> Metal Gear Rising: Equestria
>  by VincentKintobor
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prologue 
Jack, once a child soldier turned Government agent, has been on many dangerous missions. Search and Retrieve, Assassinations, Intel Retrieval. After meeting his girlfriend, Rosemary, Jack began to live a newer, happier, life.
However, his past as a child soldier, continued to haunt him. At the age of ten, he had already killed over a dozen people. Some of them innocent. Because of this, and the fact that he actually began to enjoy it, he took on the nickname “Jack the Ripper.”
At some point, he was sent on a mission to rescue the United States President from a group of terrorists. The location was a large oil facility known as Big Chell. For this mission Jack was given the codename, Raiden.
It was there that he met the Legendary Solid Snake. With Snake’s help Raiden was able to uncover the existence of the Patriots, a group of AI Programs that control the country, it’s military, and it’s economy.
After the Big Chell incident, Raiden was captured by the Patriots. They mutilated him, and gave him cybernetic enhancements. Raiden escaped the Patriot’s facility, and went on a journey of self discovery. He received training in both the Samurai and Ninja arts along the way.
Almost a decade later, he aided Solid Snake in taking down the Patriots, and freeing the country from their control. Raiden, having been reunited with his girlfriend, married Rosemary and started a family of his own.
To provide for his family, Raiden joined Maverick, a PMC (Private Military Company) that deals with protecting politicians, and bringing down terrorist groups. However, after a job went south, Raiden lost his left eye, his left arm, and the client he was suppose to be protecting.
Raiden was then outfitted with a new, more powerful cybernetic body, and went on a hunt for those responsible for his failure……

However, within that story, Raiden found himself in a very interesting situation. A new mission, to save another political leader. But this is one mission, that Raiden will never forget.


Raiden opened his eyes, and found himself in a different location then where he was. He was lying down on a bed, that was a little too big for him. As he looked around, he noticed the walls were made out of wood. Next to him was a round window. It was still dark out, but he could see the hint of the morning sun coming over the horizon.
Raiden sat up and noticed the bed he was sitting on had stars and moons decorated on the quilt. On the floor was a small basket, the type a dog or cat would usually sleep in.
As Raiden looked around, he realized he was in a loft. A small bedroom above the bottom floors. He could see the room below. It was somewhat round, with bookshelves against the walls, and a round rug on the floor. There was also a entrance way for an outside balcony.

“What the hell? Where am I?” Raiden quietly said to himself. The last thing he remembered was being in battle. One of the Cyborg Soldiers he was fighting threw a flash grenade at him, and next thing he knew he was waking up in this bizarre place.
His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of someone humming. Raiden quickly nodded his head, and two triangular metal plates emerged from the sides of his head, and closed on his face to form a mask. This was Raiden’s Augment Mode, which allows him to see enemies hidden from normal view. Raiden looked around, but he couldn’t see anyone. He turned off his Augment Mode, and jumped down from the loft.
He reach behind his back and drew his high frequency vibrating sword, and noticed that the humming was coming from a nearby flight of stairs. Raiden pressed his back against the wall next to the stairs, and waited.
The humming grew louder, as Raiden gripped his sword firmly in his hand. He wasn’t going to kill this opponent. Not until he had some answers. Finally the mysterious someone emerged.
The sight of this creature caused Raiden to stop in his tracks. He was frozen with shock, surprise, and wonder.
It appeared to be a small horse. It had the wings of a Pegasus, and the horn of a Unicorn. It’s coat was purple, with a maroon six pointed star on each flank. It’s mane and tail were dark purple, with a single strip of pink. 
(WHAT THE HELL!!???) Raiden thought to himself.
The horse looked up at the loft, and realized no one was up there. It turned around and saw Raiden, who was still frozen with wonder.
“ACK!” It exclaimed. It seemed startled.
“Oh good, your awake.” It said.
(OH MY GOD IT TALKED) Raiden thought.
“Allow me to introduce myself,” The Pony said. “my name is Twilight Sparkle.”
> Part 1 Tool of Justice
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 1 Tool for Justice
After about five whole minutes of staring at this thing, Raiden lowered his sword. He was a little dumbfounded, but was still able to talk.
“S…Sorry about that.” He said. “Your appearance took me by surprise. I’ve never had a dream this vivid before. Only nightmares.”
Twilight looked at him curiously. She had met humans before, but none that look anything like the man before her. His dark metallic body, very sharp sword, white spiky hair, an artificial lower jaw, and a bandage around his left eye.
Twilight shook herself from her daze and said. “Sorry, but I could say the same about you. And I can assure you that this is not a dream.”
Raiden’s eye went wide. “Then what is it then? Some kind of VR Program? Did World Martial capture me? Who do you work for?” He said in a threatening voice.
“Please, calm down Mister…?”
“Raiden!”
“Raiden. I’m not sure what all that stuff is, but this place, it’s actually a separate dimension.” Twilight explained.
“A…Separate dimension?”
“Yes. I pulled you from your world into mine. This actually isn’t the first time I’ve done that spell…”
Raiden interrupted her. “I don’t know how you did it, but send me back right now! You interrupted me during a very important Anti-Terrorist mission.”
Twilight’s heart sank a bit. “Yes, of coarse. But can you please hear me out first?”
“I don’t have time for that!” Raiden shouted. “Hang on a second.”  He pressed his hand to his ear.
Raiden began calling out the names of his comrades. “Boris. Can you hear me? Boris! Courtney? Anyone?!”
All Raiden could get was static.
“They can’t hear you here, and yes you do have time. When I send you back, I will send you to the exact time and location that you were in. It will be as if you never left.”
Raiden thought about it. He was there and all. He might as well see what she had to say. Raiden took a deep breath and sheathed his sword, to Twilight’s relief.
“Fine.” He said.
“Oh good. Can I get you some tea?”
“Sure. Do you have a straw?” Raiden said, as he sat down on the floor.
“Sure.” Twilight said as she trotted downstairs. Raiden sat down on the floor, and thought about his situation.

Twilight came back up from the kitchen downstairs. The tray and tea set she was carrying was floating in mid air, with a pink aura around Twilight’s Horn, as well as the tea set.
Raiden eye went wide when he saw that.
“Electro-Magnetism?” He asked.
Twilight laid down across from Raiden, with her legs folded under her. She placed the tray between them, and said. “If your talking about my levitation spell, its Magic.”
“Magic?” Raiden said, “You mean not simple parlor tricks.”
“You could say that.” Twilight said. “All Unicorns can do it.”
“I see.” Raiden said before he picked up a cup of tea, placed a straw in it, and took a sip. “So…what is it that you want from me?”
Twilight thought about how she put this, and said. “Well for starters, I’ll tell you about this place. This is the Land of Equestria. The Land of Ponies. Normal Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi, all live here happily and in harmony.
“I am an Alicorn. A combination of all three, and reserved for royalty.”
“Royalty?” Raiden asked.
“Yes, Princesses. I only just became a Princess a while ago. So I’m still new to it. Anyway, my teacher is the Monarch of Equestria, Princess Celestia. She is wise, powerful, and beloved by all of her subjects. But, only a few nights ago…she was kidnapped.”
Raiden’s eyes widened a bit.
“We have to get her back.” Twilight continued. “The whole situation has been kept secret. Only a few Ponies in all of Equestria know about it. If the general public found out, they would panic. We already have a plan, but we needed somepony strong enough, and skilled enough. But there is no pony like that in Equestria. Nothing like this as ever happened before. So…I tried an outside source.”
“That would be me I take it.” Raiden said.
“Yes. I used a spell to summon the Greatest Soldier. And it turned out to be you.”
Raiden had a question. “Wait a minute. How did you even know about humans in the first place? If this is a separate dimension, how would you know about them?
“Well, they’re mentioned in some of my books. Besides, you’re not the first human I’ve met. It’s a long story, and it involves a magic mirror.
“I see.” Raiden said.
“So will you help?”
Raiden closed his eyes for a moment. He stood up, and walked over to the nearby balcony.
“Wait,” Twilight called out. “Where are you going?”
“I need some air.” Raiden said as he opened the door and stepped out on the balcony.
Twilight immediately ran over to him. “If anypony sees you, they’ll know something’s up. Please don’t go.”
“Trust me.” Raiden said. “They won’t see me.”
Raiden jumped off the balcony, and vanished into the night.
“I hope I didn’t upset him.” Twilight said, as she watched the sunrise.

Only about an hour passed when Raiden left Twilight’s library. He stood in a tree on the outskirts of town. This place was the most beautiful he had ever seen. Lush trees, cottages, houses, and small buildings. Happy towns folk just enjoying their day.
“This world,” Raiden said to himself. “it’s as if it’s been completely untouched  by the fires of war.”
He waved his hand about a foot in front of his face, and a holographic square appeared.  This was Raiden’s scope. It’s was a holographic program that allowed him to see far distances.
Raiden paned it to the right, and zoomed in on the farm in the distance. He saw an orange Pony pulling a cart of apples, with a small yellow Filly with a red bow, next to her. 
He then looked at the town square. Raiden could see dozens of Ponies, just out enjoying the day, helping each other, like they didn’t have a worry in the world.
Such a beautiful world, no doubt the work of a strong leadership. A leader that’s not corrupted by power, or money. One that sees the big picture, and cares deeply for the well being of its citizens. Wishes for them to be happy. A people that benefits from their government, and vies versa. Two sided, instead of one.
Raiden’s train of though was interrupted when he caught a glimpse of Twilight running through the town. Obviously she was looking for him.
Raiden pulled out his sword, and used it’s blade to reflect the sunlight.

Twilight ran desperately through the streets of Ponyville.
“Where did he go?” She said quietly to herself.
Suddenly, she saw a light coming from one of the trees in the nearby forest. She squinted her eyes, and realized it was Raiden sitting in a tree.
Twilight closed her eyes as her horn began to glow. She then vanished in burst of light.

Raiden put his sword away, as Twilight appeared next to him.
“What were you think….?!” She began to say, before accidentally slipping off the branch.
Raiden reached out, and gently grabbed her by the back of the neck. He lifted her back on the branch.
“I take it, those wings of yours are just for show.” Raiden said with a smile.
“I guess I’m not use to them yet.” Twilight said. “I only just got them a few weeks ago. Anyway, what were you thinking? Didn’t I tell you your presence here is suppose to be top secret? Not even my closest friends know about you.”
Raiden smiled and said. “Sorry, I just wanted to take a look around and collect my thoughts. Don’t worry, no one saw me.”
Twilight sat down on the branch, next to Raiden, and said. “Yeah, sorry I yanked you into this. I didn’t mean to put so much on you so suddenly.”
“It’s alright.” Raiden said. “So this ‘Princess Celestia’ you mentioned. What’s she like.”
Twilight lowered her head a bit, and said. “For over a thousand years, Princess Celestia has ruled over Equestria. She’s kind, wise, powerful, and one of the most charismatic Ponies I’ve ever met. I’ve known her since I was a filly, and she taught me everything I know about magic. It’s thanks to her that Equestria has prospered for so many centuries.”
Raiden interrupted her. “All of the traits you mentioned, I can see in the faces of the Ponies of this town. To ensure the safety, prosperity, and happiness of her subjects. That is the mark of a true leader. I doubt many of the accomplishments of this nation would not have been possible without her.”
“Yes exactly!” Twilight exclaimed.
“I knew someone like that once. But he was killed by terrorists, and on my watch no less.”
“Raiden?”
“I’ll help you, Twilight. Not just for your sake, but for my own redemption as well.”
Raiden pulled out his sword, and held it in front of him. Twilight admired the brilliant electricity jumping off the blade. As if the lightning itself was dancing.
“This sword, is my Tool of Justice. I fight for those who need my help. And your Princess is a leader worth helping.”
“Great!” Twilight said with a big smile. “Thank you so much.”
Raiden put his sword away, and said. “So where do we start?”
“I need to take you to Canterlot Castle. You need to speak with Celestia’s sister, Princess Luna.”
“Alright, how do we get there?”
“Well, I’ve never done a jump this far before. But since becoming a Princess, my powers should have been amplified. Let’s give it a try.”
“Wait, what do you me…?”
And in a flash of light, both of them were gone.

> Part 2 Princess in Peril
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Raiden and Twilight reappeared in a long, regal, hallway, next to a large set of double-doors. The walls were made of marble, and various statues decorated the hall. On the floor was a long red carpet that ran the length of the hall.
“Warn me next time before you do that.” Raiden said, feeling a bit dizzy.
“Sorry.” Twilight said “Teleportation Spells can give you some whiplash if you’re not prepared for it. And I‘m still learning to control my Alicorn Magic.”
“Whatever.” Raiden said shaking his head. “Who are we here to see again?”
“Princess Luna.”
“Wait, you have two Princesses?” Raiden said confused.
“Yes, the two Princess Sisters have ruled together for many years. Celestia controls and watches over the day. And Luna does the same for the night.”
“I see.”
“Well, let’s go in.” Twilight said, before using her magic to open the doors.

