastic.

The Squad Commander turned around and walked back to the conglomeration of pilots. Torres sighed and sat back down on the crate next to Atlas, who shot her an inquisitive look from behind his visor.

“You realize that soon, everyone on the ship is gonna know about this?” Atlas asked, adjusting his position in order to face her.

Torres sighed. “I know, but don’t you think that they deserve to know?”

“...Point taken.” Atlas stood up. “You’re lucky the Admiral is capable of taking this from you. If it was anybody else, they’d be on cleaning duty for months,” he chuckled, then pointed towards the hangar’s entry. “Speaking of the Admiral....”

Entering the hangar was Admiral Becker, followed by a large squad of troopers, composed of regular soldiers, a couple Heavy Troopers, Combat Techs, Combat Medics, and a Raider. Sergeant Morris, the technician, and Corporal Allen, the medic, were also following the Admiral.

Atlas watched as the squad divided itself in two groups, each with one pilot, and then boarded their respective dropships. The Admiral, Morris and Allen walked towards him and his two companions, causing him to smile behind his faceplate. Meanwhile, the other men and women nearby looked at them with inquisitive expressions, but Atlas simply shrugged them off. He was already beginning to get used to such things.

“What’s up, boss?” asked Allen, who clasped his hand together with Atlas. Allen’s armor was a white version of the regular armor, with both the shoulder and knee pads painted red. His left shoulder pad bore the logo of the Colonial Guard, while the right pad had a white outline of a cross on it.

“Hey Allen, nice to see you again,” Atlas said, then turned towards Morris. “And hey Morris, how’ve you been?” he asked, letting go of Allen’s hand and offering it to the technician.

Morris grabbed Atlas’ hand, shaking it. “Ever since the jump, I’ve been helping out in fixing fried systems and the likes. Lookin’ forward to gettin’ out and breathin’ in some air that hasn’t been sterilized and scrubbed who knows how many times.”

Atlas smiled behind his faceplate and released his grip on Morris’ hand. “I tell you, the air out there is almost as clean as it is in here.”

“Ahem.” All eyes turned to the Admiral who had been standing still during all of the chit-chat. Atlas, Torres and Mac turned to him and brought their hands to their forehead, saluting him. Becker then nodded, and they brought their hands back down.

“That’s better,” he said, smirking. “Anyways, we have a meeting to go to, and the sun’s already going down.”

Luna trotted briskly down a long stairway. She had to, as there was not much time left before she was to raise the moon. Further down at the end of the stairs, her path was blocked by a large, metallic door flanked by two unicorn guards. Upon noticing her, the former brought their forehooves to their heads, performing a salute which she returned with a nod. Immediately afterwards, the two ponies turned around and inserted their horns into a pair of sockets set on the adjacent walls. Shortly, the metallic barrier began to slide open, allowing the Princess to walk further into the depths of the castle.

Just like the majority of the building, the floors were made of the whitest of tiles. Yet, this part of the castle lacked the many decorations and antiques that filled the rest of it, and instead the walls were lined only by large, identical doors.

This was the palace’s keep, where the most precious and dangerous objects that were known to ponykind were kept, all of which kept behind doors that could only be opened by a select few individuals.

She continued trotting at a fast pace along the hallway, past several vaults, some of which contained objects as old or maybe older than both herself and Celestia. She rounded a corner and now found herself standing in front of her destination. A large iron-plated door which, if you looked carefully at it, was shrouded by a shimmering field of multiple, defensive, magical wards. Just as the guards had done, she inserted her horn into a hole by the wall, and with a click, and the soft grinding of gears, the door slid open. she walked in without hesitation and the door shut behind her.

The ambience had abruptly changed; no longer was she standing in the palace’s vault, instead she found herself in a small hospital surrounded by impenetrable walls and a door made of the strongest of metals. Several ponies were walking back and forth along the hallways, all of them wearing white overalls and masks.

She telekinetically took hold of a nearby overall and placed it around her body, then grabbed one of the many masks and placed it over her snout. She made sure the whole attire was in perfect shape before continuing.

Luna began to walk across the small hospital’s hallways. After a few seconds, she walked up to a grey unicorn stallion with a black mane who was scribbling into a notepad.

“Doctor Sharp Scalpel,” she said, causing the unicorn to turn to her. One of his eyes was covered by an eye patch, while the other was completely fine.

“Ah, Princess, I’ve been expecting you,” he said.

“I see.... Have you made any progress?” Luna asked.

“I’m afraid not,” Scalpel said. He placed the notepad and the pencil he was using into one of his overalls’ pockets. “We have been unable to heal it completely; magic is just unable to do the trick.” He began walking through the hall, with Luna following him. “I have to admit, for something with two broken legs and a severed arm, it had no problem fending off an entire group of guards.”

They soon reached a room with a one way window on it. On the door to this room were four guards, all of whom wearing overalls underneath their armor with masks upon their faces. Luna and the doctor stood in front of the window, looking inside.

The room was filled with a varied assortment of medical equipment, all of it centered around a single medical bed. Several ponies were in the room, taking notes and managing the equipment hooked to the creature that lay on the bed.

Luna had never seen anything like it. The creature’s body was a mixture of metal and flesh crudely assembled together. It had no hair, and only the biological parts had skin. Both of its legs were bent in awkward angles, and the only arm it had ended in a hand with claws as sharp as a dragon’s. Its face was no more than a metallic skull with patches of burnt skin on it and two glowing red eyes.

It was disgusting.

Yet she had no choice but to help it, despite the fact that it took the life of three guards and severely injured another. After all, the safety of Equestria depended on it, since it could very well be one of these “Humans” mentioned by Twilight Sparkle.

The Princess walked over to the door, with doctor Scalpel still following her. The four guards that stood next to the door stepped aside and, just as before, opened the door by inserting their horns in various holes by the walls. The door then gently slid open, allowing Luna and the doctor to walk in.

Once inside, the supposed Human lifted its head and looked at her, speaking in a distorted, raspy voice. “Luneh...” it coughed out, fluids seeping out of its mouth. “Are you... looking for more conversation... or are you here to end me?”

“I am here to ensure that you live.” Luna sighed, starting to pace around the bed. “A ‘starship’ has appeared over our land, seemingly called ‘USS Vector’.”

“Ah...” The creature allowed its head to rest upon the bed once again. “Humans... I see the situation is not as complicated as I thought.”

Luna came to a halt, turning and facing the broken biped. “Yes... I take it that you are not human, then?”

“A long time ago... I was.” Its head flopped over to the side, staring at the Princess with its glowing eyes. “I now am what they call ‘Ubor’... I am their enemy.”

“Do explain...” the blue alicorn said, raising an eyebrow.

“We are a race of machines... We use biological parts in order to build ourselves. My existance... is an abomination.” It looked back up at the ceiling, coughing. “I murdered a father and child because the true machines controlled me. They are not like me... I am cannon fodder, a psychological weapon, and a monster. The true machines take organic beings... and place them under their control, creating thousands upon thousands of soldiers that... cannot think for themselves.”

“What about the humans?” Luna asked, concern filling her voice.

“They fight the machines... They have done so for centuries, to the point in which we are at the verge of extinction. We... are desperate.” The hybrid of machine and man looked at the Princess, a trail of yellow fluid seeping out from its mouth. Luna shivered as it made eye contact with her, still unused to the cold and unnatural stare it possesed.

“I warn you, Princess... be careful with them.”

Luna sighed, looking at Doctor Scalpel, who had been listening intently and scribbling the conversation into his notepad. “Make sure it’s in the best condition you can possibly achieve. It is time for me to raise the moon.”

Twilight watched as the three crusaders fell asleep atop a bale of hay, all huddled together. She had spent the last minutes of daytime making sure that the three fillies fell asleep, and that “Everything is going to be okay”. She had to. After all, it was her fault for yelling out that Equestria was at war. And thankfully, Big Macintosh was kind enough to offer to take care of them while she and her friends were in Canterlot. The quiet stallion was currently sitting next to her.

Nearby, the rest of her friends were quietly sitting by the main table. She left Big Mac with the crusaders and approached her friends, sitting down next to the rustic piece of furniture. They regarded her with a concerned look, causing her to shrink under their gaze.

Rarity was idly brushing her mane, looking worried. “When is the chariot going to arrive...?”

“Soon, I think. The sun’s already goin’ down,” said Applejack.

“Ugh,” Rainbow Dash groaned, “I hate waiting...”

Fluttershy sighed, “I hope everything goes well with the Humans...”

A distant flap of wings could be heard, and the six mares turned to the barn door, which had been left open. As the sound got louder, they were able to distinguish the shape of a chariot being pulled by four pegasi of the Royal Guard. Sooner rather than later, the chariot landed in front of the barn.

“Twilight Sparkle?” asked one of the guards.

“That’s me,” Twilight said, walking over to them. Four of her friends followed suit, hopping onto the chariot. Applejack, meanwhile, was giving her goodbyes to Big Macintosh, who hugged her. She then leaned down and kissed the sleeping Apple Bloom’s forehead before trotting towards the chariot to join her friends.

Once everypony was in position, one of the guards asked, “Ready?”

“Ready as can be...” Twilight replied. The guards then took flight towards Canterlot.

Twilight looked up as the chariot flew under the Vector’s underbelly, the thousands of lights upon its hull mimicking stars in the night’s sky. “Speaking of stars...” she looked at the horizon and saw that the sun had already set, making way for the moon to rise and for the stars to shine, if only the Vector was not in the way.

Her ears flickered, picking up a distant sound that roared loudly. She looked behind the chariot just as three machines flew past it, and various loud booms reached the ponies’ ears and shook the chariot as the three flying contraptions broke the sound barrier.

Luna finished raising the moon and dropped back to the balcony, standing on her hooves. She turned around and walked back into the palace, sighing.

“Incoming!” one of the guards called out. She looked out through one of the hallway’s windows to see that three flying objects, all of them slightly similar to what she found near the Everfree forest, were rapidly approaching the castle. She took in a deep breath.

“THEY ARE HERE! TAKETH POSITIONS!”

She began to run through the palace, along with many guards, waiting to see where the visitors would land.

“The courtyard!” another guard yelled. Luna unfurled her wings and began flying through the hallways towards the courtyard. Once she was there, she found Celestia standing in the bare grass amongst a group of guards. Above were the three machines, flying in circles over the courtyard and roaring loudly.

Luna took her place at Celestia’s side, both of them flanked by several guards with retractable spears on their sides, waiting for the machines to land. She looked up at them, noticing that they were gouting fire out of their wings. Once they began to lose altitude and get closer to the ground, the grass under them was instantly consumed in flames.

The Princess stood perfectly still, making sure to maintain her composure while the humans arrived. She watched as steam shot off from the machines while they opened, a ramp on each of the two outer contraptions began to lower painfully slowly towards the earth below. Luna discreetly bit her lower lip, bracing herself. It felt like ages, just looking as the ramps got closer to the ground, yet still hiding what was inside. She closed her eyes for just a moment, then opened them as a loud thud reached her ears.

The ramps had touched down, allowing a group of hulking bipeds to walk out, all of them wearing the most imposing sets of armor the Princess had ever laid eyes on. Even the shortest ones, those with metallic wings, towered over both her and Celestia, while others were easily two times as tall. They all walked out of the machines in perfect unison, the sound of their feet as they took every step making the ground quake. Once they were out, they stood in a “V” formation, the tallest and bulkiest ones standing closest to the ponies. Luna noticed how they all held what she assumed were pieces of weaponry in their hands, which were nothing like any weapon she could recognize. She had to repress a gulp, still unsure of what was going to happen next.

As soon as the soldiers had taken their positions, the ramp on the machine that sat on the middle began to lower itself. Out came another figure, clad in a bright white suit of armor with large, yellow shoulder pads and with nothing protecting its head, leaving only bare skin and a short-cropped mane. Accompanying it was an enormous figure with dark grey armor and an orange slit on its faceplate, followed by a slimmer figure with metallic wings and a fully orange helmet upon its head, a creature wearing a suit of white armor with a red cross on one of its shoulders, one with silver armor and blue shoulder pads with a yellow stripe, and another silver figure with blue eyes.

The helmet-less one approached the Princesses, followed by its guards. Its features were not as alien as the ‘Human’ she was keeping inside the vault, which surprised her, while at the same time it made her feel more comfortable.

The contingent of guards assembled were clearly unnerved. It was a woefully ill prepared rag tag group of under trained recruits and rookies. It did not help matters as the guard next to her began to shake in fear.

The creature stopped right in front of the sisters, looking them over.

“I assume that one of you is Princess Celestia?” it spoke, its voice neither distorted nor raspy. It was the voice of an old stallion, with years of accumulated experience.

“That would be me,” Celestia answered.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Celestia. I am Admiral Adam Becker,” he said, and extended his arm towards the Princess of the Sun, causing the already unnerved guard to thrust his spear into the human’s belly.

In the week following Rolland Hallman’s death, the Pure Hearts launched an attack on the Augtech Tower, the headquarters of the Bio-Augtech Corporation on Korgólo. The extremists took advantage of the protests that were taking place outside the tower to infiltrate it.

Their original objective was to track down Jeanette Cain, Bio-Augtech’s owner and director. Unfortunately for the infiltrators, they were caught by the building’s security system just one floor below Jeanette’s office. This alerted the guards that were currently handling the protests. They closed the building and took the elevators towards the floor in which the Pure Hearts were trapped, where both sides engaged in combat.

The following is a recording of the Pure Hearts’ radio transmissions during the firefight:

“Red, this is Blue. The guards just sealed the building and went inside. Is everything going alright?

“Red? Red, do you copy?”

“Taking heavy fire! Alarm went—fucking guards and turrets every—”

“Shit... Red? Kelly, answer me, dammit!”

“... Kelly’s dead, Cole. I’m all that’s—gonna use... -omb.”

“She... the bomb? Len, you can’t—what about the people!”

“Agh!... It’s what we have to do... I’m sorry.”

“I—alright... let’s make those mutants pay.”

The last infiltrator then detonated a small thermonuclear device, causing the death of every worker between floors 405 and 700, including Jeanette Cain. Roughly half of the tower was destroyed, resulting in the death of several protesters due to the debris that fell down after the explosion. Many of the workers on the remaining floors were injured, and the Colonial Guard was forced to evacuate every citizen within five kilometers of the building. Barely ten minutes after the evacuation was complete, the building collapsed upon itself, spreading even more debris across the colony.

During the same week, a group of heavily armed and psychotic, heavy augmentees tracked down the location of the Pure Heart’s headquarters on Irtal and launched an all-out assault. Thanks to their ability to effortlessly handle heavy weaponry, the augmentees massacred the entire union of extremists.

The attack drew the attention of the CG, which in order to bring a stop to the augmentees’ rampage, made the use of a legion of “MechCore-Android-Troopers”, or MAT’s, in order to avoid significant casualties.

After one-and-a-half Terran hours of continuous combat, the MAT’s managed to overwhelm the augmentees by outnumbering them. The MAT’s then captured said augmentees and brought them to the headquarters of Life Central on the same colony, where a large protest was taking place.

Councilman Gerard Barrett then made a public appearance in the same location, announcing that strict restrictions were going to be placed over augmentations in order to avoid further conflicts. Any individual who was augmented beyond the permitted levels either had to pay a large fee or be banished to planets such as “DI-1372”.

That day, January 6, 3010, is recognized as the end of the Human Augmentation Crisis.

Standing in the courtyard of Canterlot’s palace was a large conglomeration of both Humans and ponies. Every single individual was frozen in place, no one daring to make the first move. Becker looked down at the spear that had found its target with little effect other than a minor annoyance for the Human. The tip had half-melted as it made contact with his suit’s energy shielding and then lodged itself between the fibers of the Syntex layer, doing absolutely no damage at all.

Just as he expected.

It was a discreet display of power, to show that he was unaffected by their weapons. It was part of the USC’s ‘First Contact’ protocols, after all.

Remaining with a stoic expression, he moved his hand away from the Princess and wrapped his fingers around the spear. With a minimal use of force, he pried the tip of the spear from his suit and then slowly bent it back towards the guard.

The pony that had made an attempt against the man was breaking out in a cold sweat, eyes wide and jaw tightly locked. Both Princesses turned to him in a calm manner, and the blue one spoke up, “Corporal Golden Shine, your armor please.”

The guard nodded, and began to undo his armor. Becker could see the tears streaming down his face and falling onto the courtyard’s grass, soaking into the ground. Once the pony undid all of his armor, the blue Princess telekinetically took a hold of all the pieces and instantly crushed them together, turning them into a ball of bronze which promptly fell to the ground.

“You have two hours to leave the castle,” she said, “Farewell.”

The guard nodded once again and walked away from the group, looking down at his forelegs.

Becker huffed, crouching down and wrapping his fingers around the metallic ball. He then stood back up, placing the orb on his hip and looking the the alicorns, smiling. “I figured you would have more experienced guards for a situation like this.”

“Yes, but I am afraid that nopony else was available at the time,” Celestia said.

“I understand,” said Becker, “So, where were we before our little ‘interruption’? Ah, yes. Princess Celestia, I am Admiral Adam Becker of the United Systems And Colonies, Colonial Guard. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He looked at the blue pony of similar size, “And it is a pleasure to meet you, as well.”

“I can say the same,” she said, “I am Princess Luna of Equestria.” She lifted her right foreleg , offering it to the Admiral. He smiled at her gesture and gently wrapped his hand around her hoof, shaking it.

“Would it be possible for us three to speak in a more private location?” Becker asked while letting go of Luna’s leg.

“Of course,” said Celestia, “We have a meeting room available.” She gestured towards the castle.

“I'm not much for formalities; perhaps we could go somewhere more casual?” the Admiral asked.

“Certainly,” said Celestia, “We could always head to my reading room.”

Becker nodded. “Lead the way,” he said, and then turned towards the rest of the humans, “Zone-Green, I want you both to stay here and watch the ships.” He looked up at Atlas, who had been standing behind him. “Atlas, you and your team are with me.”

“Yes sir.”

Luna trotted by Celestia’s side, leading the group of Humans through the palace’s corridors, accompanied by several members of the Royal Guard. She slowed her pace in order to get closer to the humans, discreetly eyeing them as they walked through the halls.

It was a pleasant coincidence that the palace had a very high ceiling, seeing that one of the humans was easily three times her size. Heavy plates of armor covered almost every section of his body, leaving only small spots that left a strange fibre that resembled muscle visible to the casual observer. She assumed it was part of the armor, since the Admiral’s facial structure was not at all alien. “Atlas”, as called by Becker, left cracks on the floor with each step he took, but Luna chose not to worry, as there were more important things to attend to.

Two of the humans were of the same size, the only difference being the colours of their armor. The one with the white and red armor had a red cross on his right shoulder, a typical symbol when it came to all things medical, at least in Equestria. On the left shoulder was a logo of a shield with what seemed to be two weapons crossed together, and the initials “CG” on the middle. The other one, while clad in the same design of armor, had a different colour scheme, his armor being mainly blue with a few parts highlighted in yellow. Both of his shoulder pads bore the same logo, except that a vertical, yellow stripe was behind it.

The group rounded a corner in complete silence, and Luna took the opportunity to analyse the two remaining humans.

She focused on the shorter, slimmer one, possibly a female if the body type mattered on these humans. A set of metallic wings was on her back, both of them folded. Even with a quick look one could tell that they were as sharp, if not sharper, than a razor. On her hips were two weapons that roughly had the basic shape of an “L”, both of them holding themselves by an invisible force. Her helmet was nothing more than a featureless, orange dome, perhaps meant to maintain an appropriate field of view while flying.

They were close to Celestia’s reading room now, perhaps no more than a few doors away, so she had to be quick. She cast a quick glance at the last human, the one with silver armor and blue eyes, only to discover that he had been staring at her. She quickly looked ahead, continuing her walk towards the reading room.

Finally, they reached a large, ceremonial looking door adorned with deeply intricate designs and decorations etched onto it. The Royal Guards immediately flanked the sides of the door, while the humans just looked at Celestia.

“Here we are,” said Celestia, “Do you wish to enter with your guards or...?”

“I would prefer to speak privately with both of you,” Becker answered.

“Very well.” Celestia pushed the door open with her magic, allowing the Admiral to walk in. Both Luna and Celestia walked into the room after him, closing the door behind them, leaving both the Royal Guards and the rest of the humans outside.

Luna rarely ever entered Celestia’s reading room; she much preferred to read while lying on her bed, not sitting by a fireplace in a room as large as this one. Bookshelves, filled with books of all kinds including even those that were often read aloud for foals to fall asleep, covered the walls all the way up to the ceiling. On the far side of the room between two bookshelves was a fireplace filled with enchanted logs that could burn for years on end.

“Please, do take a seat.” Celestia gestured towards one of the many cushions placed near the fireplace. The Admiral looked at her and nodded, walking over to the cushion and sitting down, which caused a few seams to rip open.

Both Luna and Celestia sat down on their own cushions. Between them and the Admiral was a small table with a vase containing several roses.

“Anything to drink or eat?” Luna asked.

The Admiral remained stagnant for a second, then raised an eyebrow. “You wouldn’t happen to have any alcoholic beverages, would you?”

“Why, yes,” said Celestia, “We have the finest of wines in storage-”

“Whiskey?” Becker interrupted.

“Most certainly,” Luna said. She levitated a small bell that was sitting on one of the bookshelves and rang it before she placed it back into its resting place.

Almost immediately, one of the doors to the room was opened, followed by a waiter. The pony seemed to completely ignore the presence of the human, regarding the Admiral just as any other pony instead.

“Yes, my Princesses, and your honored guest,” the waiter said, “What is your request?”

“A glass of your best whiskey, please.” said the Admiral.

“A cup of tea, please.” Celestia then looked at Luna, “Do you want anything, sister?”

“Oh, yes,” said Luna, “Just a cup of coffee, please.”

The waiter nodded, “Very well. Your orders will arrive most shortly.” He then turned around, and walked back out of the room.

The Admiral smirked, “He’s better trained than your guards, I see.”

Becker’s comment struck Luna with surprise, yet she simply chuckled along with her sister. Any gesture of anger could be catastrophic, after all.

“We are sorry for that,” said Celestia, the same warm smile she always bore still in place, “But we did not have any experienced guards in that moment.”

“I see... Why not?” Becker asked.

“We... have a war on our hooves,” Luna said.

“Oh, I’m sorry, then.” Becker said.

The door to the room opened, followed by the same waiter as before, except he was now carrying a tray upon his back. He swiftly yet carefully made his way towards the table, then grabbed the tray with his teeth and gently placed it on the table near the fireplace. He then bowed, and walked out of the room, just as before.

On the tray were two steaming cups, one of tea and the other filled with coffee, and a glass of whiskey with several pieces of ice in it.

The Admiral gently wrapped his fingers around the glass of whiskey, lifting it up from the tray. A hatch opened on his armor, more specifically, on his chest. He reached in and brought out a pencil-like device, which was then dipped into the whiskey.

A small light on the device glowed green, and the man placed it back into the hatch, before taking a gulp of whiskey.

“Pardon me for asking,” Luna said, looking at the Admiral, “but what was the purpose of that?”

“I was scanning it for any bacteria or any other thing that could be toxic for us humans,” he said, then took another gulp of whiskey.

“I see...” Celestia said. “Tell me, what exactly is the ‘United Systems And Colonies, Colonial Guard’?”

Becker placed the glass back on the tray and rested his elbows on his knees. “The USC is an interstellar government, which spans across more than half of the galaxy. The Colonial Guard is our military, charged with the protection of the USC’s interests.” Another hatch on his chest opened, from which he produced a rectangular, flat device that glowed blue.

“This is what we call a ‘book’.” He held it in front of the Princesses, offering it to them. Luna tried to grab it with her magic but only managed to encase it in a blue aura. The Admiral appeared to notice this, and placed the strange book on the table, right in front of the two Princesses.

“Having trouble?” he asked, remaining completely stoic.

“Oh, no,” Luna said, “I am just exhausted after all that has happened. Your appearance has caused quite a scandal.”

Becker smiled. “Then, again, I’m sorry.”

Celestia picked up the book with her hooves. “And why are you giving this to us?”

“The answers you seek are most likely to be found within it.” Becker adjusted his position on the cushion. “It should be quite intuitive to use, and it’s already translated to your language”

Celestia nodded. “Thank you.”

“Anyways,” the Admiral picked up the glass of whiskey and took a sip from it, “tell me about this ‘war’ of yours.”

Luna magically picked up her cup of coffee and took a sip from it. She noticed the Admiral was looking at her, so she placed it back on the tray.

“Weren’t you exhausted?”

“Oh, I—” Luna said, but was cut off by Celestia.

“Most common items are enchanted in order for them to be easier to pick up; there is quite a number of ponies that are not exactly adept when it comes to magic.” Celestia said. Of course, it was a lie, but both Luna and Celestia knew that they could show no weakness.

The man looked at her and nodded. “I see. Anyways, the war?”

Luna sighed. “We are at war with the Gryphon Kingdom, or simply ‘Gryphos’. We have had a... long history with them. My sister and the Gryphon ambassador were in the middle of negotiations when your ‘starship’ appeared. The ambassador believed it was some sort of monster that we had summoned, which broke the tension and caused their nation to declare war on us.”

“In that case, I am truly sorry,” Becker said.

Luna waved a hoof dismissively. “There is nothing that can be done now... or perhaps you could try and defuse this conflict?”

The Admiral closed his eyes and shook his head. “No, this is not our war, it’s yours.”

Celestia sighed. “We understand.”

Luna looked to the side, sighing as well. She was aware that the Admiral would most likely refuse to lend his help, but the question itself did no harm. The Humans were yet to show any real display of power, aside from the incident with the spear. She still had to be careful with what she asked and answered, since nopony really knew what they were capable of nor why they were here... Hmm...

Luna took a sip from her cup of coffee. “Admiral, may I ask you something?”

“Go ahead,” the man said.

“Why exactly are you here? And how do you know our language?” she asked. “I do not mean to be so abrupt, however my curiosity has very much been piqued.”

It was subtle, but she saw the Admiral freeze for less than a second. He then calmly grabbed the glass of whiskey and finished it, sighing afterwards. “We came across your planet a few months ago and have been studying you ever since. Once we learned how to speak your language and some of your customs, they sent us in order to initiate ‘First Contact’.”

“Ah, I see,” said Luna, “My apologies for asking.”

The admiral showed but the faintest of smiles. "There is no need to apologize princess, the question was begging to be asked. After all, it is not everyday we get to discuss first contact amongst equals."

Luna wondered why they had decided to visit Ponyville first, perhaps it was to get in touch with the elements of harmony. Either way, there was still much that she did not know about the humans. She would have to take a look at the “book” the Admiral gave her, but that could wait.

Both of the Princesses’ ears flickered as they heard a sound emanate from the Admiral’s head. It sounded distorted, reminding Luna of the supposed human that was in the vaults. Once the sound ceased, the man looked at both of the Alicorns.

His demeanor however appeared to shift suddenly and the relaxed look returned to the stoic glare of a man of command. “It seems you have something that belongs to us,” he said, “Care to tell me what it is?”

The two sisters froze; they were not expecting the Admiral to say such a thing. Was he talking about the flying machine they had found? Or was it the creature? They looked at each other and nodded without saying a word.

“Yes,” Celestia answered, “Roughly three days ago, a machine similar to the ones you landed on the courtyard came crashing down upon our lands. We moved it to a special room here in the castle.”

“What did you find inside of it?” he asked once again.

Luna looked at the floor and then back up at the Admiral, “Several corpses, and one survivor.”

Becker frowned. “Take me to this room of yours. Now.”

“Very well,” said Celestia.

The three stood up, leaving the tray with the cups, the glass and the book on top of the small table, and walked towards the main door, the two alicorns leading the way. Celestia pushed the door open with her magic, surprising both the humans and the ponies that were standing outside of the reading room.

The Admiral looked up at Atlas, “Did you receive the transmission?”

“Yes sir,” the giant said, “Atran Type Two, travelling vessel.” Luna looked up at him, the man’s expression hidden behind a faceplate with an orange visor. She noticed the difference between his shoulder pads and those of most of the other humans; orange, just as those belonging to the winged human.

“Let’s get moving then.” The Admiral gestured towards the Princesses.

The entire group then resumed following the two alicorns through the castle, towards the hidden door that led to the vault. It appeared that the Royal Guards were far less nervous than before, possibly having talked to the other humans while Luna and her sister were with the Admiral.

They soon reached a dead end, where a single bookshelf stood, flanked by two bright torches. The humans and the ponies halted their advance, while Celestia magically took one of the torches and slowly slid her horn into the hole where the torch was. With a single spark of magic, the bookshelf began to slide outwards, revealing the long staircase that lead to the vaults.

Luna turned to her guards. “Assume guarding positions,” she said, and the guards immediately stood next to the walls, moving as much as a statue would.

The Admiral looked at the entrance to the vaults, then turned to his own group of guards. “Atlas, I want you and Torres to stay here. The rest of you, on me.”

“Yes sir,” they said, and the selected humans stood next to him.

Becker turned to the Princesses and nodded, “Let’s go.” The three then began walking down the stairs, the Admiral followed by the human with blue armor, the one with white armor and the silver one. She realized that they had trouble fitting inside the staircase, as the ceiling was now barely high enough for them.

Once they reached the end of their descent, the two unicorn guards that stood guard next to the door saluted the two ponies, and discreetly eyed the humans, though managing to keep their stoic demeanor. Afterwards, they inserted their horns into the holes by the walls and, just as Celestia did, sent a spark of magic into it. The thick, metal door began to open, allowing the two alicorns and the four humans to walk further inside.

They were now at the main hallway which showcased all of the different vaults built under the castle, from the oldest to the newest. The Princesses stopped nearly at the end of the corridor, directly in front of a vault with the number eighty-six etched on its metallic door. This time it was Luna who placed her horn into the wall in order to open the door. After a spark of magic, the large metallic door slowly slid upwards.

Inside was the flying machine that crashed near the Everfree. It had similar characteristics as the ones that had landed in the courtyard, but it was larger. Its wings were bent and most of its main body was littered with dents, scratches, and cuts. Nearby, lying on medical tables were four skeletons, two belonged to humans as large as the Admiral, another one was about two or one and a half hooflengths shorter, while the last one was about as tall as a filly.

The humans approached the skeletons, looking them over. They stood there in silence, until the one wearing white armor spoke up.

“Shit.... Must’ve been around five years old,” he said, looking over the smaller skeleton.

“Judgin’ by the size and the bone structure... this guy didn’t even get to the ‘CG’...” the one with blue armor said.

The Admiral sighed, looking back at the Princesses, “Did you find them like this or...?” he trailed off, waiting for an answer.

“All that was left were skeletons,” Luna said, “They looked like they had... melted.”

“Melted?” the white-armored one asked, “And you say there was a survivor? Was it the pilot?”

“We are not entirely sure as of yet,” Celestia said, “There is a door inside the machine that we were incapable of opening.”

“Must’ve been the cabin,” said the one with blue armor.

The Admiral nodded, “Let’s take a look inside.”

The humans walked towards the machine, with the alicorns following suit. Luna was thankful that the inside of the machine had been cleaned beforehoof. Once they stepped into the inside of the contraption, the humans walked towards the door near the dark, image-less glass. The Admiral looked at the silver human.

“Mac,” he said, “hook yourself up to the ship and get this door open.”

“Affirmative,” said the human, his voice distorted and monotone. Mac then approached the table which the guard, Shield Soul, had used to pull himself after slipping in the pool of blood that was originally covering the floor. Mac looked over the many buttons that the table had, then grabbed its sides and ripped it open, revealing an intricate net of cables that twirled around each other and then disappeared within the insides of the machine. Mac then took a hold of two cables, one in each hand, and then ripped them off of whatever they were connected to. Following that, a small hatch in his chest opened, revealing a set of small holes. He placed each of the cables into a separate hole and then stood still.

Luna raised an eyebrow, looking on as the silver-armored human’s glowing eyes flickered.

“Establishing connection. Complete. Deviating power.” His blue eyes began to glow in a slightly dimmer shade. “Complete. Overriding lockdown.” The previously unopenable door began to slide into the wall, but got stuck midway. The Admiral stepped forwards and forced it open. “Complete.”

The humans, asides from Mac, looked into the cabin, followed by Celestia and Luna. They all stopped moving once they saw what was inside.

A single seat was in the middle of the cabin, surrounded by several panels filled with buttons and more of the same, dark glass that was on the walls of the adjacent room. On the seat was the body of a human, wearing a helmet on his head and slumped over one of the many panels.

The human with the white armor approached the awkwardly positioned body, carefully examining it. “His neck’s broken, probably due to the crash. Ribs cracked... pierced the heart.” He sighed and stood straight, looking at the Admiral, “The medchip says he died about three days ago, so it’s safe to assume it was the crash.”

The Admiral nodded, “That still doesn’t explain why the others ‘melted’, as the Princesses say.” He shot Luna a questioning look, then turned back to Mac. “This vessel has a camera on the passenger’s cabin, hasn’t it? Mac, light up the main display and show the footage from three days ago.”

Mac nodded, and the dark glass in what the Admiral referred to as the “Passenger’s cabin” suddenly lit up. Luna and Celestia walked out of the main cabin, followed by the other three humans. They were now all standing on the same room, looking at the images displayed by the glass.

It was indeed some form of recording, as stated by the Admiral. At first, the same scene that Luna had seen was being displayed: the same human with his daughter speaking into the glass. Luna allowed a sigh of relief escape from her lungs, thankful that the small human was not referring to her as “Mommy”, the footage seemed to be meant for somepony, or rather, somehuman else.

All four of the humans inside the ship were sitting quietly in their seats when a loud bang came from the ceiling. They looked up to see a hatch fall down onto the floor, followed by a strange creature.

Both Luna’s and Celestia’s eyes went wide. The creature that had fallen from the opening was the same one they were keeping in the vaults, except that it had both of its arms and both of the legs were intact. They remained quiet, watching as past events unfolded.

All three of the adult humans undid the straps that kept them tied to their seats, while the young one screamed in terror. One of the bigger humans threw a punch at, only to have it severed by the creature’s sharp claws. It then brought its other arm to the human’s neck, stabbing it with the syringe it had for a hand. The human then dropped to the floor and began convulsing as the other three watched in horror, the screams of the little human still far too loud to hear anything else.

Slowly, the creature turned to the other humans. It took a step forwards and brought its syringe to the other large human, stabbing him right in the chest with it, and just like the other human, he shortly dropped to the floor and began convulsing. The monstrous mix of metal and flesh then turned to the last adult human, who took a defensive stance near the corner in which his daughter was curled up, still screaming and crying so loudly that it overwhelmed any other sounds.

Luna and Celestia watched with their mouths agape as the creature began to repeatedly slice the man’s head to the point of severing it from the rest of the body. The little human went silent as she watched her father’s head roll across the floor.

Casually, the creature picked the severed head and looked at it, letting out a distorted laugh as it began to approach the defenseless human.

“Turn it off, please!” Luna exclaimed. Just as the creature was about to inject the human with its needle, the glass went dark again. Both of the Princesses sighed in relief, then looked at the Admiral.

“A survivor, you say?” he asked, remaining completely stoic.

Luna slowly nodded at him, “I’m afraid... It appears it is the same creature... We did not know— We assumed it was human!”

“Where is it?” the human with the red shoulder pads asked, taking a step forwards.

“We have been keeping it in a separate vault,” Celestia said, “Please, follow us.”

The humans nodded. Mac took the cables off of his chest and followed them.

Trotting at a fast pace, the two Princesses led the humans to a vault not too far from the one with the wrecked ship. The group soon reached said vault, and Luna opened it via the hole on the adjacent wall. Once the door opened completely, the whole group walked into the vault that had been turned into a small hospital. Luna and Celestia both grabbed a set of overalls and antiseptic masks, while the admiral clipped his armour’s faceplate off of his hip and placed it over his face, uniting it with the rest of his gear.

Once they were suited up, the alicorns resumed leading the humans through the hallways of the underground clinic. Several ponies gasped at the appearance of the humans, and every single one of them moved to the side in order to make way for them. A few seconds went by before they reached the large, one-way window that allowed one to look into the room that contained the creature.

Luna looked through the glass, thankful that the creature’s remaining limbs were strapped to the metallic table it was lying on top of. She looked up at the human Admiral, but was interrupted by Sharp Scalpel, who walked up behind her and spoke up.

“My Princess,” he said, “I see that our guest is being visited by his fellow humans. Rest assured, we did everything we could—”

Luna frowned, “Doctor, be quiet please.”

“I-I’m sorry.” He bowed, “I shouldn’t have interrupted.”

Luna looked back at the Admiral, sighing, “What do we do now?”

“Simple,” said the Admiral, “We kill it.”

The lunar Princess craned her neck back in surprise. “Kill it?” she asked, receiving a nod by part of the Admiral. She glanced over to the window, gulping. “I think that would be the most appropriate solution... sister?” She looked over to Celestia, who remained in doubt for a second.

“I... yes,” Celestia sighed, “we both saw what it did to those other humans; there is no other alternative.”

“Come on,” Becker said, turning to his three guards, “let’s put that thing out of its misery.”

Both Luna and Celestia gestured for the four guards near the room’s door to open it. They did as told, inserting their horns on the magical locks and making the door slide open, allowing the humans to walk inside. As soon as they entered, the creature looked up, muttering, “Human...”

Becker walked over to the creature, looking down at it. “Are you a mindless drone like the others?”

“No,” the creature coughed out, “not anymore. The signal is gone. It is silent now...” It looked up at the man, who remained stoic even as the red eyes stared into his soul. “You know what I did... end my existence.”

“Admiral, are you sure—” Luna began, but was interrupted by the Ubor.

“Yes... This is mercy... not murder.”

The nightmarish creature looked up at the ceiling, releasing a content sigh, “Do it.” Becker reached to his hip and wrapped his fingers around the “L” shaped object he was carrying. He then pressed one of the ends against the monster’s head.

“Sweet dreams.”

A bright flash and a loud bang came from the object the Admiral had, causing Luna and the nearby ponies to close their eyes and leaving their ears ringing. She opened her eyes to see a hole going right through the monster’s skull and a mixture of both metallic bits and grey matter spread across the floor. The Admiral placed the weapon next to his hip, and it stayed in place, then he looked at Celestia.

“How did you get the ship and this thing in here without anybody noticing?”

“There is a secret passage that goes all the way from the start of the mountain to the vaults,” said Celestia.

“Right then.” The Admiral pressed a finger into one of his ears and spoke, “This is Admiral Becker, requesting heavy lifting equipment to be ready to depart on my signal.”

Celestia sighed and looked over to her sister. “I will leave you in charge of this, I have some issues to attend to.”

“Very well,” said Luna, “See you soon, sister.”

Twilight slowly walked through the corridors of Canterlot’s castle, constantly looking down at the floor. She had tried to find Celestia, at first, but neither her nor the guards knew where she was. Even more, Shining Armor was in Manehattan managing the recruitments. And the lack of sleep was starting to get to her.

She and her friends had opted to stay in the castle’s parlour room; where they all, with the exception of Twilight, fell asleep. The river of questions and thoughts flowing through her head was unstoppable, and they were all related to the humans. Every now and then, though, she thought back to the war, but such things were quickly overwhelmed by other ideas.

While moving through the castle, she noticed that parts of the marble floor were cracked. She recognized the form of these as the footsteps of the large human she had met in Ponyville, “Atlas”.

Her train of thought immediately came to a halt and reeled back, remembering the meeting with Atlas.

“He was going to meet the Princess!” she said to herself, and began following the footsteps towards whatever place the human was currently in. The marks stopped right in front of Celestia’s reading room, but there was no sign that the human that left them had even stepped into the room, and instead began to lead towards some other area.

She stopped moving as she heard the familiar sound of Atlas’ footsteps nearing her location. The unicorn was about to follow the sound when she saw the man round a corner and walk towards her, followed by Torres.

“Twilight?” Atlas asked, walking towards her and kneeling down, “Hey.”

“What’s up?” said Torres.

Twilight smiled at them, “I’m just a little bit sleepy is all... Have you seen Princess Celestia?”

“I think she’s in this room.” Torres pointed at the door that lead to the Princess’ reading room. “Anyways, we have to leave.”

“Leave? Why?” Twilight asked.

“Orders are orders, Twi.” Atlas stood up, towering over the pony. “Maybe we’ll see each other again, who knows.” He and Torres continued walking along the hallway, waving their goodbyes.

Twilight sighed and looked at the door leading to Celestia’s reading room. She knocked on it a couple times, but received no response. She gently placed her right hoof on the door and slowly slid it open. Inside, she found Princess Celestia sitting by the room’s fireplace, looking at a flat device that dimly glowed blue.

“P-Princess?” Twilight asked, concerned that she may have interrupted her while doing something important.

Celestia craned her neck to look at her, “Oh, Twilight!” she said, putting on a warm smile, “It’s nice to see you, come and take a seat, if you will.”

Twilight did as told and sat down on one of the cushions that surrounded the small table next to the fireplace. On the table was a tray with an empty glass, two half-filled cups of both tea and coffee, and the strange device that the Princess was looking at.

“What is that?” Twilight asked, examining the blue object.

“It was a gift given to us by the humans. It is one of their ‘books’,” the Princess said, and slid the book closer to the unicorn with her hoof. “I’m afraid that you will have to refrain from using magic with it, it is almost completely resistant to it.”

Twilight focused her magic around the book, straining herself only to have a purple aura encompass it and nothing else. She released it with a groan and rubbed her head. Indeed, the human book was resistant to magic, so resistant, in fact, that even trying to lift it gave her a headache. She sighed, looking at the floor. Her mind was far too worn out to even think about reading, let alone figuring how the strange book worked.

“Princess....” Twilight looked up at Celestia, her eyes baggy due to the sleep deprivation, giving the unicorn an almost deplorable air to her.

“Yes, Twilight?”

“Do I really... do I really have to go to war?”

Celestia’s eyes widened in surprise, certainly not expecting such a question to come from her student. “No... why do you ask such a thing?”

“I mean, well, the Royal Guard in Ponyville called the names of my friends and I.” Twilight sighed, looking away from the Princess.

“Oh, good heavens! No, Twilight, the guard was supposed to tell you that you and your friends were to go to Canterlot, not to enlist you.” Celestia took a deep breath and sighed it out, “Don’t worry, my student, it was just a misunderstanding.”

“It was?” Twilight piped up, “Phew... But, what will I do, then?”

“Well,” Celestia said, looking at the human book, “you could start by figuring out how this book works... After you sleep, that is.”

Luna walked out into the courtyard, catching a glimpse of the three human ships as they flew towards the Vector. They had already taken the wrecked ship, both the remains of their dead and those of their enemies, and everything else that had any sort of relation to them, except for the book.

She was left with a sense of dissatisfaction, like an empty space within her heart. The humans were both mysterious and familiar, powerful yet subtle. They most likely possessed magic far stronger and advanced than she and her ponies, or perhaps it was something else entirely. Like the Admiral said about the book, “The answers you seek are most likely to be found within it.”

A deep growl shook the ground below her hooves as the Vector began to move. The windows nearby all resonated as the wave swept across Equestria.

They were leaving now; returning to wherever they came from. Maybe they would come back, maybe not, but the events caused by their mere presence would leave an eternal scar in Equestria.

Luna watched as the Vector became smaller and smaller, until it became lost amongst the stars, her stars. She sighed and began to walk back into the castle. There was a war she needed to attend to, after all.

The shadows consumed the room, and it embraced the darkness in return. The only light source for the large bedchamber being the light from the stars and moon, which slithered into the room via the moon-shaped window, dimly illuminating the desk that was placed under it. Apart from the notes and scrolls, something out of place stuck out, standing still on the desk. A doll, but not just any doll. It was clad in a pink set of armor which reflected the light of the outside, allowing some of the beams to reach further into the room.

“Guardswoman Kelly”, if Luna remembered correctly. It was the name given to the bipedal doll by the human child, perhaps only a hoofful of hours before its traumatic death. The sole thought made the Princess shiver.

She reminded herself that the Ubor was dead, its body taken away by the humans shortly before their departure. Yet, she still felt pity for it, perhaps even a touch of empathy. She knew what it felt like to be able to see your own actions, yet unable to control them. The only facts that comforted her were that it died seemingly with no pain, and that its last moments were spent in a vague attempt to redeem itself by helping others in the only way it could: warning Luna about the possible future. But what were the warnings about? Were the Ubor planning to attack her planet? What exactly were the humans up to? Too many questions and few answers.

The “book”. The old human had said it himself, “The answers you seek are most likely to be found within it.” But was that true? What if the content it held was purposely limited or manipulated? It was certainly a possibility, but Luna saw no other way than to try.

The Princess groaned, rolling off of her bed. The questions were pinching the back of her mind, begging to be answered. It had only been a few hours since the humans left, leaving behind doubt, fear, and war. One thing was certain: their legacy would live on in Equestria for ages to come.

She slowly trotted over to her desk. The flat device was there, waiting for her, holding possible answers. The path between her bed at the desk seemed endless. A pang of concern stuck her heart, as well as doubt. She still did not know how to use it, but the Admiral had claimed that it was intuitive.

Luna sat behind the piece of furniture, looking down at the glowing, pad-like device.

Pad.

It seemed fitting, especially considering that it barely resembled an actual book.

She closely examined the device. The images it displayed were moving, almost like a window to another world. “Search”, “Apps”, “Options”, those were but a few of the words that the device displayed. She was both confused and amazed at this. How did it work? Did the humans really replace paper and ink by this? Her mind reeled back, recalling the first time she saw the bipeds. Their armor, their small eyes, their towering height and strength, and all of this was only a single shade of their society. How advanced were they? How did they use magic?

Deciding that it was time to find more answers instead of raising even more questions, Luna magically grabbed a blank piece of paper and a quill. She dipped the latter on a nearby inkpot and set upon writing.

“Let us see... what should the title be?” she asked herself out loud. “Simply... humans?”

“Search Query: Humans,” came a female voice, originating from the pad. Luna almost jumped, feeling like her heart was about to leap out of her body. After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she inched closer to the desk and looked at the device.

“Homo Evolutis?” The device was now displaying a generous amount of information. With only a quick glance, Luna could see that most of it regarded the humans. Had it heard her? Was it alive? She prodded it with a hoof, and the pad offered no response.

“Uhm... Colonial Guard?”

“Search query: Colonial Guard,” the pad said once again. It was certain now: it was either alive or possessed an advanced form of magic. Neither of these possibilities made much to comfort her.

Luna sighed, grabbing a magical hold of the quill once again. With a title in mind, she began writing into the piece of paper.

“The Homo Evolutis, Part One.”

“This is the beginning of my studies regarding the “Humans”, in which I will perhaps cooperate with Twilight Sparkle.”

“Mysterious, yet familiar. I cannot say why, but it is a fact. Never did I believe in extraterrestrial life before this incident. They are powerful, yet gentle. They tower over my sister by at least two times, and their touch is enough to bend metal.”

“They left hours ago, but I can still feel their influence. The mark they left upon our world will last for an eternity. That said, I have an insatiable thirst to know more about them.”

“Ever since I stepped into the outside to see the sky shrouded by the USS Vector, I told myself that I would find out what it was, no matter what. And now I have what I need to do just that.”

“A flat device, which I decided to call ‘Pad’. I am not exactly sure as how it works, but it can hear and obey orders. If my assumptions are correct, then it holds more information than what one can store in an entire bookshelf.”

“I wonder what their society is like. Do they have gods? Are they part of an empire that spans from star to star, making their enemies tremble in fear? There are so many questions in my mind right now. I have even begun to doubt my very existence. I always wondered why there were stars that I could not move.”

“How far ahead are they from us? How big is the universe? Am I truly a goddess, or just another pawn in this massive chess board?”

“I need answers, and this device is perhaps the best chance I have.”

“A month,” Luna mused while lying in bed. “Nothing but a single month.”

She was angry. Only a few hours had passed since notice had arrived from the north: The Gryphons had launched an overwhelming attack on the city and had occupied it. The message indicated that they had seized the city's vital industries and enslaved the populous. All of this took place in just over a month.

Luna’s thoughts were jumbled. How were the Gryphons able to attack in such a short time? They obliterated what little of the Equestrian army had been stationed near the city, and subsequently took control of the heavily industrialized settlement. Factories, farms, those were all working for them. She knew the city was a valuable asset, and hence they had placed as much effort as they could into making sure it was well defended, an effort which consisted of assigning ponies from the Royal Guard with protecting it. They were the best that was available at the moment, but that did not stop them, no.

The Princess got off of the bed, stretching before walking out onto her balcony. She looked down, watching as the smoke rose up from the training camp set at the foot of Canterlot Mountain.

Was there a chance of defeating them? “Yes,” she said to herself. “Of course there is. We will prevail.” Yet, there was a nagging feeling on the back of her mind. The Equestrian army was not ready, not by a long shot. She knew that much, and had to fight herself to admit it. The loss of Trottingham was inevitable, but that did not make her feel any better.

What had happened during the thousand years of her exile? She remembered a beautiful country, much like it was on her return, but there was a distinct lack of warriors and, most noticeably, other species amongst the ponies. They had grown soft, unaware of what was beyond their borders. Yes, it was almost a sort of eden. Almost.

Could she blame them? Those which are ignorant are usually those who are the happiest.

“Ignorance,” she thought. Her mind flashed with images of her time as Nightmare Moon, causing her to frown. The ponies had forgotten about that incident, only remembered one day each year, which usually involved candy. “How childish,” she scoffed. Even if she had enjoyed her first Nightmare Night, there was no denying of the fact that it was a celebration born of ignorance.

“And ‘Eternal Night’? Really?” she said aloud. She had a long talk with Celestia in the first day of her return. The white alicorn had explained that it was for the best that the ponies never knew of Nightmare Moon’s true purpose. Luna disagreed, of course. For the temperature to descend to such a level that would cause the crops to die and wipe the planet of most forms of life was “Too unnerving” for the ponies to know, according to Celestia. The moon Princess did not abide by that, instead arguing that the ponies should have been more prepared for Nightmare’s return. Even if Celestia’s plan worked, Luna could never agree with her sister’s ways.

“They were scared of eternal night, and now they have to fight a war...” Luna said as she stepped back into her room. “How did Celestia let this happen? I understand that she wanted the best for our ponies, but she went too far...”

Luna pushed her current thoughts to the side, reminding herself of what she had been meaning to do at first. She sat by her desk and retrieved both a piece of paper and a quill, dipping the latter on an inkpot before setting to work.

“The Homo Evolutis, Part Two”

“For a month, I have been studying the humans as much as I have been able to, learning much about the pad along the way as well. It has been hard to find enough time for it, since I partake heavily in almost every aspect of this war.”

“I have focused on their society: the ‘United Systems And Colonies’. There are two more ‘Main’ races in their government, this being the Lakuran and the Gektar, of which I have been unable to find much information. Each race has a ‘Chancellor’, which implies that they are a democratic society. This is not completely correct, not on the case of the humans. They function on a mix of meritocracy and democracy, choosing their representative out of a selection of Admirals and other high-ranking individuals who must earn their place on this selection.”

“All of that points to a very militarized system, at least for the humans. Their history is marked by conflict, between themselves and others. I am glad to say that they have surpassed that, and have become the ‘Defenders’ of the USC. They range from great warriors to illuminated scientists, rich to poor, etc.”

“I can honestly say that I am scared of them. They are capable of feats beyond my comprehension. I came across an article on mining, which explained how they literally tear planets apart, using every resource that the doomed world has to offer. What is stopping them from doing that to us?”

“Of course, they value all forms of organic life. When they are not cracking planets open, they settle down and ‘terraform’ them, molding them to how they see fit. The pad even makes mention of cities that cover the entire surface of planets and buildings that reach the stars.”

“I had underestimated just how far above they are from us. We barely have even scratched the surface of the universe. We have not even planted our hooves on any place outside of this planet. They have reached far beyond their stars and have defeated enemies that use limbs as spare parts. They manipulate their surroundings in ways that I am yet to understand. Only with their hands have they managed all of this. I can only draw one conclusion at the moment.”

“We are primitive.”

Clean. Just as it was meant to be for the Vector’s second in command. The bed was perfectly done, the metallic walls and floor were shining, as well as the assortment of basic furniture made out of the same material. A mirror hung on the wall next to the bed, reflecting one side of the room. A holographic clock rested on the nightstand next to a picture in a rustic, copper-toned frame. The picture displayed a girl no older than eight in a pretty, yellow floral dress, her mother and father standing just behind her. The glass cage on the desk contained an animal hidden in a small cave nestled amongst the sand that completed the synthetic, desert-like ambiance inside the miniature biome.

Everything was perfect.

The door to the room slid open and then closed with a hiss as a fully armored man walked through, his crimson red shoulder pads brightly contrasting with the rest of his dark grey suit. The man's shoulders rose as his chest expanded with air, his hands moving alongside as they traced a path up to his helmet. A few moments later, a light metallic click echoed around the small room. A stream of gas vented from his faceplate as he removed it, immediately cutting off the myriad of information that assaulted his eyes from behind the visor. After his vision cleared, he calmly approached the corner of his room that housed the bed and nightstand and gingerly placed the piece of armor behind the clock.

He loosed a sigh and turned to look at the mirror, the stark image of his scarred complexion stared back at him from the other side of the glass. He always told himself and his subordinates that every battle left a scar, be it mental or physical; his many years of service and pain had taught him that. He could have them removed, but he preferred to keep them. For him, they were a reminder. A reminder of what he had and what he continued to fight for.

