Both teams met in the Shagedan Wildlife Refuge, ten miles south of Ahvaz. LCDR Perry Olson, the OIC of the SEAL unit sent to work with the Seaponies, caught right up to Rumble as the two units met. “Just got ahold of our ride – we’ve got some serious problems, sir.”
Rumble tried to keep an even keel. So far things were going to Tartarus in a hoofbasket – they’d all been played by someone and whoever it was, they were willing to litter human and pony corpses across the southern coast of Iran to embarrass both nations. “Talk to me, Olson.”
“Whoever set us up knew exactly what they were doing. My scouts have been looking through the area and any- and everything with a gun is on high alert. Our ride home is sitting just outside the territorial waterline, unable to do anything else or else it’ll be an act of war.”
“Great,” the pegasus snarled. “Okay, what options have we got?”
“Trying to raise Alhambra now,” one of the American Sailors responded, “though I’ve been on enough of these junkets to know that at this point we’re on our own. It’s too risky for any of our forces to get within range of us.”
“I concur,” LT Rainydays, one of the earth ponies assigned to Rumble’s unit, said. “If the Americans aren’t going to get us out of here, our own forces are going to follow suit. We still don’t get the geopolitics here, and I don’t think our forces would risk war at this point.”
“There is another option,” one of the human petty officers suggested. “It’s stupid and risky – but then again we didn’t get into this job for the safety.”
“Let’s hear it, SO2,” Olson replied.
The petty officer reached into his pocket, pulling out a small tablet and queuing the map function. “We make it down to Nahr-e Abu Fulus, twenty-five klicks south by south east. We then hit the drink and swim across the Avand River into Iraq.”
“Iraqis aren’t involved in this. If they don’t know, they’re just as likely to shoot at us as the Iranians,” Rainydays pointed out.
Unfazed, the petty officer continued. “From there, it’s two klicks south to Abdullah Bay. We can swim from there to Bubiyan Island in Kuwait. That should give enough time for NAVCENT to get clearance to get us out of there. The Kuwaitis have the Iraqis as a buffer between them and Iran, so they’re not likely to shoot at us.”
“Ponies aren’t exactly welcome in the Middle East,” a pegasus petty officer pointed out. “Most of them think we’re extradimensional demons out to conquer human-Earth.”
“You aren’t?” one of the humans joked.
“You guys got us beat on that,” the pegasus laughed. “Hell, your people sleep with more of our mares than we get action with your ladies.” The comment was enough to break the tension and everyone there laughed briefly before quieting down, remembering the situation.
The petty officer looked at both senior officers. “It’s the only thing I can think of, sirs, but it beats the alternative.”
Olson looked at Rumble. “You’re the senior officer here, sir. Your call.”
Rumble looked at the collection of humans and ponies before him. All of them had went in to deal with a duty, and all of them would now have to fight their way back out if they were going to survive. Like it or not, they would all live or die by his hooves.
“We’ll go with your plan, SO2,” Rumble answered. “Gather the troops and let’s get this plan started.” Rumble would have said more had not a sudden staccato burst sounded in the distance as a voice shouted, “We’ve been spotted!”
“So, at what point are we supposed to fall out of the sky and die?” DJ snapped.
Sweetie Belle looked at her niece, giving her an expression of bemusement. “This is Twilight’s personal balloon, DJ, and I’ve flown it enough times to know what I’m doing. Have some faith in me, okay?”
DJ, realizing her mouth was getting her in trouble again, leaned back against her husband for support. “Sorry, Sweetie. Just a little nervous.”
Mike reached an arm around his wife. “Hon, Sweetie’s doing everything she can to make this easier for everyone, okay? Cut her a little slack,” the man said, giving the mage an appreciative glance. “By the way, Sweetie, you look good in that.”
She looked down at the black top and gray skirt. “These old things? Bought the ensemble a couple of years ago when I went to London for a seminar on thaumaturgy. A few of the European occultists paid me a lot to go up on stage and basically tell them that everything they knew about magic was wrong. Needless to say, I haven’t been invited back for a return engagement,” she said with a laugh.
DJ, however, caught something very different from the conversation. “Think you could apply for London as your next duty station, Mike? NAVEUR’s there, isn’t it?”
“Um, no, it’s been based in Naples for as long as I know.”
“Hrm. Well, Dad said….” DJ suddenly paused, as if realization kicked in. “Maybe it was at one time,” she mused, “but not anymore, I guess. Oh well.” Still held in the comfort of her husband’s arm, she snuggled closer, enjoying the relative calm and solitude of the skies. The blue of the late spring sky was beautifully azure, and while she had no idea if Celestia had anything to do with it, she knew that it was a thing of beauty regardless, something to be admired and appreciated more than she could voice.
A few minutes later, Sweetie spoke up. “We’re getting within visual range, if you two want to see this,” the unicorn mage said.
The two moved over to the far side of the balloon, and what they saw completely caught their attention. A metropolis sitting on top of what appeared to be a massive development of clouds, the city seemed to be a mixture of classical Greek architecture combined with both the royal splendor of Canterlot, as well as recent structures that showed the influence that humans had on the pony world. Though it was a soft, muted blue as the sun began to set, there were clear indicators that it was a thing of beauty during the day, Cloudsdale’s ivory spires racing from the sky into the infinite above.
“That’s….” Mike murmured, briefly lost for words before he found his tongue again. “Wow, now I know what heaven’ll look like.”
“That’d be two of us,” DJ said, kissing him tenderly, “though I think I knew what it was the day I met you.” The two looked at each other again, then kissed once more.
A look of heartbreak flitted over Sweetie’s face, and though it was brief, it was just long enough for DJ to catch. “Sweetie, something’s been bothering you all night. What did I do this time?”
The unicorn gave her niece a wan smile. “Nothing you did,” she clarified. “It’s just been a tough past few days for me and I could probably stand to take a vacation.”
“I know just the place for you and Pip,” DJ said with a smile. “Last summer Mike and I took a trip to Kagoshima. Beautiful little seaside village in Japan where you can just unwind an—”
The knife-stab of kindness was too much for Sweetie; she couldn’t take it anymore. She began sobbing uncontrollably and both Mike and DJ looked at each other, confused. The earth pony moved immediately to support her aunt. “Sweetie?” she began.
“No,” the unicorn sobbed. “It’s not you. Pip…he and I aren’t together anymore. I-I…left him.”
A look of puzzlement appeared on DJ’s face. “Um, why? You two have been together longer than I’ve been alive! Every time I’ve seen you two, you were happy together. What gives?” The older pony began crying into her niece’s shoulder as the younger mare stood there, being a bedrock, embracing the older one.
“I’d rather not talk about it right now, save that it was my choice and I know he still loves me. And that’s part of the problem.”
“Sweetie, look, I know as the niece, normally I’m supposed to come to you for advice, but as a married woman, I think I’m a bit studied in these things. Is there anything I can do to help?”
Instead, Sweetie looked away from her niece and noted that they weren’t that far off from the point where port workers would come to escort the balloon the remainder of the way in. “We’ll talk about it later,” she promised. “Tonight’s not about my problems – it’s about a long overdue reunion.”
Flying over the Atlantic Ocean, the squadron of Q-313s raced, their black hulls burning red from the setting sun. They’d been transported – teleported! – hundreds of miles to the west and now the former IRIAF stealth fighters were headed on a course that would take them directly to the US. They’d never make it that far, of course; their fuel would run out long before then. But Khalid’s men had decided on a path, and they would take it.
There were suddenly more flashes around his squadron, and as they went away, he noticed more fighters: a squadron of TC-1s, also bearing IRIAF markings. A flash of insight suddenly came to him: that his new employers had ludicrous amounts of money if they could essentially buy their own squadrons whole, and that if the multirole TC-1s were being brought in to shore up the effectiveness of the Q-313s, whatever their target was, it was expected to be defended in some manner or other.
As soon as he was able to identify the lead fighter, he opened a channel. “Allied squadron, this is Shamshir One, Colonel Khalid commanding. And you are?”
“This is Partow One, Colonel Bakhtiar commanding. Well met. I assume you’re here for the same reasons as we are?”
Before Khalid could respond, a voice filled his mind. Gentlemen, before you continue with whatever formalities you feel you need to, this is your leader speaking. You will deal with me and me only. You may refer to me as “Nightmare”, though “your worship” or “your majesty” will also suffice.
The response from Bakhtiar was swift. “I do not speak to witches. Go away, woman, and do not bother me until you have brought back Mr. di Tacc—” The line was immediately cut off as the cockpit of Bakhtiar’s fighter was suddenly crumpled. Without warning, the rest of the fighter crumpled into a small metal ball, the shrieks of metal tearing as it was folded, origami-style, into itself. Finally, as the craft fell from the sky, the fuel and other things within cooked off, exploding as the wreckage that was now Bakhtiar’s coffin fell into the waters of the Atlantic.
Colonel Khalid, eyes forward, please. The senior officer did as bid and saw a sight that would burned forever into his mind until his last breath: a great rip of red in the sky, with a bloody, lightning-filled maelstrom behind it. Standing in front of this tear in the fabric of the universe was a great black winged horse, with a jet-black spear atop its forehead and a mane and tail made from a glowing blue gas. There no denying the power of this elephant-sized creature floating in the air before him; indeed, standing in front of the hole gave the creature a demonic cast.
“What is that crea—” another pilot began, but Khalid barked an admonishment over the comm channel before saying, “My apologies, Lady Nightmare. They are somewhat taken aback by your…display. I take full responsibility for any insult you may have felt.”
Commendable – certainly smarter than your now-dead counterpart, the Nightmare’s voice echoed in his mind. I believe we can work together. This is the plan and none of your men will deviate from it. You are to head through the gate, and come out the other side, where you will be in Equestria. We will then proceed to your mission area, where I will give you further instructions. Is this clear?
