> Metal Gear Spark: Peace Zero
>  by GreenS21
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> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our galaxy consists of some 300 billion stars. Around half are orbited by planets, and it is said that on average, conditions on two of a star’s planets are suitable for life.

No great leap of the imagination is needed to believe the universe must be home to a myriad of life forms. But what sorts of intelligence would develop on these worlds? That is truly beyond our imagination.

What’s more, we cannot say that our universe is the only universe. At the quantum level, until a wavefunction collapses upon observation, Schrodinger’s cat is alive and dead as a superposition of states.

The moment observation occurs, these two possibilities branch into separate worlds, with the universe continuing to split infinitely.

If the universe splits without end, it’s possible it could eventually recreate scenes from the past. And if those moments played out differently, it wouldn’t negate what happened in our reality – a paradox would simply mean another future.

-From Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (2014)

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The towering black and gray furred centaur known as Lord Tirek turned his head to the right, seeing a rainbow light beginning to rise out of the chasm in front of the Castle of the Two Sisters. Seconds later, he looked up as the light rose up into the air, revealing itself to be a rainbow-colored ball of energy the bearded centaur had never seen before. And within that ball was Princess Twilight Sparkle as well as the five ponies that he had used to force her to give him all of the alicorn magic in Equestria.

Tirek glared up at the ponies inside the ball for a moment as they hung there, before smirking and charging up a ball of his magic between his two horns. With a growl, he unleashed a beam, made more powerful thanks to all the magic he had gathered so far from Equestria’s ponies, at the six ponies within, but when he stopped and looked up after several seconds, he was surprised to find his attack had done nothing!

Growling, he demanded, “How is this possible?!” He pointed up at the ponies, specifically at Twilight, as he went on, “You have no magic!”

While floating alongside her friends, Twilight answered, “You’re wrong, Tirek! I may have given you my alicorn magic, but I carry within me the most powerful magic of all!”

Perhaps in another time, in another place, Tirek may have been too shocked to react or been unable to react in time, but here and now, the massive centaur had heard and seen enough. So this new princess who had fought him to a standstill just a short while ago had the nerve to suggest that whatever magic she and her friends had now was more powerful than even the magic of all of Equestria’s princesses combined, did she? Only a fool would deny the power he had within him now! He began to charge up another orb between his horns, this one beginning to grow in size as he gathered all the magic he had stolen into it. He would show them, put them all in their place, and…

Suddenly, a lavender beam came from the rainbow ball, curving down and coming into contact with the side of Tirek’s head. The centaur had no idea what it was or what was in it, but it nearly caused him to lose his concentration as he backed up a few steps, holding his arms up in an attempt to protect himself as a pink beam joined the lavender one, hitting between his upper and lower body halves. Realizing the danger that he was in, Tirek tried to dump all of his magic into this last attack as quickly as possible as a cyan beam joined the first two, followed by orange, white, and yellow beams.

Lowering his arms, Tirek turned his head and unleashed his own beam as the six beams came together to form a rainbow that continued pushing into him. The centaur hoped that the beam would overpower this mysterious rainbow power, or at least deflect it away from him. Instead, his beam began to fizzle out as it shot up unobstructed towards the ponies, the stolen magic being removed from it the same way it was being removed from Tirek as he let out a scream, his body losing strength as his last shot became little more than a straight line that was hardly discernible within the rainbow by the time it hit the ball the six ponies were in.

As Tirek was reduced back to the feeble appearance he had had since his imprisonment in Tartarus so long ago and was returned there, this time inside of a cage to make it less likely he would escape his banishment, while it was unlikely that he would admit he had been truly beaten by those ponies, he had no choice but to believe that his final attack had been in vain, that his last act of defiance had done nothing to those accursed ponies.

It was not so. While the rainbow power that Twilight and her friends now possessed had stripped Tirek’s attack of all the magic he had stolen, it hadn’t done a thing to the beam itself. It had been created from Tirek’s own magic, which got stronger as he stole the magic of others. It was his own magic; that made the Rainbow Power unable to do anything to it.

Weakened and with its owner locked in a cage in the place he had been banished to, the orange magic sort of pooled on the side of the rainbow ball like some sort of gravity-defying puddle of water. It tried to remain on the ball, but without anything to support it, it was beginning to dissipate like evaporating water. However, water, if given enough time, can find a weakness in rock and breach it to wear down the rock. And as the ponies and the rainbow power prepared to return what was stolen from Equestria, the little bit of Tirek’s remaining magic managed to find a weakness and shot straight for the center…

Twilight’s friends were surprised when the lavender alicorn suddenly let out a loud scream. They all turned to look at her, only to shut their eyes and turn their heads away as a bright light came from her horn. The next thing they knew, they were suddenly teleported down to the ground below, the five of them still in their powered up forms. After getting their bearings, they all looked up to see the rainbow power still swirling in the air. The power slowly began to fan out, spreading out all over Equestria and returning the ponies’ stolen magic.

The girls could only watch and smile as the rainbow wave began to spread farther, the familiar feeling of serenity that came with saving Equestria from another dangerous being settling over them. However, their happy expressions slowly began to morph into looks of confusion as they began to feel as though something was different this time. They’d beaten the bad guy, sent the magic Tirek had stolen on its way back to the ponies he’d stolen it from, and Ponyville had (for the most part) been spared the centaur’s wrath. So why did they all feel… off?

Fluttershy was the first one to look around, and the gasp she let out a second later, as soft as it was, was enough to get the other ponies to look around as well. As the realization dawned on all of them, they all asked the same question, loud enough that Spike and Discord down in the chasm could hear them:

“WHERE’S TWILIGHT?!”
> Homecoming
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Princess Celestia sat on her throne in Canterlot Castle, her magic guiding the Sun to the edge of the horizon. What had so long ago required the magic and coordination of many unicorns to perform was now done nearly effortlessly by the white alicorn. Nearly effortlessly; while a small amount of concentration was still required on her part, Celestia had done it so many times that she could think of other things while doing it.

And that’s what she was doing now. She thought of how another day meeting with her little ponies and making public appearances as scheduled by her advisor, Kibitz, had gone. She thought of how the day was coming to an end and her sister’s night would soon follow. She thought of how the day just seemed to drag at times. And she thought of how Equestria was between day and night; they were truly in the hour of…

“Twilight,” she sighed softly to herself, her eyes moving to look at one of the stained glass windows in the room, the one showing her faithful student’s ascension. After Tirek had banished her, Luna, and Cadance to Tartarus, he had ruined the window, essentially melted it with his magic before leaving Canterlot to claim what he believed was his. Upon returning to Canterlot and finding the window as it was, she requisitioned for a new window to be made, especially in light of the news she had learned that day.

Upon her, Luna, and Cadance regaining their magic and cutie marks, they quickly left Tartarus, Celestia suspecting that they would find Twilight and her friends in Ponyville. What they found instead was basically a ghost town, the streets of Ponyville still empty due to Spike and Twilight’s friends telling all of the ponies earlier to stay indoors at Twilight’s request. Speaking of which, the three alicorns were soon surprised by all of Twilight’s friends (sans Discord) suddenly approaching them and fearfully telling them that Twilight was missing.

Celestia had been shocked and confused by this news to say the least, quickly probing her former student’s friends with a memory spell when none of them could explain what happened. She couldn’t gather any clues as to what exactly might’ve happened from what she saw, but she did hear Twilight’s scream and immediately suspected Tirek had something to do with it. She quickly returned to Canterlot afterwards and, in addition to requesting the new stained glass window, ordered the Royal Guard to start searching for Princess Twilight. If she was anywhere in Equestria, her guards would surely find her. The one place she didn’t order them to search was Tartarus; she couldn’t order them to search there, and as much as she didn’t want to go back there, she was the one who would have to, especially if…

The Sun Princess was jerked out of her thoughts by a familiar voice asking her, “Your Majesty? Are you feeling well?”

The Sun Princess looked down to her left to see Raven, her white unicorn aide, looking up at her in concern. Celestia was silent for a moment before answering, “I’m fine, Raven. I was… a bit lost in my thoughts just now. I’m sorry if I worried you.”

Raven responded, “I understand, Your Majesty. I was just going to tell you that we’ve finished up everything for today.”

Celestia rose and said, “Thank you, Raven. Enjoy your evening; I’ll see you tomorrow.” Raven nodded and walked down the dais, heading for the throne room’s double doors. Celestia silently watched her until she left, at which point she did the same. Her guards followed her out and took up their posts at the sides of the doors as she closed them. After exchanging some short words with the guards, Celestia began making her way down the hall, heading for her chambers.

As she walked, her thoughts once again turned to Twilight. She thought about the last time she’d seen her former student’s face and realized, “One month… She’s been missing for a month now.” She turned her head to look out one of the windows at the stars outside and silently prayed, “Wherever you are, Twilight, I hope you’re at least safe…”

In one month, they’d come no closer to finding out what had happened to Twilight. The lavender alicorn’s friends and family had been contributing to the search for her as much as they could every day, but it was still turning up nothing. It was still early, though; perhaps it was going to take more time before a sign of Twilight’s current whereabouts would turn up.

Tartarus was the one place they could rule out, however. The Princesses, along with Shining Armor, had gone there together to search for Twilight, but they had found no trace of her there. Questioning Tirek had also yielded no answers, as the centaur didn’t know or care what had happened to the princess, and even went so far as to taunt them that he hoped she was dead. They’d had to leave then, before Shining Armor and Luna got any angrier and tried to break down Tirek’s cage and kill him.

Celestia found herself pulled hastily out of her thoughts once again, this time by the sound of her sister’s voice, “Good evening, Celestia! I’m so glad I caught you before you retired to your chambers for the night!”

Celestia looked in front of her to see that, indeed, while she had been lost in thought again, her body had gone on autopilot and had taken her to her room. She turned to look behind her and found Luna standing there, seemingly cheery about taking over for the night shift if the smile on her face was anything to go by. “Oh. Hello, Luna,” Celestia said.

Not seeming to notice any change in her sister’s demeanor, Luna spoke, “I am sorry if I startled you, sister, but I really wanted to see you before you fell asleep. Our time together in between the changing of the Sun and Moon has felt so short as of late. I was hoping you would be willing to share some tales about your day with me before my guards and I started our patrol.”

Celestia smiled, willing to comply with her sister’s request, but it faded as she realized her mind felt so addled at the moment that she couldn’t recall the details she figured Luna would want to hear about. She settled on saying, “I’m sorry, Luna. Today wasn’t all that exciting, to be honest. Having to settle disputes between ponies, signing lots of paperwork, making public appearances… You remember what I usually go through in my day, yes?”

Luna replied, “I do. I should after having to do it before, but…” She stopped herself as she took notice of how Celestia was glancing down at the floor. After a moment, she softly asked, “Were you thinking about Twilight Sparkle again?”

Celestia nodded slowly. “Just a little while ago actually, as I was lowering the Sun. It was just an idle thought, but…”

Luna said, “I’m worried about her too, Celestia. Are the search efforts still proving fruitless?” Celestia nodded, prompting Luna to ask, “You don’t suppose Tirek…?”

Celestia looked up at Luna and softly but firmly said, “No. I saw it; his magic was losing strength when he tried to attack Twilight and her friends. There’s no way he could’ve killed Twilight as he was at the time.” Celestia’s eyes shifted downwards, “I hope that the magic strain she had been going through merely caused her to teleport when she was struck. If I knew more, I’d have a better idea of what happened to her. I can only speculate at this point.”

Luna stepped over to her sister and held a hoof under her chin, prompting the older sibling to look down at her. “I’m sure she’s doing well, seeing as Tirek didn’t capture her. And my guards and I will look for her during our patrol tonight, as we have done since she disappeared,” Luna reassured.

Celestia gave her a small smile, “Thank you, Luna.” She stood up straight and Luna lowered her hoof. “Have a good night,” Celestia said.

“Pleasant dreams,” Luna nodded before turning and walking away. Celestia turned after a moment and used her magic to open the doors to her chambers, closing them behind her.

Inside, Celestia crossed over to her bed and climbed on it, lying down and tucking her legs in underneath her, starting to relax as she used her magic to light a fire in her fireplace, creating a relaxing atmosphere. For a while, she just laid there, waiting for sleep to come to her, but even when it finally seemed like she was nodding off, sleep seemed to elude the white alicorn.

Finally letting out an irritated sigh, she looked around the room for something to help her fall asleep. Her purple eyes soon fell on the scrolls Twilight and her friends had sent before the former became a princess: the friendship reports. She levitated them over and began to read through them again. Even if Twilight was missing, being able to read the lessons she had learned during her time in Ponyville was therapeutic in a way. It brought her some solace being able to read the letters that had been written by Twilight and her friends, keeping her hopeful.

The time was unknown to Celestia as she continued to reread the lessons her little ponies had sent her. Eventually, however, her reading was interrupted by a sound coming from her balcony. It was a soft sound, like a swish or a scraping noise, but it did cause Celestia to look up. After waiting several seconds, she returned her attention to the scroll being held up by her magic, only for the noise to sound again a moment later. Celestia looked up and asked, “Who’s there?”

A dramatic, familiar voice came from the balcony, “Anywhere there’s peace, wherever silence rules, anytime you think you can relax,” a flash of light appeared in Celestia’s room, a familiar draconequus wearing a superhero costume appearing from it and posing, “Captain Chaos will be there to liven things up!”

Celestia deadpanned. The costume Discord was wearing looked very much like the one worn by his alternate counterpart, Sir Discord, that time she and Star Swirl the Bearded had met him when he was being Captain Goodguy, only the colors were swapped and he had ‘CC’ on his chest. Despite what her own feelings towards the draconequus may be now, she hadn’t particularly wanted to see Discord prancing around in a cape and leotard back then and she certainly didn’t want to see it now. “Discord. What do you want?” she asked calmly, but with a barely noticeable edge to her words.

The draconequus looked offended. “Really, Celestia? That’s all you’ve got to say? And after all the time I spent coming up with this idea!” he complained.

Celestia replied, “I could say so many things to you right now, Discord, and I’m certain you would not like most, if any, of them.” Her tone softened as she went on, “You’ve always had a flair for the dramatic and unexpected, but all things considered, this isn’t like you. I have a feeling this did not take you a month to think up.”

Discord huffed, “There you go again, Celestia, being a know-it-all.” He snapped his fingers and his purple and red costume vanished. He then turned to look off to the side, seemingly sulking.

Celestia stood up and stepped off of her bed, moving closer to Discord as she spoke, “I’m being serious, Discord. Spike has been sending me letters from Fluttershy saying that you haven’t been responding to the letters she’s been sending you. She’s been worried about you; why haven’t you been corresponding with her?” Discord didn’t respond, so Celestia continued, “Talk to me, Discord. Yes, I was not happy when I found out you decided to side with Tirek, but I don’t hold it against you anymore. I can understand if you’re upset about betraying Fluttershy, but she told me she forgave you. Or does it have something to do with what happened to Twilight?”

Discord glanced at her, “I’m surprised you can say her name without getting all emotional, considering how you reacted when you heard the news.” Celestia continued to stare at him, and soon Discord grunted and said, “All right, fine! Yes, I’m upset about Twilight disappearing off the face of Equestria! There! Are you happy now?! Is that what you wanted to hear, Celestia?!”

Celestia softly replied, “I don’t take pleasure in forcing you to admit anything, Discord. I’m just trying to understand…”

Discord growled and brushed up the fur on his lion arm with his eagle talon like it was a sleeve, looking ready to cause a storm of chaos or ruin something, but he soon relaxed, letting out a sigh as he hung his head, sitting down heavily in front of the fireplace. “Dumb Princess Twilight… Thinks she’s so great, so high and mighty…” he growled to himself.

“Discord…” Celestia murmured, her voice a little firmer as she narrowed her eyes, looking at his back.

Several long moments passed before Discord sighed and said, “You know, until all this happened… I never thought I wouldn’t enjoy unexpected things happening.” Celestia opened her mouth to reply, but he continued, “Everything involving the Elements of Harmony was one thing, but this… I never expected this would be the way I’d have to learn about… about…” He trailed off, looking down at the flames.

Celestia’s gaze softened and she moved up behind Discord, standing slightly off to the side as she placed a hoof on his back and said, “You were usually the only one when it came to causing chaos. How could you have known what Tirek or others who have threatened Equestria’s peace were willing to do?”

Despite her touch and words, Discord continued to mope. “Did Twilight actually mean it when she called me one of her friends, or was it something else? Would she have been willing to accept me after Tirek was stopped?” he wondered aloud.

Celestia spoke, “I don’t think Twilight would say something so important if she wasn’t sure of herself.” The memory of her niece’s wedding briefly flashed through her mind, but she quickly shook it away, remaining focused on Discord as she continued, “I’m sure she meant it.”

Discord looked back at her and asked, “How can you be certain of that, Celestia?”

The Sun Princess replied, “When she found out about you and Tirek, she mentioned that she was starting to trust you.”

Discord, however, said, “That was then. How do you know she didn’t feel the same sting of betrayal that I did? It’s not like you can ask her, and I do wonder if you’ll ever be able to ask her.” Noticing the look on the white alicorn’s face, he added, “Don’t tell me the thought hasn’t crossed your mind yet.”

Celestia backed away a few steps and glanced down with shame on her features. “It has, at times. I… I’ve never been as worried about Twilight as I am now. I have no idea where she is or what she’s doing… or if she’s even alive. And, you’re right, that does scare me… But…” Before she could say more, she was surprised by Discord suddenly shaking and wiggling in place for several moments before flopping down onto his side. Celestia looked down at him with concern, “Discord?”

The draconequus rolled onto his back and looked up at her before saying, “That was my magic sense going off. That was a lot stronger than the other times its happened this last month…”

Celestia looked at him in confusion, “It’s been happening a lot recently?”

Discord sat up and said, “Yes. That’s actually why I decided to come see you, and that’s also where I got the idea to dress up as a superhero. It was a rather ravishing costume, wouldn’t you say?” Celestia gave him a serious look at that, so he decided to stop joking and simply continued, “Anyway, yes, my sense has been going off quite a bit recently. Like I said, though, it was a lot more intense this time; before, it felt like I kept getting poked all over.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow, “Poked?”

Discord nodded, “Yes, poked. Like ‘pins and needles’ poked, like somepony’s magic was trying to reach out to me. This felt more like when you, your sister, and your niece transferred all of your magic to Twilight.”

Celestia said, “Hm. I suppose you would’ve felt that since you could sense when Tirek was stealing magic from other ponies.”

Discord shrugged, “Well, it’s not like I told him! I WAS trying to build up a bit of suspense, you know!”

Celestia glared, “Suspense for what?”

Discord huffed, “Please, Celestia. I suspected what you had done, but I wasn’t completely sure at the time. Besides, I still like surprises, even if Tirek never did, and I expected the look on his face when he found out you alicorns had no magic to be priceless. And of course, as we all know, it was.”

Celestia shook her head and said, “So what did your magic sense tell you now?”

Discord replied, “Oh, just that a lot of magic was generated in one place just now. Like I said, it’s very similar to when Twilight gained all of the alicorn magic in Equestria.”

Celestia deadpanned, “So it told you nothing.”

Discord said, with his eagle talon on his chin, “Oh, I wouldn’t say that. I mean, I don’t know who used a lot of magic, but I can still sense where it came from. So if we go there, I’m sure we can…”

The draconequus was interrupted by the door suddenly bursting open, Celestia and Discord looking over to see one of the earth pony Royal Guards standing in the doorway, panting. He soon looked up and said, “Your Highness!” He soon noticed who else was in the room and awkwardly asked, “And… Discord?”

Discord crossed his arms and looked back at the fireplace as he sulked, “Oh, right. I can’t just appear wherever I want anymore. It’s not like I haven’t done that before, right?”

Celestia shook her head and addressed the guard, “Come in. Is something the matter?”

The earth pony took a few steps forward and bowed; as he was doing so, he spoke, “Forgive my intrusion, Princess, but I have urgent news.”

Celestia asked, “Yes? What is it?”

The guard stood up and removed his helmet, holding it in the crook of his foreleg as he said, “It’s Princess Twilight. …We’ve found her.”

Celestia’s eyes widened at this news and Discord stopped sulking and looked back at the guard. The former hesitantly asked, “W-Where?”

The guard answered, “In the castle gardens. My fellow pegasus spotter and I were about to trade shifts with the night watch when we all saw a flash and went to investigate. When we got there, she was there.”

Celestia murmured, “A flash… It must’ve been from a powerful teleport. That would account for Discord’s magic sense going off…”

The aforementioned draconequus sulked again, “Hmph! A whole month of worrying about the bookworm princess – all for nothing!” He mostly said it because he didn’t want the guard to see anything that would seem unusual. He kept this appearance up as he summoned a glass of chocolate milk, though as he began to drink the glass, he thought to himself, “I need this little bit of comfort before I see Twilight again…”

Suddenly, Celestia looked up and spoke to the guard, “Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I’m sure the rest of the Royal Guard and my sister will be relieved when they hear that they can call off the search. Now, where is Princess Twilight?”

The guard placed his helmet back over his head, but as he brought his hoof down, he seemed to get nervous. “Well… she… she’s…” he stammered.

Celestia began to look concerned, and even Discord slowed down his drinking when she asked, “Yes? What is it?” The guard began to rub his hoof against the carpeted floor, not saying anything. Celestia looked down at his hooves and noticed something on his shoes that she hadn’t noticed earlier. “Is that… blood?” she questioned.

The guard looked down at his shoes, knowing full well he had drying blood on them. “I’m afraid so, Your Highness, but it’s not mine. You see… What I’m trying to say is…” He couldn’t keep it in any longer and burst out, “It’s from Princess Twilight! She’s being taken to the hospital right now!” Celestia gasped and Discord did a spit take at this revelation.

Soon, at the Canterlot Hospital

The receptionist on duty and a unicorn nurse (who was on her break) were abruptly jerked out of the conversation they were having by a white pegasus guard suddenly bursting through the hospital’s front doors. Not breaking his stride, the guard ran over to the nurse and said, “Get a stretcher and a doctor in here! It’s an emergency!”

After a moment, the nurse started, “What are you…?” She stopped short when the pegasus shifted to show what, or rather who, was on his back. It was Princess Twilight, unconscious and clad in a tight-fitting uniform of some sort, but that wasn’t what caught the nurse’s attention. It was the fact that the right side of the lavender alicorn’s face looked badly burnt, and it looked like she had bandages wrapped around her left foreleg that were stained red. Quickly taking all of this in, the nurse told the guard, “Please wait here for a minute!” before rushing through the doors past the reception counter.

The guard shuffled in place anxiously, starting to wonder if it was a good idea to bring Princess Twilight to the hospital rather than the castle infirmary. He looked behind him at the hastily wrapped bandages around the alicorn’s foreleg, noticing that it looked like they might start leaking any minute. He had no idea what had happened to her; he and the other guards hoped that the hospital staff would be able to figure it out.

Before he could lose his composure completely, the doors in the back were roughly opened and the nurse came through them along with a stretcher and a unicorn doctor. The doctor ordered him to put Twilight on the stretcher, which he carefully did with his wings to avoid injuring her further. After questioning him on what he knew about what happened to the alicorn, the doctor and the nurse wheeled her into the back. The time for relaxation was over; now it was time to get serious about their jobs.

Not long afterwards, while the guard was trying to get the blood off of his coat with the tissues on the reception counter, the hospital’s front doors opened again and Princess Celestia quickly trotted inside while Discord peered in from the outside. The Princess of the Sun walked right up the reception desk and asked, “Where is Princess Twilight? I must see her!”

The receptionist shakily replied, “I-I’m sorry, Your Highness, but Princess Twilight just came in a short while ago. They’re probably treating her right now.” She looked off to the side at the guard sitting on one of the waiting room’s couches, “H-He can probably tell you more than I can.”

Calming herself slightly, Celestia walked over to the guard and addressed him, “Guard.” When he looked up at her, she said, “If you are feeling up to it, please tell me what Princess Twilight’s condition was when you and the other guards found her.”

Meanwhile, in the Operating Room

Twilight lay on the operating table, surrounded by several doctors and nurses. They had managed to expose her legs and were busy reapplying the bandages the guards had put on earlier to try to contain the blood leaking from them. Although they were waiting for the X-rays to come back from the lab, they were already starting to work on some of her other injuries so she wouldn't die on them.

Aside from the right side of her face, the left side had burns on it as well (though they weren't as severe), as did the upper part of her neck and her horn, and both of her wings showed signs of burns as well, with some doctors starting to remove some of the more burnt feathers. Her right wing was bleeding in several places while the left wing was bent at a wrong angle, indicating a broken bone. Aside from the blood coming out of her hind legs and left foreleg, it appeared that her clothing had protected the rest of her from suffering more burns or other serious injuries. Still, none of the doctors or nurses had ever seen holes like the ones on the princess’ legs, and a closer look revealed that something was lodged in them. And her breathing pattern was irregular as well…

Suddenly, a nurse came in carrying a folder in her mouth. “Doctor, here are Princess Twilight’s x-rays,” she said, one of the unicorn doctors, a radiologist, coming over and taking the folder from her with his magic.

As he walked back to the operating table with the nurse, he opened the folder and pulled out the images, looking them over. “Hmm… It appears she has bits of some sort of shrapnel buried in her legs. We’ll need to remove them or the wounds will heal around them,” he informed the others. He looked at another image and, after a moment, his eyes widened, “Sweet Celestia… There’s fluid in her lungs!”

Setting the folder and images down on one of the carts, the doctor hurried to the side of the operating table and began to perform CPR on Twilight. With a mask, he breathed into her mouth several times before he began to pump his hooves on her chest, trying to force the liquid out. After a series of chest compressions, he went back to her mouth to give her more air. He continued doing this routine several more times until, while he was pressing on her chest, the lavender alicorn’s eyes shot open as she coughed up water, the edges of her eyes tinted red.

She lay still for a second, panting before she began to writhe in a blind panic, her legs and wings flailing around as she sputtered. The doctors and nurses quickly rushed forward, grabbing her and trying to restrain her before she could hurt herself further. While helping to hold down her right foreleg, the first doctor looked at her and said, “Your Highness! Princess Twilight, please, you have to calm down! Breathe!” She didn’t seem to hear him, but it looked like she was beginning to tire already, so he decided to try a different approach. He got closer to her face and said as calmly as he could, “It’s all right, Princess Twilight. You’re in the hospital in Canterlot, being treated by the best doctors and nurses available. You’re safe now.”

Twilight’s movements began to slow, her breathing becoming a little more manageable as she uttered, “Canterlot…? Safe…?”

The doctor nodded, “Yes.” A second later, Twilight’s eyes slid closed and her head fell back onto the table, the rest of her body going slack. For a moment, the doctors and nurses were afraid she might have died, but the sounds of the heart rate monitor and her now steady breathing told them she was still with them. Sighing, the doctor addressed the rest of the staff, “All right, everypony, let’s finish up here. Somepony get the anesthetic; we’ll get the shrapnel bits out of her legs first and wrap them up so she doesn’t bleed out on us and then finish treating the rest of her wounds.” Everypony nodded and they all got to work, all of them working together like a single unit.

Soon, in the lobby

Luna sat next to her sister on one of the couches, occasionally stealing a glance at her. After the pegasus guard had told Celestia what he knew about Twilight and mentioned that the saddlebags she had been wearing had been taken to the Twelfth Precinct along with everything she had for storage, she’d told the guard to find her sister and tell her that Twilight had been found. Upon hearing this, the Lunar Princess had sent him back to the castle and cut her patrol short so she could be with her sister. She had returned to Canterlot a short while ago, and now they, along with Discord, were waiting for any word on Twilight’s status.

Thinking about Discord, Luna glanced away from her sister’s anxious expression to look at the draconequus. He was literally pacing all over the room, his legs carrying him across the floor, the walls, and the ceiling. “Evidently, being concerned, if that is really what this is, isn’t enough to make his antics stop,” Luna thought to herself as she watched him begin to walk up the wall on the other side of the lobby again.

As Discord reached the middle of the ceiling, he came to a stop as the back doors suddenly opened, the nurse from earlier stepping through them into the lobby. Discord watched as the two sisters stood up on their hooves and looked at the nurse expectantly. The mare knew what they were here for and answered the unasked question, “Princess Twilight is stable, Your Highnesses. She just got out of the OR.”

Celestia, Luna, and Discord looked relieved at that, Celestia asking, “Can we see her?”

The nurse replied, “She is currently resting and visiting hours are over, but the doctors said that if anypony was waiting to hear about her condition, it would be okay for them to see her. Come with me; I’ll show you to her room.” The mare turned and walked back between the doors, Celestia and Luna following after her with Discord following them at a distance after a few moments.

As they walked down the halls of the hospital, Celestia asked the nurse, “How badly was she hurt? I heard a little about her condition while I was waiting, along with something about her wearing some sort of clothing, but…”

The nurse answered, “I don’t know what she was doing, but Princess Twilight’s condition was not as severe as we first thought. Still, it’s likely that she would have died had she not gotten treatment when she did. You can be thankful to your guards for that. And yes, she was wearing some sort of uniform when she was brought in. I believe they placed it in her room with her.” Celestia nodded, her worries having been quelled somewhat.

After a few minutes of walking, the nurse came to a stop past a door and turned to face Discord and the princesses. “She’s in this room. I must ask that you keep your voices down inside; she woke up once while she was in the OR, but right now, she needs her rest.” Celestia nodded and then pushed the door open with her magic, Luna and Discord following her in.

Inside, in the room’s dim lighting, they could see Twilight lying in a bed against the wall to their right further in. Stepping closer and gathering around the bed, they could see the upper part of her body sticking out of the blanket on the bed. She was wearing a green hospital gown and had bandages wrapped around her left foreleg. Her wings were extended to their full length, her right wing wrapped in bandages and her left wing having a cast around it to help the broken bone heal, both wings missing a lot of feathers. She had a bandage patch taped to the right side of her face, just under her eye, while the left side of her face had smaller bandages across it, as did parts of her horn and neck. Her eyes had a bandage wrapped around them and her right foreleg had wires attached to it from a machine that was monitoring her vital signs.

Celestia stood at the foot of the bed looking at her former student’s face. “Oh, Twilight Sparkle… What has befallen you?” she wondered softly.

While looking at Twilight from the alicorn’s right, Luna murmured, “Despite whatever has happened to her, she looks so peaceful… I suppose she could, considering all she’s been through before.”

Celestia looked at her younger sister and said, “But she’s never been through anything like this before, Luna. Yes, she has been through much, but I’ve never seen her get hurt so badly it might leave her scarred for life.” Looking back at the lavender alicorn, she again wondered, “What could she have been doing…?”

Discord, who was standing at Twilight’s left, looked over to his right and noticed something sitting folded atop the nightstand.  Next to the folded object was a pair of dark navy blue gloves, and a glance down at the foot of the nightstand revealed a pair of dark and light navy blue boots the draconequus missed earlier. Discord guessed, based on looking at them, that both were long enough to cover up most of Twilight’s legs… and be very tight.

Ignoring the gloves and boots, Discord reached over and grabbed the folded up article of clothing, the garment unfolding as he held it up. It was mostly a light navy blue and it had many straps on it, likely for holding small pouches. The place where Twilight’s sternum would most likely be was represented on the suit’s chest. It looked like it would reach the parts of her legs that the gloves and boots couldn’t reach, and it also looked very tight-fitting as well. It had multiple tears and burn spots on it, the latter especially prevalent on the front. “Maybe she got hurt while being a superhero,” he said aloud.

Both Celestia and Luna glared over at him, the former saying, “Discord!”

Discord looked back at her and shrugged, “What? Look at this and tell me you don’t see it!” He used his lion paw to toss the outfit towards Celestia, who caught it with her magic.

As she looked it over, her glare eased off and she glanced around the bed to look at the gloves and boots that went with it. Looking back at the odd garment, she said, “Well, I suppose I can see where you would think that, Discord. Still, this doesn’t look QUITE like that kind of, um… costume.”

Luna asked, “What sort of costume is it then, sister?”

Celestia shook her head as she looked it over again, “I’m not sure, Luna. Perhaps…” She stopped short as she took a closer look at where Twilight’s left shoulder would go.

“What is it, Celestia?” Luna asked.

The Solar Princess continued looking for a moment before saying, “Look, there’s something here.” Discord and Luna came over and gathered around her.

On the shoulder was a yellow and black circular patch that had what looked like a primate’s skull in the center of it. Strangely, the top of the skull looked like it had a continent on it and the right eye seemed to have an eye patch over it. There were some small black spots from burns around the skull, but the edges of the circle were where most of the burns were concentrated. Turning it to look at the right shoulder, the three of them found a black circular patch that was almost the exact opposite: the center of the patch was badly burnt, the black marks almost completely obscuring whatever was there. However, on the bottom of the patch, they could make out three white letters: ‘FOX’.
> Déjà Vu Mission
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shining Armor stood at the railing on the Crystal Palace balcony, his right hoof resting on top of the railing as he stared up at the night sky. He remained silent as he looked at the stars above, seemingly not hearing the hoofsteps approaching him from behind. A pink alicorn soon stood at his side, her head turned to look at the white unicorn for several moments before turning to look at the crystal ponies down below, some of them heading home for the night while others weren’t as quick, either finishing up whatever they had left to do or planning to stay out for a little while longer.

Princess Cadance turned her attention to the night sky and looked at it for a few moments before she and asked, “Beautiful night, isn’t it, Shining?”

The white unicorn was startled out of his thoughts by his wife’s voice, but he brought his right hoof down and turned his head to look at her, saying, “Yeah. Luna’s done a great job as usual.” He then turned his head forward, looking off into the distance.

The royal couple shared a moment of silence before Cadance turned her head to look at him and asked, “You’re thinking about Twilight too, aren’t you?”

Shining nodded, “I… Yes. It’s been a week since Princess Celestia sent us that letter saying she’s been found and is in the hospital.” The worry was apparent in his voice as he went on, “Why haven’t we heard anything since? What happened to Twiley that’s caused her to be bedridden and unconscious for a week?” He looked down sadly, “What if… what if she never wakes up?”

Cadance placed a hoof under his chin and turned him slightly hard to look at her. “Don’t say that. You know what sorts of things she’s gone through since she moved to Ponyville. Yes, there are some things she probably should have never had to deal with, but they’ve made her stronger. She WILL wake up, and I’m sure we’ll be receiving word from Aunt Celestia soon.”

As Cadance let her hoof drop, Shining replied, “I know all that, and I do have faith in Twilight. But…” He looked down and off to the side, “What Princess Celestia mentioned in her letter, about Twilight’s injuries… She’s been through some crazy stuff for sure, but this sounds serious. Way worse than anything she’s described. We have no idea what she’s been through in one month.”

Cadance sighed softly and said, “That’s true. Even when she first moved to Ponyville and then started learning how to fly, she never seemed to get as badly hurt as Celestia described. Still, she’s back with us, and until we receive word otherwise, we can assume she’s still unconscious but doing well. I’m sure her friends are just as worried, and I’ll bet Fluttershy has written to Discord about Twilight.”

At the draconequus’ name, Shining Armor scowled, “If she did, I wouldn’t be surprised if he burned it or did something ridiculous with it. When Twilight wakes up, he’d better not show his face at that hospital.”

Cadance looked at him with concern, “Shining, I’m sure he regrets believing Tirek and helping him, and based on what Twilight’s friends said, he gave Twilight the final key to the chest from the Tree of Harmony. I’m sure he’s just as worried about how Twilight is doing as the rest of us are.”

Shining grunted, “He can tell me whatever he wants. He’s still not getting close to Twilight anytime soon.”

Cadance said, “You’ve been moping and moody about this ever since Twilight disappeared, Shining Armor. Are you ever going to let bygones be bygones?”

Shining answered, “Only if Twilight says she forgives him, and even then it won’t be right away. I’m glad he helped stop Tirek in his own way, but Twilight has still been missing for a month partly because of him. Based on what you said, she was hurt pretty bad by his betrayal as well, and I’m not going to let that go easily.”

Cadance sighed and shook her head before saying, “The advisors say there’s nothing left to take care of for today. Why don’t we just turn in for the night? If Twilight does wake up tomorrow, we should be on the first train to Canterlot.” Shining Armor nodded and the royal couple walked back into the palace, heading for their royal chamber.

As they walked, Shining asked, “Are you sure we’ll be able to leave for a few days or more? The crystal ponies will be able to handle everything without us?”

Cadance replied, “I’ve made sure that the schedule is clear and that the Crystal Heart will protect the Crystal Empire while we’re away, and the crystal bard has agreed to keep an eye on Lex and the other palace staff. I think we can manage a short vacation from being rulers.”

Shining Armor nodded, “Okay.”

Cadance could sense his returning apprehension and said, “Shining, don’t worry so much about Twilight. She’ll be fine.”

The white unicorn was silent for a moment before saying, “I want to believe that. But what Princess Celestia mentioned in her letter about Twilight’s injuries… What could she have been doing? Twiley’s been a lot of things: a monster tracker, a magic student, a savior of Equestria, but what Celestia mentioned sounded like something a soldier might go through. And aside from occasionally being curious about what I was studying when she was a filly, I’m pretty sure Twilight has never been a soldier.”

________________________________________

Twilight Sparkle breathed through her nose softly as she used her forelegs to crawl through the grass around her, slowly making her way towards the city of Canterlot under the cover of night. She was clad in her sneaking suit, both her and her suit looking to be in perfect condition, no burns or tears at all. She was wearing a pair of goggles in front of her eyes that immediately brought to mind Pinkie Pie’s night-vision goggles (except Twilight’s pair only had one tube on the front) and a pair of saddlebags that had a third bag on the alicorn’s back, above which was a holster containing a sharp knife. Though not visible at the moment, there were several pouches on her front that were dragging across the ground as she crawled. Her tail poked out of a hole in the rump of her suit and her wings poked out of a pair of holes on the suit's back, but the latter were folded tightly at her sides.

After crawling for a short distance, Twilight came to a stop, remaining on her stomach as she took a moment to situate herself. She then raised her right hoof to her ear and spoke, “I’m in front of the city.”

A voice that was distinctly male soon answered back, “Excellent, Twilight. Looks all that training is starting to pay off.”

Twilight raised herself up a second later, sitting on her haunches and lifting her head up to look at Canterlot. She then raised her left hoof to her goggles and moved them up, revealing her amethyst eyes. “Kept you waiting, huh?” she remarked before flicking the goggles back off of her head, using her magic to drop them into her middle bag. She then stood up and focused her gaze on the city, now moving on hoof towards the nearby buildings.

As she pressed herself against the wall of one of them, the voice came through her ear again, “Twilight, I’ve uploaded some photos to your iDroid. Take a good look at them. The mission here is to find the locations shown and recreate the moments they depict.”

Twilight nodded and reached into one of the pouches on the front of her sneaking suit, pulling out a device that looked like a walkie-talkie a moment later. Using her left hoof to support it, she clicked a button on the upper-right corner with her right hoof, the device lighting up and projecting a screen in front of her. She scrolled through it for a second until she found the aforementioned photos, looking at them carefully as she flipped through them. “A lone statue… A lone book under a tree… A ruined ballroom… A giant hourglass and a library… A hidden athenaeum… A mysterious mirror, and… huh? The last photo is blurry…” she murmured.

“Hmm… There must’ve been a lot of movement when that one was taken. You’ll have to figure out what was going on in that photo to recreate the memory,” the voice said.

“Understood,” Twilight replied before putting her iDroid away.

The voice said, “As usual, this is a solo sneaking mission. Weapons and equipment OSP. This is a top-secret black op. I’ll let you decide the best COA. We’re counting on you, Twilight.”

Twilight nodded and, turning her attention to the nearby street, said, “Commencing déjà vu mission… now.”

________________________________________

Spike sighed sadly to himself as he sat on the sill of one of the windows on the ground floor of Fluttershy’s cottage, resting his head in the his claws as he stared out at Ponyville in the distance, more specifically at the crystal castle/tree near the town’s edge. After Twilight disappeared, Fluttershy had taken him in, unable to bear the thought of the baby dragon living all by himself. It was a good thing she did, since Spike didn’t know what he would do otherwise. He’d seen the flag that was waving from that castle; he knew who it was supposed to belong to, and he didn’t think he would be able to handle living by himself with that reminder every day.

Unnoticed by the dragon, Fluttershy was rounding up the last of her little critters, ushering them into the homes she had made for them and cooing them to sleep. Once she was finished, the shy pegasus noticed Spike sitting at the window and walked up behind him. She was quiet for several seconds before placing her left wing on his back him. Spike was startled by this action, but was calmed when Fluttershy withdrew the wing and whispered, “Come on, Spike. It’s time for bed for us too.”

Spike looked at her quietly for a moment before looking back out the window and asking, “When is Twilight going to wake up, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy admitted, “I don’t know, Spike. Soon, I hope. I really want to see her again. You do too, don’t you?”

Spike said, “I want to go see her right now! Even if she is unconscious, why can’t we just go see her for ourselves?”

Fluttershy answered, “I… I don’t know, Spike. But I’m sure it’s because we’re all very busy, the Princesses and Shining Armor especially. For us, we can’t… it wouldn’t be practical to have to go back and forth between Canterlot and Ponyville every day. I’m sure Princess Celestia wants to make sure we’re able to spend as much time with Twilight when she wakes up as possible; I think that’s why she said she wants us all to make sure that we’re able to leave Ponyville for a while so that, well… trouble doesn’t come up.”

Spike sighed as turned his head to look out the window again. “I just… want to know for sure that she’s really back. We haven’t had a lot of them, but we’ve come across ponies who claimed they’d seen her, only for it to lead to a dead end. I know it’s been one month, but it still feels like we’ve been searching forever. And I trust Princess Celestia when she says that Twilight has been found, but…” He trailed off as his gaze turned downwards.

Fluttershy extended her wing again and held it close to him before saying, “I know, Spike. After all this time, you just want to see that she’s back. So let’s go to bed; if Princess Celestia sends a letter tomorrow, you don’t want to have your sleep disturbed by it.” Spike was sure that if the Princess did send a letter, sleep would be the last thing on his mind at that moment, but he wasn’t going to argue with Fluttershy. So he stood up and hopped down from the window sill, following Fluttershy as she went up the stairs.

Upstairs, Fluttershy tucked Spike into his new basket with his new blanket, both of which she had bought, before climbing into her own bed. While she got comfortable under her own blanket, Spike thought for a moment before saying, “I wonder what Twilight’s been up to this last month. Aside from looking for her, we really haven’t done a lot; even the Cutie Mark Crusaders have managed to stay out of trouble.”

Fluttershy nodded, “It seems like we’re always able to get into something when things are calm.”

Spike nodded and rolled over onto his side, murmuring as he started to settle down, “Yeah. Like the whole Future Twilight and sneaking into Canterlot thing. That was wild…”

________________________________________

Twilight was sneaking through the dimly lit streets of Canterlot, her iDroid held aloft by her magic close to her head. She occasionally glanced at it, quickly flipping through the pictures before looking up and looking around again. So far, she hadn’t been able to recreate any of the ‘memories’ show in the photos. She also hadn’t seen a lot of guards on patrol, which was strange because the report from the Intel Team indicated there were plenty of patrols tonight.

She soon came across a park, and as she got closer, she spotted a unicorn guard approaching. She flinched and quickly looked around, trying to find a place to hide. She soon spotted a nearby statue that looked like it had enough space on its base for a pony to stand on. She quickly ran over and hopped on it, slipping her iDroid back into its pouch and taking one last look at the guard before muttering, “I hope this works…” She then struck a pose, holding still as best she could.

The guard soon walked past, and as he did, something was triggered in Twilight’s brain. An image appeared in her mind’s eye, showing a similar scene, except she was wearing a tight-fitting black suit and an eyepatch over her right eye, and she had a bandage wrapped around her forehead. She also saw a baby dragon and a pink pony wearing similar suits also striking poses. They seemed familiar…

After the guard passed by, Twilight relaxed and, while thinking about what she just witnessed, muttered, “What…?”

The voice from earlier suddenly crackled in her ear, “Just what I’d expect from Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight asked, “Was that…?”

The voice answered, “Yes. You recreated a memory. You only needed to recreate one, so I’m marking the goal on your map. If you want to search around and try to recreate the other memories as well, that’s up to you.” Twilight thought for a moment before looking towards the nearby park, memories starting to stir up within her. Pulling her iDroid back out, she checked the map to confirm her location before putting the device away and continuing on into the park. 

As she made her way past the trees in the park, Twilight had to watch her step, as unicorn guards with lights coming from their horns were patrolling the area. When she got close to the center of the park, she spotted something underneath a tree. It was hard to tell exactly from where she was, but it looked like a book. A very familiar book…

Looking around, the alicorn saw two guards patrolling the area around the tree, their searchlights occasionally falling on it. After taking a moment to look at her iDroid to make sure the guards she had marked earlier were keeping to their routes, Twilight looked back at the pair of guards near the tree, watching their patrol carefully. When she saw an opening where it looked like she would have enough time to retrieve the book, she took it, running towards the tree and slowing to a stop as she got close to the tree, grabbing the book with her hooves.

As she touched it, a wave of nostalgia washed over her, an image of her reading the very same book and learning that the return of a being sealed away a thousand years ago was nigh coming to her. She remained still for several moments before shaking her head and murmuring, “I can’t quite remember…”

She heard the voice in her ear again, “That’s another memory recreated. Nice work!” It snapped her back to reality and, upon seeing the guards coming back, she quickly slipped the book into her left saddlebag before sneaking towards one of the guards, slipping past him by going behind him.

After sneaking out of the park, Twilight found the castle building containing the Star Swirl the Bearded Wing, where she found the hourglass that was in one of the photos, triggering a memory of being in the same wing and frantically trying to find something. After leaving the wing, she decided to head back to the Canterlot streets and head to the castle to search. On her way, she came across patrols in the street and managed to evade with a complicated series of moves and teleportations, causing her to remember singing a song while doing a similar series of moves and magic, which, according to her iDroid, was the scene in the blurry photo.

Arriving at the castle, she found the front entrance heavily guarded and, after checking her map, decided to sneak in through the castle gardens, keeping low and sneaking amongst the plants to avoid being seen. She soon reached what looked like an alternate entrance to the castle, though there was no cover between where she was and the doors. After thoroughly checking to make sure she could make it, she leapt out of the bushes and ran as fast as she could towards the large wooden doors, using her magic to open them.

Inside, she found what looked like the castle ballroom and felt something in the back of her mind. It almost looked familiar… She looked towards one of the large statues atop a nearby pedestal and felt an urge to knock it over. Taking a moment to think it through, she ran over to it and, turning around and raising her back legs, bucked the pedestal as hard as she could. It did the trick as the statue began to wobble from the impact and soon fell off the pedestal, creating a big mess that triggered a memory of the same ballroom being wrecked in Twilight’s mind.

“Yes!” she whispered.

“Yes! You’ve recreated another memory!” the voice praised her. Twilight didn’t have time to revel in the moment however, as the sound of the statue falling caught the attention of guards both outside and inside the castle, all of them coming to investigate. Twilight spread her wings and took off, flying into one of the castle’s hallways and silently cursing the fact that she did not have an essential piece of sneaking equipment with her, seriously hoping that the guards wouldn’t look up as she flew.

Luck seemed to be on Twilight’s side, as she managed to avoid detection and find a safe place to land. Soon afterwards, she came across a large pair of metallic doors leading down into what seemed like a cavern carved out of Canterlot’s mountainside. Twilight didn’t need to search the cave long before she found a sign that directed her to the athenaeum she was looking for, the library full of not only books but also valuables from other worlds.

Thanks to the memory that was triggered by the athenaeum’s discovery, she found a slide hidden behind a sliding wall panel and used it to get back into the castle proper. From there, the throne room was a hop, skip, and a jump away, where she found the mysterious mirror in the final photo, the reflection of a familiar-looking unicorn appearing on the reflective surface for a moment as she stared at it and remembered what was on the other side of it.

As Twilight stared at her reflection in the mirror and processed everything she had seen, the voice spoke to her again, “Great – you recreated every memory. Now head for the goal. You can check its location on your iDroid.” Snapping back to the present, Twilight moved around the mirror and went over to the wall next to the throne room’s doors, pressing against it before pulling out her iDroid to check the map. After determining that the goal was located in a nearby tower, she put the device away and left the throne room to make her way to the tower.

After some more sneaking across the castle grounds, Twilight reached the tower and headed inside, finding a winding staircase inside and walking up the steps to the top. There, she found herself in a library, books lining every shelf. As she stood there looking around, the voice spoke to her again, “Home sweet home, huh? For your sake, I hope it lasts. Just remember: you can erase the markings, but the memories will always be with you. They’ll live on inside of you…”

Twilight was confused by this and asked, “Miller… what are you saying? Your voice sounds a little different; are you feeling all right?” Suddenly, she noticed that the library seemed to be getting darker, the books, walls, windows, and even floor soon disappearing under a layer of black. “Miller, what’s going on? Why is everything getting dark here? …Miller, are you there? Miller?!” Twilight began to look around frantically, a sense of dread growing within her. Suddenly, a light began to shine above and she looked up at it, the light coming closer as she stared. She shut her eyes as it came close enough to envelope her completely…

________________________________________

A prolonged groan escaped Twilight’s mouth as she slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, but she was able to see the ceiling above her. She blinked several times, having no idea that she’d had a bandage wrapped around her eyes or that they were still tinted red. Attempting to move her legs only caused spikes of pain to shoot up them, but she was able to move her head, so she looked around the room as best she could.

“Is this a… hospital room?” she thought to herself as she looked around, seeing cabinets over a counter in the corner of the room across from her and a storage cabinet in the other corner. Suddenly, she heard a door opening to her left and turned her head to look. A pink unicorn was coming into the room, a nurse Twilight guessed from the hat she wore. She was pushing a cart into the room, turning it a bit so she could stop it at the foot of Twilight’s bed. “Uh… hello?” Twilight softly asked when the nurse let go of the cart, the alicorn’s voice sounding raspy like she had a terrible cold.

The unicorn was startled by the question, but she calmed slightly when she saw it came from Twilight, though she was shocked again when she realized this. “P-Princess Twilight! I’m sorry, I… I didn’t know you were up. I’m sorry if I awoke you,” the nurse apologized.

“No, I was… already up. That’s okay,” Twilight replied. She tried to sit up, but she let out a sharp exclamation of pain from this action and fell back again.

The nurse gasped and moved to her side, using her magic to fix the bed and Twilight’s position as she said, “Please, Princess Twilight, you must try to stay still! You have to heal!”

Twilight groaned, “Ugh… sorry.” Once she was in a comfortable position again and her body stopped screaming at her, she asked, “Where am I?”

The nurse replied, “You’re in the hospital in Canterlot, Your Highness. Princess Celestia’s guards brought you here when they found you. You were in a terrible state when they brought you in; you woke up once in the operating room, but until now, you’ve been unconscious.”

Twilight looked at her and asked, “How long have I been… unconscious?”

The nurse hesitated for a moment before answering, “You’ve been here for… about a week, Your Highness.”

Twilight’s eyes opened wider in shock at this, but she wasn’t able to express her shock as she only rasped out, “A week? Oh… uh…”

The nurse became concerned when she started coughing and, when she stopped for a moment, asked, “Is there anything I can get you, Your Highness?”

Twilight let out a grunt and said, “My throat feels like it’s on fire. Can I have some water, please?” The nurse nodded, using her magic to grab a glass off the top of her cart and taking it over to the sink, filling it with water. She then brought it over to Twilight and helped her drink it slowly. She went back to the sink for water several more times before Twilight uttered, “Thank you… Much better…”

The nurse replied, “I’m glad to hear that, Princess. I was coming in to put fresh bandages around your eyes, but your eyes look better, so maybe that won’t be necessary now. I have to let the doctor know and he’ll decide.”

Twilight nodded, “Okay.”

The nurse asked, “Can I get you anything else, Princess?” Twilight shook her head, so the nurse said, “Try to get some sleep, then. I’m sure you’re very tired right now.”

Twilight groaned, “Definitely…”

The nurse went around to the other side of the cart; as she was about to start pushing it out of the room, she remembered something and turned back to Twilight, saying, “I just remembered. Princess Celestia wanted to be informed right away when you regained consciousness. Is it all right if the doctor tells her?”

Twilight thought for a moment before saying, “Yeah, that’s fine.” The nurse nodded and started pushing the cart towards the door while Twilight relaxed her head on her pillow, sinking into it. The nurse looked back at her one last time to make sure she was all right before quietly shutting the door behind her, leaving the young alicorn alone.

As she sank back into the world of dreams, Twilight heard a familiar-sounding voice say, “Not yet, Twilight! It’s not over yet!”

Despite the more comfortable position she was in and the blanket covering her on the outside, Twilight unconsciously shivered at that.
> Happy Reunions, Unhappy Landings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight let out a yawn as her eyes slowly opened, the mare still feeling a bit tired. It had been two days since she had regained consciousness, and by now her eyes had lost most of the red tinting the sclera. Her voice was still raspy and she still had bandages all over her (she’d discovered two more on both of her hind legs the other day), but otherwise, she was doing well (physically) for a pony who had been asleep for a week.

As she carefully raised herself up to a sitting position while holding her head up, Twilight reflected on the events of the previous day. According to the nurse that she had talked to when she woke up, being unconscious for a week had done wonders for her injuries, as evidenced by her wings now being folded against her back. The cast that had been on her left wing had been removed the previous day, as the doctor had determined that it had healed enough that she no longer needed the cast as long as she didn’t use it. Just like the rest of her, her wings were still healing, but it was clear she was recovering better than they expected. The nurse even came in during Princess Celestia and Luna’s visit to tell her that she might be able to leave the hospital soon.

Twilight smiled softly as she remembered how happy they were to see her awake and how they stayed with her awhile before they had to go back to Canterlot Castle, though they promised that they would be coming back today. While they had been with her, they kept an eye on her and supported her when she wanted to try getting out of bed for the first time in a week. Her legs had been wobbly at first and she had barely managed to reach the door by the end of the day, but she was definitely making progress. The doctors were impressed with her recovery.

The lavender alicorn’s thoughts were interrupted when she heard the door to her room opening. Turning her head to look, she saw the pink unicorn nurse coming in with Princess Luna entering behind her. “Good morning, Princess Twilight. How are you feeling today?” the nurse asked as she stepped up to the bed.

“I’m feeling better today. I’m not feeling quite as stiff or sore as I did yesterday,” Twilight replied, her voice definitely much less hoarse now. She then looked at Luna and said, “Good morning, Princess Luna.”

The Lunar Princess nodded, “Good morning to you as well, Twilight Sparkle. My sister will be joining us as soon as she finishes her morning duties and gathers your possessions from the Twelfth Precinct. We should not have to wait long for her.”

Twilight replied, “Okay.” She looked at the nurse and asked, “Has the doctor told you anything, uh, miss?”

The nurse answered, “He told me that he’s going to want to see you later in the afternoon for a check-up, Princess. If everything checks out, we’ll be able to release you tomorrow as long as you agree to take it easy and let your body continue to recover.”

Twilight chuckled slightly, “Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be doing anything too strenuous for a while.” She then glanced down to the side, “Although…”

The nurse asked, “Yes, Princess?”

Twilight looked back up at her, “When is breakfast coming up?”

The nurse replied, “It should be here in a little while. Why?”

Twilight answered, “If it’s all right with you, I’d like to try getting out of bed and walking a little more.”

Luna looked a little surprised. “Are you certain you feel up to walking again, Twilight?”

Twilight nodded, “Yes, I would really like to, Princess Luna. I’d just like to get an idea of how I’m feeling now before I see the doctor later, and I’m feeling a little cooped up after being in this room so long. I don’t think I’ll be able to talk well while I’m feeling that way.”

Luna said, “Yes, my sister and I haven’t forgotten that you agreed to tell us what you’ve been doing in your time away. That reminds me, your brother, former foalsitter, and friends will be arriving in Canterlot today, so they will be present to hear your story as well.”

Twilight looked back at the nurse as she spoke, “I’m not sure the doctor would approve of this, Princess, but if your legs really are feeling stronger…” Twilight nodded, so the nurse said, “Then yes, you can do some more walking as long as I’m with you.”

Twilight replied, “I would like you to be with me, ma’am. I don’t think I’m strong enough to go anywhere without you yet.”

Luna spoke, “I would like to accompany you and observe your progress as well, Twilight Sparkle. May I?” Twilight nodded, so the nurse unhooked the wires attached to her right foreleg and lowered the rails on the left side of the bed to make it easier for her.

Twilight slowly turned and swung her legs out from under her blanket, revealing her hind legs and the bandages wrapped around them as they hung over the side of the bed. She stared down at the floor, steadying herself as the nurse and Luna moved to her sides. She then scooted off the bed, making sure her back hooves were resting on the tiles before bringing her forehooves down. Standing up straight, she looked towards the door, her objective, and slowly began to walk towards it, Luna and the nurse following close behind her.

Soon, in the lobby

The earth pony receptionist on duty looked up from the newspaper she was reading when the front doors slid open. A white unicorn stallion and a pink alicorn mare entered the lobby, the stallion pointedly stepping up to the desk first. He looked at the mare and said, “Good morning, miss. We’re here to see our sister. Can you tell us where she is?”

The mare stared back at him for a moment before setting her newspaper down and looking down at the day planner in front of her for a moment before looking back up and asking, “You’re Captain Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, right? Princess Celestia said you would be coming today to see Princess Twilight.”

Cadance stepped up next to her husband and replied, “Yes, that’s correct. May we?”

The receptionist said, “Certainly, Your Highness. I’ll send word to her doctor that you’ve arrived, but you can go ahead. She’s in Room 212.” The couple thanked her and passed through the double doors behind the desk, leaving the mare to do her work.

Shining and Cadance swiftly made their way to the second floor and followed the signs on the walls to locate the patient rooms. As they were approaching a ‘T’ intersection, they heard talking coming from the right. Curious, they walked to the corner and poked their heads around it, seeing Twilight sitting in a chair against the wall on their right and Luna and the nurse standing in front of her. Shining stared in shock for a moment before quickly rounding the corner and saying, “Twily!”

The three mares looked up at him in surprise, though Twilight soon smiled brightly. “Shining, Cadance!” she exclaimed. As soon as he reached her, Shining wrapped his forelegs around her in a hug. “Don’t squeeze too hard, Shiny. I’m a little tender right now,” she said, raising her left foreleg to hug him back. Cadance was able to keep her joy under wraps as she simply walked over to Twilight, though she immediately hugged her favorite filly when she reached her.

As Twilight hugged her as well, Luna spoke, “Princess Cadance, Shining Armor. You both certainly got here quickly.”

Cadance glanced at the Lunar Princess as she held her hug and said, “Of course, Princess Luna. As soon as we’d tied up the last few loose ends at the Crystal Empire, we came as fast as we could.”

Luna smirked, “Yes, I know. I think a good part of Canterlot heard your train arrive; everypony here in the hospital did.” Cadance giggled slightly; clearly the brakes on the crystal train still needed some work.

After a few more moments, Shining and Cadance let go of Twilight and stepped back, the former saying, “I’m so glad you’re back, Twilight. And you look like you’re doing well, considering. Did you actually get out of bed today?”

Twilight replied, “I actually just started walking yesterday, Shining. I wanted to see if I was getting any stronger. Apparently I am, considering how far down the hall I got.”

The nurse spoke up, “Yes. She made it to the end of the hall with Princess Luna and I, and I suggested she stop for a moment before going back to her room.”

Cadance smiled, “That’s wonderful to hear.” As she looked back at Twilight, her smile eased off and she asked, “But how did this happen to you, Twilight?”

The lavender alicorn looked a bit nervous at having to answer that question, but thankfully, Shining spoke up, “I’m curious too, dear, but we should wait until everypony gets here before she starts to tell us.”

Twilight looked up at him and asked, “Everypony? You mean…”

Shining looked down at her and nodded, “Yeah, your friends should be arriving soon too, Twily. Mom and Dad can’t make it, unfortunately. Princess Celestia checked with them, but they’re really busy. She said they did promise to come see you later, though.”

Twilight glanced down, “I see.”

The nurse looked at Twilight and said, “I think we should get you back to your room now, Princess Twilight. I’m sure your breakfast is ready by now, and since you’re going to have more visitors coming, you might want to get that out of the way.”

Twilight looked back at her and nodded, “You’re right. Thank you.” Luna and the nurse stepped back as Twilight slid off the chair onto her hooves, both them, Cadance, and Shining Armor following her back down the hall to Room 212.

Soon, in front of the Twelfth Precinct

Princess Celestia stepped out of the wooden doors of the precinct, a pair of slightly burnt olive drab saddlebags with a third bag on them draped over her back along with a number of smaller pouches tucked carefully underneath the center bag. There had been quite a bit of paperwork that had needed to be filled out in order for her to claim Twilight’s possessions, but she had found it to be no baffling ordeal. She just hoped Twilight wasn’t wondering if something had happened to her.

After saying her goodbyes to the guards manning the precinct, Celestia walked down the front steps and began making her way to the hospital. As she was walking, she greeted any citizens she walked past, enjoying the cool air present so early in the day. As she was getting close to the hospital, she saw Spike and Twilight’s other friends in the middle of a road, seemingly arguing with each other.

As the Sun Princess got closer, it seemed they hadn’t noticed her yet, as she was able to hear what they were saying. “I’m telling you, we were supposed to go right at that intersection!” Rainbow Dash was saying.

“But Rarity said we were supposed to go this way, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy meekly said.

Rarity laughed nervously before saying, “I’m terribly sorry, everypony. I don’t know where the Canterlot hospital is. I’ve never had to go there…”

Applejack eyed her and said, “If you had ta go ta the hospital when you were supposed to be enjoyin’ yerself, Rarity, then Ah’d worry about you.” She looked at Spike and asked, “Spike?”

The baby dragon shrugged, “I don’t know where it is either. Twilight and I never had to go there when we lived in Canterlot.”

Pinkie piped up, “Hey look, here comes Princess Celestia!” Spike and the other ponies turned to see the Princess walking towards them, all of them bowing as she reached them.

“Good morning, my little ponies. How are all of you?” Celestia asked.

“Howdy, Princess. We’re a little, uh, turned around, it seems,” Applejack admitted as they all stood up straight.

Rarity nodded, “Yes, ah, it appears I don’t know my way around Canterlot as well as I thought I did.” She noticed everything on the Princess’ back and asked, “Oh my, what is all that, Your Highness?”

Celestia glanced back for a moment before looking back at the group and saying, “Oh, this is what the guards that found Twilight said she had with her. They decided to hold onto it all until she regained consciousness. Now then…” She turned, “Shall we be off to the hospital? It’s actually not that far from here.” Spike and the ponies took her up on her invitation, following behind her as she walked.

After several minutes, they arrived at the hospital and entered the lobby. The receptionist looked up at Princess Celestia as she approached the desk and said, “Oh! Good morning, Princess Celestia.”

The Sun Princess stopped just short of the desk and replied, “Good morning to you as well. Princess Twilight’s friends have come to see her. Do you know if Princess Cadance and Shining Armor have arrived yet?”

The receptionist nodded, “They did, just a little while ago, in fact. I let them through after telling them Princess Twilight is in Room 212.” The mare suddenly looked to her right in shock, a rainbow streak shooting through the double doors as soon as she finished speaking.

As Spike and the other ponies followed after their friend, Celestia returned her gaze to the mare and said, “Don’t worry about them. I’ll see to them, if I may?”

The receptionist replied, “Of course, Princess. The doctor already knows she has visitors; go on ahead, Your Highness.” Celestia nodded and walked through the double doors, making her way up to the second floor.

As she rounded the corner, she saw Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy going into Twilight’s room, the nurse thanking them for helping her as she walked away while pushing a cart with a tray on it. After taking a moment to talk to the nurse, Celestia reached the room a few seconds later and peered in, seeing Twilight’s friends gathered around her bed, Spike on the bed and hugging her and Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, and Luna standing on the other side of the bed. Celestia smiled as she watched the happy reunion.

After a minute, Celestia stepped into the room and began walking over to Twilight’s bed. As she was walking, Pinkie pulled out a cupcake with pink frosting on it and said, “Here, Twilight, I brought you a gift! It’s a cupcake!”

Twilight’s eyes went wide at that. “A cupcake?” she asked, eagerly taking the treat from Pinkie’s outstretched hoof with her left foreleg and holding it up in front of her in her forehooves, staring at it as if mesmerized.

Several seconds went by before Rainbow Dash asked, “Uh, Twilight? You gonna eat that cupcake or stare at it all day?”

Twilight snapped back to reality at that and looked over at her friends, sheepishly saying, “Uh, sorry about that. It’s just… I haven’t eaten a cupcake in nearly five months, let alone seen one. I honestly don’t know if I should eat it or savor it.”

Pinkie gasped in horror, “Five months without a single cupcake?! Oh Twilight, that’s horrible!” She reached over and wrapped her forelegs around the lavender alicorn, crying, “I can’t imagine going a week without having a cupcake! How did you ever survive?!”

Shining Armor spoke up, “Wait, what do you mean by ‘five months’, Twilight? It’s only been a month since Lord Tirek was sent back to Tartarus.”

Twilight and the others looked over at him, Twilight saying, “A month…? Oh, that’s right. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna said the same thing yesterday.” She glanced down, “There must be a difference in how time passes in some universes…”

Applejack looked at her, “Universes? You sayin’ you got sent to a different universe, Twilight?”

Celestia cleared her throat and Twilight’s friends suddenly realized that the Sun Princess was standing right behind them. Pinkie and Spike let go of Twilight and the ponies moved aside to let Celestia reach the bedside. She stepped up and nuzzled her student for a moment before lifting her head up and saying, “Good morning, Twilight. I’m certain you have a lot to tell us, but before that, I thought you might want your belongings back.”

Twilight noticed what was on Celestia’s back and said, “Oh, yes. Th-Thank you, Princess.” She placed Pinkie’s cupcake on the nightstand next to her clothing and Spike sat up on his knees, moving back so he wasn’t in the way.

Celestia used her magic to lift everything up into the air and levitated each item over to Twilight. “Here are your saddlebags,” the bags floated over and gently landed in Twilight’s lap before she continued, “and these pouches…” She floated over six pouches that, like the saddlebags, were olive drab in color, one of which had a black handle sticking out of it. Celestia held one last item up with her magic, though she was frowning as she looked up at it. “And they said this was with you too,” she said finally, floating a black holster that had a black handle sticking out of it over onto the nightstand. From the shape of the holster, it was easy to tell what it was.

“Is that a… knife?” Spike asked as he looked at the holster.

Twilight glanced down at him as she said, “It’s a… survival knife, Spike.”

Applejack eyed her friend, “Why were you carryin’ a knife around, Twilight?”

Twilight realized what the earth pony was saying and said, “It’s not like that, Applejack! I had to learn close-quarters combat before I was allowed out in the field.” She gestured to the knife, “I wasn’t allowed to use that until I was told I was proficient enough to use it. I haven’t had to use it for… that particular reason. The only thing I’ve used it for is to cut open fruit when I was out in the jungle and forest.”

Fluttershy asked, “You were in a jungle, Twilight?”

Rarity, as she was looking at the clothing on the nightstand, added, “Who would let a princess go out into the jungle of all places?! And please don’t tell me you had to wear those colorless, yet well-stitched, clothes out there, darling. That would be an even greater injustice!”

Luna spoke up, loudly, “If everypony could please quiet down!” She hadn’t used the Royal Canterlot Voice, but she hadn’t needed to; everypony immediately took the hint and refrained from saying anything further. “Perhaps now that we are all here, Twilight could tell us what happened to her from the beginning so that we can all understand.”

Cadance nodded, “That’s a good idea, Aunt Luna.” She looked back at Twilight, “What exactly happened after Tirek was defeated, Twilight? How did you disappear?”

Twilight held her left hoof to her forehead as she began, “I still don’t know exactly what happened, Cadance. Tirek launched one last spell before he was sent to Tartarus, but I don’t know what it was or what it was supposed to do. There was some kind of magic reaction, that’s all I can think.”

Rainbow asked, “So what happened after you disappeared?”

Twilight lowered her hoof and said, “I don’t know everything that happened. I blacked out afterwards, since the next thing I knew, I was slowly waking up.” She sighed, “And what a place to wake up in…”

________________________________________

A soft groan escaped Twilight’s mouth as she began to stir, awareness slowly returning to her as she swam back to consciousness. Her eyes opened partway and she blinked several times before opening them all the way, seeing plants and dirt in front of her. After a few seconds, she became aware that she was lying on her left side with her wings unfolded and lifted herself up, rolling onto her front as she folded her wings to her sides and looked around.

She appeared to be in a forest or jungle, as sunlight was streaming down through the trees above, but when she looked up at the trees, she noticed they looked more tropical, like palm trees rather than the trees she was used to seeing. “I don’t know where I am, but I’m going to say this isn’t the Everfree Forest. It looks too different, and it’s really warm here too.” she thought to herself, raising a hoof to her forehead to wipe away the sweat that was starting to gather there.

At the thought of the Everfree Forest, recent events suddenly flooded her mind and she stood up, stepping away from the tree she had been lying against and looking around as she called, “Spike! Applejack! Rainbow Dash! Pinkie Pie! Fluttershy! Rarity! Discord!” She kept looking around, waiting for a sign that her friends were there with her, but all she heard was the sounds of nature.

After a couple of seconds, Twilight’s ears drooped as she looked down, “What happened back at the Everfree Forest? What did Tirek do? I have my magic again, but I can’t feel the power that came from the box from the Tree of Harmony…” Looking back up at the sunlight coming through the trees above, she wondered, “Where am I? What happened to my friends? To everypony in Equestria?” Her eyes began to water a bit, “Am I the only one here?”

She was distracted from thinking any further when she heard a rustling coming from some bushes across from her. Twilight stared at the shaking bushes for a few seconds before asking, “Hello?” A blue head with a dull red crest atop it and black stripes popped over the top of the bushes a moment after she had spoken, a pair of yellow-orange eyes looking back at her. Twilight stared at the creature; the shape of its beak-like face made her wonder if it was one of the ancient lizards she’d read about or a type of dragon.

Regardless of what the creature was, Twilight decided to see if she could communicate with it. “Uh, hello there. I think I’m a little lost. Can you help-” The creature cut her off in mid-sentence with, seemingly, a bird call. It wasn’t so much the noise that made Twilight stop short; it was the fact that the creature had sharp, carnivorous teeth along the sides of its mouth. And when the creature suddenly dashed out of the bushes towards her on two legs a moment later, her hunch was proven correct: it wanted to make her lunch!

When the creature was a little closer, it leapt at her, holding both its arms and its legs out in front of it, the latter so that so the claws on its feet were pointing right at her. Twilight quickly dropped down to the ground, the creature sailing right over her and crashing into the tree behind her. She looked over at it as it recovered from its disorientation for a moment before turning and running away, wanting to get as far away from it as she could. She wasn’t fast enough, though, as it saw which direction she was running before she could get very far away…

Twilight winced as she heard the creature letting out calls in the distance behind her. She kept running, though, hoping she could still put some distance between her and it. That hope was in vain, unfortunately, as, as soon she ran into a clearing, four more of the same creature leapt out, surrounding her! Twilights slid to a stop in the middle of the clearing and looked around frantically, realizing that the first creature had been calling for help!

The creatures began to prowl around Twilight, as if daring her to make a movement. Twilight glanced around nervously, searching for a way out of this situation. “Oh what do I do, what do I do?! These things are like that Cragadile in the Everfree Forest, only there are more of these, whatever they are! And my friends had to help me out of that one because I couldn’t…” She stopped in mid-thought as she remembered why the Cragadile had cornered her back then and realized she might have a way out of this.

Twilight bent forward on her forelegs, looking as though she was about to do something. Two of the creatures began to close in on her in response, both of them leaping at her when they were close enough. Before their feet left the ground, Twilight spread her wings and flapped them downward to take off. Now that she no longer had all of Equestria’s alicorn magic, the effect was nowhere near as powerful, but it did get her above the heads of the creatures, causing them to roll on the ground when they landed. She started to fly away, but the other two came after her, jumping up after her to stop her! Thinking quickly, she focused her magic into her horn and disappeared in a flash of magic, reappearing amongst the trees at the edge of the clearing and running again, hopefully before they could realize what happened.

Twilight ran as fast as she could, occasionally stealing a glance behind her to see if the creatures were coming after her. On one of the times she looked back, she hadn’t realized she was approaching a drop due to the trees around her, so when she looked forward again, she let out a shout as she realized the ground shot straight down! She planted her hooves into the ground, but she was too late to stop herself and went rolling down the cliff face. Thankfully, it wasn’t a long drop, so she was only disoriented from hitting the ground hard, but when she heard something in front of her, she looked up and her eyes went wide.

She’d landed at the edge of a flat area overlooking a beach, but it was the two wyverns fighting each other not that far away from her that caught her attention. One was bright red with black markings and massive wings, and the other was predominantly yellow and blue striped and powerful-looking limbs. They both had long thick tails that had spiky ends, and they were both HUGE, much bigger than the creatures from earlier.

Twilight watched them fight with a strange fascination for a few moments until the red wyvern reared back and launched a fireball at its opponent. The yellow and blue wyvern dodged the flaming projectile and it ended up hitting the wall near where Twilight was sitting! She let out a cry as she shielded herself, the fireball exploding when it hit the wall. After the ringing in her ears died down, she clasped her hooves on the side of her head and said, “Okay, this is too much to deal with right now!” Shutting her eyes, she focused her magic into her horn, preparing for a powerful teleport. She disappeared in a flash of light seconds later, hoping she would end up in a much safer place.

When she felt herself touch solid ground a few moments later, Twilight opened her eyes and took her hooves off her head, looking around. She could see what looked like freight cars around her, the ones she could see around her sitting on train tracks. “Is this a freight yard? Well, this is a bit different…” she muttered to herself.

Suddenly, a loud voice behind her yelled, “What the hell is THAT?!” Twilight stiffened up at that, the amplified volume of the voice by itself nearly scaring her half to death. The rational part of her mind tried to calm her by saying that if she could understand what they were saying, she had a better chance of getting help, but any chance of being calmed was crushed when she turned her head to look behind her.

Coming towards her was a large green machine that, while not quite as big as those wyverns roughly, was still shaking the ground beneath her slightly as it rolled on treads. It had a long cannon pointing towards her, and at its sides were four creatures that looked like the same creatures she and Spike had seen when they followed Sunset Shimmer through the mirror to that other world. Unlike those creatures, however, these did not look the least bit friendly. They wore mostly gray outfits that covered every part of their bodies except for their heads, which instead had helmets and goggles covering them, and they were pointing strange devices at her that made her think of the crossbows in Equestria. The four of them quickly moved and surrounded her, pointing their weapons at her while the machine came to a stop a short distance away with its cannon pointing at Twilight.

Twilight glanced around nervously at the soldiers (she guessed that’s what they were) around her, the tension and silence in the air nearly unbearable. After several long seconds, the soldier on Twilight’s right spoke, “What the hell is this thing?”

The soldier on her left then asked, “And where did it come from?”

Twilight started to speak, “Excuse me, I…” Unfortunately, almost as soon as she opened her mouth, the soldiers readied and pointed their weapons at her again, causing her to abruptly shut her mouth.

The first soldier exclaimed, “It can talk too?!”

The second soldier grunted, “First an intruder, now this? What is going on here?”

The amplified voice from before came from the vehicle behind Twilight, “Focus! Take care of one thing at a time!”

The first soldier nodded, “Right. This thing might be worth something if we bring it back with us alive.” Twilight tensed up at that, staring at the soldier as he put his weapon away and pulled some kind of rod out of his pocket. As he began to approach her, he said, “Now don’t move…” Suddenly, something fell past Twilight’s line of sight, landing on the ground in front of her with a clatter. Twilight looked down and saw it looked like some kind of metal cylinder. The soldier saw it too and exclaimed, “What the-?!”

Suddenly, the cylinder exploded, releasing a cloud of smoke! Twilight let out a yelp as the smoke surrounded her, the soldiers seemingly being thrown off by the smoke as well. Amidst their surprised exclamations, she heard clattering and explosions near her two more times, more smoke filling the area. As Twilight coughed from the smoke, she heard footsteps around her, and suddenly, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her! She gasped as she was lifted off the ground and carried away, whoever it was carrying her out of the smoke and past the back of the green vehicle towards a large shed she hadn’t noticed earlier.

Because of how closely pressed up she was against whoever was holding her, she couldn’t really see who it was, but based on the heavy breathing she was hearing, she could infer that they were male. Once the person carrying her reached the shed, she was carried behind a freight car that had fallen over and dropped onto the ground, her mystery helper letting out a grunt as he moved down and let her go. Twilight let out a grunt as well when she hit the ground, taking a moment to recover from the sudden landing before looking up.

Much like the soldiers outside, her mystery helper was dressed much differently than she was used to, but unlike them, he wore a slightly looser fitting outfit that was a mix of green and yellow in terms of color with black on the right knee and sleeves. He wore black-gray boots and a yellow pack on his back, and he had his own weapon strapped to his left thigh. Looking up at his face, she found that he wore no mask like the soldiers, so she could see his peach-colored skin. He had brown, slightly wild hair on his head, a very pronounced beard and mustache, and he wore a greenish-gray bandanna around his forehead and a black eyepatch over his right eye.

The man looked back at her with his left eye for a few seconds, still crouching so he was closer to eye level with her, before one of the soldiers outside yelled, “Hey, where did that horse thing go?!”

Both Twilight and the man turned their heads to look towards the sound, both hearing another soldier shout, “Shit, we’ve gotta find it! And that intruder!”

The man and Twilight looked back at each other, the former asking, “Hey. You can talk, right?” Twilight nodded awkwardly, not really expecting that question. The man grunted, “We’ll talk as soon as I’m done with those troops out there. Until then, stay here and keep quiet!” He then stood up and pulled a smaller weapon out of a holster on his right thigh before turning and moving towards the other end of the freight car, pressing his back up against it and peeking around the corner for several moments before running around to the other side.

Twilight could only stare at the spot where she had last seen the man, having no idea what he was doing. She tried to stay put like he told her to, but the sound of the machine moving outside coupled with the sounds of more explosions as well as what faintly sounded like things hitting the ground had her on edge. What was going on out there?

After a minute, Twilight began to creep towards the other end of the freight car, but just as she was about to reach it, she heard the amplified voice shout, “Found him!” Seconds later, a much louder explosion sounded through the area, causing Twilight’s ears to ring. When the ringing finally stopped, she could hear the motor powering the machine revving up, indicating that it was moving much faster than it was before. She moved to the corner of the car and peered around it, seeing the man running around one of the freight cars that was standing up, the machine soon appearing around the other end of it, another soldier sticking out from the top of it. From the look of it, he was trying to get away from it and the other soldiers were nowhere to be seen.

The man finally took cover behind a toppled freight car, the soldier in the machine keeping the cannon focused on it, waiting for him to appear. Twilight noticed that the soldier seemed to be focused on getting the man when he appeared and nothing else. She glanced up at her horn, thinking for a moment before an idea popped into her head. Looking back at the soldier, she decided to see if she could give the man a chance to slip away.

Moving out from behind the freight car, she snuck out of the shed and moved to a spot where she could get a good view of the soldier, at which point she focused a small amount of magic in her horn and fired a small beam from it, hitting him on the right soldier. “What?!” the soldier exclaimed, starting to turn the top of the machine around towards where she fired from. Twilight’s eyes widened, not realizing it could turn like that. She quickly looked around, trying to find a new hiding spot. Before she could move, however, and before the soldier could see her, the man ran out from hiding, raised his weapon in both hands, and took a shot. The soldier let out a shout before slumping forward.

Twilight let out a gasp at this, moving around to the machine and seeing the man approaching from the other side. She looked up at him and started, “Is he…?”

The man placed his weapon in his holster before saying, “No. Just asleep.” As he was speaking, the soldier continued to lean forward until he suddenly fell out, landing on his back. Twilight winced at this, but the man didn’t flinch at all. He simply knelt down next to the soldier, attached some sort of clip to him, and then stood up and backed away as a balloon suddenly inflated and lifted the soldier off the ground. He hung just above the ground for several moments before the balloon suddenly shot up into the sky, taking the soldier with it!

Twilight stared up at the sky in surprise at this for a few seconds before looking back down at the man as he did the same. After a moment, she asked, “Who are you?”

The man stared back at her, silence permeating the air. Finally, he said, “Call me Snake.”
> Infiltrate the Crater Base
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shining Armor made a face, “‘Snake’? Was that really his name, Twilight?”

While taking a bite out of the cupcake she was given, Twilight nodded, “Mm-hmm.” She swallowed and balanced the pastry on her right hoof as she said, “That’s the name he preferred at the time. It was part of his codename; his full codename was Naked Snake.”

Rainbow let out a laugh and asked, “‘NAKED Snake’? No wonder he didn’t give you his full name! Snake by itself is a cool name, but ‘Naked’? How’d he get that for a first name?”

Twilight replied, “I asked him about it one time after Miller teased him about the name. He told me he used to be a mainly on-site procurement expert. Back then, when he was out on a mission, most of what he ate and used he’d have to find in enemy territory. He’d usually have help over the radio and get something to defend himself with, but for the most part, he was on his own.”

Luna commented, “That sounds… hazardous, to say the least.”

Twilight nodded, “Yes, but he was good at what he did. His skills had made him pretty famous.”

Cadance spoke, “Snake was his codename. So, he must’ve had a real name, right Twilight?”

The lavender alicorn shrugged, “I think so. I never really learned what it was, though. What did he tell me once? ‘After a week on the battlefield, no one has a name’…?” She shook her head, “It was something along those lines…”  She set her cupcake down on the nightstand.

Celestia asked, “Who is this ‘Miller’ you mentioned, Twilight?”

Twilight answered, “Snake’s second-in-command, Kazuhira Miller, or just Kaz. Since Snake was often away on missions, he was in charge of keeping his private army and the rest of Mother Base running smoothly. He really loved his sunglasses… and women.” She rolled her eyes as she lay back against her pillow, “I was one of the few female staff members at Mother Base he didn’t try to hit on. Obviously, he had his standards, but his womanizing still got him in trouble with Snake on a couple of occasions.”

Applejack asked, “So there was a bunch o’ y’all and ya actually worked for him?”

Twilight replied, “I didn’t really start working for him until later, but yeah. There were lots of humans that worked for Snake, all of them with different backgrounds. Hang on.” She grabbed her saddlebags with her hooves and set them on her lap. “I know I have a picture or two in here somewhere…” she murmured as she began digging through the center bag. As she was searching, a thick brown leather-bound book suddenly slipped out and fell onto the sheets. Twilight’s eyes widened a bit when she saw it, a bit of panic in her voice as she uttered, “Ah!”

Spike reached over and grabbed the book with his claws, lifting it up to look at it. As he looked at the cover, he noticed that it was blank and the book’s weight felt off; it didn’t seem as heavy as it looked. “What’s this, Twilight? A photo album?” he asked.

Twilight quickly snatched the book out of his claws with her hooves and said, “No! I-I mean, there are no pictures in it. I didn’t have time to make a photo album…”

Pinkie piped up, “Ooh! Is it for research then? Did Snaky assign you an important job and now you have to find more information for him?!”

Twilight glanced down at the book in her hooves for a moment before looking up and smiling as she said, as straight as she could, “Yes, Pinkie, that’s exactly why I have this book. Boss wanted me to do some research for him, but it doesn’t look like I’ll need to do that now.”

Pinkie raised an eyebrow and suspiciously asked, “Why not?”

Twilight gave her a perplexed stare, “…Because I’m back in Equestria? If I was going to do research for Snake, it would be done in his world?”

Pinkie immediately lightened up at that, “Oh, duh, of course! Ha ha, silly me!” Twilight quietly breathed out a sigh of relief, glad to have alleviated her friend’s suspicions and avoided a barrage of questions that would no doubt turn this reunion into a Pinkie-styled interrogation session. She kept the book tucked securely under her forelegs as she went back to sifting through her things, knowing everyone was waiting.

She soon pulled her forehooves out of the center bag, now holding a 5x7 photograph between them. She brought it closer to get a better look at it, the picture bringing back memories. “This was one of the few group pictures we were all together for,” she said softly, staring at it for a moment longer before giving it to Spike.

The baby dragon looked at it. It was indeed a group picture and Twilight was in it, but she was standing off to the left with people standing around her. The man standing behind her on the far left he guessed was Snake based on Twilight’s description, and he guessed the man standing in the back on the far right in the olive-green uniform with the yellow ascot was Miller based on his tan sunglasses. He had no idea who the rest were. To the left of Twilight in the photo and in front of Snake, there was a young boy in a drab green uniform with a similarly colored hat and yellow ascot saluting with a brown-haired woman in a black tank top with a yellow scarf standing behind him. A blonde-haired girl that looked the same age as the boy wearing a school uniform was standing next to Twilight on her right. A woman with silver-colored hair wearing a pair of black sunglasses, a white long-sleeved shirt, red and blue striped tie, and a black vest and pants stood to the girl’s right and a brown-haired man with glasses and a white shirt sat in a wheelchair in front of her. A blonde woman wearing tan clothing and a brown bandanna stood behind Twilight, her right hand on her chest and the tips of the fingers on her left hand on the lavender alicorn’s back. There seemed to be more people in the background, but they were wearing masks that hid everything except their eyes.

Spike turned the picture towards Twilight and pointed to the two he thought he recognized as he asked, “That’s Snake, right? And that’s that Miller guy?”

Twilight nodded. “That’s right. And that’s Chico, Amanda, Paz, Dr. Strangelove, Huey, and Cécile,” she said, pointing to the boy, brown-haired woman, blonde girl, silver-haired woman, man in the wheelchair, and bandanna-wearing woman as she said their names.

Spike turned to Princess Celestia and let her take the photo, pointing out who was who before he let it go. As it continued on to everypony, Spike turned back to Twilight, “They really do look like the, uh, humans from the world on the other side of the mirror. Just not, uh, so varied or bright in color.”

The lavender alicorn nodded, “Yeah, I noticed that too. I’m not sure if there’s a reason for that.”

By this time, the picture had made its way around to Shining Armor and Cadance, Celestia and Luna and the rest of Twilight’s friends looking at it together. As he levitated the picture back over to Twilight, Shining asked, “So all these, uh, people were there when you were taken in, Twily?”

Twilight took the picture back in her hooves and replied, “Well, not all of them. Snake’s group, the Militaires Sans Frontières or MSF for short, was just beginning to expand at the time. Amanda and Chico are the only ones in this picture who had joined at that point along with their fellow FSLN revolutionaries.”

Cadance raised an eyebrow, “‘Revolutionaries’?”

Twilight replied, “They were fighting to take back Nicaragua. Their home. The people from Snake’s old country and their plans only added to their problems.”

Spike asked, “And that’s why he and the MSF were there? To help them?”

Twilight answered, “No. Snake was after something more personal. But I think I’ve wandered off a bit.” She took one more look down at the photo before continuing.

________________________________________

“‘Snake’? That’s the name you go by?” Twilight carefully asked.

“It’s the only name that has meaning to me these days. I’m a… hippologist,” the man replied, ending a bit uncertainly.

Twilight noticed the pause before he finished and asked, “A hippologist? So… you knock people out and send them away on balloons? That’s the kind of research you do?”

Snake answered while trying to keep an even tone, “You have to have protection in a place like this. I actually study horses. I’m here doing research on, uh, your kind.”

Twilight’s scholarly side had already picked up on the fact that Snake was lying when he claimed he was a hippologist, and his attempt to explain himself only further convinced her that he was probably almost as bad a liar as Applejack was. It made her feel more at ease with him, but she wasn’t sure if she could trust him yet. “Hmm, that’s interesting. The last time I encountered anyone like you, they’d never heard of an alicorn princess before,” she stated.

Snake tilted his head up a bit, “Alicorn princess?”

Twilight nodded, “That’s right. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I am the newest princess of Equestria.”

Snake grunted, “Never heard of it. So how did you end up here?”

Twilight felt some of her confidence slip when she heard the question. “Um… I’m not sure, exactly. There was a centaur, Lord Tirek, who was stealing all the magic in Equestria. My friends and I were able to get the power to defeat him, but… something happened because I suddenly felt pain and then…”

Snake suddenly heard a ringing in his right ear and knew it was coming from his radio. “Hang on a minute,” he said, cutting off Twilight’s stammering. She looked up at him as he turned to his left and held his right two fingers up to his ear as he asked, “Kaz?”

On the other end, a man responded, “Snake? What’s going on? What happened to the truck?”

Snake replied, “It headed into the tunnel, but I can’t follow it. The tank sealed off the entrance. And I encountered something while I was dealing with it. It’s not Chico’s basilisco, but he’d probably react in a similar way to it.”

Kaz asked, “What is it? Is it dangerous?”

Snake answered, “I don’t think so. She’s a unicorn with wings. Calls herself an alicorn.”

Kaz exclaimed, “What?! Snake…”

The man cut him off, “Do I sound like I’m lying, Kaz?”

Kaz asked after a moment, “How did you come across something like that?!”

Snake answered, “From the sound of things, she’s not too sure either. All I know is that the CIA got real interested in trying to capture her. And considering what we heard from the ‘professor’ about Paz…”

Kaz replied, “…You’re right. There’s no telling what they would’ve done if they’d grabbed something that unusual. So, are we going to offer her sanctuary then? Do you think it’s safe to bring her back to Mother Base?”

Snake answered, “That’s what I’m going to find out. I have to hurry after those nukes anyway.”

Kaz said, “Right. The tunnel connects to a road that goes up the mountain. That’s where their main base is. But… you’re not really going to take her with you, are you?”

Snake grunted, “Kaz, if I don’t get moving now, it’ll be too late!”

Kaz replied, “…All right. I guess you never let dangerous assignments or risk aversion get in your way. Since you’re going to need an alternate route, why don’t I let a local expert take over?”

While Snake continued talking to the person on the other end, Twilight continued to look up at him curiously. She could only hear what he was saying; she couldn’t hear what Kaz or the one he called Chico were saying to him. She wasn’t too bothered by this though, having witnessed the humans in the world that Sunset Shimmer called home doing the same with the devices they called cellphones. Still, she didn’t know what the ‘nukes’ or ‘basilisco’ he had mentioned were, and she certainly had no idea what was going on in this world. She hoped he would tell her once he was done with his conversation.

After about a minute, Snake lowered his hand from his ear and stared straight ahead for a moment before turning to look at Twilight with his good eye. The lavender alicorn flinched a little at his gaze. He seemed to have an uncertain look in his eye, but it wasn’t uncertainty in the sense that it didn’t seem like he could trust her. It was something else that she couldn’t put her hoof on. She cleared her throat and began, “So uh, Snake… seeing as I have no idea how I got here, I’m not exactly sure where I am.”

Snake replied curtly, “You’re in Costa Rica. Sound familiar?”

Twilight rubbed the back of her head with a hoof, “Uh, no…”

Snake grunted, “Didn’t think so.” He turned to his right to look at the tank, “Sure picked a hell of a place to drop into. This country’s one big hot spot right now. The Sandinistas are fighting to get back into Nicaragua and my former country is bringing nuclear missiles here for something, and now you show up out of nowhere. I had a feeling this job wasn’t going to be simple, but I never expected at least one of those.”

Twilight tilted her head, “Wait, your ‘former country’? What does that mean?”

Snake looked back down at her, “My unit. We are our own army. We’ve left our countries behind. We gave up our homes, but that’s all.”

Twilight asked, “So you’re an army that answers to no one?”

Snake replied, “We are an army without borders. We go where we’re needed, to fight the fights that others can’t.”

Twilight spoke, “But what about the rulers of Costa Rica? Surely, they have some sort of army to deal with revolutions and, uh… nukes?”

Snake answered, “It’s not allowed under their Constitution. The government here can’t bear arms. Officially, we’re not here, but unofficially, we’re acting as their deterrent to drive the CIA out. That’s our job here.”

Twilight shook her head. It wasn’t so much the fact that Snake and his unit were being allowed to operate under the radar; in a way, she supposed that she and her friends acted in a similar way when they had had the Elements of Harmony. Snake seemed like a good person, though, so what she couldn’t wrap her head around was the fact that he agreed to fight for someone else’s country when he apparently left his own behind. “Why did you agree to this? Why fight like this?” she asked as she looked back up at him.

Snake was silent for a moment before he answered, “There’s always another reason to keep living, to keep fighting. And the reason I agreed to this… is peace.”

Twilight tilted her head, “Peace?”

Snake nodded, “There’s a girl. You’re a lot like her in some ways. We were told they did terrible things to her, yet she still believes in her namesake and will do anything to protect it. You may come from a land that knows nothing but peace, but as a new princess, it’s safe to say you would do anything to protect your own country, right?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, “Why do you think I know nothing but peace?”

Snake didn’t answer right away, but when he did, he sounded unsure as he said, “Well, your coat for one thing. It’s bright, like… candy. And your bangs… You must have lots of time to yourself to be able to do that with your mane.”

Twilight rolled her eyes a bit as she listened to his response, saying when he finished, “Yeah, um… if you’re guessing what Equestria is like based on how I look, then you couldn’t be more wrong. Maybe things have been peaceful for the last one thousand years, I don’t know that for sure, but my friends and I have certainly had to fight to protect Equestria in recent times. And I’m not a princess because I was born into royalty or anything like that. I think it’s more because I have these.” She spread her wings out at her sides to show what she meant.

Snake looked at the wings for a moment before asking, “So you didn’t always have those?”

Twilight brought her wings back down against her side as she said, “I was born a unicorn, and ever since I moved to Ponyville and learned the magic of friendship, one of the most important things my friends and I do is protect Equestria from threats that the Royal Guard can’t handle.”

Snake grunted, “Like what?”

Twilight explained, “Like the changelings. They’re shape-shifters whose queen tried to bring down Canterlot from the inside while her followers broke through the force field protecting the city. Maybe we didn’t specifically stop them, but we didn’t sit idly by and let war engulf Equestria. A king of shadows that dominated the Crystal Empire returned after a thousand-year imprisonment and tried to reclaim it. We were able to protect the empire and send him packing. And the last thing my friends and I did before I woke up here was, hopefully, stop a centaur who was stealing magic from everyone who lived in Equestria.”

Snake stared at her for a few moments before asking, “And those wings have nothing to do with any of that?”

Twilight glanced back at her wings before looking back up at him, “Well, being an alicorn did help when it came to the centaur, Lord Tirek, but the rest all occurred when I was still a unicorn. I only got these wings when I completed a long-unfinished spell.” She looked down at the ground, “I guess I’m like a princess of friendship, but… I haven’t done much as a princess. I’ve had obligations of course, but that’s about it. I don’t really know why I’m a princess…”

Snake uttered, “So you did something that others might consider extraordinary and bestowed you with a new title to celebrate it, yet deep down you don’t feel like you deserve it… I know that feeling.” When Twilight looked up at him curiously, he said, “Maybe you’ll learn the story someday, but for now, we have to go.”

Twilight turned her head to watch him as he turned and started walking towards the shed. “What? Where are we going?” she asked.

Snake came to a stop at that, silence ruling the air for a moment. He then asked back, “You said you have friends, right? That means you trust others with things, even your life.”

Twilight was a bit surprised by his statement and answered unsurely, “Well, yes…”

Snake turned around to face her again as he said, “So, you can consider this a test.”

Twilight winced, “Please don’t say that word. I get really nervous when I hear it.”

Snake nodded, “You should be nervous. The patrols that tried to capture you earlier were a part of the CIA unit here, and they’re not the only ones. They have many more in the surrounding area. They may not be as heavily armed as the ones who guarded this tank, but they’ll surely try to capture you as well if they see you. Probably the safest place for you in this world right now is our place, ‘Outer Heaven’.”

Twilight mouthed, “‘Outer Heaven’…?” She then asked, “Is that where we’re going?”

Snake replied, “No. We’re going up the mountain to find the truck that’s transporting the nukes I’m looking for.”

Twilight started, “Then why…”

Snake cut her off, “My unit is very diverse. It’s not just made up of people from my country; others, even former members of the CIA, make it up. But you have a difference that goes beyond race and language. They may be wary of you if you go now; they may not trust you. But they trust me and my judgement. That’s why I say this is a test. Follow me up into the mountains. Help me find the nukes. Let me know you’re willing to trust me with your life. You do that and everyone will know that they can trust you too.”

Twilight glanced down, thinking about his words. “He does have a good point. I mean, he probably didn’t have much of a reason to rescue me in the first place. He still did it though, and now he’s asking me to trust him not to be like the CIA. I might as well. He seems friendly enough, and a safe place would be nice after everything that’s happened today, especially if they’ll let me stay while I try to figure out how to get home to Equestria. At this point, what do I have to lose?” She looked up at Snake, “All right, I’ll do it. I’m ready for this test!”

Snake nodded, “Good.” As he turned around again, he said, “Let me worry about clearing a path. I’ll let you know when it’s safe for you to move up.” Twilight trotted after him, staying close behind as he headed for a gate along the side of the shed.

Once they got on the other side of the gate, Twilight hurried to keep up with Snake as he ran towards what looked like an old factory. When they reached it, they made their way up a staircase on the side that led to an opening into the factory. Snake pressed against the wall next to it and, a few steps down, Twilight did the same. He looked back at her and asked, in a lower tone, “Remember what I said before we got here?”

Twilight spoke in a similarly lower tone, “You said… to let you worry about clearing a path and that you would let me know when it’s safe?”

Snake nodded and said, “Stay here. I’ll check for sentries.” He then faced forward and got down on his knees, drawing his tranquilizer pistol as he crept inside. Twilight did what he said and remained pressed up against the wall as she looked down and over the staircase’s yellow railing for anyone coming from behind while she listened. After a few seconds, she heard a faint groan followed by a thud, and soon afterwards she could hear Snake grunt a few times followed by what sounded like a body hitting a wall. It was enough to make her nervous, but she then heard him call, “It’s clear! Move up!”

Twilight carefully made her way into the dirty interior of the factory, looking around for Snake as she entered. She spotted a guard that he had taken down, hearing his faint snoring, before she found Snake on the ground below her, looking down at a guard that he had knocked out with some sort of scope. “What are you doing?” she asked as she put her forehooves on the railing she was peering over.

“Checking to see if any of these guys would be worth sending back to Mother Base. …Hmm, this one might be useful,” he replied while still looking down. He knelt down and picked up the guard, draping him over his shoulders. He then turned towards the door across from him and said, “Come on.” He then crouch-walked over to the door, disappearing through it. Twilight looked over and spotted a ladder to her right, though it looked like she would have to go around the long way to reach it. Deciding to save time, she climbed on top of the railing and leapt off, spreading her wings and gliding down towards the door.

Once she was on the ground, she went down the short hallway through the doorway and got outside in time to see Snake fire his gun at a guard on a catwalk above, the guard he’d knocked out still on his back. Twilight glanced between him and the catwalk the guard was now sleeping on. It wasn’t too far away, but it wasn’t exactly on top of them either, yet he’d gotten a headshot while still carrying someone on his back. While she stared in awe at his skills, Snake set down the guard on his back and strapped a balloon to him to send him on his way, once again moving while crouched once he was in the air.

Twilight watched as he made his way to an open gate at the other side of the factory and moved after him when he waved her forward. He did the same thing after making sure the road outside was clear as well and left her near a sign while he went further up to check. She watched as he took down another guard and evidently took down another due to the way he raised his gun again. He then waved to her again and she hurried to catch up while he sent the two guards back to Mother Base. He then stood up, indicating the area was clear, and she followed him through another gate, at which pointed they headed west.

After a short while, they came across what looked like a small village, the path ending with a wooden crate and a stone fence. When they reached the fence, Snake turned to Twilight and said, “Stay here. Since this is a prison camp, it’s going to be more guarded than that factory was. I’ll let you know when it’s safe.” Twilight nodded and watched as he climbed on top of the crate and vaulted over the top of the fence. She sat down after a moment, wondering how long it was going to take.

It may have been only a minute later, but Twilight had evidently let her mind wander since she was surprised when she heard Snake suddenly call, “Twilight! Come over! It’s clear!” She quickly scrambled onto the crate and leapt over the fence, but her left hind leg caught part of the top and she ended up falling on her face. Snake looked down at her in concern for a moment, but she soon looked up at him and gave him a nervous look and giggle, causing him to shake his head with an annoyed sigh. He then turned and started walking down one of the alleyways expecting her to follow, which she did once she got to her hooves.

After a minute, they came to a stop in front of a roadblock: four stone slabs with words and yellow marks on the top placed close together. Two of the slabs had cracks on them, but despite that, it was clear that they were solid and were placed in such a way that they couldn’t be easily pushed. “Um, what now?” Twilight asked after a moment.

“This barricade is the only thing standing between us and the path leading up to the mountains. Some explosive force should be enough to take it out. Hang on while I call for some,” Snake said. He turned and walked a couple of feet away before stopping and raising his right hand to his ear. “Kaz, it’s me. We’re at the barricade. Is the C4 ready?”

On the other end, the man answered, “You bet, Snake. We’ve finished developing the charges. We’ll send a chopper out to drop some off. You’ll need them to…”

Snake glanced back over his left shoulder when he heard a pulsing sound and noticed that Twilight’s horn was glowing. “Hold on, Kaz…” he said, cutting Miller off. After a moment of gathering magic, Twilight fired a beam at the barricade, causing an explosion that raised a cloud of smoke. When it cleared, they could both see that only pieces of the barricade remained.

“What the hell was that, Snake?!” Miller asked, having heard the explosion on his end.

“Cancel the chopper,” Snake grunted.

“What?! Why?!” Miller asked.

Snake smirked, “Our new little friend opened the way her way.” He then clicked off his radio and started towards the now open path. As he passed Twilight, he looked down at her and nodded, “Nice work.” Twilight felt pleased at that and followed him up the path into the mountains.

After a short while, Snake spotted a brown chain link fence up ahead and ducked behind a nearby crate. He looked back after a moment and saw Twilight coming up behind him, the alicorn panting from exhaustion. Snake felt a bit bad for pushing her so, but there was no time to waste. “Catch your breath while I check for sentries,” he told her, Twilight nodding and slumping down against the crate while he went ahead. She wasn’t quite a hundred percent when he called for her about a minute later, but she stood up and hurried towards him, passing through the opening in the fence and leaping over the hole in the bridge beyond to join him near the fence on the other side.

Despite Twilight still being a bit winded, it didn’t take them long to reach one of the truck routes, both of them spotting a small building in front of them that blended in with the rock. As they got close to it, they heard what sounded like a woman groaning and they both came to a stop. “What was that?” Twilight whispered.

“Someone’s in there. Might be a prisoner,” Snake murmured as he looked up at the building, noticing that the opening in the side was just a little too high for him to reach. He suddenly felt a tug on his left arm and looked down to see a magenta aura around it. Looking back at Twilight, he saw that the same aura was around her horn and guessed she was using her magic.

“I can give you a boost up there,” she said. Snake nodded after a moment and moved up against the rock. Twilight then shifted her magic to under Snake’s feet and lifted him up enough for him to reach up and grab onto the ledge above with his hands, pulling himself up and into the building. He tossed someone wearing a yellow prison uniform out through the opening a second later and Twilight gasped as she used her magic to catch the person before they could fall on top of her. While the prisoner was hanging in the air, Snake attached a balloon to her back and she let out a happy shout as she was sent up towards the helicopter.

Twilight glared up at Snake for surprising her like that, but he ignored her and pulled his head back into the building, once again scouting the area. Twilight sighed and leaned up against the rock, her breathing becoming more manageable as she waited. He soon called for her, but as she hurried up to him, she noticed he was looking down at his gun with an annoyed look. As she got closer, she looked at it and noticed that it seemed different now. “Damn! The suppressor broke,” he grunted.

Twilight heard him and, as she reached him, asked, “What’s a suppressor?”

Snake answered, “Noise suppressor. It lets me shoot at things without anyone hearing me.”

Twilight realized he probably had to use it more now that he was protecting her and felt guilty. “I’m sorry…” she uttered, looking down.

Snake looked down at her and said, “It’s okay. We just got our new base, so the R&D team hasn’t had time to put together blueprints for everything and start making improvements yet.” He faced forward, “We should be close to their base. I’ll just have to be extra careful. Come on.” He started moving up the road and Twilight followed him.

They soon reached a stone fort that had a closed front gate and guards patrolling the top and front of it. Snake and Twilight ducked behind a broken piece of wall nearby and peered out from cover at the fort. “The base is on the other side of that fort,” Snake told Twilight after receiving a call from Miller.

“How are we going to get there? I can see at least three guards from here,” Twilight whispered back.

Snake thought about this for a moment before saying, “Let’s see if we can sneak around to the right. There might be a side entrance.” They slowly crept out from cover, moving to the left as there was more cover available. It was tense (for Twilight at least) as they moved towards the fort while trying to make as little sound as possible, but Snake kept his eye on the guards above while Twilight watched the guard patrolling in the front. They soon made it to the front of the fort and crept towards the right while watching the guard on the ground, hurrying to the right when he was turned away from them.

On the right side of the fort, they found a small trench that ran along the side of it. There wasn’t an entrance, but they did find a hole in part of the wall above their heads which Twilight used her magic to give Snake a boost up to before using her wings to get up to it herself. They found another prisoner inside the small room they entered, this one a male. Snake thought for a moment before turning to Twilight with a smirk, causing her to look confused. He gestured towards the prisoner and then towards the hole, Twilight needing to think about it for a moment before she let out a sigh at what he was thinking. She did comply however, lifting the prisoner up with her magic and holding him on the outside of the hole, allowing Snake to attach a balloon to his back. The balloon and the prisoner’s joyous shout caught the attention of the guards in the area and while they stared and started shouting at each other in confusion, Snake and Twilight took advantage of the situation and ran towards the entrance to the base.

Inside, they found part of a tunnel that had donkeys and crates on their left and a bunch of supply trucks parked on their right. Snake’s attention went to the trucks, looking at them as he reported, “Kaz, we’ve reached the facility. There’s rows and rows of trucks here.”

