• Published 2nd May 2013
  • 5,596 Views, 672 Comments

The Koprulu Sector - TheKopruluSectorUnion



It's not easy growing up in this sector of space. It's a place ran by fanatics, warlords and corporate empires of all sorts. The CMC are about to enter adulthood in one of the most violent eras of pony history.

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Chapter 39: Heavy Hail

“I can’t believe we’re late!” shouted the Prophet. “The greater good demanded we be there on the night of the execution, before the match took place, not after! Who is responsible for our tardiness?!”

“That would be you Madam Prophet,” answered Penny Pincher. “We went significantly off course when you redirected the entire fleet so you could make a stop at Tacoville. I would also like to add that you detour has put us 6% over budget for this raid.”

“I hold no recollection of such an event,” said the Prophet while evidently wearing a Tacoville t-shirt. She reached into a bag also labeled Tacoville and helped herself to a hay taco.

“Stripped Dynamite ain’t complaining. He never says no to Tacoville,” added the zebra before biting into a taco himself.

“Well we’ll be there shortly,” said Penny Pincher. “If all goes according to plan, we can fly right past their space platforms and land directly on Fort Cadence with minimal resistance.”

“Then Stripped Dynamite shows everyone what he’s made of,” added the Zebra.

“Yes… then that,” said Penny Pincher. The accountant wasn’t too enthusiastic about letting an actor lead a commando raid against one of the most dangerous Khalai in the sector. Even with their defense platforms down, the Matriarch would still prove to be a dangerous obstacle.

“And I’ll lead the IF unit in capturing that stallion!” announced the Prophet.

“What?!” shouted Penny Pincher. “Madam Prophet, the greater good does not yet require that stallion. We should wait for approval before-”

“Whose fleet is this?” asked the Prophet.

Penny Pincher sighed. “Very well… but do be careful down there. Those Khalai you defeated earlier were caught off guard. You’re going after a preserver. He won’t be a pushover from what we’ve heard about his kind.”

“Pfft, I heard he doesn’t even have a horn anymore,” said the Prophet. “How tough is a preserver who can’t even use his horn?”


From up above, Sweetie Belle could see a medivac bringing Sovereign on board. That meant they were at least intent on keeping him alive for now, but she had no clue what their long term plans for him were. Perhaps they were helping him? Perhaps something more malicious? She didn’t want to wait to find out. The Iron Will was now also moving away from the arena, probably to the nearest starport to drop off its passengers. The medivac however didn’t board the Iron Will, and instead flew beside it. Shining Armors shuttle however had already boarded the Iron Will

“Guys we have to get to the shuttle bay!” shouted Sweetie Belle to her friends.

“And what?” asked Rain Sight. “Politely ask Shining Armor to let him go?”

“Rain Sight he’s your husband, Shining Armor might at least be willing to listen to you. You might be able to at least find out if he’s alright. He just got beaten to a bloody pulp trying to retrieve your father's corpse, don’t tell me that didn’t mean anything to you.” said Sweetie Belle.

“I… I guess you’re right. I’m sorry I’m… still very shaken up. Let’s go see if they’ll let us talk to him.”

“Do you need us to come?” asked Scootaloo.

“No we should be fine,” said Sweetie Belle.

“Well either way we’ll probably take a shuttle back to the town as well. I want to see how Apple Bloom is doing,” said Jet Stream.

“Good point. You guys do that,” said Sweetie Belle. “Let us know how she is coming along.”

In agreement, the five mares started making their way to the shuttle bay. It wasn’t hard to navigate because much of the ship was still off limits to civilians, so they didn’t really have much room to get lost in. The ship however was still rather massive, and it took a while to get to the shuttle bay. After a good long walk through the ship's corridors, they were stopped by the guards at the door.

“We’re here to take a shuttle out of here,” said Rainbow Dash.

“I’m sorry ladies, but I’m afraid that is impossible,” replied the guard.

“What!? Why not?!” asked Rainbow Dash.

“No one is allowed to leave the ship, pending an investigation on the recent attempt on Prince Stone Hoof's life,” announced the guard.

“But my husband was on that medivac! I have to be allowed to see him!” argued Rain Sight.

“I am sorry ma’am, but I can’t let you leave this ship. Now please calm down and return to the observation deck,” demanded the guard.