Raiden and Twilight walked side by side as they entered the Grand Throne Room. Like the hallway, the walls were marble, the floor had a red carpet that lead from the door to the throne. On the walls were various stained glass windows, each depicting a past adventure.
Sitting on the golden throne, was a deep, dark blue, Alicorn, somewhat smaller then a full grown horse. Her mane and tail looked like it was made of the night sky itself. On her flank was a black blotch with a white crescent moon. She had a lunar necklace, and matching tiara. She had her eyes closed, and appeared to be asleep.
As Twilight and Raiden walked up Twilight cleared her throat, which woke the Princess.
Princess Luna woke up startled, “Oh! Princess Twilight Sparkle. Sorry about that. I haven’t had much sleep lately” She yawned. “Who is this with you?”
Twilight walked up, and bowed her head, “Princess Luna. This is Raiden. He’s a warrior from another world. He has offered his assistance.”
Raiden walked up, and in a very formal fashion, knelled down on one knee. “Your Highness.”
Luna interrupted him. “Please stand. And speak casual.”
Raiden and Twilight obeyed.
“I must say Raiden,” Luna said. “You’re certainly not what I expected.”
“Twilight called for the best, and she got me. And I offer my strength to you.”
“I’m impressed. You have impeccable manners for someone in your profession.”
“Thank you, Princess.” 
“I assume that Twilight filled you in on the situation.”
“She gave a briefing, but I was hoping to get more details from you.”
“Very well. Ask me anything. I wish to help in anyway I can.”
“Well, first off, who did this, and what do they want.”
Luna closed her eyes and said. “They are known as the Changlings.”
“Changlings?”
“Yes. A race of Ponies…bugs…we’re not sure. But a few months ago, they appeared in Equestria, and terrorized this city of Canterlot, and imprisoned my sister. But it was thanks to Twilight’s brother and his wife Princess Cadence, that, they were able to push the Changling’s and their Queen back to the Kingdom they came from.
“But now they've struck again” Luna Continued. “It happened a few nights ago. They snuck in while she slept, and I was distracted.”
“What were you doing?” Raiden asked.
“Dream walking. It’s an ability I have to enter the dreams of Ponies and guide them through their nightmares.”
“How did they do it? What about castle security?”
“You see, Raiden. The Changlings have the ability to look just like any Pony they want. At the same time I was dream walking, one of the guards claimed they saw me enter my sister’s bedchamber. One of the Changlings disguised themselves as me, and took my sister in the night. The next morning, she was gone. Since then, I've had to raise both the sun and moon each day. It’s tiring, but if my sister could do it for a thousand years, I can at least do it for a few days.”
Raiden sighed and said. “Why would they do this? It almost sounds like they are trying to start a war.”
“A note was left on Celestia’s bed. It said. ‘Surrender Equestria, or Celestia will have no more love to give.’”
“What do they mean by that?”
“The Changlings…They consume love. Like nourishment. They feed off of it, and grow stronger each time. Last time they were here, they absorbed so much of it, it temporarily made them stronger then my sister. Equestria has more love then any other place on the planet. That is why they want it so badly. And they‘ve only given me two more days to decide.”
“I see” Raiden said. “From the sounds of it, if you don’t give into their demands, they will absorb Celestia’s power instead, and possibly kill her.”
When Twilight heard that, her heart skipped a beat, as her eyes went wide. She hadn’t even thought of that. Her beloved Princess in such danger. Twilight shook off the thought, and asked a question.
“Princess Luna, if I may.”
“Yes?” Luna responded.
“Princess Celestia is one of the most powerful unicorns I have ever known. There have only been a small number of Ponies throughout history that could rival her. How is it she was taken so easily?”
Luna closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. “So you figured it out, Twilight Sparkle.”
Luna’s horn glowed blue, as a gold necklace, and matching tiara, floated out from behind the throne. Both were encrusted with a single, violet, Amethyst Gem.
“Those are Celestia’s” Twilight exclaimed.
“Yes. For many decades now. Since before you were even born. My sister has been growing weaker. She has started to show her age. We have ruled Equestria for almost 3000 years now, and have lived for around 5000. She told me, that after she defeated Nightmare Moon, and sent her, or rather me, to the moon. She felt her Magic weakening. Simple Levitation spells became difficult for her. So she had these made. These two Amethysts actually amplify her powers incredibly. If a normal Unicorn were to wear them, they wouldn’t be able to handle all that power. She takes them off when she sleeps, but this is when she is at her most vulnerable.”
“So if I bring those to her,” Raiden said. “She’ll regain her strength?”
“Yes. Please do.” Luna said, as she moved the necklace and tiara over to Raiden, who folded them up, and place them in a holding pouch behind his back.
“Now, you must go south, to their kingdom in the Badlands. There is somepony there who can answer a few more questions then I can. Shining Armor and his team are there performing reconnaissance. Now please hurry.”
The two of them turned to leave, but Raiden stopped.
“Your Highness. I know it must be difficult for you. But I think I have something for you that should help.” Raiden reached over to his left forearm, and opened a metal panel. He then pulled out a small device, that kind of looked like an ear piece.
“This is a portable Codec, it’s a communication device that will allow us to keep in contact. Simply put it on your right ear.”
Luna used her magic to, cautiously, pick it up. It flew through the air, and landed on Luna’s ear.
“Like this?”
“Perfect.” Raiden said. He reached his hand up, touched his mechanical ear. A small bar came out of the Codec on Luna’s ear. It turned and a holographic screen appeared in front of Luna’s face. She could see Raiden’s face clearly.
“See, your highness, this way we can keep in touch during the mission.” Raiden said. “I understand that you must be worried about your sister. I hope this way, I can put you at ease.”
Luna teared up a little, but quickly regained her composure. “Thank you Raiden.”
Twilight and Raiden walked out of the throne room.
“So,” Raiden said. “Do you have any idea where this place is?
“I do.” Twilight said. “But not for curtain. I received a letter from my brother yesterday, with instructions on how to get to his camp. It takes about an hour by train.”
“A public train? I thought my presence here was suppose to be a secret.”
“In Ponyville. But here in Canterlot, news of the Princess’s Kidnapping has spread. Just…don’t be surprised if you find everypony staring at you.”
“Great.” Raiden said sarcastically.
> Part 3 Macintosh Hills
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Raiden and Twilight got off the train at Macintosh Station. Raiden looked around. There was only one wood building, and behind it was a trail up the Mountain.
“Well this is quaint.” Raiden said.
“This place mostly serves as a Train Depot,” Twilight said. “and a shop for any Pony wanting to go for a hike up the mountain. But we don’t need anything. I’ve already come prepared.”
Twilight reached into her saddlebag with her mouth and pulled out a scarf. After wrapping it around her neck, she pulled out another one.
“This one is for you Raiden.” She said.
“Thanks.” Raiden said. He took the plaid scarf and put it on. Raiden waved his hand in front of him, and activated his scope. He used it to look up the mountain pass. Looked like long hike.
“This is going to be a difficult climb.” He said.
“According to my brother’s letter,” Twilight said “all we have to do is follow the path, and we’ll arrive at his camp. Should only be a 2 hour hike.”
Raiden look at the sky. That train ride took almost all day. It was all ready well into the afternoon.
“Well if we want to get there before dark, we better go now.” Raiden said.

The path up the mountain was a difficult one. Raiden didn’t have much trouble thanks to his Cyborg Endurance. It was Twilight he was worried about. They had already passed the snowline, and the wind was picking up. Blowing snow everywhere. The sun was on it’s way down, making the weather even more harsh. They had a hard time following the path, but they had a rock wall next to them, guiding them through the blizzard. However, to their right, was a cliff. With low visibility, it would be easy to accidentally fall.
“Twilight!” Raiden shouted. “You should head back! It’s getting dangerous!”
“Don’t worry about me Raiden!” She shouted back. “I’m with you to the end! I have to help you save Princess Celestia!”
“Then we better set up camp! Let me know if you see a cave or some…”
Raiden stopped dead in his tracks.
“What’s wrong?!” Twilight asked.
Raiden activated his mask, and adjusted it to pick up heat signatures. His mouth gaped open.
“GET DOWN!” Raiden shouted as he pushed Twilight back.
Suddenly a huge ape like beast burst out of the rock wall. Boulders flew everywhere, as the beast landed on the path, and looked at Raiden.
“A YETI!” Twilight shouted.
Raiden pulled out his sword, and readied himself for battle, as he and Twilight hide behind a nearby boulder.
“We have to find another way around.” Twilight said.
“What, why?” Raiden said.
“Because, as far as I know, nopony has ever been able to defeat a Yeti. Not to mention, he’s blocking the path.”
Raiden watched the Yeti carefully. The beast was sniffing the air. It knew they were there, but couldn’t seem to find them.
“To find another way around would take to much time.” Raiden said. “Just leave it to me.”

Raiden stepped out into the open, and started yelling at the Yeti.
“HEY FUZZBALL! Ya Hungry?! Then come get me!”
The beast roared in anger, as it picked up a boulder, about the size of Raiden himself, and threw it at him. The Cyborg held out his hand, and actually caught the boulder with his right hand. He dug his blade like nails into the rock, and lifted it over his head, using his Cyborg strength. An electrical aura could be seen around his arm.
“Is that the best you got?” Raiden taunted.
Raiden and the Yeti both ran at each other, with Raiden dragging the boulder behind him. Raiden jumped into the air and basically, “punched” the Yeti with the boulder.
The beast stumbled back, stunned. Raiden took this opportunity to run between the Yeti’s legs to get behind it. The Yeti turned around, and slammed it’s fist down onto Raiden. The Cyborg caught the fist, and using his strength, flipped the Yeti, through the air and off the cliff.
Raiden walked to edge of the cliff, and let out a breath.
“Raiden.” Twilight said, as she trotted up. “That was amazing.”
“It’s nothing. Come on we should keep mov…” Suddenly, Raiden felt himself falling. The Yeti grabbed him by the ankle, and was pulling him off the cliff.
“RAIDEN!” Twilight shouted as she saw Raiden vanish from view. 
“H…He’s gone.” She started tearing up. She laid down and folded her back legs under her. She buried her face into the back of her fore hooves, and started crying. She was cold, sad, and she just let the last hope for Equestria fall to his doom.
“It’s all my fault! I pulled him into this world, asked him to solve our problem, and now I let him die. Some Princess I turned out to be.”

Twilight’s ears suddenly perked up. She could hear something, a kind of clanking metal. She looked over the edge of the cliff, and what she saw, she could not comprehend.
Raiden, was running up the side of the cliff, with the Yeti climbing right behind him.
This was Raiden’s Ninja Run. His Cybernetic legs allowed him to run at a super human rate, even up walls.
As Raiden was running, he was also dodging hand swipes from the Yeti. As soon as he reached the ledge, Raiden kicked off of it, and as he did a back flip, he pulled out his sword. He stabbed the Yeti between the eyes, and as blood began spraying out of it’s forehead, Raiden pulled his sword out, and positioned himself in front of the Yeti’s chest. Time itself slowed down for Raiden, as he was able to use his ability, Blade Mode, to slice through the monster’s body with extreme precision. At least five slashes were seen, two diagonal, one vertical, and two horizontal. Then with one mighty kick, Raiden knocked the already dead, bloody, and cut up pieces of the Yeti of the cliff. All of this was done in a mater of seconds. 
Raiden landed next to Twilight. He wiped the blood off his sword in the bend of his arm, and put it away.
“Are you alright?” He said.
“Wh…what was….” Twilight managed to say, before throwing up on the ground.
“Sorry you had to see that.” Raiden said. “I guess your squeamish toward blood huh?”
“It’s not…that.” Twilight said, trying to recompose herself. “I’ve just never seen a foe defeated in such a brutal way.”
“I see.” Raiden said. “Do you disapprove of my methods?”
“Is that the way you’re going to fight? How you plan to save Celestia?”
“……It’s how I’ve always fought. My plan was to rescue the Princess, and cut down anyone in my way. But if you don’t want me to do it this way…”
“No, no…I’m just not used to it.” Twilight let out a deep breath. “Rescuing Princess Celestia is the top priority. How you do it……I guess I’ll live with. I just don’t feel comfortable with so much killing.”
Raiden knelt down on one knee, and put two fingers under Twilight’s chin. He was looking at her eyes. “Listen. You are my client. My mission and how I do it is your call. I’ll save the Princess. But if it makes you feel better, I won’t kill, if I don’t have to.”
“Thank you.”
Raiden stood up, and noticed the weather clearing up. The blizzard stopped, and they could see the camp up ahead.
> Part 4 Mission Briefing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Twilight and Raiden approached the encampment, they could see that it was hidden within a large cave. The Cyborg could see at least twelve tents, with a large camp fire in the center. Behind the camp was a rock wall, with a small opening, leading into the rest of the Badlands. 
Walking among the tents were several dozen white Pegasi and grey Unicorns, all wearing gold armor. Two of them were guarding the entrance into the cave.
“HALT! Who goes there?” One of them said with authority.
“Hello Sirs.” Twilight said. “I’m Princess Twilight Sparkle. And this is my friend Raiden.”
“Ah yes.” One guard said.
“Commander Shining Armor has been expecting you” The other guard said.
“Thank you.” Twilight said as she and Raiden entered the camp.
As Raiden looked around, he noticed a lot of these ponies looked very much the same.
“So, we’re here to see your brother right?” Raiden said.
“Yeah.” Twilight said.
“Okay, so which one is he?”
“I don’t see him.” Twilight said, “He’s probably in the big tent.”
Just as they approached the tent, a stallion Unicorn stepped out. He was a little taller then Twilight. He had a white coat, blue and cyan mane and tail, and the cutie mark on his flank was that of a shield with a maroon six pointed star on it. He was also wearing a gold chest plate, and a royal guard helmet. As he stepped out into the open, he began conversing with one of the other guards.
“Have you been able to see anything?” He said.
“Sir,” The guard began, “There seems to be a train system set up running between the village and the fortress. That’s all we know so far.”
“Nothing about what it’s being used for?”
“I…I’m afraid not Sir. Only that it’s operational and it makes a move every hour.”
The Unicorn closed his eyes in worry. “Any word on the team we sent down there?”
The guard lowered his head slightly. “N…No word Sir.”
“Very well. Send the next Pony to keep watch, and go get some rest.”
The guard brought his hoof up to his head, giving a salute before trotting off.

Raiden folded his arms, as he listened closely to their conversation. Twilight on the other hoof simply had a worried look in her eyes.
“S…Shining Armor?” She said.
Shining Armor then noticed Twilight standing next to him.
“Oh, Twili.” He said with a big grin on his face. “When did you get here?”
“Ah…Just now.” Twilight said worriedly. “Let me introduce the guy I told you about.”
Raiden knelt down, extending his hand to shake Shining Armor’s hoof. The Stallion returned the gestured. “Name’s Raiden. So you’re the one in charge of this operation.”
“Yes. I’m Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard and Prince of the Crystal Empire. Twilight told me in her letters, that she summoned a warrior from another world.”
“Well, I’m still getting use to this world. But if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to get down to business.”
“Fair enough.”