The man took his eyes away from the mirror and brought his attention to the framed photo placed on the nightstand. He grunted as he lowered himself onto his bed and then reached out to carefully wrap his fingers around it. His mouth grew into a warm smile as he drew the picture closer.

“When will you come back, daddy?”

“Soon, sweetheart.”

“Do you promise?”

“Mhm... I promise.”

His smile twisted into a frown as he placed the picture back on the stand. A whole month had passed, yet no contact had been made with the USC. Planets had been found, yet every single one of them devoid of life and only useful for mining operations. He found it hard to believe that the Vector was so far away from the rest of the fleet. A month should have been enough to at least get in range of communication, which meant something was wrong.

And he was going to find out exactly what it was.

His expression unchanged, he stood up and walked over to the desk. With one of his fingers, he tapped the glass of the animal’s living place. A hiss soon reached his ears as a small snake emerged out of the small cave opening. It looked up at him inquisitively, probing the air with its forked tongue. Its timely response and calm, collected demeanor returned his vanished smile to his face.

“Good girl...” he said, opening the top of the cage and leaning down, sticking his head inside. The snake approached him and licked his nose, then snuggled up against it.

“I’m sorry I haven’t had much time for you... Things have been rather hectic,” he mentioned as he reached into one of the metallic pockets of his armor, retrieving a small bag from which he produced a small piece of raw meat. The snake tilted her head as it came into view

“I know, I know... we’re rationing, so it’s hard to sneak out much from our supplies.” He reached into the cage and placed the meat onto a rock. “I promise I will find you something that’s alive as soon as I can.”

The snake continued to look at him, then slithered over to the rock and opened her jaw, taking the piece of meat with her. The man knew she would be patient. After all, he always kept his promises.

He sat down by the desk, and a holographic display automatically opened. He began to manipulate it with his hands, running them over the various screens. As he navigated his way through the vast, virtual library, snippets of memories, images of campaigns won and lost from decades past, and images of friends and soldiers who had served with him loyally flashed before him. Lost in deep thought, he knew they were all fading quickly as he focused again on the task at hand. Pulling up a video data log, he thought briefly on what he was about to say.

“This is Infantry Commander Jack Silverback of the USS Vector,” he sighed as he began. “I have decided to start a log here, since I believe it could be of use in the future.”

“We have been out of contact with the USC for almost a month now. I do not know why or how, but there is no denying it, the comm lines have been silent.. The crew is uneasy, and all we have left is hope. Hope that we’ll return soon.”

“Something is wrong. I just know it.”

“After the jump, we found ourselves above a planet inhabited by sapient quadrupeds who possess the ability to levitate objects and apparently a fluent comprehension of Terran. Almost impossible to believe, I know.”

“This is not normal. And by no means is this supposed to happen when a hyperspace jump fails!”

“There are not many leads to follow as of now, except one. Rather, three.”

“A model MAC Mark One. A combat android. It was not hard to tell, since it speaks in monotone and usually acts, well, like a machine. We should throw it out the airlock.”

“I have no clue as to why it is here, but its existence alone is trouble. Troopers grip their weapons tightly and whisper to each other whenever it is nearby. They were banned after the Augmentation Crisis for a reason. If one of them gained sentience and rebelled against us, what’s stopping this one from doing so as well? Why, with every second it’s powered, we risk the same fate.”

“There is also this Raider... ‘Torres’, as I have heard. She does not show up on my display, and I am unable to pull any records on her. I have also noticed how the other Raiders stay away from her... I should probably find out why.”

“Lastly, there is this... augmentee wandering around the ship. Twelve feet tall, a mountain of pure muscle. It fails to show up on my display as well.”

“These three are all connected to the Admiral and are referred to as his ‘Personal Team’. Now, they had to have come from somewhere, and that is exactly what I am going to find out. If I’m correct, then this could be much bigger than I had originally thought.”

“Silverback out.”

Cookie the snake slithered out of her cave, taking in the heat of the artificial light above her. She looked around her glass cage, taking in the surroundings of her synthetic biome. The food rock was perfectly in place. Her cave was pristine, just as it always was. The sand was warm, and the tiny tree was green as it could be, providing some shade for whenever the need should arise.

She always made sure that everything was as perfect as could be, just like father did. Every piece of waste and any other useless materials were pushed to the far side of the cage, ready to be taken away and into the garbage.

Content with her surroundings, she curled up to bask under the warm light, the only thing making her company being her own thoughts.

Where was father? It was unlike him to be gone for such a long period of time. She was hungry, so her hopes were placed on father returning soon.

He always said that things were rather hectic for him, but she saw no reason to be angered by father’s excuses. She could tell with a mere glimpse when he was angry or anxious. Lately, he had been tired. Anxiety and stress were visible in his eyes, and he had not been spending as much time with Cookie as he used to.

The snake’s thoughts were interrupted as the door to the room slid open with a hiss. She looked up, expectant.

Father!

She straightened herself and looked up at the figure that walked into the room. Father had arrived, yet he was missing his armored faceplate. He walked over to Cookie’s cage and leaned down, smiling.

“Who’s a good Cookie?” he asked, his expression tired, yet somewhat relaxed. All Cookie did was probe the air with her tongue, looking into the man’s eyes.

“I brought you something,” he said, reaching into one of his pockets and retrieving a small bag, from which he produced a piece of meat. It was larger than those he had given her before, which made Cookie happy. She knew that it was always hard for him to get food for her, so the fact that he had taken the trouble to pick up a larger piece meant much to her.

Cookie watched as he placed the meat on one of the food rocks, ready to be consumed. Before doing so, however, she had to show her gratitude; so she reached up and snuggled against father’s nose, causing him to smile and let out a relaxed sigh.

Father stepped away from Cookie’s cage, walking over to his desk and sitting down on the chair next to it. Before eating the piece of meat, Cookie decided to observe father for a few moments. She had to show him that she cared about him, and that he was not solely a source of food.

She watched as he opened up the holographic computer of his desk, going over several screens. She caught glimpses of photos and diaries, recorded messages and various forms of miscellaneous information.

“This is Infantry Commander Jack Silverback, second in command of the USS Vector.

“It’s been two months since I recorded the first part of this log, and I am both happy and worried to say that I have found many answers to my previous questions.” He looked over at Cookie. “I also believe that my cybernetically enhanced snake, Cookie, is the only thing keeping me sane right now...”

“To start with... Today I was overseeing one of the routine medical checks, and the augmentee ‘Atlas’ was there. Some curious troopers pushed the bastard into the line, and it tried to contact the Admiral in a pitiful attempt to bail out.

“I did not allow that.

“We forced it into the scanner, and we were dumbfounded at what we saw...

“Four lungs, three hearts, the skeletal structure of the left arm is metal, rather than bone and its skull is reinforced with titanium. All of that only adds to the fact that it is as strong as a trooper in an exo-suit.

“It’s a mutant.

“So that makes two things that are wandering around the ship: a mutant and an android, both of them things that should not even exist. Why does the Admiral even allow them on this ship? This is worthy of an execution...

“Additionally, there’s the raider ‘Torres’. I managed to pull out some basic records regarding her. It turns out that she’s an ex-convict who was in line for the Crimson Guard due to insubordination, and she was pulled out of the prison planet Ironwatch by the Admiral. He does have the authority to do so, but what is the purpose behind such a thing?

“I’m beginning to think that he’s purposely keeping away from the USC. He must be scared of the execution, but there’s still got to be more to this. Where did the mutant and the android come from? How exactly are they tied to the Admiral? I’m going to put as much effort as I can into finding out.

“Silverback out.”

The training camp of the Equestrian army was busy, just as it always was. Blacksmiths worked hard on their weapons, clashing hot metal against hammer and anvil, producing a variety of sounds that added to the cacophony of noise from all around the establishment. Pegasi could be seen flying overhead, practicing maneuvers and polishing the use of their shoulder-mounted lances. Unicorns trained on dummies, spinning their dual bladed swords in the air and slashing the miserable, Gryphon-like targets as hard as they could. The earth ponies threw buck after buck at metallic plates similar to those worn by Gryphon troops, hard enough to crack a skull open.

Twilight Sparkle could have never imagined herself being in such a place.

She walked amongst the many tents and fireplaces as the night rose up, the sun making way for the moon by hiding behind the horizon. The clouds far above were placed in erratic positions, as Cloudsdale had been ordered to automatically produce clouds that moved on their own so more pegasi could join the army, creating a type of weather similar to the Everfree forest. It was hard to get used to such a thing; more than a few times did a sunny day turn into a thunderstorm without notice.

“Four months,” Twilight muttered, continuing her trot throughout the camp. “Four months since the start of the war, and nothing’s changed.”

It was true, and she had to admit it. Trottingham was unreachable, and with every second that passed, the inhabitants of the city suffered more. The Gryphon army was brutal, managing to repel every attempt to liberate the city so far.

Almost every single pony was taking part in the war, be it due to their own decision or because they were drafted. Friends and siblings had been lost, and sometimes it took days before any news arrived.

“No, he’s not gone,” she said to herself as she walked amongst a set of campfires surrounded by pony recruits talking about their day. “He’s fine... Shiny’s fine...”

She made her way past several armored ponies trotting around the camp and entered her own tent. Inside were the most basic of necessities for the common pony, this being a single bed that made her back ache every time she slept, a hooflocker containing many of her possessions, and a small desk with a lamp on it.

It was almost depressing.

She missed being Twilight Sparkle, not “Head Mage Sparkle”. Her life had taken a sharp turn from learning about friendship to teaching unicorns basic spells to enchant weapons and armor. She missed her home, her cozy bed, her pet owl, her assortment of books, and more importantly; Spike. They both exchanged letters on a daily basis, but nothing could replace waking up to see the dragon’s warm smile while he held a plate with a daisy sandwich on it.

She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind, as there were important matters to attend to. The mare looked at the desk, where a stack of papers and a set of quills sat. But more importantly, the “pad”. Princess Luna had given it to her no more than a few weeks ago, including a set of notes.

Wasting no time, she sat next to the desk and levitated a quill and a piece of paper in front of her.

“Weeks have passed since I was given the pad. I am still amazed by it; such quantities of information, stored in something thinner than a book! I have spent hours upon hours learning about the humans, how they have managed to twist the laws of nature to their own will with nothing but their bare hands!

“But, I have also realized just how small we are. Princess Luna’s notes are incredibly grim. It is hard to believe that a goddess is questioning her own existence. I’m even questioning my own existence now.

“It seems like just yesterday when I truly believed our planet was the only one out there. Just yesterday when I thought Luna controlled the stars. Just yesterday when magic was truly just that: magic. Now I have no idea of how magic works. The archives within the pads have proven almost every single theory on how magic works wrong, and there is much more to it.

“Every answer raises a hundred more questions. There is so much that we don’t know, so much that they know, and so much within the pad. Even after all this time, I have only scratched the surface of the mountain of knowledge within it. And even then, the information within it is purposely limited. My assumption is that the humans knew how much this would affect us, therefore they made a set of boundaries, yet it is still enough for me to go almost crazy.

“The first hours were spent in awe, then came denial. I refused to believe that most of what we knew was a lie, a lie made by ourselves. They don’t believe in gods; such things were abandoned in favour of technological progress. And here we are, looking up to the Princesses, thinking they rule the universe.

“It even sounds childish, compared to what I have uncovered.

“Physics, chemistry, biology. Things that we attributed to mystical gods and magic are just numbers to them. We believe that gods created that, and never question that, while they left behind such thoughts and uncovered the truth behind their creation: nothing but a mere coincidence of the right elements being in the right place for a long period of time, passing through microscopic lifeforms into apes and beyond.

“What I asked myself at first was ‘Well then, who created the universe?’ I was pleased to find that they did not know that yet, but they just keep looking. For them, it all started with an explosion, and for us, there were gods.

“We must look so puny in their eyes, fighting a war within our own home planet, while they conquer star systems and fight wars that consume planets. They look at princesses and diarchy as something that stifles any form of progress. We simply believe that our rulers are gods, and live happily in a sea of ignorance, our own purpose defined only by our cutie marks.

“They don’t have any of those. They choose their own rulers, who must earn their right to be so in return. They choose their purpose in life, unlike us who get it chosen by unknown powers. They are based on science, which I believed to be related to myths and factors such as your soul, magic, and friendship. The only thing I have left to comfort myself is that I still have my friends. Luckily, the war has not been able to separate us yet, but that is not enough to clear my mind from that one thought...

“Is everything I’ve ever known a lie?”

Cookie watched intently as Father walked into the room, the metallic door closing behind him with a hiss. If her memory did not fail her, then it had been at least a day since they had last seen each other. The only company she had during that time were her own thoughts. Even so, father had taught her to be patient, and she had taken that lesson to heart. She knew that father would always return. Long ago she had realized that whenever she was alone, thinking was a simple, yet effective exercise. Being a self-aware cobra had both its ups and downs. In one hand, she had learned many things from father, most of which made her realize just how much he loved her. What she found to be the most annoying fact was just how slow time went by when he was not with her, but whenever those thoughts arose, she remembered to be patient.

Father walked over to her cage and offered the weakest of smiles, making a pang of weariness arise in Cookie. The man had been deteriorating during the passing months, getting more anxious and tired each day. Cookie figured that he missed Mother and Little Mother. More than a few times had she looked on as he stared at the picture of the nightstand, tears streaming down his face while he spoke to himself.

She wished she could do something; Father was sad, and there was no one to comfort him.

Before the man reached into one of his pockets to retrieve Cookie’s food, she reached out of her cage, looking deeply into his eyes. He retaliated with a tired smile, slowly moving his hand away from his armor and offering it to the snake. She took the hint and began slithering up his arm, causing him to release a relaxed sigh as she coiled around his neck.

“Oh Cookie...” he sighed out as he began petting her head. “You’re the only one I’ve got left...”

Father sat down by the desk, and the holographic display automatically opened up. He remained petting her while managing the console, bringing up a few photos on it. Cookie raised her head and looked at it.

Cookie saw Father, Mother, and Little Mother huddled together inside a store, smiling. It was the photo of the day they had adopted her, the day she considered to be the best day of her life. Little Mother was much like Father: patient, driven, and caring. Cookie lowered her head and looked away from it. She too missed them, but Father probably held stronger emotions. It was beyond Cookie just how much he missed the rest of their family.

“Initiate recording...” he muttered, and almost immediately the display lit up.

“I can’t believe six months have passed already. Every day just drags on and on... There’s so little for us to do. The prospect of never returning to our homes is finally starting to settle in our minds, and everyone’s getting more unstable by the minute, including myself.

“I have a family back home... I promised I would return, but now that seems almost impossible. Same goes for many of the crew... this just wasn’t supposed to happen. As I said before, the only thing we have left is hope, and it’s running out fast...

“I... I think it’s the Admiral’s fault. He pulled the mutant ‘Atlas’ out of a waste planet, along with the MAC unit, without permission from high command. Chances are he’ll get executed if we ever return to the USC.

“He’s scared.

“I’ve already leaked all of this information, and it’s spreading throughout the ship faster than I had imagined. Troopers are starting to ask me if I’m going to do something about this...

“I will.”

::> Search Query: Ubor

::> Displaying Results...

Currently, there is no extensive knowledge about the Ubor, other than the fact that they are closely related to the Serven, who are essentially sapient machines. The Ubor are simply an offshoot of the Serven who, instead of being built solely with metal, also use biological parts obtained primarily from their enemies to build themselves.

The USC, since 3191, has been openly engaged in a full-scale war with the Ubor, who frequently attack our colonies with the sole purpose of “harvesting” body parts in order to reproduce. They are also known to use advanced nanites that break down biological mass into a sort of bio-fuel. But fear not, the Colonial Guard is more than capable of fending off their attacks.

Remember, the Colonial Guard is always there for you.

The sounds of clashing swords reached the ears of Luna as she trotted out onto her balcony. She wearily looked down upon the camp that had been set up far below at the foot of the mountain that held Canterlot. She closed her eyes and concentrated, taking in the various sounds coming from the training camp. Drill Sergeants shaped recruits into warriors, blacksmiths shaped metal into weapons, and ponies kicked Gryphon mannequins into splinters.

It was the sound of war.

The coming of night was upon her nation once again. Luna gazed longingly at the skies above Ponyville. She could see the Vector as clear as day in her mind—parked there in all of its terrifying splendor. It represented the end of peace and the dawn of a new era of darkness. The wound of the Vector was still very fresh seven months on, and the bleeding had yet to stop.

The Princess craned her neck towards the north, focusing on the tower of smoke that rose into the sky from beyond the mountains. Trottingham had been taken, and even worse, turned into a concentration camp. It was unusual for the Gryphons to take prisoners, but given the highly technical aspects of the factories in the area, following tradition would not have achieved them anything. Killing their captives would make the factories essentially inoperable due to the extremely high learning curve. The few that had managed to escape the Gryphon’s grasp returned to safety with stories of a cruel occupation. Trottingham was sacked of valuable fruits and corn, and in return the ponies were only being fed a paltry sum of water and oats in exchange. They told tales of ponies being forced to carry loads two times their weight, tales of ponies perishing of hunger and overexertion and foals watching as their parents fell into death’s cold embrace. Luna could not decide whether or not it was for the best; to be forced to work with no payment and fed only enough to barely be kept alive, or to be brutally murdered.

She turned around and walked back into her room, shooting a casual glance over to her desk, seeing the flat, glowing pad that the humans had left behind. So much had she learned about the entire universe ever since. It was hard to even imagine just how vast it actually was, let alone comprehend how it worked. Thanks to it, everything that she thought she knew had been torn asunder. No longer was she a goddess, but instead nothing more than another dot amongst trillions. In a way, she regretted even touching it, but there was no going back now.

The Princess looked back at her balcony, noticing that it was already time for her to raise the moon.

The war was rapidly approaching its apex. The city of Trottingham remained occupied, and the bulk of the Equestrian army had been split. Twilight Sparkle felt as if time had frozen. The days went by at an agonizingly slow pace ever since the beginning. Her role as “Head Mage Sparkle” had taken away almost all of her free time, as she spent the major part of the day training unicorns on how to enchant gems for military use.

She and her friends had been chosen as trainers; not because of their skill, but by part of Celestia’s plan to keep morale high by imposing the iconic figures of the Elements of Harmony onto the recruits. Twilight envied her friends, since none of them had a real idea as to what the war actually involved. They were either in denial, or simply living happily in ignorance, almost unaware of how many ponies died on a daily basis.

The image of the humans rose up into her mind. The mountains of information regarding their heavily militarized society and how they were tightly tied to the concept of war as if its very essence was embedded in their souls. War never changes for the humans; they live with it, thrive in it, and make more of it when the time arose. The thought was unsettling.

Twilight could not stand to live with the pad and the wealth of knowledge it presented. The power was too great for one small pony and she returned the pad to Princess Luna. All of the new knowledge was like a dream for her, but only so much. She had never thought that she would ever reject such a thing, but there was simply too much. It had made every single day darker and darker with every second she read the words contained within it, even without thinking of the ongoing war. So many questions had surfaced, yet so few contained answers.

She slowly trotted throughout the army’s training camp, the hood of her purple robe covering her head. It had been a tiring day, consisting of training recruits by yelling orders into their heads. Her throat was sore, dry due to the “teaching”.

“Lies, all lies,” she muttered to herself as she made her way past several campfires. It was hard to accept that her entire life of studies was practically a lie. Her life as Celestia’s personal student had been flipped. Were the Princesses really gods? Some ponies would have her burned alive for asking such a thing, but they did not know what she knew.

With her head hanging low, she pushed into one of the camp’s largest tents. Her ears were assaulted by a cacophony of noise coming from all directions. Ponies sitting by tables conversing with each other, drinks balanced on their hooves. It was one of the camp’s bars, where she and her friends had agreed to meet at the start of the night.

She hadn’t seen them in days, for they were all busy training recruits. Rarity as a seamstress, making tents and other types of equipment. Pinkie as a chef, making the food for the troops. Fluttershy as a nurse, providing care for the injured. Applejack and Rainbow Dash as drill sergeants, shaping pegasi and earth ponies into efficient pony combat machines.

Their previous lives were fast fading to the winds of time.

Twilight pondered for a brief moment if she would ever be Ponyville’s librarian again, or if her friends were going to be the same. One thing was certain: nothing would be the same if the Gryphons won.

She lifted her head and looked around, observing the many tables spread throughout the tent, trying to find the one with her friends.. if they were there at all.

“Hey, Twi!” a voice called out to her. She turned around, squinting as she looked for the source. Far into one corner of the tent she spotted a table with five figures sitting by it, all of them looking at her expectantly. She offered a weak smile in return, and began trotting over to them.

Twilight sat down next to the table, sighing, her voice weak and tired. “Hey girls...”

“Hiya, Twilight,” Applejack said, adjusting the iconic drill sergeant hat that was set upon her head. Following suit, the four remaining ponies greeted her as well. She noticed how they all had bags under their eyes and how their voices showed signs of exhaustion. Images flashed on her mind, of the times when their lives were simple. “Gosh...” she thought, “It feels like years went by...”

After a moment of silence, Rainbow spoke up, “So uh... how goes the research on the humans?”

Twilight’s eyes shot open. “I’m done with them... I gave the pad back to Princess Luna. I just can’t stand that thing anymore.”

“You? Tired of studying?” Rarity asked, craning her neck back in surprise. “I... I never thought I would see the day.” She finished with a weak smile, then looked down at the table, sighing.

“Well, what happened? It’s just super weird that you don’t want to learn from them anymore...” Pinkie muttered. “You looked really excited the first time.”

“It’s just that...” Twilight sighed, closing her eyes. “It’s... too... much!”

Every conversation inside the tent died, and every pair of eyes locked onto her.

“I’ve spent my entire life studying magic!” she yelled as she stood up. “And now everything’s a lie! My life has been a lie the whole time!”

“Woah, calm down there sugarcube-”

“And you know what!? I very much suspect that my brother’s dead!” She stomped the ground with one of her hooves. “My whole life’s falling apart!”

“Twilight, calm down!”

The lavender unicorn drew in a deep breath, looking directly at Fluttershy, who gave her a worried stare in return.

Twilight stared back long and hard at the distressed pegasus. Fluttershy’s look of agonizing worry began to melt away the anger and frustration that had brought her to the breaking point. At last she relinquished her position and stood down, a defeated look on her tired face. She plopped down on her haunches and brushed a stray lock of her hair away from her face. “Sorry...”

“It’s fine,” Rainbow said. “But... what do you mean about ‘too much’?”

Twilight looked down at the table. “It’s... hard to explain. So much has changed and I’ve learned so much more...” “She sighed, “I think I need to see the Princess...”

“Move it, mutie!” the trooper behind Atlas yelled as he pushed him further along the line, almost making him drop his tray. Nearly everyone inside the mess hall looked over to him and chuckled. He huffed, deciding to ignore them. He’d had worse, anyways.

He had endured constant insults and fights for the past several months, ever since it was revealed that he was over-augmented. It certainly did not make things any easier for him. “All thanks to that stupid medical check,” he thought, frowning behind his faceplate.

Atlas moved forward and placed his tray on top of the table. Behind it was a single man who was in charge of handing over the food. He regarded the giant with an angry expression, dropping half of a brown bar onto the tray.

“Only half?” Atlas asked, cocking his head to the side.

“You’re overweight, now move it! Next!”

The rest of the troopers pushed Atlas out of the line, with just enough time for him to grab the tray while managing to avoid dropping the bar onto the floor. He walked away from them, grumbling under his breath. The giant repressed his anger and his desire to crack open some skulls while he walked over to one of the tables. Sitting by it was Mac, who silently stared through the digital window into the twisted hyperspace.

“Having fun?” Atlas asked, carelessly dropping the tray onto the table before sitting down. He looked at the piece of food lying in front of him; a hyper caloric bar. Needless to say, it tasted just as bad as it looked.

Mac craned his neck and looked at Atlas. “I enjoy watching the visual disturbances caused by hyperspace flight.”

“Hmph...” Atlas examined the android, noticing a few dents on its outer plating. “Something happen to you?”

“Yes,” Mac replied, continuing to stare at the giant.

“What was it?”

“Some troopers tried to kill me.”

“Well, shit.” Atlas reached up to his head, a stream of gas shooting out of his faceplate as he removed it. “What’ya do?”

“I escaped. I did not wish to die.”

“Bastards...” the titan muttered. “I would’ve fought back.”

The android turned to the window once again. “And give them a reason to believe I am a merciless machine that deserves to be destroyed?”

“HYPERSPACE JUMP: SUCCESSFUL,” the deep, guttural voice of the ship bellowed through its loudspeakers. Atlas peeked over through the window, seeing a bright, earth-like planet instead of the lightshow produced by hyperspace. The immediate sight of the planet invoked a wash of memories from his excursion to the surface to flood his mind.

“Mah name’s Apple Bloom!”

He sighed, recalling the memories from his short stay in Equestria. The ponies’ friendly faces, and how they looked up at him with uncertainty in their eyes. They were alien, yet familiar, and capable of incredible feats. Things that seemed so simple to them, like telekinesis, took years for the humans to master and could only do it thanks to advanced equipment. They were strange, he knew that much, but it was beyond himself just how they were able to speak fluent Terran and look so... bright.

“Hey guys,” came a feminine voice. Atlas turned around to see Torres sit down next to him, placing her own tray on the table. Following her were Morris and Allen, the two inseparable friends.

“What’s up, boss?” Allen asked, sitting down along with Morris.

“The usual... getting into fights, etcetera...” Atlas replied, yawning.

“Wouldn’t doubt it...” Morris muttered. “The whole ship’s on your ass.”

Atlas smiled. “I’m surprised you guys are intact.”

“Well,” Torres said as she removed her helmet. “I’m getting a lot of questions from the other Raiders... I’m sorry you have to deal with this mess alone.”

“It’s fine, T.”

A few raiders walked by their table, chuckling and shooting curious glances at the woman sitting next to Atlas. “Hey Torres, what’re you doing sitting with that freak?”

“The ‘freak’ has a name...” Torres muttered. “It’s Atlas.”

“Are you dating it or something?” one of the women asked.

“Bite me!” Torres stood up yelled back as the other raiders began walking away, laughing.. Troopers from all around the chamber began throwing insults at her while she sat back down next to Atlas. She looked at him, sighing, “Did’ya think I was gonna leave you alone?”

Atlas chuckled, “Thanks...”

She patted him on the shoulder pad. “I told you we’ve got each others backs.”

The giant released a relaxed sigh as he looked back down at his food. He gingerly wrapped his fingers around the bar and brought it in front of his face. After gathering some strength, he threw it whole into his mouth, grimacing at the taste.

“Well,” he thought. “It’s at least... something.”

As he tried to down the piece of repurposed human waste, Morris spoke up. “Did you guys hear about what happened in armory twenty four?”

“No,” said Mac.

“Well uh... Div Commander Drake got killed this morning,” Morris sighed out.

“You’re shitting me,” Atlas retorted, coughing as he finally swallowed the hyper bar. “The guy from the heavy division?”

Allen nodded, a grim expression upon his face. “Yeah. Railgun shell right through the head after a fight with one of his troopers.”

“Damn it,” Torres muttered. “I heard he was a good guy, too.”

“Once ordered his heavies to stand back during a fight with me,” Atlas said, shaking his head. “Told me to get the fuck out afterwards, but at least saved me from a few broken bones.”

“What happened to the one who shot him?” asked Mac.

Morris sighed, “Executed.”

“Yeah...” Allen looked down at the table and shook his head. “Drake’s funeral is being held in one of the hangars.”

“ATTENTION,” the automated voice of the Vector rose up once more. “SUBJECT ATLAS IS TO REPORT TO BRIEFING CHAMBER ZERO IMMEDIATELY.”

Atlas cocked an eyebrow, unsure of the purpose of the call. “What do they want now...” he thought, “Well, so long as it ain’t anything bad...” His four friends looked at him with uncertain expressions, all while the ship’s voice repeated the same message and the troopers from all around the mess hall whispered to each other.

Torres whistled, smirking as she craned her neck upwards to look at the giant. “Looks like you’ve got a meeting with the big boys now.”

“Guess so...” Atlas grumbled as he got up from his seat. “I’ll see you guys later.”

The pristine, marble floors of Canterlot palace shone with radiance. Alabaster tiles returned the warm light coming from the torches set regularly along the walls, providing an almost homely feeling. Paintings of all ages and styles lined the halls, including busts and other pieces of valuable art. The doors, all adorned with gems and etchings of gold, hid even more of what the palace already offered to the eyes.

“This is all wrong...” Twilight muttered to herself as she trotted through the castle’s halls, head hanging low.

She felt as if the whole palace was forcing her to forget. To forget about the ongoing conflict and, more importantly, to forget about what she had learned. The whole building reeked of happiness and optimism, contrasting against the military camp that was set up at the foot of the very mountain that held Canterlot. It seemed as if it was made for this; to be entirely hermetic and make you forget about your problems.

How had she even grown to despise such a thing? It only added to the hundreds of questions she already had. She could only keep moving towards her destination as a wave of thoughts washed over her head.

Books about war, pain, and misery. They had all appeared only days after the start of the war. But why? Nopony could have possibly written those in such a hurry. In fact, they were old books, so it must have meant that they were being purposely locked.

Why?

“These books are far too dark for them to be common knowledge,” Celestia had explained. “They would have only raised conflict.”

Twilight had believed her at first. Rarely had she ever heard of the concept of war before, and it seemed too far-fetched to be possible.

She soon reached a large set of doors, engraved with intricate designs made of gold, including a few gems. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, preparing herself. She sighed it out as she gingerly prodded one of the doors with her hoof, gently sliding it open. Her senses were immediately overwhelmed as she moved inside; the smell of tea and burning wood crawled deeper into her system. She took in another shaky breath, observing the room she found herself in. Tall bookshelves, a few paintings, a fireplace, and a small table covered in stacks of paper.

“Ah, Twilight,” a soothing, motherly voice reached her ears. She looked at the source of the voice: a regal, pure white alicorn sitting by the small table, levitating a cup of tea near herself. “Please, come sit.”

Regaining her composure, Twilight trotted over to the table. She glanced over at the stacks of papers, noticing a few of her own friendship reports lying amongst the many other pieces of paper. “Princess...” She sighed, sitting down next to Celestia, unable to maintain eye-contact with her. “Are those my reports?”

Celestia closed her eyes, a sign of weariness crawling into her voice, “Yes, I have been feeling quite... nostalgic.”

The next few minutes were spent in silence as they both stared at the burning pile of wood by the fireplace. Twilight was unsure how to begin; too many questions were swimming around her head.

“I did not come this far for nothing...”

“Princess,” she began, “can I ask you something?”

“Of course, my dear student,” Celestia replied, looking at the unicorn with a warm smile on her face.

“Is everything I know a lie?”

The question seemed to take the Princess by surprise. She tilted her head to the side and slowly set her cup of tea on the table before turning back to Twilight. “What do you mean?”

The princess' reaction ignited a spark inside of the purple unicorn, quickly flaring up into a raging furnace. All of her bottled-up emotion and wondering surfaced, causing her entire body to tremble as she stood up. “What do I mean?” she thought, following up by repeating the same question aloud. “What do I mean? You’ve been hiding things from us! Entire books about war and Equestrian history that not even I knew about!” She snorted, rage building up in her heart. “Why?”

Celestia sighed, “Sometimes it is for the best if some things are left behind.”

“Oh really?” Twilight retorted. “Maybe if we knew more then we would be winning this war!”

“It is too late to know for certain-”

“Stop it!” the unicorn yelled. “All the time I spent reading about the humans... their history, their culture, their technology. You made us believe that there was nothing beyond our own planet! But you knew about all of this, didn’t you?”

The Princess looked down at the floor. “It was for the best, Twilight.”

Twilight’s expression slowly turned into a scowl. “Are you even a real god?”

“Twilight. What is it you really want to ask?”

“They started from apes, you know...” Twilight muttered as she sat down again. “But they turned themselves into gods. Why keep us from doing the same? Why keep us from discovering the amazing facts of the universe? Why keep us from progressing?”

Celestia was silent, her gaze turned to a nonexistent window. "Are they happy, Twilight?"

"T-they're gods! They can do things we can't even imagine! Space travel, shields, steel cities, living armor-"

"But are they happy?" Celestia locked gazes with Twilight, letting the question hang in the air.

His foot made a loud thump as it reached the metallic floor of the ship. The two troopers guarding the secure blast doors looked at him inquisitively, keeping a tight grip on their weapons. All around was a bustling flow of troopers and technicians, going on about their daily jobs and only shooting occasional glances at the giant standing in front of the main briefing chamber.

Atlas sighed shook his head. “Are you gonna let me in or not?”

“Well,” one of the troopers grumbled. “Orders are orders.”

Both of the men stepped aside, and the door automatically slid open, allowing the hulking giant to step in.

“I hope they kill you,” one of the troopers whispered as he stepped into the room before the door closed. Atlas grumbled, deciding to ignore the man for the meantime, for there were other things to attend to.

He found himself inside a large chamber. An entire assortment of Commanders from sectional to divisional sat around a massive table, including Admiral Becker and Infantry Commander Jack Silverback. The latter stood up from his seat upon seeing Atlas walk into the room.

“What are you doing here, mutant?”

“Calm down, Silverback,” Becker said, standing up as well. “I’ll explain this soon enough.” He placed his hands on the table, looking over the men and women inside the chamber. “Now, as you all probably know, Divisional Commander Marcus Drake perished today, leaving an empty gap as the leader of the heavy division...” He finished by looking over at Atlas, who had sat at the opposite end of the table. A wave of whispers swept through the entire chamber, and a few worried glances were shot in his direction.

Atlas smirked as a Sectional Commander rose up from his chair, looking at the Admiral with a distressed expression. “Sir, the sole fact of having the mutant here violates several regulations-!”

“Shut up, Zatuk,” another man said, folding his arms. “The only time he’s stepped out of line is when deliberately provoked, anyways.”

“Carson?” Silverback asked as he leaned closer over the table. “Did you just call that thing a ‘he’?”

“Yes, I did. I’m surprised so many of you still think augmentees are monsters despite living through the aug crisis...”

The Infantry Commander slammed his fist on the table, leaving a permanent dent on it. “Who do you think you are!? One of those things killed my brother!”

Shortly afterwards, the whole audience began to shout at each other. Atlas folded his arms and smirked behind his faceplate. “Guess I’m not all alone, after all...”

“ENOUGH!” Becker shouted, and almost immediately did the discussions amongst the officers stopped. “I have my reasons behind this, and I’m extremely disappointed in all of you! Didn’t they teach you in kindergarten not to judge a book by its cover!?”

“With all due respect, sir,” Kira Feros spoke up, who had been silent during the entire meeting. “I can and will abide by your decisions, but why him? What qualifies him to earn this position?”

Atlas huffed. “Been fighting since before you were even born, probably.”

“Exactly,” Becker said, pointing a finger at the giant. “What we need right now is to get the crew together, and making the ship accept him is the first step.” The old man sighed and placed his hands behind his back, adopting a militant stance. “We also need to fix our supply shortage; it is the reason for our return here to this planet.” He waved his hand over the table, and a holographic display lit up, showing a three-dimensional view of the planet. “Our mineral storage is fine, but we need food. Our plan is to talk the natives into giving us just that.”

“Why not just harvest it, sir?” Commander Silverback asked.

“No,” the old Admiral sighed. “We’re better than that. We cannot risk them starving because of us.” He looked over at Atlas once again, who remained silent, arms folded. “I’m sending Divisional Commander Atlas planetside. He’s had contact with the natives before, so that should make things easier... Dismissed.”

The officers all stood up and saluted before starting to flood out of the room. Atlas remained in his seat, looking down at the table with his arms folded.

“Silverback, Carson, stay here,” Becker said as he walked over to the giant. The other two men stood by, silently watching as the old man approached the augmentee. “Head to the nearest drop center, Commander. I’ll give you your orders on the go.”

“Heh-heh-heh...” Atlas mumbled as he got up, stretching. He looked over at Silverback and Carson, a grin spreading on his face. “Don’t have too much fun while I’m gone,” the titan said as he turned to the door and began walking. “See you later, Adam.”

He exited the chamber and back into the Vector’s network of metallic halls, a smirk behind his faceplate. “Let’s see someone call me ‘mutant’ again...”

While he made his way through to the tram station, his commlink lit up. “Alright,” came the voice of the Admiral. “It’s simple: you have to drop to the city of Canterlot and contact the Equestrian Princesses. I’ll be guiding you along the way.”

Atlas sighed as he stepped into a tram, some of the nearby troopers shooting worried glances at him. Soon afterwards, the doors closed and the tram began to speed up, entering the gravity-less vacuum of the ship’s tram system.

“So,” he said, leaning against one of the cart’s walls. “Did you just do this to piss everyone off or because I earned it?”

“Both.”

The giant chuckled as he adjusted his shoulder pauldrons, “Good one... Also, am I gonna get some real armor, or am I just stuck in this tin can?”

“You’ll get what you want, but it’ll take a few hours to integrate you into our system.”

The next few minutes were spent in silence, and Atlas watched as the few other troopers inside the tram put as much distance between him and themselves. He shot a glance through the main window, just as the tram overlooked one of the hangars. “Right... funeral.” The giant caught a glimpse of Commander Drake’s funeral, just as his ashes were thrown into the void of space. A mere second afterwards, the tram had already entered another section. He just hoped he wouldn’t be the ashes one day.

Slowly, the tram came to a stop and its doors automatically opened for Atlas to walk out of it. A few images flashed into his mind as he moved through the constant influx of people that filled the halls. “Just hope the heavies won’t be a bunch of whiny bitches... Maybe they’ll still be as tough as I remember.”

Not a moment too soon did he see the digital signs with the words “Drop Center” hanging overhead. He walked around a corner, following the direction of the sign. Various troopers whispered to each other as he walked past them. Maybe the details about his promotion from squatter to Div Commander had gotten leaked already.

Shrugging off his current set of thoughts, he walked into one of the chambers that contained the heavy launch tubes. The single trooper inside looked up at him from his holopad, tilting his head ever so slightly to the side. “Atlas?”

“Commander Atlas.”

“Oh, I uh... the tubes are set and ready, sir.”

“Got’cha,” Atlas said as he pressed a button on the control console of one of the tubes, causing it to shoot a stream of gas and open. He stepped inside and the hatch sealed shut.

From a small viewport he could see as the trooper worked on the console. Without any form of notice, the air was sucked out of the tube and he was suspended in a magnetic field. Atlas then looked down, watching as several hatches began to open under his feet, yet he remained suspended in the field. The last hatch opened, letting him see the surface of the planet below before, much like the round of a gauss gun, he was pulled down the opening by magnetic fields, propelling him at a supersonic speed out of the ship and towards the planet.

His suit’s shielding powered up as he began to burn through the atmosphere. He flipped in mid-fall, going head-first towards the surface.

Out in Equestria, the night lit up with a single falling star...

::> Search Query: Humanus Defensor

::> Displaying Results...

Humanus Defensor: Nickname given by the Gektar, used to refer to the average human of the Colonial Guard after they undergo the standard genetic boosting.

Normally, the average unaugmented human male weighs between 370 and 400 pounds (170 and 180 kilos) and stands at 7.9 feet (2.5 meters). When they join the Colonial Guard, an obligation every colony follows, they must go through genetic augmentation. A process that enhances all aspects of their bodily structure. The end result is a human that weighs more than 450 pounds (200 kilos) and stands at 9 feet (3 meters), who is capable of lifting twice his weight and enduring the harshest of physical tests, all of this without the need of powered armor. Also implanted is a second heart. This is mainly used to pump blood exclusively in or out of their heads when in extreme acceleration. It also delivers doses of adrenaline and other substances when needed.

Human females, however, are not required to join the Colonial Guard. Instead, they may continue with their studies and become professionals far before most men. If they choose otherwise, they must undergo a more subtle gene-boosting process in order to maintain their fertility. They usually fill the role of “Raiders”: light troops that often are the tip of the spear in most operations. Raiders are respected, and even feared due to their cunning skills in battle.

One more notable fact about humans is that they can quickly adapt to different types of environments and tasks, to the point that they can accomplish almost any given order or labor. It should also be noted that these physical changes are mostly subtle, such as slight modifications on bone and muscle density. Heavier changes, ranging into augmentation, will still require some form of advanced equipment to be viable.

Humans are loyal to their nickname and the USC. Remember, they are your defenders, and they are always there for you.

“Half of our army has been isolated...” one of the many generals sitting near the large table in the war room muttered, nervously running his hoof through his mane. “Cut off from our supply lines, everything...”

“The Gryphons are pounding us into the ground...”

“Don’t think like that, Honour,” a mare said, looking at the other pony with a worried expression. She turned to Celestia and Luna, her expression unchanged. “Princesses... what should we do?”

“We must keep fighting,” Luna said, rising up from her seat. “We have endured worse. This is but a stone in our path to victory.”

With a solemn nod, Celestia continued, “We must regroup and prepare to take Trottingham back. But we need a way to re-establish contact with the rest of the army...”

Luna sighed, taking her attention off of the conversation. She trotted over to the large window of the war chamber and looked up into her sky. Was it really hers anymore? Maybe, maybe not. She needed to focus on the war, but it was almost painful.

A single falling star lit up the night’s sky; a beacon of hope. She reminded herself not to lose faith, for there were many lives depending on her. A relaxed smile spread across her face as the star continued to fall. “Yes... there is hope.”

The star made a sharp turn, causing Luna to cock an eyebrow. Her mind reeled back to the meteor shower six or seven months ago, the time in which Equestria was changed forever. She silently watched as the star approached Canterlot...

This was more than hope.

She turned to the rest of the ponies once again, her smile twisting into a determined frown. “Incoming!” she yelled, before a loud explosion rocked the castle, causing the window behind her to break into hundreds of shards that then fell onto her. Celestia and the generals fell to their knees, shielding themselves from the coming glass.

Could they possibly be back?

Naught but a moment later, alarms began to sound. Luna could hear ponies moving through the halls of the castle, the noise of their armored hooves resonating through the entire castle. She shook the glass off of her coat, watching as Celestia and the generals stood back up, looking at the broken window. Pony soldiers pushed the door open, rushing into the chamber in numbers to make sure Luna and her sister were both safe. She ignored them, instead turning to the window, reaching into her own heart and gathering all the determination she could find.

“Luna, wait!” Celestia shouted as the younger sister leaped through the broken window.

With a loud thud, the Princess of the night landed into the palace’s courtyard, flattening the grass under her hooves. She caught a glimpse of a unicorn soldier firing beams of magic at an unknown target around a corner.

She galloped past the soldier and around the corner, finally seeing what had landed outside the palace.

It was surrounded by pony soldiers, being attacked by all sides. The beams of energy either bounced off of it or were just shrugged off. The spears and swords did little to its armored exterior, leaving dents and small gashes but no visible wounds. And it had just survived a fall from orbit, the proof being the large, smoldering crater in the spot in which it stood.

“They are back...” she whispered to herself, her eyes wide as she watched the hulking, massive figure of the biped turn to her whilst fending off various forms of attacks.

“Princess—” it began, but was interrupted as a magical beam hit its shoulder, leaving a scorch mark. “Oh, stop it already!”

Luna shook her head to clear her thoughts, then looked back at the human. “Halt! Ceasefire!” she called out, raising the volume of her voice in order to stand out from the cacophony of noise coming from the attacks.

The offending ponies froze in mid-attack, shakily returning back to their normal positions and backing away from the titanic human. They formed a circle around it and glared angrily, pawing the ground and readying their weapons, ready should it attempt anything.

“Phew, thanks...” it said, dusting off its armored suit, which had burn marks and dents in every area.

The Princess walked calmly over to it, the ponies stepping to the side to make way for the alicorn. “Before we proceed with anything, may I ask what your purpose is?” she asked as soon as she had pierced the barrier of soldiers.

The human shrugged. “Just wanted to talk.”

“O-Oh...” She craned her neck to the side and shot a burning glare at the ponies, who shrunk away under her gaze. “On behalf of Equestria,” she said, turning back to the human, “I am deeply sorry for any pain we may have caused to you.” The last thing she needed was more conflict, especially against the humans.

“I was just expecting spears... not fucking laser beams.” He finished by looking at the soldiers and releasing a low, distorted growl, making their fear increase tenfold.

Luna sighed, “I’m sorry, but we are quite on edge these days, thanks to the war.”

“I figured,” the human said, looking down at his scorched armor, then back at Luna. “I am Divisional Commander Atlas of the USS Vector.” He extended a hand at the Princess. “It is a pleasure to see you again.”

Luna reached up with her hoof, and the human gently wrapped its enormous hand around it, shaking it with a surprising amount of gentleness. “I do not recall meeting you before, may you refresh my mind?”

“I accompanied Admiral Becker six months ago, when our species first met.”

“Ah,” Luna said, giving the human a warm smile as he let go of her hoof. “You were one of his guards, I see.”

The man looked over at the ever increasing crowd of ponies. “I am here to talk to both you and your sister... privately.”

“You do understand that we have a war to attend to?” Luna asked, looking up at the hulking man and tilting her head to the side.

“This is bigger than your war,” the human said. He began walking, the crowd of ponies parting itself to make way for him. “Trust me.”

Luna huffed and began following him, leaving the entire group of confused ponies behind. “My sister should be in our war room. I will lead the way.”

“Lead on, then.” Atlas slowed his pace, letting the Princess take point.

She briefly wondered what the man’s purpose was. Where was the Vector? What could possibly be more important than the war? She hoped they had a good reason for causing that much chaos in the first place.

The Princess and the bipedal beast soon reached the door to the war room. With her magic, she gently slid it open, peeking inside before letting Atlas in. The generals were still inside, some of them being aided by nurses in order to take some shards of glass off of their flesh, while Celestia sat solemnly at the head of the table.

“Luna?” her sister said as she saw her. “Luna, what happened?” She stood up and trotted over to the door.

“Oh, it was nothing...” Luna sighed, “We just have a rather... unexpected guest.” She pushed the door open, exposing Atlas to everypony in the room. His hulking figure crouched through the doorway and into the chamber, eliciting gasps from several of the generals and nurses.

“What is that...?” one of the nurses mumbled.

The man folded his arms. “I’m a human.”

Celestia approached him, her expression demeaning anger. “Are you the one that caused all of this disorder? May I have a reason as to why you did this?”

Atlas huffed. “Because I have an offer.” He reached up to his head, removing his faceplate and revealing a smirk. “One that I do not believe you’ll refuse.”

The white alicorn looked up at him, eyebrow raised. She then pushed through the door, followed by Luna and Atlas. The three began walking through the palace, Celestia and Luna leading the way.

“And what does this offer consist of?” Luna asked.

“That depends on you.” The man stopped walking, prompting the sisters to stop and turn to him. “We can end your war. We’ll finish what we started.”

Luna craned her neck backwards out of surprise. Her sister, however, remained completely stoic.

“I suppose you want something in return...” Celestia said.

Atlas nodded, smiling. “Food. Everything you can spare, including any meat you can get, as well as a spot for us to build a colony.”

The two sisters remained silent until Luna spoke up, “And how much food are we talking about?”

“Enough for five billion humans.”

“What!?” Celestia exclaimed. “You cannot be serious-”

“It is the price for saving the lives of your people. This will be the difference between the lives of billions of ponies. It’s your choice.” He shrugged.

Luna nudged her sister, gesturing for her to follow. She led Celestia away from the human, enough for him not to listen.

“What do you think of this, sister?” Luna whispered.

“It’s atrocious, there is absolutely no way that we can accomplish—”

“Yes, we can,” Luna added. “You just don’t like them, do you?”

Celestia sighed, “They are dangerous, Luna. You and I have both caught glimpses of their power, and we have barely scratched the surface.”

“Exactly! We can end this war right now, and save the lives of our ponies! I, for one, agree with their terms.”

The elder sister stared longingly at Luna, before turning back to the human, who had leaned against a nearby wall and folded his arms. They both walked over to him, Celestia frowning.

“So...” the human began, looking down at the alicorns.

“We... agree with your terms,” Celestia sighed out, causing Luna to smile to herself.

Atlas stood upright again. “Good! Now, when do we—”

“But!” Celestia interrupted him. “Before you take any part in this conflict, you will allow my sister to... visit your ship. We must know what we will be seeing before making any true moves.”

The human grumbled, “Very well...” He brought his hand to the side of his helmet afterwards.

Admiral Becker stood in the middle of the Vector’s command bridge, surrounded by consoles and screens. He looked at the main virtual window, overseeing the planet the ship was orbiting.

“Yes, copy that. I’ll be sending a dropship your way.” He sighed and folded his arms, staring worriedly at the planet.

One of the technicians got up from her console and walked over to him, clutching both of her hands together. “Sir, permission to speak freely?” she asked, receiving a nod from the Admiral. “Are we making the right decision?”

“Was there even a decision to be made?”

The USS Vector is outfitted with the most advanced military technology to date. Not only does it perform colony establishments, it is also outfitted with a hanger capable of carrying a number of smaller ships rivaling that of a small fleet. It is powerful enough to lay waste to several star systems on its own, as well as setting forward operation posts after it has done so.

Its crew numbers in the billions, each and every one of them always ready for any scenario. The ship itself is able to fill entire battlefields in seconds by means of orbital drops, backed up by the armament of itself and its fleet.

However, contrary to popular belief, the Vector is primarily used to establish large colonies at an extremely fast rate, hence the large crew. They are deployed by the millions in order to upbring cities from scratch, while also maintaining a permanent military force. The Vector is responsible for the construction of more than a dozen colonies during the past decade, though terraforming planets is still a matter that takes years.

Both a mothership and coloniser, the USS Vector is the most powerful vessel under the banner of the USC.

“Atlas?” Luna asked. The giant had been staring through the window for a few minutes now, completely unaware of his surroundings. She brought a hoof to his leg and tapped it, causing the human to abruptly turn towards her.

“Huh?”

Luna cleared her throat. “I am ready to depart, Commander.”

“Right then.” Atlas began walking towards the door. “Let’s go.”

Luna waved her goodbyes to her sister, then followed the man as he walked over to the chamber’s entrance and pushed the door open. Once outside, two Night Guards stepped into view. Some other guards that happened to be nearby stumbled in surprise, as well as a few maids and servants.

Both of the guards saluted Luna. “Do you need our assistance, Princess?”

“Yes,” Luna said, “I do.” She and Atlas continued walking, followed by the two guards. “We are visiting the humans’ starship. I request that both of you keep your composure at all times.”

The order caught them by surprise, but nevertheless they both nodded at the same time. “Of course, Princess.”

The entire group continued walking with Atlas leading the way. Luna watched as the intricate mechanisms in the man’s armor worked each time he moved; how the synthetic muscle contracted and stretched. There was a lack of extensive information regarding the human’s armor, but it was definitely a wonder. The fact that the human right in front of her was literally a fallen star only added to the few demonstrations they had made when it came to their capabilities.

After walking through a few hallways, the group finally reached the courtyard. Atlas pointed upwards with one of his hands, tracing what seemed to be another falling star or a meteorite. Luna contained herself from doing anything, assuming that this new object was the “Dropship” Atlas had mentioned.

Not much time went by before the falling star became a flying contraption, similar to the ones she had seen when the human admiral came to the palace more than four months ago. As it approached she could hear the deep humming of whatever force allowed it to fly, most likely anti-gravity, if she remembered correctly.

It landed in the middle of the courtyard, ruffling the leaves of the nearby trees and blowing dirt in every direction. It ended facing away from the group, and a ramp on its back began to lower itself, displaying the insides of the small vessel. Screens covered both of its sides. The seats, like the ones on the ship that crashed down more than four months ago, were clearly not designed to be used by a pony, as they were far too big and uncomfortable.

Atlas walked into the ship, followed by Luna and the two guards. The ramp then automatically closed, leaving them isolated from any external contact. Soon after, the ship began to ascend into the skies. Luna approached one of the sides, looking through the artificial windows. She watched as they flew above Canterlot Mountain, past the cloud layer, and higher than any pegasus had ever dreamed. The horizon stopped being a straight line and instead became convex, confirming what the human book said about planets. Once far enough from the ground, they began to fly past several pockets of light which Luna assumed were her stars, but after reading the human book she would be lying if she said she was sure. There were always a few stars she did not have control of, but they were few and far in between. It had been a long time ever since she began to add constellations, bigger stars and smaller stars, yet the book stated that stars were several thousands or millions of times the size of a planet. All in all, these were times of discovery.

Memories started rolling through her mind as they flew near the moon, where she could see another, smaller human vessel floating by. It was a cold prison made of grey dust which, to add insult to injury, happened to be the very thing she represented. On the other hoof, it was exciting to be one of the first ponies to leave the planet, not considering her banishment a millenia ago. She sighed and looked away from it, instead focusing on the windows by the other side of the vessel.

The massive, metallic behemoth that was the Vector came into view. The dropship began to circle the enormous beast, giving the ponies inside a clear look of how big it actually was. Several artificial lights adorned every section of the starship, and both of its sides had small holes in them, most likely hangar bays, according to the human book. Luna squinted, and was barely able to see a few humans working on the outside of the ship, presumably repairing small parts of the hull.