“Let’s not argue about this, there is nothing we can do for now,” said Scootaloo.

“We may as well enjoy some drinks and get hammered.” declared Rainbow Dash.

The mares embarked on another long trek through the Iron Will back towards the observation deck. Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo and Jet Stream did their best to enjoy the party. Right Sight and Sweetie Belle’s hearts on the other hand still weighed heavily with grief.

“Do… do you think he is dead?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“I hate to say it but… yes,” said Rain Sight. “The way Shining Armor just kept beating on him. It’s hard to think many ponies could survive that kind of a thrashing.”

“Why couldn’t he just stay down!” said Sweetie Belle angrily. “Didn’t he stop to think for maybe one second I didn’t want him to get himself killed over a stupid fight?”

“Bringing back my father’s corpse is stupid?” asked Rain Sight.

“He went down there to get your fathers corpse back. He fought, he lost, and he knew it. At that point getting back up was just bravado. Plain, simple and stupid bravado,” explained Sweetie Belle. “I understand he was thinking about you when he tried to retrieve your fathers corpse but… I just wish he would have thought about me when he decided to get back up.”

Before they could converse further, four Imperial Guards entered the observation deck, and demanded to speak with Rain Sight Grey Horn. Sweetie Belle and Rain Sight approached the guards. “I’m Rain Sight Grey Horn,” she announced. “What is this about?”

“Shining Armor would like to speak with you in person, come with us,” demanded the guard.

“Is this about my husband?” she asked.

“Yes, now come with us,” repeated the guard.

“I’m coming too!” demanded Sweetie Belle.

“Shining Armor only wishes to speak with that stallion’s wife,” retorted the guard.

“If he wants to talk to me, she comes with me,” said Rain Sight. “He means a lot to her.”

The guard sighed. “Fine, both of you can come. Now let’s go,” said the guard finally escorting them through the ship. Eventually the two of them reached the shuttle bay where Shining Armor was.

“You’re Rain Sight Grey Horn if I recall?” said Shining Armor. “And you’re… that slutty mare he had with him correct?”

“Excuse me?!” said Sweetie Belle incredulously.

“You were acting really slutty,” said Rain Sight. Sweetie Belle growled and blushed at the same time. “Where is my husband? Is he alive? What’s going to happen to him?!”

“That depends. I need to know who he is, and what he was doing down there. Why was he so adamant about getting back that corpse?” asked Shining Armor.

“That man you killed… he was my father,” said Rain Sight. “When Sovereign saw how miserable I was that you wouldn’t let us bury him, he was determined to get him back.”

“He was just being hard headed my prince. You know how stallions can be,” said Sweetie Belle.

“I noticed. That kid just didn’t want to just stay down. I admit I can respect that, but he did try to murder me in front of several witnesses. After hearing your side of the story, I can personally let it go, but I’m not sure if everyone else will see it the same way. They’ll probably demand an encore execution,” explained Shining Armor.

“Please don’t!” pleaded Sweetie Belle. “I know he’s an idiot, but he didn’t mean any malice. You saw how he did, he wouldn’t stand a chance against you!”

“I’ll see what I can do for him. But I need to get this over with first,” said Shining Armor.

“What happened to you?” asked Rain Sight.

“Your husband. He’s a bit stronger than he looks,” replied Shining Armor. “I just got out of the ship's medical bay. They want me to stay on board and rest but... I have other duties I need to see to back at the palace.”

“Where is her husband now?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“This is a Dominion vessel, so it’s under Dominion law. I figured after what just happened, it would be best to keep him off of it,” explained Shining Armor. “His medivac is holding course next to us, and will drop him off at the nearest hospital instead. Word is he’ll live. My shuttle will be dropping me off at the capital. I’ll be departing the Iron Will in just a minute.”

“Thank you for the information my prince. And please do what you can for my husband,” pleaded Rain Sight. The two mares left the medical bay and were escorted back to the observation deck. While they were stuck on the Iron Will, at least they had the peace of mind Sovereign was alright.

Upon arriving back on the observation deck, Sweetie Belle noticed the medivac was in perfect view, and they were now over the town they had arrived in. The medivac would probably make its decent in just a moment. She had an idea.