Twilight and Shining Armor both walked into the tent. Raiden however had to crouch down to avoid hitting his head. Despite it being the largest tent in the camp, it was still built for Ponies, not humans.
As Raiden sat down on the ground with his legs tucked under him, he noticed several sleeping bags along the walls of the tent, in the center was a large space, with a lantern hanging from the center of the tent’s wooden support rods.
Twilight and Shining Armor sat across from Raiden. The Stallion started the discussion. “So tell me Raiden, what do you know about the situation.”
“Only what Princess Luna and Twilight have told me.” Raiden said. “That Princess Celestia has been captured by these things called Changlings, and you need me to go in a get her out, right?”
“Right.” Shining said, as his horn began to glow light blue. A large crystal about the size of Raiden’s fist came floating from one of the corners of the tent. It landed between Raiden and the Unicorns. Shining shot it with a small beam of energy from his horn, and holographic image formed around the crystal.
It depicted a large castle, black and ominous looking, in front of it was an up raised train track that led from the castle, to a small village at the bottom of the cliff.
“Wow,” Raiden said. “It’s like one of the Holo-maps from my world.”
“Indeed.” Twilight said. “Nice one Big Brother, we can plan our strategy this way.”
“I try.” Shining said with a smile. “This is our current position.” He pointed at the top of the cliff with his hoof.
“You will make your way down the cliff, and infiltrate the village. Make your way through the village, and catch a ride on the train.”
Shining Armor shot the Cyrstal again, and an image of a horse appeared. She had a pure white coat, full set of wings, foot long horn, long flowing mane that looked like all the colors of the day sky. And a mark of the sun on her flank.
“This is Princess Celestia.” Shining Armor said. “She is your target. You must get in, and get her out.” 
He shot it again and the image changed, to that of another, more sinister looking horse. It was pure black, had green bug like wings, a jagged horn, and her hoofs, green tail, and green hair, all had holes in them as if they were decomposing.
“And this, is Queen Chrysalis. She is the one responsible for kidnapping Celestia. If you run into her, don‘t hesitate to take her out.”
“I heard that she almost ruined your wedding.” Raiden said.
Shining Armor’s face turned red. “Yeah…well… I’ve been tracking her movement ever since.”
Shinging Armor changed the image back to the map, and pointed at the train track. “Anyway, Intel tells us the Changlings have been using that train to travel between the village and the castle. Why? We don’t know. Only that there have been some strange disappearances of Unicorns from the village.”
“Most likely that train is transporting them.” Raiden said
“That’s what we thought too. But again, we don’t know why. Saving Celestia is your top priority, but if you can investigate this as well, it would be appreciated.”
Twilight had to speak up. “Wait, there are Ponies living down there? I thought any villages in the Badlands were suppose to be abandoned.”
“We thought so too. I guess we were wrong. Had we known about them sooner we would have done something.”
“Wait a minute.” Raiden interrupted. “Something your not telling me?”
Twilight hesitated before answering. “The Badlands are also known as Old Equestria. Before the Royal Sisters were born, Ponies were divided by mistrust and hatred toward other races. Three tribes, Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi, fighting for their own desires. All those negative feelings brought forth a never ending blizzard.
The three leaders left on there own to find a new land. After meeting up, they fought at first, but eventually became friends. They united under one flag, and what followed was the Great Migration. All of the citizens left as well, and abandoned their old homes, to start a new life in Equestra. Who would have thought there would be some still living down there. Not to mention the Changlings moving in.”
“I’ve already sent a message to Princess Luna about this.” Shining Armor said. “Plans have already been made to move them to Equestra. But saving Princess Celestia has to come first.”
“Agreed.” Raiden said. “So once I board the train, I’ll ride it into the castle. Do you have any Intel on what’s inside?”
“I’m afraid not.” Shining lowered his head. “I sent a team of Unicorns in, but I haven’t heard back from then in days.”
“If I see them, I do what I can. When do I start.”
“First thing, tomorrow morning. Changlings are most active at night. Doing this during the day, you will be less likely to be spotted.”
“Okay.” Raiden said. “I take it that small hole in the wall leads to the drop off. I’d like to see for myself.”
Twilight and her brother looked at each other, before nodding in agreement.

Shining Armor lead Raiden and Twilight to the back of the encampment. Behind one of the tents was a wide open crack in the wall. It was about as tall as Raiden.
“Nice placement of the tent.” Raiden said
“Why’s that?” Shining Armor said.
“Well, the light from your camp fire would shine through the hole. Any enemy that looks up here would see it. Except you have this big tent in the way, blocking the light. Just saying, good call.”
“Huh, never thought of that. Glad it worked out that way though.”
Raiden approached the hole, and crouched on one knee. It was quite the view. Everything he saw on the Holo-map, he could see before him, except that the sky was covered in dark red clouds. Raiden looked down, and saw the village directly below him.
“Quite a drop.”
“Your going to have to climb down tomorrow.” Shining Armor said.
Raiden activated his scope. “You let me worry about that. Now let’s see that castle.”
Raiden zoomed in on the castle, it was pretty huge and looked so old, it could collapse at any time. 
“What the…” He said.
He focused on a small outside walkway. He saw the Changling Queen.
“I see Chrysalis.”
“You do?” Twilight said.
“Yeah, she’s talking to someone. And she looks pissed.”
“They’re arguing?” Shining Armor asked. “What about the other one, who is it?”
“It’s kind of hard to say. He looks bipedal. Human even, but I think he’s wearing a red cloak. His face is hidden by a hood, so, I don’t know if he’s human. He seems to be the calmer of the two. Oh, Chrysalis just stormed off…”
Suddenly the mysterious figure turn it’s head, and looked at Raiden. All Raiden could see of it’s face was a bright orange, piercing gaze coming from it’s eye.
Raiden’s eyes went wide as he quickly put his scope away, and grabbed the hilt of his sword. Something about, whatever that was, put a chill down his spine.
“Raiden, what’s wrong?” Twilight asked.
Raiden spaced out for a bit, before shaking his head.
“Nothing. Come on.” Raiden turned and reentered the camp.

Raiden walked back into camp, and sat down next to the fire.
“Well, at least I know where I’m going.” He said. “Shame I don’t know where they’re keeping her.”
Shining Armor and Twilight sat across from him.
“That’s the hard part.” Twilight said. “She could be anywhere in that castle.”
“I suppose if I got my hands on one of those Changlings, I could beat the information out of them.”
“Yeah.” Twilight said. “That reminds me. I’m sorry for earlier.”
“What do you mean?”
“About limiting you. So, don’t be afraid to go all out in there.”
Raiden cracked a smile. “Thanks.”
“What are you guys talking about?” Shining Armor asked.
“Well, on the way up here, Raiden killed a yeti.”
“You took down a Yeti?”
“Yeah.” Raiden said. “Wasn’t that big of a deal.”
“It was the way you killed it that bothered me.” Twilight said.
“How did he kill it?” Shining said.
“Well, I stabbed it in the skull before slicing it up into about five pieces, and knocked it off the cliff. I guess, you get use to that, when you live the life I’ve lived.”
Shining Armor and Twilight looked at each other. Shining Armor sighed, and said. “As gruesome as your methods are, as commander of this operation, I give you full authority to whatever means necessary to save Princess Celestia.”
“I agree.” Twilight said.
Raiden didn’t say anything, he just nodded his head. Raiden found himself just staring into the flames. He mind was racing. So many questions. What kind of weaponry and tactics do these Changlings use? What were they using that train for? And just who the hell was that man in the cloak?
Raiden lost his train of thought, when Twilight spoke up. “So Raiden, tell us more about yourself.”
“Well what do you want to know?”
“Like, your childhood for example.”
Raiden suddenly had a headache as he started to remember. Pain, death, blood. “It’s not exactly something I like to talk about.”
“I’m sorry.” Twilight said with regret.
“It’s okay. I was born in the country of Liberia, I don’t even remember my parents. They were killed when I was young. And the man that killed them, sort of raised me into a soldier. I first took a life, when I was still a child.
“They say the younger someone is, the easier it is for them to retain whatever you’re teaching them. In my case, killing.
“I was a teenager when I finally escaped, and started living a normal life, in a new country. Even met a girl, who eventually became my wife. But even then, the Government and the Military still used me. Eventually turning me into the monstrosity you see before you.”
“Wow.” Shining Armor said. “Such a difficult life you’ve had.”
“Yeah. But, regardless, I managed to find some light I guess.”
“Raiden.” Twilight said. “Do you have any friends?”
Raiden thought about that question. “Not really. Just my wife and son, and I hardly ever see them. Other then that, just business partners and allies. But, I’ve never really been one to get close to anybody. Had a mentor, a soldier, but he passed away a few years ago.”
“I see.” Twilight said as she lowered her head.
“Okay, enough small talk. I need to get ready for tomorrow. Shining Armor. Tell me something, are Changlings hot or cold blooded?”
Shining was a bit surprised by that question. “Uh, cold blooded, like an insect. Why?”
Raiden stood up, and flipped his mask closed. “My mask can pick up heat signatures. Normal Ponies appear red. But if what you say is true, then a Changling should appear……blue.” Raiden saw something interesting. One of the Unicorns wandering around was giving off a blue aura.
“What is it?” Twilight asked.
“Shining Armor. Who is that Unicorn over there?” Raiden said, pointing at the grey Unicorn standing next to one of the tents.
“…I don’t know. I don’t recognize him.” Shining Armor said.
“Come on.” Raiden started walking towards it, with Shining following him.
As they approached, Shining Armor said “Soldier, state your name and rank.”
The soldier gave a salute with his hoof and said. “Sir, Private Meekins Sir.
“Meekins?” Shining said confused. “I don’t have a Meekins in this unit.”
“Uh…uh, recently transferred Sir.” The soldier said nervously.
“Okay,” Raiden said. “Then how about a quiz? What is the name of your Commanding Officer?”
“Um…S…Shining Armor sir.”
“Okay. What is the situation? Why are you here?”
“T…To assist in the rescue attempt of one Celestia, Princess. From the Changling Army Sir.”
“Wait a minute.” Shining Armor spoke up. “I told my men that the Princess has been captured. But not who the enemy was.”
“Explain yourself Private.” Raiden said.
“Uh…uh…” The soldier couldn’t find the words. Finally, he gave up, and did something no one would have expected. He burst into a green flame, and one second later, revealed the Changling spy underneath. It was about the size of a normal Pony, had a jagged horn, bug wings, and bug like eyes. Black body with it’s hooves decomposing. All similar features to their leader.
“HISSS!” It hissed at Raiden, before trying to fly away. All of the nearby guards were so surprised and shocked, that they couldn’t react fast enough. 
The Changling flew strait for the hole in the rock wall, attempting to escape.
“Your not getting away!” Raiden shouted as he ran after it. As he ran he reached under his arm, and pulled out a small throwing knife. He threw it, and it clipped the Changling’s wing before sticking into the wall. The HF knife was vibrating so fast it actually melted the rock around it.
The Changling fell to the ground in pain, as Raiden walked over to it. Raiden picked it up by the neck, as he got his first good look at a Changling.
“Where do you think your going?” Raiden said. “Now, I have a few more questions for you; Where are they keeping Princess Celestia?”
“Forget it. I’ll never betray the Queen.” The Changling said.
Raiden punched the creature in the head. “Care to try again?”
“Okay, okay. The castle runs about a mile underground. Bottom level dungeon.”
“Good, what about the train? What are you using it for?”
“Like I would tell you that.” It said with a smug smile.
A little annoyed, Raiden said. “Start talking, or I’ll cut off the other wing.”
“Never.”
Raiden reached over his shoulder, and pulled out the small, seven inch, knife he kept next to his sword.
“Your bluffing.” The Changling said.”
“Am I?” Raiden moved the knife a little closer.
“Stop.”
“Three.”
“Don’t.”
“Two.”
“Please!”
“One.”
“OKAY OKAY! I’LL TALK!”
Raiden stopped short only a centimeter from the base of the Changling’s wing. The Changling could actually feel the heat coming off it.
“The Queen…ordered us to transport Unicorns to the castle. The village is full of them. I don’t know what she’s using them for.”
“Really?” Raiden threatened with the knife again.
“I SWEAR I DON’T!” The Changling started crying in fear. 
Raiden decided to let that one go. “Alright, there was a man, he stood as tall as your Queen, and walked like I do. He was wearing a red coat. Who is he?”
“I don’t know what your talking about.”
“You must not like your wing huh?”
“I DON’T KNOW! I swear!” His voice was shaking. “But…”
“But?”
“But, there have been rumors, among the hive.”
“Go on.”
“The Queen, has been talking with someone lately, but we’ve never seen him.”
“What were they talking about?”
“I don’t know. Please, put the knife away.”
“Raiden…” Twilight had walked up behind them, and placed her hoof lightly on his leg. “I think that’s all your going to get out of him.” She had a sorry look in her eyes. “He’s had enough.”
Raiden thought about it. He turned around, and saw the faces of Shining Armor and the guards, they had the look of fear in there eyes. Raiden sighed, and put the knife away.
“Your right, Twilight. Sorry I got carried away.” Raiden walked toward Shining Armor. “Sorry you had to see that. Lock him up, and if you can, see if you can get more out of him.”
The Changling passed out before he was placed on Shining Armor’s back. “I will Raiden. Get some rest for tomorrow.” Shining Armor looked around at his unit, and saw they were still in a daze. “Show’s over Ponies. Back to your posts.” They all quietly obeyed.