“Capable of annihilating entire systems... Amazing, isn’t it?” asked Atlas, looking down at the ponies. Both of the guards nodded, unable to take their eyes away from the virtual windows, while Luna stood quietly, observing as the dropship closed in on one of the holes by the Vector’s side. Separating this hole from the vacuum of space was a blue shield of sorts, which posed no resistance as the dropship slowly flew through it, entering a large chamber with similar vessels spread across it; some of them even hanging from the ceiling, neatly stacked together.

The ramp lowered itself once again, and Luna walked out with her two guards standing by her sides. She saw several other humans nearby, all of them working with their ships, engaged in conversations and playing card games. Many conversations stopped as the humans realized she was there, then resumed in whispers. A familiar figure stood out from the crowd of humans, bearing a set of metallic wings upon its back. Luna recognized this as another one of Becker’s guards, the female one. Atlas stepped near the Princess and waved at the other human, then pointed towards the far side of the massive chamber. She followed Atlas’ finger and spotted a figure clad in a white set of armor walking through a doorway and heading towards her, past ships resting on their landing pads and clusters of humans talking to each other. The two Night Guards took their positions at her sides, assuming a statuesque stance, eyes hardening into a militant glare, despite their clear disadvantage in size.

Once he was in a talking distance, the Admiral spoke up, “Princess Luna, isn’t it?”

“Indeed, Admiral Becker,” Luna said, offering her right forehoof to the man, who shook it with a firm grip.

The Admiral smiled. “Welcome to the Vector, the largest ship in the USC. More than six hundred kilometers in length.” He gestured towards the doorway he had just walked through. “Shall we begin our ‘tour’?”

Luna returned the smile. “Of course, lead the way.”

Becker nodded and turned, walking back towards the doorway, followed by Luna, her two guards, and Atlas. Every eye in the chamber was hooked on them as they exited into another area of the ship.

As they followed the Admiral, a door slid out from the ceiling and blocked their path. Luna looked behind her to see another door close on them, leaving the entire group locked in a small chamber.

“Excuse us,” Becker said, “this is simply a safety procedure.”

“Scanning,” a deep, distorted voice said. Almost immediately, a red grid began to scan the room. A screen on one corner displayed a picture of her body, including the two guards. It somehow managed to show her muscle and bone, yet all that had been used was the eerie light show of red gridwork.

“Xeno-lifeform: Carbon based, equine anatomy, oxygen breather. Analysing...” A small claw came out of one of the walls and pinched one of the guards, who yelped in surprise. It then went back into the wall holding a bit of the pony’s hair on it.

“Probability of disease outbreak: Zero.” The door in front of them opened with a hiss. “Temporary civilian status: Active. Remember, stay with your escort at all times and keep away from restricted areas, otherwise you may be terminated on sight.” Luna could not hold back a gulp, it seemed that the humans had a rather harsh penal code.

“Let’s keep moving, shall we?” said Becker, leading the group of ponies into a large hallway.

Luna examined every inch of the corridor, noticing the symmetrical aspect of almost every area, the tubes and cables that ran across the ceiling, both spread equally along the corridors. The air was cold and sterile, like that of a hospital. Everything was incredibly perfect, no stains on any surface, no nothing, yet it was far from “Royal”, lacking the delicacy of the marble that her palace was built with, instead using sturdy metal. Everything that was necessary was there, leaving no space for decorations nor other types of miscellaneous items. There were only two words that could describe such a thing.

Military Precision.

“First things first,” Becker said, “You asked about what was going to take part in your battlefield, didn’t you?”

“Yes, we did.” Luna said, following the Admiral through several more cold hallways. They walked past a couple screens that displayed a bar of what seemed to be food with the words “If you waste it, you’re wasted.”

“You have already seen human soldiers, including heavies and raiders.” Becker rounded a corner, were a sign that said “Tram Station” was placed. “But you have yet to see our mechanized infantry.” He led the group into an area that roughly resembled a train station. A few humans were sitting on some seats, reading large books, and some even seemed to be listening to music, if Luna was hearing right. Her appearance seemed to distract them from their tasks, as they all fell quiet and stared at her. It was not until the Admiral shot a glare at them that they returned to what they were doing.

“Mechanized infantry?” asked Luna.

“You’ll see.” Becker said. Not too long after the Admiral’s answer, a train cart loaded with passengers stopped by and opened its doors, allowing the humans to walk out, only leaving a few inside. Becker’s group then walked into it, and the doors closed behind them with a loud hiss. The cart began to take speed, moving through the insides of the Vector.

As the cart sped through the ship, Luna moved over to one of main windows, just as they passed over one particular area. It seemed to be a factory of sorts, like those she had seen near the more industrialized parts of Equestria, instead filled with humans supervising automated machines as they built other machines, and overseeing conveyor belts that carried parts from one point to another. All the sounds coming from the factory fused together to form a sort of march, the clings and clangs of metal clashing against metal making for a spectacular rhythm.

The cart then entered a tunnel once again, leaving the factory area behind, yet it still remained inside Luna’s mind. It was impressive, even for her. The Vector was only one of many ships possessed by the USC, meaning that what she was seeing was nothing more than a fraction of their actual capacity. Never had she thought that such things could exist. Entire buildings dedicated to the mass production of several products, sacrificing the delicacy of quality over quantity. Even then, it seemed that the humans had achieved both of those principles, manufacturing items in large numbers while retaining surgical quality.

Slowly, the cart came to a stop, and opened its doors, leading into another labyrinth of hallways. Becker walked out, with the three ponies and the giant following suit. “This,” he said, “is our motor pool.” He moved over to a large set of metallic doors, and they automatically slid into the walls. The Admiral walked through the doorway, into the next area. Luna and her guards moved in after him, and gasped upon the sight.

She found herself standing in, by far, the largest section of the Vector she had seen so far. A massive corridor with enormous bipedal machines resting on the sides. They were perhaps ten times bigger than most humans, with the joints on their legs bending backwards and their feet ending in three toes. Their arms ended in strange tubes rather than hands, which Luna assumed were weaponry.

Near the metallic monstrosities stood several humans, performing repairs on the former or engaged in conversations with one another. They regarded her with curious expressions once they noticed she was there, resuming their chatting once again, but in whispers.

One of the machines was walking backwards into the wall, with one human standing in front of it. “A little more,” he said, “right, stop now.” The machine obeyed, stopping and hunching over. A hatch opened on the top of it, revealing another man sitting inside a cabin. Becker and the rest of the group took their positions nearby.

“Alright, you know the drill,” said the human in front of the machine, “routine check. Servo group one, go.”

“Copy,” said the machine’s pilot. The hatch on the bipedal vehicle closed, and once again it stood straight, the sounds made by the mechanisms in its legs echoing throughout the chamber. Luna and the guards gawked as it took a defensive stance, its feet landing with deafening thumps upon the metallic floor, yet leaving no dents.

“Check. Servo group two, go.”

The machine moved its torso, looking round the chamber, then back at the human standing in front of it.

“Check. Boosters, go.”

Blue, fire-like energy began to gout out of several hatches on the machine. It leaned forwards, to the point of falling, but the “Boosters” kept it from hitting the floor, forcing it to stand up.

“Check,” the man said. He looked behind him and glanced over to the ponies, then looked back up at the machine. “Let’s see how the voice module is doing.”

Without warning, the machine let out a deafening, metallic roar that made the floor under Luna’s hooves shake. “STAY DOWN OR FACE JUDGEMENT!” it bellowed. The two guards by Luna’s side stumbled back, while the Princess managed to maintain her composure.

“What do you think?” Becker asked.

“It is... impressive.” Luna looked back at her two guards, who were still nervous after the demonstration.

The Admiral smiled. “You wanted to see what would be joining you in the battlefield, and now you have seen most of it. I’m afraid I have to attend to some rather important matters, so Atlas will be your escort for the rest of this trip.” He walked over to the giant, conserving his smile. “I already added you to the database and I had the technicians do some ‘upgrading’ to your armor, so you should head to an armory.” Becker then turned towards the door leading to the tram station and began walking away, leaving Luna and her two guards with Atlas.

“Alright then,” said Atlas, “let’s get to the armory.”

Luna followed the titanic man as he made his way towards the tram station, but instead taking to the many corridors that snaked through the Vector. The occasional human crossed paths with them, often regarding the Princess and her guards with curious looks.

After walking for a good few minutes, they reached the entrance to another area, with the word “ARMORY” set upon a sign hanging from the ceiling. Inside there was a distinct lack of humans, but one stood out from the rest.

Standing amongst a group of men was a human, except this one was not wearing armor. Instead he was covered by a plain, blue shirt, a pair of pants, and a set of boots. It was the first time Luna had seen an armorless human, and the data in the book she was given was somewhat vague when it came to their physical appearance. She noticed how muscular they actually were, and the lack of fur made their structure stand out even more. Apart from that, they did not look as alien as one would expect.

The three ponies followed Atlas into a chamber, and a door closed behind them.

“Initiating decontamination cycle,” said the unknown voice. Soon after, various nozzles that were implanted upon the walls began to spray a clear liquid on them. It stung, but thankfully dried much quicker than expected.

The next door slid open, leading into a circular room. “Stay here,” Atlas said, then walked onwards, leaving the ponies on their own. Once he was inside the next chamber, the door closed, only leaving a small window for Luna to see what was happening.

Inside the chamber in which Atlas was, several arms could be seen waiting with an almost predatory stance near him. Two of them approached the giant, taking a hold of his shoulder pads while another pair began to unweld them. The two arms grabbing his armor then forcefully pulled the shoulder pads off of him, while the rest of the arms retrieved a new set of large, blue shoulder pads from a hatch on the wall. Luna watched in awe as they placed the pieces of armor on Atlas’ shoulder and welded them together with the rest of his suit, proceeding to pry the remaining armor plates off of him and replacing them with ones that were even bulkier. She had not expected their armor to require such procedures, especially not with a mere change of metallic platings.

Atlas turned around and walked towards the exit. Luna stood back while the door slid open, allowing the man to enter the room the ponies were in.

“Let’s go.”

Celestia quietly sipped on her cup of tea. She was sitting in her reading room, near the fireplace that was set next to a small table. On said piece of furniture was the ‘book’ the humans had gifted her with.

She set the cup of tea upon the table, and raised an eyebrow as the book lit up by itself. She leaned in, looking at the small screen.

“Hello, Princess,” came the voice of Admiral Becker. Celestia looked at the device, noticing that it was displaying the face of the same human that spoke up.

“How-”

“Ah, you should read a bit more. This particular function should be somewhere around the section of the early twenty-first century.” He smirked. “Anyways, your sister should have arrived by now...” A knock on the door made Celestia take her eyes away from the device. “There you go.”

Slowly, the door to the room was pushed open, followed by her sister, Luna, walking in. She made her way over to Celestia’s side and sat down, sighing.

“So,” the Admiral said, “do we have an agreement?”

Both sisters looked at each other, staying silent for a few moments. Luna gave Celestia a single nod, and the Sun Princess looked back down at the device.

“Yes.”

“It was such an amazing sight! To see the world from such height!” Luna smiled, adjusting her position on the cushion near the room’s fireplace. She sighed, “But nevertheless... they are a force to be reckoned with. All their machinery.... I feel that we are lucky to have them on our side.”

Celestia set her cup of tea back on the small table, next to the flat device. “Perhaps we are. All we can do now is to hope we made the right choice.”

“I very much believe you did.” The flat book lit up by itself once again, displaying the face of Admiral Becker. “Sorry to cut in, but we are all ready on this end. The only thing left is for you to tell us what part of your land you’re going to give us.” The book stopped showing the face of the Admiral, and instead displayed a map. “Just circle which area it is.”

“I see, “ Luna said, looking up at her sister. “What about the west of Ponyville, near that mountain? Dragon Mountain, I believe?”

“It is right between Manehattan and Ponyville, so they should have a clear route for their supplies.” Celestia grabbed an empty quill with her magic and brought it to the device, circling the specific area with it.

“Good. Actually, even better, our scanners show several deposits of minerals under that area,” said the Admiral. “We will start building soon, thank you.” The screen then returned to normal, displaying the words, “Connection Terminated.”

The sun peeked over the horizon, signaling the start of the day. In contrast, the moon dove into its hiding place, and the stars slowly disappeared, leaving only the blue sky and a few clouds. The chirping of birds replaced that of crickets, and the bright light from the sun provided warmth for those not in the shadows.

Near Ponyville, on the road leading to Manehattan, was a large conglomeration of carts, all ready to depart. Just a few hours ago, several flying machines had descended near the quiet town. At first, nopony was certain of what was happening, until a member of the Equestrian army reached the town and said that the village was going to take part in a caravan to supply the “Humans”.

By now, everypony had heard of them. Some told stories of being kidnapped and then tortured, or experimented on. Almost everypony was scared of them, but not Apple Bloom, nor her two friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

During the last four months they had been helping around the town, harvesting food for the ponies in the army along with the rest of the ponies that still remained in the town. At first it was exciting, thinking that perhaps they would get their cutie marks, but eventually the tasks became menial, and no cutie mark was achieved. This new task brought some refreshment from the repetitive days, and it would be interesting to see what the humans were up to.

The three fillies were strapped to an apple cart near the front of the caravan, ready to begin their journey to the west of Ponyville, following the path leading to “Dragon Mountain”.

“This is gonna be awesome!” Scootaloo said, “Maybe we’ll get to see Torres again!”

“Or Mac!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

“And mister Atlas!” Apple Bloom giggled. A whistle sounded, signaling the start of the walk. All three fillies began to drag their cart forward, just like everypony else. The three fillies could barely contain their excitement, which helped to pull the apple loaded cart faster.

The major part of the trip went by silently, the conversations of other ponies occasionally reaching the fillies’ ears. They did not talk much between each other, save for the usual remark on the landscape or complaining about how arduous the task was. They opted to focus on their current objective: Getting to the mountain.

After little less than and hour, the trees along the road became nothing but stumps, and far ahead, a large, metallic wall came into view. Watchtowers could be seen protruding from said wall, as well as several swiveling machines with tubes attached to them. The three fillies watched in awe as the wall kept getting taller with each step they took towards it.

Eventually, the whole caravan slowed to a stop, the massive wall blocking their path. Up from one of the watchtowers, a voice called out, “State your purpose!”

The head of the caravan, a grey stallion wearing golden armor, approached the wall and looked up. “We are delivering supplies for the humans!”

There was no response. Instead, the metallic wall split open, revealing that it actually had gates. Steadily, the two pieces hid inside the rest of the walls, allowing the caravan to continue their path.

After entering the human complex, the ambiance was quickly filled with the noise of heavy machinery working on metal, breaking rocks and digging. Several buildings could be seen standing amongst the building zones, every single one of them made entirely out of metal. Humans walked to and fro, holding jackhammers and saws in their hands.

“Woah...” the fillies said in unison. They detached themselves from their cart and looked around, focusing on all the machines working nearby.

Humans began to approach the carts, unloading the contents onto metallic crates, which were then packed inside their flying machines As each was filled, they took flight towards the sky only to be replaced by another dropship that returned from the same direction, ready to be filled with more supplies.

“Odd little things, ain’t ya?” a male voice said. The crusaders turned around and looked at the human that was taking the apples from their cart. He was not wearing a helmet, having a baseball cap on his head instead. His face bore many wrinkles and his facial hair was white, signaling that this particular human was rather old. His armor was blue, and his shoulder pads had a vertical stripe behind a logo with the initials “CG”.

“Uhm... Hi?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Heya,” the man said, placing the last of the apples on the metallic container. “Corporal Harkan, at your service.” He grabbed the crate full of apples and lifted it over his shoulders, barely displaying any sign that such a task was difficult. “But jus’ call me ‘Smoky’.”

“Hello mister Smoky!” the red-maned filly said. “Mah name’s Apple Bloom!”

“I’m Sweetie Belle!”

“And I’m Scootaloo!”

“Ya’ll got some interestin’ names.” He looked over in the direction of the flying machines. “Hey, wanna join me on gettin’ the supplies over to them dropships?”

“Sure!” the three fillies exclaimed, their voices filled with excitement.

The group began walking towards the dropships, with Smoky leading the way.

“Hey, what’s that building over there?” asked Scootaloo, pointing at one of the many buildings around the area.

“That’s our lil’ motor pool,” the man answered, “Got a bunch of vehicles inside.” They reached one of the dropships, and Smoky placed the crate full of apples inside. “We got diggers, and all sort of stuff ‘round here, but almost everything is gonna go underground after we finish tunneling.”

“Wow... Hey, is that thing on your shoulder your cutie mark?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Acuta-what?”

“A cutie mark!” Apple Bloom hopped over. “You know, the symbol that represents yer special talent?”

“Uh...” Smoky scratched his head. “We ain’t got any o’ those. Anyways, this thing right here’s the logo of the Colonial Guard.”

“What’s the ‘Colonial Guard’,” asked Apple Bloom.

“We’re the military of our government, the USC.” The man began walking towards the carts once again, with the three fillies following him.

“Military?” Scootaloo inquired, “You don’t have anything to do with the uhm... the war that’s going on, do you?”

“ ‘Course we do! We’re here to help y’all!” Smoky chuckled. “As far as I know, the whole reason we’re building up down here’s because we’re running outta food, so we made a deal with yer ‘Princesses’: we stop this war of yours in exchange for food.”

“Really?” Apple Bloom said, then clutched to Smoky’s leg. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!”

The man smiled and shook his leg lightly. “Okay, okay, no need for leg-huggin’.”

The two other fillies snickered while Apple Bloom let go of Smoky’s leg, but then looked down at the ground. “Sorry.... Ahm just worried ‘cause my sister and my brother are in the army is all. I really miss ‘em.”

“And my sister’s also there...” Sweetie Belle said.

Scootaloo sighed, “And Rainbow Dash...”

Smoky’s expression softened upon hearing the little ponies. “Don’t ya worry, we’ll handle everything...”

“All selected units are to report to the mess hall immediately,” called the voice of the Vector.

Atlas was once again sitting alone in one of the mess hall’s tables, with only a dish that used to have a pie on it and a glass of orange juice to accompany him. Conversations filled the entire area, especially since everyone was getting real food now, a simple thing that lifted everyone’s spirits. All types of dishes based on apples and all kinds of fruits, from pies to cakes and muffins. Not exactly standard, but he had to admit that everything was delicious.

“Hello there, sir.”

Atlas looked up to see Torres, Allen, and Mac sitting down by his table, placing their plates on it.

He smiled. “Was starting to think you were gonna leave me here.”

“I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, sir, but there is a huge line to get food,” Torres chuckled.

“Oh yeah,” Allen said, “you’re a full-fledged ‘DvC’ now, extra rations and everything.”

Torres snickered, “I doubt that’s enough to fill him anyways.”

Atlas gave a sarcastic laugh. “You could give me some of your food. It looks like you’ve been eating too much, anyways.”

The woman glared at him. “Don’t go there.”

“I was just returning the favour.” Atlas smiled. “Hey, where’s Morris,” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Sergeant Morrison was deployed on the planet as part of the colonisation initiative,” Mac said.

Atlas nodded and sighed, looking over the line of troopers waiting for their meals. He noticed one of them at the front, a Corporal, discussing something with the man in charge of handing out the food.

“I told you already, if you’re not selected, I can’t give you anything,” the cook said.

“Oh, come on man,” shouted the man in the front. “Just a little, please...”

“Hey, keep moving!” a few voices yelled, growing tired of having the man holding back the line.

“For the last time, move,” yelled the cook.

The man pleading for food was pushed by the trooper next to him. “Stop it, you idiot.”

“Hey what’d you just say to me?” The man assumed an aggressive stance. “Say it again!”

“Stop fucking around and get lo-” He was cut off by a fist colliding against his face. Soon, the two men began to exchange punches and kicks. All conversations died and every head turned to them, some even cheering and yelling at the two men.

Atlas stood up, placing his faceplate on the magnetic locks set on his hips. He sighed, wondering why everybody preferred to watch the two men exchange blows rather than stopping them. His friends followed him with their eyes as he walked over to the fighters.

“Alright,” he said, delivering a swift elbow to the back of one man’s head, making him fall to the floor. The other one stood confused for a moment, long enough for Atlas to raise one of his legs and kick him in the chest, sending him flying backwards. “Enough of this.” He helped the man on the floor to stand up, then moved over to where the other one landed, grabbing him by the neck and lifting him up.

“Listen here,” Atlas said, tightening his grip around the man’s neck, causing him to bring his hands up to try and pull the giant’s hand open. “You play by the rules on this ship, you got that? If you’re not selected for something, you don’t get it. If someone tells you to move when you’re doing something you’re not supposed to do, you move, right?” The man quickly nodded in response, and Atlas let him go, leaving him coughing on the floor.

“Divisional Commander Atlas,” called the deep and distorted voice of the Vector, “report to briefing chamber one.”

Atlas huffed, “Guess that’s my call.” He turned around, waving his goodbyes to his friends over by the table and heading towards the exit.

“Fucking... mutant...”

The titan stopped walking, his stoic expression slowly turning into one of anger. Every man and woman on the mess hall turned to him, expecting him to turn around and kick the man in the head, or perhaps worse. Atlas took a deep breath and sighed it out, continuing to walk.

Once out of the hall he shook his head. “Mutants...” he thought, rounding a corner. “Can’t believe I’m still haunted by that.”

The path to the tram station was uneventful. He did not come across any troopers, walked through the same dustless corridors as always, and walked into the same tram, which overviewed a few hangars and the ship’s factory before slowing to a stop, right in the area he was supposed to be in. He walked out, going through corridors that looked the same as many others, saluted by some troopers and ignored by some others. Eventually he reached the entrance to the briefing chamber, the two troopers guarding it saluting him as the set of doors slid into the walls, making way for him to walk inside, then closing.

“Welcome, Commander,” said the Admiral. “Now we can finally start.”

He took a seat by the large table, among the other Divisional Commanders, and Jack Silverback, the ship’s Infantry Commander. A few of them shot a glare at him, but most of them ignored the giant. He returned the gestures with the same amount of indifference.

“Very well... Commander Silverback, go ahead.”

Jack Silverback stood up, looking over the group of Commanders. “Now that we have established what we hope is a steady stream of supplies, now comes our turn to return the favour. As you all know, we agreed to defuse the conflict these quadrupeds caught themselves in. Our plan consists in liberating one of their cities, ‘Trottingham’, which they claim is on the far north of their territory.”

He pressed a button on the table and a holographic map began to be displayed on the center of the chamber. “We assume it’s this city right here,” he pointed at a specific spot, “Since the ‘ponies’ seem to be a species that prefers green areas with lots of vegetation, rather than the colder lands farther up north.

“The liberation will be led by the admiral, alongside Commander Feros and a single combat walker. Everything will be deployed from orbit, except for the light troops who will be entering the buildings to clear them out, while the regular troops will be handling the streets. Remember this: No lethal force unless a ‘Gryphon’ is threatening the life of a pony. Surely there will be several that will try to fly away, so Feros’ Raiders are tasked to pursue and pacify any escapees.

“Meanwhile, we will be sending several dropships loaded with supplies over to the location of a large part of the ponies’ army, which has been cut off from their supply line for several days now.” He looked over at Atlas. “This will be led by Commander Atlas and his heavies, who must be prepared to defend the ponies in case any attack is launched by part of the Gryphons, who we suspect to have their army not too far from the ponies’. Various combat medics will also assist, in order to offer medical aid.

“And lastly, I will take a dropship and a squad of troopers to the Gryphons’ capital city. I will attempt to negotiate a truce, after I show him footage of our assault on Trottingham.”

Commander Silverback placed his hands on the table. “Any objections or questions?”

“No, sir,” the other Commanders responded, including Atlas.

“Good.”

Luna and Celestia both sat by the end of a large table, inside the chamber that had been dubbed the “War Room”, due to the usual topics that were usually discussed in said area, as well as the other ponies who sat on the rest of the seats, ranking from Generals to Lieutenants.

Placed upon the table and in front of the two Princesses was the flat book, containing hundreds of years worth of knowledge while remaining the size of a piece of paper and with a similar thickness. The device in question was projecting a three dimensional, lifelike image, which the humans referred to as a “Hologram”. Said image was the figure of Admiral Becker, who stood in mid air, looking at the two alicorns.

Several hours had passed, reviewing plans and preparing for the assault the humans had suggested.

“-and what we must do,” Luna said, “is to send part of our army to this colony of yours, which is already on its way, where they will board several ‘dropships’ along with your troops, and then they will depart towards Trottingham in order to partake with the assault, while the other half will head towards the west of the city and regain contact with the isolated section of our forces.”

Celestia nodded. “Two dropships will head to Canterlot for my sister and me to board. One will take Luna and the admiral to Trottingham, and the other will take myself and Commander Atlas to the location of our army, where we will bring supplies and medical aid.”

“Meanwhile, Infantry Commander Silverback will be leading a small team into Gryphus, the capital of the Gryphon Kingdom, in order to negotiate a truce with King Audrus Winter.” Luna stood up. “Does anypony object or have any concerns about this?”

“No, my Princess,” the ponies answered in unison.

“Very well then,” Celestia said. “Admiral?”

The holographic man nodded. “Loud and clear. The two dropships are on their way to your palace, myself being aboard one. Your army has already arrived at our colony and are boarding the dropships and loading the supplies. Our drop pods are ready to launch, same with the heavies and the Raiders. The combat walker is also ready. We’re about to touch down now, see you there, Princess,” he said. The hologram then disappeared, and the two Princesses stood up, as well as the rest of the ponies in the room.

“Let us proceed,” said Luna, walking out of the room with her sister by her side. The officers followed, dispersing once they reached the exit.

Outside, a group of guards were waiting for the Princesses, one being composed fully by Luna’s Night Guards, and the other by Celestia’s Royal Guards. They set upon following the alicorns as they moved through the corridor, heading towards the castle’s courtyard.

“Remember, I shall lower the moon when Trottingham is cleared. Darkness will be our ally for this occasion,” Luna remarked.

“I will keep that in mind, sister.”

They trotted out into the courtyard, where the two dropships were waiting, ramps already lowered. Each Princess walked into a separate dropship, followed by their group of guards.

“Come on, you maggots! Haul ass or you’ll get no food tomorrow!” yelled a human sergeant, motioning for his troopers to walk into a dropship, along with various pony soldiers. Once the ship was full, he walked in. “We’re clear!” he yelled once again, and the dropships ramp began to close.

Humans and ponies ran across the half-built colony, boarding the dropships that were resting on the landing pads and loading them with supplies. The flow of both bipeds and quadrupeds gradually diminished as they took their place inside the ships, and all at once, they lit up their engines and took flight into the night’s sky.

Apple Bloom slowly walked along the empty streets of Ponyville, kicking the occasional rock while dragging her hooves along the ground. Sleep had not been an option for this night, as taking part in the supply caravan and seeing the humans’ colony had left her somewhat agitated.

Her ears flickered, picking up an odd hum coming from afar. She looked up, just in time to see a flock of dropships flying overhead, the low hum of their engines making the ground shake under her hooves.

She grinned and began to cheer, while at the same time, the few ponies that still remained in the town walked out of their houses in order to see what had woken them up. They looked at the spectacle above them and began cheering as well, watching as the ships disappeared into the darkness of the night.

The streets were silent, with only the occasional breeze making the torn pages of a book take flight for a few seconds, before returning to their resting place amongst the many other pieces of paper that lay on the ground. Shards of broken glass littered the outside of various tall houses of a victorian style, all due to the ransacking that had taken place no more than a couple of months ago.

Slowly, the bright, yellow ball that was the sun started to hide behind the horizon, waiting to be given the final push by part of its avatar. Ponies began to exit their broken homes, all of them heading towards what used to be the city’s school. It was that time, feeding time.

Gilda sat behind a table, with several bags of oats and bottles of water surrounding her. This was one of many tables, now occupied by Gryphon soldiers rather than foals. She watched as the malnourished ponies approached the entrance to the school, putting on an angry expression. One by one, the ponies were given a single bag of oats and a gallon of water, supposedly enough to keep them fed for at least one or two days, but the corpses being buried along the outsides of the city told otherwise.

“You can’t carry it?” came the gruff voice of one of the Gryphons in charge of feeding the ponies. In front of the table was an elderly mare, her bones visible and her joints stiff. She was trying to lift the bottle of water with her mouth, but the effort proved to be too much for her.

“If you can’t hold it, you don’t take it. Next!” the Gryphon called. Gilda frowned as the mare pleaded, only to be pushed away by the soldier behind the table, allowing the next pony to receive their meal. The mare then slowly walked away, tears streaming down her face and falling onto the ground.

“Uhm, excuse me?”

Gilda stopped following the mare with her eyes and looked forward, finding a unicorn stallion standing in front of her table.

“Oh, yeah. Here you go.” Gilda reached behind her, taking a bag of oats and a bottle of water. She placed them on the table in front of the unicorn. “Next!”

And so the rest of the day went on. Pony after pony stepping up to receive their daily supply. Eventually, the moon rose up, signaling the end of that day’s feeding time. Those who had come too late were denied of their nourishment, a stiff punishment for those who simply lacked the energy to move to the school in time.

Gilda found herself behind the same table, with a small colt of a white coat and brown spots standing in front of it. She forcefully denied him the only food he would have for a day, as were her orders. The colt looked at the ground and turned around, leaving Gilda alone behind the table, with only a few other Gryphons nearby.

She sighed, looking back at all the food that was still there. After a few glances to ensure that she was not being observed, she grabbed a bag of oats and a bottle of water. Carefully, she spread her wings and took flight, going towards the many alleyways that formed a sort of labyrinth all throughout the city. She stood in the shadows, only meters away from the streets.

The same colt from before walked by. She caught his attention by whistling lightly. “Psst! Hey,” she whispered, “come here.”

The colt reluctantly walked into the alley, looking up at Gilda. “D-did I do anything wrong? Please, I didn’t mean-”

“No! And keep it quiet.” She dropped both the bag of oats and the bottle of water in front of him. “Here you go, but you can’t tell anyone, alright?”

“I... thank you so much, miss!” the colt said. He looked up at Gilda, smiling.

“Yeah yeah, just go now.” She waved her claw, gesturing for him to move on. “But uh, kid, what’s your name?”

“Pipsqueak!” the colt said, grabbing the bag of oats with his mouth and pushing the bottle of water towards the street.

“Heh,” Gilda chuckled, “Take care, kid.” She then spread her wings open and took flight, heading back towards her barracks. An odd feeling made her pause. It was different, unknown, yet it was comforting. She sighed, opting to think about other things for the meantime.

The metallic floor felt cold under her hooves, even when they were armored, as was the rest of her body. Her suit of armor was up to standard: golden, just as the rest of her squadron, and with a shoulder-mounted lance. Her breathing was shaky, her maroon coat sweaty as well as her orange mane, hidden under her golden helm. The set of wings on her back pressed tightly against her ribcage.

“Nervous, Red?” asked another armored pony sitting beside her. She glanced over to her, then back at the human females sitting on the other side of the dropship’s troop bay, their expressions hidden by their feature-less helmets.

“I-I’m fine...” Red Line muttered. A lie, of course. Nopony had trained her for such a thing. As far as she was concerned, war was a game of calculated strategies one was to play out to the letter, usually involving an open field and two sides facing each other in ordered formations. She was prepared for that, and only that. Not flying at subsonic speeds in a metallic machine and literally dropping into the face of the enemy.

She looked up and down at one of the women. Their incredibly tall and well-defined physique was definitely something to behold. Much taller than Celestia herself, and even then they were the shortest humans. The metallic wings on their backs seemed as though they could slice cleanly through almost anything. She looked around the dropship, keeping her eyes locked on a few window-like devices that displayed moving images.

“Raiders,” she whispered. It was the name they used to refer to themselves, and they seemed to take a large amount of pride in it.

The door to the pilot’s cabin opened with a loud hiss, followed by another Raider walking into the troop bay, her shoulder pads blue, a sign of rank. The other women and ponies turned to her as she cracked her knuckles.

“Alright!” she exclaimed. “Our orders are to engage the Gryphon forces on the outskirts of the city while the rest of our forces clean it up! ETA is ten minutes!”

“Pegasi, line up!” a pony, Sergeant Wingy, yelled as she stood up. Red Line and the other pegasus ponies formed a single line, adopting a militant stance and watching as the Sergeant paced around in front of them.

“This, is the night!” Wingy shouted. “The night in which we turn the tides of this war, and free Trottingham once and for all!

“We have trained hard for this moment, and I’ll be damned if that goes to waste! We have been given a chance that ponykind has never been able to take before!

“With our newfound allies, the people of the stars, we shall bring an end to this conflict, and push the Gryphons back to the filthy mountains they crawled out of! The humans, the raiders, they have vowed to fight with us! For us!

“But they shall not fight alone! This night, we fight together, as a whole! We will stick, shoulder to shoulder, and walk through hell and back! We will be the terror of the skies! We will win this battle, together!” Wingy froze in place for a moment, then slowly turned to the line of Equestrian soldiers. “AM I RIGHT, PONIES!?”

“SIR YES SIR!” they each shouted in unison.

The inside of the dropship fell silent for a few moments, no one daring to make a move. A single drop of sweat crawled down Red Line’s cheek.

Slowly, the raiders began applauding, starting by one, then two, progressing until the entire regiment was clapping their hands together. Their leader chuckled and walked over to Sergeant Wingy, crouching. “You’ve got the heart of a raider, I can tell that much.”

“We’re approaching the LZ!” an anonymous voice called out over the ship’s loudspeakers. “Multiple hostiles in disarray! Opening up!”

The ramp of the troop vessel began to lower itself, exposing the whooshing sound of the wind as the dropship sliced through it.

“Come on!” the commanding raider shouted. “Raiders lead the way!”

Without much of a warning, the humans ran up to the ramp and leapt off of the ship, spreading their wings and activating their booster packs.

“Go, go, go!” Sergeant Wingy yelled, motioning for the ponies to jump out. Red Line gritted her teeth together and closed her eyes, taking a running jump off of the ship.

The wind rushed past her as she fell freely. She could see a massive battle taking place way down, guttural screams reaching her ears. She tried to open her wings, but they were locked in place. Her breaths quickened, uncertain as to what to do.

A single Gryphon crashed into her, one of his wings missing. This caused her to instinctively spread her wings, slowing down her fall. She watched with wide eyes as the Gryphon continued falling, screaming for help, only to fall into the midst of the main battle.

With a few flaps of her wings, she began to speed up. Everything was in disarray, Gryphons flying in practically every direction and releasing desperate cries for help. She saw one of them nearby, hovering in a stationary position.

Her brow furrowed, her muscles tensed, and she bore down on her target. The Gryphon remained unaware of Red Line until it was too late. They both closed their eyes, and a loud click signaled the release of her lance.

Time slowed down; it felt like minutes had already passed in the course of milliseconds. Red Line opened her eyes, seeing the bloodshot eyes of the Gryphon looking back at her, blood seeping out of his beak. She tried to retract her lance off of him, but...

“No... Nonono!”

It was stuck, either by a malfunction or because the Gryphon still possessed enough strength to hold it fast. They both began freefalling into the battlefield, with Red trying desperately to unhook the lance off of her armor and the Gryphon holding it tightly.

In a last attempt, she began to flap her wings frantically. Every ounce of her strength was sent to her wings, for she needed to survive. The chaos of the battle on the surface got louder and louder as she and the dying Gryphon fell.

She closed her eyes and tried to fly with all her might. Everything seemed to get quiet for a moment, leaving her alone with her thoughts. “Is this it? Am I going to die?”

There was a loud thud, the fleshy sound of the lance piercing the rest of the Gryphon, and a crack as the lance split in two pieces.

Muffled war cries reached her ears, but these were guttural and distorted. She slowly opened her eyes, watching the carnage that was taking place all around her. Ponies and humans fighting wave after wave of Gryphon forces, yet she lay there, her body refusing to move. Nearby was the body of a Gryphon... the Gryphon she had killed.

She rose shakily to her hooves again, completely dazed after the fall. Destruction, guttural cries, death, it all surrounded her, encasing her. She lacked a weapon, she was defenseless...

“Hey...”

Something stood into her field of view, then knelt down. It was a raider with orange shoulder pads, looking at her. She looked around frantically and shook the pony’s shoulder. “Hey!”

She could hear a high-pitched noise building up, getting stronger and stronger. Her vision began to obscure, and she fell to her knees. Was this the sweet embrace of death?

“Wake up!”

She gasped, her eyes opening wide. The sounds of the battle returned to her in force. The blasts of the humans’ weapons and the clashing of swords and shields. She could feel her legs once again, so she stood up, looking at Trottingham. Smoke rose up from the city, and Gryphons could be seen flying away from it in every direction.

Slowly, she turned back to the battle, or what remained of it. The Gryphons were retreating in mass, leaving behind the corpses of their fallen. There was not a single body of any pony lying on the battlefield, only Gryphons.

She took her eyes away from the corpses and looked back at where the battle had taken place. Only ponies and humans were left standing, not a single living Gryphon to be seen.

The battle was won in mere minutes.

“Raiders lead the way...”

“And wherever it goes, every living thing shall quake to the core of its soul.” - Supreme Admiral Karen Adavanti during the construction of the USS Vector.

“You want me to tell you about the liberation of Trottingham?”

“Yes.”

“What for?”

“For a project of mine.”

“Ah, I suppose that’s fine... kick back, this may be a long one.”

It was just another day in the occupied city of Trottingham. Today I was to leave my house and go to one of the many factories around the city, to carry bars of metal back and forth for them to be melted down and then made into weapons and armor.

I woke up, expecting to see the sun shining through the window. Oddly enough, that was not the case. I was used to being woken up like that, with the rays of light piercing through the window and into my eyes, instead of having my mother do so. She was in such a state of malnourishment that she couldn’t wake up at all, and so was my uncle. They both starved themselves so that I could eat enough to be as healthy as any colt of my age. Even after all these years I consider that to be the most selfless action anybody had ever done for me, and in return, I took care of them, keeping them warm and making sure that they ate enough to keep themselves alive, though that could be a problem. Sometimes, they insisted that I kept the food for myself...

I sat up on my bed, and took a look around my room. The scenery made me feel a stinging pinch of sorrow within my heart. What had once been one of the many warm homes of Trottingham had been turned into nothing but a shade of its former self. The gryphons had “confiscated” all of the furniture, decorations, and jewelry, excluding the bed and a broken mirror hanging from one of the walls.

I sighed and hopped out of the bed, carefully avoiding the many shards of glass that covered the floor, left by the gryphons when they ransacked the place and destroyed the frames of several family photos before burning them. At least I had the comfort of knowing that they were not all like that, especially ever since that one gryphon lady had begun to give me a little extra food.

Slowly, I made my way into the kitchen, which was in the same state as the room I slept in, and pretty much the rest of the house. With no oven, no fridge, and no nothing, we were pretty limited in terms of what could be cooked. Thankfully, our daily rations consisted of oats and bread, which don’t require much equipment to be consumed.

I took a small bag of oats out of one of the lower cupboards, along with a loaf of crusty, stale bread. I then dragged out a bottle of water that was as big as me, but more than half of the enormous jug was empty. I began to eat some of the bread, and I swear I could feel how my teeth creaked, almost to the point of snapping because of how hard it actually was. I had to complement it with water in order to actually swallow. During the whole process I made sure to leave enough water for both my mother and my uncle.

After eating, I went back to the same cupboard and took out a plastic tray, which I placed down on the floor next to me. After a bit of rummaging through some of the cupboards, I retrieved two small bowls and placed them on the tray before pouring the water into them, making sure they each had an equal amount. With the bottle now empty, I fetched the small bag of oats, and filled both of the bowls equally.

Gingerly, I took the tray with my teeth. I lifted it up slowly, for I could not allow any of the food to be wasted.

As I walked through the hallways of my ravaged home, I remember having several flashbacks... my first Nightmare Night, all the friends I made during that day... I cursed this trip to Trottingham with everything I had. Oh, how I wanted to be in Ponyville right then.

Sooner than I thought, I had already reached the living room. There, my mother and uncle (May they rest in peace) were lying quietly on our couch with their heads resting on a pair of pillows. Too peacefully, I might add.

I grew concerned. It was only when I was close enough to see the steady rise of their chests that I sighed in relief. Every day their ribs became more prominent, their faces got thinner, and it became harder to wake them up.

I walked up to them and set the tray down on the floor. I picked up one of the bowls and carefully climbed up next to my mother. I nudged her couple of times, but she didn’t respond.

I grimaced, and nudged a bit harder.

She slowly opened her eyelids, and looked at me with a pair of glassy eyes. My heart sank a little bit every time she did that. Her eyes used to be full of life, her body beautiful from hooves to mane. I remembered those days when she played with me at the local park, laughing... I closed my eyes and shoved those thoughts away.

With delicate care, I moved the bowl up to her muzzle. She weakly opened her mouth to allow me to gently dribble the mixture down her throat. After a few minutes, the bowl was emptied. She gave a soft cough and closed her eyes again, dozing off.

It was time for my uncle now. I took the other bowl with my teeth and climbed up next to him. He was in a worse state than my mother, as he insisted that she should be fed more. My mother often referred to him as a gentlestallion: “Ladies first”, he always said.

I nudged him once, and he didn’t move. I nudged him again, this time with more strength, yet he still didn’t move. Worried, I looked at his chest, hoping to see him breathing.

After painfully long amount of time, he did, but it was weak... very weak.

I placed my hoof against his neck, trying to find his pulse. I barely managed to feel anything. I kept nudging him, hoping that he would wake up. Alas, that never happened. I stopped after a while, and a single tear crawled down my cheek and onto the floor. I felt as if someone was looking at me, so I turned around to find that my mother had woken up and had her eyes locked on me, just barely welling up with tears. She slowly shook her head, and swiftly fell unconscious again.

I shed a few silent tears and scrunched up my face as I took some moments to compose myself. I wanted everything to be over, I wanted those feather-brains out of our city, I wanted the Equestrian army to come rescue us and bring us comfort again. Fat chance.

If what the gryhpons kept telling us was true (And they sounded very confident about it, and I mean VERY), then that meant our army was being pummeled by theirs. I don’t know whether they were just lying to keep our morale down, or if they were actually telling the truth. Nevertheless, the objective was always the same: to keep us demoralized.

Shoving away my sorrows, I took the bowl that was meant for my uncle and ate its contents. There was no reason to waste it, and I knew that he would have wanted me to have it.

With my stomach now somewhat full, I stood up and made my way to the front door. I gave one last glance at the living room before opening the door and going out into the streets of Trottingham.

The whole city was a grim sight. Shards of glass littered the dusty sidewalks, making it hard for one to walk without cutting oneself. Random pieces of broken furniture and garbage were also strewn about, accentuating the cruel truth of the gryphon occupation. To make things worse, it was still night, and all that stood out were gryphons sitting near camp fires under the twinkling stars of Luna.

I sat down on the stairs leading to my house and looked down at my hooves. I began sobbing, desperately wishing for everything to go back to normal. While I was at it, I looked up just in time to see a shooting star. I made a wish, a wish for something to happen, so I could go back home.

Another shooting star appeared, followed by another, and another. I stopped crying and raised an eyebrow, watching as the shooting stars grew bigger and tripled in numbers. The nearby gryphons looked up in awe, and so did the few ponies that stood nearby. Once we realized the stars were heading towards us, we stepped away from the streets.

The first pod crashed into the ground, digging itself through a nearby cart, blasting splinters in every direction. Shortly, the other pods began to land, while both ponies and gryphons watched in awe. We all ran back into our houses and hid behind any cover that we could find. I locked the door behind me and peered through the window. After landing, the hatches on the pods blasted open with orange gouts of flame, and gigantic bipeds leapt out of the downed stars, moving fluidly through the darkness towards a cowering mass of gryphons. I was shocked by their size, and the ability to survive such a drop. The spectacle had left me speechless, incapable of rational thought. I was silent as the heavies just dropped out of the sky without pods, followed by the raiders, who gracefully landed on the streets and set upon searching the houses.

A single gryphon kicked my door open, most likely searching for a hiding spot. He blocked the door with a broken table that happened to still remain inside my house after the occupation, and then told me to stand back.

Something else landed, the force of the impact breaking the remaining windows of my house and lifting a cloud of dust. If I recall correctly, it was one of their combat walkers.

The machine let out a loud, metallic roar as it blasted its judgement horn before bellowing, “ANY AND ALL GRYPHON TROOPS, SURRENDER NOW OR FACE IMMEDIATE ERADICATION! BY COMMAND OF THE EQUESTRIAN PRINCESSES, TROTTINGHAM WILL BE LIBERATED!”

I could not believe what I was hearing. It may have been a mere coincidence, but my wish was going to be fulfilled. Not only had I just seen the humans for the first time, but they were also going to get me out of this hole.

I shot a glance over to the gryphon, watching as he stumbled back in fear. My mother was still unconscious on her couch, snoozing peacefully despite the noise.

The door to my house was forced open, and in came two raiders. They yelled at the gryphon to stand down, but he reached over to my mother’s couch and grabbed her, holding his talon against her neck. The two raiders continued to shout orders at him, and eventually, one of them fired, hitting the gryphon right in the neck with an electro-dart. His body went stiff and he fell, along with my mother. The women rushed over to them, one binding the gryphon’s limbs together and the other making sure my mother was alright. I saw her examining my mother, checking her pulse and making sure she was lying comfortably on the couch, while the other hefted the gryphon over her shoulders and carried him outside.

The remaining human spoke into her radio after placing my mother back on her couch, “Building clear! Two live equines and one hostile. We also found the corpse of another pony, most likely due to malnourishment, over.” She walked up to me, looking down from behind the eyeless, orange dome that was her helmet. “Come on, let’s go outside.”

I looked over to my mother, seeing that she was awake and back on her couch. She nodded at me, the weakest of smiles on her face. I returned the gesture, following the woman back into the streets.

The humans were rounding up the gryphons in the streets, all of them tied up. I saw a few trying to fly out of the city, only to be caught by the raiders. Ponies were leaving their houses, heading towards an unknown location, all of them grinning widely. The raider that had helped me took flight, heading towards an unknown location and leaving me all by myself.

I trotted along the streets, following the cracks left by the heavies and the combat walker, watching in awe as the humans kept rounding up the gryphons. Some of which were trying to do their best to escape the grip of the bipeds, but ending up in failure.

“Come on! To the plaza,” yelled another pony as he galloped past me. I took his advice and followed him as fast as my legs could carry me. I turned around a corner and was shocked to see almost every pony in the city standing the city’s center, all of them jostling to see what was happening.

With a hop, a skip, and a jump, I clambered to the top of a dumpster, taking in whatever it was that the other citizens were straining to see, using my high vantage point.

Standing in the center of the plaza was my favourite Princess, Luna, flanked by Admiral Adam Becker and Commander Kira Feros. Behind them was the combat walker, pointing its cannons at the sky.

“Citizens of Trottingham,” Luna shouted, making her voice louder than normal with the aid of her magic. “As of this morning, you are liberated!” She took flight, with every single pony in the city began cheering and clapping their hooves against the ground. Just a moment later, the moon dove back into the horizon, making way for the sun to rise. It was the first real dawn I had seen in seven months.

“And that... was the liberation of Trottingham, where the first domino fell. Less than ten minutes and almost no casualties.”

“Thank you.”

“Doctor Edros, the subjects are ready.”

“Good. How did the memory imprints fare?”

“Perfect, sir. Only two deceased and the rest are obedient and incredibly capable in combat.”

“Excellent.... This project is turning out to be very productive.”

Altas opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the mask set upon his face, displaying a sizeable amount of data to him; a standard motion tracker, suit status readout, and a complete body diagnostic package. He was clad in a full suit of armor, yet he felt light: as if wearing normal clothes. He was standing amongst a line of men and women, all of similar size and encased in the same armor. In front of the line were several smaller men and women, wearing white coats and surgical masks.

“Prepare them for dispatch.”

Atlas closed his eyes and shook his head. When he finished blinking, he found himself standing inside a large chamber filled with broken screens, lights, and consoles. Parts of the room were melted and still glowing red, and corpses littered the floor, their blood a glossy black as it pooled around them.

He and two other men, both significantly shorter than him, were kneeling down. Before them, another man sat against the wall, a hand clutched to his eviscerated stomach. His visor’s display highlighted the three men as Corporal Becker, Lieutenant Allen, and Admiral Geovan.

“Admiral,” Becker said, “We need to go, come on!”

“No,” the man lying on the floor groaned as he adjusted his position. “You go; I’ll hold them back. Head to the Phobos...”

Atlas, Becker, and Allen stood up, nodding.

“Go!” the Admiral said between coughs.

The two other men began sprinting out of the room, followed by Atlas’ booming footsteps. As they left the Admiral behind, they began running through metallic corridors, holding their weapons close to them. The occasional explosion shook the floor under their feet. Several doors along the corridors were being pulled open by pursuing machines, which began chasing after them. The occasional corpse had to be vaulted, all while dodging several plasma projectiles that were launched in their direction, most of which were absorbed by Atlas’ shielding.

They reached a large service highway within the installation, one that coiled around facility’s entire length. From a small window, Atlas could see an earth-like planet, meaning that he was inside either a ship or an orbital station.

Crates sat on the sides of the road, some of which Atlas grabbed and placed in front of the door between them and the machines.

“What do we do now?” the corporal asked, panting.

“Look, over there!” The lieutenant pointed towards a cluster of crates, where a single, four-wheeled truck was parked, meant to carry supplies back and forth around the installation. The three men ran up to it and took their seats, with Atlas sitting on the back and the other two on the front, Allen being on the driver’s seat. He turned it on and hit the gas, driving down the large highway.

“And what’s your big plan with this?!” yelled the corporal.

“Just hold on!... There!”

On the far side of the road was a massive hole, probably caused by an explosion. The vacuum of space was sucking out what remained of the facility’s artificial atmosphere, taking crates, pipes, and mangled corpses with it. The lieutenant began to accelerate, going as fast as possible towards the hole while the corporal held tightly to his seat.

“Atlas, give us a boost!”

“On it.” The giant grabbed hold of both sides of the vehicle, and lit up his suit’s thrusters, causing the small vehicle to take on even more speed. They sped through explosions, flying debris, and plasma projectiles before exiting into dead space. Even then, Atlas continued to accelerate the transport, in addition to maneuvering it through the field of debris that was drifting outside the installation. A corpse collided with the vehicle, before spinning off further into space.

All that was left now was crackle his radio and the low growl of his thrusters. He looked back at the massive space station that they had just escaped from, as well as the supercarrier approaching the planet.

A strained laugh was heard through the radio. “I’m taking you all with me! That's right! When you get to hell, tell 'em your tickets came courtesy one Admiral Fucking Geovan of the U. S. Goddamn-" His voice cut out with a burst of static as the station collided with its target, both of them breaking, and sending even more chunks of metal into the void of space where they subsequently exploded. Atlas watched in silence as the two constructions created a large ball of fire, sending broken pieces all across.

Atlas let go of the vehicle’s sides and grabbed both of the men sitting on the front, and then resumed his flight towards another ship, the USS Phobos.

The giant shook his head, looking around the dropship he was in. Half a dozen heavy troopers stood inside with him, as well as Corporal Allen. Also in the ship with them were an equal number of ponies wearing golden armor, and Princess Celestia. They were currently heading towards the isolated regiment of the ponies’ army, in order to bring medical aid and supplies.

“Remember, these ponies do not know what your purpose is, nor do they know what you are,” Celestia said.

Atlas nodded. “Got it.” He looked over to the troopers and spoke into his radio, “Be aware that these particular ponies don’t know that we’re going to be aiding them, or even what we are. Do you copy?”

“Yes, sir,” came several voices through the radio channel.

“Commander, this is Hellrider six. It appears we have found the quadrupeds’ army, over,” a man spoke through the radio.

“Copy that, Hellrider.” Atlas looked over at the Princess. “Touch us down, over.”

The dropship began its slow descent, carefully landing on the ground and turning off its engines while the ramp lowered itself. Outside, a cacophony of voices reached the ears of those inside the dropship. Ponies could be heard galloping around, but it soon stopped as the ramp finally touched the ground.

The ponies had taken up a defensive formation, standing in a line in front of the ship, but once Celestia and her guards trotted out into the night, they all dropped their weapons and their jaws. Following her were Atlas and the other humans.

Atlas watched silently as a single pony broke away from the group, his coat as white as snow under a set of purple armor with golden highlights. He took off his helmet as he approached the Princess, revealing a blue mane. Once he was within talking distance, he bowed down. “It is nice to see you again, Princess.”

“Rise, Captain Shining Armor,” she said, bearing her best warm smile. “It is nice to see you, as well.”

Shining Armor stood up and turned around towards the group of gawking ponies. “Disperse! Move on and continue your tasks!”

The ponies did as told, starting to move away from the Princess and the humans, going back to their tents or resuming their conversations near campfires, but still stealing glances at the humans every now and again.

“And I’m afraid it’s Colonel Shining Armor,” the pony said as he turned back to the Princess.

“It is most understandable.” The Princess took a few steps to the side, making way for Atlas to look at the colonel.

“I’m Divisional Commander Atlas of the Colonial Guard,” the giant said, taking a few steps forward. “Pleasure to meet you.” He leaned down and offered his hand to the pony, who placed his hoof on the man’s hand, followed by a strong shake.

Atlas stood straight again, looking down at the colonel. “We’re here to bring medical assistance and supplies.” He pointed upwards, where several dropships were hovering above the camp. “I just need your permission for our dropships to land.”

Shining Armor nodded. “Granted.”

“This is Commander Atlas to all dropships, landing is permitted, begin unloading troops and supplies, over.”