Sovereign's void magic allowed him to teleport much greater distances than Sweetie Belle's magic could, but that medivac didn’t seem to be too far at the moment. She focused on the medivac and suddenly found herself on top of it. She quickly got a good hold on one of the edges before sliding off, but found herself assaulted by freezing winds, while wearing nothing but her dress. “I re-re-regret this de-decision im-mediately,” she said to herself. Fortunately the medivac was already descending to land on the hospital's rooftop.

As the medivac landed, the crew quickly carried Sovereign towards a set of thick opening doors. Sweetie Belle slid off the frost covered medivac and landed on her side on the thick snow covering the roof top. She quickly got up and started trying to make her way to the gate, but then noticed it started to close. “Wa-wait!” she tried to yell, but she was far too cold to be particularly loud at the moment. She tried a teleport, but the freezing winds were breaking her concentration, and she didn’t make it very far. Due to her white fur coat, and the white dress she was wearing, none of the staff were able to see her in the thick snow fall. They shut the rooftop gates unknowingly locking her out. “I… hate this… pl-planet!” she said angrily.

Sweetie Belle went over to a roof top stairwell entrance only to find it had a lock on it. While she was a powerful ghost, it was rather difficult to focus her telekinetics enough to rip it off. She tried and tried and tried again, but as the warmth rapidly escaped her body, her focus weakened. Finally more out of anger than discipline, she conjured a powerful burst of magic and tore the lock in half, allowing her entrance.

Unfortunately she didn’t account for the snow on the floor and slipped, tumbling down the stairs. It seemed this planet was hell bent on making her as miserable as possible. “Why would anyone choose to live here?!” she shouted. Cold and in pain, she was about to start making her way down the stairs to find out which room Sovereign was in. But before she did, she saw something outside the door arch. Despite the cold, she went back up the stairs and looked at the sky. Even in the snow, she could see something rather bright was making sky fall.


Sovereign had finally woken up, and found himself laying on a gurney being pushed through the hallways inside a hospital. The staff opened a door, and pushed his gurney into a room, then took their leave. His head hurt, his eyes hurt, his ribs hurt and pretty much everything else hurt. He tried to get up, but the pain in his ribs forced him down again. He noticed he couldn’t groan in pain, and then realized his mouth had been sewn shut, probably complements of the medivac’s crew. Not surprising considering the blow to the jaw he had received. He looked over and saw Apple Bloom was his roommate, much to his surpriaw. Three of her legs were in a cast, and her mouth had been wired shut as well. Next to her was Twilight Sparkle.

Sovereign's heart started to pick up pace as soon as he noticed her. “Relax,” she said. “I’m not here to hurt you. I need you alive remember?”

What are you doing here with Apple Bloom? he asked her telepathically.

“I needed her to help me do that,” said Twilight pointing towards the TV screen. No signal was getting through, nothing but static.

That was your plan? Knocking out the cable?

“There is more to it than that. Getting Karn out wasn’t vital, it was just a courtesy to Rain Sight for her service. The real plan is about to get underway,” she replied.

Well you failed at your courtesy. said Sovereign.

“Pity. But the loss of a stallion past his prime is hardly a loss in the grand scheme of things. I moved you to this hospital room specifically you know? I wanted to make sure you were still alive. Now that I see you’re still breathing, I’ll be taking my leave. Trust me, this is one of the safer places you could ask to be at the moment,” said Twilight.

What are you talking about? asked Sovereign.

“You’ll see. Just stay in your room and you’ll be fine.” Twilight looked over to Apple Bloom and said, “You’ve done well today. You’ll be pleased to know Jet Stream will live to see another day. Ta ta you two.” Twilight approached Sovereign and kissed him. “For old times’ sake,” she said as she winked and left the room.

Why would you help her?! asked Sovereign as he reached into Apple Bloom's mind.

I was doing it to help a friend. She would have killed Jet Stream if I didn’t. And didn’t I tell you to stay out of my head? asked Apple Bloom.

You’d rather stare at a black TV than have someone to talk too? asked Sovereign.

After what happened, do you really think I’d want to talk to you?! asked Apple Bloom.

Right... I’m really sorry about that by the way, apologized Sovereign.

Oh you’re sorry?! Well I suppose that makes it all better then! I can just ignore the fact I’m stuck in a hospital because of you. Oh and to make things better, I’m stuck with the same stallion whose loud mouth was responsible for putting me here! complained Apple Bloom. Wait. Why are you here? she asked.