Raiden sat at the fire, letting everything he learned roll around in his head. The missing Unicorns, the Man in the Red Coat, Princess Celestia being kidnapped. It all was connected somehow. But how? His train of thought was broken when Shining Armor and Twilight walked up, and sat next to him.
“How’s the prisoner?” Raiden asked.
“He’s sleeping,” Twilight said. “Under close guard. We’re going to see what else we can get out of him…but we are going to do it our way.”
Raiden stared at the fire for a few minutes, thinking about what Twilight just said.
“Sorry, I got carried away.”
“Well.” Shining Armor said. “Your method did get us some valuable information.”
“That’s right.” Raiden said. “I now have a general idea of where they’re keeping her. But what I can’t figure out is, why do they need additional Unicorns?”
Twilight thought about it, and shook her head. “I can’t think of anything off hoof. But it must all be connected somehow.”
“I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.” Raiden said, before opening the panel on his left arm. He pulled out two more Codec headsets. “I’m going to need you guys to back me up.”
“What are those?” Shining Armor asked.
“Isn’t that the same device you gave Princess Luna?” Twilight said.
“Yes.” Raiden answered. “As I told her, it’s a communication device. We can use these to keep in touch during the mission.”
“The right ear, right?” Twilight said as she used her magic to lift it up to her ear. Shining Armor did the same as his sister.
“Okay.” Raiden said, “Let me open a four way channel.”
Raiden touched his ear, and the Codec’s on both Unicorns activated, projecting a screen in front of each of their faces.
“Oh thank goodness.” Princess Luna said “I was getting worried. Did you make it to the camp?”
“Yeah.” Raiden said “We’ve been here a while. The mission starts first thing in the morning. I just gave Twilight and Shining Armor a Codec as well. Can everyone hear and see me okay?”
“Just fine.” Twilight said
“Loud and clear.” Shining Armor said
“Perfectly.” Luna said.
“Okay, I’m going to need each of you to help me with the mission.” Raiden said, “I don’t know this world as well as you do?”
“Of course.” Twilight said.
“Okay. Shining Armor, as the one leading this op., I will need you to guide me.”
“Roger.” Shining Armor said.
“Twilight. You will be my source of knowledge. This world functions differently from mine, and there is much I don’t know.”
“Got it.” Twilight said.
“And Princess Luna, I’m sure you know things that even Twilight doesn’t. I hope I can count on your support.”
“O…Of course Raiden.” Luna said. “Please, use whatever methods necessary to bring my sister back to me.”
“I will…Now let me tell you guys how to work these things…”
Raiden went on to explain how the Codec’s work, before cutting the transmission off.
“These will definitely come in handy.” Shining Armor said.
“I know.” Twilight said. “Shining Armor, could you bring me that crystal from earlier?”
“Sure.” Shining Armor trotted off, into the large tent. When he came out, he was carrying the crystal with his magic. He placed the crystal between Twilight and Raiden.
“Okay Raiden, just hold still.” She said. Her horn began to glow, it then shot a slow moving wave of magic. It hit Raiden, causing him to have a maroon aura around him. The aura flew off of the Cyborg, and went into the crystal. The Crystal then showed the map of the Badlands. But at the top of the cliff was a small Yellow dot.
“This way, we can track you.” Twilight said. “And once your in the Castle, the crystal will update automatically. Anywhere you go in the castle, we will be able to see.”
“Nice.” Raiden said with a smile.
“I’d better go back to the library,” Twilight said “see what I can find about the Changlings. Are you going to be alright on your own.”
“I’ll manage.” Raiden said.
“Good luck tomorrow.” Twilight nodded, before activating her horn, and teleporting away.

The next morning, Raiden stood at the edge of the cliff, over looking the Badlands. He could see the castle in the distance, and the long train ride there. The morning sun was blocked by the dark red clouds. What light there was, gave off a blood red glow over the whole valley.
Shining Armor stood behind him. “I hope you know what your doing. A lot is at stake here.”
“I know, if she’s alive, I promise to bring her back.”
“It’s going to be a hard battle.”
Raiden turned around and smiled. “No doubt.” He tightened the plaid scarf Twilight gave him, before jumping off the cliff. As he fell, he grabbed the side of the rock wall with the claw-like nails on his hand, and slowed his decent. He landed in a back ally of the village. He pulled out his sword, and closed the visor on his mask.
“Mission Start.”

> Part 5 Desolation and Danger
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

#5 Desolation and Danger

There are times, in every soldier’s life, where they are put into a situation so familiar, that they are forced to remember events of the past. Sometimes, things they don’t want to remember. Known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Raiden was experiencing just such a sensation.

“Reminds me of Liberia.” Raiden said as he looked at his surroundings. 

The ruined buildings, the lack of vegetation, even less water. He couldn’t see any Pony inhabitance, but he could imagine that they were miserable. The architecture was a mixture of an ancient old world village, and modern day slums.
Raiden ducked behind one of the buildings, as he activated his Codec.

“Shining Armor, I’ve landed.” He said.

“Good,” Shining Armor said. “Let’s do a quick run down. I’ll be here to guide you through the mission. Twilight?”

“I teleported back to the Ponyville library.” She said “If there is anything you need to know, just ask.”

“I’m certain that even Twilight’s collection of books is incomplete.” Princess Luna interrupted “There may be information in the Canterlot Castle Archives that may help us even further. Just call if you need to know something.”

“I’ll keep all that in mind.” Raiden said.

“Okay.” Shining Armor said. “Let’s go over the route you’ll take. At the other end of the village is the train depot. In about ten minutes, if the intel is accurate, the train should arrive. You should be able catch a ride. It will take you right into the castle. And remember Raiden, there are civilians in the area. They are not to be harmed. Changlings on the other hoof, you may use whatever methods necessary.”

“Understood.”

“One last thing Raiden.” Twilight chimed in. “Remember when I put that spell on you, to track your movements. Well, that’s not all I did.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve given you a few spells you can use yourself.”

“I can do magic!?”

“Just a little. But it should come in handy. For now, close your eyes, and imagine a bubble around you. Protecting you. Shielding you from all that may harm you.”

“Here goes nothing.”

Raiden did as Twilight asked, and closed his eyes. He could feel something forming around him, something strong, keeping him safe. He opened his eyes, and was shocked to see a purple sphere around him.

“Barrier Magic.” Shining Armor said, impressed. “A-Class. Nice one Sis.”

“I try… The shield will drop once you start attacking something.”

“This is great.” Raiden said. “Anything else?”

“There are a few other spells, but we’ll get to those later. It’s strange though. When I lent you some of my magic, your body absorbed it into your blood, affecting your electrolytes.”

“No surprise there. The way I usually repair myself, is by crushing a container of electrolytes in my hand. Maybe it works the same way with Magic.”

“Fascinating. Well, it’s worth a try. The amount of Magical Energy you can use is limited. Unicorns and Changlings channel Magic through our horns. Maybe you can absorb more Magic that way.”

“Worth a shot.” Raiden said.

“Also, I’ll be documenting this mission.” Twilight said. “Recording your progress in one of my journals. Just call if you need to save.”

“Good, glad that got carried over to this world.”

“Anyway, this technology of yours is amazing. I can see and hear everything you can.”

“My artificial auditory and ocular sensors, are transmitting a direct feed to each of your Codecs. Everything I experience out here, you guys will be able to see and hear.”

“Absolutely fascinating. I would love to do some experiments on you. Magic, science, chemistry, technology. I love learning as much as I can.”

“……Maybe…when this is over.”

“I hate to interrupt,” Shining Armor said, “but the clock is ticking. I have one last thing to tell you before you start. Yesterday, I sent one of my best agents in. I haven’t heard back from her since.”

“Maybe she got captured like the other Unicorns.”

“Except she’s not a Unicorn. She’s a Pegasus. One of the best out there. Her name is Spitfire. If you run into her, please let me know. You better get a move on Raiden.”

“Got it.”

Raiden stood up from his kneeling position, and using the cybernetics in his legs, performed a high jump to reach the roof of the small building he was next to. Be began to run along the roof tops. He could see the dark castle in the distance, sitting atop a large mountain.
As he ran, he noticed Unicorns walking through the streets. All heading to the train depot. Raiden activated his mask, and checked their health conditions. He could see they were in bad shape. Some were so famished and dehydrated, they could barely walk. He even saw two small colts fighting to the death, over a five inch puddle of muddy water.
“This is horrible.” Raiden said aloud.
He noticed one Pony, all by himself at the end of an alleyway. Raiden decided to investigate, taking a sharp left turn. He dropped down into the alley, and approached the Pony. He appeared to be sleeping, leaning against the wall, with only a thin dirty sheet to keep warm. However, Raiden didn’t pick up any life signs. This Pony had died of dehydration only a few hours ago.
Raiden knelt down, and punched the ground so hard that it cracked. His train of thought was interrupted by his Codec ringing.

“Raiden, are you alright?” Shining Armor said.

“I’ve seen these atrocities many times before, and I’ve lived it.” Raiden said in a gruff voice. “What’s the plan for these Unicorns?”

“The plan was, once the mission was over, and the Princess was safe. We would began the evacuation effort.”

“No. We can’t wait that long. They can’t wait that long! Once I’m in the castle. I want you to begin. They can’t survive any longer without relief.”

“I’ll send a message to the shelters.” Luna said. “They will be treated with the utmost of care. Raiden’s correct, Shining Armor. They need help now.”

Shining Armor hesitated before answering. “……Yes…yes Your Highness. Raiden, continue with the mission. Once you get to the castle, send the train back to the village. My soldiers will take it from there.”

“Thank you both. Raiden out.”


Raiden kept to the rooftops as he watched the Unicorns gather at the train depot. He hid himself on a three story building, one block away from them.
Raiden crouched down at the edge of the roof, and activated his scope. He zoomed in on the ponies gathering around the train track. They all looked terrified. Raiden’s concentration was interrupted by the sound of a voice behind him.
“Who are you?”
The voice startled Raiden. He turned around with his cyber mask on, and could see this pony was a normal Unicorn.
“Who want’s to know?” Raiden said.
The unicorn had a grey coat, with a green mane and tail, and an image of a cigarette on his flank. He was also wearing a black vest.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. Name’s Nic.” The pony said, as he walked up, and sat next to Raiden.
“Are you here to watch the Purge?” Nic asked.
“The what?” Raiden said.
“At least that’s what we call it.” The unicorn used his magic to summon a piece of paper, and some herbs. He wet one edge of the paper with his tongue before rolling it into a cigarette. He levitated it to his mouth, and used magic to light the end on fire.
“In only two days, they have reduced this town’s number by half.” The unicorn continued. “Once every hour, they show up in that train, and take about twenty of us. Why? I haven’t the foggiest idea.”
“What about you?” Raiden asked.
“……My wife was the first to go.” Nic said with a hint of sadness in his voice. “Since then, I’ve been trying my best to calm everypony down. Rationing out food, water, blankets. We won’t last much longer.”
Raiden thought about it for a minute. “How long has this town been here?” He asked.
Nic closed his eyes, and let out a breath. “A long time. Who knows how long. I’ve been told that it was here before the Royal Sisters were born. And they both haven’t aged a day in over a thousand years.”
“So you know about them?” Raiden asked. “I was told this village was completely cut off from Equestria. And that the Ponies down here, don’t even know Equestria exists.”
Nic cracked a smile. “You’re a smart one. My wife and I, we were hiking the Macintosh Hills, when we stumbled upon this village. We were able to climb down somehow, but gave no thought how we were going to get back. We’ve been down here about a year. But the Unicorns living here were nice, but not very well off. They lived off the land, tried to manage some sort of living. But this past winter was very harsh, and dry. The Pegasi, who controlled the weather, don’t operate this far. So the Unicorns had to make there own weather. But that’s hard to do, especially when the last Unicorn who could do that, passed away half a year ago. Things got worse, when they came.”
“The Changelings.” Raiden said.
“Yeah. It’s only been a few days, but when they showed up, most of our able stallions were killed in the battle. The rest were taken. Since then, they continued to ravage this place, every hour. Those who are left, have lost hope.”
Raiden stood up, and said. “Well don’t lose hope just yet.” He pointed at the top of the cliff at the back of the village. “About five dozen Pegasi are at the top of that cliff, ready to take you all to Equestria, on my signal. You’ll be given better lives.”
Nic frowned and said, “And you’ll just damn the Ponies already been taken? My wife included?”
“Of course not. I plan to save them too.”
Nic started to laugh, “And you plan to sneak into the castle, fight the whole Changeling Hive, save them, and make it back without getting your sorry ass killed!? No pony in all of Equestria is that crazy!”
Raiden smiled. “That’s right, no pony would. But if you haven’t noticed, I’m not a pony.”
Nic looked Raiden over. “Yeah, been meaning to bring that up.” Nic spate his cigarette out, and put it out with his hoof. He turned around, and began to walk away. “Well, good luck to you, Mr. Hero.”

Raiden continued to watch the station, as he called his team.

“So what do you guys make of it?”

“It’s unbelievable!” Twilight said. “How could we let so many ponies suffer this long?”

“Like I said, if we had known, we would have done something.” Luna stated. “I’ll bet they think their leaders have abandoned them.”

“Once I’m on the train, I’ll clear it out.” Raiden said. “It’ll loop back around, back to the village, where it will be up to your soldiers to stop it.”

“That’s the plan.” Shining Armor said.

“I think I see it now. Raiden out.”

Raiden stood up, and deactivated his scope. He watched the black steam powered locomotive pull into the station. It was pulling about nine cars behind it. One for passengers, seven for cargo, and one caboose. It stopped with the passenger car next to the platform. About a dozen changelings came marching out and began harassing the terrified Unicorns.
Queen Chrysalis herself stepped out of the car, followed by two lackeys. One of them had a scar on his eye, and had two odd looking cylinders on his back. The other appeared to be extremely muscular, and much larger then other changelings.
Raiden quickly turned his scope back on, and zoomed in on them. Chrysalis he recognized, but he hadn’t heard anything about these other two.

“Well, if isn’t Queen Bitch herself.” Raiden said. “Shining Armor, what do you know about the other two?”

“Ah, those would be the Queen’s lieutenants. The one with the scar, that Zazz, and the big one, that’s his younger brother, Bruno. The two of them are notorious among the changing ranks. And wanted in the city of Canterlot for their crimes. Thing is, most changelings use underhanded methods. Including changing into somepony and feeding off the love of that pony’s peers. Those two however, prefer a strait fight. No sneaky tactics, just going head to head with enemies.”

“Huh, fine by me.”

“What I don’t get is, why would the Queen herself come here?” Twilight said. “I mean, if they have been doing this every hour, why wouldn’t she just leave this up to her soldiers? Why make an appearance?”

Raiden listened carefully as the Queen began to talk.
“Ah, my beloved subjects.” She said. “This a very special occasion. I am hear to announce, that this will be the final time, we take any of you away. I knew that on such a momentous occasion you would want to see who has been taking your families away.”

“Guess that answers that.” Twilight said. “She just wanted to gloat.”

Raiden cut the transmission, and continued to listen.
“Once we have what we need from you Unicorns, we will free all of you. You will be reunited with your families. Although, they may seem a little…different.” She turned to her underling. “Zazz, I leave them to you.”
“With pleasure, my Queen.” Zazz said.
“Let’s go, Bruno.” Chrysalis said before she used her magic to teleport Bruno and herself away in a flash of light.