All of the dropships above the camp began touching down, searching for whichever area had enough space for them. Soon, the camp was filled with both humans and ponies walking to and fro, carrying supplies into tents and handing them over to those who most needed them.

Shining Armor sighed, “We have been cut off for four months now.” He began trotting across the camp, followed by the Princess and Atlas, including their guards. “General Strong Helm and Colonel Duty Driven were killed in action, and I was forced to take a field promotion.” He pointed at several tents, where human medics could be seen bringing aid to the ponies. Atlas looked at Allen, who immediately set off and walked into a tent with an injured pony.

“We have many injured soldiers and a lack of proper food,” the colonel continued. “Your appearance is a gift from the heavens.”

Atlas huffed, “Literally.”

The group followed the colonel into a tent. Inside were several beds with injured ponies, covered in bandages, and some even missing limbs. The colonel walked to a particular bed which had a large, red stallion on it. His body was covered in bandages and a cast was set on his left foreleg.

“Sergeant Macintosh?” The colonel gingerly nudged the unconscious stallion with his hoof.

“Colonel?” the stallion mumbled, slowly opened his eyes, and looked up at the Princess and the humans. “Princess Celestia? And... who are those?”

“It does not matter right now, they’re here to help us.” The colonel looked at Atlas. “Can you call a medic?”

Atlas nodded and turned around, spotting a nearby medic who was walking around the tent. “Hey,” he called, “come here!”

The medic walked over to him. “Yes sir?”

The giant pointed at the red stallion, not saying a word. The medic understood, and knelt down next to the bed.

“Mmmh...” Celestia looked worriedly at the colonel while the medic began to take the bandages off of the pony. “I know this stallion. He is the brother of Applejack, bearer of the Element of Honesty, is he not?” she asked, with a touch of concern on her voice.

“Yes, the brother of one of my sister’s friends.”

The medic applied biogel to the stallion’s wounds, a green gel with nanites designed to treat moderate lacerations, then replaced the bandages. The colonel leaned in and pointed to the pony’s right back leg, which was still bandaged. The human took the hint, and began to gingerly undo the bandages covering the leg, yet the stallion still winced, despite the medic’s care.

Once the covers were gone, what was revealed to the group was a swollen limb laced with several cuts, many of which oozed yellow, foul-smelling pus. The fur surrounding the wounds was matted with dry blood and peeling away, displaying the deteriorating skin hidden underneath.

“Our doctors have not made any progress,” said the colonel. “And he refuses to get it amputated.”

The medic looked at him from behind his expressionless faceplate. “The infection will keep spreading, there’s no other way. He’s too weak for anesthesia... Give him something to bite.”

A nearby pony nurse heard the request, and picked up a little chunk of wood with her mouth, offering it to the medic. Apprehension over the gigantic bipeds was forgotten, as duty to the injured took precedence for the time being.

Upon realizing what was happening, the stallion began to thrash in his bed, forcing the colonel and a few other nurses that happened to be nearby to hold him down.

“I’m sorry...” the colonel said.

The stallion opened his mouth to say something, but the medic took the chance to place the bit of wood into it. “Hold him tight.” He retrieved a blade that was kept on his hip, its edges glowing blue with plasma. The stallion's eyes grew wide with abject horror as he watched the plasma knife draw closer to his leg.

With a swift punch to the leg, the medic broke the bone and then quickly drove the blade through the red stallion’s muscle, effectively cutting it from the rest of the pony’s body while also cauterizing it.

It fell off cleanly, while the stallion screamed in agony and bit the chunk of wood as hard as he could, to the point in which it broke. The nurses fought hard to keep him down, before he was dragged into the depths of unconsciousness.

After sighing in relief, the nurses let go of him, but the human medic remained impassive, silently watching the stallion. He brought his hand to the pony’s neck, checking his pulse.

“He’s having a heart attack...” The ponies gasped and rushed over to the stallion as the medic clasped his palms together, making electricity flow through them. Atlas and the other humans moved the ponies away from the red stallion, allowing the medic to place his hands on each side of his ribs. “Clear!” The electrical charge on his palms discharged itself through the pony, making his body rise and then fall.

The entire group watched silently, and most of them released a sigh of relief once they saw the slow movement of the stallion’s chest.

“I’m going to have to remain here and make sure he’s stable,” said the medic.

“Right,” Atlas said, turning to the colonel. “Let’s move on?”

“Very well,” he sighed.

Shining Armor led the group outside, just in time to see the moon dive below the horizon. Celestia smiled and spread her wings open.

“Trottingham has been liberated.” She leapt into the air, and slowly the sun began to rise, hiding the stars behind the blue sky of the morning.

“You liberated Trottingham?” the colonel asked.

“Indeed we did,” responded Atlas.

The Princess touched ground again, smiling. “And they have also sent an embassy to Gryphus.”

“Commander Atlas, this is Vector control, do you copy?” asked a woman through Atlas’ radio.

“Loud and clear, control.”

“There is a mass of individuals to the north, we assume it is the enemy troops. It looks like they’re retreating, burning camps and salting the ground on their way.”

Atlas huffed, “Copy that.”

“What happened?” the Princess asked.

“They’re retreating.”

“Daddy...” a voice called out to him.

“Daddy... come back, please...”

“Daddy...”

“WAKE UP!”

With a loud gasp, Commander Jack Silverback regained consciousness from his deep slumber. He looked down at the picture held in his hands, depicting a young girl, a woman, and himself standing inside a space-station. He adjusted his sitting position, giving the picture a last look before placing it back in his chestplate’s hatch.

The man looked around the dropship he was in, noticing a mixture of heavy and standard troopers staring worriedly at him. He frowned and took his faceplate off, sighing. It had been the same for him for several days, just falling asleep and hearing his daughter’s voice. In a way, it hurt him more than a gun ever could. At least Cookie was always there to comfort him.

“Are you alright, sir?” one of the troopers standing in the troop bay asked.

Silverback drew in a deep breath, then sighed it out, “I’m not the only one who has a family waiting back home, am I?”

The troopers all shook their heads, one of them speaking up, “No, sir. You’re not alone in this.”

He offered a weak smile. “Thanks...”

A few moments were spent in complete silence, only hearing the muffled drone of the ship’s engines. Jack idly wondered what he would see at this “Gryphus” city. It seemed as if every civilization on this planet was monarchical. Primitive, really. Nevertheless, he was going to end this war, one way or another.

“Sir...” one of the other men muttered. “Do you think we’re gonna get back home?”

Jack fell silent for a moment, then stood up, looking directly at the man. “I don’t know, son. But even so, I’m gonna do my damn best to make that happen.”

“We’ve got a visual on Gryphus,” the pilot said through the loudspeakers. “ETA is five.”

“Alright,” Silverback said, grabbing onto one of the metallic railings on the ceiling. “Listen up. Our orders are to negotiate a truce between the Gryphons and the Equestrians. I know that we’re no diplomats, but someone had to do it.”

“These are biological creatures.” He pointed at the heavy troopers, who held flamethrowers in their hands. “We’re armed accordingly should things get violent. Our usual shock procedures are in place, so scare them if you can.”

The Commander looked up at one of the screens. He looked through the ship’s camera, watching as the ship approached the large city boult into a mountain. Hundreds of quadrupedal, flying beings could be seen, all thrown in a panicked fit upon witnessing the dropship fly over them.

“Land us near the castle.”

“Copy that,” the pilot replied.

Silverback placed his faceplate back on, standing near the ramp as the ship descended onto the city. He checked that his gear was ready, and motioned for the other troopers to line behind him. The vessel then touched ground, and the ramp began to lower itself. Taking in one last deep breath, he walked out of the dropship and into the city, covered by the night.

His feet landed with loud thumps on the cobblestone street, followed by the rest of his men. The dim light of the city washed over him, even if the lights of his own suit shone in a brighter shade. He stood still, quietly watching as the eagle-lion cross breeds hid into their homes, waiting for their warriors to organize and act.

Soon the Gryphon soldiers gathered up and formed a circle around the dropship, holding bronze spears at Silverback and his troopers. Their armor only consisted of the same material as their weapons; something which he found to be laughable primitive.

“State your purpose, monster!” one of the creatures called out.

The Commander stepped up. “We’re here to talk to King Audrus Winter.”

“About what?” another Gryphon scoffed.

Silverback shook his head. “Do you really want to risk the entire existence of your species? Let us talk to your king, now.”

The Gryphons looked at each other with uncertainty, exchanging whispers among themselves. Naught but thirty seconds were spent in silence, the two sides staring at each other, before the large set of doors leading to the castle were pushed open. Out came another Gryphon, this one entirely white. A crown sat on top of his head, and a purple cape followed his steps.

The crowd of Gryphons between Silverback and the king parted itself to allow him near the humans, who looked down at him with their expressions hidden.

“You must be very brave, or stupid, to enter Gryphus like this, let alone threaten my kingdom,” the king said, frowning as he looked up at the Commander. “Who, or rather, what are you?”

“You can call us ‘Humans’,” Silverback replied. “I am Infantry Commander Jack Silverback, second in command of the USS Vector. I’m here to make a truce, between your people and Equestria.”

King Winter’s eyes shot open. “Are you referring to that monstrosity the pony Princesses summoned? Are you part of it?”

“In a way, yes.” Silverback folded his arms.

The old Gryphon looked around, taking in the expressions of his citizens. “The ponies and us... we are far beyond a mere truce. Not only is this tension older than the Princesses, it is inborn, and we will not surrender. Not until their last city falls, and the ponies and humans cry for mercy.” Winter looked up at the Commander with a solemn expression. “Your pitiful attempt to save yourselves is but a waste of time. I am sorry.”

“Let me put it this way...” Silverback sighed, “If you do not cease your conflict with Equestria, we will do more than to liberate Trottingham.” He held out his hand, and a holographic display lit up, showing a brief view of the Trottingham battle.

“This... this cannot be true!” the king exclaimed as the moon finally hid behind the horizon, signaling the liberation was completed.

“Your entire army is retreating, you’re stuck in a corner now.”

King Winter clenched his claw and released a low grow. “Bring me my armor and sword! And the ‘Thunder’!”

Silverback tilted his head to the side. “What’s this?”

Out from the castle came several Gryphons carrying a set of armor, a sword, and a small chest. “You have gone too far, demon,” the king growled as he threw his crown away and undid his cape. “Not only have you threatened my people, dishonored us, and supported Equestria... Your simple existence, cannot be allowed.” He allowed the nearby Gryphons to place the pieces of armor on him. “I have slain monsters bigger than you; this should not even be a challenge.”

A smirk spread across Silverback’s face. “And I have destroyed planets bigger than this one.”

Once he was armed and armored, the king opened the small chest, retrieving a surprisingly primitive-looking weapon, one that vaguely resembled a pistol. He looked it over, running his claw along its length. “Do you know what this is, Commander?”

“Enlighten me.”

The Gryphon smirked. “We call it the ‘Thunder’, due to the sound it makes when actioned.” He pulled back a small mechanism on the pistol. “It can penetrate even the strongest of armors,” he said as he aimed it as Silverback, who chuckled along with the other men. “Shall we begin?”

Jack huffed. “Alright, let’s get this over with.”

In an instant, the king pulled back the trigger on the gun, which spat a brief column of fire and sent a small projectile towards Silverback. The man’s energy shielding immediately lit up, forming a blue net of hexagons around him.

In less than a second, all that remained was a small piece of molten metal on the ground.

The king dropped his gun, letting it clatter carelessly on the floor while he looked, with wide-eyes, at what remained of the bullet. Meanwhile, Silverback continued to stand with his arms folded, chuckling along with the rest of his men.

Audrus Winter drew out his sword and lashed out at the Commander. He slashed and sliced, only managing to make a few dents on Jack’s armor due to the suit not detecting the sword as a threat. He remained in the same position, letting the Gryphon have a bit of fun.

The surrounding Gryphons watched with slacked jaws as their king attacked for minutes, never managing to pierce the man’s armor. Eventually, he fell to his knees and dropped his sword, completely exhausted. Silverback walked over to him and wrapped his hand around his neck, lifting the old Gryphon up. The king reached up with his claw, attempting to pry open the Commander’s fingers.

“I’m going to ask again,” Silverback whispered as he tightened his grip on the king’s neck and brought him closer. “Will you cease your attack on Equestria?”

“N-...Never...” Winter choked out.

“Then I’ll force you,” Silverback said as he reached with his other hand and twisted the Gryphon’s neck, producing a sickening snap before dropping him to the floor. The nearby circle of Gryphons gasped upon seeing their king fall dead, then looked back at the Commander, who took his pistol off of his hip and aimed it at the sky. He fired a few shots that caused the Gryphons to cover their ears. “We also have Thunder, see!?” he yelled as he pressed the trigger a couple more times, then aimed it down at the winged creatures. “Bow to us.”

They immediately did as he told them, dropping to the ground in fear. He could see other Gryphons looking out through their windows, all of them shaking in fear.

He turned on his radio as he began walking towards the castle, followed by the other troopers. “Admiral Becker, this is Commander Silverback reporting in.”

“Copy that, Commander. How did the negotiations go?”

“South, sir. I recommend the establishment of a colony to stabilize the population.”

“... I’ll look into it. Becker out.”

Far out into the east, beyond the cold stone peaks of the mountains, lay a land of festering bogs and jagged rock. Even from a distance, it is a land warped from nature's design: there were cave systems whose sheer size rivaled that of entire cities, and obelisks the size of mountains. This, was the republic of the Changelings.

It was their nature to remain hidden: spells had been in place since the very dawn of their known history to hide the main obelisk, a symbol of their architectural prowess that stood proudly at the center of their city. It was there that decisions were made, even during the dark times of the queen.

The obelisk housed a massive auditorium in its depths—a sort of coliseum where the diplomats and militants gathered to devise what road their people were going to take. So much had changed, ever since she was dethroned. A revolution had ocurred, and their leaders were now chosen, instead of being born. Even then, saying her name was something worthy of punishment, depending on the context.

The great hall was absolutely filled to the brim. It was something to be expected, given the recent occurrences. Changelings from all around the realm were sitting, looking down at the circle in which the councilors and the main agents sat, preparing themselves to discuss matters of grave importance.

Councilors... A form of government adopted from the great bipeds. A mixture of democracy and meritocracy, one that the changelings looked up to. Many had taken to carving etchings on their chitinous exterior, a form of establishing a personal identity. This uniqueness took them one step closer towards the bipeds, who all looked much the same but each had its own, individual identity. In the wake of the monarchy's collapse, they had become a beacon, an ideal to a people craving change.

“Attention!” Arcturus Minerval, one of the five counselings, called out. His body was adorned with trinkets and ornate etchings—a sign of his identity. All eyes locked onto him, and the massive hall fell silent. “We are now in session!”

He cleared his throat. “As you are all likely aware, the war between Equestria and the Gryphon Kingdom was ended two days ago, by none other than the humans.” He waved his foreleg, gesturing towards the entire chamber. “We have all learned so much from them... Almost everyling plays homage to them...

“They are capable of good and bad. They evolve, they change.” He looked up at the ceiling. “They brought a stop to a conflict brought on by years of tension—in nothing but a mere day.” Arcturus motioned to one of his fellow councilings to continue.

A workling stood up, taking the spotlight. “But our agents have reported some very worrying information...” The hall was washed over with whispers before she continued, “They are lost, incapable of returning to their society. They are running out of resources... nourishment. Something that we have an excess of, if only in material form.”

“It was but a year ago that we overthrew her,” another counciling said as he stood up. “And we have since realized that love must be earned, not taken!” he exclaimed as he began pacing around the chamber’s center. “Forcing love out of others has brought us nothing but misery, and it is time to change that! It is time... time to return the favour.”

“Even if it goes against our very nature, we must help! This, is our next step towards a brighter future! My fellow changelings, we must not waste this opportunity! We. Must. Change.”

Another changeling took the spotlight, this one armored with metallic plates. “We aim to establish a proper relationship with the great bipeds. We both lack nourishment, and we will earn ours by giving it to them! In this process, we will learn from them. Learn how to be selfless, learn to love...

“This is the perfect chance for that, as we can use them to repair our relations with Equestria. Let us live under the shadow of a dead queen no more! We will fix our mistakes, earn our love, and walk towards the light! Tell me, my fellow changelings, do you see the light at the end of the tunnel!?” he exclaimed, and the entire audience broke out in cheers.

“From this very day, we walk forth!”

Four weeks since the liberation of Trottingham. Four weeks since the end of the war. She had thought that everything was going to be normal again, just like it was before. Of course, she was mostly wrong. The memory of her brother returning; how she never noticed the limp on his trot until it was too late, how he entered the house without even greeting her. That day would be forever etched in her heart.

Her days consisted of harvesting apples. No more, no less. She did find time to go crusading with her friends, but it was never truly the same. There was simply not enough time.

She looked down at the road, focusing on pulling the apple cart that was attached to her and her two friends.

There was something to look forward to, though. It was that day of the week, the day she was to join the caravan to supply the humans. Their colony, dubbed “Apex”, was certainly something to marvel at. Every hour she spent there was an hour of adventure. Mechanical wonders their suits were, and that was not even the surface of what the bipeds held.

“So, uh...” Scootaloo began, breaking the silence and looking at Sweetie Belle. “Why did Rarity want to ground you?”

The white filly chuckled sheepishly. “I kinda... blew up her oven”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo broke out in laughter, continuing to pull the cart along the dirt road. Soon, the ground began to transform and was instead replaced by metal plates. Apple Bloom knew that they were not far from Apex, though it seemed that the human colony grew even bigger as each day passed.

She found it impressive just how quickly they built, shaping the land around them for their own benefit. The mere concept made shivers run down her spine. Part of her education explained how one was supposed to love nature’s ways, and always leave ground for somepony else. It just seemed that humans were strangers to such a concept.

Apple Bloom and her friends watched silently as they approached the tall metallic wall that surrounded Apex. Columns of smoke rose up from beyond the barrier, whose watchtowers observed silently as the caravan moved closer. Apple Bloom could not help but gulp as the so called “turrets” locked onto them. She looked around, remembering the tree stumps that used to litter the outside of the colony, now with only metallic plates in their place.

The whole area had a synthetic aura to it: there was nothing natural to it. As an earth pony, Apple Bloom had a special connection to the ground, but whenever she was near Apex... it vanished, leaving an empty space in her heart.

She had talked to a lot of humans. They acted almost like a pony: they were friendly and welcoming, but the way they interacted with nature, it was just alien.

The caravan slowed to a halt upon reaching the wall, waiting for the humans to open the gate. The turrets watched them with unnatural patience. Apple Bloom knew they would do nothing to them, the humans had explained as much, but that did not excuse the feeling they caused, knowing that you could be obliterated in less than a second were you to do something out of place.

The filly looked around once again. It even seemed that the air was thicker, and the sky had taken a yellow hue to it. Smoky had said that it was just part of the process, and that they would cleanse the area once they got their “purification” equipment working. She certainly hoped so.

The gates of the monstrous wall parted open, and with a deep growl they began to slide. The caravan proceeded moving, entering Apex for the first time in a week. Apple Bloom’s senses were overwhelmed by the sound of heavy machinery and chatter. Industrial saws, jackhammers, almost every single tool was being used for one purpose: to build.

“We are drill machines, drill machines feel no pain!” a group of humans chanted as they trotted through the colony, going past the caravan.

The noise of the machinery was almost like a song. For a moment, it all seemed to convey and form a rhythm worthy of a marching tune. Apple Bloom closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, taking in the dust and the air of hard work. She listened closely to the sounds coming from every direction, and smiled. Perhaps it was not as bad as she had originally thought. The industrialized nature of the humans was something truly unique.

She opened her eyes, and watched as a heavy trooper walked over to an area were digging was taking place, probably to make place for another building. He made his way over to a large set of rocks, holding a massive jackhammer in his metallic hands. Revving it up, he stabbed the rocks with it and they were turned into small pebbles in mere seconds. She grinned widely, enjoying the display before being distracted by an old, familiar voice.

“Howdy!” Smoky said as he walked over to the fillies, who were broken out of their trance by his voice. “How’re you girls doin’?” he asked, crouching down and looking at them with his traditional warm smile.

“Hey there, Mister Smoky!” the fillies replied.

The man in question chuckled. He looked over to his side, where he spotted another trooper walking by. “Hey! Can you get them apples into a crate? You ain’t gonna make an ol’ man exhaust himself, are ya?” He smirked.

“No, sir,” the trooper said as he walked over to them. “I’ll handle this.”

“Thank ya’ kindly!” Smoky exclaimed, looking back down at the fillies. “Hey, I’ve gotta fix some armor. Mind helping me out with that?”

Apple Bloom and her friends looked at each other, with wide grins on their faces.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS ARMOR FIXERS! YAY!”

The grass under her hooves, the trees all around her, the chirping of the birds. It was so beautiful, so perfect. So much effort had she put for her world to be like this. For her little ponies to be happy. Celestia could not ask for more.

She looked up into the sky, smiling as she saw the sun. The very thing she represented. Warmth, calmness, harmony... Perfection.

A whisper reached her ears, like a million lost souls calling out to her, “Your life... is a lie.”

Celestia craned her neck backwards. “Who... Who said that?”

“What you call harmony... is a lie.”

A sense of dread filled her heart, and she spun around to try and find the source of the voices.

“The gears are turning... I am your salvation, through extermination...”

“What do you mean!?” she yelled, and immediately a bright flash lit up behind her. She turned around to see a wall of fire advancing towards her. It consumed everything: the trees, the grass. Everything she had so painfully worked for, gone in an instant. Nothing was left but smoldering dirt.

“YOUR SOUL IS MINE!” a demonic voice came just as the fire began to consume her. She cried out in pure agony as her flesh was torn from her bones, and fought hard to keep her stance.

“Celestia,” another voice said as she dropped to the ground, barely managing to keep breathing. This voice was feminine and calm, in contrast to the other. She opened her eyes to see a bright light amidst the fire approaching her. “....You have to trust them.”

Celestia woke up from her slumber, gasping as her eyes shot open. She looked around, finding herself in her room, sitting next to her desk. The pain was still being felt, but it was fading away. It had been long since she had experienced any sort of nightmare.

Taking in a series of deep breaths, she stood up and walked out into her balcony, looking over Canterlot. She focused on the distant columns of smoke rising up from Apex.

“You have to trust them...”

“What do you mean, ensign?” Becker asked, looking over at the console with his arms folded.

“I don’t know, sir,” the man working on the terminal said. “Some systems are going haywire... Shutting down and then going back up. It has to be manual...”

The Admiral grumbled, “Keep looking into it...”

Apex: A fragment of the USC, right in the middle of Equestria. Its metallic constructions were intricate and solid. They aspired to an air of militarism and art, combined.

She had only volunteered to lead the caravan for the chance to see Apex, a routine that was repeated week after week. Every minute she spent with her hooves on the metallic floors, thousands of questions popped into her head. What she found to be the hardest thing to believe, was how the humans had managed all of this with their bare hands. There was just so much to learn from them.

Twilight Sparkle adjusted her sitting position by a small, metallic table that was near a bar, on the streets of Apex. On the table was a small cup of water, from which she sipped every once in awhile. She calmly looked around the colony, taking in the semi-industrial environment.

The mare froze up as she heard a low growl directly behind herself. She craned her neck backwards, discovering a bipedal creature as tall as Princess Celestia standing next to her. Its body was slim and its neck elongated, ending with a arthropod-like mandibles with four appendages, each of them with a tusk on the tip. She looked at both of its hands, which had only three fingers, each ending in a claw. Most of its body was covered in armor, leaving a few spots uncovered which revealed lizard-like scales.

Twilight remained frozen in place as the creature looked down and took in her smell, growling. It then stood back up, shaking its head. She was about to scream and gallop away when it interrupted her...

“Are thu vul, humanae uku...”

“You can...” she muttered, “speak?”

“Ogh,” the creature said as it nodded, its voice deep and with a sort of reverb to it. “Terran... Such an uncomfortable language for us Lakuran. You must have my forgiveness for smelling you, but consider it part of my research.” It crouched down on reverse-jointed knees. “I am Doctore Gakolak See’Korgolo, head of the USS Vector’s scientifical crew.”

Twilight stared blankly at Gakolak. Could this be? Was this one of the Lakuran that formed the USC? And to top it off, a scientist? She could not help but grin widely.

“YES—I mean,” she cleared her throat. “I am Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia, and representant of the Element of Magic!”

“A scholar?” the alien asked as he stood up. “I see... Come with me, little pon’e. I believe we would much benefit from each other.”

Twilight stood up and began following the Lakuran. “Oh, by the way, why did you smell me?”

“You have a scent of food,” he replied.

“Oh...” Twilight raised an eyebrow. The Lakuran led her into one of the many metallic buildings of Apex. Once inside, she found herself surrounded by scientific and medical equipment of all forms, most of which she had no clue as to what they did. What caught her eye were three bipedal, insect-like creatures that were working inside the building. Upon seeing her, they left their work-stations and walked over to her. On their chests were an extra pair of smaller arms, and a set of antennae hung down from their heads.

She froze up as they got closer. They leaned down and examined her, their antennae moving in sync. One of them nibbled on her ear, causing Twilight to jump and yelp. It then looked at the other two.

“Uhm...” Twilight muttered while desperately brushing her ear for any remnant secretions. “W-What are you?”

“We are Gektar,” one of them said. “You speak Terran.”

“It is hard to speak Terran.”

“Yes, we prefer pheromones.”

“Why does your kind speak Terran?”

“I... don’t exactly know,” Twilight replied, tilting her head to the side.

“Odd.”

“Yes, odd.”

“You are odd.”

The pony giggled awkwardly. “Oookay...”

“Atte, Gektar,” Gakolak said. “Lovatar ut jeb.”

“Yes, we will work,” one of the Gektar replied.

“We are workers.”

“We enjoy working.”

As the Gektar returned to their tasks, Twilight looked up at the Lakuran scientist, who chuckled, “They are excellent workers.”

“Yes...” came a female voice. Twilight turned to the building’s entrance, where another Gektar stood, this one much bigger and its chitinous plating even thicker. “Us females are both the brains and the warriors of the Gektar.” She walked over to the pony and crouched down. “I have never had the chance to speak with an Equestrian... Gako keeps us busy all the time.” She chuckled in monotone. “I suppose you have a name?”

Twilight smiled, clearing her throat and correcting her position. “I am Twilight Sparkle, student of Princess Celestia... And you are?”

“My name is... quite difficult to vocalize.” The pair of arms in her chest wiggled a bit. “The closest I can pronounce in Terran is ‘Lives Amongst The Stars’, but you may call me ‘Stars’.”

“I see... Does your name have a meaning? Sort of describes what you do?” Twilight asked, glancing over at her own cutie mark.

“Yes,” Stars replied. “I was hatched specifically to fill the role of construction overseer of the Vector. That was three years ago.”

“Three years?” Twilight tilted her head to the side. “How long is your lifespan?”

Stars produced what seemed to be a sigh. “Only five years for me. I shall then join our collective memory, if we ever make it back to the USC.”

“What do you mean?”

Gakolak growled. “We are unable to return, so far... It does not help that I am the only Laku on the entire ship... Apart from that female in Vector Overwatch...”

Stars stood up and placed her four hands on the Lakuran, gently scratching him. “We will endure.”

The scientist sighed, “I hope so.... It does not help that we have a severe lack of food.”

Twilight beamed. “Really? I-I could help with that!”

Apple Bloom watched intently as the old man worked on an enormous suit of armor, while her two friends were busy dozing off. She found it fascinating just how complex it was. All the wiring and cybernetic components, and not a single drop of magic could be found. The concepts seemed too natural to the humans, something that produced a nagging feeling in the back of her head, that constantly drew her closer and closer to the desire of learning. All in all, what little Smoky had taught her was more than everything she had learned in all her years at the Ponyville school.

“So,” Smoky began, “The HCE Mark Two, or just ‘Heavy Combat Exosuit’, was designed by the Landrex Corp, somewhere around two decades ago or so.” He brought out his holopad from a nearby table, and plugged a cable between it and the suit of armor. “The perfect mix of syntex muscle and good ol’ hydraulics! Even after all this years we still haven’t built a better suit!” he exclaimed as he began to type into the pad.

“Orbital drops, front-line duty, rear guard action, or a weekend with the in-laws, this suit can withstand almost anythin’.” He tapped the suit on its back. “How you doin’ in there, bud?”

“Sweating like a pig,” came a voice from inside the exosuit. “Can you at least turn on the ventilation?”

“Sure thing, we’re almost done, anyways.” Smoky stood up and brushed a bead of sweat off of his forehead. “Resetting the mainframe and powerin’ up!”

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were both startled awake as the suit powered up. The cables and tubes connected to it shot off with a loud hiss, and the man inside took a couple steps that shook the floor under the crusaders’ hooves.

“Woah!” Apple Bloom giggled. She then turned to her friends, smiling. She was thoroughly interested by the suit and its inner workings, even if the other two fillies were not.

The man in the suit thanked Smoky before exiting the workshop, walking into the streets of the colony. Smoky then turned to the fillies, who tilted their heads to the side as his smile died out and he brought a finger to his ear.

“Is something wrong, mister?” Apple Bloom asked.

Smoky shook his head, frowning. “I, uh... I don’t suppose you sent another caravan here, right?” He looked through one of the workshop’s windows just as several men and women ran past it, all heading towards the main gate.

“Uh-oh...” he muttered, looking down at the fillies with a stern expression. “Girls, you oughta stay with me, all right?” He motioned for them to follow him as he began down a flight of stairs descending into the bowels of Apex.

The rolling hills of Equestria were washed over by the warm sunlight for the last time, as it was the moon’s turn to shine. A soft mist rolled in on the cool evening winds, the moisture turning to glittering dew on the leaves of the trees and the blades of the grass. Animals retreated to their homes in order to spend the night.

Arcturus Minerva walked proudly in front of the large line of changelings following the road. He had been chosen to lead his people’s caravan of offerings into “Apex”: the metallic city of the people who once shattered the skies with their marvelous vessel. If anyling were to ask him, he would say he was honoured to be the very first changeling to speak with a human when in true form, but in truth he was terrified.

Doubt had already begun to seep into his mind. What if the humans did not welcome them? What if they mistrusted the changelings as the ponies did? What if Celestia still bore his people ill will, and had turned the hearts of men against them? There were so many possible outcomes, so many that could possibly be fatal, but it was a risk that had to be taken.

“Be strong,” the changeling thought.

As the night began to settle in, he finally walked over the final hill separating the caravan from Apex. His jaw dropped as he saw the massive, metallic wall that surrounded it fade into view. The reports from the covert changelings were true, as it really seemed that the city slowly transformed the land around it, changing it. The ground was replaced by metallic plates, the trees were soon gone, and the air got thicker. Arcturus had underestimated just how much they could alter their surroundings, and he was yet to even go past the walls.

It was beautiful.

He turned to the rest of the caravan, whom had frozen in place upon seeing the city. “Let us continue!” he yelled, motioning towards Apex. “We did not come this far for nothing!” The caravan cheered after his words and started moving again.

The only thing they had was hope. He knew that, and so did everyling else. As the column approached the massive metallic wall that stood between them and Apex, they clung to that hope: it was the last thing they had after weeks of travelling.

Arcturus gulped. The caravan slowed to a stop in front of the wall, and silence reigned supreme for those long seconds. The swiveling machines by the watchtowers were locked onto them, tracking every single movement. The stars watched the changelings from above, and the ground waited to receive their victorious march, or their spilled blood.

The changeling leading the caravan slowly craned his neck backwards, a sad expression on his face. It seemed as if all the weeks of travelling had been for naught, until a deep, mechanical sound tore down the silence, and the gates to Apex parted. He looked expectantly at the gates, watching as they revealed what lay beyond.

He marvelled at the enormous, bipedal figures that stood behind the gates. Their armor was even more imposing than what he had imagined: they brought into him a sense of fear, but more than anything, curiosity. In their hands were their weapons, perhaps possessing destructive capabilities far beyond what he could imagine, but it was the armored ponies that stood before them that truly worried him.

“Changelings!” one of the ponies, armored in a purple set of armor, snarled at Arcturus and his people. “What are you doing here?!”

Arcturus dropped to his knees, and so did everyling else. The action took the ponies by surprise, who blinked in confusion upon seeing the display.

“We mean no harm!” he called out, looking at the ground.

“And what about Canterlot?!” another pony yelled.

“Hold it!” came a commanding, female voice. Arcturus opened his eyes and looked ahead, seeing one of the humans—a female—break through the line of ponies. She walked over to the changeling, who shrunk under the gaze of the great biped.

“What are you here for?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Arcturus drew in a deep breath, building up some confidence. “I am Arturus Minerva, representing the Changeling Republic. We seek to redeem ourselves...”

“Redeem yourselves for what?”

The changeling looked at the ponies, giving off a shaky sigh. “Thanks to the false queen, we... have had difficult relations with the other species, especially with Equestria. Your appearance here has changed many things... including us. We want to thank you...” He craned his neck, looking at the caravan. “We brought food... we want to help you.”

One of the armored ponies broke away from the line. She dropped her set of armor and closed her eyes, causing the other ponies to gasp as her fur began to turn into black, chitinous plating. “He speaks with truth, oh, great bipeds,” she said, followed by a couple more ponies who repeated the same action.

“Please,” Arcturus muttered. “We have learned so much from you. The least we can do is to help with your supply problems.”

The woman sighed, looking at the rest of the changelings, then back down at the counciling. “Can we trust you?”

“Some of us are... part of the ‘School Evolutis’,” the changeling said. “You are our teachers. We broke away from our insectoid behaviour and learned to each live as an individual, special being.... thanks to you.”

The human motioned for Arcturus to stand up. He followed her instructions and looked up into her eyes, a weak smile spreading across his face.

“My name is Kira Feros, Divisional Commander of the USS Vector. I should mention that you will be terminated should you try anything out of your narrow boundaries, but otherwise...” She leaned down and offered her hand to the changeling. “Welcome to Apex.”

Cookie coiled around Father’s neck, gently rubbing her head against his chin. He smiled in return, and gently patted the rest of her body.

A hiss coming from the door distracted them, making them turn their attention to it. They both saw a man standing right in the entrance, who saluted Father. “Everything’s ready, sir.”

“Good...” he sighed out. “Start it up, but avoid Apex... Too many innocent lives would be put at risk otherwise.”

“I am Infantry Commander Jack Silverback, assigned as second in command of the USS Vector. This... is a compilation of everything I’ve gathered on Admiral Becker. If you are hearing this, then it means that the gears are already turning. There is no going back now...

“There are no records stating his exact age, but I found that there was a reason behind that. He took part in the Savior Project during the Genesis War, where they turned him into one of the first augmented humans meant to save us from the Serven nano-virus. He’s had a long history ever since. I must admit that he’s been loyal to the USC and has performed his duties almost flawlessly ever since the end of the war, but...

“Atlas. The mutant took part in the project as well, but what they did to it is classified, even for me. He was one of the augmentees that assaulted the Pure Hearts’ HQ in the Aug Crisis, and was banished to a waste planet. I know this because there are records of a mission led by the man himself, traveling to said planet in order to retrieve a ‘Valuable Asset’. I can only assume that this asset was the mutant. But why? Maybe they knew each other, but why rescue a mutant two hundred years after the crisis? There was no indication that it was still alive, except for...

“That’s it. The mutant from the ‘Graveyard’! How did I not see this before...

“Shortly after the Aug Crisis, mutant hunting became a sort of sport. A waste planet called the ‘Graveyard’ was a popular hunting ground. A few years later and they had already wiped them all out, except for the ‘Man Eater’. My father used to tell me stories about it, how it ripped off your limbs one by one before eating you... He lost a lot of friends that way.

“They never got it, and this is the exact same planet Atlas was pulled out of. Now, both it and the Admiral took part in the Saviour Project, so they must’ve known each other. Explains why he ‘rescued’ it.

“The operation itself took place years ago, and it involved two troopers: Corporal Allen and Sergeant Morrison. Those must be the two that I usually see near Atlas...

“Ever since, the mutant was kept hidden by Becker, who slowly ‘fixed’ him. Atlas couldn’t even speak when they got it out of the Graveyard... All those years there must’ve taken their toll on it.

“The MAC unit was also retrieved from the same planet. Apparently the mutant had fixed it and refused to go without it. That makes it two things that could get the Admiral executed.

“Now, onto the next topic. Torres, the ex-convict. I managed to pull some records regarding her, or more accurately, how she is related to Becker and Atlas.

“Her grandfather served with both of them... I’m inclined to believe that Becker wanted to surround the mutant with familiar names. Either way, Torres was in line for the Crimson Guard. Penal soldiers... She was meant to die.

“He’s a law-breaker. We’ve been out of contact with the fleet for seven months already, and that’s nearly impossible. If we are still in the same galaxy, then that means he’s holding back. He’s afraid to die.

“Now you know that he’s done. If you’re smart, you’ll stay with me. Otherwise, pray to the universe that you do not stand in my path.

“I am going back home.”

The old, gruff man folded his arms as he looked at the console, which displayed the scarred face of another man in return. “He was an old friend, Jack. I promised I would get him out of there... It took me nearly two hundred years. I’m surprised that you don’t understand; you’ve always kept your promises.”

“I do, Admiral, but why keep us here? Why not return? Are you scared of death?”

“No. I don’t care if I die or not. Both Atlas and I agreed to turn ourselves in after the Ubor war. We wanted to die together, like brothers... I never meant for this to happen.”

“What about the MAC unit, and the convict?” Jack asked, his face contorting into a frown.

“The MAC was salvaged by Atlas in the Graveyard, he refused to leave without it. Torres is the granddaughter of a friend of Atlas and myself... I wanted to ease the pain of re-integration by adding people with similar names, such as Sergeant Morrison and Corporal Allen... The MAC and Torres agreed to perform a suicide mission after zeta-twenty, but there were complications, as you can see.”

“Then what’s holding you back from returning? What’s the point of establishing relations with these primitives?”

“We needed the supplies, Commander, and we cannot just take food from them and risk starving an entire planet.”

“Every minute we stay here puts our lives at risk. We need to go back.”

“I know, Jack. I’m trying my best, just be patient...”

“No... not anymore,” were the man’s last words as the feed cut off.

Admiral Becker sighed, taking his eyes away from the console. “What are you doing, Jack?”

Atlas smiled, adjusting his sitting position and folding his arms. It had been the first time in months that he had gotten to eat meat. Nobody really knew from where or what it came from. He only received a shrug by the trooper handling the rations, and the words: “Brought by the changelings”. He didn’t know what it meant, but he didn’t care in any way. His meal had been delicious.

Even so, it did not seem to soften the tense ambiance of the mess hall. Conversations were still made in whispers, but Atlas had come to the conclusion that it was not only because of his presence. He had been told that it was like that in all parts of the ship.

He sighed and looked through the digital window, observing the bright planet that the Vector was orbiting. It was had been years since he had seen a planet like that. All he remembered were the vast amounts of junk and dust of the so called “Graveyard”: his home for almost two hundred years.

“Feelin’ alright?” Torres asked, prompting Atlas to turn to her. On the table was the rest of his team: Morris, Allen, and Mac, who all regarded him with a curious stare.

“I’m fine,” he said, shrugging. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Whatever you say, boss,” Allen replied, chuckling and returning his attention to his food.

“Atlas,” came a voice from his radio. He pressed a finger against his ear and listened. “Come in...”

“Who’s that?” Morris asked.

“Becker,” Atlas muttered. “Yeah, Admiral. Loud and clear.”

“Something’s going on. I’m not quite sure what it is, but I just lost contact with half the ship.”

“What?” Atlas looked around the mess hall just as several conversations died out, and various troopers placed their faceplates on in complete silence.

“I think... Oh no.”

The lights of the hall shut off, including the windows. “Becker? Are you there?” the giant asked, receiving nothing but static.

A lone gunshot lit up the room, followed by several more. Atlas’ eyes shot open as he reflexively stood up and reached for his faceplate, interrupted by a projectile hitting his chest.

He lost his balance and fell down into the darkness, hitting his head against a nearby wall. More gunshots reached his ears, complete with the sounds of fighting and guttural screams. He opened his eyes to see nothing, only hearing the footsteps of several troopers leaving the mess hall as the noise of the fighting faded into the distance.

Atlas groaned as he stood up, prodding the darkness in hopes of finding his faceplate. “Torres! Mac!” he called out.

In an instant, the lighting turned back on. He covered his eyes as they adjusted to the sudden change in brightness, then glanced about the mess hall. Several troopers lay in the metallic floor, either dead or unconscious. Bullet holes and blood riddled the walls: paintings of a brutal fight.

He reached down and picked up his faceplate, then placed it over his face. He looked down at his chest while his suit’s display lit up, glad that the bullet he had taken only reached his armor.

On the opposite end of the room was Torres, sitting against a wall. Atlas ran up to her and crouched down. “You okay?”

“I’ve been better,” the woman groaned. “Someone sent me flying across the hall...”

Atlas frowned and picked up Torres’ faceplate, handing it to her. “What doesn’t kill you,” he said as she placed it over her face. He then grabbed her by her neck guard and lifted her up. “... is going to die.” The giant released her and turned back, motioning for her to follow. “Now come on.”

The two walked across the mess hall, silently watching as the downed troopers helped each other up. Atlas spotted Mac and Morris crouching down by Allen, who lay on the floor.

“Allen,” he asked as he walked over to them. “What happened?”

“Shotgun,” the injured medic coughed out as he moved his hand off of his belly, revealing a burning hole, causing Atlas’ frown to grow more pronounced.

“Can you raise the Admiral?” Morris asked, looking over at the android.

“Negative,” Mac replied. “Nearly every comm channel is disabled. I will continue with my attempts, but I suggest another solution.”

Torres spoke up, grabbing both of the pistols held by the magnetic locks on her hips, “I’ve got one, Atlas. Let’s get to the bridge.”

The giant nodded. “Let’s do that. Meanwhile, you two help Allen.” He leaned down, looking at the medic. “You don’t get to die on me, you got that?” he said before turning away and taking the heavy gauss rifle that was set on his back. “Let’s go, T.”

“You got it!”

Atlas and Torres ran up to the mess hall’s entrance, and flanked the doorway. The woman peeked around the corner and nodded, walking out into the hallways with both of her guns being trained down-range. Following her, the giant aimed his heavy rifle around, careful should any hostiles pop up.

They both looked at each other and nodded. Without saying a word, they began to sprint down the hallways, the raider’s steps quiet and fast, followed by the titan’s loud thumps that were produced each time his feet collided with the floor.

“Over here!” Torres exclaimed, leading the man into a tram station. She vaulted over a corpse laying in the middle of the room, whereas Atlas simply stepped on it, causing the chest to cave in with a loud crunch. He looked around the station, gripping his rifle tightly. There were a few troopers laying around that his display highlighted as “incapacitated”, complete with blood sprayed on the walls.

Torres walked over to the station’s console and typed into it. “Shazbot... this might take a while.”

“Over here!” someone called out. Atlas turned to the hallways and aimed his rifle, spotting the shadows of several troopers making their way to the tram station. He flicked off the safety and adjusted his position.

The raider continued managing the console. “Crap, cover me!”

“On it!” Atlas ran up to the body he had stepped on and picked it up with one hand, using it as a shield. The troopers rounded the corner to the station and aimed their weapons at the giant.

“It’s the mutie! Shoot it!”

“Oh, fuck that!” a trooper said, as several of them turned on their heels and ran away. The few that chose to stay opened fire. Atlas gripped the corpse tightly as bullets began to hit it. He aimed his rifle with one hand and fired a few rounds, hitting one of the men in the neck.

He tossed the mangled corpse away and moved his free hand over to his hips.

“Watch out, grenade!” they yelled as he pulled an explosive off of his belt and threw it at the men. They leaped out of the way and resulting blast hit one of them, sending him flying into a wall. He crashed into it and fell dead.

Atlas looked over at Torres, who busily worked on the console. “Status!?” he yelled as a few projectiles zipped past him.

“Just a few more seconds!”

The titan released a bestial war-cry as he began to unload his rifle onto the men. A swarm of bullets hit him, most being absorbed by the energy shields of his suit, while the rest hit his armor and dug into his body. He grunted and ignored the pain, continuing to fire, taking out several of the men.

“There!” Torres exclaimed as a tram slowed to a stop, opening its doors. She wrapped her hands on her pistols and aimed them at the remaining troopers, pressing the trigger and sending two bullets that then hit two of them square in the head.

Torres and Atlas then moved into the tram, firing a few more rounds as the doors closed and the cart began to move. The troopers outside sent a few more projectiles at the tram which only hit the windows, before it sped into the gravityless vacuum of the Vector’s inner system. All that sustained those inside were its own gravitational field and atmosphere, while going at a supersonic speed across the ship.

Atlas and Torres reloaded their weapons, then looked at each other. “You okay?” Torres asked, looking at the man’s wounds.

“Just a flesh wound,” he replied. “The suit will take care of it.”

“Uh-huh... Get down!” the woman yelled, just as another tram bumped into theirs. Atlas turned around, seeing another cart filled with men just behind them, who broke the windows and opened fire on them.

Atlas crouched down as the windows of his tram shattered, prompting the vacuum to suck out the air that was inside. He popped out of cover and aimed his rifle, taking out a couple of them before going back to cover.

“This is Commander Zatuk to all units,” a man spoke over the radio, his voice distorted by static. “Do not use the trams! The system’s gone haywire!”

Torres reloaded her pistols. “A little too late for that!”

The giant shook his head, then grabbed a hold of his last grenade, tossing it into the tram behind them. The explosion caused it to derail, taking the entire group of men with it. He peeked over his cover to see another cart speeding through the opposite rail. It slowed down as it caught up to them, and the troopers inside opened fire, swarming the tram with bullets. Atlas and Torres looked at each other and nodded before going out of cover and unloading their weapons.

His third heart began to pump him full of adrenaline and other chemicals. Time seemed to slow down as his heavy rifle fired, watching as the projectiles pierced the men’s shields, armor, and flesh. He looked to the front of the road, seeing a crashed tram on the way. He placed his rifle on his back and grabbed the raider, taking a running jump into the opposing cart.

They both fell down into the new tram with a loud thud, before the previous one crashed. Atlas stood up and kicked the one remaining trooper in the chest, sending him out of the tram and into the path of another going in the opposite direction. He then helped Torres up and grabbed a hold of his rifle.

“How... How far are we from the bridge?” Torres asked in between breaths.

Atlas shook his head and checked his suit’s display. “Not too far now...” He motioned towards the tram’s control console. “Set it to stop by the bridge.”

“On it,” Torres said. She placed her pistols on her hips and walked over to the small terminal, where she began to type. “ETA is... ten seconds.”

The titanic man held his rifle close, aiming it at the door as the tram slowed down. Once it completely halted, the broken set of doors sparked. He looked around the bridge’s station, noticing signs of a recent battle, but nothing else. For once, everything was silent as he walked out of the cart.

It appeared that the fight was over.

Out in Equestria, the sky lit up with a million falling stars...

Arcturus Minerva watched with an open mouth as millions upon millions of falling stars burned through the atmosphere, every single one of them heading towards the north: what remained of the Gryphon kingdom, now controlled by the humans. For a moment, everything was silent. He stood in balcony of the tallest building of Apex, where he had the honour of speaking with Commander Feros. Together they had shared tension and the occasional laugh, and it had been an enlightening experience.

The whole colony fell into complete silence as both he and Kira stared upwards, watching the stars fall.

“Is... something wrong?” he asked, looking at the Commander. She continued to look up with a dumbfounded expression.

“What is...?” she muttered in response. Immediately, the whole city lit up. Sirens began to overwhelm the ever growing silence. Arcturus looked down to see humans leading his people into the depths of Apex.

Without saying a word, Kira Feros stepped back and turned around. “Changeling! Come with me!” she yelled as she began to run into the building. His mind went blank as he ran after her.

“What’s happening!?” he yelled, struggling to keep pace with her as they ran through the simple, metallic hallways of the tower.

“Something bad!”

Together they entered another room. Arcturus covered his eyes upon seeing the strobing lights and flashing screens of the tower’s control center. Human technicians worked rapidly on their consoles, their eyes wide with fear.

“Report!” Kira yelled, her voice muffled by the sirens. She and the changeling walked over to a console, where she pulled the technician's hand off of the control board and looked into his eyes. “I need a report, Ensign!”

“Y-Yes ma’am! We just lost contact with Vector overwatch! I’ve n-never seen so many troops being deployed by this! We didn’t know a full-on assault was scheduled!”

“Move!” She shoved the man away a sat down, working on the console. Arcturus’ legs began to shake as the Commander worked her way through various screens. What was happening? Was it his fault?

“Vector Overwatch, this is Apex control! What the hell is going on up there!?”

A comm-link opened up in the console, giving off static and gunshots. “M-... Everything’s gone to hell! They’re trying to get through the door!”

“Overwatch! Come on, get it together!”

“I... Multiple orbital launches and unauthorized leave of docked ships! I think they’re... they’re fleeing.”

“C-Commander...” Arcturus muttered, prodding the woman with his hoof. “What is happening?”

Kira slowly shook her head, looking into the changeling’s eyes. “Mutiny...”

The occasional spark lit up the room, thanks to a few damaged consoles. The viewscreens that surrounded the entire chamber had been cut off. All that was left was a dreadful silence as the men and women of the Vector’s command bridge aimed their sidearms at the metallic blast door. The old man in charge of the ship gripped his pistol tightly, taking cover behind a downed terminal.

Something crashed against the door, making it bend inwards.

Again.

And again.

A set of armored fingers pried their way through the middle of the door, and began to force it open. Every single soul in the bridge drew in a deep breath, preparing themselves to open fire, until the assaulter pulled their hands off of the gap, letting it close. Becker raised an eyebrow, an action which was followed by several gunshots and guttural screams coming from beyond the blast door, before everything fell silent again.

“Adam!” came a familiar voice, muffled by the several inches of metal between it and the bridge. “Adam, it’s me, Atlas! You in there!?”

Becker sighed out a deep breath, lowering his pistol. “He’s a friendly, let him in...”

The damaged set of doors slowly slid open, getting stuck half-way only to be forced open the rest of the way by a titanic man, who allowed his raider companion to walk in before crouching into the chamber. Adam Becker holstered his pistol and walked over to them, prompting a few relaxed sighs from the nearby technicians.

Atlas gave him a mock salute, placing his other hand on his chest, covering a few bullet holes. “You okay, Adam?”

“I’m fine, but what about you?”

The giant chuckled, then groaned in pain. “Well... getting here wasn’t pretty.”

The Admiral frowned and turned around, looking at the damaged command bridge. “Just look at this... Half of the ship is gone. Silverback took out most of our weapons, including many of our manufacturing capabilities....”

“Hold on,” Torres said, stepping closer to the Admiral. “Silverback did this?”

Adam Becker looked over his shoulder. “Yes... I never thought it would come to this.” He placed his hands on a set of railings, overlooking the bridge. “I understand that he wants to return, but that’s what I’ve been trying to do for the past few months.”

Atlas titled his head to the side. “Then why’d he do it?”

“He lost his trust in me after he learned of your backgrounds. I told him we were going to turn ourselves in, but he didn’t listen.” He sighed, “All I wanted was to cooperate with the planet’s inhabitants, re-stock, and leave again... Jack’s willing to do anything to go back, I know it. Everyone in this bridge knows we’re lost in uncharted space, the problem is that no one wants to accept that... If he takes this ship and realizes that he can’t go back... then the future of this planet will not be bright.”

Becker shook his head. “He’s lived through a lot of shit, and it didn’t leave him quite right... A few months before Zeta-Twenty, he was supposed to go home. I.. extended his service.”

“Shit...” Torres whispered. “Why didn’t you discharge him?”

“I... I couldn’t bring myself to do it.” The old man looked down at the floor. “He’s a damn good soldier, who kept this ship together through the hardest of times... and he’s a good friend. He told me he wanted to keep fighting the Ubor, for his family... I never should’ve let him do that.” He rubbed his forehead with one hand and sighed. “Now he’s sitting in that colony of his, controlling what’s left of the Gryphon Kingdom, doing who knows what to them.”

A few moments were spent in silence, before Atlas spoke up, “What now?”

Adam closed his eyes, sighing, “We need to re-do the crew database... and get the support of the natives.” He turned around and looked up at Atlas. “See if there’s a dropship left, then get to Canterlot. Tell the Princesses about what happened... Jack’s not going to stop at anything.”

He watched from his balcony, from his unnamed colony, as Gryphons in electrical shackles worked all around the pseudo-city and smoke rose up from half-built planetary defense cannons. It had grown exponentially ever since he had taken control of the nation, mostly by the labor of the Gryphons, but it was only a temporary arrangement. Once he controlled the Vector, he would disassemble the colony and leave for good. Then the Gryphons could get back to whatever wars they desired.

“Sir?”

Silverback looked over his shoulder. “Yes?”

“The first groups of escapees are arriving. We estimate that by tomorrow we should be ready.”

“Good,” he replied. “Start building the walkers, for tomorrow we draw the line and see if Becker takes the bait... Stay safe, trooper.”

The man behind him saluted. “Yes sir!” he exclaimed before going back into the tower.

With a gasp, Celestia woke up, thrashing in her large bed and looking around her room. The darkness encased her, filling her heart with even more fear. She concentrated, her horn lighting up the room as it glowed with magic, and the yellow torches around her bedchambers sparked up, burning the darkness from the room, killing it. Beyond their light, however, the shadows remained, for she lay in the blanketing night. An embrace she both loved and hated.