I fought with Shining Armor… I lost. said Sovereign.

You’re an idiot Sovereign. Why would you do that? she asked.

I wanted to get Karn’s body back for Rain Sight. The least I could do was make sure she could give her father a proper burial. responded Sovereign.

Well you’re still an idiot. But at least you’re a kind hearted one. said Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom, can I ask you something? asked Sovereign.

Can I stop you from asking me? she asked.

Alright, if you don’t want to talk, I won’t force it on you. said Sovereign.

Apple Bloom sighed. Go ahead and ask.

I’m still really confused about what happened between us this morning. You were really angry with me and… I didn’t know what it was you wanted from me. said Sovereign.

Apple Bloom sighed through the metal wiring in her mouth. It was my first time. I just never thought it be a drunken one night stand with my best friend’s boyfriend. When you walked out like that… I guess it just hit home what that really was. A filthy one night stand. I got used, and tossed away like it I didn’t matter.

Apple Bloom, that’s not how I felt about you! You’re a beautiful and obviously brilliant mare, and any stallion would be lucky to have you. Though I am sorry if I made you feel that way. said Sovereign.

Apple Bloom blushed at the compliment. Well… it’s alright I guess. You’re an idiot after all. I shouldn’t expect you to know these things. said Apple Bloom.

Gee, thanks, replied Sovereign. Apple Bloom giggled at him, despite the wiring holding her jaw shut. How long until you can leave? he asked.

A few more nanite injections and I’ll be out in a day or two. Three at the most. Though my legs will still be very weak, so it’ll be a few days before I can fully recover. What about you? asked Apple Bloom.

I just woke up, so I have no clue. I can walk, but barely. I don’t think I’d make it to the front door in this state, he said. So since you asked me earlier, I think it's only fair I get to ask you... how was I?

At what? asked Apple Bloom.

You know at what. Come on, I answered when you asked. said Sovereign.

Well… I enjoyed myself. You knew stuff. admitted Apple Bloom.

You’re the second mare to tell me that, said Sovereign.

Don’t let it go to your head. Tell anyone I said that, and I’ll tell them you went off prematurely! threatened Apple Bloom.

Sovereign chuckled. Alright, no need to go spreading slander now.

Sovereign. I’m going to ask you something. But you can’t tell anyone alright? Especially not Sweetie Belle. said Apple Bloom.

Alright, I won’t tell anyone. promised Sovereign.

If you and Sweetie weren’t together… do you think you and I could ever… you know? asked Apple Bloom nervously.

Apple Bloom, what’s going on? Why would you ask me that? asked Sovereign.

I asked you first! complained Apple Bloom.

I promise I’ll answer, but first I need to know why you asked me that. Are there going to be problems between you, me and Sweetie? asked Sovereign.

It’s not that. It’s just when we were fillies… I never really got asked out. Sweetie Belle was the pretty one, and she was asked out constantly. The only reason you’re her first real boyfriend is because her big sister was overprotective of her. explained Apple Bloom.

I’m her first boyfriend? asked Sovereign.

Sovereign don’t make this about you. demanded Apple Bloom.

Sovereign sighed. Go on.

Apple Bloom continued. Scootaloo wasn’t asked out as often as Sweetie Belle, but she was a lot more… aggressive with the colts. She was rarely without a boyfriend. Sometimes whether they liked it or not. But me… I just don’t know why, but I never got asked out. I started to feel like there was something wrong with me. And not to keep bringing it up, but when you walked out…

And now I feel like an ass. he thought to himself temporarily forgetting he was currently linked with Apple Bloom.

You’re not ass, you’re just an idiot. said Apple Bloom reassuringly. So back to my earlier question. Would you ask me out? she asked.

Apple Bloom, you know you’re an amazing- started Sovereign.

I get it. That’s a no. She said trying to put up a tough exterior.

Hey! I think you’re gorgeous! If Sweetie and I weren’t together, I could see us happening. You might even say that when you, me and Scootaloo were shopping… when you were looking at yourself in the mirror naked because you were feeling self-conscious about your weight… I was watching that. I looked through your mind. admitted Sovereign.

What?! Apple Bloom would be shouting right now if her mouth weren’t wired shut.

The thing about being mentally linked at the moment is that I can see through the ruse. You liked that just now. That a stallion would be looking at you like that. And by the way, you’re not fat, so stop worrying about it. assured Sovereign.