Zazz stepped forward and began shouting. “Alright! You heard the Queen! Time to get on board! Move!”
Raiden jumped off the building, and began running as soon as he landed. He dashed through an ally, and quickly made it to the train car. He jumped into the air, and landed on the roof of the caboose. He got into a prone position, and waited for the train to began moving.
Zazz thought he heard something, before looking toward the back of the train. He couldn’t see anything, especially with it being dark out. He ignored it, as the final Unicorn was boarding.
“All abourd!” He called out. “Let’s get this thing back to the fortress!” 
Zazz boarded the train, and made his way to the engine.
The train began to move. After a few minutes it was at full speed, and several hundred yards from the village.
“Time to get to work.” Raiden said, still laying belly down on the roof of the caboose. 
He turned his Augment Mask on, and could see all of the enemies on the train. He pushed himself up, and let the caboose move out from under him. Raiden grabbed the edge of the car, and swung himself at the rear door. He kicked it open, and was immediately greeted by two Changelings sitting among various crates. They hissed as began flying at Raiden, as he unsheathed his sword. The two Changelings didn’t stand a chance, as they were quickly cut to shreds. What pieces were left, fell to the floor, staining it with green blood.
Raiden moved on to the next car, and continued to slaughter the Changelings guarding it. He moved from car to car, killing all enemies in his path. Until, he reached the final car full of cargo. At the other end of the car, was a single Changeling standing behind what looked like a stone mini-gun.
“What the Hell.” Raiden shouted, as the enemy open fired.
The shots weren’t nearly as fast as anything on earth, but it still caught the cyborg off guard. He took the first shot in the shoulder.
Raiden was able to deflect a few shots with his sword, but he was force to take cover behind a wood crate. He certainly didn’t expect to deal with a weapon of this type here. He gripped his sword, and formed a magic bubble around himself. He jumped out from behind cover, and ran at the Changeling. The magic shield deflected the shots, and protected Raiden long enough to get close to the enemy. As soon as he was in range, Raiden activated his Blade Mode, and slowed down time around him. He expertly cleaved the gun and the Changeling in two in one swing. He continued to cut several more times, before cutting the horn off of what was left of the Changeling’s head. Raiden came out of Blade Mode before reaching out with his hand, and grabbed the horn out of the air.
Raiden crushed it in his hand, and absorbed the magic within. His health and magic were fully restored. He then heard his Codec going off.

“Raiden! Are you okay?” Twilight shouted.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just surprised me is all. I didn’t expect a weapon of that kind in Equestria.”

“I know, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“It was almost like a 55-Calibur mounted guns that you would find in my world. Except, this one was made out of stone.”

Raiden reached for his shoulder, and felt the spot where he was hit. He plucked what looked like a small, sharp, black gem, out off his armor. He recognized the mineral.

“Obsidian.” He said

“Volcanic Glass?” Twilight said.

“Yeah, looks like they are using it for ammo. I wonder where they are getting it?”

“Well, the castle is sitting atop a small mountain. Maybe it’s active.”

“You think they have a mine?”

“Maybe…hm….I seem to remember one of my old history books mentioning something about this. Give me some time, I’ll look for it.”

“Okay.”

“Hey Raiden.” Shining Armor said. “Your in one of the cargo holds right?”

“Yeah.”

“Could you check those boxes. I’m curious to know what they have.”

Raiden walked up to a few of the wood crates, and tore the lids off. Inside, he found jugs of water, various foods, and even some health kits.

“Food, water, medical supplies. All things the villagers desperately need.”

“Excellent. Make sure those don’t get damaged. Up next are the passenger cars. Civilians will no doubt be in there. They are not to be harmed.”

“Understood.”

Before moving on, Raiden picked up the damaged gun. He could see that it was made out of quarts. A very light but durable type of stone. Raiden threw the weapon to the ground before moving on.
Raiden walked up to the door, and turned on his Augment Mode. He could see there was a lone Changeling guarding the prisoners. Raiden opened the door, and stepped out into the open air between cars. He looked through the small window, and just barely avoided an obsidian bullet. He quickly ducked under the window, and carefully peaked through. He could see the Changeling. It was wearing a harness, that held up another one of those machine guns. Suddenly, he heard the Changeling called out.
“I know you’re there freak! Don’t you dare come any further! Or I’ll start killing these Unicorns!”
Raiden could hear a few of the prisoners crying.
“Sure you want to do that!?” Raiden called out. “Your Queen obviously want’s them alive.”
“She won’t miss one or two. Turn around right now, or I’ll start with the youngest! You hear me!”
Raiden quickly came up with a plan.
“All right! I’ll go. Take them. I’ll leave in piece!”
Raiden stood up, and ran back into the previous car. He ran through the car and as he neared the back door, he grabbed the top of the doorway, and swung himself onto the roof the car. He carefully walked across the top of the train cars, until the was directly on top of the Changeling. The enemy hadn’t moved from that spot near the door, and still had his gun trained on the opposite door.
Raiden grabbed the edge of the car, and dug his cyborg fingernails into the metal roof to keep himself supported, as he hung outside the window next to the Changeling. With his free hand, Raiden punched through the glass window, grabbed the Changeling, and threw it at the train tracks. The enemy was torn to shreds by the wheels of the train.
Raiden looked at the frightened Unicorns through the window. He put his finger to his mouth, to tell them to keep quiet, before moving on to the engine.

Raiden climbed onto the car that was carrying coal, and quietly approached the final Changeling. After throwing a shovel full of coal into the engine’s furnace, the Changeling turned around, and spoke.
“So, you’re creature that’s been slaughtering my troops.”
Raiden stopped, decided to indulge this Changeling.
“And you are?” Raiden said, pointing his sword at him.
“Your destroyer.”
The Changeling’s horn glowed green right before teleporting behind Raiden. He stood on the roof of the passenger car, and stomped his hoofs once. The two cylinders wrapped in cloth fell to his side. The cloth fell off, and revealed two machine guns. He began to fire upon Raiden.
Raiden quickly put up his magic shield, and blocked the shots. He ran forward, and at the moment that Raiden activated his Blade Mode, the Changeling teleported, and dodged the attack. He ended up on the other end of the train car.
“The names Zazz!” He shouted. “Commander of the Changeling Army and Harold of Queen Chrysalis!”
Raiden got into his battle stance.
“This is going to be interesting.”
Zazz began shooting again. Raiden ran strait at him, and deflected the shots with his sword. But as he got close, Zazz teleported away again. As he fought, Raiden contacted his team.

“Dammit! Every time I get close, he just teleports away.”

“It’s incredible.” Twilight said. “For a Changeling to master a teleportation spell, without any backlash, is no small feat.”

“Well good for him. Now how do I disrupt it!?”

“In order to teleport, one needs a lot of concentration. If you can break his concentration, the spell will be canceled.”

“Got it.”

Raiden put his shield up and continued blocking shots. He reached behind his back, and pulled out a small flash bomb. Raiden ran at Zazz and threw it at the Changeling’s face. The bomb exploded, creating an intense bright flash, blinding Zazz.
“DAMN YOU!” Zazz shouted in pain.
Raiden took the opening. He ran up to Zazz, and entered Blade Mode. With three cuts, Raiden sliced off Zazz’s horn, and both of his machine guns. Zazz was able to jump back in time, to avoid a killing blow.
Zazz quickly regained his eyesight, and actually started laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Raiden said.
“It’s been a long time since someone gave me this much of a challenge. So FINE! No magic, and no guns.” Zazz reached into his saddle bag with his mouth, and pulled out two foot long knives, and some bandages. Somehow, using his mouth, he tide each knife to each of his hoofs, sticking the handles into the holes of his Changeling legs.
“Just blade to blade combat.” He said with a sinister grin. He stood up on his hind legs, and used his fore legs as arms, wielding dual blades.
Raiden smiled and said. “Fine by me.”
Zazz shot forward and attacked Raiden. His strikes were so quick, it was all Raiden could do to defend himself. Every fatal blow was deflected.
Raiden entered Blade Mode to make himself faster. He swung his sword as quickly as he could, but even then, Zazz deflected the attacks. Raiden called his team for advice.

“Jeez! What’s with this guy?”

“I’ve never seen anything, Pony or otherwise, move that fast without teleporting.” Twilight said.

“After you spotted the two brothers. I looked into them.” Shining Armor said. Zazz is known for his skill with knives. But only uses them as a last resort. Most of the time, he leaves the fighting to his brother, Bruno. There is also a rumor that Zazz always carries some sort of heavy weight around. Be it heavy stones in his saddlebag. Or in this case, those two stone guns.”

“I get it. After I cut the two guns off, he was relieved of that weight, and became much faster.”

“Exactly. You’ll have too much trouble fighting him like this. Try catching him off guard somehow.”

“Okay.”

Zazz swung horizontally at Raiden’s head. Raiden ducked down, and avoided it. But Zazz kicked him with one of his hind legs. Raiden staggered back, and jumped back down to the coal car. Zazz jumped off the passenger car, and launched himself at Raiden. The Cyborg quickly entered blade mode, and sliced at the pile of coal. Raiden’s High Frequency Sword caused a few of the coals to catch fire, and fly into Zazz’s eyes.
Zazz was blinded and couldn’t see Raiden’s finishing blow. Raiden entered Blade Mode and sliced Zazz into several dozen pieces. The Changeling was dead long before his severed head landed in the engine furnace.
Raiden shut the door on the furnace, and kicked the lever controlling the train‘s speed, causing it to accelerate. With Zazz defeated, Raiden called Shining Armor.

“That’s it Shining Armor. The train is clear.”

“Okay. I’m sending my fastest Pegasi to stop it when it loops back to the village. Are you sure you can get off the train with it moving so fast.”

“Don’t worry about me. Worry about the next Changeling that messes with me.”

“Don’t get cocky. Just because you defeated one of the Queen’s Lieutenants, that doesn’t mean this will be a cakewalk. With Zazz dead, Bruno will not pull any punches when you mean him. Bruno is the younger brother, but he’s far more dangerous. Stay alert.”

“I understand. Say… did you guys find anything on that guy I saw.”

“You mean the one in the red coat?” Twilight said. “Sorry, without a name, or any other description, I can’t really do much.”

“Same here.” Luna said. “Keep your eyes and ears open, and tells us any information you find.”

“Right. Looks like my stop is coming up.”

“Good luck Raiden.” Twilight said.

Raiden climbed to the roof of the engine, and could see the train stop at the base of the tall mountain. Raiden looked up the mountain, and could see the ominous castle at the peak. The train station itself was simple. Just a stone platform, with an overhang supported by two stone pillars. At the back of the platform, was a single, metal door. The whole thing was lit by what looked like fluorescent lights.
Raiden got in a crouching position, and reached for his sword.

Meanwhile, two Changelings at the station, walked up to the train tracks, awaiting the train.
“Hey, here it comes.” One of them said.
“About time. I’m ready to call it a day.” The other Changeling said.
“I know. My hoofs ache, my wings are sore, and the Queen has been bossing us around non stop, ever since we move to this mountain.”
“Did she ever tell you why?”
“No idea. We were suppose to find a new source of love, after that failed attempt in Canterlot.”
“Isn’t that why we’ve been capturing Unicorns in the first place?”
“I don’t think it works like that. But who are we to question the Queen’s orders.”
“Then why else would we be kidnapping them.”
“I don’t know man…the whole thing stinks. Ever since that Stranger talked to the Queen, she’s been acting strange.”
The Changeling looked at the speeding train again.
“Say, why isn’t it stopping?”
“Yeah, your right. Something‘s wrong.”

Raiden could only see two enemies guarding the entrance. Taking momentum and timing into account. Raiden planned his jump perfectly, and leaped from the train. He landed right between the two pillars, in front of the two Changelings. The impact was so hard it cracked the stone ground, and stunned the Changelings. Raiden unsheathed his sword, and with one swing, sliced through the stone pillars, causing the overhang to collapse. The enemies were now trapped in with Raiden.
The two Changelings hissed and lunged themselves at Raiden. The Cyborg went into Blade Mode, and cut both of them down. He cut one of their horns off during the attack. He caught it in his hand, and crushed it. His body absorbed the Magic, and restored the energy and health he lost while fighting Zazz. He called Twilight on his codec.

“Twilight, I’m in.”

“Excellent. The Princess is as good as saved!”

“I appreciate your faith in me. But the mission isn’t over yet.”

“Oh, right, sorry. Anyway, that door in front of you seems to be the only way through. See where it goes.”

“I wish I had a map or something. Kind of hate the idea of getting lost inside a mountain.”

“Do your best Raiden……how about I make a record of your progress.”

SAVE MISSION DATA

[YES]/ NO

“We’re counting on you Raiden.”
> Part 6 The Great Mine
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

#6 The Great Mine

Raiden opened the door, and stepped into the large rock corridor behind it. It resembled a large cave, lit only by a series of lanterns along the ceiling.

“Is this a mine shaft?” Raiden said to himself.

Raiden began running down the long, rocky, corridor as he received a call from Twilight.
“Raiden, I think I found something.” She said.
Raiden slowed down to a fast walk, and said. “What is it?”
“I was looking through my history books, and I found an interesting passage. It says,

‘The unicorn, King Emerald, coveted jewels above all else. A trait shared by his daughter, Princess Platinum. Knowing the mountain was rich with gems, they built the Great Mine.’ 

I’m afraid that’s all it says.”
“So it is a mine!?” Raiden said. “That answers that. The Changelings must be using it to build their weapons. Princess Luna, do you have anything to add?”
“The Great Mine.” Luna said. “I’ll see what I can find.”
Raiden cut the transmission, and continued running.

As he ran through the darkness. He began to realize how deep into the mountain he was going.
“This mine must be in the core of the mountain.” He said.
After a few minutes of running, Raiden saw a red light at the end of the tunnel.
“Finally.” He said right before his Codec went off.