Miller responded, “If that’s where they brought the nukes, then the truck we’re after should be there. Snake, can you tell which one of the trucks brought the nukes? One of them must have the same license plate as the one from the terminal.” Snake moved over to the trucks and went to the back of them, walking forward and examining their license plates while Twilight followed.

“What are we looking for?” she asked as she walked behind and to the side of him.

“I’m looking for a specific truck. It’s the one that was carrying the nukes. What was the plate number…?” he muttered absently as he checked each plate. After a minute, he went back to the third truck from the entrance, which had a license plate that read ‘64779’. He looked at it for a moment before bending down and placing his right hand over its exhaust pipe. He then suddenly stood up and used his hand to push part of its canopy to the right to look inside. He let out a grunt upon seeing its empty interior and said, “This is the one. The exhaust’s still warm. ...But the cargo’s already been offloaded.” He moved the canopy covering back into place before he took off running deeper into the base, Twilight standing still for a moment before she ran after him.

Ahead, she saw him exit the tunnel and run down a short set of stairs. She was about to follow him out into the open when she saw him raise himself up so he could be seen over the stairs and signal for her to stay where she was. She was confused by this, but she got her answer when she heard a man say, “Just a minute! This isn’t what we agreed on!”

Snake crouched down and pressed his back against the raised section of floor next to him, turning his head up in the direction the voice had come from as he and Twilight both heard another man reply, “It’s too late. The changes have already been finalized.”

Twilight raised herself up on her forelegs and pressed her back against the wall of the tunnel as the first man argued, “You told me it was going to be a deterrent – that we wouldn’t have to launch!”

The second man said, “I am not arguing with you, Doctor. Our goal is to create the perfect deterrent.”

The first man, the doctor, started, “That’s why I agreed to help develop it…”

The second man replied, “Mm-hmm. However, in order to achieve that perfect deterrent, we must show the world our strength. Three key principles ensure effective nuclear deterrence. First, you must have nuclear weapons; second, you must never use them first; and third, and most important… if someone attacks you, you MUST strike back. Unless we prove beyond a doubt that these three principles work in practice, the world will not accept our new deterrent. And the only way to do that is to show them we’re capable of actually launching a nuke.”

The doctor stammered, “But… isn’t deterrence supposed to stop nukes from being used…!”

The man replied, “Exactly. And so, the one we launch will be the last one EVER!”

The doctor agitatedly said, “I won’t let you use my creation like that!”

Twilight wasn’t able to see what was going on like Snake was, but she was able to hear a sudden squeaking sound that stopped after a second. “YOUR creation?” the man asked, followed by a short laugh, “That thing wasn’t even your idea to begin with. You stole it, didn’t you?”

Twilight began to hear a whirring sound as well as the doctor letting out short cries. “…S-Stole it? You’re one to talk! You got the idea for bipedal locomotion from the Communists in the first place!” he countered after a few seconds.

The whirring tapered off to a quick squeak as the man said, “You listen to me, Doc! Keep quiet, do as I say, and not another word about stolen ideas. Should we succeed here, you’ll be the toast of the scientific community, and your name will go down in history as champion of both progress and national security!”

The doctor grunted, “The hell with that!”

The man said, “Doctor! Unless we prove we’re capable of launching, Peace Walker is useless as a deterrent.” There were a few squeaks as well as a few more stammers from the doctor as the man finished speaking.

“You used me…” the doctor blurted out weakly.

The man said, “We used each other. I’ll get my old director’s job back at headquarters, and you’ll finally be able to ‘walk tall’ among your colleagues.”

The doctor grunted, “Rgh… I won’t let you get away with this!”

The man replied, “How unfortunate. Guess I’ll just have to take your ‘legs’ for myself!” Twilight heard the doctor let out a cry followed by a series of metallic thuds and grunts before, judging by the doctor’s grunt of pain, he hit the ground. “Peace won’t just come to us, Doc. We are going to have to meet it halfway. ‘V’ for ‘victory’,” the man finished before he began to walk away.

“W-Wait!” the doctor cried, shuddering.

Snake suddenly stood up and ran up the stairs to where the doctor had fallen. Twilight guessed that the other man was gone and dropped to all fours as she came out of the tunnel, finally getting a look at the doctor as Snake ran over to him. He had brown hair and wore a white long-sleeve shirt, tan pants, brown shoes, and a pair of round glasses. She saw a wheelchair lying on its side next to him and knew right away where the squeaking and whirring noises had come from. While she was taking all this in, Snake knelt down next to the man and put his right hand on his shoulder as he asked, “Hey, you okay?”

The doctor struggled, seemingly trying to stand up as he said, “Don’t do it…!”

Snake pushed him a little, “Snap out of it! Where are the nukes?”

The doctor insisted, “He’s gonna do it! He’s gonna launch a nuke!”

A loud chopping noise filled the air and a strong wind swept through the area. Twilight and Snake both looked up in the direction the doctor was looking, the latter looking over at the former after a few seconds and saying while pointing down at the doctor, “Stay with him!” He then stood up and ran towards where the source of the wind was coming from.

Twilight looked over at the doctor and realized his wheelchair was still overturned. She used her magic to get it back on its wheels and then to help him back into it while he stared in amazement at what should’ve been impossible. The doctor stared at Twilight in disbelief for a moment before a whirring sound over the chopping noise caught their attention. Coming back to the moment, the doctor drove his wheelchair over to the nearby staircase and Twilight watched as, via assemblies on the front of the sides, it began to climb the stairs. She watched him for a few moments, making sure he was going to safely make it to the top before she ran up after him.

She followed the doctor to what appeared to be a large viewing window overlooking a hanger of sorts. Below they could see Snake looking up at whatever was being carried out by choppers, but they soon heard the man from earlier say over a loudspeaker, “Take him out.” In response, something suddenly dropped down from the opening, something large.

Twilight could only stare in shock at the thing as it came close to flattening Snake while it skidded across the ground, followed by it suddenly driving up on the sloped walls of the hanger while showing off its weaponry and ending with it coming down and stopping in front of Snake while some sort of weapon on the bottom of its front sparked with electricity. Twilight wanted to call it a tank, but with its weaponry, its two arm-like treads on the front, the big cylinder on top of its ‘head’, and its ability to drive up on the walls, it was a hard label to make stick.

“What in… this world is that?!” she exclaimed as she continued to look down at it.

The doctor switched on a nearby loudspeaker and called to Snake, “Look out! It’s one of the unmanneds! …Heads up!” He and Twilight could only watch as Snake pointed his rifle up at the thing, preparing to go up against it…
> Pupa Battle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gunshots sounded in the large hanger as Snake pulled the trigger on his M4 assault rifle while backing up from the mechanical beast in front of him, which began to move forward after a few seconds of it taking bullets from his gun. Before it reached him, it suddenly made a hard right and drove up the wall in front of it, firing the machines guns on its back at Snake and forcing him to duck back close to the opening of the tunnel he had entered from to avoid being hit. The machine drove up the wall until it got near the top and then pulled a 180, driving back down to the ground and then towards the wall across from it while still firing its machine guns.

Above Snake, safe for the time being behind the glass, Twilight and the doctor watched as he engaged the enemy, one still having a shocked expression and the other with a look that was a cross between anger and determination. The doctor called to Snake over the loudspeaker after a moment, “That’s an AI weapon – the Pupa! It’s fast, so be careful!”

Twilight looked over at the scientist and asked, “You know how that thing works?”

He didn’t look back at the alicorn, keeping his attention on the fight happening below as he said, “Of course I do. I designed it; it’s part of my research.” Twilight looked at him a moment longer before returning her attention to the fight, at which point the doctor called to Snake, “Aim for the cylindrical AI pod!”

Twilight watched as the Pupa stopped firing its machine guns at Snake and went up the walls again while Snake moved back near the hanger entrance again in case it tried to shoot at him while moving. It didn’t, though she could hear it singing some sort of song as it drove. It soon came back down onto the floor and spun around to face Snake before stopping in the middle of the hanger. “Engaging shock units,” she heard it say in a lifeless, mechanical voice before it began firing bolts of electricity from the weapon on the bottom of its front.

“It can shoot lightning too?!” Twilight asked as she watched Snake move around, trying to dodge the bolts while firing where he’d been told.

“That’s its less powerful electroshock attack. There’s a stronger one where it launches lightning rods on the ground,” the doctor said, still watching.

After a minute of Snake dodging around the lightning shocks and machine gun fire, the Pupa started to move again, but instead of going up the walls again, it moved forward and spun around, going back before spinning around again. It didn’t move right away, and Twilight noticed that it was lined up perfectly with the entrance that Snake was standing in. After a moment, it lowered its arm-treads down as it said, “Firing boosters.” A second later, the two engines on both of its sides roared to life and it shot straight towards Snake.

“Lie flat to avoid getting hit when it charges!” the doctor called and Snake, seeing that there was no time to get out of the way, did so. Twilight got nervous when he disappeared underneath it, but relaxed when he came back into view and stood up a moment later. She saw him turn his head to look back at the tunnel it had disappeared down and guessed he was wondering the same thing she was: where had it gone?

The doctor spoke, “There’ll be some warning signs when it’s coming out…” Twilight didn’t know what he meant by that, but as she looked around the hanger, she could hear the song that the Pupa was singing earlier echoing out. It must’ve been in one of the tunnels, but from where she was, she couldn’t tell which one it was coming from. While she was listening, she saw Snake run out into the center and then to the wall on the left, where he climbed up a short ladder that was indicated by some yellow lines on the ground and the wall.

As he got to the top, they all heard the AI weapon say, “Commencing jump.” A second later, the machine shot out of the opening above and across from where Snake was, landing perfectly on the ground and spinning around a few times as it moved to face him again.

Twilight tore her eyes away from the scene below and looked at the doctor as she said, “We have to do something! He can’t keep fighting that thing like this!”

He looked back at her with a neutral expression as he replied, “Well, as you’ve already seen, there’s not much that I can do. You could probably do something if you knew what to do.”

Twilight looked back down at the fight, seeing Snake moving around again to avoid fire from the Pupa’s machine guns, though it looked like he might have been hit by a few bullets. “He’s going to run out of ammo eventually. He needs more, or… a better weapon!” she realized. She turned and ran away from the viewing window a moment later, remembering that there were crates at the base entrance. The doctor followed her retreating form with his eyes for a moment before he turned back to the fight, his focus being on the Pupa.

Fortunately for Twilight, it seemed like everyone in the base had cleared out after the man from earlier had left as she didn’t run into anyone as she hurried back to the entrance. She ignored the goats still hanging around the entrance as she made her way over to one of the crates and used her magic to rip the top off. Inside, she found several different small boxes that contained bullets. She smiled at this, but it quickly faded as she realized she didn’t know what kind of ammo Snake’s gun used. She started to panic again as she moved onto the next box, only to find more ammo that she didn’t know what used it.

After several more ammo crates, she found a box that was longer and flatter than the rest that contained some sort of pipe that was longer than she was. She didn’t know what it was, but as she looked it over and calmed down, she was reminded of Pinkie’s party cannon as well as the main gun on the tank earlier. Twilight remembered that the latter had been strong enough to topple a train car and hoped that this, whatever it was, was strong as well as she grabbed it and the small cases that were also in the box with her magic. She considered grabbing everything in the other crates as well, but decided to make sure Snake was still fighting and that he could use what she had found first. “I can teleport back here and bring him these ammo boxes if this doesn’t help,” she reasoned to herself as she ran back the way she came.

She managed to reach the hanger after a minute of running. As she came out of the tunnel, she heard the doctor call to Snake, “Take those lightning rods out! They direct its electroshock attack!” She came to a stop in the entrance and saw Snake shooting at discs on the ground that had red lights flashing on them and guessed that they were the aforementioned lightning rods.

She set her cargo down in the entrance and looked around for any lightning rods near her. She noticed a few nearby and fired magic beams from her horn at them to destroy them. Snake noticed this and looked to see the lavender alicorn still in the entrance. He looked at the Pupa and saw it charging up to go up the walls again, so he hurried over to her. He crouched next to her to get out of the AI weapon’s machine gun fire and started, “Twilight, what are you…” He stopped when he noticed her gesturing with a hoof to the weapon next to her. “An RPG-2? Where did you find that?” he asked.

“It was in a box near the base entrance,” she replied.

“On-site procurement, huh? Not bad,” he said as he reached for it and opened one of the cases, starting to load a grenade on the end of it.

“Is it something you can use?” Twilight asked.

Snake replied, “It would really help right now. And as long as you’re down here, how do you feel about helping take this thing down?” He took the way the alicorn’s horn lit up with magic as a sign that she wanted to help.

The Pupa still seemed to be going strong, but Twilight guessed that Snake had managed to do some damage to the AI pod and parts of its frame while she had been gone. It certainly didn’t last very long now that Snake had the RPG-2 and Twilight was using her magic against it. All too soon, the front part of it slumped forward and the doctor called, “Blow the hatch and climb into the AI pod!” Heeding his words, Snake moved around to the front of the Pupa as he loaded one of the last grenades onto the launcher, the machine saying and repeating something as if it was trying to reboot. Snake fired at the pod once he had a clear shot and the red rings going around the top and bottom of the cylinder changed from glowing red to flashing yellow.

“You should be able to get in the AI pod!” the doctor called. Twilight, being not exactly sure what was going on, watched from a short distance away as Snake tapped his left fist once on top of the AI pod, causing a hatch to pop open. He opened it all the way and hoisted himself up to it, sliding in feet-first. Twilight tensed up when the hatch closed and the Pupa raised itself up, the rings on the pod glowing red again. She quickly noticed, though, that it seemed to be frozen in place. She didn’t know what Snake was doing inside the AI pod so she watched and waited.

A minute later, the Pupa seemingly began to self-destruct, explosions coming out of its body. Twilight flapped her wings to fly back away from it and watched worriedly. “Come on, Snake, get out of there!” she thought. She calmed slightly when the hatch opened and Snake pulled himself out despite the pod’s rocking, leaping to the ground a few seconds later. Almost immediately afterwards, the pod detached from the Pupa’s head, its rockets sputtering for a moment before it shot up and out of the hanger opening overhead.

Twilight and Snake both looked cautiously at the Pupa for a second before relaxing when it seemed like it wasn’t going to get up again. Snake stood up and walked over to where he had dropped the RPG-2, putting it on his back. He then walked over to Twilight and said, “Nice work finding this.”

Twilight smiled slightly, “Uh, no problem, Snake.” She then looked back at the Pupa and asked, “But this thing… what is it exactly?”

They both got an answer when they heard the doctor say, normally this time, “That was an unmanned weapon – a prototype. I made it myself.” They both looked and saw him coming down a flight of stairs set in one of the walls of the circular arena.

“Who are you?” Snake asked.

“I work here. Well, used to, anyway. Name’s Huey,” he replied. Once he got to the bottom of the stairs, he looked at Snake and drove his wheelchair closer to him and Twilight as he asked, “And who might you be? You don’t look like one of those mercenaries.”

Snake hesitated, “Me? I’m… an entomologist.”

Huey asked, “A… fighting entomologist? With a winged unicorn assistant?”

Snake answered, “She’s a new find. I actually specialize in butterflies. I’m here to catch a Ulysses…”

Huey turned to look at the small personal computer on his wheelchair and typed on its keyboard as he spoke, “Ulysses? Hmm, I didn’t think they lived in Costa Rica.” He looked up a moment later, “…Morphos, maybe?”

Snake quickly seized the excuse, “That’s it. Need to get some before the Washington Treaty goes into effect…”

Huey turned to his computer and typed again before saying, “Says here Morphos aren’t covered under the Treaty…”

Snake grunted, “Ugh… must have slipped my mind.”

Huey looked up at him again, “You sure you’re feeling all right?”

Twilight stepped closer to Huey and said, “When we first met, he told me he was a hippologist. Now that he’s saying he’s an entomologist, it makes me wonder how many other jobs he’s had.”

Huey cracked a smile at her at that as he said, “Not an ordinary entomologist, huh?”

Snake cleared his throat and said, “Anyway, long story short, the BUTTERFLY got away.” He then looked straight at Huey and asked, “So how about it, Doc? Did you make that big ‘butterfly’ too?”

Huey looked down and pushed his glasses up his nose as he hesitated. “Yes… and no,” he admitted after a moment.

Snake asked, “What was that thing? What are they doing here?”

Huey held a small tube up to his lips and breathed in for a moment before pulling it away and blowing a puff of smoke out. Twilight took a sniff of the smoke and made a face before turning away, not liking how it smelled. Huey then said, “The nukes were loaded on that machine. The project’s entering its final phase.”

Both Twilight and Snake looked at him curiously at that, both asking, “Project?”

Huey nodded, “That’s right. The thermonuclear warheads they brought in, the bases scattered throughout Costa Rica, the mercenaries, the AI weapons, the research we were conducting here… It’s all for this.” He spun his wheelchair around and gestured for Snake and Twilight to follow him, both of them falling in step behind him as he led them to another part of the base.

Huey led them to a room that had computers and robotic parts all over. Parking himself behind one of the computers sitting on a desk, he called up some plans that were displayed in green. As it loaded, he explained, “We used this facility to develop unmanned weapons.”

Snake, who was standing behind him while Twilight stood at their sides, asked, “Unmanned?”

Huey replied, “Robots. The one you just fought was a Pupa. There’s also a flying type called Chrysalis and a treaded type – the Cocoon.” Green side views of each of the robots appeared on the screen as he talked. He took a puff from his e-cigarette before he continued, “Motor control, target detection, tracking, attack, capture, and transport functions are all controlled by an electronic brain. There’s no need for a human pilot. They can only follow simple commands, though.”

Snake asked, “Why build them here?”

Huey answered, “For the CIA. They invited me here a year ago.”

Snake said, “That’s who that guy was.”

As he leaned over Huey’s shoulder a little more, the scientist went on, “The CIA’s Station Chief for Central America. Goes by the name of Hot Coldman. Apparently, he was some sort of hero back at the height of the Cold War. He’s the one running the show.” He pushed his glasses up his nose again, “We called it the ‘Peace Walker Project’.”

Snake muttered, “Peace Walker…”

A green geographical map appeared on the screen as Huey said, “They’re going to deploy a new type of nuclear weapon along the Caribbean coast of Latin America. A mobile, unmanned nuclear platform.”

Twilight uttered, “Unmanned nuclear platform?”

Huey glanced at her, “A fail-deadly system that can automatically move into position and launch a retaliatory nuclear strike.” He looked back at the computer monitor, which was now displaying the range of movement for the new weapon along the coast, “It can move on its own, and stealth technology shields it from radar and satellite detection, drastically reducing the risk of it being destroyed in a pre-emptive strike.”

Snake asked, “And this is the new deterrent?”

Huey replied, “Supposed to be. The problem is the locomotion system.” The screen changed to a weather map of the same area as he went on, “There’s no dry season in the Caribbean. It rains all year round. The terrain is full of tropical rainforest… a lot of the time you can’t even build a proper road. …So, I went back to where it all started.”

Twilight asked, “What’s that?”

Huey placed his right hand on his right leg and patted it, “Legs. Walking power.” The side views of the prototype robots appeared again, though it added the final result of the research at the bottom of the screen: a new robot that stood on two legs with the words ‘Project Peace Walker’ next to it. “A mobile launcher carrying a thermonuclear warhead even more powerful than the Soviet RDS-220s. That’s Peace Walker.”

Snake muttered, “Chico’s basilisco… A walking nuke…”

Huey said, “We did the assembly and field testing here. I sort of borrowed the original idea from behind the Iron Curtain…”

Snake knew what he was referring to, the design for Peace Walker reminding him of what he saw ten years ago in Russian territory. “The missing link between infantry and artillery. Metal Gear…”

Twilight looked up at him curiously while Huey uttered, “Metal Gear…” He shook his head and called up the screen of Peace Walker’s range again as he said, “But… they’d actually need to deploy dozens of them. Coldman needs funding for that, and to get it, he’s planning a test, which will also serve as a demonstration for the folks back at Langley.”

Snake asked, “Wait… he’s launching a nuke to prove that his perfect deterrent works?”

Huey replied, “In his words, ‘…to prove that if someone attacks us, we will strike back’.”

Twilight spoke, “I’m familiar with the meaning and concept of deterrence, but I’m a little confused by how it’s being used here. Could you explain it a little, Huey?”

The doctor called up a new screen, this one having a line going down the middle and two rows of ten missiles on both sides. The missiles on the left were empty in the middle and the missiles on the right were opaque. “Put simply, nuclear deterrence is the idea of using nukes to keep nukes in check.” Three missiles from the first row on the left side were launched at the right side. “If one side launches nuclear weapons, the other is sure to launch theirs in retaliation, which makes launching an act of suicide. In the end, neither side can use its nukes.” As he was explaining, both sides ended up using all of their missiles, numerous radioactive symbols taking their place. “It’s thanks to this doctrine that the world’s two superpowers have avoided all-out confrontation. Nuclear deterrence has brought us peace; at the very least, its prevented another world war from breaking out.”

Twilight said, “So that’s why it’s called deterrence.”

Huey replied, “Yes, but here’s the thing. The theory of nuclear deterrence exists only on paper. In reality, there’s no guarantee that either side would follow through with retaliation.” He began typing on the keyboard as he went on, “There’s the chance that a pre-emptive strike could destroy all the missile bases – render them unable to retaliate. But the biggest flaw in the theory is that the decision to retaliate has to be made by human beings.” He stopped typing, “Let me give you a real-world example. Let’s say Country X launches first against Country Y. If the people in charge of Country Y are anything like we are, they’re not gonna be able to retaliate knowing that they’re effectively ending all human life.”

Twilight asked, “So the uncertainty of retaliation is the major unaccountable flaw in nuclear deterrence theory?”

Huey nodded, “Bingo. And that creates a loophole that Country X can exploit to launch the first strike, which is why we designed the system to be unmanned. With Peace Walker, retaliation is certain.” The nukes on the right side of the screen changed to two rows of four Peace Walker symbols. “It chooses the appropriate target and launches a retaliatory nuclear strike – every time, without needing human input to make the call.” This time when the simulation played out and three nukes were fired at the right side, the Peace Walker symbols each fired a nuke of their own, destroying the nukes on the left side. The difference in the number of radioactive symbols was very noticeable. “Launching a nuclear strike against Peace Walker is tantamount to pushing the launch button against yourself.” He adjusted his glasses again, “It closes the loophole in nuclear deterrence theory, rendering our friends in Country X completely unable to launch. What Coldman is saying is that to achieve this goal, we need to demonstrate that retaliation will be carried out by a machine. He will launch his nuke… and then his version of deterrence will be complete.”

Snake asked, “And you believe him?”

Huey continued to look at the computer screen, “…I believe in peace through nuclear deterrence.”

Twilight asked, “Why?”

Huey looked over at a framed picture sitting on the desk showing a man that looked a lot like him. “My father worked on the Manhattan Project. He put his whole life into that research… and all it created was this illusion of peace called deterrence.” He looked back at the screen, “And then I was born… unable to walk. …I had no choice but to face up to the nukes.”

As they left the room and came out into the hanger area, now on the upper level, Huey said, “But… if they end up launching, it’ll all have been for nothing. They’ve got to be stopped.”

As he and Twilight walked behind the doctor, Snake asked, “Where’d they take the warheads?”

Huey answered, “To a base near the border. The final test is five days from now.”

Snake questioned, sounding a little gruffer, “Where’s the base?”

Huey came to a stop and looked back at Snake as he asked, “You’re gonna stop them?” After a moment of looking up at Snake’s face, he continued on with them following as he said, “It’s kind of a hike. And besides, there’s a surefire way to halt the project… You see, Peace Walker… isn’t quite finished yet.”

Snake asked, “What do you mean?”

Huey answered, “It’s missing one last critical structural component: the AI. Its brain.”

Twilight asked, “What do you mean ‘its brain’?”

Huey explained, “The Reptile Pod, the electronic brain I was working on, can only follow commands like ‘go there, attack that.’ I guess you could compare it to the human cerebellum. But for nuclear deterrence to work, it must function in place of a human decision-maker. It needs something to analyze the huge volumes of data coming in and select an appropriate target for retaliation. Hence, it needs the high-level decision-making ability of a cerebrum.”

Snake uttered, “A mechanical cerebrum…”

Huey continued, “The hardware configuration is modeled on the human brain, similar to the pod I worked on – but its role is completely different.”

Snake asked, “Where’s it being made?”

As they all came to a stop in front of an elevator, the screen on Huey’s personal wheelchair computer changed from a picture of a green human brain to a map of the area ahead. “A research lab to the north. An AI expert named Dr. Strangelove is developing it. Very hush-hush.”

Twilight and Snake muttered, “Dr. Strangelove…?”

Huey looked at the two, “Strangelove was recruited from the States, too. In the field of AI, there’s no one better, that’s for sure, but man, what a basket case!” He pushed his glasses up, “She hates EVERYBODY.” He looked up at Snake, “Go to the lab and destroy Peace Walker’s cerebrum. I’m pretty sure they haven’t finished the final calibrations yet.” He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a yellow card with his picture on it. “I’ll lend you my ID card. It’ll get you through security at the lab.” Snake took the card and slipped it into one of his pockets. “Oh, and, uh, one more thing…” he added as he pulled out a white envelope.

Snake looked down at it. “What’s this? A letter of recommendation?”

Huey tried to keep a straight face as he looked up at him. “Yeah, it’s, um… It’s from me to Dr. Strangelove.” He looked down and adjusted his glasses, “…Don’t read it, okay?” Snake just grunted as he took the envelope and put it away too.

There was a ping and they all looked up to see the elevator doors opening. Once they were all on and the metal box started to ascend, Twilight asked, “So… what are you going to do now, Huey?”

The doctor stammered, “I… I’m done with science.” He sighed, “At this rate, I’m probably already halfway to Hell anyway.”

Snake spoke, “Not so fast. Why not join us? Our place is Outer Heaven. You’d fit right in.”

Huey questioned, “‘Outer Heaven’…?”

Snake nodded, “Yeah.”

Huey shrugged, “I’m probably better suited to something like that than this ‘paradise’.”

Snake replied, “Good. You get a free balloon trip for signing up. Enjoy it – you’ll feel like a butterfly.”

The elevator soon reached the top and the doors slid open again. As they all exited out onto a metal platform and started moving across it, Huey asked, “You’re an agent, right? Who do you work for?”

Snake replied, “Me? I was a Cold War tool, same as you. Now I’m not so useful anymore, so they cut me loose… I don’t answer to anyone. Call me Snake.”

Huey looked up at him, “Snake… The name seems… familiar somehow.”

Snake grunted and said, “Probably just déjà vu.”

Huey looked at Twilight and asked, “And you? Who are you?”

The lavender alicorn replied, “I’m Twilight Sparkle. I come from Equestria. I ended up here by accident, but as long as I’m here, I’d like to help.”

Huey nodded with a hum and faced forward as they came to the edge of the platform. “You see that there? Beyond the cloud forest. See those ruins?” he asked, pointing to what looked like a large temple off in the distance.

Snake nodded, “Yeah.”

Huey said, “That’s where you’ll find Dr. Strangelove’s lab.” Twilight looked over the top of the trees at the ruins. Naturally she wondered if it would be possible to make it there in five days, but she also wondered what the ruins looked like up close and marveled at the beautiful view. Unbeknownst to her, it was going to be the last view like it she’d be seeing for a while.

________________________________________

Twilight paused to take in a breath of air and sighed, “So… yeah, that encounter with the Pupa and meeting Huey really put into perspective what kind of world I’d ended up in. Of course, I had no idea what else was going to happen, but that was enough for one day.”

Her friends and family stared at her in amazement. “Wow, Twilight! They actually had robots that were not only tanks, but could fly and walk and think like we can?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight nodded, “Oh yes, Rainbow. I didn’t really get to see the Chrysalis for myself, but I did see the Cocoon once. And Peace Walker… it really was one-of-a-kind. Of course, the public wasn’t allowed to know about it at the time, so… lucky me, I guess.”

Fluttershy murmured, “I’m… not sure how to feel about the way Snake, um… used the word ‘butterfly’ to refer to a giant robot…”

Twilight replied, “Yeah, it is a little weird, Fluttershy, but apparently that’s what people do in that kind of world. They use animal names like that.”

Luna asked, “You mean like the ‘FOX’ on your outfit’s patch, Twilight?”

The lavender alicorn looked over at the folded-up uniform on her nightstand as she replied, “That’s right, Princess Luna. FOX was the name of Snake’s old unit, then it became FOXHOUND. And I guess… Pupa, Chrysalis, Cocoon… Peace Walker really was a butterfly in its own way, and not just because it had one on the side.”

Cadance spoke, “I guess I’m a little surprised by how Huey and this ‘Hot Coldman’ talked about peace. Calling it an illusion seems a bit jaded to me.”

Twilight looked back at her, “I know, Cadance, and I want to agree, but… I guess when you live in a world that has experienced two global wars, the most recent of which introduced weapons that could flatten a population center the size of Manehattan or bigger and led to a climate where things are kept in check by talks of using more such weapons…” she shrugged a bit, “well, maybe it’s not easy to believe in ‘normal’ peace.” Cadance glanced down, thinking about that.

Shining asked, “So is that when you joined this MSF unit, Twily?”

Twilight replied, “No, not yet. Snake did send me back to Mother Base with Huey, after we salvaged what we could from those crates in the base and he took what he wanted, but I didn’t officially become part of the staff until later. I think even then they tried to hide my presence from the rest of the world.”

Pinkie piped up, “Did you get to ride on a balloon, Twilight?! Did you?!”

Twilight let out a chuckle and said, “Yes, Pinkie. I got a free balloon ride too.” She smiled, “It was a real shock the first time, suddenly being pulled up by a Fulton recovery balloon, but it was kind of fun too.”

Cadance started, “So…” Before she could say any more, they all heard a knock on the door and turned to look. They saw the nurse from earlier standing in the doorway, a cart with food on it in front of her.

“Excuse me for interrupting, but it is lunchtime,” she said.

Celestia replied, “Of course, miss. Twilight should have the opportunity to eat. We will step out so that you may serve her.”

The nurse said, “Actually Princess, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you all to leave now as well. The doctor said he would like to see Princess Twilight after she is done eating and see how she is doing. He’s going to want to do a physical and check-up on her, and depending on how that goes, she may get to check out tonight or tomorrow morning.”

Celestia nodded, “I see.” She looked at the others, “Come, everypony. Let us go find something to eat ourselves and leave Twilight to her own meal and exam.” She then looked at Twilight, “I will check in with you later, Twilight. I hope it will be good news.” The lavender alicorn nodded in reply. It was a bit of a quick and stiff nod, but no one seemed to notice. One by one, the princesses and Twilight’s friends and family filed out of the room, Spike taking a little longer than the others since he wanted to get one last hug in. Finally, Twilight was alone with the nurse, who handed her a tray of food that she looked down at detachedly.

While everyone was chatting with each other as they left the hospital, talking about everything that Twilight had shared with them, Shining Armor was the only one who was rather quiet, the stallion occupied with his thoughts. “My sister, my baby sister, part of an army. And not a regular army; an army of what sounds like a bunch of mercenaries, the kind of soldiers that will do anything if the price is right, make anyone an enemy, even turn on each other if that’s what they’re being paid to do. And all this talk about everyone being at each other’s throats and weapons of mass destruction… What a horrible world to end up in.”
> Mother Base
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight grunted softly as she sat on the edge of her hospital bed, pulling one of her boots onto her right hind leg. She was no longer wearing the green hospital gown she had been given; that was sitting on the bed behind her. Now that she was ready to check out and was gathering her things from the room, she had decided to put her Sneaking Suit on, gloves and all. Finally pulling the noise-suppressing boot on all the way, she lowered her hind leg as she glanced back over her shoulder out the window at the orange sky outside. “The doctor really did give me quite a thorough check-up and physical. That had to be one of the longest exams I’ve ever had,” she thought to herself.

She looked down at her Sneaking Suit, taking another look at it. “Some burn marks, some holes, the shoulder patches are probably ruined… but on the plus side, it doesn’t look like I lost anything I was carrying.” Indeed, all of her pouches and holsters were where they belonged, as were the belt and straps. She reached down with her hooves and unclipped her iDroid from its case, holding it on her left hoof while using her right hoof to turn it on. A light blue screen appeared above it, showing the MSF skull and the main menu, though a message popped up saying that it was searching for a signal. “Well, of course it is. There’s no network like that here in Equestria, and Mother Base…” Her thoughts halted as she knew what words were inevitably going to follow.

Suddenly she heard the door open and she clicked off the iDroid, her hooves falling to her sides as she looked up. The unicorn doctor stepped into the room, carrying a small metal box beside him with his magic. He walked up to her and asked, “Do you have all of your belongings, Princess Sparkle?”

Twilight moved her iDroid around with her hooves to put it back in its case as she replied, “Yes, I’ve got everything, Doctor. I just need to put my saddlebags on.” The doctor nodded with a hum and set the box he was carrying down on the edge of the nightstand, close to the bed where her saddlebags lay.

Both he and Twilight looked down at the box in silence for a moment before he said, “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, Your Highness, that this is rather unorthodox. We’re not supposed to give patients things that we… take out of them, so you can understand why it took so long to get this cleared. None of the other doctors agreed with this exactly either, but they eventually relented since they understood that whatever happened to you is your business and that the foreign bodies we removed might be of interest to you.”

Twilight replied softly, “Thank you. I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy request to fulfill, but it’s true. Everything you removed… it does have value to me and… well, if it’s just going to sit untouched…”

The doctor eyed her for a moment before saying, “Well, I won’t pry into your personal business, Princess, so long as you don’t go shouting this to the rest of Equestria.”

Twilight gave him an uneasy smile, “No, I certainly won’t. You can be sure of that.”

The doctor nodded and said, “Now remember to take it easy, Your Highness, and don’t use that wing for a few days. The rest did wonders for you, but it’s still healing and any strenuous activity could agitate it and cause the bone to break.”

Twilight replied, “Yes, I know. This isn’t my first broken wing.” She looked down at her right wing, which was folded against the outside of her Sneaking Suit, “At least I didn’t get stepped on this time…”

She looked up at the doctor when he said, “Well, if anything comes up, be sure to let us know. Will you be in Canterlot long?” 

Twilight replied, “Uh, probably for another day or two, I would say.”

The doctor nodded, “Well, hopefully, if anything comes up, it’ll be while you’re still in Canterlot, otherwise you might have to go to Ponyville’s hospital. I’ll walk you out to the lobby.” Twilight nodded and used her magic to carefully pick the box up and place it in her center saddlebag before she stood up and put the saddlebags on her back. She and the doctor then walked out of the room.

After a few minutes of tense silence, the two reached the double doors that led to the hospital’s lobby. As they stepped through them, they found a small entourage made up of Shining Armor, Cadance, Spike, and Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle waiting for them. Smiling, Twilight hurried over to them while the doctor remained in the doorway, ending up in the center of a group hug when she reached them.

“Oh Twilight, it’s so good to see you back up on your hooves again,” Cadance murmured.

“We’ve missed you so much, dear,” Mrs. Sparkle whispered.

As she stepped back, Twilight said, “Well, I’m just glad to see that you both made it.”

Mrs. Sparkle replied, “We wanted to come earlier, but we both got a lot of work that we had to take care of.”

Mr. Sparkle added, “Considering what Shining Armor mentioned to us on the way about your examination, it’s probably not such a bad thing. We would’ve gotten all excited about coming to visit and seeing you up and awake, only to find out you were already getting ready to check out.”

The doctor cleared his throat and everyone looked to see he had moved a little closer to them. “Yes, about that,” he started. “I could not find anything that would require her to stay longer, but she is still healing and being bedridden for a week means her muscles may be a little weaker than usual.” He looked directly at Twilight, “Now remember…”

Twilight raised her right hoof up near the bandage patch on her cheek, “I know, Doctor. Take it slow, no using my wings, and no strenuous physical activity.”

The doctor nodded, “Yes.”

Shining spoke up, “I don’t think she’ll do anything reckless, Doctor, but we’ll keep an eye on her.” The doctor gave another nod before turning and going back through the double doors, Twilight and her family exiting the hospital afterwards.

As they stepped outside, Twilight released a soft sigh, glad to be feeling the outside air after being cooped up in the hospital for so long. They came to a stop on the path and Spike said, “Rarity and the others are waiting at the castle, Twilight.”

Mrs. Sparkle looked at her husband and asked, “It’s been a while since we’ve been invited to share a meal with Princess Celestia, hasn’t it?” The blue stallion nodded in reply.

Shining looked at Twilight, “You think you can handle walking all the way there, Twilight?”

The lavender alicorn answered, “Uh, yes? I’m pretty sure walking from the hospital to Canterlot Castle doesn’t count as strenuous activity, Shining.”

Shining said, “All right. I just want to make sure, considering walking down the hall was a bit of a challenge for you earlier this morning.”

Twilight replied, “Well, I can walk fine now and I know they didn’t give me any sort of stimulant to help with that, so… I guess my muscles haven’t seriously atrophied after a week of bedrest.”

Shining nodded, “Fair enough.”

Mr. Sparkle spoke up, “Shining brought us up to speed on what you’ve told everypony, Twilight. If you don’t mind, we’d like to hear what you did while you were away from Equestria as well.” Twilight nodded and with that they started walking away from the hospital, heading for the castle.

As they were walking, Cadance noticed that Twilight seemed to have an odd spring in her step, like she wanted to take off running. “Calm down, Twilight. Remember what you promised the doctor,” she teased slightly.

Twilight looked at her, “I know, Cadance, I just… It feels so good to be out of the hospital. I know I have to wait, but I really want to get back into my routine.”

Spike snickered, “Don’t worry, Twilight. Being asleep for a week kept you from getting any reading or studying done, but you’ll get back into it soon enough. Tonight, probably.” While the rest of her family shared a laugh, Twilight just rolled her eyes. She may have mentioned one of the ‘assignments’ she had gone on for the MSF, but she knew they currently had no idea what all she had done. She let them keep thinking she was talking about getting back to hitting the books, though; convincing them of the new ‘habits’ she had developed was going to be hard to do with words anyway.

Luna’s moon had risen into the sky by the time they arrived at Canterlot Castle, a squad of Celestia’s guards, including the one that had reported Twilight’s return, meeting them at the entrance and leading them to the castle dining room.

Celestia, Luna, and Twilight’s friends immediately noticed the family when they arrived, the two princesses smiling at them while Twilight’s friends began saying how glad they were to see her out of the hospital. After everypony had quieted down a little and Twilight and Spike had taken their seats at the long table across from where Cadance, Shining, and Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle sat down, Mr. Sparkle said to Princess Celestia, “We’re so honored to be having a meal in your presence again, Princess Celestia. It’s been a long time.” He then looked at Princess Luna as he quickly added, “Err, and of course it’s a real honor to properly meet you, Princess Luna.”

The night princess nodded, “Of course.” She glanced up at her older sister as she asked, “Is it safe to assume you two have not been here since before my return?”

Mrs. Sparkle spoke, “Yes, I believe that’s correct, Your Highness.”

Celestia nodded, “It has been a while since we’ve been together like this. I thought this would be best for everypony.”

Rainbow started, “So, uh, we’ve kind of been waiting here for like ten minutes, Princess. When’s the food going to get here?”

A few of her friends gave her a look, but Celestia simply said, “It will be arriving soon, Rainbow Dash. We just have to wait on one more guest and then we can eat and Twilight may continue her story.”

Everyone looked at her curiously. “You invited someone else, Aunt Celestia?” Cadance asked.

Before the white alicorn could respond, the doors to the dining room began to creak open, causing everyone to turn to look. Even the guards stationed outside turned to look at them; there was no one standing out there with them, so why were they opening? They got their answer a moment later when a loud explosion sounded right in the doorway, followed by a cacophony of odd noises, bright lights, and flames that snuffed out as soon as they touched something. The explosion surprised everyone, particularly Fluttershy and Twilight, both mares letting out a yelp as they dove under the table.

When the theatrics died down a couple of seconds later, a familiar mismatched figure was standing in the doorway, dressed head to the top of his legs in formal dinner wear. “Ta-dah! The real guest of honor has arrived!” he exclaimed.

The look of shock on Shining Armor’s face almost instantly turned to one of anger. “Discord!” he growled.

Fluttershy overheard him and instantly popped her head out from under the table. “Discord!” she said before flying over and wrapping her forelegs around his long body in a hug. “Oh, I was so worried about you!” she cried, her tears starting to soak into his orange suit.

The draconequus looked down at her for a moment before glancing down at his suit. “Aw, and I just got this back. Oh well,” he remarked before returning the hug.

Back at the table, Luna looked up at Celestia, “You invited him, sister?”

The white alicorn nodded, “Yes, Luna. I was fortunate enough to find him after we left the hospital and…”

Shining Armor interrupted her, “I’m sorry, Princess Celestia, but I don’t find anything about this to be lucky at all.” He pointed at Discord, “Why is he here?”

Celestia gave him a perturbed look as she responded, “Because, Captain, he came before me on the night your sister returned and made it clear that he was upset about what happened. He has every right to be here.”

Discord crossed the room while still supporting Fluttershy with his eagle talon and patted Shining Armor on the head with his lion paw as he said, “You heard the princess, Captain Armor. I’m a guest here; I’m allowed to be here the same way you are. No need to be so cranky.”

Shining Armor reached up and slapped the paw away with a hoof before glaring up at Discord, “As a brother, I have every right to be ‘cranky’ at you, Discord. Twilight went missing for over a month, and that can easily be traced back to you siding with Tirek. How did you feel about her being in the hospital for a week when she got back? Were you ‘upset’ about that as well?”

Discord let out an exaggerated yawn, not bothering to cover his mouth, before asking, “Are you saying anything that I should actually be concerned about? Because I find it hard to listen, or speak, to anyone who speaks to me with a tone like that.”

Rainbow spread her wings and flew right up in front of Discord’s face, the cyan pegasus looking about as angry at the draconequus as Shining Armor did as she said, “You really should be paying attention to what Shining Armor is saying, Discord! We could be holding you responsible for what happened to Twilight you know, but we’re not going to because we’re not complete jerks! You should be glad for that!”

Fluttershy let go of Discord and flew up to her friend, saying, “Rainbow Dash!”

While the two stared each other down, Discord bent down to look at Shining Armor and said, “Look Captain, Celestia DID invite me here tonight. I would not have accepted if I didn’t want to see how Twilight is doing.”

The white stallion glanced over at Twilight’s seat before saying, “Well, it looks to me like she doesn’t want to see you.” The draconequus looked over and saw that the seat was still empty, the lavender alicorn still underneath the table and Spike and Applejack peering down at her.

Discord stood up straight and looked at Celestia, “You told me she was going to be here, Celestia! Did you lie to me?! And I went to all the trouble of trying to make this ensemble look nice for you!” He snapped his fingers before the white alicorn could respond and reappeared on the other side of the table next to Twilight’s seat sans his formal clothing. “I could’ve sworn I heard her in here earlier! Are you hiding her from me? I have to say I don’t care much for this kind of joking, Celestia!” While he was speaking, he looked around the room with his hands on his hips, though he began reaching towards Twilight’s seat with his lion paw. Suddenly, he seized the end of her tail sticking out from under the table and gave it a sharp pull, bringing the pony it was attached to out with it. “Ah, here she is! I found her!” he said as everyone looked on, Twilight hanging upside-down in his grip.

With the sudden motion, Twilight found herself face-to-face with Discord as he held her up. “Hello, Discord,” she said after a moment, trying to keep her tone of voice, expression, and body language as neutral as possible and the white tube sticking out of her mouth where it was.

Discord gave her a flat look. “Really, Twilight? After all this time, that’s how you greet me?” he asked.

Twilight held a hoof to the side of her face, “Well, I was thinking of something to say a moment ago that was more thought out, but now that I’m dangling like a piece of meat… I seem to have misplaced it.”

Discord asked, “So that’s all you have to say to me after being gone this long? You’re not going to say you thought of me at all while you were away?”

Twilight regarded him with an even look, “Yeah, that’s not going to be taken out of context at all, Discord. But if you want to hear me say something normal, I could echo what Rainbow Dash just said.” Discord’s response was to let go of her, Twilight landing on her back on the cushion she had been sitting on, the back of her hind legs on the table.

“Well, I never! She comes back after disappearing and all she gives me is mild annoyance! Not her usual annoyance, mild annoyance!” he complained. He looked down at Twilight as she lay on her left side and rubbed her back with her right hoof, feeling some pain there despite the softened landing, and said, “I believe I’ll be sitting on the other side with somepony who DOES appreciate me, far away from you and your filthy costume and habit!” With that he disappeared and reappeared with his own table right next to where Fluttershy was sitting.

Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle were both starting to share Shining’s annoyance at the way Discord was treating Twilight, Mr. Sparkle especially. Before either of them could say anything, they looked over when they heard Twilight let out a grunt and saw Spike and Applejack helping her back up to a sitting position. She began to feel over her hind legs with her hooves once she was up, but that wasn’t what caught their attention; it was the white tube with green coloring at the end of it sticking out of her mouth that they quickly noticed. “Twilight, when did you start smoking?” Mr. Sparkle demanded, catching everyone else’s attention save for Spike and Applejack’s.

Twilight looked up, “What?” Her eyes shifted down to look at the tube, “Oh, that.” She raised her right hind leg and pulled the tube out with her right hoof, holding it out as she said, “This isn’t a cigarette, Dad.”

Off to her left, Applejack remarked while trying not to sound incriminating, “It sure looks like one, Twilight.”

Twilight turned to look at her, “I know, Applejack, but it’s not. Here.” She held her hoof out, holding the tube in front of Applejack’s nose.

The orange earth pony was expecting to be disgusted by the smell, but after taking her first whiff, she curiously sniffed it a few times. “Huh… That’s got a nice scent ta it,” she said after a moment.

Spike made his way around to Twilight’s front and she held it down to him to let him sniff. “It smells like mint chewing gum. And… is that honey?” he asked.

Twilight held the tube up as she replied, “It’s eucalyptus oil to be precise. That’s all that’s in here. No nicotine or tobacco; just oil.”

Celestia asked, “So you’re just burning oil, Twilight? Like a form of aromatherapy?” Twilight nodded in response.

Shining raised an eyebrow, “Why do you have something like that, Twilight?”

The lavender alicorn explained, “Well, you see, after I became an official staff member, I was rotated around a lot. I spent time in every unit at one point or another, but I spent a lot of time in both the R&D and Intel Units. There was one time where Miller and I were both in R&D and, since we weren’t working on anything at the moment, we started talking about how nearly everyone at Mother Base used some form of tobacco.”

Rainbow, who was back in her seat next to Applejack, leaned over to look at Twilight and asked, “You were surrounded by people who smoked all the time, Twilight?”

Twilight replied, “Well, they weren’t all typical users, Rainbow. Huey’s… e-cigarettes weren’t exactly available for everyone to buy from what I could tell, and Dr. Strangelove preferred snuff.”

Cadance questioned, “Snuff?”

Twilight explained, “It’s a smokeless form of tobacco use. It basically involves inhaling or sniffing tobacco instead of smoking it.”

A few disgusted looks appeared around the table, Shining Armor groaning, “How do you know this?”

Twilight rolled her eyes as she remarked, “The things you learn from and about your co-workers…” She then continued, “But yes, almost everybody at Mother Base smoked either cigarettes or cigars, especially Snake.”

Spike asked, “You saw him smoking?”

Twilight put the tube back in her mouth and wrapped her left foreleg around him as she said, “He didn’t do it often around me, but I still saw him doing it from time to time.”

Luna pointed at the tube, “So how did that come about, Twilight?”

Twilight answered, “We managed to go from talking about smoking to talking about Miller’s home country, Japan. He made it sound like they do a number of things there involving pleasing aromas. Tea ceremonies, flower arranging, burning oils… We ended up coming up with what we thought was a brilliant idea: what if the men could smell nice things instead of cigar smoke? Miller thought it was something that would come out of Japan at some point anyway, so we decided to try making it ourselves.”

Fluttershy noted, “Well, it looks like you succeeded.”

Twilight gave a wry smirk, “Yeah, we did. This is what we came up with… and then Snake made us stop.”

Applejack asked, “He wasn’t happy?”

Twilight replied, “He was FURIOUS. That was one of the few times I saw him legitimately angry.”

Rainbow smirked, “Just didn’t want to give it up, huh?”

Twilight said, “I don’t know how long he’d been a smoker, but I’m pretty sure it was longer than ten years. Even being constantly on the move never stopped him from smoking, and I don’t think that wou- WILL ever change. I can picture him being on his deathbed with a cigar in his mouth.”

Rainbow winced a bit at how easily the last sentence slipped out of Twilight’s mouth. She cleared her throat softly and noted, “So, uh… despite him telling you to stop, you still have those… oil tubes.”

Twilight nodded, “Yeah, Snake wanted them all destroyed before they started infecting anyone’s mind, but Miller didn’t want all the time we spent working on them to go to waste, so he put them in a box and told me I could keep them as long as I kept them hidden from Snake.”

Discord spoke up, “So he secretly supported you becoming addicted to smoking? Some friend, Twilight.”

Twilight shot the draconequus an annoyed look as she replied, “I already said this isn’t a cigarette, Discord. I’m not a smoker; this is a form of stress relief.”

Discord countered, “I bet most smokers would say the same thing about cigarettes. So, I must ask, what’s the difference?”

Twilight answered, “The difference is one is meant to help you live longer and the other is a bad habit that’ll kill you unless you’re Big Boss. Or Snake, rather. Regardless, there’s nothing addictive in these tubes.” Discord just snorted, indicating he didn’t believe her.

Cadance cleared her throat before saying, “Well, that aside, Twilight… Don’t take this wrong way, but while it is good to see that you have another healthy way of managing your stress, seeing that tube in your mouth is a bit distracting. Do you think you could, uh…?”

Twilight replied, “Of course, Cadance. No problem.” As she was talking, she reached her left hoof into one of the pouches on her chest and pulled out a cap. She then took her oil tube in her right hoof and put the cap on it before putting it in the same pouch. When she looked up and saw some of the looks she was getting, she shrugged, “I’m going to finish it later. Like Miller said, no sense in wasting perfectly good oil.” Almost everyone gave murmurs of agreement at that.

A few seconds later, the dining room doors burst open again as the kitchen staff ponies came in with dinner. As they served everypony and noticed Discord, Celestia looked at Twilight and spoke, “Now then Twilight, if you would like to wait until after dinner, that is fine, but I would very much like to hear what happened after you met Huey. I believe Snake sent you with him to that Mother Base location?”

Twilight nodded, “Of course, Princess, and yes, that’s correct. Once the chopper picked us up, it took us to where Mother Base was, away from land and out to sea…”

________________________________________

Twilight looked around the cargo area of the transport helicopter with great interest. She was sitting close to the front on the left side of the helicopter next to the door while Huey’s wheelchair was secured closer to the back. Despite there not being much to look at, she was still amazed at how big it was on the inside, having a great number of seats available on both sides and in the back for transporting troops while also having lots of storage space.

Huey chuckled as he looked at her. “You’re easily impressed. Bet you don’t have anything like this back where you come from, huh?” he wondered.

Twilight looked over at him and replied, “Well, we do. I mean, not like this, but my friend Pinkie Pie has something like this. It only seats one pony, though, and she has to peddle to keep it airborne. Other than that, we can use hot air balloons or carriages pulled by pegasi to travel by air if we can’t fly.”

Huey let out another chuckle before saying, “Sounds like you come from a world that hasn’t made the technological advances that ours has, and I’m not necessarily saying that like it’s a bad thing. Despite understanding what deterrence means, your world has probably never had to live with an illusion of peace. You’ve probably never had to live during a war, I’ll bet.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow as she replied, “Well, that’s true, but like I told Snake when we met, Equestria happens to have a storied history, from nearly being frozen over prior to its founding to dealing with evil kings, beings of chaos, and dark forces that leech off of ponies’ darkest fears. My friends and I have had to deal with such things in order to maintain peace. I would hope that somepony else would’ve tried to do the same if we hadn’t been around, but it doesn’t matter. The point is Equestria hasn’t known nothing but peace; it still has to be fought for.”

Huey let out a hum and looked down, pushing his glasses up as he said, “So, even in a world that’s probably as close to being free from advanced technology, peace is still just an idea that anyone can give their own definition of. It’s not a universal truth, even among the same species I imagine.”

Twilight looked a bit hurt as she spoke, “Well, it’s not like we’re not open to understanding. We are trying to make peace with each other and other kingdoms. And we have steam engines and electricity.” Huey looked up at her, an odd expression on his face.

Before the slightly awkward conversation could continue, the pilot called back to them, “Hey, you two! We’re approaching Mother Base! Commander Miller is ready to receive you at the helipad!” They looked towards the front of the helicopter, listening as he reported in, “This is Centipede. On approach! Standby…” Twilight couldn’t resist and stood up, moving over to the door on the right side. She used her magic to open it and stuck her head out, holding onto the outside and inside with her hooves as she looked forward.

It wasn’t the best vantage point, but she could see the offshore plant rising up out of the water up ahead like a manmade island, complete with supports. It was made up of six square-shaped struts, though a walkway jutting out from one of them leading to a construction area indicated that they were in the process of building another. “Wow… That’s Mother Base?” Twilight breathed, the struts and what was on them becoming more defined as they got closer.

The helipad was situated on the edge of what was currently the plant’s bottom-most strut, right next to a large air control tower that had a satellite dish on top. At Centipede’s insistence, Twilight shut the door and sat down on the seat next to it as they approached the landing pad. The descent went smoothly as the chopper hardly shook while it went down, and even touching down didn’t cause much of a jolt. Once she was sure they were back on solid ground, Twilight stood up and walked over to Huey to help him release his wheelchair. Afterwards, they both went over to the right side of the helicopter and Twilight opened the door again, using her magic to set Huey down on the ground before jumping down next to him.

Looking up, she saw Miller standing across from them near the edge of the helipad, his left hand on his hip and several masked soldiers flanking him. The soldiers were all wearing black uniforms while Miller was wearing an olive-green uniform with the sleeves rolled up, exposing part of his forearms. He was wearing black boots like the soldiers, as well as a brown bag on his belt buckle, a watch on his left arm, a yellow ascot, and tan sunglasses that completely hid his eyes from view. His perfectly combed blond hair waved slightly in the faint sea breeze.

There was silence for a minute, which was only broken by the spinning rotors of the helicopter as it lifted off and flew back towards Costa Rica. Twilight turned her head to glance back at it for a moment before turning back to face Miller, who was now walking towards the two. He stopped in front of them and looked down at Huey first, saying, “Dr. Emmerich. Welcome to Mother Base. How are you feeling?”

Huey replied, “A lot better now that I’m away from the CIA, and you can call me Huey. This is quite a pad you’ve got here.”

Miller nodded and turned to Twilight, seemingly looking her over before saying, “So you’re Princess Twilight… You’re just as the Boss described.”

Twilight asked, “‘The Boss’? Oh, you mean Snake. …What did he say about me?”

Miller smirked, “Well, aside from making sure I knew what you looked like, he told me you looked cute and you had your quirks… and that you can get rough when you’re angry.” Twilight didn’t know how to feel about that until he added, “You’re not exactly the kind of cute I typically go for… but I guess it fits.” Twilight glared up at him while he looked back over his shoulder and gestured to the soldiers standing at the edge of the helipad, all of them saluting and leaving in response.

Huey glanced over at Twilight, studying her until Miller turned back to them and said, “Come on, I’ll show you both around, introduce you to everybody.” He looked at Twilight, “Not to worry, Princess. Everyone here’s been told what to expect, so you shouldn’t have any trouble in that regard.”

The lavender alicorn spoke, “You can just call me Twilight, uh, Commander Miller.”

The man replied, “Okay, Twilight. And you can just call me Miller. Or Kaz.”

Twilight tilted her head, “‘Kaz’?”

He smiled, “Kazuhira. That’s my first name. It means peace.” Twilight smiled back as she and Huey followed Miller off the helipad, the three of them going into the control tower to reach the walkway leading to the next strut. As they were walking, Twilight looked over the right side and saw a small boat gliding across the water below. Miller stopped when he heard the fast sound of her hooves hitting the metal, causing Huey to stop as well, and looked back to see her peering over the railing. He saw what caught her attention and said, “Don’t worry about that boat, Twilight. Part of our R&D team is using it to scope things out and better plan Mother Base’s next expansion.”

Twilight looked at him, “Next expansion? So… you’re building this place up?”

Miller nodded, “Yeah. It wasn’t much when we moved in. It only had three struts. We’ve had to build it up a little to accommodate our growing numbers, but everything you see right now is temporary. Once the R&D team has the blueprints and manpower for it and we have the funds for them, something new and better is going to be taking the place of all of this.”

Twilight glanced to her right at the rest of Mother Base before looking back at him and saying, “Must be growing pretty fast if you’ve already doubled what you had.”

Miller replied, “We’ve had to constantly be on the move to avoid further trouble with our ‘friends’ from America. Out here, we’re free from them, and we’re going to take full advantage of it. This is our base, our home. MSF’s a business, a new kind of business.” Huey had been listening intently as the two had talked and was already thinking of ways he could help out, but he decided to keep his thoughts to himself as they continued onward.

The strut they reached housed the Intel Unit and the R&D labs. They stopped to peer inside one of the labs to see members of the R&D team hard at work inside. Some of the men were standing around a board that had various notes and blueprints attached to it while the rest were putting together the weapons or gadgets they had been assigned to. It wasn’t a small work area by any means, but with the number of people working all at once, Twilight did notice that they didn’t have a lot of personal space. Some of them looked up briefly when Miller and his guests stepped in before returning to their work, most then looking up again to get a good look at Twilight and staring in shock or amazement, though a few quickly turned back to their work when she looked at them.

They left the labs soon after and headed for the next strut. As they were moving over the walkway, Miller noticed Twilight looking back with a mixture of nervousness and confusion and said, “The men are really busy in there, Twilight, and they’re not all used to each other yet. I know they didn’t say much, but don’t worry; they like you already.”

Twilight looked at him, “Well, if you say so, uh… Miller. But I guess I’m wondering why some of them looked away from me.”

Miller replied, “Oh, those guys? They were probably the Peace Sentinels that were looking to capture you earlier. They told us about that; they probably feel bad about it.”

Twilight blinked and asked, “So… they’re working for you now?”

Miller nodded, “Oh yeah, anyone the Boss sends back here can join us. Prisoners of war, CIA agents, dissidents like Huey… we try to convince them all to be a part of MSF.”

Twilight asked, “And what do you do if someone from the CIA gets sent here and they don’t want any part of this?”

Miller answered, “Then we detain them in the Brig until we can convince them to change their minds along with any troublemakers. We actually have a few CIA agents in there right now. The Brig is two struts over from this next one.”

Twilight thought the plant’s layout and reasoned he was talking about the strut that was farthest to the right. “Keep them far away from the helipad so that they can’t have an easy way out, huh?” she asked.

Miller nodded, “You got it. Want some advice? You should stay out of the Brig.” Twilight rolled her eyes at his slightly sarcastic tone, especially since she figured that was the obvious thing for her to do, but she didn’t comment on it. They soon reached the end of the walkway and entered the next strut. As Huey and Twilight followed him, Miller explained, “For the time being, this strut houses the Shooting Range and the Kill House. Now I know that second name might sound a bit bad, but don’t worry; it’s just a name. It’s one of the places we currently have to help the Combat Unit train. Since we have to come back this way, we’ll take a peek inside then. For now, we’ll move onto the next strut.” With that, the three of them exited the strut and headed to the strut to the right.

A few minutes later, they found themselves in Mother Base’s Sick Bay. As she looked around, Twilight noticed that most of the staff, despite all of them being considered medical personnel, were wearing uniforms similar to the combat fatigues she’d seen earlier. While there were probably a number of reasons for that, it did cause her to wonder what sort of training everyone in Mother Base got, if someone in the Sick Bay could fill in for someone in the Combat Unit if the need arose and vice versa.

While she was looking around, Miller spoke, “If either of you ever start feeling ill, you’ll want to check in here immediately so you don’t spread anything around. Once we get a little more space here, it shouldn’t be as big an issue, but don’t neglect your health. Come here right away if you start feeling sick. We only have a small staff in here and we don’t have a lot of animal experts, definitely no one who’s dealt with winged unicorns, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be able to help you.”

Twilight shot him an irritated look as she said, “I don’t think I’m going to give your soldiers anything, Miller, but if it’ll make you feel better, I know of a spell that I can cast to protect both them and me from each other.”

Miller rubbed the back of his head, “Sorry, I was just joking, Twilight. But if you’re being serious and you wouldn’t mind, that would be great. Aside from the space issue, there’s also no telling when someone will bring in something by accident. The staff here are already busy and they don’t need any more patients that are unhappy.”

As if on cue, they heard a woman inside the Sick Bay yell, “Miller!”

The blonde-haired man sighed, “And there’s the big one we have right now.” He turned and walked a few steps towards where the yell had come from before calling, “Over here, Amanda! What’s wrong now?”

Twilight and Huey saw a brown-haired woman wearing a yellow scarf, a black tank top, green pants, and black boots come into view a few seconds later, supporting herself with a pair of crutches. A quick look down revealed that she had a white cast wrapped around her right leg to keep it still. “Let me go back to the Combat Unit! I’m can’t stand going back and forth between that and laying around doing nothing in here!” she said as she hobbled towards Miller.

The man stood his ground as she came closer and calmly said, “Now Amanda, it’s for your own good. I know the Boss supported you being discharged early for the sake of your comrades, but I’m the one who insisted that the Sick Bay staff bring you back here for a little while every day to make sure you don’t do anything that could make that leg worse. Last thing anyone wants is for you to break it again.”

Amanda glared at him, “You make it sound like I don’t know that this injury is holding me back from fighting like I’m used to. I know better than to aggravate it, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make sure my ability to fight suffers because of it. I can still use a gun, I can still use a knife, I still can…” She paused as she looked off to the side and noticed Twilight for the first time. She raised her right crutch and pointed it at the alicorn, “What the hell is that?”

Miller evenly replied, “That’s Twilight Sparkle. Remember? I mentioned the Boss was sending her back here?”

After a moment, Amanda nodded, “Ah. I thought that announcement was some sort of prank for Chico.”

Miller said, “I know the kid’s got an active imagination and he’s really fascinated with those UMAs or whatever, but I wouldn’t do that to him. Anyway, I should be wrapping up the tour I’m giving her and the doctor, so I’ll tell you what: since you’re not in a good mood right now, just ten more minutes in here and you can go back to the Combat Unit. Now if you’ll excuse me…” With that, he turned and went back to Huey and Twilight and ushered them out of the Sick Bay while assuring them that Amanda wasn’t usually so angry.

While they were moving back to the strut they had been in, Twilight asked, “Who’s Chico?”

Miller replied, “He’s Amanda’s little brother. He’s younger than any of the other men, probably even younger than you, Twilight. He’s assigned to the Intel Unit, but he spends time with the members of the Combat Unit as well. Since they’re both part of the FSLN revolutionaries, he wants to be a soldier too. Not sure I’m entirely okay with that, but the Boss is the one calling the shots here.” That made Twilight wonder how young Chico was, but she guessed she would see for herself soon.

As Miller promised, they stopped by the Kill House when they got back to the center strut. Inside, they found it housed a maze-like obstacle course with targets that popped up at various points for the soldiers to shoot at. As they stood in the entrance, they saw many soldiers doing just that, running around the obstacle course and trying to shoot at targets as they ran. But there weren’t just adult soldiers running it; sure enough, there was also a young boy in drab clothing with light hair under his cap and a yellow scarf around his neck trying to keep up with the older soldiers.

While she was following him with her eyes, he looked over at the entrance after stopping nearby to shoot at a target and looked back again suddenly when he realized he had seen Twilight. He stared at her with wide eyes while she smiled nervously. “Uh, hi?” she tried saying over the sound of gunfire.

The boy suddenly ran over to her and began moving around her, touching and grabbing her while saying, “Wow, you really are a unicorn! And you can talk! And you’ve got wings! Wow, you’re so amazing! Snake is incredible, finding a real UMA like you!” All of the soldiers in the Kill House were eventually drawn to the scene and they became fixated on Twilight too. She hoped that they would be like everyone else they’d seen at Mother Base so far, but much to her dismay, they all came over and began fawning over her like a kitten. It didn’t take long for Miller to intervene, the man pushing them away and ordering them to return to their training while holding his right arm out in front of Twilight and slowly backing her and Huey out of the room.

Once they were all safely out on the walkway leading to the last strut, Miller said, “Sorry about that, Twilight. That kid was Chico.”

The lavender alicorn replied while leaning against the left railing, “Yeah, I kind of guessed that. I did not expect all those soldiers to start doing what he was doing, though.”

Miller’s head tilted upwards, “I didn’t expect them to do that either, to be honest. If I had, I wouldn’t have taken you in there.”

Twilight leaned her head back and sighed, “It was one thing when fillies and colts wanted to crowd around me, but that… that was something else.”

Huey chuckled, “You’re pretty popular back home, huh?”

Twilight lowered her head to look at him, “That’s mainly because I was recently made a princess. I’m hoping the popularity will go away soon.”

Miller spoke, “Come on, I’ve just got to show you both this last strut to you two, then you both can get settled and I can let Snake know you’re here.” He started walking again and Twilight and Huey followed after him.

The final strut was divided into two sections, though one seemed to be larger than the other. Miller showed them the cafeteria-like area first, saying, “This is our Mess Hall. We’ve got people assigned here to make food for everyone, and for the most part, we all eat in here. The other section is the Living Quarters. The Quarters aren’t exactly coed; we’ve got them divided by sex, but certain exceptions can be cleared if, uh…” He trailed off, leaving little doubt what he was hinting at. “And that concludes our tour. I’m going to get in touch with Snake now. Go ahead and grab a seat while I contact him, Twilight. I’m going to.” He walked over to one of the tables and sat on one of the benches with his back to the surface, Twilight sitting on the one across from him while Huey came to a stop near them.

After a minute, Miller got through to Snake and said, “Snake, Twilight and the doctor are safe here with us.” After a moment, he stood up and walked over to Twilight while pulling a small radio out of one of his pockets. He held it out to Twilight, “Here, it’s on. He wants to talk to you. Just click the button on the side when you want to talk.”

Twilight took the radio in both hooves and held it up in front of her, looking at it for a moment before doing as Miller said and asking, “Uh, hello?”

After a moment, she heard Snake’s voice come through the speakers, “Twilight. How are you feeling? Did you enjoy the ride?”

While Miller walked over to Huey and gave him the other radio he had, Twilight answered, “Yeah, it was nice. Even that balloon ride was kind of fun.”

Snake replied, “Good. Now that you’re back at Mother Base and considering all you’ve told me, I want you to focus on figuring out how you’re going to get back home to Equestria.”

Twilight looked surprised as she started, “What? But I…”

Snake interrupted her, “I know what you said about wanting to help, but I’m sure Kaz has shown you everything in Mother Base by now. Everyone there is focused on helping deal with this situation. They’re working from dawn to dusk, maybe even through the night, to do what they’re assigned to do. I’m not going to put you through that unless the need arises. As I said, we’re going to shelter you while you’re here, make sure the rest of the world doesn’t learn of your existence. People start finding out, they’re going to react like those soldiers that tried to capture you did at the very least. None of us can afford to have that happen.”

Twilight sighed, “That’s a good point. But even with everyone here helping you out, are you sure you can deal with that Peace Walker thing by yourself?”

Snake answered, “If I can stop it before it’s completed, that won’t be an issue. If I can’t… well, it won’t be the first time.”

Twilight was silent for a moment before asking, “So, you want me to focus entirely on getting back to Equestria?”

Snake replied, “You may not know exactly how you got here, but if anyone can figure out how to get you back to where you came from, it’s going to be you. Don’t get the wrong idea. It might be nice having someone like you around, but like I said, sheltering you is risky. You can use Mother Base’s services as you need while you’re there. Just stay out of the way of the men and try not to let them rope you into doing anything.”

Twilight flatly replied, “Well, don’t hold me to this, but I have a feeling that’s not going to happen anytime soon.”

Snake replied, “Good. I’m going to check in with Huey now, but maybe I’ll talk to you later.” Twilight nodded even though he couldn’t see it and set the radio down next to her on the bench. She listened to Huey talk to Snake about how impressed he was with Mother Base and that he was pretty sure he would of some use in the R&D section, even mentioning wanting to work on what he referred to as a bipedal mech.

Once Huey was done talking, Miller showed him and Twilight to the entrance to the Living Quarters and told them to get acquainted with where everything was. He then said one last thing to Twilight, “You can hang onto that radio for the time being, Twilight. Like Huey, you’ll have a frequency in case Snake wants to contact you, and like he said, we’re here to help if you need anything. You might not be an official staff member, but you’re free to stop by the Mess Hall whenever you need a bite to eat or go to the Sick Bay if you’re feeling under the weather. That being said, is there anything I can get you?”

Twilight held a hoof to her chin, thinking for a moment before saying, “Well, if it’s possible, I could use some paper and something to write with. I kind of have an idea what happened and can start trying to work on something, but it would be nice to be able to write everything down so I have something to look back on.”

Miller nodded, “Done. I’ll snag you a notebook and a pencil in a minute. I’m just going to talk to the Boss about one thing and I’ll be back in a couple of minutes. In the meantime, go get settled.” Twilight nodded and followed Huey through the entrance to the Living Quarters, both of them splitting off to go to their respective sections. As she was walking, she overheard Miller saying, “Hey, Boss, you mind if we powwow for a sec’?”
> First Days in Outer Heaven
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Upon reaching the end of the short hallway leading to the ladies’ section of the Living Quarters, Twilight found that there was a small lounge-like area set up next to the door leading to the sleeping area, complete with a small table that had a few chairs around it and a small couch set up along the wall across from the table. The furniture, with its faded colors and spots where there were tears in the fabric or a thread sticking out, definitely didn’t look like anything Rarity would likely ever put in her home, but it all looked like it might be comfortable enough to sit on while doing work, and the overhead lighting lit everything up nicely. Even if it was all only temporary, it was clear that Snake and Miller were putting the effort into making the place livable.

After another moment, Twilight used her magic to push open the door leading to the sleeping area and found that it was dark inside. She felt over the wall next to the door with a hoof for a moment before feeling and flicking a switch above her that turned the overhead lights on. Looking around, she saw a row of single beds on both sides of the room. Most of the beds were unmade, but she did see a few that had covers and blankets on them. Like the furniture outside, it wasn’t anything too fancy, but she guessed it was good enough for the time being.

Twilight walked down the length of the middle of the room, looking at the beds that were made. Sure enough, one had Amanda’s name on it while the other two that were made, which were right next to each other, had the names ‘Emu’ and ‘Peccary’ on them. “Does everyone here have an animal name that they’re referred to by? Does Miller have an animal name? Or Amanda? Or Chico? Am I just going to be called Alicorn if I stay here long enough?” she wondered.

A pair of knocks on the door pulled her out of her thoughts and she turned her head back to see Miller peering into the room. “Knock, knock,” he commented as he stepped inside. Twilight turned and walked over to him. As she got closer, she noticed he was holding a notebook in his right hand and some pens and pencils in his left hand. He held them out to her as she stopped in front of him, saying, “Here, I grabbed these from the R&D Unit. The pens work and I took out the pages that the guys had already written on in here.”

Twilight took the offered items with her magic and said, “Thanks, Kaz. This will do great. I’ll try to figure out what happened so I can get out of here.”

Miller asked, “Can’t see yourself living here, huh? I guess Mother Base isn’t exactly a welcome sight as it is, come to think of it.”

Twilight hastily placed the notebook and writing utensils on the bed next to her and tried to correct herself, “N-No, Miller, I didn’t mean it like that! I-I was just thinking about what Snake said about it being dangerous to keep me here. I mean, I would like to see what your expansion plans are for Mother Base, but ideally, I think Snake would want…”

Miller cut her off, “Relax, Twilight, I know what you meant. I would argue with the Boss that having you around might be good for the men, but I know he’s right too. With MSF growing and adding all different kinds of people with so many different backgrounds, we’re bound to end up on more than just America’s bad side as it is. The rest of the world doesn’t need to know about what exactly we do here and what we discover. It would be better for you to get home as soon as possible.”

He turned and stepped out into the hallway, Twilight following behind him. He looked at the small lounge area and gestured to it with his right hand as he said, “It’ll probably be more comfortable to work here than on a bed, but obviously you know how you work best.” He then looked at Twilight, “I’m going to go let Huey know that Snake has given his approval for him to work as part of the R&D team now and then I have to get back to work. Snake currently has me assigned to help out in the Sick Bay until we can get more men in there.”

Twilight replied, “Seems like everyone’s working hard here. Does anyone ever get a break here?”

Miller answered, “Well, we have set meal times. It kind of depends on the team in the Mess Hall having the food ready when they say they will, but they’ve been pretty consistent and they usually put out an announcement when they’ve made enough for everyone. Regardless, it’s getting pretty late in the day, so they should be working on dinner right now.”

Twilight blushed a little as she looked down and said, “I’ve noticed that when I get caught up with studying or reading or working, I tend to lose track of time. I guess I shut a lot of things out when I’m in the middle of something.”

Miller nodded, “That’s all right. I’ll find Emu and Peccary when dinner’s ready and tell them to come get you to make sure you get something to eat.”

Twilight looked up and asked, “Hey, how come everyone has animal names around here? I was just wondering about that.”

Miller replied, “Well, not everyone has one. As you’ve seen, there are some staff members who prefer to go by their real names, but the ones who don’t prefer to be called by the codenames we assign to them. We use animal codenames because that’s what Snake’s former unit, FOX, used for its agents, and it was kept when he established both FOXHOUND and MSF. Sometimes a codename is given because it means something, but that’s not always the case.”

Twilight nodded, “I see.”

Miller looked back at her as he turned and started to walk away, “All right, I really have to get back to the Sick Bay, but we’ll talk more over dinner.” He then disappeared around the corner, leaving Twilight alone.

After taking a moment to cast the spell that had protected her and Cadance when Discord had had ‘Blue Flu’, Twilight looked back into the room and grabbed the notebook and writing tools with her magic and set them down on the nearby table. Sitting down in one of the chairs, she found that it was fairly sturdy and easy to settle into. She then took a moment to collect her thoughts before she opened the notebook, picking up one of the pens as she started working, beginning with what she could remember about what happened and working in what she knew about magic.

Twilight quickly became lost in her thoughts, only occasionally looking up at the ceiling while she briefly thought about something before returning to the notebook. She was so absorbed in trying to piece together what had happened that the faint sound of boots against the metal floor outside the Living Quarters hardly caught her attention. She did look up when a whistle sounded throughout Mother Base, her head turning to the right as the faint sound grew in volume and began to sound more like marching.

She looked towards the hallway when she heard a female voice call, “Hey there!” She saw two soldiers standing in the entryway. They were wearing what she now assumed was the standard uniform and facemask for MSF personnel, but the way they filled out their uniforms showed that they were indeed female. “You’re Twilight Sparkle, right?” the one on the left asked as they approached the alicorn.

“Oh, yes! That’s me!” Twilight replied. She looked up at the two as they stopped in front of her, “And you’re, uh… um…” She quickly glanced between the two. She knew what their codenames were, but she didn’t know which soldier was which.

The first soldier held out her right hand, Twilight taking it and shaking it as she said, “I’m Emu, and this is Peccary.”

Twilight turned to the other soldier and shook her hand, the woman asking after a moment, “Do you remember me?”

Twilight lowered her hoof, “Um… right now, no. You kind of look the same with your masks on.”

Peccary replied, “I’m the prisoner you and the Boss found in the mountains.”

Twilight immediately knew what she was talking about. “Oh, that’s right! I remember now! You’re… doing better now?”

Peccary nodded, “Yeah. Being at Mother Base is so much better than being in prison, and the Boss assigned me a job in the Intel Unit. He sounded impressed when he heard about how I managed to escape. That’s why you both found me so close to that base.”

Emu spoke up, “I was a prisoner too before the Boss found me, but he assigned me to the Sick Bay because of my medical knowledge. I was busy when Commander Miller brought you around earlier, but I saw you leaving. Speaking of which, Commander Miller told us to let you know that it’s time for dinner. Are you coming?” As she thought about it, Twilight realized she was in fact feeling quite hungry. With trying to learn to control the magic of three other alicorns, dealing with Tirek, and everything that had happened since she arrived in this world, she hadn’t had much to eat today. With a nod, she stood up and flipped her notebook closed with a hoof, following Emu and Peccary as they led her to the Mess Hall.

When they got there, Twilight saw that she was correct in thinking that the Mess Hall was like Canterlot High’s cafeteria. There was a line of soldiers along one wall where the food that the Mess Hall staff had made was laid out with trays stacks of trays at the beginning of the line. Some of the members of the Mess Hall staff were out front to monitor how much food was left while the rest of them were in the kitchen trying to keep the food coming. The soldiers that had gotten their food were seated at the tables, the inside of the Mess Hall already abuzz with the sound of the conversations they were having with each other.

Twilight followed Emu and Peccary over to the line, trying to remain calm and not let her eyes wander as she walked. Despite all the noise in the Mess Hall, it was not hard to tell when everyone sitting at a table took notice of her. It actually made her feel more uncomfortable than when ponies made a big deal out of her since these were grown humans, almost all of them being trained for fighting, but she tried to keep her uneasiness hidden as she and the two female soldiers joined the line.

Twilight grabbed a tray with her magic when she reached the stacks as well as utensils, staying close to Emu and Peccary while the two picked out what they wanted. Since she wasn’t trying to blend in as much as she did during her time at Canterlot High, Twilight took the time to look the food over as the line moved. She didn’t see any flowers or hay, but after high school and considering where she was, that wasn’t much of a surprise to her, so she put some sliced up fruit and broiled vegetables on her tray.

At the end of the line, Twilight noticed some circular and square-shaped boxes laid out on a tray, their appearance making her think of a boxed lunch. She started to reach for a rectangular box with a hoof before Peccary noticed and said, “Uh, I wouldn’t take one of those if I were you, Twilight.”

The lavender alicorn lowered her hoof and asked, “Why not?”

Peccary replied, “Those are some of our rations. They’re typically given to the soldiers out in the field, but I guess the Mess Hall team is serving us some of their extras.”

Twilight asked, “Well, if the soldiers are eating them and they’re being served here, they must taste okay, right?”

Emu spoke up, “Yeah, no. The way they come, they taste like crap, and clearly the Mess Hall staff doesn’t want try to do anything to them either. Just skip over those; you don’t want to eat them unless you absolutely have to.” With that, she got out of line and started looking for a table, Peccary following after her. Twilight hesitated for a moment before hurrying after them without adding anything else to her tray.

________________________________________

Cadance noted, “You seemed to hesitate just now, Twilight.”

The lavender alicorn glanced at Spike for a moment before looking back at Cadance and saying, “Well, I didn’t want to repeat Emu’s exact words, Cadance. Let’s just say some of the things I heard at Mother Base weren’t exactly what you’d hear in casual conversation.” She used her hoof to raise her tea cup to her lips for a moment before quickly clarifying, “I tried not to pick up any bad habits from them. Not sure that I succeeded.”

Applejack asked, “So how was their food, Twilight? Not so good?”

Twilight looked at the orange earth pony, “Oh, the regular food was fine, Applejack, and it definitely got better as the Mess Hall staff filled up. It’s just the rations that, for all the improvements they were able to make, they were never able to get anyone to agree they tasted good the way they came. Like I mentioned to Emu and Peccary after dinner, I imagine the rations Shining had to eat when he was in training probably weren’t any better.”

Mr. Sparkle spoke up, “I’m sure they were, Twilight. It sounded like even the recruits to the Royal Guards always ate good whether they were at the castle or away.”

Shining looked up at the ceiling as he slowly said, “Yeah… I’d have to disagree with you on that, Dad.”

Mrs. Sparkle looked at the white stallion and asked, “What do you mean, Shining? You’ve never once complained about what you had to eat.”

Shining replied, “Yeah, but I never tried to sneak anything home either. Twilight’s right, Mom; rations are just food. That’s the best thing anypony can say about them.”

Twilight said, “I wonder if they would taste better after being over a spit too.” When Shining looked at her curiously, she explained, “Sometimes out in the field, we would set up barbecue spits and roast our rations over a fire. Properly roasted, they tasted, and looked, considerably better.”

Shining nodded, “Ah. Maybe I should try that sometime. Would be nice to open up one of the old rations and not think I’d rather eat something that’s slightly rotten instead.”

Cadance shook her head at her husband’s words before looking back at Twilight and saying, “I think we’re getting a little off-track, Twilight.”

Twilight nodded, “Right, sorry…”

________________________________________

The three walked through the Mess Hall looking for a place to sit. Now that most of the staff was there, many of the benches were almost filled to capacity. Some of them still stopped what they were doing and stared at Twilight as she walked by, but most of them had gotten used to her presence by that point. After a minute, Peccary pointed to one of the tables and said, “Hey, Amanda’s sitting at that table! Let’s see if we can squeeze in with her.”

As she was about to follow her and Emu, Twilight suddenly felt that there was someone standing next to her followed by the feeling of a hand on her left shoulder. She turned to see that it was Miller, his right hand on her shoulder while his left hand held a tray. He looked down at her and said, “Come eat with me, Twilight. We’ll powwow. Your lady friends can come too.” He sounded like he said that last part meaningfully. He then moved around the alicorn and started walking across the room.

Twilight looked at Emu and Peccary, both of them turning back when they realized she wasn’t following them. She gestured off to the side with her head before turning to catch up with Miller. The two women exchanged a confused look before they followed after her, all three of them soon finding Miller sitting at an empty table. “Commander Miller wants to eat with us? What an honor!” Peccary nearly exclaimed. Emu didn’t say anything, but her expression indicated she was similarly impressed.

The two women sat on both sides of Twilight across from Miller and removed their facemasks. Twilight looked up between them in surprise. While her mane was certainly longer, their short brown hair had a similar yet pretty style to it despite their masks pressing down on it, and their faces looked beautiful as well. Twilight certainly thought so, and evidently Miller did too since his mouth changed to a seductive smirk as he looked them over. “Hey ladies. Maybe you’d like to sit over here so Princess Twilight doesn’t have to keep looking between you while we’re talking?” he suggested, doing little to hide the arousal in his voice.

Emu and Peccary did not disagree with him, both picking up their trays and making their way around the table to sit at his sides. He smiled at them and listened intently as they told him how honored they felt to be sharing a private table with him. Twilight quickly became annoyed by their fawning and Miller trying to win them over further and started eating while trying to block out the noise, hoping that Miller would remember why he called her over while trying to keep her irritation in check.

Suddenly she felt a tap on her left shoulder and she let out a yelp, jumping slightly as she turned to see Chico sitting next to her. “Oh… hi. Chico, right?” she asked.

The boy nodded, “Yeah, that’s me! Listen, uh… Twilight, right? I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I was… It’s so amazing to meet a real live unicorn with wings! I mean, wow! I’m still in shock!”

Twilight replied, “Well, uh, thank you, and… I hope you don’t mind, but the correct term for what I am would be alicorn.”

Chico asked, “I thought that’s what your horns were made of?”

Twilight glanced up at the pointy appendage on her forehead before looking back at Chico and saying, “Well, I could explain that, but I’ve been told that I don’t know how to make my explanations interesting.”

Chico smiled, “Oh, I would be interested! I’m really into stuff like you! UFOs, magic creatures, monsters… I think it’s all incredible! I’d love to learn more about you and what it’s like where you come from! What other kinds of creatures live there? Are there lots of ponies like you? How many alicorns are there?”

Miller cleared his throat, Twilight and Chico looking at him in response. He lowered his hand to the table and said, “Chico, I admire your willingness to learn more about the whole Equestrian thing, but Princess Twilight here did not come to our world to be a guest lecturer. Right now, she’s a little girl in a world that knows nothing about her and she knows only a little bit about. I think she’d like to get home as soon as possible, which is exactly what I wanted to talk to her about.” He looked at Twilight, “So? Have the last few hours been productive?”

While Chico looked awestruck, Twilight faced Miller completely as she replied, “Uh, fairly. I think I’ve managed to figure out what happened. I believe, between having to contain the magic of all the Princess of Equestria, having it completely drained out of me by Lord Tirek, and opening the chest from the Tree of Harmony and being gifted with new magic…”

Miller held up his right hand to stop her. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. I’ve never really been into magic myself, and even though you haven’t said much about magic, I have no clue what you’re talking about. You think maybe you could say it a little more simply?” he asked.

Twilight sighed and glanced at Chico for a moment before saying, “So, basically, between being given more power than I’m used to, having every bit of it and my own drained all at once essentially, and then getting it back, my body was basically in a flux over the course of a few hours. When I got hit unexpectedly while using the new magic my friends and I received, I think I lost control and had a magical reaction in the form of a teleport spell that sent me to this world. That is my theory.”

Miller asked, “See? That wasn’t so hard. Do you think you can recreate those circumstances so that you can go home?”

Twilight sighed and said, “That’s going to be the hard part. Aside from trying to get used to all that magic in me, everything kind of happened at all once. There wasn’t really much time to think about things. In order to do it again, I’m going to have to take what I know and run some magic trials.”

Miller asked, “Trials?”

Twilight nodded, “Yeah, like tests. I mean, it’s probably going to take a lot of fine-tuning to make it happen again and it’s undoubtedly going to be messy, so… I’ll do that part away from Mother Base so I don’t destroy anything, like out in the water, but I think it’s going to take some time.”

Miller nodded, “I see. Well like I said before, you’re free to use the Mess Hall and Sick Bay when you need anything, but I’m also going to extend that to the rest of the Units here on Mother Base. I don’t know that they’ll be able to help much, but if you see or overhear something you think might help, then feel free to ask someone. Of course, whoever you’re going to has to make the final call, but…”

Twilight replied, “Right, I know. You’re… MSF is like an organization and you’re all working towards the same goal, which, at the moment, is helping Snake out. I shouldn’t go doing anything or making any requests that would interfere with that.”

Miller nodded, “You got it. Speaking of Snake, I’ll be sure to inform him of your progress next time I talk to him.”

Chico spoke, “Well, I know that doing what Snake asked you to is the most important thing, but I sure hope you can find a little time to at least show me some of your magic. That would be so cool!”

Peccary added, “Yeah, and so would hearing about Equestria!”

Suddenly they all heard a familiar voice, “Hey, there’s the newest girl in Mother Base!” They all turned to see Huey rolling up to the side of the table, a meal tray sitting on his lap. With so many people joining and getting Twilight involved, their table began to join the cacophony of noise in the Mess Hall. Although he continued to speak, behind his sunglasses, Miller looked at Twilight disapprovingly. It wasn’t because he was jealous; it was because she was starting to get too close to the staff.

As soon as he was finished eating, Miller stood up and excused himself, saying he had something important to take care of. It was a bit sudden, but Twilight wasn’t too bothered by it since it made sense to her that Miller, being Snake’s second-in-command, would have a lot of work to do, especially in Snake’s absence. The rest of dinner went by quickly and afterwards, most of the Mother Base staff headed back to their posts to finish their work while some went straight to the Living Quarters after leaving the Mess Hall. Everyone at Twilight’s table fell into the latter category, Chico and Huey heading to the men’s side of the Living Quarters while Twilight followed Emu and Peccary back to the ladies’ side.

Twilight had planned to get back to work after dinner, but Emu and Peccary urged her to spend more time with them. She initially tried to make an excuse so she could do what Snake told her to do, but she soon relented when she realized that, due to being prisoners until recently, they would probably like the extra company, so she went with them into the sleeping area and slid her notebook and writing tools under the bed across from them.

During dinner, aside from the way they acted when they sat with Miller, Emu and Peccary had been more reserved and alert, but now that they were alone, they acted more like when they had come to get Twilight. The three of them talked and joked in a more carefree manner now that they didn’t have the rest of the staff around them. It was a little surprising to Twilight, but she reminded herself that they were prisoners and that this was surely good for helping them adjust to being free. Amanda eventually came in, but she didn’t join in; instead, she headed straight for her bed and called for lights out. Emu and Peccary were a bit disappointed, but they chose not to argue with her, instead settling down as Twilight used her magic to turn off the lights and go to sleep herself.

She hadn’t known what time it was when they’d gone to sleep, but morning came too early for Twilight’s liking, though that could’ve been partly due to the wakeup call being delivered in the form of a shrill whistle across Mother Base that partly woke her up and partly scared her half to death. She was sure she could hear Miller making announcements over the loudspeakers, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying over her racing heart and he was done by the time she calmed down enough to properly pay attention again.

After taking a moment to pull herself out from under her blanket, she noticed Amanda was leaving and Emu and Peccary were getting up from their beds. As they were getting ready to leave, Peccary noticed that Twilight was up and said, “Morning, Twilight. Are you getting up now too?”

The lavender alicorn sleepily replied, “I guess I am. What time is it?”

Peccary answered, “It’s pretty early, but we have to get ready. Our units have shift changes and we’re expected to be present and accounted for after breakfast.”

While heading for the door, Emu spoke, “The showers are just down the hall. You might want to get in now before the men use up all the hot water.” Twilight paused at that, thinking of Spike and his bubble baths and wondering how everyone back in Equestria was doing. She came back to reality a minute after Peccary left and got out of bed, using her magic to make the covers nice again before leaving the sleeping area in search of the showers.

As it turned out, the door she was looking for wasn’t too far from the door where the ladies’ section of the Living Quarters began. Going inside, she saw that it was a lot like the locker rooms that the stadium in the Crystal Empire had for the Equestria Games athletes. There were lockers that took up most of the center of the room with the showers on one side and the toilets and sinks on the other.

Twilight saw that the other girls were already showering as she approached, Amanda sitting in a folding chair with a plastic wrap around her cast while Emu and Peccary stood under the showerheads, letting the water flow down on them. Biting her lip and reminding herself of her time in a human body, Twilight entered the shower area and picked a shower in the middle of it all. The warm water falling down on her felt good, better than usual. She guessed that had something to do with all the stressful things she had been through since arriving in this new world, something that she hadn’t been through when she and Spike had been in that other world. She hadn’t realized how much she needed it until the water started hitting her body.

Emu and Peccary talked to each other while they were washing, mostly talking about their units and what they were hoping to get done for the day. Twilight listened in, but she only grasped parts of what they were talking about. While she was washing, she looked over at Amanda and noticed that the brown-haired woman looked away when the alicorn looked at her. Twilight frowned as she went back to washing herself, wondering if Amanda was mad at her for something.

After a minute, Twilight heard the water turn off and looked to her right to see Amanda reaching for her crutches against the wall next to her. She seemed to have placed them a little too far away as they were just out of reach of her fingers and she was moving in her seat to try to get close enough. Twilight channeled some of her magic into her horn, picking up the crutches and levitating them over to Amanda. The woman took them before looking over at Twilight and noticing the glow coming from her horn. The two shared a look for a moment before Amanda quietly said “Thanks” and carefully stood up with her crutches, slowly and carefully making her way out of the shower area. Twilight looked her over as she left, her well-toned body making it clear that she had grown up as a fighter.

Emu and Peccary finished up soon after, leaving the shower area to find Amanda and help her get dressed. Twilight lingered for a little while longer before turning off the water, which was starting to get colder. As she stepped out of the showers, Twilight grabbed a white towel off a nearby rack to dry herself with, at which point she realized she didn’t have a brush or even a comb. She let out a sigh as she began drying herself, knowing she was going to have to let her mane and tail do whatever they wanted.

The other girls were already gone by the time she was done drying herself and she dropped the wet towel in a laundry basket by the door as she left, her mane and tail still damp while the rest of her was sufficiently dry. As she stepped out into the hallway, the nearby door suddenly opened and Miller stepped through it. Twilight looked up at him as he said, “Hey Twilight. Sorry if the wakeup call was a bit of a surprise.” He reached into one of the pockets in the front of his uniform and pulled out a small brush, comb, and toothbrush and held them out to her. “Here, I managed to find you clean ones. I thought you might need them.” Twilight gratefully took them in her magic and he left afterwards, saying, “See you at breakfast.”

Twilight ducked back into the locker room, this time going to the sinks to brush her teeth, finding a toothpaste dispenser on one of the walls. She didn’t exactly like the taste, but it certainly made her teeth look better. She then used the brush and comb to fix her mane and tail up as best she could before she left again, quickly stopping by the sleeping area briefly to drop the useful items on her bed before heading for the Mess Hall. It was pretty packed by the time she got there, but Miller had already secured a table for the two of them to eat at.

Once they were done eating, Miller told her to focus on working on the problem at hand and he was hoping to hear good news from her later. He then left for the Sick Bay while Twilight headed back to the Living Quarters to get her notebook, opening it to the last page she’d been on where she found she had stopped in the middle of a magic formula. After finishing it up, she thought for a while about how to approach the issue of performing a spell that would be able to take her back to Equestria before she began writing. It took a while of brainstorming since she didn’t have anything except what she knew to work with, but by dinnertime, she was able to report to Miller that she would be able to start testing tomorrow.

Twilight was up bright and early with the other female staff when the wakeup call came the following morning despite not being used to it yet. After a quick shower and breakfast, she went back to the Living Quarters and spent some time looking at her notes before she headed outside, using her wings to fly up onto the top of the strut to scout out a nearby spot in the ocean to start testing from. She soon flew out over the water, stopping when she was sufficiently far from Mother Base. She then cast a spell so that she would be able to stand on the surface of the water and got to work.

Unfortunately, this routine of her getting up, showering, eating, reviewing her notes, and going out to test what she had come up with went on for the next several days, with her coming back to Mother Base in between tests to consult her notes again, revise something, or work out something new. Despite her alicorn magic, Twilight’s tests were proving unsuccessful, with her coming back to Mother Base looking singed, soaking wet, or both. It was getting frustrating for her since, despite having done it, she was not well-versed in traveling between universes and the only place she knew that she could find more information on the subject was back in Canterlot. She kept going back to try to modify the basic teleport spell, but she couldn’t even get herself to do multiple teleports in a row like when she’d had the other princesses’ magic in her.

As she got more and more frustrated, she started throwing more and more of her magic into her tests, and it eventually caught up to her when one day, she was barely able to fly back to Mother Base and collapsed from exhaustion not long after. Fortunately, the staff in the control tower had been watching her when she was flying back and had noticed that she was struggling, so they sent one of the staff to go meet her when she landed and he saw her when she collapsed. When he saw her fall, he quickly ran over to her and picked her up, taking her to the Sick Bay himself.

Twilight slowly woke up a couple of hours later in one of the Sick Bay beds with a dull headache. As she was trying to sit up, Miller came over to her and spoke, “Hey Twilight. You okay?”

The lavender alicorn let out a soft groan as she raised herself to a sitting position, looking up at him and saying, “I think, aside from this headache I have… What happened?”

Miller answered, “The staff in the control tower saw you were having some trouble flying and sent someone to check on you. He saw you collapse and brought you here.” He leaned over her, “I should be the one asking you what happened.”

Twilight sighed as she remembered what she had been doing beforehand and looked down as she said, “Well, I have been using a lot of magic over the last few days. I guess I haven’t been giving it enough time to recover.”

Miller asked, “So you collapsed due to… magic exhaustion?”

Twilight looked up at him, “It’s not like I have infinite magic or anything. Didn’t have it when I was a unicorn and I don’t have it now.”

Miller stood up straight, “Well, that’s a problem then. I don’t know what you’d do back home for that…”

Twilight interjected, “There’s not much anypony can do, except give it time to recover.”

Miller nodded, “Then that’s what you’re going to do. No more testing until your magic’s recovered. In fact, I would advise not doing anything related to getting home until that happens. In other words, I’m taking your notebook away for the time being.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “What?! But… that’s all you let me do here!” she protested.

Miller said, “And I admire your dedication to trying to solve this, but from the looks of it, that’s not helping you much here. It might even be keeping you from seeing something important. Taking some time to relax will probably do you some good. What do you like to do when you’re not working?”

Twilight thought for a moment. “Well… I really like reading, often with a cup of tea, spending time with my friends, and learning new spells. O-Obviously I can’t learn anything new here since things are so different here.”

Miller replied, “I see. Well, I certainly can’t get you any playmates…”

Twilight glared up at him, “That’s not really…”

Miller cut her off, “You know what I mean. Obviously, everyone here at Mother Base is very busy, so they’re not going to be able to spend a lot of time with you. I’ll see what I can do about finding you some books to read, but I can’t promise anything. At any rate, I want you to not worry about the whole fish out of water thing right now and that includes not pushing your magic to its limits again. We don’t need you passing out on us in the middle of the ocean.” Twilight shivered a bit at that. She knew her choice of testing area wasn’t really a smart choice, but she was trying to make sure Mother Base and everyone in it was safe from her tests.

Miller went on, “Unless you know better, I would say using some light magic is okay, but no more of this heavy use magic you’ve been working with. I’m not kidding, either. If I find out you’ve been trying to continue testing behind my back, you’ll be spending some time in the Brig. I don’t want to do that, so don’t make me have to.” Twilight could tell by the tone of his voice that he was being completely serious, so she nodded in reply. “All right, then, good talk. Now get out of here. You’re not sick or injured and you’re not a Sick Bay staff member, so you really shouldn’t be in here.” With that, he turned and walked away to check on a staff member who was feeling under the weather.

With a sigh, Twilight swung her hind legs around to the side to get out of the bed. Before she could push herself forward, she heard Amanda say, “That’s the closest I’ve seen Miller come to getting angry.” Twilight looked up and saw the Sandinista woman lying a few beds down for her daily Sick Bay visit. She continued looking at Twilight as she asked, “Bet that hurts, huh? Someone getting upset with you like that?”

Twilight gave her a confused look as she slid out of the bed and onto her hooves, “Well, of course it does, Amanda. I like to think no one really likes making mistakes and others getting angry at them.”

Amanda replied, “Hm. With how bright and differently colored you are, I figured things like anger and war would be completely new ideas to you.”

Twilight walked around to her while saying, “Yeah, Snake seemed to think that too. Equestria was founded when the different pony species came together in friendship, but before that, there were definitely tensions that threatened to lead to war if the harsh winters didn’t freeze everypony to death first. Things are much more peaceful today, but it’s not always sunshine and rainbows. That- I can definitely say that with certainty.”

Amanda looked at the pony standing next to her bed curiously. “I see. Still, it sounds like your world has been a lot luckier than ours has,” she commented.

Twilight replied, “Yes, I can’t deny that. Equestria has been lucky that my friends and I have been enough to keep any potential conquerors at bay. We’re not on necessarily good terms with all of the other species in the world, but yes, we’ve been lucky to avoid having any usurpers change things for long as well as any wars. My friends and I have been through a lot together, and we’ve managed to keep Equestria together as a result.”

Amanda looked down at her healing leg as she said, “Before I couldn’t imagine being able to get used to being anywhere except back home in our home country, Nicaragua, but even though I haven’t been at Mother Base for long, I feel like it is heaven compared to the conditions we had when we were hiding. Snake saved my life when I should’ve died; I’m starting to see what he meant by there always being a reason to keep living.”

Twilight asked, “You’ve grown to like it here, huh Amanda?”

Amanda nodded, “It’s been a worthwhile experience for sure. Turns out those Peace Sentinels working for Snake now are no different from me or any of my compas. Before we had to work in the KGB’s drug refinery in order to get the money for more compas, weapons, and food, but now…” She stopped when she noticed Twilight was leaning closer to her cast, her horn glowing with magic. “Hey, what are you doing with that?” she asked sharply.

Twilight kept bringing the tip of her horn closer as she said, “Just stay calm and hold still, Amanda. Hopefully this will work as intended…”

Amanda asked, “You expect me to feel calm after that?! Get that point away from…” She suddenly felt an odd sense run through her leg when the tip of Twilight’s horn touched her, a warm sensation climbing from her leg up into the rest of her body. She lowered her back down a bit, grunting softly as it felt like something was moving inside of her leg. After a few moments, the sensation ended, but she still felt the odd warmness. “Hey… what did you do?” she asked as she raised herself up again.

Twilight raised her head up and looked at the woman, saying, “Not much, to be honest. For all we know about the regular kind of magic, healing magic is more or less nonexistent in Equestria. We do have magic for other things, though, and my sister-in-law, Cadance, once told me a little about the spell she used to help make ponies stop fighting. I haven’t really used that exact spell myself, but, um… I know a little bit about how to cast it, so I was trying to do a weaker version of it combined with a spell that can repair broken objects. I just wanted to try to help you relax and help your leg heal faster.” Her gaze had shifted down towards the floor while she was explaining and she looked up to see Amanda looking at her with an unreadable expression. After a moment, she said, “I’ll leave you alone now, Amanda…” She turned to leave.

Amanda looked down at her leg as Twilight started to walk away. She had no idea what exactly Twilight’s spell had done, but her leg didn’t feel any worse than before. The warm feeling was nice too, whatever it was exactly. It made her feel like her leg was going to heal faster. She looked up and called to Twilight, “Hey!” The lavender alicorn came to a stop and looked back at her. “Come here,” she said.

Twilight wasn’t sure what was going through Amanda’s mind, but she complied, walking back over to stand next to her bed. “Yes, Amanda?” she asked nervously.

The woman spoke, “Miller told you not to use any of your more difficult magic. Was that a difficult spell for you?”

Twilight replied, “No, not really. Using a weaker sensation helped with that, and the repair spell is something I was able to use when I was still a unicorn.”

Amanda nodded and then said, “Miller said he wanted you to relax while you recovered, but I’m sure it’s going to be a while before he can get back to you with that request. Your magic will probably be back to normal by the time he does get around to it.”

Twilight asked, “Where are you going with this?”

Amanda asked back, “How willing are you to try something a little different than what you’re used to?”

Twilight thought for a moment before answering, “Well, since I’ve gotten to live with my Ponyville friends, I suppose I’m a lot more open to new things than I used to be.”

Amanda said, “Because if you’re willing to step outside of your comfort zone and work on that… combination spell a little more, I have an idea. It would also help you get to know everyone on Mother Base better. It’s something that would benefit us both if you’re willing to try.” Twilight’s curiosity grew as Amanda talked and she looked at the woman with an intrigued expression.

________________________________________

“What exactly was Amanda proposing, Twilight?” Cadance asked.

Shining spoke up, “Let me guess. She wanted you to keep using that spell you put together on her leg, didn’t she?”

Twilight replied, “That was part of it, yes. I must’ve done something right with it considering her cast came off a couple days later, but she must’ve seen a new side of me since we were starting to get along and she did want to help me while my magic was recovering.”

Celestia nodded, “I do remember how you would work yourself to the point of exhaustion at times, Twilight. Those were the only times you were ever actually late to any of your classes.” Twilight blushed at that, but Celestia noticed she didn’t seem as embarrassed about it as she remembered Twilight usually being.

Luna asked, “So what did she do for you, Twilight? It sounded like she just wanted to get you to know everyone at Mother Base.”

Twilight nodded, “That was also the case, Princess Luna, but actually, she came up with a way to help me pass the time.”

Spike asked, “And what was that?”

Twilight answered simply, “In short? A training regimen. Exercise.”

There was silence in the room for a second, then Rainbow suddenly burst out laughing followed by Discord doing the same. While Fluttershy looked up at her mismatched friend, everyone else's eyes went to the cyan pegasus whose wings were flapping, causing her to hover over everypony’s heads as she held an apple in her right hoof. “Oh…! Oh, that’s rich, Twilight! You, exercising?” she blurted out before succumbing to laughter again.

Twilight glanced from side to side for a moment before desperately saying, “But… I’m not joking, Rainbow! Amanda did put together a tough workout schedule partly to get out of the Sick Bay, but I managed to stick to it! I kept doing it even after she healed up!”

Rainbow landed on the floor, her laughter having subsided somewhat. “Yeah, I bet you did, Twilight. Come on, that outfit you’re wearing is a lot like the Wonderbolts’ uniforms. It helps to evenly move your body around. The only difference is yours does a great job at hiding your egghead fat.” That comment caused Discord to burst into hysterics once again while Rainbow closed her eyes and raised her apple to her mouth to take a bite of it.

The pegasus didn’t need her eyes open to know that Twilight was glaring angrily at her, but she should’ve had them open for what happened next. Before anyone else could react further to her comment, Twilight suddenly stood up and ran around towards Rainbow at a speed that was unusually fast for the bookworm pony. It was obvious that Rainbow had no idea there was another difference that Twilight’s Sneaking Suit had from the Wonderbolts’ uniform: the noise-suppressing material in the boots. She didn’t hear the lavender alicorn coming at all; she only opened her eyes when something suddenly struck her foreleg from underneath, sending the apple on her hoof up into the air. “Wha-” was all she could manage before she felt something against her chest lift her up just up off the ground. She had just enough time to see Twilight standing on her hind legs with her right hoof on her chest before she was thrown to the ground, sliding on her back a bit due to the tiled floor.

With the exception of Discord, who was still laughing, everyone was stunned by what Twilight had just done, the lavender alicorn still standing up on her hind legs. Applejack stood up and started to move towards her friends, about to reprimand her bookish friend. “Twilight-” she began before the alicorn suddenly whirled around to face her, that angry look still on her muzzle and her hooves reaching out for the orange earth pony.

She stopped short, though, seemingly realizing what she was doing as her angered look was replaced with wide eyes. She then sat down, her hooves on her head as she muttered, “No, no! What the hell am I doing…?” Her right hoof suddenly shot out to the side a moment later, catching the apple before it hit the ground despite her not even looking at it.

Pinkie clapped her hooves, seemingly no longer concerned about what she had just seen. “Wow, that was a great catch, Twilight!” she said, likening it to some kind of circus act. Twilight, for her part, lowered her left hoof and looked at the apple. She might not have been the best at Mother Base, but she’d had enough practice with CQC for her to have moments where her body was able to react without her needing to think about it.

Rainbow broke the moment when she groaned, “Uhh… What the hay was that, Twilight?” The lavender alicorn looked behind her and saw her friend raising herself up off the floor, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof.