“Of course, your majesty,” the colonel responded before turning his attention to his fellow pilots. “Who is second in command of Partow?”
“That would be me, sir,” a shaken voice responded. “Lt. Colonel Diba.”
“You are now in command of Partow, Colonel. You will follow instructions, or in His name I will shoot you down myself, understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Will that be acceptable, Lady Nightmare?”
Instead of a response from her, a shadow passed over the fighters. Almost as one, the pilots looked up and saw a great black dragon flying above them, menacing and there in a way that their dreams – or nightmares – could never picture. This is my…assistant, the black alicorn replied, and my insurance that you will not attempt any further histrionics while on this side of the dimensional border.
“We understand,” Khalid said, looking at the massive flying reptile now coming to a hover above the tear. The look in its eyes was murderous, but for just a second, the man thought he saw a moment’s flash of sympathy. “Entering now, and we await your orders on the other side.”
As the demonic alicorn moved to a suitable distance, black aircraft rocketed away towards the tear, course-correcting as they banked left to approach it. One by one the aircraft entered the gate, turning into black and gray swirls as they passed from one world into the next, each one no longer a part of this one, and after a few minutes, the last one entered and there was nothing but the gate, Nightmare Moon and the great black dragon beside her.
Once the gate closed, Nightmare Moon grinned to herself. “Breathe your last, Cloudsdale, for you will bleed tonight.” She then turned to look at the dragon next to her and said, “you may cease your illusion.”
There was an explosion of green flame and the dragon disappeared, replaced with a very exhausted Twilight Sunburn. She’d transformed herself as much as she could into a dragon, but to get the kind of size that the Nightmare wanted, she had to lay an additional illusion spell to magnify her dragon form. That burned a lot of magic and left her almost completely spent. “What next?” she gasped.
“Well, for me, I must return to lead my troops into battle,” Nightmare Moon said with a grin. “As for you….” There was a sudden flash of red and Twilight Sunburn disappeared, not by choice.
“…I don’t envy what you’ll have to deal with next,” the black alicorn said as she reopened the gate and transited realities, leaving the human realm behind.
As the balloon came close enough to Cloudsdale to see individual figures, an official-looking pegasus approached them in a lazy arc, as if this was just another routine job. “Welcome to Cloudsdale Port Services, everypony! My name is Afternoon Breeze. Allow me to tow you towards the balloon landing area.”
Sweetie used her magic to float a towing line to the Pegasus, who took it in his mouth and flew off towards the nearest bank of clouds. Assured that he now had control of the craft, she turned to DJ and Mike and said, “Now keep this in mind: the spell only allows you to walk on clouds. It won’t let you fly, float or anything of the sort. Also, while the spell will allow you to interact with clouds to some degree, you won’t have the same level of precision that pegasi do. Plus, there are certain other physical laws that will still apply to you – for example, a lighting strike is a minor annoyance to a pegasus, but deadly to other kinds of ponies and, I assume, humans as well.”
“That’s just wonderful,” DJ muttered. “We’re walking onto a Jacob’s Ladder.”
“No, you should be fine, since thunderheads are kept in an isolated area for safety reasons,” Sweetie explained. “And don’t let anything I said get in the way of your evening, DJ. I know it’s going to be very uncomfortable for you – for all four of you – but if you remember that you and Elusive are family, everything should go by easily.”
Once the balloon was finally pulled to a stop on a particular patch of clouds, both DJ and Mike noticed a sort of permanence to the field of white beneath the gondola, as if someone – somepony? – had laid a concrete sidewalk on top of the fluffy water vapor. As the pegasus tied the line up to a cloud acting as a restraining bitt, he announced, “And you’re all tied up in your berth. I presume all the necess…wow! A human! You’re probably the first one I know of that’s ever come to Cloudsdale. Welcome!”
“Thanks.” Mike, being the adventurous type, stepped out of the balloon and onto the walkway, his first step as the first human to visit the City of Clouds. He reached over, hoisting Sweetie Belle out of the gondola, noting how light she was, then as he set her down, reached out to his wife. “It’s kinda like walking on rubber,” he told her.
She offered a forehoof, and as he took it, she jumped down onto the walkway. “Kinda feels like I’m walking on a waterbed,” she said, gingerly stepping in place to make sure she wasn’t imagining things.
Now that Afternoon Breeze saw Mike, DJ and Sweetie Belle together, the pegasus put two and two together. “Um, forgive me for asking,” he addressed DJ, “but…you’re the Lost Foal, aren’t you?”
DJ fought to keep her face even; between a lifetime of being the Alien Girl and the last two decades as the Lost Foal as well, they were both appellations she could easily do without. Instead, she said, with a forced smile, “Well, as you can see, I’m not exactly lost anymore. And to be honest, I’ve never really thought of myself as lost, just growing up where ponies hadn’t had the opportunity before.”
“Well, I hope you’ll get to enjoy some of that pony culture you’ve been missing; we Cloudsdalers put on quite a show. In any case, I won’t keep you three waiting on whatever it is you’re here for. I’ll have this placed on the Guild’s master account.” Sweetie Belle paused to sign a quick couple of documents authorizing the charge, and with that, the three were off, walking towards the nearest taxi stand.
DJ looked around, an astonished look on her face. “This place is incredible! It’s like something out of a Disney film.”
“Fluttershy, Rainbow, Soarin’ and Cinnamon were originally from this city,” Sweetie answered as they approached the taxi station, flagging one down. “Scoots and Featherweight are from Ponyville, like the majority of us.” The trio got into the taxi and the unicorn mage told the cabbie, “14th and Cloudwall, please.”
“Ah, here for Restaurant Row. Wonderful place, my wife and I go all the time,” the draft pegasus answered, as they started their trip. Since the tone of their conversation indicated they were in no rush, he decided to run them past a few of the more famous buildings in Cloudsdale, from the cloud fabrication center and wind generator plant, to the lightning seed repository and the precipitation holding tanks.
DJ looked at everything with a gaze of nothing short of sheer amazement. “This…this completely overturns everything I’ve ever learned about nature. Heck, if my science teachers were here now, they’d probably blow their collective mental fuses at how different this place is. Nothing here is natural.”
“What’s so unnatural about it?” the pegasus, not aware of who was in the cab, spoke. “This is the way things have always been: the pegasi have always been in charge of the weather, just like earth ponies are on the ground and unicorns with magic. For the longest time people thought that the alicorns were just mutations, though I know scholars at UCD found info dating back to the reign of Queen Faust and how she managed the world before the schism. Now that I can’t see as natural – how even a group of unicorns could do what our princesses do.”
“Sorry, it’s just unusual to me,” DJ apologized. “Not used to any of this.”
“How so?” The pony used one of his wings to lift a mirror out of a side pouch, one that he regularly used as a “rear view mirror”. When he saw who was seated in the cab of his taxi, he suddenly realized. “Wow, transporting a bit of history here, am I? Never thought I’d see a human up here in Cloudsdale. And because he’s here, and what you said, I’m guessing you’re the Lost Foal.”
“Maybe, but I prefer to be called by name.” DJ introduced herself, then her husband and aunt, before adding, “So, I hope you can understand why this seems all unnatural to me. Just not used to this kind of, well…atmosphere, in a manner of speaking.”
The cabbie nodded. “Yeah, I get what you mean. My family and I took a couple of weeks’ vacation to human-Earth last year. Very creepy, seeing nothing in the air but birds and planes and being told that pegasi are only allowed to fly under 5000 feet due to aircraft restrictions. And then the weather – seeing all of that run by itself? Man, I’d believe somepony if they told me your weather was created by Discord, ‘cept that we know ours actually is due to that freak. But a whole planet with a weather system like the Everfree or the Granite Spires? Just creepy, if you ask me.”
As they continued on, now with the cabbie pointing out various landmarks, Mike noticed one particular building that reminded him of the Parthenon, in Greece. It glowed with the hues of a dozen auroras and there was, oddly, the taste of spice in the air, enough to settle awkwardly on the tongue. “What’s that building there?”
“Oh, that? That’s the world-famous rainbow factory. It’s where all the rainbows in Equestria are made, before they’re shipped out to the regional weather facilities. It’s closed right now because of a movie they’re filming there, some kind of horror flick, if I recall.”
“Oh?” DJ inquired. “I’d think a place that makes rainbows is the last place you’d shoot a horror film.”
“Well, that’s what my brother says, anyway. Aerospace is a sheriff’s deputy assigned to security duty for the film company. He says it’s about a factory supervisor who murders her little sister because she can’t fly. Apparently rainbows are made of the bodies of foals who fail flight school. Kinda dumb, if you ask me, but somepony out there’s going to watch it, I guess.”
Sweetie nickered. “And I bet I know who the harridelles are who are making that film, too.”
“Well, that’s the film industry, I guess,” he told her. “If it wasn’t pulling somepony’s tail, then they aren’t making money. Well, here we are, folks.” The cabbie pulled up in front of a series of restaurants. As the trio disembarked, Sweetie magicked up her purse, only to be refused by the cabbie. “On the house, for showing around the famous Lost Foal, the first human in Cloudsdale and one of Equestria’s most prestigious mages. Heck, I’m gonna have to get a plaque for my taxi now,” he said with a grin. “Hey, you guys need a lift back, just send me a message. Name’s Autumn Memories. Catch you folks later, and enjoy your time in Cloudsdale!” With a wave of goodbye, the taxipony took off in search of the next fare.
Standing by the front of the restaurant, already waiting for them, were Luna and Cinnamon, flanked by a small contingent of ERG guards. The guards, ever conspicuous in the outfit of a black suit and tie – the result of training with various human protection agencies – stood ramrod straight by the door, eyes protected by sunglasses and always on the lookout for potential danger.
“So, everyone ready for dinner yet?” DJ said as they approached the two winged mares.