Alright I admit it. I kind of liked that. But that still makes you a total pervert! complained Apple bloom

I’m a stallion, he replied with a laugh.

I guess since we’re sharing… remember when we were shopping. You grabbed that matching black shirt and pants with the white overcoat. That thing you did in the changing room when you thought no one was looking… I saw it… and heard it. admitted Apple Bloom.

You can’t tell anyone! demanded Sovereign.

Oh come on, it’s not that big of a deal. Sweetie Belle might even think it’s cute. suggested Apple Bloom.

You especially can’t tell Sweetie Belle! demanded Sovereign who was now sweating.

Aww, but you were so adorable insisted Apple Bloom.

Once again, we both have something we’ll each take to our graves. So let’s do as we agreed to last time, and never speak of this again. suggested Sovereign.

Apple Bloom laughed at how much of a panic he was in over something so silly. Fine, I won’t say a thing. By the way, you’re cute when you get riled up like that. teased Apple Bloom.

The two went silent all of a sudden as an alarm starting going off outside, followed by other sounds. Does that sound like… gun fire? asked Sovereign.


“I can’t believe she just did that!” said Scootaloo.

“The part where she teleported out the window, or the part where she didn’t get herself killed in doing so?” asked Jet Stream.

“Both!” said Scootaloo. “At least she survived… I just hope she doesn’t freeze to death out there.”

“What do you think is up with those screens?” asked Jet Stream. Most of them were static, but a few still read that an intruder virus was detected.

“That’s Apple Bloom,” said Rainbow Dash. Her voice turned into a bit of a whisper. “She was supposed to shut down that dome so Karn could escape.”

“I suppose it would have been hard to find him out in the snow,” said Rain Sight. “And knowing dad, he would have found a way to survive out there, at least for a while… but obviously she didn't come through!”

“Hey, don’t blame Apple Bloom!” retorted Scootaloo. “It’s Sweetie Belle’s fault she is in the hospital.”

“Yes, and from what Sweetie Belle told me, she put Apple Bloom there for being a back stabber,” said Rain Sight.

“You don’t think she overreacted just a little bit?” asked Scootaloo.

Rain Sight sighed. “I don’t even know who to blame anymore. This whole situation has been turning into a giant mess.”

“What are you going to do now?” asked Scootaloo.

“Sweetie Belle, Sovereign and I still haven’t figured that out yet,” said Rain Sight. “There are a lot of factors we need to take into account.”

“You could come with us,” said Rainbow Dash. “We’re on our way to Consortium space. We just had to make a detour here, but as soon as we can leave, we’ll be out of Dominion Space. You and Sweetie are Dominion Intelligence, we could use a set of hooves with those skills.”

“Well… I suppose I would be a lot safer in Consortium space. I wouldn’t have to worry about standing between Sovereign and Sweetie Belle anymore,” she announced.

“How long do you think this lock down is going to be going on for?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“They’ll probably want to ask everyone if they had any contact with Sovereign. I already talked to Shining Armor, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Just to be safe, you three were a group of friends who were here to see the execution. Scootaloo recognized Sweetie Belle, and that’s why you were seen talking to us. No need to let them know you knew anything about Karn being my father,” suggested Rain Sight.

Scootaloo noticed something outside the window and said, “Guys… what’s that?”

The other three looked outside and saw brightly glowing lights falling out of the sky. They were glowing a bright red-orange hue that could be seen despite the snowfall. Finally it disappeared into the mountains. “That mountain they just landed on. Isn’t that Fort Cadence?” asked Rain Sight.

“I don’t know, we never studied this world. Only Apple Bloom bothered reading up on it,” said Rainbow Dash.

Alarms started going off on board the ship, as the intercom announced, “Red alert, this is not a drill. Repeat, not a drill. All civilians clear the observation deck immediately. Please calmly report to the mess hall and stay there until further notice. All personal, battle stations.”

“That can’t be good,” said Jet Stream. The ship started to shake violently as if it had just received an impact, and suddenly began to tilt. The pegasi on board immediately got off the floor, but the earth ponies and unicorns found themselves sliding towards the window. Rain Sight managed to get a weak grip on a cabinet that was bolted to the ground, and managed to avoid falling against the windows with the others. A few other lucky ponies also managed to hold onto something, but most found themselves piled against the glass.