After a moment, Twilight sheepishly said, “Uh, sorry Rainbow. I guess I was kind of acting in the moment.” She then remembered what prompted her to do that and she put on a more serious expression as she spoke, “I hope this makes my point, though. Of course, if you want me to keep putting my bits where my mouth is…”

Rainbow heard the challenge in Twilight’s voice and sat up all the way. After all, Rainbow Dash was always up for a good challenge. “Oh, it’s ON,” she smirked.
> Basics of CQC
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Compared to the rest of Canterlot Castle, the training rooms for the Royal Guard could be considered rather plain by comparison. While the rooms and ceilings matched the rest of the castle, they were void of any decorations barring the targets used in the room for archery training and had plain stone floors instead of the marble floors seen throughout the rest of the castle. The floors were that way for a reason, though; it was the closest the guards and recruits could get to the kinds of rough terrain they might have to fight on without needing to leave the castle. It wasn’t unusual for the princesses to make an appearance there, but tonight, they were in one of the rooms for something a little more interesting.

In the room meant for training for close-range combat, Shining Armor and his parents could only stare at what they were seeing and wonder how things got to this point. Twilight was sitting on the ground on one side of the room with that tube back in her mouth, seemingly unconcerned with what was about to happen as she exhaled the smoke and breathed it in, while Rainbow Dash was on the other side of the room doing her warmup stretches and exercises, alternating between being serious about it and showing off. Every few moments, the two mares would exchange a smirk at each other across the room.

Finally, Shining couldn’t take anymore and walked over to Twilight, standing over her as he asked, “Twilight, why did you agree to this? You do remember what the doctor said, don’t you?”

Twilight pulled her paipo out of her mouth and took a moment to blow its smoke out of her mouth off to the side before looking up at him and saying, “Yes I remember what he said, Shining, and I’m going to do what he told me to.”

Cadance stepped up beside her husband and knelt down next to Twilight as she asked, “Then why are you going to fight with Rainbow Dash, Twilight? It just seems like the kind of thing that goes against what he said.”

Twilight replied, “I can understand why you think that, Cadance, but it really doesn’t. Rainbow and I aren’t fighting for real; this is just a friendly tussle, the kind she and Applejack like to do.”

Rainbow called, “You bet I like those! And I’m going to win this one for sure!”

Twilight rolled her eyes before continuing, “Basically, this isn’t actually going against what the doctor ordered.”

Shining asked, “What do you mean it doesn’t? We’re talking about a fight here! Friendly or not, you’re still moving your body and putting yourself at risk of getting hit! The doctor told you to take it easy!”

Twilight replied, “Right, no strenuous physical activity. This isn’t going to be strenuous.”

Shining argued, “Anypony would say otherwise. I’ve never seen any member of the Royal Guard start practicing when they were still healing.”

Twilight countered, “Amanda was getting the Boss’ training and practicing when she was still on crutches, and our agreement made it so she could be more active than she was before. Once you left the Sick Bay, you were free to get right back to whatever you were doing before. That included combat training; whether on the beach or in the ocean, we could all be each other’s practice buddy because we knew not to take it too far.”

Cadance looked at her favorite filly with a worried look, “That’s the thing, though. I can imagine this isn’t the sort of thing Rainbow Dash and Applejack usually have competitions over. What if she accidentally goes too far?”

Twilight replied, “That wouldn’t surprise me.”

Shining asked, “And what if you hit the ground hard?”

Twilight smiled, “I talked to Pinkie about taking care of that part.”

Suddenly the entrance door swung open and Pinkie came in walking, pulling behind her a cart filled with fluffy white objects. “Ding ding ding! Your order has arrived, Twilight! Thank you for choosing Pinkie’s ‘My Little Pillow’ Delivery and Setup Service!” she chirped.

While Twilight smiled at Pinkie’s behavior, Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Pillows? What are they for?” she asked.

Celestia, who was sitting along the wall with the others, smiled, “Ah, I see. The pillows are meant to cushion any impacts with the ground, aren’t they, Pinkie?”

Pinkie replied as she began to unload the pillows, “Yes indeedy, Princess! These pillows are super comfortable and great for any kind of fight, even this kind! They’re soft, but they won’t let you hurt yourself when you fall! Perfect for spry and tender ponies alike!” As she began arranging and laying the pillows on the floor, she whispered, “And the readers might find this a fun little reference as well.”

Up against the wall, Spike looked at Twilight worriedly, her calm demeanor not exactly putting him at ease. It wasn’t that he wasn’t used to seeing Twilight relaxed; it was more the fact that she was treating this the same way she would treat having to read several tall stacks of books in one weekend that was foreign to him. “I don’t know if I like this, you guys…” he uttered.

Next to him, Applejack said, “Ah don’t either, Spike, but… well, she didn’t grab me earlier, but Ah can tell Twilight’s been committed to makin’ more than just her brain better since we last saw her. Even if her muscles were screamin’ at her, it ain’t easy liftin’ and throwin’ another pony with just one hoof. Ah can vouch fer that.”

Rarity spoke from Spike’s other side, “Applejack, really! Twilight being on the competitive level of you and Rainbow Dash? It’s unheard of!” She turned to look at Fluttershy, “Fluttershy, you take care of sick and hurt animals. You make sure that they’re at their best before you let them go. Even without that, surely you don’t agree with this.”

To her surprise, the shy pegasus simply smiled back at her. “I don’t know, Rarity. I’m sure Rainbow Dash will know not to push Twilight too hard after all the times she’s been hurt. And to be honest, getting a bit rough before, during, and after receiving treatment isn’t a bad thing. It can actually be helpful for getting certain kinks out,” she said, thinking about her sessions with Harry while she talked.

Next to Fluttershy, Luna glanced up at Celestia and murmured, “Sister… do you have a secret desire to see what your former protégé is capable of as well?”

Celestia kept looking forward, watching Pinkie put the last of the pillows down to cover the last bits of exposed floor in the square as she replied, “Admittedly, I do miss the sessions Twilight and I would have where she would show me what she learned. I’m sure there’s no magic involved here, but I do want to see what she’s learned while she’s been apart from us. Perhaps she can show us some things that would be good for the Royal Guard to know as well.”

Pinkie stood up straight a moment later and announced, “All set! This floor is now completely risk-free when it comes to injuries! No chance of anypony getting hurt due to a fall now!” Indeed, every inch of the square was covered by fluffy white pillows. “Tonight’s big party bash is between Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, so if your name isn’t either, go find your seat!” she finished as she trotted over to the others, Shining Armor and Cadance reluctantly doing the same.

While their son and his wife sat down, Mrs. Sparkle looked at her husband and said, “Twilight is always able to do impressive things with her magic. I’d love to see her put on an amazing show with just her hooves as well!”

Mr. Sparkle looked back at her a bit uncertainly as he replied, “Yes, well… as long as such a show doesn’t cause her to get hurt, dear. Like Shining said, the doctor gave her specific orders and Twilight is usually good about doing what she’s told.” Facing forward again, he added, “I’m just glad that Discord left. As… entertaining as he might be, I can’t imagine what he would be doing now if…”

He was cut off when the draconequus in question suddenly appeared nearby, a cacophony of trumpets to herald his arrival that surprised everyone save for Fluttershy, the shy pegasus just smiling at his return. Twilight didn’t seem as shocked as she was last time, though she did take a few more puffs from her paipo to make sure her nerves were calm. Looking down at everyone against the wall, he questioned, “Did someone say my name? My ears are burning~.” Indeed, his ears were on fire and he promptly threw water from a glass at them to put them out.

As he lowered his eagle claw, everyone noticed what he had on his head. “Uh, what’s with the green hat, Discord?” Spike asked, pointing up at the visor over his brow.

Discord glanced up at it for a moment before replying, “Oh, this old thing? I just thought it would be appropriate for this.” He then held up his lion paw and eagle claw, which were both clutching little slips of paper. “I’ve got bits riding on this,” he explained.

Mr. Sparkle looked up at him with a perturbed expression. “You made bets on my daughter and her friend?! That’s the ‘important business’ you had to take care of?!” he asked.

Discord simply smiled as he leaned up against the wall, “Oh, will you relax? I did say that, but they’re simple bets. All I bet is twenty bits that Twilight will lose… because I’m sure she got lucky last time and won’t be as lucky this time. The other fifty bits I’ve bet is that she’ll crack and try to use magic to even things up, which will instantly disqualify her and cause her to lose. You see? Simple.” He got a few annoyed looks at that, though Fluttershy, Pinkie, Mrs. Sparkle, and Celestia weren’t among them.

While Rainbow grinned at the fact that Discord was so sure she was going to win, Twilight simply took one last puff from her paipo and, as she pulled it out of her mouth, muttered to herself, “Self-fulfilling prophecy, huh? Let’s find out.” She then retrieved the cap and clipped it back on the tube, tucking it back into its pouch before standing up and walking towards Rainbow Dash as the pegasus did the same.

As they came to a stop a fair distance from each other on the pillow-covered field, Rainbow asked, “You still need a few minutes, Twilight?” At the alicorn’s confused look, she said, “I didn’t see you stretching at all this entire time. You’ve just been puffing on that tube of yours.”

Twilight asked, “So?”

Rainbow replied, “Don’t you know you’re supposed to stretch before you do something like this, egghead? This is gonna be over quick if you pull a muscle. You should’ve been warming up like me.”

Twilight replied, “I think I’ll be fine, Rainbow.”

Rainbow asked, “You sure? I’d hate for you to lose before you can show me what you’ve supposedly learned.”

Twilight glanced in Discord’s direction as she remarked, “I bet Discord would like that. He’d get to collect his bets sooner.” She then looked back at her friend, “And what I’ve learned? We don’t do this sort of thing often, so I hope you’re actually going to try to face me and not just stand there.”

Rainbow smirked, “You wanna see what I can do, egghead? You got it!” She bent forward on her forelegs, opening her wings and extending them upwards.

At this, Applejack called, “Hey Rainbow, ya can’t do that! Twilight can’t use her wings; that’s an unfair advantage!”

Rainbow argued, “Hey, I don’t want to send her back to the hospital, Applejack! I’d rather get this over with quick to avoid that!”

Twilight spoke, “She can use her wings, Applejack. She’s free to use whatever means she has at her disposal.”

Rainbow thrust a hoof in the lavender alicorn’s direction, “See? She doesn’t want to get hurt again and she doesn’t want to hurt me. It’s easy.” Applejack wasn’t sure her friend’s logic was sound, but she decided not to say any more.

Meanwhile, Discord chuckled to himself, saying, “Ah, I can taste those bits already,” earning a few odd looks from some of the ponies.

Twilight looked back at Rainbow and said, “All right, Rainbow. Would you like to go first?”

The cyan pegasus replied, “You bet! Here I come!” She suddenly shot forward, causing Twilight to brace herself, but at the last second, she changed direction and flew up, starting to fly quicker as she shot around the room. Twilight tried to keep up with her, but after a few seconds, she lost sight of the rainbow blur and began to worry as she frantically looked around for her.

A moment later, she let out a soft gasp as Rainbow came to a stop in front of her, her right hoof resting on Twilight’s chest. She smirked, “Gotcha! What do you say to that, egghead?” Twilight responded a moment later by bringing both of her hooves up and grabbing the end of Rainbow’s foreleg. In one swift movement, she spun around and threw Rainbow over her shoulder, the pegasus crying out “Whoa!” as she was thrown and letting out a grunt when her back hit the ground despite landing on one of the pillows.

Twilight stood over her friend and calmly said, “You left yourself open, Rainbow.”

Rainbow opened her eyes and looked up at the lavender alicorn, “Okay, I’ll give it to you, Twilight, you got me that time. So, you wanna wrestle, do you?” She swung her head up as she got up off her back, Twilight leaping back to avoid a collision, and leapt to her hooves. She then whirled around and ran towards Twilight, trying to grab her as she got close. Twilight stepped back while keeping an eye on her friend’s hooves. The speedster wasn’t making it easy to avoid her hooves, but she kept trying to keep some distance between them.

After a few moments, Rainbow lunged forward with her right hoof outstretched. Twilight fell back on her flanks and held up both of her hooves, catching Rainbow’s hoof between them. Both mares grunted as Rainbow tried to pull her hoof free, but Twilight refused to let go. Despite her legs being almost as toned as her wings due to her athletic nature, Rainbow couldn’t help but notice that Twilight’s legs had a fair amount of muscle in them as well, muscle she couldn’t remember her friend having.

Suddenly, Twilight gave Rainbow’s hoof a hard push, causing her to reel backwards with only her back hooves on the ground. While she was like this, Twilight rushed forward and pressed her hoof up against Rainbow’s chest, pushing her onto her back with a grunt. She leapt to her hooves and said, “Hey, knock it off!” She began throwing her hooves at Twilight again, faster than before. While she didn’t make contact with her, she soon managed to throw the lavender alicorn off-balance, causing her to fall onto her flanks with a yelp. Despite the cushioning beneath her, everyone looked at her with concern when she landed.

Twilight’s eyes soon shifted up to look at Rainbow Dash, however, and she rocked her body forward slightly before rocking backwards. Then, in one swift movement, she kept going backwards and, before her back hit the ground, threw her forehooves out and caught herself on the tips of them and swung her the lower half of her body upwards, bringing her hind legs down first and sliding back slightly as she landed. It was a pretty impressive maneuver, considering the pony that pulled it off, and she landed in a battle-ready stance.

A moment later, she spread her wings out and stood up on her hind legs, holding her forelegs out in front of her, one hoof more forward than the other. Rainbow raised an eyebrow at this. She noticed from the small movements they made that Twilight was using her wings to help her maintain her balance on two legs, but why would she want to stand like that? “What’s with the goofy stance, Twilight?” she asked, but she received no response. Shrugging, she charged towards Twilight again, trying to grab her, but the lavender alicorn hopped to the side, using her wings to steady herself upon landing, and turned to grab the pegasus’ right foreleg before she could pull it back. She then pulled it up slightly and held it there with her left hoof while she swiftly moved to her friend’s front and pressed her hoof against her face, pushing her onto her back.

As she took a few unsteady steps back, Twilight remarked, “Does that answer your question, Rainbow?” The cyan pegasus replied with a growl; she was starting to get sick of all the falls and crashes she was being put through. She leapt up and spread her wings, using them to hover just above the floor as she moved towards Twilight again. Her right hoof extended forward as she got close again, only for Twilight to catch it with her left hoof and bring her right hoof forward, pushing the pegasus backwards a bit. She then did a few hops forward and tried to do the same thing Rainbow did, but her hoof was blocked by both of Rainbow’s hooves. Before Twilight could react, Rainbow pulled her hooves back and then shot forward with them outstretched, pressing them against Twilight’s chest and knocking her onto her back.

Twilight looked up as Rainbow stood over her, smirking down at her as she pinned her to the ground. She smirked back up at her, saying, “Well, looks like you got me, Rainbow.”

Rainbow leaned down and said, “Sure looks that way, Twilight. So, what do you say?”

Twilight simply replied, “Equilibrium is important.” Rainbow gave her a confused look. Suddenly, Twilight managed to slip her right hind leg out from under Rainbow’s hoof and swung it straight up, hitting her friend’s rear. Rainbow let out a yelp as she tumbled forward, Twilight pulling her forehooves out and up to catch her. She quickly stood up and moved behind Rainbow, holding her in place for a moment before suddenly whirling around and throwing her to the ground a short distance away. Rainbow wasn’t able to stop herself from hitting the ground, but she did manage to roll on her side when she hit the ground, quickly popping up afterwards. The two looked at each other for a moment before they began going at it again.

While the two continued to grapple, off on the side, everyone was really starting to get into the friendly tussle, even those who had had their doubts about Twilight being able to perform well as she was.  “Come on, Twily, keep it up!” Shining cheered.

“What is this, amateur night? Topple her, Rainbow Dash! I’ve got bits riding on you!” Discord heckled.

“Be careful, Twilight! Uh, but keep, er, fighting too,” Mr. Sparkle called, adding the last part as his wife gave him a look.

“Wow, Twilight’s really good at this!” Spike said.

“Yes, surprisingly. She never struck me as the type to enjoy fisticuffs before,” Rarity remarked.

“Even though she’s healin’, she’s still a pretty good match fer Rainbow Dash. Maybe she’d like ta give me a show when she’s all healed up…” Applejack mused.

After a minute, Twilight was back up on her hind legs and Rainbow was hovering above the ground again, both with their forelegs in front of them. Rainbow shot forward swinging her right hoof, only for Twilight to turn to the side and grab her foreleg with both hooves and push it down. She then shifted her left foreleg, placing it next to Rainbow’s neck, and raised up her left hind leg to kick Rainbow’s right hind leg. It didn’t do much since the pegasus was in the air, but the momentary distraction gave Twilight a chance to push her friend down and get a firm hold of her, holding her by her foreleg and under her head. Rainbow was in a bit of an awkward position as she struggled to get free, being up on two legs with her left hind leg in front of her right. When slapping at Twilight’s left hoof proved fruitless, she suddenly swung her left hind leg behind her and hit the inside of Twilight’s right hind leg.

Almost as soon as the hoof hit, Twilight’s eyes widened in shock. She suddenly released Rainbow as a hiss of pain escaped her lips, hopping backwards on her left hind leg while she brought up her right hind leg and held it with both hooves as she uttered, “Ah! Ow! Ooh!” She was too distracted by the sudden pain to notice what she was doing and she soon fell onto her back, still holding her leg up.

Rainbow looked back at her, surprised by her reaction. She walked over to the lavender alicorn and asked, “Hey Twilight, what are you doing? I didn’t hit you that hard, did I?”

Twilight, while trying to push herself up into a sitting position, managed, “I guess this spot’s still kind of tender.” She succeeded in getting onto her flanks and wrestled the boot on her right hind leg off, tossing it to the side before she began rubbing her leg where it hurt.

Rainbow’s eyes widened when she saw the bandages on Twilight’s leg, particularly the small red-orange spot on them. She and her other friends had seen the bandages on Twilight’s left foreleg, but the princesses and Shining Armor were the only ones who had seen the bandages on her hind legs and the pegasus was now worried that she’d managed to break her friend’s skin. “Oh geez! Twilight, I’m so sorry! I didn’t… I didn’t know you were bandaged down there! I thought it was just the one leg!” she cried.

Twilight took a sharp intake of breath before saying, “How would you have known, Rainbow? It’s not like I made a point of showing off my injuries.” She managed to lift the bandages enough to peek underneath at where her injury had been and said a moment later, “It doesn’t look like it’s bleeding. That’s just dried blood.” She looked up at Rainbow and asked, “Uh, could I just get five minutes to let this sit, Rainbow? Is that okay?”

The pegasus replied, “No it’s not okay! You can take all the time you need! This thing is over!” Rainbow noticed the look that appeared on Twilight’s face and said, “Look, you proved your point, Twilight! You have gotten better! This was fun, yeah, but I’m not going to put you back in the hospital! We can do this again when you’re feeling better! For now… let’s just call it a draw, okay?” Twilight thought for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Shining heard a tearing sound above him and turned to see Discord angrily tearing up his betting slips, throwing them in his mouth when they were confetti and chewing them up while he crossed his arms and sulked. While Fluttershy looked up at him worriedly, Shining simply remarked, “It’s not Twilight’s fault you made the wrong choice,” as he walked over to Rainbow and Twilight with the others.

Twilight settled down on her small stack of pillows, Pinkie having already rearranged all the pillows she had laid down so everyone could sit on the floor. Twilight looked at Luna as the Lunar Princess said, “That was rather impressive, Twilight Sparkle. It seems magic isn’t the only thing you learn quickly.”

Twilight blushed, “Well, it did take me a while to learn how to properly learn how to utilize what I was being taught, Princess Luna. After all, everyone who was teaching and learning Snake’s fighting style had hands and I didn’t.”

Celestia nodded and spoke, “There was a lot of grabbing and throwing. So, Snake was well-versed in martial arts, Twilight?”

Twilight said, “Martial arts? No, that was Close-Quarters Combat, Princess.”

Shining said, “Well, yeah, that’s what you were doing just now, Twilight. You were fighting with Rainbow Dash up close. That’s what close-quarters fighting is.”

Twilight replied, “I know that, Shining, but that’s literally what Snake called it: CQC. That’s what his combat technique was called.”

Rainbow commented, “Seems like kind of an unoriginal name to me.”

Twilight said, “Yeah, I guess so. It seemed like it was pretty unique, though. The Peace Sentinels didn’t practice it; they only kind of knew how to counter it at best.”

Cadance asked, “Was Snake self-taught, Twilight?”

The lavender alicorn replied, “No, he actually developed it with his mentor, The Boss, Cadance.”

Applejack groaned softly, “Another fake name…?”

Luna asked, “The Boss? What was he like, Twilight?”

Twilight answered, “Actually, The Boss was a she, Luna, and I don’t know.” She looked off to the side, “After what I heard about her, I wish I could’ve met her…”

Pinkie suddenly popped up next to Twilight, surprising her as she asked, “How come you didn’t meet her, Twilight? Was she super busy when you were at Mother Base?”

Twilight started, “No, Pinkie, that’s not…”

The pink pony interrupted, “Oh, so she wasn’t there at the time! She must’ve been away on a mission! A really top super-secret mission, I bet!”

Twilight glanced up and to the side as she said, “Uh, from what I understand, that’s the LAST thing she did, but…”

Pinkie spoke, “Yeah, I bet she was on a really important mission! Learning secrets, stopping bad guys, helping Snake…”

Twilight angrily cut her off, “Pinkie!” When the party pony stared at her in confusion, her voice became softer as she said, “Pinkie… she’s dead.”

Pinkie looked down at the floor as she sadly said, “Oh…”

Rainbow gave Twilight a glare, “Well, that was one way to put it, Twi’. You couldn’t have, I don’t know, found a nicer way to say it?”

Twilight looked back at her, “I’m sorry, but when someone who was really important to a lot of people has been dead for ten years… no, I can’t think of another way to say it that doesn’t dance around the issue. Snake w- IS where he is right now largely because the country he turned his back on ordered him to kill her.”

This new information surprised everyone. “Snake killed his own teacher?” Rarity gawked.

“Teacher, mother figure, something more important… I don’t know all the details, but I do know The Boss was really important to Snake and he hasn’t been the same since he ended her life,” Twilight said.

Applejack asked, “So why did he do it?”

Twilight took a breath and sighed before she began to explain, “Ten years ago, they were both sent to the East into Russian territory on separate but intertwined top-secret missions. Snake’s mission was to infiltrate enemy territory and rescue a scientist who had been brought back against his will to develop a new weapon, and destroy said weapon if it was nearing completion.”

Celestia asked, “What sort of weapon was it, Twilight?”

Twilight answered, “Well, from what I gathered, it was a tank capable of carrying and launching a nuclear missile. I think Snake said it was called the Shagohod. I don’t know all of the details, but he said that the Pupa was a miniature, AI-driven version of it. Uh, minus the whole nuclear missile thing, too.”

Luna asked, “And The Boss’ mission?”

Twilight replied, “To betray her country.”

She expected the nonplussed reaction she received from everyone. “What,” Rainbow uttered.

Twilight spoke, “It wasn’t a real betrayal, of course, but her act had to be convincing if she was going to succeed. I guess it started when she showed up right in front of Snake when he was on the verge of completing his mission, stealing the scientist and the weapon back, breaking his arm, and throwing him off a rope bridge into a river at the bottom of a canyon.”

Spike winced, “Ouch. That sounds like it hurt.”

Shining asked, “Was that… necessary? She could’ve killed him doing that.”

Twilight replied, “I know, Shining, but I guess he’s survived worse, and it did work. The colonel she was trying to get close to took her and the present she brought with her without any questions. She had to convince him since her mission was to recover the Philosopher’s Legacy, an enormous sum of money that was amassed by a secret group during the first war that consumed their world, and it was all in his possession.”

Cadance muttered, “I still can’t believe their entire world got caught up in war, and not just once but twice…”

Rainbow asked, “How did this colonel get it?”

Twilight answered, “Apparently his father was one of the people in charge of the large sum and he inherited it, so it was stolen. This essentially allowed him to do whatever he pleased. America wanted his plans stopped, but secretly, they also wanted to recover the entire Legacy.”

Mrs. Sparkle asked, “And… they both succeeded?”

Twilight said, “Yes, they did. But that meant they could no longer put off the fact that they would have to face each other one last time in battle.”

Mr. Sparkle stammered, “But… her defection wasn’t real! They weren’t actually on opposite sides! They didn’t need to fight!”

Twilight replied, “But they did have to, dad. Snake’s orders included eliminating The Boss in order to prove America’s innocence and keep what really happened a secret, and The Boss had already accepted that in order for the operation for to be a complete success, she would have to die. She knew from the beginning that she would be remembered as a war criminal instead of a hero.”

Pinkie, who looked ready to cry at any moment, asked, “Why would she do that?”

Twilight closed her eyes, recalling, “‘I’m loyal to the end, to my purpose. The world must be made whole again’.” She opened her eyes, “Those were some of The Boss’ last words before she and Snake fought. Despite whatever happened to her during her life, she never lost faith in her country or the idea of a world without borders. She gave her life for it.”

Rainbow sat back as she thought about that, muttering, “Whoa…”

Shining asked, “But… that hasn’t happened yet, has it? That world is still caught up in this Cold War thing?”

Twilight nodded, “Yeah… And even if Snake eventually moved on to accept his new title, I don’t think he ever let go of what he did.”

Celestia tilted her head, “His new title?”

Twilight replied, “In addition to the medals he received, Snake also received the title of ‘Big Boss’ when he returned home, but he wasn’t using it when I met him. Guess he never really thought himself worthy of it, and the fact that everything he’d been led to believe during his mission turned out to be a lie… I don’t think The Boss’ death was the only reason he turned his back on his country, but I know it was a big part of that decision. And The Boss was the main reason he was in Costa Rica in the first place.”

Applejack asked, “What did The Boss have to do with that Peace Walker thing?”

Twilight explained, “Snake and Miller were approached with the job by a man who introduced himself as Galvez. He claimed he was a professor at a school, but they saw right away that he was lying. He was actually a Russian agent named Zadornov who was looking to take advantage of what the CIA was doing in Costa Rica. He had a girl named Paz with him; she was the blonde girl standing next to me in the photo. She had a tape player with her containing a recording of someone talking to another person, and that other person sounded like The Boss.”

Pinkie spoke up, “Really? So, she actually was alive? Well, why did you say she was dead then, Twilight?”

Twilight replied, “Because she was, Pinkie, but at that that time, she kind of wasn’t.”

Luna raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean by that, Twilight?”

The lavender alicorn explained, “It turned out the recording on the tape was actually Dr. Strangelove talking to Peace Walker’s Mammal Pod AI. Because she was working for the CIA then, she was able to get everything they had on The Boss, right up to the moment of her death, and put it in the pod’s AI. Mammal Pod basically was The Boss reborn.”

Rainbow asked, “So… she took The Boss’ brain and put it inside the machine like some sort of Nightmare Night monster?”

Pinkie gasped loudly at that, already captivated by the idea, and off to the side, Fluttershy gasped softly and Discord started to look interested, but Twilight said, “That’s… not really what happened, Rainbow. The AI was more like an electronic brain that she shaped by putting information into it, but I guess it’s kind of like that in a way.”

Spike asked, “Why did she do that?”

Twilight answered, “Because The Boss was… really important to her. She thought there was no one better suited to making the complex decisions that Peace Walker would have to make, that she was the only one that the fate of the human race could be entrusted to. But more than anything, she wanted to know what The Boss felt before she died. She wanted The Boss’ will.”

Applejack said, “Sounds disrespectful ta me.” When everyone looked at her, she clarified, “Look, Ah get it. The doctor must’ve really cared about her and it ain’t always easy livin’ with the fact that someone that important to ya is never gonna be around again. Y’all know Ah know that, but still, modelin’ somethin’ like this Peace Walker thing, somethin’ that rides high on expectations and could go wrong fer any number o’ reasons, after someone who’s passed on? It almost feels like graverobbin’ ta me. Was what The Boss wanted really that important ta her?”

Twilight sighed, “It is a tightrope walk, Applejack, like so many other things in that world, but… what The Boss wanted was important to a number of people. And Strangelove hated Snake initially, not just because he killed The Boss, but because he was important enough to her for her to leave Strangelove in the first place. All she really wanted to know was the truth, but her creation did end up in control of Peace Walker. That is true.”

Rainbow asked, “What did she expect something she put together to tell her anyway? She made it; wouldn’t it just tell her what she wanted to hear or not be able to answer her questions in the first place?”

Twilight replied, “That would be the case if we were talking about the Reptile Pod, Rainbow, but remember, the Mammal Pod was designed to be special, better than that. It was capable of independent thought, that’s for sure, and it certainly did shake up the world.” She glanced down at the patch on her right shoulder, uttering, “‘The lonely fox chases the one-eyed hound,’ indeed.” Looking back up at everyone and noticing their confused looks, she said, “More of The Boss’ words. I just… I still vividly remember what happened the day when Peace Walker’s test launch was to be carried out, as well as what happened that led to me being there when it happened…”
> Mission of Peace
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie tapped her chin with a hoof, several questions having been brewing amongst the many thoughts that went through her head while Twilight was talking just now. Now that the lavender alicorn had paused for a moment, she decided this was the best time to ask her. She tapped her friend on the shoulder, asking, “Twilight?”

Twilight looked at the pink pony and asked, “Yes, Pinkie?”

Pinkie gave her a curious look, “I’m just wondering…” Her expression shifted to a rather intense questioning stare that brought back memories of the Traders Exchange for Twilight. “How do you know what The Boss said? You weren’t there! Unless you used that memory spell of yours on Snake or Big Boss or whatever cool codename he goes by now. And speaking of which, you said he was against you learning anything from him and helping his army. Why did he change his mind?” she asked, suspicion entering and leaving her voice as she spoke.

Despite being intimidated by the look on Pinkie’s face, Twilight managed a shaky smile as she said, “I’m getting to the part about The Boss, Pinkie. It’s not going to be much longer now. As for why Snake included the Combat Unit as part of my rotations when he made me an official staff member…  well, when it became clear that I wasn’t as good at defending myself as I could be, he decided it would be best to fix that.”

Celestia listened to Twilight’s tone as she spoke, an idea of what must’ve happened beginning to form in her mind. “Did something happen to you, Twilight?” she asked.

Twilight looked at her former mentor, surprised she wasn’t feeling surprised at how easily she figured it out, and said, “Yes… Let me back up a bit before that. It had been a couple days since Amanda and I made our deal. In that time, in addition to putting me on a workout schedule every day, she’d also gotten me better acquainted with the other soldiers at Mother Base and we were all getting along pretty good, though some still couldn’t get over the fact that they had a real live pony at their base. In addition to being with them in the Kill House, they roped me into helping them with the base’s construction. Miller wasn’t consulted first, but I don’t think he minded that the plant was being converted to hexagons earlier than he expected.”

Luna tilted her head, “Hexagons?”

Twilight nodded, “Right. Part of the plans for expanding Mother Base involved building new struts that were bigger and would make it easier to build future expansions. The R&D Team made up the blueprints for the hexagon-based design.”

Applejack asked, “Why hexagons?”

Twilight explained, “Well, aside from the ease in adding new additions, Miller reasoned that the honeycomb design was one of the strongest in the world, especially since certain militaries were planning to use it in their tank armor. The downside was that it was an expensive change and it required a lot of extra labor to build it up. I was able to help with the latter while Snake was sending back more new recruits.”

Shining asked, “They had to move and build up a lot of heavy materials, huh Twily?”

Twilight replied, “Yep, especially with us being in the middle of the ocean, essentially. There’s a lot of extra work involved with that.”

Shining smiled, “I can imagine.”

Twilight continued, “I really only played a small part in it. The R&D Team deserves all the credit. Once they started building, they really worked hard. Mother Base grew fast once they had everything they needed.”

Cadance asked, “How big was it when you left, Twilight?”

Twilight thought for a moment before replying, “I’d say, overall, it was about the size of a small city.”

Mr. Sparkle let out a chuckle before asking, “I know you said small, but isn’t that awfully big for something built on the water, Twilight?”

The lavender alicorn replied, “Well, you tell me.” She reached down and grabbed her iDroid with her hoof, unclipping it and bringing it up in front of her, clicking it on.

“What’s that?” Rainbow asked as she saw it light up.

“iDroid. They started making these after the incident. Everyone eventually got one,” Twilight replied absently as she flipped through the menus. She soon found what she was looking for and said, “Ah, here.” She called up a picture on the device showing three square-shaped struts in the water and turned it around to show everyone, saying, “This is what Mother Base looked like when they first acquired it.” After a few seconds, she turned it around and, after fiddling with it for a moment, called up a picture showing many closely-knit honeycomb-shaped struts. Even without the first picture next to it, it was clear that the second design dwarfed the first. “And this is about where we were.”

Everyone was pretty surprised when they saw the second picture. “Uh, wow. Yeah, I’d call that about the size of a city,” Rainbow commented.

Rarity asked, “It had grown that much after only a few months?”

Twilight nodded, “Yeah. The Living Quarters were the first section to start undergoing expansion in order to keep up with the rising recruit numbers.”

Applejack asked, “How many of y’all were livin’ there last time ya checked, Twilight?”

Twilight gave it some thought as she pulled her iDroid back, holding it near her chest as she looked up at the ceiling. “Um… I think we came to realize we could comfortably house up to three hundred staff members once the last addition was finished,” she said after a moment.

Applejack whistled, “That’s a lotta beds. And mouths ta feed.”

Spike commented, “I bet sleeping was awkward with that many people.”

Twilight said, “Not really. It wasn’t bad for us since Snake didn’t recruit a lot of women staff members, and besides, everyone got their own room.”

Rainbow asked, “And you were still able to have three hundred max?”

Twilight replied, “Well, we could manage to stretch it up to fifty more, though not as well. And after that point, we were all falling over each other… when we weren’t falling into the ocean, that is. Learned that the hard way when Snake was busy capturing new vehicles and didn’t have time to come back to Mother Base and sort through the patrols he captured.” Shining made a face at that, but Twilight didn’t seem to notice.

Luna spoke, “I believe we’re getting off topic again.”

Twilight nodded, “Right, okay. So, let’s see… Cécile had arrived at Mother Base a few days prior after Snake found and rescued her in the rainforest on his way to Strangelove’s lab. Like I said, Mother Base’s remodeling was just starting. And it was the day Amanda’s cast came off…”

________________________________________

Twilight watched intently as Miller ran a small power saw down the front of Amanda’s right leg, bisecting the cast as it moved. Amanda was looking down at it as she sat up in her Sick Bay bed, commenting, “Increíble. It’s amazing what the Boss is able to get this far from Costa Rica.”

Miller replied while he continued to work, “Well, we have the growth of MSF to thank for us being able to have nice toys like this. If we still just had the place on the beach, we’d probably be using a knife for this.” Both Amanda and Twilight looked up at him in alarm at that, the man pausing when he glanced up and saw their surprised expressions. He stood straight up, bringing the saw with him as he held his hands up, “Hey, I say that because we’ve done it before! It’s not like we liked doing it, but we had to make do with what we had!”

Amanda relaxed a bit at that, saying, “Well, I can’t really argue with that. After all, that’s what we did with the KGB’s drug plant before Snake came along. We took the money they paid us to help keep pressing back towards Nica, but we’re not going to fight for them anymore.”

Twilight asked, “The KGB?”

Miller looked at her and said, “Basically, Twilight, it’s the major security and intelligence organization in the East. One of their agents approached us with this job in Costa Rica, wanting us to drive the CIA out of Costa Rica for them.”

Twilight tilted her head, “Why’d you agree to help them? I mean…”

Miller explained, “The CIA is based in America and they’ve been after us for a while, so there’s no love lost there. And Snake wasn’t for it at all; I helped change his mind after it was mentioned that we would be getting this plant in exchange for our services, and I managed to get our first chopper thrown into the deal too.”

Amanda commented, “Pretty shrewd, Miller.”

The man replied, “Hey, even when we just moved in, it was already an upgrade. And we didn’t know about the nukes until Snake started his mission. That information changed everything.”

Amanda nodded, “It sure did.”

Twilight looked at Miller and asked, “Where’s Snake now?”

The man replied, “He should be closing in on the facility where Peace Walker’s final test is supposedly being held. He wasn’t able to destroy the Mammal Pod AI at the facility that Huey told you and him about, so this is going to be the last chance to stop it before the system is completed and activated.” Twilight nodded quietly and looked down in thought while Miller resumed cutting off Amanda’s cast.

After a minute, he reached the bottom of the cast and both halves fell to the sides, revealing Amanda’s leg beneath. Almost immediately, she asked, “So can I have my pants back now?”

Miller reached over to the cart next to him, putting the saw down and picking up the folded-up article of clothing in question as he said, “Yes, Amanda. Sorry about making you wear that old, torn up pair we had lying around, but they were easier to fit around your cast.” He held her green pants out to her and she immediately snatched them from him, turning to the side and dangling her legs over the side of the bed as she pulled them on. Once they were on, she reached down and grabbed her boots, sliding her legs into them.

She stood up when her boots on were on and almost immediately lost her balance, falling forward with a surprised cry. She managed to catch herself on the bed next to her, pressing her hands against the mattress to keep herself from hitting the frame, but she still ended up on the floor on her knees. Twilight immediately moved to her side and asked, “Amanda, are you alright?”

The woman looked up at her, “I think so, Twilight. I just… lost my balance for some reason.”

Miller spoke, “That doesn’t surprise me. You’ve been off that leg for a while. It did heal pretty fast, thanks in no small part to our new magically-inclined friend,” he nodded in Twilight’s direction as he spoke, “but you still haven’t been using it for support. It’s probably gotten a bit weak.”

Amanda looked back at him with an upset expression, “So what, I STILL have to be confined to that bed? Is that what you’re saying, Miller?”

The man replied, “No, no, you don’t have to be in the Sick Bay anymore, Amanda. We definitely want you out there using that leg. Just… We do have a few walking canes here. You can take one and use it until your leg is strong enough to support you. Or you can keep having Twilight support you, whichever you prefer.” Amanda didn’t look happy about this, but she nodded in reply. “Good. All right, you two, get out of here. I’ve got work to do.” With that, he turned and walked away, leaving them alone.

As Amanda used the bed in front of her to stand up, Twilight asked, “You want me to go grab you one of those canes Miller was talking about, Amanda?”

The Sandinista woman turned and sat on the bed before she replied, “No, you’ll do just fine, Twilight. I’ve actually gotten used to following or walking alongside you these last few days. A little longer won’t be so bad.”

Twilight blushed, “Yeah, the last couple of days have been interesting, I can’t deny that.”

Amanda asked, “But they’ve been good, haven’t they?”

Twilight nodded, “Yeah…”

Amanda spoke, “So why stop now? Let’s take care of your routine for today, but with one minor addition.” She reached over and placed her right hand on Twilight’s back, “You get to support me every step of the way.”

Before the alicorn could say anything, Amanda pressed her hand down, causing Twilight to exhale sharply. Her legs shook a bit as she stood, Amanda grunting as she raised herself up again. Once she was standing, Twilight looked up at her and asked, “Did you have to press so hard?”

Amanda smirked down at her, “What’s wrong? I thought horses, no matter how old they were, could support weight on their backs. You’re only supporting part of me, you know. Does that make you feel anything?”

Twilight looked off to the side and muttered, “It makes me feel glad that canes typically don’t feel anything…”

Amanda said, “Yeah, yeah. Now come on, walk!” Twilight let out an annoyed sigh before she turned and started walking towards the Sick Bay exit, Amanda half-walking, half-hobbling close behind and beside her.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Miller was looking at them from across the room, the man spending some extra time in front of one of the medicine cabinets as he looked at them through his dark sunglasses. Once they left, he excused himself from the Sick Bay citing second-in-command responsibilities to the staff. Outside, he carefully followed after Twilight and Amanda, observing their routine. The details had changed as Mother Base’s expansion continued, but they had always started with Twilight doing a jog through Mother Base. The main difference this time around was Amanda. She would do her usual of letting Twilight run on ahead and ordering her to stop and keep moving in place while she caught up, but in addition to that, she also alternated to moving with the pony while using her for support and moving on her own, the latter becoming more frequent as they continued.

It was a little difficult keeping up with them since he came across other Mother Base staff and he had to come up with excuses to avoid telling them what he was really doing, but Miller was able to carefully follow the two through Mother Base, their light exercise ending outside of the new Living Quarters strut. There, Miller watched from afar with a pair of binoculars as Amanda, now better able to stand on her own two feet, made Twilight perform less movement-based exercises. Stretches, sit-ups, push-ups both with her forelegs and her wings, using her wings to push her back up off the ground… it was all pretty typical stuff, but Miller was bothered by Twilight’s performance through it all. He didn’t know how good she was when she started doing this and it surely wouldn’t be a bad thing if she was more active, but it further reinforced his theory that her magic break was causing her to get used to living at Mother Base.

After a little while, Twilight let herself fall to the ground on her front, sweat running down her brow as she tried to catch her breath. As she began to pick herself up, Amanda spoke, “You’ve still got a long way to go, Twilight… but you are getting better.”

Twilight sat back on her haunches and looked up at her before replying while panting slightly, “Well, I hope I’m improving, Amanda. I’d hate to have agreed to this and have nothing to show for it, especially after the first day.”

Amanda smiled, “Hey, we had a good heart-to-heart at dinner that day, didn’t we?”

Twilight smiled back, “Yeah. That was the day you told me why you’re so tough. I don’t know if I would’ve been able to put up with any more if you hadn’t done that.”

Amanda said, “I think you would’ve with the right push. You have a tenaciousness about you. There’s a fight in you… hidden underneath that overly worrying personality that you typically show.”

Twilight blushed in embarrassment, “Amanda!”

The woman replied, “Hey, it’s not a bad thing to have, so long as you realize that there are times where you have to act rather than think.”

Twilight glanced down, “Yeah, I’ve… I’ve been told that before.”

Amanda said, “Well, to be honest, I’m glad Snake sent you back here instead of making you follow him. I’m not really sure this is the best place to be learning more about that.”

While the two kept talking, Miller listened in on them with the aid of a Directional Microphone, which the man had been using for the last several days to listen in on Twilight whenever he’d had the chance while working. He had overheard Twilight getting along with the other staff members, and now it sounded like Amanda was admitting that she was getting fond of the pony, and that was something he hadn’t thought would happen.

He soon took off his headphones and slid them down around his neck, having heard enough. This was not good; he wanted to keep Twilight safe from the rest of the world of course, but he didn’t want her developing any attachments to Mother Base either. A world in the midst of the Cold War wasn’t exactly the type of world he’d recommend to her kind. After making sure it was safe, he turned and snuck away, deciding it was time to put his plan in action.

A short while later, Miller was wandering Mother Base looking for Twilight. He eventually found her coming in for a landing near the new Living Quarters, the pony evidently having been aiding the staff with making the new additions to the new workplaces for the Intel and R&D Units. He began making his way over to her, soon finding her talking with Cécile outside. He heard Twilight saying as he got closer, “No, really, Cécile, there’s no need for that.”

The blonde woman replied, “Nonsense! You have such beautiful wings! Nothing is too good for you or them, mon petit poney!” She looked up a moment later and saw Miller approaching, prompting her to say, “Oh! Hello, Commander Miller!”

Twilight turned to look at the man as he said, “Hello, Cécile. Everything okay here?”

Cécile replied, “Oui! I was just talking to Twilight about preening her wings for her! They are so beautiful; it would be awful if they were to get dirty!”

Twilight started to protest again, only for Miller to speak up first. “Indeed, it would. However, it might have to wait. If you don’t mind, Cécile, I’d like to talk to Twilight about something,” he said.

Cécile smiled, “Of course you may! I don’t have a problem with that at all!”

There was a moment of silence before Miller hinted, “I mean… more in private, Cécile.”

Cécile replied, “Oh. Of course. My mistake.” She turned and left the two alone, waving back to them as she walked away, heading for the inside of the Living Quarters.

Miller’s gaze followed her form longer than it should have, a number of French-related thoughts passing through his head. He managed to bring himself back to reality fairly quickly, though, and he turned to look down at Twilight, the lavender pony looking up at him curiously. “Uh, sorry about that, Twilight,” he said.

She didn’t know what he was apologizing about, so she simply replied, “That’s okay, Miller. So, what did you want to talk to me about?”

Miller hesitated for a second, trying to decide the best way to phrase what he was about to say next. He soon settled on saying, “Well, I haven’t really had a chance to say it since we’ve both been pretty busy these last few days, but you’ve really done a lot of work around here, Twilight. Since I’ve been moving around and helping the different units adjust to the new staff members that have been joining them, I’ve seen you getting along with them and helping them with expanding Mother Base. I’m not sure we could’ve grown this fast without your help.”

Twilight blushed and held up a hoof behind her head as she said, “Yeah, well… it’s mostly been moving materials around and helping them with getting everything in its right place and getting it secured quickly. I’m good at organizing things like that.”

Miller replied, “And believe me, we’re all grateful to you for helping us turn this place into something livable. It’s just… well, there’s not much for you to see around here, is there?”

Twilight looked up at him, a confused look on her face as she lowered her hoof. “Um, I guess not. I mean, the R&D and Intel Units are off-limits to me, and I’ve kind of seen everything that I’m allowed to in the other Units,” she said.

Miller interjected, “But I mean aside from that, there’s nothing but water to see, right?”

Twilight’s confusion didn’t dissipate as she answered, “Well, yeah. Why?”

Miller said, “Because I was thinking maybe you’d like to get out for a bit, see something a little different, do something a little different.”

Twilight tilted her head, “Like what?”

Miller turned and looked back at her, “Come on, let’s take a walk, Twilight. It’ll be easier this way.” Twilight wasn’t sure she understood, but she moved to walk beside him as he started walking down the connecting bridge, moving away from the Living Quarters.

For a minute, the two walked in silence. Finally, Twilight broke the silence, “So… what’s this about, Miller?”

The man replied with a question, “Remember how we were talking about the KGB earlier, about one of their agents approaching us with this job?”

Twilight nodded, “Yeah…?”

Miller continued, “Well, he didn’t come to us alone. He brought a girl with him.”

Twilight asked, “A girl?”

Miller nodded, “A young girl. Her name is Paz. She calls him ‘professor’. According to him, the CIA captured her and did horrible things to her. Now she apparently lives at the ‘school’ he ‘teaches’ at.”

Twilight nodded, “Okay.”

Miller went on, “She’s the rest of the reason why we’re in Costa Rica, to free her country from the CIA. Since we agreed to take the job, she’s been keeping in touch with us with a radio in the ‘professor’s’ office, but here’s the thing: we haven’t been able to get in contact with her recently.”

Twilight looked up at him, “Really? No answer at all?”

Miller replied, “No. We’re not sure if this ‘school’ Paz attends is even real.”

Twilight came to a stop and Miller did too after a second, turning around to face her. By now, they had reached Mother Base’s central strut and were along the outside of it. “So why are you specifically talking to me about this instead of with, I don’t know, Snake?” Twilight asked.

Miller answered, “The Boss is a bit busy with stopping Peace Walker at the moment, so I’d rather have something more substantial than my suspicions to report to him. That’s why I’m going to send you to investigate this ‘school’.”

Twilight looked surprised at this. “What, me?!” she asked.

“Not all by yourself, of course. You’ll have someone with you,” Miller said.

Twilight’s face brightened, “Well, of course I’ll do it! While I’m here, I want to help!” Her expression faltered a bit, “But I thought Snake didn’t want me getting involved in your, uh, business.”

Miller said, “This isn’t like that. You can call it an unofficial mission if you want, but really all that’s going to happen could be considered reconnaissance. We need to confirm if there’s any truth to what we were told, and if any of it is, we need to know why Paz hasn’t been answering our calls. We’ll get you something to hide that bright coat of yours. All the people that know about your existence should be right here in Mother Base. As long as we keep your, ah, ‘features’ hidden, there shouldn’t be any problem with you stepping out for a while.”

Twilight asked, “And what if what you were told was true?”

Miller replied, “Well, then you can meet Paz for yourself. It’d probably be nice to meet someone closer to your age besides Chico, right?”

Twilight said, “I don’t know. I mean, would she be okay with meeting somepony like me?”

Miller answered, “I think she would be, and I think you two would get along great. You have a lot in common. You’re both students learning about peaceful resolutions, you both like to see new places… Come to think of it, if Paz didn’t have an accent, you two would probably sound alike.”

Twilight started, “Well, if you really think so…”

Miller nodded, “I’m positive. Why don’t you head over to the helipad while I go get the man I had in mind and something for you? It shouldn’t take me too long.” With that, he turned and walked in the direction of the new Shooting Range and Kill House, Twilight spreading her wing and flying towards the base’s control tower a few seconds later.

After waiting for several minutes near the helipad, Twilight turned to see Miller walking towards her with what looked like a dark blue blanket slung over his shoulder. He also had a soldier with him, the man walking beside him looking a bit underdressed at the moment. Twilight had noticed that the staff normally wore the combat fatigues they were provided all the time, even when they were in the Living Quarters; while the man did have the pants and boots on, it was a little unusual for her to see someone in a white T-shirt like the one he currently had on. He was also wearing black sunglasses instead of a balaclava, allowing her to see his well combed brown hair.

As they reached Twilight, Miller spoke, “Twilight. I don’t know if you recognize him now, but this is Wolf. He’ll be going with you.” Wolf and Twilight greeted each other before Miller held out the blanket he was carrying. “Here, take this with you. I know it’s a blanket, but it’s all the guys could find on such short notice,” he said.

Twilight looked at it for a moment before saying, “A blanket? Uh… I guess I could use it to cover myself. Not sure how well I’ll be able to blend in, though.”

Miller replied, “I know, but it’ll have to do. The point is hiding your horn, wings, and coat from outside observers. Paint can hide the color of your coat, but it’s not going to cover up anything else. You shouldn’t run into any trouble where you’re going, so blending in shouldn’t be an issue. And if you do, it’ll be easy to take off.” Twilight could see he did have a point and so she used her magic to take the blanket, holding it up to examine for a moment before looking back up at Miller. “You can do whatever you need to with it, as long as it covers you up.”

Twilight nodded and looked back at the blanket. “I think I have an idea what to do,” she said after a moment.

Miller turned to Wolf and said to him, “The chopper will drop you two off a safe distance from the school Professor Galvez described to us. It’ll be a bit of a hike, but it’s better this way. If the school is there, they probably don’t want a military helicopter landing on their front lawn. If it’s something that’s not so safe… well, we don’t want anything happening to either of you or the chopper. I’ll give you directions once you’re on the ground. Find out why we haven’t been able to contact Paz, and make sure nothing happens to Twilight.” Wolf nodded and saluted in reply. A minute later, Miller watched as the chopper lifted up and flew off towards its destination, hoping to himself this wasn’t a bad idea.

A while later, the chopper touched down at its intended LZ, a fairly flat spot with mostly dirt that was surrounded by trees, and Wolf and Twilight climbed out. Once she had all four hooves on the ground, Twilight raised her right hoof to adjust the cloak she had made out of the blanket. It had taken some help from Wolf to get it right and it certainly wasn’t anything Rarity would praise her for other than the fact that she was able to make it at all, but the blanket was good enough for what she had had in mind. Only a little bit of her muzzle, legs, and tail really stuck out from underneath it.

As the chopper flew away, Twilight looked around at her surroundings. Like Huey had said, it looked like they had landed in a clearing in a tropical rainforest, the foliage she could see much different from what she had seen on the island where she’d first woken up. She turned to look at Wolf when he spoke to her, “Come on, Twilight. Stay close to me.” She nodded and trotted after him as he started walking towards the trees, not sure which direction they were going and hoping that Wolf knew where he was going.

While walking through the rainforest, Wolf listened to Miller as he gave directions over the radio and looked back every couple of seconds to make sure Twilight was still following him. The lavender alicorn was able to keep up with him, but she also looked around curiously, taking in everything that she could see. “This is amazing. So, this is what a tropical rainforest really looks like. It’s so pretty, like Whitetail Wood in the fall… but I’m sure it has its share of dangers like the Everfree Forest,” she thought to herself.

After a while, they exited the rainforest and continued following Miller’s directions, passing through flatter, slightly less wild areas. Eventually, they found what they were hoping to find: a fairly sizable school in a more developed location, complete with dormitories for the young adults that attended and were able to afford it. Twilight was surprised by the size of the school, noticing how much bigger it was than Canterlot High as she closely followed Wolf along the outside of the campus grounds.

They soon found what appeared to be the main building and walked up to the main entrance. Wolf held a hand up in front of Twilight to stop her when they were standing in front of the doors and then took off his sunglasses, tucking them into the collar of his shirt. He then looked down at the pony and said, “Stay out here and stay alert, Twilight. Everything seems to be okay here, but be on lookout anyway. I’ll see if I can find out where Paz and Professor Galvez are and be right back.” Twilight nodded in reply and turned around to look around while Wolf stepped inside and headed for the front desk.

Twilight spent the next several minutes keeping an eye out for anything that might indicate something wasn’t right while occasionally looking back over her shoulder to see if Wolf was back yet. She wasn’t comfortable being out in front of the school by herself, but she knew that if she went inside, even if she was able to successfully able to keep her appearance concealed, there could be complications, so she tried to keep her nerves under control while she waited for Wolf to return.

Suddenly, she heard one of the front doors opening behind her and she whirled around to see Wolf coming out, his sunglasses once again hiding his eyes. Twilight gave a sigh of relief and asked, “Well? Are they here?”

Wolf let out a sigh of his own before replying, “Well, from what I’ve been told, the answer is no, Twilight. Paz and the professor ARE supposed to be here, but get this: no one’s seen either of them in weeks.”

Twilight asked, “Weeks?! But Snake was approached by the professor with the situation in Costa Rica like a week ago, right?”

Wolf nodded and said, “And Commander Miller said that Paz has been keeping in touch with MSF with the radio in the professor’s office. The woman at the front desk did tell me where his office is, so we should go check it out before we report back.” The two made their way across the campus to one of the smaller buildings and found Professor Galvez’s office exactly where it was said to be. Wolf ended up picking the lock on the door to get into the office when knocking and listening yielded no results, but all they found was a mostly empty room on the other side. There were some books on a small set of shelves, one of which was written by Galvez himself and had his picture on it, and there were some brown folders on the desk, but there wasn’t much else, not even any spy tools. It really did seem like it hadn’t been used in weeks.

After leaving the office and trying to get the door back to the way they found it, the two exited the building and left the campus before Wolf used his radio to contact Miller and report their findings. Twilight looked up at him anxiously, listening to what he was saying and watching his face for any hints as to what Miller might be saying. About a minute later, he clicked off his radio and looked down at Twilight, saying, “Commander Miller says we’ve done all we can. We should head back to the LZ and get back to Mother Base.”

Twilight asked, “But what about Paz? And the professor?”

Wolf replied, “Commander Miller says he’ll talk to the Boss about it the next time he gets in touch with him, but with nothing to go on, there’s nothing more we can do here. For now, all we can do is wait and hope that they turn up soon.” He took a glance around before saying, “We should get going, Twilight, before we attract any unwanted attention.” Twilight let out a sigh, obviously not feeling pleased with what they managed to learn at the school, but she walked beside Wolf as they headed back the way they came.

They soon left the developed areas behind and reentered the rainforest. As they were walking, however, a sudden rustling nearby caused them both to stop. They both looked around for any sign of what had made the noise, but before they could relax, they heard more rustling. Wolf reached back with his right hand for the bag on his hips while glancing around, Twilight looking around wildly as she tried to focus on where just one of the sounds was coming from.

Suddenly a group of six soldiers revealed themselves all at once, all of them pointing assault rifles at Twilight and Wolf as one of them yelled, “Don’t move!” Twilight let out a gasp while Wolf tried to keep calm, his hand pausing inside his bag at the command.

After a tense moment of silence, a new voice spoke up behind Wolf and Twilight, “I had a feeling you wouldn’t be able to stay there forever. You had to come out sooner or later, though sooner would’ve been preferable.” The two turned and saw a man walking towards them, his attire much different from the soldiers that surrounded them. He wore a light brown overcoat over a darker brown suit and tie and black dress shoes. He had black-gray hair and a red metallic right hand. Twilight initially thought he was wearing a glove, but the more she looked at it, the more it looked like it was actually his hand.

“Who are you?” Wolf demanded, not recognizing the man.

“I believe Big Boss knows me as Professor Galvez,” he replied as he came to a stop, standing farther away from the two than the soldiers around them.

Wolf’s eyes widened behind his sunglasses, his hand stopping short inside his pack. “What?!” he asked.

Twilight peered at the man from under her hood, “You’re the professor?”

Professor Galvez looked at Twilight with a smile. “Ah, the anomaly herself. I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced.” Wolf glared down at Twilight and she shrunk down into her cloak, knowing it was too late to take back what she said. “There’s no need to hide yourself around me, horse. Your secret isn’t safe anymore,” Galvez said.

Twilight looked up at the man, “What? You know about me?”

Galvez kept his smug smile as he said, “Of course I know about you, silly creature. You’ve been creating quite a stir and I’m sure you don’t even know it. La CIA has been especially interested in your connection to Big Boss since the AI pod returned to them.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she remembered the Pupa, how its AI pod detached and flew off after the fight. If it went back to the CIA’s main base, they would’ve had someone recover any images and data it had stored. Considering it attacked her a few times, it had to have gotten some shots of her, and Hot Coldman had probably been planning to take advantage of what he had seen the entire time she’d been at Mother Base… Her horror was pushed to the side for a moment as a thought entered her mind: how could Professor Galvez know what the CIA knew? Unless… “If you know what’s going on in the CIA, that means…” she started.

“That I’m collaborating with them?” Galvez finished for her. A moment of silence passed before he answered, “Whether it was a lucky guess or you actually put the pieces together, it’s clear that your intelligence goes beyond being able to speak properly. You become more intriguing by the minute.” He looked at Wolf and said, “Have her come to me and stand down. Do it and I will let you walk away. Resist… and face the consequences.”

Twilight looked up at Wolf nervously as he finished reaching for the Smoke Grenade inside his pack, popping the pin as he wrapped his hand around it. A second passed before he responded, “I don’t answer to Soviet spies!” He then quickly pulled the grenade out and threw it straight down at the ground, an explosion sounding as it hit and a cloud of smoke spreading out from it. The soldiers were thrown off by the smokescreen, Wolf and Twilight taking advantage of the confusion to make a run for the LZ, but they soon spotted them once they were out of the smoke and opened fire, forcing the two to duck into the trees to avoid being shot.

Galvez ordered, “Kill him, but capture the horse alive. Kill her and I’ll kill all of you and spare Coldman the trouble.” The soldiers complied, all of them running towards the trees.

Twilight and Wolf had run through the trees for several seconds before they stopped and each hid behind a tree, Twilight panting slightly while Wolf peered out, scanning for the soldiers. He soon saw movement and grunted, “Damn it, they’re coming this way.”

Twilight looked over at him and asked in a whisper, “Can we call the helicopter in? Make a run for it?”

Wolf whispered back, “They’ll hear it, and there’s no cover at the LZ. They might not be able to shoot it down, but they can shoot at us. We have to do something about them before we can call for evac.”

Twilight asked, “Did you have something in mind?”

Wolf thought for a moment before saying, “I might. Do you think maybe you can distract them, use your magic to draw their attention?” Twilight glanced towards the soldiers nervously, knowing they would find them soon.

Several soldiers looked up in front of them when they heard the leaves rustling overhead and saw Twilight weaving around trees as she flew towards them. They put their rifles away and readied themselves for close-range fighting, but before she could reach them, her horn began to glow and created a bright flash a second later, causing them to cry out in shock as their eyes were overloaded. While they were stunned, Twilight kept flying for a few more moments before dropping behind another tree. Wolf, meanwhile, pulled out the tranquilizer gun he’d packed and began to shoot at the soldiers, putting them to sleep. He managed to put two down before the other two recovered and grabbed their guns, shooting at him and forcing him to duck back behind the tree again.

Twilight peered out from her hiding spot in Wolf’s direction, trying to think of a way to help him. Suddenly she heard a crunch nearby and whirled around to see one of the soldiers apparently trying to sneak up on her, holding a thread between his hands. As soon as she turned to see him, he started running at her to close the gap and Twilight, acting on impulse out of fear, filled her horn with magic and shot it at him. It was evidently a little more powerful than she had intended since he was sent flopping backwards, landing on his front with steam rising up from him. Twilight’s eyes widened, “No, no! I didn’t mean to do that! That was… I just…”

Despite her panic, she heard Galvez when he called, “Rocket Peace!” She turned in enough time to see his mechanical hand flying towards her propelled by a small rocket, the index and middle fingers held up while the rest were folded. It made for such a bizarre sight that Twilight didn’t try to get out of the way and ended up with the fingers around her horn, the force from its flight almost pushing her back a bit. Still addled and not thinking clearly at the moment, she failed to hear the sound of footsteps behind her as she looked up at the hand. Her mind did snap back to full awareness when she felt a hard blow against the back of her head, though it faded quickly as she lost consciousness almost immediately afterwards.

The soldier that had knocked Twilight out was shot with a tranquilizer dart before he could react, falling onto his back with a groan. Wolf had managed to deal with the rest of the soldiers and turned to see Twilight falling onto her side. With the last soldier down, he hurried to her side and knelt down, pulling the hand off of her horn and throwing it to the side before leaning forward for a better look.

A loud gunshot sounded a second later.

Some time later, Wolf’s radio buzzed with a call, Miller, on the other end, saying, “Wolf, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you responding?! Requesting status report!” But the radio would continue to go unanswered. Wolf was lying on his side, precious life fluid leaking from the bullet hole in his head, and there was no one else around to hear it.
> Not-So-Respectful Imprisonment
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Is it still alive?”

“It was when we brought it in. Thank God it got distracted when it did. It could’ve been a real problem if it hadn’t.”

“Fucking thing blasted me with whatever came out of its horn. My uniform stood up to it pretty well, but my face… God, whatever it was, it felt weird, and it hurt.”

“Get over yourself, you’re fine. The Russian was right; it paid to wait for it to come out. Now we have more leverage against Big Boss, and this’ll make a nice little bonus for everyone back in the States.”

“Sir, may I ask why? What does this thing have to do with anything?”

“Don’t you see? I’m already giving them the perfect deterrent with Peace Walker, and with this, I can further show how dangerous Big Boss has become! He’s been trying to hide this from the rest of the world; who knows what its been contributing to his army or how many more of these things there are out there. With this one to study, we will be better prepared for when they come than the rest of the world. Becoming the head of the CIA again may be just the beginning.”

“Sir… I think it’s waking up…”

Twilight could hear talking as she slowly regained consciousness. She recognized the first as Hot Coldman’s and thought to herself, “Please tell me I’m not where I think I am…” Her mind was on high alert and she wanted to get far away from wherever she was, but her whole body felt heavy, unresponsive. That blow to her head had really knocked her for a loop and she could only manage to move her limbs a little bit.

She was finally able to lift her head up off the cold, metal ground beneath her and open her eyes a little after a minute, a long groan escaping her mouth. As she got her eyes open most of the way, she could see metal bars in front of her. A quick look around revealed that there were bars all around her. “Oh no… I really am… somewhere,” she moaned out, unable to do much more.

“Just ‘somewhere’? That’s not a nice way to talk about the location where history is about to be made,” said Hot Coldman. Twilight immediately turned to look to her left, where she heard his voice, and found herself looking at a pair of legs wearing black slacks with suspenders at the top, the straps going up and over a gray long sleeve shirt, the upper part of the shirt being out of Twilight’s view at the moment. And at the bottom of the legs were a pair of shiny brown shoes.

Twilight had just started to lean her head closer towards the bars to get a better look when the man suddenly crouched down, revealing his bald head and sinister grin. She yelped and tried to back away unsuccessfully, bumping the top of her head against the ceiling of her cage as she hardly moved back at all. She groaned as she rubbed her head with a hoof, but she kept one eye on Coldman as he looked at her. She soon lowered her hoof and glared, “You’re Hot Coldman, aren’t you?”

The man’s grin didn’t waver as he said, “Very perceptive. I assume you’ve heard of me from Big Boss?”

Twilight answered, “I was there with him when you threw Huey down the stairs.”

Coldman replied, “Ah, so that’s where the good doctor ran off to. No matter; he’ll be dealt with in due time. I’m more interested in you at the moment.”

Twilight dryly remarked, “Really? I had no idea. It’s not like I overheard you just now or anything.”

Cold said, “You really do have a smart mouth, but I’m sure we can get that out of you before we send you to the States.”

Twilight glared at him, “You really think I’m just going to let you do whatever you want with me?”

Coldman replied, “I think you’ll learn to halt your tongue sooner or later. I have many colleagues back in the States that are determined to get results, and they’re not shy about how they get them either. I can assure you, they are much less amicable than I am.”

Twilight muttered loudly, “Says the guy who threw a man down the stairs over a difference in opinions.”

Coldman continued, “As for you doing what I say… Yes, of course you will. If you can grasp the concept of deterrence, then you’ll come to see the genius of my vision.” As he finished speaking, he looked back over his shoulder at the two guards and motioned to them, both of them nodding and leaving the room through a sliding door behind him in response.

Twilight turned back to Coldman and asked, “Your vision? You mean Peace Walker? The thing Snake is going to destroy?”

Coldman let out a sharp laugh and spoke, “Is he still using that old codename? And destroy it? He’s helped complete it, you fool! Thanks to him, my perfect deterrent is now finished!”

Twilight stared at him as she sidled up to the bars, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but even if what you’re saying is true, I still don’t understand your reasoning. Deterrence is all about using the threat of attacking to keep others in check, right? How does actually attacking prove the theory is true?”

Coldman replied, “Do you not see? Peace Walker is a power the likes of which the world has never seen! The world needs to be shown what it’s capable of; we must show that we will retaliate if we are provoked. Peace Walker will usher in a new era of peace with this power.”

Twilight said, “That seems like an abuse of power to me. I understand the need for power since we have that as well back home, but that’s more for our daily needs. We take care of the land, we help each other, we make it possible for those curious about magic to learn more, but we have our limits. It’s okay to show off some, but it’s not okay to threaten others. That’s not what magic or any sort of power should be used for.”

Coldman raised a finger, “And that is exactly the same problem that humans have: weakness.” Twilight raised an eyebrow in confusion. “So many countries make claims that they have nukes, that whoever they’re issuing these statements to has to agree to their terms or risk being wiped out, yet that has never happened. Nukes are the true path to peace in this world, so why don’t countries use them? The answer… is because of their reputations,” he concluded.

Twilight could hardly believe the words that came out of his mouth. “Reputations?! You think that’s what stops them?!” she asked.

Coldman stood up and began to walk around in front of her as he said, “But of course! Whose mind would ever tell them that they should be remembered as the one who pressed the button? Who would be able to condone the thought of going down in history as the great destroyer? Humans are too weak for that, but machines are not. They will be remembered as the real heroes of this Cold War, for being able to do what humans could not. We will have peace because of them.”

Twilight watched him as he talked, noting that he was acting as if he was making his speech to a room full of people. “Do you really think that’s the only thing that goes through people’s minds when it comes to decisions like that? I’m not exactly an outgoing pony and even when I was a shut-in, I wasn’t that simple-minded. You clearly don’t understand anything about others if you think that’s the most important thing in life.”

Coldman knelt down and looked at her again, the grin on his face now seeming more deranged than smug. “Is that so? Then perhaps you need a real-life example in order to understand,” he said.

Twilight didn’t like the sinister way he said that. “What are you going to do?” she asked a bit nervously.

Coldman smirked, “Since you asked, I’m going to let you in on something. No one else in Big Boss’ little army, not even Big Boss himself, knows this yet, but I will tell you where Peace Walker’s first and last strike will be. It may well be the only place that you actually know about in all of this, and it’s full of people who are willingly putting themselves at risk should the rest of the world find out about you.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in horror as she realized what he was talking about. “No! You don’t mean…”

Coldman grinned, “Exactly! The target is an offshore area in the Caribbean. And funnily enough, there happens to be a little man-made island right in middle of it. But the only thing people will care about is the fact that the trade winds will carry the fallout over the surrounding region, killing crops and fish and leaving so many people who will only be able to find work helping to mass produce Peace Walker. After all, who’s going to miss a bunch of dissidents who are hiding important secrets from the world?”

Anger quickly overtook Twilight’s shock and she lunged forward, her hooves pressing up against the bars and an angry look on her face as her horn lit up with magic. “NO! You won’t get away with this, Coldman! I won’t let you!” she yelled.

Coldman was admittedly surprised by the sudden change in Twilight’s attitude and stood up as he backed away slightly, but he soon regained his composure, his expression changing for not even a second. “Ah, ah, ah! You might want to reconsider that! You’d better put out that light and not make any attempts to escape if you know what’s good for you!” he said.

Twilight snorted, “These bars are made of plain metal. You really think this cage can hold me, that it can stop me from helping Snake?”

Coldman simply replied, “I know it wasn’t built to hold something like you, but that doesn’t matter because you’re not getting out of it.”

Twilight growled, “And why is that?”

Coldman didn’t answer her; instead, he unclipped a radio from his hip and held it up to his face, saying, “Bring her in.” The two soldiers from earlier walked back into the room, but this time they had someone with them. Twilight’s shock returned as they came into clear view and she saw who it was. It was a young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, her eyes filled with fear at the moment. She wore a dark blue dress that went down to her knees and green-black boots that stopped just short of her knees, the top of a white collared shirt visible through the top of the dress as well as a red tie. She was unfamiliar to Twilight, but the alicorn had a feeling she knew who she was.

“Paz?” she asked. The girl gasped slightly, her fear hiding any shock she might’ve had at seeing Twilight and hearing her speak.

Coldman chuckled, “Yes. I’ve finally gotten back the source of the information leak. She was very lucky to have found Big Boss. Unfortunately for her, it seems she never did figure out who the ‘professor’ really was.”

Twilight remembered Galvez and realized he must’ve allowed the CIA to recapture Paz, and it made her anger flare up again. “You!” she growled as magic surrounded her horn again and she glared at Coldman. Despite her anger, she did clearly hear the sound of a click off to the side and looked to see the soldier holding Paz was now holding a handgun in his right hand and had it up against the right side of her head, the poor girl looking terrified now.

Twilight looked back at Coldman as he spoke, “I told you to behave and you didn’t listen, so now it’s time for the ultimatum! You can still stop me now, yes, but can you do it knowing what’s at stake?” Twilight looked back at Paz, the gun still pointed at her head and her breaths sawing in and out as she looked back at Twilight. “You try to attack me, she dies. You try to escape, she also dies. You manage to get out somehow, once again she dies. But if you get rid of that glow around your horn, quiet down, and stay in that cage, she gets to live. Make your choice,” Coldman finished.

Twilight looked back at Paz, the girl looking back at her desperately. “Don’t do it…!” she managed to plea, trying to urge Twilight not to give into Coldman’s demands.

“Quiet!” the soldier holding her commanded as he squeezed her arm tighter and pressed the barrel of his gun harder against the side of her head, the girl letting out a gasp of pain in response. Twilight couldn’t take what she was seeing anymore and let her head hang, the glow around her horn fading as she moved back from the bars.

“And just like that, the theory is proven true. You’re not above us; you have the exact same weakness. You don’t even know her and your reputation takes precedence. You know what Big Boss would do if he found out what you did and you fear it,” Coldman stated triumphantly.

Twilight raised her head, “I never said I was above you. And that’s…. that’s not what’s holding me back.”

Coldman knelt down again and looked at her as he spoke, “But it’s part of the reason, isn’t it? She’s crucial to what Big Boss has; imagine what would happen if she died. I hold all the cards here; you have to obey my terms or suffer the consequences. The theory of deterrence works.”

Twilight tried to say, “But…”

Coldman suddenly reached a hand through the bars and grabbed her under her chin, squeezing her cheeks as he dragged her back up to the bars. “You’ve shown weakness. That’s something this world has enough of, and with Peace Walker, we will bring an end to it. The Cold War will finally mean something once the world grasps the strength of our perfect deterrent. The fear of retaliation will spread across the globe and the war machine will grind to a halt. All contention will cease and we will have peace.”

Twilight could only look into his eyes as he spoke, hearing his words but seeing so much more. She could see just how much he truly believed in what he was saying and it made her shiver in fear. “You’re mad…” she managed to utter.

Coldman only grinned sinisterly. “Mad? Hardly. Just eager to make a statement to the rest of the world. And I don’t think you have any more right to judge me than any other human who falters when they see what they’re up against.” He released Twilight when he finished speaking and swiftly swung his hand against the left side of her face, causing her to fall onto her side with a cry. The guard who wasn’t holding Paz laughed as she carefully held her hoof up to her cheek.

As Twilight slowly sat up, she noticed Coldman take Paz from the soldiers, both of them moving behind her cage afterwards. She then saw the door behind him slide open again, a woman with silver-colored hair and dark sunglasses step through it. She was wearing a black vest over a white collared shirt, a red ID card on the front of it over her left breast and a red and blue tie around the neck of the shirt sticking out from the bottom of it, black pants, and black shoes. Coldman looked back at her and smiled, “Ah, Dr. Strangelove! What’s the word on Big Boss?”

The woman replied without breaking her stride, “He’s escaped. He should be here soon.” She came to a stop next to Coldman and turned to her right. Twilight looked as well and almost immediately saw it; not only was the room they were in a lot larger than she had thought, but there was also a large, bipedal machine sitting in the middle of it surrounded by catwalks. She realized they were in a hanger, and that machine had to be the completed Peace Walker. Coldman turned to look at it as well, still holding Paz against his front with his left arm.

Just as the doctor had said, it didn’t take long for Snake to appear in the hanger, his eye first going to her before shifting to Coldman, his men, and his captives. “It’s too late, Big Boss,” Coldman stated as he looked down at him from the walkway.

“Snake…” Paz managed to utter.

“Paz…! Twilight?!” Snake exclaimed not expecting to see either of them in Coldman’s clutches, especially not Twilight.

Coldman grinned, “What a mistake it was to let her leave. You should’ve been keeping a better eye on her, Big Boss. And at last, the culprit who led you here to begin with. Should have taken care of her back at the supply facility.” Paz tried to call to Snake again, but Coldman cut her off, “The Mammal Pod is finished. Peace Walker’s activation sequence is complete.”

Snake looked up at him, “‘Finished’…?”

Dr. Strangelove explained, “With The Boss, you were loyal to the end, I’ll grant you that. But your silence was exactly the answer I needed. Ten years ago, your mission was to kill her. And her mission was to be killed by you. She fulfilled her duty to America to the very end. Thanks to you, Snake, the final missing piece is now in place. And thus, The Boss is restored to life as the Mammal Pod. I thank you.”

Snake uttered, “Restored to life…? You’re crazy.”

Coldman spoke, “Now I’m going to let YOU in on this little secret, Big Boss. You see, I’ve already selected Peace Walker’s initial target: an offshore area in the Caribbean. The trade winds will scatter the fallout all over the surrounding region. Crops and fish will die, leaving plenty of free hands to help us mass-produce Peace Walker.” He chuckled, “Oho… and wouldn’t you know, someone’s gone and built a pesky little fortress there. Now who would do that? And right in the middle of the target zone, too. Oh well. All the better to test the warhead’s CEP.”

Snake glared up at him, “You bastard…”

Coldman grinned down at him, “I wonder who’ll miss a ragtag band of pirates all the way out in the middle of the Caribbean, especially one that keeps secrets like this…?” He reached his left hand over and patted Twilight’s cage with it, still holding Paz against him with his right arm. Snake pulled a pistol out of his holster and pointed it up at Coldman, but the man hardly seemed to register it as he went on, “But first, we’re going to prove to the White House that our baby can travel the Caribbean coast on its own. The whole world will know of Peace Walker’s versatility. They’ll witness the birth of a deterrent that can penetrate both Communist and guerilla-controlled territory, traverse any kind of terrain, and deliver a nuke anywhere it needs to go. Untouchable, unstoppable… the perfect deterrent.”

While still pointing his gun up at Coldman, Snake grunted, “The Cold War’s days are numbered. Deterrence isn’t only about America and Russia now.”

Coldman replied, “You know what? You’re absolutely right. While we’ve been wringing our hands, China, France – even India – have surpassed us. There’s a free-for-all nuclear arms race brewing just below the surface. The nuclear threat will only spread, which is exactly why we must deter it here and now. And the Peace Walker Project… is the key.” Suddenly, the platform that Peace Walker was sitting on shook and it began to slowly move upwards. “The advent of Peace Walker will bring calm to this restless world. Don’t you see, Snake? We need nukes – controlled nukes – to have peace,” Coldman concluded.

“Lies…!” Paz cried out.

Strangelove glanced over at Paz and Coldman behind her sunglasses as Coldman said, “Peace Walker will restore order – order in the form of a new Cold War. But if the world is to understand the genius of our plan, WE MUST LAUNCH.”

Snake looked over at Peace Walker’s rising platform for a second before looking back at Coldman to see him turning and walking into the elevator behind him with Paz, Dr. Strangelove doing the same and the two soldiers pushing the cart that Twilight’s cage was on into the elevator behind them. “SNAKE!” Paz and Twilight cried out as the doors slid shut behind them.

The elevator ride was quiet and uneventful for the most part, but as they neared the end of it, the compartment they were in began to shake. After a few moments of feeling the shaking, Dr. Strangelove remarked, “Peace Walker is right above us. Her auto-defense system must be engaged.”

Coldman smirked, “So Big Boss has become Peace Walker’s top priority. Too bad we’re going to miss most of it.”

Twilight peered out at him, “You really shouldn’t be so happy about that, Coldman. Considering Snake defeated the Pupa and whatever else you’ve thrown at him since then…”

She was cut off when the soldier she’d blasted earlier hit her cage with the butt of his rifle and yelled, “Hey, shut up!”

She looked back at Coldman when he said, “You should listen to him. I did tell you to be quiet earlier. And Peace Walker is much different from its predecessors. The only way Snake will be able to defeat it is if he’s able to bring himself to kill her again. Another weakness that has no place in this world.” Twilight looked confused at that, not sure what he was referring to.

The elevator came to a stop soon afterwards and the doors slid open to reveal a hanger, a lone brown helicopter with its rotors spinning sitting in the middle of it. Above it was a pair of metal doors at the top of a shaft, the doors closing off the hanger from the outside. Coldman headed for the helicopter with Paz in tow while giving orders to the soldiers, “You! Get those doors open! And you! Bring her to the chopper!”

The soldier that had been ordered to move Twilight’s cage was the same one that she had hit with her magic earlier. This fact didn’t become apparent to her until Coldman and the other soldier had moved some distance away and she heard his hand slap the top of her cage. Wincing from the sound, she turned to her left to look at him as he knelt down. He looked at her and said, “Well, looks like it’s just you and me for the moment.” Twilight stared back at him with a raised eyebrow for a moment before he suddenly reached his right hand through the bars and smacked the side of her face.

Twilight reeled from the hit and looked back at him with an angry expression on her face. “Hey…!” she started before he placed his hand on her face, grabbing on.

“Doesn’t feel so good, does it? I bet you’re wishing you had the capacity to make smarter choices now, huh?!” he taunted while she squirmed beneath his hand.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Dr. Strangelove’s voice sounded suddenly and the soldier let go of Twilight’s face, standing up and looking at the woman who had just come over after putting on her red overcoat.

“Forgive me, Doctor. I didn’t hear you,” the soldier said in an even tone.

“Clearly not. What was that just now?!” Strangelove demanded.

“I was trying to get a lesson through this thing’s head. I wanted to make sure it knew that just because Coldman isn’t standing in front of it, it shouldn’t try anything funny,” the soldier replied.

“Seemed more like you were trying to torture her to me. In case you didn’t notice, she is a living creature and she has a gender. She is not a ‘thing,’ so stop it. Follow your orders and I might not mention this little deed of yours to Coldman,” Strangelove ordered with a disgusted look on her face.

“What, what does it matter to you, Doctor? You want it as a pet or something?” the soldier asked.

“As a rationally-minded scientist, what you’re doing, frankly, is disgusting to me. And Coldman clearly wants her, presumably to send her back to America, so do what you were told,” Strangelove told him angrily. The soldier grunted and moved to the handles of the cart, pushing it as Strangelove watched him intently, carefully following behind to make sure he didn’t try anything else. By the time they got to the helicopter, the doors at the top of the shaft had opened all the way and Coldman and Paz were already seated onboard. When the other soldier joined them, he helped his partner lift Twilight’s cage into the helicopter and secure it before they both climbed in along with Dr. Strangelove. The craft lifted off soon after they found their seats, slowly rising up towards the opening above.

As the chopper finally rose up all the way out of the underground base, Coldman leaned over and used his hand to slide open the door on the right side of the chopper, both he and Dr. Strangelove leaning over to peer out. Being in the middle, Twilight was able to look out the door through the bars of her cage and see what had caught their attention.

For the brief moment she saw it, Twilight saw that Peace Walker was behaving erratically, shaking and stomping its feet and heard a mechanized female voice speaking out its processes at too fast a speed for it to be operating normally. Had Snake defeated Peace Walker already? The thought was quickly banished when Coldman called to the chopper pilot, “Redirect it!” In response, the pilot flew the chopper around towards Peace Walker, firing the machine gun mounted on the front at the Mammal Pod on top. That caused the beast to come to a stop and for a short time there was silence.

Then suddenly, though Twilight couldn’t see it, all the hatches on Peace Walker’s weapons flipped closed and it shifted its stance, turning its legs around behind it and standing back on them as it brought out another pair of legs that it brought down in front of it, changing from a biped to a quadruped, letting out a roar all the while. Again, there was a short silence in the area before the chopper flew ahead of Peace Walker, Twilight getting a good look at its new form as the chopper pilot called, “Over here!” Peace Walker immediately started moving after it at that, using its legs to climb the rocky walls in almost no time at all. When it reached the top, it let out one last roar before it resumed walking, leaving the base behind.

Coldman, Dr. Strangelove, and Twilight continued to look out at Peace Walker as the chopper flew along its left side, keeping pace with it. Twilight looked away from the behemoth when she heard Coldman say, “The day is dawning…” She saw him looking towards the Sun rising in the distance and realized they were heading west. Coldman then looked back at Peace Walker as it let out a roar and said, “Go!”

As they continued to fly close to Peace Walker, Twilight heard it firing missiles and realized Snake was somehow pursuing it. In addition to the helicopter’s rotors and the sound of Peace Walker’s heavy steps, she could hear the explosions sounding behind them and, for a brief time when it stopped firing and she listened hard, the sound of trees falling as they passed through a forest. When they reached the end of the forest, she heard Peace Walker say in a female voice that was heavily robotic, “GO HOME!” This was when it resumed firing its missiles. She didn’t know how Snake was chasing Peace Walker, but as long as it kept firing, she knew he had a chance to stop it.

All too soon, however, the firing stopped and she heard the pilot say soon afterwards, “Approaching the border.”

Coldman looked back out the open door and grinned, “See you around, Big Boss.” Twilight looked at him worriedly at that. From the sound of Peace Walker’s footsteps, it sounded like it was getting closer to the chopper. It must’ve been climbing up a mountain.  She didn’t know how Snake had managed to keep up with it all this time and wondered if he would be able to follow it up as he was.

Not long afterwards, she began to hear the sound of splashing water below. It really seemed to reverberate through the air; was Peace Walker going through a lake? Dread filled Twilight as she considered this thought. Even if Snake was still in pursuit and she was willing to let Paz die now, there was no way they had what it would take to fight a submerged behemoth. The water would mess them up, and Peace Walker wouldn’t even need to do anything to them; just it walking would make it deadly for anyone to get within range and try to fight it in the water.

Twilight hung her head. Somewhere off in the distance, she could swear she heard an almost inhuman roar coming from Snake and she felt like she understood how he was feeling at the moment, being so close and yet so far. But there was no escaping the cold hard truth.

Peace Walker was complete and activated, and there was no stopping it from reaching its destination now.
> Heavens Divide
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow asked, “Why’d you listen to him and let that guy beat you up, Twi’? Why didn’t you just break out of that cage and stop him?”

Rarity spoke, “She already said why, Rainbow. That Coldman brute would’ve killed Paz if she tried to escape!”

Rainbow argued, “She said he had a guy with one of those gun things holding her! Why should that be a reason to stop? She’s seen Snake using a gun before and all he did was put people to sleep for a while!”

Twilight finished pulling her boot back on before saying, “Snake did his work a little differently, Rainbow. The gun he usually took with him was made to fire specialized tranquilizer rounds.”

Cadance tilted her head, “What do you mean by ‘specialized,’ Twilight?”

Twilight answered, “They were made to put humans to sleep, Cadance. From what I understand, most animal tranquilizers contain enough sedative to kill humans.”

Fluttershy murmured, “They use tranquilizers on poor little animals…?”

Twilight heard and said, “Not all humans that work with animals have your kind of talents, Fluttershy. Anyway, Snake always did have a lethal weapon with him, typically on his other leg, but while he did take it out and point it a lot, he didn’t use it much. Not just because it might be loud or he wanted to extract people, but because that’s how MSF worked. Any of us could’ve taken the easy way out like the Peace Sentinels did, but if we could avoid resorting to violent measures, that’s what was preferred.”

Shining looked off to the side and thought to himself, “Well, I guess even a band of mercenaries has to have some sort of standards they adhere to when they work…”

Rainbow spoke, “Okay, but you hadn’t seen him or anyone else use guns like that on anyone before! So why did you believe Coldman when he said he would kill Paz?”

Twilight replied, “I’d gone into the Shooting Range and Kill House following training sessions a few times before this happened and looked at the targets. I saw the entrance and, in some cases, exit holes the bullets made. Seeing as they were wooden targets…”

Applejack finished, “It wasn’t hard fer you ta imagine what they could do to a real target.”

Twilight nodded, “Exactly. And guns like that are the only kind that the Peace Sentinels carried. The only way they knew how to incapacitate someone without beating them senseless was to grab and strangle them until they passed out.”

Luna raised an eyebrow, “The way you say that, you sound like you’re speaking from experience, Twilight.”

Twilight simply replied, “Well, that’s because I am, Princess Luna.”

Everyone looked over at Mr. Sparkle as he let out a groan at those words, the stallion rolling his eyes while looking like he wanted to be sick and angry at the same time. “I really don’t want to hear the specifics of that… but I know it’s important, so please continue, Twilight.”

The lavender alicorn was silent for a moment before she resumed, “We flew over the Rio San Juan to a U.S. military base on the Nicaragua side of the border. That’s where Peace Walker’s test launch was to be conducted, and Snake and Miller both thought that the test date was intended to coincide with the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, or SALT-II, negotiations that were going on in a place called Vladivostok at the time.”

Celestia spoke, “SALT-II… So that means they must’ve attempted to do the same treaty once before, correct Twilight? As an attempt to bring an end to the Cold War?”

Twilight replied, “It seems like that was the ultimate goal of it, Princess. Apparently Coldman told Snake that SALT along with Détente, TTBT, and the NPT were all tearing the Cold War apart. The last I heard, though, things hadn’t cooled off in that world yet. I’m not even sure how the negotiations went.”

Discord chuckled, “SALT sounds like an appropriate name to me. They’re probably going to go through a lot of that by the time they fix their big old storm of chaos!” Twilight refrained from rolling her eyes at Discord’s antics, instead managing only a mildly annoyed look in his direction.

Shining looked back at his sister and said, “Go on, Twilight.”

The lavender alicorn blinked and said, “Right. Let’s see, um… We arrived at the military base on November 23rd, and thanks to Amanda and her fellow Sandinistas, Snake wasn’t too far behind us. They managed to get him across the river, and it wasn’t long before we were both heading for the same location.”

________________________________________

Twilight sat in the middle of her cage, looking at the floor with a worried look on her face. After the helicopter had landed at the base, the soldiers had moved her cage into the back of a cargo truck like the one Snake had been looking for. Coldman had cited ‘security reasons’ as the need to move her, the soldier from before having taken the chance to torment/torture her some more once they were out of Coldman’s sight, taunting her and hitting her in spite of his buddy telling him to stop.

They did get her cage moved to the truck and put on board eventually, and she’d been sitting there with no idea of how much time had actually passed since. All she had to go on was the little bit of light coming through the opening in the canopy, the occasional talking of the soldiers outside breaking the silence. She wasn’t enjoying this one bit; she was confined and admittedly bored, but she didn’t dare make any attempts to escape. Coldman still had Paz, so she chose to remain where she was to keep her safe. One word from the soldiers outside and…

Twilight’s ears perked up as she heard a new voice on the other side of the canopy flaps talking to the soldiers. She recognized it as the voice of Dr. Strangelove, which immediately confused her. Everyone on the base should’ve been preparing for Peace Walker’s launch, and Strangelove was the one who programmed the Mammal Pod’s AI. What was she doing outside this truck?

A minute later, the talking stopped and one of the canopy flaps parted, letting more light into the back of the truck for a moment as Dr. Strangelove hoisted herself up onto the truck’s bed. Twilight’s confusion was replaced with surprise at this. “Dr. Strangelove? What are you doing here?” she asked the woman once she was all the way inside and standing across from her.

Strangelove finished straightening out her overcoat before she walked over to the alicorn, saying, “I decided to leave my post for a bit, little pony. I knew this might be my last chance to get a good look at you. Coldman is going to send you to America after this test proves successful, you know. The scientists there are going to be very interested in you.”

Twilight gave a flat look at the woman’s legs, “Yeah, I figured as much. I do know a thing or two about science, after all. I used to think it was my specialty.”

Strangelove replied, “Well, I have no qualms about saying it. I am a scientist; I conduct research and I expect to get answers that make sense. However, I am also aware of how far I’m willing to go to get answers, and frankly, I do not agree with the way Coldman has treated you. It’s still not enough to abandon my research here, but I think you deserve to know that I find this disgusting.”

Twilight moved up to the bars to try to get a better look at the woman. “Well, why are you here then? Coldman wants to fire a weapon with the full intention of ruining at least part of the world and people’s livelihoods, and it will probably make this whole Cold War thing worse. He’s using your and Huey’s work to get what he thinks he wants,” she said.

Strangelove knelt down and replied, “I’m well aware of that, and I can’t say I agree with it.”

Twilight asked, “So why are you here, telling me this? Hay, at all even?”

Strangelove replied with a question, “You heard everything that was said back at the lab, didn’t you? Do you know what we were talking about in regards to the Mammal Pod’s AI?” She paused for a short moment, not even giving Twilight a chance to say anything before she responded, “I’m sure you don’t. Snake is the only one who knows the full story, and why would he share it with the likes of you? Forgive me if that sounded rude, but he’s been protecting you all this time; why would he want to drag you into our problems, let alone his own?”

Twilight looked very confused now. “Um… what? I don’t understand, I’m afraid,” she said.

Strangelove nodded, “I imagine you are, so the least I can do is help you understand why all this is happening. Is it safe to assume you’re not the… pony you are today solely because of yourself?”

Twilight answered, “Well, no. I have all my friends to thank for that as well as my teacher…”

Strangelove cut her off by saying, “Teacher. That is exactly the word I was hoping to hear. Teachers usually play a large part in our lives, and Snake is no different. Let me tell you about his teacher. She may have left me for him, but I also knew The Boss well.”

Twilight did remember hearing that name from before. “Who was she?” she asked.

Strangelove answered, “The rest of the world may think whatever it wants about her, but I know who The Boss was: a woman who loved her country. It was a love that was not often reciprocated, sadly; no matter what she went through for America, regardless of the horrible pain she had to endure, no matter how close she came to dying, I witnessed her being brushed aside like she didn’t matter, as if no one would care if she died. And even though they weren’t worthy of her, she still offered up everything she had for her country, even her life.”

Twilight had a feeling she wasn’t going to like what she was about to learn, but she swallowed the sudden dry feeling in her mouth and asked, “What happened?”

Strangelove responded, “Ten years ago, she defected to the Soviet Union under orders from the CIA. At the same time, Snake was sent with orders to destroy a secret weapon being built there. He wasn’t allowed to know it was a ruse, that she had been sent to make America rich again. He had to believe the deception in order for it to work; he had to follow his orders. And his orders… were to kill her.” Her brow creased, “And they both succeeded. The Boss died as a traitor with no one knowing what she really wanted, and Snake gained his blood-stained title of Big Boss to show he had ‘surpassed’ her.”

Twilight could feel tears starting to fill her eyes. She had had her suspicions that Snake must’ve gone through a lot to be who he was, to have the knowledge and experience he had, but to hear that he had to kill his mentor when it probably wasn’t even necessary… Now she was starting to see that he in fact did have a good reason for turning his back on his old country. “He really killed her?” she managed to ask.

Strangelove replied, “Yes. He carried out his orders to the letter. Orders given by Coldman, no less.”

Twilight’s eyes widened at that. “What?! Coldman was… He… Then I definitely don’t understand why you’re here! Why would you help that man when he did something like that?! I thought you said The Boss meant a lot to you!” she cried.

Strangelove’s brow furrowed as she leaned forward, saying in a sharp whisper, “If you’ll kindly calm and quiet down, I will tell you that.” Twilight snapped to attention and went silent at the sharp tone. “I didn’t know that when I was approached, but I doubt it would’ve changed anything. Ever since The Boss left me, I’ve wanted answers. Who did she leave me for? Was he that much more important to her than me? And more importantly, why did he kill her?” She tilted her head downwards, her brow still furrowed, “I’ve had questions for so long, but what happened ten years ago… You have no idea how much I hated Snake for taking her life.”

Twilight softly asked, “Do you still hate him?”

Strangelove was silent for a moment before admitting, “…No. I let myself get caught up in my anger back at the facility, but it helped me move past it. And as I said, it helped me get the final piece I was missing to complete the Mammal Pod. Coldman and I both now have what we want.” She raised her head, “He has his so-called ‘perfect’ deterrent, and The Boss will finally be able to answer my questions.”

Twilight looked up at her, “Is she really… alive?”

Strangelove answered, “Snake had the crucial information I was missing, but the CIA had everything I needed to get started and almost complete her. I don’t really care for what Coldman wants, but agreeing to help him was the only way I could ever get my hands on the information they had. Why was a legendary hero forced to betray her country? Why was she targeted for assassination by her most beloved disciple? I’ve no use for fabrications. I want the truth… The Boss’ last will.”

Twilight looked up at the woman in wonder, awed at the reverence and resolve in her voice. It had to be hard working for the man that ordered the assassination of someone so important to her and yet… Strangelove looked at Twilight after a moment and said, “I did everything Coldman asked for in order to find the truth I’m looking for. I used him as much as he used me, but that doesn’t mean I agree with everything he says and wants to do. Especially what he wants to do with you.”

Twilight was a bit confused at the way she worded that last part. “What…” she started to say before being stopped by Strangelove, the woman reaching her right hand into the cage and pressing her palm against the back of her head. She wasn’t a very strong woman by any means, but Twilight’s confusion made it easy for her to press her head up close to the bars.

Strangelove then leaned forward and whispered in the alicorn’s ear in a less sharp tone, “Snake is coming here. He might even already be here. I don’t know where he is, but I’m sure as long as that man’s heart is beating, he’s not going to stop fighting. And that might present you with an opportunity. Pay attention and try to monitor what’s happening outside as best you can. When the chance to escape presents itself, you need to take it. I would suggest leaving this place immediately afterwards, but you’re free to do whatever you wish. Until then, be patient and observe.” Twilight looked up at the woman as she released her and stood. She then turned and walked away, one of the soldiers outside saying to her that Coldman needed her to get into position right away as she held one of the canopy flaps to the side with her hand.

While the flap was moved, Twilight noticed the soldier had his radio in his hand. It was easy for her to recognize it, considering she’d been given one back on Mother Base. Part of her was upset that she’d left it behind when she left, but the rest of her knew it probably wouldn’t have helped much in that situation, plus this wasn’t the time to dwell on that. While the electronic boxes weren’t quite as sophisticated as the phones that the humans in Sunset’s world used, it was apparent that the people of this world were still ahead of Equestria when it came to long distance and electronic communications. Twilight raised an eyebrow as she thought about this. Those radios were the soldiers’ primary means of communicating their situation to Coldman. If they didn’t have them…

Strangelove told the soldier to let Coldman know she was heading for the van now and he did so before she got off the truck and started walking away. Before she let go of the flap and stepped down, Twilight saw the soldier clip the radio on the back of his right hip and guessed that’s where the Peace Sentinels usually kept their radios. That gave her something to help her start working out a plan, but there were still other details to work out such as how she was going to deal with two soldiers at once from where she was and keep them from reporting to Coldman. She settled down in the middle of her cage and began thinking hard about how she was going to escape.

The time was unknown to her, but all of a sudden, a loud alarm started going off across the base, causing her to jolt in shock as she was pulled out of her thoughts. She looked around; she was still in the cage, so it couldn’t have been her that set off the alarm. That just left… “Snake! It must be him! Dr. Strangelove was right; he is still trying to stop Peace Walker!” she cheered in her head.

Her attention was redirected outside a moment later when she heard one of the soldiers talking. Judging from his pauses and the slightly garbled sound that accompanied them, she guessed he was talking on his radio. “What?! …He’s heading for the control tower?! …Damn! Okay, I’ll get over there right away!” he said. There was a moment of silence before he asked his partner, “You going to be all right standing guard here by yourself?”

The other soldier replied, “Of course. I can stand by myself and make sure the thing stays in the cage.” Twilight had come to expect him referring to her as less than a living thing for accidentally blasting magic in his face, but she still felt indignant about it.

“You ARE going to keep watch, right? After that little display earlier…” the first soldier reminded him.

The second soldier replied, “All right, relax. You have my word. I won’t try to do any harm to it… unless it tries to escape.”

The first soldier sighed, “…Fine. Only get rough if SHE tries to escape. If I come back to find her beaten to a bloody pulp and there’s nothing to indicate she tried to get out…”

The second soldier cut him off, “Will you just get going already?! You’re supposed to be going to help stop Big Boss, remember?” Below the still blaring alarm, Twilight heard the sound of rapid footsteps receding into the distance a moment later and guessed she was now alone with the guy who hated her.

“That’s definitely not a reassuring thought, but maybe…” she thought to herself as she raised her left hoof to the top of her head and rubbed the still tender spot there.

A minute later, the soldier outside decided to check on Twilight and turned around to face the truck, but as he was reaching for the canopy flaps, he suddenly heard a commotion inside. He could hear her crying out along with what sounded like her hitting her hooves against some part of the cage. He pulled back the left flap and saw her standing on her hind legs with her eyes closed, banging her hooves on the bars of the cage. “Hey, you stop that right now!” he yelled to her as he climbed up into the back of the truck.

Twilight stopped as he told her to, but she gave him a confused look as she opened her eyes. “What?!” she asked after a moment.

“I said stop it!” he said as he began to walk over to her.

“What did you say?! I can’t really hear you!” she said while turning her head so her right ear was pointed more towards him.

“Will you shut up?! You’re getting on my nerves!” he shouted as he stopped in front of the cage.

Twilight raised her left hoof to point to her ear as she said, “You hit my ear earlier, you jerk! Now this loud sound, whatever it is, really hurts!”

The soldier bent down and glared at her, “That ‘sound’ is called an alarm, you simple-minded beast, and you’re going to be in for a lot more pain if you keep this up! Now zip it already!” He pushed his right hand between the bars of the cage and roughly pressed it against Twilight’s muzzle, a slight slapping sound being heard as she fell back onto her flanks. When she looked up, she had an expression on her face as if she had in fact been slapped. The soldier stood up and took a few steps back before asking, “Are you going to be quiet now, or are you going to keep acting like an idiot?”

A glare slowly overtook Twilight’s face and she moved back up to the bars to get a good view of him. She then started, “All right, look. I may not be as perfect as some make me out to be, but here’s the thing…” She paused as she turned her head to look to the right. The soldier hesitated before turning to see what she was looking at. She caught sight of this out of the corner of her eye and she glanced at him as her horn lit up, wrapping her magic around him and pulling him forward. He let out a shout before his stomach hit the top of the cage, causing him to groan as he slumped over it. Twilight turned her head fully back to face him and focused her magic, first pulling his radio from his hip and throwing it behind her cage before doing the same with his gun. She then grabbed him again and threw him backwards onto the floor. He looked up in time to see her vanish from the cage and reappear on top of it. “I’m also not as dumb as you seem to think I am,” she finished.

The soldier looked up at her for a moment before his eyes narrowed. “Now it’s acceptable,” he muttered as he stood up, his right hand reaching for one of the pouches on his hip. He pulled out a black thread and held both ends between his hands, holding it out in front of him. Twilight’s eyes widened at this; that thread looked pretty sturdy, and she had an inkling of an idea of what it was meant to be used for. The soldier let out a yell as he rushed at her, but Twilight avoided him by simply jumping off the cage as he was about to reach her, causing him to crumple over the top of it again. Twilight looked up at him for a moment before looking back at everything behind the cage. Not wanting him to get her in a rough spot again, she used her magic to grab the radio and rifle and ran over to the opening, throwing them both out as far as she could.

Her relief at disarming him was short-lived, however. All of a sudden, she felt a thin line go around her throat and pull back hard. Twilight let out a gag as she was pulled up off of her hooves, the soldier behind her pulling her back against his chest and grunting as he kept choking her. Twilight flailed her wings and legs, but he managed to keep her restrained while he pulled. He soon managed to pin her front against the wall of the truck, reducing how much she could use her legs, and felt assured of his victory as he noticed her struggling being to die down.

Twilight’s awareness was fading due to oxygen starvation, but she had enough conscious thought to know she had to do something. In a last-ditch attempt to break free, she drew her magic into her horn and held it for a few seconds before releasing it as an explosive burst. It was a risky move, but it did the trick; the soldier was thrown onto his back with a shout and Twilight fell to the ground, her face a bit singed as she lay on the floor and breathed heavily, trying to get precious oxygen into her body.



After a few moments, her eyes shifted upwards as she heard the soldier let out a growl. He was standing up again and, from what little of his face she could see, he looked ready to murder her. She wasn’t really there yet, but at this point, any effort she might’ve had of trying to prevent this from escalating any further had left her brain with the oxygen he had squeezed out of her. When he started moving towards her again, her horn lit up again and she grabbed his left leg as he was lifting it up, giving it a sharp tug upwards and causing him to fall on his back. As he reeled from the impact of the fall, Twilight stood up and leapt on top of him, sitting on his chest as she swatted at his face with her hooves. Being a pony who didn’t regularly work out, she didn’t do much damage, but it didn’t matter; her hooves and flurry of strikes were able to keep him disoriented, and she managed to knock his helmet off of his head.

A bright flash of magenta light suddenly came from inside of the truck and the guard was sent flying out of it a moment later, landing on his back nearby. Twilight leapt out a second later and noticed he was still trying to get up, so she looked around for something that she could use to temporarily put him down. As he managed to sit up, he saw Twilight standing in front of him, and a moment later, the butt of his gun, held by her magic, struck him across the side of his face, knocking him over onto his front. He was still moving, but to a considerably lesser degree. She finally managed to knock him out.

As she calmed down, Twilight looked down at him in surprise for a moment before looking at his gun. She dropped it into her hooves a second later and grunted as she held its full weight. “Wow. I know they said these things were heavy, but I didn’t know they were this heavy,” she uttered, looking down at it for a moment before she took it back in her magic, levitating it at her side. She then looked around, “I have to find the control tower. Even if Snake is fighting his way through Coldman’s troops, the safest place here is probably with him.” She then took off running away from the airstrip the truck was parked near, hoping the tower wouldn’t be hard to find.

It didn’t take long for the buildings to start to become more clustered together as Twilight moved into the base, making it hard to get a good look around from the ground and opening up blind spots all around. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be anyone near her location; everyone was probably focusing on Snake at the moment, but she didn’t want to risk anyone seeing her, so she stayed on the ground and carefully made her way through the base, pointing the gun she had taken like Snake would do. In reality, she didn’t really know how to use it, but it had already proven its effectiveness as a club, so that was the main reason she held onto it. “Plus,” she reasoned to herself, “a pony with a gun would probably scare some people, or at least raise some confusion.”

After several minutes of working her way around and through the base, Twilight stopped and leaned against the side of one of the buildings, taking a moment to ready herself for anything she might come across before she peered out around the side. At first, she saw a stretch of structures very much like ones she’d already passed, but then she spotted a taller building that stood out compared to the rest of the buildings she’d seen. “Is that the control tower? It sure looks big enough to be,” she thought to herself. She decided to take the chance it was and, after triple-checking to make sure there was no one around, started making her way towards it.

While she was running, she looked off to her left and saw something that caused her to pause. It wasn’t clear to her what she was seeing, but it looked like there was a squadron of flying vehicles flying towards the base. They almost looked like choppers when she squinted, but they didn’t look like the CIA’s choppers. Their colors looked darker, which, against the cloudy sky above, was the main thing that had caught her attention in the first place. “Are those MSF choppers? …They must be coming to back Snake up,” she thought. She faced forward again, “All the more reason I should find him.” She started running again, doubling her efforts to get to the tower.

As she approached the tower, she could see one of the CIA’s choppers hovering in the air not too far up from the ground, the sound of its machine gun firing getting louder as she got closer. She was also able to see smoke rising up from it; it was a safe bet it was attacking Snake. Twilight decided it was time to stop sticking to the ground and spread her wings, flying up and firing a laser from her horn at the back of the chopper as she got closer. The explosion from when it hit caused the chopper to spin out of control, forcing her to drop down and land in the small area below. She heard the sound of machine gun fire for a few seconds afterward and when it stopped, she looked up to see the chopper losing altitude as it spun around, crashing and exploding somewhere beyond the small square.

Twilight was looking up at where she had last seen the chopper when she heard Snake ask, “Twilight?” She turned to her right and saw him coming out from behind a machine gun emplacement, likely the source of the gunfire seconds ago. She also noticed the gun she had taken had fallen nearby after she let it go. The silence between them was broken when they heard a whirring noise and they both looked to see the gate blocking the entrance to the tower sliding upwards, a trio of soldiers rushing out once it was high enough. Twilight looked over at her stolen gun and used her magic to pick it up and throw it at the soldiers. They were forced to stop and easily stepped out of the way, the gun clattering against the ground without going off, allowing Snake to easily tranquilize them before they could focus again. Once they were all down, he moved past where the gate had been followed closely by Twilight, getting on an elevator inside. The gate slid closed again before it started moving, going up.