“Um…not exactly,” Cinnamon murmured. “Uh, how do I say this…?” The brown pony looked nervous and suddenly grabbed Luna’s wing to hide behind; the night alicorn rolled her eyes in bemusement. “Um…Aunt Luna, Aunt Sweetie and I will be having dinner at the restaurant down the street.” She looked as if she was about to melt in horror as she squealed, “Sorry about this!”
“It’s okay, Cinnamon. I knew we were flying solo,” DJ assured her.
“Um…okay then, if that’s all right with you,” she said meekly before Luna yanked her wing back, catching the sienna-hued pegasus off-guard with a startled “Eep!”
“What Cinnamon is trying to say is that we’ll be close by in the event that you need us, though you should be fine,” Luna pointed out. “But considering that you’re in one of the safest places in Equestria, you needn’t worry about a thing.”
“But what if the spell wears off?” DJ asked. “Sweetie told me all about the last time a spell like this was used.” Hearing his wife’s words, Mike suddenly tensed; up until now he was enjoying the view of the skyline made of literal sky and what DJ said brought him down to earth mentally…and in concern of physically now as well.
“The spell should last for several days,” Sweetie replied, “or unless I run out of magic, which, again, is in several days’ of constant use. Yes, there’s always the chance that something could happen, but if it did, I’m sure plenty of pegasi would come to your aid.”
“Plus,” Luna added, “Elusive asked that same question when he wanted to make sure Apple Butter would be safe. So I thought him how to create a force field spell that would protect him and her, as well as how to expand it to include you two as well. You’ll be fine, DJ. I promise.”
“If you insist….”
“I do,” the Princess of the Moon said with a smile. “Now get going and meet your brother; he’s been waiting for this for years.” With nothing further to say, DJ took Mike’s hand and they went into the restaurant, heading into one of the most nervous moments of DJ’s life.
There was a film Rumble had watched while he was training with human military services, that was rather forgettable. Some movie, an action-comedy about a pair of humans taking on a small army of bad guys – the pegasus couldn’t remember if it was terrorists, drug dealers or some other ill-advised career – and by the end of the film, the heroes won and saved the day, yay go team. To be honest, it wasn’t anything to write home about any more than films made in his home country, except for the climactic scene, where the two heroes were being chased – to a whimsical musical background – by a virtual wall of enemy combatants. Other people in the theater laughed, as it was supposed to be a hilarious scene.
Well, now Rumble was in that situation in real life, and he wasn’t finding it hilarious in the least. Quite the opposite, actually.
At the moment, he’d spun and opened fire with his MN-23E, turning and cutting as he and the troops were dodging fire from what was, at a conservative guess, every member of the Artesh – the Islamic Republic of Iran Army – on their tails. They were easily another two kilometers to the Avand River, and already three members of their combined unit were down. One of them was Rumble’s fault and he had to tamp down the guilt on that one – he’d ordered Petty Officer Seabreeze Shells into the air, but a ton of concentrated gunfire was too much for the pegasus to dodge and down he went, a bloodied and torn-up mess.
So now here they were, fighting meter by brutal meter over what was almost flat desert, capable of easily being flanked and counting the minutes until they moved to safety or until they were completely outmaneuvered. Thankfully, the IRIA hadn’t sent in any further airstrikes to cut them down; so far the first and only attempt at it was taken down when Senior Chief Flareblast, a unicorn, had torn a Panha 2091 apart with a well-placed magic blast to its main rotor. It had been a small stroke of luck, but sooner or later their luck was going to run out.
“I’m dry!” a US Navy lieutenant shouted, and one of the Seaponies tossed him another ammo magazine. The SEAL dumped his own, reloaded and began firing again, but there was a cost: three bullets slammed into the earth pony, and he was dead before he hit the ground. Olson and the lieutenant returned fire, killing the attacker, but it was too late. They grabbed the body and pulled it over to the nearest sandbank.
“Fuck!” Rumble snarled, not giving a damn for a second if the enemy soldiers heard him as he leaned over the body of his dead trooper. Meanwhile, both SEALs and Seaponies returned fire once more, while Rainydays and one of the medics came over to him. The medic, one of the humans, looked over the pony before shaking his head. “He’s gone, Captain, though you already knew that.”
“Crap. Chief Binnacle was one of the best of us,” Rainydays said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small blue stone. Placing it in the mouth of the now-dead pony, there was a flash of light and the body disappeared.
“Remind me again why we can’t use those blinkstones to get us out of here?” Olson asked.
Rumble grunted. “Because they only teleport inanimate matter. It’s why we’re not leaving any of our dead behind. Now, if you want to get transported by one, by all means, be my guest,” the pegasus snarled. “Just don’t expect to be able to hoist a beer for our lost ones when we get back.”
“Look, Rumble, we don’t have time for this!” Rainydays shouted, not caring if he was being insubordinate or not. “In case you forgot, those guys are the enemy, not Olson and his crew!” He would have continued more had an ear-splitting noise drowned him out, followed by a huge explosion.
“Tanks are incoming!” someone shouted.
“Everyone hit the drink!” Rumble ordered. “Flareblast, can you hit the tank?”
“Not without getting taken out myself!”
“Then cut us a path down to the river!”
“On it!” the unicorn said, turning to blast a path with his magic. The blast, the talent indicated by his cutie mark, was large and wide, creating a gully the ponies and humans could crawl down to the river in, lessening the chances of getting hit.
“I’m dry!” two more voices called out. At the rate they were going, there wasn’t going to be much chance for them to survive at all. The SEALs and Seaponies raced to the Avand River, diving in without a second thought and began swimming as fast as they could. A few of the earth ponies insisted some of the injured humans ride on their back so they wouldn’t be left behind, and those who still had ammunition turned to fire and try to swim at the same time, trying to manage the river’s current while dodging fire and wondering how long it was going to be until the IRIN was going to deploy fast attack boats to hunt them down.
Determined to survive, the humans and ponies started swimming towards the international border, under the protection of Flareblast’s defensive shield. While they managed to leave no one behind and got some intelligence regarding what had occurred, the price would be too high if anyone – or anypony – else died.
It was too high already, Rumble mused.
DJ and Mike slowly made their way into the restaurant, following the maître d’, who wasn’t as surprised to see a human in Cloudsdale – but only because he’d been warned ahead of time, he admitted. But that didn’t matter much to DJ, whose heart beat as wildly as the bass at one of Vinyl Scratch’s concerts. To say she was nervous was an understatement.
Mike sensed her anxiety. “Hon, everything’s going to be fine.”
“I wish I could believe that. I mean, I know that it is. But knowing and knowing are two different things,” she answered. “I don’t remember Elusive very well. He was just a kid, and what I do remember is that he was very quiet and subdued, probably too young to have been there when the whole thing happened. But I have to wonder: now that he’s an adult, with those memories, will he hate me because I don’t get along with Rarity or Silversteel? Will he hate me because of the fight that Minty, Rarity and I had? Will he like me? Will he accept me?” She shook her head. “I mean, everyone in the family has had nothing to but the best to say about him, but…you always want to make your loved ones look good, I guess.”
“Well, if anything, keep this in mind: apparently he’s been the most eager to meet with you, so that can’t be bad, right?”
“Well, here’s another thought. He might accept me – but will he accept you?”
“That’s a good question,” Mike mused, “but let’s let him answer that.”
The maître d’ rounded the corner and led the pair into what had to be the most incredibly beautiful part of the restaurant. A cloud waterfall against the ball wall let pools of “rainbow concentrate” cascade like a home waterfall structure. Classical music – DJ recognized it as Bach – wafted through the space, setting her somewhat at ease due to its familiarity. The song ended, and then a new one began, a soft jazz tune.
“The Dust Removers?” Mike whispered, trying to remember the band; he’d heard it in DJ’s cavernous collection of music no one but she and her parents listened to.
“Who are the Dust Removers?”
“Isn’t that who this is?”
She shook her head. “Actually, it’s Ashley Beedle’s remix of ‘Mellow’. Very jazzy, nice tou….” DJ came to a sudden stop. Mike, watching her, stopped as well, wondering what had just happened. Then he looked up.
There, at the table just mere feet from them, was a stallion and a mare. The mare was a golden-yellow color with a dark-brown mane that cascaded down her shoulders; she wore a dress that worked well with her pregnant form. The stallion, on the other hand, was dressed similarly to Mike, with an Oxford button-down and slacks. The stallion was also staring across that six-foot gulf from where DJ and Mike were. The look on the stallion’s face was one of disbelief, as if he couldn’t comprehend what was before his very eyes.
“DJ?” His voice was barely above a whisper, his eyes watering as if he was seeing a dream that would vanish if he so much as blinked. His face took on a cast of wonder, as if seeing a moment of perfection that threatened to depart and never return.
DJ, worried about looking like a dork the last time she’d met a member of her immediate biological family, repeated history. She weakly raised a hand, waiving as she said, “Um…hi.”
Elusive left the table, stepping forward and reaching out to her. “DJ?” The look on his face was pensive, not sure if his older sister wanted to fill that role for him. Minty had done so in his life, but she was now gone – and the one who should have been there in the beginning was back. What would it be like if this stranger wanted in his world? Or worse – didn’t?
She, in turn, took a couple of nervous steps. “Hello, Elusive,” she said, the look on her own face nervous and confused, wondering if this would be the first member of her family to want her in their life. All her life, she’d had Sam as her younger brother, a sweet kid who grew up to be a great adult, but how would it be like if she had a new sibling?
“I’ve waited for this moment,” he admitted, taking a step towards her. “I never thought…I mean, I never….” He was worried but inviting, putting down all his personal barriers and opening himself up either to acceptance or the worst blows to the ego he could imagine.
“I don’t know what to say,” she whispered, looking at him as they stood mere inches from each other. Older sibling looked at younger and vice versa. The look on her face was one he’d seen on both his mother’s and Minty’s – funny that despite how DJ was raised, some of the family traits still shone through.