The nightmare were gone, at the very least. Every night, they repeated themselves: her body consumed in fire, her soul taken away by a hungry devil, and the voice that told her to “trust them”. It was maddening, almost. Often had she tried to come up with answers, but only ended up receiving more questions. Was she to trust the humans? The changelings? She could not bring herself to trust any of them, not completely.

Her time of slumber, replaced with pain, and nothing else. Why? The night had not even started on the right hoof. First the changelings meeting the humans, then the million falling stars. Exhausted, she had put her sister in charge, only to have her sleep bring her further misery.

She shook her head, sighing. “Changelings...” she thought, grimacing. Why would the humans even accept such creatures? They were but a sign of evil and war, but perhaps, that is what the humans admired, to an extent: war.

Unsteady and tired, she slipped out of her bed and trotted over to her desk. She sat down by the table and lit up her horn, grabbing a hold of a stack of papers: notes. Every dream, no, nightmare was slightly different, and so she wrote them all down: for it could perhaps be of help some day. She stared blankly at the stack of papers, and let them fall. Why bother anymore? Her world had gone mad, both waking and sleeping, and no amount of analysis could fix that.

Once, she had caught a glimpse of her sister’s notes about the humans. Among the reams of speculation, there was one phrase that stuck with her: "Sometimes I feel I've gone from a player to a pawn, in the game of my own life." It haunted her even now, as she trotted to her bathroom. It was painful to see her little sibling like that: thinking of herself as a pawn on a massive chess board. Worse still, she could identify perfectly with the feeling: millenia spend guiding her ponies, only to have these humans tear her plans asunder. Even her student had been pulled from her, if only slightly. Given time, that gap could well grow.

She walked over to the sink and turned it on, waiting for it to fill up.

How were they happy, knowing that their place in the universe was utterly insignificant? Perhaps it was simpler than she thought: her ponies lived happily, their destinies clear and bright with their purpose marked upon their bodies. Why would anypony, or anyone, want to ruin that? She dipped her head into the water once the sink filled up, , letting the cold chill clear her thoughts. Somewhat relaxed, she pulled her head out and let the water disappear down the drain.

“Of machine and might...” She grabbed her brush and began to pull it against her mane, looking at herself in the mirror. Why trust them? They outlawed nature, molding it as they saw fit, killing the beauty it possesed. They had chosen a twisted path, and it showed in the blood they'd shed.

A knock came from her door as she placed her golden shoes and crown on. “Princess Celestia?”

“Yes?”

“We—uh, we have visitors at the courtyard.”

Her eyes widened for a moment. “I will be there in a minute, thank you.”

No, it could not possibly be them. They promised not to bother Equestria anymore, not like this. It was enough that they had established the so called “Apex”: a permanent scar on the beauty of her land.

There was only one way to confirm it was them. She finished brushing her mane, dried her face with a towel, and pushed open the doors of her chambers, entering the hallways of the palace.

There was such an overwhelming silence. The palace seemed to be in a deep slumber, something which she had not achieved in weeks. Why? There was something wrong, that much she could tell, but what exactly? There was no way her sister would let anything happen. The sound her hooves made as they hit the marble floor echoed constantly, shattering the silence.

Whatever visitors these were, she had to keep her poise: millennia of training helped her with that. It was almost hard to frown anymore, as she spent most of the time smiling. Her wild chain of thoughts distracted her from hearing the loud, thumping steps coming from around the corner, which she rounded only to crash in a metallic mountain. She fell down to her rump and rubbed her snout with one of her hooves. For a moment, there was silence, a calm silence, unlike the previous one. It felt like ages since she had just laid down, or felt pain, for that matter.

“Sorry,” came a voice from far above. She opened her eyes, trailing them from the muscular, bipedal legs of the creature she had crashed into, to its comparably diminutive head. Her fears were confirmed, they were back.

She noticed the damage on the human’s armor. Burnt areas and holes. What had happened to him? It must have been catastrophic if his armor had suffered.

“Ah, sister!” Luna said, smiling as she trotted over to Celestia. “As you can see, Commander Atlas is visiting us.” Celestia looked behind the giant, spotting two more pseudo-metallic bipeds, one with wings, and the other one staring into her very soul. Each of them seemed to have suffered from external damage.

Celestia put on a smile, despite her feelings. “Oh, welcome.” She stood up, looking up at Atlas. “May I ask what the purpose of this visit is?”

The man looked around. “I’d rather discuss it in private...”

“Yes,” Luna piped up. “Let us head to the reading room, as always.”

What did they want now? Celestia could sense it, and it was not good. Their damaged suits were a sign of such a thing. She thought back to the falling stars, remembering her sister muttering that it was not natural, a sign of danger. Something must have happened to them.

The two sisters led the trio of humans into the reading room. Luna held the door open. “Please, do come in.”

Atlas looked at his companions. “Stay here, I’ve got this.” They both nodded as he walked into the room, followed by the Princesses.

Celestia shut the door behind herself, standing still as Luna and the giant walked over to the table and sat down. They both looked at her as she remained in place. A feeling began to boil up inside of her, one that she had not felt in ages.

“Is everything alright, sister?”

“No...” she muttered. “No.” Celestia trotted up to the giant, still having to crane her neck upwards despite the fact that he was sitting. “What do you want now? Is it not enough that you are destroying Equestria!?” She snorted, narrowing her eyes while the man continued to give her a stoic stare. “Apex keeps expanding with each day, swallowing everything around it! My ponies are not happy anymore, all because of you! And now you are here, ready to ask for more! What. Do. You. Want!?”

“Sister...” Luna muttered, looking at her with a worried expression.

A low growl faintly shook the floor under Celestia’s hooves. She and the giant continued to glare at each other as he stood up, his eyes narrowing and his face contorting into a scowl. “We need—”

“You need? Are you not satisfied with everything that we, and the changelings, have given to you?”

The giant grunted. “No, we just want to warn you.”

“Oh?” Celestia tilted her head to the side, giving him an inquisitive look. “Warn us about what? Does this have anything to do with the falling stars?”

“Yes...” Atlas sighed. “There was a mutiny, and now we’re split...”

“A mutiny? You truly are uncivilized hairless monsters, are you not?” She took a step towards him. “Not only are you slowly invading us, but you are fighting between yourselves!”

A small crackle was heard, the voice of the human Admiral could be heard from Atlas’ headset as he released a visceral growl.

“Atlas... listen to me. Calm down.”

“Look,” he said, shaking his head. “We want to make sure you are all safe, but we also need your help.”

The alicorn huffed. “Now you need our help? You seem so advanced, but you cannot solve a simple internal scuffle?”

Celestia gritted her teeth and scowled. In return, the man clenched his fists. He spoke up in an almost feral voice and showed his teeth. The Princess’ stare broke away from his eyes, attracted by the pronounced canines he possesed.

“I’ve eaten bigger things than you...” he growled. “And before I got here, I almost died several times. Now, you’re going to listen to me very carefully, you got that?”

Celestia snorted in response.

“There’s nothing stopping us from wiping your entire species outta existence... we could just glass this planet from orbit and get done with it, you pompous bitch. We don’t care if you can move a star. But we’re better than that, and you’re better than just telling an entire interstellar civilization to go fuck itself because you just can’t deal with change.

“We’re lost here, and even then, we pulled your ass out of a war you were losing. We saved your lives, and you’re telling us to get the fuck out? We could just siege the planet, get all of the supplies we want, and leave you starving and broken. We’ve given you a second chance.”

“You...” Celestia snarled. “You overgrown ape!”

“What did you just call me?” he scoffed, before being interrupted by Celestia leaping up at him and kicking him in the face. He staggered back, chuckling. “It’s on now...”

Steam shot off from his suit while Celestia hovered in place. The ground began to shake as he released a bestial, distorted battle cry. The doors to the room were pushed open by the other humans, who aimed their weapons at the alicorn. Luna stood up, confused. “Sister, stop!”

Atlas charged at Celestia, who had begun to empower her horn. A blast of magic ripped into the ceiling as he hit her, piercing the castle and going into the heavens. He gripped her tightly and continued to charge, hitting a wall and breaking through it, followed by another, and another.

As much as she struggled, they eventually broke through the entire castle and fell off of Canterlot mountain. While in free-fall, she broke away from his grip and bucked him in the chest, sending him away from her. Celestia spread her wings open and stalled her fall, then looked under herself to see the titan flying upwards and towards her. Unable to dodge in time, she was hit by him, and brought to a firm grip again. Her bones cracked as he squeezed her, while she continued to hit him in the head with her forehooves.

She pressed hard against his chest and charged her horn, releasing a blast of magic that separated the both of them. They both spun through the air, Celestia hovering in place while Atlas fell for a few seconds before lighting up his thrusters. She began to speed up towards him, and he did just the same. They collided in mid air, with Atlas delivering a skull-breaking punch to her head while grabbing her chest with his other free hand. She retaliated with a beam of magic that blazed against his shields, along with a few swift kicks to his head.

The two began to fall again, Celestia desperately trying to free herself from the titan’s grip. He began to laugh as she repeatedly kicked him in the face, and she began to laugh with him as they both fell freely and shared hits.

They crashed down into the Everfree forest, Atlas still having a firm grip on her. The collision mowed down several trees and left a large trail. Eventually, their movement halted. Celestia’s eyes closed as she breathed deeply, making a quick damage assessment on herself. She reached up and re-adjusted her jaw, prodded a broken rib, and adjusted a dislocated shoulder.

She was fine.

Shakily she brought herself back to her hooves, looking over at Atlas, who lay a few meters away. She walked over to him, giggling as he adjusted his broken nose. The man looked over to her and smiled, breaking out in a laugh with her. They exchanged one last hit to the face and hugged, still laughing.

“Oh, man,” Atlas said, groaning. He wiped off a bit of blood from his face and spat into the ground. “I really needed that.”

“As did I,” Celestia giggled, spitting out a broken tooth.

Out in the cold lands of Gryphos, down at the south of the nation, smoke could be seen rising amongst the trees. Amidst the forest was the last remaining camp of the Gryphonic army, reduced to less than a quarter of its original numbers. Every gryphon that was not in the camp was either far out into other lands or under the harsh rule of the humans, who forced them to work for hours on end in order to supply food and other materials. These remnants were heading south, hoping to escape into the no one’s land between Equestria and Gryphos.

Gilda slowly walked between the many tents set around the camp, hauling a bag of birdseed over her shoulders. The light produced by the various campfires was enough to illuminate her path. She moved over to one of said fires, and sat down next to it, joining a few other gryphons who were engaged in casual conversation, all while watching the dancing flames.

“Hey Gilda, how’s it going?” one of them asked.

Gilda opened the bag of seeds and shoved her beak into it. “I’m fine,” she said through a mouthful of food. She looked to her right and discovered another gryphon eyeing her. “What do you want, dweeb?”

The gryphon chuckled, “You’ve got a nice—” he was interrupted by a swift punch to the face by way of Gilda.

“You were saying?” She smirked and shoved a few more seeds into her mouth, while the rest of the gryphons around the fire laughed at their companion, who was busy making sure his beak was still in the right position.

She continued eating, watching as another soldier brought a freshly hunted rabbit to the fire and began to cook it. She had never gotten used to eating meat, perhaps because most of her life had been spent with ponies. It was usual for her to eat more vegetables than anything else.

Conversations began to die out as a steady thumping boomed in the distance, getting closer as each second passed. Gilda stopped eating and looked around, her gaze unable to reach farther than the nearby trees.

The thumping got considerably louder, making the ground shake under Gilda’s paws. She stood up and traced the sound to somewhere among the trees, and was able to make out a few of them getting crushed under whatever it was that was causing the noise.

“WALKER!” a sentinel called out. Immediately, a metallic roar quaked the ground and a set of artificial lights turned on, blinding the gryphons and revealing the shape of a massive, mechanical monster walking towards the camp.

Gilda stood up and reached for her sword, while taking a few precautionary steps backwards.

Several tall, bipedal figures broke from the tree line, assaulting the gryphon camp. The loud explosions of the humans’ weaponry were all that could be heard besides the cries for help of other gryphons. Gilda’s eyes widened and she dropped her sword, turning around and running back into the maze of tents.

Explosions surrounded her as she ran. The projectiles fired by the humans pierced the flesh of the gryphons that were running with her, making them fall, either dead or unable to move. She saw as the explosions ripped some of them apart, leaving nothing more than a mess of burnt innards spread on the ground.

A massive figure landed in front of her, blocking her path. The human stood up and looked at her, giving off a laugh that was distorted due to its mask, then aimed its weapon at her. She dodged and leapt into the air while spreading her wings, flying as fast as she could manage to in order to avoid the wrath of the human. She continued flying, unsure as to where she was heading, the only thought in her head being escaping.

Her wings flapped with all of their strength, pulling her away from the camp. She glanced back to see the smoke of the burning tents rise into the sky. The metallic monster stood in the middle of what used to be the last camp of the Gryphonic army, firing its arm-cannons at those brave, injured, or stupid enough to remain in the area, reducing them to nothing but a mess of bone and flesh.

Gilda kept flying, only thinking about escaping, only thinking about survival....

Human/Equestrian Alliance Growing Stronger?: Since their arrival in Equestria, the humans of the "USS Vector" have been both venerated and reviled by the public at large. While they are officially credited with the liberation of Trottingham by the Royal Press Office and ceded the territory now known as "Apex" as a result, tensions still continue to run high with circulated rumors blaming them for the initiation of the Gryphos/Equestria war in the first place. However, such points may very well be moot. Earlier this morning, a human "dropship" was sighted arriving at Canterlot castle. Following several reports of a battle involving Celestia herself, the royal press office released a missive declaring the ratification of a "Mutual Defense Treaty" between Equestria and the sovereign colony of Apex. Under the terms of the treaty, the humans of Apex and the Vector would be allowed to station military assets within Equestrian borders, especially in those areas- (Continued on page 2)

Riots Break Out Across Equestria: *A picture is embedded in the page, depicting a large protest. Ponies can be seen holding signs, “WHERE ARE THE PRINCESSES?”, “BURN APEX”, “EMBRACE THE USC”* Throughout Equestria, though especially in the southern regions such as Dodge City and Appleoosa, tensions have reached a boiling point. This week alone, royal guards have been dispatched to quell no less than four protests that turned into riots, and unconfirmed reports continue to trickle in regarding "unofficial" peacekeeping operations. On an official level, Princess Luna spoke out yesterday at a public forum in Canterlot, calling for the cessation of hostility, and peaceful reconciliation between all parties. Admiral Becker, the head of the Vector and target of many protesters anger, was unable to comment. However, Commander Kira Feros of the Apex colony agreed to an interview, which will be published in tomorrow's issue.

Changelings?: After the Changeling invasion of Canterlot, it was widely assumed that there would be no further dealings between their kind and Equestria. This point was emphasized when Princess Celestia officially severed all diplomatic ties with the Changeling monarchy, and thereafter banished all changelings from Equestrian soil. However, in a shocking move, Changeling representatives of the "New Changeling Republic" have been sighted, bringing supply caravans to the human colony of Apex. There has been no word from the royal press office at this time, but Commander Kira Feros was quoted as saying "I know there's bad blood between these 'changelings' and ponykind, but I don't see that as any reason to decline their diplomatic overtures. The USC is an inclusive organization, committed to spreading unity between species. I don't believe this mission has changed."

Equestrian Economy on Verge of Collapse?: Ever since the foundation of the Apex colony on Equestrian soil, the citizens of our nation have felt the burden of it's constant subsidies. While Equestria may soon be seeing the benefit of these subsidies in the form of the recently enacted "Mutual Defense Treaty," for some families, this price is growing too high to pay. Already, increased demand has nearly doubled the price of essential commodities such as vegetables and grasses, and projections from the Equestrian chamber of commerce only predict further increases.

Refugees From Gryphos Flood The Northern Lands: To the surprise of Manehattan residents, a large caravan of griffons arrived today from Gryphos, claiming to be refugees from human persecution. While their claims are currently unsubstantiated, their arrival has brought to light previously silent concerns regarding the human presence in Equestria. Princess Celestia is scheduled to address the ponies of Manehattan personally to clarify any fears towards pony/human relations.

Darkness: consuming, embracing, silent. It filled the rustic wooden room. The thick walls swallowed every sound, but the chewing of termites among the floorboards, and the hoofsteps of a lone pony entering the room. With a quick push of magic, a switch was flipped, and a current of magic blazed through a single desolate light. For a moment, the room came alive as a dozen cockroaches scurried to what shadows remained, only to fall silent once more. Slowly, the nameless pony trotted over and under the light, approaching a lone, rough hewn table. On top of it was a wooden radio, housing an enchanted gem meant to be tuned into various frequencies. The pony already had one in mind, gently tuning the radio with magic. First, there was static, but slowly a voice emerged from the static, amplified by the frail crystal within.

“... You’re listening to ‘Equestria At Large’, the source of news from all across the nation!” a male voice said, deep and confident. “Tonight we’ve got an interview with Commander Kira Feros herself, director of Apex! But first, we have special coverage from the protests taking place in Fillydelphia! Now to News Flash with the coverage!”

“Thank you,” a female voice said, struggling to be heard amongst the sounds of yelling and heavy rain. “I’m News Flash, here at the center of Fillydelphia! Ponies have gathered all around the streets surrounding the main hall! I estimate a few thousands, at least! I can see two sides! One seems to be pro-human, and they hold signs saying things like ‘The future is here!’, ‘Hail The Colonial Guard’! The other side is clearly anti-human, since they hold signs saying... Nevermind! I don’t think it’s appropriate to say such things here!

“Ponies from the Royal Guard are keeping the two sides from fighting each other! I can really feel the tension-- Ah!” came a yelp from News Flash, along with the sound of shattering glass and several screams of panic.

“Flash? Flash, are you alright?” the male broadcaster asked, a tone of concern in his voice.

“Y-Yes, I’m okay! Somepony just threw a bottle at me, and it had something in it that caught fire! N-Nopony got hurt though, but things are getting real bad! Some already broke through the guard and are fighting each other!

Guttural cries similar to those made in battle could be heard. “They broke through!” News exclaimed. “I can see-... Some have knives and other weapons!... Hey! Let me go!” were her last words as the microphone appeared to have fallen. The sounds of fighting were the only things that could be heard.

Suddenly, a booming crash was heard, following by a deep, distorted growl. The microphone was taken back, and News’ voice was once again there, “Oh my... What...”

“News? News, what happened?”

“A-A machine just fell from the sky while I was struggling to get my mic back! It’s bipedal, with legs jointed like the hind legs of a pony! It’s absolutely tremendous and blasted a loud horn when it came down! I think my ears are bleeding!”

“EQUESTRIAN CITIZENS: AUTONOMOUS JUDGEMENT IS NOW IN EFFECT! STAND DOWN OR FACE PROSECUTION!” a deep, metallic voice bellowed.

“I can see human dropships descending from the sky! They’re swarming the place! They’re fully armored, holding some sort of barrier shields, and what appear to be metallic sticks with electric tips!...”

“Oh.. b-but this is mine!- HEY!” she yelled as her voice was cut off, replaced by static.

“.... Uh... we appear to be having technical problems. We’ll be... We’ll be right back after a musical break...” The radio began playing jazz instead.

The nameless pony sighed and turned off the wooden radio, looking at the newspaper that was beside it. The front page headline dominated the entire paper.

“Colonial Guard Stabilization Assistance Forces Announced For Immediate Deployment!”

“You’re tuned in to ‘Equestria at Large’! Your source of news from all across the nation!” a male pony said, his voice strong and confident. “Up next is our exclusive interview with Kira Feros, director of Apex, hosted by none other than News Flash! You’ve got the go!”

“Thank you,” a mare said. “This is News Flash, reporting in from the pinnacle of Apex! If you happen to miss this, we’re also doing a video recording that will reach the theaters tomorrow! The metallic floors are pristine, and the furniture’s definitely got what some would call a ‘Futuristic’ feel to it!

“And right with me is Divisional Commander Kira Feros! Welcome to the show, Commander!”

“The pleasure is mine,” another female voice said, filled with a commanding undertone.

“And,” News Flash continued. “We have guest Arcturus Minerva, representative of the NCR!”

The male voice of a changeling could be heard, “It is an utmost honour to take part in this, thank you.”

“Let’s get right down to the questions, shall we?” News said. “Particularly the one that has been on the minds of Equestrian citizens for days. Mister Arcturus: what is the objective of your people right now? The move you pulled was absolutely shocking, considering the attack on Canterlot less than a year ago.”

“Our sole objective, as an entire species, is to build relations with Equestria, and every other nation we know. We seek to do no harm; instead we look forth towards a brighter future, not only for us, but for everyone.”

“That much I can confirm,” Kira said. “They have provided vital support for us in almost every area.”

“But why appeal to the humans first? You stated that you wish to build relations with Equestria.”

“Ah,” Arcturus sighed. “During the attack on Canterlot, I was nothing more than a drone. My name was but a number. We rebelled afterwards, and set the basis for a new government. We tried different solutions, until the humans arrived. We learned from their own society and applied it to ours, which allowed for a rebirth, so to say.

“I gave myself a name, as most of us did. We began to carve symbols on our bodies as a sign of identity, because we learned from the humans that every being is special. Some of them look much the same, don’t have cutie marks, yet still consider themselves to be different.

“We look up to them, and not only did we want to express our gratitude by helping them, we also saw this as a way to reconnect ourselves with the rest of the world. You can clearly see that it has worked, after all.”

“That it has!” the mare exclaimed in a cheerful manner. “Now, Miss Feros, what are your thoughts on the revolts occurring across Equestria? I was caught in the middle of one a few days ago, and it would be a lie to say that it was pretty. Even now, there are protests taking place at the door of Apex due to the so called “brutality” of the Colonial Stabilization Forces. Celestia herself claimed that it was unnecessary, though Luna expressed otherwise.”

“Well,” Kira began, “it was a simple misunderstanding, to begin with. In the USC we are used to dealing with protests that consume planets, crippling not only themselves, but the government as a whole. Our protocol dictates to pacify all those that are involved in the most direct manner possible.”

“Is that what we should expect if we are to join the USC? My sides still hurt from the so called ‘stunsticks’.”

“We are a meritocracy, for the most part. If you wish for change, you earn it, just like everybody else. We offer protection, and you need that. These are the first steps towards your future, and we will make sure that nothing stand in your way.” She sighed, “That is, after all, why we are here.”

“What about those who do not earn their place in your society?”

“Everyone is free to do whatever they want with their lives, and know the risks of being a burden. We have several programs that help people who are either unable or unwilling to work with the meritocracy, should the latter wish to take part in the first place.” Kira cleared her throat.

“I see,” News continued. “What happens to the ones that do not wish to take part in these programs?”

“We give them every option available, and it is ultimately up to them.”

“Very well... Is it true?” the mare asked. “Have you enslaved the Gryphons?”

“My level of information is lacking when it comes to the happenings in Gryphos. I will be sure to let you know of what is happening once the information reaches me. For the meantime, I’m afraid that I cannot answer your question....”

The radio was turned off, and the pony listening to it sighed, deciding she had heard enough. She turned around, looking at the cowering Gryphon with a worried expression that was returned with a pleading look.

“D-Dash... please.”

“I’ll... I’ll help you... Let’s get to Canterlot.”

Luna sat alone, enveloped by the silence of her reading room. The small table held a pile of books produced from the shelves set all around the chamber, as well as a candle, a cup of tea, and the holopad. The latter was subject to her never wavering gaze as she read through the words displayed by its bright screen. Their society, history, and customs. Hundreds of years worth of information held in something so small, and even after all these months, she had only scratched the surface.

A knock on the door, followed by a familiar voice, easily broke her entranced state. “Luna?”

“Come in!” she answered. Promptly, the set of doors to the room were gingerly pushed open, and the approaching clip-clop of hooves was heard as Luna returned her attention to the holopad. “What brings you here at this hour?”

The white alicorn sat down next to Luna, sighing. “I needed to catch my breath. We have political pressure coming from all sides... Becker is handling the riots, but not in a way I deem appropriate.”

“I cannot put the blame on him,” Luna said, looking over at Celestia. “It’s just the way they do it. They were trained to handle such types of situations in a certain manner. Besides, what matters is that he halts the riots, and you must admit it has proven effective.”

“That it has...” Celestia muttered. “I’m just... worried. I feel that the future is truly uncertain... Was joining the loyalists the right choice? We have exposed our ponies to a great danger by doing this. It is not our conflict.”

Luna sighed, “Sister, these are times of transition.” She lifted the cup of tea from the table and sipped on it. “No matter what, we had to pick a side. You heard the Admiral: Silverback will not stop for anything until they return to their home, which, at the moment, seems nearly impossible.

“Our ponies are strong, and they will adapt. We cannot simply go back to the way things were, it’s too late for that. We must embrace change, and build a new society based upon what we have learned.”

“What about the riots, little sister?” Celestia asked, looking at the floor. “It is a clear sign of unhappiness.”

Luna set down her cup of tea. “We must make a statement and tell our ponies exactly what is happening. They cannot be kept in the dark for too long, and we must prepare ourselves should conflict arise. They love us, and they will listen...”

A steady knock on the room’s door made them crane their necks towards it. “Your Highnesses,” came the voice of one of the guards. “You have visitors... It’s the Element of Loyalty, and... you might want to see for yourself.”

Luna raised an eyebrow and whispered, “What is Rainbow Dash doing here? This late?”

The elder sister nodded. “Please, come in!”

The set of doors slowly opened, and the rainbow-maned head of a pegasus peeked into the room. “Uhm... Hi?”

“Miss Rainbow Dash,” Luna said. “It is nice to see you.”

Slowly, the mare inched into the chamber, looking around. She pushed the door further open to allow a battered, scorched, and bloodied Gryphon to walk inside. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her body was covered by a broken set of armor.

Both of the Princesses craned their necks backwards. “Who is this, pray tell?” Luna said, looking over at Rainbow Dash.

“I-I’m Colonel Gilda Talos...” the Gryphon said as she shakily closed the door behind herself. “Rainbow Dash p-promised she would help me gain an audience with your Highnesses...”

Luna’s face contorted into a stern expression. “I see... do sit down.”

The two other occupants walked over to them and sat down, the Gryphon hen rubbing her claws together.

“What happened to you?” Celestia asked. “Why do you need our help?”

Rainbow Dash looked over at Gilda and nodded. The latter gave out a shaky sigh and began speaking, “The humans... they’ve enslaved our kingdom. What remained of our army was... massacred. I was one of the few to make it out alive.” She looked down at the floor in shame.

I was second in command of the remnants of our army... I don’t think the General survived. With what’s left of our government, I... may as well be Queen of what’s left of Gryphos.” She frowned and looked directly into the Princesses eyes. “P-Please! My people are dying and I—You can’t trust the humans! You can’t allow this to go on any longer!”

Luna and Celestia both sighed, and Luna spoke up. “She is right, we cannot let this go for any longer.” She stood up, a solemn expression upon her face. “Gilda Talos, Rainbow Dash...” The Princess began to pace around the room, all three sets of eyes locked onto her. “The humans are split between the loyalist forces and the rebels, who have taken control of Gryphos. We have allied with the loyalists, and now we can clearly see that we made the right choice.

“We must put an end to this. Silverback’s intentions might be clear, but his methods are unacceptable. Gryphos may have only been the first step, and Equestria may be next.

“I will not allow that to happen,” Luna said as she turned to Gilda, Rainbow Dash, and Celestia. “We will not allow that to happen!” She walked over to the table, where the holopad lay. In complete silence, she prodded it with her hoof. After a few minutes of tampering, a holographic image was formed, depicting a man clad in a full suit of armor.

“Princess Luna, Celestia...” He looked over at Gilda and Rainbow Dash, who had stood up and were looking at the man. “What’s the purpose of this particular call?”

Celestia stood up. “It is time, Admiral.”

The man looked over his shoulder, muttering, “... It was inevitable, wasn’t it?” He sighed, “I need to know your stance on this, and what you’re going to do.”

“I will address our ponies,” Luna said. “They must know what is happening, and we will keep them safe.”

“No,” Rainbow Dash interrupted, causing every eye to turn to her. “No. You can’t leave us out of this! The whole fate of Equestria may be depending on this! I'm not going to sit back and watch, and neither would anypony I know! Whether you like it or not,” she said as she looked at the holographic rendition of the Admiral, “we’re fighting with you.”

“You have no idea of what risks you would be putting yourself into—”

“I don’t care!” Dash exclaimed. “We’ll do everything we can. Trust me, even if we’re not fighting directly, we’ll still help you.”

Celestia sighed, “Do you truly believe we could fight? Will our ponies want that?”

Rainbow Dash scoffed, “I’m the Element of Loyalty, and the fate of Equestria is hanging by a thread. How could we not want to fight? Besides, how will ya’ win without us?”

A moment of silence was spent, before Gilda broke it, “Whatever’s left of Gryphos will fight, too.” She looked at the Admiral, her eyes narrowing. “The enemy of my enemy... is my friend.”

Luna looked at the floor, then back to the Admiral. “I will go to Apex, and from there I will speak to Equestria.”

“I will join you,” Gilda said. “And I will speak to whatever’s left of my people.”

“And from the Vector will I speak to humanity... Becker out.”

“But why did’ya have to do this in the night?” the large, red stallion asked as he limped along the path to Apex, followed by three little fillies.

“It’s a surprise!”

“Yeah! This is gonna be awesome!”

“Trust me, Big Mac, this’ll be worth it!” the filly with a bow on her mane exclaimed, trying not to glance over at her brother’s missing leg. He sighed, continuing to trudge along the road.

He never liked Apex; something about it was just wrong. He was used to feeling the ground beneath his hooves, not metal, and the air, while it had stopped being dense and smoggy, had instead become stale and sterile. It reminded him of a hospital, and he didn't much care for hospitals.

The massive wall surrounding the city came into view as they walked over a hill. Had it gotten closer? He could not recall, but everypony said that it seemed to consume more and more land with each day, which he assumed was true. Just another thing that felt wrong.

“State your name and purp—” a voice boomed as the group reached the wall. “Oh, it’s lil’ Bloom and her friends. Let ‘em through!”

The gates to Apex parted, sliding with a low, fearsome growl. They allowed Macintosh and the crusaders through into the metallic city. Humans walked past from every direction, some even greeting Apple Bloom and her friends.

“Uh, exactly how much time do y’all spend here?” the stallion asked, following the crusaders into a large building.

“A lot!” Scootaloo piped up. The door behind them slid shut, and a set of blinding lights lit up, making Big Mac instinctively cover his eyes with one leg, only to fall as he lacked support. He shakily stood up as a red, holographic grid began to examine them.

“Hrrrrmph,” a disembodied voice growled, possessing a reverb to it. “Agh, Apple Bloom. I take it that this is your brother?”

“Eeyup!” the little filly exclaimed.

“Very well, you may pass.” The next set of doors opened, allowing Big Macintosh and the fillies into another room. Once adjusted to the light, he noticed he was inside some sort of lab, judging by all the equipment set around, which only made him grow even more worried.

“Uh, girls...”

“Don’t worry, Big Mac!” Sweetie Belle said.

A bipedal, insectoid creature almost as big as a human walked over to the stallion, accompanied by three smaller ones. The small set of arms on its chest reached over to him and rubbed his ears. “Macintosh, I presume?” it said, possessing a female voice.

“Eeyup...” He took a step backwards, away from the arms that tickled his ears. “I, uh—what are you?”

“I am a Gektar female, namely ‘Stars’. It is a pleasure to meet you,” she said, making way for the other Gektar to step up.

“And we are males.”

“We have no names.”

“Yes. We do not like names.”

The three of them walked over to the fillies and leaned down, nibbling on their ears with their insect-like mouths. They smiled and giggled in return as the Gektar stood up. “We enjoy your company,” they said in perfect unison, while the stallion watched with a dumbfounded expression.

“Thank you, misters!” they replied back.

Big Mac shook his head, and two different voices chuckling made him turn around. He saw Twilight Sparkle, standing next to a slim, reptilian biped with a claw-like mouth. “Wha...”

“Hello, Big Mac,” Twilight said, smiling at him.

The reptilian creature stepped over to him and sniffed. “Agh, Macintosh Apple... I am Doctor Gakolak. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

The stallion sighed, looking around the lab. “And what am I here for?”

“This!” the unicorn mare exclaimed as she trotted over to a large glass tube. Foggy on the inside, he could not tell what was being held in it. Regardless, Twilight began to clumsily type with her hooves onto a small console next to it. “We’ve been working on this for a week, and well... Our knowledge on pony biology is still kinda dark, but we decided that it would be a fun experiment to do, and you’re going to be the test subject!”

“Test subject?” Big mac shuddered. “For what?”

“The ‘Landrex Munitions Annihilator Combat Exosuit Mark Three’! ‘Mustang’ variant!”

A stream of gas shot off from the tube, and it parted open, letting the smoke fill the room. The stallion took a few precautionary steps backwards, and waved his hoof around to clear the ghostly mist. Once he was again able to see, he looked up at the tube.

On it was a bipedal suit of armor almost completely similar to the one worn by the humans. The legs were jointed like the back legs of a pony, and the arms ended in three fingers instead of five. Instead of a helmet, there was a blue dome. Its chestplate was open, revealing a sort of cabin on the inside.

“What’re ya’ waiting for?” Apple Bloom said, nudging her brother with her hoof. “Try it on!”

“I, uh... I’m not too sure about this.”

“Big Mac,” Twilight said, her voice stern. “We spent weeks working on this and taking the exact measurements of your body while you slept, so you better try it on.”

The stallion looked at Twilight, then at Apple Bloom, who beamed up at him. He walked over to the suit and sighed, “Eeyup...”

After a few moments of trying to figure out how to get inside of it, the Gektar moved to him and lifted him up, helping him slide through the open chest and into the piece of armor. He stuffed his one and a half back legs into the suit, followed by his front legs. It appeared that most of the extra space in the limbs had been replaced with more mechanisms, as far as he could tell. He tried to move, but to no avail.

“Don’t move yet.” Twilight walked over to the console set up next to the suit. “You’re gonna feel a little pinch.”

The suit closed up, tightening itself around the stallion. He felt as a gel-like substance began to fill the gap between the suit and his fur, with the exception of his head. A stinging feeling shot throughout his body and he yelped as a set of needles pierced into his spinal cord. His body went numb, but rapidly regained feeling, and something else. He could feel the suit. The blue dome closed, displaying a vast amount of information, most of which he had no idea what it meant.

“Initializing...” a deep, cybernetic voice said within the cabin. “Fusion complete. Welcome, Guardsman.”

“Now, try to move,” Twilight said.

Recalling the few times in which he had stood on two legs, he took a step forward, the metallic foot of the suit landing with a loud thump. He lifted the suit’s arms up, flexing the three fingers of each hand one by one, and did not even notice when those around him began cheering.

“Alright!” Apple Bloom piped up, catching Big Mac’s attention. “Let’s take it for a test ride!”

Still not used to the current situation, the stallion decided to go with it. It was a refreshing experience, so he nodded behind the visor. “Eeyup.” He slowly followed the crusaders as they lead him out of the building, and into the metallic streets of Apex.

Just as he made his way out, alarms began to sound off...

Slowly, the hatch of the dropship touched the metallic surface of Apex control's landing pad. Taking a deep breath and filling herself with confidence, Luna walked out with her two guards flanking her, and a Gryphon hen. The cold air of her night washed over her: fitting, given what she was about to do.

Two figures walked out of the building, heading towards her. One human female, and the other a changeling, both stood up to her.

“Commander Feros, Counciling Arcturus” Luna said, nodding at the fully armored Raider. “Is everything ready?”

“Yes, indeed,” the woman replied. “The reporter ‘News Flash’ is here with her radio equipment to broadcast your part... And this is?” She pointed at the Gryphon standing behind Luna, who stepped from between the guards to face the human.

“Colonel Gilda Talos.” She extended her claw at the woman, expecting a shake in return. “Representative of Gryphos.”

Kira raised an eyebrow, then slowly leaned down and shook the Gryphon’s claw. “Why, may I ask, are you here?”

“I need to talk to my people. What remains of us will fight alongside you.”

“Very well,” Arcturus said after a few moments of silence. “Shall we proceed?”

Without saying a word, Commander Kira turned on her heels and walked into the building. Arcturus, Luna, Gilda, and the guards followed suit, entering the metallic halls of Apex tower, where militarism was the law and aesthetic was left behind. Soon, they found themselves in a balcony overlooking the vast colony of Apex, surrounded by crowds of Changelings, Humans, and even some ponies.

“Princess Luna!” a brown-coated, blonde mare wearing a trenchcoat called out for her as she was looking at the massive crowd. “My name’s News Flash!” She extended her hoof at the Princess and gestured towards various other ponies managing radio equipment. “My team’s set and ready to broadcast!”

With her heart filled with confidence and determination, Luna stepped forth, onto the edge of Apex. A microphone was on a stand right in front of her. The whole, massive crowd grew quiet, waiting for her words, and with a last deep breath, she spoke:

“Ponies of Equestria... My very dear subjects.” She paused, looking over the hushed crowd. “This night, I am here, speaking to every single one of you,” her voice, complete with a motherly tone, washed over the crowd. “I beg for your attention, as what I have to say is of the utmost importance.

“I know that many of you wish for the humans to be banished from our planet,” she sighed, “and that many also want them to stay. As of now, I beg for you to set aside such concerns, for our true conflict and tests are on the horizon.”

She looked over her shoulder, glancing at Kira Feros, who stood silently behind her. “The humans are, sadly, lost... They are stranded on our planet, and as such, they have been split.

“Infantry Commander Jack Silverback, second-in-command of the USS Vector, has divided them. This all happened several weeks ago, during the night of the million stars. He took control of the Gryphons, and enslaved them, all for the single purpose of finding a way back to his home.

“His purpose may be noble,” she continued, her face twisting into a frown as she gazed upon the night, “but his methods are not! Already, he has massacred what remained of the Gryphon army, whose remnants had come to Equestria for aid...” Luna tapped her chest with her hoof.

“In their memory, and for the for the good of everypony, everyling, and everyone, we shall give it.”

What was once a riot had slowed down into a mass of ponies, who did nothing but listen as the voice of their Princess was broadcast through a dropship flying overhead. For the briefest of moments, the animosity, fear, doubt, and despair that had wracked the crowd ceased as they joined together to listen to her powerful words.

Luna flared her wings open. “But they were our enemies, you say! They earned their reward, you say! I agree! I feel your every loss, your every cut and bruise at Gryphon claws!” she exclaimed, her eyes turning a bright white. “But I say this to you: if Gryphos was first, what will be next?! Silverback will never be content until he achieves his goal, not even if he turns every blade of grass in Equestria to ash! We cannot allow him to do this, even to the Gryphons!” She flapped her wings and took flight, ominously hovering in place. “We must fight!”

The Princess lit up her horn, casting a spell that caused a cluster of dark clouds to form overhead, shooting lightning at the tip of Apex. “We control lightning!” The crowd stared at her in disbelief, even the humans. She swung her head to the side, and the clouds began to rain down. “Water!” Luna swung her head to the other side, the clouds turning into masses of hell-born heat. “Fire!” She took a deep breath and blew air out of her mouth with all of her strength, causing a small tornado to form. “Wind!” She suddenly clasped her wings shut, dropping back down to the balcony and landing with a force that bent the metal and caused a small earthquake. “Earth!”

“We control the world, we control destiny itself!”

She grinned and extended one of her hooves to the crowd. “No matter what Silverback throws at us, we will fight, we will save Gryphos, and the whole planet!”

Arcturus took over the spotlight as Luna confidently backed down away from the balcony. Changelings, Humans, Ponies, all looking directly at him, from all corners of the world. They were ready to listen, and he was ready to speak. His horn glowed green as connected himself to the hivemind, uniting himself with everyling across the planet.

Once done, he closed his eyes, speaking, “Changelings... My fellow brothers and sisters...”

He fluttered his wings and hovered upwards, eyes still closed. “Fruitful... that would be one way to describe these last weeks. We have earned the respect of the humans: the strongest warriors to ever touch our planet, and are on our way to earn their love, and that of the rest of the world.”

With sudden intensity, the changeling opened his eyes “And yet our path has been filled with tremendous danger and obstacles of immeasurable scale. Now we reach the end of our journey, and one obstacle remains to stay our motion.”

In the deep mines of the hive, every single changeling stopped working for a moment, hearing the voice of their representative inside their heads. They knew what was going to happen, what he was asking for. They each closed their eyes and focused, their horns glowing with pure magic.

His body began to glow. Transformation from worker, he became larger, chitinous plating growing thicker, his horn growing larger. He took a deep breath as the evolution was completed, and yelled out, the voice of a million souls forming together, signing him as his people’s mightiest warrior,

“That last obstacle... is... Silverback!!!”

Arcturus slowly fluttered back to the floor, landing with a loud thump. “Can you feel the hatred and suffering the Gryphons are experiencing!? Will we be able to thrive on a world like that, devoid of love!?” He growled. “I do understand him, and so do you! But is it worth stepping on entire species for one greedy goal!? That... that is what Chrysalis wanted! She thought only for Changelings, and no one else! That is not the way to earn love!”

“We have not come this far to be stopped like this!” he yelled out. “We must fight together, not only for ourselves, but for everyone! I can hear you now...” He extended his leg and reached out into the night’s sky. “Calling out one name... ‘Adam Becker’!”

"Oh my stars,” News Flash said as she adjusted her hat and brought her microphone close to her face. “This is unprecedented! A Gryphon is approaching the podium! In all my years I have never witnessed such.... unprecedented solidarity! I wish you could all see this!

Gilda stood silently at the edge of Apex tower, earning gasps from the audience as she puffed her chest in pride. At long last: the moment of truth. She did not know how many of her people would be able to listen to her, but she knew that every bit counted. A glance to the side, a nod from News Flash, and she knew that the radio set was ready, set to the frequency used by the remnants of the Gryphon army.

“This is it...” she thought, drawing in a last breath.

“My name...” she paused, closing her eyes. “Is Colonel Gilda Talos, representative of the Gryphos Insurgency... I don’t know how many of you are listening to this right now, but to whoever is, just know this: there is still hope.” She clenched her right claw and looked at the crowd.

“I know it may sound weird,” she continued, taking off her damaged helmet. “But trust me, the humans that controlled us do not speak for all of them. They’re split between two sides: the loyalists and the rebels, the latter which have enslaved us for their own purposes.”

Gilda leaned over the balcony railing, holding her helmet tightly. “What matters is that they’re not all the same, and the loyalists will help us!” She gritted her beak, and her feathers puffed up. “Even if some of you may think of them as enemies, then just think of this as a chance. Set aside your hate for all of them, and focus it on the dweeb that thought it would be fun to use us!

Inside the sewers of Gryphus, the human-controlled capital of the Gryphon Kingdom, a single torch stood lit, giving light to a group of Gryphons sitting in a circle, listening to a small, battered radio. The voice of their only representant, Gilda Talos, brought hope to their hearts. They each stood up, placing every ounce of their attention into the radio.

“Delay his plans, refuse to work, cut his supply lines... resist!” she yelled out, flaring her wings open. “We may not be able to fight him up front, but we can still make an effort to make it easier for the others to push him outta Gryphos, and let us take back what’s rightfully ours!” Her tail flicked frantically as she growled.

“They may have hit us hard, but we will not fall!” She pointed at the silent crowd with her claw. “We are not letting this brewing war be decided without our claws taking part!” Gilda closed her claw, forming a fist that shook with intensity. “Make Silverback and his grunts rue the day they decided to use us!

“Mark my words: We are not going to stand still and let someone take advantage of us, you hear!? It doesn’t matter that I’m standing next to humans right now, for the enemy of my enemy is my friend! It doesn’t matter that I’m gonna be fighting along with them, because I and every Gryphon that’s still free will do the same! Keep resisting, because in these next days, we take Gryphos back!” She threw her fist into the air, and released the cry of a thousand eagles that echoed through Apex.

“Never surrender!”

“Troopers,” the voice of Adam Becker boomed across the Vector. Atlas leaned against one of the many dropships on the hangar, surrounded by a conglomeration of heavy troopers who were preparing themselves for deployment. “Brothers and sisters...”

“It seems like an eternity at this point, but for months now we have tried everything humanly possible to re-establish contact with the USC. And for months all we have received back is static. We have travelled and looked with a fleeting sense of hope that we would find the way home. And yet, here I am... standing before you, asking only for you to understand what I say is the terrible truth. I want to go home, troopers, but we need more time to find that way home.

“But you all know the truth, even if it pains to admit it. We will keep trying, but for now, there are other immediate things to attend to.

“We’ve brought war to this once peaceful planet, and now there is no escaping it. No matter how hard Silverback and his men want to go back home, they have no excuse for the methods they are using, and it is time for us to intervene. There is no going back now...

“We have united almost every known race of this planet for a common goal, let us not waste our effort! When the time comes, we will fight together, just as the USC has done for decades. We are doing what we were meant to do from the start: fight as one, live as one, under a single banner.

“We cannot let this planet be oppressed in this way, for we alone have hindered them enough. It is time, my fellow Guardsmen, to make it right. We will continue our efforts to reunite with the USC, but that must happen after we unite this planet...”

“Remember: peace through unity, peace through strength... Becker out.”

The Admiral looked away from the bridge’s main viewscreen as a technician walked over to him. “Sir... the blueprints are uploaded. Are you sure...”

“Yes, I’m sure. Forward the data to Apex and start building them.”

“But they need a Commander to be fully functional-”

“We already have one, ensign.”

Jack Silverback stood away from one of the many consoles in his colony’s control center. He had heard enough: the old man and his followers were acting up. The Infantry Commander looked at the technician managing the console and nodded. “Send word to everyone: tomorrow we attack, for Becker has taken the bait.”

After an acknowledging gesture from the woman at the console, Jack began walking. He organized his thoughts, setting away any form of doubt or fear. He had to be strong, not for himself, but for everyone. And so he walked out onto his tower’s balcony, leaning off the edge and looking at the busy colony that was below. He turned on his helmet’s integrated radio, and tuned it to the general frequency of his troops.

“Guardsmen... I beg for you to hear me.” He placed his hands upon the railings of the balcony, looking over the pseudo-city.

“Becker has begun to mobilize the remaining forces against us. Their foolishness is only underscored by their blind allegiance to the man who has seen to it we all be damned for his mistakes. This planet we have been forced to rot on may be under his shadow, and he may have united the natives against us. But I will make this explicitly clear;” he said as he raised his fist into the air, “we will not falter to meet destiny.”

“During the mutiny, we took almost everything the Vector had, and now it’s time to use it. We have both air and ground superiority, even if the primitive races of this planet are with Becker... We have ships, walkers, tanks... We will take back the Vector, and leave for our homes once again.

“As many of you by now know, and those of you who don’t, I too have a family waiting for me. The thought of having to be away from them any longer leaves a deep wound in my heart. We will heal this wound, and all of us will see our loved ones again very soon.” Silverback brought a hand to his chest, sighing.

“Understand this much, troopers,” he continued, “what we stand for now is of the greatest of importance to all of our lives. Our cause is of far too great a significance to be denied. I fear for all of your safety, but know that everything that makes you the finest forces in the galaxy will see us all through. The sacrifices will be great, but this mission above all others, demands our finest performance. Know now, that whatever the outcome is, we will all be made immortal by the stand we make here.” He closed his eyes, saying his final words before cutting off the transmission, “Gather hope and courage in your hearts... We are so close now. “

With a great heaving sigh, Silverback walked away from the comms station and walked to the balcony overlooking the backwater that was his temporary prison. With great dignity, he put his helmet back on. Several Gryphon collaborators and other guardsmen looked on.

“A storm is brewing Becker, and you will feel all of its might.”

::> Search Query: M.A.T.

::> Displaying Results...

The term M.A.T., or simply “MAT”, was used during the Human Augmentation Crisis to refer to the infamous “MechCore Android Trooper Mark One”, a type of android used during that decade to pacify large crowds of protesters and perform surgical strikes in areas of suspected extremist activity. The model is also suspected to be based on Serven technology.

Their efficiency was unmatched when it came to actual combat, and they were often used in massive numbers with the purpose of making the enemy surrender or forcibly capture them.

The MAT Mk I models were decommissioned soon after the Human Augmentation Crisis. A faulty MAC model (MechCore Android Commander) in charge of the troops assaulting the headquarters of the “Pure Hearts” with the objective of stopping the rampage of the overaugmentees, refused to accept its orders and turned against the USC. It was ultimately defeated and the model was decommissioned.

Currently, your credentials limit access to additional information on this topic. Would you like to start a search for something else?

Humans: the strongest warriors to ever grace the world, and they were right at the tip of her hoof, at her very disposal. Luna could not help but think in such a way. Ages had passed ever since she had felt such power, such might, enough to control the world. Even then, she shrugged off most of those thoughts; there was no good in repeating the past. What mattered was that Silverback was mobilizing towards Trottingham, the broken city, and that she had to prepare.

She watched in silence from the balcony of Apex tower, down into the streets of the city of metal, where beings of all races marched together, led by the bipeds that started it all. What reached her ears was a mix of the thundering steps of the humans and the resounding marching chorus they chanted as they prepared themselves for war: a truly bewildering display that managed to unveil their true nature as born warriors.

Luna listened closely to their singing, and even if it was nothing more than a chant, it filled her with a sense of power, causing her stoic expression to twist into a grin.

“Are you enjoying this?” came the deep voice of Arcturus as he walked over to her. Luna’s grin faded, replaced once more with stoicness. The large, ascended changeling looked at her with a curious stare. His green, lizard-like eyes bore into hers, making her look at his body instead. He reminded her of Chrysalis, but much stronger-looking and with thicker chitinous plating. After a few moments of silence, he continued speaking, “I too can feel the power, but I will not embrace it, not completely.”

“How so?” Luna asked.

“Power corrupts,” Arcturus said. “Such was the case of... Chrysalis,” he hissed out the name. “I am not going to be like this forever. Once the war is over, my people will return me to my original form.”

Luna puffed some air out her snout. “Then why take the form in the first place?”

Arcturus sighed, “I am their avatar... Think of it as a gift from them. I will represent and fight for my people, and they shall give me the means to do so.”

The Princess craned her neck to look at the changeling. “You are going to fight?”

“Of course,” he said. “We want to demonstrate our willingness to cooperate by showing you that we are willing to do the ultimate sacrifice, specifically me, a leader figure.”

They both looked down from the balcony, the silence broken by Luna a few moments later, “It will never be the same, will it?”

Arcturus shook his head. “No, it will not. If it means something, we are willing to offer our experience when it comes to dealing with change. You must embrace change, more so now that there is no going back.”

Luna took a deep breath and sighed it out, “I am, and will embrace it... I cannot say the same about my sister.”

“She will have to, one way or another.”

“So what’cha do to get into the science team, Twi’?” Applejack asked.

Rainbow Dash, Applejack and their four other friends all sat by a round table inside one of Apex’ bars, dubbed “The Drunken Laku.” The drinks were large and strong, suitable for humans, and all around the establishment were assortments of humans talking to each other, and even some Lakuran and Gektar. She had seen a man fight a Raider, seemingly for no reason at all, but Twilight had mentioned a human saying that went “If you wanna date a Raider, you have to match her in a fist fight.” It did seem so, judging by how they engaged in a rather long kiss after the fight, all while being cheered on by the crowd.

“Oh, well,” Twilight said, adjusting her newly acquired, and rather large, lab coat. “We have exchanged a lot of knowledge, and I helped sort out their supply shortage by gathering a team of unicorns dedicated to enlarging things like apples into the size of a small room, as well as helping in the development of the first powered armor suit meant for ponies!”

“You mean the suit Big Macintosh was wearing?” Rarity inquired. “I think it could use some polishing.”

Twilight smiled and sighed, “It was kind of a recreational project. We’re working on a leg for him now.”

Applejack took a sip from the mug of hard cider in front of her, grimacing as it burned down her throat. Human drinks were certainly strong. “It’ll sure be nice to see him working on the farm again. Hay, he seemed happy just walking along with that suit of yours.”

Rainbow Dash smiled as she adjusted her bronze suit of armor, glancing at the helmet on the table. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget when he had to impersonate AJ in the magic duel with Trixie.” She chuckled, along with her friends.

“And when Pinkie got her mouth taken away...” Fluttershy said, busting out a small smile and prompting even more chuckles from the other mares.

“It sure was funny!” Pinkie exclaimed. “But still, it was kinda hard to laugh and smile with no mouth.”

They all sighed in unison, looking down at the table. Rainbow Dash grabbed her helmet and looked at it, her smile fading away as she did. A few moments were spent in silence, a silence which she broke with another sigh, “I... I guess this is it?” Her friends refrained from looking at her in the eyes.

Pinkie’s mane deflated like a broken balloon. “I guess it is...”

“Do you really have to?” Rarity asked.

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Somepony has to.” She slowly placed her helmet on and made sure her armor was well-placed around her body, then looked back down at the metallic surface of the table. “There isn’t even a good way to say goodbye, is there?”

Sighing, Twilight slid a book out of one of her coat’s saddlebags. She gently placed it on the table and opened it, revealing a set of necklaces and a tiara. “Even if these can’t stop a war...” She levitated each of them towards their respective users, placing them on their necks. “You may as well fight knowing that you’re in each of our hearts.”