“Raiden, I found it.” Princess Luna said.
“Go ahead.” Raiden said.
“I’ll spare you what Twilight already told you, 

‘King Emerald’s hunger for gems ran so deep, that the innards of the mountain, and even the interior of his castle, were all dug out for his mine. Deeper, and deeper he dug, till he even broke through the planet crust. The heat was so unbearable, his workers couldn’t go any further. So the King had them dig outward instead. He had them build a dungeon at the bottom of the mine, to expose his enemies to the intense heat, a reflection of his dark heart.
‘Equestria was already founded at this point, and the now kind hearted Princess Platinum, pleaded with her father to come with her. But he did not listen, instead continued to expand his mine.
‘Eventually, they dug too much, and unearthed a demon, asleep in a rock cavity. This beast killed all of the miners, and King Emerald as well. The mine was abandoned ever since.’”
“How awful.” Twilight said.
“I get it,” Raiden said. “So the castle isn’t even a castle anymore. It’s just the top of a gigantic mine.”
“Yes, the book even provides a full map of the mine.” Luna said. “And it’s huge.”
“Great. That will come in handy.” Raiden said. “But I’m worried. That changeling said Celestia was locked up in the deepest dungeon. I assume the one at the bottom of the mine. I hope she can handle the heat.
“I wouldn’t worry.” Luna said with a smile. “My sister is the Princess of the Sun. She can handle extreme heat a lot easier then any other pony. Besides, It looks like there is still a few hundred feet between her and pure magma.”
“Okay. So, where am I headed now?” Raiden asked.
“Looks like a large side area. You’ll have to get through it to get to the core of the mine. There appears to be a lift that will take you to the prison area above you.”
“Probably where they’re keeping the Unicorns.” Raiden said.
“Most likely. The lift also goes down, where the changelings are mining ore for their weapons. There is a walkway down there, that will lead to the core. You can make your way down from there.”
“Anyway, didn’t that book of yours mention something about a demon?”
“Yes, but not anything else. But this must have been thousands of years ago. I doubt it’s still alive.”
“I guess…”

Before Raiden could close the transmission, Shining Armor spoke up.
“I apologize for interrupting,” He said. “But before you go to the core. Can you check the prisons. I just want you to check on the Unicorns. If they’re up there that is.”
“That’s fine.” Raiden said. “I was planning to do that anyway.”

Raiden ran out of the corridor, onto a large branching walkway. Going strait would take him to the core of the mine, and going left would take him to the elevator lift. He could see a large structure above him.
“If the map is right, that must be the prison.” He said aloud.
His thoughts were interrupted by a swarm of Changelings coming at him. They were poring out of the prison, and some were flying onto the walkway from below.
Raiden pulled out his sword, and held it in front of him. He couldn’t help but smile.
“So much for this being a stealth mission.” He said.
Raiden ran strait at them, and began hacking away. Each Changeling was torn apart by his sword.
They began to gang up on him. Six Changelings attacked Raiden all at once. But before they could get close, Raiden tossed his sword in the air. He quickly kneeled down, and performed a handstand. Raiden caught his sword, as it fell, between the ball and heel of his foot. He began to spin in place on his hands. He extended his leg outward, and the sword sliced the incoming Changelings to peaces. Even some of the guard railing was cut apart. Raiden let go of his sword, and it flew through the air. It stabbed a nearby Changeling in the forehead, pinning him to the rock wall.
Raiden jumped to his feet, and ran to retrieve his sword. He pulled it out of the wall, as the enemies began to close in on him. There were still about twelve left. Luckily, the sword landed next to the elevator.
“See ya.” Raiden mocked as he quickly entered the lift, and hit the up button.
“After him. Kill the intruder!” One of the Changeling shouted.
As the lift stopped at the prison, three of the Changelings flew up, and into the holding cells. The prison had three levels, with twelve cells on each. Each cell had about six unicorns inside. They were all terrified.
The three Changlings entered the prison at the same level the elevator stopped, but they saw no sign of Raiden.
“Were did he go!?” One of the Changelings shouted at the unicorns. But they gave no reply, only scared looks.
“Forget it.” One of the other Changelings said. “He got away. Come on, we have to report this to Bruno.”
The three Changelings flew out of the room.

Raiden stepped out of the darkness, and deactivated his cloaking device, as he heard his Codec ringing

“What just happened?” Twilight said. “Those Changelings looked right at you, but how did they not see you.”
“It’s called Stealth Camouflage.” Raiden said. “I can bend the light around me to render me virtually invisible. As long as I stay still, I can’t be seen. Don’t sound so disappointed.”
“Oh…sorry…” Twilight said “I was just confused. Your technology is almost like magic to me. Anyway, you’re in the prison right?”
“Yeah.”
“How are they?”

Raiden looked into the cells, each cell had about four or five Unicorns each. All of them looked terrified. Raiden turned on his AR mask to check their vitals.

“There all alive.” He said. “But malnourished, and dehydrated. The heat from this volcano can’t be helping either.”
“We have to help them.” Twilight said.
“I know. But at the moment, the safest place for them is right here. I’m afraid if I free them now, the Changelings will swarm them. I’d rather free them when it’s all clear.
“…That’s a really good point…Is there anything else?”
“They seem scared of me. No surprise I guess. But their eyes…they’re faded. And the ponies themselves are in a state of lethargy.”
“What!?” Twilight screamed. “What about their Cutie marks?”
“Their what?” Raiden said, confused.
“The picture on a pony’s flank!”
Raiden looked at the Unicorns and noticed that their flanks were blank. He didn’t think anything of it at first, but apparently they were important.

“They don’t have anything.” Raiden said.
Twilight’s heart sank when she heard that.
“Twilight, could it be…?” Shining Armor said.
“No!” Twilight shouted. “We sealed him away months ago. He couldn’t have come back.”
“Your right Twilight.” Luna said. “Ever since the Tirek Incident, I’ve had guards go to Tartarus to check on him and report back every day. And they confirmed he’s still locked up. It has to be someone else.”
Raiden had to chime in. “Hold on a minute! What’s this about?”
Twilight let out a sigh, and began to explain. “A while back, a powerful centaur named Tirek broke out of his imprisonment, and began stealing the magic from ponies everywhere. All of them showing the same symptoms you just described. We were able to beat him in the end, and return all the magic. But there is no way he could return.” 
“It looks like we’re dealing with a different magic stealer.” Raiden said.
“But it doesn’t make sense.” Shining Armor said. “Chrysalis doesn’t have that kind of power.”
“Perhaps it’s that figure in the red robe you saw.” Luna said.
“Could be.” Raiden said “But what would anyone hope to gain from stealing magic?”
“Power.” Twilight said. “With every Pony he sucked the magic out of, Tirek became more and more powerful.”
“I’m afraid we’ll have to figure it out later.” Raiden said “I found a pony that still has her ‘cutie mark.’”

Raiden cut the transmission, and approached the lone pony in the corner cell. She was laying on her side, facing away from the cell door. She had fire orange hair, and a yellow coat. Her Cutie Mark was that of a spark of flame. She also had a pair of wings on her back.
“I guess you’re the odd one out.” Raiden said.
“Your one to talk.” She said in an angry tone. She turned slightly to look at Raiden. “What are you anyway?”
“A human. And you’re a Pegasus right?”
“What of it?”
Raiden knelt down, and got close to the cell. “Shining Armor told me he sent a Pegasus in here. I take it that’s you.”
The pony’s eyes went wide, as she got up, and ran to the door. She slammed her face onto the bars, as she stretched her wing through the bars, and around Raiden’s head. She pulled him close, and said;
“How do you know the Prince?”
Raiden pushed her wing away, and said. “He sent me here too. I’m on a mission. To rescue you, these Unicorns, and the Princess.”
“I see.” She backed up a few steps, and said. “I can help you. I was able to explore this place a little before I was captured.”
Raiden nodded, as he pulled out his sword. “Stand clear.” He said, as the Pegasus stepped back. Raiden thrust the blade into the lock of the cell door, and it melted. Raiden put his sword away, and opened the door.
“My name’s Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts Flight team.” She said as she stepped out of the cell. “And you?”
“Raiden, head muscle of the Maverick PMC (Private Military Company).”
“Never heard of it.”
“Never mind.” Raiden said, before taking out another headset. “Here. This headset will let you speak with the rest of the team. It’s how I communicate with them.”
Spitfire was a little nervous at first, but she allowed Raiden to put the device on her ear. Raiden quickly briefed her on how to use it.
“Okay, here it goes.” She said before turning it on.

“Spitfire? Is that you?” Shining Armor said.
“Captain Spitfire reporting in sir.” She said.
“What’s your status?”
“A few bruises but I’m otherwise fine. As for the mission, I was able to obtain some valuable information.”
“What? How?” 
“I overheard a few guards talking. Apparently Princess Celestia is being held at the bottom most dungeon.”
“That’s what we thought!” Twilight interrupted. “I’m glad your okay, Spitfire.”
“Princess Twilight? You’re here too?”
“Yes, I hired Raiden for this mission. With his skills, and physical abilities, he’ll rescue Celestia for sure.”
“You flatter me Twilight.” Raiden said.
“Spitfire.” Luna said. “I want you to work with Raiden. Aid him in bringing Celestia home to us.”
“Of course, Princess. I’ll put my trust in him.”
“Spitfire, Raiden, I have good news.” Shining Armor said. “The whole village is under our control, and the train Raiden hijacked has just arrived. Sorin and Fleetfoot managed to stop it. The Unicorns on board are in our custody.”
“That’s great news.” Raiden said. “I wish we had a moment to savor the victory, be we still have a job to do.”
“I agree.” Spitfire said. “There’s still the ponies in these cells.”
“We’ll leave you guys to plan out your next move.” Shining Armor said.
The transmission ended.

Spitfire turned to Raiden, and said. “What is the next move?”
Raiden looked around. “These ponies aren’t going anywhere for a while. But I don’t want to alert the Changelings that I freed a prisoner. I want you to wait here.”
“What?!”
“Don’t get your feathers ruffled. Saving these Unicorns is just as important as saving the Princess. I want you to keep an eye on them, and keep them safe. I doubt with my appearance, they would listen to me. But they will probably listen to someone of their own kind. When the time is right, I want you to lead them to freedom.”
Raiden reached behind his back, and pulled out a foot long knife. He placed it on the floor.
“Just in case you run into trouble.” He said.
As much as it hurt, Spitfire swallowed her pride. “Fine. I saw you take out those Changelings down there. If I tagged along, that would just be one more life you have to worry about.”
Raiden nodded. “Yeah, so stay in your cell, and keep the channel open. I’ll call you when the time is right. And listen…” Raiden knelt down, and looked at her in the eyes. “On the battlefield, the patient solider waits for the right time to strike. The solider with no patience gets himself killed.”
Spitfire took a moment to let those words sink in. “I understand. And…thank you.” She picked the knife up using her mouth, and returned to her cell.
Raiden nodded as he turned around and entered the lift.

Raiden headed for the catwalk that would lead him to the core of the mountain. He was in the same area where he fought the group of Changelings, thankfully there were none left.
“Did you see anything?!” Raiden heard a voice from below him. He could see Changelings toiling away at the bottom of the mine. He continued to listen.
“No I didn’t. I’ve been down here all day.”
“Well keep an eye out. We have an intruder. Some freak with a sword slaughtered most of the prison guards, and we haven’t heard anything about the train, but we fear the worst.”
“What’s he after?”
“We think he was hired to rescue the princess. But even if he can take the heat down there. No way he’s going to get past that demon.”
“Yeah, heh heh.”

“Sounds like that demon is still alive down there.” Raiden said into his Codec.
“Yeah.” Luna said. “And our theory that Celestia is down there with it, has been confirmed.”
“I wouldn’t say that, but it sounds promising. I’ll check it out.”
“Okay. The catwalk in front of you should lead you to the dormant core of the volcano… I better let Twilight explain this next part.” Luna said before hanging up.
“Thank you Princess” Twilight said. “Now Raiden. You said once your body is artificial right?”
“Yes. Everything below my upper jaw is all biomechanical. Why do you ask?”
“Well, you’re about to descend into the core of a volcano, that reaches all the way to the edge of the upper mantel. The heat can reach temperatures of almost 1,700 degrees.”
“No worries there.” Raiden said. “This body can take it. Although it will be a strain. I’m more worried about Celestia.”
“She’ll be fine. Celestia is the Solar Princess, and can handle extreme heat. Likewise Luna is the Lunar Princess, and can handle extreme cold.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Raiden said.
“Just remember Raiden. At the bottom, there is only about half a mile between you and pure mantel. To much stress on the very thin planet crust, will cause the volcano to erupt!”
“Great.” Raiden said sarcastically. “I’ll try to be careful.”

Raiden ran across the long catwalk stretching over the mine. The path lead him into a dark cave. It was difficult to see, but he eventually reached a ledge overlooking a bottomless pit.
The whole area was perfectly cylindrical, with the volcano above him, and a dark abyss below him. To his left, hanging on the wall, were a few white suits. The same type that Geologists use when studying volcanoes, only they were for ponies.
“These must be what they use when they need to go down there.” Raiden said
“Makes sense.” Twilight said. “How else would they survive down there. Anyway, don’t let the depth fool you. It has a bottom. But this is far deeper then the cliff earlier. And even if you freefall, and survive the impact, I estimate the said impact would be the same as a small meteor hitting the ground. Such an impact would definitely ignite the volcano. How in Equestria are you going to get down there?”
Twilight’s lecture had no effect on Raiden. “I have my ways.”
Raiden closed his Augment Mask, and dove off the ledge.

Even though he wasn’t at the bottom, the rising heat was intense. His AR display was giving him information on how far the drop was, as well as the temperature of his surroundings. Only a sixteenth of the way there and already it was over a hundred degrees. Raiden reached over to his left forearm, and opened a panel reveling a small screen and keypad. He pushed a few buttons, activating his emergency cooling systems, allowing his body to withstand extreme heat. 
He was halfway to the bottom and the temperature was at six hundred. 
Raiden pushed a few more buttons and activated his night vision mode. As deep as he was, seeing was impossible. He then turned on his scope, and zoomed in on the bottom. He could see he was almost there.
The temperature was over a thousand.
Raiden pulled out his sword, and moved toward the wall. He stabbed the wall, slowing his decent. Finally he reached the bottom, and landed on the hot lava rock floor as softly as he could. He quickly pulled his sword out, and saw hot lava oozing out of the crack in the wall. 
Raiden turned and saw a door on the other side of the room.
“Guys, can you hear me?” He said.
“Loud and clear Raiden.” Twilight said.
“Good. I just wanted to make sure the signal was strong this far down.”
“How’re you feeling?”
“Hot. My cyborg body is keeping me cool, but it’s definitely uncomfortable.”
“That reminds me.” Shining Armor said. “You seem too prepared.”
“What do you mean.”
“I mean, my sister pulled you from your world without warning, right? And then you agree to a mission that puts you in the depths of a volcano…”
“I see. Your wondering why I just so happen to have the right gear for the job?”
“Yeah.”
“Oddly enough, the mission I was on, that she interrupted, I was trying to sabotage a refinery that happened to be sitting on top of an active volcano. You might call it a coincidence.
“Huh.”
Raiden approached the door.
“I take it that’s my next ‘Port of Call?’” Raiden said.
“Yes.” Twilight said. “Princess Celestia should be through there.”
“Got it.”