“Ladies… get away from the windows!” shouted Scootaloo as she flew away from the window. The other pegasi complied as volley of missiles suddenly hit right beneath the deck. The volley was a good spread, damaging a wide area of the ship's hull. The explosion of missiles took out the entire wall of the observation deck, as well as much of the flooring. Many the earth ponies and unicorns pressed against the windows and walls were blasted to pieces immediately.

The violent shaking caused many of the remaining non pegasi to lose their grips and fall out of the ship, Rain Sight included. The weather had also taken a turn for their worst. With the wall of the ship blown out, powerful winds filled the deck and blasted out many of the pegasi as well. Only Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo’s cold weather training at the ice house had prepared them to fly in these extreme conditions. Jet Stream and the other pegasi were blasted out of the ship by the winds.

Fortunately Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash were quick on the response. Scootaloo managed to grab hold of Rain Sight as she fell out of the ship, while Rainbow Dash grabbed her little sister. With the extra weight burdening them, they knew they wouldn’t be able to hold altitude in the weather. The other less fortunate unicorns and earth ponies all fell to their death onto the streets of the town below, save a few who still managed to hold on for their lives. The other pegasi were being blown around like leaves in a breeze as they were unaccustomed to flying in this type of weather.

“We have to land!” shouted Rainbow Dash.

Without saying a word, Scootaloo complied and the two abandoned the ship and began descending towards the town below. As they made their decent, they could see the sight of multiple ships entering orbit, drop pods falling out of the air, and fighters coming around to again strike at the Iron Will.


The crew on board the space platform was working frantically to get systems back online. Someone somehow had hacked the battle net, rendering orbital defenses useless. The weapons were down, launch bays couldn’t launch fighters, and drop pods were off line and would be unable to reinforce the surface. The two capital ships in orbit, along with their accompanying fleets were also dead in the figurative water. The Iron Will was on the surface however. That ship wasn’t usually tied into Cadia’s battlenet, and could sever its connection given enough time.

“What the hell is going on?” asked the station commander.

“Someone else has control of the battle net,” informed a crewman. “We don’t have access to any of our defenses.”

“Then get our engineers up here and fix it! We can’t afford to be a second without our defenses. At any moment, an enemy fleet can appear out of nowhere. Do I have to remind you what will happen if we’re caught unprepared?” asked the station commander.

“No commander. But I think you’re overreacting. I don’t think a few minutes of being blind will compromise the entire planet,” replied the crewman.

“Captain, there is something out there,” said one of the crew. “It’s… a ship. No wait, three, eight... multiple ships. They’re heading for us!”

“Damn it, contact the militia below and let them know we have company. Tell them to turn the beacons off!” ordered the station commander.

“Communications are down sir. There is no way to contact them,” informed another crewman.

The station commander watched helplessly as the enemy fleet flew straight past their defenses. They were ignoring them, so whatever they wanted was strictly on the surface. The crew could only watch as the enemy ships began to deploy drop pods onto the unaware population below.


The ship was only in a tilt for a few seconds before the crew on the bridge managed to right it again.

“We need the shields up!” shouted the captain. “Get weapons online!”

“We can’t!” shouted a crewman. “We’ve been locked out! We can’t access weapons or shields!”

“Then disconnect us from the battlenet and establish manual control. Contact ground control and tell them to get the beacons off line! Those fighters can’t hit us if they can’t see us,” ordered the Iron Will’s captain. If they could hide in the weather for just a few minutes, they could sever from the battle net and establish direct control of their systems. The Iron Will may have only been one ship, but it was still the most powerful warship in the Dominion Armada.

“They can’t, the starport has been compromised. Receiving reports of small arms fire throughout the starport.”

“Enemy torpedoes incoming!” shouted another crewmen.

The ship again began to shake violently and the lights began to flicker. As the lights went out, a set of red shaded lights came online.

“We’re losing engine power sir!”

“Then find us a place to land!” ordered the captain.

“We’re over a mountain range, there is nowhere to land!”

“Then make sure we don’t flatten the town!” shouted the Captain. “Afterwards… abandon ship.”

As the Iron Will cleared the town, another ship came in view from above. The captain could see the enemy capital ship outside was in a perfect position for bombardment. “Cadenza help us,” he prayed. Seconds later, the enemy ship opened fired with everything it had. With its shields off line, the Iron Will was violently torn apart. Only a fraction of the crew survived. Without rescue, they would surely freeze on the surface.