The armored pegasus looked down at the amulet, closing her eyes and standing up. “Thank you for everything, girls... Just... If anything happens to me, just know that you’re the best friends anypony could ask for.”

“Warning: incoming attack. Location: Trottingham. CODE: PREPARE, SET, COUNTER.”

Adam Becker sighed, leaning into the glass of the tramcar and tapping his fingers on it. “He’s already there? This quickly?”

Atlas sighed, “Why the ponies, though?”

The Admiral looked down at the floor, then over his shoulder, staring up at the giant. “He knows we will launch an offensive if he threatens them, and we don’t have a choice... But we have an ace up our sleeves.”

“I must ask you again, Admiral,” Mac said, taking a few steps towards the old guardsman. “Are you completely certain that you wish to do this?”

“Yes, I’m more than certain.”

The three fell silent as the tram slowed to a stop, opening its doors to allow them to walk into the vast halls of the Vector. “He won’t be expecting this,” Becker remarked while walking through the halls, following the signs that led to one of the hangars. “They will be deployed before the Raider surgical strike force, who’ll tag along with a few ponies and changelings that will help evacuate the city.”

Atlas grumbled, “And how late will they arrive after Silverback?”

Becker halted for a second, then continued to walk. “Thirty minutes.”

“Casualties are to be expected,” said Mac.

With a solemn nod, Becker walked into one of the ship’s hangars. He was met by the sight of dozens if not hundreds of bipedal, metallic figures standing idly, each with a rifle on their right hand. Similar in every way to Mac, the only thing that made any difference was the coat of green paint and the pair of glowing green eyes, as opposed to silver and blue.

The Admiral looked at the silver android and nodded. “Get them ready.”

“Copying and uploading data...”

Each and every one of the green androids suddenly gripped their weapons tightly with both hands, and their green eyes shone even more brightly. Mac looked at Becker and nodded. “We are waiting for orders.”

With a heaving sigh, Becker spoke up, “Deploy them to Trottingham, now.”

“Remain calm,” the dropship blasted its loudspeakers. “Please, form an orderly line and board the crafts. Remain calm...”

“Lyra!” a voice called out for her. She looked around the massive crowd of ponies making their way through the streets of Trottingham to where the humans directed them. “Lyra, over here!” She spotted the mare in question, and pushed her way through the masses and towards her.

“Bon-Bon!” Lyra exclaimed, her voice barely loud enough to be heard. “What’s going on!?”

“I don’t know!” the other pony yelled as they kept walking together. “But I’m starting to think that helping rebuild Trottingham was a bad idea!”

“Yeah!” Lyra continued to push her way along with Bon-Bon. A spark of light reached the corner of her eye, and prompted her to look up to see the dropship turn on its lights to bright up the night. “Oof!” she exclaimed, shielding her eyes from the light.

"Remain calm-" the dropship broadcasted, but the voice was cut off suddenly, replaced by a distant, shattering roar. Lyra caught a glimpse of a barrage of projectiles hitting it, exploding on impact and sending the dropship towards a building that soon toppled down and crashed into a mass of panicking ponies and humans. She watched as each of them were crushed under its weight, they screams echoing throughout the city before being abruptly cut off. She and Bon-Bon were both brought to the ground by the blast, along with several other ponies.

With her ears ringing, Lyra stood back up. Ponies had begun to run in every direction, desperately trying to hide from the projectiles that soared overhead. She felt somepony grab her by the shoulder and force her to turn, finding herself facing Bon-Bon, who yelled something at her before nudging her.

“Come on!” Bon-Bon yelled as Lyra’s senses came back to her, turning around and running into an alleyway. Lyra soon followed her, cringing as she heard distant explosions and the guttural cries of both ponies and humans. She could not think, for the desperation in her heart was overwhelming. She simply ran after her friend, who led her through the alleys of Trottingham, and soon reached the main plaza. There, she could see a few dropships being protected by humans, who fired their weapons at the unseen enemy while ponies rushed into the flying machines.

“You!” a Raider yelled, catching both Lyra’s and Bon-Bon’s attention. “Get in here!” She ran to the mares and began firing her pistols, covering the ponies’ advance towards the transport vessel. As soon as they were in, Lyra turned around to see the woman dead on the pavement, a pool of blood forming around her body. Her eyes widened as the dropship’s engines fired up, and the hatch began to close, blocking several projectiles from hitting the ponies within.

Lyra dropped to the metallic floor, her eyes wide with fear. She craned her neck to see a stallion frantically banging his hoof against the door to the cockpit, yelling, “You left my daughter! Go back!” only to be grabbed by a nearby human and pushed into the other side of the vessel.

Bon-Bon sat down next to Lyra, shivering. “Are you okay?”

Lyra's heart skipped a beat as the compartment’s lights began flashing red, a blaring alarm sounding off repetitively as the pilot spoke over the intercom. “We’ve got multiple lock-ons! Brace for evasive maneuvers!” She was thrown to the wall along with Bon-Bon as the ship took a sharp turn, and then another, and another. An explosion blasted from the outside, and the dropship began to spin out of control.

“May-day! May-day! This is Hellfire-Seven, we’ve been hit-!” the pilots voice was replaced by static. Lyra closed her eyes, hearing as they crashed down onto Trottingham. Blood-curdling screams from all around barely reached her ears, as the crashing overwhelmed them. She was thrown from side to side, until everything finally came to a halt.

Slowly, Lyra opened her eyes. She could see fire and the twisted remains of the dropship. She saw the stallion from before, only the upper half of him, crawled at a painful pace away from the fire. He only managed to move a few meters, then stopped moving, staring directly at her, cold and lifeless. She watched in shock as a human, who was missing an arm, made his way out of the fire, but yet covered in it. He dropped to his knees as it consumed him, at which point Lyra closed her eyes once more.

She began to move, pulling herself up shakily, and opened her eyes to see Trottingham being turned into ashes. Lyra could hear screams, explosions, and whatever transmissions emanated from the broken dropship.

“...Lyra... Lyra!”

The unicorn turned around, hearing the voice of her friend. She looked down, amidst the burning remains of the vessel, to see Bon-Bon, impaled onto the broken dropship by a large piece of metal. “Bon-Bon!” She rushed over to her and dropped to her knees, focusing as much as she could to try and bring the stake of metal out of her friend with her magic, to no avail.

“Help me... please...”

“H-Hold on!” Lyra exclaimed, focusing her magic once again. A loud thump, and a metallic roar, forced her eyes open. Carefully, she turned to see the legs of a monstrous combat walker standing near the downed dropship. Lyra remained still as a gridwork of eerie, blue light swept throughout the wreckage, outlining herself, Bon-Bon and the remains of everypony else who had occupied the ship. Lyra slapped her hooves over her ears as a loud, thunderous voice shouted,

“LETHAL FORCE ENGAGED!”

Lyra slowly looked up at it, long enough to see a barrage of missiles hit it, but only managing to get its attention to somewhere else. She blinked, and when her eyes opened once more, she found herself standing in front of a metallic man with bright green eyes, who effortlessly picked her up and cradled her in his cold arms while several others formed a wall between her and the walker, only to be obliterated by gunfire.

“We die, so that you may live.”

“B-Bon-Bon!” Lyra yelled. “Save her! Just let me go and save her!”

“Your probability of survival is ninety-four point seventy-eight percent higher,” the man said, his voice distorted and cybernetic. “We are sorry for your loss, but I must deliver you to safety immediately.” He held her close and began running away at an incredible speed, going past several similar men who seemed to be providing cover fire for some ponies. Lyra struggled and looked over the metallic man’s shoulder to see herself being taken away from the wreckage and Bon-Bon. The walker stood closer to her, and aimed its massive cannon directly at the wreckage.

She would never forget the last thing she heard and saw of that dreadful night: a guttural scream coming from Bon-Bon as she was consumed in fire.

She listened intently to the chant of the marching Guardsmen. Their so called "war anvil" was being mercilessly pummeled by a pair of hammers which threw out sparks in time with the booming, metallic clangs that guided the steps of the humans. Rainbow Dash had been sitting against the same building for a few hours, carefully managing her thoughts while the sounds of the crowd of men and women proudly marching in sync fought for her attention. She could faintly hear the distant booms of the planetary defence cannons set up not only around Apex, but across all of Equestria. Her eyes were drawn upwards several times to look into the night sky, watching as the fired projectiles lit up the world, and brought down their targets.

She was cold, tense, and afraid. She had made her decision, one that could save countless lives at the cost of her own. It was only a matter of time before she was to be called on, but even then, she felt as if the battle was already drawing her in. It wanted her. It wanted her life. But she would not back away, for she knew that backing down would leave a mark on her. It would taint her consciousness and burn her soul. After all, being the avatar of loyalty had to have some drawbacks.

She sighed, looking down at the ground. The resounding blast of the war anvil, coupled with the trumpets that accompanied it, bore into her thoughts. She continued to sink, deeper and deeper into the mists of war. There was no backing out now. She had made her choice and by Celestia, she was going to stand by it. Blood would be spilled. Her wrath would be brought down upon those threatening her friends and country.

Everything felt too slow. The time needed to pass. Even the dropships, carrying their creators and natives of the planet at supersonic speeds, looked slow as they flew overhead.

The titanic steps of the humans. The clangs of the war anvil. The sound of the trumpets. She wanted to release a battle cry, one for all she cared about. It was boiling inside of her, but she saved it, for even if war was calling for her, she had yet to dive into the fray. Instead, she stood up, shaking away the fine mist that had begun to cover her bronze armor. Her stoic expression twisted into a decided frown, and she walked forth, into the stream of marching Guardsmen. They made way for her to join them, and she joined their chant in return.

She did not know how much time had passed. Her only concerns were following the chant and stomping her hooves with each step of the humans. Each of them held a weapon in their hands, and kept them tightly gripped against their chests. They exuded power, and she could feel it. It flowed into her, giving her strength and quelling her fears. Her wings, tense and strong, were flared open, making her more imposing. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead from under her helmet.

War was calling for her.

Thirty minutes? An hour? Rainbow was not sure exactly how much time had passed. Her hooves were sore from the marching, as she had followed the humans throughout Apex. But despite that, the anvil of war still rang out and the soldier's chant had yet to lose an ounce of strength.

She stood still, looking down upon the metallic floor. All around her, Raiders, changelings, and ponies prepared for the first strike to take Trottingham back. Hooves first into hell, and chances of never coming back. She did not care, she knew it was for the best. The humans made it seem so natural. She would even go as far as saying that she envied them, but in reality she did not. Deep down in the core of her soul, she was afraid.

“Hey, Dash,” a voice came from her right. She brought her gaze away from her hooves and found herself looking up at the familiar figure of Torres: one of the first humans she had met. The woman, muscular yet not as much as a man, kneeled down and observed the mare with her brown eyes.

Rainbow looked onwards to the north, in the direction of Trottingham. Dropships flew from above, heading towards the city: a sign of the coming battle and that time was running out. She spoke up, her voice somewhat muffled by the marching, “How do you deal with it? Aren’t you scared or anything?”

Torres smirked, following the mare’s gaze. “Of course I am.” She stood up and placed her faceplate on. “But don’t dwell on it, ‘cause you’re saving lives,” she said as she turned around, then looked over her shoulder, nodding. “Feel no fear.”

Rainbow Dash sighed. Fear. Never a comfortable feeling. She silently watched as the woman walked away, joining the formation of Raiders that were to lead the way. With a deep breath, she adjusted her armor and weapon: a shoulder-mounted lance with a plasma knife on the tip. Somewhat crude, but she had been told it was effective. That finished, she walked over to the line of ponies and changelings that stood right behind the Raiders.

She knew what her objectives were, as they remained imprinted into her mind, clear as crystal. The volume of her surroundings seemed to fade out as she mentally reviewed everything that had been told to her.

“Stay behind, keep to cover, and let the Raiders fight. Meanwhile, we gather up as many citizens as we can and hold the line for evac.”

It sounded too simple, too dangerous. Risks had to be taken, she understood, but the nagging feeling of uncertainty remained. But, at the same time, she knew not to question her orders. She was Sergeant Dash now, just as she was during the Gryphon war, and as such she had to act like it. She had trained for the Gryphon war, and it was time to put her skills to the test. Even then, the current war was entirely different. Torres had explained, and there was little honor to be found, little space for the tactics she had learned, little space to think.

The leading Raider released a deafening shriek, signaling the the start of the attack. The women, set in an arrow formation in front of every single pony and changeling, flared their wings open and lit up their thrusters. Following, the quadrupeds flapped their wings. Rainbow gulped as she did so and closed her eyes. With a last battle cry from the leader of the formation, the Raiders took flight, and so did she. In just a few milliseconds, she was airborne.

She fought hard to keep up to the humans. Every creature in the formation cut through the air like butter. Every single one of them knew that this could perhaps be their last day, but they knew they had to push forward. Motivation, they each had it. Feel no fear, know your pride, for the entire planet they would fight that night.

Her tail left a multi-hued trail as she soared, the Raiders’ thrusters roared, the Changelings’ wings buzzed. It was only a matter of time before they reached above the cloud level. The air was thinner, but with that came a fulcrum between calm and fear. She felt it. For a brief moment she achieved a moment of harmony, knowing the risks and price.

Rainbow embraced the calm surrounding her, she needed the peace it provided to prepare for the chaos ahead. The moment would be short lived, she was aware of that, and as such she decided to take advantage off of it.

It seemed like very little time had passed since she had joined the Wonderbolts. After they were dissolved following the Gryphon war her life had lost its focus. Her life had revolved around joining their ranks, but looking back she could see how childish an objective it was when she considered where life had taken her. She had enjoyed it, but so much had changed already. There were more important matters to think about.

She looked down upon the earth below as the flock sped through above. Trottingham was near, and she could see the smoke rising from it. If she listened closely, she could hear the gunfire and painful screams of the battle. This was the hour.

The city burned bright with intermittent flashes as the enemy opened fire on them, lethal projectiles whizzing through the air around her. Her eyes widened as the changeling in front of her split into two pieces, soaking her in green blood. She tightly gritted her teeth and pushed downwards along with the Raiders, who released their signature battle cry. She flew through a swarm of bullets, and flared her wings open just when she was about to hit the streets. The Raiders landed loudly, crushing the pavement under their feet. Immediately, she extended the lance upon her shoulder, causing a hiss from the plasma knife, and ran towards one of the many crumbling buildings that lined the street. Charging into the door, it burst open, and she was in.

She landed with a loud thump upon the wooden floor, diving into the darkness that was only disturbed by the light from the moon and gunfire that pierced through the broken windows. Her heart was racing, her breath quickened. She stood up and shook her head, opening her eyes to see three other green sets staring at her from the dark. Her muscles tensed up, and she aimed her lance at the three, tall creatures.

One of them raised a rifle, as she could see the tip of it protrude from the darkness to be aimed at her. One of the creatures, whom she assumed were human, raised a hand and forcefully lowered the other’s weapon. “It is alright, Gamma. They are safe,” it said, its voice metallic and distorted.

The three stepped away from the darkness, revealing themselves to be robotic renditions of humans. Each of them held marks of combat, from which white fluid seeped out. Rainbow retracted her lance, looking up at them with uncertainty.

“Are you part of the evacuation force?”

Dash nodded. “Y-yeah...” She cringed as an explosion shook the deteriorating building, prompting dust to fall off of the ceiling. “Do you know if there’s anypony around? We can only hold for a bit...” her voice faded out as one of the androids stepped aside and shone light into a corner of the room, where a group of colts and fillies were huddled together, shivering in fear.

“M-Mister Alpha...?” one of the fillies choked out. “Are we... going home?”

The leading android nodded. “Yes, you are.” It turned to the two others. “We must not—cannot allow them to fall. We will provide cover as they are evacuated.” It turned back to the ponies. “... Remember us, please.”

As another distant explosion shook the building, Rainbow turned to the door, catching a glimpse of a Raider being shot in the head by a single bullet. The fillies and colts shrieked in fear, and so did she. She recognized the sound, for it was that of a sniper. She turned back to them, taking a deep breath. “Alright, stay with me! We’re gonna get you out of here!”

“Please, gather behind the mare,” one of the androids said calmly as it gestured towards Rainbow. “She will deliver you to safety. Meanwhile, we will provide cover.”

“Alright, move out!” Rainbow yelled as she moved outside, searching for the sniper. Following her were the foals and androids, who stuck to cover as she moved.

“Incoming civvies!” a Raider cried out. “Cover them!”

“Gamma, Delta, hold the line!”

“Yes, Alpha!”

Explosions surrounded them. The deep thunder of incoming fire mingled with the screams of the dying to complete the horrifying anthem of war. A projectile whizzed a few inches in front of her face, causing her to lose part of her breath as the speed of the bullet sent a shock-wave while it traveled through the air. It shot into a house to her left, as well as going through several more houses afterwards, killing anyone it made contact with. She could see a dropship in the distance, ponies being guided into it by several changelings. She had to make it.

“Incoming, brace for fire!” an android yelled just before an explosion sent Rainbow Dash to the ground.

Her world became muffled and gave up nothing more than a high pitched ringing. She opened her eyes to see two of the androids standing, one of them missing an arm, literally taking bullets as the ponies gathered behind them. Around her were the burning carcasses of the recently fallen. One of her wings hurt, she looked to the side, finding herself looking at a bloody stump instead.

Something grabbed her by the side. The shock was setting in, she could not find the power to move. “We die... so that you... may... LIVE!” She looked in fright to see a broken android picking itself up from the wreckage and lifting her up. “Delta, Gamma! Override in effect! Weapons free!”

As Rainbow was carried over to the dropship, following the remaining ponies that had made it, she watched as the other two androids reached for their weapons and began firing. Corpses littered the ground, of changelings, ponies, humans. It did not matter. Everything was being killed. Alpha made its way over to the dropship, and handed her to a Raider who placed the weakened mare onto one of the seats, along with the fillies and the colts. “Come on!” the woman yelled after the android, who had turned back to the battle. “Get in here!”

“Negative. We will hold the line... Farewell... and, remember us.”

“Fine!” the Raider called out. “Pilot! We’re clear!”

“Copy that.” The dropships engine’s fired up, and it slowly took flight. Rainbow watched with dead eyes the smoking city as the vessel flew away, how pillars of smoke rose up from the fire that lit up the entire city as if it was daytime. Dropships swarmed the area from every direction, some being taken down before they could even land. The entire display lasted only for a few seconds before the ramp closed. Her vision blurred, and the world around her faded to black.

Pain. The world was dark, and cold. With nothing but the sound of her breathing to shatter the silence. Her thoughts echoed through the darkness, as if she were calling out. She was in a void. Trapped in a never ending expanse of solitude where her thoughts were the only substance, and with only her thoughts and memories to keep her company she relived the last moments of her life.

“Get down!”

“Incoming, brace for impact!”

“Aaaughhh!!!”

“We die... so that you... may... LIVE!”

She had experienced pain, she had felt the explosions, and she had heard the agonizing cries of the injured and dying. The androids that had saved her life were gone. No more than blurry images. No more than memories. Foals, screaming in fear, their faces twisted in terror as they ran for their lives. No more. Her thoughts felt like they had a mind of their own, automatically aiming towards the question of whether or not she was still alive.

Chances, little chances.

“Wake up, mare. This is no time for dying!”

Limbs, one by one, sent signals to her mind. Some were burnt, some were broken, and one was gone. Building up, a high-pitched hiss began to consume her thoughts. Overwhelming. The breathing was gone; she felt a stabbing pain in her chest. Her limbs grew numb, and a blinding light, seen far into the darkness, called for her, growing ever brighter.

Returning, awareness broke through once again. She could breathe, pain in chest gone. No more. She tried to open her eyes. Blur. Light once again, yet less overwhelming. Sounds. A constant beeping coming from her right. Senses returning, alive, but weak. She blinked, adjusting to the light. No more darkness, no more fears, yet the pain remained within—efforts to win, all in vain. Her head, moving side to side, looking around to find no dread. She was safe, alive, but unable to know her place in the world around. Her existence of a simple mare coming back to her, in the mind of dark, she felt the pain. No more pain; a wish that slayed every other thought in her head. Her eyes, open for once, saw the surroundings that consumed her world of dark.

Gone was the confusion, making way for thoughts for ones not of illusion. She was in a tent, seeing familiar figures that calmed the fear within. Ponies, changelings, humans, walking to and fro, waking her up to see the world for what it was. A machine next to her, beeping constantly, monitored her life to make sure she fell not to the embrace of the gods that surely sought to take her soul to make a feast, or allow her to ascend to an existence above. But no more.

Beds all around, serving as homes to those from war. Injured, moribund, seemingly endless. She observed a few of the nearby patients, knowing deep inside, that a great number of them wished, even if it was on the back of their minds, that they had perished already. Nurses and doctors: human, changeling, pony, gryphon, worked together to aid them, or lessen the suffering before the inevitable demise.

A whisper, “So they got you, too...”

Groggily, head turned to the left, eyes meeting with those of a minty green, unicorn mare. “You’re Rainbow Dash, right? Element of Loyalty?” she asked, receiving a weak nod in return.

“W-who... who are you?”

“Name’s Lyra,” the pony said, rubbing her bandages and sighing as she touched the tip of her broken horn. “We’ve talked a bit before, but I don’t know if you remember me.”

“Where am I? What happened?”

Lyra chuckled. “You’re in the triage camp next to Apex, where all the injured from Trottingham are brought to get mediocre medical treatment.” She huffed. “Ever seen what the common gauss rifle can do? Most are brought here to die with no pain.” The mare looked to the side. “As for what happened to you... Well, I watched as you and several others were brought here a few hours ago. To say the least, most didn’t make it alive. You’re lucky you only lost your wing.”

“My... w-what?” Rainbow made a pitiful attempt to look at her right wing, only managing to feel pain in her neck as she did so.

“Yeah, yeah...” Lyra shook her head. “Don’t make a show about it, ‘cause I don’t want to hear about it. I know you were a flier and all, but you can still walk. I saw half of a changeling brought in... poor thing’s still alive. Be grateful for what you still have.”

Loss of a wing. She asked herself why she was not panicking. Lyra may be right. Looking around she could see many in worse conditions, many of them clearly beyond survival, many of them, breathing corpses with no chance of living past a few hours. The air smelled like blood, a mixture of that and other substances, mostly produced by human medications, or the combination of the fluids coming from the wounds of the different species in the camp. Families, gathering all around, mourning the loss of those loved or preparing to do so, spending their time with them before they died.

Rainbow looked back at Lyra. “And... what happened to you?”

The unicorn’s eyes froze, looking deeply into the void, absence, nothing, her face twisting into a frown. “It’s not about what they did to me,” she said, unmoving. “It’s about what they did to my friend, and everypony else... I saw her get burned alive while impaled on a dropship, and I couldn’t do anything... Damn humans.”

“I’m sorry...”

“No,” Lyra muttered. “No you’re not. The only ones who should be sorry are them. They took away your wing, they took away my friend, and have taken the lives of hundreds of others. Why do you think we have this camp in the first place? Their own facilities are already full.” She sighed. “I can’t stay in here for much longer. I’m not gonna rest until I get these bastards off of our planet... I think Silverback’s got the right idea, after all.” Rainbow Dash silently looked on as Lyra got off of her bed and limped away, shooting angry glances at the nearby humans.

With a sigh, the pegasus looked upwards, closing her eyes for just a moment.

“Help me- AGH!”

She gasped. Pain and suffering back to consciousness. She wished for the feelings to go back to the depths within her mind. Once she opened her eyes, she found herself staring at a caretaking woman, who looked on empathetically as she monitored the beats of her heart, and gingerly placed on her bruised head a pack full of ice. “I think you’ve got visitors,” she said, motioning to the end of the tent, where a group full of foals and a few androids walked in heading directly for her. The woman smiled and stood upright, nodding to the group before moving on to make sure the other patients were each alright, that or just making sure that those terminally injured could live their last moments without as much pain.

“Miss Rainbow!” the foals called, galloping or limping towards her while the androids continued to walk calmly behind them. She smiled with compassion at the foals whose faces told of joy, none of them paying her missing wing any attention. The androids moved on closer, steadily as ever, gripping their rifles with utmost strength, looking down at her with eyes green as as leaves, yet glowing as fire. The colts and fillies each jumped onto her bed, happily hugging her despite the pain she felt, though she only gave a wince and hugged each of them back.

“Thank you, Rainbow!”

“You saved us!”

Rainbow Dash chuckled and coughed, looking up at the androids whose cold eyes stared on. One of the foals, perhaps the smallest one, looked up at them and asked, “Uhm... What happened to misters Alpha, Omega, and Delta?”

Without hesitation, the metallic man kneeled down, Rainbow Dash suspecting a moment of confession. “So long as you remember them, they will always live.” The foals fell silent, understanding the message, yet each of them knowing that it was both true and false.

One never dies, as long as they are remembered, be it by family and friends, or etched in steel for the ages.

“You’re listening to ‘Equestria At Large’, your source of news from all around the globe!” the voice of the male announcer called out. “Today we have news from Zebrica, where the main tribes have peacefully united the entire continent in order to form a large diplomatic party that is set to arrive in Equestria a few days from now! Our sources suggest that they are looking to establish communications with the humans at Apex. More will be revealed in a few moments!

“Tauria reveals a collective fear, and even curiosity, regarding the humans! The minotaurs seem to be pondering their similarity with the large bipeds, and some have taken it even further, forming the ‘Clan of Mankind’ that is rapidly spreading across the planet!

“The ‘School Evolutis’ of the New Changeling Republic has now spread across their entire nation, and is even reaching Equestria in hopes of teaching every willing pony about the values of being unique!

“And before we get onto the next segment, we remind you to join the war effort! Every coin helps!

“Now, we have a direct feed from the triage camp outside of Apex! News Flash, you have the go!”

“This is News Flash, right outside of Apex!” the mare said, her voice compensating for the cacophony of sounds coming from the camp. Equipment being moved, marching soldiers, conversations. “It is early in the day and the sun is soon to rise! The situation, though, is a little grim. We have a lot of injured here: ponies, changelings, gryphons, and humans! I don’t know how many of them are going to make it!

“Excuse me, sir!”

“Yes?” the deep voice of a man sounded through the radio.

“What are your thoughts on the war, and how has working in the camp been treating you?”

“Well... When I became a guardsman, I vowed to protect those who needed it, and by no means does that not apply here. Even then, what Silverback and his men want is to go home, but they just can’t step on you just to do that. Most of us want to go home as well, but we’ve accepted the fact that we’ll put that on the back-burner if it means keeping you safe.”

“I bet that this will be something very comforting for the ears of some ponies!”

“As for the camp... I’ve been working hard on aiding as many as I possibly can, and it helps keep my mind focused as well. Me and some fellow guardsmen have sometimes received less-than-friendly responses from some of the injured, but we understand. We take the full blame for what Silverback is doing, and we know that some of you will never forgive us, but we just ask for empathy... We already lost everything.”

“True words, guardsman, and thank you for your time!”

“Anytime, little pony.”

“I swear, I can smell the blood of every species...” News Flash muttered. “Let’s check on the main tent and see how the injured are doing...

“I have now entered the tent. I can see dozens of beds with... Oh my... Members of every species are here, some even placed on the same beds due to lack of space, I... I can tell already that many of them are not going to make it. These injuries are horrendous. I knew that human weaponry was capable of doing extreme damage, but this is just...” She gagged. “We... we have to be glad that at least half of the humans are with us. I do not believe we would survive this war without them...

“Is that... It seems like Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty, is here!

“Miss Dash, would it be okay if I asked you a few questions?”

“S-sure...” another mare muttered.

“Excellent! Why are you here? It’s surprising that you decided to take part in the war.”

“I was uhm... part of the first strike. We were in charge of evacuating civilians with the help of some Raiders and androids.”

“How is it like? I mean, could you tell us about your experience?”

“I... It’s horrifying. All I could hear was just gunfire, screams, and explosions. I managed to save a group of foals with the help of a few androids but... I couldn’t get them all out.”

“I see...”

“I lost one of my wings during all this... But some others lost much more than that. I’m lucky I made it out alive... I can’t say the same for the androids.”

“What do you mean?”

“They’re sacrificing themselves by the hundreds. They may be machines, but I know... I know that they’re more than just that.

I may have lost my wing, some lost their lives, but we are sacrificing ourselves for everypony, and everyone else!” she coughed out.

News Flash bid her goodbyes and moved on, leaving Rainbow all alone. The foals and androids had done the same, the former to rest, the latter to deploy. Images of the battlefield fluttered around the inside of her mind like butterflies. The mist of war remained within, never leaving, always taunting. Each image was blurred, yet at the same time the feeling inspired within her was clear. Marked forever in her soul, the experience she had lived through would never fade away. She could not save them all, she knew, but a pang of guilt crossed her heart regardless, a newfound realization. Such was the product of the war that tainted one’s memories, as if making grim art.

Born to go into harm’s way, yet no more as before. Life changed forever, no longer carefree, such childish obsessions sent to a session of eternal damnation. Yet she would have to move on, for a second chance must be taken to the heart as if waken to a newfound world awaiting for her to enjoy, for her to not waste. One wing may be lost, but her life was not, she would find a way, build a life from dust, take the chance to change, take the chance to make right in a world filled with life. So long as the resistance kept pushing every instance, the world would not die, the world would be free.

She groggily relaxed her head down onto the pillow, now resting. She closed her eyes, exhausted already, and focused on listening to the sounds of the cannons firing from Apex into the heavens, where the humans broke through and brought both unity and chaos. Once nightmares, transformed into both ally and foe. Their marching feet brought fear into the souls of those near, who would pray to their guardians so that none were the odds that they stood in their path, or considered enemies for the mighty guardsmen.

A single thought, bringing light to her mind: the war would be won, not by peace, but by the might of mankind.

Floating stars, flitting souls of all the dead, who knew no fear. Lives turned into nothing by the fire of weapons beyond his understanding. Hundreds, gone. Injured, by the dozens. Those who made it back, returned only to die later on. Those lucky would spend, the rest of their brief lives mutilated in body and mind. A shot of realization, considering the world. Tiny and feeble, yet filled with life to the brim, then plunged into disarray, by a mere shard of another society. Their greatest gift, unity, individuality, overpowered the conflict. The man who divided, was no more than different. People change, as they say, for better or worse. Arcturus looked at his body, armored with metallic plates, his chitinous exterior adorned with etchings purely to mark individuality. He cherished them, looked up to them; the very embodiment of what he strived for. They allowed him into their city, a city of mechanical marvels, that made his wishes, grow even stronger. To lead his people, into a brighter future.

He looked up at the stars, to a large cluster, artificial. The wind brushed the grass, gently. He closed his eyes, the canons of Apex fired a volley of death. For hours, a lightshow had taken place. Small beacons of light, approaching the large cluster, sometimes straying away, sometimes fired upon, to fall onto the planet, burning.

His eyes shot open, a scream of agony, coming from a dropship that recently arrived at the triage camp, perhaps even morgue. From the metallic contraption, a man was carried out, screaming in pain, only one arm left on his body. Following, concerned changelings and ponies, helping each other as they limped out. Not an easy task, he took his eyes away from the dying man, and looked at those who were once enemies, now turned allies. The first batch it was, to have only a single injured, that one being the human. He sighed, sacrifice all around. No matter the reason, the races united, for a single goal. Impressive feat for the humans, to sacrifice themselves for the native inhabitants. A simple disagreement, turned to war. He understood, as war was never justified. It simply occurred.

“I... am sorry, Arcturus” the pony next to him muttered. “So many of your people are sacrificing themselves...”

“We chose this, dear Luna.” He continued to look at the stars. The cannons of Apex fired, shaking the ground with each blast.

Luna sighed, following the changeling’s gaze to the stars. Infinite, some not hers, some unruled by all. “Is it worth it?”

“Excuse me?”

“Do you believe this war is worth the pain you are suffering?” she asked once again.

Arcturus looked at the ground. Pain. “Yes... We must break free from our shackles if we are to reach true individuality, and helping you is the best that we can do to achieve redemption...”

“What about yourself? What is your opinion on this? Show me your individuality.”

He sighed. “This war sparked it all. I was but a mere drone before all of this, and now I’m the representant of my entire species.” Arcturus shrugged uncomfortably. “It’s in my nature to act as a drone, but I will not allow my instincts to get the best of me.”

Silverback is just different,” he sighed out, “and I will not blame him for that. Nobody is right in this war; we just do what we have to do. In this case, my kind sought to rebuild our relations with you, so we could be redeemed.

He looked into the eyes of Luna. “We rebelled, we fought, we bled, and we changed... I’m not letting our efforts go to waste... Nor will I allow yours go to waste.”

“Come to the nightmare...” one of the technicians muttered, welding the external exoskeleton onto his already armored leg. All around, they worked flawlessly. Years of training compiled into one process. The mechanical arms around the chamber stood in silence, unable to perform the given task. A spark. The piece was set.

“Come to me...” the man said.

“You will bring light onto your foes...” Two other men hefted a heavy device that coupled onto his power pack, leaving two photon cannons resting upon his shoulders. They soon began welding it to his armor as well.

“And I shall turn them into ashes...”

The woman working on his left arm continued, “And with this shield...” Once connected to the exoframe--an addition to his normal armor--the device on his left forearm lit up, producing a bright blue shield, conjured from photonic resonance.

“I shall defend...”

“But with this weapon...” the woman to his right finished coupling the pulse scatter cannon on his right forearm. With minimal force, he lifted his arm, looking at the plasma blades that sat on the tip of the weapon. He cocked it, ejecting a thermal clip.

“I shall avenge...”

In complete silence the six technicians finished their work, stepping back to see the result. In the chamber, a massive man stood still. His armor, reinforced by plates of kinetic dampeners, covered the additional exoskeleton that was placed right over his normal suit. At least five layers of physical armor, three of them belonging to his “Tactical” suit, including the Syntex layer. A good few tons, he estimated, yet he felt as light as ever. On his left arm, a shield. On the right arm, a weapon. A walking tank of a man. The technicians did nothing but stare at him.

“And your name is...” they said in unison.

“My name...” the giant broke away from the myriad of cables on hoses attached to him, easily, as if they were nothing. “Is...” His suit powered up, making his visor light up in an orange hue. “Atlas...” He primed the cannon on his right arm, taking a step forwards, making the entire chamber shake under his weight.

Atlas looked down at one of the technicians, nodding.

“Go on, Commander. Your division is waiting for you.”

“Understood...” The men and women, looking up at him at him with pride, parted away to make way for the giant to pass. His steps thundering, his figure massive. Ages had passed ever since he had been given such firepower, yet, he knew not to step out of line. Leadership, though, was a matter beyond his known capabilities. He glanced at his shoulder pads as he continued walking, exiting the armoring chamber. Blue, signaling command. He recalled times long past, when his mind was nothing but blank. No thoughts, simply void, another drone.

The heavy troopers around the armory, geared similarly to Atlas, fell in silence upon seeing him walk out of the chamber. He regarded them curiously from behind his faceplate, unsure. Dozens of ways to proceed, little time to decide.

“We’re the third wave,” he began, “the bulk of the attack. We’re already driving Silverback out of Trottingham, and we’ll deliver the final punch.”

He pointed his finger at them. “Raiders lead the way, and we follow them. We make the way safe.”

“Some of you think I’m a mutant, an abomination.” Atlas began pacing around the room. “Truth is, I’ve been serving the USC for hundreds of years. They used me as a tool, then washed their hands and disposed of me, but I’m still fighting. I’m still walking.”

“Now we’re lost here, but that doesn’t mean we’re not Guardsmen!” He halted, looking at the troopers. “For the inhabitants of this planet, we’ll bring out wrath upon our enemies. I’ve fought humans before, and our ancestors did the same. Don’t let panic go to your heads, because they’ll shoot back at you.”

Atlas growled, “I don’t care what you think of me, so long as you stand by my side and fight with me. The USC can do whatever the hell it wants with me after this is done.”

He stomped his foot on the floor. “Now I ask you...” He loaded the cannon on his right arm. “Are you gonna fight with me!?”

“Sir yes sir!”

“Of course you are!” Atlas exclaimed. “Now haul ass to the hangar!”

He sighed, muffled by his faceplate, looking at the heavies rush out of the armory. Not one lagged behind, but him. He calmly followed suit, thundering steps that echoed throughout the halls. Preparing, for the final fight. He had an objective, one that mattered, and nothing would stand in his path. Fear, the inevitable feeling, crossing his three hearts. Despite that, he continued to walk. Troopers saluted him as he made his way, but he paid no mind, he never did. A salute meant very little to him; such a thing was quick to lose importance after a few centuries.

Atlas reached the blast door to the hangar. It opened for him, making way for the giant to pass onto the large, metallic field that held his own forces. The light, blinding, his visor polarizing to give him comfort. Dropships flying in and out, carrying those who would fight alongside him. A tram sped past the line set on the upper side of the hangar. He approached one of the dropships, its ramp touching the floor. He looked inside, to find no more than a few armored changelings who stood, in awe at the myriad of machines and men, little difference between the two. One of the creatures, he recognized as the leading figure of their race.

“Arcturus, isn’t it?” he said, leaning in. The awestruck changelings looked up at him, every single one of them sitting on their haunches. “I’m Commander Atlas. It’s nice to finally meet you.” He extended his left hand towards the largest changeling, who shakily smiled and offered his hoof. Careful not to grasp too hard, Atlas then let go. “Something wrong?” he asked soon after.

“I never thought I would be inside the Vector...” a female changeling muttered.

“I-it’s amazing!”

“W-Who should take the first step?” They all looked at Arcturus.

“Please,” he calmly spoke. “You hold more right than me. Do not let the old ways crawl back into your minds, for you are as worthy of this as I am.”

The first changeling, the smallest one, stood up, and gingerly set his hooves onto the floor of the hangar. He smiled, motioning for the others to approach. Soon enough, the group of changelings were standing amongst the many humans all around. They each marveled at the sight, Arcturus approached and stood next to the giant, who did nothing but examine his armament.

Atlas huffed. “Quite a sight, isn’t it?”

“Yes...” Arcturus smiled. “There is a great difference between watching it from orbit and seeing it from the planet, let alone actually being in it.”

“Attention,” the deep and cybernetic voice of the ship bellowed. “Prepare for immediate deployment.”

“That’s us,” the man sighed, looking down at Arcturus. “You’re going with me. Come on.” He motioned for the changeling to follow.

Everyone was at full alert now. The ship sounded its general alarm and flashing red lights created a cover to set the mood. Heavies in charge of directing the changelings, hastily explaining tactics, preparing them for war, before assigning them to a dropship. A mix of fear and eagerness, could be seen on their faces. Between their idols, they fought not to show cowardice. For them, the battle meant redemption. Atlas understood.

He led Arcturus into a large dropship. Once inside, he stood in front of one of the sidewalls and activated the magnetic locks on his armor, planting himself tightly against the vessel. As Arcturus looked up at him inquisitively, Atlas snatched him from the floor and held him close, then looked at the other heavies in the dropship. “Grab a changeling if you can, ‘cause this is gonna be one hell of a ride!”

The heavies leaned down and picked their respective changelings. “What do you mean by that, Commander?” Arcturus asked.

“Lots of activity going on in orbit. Silverback is prodding our defenses, and there’s also a lot of anti-air fire coming from Trottingham.” Atlas took a deep breath and sighed it out as the vessel’s ramp closed itself.

The hum of the ship’s engines built up, signaling the start. “This is Helldiver Six,” the pilot called out through the loudspeakers. “Mission is go! I repeat, mission is a go! Code: launch, deploy, execute!”

Silence. Not a soul dared to speak as the dropship flew out of the Vector and into the void of space. A stray projectile shook the vessel.

“Sum’ ride, eh?” a heavy said, looking at the terrified changeling he held in his arm. “How’re you doin’ buddy?”

“A-are we going to make it?”

“You can bet your ass we are,” another heavy said.

“So how’re you guys gonna name your ‘lings? I call dibs on ‘Pepper’!”

“Gingerbread!”

“Fleas!”

“Shut the hell up already!”

As if on cue, a loud blast shook the entire craft. The lights flickered, the pilot yelled out, “We’ve been hit! Somebody man the fucking tail gun!”

Atlas punched a button on the wall next to him, and several oxygen masks dropped out of their compartments. “Think you can stop yourself from being thrown into space?” he asked, receiving a shaky nod from Arcturus. He set the changeling on the floor, making sure he fastened the mask around his snout. Once he had checked that the other quadrupeds had done the same, he pulled a lever on the ceiling, which lowered the ramp. The air was almost sucked out, but the ship soon entered the atmosphere of the planet. An autocannon descended from a hatch on the ceiling, waiting for Atlas to grab a hold of it.

His eyes adjusted to the light coming from the planet, and he activated the magnetic soles of his boots just as the vessel began to engage in evasive maneuvers. He grabbed the handles of the cannon, and spotted a few gunships heading towards him. He released a bestial battle cry, pressing the trigger, sending a barrage of shells towards the incoming ships.

One was hit, lighting up in a ball of flames as it fell to the planet, burning against the atmosphere. Three left. They rolled in the void of space and launched a volley of missiles. Atlas aimed the cannon at the missiles, shooting them down, never bothering to release the trigger. He continued to fire, following the gunships with his line of shells. Another went down, crashing into the one next to it. He let go of the trigger and carefully aimed towards the last vessel.

“Let’s see what you’ve got, buddy...” He frowned and pressed the trigger once again, only to receive a dry click. A small screen on the weapon displayed the words “Overheating!”

Sighing, Atlas looked over his shoulder, at the group of changelings and heavies. “I’ll see you on the surface.”

With a running start, he leaped off of the ship, engaging his suit’s ion thrusters. The remaining gunship spotted him, breaking off from its trajectory and locking onto him. He continued to accelerate past the sound barrier, heading onto a crash route with the gunship.

“Come on, you bastard...”

The gunship pulled a hard turn, and he followed suit. He extended his arm to grab onto it, his energy shields burning against the vessels thrusters. His fingers dug forcefully into the metal, allowing him to pull himself onto the ship. The pilot tried to shake him off, to no avail. The magnetic boots were already locked. Atlas carefully approached the cockpit, digging his fingers in between the frame and hull, forcing it open. He received a gunshot directed at the chestplate from the pilot, who worked fast to undo the seat. Atlas finished pulling the cabin apart, exposing the man, just in time for him to jump out of the cockpit and grab onto the giant, who disengaged his magnetic locks and lit up his thrusters, leaving the downed vessel to burn against the air of the planet.

Atlas grabbed a hold of the man’s neck, who retrieved a plasma knife from his belt and desperately stabbed Atlas’ neck guard as they plummeted from orbit. He smacked the knife away and threw a skull breaking punch at the pilot’s head. Their energy shields began to burn against the air, going at several times the speed of sound. Atlas grunted as the pilot tried to pry his hand off of his neck. He aimed the two photon cannons on his shoulders at the man’s head, reducing it to nothing more than ashes.

Letting go of the corpse, Atlas lit up his ion thrusters once again, reducing the speed at which he fell. His visor sparked up, showing him the direction in which Trottingham was located.

He stood up shortly after landing in the streets of the burning city, finding himself inside a crater left as a result of the impact. Atlas looked up at the stars, witnessing the raging battle that was taking place even outside the planet. Smoke pillars, rising from every corner of the city, obscuring most of the night. His breathing, heavy, he craned his neck back down to the streets. Empty, alone. The sounds of the burning buildings, gunfire, cannons, and distant screams, only there to accent the cruel truth of the war.

Whilst catching his breath, he muttered, “Set sub-objective... Find Lieutenant Torres.”

“Objective added. Lieutenant Torres located. Setting waypoint.”

Atlas lifted his right arm, cocking the pulse cannon attached to it. “Lifesigns?”

“Information unavailable.”

“Shit...”

Atlas began a slow pace through the desolate city. As a precautionary measure, he turned on the energy shield of his left arm. The smoke, hiding everything beyond the far side of the street. Nothing but the distant sounds of war and his thundering steps. A thud. He turned, to see nothing more than a few pebbles falling from a crumbling building. Sighing, he continued to move, following the marker set by his onboard computer.

The smoke began to dissipate, revealing what lay beyond his sensors. Corpses. Human, changeling, pony. Race mattered none. He grimaced upon seeing the mangled and burnt carcasses of foe and ally. His route was blocked. Quickly, he looked around for an alternate path, finding a cramped alley. A quick glance to see if anything was nearby. Nothing. Atlas moved on, into the new path, cracking the pavement with each step he took.

Barely fitting into the alley, he avoided the mangled corpses of those unlucky enough to not escape the carnage. He avoided thinking about anything else except Torres. Before rounding a corner, he halted. A thud, a scream of pain, followed by another thud. He carefully peeked around the corner, only exposing his head.

“So what do you think these things are?”

“They look like bugs to me.”

“I’m a-” A kick to the ribs. “Ch-changeling...”

Atlas took a deep breath, standing upright once more. He gently kicked a small rock, sending it flying against a nearby wall.

The kicking stopped. “Go check that out, I’ll cover you.”

Steps approaching, heartbeat increasing. Atlas glanced at his right arm, lighting up the plasma blades that sat at the tip of the pulse cannon. The shadow of the man, growing closer. At the last second, he lashed out, rounding the corner and jabbing the blades into the man’s gut, with enough force to pierce the armor. He lifted the man up, who clung onto his arm. The other stared in shock as Atlas fired the cannon, ripping him in half, bathing the beholders in blood. He cocked the cannon. The remaining trooper fired, projectiles blocked by the shield on his left arm, others dug into the armor of his legs. The giant fired the pulse cannon, ripping the other man apart.

Atlas approached the downed changeling, popping out a spent thermal clip of his cannon. He crouched down. “What wave are you from?”

“T-two...”

“You all that’s left?” he asked, receiving a nod from the changeling.

The giant looked up upon hearing several troopers heading into the alley. “Run, I’ll distract them.” He stood up, gritting his teeth, and ran all the way to the exit of the alley and into one of Trottingham’s plazas, just in time to catch a man off guard, slamming into him and sending him a good few meters away. The others opened fire on him. Atlas grunted as he was hit by the projectiles, managing to block some with his shield before charging at them. He hit one, then finished him off with the pulse cannon, projectiles being absorbed by his armor all the while. The next one was stabbed in the head by the plasma blades as Atlas loaded another shell into the cannon, then pulled the blades out of the man’s head and fired a pulse shot into another, blowing his leg off.

The last remaining man kept firing at him while running for cover, the projectiles digging deep into Atlas’ armor, the many layers barely containing the shells at that point. He cocked the pulse cannon and fired it, turning the trooper’s head into a mess of grey matter and blood.

Atlas, breathing heavily, knelt down in pain. His suit began to dispense a mixture of drugs as it worked on healing his wounds. He briefly acknowledged the alert reading “DANGER, ARMOR LEVELS CRITICAL, REPAIR ADVISED”. Soon, he stood back up, walking once more, his only concern being the marker displayed by his visor.

A few dozen meters. He walked, paying no heed to the burning plaza. His walk began to turn into a sprint. Keeping the shield in front of himself. The sound of his steps, the distant sounds of battle, faded away, leaving only his breathing. His body in pain. Torres had to be found.

Following the marker, he stopped right in front of a building, bashing his shoulder into the door and crouching through it. The darkness overwhelming, his suit’s flashlights turned on. He looked around, corpses of ponies, changelings, and a few Raiders.

“Torres!?”

A cough. He turned, to see a single Raider sitting against a wall. He slowly walked over to her, noticing the various wounds on her body. His visor unable to display her information, looked down at her, grunting in pain as he kneeled down.

“Torres... That you?”

The Raider looked up at him, her helmet broken. “A-Atlas...?”

“Can you move?” Atlas asked, glancing over at the doorway, to spot several enemy troopers and heavies heading towards the building.

“I can’t feel my legs...” Torres muttered.

“Shit...” Atlas cocked his pulse cannon. “I’ll get you out of here after I deal with these guys...”

Torres extended her arm, Atlas gently grabbing her hand. “Too many of t-them... You know we won’t make it...”

Atlas looked down, sighing. “I know...”

“But kick as much ass as you can... For me...”

Behind his faceplate, the giant frowned. “That I can do.” He let go of her hand and made his way over to the doorway, exposing himself to the dozens of men, including heavies, that stood outside.

His suit lit up, steam shooting out of the seams as a small turbine on his back powered up with a loud roar. His visor tagged every single enemy in red as the words “Engaging overdrive,” appeared. Both his and the syntex muscle tenses up, locking his armor in place. Bullets were being shrugged off as he set his pulse cannon in automatic, expelling dozens of thermal clips in mere seconds. He watched while letting out a loud battle cry as his cannon mowed down the waves of men and women, mutilating them instantly into a mess of limbs and organs. The barrage of projectiles hitting him began to pierce his armor, forcing him to slowly back up into the building. He fell to his knees, the pulse cannon glowing red. “I’m not dead yet!” he yelled as a missile appeared from the swarm of bullets.

Atlas opened his eyes, his visor gone. Agonizing pain. He lay inside the building, amongst the many corpses. He looked at his body, seeing that most of the armor was gone, leaving burnt skin and flesh instead. He tried to move, receiving searing pain that spread throughout his body, yet he managed to crawl with the one arm he had left. He slowly, painfully, made his way over to Torres, who took off her helmet and sighed, holding her stomach with her other hand.

The giant sat against the wall next to her, leaving a trail of blood behind him. “I’m gonna... get you out of here...”

“You... You sure about that?” Torres muttered. The sounds of the incoming troopers growing stronger.

“I can still fight...”

Torres chuckled. “Never giving up, are ya’?” She smiled and looked up at him. “Take off your helmet... I wanna see your face one last time...”

Shakily, Atlas undid his whole helmet, a stream of gas shooting out of it. He tossed it away, and looked at Torres, who had snuggled up against him. They both smiled at each other, Atlas wrapping his arm around her. Both of them closed their eyes as the troopers entered the building.

The wind whistled gently, brushing the endless fields of corn. Planet Yiluxa, haven for the worn, tired, and those seeking rest after years of merciless service, provided courtesy of the USC. Never attacked, never touched by war, never influenced by ruthless corporations. The image of beauty, the image of tranquility, the bed for those who earned it. No fears, no tears, no worries. The outline of a nearby planet, a gas giant, could be seen in the sky. So far, yet so near. So dangerous, yet so harmless. A few clouds graced the sky above above, neither tainting the calm of the sun, nor overpowering the blue of the sky.

In the field, a little girl ran. Wearing a small, pink dress, with her feet exposed to the ground, she feared nothing, for the planet and the fields were pristine... one could almost say perfect. She continued to make her way through the field, laughing. Behind her, a large snake pursued, yet she laughed and felt no worry. This peculiar snake, behaved more like a dog than anything, it would never bite, it would always love.

As the young girl, of no more than ten years old, ran through the field, a large, metallic house came into view. Painted red, the color her father liked, and accompanied by a barn, made of the same material, strong, reliable, house of many animals. Cows, chickens, pigs.

A single man, sitting on a chair set on the porch of the red house, looked on with a warm expression as the girl broke away from the field. His face, was scarred, yet fatherly and comforting. His eyes, a blue as deep as the widest of oceans, gazed out over the vast and seemingly endless span of his farm, earned with his sweat, blood, and tears. Meritocracy. Decades of continuous service had granted him this, his very dreams come to fruition. Peace, quiet, redemption.

The door of his house slid open. A woman, young and beautiful, walked out, holding a glass of wine in her hand. “Here you go, Jack,” she said, holding it for the man, who looked up to her with his blue eyes.

“Thank you, honey,” he replied, accepting the glass with his left hand. He sipped on it, before turning back to his wife. “Feels nice to come back home after all these years.”

The woman smiled and leaned down, giving him a peck on the lips. “More than nice; it’s amazing.”

Jack sighed in content, looking back at the fields. His wife sat on his knees, and they both proceeded to watch their daughter as she played with Cookie, their recently adopted snake.

“I never thought that snakes could be so... friendly,” Jack muttered.

“Well, she’s an ObenTech Cyber, so she’s bound to be more than just an animal.”

The man chuckled. “At least Laury’s having a great time with her.”

His smile remained unchanged as the small holopad on his pocket began to vibrate. His wife looked on with a raised eyebrow as he retrieved it, staring at the screen.

“Who is it...?”

Jack Silverback stared at the screen for a few seconds before muttering, “CG High Command...” He tapped the pad with his finger, and a message began to play.

“This is a pre-recorded message,

“Commander ‘Silverback’, ID: 0091735-BCE, this is a message from High Command, you are being recalled for service, effective immediately. We have already sent a vessel to retrieve you, which should arrive in thirty seconds. Drop everything you are doing and prepare to serve.”

Jack stared at the screen, unmoving, stoic. Seconds passed before he reacted. Fear, crawling into his heart like a spider hunting for prey. He looked up to his wife, only to see a pile of ashes spread on the floor. “Jenna!?” he hastily got up from the chair, gazing down at the ashes with fear. “No... No no no... Laury!” he called after his daughter. The sounds of joy that had been coming from her had already ceased, leaving only a deep growl that shook the ground with the intensity of an earthquake. He looked up at the sky to see a monstrous ship break the sky, the words “USS Vector” engraved on it. The massive vessel shone a light onto him, forcing Jack to shield his eyes and ears as a high-pitched hiss began to rise.

And it all stopped.