Raiden took two steps towards the door, before hearing clapping coming from behind him. He quickly turned around, and drew his sword. The red hooded figure stood before him.
“I’m surprised you made it this far.” He said.
“Who the hell are you?” Raiden demanded.
“You must be the meddler I heard so much about.” The figure said. “I heard how you took down Zazz, and his entire battalion. Nice work. I could use someone like you. Tell me, what are you? You’re no Pony nor Changeling that’s for sure.”
Raiden gripped his sword, and demanded. “Tell me your name!”
“Tell me yours first.”
“Raiden.”
“I see.” The figure pointed at Raiden, and the cyborg got a glimpse of his hand. It looked like it was coated in lava rock. And the creases and joints were made out of magma. “I don’t know what you are, but I’m afraid you need to die here. The Princess is far to valuable to me. But I’m afraid she’s not feeling well.”
“What have you done to her?!” Raiden said in a raspy voice.
“Nothing. It seems her magic has dwindled on it’s own. So I have to find a way to restore it. What do you intend to do?” The figure took a step forward, and Raiden saw a glimpse of his foot. Same as his hand, made of magma, and coated in lava rock.
“That’s easy. I’m going to kill you.” Raiden proclaimed.
“Not so easy, I‘m afraid.”
Raiden’s opponent knelt down to the ground, and conjured a sword made from the same lava rock he was standing on. He lunged at Raiden at full force, but the cyborg easily deflected it, and stabbed the figure through the abdomen.
“It’s over.” Raiden said.
“Not yet.” The figure said.
He shook Raiden’s sword free from the cyborg’s grip, and knocked him back with a series of punches, while still impaled.
Raiden wiped his blood from his lip, and dashed forward. Using his CQC (Close Quarters Combat) skills, pinned the figure against the wall. Raiden grabbed his sword, pulled it out of his opponent, and cut the rock wall above the figure. Lava began oozing from the crack in the wall, and onto the figure.
“Get back up from that.” Raiden said as he put his sword away.
He began to walk towards the door, when he heard a voice.
“Not bad. I almost felt that.” The figure said.
The figure actually rose out of hot lava, unharmed. The heat from the lava set his red cloak ablaze. He began walking towards a horrified Raiden. 
“W…what the hell are you?!” Raiden said with a shaky voice.
“You wanted to know my name before right?” The figure said as he removed his burning cloak. His body was pure magma and lava rock, and his face was only two eyes and a mouth. Each lit brightly with fire and lava.
“My name, is Lavan.” He said as he took a bow. “I’m the last of the ancient lava demons that once ruled all of the world. After it cooled, I was put into a deep slumber. Until that greedy Unicorn King disturbed me.”
Raiden got into a battle stance with his sword in front of him.
“Oh please.” Lavan said. “Put that thing away. I was only toying with you earlier. You want to see true power?”
Lavan raised his hand.
A red aura formed around Raiden, as his arms and legs were spread apart. He couldn’t control them. His grip loosened on it’s own, and his sword floated out of his hand. 
“Is that…Levitation Magic?!” Twilight shouted in Raiden’s ear.
The sword floated through the air, and pointed at Raiden’s abdomen.
“’Eye for an Eye’ as the saying goes.” Lavan said, before commanding the sword to pierce the cyborg’s body.
“Now you die.” He said. Lavan conjured his lava rock sword from his own body, and placed it near Raiden’s neck. He took a back swing, and swung it.
“Raiden!” Twilight shouted.

Raiden’s arm moved and blocked the blade.
“This…pain.” Raiden said.
“What!?” Lavan said as he jumped back.
Raiden shook free of the magic controlling him. But he still had a sinister aura around him.
“How did you…?” Lavan shouted.
Raiden grabbed the hilt of his sword, and pulled it out of his torso, spraying blood everywhere.
“I told you my name is Raiden.” He said in an even more raspy voice then normal. “But some call me by another name.”
Raiden pointed his bloody sword at Lavan and said. “Jack the Ripper!”
The ripper dashed at Lavan, and before the lava demon could even react, his head was taken off. Raiden doubled back, and entering blade mode, sliced him into multiple pieces.

Raiden put his sword back into it’s sheath, and took a deep breath. As he turned toward the door, his codec began to ring.
“R…Raiden? What was that just now?” Twilight stammered.
“How should I know?” Raiden said. “It called itself ‘Lavan.’”
“No! Not that! Your personality changed for a moment. And you even broke his spell.”
Raiden hesitated before speaking. “Remember that story I told you. About how I was raised to kill.”
“Y…Yeah?”
“My kill count was higher then any of the others, and that earned me a nickname. Jack the Ripper. Not something I like to talk about freely.”
“I’m sorry. You just scared me, that’s all.”
“He scares me too, Twilight.”

Raiden began walking to the exit, when he heard something behind him.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Raiden said, as he turned around to see what was left of his opponent melding into one another.
“How are you not dead!?” Raiden shouted.
Lavan retained his true shape. His body had completely regenerated.
“My body is made of magma and rock.” Lavan said. “You can cut me down as many times as you want but it won’t do you any good. But more importantly I want to know how you did that just now.”
Lavan vanished in a flash of light, and reappeared next to Raiden. He then put two fingers near the cyborg’s forehead.
“You fascinate me. Now sleep.”
Raiden’s legs gave out under him, as he fell unconscious.
“I want to know what makes you tick.” Lavan said, as he prepared to pick Raiden up.

“Raiden?!” Twilight shouted over the codec. “Raiden, wake up! Raiden! Oh my gosh. Raiden! Raiden!”


Save Progress?

(Yes)/No

Progress Saved!

> Part 7 Spitfire OR Raiden's Nightmare
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


#7 Raiden’s Nightmare/Spitfire
 


 
 

“So, what happened?” Spitfire said, while sitting in her cell. 

“He’s been captured.” Twilight said over the codec radio. “I’ve been trying to call him for the past hour, but no response.” 

Spitfire gave a deep sigh. “So, where is he?” 

“Well, according to the tracking spell I put on him, there should be an alcove about five hundred meters down from where you are. In the core. That’s where Raiden is. It’s going to be hot in there.” 

“I know. But I’ve flown in volcanoes before. Shouldn’t be an issue. 

“Alright.” 

“Spitfire.” Shining Armor said. 

“Yes sir?” 

“I’m giving you a new mission objective. Rescue Raiden. We’re still trying to figure out who Lavan is, but do not engage him if you see him. If he could do this to Raiden, you don’t stand a chance.” 

“I understand. But what about Princess Celestia?” 

“She’s too far down. Only Raiden can take the heat. Save him, so he can save her.” 

“Got it.” 

  

Spitfire used her mouth to pick up the HF knife Raiden gave her. But before she could leave the cell, she heard a voice. 

“Feeding time!” 

It was a Changeling, giving the prisoners their dinner. He went to each cell, giving the ponies plates of some sort of unidentifiable, and greasy, slop. 

“It’s show time.” Spitfire quietly said to herself. 

She gripped the knife tightly in her mouth, as the Changeling approached her cell. As soon as he was in view, Spitfire head butted the door. It flew open, knocking the Changeling against the far wall. The Wonderbolt flew at her opponent, before stabbing him through the forehead, by jerking her head to the side, and pointing the knife at him. 

Spitfire let a breath out. She was a little shaken up. She never took a life like this before. She fought plenty of Changelings when they invaded Canterlot, but never like this. 

She quickly shook off her doubt. She was Captain of a military unit, and she had a job to do. 

She pulled the knife out of the Changeling, grabbed her pack from the cell, and ran out of room. 

  

Meanwhile, back in Canterlot, Princess Luna gazed out her window. She could see the setting sun getting into position for her. She closed her eyes, and grabbed the sun with her magic. The Solar and Lunar spells. Spells that could control the sun and moon, known only to Celestia and Luna. 

Luna carefully lowered the sun below the horizon, bringing in the evening sky. She turned around, and walked to the other side of the room. She looked out the opposite window, and pointed her horn at the horizon. She grabbed the moon and raised it into the night sky. 

When she was done, she felt winded. She walked over to her sister’s throne, and slumped in it. Using those spells uses up a lot of magic, an amount she wasn’t used to. 

She heard her radio ringing. She was getting a call from Twilight. 

“Nighttime already huh?” Twilight said. 

“Indeed.” Luna said. 

“Do you think they’ll be alright?” 

“I don’t know. It’s hard to say. Are you worried about them?” 

“Of course, I am. I feel like I sent them to their deaths.” 

Luna thought about that for a minute. “I’m worried too. But we must remember who we are dealing with. Spitfire is the best Wonderbolt we have, a top-class flyer, with plenty of military experience. And Raiden. Though we don’t know much about him, I could tell from the moment I saw him that he was a man that could get out of almost any situation, and see every mission through to the end.” 

“Yeah.” Twilight said solemnly. “But he has such a troubled childhood, he told me that he was a ’child soldier.’ And that he often has nightmares about it.” 

“Nightmares?” Luna asked. 

“Yes.” 

Luna closed her eyes tightly, and said. “Then perhaps it’s time we wake him from his nightmare.” 

“Princess Luna?” Twilight said. 

“He’s alive, but unconscious, right?” 

“Y…Yes.”  

“Then I’m going to enter his nightmare.” 

“Okay…be careful.” 

  

After cutting the transmission, Luna’s horn began to glow. A thin waving, beam of light came out of her horn, and flew in the direction of the Badlands.  After a few seconds, she made a connection. 

“There you are Raiden.” She whispered to herself. “Now, please let me in.” 

  

Luna’s consciousness synced up with Raiden’s. She could hear explosions, and gunfire. The sound of rock and debris hitting the ground, and the sound of people, men, women, and even children, screaming, only to fall silent. 

She opened her eyes. 

She was in Liberia. 

  

  

Spitfire spread her wings a flew out of the prison. She needed to get a wide view of the mine, so she flew to the cave ceiling, hidden among the stalactites. 

After the mayhem Raiden caused, she could see two guards posted at the entrance to the core. 

“Their numbers are dwindling.” She said to herself. 

She let go of the rock she was hanging onto, and quietly glided down to the two guards. 

She landed silently behind them, and snuck through the tunnel entrance. 

  

  

Deep within Raiden’s subconscious, Luna began running down a dilapidated stone street. She could hear explosions and gunfire in the distance. As she ran, she passed by an old house, that was clearly falling apart. She stopped, and stared at it. Something was drawing her to the inside of the house. She stepped inside, and found three people. A man, woman, and a child. They looked terrified. The child and his mother were on the ground holding each other in fear. The father was standing in front of the other two, holding a small handgun, protecting them. 

“These must be Raiden’s parents.” Luna said. 

They didn’t react to her at all. She was invisible to them. 

Without warning the door was kicked open, and two men with M4 assault rifles ran in. The father fired three rounds at them, but was quickly gunned down.  

“Father!” The child screamed. 

The woman turned her back on their attackers and embraced the boy in a desperate attempt to protect her child, but she was killed instantly. They then pointed their weapons at the boy. 

“Hold fire!” A voice shouted. 

A large man walked in from behind the two soldiers. He wore an olive green army uniform, had brown hair, with a matching moustache. 

“Commander.” One of the men said, as he saluted. 

He pushed past his two subordinates, and knelt down in front of the boy. 

“My name is George Sears. What’s yours?” 

“J…Jack.” The boy said. 

Sears placed his thumb and trigger finger on Jack’s chin, and moved his head to the left, then to the right. Jack slapped the hand away, and attempted to punch Sears in the face, but the Commander grabbed Jack’s wrist and laughed. 

“This one has fire in his eyes.” George said. “That rage could be useful.” 

He stood up, and said. “Take him to the base. My Army of Devils just found a new member.” 

Sears walked out of the room, as the two men grabbed the boy. He resisted, and one of the men knocked Jack out with the butt of a rifle. 

Luna could only watch as young Jack was dragged away. 

  

Spitfire let out a breath, “So far so good.” She said quietly to herself before approaching the ledge overlooking the core. She decided to call Twilight. 

“I’ve reached the core. How far down should I go?” Spitfire asked 

“Let’s see.” Twilight said. “About five hundred meters down, you should see an entrance to a side cave. But as soon as you begin your decent, you’re going to start feeling the heat almost immediately. Are you sure you can handle it?” 

“Well…” Spitfire gulped, “I’ve flown in volcanoes before. Except I had special equipment back then. But I think I’ll be fine.” 

“Okay, good luck.” Twilight said. 

  

Spitfire took a deep breath, and dove off the ledge. The intense heat was almost too much for her as she descended deeper and deeper into the core of the mountain. She kept her eyes closed to protect them from the heat, but she was afraid that she would miss her target. 

  

“Twilight!” 

“Yes Spitfire?!” 

“I can’t see anything! Can you tell me when I’m getting close!” 

“Of course…Wait, pull up now!” 

Spitfire spread her wings out, and was caught in a hot up draft. She was thrown off course, and was thrown against the rock wall. Her head hit the corner of the wall, before she landed on a solid floor. 

Spitfire opened her eyes, and saw a steel door next to her. She may not have stuck the landing, but she landed in the cave. She felt overheated, but this outcropping felt far cooler then the main shaft. 

But her head was throbbing, and she could feel something wet flowing down her forehead. A combination of sweat and blood. 

“Huh, must have hit my head harder than I thought.” 

Spitfire closed her eyes, and passed out… 

  

  

Within Raiden’s dream, Luna found herself in a large cafeteria. Stone walls, white and grey tile floors, and poor lighting. The only people sitting at the tables, were all children. None of them were more than ten years old. The only other people were armed guards standing at each of the exits. 

Luna could hear a conversation in the kitchen. 

“Is that pepper your putting in it?” One man said. 

“Nope. Gunpowder.” The other said. 

“What?” 

“That’s right, boss’s orders. He seems to think it will make those kids stronger. Kind of like Edward Thatch. He use to use the same tactic on his crew.” 

“The explorer?” 

“No dumbass, the pirate.  You know, Blackbeard.  Anyway, what doesn’t kill the little brats, will only make them stronger. At least Sears seems to thinks so. Whatever, as long as I’m paid.” 

  

Luna looked on with disgust as the two men walked their attempt at stew out to the children. She could only watch as they, including Jack, were forced to eat it. 