There was an unspoken cue and the two wordlessly embraced, tears coming to the fore for both, brother and sister holding each other for the first time in their lives and accepting one another instantly. For Elusive, it was as if he’d received a treasure unlike any other: an oldest sister that would love him and be there for him, he was sure; though she’d missed out on his years growing up, he was soon to have foals of his own and wanted her there to see it. For DJ, it was a part of her life that she hadn’t even known was missing come to life, a hole in her heart she hadn’t known existed suddenly being filled. This wasn’t just meeting a new friend; this was her younger brother by blood, of the same origin as her, and from what Luna told her, he was to be a father as well soon and it was something she elementally knew she had to be there for.
“I never thought you’d actually come,” he said, looking at her. While he was average height for a stallion standing upright, having more protein in her diet due to her human upbringing ensured she was taller than he. “I thought you hated all of us, never wanted anything to do with any of us.”
“I’ll be honest: I originally came for Twilight and the others, and I was even hesitant about that at first. But the moment Cinnamon said you wanted to meet me, I was nervous about it until Luna insisted I do so. I’m glad I did.” She looked at Elusive and smiled softly, noticing he’d become quite the handsome stallion and different than she’d expected. As Luna had promised, even if he had Rarity’s coloring, he certainly wasn’t her.
The two embraced again, tears of joy produced together in a symphony of familial unity.
Watching from the slight distance of the table, two others smiled. “He looks so happy,” Apple Butter said to Mike, wiping tears of her own from her face. “Ah don’t think Ah’ve ever seen ‘im like this. Ah wish Ah could more oft’n.”
“I haven’t seen her like this since our children were born,” Mike admitted, his eyes no less misty. “It’s times like this, when she’s so open and unguarded, that I see her at her most beautiful and I’m glad I married her.”
The spouses said nothing further, merely watching the siblings, finally united, unable to let go and sharing a moment that was two decades overdue.
Sitting in a private room in a restaurant two stores down, three mares watched the scene via a scrying spell. Between the three, there was not a single dry eye.
“I’ve wanted to see this for the longest time,” Sweetie Belle sniffed, wiping her eyes. “I only wish the others could see this moment.”
“They will,” Luna promised, producing a small crystal ball. “I’m recording this to the crystal so the moment can always be cherished. I’m sure both DJ and Elusive will want copies to show their foals.”
Cinnamon sat there, saying nothing at all. Her older cousins deserved this moment together, finally receiving the silent song of life that had been due them for so long.
Over a quiet dinner, the trio continued to watch, tears unashamedly rolling down their faces as they saw a part of their fractured family begin to heal itself after so many decades of pain.
EQMILCOM, the facility that watched the skies, seas and lands of two worlds was ready for another night of the duty of protecting the homeland. Seated in the command chair, GEN Night Ranger, REA, gazed at the monitors with his watch team of any sign that could be a threat to the realm. As expected, there wasn’t much, save for the occasional reports of changeling activity down in the Southernwestern Continent. There hadn’t been any major issues since the destruction of Fillydelphia, and though that had been regrettable, it had been a necessary evil in order to ensure the safety of all. Intel reports said that the surviving changelings had fled south, and eventually the Royal Equestriani Armed Forces would go down there and teach those monsters a lesson they would never forget – if they lived long enough to ever remember. But until then, the safety of Equestria and her subjects was paramount.
At the moment, the general was sipping from a mint julep when a monitor tech called out, “General, we’re getting a reading on both the radar systems and the magic sensors.”
That was odd. “Are we expecting anypony in our airspace?”
“That’s a negative, sir. The Royal Air Force departed the other day, and we do have some US Air Force assets in-country, but they’re training with our own forces over in Las Pegasus, too far to be this reading, obviously. While we are expecting a Luftwaffe squadron coming in within the next couple of days, it’d be too early to expect them now.”
“Okay, then open up a line.” The general waited a second before speaking, then began. “Unidentified aircraft, this is Equestria Military Command. Identify yourselves, over.”
A voice thick as mud came over the line in clear but accented English. “EQMILCOM, this is Colonel Steinhoff, Falcon Squadron, German Luftwaffe. We’re currently inbound, delivering the AWACS aircraft, over.”
“Colonel, isn’t that scheduled to be delivered tomorrow? Over.” Why had the German Air Force arrived early? It wasn’t that much of a problem, but as Night Ranger knew from years of military service and guard service before that, the military rarely did things on time, much less early.
“It was, but we were given orders by AFALT to deliver the unit sooner than expected so they can install….” A pause, followed shortly by, “Forgive me if I’m misunderstanding, but…changeling detectors? Over.”
Night Ranger nodded; the latest intelligence report indicated that the mages had managed to come up with a method of scientifically detecting changelings, it would make it easier to hunt them down. It would also be a way to prove to humanity that the creatures were more than just a middling threat to both worlds. “That’s correct, Colonel,” he answered.
“Very odd,” the human said, his voice filled with surprise. “Well, we are currently enroute to the Lippizan Plains Airbase to bring her in. A second squadron will arrive tomorrow to escort the delivery of the second unit.”
“Understood, Colonel.” Night Ranger was about to dismiss him when another monitor tech waved him over and pointed out something strange. “Colonel, we seem to have a problem – we’re not picking you up on IFF, over.”
There was a curse that sounded like German – maybe; Night Ranger wasn’t familiar with the language. The voice on the other end finally said, “We just had new IFFs installed on our aircraft. I’m betting you’re seeing something odd, like F-16s, aren’t you?”
“Actually, we are,” he said, remembering that the obsolete fighter was only with a handful of third-world nations on both Earths. “Seeing that and some kind of aircraft we’re not familiar with.”
Colonel Steinhoff laughed. “We’re actually flying Eurofighter IIs and KFX-101s. Let me guess – the strange fighter you’re seeing is a Q-313, am I correct?”
The pony general looked at another radar operator; she in turn looked at a computer for reference, then nodded. “How’d you know that?”
“Easy – your radar systems are American-built. If it doesn’t see something it understands, the reference computer tends to report the aircraft with the closest similar profile. The Eurofighter II has a heat signature similar to the F-16s, and the KFX-101’s radar profile is very much like the Iranian fighter. I’ve worked with enough Americans to know how their engineers think. Perhaps next time your purchasers should buy good German radar systems; we don’t make those mistakes.”
The general laughed. “I see.”
“You’re more than welcome to send someone out to say hi, if you’d like, EQMILCOM. Never hurts to say hello.”
“No, that won’t be necessary, Colonel. That’d be delaying you needlessly and unfairly. I’ll clear you through.” To one of the radar operators, he said, “Tag them as a friendly and call it that.” Turning back to his first conversation, he said, “Have a great day, Colonel, and enjoy Equestria. EQMILCOM, over and out.”
“Our thanks, EQMILCOM. Falcon Squadron, over and out.”
In his cockpit, Khalid grinned, though his mouth hurt. While he had a talent for languages, including German and English, he’d never had to pretend being a German speaking English; that was a tongue-twister if there was one. “We’re clear,” he said, happy to be slipping back into his native tongue.
In return, his mind filled with the Nightmare’s voice once more. Any problems?
“For them, Lady Nightmare,” he replied. “Clearly Equestria is so unconcerned about another incident on their shores that they waved us through without verifying my story or sending out escorts. Obviously an amateurish move, and one that we’ll be ready to exploit. And with that, can you give us the details of our mission?”
Certainly. A few minutes went by as the Nightmare reached out to the minds of all the pilots, briefing them at once of the situation. Khalid was both impressed and concerned; they’d clearly attached themselves to an unusual situation and he could only hope that Allah would forgive him this breach of judgment.
After a few more minutes, the voice finished with, You should be in range within thirty minutes, Colonel. I expect nothing less than complete success. Do not fail me.
“We will not, milady,” he said, and felt her leave his mind. Patching himself into the general channel, he said, “All units, this is Shamshir One. Your orders are clear: you are to destroy everything within the pegasus city. Do not, I repeat, do not leave survivors. Specifically, anyone who is not a pegasus must be killed. I don’t care how you do it, but if it is not a pegasus, it must be killed or you will answer to me.
“Colonel Diba, your squadron will be responsible for keeping REAF fighters off of us. My squadron will do the majority of strikes, but if you have targets of opportunity, feel free to attack if possible. The sooner we complete this mission, the sooner we can return to our Earth and the sooner we will be rich men. Best of luck and may Allah guide you. Colonel Khalid, out.”
The fighters winged their way off towards Cloudsdale. Soon, the city of clouds would be a city of memories.
“Celestia, is something wrong?” Cadance asked. At the moment, the two were going over paperwork in Cadance’s salon at her home. To the younger princess’ right, Dusk Shine slept softly, blissfully dreaming away the minutes.
“Why do you—”
The younger alicorn smiled. “You can’t hide anything from me, my dear aunt. I am the Princess of Love, after all. There’s something different about you in the past couple of days, and I can’t help but wonder.”
“No, there’s nothing at all.” A sudden flush on Celestia’s cheeks betrayed her and she turned away, but not fast enough for Cadance to miss.
Counting it as a minor victory, the romance alicorn smiled wolfishly. “So, who is he? Or she?”
“Nobody,” the sun alicorn blurted.
“Nobody? Don’t you mean nopony?”
Celestia sighed. For a second, she felt as though she were before her mother. It had been centuries since they’d heard from Faust directly, and those rare moments of indirect contact, like the one via Bon-Bon from years ago, were ones they cherished. Luna had barely known their mother, but Celestia had spent a few centuries with the older alicorn and missed her dearly.
“Slip of the tongue,” Celestia finally said. “I’ve been thinking about human issues so much lately that I got used to their species’ pronouns. Maybe we should switch to that use as well. After all, we have stopped calling our language Equestriani and just call it Equestriani English now.”