Silence. Everything but the wind had faded away. He opened his eyes, only to see a clouded and gray sky looking down grimly upon him. He craned his neck downwards, finding himself surrounded by nothing more than barren lands extending as far as the horizon. He looked down at his body, clad in a full suit of armor, synthetic muscle for skin, covered by plates of the hardest metal. Wrong, in every way.

Jack slowly turned around, where his house used to be. His armored feet broke the built up silence, echoing throughout the endless land. Broken, rusty, pitiful. His house, only a shade of what it used to be, stood amongst the wasteland.

“You miss them, do you not?” a somewhat familiar, yet intriguing voice sounded off. The man, filled to the brim with fear and uncertainty, spun around to come face to face with the inquirer.

In the middle of the endless land stood an iconic figure. The man’s mind flooded with information that was being damned by his own subconscious, revealing what was both true, yet false. What was real, and what was unreal. His expression contorted from one of fear, to one of anger.

Princess Luna of Equestria.

“You...” he snarled, looming over the alicorn, while gazing down upon her with eyes of fire. “What are you doing here, in my mind? You think you can just walk in here!? Are you gonna try to kill me or something!?” His foot stomped loudly on the ground, causing a small quake.

“I am the ruler of the night, of dreams, and nightmares,” the pony said, her voice calm and forgiving. “I will admit that it was difficult to reach you; the human mind is incredibly complex.” Jack clenched his fists as she began to pace around him, taunting him. “Your minds are not as strong as your bodies...”

“What do you want?”

Luna stopped moving, looking over her shoulder. “Let us see what it is that you want, first.”

The man growled as the Princess trotted slowly, moving inch by inch towards his broken home. He closed his eyes, trying to stop it, to try to wake up, to try and make her disappear. But nothing. His eyes shot open to see her motioning towards the door, prodding him to enter. He had lived through the same experience countless of times; he knew what lay ahead, but she did not.

He frowned and looked at the ground, releasing a sigh of defeat. Hesitantly did he begin to walk forward, his footsteps and shaky breathing were the only things to break the smothering silence. Jack shook his head, wanting nothing more than to wake up.

Reaching the rusted door, he extended his hand to open it, then glanced over at the Princess next to him. He threw an elbow bash to her face, only to be stopped by an ethereal field. She did not even flinch.

“Once again: shall we enter?”

Saying nothing, Jack, defeated, slid one of his armored hands into the small opening between the wall and the door. His strength, even more with the help of his suit, made the task of opening the door into something trivial. It creaked loudly as it slid into the wall. He gulped, fearsome to see what lay inside.

They both entered the house, to see the ashes inside. Nothing but that covered the floor. Furniture gone, melted, destroyed. It reeked a scent of pain and suffering. Jack leaned down, his face worrisome, to pick up something from the piles of ashes. He dusted it off and looked at it, memories flitting through his mind. Depicting himself and his family, the picture was burned, their faces gone, except for his. Luna stared in silence.

“Is... This is your home, is it not?”

“It used to be.”

“What happened to them...?”

The man crushed the picture with his hand, letting it fall back onto the ashes with a few tears following it. “Ubor... One year ago.”

Luna looked to the side. “And they...?”

“I don’t know...” Jack said. “I lost contact with them. High Command said they were evacuated but...” He clenched his fists, shaking. “Now I’m stuck on your damned planet...”

“And that is your reason to damn us all?”

“Everything would have gone much smoother if you hadn’t interrupted me.” He shot a furious stare at Luna. “None of this would have happened, but you had to slow me down...”

The world surrounding them began to shake, fading away, dreamscape degenerating into a void of absence. Luna took flight, yelling after the man, “We can still help you! There is no reason to continue this!”

“No... I have to finish what I started.”

Father woke from his deep slumber with a gasp, managing to bring Cookie out of her rest as well. She watched with concern as he got out of the bed and turned on the lights. Once her eyes adjusted, she could see a full view of Father’s armored figure, breathing heavily. She prodded the air with her tongue, sensing the smell of his sweat. Much obvious to her: Father was having nightmares again. She looked over the edge of her home and gently hissed at him, prompting him to sigh and approach her.

His eyes, screaming the tension he was living through. Beads of sweat that trickled down his exposed forehead, giving the skin a reflective cover. Cookie was picked up, she then gingerly coiled around her Father’s neck. She nuzzled against his chin, not managing to bring a smile for once. The snake warily settled down, and the man did as well, placing himself on the chair in front of the machine. Cookie watched as he did a few motions with his hands, bringing up the holographic display. He was going to talk to the machine; she knew not to interrupt.

“This... This is it...” he muttered. “I’ve lead countless assaults before, but this... This matters so much more.” Father wiped a bead of sweat off of his forehead. “It’s personal now... Not to sound selfish, but it is.”

“We’re quickly losing ground, but we’re gaining time. I never expected Becker to actually pull it off, but... He got every single known race on this planet to help him... How foolish of me.”

Father sighed, “Standard protocol states that when an extremely promising race is found, they must be assimilated into the USC at once... Mostly because we haven’t found many other species than the Lakuran or the Gektar. The rest of the sentients we’ve found tried to kill us, or are still fighting.”

The man shook his head and laughed. “Becker did it! Not only with one species, but a whole planet of them... This may as well save him the execution if I don’t kill him first, and if I don’t, then I’ll be the one with the noose around my neck... If I live, that is...”

“The only option is to go all-out. Millions of men and women have placed their trust in me, and I’m not going to give up until...” he trailed off, looking down at Cookie. A wave of fear washed over her body as Father continued, “Until I die...”

“I... I never wanted for this to happen, but... I have to. I need to finish what I started...”

“Jenna, Laury... Wherever you are... I love you both.”

Father?

Cookie could not help but to be concerned. She watched in silence as Father carried her through and out of the metallic city. Men and women looked in silence, saluting as the man made his way. She simply wrapped herself around his neck and closed her eyes.

Father’s footsteps changed from metallic thumps, to something else. Cookie opened her eyes to see the metal city getting smaller as more distance was put between it and her. Concerned, she nuzzled against Father's chin, then looked up at him to see tears streaming down his face. What happened? Did she make him sad? She continued to show her affection in vain hope of making the tears stop.

Eventually, the big biped came to a halt near a forest. Cold, unwelcoming. He kneeled down and gingerly unwrapped Cookie from his neck. What was happening? She was placed onto the ground, as several tears from Father fell down. “I’m so sorry...”

Father...? Please, no...

She coiled up around his arm. Please, Father!

“Cookie... You have to find someone who will love you... I... I don’t know anymore...”

No... Please... She strengthened her grip around Father’s arm. I don’t want to go! I want to see Mother and Little Mother again!

“For months, you’ve been my only friend... But you need to find someone else... I don’t know if I will live, but I promise that I will find you if I do...”

Father...

Slowly, the man unwrapped Cookie from around his arm. She could not do anything but to look up at him, wishing she could cry. Gingerly she was set upon the cold ground, already wanting to be back in her warm home. Why was Father going to die? Her only desire was to die with him, not alone.

She turned to the cold forest, sensing the danger awaiting her. The concept of being alone was already terrifying; why did she have to live through such a thing? She turned back to Father, only to find an empty vastness of land all around her. Defeated, she slowly rolled up and rested her head upon the ground, closing her eyes and managing to shed a single tear.

Why...

“Everything is ready, sir. We’re just waiting for your go ahead.”

“Good. We start now. And remember, we’re only bringing the package so Becker knows we can use it.”

“Yes sir!”

A tremor shook the transport vessel he was in, interrupting his mental review of the last conversation he had before joining the final assault. Jack could not help but to instinctively open his eyes, finding himself looking at the faceplate held in his hands. He drew in a deep breath, sighing it out as he placed the piece of armor over his face. Ready, concerned, filled to the brim with fear. He got up and held onto the railings above, carefully walking over to the cabin of the small craft, observing the view the holoscreens provided. The Vector, in all its massive size, getting closer. All around it did ships soar in every direction, battling each other with ruthless perfection.

“Status?” he asked, leaning over the pilot.

“Green, sir. The infiltration team has cleared the landing zone, and our escort is in nominal status.”

“What about the package?”

“Ready to be deployed at your orders.”

With a single nod, Jack watched as the small escort approached one of the hangars. He reached behind his back, taking the rifle set on his powerpack, checking the magazine, and gripping it tightly. Turning around to face the currently closed ramp, thoughts of his family and Cookie flitted through his mind. No more than images, gone from their physical form, into a void. He armed himself with confidence.

“Flight Lieutenant... I want a no-bullshit status report.” The pilot fell silent shortly after.

“Y-yes sir...” the man muttered. “We’re not gonna last long unless we get Becker to cease fire.”

“Copy that...” Jack sighed. “He’s on the bridge, isn’t he?”

“Affirmative... We’ve got all of our forces assaulting the bridge. The androids are coming by the hundreds... This is our last chance.”

“Get the package ready, but don’t trigger it yet,” Jack muttered, still facing the ramp. A few minutes were spent in silence. He heard the ship’s engines slow down. It was time. He gripped his rifle tightly.

“LZ clear, lowering down...”

Without a hitch, the small vessel landed. The ramp opened, making way for Jack to exit into the bowels of the Vector. Calmly, he looked around, soldiers running to and fro. Friendlies. Bodies of damaged androids blanketing the metallic floor of the hangar. A heavy ran over to him, giving a quick salute, yelling and pointing towards a direction he cared not to go. Jack continued to walk, ignoring his surroundings.

“Move, move!”

“Cover the Commander!”

Fear washing over her, Lieutenant Demia dragged herself deeper into the storage room deep in the vastness of the Vector, where all the critical systems were set. The last one of her squad, and already fading away. Her suit, malfunctioning, unable to communicate with anybody else. The room was safe, none knew she was there. Her last strength used to approach a single object, pressing a single button before sighing out her last breath.

He slid to a stop, panting. Soon did the remaining troopers of his escort follow. This was it. The only thing standing between him and Becker, a single blast door. Time running out. Enemy reinforcements soon to arrive. Jack reloaded his rifle.

“Remember,” he said, “We want him alive...”

“Yes sir!”

A single combat engineer approached the blast doors, tossing a magnetic breach charge onto it before walking back to the group. “Behind me!” Jack aimed his weapon at the door, everyone else following his actions.

Silence... The ticking of the charge getting faster.

This is it, old man...

The charge went off, blowing off a large chunk of the metallic door. Immediately, a heavy rushed over to it and forced it open the rest of the way. Once done, Jack and the rest of his squad followed, into the command bridge of the Vector.

Nothing but consoles greeted them. The lights, off. The viewscreens, off. Jack tossed his rifle to the side.

He yelled out, “Stop hiding, old man!”

“I’m right here, Commander.” Jack and his team turned to see Becker appear from a dark corner, his arms behind his back, unmasked. Jack unholstered his pistol and aimed it at him, the troopers aiming their weapons as well.

“Becker...” Jack stepped closer to the man, keeping the pistol aimed on his head. “You knew we were coming... You didn’t do anything about it. Why?”

“Is there a point to it?” the old man said. “I’m not afraid to die, neither are you. There’s no reason for more bloodshed.”

“You’re gonna give up? Just like that?”

“No. I’m only giving up once you understand.”

“Understand what!?” Jack yelled. “All I want, is for us to go back home. Why in hell do you want to stop that!?”

Becker looked to the side. “It’s not that... This is much bigger.” He began to pace around the room, all weapons following his trace. “Why do you think they speak Terran? The so called ‘magic’? This isn’t as simple as a failed hyperjump. Nor is it a corporate experiment. We’re much deeper in this shit than you can imagine.” He gestured towards the consoles. “The long-range comms are working, but we're not receiving any signals... not a goddamn thing... Do you see it?” He stepped over to Jack. “We’ve mapped the stars, Commander! All the anomalies, including the damned orbital pattern of this hellhole!” Becker pointed his finger at the Commander. “Why haven’t I told this to the crew? Do you think they can handle it? This is some fucked up shit, Jack! We’re not getting out of here any time soon, and all I’m trying to do is to set us up a nice place to stay on until we can finally find a way!”

“You’re lying!” Jack pointed his pistol at the Admiral’s head. “Even if all that bullshit you just spouted is true, it’s still your fault that most of us got recalled back into service!”

“Damnit, Jack! I was given orders, and I followed them! Would you have done any different?! You’re not even thinking straight anymore, are you?” Becker sighed and turned around. “You can try and find a way, but you'll only leave this world and its people in ruins, and you’ll be stuck in uncharted space for the rest of your life, and you'll take the rest of the damned crew with you! Is that what you want!? Even if you go back to the USC, High Command will hang you for what you did to the people of this world...” Becker looked over his shoulder. “Would your family be okay with all that you’ve done?”

"Damnit Becker!” he yelled. This is about my damn family! I signed up to be protecting them, not aiding and abetting a deserter!"

"Then tear out the black box! Even I can't doctor that!” Becker gestured towards the bridge. “Go on, I can't stop you. We're lost, Jack. We're lost in a graveyard. I know how it sounds, but think about it Jack. Is that really the best I could do? I could have locked us down on radio silence, claimed we were evading Ubor patrols. I could have said anything, and an entire galaxy of dead planets is the best I could do?"

Jack huffed. "So I'm just supposed to buy that? Just accept that every, single, planet from here to god knows how far is a dead rock? And that you'd go back, and be hanged willingly?"

“Am I armed Jack? Do I look like a man who's afraid to die?"

The Commander shook his head, breathing heavily. “Damnit!” He spun around and shot a console, sending sparks flying across the bridge. The troopers behind him lowered their weapons. “Why didn’t you tell me before!?”

"I saw you, Jack. You were already unstable, anxious, dangerously homesick. You wanted to go back, to go back and look for your family, fix your LIFE. The very fact that we were UNIVERSALLY lost would have set you over the brink. As it doubtfully would have with many of the crew. I needed more time to come up with a solution. To build relations with the only link we could find in this whole galaxy!"

Silverback growled. "I was one of your top officers, I should have been informed despite ANY personal issues I may have had with the situation" His teeth had clenched, tears had formed, His eyes widened with realization, rage, and sadness.

"If I..." His voice wavered for a moment. He steadied it."If I had known..." He built up to roar of regretful anguish. "Anything about this, then-" He flailed his arms about, in a general reference to everything that surrounded them "All of this would have been avoided! Brothers would not be killing brothers on some forsaken world, the Vector would not be shooting down her sister ships, and I..." Silverback relaxed; his arms falling to his sides, his head bowing. "I would never had pointed a gun at an old friend."

Becker shook his head. "You think that this hadn't crossed my mind? I too wish that none of this had happened, but look at yourself! Look at how angry you are and ask yourself, Would you have been any more rational if you had just learned, out of the blue, that the likelihood of ever reestablishing contact with the USC was practically zero? That you would never learn if your family was safe?"

"I had a duty... I wouldn't have let my personal feelings get in the way of that."

"I had several psychological evaluations that disagreed with you, Jack. I was doing my job to the best of my ability. Anybody who was to learn of the true extent of our predicament had to be carefully selected. This ship had 5 billion people on it, over half of them with situations similar to your's, and not many as strongly willed. Just imagine If I had made the information public! It would have been mass hysteria. As the admiral of this ship, I couldn't have allowed that."

Silverback had gone completely silent. The Heavies behind him were shifting awkwardly and looking at each other, each one reviewing what they had just heard. The silence was broken by Silverback. "What are you going to do now, Becker?"

"Help me end this needless war. Gather your men, let them reunite with their brothers, help the poor inhabitants of this planet to recover. Maybe someday we'll even make it back to the USC. All you need to do is calm down and grasp hold of hope."

Jack leaned over the broken console, sighing and shakily bringing a finger to his helmet. “This.. is Commander Silverback to all forces... Retreat. I repeat, retreat back to home base.” He glared at Becker. “We have the Vector under our control, no need for more fighting. Stop at once...”

“Error: long-range comms, unavailable.”

“Shit...” he muttered, turning to the Admiral. “I can stop the fight on the ship, but not on the planet...” Becker nodded in response.

“Do what you can.”

The Commander pressed a finger against his helmet. “Package escort team, do you read me?” he asked, receiving static as a response. “I repeat: do you copy?”

Jack slowly turned to Becker. “Adam... We need to get to one of the supply rooms on the next sector. It’s only a few hundred meters away, so we have to go. Now.”

The old man turned around and raised an eyebrow. “Why is that?”

“I’ll... I’ll tell you on the way.” He stood upright and gestured for Becker to follow, then looked over his shoulder at the concerned troopers. “Stay here.”

Jack briskly walked out of the bridge, Becker trailing behind. “Keep up, old man!” he yelled as he began to run through the metallic hallways.

“What did you do, Jack!?” Becker yelled as he ran after him.

“We brought a bomb in here!” Jack turned around a corner.

“What!?”

“I don’t think it’s triggered, but we have to make sure!”

He skidded to a halt in front of a closed blast door, Becker following the same action. Jack turned to him. “Open it.”

Without hesitation, Becker stood next to the door, typing in a small console next to it. With a loud hiss, the set of doors parted open, allowing both of the men to walk in.

“Shit...” Becker muttered, rushing over to the corpse of a Raider, lying right next to a beeping object displaying a set count of numbers. “Ten minutes... Why the hell did you bring this in here and why did you trigger it!?”

Jack walked over to him and kneeled down. “I lost contact with the team in charge of this thing... They must’ve gotten desperate.”

“Five minutes until detonation...”

“I can’t get a tech team here! They’ll take too long!” Becker yelled.

“Then let me do it,” Jack replied, grabbing Becker by the collar and pulling him away. “We have to get it out of the ship.” He crouched down and picked up the bomb, setting it on the magnetic locks on his back.

“Jack-”

“I’m finishing what I started, old man...” He walked over to the exit and looked over his shoulder. “Don’t waste this chance, ‘cause you won’t get another one.”

No hesitation, no fear. Jack looked on ahead and began a walk that slowly turned into a sprint. His powerful legs combined with the syntex muscle accelerated him into a ludicrous speed as he ran through the damaged halls of the Vector. Dumbfounded troopers stared in silence as he ran past them. He followed the broken signs set on the ceiling, into a tram station, where no cart awaited for him. Jack unholstered his pistol and shot the control console, prompting the hatch that separated the empty vacuum of the tram system from the rest of the ship to open.

With a loud grunt, he took a running jump into the tram system and fired up his suit’s thrusters. No air to provide resistance, he kept accelerating through the ship.

“It was a decisive moment for all of us...”

Jack dodged an incoming tram, then grab onto another one and pushed himself up to achieve even more speed.

“Even if he didn’t realize...”

He neared one of the critical points of the ship: a service hatch right in the middle of the tram system. He grabbed hold of his pistol and shot the small console next to it, forcing it to open, revealing a passage that cut all the way through the hull of the ship.

“It’s been too long since they arrived... So much has changed. We built cities, some that swallowed others. Buildings that scratched the heavens. All of these amazing things, thanks to them. I like to think that we would have never achieved all of this without them.. without him.”

Silverback fired up his thrusters once again as he sped through the passage, out into the void of space. He manually diverted energy from all of his systems into the ion accelerators, making his way through the cloud of debris outside the Vector.

“He started it all, he ended it all. With the weight of thousands of souls upon his shoulders, he didn’t even look back. He knew what he had to do. The very fate of us all, right on himself. Some think of him as a hero, raising statues in his honor. Others antagonize him...”

The man maneuvered out of the combat zone, heading towards the moon.

“The changelings were right: he was just different, but not bad. He could have ended us all that night, but he chose to sacrifice himself for us... all of us.”

Everything but the sound of his own breathing was gone. The moon getting closer after each blink.

“I can’t even begin to imagine what his thoughts were at that time. We can only speculate. All I can say is that he knew what he had to do. He was driven to finish what he started, one way or another.”

The timer kept shortening. His speed kept increasing.

“I do know what the last image that crossed his mind was, though...”

Arcturus charged, gunfire all around. The friendly heavies behind him fought to cover him and the other changelings as they charged forward. One of his kin was hit by a gauss shell, covering him in their remains.

“For that single moment, everything seemed to stop as the sky caught fire.”

A bright flash interrupted him. He skidded to a halt, looking up at the moon to see a massive aura forming behind it. The gunfire died out. Everyone looked up.

“I guess he saw what he most wanted to see...”

“Family...”

“Luna!?” Celestia yelled out, rushing through the palace halls. The ground quaked with tremors that reached the foundation of the very planet.. Busts fell off of their stands, paintings crashed to the floor, which already was cracking open itself.

“LUNA!” she screamed, bashing through the broken doors of the main hall to see a bright light enveloping her agonized sister.

“But sometimes, we just have to let go...”

“Luna...”

“Sacrifices have to be made, and sometimes you don’t even know when.”

“Oh my...” News Flash dropped her microphone as she looked at the sky. The riot she was reporting on fell silent, everyone forgetting their differences for just one moment.

“But it happens so our fate can remain true...”

“They united us, he divided them. But it was ultimately him who united everyone as a whole. The ‘United Species Coalition’ rose.”

I dropped my quill as the flash entered my room. I stopped what I was doing to look through the window, seeing the same as millions of others.

“The last words he said, directed to Becker, were ‘Don’t waste this chance, because you won’t get another one.’”

“T-Twilight...?” I turned around to see Spike, his little legs shaking in fear. I briskly trotted over to him and hugged him, fearing for my own life as well.

“Truer words were never spoken before... He lost everything, so he could give us another chance. We learned to appreciate what we already had.”

Both Atlas and Torres opened their eyes, seeing a bright flash emanate through the broken windows of the small building. The troopers, ready to fire at them, lowered their weapons to see the same.

“Now we are the new USC, and our history is marked in steel and fire... It’s hard to think that I was one of the very first to interact with the humans... And every event after that led towards this single event...”

“W-what’s happening, Twilight?” Spike muttered as he hugged me as hard as he could.

Ignoring my fear, I hugged him as close as possible. “Just close your eyes, everything’s going to be fine...”

“And after that, we rose from the ashes. With their help, we now touch the heavens... But we couldn’t help but to see the end of the world for just one second; enough for us to be reborn.”

“All thanks to the man of silver...”

Cold, so cold…

A snake slithered through the forest as the sun hung over the horizon, the last hours of light upon the land. Cookie stopped moving, a flake of snow landing on her head. A sudden realization hit her: she would not survive the night without shelter. She pondered for a minute or two whether or not she should bother at all. Father was long gone, and all she’d had to eat was a dead rat about seven suns ago.

She felt out of place in this land, as all the other creatures scurried away when they realized her presence. Cookie had never seen small critters similar to herself in years, so she wondered: are they pets, too? Did they lose their families like she did? Why didn’t they talk to her? It was at that point that she noticed—several tree branches up—a sizeable, wide-eyed and feathered being who had just landed upon what appeared to be a nest. She tilted her head to the side, curious, watching as it offered a small dead rodent to other tiny creatures inside the nest.

Babies?

She stared for a moment, then closed her eyes: she needed shelter, or someplace warm. So, she kept slithering through the forest, noticing a lingering smell that was seemingly spreading through the air with each flick of her tongue.

A clearing could be seen—a field of sorts. Meanwhile, the smell kept getting stronger, only for another scent to follow:

Smoke… something burning.

“Fire!” she thought, slithering faster towards the clearing, her only chance to survive perhaps near.

Then, she could finally start to decipher the smell: like meat left out in the air for too long, and blood, lots of blood. Cookie stuck her tongue out in the air, remembering the taste of blood from that time she nibbled too hard on Father’s finger.

At that point, the smell had simply become too much. It was everywhere: coming from the air, the ground… she raised her head, seeing fires burning in the distance. She slithered faster, bumping into something metallic.

She looked down and reeled back at the sight. It looked like Father, but he was bloody and cold. She looked into his eyes, and they stared back, motionless, nothing but a dead stare. The smell was overwhelming, and she slowly realized that the figure on the ground was the source. Carefully, she prodded him in the nose, only to get no response.

Why wasn’t he moving? Was he asleep? Why so much blood? Why did he smell like rotting meat?

Cookie realized that the man was in trouble. She used her body to prop herself up so she could perhaps get help for the bloodied man.

Then she became aware of her surroundings.

There were dozens—no, hundreds of men just laying in the bloodied fields, all motionless. Dead, she came to realize. Her mind raced with thoughts, noticing other creatures lying dead, alongside them. They had four legs, some had wings and some had horns, and others had lots of feathers. She wanted to cry, just for the thought of Father’s body being lost along with the rest.

Cookie shook her head, looking at the nearest fire, and began to awkwardly slither between the bodies. She could hear something else: voices.

Voices!

She hurried up, noticing a group of small figures grouped around a campfire.

She slowed down, getting as close as she could without being noticed, then laid low on some grass, listening.

“I can’t stand the smell…” a voice, male, muttered.

“I...” a far more quiet, female voice muttered back. “I never thought I’d see so many… dead...”

“We volunteered for the cleanup,” another female said. “Corpses aren’t just gonna get up and walk to the burial sites, right?”

Cookie watched as the three figures sat by the fire. They were short. And colorful, too. Her attention was drawn to the yellow one with wings. She seemed like the nicest of the three. And so, she slowly slithered out of the grass, heading towards the yellow person.

“Just one more week of—” One of them froze, looking at Cookie from over the yellow one’s shoulder. “Snake!” she yelled, jumping up and taking a few steps back.

“I knew the smell would get some of these darned predators in here!” another one yelled. “Get a stick or something!”

Cookie closed her eyes, curling up into a ball in terror.

“Stop!” the formerly quiet one yelled out.

Everything fell silent again, nothing but the crackling of the fire. Cookie opened one eye, looking at the yellow creature, sitting on her haunches and smiling down at Cookie with a motherly expression.

“Awww…” she cooed, slowly and carefully lifting Cookie off the ground

The snake, in turn, nuzzled against her chest, desperately seeking warmth.

“You’re lost, aren’t you?”

The snake nodded.

“I’m Fluttershy,” the creature said, hugging Cookie.

“Don’t worry, I’m here for you,” Fluttershy said, smiling down at Cookie.

Cookie closed her eyes, cuddling against Fluttershy, feeling safe for the first time in weeks.

Celestia trotted through the metallic halls of the Vector, accompanied by Twilight. They ducked under a collapsed beam being repaired by a team of human engineers. Every now and then, they would make their way past some damaged wall panel or blast door, though what made her more uneasy were the occasional bullet holes or explosion marks. Humans could be observed walking to and fro, repairing the damage on their ship—damage that they, themselves, had caused.

She found it odd that the humans had made amends with each other so quickly, although she did observe that they were still tense. One moment they were shooting gauss shells at each other, and the next, they were working together to repair the damage on their vessel.

“... As I was saying,” Twilight continued, “signing this pact will allow us access to knowledge far beyond any of us!”

“Twilight…” Celestia sighed.

“True, Silverback’s decision to detonate the bomb behind the moon—”

“Twilight,” Celestia said, frowning. “He almost killed my sister, and none of us know if she will ever be the same, let alone the damage he did to the moon.”

“Yes, yes,” Twilight continued. “It was a brash choice, but like Becker said, the blast would’ve blown away the atmosphere!”

“What I’m saying, Twilight,” Celestia said while rounding a corner, almost bumping into a group of guardsmen, “is that if all humans make brash decisions like this, with such drastic outcomes, I can’t expect them to play nice and help us form a ‘New, unified government, and a better way of life with every race working as one,’ like Becker said.”

“We have to try!” Twilight retorted. “The pony way of life is to accept everypo—I mean, everyone, no matter their differences! Well…” Twilight looked down. “Unless they’re undeniably evil.”

“Humans are not evil. I understand that,” Celestia began, slowly coming to a stop along with Twilight in front of a large set of blast doors. She looked down at her student, raising an eyebrow. “But they are very unpredictable, and that can be dangerous.” The blast doors hissed as they began to part. “Either way, the future will be decided during this short meeting.”

With the blast doors opened to their full capacity, a large chamber was presented to both Celestia and Twilight. In the center was a round, metallic table. Around it sat ambassadors from each country and race, including Docaro, the zebra ambassador; Arcturus, the changeling ambassador; and Gabriel, newly appointed ambassador of the Gryphon kingdom.

Observing the table, as silent as could be, were dozens of spectators from every race. Celestia cleared her throat, approaching the center along with Twilight and calmly sitting down at their designated spots. At the other end of the table, wearing a full suit of armor, stood Supreme Admiral Becker. He placed his hands behind his back and looked at every single one of the people sitting at the table.

“This meeting is now in session,” he spoke up. “As you all know, both the people of this planet and my own are currently at a crossroads. At the end of this final reunion, the future fate of each of our species will be decided… We have been arguing the terms for far too long. A resolve needs to be put forth!”

Celestia sighed, calmly standing up. “Admiral,” she began, “do you not think that perhaps this... ‘solution’ is being set forth too quickly?”

“Celestia,” Becker began, nodding at her. “You could not be nearer to the truth, but the planet—its people—are in pain. Humanity wants to help repair the damage it itself has done, but the help needs to be officialized, and we need to secure a stable relationship with all of you, because a way back to our home is not even yet on the horizon. Silverback understood that… He did so much damage, and it cost us so much, but in the end… he understood.” Becker placed his hands on the table. “And what we need right now is for all of you to understand as well. We’re looking at the future here…”

Gabriel stood up, placing his claws on the table. “What we understand is the irreparable damage humanity has caused to my people!”

Docaro was next, standing up. “Your people began the original war in the first place—and it was not all of humanity, but those who succumbed to the fear of losing everything. If they had been offered hope to start with, if all of us had handled the situation better, perhaps we could have avoided the war.” He looked straight into the Gryphon’s eyes. “We did not do it at the beginning, but we can do it now, and hopefully save ourselves more pain.”

“Entire Gryphon cities were leveled!” Gabriel exclaimed. “It’ll take decades to reclaim our former glory!”

“With our help, Gabriel,” Becker said in a stern tone, “it will take a fraction of that.”

“Am I supposed to make peace with the aliens who devastated my people!?”

Celestia opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by Twilight, “We need to forgive them! I understand it’s hard to let go over so many lives, but I have seen the knowledge humanity has to offer! We could be reaching the stars in a couple years, tops!”

Arcturus stood up. “The arrival of the humans is the event that finally dragged my people out of a dark age! The Changeling Republic stands with them!

Becker sighed. “Gabriel… My people are devastated, too. You have a place and a history to rebuild over, but we… we only have what we carried with us. There’s no home as of yet, only a ship and a shortening amount of supplies.” The admiral leaned over the table, frowning. “Like Twilight Sparkle said: we have an amount of knowledge and technology that could slingshot the people of this planet into the space age! All we ask is for a place to call home!”

The people around the table fell silent as the spectators whispered to each other. Gabriel frowned, sitting down along with the others. Becker waved a hand over a small console on the table in front of him, prompting a holographic display to appear in front of himself and for every ambassador.

“This needs to be decided now... “ he began. “Everyone who signs this document will take part in the newly formed ‘United Species Coalition’. Trade routes will be built between each agreeing nation, with the use and knowledge of our technology being granted to those who prove worthy, and doled to the rest as to not cause a technological clash. The military of each nation will be assimilated into the Colonial Guard, trained and equipped to be the first, best, and firmest line of defense the new USC will have against any external or internal threats. Each nation’s agricultural and industrial processes will receive aid from us and boost their production twentyfold. Apex, our colony, will begin to accept the citizens regardless of their race, and will provide dignified housing for those who need it, while continuing to expand.”

“And to finish,” Becker continued, “free medical and psychological aid will be granted to anyone affected by the conflict, soldier and civilian alike…” He looked over at the people around the table. “Wave a hoof, or claw, over the display to show your agreement. If you choose to not sign, you are in your full right not to do so.”

Arcturus was the first to wave his hoof over the display, prompting it to turn blue. He looked and smiled at Becker, who nodded at him.

Celestia looked over at Twilight, who was sitting with her eyes wide open. She sighed, looking straight at Becker’s eyes while she waved her hoof over the display, prompting Twilight to release a sigh of relief.

Gabriel was breaking into a cold sweat, slowly extending his claw to wave it over the display, then stopping. Everyone in the chamber had their eyes set on him in complete silence. He closed his eyes, waving his claw over the display, then looking down, defeated.

Afterwards, all eyes were set on Docaro, who sat completely silent. “My people are the ones least affected by these past conflicts,” he began, looking at Becker. “As much as we appreciate the offer, we are not ready to join this… new world order. All we ask is for soldiers to be kept out of Zebrica while we observe how the world changes… Like I said, we do not deny your offer, but neither do we accept it.”

“I understand,” Becker said, nodding. “Humanity has naught to fix in a country where it has done no damage. We accept your terms, and hope to be allies in the future…” He placed his hands behind his back.

“As of now,” Becker stated, “Equestria, the Gryphon Kingdom, the Changeling Republic, and humanity, are one! I welcome forth the United Species Coalition!” The spectators remained silent for a second, then began applauding.

And so, the new USC was born.

“Woah… Apex has grown a lot since the last time I visited…”

“Never been here myself…” Applejack mumbled, looking down at her sister. “I’ve seen a lot of wooden buildings in my life, even concrete! But this… Where’d they get all that metal?”

Apple Bloom grimaced, carelessly kicking about a small bolt, feeling the weight of the apple cart behind her. “One of ‘em told me they pull mountains off of the ground,” she said, looking up at Applejack, whose eyes had widened upon hearing the words. “But they also told me they only do that on planets without people on them…”

“Phew…” Applejack sighed, slowly coming to a stop with the cart full of apples behind her. “Now where…” She looked around, hoof tapping against the metallic pavement. Her neck craned around, gazing up at the numerous humans that walked to and fro upon the streets of Apex. Her ears flicked upon hearing a loud, thumping sound, then looked behind her to see a large human inside a machine effortlessly carrying about a massive crate.

“Careful!” the human yelled. “Loader coming through!”

“E-eh…” she muttered, stepping to the side, then staring up. “G-good luck with that… crate, partner!”

“No worries,” he exclaimed back. “I handle high explosives like this all day!” he chuckled as he stomped off.

“Wha…” she mumbled. “What do they need all those explosives for, even?”

“It’s how they get all the metal!” Applebloom said, smiling. “Instead of picking away at rocks, they just blow ‘em up altogether!” Together, they continued to drag their carts around. “Very efficient!”

“Pfft!” Applejack scoffed. “What’ll ya’ tell me next? That they can make apples weigh three pounds and make them grow twice as fast all year?”

“Uhh…” Applebloom looked away. “Nooo… T-they didn’t say that.” She scratched behind her ear. “Can we switch the subject?”

“Yeah,” the mare said, frowning. With one hoof, she reached inside her hat, pulling out a small piece of paper. She squinted, reading it. “Where in apples is ‘Supply bay six-seventy beta’...?”

“No clue.” The filly looked up. “We should probably ask of of ‘em.”

“Right.” Applejack stuffed the letter back into her hat. “Should just get these apples to that one place and go see Rainbow Dash, it’s gettin’ late.”

“Howdy!” Applejack exclaimed, looking up at a passing woman. “We need some uh, directions.”

The woman looked down. “Oh my…” she mumbled, kneeling down. “I didn’t believe what the ground teams were saying but… ponies really are little!” she chuckled as Applejack hid her blush behind her hat. “You do look a little lost, though. Where do you need to go?”

“Supply bay six-seventy beta!” Applebloom exclaimed. “Got a load of apples for them!”

“Apples?” the woman asked, furrowing her brow and looking at the red produce. “That’s fruit, right?”

Applejack shot her a devastated look. “Ya’ don’t know what apples are!?”

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Right, well, we used to have apples in our native planet. I’ve heard they’re a real delicacy now!” The woman smiled, rubbing her chin with one hand. “Do you… Do you mind if I take one? I’ve only heard stories of the taste!”

“Of course!” Applejack happily exclaimed, hastily turning back, grabbing an apple and offering it to the woman. “I believe everypo-, I mean, everybody, should always have the option to relax and have an apple!”

“Ooh…” The woman smiled, taking the apple. “You’re so nice!” She slowly brought the ripe red fruit to her mouth, taking a small bite out of it. Applejack grinned and looked up to her expectantly as she chewed.

“Wow!” she exclaimed, taking another bite. “This is what my people ate a thousand years ago! And it’s really good!”

“The apple family’s apples always deliver!” she exclaimed, nodding.

“You said you were going to bay six-seventy B?” she asked while chewing. “I think Randall’s there. You need to get these apples to him, he’s right around the corner!” She pointed behind her with her thumb. “Thanks for the apple! I need to get to my post, though, so I hope we see each other again!”

“See ya’!” both of the ponies exclaimed, waving their hooves at the woman.

Together, they began walking again, apple carts in tow. They rounded a corner, finding themselves in front of a small warehouse. The two looked at each other, frowning.

Applejack knocked on the door, hearing the sound of breaking glass inside and someone shouting the word, “Shit!” They took one step backwards as someone on the other side began to fumble with the door. “I’ll have you know that I just spilled grade-three genenanites ‘cause of you!” The door swung open, allowing for a man in a lab coat, hazard goggles, and patchy, burnt hair to stand outside.

He looked around. “No one, eh? I’ll get the intellicam footage, and your ass is gonna get a combat boot stuck far inside of it!”

“Uhm…” Applejack muttered. “Down here…”

“Huh?” the man inquired, then looked down. “Well fuck me… natives!” He exclaimed, kneeling down. “Command said they wouldn’t give me a specimen, let alone two!”

“Hey!” Applejack yelled as the man lifted propped her up by grabbing her forelegs.

“And females, too!” he laughed. “Perhaps Command wants me to experiment on these two, oh the possibilities!”

“We’re just here to bring apples!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. The man froze.

“Oh…” He let go of Applejack, dusting her off letting her stand on her own. “Right… Forgot about this little delivery…” He chuckled. “Sorry for uh, examining you. I was expecting humans! I knew ‘Applejack’ was a weird name for a woman!”

“Offense taken,” Applejack mumbled.

“So that’s the apples, huh?” He stood up. “Come in, come in! Name’s Randall, by the way, nice to meet you!”

The two sisters glanced at each other before walking into the warehouse, greeted by the sight of many plants, glass jars with weird things inside of them, and many test tubes lying around. “You were probably expecting an actual supply bay or something, heh!” He hastily swiped a bunch of holopads and other paraphernalia off of a table, letting them clutter up on the floor. “I was just assigned to this place as a temporary lab, you see!” He briskly made his way over to an apple cart and took an apple. “I’ve been told I’m part of the team examining native flora!” He produced a knife and sliced it in half. “If everything goes right, we’ll be growing fruit four times the size of this one and in half the time!”

“Wha-!” Applejack exclaimed.

“And that’s the problem!” Randall continued yelling. “Nothing’s gone right so far!” He stuffed one apple half into his mouth. “Everything in this planet or, uh, dimension just resists changes on it’s base genetic code!” The two ponies watched as he stuffed the other half of the apple into a jar, grabbed a small syringe filled with dark liquid, and carefully placed a single little droplet on the apple. “You see,” Randall grabbed the jar with the apple. “When genenanites are applied,” he exclaimed, watching the apple slowly start to decompose, “the whole thing starts dying! Now, this only applies to vegetables so far, so we’ll have to resort to less invasive methods to grow bigger fruit faster!” He placed the jar on the table. “We’re not even considering animals or other beings so far…”

“Hold it right there for one second!” the orange mare yelled, causing Randall to flinch in surprise. “Ya’ mean to tell me you plan to grow bigger apples and faster than me and my family!? That’s gonna put us out of business!”

“Huh?” Randall looked down at her, eyebrow raised. “Oh, right!” He stuffed his hand into his pocket, fumbling about until he produced a small holopad, reading it. “We’re not aiming to put anyone out of business, just…” He sighed.

“Just what!?” Applejack glared at him.

“Things are gonna change, Applejack,” Randall said, speaking in a softer tone, his eyes shifting back and forth between the two ponies. “There are many more mouths to feed, and they’re hungry.” He turned and walked over to the table. “You and your family will remain in charge, but we uh…” The man placed his hands on the table. “We strongly suggest you accept our help.” He turned to face her. “We’ll provide workers and technology, all we want is to boost production.”

“No.”

“Applejack-!” Randall exclaimed.

“No way I’m gonna do that! It goes against what my family has done for generations!” she yelled. “We’re a family business, and it’ll stay that way!”

Randall looked down at the floor. “Apple-”

Applejack waved her hooves around. “Now yer coming to me asking to destroy all that!?”

“It’ll…” Randall began. “It’ll happen with or without your help,” he said, closing his eyes. “Save me the speeches, I’ve heard them all in a dozen different languages.” He turned back, leaned down and began to pick up all the items he had thrown on the floor. “I’ve done this several times,” he said, placing some of the items on the table. “You have to adapt, Applejack. If you don’t give way for progress, it’ll chew you down until there’s nothing left.” The man walked over to her, crouching down. “You’ll be swallowed by the rising mega-corporations, you’ll fall into bankruptcy and be forced to sell your farm for a few credits.”

“How can you be so sure about that?” Applejack asked. “You’ve no idea what the Apple family can pull through!”

“I’ve seen this happen time and time again,” Randall stood back up. “We’ve met many other species along our galaxy. Usually this would be a much slower process, but given the current circumstances, we need this now.” He looked to the side. “You don’t have to give up your family or all of your traditions, but if you don’t adapt, you’ll lose it all anyways.”

Applejack closed her eyes, covering her face with her hat as she began to shed a few tears.

“That’s it, huh…?” Applebloom asked.

“I hate to be the one to tell you all this,” Randall said, sighing, “but you need to give this a shot. We don’t expect an answer right now, but it’ll have to be quick. You can save parts of the ship, but if you stay in it, you’ll sink to the bottom.”

“Let’s go…” Applejack grabbed her sister, turning around and heading for the exit.

“Damnit all…” Randall muttered, watching them go.

“Would you like some more ice cream?” the nurse asked.

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes, instinctively trying to flare her wings open in surprise, only to feel a sharp sting of pain on her left side. She looked up at the human nurse, smiling. “No thank you.”

“Are your bandages too tight?” the nurse asked, looking over at the mare’s side.

The pony looked over to the window, looking at the cityscape that was Apex. “Nah…” She reached under her pillow, pulling out a book. Rainbow winced as she accidentally pulled a bit on the serum line attached to her foreleg.

A knock on the door made both the nurse and Rainbow to look over. A man peeked through. “Miss Rainbow Dash?” he asked. “You have visitors. Is that alright?”

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, it’s alright.” She watched as Applejack and her sister walked through. The nurse nodded at them on her way out, locking the door behind her.

“Hey AJ, hey Apple Bloom” Rainbow smiled. “Why the long faces?”

“Nothing, just…” Applejack trailed off. “Apple business, is all.” She smiled weakly, walking over to the bed her friend was on. “How’re the humans treating you?”

“Well,” Rainbow began. “I’m feeling alright, just never been hooked to so many things before. I feel a little doozy, cause all the medication.”

“When’s yer new wing gonna be put on?” Applebloom asked, leaning over the bed.

“They said they’re working on it.” Rainbow huffed. “My doctor told me they’ll have the implant done next week or so.” She looked at Applejack. “Are you gonna tell me what’s wrong with you, now?”

“Huh?” Applejack looked away. “Is it.. Is it that obvious?”

“Pretty much,” Rainbow said. “I’ve learned to read you pretty well over the years.”

Applejack sighed. “It’s just that the humans want to take part in the orchard, what with all their fancy technology and such…”

“What’s so bad about that?” Rainbow asked.

“It’s just…” Applejack muttered, looking over at Applebloom. “What if they take over? This is my family business we’re talkin’ about! What me and my family does has been tradition for generations! I can’t let the humans come in take that away!”

Rainbow sighed, “Applejack…” She looked over at that window. “You see that?”

“... What?”

“Apex,” Rainbow continued. “It’s grown from a few little metal buildings into a colony bigger than Canterlot!” She huffed. “You think you can stop this? You think you can stop progress?” The pegasus looked back at Applejack. “Applejack, I lost my fucking wing. I was literally crushed by combat walker.”

“Wha…” Applejack muttered. “But…”

“I really wanted to die the day after,” Rainbow continued. “But they gave me a solution.” She chuckled. “I’m gonna be the first pony to ever receive a cybernetic implant, for clouds’ sakes!” Rainbow took a deep breath, then sighed it out. “I thought I was never gonna fly again, how crazy is that? What makes me myself was taken away, but I’m getting it back. You following me here?”

Applejack sighed. “But… I don’t want to lose what makes me myself.”

“You won’t,” Rainbow continued. “You just have to stop being so stubborn and let some change come your way.” She smiled…

“It’s not that bad, Applejack. Just make a little room for change.”

“Expedition force three-seventy, report to designated hangar bay and get ready for deployment.”

“Come on, Corporal, wake up,” Lieutenant Morrison uttered.

Abel opened his eyes and rubbed them as he yawned. “We finally going?” he asked, looking to his right and across the mess hall, watching as the other Guardsmen enjoyed their meals. Annah stepped into his line of sight, looking into his eyes.

“We’ve been waiting for deployment for hours now,” she said, standing up and flaring open the metallic, razor sharp wings of her suit. “Don’t make the wait any longer.” She leaned over the table and picked up her faceplate, putting it on and prompting a small stream of gas to shoot out as it pressurized.

Abel stretched before grabbing his own faceplate and putting it on, then reached for his rifle, placing it behind his back and activating the magnetic locks of his armor. He stood up along with Morrison.

“Let’s go,” the Lieutenant said. “Hangar’s close, just on the adjacent sector.” He motioned for Annah and Abel to follow.

“So where exactly are we going?” Abel asked.

“We’re not sure yet,” Annah replied, “just some jungle far to the east of the main continent.”

“Huh,” Abel mumbled as they passed through a doorway, out of the mess hall and into a long corridor. “Nothing else? Seems odd for command to be so vague about this.”

“We’re expecting a ‘special asset’ to debrief us once we get to our dropship,” Morrison said, rounding a corner and slowing to a halt before a large set of blast doors.

“Special asset?” Annah inquired, watching as the doors split open. “Some special forces douchebag, I bet.”

“Yeah,” Abel chuckled. “We’ll just have to see, I guess.”

As the blast doors opened to their fullest, the group of Guardsmen walked through and into a massive hangar. Pilots could be seen walking between the many crafts, carrying supplies or maintaining their own. On the ceiling were many other ships, stacked neatly against each other, waiting to be needed once again.

The squad walked over to a landing pad, heading for their designated dropship. They watched as the boarding ramp slowly opened, allowing for a small pony wearing an explorer’s hat to walk out. The three guardsmen looked down at her.

Annah folded her arms. “Who the hell let you on board?” she scoffed.

“Easy, Sergeant,” Morrison tapped her on the shoulder, then looked down at the mare. “I don’t suppose you’re the ‘special asset’, are you?”

“Indeed I am,” the mare replied. “Daring Do, at your service!” She gazed up at the humans, smiling.

“So, uh,” Abel began, raising an eyebrow, “what’s the mission, boss?”

Daring motioned for them to follow as she walked back up the ramp and into the troop bay. “When I found out you humans were doing expedition missions,” she exclaimed, turning to face the squad, “I couldn’t help but to ask to take part! See, I’m an explorer,” the mare smiled, adjusting her hat, “and I’ve been documenting my travels for several years now.”

“Then what’s the point of these missions if the locals already did the work?” Abel asked, sitting down on one of the seats and strapping himself tight. He looked over at the other two humans, who were doing the same.

“Well…” Daring began. “We really had no idea of how large this planet actually was until your people popped up.” The ramp began to close. “As it turns out, most of it is uncharted… Where we’re going right now is far from anywhere anypony has been before, and without your help, it would’ve taken me weeks to get there!”

“Where exactly are we going?” Morrison asked.

“A temple!” Daring exclaimed. “One that I had only seen references to in old writing inside, well, other temples.” She grinned to herself. “I thought it was a dead end at first, but then your people began doing orbital scans of the terrain! Turns out there is an actual temple there!”

“Taking off in one minute,” the pilot said through the intercom. “Buckle up.”

“Uhm…” Daring blushed, walking over to Abel, who raised an eyebrow behind his faceplate. “They don’t have seats for ponies, sooo…. Could you hold me?” Annah snickered as Abel picked Daring up, holding her tight against his chest. “T-thank you…” the pony muttered.

“Taking off,” the pilot said as the ramp locked itself closed. All those inside the dropship could hear the roar of the engines as they blazed to life. Abel looked down at Daring Do, who flinched as she felt the force of the craft taking flight. “We’ve got liftoff, reaching destination in three. Enjoy the ride, Guardsmen.”

“So what exactly do you find in these Temples, Daring?” Annah asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Treasure,” the mare began, “relics, idols, bones…” she trailed off. “I even found an ancient toilet once.”

“Good to know your species has mastered sewage,” Abel chuckled. “Seriously though, what can we expect when we get to this temple?”

“Are we expecting trouble?” Morrison asked.

“I just hope you’re not afraid of spiders.” Daring smiled. “Usually these places are laden with traps and the occasional convoluted riddle you need to solve in order to keep going forward. You three shouldn’t have any problems with such things.”

The group fell silent, with only the sound of the ship’s engines still roaring. Abel looked down at the little pony. “Gosh these things are tiny…” he thought to himself. “And fragile, too…”

“Reaching LZ,” the pilot called out. “Get ready for deployment.”

Abel undid the straps of his seat and let Daring on the floor. She dusted herself off and looked back up at him, muttering, “Thanks.” Abel nodded, then reached over his back and grabbed a hold of his rifle.

The ramp began to open. “Touching down,” the pilot said.

Abel leaned down and gazed out the back of the ship, his visor polarizing as the bright sun shone. A few dozen meters away was a pyramid, surrounded by all kinds of plants, some that roze many meters up into the sky. A flock of birds took flight as he and his squad stepped out of the ship, boots digging into the earth, followed by Daring Do.

“Looks an awful lot like the pictures of pyramids they showed us in pre-school…” Annah muttered.

“Good luck, squad,” the pilot said. “I’ll stay here and wait for exfil.”

“Come on!” Daring exclaimed, zipping between Morrison’s legs and beginning a brisk trot towards the entrance to the temple. The humans looked at each other and shrugged, then followed suit.

“Now this…” Daring stopped in front of the entrance, gazing into the pure darkness inside. “This is old…” She bit into some of the vines covering the way and ripped them off, before spitting them away. “Older than anything else I’ve seen so far…”

Abel stepped up and turned on his suit’s shoulder lamps, illuminating the entrance. A few bugs crawled out of sight once they received light, then some bats flew past the group and into the jungle. “Do you, uh… Do you recognize the architecture, anything?” he asked, looking inside.

“Honestly?” Daring asked, looking into the hole as well. “I’ve no clue.”

“Let’s go inside,” Morrison said, turning on his flashlights as well.

Abel aimed his rifle, then crouched through and into the temple, followed by the others. Their footsteps echoed around the chasms as they walked wandered inside, illuminating the walls with their lights, sometimes shining into broken mirrors that diverted the light everywhere. Daring carefully trekked through, occasional glancing and stopping before a wall to examine it. “Look at all these crystal torches…” Daring tapped one of them with her hoof, prompting it to sparkle a little bit. She glanced up, and made her way to where it had fallen from the nearby wall.

“Strange…” she muttered, blowing a cobweb off the wall and revealing writing behind it. Daring took a few steps forward. “I’ve never seen writing like this in my entire life.”

“Can you make sense of some of it?” Abel asked, looking up to see a spider staring at them from above.

She looked up to see slots on the ceiling with broken glass covered by vines and other plants. “I see glyphs of lightning, and these look like ancient Equestrian for the word ‘Light’...” Daring replied. “This temple probably had some importance to whoever built it… ‘Light’... Maybe that means something...”

"For a temple about light, place seems real short on it now," Annah said. "Let's keep moving. I don't like this."

“Sergeant Annah Teresa: scared of the dark…” Morrison chuckled. “That’s one for the records.”

“Shut up,” Annah retorted, flaring her wings open angrily.

“No time for arguing,” Daring mentioned. “Something inside of this place needs to be found, somewhere…” She motioned for the humans to follow her as she continued delving deeper into the ruins.

A long, distant howl of wind echoed through the chambers. “A draft…” the mare muttered, looking to the right. “Shine a light over there,” she commanded.

The humans aimed their flashlights to where she pointed, illuminating a long, ominous hallway. She motioned for them to follow, and so they did. “There’s some writing here.” She stopped, squinting while observing the wall.

“Threadess Shines and Smiles Upon Us…?”

“What’s that mean?” Abel asked.

“I’ve no idea-” Daring was cut off as the floor below them began to crack under pressure. “Watch out!” she yelled, opening her wings and hovering in place.

“Stupid-” was all Annah could spout out before the entire section of the floor they were in broke open, sending the three humans down a massive chasm. They each perfectly maneuvered in the air, each landing on the ground below with a small quake.

Abel returned to a standing position and grabbed his rifle, dusting off his armor.

“Are you okay!?” Daring yelled as she flew down the hole. “Damnit, how am I gonna get you out of here?”

Morrison opened the jet vents on his suit, producing a small flame. “We solved that problem centuries ago,” he said, motioning towards Annah, who had her metallic wings open.

“Oh…” Daring rubbed her temple with a hoof. “Right.” She looked to the far side of the cave they were at, noticing a faint glimmer at the other end. “Let’s keep going!”

With the humans in tow, Daring lead them towards the light. “Impossible…” she muttered as a new chamber came into view.