As they stood waiting, Snake asked, “So how did they manage to capture you?”

Twilight was surprised by his bluntness, but she answered him, “Miller sent me out with one of your men, Wolf, to check up on Paz and the ‘professor’. On our way back to where the chopper would pick us up, we were… ambushed by Peace Sentinels and Galvez. I… don’t know what happened to Wolf, but they knocked me out and delivered me to Coldman.”

Snake grunted, “The professor and the CIA, working together? I doubt that; I can’t see the KGB ever cooperating with an American intelligence agency. You must’ve seen or heard something wrong.”

Twilight rolled her eyes before saying, “Okay. Obviously with the experience you have, you would know better, but I know what I saw and heard.”

There was silence between them before Snake turned around, saying, “We’re almost there.” Twilight turned around as well and looked up, seeing a door much like the outside gate a little further up the shaft. The control must’ve been on the other side of it. She took a breath and readied herself, knowing she was going to be by Snake’s side the whole way.

The elevator soon reached the top and the big door in front of them slid up, Snake exiting first followed closely by Twilight. They both came to a stop in the middle of the Control Room when they saw Paz and Coldman standing above them, Snake pointing his rifle upwards and Twilight standing at his side as Paz cried, “Snake, Twilight!” The sound of guns being readied filled the air later as soldiers on the circular catwalk above and around the sides of the room pointed their guns at the duo, Snake holding his rifle against his chest as he and Twilight took stock of their situation. They were surrounded and in the sights of at least a dozen soldiers, making it dangerous to attempt a retaliation.

They both looked up at Coldman as he spoke, “Big Boss, you made it. And you managed to rescue one of my prisoners as well.” He grinned, “Too late, though. The false data’s already in place.”

Snake asked, “False data?”

Coldman replied, “That’s right.” Several nearby monitors sprung to life, one showing live surveillance footage of Peace Walker’s position and another showing Dr. Strangelove working at a computer in the back of a van. “Peace Walker is designed for deterrence – nothing more. She is incapable of initiating a nuclear attack on her own. She will only awaken and attack when it’s time to retaliate. Peace Walker is a weapon of PEACE, after all. First, we’ll enter data for an imaginary Soviet nuclear strike on the U.S. homeland… After assessing the data as a threat, Peace Walker will automatically enter retaliation mode, selecting the optimal target from a pre-defined list… For this scenario, we have reverse-engineered the false data so that she’ll inevitably end up choosing the Caribbean Sea as her target,” Coldman explained.

“You’re really gonna do it, aren’t you?” Snake grunted.

Coldman said, “Know this: Peace Walker’s retaliation will be the first and last of the Cold War. It is the only way we will ever come close to achieving true peace…” He pulled the suitcase handcuffed to his left hand up in front of him and used his right hand to open it, revealing a laptop inside. He then pulled out a red card and held it to the side in front of him, “All that is left is to enter the code.”

Snake pointed his rifle up at Coldman and shouted, “No!”

The elevator to the Control Room suddenly opened and someone said, “Stand down, Big Boss.” Twilight’s expression became perturbed when she heard that; she recognized that voice.

She looked behind her and sure enough Professor Galvez was exiting the elevator, his prosthetic hand in his pants pocket as he casually strolled in. “I was starting to wonder where you were,” she grunted as she glared at him.

Coldman let out a hum as if he agreed with her and stated, “You’re late.”

Snake lowered his weapon and asked, “Professor?”

Beside Coldman, Paz looked surprised as well. “Professor…?” she murmured questioningly.

Galvez responded to both Coldman and Twilight as he continued walking forward, “Yes, well… taking over the base took longer than expected.”

Coldman was shocked by this, so much so that he couldn’t keep the suitcase properly balanced and had to tuck it under his arm to hold it. “Wha-! But…” he stammered with a raised eyebrow, his usual smug grin nowhere to be found as the soldiers standing at his sides behind him pointed their guns at him.

Galvez explained, “I brought the technology, you provided the land and the money.”

Coldman stuttered, “What…”

Galvez continued as he passed Twilight and Snake, “Tsentr alone could never have accomplished so much in so little time.” He came to a stop and looked up at Coldman on the platform above him.

“Zadornov, you backstabbing son of a…!” the bald man started to say.

“‘Backstabbing’? Correct me if I’m wrong, but were we not enemies all along? Do you really think my comrades were working for the Company? Do you truly think we’d faithfully serve a pack of depraved capitalist dogs?” Galvez, or rather Zadornov, interrupted.

“What are you going to do?” Coldman asked.

Zadornov gave him a hard look as he simply answered, “Launch a nuke… Target: Cuba.”

Coldman’s eyes widened, “Have you lost your mind?! What would you possibly gain?”

Zadornov replied, “We won’t be the ones launching it. You, the Americans, will attack our ally, Cuba.”

Coldman looked even more shocked at this. “What?!” he asked.

Zadornov said, “Think, Coldman. We’re on an American base, eagerly endorsed and supplied by a pro-American regime. What’s the international community to think?” He began making his way over to a small set of stairs and up to the platform as he continued, “The world will burn with anti-American sentiment! Communism will spread across Latin America unchecked.” Coldman let out a frustrated growl at this. “Let the age of deterrence be undone by the deterrent itself… Such is the Kremlin’s plan,” Zadornov finished.

Coldman grunted, “You son of a bitch…”

Zadornov focused his attention on Paz as he reached the top of the stairs, the soldier behind her still pointing his gun at her back. “Paz, come here,” he said while holding his right hand out to her, reaching forward and wrapping his arm behind her back when she didn’t come right away. He pulled her close and gave her a grin not unlike Coldman’s before saying in a low, husky voice, “Shoot him.” Coldman looked worried and Paz turned her head to look at him with a surprised expression.

As he used his left hand to slide a pistol into her right hand and ready it while holding her hand with his own right hand, Paz questioned, “Professor Galvez…?”

While still holding her in his arms, Zadornov answered, “Hm… I am Vladimir Zadornov. And Vladimir means ‘ruler of peace’.” He then wrapped his fingers around her hand, “Now… do as you’re told, Paz.” He used his hand to help her raise the gun up.

“Don’t do it…” Coldman nervously said as she shakily pointed the gun at him.

Zadornov kept holding onto her hand as he urged, “Remember what they did to you at their base on the coast… For what Coldman’s done, he deserves nothing less than death.” He released her hand and it stayed where it was, her whole arm still shaking as she pointed the gun at him.

“Paz…!” Twilight murmured in shock, realizing she might actually shoot him.

Coldman seemed to realize this too, sweat dripping down his face as he shakily said, “Paz… I… I’m sorry…” The tension was thick as Paz looked at him with wide eyes, her fingers quivering as she began to pull the trigger…

Then, suddenly, her arm dropped and she closed her eyes as she let out her breath. “I can’t…” she almost sobbed.

Zadornov frowned, “Truly a child of peace…” He grabbed her hand again, surprising her, and raised the gun back up.

Coldman’s eyes widened. “No, wait!” he tried to say before Zadornov forced Paz’s fingers back, two loud bangs filling the air followed by the sound of blood splattering. Zadornov grinned while Paz let out a shaky cry, Snake and Twilight both staring in shock as Coldman fell to the ground on his right side, the red card he was holding slipping from his grip. Twilight’s shock quickly changed to horror as she took in the blood. She was not at a vantage point where she could see the full extent of it, but what she could see was still more blood than she’d ever seen in her life and Coldman was probably leaking more of it on the floor. She could feel her empty stomach threatening to send up whatever it currently had in it and tried to find a stable mental footing in order to keep it down.

Zadornov released Paz and she fell to her knees on the floor as he pulled back the slide on his gun. “Only fitting that retribution be delivered by a ‘dead hand’,” he grinned. He then stepped around Paz and picked up the red card off of the floor with his left hand.

Coldman, through his pained groans, managed to say, “You… You missed on purpose…” Zadornov walked over to him and raised his foot, thrusting his shoe against Coldman’s left shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain.

He then held the card up in front of him and said, “Your part in this isn’t done. I need you to enter the code.” He then kicked Coldman harder, causing him to scream. He then spoke, “Doctor, the target is now Cuba. Please make the necessary modifications.” On the monitor, Strangelove stopped typing and appeared to be hesitating, her breathing becoming faster and shallower.  Zadornov seemed to sense this since he added, “And don’t even think of resisting. I’ll crush you, but only after I crush your ‘beloved’, first.”

Strangelove gasped and let out a few breaths before saying, “No, not that…”

Zadornov repeated, “Cuba is now the retaliation target.”

Strangelove sat for a moment before nodding, “…Very well.”

As she started typing again, Zadornov said, “Good. It is done.” He then glanced over at Snake, “As for you, Big Boss… I’ve been watching you all along. You’ve performed beyond even my highest expectations – a true comandante.”

Snake asked, “What are you talking about?”

Zadornov gave a huff and asked, “Why do you think I summoned you to Costa Rica, had you make contact with the Sandinistas?” Paz let out a gasp as he continued, “A true intelligence operative never gets his hands dirty. Need a revolution? Manipulate the locals into doing it for you.”

Snake grunted, “You mean… Amanda?! And the Sandinistas…!” 

Zadornov replied, “You’ve done well. You took a ragtag band of guerillas – children – and shaped them into a full-fledged formidable army. You even managed to get your hands on something not of this world. And now, you’ll truly become our ‘century’s most complete human being’!”

Coldman choked out, “…Che Guevara?”

Zadornov nodded, “None other.” As he made his way down the stairs and past Twilight and Snake, he went on, “A legendary hero who, gunned down by the CIA, becomes a legendary icon. The Sandinistas will rise up in revenge, overthrowing the pro-American regime and wresting Nicaragua from U.S. hands. And the nuclear strike on Cuba, naturally, will be the last straw.”

One of the Russian soldiers reported, “Mammal Pod data entry is complete.”

As he walked past Snake and Twilight, Zadornov grinned, “Dead at age thirty-nine… Just like El Che. Heh… ironic, isn’t it?” Three soldiers suddenly moved forward. Two of them grabbed Snake’s arms, forcing him down onto his knees, while the third approached Twilight and pointed his gun at her, forcing her to take several steps away from Snake. Zadornov pointed his gun down at Snake’s head as he said, “In the end, a legend is merely fiction. You’ll die as The Boss did and become as did she, an eternal fraud.” He glanced over in Twilight’s direction and looked about ready to say something when a loud banging sound followed by an alarm caught his attention.

Suddenly, Mother Base troops led by Miller stormed the room, entering on both levels with guns blazing. Among them were Amanda, Chico, and the rest of the Sandinistas, all of them packing the same weaponry as the rest of the MSF. “¡VENCEREMOS!” Amanda screamed over the sound of firing bullets, Chico yelling as well.

Snake dropped to the ground as the soldiers began falling, including the ones holding him and Twilight captive, multiple screams and groans filling the air as bullets tore into them. Twilight was about to follow Snake’s lead when she saw Zadornov taking aim at him again. She glared, filling her horn with magic. In less than a second, she appeared next to Zadornov and grabbed his gun with her hooves and left wing, his surprise at her sudden appearance more than anything allowing her to knock it out of his hand, the gun clattering to the ground in front of Snake. Reacting to this, Snake reached forward and grabbed it, raising himself onto one knee and whirling around, taking two shots at Zadornov while Twilight leapt back and dropped down.

Zadornov dropped to his knees to avoid getting shot, but he was forced to stay in that position when Amanda and Chico came up behind him, Amanda saying, “Freeze!” as she and Chico pointed their guns at his backside.

Zadornov turned his head to look back up at her and angrily asked, “You dare point your gun at a comrade?!”

As the sound of gunfire died down, Twilight looked up as Amanda said, “We will not be pawns of the KGB. We will win our OWN victory!”

Chico added, “¡Hasta la victoria siempre!”

As several MSF troops surrounded Zadornov, one of the Sandinistas called, “Amanda!” She looked up at that, Twilight noticing she seemed a bit put out at being called by name. “We’re home! Look, we’re back in Nica’! We did it, Amand- I mean, Comandante!” he finished, calling her by the title she had told Twilight she hoped to have one day.

As Snake and Twilight stood up, one of the Mother Base troops asked, “Boss, you hurt…?”

Snake was silent for a second before he grunted, “I’m fine.”

Another one of the troops surprised Twilight when he walked over to her and asked, “Twilight, are you all right?”

She stared up at him for a moment before replying, “I-I’ll be okay.”

As she caught sight of him standing up, Amanda let out a gasp and proclaimed, “Vic Boss!” The other Sandinistas said it as well, starting out quietly, then it became a crescendo as the rest of Snake’s troops began saying it. It wasn’t long before nearly all the troops in the Control Room were triumphantly cheering it.

While Amanda went over to Snake, Twilight turned and made her way up the stairs to where Paz was lying on the floor, her worry managing to push the aftermath of MSF’s rescue out of her mind for the moment. She carefully placed a hoof on the girl’s shoulder and asked, “Paz? Are you… all right?”

Paz took her hands off the back of her head after a moment and slowly looked up at Twilight. She looked like she was in shock, but she was able to shakily ask, “I- Is it over…?”

Twilight helped her raise her upper body up and kept her hoof on her shoulder as she softly answered, “It is, Paz. I know it’s not pleasant to look at, but the danger has passed.” She leaned forward and pulled her into a hug, “It’s over now.” They both looked up a moment later to see that Miller had made his way up to them, the man kneeling down next to them. They looked up and around the Control Room a few moments later, seeing Amanda pulling Snake into a hug and the troops still cheering. As they looked over all this, it really did seem as though the threat of Peace Walker being activated had ended. It was finally over.

Soon…

Twilight sat next to Paz on the helicopter close to the cockpit while Miller talked with Snake. Zadornov sat on the opposite side of the chopper from them in the back, a pair of Mother Base soldiers pointing their guns at him. And across from him, on a small bed they had laid out, was Coldman, the now-closed briefcase still attached to his left wrist. As the last of the choppers lifted off, Miller said, “Paz can stay with us until she’s back on her feet.”

Snake nodded, “And the ‘professor’?”

Miller answered, “We’ll find him a nice, comfy cell. Coldman’s lost a lot of blood; he may not make it.”

Snake asked, “Where’s Amanda?”

Miller replied, “Back with her compas. She’ll catch up later. How about you, Snake…?”

Snake answered, “I’m not done yet.”

Miller questioned, “The AI?”

Snake nodded, “I have to finish this. That… Boss is a fake. I’m gonna bury it.” Miller looked at him for a moment before looking looked towards the front of the chopper, giving a nod. At this, the pilot pulled back on the stick, the chopper lifting off the ground in response.

Miller looked back at Snake as the chopper went up, saying when they were above his head, “We’ll save the champagne until you get back. May as well celebrate peace while it lasts.” With that, he slid the door of the chopper closed and moved up towards the front, sitting down next to Twilight.

As they flew away from the military base towards Mother Base, Twilight kept her right wing wrapped around Paz, trying to comfort her as best she could. She was crying now as the full impact of what Zadornov made her do set in. Miller looked at them for a few moments before he tried to help as well. “Don’t pick up a gun unless you know how to use it. Aiming a weapon alone doesn’t make it a deterrent. You’re the Angel of Peace. Leave the guns to us,” he said to her over her sobbing. After a few seconds, he spoke again, “That was our agreement, remember? The army’s leaving Costa Rica now. The mission is complete.” He asked after a moment, “Paz?”

Even though she was clearly still distraught, Paz turned to him and made the peace sign with her right two fingers. She nodded and smiled, “…Thank you.” Both Twilight and Miller smiled softly back at her.

The peacefulness of the moment when Coldman made groaning noises, which were accompanied by the sound of clacking computer keys. Paz and Twilight were the first to notice, both of them looking towards the back of the chopper as the latter asked, “Coldman…?”

Zadornov soon noticed as well, but Miller didn’t pick up on it until Coldman let out a low chuckle and the suitcase let out a prolonged beeping noise. “…What’s that noise?” Miller asked as he turned to look at the back of the chopper. He quickly realized that Coldman had managed to get the suitcase open again. He stood up and moved to the back of the chopper, picking up the suitcase in both hands despite Coldman’s pained groans and looking at it for a few seconds before asking, “What’d he do…?!”

Zadornov huffed, “I should have killed you when I had the chance!”

Twilight asked, “What’s going on?”

Coldman groaned, “…NORAD’s nightmare is about to begin.” At Miller’s confusion, he slowly explained, “Peace Walker… *hah* determines retaliation targets… based on enemy nuclear strike data… That data… can be sent… to third parties, as well…”

Miller set the briefcase down on Coldman’s stomach and raised his right hand to his ear, saying, “We got big problems, Snake. Coldman’s activated the nuclear launch switch!”

On the other end, Snake asked, “What?! And the target’s Cuba?”

Miller answered, “Yeah, but that’s not it. The son of a bitch has screwed us all over.”

Coldman was sweating heavily as he struggled to say, “When Peace Walker was activated, it started transmitting the false data set to NORAD. *huff, huff* It’s using a spread spectrum MLF signal… it can’t be blacked out, even by EMP.”

Miller mused, “There’s no way to tell the difference between false data and the real thing on a radar screen. NORAD will have no idea it’s all a ruse generated by Peace Walker. They’ll think it’s a real Soviet attack. …They’ll pass on the data to the National Military Command Center…”

Snake finished for him, “And Washington will have to choose whether or not to retaliate.”

Miller said, “This could get ugly! Unless we stop it, we’re looking at a retaliatory chain reaction!”

Coldman started, “No…” He groaned and struggled to gather his strength before continuing, “No need to panic. The nightmare will end soon enough.”

Miller asked, “What do you mean?”

He turned to Zadornov when he explained, “Coldman’s aim is for the bureaucrats in Washington to see the importance of a machine like Peace Walker. …He’s trying to prove that humans don’t possess the will to launch nukes.”

Coldman managed a weak grin, “Everything will be fine. They’ll never retaliate. They’re only human…”

Snake contacted Miller, “Kaz, where’s the President?”

Miller responded, “…Last I heard he was in the middle of SALT-II negotiations in Vladivostok.”

Snake told him, “With the President gone, nuclear launch authority passes to the next person in the chain of succession.”

Miller replied, “The Vice President’s gone too, so after him comes the Speaker…”

Coldman sounded like he was trying to chuckle as he said, “…President, Vice President… Not one among them has the courage to push the button. No one willing to enter history as The Great Destroyer.” He let out a groan before continuing, “In the end, it’s not their lives that people value most… it’s their reputations!”

Dr. Strangelove, who was driving the van that she and Snake were in, said, “The bureaucrats in Washington may not be able to retaliate. Peace Walker, on the other hand… She’s loyal to the mission above all. And she’s well aware that guaranteed retaliation is essential for nuclear deterrence to work.”

Back on the chopper, Coldman, his head shaking as he kept trying to summon the strength to speak, said, “Peace Walker is the perfect deterrent. Cuba would not have been my choice of targets… but you can’t make peace without breaking a few eggs. Now that Peace Walker has the false data… retaliation is inevitable.”

Miller yelled, “Are you insane?! You think it’ll end there?! You’re about to unleash all-out nuclear war!”

Snake ordered, “Somebody find out what’s going on at NORAD!”

Strangelove spoke, “Mammal’s got a connection to NORAD. We could monitor it with the right equipment.”

Back at Mother Base, Huey began typing on his keyboard as he said, “I’ve got you covered.” After a few seconds, he reported, “I’ve got NORAD on the line.”

A male voice came through the chopper’s communications system, “Sir, we’re tracking unidentified targets. Current apogee twenty degrees. Estimated time of reentry is two-two-five-zero Zulu.”

Another voice asked, “Have you contacted the President?”

A third answered, “COVERALL is not responding.”

The first voice said, “Warning system checks out. No corresponding natural signatures. Data is assessed as reliable.”

Snake yelled, “Cut the data transmission! We can’t say for sure Washington isn’t going to retaliate!”

Coldman groaned, “The only one… who knows… the abort code… is… me… I die… and no one can turn it off… Even if they do strike back… I’ll already… be dead…” He began to raise his left hand, “I can only pray… that my theory… my peace… is proven right…” He managed to make the peace sign with his fingers. “Pea… ce,” he barely managed to get out before his hand fell, the suitcase crashing onto the floor of the chopper as the sound of a heart monitor flatline filled the air.

“…Go to Defcon 3.”

“Get SAC on the phone.”

“This is Crystal Palace. Standby for an emergency meeting.”

Thanks to the connection to NORAD, they were picking up other conversations regarding the false data being sent by Peace Walker.

“…They’re at Defcon 3,” Huey reported.

“The false data and the nukes are both coming from the same source… We have to stop Peace Walker!” Miller ordered.

Strangelove spoke, “The only way is to destroy her.” There was a screeching sound as the van slid to a stop, followed by her saying, “She’s entered Launch Mode. Peace Walker’s rendered her judgement. The target… is Cuba!”

Miller said, “Snake, don’t let it launch the nuke!”

A loud roar was soon heard from the machine and Huey reported afterwards, “It’s calculating ballistic trajectory… Once that’s finished, it’s all over.”

Miller said, “Snake, you’ve got to destroy the platform!” Twilight and Paz looked at each other worriedly. What was going to happen next?
> Peace Walker Battle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight and Paz turned around in their seats to look out the chopper’s windows back towards the base. Their chopper had not followed the rest back to Mother Base, instead hovering over the lake well outside the area of operations due to the sudden turn the situation had taken. As such, they were pretty far out, but they could still make out Peace Walker standing in Launch Mode, making the necessary calculations for to launch its nuclear missile. They could also faintly see explosions along the side of it, no doubt from Snake trying to stop it. These were soon followed by explosions off to the side away from it. Peace Walker must’ve launched some missiles of its own, but it was remained as it was. If it stayed like this…

After several long tense moments, an explosion hit its head that caused it to react, its body shuddering as it got out of Launch Mode and instead went to Self-Defense Mode, finally turning to face Snake. It was still easy to follow and they could still faintly see explosions from when Snake attacked, but they had no idea how he was doing. Twilight was getting more and more nervous as she watched the AI weapon move, knowing that, at any second, it could easily end his life in a number of ways.

Twilight looked up at Miller and asked, “Miller, isn’t there anything we can do to help him?”

The man replied, “Most of our choppers are too far out; it’d take them too long to get back here. And Amanda and her compas didn’t come equipped to fight something like Peace Walker. All we can do right now is provide support any way we can.”

As if on cue, Paz spoke up, “Look!” Both Twilight and Miller looked out the window to see a cardboard box being carried by a Fulton balloon flying past the chopper, heading for the base.

“What’s that?” Twilight asked.

“Supply drop. Thank God Snake requested those Supply Markers on his way to the facility. He’s probably going to need the extra ammo to take down this tank,” Miller replied.

Twilight looked at him, “So all of this is normal for him?”

Miller answered, “Well, maybe not the AI part, but this is definitely not the first nuclear-equipped tank he’s taken down.”

Twilight looked back out the window, “How is that balloon traveling so fast?”

Miller replied, “That would be due to the new transport catapult we built on Mother Base. We just load it up with cardboard boxes and let ‘em go.”

Twilight sighed, “I’m so used to being directly involved with stopping threats and solving problems. This sitting around and waiting is actually harder to do than I thought.”

Miller regarded her for several moments before starting, “Well, you could probably get back to the base faster than any of the other choppers, and you wouldn’t really need to prep…”

Twilight looked up at him, “So…?”

Paz added, “Commander Miller?”

The man looked over at the latter and said, “Paz, I told you, you can call me Kaz.” He then looked at Twilight, “And I’m not so sure letting you go out again is such a good idea after you got captured by Zadornov.”

Twilight felt both embarrassment and annoyance as he brought that up and argued, “Okay, he ambushed us and caught us off guard, okay? And I got captured because I hesitated; that won’t happen here. I fought a magic-stealing centaur at least half the size of Peace Walker before I came to this world and I sure didn’t hesitate when he was throwing fire at me. The circumstances are different, but I don’t see any reason to stop or hold back when there’s a weapon threatening Mother Base and the rest of the world.”

Miller stared at her for a short while. His sunglasses made it impossible to have any idea of what he was thinking, but he eventually groaned, “She’s got spirit, that’s for sure. Wonder how close its gotten her to getting killed in the past…” Twilight was about to say something, but he stood up before she could get a word up and turned around, raising his hands up to open and reach into the compartment overhead. Twilight looked up at him, wondering what he was doing.

After a few seconds, he pulled his arms back to his chest and knelt down. In his hands was a tan pack attached to a belt that looked big enough to be worn on the hips. “What…” Twilight started before he reached forward, getting his arms around her and pressing the pack against her back. He then moved his hands towards the straps, bringing them together in front and bringing the ends of the belt together, Twilight grunting as he tightened it.

Once Miller was sure it was securely fastened, he said, “Stand up and turn around.” Although confused, Twilight did as she was told and stood with her backside facing him. He then reached into the pack and pulled out an earpiece that was connected to a small box with a button taking up most of it, a small stick underneath the button. He turned the switch on the back of the box to the ‘ON’ position before reaching forward again, placing the earpiece in her right ear. He messed with the length of the wire for a second before closing the pack, feeling she had enough cord length. “All right, all done,” he stated a moment later.

Twilight turned around to face him, the earpiece already starting to bother her. “What is this?” she asked as she reached her right hoof up towards it.

Miller caught her hoof with his right hand and said, “It’s a radio, different from the one you had on Mother Base.” He pointed to her ear, “That earpiece will let you hear what we’re saying.” He then pointed to the box, which hung between her neck and chest, “The button lets you send and receive calls. The little stick lets you change the frequency. It’s a bit of an old model, but it’ll works for what you need it for right now.” He then let go of her hoof.

As her hoof went back down onto the floor, Twilight asked, “So… I can go?”

Miller’s eyebrows narrowed, “You can go back to the base, sure, on one condition: you listen to whatever Snake tells you. If he’s okay with it, then you can help him. If he says no, you turn right around and come back here. If you want to go out on the battlefield, then know this: he is your Boss as well now, and he gets the final say here.” Twilight glanced down in thought, but looked up and nodded in understanding a moment later. Miller then moved to the right side of the chopper and slid the door open, moving out of the way and gesturing with his left arm for her to go. Twilight nodded and spread her wings, running towards the opening and jumping out. She let herself fall a little to put some distance between her and the helicopter blades before she shot off towards the base.

As she got closer to the base, she became worried because she couldn’t see Peace Walker anywhere. Suddenly, it emerged from the water, placing its forelegs on the ground and remaining in that position. Judging from the white cloud coming from its missile launcher, she guessed it was back in Launch Mode. She narrowed her eyes and flew faster, using her wings to hover over it as she fired several moderately-charged beams of magic from her horn. They caused the machine to buckle and close the cap on its missile launcher as it said, “Switching to Self-Defense Mode.” Twilight flew and landed off to the left as it began to pull the rest of its body up out of the lake.

As she landed, she heard Snake ask, “Back for more, huh, Twilight?” She looked up and saw him standing a short distance away with what looked like a black switch in his right hand.

“It is actually a little boring sitting around waiting for something to happen. I’m sorry. I can leave if you don’t want me here,” she said in a straightforward manner.

Before Snake could reply, Peace Walker let out a loud roar that caused them both to wince. As the roar ended, they heard it say in The Boss’ voice, “Face me!”

Snake looked up at the AI weapon for a moment before saying to Twilight, “I was just about to call in a supply drop. Can you keep it busy for a minute?” Twilight replied by doing a right-hoofed salute and spreading her wings before turning to look at Peace Walker.

While Snake pressed the button to send out the call, Twilight folded her wings and ran towards Peace Walker. As she got closer, the AI weapon bent forward and said in its mechanical voice, “Flamethrower engaged.” Twilight came to a stop and leapt back when it started shooting fire out from underneath its head, but she calmed down a bit when she realized it had a limited range. It kept firing for several seconds even though there was nothing in its range and she took the opportunity to land some free shots on it, aiming for the Reptile Pod under its head.

As the flamethrower stopped firing, Twilight heard a pop behind her and looked back to see a cardboard box drop down on top of the marker after the balloon carrying it burst. She raised an eyebrow when Snake opened the top of the box and climbed inside, the flaps closing once he was all the way in. The box shook for a moment before it broke apart, Snake now having more ammo for his Carl Gustav missile launcher and a new machine gun strapped to his leg. Twilight was glad he got his supplies, but she also wondered what happened to his other gun. She didn’t get a chance to ask him, though.

“Firing drill missiles,” Peace Walker droned, both Twilight and Snake turning to look at it. The hatch on the smaller missile launcher was open and it was launching a pair of missiles that did look like drills at the ground.

“Move!” Snake yelled and Twilight flapped her wings, leaping back before he began firing at the missiles, managing to destroy them as they began to spin around. Once the dust had cleared, Snake said, “Keep shooting, but keep moving too. You should be able to avoid most of its artillery if you don’t stop.” He then began firing at the Reptile Pod, Twilight joining in with her magic after a second.

After several seconds of this, Peace Walker said, “Commencing jump.” While it was saying this, it bent its legs inward and then did a mighty jump backwards, landing far away from Snake and Twilight at the other end of the road. It then began walking behind the warehouses, both Snake and Twilight hurrying after it. They had only just gotten past the second of the three warehouses before they heard it say again, “Commencing jump.” This jump ended up putting it so close to the two that it was almost on top of them, the impact from the landing stunning them for a few seconds. While they were recovering, it said, “Firing drill missiles.” This time it fired five of them and there wasn’t any time to stop them before they started drilling, so Snake started running and Twilight followed his lead. Each of the missiles only came up in one spot before they exploded, so Snake had been right about it being a good idea to stay in motion.

Once the explosions stopped, Snake turned and pulled his missile launcher off of his back while saying, “Now!” His missile ended up hitting the side of its round head, causing it to turn to its right to look at him. Twilight saw an opening and spread her wings, flying up and getting above it before flying towards it. As she did, Peace Walker attempted to attack Snake with regular missiles, but after the first one was fired, Twilight began firing her magic at the open ports to try to shoot them down. She managed to destroy a few, their explosions causing some damage to Peace Walker. She then started firing her magic at the top of it, but she was forced to break off to avoid being hit when it reared back, narrowly missing getting hit by its nuclear missile launcher.

Twilight flew off to the side a bit and looked back at Peace Walker as it said, “Firing S-mines.” At this, it shot off six umbrella-shaped explosives that went off a few seconds after being released. Twilight flew further away to avoid them, but thankfully, they didn’t have a wide blast radius. Relieved to have avoided the explosions, Twilight flew back towards Peace Walker after Snake hit it with another missile, putting more magic into her attacks as she fired more shots at it. She then turned and flew behind it, Peace Walker jumping up and turning to follow her, giving Snake a chance to fire another missile at it once he was done reloading.

It was clear that Snake had already done quite a bit of damage to Peace Walker before Twilight arrived, but it was still fighting as hard as it could. It still had a couple of other attacks, including a beam that it announced it was using by saying “Freeze!” before emitting an orange beam from its eye. Twilight guessed it was able to stop them in place since neither she nor Snake were caught by it. It could also emit an electromagnetic pulse that prevented Snake from using his missiles and, at one point, it even stood up on its hind legs and walked forward for a bit while firing its flamethrower and S-mines. Despite all this, the two kept doing their best to dodge its attacks while trying to attack it back, especially when it went into Launch Mode one more time.

Finally, Peace Walker made one last attempt to take them both down by charging forward at them. They both managed to get out of its way, Twilight by flying up and Snake by rolling to the side. Snake picked himself up afterwards and reloaded his launcher, firing a missile at the Reptile Pod when it turned to look at him, hitting the large cylinder dead center. He had just finished loading another missile when its body began to shake, explosions suddenly going off beneath its armor. It shook and staggered for several seconds, trying to stay up all the while before finally slumping forward, its back legs remaining up while its head and forelegs lay on the ground as it came to a halt, facing the lake. As she and Snake stared at it from some distance away, Twilight wondered, “Did we…?”

They both soon heard Miller’s voice in their ears, “It stopped moving… Snake, Twilight, you did it. You stopped the launch!”

Snake asked, “Huey, how’s NORAD?!”

The scientist answered back in a worried tone, “Not good…” Due to the connection still being open, they were all able to hear what was going on at NORAD as well as in Washington D.C.

“BMEWS continues track the targets on radar.”

“DSP satellite status is green. Still assessing as reliable.”

“Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, a representative of the Secretary of Defense and Congress have arrived at NMCC.”

“We’ve got fifteen-hundred ICBMs crossing the North Pole. Target region is confirmed as the west coast of the United States.”

“Go to Defcon 2. Prepare to launch ICBMs.”

Huey spoke, “You’ve only damaged the drive system… The data uplink’s still intact…”

Snake asked, “How do I make it stop?!”

Huey replied, “Peace Walker is a fully autonomous system. Unlike the other machines you’ve fought, its command authorities are all located inside its cerebrum, the Mammal Pod.”

Strangelove, who had driven the van up closer after Peace Walker stopped moving, said, “We’ve got to stop the Mammal Pod…! I don’t have the abort code either; Coldman was the only one…”

Miller spoke, “Snake, Twilight! Destroy the AI inside the Mammal Pod!” Snake raised his rifle and Twilight channeled her magic into her horn, making it glow. They both fired several shots at the pod, but Snake’s bullets bounced off and Twilight’s magic bolts barely left any mark on its surface.

“What’s that thing made of?” Twilight asked.

Huey answered, “The inner barrier protecting the Mammal Pod is designed to be as strong as a bomb shelter.”

Twilight didn’t need any further details; she knew shelters were meant to be safe, sturdy locations and a bomb shelter would have to be especially strong to protect those within. “What’s it going to take to get through it?” she asked.

Huey hesitantly replied, “I… I guess an atomic bomb would do it…”

Snake angrily spoke up for both of them, “You trying to be funny?!”

Huey answered in an irritated tone, “No! I’m telling you, that armor was designed to withstand a nuclear war!”

While they were talking, the Mammal Pod’s active data link was still letting them listen in on the situation in America, including the meeting in the Emergency Conference Room in the Pentagon’s National Military Command Center.

“We can’t get through to the President. The decision is on us.”

“You can’t be serious!”

“There’s no way I’m gonna wipe out the human race.”

“This is the President’s call!”

“There’s no time for that. We need a decision, now.”

Snake grunted, “Huey, get the Pentagon on the line! We have to tell them the nukes aren’t real!” He then started running towards the van with Twilight following close behind.

Huey started typing away as he said, “I’ll give it a shot.”

While he was trying to connect with one of the phones in the NMCC, the situation was starting to get worse.

“Forget the order of succession. If we’re all going to Hell, let’s take those bastards with us!”

“We have twelve minutes to impact, sir.”

“…May God have mercy on our souls.”

Miller exclaimed, “Jesus… Coldman guessed wrong! They’re gonna go through with it!”

Huey mused, “The platform’s sustained a lot of external damage. All we need is some pressure…”

Miller questioned, “Pressure?”

Huey spoke, “Sink it in the lake. With that much water pressure, even the tiniest crack should be enough to flood the innards. The AI pod is a mass of highly sensitive electronics. Short the contacts and the signal will stop.”

Miller asked, “How much does that thing weigh?”

Huey answered, “Five-hundred tons.”

Twilight, who was standing next to the open door on the van’s passenger side, said, “I’ve never used my magic to lift anything that heavy before, and I used a lot of it just trying to stop Peace Walker from moving.”

Miller grunted, “It’s hopeless. We can’t move that thing.”

Snake grabbed a phone that was built into the van as he ordered, “GET THE PENTAGON ON THE PHONE!”

While NORAD continued to monitor the false data, at the Pentagon, one of the Congressmen spoke to the Chairman, “Sir, we’ve got a call!”

The Chairman asked, “The President?!”

The Congressman answered, “No, sir.”

The Chairman questioned, “Then who?” When the Congressman hesitated, he demanded, “Spit it out!”

The Congressman said, “He claims to be… Big Boss.”

The Chairman exclaimed, “Big Boss? Patch him through!”

Snake held the receiver up to his right ear and spoke, “Mr. Chairman, I’ll get straight to the point. Cancel the retaliatory strike, now!” When the Chairman questioned him, he explained, “The radar blips you’re seeing are all fakes. No one’s launched any nukes.”

The Chairman asked, “How do you know?”

Snake said, “The launch data is fake, part of an experiment that leaked. You weren’t supposed to receive it. Your radar is showing missiles that don’t exist.”

The Chairman replied, “If you’re lying, we’ve got ten minutes ‘til we’re toast. We have to retaliate or more Americans die.”

Everyone involved looked on in trepidation as Snake explained, “The experiment was planned and executed by the CIA’s station chief in Central America.”

The Chairman said, “Then put him on!”

Snake replied, “He’s dead. I can give you his name, though.”

The Chairman demanded, “We need more than the authentication code you gave the switchboard. We need proof you’re actually Big Boss. Do you have any?”

Snake hesitated, letting out a soft groan from between his lips before he started, “All right… If you know the name Big Boss… then maybe you were there… at the ceremony… when I received the title from President Johnson.”

The Chairman nodded, “Indeed I was…”

A Congressman yelled, “We don’t have time for this bullshit!”

The Chairman rebuked him, “Hold it! Let’s hear him out.” He held the phone back up to his ear, “You were saying?”

Snake continued, “At the ceremony, the DCI tried to shake my hand. …I refused. What happened in that room is classified – top secret. Only a handful of people would know.”

Another Congressman spoke up, “He’s making it up! Don’t listen to him!”

The Chairman said, “Wait!” He returned to the phone, “Why did you refuse to shake his hand?”

Snake remembered going to the cemetery, making one final salute on The Boss’ grave as he answered, “Because… I knew where my loyalty belonged.”

There was a tense moment of silence before the Chairman spoke up, “Everybody, listen to me! Those Soviet missiles are fakes!”

The first Congressman asked, “What?! You’re actually going to believe him?”

Another Congressman agreed, “He’s right! This is some sort of Commie trick!”

The Chairman said, “No, it’s the real Big Boss. Trust me.”

The first Congressman demanded, “How can you know for sure?!”

The Chairman answered, “Because I was the Army Chief of Staff back then, and I was standing right next to the DCI when it happened. I saw everything.” The Congressman let out a grunt of disbelief. The Chairman then spoke into the phone, “You saved us all, Big Boss. We’ll stand down the alert.”

Snake let out a sigh before nodding, “Thank you.”

The Chairman replied, “When we meet again… I hope you’ll shake my hand.” The situation was only averted temporarily, however. The Chairman suddenly let out a gasp as a gun was clicked and held up to the side of his head. “What are you doing?!” he exclaimed.

The Congressman answered, “Sorry, Chairman, but we are NOT standing down!”

Snake slammed the phone down, “Dammit…!”

Miller growled, “Those worthless sacks of…”

Twilight’s anxiety began to come back full force at this, knowing it was going to take more than words now to convince. They either needed to shut down the Mammal Pod or find a way to reveal its existence to the world in less than ten minutes or a nuclear war was going to break out. She glanced around as she tried to think of something. While she was doing this, she caught sight of something that caused her to stop and take a second look. “A butterfly? Here?” she wondered aloud, seeing a small butterfly with light blue and orange wings flying in front of the van.

Snake noticed it too out of the corner of his eye and muttered, “Wait…”

They all looked towards Peace Walker, seeing more butterflies fluttering around it, as its Mammal Pod spoke, “Jack…” A second later, it slid up out of the groove it was nestled in, standing upright and opening the hatch on top as it repeated, “Jack…”

Strangelove gasped, “It’s opening…?” Snake stepped out of the van for a better look as a whole flock of butterflies came out of the pod. Strangelove pulled her sunglasses off and breathed, “She’s calling to you…”

Twilight looked at where the pod was for a second before turning to look up at Snake and saying, “Snake!” He looked down at her and saw her horn glowing with magic. He nodded to her after a moment and she spread her wings, flying towards Peace Walker as he broke out into a mad dash after her. She kept looking up at the pod as she flew, quickly running through calculations in her head before she dropped down a short distance away from Peace Walker and spun around to face Snake. Once he was close enough, she grabbed his foot with her magic, lifted him off the ground, and gave him a hard toss up towards the pod.

As he was soaring through the air, Miller said, “Destroy the Mammal Pod and the data will stop flowing!”

Twilight ended up being spot-on with her toss as Snake disappeared through the opening, Strangelove murmuring as he did, “Please, stop her…”

Twilight turned and took a couple steps back from Peace Walker, getting a good view of the Mammal Pod from the ground. As she looked at the pod, the red light on the front of it started blinking as it spoke, “I’ve been waiting, Snake, for a long time. Waiting for your birth, your growth, and the finality of today. …I didn’t raise you and shape you into the man you are today just so we could face each other in battle. A soldier’s skills aren’t meant to be used to hurt friends. So then what is an enemy? Is there such a thing as an absolute timeless enemy? There is no such thing, and never has been. And the reason is that our enemies are human beings, like us. They can only be our enemies in relative terms. The world must be made whole again. The Philosophers must be reunited. I will devote my skills to that purpose. And with the Colonel’s money, I will achieve that end. Just as I once created the Cobras. They are my family. I may no longer be able to bear children, but I still have a family.”

Twilight stared up at the pod with wide eyes as she listened in. Was everything the Mammal Pod was saying scripted, that it was meant to repeat everything The Boss had ever said, or was it actually thinking of all this even as Snake was trying to stop the data uplink? Regardless, she kept looking up at it and listening while hoping that, if anything was going wrong, she would spot it right away.

“The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”

“Kill me… Kill me now… Do it.”

“There is nothing left inside me now…”

“Shall we walk through the rainy plain of Spain?”

“All that is left for you to take… is my life.”

“Pi is equal to 3.254637369888888…”

Twilight finally looked down and held her hooves up to her head as she listened to the AI try to recite the digits. “No, no! That’s not right! Is it because Snake is pulling her apart? Is she forgetting things?” she wondered.

“Let’s make this the greatest ten minutes of our lives.”

“All that is left for you to take… is my life.”

“The lonely fox chases the one-eyed hound.”

“I have been waiting, Snake, for a long time…”

“Shall we walk through the rainy plain of Spain?”

Suddenly, she said, “Pi is… Pi is…” Twilight leaned forward subconsciously, wondering what she was about to say. “…about three,” she finished. That confirmed it for Twilight. If she did know the digits of Pi, then the process of shutting down the pod was causing her to forget.

“Commence the operation.”

“Prove your loyalty!”

“Kawanishi-noseguchi, Kinunobebashi, Takiyama, Uguisunomori, Tsuzumigataki, Tada, Hirano, Ichinotorii, Uneno, Yamashita, Sasabe, Kofudai, Tokiwadai, Myokenguchi.”

“You’re a soldier…”

“Thank you for listening to me.”

“Pi is… Pi is… about three.”

As she listened, it sounded to Twilight like the AI was having difficulty just trying to replicate The Boss’ voice. It almost sounded like it was becoming more garbled. Suddenly, it began desperately saying, “Jack…! Jack…! Jack…! J-ack…! J-ac-k…!”

A few seconds later, Strangelove reported, “Valid data regions: zero.”

Huey added, “Exit all done.” After he said this, Twilight noticed the light on the pod dim until it was completely off.

“…It stopped,” she heard Snake say over the radio.

At this, she held her hoof up to her right ear and asked, “Huey? Has the transmission stopped?”

There was a moment of silence before she heard the sound of static followed by the alarm going off at NORAD. Huey let out a gasp and asked, “The data uplink’s bypassing the Mammal Pod…?”

At the Pentagon, the Chairman said, “Put down the gun! Come to your senses, man! The fate of the world… the fate of the Earth is at stake here!” More guns could be heard being readied in the background, the Chairman letting out a grunt.

Twilight heard metal banging over the radio accompanied by Snake exclaiming and grunting, “Why?! …I don’t understand!! …Answer me!! Tell me why!! Answer me!!!! BO-O-O-OSS!!!!” She could hear him desperately breathing and coughing; he sounded like he was running out of strength to keep fighting when everything they had done so far did nothing to make the situation better.

“Six minutes remaining.”

The first Congressman spoke, “…Wait. Authority rests with me now. I’m ordering a retaliation.”

The Chairman yelled, “No, don’t! It’s the end of us all!”

One of the other Congressmen said, “Who gives a damn?! I’m not gonna sit here and die like a dog!”

Another said, “If the Russians are gonna kill my family and destroy my country, I’m taking them with me!”

A third asked, “You see now, Chairman? Deterrence is just a fool’s dream.”

Twilight looked back up at Peace Walker and cried, “Why?! Why isn’t it stopping?!”

As she saw Snake climbing out of the pod, she heard footsteps coming up behind her and heard Strangelove say, “Sometimes the body continues to live even after the brain is damaged.” She looked back at the woman, “The Boss AI isn’t doing this. I think it’s something rather more… primitive…”

Huey voiced his agreement, “Reptile has taken up Mammal’s dying wish…”

Twilight looked back up and saw Snake drop down from the top of the pod on Peace Walker’s back. He quietly said, “No…” before looking down at Twilight and Strangelove and desperately saying not just to them, but everybody, “Stop it… Don’t just sit there! STOP IT!”
> The Illusion of Peace
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Snake had made his way down from Peace Walker and was looking at it from its left side while Twilight and Dr. Strangelove stood on the opposite side, all of them looking up at the severely damaged machine before them. Despite the damage done to it and the Mammal Pod having all of its memory boards removed, it was still transmitting the false data. It spoke, its electronic voice no longer sounding anything like The Boss’ voice, “MIRV re-entry vehicles detected five-thousand two-hundred, five-thousand three-hundred… Entering terminal phase.”

Snake was already pulling the Carl Gustav rocket launcher off his back when Miller contacted him, “Snake! You have to stop that data from being sent!” He still had a couple missiles left over from the supply drop and he immediately loaded one into the launcher after he launched the one in it up at Peace Walker’s drill missile launcher. The explosion from the second one caused the launcher to break off and fall to the ground.

Strangelove and Twilight moved away from Peace Walker as he began reloading again, both knowing he was going to throw everything he had it to get the data flow to stop. They stopped in front of one of the warehouses on the side of the road as he finished reloading and watched him fire it up at the Mammal Pod. After a few seconds, Miller shouted in Twilight’s ear, “Don’t just stand there, Twilight! Help him out!” Twilight didn’t really appreciate the screaming in her ear, but she knew he was right. Snake was trying to do something, anything that would cause the contacts to short like Huey mentioned. Even if it meant pushing herself to her limits, she had no reason not to be helping him out.

She looked back at Strangelove before spreading her wings and flying towards Peace Walker again, her horn already glowing with magic. She began firing magic shots at it as she got closer to add something to the damage Snake was doing with his missiles, which he was quickly running out of. It wasn’t long after she landed that he switched to the M60 he had called for earlier, both him and Twilight moving around it while firing up at it, explosions going off every few seconds that caused the machine to shake and let out what sounded like a scream. As they continued firing at it, they could hear the others talking over the radio.

“I’m scared, Amanda…” Chico murmured.

“Do something, Snake!” Miller yelled.

“Snake…” Paz breathed.

“Is there nothing we can do?!” Amanda asked.

In the midst of their firing on the AI weapon, a jolt seemed to run through its body as it struggled to extend its back legs to their full height like it was trying to get up. It managed to do it, but it then froze in that position, its legs remaining extended even as it shook from the explosions that were occurring even in its legs.

Despite the M60’s large magazine, Snake did not have infinite ammo. After reloading twice, he found himself unable to reload when his gun became empty for a third time. Twilight wasn’t in much better shape, the earlier fight with Peace Walker having taken a toll on her magic reserves and now she was really starting to feel it, the beginning of a headache making it difficult for her to focus. She dropped down to the ground next to Snake and held a hoof to her forehead while he prepared to throw a supply drop marker, but Twilight forgot about her pain and Snake didn’t throw the marker due to a prolonged shudder running through Peace Walker catching their attention.

All of a sudden, Peace Walker began to move again, raising itself up from the ground as its electronic voice began droning, “Estimated time to impact, two-hundred seconds, one-hundred ninety-five seconds, one-hundred ninety seconds…” It dropped down from its full height, seemingly unable to do any more, and slammed its head against the ground. “…one-hundred eighty-five seconds, one-hundred eighty seconds, one-hundred seventy-five seconds, one-hundred seventy seconds, one-hundred sixty-five seconds, one-hundred sixty seconds…” As Snake, Strangelove, and Twilight stared at it, they noticed the red lights going around the Mammal Pod flickering. Suddenly, the pod itself began to move. “…one-hundred… fifty-five seconds, one… hundred… fifty… ty seconds, one-hun… five seconds…”

The red lights turned back on, as bright as ever, and the Mammal Pod shook again as Peace Walker began to struggle to stand up again, slipping once before managing to successfully raise itself up. The red light on the front of the pod began to blink rapidly as it reached its full height and stood its ground. It looked out at Lake Colcibolga as, instead of the electronic voice, everyone began to hear music coming from it. It was a short melody, then they heard, “Sing… Sing… a… sing a, sing a… song.” The flock of butterflies from before began fluttering around Peace Walker again as it continued, its voice becoming less electronic and more life-like as the melody began to accompany its words.

“Boss…?” Snake asked.

“That voice…” Strangelove murmured as she stepped up next to Twilight.

“Is she… singing?” Twilight asked in wonder.

Suddenly, the red lights on the Mammal Pod changed to yellow and Peace Walker began to walk forward. “What…?” Strangelove breathed.

In Washington D.C., the Congressmen finally stopped pointing guns at each other as they began to hear the song too. “…What’s going on?” the first Congressman asked.

“That… song…” the Chairman breathed.

In Nicaragua, Snake took a step forward as he asked, “Boss… Is that you…?”

At Mother Base, Huey’s right hand shook a short distance away from his glasses as he stared at what was happening on his screen. “How in the…?” he started to say.

Peace Walker raised its left front leg and moved forward, setting it down in the water followed by its right front leg. “A ghost in the machine…?” Strangelove breathed as it continued walking forward, even as its whole body became surrounded by water.

“She’s heading for the deeper water,” Twilight realized as Peace Walker slowly began to sink below the surface.

“She’s drowning herself to stop the transmission?” Strangelove asked. As Huey had predicted, the contacts getting wet shorted them out and the false data stopped appearing on NORAD’s map, but even then, Peace Walker didn’t stop walking out into the lake.

While watching, Huey spoke, “It’s functional compensation. When the human brain is damaged, sometimes it recovers over time. Other parts of the brain take over functions of the damaged parts. Mammal and Reptile were patterned after different parts of the human brain. When those parts were assembled together into one, they must’ve become capable of functional compensation…”

On NORAD’s map, the points of impact disappeared and were replaced with peace symbols, not only on the United States, but the rest of the world as well. “Her memories… remained with her…” Strangelove murmured. Her shoulders began to shake and her breath quickened, “Is this her answer? This song?”

As Peace Walker began to sink completely beneath the lake’s surface, the rays of the Sun began to poke through the clouds in the sky. “It’s clearly not thinking rationally… It’s not using its head… It’s using… its heart,” Huey realized.

“This is the fate she chose for herself,” Strangelove choked out.

Out over the lake, Miller’s chopper continued to hover high above the water, the blonde-haired man having witnessed everything through the chopper’s windows. He let out a sigh and said, “The Boss’ innocence has been proven…” He looked over at Paz, seeing her draw out the peace symbol in the condensation on the window next to her, “Do you hear it, Snake? Do you hear The Boss’ song?”

Back at the base, Twilight noticed one last butterfly overhead, its brightly colored wings carrying it out over the lake towards Peace Walker. As she watched it, she heard Strangelove say, “You saw it, didn’t you? …When you went to space… that there’s beauty outside of battle. At last, I understand. In the end… it was you who put down your gun… and chose instead to sing…” Her voice began to break, “They can all hear you… I know they can… And your will shall surely live on. That’s what you wanted… So much that you gave up everything you had… But you couldn’t achieve it.” Twilight looked up at her as she heard the woman start to softly sob. “Isn’t that right? And still all you can do is sing. There’s no peace to be found, anywhere. And so, we can only keep on hoping… Hoping for the illusion we call peace.”

Twilight looked back at the lake, seeing Peace Walker nowhere in sight. She thought she saw something whipping through the air heading out over the lake, but she couldn’t think about it. She didn’t want to think about it; at that moment, all she could think about was what she had just witnessed, about how her understanding of this world was being questioned once again by this sacrificial, selfless act.

________________________________________

Twilight could feel her eyes growing wet as she watched Peace Walker’s final moments play out before her again. She’d insisted on using her magic to show the end of the incident, saying she didn’t think words would be able to convey what she saw. It seemed to have had the effect she was hoping for; as she used a hoof to wipe her eyes, she looked over at her family and friends and saw that they seemed to be amazed by what they had seen.

Rainbow was the first to say something. “Whoa, Twilight… Was… Is that…?” she tried to say.

“Yes, Rainbow. Peace Walker really did that. No one told it to do that; it made that decision,” she said.

“Twilight, that’s amazing. That doesn’t happen every day, does it?” Spike asked.

“It certainly doesn’t, Spike. I was very lucky to have been there and witnessed that,” Twilight replied.

Naturally, Discord felt it was his duty at this point to interject with his two bits. Everyone looked at him when he bent his long body forward, his half-lidded eyes close to the magic screen as he looked at it. “Hmm… The videography is quite good, and it’s an emotional piece to be sure. I do have one question, though.” He turned his head to look at Twilight, “Why was it all black, white, and gray?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow as she glanced at the screen, then back at him. “I don’t know. I didn’t do anything to it. It just… came out that way?” she shrugged after a moment.

Discord’s expression didn’t change as he said, “Hm. Well, if you’re going to be using magic like that, Twilight, then you should be able to explain what appears better. Maybe you should study more. Or maybe your horn simply needs an upgrade.” As he was finishing, he started moving his lion paw up and over to her horn, one finger extended as if he was going to tap her horn with it. He stopped short when Shining loudly cleared his throat, causing the draconequus to stop short and Twilight’s screen to disappear as everyone looked at him. “Oh please, Shining Armor. What are you trying to do, one-up your sister?” he asked, keeping his finger where it was.

“Back off, Discord,” Shining ordered firmly.

The draconequus snorted as he pulled his paw back, “You know, you’re not really going to do it right if that’s the best you can do.” Still he complied, going back to his regular sitting position.

Celestia gave a hum before saying, “Well, as Spike said, Twilight, that was certainly a powerful spectacle to be a witness to. Perhaps in some way, magic does exist in that world.” She saw her former student give a slight nod before looking off to the side a bit sadly. “Is something wrong, Twilight?” she asked.

Everyone looked at Twilight as she started, “Uh… I don’t think I could ever forget that. It was an incredible sight to behold and definitely a ray of hope in what was a very bleak situation. Just… I…”

Rainbow spoke up, “What? Spit it out, Twilight!”

The lavender alicorn finished, “It’s just… kind of a shame that Snake didn’t see it like Strangelove did, that what Peace Walker did wasn’t the answer he was expecting.”

That statement resulted in confused looks from everyone. “Whatever do you mean, Twilight Sparkle? You said Snake raised his hand in a salute to what Peace Walker did. You even showed it in your… recording,” Luna said.

Twilight replied, “Yes, I know, Luna. But did you also notice that he took off his bandanna and threw it to the wind? That’s what I saw flying through the air.”

Rarity asked, “So? What does a scrap of old cloth he was wearing have to do with anything, Twilight?”

Twilight answered, “That bandanna used to belong to The Boss, Rarity. Snake told me about it once. He said he pulled it off of her head when she ‘defected’ to the Soviet Union. He wore it for the entirety of Operation: Snake Eater.”

Pinkie piped up, “Ooh! Then he was wearing that bandanna for a long time! That means head had it for like… ten years, right?”

Twilight nodded, “Right, Pinkie. And in spite of that and what The Boss meant to him, he still took it off and let it go.”

Rainbow asked, “Why?”

________________________________________

Twilight was looking up at Snake curiously when she heard Dr. Strangelove start to walk away. She turned to look and saw her pass by Miller, who was walking towards them. The two passed each other without a word and continued walking, Miller coming to a stop near the two. He looked down at Twilight as he spoke, “There you two are. Come on, Twilight, let’s get you back to Mother Base. After all you’ve been through… you must be starving.”

Twilight glanced down at her stomach, blushing as heard it let out a rumble at Miller’s words. “Yeah… I am,” she admitted. She’d had to put it at the back of her mind due to everything that happened since she was captured, but it hadn’t gone away completely. She’d tired out sooner than normal because she was running on adrenaline rather than proper fuel for her body.

“We landed the chopper over there. Just follow Strangelove; we’ll be right behind you,” Miller said. Twilight nodded and walked around him, trotting after Dr. Strangelove. As she walked away, she heard him say, “Snake? You still here? C’mon, let’s go back.”

She almost didn’t catch it, but she came to a stop when she overheard Snake say, “I’m not going back.” Twilight turned around in alarm at that, seeing Miller looking at him like he was trying to figure him out.

“Huh?” Miller asked.

Snake stated, “I’m done.”

Miller started, “Snake, you don’t mean…”

Snake looked up, looking out over the lake as he clarified, “I’m done looking for the truth.”

Miller asked, “What are you saying, Snake?”

Snake shook his head, “I was wrong.”

Miller held out his right hand in the direction of the chopper, “C’mon, Boss. Everybody’s waiting for you.”

Snake quietly said, “…She betrayed me, Kaz.”

Miller was just as confused as Twilight about that statement. “She what?” he asked.

Snake continued, “In the end, she put down her gun. And when she did… she rejected her entire life up to that point… including me.”

Miller shook his head, “What do you mean?”

Snake finished, “In giving up her life, she abandoned everything she was as a soldier…”

Miller questioned, “And you consider that betrayal?”

Snake said, “I won’t make the same choice as her. My future… is going to be different.”

Miller started, “Then…”

Snake nodded, “Yeah, that’s right.” He turned to face his friend, “From now on, call me… Big Boss.” Twilight felt nervous when she heard those words. For some reason, the way he said that sounded… ominous to her.

________________________________________

“He did not say that,” Applejack said, sounding aghast at what Twilight had related.

“He did,” Twilight said simply.

Cadance shook her head in disbelief. “He… He really thought that her putting her weapon down in the end was betrayal?” she asked, Twilight nodding in reply.

Rarity spoke, “Perhaps this is a line of thought that I simply cannot fathom, but I fail to see what would make him think that. Putting down your weapon and saying you don’t want to fight anymore is not always a bad thing!”

Rainbow nodded, “I know, right? You all know what I’m like. I love action; my dreams are filled with all sorts of crazy action and even I think what The Boss AI did was awesome! She gave up her actual life and being brought back to life to try to bring the world back together! How could anyone not have total respect for her for doing that?”

Fluttershy asked, “Was Snake just… not thinking right when he said that, Twilight, or was he really convinced of that?”

Twilight let out a sigh, thinking about her words before carefully saying, “I… I remember him telling Paz once afterwards that he has nothing against people who believe in peace, but… I feel like the only thing I know for sure about him is that he never really imagined living in a world where there isn’t a constant fight going on somewhere.” She raised her right hoof and rubbed it across the front of her chest as she said, “He was really, I guess, passionate about what The Boss really wanted in the end, but looking back at what Peace Walker did… I do have to wonder.”

Applejack asked, “Wonder about what?” Twilight seemed about ready to answer her when a yawn suddenly escaped her mouth. “Twilight?” Applejack asked, concerned.

Twilight stretched a little before saying, “Sorry. That slipped out. Come to think of it, though… what time is it?” She unclipped her iDroid and clicked it on, glancing at the clock. “It’s… actually starting to get kind of late,” she said after a moment.

Luna blinked, “What?” She quickly stood up and moved around to Twilight’s side to look at the display. She spied the clock clustered down in the lower right corner and, based on when they had dinner and when they came down for the mock battle, it seemed Twilight had set it correctly for Equestria time. “Its been that long?! I got so caught up in the sparring and storytelling I stopped moving the Moon! It’s probably still just sitting in the sky!” she exclaimed.

Celestia stretched a little and noticed that some of the others seemed to have caught Twilight’s yawn since they were starting to show signs of tiredness as well. She spoke, “It has been a long day for everyone, Luna. Why don’t we stop here for the night and hear some more in the morning? You’re all welcome to stay in the guest rooms here.” Everyone liked the sound of that and, after Twilight retrieved her saddlebags, they all left to find a place to sleep.

A little while later, Spike was laying in a small bed that had been provided for him, quietly snoozing away. For the first time in about a month, he had had little trouble falling into a deep, restful sleep. Having Twilight back safe and sound and awake was a great load off of his mind, and it was a good thing they usually slept so close together since he wanted to be sleeping close to her tonight. Not in the same bed, though; he was too big for that. Sleeping in the same room as her was enough for him. Although, at the moment, her bed was empty.

Twilight was sitting out on the guest room balcony, her paipo in her mouth again as she tried to get the last bit of oil out of it. She looked up at the night sky as she sat, the familiar sight relaxing her further. The night sky out in the Caribbean on clear nights had looked beautiful too, but there was just something about looking up at the night sky in Equestria that she couldn’t put her hoof on, something that felt so much more right to her. It really did cement the feeling that she was finally home, that it was over, yet it felt like there was something nagging at the back of her mind.

After a few minutes, smoke stopped coming out of the end of the tube and Twilight knew it was empty. She probably would’ve fallen asleep on the balcony at this point, but the night air was a bit chilly, so, after capping and putting the paipo away for proper disposal later, she stood up and walked back into the guest room. She was heading straight for the bed when her eyes fell on her saddlebags and she came to a stop as her face fell. “Right, that’s it,” she thought to herself. The thought that had been bothering her was now at the forefront of her mind.

She stared at her bags for a short while, hoping it would go away before finally shaking her head and looking at the bags with a more determined expression. “No. I have to know,” she thought as she walked over to them. As she started to lower herself onto the floor, she stopped and looked over at Spike, seeing him still snoozing peacefully in his bed. She looked back down at her saddlebags and then back at him a few times before using her magic to pick them up and place them on her back. She then crossed over to the door and quietly opened it, closing it behind her as she stepped out. Content that Spike was still fast asleep, she set out down the hall to find a little privacy.

Twilight soon found herself standing outside the door to the tower that she used to study at. She looked up at the tower as she said to herself, “It’s been a long time since I was last in here. I wonder if somepony else is using it now.” Still, she pulled out the old tower key she still had and put it in the keyhole of the right door, unlocking it and pushing it open. She lit up her horn as she stepped inside, looking around. Everything looked about the way she remembered it. There were some cobwebs here and there and more dust than she remembered, but it didn’t look like anything had been touched or disturbed.

Suddenly feeling a bit nostalgic, she closed the door and walked up to the second floor, walking in a circle as she looked at the books sitting on the shelves. “Wow. So many memories in here. So much time spent in here. Alone… without any friends… and making Spike do the same…” She came to a stop by one of the bookshelves as her memories of living in Canterlot came to light, particularly remembering the day she left. “My friends… Did I have friends when I lived here? I guess I didn’t, considering all I did was study… Those other girls reached out to me… and I always found excuses to not spend time with them…” She looked down in shame, the light from her horn dimming slightly.

She looked up after a few moments, turning her head to look at the bookshelf next to her. As she did, her eyes fell on a red book on the bottom shelf. “A First Edition of Principles of Magic?” she asked as she used her magic to pull it off the shelf. She looked at the stars on the cover, “I remember this one. It was a gift from…” She stopped as she flipped it open and saw some writing inside. “‘To my friend, Twilight Sparkle. Thanks for introducing me to the classics.’” Her eyes shot up, “Moon Dancer. Moon Dancer gave it to me. And I… I…” She clutched the book tightly to her chest and closed her eyes, remembering that day.

After a few minutes, she opened her eyes and looked down at the book sadly. “I… I should do something… Try to make it up to her, to all of them… if that’s even possible at this point…” She glanced back down at her saddlebags, “But… even if things are different now… even if a lot of time has passed by now… if that ray of hope is still there…”

She finally composed herself enough to walk over to the stand where she’d read Predictions and Prophecies so long ago, the spot that set so many things in motion for her. Maybe it would happen again. She dropped her saddlebags on the floor next to it and opened the main bag, carefully, almost reverently sliding Principles of Magic inside beside the blank book, which she picked up with her magic. She held it up in front of her and stared at it intently, knowing this was her last chance to back out and try to pretend it never happened.

She nodded to herself after a moment and tilted the book back slightly before opening its cover. Inside, there were actually no words or even pages; the book was actually hollowed out, a deep space taking up essentially most of the inside of it, almost like a safe. And within this space was a large collection of cassette tapes.

Twilight used her magic to pull out seven tapes and arrange them neatly on the stand. She didn’t have any trouble picking them out; they were on top of all the other tapes. She then set the book on the floor and selected the first tape in the line, sliding it inside the cassette player on her belt. She then pulled a pair of headphones out of her bag and plugged them in before putting them over her ears and pressing the ‘PLAY’ button. She listened to the audio, hearing a familiar voice panting and grunting for the first couple of seconds. Afterwards, she heard the voice say, “I made it ashore. I’m in Cuba. Security looks lighter than I thought. I wonder where Paz is.”
> New Start
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight was running. It was all she could do; the shadows were rushing her, merciless strikers looking to put an end to them and everything they had done. Even as she ran past the spreading fires, her pursuers remained hidden in darkness, raven black like the sky above was from the smoke. Escape was the only option at this point. She stole a glance back, seeing the shadows still chasing after her.

“Move!”

Twilight looked forward when she heard that, seeing her friends and fellow soldiers still ahead of her. They seemed further ahead than she remembered; had she fallen behind? Or were they always that far ahead? It didn’t matter; the important thing was getting out of this alive. They were getting farther away… Twilight pushed herself to run faster. She followed them out onto a bridge. They just had to get to the other side and…

Twilight was almost at the middle of the bridge when an explosion erupted from underneath it. The force of the blast knocked Twilight onto her back with a cry, spraying her with embers and small flames, but when she sat up, she saw everyone on the other half of the bridge, still running to safety without her. A sizable gap separated her from trying to catch up with them. She swung herself forward onto her hooves and prepared to make a running jump…

To no avail. Before she could even move, another explosion went off, this one on the end of the other half of the bridge, causing the whole thing to plummet with everyone still on it. Twilight gasped and ran over to the damaged end of the bridge, watching everyone fall out of sight into blackness. Reflective, wavy blackness…

Her attention was redirected when she heard the sound of guns being readied behind her. She turned around to look, still seeing shadows despite the flames being behind them. One figured moved to the front of the group, no gun in its hands. Its exact appearance was as obscured as the others, but it terrified Twilight more than the mass of shadows behind it. She glanced behind her at the wall of darkness that stretched as far as she could see before returning her gaze to the shadows. They would no doubt shoot at her if she tried to escape, but she felt like it was a risk worth taking. She turned away from them and spread her wings, bending her forelegs inward. She began to flap her wings, but she quickly noticed nothing was happening. She quickly looked to her left and right and gasped in horror. Her wings, they were… They must’ve been hit by the flames from the explosion, but to burn away the feathers and even…

What felt like a boot pressing against her flanks brought her out of her thoughts as she tumbled forward. She pressed herself up off the ground with her hooves and saw she was at the very end of the bridge again. She looked back and up, seeing the lone figure towering over her. It reached up and made a gesture with its hand like it was tipping a hat back before Twilight noticed shaking beneath her. She looked down and realized the supports that were holding the bridge together were damaged at the end, the piece she was on groaning as it began to buckle under her weight. She looked back up at the figure and managed to let out a gasp before it gave way completely, a scream escaping her mouth as she fell down into the glistening blackness below…

________________________________________

Twilight let out a gasp as she jolted up, her eyes wide as she panted. She looked around after a few seconds and saw that she was back in her guest room in Canterlot Castle, Spike still snoozing away softly in his small bed. Twilight’s breathing slowed to a normal pace as the last traces of sleep wore off and she returned to reality. Still, what happened in the dream was not easily forgotten and she shook off the blanket over her to look down at her wings. Sure enough, they were there, both feathers and skin covering them.

She looked down at the sheets as her mind caught up with the events of last night. She remembered spending about half an hour in her old study before returning to the guest room, her mind deeply troubled by what she had listened to. Despite that, she managed to get back without waking Spike and fell asleep fairly easily, her hopes at being able to catch up on her sleep seemingly being answered. She looked out at the balcony and saw that it was still dark outside, though it didn’t seem as dark as when she left the tower. “Must be early,” she thought before laying down again, hoping to get a little more sleep in.

After a little while, she let out a quiet groan, unable to fall back asleep despite the comfort of the bed. “I guess I’d better wake up,” she thought as she sat up, the slight fog that never managed to drag her back down into sleep clearing from her head. She reached over to her nightstand and grabbed her iDroid, clicking it on and looking at the clock. “The Sun will be up soon. I could do something before everypony else wakes up, I suppose,” she thought.

After a minute of thinking about it, she decided a light morning workout would help her get back to a normal routine and wake up. As she slid her lower body out from under the covers, she raised an eyebrow as she looked down at herself. She’d taken her Sneaking Suit off when she’d come back last night and it was now sitting atop the dresser, the gloves next to it and the boots on the floor. Twilight looked at the articles of clothing for a moment before using her magic to grab them as she slid her hooves down onto the floor, quietly sneaking out of the room to avoid waking Spike.

Twilight made her way out of the castle before slipping on her Sneaking Suit, sitting on the steps as she pulled her gloves and boots on. She then stood up and looked herself over to make sure not only that it was on comfortably, but also that it covered her up. “That’s good. Now if there are any Canterlot nobles up and about, they won’t look at me and wonder why I look like I’m wearing part of a mummy costume. At least I can pass this off as a jogging suit or something,” she thought after a moment.

She then faced forward and closed her eyes, mentally mapping out her route through Canterlot. “A jog through the city should be light enough so as not to be overexerting myself. I’m definitely not going to try to do two-hundred stomach crunches. This is enough to start with,” she nodded to herself. She then opened her eyes and looked back at her saddlebag, using her magic to open one of the pouches and pull out a cassette tape. She brought it in front of her face and looked at it, seeing the words ‘Zone Runner Mix’ written as the tape’s name. She didn’t have any idea what it meant, but she couldn’t argue with ‘Runner’ part. “It does have good music for a work-out,” she thought as she connected her headphones to her cassette player and put them over her ears. She then slid the tape in and pressed ‘PLAY’ before she began jogging away from the castle.

As she followed the winding streets, the pumping of her legs and the brisk morning air helped her shake off the lingering traces of sleep and put her mind at ease. The bad dream had left her shaken and she was all too happy to have her thoughts become less cluttered. Admittedly, not much had happened in the dream, but there were so many unknowns and uncertainties in what she did see and that was what unnerved her the most. It didn’t help that, since she had awakened, her dreams had been slowly becoming more vivid and troubling. She had managed to sleep through them the last two days, but this one had woken her up. The last time she remembered losing sleep due to her dreams was…

She shook her head, not wanting to think about that failure. She looked around to make sure she was still following the route she had laid out beforehand. She then glanced up at her ears for a moment, trying to focus on the track that was currently coming from her headphones. “It’s a pretty interesting song we managed to get a hold of. Snake mentioned something about it bringing back memories of when he was still allied with America. I couldn’t really tell if he was saying that fondly or bitterly, but I’m sure it was the latter, all things considered. Regardless, he never seemed to like this song. I think he even took it off his own iDroid. Still, I really like it,” she nodded to herself, her errant thoughts helping to clear her head again.

She continued on, the bottom of her hooves hardly making any sound at all as she ran. As she suspected, a few of Canterlot’s elite were up at such an early hour. Naturally, they were all indoors and either sitting by a window or beginning the arduous process of preparing their faces, manes, and tails for the day ahead of them. Twilight caught sight of them or signs that they were getting ready out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t know if any of them saw her, but she wasn’t concerned by that possibility. “Seeing me out like this can’t possibly top what any of them saw on my birthday here,” she smiled to herself.

Partway through her run, she found what she was hoping to find while she was out and came to a stop to catch her breath. Unlike most of the other houses in Canterlot, it looked dilapidated and almost seemed like it was tucked away amongst the other houses around it, almost like it was being hidden or shut away. Twilight might’ve missed it if she hadn’t been looking for it, but she had planned for this when mapping out her route. Before she left the tower last night, she had racked her brain in order to remember her other classmates, Minuette, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine, resolving to find out where they lived and mark them on the map of Canterlot she was putting into her iDroid if she couldn’t catch up and try to apologize to them right away.

It had taken a bit of research, but she was sure she had managed to narrow down where each of them lived. Of course, it was much too early for any of them to be up so she wouldn’t be able to confirm until later in the day, but the house in front of her she was sure belonged to Moon Dancer. She remembered her old classmate more than the other girls she knew, perhaps because they ended up working close together back in school. That would explain why her name easily sprang to mind last night along with her light-yellow gray coat and magenta and violet mane, along with the fact that she always wore glasses and a better idea of where she lived.

Twilight looked up at the house anxiously, wanting desperately to talk to her old friend but knowing it was too early for her to be up. She forced herself to calm down and pulled out her iDroid, clicking it on and zooming in on the partial map of Canterlot it had in it. She then set a marker on the part of the path she had set that corresponded to her location, the handheld saying as an [A] appeared on it, “Marker placed.” She was fairly confident of where she was, at least; she still needed to work out how to bring back the real-time monitoring and tracking, but she was certain she could figure it out. She then clicked the iDroid off and put it away before turning to run again. A few seconds afterwards, the front door of the house opened slightly; a familiar spectacled pony then poked her head out slightly and looked around, searching for the voice she heard. Seeing nopony around, she pulled her head back in and closed the door.

A short while later, Twilight finished her cooldown through the castle gardens and came to a stop in front of the castle steps, leaning forward slightly as she caught her breath. She was a bit exhausted, but she did feel better and more awake after the workout. She looked towards the east and saw the Sun was higher in the sky than the last time she looked. She pulled out her iDroid to check the time, noticing a familiar rainbow trail up in the sky flying in patterns and no doubt doing tricks over the city when she looked up. “Everyone else should be up soon as well,” she remarked to herself as she put her handheld away. After she did, she blushed as she heard and felt her stomach growl. “I’m hungry… I should get something to tide me over until breakfast,” she said before she made her way up the steps.

Twilight made her way to the castle’s kitchen, where she found some of the cooks preparing for the day ahead. She hesitated in the doorway at this before quickly pulling out and closing the door before she could be seen. She pulled her headphones off and shook her head, muttering, “What am I doing? I can’t just… I know better than that. I can wait.” She turned and started to walk away, looking back over her shoulder as she walked. A second passed with her looking back like this before she bumped into someone, both her and the other pony stepping back with a surprised grunt. After recovering from the surprise, Twilight looked to see who it was. “Ah! Princess Luna! I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed once she realized it was the Princess of the Night.

Luna’s angry glare lessened as she looked down at her friend. “Twilight Sparkle? You’re up as well? …And you’re still wearing that… skin-tight suit of yours?” she asked.

Now it was Twilight’s turn to look annoyed. “It’s… actually called a Sneaking Suit, Luna,” she said, keeping her irritation in check as she stomped her hooves to demonstrate the lack of noise the suit made. “I know it looks tight from the outside, but it actually fits pretty good after a while.”

Luna nodded and then inquired, “Please tell me you do not sleep in it?”

Twilight blushed slightly, “O-Only in emergencies! I took it off before I climbed into bed last night!” Luna couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at her friend getting flustered. Twilight’s cheeks returned to their normal shade as she asked, “So, um… where were you going, Luna?”

The dark blue alicorn replied in a deadpan tone, “The kitchen. Somepony needs to start making coffee. Your story may be intriguing enough on its own to hold my attention, but I still feel I will require it.” She then blinked and asked, “What are you doing up so early, Twilight?”

Twilight hesitated before saying, “I just woke up earlier and couldn’t fall back asleep, so I went for a light run. I was considering getting a snack from the kitchen to hold me until breakfast is ready, but I looked in there and…” She glanced down as she trailed off.

Luna smiled, “Really? Then let us go together and let the cooks know what we would like them to do!” Twilight started to protest, but Luna extended her right wing and wrapped it around the smaller alicorn, turning her around and making her walk with her as she said, “Come, there is nothing to fear! We shall go together and make an activity of it!” Twilight decided not to argue with her and the two went to the kitchen, where Luna told the cooks to start brewing coffee while Twilight moved around the kitchen looking for baking trays.

About an hour and a half later, everyone met up with Twilight and Luna in the dining hall and, after Twilight had to calm Spike down due to him worrying about her waking up before him and leaving and Discord making another dramatic entrance that was met with a generally better reaction from everypony, they all sat down at the table, the kitchen staff coming in afterwards to serve them breakfast. Interestingly, there was a tray of muffins already sitting on the table when they came in, the staff leaving it in the center while they served everyone.

As they started eating, a couple ponies grabbed a muffin and brought it over to their plates, though they didn’t eat the baked goods yet. After a few minutes of eating and light chatter, Twilight took a bite of her muffin and nodded to herself, still feeling that she had managed to make them taste decent enough. Rainbow was the next to take a bite, saying through her full mouth, “Mm! These muffins are pretty good!”

Rarity glared at the pegasus, “Rainbow Dash, PLEASE don’t talk with your mouth full! That is not something anypony wants to see!” Rainbow just rolled her eyes and waved a hoof at this. The fashionista’s glare lightened as she said, “I can’t argue with you, though. They’re… a bit lacking compared to the rest of this fine spread the cooks have made, but they’re not half-bad.”

Luna spoke up, “Perhaps they are, Rarity, but there is a good reason why they’re so different.”

Celestia looked over at her sister, “And what might that be, Luna?”

The younger alicorn smiled, “Why, because the cooks didn’t make them at all! It was Twilight who made these muffins.”

Spike and the ponies all turned to look at Twilight in surprise at this. “You made these, Twi’?” Applejack asked.

Twilight blushed as she sheepishly replied, “Yeah… Like Rarity said, they’re okay at best.”

Rarity exclaimed, “Th-That’s not what I said, Twilight! I just… I thought the cooks made them! I didn’t realize they were your contribution!”

Rainbow added, “I didn’t know you knew how to cook, Twilight.”

Twilight deadpanned, “I didn’t before all of this. Why do you think Spike knows how to cook?”

Spike pointedly answered, “So you’d be able to eat at home without poisoning yourself or starting a fire because you weren’t paying attention.” Discord got a chuckle out of that while Twilight rolled her eyes and blushed some more.

Fluttershy spoke, “Well, I think they’re good, Twilight.”

Pinkie piped up, “Yeah, they’re definitely a lot better than baked bads! You’re not giving your skills enough credit!”

Twilight replied, “I don’t think they deserve much of that, Pinkie. I’m pretty sure a cart dealer would not accept them.”

Discord suddenly appeared behind her and brought his face down next to hers. “Do you think they’d be enough to buy you a pickle jar, Twilight?” he asked.

Twilight gave him an odd look, “Why do you need credit to buy a pickle jar…?”

Discord questioned, “Well, what would you let it buy, then?” Judging from the look on his face, he legitimately wanted to know.

Fortunately, Shining spoke up, “Isn’t it a bit early in the day to be having a discussion about credit?”

Discord looked over at him, “What, you’ve never had an early morning discussion about credit before, Shining Armor?”

The stallion countered, “Since when have you had one?”

Luna cleared her throat and spoke, “Would you both kindly cease this conversation? We are not getting dragged down into madness this early in the day.” She shot a meaningful look at Discord; the draconequus made a face, but took the hint and stood up, purposefully taking the long way back to his seat to garner a bit more attention from everyone.

Once he was sitting down again, Celestia looked at Twilight and spoke, “So, Twilight… If I remember correctly, we stopped your tale at the point after Peace Walker had chosen to end the threat it posed to the world itself. I assume you returned with Snake and Miller to Mother Base afterwards and began new training with them?”

Twilight replied, “Yes, Princess, but not only me. Paz and Dr. Strangelove went back with us as well.”

Cadance asked, “Is that why they were in the photo with you as well?”

Twilight nodded, “That’s right. Miller said Strangelove would’ve had trouble trying to return to her home country so soon after the incident, so, with her hatred for Snake gone, she decided to aid him with her AI expertise and help finish Huey’s new masterpiece.”

Rarity asked, “His masterpiece? He built another Peace Walker? That’s what he was talking about with Snake on your first day at Mother Base?”

Twilight replied, “Well, with Strangelove’s help, MSF did end up with an AI weapon, but ZEKE was intentionally designed to be different from Peace Walker, Rarity.”

Spike asked, “‘ZEKE’?”

Twilight nodded, “Right. That’s what they called it: Metal Gear ZEKE.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow, “Metal… Gear? I don’t get it.”

Twilight replied, “To be honest, I don’t either, but from what I understand, Snake first heard about the idea for a nuclear-equipped, bipedal tank during Operation Snake Eater, when he met the man who came up with the idea. Apparently, he described it as a new kind of ‘metal gear’ and said he was going to send the design plans for it to his friend in America. I guess that’s where the name comes from.”

Luna wondered, “If the idea existed that long ago, how come Snake was sent to destroy the… whatever the non-walking tank was called instead of a ‘Metal Gear’?”

Twilight answered, “The man who came up with the idea apparently didn’t produce results. That’s why the Shagohod project was chosen instead. Now, about ten years later, Peace Walker and ZEKE both showed that tanks with legs could be viable weapons platforms.”

Shining questioned, “So how was ZEKE’s AI different from Peace Walker’s, Twilight?”

Twilight replied, “It was basically a slightly more advanced Reptile Pod. We could install circuit boards taken from other AI weapons on it to make it smarter, but Strangelove made sure not to give it the higher-level thinking power that the Mammal Pod gave Peace Walker. It would be able to act smarter in battle, but it wasn’t allowed to decide whether or not to launch its nuclear missile; it would have to be given that order externally.”

Cadance asked, “So they did arm it with a nuclear weapon?”

Twilight reassured her, “We later salvaged Peace Walker’s nuke from the bottom of the lake. We mainly did it so the materials inside wouldn’t contaminate the water and to make sure someone… less restrained didn’t get their hands on it. Miller was the one who approached Snake with the idea of loading it on ZEKE. He didn’t agree to it right away, I know that.”

Fluttershy asked, “So why did Paz go to Mother Base, Twilight?”

Twilight replied, “Well, she couldn’t go back to the school, Fluttershy. Any money she was getting to pay for her tuition was believed to have come from the KGB, and with Zadornov our prisoner, there was no chance she was going to see any more money. Snake and Miller guessed she wouldn’t have gotten much anyway.”

Mrs. Sparkle asked, “So what did she do?”

Twilight answered, “She was allowed to work in the Mess Hall. That’s the only place Snake would allow her to work; he didn’t want her to get caught up in the war business and she was only going to be there until she could find a better place to go.”

Shining said, “So he didn’t intend to keep her there.”

Twilight nodded, “Right. It was only temporary.”

Mr. Sparkle spoke, “But he had no problem with you getting involved with war, Twilight. That seems like quite a change, considering it sounds like they originally treated you like that.”

Twilight shrugged, “I was different, Dad. No matter how they looked at me, I was always going to be a special case to them. They just became less strict after seeing me work with Snake and him deciding to teach me the basics of CQC.”

Cadance asked, “And that started when you got back to Mother Base?”

Twilight replied, “No, not right away. The first thing Miller did after putting Zadornov in the Brig was ask me how I got captured and what happened to Wolf. I told him all I could and afterwards, he and I, along with a few troops, went to look for him. We found him where we had been attacked, undisturbed and, like I said, shot in the head.” She looked down sadly, “We couldn’t leave him like that, so… we took him back to base and gave him a burial at sea. Miller let me say a few words in his honor before we sent his casket into the water. Said it was the right thing to do and it would help him find peace, even though he wouldn’t have died if it weren’t for me…”

Cadance started, “Now Twilight…”

She was cut off when Twilight slammed a hoof down on the table. “He wouldn’t have! Zadornov was going to try to take me alive anyway, and he probably would’ve found a chance to attack me when I was away from Mother Base doing my experiments! He just happened to get an opportunity where there was no chance anyone else would be able to help me! Wolf died for nothing!” she yelled, tears starting to leak from her eyes. Everyone was struck speechless at her outburst. Twilight getting angry and raising her voice was nothing unheard of, but for her to cut off someone else so suddenly, and her sister-in-law at that…

Twilight closed her eyes in grief, tears still running down the sides of her face. “We didn’t really know each other, but still… Snake said there’s always a chance you’ll die for nothing when you pick up a gun, told me not to let Wolf die completely. That’s how he convinced Miller to let me do more on Mother Base, that I was the only thing to prove that Wolf ever existed…” She continued to cry quietly while everyone looked at her in concern. Even Discord was unusually silent as the efforts of months of psychological counseling and attempting to not be haunted by what happened to the man who had been the catalyst for her changing into the mare she was now, to become better for the sake of others, fell apart in an instant, leaving her unable to speak.
> Combat, Development, and Cooking Assignments
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Is she done yet?” Discord half-wondered, half-whined to himself again as he tried to refrain from drumming his fingers on the table. His surprise at Twilight’s earlier reaction had quickly given way to boredom since she was still quietly crying her eyes out. He had nothing to work with; there was nothing worth making a moving image of or having a laugh at her expense when she was just sitting there sniffling and barely crying, especially with Fluttershy at her side. “Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Spike,” he reminded himself, remembering that the other two had also been trying to help calm the mare for the last several minutes when he looked again.

After another minute, Twilight took a shaky breath and opened her red-tinged eyes, which stopped running shortly afterwards. “Do you feel better now, Twily?” Shining asked after a moment.

Twilight gave one last sniffle before saying, “A little.”

Spike commented, “That was actually, uh, pretty self-contained, Twilight. Very… poised crying.” Twilight looked down at him while he was talking; she then glanced up at Discord with a raised eyebrow.

The draconequus looked around before innocently asking, “What are you looking at me for, Twilight? You see something you like all of a sudden?”

Shining buried his face in his hooves as he grumbled, “Please don’t ever say that again…”

Celestia turned back to Twilight and asked, “So your training began the following day, Twilight?”

The lavender pony replied, “That afternoon actually, Princess.”

Mr. Sparkle looked surprised. “You started that same day? That seems… well, it certainly seems fast to go from, uh, laying someone to rest to going back to work right away,” he said.

Twilight replied, “Well, Miller was all about expanding the business and Snake was determined to raise a strong army. There was a lot of work to do on and off Mother Base as a result, so there were times where it was pretty rare for there to be time for other things.”

Applejack asked, “So they kinda threw ya into their trainin’ routine and expected ya ta be able to keep up?”

Twilight said, “Well, I was already used to how things worked on Mother Base and the staff didn’t want to push me too hard at first, but yes, like everyone else, I was expected to look after myself and do what was expected of me. Watching the Combat Unit train was one thing, actually being a part of it was another. That first day was plenty packed; I learned about the basics of CQC, how to handle weapons, their fascination with cardboard…”

Luna interrupted with a raised eyebrow, “Cardboard?”

Twilight nodded, “Yes. Everyone who served under Snake learned to share his love for cardboard boxes. Even I got into it…”

Rarity spoke, “Forgive me, Twilight, but I fail to see how anyone could find a simple box to be intriguing or fascinating. How does one see it as such?”

Twilight smirked, “You’ve never seen someone go to bed with a box over them, Rarity. Or better yet, forget the bed entirely and just sleep in the box.”

Rainbow let out a laugh and asked, “Who does that?”

Twilight replied, “The same people who have an entire section devoted to researching, developing, and improving cardboard box technology.”

Spike looked up at her skeptically. “You’re kidding about all of this, right Twilight?” he asked. In response, Twilight looked down at her saddlebags and used her magic to open the main bag. For a minute, there was silence as she went through it, but she soon brought out almost a dozen photographs in her grip. Spike looked up at Twilight as she looked them over, though he did notice Fluttershy looking over the alicorn’s shoulder at the photos, her eyes widening slightly in surprise at whatever she saw. Twilight selected one after several seconds and brought it down to Spike before turning it towards him. The baby dragon took the picture in his claws and looked down at it, a stupefied look crossing his face after a second. “What the…?” he managed to say.

“That would be the most basic cardboard box they had on Mother Base,” Twilight said. The picture showed an MSF soldier running with a cardboard box over him, the lower half of his body sticking out from under the front of the box. “They made the boxes big enough for two people to use. …I guess that’s why they called them Love Boxes?” she shrugged. She looked back up at her pictures and selected another, bringing it down.

Spike took the picture and looked at it. A moment later, he tried to contain himself before he burst out laughing. “I-Is that a…?!” he breathed.

Twilight smirked, “Cardboard tank? You got it. And that’s not all.” As she selected from the rest of her pictures and they were passed around for everyone to get their jollies from, she thought back to her first session at the old MSF camp.

________________________________________

The wood underneath Twilight creaked slightly as she sat in front of the old cabin near the beach, watching from a distance as the experienced members of MSF demonstrated their CQC techniques to the new recruits. Said demonstrations involved the recruits trying to attack, only to be stopped and subsequently have their attack turned back on them in quick succession, usually ending up on the ground from being thrown. Twilight was glad she was watching from far away; it looked rough and probably sounded pretty painful up close.

After clearing it with Miller and having her officially added to the Mother Base staff list under false documents that included a human photo that she helped them base on her appearance in the other human world (though she kept that piece of intel to herself) and the fake name of Jem Hollo, Snake had asked her to come out here, to the Barranquilla Coast of Colombia, for her first lessons in self-defense. He’d told her to watch the men practice and he would get her when their session was almost over, saying that the rest of the men would benefit from it as well.

Twilight wasn’t sure how much time had passed since she’d arrived, but she suddenly heard the cabin door open and close behind her. A bit startled, she looked back over her shoulder and saw Snake stepping out, wearing olive drab pants, no top, and a new gray bandanna. He looked over at her and said, “It’s about time. Let’s go down there.” He turned the rest of his body towards her and was about to go down the small steps when he noticed Twilight was gaping at him. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

Twilight quickly shut her mouth and uttered, “N-Nothing.” She’d never seen Snake lacking an article of clothing before and she was admittedly amazed at how he really looked. The fatigues he usually wore clearly did a good job of covering up his muscles while allowing him to move unhindered. She had to wonder if the lack of a top enabled him to move even faster. Still, her view was a bit marred by one thing. “I was just wondering… how did you get that scar?” she asked, pointing a hoof at the ‘S’-shaped line running from the upper part of his chest down to above his waist.

Snake looked down and pointed at the line as he replied, “Oh, this? It’s not real. I made it myself to hide a jigsaw where no one would be able to find it. Came in handy when I was captured.” Twilight was a bit creeped out by this. Didn’t that mean he had basically hidden a tool under his skin?

She shook her head to get the thought out and asked, “How come you’re not wearing a shirt, Snake?”

The man grunted, “It gets hot sometimes. And this is a way to show the new recruits, especially you, what you could be up against.” Without another word, he turned and walked down the steps, heading for the beach. Twilight stood up and hurried after him, slowing down as she fell into step behind him.

As they came down from the hill, one of the instructors noticed Snake and called, “Boss!” This caught the attention of everyone else on the beach and they all stopped what they were doing, some standing straight up at attention and saluting while others excitedly called for him. Twilight was amazed at the sway that Snake had over his men, how much they admired and respected him. It was quite a sight, one that made her feel very small and insignificant by comparison.

One of the other soldiers soon noticed Twilight and called, “Oh! Twilight!” Although she didn’t get nearly as strong a reaction, the other soldiers did notice her and even Snake turned to look at the pony sitting behind him, who awkwardly waved a hoof and smiled nervously.

Another soldier asked, “Boss, why is she here?”

Snake turned his head to look at him, “I invited her here.” He then addressed all of his men, “Starting today, Twilight is an official member of MSF. She’s going to be regularly reassigned to the different Units, including the Combat Unit. When she’s not helping with support at Mother Base, she is going to be learning the basics of CQC like the rest of you. Don’t treat her any differently because of what she is. Here, she is a soldier like the rest of you and is to be treated as such. I’d better not see anyone taking it easy on her just because she’s a pony; that’s not going to help her learn to defend herself better. Understood?” Everyone nodded in reply, prompting him to say, “Good. Now… who wants to be the first to show me what they’ve learned?”

One of the new recruits, a man codenamed Mosquito, was quick to say, “Ooh! Me, Boss! Pick me!” Snake nodded at him and he turned to the soldier next to him, grabbing him.

He was quickly stopped when Snake asked, “Hey! What are you doing?”

Mosquito looked back at him in confusion. “You said to show you what I’ve learned, Boss,” he said.

Snake replied, “By that, I meant I want to see it firsthand. Come at me.” Mosquito looked nervous at that, but he soon noticed that everyone else was looking at him as well and stepped forward. He nervously stood in front of Snake for a few seconds before running towards him slowly, holding his left arm out. Snake easily grabbed his arm with his right hand and caught his left arm as he was trying to bring it around, twisting the left arm back and causing Mosquito to cry out before Snake flipped him over, throwing him onto his back next to Twilight. Snake looked back at him and remarked, “You’ve got a long way to go, soldier.”

Twilight looked down at the groaning man for a few moments, looking up when Snake asked, “Can I get one of the instructors now?” She saw one of them step forward, seeming more eager than the recruit about facing Snake. He quickly stepped forward swinging, Snake holding up his arms to block him. The instructor managed to last a lot longer than the recruit, a couple of seconds by Twilight’s estimates, before he ended up being thrown onto his front behind Snake. As he picked himself up and Mosquito began to sit up, Snake looked back at them and ordered, “Egret, Mosquito, start working with her. Get her up to speed.” Without another word, he faced forward and gestured for someone else to face him.

Egret, the instructor, stood up and dusted the sand off. He then looked at Twilight and asked, “All right, Twilight, I take it you’ve seen the way CQC is performed?”

Twilight replied, “Yeah, I was watching earlier, and I’ve seen it performed before.”

Egret nodded, “Good. Then we can skip the demonstration.” He pointed at Mosquito, who had just finished standing up, and said, “He’s your target.”

The new guy looked surprised at this. “What?! Why me?!” he asked.

“Because the Boss said for us to work with Twilight. Besides, you haven’t been thrown around enough today,” Egret answered simply. He looked back at Twilight, “We’ll start by having you develop your technique. Uh, you can use your wings I suppose, but no magic. You have to put your, uh, forelegs and back into learning this before you can work out how to add that into the equation. Start by grabbing him and throwing him down.”

Twilight nodded unsurely, “Uh, okay.” She walked up to Mosquito and looked up at him, trying to figure out how she was going to do this. After a couple of seconds, she spread her wings and flapped them to get just off the ground before reaching forward and wrapping her forelegs around his waist. She then began to grunt as she tried to lift his feet off the ground.

She stopped a few seconds later when Egret said, “Stop!” When she looked at him, he asked, “What are you doing?”

She replied in a bit of an annoyed tone, “I’m trying to do what you told me.”

Egret replied, “Not like that. That’s not CQC.”

Twilight let go of Mosquito and asked, “How is it not? You guys were picking each other up earlier like this.”

Egret explained, “The way you’re doing it is the same as trying to lift a box off the ground. And what we were doing earlier involved taking advantage of what the other guy was doing, but you can apply it to someone who’s standing still as well. What you need to do is grab an opponent in such a way that you can restrict their movements and be able to get them in position for what you plan to do next. Most importantly, you need to be able to apply motion and force to your actions. You can’t treat it like it’s move-in day.” Mosquito let out a snicker at that and Twilight glared at him, suddenly pushing forward with her wings and pressing her hooves against his chest, pushing him onto his back with a grunt and standing on top of him. “All right, that’s better, but let’s keep working on it,” Egret said.

For the next several minutes, they continued to work on Twilight’s CQC fundamentals to the continuous background noise of soldiers hitting the ground and crying out. For all she had seen and learned, Twilight was having difficulty performing the required action without wanting to stop and focus on what she was doing. After a couple of more unsuccessful attempts, she finally flew at Mosquito, put her legs on both sides of his right shoulder, and swung up as hard as she could with both hooves. The man was lifted off his feet with a cry and ended up on his back with a pony on top of his chest once more. Egret said after a moment, “Yeah, that’s more like it. Good job!”

Twilight panted a bit due to her exertion before she asked, “Really? I did good?”

The feeling of joy that was beginning to rise up within her was dashed when she heard Snake say, “Not good enough.” She turned to see him standing a short distance away. Looking past him, she saw that, in the time it had taken for her to take down Mosquito, he had taken down all of the other recruits and instructors, all of them beginning to pick themselves up.

She looked back up at him and started, “S-Snake, I…” He looked away from her and walked over to Egret. He then grabbed him and pulled him to his chest before swinging him around and throwing him down.

He then looked back at her and said, “This training can make all the difference on the battlefield. You can’t be hesitating or overthinking it; when it’s life or death, you have to be able to act right away. You might have some skill, but you’ve got a long way to go.” He then looked at everyone else and called, “All right, session’s over. Start cooling down and we’ll head back to Mother Base afterwards.” With that, he turned and started making his way up to the cabin.

Twilight was suddenly pushed onto her back by Mosquito as he began to sit up. He then looked at the pony lying on her back and said, “Oh, sorry, Twilight! I didn’t mean to push you that hard. …Don’t take what the Boss said too hard. He’s tough because he cares. We’re both just starting out; I wouldn’t mind being your sparring partner for future sessions if you don’t mind being mine. We can get stronger together.”

Despite his words, Twilight turned her head after he finished to look at Snake’s retreating form. What he’d said had stung; she almost felt as bad as if Celestia had chastised her. She knew what Snake was capable of and that this was no laughing matter, but she didn’t think she would have to contend with more than just physical difficulties when she agreed to become a part of Snake’s army. She knew at that point that she had another reason to improve herself: to prove to him that she could change and that he could count on her to take care of herself when the need arose.

________________________________________

Twilight was brought out of her reminiscing when the laughter of the others died down and Shining asked, “Twilight? Is that… did you guys really use cardboard boxes to sneak around?”

As she levitated her photos back, Twilight replied, “Not all the time, but for some guys, it was a regular loadout item for assignments.”

Rainbow asked, “What, even if they had to go to a jungle or something?” At Twilight’s nod, she said, “I think a cardboard box would stick out anywhere that wasn’t with a bunch of other boxes, but a box sitting in the middle of the jungle? I’m pretty sure no one would fall for that.”

Twilight replied, “I thought so too, Rainbow, but then I actually tried it. Turns out most people don’t give a cardboard box a second look… unless it moves on its own or sprouts legs. But even then, they don’t always immediately get that someone’s hiding underneath. Strange as it may sound, a cardboard box really is the last word when it comes to espionage.”

Applejack asked, “So, uh… ya mentioned that y’all looked into improvin’ boxes, right? How do ya ‘improve’ a cardboard box?”

Twilight shrugged, “Well, they added things to certain boxes. Extra features. Like the cardboard tank? The original one wasn’t much different from a regular box, but the upgraded versions came with rounds that the ‘gunner’ could fire out of the turret.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow, “And even that people would look at and just walk past?” Twilight nodded in reply.

Pinkie asked, “So when was your first time working in the lab?”

Twilight answered, “Later that evening.”

Spike asked, “What?! You had your first training session AND your first time working in research in the same day? Sounds like a really busy day to me…”

Twilight said, “Well, Miller just invited me to come down with after dinner. I told you we sometimes worked in the lab together. He thought me working down there would be a better way for me to contribute than being part of the Combat Unit, so he wanted to get me acquainted with the lab and everyone working in it. Of course, they wanted to make sure that it was okay for me to work in there.”

________________________________________

Miller was laughing as he and Twilight walked on the connecting bridge towards the center of Mother Base, the lavender alicorn having recounted what she did earlier that afternoon to him. “It’s not that funny, Miller,” Twilight groaned, her cheeks turning red.

The man stopped laughing and caught his breath before saying, “I’m sorry, Twilight, it’s just… This is exactly what I warned the Boss he might have to deal with when he put you on the Combat Unit. Teaching CQC, a fighting style that’s best done by someone with hands, to a creature with hooves? I can’t imagine how he expected that to go.”

Twilight argued, “Hey, I’m able to grab things with my hooves! You’ve seen me do it!”

Miller replied, “I know, and I have, but I doubt Snake has. He’s probably only seen you picking things up with your magic or not holding things the way you usually do with your hooves.”

Twilight conceded, “Well, I guess…”

Miller nodded, “And he started you out in the Combat Unit without even knowing that. Kind of makes me wonder what he might try to do with a regular horse.”

Twilight spoke, “Well, it doesn’t matter. He made it clear what he expects of me and I intend to live up to it! I’ll prove that I can be a soldier like my brother! I’ll do much better tomorrow to prove it! I can… no, I won’t be able to replace Wolf, but I’ll sure try to be the kind of soldier he was! That’s what he was and that’s…”

Miller suddenly came to a stop, put his right hand in front of her, and loudly said, “Hey, Twilight! Stop rambling and calm down!” Twilight’s muzzle ended up coming into contact with the palm of his hand and it caused her to stop and look up at him. “I know Wolf was in the Combat Unit and we all miss him, but you shouldn’t have to feel like that’s the only way to keep his memory alive. There’s more to being a soldier than just being able to fight, especially in this business. It helps to be ready and able to do more than what’s asked of you. That’s why I asked you to come with me to see our new R&D division; this might be a better fit for you than the Combat Unit,” he explained.

Twilight nodded unsurely, “Okay, but… I can still continue with that training, right?”

Miller replied, “Of course. As long as the Boss has the idea in his head, I’m sure he’ll change your assignment to the Combat Unit any time you want.” With that, the two started walking again, making their way to the struts housing the R&D section.

A small group of the R&D staff were standing around one of the work tables looking at a set of blueprints for a new missile launcher when Miller and Twilight walked into their lab. They picked their heads up when Miller announced, “Men! At attention!”

The soldiers immediately turned towards the entrance and stood at attention saying, “Commander Miller!” One of the soldiers standing off to the side noticed Twilight after a moment and awkwardly added, “And… Twilight?”

Miller nodded, “That’s right, men. From now on, until she goes home, Twilight is not just going to be living alongside you; she’s going to be working with you too. We’re planning to move her around regularly so for the time being, she won’t permanently be working here in R&D, but you can expect her to be assigned to work with you from time to time.”

One of the soldiers, the apparent head of the group, stepped forward and asked, “She will? But Commander Miller, sir! As you know, we do hands-on work here. How can she help us out? She has hooves.”

Miller gave the man a stern look from behind his sunglasses, “Don’t start playing the race card, Donkey. You know we don’t allow that around here. And she doesn’t have to use her hooves to be able to develop like the rest of you. She has magic, remember?”

Donkey argued, “Yeah, but she uses that for like… magic stuff.”

Twilight stepped forward and said, “When you put it like that, you make it sound like I only do magic performances. That’s not the only thing magic is good for in Equestria. We use it for all sorts of things and we even develop improvements and new understandings of magic we already know about, and that’s especially true for the magic of friendship.”

Donkey asked, “All right, but when it comes to developing that requires lots of attention to detail and precise workmanship, how good are you at that? Can you do the work that’s expected of you or are you only good at organizing things for others?”

Twilight became a little unsure at his words, remembering her many failed attempts at helping during her first Winter Wrap-Up. “Well…”

Donkey spoke, “Hang on, I’ve got an idea.” He reached into the holster on his right leg and pulled out a handgun. He held it up in front of his chest for her to see. “The Mark 22 Mod 0, also known as the Hush Puppy. This is our standard tranquilizer gun.” He reached up and placed his left hand on top of the gun, draping his fingers over the side. After a moment, he let out a grunt and began to pull it apart, pulling the slide away from the top of the gun and causing everything, including the trigger, the clip, and the bullet in the chamber, to fall onto the floor. He then dropped the gun and the slide on the floor and gestured, “Go on, grab a table and put it back together. You’re free to use whatever it takes to accomplish that. Your magic, the blueprints we have, us, but you have to do the work yourself. And it has to work when you’re done.”

Twilight looked at the mess on the floor for a moment before looking up at Miller. The man nodded, “Go ahead, Twilight.” She faced forward again and walked over, bending down and using her magic to gather up everything while Donkey turned around and called for everyone to get back to work. Once she had everything, she stood up and carried it to a table that was several tables off to the side from where Donkey and the others were working. As she set everything down, Miller came over next to her and said, “Don’t be upset by the way Donkey’s acting, Twilight. He’s a… well, no, that’s not really accurate. He’s just one of our best R&D people and he tends to make sure everyone who comes here can look after themselves.”

Twilight nodded, “Right, I get that.” She then looked down at the pieces in front of her and looked confused a moment later. “So, um… Uh… Lots of little pieces here…” she muttered to herself.

Miller spoke up, “You might want to start by getting the blueprints for the Mark 22. That’s usually a good place to start. I’ll show you where we keep our blueprints.” He led her over to the wall past the table, where a row of filing cabinets sat. They stopped in front of them and he said, “All right, see what you can find. I’ll be here if you need any help, but I imagine you’ll take to this like a fish to water.” Twilight nodded and stepped forward, starting from the left.

After less than a minute of pulling open several of the cabinets and scanning the folders within, Twilight used her magic to pull one out and looked at it a little closer. “This is the one. Mark 22 Mod 0, the ‘Hush Puppy’,” she said. She flipped the folder open and looked at the documents inside. “There sure are a lot of little screws… I’d better make sure I have everything I need,” she murmured as she turned around and made her way back to her worktable, still looking at the papers. Miller followed her, an intrigued look on his face.

A couple of minutes later, the men were startled out of their work when they heard a gunshot. They all turned to look at Twilight’s table, where they saw the alicorn holding the repaired Mark 22 out in front of her in her hooves. Miller spoke up a second later, “All right. Load the next bullet and do it again just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.” Twilight complied, loading the bullet into the gun’s chamber and firing it at the wall across from her again. Miller nodded, “I’d say you’re done.”