But Cadance wasn’t buying that. “Celestia, please? Would you trust me? You’d ask the same in reverse.”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, dearest one. It’s just that…I’d rather work this out on my own,” the sun alicorn commented glibly. She knew she wasn’t in love; even if it was, it was the absolutely worst person to pick to set her heart on.
And yet I can’t stop feeling the taste of his lips, the back of her mind admitted. I can’t get the scent of him out of my mind….
“Well, you know I’m always here for you,” Cadance offered. “Love is, after all, my specialty.”
Celestia nuzzled her niece. “I know, and I appreciate it more than I can express. But you have much more to be concerned about now,” the older princess reminded the younger, pointing to the pram in which Dusk Shine slept. “You have your son to raise, and I know that will be a handful. Do you wish to take a leave of absence? I know things are busy right now, but I’m sure your deputy minister would be happy to step in for a while, and you should take advantage of maternal leave to bond with him.”
“Are you sure? I mean, with the fallout from Situation Firestarter, won’t it look bad for the crown?” Cadance asked. She already knew she’d suffered a blow to her reputation from that, but the inanity of it all now threatened Celestia’s own polls.
Celestia, instead, offered a small smile. “Cadance, we live forever, and unfortunately, so does our work. Whatever you don’t do now will probably still be there when you get back. But as I’m sure you know from watching Twilight grow up, youth doesn’t last forever.”
“Thanks,” the pink princess gushed in relief. “I’ll contact Globe Trotter right away and let him know I’m taking a couple of weeks off to get used to being a mother. Like you said, I’m sure he won’t mind.” With that, the romance alicorn peeked into the baby buggy, checking her little bundle of joy, leaving one particular white alicorn glad that the spotlight had been taken off her own thoughts.
Now if I could manage my thoughts about Mike as well as I do politics, Celestia mused, things would be easier.
Maybe.
It took several minutes for Twilight to regain her bearings. She was completely exhausted from her earlier transformation and adjoining spell, and she hadn’t had anything to eat since last night. And now the Nightmare had sent her here…to wherever here was. The landing had been neither soft nor gentle, and the bruises from that weren’t likely to vanish anytime soon. But in the location she’d somehow ended up in, one thing was clear: it was dark, dark enough for her not to be able to see easily.
Her horn began to glow with a pale white light, giving her some illumination…and the minute she did, she shuddered violently, then turned, feeling violently ill. She was now in a massive chamber, the edges of which she couldn’t light up without increasing the intensity of her spell. No matter, what she’d seen just a second ago confirmed that she had no interest in doing so. She was in a massive abattoir, where dozens of her own fellow pepsis were. Dozens of them, easily, placed on spikes and spires, impaled and dead.
“What—” Twilight was going to scream when she found herself slammed against the wall.
“Great, another weak one,” a similar voice replied, though dripping with malice. “Don’t scream – save it until he gives you a real reason to.” Twilight turned around and found herself staring at another pepsis with the same features as her, but that’s where the similarity ended. The other one was colored a deep red, almost black, with deep green hair and hair stripes of dark-blue and indigo. She had a pair of dark-orange eyes, and the look on her face was one of disgust. “I’m really getting tired of him sending you idiots down here for me to deal with.”
“Who are you?” Twilight asked, getting a bad feeling from the look-alike pony.
“Not that it’s important enough to tell a larva like you,” the pepsis sneered. “But since you have to know, my name is Twilight Gloaming. I’ve been placed in charge by Blood Armor to make sure you rejects either get the point…or get the point.” With her eyes, Gloaming gestured towards the skewered pepsis still impaled on the metal spikes. “But I’m sure you’ll do better, won’t you?” Twilight’s only response was a helpless squeal, and Gloaming laughed at that. “And now I see why Blood Armor sent you down here.” The more confident of the two Twilights walked up to the other, Gloaming getting into Twilight’s face. “You’re like her, aren’t you?”
“Like who?” Twilight asked, wondering if it was the worst thing to say.
“You must be one of the last ones to be hatched.” Gloaming sighed. “A pity; I had hoped that others of my strain would be just as faithful to our duties and our vows, but no – you had to be like her. You embody the worst parts of him and now I see why Blood Armor hates you so. I cannot say I blame him; I find you no less pathetic.”
“Like who?” There was something in Gloaming’s words that Twilight was sure was important, but she wasn’t sure why. “Who am I li—”
“SHUT UP!” A blast of blistering, acid-green energy hit Twilight Sunburn square in the flank, sending her tumbling into the nearest spire, collapsing against it in a painful manner. A gash on her forehead bleeding into her eyes, Twilight painfully turned to see where the origin of the blast came from. Standing next to Gloaming was the lead pepsis stallion himself.
“Big…big brother,” Twilight gasped, unable to comprehend what had just happened. “Help me.”
“I told you, you should have just killed her,” Gloaming informed Blood Armor. “She thinks she’s worthy to be one of us, but she reeks of the scent of weakness.”
“Perhaps we can tear it out of her,” Blood Armor said coolly. “I’m certainly willing to entertain the idea. And if worst comes to, we could just kill her. But as Mother says, why just destroy something when you can corrupt it and turn it to your side first?” He walked up to Twilight and looked her straight in the eyes, the grin on his face full of malice. “And you will become a true pepsis, or you will go the way of our pathetic father.”
“I….” a metal-shod hoof slammed her across the face.
“You will speak when spoken to, is that understood?” His voice was low and menacing, his eyes burning with disgust.
She nodded.
Blood Armor turned back to Gloaming. “Throw her in with the drones and get her started on her training. We have work to do and Mother’s will shall not be delayed, understood?” Gloaming nodded in agreement and with that, Blood Armor teleported away in a flash; soon after, Gloaming departed as well, headed off to plan out her own designs. This left Twilight looking at the space where the stallion had been just seconds ago, unable to comprehend how the stallion she’d so hoped would save her from her personal hell…
…and now just committed her to a worse one.
“And so I own stock in a few companies on Earth, as well as a couple of firms outright,” Elusive said breezily. “I’m not one to brag, but my investments have been very lucrative, and I’ve made sure that I’m more than just my noble title. I want to make sure that I give every advantage to my foals once they’re born.” The unicorn stallion drained his glass of wine, then continued. “But it isn’t just about them: part of that money also goes, I should add, to charities, especially trusts for Aunt Fluttershy’s adoptions initiative. Though the Crown tries to give orphans the best home they can, it’s never enough, which is why I want to make sure that every colt and filly gets whatever options they deserve – I want them to have the happiness I didn’t growing up.”
“I’m sorry,” DJ murmured. She knew the comments wasn’t any sort of insult directed at her, but at the same time the acknowledgement that her absence had cost him a measure of joy in his life – it hurt somehow, in a way she’d never known or felt before. “I wish….” DJ cut her words short, instead taking a nervous sip of her own glass of wine. She wasn’t much of a wine drinker, to be honest – she’d picked up her mother’s beer snobbery instead – but the situation called for something a little more formal than Stone IPA or Arrogant Bastard Brew.
“No, DJ – I’m the one who should apologize,” the stallion replied, refilling his glass, then hers. “My words were ill-thought and I didn’t intend to make you feel guilty. What I meant was that I want them to have a happier life than I’ve led. Foals should be filled with joy and merriment and have the greatest chance for the future.”
DJ nodded in agreement. “I can’t tell you the number of times Mom and Dad have told me that. It was especially poignant when it came to me, an alien being raised as a human when common sense at the time was very much different.”
Elusive raised a brow. “You can’t mean that humanity treated you as a monster, surely?” he said, somewhat surprised.
“We don’t have the wealth of fellow sapient species on our Earth as you do here,” she reminded him. “Here, you have the zebras, the gryphons, the dragons and so many others. But on my Earth, until the day I showed up humans were it and that was all the proof of sapience in existence – sure there’s some theories about the primates and cetaceans, but they’re just that, theories. And true, humanity picked up things pretty quickly, so we adjusted fast. But for the first fifteen years of my life, it was just me and I was just a huge question mark, the square peg near the round hole.”
“That’s truly said,” the stallion said, a genuine feeling of sorrow readable in his eyes. “I don’t think I’d have the strength to live the life you have.”
The two siblings had only spent a few minutes together, but they were already bonding as though they’d been together their whole lives. Despite growing up on two different worlds with two different families, both Apple Butter and Mike noted that there were some mannerisms the two siblings shared that were clearly genetic, that there was no other way that DJ could have picked up otherwise.
“Y’ see that hair twirl that DJ’s doin’?” Butter whispered conspiratorially to Mike. “Ah’ve seen Rarity do that a doz’n times.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Mike admitted. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Anna play with her hair like that, and DJ couldn’t have picked that up from any of her friends. Maybe DJ did pick that up from her bloodline.”
“‘T’s good ta know she wasn’t alone on yer world,” Butter said, looking at Mike with appreciation. “Ah’m glad she has someone like ya t’ turn ta when things’re gettin’ rough.”
Mike flashed her a grin. “I could say the same – you and Elusive are perfect for each other.”
“Eyup. Mah fourth cuzin three tahms removed Applejack intraduced us. We saw one ‘nother an’ it’s been magic, e’er since,” she said with a soft blush. “‘Bout time she did somethin’ nice fer me, too.”
“How so?”
“Well…when Ah wuz a youngin’ Ah grew up with th’ legends ‘bout humans being monsters. All those stories like Sir Lancutrot an’ th’ Demon Human, or Clov’r the Clev’r an’ th’ Battle o’ th’ Two Leggers, or Darin’ Do Meets th’ Human. Heck, one Nightmare Night, mah older sis an’ AJ played a nasty trick on me – they pertended that AJ wuz doomed t’ be a Human’s Bride if’n Ah didn’t give all mah candy t’ th’ secret hole.”
Mike chuckled. “Let me guess: the secret hole was the place where they were able to steal all your candy?”
“Got it in one, sugarcube,” Butter said with a grin.