All along the circular chamber were purple and pink crystals, each burning with an unnatural flame. Abel and the humans slowly walked in, taking in the visage of colour, noticing several letters, glowing red hot, that were engraved on what seemed like a coffin that sat in the center of the room.

“This is incredible!” Daring Do yelled, fluttering around the chamber. “This is ALL. NEW!” she exclaimed, reading the glowing text on the walls. “Somebody was here recently and built this! Look at all these magic runes!”

“What does the writing say?” Abel asked, carefully stepping closer to the coffin.

“Threadess…” she muttered. “Someone or something was buried here not too long ago, something named ‘Threadess’...”

The whole room grew silent, the runes began to glow stronger. Abel found himself lost, somehow. He squinted, stepping closer to the coffin, beginning to hear strange whispers…

“Come closer…”

Abel extended a hand, slowly laying it on top of the coffin. In a flash, it burst open, shoving the man back with tremendous force.

He lay against the broken stone, dazzled, then weakly looked up to see a cloud of white mist floating above him.

“There is a war coming… They want to exterminate all, and will hear no plea.”

Daring Do turned around as she heard a loud crash, only to see that the coffin had opened and that Abel was lying against the wall, unconscious. “What the hell was that!?” Morrison yelled, rushing over to the man. Daring flew over to the coffin, looking inside.

“What happened!?” Annah yelled, rushing over to the man as well.

The mare frowned, biting her lip. “Whatever was inside the coffin is… gone.”

“Command, this is Lieutenant Morrison of Expedition Force Three-Seventy!” Morrison yelled. “We need immediate evac, we’ve got an injured man!”

Darkness, complete and utter darkness. Luna stared at the landscape, a familiar visage of grey dust and craters all around. Above the ground were millions of tiny stars, and among them, a bright orb, home to all life, from ponies to gryphons, from changelings to… Humans.

She looked down, gazing into the eyes of a man. She watched him as he leaned over the tiny table and picked up his cup of tea, which was tiny in comparison to his callused hands. He daintily sipped on the liquid, then set the cup back down on the table. With his hands on his lap, he coughed, then shot a piercing stare at Luna.

“Do you ever get tired of this view?” he asked. “Wouldn’t you rather dream of being on there?” He pointed at the planet. “There’s more to see.”

Luna picked her own cup, sipped on it, then set it down. “I would not be dreaming of it if I did not like it, Silverback.”

“Just call me Jack, Princess.” He looked over at the planet. “I’ve seen many like it, all with a few different designs. I wish I could show you.” Jack smiled warmly. “There’s a lot out there to see. I hope you’ll get to do that one day.”

“You sure did not make that easy for me…” Luna muttered.

“I know…” Jack sighed. “I’m sorry. Do you forgive me?” he asked, sipping on his tea.

“Why would I?” Luna asked, frowning. “You almost killed me.”

“Because you’re the last thing in my checklist,” Jack mentioned, chuckling. “The last thing I need before I can truly be at peace… is you. Your forgiveness.”

“Stop asking for it every hour, then,” the mare stated. “Maybe after a thousand years I’ll give you what you need.”

“Fair enough,” Jack said, smiling. “I have all the time in the universe.”

The two fell silent for a few minutes. Silverback closed his eyes and sighed. “Do you have any idea of what’s happening over there?” He pointed at the planet.

Luna’s ears flickered at the unusual question. “No… Why?”

“Should I tell you?” Jack asked, his voice fluctuating strangely.

“I…” the Princess muttered. “Yes? What’s wrong?”

“They’re going to die,” Jack’s voice turned feminine. “All of them.”

“Silver… Jack?” Luna asked, grimacing. “Are thou alright?”

“Do you remember me?” The man’s figure disappeared like sand in the wind, only to be replaced by a bright spirit. Luna watched as the light flickered, dancing through the darkness, forming what appeared to be a tall, white alicorn made entirely out of light.

Luna frowned, looking down, only to find herself floating in the darkness. “Wha-...” She stared at the spirit, beginning to break into a cold sweat. “Are… You?”

“Eons ago, when we created you” the mare began, her stare burning into Luna’s mind, “we told you to take care of your world. Do you remember?”

“Y-yes…”

“They were not supposed to happen, Luna.” Her eyes grew brighter, almost angrily. “They threw everything out of balance. And you know what I said? I said it was a welcome change, but then the others locked me away, and now they are going to kill, them, all.”

Luna coughed, tears beginning to stream out of her eyes. Her jaw was locked tight, and she felt a droplet of blood fall from her nose.

“I do not have enough power to do anything yet,” the mare continued. “But they must be stopped. They won’t stop until everything is clean. I wish I could reach the humans...”

The Princess’ vision began to fade, her head throbbing and her nose bleeding like an open wound.

“They are willing to throw away everything we have built, over a simple, unpredicted accident. We must stop them, Luna.” The mare leaned in, staring into the Princess’ bloodshot eyes. “We must kill the old gods.”

“She’s waking up!”

Luna opened her eyes and began to scream, thrashing each of her limbs wildly, pulling off the cables connected to her body. She looked around, finding herself lying on a hospital bed inside a plain, white room.

“When did she start bleeding!?” a pony nurse rushed over to her, trying to hold her down. “Get some anticoagulants!” Luna grabbed her by the neck and began choking her, staring into her with her own, bloodshot eyes. The nurse’s eyes bulged out as Luna leaned in.

“GET. ME. CELESTIA!”

“Are you sure she’s alright?” Celestia asked, trotting briskly through the halls of Canterlot palace. She looked down at the nurse, her eyes watery.

“We-... We’re not sure yet,” the nurse muttered, tears still dripping from her eyes. “She just… She just woke up all of a sudden and started screaming…” She shivered. “She started choking me, and told me get you, Princess…”

“That doesn’t sound like my sister…” Celestia uttered. She slowed to a halt in front of a large, ornamented door. The nurse stopped just a few feet behind her. The Princess looked back at her, raising an eyebrow.

“I should go…” The nurse coughed, rubbing her neck. “I should go get a cold pack…”

Celestia nodded at her, then turned to face the door. With her hoof, she carefully pushed it open, walking into a white room. The doctors inside looked at her worriedly as she glanced over to her sister.

Luna lay still on her bed, connected to various machines and serum sacks, looking out through the window and into Canterlot. Her breathing was steady, and her nostrils were plugged with bloody cotton.

Celestia took a few steps towards her sister, always bearing a warm smile. Once close enough to the bed, she lay a hoof on it, then recoiled as Luna shot her a burning stare. Celestia’s breathing stopped as she felt her own heart skip a beat, eyes widening as she found herself staring into Luna’s bloodshot orbs. The lunar sister spoke, never taking her eyes off of Celestia’s, “Leave us alone.” The other ponies in the room stared for a second, then hurriedly made their way out of the room, closing the door behind them.

“Luna…” Celestia whispered. “What happened to you? Are you alright?”

“No…” Luna finally took her eyes away from Celestia. “I almost died, sister. Twice.”

“I… I don’t agree with what Silverback did, either,” Celestia said, looking down.

“It is not him I have a problem with.” Luna chuckled sarcastically. “I was dreaming, in my own realm, but something came in.”

“Something got onto your dream?” Celestia asked, shaking her head. “Impossible, you’re the only one that can do that. Maybe you just… slipped?”

“She came into my dream and spoke to me,” Luna continued. “Her power was so strong it nearly killed me in my own dream.”

“Who is ‘she’?”

Luna gazed back into Celestia’s eyes. “Threadess.”

Upon hearing the name, Celestia’s eyes widened. She felt her heart skip five beats this time, all while her ears flopped down. She couldn’t close her eyes for several seconds, still trying to process what her sister had said. Her hooves went numb before her legs gave out, falling ungraciously onto the floor. Her entire body began shaking, breaking into a cold sweat. She weakly looked back up at Luna. “I thought… it’s been so long…”

“The world is coming to an end, sister,” Luna muttered, looking up into the ceiling. “Do you remember what they told us? When we were created?”

Celestia swallowed a knot on her throat. “We were to manage this world, bring harmony…”

“It is all out of balance now…” Luna continued. “The humans were an accident, they were not supposed to appear. Threadess… She told me the others are going to cleanse the world, rid it of everything. It’s over, sister…”

“But…” Celestia muttered, hooves shaking. “We have to do something, warn the humans, maybe!”

“I am not sure of anything, anymore,” the other Princess added. “The humans will fight them, that is sure, but can they win?”

“I…” Celestia felt a tear come out of one of her eyes. “They’re strong, maybe strong enough to resist…” She weakly stood back up. “We must do something! We cannot let them do this!”

Luna looked back out the window.

“If we do not fight, then we will be extinguished. All of us.”

A thunderous crackle erupted in the distance, lighting up the area. Rarity made sure to cover her mane with the rain hat she was wearing, walking through the streets of Ponyville. All around, other ponies scuttered about for shelter against the powerful storm. She was slightly pushed to the side as a strong gust of wind reached her. Rarity sped up her pace, hastily reaching the nearest building, lifting up her hoof and rapidly knocking on the door.

As she stood outside in the rain, Rarity could hear somepony inside fumbling with the door. Once it opened, she found herself staring into the eyes of an android who barely fit inside the building. The android made way for her to enter.

“Welcome, Miss Rarity,” the android said.

“Yes yes,” Rarity said as she walked, in, taking off her raincoat and hat, placing them upon a coat hanger. She shivered, then adjusted her mane, glancing around the building and seeing several ponies who were most likely taking shelter from the rain. “Where’s Pinkie, Mister Hands?” she asked, looking up to the android.

“Miss Pinkie Pie is in the kitchen.” The android looked over at the other ponies. “Excuse me, I must make sure our guests are accustomed.” Hands then walked over to them, offering a blanket to a small filly.

Rarity smiled at the machine, then began walking. She was just about to enter the kitchen when a pink blur ran out, almost bumping into her.

“Oh!” Rarity exclaimed, taking a few steps back in surprise. “Well, hello Pinkie!”

“Hey!” Pinkie replied, walking over and setting a train of steaming cups on a small table. “Hot cocoa for everypony, on the house!” She turned back to Rarity, who watched as the ponies each picked up a cup.

“How is Mister Hands behaving, Pinkie?” Rarity asked, following Pinkie to a table, then sat down together. “I know I’ve said it before, but I never expected to find one of them working in a bakery.”

“Hand’s hands are really useful!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Other than that, he hasn’t had much trouble settling down. Besides, it was this or getting ‘deccomishoned’, whatever that means.”

“Are you getting a lot of new clients?” Rarity asked, looking to the side and watching as the android talked to a filly. “Human clients?”

“Mmm…” Pinkie placed a hoof on her chin. “A few, actually! And boy, do they eat a lot!” She giggled, smiling at Rarity. “How about you?”

Rarity looked back at her, smiling. “Why, yes!” she exclaimed. “Humans wear clothes almost all the time, so naturally a lot of them came to me to try some of the local fashion. It’s quite the task, actually. I end up using a lot of fabric, but some of them have gifted some of their own fabric for me to use.”

The two fell silent, looking out the window, watching as the rain fell.

“I miss the old world,” Pinkie sighed, looking at Rarity. “We thought everything was so complicated, right?” she asked, her mane poofing down a bit. “And now… Now everything is ten times more complicated… I mean, there’s a lot of new, good things, but I just…”

“Miss the ignorance?” Rarity looked down, sighing. “Like when our worst troubles were so simple, but now we’ve seen some of the worst life can give?”

“Yeah…” Pinkie muttered. “When wars were just old mare’s tales and not a reality?”

They both looked out the window and sighed, “I miss the old days.”

“Thank you, Shaman,” the zebra said as he picked up the little pouch of leaves. Zecora smiled at him as he walked away, then leaned over the counter of her little kiosk, watching as the zebras of the small town went about their business. She turned and walked over to her cauldron, grabbing a large, wooden spoon and continuing to mix her special brew, then froze as a small snowflake made its way inside, falling onto the goop. Confused, she turned and walked outside, seeing several snowflakes falling.

The zebras had all ceased their activities to look upon the sky as it began to snow, dense clouds floating above the Zebrican desert. Zecora turned around in surprise as one of the amulets hanging from the wall—a small skull—began to move erratically. She picked it up, then walked back outside.

She stood and stared at the sky as the ground began to shake. The zebras began to panic, running around the town frantically in an attempt to find shelter from both the cold and the quake. Zecora slowly walked further away from her kiosk, dropping the skull amulet on the ground, then falling to her knees.

“When ice meets Zebrican sand,” she weakly muttered, “darkness will fall upon the land.”

The wind began to pick up, blowing sand and dirt all across the town. Zecora remained still, watching as light began to shine in the distant south, strong enough to be seen amongst the sand and the snow. The quake continued, ripping apart the ground and forming massive chasms, large enough for some unlucky zebras to fall into, screaming at the top of their lungs as they were swallowed into the earth.

Zecora could hear screams all around, voices begging for help that would never come. She weakly stood up, knees shaking, helplessly watching as a massive, icy claw fell down from the sky and upon the little town, crushing an entire building below it. A maniacal cackle resonated all throughout the area, damning those who still lived. Zecora watched in fear as creatures, no, demons began to form out of the snow that was falling: massive creatures of ice that began to scour about the town, hunting down the innocent zebras that lived in it.

Zecora turned around and began to run, her heart racing faster than her legs. She bumped into another zebra, unwillingly making them fall into a chasm on the ground. Their scream pierced her soul, but she kept running, fearing for her life, with no set direction. She then tripped, falling ungraciously onto the snow. She crawled, trying to get up and run, but something grabbed her leg, dragging her against the snow. She looked over her shoulder, to see one of the ice demons holding her legs.

She screamed at the top of her lungs as the creature stood up on two legs, an ice blade forming on its arm, then violently pierced it right through her chest, again, and again, staining the sand and snow crimson…

Luna sat up on her bed, rubbing her teary eyes. She looked down at the serum line attached to her foreleg, then sighed, gazing over at Celestia, who had been sitting on the floor, staring at it for several minutes now. Luna frowned as she looked away, standing up and walking over to the window. She looked through it, observing Canterlot, watching as the ponies far from her castle went about their daily lives.

A knock on the door made both princesses turn. They watched in silence, staring as the door opened up for another pony to walk in. “Princess Luna? Celestia?” she asked, slowly inching inside. “I’m… I’m glad to see you on your hooves, Princess Luna!”

“Twilight…” Celestia muttered, still laying on the floor. “Close the door, please.”

“Okay…” Twilight muttered, closing the door behind her. “You wanted to see me? What’s going on?”

“Sit down, Twilight,” Luna commanded, pointing to a chair. The mare did as told, gingerly sitting down before staring at both the princesses, confused.

“Princess Celestia?” she asked. “What’s happening?”

“Twilight…” Celestia begun. “I want you to listen to us…”

“Alri—”

Celestia held a hoof up. “Don’t talk, just… listen.” She stood up, walking over to Luna, both staring out into Canterlot. “I know your perception of the world, of the powers that manage it, has been challenged lately, right?”

Twilight nodded, listening.

Celestia sighed, looking down. “Eons ago, when ponies had barely discovered fire, my sister and I were created. The first alicorns to ever grace the land…”

“Before we were seen as leaders,” Luna continued. “The people of this planet… Ponies, gryphons, what have you, they believed in other deities.”

Twilight watched as Celestia frowned. “When we were brought into existence, one of them told us we were to manage this world, bring order and harmony to it.”

Luna turned to see a confused Twilight. “Each of these gods had their followers, their temples. They cared for this planet in their own way, carefully deciding what to add and what to take away, as they have done for eons.” She walked over, closer to Twilight. “They chose us to do our part, then retracted back into the shadows. Eventually, knowledge of them was lost…”

“Yet they still watch over.” Celestia turned. “Threadess, Goddess of Light.”

“Weavess,” Luna added. “Goddess of Ice.”

Celestia followed, “Scorius, God of Fire.”

“And Aphotis, God of the Dark,” Luna concluded. “These four beings have been in the shadows, responsible for this world ever since its very beginning.”

“You mean that…” Twilight muttered. “They’re responsible for the appearance of the humans?”

The two sisters looked at each other, then sighed. “That’s…” Celestia muttered. “That’s the problem,” she continued. “They were unexpected, an accident.”

“These four gods,” Luna said, looking over her shoulder and back out the window. “They have incommensurable power, but they’re… they’re angry, Twilight.”

“H-how?” she asked.

“They see the humans as an accident that should not have happened, Twilight,” Celestia said. “A pox on this world, a disease that cannot be cured, one that has infected the world to its roots, and must be rid of.”

“What…” the pony muttered, leaning in closer. “What do you mean?” she nervously asked.

“Threadess,” Luna began. “She came to me in my dreams, telling me that the others were angry, and almost killing me in my own realm.” She rubbed her eyes. “They are going to cleanse the world, start over without contaminants, without the humans.”

“Why would they want to kill the humans?”

“It’s not just the humans, Twilight.” Celestia sat down. “It’s all of us.”

Twilight recoiled, her mouth hanging open. “Why would… Why would they do that?”

“Why should gods be benefactors by default?” Luna asked. “Gods can be a lot of things, Twilight. They decide what happens, and it does not matter what mortals think.”

“Can’t you speak to them?” Twilight asked, shaking. “You’re immortal, aren’t you?”

“How immortal are we?” Luna asked, chuckling sarcastically. “The mere presence of Threadess almost killed me while I slept.”

Twilight fell silent, eyes drifting around aimlessly. She looked up, shivering. “W-what’s the plan, then?”

The two Princesses looked at her. “Plan?” Luna asked. “Express your guilts, forgive your enemies and hug your friends.” She stepped over to Twilight.

“What about the elements!?” Twilight exclaimed. “There has to be something we can do!”

“We can fight, maybe last a month, or two. Apart from that, there is nothing to be done, Twilight,” Celestia weakly said, a single tear coming out of her eye. “The elements are not strong enough for this… Our extinction, everyone’s extinction, is imminent.”

“B-but…” Twilight walked over to them, then fell to the floor, looking down as the reality settled in. “I… I don’t want to die… m-my... my friends…”

Both Princesses moved over to her, then fell down to the floor as well. They each hugged Twilight, wrapping their wings around her. “Twilight… Luna…” Celestia gasped as tears began to stream out of her eyes.

“I-I love you… I love you both, so much…”

“Ponies are claiming that the current thunderstorm, which is evolving into a powerful blizzard, is anything but natural.” Rainbow Dash set her book down, then gazed at the holoscreen on the other side of the room, watching a man, a news reporter, as he overlooked the town of Ponyville, which was under a massive storm. “So far the pegasus weather teams have been unable to take control of the situation, and our orbital scans show that the storm has overtaken almost all of continent…”

Rainbow flinched as she felt a sharp sting on her side. She looked down at her wing, a black one made out synthetic muscle and feathers, then frowned. She reached down and pressed a small button on the side of her bed.

Soon, the intercom in the room crackled with static. “Yes, miss Rainbow?” a woman asked.

“You said it was good that I feel weird every now and then, right?” Rainbow asked, focusing and managing to move the new wing just a little bit.

“Indeed,” the nurse replied. “That just means the nerves are bonding with the receptors in the implant.”

The mare smiled. “Thank you!” she exclaimed, then let go of the button. She grabbed her book and prepared to continue reading, but was cut off as the door to her room slid open. She watched as Applejack walked in, soaking wet. The mare grabbed her hat and squeezed some water off of it, sighed, then made her way over to Rainbow.

“Darn storm…” Applejack muttered, grabbing a nearby rag and running it through her mane. “If this keeps up, I might lose the entire orchard this season!” She tossed the wet rag aside and sighed. “Anyways… How’re you doin’, Rainbow?”

“I’m…” Rainbow set the book down, looking out the window of her room and into a dark, rainy sky. “I’m fine. I can move it a little now, you know? Kinda hurts, but the nurse said it’s alright.”

Applejack cracked a smile. “Good to know!” She looked down, then laid her hoof on top of Rainbow’s, smiling at her. The two nodded at each other before Applejack turned to the screen on the opposite side of the room. “So,” she began. “You’ve got one of them new fabled huluscrins, eh?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow chuckled. “They’ve been showing stuff about the storm all the time today… Are those zebras?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow, looking at the screen. “What about them?”

Rainbow picked up the remote. “They’re supposed be back in Zebrica, like, all of them...” She turned the volume up.

Becker folded his arms, looking at the main screen of the command center.

“Hundreds of Zebras are flocking to Apex as I speak,” the man in the screen said as the camera panned through the streets of Apex. Zebras could be seen gathering at the main entrance to the colony, towing carts with either supplies or their wounded.

Becker spoke up as he stared at the screen, “Any intel on why they’re doing this?”

A technician stood up from his post. “Reports say that they’re fleeing from something, sir. We don’t know much more than that.”

“Do we have eyes on Zebrica?” Becker asked, stroking his chin.

“Nothing we’ve been keeping tabs on,” a woman stated.

The Admiral huffed. “Show me. Anything.”

The screens surrounding the command center flickered as the images swapped. Becker frowned as he stared at a completely frozen landscape. Technicians all around the chamber stood up as well, looking at the visage.

Becker sighed and rubbed his temples. “How come a whole desert freezes like this?” he asked. “I don’t suppose this is a normal occurrence in this planet. Something’s obviously wrong with the weather.”

“What should we do, sir?” a woman asked.

“Organize shelters and relief efforts…” he muttered. “We need more intel on this… Send a dropship to Canterlot, and pick up Celestia. I need to speak to her, she might know more on this.”

“Get more blankets!” Abel shouted as he walked through the warehouse. He leaned down before a Zebra child and offered them a blanket, which they they happily took. Abel then stood up and looked around the massive warehouse he was in, completely filled with Zebra refugees.

“We’ve got wounded coming in!” another human called out, leading a hovercart with a few wounded zebras into the warehouse.

Abel stepped up, looking down at one of the zebras. He grimaced at the sight of a mutilated, infected leg. “They’ve got frostbite,” he muttered. “Get whatever we have to treat frostbite!” he shouted, tapping the shoulder of the human carrying the cart. “Go on to the far side of the warehouse, that’s where we’ve got the wounded, alright?”

The man continued walking, making his way between the improvised beds on the floor. “What the hell happened to them…” He stopped before one of the beds, looking down at the Zebra laying on it. Abel leaned down. “You doing alright?”

“Y-yes…” the zebra muttered, still shaking from the cold. “We have been journeying for days now… We did not expect you humans to be so hospitable, and for that, I thank you.”

“Need anything?” Abel asked, frowning.

“I’m fine,” the zebra said, nodding quickly. “Help the children and the wounded first.”

Abel looked to the side, grimacing. “What happened? What are you fleeing from?”

The zebra rubbed her hooves together, shaking her head. “It started to snow, very harshly, freezing the very sand beneath our hooves… Some speak of ice demons, but… most of us are simply running away from the unsurvivable cold.” Abel watched as a tear ran down her eye. “We had only heard rumors about this metallic city, but it was all we had. Zebrica is no longer capable of sustaining our lives…” She coughed and grabbed Abel’s armored hand with her hooves. “Thank you, Human. You are truly the best allies one could have.”

“Landing.”

The dropship rumbled as it set down inside one of the Vector’s hangars. Celestia sighed, closing her eyes while the ramp opened. Without opening her eyes, she walked out of the ship and into the hangar.

“Welcome aboard, Princess,” a man said.

She opened her eyes and met those of Becker, who was standing in front of her with his arms folded. He looked down at her and sighed, letting both arms hang down. Celestia’s eyes drifted away from the man’s.

“I’m sorry for pushing this little meeting,” the man began, “but recent events forced my hand.” He frowned, then turned away. “Follow me.”

Celestia didn’t reply. She knew what the man wanted to know, but she wasn’t sure what the outcome would be. She began following him, her eyes never looking at his person, instead drifting purposefully all around the Vector’s hallways. As she followed Becker through the long corridors of the Vector, she couldn’t help but stare at the humans that worked all around the ship. So dutiful, it seemed as if they never got tired. Of all the times she had seen humans, they were always doing something. They never lazed about, always working. She briefly wondered what it was that kept them in that state, as for her, it seemed unnatural that a person would work nonstop. Then again, the humans probably knew more about her race than she knew of theirs.

Becker stopped before a set of doors. Celestia almost bumped into the back of his legs as her attention was elsewhere. She finally looked up at him, meeting his eyes, those of an old man that had probably seen many things over his lifetime. She couldn’t help but feel observed. Perhaps Becker knew more about the current state of the planet than she thought at first. Either way, it was time to find out. The doors slid open, and Celestia followed the man inside. She found herself in what seemed to be a small meeting room, composed by a table and a holoscreen in the middle.

“Sit down, please” the man requested. Celestia did as told, taking a set by the table and observing how the man sat down opposite to her. She looked at him, waiting for whatever he was going to ask or do.

“Celestia,” he began, tapping a small control console on the table with his fingers. “Zebras are rushing to Apex, looking for shelter.” She nodded at his words. “We’ve got reports of foul weather in their country, and ours too.”

“It has been raining hard for over a week, getting colder with each day.” He tapped the console, prompting an image to pop up on the screen before her. “Why you’re so quiet is something I would like to know, but this is slightly more important to me right now,” he said as he pointed to the image, one taken from orbit.

“This is a picture of Zebrica, taken from orbit,” he stated. “As you can see, it’s a frozen, abandoned wasteland.”

Celestia nodded at him as he continued, “We don’t know much about how the weather works here. I was hoping you could shed some light into that matter.”

She looked down at the floor. “It’s… It’s strange to me, too…” she muttered, then looked at Becker's stoic expression.

“I see…” He frowned. “What’s happening, Celestia?” he asked, leaning over the table. The Princess grimaced and looked away. “What is it that you’re not telling me? You’ve never been this shy before.”

Celestia closed her eyes and sighed, “Fine.”

Becker raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”

The mare swallowed a knot on her throat before speaking. “You come from a world very different from ours, Admiral.” She looked shot a concerned stare right into his eyes. “You have no gods, nothing that would control you or choose for you. You’ve fought for yourselves since your very beginning.” She stood up, sighing. “It’s much different here. My sister and I have been seen as deities by the ponies for quite some time now, but there are higher powers at play here.”

Celestia walked over to Becker, standing next to him as they both looked at the frozen landscape of Zebrica. “Here, Gods are high powers that can be as tangible as flesh and bone. Four of them are those who have ruled this world from the very beginning, even if their existence has fallen to the background over the eons. But they’re…” she sighed. “They’re making themselves present again.”

“How… how so?” Becker asked.

“They’re angry, Admiral,” Celestia continued. “They have been controlling what happens on this planet since its creation. Except… except for you.”

Becker was taken aback by her comment. “What do you mean?”

“Your arrival here was a complete accident, Becker,” Celestia said. “You have thrown this world off balance, and have disrupted the plans of these four gods. They… they want to erase everything, Admiral. Erase everything, then start over without you, without your contamination.” She pointed at the screen. “They have already started with the Zebras, turning their land into an inhospitable wasteland, and judging by the rest of the world, they will do the same with us.”

“So they changed the weather?” Becker asked in deadpan. “We can deal with that.”

“It’s not just the weather, Admiral!” Celestia exclaimed. “Things… Things are about to get much worse. For all of us. I know this is hard to understand, but you must try! It only gets worse from here and… and I’m not sure if we can fight it.”

“Listen to yourself…” Becker looked down at her with a frown. “Giving up without trying?” He leaned over the table and looked at the screen. “I don’t believe all of what you’re telling me, but I think it’s worth looking into. I’ll send some of my people over to the south, to Zebrica, and see if we can do anything.”

“Weavess…” Celestia muttered. “Goddess of Ice. She is situated at the south, where her temple is. I… I wish you luck, human, but you must take this seriously. Things here, they work differently from where you come from. Gods are real, and they are angry.”

Applejack pushed open the gates of the farm’s barn, watching as one was flung aside by the wind and smashed into the side of the red building. She grabbed a hold of her hat as it almost flew away, then rushed over to one of her trees. She stood there for a second, watching as a group of humans worked on building makeshift shelter for some of the trees. She stared at her orchard, looking far into it, watching as apple trees were pulled out of the ground by the sheer force of the wind.

“Help me with this one!” she called out, running over to a woman who was trying to set a tent over a tree. She grabbed the tent with her teeth and pulled down, until the force of the wind overcame the tent. As she still clung to it, Applejack was flung aside along with the entire tree, causing her to fly a few meters before slamming back down onto the ground.

The woman rushed over to her, kneeling down. Applejack weakly picked herself back up, gritting her teeth tightly, her eyes locked on the unearthed tree beside her. A bright flash made everyone in the vicinity look over their shoulder. Applejack watched over the horizon as Apex was engulfed in a bright, blue shield. The woman grabbed the mare, shaking her. “Miss Applejack, we have to go! We have to go now!”

“I’m not leavin’ my farm!” Applejack retorted, dusting herself off.

“There’s no farm left, grab your family and head to Apex!”

Applejack looked up. She stared at the devastation of her farm, and her life. Her eyes widened as they witnessed the sight of uncountable trees devoid of leaves and fruit, lying flat on the ground as they were ripped from the root. She looked down at the ground, closing her eyes, letting a single tear be carried away by the wind.

The mare shot a piercing look at the woman kneeling beside her. “Help me, then!” she yelled, motioning for the human to follow her. Together, they made their way over to the house, the wind picking up Applejack’s hat and taking it away, yet she didn’t care. She bucked the door of the house and rushed in. Breathing heavily, she found herself staring at Granny Smith, Big Mac and Apple Bloom, who were huddled together in the center, using a blanket to fight away the cold.

“Grab everything we can’t go without! We’re leaving!”

“Look at that…” Becker muttered as he folded his arms, looking up at the main screen of the Vector’s command center. “How come the ice reached us so quickly?” he asked. Technicians all around the chamber stood up, leaving their terminals to look at the screen. Everyone stared at the orbital image of a massive storm as it loomed over Apex. Some covered their mouths, observing the image.

“It’s massive…” someone uttered.

“Are the shields up on Apex?” Becker asked, looking to the side over to a technician, who nodded at him. “Good… Issue a recall… Send dropships to the native cities, get them to Apex. They won’t survive this cold by themselves.”

“But… Sir…” a woman stuttered. “Is there enough space for them?”

“You’d rather have them die in the cold?” Becker scoffed. “Get them aboard if you have to—their lives are at stake here.” He turned around to see the people in the room still staring at the screen. “We have work to do! Get to it!” he yelled, then turned back to the screen, folding his arms behind his back. His gaze never left, still thinking about what Celestia had told him earlier. He looked down, frowning, wondering, then looked back up with a scowl.

He growled, “Bring it.”

Applejack stood behind the line of ponies, Apex just a few hundred meters ahead. Humans sided with them, keeping them in order as they entered the massive metal city. She rubbed her ears, trying to prevent frostbite due to the insanely cold wind. She looked up as a snowflake landed on the tip of her nose. More began to fall, soon covering everything in a thin blanket of white. She shuddered, continuing to walk. She looked over her shoulder, watching as Big Mac carried Apple Bloom, with Granny Smith following suit. A gust of wind almost toppled her over, before regaining her stance.

“Keep moving in an orderly fashion!” a human exclaimed. “You’ll be safe soon, with us!”

“W-Why is it so cold, sis?” Apple Bloom stuttered out. “Has this happened before?”

“Not that I know of, s-sugarcube…”

“Ah, quit yer’ whining!” Granny exclaimed. “I’ve been through ten storms worse than this’un, and I ain’t never left the farm during none of ‘em!”

“I find that hard to believe…” Big Mac muttered.

“Don’t worry about it anymore,” Applejack said, frowning. “We’ll be fine soon, as the humans said. After this is over, we’ll get back to the farm, and we’ll pick the pieces back up.”

“Doesn’t sound like much fun…” Apple Bloom muttered, covering herself with a blanket as she rode on her brother’s back.

The wind picked up, almost blowing all the ponies in the line off of their hooves. A bolt of lightning struck down nearby, booming across all the fields, flashing light. Applejack snorted, brushing snow off of her nose. Then, a loud bang sounded off, causing all the ponies to freeze in place. “Contacts!” someone yelled, following by more explosions. She watched as the ponies in front of her bolted off forwards, then she followed, picking up and running after them. A human ran past her, she watched as he fired his rifle, then disappeared in the mist behind.

“Come on!” a human yelled. “Don’t look back, just keep going to Apex!”

She couldn’t think clearly at this point. All Applejack could do was run, trying to follow the trail that led to Apex. She closed her eyes, then tripped, falling hard onto the snow. She immediately tried to pick herself back up, stopping to stare at the body of a stallion in front of her, recognizing it as Carrot Cake, the baker. Her eyes widened, staring at an icicle that had pierced his chest all the way through, then glanced back and forth at the body and her own bloody hooves.

Applejack barely had time to react; an unarmored human picked her up and set her on all four hooves, looking straight into her eyes. “Look at me!” he yelled, tapping her on the shoulder. “Keep going, alright!?” Applejack flinched as something flew by, then her face was splattered with blood. She opened her eyes once more, staring as the human grabbed his exposed neck and fell to the ground, blood gushing out of an open wound below his chin. Regardless of this, he gazed back up at her. “Run!”

The mare turned back, breathing rapidly and heavily, then continued running, hooves digging into the snow. She closed her eyes and ran, just as fast as she could. She felt herself grow warmer, then bumped into something, forcing her to fall on her haunches. Applejack opened her eyes, seeing that the mist and the cold had gone away. She found herself surrounded by ponies, inside Apex. She turned back, looking through the shield that had engulfed the city, looking into the mist outside. She could still hear gunshots coming from the other side, along with screaming.

She looked around. “Apple Bloom!? Big Mac!? Granny!?” she yelled. “Where are you!?” She dashed between the ponies, hastily trying to find her family. She made her way through the ponies, some wounded, some still panicking.

“Applejack!?” she heard, coming from the side. She immediately pushed between two ponies and fell onto the ground, staring at her brother and sister. She stood up and rushed over to them, hugging them both as hard as she could.

“Wait!” Apple Bloom yelled, pushing her sister off. “Where’s Granny!?”

“Oh my…” Applejack muttered, turning back to the shield. “Granny!” She rushed over to it, then skidded to a halt before the shield. She watched as Granny Smith emerged from the mist, led by a single man, who fired his rifle towards the mist. As the old mare entered the city, the human stayed behind, running back into the storm.

Big Mac and Apple Bloom rushed over to the two, hugging each other tightly. Applejack was breathing heavily trying to catch her breath. She closed her eyes and let a single tear run down her cheek.

“By the universe…” Becker muttered, his arms falling limp, watching at the screen, staring at the image of a creature made solely of ice striking down a pony with an icy blade. “Celestia…” he muttered under his breath.

“Sir…?” one of the technicians staring at the screen stood up and walked over to him. “Orders?”

Becker looked down, eyes wide. One of his hands started shaking, before curling up into a fist. He gazed back up at the screen, scowling. “Ready the troops. All of them.” He turned to face all of the people in the command center. “We’re being attacked.”

“All is ready, sir…” a technician said as she approached Becker. He folded his arms behind his back and looked at her, then approached the stand in the middle of the command center.

“Are you okay, Granny?” Applejack asked, looking at her grandmother’s bandaged leg.

“Oh don’t’cha worry Applejack, I’m fine as an apple!” Granny retorted. Applejack sighed and sat next to her, looking up into the sky to see the shield that was protecting Apex against the ruthless cold. She gazed to the sides, watching as the humans ushered the refugee ponies along the sides of the city’s streets. The mare frowned, curiously watching as the armored humans formed on the streets themselves.

They began marching.

All Applejack could hear was the thunderous thumping of a thousand feet marching on. Everypony watched the humans as they made their way through the streets, rifles on the shoulder. Everyone knew what this meant: war.

Suddenly amidst the marching erupted the voice of the old Admiral, booming across every square meter of Apex.

“My fellow humans, brothers and sisters!” yelled the man. Applejack watched as the humans stopped and looked up proudly into the sky. “The icy cold has reached our lands, damaged the grounds of our pony allies, so much that they have been forced to come to us! Pony legends speak of gods, gods who have seen our arrival to this system as a challenge to their will!”

“Celestia told me of this, I did not believe her at first, but now I see... We have arrived to a world that challenges many of our beliefs, and the very lords of this plane have challenged us as well! A deity, one of ice and cold, has attacked Apex, our very own home within this realm! This is unacceptable. This force has hurt our allies, and thus, has hurt us!”

“This day, we march to the south, and we will destroy this God, whatever it takes! We will fight against the ice, with strength and fire!”

Applejack stood dumbfounded as the humans cheered.

“These gods couldn’t have picked a worse enemy than the human race! We will show to them what it means to pick a fight with the damn best in the universe, bring them to the ground and crush them with the force of a thousand suns!”

“The natives of this land, they have not seen what we can do,” Becker continued, everyone in Apex completely silent. “They have been shown but a fragment of our power! But now… Now I ask for you to show your full potential! This is a full scale war that has been declared to us! And we will not show mercy!”

“Do this for our friends, from pony to gryphon, and for our honor, as we are sworn defenders! Bring down the sky with me, kill what cannot be killed, and correct the course of history!”

“March to the south, bring walker and tank, blade and gun, and DO NOT HOLD BACK! Go, and rip the gods straight from the heavens, take them to the ground and show them what it means to feel pain and fear!”

All the ponies cheered as the humans raised their rifles in the air. They watched as the bipeds continued marching, ready to fight for those not strong enough to do so themselves.

“Excuse me!”

Twilight sidestepped, allowing a couple of human nurses to dash past her as they carried a bed with an injured Zebra. She watched them go, the patient moaning in pain. She looked down to see her hooves had stepped on a puddle of blood, and recoiled at the sight. A foul smell creeped into her nostrils the further she remained in place. She couldn’t help but gag, never before having been exposed to such an assault to the senses. For a moment she stopped, looking around to find herself somewhere inside a hospital. The white tiles, both floor and wall, were stained crimson. The sounds of suffering were maddening, adding to the sense of pungent death. All around her were ponies, changelings and more than a few humans lying in beds. Most of those in the hospital were sitting against the walls.

Without thinking, she began walking again. She wanted to escape the smell and the noises, but most of all, the ambiance of death. Everything became numb, she processed what she was seeing. Worry began to crawl in, for loved ones and friends. The death toll kept rising steadily, that much she knew, she could feel it. A distant scream broke her from her trance, the scream of a young child in pain. Out, she wanted out. Walking turned into a gallop, rushing through the hallways, trying to find a destination she didn’t know.

One of her hooves touched the ground, then slid along a patch of fresh blood. She fell onto the floor ungraciously, then fumbled to stand back up, but found herself staring into the eyes of an old stallion who was also lying on the floor.

She remained like that, locked into his eyes, those glassy eyes. His stare, unblinking, pierced into her. Once she finally broke her stare away, she carefully got back onto her hooves, then looked down at the stallion. She gagged at the sight of his intestines spread on the floor, the stench of death now stronger than ever. She covered her mouth with a leg and stepped back, tears welling up in her eyes.

Someone grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back, causing Twilight to recoil and turn, finding a woman standing next to her. “We’ve got another one! Get more body bags!” the human yelled.

Twilight began stepping back, completely repulsed by the sight. She turned around, unable to look on for any longer, and continued her panicked gallop. The mare closed her eyes, trying to block her senses, focusing on her breathing and heartbeat. She just ran, until the stench and the noise stopped. She panted, breathing heavily, gallop turning into a jog, then into a walk. Eventually, she stopped, opened her eyes and looked around, seeing clean white tiles, no noise, nothing.

She leaned against a wall and looked down, trying to catch her breath, then gagged, finally releasing the contents of her stomach onto the floor. Twilight held her stomach, coughing loudly, then noticed that one of the doors on the hallway opened up.

“Twilight?” a concerned Rarity muttered. “Twilight!”

Twilight spit on the floor, shaking her head. “Rarity…”

“What happened to you? We’ve been waiting for you!” Rarity exclaimed. “You’re covered in blood and... What happened? Tell me…” She reached over and began adjusting her friend’s mane.

Twilight’s mind flashed with the images from before, and smell came back to her. She gagged again, then took a deep breath. “I think I took a wrong turn somewhere in here…” She coughed, lifting her head up. “There’s so many dead, Rarity, I didn’t think it was this bad…”

“W-well, yes…” Rarity muttered. “Let’s just… Let’s just go to Rainbow’s room, we’ll get you cleaned up.”

Twilight nodded, then walked after Rarity. Together they entered a room, and they were presented with the sight of the rest of their friends sitting around Rainbow’s bed, who was sitting up. They all looked at their alicorn friend, Fluttershy gasped.

“H-hey girls…” Twilight muttered, walking over to them and plopping herself on the floor. “Don’t mind me I just… I just walked through the wrong section of the hospital...”

“I’ll get some clean towels for you,” Rarity stated, then walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

“Looks like it’s another farewell forever maybe party…” Applejack muttered, rubbing her head, Twilight noticing her hat was gone. “Just wish there’d be some cake…”

“Haha,” Pinkie said. Twilight could see that her mane was completely deflated. “Everyone’s dying and you want cake? Should’ve asked before they killed Mister Carrot Cake.”

“Forget I said anythin’...” Applejack sighed and looked away.

“I just hope my little critters are doing okay…” Fluttershy trailed off. “But... “ She looked down. “It’s really bad out there… For everyone.”

“I know…” Rainbow muttered.

The door slid open. Twilight looked over her shoulder to see Rarity holding a couple white towels, but behind her was an armored man. Rarity walked over to her unfolded a towel, beginning to clean Twilight’s fur. The guardsman walked in, holding a holopad on his hand. He stood tall, then looked down at the pad.

“Miss Rainbow Dash and Applejack?” he asked.

Twilight watched as the two mares stood up. Rainbow stretched her bionic wing, giving it a good couple flaps, then walked over to the man along with Applejack.

“What’s this?” Rarity asked, rubbing the towel on Twilight’s bloodstained hoof.

“Alright,” the man began. “The paperwork is done, I just need your biosignatures.” He kneeled down and showed the pad to the two mares. Twilight lifted an eyebrow, looking at the two, who glanced at each other, nodded and placed their hooves on the pad. Soon after, a small beep sounded off and a light on the pad turned green.

The man stood back up. “Welcome to the Colonial Guard, mares! A dropship will pick you up at the hospital’s landing pad in about two hours. You’re allowed to bring three personal objects with you.” He nodded at them and turned to walk out the room. “I just wish we didn’t have to bring you to this but... We do need more natives like you,” he said as he walked out, the door closing behind him.

Twilight frowned, looking at her two friends.

“Whaaaat!?” Rarity yelled, causing Twilight to flinch. “Are you two insane!?” she continued. “Have you seen what is happening outside? You’re going to get yourselves killed!”

“Shut it, Rarity!” Applejack yelled back. “I know what’s going on, I lost my entire farm, my life! If it weren’t for the guardsmen, I wouldn’t even be here right now! We need more people doing the same for others!”

“Oh don’t give me that!” Rarity exclaimed. “A-and what about you, Rainbow? I thought you would have learned your lesson after losing your wing!”

“My lesson!?” Dash retorted. “The only thing I learned from that is that we need to fight back! I’m not standing around while people are getting killed!”

“Shut up!” Pinkie yelled at the top of her lungs. “SHUT. UP!”

The room fell silent. Twilight’s eyes widened, staring at Pinkie, who was breathing heavily as she stared out the window.

“Let them fight, I just… I just don’t care anymore!” the pink mare exclaimed. “If we’re gonna be friends… If our friendship’s gonna last after this whole thing blows over… We need to just... step back.” She took in a deep breath. “We need a break.”

“Y’know what?” Applejack stood straight. “Agreed!” She tapped Rainbow on the shoulder and nodded towards the door. “Come on Rainbow, we’ve got a dropship waiting for us!”

Twilight watched as the two made their way to the door and walked out. Tears began to well on her eyes, she wanted to speak but no words could come out. Rarity placed her hooves on her.

“Come on Twilight, I think we should leave.”

Without saying a single word, Twilight shakingly got up and followed Rarity. Just before walking out of the room, she looked over her shoulder at Pinkie and Fluttershy, a tear streaming down her face.

Alone with Pinkie, Fluttershy looked down and began to sob.

::> 15:35pm, Canterlot Time…

::> Location: Zebrica, Forward Camp Oxford Delta…

“All assets: operation is go! I repeat, operation is go! All squads, board your dropships!”

The Commander’s voice boomed across the camp, sure to be heard by all the guardsmen around. Action began to take place, every human knowing it was time to fight. They scuttered about quickly, boarding their respective vehicles.

Abel ran up the ramp of his ship, but stopped. He turned back and looked at the snowy landscape, watching his fellow humans as they prepared for war. The man then looked down at his rifle, seeing the ammo counter at full level, then turned, the ramp closed behind him. He paid no mind to Annah and Morrison, just opting to quietly sit down on one of the unnocupied seats and lock his armor to it.

He glanced at the other two, faces hidden behind masks. A strange feeling began to creep in, one that Abel had not felt very often before. His mind raced with thoughts, memories of battles past that took their toll. Once again he stared at his rifle, remembering every battle that left a little scratch on the weapon’s finish. If he thought hard enough, perhaps he could list them by name, but it was not time for that. He chose to prepare himself mentally, for the path ahead was not completely clear. The weather prevented orbital scans from revealing what was ahead, thus relying on different methods to set a path. But the part that seemed to make everyone uneasy was the enemy itself.

“Gods,” he thought to himself. Certainly the vision he had had on that old temple made him realize that this was indeed reality. Although many others has serious doubts about the war, he knew better, for he knew exactly what they were at war with.

“Pilot,” Morrison said, standing up. Abel and Annah looked up at him as he spoke, “ETA on our combat zone?”

“Two minutes, Lieutenant,” the pilot replied through the intercom.

“You guys ready for war?” Annah asked, brandishing her rail pistols. “I sure am, just can’t wait to see if the whole thing isn’t a waste of time.”

“You still don’t believe it?” Abel asked, looking down and softly shaking his head. He frowned before his faceplate and looked back up at the woman. “You still don’t believe me?”

“Look,” the Raider began, “I don’t know what the hell happened at that temple, but…” She placed her pistols on both sides of her hips. “ I want to believe you, Corporal, trust me… But I’m just not sure.”

“How can you not be sure?” Abel unhooked himself from his seat and stood up. “This world is all fucked up already! We’ve seen cities made of clouds, for fuck’s sake!”

Annah stepped up to the man and grabbed him by the collar. Abel looked down at her, surprised by her suddenly aggressive behavior. “This world’s too fucked up for me to believe anything anymore! And I’m still your superior, you dipshit Corporal, show some respect!”

Done scolding Abel, the Sergeant pushed him into the wall before walking back to her spot. Abel gritted his teeth, dusting himself off and frowning behind his mask. “Yes ma’am…”

“Are you two done hugging?” the pilot asked from the intercom. “I’ve got a visual on the city of Zephos.”

“What does it look like?” Morrison asked.

“It’s a frozen hell down there, sir,” the pilot replied. “I see some… Ice creatures, moving about. They don’t seem to have spotted us yet.”

“Copy.” Morrison reached over his back and grabbed his rifle. “Touch us down.”

Abel gritted his teeth, tightening his grip on his rifle as the shift in the hum of the engines signalled the ship lowering itself. He stepped in front of the hatch as it opened up, allowing a gust of ice cold wind to seep into the troop bay. Abel started counting as the ramp lowered.

As soon as the ship touched ground, he leaped forward into the open, his boots digging into the frozen sand. Annah and Morrison followed suit. The three immediately aimed their weapons, scanning the area around them as the ramp closed, followed by the dropship taking flight again. “I’ll be circling around the area, team. Keep in touch.”

“Copy that,” Morrison replied.

Abel looked around, at the supposed frozen hell, living up to its name. A few tall buildings pierced the mists and disappeared into the heights. “See anything?” he asked, looking at the abandoned buildings that surrounded the three.

A group of dropships flew overhead, heading deeper into the city, followed by a nearby growl. Abel gritted his teeth, looking for the source of the noise. His visor locked on to a sizeable creature made of ice peeking around the corner of one of the buildings.

“Look at that thing…” Morrison muttered.

“Still don’t believe me, Sarge?” Abel asked, training his rifle on it, but was caught off when a shot pierced through its head, sending shards of ice everywhere.

Abel looked behind him at Annah, steam coming off of the barrel of her pistol. “It’ll take a little bit more than that, Corporal.”

Abel frowned, then looked up as a cacophony of howls echoed throughout the area. His motion sensor began to pick up several signals. “We’ve got incoming!”

In but a single moment, gunshots began to go off. Icy creatures began swarming the squad, the flash of the gauss weapons accompanied by their deafening bangs. Abel kept steady, quickly switching between targets as they appeared, prioritizing the closest ones.

Shards of ice flew everywhere with each shot that connected. Abel reached over his hand, grabbed a grenade and tossed it. It landed on the head of a demon, who stood confused for exactly two seconds before the explosive went off, absolutely decimating it and three others.

By that point, the creatures had surrounded the squad, gaining a foot onto them with each demon that fell to their shots. “They’re swarming us!” Annah exclaimed.

“We have to break through!” Morrison yelled. “Get to the rest of our forces!”

Abel, having heard Morrison, pumped his rifle and aimed it at a group of creatures, firing an explosive shot into them. The shell detonated in contact, blowing a hole in the swarm of ice. “Go!” he yelled as he began to sprint, his powerful muscles combined with the suit’s carrying him through the opening, followed by his two squadmates.

“We have to get to the city center!” Annah yelled. “Shouldn’t be too far!”

Together, the squad began their mad sprint through the frozen city of Zephos, followed by the swarm of demons behind them. Abel reached over and grabbed his last grenade as he ran, dropping it behind him in hopes of buying more distance between them and the swarm.

They rounded a street corner, noticing a discernable, loud thumping sound approaching.

“You three need help?” a man spoke over the radio as a combat walker blew through an entire wall, crushing an ice demon under one of its legs.

The three looked up at the walker’s cabin. “Light them up!” Annah yelled.

Abel began to shoot, watching as the walker released a gout of blue flames from a port on its main gun. The demons screeched in pain, melting under the vicious fire and the gauss shells directed at them.

“Follow me!” the walker pilot relayed. “We’ll clear this city in no time!”

::> 16:42pm, Canterlot Time...

::> Location: Unknown, West of the Changeling Lands…

The wind howled loudly, along with an orchestra of echoing sounds that repeated themselves through the caves and tunnels over and over. Nothing but torches lit the darkness that encapsulated the visage. A small rock fell down a series of steps, bouncing until it reached the bottom. A single, hooded figure stood atop the structure. Behind it was the entrance to a fiery cavern with rivers of lava flowing freely all through, exposed until they retreated back into the molten folds of the earth.

This figure stood vigilant, watching the tunnels that lead to their vantage position, then cleared its throat, feeling the ashy phlegm in its mouth, product of the molten rock itself. Their eyes scanned the tunnels, catching that one light that seemed to flicker from further out. They stood there, watching as the light grew brighter, until a caravan of changelings could be seen, carrying with them a torch to illuminate the way.

The one up on the steps nodded itself, watching not the changelings, but what they carried with them.

Soon enough, the changelings reached the stairs, plopping down onto the ground, tired from carrying a slab of stone, with a human chained to it. The changeling carrying the torch, and wearing a hood just as the one atop the stairs, stepped forward. “Master Degara, we bring to our Lord the gift that was promised…”

Degara cleared his throat, then spoke with a raspy voice, “How many were lost, Asoden?”

Asoden looked down, grimacing. “Two warriors, Master… B-but they were nothing more than just that!”

“Quiet, Asoden…” the older changeling said, prompting Asoden to nod quickly. “How difficult was it to capture this… subject of ours?”

“Extreme amounts of magic were required, Master,” Asoden began. “We also enchanted the slab and the chains, as was told.”

“And where is its armor?” Degara asked.

The changeling frowned, looking down in shame. “A h-human with armor would have… would h-have proved much too difficult—!”

“Quiet, Asoden…” Degara calmly ordered. “You will anger our Lord…”

Asoden nodded quickly, then bowed.

The old changeling looked over his shoulder. “Bring it to the offering table,” he stated.

“You heard Master Degara,” Asoden said. “Just a few more steps, and you will get to witness something that only a select few have ever seen.”

Degara began a calm walk, slowly making his way into the cavern beyond the gate. The changelings, on the other hand, began a painful trek, their limbs barely holding the weight of the stone and the human combined. As soon as they had made their way up the steps, they were assaulted by the heat and the contaminated air inside the main cavern, only making the last part of the journey an arduous hell.

The whole group walked past rivers of molten lava, following a road that led to a stone table surrounded by four, tall stalagmites each with a red orb on its tip. The changelings finally reached their destination, sliding the slab with the human on it onto the table, then falling to the ground, breathing heavily, a thousand yard stare in their eyes.

Asoden stood next to his master, Degara, who nodded to him. Both then lowered themselves to the ground, facing down with their eyes closed.

“Lord Scorious!” Degara began. “We bring to you the gift you desired!” The orbs atop the stalagmites sparked, sending jolts of lightning from one to another. “A live human, for you to decipher...” The sparks concentrated in the middle, soon turning to a massive ball of fire. “It is our plea that you bring forth the extermination the human race, which we vow to aid with!”

“With this…” a disembodied voice, deep and thunderous, spoke up, “I can wipe them off the face of this planet!” The ball of fire grew in intensity. “Let us see… What is it in you that makes you so strong?” Sparks began to fly off of the orbs, striking the human, who woke up and gasped.