Twilight pulled the gun back a bit and looked down at it. “It really is loud, isn’t it? Especially with a name like Hush Puppy,” she commented.

“Most guns are. That’s why some can have suppressors attached to them,” Miller replied.

The two looked over to see Donkey approaching them. He stopped next to the table and said, “Well, good work, Twilight. I’ll take that back from you now.” Twilight used her magic to float the handgun over to his outstretched hand and he knelt down to put it back in its holster. He then stood up and asked, “What would you say to something a little more… challenging?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, “How challenging?”

The man replied, “We’ve got a couple M16 rifles in here that we took apart but ended up not putting back together due to the Boss ordering other development projects that would help him stop Peace Walker. Seems like you put the Mark 22 back together pretty good; now that you know where things are, think you could help us get caught up on our work?”

Twilight nodded, “Sure.”

Miller followed her while Donkey went back to work, saying, “I’m not gonna let you work alone on this, Twilight. Compared to an assault rifle, a handgun’s pretty easy to put together. I’ll help you put them back together to make sure you know how everything fits together.”

Twilight replied, “Okay, Miller.” She headed for the cabinets again while Miller went to retrieve the M4s.

A little while later, Donkey came over to their table and asked, “Commander Miller, Twilight, how are we doing?” While speaking, he looked down at the table and noticed they had all the M16s on it, most of them put back together.

“Just a minute, Donkey. I just have to put the finishing touches on this last one,” Miller said, still leaning over the table.

Donkey was surprised. “You’re nearly finished?” he asked, some of the other soldiers beginning to make their way over as well.

“Once she knows what she’s doing, Twilight’s a pretty good worker,” Miller replied.

Twilight looked up at Donkey and started, “I was actually wondering something while I worked…” She looked down at one of the M16s, “Do you think putting something on top might be a good idea?”

Donkey asked, “What kind of something?”

Twilight answered, “Well, I was thinking like something that would make aiming a little easier, like a scope or something. That might be useful to help new Combat Unit staff improve their aiming. And could something be added on the underside?”

The other soldiers started murmuring amongst themselves. It wasn’t because what Twilight was suggesting was anything revolutionary; they’d had ideas for scopes and other add-ons for the M16 by the time the Boss had sent her and Huey to Mother Base and were already making them, but it was clear to them she had an inventive mind. One of them said, “Twilight, I think you’ll fit right in here.” Twilight couldn’t help but smile happily at that.

A second later, Miller spoke, “There, all finished!” He stood up straight and looked at Twilight and the soldiers. “You’re all finished as well?” When they all nodded, he said, “Good. I think we’ve all earned a little break then. Let’s close up and head over to the Mess Hall for a little something.”

________________________________________

“…So that kind of sums up my first day on the staff,” Twilight finished.

“Again, it sounds really busy to me,” Spike remarked.

“Sounds like ya really fit in with them researcher guys. Ya still got moved around though, Twilight?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah. I did get to spend the following day in R&D. The rotations started after that. They sent me to the Intel Unit first, where I was able to help some as well. I didn’t really work in the Sick Bay all that often, mainly because I was only allowed to fetch supplies and be an assistant. That was probably for the best. Of course, I also went back to the Combat Unit from time to time,” Twilight explained.

Pinkie piped up, “When did you work in the kitchen? You didn’t mention that!”

Twilight replied, “Uh, I didn’t really go through there at all at first, Pinkie. The first time I did anything in the Mess Hall happened because Amanda and Paz were going to show Cécile how to make gallo pinto and she wanted me to come along.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow, “Make what?”

Twilight repeated, “Gallo pinto. It’s a dish consisting of black frijoles mixed with arroz. …So, beans and rice mixed together.”

Luna asked, “Is that a popular dish out there?”

Twilight answered, “It’s apparently well-known throughout Central America, not just Costa Rica. That’s probably why Amanda knew how to make it.”

Rainbow leaned back with her hooves behind her head, “So how did that go?”

Twilight placed the crook of her right foreleg atop the table and leaned the side of her head against her hoof, “Well, as you can probably guess, I’m well aware of what kind of cook I am, so I was not excited about the idea at all.”

________________________________________

“Come on, Cécile, I don’t want to do this!” Twilight cried, trying to get out of the bird lover’s grip. For some reason, she was able to keep the alicorn restrained, her hands wrapped around her folded-up wings, while walking behind Amanda and Paz. It was like all the training she had done had to make herself stronger had magically vanished as soon as Cécile grabbed her.

“Oh, please, Twilight! Cooking is very exciting! I’ve never made gallo pinto before, and I think you would enjoy learning how to make it too!” Cécile insisted.

“This is a really bad idea,” Twilight whined.

Amanda looked back over her shoulder at her, “You’re making a very big fuss about receiving a cooking lesson, Twilight. I thought you liked to learn.”

Twilight said, “I do, but I don’t know how to cook! Even my friends know there’s a reason why Spike does all the cooking for the two of us, and they’ve never seen me try to cook anything!”

Paz glanced back, “You’re not a good cook, Twilight?”

Twilight hesitated, “Well… not really. I mean, my parents forbid me from trying to make anything after that one time when I was little, and as far as I know, they still don’t want me trying to make anything. I don’t think I burned orange juice like Rarity told me her sister did once, but from what I remember, it still went pretty badly.”

Amanda said, “All the more reason for you to start learning how to cook on your own. It’ll be something else that you can surprise them all with when you get home.” Twilight quieted down, but she was still very reluctant about going anywhere near the Mess Hall’s kitchen.

After a couple of minutes, the group of four stepped into the kitchen. Despite her nervousness, Twilight couldn’t help but look around the room in surprise. The kitchen was pretty big and had all the appliances and cookware that she suspected the kitchen in Canterlot Castle had. While she was taking it all in, Cécile let go of her and followed Paz and Amanda over to one of the counters against the wall, where a pot sat in one of the sinks. Twilight noticed this after a few seconds and walked over to them.

Amanda waited for Twilight to join them before saying, “As you all may know, gallo pinto is a well-known dish in this part of the world and a rather simple one to make, but it does require a bit of preparation beforehand. Fortunately, we had already planned on making it, so one of the big preparations has already been taken care of.” She gestured to the pot in the sink, “This pot has frijoles in it, one of the main components of the dish. We left the pot here in the sink so they could soak overnight.” She looked back at Twilight and Cécile, “Now we are going to cut up some garlic and herbs to add to the pot to cook the frijoles with.”

Paz spoke, “Just a minute. I’ll go get another cutting board and knife for Twilight.” While Amanda walked over to one of the counters in the center of the room with Cécile and Twilight, Paz walked over to another counter and retrieved the two items from the drawers it had before joining them. Twilight’s cutting was a little slower than the other girls due to her taking the time to think about her cuts, so Amanda gave her some advice after she was done with the garlic and herbs she was cutting. They then gathered up the minced ingredients and added them to the pot.

Amanda then pulled the pot up out of the sink and carried it over to the stovetop, placing it on one of the burners and turning it on. She then said, “While we’re waiting for this to cook, we’ll sauté some onions and arroz.” Paz went to retrieve a frying and the three of them added cut up onions and rice to it. Twilight was then given the job of moving the pan while Amanda supervised. She was a bit clumsy with her movements at first, but with some advice from Amanda and Cécile putting her hands on the handle, she soon managed to find an even rhythm and began to relax as she got into it. While they were working, she noticed Cécile seemed a bit glum, but didn’t comment on it. Soon afterwards, they added water to the pan and watched the rice begin to steam.

While they were waiting, Amanda began sharing memories of her mother with the girls. “You were separated from her because of Somoza? I had no idea!” Cécile remarked after Amanda finished recounting.

Amanda nodded, “Yes… I haven’t seen her since, but I still remember her cooking.”

Paz spoke up a moment later, “I believe the frijoles are ready!”

Amanda walked over next to her and peered into the pot, nodding a moment later. She then walked over to Twilight and took the pan from her, saying, “Here Twilight, I’ll take this. Why don’t you drain the water?” Twilight nodded and took the pot off the fire, taking it over to the sink and emptying the water while keeping the beans inside. They then began to stir-fry them with the rest of the vegetables. When the rice had finished cooking, Amanda and Paz showed Twilight and Cécile how to fold it into the beans, adding salsa and stirring the simmering mixture afterwards.

They had all kept talking while they were cooking, with Twilight sharing some of her memories of Equestria while they were waiting for the rice to finish cooking. Now Cécile had taken the reins of the conversation, steering it towards romance. While listening to her give Amanda all sorts of advice, Twilight thought to herself, “She’s a lot like Rarity in some ways. I bet the two of them would get along great.”

She was brought out of her thoughts when Cécile turned to her asked, “Twilight? You have a lot of fond memories of Equestria, yes?”

Twilight nodded unsurely, “Uh, yes, Cécile…”

The Parisian smiled, “Do you have any fond memories of anyone? Someone you like?”

Twilight’s eyes widened a bit. “You mean like…” At Cécile’s nod, she blushed and looked off to the side, placing her left hoof in front of her right hoof. “Well… there was… this one guy I met recently…”

Cécile was excited by this and even Amanda and Paz looked a little interested. “Ooh! Tell us more about him! Please?” Cécile urged.

Twilight talked slowly, “Well, I… ran into him at school. And I mean that kind of literally; we actually bumped into each other a lot. He’s a nice guy. He plays guitar and helped me out when I was in trouble. And… we did have a dance together at the Fall Formal.”

Amanda asked, “So he’s your boyfriend?”

Twilight moved her hooves together across the floor as she replied slowly, “Uh… maybe? I actually haven’t seen him since the dance. We’re kind of worlds apart without any way to contact each other, and I don’t know about…” She trailed off, not exactly sure how to explain it without it initially coming off as weird.

Cécile looked disappointed. “Oh…” she groaned. She soon perked up and turned to Paz, asking, “Paz, what about you? Is there anyone that you like?” Paz looked surprised for a moment before she turned back to the stovetop, looking everything over. Despite this, Cécile continued to pester her. “Come on, Paz, tell me! Is there?” she asked.

“Not right now,” Paz insisted.

Cécile let out a gasp suddenly and, when Paz turned to looked up at her, asked, “It’s Snake, isn’t it?”

Twilight noticed that, as she bowed her head slightly, Paz had her teeth clenched together as she coyly replied, “Maybe.”

Cécile nodded, “He’s pretty sexy, isn’t he?” She then giggled.

Twilight rolled her eyes as she thought, “I might have to take that earlier thought about her and Rarity back…”

Soon afterwards, the gallo pinto was ready and a rich aroma filled the room. As they began to put the food on plates for themselves, they all heard a purring sound coming from below them and looked down to see a black cat rubbing up against Paz’s boot. At this, Cécile cooed, “Aw, Nuke! Looks like our cooking has a fan already!”

Twilight asked, “Do you think he wants to try some?”

Amanda smiled, “Mm, I don’t think this is the kind of food he’d like, Twilight.”

Paz knelt down and placed her hands on the sides of Nuke’s head, cradling it. “Oh Nuke, you’re such a sweet kitty,” she cooed, making little kissy noises as well.

The aroma of the gallo pinto ended up attracting some soldiers to the kitchen as well, all of them wanting to sample a little bit as well. The girls obliged and let them take some of the extra gallo pinto before they all headed off to the Mess Hall to eat. Despite the dish attracting more of the men and being praised for her part in making it, the end result didn’t really give Twilight a newfound confidence in her cooking abilities.

________________________________________

“It sounds like you did very well for your first time in the Mess Hall kitchen, Twilight” Celestia said.

“Yes, with a lot of help. I definitely would not have done very well on my own,” Twilight sighed.

Pinkie popped up next to her and wrapped a foreleg around her. “Hey, all us greats have to start somewhere, Miss Nervous Nervous-Pants! And friends are great for helping you get a better start!” she chimed. Twilight stayed quiet as she glanced at her friend.

She looked at Cadance when the pink alicorn asked, “After that, though, you started being rotated through the Mess Hall regularly, right Twilight?”

Twilight answered, “Yeah. I might’ve gone back that night for another lesson from Paz, but that didn’t happen.”

Mrs. Sparkle asked, “Why not?”

Twilight answered, “Well, the gallo pinto ended up being very popular with everyone on Mother Base. Even Snake showed up for some and said that he liked it. But while we were all eating, Zadornov escaped. Again.”
> Zadornov Search Mission 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What?! That guy managed to escape?!” Rainbow exclaimed. She then looked confused as the initial surprise wore off. “Wait, what do you mean again?” she asked.

“Exactly that. He’d gotten out before and he did it again. This happened to be the fourth time he escaped,” Twilight replied.

Discord burst out laughing for a few seconds at that. When he stopped, he eagerly asked, “Really? Four times so fast? How many times did he get out in total?”

Twilight gave him an annoyed look and admitted a moment later, “Seven.”

Discord started laughing even harder at that. “Ha, ha, ha! He escaped seven times…! And without magic too! Oh, I’m sure that reflects very poorly on you and your new friends, Twilight!”

Applejack looked at Twilight and asked, “How did he get out so many times?”

Twilight replied, “Well, we figured out how he got out the first time. It had something to do with his prosthetic hand, so we took it away from him. This time it was because the guard watching him in the Brig was invited to try the gallo pinto. All the other times? I have no idea how he managed to get out. Not… exactly.”

Cadance asked, “So what did Zadornov’s escape have to do with you not being able to go cook with Paz, Twilight?”

Rainbow spoke, “Let me guess. They asked you to investigate the cell to figure out what he did to get the door open?”

Twilight replied, “No, I was actually asked to find him and bring him back since Snake wasn’t available at the time. He was already en route to another more pressing mission when Miller contacted him about Zadornov’s escape.”

Celestia asked, “What happened?”

Twilight answered, “One of the Intel team members who was working undercover was exposed in the area of operations and was being hunted down. He managed to get a message to Mother Base, requesting a rescue.”

Luna raised an eyebrow, “Could they not have sent someone besides Snake to rescue him?”

Twilight replied, “He was a very high-ranking member of the Intel Unit, Princess Luna. This might sound dramatic, but it’s entirely true: if we’d lost him, MSF would’ve been in a really bad spot and things would only get worse if we continued to work without him. Both Snake and Miller knew that; that’s why it had to be Snake who rescued him.”

Shining asked, “So they couldn’t send someone else to rescue him, but they also picked you over everyone else in that army to find Zadornov?”

Twilight answered, “Well, by that point, I’d advanced quite a bit in my Combat Unit training. I mean, compared to how I started out, of course. Plus, all things considered, it was a fairly easy mission and it involved going back to familiar places. They managed to hide a tracker on Zadornov, so we did have some idea of where he was going when he got out. In this case, his signal was headed for the mountains Snake and I climbed, but it came to a stop in the prison camp at the foot of the mountain trail.”

Celestia said, “So you were familiar enough with the area that Miller thought he could trust you with the mission.”

Twilight nodded, “Right, Princess. Field training was just starting to be added to the training regiment due to the CIA’s presence in Costa Rica waning, so I kind of was one of the few besides Snake who knew the area.”

Pinkie asked, “So was that your first real mission, Twilight? You got to dress up for it and everything?!”

Twilight nodded again, “Mm-hmm. Exactly, Pinkie.”

________________________________________

Twilight sat at her desk, looking down at the mess of papers on it as she used her magic to move a pencil around on a blank sheet of paper and write down her calculations. The expansions made to the Living Quarters so far had made it possible for everyone to have their own room, which was good for her since it gave her a space to properly spread out her work, even if it didn’t look very neat. It wasn’t just the desk either; the wall she had her back to had more papers taped to it, all spread out in such a way that she could glance at them and see what was on them. It made her room look more like a workspace rather than a bedroom, but it didn’t bother her.

At the moment, she was writing out a complex equation for her homeward bound spell, trying to factor in ideas that she’d gotten while working with the Intel Unit earlier. Suddenly, the door to her room burst open with a shout of “Twilight!” Twilight let out a scream and swiftly leaned backwards in shock, causing her chair to tip over and fall on its back. She groaned as she lay sprawled out on the floor and looked up to see Miller standing in her doorway, the man seemingly looking at her wall of notes. “Damn. Is this how you organize things back home?” he asked after a moment.

Twilight raised herself up into a sitting position before she glared up at him. “Miller, was that necessary?” she questioned.

Miller crossed his arms, “Uh, yes? You know how many times I’ve knocked on your door in the past and thought you weren’t in when in reality you didn’t hear me?”

Twilight blushed a little, “I don’t get that lost in thought.”

Miller simply replied, “Yes you do. You also tend to stop listening when you’re anxious. Should I go on?”

Twilight sighed and rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. “So why exactly did you let yourself in, Miller? Did something happen?” she asked.

Miller uncrossed his arms and nodded, “Yeah. Zadornov’s escaped again.”

That caught Twilight’s attention and she looked up at him in surprise. “Wha- again?! How did he escape this time?!” she asked.

“The guard in the Brig was one of the men enjoying the cooking you and the other girls did. Says when he came back, Zadornov was gone,” Miller explained.

Twilight buried her muzzle in her hooves. “Oh, come on. This is… the fourth time he’s gotten out. How does he keep doing this?” she asked.

Miller sighed, “Your guess is as good as mine. I’m getting real sick of his walks too.”

A new voice entered the conversation, “I knew he was going to be nothing but trouble. You should’ve had him executed when you had the chance.” Twilight looked up and saw Dr. Strangelove standing behind Miller in the hallway.

“I understand your concern, Strangelove, but think about it. If we could get Zadornov on our side, it would greatly benefit us. Just think of the morale boost our Russian troops would get,” Miller argued.

“Well, I say you’re being too lenient, Kazuhira. The first escape is perhaps forgivable, but after that? I say it’s unlikely he’ll be convinced at this point, and even if he somehow does join the Boss, no morale boost could possibly be worth this much trouble,” she countered. Having said her piece, she turned and continued down the hall without another word or a glance backwards.

Twilight looked at Miller again after several seconds and asked, “Do you think she has a point?”

The man turned back to her and said, “Ah, she’s just angry at him because he threatened to destroy Peace Walker’s AI if she didn’t do what he said. She’ll come around sooner or later; I can’t see how anyone could hold a grudge for long. It’s not good for you.”

Twilight looked down at the chair in front of her and used her hooves to lift it back up as she asked, “So, uh, why did you come to tell me about Zadornov’s escape anyway? Don’t you usually tell Snake before anyone else?”

Miller replied, “I do, and I did contact him about it. Unfortunately, he’s away on a mission. One of our top-ranking Intel team members working undercover has been found out and needs an extraction.”

Twilight paused as she thought about what he said, her eyes widening a moment later. She looked at him, “You don’t mean… Not him?”

Miller nodded, “Yeah, exactly. Sometimes you need the best to save the best, so I was wondering if you’d be willing to go and bring Zadornov back.”

Twilight felt a bit calmer now that the details had been shared with her. “Me? Really?” she asked.

Miller replied, “Sure. You’d be going to familiar territory; the tracker’s signal was headed for the prison camp at the base of the mountains. I asked the Intel Unit to scout out the area and see how heavily guarded it is. Coldman may be dead, but the CIA still has a foot in Costa Rica’s door so to speak. Shouldn’t be too bad, though, so it should be an easy retrieval.”

Twilight asked, “Are you sure about this?”

Miller answered, “I’ve been monitoring your progress. Your sessions with Mosquito and the others have improved your CQC skills and your practice in the Shooting Range and Kill House has made you proficient in handling light weapons and decently good at using medium weapons. I imagine the second one’s not going to be much of an issue; you don’t want to kill anybody after all, right?”

Twilight shook her head, “Of course not!”

Miller added, “Plus, the R&D team has finished making fatigues that’ll fit your… different form a lot better. Better start making use of them so their work doesn’t go to waste. I know you didn’t like how they did it, but I did reprimand those men for getting intrusive with you.”

Twilight blushed, “Intrusive is right. My friend Rarity is a perfectionist when it comes to making a fitting ensemble and she doesn’t grab anypony that much. …Usually.”

Miller sighed and said, “Look, just head down to mission prep, grab some fatigues and equipment, and meet me at the helipad by the Control Tower in ten minutes. If you want my advice, I’d travel light and pick something that offers good camouflage in a variety of environments. Oh, and I heard the R&D team finished developing an improved Soliton Radar. Might want to see if you can grab one and take it out for a field test.” With that, he turned and stepped out of the room, leaving Twilight with a little time to mull over what she should take.

Nearly ten minutes later, Twilight flew down towards the helipad, her breathing slightly faster as she landed at the base of the stairs leading up to it. Miller was standing about halfway between the top of the stairs and the helicopter that would take her to the mission area and he turned as she quickly walked up the steps, seeing her wings still a bit unfolded as she reached the top.  “Sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to take so long selecting my equipment!” she exclaimed over the sound of the helicopter’s rotors.

Miller was silent as he looked her over. She’d selected the Jungle Fatigues, a camouflage that helped hide its wearer pretty good regardless of the surroundings, and she had an M16A1 attached to her left side near her flanks. The fatigues looked the same as the ones that Snake and the men wore, only modified to fit Twilight’s form and account for the way she carried herself. Miller had been skeptical about the R&D team not making more modifications to it when they showed him their blueprints and he still was, but it did seem like Twilight wasn’t having any difficulties with it on. “Well, do you have everything?” he asked after a moment.

Twilight nodded, “Uh-huh! I’ve got a Mark 22 that I hope will be the only gun I’ll need to use, I did grab one of those new Soliton Radars you told me about, got a few Smoke Grenades… oh, and I grabbed a cardboard box too. Don’t know how much use that will be, but…”

Miller spoke, “That should be more than enough. According to the Intel team, the area isn’t too heavily guarded and the tracker on Zadornov is still heading north. We’ve selected the landing zone so that the chopper’s landing shouldn’t attract any attention. We’ll be on the radio if you need any advice, but once you’re on the ground, it’s all up to you.”

Twilight replied, “Got it.” She then started to walk towards the chopper.

Before she could pass him, Miller put his right hand out in front of her, pressing it against her chest. She stopped and looked up at him as he knelt down, turning his head to look at her. “This really applies to all of our men in the Combat Unit, but since it’s you and this is your first mission, I want to stress this. Don’t overestimate yourself. If you get spotted, find some cover and try to lose the enemy. And if you have to, put those wings to good use. I’m not saying you should extract yourself if you get caught, but you should use everything you have at your disposal when you’re in the field,” he told her, his tone unusually serious.

Twilight stared back at him for a few moments before nodding, “Okay, Miller, I will.” He continued to stare at her for several seconds before removing his hand and standing up, allowing her to pass. She climbed up into the helicopter and turned around, seeing Miller still looking at her with the same look on his face as she pressed the button on the wall to her left, both parts of the door closing in response. She then sat down on the right side of the seat in the middle and took a few deep breaths as the chopper lifted off, settling in and trying to calm herself for the task ahead.

A while later, she was brought out of her thoughts when the chopper pilot, Cicada, called, “Approaching LZ! Prepare for landing!” Twilight stood up at that and walked over to the right door, pressing the button to open it and sitting down, her hind legs resting on the bottom part of the door as she looked out. From what she could see in the dark, they were landing in a less dense part of the forest as she could see trees clustered close together when she faced forward and looked left, but they were further away. The chopper slowly lowered down and soon came to a stop, hovering just above the dirt below. Twilight slid down the door after a moment, her hooves hitting the small step at the bottom before she pushed herself forward, landing somewhat shakily on her front hooves before bringing her back hooves down. She looked towards the front of the helicopter as Cicada said over the radio, “Be careful out there, Twilight!” He then lifted off and turned around, heading back to Mother Base while Twilight got her bearings. She then began heading north as Miller had advised.

It didn’t take long for the forest to become thicker, the canopy overhead making it darker than it had been only minutes ago. Twilight did her best to move carefully, looking around as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. “Should’ve grabbed a pair of night-vision goggles while I was prepping, but I spent so much time selecting a uniform and a primary weapon that…” Her thoughts came to a halt when she caught sight of a figure moving in the darkness up ahead to her left. She quickly ran forward and pressed herself against the side of a small rise, creeping along it to peer around the corner.

As she’d hoped, it was a patrol, his green uniform standing out against all the brown around him. While she watched him walk away from her, Twilight used her magic to pull out her Mark 22 and bring it up to her forehooves, gripping the handle with both hooves. She then pulled around the corner slightly and took aim, the tip of her right hoof moving into the extended trigger guard as she pointed the gun at the back of his head. A second later, a tranquilizer round hit him in the back of the head and he fell forward with a groan.

Twilight pulled back around the corner after reloading and quietly cheered to herself as she sat down, “Yes! I got him! …I put him to sleep.” Calming down, she put her gun back in its holster and pulled a small box out of her saddlebags, the new Soliton Radar. Clicking the screen on, she looked at the map and realized there was a vision cone moving down towards her and the sleeping patrol. She quickly turned the radar off and put it away before standing up and moving out from her hiding spot.

As she got near the sleeping patrol, she saw the second one a little further up. The patrol froze a second later, looking in her direction. She wasn’t sure what had caught his attention, but she decided not to wait to find out. She drew her gun and took aim; it took three shots since her hooves were shaking, but she managed to put him to sleep as well. She quickly scanned both of them with her Analyzer before moving on, just missing a patrol off to her right as she ran past.

When the path opened up at the next area, she saw a few crates stacked up to her right next to a dirt path. A little further down the path, she saw some metal containers on the side and another patrol on the path. He didn’t seem to see her since he was turning around to walk down the path; he didn’t get far before she hit him in the back of the head with a tranquilizer round, sending him down. As she crept past his sleeping form, she saw another patrol in the clearing up ahead, walking to her right towards what looked like a freight train car. Twilight decided she didn’t need to put every patrol to sleep and, after a quick scan of the two, she moved to the left as she entered the clearing, hoping she could just sneak past him.

“What the…?” Twilight froze when she heard that and, in a moment of panic, used her magic to summon the cardboard box, the box appearing out of thin air and dropping over her crouched form. She heard whoever had seen her call to the second patrol, “Hey, can you go check that out?” She heard the patrol respond affirmatively and knew he had to be coming towards her.

She heard the crunching of leaves getting closer and she whimpered quietly as she tried to keep herself still, her mind going a thousand miles a minute. She heard the crunching stop next to her and thought, “This is it, this is it, I’m so dead…”

A moment later, the patrol called, “Nah, there’s nothing here.”

The one who had seen her called back, “Never hurts to check.”

As the patrol walked away from her box, Twilight laid on the forest floor dumbstruck. “How did he…? He was standing right next to me! Did he not see the box? Or did he see it and think that it was here before?! I’m pretty sure he had to have walked past here earlier! How did he not think this was suspicious?!” She couldn’t wrap her head around what had just happened; it just didn’t seem possible.

Despite the many questions flying through her head, she realized she had to take advantage of the situation and press on. She calmed down and used her magic to pull out the Soliton Radar, bringing it in front of her and turning it on. Looking at the map, she saw a dot a short distance behind her position, no doubt whoever had seen her. She knew that the clearing was surrounded on the sides by steep walls; he had to be up on the ledge. She turned the radar off and put it away, thinking about how she was going to do this. The Love Boxes were roomy lengthwise, but they had the same width as a typical box, so she couldn’t really turn herself around without making the box turn with her. She decided the best way to do this was to catch them while they were surprised.

A second later, both of the guards were surprised when they saw the box shoot straight up into the air and hover in place high above them. They both looked up at it, the guard on the ledge even raising himself up off the ground as he stared. Twilight took the chance. She grabbed her gun with her right hoof, sat up, and spun around, taking it in both hooves. She managed to land a headshot on the guard on the ledge and then turned and shot the guard in the clearing in the head as well. Calming down from the brief adrenaline rush, she sighed and brought the box back down, looking at it with a sense of wonder for a moment before making it disappear.

She looked up at the guard sleeping on the edge of the ledge and brought her Analyzer out. The scan revealed he was pretty exceptionally skilled, so she flew up to the ledge and attached a Fulton Recovery balloon to his back, the balloon inflating and lifting him just off the ground. It hung there for a moment before shooting straight up, the balloon managing to make it through the forest canopy. She glided down from the ledge and headed north. As she left the clearing, Miller contacted her, “Fulton recovery to helicopter is complete.”

A short while later, she arrived at the prison camp. She moved to a cement wall and pressed up against it before tuning her radio and holding her hoof up to her ear. “Miller, I’ve reached the prison camp,” she reported.

“The signal from the tracker stops there. Zadornov’s probably hiding in one of the houses. Keep your ears open for anything unusual,” the man answered. Twilight nodded and clicked her radio off. She then pulled out her radar to see how heavily guarded the camp was. From what she could see, it looked like there were at least two patrols in the area. She put the radar away and then looked to her left as she pulled out her Mark 22. One of the patrols was a short distance around the corner. She peered out and took aim once she saw that he wasn’t looking in her direction. She hit him once in the shoulder and then in the back of the head before he fell. She then carefully moved out to clear the rest of the camp.

It turned out there were actually four patrols around the camp. She had a pair of close calls when two of them managed to see her, but she managed to keep either of them from raising the alarm by using her CQC, flying and tackling one to the ground before putting a tranquilizer round in his head and managing to grab ahold of the other and throwing him into a wall with a little help from her magic, ending with a quick shock from her Stun Rod when he tried to get up afterwards. The last one was easily held up and put to sleep when he came to investigate the noise, giving Twilight a chance to search for Zadornov without being seen.

She checked the blue door near the entrance to the camp first, fluttering up to the eye slot and using her hoof to slide it open. She peered inside and, after a few moments, her eyes went wide and she shut the peephole with a squeak of embarrassment, her cheeks a bit red. She then moved into the nearby back alley and checked the blue door she found there, where she heard someone crying for their mother. She felt bad for the person, but Miller contacted her and told her to focus on the mission, so she reluctantly moved on. She then checked the blue door near where a truck had parked near the end of the road. She peered through the peephole for several seconds before she let out a gasp and exclaimed, “…Ah-ha!”

With a flick of her magic, the door swung open and she stepped inside, the tip of her horn shining a beam of light inside. She pointed it off to the right of the wall across from her, where Zadornov was huddled up in the corner trying to look very small. He soon gave it up as she kept the light shining on him and he growled, “Curses!”

Twilight walked over to him as she clicked on her radio and reported, “I’ve found him, Miller.”

As she stood over him, Zadornov grunted, “…Slipped up again…”

Miller heard this and said, “Acknowledged. Bring him on in.”

Twilight used her magic to make Zadornov stand up and she stayed behind him as she led him out of the house. “You know, you really are an enigma, Zadornov. Four times now you’ve managed to get out of your cell, and each time you’re found, it’s like we’re playing hide-and-seek. Very interesting,” she said as they stepped outside.

“Huh. I didn’t think Big Boss would be able to find me this time, let alone the strange horse he managed to get on his side,” Zadornov remarked, keeping his hands held up.

Twilight replied, “Yeah, well the Boss happened to be busy with something bigger when word of your escape reached him. That’s how frequent this is getting, Zadornov, that it’s not just the Boss who has to bring you back when you escape.”

Zadornov glanced back at her, “Bigger? You have no idea what’s really going on, and neither does he. What I’m doing is very important.”

Zadornov came to a stop in the middle of the road and Twilight did as well as she said, “Seems more like you’re playing a game here instead of doing anything meaningful. Like I said, it’s like you want to play hide-and-seek with us.”

Zadornov turned around to face her, smirking. “You know, as someone who’s simply trying to get back to her home, you shouldn’t be blindly trusting a man who turned his back on his country. Just because he’s trying to make his army seem like the best place in the world for you doesn’t mean it’s going to stay that way. There are things he doesn’t understand and isn’t willing to tell you. You, however, seem smarter than I would’ve taken you for. If you’re willing to keep an open mind and listen…”

Twilight reached her right hoof back towards her saddlebags as she interrupted him, “Ooh, could you hold that thought?” She grabbed her Fulton Recovery device with her hoof and pulled it out a bit before she channeled her magic into her horn. She then wrapped it around the device and, in a swift movement, moved it around and strapped it to Zadornov’s back, the balloon quickly inflating. The man let out a cry as he flailed in the air for a moment before screaming as he shot up into the air. Twilight looked up for a moment before turning and walking a short way down the road, muttering, “So he wants to talk about secrets, huh? I’m not sure I’d be able to listen to him clearly after what happened with Peace Walker, and I really don’t want to know what he would’ve done to me.”

After a few seconds, she stopped and pulled out another Fulton Recovery device, this time inflating the balloon with the pack in her hooves. She then placed her back hooves in the loop at the end of the line and wrapped her right foreleg around it, bracing herself. A second later, she let out a loud grunt as the balloon shot up into the air, taking her with it. After a little more than a minute of going up, she reached the chopper and was caught by the recovery hook, which deposited her in the chopper’s cabin. When she got inside, she saw that Zadornov was sitting on the left side with a pair of MSF soldiers at his sides. Twilight took a seat on the right side and settled in for the trip back to Mother Base.

Once they touched down at Mother Base, the two soldiers led Zadornov off the helicopter and back to the Brig. As Twilight got off, she saw Miller waiting in the middle of the deck, though he was looking up and off to the side at something. Following his gaze, she saw another helicopter coming in for a landing and realized it must’ve been Snake’s. Sure enough, he got off followed by the extracted Intel team member after it landed. She watched Miller and Snake exchange a few words before all three of them came over to her. Miller was the first to speak, “You did a great job finding and bring Zadornov back, Twilight. You keep doing good work like this and I’m sure we’ll have more missions for you soon.”

Snake said, “Yeah… Nice work.” He didn’t seem to know what else to say, so he turned and walked away.

Twilight didn’t bother thinking about what Zadornov had tried to tell her. Sure, Snake could be pretty rough, but she thought he meant well. She turned to look at the Intel member and bowed respectfully to him. “Mr. Kojima. It’s such a relief to have you back with us, alive and well,” she said. The dark-haired man adjusted his glasses before returning the bow.

________________________________________

“So, what happened next? Dinner?” Rainbow guessed.

Twilight nodded, “Yeah. It was past the usual dinnertime when we got back, but the Mess Hall staff always kept at least a little bit of food ready to serve in case anyone off base made it back before it got too late. I was sure glad for that that night, and a couple other times too.”

Cadance asked, “So was Miller being serious when he said they’d consider sending you out on more missions, Twilight?”

Twilight replied, “Yeah. I did start getting more assignments after that. I even got to accompany Snake on a few of his missions, like when he went to go deal with one of the extra Cocoon AI weapons that the CIA had left behind…”
> Cocoon Type-II
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight stood near the entrance to the Underground Base at the bottom of the Mining Pit with fellow MSF member Iguana, both of them holding out their M16 rifles and outfitted with the Battle Dress, Iguana’s uniform including a helmet with a mask over it. Snake was patrolling the level above them and further up, fellow MSF member Eagle surveyed the top of the pit with his binoculars. Snake had a metal plate over the front of his bandanna and Eagle, like Twilight, had nothing protecting his head. In addition to their M16s, Eagle also had an SVD sniper rifle, Iguana had a Carl Gustav Multi-Purpose recoilless rifle, Snake had an RPG-7, and Twilight had an XFIM-92A rocket launcher.

They’d received reports from Combat Unit members training at the Mine Base that unusual tremors had been occurring in the area recently. The Intel team was unable to verify the source of the tremors, but Snake had a sneaking suspicion that it was an AI weapon, having seen a number of inactivated ones while sneaking through the Underground Base. In particular, he thought it had to be another model of the Cocoon AI weapon as he remembered how the ground shook when it was approaching and climbing down into the pit. He rounded up the others to accompany him and had the chopper drop them off directly in the pit, hoping that would help draw it out. That had been a few minutes ago and so far, nothing had happened.

Snake suddenly came to a stop when he was standing across from the entrance to the Underground Base, a slight disturbance in the ground catching his attention. He looked in Eagle’s direction and saw that he seemed to have noticed it too since he had lowered his binoculars and was looking around. Twilight and Iguana soon noticed it as well when it began to get stronger, the shaking becoming impossible to ignore. Twilight looked at Snake and saw that he had crouched down, looking straight ahead at something. She turned her head to the left and looked up at where the shaking seemed to be coming from. It didn’t take long for it to come into view.

As Snake had suspected, the source of the shaking was a Cocoon AI weapon, this one possessing a light red-gray color scheme compared to the dark blue-gray color scheme of the one he’d fought. The behemoth of a weapon came to a stop at the edge of the pit for a few seconds, its treads angled downwards, before it began to roll down into the pit unhindered. Eagle hadn’t been right underneath it when it appeared, but it was close enough that he took off running almost as soon as it appeared. As it came down, Snake gestured to Iguana and Twilight to move before he took off running as well, stopping when he got behind a barricade across from where the AI weapon was coming down. Twilight and Iguana managed to run over to the nearby dirt slope and get to the level above before the Cocoon reached the bottom of the pit, where it came to a stop.

Now that they were out of harm’s way for the moment, Twilight took the opportunity to get a good look at the Cocoon. Two sets of treads, one in the back and one in the front, were on both of its sides, there were five mounted machines guns on top of both sides of its lower body along with what looked like multiple small machine guns sticking out of both sides, each corner of the lower body had what looked like a minigun mounted on it, and there was a large cannon mounted on the underside of its head. The AI pod sat on its head above the cannon, a mounted minigun sitting behind on it on each side. And on the back of its head was a long extendable arm with what appeared to be a chainsaw with a gun mounted on top of it at the end of it. The weapon was about as big as a fully-grown dragon that was sitting up, the machine still sitting in place as it shook a bit.

Suddenly, its upper body reared back a bit before leaning forward and moving for a moment before stopping again. Despite the small movement, Snake got out from behind cover and began running to the right as they all heard Miller’s voice over the radio, “Neutralize the Cocoon AI weapon!’ At his words, Snake pulled the RPG-7 off his back and took aim at the AI pod, Twilight and Iguana grabbing their big guns and firing at it shortly after he did while Eagle fired at it with his SVD. The explosions and gunshots rang out through the pit, the latter continuing while everyone else reloaded.

While they were reloading, the Cocoon’s AI said, “Main cannon loaded.” As it said this, it began turning its head and extended the front part of its head forward, the cannon turning to aim at each of them.

“Get out of there! Run! Hiding won’t do anything against a gun like that!” Miller ordered everyone. Twilight didn’t need to be told twice, both her and Iguana diving off the ledge as the big gun turned after firing at Eagle towards them, each shot making a loud explosion when it hit the ground. Twilight and Iguana managed to avoid the shots, feeling a little bit of dirt and rock fall down on them while their ears rang.

Now back at the bottom of the pit, they both looked up at the Cocoon as it retracted its main cannon. A moment later, Iguana took his Carl Gustav off of his back and fired up at the AI pod again, the speedy round hitting it before the weapon’s treads could start rolling. Twilight looked up at him for a moment as he reloaded before she grabbed her XFIM-92A and looked through the sight as she took aim, waiting for it to lock on to the pod. She didn’t have to, but with it starting to move and turn, she wanted to make sure she didn’t waste a missile. It wasn’t entirely successful as it hit the side of the top part of weapon’s upper body, but the mechanical grunt it made at the explosion indicated that it still did some damage.

Iguana had just finished loading another round when the machine guns on the side of the Cocoon started firing down at them. Twilight dropped her launcher as she and Iguana ran to the side, trying to avoid getting hit by the bullets. While they were running, Eagle moved around and began firing his SVD at the guns, trying to take them out, while Snake focused on taking out the AI pod, still firing rockets at it.

A minute later, the machine guns turned up to fire at Eagle, forcing him to run for cover, as a series of hatches opened on top of the Cocoon’s head. “Commencing area attack,” the AI droned as it fired missiles out of the openings that came down on its right side, towards Twilight and Iguana. The two were too close to the middle of where they would land, so instead of trying to run to the side, they ran forward and through the gap between the weapon’s front and back treads, getting underneath it and avoiding the explosions that sounded outside.

As they caught their breath from escaping the near disaster, they noticed there were a number of vents attached to the bottom letting out small white-gray clouds. “Those are exhaust vents! This is how it keeps its innards cool,” Iguana realized. He then grabbed his M16, “Making it overheat could help us take it out. Save your missiles for the AI pod, Twilight.” Twilight nodded and grabbed her own gun with her magic and brought it over to hold in her forelegs, both of them opening fire on the vents.

Suddenly, the underside began to shake and raise up slightly, causing both of them to stop firing. “Oh, shit! We gotta get out of here!” Iguana exclaimed a second later, realizing that it was going to try to crush them.

It clicked for Twilight a moment later and she moved to his side, wrapping her left foreleg around his leg. “I’ve got you!” she said as her horn lit up, both of them vanishing in a burst of light moments before the Cocoon slammed its body down.

The two reappeared moments later a fair distance off to the side a fair distance away from the AI weapon, Iguana looking dazed for a moment before he shook his head to get rid of the disorientation. “Your magic is really useful, Twilight, but I swear I’ll never get used to it,” he remarked before he grabbed his Carl Gustav and fired his last round up at the Cocoon’s head. He realized this when he went to reload it and found he didn’t have any more in reserve. “Damn it, I’m out! I need to call in a resupply!”

Twilight looked up at the Cocoon and said, “Do it! I’ve still got a few missiles left!” She grabbed her XFIM and aimed at one of the large guns on the top of the Cocoon’s lower body while Iguana grabbed one of his Supply Markers and threw it away from the AI weapon, running towards where it landed as he clicked the button in his hand to send out the request.

While he was getting the supplies from the cardboard box, Twilight moved closer to the Cocoon’s side as she fired another lock-on missile at it. She was about to aim up at it again with her last missile when she heard it say, “Commencing sweep attack.” She looked confused at that, but then she noticed the arm on the back of it moving, the chainsaw being brought down close to the ground on her side. She let out a yelp as it began spinning around and dove to the side to get away from it, the end of her tail getting snipped off while she was in the air. She landed on her front and looked up to her left as the chainsaw finished its sweep. She managed to push herself up into a sitting position and used her magic to grab and hold her launcher. She brought it close so she could aim and fired at the chainsaw after it had locked on, the missile trying to follow its target but exploding too far away from it.

She heard a round fire behind her and looked to see that Iguana had finished stocking up and reloading. She put her own launcher back on her back and grabbed a Supply Marker, holding it up so that Iguana could see what she was doing. She then turned all the way around and threw it a short distance away. She then grabbed the small button with her right hoof, brought it in front of her, and pressed it with her left hoof. Immediately she got a call from Miller, “They’ve okayed your request for a cardboard box. It’ll be sent out shortly.” While she waited, she grabbed her M4 and fired up at the Cocoon, trying to do a little damage while she waited for the resupply package. A couple of seconds later, while she was reloading, she heard a thudding sound and turned to see that the cardboard box had arrived, the box breaking from the impact and dropping its supplies. Twilight quickly ran over and gathered everything up before she got a new missile ready.

The four of them continued to attack the Cocoon, hammering and chipping away at it with their weapons while doing their best to dodge its attacks. Soon, Snake hit the AI pod with an RPG and the AI weapon started to shudder as it droned, “Thermostat malfunction detected.” It began to warble in the same singing voice that the Pupa and Peace Walker had had while its treads rolled, the weapon turning around without moving. It came to a stop facing away from the entrance to the Underground Base and a few seconds later, it quickly rolled forward and crashed into the side of the pit, its lower half pressed up against it.

Huey contacted everyone a moment later, “The shock dislodged the ladder on the side of the treads! You can use that to get on top!” Twilight looked at the treads on the Cocoon’s right side and saw that the ladder on the side of the front treads had indeed come loose, the bottom of it on the ground. She guessed there was one on the other side as well.

Snake’s voice came over the radio, “It won’t last much longer! Try to take out the guns so it’ll be easier to approach the AI pod when it deactivates!” Heeding his words, Twilight made her way to one of the nearby slopes to get higher up so it would be easier to target the guns while Iguana stayed at the bottom of the pit.

For about a minute, they continued their assault on the Cocoon, the weapon not moving from where it had crashed. Following Snake’s orders, Twilight and Iguana focused on using their heavy firepower to destroy the guns on top of its lower half, saving their bullets for the AI pod, while Eagle continued to fire his SVD bullets at the pod.

It didn’t take long for the Cocoon’s body to shudder again, the AI saying nothing as it shook and spouting gibberish after it settled down. “Attack the AI pod to destroy its hatch!” Miller ordered, everyone opening fire on the pod at his words. The red ring lights around the top and bottom of the pod began to change between red and yellow after a few moments of taking fire, indicating it had sustained considerable damage. “Somebody, hurry up and get in the AI pod! Otherwise it’ll reactivate,” Miller called at this. Unfortunately, no one was on top of the Cocoon’s lower half at the moment.

Below her, Twilight could see Iguana scrambling towards the Cocoon, aiming for the ladder. She looked up at the AI pod; she had no idea how long it would take for it to reactivate but considering this was supposed to be an improved version of the original Cocoon, she assumed it wouldn’t take very long. Deciding someone needed to get in the pod right away, she spread her wings and began flapping them. Due to the weight of the Battle Dress, it was a little harder for her to get up off the ground, but she was able to take advantage of the size of her wings to give herself some extra lift. Once she was sure she was up, she began flying towards the pod.

She made it up to the pod after a couple of seconds. The pod was tilted back towards the Cocoon’s body and she had to place her hooves on the front of it and pull herself up on top since she was still a little short. Once on top, she inched over to the hatch on the back and noticed that it didn’t seem to be open. She gave it a tap with her left hoof and it popped open a crack. She grabbed the handle on top with her magic and gave it a slight pull upwards, causing it to open all the way. She then dove into the pod forelegs first, the hatch closing behind her and the pod righting itself as the ring lights became red again.

Inside, Twilight found that the pod was rather small, the cylindrical AI in the center of the pod taking up most of the space. Twilight turned her body to the side so she could move around a little easier and circled around the AI as she looked it over, seeing some lights on the sides of it. Miller’s voice came over the radio, “Pull out all the unlocked memory boards! All the unlocked boards will have icons over them.” Twilight looked closer at the AI and saw that the lights on the sides were shaped, like icons. She sat down in front of the side labeled ‘A’ and grabbed the sides of one of the unlocked memory boards with her hooves, the board easily sliding out when she pulled it. She put the board in her saddlebags before turning back and doing the same with the other boards that had lights on.

Once she was finished, she stood up and made her way around to the ‘B’ side. As she sat down in front of it, her radio beeped and Huey said, “Any boards you remove can be used to improve our AI weapon. Memory boards have different functions according to the icons displayed over them. Go ahead and take whichever ones you want. If you attack parts on the exterior of the machine, the memory boards that control those parts should light up. You can tell what a memory board does by looking at its color when it lights up.” Twilight filed this information away in her brain as she continued to move around and remove the unlocked memory boards. It was a little hard to tell which ones were lit up due to the red light inside of the pod and the AI’s singing made it a bit hard to focus, but there weren’t many that were lit up. She was only able to remove ten of the AI’s forty memory boards; the rest of them were dark and would not budge.

After about a minute of being inside the pod, a brief beep like an alarm went off and the pod began to shake slightly. She remembered what the Pupa had done after it had been defeated and realized the pod was probably going to detach from the Cocoon. “I’d better get out of here!” she thought and looked up, spotting the hatch. She spread her wings and flew up to it; the pod was starting to shake more, but she could feel the hatch moving as she pressed her hooves up against it. She pressed hard against it with a grunt and it opened all the way, Twilight placing her hooves on the exterior of the pod and pulling herself all the way out. She panted a bit as she crouched on top of the pod; she couldn’t tell if she was panting because she was getting anxious or if it was because the pod didn’t have much breathable air inside of it.

There was no time to dwell on it, however; explosions were going off along the Cocoon’s body and the pod was shaking a lot more now. Twilight took a second to compose herself before she spread her wings and leapt off the pod with a shout, the pod detaching from the Cocoon almost immediately afterwards. The weight of the Battle Dress caused her to go down a little faster than she was used to, but she was still able to glide through the air and land on the ground at the bottom of the pit near Iguana. They both looked up and saw the AI pod sputter for a moment before it shot up into the air, flying away from the Mining Base.

The two were soon joined by Snake and Eagle, the former standing to Twilight’s left and the latter at Iguana’s side. After a moment, Snake spoke, “Quick thinking just now, Twilight. Nice work.”

Twilight looked up at him for a moment before she glanced down at the ground. She then looked at the Cocoon and asked, “So… what now, Boss?”

Snake replied, “Well, we’re done here. I already called for a ride back to Mother Base. We’ll leave this for the R&D boys; they’ll figure out if there’s anything we can salvage for ZEKE.” As he started to make his way up out of the pit and the others followed after him, Twilight could swear she heard him mutter, “Hope there’s not too many more spare AI weapons that are starting to become active…”

________________________________________

“Whoa. Were you guys able to use the Cocoon for anything?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight thought for a moment before answering, “Well, since we mostly focused on attacking the AI pod, its armor was pretty much intact. It needed some work done on it after it was brought back to Mother Base, but they were able to apply it to ZEKE not long afterwards.”

Cadance said, “So they were able to repurpose it for the MSF’s AI weapon.”

Twilight nodded, “Yeah. ZEKE was mostly built using pieces from the CIA’s AI weapons. You know, the Pupa, the Chrysalis… we were even able to get a hold of some parts from Peace Walker.”

Applejack asked, “How’d y’all get pieces from that thing?”

Shining added, “And what about the Chrysalis AI weapon? You haven’t mentioned that one much.”

Twilight answered both questions, “I’m not sure, and like I said before, I never saw the Chrysalis aside from what Huey showed me. The only thing is I was outside when they transported the railgun back to Mother Base, though. I got to see several transport helicopters carrying the large gun below them.”

Luna asked, “What is a ‘railed gun’, Twilight?”

Twilight replied, “From what I understand, Princess Luna, a railgun is some sort of new, experimental type of weapon. It uses magnets and electricity to fire bullets at extremely high velocities. It can only fire one bullet at a time, but… they’re pretty devastating. I know the guys in R&D were trying to build a smaller version for the Combat Unit to use. I think I remember them saying they had some problems getting it to work right.”

Celestia cleared her throat and spoke, “So that was one time where you accompanied Snake on a mission, Twilight.”

Twilight nodded, “Yes. I even got to go with him to that island I woke up on once or twice. Turns out it was home to dragons and other large creatures.”

Before anyone else could say anything, Pinkie whined, “Didn’t you do anything FUN while you were there, Twilight?!”

Everyone turned to look at her. “What are you talking about, Pinkie? She took down a huge weapon! She helped save the world! She got to creep around and attach guys to balloons! She got to do some awesome stuff!” Rainbow said.

Pinkie replied, “Yeah, it’s all exciting stuff, Dashie, but you know what else it is? It’s a lot of work! That’s pretty much all we’ve heard about! Nothing but work, work, work!” She looked at Twilight, “Did you get a chance to do anything else while you were there, Twilight, or were eating and sleeping the only times you ever got to take a break?”

Twilight tapped a hoof against her chin as she thought about the question. “Something fun, huh? Let’s see…” After a moment, she smiled as a memory came to mind. “Well…” she started.
> Rowdy Fun
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

If there were two things Twilight had learned about her fellow MSF members, it was that they could get rather passionate about the things they liked, and that that passion often caused them to become rowdy. It didn’t come up often, but she’d seen them get riled up at times while she was trying to do her work for the different Units. Today she was getting to feel what it was like to share in their excitement as she stood with Amanda, Paz, and Chico on one of the R&D decks with a good number of the Mother Base staff behind and to the sides of them, all of them watching the spectacle unfold before their eyes.

In the middle of the deck, twenty-two of Mother Base’s best men, half of them Nicaraguan, half of them Costa Rican, were playing a game of soccer, ten of the men on each team running and kicking the ball around the deck while the eleventh stood in front of the goals that the R&D team had built. Twilight had helped them map out and set up the playing field earlier, having done a little research on the sport due to its popularity among the soldiers. The deck wasn’t big enough for them to set up a proper sized field, so they’d had to compromise; as a result, it wasn’t much bigger than the field CHS had. Twilight had felt like she was letting everyone down because she couldn’t get them a regulation size field, but once the match started, the excitement of the players and spectators helped make the feeling go away.

The game had started a little while ago. The spectators had been banging empty cans and shouting cheers through handmade megaphones before it even started and they continued to do so as the match went on. Despite not being Costa Rican or Nicaraguan, it hadn’t taken long for Twilight to get swept up in the excitement after Huey, who was serving as the referee, blew the whistle to signal the start of the game. While she did cheer for both teams, she found herself cheering for the Costa Rica team more as she thought it would help Paz feel better after she had had to be persuaded by Chico to come watch.

The men’s training made them quite capable physically, but they weren’t as good when it came to playing the game. Their skills weren’t as honed, causing them to lose control of the ball or kick it too hard on more than one occasion, and they got a lot more physical with each other than Twilight thought was allowed. The book she had read had laid out quite clearly what was allowed during a game; all the shoving and shoulders being thrown would not be allowed in a real game, but nobody seemed to mind how rough they got while they were playing, so she had to remind herself that they were soldiers and not professional soccer players.

Despite this, there were times where Huey had to play his part as the referee and intervene. The most prominent time this happened was about halfway through the match, when two players crashed into each other. Rather than get up and laugh it off, they began shouting at one another, causing the game to come to a stop. Seeing this, Huey grabbed the control stick for his wheelchair with his right hand and slammed it forward, rolling out onto the field as he blew his whistle. The sound wasn’t enough to get them to stop, but his wheelchair bumping and getting between them was. “What’s gotten into you two?” he asked.

The Nicaraguan player, Python, spoke first, “He crashed into me!”

The Costa Rican player, Hedgehog, retorted, “He hit me first!”

Python glared at him, “I did not!”

Hedgehog glared back, “You did too!”

“Did not!”

“Did too!”

“Did not!”

“Did too!”

Huey blew his whistle again, swiftly ending their endless argument. As he let go of it and let it drop down against his chest, he said, “I thought we had forsaken our countries, become one with the earth. We’re not competing for national pride here, and we are not fighting for the good of any one country. This is not a war. Soccer’s a peaceful sport, am I right?” The two men looked at him for a moment before silently nodding in complete agreement. With a nod, Huey called for the game to resume, one of the players kicking the ball back into play once he was back on the sidelines.

Team Costa Rica had taken the lead early on in the game and they continued to hold it when the game resumed. When there were about ten minutes left in the match, however, Otter, one of the Costa Rican players, took a hit and lost his footing, falling down hard onto the deck. The whole thing didn’t look like it had been worse than anything else that had happened during the game, but it became apparent quickly that he was having trouble getting back up. Once he saw this, Huey blew into his whistle and called for a time-out. Immediately, a pair of staff members from the Sick Bay ran out onto the field and helped him up, supporting him as they led him off the field to the small tent that had been set up in case anyone got hurt.

One of the staff members came back a minute later and informed everyone that Otter would be okay, but also that he would not be able to return to the match. This left Team Costa Rica a man short and Huey felt that they should keep things even between the two teams like they had so far. He turned his wheelchair around to look at the spectators, looking for a fan to fill in for Otter. After a minute, his eyes fell on Paz and he pointed to her as he said, “Paz!”

The young girl looked surprised at this and looked to her sides before she looked back at Huey and asked, “Me?”

Huey nodded, “Yeah! There’s not much time left, and you’ll be a great replacement!” All the players soon voiced their agreement with his decision and the spectating soldiers began urging her to go help Team Costa Rica. Twilight could see from the look on her face that she did not agree with the decision, but before she could try to say something, Paz gave a small nod and stepped out onto the field, all the Costa Rican players warmly welcoming her to the team.

Twilight was a bit worried for Paz when the game started up again, but fortunately, Paz’s presence on the field caused all the men to ease up and act a bit more like they were supposed to act. At first, Paz wasn’t really into the game, but soon she was chasing after the ball with the rest of them, causing any worries about her playing with the men to fade away.

Later in the game, Paz ended up with a loose ball on Team Nicaragua’s side not far from the goal. As she kicked it closer, Twilight cheered, “You can do it, Paz!”

Chico also called, “Go for it! Shoot!” Urged on by their cheers, Paz kicked the ball as hard as she could, only to have the shot blocked by the goalkeeper. She looked disappointed and irritated by this, but it seemed to motivate her since she began to seek out the ball more.

By the time Huey blew the whistle to signal the game’s end, Team Costa Rica had lost the lead, but it had been a close game up until the very end. The players on both teams congratulated each other while the spectators cheered for them, the game having been enjoyed by all. Some players and spectators left afterwards, having work to get back to, while others hung around on the deck. Paz fell into the latter group, joining the soldiers that had sprawled out on the deck.

Twilight made her way over to Paz and sat on her haunches next to her, saying when she glanced up at her, “Hey Paz. That was a good game. What did you think?”

The girl smiled, “It was fun. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I’d made a single goal, but it was still exhilarating.”

Twilight smiled sheepishly as she said, “Well, uh, if it makes you feel any better, you did a lot better just now than I did the first time I played.”

Paz looked at her curiously, “You’ve played fútbol before, Twilight?”

Twilight replied, “Only once, and… well, at the time, I was going through some… complications and did not play well at all. I wasn’t even able to kick the ball towards the goal properly.”

She noticed Paz’s expression shift to a concerned look, but when she spoke, it was apparent she was trying not to laugh. “Really? You must’ve been going through something very serious, Twilight.”

Twilight waved a hoof, “Oh no, nothing serious. I just… I’m not very good at sports. I’ll watch and of course cheer for my friends, but I’m terrible at them. Same with arts and crafts, actually.” Paz couldn’t hold back any longer at that and started giggling. Twilight didn’t mind, though.

As Paz calmed down, she looked to her left and found a familiar black cat padding towards her. “Nuke…” she cooed as the cat stopped next to her and laid down. She looked back up at Twilight and the two friends looked up at the sky, watching the clouds drift by.

________________________________________

“So that’s what you guys did sometimes?” Spike asked after Twilight finished.

“Sometimes, Spike. It was a fitting game to play considering where Mother Base was located and where a lot of the staff had come from. We even had a soccer tournament or two,” Twilight said.

“Is that all you did?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight replied, “Well, no. But there’s only so much you can do on a fortress out in the middle of the ocean, Rainbow.”

Pinkie piped up, “What about parties? You must’ve had parties sometimes! That’s the best thing to do for someone’s birthday! You guys celebrated birthdays, didn’t you?”

Twilight looked at her and said, “You’re right, Pinkie, and yes, we did have parties.” Pinkie had an ecstatic look on her face at that; Twilight then added, “But we only had one a month.”

Pinkie’s expression shifted to one of disappointment. “What?! Boo! How can you only have one birthday party a month?! Unless…” She gasped and asked, “Does everyone on Mother Base share the same birthday?!”

Twilight answered, “No, Pinkie. Snake and Miller had decided long before that they would have one birthday party for all the soldiers whose birthdays fell in that month so that everyone could have an excuse to enjoy themselves.”

Despite her friend’s words, Pinkie looked sad at this. “Birthday parties aren’t just an excuse to have fun. No party is like that. The most important thing is they’re meant to celebrate someone’s super special day, for everyone to share the day with them. Why wouldn’t Snakey and Miller want to do that?”

Twilight looked at her quietly, the serious and emotional tone in the pink pony’s soft words leaving her unable to reply right away. She had to think about her response for a moment before she said, “Well… there are only two reasons that I can think of at the moment. One is that since MSF was a new type of business, Miller especially didn’t think we would do good work or very much of it if we had to plan to celebrate everyone’s birthday individually. The other is that, with the way they did parties, it would be very difficult.”

Applejack asked, “What do ya mean by that, Twilight? They did a lotta fancy, festive stuff fer their birthday parties?”

Twilight looked at the orange earth pony as she said, “No, Applejack, MSF’s parties definitely can’t hold a candle to Pinkie’s. The soldiers’ idea of a good time is smoking and drinking a lot.”

Rainbow perked up at that. “You guys drank at your birthday parties? Was there cider?!” she excitedly asked.

Twilight hesitated, her right hoof rocking back and forth in front of her as she said, “Uh, they served alcohol, yes. I know they brought beer; maybe they snuck some cider in sometimes. Alcohol’s definitely not easy to get out in the middle of the ocean; it’s not like they made their own.”

Rarity asked, “But even with that, the parties weren’t very exciting?”

Twilight shrugged, “Not really. They weren’t really the types to play party games or dance. Everyone mostly sat around smoking, drinking, and making noise. We’d come together over the cake, but…”

Pinkie suddenly interrupted her, “Cake?! I thought you said you never saw a cake the whole time you were at Mother Base, Twilight!”

Twilight refrained from rolling her eyes, instead letting out a sigh from between her lips as she looked at her friend. “I never saw any cupcakes, Pinkie; that’s what I said. They’d always make a regular cake for the birthday parties and that’s all they would bake.”

Pinkie huffed, “Their parties would be so much better if they did bake cupcakes.”

Cadance spoke, “So, from what you’re saying, it sounds like their birthday parties were kind of all the same, Twilight.”

Twilight nodded, “Pretty much, Cadance. The first one I went to did surprise me because I didn’t know how they did their parties, but all the ones after that weren’t much different.”

________________________________________

Twilight snorted and tried to hold her breath as she and Paz passed by one of the occupied tables in the Mess Hall. When Miller had told her that Mother Base would be celebrating its monthly birthday party for everyone whose birthday fell in December, she hadn’t known what to expect, but like everyone else, the chance to kick back, relax, and do something fun was hard for her to pass up. Both she and Paz had been leaving their quarters for the Mess Hall at roughly the same time, so they decided to walk there together, chatting the whole way.

It had started out innocently enough. The staff in the Mess Hall brought out a large cake that they had been baking all day for the birthday soldiers, they all sang for them, and they picked one of the soldiers to blow out the candles. Any hopes that Twilight had for the party being anything remotely resembling Pinkie’s parties or being something low-key were quickly dashed when they rolled out kegs full of beer and cartons of cigarettes after the applause died down. It nearly turned into a stampede as everyone tried to be the first to get their mug filled and grab a pack of cigarettes, but they settled down after they all got what they wanted, most of them sitting down at the tables as they began to enjoy themselves.

Twilight covered her cough with a wing and brought her mug to her mouth afterwards, both her and Paz drinking water for the time being. The smoke from the cigarettes was starting to add up, some groups already having clouds over them, and it forced the two to steer clear of the tables in order to avoid the secondhand smoke. The two wanted to join in on the festivities, but the soldiers were all sitting close together, too engrossed in their conversations to even look over at the two as they walked by.

They were soon approached by Miller, the man having a mug full of beer as well. “Hey Paz, Twilight. Enjoying the party?” he asked.

Paz nodded while Twilight said, “Yeah, it’s… nice. It’s not like the parties I’ve been to back home, but the noise in here feels familiar.”

Miller nodded and replied, “Hope they’re not being too crude. The men don’t get a chance to cut loose like this often, but they need to know if they’re going too far. If anyone says or does anything to either of you, let me know right away.” The two gave him a nod and he left to go chat with one of the soldiers. Twilight watched him as he walked away, noticing he was swaying a bit. She mentally wondered if he was already starting to get inebriated.

She looked next to her a moment later, only to realize Paz was gone. Looking around, she began to walk around the Mess Hall searching for her. She soon found her clinking glasses with one of the soldiers near the center table and guessed they were already keeping each other company. She’d noticed everyone seemed to have someone while she was walking around. Amanda and Chico were talking amongst their fellow Sandinistas and former FSLN soldiers, Miller was trying to flirt with Cécile, and Snake was talking with Huey and some of the other R&D staff that were working on ZEKE. It was good to see them all enjoying themselves, but without anyone to talk to, Twilight, for the first time in a while, began to feel like she was alone, out of place.

Shaking her head to get the thought out, her expression became determined as she resolved to throw herself into one of the groups and join her fellow soldiers… once she refilled her drink. She noticed her mug was empty when she looked down at it, not remembering when she finished it. She walked back up to the front counter and asked for another glass of water. While she was waiting, she looked around and spotted Dr. Strangelove sitting by herself near the wall to her left. Twilight looked at her for a moment before a small “Squee!” escaped her lips, her eyes shining brightly. Dr. Strangelove didn’t have anyone to talk to either, and the two of them hadn’t spent much time together since Strangelove joined MSF. It was perfect.

Twilight took her mug of water with her magic and trotted over to Dr. Strangelove’s table. She stopped next to it and said, “Hello, Dr. Strangelove!”

The woman looked up from her mug with a start and stared at Twilight from behind her sunglasses for a moment. “Oh. Hello. I didn’t see you there,” she remarked.

“Do you mind if I join you?” Twilight eagerly asked.

Strangelove stared at her for a moment before saying, “I thought the Boss said we were free here.”

Twilight looked confused at this, “Uh…”

Strangelove’s eyebrows furrowed and she sharply said, “Just sit down.” Twilight flinched at her tone and quickly slid onto the bench across from her. “So, what did you want?” Strangelove asked after a moment.

“Well, I just wanted to talk. I mean, if that’s okay with you. I saw you sitting by yourself and thought you might like some company, but if not, I can go,” Twilight said quickly, babbling a bit.

Strangelove looked at her for a moment before sighing and saying, “I apologize. I’m not used to this sort of thing. It is a nice thing for the Boss to do for his soldiers, but I never had the chance to experience anything like this when I was younger.”

Twilight said, “I didn’t either until I moved to Ponyville. I got so caught up in my studies and books and trying to take care of Spike and… I just never really had the time. How come you didn’t get to go to parties, Doctor?”

Strangelove answered simply, “My skin, for one.”

Twilight looked at her for a second before she realized what she was getting at. “Oh, I see. You… Is that the reason why you always keep sunscreen with you?”

Strangelove nodded, “Yes. My skin is very sensitive. I’ve had to take care of it ever since I was a little girl. That kept me from going out much. I only went outside at night, even when it wasn’t advisable. I never really cared for how other kids got along with each other.”

Twilight nodded, “I see.” She watched as Strangelove reached into one of the pockets of her vest and pulled out a small tin. She placed it on the table and opened it, revealing brown powder inside. Strangelove took a small amount between her index finger and thumb and held it up to her nose, where she lightly inhaled the powder. “What’s that?” Twilight asked after she finished putting the tin away.

“It’s called snuff tobacco. It’s good in my field of work because I don’t have to deal with smoke ruining my equipment,” Strangelove answered. She glanced down at the alicorn’s mug and remarked, “Well, aren’t you the healthy one. Or are you horses not supposed to drink alcoholic beverages?”

Twilight replied, “Well, I imagine we’re pretty much the same when it comes to that. It’s just… I’ve never actually ‘drank’ before, but I did sample some alcohol once. See, my friend Applejack… she and her family are in the apple business.” Strangelove gave a short nod to indicate she was listening. “Because of their large orchards, they do a lot of things with their apples, and one of their big times to sell products in Ponyville is cider season.”

Strangelove raised an eyebrow, “They spend an entire season selling fermented cider to the town?”

Twilight replied, “No, during cider season, they sell the regular kind, and it’s really good. The last cider season was the first one I went to. After the season was over, Applejack took us to one of the cellars on the farm where they keep a private stash of the fermented cider and offered us a chance to try some. I only took one sip since the taste was a bit much for me. Not that that bothered my friend Rainbow Dash; she was very happy to get an extra glass of cider. I think she had a bit much to drink that day. A-Anyway, I wasn’t really into it and while I’m curious how this beer tastes, that’s kind of what’s holding me back.” Strangelove nodded in understanding.

Before either of them could say anything else, they both heard Miller, now thoroughly drunk, call out, “Hey, everyone! C’mere and take a look at the REAL Kazuhira Miller!” He then immediately dropped his pants and mooned everyone, all of the soldiers bursting out laughing at the display.

Twilight and Strangelove could see from where they were sitting and while Twilight looked shocked at Miller’s behavior, Strangelove looked disgusted as she lowered her head slightly and held a hand to her forehead. “Disgracefully appalling,” she muttered to herself.

After a few moments, Twilight turned back to Strangelove as the laughter began to die down and remarked, “Well, that just happened.”

Strangelove looked up at her and said, “Yes. Yes, it did. Now let’s never speak of it again or else I’m going to have to force myself to drink until I forget it.”

Twilight gave her an odd look. “That… would probably require a copious amount of alcohol. You really don’t want to remember seeing that?” she asked.

Strangelove had a flat look on her face that was hidden slightly by her sunglasses. “I’m not particularly fond of men, and naked men are not my cup of tea. They don’t… interest me.”

Twilight hid her mouth behind her mug as she murmured to herself, “I wonder if that’s the reason Huey called her a basket case…”

Her attempt did not fool Strangelove as the woman demanded, “What did you say?”

Twilight looked up at her in alarm and stammered, “Uh… I was just… thinking about Huey…”

Rather than demand to know why she was thinking of Huey like Twilight expected, Strangelove instead spoke, “Ugh. Don’t get me started on him. He’s so wishy-washy, so demeaning to himself, and yet so proud of that nickname I gave him. He tells it to everyone like it’s his real name and is so proud of it, but the rest of the time, he’s as submissive as a drone. I can’t stand it. He needs to learn to actually be a man.”

Twilight wasn’t feeling comfortable with the way Strangelove was ranting about Huey. She wasn’t sure if it had anything to do with how much she had drunk so far, but when Strangelove paused, she decided it was time to try to change the subject. “You know, uh, magic really is kind of widespread throughout Equestria. Everypony seems to have some, even if they’re not readily aware of it. I didn’t become really interested in learning everything I could about it until I saw Princess Celestia raise the Sun when the Summer Sun Celebration was in Canterlot when I was a filly. It was at that moment I wanted to learn all I could and, after my shaky entrance exam, I became her personal student. I got my cutie mark, representing my talent for magic, at that point and, years later, she let me move to Ponyville to learn the magic of friendship and I got my wings, becoming Equestria’s newest alicorn princess.”

Strangelove looked at her curiously as she finished talking. “I… see. That’s all rather interesting, but what does it have to do with anything?” she asked.

Twilight tapped her hooves together, “Well, while we were talking, I remembered the work you put into making Peace Walker and what you’re doing now with ZEKE. I’ve been curious, so… I thought if I shared with you how I started out before I became the pony you see now, you might be willing to tell me how you got into researching artificial intelligence.”

Strangelove regarded her for a moment before she began, “I was about ten years old when I began to show potential in the subjects of mathematics and logic. A professor by the name of Alan Turing took me and taught me more than a regular school would have. My interest in artificial intelligence developed during this time and I originally planned to be a computer engineer, but everything changed when NASA recruited me for the Mercury Project. And not long after, I met her…”

Twilight asked, “‘Her’? You mean… The Boss?”

Strangelove gave a curt nod before continuing, “She was brought on as a backup pilot and advisor. In the time that we were together, she was an incredible woman. She fascinated me.” A dark look appeared on her face, “And yet to them, she was someone who wasn’t worth remembering, someone who shouldn’t have lived as long as she did.”

Twilight said, “I remember you mentioned that The Boss really went through a lot for America. What happened with this Mercury Project?”

Strangelove explained, “America was falling behind Russia in the race to get to space. They had to do something to get there first and The Boss was chosen to pilot the experimental craft that would go into outer space. They wanted to put a window on the craft, which would increase the risk of being irradiated. I did what I could to try to get them to reconsider choosing her; I even tried to report that part of her brain had been damaged, but she wouldn’t let me. I couldn’t help her, but I was there for her when the craft was launched on the 21st of April, 1961.”

Twilight nervously asked, “Is… what I’ve read about that day true?”

Strangelove answered, “I’m afraid so. The Boss did not beat Major Gagarin into space, and as I feared, she suffered severe life-threatening injuries due to the exposure. She survived and was hospitalized, but they said it would’ve been better if she had come back dead. I never saw her again after that, and then she went on to be killed by Snake.” She looked down sadly, “The world would be a much different place if she were still alive today…”

Twilight breathed, “Wow… In some ways, she and Princess Celestia are a lot alike…” Noticing the sharp look Strangelove shot up at her, she quickly clarified, “B-By that I mean they’ve both done a lot for their countries! I mean, obviously, The Boss went through a lot and didn’t get to see what the future held for your world, but she fought for the sake of America and the rest of the world. And Princess Celestia has given a lot for Equestria. It’s not easy to rule a country for a thousand years while waiting and hoping that your efforts to save the one closest to you don’t end up in vain. That’s… all I meant.”

Strangelove sat up again, looking a bit intrigued. “A thousand years? Your princess has been alive that long?” she asked.

Twilight nodded, “Yes, and so have a few other things from back then. Anyway, a thousand years ago, her sister Luna fell to darkness due to despair and jealousy and became Nightmare Moon, whose main goal was to cover Equestria in eternal night. Celestia was forced to banish her to the Moon in order to stop her and spent the next thousand years taking care of Equestria without her while still hoping that the past could be forgiven. And thanks to me and my friends, she got the reunion she was hoping for…” She paused to take a drink, only to realize that her mug was empty and so was Strangelove’s. They must’ve emptied them at some point during all their talking and she didn’t notice before.

Strangelove took notice of this as well and, after a few seconds, stood up and reached across the table to grab Twilight’s mug, the lavender alicorn looking up at her curiously. “Here, let me get you another drink. Better yet, I’ll have them fill yours with beer so you can give it a try. I believe I could go for another; it would seem drinking is more enjoyable when something interesting is being talked about.” Twilight turned her head and followed her with her eyes as she walked over to the counter with both mugs, wondering if she had really meant what she said.

________________________________________

“I believe you are right, Twilight. That sort of party sounds only slightly more interesting than the gatherings that the noble ponies of Canterlot have,” Luna remarked.

Rarity looked at the Lunar Princess in surprise. “Surely you don’t mean that, Princess Luna! The nobles have such extravagant parties. How could such a boorish party possibly compete?” she asked. She realized what she said and looked sheepishly at Twilight, “Er, no offense, Twilight.” Twilight simply waved a hoof in reply.

Rainbow spoke up, “I’ll tell you how it’s better, Rarity: the fact that those soldiers drank at their parties. That goes a long way to making a boring party bearable. I’d still rather go to one of Pinkie Pie’s parties, but I wouldn’t mind going to a party where you can drink a lot sometimes too.”

Applejack grunted, “I know you wouldn’t, Rainbow. You’ve made that vey clear since last cider season.” She pressed a hoof against her face, “Ah should not have showed y’all where we keep our hard cider…”

Shining looked at Twilight and asked, “So… did you drink a lot at that party, Twilight?”

Twilight sighed and said, “Like I said, I did keep drinking whatever was in front of me out of reflex while I was caught up in something else, so yes, I did drink more alcohol than I originally intended to that night.” She let out a sudden yelp when she felt something curling around her hind leg and soon found Discord wrapped around her body, the draconequus looking down at her with a cheeky grin.

“Oh? Do tell, Twilight!” he said.

She regarded him with a flat look, “You really think I’m going to lie to please you, Discord, especially like this?”

Discord’s grin faded, but he still had an amused look on his face. “Oh, come on, Twilight. If you had more to drink than you planned to, you must’ve gone overboard in more ways than one. Surely you remember something,” he prodded.

“I remember waking up with a terrible headache. I know that much at least,” Twilight replied.

Discord smirked, “Trying to be tight-lipped, are we? I’m sure with a little bit of my magic… we could all see what you did. Actually, doing that would be a lot more interesting than hearing you talk about all this, come to think of it.” A flicker of fear crossed Twilight’s face at that, which Discord noticed.

Before he could bring it up, he was suddenly powerfully yanked backwards with a yelp, the rapid uncoiling of his body causing Twilight to spin in place and dazing her afterwards. Discord was turned around as he sailed through the air and found himself hovering in front of Celestia, the Solar Princess having a stern look on her face. “Discord, that’s enough. I did not invite you so you could behave maliciously. I’m willing to overlook what you did just now… but I don’t think Twilight’s family shares my view of things,” she calmly said. She glanced over at Shining Armor and saw that he was still fuming, still seemingly on the verge of exploding after seeing Discord wrap up his sister the way he did.

Rather than follow her gaze, Discord’s expression became one of boredom and he replied, “Oh fine, Celestia. I’ve been getting rather bored being cooped up in here. I’m going for some chaos.” He snapped his fingers to teleport out of her grip, reappearing near one of the windows and flying out through it.

While Fluttershy looked where he had been worriedly, Shining muttered under his breath, “Maybe don’t come back while you’re at it.”

Celestia’s attention was redirected when Raven came into the dining hall, the princess noticing her silent entrance and leaning down to listen as the mare whispered into her ear. She nodded to Raven after she was done and then addressed everyone, “Everypony, I apologize, but I do have some responsibilities to take care of right now. Why don’t you all go and enjoy the day in Canterlot in the meantime? We can meet up again around lunchtime and continue Twilight’s tale then.” Everyone in the room nodded in agreement and Celestia rose to her hooves, walking with Raven out of the dining hall.

As she walked with her friends and family out of the dining hall, Twilight blushed slightly as she thought to herself, “Thank goodness. I really don’t want to mention what else I remember to everyone, especially Discord. I was never told I did anything crazy the night before, but that morning, I definitely woke up to more than just a headache.”

________________________________________

A quiet, prolonged groan escaped Twilight’s mouth as she slowly returned to the waking world. Her head was killing her and her senses felt dull. “Ugh… What did I do last night? Uh, let’s see, mental checklist… Went to the MSF birthday party, sat down with Dr. Strangelove, started talking, started drinking beer, kept talking… That’s all I can remember. I must’ve had quite a bit to drink,” she thought while keeping her eyes closed, feeling like it would hurt to open them now. Not that she minded; she felt quite comfortable and warm. Warmer than she usually was when she crawled under the covers of her bed, actually…

As she became more aware of things, she felt like there was something wrapped around her midsection, going all the way around to her back. Whatever it was, it felt warm; she also felt warmth against her underside. She was starting to feel a little too warm, so she decided to get away from whatever she was pressing against. As she did this, she felt whatever was wrapped around her not only come with her, but try to resist her, pulling her back in. She tried to move away two more times and was met with the same result each time. Agitated now, she opened her eyes a little to see what it was. As soon as her eyes adjusted, they went wide and she suddenly didn’t feel warm anymore.

“Oh no. Nonononononononononono! I’m not awake yet; I have to still be dreaming! This is not really happening!” she exclaimed. With her head turned slightly upwards, she could see the face of Dr. Strangelove, the woman’s silver hair slightly messy where it made contact with her pillow. What she felt wrapped around her was Strangelove’s arms. Twilight felt she like she was going to die as she realized she was being snuggled like a cuddly toy. And even worse, aside from her slightly loose black bra, the woman was topless.

This was too much for Twilight’s mind to deal with, so she fell back on base instinct. With a loud cry, she raised her hooves and pushed herself away from Strangelove, getting out of her grip and tumbling down onto the floor back first. She groaned as she rolled onto her right side, every bit of pain feeling worse than normal in her current state. She glanced up when she heard a moan and realized Strangelove was waking up. She forced herself up onto her unsteady legs a moment later and staggered towards the door, bumping into the wall several times as she went.

Before she reached the door, she looked back and saw that Strangelove was raising herself up with her arms, the covers having fallen off a little as a result. Twilight didn’t keep looking; instead, she focused her magic into her horn and vanished a moment later with a small burst, reappearing in the middle of her own quarters. Now that she was alone and in more familiar surroundings, she tried to get her mind to stop working in overdrive and return to normal processing.

A little while later, Twilight stood under one of the showers, the water falling on her as she used a sponge to clean herself off. Amanda and the other female soldiers going through the showers noticed that she was unusually quiet, but she waved their concerns off, saying she had a lot on her mind at the moment. In reality, she hardly registered them any more than the water, her mind unable to let go of what she woke up to. She had so many questions and almost none of them were ones she wanted to bring up with anyone else.

She froze up when she heard Dr. Strangelove’s voice, one of the female soldiers talking to her on her way out of the showers. Twilight’s mind went into warp drive again, trying to figure out what to do. It was to no avail as Strangelove stepped into the shower area before she could figure anything out, the woman naked as she stepped up to the shower next to Twilight and began using it. At this, Twilight decided there was no getting around it any longer and stayed where she was, bracing herself for the hate-filled words Strangelove was no doubt going to say to her since they were alone.

For a whole minute, not a word was exchanged between the two as they continued to wash themselves. Twilight knew Strangelove was not one to mince words, so this silent treatment was both unexpected and not at all reassuring. Finally, just when it seemed like Twilight was going to drown in her own anxiety and dread, Strangelove spoke, “That was an interesting way to start the day, wasn’t it?”

Twilight gave a swift nod, “Y-Yes, Doctor…”

Strangelove glanced over at the pony, “I must’ve given you quite a start.”

She was handling what had happened a lot differently than she had expected, but this didn’t put Twilight at ease. She still felt that Strangelove could explode at her at any moment; still, she turned her head to look up at the woman as she carefully said, “Um… yes.”

Even Strangelove could see that the pony next to her looked incredibly tense, like she thought she could do something to her. She let this thought sink in for a moment before she spoke, “What? Stop giving me that look. If one or both of us had actually agreed to whatever happened last night and been in our right minds, I would be upset. However, considering how much of last night is a blur to me, I imagine it’s the same for you.”

Twilight nodded, “Yes. I can’t remember what happened after the party.”

Strangelove said, “Then I don’t think there’s any reason to dwell on it.”

Twilight asked, “What? Even though…”

Strangelove cut her off, “I still had my pants on. I became so inebriated that I can’t remember what I did; do you really think I would’ve been able to or wanted to put them back on in such a state?”

Twilight replied, “I… I guess not.”

Strangelove nodded and said, “I hope you’re not disappointed.”

Twilight flinched and looked up at her in shock. “Wha… Why would I be disappointed?” she asked.

Strangelove shrugged, “I don’t know. From what I do remember of last night, I suppose there could be someone who would be interested in you and your qualities. Some nice mare or even a colt who would love to be together with you. Possibly even someone from another species could find you attractive… but I can safely say that’s not me. I’m quite comfortable sticking to my own species. And even if I were interested, I already have my eyes set on someone.”

Twilight could only stare up at Strangelove as she talked. She couldn’t believe that she was treating this like a normal conversation, yet deep down it made her feel better. “This is more like the Strangelove I know,” she thought to herself.

Strangelove turned her head to look down at the pony, “At any rate, there doesn’t appear to have been any harm done, so I think we can agree to never speak of this again.” She then turned around all the way and knelt down, looking Twilight straight in the eye with her piercing blue eyes, “And you had better not say a word about this to anyone, because if you do… well, I’m not sure what I would do, but I’m certain neither one of us would like it. Understand?” Her earlier emotions rekindled, Twilight nodded her head rapidly a few times. “Good.” She then stood up and turned back to her shower. She finished after a couple of seconds and turned the water off. “I suppose I will see you around then,” she said as she turned around and left the shower area to go dry off and get dressed.

Twilight remained motionless where she was for a few moments before she began scrubbing herself with the sponge again. She finished up after a minute and reached up to turn her shower off. As she used her magic to bring her towel over and started drying herself off, she thought to herself, “If it’s not too busy today, I think I’ll stop by the Sick Bay later and see if they can give me an examination. I’d like to make sure I didn’t poison myself last night.”
> Interlude
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike hummed to himself as he walked towards Canterlot Castle, a half-eaten ice cream cone in his right claw. Earlier, Cadance had suggested they take Twilight out to enjoy some time out in Canterlot for the rest of the morning since she had missed the chance to be with them the other day, what with her final exam with the doctor and all. Her parents eagerly agreed, presumably because they wanted to spend more time with her and help her get used to being back home. They were surprised when she said that she was fine with just walking around the city for the rest of the morning and that they could decide what to do.

Even though they’d just eaten breakfast, they decided to stop in to see Donut Joe and get something light to eat. While they were there, Rarity thought of some more things that she said she would pick up the next time she was in Canterlot and, with a little convincing, got everyone to come along with her this time. From there, it hadn’t taken long for the purchases from her second shopping trip to start stacking up, with Spike being the one to carry everything. Twilight noticed soon afterwards that it was getting to be too much for him and took everything from him with her magic, saying she’d head back to the castle early and see if she could arrange to have everything transported back to Ponyville while Rarity finished shopping.

That had been a little while ago. Twilight hadn’t rejoined them since, but Spike figured it was either because she was still working out how to get everything moved to Ponyville or she didn’t know where else they were going, so he decided to go back ahead of everypony else and find her, stopping to get himself a little treat along the way. As he was walking around outside the castle looking for her, he thought he heard her grunting nearby. Curious, he headed in the direction he could hear it from, faintly hearing the sound of something striking something else as he got closer. He soon found himself at the edge of one of the fields that the guards used for training and stared at the sight before him.

Twilight was standing on her hind legs, her forelegs raised up in front of her, across from a training dummy. The dummy was rather simple in design: a wooden body that had wooden weights attached to the bottom of its torso and at the ends of its arms, a wooden pole that connected it to a base, and a small sack over its head with facial features drawn on. It didn’t look like something the guards would use, so if Spike had to guess, Twilight made it herself. It made him think of her Timberwolf puppet; it wasn’t horrible per se, but it wasn’t very convincing or something to be proud of. “Maybe that’s why she’s hitting it so hard,” he joked to himself as he watched her punch it a few times.

He soon finished off his ice cream cone and sat down to watch. As he kept watching, he saw that maybe there was something about the dummy that Twilight could be proud of. No matter how hard she hit it, it stayed upright, only rocking and tilting a bit before righting itself. It didn’t look like Twilight was using her magic nor did it look like she wasn’t putting a fair amount of force into her attacks, so she must’ve put some effort into making the dummy be comparable to a punching bag.

Still, the dummy wasn’t the thing that was really keeping his attention. It was more seeing Twilight doing what she was doing. Before, something like this would’ve ended up being something that wouldn’t work out and they’d all laugh about it later, but Twilight was really focused on punching the dummy. She had a faint sheen running across her brow to show just how into it she was. It was all so unusual to him, yet if her mock fight with Rainbow the other night was anything to go off of, it was something he was going to have to get to used to seeing Twilight do as part of her regular routine.

About a minute later, he saw her reach her right hoof up to one of the pouches on the front of her Sneaking Suit and pull out her Stun Rod, holding her hoof back a bit while she held out her left foreleg. She then began to practice with it, thrusting the rod towards the dummy and stopping short of hitting it every time. She also occasionally swung at it both from the sides and halfway from the front diagonally as if she was going to strike it. Occasionally he could see a spark of light come from the rod’s tip, which he assumed was from her switching it on given what she had mentioned about it.

While he was watching, Spike became acutely aware of others around him. Looking up and around, he saw that their friends had joined him. The girls were all standing, all of them seeming as intrigued by Twilight’s training as he was. He looked back at Twilight, seeing her still practicing with the Stun Rod and wondering how long she was going to keep it up.

The answer seemed to be not for long since about a minute later, after doing one more thrust towards the dummy, Twilight slid her Stun Rod back in its pouch and flopped back onto her haunches, wiping the sweat off her brow with her left foreleg. She then sat and looked at the dummy, a small breeze blowing over her body and through her mane and tail. Pinkie wanted to go over to her, but Applejack put her foreleg in front of the pink earth pony and shook her head when she started to move, the orange pony thinking Twilight would want things to be quiet while she cooled down.

After a few moments, Twilight turned her head to her right, looking at her saddlebags. Her focus wasn’t on the bags themselves, though; instead, she was looking at her knife in its holster, tucked between the top flap of the center bag and where her back would be if she were wearing them. She stared at it for several moments before she used her magic to unclip it and levitate it over to her, setting it down in her hooves. She looked down at it, using her right hoof to slowly pull it out. She set the holster down next to her and continued to hold the knife in her hoof, moving and twirling it a bit to get a feel for its weight. Its blade was shiny, but she was a bit rusty when it came to using it, especially in place of the Stun Rod. She looked up at the practice dummy for a moment before she nodded to herself.

Up on the small hill, Twilight’s friends watched as she rocked herself back up onto two legs and took her knife with the tip pointing down. She then started practicing with it in much the same way as the Stun Rod, though she stopped doing improvised strikes and instead practiced slashing and stabbing with it. They couldn’t help but be impressed by the degree of control she had with it, still able to stop herself from hitting the practice dummy each time.

After about a minute, as she was making a sideways swipe, the dummy suddenly leaned towards Twilight’s blade. Her eyes widened and she stopped and pulled her hoof back, just narrowly avoiding it. Before she could do anything else, the dummy straightened up and swung its right weight at her. Her left foreleg ended up taking the impact and she stepped back, the dummy hopping after her and swinging its weights as she tried to deflect them. Twilight’s friends looked on at the display in confusion; was this part of her routine?

It was not, unfortunately, but despite its unexpected nature, Twilight calmed slightly as she backed up and used her hooves to deflect the dummy’s blows. As she continued to back away, she glanced up and caught sight of a particular cloud overhead. After a few more moments, she leapt back and landed on all fours, raising her right hoof over her head. She then threw her knife, the downward angle of the throw causing it to land on the ground way short of the dummy and slide forward a bit. As she brought her right hoof back down to the ground, she raised her left hoof and grabbed her Stun Rod, quickly throwing it at an upward angle as she pulled it out. Once again, her aim was off, the rod flying over the dummy’s head as it continued advancing.

That had been her intention, however, as before it flew over the dummy, her horn lit up with magic and she grabbed it, stopping it past the dummy. She then pointed it right-side up and sent it straight up. It made it up to the cloud seconds later due to it being far below the sky and shot inside it. Even from where they were, everyone could hear a familiar voice say, “Oh? What is…” That was all Twilight needed to hear; with a quick adjustment to her magic, she flicked the Stun Rod on and Discord came shooting out of the top of the cloud with a cry, his lion paw and eagle claw cupping the spot underneath his tail as his legs flailed.

The others were surprised to see the draconequus. As he landed and splayed out on his back on the cloud, Fluttershy flew up to him while saying, “Oh! Discord!” Twilight, however, did not look amused as she sat down and used her magic to pull her Stun Rod and knife back to her, putting the former in its pouch while using her magic to bring the holster for the knife over.

After a minute, the two made their way down to the ground, Spike and the other ponies having made their way over to Twilight during this time. As they landed in front of her, Fluttershy asked, “Twilight, why did you do that?”

Before she could formulate a response, Discord piped up, “Yes, I mean, really, Twilight! Sticking a fork under my tail and giving me a jolt? What’s the big idea?”

Twilight stared up at him evenly, “Oh please, Discord. I had it on for less than second and it wasn’t even on full power. I had to do something to get you to stop interrupting my training routine.”

Discord glared down at her, “Routines are so boring! And besides, you were doing the same thing over and over again! I thought you could do with something different! I thought you’d enjoy it!”

Twilight rolled her eyes, “Yes, because I’ve reacted to such surprises in that way in the past, haven’t I? And you must’ve thought I wouldn’t have guessed you were doing it. Or that I wouldn’t notice your cloud.”

Discord argued, “If you knew I was there, you could’ve just asked me to stop!”

Twilight countered, “And since when have you listened when I tell you to stop doing something?”

Discord held his paw and claw out in front of him as he stammered, “Well, I… I listen! And I can do what I’m told!” He then pointed his claw at the practice dummy, “And besides, what if you weren’t paying attention? You could’ve hurt poor Woody here!”

Twilight replied, “Okay, first of all, you’re getting off-topic. And second…” She used her magic to teleport the dummy over to her and she placed her hooves on the front and back of its torso, “His name is Rebound and I could’ve introduced you to him if you had asked. I also could’ve told you he does not like having our training regiments interrupted.”

Applejack spoke, “Uh, Twilight… Look, Ah’m glad ya got yerself a sturdy, uh, practice partner and ya take care of it, but givin’ it a name and treatin’ it like it’s alive… Ain’t that a bit much?”

At this, Rarity huffed and remarked, “Says the pony who gets an extra train car for a tree, complete with a bed.”

Applejack whirled around to look at the fashionista, “Hey, don’t you talk ‘bout Bloomberg like that, Rarity!”

Rarity said, “You were reading a bedtime story to it when I walked in, Applejack, and then you were all ‘don’t get saddy-waddy’!”

Applejack argued, “That’s ‘cause Bloomberg has feelins’, unlike Twilight’s trainin’ dummy!”

Rarity replied, “Oh? Do tell, Applejack. Explain to us why one of your trees has more feelings than Rebound when they’re both made of wood!”

Applejack started, “Bloomberg ain’t just made of wood fer one thing, and fer another…”

Spike and the ponies looked on as the two continued with one of their typical arguments while Discord summoned a floating chair and some popcorn to enjoy the show with. In the midst of it, Twilight glanced at Rebound and whispered, “How about I get you away from all this? We can have another session sometime later.” With a quick flash of her magic, the dummy disappeared, stored away for Twilight to summon when she needed it.

Not too long afterwards, Shining Armor was walking across the castle lawn when he spotted Discord and began making his over. As he got closer, he found Rarity and Applejack still debating about the emotional capacities of wood while everyone else continued to look on. “HEY!” he yelled, catching everyone’s attention. “What’s going on here?” he asked as he walked over.

Discord spoke, “Oh, nothing to fret about, Shining. Applejack and Rarity here were simply having a rather important discussion about feelings.”

Applejack quickly nodded, “That’s right. Fer trees.”

Rarity added a bit teasingly, “And wood.”

Pinkie chimed in, “Fluttershy’s not a tree!”

The shy pegasus said, “I’d still like to be a tree. I think it would be nice, especially to know how Bloomberg really feels.” Discord glanced at Fluttershy at that, a slightly jealous expression on his face.

Shining stared at the mares in front of him for a moment before saying, “Okay… Uh, it’s getting close to noontime. Princess Celestia be going for some lunch soon. Mom, Dad, and Cadance went into the castle to go look for her and find out for sure. Why don’t we go find them?”

Spike quickly spoke up, “Yes, please. Anything would be better right now.” The look on Rainbow’s face indicated she strongly agreed with the dragon.

As they started making their way into the castle, Discord kicking back and letting his chair carry him the whole way, Pinkie said, “Well, that was fun! We went shopping, Twilight showed off her moves a little more, and we had an interesting discussion! What a great way to spend the morning!”

Rainbow nudged Twilight and asked, “Hey Twilight, I never got a chance to ask you, but did you do anything else fun while you were away?” Twilight looked at her for a few moments before her gaze fell on the ground, a sad look on her face. “What’s wrong?” Rainbow asked, looking concerned.

Twilight turned her head forward, looking at the ground for a moment longer before looking up and saying, “Well, uh… I’m kind of glad we took a break this morning because there is something I really do need to talk about. It’s important and the story isn’t complete without it, but… it’s a little hard to talk about.”
> Control and Peace
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight blinked as she sat back slightly on the bench and tried to process what she had just been told. She looked to her left at Paz, wondering if it was registering any better with her. She saw the girl staring at Miller with a look on her face that indicated she was just as befuddled as the alicorn, if not more so. She faced forward again and looked at Miller as she began, “Let’s go over this one more time, just to make sure that we both understand.”

Paz softly nodded in agreement with what Twilight had said and asked the question, “You want us, the both of us… to sing at the Peace Day celebration?”

Miller eagerly nodded and excitedly said, “Yes, exactly! I had a feeling you two would be eager to take the chance!”

Twilight spoke, “Um, I don’t think ‘eager’ is the right word, Miller. I think ‘confused’ would fit a lot better.”

Paz nodded, “I must agree! I do not understand why you are proposing we sing, especially Twilight. You already put her in charge of getting everything organized for the celebration; now you want her to sing in addition to that?”

Miller calmed down a little and said, “I know I already asked her to do that, Paz, and I don’t think it’s asking too much. She’s been doing a great job helping everyone get Mother Base ready for the big day and she’s still managed to find time to burst into song.”

Twilight blushed at that. “Oh, you saw and heard…? I guess you would have,” she muttered sheepishly.

Miller then turned to Paz and said, “And Paz, you… I know for a fact that you’re perfect for this kind of thing! I could have just one of you sing, but you two have gotten along so great since you came here. I was right when I suspected you would, and what better way to cement it than by having you two on stage singing together!”

Twilight and Paz glanced at each other unsurely at that for a moment before looking back at Miller. “Let’s say this does happen like you expect it to, Miller. What exactly would we sing? I mean, it’s true we both like to sing, but… well, I guess writing a song…”

Miller interrupted her, “Ah, I’ve already taken care of the song, Twilight. I got it all figured out. I’m calling it ‘Love Deterrence’.”

Paz and Twilight both looked up at him oddly, the former asking, “‘Love… Deterrence’? I do not understand.”

Miller replied, “It’s not that hard to understand, Paz. It has an overall message of peace to it.”

Twilight crossed her forelegs on the table as she glanced off to the side unsurely. “I don’t know…”

Miller pleaded, “Aw, come on, girls! Twilight, you’ve been studying about friendship ever since you met your best friends. That’s gotta be your royal title now: The Princess of Friendship. Learning about others and helping them get along with each other… By helping to forge friendships, you’re basically professing ways of peace and helping others learn and grow.”

Twilight made a face, “I guess that’s one way to look at it…”

Miller turned to Paz again, “And Paz, we both have ‘peace’ in our names! And Zadornov, that old Russkie… his name has something to do with peace too, right?” His eyes lit up behind his sunglasses, “Hey, as long as we’re having a day of peace, we could put an act together! We’ll call it ‘Princess Twilight Sparkle and Her Three Peace Band’!”

Both Twilight and Paz laughed a little before they realized he was probably serious. “You’re… joking, right Miller?” Twilight asked.

The man simply replied, “I think this is the best idea I’ve ever had! I’ve been wanting to put together a band for a while now, but I think this could be even bigger! Which means I’ve got more work to do!” He stood up and said, “I gotta go, girls, but don’t worry; I’ll spread the word!” As he stepped away from the table, he held his hands up and called, “Hey, everyone! Paz and Twilight are going to be singing at our first official Peace Day celebration here at Mother Base! It’ll be the premiere performance for Princess Twilight Sparkle and Her Three Peace Band! Don’t miss it!”

As he excused himself from the Mess Hall and the room erupted with cheers and applause from the soldiers and staff that had heard Miller’s announcement, both Twilight and Paz stared straight ahead with flabbergasted looks on their faces. They slowly glanced at each other, both wondering the same thing: what just happened?

________________________________________

“Well, that’s one way ta rope somepony into somethin’,” Applejack commented before she sampled a bite of an apple fritter that had been prepared by the castle staff, almost immediately making a face and setting it down afterwards. It didn’t have a bad taste to it, but it did taste a bit too posh for her liking and it lacked that bit of love that the Apple family put into their products. She looked up at Twilight and asked, “So did y’all end up formin’ a band with that Zadornov guy? ‘Cause I kinda can’t picture all four o’ ya singin’ together.”

Twilight replied, “You would be right, Applejack. Zadornov obviously wasn’t convinced, and it was meant to just be me and Paz doing the singing. Good thing, too; I learned how bad a singer Miller w- IS when he went to cheer up Paz when she caught a cold. Yeah, it was his eagerness to show her how suppositories worked that made her shoo him out, but everyone who heard him sing before that agreed that his singing career wasn’t going anywhere.”

Shining had an odd look on his face as Twilight finished talking. “Suppositories…?” he muttered.

“Hope he was able to write better than he sang,” Rainbow remarked before taking a bite of her cake.

“Oh, definitely. For all he lacked when it came to singing, he did write good lyrics and he was a great guitar player. And I suppose he had his own ability for identifying talent as well. He really wanted to put a band together and have us sing for everyone ever since he heard me and Paz singing,” Twilight replied.

“That must’ve been a pretty enjoyable experience. Getting up on stage in front of so many soldiers and singing a song of peace… That had to be exciting, right Twilight?” Mrs. Sparkle asked.

Her husband quickly added, “But at the time, it must’ve been nerve-wracking, and I bet it didn’t get any better as the celebration got closer.”

Twilight glanced between them for a moment before answering them both with a simple, “Yeah.” She then looked down at the daffodil and daisy salad in front of her. She hadn’t touched it since it had been brought out to her and she had a feeling if she didn’t eat it all soon, it was going to remain untouched. She knew this and yet she just kept staring at it, the side of her head leaning against her right hoof.

Spike finished chewing the bit of topaz in his mouth and swallowed it before he looked up at Twilight and asked, “You gonna eat that salad, Twilight, or does it need to be savored too?”

Twilight curtly replied, “Trying to force myself to eat it. It’s not working.”

Shining looked at her and asked, “Is it because we stopped at Donut Joe’s for something to eat earlier, Twily? Is that why you’re not hungry?”

Twilight answered, “That’s a small part of it, yes.” She continued to stared down at the dish, her eyes roving over it as she admired its intricacies.

A moment of silence fell over the dining hall. Cadance broke it by saying, “So Twilight, you said Miller called the song for the celebration ‘Love Deterrence’, right? Deterrence is… In that world, that’s what it’s called when the presence of nuclear weapons is used to prevent war, right? How does love fit in with that?”

Twilight looked up from her salad at the pink alicorn as she started, “Well… the song itself is about a girl who cannot express how she really feels about someone. The song’s lyrics describe how she feels and how she wishes to catch the other person’s attention while at the same time trying to suppress and forget the feeling to escape the pain that comes from being unable to express her true feelings. I guess that could be called deterrence in a way.”

Rainbow asked, “So… it’s kind of a mushy song, basically?”

Twilight held her hooves out in front of her as she explained, “At the start, it opens with a sorrowful opening, but that part doesn’t last long. The real beat soon kicks in and the song goes into a crescendo. From there, it becomes stimulating, revitalizing until the end where the sorrowful tune returns while still sounding hopeful.” She looked at Rainbow, “The song’s matter might sound mushy, but it’s anything but.”

Celestia smiled, “Perhaps you should sing it for us then, Twilight, and give us a sample of what a Peace Day celebration is like.”

Luna nodded, “Yes, indeed! That would be most wonderful, and I am interested in learning more about this ‘love deterrence’ thing.” Spike and the other ponies looked at her a bit eagerly, also interested in hearing the song Miller had come up with.

To their surprise, Twilight looked away from the princesses and simply said, “Nah.”

Everyone stared at her for a moment before Rainbow asked, “What do you mean, ‘nah’?”

Twilight replied, a slight hitch in her voice, “I… I haven’t sung that song in quite some time and… I’d really be forcing myself to do it.”

Rainbow asked, “What, you forgot the lyrics to it?”

Twilight rested her head against her right hoof as she sighed, “Oh no. I memorized every single line in the song. That’s another thing; Miller wrote the song in his native language: Japanese. So, if I did sing the song, you’d probably be asking me afterwards what it all meant.”

Applejack gave her a stern look, “So what’s the real reason ya don’t wanna sing it?”

Twilight sighed again before shaking her head and saying afterwards, “This part is really hard to talk about…” Still, she steeled herself and took a deep breath before she began, “Once Miller was finished with the lyrics for the song, Paz and I met up every day to practice while still dealing with our other responsibilities around Mother Base. It wasn’t easy; sometimes we barely had a chance to practice more than a few lines and talk before we had to get back to work, but it seemed like we were making progress all the while. We helped each other memorize the lyrics and we were matching up with the rhythm of Miller’s guitar pretty well, I thought. Then, with just three days left before Peace Day, so many things just spiraled out of control…”

________________________________________

Twilight gritted her teeth as the sound of gunfire once again sounded to her right, several bullets each hitting their target over the course of a few seconds. “Damn, she’s so good…! But maybe I’m not too far behind her! Maybe if I hit a few more, I can catch up!” she thought to herself as she tensed up and looked through the scope of her M16, waiting for the next targets to pop up. Amanda stood in the firing lane beside her, the woman smirking as it looked like she was going to win again.

Two targets rose up from the floor of the Shooting Range and a third came down from the ceiling. Immediately Twilight and Amanda aimed for the one on the ceiling and shot for the center of it. It turned sideways and went back up into the ceiling less than a second later; if their scores came close, they’d have to take a closer look afterwards, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that. Amanda immediately lowered her M16 and shot at the moving target that was under where the ceiling target had been. Twilight predicted this, though, and managed to land a headshot on the stationary target to the right before Amanda could turn to it.

Twilight used her left hoof to wipe the sweat off her forehead and wiped it on the white T-shirt she was wearing as the next five targets came up. Two of them had their arms raised, indicating they were innocents. Ignoring them, Amanda aimed for the target to the right while Twilight took the one on the left, both of them landing a chest shot. Twilight then raised her rifle and shot at the target hanging from the ceiling, but she didn’t manage to hit it in the center. The two innocent targets dropped down while they were shooting.

Several more ‘waves’ of targets popped up afterwards, both girls needing to reload once during this time and giving the other a chance to either move further ahead or close the gap. After about fifteen seconds, a ringing noise sounded in the Shooting Range, indicating that time was up. Twilight’s head fell against the divider afterwards, knowing full well that she hadn’t managed to catch up to Amanda, and she groaned, “Damn it…”

Amanda overheard her and smirked, “Well, that’s that. Nice try, Twilight.” She then took her M16 in both hands as she turned and stepped out of her firing lane. Twilight lifted her head with a sigh a moment later and secured her rifle in the holder on her belt next to her right flank before she did the same, both of them going out through entrance to the Shooting Range and following the hallway to the right when it turned a few seconds later.

As they walked, Twilight sighed, “I thought I could beat you this time, Amanda, or at least hit the same number of targets as you.”

Amanda glanced down at the alicorn, “Well, you’re not there yet, Twilight, but you were closer than ever this time. You’re getting better at predicting where a moving target is going and adjusting your aim accordingly. That’s very important; in a fight, that can mean the difference between life and death.”

Twilight let out a light chuckle and said, “That sounds like something Snake would say.”

Amanda replied, “Well, it only makes sense; don’t forget I’ve been fighting for most of my life.”

Twilight nodded, “Right, and you still are. Thanks to Peace Walker, you’ve made it to Nicaragua, but it’s going to take time before the change you’re hoping for comes about.”

Amanda faced forward as she said, “Exactly. That’s the dream we’ve had. To change things so we don’t have to be fighting and struggling just to survive. But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy indulging in a little peace now. That’s why I’m looking forward to Peace Day.” She looked down at Twilight, “You and Paz are still going to be singing, right?”