“Oh, do I hear that: when I was a kid, my older brother Chaz once told me that there were monsters under the bed and that I wasn’t going to survive unless I gave all my Halloween candy to them. Needless to say, I did, and I never saw the candy again. I finally found out what happened when my sister Shelby tattled on Chaz – but only because he wouldn’t share the candy with her!” At that, both pony and human laughed at their similar memories.
Unaware that they were now being the ones watched, DJ and Elusive both grinned as they noted their respective spouses’ conversation. “It looks like they’re getting along great – Mike’s enjoying himself, I can tell,” DJ replied.
Elusive nodded. “I’m glad. When she was younger, Butter’s sister used to tease her often about stories involving humans – the mythological monsters, not the actual species.”
“I’m pretty sure that a few people’s kids were threatened that the ‘Alien Demon Horse’ – namely, me – would take them away from their Mommies and Daddies if they didn’t behave. Heck, half of them did it at the school I went to when I was a kid – and this was a Catholic school!” The humanized pony took another drink of her wine. “But hey, that’s just what it was like, being the Alien Girl.”
“Well, at the risk of being honest, DJ, you’re a wonderful mare – excuse me, woman – and I can’t see how anypony in their right mind would ever think otherwise.”
She blushed slightly at the stallion’s correction in words; it was a clear sign that though he saw her as his sister, he also saw her as what she was. “You didn’t have to correct yourself. I know I’m technically an earth pony instead of a human.”
He shook his head. “But that’s where you’re incorrect.” He sighed, knowing this was going to be the hardest part to say, because in some ways, the admission would be tantamount to admitting his mother’s failure. “Sandalwood…she’s dead. She died thirty-five years ago, before I was born, when she was hit by a magical lightning bolt that spirited her away. She crossed the dimensional barrier and ended up growing into the person you are, DJ.
“You are my sister. I have hoped that since that day I saw you two decades back that we would someday meet again. And I have seen how much Mother and Father have longed for the return of Sandalwood and that all the expectations of that life were foisted onto Minty. But you said it yourself: you are not Sandalwood. And from what I see, that’s correct: I don’t have a sister named Sandalwood. I have a sister named DJ.” He paused before asking, “Um, that is a nickname, I’m assuming?”
“Yes,” she said, her eyes misting, a precious emotion coming into them: you’re accepting me – me, not the Sandalwood everyone expects me to be. “It’s actually short for Daisy Jo.”
“I’ll have to remember that,” he said. “But I would be honored to have a sister named Daisy Jo just as much as I would have had one named Sandalwood.”
Tears of joy ran from violet eyes. “Look,” she said, her voice quavering as a smile came to her face. “I’m crying again. I guess I’ve been hanging around Cinnamon too much.”
His own eyes grew moist. “She does have that effect on others, doesn’t she? I was told that Aunt Fluttershy was like that once, but I don’t recall. I was too young, I guess.”
“I remember, and yes, Cinnamon is very much like Fluttershy was when she was closer to my age – and I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around that,” DJ admitted.
At this point, the waiters finally came out with menus, complete with a hastily-prepared one for Mike, as he couldn’t digest half of what was on the regular menu. “I hope vegetarian won’t be an issue, Mike,” Elusive inquired. “I know you can’t eat most regular pony food, so I called the restaurant ahead of time and asked them to come up with a menu suitable for humans. While the chef was willing to do so, pony taboos still prevent us from cooking any sort of meat, I’m afraid.” He laughed and added, “Honestly, I’m amazed about everything Uncle Spike told me about his years being raised with ponies. Dragons are omnivores, but even they need protein.”
“No problem. Even though DJ and I do eat meat, I can do vegetarian,” Mike assured his brother-in-law.
Butter, however, looked at her sister-in-law with horror. Elusive saw and tried to intervene, admitting to his wife, “Dear, I’ve eaten meat. Our biology does allow us to do so, and I’ve had some occasions where it was necessary during business travel on human-Earth.” Butter simply said nothing, instead looking at her husband helplessly.
Mike, however, looked at the menu and muttered aloud, “Man, I could really go for a steak right now.” He then realized he’d verbalized his thoughts, and as the butter-hued earth pony looked at him with horror, he offered a weak apology for his words.
Both Elusive and DJ looked at each other, sharing a silent thought along the wavelengths that only siblings could access: it’s going to be a long night.
Luna sighed. Sure enough, Elusive’s country bride had just managed to undo the whole of the past few minutes with her rural reaction to everything.
“Well,” Cinnamon said, sticking up for her fellow Apple, “in fairness if the subject went to meat, I would have probably had the same reaction.”
“You live on human-Earth,” Luna countered. “You haven’t eaten meat, even accidentally?”
The sienna pegasus shook her head. “My roommate’s a vegan, so it makes things incredibly easy to avoid it. I’ve had some meat substitutes, but they taste weird, so I wouldn’t even dare to try the real thing.”
Sweetie Belle facehooved. The last thing she needed to see was another vital relationship in the family go up in smoke. Well, maybe a silent period while they eat dinner will be enough to make them forget. Otherwise, we’re going to need to send them a lot more wine.
Twenty-three aircraft raced towards the massive city of clouds at cruising speed.
“We have it spotted,” Khalid spoke into his mic. “All units, take your positions. Flight A will begin the first attack runs.”
“It’s beautiful! Shame we have to destroy it,” someone said over the channel.
“It’s a den of demons – even Shaitan would crush it beneath his fists,” a second said.
“Reduced communications,” Khalid ordered. “All units move to attack speed and prepare for assault. Best of luck, men.”
The fighters advanced on Cloudsdale, getting ready to turn the city of clouds into a charnel house.
A guttural statement was blurted out, followed shortly after by a click.
“He asked if you have any last words, demon,” a second man said.
“Yeah,” Rumble snarled. “Go to Tartarus.” For that, he earned a kick to the face, and the two more guns were pointed at him. All Rumble could do was to look at the number of dead SEALs and Seaponies around him and the others that had survived, but were now, like him, going to be executed. They’d fallen into a trap – they’d safely made it into Iraqi territory on the shores of Abdullah Bay, but the Iraqi guards that had been there had been killed and replaced by members of the Pasdaran, the Iranian Special Forces better known as the Revolutionary Guards. The moment Rumble and the others thought they’d made it safely to friendly territory, the Revolutionary Guards struck brutally, only a handful of SEALs and Seaponies alive. And now here they were, hands and hooves behind their heads, splayed on the ground, stripped of their weapons and gear and nothing to show for their actions other than their impending deaths.
The officer in charge of the Revolutionary Guards unit walked around them, arrogant in his demeanor. “You, infidels and demons alike – do you think we would allow you to go unpunished for the theft of our property and the invasion of our lands?”
“Well,” Olson said, his nose having been broken from an earlier rifle butt to the face, “yes, we did think you were that stupid – isn’t that obvious?”
The Guard seethed with fury and pulled out a pistol, restraining himself from pulling the trigger at the last second. “But we are not stupid – we did capture you, and once we drag you back to our homeland and show the world that the Great Satan and the Demon Kingdom are in collusion against the Islamic Republic, it will prove that your evil cannot stand up to our righteousness.”
“Hey, towelhead, go fuck yourself,” one of the SEALs replied. The commander looked at one of his men and the American went down, slammed in the back of the head with the rifle butt.
“They’re really into that, aren’t they?” Olson whispered to Rumble.
“Yeah. Must get a lot of practice using those tactics on their own people,” the pegasus whispered back. Unfortunately that meant that they were soon to end up in the same position, and once they were dragged back to Iran, the chances of them making it out again weren’t positive. Rumble could live with that – he was a military stallion after all, but he was the senior officer here. He had a duty to these Sailors, both American and Equestriani, human and pony, to get them back to safety. And now it was looking less and less likely.
It was then he remembered a phrase from the Book of the Alicorns: that even in the darkness, there is a sliver of light. And in that light is hope and redemption. The words, of course, turned out to be part of the prophecy of Princess Luna’s return so long ago, but the words in the time since had taken on a different meaning, one less rooted in history and more in philosophy. So long as there was hope, the thought went, there was still a chance. And Rumble knew that.
Shifting his wings ever so slightly, he moved the small muscles that would cue his wing knives. They were his ace in the hole and with them, he knew he could easily stab a couple of the enemy soldiers. They’d immediately kill him afterwards, but the chaos he could cause would be just enough for the remaining troops to rally and save the day.
Better to die a hero than to live a zero, he thought to himself, remembering an old saying his older brother used to tell him often. And that was a shame – he’d never see Thunderlane or his wife and kids again. Pinkie and the twins were great and the best family his brother could ever wish for, but it was the kind of sacrifices that Rumble made that allowed the older one to live a life of peace, he knew.
So be it. He shifted his wings, bringing the knives to the fore, ready to stab the nearest guard. If he moved fast, he could—
The Guard commander suddenly tensed, then fell. From the way he suddenly plunged to the ground, Rumble knew that action well: he’d been shot. Two more suddenly fell, and with that the first crack of a rifle came as the sound caught up with the supersonic rounds. Within seconds, four more Guards fell before they could react, the report of the sniper rifle ringing out a second later.
“And that’s what youse guys gets for screwin’ wit’ ponies!” a voice shouted out. Rumble and his counterparts turned towards the bay, where a zodiac boat was coming into view as its invisibility spell vanished. Standing on the boat and lowering the rifle was a REN sniper, an earth pony mare that Rumble wasn’t familiar with but soon would be, he was sure.
The sniper slung her rifle and grinned. “Hey, you guys need a lift outta here?” she grinned before turning to the coxswain at the helm of the zodiac. “Get us to shore.” The coxswain did so immediately and a few seconds later, the boat pulled up on the riverbank as the sniper got out, flipping Rumble a quick salute. “Looks like youse guys were almost goners.”