Penny Pincher smiled as the Iron Will was decimated below them. The rest of the fleet on this world was part of that planet's garrison, and was completely dependent on the supposedly unhackable battlenet for unit cohesion. While they would eventually reboot their systems, it could take them several hours to get their ships back on line, perhaps even days. Something told Penny Pincher that the Cadians, while renown hunters, weren’t the best at cyber warfare.

The Iron Will was the only capital ship on site that wasn’t permanently hooked into the network, and with it out of the picture, they should encounter no significant resistance in the air, or in space. As long as those navigation beacons stayed online, they had total control of the skies.

More importantly they grounded the Iron Will using only two thirds of the intended ammunition. The bits saved from this portion of the operation would be used to offset the cost of the Prophet's detour to Tacoville. Penny Pincher took out a pocket watch and flipped it open, smiling when he saw the time and everything was on schedule.


Matriarch Cadenza had enjoyed a good night from her palace within Fort Cadence. Her Champion had defeated a traitor, and brought great honor to their world. Unfortunately the signal was lost shortly afterward. She accredited that to adverse weather.

With the excitement now over, it seemed like it would be peaceful night here on Cadia, executions aside. Cadenza stepped towards the windows of her palace and looked out into the snow covered mountain tops of Cadia. Not many Khalai could appreciate the beauty of this world. Sure from outside, it seemed as if the world was a violent hurricane of frozen death. But from her quarters, it all seemed so peaceful as the moonlight glittered atop the snow.

There were times when she longed to once again walk the warm plains of Aiur. It had been centuries since she had set hoof on her home world, or even left Cadia for that matter. But it was a mild sadness at worst, minor nostalgia at best. She had grown too accustomed to her new home, and the ponies she now called her people. While she never asked them to call her a Goddess, she was always willing to give them her guidance.

Even the deadly freezing winds she could now call a friend. Cadenza touched a panel, and the thick windows began to open up, letting the icy winds blow against her face. The snow covered her beautiful mane as it flew in the air, slowly turning it as white as the winter. She had been on this world so long that the cold didn’t seem to bother here anymore. A testament to her constitution considering all the other Khalai who didn’t die in the crash froze to death shortly afterwards when she first arrived on what she thought was a frozen hell.

As Cadenza let the snow cover her body, her eyes opened up to see a shooting star. In fact, several shooting stars. “We aren’t scheduled for a meteor shower, what’s going on?” she asked herself. Several of the shooting stars landed not too far in the distance and smashed into one of Fort Cadence’s two starports. Then several more followed and did the same at the remaining starport as well. An alarm was sounded and Cadenza suddenly realized they were under attack.

How could this happen?! There should have been a warning! Cadenza reached for her room’s phone and got online with the captain of the guard. “Captain! What happened to our defenses!? Why are there drop pods landing on Fort Cadence?!”

“We don’t know Matriarch. We’re still receiving no word from the orbital platforms, or the fleet garrison! We can’t call down drop pods of our own either. We’re on our own out here for until we reestablish contact. Please report to the bunker for your own protection,” replied her captain of the guard.

Cadenza immediately hung up and charged towards the palace gates. Not once since the founding of Cadia as an independent system has Fort Cadence ever fallen to the enemy. She would see to it that Fort Cadence lived to fight another day, or she would die trying. She looked out a hallway window one more time to see that the beacons had gone off line around Fort Cadence. Without them, the enemy would not be able to accurately drop additional drop pods from orbit, at least for now. But should those starports fall, should the enemy reactivate them, they would find another wave of enemy attacks raining down on them.

Apparently they went offline just a minute too late. Cadenza could feel the ground shaking, followed by a message on the intercom. “Intruders are in the palace. Say again, intruders are in the palace!”

Author's Note:

I just found out after I was done with the chapter. Tacoville is a real place.

I recommend reading "Born of Sin" before moving on to the next chapter. It'll help to explain a lot, especially if you want to know more about Scootaloo and Jet Stream. It's not necessary, but you'd have a better understanding of some things that are only hinted at in the background.

Additional Note from the Union: Fixes applied thanks to refferee, who now apparently calls himself the Other Sans now. Either way, hope you enjoy the story.

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