Twilight replied, “Yeah. Paz seemed really nervous at first, but now she seems like she’s really looking forward to it.”

Amanda muttered absently, “Yeah, she’s quite the interesting one. Very interesting…” She noticed the four-way junction they were approaching and pointed to their right, “Uh, let’s head right here to get back to the entrance.” They both turned and began following the hallway before she asked, “How are you feeling about it?”

Twilight considered her words for a few moments before answering, “Well, MSF is certainly getting bigger, and Mother Base is probably going to be crowded for Peace Day but considering some of the things I’ve had to be front and center for in Equestria since I became a princess, I’m not nervous about it. …Not too much, anyway. I mean, it’ll be fun since it’s something I’m used to. And I’m sure everyone will-” She stopped mid-sentence and came to a halt, her ears perking up.

Amanda noticed after a few seconds and stopped to look back at her. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Twilight turned her head to look back down the hallway as she quietly said, “I think I heard something.” She turned and slowly walked back to the junction, stopping and placing her left hoof on the wall before she quickly poked her head around the corner. She saw nothing down the hallway leading to the Shooting Range. But she was sure…

“Hey!” Amanda called, causing her to blink and look at the woman. “Will you knock it off? If anyone was sneaking around in these hallways, I’m pretty sure we’d both hear them. Now come on!” She shook her head as Twilight made her way back over, “So much for not being nervous.”

Twilight smiled sheepishly, “Sorry, Amanda. I just could’ve sworn I heard… I guess I have been a little nervous since Zadornov escaped again and we don’t know where he went this time.”

Amanda crossed her arms and said, “I don’t know how he managed to get off Mother Base before, but if it’s true that Miller can’t track his location this time, that would be the best for him. If he’s still here, someone’s going to find him. It’s just a matter of time.” With that, the two continued walking, though Twilight still glanced back a few times, sure she had heard something but deciding to take Amanda’s words to heart.

It didn’t take long for the two to reach the entrance of the Training Facility, specifically where it was split between the Shooting Range and the Kill House. Amanda stepped towards the latter side and looked back at Twilight as she spoke, “I’m gonna head to the Kill House to get a little more practice in. What are you going to do, Twilight?”

The lavender alicorn replied, “I think I’m gonna go find Paz and see if she wants to do any rehearsing before she has to report to the Mess Hall. We should be able to sync up our voices just right during the song or we’re gonna go on stage and no one’s going to like it.”

Amanda made a small smile; once again, Twilight’s nervousness was easy to see, but she decided not to comment on it. “All right. I’ll catch up with you later.” She then started making her way to the Kill House while Twilight headed for the strut exit.

As she stepped out onto the connecting bridge, she closed her eyes, spread her wings to their full length, and stood tall on her legs as she breathed in the ocean air, doing a small stretch of sorts. She held this pose for a few seconds before she began to open her eyes, seeing someone approaching her as she did. Opening her eyes all the way, she realized it was Snake, the man dressed in his usual jungle fatigues and carrying an M16 in his hands. She quickly closed her wings and stood up straight, saluting him as he got closer. “Boss!” she quickly said, having gotten into the habit of addressing him as such.

Snake came to a stop in front and slightly to the side of her and said, “Morning, Twilight. At ease.” The lavender alicorn lowered her hoof and relaxed slightly at that.

She eyed his rifle and looked up at him, “Going to get some practice in?”

Snake shrugged slightly, “Might as well. We still don’t have any leads on Zadornov and no new job offers have come in. It’s a good chance to check Mother Base’s facilities and make sure Zadornov isn’t hiding anywhere.”

Twilight nodded and after a moment, her face became apprehensive and she said, “I thought I heard someone heading down the hall towards the Shooting Range, but I didn’t see anyone when I looked. Maybe it’s nothing, but…” Snake caught onto what she was hinting at and gave her a nod before he headed into the strut. Twilight watched him walk until the door slid shut behind him, at which point she faced forward again. She thought for a moment and decided flying would be the fastest way to the Living Quarters. She spread her wings and flapped them, lifting off the bridge. She then flew towards the Living Quarters, though she did so at a relaxed, leisurely speed.

She soon reached the Living Quarters and made her way up to Paz’s room, which was just a couple doors down from hers. While she walked, she went over what she had managed to piece together of the girl’s usual daily schedule. “It’s still early in the morning. The Mess Hall opens before the Sun is even up, but Paz typically isn’t required to show up until later, at a time that would be considered more normal. Even when they’re short-staffed, the men typically don’t bother her. She should still be somewhere in the Living Quarters if she’s not in her room,” she thought.

She soon arrived outside of Paz’s room and raised her right hoof to it, tapping on it lightly a few times. After a few seconds of waiting with no sound coming from the other side, she raised her hoof and tapped again, a little harder this time. Once again, no sound came from the room behind it and Twilight’s smile eased off slightly after a couple of seconds. “Paz? It’s me, Twilight. Are you in there?” she called. Still no response. Twilight looked confused, “Hm. I guess she’s not in there.” She started to turn back the way she came, “Maybe she’s in the shower, or walking around the Living Quarters, or…” Her thoughts came to a halt as she noticed something she’d missed earlier.

Paz’s door didn’t seem to be closed all the way. On closer inspection, it looked like there was a small opening between the door and its frame. Curious, Twilight raised her right hoof and pushed it against the edge of the door. Sure enough, the door slowly swung inwards, revealing Paz’s room. Peering inside at the mostly sparse room, she saw that it was indeed empty. “That’s strange. Why didn’t Paz close her door all the way when she left? That’s not like…”

Her thoughts were cut off again, this time due to her hearing a familiar voice cry, “Twilight!” She let out a gasp and spun around just outside the doorway, almost hitting her head against the doorframe as she turned around. She saw Chico running towards her from down the hallway.

“Chico? What’s wrong? Why are you…?” Her question was cut off when Chico reached her, the boy just barely stopping without bumping into her and grabbing her by the shoulders.

“You gotta help! It’s Paz, Twilight! She… She’s… ZEKE! The hanger!” he cried, unable to get out the words he was searching for. Despite the shortage of words, however, Twilight thought she knew what he was getting at based on how panicked he seemed, his breaths coming and going in short spurts and his eyes wide, likely from shock.

She carefully raised her hooves and pushed his arms away as she said, “I understand, Chico. I’ll get over there right away!” She moved around him and ran down the hall. As she was running, she heard Chico yell after her “Don’t kill her!”, but she just filed it away. “What, does he think I’m going to freak out and shoot her by accident? She’s in trouble; I’m not going to make a mistake like that!” she thought.

As soon as she made it outside, she spread her wings and took off, flying straight for ZEKE’s hanger. When she got closer, she saw that the entrance didn’t appear to be guarded. She was a bit confused by that; she had never been assigned to work on ZEKE when she was in R&D, so she didn’t know how they kept the hanger guarded aside from knowing that they posted guards outside at night. As she landed outside the entrance, her mind slowed down a bit and she realized she probably should’ve called for backup, but decided it was too late now. “I’m already here, and it’ll take time to call the soldiers and have the hanger sealed off. Paz needs help now! …Once I get inside and see what’s going on, I can contact Snake or Miller and give them a better SITREP,” she thought as she drew her M1911A1 from the holster strapped on her left hind leg and held it low as she carefully walked through the sliding door in front of her.

After going straight down a hallway and following it to the right for several seconds, Twilight stepped through another sliding door and found herself in ZEKE’s hanger. She raised her handgun and pointed it straight ahead as she scanned the area. She’d only been in the hanger a few times, but the layout wasn’t hard to learn. There were two walkway levels on both sides of ZEKE, with the left side having an additional third walkway designed to make it easy to reach its AI pod. ZEKE itself didn’t seem to have been touched, the large mecha, which was mostly white with yellow places on the legs, sides of the head, and front of the AI pod, still suspended from the ceiling over the platform that would carry it to the deck it was deployed from.

While still looking around and keeping her gun pointed ahead of her, Twilight began to slowly make her way to the left towards the set of stairs leading up to the first walkway. She looked ZEKE up and down as best she could from its right side as she crept, but she didn’t see anything that seemed amiss. She tried to keep her breathing steady as she made her way up the stairs and slowly walked along the walkway. Still she saw nothing out of the ordinary. It was unnerving, but she tried to remind herself that the hanger didn’t offer a lot of cover, so it didn’t seem likely they would try to hide in the in the middle of the room. That only left…

She came to a stop as she reached the wall at the end of the walkway, where she could faintly hear what sounded like Paz crying above her. She looked up; she was underneath the hanger’s control room, the most obvious spot for someone to hide. Her ears perked up, trying to listen for the voice of whoever was holding her captive. After a few seconds, the crying stopped and she heard a voice that sounded very much like Paz’s say, slightly shakily, “…It is time, ZEKE. Metal Gear ZEKE, activate!” Moments later, there was the sound of rapid footsteps, which quickly became fainter and fainter.

Twilight couldn’t hold herself back any longer. She spread her wings and leapt over the railing, turning around and angling herself up towards the second walkway. She squeezed through the railing rather than climbing over it and ran towards the control room door, holding her handgun out in front of her as the door slid open. She quickly turned to the left as she entered and stopped just inside, her eyes sweeping to the right as she looked the room over. There was no one inside; they must’ve gone through the door in the right wall, which led up to the third walkway.

Twilight carefully made her way over to the door, still looking out of the corner of her vision to see if she could spot anything. When she was about halfway across the room, something caught her attention. She looked towards the long computer terminal underneath the control room’s windows. On the floor in front of it was Paz’s blue dress, and there was something resting on top of it. Twilight made her way past the two rows of shorter computer terminals and put her gun away as she leaned forward to take a closer look at it. It seemed to be a cassette tape. She picked it up with her left hoof and looked at the white spot near the top. There was writing there, though it appeared to have been quickly scrawled. “‘E… Entry 10’?” she muttered to herself. She then thought she heard a clattering noise coming from the hanger and she let the tape drop from her hoof as she moved back towards the door.

At the same time, Snake had arrived at the Shooting Range and was walking up the stairs to the second level to investigate a noise he had heard. Even with his one eye, he could see Zadornov to his right on the walkway ahead of him, the man currently standing behind one of the support girders with a pistol in his left hand. “Big Boss!” he said, causing Snake to come to a stop. The man then stepped out and fired at Snake twice, though he only managed to hit the walkway behind him. He then raised his prosthetic hand underneath his left hand to steady his aim, but Snake raised his M16 with a grunt and shot first, hitting Zadornov in the upper body. The man let out a pained groan before he fell onto his back. He turned his head to look up at Snake after a few seconds and managed to say, “My work is done…”

Snake looked confused, “What are you talking about?”

Zadornov raised his prosthetic hand, his index and middle fingers raised to form the peace sign. “‘V for victory’,” he grunted. He then pointed his fingers at Snake, his hand making a metallic click, “Rocket Peace!” He managed to raise himself up off the walkway slightly and, with a smirk, launched the hand at Snake. Snake remembered Twilight’s report from when she was captured and ducked behind the girder next to him, the hand following his movement but hitting and bouncing off the other side of the girder instead of him. Zadornov let out a choking gasp as his hand landed on its end near him, the back of it pointing in Snake’s direction. He then fell back onto the walkway with one final groan.

Snake moved out from behind the girder and pointed his M16 at Zadornov as he ran past the hand. Snake leaned over the man and observed him for a few seconds to confirm that he was dead. Once he was sure, he lowered his rifle and turned on his radio to contact Miller. Once the connection was established, he reported, “Kaz, I found Zadornov. I had to kill him.”

Miller responded, “Huh… So much for our fugitive…”

As he crouched over Zadornov, Snake said, “Something’s not right here. I’m thinking he had a friend.”

Miller muttered, “Someone inside MSF…”

Suddenly another call came through, both Snake and Miller hearing Twilight’s panicked voice saying over the sound of alarms ringing, “Miller, Snake! Come in!”

Miller asked, surprised, “Twilight?!”

Snake, however, noticed the alarms in the background and looked up, hearing alarms sounding from nearby as well. “What’s going on?” he asked.

Twilight hurriedly answered, “I-I’m in ZEKE’s hanger! Chico said something about Paz and the hanger and… ZEKE’s been activated!”

Snake stood up as he asked, “What?!”

Twilight said, “There was somebody in the control room… Wait, there’s someone on top of ZEKE! It’s… What?! No, that can’t be…” She let out a cry as Snake and Miller heard the sound of a handgun firing, hearing it several times before there was a crackle and then nothing.

“Twilight! What happened?! …Come in! Twilight!” Snake yelled.

“Twilight, respond! Twilight! …It’s no good! I can’t raise her! Her radio must’ve been taken out!” Miller said.

Snake grunted and asked, “Kaz?”

He heard the sound of computer keys clacking as Miller replied, “I’m checking… She’s right! It is moving! And there’s somebody inside, I can see them… Snake, get up to the deck, pronto!” Snake turned and took a few steps away from Zadornov, looking back over his left shoulder at him one last time before he started running for the exit, leaving the dead man and his prosthetic hand behind.

Back in the hanger, meanwhile, Twilight leaned up against the wall next to the door, breathing heavily. After a few seconds, she leaned over to peer out through the door, seeing her radio lying on the walkway with a bullet hole in the casing. She pulled back around and leaned against the wall, sure that she would be shot at again if she tried to go back out on the walkway. She looked over at the center terminal and thought, “Maybe I can stop it from here.” She dropped back onto her front hooves and ran over to the keyboard in the center, seeing a window for giving ZEKE commands still open on the monitor. “Metal Gear ZEKE, shut down… Disengage… Disregard… Power down… Just stop!” she muttered as she ran through all the possible commands she could give it, each one being denied with a buzz and a window saying a connection error was the reason.

She looked up when she heard a loud thudding noise and saw that ZEKE had been lowered onto the platform. Moments later, the platform began to slide back towards the large doors in the back of the hanger, which were slowly starting to open. Twilight let out a gasp at this and ran towards the door, stepping out onto the walkway with a little hesitation. She put her forehooves on the railing as she watched the platform, now a quarter of the way to the doors, continue sliding without stopping. As she stared with an open mouth, she thought to herself, “How do I stop it? More importantly… how do I stop HER?!”

________________________________________

Twilight paused and placed her right hoof above her nose in front of her closed eyes. She had a grief-stricken look on her face, but her friends interpreted it as something else. “Who was it, Twilight? Who took Paz and was trying to steal ZEKE?” Rainbow asked.

“A female spy? Someone who was already there? Surely it wasn’t Dr. Strangelove?” Rarity murmured, Fluttershy looking nervous at each of the possibilities.

Pinkie started, “It sure sounds like someone who was a big, mean, awful meanie pants! Why, if I was there, I would…”

Twilight cut her off by slamming her hoof down on the table and loudly saying, “It was Paz.”

That statement caused everyone in the room to go silent as they looked at her. “Come again, Twilight?” Spike asked after a few moments.

Shining began, “Yeah, Twily. It sounded like you said…”

Twilight interjected, “Paz. It was Paz. She kept letting Zadornov out. She altered ZEKE to carry out her mission. She was the one who deployed it. It was all her.”

Silence ruled the dining room for a couple of seconds before Rainbow Dash and Discord both suddenly burst out laughing, Spike, Applejack, and even Luna joining in after a few seconds as they seemed to figure out what the two found hilarious. The others simply glanced at them in confusion before they looked back at Twilight and saw she now had a deadpan expression on her face. This confused them further; surely Twilight realized what she said made no sense… right?

“Ah, ha, ha, ha! That’s a good one, Twilight! You really got me with that!” Rainbow laughed.

Applejack began to calm down, wiping some tears from her eyes as she said, “Hoo-wee! Ah sure didn’t expect that! Ah didn’t know you were so good at tellin’ jokes, Twilight!” She soon opened her eyes and saw Twilight turn to her with the same deadpan expression. Applejack started to look concerned at this. “That… was a joke, right?” she asked. Twilight didn’t say anything; she just continued to give her that look. Spike, Luna, and eventually Rainbow calmed down when they realized no one else had joined in on the laughter.

Discord was not bothered by the sudden silence in the dining hall and kept laughing, even as he slid under the table and came up on the other side and wrapped part of his long body around Twilight. He then calmed himself enough to look down at her and say, “Oh, you really must learn to not be such a tease, Twilight. Don’t get me wrong, I do love hearing something so wonderfully absurd, but to be honest, it almost feels like it’s meant to be at my expense. So why don’t you get back to your boring storyteller mode and tell us what really happened?”

Twilight’s only response was to lift her head to look up at him. After a few moments, Discord asked, “Oh, I’m sorry, Twilight, did I hurt your feelings? Come now, fun is fun, but I know you’re all about the boring stuff, so get back to it.” Twilight continued to stare up at him, causing him to become a bit annoyed. “You know, I really don’t enjoy being made a fool of, Twilight,” he nearly snapped. Still she didn’t let up on her gaze or give any indication that it was part of an act. Discord, now thoroughly annoyed by her silence, said, “Fine! Since you seem to enjoy this so much, why don’t we all have a look at what actually happened and bring an end to YOUR fun now!”

He brought his lion paw down and placed the first digit directly on the end of her horn. At this, Shining started to get up as he started, “Hey, what are you…” He didn’t get a chance to finish before they all seemingly disappeared from the dining hall.

________________________________________

With a pop, everyone suddenly found themselves standing on one of the decks of Mother Base. Twilight recognized the blue outlines around everyone and their somewhat ghostly appearances. It was very similar to what Discord had done back when he’d first been freed, when he used the memory of what he’d told them about the Elements of Harmony to taunt her. “He must be using my memories to do this,” she thought as he removed his lion paw from her horn.

Everyone soon noticed Snake and Miller standing nearby, both of them standing at opposite ends of what appeared to be the cardboard tank that Twilight had shown them a picture of. Miller spoke first, “Snake. The R&D team came up with something new.”

Snake glanced down at the box with his eye and asked, “What’s this?”

Miller explained, “It’s a cardboard tank. It’s got enough room for two people, same as any other cardboard box. Apparently, the guy in front drives and the guy in back is the gunner.”

Snake started to look suspicious, “Hold on, Kaz. Who the hell came up with this thing?”

Miller started with an apologetic tone, “I’m sorry, Boss. He meant well, I swear. I know it’s nowhere as good as a real tank, but still…”

He was stopped when Snake, who suddenly had an unusually happy look on his face, interrupted, “It’s… BRILLIANT!”

Miller’s mouth fell open, “Huh?!”

Snake spoke, “The perfect synthesis of stealth and attack power, compact, elegant design… the finest example of a weapon I’ve ever seen! Seriously Kaz, I need to meet the guy who made this! I wanna shake his hand!”

Miller could only stare at him in disbelief. “You serious?! Snake, look at it! It’s…”

Snake spoke, his arms crossed and his eye closed, “It’s a MASTERPIECE, in every sense of the word.” He opened his eye to look at Miller, “You don’t agree?”

Miller stammered, “No, I…”

Suddenly, Paz and Twilight came up behind Miller and saw the cardboard tank for themselves, the former gasping and asking, “What is that? A tank?”

Twilight nodded as she walked over to the tank and sat on her haunches next to it, “It is, Paz, and it’s amazing!”

Paz smiled, “I like it!”

Miller looked stunned even further by their comments. “Twilight? Paz?!”

Paz had her eyes closed as she said, “I HATE tanks, but this one I think I could get used to!” She opened her eyes, “I love that it’s a zero emissions vehicle. It will not hurt the forests of Costa Rica!”

Miller noticed Twilight was touching the side of the cardboard tank with a hoof in wonder, further prompting him to exclaim, “What?!”

Snake nodded, “Nice work, Kaz! I see I made the right choice making you second-in-command.”

Miller could only stutter, “But I… I-Is there something wrong with me?!”

In their unseen corner of the deck, everyone was amused by what they had witnessed, but they were also confused. This scene did not match up at all with what Twilight had been talking about. Turning to look at her, they saw that Discord was still wrapped around her, the draconequus twisting himself around and cheekily getting in her face as he spoke, “Well, well. It seems you and Paz really were quite close, Twilight. She hardly seems like someone who would do anything you were talking about. Do you remember what actually happened now?”

Twilight glanced at him and asked, “You picked the wrong point in time on purpose, didn’t you?”

Discord brought his head back a bit and gave her his own deadpan expression as he replied, “Well, excuse me, princess! First of all, you’ve never let me in your mind before, so I’m not as familiar with how you organize things in there, and second, as long as we’re talking about points in time, you’ve never made it clear just how long you were at Mother Base before this supposed ‘hijacking’ occurred. Much as I hate to admit it, I’m going to need a little cooperation from you, Twilight.”

With a sigh, the lavender alicorn gathered her thoughts and said, “Okay, let’s try it again.” Discord placed his lion paw digit on her horn again at that and suddenly what appeared to be a white ring appeared around everyone, seemingly spinning. Outside the ring, the deck didn’t seem to change, but if they looked up, they could see the sky overhead becoming bright and dark as if day and night were coming and going.

A couple of seconds later, the ring began to vanished and they all heard the sound of an alarm going off. Looking to their left, they all saw Snake in his fatigues running across the deck towards a large square-shaped opening at the other end. As they stared, something began to rise up out of the opening, past Twilight flying up out of the opening and landing on the surface of the deck a second later, turning around to face the thing and backing up towards Snake. They all stared in shock as they realized it was Metal Gear ZEKE rising up out of the opening. Twilight’s description of the white and yellow walking tank had been spot-on, but actually seeing it with their own eyes, standing at its full height as it rose up really made them realize just how big these things were, even if ZEKE’s size wasn’t the limit of how big they could get.

Before it was all the way out, as Snake and past Twilight stood next to each other staring at it, they heard a familiar voice come from the AI pod, “Took you long enough… Big Boss.” The platform soon slid into place with a loud thud, revealing ZEKE’s full height as it seemed content for the moment to remain motionless.

“Paz…?!” Snake uttered, a light yet sinister chuckle coming from the AI pod in response. Shaking off the surprise, Snake said, “Get down from there before you hurt somebody.”

Paz replied, “Maybe I want to hurt somebody…”

They all heard Miller ask over the radio, “What’s going on? She’s not herself…”

Paz spoke up, “Oh, I am myself, all right… my TRUE self.” ZEKE finally moved after a moment, shifting its legs to the sides so they were further away from each other.

“Kaz, shut that thing down,” Snake ordered.

There was a clacking of computer keys and a buzz before Miller reported, “I can’t. The controls aren’t responding.”

Snake asked, “Then how’s it moving?!”

Paz spoke, “I made some… modifications. This machine was meant to have a human pilot.” As if to demonstrate, ZEKE took a step forward with both legs.

Snake started, “Modifications? Paz, what are you…”

Paz interjected, “Never thought I’d be into machines, huh?”

Miller realized, “Then… Zadornov’s escape… was a diversion!”

Snake asked, “Paz, what are you doing…?!”

Paz replied, “I’m taking it back.”

Miller almost frantically asked, “Taking it back? Where?!”

Paz answered, “To our leaders… To Cipher.”

Snake questioned, “Cipher…?!”

Up in the pod, Paz stood up as she explained, “This weapon is Cipher’s creation…”

Snake ordered, “Paz! Get down from there!”

Paz banged her hands on the control panel as she angrily said, “Do not call me that! I am Pacifica Ocean!” She sat down and brought her controls down, causing ZEKE to rear up and let out what sounded like a howl before it brought its head down to look at Snake and past Twilight again. “My name, my age, my mission… Cipher gave them all to me. My entire life has but one purpose: to carry out Cipher’s plan.” They heard her spit before she went on, “The nasty tobacco… the ‘angel of peace’ crap… the whole ‘teen with a dream’ routine… I am through with all of it!”

Everyone was really starting to get the unnerving feeling that this really wasn’t just an act. Discord found himself uncurling from around Twilight and standing up straight as Snake started, “Paz, you can’t…”

ZEKE shifted as Paz yelled, “I told you not to call me that! It makes me want to puke!” There was silence for a moment and then she calmly said, “Everything has gone exactly as we planned. Now the real Peace Walker Project is finally about to reach its goal.”

Snake questioned, “The… real project?!”

Paz began, “Once upon a time, there were two young men who idolized a hero called The Boss. One day, they suddenly lost the point of origin – the cipher – that was like a mother to them. Unable to come to terms with their sorrow, they each decided to carry on the will of their hero. But they could not agree on what that meant. In the end, they became bitter enemies, and the zero from which they both started was split into two.”

Snake grunted, “Huh?”

Paz finished, “…And you have been on the wrong path ever since. There is no ‘happily ever after’ waiting for you in the end, unless… you obey the will of Cipher!”

Past Twilight murmured to herself, “What kind of will is that…?”

Paz continued, not hearing the alicorn’s murmur, “Where does an army without borders call home? A state without borders, of course… a world without borders.”

Snake asked, “A world without borders…?”

Paz went on, “The Cold War order is about to collapse. The age of electronic intelligence is about to begin. The NSA, CSS, NRO, DIA, et cetera, et cetera… The intelligence community that has long bickered amongst itself will be united in a world governed by electrons. Cipher will gather all information, watching over the world and guiding the will of its people, all while they remain blissfully unaware. There will be no one to oppose them! For the first time, the world will be ruled by a single will! Until the new order is in place, you and your army will be the force that protects it. You will be Cipher’s deterrent, pulling the wool over the eyes of the old order with your charisma and military prowess. Accept our offer, and we will allow you to retain control over MSF, Twilight, and ZEKE.”

Everyone glanced at Twilight while Snake asked, “That’s… an offer?”

They looked back as Paz said, “The Boss threw down her gun, and with it her life’s calling. You, her disciple, have never been able to do that. You are too afraid to let go.”

Past Twilight looked up at Snake as he stated, “I was made to fight. I AM a gun.”

Paz retorted, “Is that so?! Then what do you call this? Is it a gun too? You are a lousy liar! Admit it – this thing is a monstrosity, a product of your own fear!” She then said, “But not Cipher! Cipher thought of something different. Cipher’s going to control guns.”

Snake asked, “Control guns?”

Paz answered, “That is right. Not deter, control. It is the ultimate approach to the illusion of peace…”

Snake grunted, “Control power? You’re gonna be disappointed.”

Paz replied in a mocking tone, “Then we are done! Thank you for playing! Better luck next time.” She settled back into her seat, “The offer is rescinded! And now, the ultimatum. ZEKE is already in nuclear strike mode.”

Snake and past Twilight both asked, “What…?”

Paz said, “I’m taking the weapon you built and using it to launch a nuclear strike on the east coast of the United States!”

Snake yelled, “You’re insane! What are you after?!”

Paz ignored him and said as the pod began to fill with water, “But wait, here is your consolation prize: we are about to show the world just how dangerous a gang of outlaws – an army without borders – can be! You and your men will become pariahs, and you will be wiped off the face of the earth. Rather than heroes, you will be seen as a well-armed extremist cult prone to indiscriminate outbursts of nuclear aggression. You will give rise to a new world order, an age of deterrence defined by its fear of extremist cult influence. Do you like the picture I am painting, Big Boss?!”

Past Twilight looked to have tears threatening to leave her eyes as she muttered, “Paz, no…”

Paz went on, “When all is said and done, peace is nothing but a fantasy! A game’s a game! You either win or you lose! All you can do is fight! Stop me if you can! The peace sign is the ‘V’ of victory!” She mockingly finished with “Say… peace!” before she put the end of her scuba tank hose in her mouth as the water filling ZEKE’s pod rose to her chest level.

ZEKE took a step forward and Snake pointed his M16 up at it while past Twilight looked up at it fearfully. Everyone heard Miller say, “She’s gonna launch the nuke! Snake, we’ve got to stop her, whatever it takes. Awaiting your orders!”

ZEKE took a step forward with its right leg and stared down at Snake and Twilight as Paz said, “Stop me if you can!” Off on the side, everyone could only stare at the calm before the storm. At this point, it was very clear there was only one option for how this was going to turn out, and while it seemed like they already knew what was going to happen, they couldn’t help but wonder if there was a chance it was going to end the other way…
> Metal Gear ZEKE Battle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Stop me if you can!” For a moment, the memory flickered and they were all treated to a repeat of Paz taunting Snake and Twilight again. It didn’t help the Equestrians seeing it for the first time sort out their thoughts any; there were all still at a loss for words that Paz had not only been an agent the whole time, but she had also taken control of a walking tank equipped with a nuclear missile and planned to use it in response to her offer being turned down. It had to be a mistake, a crazy scenario pulled from the depths of Twilight’s mind. It couldn’t actually be something that had happened.

Much as they wanted to cling to this hope, it didn’t stop the memory from continuing. ZEKE sidestepped to the right and Paz yelled, “Take this!” before firing the machine guns beneath its head towards past Twilight and Snake. Twilight managed to regain enough of her composure to dive to her left before the bullets reached her while Snake turned and ran the other way. Once he was clear, he turned and aimed his M16 up at ZEKE’s AI pod, opening fire as he continued to move to the side while Twilight ran over to the wall after she got up, pressing up against it. Fortunately for her, Paz stayed focused on Snake, turning to continue firing on him as he moved.

When the shooting stopped, they heard Miller say over the radio, “You have to stop Paz before she can launch that nuke!” After he finished speaking, Paz let out a sinister laugh as ZEKE hopped to the side to avoid Snake’s fire. A few seconds later, eight panels on the deck rose up, all of them on an angle to the ground. “We’ve activated the hatches up on deck. You can use them as cover so long as they’re open,” Miller said.

It seemed like it was not a moment too soon, as a few seconds later, Paz spoke, “Time to wrap this up.” As she was speaking, ZEKE bent its knees and jumped up backwards towards the deck behind it to the right, landing with only a slight buckle in its right leg. The Equestrians could only stare in shock at how effortlessly it made the jump; the legs had to be strong to support its upper body, but they certainly didn’t think such a behemoth could jump like that. ZEKE straightened up from its buckle and hunched over forward a second later, its railgun pointing at Snake as he ran to hide behind one of the hatches and Paz said, “Soon you will witness true Hell.”

While Snake crouched behind the hatch, the Equestrians could see electricity gathering around the railgun as it charged. It fired a second later, an explosion going off against the hatch at the same time as the sound of the gun firing was heard. The explosion was a result of how fast that single bullet had been going before it hit its target, less than a second passing between the firing and the impact. It was at this point that everyone realized what a destructive weapon the railgun was; the only downside to it that they could see was that, even though Paz was able to fire several more rounds right away, it was slow to charge afterwards.

Although he was pinned down, Snake was able to peer out from behind the hatch and noticed one of the control panels at the edge of the deck, specifically the one that had a blue background on its screen. He looked over at Twilight and gestured towards it, his gestures becoming more agitated when she didn’t move right away. At the moment, Twilight was caught in a crisis, shaking a bit as she looked between Snake and where she knew ZEKE was. She knew what he was trying to communicate to her, but she couldn’t bring herself to move.

Rainbow turned to her Twilight and, in between the railgun firing, asked, “What’s he pointing at? And why were you just standing there all that time?!”

Twilight answered, her voice flat and her expression stoic, “I was stuck. I didn’t want to hurt Paz, but I didn’t want her to win either. Unlike the Boss, I was still in shock. You’ll see what he was telling me to do in a few seconds.”

As Twilight said, her past self managed to snap out of her confusion a few seconds later and began to run towards the control panel, a shot from ZEKE’s railgun forcing her to leap back behind and narrowly avoid it. She was able to reach the panel while the railgun’s charge was depleted and she hit the button on it with her hoof. Almost immediately afterwards, they heard Miller say, “Supplies are loaded in the transport catapult!” as several cardboard boxes came flying over ZEKE’s head, breaking apart when they hit the back of the deck.

While Snake ran to get the scattered supplies, they heard Paz say again, “Time to wrap this up.” Looking back towards ZEKE, they saw it jump back to the main deck, though it didn’t set its sights on Snake; it turned to Twilight instead. Her eyes widened at this and she began to run towards the back as Paz yelled, “Die!” ZEKE then charged straight towards her, placing both feet on the ground and sliding towards her with its left leg in front as it got close. Twilight managed to avoid the sliding attack, but ZEKE had ended up closer to her than she realized and was kicked to the side across the deck while it was swinging its left leg back to stand normally.

Twilight landed hard on her side in the center of the deck. She groaned as she rolled onto her front, her wings splayed out at her sides. Between the kick and the landing, she felt disoriented to say the least, her head pounding and making the pain worse. She held a hoof to her head as she tried to shake it off, but it was slow going. Her mind quickly cleared up, however, when a stomp from ZEKE was followed by her eyes going wide for a moment before they clenched shut and a loud, pained scream escaped her mouth.

Rarity put her hooves in front of her mouth. “Oh my goodness!” she gasped, horrified. She wasn’t the only one; the others could only stare mortified at ZEKE’s left foot intentionally stepping on past Twilight’s left wing, her scream telling them all they needed to know about the damage that had been done. As ZEKE lifted its leg and moved it back, they could already see that the wing was bent at an angle it wasn’t supposed to be. Twilight, meanwhile, continued to stare straight ahead, the same stoic look on her face. That had been a horrible moment for her in this fight, but she knew it wasn’t the part yet.

Past Twilight managed to raise herself up after a few moments and raised her left wing to look at it, staring aghast at her broken wing. She didn’t get long to look at it as her attention was redirected when ZEKE raised its right leg and Paz said, “I’ll crush you flat!” Twilight turned to look up at the foot above her head, but before she could move, Snake suddenly rushed in and stood over her, raising his hands and catching the foot as it came down, stopping it.

Discord stared unimpressed as, for the moment, nothing seemed to be happening. “Are you serious?” he asked in a bored tone. She was toying with him; she had to be. Surely a man with no special powers of his own couldn’t actually be stopping something so big and heavy himself.

With a sudden thrust upwards, Snake was able to push the foot up and back and ZEKE staggered back a bit as it tried to regain its balance. “Impossible!” Paz cried, saying aloud some of the others’ reactions to the spectacle. Before she could recover, Snake took the RPG-7 he’d retrieved from the supplies off his back and fired it up at ZEKE’s head, causing it to stagger back more as Paz let out a cry. “Damn you, Snake!” she yelled before she made ZEKE leap towards the edge of the deck.

Twilight looked up at Snake in surprise. “Snake!” she uttered.

The man grunted as he loaded a new grenade in the end of his launcher. “No time to get that treated now! Patch it up as best you can and walk it off! We can’t let Paz use ZEKE’s missile!” he said. Once he was finished reloading, he ran towards ZEKE again, Paz once again focused on him. Taking advantage of the moment, Twilight stood up and looked down at her broken wing. Thinking quickly, she used her magic to rip her T-shirt off and wrapped it around her as an improvised sling or brace, tying it tightly against her right side to keep the wing pressed up against her while extended. It wasn’t ideal, but given the situation, it would have to do for the time being.

With her wing secured, Twilight rejoined Snake, using her magic and the weapons she had to attack ZEKE. It seemed Paz stomping on her wing was all it took to clear her mind and make her decide that she needed to be stopped as soon as possible.

After a minute, ZEKE leapt to one of the back decks, though instead of bending forward and charging the railgun, it stood up straight as Paz yelled, “¡Venceremos!” Almost immediately afterwards, ZEKE fired missiles from its back that homed in on Twilight and Snake, forcing both of them to keep moving in order to avoid the explosions when they hit the ground. Paz fired another round of missiles at the two before she began charging the railgun again.

While she was in the middle of the charging process, everyone heard Miller say over the radio, “Put Mother Base’s gun platforms to good use! The control panel is on the edge of the deck!” Noticing that Paz was focusing her fire on the hatch Snake was hiding behind, Twilight darted out from cover and made it to the panel before Paz noticed her. She pressed a button on the keyboard and the red background on the screen changed to yellow.

Twilight crouched down and moved to press up against the wall behind the panel to avoid a round from the railgun and reached into one of her pouches, looking for something. The wall was beginning to wear down under the repeated fire from the railgun, but Twilight stayed where she was and soon pulled out a small handheld device from her pouch. She glanced in ZEKE’s direction and, when it sounded like the railgun was charging again, she peeked out from cover and pointed the device at it, clicking it on to reveal it was a laser pointer, the pointer hitting the side of ZEKE’s front. “Target acquired! Fire!” Miller yelled a moment later, one of the gun platforms on the deck next to ZEKE rising up and firing a volley of missiles at it.

The attack caused Paz to let out a cry and threw ZEKE off balance, but only for a moment. It turned towards the gun platform as Paz yelled, “Don’t do that!” ZEKE leapt over to the platform and began stomping on it, trying to destroy it. The distraction gave Twilight and Snake a chance to open fire without retaliation. They managed to knock ZEKE off balance again when it turned back to them, causing Paz to scream, “How?!” before ZEKE stood up and leapt to another deck. While it was doing this, Twilight ran back over to the catapult control panel and typed on it, supplies from the reloaded catapult being launched over to the deck again.

Paz kept ZEKE on the deck and tried to hit Snake and Twilight with the railgun for about a minute, punctuating one last shot with “You have got no one to blame but yourself.” She then leapt back to the main deck and prepared to fight them up close again, but as she was turning around to face them, Snake fired another RPG up at ZEKE’s head. This one seemed to do the trick as ZEKE staggered back as explosions began to go off across its body, Paz letting out a loud prolonged scream as this happened. Twilight squeezed her eyes shut at the scream, trying in vain to block out what she knew was coming while her friends and family watched ZEKE shaking and staggering a bit to try to remain upright, the explosions coming to a stop as smoke rose from its battered frame.

Inside the AI pod, Paz struggled to regain control of ZEKE as alarms blared, the entire pod lit up red from the alerts on her screens. After trying in vain for several seconds, she pulled her arms away as she said, “It is no use. ZEKE is out of my control. …This is where it ends.” She then addressed Snake, Twilight trying to block out the words as she spoke, “Listen to me, Big Boss… As long as your army is needed, the world will never know true peace.” More explosions began to go off on ZEKE as she continued, “The peace you know will be fleeting, illusory. They will use you, disgrace you, and then, finally, discard you like they would a cancer to society. This is the path you have chosen!”

Suddenly, Paz let out a gasp and Twilight squeezed her eyes tighter at the thought of what was coming next. An explosion erupted from the AI pod and Snake and past Twilight, along with everyone else, could only watch as Paz was sent flying backwards, a shriek escaping her lips as she fell past the deck and ZEKE crumpled to the ground. Snake let out a grunt and Twilight cried, “Paz!” as they both ran towards the edge of the deck. They made it just in time for a large spray of water to shoot up from below, marking the point of Paz’s splashdown.

On reflex, Twilight used her magic to tear her shirt away and tried to spread her wings, but before she could do anything, Miller suddenly appeared and grabbed her hind left leg. She looked back at him in surprise and he said, “Forget it, Twilight.” She struggled a bit to get out and he pulled her back roughly, saying, “That’s enough! …She’s already gone.”

Twilight’s wings slumped and she looked down sorrowfully at that as she realized that he was right. Miller released his grip on her, seeing all the fight drain out of her. Snake looked over at her and, not knowing what else to say, told her, “You’d better get over to the Sick Bay and have that wing looked at, Twilight. You don’t want it to heal improperly.”  Twilight nodded softly and turned, beginning to make her way to the Sick Bay. As she walked away, she could faintly hear Snake murmur under his breath, “Paz…”

All of a sudden, the memory began to go black…
> Haven No Longer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With a pop, everyone found themselves back in the dining hall back where they had been sitting. After a few moments of almost everyone needing to get their bearings, they all looked at Twilight, who still had her eyes scrunched shut and was sitting hunched over slightly, seemingly undisturbed by the shift back to the present. After a few moments, Spike asked, “Uh, Twilight?” The alicorn’s eyes immediately opened wide at the sound of her name and she turned to look straight at the dragon. He was a bit creeped out, but before he could say anything else, her eyes returned to normal as she gained an anguished expression. She then put her head on the table and covered her eyes with her hooves.

“Twily?” Shining asked.

“It never stops hurting,” she uttered, some of the ponies having to lean closer to hear her. “I’ve replayed it so many times during the day and when I’m asleep, but it’s always the same feeling. I could’ve saved her. I shouldn’t have listened to Miller; I should’ve tried to save her,” she moaned.

Rainbow spoke, “Hey, I know you two were friends and all, Twilight, but that was all part of the act, right? You shouldn’t feel bad about not saving someone who outright betrayed you.”

Twilight’s eyes widened at Rainbow’s words and she dropped her hooves on the table as she turned her head to give the pegasus an unusually angry glare. An uneasy silence hung in the air for several long seconds before Twilight’s glare eased off a little and she sat up straight and said, “She didn’t betray us, Rainbow. She tried to act based on the circumstances and it blew up in her face.”

Discord piped up, “Quite literally it did, I must say!” He grinned a bit, but nobody could feel the humor. Not even Fluttershy or Pinkie Pie could manage more than a halfhearted smile.

Applejack turned back to Twilight and asked, “What was that girl thinkin’, and what was she goin’ on about? ‘Cipher’? What’s that?”

Twilight replied, “Well, naturally, it’s the name of the group that Paz worked for. It’s also a code word that means ‘empty’ as well as ‘zero’, the latter meaning being the more important one here.”

Rainbow asked, “What does a number have to do with anything, Twilight?”

Twilight explained, “Back when Snake was still allied with America and was a part of his old FOX unit, there was a man he answered to, a man named Major Zero. He was Snake’s superior, his friend, and the other one who idolized The Boss like Paz mentioned. Snake and Miller came to one conclusion based on the Cipher name.”

Celestia asked, “Zero was the literal Cipher in his organization, which sent Paz to infiltrate the MSF and try to force Big Boss to accept Cipher’s offer?” Twilight nodded in reply.

“Why would he go to all the trouble of bringing Snake back just to guard his precious system until it’s ready? I mean, did he really need protection? You guys didn’t know about Cipher until Paz mentioned it, right? Couldn’t it be kept hidden from the rest of the world as well?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight replied, “Yeah, I have no idea. I kind of have to wonder if what Paz said wasn’t the whole story.”

Shining sighed and spoke, “I can’t believe Cipher would take a little girl and train her for the sole purpose of that. Wasn’t Paz about the same age as you, Twilight? How long did it take her to learn… whatever she had to learn before she was dispatched?”

Twilight said, “I don’t know that or how much of an age gap there was between us. As Paz, yes, we looked to be roughly the same age, but she was actually older, according to her diary.”

Pinkie immediately sat up straight with a perturbed expression at that. “What?!” she exclaimed before popping under the table and popping back up next to Twilight, surprising her as she grabbed her by the Sneaking Suit. “You looked in her diary, Twilight?! How could you?! Diaries are super-secret books that no one but the owner can look at! You can’t just look at someone else’s diary!” she nearly shouted.

Twilight relaxed a bit and gave her friend a flat look as Rainbow spoke up, “Uh, Pinkie? We’re talking about Paz here, a spy? She also got thrown into the ocean; I’m pretty sure there’s no chance she ever came back for her diary.”

Twilight added, catching Pinkie’s attention again, “There’s also the fact that she seemingly wanted us to find her diary.”

Luna asked, “What do you mean?”

Twilight gently got Pinkie’s hooves off of her, the pink pony settling down next to her as she began, “The tape I found on Paz’s dress was actually her final diary entry. She didn’t have to leave it behind; she had to have known just leaving her dress behind would’ve been enough to catch my attention, but she did anyway. And when the staff searched her room afterwards, they found the remaining diary entries and all of her spy logs. I wasn’t part of the search, but they said they weren’t hidden very well. Again, it’s like she wanted us to find them.”

Cadance asked, “Why do you think she’d want that?”

Twilight shrugged, “I don’t know. Maybe she wanted to leave a way for us to know the truth in case she failed her mission. Not just how she really felt about what she experienced at Mother Base, but that she didn’t entirely want to carry out her mission at the end.”

Pinkie put on a pensive look, “Then why did she do it?”

Twilight explained, “According to her final entry, Cipher somehow found out how far along Paz was in modifying ZEKE for manual control and ordered her to carry out the operation. She suspected Cipher had put another spy in Mother Base.”

Rainbow asked, “You guys had another spy among you?!”

Twilight replied, “I can neither confirm nor deny Paz’s suspicion. I talked to Miller about it afterwards and he said he’d look into it, but he also said the same thing he told Snake about finding out who was letting Zadornov out of his cell: finding a mole in Mother Base’s ranks would require a lot of time and searching. I did ask him about it a few times afterwards, but he told me he had nothing conclusive.”

Spike spoke up, “Okay, so… what happened with Paz?”

Twilight continued, “Well, according to her, she’d gotten used to living at Mother Base and she really wanted to spend Peace Day with us before she hijacked ZEKE, but since Cipher knew about her progress, she was expected to carry out the order right away. The only way she could have one day of peace was if ZEKE couldn’t be used.”

Applejack said, “Well, ZEKE sure seemed to be workin’ fine when y’all fought it. Ah take it there was no delayin’ it.”

Twilight replied, “No, but she did try to. She did try to sabotage ZEKE.”

Rarity asked, “She what?”

Twilight explained, “You may have noticed during the fight that ZEKE occasionally had trouble moving around or standing upright. That’s because Paz snuck into the hanger the night before and tried to warp one of the legs’ main drive system’s load-bearing parts. That definitely would’ve put ZEKE out of commission for a while, but she said she had to do it in such a way that it didn’t look like sabotage. Unfortunately, Chico walked into the hanger before she could finish.”

Cadance asked, “Chico? Is that what he was trying to tell you about before, that he saw her messing with ZEKE?”

Twilight said, “I don’t know what he saw, but Paz said he saw her and ran off. He might’ve run because he saw what she was doing like you said, or it could be because she had a gun. At any rate, Paz panicked because someone knew she wasn’t who she said she was and was afraid Chico would tell someone.”

Spike commented, “Well, he tried to tell you.”

Twilight nodded softly, “Yeah… If he managed to say what he was trying to and I didn’t assume what he was getting at, I’m not sure I would’ve believed him either. Aside from Cécile being suspicious of her because the story about the tape didn’t add up and some other minor slip-ups, she played us like a cello…”

Discord perked up at that. “Oh? Why a cello, Twilight?” he asked.

Twilight gave him a flat look, “Because it seems like it fits better than a fiddle or a piano.”

Rainbow shook her head and asked, “So she was afraid that Chico was going to tattle on her? That’s why she tried to steal ZEKE?”

Twilight replied, “She was afraid of being found out, but more than that, she was afraid of Cipher, of what would happen if she disobeyed Zero.”

Shining asked, “Why would she want to work for someone like that? How could she agree with all the things she said he was going to do?”

Twilight said, “She mentioned in another entry that Cipher took her in when she was very young. Because of that, she referred to her devotion as a debt she could never repay. At the time, it was enough to help her make her decision.”

Luna sighed, “I suppose I could see that…”

Fluttershy spoke up softly, “So, um… what happened to ZEKE, Twilight?”

Twilight replied, “Ah, ZEKE was fine after some repairs, and Strangelove was able to get the AI working again, so we were still able to use it.” She paused for a moment before saying, “I guess one good thing that came out of it was that some of the staff were spreading rumors that she was considering giving Huey a chance when he approached her when she was working.”

Celestia smiled, “Really? I’m sure that made him happy.”

Twilight smiled a bit, “Yeah. His crush was never hidden that well.”

Pinkie piped up, “Ooh! What about the Peace Day celebration, Twilight?! Did you get to sing for everybody?!”

And just like that, the smile disappeared off of Twilight’s muzzle. “No, Pinkie. The celebration was cancelled. It’s just as well; our peace got thrown into the sea. What was there to celebrate?” she stated flatly.

Pinkie blinked and tried to think of something that they could’ve celebrated. “Well, you could’ve celebrated what remained of your peacefulness after you got rid of that betraying, spying meanie!” she said after a moment, Twilight moving her eyes to glare in her direction, making her a little nervous.

Cadance asked, “So, the entire festival was just cancelled, Twilight?”

Twilight replied, “Well, we did still get the day off, but that was it. Nobody was feeling very festive after what happened to Paz. Everyone was somber, tense, suspicious… That’s kind of how things were from that point on. There was still some fun here and there, but it was definitely nothing like before.”

Celestia asked, “So nothing really happened that day?”

Twilight admitted, “Well… the Boss did make a speech…”

________________________________________

Twilight stood with the rest of Mother Base’s staff outside on one of the decks, her broken wing set out at her side with a cast around it. A stage with a podium on it had been set up at the front of the gathering. Miller had just finished addressing everyone and stepped away from the podium to let Snake take it. Snake approached it and tapped the microphone to check it before he began his speech.

“We will forsake our countries. We will leave our motherlands behind us and become one with this earth. We have no nation, no philosophy, no ideology. We go where we're needed, fighting, not for government, but for ourselves. We need no reason to fight. We fight because we are needed.

We will be the deterrent for those with no other recourse. We are soldiers without borders, our purpose defined by the era we live in. …We will sometimes have to sell ourselves and our services. If the times demand it, we'll be revolutionaries, criminals, terrorists. And yes, we may all be headed straight to hell. But what better place for us than this?

It's our only home. Our heaven and our hell.

This… is Outer Heaven.”

As he came to the end of his speech, the staff erupted into cheers. Twilight glanced around at them. She wanted to join in with them, but couldn’t bring herself to and not just because she was worrying about her broken wing. She also couldn’t help but worry that this was going to be the beginning of some major changes around Mother Base.
> Ponyville Surprise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Can I take it off now?” Twilight asked for what she was sure was the fifth time this trip. She currently had a white blindfold over her eyes and was sitting with her friends, brother, and fellow princesses in a carriage big enough for all of them while Discord hung in the air and relaxed behind it, the end of his tail wrapped around the back of it so he was along for the ride. They’d said goodbye to Twilight and Shining’s parents a little while ago while the Royal Guard pegasi retrieved the carriage. Once they were all seated and were on their way to Ponyville, Spike had gotten up behind her and put the blindfold on her, saying there was a surprise waiting for her back home when she questioned it.

“Nope!” Spike cheekily said, sitting next to her to make sure she didn’t try to take it off before they got to Ponyville.

Twilight let out an annoyed sigh and asked, “I really need to have this on the entire trip to Ponyville?”

Pinkie piped up, “Yep! No peeking, you little diary peeker!”

Twilight sighed again and said, “This must be some big surprise…”

Cadance smiled, “It certainly is, Twilight. Trust me, the wait is going to be worth it.”

Shining spoke up, “You know, you could help pass the time by telling us a little more if you’d like, Twily.”

Twilight asked a bit incredulously, “Haven’t I talked enough these last two days?”

Shining replied, “Yeah, but you were telling us about all the things you went through while you were away, and you said there weren’t any other major events between Paz trying to steal ZEKE and you coming home.” Twilight’s mouth scrunched up a little at that, but he didn’t notice. “I’m sure there’s some other things you could tell us about. Like, how do you know Paz was older than she looked? What in her diary indicated that?”

Twilight let out a sigh between her lips and started, “There was a day where some of us went out to the coast just to have a relaxing day. The guys were still in uniform, but they were still having fun. A bunch of guys in uniform building a sandcastle together…”

There were a few snickers before Rainbow asked, “Okay, so…?”

Twilight continued, “The entry in Paz’s diary focused on her encounter with Dr. Strangelove that day. I wasn’t watching them at the time, but Paz said Strangelove threw a bit of a fit about her sunbathing, telling her about how overexposure to the Sun can cause skin to develop a more… aged appearance.”

Rarity made a loud gasp and asked, “You mean like… wrinkles?!”

Twilight nodded, “Yes, and apparently Paz wasn’t aware of that before given how much she freaked out about it in her diary. She also made a remark about Strangelove’s age, but it’s more her concerns about premature aging and dropping the whole ‘teen with a dream’ thing that indicated she was not as young as she looked.”

Rarity spoke, “I’d love to know what her secret was. If she was, say, twenty or thirty years older than she looked, she must’ve had quite the treatment to maintain such a youthful appearance…” She noticed some of the others looking at her oddly and she argued, “I care about my beauty! I don’t want to know so I can try to infiltrate someone’s group!”

Twilight said, “I’m willing to bet it was nothing like a spa day, whatever it was. I mean, she talked about being trained to scuba dive at a young age, how her time in the water was so relaxing. I’m pretty sure she said that, before she came to Mother Base, those were the most peaceful days of her life.”

Rarity held a hoof to her muzzle, “I see.”

Rainbow asked, “So that’s it? That’s all she said about her age?”

Twilight replied, “Yeah. I kind of think that’s all she really needed to mention about her age in her own diary. The rest of the entry was about her dealing with how she felt about Strangelove’s… advances.”

Luna leaned over to look at the younger alicorn and asked, “What do you mean by ‘advances’, Twilight?”

Twilight answered, “Well, offering Paz her special sunscreen, applying it for her, letting her keep it… Strangelove ended up being a very fitting name for her.”

Luna started, “I’m sure it was, but what…” She stopped short as she suddenly had an idea of what Twilight was getting at. “Oh,” she uttered, sitting up straight again with a slight blush on her cheeks.

Rainbow began, “Wait, so she was…”

Twilight quickly interjected, “Yes. She was in love with The Boss and she developed feelings for Paz before she hijacked ZEKE. That makes it even more amazing that she was willing to give Huey a chance if the rumors were true.”

There was silence in the carriage for a minute as almost everyone realized which team Strangelove swung for. Spike, who didn’t entirely get it, looked up at Twilight and asked, “Hey Twilight?” She looked down in his direction, “What’s with that weird skull patch you have? Does that mean something? I mean, it looks like a broken, uh, human skull.”

Twilight answered, “Oh, you mean how it looks on the top? Those aren’t bone fragments; they’re landmasses.”

Rainbow asked, “What do you mean landmasses, egghead?”

Twilight replied, “It’s meant to be a symbol of MSF’s strength. Millions of year ago, their world was just one landmass, before natural forces broke it apart and the pieces drifted away to form smaller continents. Today, they refer to this supercontinent as Pangaea.”

Celestia spoke, “Hmm. And Snake and Miller decided that that was something that was important to their organization?”

Twilight nodded, “Exactly, Princess. Miller said that the concept was the core of MSF’s strength.”

After a moment, Shining asked, “Twily, I’ve been wondering… what happened the night you came home? How did you get hurt?”

Twilight was a bit defensive as she replied, “I don’t know! I was knocked out; my memory of that night is still pretty fuzzy. I was… probably doing another intense experiment session and I actually managed to teleport home at some point during it. I really don’t know how it happened.”

Shining raised an eyebrow, but said normally, “I… see.”

Twilight placed her face in her hooves and let out a sigh. “Can we stop talking about me already? What about everyone else? I’ve spent nearly five months wondering what was happening back here in Equestria,” she uttered. Although it was a bit surprising, her friends and family knew it was like her to want to move the subject away from herself, so they relented. They passed the rest of the trip getting her caught up on recent events in Ponyville and the Crystal Empire, though not everything regarding the former.

The Sun was going down by the time the carriage touched down in Ponyville, landing on the dirt path in a corner of the town. Feeling this, Twilight reached up with her hooves to take the blindfold off, but Spike quickly jumped onto her back and grabbed the sides of it saying, “No, not yet, Twilight! I’ll guide you the rest of the way!” Twilight let out an annoyed sigh and stood up. Spike guided her down and had her take a couple of steps forward before saying, “Okay, stop!” He eagerly reached up to the blindfold, the others looking on in anticipation as they disembarked.

Before he could reach it, Twilight sat down, almost throwing him off, and reached up with her hooves, pushing the blindfold up to her forehead. It took her eyes a few moments to adjust after being covered for so long, but once she could see normally again and looked straight ahead, her eyes widened. In front of her was a crystal castle held in an equally crystal tree. “What… is this?” she breathed.

Pinkie suddenly popped up next to her and exclaimed, “SURPRISE! It’s your new home, Twilight! And Spike’s too!”

Rainbow flew up in front of her and asked, “Isn’t it awesome?! The box from the Tree of Harmony came here after we defeated Tirek and planted itself in the ground, and then this castle just rose up out of the ground!”

Twilight continued to stare at the castle in surprise as the rest of her friends walked up beside her. “It’s… mine?” she uttered.

“I believe it is,” Celestia said as she, Luna, Cadance, Shining, and Discord came up behind everyone, the white alicorn gesturing up at the castle’s flag with her head when the younger alicorn looked back at her. Twilight’s gaze returned to the castle and, after a few more moments, her friends helped her up and guided her towards it.

As they got closer, Twilight took note of the two Royal Guards standing at the sides of the front doors. “Why the guards?” she asked, concerned.

Cadance answered, “They were just sent here to watch over the castle until you returned, Twilight. Partly to keep anypony from going inside without permission, but mainly because the mirror was moved here from the Crystal Empire for safekeeping.” Twilight immediately knew which mirror she was referring to and nodded in understanding. The unicorn guards bowed slightly as the group approached before using their magic to open the doors.

As they stepped inside, Twilight noticed the rug that stretched from the entrance across the castle’s crystal floor, going straight towards a staircase further back, splitting off to the left and right halfway down and going past more doors both ways. “We found this lavish rug already here in case you were wondering, darling. It seems the Tree of Harmony provided not only the essentials, but did so with good tastes,” Rarity explained.

As they started walking through the castle, Twilight said, “So… you’ve all already been in here.”

Discord piped up, “Well, I haven’t! This is my first time as well!”

Rarity shook her head and looked back at Twilight, “Of course we did, Twilight. When a large crystal tree suddenly rises out of the ground in your town, even as beautiful as it is, you have to be sure there’s nothing dangerous about it.”

The first stop on their tour was a large room that had numerous long shelves lining the walls, some longer than others. Rainbow flew into the middle of the room and exclaimed, “It’s empty now, but this would make a great new library! It’d be perfect for all the Daring Do books! …Oh, and any other egghead books you want to have.”

Moving on, they explored a number of bedrooms. Many of them were fairly sized and similar in appearance, suggesting they were guest rooms. One bedroom was bigger than the rest and had a bed with a canopy to match, no doubt the master, or rather the princess’, bedroom. They also found another that had different appearance, being shorter across from the door and longer in length. There was also a small set of shelves in the same wall as the door. Upon seeing it, Spike’s eyes lit up and he leapt into the room on all fours, proclaiming, “I call this room! This one’s mine! It’s perfect for me!” Everyone smiled at the dragon’s enthusiasm, happy that he’d managed to find a bedroom that fit him so quickly.

Afterwards, they explored some more, showing Twilight the castle’s smaller rooms, one of which contained the Crystal Mirror, as well as what seemed to be a kitchen and even a dining room, a big circular table in the center of the latter. As they were standing in it, Pinkie announced, “This is gonna be perfect for the big castle-warming party I’ve been planning for the last month! Now that Twilight’s home, we can finally start setting up for it!” Twilight’s eyes widened and she started to look uneasy at this.

Rarity walked over to Pinkie, who was happily bouncing in place, and put a hoof on her muzzle saying, “Yes, Pinkie dear, we know. You told us this the day we received word that Twilight was found. Well, you didn’t tell Twilight, Discord, her brother, or any of the princesses, but I think it’s safe to say we all expected you to be planning a party.”

Applejack spoke, “Ain’t quite done yet. We got one more room ta look at.” Twilight tried to hide the look on her face as she fell in step with her friends.

The final room’s size was only outmatched by that of the library, but it contained the most interesting thing of all: six thrones that had Twilight and her friends’ cutie marks on them and a seventh, smaller throne next to the one with Twilight’s cutie mark right across from Rarity’s. As they all stepped further into the room, Pinkie popped up in front of everyone and exclaimed, “Isn’t this great?! Imagine all the things we could do with these thrones now that we all have one!” She then hopped over to her throne and flopped down into it and sprawled out while Rainbow, Rarity, and Spike made their way over to their thrones and sat down in them.

While Applejack and Fluttershy walked over to their thrones to take a look at them, Twilight, who was feeling more than a little overwhelmed by everything, backed up against the wall behind her and sat down. “Wow… All this…” she uttered, leaning back against the wall. The crystal felt very cool and soothing to her.

After a moment, Discord spoke up, “HEY! Where’s my throne?!”

Fluttershy flew up to his face and said, “I’m not sure you’re ready for that yet.”

Discord looked off to the side for a moment before looking back at her with a sheepish grin, “Uh, I suppose not.”

Princess Celestia, who remained silent for most of the tour along with Shining Armor, Luna, and Cadance as Twilight’s friends talked about the castle, smiled and closed her eyes as she prepared to say what she had been waiting a month to say. “Twilight, I know it has been much longer for you, but it wasn’t that long ago that you wondered about your part in Equestria’s future, of what role you were meant to play as a princess. Do you think you know the answer now?” She opened her eyes expecting an almost immediate answer, but after several moments of silence, her smile eased off and she looked back, “Twilight?”

Everyone turned their heads to look at the mare at that. She was still sitting against the wall, but now she was leaning forward slightly, her eyes closed and her head bobbing a bit. Cadance walked over to her and gave her shoulder a light shake. “Twilight?” she asked.

Twilight opened her eyes most of the way and raised her head at the sound of her name. “Uh…?” she uttered.

“Are you feeling okay?” Cadance asked.

Twilight nodded slightly, “Y-Yeah, I-I’m fine. I-I just… it’s very comfortable right here.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow, but said, “I see.” She closed her eyes again, “Now, as I was saying, Twilight…” She stopped when she heard a light thud and opened her eyes to see Twilight lying on her front on the floor, her hooves tucked under her head and her eyes shut, and Cadance looking down at her in surprise.

This was too much for Discord; he burst out laughing, his guffaws doing little to wake Twilight. “Oh…! Oh, this is so good! You actually managed to bore Twilight to sleep, Celestia! Oh! I didn’t think the day would come so soon!” he managed to say.

Shining gave the draconequus a dark look for a moment before he trotted over to Twilight and grabbed her by the shoulders with his hooves. “Wake up, Twilight!” he said loudly while shaking her.

The shaking did the trick more than the noise, Twilight’s eyes shooting open after a moment of being shaken. Shining stopped after a few seconds, at which point Twilight’s head flopped down on the ground before she raised it up. “Ah… what?!” she whined.

“Why are you falling asleep? The princess is trying to tell you something very important!” Shining chastised, Twilight’s friends moving a little closer to her, worried.

Twilight rubbed her eyes with a hoof as she groaned, “Ngh… I’m sorry! I haven’t caught up on my sleep yet…”

Rarity asked, “Darling, weren’t you in a bed for a week while you recovered?”

Twilight lowered her hoof and looked up at her friends with half-lidded eyes, “That’s not sleep, Rarity. Have you ever heard of anyone who feels refreshed after regaining consciousness from being beaten over the head?” Rarity had to admit that was a good point.

Applejack said, “You were there for a few nights after ya woke up.”

Twilight sighed, “Not everyone has an easy time falling asleep in a hospital, Applejack.”

Rainbow spoke up, “Hey, I hear that.” She walked over to Twilight and stood next to her as she looked back at everyone, “You guys remember when I broke my wing. I was bored out of my skull in that hospital room, and I couldn’t fall asleep! Yeah, Daring Do gave me something to pass the time with, but even that didn’t help me get to sleep! I totally get where she’s coming from.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow, “That’s a bit unusual, isn’t it?”

She turned to look down at Twilight and helped her up with her hooves, “Come on, Twi’. Let me help you back to your new bedroom. We can pick this up tomorrow.”

As the pegasus walked with her out of the throne room, Twilight turned to her and smiled, “That sounds great.” Everyone else could only watch them walk away in silence, most of them not quite sure to make of what just happened. Fluttershy was the first to move, saying she had to go get Spike’s bed from her cottage, the other mares deciding to head home for the night as well shortly afterwards. Shining and the princesses decided to spend the night in the castle’s guest rooms, with Luna taking the room closest to Twilight’s. She had a sneaking suspicion that Twilight was not sleeping well and what might be causing it.

________________________________________

Twilight opened her eyes and looked around. She was surrounded by pitch blackness, yet she could see herself just fine. She looked down at her forelegs. She wasn’t wearing her Sneaking Suit and her bandages were gone, allowing her to see a small circular injury on the back of her left foreleg. She set it back down and raised her right hoof to her cheek. Her bandage patch was missing as well and she could feel the skin underneath, still rough from being burnt.

Deciding she didn’t really have to check if the rest of her injuries were present, she looked around again and noticed a distinct shape behind her. She walked towards it, noticing two things: one, that while it didn’t brighten up as she got closer, she could still make some details about how it looked, and two, there seemed to be more things beyond it. It looked to be a metal girder, probably used as a support, but it seemed to be broken and twisted. She could make out more ruined metalwork littering the ground as she walked, some of them bobbing up and down slightly like they were floating in water.

Not long afterwards, the trail of metalwork came to an end and she began to see something new. It appeared to be some sort of box, which seemed to be big enough to fit a person inside. Twilight froze and her eyes widened in dread as she realized it was a coffin, much like the one Wolf was buried at sea in. She looked ahead; there were more, many more, and they were laid out in neat rows. Some of them were bobbing up and down too, and as she watched, their silhouettes began to sink out of sight.

She gasped at this and ran forward. “No, no, no, no…” she muttered, trying to reach them before they could disappear. She couldn’t stop them, though; her hooves couldn’t reach them in time and her magic wasn’t working, and while she was distracted, the others began to sink as well, even the ones that weren’t moving before. Soon, they were all gone.

Twilight flopped back onto her haunches, alone and on the verge of tears. She couldn’t save them, no matter how hard she tried. She was shaken from her thoughts by the sound of clanging metal. She looked up to see the silhouette of a pair of tall metal gates swinging open ahead of her, the metal creaking as they opened all the way. Despite her teary eyes, Twilight rose and walked forward, going past them.

Once again, she saw something new. As she walked, she passed by what appeared to be large cages, though they appeared to be covered by something. She kept looking at them as she walked, afraid to look underneath the covering and see what was inside them. It didn’t take long for her to come to the end of the cages as she stopped seeing them at her sides or anything ahead of her, but she soon noticed something. It sounded like singing.

Here’s to you, Nicola and Bart
Rest forever here in our hearts
The last and final moment is yours
The agony is your triumph

It was singing. There were voices singing a familiar song. She kept walking and soon began to see the silhouettes of grave markers and what appeared to be a hill with some sort of monument on it up ahead. She stopped at where the markers seemed to begin and stood there, listening to the song. The singers were mostly males as well as a few females. She recognized them all, but no matter how hard she tried, there was one voice she couldn’t hear, one she should’ve been able to hear. “Where is she? Why can’t I hear her?” she wondered quietly.

She suddenly became aware of another presence behind her and turned to see Luna standing in the blackness, pointedly looking around like she was searching for something. “Luna?” she asked.

The Lunar Princess looked in her direction, looking relieved. “Twilight,” she said softly before she blinked and started looking around again. “What happened here? This shouldn’t be like this. This is worse than I thought…” she uttered. Twilight was about to ask her what she was talking about, but was blown back a bit by Luna’s use of the Royal Canterlot Voice, “WHERE ARE YOU, TANTABUS?! SHOW YOURSELF! I KNOW YOU ARE HERE!”

Twilight again wanted to ask her what she was talking about, but they both quickly noticed the dream had changed. The singing came to an abrupt stop and their surroundings were starting to get brighter, but it didn’t appear to be ordinary light. It was orange-tinted and flickering, as if it was coming from a fire. It continued to get brighter until there were no more silhouettes and everything could be seen. Flames burned at the edges of the dreamscape against the blackness, surrounding them.

Both Luna and Twilight turned to look down at the ground next to them as they heard the sound of something emerging. They saw humans pushing and pulling the rest of their bodies out of the ground, but they weren’t just any humans. They were wearing MSF uniforms and masks, which were covered in blood. They became more horrific as they got closer to pulling themselves free. Some had wounds that were spurting blood, some became enshrouded by flames, and some appeared to be blue in the face from what could be seen underneath their masks. And their eyes… they all had empty, blank, white eyes that still seemed to be able to see the two ponies.

Luna took a few steps back as four soldiers finished climbing out of the ground. They looked at her before they began to shamble slowly towards her. The Lunar Princess could hear them speaking as they got closer.

“It hurts so bad!”

“I can’t… breathe…”

“Those bastards will pay for what they’ve done!”

“Boss? Where are you? Don’t leave us behind…”

Luna looked between them for a moment before she steeled herself. Her magic surged into her horn as she prepared to vanquish the horrors that the nightmare was imparting on the dreamscape. To her shock, however, when she fired a beam of magic at one of the soldiers, his form distorted and he let out an unearthly wail as it simply passed through him, returning to normal afterwards. Luna couldn’t believe it; the only time her magic failed to have an impact on a dream was when…

Her head quickly turned in Twilight’s direction, remembering. She was surrounded by more soldiers, all of them forming a circle around her. Even though they were closing in on her, she wasn’t doing anything to try to stop them. In fact, she was cowering, her forelegs covering her head as she shook crazily. The soldiers were chanting, “One of us, one of us…” as they neared her.

Luna turned back to the soldiers approaching her and spread her wings, flying up and backwards to get away from them. The soldiers kept moving towards her even though they couldn’t reach her, moving with the pointed determination of zombies. Ignoring them, Luna turned and flew towards Twilight, seeing an orange light beginning to glow underneath her. “Twilight!” she cried as she flew as fast as she could, reaching for her friend…

________________________________________

Twilight shot up, panting and sweating terribly. She looked around; she was back in her bed in the new castle. She managed to get her breathing under control after a few moments, but what she’d seen in her dream still haunted her. She raised her hooves and pressed them against her eyes, but she couldn’t get it out of her mind no matter how hard she tried.

After a minute, she lowered her hooves and swung her legs out from under the blankets. As she sat on the edge of the bed, she used her magic to grab her Sneaking Suit and bring it over. Once she was finished putting it on, she slid out of bed and exited her bedroom. Her mane and tail were a frizzy mess, but she didn’t care; she felt cold and wanted some fresh air.

As she stepped out through the front doors of her castle, she noticed that the Sun was coming up. It wasn’t as early as it was when she woke up the other day, but it was still fairly early. It seemed as though Ponyville should’ve been pretty quiet. Looking to her sides, she realized that the Royal Guards were still standing watch at the doors. They turned their eyes to look at her, but their expressions didn’t change at her appearance. Before they or Twilight could say anything, they heard another pony say, “Twilight?”

Twilight faced forward and saw Mayor Mare walking up to the steps of the castle, the earth pony’s brushed mane and tail, perfectly balanced glasses, and neatly pressed collar making her feel even more conscious about her appearance. “M-Miss Mayor!” she blurted out.

The Mayor seemed equally surprised to see the lavender alicorn so early. “I… didn’t know you were up already,” she admitted as she came to a stop at the base of the steps.

Twilight stammered, “Well, I… I just… I was up and I was going to take a walk.” She looked back at the mare, “Did you… know I was back?”

Mayor Mare adjusted her glasses as she replied, “Well… I heard ponies talking last night. I overheard them saying that a carriage landed here during the evening, a few claiming they even saw you. I was up, so I was going to drop off a note asking you to stop by the Town Hall later. If it was true that you were back, of course.”

Twilight looked worried at this. “Why? Is something wrong?” she asked.

Mayor Mare answered, “I’m afraid so. Were it up to me, I would rather have a more casual conversation with you about the matter, but I’ve had ponies constantly bothering me about it for the last month. They’ve been getting impatient, so I thought it would be best to bring the matter to your attention as soon as possible. If you have the time now, I’d like to talk to you about, erm… your old home.”
> A Debt to Pay
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestia walked up to the door of the guest room Luna was using and gently tapped on it with a hoof. The Solar Princess had woken up earlier than everyone else and had taken care of her morning essentials like she normally did. Even when she was away from Canterlot for an extended period of time, it was hard to shake the routine she was so accustomed to. Shining and Cadance had woken up a little while ago and were busy getting ready for the new day, but Luna had not yet and Celestia was getting a little concerned about her. She raised her hoof and knocked a little louder after a moment, calling, “Luna? Are you awake yet?”

At that moment on the other side of the door, Luna was just starting to wake up. As she was roused from her slumber, she felt a familiar sense of disorientation that her mind slowly recognized as she became more aware of the waking world. It wasn’t due to Celestia’s knocking or any feeling of tiredness; it was due to what happened during the night. She’d fallen asleep and subconsciously use her magic to reach out to Twilight and enter her dream, only for her friend to abruptly wake up before she could pull herself out. It was something that had happened before and it wasn’t necessarily harmful to her, but it usually caused her to take longer to wake up and left her feeling shaken up to say the least.

Luna opened her eyes after a few seconds, hearing the sound of Celestia’s knocking more clearly than before. Although she remained on her back, she called out, “I am awake, sister. I will be out momentarily.” She didn’t hear anything after several seconds, so she guessed that Celestia was waiting for her to keep her word. She gave a small sigh and raised herself to a sitting position as she pushed the covers aside.

As she swung her legs over the side of the bed, her thoughts turned back to what she’d seen in Twilight’s dreams as she put her shoes on, specifically the soldiers. Not only had her magic not affected them, they reacted to it as if they were ghosts. There certainly were things that she had no influence over in a pony’s dreams; she had her own creation and her powerlessness against it to remind her of that, but it was unusual for her to encounter it in other ponies. She found it especially concerning since it was Twilight, her friend. From the moment she saw her in the hospital bed, she knew whatever she had been through had to have changed her somehow, but what she’d told everyone did not line up with what Luna had seen. Was there something else she had witnessed? Something she didn’t want to talk about?

Luna shook her head, realizing that she was getting lost in her thoughts and losing track of time. “Celestia will probably start banging on the door again if I take much longer,” she thought to herself, quickly grabbing her tiara and chest plate and walking over to the door. She pulled it open and found the white alicorn on the other side like she suspected. “Good morning, sister,” she said.

Celestia replied, “Good morning, Luna. I wasn’t sure if you were up yet. Has Twilight’s return been messing with how much sleep you’re getting?”

Luna could hear the concern in her older sister’s voice and said, “Not at all, sister. I was merely reaching out in my sleep and took a little longer to come back to myself.”

Celestia nodded, “I see. Well, once we’ve made sure that Twilight understands that she is truly the Princess of Friendship, that should take a great weight off our shoulders as well.”

Luna asked, “Surely we’re not simply going to leave for Canterlot once the matter has been settled?”

Celestia said, “I don’t wish to leave Twilight’s side so soon after reuniting with her either, Luna, but we cannot be away for long, and neither can Cadance and Shining Armor from the Crystal Empire. At the very least, we need to put her worries to rest before we return.”

Luna’s ears perked up at the word ‘worries’ and she nodded softly, “Very well. Where is the bathing room? I will get ready and then we will meet with Twilight.”

Celestia turned and said, “I will show you the way.” As the two sisters walked, Celestia remarked, “Hopefully Twilight will have gotten a good night’s sleep and will have no trouble paying attention.”

Luna didn’t comment, but she did think to herself, “I’m not so sure she will be well rested, but I hope that she’ll be willing to open up. I certainly hope she is not haunted, in every meaning of the word.”

The sisters, Cadance, and Shining were expecting to find Twilight exploring her new castle when they went looking for her, but they were wrong about where her interest was that morning. At that time, Twilight was sitting on the ground outside, looking over at the heavily burnt remains of the Golden Oak Library. She could only stare listlessly at it, her mind a jumble of thoughts at the moment.

Twilight looked at the scorched bark and what remained of the trunk of the tree. The sight of it wasn’t overly horrifying for her; it looked much worse when she’d seen it right after Tirek’s attack destroyed it. That was the image that she remembered so vividly during her time in the other world, how she narrowly got Owlowiscious out before he was engulfed in the explosion. She wondered what happened to him, if she’d ever see him again or if he returned to living as a free owl. “Maybe Fluttershy has seen him since then,” she idly thought.

Twilight returned her focus to the remains of her old home. She was sad that it was gone and wanted to outwardly express, even if it was to herself, how much she missed it, but she couldn’t bring herself to. She had a problem that she considered much bigger that was in the way of her doing that or much of anything else for the time being. She lifted up her left hoof and looked down at the piece of paper underneath it, her mind going back to her earlier conversation with the Mayor.

Flashback

Mayor Mare looked over at Twilight in concern as they sat on one of the benches near the castle’s front doors. The two had been talking about what had happened to the Golden Oak Library and what it meant for the town and Twilight and she’d given her the paper she was holding in both hooves and looking down at almost a minute ago. Twilight had been distressed almost the entire time they were talking, but now she was looking down with wide eyes. The way her hooves were shaking slightly made Mayor Mare think she wanted to scream something really loudly, but for the moment, she seemed to be locked in a staring contest with the paper that the tan pony wasn’t sure that pulling her out of was a good idea.

The uncertainty was getting to her, however, and it wasn’t long before she couldn’t take it anymore. “Twilight? Are you okay?” she asked, cautiously.

The Mayor’s voice caused Twilight to snap back to the present and she blinked as she looked up, her eyes returning to a more normal size as she looked at the wall across from her. She then turned to the tan mare and replied, with no small amount of uncertainty, “Uh, y-yeah. I think so…”

Mayor Mare looked away with a sigh, “I had a feeling I should’ve waited until later to discuss this…”

Twilight quickly said, “No, no! It… It’s fine. I’m glad you brought this to my attention right away. I mean, I’m not sure that’s the right word for it, but… you know…”

Mayor Mare looked back at her and said, “Yes. You see now why the town council has been getting more and more insistent that I get this matter settled. They’ve even suggested sending that to Princess Celestia and make her pay for it due to your princess status.” Twilight shook a little bit and looked at her with wide eyes, the former going unnoticed by the tan mare. “I was even starting to consider it myself…”

Twilight held up her hooves, “No, no, no, that’s… that won’t be necessary. I’ll… I’ll find a way to pay for the damages… soon.”

Mayor Mare asked, “Are you sure? It’s asking a lot for one pony to pay for it all…”

Twilight replied, “I’ll find a way to. It was technically my home as well; I should take responsibility for anything that happens to it. I would’ve gotten insurance on it long ago, but apparently you can’t insure a tree.”

Mayor Mare shook her head with a slight smile, “No, you can’t. That’s one paperwork mess that hasn’t been figured out yet.”

Twilight finished, “Still, I’ll find a way to pay for it.” She tried to instill her words with confidence, but they didn’t come out that way.

Mayor Mare stood up, “All right, then. I’ll leave you to it for the time being.” Twilight nodded and got up as well. She walked the tan mare to the doors and shut them behind her before turning around and slumping down against them, looking at the bill in her hoof again.

End flashback

Twilight picked the bill up with her hoof as she continued to look at it, staring at the total at the bottom. “How am I ever going to get enough bits to pay this off?” she moaned internally. The various categories that added up to the total included not only the destruction of the tree, but also everything in it, including the furniture and the books. “They must have a copy of all the book lists on file to be able to add all this up. Now I really wish I’d given away all my extra books at the Trader’s Exchange. At least that would’ve lowered the amount somewhat,” she thought. Starting to feel frustrated with the whole thing, she tucked the bill into one of her saddlebags and stood up, hoping a walk would help clear her head.

Falling back into old habits, Twilight walked away from the remains of her old home as if she were going out to do something and headed into town. Plenty of ponies were up and about now, and many of them were surprised to see Twilight walking around Ponyville after her month-long absence. They smiled and waved to her as she walked by and she returned the gesture, albeit a bit forced. Of course, she still had the debt she owed on her mind, but she also felt that any joy they had at seeing her was misplaced, that they wouldn’t want to see her if they knew…

While Twilight was waving at another pony, she didn’t look where she was going and ended up walking into another pony, knocking them both to the ground. “Hey! Careful!” the other pony, a mare, exclaimed after they both landed.

“Sorry…” Twilight muttered as she rubbed her flank. She then looked at the mare. She had a light blue coat and a mane and tail that was a mix of blue and light blue-gray. On her flanks was a cutie mark of an hourglass. “Minuette?” Twilight asked, remembering looking her and her other old friends’ names up during her night session in the tower.

The unicorn blinked and looked behind her at that, staring back at the young princess. “Twilight?” she uttered, her confusion soon giving way to a big smile. “Twilight!” she exclaimed as she leapt up and pulled the other mare into a tight hug. “Wow, I haven’t seen you in, like, forever! It’s been so long we were all getting worried about you! Oh, it’s so nice to see you again, see you walking around Ponyville, see you…” She paused and a look of confusion appeared on her face as she felt Twilight’s back. “You feel… different,” she said, not looking at her.

Twilight, despite the crushing grip she was in, managed to say, “I believe that’s my uniform you’re feeling.”

Minuette’s eyes moved to look at Twilight and then down at her Sneaking Suit. “Oh!” she said before letting the mare go, both of them taking a few steps back from each other. “How did I miss that?” While Twilight caught her breath, Minuette leaned forward to take a closer look at the suit. “That looks… odd. And really tight,” she remarked after a few moments.

Twilight looked back at her and said, “I guess. I mean, I’ve worn it so long that I barely notice how it fits.”

Minuette smiled back at her. She looked about ready to say something, but then she blinked as she realized something. “Aw! I just had to forget my camera today! Maybe Lyra has one I can borrow,” she said.

Twilight asked, “Lyra?”

Minuette replied, “Yeah! You know, she lives here in Ponyville, just like you! Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine, and I visit a lot to see her! We’d visit you too, but you always seem to be busy with your friends when we’re in town.”

Twilight glanced off to the side and muttered, “It’s probably better that way anyway…”

Minuette didn’t catch what she said and asked, “What? What’d you say?” Twilight didn’t respond and, as she looked her over, Minuette finally noticed that she didn’t seem to be too enthused about this reunion. “Hey, what’s wrong?” she asked.

Twilight looked back at her and said, “Don’t get the wrong idea, Minuette. It’s great to see you too and I’d ask if we could find time to hang out…”

Minuette interrupted her, “Of course we can! We can hang out right now! Come on, let’s go meet up with Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine!”

Twilight spoke up once she finished speaking, “BUT! I just found out this morning that I owe a lot of money that, I guess, nopony I know was told about.”

Minuette asked, “Really? You have a debt to pay off, Twilight?”

Twilight replied, “Yes, to the town for destruction of their property, as a matter of fact. I don’t know if you heard about some destruction that happened here about a month ago?”

Minuette cheerily replied, “I remember seeing it! The library was totally destroyed in big explosion! That’s where you and Spike live, right? That’s gotta be…” She came to a stop as she realized what she said. “…oh. Oh.”

Twilight nodded, “Yeah. So, I’m currently a little distracted by the question of how I’m going to pay back the money. With interest, I’m sure, since it’s been a month.”

Minuette glanced down and to the side as she thought about Twilight’s problem. After a couple of seconds, she looked up at the mare and said, “Hey, I’ve got an idea!” Twilight blinked and looked attentively at her. “You should totally come with me and catch up with the other girls too!” Twilight gave her a deadpan expression as she slouched forward a bit, but Minuette’s smile didn’t waver.

She used her magic to lift one of Twilight’s hooves off the ground as she continued, “Come on, it’ll be great! You can catch up with everypony and then we can start tackling your problem together! I’m sure we can all come up with a way for you to start earning money to pay off your debt!” And with that, she stood up and turned around before she started running down the street, pulling Twilight through the air behind with her magic as she hurried to meet up with the rest of their friends.
> Plan
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight sipped her shake slowly as she sat a circular table with Minuette, Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, Lyra, and Bon Bon in the back room of Sweetie Drops Candies. Minuette had pulled her all the way to the earth pony’s shop, where they found that Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine were already waiting for their cobalt friend. Once Twilight’s presence and situation were explained to everyone in the shop, Bon Bon immediately locked the place up, despite having just opened for the day, and ushered everypony into the back room, telling them to take a seat while she got some refreshments for a brainstorming session, coming back with shakes and a small tray of sweets.

That had been a couple of minutes ago, and in that time, the discussions and suggestions had died down considerably. They’d burned through all the ideas that easily came to mind, and none of them would result in the bill being paid off in a space of time that the already impatient town council would be happy with. That really only left unconventional means of earning bits, none of which anypony was particularly fond of thinking about.

After a few minutes of snacking and drinking in silence, Lyra finally spoke up, “I don’t think there’s really any other solution. The only way to pay off the damage is to earn the bits for it the old-fashioned way.”

Twilight sighed and said, “That’s pretty much the conclusion I was probably going to come to before I bumped into Minuette. I’m going to have to get a new job.”

Lyra looked at her sympathetically, “Well, probably several new jobs actually, Twilight. I mean, I think you’re right about needing to throw in more than just what’s on the bill to keep the town council happy.”

Bon Bon uttered, “If ‘happy’ is even a possibility at this point.”

Twilight slid what was left of her shake away and stood up. “Well, thanks for keeping my thoughts grounded, girls. I guess I should get out there and start looking.”

Before she could leave, Minuette spoke up, “Whoa, hold on, Twilight! I know it would be better to get the bits sooner rather than later, but why take care of it by yourself?”

Twilight sat back down as she replied, “Well, it was… my home, essentially. I should be responsible for anything that happens to it, and in this case, it was destroyed. Shouldn’t I be the one to pay the town back for what happened to their property?”

Lyra said, “I get that, but there’s no need to do it all by yourself. I’m sure everypony in town would be willing to help you pay off the bill. You how everypony around here is.”

Twilight glanced around as she spoke, “Yeah, but… wouldn’t that be like asking everypony to give the same or similar number of bits to the Town Hall, even those who might not have that many bits? I feel like the Town Council could’ve raised taxes this last month and gotten the same result, just over a longer period of time that might be less harrowing for some ponies.”

Lyra conceded, “Eh, that’s a good point.”

Minuette spoke, “Still, there are plenty of ponies that would help you if you asked. What about your friends here in Ponyville?”

Twilight replied, “It’s not their fault the library got destroyed, and, well, if they weren’t told about this before, then there’s no reason to hold it against them for not telling me before we left Canterlot. It’s just… they’re usually busy during the day too. Baking, weather patrol, taking care of an orchard, animals, running a boutique, family…  They need bits for themselves as well. I can’t expect them to share their bits with me when they have all that to worry about every day.”

Lemon Hearts asked, “Well, what if you had help from ponies who didn’t have those things to worry about?” When Twilight looked at her in confusion, she smiled, “I’m talking about us, of course. We really don’t have to worry about things like that right now.”

Twinkleshine nodded, “Yeah, most of us are just visiting, remember? That stuff’s back in Canterlot for us, and we leave it behind a lot. We could help you get the bits you need and it’d be an excuse for us to stay longer and spend more time together. Wouldn’t that be great?”

Twilight replied, “Uh, yeah, it would be. It would also be asking a lot considering how I’ve treated you all in the past…”

Her old friends stared at her for a moment before they let out a laugh. “Oh Twilight, it’s not like we weren’t used to be putting off by the time you left Canterlot,” Lemon Hearts said afterwards.

“Still terrible,” Twilight muttered as she fiddled with her straw.

Minuette said, “It’s all in the past, anyway. We should be looking towards the future, like getting that debt paid off so it’s not hanging over your head!”

Twinkleshine nodded, “Yeah. So, let’s get out there out there and see who’s willing to help solve our money woes in exchange for some help. There are plenty of stores and marketplace vendors that are usually looking for help during the day.”

Bon Bon looked over at Lyra and spoke, “Why don’t you go with them too, Lyra? I have to finish setting up a few things and reopen the shop. Besides, it’d be nice to spend some more time with your old classmates, right?”

Lyra replied, “It would be, yeah.” She nodded, stood up, and said, “Yeah! Let’s go for a walk around Ponyville and see what we can find, girls!” The other girls rose from their seats and followed the light green unicorn out of the backroom.

Bon Bon followed them out and stopped Twilight before she left, saying, “If you ever need anything, including some extra work, you can always come back here as well, Twilight.”

Twilight replied, “Thanks, Bon Bon. That’s really nice of you.”

The earth pony cheerily replied, “Hey, you know it’s what we do around here.” As Twilight turned to go, she suddenly moved forward and draped her right foreleg on her back and around her neck, pulling her back a bit and speaking in a lower tone, “Especially in a case like this. We may come from groups with different circumstances, but I get the feeling yours is gone too. We really should look out for each other.”

Twilight blinked in surprise at this, but before she could question Bon Bon, the mare released her and pushed her outside. The door swiftly closed as Twilight turned her head to look back at it, catching a glimpse of what appeared to be dark sunglasses for a moment before it closed completely. She stared for a moment before her friends called to her, causing her to turn away and hurry to catch up with them, the unasked question being pushed out of her mind. It was a lovely day in Ponyville, perfect for old friends to spend time reconnecting with each other as they worked on their dilemma, and everypony was out and about.

Everypony except the princesses, that is. By this time, they’d realized that Twilight was nowhere to be found in her castle and were wondering where she’d gone. They wanted to go find her, but they knew they couldn’t just leave and go wandering around Ponyville when they didn’t know where she was. None of her friends had stopped by yet, no doubt due to needing to get caught up with everything that had happened while they were in Canterlot, and Spike had decided to sleep in, so that just left Shining Armor to figure out where she’d gone. He’d just left a little while ago at their request and they were waiting as patiently as they could for him to report back.

The day had stretched into the afternoon by the time Shining returned, the stallion holding a drink, a drink tray, and a takeout bag in his magic as he sipped the former through a straw. The princesses quickly took notice of this and Cadance asked as he approached, “Shining, did you go get lunch?”

Shining stopped in front of her and took the straw out of his mouth before saying, “I got lunch for all of us, including Spike. I figured it was easier this way, and it turns out they’ve got a great Hayburger here.”

Celestia asked, pressing slightly, “What about Twilight?”

Shining replied, “I saw her. She was having lunch with some old friends. Or some new friends, I’m not sure. At any rate, it looked like they were having a good time, so I figured it would be rude to just walk over and barge in.”

Cadance said, “Hm. Well, I’m glad to hear she’s spending time with her friends.” She then took the takeout bag and drink holder in her own magic, looking at both for a moment. “And thank you for picking up lunch, Shiny,” she smiled.

As she trotted off towards the dining room, Shining noticed the look Princess Celestia was giving him. “I’m sure Twilight will be back soon. I know she doesn’t like to keep you waiting; she’ll probably come back when she’s done having lunch with her friends. We should eat too, while it’s still warm,” he said.

Luna spoke, “I agree with Captain Armor’s idea, sister. We have not had breakfast today, so I am feeling particularly hungry right now. Let us eat.” She gave her sister an impish look as she added, “You would not want me to become ‘hangry’, as I have heard some ponies say, now would you?” Celestia gave her an unamused look but relented anyway. She turned and headed towards the dining room, wondering what kind of food Shining Armor had picked up for them.

Unfortunately, Shining Armor was wrong. Twilight would not return to the castle until late in the evening. Spike and Shining were sitting on one of the benches near the entrance talking and trying to wait up for her when she came trudging through the front doors. They both looked up and saw her dragging her hooves as she walked down the rug, her head lowered like she was having trouble keeping it up, but not enough that they couldn’t see the tired expression on her muzzle.

They both stood up and made their way over to her, the mare suddenly stopping when they were a few paces in front of her. “Twily! What happened? Where have you been all day?” Shining asked.

“Around Ponyville, catching up with friends,” she mumbled, rocking back and forth on her hooves.

Spike took a good look at her face before remarking, “You don’t look so good right now.”

Twilight uttered, “Thanks. Didn’t notice.”

Shining said, “I figured even with friends, you would’ve been home hours ago.”

Twilight hesitated before saying, “Well… it was kind of important, catching up with old Canterlot friends and all.”

Spike replied, “Oh, you were? Cool!”

Shining looked her over again before asking, “Are you sure you’re okay, Twilight?”

Twilight raised her right hoof and wearily swung it downwards as she said, “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I just ended up moving around a lot more than I expected to and I wasn’t prepared for it. I should really get some sleep.”

Shining replied, “Yeah, I would have to agree with you on that.” He placed his left foreleg around the back of her neck and ushered her deeper into the castle, “Well, scoot on up to bed, sis. We can talk more in the morning.” Twilight gave a noncommittal grunt as she went along with her brother, the temptation of sleep sounding like the best thing at the moment. Shining took his foreleg off of her before she left the main hallway, but Twilight kept walking along with Spike. She didn’t bother to look back and thus didn’t see her BBBFF gesturing to Celestia and Luna when they came out of one of the side rooms wondering what was going on.

Twilight shut the door to her room and leaned against it for a moment, letting out a sigh before she made her way over to her bed. “It’s so big. Why is it so big?” she wondered absently as she sat on the edge of the bed and unzipped her Sneaking Suit and pulled off her gloves. Her mind continued to jump from one thought to another as she pulled off the rest of the suit and dropped it on the floor. She thought about Mother Base, about what she had seen and gone through in Snake’s world, about the bill, about the ponies they talked to during the day, about…

The stress of everything that had built up, combined with her lack of sleep, became too much to keep buried inside and she flipped herself over, using her magic to pull her saddlebags off the nightstand over to her as she crawled over to her pillow. She hugged her saddlebags close to her as she began to cry into the pillow, keeping it pressed against her face to keep the sound muffled. As she cried herself to sleep, a figure appeared in the darkening room, levitating over the foot of her bed as it looked down at her…
> Denial
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight raised her head up and let out a sigh as she used her right hoof to wipe the sweat from her forehead. Her first ‘job’ of the day was helping out on Carrot Top’s farm, checking the crops, picking the ones that were ready, and making sure the tools were all in good condition. It was the kind of attention to detail work she was used to doing both in Equestria and at Mother Base, so that part wasn’t what bothered her, and she knew across town her friends from Canterlot were busy doing small jobs of their own to help her earn extra bits. It’d been several days since they started doing this, so that wasn’t what was bothering her.

It was the fact that she hadn’t been sleeping any better over the last few nights that was weighing down on her, in the literal sense. Not getting a good night’s sleep was starting to wear on her and she felt like she had to keep moving and pushing herself to keep the feeling of exhaustion from entering her mind. It seemed like she really had to put in a conscious effort that she’d never had to before. Between her all-night study sessions in the past and her field assignments for MSF forcing her at times to ignore her body’s needs in order to keep herself alive in dangerous territory, she felt like this should’ve been easy for her. So why did it seem like it wasn’t?

Shaking her head, Twilight brought herself back to the present and remembered what she was supposed to be doing. She had to check the plant beds for weeds amongst the crops. She looked down and saw she was holding her knife in her right hoof, close to the ground and her left hoof. She stared for a moment before she shook her head and leaned forward, checking the plants in front of her to make sure there were no weeds and thinking to herself, “Stop thinking about the knife! You know how sharp it is; there’s no need to worry about it, no reason to check it…” She pushed the last thought out of her head as she continued working.

About an hour later, Twilight exited the tool shed to find Carrot Top waiting for her. “I think that’ll do it for today, Twilight. Thanks so much for the help!” the earth pony said. Twilight wordlessly nodded in reply. Carrot Top then brought her right hoof forward, a small bag full of bits sitting on top of it. “Here you go. I promised I’d pay you once I sold enough in the marketplace, and I ended up selling more than usual the other day, so I threw in a little extra for you!” she smiled.

Twilight stared at the bag for a moment before slowly taking it in her hooves. “Oh, well, uh, thank you, Carrot Top. That’s really nice of you,” she said as she looked down at the bag.

Carrot Top replied, “Hey, it’s no problem. I mean, I’m not entirely sure why you need to work for bits, what with being one of the princesses and all, but hey, you’ve been gone for a while, and if a princess is really interested in learning how to farm and help, then who am I to say no?” Twilight nodded and went to grab her saddlebags, Carrot Top following after her. “You know, we should really meet up sometime over lunch or something. This has been nice so far,” the mare remarked as Twilight slipped the bits bag into her saddlebags and put them on.

“Yeah, well… it would have to be something that wouldn’t interfere with you, since you’ve got so much to take care of,” she replied, looking back at the earth pony.

“Well, that wouldn’t be a problem for me, and I bet you’d be able to find the best time when you’re available,” Carrot Top said.

Twilight turned her head forward and uttered, “Yeah, maybe, I don’t know…” She raised her hoof to wave back to Carrot Top, the mare waving to her as she left. She had to get over to Quills and Sofas for her part-time work there. She’d tried to pick jobs in spots where she was least likely to run into her friends or ponies that would communicate with them. She didn’t want them to find out what she was doing or why just yet. Right now, she really needed the distraction.

Later, as it was approaching noon, Twilight was walking through the town, keeping an eye out for her friends as she tried to enjoy a brief period of silence. She was so caught up in looking for her friends that she didn’t hear or see a familiar scooter speeding towards her until it collided into her side, both her and the pegasus filly on it getting thrown the ground. After a few moments, Twilight looked over at the filly next to her and asked, “Scootaloo?”

The small pegasus looked over at the sound of her name and a smile appeared on her muzzle. “Twilight!” she exclaimed, surprising the older mare when she rolled over and leapt at her, giving her a hug.

Despite her surprise, Twilight placed a hoof underneath Scootaloo’s flanks as she raised herself to a sitting position. “It’s nice to see you too, Scootaloo,” she said, not sure what else to say. She looked up a few moments later when she heard the sound of small hooves and saw two more familiar fillies running towards her. “Oh! Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle!”

The two Crusaders came to a stop in front of her. “Twilight! We heard ya were back!” Apple Bloom exclaimed.

“Where have you been? Did you go on a big adventure? Did you save the day?” Sweetie Belle squeaked out excitedly.

Twilight held her free hoof up slightly, “Whoa, whoa, whoa! One thing at a time, girls.” She set down Scootaloo, who had finally let go of her, and said, “I’m glad to see you’re doing well, girls. I’m sorry; I’ve been kind of busy these last few days.”

Sweetie Belle nodded, “I bet! You’ve been gone for a month!”

Apple Bloom added, “We wanted ta go find you, but our sisters wouldn’t let us!”

Twilight glanced down,” I could see that…”

She looked up when Scootaloo asked, “So what have you been doing? Been getting used to being home again? What did you do while you were away?”

Twilight replied, “That’s part of it, yes, and that… is a long story. Very long.” She glanced at their flanks and added, “I’m pretty sure I’ll be taking up all of your crusading time if I tell you.”

The fillies seemed disappointed by this, but they soon perked up. “Hey, speakin’ o’ which, there was somethin’ we wanted to ask ya, Twilight,” Apple Bloom said.

Twilight looked intrigued by this. “Oh?” she asked, before blushing a bit as her stomach let out a growl.

“Are you hungry, Twilight?” Scootaloo asked.

Twilight rubbed the back of her head with a hoof, “I guess I haven’t eaten much today.”

Sweetie Belle suggested, “Well, why don’t we go get something to eat? We could go to the Hayburger!”

Twilight considered the idea for a moment before saying, “All right. I’ll buy this time.” She stood up and the four of them began making their way to the establishment at the edge of town.

After a couple minutes of walking, they arrived at the restaurant and stepped inside. Twilight told the Crusaders to find a table while she ordered the food. A few minutes later, she made her way over to the circular table the fillies were seated at, taking a seat across from them and giving them each a tray with a meal on it. They quickly dug into their food while Twilight watched with a smile. “It’s pretty good, isn’t it, girls?” she ventured after a minute.

Scootaloo was the first to answer, “Uh-huh! I don’t get to eat here often, so I’m glad we came.”

Sweetie Belle added, “Well, you liked it so much the last time, Twilight, so that’s why I thought of it.” She looked down and realized Twilight only had a single hayburger and drink in front of her. “Is that all you got for yourself, Twilight?” she asked, catching the other Crusaders’ attention.

Twilight looked down, seemingly just noticing her comparatively small meal for the first time. “Huh. I guess when I was ordering, I forgot to order something substantial for myself,” she remarked.

Apple Bloom frowned, “That doesn’t sound like you, Twilight.” The older mare didn’t respond, instead glancing off to the side at the other ponies in the restaurant while quietly taking a sip of her drink.

She looked back at the fillies when Sweetie Belle slid her tray a little towards her and said, “Here Twilight, you can have some of my fries.”

Twilight let go of her straw, “But… Sweetie Belle, you’ve hardly eaten.”

Sweetie Belle smiled, “It’s okay. I really appreciate the meal, but I’m not sure I’m going to be able to eat all this.”

Twilight looked at her for a moment before saying, “Oh, okay. Rarity’s probably going to want to kill me when she finds out about this. Applejack and Rainbow Dash too.” There was an awkward silence for a few moments before Twilight said, “I guess I can have a few fries.” She used her magic to take a couple of fries from Sweetie’s tray as she raised her hayburger to her mouth and took a few bites. “So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about, girls?” she asked afterwards.

Apple Bloom was the first to speak, “Well, we’ve been talkin’, and we were wonderin’ if we could do… ya know, TT again?”

Twilight blinked, “What?”

Scootaloo leaned forward a little and whispered, “You know… Twilight Time.”

Twilight replied, “Oh! Oh, right, that.” She glanced around a little before saying, “Uh, I don’t think so, girls.”

Scootaloo and her friends looked disappointed as she leaned back. “Why not?” she asked.

Twilight shrugged, “Well, all I ever did was make you look at books, right? There’s no library now, so… can’t really do that now.”

Sweetie Belle said, “Well, we don’t have to do that. You could show us stuff to try, and you could tell us stuff too!”

Apple Bloom nodded, “Yeah, like what those strange clothes you’re wearin’ are! And that patch on yer face! You must’ve learned a lot and done some pretty heroic stuff, Twilight!”

Twilight looked away, “Yeah… that’s not true in the slightest.” She looked back at the Crusaders, “I really think your crusading time would be better spent doing anything else.”

Sweetie gave her a sad look, “But… we liked spending time with you, Twilight…”

Twilight gave her a stony look, “You wouldn’t want to spend time with me now. No one would.” The short silence that followed was broken by Twilight’s iDroid beeping. She unclipped it and brought it up in front of her, the Crusaders seeing part of its display as she clicked it on and looked at it. “Ah, shi- I have to get going,” she muttered under her breath. She put it back in its holder as she stood up, saying, “Listen girls, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but the less you see of me, the better. Trust me on that. It was good to see you again after all this time, though.” She grabbed her drink and what was left of her hayburger before heading for the doors, leaving three perplexed and worried fillies sitting at the table.

Later that evening, Twilight dragged herself through the front doors of her castle, exhausted. She’d finished catching up with her old friends and counting how many bits they’d accumulated, and it seemed like they were making progress. Not speedy progress, but her friends had reassured her that they would get the money to pay off the entire debt together and she shouldn’t worry what the town council thought, especially since the Mayor was on her side. It did make her feel better, but it wasn’t enough to assuage her worries entirely.

When she reached the main staircase, she saw Shining and Cadance coming down, both of them hurrying down to meet her when they noticed her. “Twilight! How was your day?” Cadance asked as they approached her.

Twilight shrugged, “Well… tiring, but productive.”

Shining asked, “You know, you never did tell us, what have you been doing these last few days? Where do you go? We haven’t been seeing you around Ponyville.”

Twilight answered, “Oh, you know, around. I’m also trying to work out a new daily routine. I really shouldn’t let everything I’ve picked up go to waste.”

Shining nodded, “Hm. Listen Twily, I know you’re tired, but the first shipment of books from Canterlot arrived this afternoon. You remember Princess Celestia mentioning that they would be arriving before she and Luna had to go back to Canterlot.”

Twilight rotated her right shoulder a bit to get a kink out of it as she said, “Oh yeah. I’d better go take a look at what she sent over.” She started making her way to the castle library with her brother and sister-in-law in tow.

Spike was sitting on the center table in the library, nestled between several stacks of books as he read a comic book. He looked up when Twilight, Shining, and Cadance came through the doors and swung his legs around so he faced them. “It’s about time you got home, Twilight! I would’ve started shelving these myself, but I don’t know how you organized the old library. That’s like the one thing I never figured out,” he remarked.

Twilight looked at him and the books around him with a tired expression for a moment before she looked off to the side of the table and noticed a cardboard box that looked big enough to fit a pony inside. “What’s in the box?” she asked.

“More books, I imagine.  Might be more valuable ones that they thought needed extra protection, considering they were all delivered in an uncovered wagon,” Shining said.

Rather than turn her attention back to the books on the table, Twilight walked over to the box and opened the flaps, looking inside. “Lot of packing pellets in here…” she muttered as she lifted her head out of it. She looked down at the contents of the box for a few moments before her horn lit up and she lifted all the books and packing pellets out of it. She dropped everything off to the side, the pellets cushioning the books’ landing, and proceeded to climb inside the box, closing the flaps. “Ahh…” she sighed in the darkness.

Shining, Cadance, and Spike all stared at the weird display and, when it became clear Twilight wasn’t coming out of the box any time soon, they all walked over to it. “Uh, Twilight?” Shining called as he tapped the side of the box with a hoof.

“Yes?” Twilight replied, sounding surprisingly relaxed.

“You… okay?” Shining asked.

“Oh yeah. There’s something indescribable about just sitting in a cardboard box. I don’t know what it is, some kind of inner peace, I guess. Never would’ve realized it was possible to achieve if it weren’t for the MSF,” Twilight answered.

Spike spoke, “Uh, cool. Whatever you say, Twilight. Are you gonna be in there for a while?”

Twilight responded simply, “Probably.”

Cadance said, “Well, it’s getting on dinnertime, Twilight. Shining and I are probably going to go pick something up again. It’s been a nice change of pace from all the palace food. If you’d like, we can pick you up something too.”

Twilight replied, “Sure, go ahead.”

Cadance nodded, “Okay. And don’t forget, tomorrow…”

Twilight interrupted, “Luna and Celestia will be back, as will Discord, and we’ll all be having a little get-together in the afternoon. And there’s an order to pick up for it at Sugarcube Corner. I know, I didn’t forget.”

Spike remarked, “Huh. Maybe the box isn’t such a bad thing.”

Cadance said, “Okay. We’ll be back in a little bit, Twilight.” She and Shining then turned to leave and Spike, after carefully considering his options for a few moments, hurried to go with them and leave Twilight to be alone in her place of peace.

Across town, Applejack was helping get dinner ready for her family when Apple Bloom walked into the kitchen. The filly and her friends had managed to have a full day of crusading, but their brief lunch with Twilight had dragged down their spirits somewhat. They couldn’t get the way the alicorn acted at the restaurant out of their heads; it just seemed so wrong to them. Now that there wasn’t much to distract her with, Apple Bloom was hoping her big sister could help her.