Rumble returned the salute. “We owe you our lives,” he said, ignoring the two medics that rushed past him to tend to the wounded; one of them, a unicorn, had undoubtedly cast the invisibility spell. “Thanks, Commander….”
The mare grinned. “Babs Seed. XO, RENS Derpy Hooves,” she said, her voice cocksure in its tones. And she’d earned it. Not only was she an accomplished sniper, but she was also apparently the second-in-command of the REN’s most decorated ship – any REN Sailor, even those not in the surface warfare community, knew about the reputation of the “Great Gray Mare”, as the ship was nicknamed. “We’re here ta get ya back to da Mare, an’ then you’ll be debriefed by COMSTANAVFOR. They’re flyin’ him in from the Ford.”
The next twenty minutes were excruciating as a second boat arrived from the Derpy Hooves to take over the wounded and dead, while a third was dispatched by the USS Trinidad to provide extra security. Shortly after, a unit from the Iraqi Army had arrived to take over security, immediately locking down the border less than a klick away; the colonel in charge of the relief force congratulated Rumble on surviving the odds, but Rumble really didn’t want the thanks – he’d already lost too many and each death, both human and pony, had been another notch of failure on his belt.
By the time he’d arrived onboard the Derpy Hooves, his mind was a jumble. As he sat in the ship’s wardroom, he tried to make sense of the whole thing by examining the ship’s crest: based on heraldic symbols, it was a pony pegasus rampant, surrounded by the bubbles that apparently made up the namesake’s cutie mark and the typical fancy work and fouled lines that made up the typical ship’s crest, followed at the bottom by the ship’s motto. It was that very motto that the naval officer was taking to heart right now: WE KNOW WHAT WENT WRONG.
He only wish he could say the same for himself.
Two ponies in bed, snoring gently. Given who they were, their relationship wasn’t exactly going to be the most welcome in many places, but they’d found each other without really realizing it and had fallen in love even before they realized what love was, as cliché as that sounded. Most of the time they’d stayed over at his apartment, mainly because if their relationship was to become public, it would probably set off a minor scandal or twelve. Or at least that’s what she insisted on believing.
There was a soft chime ringing, and on cue, the stallion opened his eyes, blinking away the stinging sensation as he reached over to turn on the lamp. Part of him thought about sleeping in, but, no, that wasn’t going to fly, and besides, if the very heavenly body beside him stirred, he might never want to leave. Forcing himself out of the bed, he stretched, falling to all fours before switching to an upright position.
“Leaving so soon?” a soft, tender voice behind him said.
“Yeah,” he responded, his tones still dulled from the last vestiges of sleep. “I have flight standby today. Don’t think I’m going to get any air time, but I can at least get some paperwork done.”
“Paperwork,” she said, her voice sad. “Strangely enough, I was hoping I could try something like that someday.”
“What,” he said with a chuckle, turning to face her, “the soft life a little too hard for you?” He saw her pout and moved forward to kiss her. “You know I’m kidding.”
“I know.” She rose from the bed herself, looking at the clock. “I wish I could stay and wait for you, but I know my…escorts…will be looking for me soon.”
“You mean your jailers.”
“My parents don’t think of it that way, but…. Yes, you’re right.” She sighed, looking at him tenderly. “Maybe we should just—”
“Probably not the best time to bring it up, babe,” he assured her as he slipped into his flight suit. “But someday, I hope. Maybe Aunt Celestia can talk some sense into your parents.”
“Maybe,” she said, a sad smile on her face. “And maybe I can get you to admit you love me.”
“I do,” he insisted.
It wasn’t good enough for the mare, however, as she crossed her forelegs and looked at him with an even gaze. “But to actually say it, Rainbow Blitz?”
The smile from his face fell as he shook his head and chuckled. “Look, even I’m not that brave. But it doesn’t change how I feel.” He leaned over and kissed her again. “I’ll see you later?”
“You’d better,” she mock-threatened as he flashed her a grin and walked out of the bedroom.
“And thank you, Madamoiselle D’Arc,” the real estate salesman said in Wallonian French. “I’m sure you’ll be very happy with this apartment.”
Faust nodded, replying back in standard French, “I’m sure I will, good sir.” The man nodded slightly and excused himself out, leaving Faust with a new apartment and wondering why she decided to get one here. Sure, she wanted a place as far away from her family as possible in order to protect them, and she hadn’t used her Jeanne D’ Arc identity in a while – well, the last time she did, she was Jehanne D’ Arc – so that was safe enough.
But she had to wonder why she’d just bought this new place in Namur when she already had a small chateau she owned just east of Paris, plus all the real estate that Emmé owned; she could have used any one of those places at any time. For that matter, why Belgium at all? It was a moment’s whim, a place she’d been in during the late 1950s, mostly for the beer, but she never really—
She turned and noticed that her companions were already making themselves comfortable. Screwloose was painting the walls of the apartment with chocolate sauce, while Screwball sat on the ground, playing with Lego blocks that, once connected, turned into colorful goldfish that marched military style towards the bathroom.
Yup, now I remember why I chose here, she mused with a soft smile. It would be a good place to get them out of the way. Sure they were Discord’s trusted assistants, but she wasn’t sure they’d play well with humanity yet. This would give them a good chance to interact and learn and if they failed, well…this was the Benelux.
It was a couple of hours later when the commander of the whole combined forces battlegroup came in. By then, Rumble had enough time to get some decent chow and a change into a cleaner uniform. He’d been briefed that while the surviving members of his unit were still badly wounded, they’d survive and were currently down in sick bay, awaiting transfer to the larger medical facilities aboard the RENS Smart Cookie. The Americans were also down in sick bay and would be transferred to the USS Gerald Ford.
At last, the commander came in and Rumble immediately stood at attention, though the admiral waved it off. “Carry on, Captain,” the older human replied. “It’s my understanding that my SEALs and your Seaponies wouldn’t have made it if it wasn’t for your leadership. Bravo Zulu to you, Captain. You have my highest kudos.”
“I don’t deserve them,” Rumble replied. “I failed those men out there.”
“I won’t lie; that’s a fuck of way to go,” RDML Richard Himura, USN, replied. “Still, while nothing will ever restore the lives of those lost, you still did an incredible job – there’s no other way to put it down, Captain.”
“Thank you, sir,” Rumble said, rubbing his bandaged chin. While thankfully it hadn’t been broken, it was a paltry consolation for those lives lost.
“Well, Captain, you can honestly say you did both your country and mine a great service – many a man I’ve served with couldn’t even say half that,” Himura replied. “Take it from me: as much as you try to keep them alive and make sure your enemies aren’t, sometimes you have to write that letter that says Johnny or Janey ain’t coming back from this. Trust me, whatever leave you’re planning to take, you’ve earned it.”
“Wasn’t planning on taking leave,” Rumble replied. “If anything, I’ll be going right back out to the suck.”
“I see.” The admiral looked at the stallion and then asked, “So, when was the last time you took leave? And before you invent a number, I want a real answer – I know you SPECWAR types; you think standing still for five minutes is 24-hour liberty.”
The pegasus shrugged. “Uh, I don’t know, sir. I’d honestly have to say probably the last time I can remember is about twenty years ago, when I took a week off for my older brother’s wedding.”
“Any Mrs. Rumble?” the senior officer prodded.
Rumble laughed bitterly, shaking his head. “Never had time. I mean, there was a girl I was sweet on when I was in school, but that was when I was young and dumb. I went straight to the Guard first chance I got, and then when we modernized I went from Guard to REN. Haven’t seen her in years, and she was on a high-track career as well, if I remember. She’s probably married to someone else by now.”
“Have you checked?”
“No, but it’s been thirty-five years since I saw her on a regular basis.”
“Her who, Captain?” Himura prodded, a slight look of impishness crawling onto his face.
Rumble moaned inwardly; he wasn’t about to embarrass himself in front of a senior officer. “I don’t see where this is going,” he stated, “but if you insist…. Her name is Sweetie Belle. She’s the younger sister of a major government official. But she was quite the looker, and it wouldn’t have surprised me if she had a coltfriend at the time. Plus, it’s been years now, so….” He shrugged, this time conveying a different message.
“I see,” Himura conjectured aloud. “Never thought I’d see the day a Special Operator gave up.”
“Sir, I’m a Seapony – I don’t ever give up.”
“So then you’re going to chase her?” the human said and Rumble suddenly realized he walked right into a trap. “Look, Rumble, I’m American, so I don’t have the administrative authority to tell you what to do. But from one man to another: take some time off. You just went through an ordeal, and while you shouldn’t forget the men and stallions who lost their lives in your op, don’t let their memories drag you down, either. That kind of toll takes a measure on a soul. You lead troops into clandestine situations that Equestria and her allies need, and you cannot afford to let what happened haunt you…and if you keep going down the path you are, it will.”
“So, Admiral, are you saying I’m in dire need of a fillyfriend?”
“This isn’t the Army, Captain – just because you’re not issued one doesn’t mean you don’t need one,” the aged human grinned. “If I could order you to go get one, I would. There’s nothing like having someone in your life to help you work through your problems and give you a reason to come back. Go find yourself a girl; hell, go find out if that girl of yours is still single – you never know.”
“You speaking from experience?”
Himura chuckled as he sat down in a chair across from Rumble. “Actually, I am. Met a girl in Yokosuka when I was just an ensign assigned to the Sasebo Naval Station. Cute little Japanese girl, got along great with her because I’m Japanese-American. Her father, however, didn’t approve, and so when I transferred, I sadly went without her. I spent fifteen years on other assignments, but never found anyone who made my heart move like Sachiko. Well, I went back to command the USS Bonne Homme Richard once it was stationed in Sas Vegas, and guess who I run into in town?” His eyes glistened slightly as he said, “All that time – she waited for me.”
“I doubt I’m that lucky, sir.”