“Uh, Applejack?” she asked as she stood in front of the kitchen doorway.

The orange earth pony looked back over her shoulder, “Howdy, Apple Bloom.” She noticed the pensive look and asked, “What’s on yer mind?”

Apple Bloom glanced down at the floor, not sure how to start. “Well, we bumped into Twilight today,” she said after a moment, looking up.

Applejack smiled, “That’s nice. How’s she doin’? Catchin’ up with work here ain’t exactly left me a lotta time ta see her these last few days.”

Apple Bloom glanced around before saying, “She was… okay, Ah guess.”

Applejack turned around fully at that, “You ‘guess’?”

Apple Bloom asked, “Did somethin’ happen ta her while she was gone, Applejack?”

The orange pony raised an eyebrow at that, “Did she tell you anything?”

Apple Bloom shook her head, “No.”

Applejack replied, “Good. Ain’t exactly a story fit for young fillies.”

Apple Bloom said, “She was actin’ weird though, Applejack. We went out to lunch together and she ordered more food fer us than her, she acted like we weren’t safe around her, she had to leave in the middle of the meal…”

Applejack tilted her head, “Huh… That is a bit odd.” She straightened her head, “Well, Ah wouldn’t worry about it too much, Apple Bloom. All ya need ta know is that Twilight’s seen and experienced things nopony should have to, and things like that can change a pony. A lot.”

Apple Bloom asked, “In a month?”

Applejack replied, “It’s been a lot longer fer her. But Ah’m tellin’ you, Ah’m sure she’s fine. We were with her almost the entire time in Canterlot, and while she did show off plenty of new things ‘bout herself, she was still the same ol’ Twilight. Maybe she was just havin’ an off day.”

Apple Bloom protested, “But Applejack…”

Her sister stopped her, “No buts, Apple Bloom. Look, me and the girls will be seein’ her tomorrow. Ah’ll watch her, but Ah’m tellin’ you, she’s been gone for quite a while and it’s been a rough time fer her. She probably still needs to get used to bein’ home and sortin’ out how ta deal with how she was before and how she is now. Now go wash up; dinner’s gonna be ready soon.”

Apple Bloom looked at her for a moment before nodding, “Okay, Applejack.” She then turned and exited the kitchen, heading to the bathroom upstairs to wash up. As she walked up the stairs, she wondered how Twilight was doing, and what Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were telling other ponies about her.
> Anger
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight let out a pained groan as she woke up, feeling uncomfortable bumps beneath her adding to the kinks in her body she was already feeling. When she opened her eyes, she found that she was surrounded by darkness. An attempt to stretch out one of her hooves revealed the cause. “I must’ve fallen asleep inside the box the books came in. Must’ve felt comfortable then; why’s it so uncomfortable now?” she thought to herself. Since she was on her side, she brought her hooves forward, guessing the box was upside-down. She managed to push it over onto its side and was immediately greeted with bright sunlight. After her eyes recovered from the light, she opened them to see the morning sky above, making her realize she was outside, and a quick look around made her realize where she was.

There was tree bark around her, all of it jagged and burnt. She had been sleeping on top of the remains of the Golden Oak Library. “How did I get here?” she wondered aloud to herself. The only thing she could remember about last night after eating dinner with Shining, Spike, and Cadance was going back to the library to spend a little more time in the box. She couldn’t remember leaving the castle with the box and making her way to where her old home used to be.

A sharp pain shot through her side suddenly, causing her to grunt and forget her questions. She heaved herself to her hooves, grunting as she used her wings and a hoof to feel over her body. “Burnt wood is not good for sleeping on,” she muttered matter-of-factly to herself as she continued to press on the spots where she was feeling pressure. After a few moments, she lowered her hoof and folded her wings back against her sides, grabbing the box with her magic as she turned to leave. “Walk it off,” she sighed as she began making her way back to the castle.

Upon returning home, she set the box down back in the library, taking a moment to pat it with a hoof softly. Her eyes then wandered and fell on the books, all of them untouched. She stared at them for a few seconds before she unclipped her iDroid, bringing it up to check the time. She put it away with a sigh a second later and said, “Guess I’d better get started.” She reached into one of her pouches and pulled out one of her aroma tubes, lighting it up and putting it in her mouth before she turned to the books, making her way over to them.

For a short while, the silence in the library was only broken by Twilight using her magic to sort the various tomes and move them to and from the shelves, a method to the process slowly becoming clear. The peace was broken, however, when the doors swung open loudly and Spike stepped in, calling, “Good morning, Twilight!”

When he didn’t see her, he looked around and saw her standing on her hind legs up against the book shelves to his right, her left hoof against her chest and the book she had been trying to shelve held up defensively in her magic. After allowing a few moments for her heart to stop pounding, she let out a sigh and relaxed. “Spike, was that necessary?” she asked.

The baby dragon grinned nervously as he scratched the side of his head,” Eh heh, sorry, Twilight. I’m still getting used to how quiet this castle is and how sound travels through it.” He then straightened up and cheerily spoke, “Using another one of those tubes, eh? Guess it gives you something to do so you can stay focused. Anyway, it’s a bright, shiny new day, and I’m sure there’s a lot to do before we go meet up with everyone. So how can I start helping? Get you some breakfast? Something to drink? Start shelving books? Looks like you’ve already come up with something out for that that I’m sure I can figure out.” He stood, waiting patiently for an order.

Twilight’s face fell as she listened to him talk. When he was finished, she lowered her front hooves and turned back to the shelves, going back to shelving as she said, “Go outside, Spike.”

The baby dragon blinked, not sure he heard her correctly. “Uh, what?” he asked.

Twilight kept shelving, not turning around to look at him as she said, “You said it was a beautiful day. Take advantage of it. Go play outside, go buy some comics and read them outside, go see if Rarity or the Crusaders need anything. Just… do something that’s more worth your time.”

Spike couldn’t believe what Twilight was saying. She didn’t want him around? “But… I’m your number one assistant! Helping you is the first thing on my list of things to do!” he exclaimed.

Twilight finally looked over at him, “Spike, we just moved into this castle. What is there to do besides organizing books? Examine every corner to make sure there’s no dust? Mop the crystal floors because no one’s been in here for a month?” She shook her head with a snort as she began moving down the shelves, “What a waste of anybody’s time, especially yours. Almost anything else would be better.”

Spike spoke, “But, there must be something you need help with! Like errands! You must have things you need to pick up, right?”

Twilight gave him a concerned look at that, “Is there something you need? Snacks? A new bed? A massage? I can give you money.”

Spike asked, “What? No, I’m… I… I’m talking about what you need!”

Twilight’s expression became a bit indifferent at that, “I’ve been eating out mainly since we got back. I can’t really think of anything I need.” She returned to her shelving.

Spike still couldn’t believe what she was saying. “So… you don’t need anything at all?” he asked.

Twilight was starting to get frustrated by how long this conversation was dragging on, but she did her best to keep it to herself. “Isn’t that what I said? Shouldn’t this be a good thing? Me being back after a month and saying that you don’t have to work?”

Spike stammered, “Well… I guess, but… I like helping you, Twilight.”

Twilight replied, “Come on, Spike. You’ve complained to me before about how much I make you do and not giving you time off.”

Spike started, “Well, when you ask for a lot at once, yeah, it would get annoying…”

Twilight turned away from the shelves to look at him as she spoke up, “And that’s what’s going to happen now, and I’m telling you I’ve got it. Wouldn’t you rather go play in that case? Didn’t you do that when Fluttershy was letting you stay with her?”

Spike replied, “Well, sure, I did, but… I don’t want to not work again, Twilight!” When he said this, she turned away from him and planted her face on the shelf in front of her. Spike stared at her, wondering what she was doing.

In her head, Twilight was cursing herself for doing this to Spike, for having a personality that would make her make him be her assistant for so long and forcing this sort of mindset on him. After a few moments, she lifted her face off the shelf and used her magic to take her tube out of her mouth, holding it up to her nose and deeply breathing in the scent of eucalyptus for several long seconds. When she felt that her mind was clear enough, she moved it away and said, as calmly as she could, “Take the day off, Spike, and go have fun. Getting to be yourself is a lot more important than being my assistant will ever be.” As she put the tube back in her mouth and returned to her shelving, she heard the sound of his small claws running out of the room. She felt tears building up in her eyes, but she ignored them. “He’ll be glad later,” she thought to herself.

Spike’s legs carried him all the way to the castle entrance and out the front doors, surprising the Royal Guards standing at the sides of them. The baby dragon felt crushed and confused at Twilight’s words. Did she not want him anymore? Was she mad at him? Why was she acting the way she was when a few days ago, despite the changes she had undergone and some odd behaviors that didn’t seem to have an explanation, she seemed like she always was? These questions and more ran through his head as he ran into town. He needed to talk to somepony about this.

It didn’t take him long to reach Carousel Boutique. He pushed the door open, relieved to find it wasn’t locked, and stood in the doorway as he called, “Rarity?!”

The unicorn in question soon came out of the kitchen, looking refined as ever even as she muttered under her breath, “Who in Celestia’s name…” Her aggravation disappeared as soon as she saw Spike. “Oh! Spike!” she said as she trotted over to him, “Whatever is the matter?”

Spike stammered, “It’s Twilight! She’s… She…”

Rarity immediately became concerned at this. “What is it, Spike? Did something happen to her?! Is she in trouble?!”

Spike answered, “I don’t know, but she’s acting really weird today!”

Rarity’s expression became less concerned at that. “Oh. You as well, Spike?” she asked.

Spike blinked at this, “What?”

Rarity used her magic to shut the front door and turned to walk back into the showroom, inviting Spike to follow her as she said, “Sweetie Belle was telling me something similar last night. The dear said she and her friends spent some time with Twilight yesterday and they thought she was acting odd. She was really worried.”

As they came to a stop in the middle of the showroom, Spike asked, “So why are you acting so calm about it?”

Rarity turned to him and answered, “Well, unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to dwell on it since a rather large order came in while we were in Canterlot, so I’ve been spending the last few days working to fill it. Sweetie Belle came in when I was at a crucial point of finishing, you see, so I had to focus. I did manage to finish, but I was quite exhausted and it was getting late then, so getting my beauty sleep was my main focus. I had already sent Sweetie home by that point, so…”

Spike spoke, “Well, it’s a new day, and you look refreshed and stunning like you always do. So, can you come see Twilight now?”

Rarity mused, “Hm? Well, I suppose I could, but…”

Spike asked, “But what?”

Rarity said, “It’s just that after staying up late these last few days, I just feel so wonderful this morning, especially since it’s gone so well so far. I’ve also had a new fashion idea inspired by Twilight’s, er, wardrobe that I’d like to start working on. It would be a shame to let a burst of creativity go to waste.”

Spike sputtered, “But… but Twilight…!”

Rarity smiled, “I’m sure Twilight’s just feeling out of sorts this morning. I believe you’re good at recognizing when she gets like that, Spike. We’ll see her this afternoon and I’m sure she’ll be just fine, just like she’s been since we got her back.” She turned away and adopted a determined expression, “Now… now is the time for passion!”

As Spike listened to her, his expression shifted to anger, the dragon suddenly feeling very frustrated by the way she was taking this. He spoke, “You know what, Rarity? I stand by the stunning part, but I’m going to have to retract the refreshed part because, clearly, a good night’s sleep didn’t make you all better since you’re not taking me seriously or being very generous! You’re the one who’s caught up in your own little world!” With that, he turned on his heel and walked towards the front door. “Now I know how Twilight felt,” he thought as he left the boutique, needing to find a place to cool his scales.

Rarity had turned and stared at him in shock as he finished speaking, realizing her mistake. She ran to the door, calling to him, “Spike! Spike, come back!” He didn’t even glance back at her, however; she desperately wanted to run to him and hug him and apologize, but she saw his clenched claws and stiff walk and could guess how angry he was. “Too angry to listen,” she thought helplessly as she watched him stalk away.

A while later, Twilight was making her way through town, feeling only marginally better after she finished shelving all the books, taking a bath, changing her bandages, and her work for the day done earlier. Now she was on her way to Sugarcube Corner to pick up the cupcake order for the get-together. She soon arrived at the bakery and looked up at it, hesitating. She steeled herself; she was going to do this.

Upon stepping inside, she saw Mrs. Cake behind the front counter, currently tending to some of the baked goods in the display case. Twilight stood in the doorway, suddenly feeling indecisive again. It was quashed when the light blue earth pony looked up and spotted her. “Oh! Twilight! Come in, dearie!” she said cheerily as she stood up straight.

Releasing a soft sigh through her nose, Twilight made her way over to the counter. “Hello, Mrs. Cake,” she responded simply as she approached.

The older mare spoke, “I was moving around some of our pastries just now. It’s good to see you again. Pinkie was so thrilled when she got word you were back. We thought we would see you sooner…” She looked at the bandage patch on Twilight’s cheek, her expression changing to concern. “What happened to your cheek, dearie?” she asked.

Twilight quickly glanced down at the patch before looking back up at the baker, quickly saying, “Nothing.” She quietly cleared her throat and asked, “Princess Cadance wanted me to pick up an order she placed yesterday?”

Mrs. Cake nodded, “Ah, yes. A dozen cupcakes.” She reached over to the right, “I have it right here.” She was holding a small box in her hooves when Twilight could see them again. She placed the box on the counter and opened the top to show it to Twilight.

She tilted her head down to look at the pastries. “A baker’s dozen,” she noted.

Mrs. Cake nodded, “Mm-hmm. Oh, I did listen to your advice from last time and find a way to properly space them out. No touching or uneven frosting anymore!” She was cheery as she said this, expecting Twilight to either make a remark or show some embarrassment, but it faded as she realized there didn’t seem to be any reaction at all. She looked at the mare again and saw she was still staring down at the cupcakes like she hadn’t heard Mrs. Cake at all. “Twilight? Is something wrong?” she asked. Twilight looked up at that, looking at Mrs. Cake with half-lidded eyes. It was almost like Maud Pie’s usual stoic expression, except Twilight’s was more blank. It was more than a little worrying for the baker.

Mr. Cake poked his head out of the kitchen, wondering why it had suddenly gone silent in the front. “Cup Cake? Everything okay? …Twilight?” he added, noticing the young princess after a moment. Her eyes moved in his direction and, after a moment, he started to understand the reason for the silence.

After a few seconds, Twilight looked back at Mrs. Cake for a moment before glancing back at her saddlebags as her horn lit up. Suddenly, a moderately-sized bag full of bits was thrown onto the counter, some of the gold inside spilling out. Turning her attention back to the cupcake box, Twilight closed it and lifted it up. “Thank you,” she said as she turned to leave.

Both Cakes were momentarily stunned by the bag of bits, but they recovered quickly. “Twilight? Dearie?” Mrs. Cake called. Twilight came to a stop in the middle of the floor but did not turn around. “Princess Cadance already paid for the order,” she stated.

Twilight didn’t say or make any movements at first, but then she said, “That’s your compensation. For knowing and having to put up with me all this time.” The bewildered Cakes could do nothing but stare at her as she left without another word.

Pinkie and Rainbow had decided that the get-together would be held at the lake. Twilight could see that Spike and all of her friends were already there as she got closer. Spike was messing around with a stick near the water while Rarity looked at him from the blanket she was lying down on atop the grass with a distraught expression, Rainbow had set up a pair of beach chairs and was kicking back on one with a Daring Do book, and Applejack and Fluttershy were watching Pinkie as she went all over.

Twilight was a bit confused by Rarity’s expression and how far Spike was from her, but aside from that, it seemed like it was going to be a typical day out with friends. This included Pinkie Pie suddenly popping up in front of her and saying while hopping a bit, “Ooh! You made it, Twilight! And you brought the cupcakes too!”

After recovering from the shock, Twilight shifted the box to her right hoof and held it out towards the pink pony, “I sure did. Do you want them?” Her question was answered when Pinkie swiped the box and bounced over to a picnic blanket near the water with it perfectly balanced atop her mane. Shrugging, Twilight made her way closer to the water, coming to a stop not far from it when Spike looked up and locked eyes with her. The dragon had a nervous expression on his face while Twilight had an unreadable expression on hers as they stared at each other.

Their eye contact was broken when Rainbow called, “Hey, Twilight! Over here!” Twilight turned and made her way over to the speedster, who said, “I brought an extra seat. You can have it if you want.”

Twilight smiled, “Thanks, Rainbow.” As she set her saddlebags down, she noticed that Applejack was looking over at her with an odd expression. Twilight held her gaze for a moment before she sat down in the chair. She winced a little, still feeling a bit of pins and needles from waking up, before she pulled Principles of Magic out of her bag and opening it to where she had stopped last.

Unbeknownst to her, Applejack was still looking over at her. “She seems fine right now. Wasn’t that unusual to see her and Rainbow readin’ together at the library. Just ‘cause they ain’t done it like this don’t mean nothin’,” she thought. Her thoughts were interrupted when Pinkie bounced past her and dove into the lake, splashing her and Fluttershy with water.

When she resurfaced, Pinkie looked towards Rainbow and Twilight and called, “Hey Dashie, Twilight! Wanna come in? The water’s great!”

Rainbow was quick to wave her off with a “Nah, I’m good, Pinkie” before returning to her book, but Twilight wasn’t so quick to respond.

When she looked up upon hearing her name, Twilight found herself staring at Pinkie, or rather the water around her, intently. The water’s surface was a bright blue, reflecting the clear skies overhead, but the brightness only went down so far before darkness started to encroach, surrounding anyone who tried to go down into the depths. And if the skies weren’t clear, then darkness was present even on the surface. Just like… Twilight managed to shake herself from her internal analysis and quickly said, “Uh, I don’t think so, Pinkie. Thanks, though.” She then quickly buried herself back in her book, hoping that her reply didn’t take as long to say as it felt like to her.

In spite of this and some lingering awkwardness among them, everything seemed to be fine. After a little while, Shining and Cadance arrived at the lake, both walking over to Twilight and Rainbow as soon as they saw the former, saying hellos to the others as they made their way over. Twilight looked up at them as did Rainbow when they stopped near her chair. When Fluttershy came over and asked where the princesses were, Shining answered, “They just got here from Canterlot, Fluttershy. They’ll be arriving shortly.”

Cadance looked over at Twilight and smiled, “Aunt Celestia wants to talk to you before anything else, Twilight. It’s about your role as a princess. She just wants to make sure we’re clear on everything.”

Twilight gave a smile and a slightly forced “Great!” in reply.

Shining looked over, his face falling slightly as he added, “She also said Discord is coming too. I’m not sure that’s really such a good idea, but…” He trailed off as he looked back towards town, Cadance, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow turning their heads to look as well. Celestia and Luna were coming up over the hill, alone. There was no sign of Discord or any Royal Guards, but Twilight felt tense at just the sight of the sisters. She had a feeling about what Celestia wanted to talk to her about.

Luna made her way over by the water while Celestia unsurprisingly headed for Twilight upon seeing her, Cadance and Shining moving away to let them talk. “It’s so good to see you and your friends once again, Twilight. I’m sorry Luna and I had to return to Canterlot so suddenly,” the Sun Princess began.

Twilight smiled weakly, “That’s okay, Princess. I don’t think you really needed to travel back here again so soon.”

Celestia replied, “Nonsense, Twilight. You know how much I love to see you, and I want to be sure you…”

She was interrupted when Discord, who was wearing a mismatched pool ring, an upside-down snorkel, and goggles, bumped into her rear as he ran towards the lake. “Coming through! Make room! Here I come!” he called before he leapt into the water, splashing droplets onto everyone on dry land.

Everyone looked at the draconequus with varying emotions for a few moments before Celestia shook her head and used her magic to create an orb of light that caused everyone to dry off faster. She dispelled it after several seconds, satisfied, and turned back to Twilight, “Now, as I was saying, I want you to be sure of the part you are to play, Twilight.”

Twilight rubbed the side of her head with a hoof and looked everywhere but at Celestia as she spoke, “Um… could we go over that again? I feel like I should know the answer, but it’s not coming to me.”

Celestia blinked before replying, “Why, you’re a princess, Twilight. And you’ve learned much about friendship. Do you know the answer now?”

Twilight said, “Oh, right. Yeah, uh… I’m not so sure that’s the case anymore. After everything I’ve seen and experienced, I just… I have to wonder…”

Celestia looked surprised for a moment before she smiled in understanding, believing she knew what the problem was. “I see, and I understand. Even with everything going on in that other world, you found friendship in the unlikeliest of places and grew to cherish it, only for what you knew to suddenly be turned around on you. It’s not an easy thing to get used to, but it’s not hard to do. You still have all the friendships you know and cherish. There’s no reason to let a single betrayal be the reason that you…”

She was suddenly cut off again, this time by Twilight, who had an angry expression on her face as she asked, “I’m sorry, ‘betrayal’? Is that what you think Paz did?”

Celestia blinked in surprise, evidently not used to Twilight interrupting her or sounding so angry with her. “I didn’t mention Paz,” she said slowly.

Twilight was quick to counter, “But you were thinking of her, weren’t you? Why would you use that word if you weren’t making that assumption? Who else would come to mind? You clearly don’t know her very well if you think she didn’t care for any of us, and you don’t know me as well as you think you used to either!” By this time, the commotion had caught everyone else’s attention, all of them looking over at the two.

Celestia narrowed her eyes, “Twilight Sparkle, I do not care for your tone of voice. I am sorry if I upset you in some way, but…”

Twilight interrupted, “Oh, you don’t approve? I’m sorry. You know that’s what I’m going to say, don’t you? Well, I’m not going to because I’m more than just upset! How dare you talk about Paz that way!”

Celestia said, “I know what you showed us. She stole a creation that should never have been built in the first place, she threatened to launch a destructive weapon for her corrupt organization, and she crushed your wing. I think it’s safe to say she was what she was: a spy who betrayed your trust!”

Twilight glared, “Really? I think she had a hard choice to make and neither choice was better than the other. But far be it for me to question your knowledge. After all, you know everything, don’t you? You probably knew me better than I knew myself!”

Celestia started, “I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

Twilight replied, “Well, I think that’s a lie! You knew more about the state of the Crystal Empire than you were willing to share, didn’t you? You knew what that unfinished spell was about, about the Elements… you’ve known so much that could’ve helped us, but instead you assumed that I had advanced far enough and would figure it all out! Well, I think I’ve figured this out too!” She spread her wings, “Are these really supposed to be mine, or have you been manipulating me into thinking no one deserves them more than me? Ever since that entrance exam, you’ve been pushing me, steering me, towards what? To take over for you? Well, maybe I don’t want to be a princess anymore! Maybe I never should’ve been your student!” Celestia looked down at her aghast while everyone else stared at her in shock.

Well, almost everyone. Discord, unsurprisingly, had enjoyed Twilight’s tirade against Celestia and decided to let her know that. He quickly popped out of the lake to in between them, causing Celestia to step back and Twilight to scoot to the other side of her chair, and let out a laugh before saying, “Oh Twilight, I must tell you, I think I’ve finally come to a conclusion. I like this new you better than the old you!” He reached down and scooped her up in his arms, holding her against his left shoulder, and turned to walk back towards the lake. “Not to worry. I’m all for doing things that you would prefer now, because I happen to know how things and ponies change, unlike SOMEPONY.” He shot a meaningful look back at Celestia as he finished.

Twilight looked back over her shoulder, her nervousness rising as she got closer to the water. “No, no, no, Discord, I am not much of a swimmer. I most definitely prefer staying on dry land,” she said quickly as she tried to scramble out of his grasp.

Discord, however, had no trouble keeping her restrained as he replied, “Oh come now, Twilight. You lived on an artificial island for months. Surely you gave in and went diving off of it into the ocean. I’m sure you did that at least once.” Twilight’s eye twitched at that. “And I know how experiencing something new can give you a thirst for more of it, so don’t worry. I’ll make sure you get all the thrills you can handle and more to help you satisfy your ever-growing desire. It’ll be explosions, things to shoot at, and more galore, all courtesy of yours truly! Now doesn’t that sound fun?”

Despite not talking long, Discord’s words had only served to make Twilight angrier, the young alicorn unable to calm herself as she shook slightly. “Shut up,” she growled out.

“Hm? What was that, Twilight?” Discord asked, only for his goggles to suddenly get pulled away from his eyes by Twilight’s magic, causing him to stop and blink. She released her hold on them and they snapped back a moment later, causing him to cry out and lose his grip on the alicorn, who immediately jumped down and grabbed her things with her magic as she began to walk away.

Celestia noticed this and moved to stand in her path, but even with her wings spread, Twilight did not stop. “Twilight Sparkle, you are not…” She was cut off when Twilight picked up the pace and furiously shoved her with her left shoulder, surprising the princess enough to cause her to stumble. She regained her footing a moment later and looked back over her shoulder, only to see Twilight disappear in a flash of magic.

Almost everyone stared in shock at where Twilight had been. The only ones who weren’t staring were Fluttershy, who was worrying over Discord, and Shining Armor, who was looking down with a worried expression as he remembered the last time he’d seen his sister so angry and what could’ve happened had things not worked out because they didn’t take her worries seriously. “What just happened?” Rainbow asked after several moments.

“Twilight?” Pinkie asked softly, worried about her friend.

Rarity, trying to be the optimistic one and reassure everyone, suggested, “Maybe she’s worrying over nothing?”

Spike walked over and said, “Yeah, I bet that’s what you thought last time too. And then she brought out Smartypants.” Rarity’s face scrunched up at his counter while he walked off to try to look for Twilight himself.

Soon…

Rainbow flew into the throne room and came to a stop in the middle of the room, right in front of Celestia. “Sorry, Princess. I checked every single spot in the castle. She’s not here,” the pegasus shrugged.

“Are you certain, Rainbow Dash?” Celestia asked.

“Positive. I checked under every single box I could find!” Rainbow answered. Shining, Cadance, and the rest of Twilight’s friends exchanged a worried look at that.

“Hmm. Where could she be then?” Celestia muttered, looking down.

Luna, who had an unimpressed look on her face, remarked, “Seems you found another pony who gets under your skin, sister. How ironic it’s once again someone else who was so close to you.”

Celestia whirled her head around to meet her sister’s gaze, “I beg your pardon, Luna?”

Unphased by her sister’s anger, Luna went on, “It seems to be a trend, does it not? You’re so good at keeping good public relations, but when it comes to those close to you, you just can’t seem to find the right balance and end up punishing them and yourself.”

Celestia got closer to her before saying, “This is nothing like a thousand years ago, Luna.”

Luna shot back, “You’re correct if you’re talking about how you’re reacting, sister! You would not listen to me! You let my feelings of reject and resentment continue to grow while you basked in our subjects’ glory! You only paid attention when I fell to darkness! Now? Now it seems like you’re being Twilight’s judge, jury, and executioner without giving her a chance to explain herself!”

Celestia glared, “That is not the case, and there is no reason for her behavior!” Shining had to bite his tongue to keep from speaking out of line and bringing up the wedding rehearsal.

Luna asked, “Are you sure? Perhaps she does have a good reason. Or maybe she simply is resentful of her destiny, a destiny that she’s not incorrect in saying you imposed on her!” The two sisters glared at each other, their stare being broken when everyone heard a rumble of thunder from outside.

“What the…” Rainbow asked before she shot out of the room, making her way through the castle to the balcony. Peering out, she saw that it was indeed starting to rain. “There was no rain scheduled for today!” She leapt outside and yelled upwards, “HEY! WHOEVER BROUGHT THE RAINCLOUDS, KNOCK IT OFF! THIS ISN’T FUNNY!” Her shout did nothing to stop the rain and she flew up into the sky after a few moments to find out who was causing it. As she took off, the others came up behind her, looking out at the rain. They realized their search for Twilight would have to wait until it had passed, but as they looked at the falling drops, Celestia and Luna noticed that something seemed strange about them.

Spike was walking around Ponyville looking for Twilight when the rain started, the baby dragon joining the ponies that were going about their business in finding shelter when it became clear it wasn’t a light drizzle. Spike ran towards a nearby awning, but as he did, a raindrop managed to land inside his mouth. Normally this wouldn’t have elicited much of a reaction from him, but as it spread across his tongue, he picked up on an odd taste. As soon as he was out of the rain, he began swishing what was left of the drop around. “Huh. It’s got kind of a metallic taste to it. Weird,” he noted after a few moments, some of the ponies that were under the same awning turning to look at him.

In Ghastly Gorge, one of the last places anypony would think to look for her, Twilight had not sought shelter from the rain. At the moment, she barely noticed it due to her anger, which she was literally trying to beat away. She’d found a sizable pile of small rocks and was lifting them up to punch and kick at. The effects of this were starting to make themselves known; she was starting to develop scratches and cuts from her hits and misses, parts of her Sneaking Suit already stained red.

It wasn’t enough to convince her to stop, though. The stinging she felt neither eased nor fueled the anger she was feeling. She continued to attack the rocks in spite of it, trying to block out the voices in her head.

“Boss…”

“Get those fires out! Damn it, we’ll never catch up! Argh!”

“You’re LYING, Snake! SNAKE!”

“The base!”

“The scientist was our way in.”

“Mom? Is that you, Mom? ARRRRGGGH!”

“She survived?”

Twilight couldn’t take it any longer and let out a loud yell as she brought her right hoof back and slammed it into the pile of rocks. She remained like that for several moments before she shot up with a painful cry, tears leaking from her eyes and mingling with the rain as she held her hoof and staggered back. She fell onto her rump near her saddlebags, still clutching her foreleg above her hoof while she gritted her teeth. Her anger was finally spent, but in its place, she could feel only hopelessness.

She used her magic to bring her saddlebags over. As she pulled out her medical supplies to patch up her leg, she looked up towards the top of the gorge, in the direction of Ponyville. “There will never be peace. Not as long I’m here,” she thought morosely. “This place can no longer be my haven.”
> Bargaining
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight rubbed her right hoof with her left as she looked down at the result of her ‘emergency treatment.’ She’d wrapped the entire area around her hoof with bandages, going a bit overboard to try to minimize movement there. It wasn’t perfect, but it would have to do. She didn’t have all the supplies she’d need to treat it fully, and she’d rather not explain to anypony she ran into why she had a splint on her leg. Trying to walk like nothing was wrong was going to be hard enough.

After several moments, she looked up. The rain was starting to let up, so it was probably safe for her to fly. She glanced down at herself and was pleased to see that the water had washed the red out of her Sneaking Suit. “The sooner I get this over with, the better,” she thought as she pulled her glove back on over her right hoof. It was a tight fit with the bandages and it bulged out, but it concealed it well enough. She stood up, being careful not to set her right hoof on the ground, and spread her wings, flying out of Ghastly Gorge towards Canterlot.

Twilight’s friends and family, meanwhile, waited until the rain had stopped completely before they ventured out to look for her again. They went around town asking everypony when the was the last time they saw her, but hardly anypony had seen her that day, so they couldn’t tell them where she might be at the moment.

The Sun was beginning to set when they all met up again. While they were talking, Spike saw them and made his way over. “Hey. Guess you guys have been looking for Twilight all day too?” he asked.

“Pretty much, Spike. Nopony we’ve talked to has seen her today,” Applejack answered.

“But they’ve seen her a lot these past couple of days. Apparently, she and some old friends from Canterlot have been helping out a lot around town,” Shining said.

“Really? I didn’t hear anything about that. I didn’t even know she had friends before us,” Rainbow remarked.

“That’s because you only talked to pegasi, Rainbow, the ones on the weather teams, remember?” Rarity reminded her.

“Oh yeah. Speaking of which, none of them know what was up with that rain earlier either. Don’t know how it started or why the rain was so weird,” Rainbow replied.

Spike looked at the others and said, “I heard about Twilight and her friends helping too. It sounded like they were they were trying to earn some bits.”

Pinkie spoke, “Mr. and Mrs. Cake didn’t say anything about that. In fact, they said they were worried about what she might do when they saw her earlier today!” The worry in her voice was clearly reflected in her expression, her mane and tail looking like they might deflate any moment if she heard the wrong thing.

The others looked at her, sharing her worry. This wasn’t Pinkie jumping to conclusions and driving herself crazy; she was genuinely afraid something was going to happen to Twilight, Pinkie Sense going haywire or not. “What did they say?” Cadance asked carefully.

Pinkie responded softly, “They wouldn’t tell me, but they said Twilight really didn’t seem well. Mrs. Cake has never said anything like that about Twilight before.”

Shining sighed, “So we have this and the fact that she’s been working really hard, maybe harder than she should be, to make bits for a reason that nobody seems to know. While it’s… good to know all this, it doesn’t make finding her any easier for us.”

Rainbow looked to her right and blinked a moment later. “Hey, there she is!” she said, everyone turning their heads to look where the pegasus was.

Indeed, further down the street, they saw Twilight walking, but even from where they were standing, they were quick to notice a few things about her, the most prominent being that she was pulling a little wagon behind her that had a white cover draped over whatever was in it. The other thing they noticed after a few moments was that she appeared to be limping a bit as she didn’t keep her right hoof on the ground for very long, and what they couldn’t see but Rarity would most definitely have picked up on was all the new little rips and tears in her Sneaking Suit from her earlier ‘training’.

“What’s with the wagon?” Spike wondered.

Fluttershy noticed the way she was walking and her body movements. She was clearly trying to act natural, but there were some flashes of movement that made it seem like she was watching where she stepped. “I don’t think she’ll tell us if we ask her,” she said after a moment.

“Well, she’s gonna tell us, or else!” Rainbow glared, spreading her wings. She was stopped by Shining putting his foreleg in front of her and she turned her head to look up at him.

“No, Rainbow. I’m worried about her too, but we can’t force her to tell us. That’d only make it worse,” he said.

Cadance spoke up, a worried expression on her face, “I agree, Shining, but… there’s clearly something she doesn’t want to tell us about. Something important…”

Pinkie stood up straight with an unusually serious expression on her face, “I’ll get to the bottom of this.” And with that same expression, she started hopping in Twilight’s direction while everyone else looked at each other, wondering if this was a good idea.

Despite the manner in which she was trailing Twilight, Pinkie kept a close eye on the alicorn as she trailed her through Ponyville, immediately stopping and quickly slinking behind cover when it seemed like she might stop and start looking around again. Other ponies that were out, especially the shopkeepers, looked at her oddly whenever she suddenly darted in between houses or used their stalls for cover, but they didn’t seem to catch Twilight’s attention since she would soon continue walking, Pinkie coming out and hopping after her again when she did.

Eventually, Twilight reached the Town Hall. Pinkie watched from afar as she went up to the front door and let herself in. Walking quietly on the front of her hooves, Pinkie went up to the building, but instead of going in, she went around the side of the building, stopping before passing in front of a window. She lowered her body to the ground and pulled out a stethoscope, putting the earpieces in her ears and placing the resonator up against the building, moving it along like she was listening for a heartbeat.

After a few moments, she stopped, hearing voices on the other side. “Twilight! I didn’t know you were coming.” It was the Mayor’s voice.

She then heard Twilight’s voice, “Well, considering how long it’s been, I thought it was best to get back to you as soon as possible about this.”

Mayor Mare asked, “You have an update for me? I know it’s going to take some time, so you don’t have to tell me how far along you are.”

Twilight replied, “No, I mean I have it. It’s all right here!”

There was a moment of silence before the Mayor asked, “Really?”

Pinkie was getting anxious as she listened in on them, unsure of what they were talking about. “What are you talking about with the Mayor, Twilight? What’s in the wagon? Come on, tell me!” she uttered, hearing only the sound of hooves on wood inside.

After several moments, Mayor Mare said, “Goodness, that certainly is a lot of bits.”

Twilight spoke, “Yeah. I made sure to count them all and record it. That’s why I wasn’t back sooner, but I wanted to make sure it was all correct. Between all those jars, there’s enough there to pay for the library’s destruction. The council can count it all again if they want, but I wrote it down so they shouldn’t have to.”

The Mayor replied, “Well, they might, but I believe you when you say you did that. I probably shouldn’t ask this, but how did you get this much so soon?”

Twilight sounded hesitant as she answered, “Uh, you know… a lot of hard work with some help from friends, a little- well, actually a lot of digging deep, but there shouldn’t be anything left for them to trouble you about.”

The two mares kept talking, but Pinkie had stopped listening. She had gleamed enough from their conversation to figure out what had been going on the last couple of days. “They charged Twilight for what that meanie Tirek did to the library? Why didn’t they tell us about it? We’re her best friends! We could’ve taken care of it while she was gone!” She looked down sadly, “She said friends helped her, but we didn’t know about this. We weren’t there for her. We were all busy, but… we still didn’t do anything to help her. Is she mad at us? Is that why she didn’t tell us when she found out?” She snapped back to attention when she heard the sound of hooves moving again. She pulled out the earpieces and sat up to peer through the window. Twilight was leaving and the Mayor was watching her. Pinkie turned and shot away, not wanting to be caught.

Twilight looked to her side as she stepped outside, hearing an odd sound. She glanced around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. “Weird,” she muttered as she shook her head. She then faced forward, “Well, I’ve taken care of that. I should just go, get as far away from Ponyville as I can before anypony else finds out.” She found herself unable to stifle a yawn that escaped her mouth and she groaned in annoyance. “Maybe… I can find a private place to sneak a quick nap in before I go. I’m not going to be able to get very far if I’m struggling to stay awake,” she thought before she started walking through Ponyville.

A short while later, at Twilight’s castle…

“I see,” Princess Celestia said.  She and Luna had remained silent while Twilight’s friends recounted what Pinkie had overheard and she wasn’t sure how to react. The idea of Twilight doing what she did to pay for the damages seemed about normal for her, but where she got the money and why she hadn’t been notified at any point prior left her a bit confused.

“I can’t believe it. Why would they put it all on Twilight when Tirek’s the one who destroyed the library?!” Rainbow asked. 

“Well, it was a public building, Rainbow. The money for it has ta come from somewhere,” Applejack reminded her.

“But it’s all gotta come from her? She just lived in it!” Rainbow argued.

“She was also the librarian! She was supposed ta take care of it!” Applejack shot back.

Rarity shook her head at the two and looked back at the two princesses, “I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t have told us about it at least. I would’ve done everything possible to make sure Twilight didn’t have to come home to this.”

Luna said, “Such is the strange world of bureaucracy, Miss Rarity. So little that comes out of it seems to make logical sense."

Fluttershy murmured, "I would've helped too, but... so many of my animal friends missed me and didn't want me to leave these last few days..." Pinkie said nothing, having already had time to process how she felt about all this.
　
Celestia closed her eyes for a moment as she gathered her thoughts and opened them as she spoke, "Well, thinking about what we could've done will do us no good now. Whatever she did, Twilight raised the money that the council wanted and repaid them. The problem has been resolved."
　
Shining asked, "So... what now, Princess?" Spike looked eager to hear what she had to say.
　
Celestia smiled, "I believe we should all get a good night's sleep. The night is fast approaching, so there's no time left today to resolve Twilight's other dilemma." Expecting the odd stares she received, she said, "Things have been fairly quiet since Twilight returned to us, but she hasn't really been given a proper welcome home. I think we can put what happened today behind us and have another party tomorrow, one that properly celebrates her leaving a world full of war behind and returning to Equestria." She looked at Pinkie, "I trust that's something you can take care of, Pinkie Pie?"
　
The pink pony immediately saluted, her energy coming back to her. "You can count on me, Princess! I'll get started right away!" she stated before she turned and ran out of the throne room. The rest of the girls soon left for home as well, looking forward to seeing what Pinkie was going to come up with for a party. Shining, Cadance, and Spike all went to their rooms after the girls left, though they were still feeling a bit worried about Twilight. Once they were all gone, Celestia let her smile slip from her face, revealing her own worry.
　
Luna noticed it when she looked up at her. "What's the matter, sister? Are you concerned that it will not be that simple?" she asked.
　
Celestia sighed, "I don't know, Luna. I've never had Twilight stand up to me like that before. I already knew that she changed a lot, but in that moment, I almost didn't recognize her."
　
Luna stated, "I would think that's something to be applauded." When Celestia quickly turned to her with a raised eyebrow, she said, "It's quite clear she's usually so uptight around you. There are a number of reasons for that, and I don't think it's unfair to think that fear would be one of them. War has changed her, no doubt, but getting past such a crippling fear... that's a good thing, isn't it?"
　
Celestia didn't know what to make of Luna's fear suggestion, instead saying, "She shouldn't have been involved in anything serious. Even if they let her go on more missions, they surely wouldn't have let her go out on something that could be worse than those AI weapons."
　
Luna replied, "I'm not saying she did. She may or may not have; we have not inquired about everything. But even if her activities were restricted, she was still in the company of an army." She began to pace in a circle as she went on, "If the MSF's services really were auctioned out to other nations, then word would inevitably return to home and be passed around. Who they had to fight, how many died, the nightmarish horrors... she would surely hear about it all from the soldiers around Mother Base, soldiers who were proud to say they were allied with a man who truly felt his country had betrayed him and he was right to leave it behind. A man who likely kept a number of things to himself, including how he looked at her." She stopped and looked at Celestia, "Was he really simply trying to keep her safe? Or did he have plans of his own?"
　
Celestia said, "This seems like a lot of speculation, Luna."
　
The younger alicorn was silent for a moment before saying, "It is, yes, but I believe what I'm getting at is, with the company she was in, a number of things could've rubbed off on Twilight. Things she may not even be aware of." She looked around the throne room, "Perhaps her outlook on things she knew has changed because of being around Big Boss. She may not think this is what she is meant for anymore, and not simply because she feels she hasn't found a part to play."
　
Celestia asked, "Luna?"
　
As she turned to leave, Luna looked back at her sister and said, "It may take her time to truly sort out her thoughts, but I think we should be prepared for the possibility that she truly doesn't believe this is her destiny anymore." She then left, leaving Celestia alone with her thoughts. She turned to look at the throne with Twilight's cutie mark on it after a few moments, a sad expression on her face as she wondered if her time with Twilight was going to come to an end for good.

Luna, meanwhile, left the castle to look for Twilight when she checked the lavender alicorn's room and found no trace of her. She used her magic to raise the Moon while she wandered the streets, looking for her. Once she was finished, she began reaching out with her magic to look for ponies that had fallen asleep. Twilight had tried to hide it earlier, but Luna could tell she was sleep-deprived, no doubt from all the work she had to do. With how tired she looked, she wouldn't be surprised if she found her sleeping in the park or on the grass somewhere else.
　
Eventually, Luna's magic led her to the remains of the Golden Oak Library. She could feel that there was a pony sleeping there, but she didn't see anything atop the remains. Taking a closer look, she discovered the stairs leading down to the basement were hidden under a pile of burnt wood that could be moved. It was a bit of a squeeze, but Luna was able to use her magic to lift up part of the remains enough to reach the stairs. Once she was a few steps down and could raise her head again, she lit up her horn looked down towards the bottom, where she spotted a cardboard box in the middle of the floor. She began making her way down the rest of the stairs, a smirk on her muzzle.
　
As she got closer to the bottom, however, she felt something odd in the air and slowed her pace. She looked around, feeling as though it wasn't just her and Twilight in the basement. When she was a couple of steps from the bottom, she looked back towards the box and saw a figure she knew wasn't there before standing over it. It seemed to be wearing a hood over its head, its back to her.
　
Luna immediately moved into a defensive stance. "Who are you?!" she demanded. The figure made no reply. "Answer me! Who are you and what are you doing here?!" she asked again. She was very close to using the Royal Canterlot Voice, not only due to her annoyance, but also because it would surely wake Twilight up and alert her to the danger. It wasn't necessary, though, because the figure finally reacted to her words. It tilted its head up and slowly began to turn around. As it did, Luna began to notice a few things about it.
　
She realized the figure was bipedal, its arms at its sides as it turned, and it was fully clothed. When it finished turning around, it looked up at her. The sides and back of its head were hidden by the hood and its face was shadowed, but she could make out a few details. It was wearing a pair of glasses, it had a smile on its face, and it was clearly human, a human male if she had to go by the facial structure.
　
Luna blinked and took a step back at this realization, at which point she made another: the man seemed to be slightly transparent since she could almost see the cardboard box through him. She moved to the edge of the stairs and looked down; his feet weren't touching the floor. She didn't get a chance to make any other notes since he suddenly vanished into the floor, dropping down like he was falling before Luna could react. She waited for a bit to see if he would reappear, but she moved to get Twilight when it seemed as though it wasn't going to happen. All the questions she had about the man continued to plague as she made her way back to the castle with Twilight in tow. She glanced back at her passenger as she walked and wondered, "Maybe she knows?"
> Breaking Point
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight groaned as she stretched her legs, letting out a sigh as she brought her forelegs back down. She was still mostly asleep, but she could already tell she was feeling better after that nap. She must not have had any dreams for a change, a welcome respite. Now that she was refreshed, she had to get going. It was time to find a new path for herself. But… she felt so warm and comfortable right now. It would probably be a while before she felt like this again. Maybe that path could wait a while. She snuggled back into the mattress, rested her head atop her pillow, snuggled… into… the covers…

Twilight’s eyes shot open and she sat up and looked around. She quickly realized she was not in the basement of her old home, where she remembered falling asleep. She was in her room in the crystal castle. “How did I get here?” she wondered to herself. She looked down and noticed two more things: one, she wasn’t wearing her Sneaking Suit anymore, and two, all the bandages she had wrapped around her right hoof were gone. She moved it a bit and touched it with her left hoof. She felt no pain; it was like she hadn’t broken it the day before.

Sensing something out of the ordinary, she looked up and glanced around. Her eyes settled on the doors, realizing they were open a crack. Through the crack, she could see a familiar dark blue coat and a cyan eye looking at her from the other side. “Luna,” she realized as the two locked eyes for several moments. Their contact was broken when Luna closed the doors and began walking away. Twilight grimaced slightly. That look in Luna’s eye meant one thing: she was expected at breakfast, and if she didn’t show up, she would really get it. Seeing no other option available, she climbed out of bed and began to get ready.

A short while later, Twilight made her way through the castle’s halls, her mane and tail straight and her Sneaking Suit on. She had taken a bath and got her mane and tail back to their straightened look. Much as she didn’t want to keep Luna and the others waiting, she felt the need to not look like she just crawled out of bed even though her mind had been nagging at her that she was taking too long and only delaying the inevitable the whole time she was doing it.

She made it to the dining room and pushed the doors open. Inside, she saw Celestia, Luna, Shining, Cadance, and Spike all sitting around the circular table in the center. Twilight could hear them talking as normal before she opened the doors, but as soon as she did, they all stopped and turned to look at her. Twilight stood in the doorway waiting to see if someone would say something, but after a few moments, it seemed like no one wanted to be the first to speak up. She walked over to the table, saying a quiet “Good morning” before she sat down between Spike and Celestia near the head of the table.

An awkward silence followed. Spike, Shining, and Cadance all looked like they wanted to say something, but Twilight noticed that they kept glancing past/next to her at Celestia. She sighed internally; she had snapped at Celestia and pushed her out of the way, so it made sense that Celestia would have the right to speak first. Twilight glanced up at her. There were no hints on her face as to what she might be feeling. In fact, she wasn’t even looking at Twilight; instead, she seemed to be studying her cup of tea, staring down at it intently as though she was looking for something.

Finally, she spoke. “Twilight,” she began, immediately catching the lavender alicorn’s attention. “A number of words were exchanged yesterday at the lake. And quite a bit of anger as well.” Twilight shrank into her seat a little as Celestia spoke, the princess pausing to mull over how to continue. “I don’t think it’s necessarily fair to continue fueling that anger when that may be what you’ve had to get used to. There hasn’t been time for you to tell us everything you experienced while you were away, and the state of the world you were in is likely due to too much anger building up over time. As well as things that should’ve been shared between friends but, for one reason or another, were not,” she said after a few seconds.

Twilight looked up at her, “Princess?”

Celestia looked down at her, “Of course there are things I’d rather not bring up in conversation. We all do. But I have a feeling what I keep to myself is not what prompted what happened yesterday. I think perhaps it was simply due to exhaustion. Your friends mentioned that, while they were looking for you, a number of ponies told them that you’ve been doing a lot of work for them since you returned. Is that true?”

Twilight resignedly answered, “Yes. I, uh… I needed some extra bits.”

Cadance asked, “For what?”

Twilight replied, “To pay for the destruction of the library. The town council demanded it.”

Celestia said, “Strange that they did not notify us of such an outstanding debt. We are all Princesses of Equestria; we try to share each other’s burdens.”

Shining asked, “How close are you to repaying them, Twily?”

Twilight became nervous at this. “Uh, I just paid them back yesterday,” she said.

Shining tilted his head, “You made enough from helping out ponies around town?” Twilight began to fidget in her seat, not sure how to respond.

Celestia spoke up after a few moments, “Twilight, your brother asked you a question.” When there was still no response from the lavender mare, she asked, “If you didn’t make enough helping the ponies around Ponyville, then how did you repay the debt?”

Twilight started, “Um, I might have, uh…” only to trail off and mutter the rest under her breath.

Celestia asked, “What was that, Twilight?” When she did it again, she pressed, “Speak up, Twilight, and tell us. If you continue to do this, it will not…”

Twilight cut her off by blurting out, “Life savings! Life savings covered the rest!”

Shining looked shocked at this. “What?! Twilight…”

Twilight said, “I was worried about the Mayor! She said she was trying to keep the council from doing anything too rash and they were breathing down her neck for it! She was doing her best to keep them in check and I didn’t want it to all be for nothing! I…” She lost her fire as her eyes focused on the table. “I didn’t want her to get in more trouble…” she stated weakly.

Luna looked up at Celestia after a few moments and noticed she seemed to be contemplating Twilight’s words. "Sister?” she ventured.

After remaining silent a little longer, Celestia spoke, “I believe we can put all the confusion and instability these last few days behind us, Twilight. This entire situation regarding the old library’s destruction… I’m not certain anyone involved was acting as they should, and I am no exception.”

Twilight looked up at her in confusion, “Princess?” With the exception of Luna, everyone else also looked at her curiously at that.

Celestia closed her eyes and hung her head, “I… I have not done right by you at all, Twilight. When you first awoke and I saw how you acted despite your injuries, I let myself believe your time away had not fundamentally changed you, that things would happen as I thought they were meant to and I could leave you to take up your new role. What a foolish assumption that was.” She opened her eyes and looked down at Twilight, “Of course your time away has changed you. You’ve been in the company of beings who have had a different world to grow up in and different views towards things as a result, views that have become a part of your own view as you became closer to them.”

Twilight started, “Well, I don’t think…”

Celestia interjected, “No, Twilight. You’ve spent months living and fighting alongside them, making new friends, developing new habits and adjusting your views in the process. After everything Luna and I went through so long ago, I should’ve known that it would take more than a few days for you to get used to being back in your old life. In all this time, we haven’t even properly celebrated your return.” She extended a wing and wrapped it around Twilight’s back, pulling her closer into a hug, “Your friends and I would like to make that up to you now, if you’ll let us.”

Twilight couldn’t help but rest in Celestia’s embrace, feeling the warmth and compassion and enjoying it as she remembered moments like this in the past. Part of her wanted to argue against all this, but in her current state, there was only one thing she could say. “Of course, Princess. I’d really like that,” she murmured. Celestia relaxed her hold and smiled down at her. Twilight held her gaze for a moment before she glanced off to the side and said, “Um… There’s just one thing I’d like to say first.” Celestia and the others blinked at this. “Snake and I, we… we weren’t friends. Not really. Just… throwing that out there as long as we’re… clearing things up.”

Spike asked, “I thought you were, Twilight?”

Twilight shook her head, “No. We were more like… workmates? Partners? Colleagues? …That’ll have to do. We never got closer than that, no matter how much time we spent together.”

Luna cleared her throat, catching everyone’s attention. She spoke, “Speaking of things that should probably be mentioned, Twilight… You were not alone when I found you last night. There was someone, or perhaps more accurately something, else there.”

Twilight tilted her head, “What do you mean, Luna?”

Luna explained, “It looked like a human, but its feet were not touching the ground. It also seemed somewhat transparent, and it vanished into the ground shortly after it noticed me. That leads me to believe that this perpetually smiling human wearing a hood and glasses… was a ghost.” Spike looked a bit nervous at that.

Twilight, meanwhile, glanced up. “Hmm…” she murmured as she thought about Luna’s words. After a few moments, she looked back down at the alicorn and said, “No, that doesn’t sound like anyone I know, Luna. Is that all you could tell about the person?”

Luna was a bit taken aback by this question, but replied, “Well, yes. It was too dark to make out any other details.”

She wasn’t the only one since Shining commented, “You don’t seem very surprised by the idea that you might have been visited by a ghost, Twily.”

Twilight shrugged, “Probably because I’ve seen ghosts before.”

Spike was shocked at this. “You have?! Wait, ‘ghosts’? As in more than one? Where did you see ghosts?!” he exclaimed.

Twilight replied, “In Snake’s world.”

Cadance asked, “You mean like with Peace Walker? Do you mean something similar?”

Twilight answered, “No, no, not like that. I… I remember we had a few retrieval missions that involved encountering the supernatural. The areas we had to retrieve the items from had the bodies of almost dead soldiers lying around, and their ghosts were never far away, standing, or rather floating, guard.”

Shining asked, “Really?”

Twilight nodded, “Yeah. They were never happy if they caught us sneaking around, though a few good chest compressions were usually enough to send them screaming home.”

Spike raised an eyebrow, “Screaming?”

Twilight said, “Yeah. When we’d attempt CPR on their physical bodies, they’d start wailing as they tried to float away but couldn’t as they were dragged back to life. The radio would even get all weird when we were near ghosts. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t gone on one or two of those missions.”

Spike got nervous again as he asked, “So… that means ghosts ARE real?”

Twilight smirked, “Spike, if all ghosts are like the ones I saw, you’d know they were real. Trust me.” The breakfast conversation continued on for a while, the tense atmosphere from earlier long forgotten, but while Twilight was seemingly acting like herself again, Luna couldn’t help but notice she was still insistent on wearing her Sneaking Suit. She had a feeling that it and the bandages were hiding physical reminders of things she didn’t want to talk about. For now, she let it go, but she hoped she would get a chance to talk to Twilight about it later.

A little while later after breakfast, they all made their way over to Sugarcube Corner, where the rest of Twilight’s friends were waiting with everything all set up for a party. Everypony was relieved and happy to see that Twilight was back to being her more upbeat self, the events of the previous afternoon almost entirely put behind them. Discord showed up after the party had started, much to Shining’s displeasure. The draconequus seemed to turn his nose up whenever he was near Twilight, though it was hard to say if that was due to him not forgetting what happened yesterday or him being his usual self. Still, Pinkie announced that everyone was there and dashed into the kitchen to get the cake. What she came back with surprised everyone.

It wasn’t usually a surprise when Pinkie went all out and baked a large cake, regardless of the occasion, but the large circular cake she wheeled out was certainly a new achievement for her… from what they could see. It looked like it was almost half the size of a kiddie swimming pool, and it had a sheet draped over it. “Cake time, everypony!” she said cheerfully as she came to a stop in the middle of the room.

“Pinkie, what kinda cake did you make?” Applejack asked, obviously curious about the sheet.

Pinkie grinned, “Oh, I’m really proud of this one! Take a look!” With that, she grabbed the sheet and whipped it off, not disturbing the cake at all in the process.

Twilight stared in awe. The cake itself was obviously a confectionary marvel, but Pinkie had put together a model on top of it, specifically a scale model of Mother Base, the support legs of the struts even extending down into the ‘water’ covering the top of the cake. Twilight walked over to Pinkie and asked, “Pinkie, how did you make that?”

The party pony replied, “From memory, of course! And a bunch of little things! Nothing that’s food, though; that way you can always have a little model of Snake’s sea fortress to look at and remind you of all the time you spent with him, even if they weren’t all great times. Imagine how much bigger it might be the next time you see him!”

Twilight smiled wryly at her, “Pinkie…”

Rainbow spoke up, “So, uh… what’s the water made of, Pinkie?”

Pinkie answered, “Sugar, of course! It took a long time to get it just right.”

As everyone moved closer to the cake, Discord looked at it appraisingly. “Hmm… it feels like it’s missing something,” he said. Everyone looked at him as he continued to examine the model. After a few moments, he spoke, “Ah! A fireworks display! That’s what it’s missing.”

Shining looked at him dubiously, “Fireworks?”

Discord replied, “Well, it IS a base and all. Surely it should have some way of lighting things up.”

Pinkie had a realization at his words and let out a loud gasp, catching everyone’s attention. “CANDLES! I forgot the candles! How could I forget…?” She sat down, staring at the floor with a sad expression.

Twilight put a hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder and said, “Pinkie, it’s okay. I love it! It looks amazing! It doesn’t need anything else.”

Pinkie uttered, “But I wanted this cake to be perfect for you. I didn’t even think about the candles when I was preparing it. And now there’s no place for them…”

Discord spoke, “Oh, wipe that frown off your face, Pinkie.” He demonstrated by using his lion paw to literally wipe his mouth off, though it reappeared a few seconds later in a smile. “I can fix that little problem without disturbing anything!” he finished.

Twilight got an odd look on her face as she started to say, “Uh, that’s really not necessary, Discord…” He either didn’t hear her or ignored her since, with a snap of his fingers, candle wicks sprouted from the top of the Mother Base model and small candles emerged from the sugar water. Twilight began to get nervous and started to move towards Discord as she said, “Okay Discord, that’s enough. You don’t have to…” Once again, her pleas fell on deaf ears and a second snapping of his fingers lit all the candles, causing her to stop in her tracks.

Twilight stared at the lit candles, watching them burn and flicker all over Mother Base and in the ‘water’. It added something to the scene, something that caused a sensation of horror to rise up in her. It brought to mind a sight she’d only seen once, but once was more than enough. She could almost see it playing out right in front of her. The collapsing struts, the buildings collapsing and burying all underneath, choppers on fire in the water, the flames engulfing everything…

She came out of it and back to the present when Spike, not noticing any sign of her inner turmoil, shook her and asked, “Hey, can I blow out the candles, Twilight?”

Twilight nodded slightly, numbly saying, “Y-Yeah, sure. Go ahead, Spike. Blow out the candles.” As the dragon climbed up onto the cake, she whispered, “Please put them out. Please put out the fires.”

Once he was hanging onto the edge of the cake, Spike took a deep breath and blew it out, putting all the candles out. Twilight let out a sigh at this, relieved, but her terror flared up again when the candles lit up again. Spike tried blowing them out several more times, only for them to relight each time. Almost everyone laughed at Discord’s use of relighting candles, but Twilight’s turmoil was only getting worse with each passing moment as she took a few steps back and sat down, a cold sweat running down her head as she began to breathe faster.

Shining stopped laughing long enough to glance over at where Twilight had been standing, at which point he realized she wasn’t there. He looked around and spotted her. His good mood vanished when he noticed the distant look in her eyes and her horrified expression, causing him to turn and trot over to her. “Twilight? Twily? What’s wrong?” he asked, trying to get her attention, but she couldn’t hear him.

The relighting candles had caused Twilight’s memories to become more vivid and twisted, causing them to cloud her mind. She was no longer in Sugarcube Corner; in her mind, she was reliving the horrors once again. The base was on fire and they were under attack. She could see the shadows firing on her fellow soldiers, their screams ringing out through the air. Blood spilled across the decks and the smell of death filled the air, mixing with the smell of the flames around her. Twilight was too terrified to move as, amidst the slaughter, the man from her dreams calmly and slowly emerged and walked towards her. She could only look up at him as he got closer, tipping his hat up to reveal the tightly stretched skin on his face that melted away to reveal his skull as it suddenly caught on fire…

By this time, everyone noticed Twilight’s state due to Shining’s attempts to reach her and were looking at her with great concern. It was only when Shining touched her with a hoof and Spike loudly called out her name that she finally responded.

All of the ponies that were out around Sugarcube Corner stopped and winced when they heard a loud scream of terror come from inside the building, the scream almost sounding animalistic. They all immediately turned to look, only to see Twilight running out in terror, tears streaming down her face, her friends and family coming out after her and stopping on the front step as they called out to her to no avail. She just kept running, fear being the only thing that was pushing her on.
> Castle Mane-ia Revisited
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zecora was in her hut looking over a weathered tome from her homeland when she heard a frantic tapping on her front door, causing her to look up and turn her head towards it. She wondered who it was, but before she could move or say anything, the door suddenly burst open, a frantic Rainbow Dash landing inside and looking around quickly. Through the open doorway, Zecora could see Spike standing outside, a worried expression on his face.

Rainbow soon noticed Zecora as she walked over to the front door. The zebra had an annoyed look on her face, but Rainbow didn’t notice it. “Zecora, have you seen Twilight today?!” she asked, almost shouting.

Zecora, still looking annoyed, replied, “Rainbow Dash, how nice to see you too, though you’ve yet to give me a ‘hello’ and ‘how do you do?’.”

Rainbow didn’t really heed the zebra pointing out her lack of pleasantries seeing as she didn’t tell the pegasus what she wanted to hear. “Yeah, whatever! Look, something weird happened with Twilight a little while ago and she just ran off without warning! Some of the ponies we asked around town said they saw her running towards the Everfree Forest, so if you’ve seen her, we’d kind of like to know so we can find her and figure out what’s going on with her!” she said.

Spike carefully stepped inside the hut and walked over, standing next to Rainbow. “Please, Zecora. If you saw her at all, please tell us. I don’t know what set her off at Sugarcube Corner, and that’s the worst part. I’ve seen all of Twilight’s highs and lows, but I’ve never seen her show so much terror before. It was nothing like when she’s overstressing about something. I’m really worried about what she might do if we don’t find her.”

Zecora’s annoyance faded as she listened to Spike and watched his nervous shifting. She closed her eyes for a moment to gather her thoughts and opened them, glancing between Spike and Rainbow as she started, “Indeed, I did see Twilight passing through, while I was out collecting ingredients for my brew. Where she went, I do not know, but deeper in the forest, there are only so many places for a pony to go.”

Rainbow asked, “So you saw her run deeper into the forest? Why didn’t you try to stop her?!”

Zecora replied, “Twilight was running very fast, but I still saw her face as she ran past.” She shook her head, “Terror-stricken and full of grief; attempting to stop her would’ve done little good, that is my belief.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow, “What?”

Zecora turned and walked over to her table while saying, “To help someone through grief requires a special trust, and establishing it is a must.” She looked back at Rainbow and Spike, “Acting at the wrong time or with force will only cause harm. Great care must be taken, or she may buy the farm.” She then turned back to the table and picked up the cup atop it, raising it to her mouth to take a drink.

Rainbow grunted, “Yeah, like Applejack or her family would ever allow that! Come on, Spike! Let’s go get the others!”

Spike asked, “Where are we going?”

Rainbow replied, “There’s only other place in this forest that Twilight would go: The Castle of the Two Sisters! That’s gotta be where she is!” Without another word, she turned and ran out the door, heading back to Ponyville. Spike ran after her, but stopped when he reached the door and looked back at Zecora over his shoulder. She was looking back at him as well and gave him a knowing nod, her expression set. Spike looked at her for a moment after she faced forward again before running out, grabbing the front door and pulling it closed as he went.

________________________________________

Twilight was pacing around the main hall of the Castle of the Two Sisters, her steps rapid as she walked up and down. Her cheeks were streaked with wet lines and her eyes were a bit red, indicating she’d been crying for a while. Try as she might, it seemed she just couldn’t keep her feelings about the past under control anymore due to how she kept muttering to herself as she stared at the floor.

“What will it take…? What can I use…? I don’t… I can’t… What… Why wasn’t I…?” She began to get annoyed by her own mutterings, her light steps becoming more like stomps and her pace slowing. “What was I thinking that night? Why didn’t I do something? As soon as I thought something was wrong, I should’ve… disregarded orders and returned to base immediately. I would’ve… I could’ve… WHY DIDN’T I DO MORE?!” She kicked a piece of rubble as she finished her anguished scream, groaning afterwards and grabbing her hoof with her other hoof, falling over onto her side as she clutched it.

As she lay on the floor, she murmured to herself, “Why…? Why am I here? Why only me? Snake, Miller, Chico, Morpho, Lark, Stag Beetle, Viper… what happened to them? They can’t be gone, can they?” She closed her eyes, “I don’t know how to get back, and months have to have passed by now. I’d never be able to find them.” She let go of her leg and relaxed her body. She looked at her hooves, “They’re all gone. So much blood spilled, and for what? What purpose? What cause?” She glared at her hooves, “There’s still one. One whose blood hasn’t been spilled yet.” She rolled over onto her front, “It’s time to fix that.”

She walked to the far end of the hall, up the small set of stairs where she left her saddlebags. She grabbed her knife when she reached them, pulling it from its holster and holding it up in front of her. She examined it for a few moments, turning it over and looking at its faint reflective surface before taking it in a reverse grip. She decided to drag it out for as long as possible; it seemed like the only fitting way to end it. “I wonder how long it’ll take me to pass out,” she muttered as she began to lower the knife’s tip to the top of her left hoof.

Before it could reach her hoof, Rainbow suddenly entered the main hall, yelling, “Twilight!” The alicorn quickly looked up towards other end of the hall and saw her standing in the entrance. Even as far away as she was, Rainbow was able to see the knife in her friend’s hoof. “What the hay are you doing?!” she asked. Twilight’s expression shifted from surprised to a look of contempt, starting to lower the knife again while still looking at the pegasus. She saw this and shouted, “Hey, hey, that’s not funny, Twilight! Stop it!” Twilight’s hoof slowed at this, but it kept moving down. “Put the knife down, Twi’, it’s not a toy! Think about it, egghead!” Twilight’s hoof stopped at that, but a moment later, she raised it above her head like she was going to swing it down in one swift motion. Rainbow spread her wings as she said, “That’s it!” and shot down the hall towards her.

She was so focused on getting the knife that she failed to see Twilight’s horn light up as she got closer. She was brought to a stop when a magic force field appeared around her, surrounding her like a bubble. She swung a hoof forward at it after a moment, but the field pushed it back and, to her surprise, stayed pushed in. She tried with her back hooves as well, only for the same thing to happen. “The more you try to get out, Rainbow, the more it’s going to compress. Might want to stop if you don’t want all your bones to break,” Twilight said idly as she traced the tip of her knife over her foreleg, though not hard enough to cut through her Sneaking Suit.

Rainbow paled at the thought of what Twilight was implying, but before she could do anything, they both heard Celestia’s voice call out, “TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” Both mares looked to see her appear from a bright flash of light, alone. She must’ve teleported to the castle ahead of everyone else. She saw the predicament Rainbow was in and ordered, in no uncertain terms, “Release her from that spell.” Twilight simply gave her a sidelong glance, still toying with the knife. Celestia’s eyes narrowed and she began to walk closer, “Release her and put down that knife, Twilight!”

Rainbow quickly jumped in, “Yeah, just take it easy, Twilight! Don’t do this! Princess Celestia obviously isn’t cool with this; you think Big Boss would be?”

Twilight had been keeping an eye on Celestia since she entered, but at Rainbow’s mention of Snake, her eyes snapped up to glare at her, “Big Boss can go to Tartarus before he goes to Hell for all I care. At least he has somewhere to go, that closeminded, warmongering son of a…”

Her words were cut off by Celestia as she stopped in the middle of the hall, “That’s enough, Twilight!” Twilight looked back down at her. “Let Rainbow Dash go and give me that knife!” she commanded.

Twilight replied after a moment, “As you wish, Princess.” Her horn lit up and she made the field around Rainbow disappear, though she quickly grabbed the pegasus and threw her at Celestia, managing to catch the princess off-guard and knock her onto her side. While the two were disoriented, Twilight threw her knife straight up and shot a bolt of magic up at it, causing a magenta aura to surround it.

Both Celestia and Rainbow looked up a second later to see the knife suddenly split into several dozen knives, all of them pointing directly down at them. Rainbow’s eyes widened and she whirled around, throwing herself onto Celestia to protect her while crying out, “Princess!”

Despite how things looked, Celestia struggled to get Rainbow off of her, or at least get her wing out of her face. “Rainbow, stop! They’re not…!” Her words were cut off by a whooshing sound as the knives came flying at them… and shot right through them. Finally managing to get Rainbow’s wing off, Celestia said, “They’re not real, Rainbow Dash! They’re illusions!”

The pegasus looked up at that and saw one of the remaining knives vanish as it came into contact with the floor. “Wha…? Then why-?”

She was stopped by Twilight calling, “Made you look… away!” Rainbow turned her head around and saw Twilight’s tail disappear through the doorway to her left on the balcony at the end of the hall.

“Shoot…” Rainbow muttered, realizing she’d been tricked. Spike, Discord, and the other ponies arrived shortly she had gotten off of Celestia and, when they asked where Twilight was, Rainbow sheepishly explained that she’d made her look.

“I had a feeling there’d be trouble if we didn’t all confront her together,” Luna sighed.

“‘Confront’? You make it sound like she’s a threat, Luna,” Celestia said.

“Well, she’s clearly one to herself if she’s contemplating cutting herself,” Luna retorted.

“Did she really not like my party that much…?” Pinkie murmured sadly.

Applejack shook her head to clear the images this new information had stirred up, “We gotta find her. She’s gotta still be in this castle somewhere.”

Celestia nodded, “I agree. We can’t let her wander freely with the means to harm herself in her possession. We have to get her knife away from her, but she’ll be on alert now. I fear we won’t be able to approach her all together now. Our best chance may be for one of us to sneak up on her.” Once they were all clear on what to do, they all picked a way to go and split up, all of them moving quickly with the exception of Discord, who moved more lazily and seemed remarkably unconcerned about the situation.

________________________________________

Rarity was searching the castle dungeon when she spotted Twilight sitting in the hallway with her back to her. She could see the lavender alicorn shaking as she sat there as well as the fact that her knife had been returned to its holster. “This is my chance!” she thought as she began to quietly tiptoe towards Twilight. The unicorn felt she could do this; as somepony who was constantly looking to impress, she had to be careful how she stepped figuratively, and as a bit of a mystery lover and a sleuth in her own right, she had to know how to do so literally. It seemed to be working so far; her hooves made no noise on the stone and Twilight hadn’t moved yet. She just had to get a little closer in order to grab the knife…

Almost as soon as she began channeling magic into her horn, Twilight’s head snapped up and she spun her head around, her eyes narrowing as soon as she saw Rarity. The unicorn let out a gasp and tried to grab the knife, but she wasn’t fast enough. Twilight disappeared in a flash and reappeared directly in front of Rarity, swinging her hind legs straight up underneath the unicorn’s chest and sending her flying back into the wall at the end of the hall with a cry before she took off running.

Eventually, Twilight slowed to a stop and saw she was in a different hallway now, a carpet under her hooves and suits of armor lining the walls. After looking around for a moment, she began to stagger her way down the hall, her steps slow and uneven partly due to her trying to catch her breath, but mainly because she wasn’t feeling very composed at the moment. She felt no push, no ambition, no…

Her thoughts were cut off when she heard Shining shout, “Now!” Her head shot up in the direction she heard his voice from, only to look down when she caught sight of a rope drop down past her vision. It was a loop, one that wrapped around her forelegs and, with a tug, forced her to stand up on her hind legs and turn around. There she saw Applejack emerging from behind one of the suits of armor, part of the length of the rope in her mouth, and moments later, her brother came up behind her and wrapped his forelegs around her, constricting her further.

Feeling her shake a little in his grip, Shining said, “Calm down, Twily, this isn’t like you. Cadance is looking for you too; she’ll find us soon and help you relax. Whatever happened earlier, I’m sure it’s not a big deal.” Twilight’s eyes narrowed and she let out a snort at that, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

She managed to turn her head around enough to glance back at him as she spoke, “Of course you would say that, CAPTAIN, but you wouldn’t get it. You had to learn so many things to be in the Royal Guard, but that’s the hardest thing you’ve had to deal with. When have you had to actually apply what you’ve learned? Probably never, considering the cushy job you have; you never had an actual problem to deal with until I left and came back into your life.”

Shining became a little irritated at her words and he started, “Now you see here, little filly…”

Applejack cut him off as she carefully worked her way closer, “Shining Armor, no! We got ‘er; we’ve got it under control! We just need ta keep her like this ‘til the others get here.”

Twilight turned to her and huffed, “You’re clearly not paying attention, Applejack, or you’d know how little control you actually have.” Applejack stopped at that and saw Twilight’s horn light up with magic. Shining noticed it too and reached up with his right hoof, pressing against it to interrupt what was no doubt a teleport spell. That left Twilight’s right foreleg less bound and she managed to slide it back into one of the pockets on her saddlebags, a small click sounding afterwards. Shining and Applejack heard it, but they were unable to do anything about it.

A smoke grenade fell out of the pocket and went off when it hit the floor, the resulting smoke engulfing all three ponies. Applejack let go of the rope and held her hooves up to her muzzle, coughing as she tried to keep the smoke out. Shining tried to resist it and still keep a hold on Twilight, but she was able to kick at his hind legs and make him unsteady. She quickly bowed forward and sent him flying forward into Applejack, both ponies ending up in a heap. They soon felt the rope being wrapped around them and managed to catch sight of Twilight’s form disappear from the smoke cloud. She was gone by the time the smoke dissipated and the two began struggling to get free from the rope.

As she ran through the halls of the castle, Twilight’s pace eventually slowed as she didn’t run into anyone else. She guessed the smoke grenade going off must’ve attracted everyone’s attention. Feeling safe for the time being, she looked at her surroundings and realized she was near Celestia and Luna’s personal reading room. “Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to stop and rest in there for a moment,” she thought as she continued down the hall. When she was almost there, she saw a book lying on the floor. It was leather-bound, looked quite old… and when she glanced up, she saw several more ahead of it, all laid out in a line leading to the reading room. “Really?” she thought with a deadpan expression. She stepped over the first book and continued on down the hall, deciding to skip the reading room and continuing on past it.

She didn’t get far before an explosion of colorful smoke appeared in front of her. She reared back in surprise and suddenly found herself lifted up into the air, a familiar grip around her waist. She looked behind her and was not surprised by the face she saw. “Discord,” she grunted plainly.

“And there she goes! Back to normal!” the draconequus in question grinned. He brought her close to the side of his face and glanced down at her, “Celestia and your friends were quite worried about you, you know. They all thought something was wrong with you, but I knew better. The only reason I’m here is because Fluttershy begged me to come help.”

Twilight huffed, “Of course.”

Discord held her out in front of him and turned her around to face him. “Is that all you’ve got to say, Twilight? And after ruining your own party too!” he exclaimed.

“Do you know why that happened, Discord?” Twilight questioned.

The draconequus replied, “Well, obviously, someone felt the need to cause a little bit of chaos so she could feel good, but didn’t know how to do it. Chaos doesn’t ruin a perfectly good party, after all.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, “Clearly, being the Lord of Chaos doesn’t mean you know everything about it.”

Discord’s eyes narrowed and he brought her closer to stare directly into her eyes as he spoke, “Oh? In case you’ve forgotten, Your Not-So-Highness, I’ve been around longer than a thousand years. I’ve never once lost control of my magic since I gave myself that title. I know everything there is to know about chaos. What do YOU know?”

Twilight replied, “I know where everything of mine is, for one.” Discord raised an eyebrow at this, maintaining his grip on her when he felt her right foreleg seemingly trying to pull free. He glanced down at it for a moment and Twilight took advantage of it, filling her horn with her magic.

There was a pop a moment later and Discord suddenly felt something drop onto his tongue. He also noticed that it tasted like metal. He opened his mouth and brought his tongue out when he heard a click, revealing the object to be a smoke grenade. “What’s this, a piece of rock candy?” he asked around his tongue, not realizing what it was. He got an answer a second later when it exploded, causing him to turn his head away. Twilight used the opportunity to teleport out of his grip and make a break for it.

She eventually came to a stop in another hallway and leaned against one of the walls as she tried to catch her breath. Her senses were still overstimulated, however, particularly her sense of hearing, and it was messing with her head. She felt like she could hear a lot of different sounds around her. Voices, hooves against the floor, the castle creaking, sounds near and far away… It was getting to be too much and she placed her hooves on the side of her head, trying to block it out.

Her high seemed to thin a bit after a couple of moments and she opened her eyes, glancing around to see that she was still alone. She reached her right hoof down to her saddlebags and realized she’d used up the last of the smoke grenades she’d had. Her gaze shifted to the right a second later, hearing hoof steps coming. She quickly ducked into a nearby opening and pressed against the wall as she thought, “It’s starting to feel a little tight around here.”  She reached for the zipper on her Sneaking Suit, “I think it’s time to make like a snake and shed my skin.”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash came around the corner, both having heard the burst of magic from her teleport. They looked and saw a figure standing in the middle of the hall. They couldn’t see very well due to the hallway’s dim lighting, but they were able to make out Twilight’s saddlebags and assumed it was her. “Grab her!” Rainbow yelled as she shot forward, Applejack hot on her hooves. They both managed to tackle the figure and pin it against the ground, but they soon realized something was off about it.

Applejack moved to get a look at the face and immediately saw what it actually was. “Rebound! Why, you little…” she groaned. The commotion attracted the rest of the girls, who saw that while Twilight had ditched her Sneaking Suit, she still must’ve had the knife since the holster was empty. They still had to hurry up and find her before she did something drastic.

Spike could hear them talking from around the corner, trying to come up with a way to find Twilight and restrain her. He was already tired of hearing about how their efforts to do so had been for naught so far and decided he couldn’t wait any longer. He took off running through the castle, hoping to find her in one of the rooms he had been in. The Princesses’ private reading room, the library, the room that contained the Organ to the Outside… He checked every spot he knew, but he still couldn’t find her. He stopped for a moment near the castle entrance to catch his breath and was about to resume his search when he caught a glimpse of something off-color out of the corner of his eye and turned to look.

Lying on the floor was a piece of white gauze shaped like a square and a similarly colored strip of gauze that had been unrolled. Spike blinked; he didn’t remember seeing them before. He walked over to them and looked them over. The gauze strip looked like it had been hastily torn off, the material looking stretched in a few places. He picked up both pieces of gauze and gave them an experimental sniff. He recognized the familiar scent after a few moments and realized they were Twilight’s dressings. This fact cheered him up since it might help him find Twilight, but it soon gave way to worry as he wondered why she would be tearing off her own bandages.

Spike dropped the dressings and raised his nose up, sniffing for a moment before dropping down onto his claws and sniffing the ground, trying to recall his few days spent as a dog and what he had learned from them. His nose led him to more discarded bandages that had Twilight’s scent on them outside. Smelling her scent made it easier for him to pick up on it, even if it was faint, and he hoped it would lead him right to her. By the time he found the patch that had been taped to her cheek, he found himself in a part of the castle he had never been to: the same room where the girls’ first adventure together had come to an end.

As soon as Spike finished climbing the stairs and entered the large room, he spotted Twilight sitting on the ground near the raised dais on the other side of the chamber, her lavender coat sticking out against all the gray. “Twilight!” he exclaimed, the mare in question raising her head and turning it until she was looking back at him over her left shoulder with one eye in response. Spike immediately ran towards her as fast as his little legs could carry him.

He was a little more than halfway to her when her horn lit up and her knife floated up, coming to a stop above her left shoulder with the blade pointing towards Spike, who quickly slid to a stop when he saw it. “Not another step, Spike,” she said. Spike gulped nervously. He wasn’t worried about himself; with how close the knife was to her, one quick spin would be all it would take for Twilight to slit her throat. His mind raced at what to do, knowing he couldn’t leave her alone but not sure what do next. He soon remembered Zecora’s words from earlier and realized his only option was to keep going and hope he didn’t say the wrong thing.

He held up his claws as he spoke, “O-Okay, Twilight. I won’t move at all until you say I can.” Twilight didn’t respond, leaving an uncomfortable silence hanging in the air for several minutes. Neither one moved, both staring and studying the other. Seeing that it was unlikely anything was going to happen if he didn’t do anything, Spike spoke up again, “I, uh, I really don’t have a problem just standing here, Twilight, but the way you’re pointing your knife at me is… kind of making that hard to do. I-It’s almost like you don’t want me to breathe or something. I-I’ll do that if that’s what you want, but… you don’t need to point a knife at me to make me do it. Maybe you could… well, you can’t put it away right now, but maybe you could just set it down? Right next to you? Within reach? It’s just… I’m really nervous right now…” The silence returned, stagnant as before, and Spike immediately feared he’d said something wrong. He braced himself, waiting for the inevitable.

Suddenly, as expected, the knife moved, but not in the way he expected. Instead of the tip swinging towards Twilight, it dipped down for a moment before she flicked her head up and sent it spinning end over end towards Spike in a rather casual manner. Its tip hit the ground first and it bounced, spinning sideways a bit when it landed and slid on the floor, coming to a stop near Spike. He looked back up at her and saw she had turned her head away from him. “There. I put it down, Spike. Now go away,” she said.

Spike blinked. Just because she suddenly threw the knife away didn’t mean she couldn’t do harm to herself in some other way. As long as she was still in the room, he had to keep talking and try to calm her down, try to get her to return to Ponyville and talk with everyone. “N-No, Twilight, I’m not leaving. I’ve left you by yourself before and I’ve always regretted it later. I can’t do that again, not when you need me.”

Twilight replied, “I’m doing just fine, Spike. You can go now.”

Spike asserted, “No, you’re not fine! You wouldn’t be doing all this if you were fine!” His continued in a softer tone, trying to keep his worries under control, “Twilight, something is clearly bothering you that you haven’t told us about. You have to tell us or we can’t help you. You don’t have to worry so much; everything will be okay.”

Twilight’s head shot straight up at his last word, her eyes widening for a moment before they narrowed. “Okay…?” she asked in a quiet tone, though with how quiet the room was, she might as well have been speaking normally. Regardless, it caused Spike to stand at attention. “Okay?!” she asked again, almost yelling. She spread her wings suddenly and flapped them so she was hovering above the ground before spinning around to look at Spike and holding her legs out. “Take a good look at me, Spike! Do I look ‘okay’ to you?!” she demanded in an angry tone.

Struck silent by the volume of her voice and the anger in it, Spike couldn’t do much besides look up at her, specifically at what had been covered up before. Without the patch taped to her right cheek, he could see she had a burn that stretched back to just under her eye, the ending uneven. Her two weeks of rest had given it a chance to fade somewhat, but the red was still very noticeable. Moving down, he saw black burn marks on her chest that looked older than the burn on her cheek, seemingly caused by something else. Not only that, he could see that the marks were positioned around a long cut that ran diagonally across her chest. He didn’t see any other marks that were as glaringly obvious, but a close enough look revealed she had more marks and cuts than she should have, and her wings were shuddering a bit like they were having difficulty holding her up.

After giving him a minute, Twilight asked, “Do you see now, Spike?! Do you see what the problem is?!” She fluttered down and landed in front of him, “You can’t tell me everything’s ‘okay’! All I have to do is look at myself to know how wrong that is! I can see it’s not, and so can everyone else! Do you think anyone can look at me and not wonder what happened to me?! That nobody’s going to look at me and wonder if they can trust me?! How can I possibly be worth anyone’s time after what I’ve experienced?!”

Spike held up his claws again, “I-I’m sorry, Twilight! You’re right; I had no idea how… what exactly you were recovering from. But… it’s not necessarily anything new for you either, right? I mean… you’ve been around Ponyville not looking so great before you disappeared and ponies didn’t look at you any different. And just because you’ve been in a war doesn’t mean you know any less about friendship. You might even know more than you did before, even though you went through things like Paz…”

As soon as the name left his mouth, Twilight screamed at the top of her lungs, “SHE DIDN’T BETRAY US!” Spike stood almost completely still at that, only shaking slightly as he looked up at Twilight’s angry expression. She looked so angry and yet she stood so still that he was afraid what she might do next. He certainly didn’t expect it when tears started to run from her eyes as her anger was replaced with sadness, followed by her legs sliding to the sides and causing her to flop onto her front, though she soon slumped over onto her side. “She didn’t betray us… She went through all that hell, put up with all that torture… because she chose Snake in the end… She wanted to protect him, protect us all… only for it to not matter in the end… There was nothing she could’ve done against him…” she sobbed.

In the midst of her sobbing, Spike moved up against her neck and wrapped his arms around it as best he could, one of his claws stroking her mane softly. When he felt there was a lull in her mumblings, he asked softly, “What are you talking about, Twilight? Who’s ‘him’?” Twilight didn’t respond aside from more sobbing. He stayed silent for several moments, still stroking her mane, before trying again, “Come on, Twilight, tell me…”

Twilight sniffled and murmured, “I can’t…. I can’t… Oh god, Spike, I can’t…” Her eyes opened a little, “Every night now… Every night I see it, what happened that night… I see everything I should’ve done, and… no matter what, I always see him, looking at me, taunting me, reminding me that, no matter what I do, I can’t save anyone…” She thought she saw a sudden flash of movement through her blurry vision, but before she could do anything, a sudden drowsiness washed over her and she fell asleep without another thought.

Spike looked at her in surprise when he saw her head slump to the ground and turned to the side to see Luna approaching with Celestia right behind her. Past them, he could Shining, Cadance, Discord, and the rest of the girls standing in the entrance to the room, looking on. He looked up at Luna and started, “Wha…”

Luna cut him off, “Don’t worry, Spike, I simply put her under a sleeping spell.” She looked down at the lavender alicorn, “Twilight is… as well as she can be at the moment.”

Spike asked, “Why’d you do that?”

Luna closed her eyes and replied, “We overheard what she said. Something happened to her, but whatever it was, it’s too traumatic for her to talk about now. And I’m sure you already mentioned to her we cannot help her if we don’t know. If she can’t tell us herself, then there’s only one option for finding out the cause of her distress.”

Celestia looked at her, “Luna… you’re not suggesting…”

Luna opened her eyes, “I see no other way, sister. I’ve seen how haunted her dreams are already. I can’t dispel or influence it, but I can still trace it back to its source.” Her eyes narrowed slightly, “And once there, perhaps he will reveal himself at last.”
> The Darkness Inside
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight was lowered softly onto her bed, the yellow glow of Celestia’s magic vanishing from around her when her head was atop the pillow and her back was against the covers. The princess ran the tip of her right hoof softly beneath the burn on her right cheek for a moment before pulling it away and turning to everyone gathered in the room, her gaze stopping on Luna. The two sisters shared a gaze before Celestia closed her eyes and simply said, “She’s all yours, Luna.” The Night Princess nodded and took a few steps back away from everyone, preparing her magic.

Before she could lay down, however, Rainbow Dash suddenly leapt up and landed in front of her, saying, “Whoa, hold up, Princess Luna! You are not going alone; we’re coming with!” As she said this, she was flanked by the other girls, Shining, and Spike, who all looked like they agreed with her.

Luna couldn't deny the warm feeling she felt at seeing how devoted Twilight's friends and family were to her, but aside from a small, momentary smile, she didn't show it, and she couldn't let it sway her. "I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash, but I can't allow that," she said simply.

"What?! Why not?!" the pegasus demanded.

Luna explained, "This is why. You are too much of a, as they say, hothead. Dream walking is delicate work that requires impartiality. If we were going to fight something, I would say yes without question, but I am going into Twilight's dreams to learn, and it will be very difficult to do that and maintain the spell if I have to rein in any pony who gets caught up in what they see."

Rainbow protested, "But…"

She was stopped by a hoof on her shoulder and turned to see it was Cadance. "She's right, Rainbow. I want to know what happened to Twilight too, but Luna has more experience with this. We should respect her wishes."

Discord suddenly popped up next to Luna and eagerly asked, "Can I come?"

Shining spoke up, "No, you definitely can't! You shouldn't even be here! You haven't done anything but make Twilight feel worse!"

Discord gave him an unamused look, "Excuse me, is your name Princess Luna now? Because I believe that's who I was asking." He looked back at Luna expectantly.

The princess met his gaze for a moment before closing her eyes and saying, "I concur with Captain Armor in this case, Discord. You have quite a bit of gall to be asking such a question."

Fluttershy looked worried while the draconequus reeled back, as if he was offended. "What?! I…"

Luna cut him off, "You have been neutral in this ordeal at best. At all other times, you have paid little heed to what Twilight says. I do not think it's wise for you to get any more inside her head. You’ve already proven you can make her feel worse without even trying.”

Discord asked, "Well, how was I supposed to know how she was feeling?! She didn't say anything!"

Celestia spoke, "She didn't have to, Discord. The signs that she was suffering have been there all this time, but I failed to see them. We all did. Big Boss clearly had good psychological counselors in his army that helped her learn to cope with any other traumas she's been through, but not for this. Whatever happened the night she returned is too much for her to handle and she's been suffering more and more with each passing day as a result. We have to intervene now before she actually goes past the point of no return."

Discord replied, "And I can help, really! I can help Luna!"

The Night Princess spoke, "Your ability to actually help anypony has been questionable since you aided Tirek, and you treating this as a game has not helped in the slightest. So, if you would kindly leave the room, please…"

Discord felt the request was unreasonable and raised his voice, "Oh, is that what we're playing now? Really, Luna! You talk about games and now…"

Celestia noticed that Twilight seemed to be stirring and calmly yet sharply cut the draconequus off, "Discord." The quiet tone in her voice caused him to stop and look at her. "If you care about Twilight at all and desire to keep your freedom, you will respect Luna's wishes. Now please leave the room," she said, leaving no room for argument.

Luna noticed that Discord looked like he was going to try to argue anyway, so she flew up in front of him and told him, “I do know what you like to dream about, Discord. You have the same amount of magic control in your dreams as you do when you’re awake, but how do you think you’d feel if you had no control there at all? Such a thing is possible, you know, and I imagine it’d affect you when you’re awake as well. If you don’t want to find out for yourself, then I’d better not see you at all after I begin.” She narrowed her eyes, “Being turned to stone can seem preferable, you know.” Discord looked surprised at this, the draconequus feeling a little intimidated by her words.

Fluttershy gasped and started, “Princess Luna…!” Before she could say any more, Discord shut his eyes, raised his head, let out a huff, and turned on his heel, stiffly walking to the bedroom doors, opening and slamming them shut behind him. After waiting a few seconds, Luna landed on the floor and turned her attention back to Twilight. What she and everyone else didn’t notice was Discord appearing faintly on the wall around the doors, the draconequus having merged with the wall in order to watch without them noticing. Luna lowered herself onto the floor and closed her eyes before she summoned her magic into her horn, reaching out to Twilight with it.

________________________________________

Luna opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by blackness. No matter where she looked, she saw nothing but black, but this didn’t bother her. “Just as I expected. Now I just have to find her and get her away from those… apparitions,” she thought to herself as she spread her wings. She then flew off into the seemingly eternal blackness, searching.

With the aid of her magic, it didn’t take long for Luna to locate Twilight. She was in the same dreamscape as before, having already walked past the silhouettes of metalwork, coffins, and cages and standing at the front of the cemetery where the dream ended last time. As she got closer, she began to see the ghosts of the MSF soldiers from before appear in the darkness, six in total, but they seemed to be different. Rather than crowding around her and reaching for her, they were lined up at her sides, all of them facing the cemetery.  She could also hear that song about Nicola and Bart, whoever they were, and it seemed to be coming from the soldiers. “Twilight doesn’t seem to be singing, though. She’s not lost yet!” Luna realized and quickened her flight speed, aiming for Twilight.

Twilight had had her head tilted down as she stood in line with the soldiers, listening. For all the memories that the song brought up, the soldiers’ singing was beautiful. It almost felt like they were inviting her, encouraging her to join in, and the more she listened, the more she felt like it was the right thing to do.

She had just started to think about raising her head up when she felt a pair of hooves grab her sides and lift her up off the ground. She looked up in surprise to see that it was Luna, the Princess of the Night looking back as she flew up and forward. Twilight looked back as well to see that, while they did turn to look at where she’d been and where she was now, the soldiers didn’t move or stop singing. Luna lowered her down and let her go when she could make out the ground beneath, Twilight standing on the slightly slanted surface while Luna fluttered over and landed next to her.

Twilight looked up at Luna and asked, “Why did you do that, Luna?”

Luna turned to her, “Why…? To get you away from those specters, Twilight! They attacked you before, remember?”

Twilight replied, “They were welcoming me.”

Luna’s eyes narrowed a bit, “They were attempting to drag you away, Twilight! You’re not one of them; you do not belong with them!”

Twilight looked down, “No, I don’t… I don’t belong anywhere or with anyone anymore…” She looked up at the soldiers, who still hadn’t budged an inch, “I should be with them, but I can’t because I lived… I can be with them, have a place to belong, if I…”

She was cut off when Luna grabbed her with her hooves and turned her around to look at her. “Get these thoughts out of your head, Twilight! I understand you’ve been raised with high performance standards in mind, but you’ve never intentionally been self-destructive!” Her gaze softened, “Why are you thinking this way? What atrocities have you been a witness to? What happened, Twilight?”

Before anything more could be said between the two alicorns, it suddenly began to rain, starting slowly and then quickly becoming a downpour. They both then heard another voice, a low male voice, say, “Sad… So sad…” They both turned their heads to look towards the hill to see the human that Luna had seen before hovering above the ground, still with the hood on his jacket up over his head though he looked less transparent now. He glanced back at the two mares over his shoulder for a moment before swinging his body around to face them completely.

Luna immediately glared at him, “Who are you?! What are you doing here?!” While she was speaking, the man raised a hand to his hood and pushed it down, further revealing his smile, glasses, and blue eyes with red scleras as well as his silver-gray hair.

He looked at the two for a moment before answering, “I am The Sorrow.”

Twilight blinked at this, recognizing his name from one of the stories Snake had told her. “The Sorrow? The medium from the Cobra Unit?” she asked, causing Luna to glance over at her in surprise.

The Sorrow looked over at Twilight and said, “You. You are as filled with sadness as I am. Your sadness follows you no matter where you go. A host of sorrows, unable to bear the burden, unfit to go on living.” Twilight looked down, placing her right forehoof on her left foreleg. She felt he saw through her all too easily.

Luna, however, did not agree with his assessment and voiced her disagreement, “Still your tongue, man! What is it that you claim to know?”

The Sorrow answered, “I have witnessed many things, heard many voices on the battlefield. Battle brings death. Death brings sadness. I was born in a world of sadness, and now it has made its way to your world… through her.” As he was speaking, the coat he was wearing faded away to reveal the gray sweater, straps, belt, and pouches he had on underneath. Luna tensed up when she saw a handgun in the holster on his chest, but she wasn’t ready to give up.

“I know she’s been through things nopony should have to go through. We all do. But it’s clear she’s been through something that she’s afraid of sharing. So, if you would, kindly, release whatever influence you have over her and allow me to do my learning in peace,” she said, standing up and taking an aggressive stance as she spoke.

Despite this, the smile on The Sorrow’s face didn’t waver. “She has no control over what she is experiencing. The dead are drawn to her regardless. I, too, was drawn to her sorrow. Do not discount the will and the voices of the dead,” he said calmly.

Luna asked, “The dead? That can’t be. The dead don’t… there’s no…” She trailed off, suddenly finding herself stuck on how to continue.

The Sorrow spoke, “The truth is there. Follow the path of the dead and you’ll find the answers you seek. You may have your doubts, you may try to explain what you’ve seen as the work of nightmares, but make no mistake, Princess.” Luna gasped softly as she saw a bloody tear leak from his left eye and run down his cheek. His eyes narrowed slightly, “The dead are not silent.” Both Luna and Twilight heard a gunshot and the lens over The Sorrow’s left eye cracked.

As soon as it did, the ground beneath Twilight suddenly gave way and she screamed as she fell into blackness back first. Luna quickly turned and cried out “Twilight!” before diving into the hole after her. She spread her wings and tried to catch up, but she never seemed to get any closer. Suddenly, Twilight disappeared completely and Luna soon lost all sense of direction, the blackness swirling around her.

When she finally became aware of her surroundings again, she found herself lying on her side with what felt like a mattress beneath her. She rolled onto her front and looked around a little; she was indeed on a bed, the top of a bunk bed given how high up she was, and there were a number of beds like it in the room she was in. She didn’t recognize the room, but given what Twilight had talked about before, she guessed it was a barracks in Mother Base.

She soon spotted the door, or rather the man in front of the door. The Sorrow was floating there, still with his glasses cracked, a blood trail going down his cheek, and that ever present smile. A moment after she saw him, he raised a sign above his head that had the words ‘FOLLOW ME’ printed on it. Luna glared at him; was he toying with her? Was this a game to him? Still, she couldn’t just lie around and wait for something to happen, so after he floated out of the room, she jumped down off of the bed and made her way to the door.

As she exited the room and headed to her right down the hallway outside, seeing The Sorrow floating at the end of the hall, Luna really got the sense that he was making light of the situation. The hallway itself was normal and it even had signs on the walls to help direct anyone, but rather than signs that pointed out where the Mess Hall or the Shooting Range were, the signs were all replaced with ones like the one The Sorrow had been holding. ‘DO NOT GO THIS WAY’ one said, another read ‘YES, THAT’S IT’, and another had the words ‘I FEEL ASLEEP’ printed on it for some reason. She saw quite a few more signs that had other strange messages on them and they were really starting to get on her nerves as she searched for the man.

She soon turned a corner and saw The Sorrow floating near another left turn a short distance away. He floated down it as soon as she saw him and she gave chase, rounding the corner to see that they had seemingly come to a dead end. After a few moments of Luna looking at him with a questioning gaze, The Sorrow floated to his left and passed through the wall next to him. Luna would’ve gotten angry had she not noticed the sign on the wall behind where he’d been. It simply read ‘THIS WAY’. She walked over to where The Sorrow had been and turned to the wall. Raising a hoof to the wall, she found she was able to pass right through it, so she stepped forward after a moment to see what was on the other side.

She found herself standing in a corridor elsewhere on Mother Base. It had the same look as the hallways she’d been running through moments ago, but she could instantly tell something was different about it. The air seemed stagnant and she felt an oppressive, crushing sensation coming from this part of the dreamscape. Hopelessness? She tried not to dwell on it as she started walking forward. After a few steps, she noticed something off to her left ahead of her: steel bars coming down from the ceiling. Was she in Mother Base’s prison, or the Brig as Twilight had called it? She moved closer to the bars and peered inside. She let out a gasp at what she saw.

Twilight was sitting in the cell, her back turned to Luna. Her mane and tail were both frizzy messes and she was sitting hunched over, her right foreleg moving constantly in front of her. The floor and walls of the cell were covered with black scribblings. It all seemed to be done with the usual grace and care Twilight usually put into her writing, but there was so much of it on the walls and floor that it all seemed to be running together, making it illegible. But that didn’t matter to Luna; all that mattered was Twilight. She moved to the door of the cell and tried to open it, but it didn’t budge an inch. She looked back at her friend and called, “Twilight!”

Twilight raised her head a bit, but she didn’t turn to look at Luna. Instead, she stared at the wall in front of her for a moment before raising her right hoof to her forehead, dropping the piece of charcoal she was holding as she did, and groaned, “Come on… Think, dammit, think!” Her head turned to the left suddenly and Luna followed her gaze a moment later to see something she hadn’t noticed before: there was some writing on the wall that she could read. The words read ‘WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NOW?’, however they weren’t as neat as Twilight’s, instead looking like they were messily scrawled, and were written in red. Twilight stared at the words for a few moments before she placed both hooves on the side of her head and turned away, saying, “Okay, um… I know the answer. I really do! I can figure it out, I can handle this. I just… Dammit, I need to think!”

Luna watched Twilight return to her charcoal scribbling after several moments. She had an idea of what she was looking at, but she didn’t want to jump to that conclusion yet. She shook the cell door again and yelled, “Twilight!” There was no reaction from the mare this time, however.

Before she could call to her again, she heard her voice… coming from her right. “They’re dead… They’re all dead… Because of me…” Luna looked to the right, glancing back at the jailed mare in front of her for a moment before moving towards where she heard the voice coming from, passing by two empty cells before she found an occupied one containing another Twilight sprawled out on the floor of the cell. Her mane and tail were a mess as well, though her simply looked like she hadn’t been taking care of it. “I ran when they needed me the most… I came back to find them all dead… I’m sorry… I’m sorry!” she cried. Luna noticed that the cell lacked the scribblings that the other cell had, but there was another message scrawled on the back wall that read ‘EVERYONE YOU TOUCH DIES’.

Now Luna was certain she was looking at different parts of Twilight’s personality. “But why are they locked up like this? That’s not normal, and neither are these messages,” she thought to herself. Hoping to find an answer, she continued on down the hall, expecting to see another Twilight as she noticed a cell to her left up ahead.

Sure enough, as she got closer, she heard Twilight saying, presumably, to herself, “I’m going to get him, the one who did this. He’s going to regret this! I will punish him, make him suffer worse than he ever has, beat him to a pulp! I will leave him begging for death to save him.” Luna reached the cell as the talking stopped and saw the Twilight in the cell sitting on the edge of the bed against the back wall, her mane and tail slightly unkempt as she glared at the wall to her left. Looking there, she saw written in black the simple yet difficult to answer question, ‘Why are we here?’, and underneath it in that red writing was the apparent answer, ‘JUST TO SUFFER’.

Moving on, Luna found one more cell on her right containing one last Twilight, this one looking like she normally did before she disappeared. “Strange… For a moment, I… forgot who I was. I… Did I always look like this? Was I always this way? I thought I was a student, I thought I was a princess, I thought I was a soldier, I… who am I, really? I thought I knew…” she muttered, looking around uncertainly as she stood in the middle of the cell. Luna noticed the floor under her had the red writing spelling out ‘THERE’S NO ESCAPE’. She glanced up and noticed the words ‘Destruction? Madness? Freedom?’ written on the ceiling in the normal black style. She then heard a noise and looked forward to see the door at the end of the hall slowly sliding open. She looked at it for a moment before moving towards it to investigate.

Luna stepped through the door and found herself out on the deck. She walked over to the edge of the deck and looked around; she could see sea water far below her, but she couldn’t see very far into the distance due to some sort of yellow distortion that seemed to be surrounding the entire base. Whatever it was, it made the air near it wavy and difficult to see beyond. Turning back towards the base, she noticed that she had two options for where to go next. She could either follow a connecting bridge that looked like it went straight into the distortion, or there was another door not far from the one she’d come out of. Not trusting the bridge, she headed for the door, which slid open as she approached it. She stepped into a small reception area and moved towards the door at the back of it, stepping into the room beyond.

Luna almost immediately realized she was in the Sick Bay due to all the beds and medical equipment she could see around the room. Many of the beds she could see were occupied, though most of the occupants didn’t seem to be moving. But Luna didn’t have time to dwell on that; her thoughts were soon redirected when she heard a loud bloodcurdling scream come from the back of the room.

After a moment, she realized it was a girl who was screaming. She immediately assumed it was Twilight, especially since it sounded familiar, but after a few seconds, she realized who the screams belonged to. “Paz?” Confused and a little frightened by how it sounded like the girl was screaming bloody murder, she made her way to the back, towards a spot in the Sick Bay that had curtains set up around it, preventing the rest of the room from seeing what was happening.

When she almost reached the curtains, she came to a stop and stared warily. The shadows on the curtains hadn’t moved in the time she had been walking across the room, but she suddenly noticed a flash of movement, a distinct pony shadow taking a step away from the gathering of shadows behind the curtain. For several moments, it remained motionless, but then it took another step and came through the curtain to its right, revealing that it was Twilight. Luna reeled back slightly at the sight of her. Her Sneaking Suit was soaked in blood, but that wasn’t all; her mane, tail, and face were almost completely covered with dried blood as well. Luna quietly hoped that it came from helping with a particularly messy surgical procedure and not something else. Her horn was longer and twisted and, when she turned to look at Luna, her eyes were red instead of violet.

For a few moments, silence ruled the air between them, Twilight seeming as surprised at seeing Luna as she was by her appearance. That all changed when Twilight’s eyes narrowed and her horn lit up, dark magic swirling around it and the handgun she pulled from her holster. Luna gasped when she pointed it at her and stumbled to the side, blind luck being all that kept her from getting hit by any of the three shots that rang through the air.

Regaining her footing, Luna stood up straight and used her magic to put a force field in front of herself while Twilight spread her legs out to make her stance more stable and focused, taking aim. Luna moved her body slightly out of reflex to get out of the way of the shot, but she was surprised when the bullet not only cracked but actually came through the force field, a small hole marking its entry point. Realizing how dangerous this Twilight really was, she began backing away and recasting the force field spell over and over to reinforce the first one as Twilight followed and kept shooting at her. When she had to stop and reload, Luna dropped the force field entirely and turned, spreading her wings as she shot towards the door, managing to get out of the Sick Bay as Twilight finished reloading and took a shot at her, the bullet hitting the closing door.

Luna ran out to the deck and spun around, panting softly and backing up slowly as she waited for Twilight to come out. She’d barricaded the door with everything in the reception room, but there was no doubt in her mind that it wouldn’t be enough to stop the twisted version of her friend. She began to hear the sound of objects smashing inside as her steps carried her onto the start of the bridge she’d passed before, stopping before she stepped back over the edge. She stood, her legs bent and tensed up. The sounds had stopped, but Twilight had not come out yet.

She turned to her left when she heard the sound of someone exhaling, the resonance immediately sounding familiar to her, and saw The Sorrow appear from the distortion, floating towards her. He still had that smile, but when he spoke, he almost sounded urgent, “You should not be here!” Before Luna could manage a reply, he stopped and brought his arms and legs up in front of him for a moment. He then brought his legs down and held his hands out, unleashing a strange, twisting beam at Luna as he said, “Leave!” Luna was too shocked to react and was hit by the beam, a scream sounding afterwards. When the twisted Twilight made it outside, the only thing she found was a human corpse on the bridge, specifically its skeletal upper half. She looked at it for a moment before grunting and putting her gun away before she turned and walked off.

________________________________________

Spike and the ponies became worried when Luna suddenly let out a loud gasp and flopped over onto her side. They thought she might wake up, but she remained on the floor, magic still flowing from her horn to Twilight. Spike looked at Celestia and asked, “What happened?”