“Life’s funny like that – you don’t know until you find out.” He reached over and grabbed a tablet that he’d brought with him. “I’m going to send a note to EQHEFLT and recommend to your boss that that you are in dire need of some time off. You’re clearly a stallion who is in need of someone to make you happy, Sailor. So go find yourself one – find out if that girl of yours is still single, even. Take that leave, understood?”
Rumble nodded; better just to agree and get it over and done with. “Aye, sir,” the pegasus replied, feeling less sure than he said.
Elusive and DJ had were going over their respective childhoods when there was suddenly a deep, bassy thrum, followed by a rumble that was enough to shake the ensorcelled clouds as though they were solid objects. “What was that?” DJ asked.
Mike, however, was already on his feet by force of habit; as a weapons officer, he was all too familiar with that sound. “I’ll be right ba—” He was cut off as the main room of the restaurant exploded in flames. “DOWN!” he roared, turning to flip the table over to protect them. Elusive immediately caught on and his horn erupted with amaranth energy and a shield bubbled around them. Heat and flame filled the air along with several solid items that impacted against the shield; wood, porcelain and several other things shattered around them as the fire died down.
“What’s goin’ on?” Butter asked, finally realizing something had just gone terribly wrong.
Mike and DJ looked at each other, then at her brother. “We’ve got to get the girls out of here,” he told the unicorn. “We’re at a tactical disadvantage.”
But as wounded ponies moaned and screamed as the blast died down, they began to panic as they realized what had occurred. “No,” Elusive told Mike. “Those ponies were hurt by whatever just happened, and we have a duty to—”
The wall to their side suddenly vaporized and Mike felt himself reaching for the sidearm that wasn’t there; he suddenly remembered he’d left it at Twilight’s home. It turned out to be a good thing, however, as he would have drawn on Luna. The night alicorn stood there, flanked by Sweetie, who had a shield of her own up and an unconscious Cinnamon in her forehooves; the youngest of the three having passed out from the sudden boom. “We’ve got to get you out of here,” Luna stated. “I’ll stay and tend to things, but I want you all out of here now, especially Butter,” she commanded.
“I’ll stay and help evacuate people,” Elusive volunteered. He then leaned forward and kissed Butter, telling her, “Love, you’ll have to go. Go with Aunt Luna’s guards, they’ll escort you.”
“I’m doing the escort,” Sweetie replied. “We’ve already ordered the guards to assist the populace.”
Mike looked at DJ. “Dee, go with them. I want you to be safe.”
She shook her head. “No,” she said, defiantly. “I’m not leaving you. I remember what happened last time and I’m not making that mistake again!”
“Hon, those were different circumstances,” he replied. “This time you’re safer with the others.”
Elusive intervened, taking his sister’s hooves in his own. “Please – protect her. You’re a strong woman, stronger than others I’ve known, and Butter needs that right now.”
“I could use some help managing Cinnamon once she comes to,” Sweetie added. “Plus, if Butter goes into labor, we’ll need someone familiar with the Lamuzzle method.”
“‘Lamuzzle’? You mean Lamaze?”
The unicorn mage nodded slightly. “I’m guessing that’s the human equivalent.”
DJ rolled her eyes, muttering, “Damn stupid-ass pony puns,” before adding, “Okay, let’s get going.” Turning to Mike, she ordered, “You had better stay safe.”
“What, and get an asschewing from COMNAVHOME if I don’t?” he laughed. “No thanks.” She looked at him with worry, but that didn’t last long as Sweetie expanded the protective bubble to include both earth pony mares and then with a blink, teleported them away.
“She’s teleporting them to the balloon so they can depart as quickly as possible,” Luna said. Her horn glowed with a verdigris hue, and a gun appeared in the glow. “Take it,” Luna insisted. “You might need it.”
Mike took the pistol and tucked it in his belt. “I’m guessing I will,” he said, looking at the smoking ruins. In the distance, a few jets roared by at attack speed. They went by too fast for him to identify them, but they probably weren’t friendly.
“Okay, let’s get out of—” The building behind her exploded and the three of them were thrown hard enough that they went through the cloudwall on the other side, landing in a room adjacent to the private one the four had been in earlier. As they came to, Luna turned and looked at the creature walking towards her in the black smoke, a face she hadn’t seen in ages: that of Nightmare Moon.
“Hello, dearest Luna,” the demonic alicorn purred, looking at her like an abusive spouse’s target of choice. “You and I were once…together, shall we say. You will find that I am less than pleased with your escape from me so many decades ago and I will have my revenge.”
“I’d rather die before you get your hooves on me!” Luna snarled, but from where Mike lay, he saw the look of fear on her face.
“I can arrange that right no—” Nightmare Moon was interrupted by the metallic ring of a bullet burning past her muzzle, a warning shot across the bow.
“Stand down and step away,” Mike ordered, gun at the ready. He was easily in a position where he could put two right in each eyeball; he’d have aimed for the space between the eyes, but with the horn there was a slight chance of deflection.
“Mike!” Luna warned. “Don’t!” But it was too late as Mike crumpled to the ground, choking as a tendril of black energy wrapped around his neck. “Ah, the human,” the Nightmare said in interested tones. “You’re the one fucking her, aren’t you? Your precious little plaything.”
“LET GO OF HIM!” Luna’s horn exploded with white light as her eyes began to flare with the same luminescence, bring her power as the Avatar of the Moon to fullness. “YOU WILL CEASE NOW, MONSTER!”
Instead, the ebon alicorn reared her head back and laughed mirthlessly, pulling Mike towards her with her tentacle of dark magic. “You have no idea what any of this is about, do you? You are nothing but a foal, Luna, a filly handed a precious plaything that has no idea of anything else going on around her. You are less than a fool and it is not worth my time even trying to bother explaining things to you.”
Luna began to glow almost as bright as the moon above. “This is your last warning,” the Moon Princess snarled. “Release him or I will release you from whatever form of life you’ve taken.” Inside, however, she was fighting her own fears. The creature had conquered her completely and totally last time; what would it do to her now? Even still, she knew, she had to protect Mike. He was family, and she couldn’t let DJ down.
“I would be more worried about others, were I you.” Nightmare Moon raised a horn gently, then tapped it on the floor. The clouds shattered into nothingness and lazily, Nightmare Moon took to wing; on instinct, Luna did as well. Elusive, however, had no such ability and instead plunged towards the ground immediately. With a wordless cry Luna dived after him.
“You can only save one, Luna,” Nightmare Moon crowed as she continued to choke the human. “You will fail as alwa—AAAAGH!” The demonic alicorn screamed as Mike took direct aim to the alicorn’s head and emptied his clip into it.
“I…don’t….give up easily,” he gasped in a raspy voice, his breath nearly gone.
Her bloody face warped and woofed before returning back to normal, much to his shock. She gave him a wild, dark grin. “I’m impressed. I wouldn’t have expected a human to dare to defy me,” she told him in a strangely appreciative tone. “For that, I’ll just let you die gently. Ta-taa!” With that, she cancelled the choking spell and let him fall towards the ground, thousands of feet below, and in a different direction than Elusive.
Placed in the room at the abattoir that she was to share with her fellow “rejects”, Twilight Sunburn looked at the collection of others: all of them similar to her, all of them in some way just as “pathetic” as she was. They were all given the same order: none of them were to talk to each other, on pain of death. After all, this was about giving them a chance to try to prove themselves worthy of the life that Chrysalis had given them, not failing as the sad beasts they’d become somehow.
Moving to an empty corner of the room, she saw one of them crying, a white-coated one that shared her looks. She was a frail and fragile thing, and had somehow developed the same colors as Blood Armor, though she looked more a twin of Twilight Sunburn…well, initially; the huge gash in her side that she was bleeding from wasn’t helping her. Twilight had heard the other female’s name brought up at some time – it was Searing Sparkle or something like that – and the young pepsis wanted to help her other, but….
She lowered the hoof she was going to reach out the other pepsis with. This was what was happening to her: Blood Armor wasn’t a gentle, caring big brother trying to give her a place in the world. Did Chrysalis know about this? Any of this? Did she care? Twilight Sunburn didn’t have any answers, no more than she, or any of the other pepsis, failed to comfort Searing Sparkle as she succumbed to blood loss and died.
From her perspective, Luna watched both falling males, the horror growing on her face. She started calculating their trajectories, planning to save both. If she moved as fast as lightning, she could save Elusive, then rocket over to Mike before h—
Her thoughts were dashed as a blast of black fire slammed into her side at blistering speed. The look in Nightmare Moon’s eyes was one of psychopathic glee. “Choose one or the other, Night Princess! You only get to choose one!”
“You’re mad!” Luna railed against the demonic alicorn, blasting away with a bolt of yellow spellfire. It snapped the Nightmare’s head back, but she recovered quickly, that insane grin still on her face. “Choose to save your beloved nephew or the husband of the niece you just made up with! But if you don’t make that call, they’ll both die! Won’t that be grand?”
“Leave them out of this, Dark Shadow! Your war is with me, remember?”
“It was, once. I have a new prey, now. Don’t worry, you’ll get your due in time – but now you’re no longer the main course, but just an after-dinner aperitif. I will make Sandalwood mine in the same way you once were, or she will be dead by my hooves; it’s all the same, really, but she will be my result!”
“NO!” Luna roared.
“Every moment you waste with me, moon alicorn, is one that those two stallions come closer to their deaths. Now, which one is it? I’ll leave you to decide, as my allies and I still need to burn Cloudsdale to cinders. Have an interesting evening!” And with that, the Nightmare teleported away.
Luna watched as the two males continued their deadfalls. Who to save? she wondered, a jag of ice crawling down her spine. She was closer to Mike, but Elusive was falling faster. If she moved to catch the former, the unicorn would drop too quickly for even his shield spell to save him; if she rescued him, she wouldn’t make it in time to save both.
The princess of the moon swore to herself and made her choice, rocketing towards her decision. And she’d never forgive herself or it.
Forgive me, DJ, she silently begged.