Celestia turned to look at Twilight, who was still lying still, and shook her head after a moment, “I don’t know…”

________________________________________

Luna could feel a soft sea breeze wafting past her as she regained consciousness, a low moan escaping her mouth as a hoof went to her forehead. She used her other hoof to push herself up off the ground into a sitting position and opened her eyes to look around a few moments. She was still on Mother Base, but now she could clearly see the blue skies above and all the way to the horizon. She knew she wasn’t in the same place she was moments ago, but she wasn’t sure where exactly she was yet.

She soon got an answer when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to look. She saw Miller making his way across the deck with a gathering of MSF soldiers including Twilight following him while carrying caskets with Snake bringing up the rear. Luna noticed that four soldiers were assigned to carry each casket. Twilight was using her magic to help hold up one of the caskets as she walked next to its left side. Luna noticed the expression on her face. She was sad like the other soldiers, but the look in her eye indicated to Luna that she’d witnessed the deaths of at least some of these soldiers. Wanting to know for sure, she reached out towards Twilight with her magic…

As her magic reached Twilight, the scene before her flickered for a few seconds before it was replaced with a new one. Suddenly, she found herself standing on one side of noisy barren wasteland. Looking around, she could see MSF troops and vehicles fighting around her and the enemy troops fighting on the other side. She could hear gunshots and explosions ringing out across the battlefield and, as she looked at all the destruction and carnage, she saw Twilight in the fighting alongside the MSF troops, looking scared and uncertain about what she was involved in but still trying to protect her human friends as best she could.

Luna glowered as she cut off her magic, causing her surroundings to revert. “That was a war zone, and Twilight did not look like she wanted to be there. Did Big Boss give her permission to go… or did he make her go?” She looked up and saw that the line was almost finished, most of the MSF staff standing near one of the platform’s edges. She looked at Snake as he walked past her and briefly wondered how much he had changed, but she pushed it out of her mind since she knew she wouldn’t find an answer in Twilight’s mind. Now that she was in her memories, though, she could hopefully uncover what was troubling Twilight so. She glanced around as she thought, “This can’t be the only moment. There must be more to it.” While she was thinking, she noticed the scene was starting to fade away and waited.

It wasn’t long before Luna found herself standing in a fairly big room. Metal walls, metal floor, metal ceiling… it seemed familiar, though, so she guessed she was somewhere in Mother Base. She heard grunts of exertion behind her and turned to look. Snake and Twilight were in the middle of the room, both punching and kicking at each other and doing their best to block the other’s blows. Twilight had no clothing on while Snake was fully dressed in fatigues. It took Luna a few moments to notice Snake wasn’t wearing his bandanna, yet she was certain he had it on in the other memory. Was he just not wearing it at this point in time? Or had he stopped wearing it altogether?

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Snake speak, “Hm. You’re starting to show some improvement.”

Twilight replied, “Turns out I can learn and get better like everyone else here.”

Snake said, “You’re not as easy to knock down as you used to be.” He then suddenly lunged forward and grabbed her before she could react. Luna winced as she watched him grab and pull her foreleg out to the side and then flip her over onto her back. “Still easy to throw around, though,” he remarked, Luna noticing he didn’t have a hint of a smile on his face or warmth in his voice as he said that.

Twilight looked up at him after recovering from her landing and said, “Well, that’s why you have training sessions like this.” She leaned back a bit and then rolled her body forward, getting back up onto her hooves in one swift motion. She then quickly spun around to face Snake again.

They continued talking while they practiced. “How long did it take you to become so proficient in CQC, Boss?” Twilight asked while she moved back from Snake’s advance.

“A long time. Even now, it’s a technique few know about,” Snake replied before he lunged forward, Twilight leaping to the side to avoid him.

“Right. You and The Boss came up with it, right?” she asked. Snake didn’t answer as he turned to face her. He drew his knife after a minute and, after a few moments of Twilight staring at him, gestured for her to do the same. Luna noticed that Twilight seemed a bit hesitant to bring her own knife over from where she’d left her things, but she complied and they began practicing with the knives. Twilight soon spoke, “Being able to be with The Boss as you were… It was really special, wasn’t it?”

Snake answered, “You have no idea.”

Twilight asked, “I wonder what she’d say if she was here today?”

Snake grunted, “She’d know we were doing the right thing. This is what she would’ve wanted if she were alive today.”

Twilight blinked, “What? No, I meant, like, if she could see you now, if she could see all the things that you do here.”

Snake just grunted, “She wouldn’t care about that. She never let anything distract her or get in the way of the mission.”

Twilight replied, “I would think she did care, even if she didn’t show it. I don’t think she’d want to see you hurting yourself by doing things you don’t believe in or pushing yourself too far. I would think she’d care about how you and your men are doing, what you’re doing, and whether or not it’s really what she would’ve wanted…” She might’ve had more to say, but it was apparent she never got a chance because the tone of what Luna was seeing changed suddenly.

In a swift blur of movement, Snake suddenly put his own knife away and grabbed Twilight’s right foreleg, pushing it back and forcing it out to the side, her pained gasp causing Luna to realize he was pushing harder than he needed to. Her knife fell from her grip and he snatched it up when it hit the floor while she took an unsteady step back. Before she could recover, he swung the knife diagonally downwards. Luna gasped as he saw the tip of the knife cut across her chest, a splatter of blood landing on the floor before she did.

Twilight let out a cry of pain as she landed on her left side, her hoof immediately moving to the cut on her chest. It wasn’t a deep cut, but it was still leaking since Luna could see some drops of blood drip out onto the floor in front of her. Twilight didn’t move until Snake moved in front of her, casting his shadow over her. Luna could feel the fear in the memory rise when the shadow covered her and it became worse when she looked up at him, a stony expression on his face and her knife in his right hand, its tip still lightly coated with her blood.

There was a long, uncomfortable moment of silence that was broken when Snake spoke, “You don’t know what she was really like, what she really wanted. No one does… except me.” His voice had little emotion in it, and it made Luna wonder if it was all he could do to keep himself from revealing to Twilight how he was feeling or what he really thought. He threw her knife down in front of her a moment later and told her, “That’s it for this lesson. Go get that cleaned up. And not a word about this to anyone.”

Twilight shakily nodded, “Y-Yes, Boss. I’m sorry, Boss…” Snake didn’t respond; he just turned and walked out of the room, leaving Twilight alone. She reached over and grabbed her knife with her free hoof after he was gone, holding its tip up in front of her and looking at it intently, seemingly forgetting about her injury. Luna stared at her sadly for a few moments before turning away and closing her eyes. She didn’t need to sense with her magic to know Twilight was feeling conflicted over what had just happened. Accident or no, Snake had attacked her in anger over her just being herself without trying to stop her beforehand. Had she been conditioned to be afraid of being herself as a result?

When she opened her eyes, she found that her surroundings had changed to a somewhat lit wooded area and Twilight was sitting in front of her, holding her knife over her head. Alarmed, Luna moved around to her side and saw her bring the tip down into a piece of fruit. Luna let out a sigh of relief and watched her cut up the fruit and put the pieces in her saddlebags next to her.

While she worked, Luna noticed that Twilight's left wing was fully extended, but was restrained against her side by a bandage wrap. Twilight soon finished her task and stood up, grabbing her saddlebags and putting them on her back somewhat clumsily before she began walking through the woods. Luna followed her and noticed she was favoring her right hind leg. She looked at the left leg and saw that her Sneaking Suit was bulging there, suggesting that she had it wrapped in bandages.

After a short walk, they reached their destination: a crashed MSF chopper in a groove it made when it landed, some fallen trees and pieces of debris surrounding it. The rotors on top were mangled and the tail had broken off the back of it.

Twilight used her magic to pull the door open and walked up the ramp she had made. Luna followed her in and looked around. The inside had held up pretty good, but the chopper was clearly beyond repair. Luna looked towards the front and could make out Twilight checking the instruments before looking to her right and raising her hoof to softly pat something a few times, which Luna realized must've been the pilot. She then stepped back and walked over to the right side of the chopper, where she took off the glove on her right hoof and raised it to the wall above the seat, etching a tally mark there. Luna took a closer look at the wall and could make out nine other marks lined up next to it.

Looking back at Twilight, she saw her sitting on the door quietly eating her food and looking around every few seconds like she was surveying the area. She continued to sit and look after she finished eating, even as the area began to get darker. It was only when it started raining that she came in and closed the door. Using her horn to light her way, she walked over to a tarp on the right side and picked it up, bringing it over to the other side. She then laid down on the seat, being careful not to lay on her wing, and draped the tarp over herself like a blanket.

About a minute passed with Luna watching Twilight trying to sleep before she began to hear a whirring noise somewhere in the distance. Twilight heard it as well and looked towards the front of the chopper. She let the tarp fall to the floor as she stood up, Luna following her. They both peered out through the cracked glass, seeing a light shining from above through the trees off in the distance. Twilight detached herself and made her way to the door, getting it open and stepping out onto it by the time Luna reached her. Peering outside, Luna could see lights moving around in the darkness. She knew the lights were being held by humans, but she couldn't tell who they were, seeing only dark silhouettes. The scene came to an end when a light shined brightly in Twilight's face, causing Luna to look away.

When Luna looked back, she saw that the scene had changed again, but the light still seemed to be a bit intense, though she soon noticed it was coming from above her. She was standing in a room that was shrouded in darkness beyond the range of the light from above, but based on the similarities she could see, she guessed it was another room in Mother Base. She was so caught up in her looking that she forgot about Twilight for a moment, but when her eyes passed over the other alicorn, she did a double-take and quickly walked over to get a better look at what she was seeing.

Twilight’s wing was healed in this memory as it was folded against her side, but that was where the good seemed to end here. She had a nervous and uncertain look on her face as she hung from the ceiling, her forelegs held above her head with a pair of handcuffs near her hooves, the chain between the cuffs held up by a hook underneath. There didn’t seem to be anything else restraining her, so Luna wondered why she was in this situation.

She followed Twilight’s gaze and saw a wooden table she hadn’t noticed before a short distance away with a metal box with a crank and some cables sitting on top of it. A human stepped out of the darkness a few moments later, a man if Luna had to guess, garbed in an MSF uniform complete with balaclava. He walked over to the table and put one hand on the box, using the other to turn the crank. He did this for a few moments before he stopped and turned to look at Twilight. “Are you ready to begin this special training session, Twilight?” he asked.

Twilight responded, “Remind me again why we’re even doing this.”

The soldier turned back to the table and began messing with the cables and box as he replied, “It’s an important part of your training. All of us need to undergo this training in case anything happens, and it’s about time you underwent it too. The Boss clearly expects great things out of you, Twilight; why else would he mark you the way he did?”

Luna glanced at the scar on Twilight’s chest while the alicorn stammered, “N-No, that’s… that’s not what happened. The Boss didn’t do that. I cut myself. That was my fault.”

The soldier remained focused on what he was doing as he replied, “Don’t lie to me, Twilight. No one in their right mind willingly cuts themselves.”

Twilight insisted, “The Boss didn’t do anything! It was an accident! …On my part.”

The soldier looked up at her, “It’s good to know you can put up a guise like the Boss in a situation like this, but it’s not always going to be enough. That’s why you need this training.” He looked back at the table and picked up two rods that were connected to the cables, which were now plugged into the box, holding them up in front of himself as he approached Twilight. “All right, we’re all set. Let’s begin.” He struck the rods against each other, causing a jolt of electricity to run through both of them. Luna’s eyes widened at this and she could audibly hear Twilight gulp, the younger alicorn’s body suddenly rigid at this.

________________________________________

Twilight’s friends and family stared at her as she began convulsing on the bed, her body shaking and twitching sporadically as if she had no control over it. “What’s happening to her?” Shining asked Celestia, trying to keep his voice steady.

Celestia said, “I don’t know! I don’t think this is Luna’s doing.”

As she looked back at Twilight, Fluttershy noticed that Rainbow seemed to be staring intently at their alicorn friend and turned to look at her. She had a dire look on her face, her mouth hanging open slightly as she watched Twilight convulse. “Rainbow, what’s wrong?” she asked meekly, catching everyone else’s attention.

Rainbow licked her suddenly dry lips and spoke, her voice shaking more than most of her friends had ever heard, “She’s… The way she’s… She’s like one of those ponies who hooks themselves up to a thunderhead and…” She suddenly felt sick to her stomach and couldn’t muster up the strength to say any more.

________________________________________

Luna didn’t know what to do other than stare wide-eyed at what Twilight had been through as it played out right before her eyes. She had already been through three rounds of continuously having the tips of the electric rods pressed up against her chest and was finishing a fourth. Some white smoke was rising off of Twilight as the rods were pulled away, her body tingling slightly as she hung with her head drooped and her mouth hanging open as she breathed heavily.

The soldier stepped back and remarked, “You’re pretty good at holding up against these shocks, Twilight. Must have something to do with being a horse.” He turned and walked over to the table, setting the rods on it before reaching for the box. “Let’s go another round, with a little more voltage,” he said as he began to turn the crank again.

That caused Twilight to wake up somewhat, her head shooting up at his words. “What?! No! No more! I give up! We’ve done enough for one training session! Please, just stop, Mosquito!” she cried out. Luna was shocked further at this revelation. This man was one of the soldiers she’d said she bonded with?

She looked back at Mosquito as he said while still turning the crank, “You can handle one more, Twilight. You’ve come this far already; don’t you want to know how special you are?” Luna picked up on an underlying tone of pleasure in his voice, which made her see that this actually was what she feared it was. Mosquito wasn’t trying to help Twilight; he was enjoying what he was doing to her.

“No, I don’t! I don’t care about that!” Twilight cried. Mosquito didn’t respond; instead, he finished with the crank and grabbed the rods again. As he walked back over to Twilight, she shook her head rapidly and uttered, “No, no, nonononono, please…!” Mosquito simply responded by thrusting the rods back into her chest without warning and Twilight began screaming again as soon as they made contact and all Luna could do was watch. Like the other times, it lasted under a minute, but it felt like it lasted much longer. Luna could swear she even saw Twilight’s skeleton at times.

Eventually Mosquito pulled the rods away, but he didn’t back off. He looked her over, seeing more smoke rising from her and her breathing even heavier now. After a few moments, he said, “I think you can manage one more. Let’s use up the rest of this charge.”

Twilight, now feeling extremely weak and unable to move much, could only muster up the strength to whimper as tears leaked from her eyes, “Please… please, no…!” It didn’t seem to register since Mosquito began to bring the rods closer to her again, both of them sparking at the tips.

Before they could reach her, there was suddenly a slamming sound, followed moments later by a shout of, “Hey!” Luna leapt in surprise at the shout while Mosquito backed away from Twilight, staring. The rest of the room lights turned on a second later, revealing the owner of the shout to be Miller. “What the hell’s going on in here?!” he demanded as he marched straight towards Mosquito.

“C-Commander Miller…!” Mosquito stammered, the rods falling from his grip.

Miller glanced over at Twilight for a moment before looking back at Mosquito, asking as he reached him, “What have you been doing to her?!”

Mosquito stuttered, “I…”

He didn’t answer fast enough for Miller’s liking as he grabbed him by the top of his uniform and brought him close as he asked again, “What have you been doing?!”

Mosquito managed, “I was just… trying to help Twilight with some advanced training…” Before he could say any more, Miller roughly pushed him away, causing him to fall on his back.

As he marched over to the table, Miller said, “You know, we have rules around here that we all have to follow, soldier. One of them is that these things don’t get taken out without getting clearance.” He began to rip the cables out of the box as he went on, “Another is that these sorts of training sessions are not done in private unless the Boss is present. And finally, we NEVER turn the voltage up this high!” Mosquito could only stare at him from the floor as he berated him.

Miller then turned and walked over to Twilight. He reached for his knife and used it to cut the suspended chain, moving forward and catching her once she was free, her forelegs laying on his shoulders, shaking as she breathed heavily. “Twilight…? Twilight, talk to me. Say something,” Miller whispered.

In between her breaths, Twilight managed to utter, “M… M-M-Miller…”

Miller held her close in a hug, rubbing up and down her back with his left hand as he murmured, “It’s okay, Twilight. Just breathe. In, out, in, out… Nice and steady.” Twilight did as he said and, as her shaking slowed, she moved her forelegs a little bit to return the hug. Feeling this, Miller said, “I’m going to take you to the Sick Bay right now. I don’t know what they’re going to say about this, but you’re going to be all right, Twilight.”

He started to walk out of the room, but before he left, he stopped and looked back at Mosquito over his shoulder, the man standing and looking down at the floor. “Don’t think I’m just going to let this go, Mosquito. Be prepared for the Boss to call for you when he gets back from his mission, because he is going to hear about this.” He then left without another word, making Luna wonder if he heard Mosquito’s quiet affirmation. She turned to look at him, wondering what possessed him to do such a thing. She looked away after a few moments and headed for the door, expecting to enter another memory through it.

Sure enough, she stepped through the door to find Twilight sitting at a desk with Snake standing next to her, both of them looking at Miller, who was standing in front of Snake. Twilight wasn’t wearing anything, the burn marks clearly visible to Luna as she stood in the doorway. Miller was the first to speak, “Snake, yesterday we received official communication from the IAEA. It says, ‘It has come to our attention that your organization recently purchased nuclear fuel from Uzbekistan authorities. We request permission to inspect your facilities’.”

Snake looked off to the side as he uttered, “What a load of bullshit.”

Miller replied, “Yeah. They’re after Metal Gear ZEKE’s nuclear warhead. I’m betting this is payback from Cipher after Paz’s leak.”

Snake looked back at him, “Using the UN?”

Miller said, “There’s no telling how much influence they have. But the IAEA can only do inspections in countries that are party to the NPT.”

Snake finished, “And we’re not a country.”

Miller nodded, “Exactly. We haven’t signed a safeguards agreement with the IAEA over peaceful nuclear use, and we’re not obligated to report any nuclear material we have, nor information about any nuclear facilities. The IAEA has no authority to inspect us.”

Snake shook his head, “But despite all that…”

Miller said, “That nuke’s our last line of defense. We don’t want to announce we have it until the world is preparing to wipe us off the map. Until then, we let everyone think we’re just a private army with conventional firepower.”

Snake asked, “What’s Huey’s take?”

Miller answered, “That the problem’s how to hide the nuke and Metal Gear. But I gotta tell you, he was all for it.”

Snake replied, “I see… But there’s no way we can have the IAEA poking around here.”

Twilight finally spoke up, “So… what’s the plan, then?”

Snake and Miller looked at her, the former telling her, “The plan is you’re going to write them an official letter of refusal. Say that we’re a private organization and we’ve done nothing to attract this suspicion.”

Twilight turned around to the desk, saying, “I’ll take care of it right away, Boss.”

As Luna watched the scene began to change. The desk disappeared as did Twilight’s chair. She went from sitting to standing up as Snake and Miller moved to her right, Snake standing slightly in front of both of them. The room changed from an office to something more akin to a laboratory with lots of tables and electronics all around. And a familiar face appeared, sitting in a wheelchair turned away from the three of them, looking at a computer instead. “Huey,” Luna thought to herself as she stepped around to stand off to the side of the gathering, wondering what was about to happen.

“We finished ZEKE’s waterproofing reinforcement yesterday. The day after tomorrow we’ll be done installing the main depth control tank, the compressed air tank, and the attitude control propeller pod,” the man said while still looking at the computer screen.

Miller spoke up, “Huey.”

Huey went on as if he didn’t hear him, “If the underwater test goes well, next week we’ll try the 300-foot seabed depth.”

Miller cut him off, “Drop the act, Huey. How did we end up agreeing to the nuclear inspection?”

Huey finally turned his head away from the screen and looked up at him and Snake. “…Because after you sent that letter, I told them, ‘After careful reconsideration, we agree to your request’. …And frankly, we should be inspected. This is our chance. If they come and go without discovering the nuke, we can tell the world we’re clean. Of course, it’s risky, and we’ll have to make sure everything’s perfect. But it’ll be worth it.” As he spoke, he turned his wheelchair around so he was fully facing the three.

Snake asked, “Huey, can they do an inspection without going through the Board of Governors?”

Miller explained, “We contacted the IAEA’s admin branch, and they said there’s no record of us being brought up at any of the Board’s meetings.”

Huey held a hand to his chin, “I’d say… probably a preliminary inspection to determine if we should be referred to the Board. So, it’s bound to be a small inspection team, and they won’t be here that long.” He lowered his hand and smiled, “Don’t worry, leave everything to me.”

Snake raised an eyebrow, “Has the media gotten wind of this?”

Huey nodded, “Yeah. Two major Western networks want to do stories on us. I’d planned on saying yes.”

Twilight asked, “So the entire world will be able to see this place?”

Huey replied, “That’s why I agreed to the inspection. This is a golden opportunity. We can use the media to prove to the world we don’t have a nuke. Besides, even if we said no, we’d just be delaying the inevitable.”

Snake let out a frustrated grunt and turned to look at Miller and Twilight, “Kaz, Twilight, our hands are tied now. Start getting the place ready.”

Huey nodded, “Thanks, Boss.”

Snake turned his head to look back at him, “Don’t get the wrong idea. You’ve set it up so that any more ‘changes of heart’ will arouse suspicion, that’s all.” He then turned and walked out with Twilight and Miller flanking him, and Luna walked after them.

As they walked, Miller said, “ZEKE stays, but we’ll have to move all other AFVs to shore.” He looked over at Twilight, “We’re also going to have to find a place for you to stay until the inspection’s over. Can’t have your existence being found out either.”

Twilight suggested, “Maybe I could go with the AFVs, and so can anyone who might cause trouble.” Miller nodded in reply.

He then looked at Snake, “How’s that sound, Boss?”

Snake just waved his hand and said, “Just do it.” After he spoke, the three of them faded away and Luna found herself walking alone through the hallway.

As she walked, she kept hearing Snake and Miller’s voices at points. She heard them talking about the soldiers keeping ZEKE’s nuke a secret, staff members that had to leave and had already left, and, most surprisingly, word that Paz was alive and being held at a prison camp in Cuba. Luna could hardly believe what she heard. “She not only survived that fall, but Cipher thought she might have turned on them? This might explain some of the things Twilight was saying,” she thought to herself before noticing a door up ahead. It opened as she got closer and she stepped through it.

She found herself back in the office again. Twilight was sitting at the desk alone, looking up at some cassette tapes she was holding up in her magic. “These should be the last of the tapes we have,” she said after a moment. She brought them down and put them inside what appeared to be a book. Luna walked over to the desk for a closer look. It was indeed a book, but the inside was hollowed out, leaving a space that was already almost filled to the brim with other cassette tapes. As Twilight flipped it closed, Luna recognized the blank, brown leather cover. It was the same book that had fallen out of her bags back at the hospital.

Twilight picked up the book with her hooves and looked at it, “I don’t know how thorough the inspection is going to be, but we should probably be ready in case they start digging around. Just have to finish up with this and we can hide all these in plain sight.”

Suddenly, the phone on the desk rang, startling both Twilight and Luna. They both looked over at it and, when it rang a second time, Twilight set the book down and reached for the receiver. She brought it over to her head and asked, “Hello?” She smiled after a moment, “Oh, hi Amanda! What’s going on?” Her smiled changed to a frown a few seconds later, a confused look on her face as she said, “Yes, I was there. …Yeah, I saw him on the boat.” Luna heard footsteps behind her and turned to see that Miller and Snake had entered the room and were walking over to Twilight. “What?! No way,” Twilight said after a moment.

“What’s going on?” Snake asked. Twilight looked up to see him and Miller standing right behind her.

She returned her attention to the phone and asked, “Uh, can you hold on a second? It’s the Boss. …Okay.” She looked up again and put a hoof over the end she had been speaking into as she said, “It’s Amanda. She says the resupply package arrived in Cuba, but Chico wasn’t with it.”

Miller held his hand out, “Give me that.” She passed him the phone and he held it up to his ear, “Amanda? Miller here. …Yeah, she just told me. Relax, Amanda. He’s probably just… exploring Havana or something. First time in the big city, he could’ve gotten carried away. …Yeah, we’ll let you know if we hear anything, but I’m sure he’s fine.” He then reached over and set the receiver back in its cradle. He then looked over at Twilight and said, “Well, that’s about all I’ve got. I’m not sure what else he could be doing.”

Snake spoke, “Kaz, wait.” Both Miller and Twilight looked at him, “The boat Chico was on – did it stop anywhere before it got to Havana?”

Miller nodded, “Yeah, it had to refuel at Santiago de Cuba… You don’t think…” He stopped as he considered what Snake was getting at.

“Oh no…” Twilight uttered, having picked up on it as well.

A flash of anger appeared on Miller’s brow, “Aw shit, you gotta be kidding me! He does this NOW?!”

Snake said, “It’s 60 miles from Santiago to the prison camp. Chico used to cross the mountains with the older Sandinistas like it was nothing. He’ll make that in three days.”

Miller started, “Still, even if he does find his way there…”

Snake replied, “You know how reckless he can be. Chico thinks we’ve abandoned Paz. That’s why he’s doing this.”

Miller let out a sigh before turning to Twilight and saying, “Contact the Intel detachment in Cuba and tell them to start looking for him. I’ll go over and talk to the guys still left here at Mother Base. We can’t let him be captured.” Twilight nodded and grabbed a pencil on the desk, using it to dial the numbers while Miller left the room and Snake watched her. She tapped the side of the phone with her free hoof as she held the receiver up to her ear, listening.

Luna suddenly heard a voice say, “There are some cages to the east of a big building.” She looked around and realized the room and everything in it was fading away, leaving her flapping her wings to stay afloat in the cloudy, star-filled space she found herself in. “It’s an old, grassy facility. That’s where we are. …Help me, Snake…” At that, she realized it must’ve been Chico who was speaking.

She heard a click followed by Miller saying, “It’s a setup.”

She then heard Snake’s voice, “We have no choice.”

Miller replied, “Yeah. If Chico talks, he could blow the nuke cover-up. We can’t hold off until the inspection’s over.”

Snake asked, “When can we be ready?”

Miller responded, “It’ll take some time to confirm a flight path and prep a bird. The Intel Unit has started reconning the area. Since Twilight’s heading out there to join them, the flight path might not take as long to confirm.”

Snake asked, “You sent her out to Cuba? Kaz…”

Kaz said, “Don’t worry. I gave her very strict orders. She’s to stay close to the Intel Unit out there and not go anywhere near the base for any reason. She’ll be the only one who’s still on-site when the chopper arrives, and she’s to get onboard and stay there when it does. I made it clear to her to stay put and not try to be a hero.”

Snake responded, “I see. Sounds like I’ll have to miss the inspection too.”

Miller said, “Boss, we’ll just have to send someone else to get them out.”

Snake replied, “No, I’ll go.”

There was a moment of silence before Miller said, “Yeah. Chico and Paz would only take orders from you anyway. And we can’t go taking on those Marines at the base head-on. It’s gotta be off-the-radar… And it’s gotta be you.”

Snake spoke, “Hold down the fort, Kaz.”

Luna could hear them talk more about the mission and the weather conditions, but she wasn’t focused on what they were saying. A bright opening had appeared floating in space a short distance away from her. As she looked at it, she could feel it; she was almost to the end of her journey through Twilight’s memories. She flew towards the opening, hoping she was prepared for whatever awaited her on the other side.
> Ground Zeroes Pt. I - The Rescue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luna instinctively raised her left foreleg and wing to shield herself when she felt rain hitting her backside. She felt a lot of rain, actually; it seemed she was in the middle of a downpour. “So, these are the atmospheric conditions that Commander Miller mentioned,” she thought to herself, looking up at the clouds above. She brought her head down and closed her eyes for a moment to focus so she could cast a spell. After a moment, she could no longer feel the rain hitting her and opened her eyes to take a look around.

She was standing on top of a rocky rise overlooking what she assumed was the base where Paz and Chico were being held, a rocky slope in front of her leading down to a watchtower and a door set in a chain link fence that most likely went all the way around the base, and that was all before she actually took a proper look at the base itself. She could see smaller buildings close by and a larger one, likely the main building, a little off in the distance. There appeared to be small structures in muddy fields on both sides of the smaller buildings and an area that was fenced off on the left side. She wondered what they kept back there, but she had a feeling she wouldn’t like the answer and that wasn’t why she was there anyway.

It took her a few moments of looking around, but Luna soon noticed Twilight lying down on her front on the slope a short distance away, looking towards the base. Combined with the night and the rain, her Sneaking Suit, balaclava, and mane tied into a bun made it difficult to spot her right away. Even if one of the searchlights from the base shined on her, it might not make her readily visible. Aside from her head turning as she observed the base, she was almost completely still. “She must’ve taken Miller’s orders quite seriously,” Luna thought as she moved down to stand closer to her.

After about a minute, Twilight let out a sigh and stood up. “Still nothing so far,” she uttered as she turned and began to walk up and along the rise. As Luna followed her, she heard her speaking to herself, “The shifts of the patrols haven’t changed much, there’s not a lot of movement in or out of the base or the prison camp… Aside from that escapee heading west, which I need to tell the Boss about, it all seems so calm. So why does it feel like that’s not the way things should be at all on a night like this?” She stopped and looked to the east, “The camp where Chico and Paz are being held is just down there. It probably wouldn’t be too hard to go down there and get them out myself. But… Miller said to stay put… And if I do get caught, it’ll probably be worse than when Coldman had me…”

She was silent afterwards, still looking in the direction of the prison, and Luna guessed she was deeply considering her choices and the possible repercussions. As she looked at her and waited to see what she would do next, she couldn’t help but notice how the raindrops seemed to slide off of her Sneaking Suit and balaclava, never seeming to soak either. She remembered Twilight mentioning that the material used offered impressive insulation from the elements, but she wasn’t really sure she believed it until now. She could definitely say she was impressed by it.

Twilight soon turned to look at the base again, so Luna assumed she decided to stick to her orders. She tilted her head questioningly a second later and turned to fully face it, sitting down, grabbing her binoculars, and holding them up to her eyes. Luna walked over and stood next to her, wondering what she had seen. She soon heard her muttering, “A bunch of soldiers just came out of the base… Their uniforms look different from the other Marines… Wait.” She inched herself forward a little bit, “Who’s that? Someone higher up?” Luna looked at her intently. Whoever she was looking at was important beyond whatever role he played at the base. She could feel the change in the air like she felt in the previous memories.

Suddenly, Twilight let out a gasp and leapt to her hooves before jumping back. She then used her magic to pull her Stun Rod out and held it up as she looked around frantically, as if she was searching for something. Luna looked confused at her behavior, not sure what had caused it. After a couple of seconds, Twilight calmed down enough to look through her binoculars towards the base again, looking down and letting out a sigh of relief afterwards as she lowered her forelegs down to the ground. “Just a… crazy coincidence, I hope,” she muttered. She looked up at the base again a moment later, “But who was that guy? His attire wasn’t like anyone else’s. And what happened to him?”

Suddenly, Luna heard a ringing coming from Twilight’s ear and watched her raise her hoof to it. “This is Morpho. Arriving shortly at LZ,” a male voice said on her radio. Twilight lowered her hoof and turned around, glancing back at the base one more time before she spread her wings and ran to the edge of the cliff, jumping off. Luna ran to the cliff edge and saw Twilight gliding down to a small strip of land that stretched away from the base of the cliff as well as the lights of a chopper approaching in the distance.

Luna knew she should stay close to Twilight, but she had a nagging feeling that Twilight’s odd panic attack was connected to what had happened to her. Something about the man she had seen was enough to freak her out when she didn’t even know who he was, and that alone gave her the feeling that she needed to learn more about him. With a nod, she turned back to the base and spread her wings, flying towards it.

As she got closer, she noticed a pair of light transports driving away from the base. Seeing where they were headed, she flew down and landed near the overpass they would be soon be passing under, looking at everyone aboard as they drove by. It didn’t take her long to spot the man Twilight had seen, and she almost immediately recoiled when she saw him. She recovered quickly and flew over to his transport as it turned off the main road onto a dirt path, landing on the hood to get a better look at him as he sat in the passenger’s seat.

When his transport had driven past her, he had been removing the black hat he was wearing. Now that she was in front of him, she could see that he didn’t have a single hair on top of his head, which was the only part of it that looked somewhat normal. The rest of his head, particularly his face, was marred with numerous scars and marks that she could only assume were from burns. It was clear why Twilight had wondered what he had been through; the skin on his head was not only scarred beyond what she would’ve thought possible, it also seemed to be tightly stretched. She could almost swear she could make out his skull through it. His clothing was mostly black in color, with a strap for a holster around his right leg and the shirt, tie, and undershirt beneath his jacket being the only pieces that weren’t black. The transport turned suddenly and Luna nearly lost her balance as it began to slow to a stop. She shook off her disorientation after it came to a stop and turned to see where she was.

It only took her a moment to realize they had stopped at the prison camp. It was nothing more than a collection of large metal cages enclosed by a large chain link fence, a sign reading ‘Camp Omega Maximum Security’, a watchtower, and a row of outhouses and crates under an overhang being the only things on her side of the fence. Behind the fence, she could see guard dogs on leashes and several prisoners lined up against the fence with Marines watching over both. The prisoners wore dirty yellow jumpsuits, their hands were cuffed behind their backs, they had nothing covering their feet, and they had bags over their heads. Luna couldn’t help but shudder. This was her first impression of the camp and she was already horrified.

She noticed the man and two of the soldiers in the back get out, one of the soldiers staying beside the vehicle while the other walked with the man towards the fenced off area. Luna got off the hood and followed them. The man stopped and turned to look at the guard dogs behind the fence as they barked wildly at him. Luna raised an eyebrow at this. The dogs’ reaction raised even more questions about who he was. He soon turned and followed his soldier and a Marine wearing a poncho over to a gate in the fence and Luna followed suit. The Marine saluted another Marine behind the gate, who unlocked and opened it for them. They stepped inside and made their way over to the cage on the far left. As they approached it, the Marine nodded to the soldier before continuing past the cage and standing off to the side while the soldier stopped in front of the cage and brought his gun out, readying it and pointing it at the prisoner inside before nodding to the man.

While they were doing this, Luna took a look inside the cage and was shocked. Unlike the other prisoners, who were adults, this one was a young boy. He had his head bowed as he sat in the middle of the cage, but she was certain it was Chico. She scanned the rest of his cage and looked over at the other cages in the prison, but she couldn’t see Paz anywhere. “Didn’t Chico say she was here too?” she wondered.

She was brought back to the moment when the man stepped in front of the cage and spoke, “She told us everything.” Luna looked back at him. “Don’t worry, I kept my word. She didn’t suffer long.” He took a few steps forward and held up a cassette player in his right hand, tapping it against one of the bars as he said, “Here, you earned it.” He then dropped it into the cage. Chico looked at it and scooted forward to grab it with his right hand, holding it in both hands as he turned it over a few times.

The man knelt down and Chico looked up at him for a moment before quickly looking away. Luna could see he had a small headphone in his right ear when he did this and she assumed he had one in his left as well, causing her to wonder why he had them in the first place. There was silence for a few seconds before the man spoke again, “How’s it feel to play the traitor? No more war games – you’re a real man now, soldier.” Chico turned to look at him at that, revealing a square bandage patch above his left eyebrow. The boy’s eyes glanced down for a few moments before looking back up, as if he was thinking about the man’s words. Luna could almost swear he looked resigned to the title he had just been given.

After a few more seconds, Chico looked down and reached his right hand up to his chest, Luna wincing as he pulled the jack for his headphones out of the hole in the center of it. He plugged it into the tape player as the man stood up and started to walk away. He stopped after a few steps and looked back at Chico over his shoulder, saying, “Give my regards to your Boss, when you get home.” Luna looked at Chico and saw he was focused only on the player in his hands, even as the man turned and continued walking.

Luna looked at him as he walked, noticing rats scurrying around near her hooves and seeing the dogs still barking at him even as a chopper flew overhead. She thought about what he said and remembered Miller’s words about the whole thing being a setup. It seemed like he was expecting Chico to be rescued and taken back to Mother Base, but what purpose would that serve? Had he told them anything? And what happened to Paz? It almost sounded like he had killed her not that long ago, but if so, that didn’t seem to fit with what Twilight had said about her. Luna shook her head. She knew a little more now, but she still had more questions than answers. She decided it was time to go back and check on Twilight, so she used her magic to locate her and transport herself to her.

Luna found herself in a helicopter when she felt her hooves touch solid ground again and looked around. It was similar to the crashed one that Twilight had been using as a shelter in the earlier memory except the seats were in the middle of the compartment rather than along the sides, a metal railing separating the two. Twilight was sitting on the front of the right seat and there was someone in a green uniform sitting in the back on the left seat. Luna could tell the other person was a man, but she couldn’t tell much else about him due to the shadows in the back making it hard to see him completely.

Looking back at Twilight, she saw her pull off her balaclava with her right hoof and exhale as she used her magic to let the back of her mane down. She tucked the mask away and leaned back against the bar behind her with her eyes closed for a few moments. She then opened her eyes and turned her head to look at her flight buddy, who now had his head turned towards her. He looked at her for a second longer before deliberately looking away, which caused Twilight to face forward and look down with a sad expression, going from sitting back to slumped forward.

Luna looked back over at the man with a raised eyebrow. Twilight clearly had a history with him given the way she reacted to his dismissal of her, as if it were a common occurrence between the two. It made her wonder what the man’s history was and why it didn’t seem like he acknowledged her presence, but she couldn’t learn anything more now. Neither one was talking, and he continued to remain turned away from Twilight, content to remain an enigma to the Lunar Princess.

For a while, nothing happened as the quiet, somewhat tense atmosphere onboard the chopper didn’t change. The only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of the helicopter’s rotors and the rain hitting its exterior. Luna was starting to wonder if she should do something when there was a shift in the way the helicopter was flying, which caused Twilight to look up. Luna wondered if this meant that Morpho was being called in to extract Snake and Chico.

Sure enough, she soon heard the message over the radio that Morpho was approaching the LZ. Twilight stood up as the chopper came to a stop and began lowering down, pressing a button next to the right door to make it open. Twilight stepped in front of the opening and Luna did too; they both saw Snake standing in a rocky cove with a couple of jumpsuit-clad prisoners behind him, one of which was Chico. He began picking them up and climbing up onto the door to pass them off to Twilight, who used her magic to help situate them in the small space.

Chico was the last to be loaded onto the chopper, Twilight catching him under the arms with her forelegs and holding him up. He didn’t seem any more willing to raise his head up now than he was earlier, so Luna looked back at Snake and saw he was holding a cassette tape in his right hand as he slid off the door, presumably the one the man had given Chico earlier. He held it up and looked at it for a moment before looking up when Twilight spoke, “We’ll take everyone except Chico to stay with Amanda until the inspection’s over. Okay, Boss?” Snake nodded in reply, so she let go of Chico and moved around him to close the door as the chopper started to rise.

As soon as it had closed, Chico launched himself at Twilight crying, “No! No!” Twilight let out a small cry at this and the feeling of him landing on her back.

She turned her head around to look at him, “Chico?!”

Chico began to shake, throwing off her balance as he cried, “Not Amanda! Please! You can’t!”

Twilight struggled to remain upright as she said, “Chico, stop it! Get off!”

The man in the shadows, who Luna noticed had been looking over the prisoners Snake had rescued, suddenly came over and grabbed Chico, saying, “That’s enough, Chico!”

The boy continued to cry, “No! Amanda, she- she’ll kill me! Just like Paz! She’s…” His struggles and crying became a lot weaker at the mention of Paz’s name, allowing the man to easily pull him off Twilight.

He pulled him back a bit before setting him on the floor and saying, “All right, that’s enough.” He leaned over and grabbed Chico’s left leg with his hand to keep it still while taking a closer look at his foot. “I don’t know how much we can do about that,” he said after a moment. Luna leaned over to take a look and, with the light, quickly saw what he was talking about. Chico had bolts driven into the tendons at the back of his feet, making him unable to move without a great deal of pain in the process.

While the man went back to look at the other prisoners first, Twilight walked over and sat in front of Chico, saying, “Chico, Snake told me what he wants earlier. He wants you and Paz back at Mother Base. These prisoners he’s rescued are the only ones he wants Amanda to take care of, and he’s not leaving the base until he finds out what happened to Paz. If you don’t want Amanda to know you’re here, I won’t tell her. Promise.” Chico kept looking down at the floor, so Luna guessed that, even though there wasn’t much for him to be happy about, he was at least placated with that.

A short while later, the chopper shook upwards suddenly, so Luna assumed that they had reached their destination. By this time, the man, who she guessed was some sort of doctor given the way he had looked over and treated the rescued prisoners to the best of his abilities, had taken Chico in the back to look him over while the prisoners were sitting around Twilight near the front of the chopper without the bags that had been on their heads. When the shaking stopped, Twilight stood up and pressed the button next to the door to open it.

A moment after the door opened all the way, Amanda and a few of her fellow Sandinistas stepped into view. Twilight smiled, “Amanda!”

The woman smiled back, “Hey, Twilight. It’s been a while. You have something for me?”

Twilight’s smile faded slightly, “Yeah. The Boss rescued some prisoners that were being held at the camp. Do you think you could take care of them until the inspection is over?”

Amanda nodded, “Of course. We’ve already prepared accommodations for them.” She turned to the flanking Sandinistas and gestured with her head at the chopper. They nodded and stepped forward, helping Twilight get them out of the chopper and supporting them. After the last one had been helped off, Amanda turned back to Twilight and asked, “By the way… since you’re here, is there any news on Chico?”

Twilight hesitated at that and Luna wondered if she was going to tell her or if Amanda was going to figure it out herself. She managed to recover fairly quickly though and told her, “The Boss is still at the base searching. He’s not leaving until both Chico and Paz have been accounted for.” A tense silence followed as Amanda looked back at Twilight intently, as if she was searching for something too.

After several moments, she spoke, “I see. Well, like I told Miller earlier, I’m prepared for the worst.”

Twilight replied, “Right. Well, we should probably head back now so the Boss doesn’t have to wait too long when he calls for an extraction.”

Amanda gave a slight nod and said, “Be on your guard, Twilight.”

Twilight nodded, “Okay. Hope to see you again soon, Amanda.” The woman nodded and turned around, walking back into the darkness. Twilight turned around as well after a moment and climbed back onto the chopper, hitting the button to close the door as it lifted off and started its way back.

Somewhere along the way, Twilight was sitting on the seat again when Luna heard a ringing coming from her ear again, the mare raising her hoof to it and asking, “Miller?”

The man on the other end answered, “Hey, got some good news and some bad news for you, Twilight. The good news is the Boss has found Paz. The bad news is they found out she’s missing and now the whole base is on alert. Snake’s called for a direct extraction from the helipad, so it looks like you’re going to be able to help out on this mission after all: you’re gonna clear a path for the chopper.” While he was talking, Twilight grabbed her iDroid and called up its map, checking something.



She was done by the time Miller finished talking and put it away while she said, “Understood.” She then used her magic to tie the back of her mane up into a bun while she grabbed her balaclava with her hooves and slipped it on. She then leapt to her hooves and made her way over to the left door of the chopper, opening it and sitting down at the foot of it with her hind legs hanging over it.

Luna walked over and stood behind and to the left of Twilight to watch. She could see that they had already arrived at the base and were flying over the buildings, the chopper maneuvering around as it made its way towards the helipad to avoid the watchtowers and gunfire coming from below. Twilight pulled out a handgun from her holster and started firing on any marines who came into range, everyone she hit being blown off their feet before they hit the ground. Luna guessed it was some sort of non-lethal weapon since she didn’t see anything that would indicate the shots were opening wounds. She also noticed that while Twilight didn’t have to reload after every shot, the gun only held five rounds and she had to reload them individually. Still, she could see they were steadily getting closer to the main building.

As they approached it, Twilight inched herself back into the cabin and flipped herself around, standing up afterwards and quickly moving to grab two bigger guns, one of which had a launcher attached to its underside while the other had a scope mounted on top of it. She then returned to her spot and used both of them to help clear the helipad. She fired a grenade at a nearby anti-air gun to take it out before anyone could occupy it and used her sniper rifle to perfectly shoot a gas barrel on the other side of the helipad to destroy another gun. Morpho announced afterwards, “Clear! Touching down.”

Twilight slipped the sniper rifle onto her back and placed the assault rifle against the wall next to her. She brought her handgun out again as the chopper came in for a landing, shooting at any marines she could see. The chopper soon descended and stopped, hovering just above the ground. Twilight then turned herself around and took a few steps back into the cabin before turning around to face the door, balancing herself on her hind legs and holding her hooves out in front of her like she was going to be handed something. Luna peered out and saw Snake making a dash from the building towards the chopper with something on his back. He reached it in no time at all and leapt up onto the door, tossing what was on his back into Twilight’s waiting forelegs. Luna gasped in horror when she got a look at what, or rather who, it was.

It was Paz. Luna remembered Miller saying Snake had found her, but it was clear she’d been through as much as, if not more than, Chico since her face was the only thing that hadn’t changed. She was wearing an orange prisoner uniform just like Chico and the other prisoners, but the front of hers was covered in blood, particularly around her abdomen. Her once long hair was now cut very short, almost like a boy’s hair. And there was something else about her that Luna couldn’t put her hoof on at the moment, but she seemed… older now.

There was no time to wonder about it now, though. While still holding her under her arms, Twilight used her magic to carefully lift Paz’s legs up and move her over to the left seat, laying her down across it. She looked at her sadly for a moment before turning and running to the right door, opening it and getting into position while Snake stayed where he was to cover the left side of the chopper. It lifted off soon after and, despite reinforcements arriving to try to bring it down, successfully made its exit not long afterwards.

Once they were clear, both Snake and Twilight climbed back inside the chopper and shut their respective doors. Twilight let out a sigh as she pulled her balaclava off and let her mane down. Snake approached her after she put the mask away and pulled two cassette tapes out of one of his pouches, handing them to her. “You brought the other tapes with you when you were dispatched, right? You should keep hold of these too until we get back to base,” he said while Twilight looked over the tapes. She then sat down and set her saddlebags beside her, pulling out the fake book from before and putting the tapes in it while Snake pulled out some more tapes for her. In total, he handed her seven tapes for safekeeping.

“He just retrieved those. Perhaps they contain information on who that man was or what else transpired at that base,” Luna thought to herself, resolving to find the book and learn what was on the tapes. She was sure they wouldn’t be too hard to find; they were just added after all. But she wasn’t done yet. She still remembered Miller’s words about Chico’s call for help being a trap, and so far, aside from what he, Paz, and the other prisoners looked like, nothing had happened that would explain Twilight’s recent behavior. She had a bad feeling the worst was yet to come.
> Ground Zeroes Pt. II - The Fall
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“My stomach… My stomach has…” Paz groaned out as she lay on the seat. She’d been muttering things in her sleep the entire flight back to Mother Base, but especially with how she looked, that was the thing that concerned Luna the most. Snake didn’t seem too concerned as he sat on the other seat with the medic, both of them facing away from Paz, while Chico and Twilight stood next to her, Chico next to her head and Twilight by her legs, looking at her worriedly. Luna couldn’t blame them; Paz didn’t deserve whatever she’d endured, even knowing who she was and what she attempted to do.

Chico took a step forward suddenly, his eyes fixated on the blood on Paz’s shirt. He leaned over her slightly and looked intently at her for a moment before his eyes widened and he let out a quiet gasp. He brought his hands up to her and grabbed the bottom of her shirt, lifting it up slightly as he breathed, “Snake…”

Twilight’s eyes widened when she saw what Chico had noticed and she held a hoof up to her mouth. “Oh no…” she uttered.

Chico looked up and said, more urgently, “Snake!”

At first, Snake just glanced back at him, but as soon as he saw the cause of his distress, he quickly stood up while calling “Medic!” and making his way around to the other side. The other man stood up as well and maneuvered around Twilight as she moved to the other side while Snake picked up Chico and set him on the other seat before moving to stand at the top of Paz’s head.

Luna didn’t exactly have the best view of Paz from where she was standing, so she moved over to Twilight and Chico’s seat to get a better look. She looked at Paz over the railing with them as the medic was feeling around on her stomach with his white-gloved hands. Although they covered it up slightly, Luna could easily see that Paz had a large, ‘V’-shaped scar in the center of her stomach that was highlighted by dried blood and still being held closed with sutures. She wasn’t entirely sure what the scar meant, but she did have an idea of what it could mean.

She didn’t have to wait long for confirmation as the medic soon looked up at Snake, who breathed, “She’s rigged. Damn it, we were set up!”

The medic nodded, “We gotta get it out.” He stood up and moved to the back of the helicopter, putting on a fresh pair of gloves. He looked back at Snake and said, “No time for anesthetic. We have to open her now.” He turned back to grab the tools he was going to need while Chico and Twilight looked up at Snake worriedly as he held his hands up to his mouth and brought them together for a moment.

He then placed his hands on Paz’s shoulders, gripping them slightly, while saying, “Both of you, hold her down…” When Chico and Twilight didn’t move right away, he said, louder, “Hold her down!!” The two flinched for a moment before reaching over, Chico placing his hands on Paz’s arms while Twilight placed her hooves on her legs. They both looked up at the medic as he came back over, a pair of angled scissors in his right hand and a pair of tweezers in his left hand.

“They’re really going to do it. They’re going to open that mark up and remove something, while she’s fully aware of it,” Luna thought. Even with all she’d been through and seen in her life, she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to watch this.

The medic began by using the tweezers to lift up the end of the sutures where they’d been tied off and snipping it off with the scissors. He then alternated between using the angle, the scissors, and the tweezers to pull the rest of the threads out on the left side of the scar before putting the tools away and coming back with a pair of angled steel bars, which he used to pull the scar open. Both Twilight and Chico looked away briefly at this before turning back, the medic having Chico hold the rods while he came back with the scissors and did some more snipping.

Once he was done, he put the scissors and the bars back before reaching his fingers into the opening, searching. Even Snake had to look down and take a breath as the medic forced the scar open a little more, causing Paz to gasp and several streaks of blood to come running out. “Keep her gut in!” the medic commanded as Paz’s eyes shot open and she began to struggle. Snake, Chico, and Twilight had a hard time keeping her still while the medic continued searching.

Luna felt like she wanted to throw up really badly as the medic’s right hand went underneath Paz’s organs and turned away, trying to keep her breathing under control. She didn’t need to look to know that Paz was really struggling now, her pained gasps and groans becoming full-blown screams. As she listened, she recognized the screams. They had been amplified the last time she’d heard them, but she knew where she’d heard them: in the twisted recreation of Mother Base’s Sick Bay, right before she’d been attacked by that other Twilight.

Suddenly, there was a fleshy ripping sound followed by the medic uttering, “Boss!” Luna dared to peek back and saw him holding a small, blood-covered box in his hands that beeped and had a red light that blinked on and off every second. Snake took it from him and turned it over, revealing a white peace symbol on the other side veiled with blood. Luna immediately knew what the package was.

“Bomb… They put a…” Twilight breathed before turning away and heaving, sounding like she was even closer to losing the contents of her stomach than Luna had just been seconds ago. The night princess looked over at Snake, seeing him open the chopper’s left door and throw the bomb out, closing the door afterwards.

As the door closed, the medic reported, “Breathing’s stable… No active bleeding.” Snake and Twilight both looked back at him as he said, “She’s clean. I’m closing her up.” He glanced at Chico, “Hold her steady. It’s gotta be a continuous suture.”

Luna heard a ringing sound coming from Snake and saw him raise his left hand to his ear, clicking on his radio. “Control tower, this is Morpho One. All hummingbirds are on the wing. We’ll shake hands, then head back to the cage. Boss, you got a call,” the pilot said.

There was static for a moment and then Luna heard a familiar voice, “Boss, can you hear me?”

Snake turned away as he asked, “What’s up, Huey?”

Twilight and Luna both watched him as Huey answered, “Our ‘guests’ are right on time. Document destruction and hanger decontamination are complete, AFVs have been stowed away, and ZEKE’s on the seafloor along with the nuke. Everyone’s got their story straight. The guided tour’ll be wrapped up by the time you get home.”

Snake turned and walked over to the right seat, resting his right foot on top of it as he said, “Make me proud.”

Huey replied, “By the time they leave, I’ll have the IAEA praising us as the poster boys for world peace. Out.” There was silence in the cabin after the call ended, broken only by the sound of the rotors and the rain hitting the outside of the helicopter.

With finally some quiet, Luna turned to look at Paz and saw her lying quietly on the seat as the medic closed up her wound. “She must’ve fainted from the shock,” she thought, wondering how long she was going to be unconscious.

________________________________________

A while later, Paz was still passed out on the seat. Twilight had moved to the top of her head by this time, sitting with a wet washcloth in her right hoof that she had draped over her forehead while the left hoof was resting on the girl’s shoulder. Chico was still standing next to her, looking her over with a worried expression. The flight back to Mother Base had remained uneventful so far, making Luna wonder when something was going to happen.

As Chico reached his hand forward to hold Paz’s arm, she got an answer when she heard the pilot’s voice over the radio, “Tower, this is Morpho One. Do you copy? …Can’t get through. The link seems fine, but…” Snake stood up when the pilot reported no answer and made his way over to the left door. He clicked the button to open it and Twilight looked back at him when they heard the pilot gasp. Twilight looked back down at Paz and gently touched her forehead before standing up and moving next to Snake, joining him as he looked outside.

As she came up behind them, Luna noticed red-tinted clouds off in the distance and the that the water below seemed to be an odd orange color as the chopper flew over it. She also noticed an unpleasant smell in the air that was getting stronger. Twilight let out a gasp suddenly and Luna noticed Snake turn his head to look at her for a moment before turning to look towards the front of the chopper, leaning forward a little to get a better view. The chopper soon flew past what Twilight had seen. There was another helicopter floating in the water, the entire thing almost entirely engulfed in flames, and off in the distance, one of Mother Base’s struts appeared to be on fire.

Snake grabbed his rifle and grunted to Twilight, “Weapons ready!” She nodded and grabbed the sniper rifle she’d been using earlier, holding it in her hooves while she grabbed her other guns with her magic and placed them on herself. She and Snake stayed at the sides of the door, still looking out as they flew past the burning strut, seeing its connecting bridge mostly destroyed with only a little bit hanging off the strut while the rest was in the water.

“No, no, no, no, no, no…!” Twilight muttered under her breath as they flew past more destruction. Another strut was on fire and cut off from the rest of Mother Base, explosions going off on the side of it as they flew past. Another looked like its support legs had been destroyed, the hexagon looking like it was floating in the water. More wreckage from destroyed bridges and burning helicopters floated on the surface of the water.

Luna noticed a strut up ahead that seemed to still be standing despite the top of it being on fire, but as they got closer, explosions went off on the support legs, followed by a larger explosion on top of the strut. As they flew past the smoke from the explosion, the pilot suddenly called, “Look! Commander Miller!” Luna looked closer and saw Miller with a squad of MSF soldiers on the other side of the strut, fighting back. Looking to the other side where they were firing, she saw the more numerous enemy soldiers were clad in white helmets, black flak jackets, and gray flight suits. It seemed they had the advantage.

Snake looked over at Twilight and told her, “Get down there!” She nodded and, after taking a moment to plan, leapt out of the helicopter, spreading her wings a second later, gliding. Snake, meanwhile, took his gun in both hands and opened fire as the chopper continued to fly around the strut and descend. Deciding to leave him be for the moment, Luna jumped out as well and flew after Twilight. The lavender alicorn landed on top of the crane closest to the enemy and took her sniper rifle in both hooves, taking aim at the soldiers and firing. Luna noticed she had to perform a reload of sorts between shots, and she seemed to be focused on slowing the enemy down since her shots were aimed at their arms and legs. It seemed to be enough, though; every soldier she hit did have to stop firing, giving MSF a chance to turn the situation around.

Her efforts didn’t go unnoticed, however, since several soldiers soon ducked behind cover and began firing up at the crane, forcing Twilight to back away from the edge as a number of bullets either shot up past where she’d been or hit the underside of the platform she was on. She performed her reload again, but then looked down at her rifle and held it up for a closer look. She gasped and Luna realized that it was empty. Twilight looked up and moved back to the edge of the platform, letting out another gasp a few seconds later. Luna moved to the edge and followed her gaze. One of the soldiers was pointing a launcher up at her.

Twilight spread her wings suddenly and threw her sniper rifle over the edge before jumping up onto the railing of the platform and diving off, the rocket hitting the rifle and exploding before it hit the crane. Even though she couldn’t be harmed by it, Luna still recoiled at the size and sound of the explosion. She quickly followed after Twilight, her friend managing to land behind an MSF helicopter on the deck of the strut despite some of the soldiers firing on her. She took a moment to catch her breath before she grabbed her assault rifle, taking it in both hooves and using her wings to help her balance on her hind legs as she moved out from cover, firing at the enemy as she moved to join Miller’s squad. Luna noticed that by this time, the helicopter had landed and Snake was disembarking to do the same.

Although she stood back behind the MSF soldiers, Luna could tell the battle was beginning to turn in their favor almost immediately. Having Twilight’s magic and an extra gun on their side was a lot of help already, but Snake seemed to be an even bigger tide turner. He didn’t bother going for cover; he stayed out in the open to shoot, yet they didn’t seem to be able to hit him. When an enemy chopper rose up, he opened fire on it and managed to send it crashing down onto the deck with just a few seconds of gunfire. It seemed like they might be able to hold the line here.

As Snake reached cover and crouched down, though, one of his men called, “Incoming!” Luna looked over at the other side and saw the problem: the enemy soldier that had shot the rocket up at Twilight was now aiming his launcher at the squad. Twilight managed to hit him in the arm and Snake landed the killing shot, but it wasn’t enough. As he fell back, his finger managed to squeeze the trigger, the rocket firing immediately afterwards.

The rocket hit one of the crates that they were using for cover, but the explosion from it was big. And loud. Luna could feel her ears ringing as she saw even Snake get thrown off his feet from the blast. Looking over at Twilight, she saw that she had been thrown out of cover onto her back and her assault rifle had fallen from her hooves, landing on the deck out of her reach. One of the soldiers, presumably the one from earlier, managed to get back on his feet fairly quickly and called again, “Incoming!” Twilight managed to raise her head up after a moment and saw what Luna saw: several soldiers were moving up, trying to get to them while they were disoriented. Reacting swiftly, Twilight used her magic to pull her handgun to her right hoof and began firing until it was empty, managing to stop the group of flankers.

Now that she had a little breathing room and no more rounds left in her handgun, Twilight lifted the gun up and away from her with her magic and rolled over to reach for her assault rifle. As she did, she noticed Miller had been thrown to the ground by the explosion and was having trouble getting back up. She grabbed her gun and strapped it to her right hind leg as she stood up and moved to help him, standing next to him and letting him put his hands on her back to pick himself up. One of the surviving soldiers moved to support him by his left arm when he was partway, though he kept his right hand on Twilight’s back as they moved toward Snake amidst the other survivors being killed.

When they reached Snake, he took Miller and supported him under his right arm and began moving back towards the chopper while Twilight and the other soldier started shooting at the enemy again, trying to help the remaining survivors pull back as well. As Snake reached the chopper with Miller and three other soldiers, he yelled, “Move!!” Twilight and the last two soldiers began moving to join them, as did Luna, as a metallic groaning sound filled the air. It didn’t take Luna long to locate the source of it: the other crane had broken off of its base and was falling towards the deck, shaking the ground and raising a cloud of dust when it hit. Seconds afterwards, the strut began to tilt towards the crane and Luna took another look. She immediately saw that the crane had bisected the strut, the parked helicopter and some of the crates and supplies on the deck sliding off into the water below due to the angle. And, if Luna wasn’t mistaken, the strut seemed to be sinking.

Luna stopped next to the door of the chopper, watching two more MSF soldiers fall while Twilight and two others covered Snake while he helped Miller get onboard. Once he was in, Snake turned and joined in to help lay down cover fire as the last survivors got onboard, a third managing to reach the chopper. After two of them got in, the third briefly took his left hand off of his assault rifle to pat Twilight’s left flank, indicating it was her turn to go. In response, she tucked her gun back under her wing and turned to the chopper, putting her front hooves on it and beginning to pull herself up.

All of a sudden, Luna saw multiple sprays of red as Twilight cried out and the last soldier let out a brief scream and they both fell, Twilight falling forward while the soldier fell back and was caught by Snake’s left hand. Luna stared, her mouth hanging open. It happened so fast. One moment, they were both okay; the next the man had taken a round of gunfire to his neck and Twilight had been hit in both her hind legs and her left foreleg, both of her guns falling from her grip and landing on the deck as she banged the bottom of her head on the helicopter door. As she watched Twilight trying to stand up and climb back onto the door, Luna could feel anger and hatred for the enemy attackers welling up within her.

She wasn’t the only one as, after a second of looking between the dead man in his hand and Twilight as she struggled to climb up, Snake turned back to the enemy and let out a furious scream as he stepped away from the helicopter and began firing once more. Luna looked back at Twilight after a few moments and saw Miller had offered her his hand and she had placed her good hoof in it to allow him to help her up into the helicopter’s cabin. Once she was all the way in, he helped her up against the other door before moving back to it and kneeling down again as he called, “Snake!”

It didn’t seem like Snake had heard him, but it didn’t matter anyway as his gun ran out of ammo. After shaking it for a second like he was hoping to find more inside, he threw it to the ground and ran back to the helicopter, taking Miller’s hand and calling “Go!” once he was onboard. Luna quickly leapt into the cabin as the helicopter lifted away and looked back outside to see the side of the strut they’d been on starting to sink beneath the waves just like she’d thought. The door was closed as they witnessed a pair of towers on two nearby struts collapsing in a plume of dust and smoke as explosions went off from inside of them.

Luna turned away from the door and looked around the cabin. To say the mood was somber would be an understatement. One of the soldiers that had been rescued was crying in the back with Chico trying to comfort him. Twilight was still sitting up against the other door, her right hoof pressed up against her left foreleg where she’d been shot, though it seemed like she wasn’t actually trying to apply pressure to it. She just sat there, staring at the door with a horrified expression. Snake sat to her right, looking shocked and disconnected, and Miller sat to her left up against the seats, his head currently turned towards the door.

Miller soon turned his head away and looked towards the floor. “The inspection was nothing but a smokescreen. I heard explosions, then…” Luna noticed Twilight was trying to inch over to him while he was speaking, reaching her right hoof out to him. Before she could reach him, though, he suddenly turned his head and, upon noticing her, reached over and roughly shoved her back against the wall with a cry. Luna turned and glared at him as he stood up and glared down at her, Twilight letting out a whimper and holding her shaking hooves up in front of her face like she was trying to shield herself.

Whether it was due to Twilight being scared, the blood on her hoof and foreleg, or a combination of the two, Miller seemed to turn his anger away from her after a moment, swinging his arms down and shaking his head as he yelled, “They played us like a DAMN FIDDLE!” He turned to Snake and reached down, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him as he went on, “Give it back! This isn’t right! That was ours…” Snake was unresponsive, only looking up at Miller as he let out his anger. He slammed his right fist against the door, “We built it, damn it!” Luna’s anger dissipated as she watched him, the reality of what they’d just lost physically not being easy to accept hitting rather close for her.

After a few seconds, Miller turned his head away from the door, his gaze falling on Paz. “You spying BITCH…!” He pushed the medic away from her with his shoulder and reached down, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her. “C’mon. C’mon, start talking, bitch! C’mon, get up and start talking!!” he growled even as Chico tried to get him to back off. Paz suddenly awoke with a start, spitting blood out of her mouth that hit Miller in the face and caused him to take a step back, though he still glared down at her. She was just as intimidated by Miller’s anger as Twilight had been and she stood up and tried to run away, bumping into Snake, who had stood up, and backing up against the door as she looked between him and Twilight. Luna heard Chico utter Paz’s name as Twilight managed to raise herself up on her hind legs, using the door behind her to help support her weight.

Paz looked back at Snake with a worried expression, but before either one of them could say anything, Miller came over and pointed at her, “You little…” He was stopped from going any further when the medic came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Miller’s waist, pulling him back to the seat and making him sit down.

Paz turned back to Snake a second later, saying, “Bomb! There’s a…”

Snake held his hands up, trying to reassure her, “It’s all right. We got it out.” This didn’t seem to calm Paz down, though, since she was still breathing faster than normal.

A few seconds later, she looked over at the door control and reached her left hand over to it, causing it to open. “Paz?!” Twilight asked as the door was opening.

The girl looked at her and Snake one last time before taking a step back, placing her left hand on the door frame. “There’s another… in my…” she breathed. Luna could hear the faint sound of another chopper nearby, but nobody else seemed to notice it since they all kept looking at Paz. Luna noticed that Twilight’s eyes widened and, for a brief moment, her mouth fell open before Snake’s did. It seemed like they realized what she was trying to say.

“PAZ!!”

“NOOOOOOOOO!!”

It all happened so fast. All of a sudden, Twilight pushed herself away from the wall, placing her front hooves on the floor as she came down, and leapt after Paz, who let herself fall out of the open door. Snake moved forward as well, but he was stopped from jumping out after them by the medic, who reached the open door ahead of him, seemingly reaching his hands out towards Paz and Twilight as well. Luna moved to the door as well, standing at Snake’s right side as she looked out. Things seemed to be moving slower now as she saw Paz had her arms crossed over her chest and Twilight had spread her wings as she fell after her. Luna could see her horn starting to light up, but it never got a chance to actually start glowing.

She wasn’t prepared for it. Even with as long as she had lived, nothing could’ve prepared her for what happened next. One moment, it seemed like it was a desperate freefall with Twilight trying to catch Paz before she hit the water; the next, the girl was gone, replaced by a large explosion that had erupted from inside her. And Twilight was just about right next to it. Luna’s eyes became even wider as things still seemed to be moving slowly, as if to let her get a good look at what had happened, but she didn’t need to. This was it. There was no doubt now, no room for uncertainty. This, more than anything else she’d seen, was the moment that Twilight couldn’t bear to talk about, where the rest of her injuries came from.

She didn’t need to get closer. She’d already seen what this explosion had done the night Twilight returned to Equestria. Her Sneaking Suit had been burnt by the explosion, and, with the size of the explosion, it was a miracle only her right cheek had been burned enough to leave behind a mark. Her wings had been swinging down when the explosion happened and so ended up getting burnt like her face. She was aware that the explosion didn’t stop at her and Snake and the medic had both landed on their backs next to her as the blast lasted for several seconds more, but she was too fixated on Twilight to look over at them.

The explosion blew Twilight back up at the chopper, a minor change in her trajectory causing her to slam into the hull next to the door rather than being flung back inside the cabin. Her left wing ended up behind her back as she hit and it was safe to say between that and the force of the explosion that this was when she broke it. Her head hit hard and Luna saw her head crane up, her mouth open and eyes closed, before the chopper began to spin out of control. Once again, luck had been on Twilight’s side as, as the blast died down and smoke began to block Luna’s vision, she fell away from the chopper as it spun and didn’t get sliced up by the still-spinning rotors. Luna moved forward past the smoke and caught a glimpse of Twilight spiraling down towards the water. Horrified and having momentarily forgotten she had no control over these events, Luna spread her wings, leapt out of the chopper, righted herself, and flew down after her friend, hoping to catch her.

She passed through Twilight when she reached her, moments before she hit the water and disappeared beneath the waves. Luna turned and flew down after her, remembering to use her magic so that she wouldn’t be affected by the water. She flapped her wings to hover next to Twilight as she stared sadly at her face. Her vacant look and lack of movement told Luna her impact with the chopper had knocked her unconscious, and now she had no idea what was going to happen next as Twilight floated there in the water.

Suddenly, Luna heard a click followed by singing and soft gasping. She raised her head up and looked around. They were still surrounded by blackness, so where was it coming from? As she listened, she recognized the song. It was the same song that had been sung back at the start of her journey, back at the ‘cemetery’. Why was she hearing it now?

“Your favorite song.”

Luna gasped. “That voice!” she thought. She immediately knew it was the man, remembering when he was talking to Chico. Who was he talking to now?

“Nicola. Bart. Immigrants, wrongly executed.”

Luna’s confusion was put to the side when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a light coming from Twilight. She turned back to her and saw sparks coming from her horn. They were white in color and she could see the familiar magenta glow of Twilight’s magic as it tried to surround her horn.

“But their deaths served as a message to others.”

As the glow climbed further up her horn, the sparks became more frequent, some shooting across her horn like lightning bolts. “Is she doing this subconsciously?” Luna wondered.

“That ours is a society that murders the innocent.”

Her horn was surrounded fully now and, after a few seconds, a bright white light began to shine from the tip of it, getting brighter by the moment.

“Do you, too, believe your sacrifice will change the world? If so, the time is now.”

Luna closed her eyes and looked away as the light became too much to bear, a bright flash emanating and lasting for several seconds before the light began to die down. When she looked back a moment later, she didn’t see Twilight and looked around quickly. She soon saw her below her, falling to the ground below and landing hard on her side as she heard a click again. Luna flew down next to her and looked around. Their surroundings had changed and she immediately recognized the gardens around Canterlot Castle, the castle itself not far away from where Twilight had landed.

“Cipher has been in hiding ever since his grand experiment. No one’s seen him in years.”

Luna looked back down at Twilight, realizing what was happening. One of her other memories was spilling over into this one, mixing with it like the unpleasant, seemingly unconnected moments in a nightmare.

“All we hear are orders delivered by proxy. Except you.”

Luna looked up and noticed three ponies approaching. One was a member of her night guard and the other two were part of Celestia’s guard, one an earth pony and the other a pegasus. When they got closer, they stopped for a moment before they rushed over to Twilight.

“You met with him – face to face – in order to contact Big Boss.”

The three ponies reached her and immediately began checking her as Luna heard a gasp from who she could now reasonably guess was Paz.

“Tell me where he is. Where is Cipher… Where is Zero?”

The guards started talking to each other, but Luna couldn’t hear any sound coming from them. She wasn’t concerned, though; she was more intrigued in the man’s words and the information he was trying to get from Paz.

“I’ve never known choice. Where I was born, the language I speak… I’ve never had the freedom to choose for myself.”

Luna noticed her guard was trying to patch Twilight up with bandages with aid from the earth pony guard while the pegasus guard was talking to the latter.

“But you, right now, are free. Do as you will.”

The night pony backed off after a couple of seconds and the pegasus guard stepped forward.

“This will save… Big Boss?”

“It may.”

“Will you… really… kill… Zero for me?”

“Not for you.”

The pegasus guard hoisted Twilight up onto his back and looked at the earth pony one last time before he began running towards the city while the earth pony turned and headed for the castle, leaving the night pony alone.

“Alright… Zero is…”

Luna winced as she heard static, causing her to close her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, she noticed that Canterlot was beginning to fade away at the edges of her vision, being replaced by nothing but blackness.

Luna gasped and channeled her magic into her horn, trying to stop it, trying to stay connected. “No, no, no! What did she say?! What did she tell him?! I must know!” she screamed in her head, but it was no use. She couldn’t stop Canterlot from fading away, and she couldn’t maintain her link with Twilight any longer.

There was nothing left.
> Aftermath
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestia looked down at Luna uncertainly. She still hadn’t righted herself since she fell onto her side a little while ago and there was still a stream of magic going from her horn to Twilight. She knew everyone in the room was getting restless because it was starting to get to her too. Aside from some expression changes, nothing had really happened since Twilight stopped convulsing and the silence was almost unbearable. After looking over at Twilight for a moment, she turned back to Luna and noticed something. She blinked and took a closer look to make sure she was seeing it correctly. She was right; a single tear had escaped Luna’s left eye and was running slowly down across her cheek.

A few moments later, the flow of magic from her horn stopped and she began to twitch. She let out a few quiet murmurs as she began to stir. Spike and the other ponies soon noticed too and they began to get excited at the thought of their questions being answered soon. Seeing this, Celestia spread her wings and used her magic to create a moderately sized light at the tip of her horn, causing everyone to look over at her. Once she had their attention, Celestia dismissed the light and folded her wings before giving them a look, silently telling them not to bombard Luna with questions before stepping in front of her and looking down at her.

After a couple more seconds, Luna raised her head off the floor and righted herself onto her stomach, her eyes still closed. She shook her head and then opened her eyes a moment later, a few more tears leaking out of both eyes as she looked down at the floor. She raised her head and looked up at Celestia, who softly asked her, “What did you see, Luna?”

Luna closed her eyes in grief for a moment before opening them partway, looking down at the floor as she answered quietly, “A great many things, Sister… But of them, I saw… Paz turn against Cipher to try to save Big Boss…” She closed her eyes again, “But she trusted the wrong person… She died trying to save him, and I don’t believe she succeeded…”

Applejack was the first to speak, “What do ya mean, Princess? How could she have died tryin’ ta save Snake? Last time Twilight talked about her, she got thrown out of that ZEKE thing.”

Rarity asked while gesturing to Twilight, “Whatever happened that has befouled her appearance so?”

Rainbow shuddered, “Why was she shaking like she was being shocked earlier?”

Pinkie urged, “Tell us, Princess, tell us!”

Cadance spoke up, “Everyone, shh!”  When they looked at her, they saw her gesturing to Twilight, who was stirring a bit on the bed. She seemed to become a little calmer when they stopped talking, but judging from the uneasy expression on her muzzle, it was not a good calm.

Shining’s heart ached to see her like this, but he agreed with Cadance; there was no telling how she’d react if they made her wake up right now. He looked back at the others and said, in a quiet tone, “Maybe we should discuss this somewhere else.”

Luna nodded, “Agreed.” She looked over at Twilight’s saddlebags, “There is something I would like to investigate for myself as well.” She stood up and used her magic to grab them, bringing them over and checking them for the book as well as Twilight’s tape player and headphones.

While she was looking, Celestia asked, “What do you need those for, Luna?”

Luna looked up at her after a moment, “I have questions and a hunch, sister.” She turned to leave the room, “Let’s go to the library.” They all followed Luna out, leaving Twilight alone. As they walked to the library, Luna said, “A fair warning to you all: very little of what I saw is anything anyone should have to witness. You will not be thought of less if you feel an overwhelming need to step out.” Her words didn’t reassure anyone, but she knew better than to mince words on this matter. Nothing about it was okay.

When they reached the library, Luna set Twilight’s saddlebags on the table in the center of the room and took out everything she thought she’d need before using her magic to create a screen for everyone else to look at. After using another spell to project her memories to the screen, she put the headphones on and opened the book, finding the seven tapes she was looking for at the top like she expected. She pulled them out and selected the first one, bringing it over to the tape player.

It didn’t take her long to figure out how the device worked and she was soon listening to the tapes while keeping up the display behind her. Sometimes what she heard caused her magic to waver, but it didn’t take more than a tap on her shoulder from Celestia’s magic to get her to refocus when she didn’t catch it herself. She was only somewhat aware of what they were doing, occasionally hearing the library doors opening and closing as somepony excused themselves. Her projection reached its end by the time she was finished with the last tape, now knowing the full extent of the horrors that Chico and Paz had endured up to the night of the attack.

Luna reached up and slipped the headphones off of her ears, letting them slide down until they stopped around the base of her neck. She closed her eyes, a feeling of gloom settling in her mind as she tried to process what she had learned. She couldn’t bring herself to say anything yet and, since she knew her magic had stopped flowing from her horn, she knew a similar feeling was likely being felt by everyone in the room since she heard nothing behind her. She opened her eyes after a minute and turned to look back at them. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Cadance appeared to be on the verge of tears, Applejack, Rainbow, and Shining looked sad as well as guilty, Rarity was comforting Spike while trying to hold back tears herself, and Celestia had her eyes closed, a solemn look on her muzzle.

The Sun Princess soon opened her eyes and turned her head to look at Luna, asking, “Luna… Is it all…?”

Luna nodded and set the tape player and headphones on the desk before walking over while saying, “It’s true, all of it, Sister.” She stopped in front of everyone, “There were no alterations, no twisting things out of proportion. What you saw were the memories that Twilight tried to bury deep inside.” She glanced back at the tape player, “The conversation between Paz and that man is from her remembering the ending of the sixth recording. Somehow, the memory of that spilled over into her memories of that night.” She glanced down at the floor and muttered, “Perhaps it was something he did.”

Celestia overheard her and asked, “Who? That man?”

Luna looked up at her in surprise for a moment before saying, “Oh, I’m purely speculating about why it might have happened, Sister. I can’t be certain.” Celestia didn’t know what she was talking about, but decided it would be better not to press her further.

Spike sniffled and asked, “Why didn’t she tell us about this?”

Shining answered, “No one talks about anything like that over tea and cupcakes, Spike. No one.”

Applejack added, “No one likes ta think about outlivin’ someone they care a lot about.”

Rainbow said, “Still, she could’ve told us something was bothering her. Right?”

Applejack gave her a hard look, “This soon after it happened, Rainbow? She’s probably still tryin’ ta accept that it happened.” She looked down at the floor, “The joy of bein’ home and reunited with us probably helped push it outta her head for a little while, and now she can’t ignore it.”

Celestia turned and walked away as she said, “Yes. Sooner or later, the past will catch up with you. Traumatic experiences are not so easily ignored and they can come in all forms, whether it’s being the only survivor of a devastating attack, being assaulted…” she stopped and closed her eyes in grief, “or losing someone dear to you, be it a permanent loss or banishment for a long time because you didn’t see the signs until it was too late.”

Luna detected the subtle shift in Celestia’s tone and it made her worried. “Celestia?” she asked.

Celestia heard her, but she didn’t respond, instead opening her eyes to look at the crystal wall she came to a stop in front of, seeing her reflection in it. She stared at it, seeing more than most others could see. Usually when she looked in a mirror, she saw the same perfect, regal face that her little ponies saw, but after particularly stressful days or being reminded of past events, she was often able to see past that mask she put on. This was one of those times.

Although they weren’t physical, looking at her face caused her to see the cracks and scars she had accumulated over the course of ruling a thousand years without Luna by her side. She felt guilt for what she’d done almost immediately afterwards, but as the only remaining princess of Equestria, there’d been no time to properly come to terms with it. With moving the capital to Canterlot, taking over her sister’s duties, and dealing with the day to day responsibilities of being a ruler, she hadn’t had time to seek proper therapy for her guilt, and the effects of that added up without her even noticing. Despite her warm and loving demeanor, she knew she was distant from the ponies she ruled over. Her long life and hope for the future kept her going, but Twilight was not like her, and she was still young. If she continued to sit on the side and assume things would go as she thought without any further input…

She closed her eyes for a moment before raising her head and opening them again, a grim look on her muzzle as she knew what she had to do. Though they couldn’t see her expression, everyone noticed the movement. “Princess?” Rarity asked.

When she received no response, Luna tried again, “Sister! What are you thinking?”

Celestia broke eye contact with her reflection and turned to face Luna directly. She stared at her for a moment before saying, plain and simple, “We are returning to Canterlot in the morning, Luna. And Twilight… is coming back with us.” She was fully expecting the outcry that immediately came afterwards.

“WHAT?!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“You can’t!” Pinkie cried.

“It isn’t her fault!” Applejack pleaded.

Celestia nodded, “You’re correct, Applejack. Circumstances were beyond her control. Not even Big Boss suspected Paz had been implanted with more than one bomb or that the inspection wasn’t real. No one could’ve asked her to do more than she did or suspected or known more than she did, and she won’t be able to move on until she can come to terms with that.”

Rarity asked, “Then why not let her stay here, then? Erm, Princess.”

Fluttershy took a few steps forward before saying, “I’ve, um… I’ve taken care of animals before that aren’t… physically injured, but hurt on the inside, Princess. So… I do know that they tend to get better if they’re with others that care deeply for them. I believe ponies are the same way?”

Celestia replied, “You’re absolutely correct, Fluttershy. Twilight needs support if she’s going to get better. She needs all the support she can get.”

Rainbow started, “Then why…”

Celestia cut her off, “She’ll need the support of her friends, her family, and even Luna and myself.” Her eyes shifted to look at Twilight’s friends, “And correct me if I’m mistaken, but if we’re only considering you girls, Twilight and Shining Armor’s parents, and him and Cadance, I believe that one of those groups has never had the time to visit Twilight’s home here in Ponyville, one can make arrangements to travel out to see her, and one can move a birthday party to Canterlot on short notice, put together a wedding in less than a day, and is able to spontaneously change their plans whenever something comes up or catches their fancy. Of the three, which do you think she should be living closest to?”

Rainbow stammered, “Well… Okay, but… Uh…”

Luna spoke up after a moment, “You know someone as well, don’t you, Sister?”

Celestia nodded, “I do. I did meet a pony who helped me through the final years leading up to your return, Luna, and I remain in touch with her to this day. I believe she may be able to help Twilight as she helped me.” She looked back at Twilight’s friends, “And don’t take this the wrong way, girls, but Ponyville…” she hesitated for a moment, “Ponyville is no place for her right now.”

Rainbow got a little annoyed at what she might’ve been implying and asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?!”

Fluttershy murmured, “Is it because of the castle?”

Celestia answered, “Yes, that is part of it. But it’s more due to the fact that there is often so much going on around Ponyville that it’s not entirely good for a pony trying to work through trauma to live here. Somepony could approach her at a bad time and she might do something she wouldn’t do under normal circumstances, or something like a Sonic Rainboom going off could remind her of the battlefield. I believe her recent outbursts and the incident earlier today at Sugarcube Corner reinforce the idea that she can easily be set off at this point.” Rainbow opened her mouth to say something, but stopped as she considered Twilight’s behavior since they brought her back to Ponyville.

Rarity suggested, “Well, we could do something about that. Tell ponies about what she’s been through, try to keep things under control…”

Celestia said, “While I do agree the ponies here should have some idea of why she’s been behaving the way she has, I believe it’s entirely unreasonable to think you could ever have full control over what happens here. Twilight is the one who needs to come to terms with what happened, and being unrealistic will not help her achieve that faster.”

Cadance asked after a moment, “Aunt Celestia, are you sure about this?”

Celestia closed her eyes as she responded, “I’m very proud of everything Twilight’s done, and I’ve wanted so many things for her, but the one thing I’ve never wanted is for her to turn out like me. I don’t know if that’s possible now, but I will certainly do all I can to prevent it.”

She opened her eyes at the feeling of something touching her right foreleg and looked down to see that it was Spike, his claws resting above her shoe. “Princess… When you leave in the morning… can I come with her?” he asked, sounding desperate and scared, his eyes still wet with tears.

Celestia lifted her hoof and placed it on his back, softly saying, “Of course, Spike. I would never think of separating you from her, and not just because she needs you more than ever now.” She looked up at the others, “That goes for the rest of you as well. I don’t want to make her leave Ponyville either, but I feel that this is the best option for helping her get better. I know you’ve all been away from your normal lives longer than you may have liked, and I know it’s not fair to expect you to keep doing it with no idea of how long you’ll be doing it, but I’m asking you to find the time to come visit her in Canterlot. For her sake.”

While they were mulling over her words, no one noticed a familiar draconequus move across the walls and slide out of the room. Discord kept moving across the walls, only coming out when he was inside Twilight’s room. He walked over to her bed and looked down at her. She was curled up on her side in a fetal position, her body shaking as if she was cold, tears escaping her eyes and running down the sides of her face.

Discord often had trouble comprehending emotions. The only time they really seemed to click for him was when Fluttershy was involved. But after watching what Luna had showed everyone and listening to what they had said, he truly felt guilty at not only what his antics this day had caused without him realizing, but also further guilt for siding with Tirek. For once, he felt truly responsible for what had happened and worried that he might have well and truly destroyed any chance of actually being friends with Twilight.

He used his magic to lift her up before pulling the covers back, setting her down and pulling them over her. He reached down with his lion paw after a moment and wiped her tears away. She seemed to stop shaking at the gesture, but it didn’t alleviate how he was feeling. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I really am,” he said softly, hoping she might somehow hear him. Unsure of what else to say, he quietly left the room and the castle, uncertainty of what the coming days might bring gnawing at the back of his mind.
> Return to Canterlot
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a beautiful morning, the Sun fully visible and well on its way up into the sky. The air was a little cool this high above the ground and everyone sitting in the chariot could see for miles, the lush landscape stretching far into the distance. Twilight could see it clearly from where she was, but she didn’t really care about that. In fact, in a more reasonable sense of mind, she would notice she didn’t care much about anything at the moment and be worried at the very least. But here she was, high above the land and all she felt was a feeling of despondency.

She was on the left side of seat of the chariot that the Princesses had called, lying on her side with her legs splayed out across the floor and her chin on top of the chariot’s frame, her eyes looking straight ahead at nothing. Spike, Shining Armor, and Cadance sat to her right, Spike and Cadance constantly looking over at her with worry while Shining could only bear to look at her for a short time before turning away, the stallion unable to handle seeing his sister in this state. Celestia and Luna flew slightly behind the chariot at its sides, both keeping an eye on Twilight. They would be arriving in Canterlot in a little while and they didn’t want to take any chances.

Like Shining Armor, Spike couldn’t stand seeing Twilight like this, but he was having a much harder time coming to terms with it. As he shifted her saddlebags and Sneaking Suit on his lap, he thought about what he’d witnessed this morning. He’d gone in with Celestia to wake Twilight up and was surprised when she was easily woken up in spite of everything that had happened the day before. She didn’t say a word and hardly reacted when Celestia told her they were taking her back to Canterlot for the time being, the Sun Princess having to use her magic a little to get Spike to leave the room with her to give the mare time to wake up and pack. She came out of the castle a little while later with her saddlebags and Sneaking Suit on her back, looking tidier but no more spirited than when she’d woken up, not even when their friends showed up. She didn’t seem to react to the hugs and words they gave her before they left on the chariot, and now she hadn’t moved at all since they started the flight back to Canterlot. He couldn’t help but think of the last time they’d made the trip in this particular way and the parallels he could see with this trip.

The silence was really starting to get to Spike. Everyone else seemed to know what to do, Cadance, Shining, Celestia, Luna, and the guards pulling the chariot all not needing to do more than look at each other to communicate, but he didn’t have anyone to look at. The only one he could look at was still looking away from him, and if he didn’t know better, he’d say she wasn’t there at all. He couldn’t take it anymore. “Twilight…” he uttered.

That was as far as he got since Shining almost immediately said in a sharp tone, “Spike.” The baby dragon flinched and turned his head to look up at the stallion. He was looking down at him while his muzzle was pointed forward, his brow furrowed as he simply shook his head. Spike looked down for a moment before facing forward, going back to looking over at Twilight in silence. He couldn’t wait for this trip to be over and have her back on solid ground again.

They soon reached the limits of Canterlot, but instead of continuing on towards the castle, the guards changed direction slightly as they flew over the city. When they came in for a landing, they landed in front of Twilight and Shining’s parents’ house. Fortunately, there weren’t a lot of ponies out on the streets yet, so they were able to land without attracting unwanted attention. Celestia and Luna landed behind the chariot, still keeping their eyes on Twilight. While Shining and Cadance stood up, Spike reached over and, after taking a moment to think about it, placed his hand on Twilight’s right hind leg and shook it as he softly said, “Twilight, we’re here.” She took a moment to look up at the house in front of her before she began to shift her legs, letting out a murmur as she stood up and disembarked.

Shining walked up to the front door along with Cadance, both of them taking a quick glance back at Twilight and Spike before they turned back to the door. Shining raised his hoof and knocked on the door several times. They all waited patiently for about a minute before they began to hear movement on the other side. The door opened a moment later, revealing Mr. Sparkle on the other side. “Shining, Cadance! What a pleasant surprise!” he smiled.

Shining did not return the smile as he replied, “I sure wish the circumstances could be a bit more pleasant, Dad.”

Mr. Sparkle blinked, “Why? What’s wrong?” He looked past his son and daughter-in-law and saw Celestia and Luna standing back behind them with Twilight and Spike in front of them. As her father’s gaze fell on her, Twilight glanced up at him and turned her head to the left a moment later, allowing him to clearly see the burn mark on her cheek. His eyes widened when he saw it along with the other injuries he could see from where he was standing.

Shining looked back at her for a moment before swallowing the lump in his throat and looking back at Mr. Sparkle to ask, “Can we come inside?” He nodded and backed up to let everyone in, never taking his eyes off of Twilight.

As everyone stood inside the entrance, Mrs. Sparkle walked into the living room through the doorway near the fireplace. “Who’s at the door, dear? What…” Her question was halted when she saw their guests, noticing her husband’s expression a moment later. She followed his gaze and, because Twilight was looking at her, saw what he was so transfixed by.

Shining picked up on the growing uncomfortable silence and decided to do something about it. “Twilight, Spike. Bedroom. Now,” he ordered. Spike patted Twilight on her left foreleg and walked alongside her into the house while Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle continued to stare at them. When they left the room, the parents turned their gazes to their son, who said, “Mom, Dad, we need to talk.”

Spike stayed close beside Twilight as they made their way to her old room. When they got there, they both walked over to the bed, Twilight turning and sitting down on the edge of it while Spike set her things down on the floor at the end of the bed. As he moved her Sneaking Suit off her saddlebags, the baby dragon noticed that her knife holster was still attached to them, the blade having been returned to it after they’d brought her back to the castle. He quickly reached over and removed it, hiding it behind his back as he turned and stepped to the side to look up at Twilight, who was still seated on the edge of her bed. “You feeling okay, Twilight?” he asked nervously.

“Yeah,” was Twilight’s quiet response.

Spike blinked and glanced back at the knife before he asked, “Can I get you anything?”

Twilight raised her head slightly and started, “I…” She let it hang in the air a moment before she closed her mouth, lowered her head, and scooted back on the bed so her hind legs weren’t hanging over the edge. She then fell over onto her side, her head landing on the pillow. Spike flinched and took a few steps closer, listening. He could hear her breathing and crying quietly. She wasn’t asleep, but he guessed it would be okay to leave the room for a bit in order to get her knife far away from her.

He backed out of the room slowly and quietly closed the door, letting out the breath he’d been holding afterwards. He then tucked the knife under his arm and made his way towards the living room, hearing talking as he got closer. Spike stopped at the corner and set the knife down on the floor, stepping over it before pressing his back up against the wall as he listened in. “I can’t believe this happened to Twilight. Our poor baby…” Mr. Sparkle was saying, sounding devastated.

“It’s my fault. After all this time, I didn’t suspect anything was wrong until Luna searched and revealed what she witnessed for us all to see. I should’ve suspected it wasn’t just stress sooner,” Celestia replied. Spike brought his tail around to his front, squeezing it between his fingers. Below the talking, he could hear Mrs. Sparkle crying and it wasn’t something he was used to hearing.

He soon heard Mr. Sparkle ask, “Why did you bring her back here to Canterlot? Shouldn’t she be back in Ponyville with her friends?”

He heard Celestia say, “Because right now, this is the best place for her.”

Luna spoke up a second later, “My sister knows somepony who might be able to help Twilight come to terms with her grief, and she feels being as close to home as she can be would be best so that you might be able to help her as well.”

Mrs. Sparkle said, “But what about her friends? Aren’t they important to helping her get better too? All you had to do was tell us and we would’ve made time for her.”

Shining responded, “Mom, I’m sorry, but I think Princess Celestia is right. You and Dad don’t make time to go see Twilight.”

Spike heard Mrs. Sparkle gasp and ask, “What?! Shining, how can you say that?”

The white stallion answered, “You both made a special trip out to the Crystal Empire after Sombra was defeated to congratulate Cadance and I on becoming its new rulers. We correspond with Twilight, you know, and nothing in her letters has ever indicated you’ve ever visited her in Ponyville.”

Cadance spoke up, “I’m sure you both had your reasons, Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle, but Shining is right. She’s never mentioned you, and that was… well, before all this happened. Shining and I manage to find time for her. In fact, we already started making arrangements to go to a wedding in Ponyville that we were invited to.”

Luna said, “We were invited as well, and my sister and I were looking forward to it despite our usual responsibilities.  Do you see what we are all getting at?”

There was silence for several long moments before Mr. Sparkle admitted, “I… guess we really haven’t been thinking of Twilight like we should have. We shouldn’t just be seeing her when she happens to be in Canterlot.”

Mrs. Sparkle added, “I really shouldn’t be making such a big deal about having her home again. We should both be glad to have her here and help however we can.”

Shining said, “Yeah. You can’t hold all those flashcards against her forever, Mom.”

Spike heard a stammer from Mrs. Sparkle quickly followed by, “That’s beside the point, Shining!” The baby dragon remained where he was, continuing to listen as they kept talking about Celestia’s plan and Twilight’s friends visiting.

After a short while, the talking stopped and Spike heard the sound of hooves coming towards him. He moved away from the wall and started to back up, letting out a short exclamation and grunt as he tripped over Twilight’s knife holster and fell on his rear. Shining and Celestia soon appeared from around the corner and noticed him, Cadance and Luna coming around them as Shining asked, “Spike? What are you doing?”

Spike looked up at him as he replied, “Um… I was just getting Twilight’s knife far away from her…”

Celestia quickly grabbed the holstered blade with her magic, holding it up in front of her as she said, “Very good, Spike. This should not be anywhere near her, so I will be confiscating it for the time being.”

Luna looked at her and asked, “You intend to give it back someday, Sister?”

Celestia glanced back at her as she replied, “It is hers, and it may hold some sentimental value. But she certainly won’t be getting it back until she cleans up her act, Luna.” Behind the princesses, Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle glanced at each other, not sure how to feel about Celestia’s comment.

Later…

Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle stood in the doorway to their daughter’s room along with Spike as they watched. Shining and Cadance were standing at the side of Twilight’s bed as she lay on her back, one of her paipos sticking out of her mouth as she alternated between looking at them and the ceiling. The two were talking to her and exchanging some light words while they waited. Celestia would be back soon with the pony she’d been talking about and then Shining and Cadance had to leave for the Crystal Empire. They didn’t like it, but they knew they couldn’t put it off any longer.

Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle heard a knock at the front door and, after the two looked at each other for a moment, the former went to go answer it. Mrs. Sparkle turned back to the scene in the room, wanting to join but knowing it was best to let them have this time together since there was no telling when Shining and Cadance would be able to visit again. Mr. Sparkle came back after a minute and he took his place next to her, both of them sharing another look before he looked into the room and called softly, “Shining? Cadance? Princess Celestia is back.”

The two turned to look over at him for a moment before turning back to Twilight. “We have to go now, Twily,” Shining spoke quietly. He maneuvered his left foreleg under her neck and used it to raise her to a sitting position before wrapping both forelegs around her in a hug.

Cadance quickly joined the hug, draping her wings over Twilight as well. “I’m so sorry about this, Twilight. We’ll try to come back soon. I promise,” she murmured.

They held the hug for a little bit longer. “I know it’s going to be hard, but you’ve got to stay strong, LSBFF. Even if we’re not all here, we’re all going to help you any way we can. This is not going to be the end,” Shining said. Twilight felt a fresh wave of tears coming at his words, her mind connecting them to what she heard Paz say in one of the tapes Snake recovered. Her paipo fell from her mouth as she weakly returned the hug, forgotten about. After a little more time, Cadance and Shining let her go and, reluctantly, left the room to make their way to the train station.

Spike crept over to grab the paipo after they left, holding it up in his hand and looking at it for a moment before looking up at Twilight. She didn’t seem to notice him even though she sat on the edge of her bed and her gaze had fallen on the floor. Both of their gazes turned towards the door when Princess Celestia stepped in a minute later, Spike quickly hiding the tube behind his back. “Twilight,” the white alicorn addressed her former pupil. When Twilight looked up at her, it took a considerable amount of effort on her part to keep a straight face as she said, “As you know, there’s a pony I thought might be able to help you. Well, I was able to talk to him a little while ago and he agreed to come here with me.” She turned her head to look at the door and called, “Psych?”

Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle had already noticed the tan unicorn stallion’s approach and moved aside at Celestia’s call to let him in the room. He barely spared them a glance, but they observed him as he walked past. He wore a fuzzy brown cap with flaps on the sides, a pair of big round glasses with red-tinted lenses on top of it perched on his horn. He also wore a blue long-sleeve turtleneck and a gray vest, the odd choice of clothing seeming unsuitable for such a nice day. They noticed his cutie mark was a side view of a brain.

Celestia took a few steps back as he approached, allowing him to stand directly in front of Twilight. “Hello, Princess Twilight. As you may have heard, I am a doctor, but you can simply call me Psych,” he said after a moment of looking her over, his voice unexpectedly soft.

“Hello,” Twilight murmured.

“Hm. I’m sure at first glance, you think I’m a typical, if a bit eccentric, doctor who claims to have ‘seen it all’ with ponies who have gone through what you have, which Princess Celestia did share with me so I would know ahead of time,” he said, Twilight slightly raising an eyebrow at his words. “Well, that may be true to an extent; I am considered a psychologist, but my eccentricities are not limited to my wardrobe. I tend to take more of an active approach with my patients, and I think it’s an approach that will keep your attention as well since it will be a learning experience for both of us.”

Twilight’s other brow went up a bit at that, “Really?”

Psych nodded, “Mm-hmm. But I’ll go into more detail about that later. For today, we’ll have the kind of simple session you were likely expecting and we’ll go from there. Does that sound okay?” At Twilight’s nod, the stallion took a seat and looked back at Celestia, giving her a nod. The white alicorn nodded in return and she made Spike follow her as she left the room, closing the door behind her. Turning back to Twilight, Psych said, “Now, let’s get started…”
> Spellwalking
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The circus. A big top tent. The fairgrounds. Young ponies running around with their parents hopefully nearby. Performers. There were all things going through Twilight’s mind as looked upon the scene she was in after Psych connected his magic with her horn, the unicorn walking alongside her. He’d been telling her about the special experimental spell he used with some of his patients for the last few days, but she could safely say it didn’t compare to actually experiencing it. If she didn’t know better, she’d think she actually was at the circus.

Psych had not said much since they started walking and Twilight was feeling a little uneased by it. She turned to look at him and asked, “So… the circus, huh?”

Psych nodded, “Instantly recognizable. Something very well known. A source of many fillies and colts’ enjoyment, as well as a number of childhood traumas.”

Twilight asked, “So, you use this spell to get straight to the heart of the matter? Learn a lot about somepony in a short amount of time?”

Psych replied, “Not exactly. The basic magic behind the spell is very similar to the spell that Princess Luna uses to visit the dreams of other ponies. I learned about it after her return and became interested in learning if other magic users could utilize it in similar ways. My spell has its differences, but it has similar limitations. It’s able to create landscapes like this and even give shape to memories, but it needs to be something the other party is comfortable sharing with me, otherwise there’s nothing I can do.”

Twilight nodded and asked, “Did you create this all yourself, or is this something you’re sharing?”

Psych replied, “This is from me, definitely. It’s usually one of the first things I show. It’s not always the best thing to show, but I feel it’s important to establish that we all have fears and things we dislike and they’re all important, no matter how trivial they may seem.”

The two ponies paused to let a group of young colts run past them before Twilight asked, “Does that mean you have a fear of the circus?”

Psych answered, “I would say it’s more of a dislike than an actual fear. I’ve only ever been to the circus once as a colt and even then, there were things that I didn’t like about it. I found it so noisy and chaotic for one thing. All the other young ponies were screaming and running around, many of them without any sign of their parents. That was already a lot for a young me to deal with, and then there were the performers walking around with their painted-on faces and the way they acted…”

Twilight interjected, “Don’t ever tell my friend Pinkie Pie any of this. She loves the circus and all the performers.”

Psych replied, “Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t traumatized by them exactly, and I don’t fault them for doing what they love or have to do, but things were different when I was younger and it was one of the things about the circus that I didn’t like.”

Twilight asked, “What else don’t you like?”

Psych said, "I think we'll move on to the main attraction, which happens to be in the main attraction of most circuses." He led Twilight into the big top tent, which was bustling with excitement. There was a trapeze, a high wire, clowns running around, some of which were setting up a cannon, and a number of other animals. A tiger, monkeys, projections of pink elephants, zebras… That caught Twilight's attention.

“I had no idea that zebras were ever circus performers. Were they allowed to join willingly, or…?” she thought. She glanced over at Psych and noticed that he seemed to be fixated on the animal performers as well. “Does it have something to do with them?” she asked after a few moments.

Psych started, "I remember the first time I went to the circus for two reasons: it was also the only time I went, and it was when I got my cutie mark." He paused briefly to glance back at his flank before continuing, "I’ve always been curious and odd, so when I saw these performances for the first time, my attention was drawn not to the spectacle on display, but the performers themselves. I began wondering what they were thinking, how they really felt about what they were doing… And at some point, in the midst of my analysis, I must’ve gained my cutie mark. I didn’t notice until my parents and I had left and we were heading home.”

Twilight asked, "Did you know what it was for at the time?"

Psych replied, "No, but after I thought about what had happened, I kind of thought I knew. The painted-on faces of some of the performers, the masks they wore, what was really going on behind them… it all intrigued me. It was also pretty sad when I really thought about it, I suppose."

Twilight asked, "Really? Does that mean the day you got your cutie mark was a bad one for you?"

Psych tilted his head a bit as he replied, "I can see why you'd think that. Not many ponies tend to talk about the negative aspects of cutie marks and we tend to think of the moment as a joyous one, but sometimes, that's just the way it is. I don't hate my talent or the circumstances surrounding it, however. Maybe it could've revealed itself at a better time and it wouldn't seem awkward to talk about, but I enjoy what I do. My parents didn't feel the same way about it at first, though. They had certain… hopes for me that were suddenly good for nothing. There's a reason they named me Psych."

Twilight could feel a little uneasiness hanging in the air after he finished. Did his cutie mark discovery cause complications with his family that were still unresolved? She decided to try breaking up the tension by saying, "So, I guess you could say your talent gave your parents a bit of a psyche. I-In a way." She wasn't sure if he appreciated the attempt or not; he continued to stare straight ahead with no changes in his facial features.

He remained like this for about a minute more before saying, "I really shouldn't dwell on my own past like this." He turned to Twilight, "Shall we be off?" She nodded and stepped closer to him. His horn lit up and a moment later, both they and the circus began to fade away.

________________________________________

Spike had been trying his hardest to keep watch over Twilight and Psych as they did their test, but after their initial magic connection, all they did was sit on the floor with their eyes closed and heads tilted back slightly. The lack of anything happening began to take its toll on him and he had to catch himself before his eyelids closed all the way. It only briefly worked before it started to happen again, and it didn't take long before he dozed off completely, the baby dragon curling up on Twilight's bed.

Not long after he fell asleep, the magic from Psych's horn left Twilight's, both of them letting out a slight gasp as they came down from their meditation-like state. After opening their eyes, they heard a soft snoring and looked over at Spike. They turned back to each other and, a moment later, Psych remarked, “I guess he couldn’t keep watch after all.”

Twilight replied, “That’s all right. He can sleep; I give him enough to worry about, especially now.”

Psych nodded and said, “I think we have enough time to include one more spell in this session. How about we take a look inside your mind this time?”

Twilight hesitated for a bit before reluctantly saying, “I guess… that would be fine.” Psych sat up straight, closed his eyes, and filled his horn with his magic before letting it come out of the tip, the orange magic moving like a stream as it made its way over to Twilight. It made contact with the tip of her horn and she let out a shuddering breath as she felt it enter and travel down. Her upper eyelids began to droop and they shut completely before she let out a gasp and she sat up straight as well.

The gasp was enough to rouse Spike from his nap and he quickly shot up, the dragon looking around frantically. He soon calmed down when he noticed Twilight and Psych in seemingly the same position as before, making him think nothing had happened during the time he’d been asleep. He returned to his vigil, but it didn’t take long before his eyelids began to droop again.

________________________________________

When Twilight opened her eyes, she wasn't surprised by what she saw. The long shelves and empty halls of the large library were a common sight in her dreams about reading and she’d been seeing it a lot in between her nightmares for a while. What was unusual was the state she often found the library in lately.

While the dream library was usually neatly organized, there were times when she would go to sleep after a particularly stressful day and find books scattered or out of place. Such times had been occurring more frequently over the last few months, but in the last few weeks, it was like a bomb had gone off in the library. Nearly all the shelves had their tomes dumped on the floor, and when she tried to comb through the mess, she found that many of them were nowhere near where they were supposed to be. In addition, digging deeper into the mess revealed books that were either burnt or covered in blood, making it even harder to tell what they were.

As she scanned the room, Twilight’s spirits fell. It had been a couple of days since the last time she was here and the mess somehow seemed bigger now. She noticed Psych step forward after a few moments, the unicorn taking a few steps before looking down and picking up one of the books. He looked at the cover for a few seconds before looking down past it and seeing a book underneath it with bloodstains on it. He turned to look back at Twilight after a moment and asked, “Is this something you normally see in your dreams?”

Twilight answered, “Yes… but not like this.”

Psych asked, “It’s not normally this messy? Or…” he paused for a moment to think of a more fitting word, “wet?”

Twilight replied, “No. Well, before it used to be that sometimes everything wasn’t where it was supposed to be, but it was never this bad.” She looked around, “I’m not even sure what I should do with this. Am I supposed to ignore it? Or am I supposed to try to get everything back in place even though any progress I make seems to get reset every time I come back?”

Psych turned away, glancing towards the sea of books that seemed to cover every inch of the floor. He mulled over her words, how the library wasn’t always perfect, how it was different now, and an idea started to form in his head. He gave it some thought before sharing it, “There’s something in here.”

Twilight looked at him, “What do you mean?”

Psych didn’t turn to meet her gaze as he continued, “I don’t know what it is. Perhaps it’s a specific book, maybe it’s something else, but I believe there’s something in here. Something you’re looking for. And these books, with the way they’ve been defiled, are obscuring it from you. It’s not a matter of cleaning everything up; that’s not the heart of the matter. That will come later. Right now, your mind is telling you to focus on finding the most important thing here before anything else. That is my theory.”

Twilight asked, “What should I do?”

Psych turned to look back at her, “I don’t think I can help you in here. You’ll probably know it when you see it, but unless you know what it is now, I won’t be much help. All I can do is continue coming to see you and help you come to terms with what you’ve been through, and that in turn should help you here.” Noticing how she started to look off to the side, he added, “This is not something to be distressed about.” He turned to look at the library again, “The answer is in here somewhere. All you have to do is find it. And I’ll do everything I can to help you.”