  

Luna closed her eyes, and was shown another scene. The children were watching a movie. It was in the same cafeteria, but with a projector screen in the corner of the room. But the movie they were watching was a war movie. Luna’s stomach began to turn over, as these kids were force to watch the most violent and gory movie imaginable. 

She shook her head, and was shown another scene. 

The kids were now outside, each with an AK-47 Assault Rifle. They were shooting at plastic mannequins.  

Standing behind the children, was Commander Sears himself. 

“Boys.” He called out to his child soldiers. “It’s been one month now since I recruited you. And I know, I haven’t been around lately. I have a war to fight after all. But I want to give you all a chance to help your country. I’m here to give you the training, the gear, and the experience needed to fight, in my Army of the Devils. Now continue your target practice.” 

The kids began shooting at the mannequins, while Sears spoke with one of his Lieutenants. 

“So how are they doing?” He asked. 

“It’s a mixed bag.” The man said “The group average is about 54%.” 

“Damn. They won’t last long if they can’t shoot strait.” 

“Except for one, none of them scored more than 65%.” 

“’Except for one?’” 

“The blond one on the end. He scored 94%.” 

“94? Jack’s only nine, and he can handle a military grade automatic rifle?” 

“Yeah, the kid’s a real prodigy.” 

Sears thought for a few minutes, before walking over to the boy. He stood behind him, and watched him empty a clip into one of the mannequins. 

“That’s some sharp shooting. Come see me tonight. I have a present for you.” 

“O…okay.” Jack said. 

  

Luna took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was in Sears’s office, and young Jack was being escorted in. 

“Y…you wanted to see me…sir?” Jack nervously said. 

“Yes.” Sears said, as he stood up from his chair. 

“These boys are my hand crafted army. But an army, needs a leader. Your shooting accuracy, mental stability, and the fact that the others all look up to you make you their leader. So congratulations Captain. Your team is ready for field work.” 

“Yes, sir” Jack said. “Thank you.” 

“Your excused.” 

  

Meanwhile, back in the volcano, Spitfire was lying unconscious on the lava rock floor. She woke up to the sound of her Codec ringing. 

“…Hello?” She said groggily. 

“Spitfire!” Shining Armor shouted. “Thank goodness. We thought we lost you. Are you okay.” 

“Nothing an icepack won’t cure. I must of black out for a while.” 

“We lost contact about five minutes ago. Where are you?” 

“Well…” Spitfire looked around. “I see bottomless pit behind me, and a door in front of me.” 

“I think you managed to tumble into your landing target."

"Do me a favor, and don't tell the other Bolts, that I didn't stick the landing."

"I promise. Through that door is a long hallway, after that is a small room. We think that’s where Raiden is being held.” 

“Got it.” 

“Be careful Spitfire. He’ll likely be guarded.” 

  

Spitfire approached the door, and opened it slightly. She peaked inside and saw a Changeling. However, the hinges on the door squeaked, alerting him. 

“Crap!” Spitfire said, as the enemy ran at her. She jumped back, and held the HF Blade in her mouth. The guard shoved the door open, and ran at Spitfire. She jumped over it, and when she landed, she spun on her back hoof. She jerked her head, and sliced off the Changeling’s wings with the blade. She immediately got back onto all fours, and performed a donkey kick, knocking the enemy off the ledge. 

“You okay, Spitfire?” Twilight said. 

“I’m fine, just…caught me off guard is all.” Spitfire replied. “Moving on.” 

Spitfire opened the door, and stepped into a large hallway. There were doors all along the hall, at least half a dozen. There were a few boulders lining the hallway. 

“Twilight, which room is Raiden being held in?” Spitfire asked. 

“Let’s see, it should be the one at the very end of the hallway.” Twilight said. 

“It’s strange though, I don’t see any guards.” 

“You know how Changelings are. They can be anyone, or even anything.” 

“If they are here, they haven’t detected me. I think I can use that.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“The Changelings aren’t the only ones that can blend in with their environment.” 

  

Spitfire quietly stepped outside, and reached into her pack. She pulled out a silver jumpsuit and hood. It even had sleeves for her wings. She put it on, and walked back into the hall. She got close to the rock wall, and her suit changed color to match that of her surroundings. Silently, she spread her wings, and flew to the ceiling. Using minute flaps of her wings, she was able to grip the ceiling and walk on it. The darkness, combined with her suit’s ability to change color, rendered her completely invisible. 

“What kind of suit is that?” Twilight asked over the codec 

“It’s a new kind of material I came up with.” Shining Armor explained.  “Your friends Rarity, Fluttershy and myself developed it after studying how octopi camouflage themselves.  It has magic infused fibers, that allow it to blend with any service it touches.  We call it, Octo-fiber.  I figured, it would help even the odds when fighting Changelings.” 

“Impressive.” Twilight said. “You’ll have to let me study it later.” 

She started crawling along the ceiling as she watched a Changeling guard enter through one of the doors. The Changeling looked upset. 

“HEY, wake up you fools!” It shouted. 

The three boulders lining the hallway started moving. Then, in a burst of green flame, turned into Changelings. 

One of them yawned and said. “What’s the matter?” 

“’What’s the matter?’” The Boss Changeling said. “We have the biggest threat to our kind locked up in there, and you idiots are taking a nap!?” 

“It’s okay.” One of the sleepy guards said. “Reggie’s keeping watch over by the door.” 

“Really? Then where is he?” 

The Changelings had puzzled looks on their faces as they searched by the hall entrance. 

“Maybe he went to go get something to eat?” One of the Changelings said. 

“Oh, I’m going to kill him.” The boss Changeling said. “Okay, two of you guard the door to Bruno’s room, the remaining one, you’re with me. We need to find that moron.” 

As the two Changelings left, leaving the remaining two behind, Spitfire continued her crawl across the ceiling, praying not to be noticed. 

As she got closer to the wall, she saw there was a cut out space between the wall and ceiling, just big enough for her to squeeze through, and enter the other room. 

“Spitfire.” Twilight said over the codec. “There should be a large room behind that wall. Raiden should be beyond it.” 

“Okay.” Spitfire said. 

Shining Armor chimed in and said. “Listen Spitfire, according to our intel, that large room belongs to Bruno.” 

“Bruno?” 

“He’s physically the strongest of all the Changelings. Which is why they have him guarding Raiden. Try to avoid him if you can.” 

“Okay. Spitfire out.” She said before slipping through the space, and entering Bruno’s room. 

  

Luna was back on the battlefield that was Raiden’s nightmare. Dead bodies lined the streets, and as she walked, she noticed how surreal things were getting. The buildings were becoming more distorted, and the faces of the dead civilians were replaced with numbers. Almost as if, who they were didn’t matter, and the number meant they were nothing but a statistic. 

Eventually, words began forming on the walls. They all said the same thing; “Jack the Ripper” written in blood, repeated over and over again. 

The purgatorial street she was on ended abruptly, at a single door. The blood messages all seemed to converge on this door. Luna looked up, and saw the sun hovering in the sky. 

“Sister, give me strength. This is a nightmare even I may be unable to fix.” 

Luna opened the door, and the sight made her nauseous. There was a large lake of pure blood, and in the middle of it, was a tall corpse pile. Solders, civilians, women and children alike. The sun now had a red tint to it, and it began to rain blood. At the top of the pile, was a small figure. 

Luna flew up to it, and saw that it was young Jack. He was holding an assault rifle, his clothes were torn, and hair disheveled discolored thanks to the blood rain. Luna landed next to him, and stared off into the distance. The boy turned to her and asked a question. 

“My mission is complete. I killed them all like I was told. Did I do good?” 

Luna was blown away by that, unbelievable the trauma this kid has been through.  

“Tell me.” She said, “What’s your name.” 

“I’m Jack, but some of the other boys call me Ripper. I’m not sure why, but I think it’s because they think I’m having fun out here.” 

“And are you?” 

“I don’t really know. I mean, I like it when they praise me for doing a good job.” 

“No one should go through what you have.” 

“Is it bad to be killing all these people? Mr. Sears says it’s for a good cause.” 

“It’s bad that bad people are forcing you to do these bad things. It’s not your fault.” 

“What’s your name?” 

The Princess smiled and said. “I’m Luna, and there’s something I want to show you. Get on my back.” 

“O…Okay.” Jack said as the pony squatted down so he could climb on. 

“Ready?” She asked. 

“Ready!” Jack said. 

Luna spread her wings, and took off into the sky and strait into the sun. She wanted to get Jack out of the darkness and into the light. 

  

Spitfire crawled along the ceiling of the cave like room, maneuvering around the stalactite rocks, while carrying Raiden‘s short blade in her mouth. On the other end of the room, she could see a door, and sleeping in front of the door, was a very large, and muscular, Changeling. 

She knew that she didn’t stand a chance against a Changeling of that size. She slowly approached a nearby stalactite, and cut it down with the blade. 

The rock fell a few meters away from Bruno, waking him up instantly.  He jumped up, and ran over to where the rock fell, like a guard dog investigating a noise.  Spitfire saw her chance and glided over to the door. 

            She reached up and gripped the handle with her hoof.  She slowly opened the door, as the hinges squeaked open.  It was so loud, it immediately caught Bruno’s attention.  

            The large Changeling roared, and threw a large rock at the door, almost hitting Spitfire.  She rolled out of the way, and had no choice but to face him. 

            “This cave will become your grave, little pony!” Bruno said in a booming voice. 

            He ran at Spitfire, and attempted to pin her against the door, but the Wonderbolt rolled out of the way, and took to the air, while Bruno slammed into the door.  She flew up to the ceiling and used her camouflage suit to become invisible.  

            Meanwhile, Bruno turned around and began to search the room. 

            “Where are you little pony?  Bruno wants to smash you into a bloody paste!” He bellowed. 

            “Have no choice.” Spitfire whispered to herself. “I can’t overpower him.  So, I’ll outsmart him.” 

            Spitfire snuck over to a nearby stalactite, and waited patiently.  Eventually, Bruno walked under it. 

            “Now!” Spitfire said, as she cut the stalactite at the base using her blade.  The rock fell from the ceiling and hit Bruno directly in the head.  The large Changeling fell the ground limp. He was out cold. 

            “Now’s my chance.” Spitfire said as she flew to the door.  After she was through, she shut the door behind her.  She was finally able to catch her breath.  As she slowly turned around, she saw Raiden.  He was unconscious, and hanging from the ceiling by his ankles.  His hands and ankles were bound with green Changeling mucus. 

She had found Raiden.
> Part 8 The Elements of Harmony
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Part 8 The Elements of Harmony


As soon as Spitfire was through the door, she looked to the left, and saw a large boulder.  She ran behind it and used all her strength to push it in front of the door, barricading it.

She turned her attention to Raiden.  His hands and ankles were bound, and he was suspended from the ceiling, hanging upside-down by Changeling Mucus.

“Raiden?” Spitfire called out to him, but he was still unconscious.

Spitfire flew up to Raiden’s ankles, and cut the mucus he was hanging from.Raiden fell to the ground, and landed on his side, still unconscious.

Spitfire ran over to him and place her hoof on his shoulder.

“Raiden, wake up.We need you.” She said while shaking him.

Raiden’s eye flew open and gave off a red light.  He groaned in pain while he tried to sit up.  Spitfire leaned him up against a stalagmite.

“Thank goodness you’re all right.” Spitfire said.

“Spitfire? What happened?” Raiden said, while the Wonderbolt cut his wrist bindings.

“Lavan got the better of you.”

Raiden growled in anger, as the memory of Lavan came back to him.He calmed down as it became apparent that he lacked the strength to stand.

He reached over to his left forearm and tapped a button.  A holographic display appeared.

“Sunny…run diagnostic.”

“Sunny?” Spitfire said confused.

“It’s what I call my internal computer.  It monitors all my systems.It’s a long story.”

After a few seconds, the computer gave its results.

“Life support…98%

Electrolyte count…10%

Arms…50%

Legs…Offline

Pain Inhibitors…Offline

Overall Damage…Critical

Codec Communication…Online

Electrolyte Canister required for further function.”

Raiden dropped his arms to his side.

“Damnit.” He said.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m too badly damaged to move. I need a canister of electrolytes.”

“Electrolytes?”Spitfire said, confused.

“In case you haven’t noticed, my body is not organic.It’s artificial.  To keep it running, I need a steady supply of electrolytes. 
Normally, I just take them from other cyborgs, but ever since coming to this world, I haven’t had that luxury.  Absorbing the magic from the horns of Changelings helps, but it can’t replace the real thing.”

“Then what can we do?” Spitfire said, “Where in Equestria, am I supposed to find something like that?”

Raiden pointed at a nearby door on the other side of the room.

“Through there.” Raiden said. “When they captured me, they took all of my stuff. I don’t know where exactly, but I know they took it through that door. Among my gear, is a canister of Electrolytes I’d been saving for an emergency. If you bring me my things, I’ll be back to full strength.”

“Okay.” Spitfire said. “I’ll be right back.”

Spitfire took off running through the door, as Raiden activated his Codec.

“Raiden here.” He’s said, weakened.

“Oh my gosh.” Twilight said. “Raiden, I’m so glad you’re alright. Are you okay?”

“Just a little weak from my injuries.I’ll be fine, once Spitfire finds what I need.”

“I’m glad to hear you’re ok.” Shining Armor said.

“Thanks.Sorry for laying down on the job.”

“Don’t worry about it. Rest if you need it, just don’t forget you have a mission.”

“Of course.”

“Raiden?” Luna said.

“Princess Luna.” There was a brief pause before Raiden spoke again. “I saw you, while I was unconscious.”

“I told you before.  I can enter the dreams and nightmares of others.Including yours.  What you saw in your nightmare, was your guilt over your past self.  You felt excitement over the things you did, and you hate yourself for it.

But what you must realize, is that none of that was your fault.  Your parents were killed, and you were forced into servitude by an evil man.  You had to fight for your own survival, and no one can fault you for that.

In your dream, your younger self climbed onto my back, and I flew you into the light.  Tell me, what did you see?”

Raiden thought about it before speaking and said. “I think I saw, the people who came after that.  After I escaped that hell, there were people I met in my life, who helped me come to terms with my past.  Including my wife.”

Luna smiled and said. “I think it’s those memories you need to hang on to the most.”

Raiden cracked a smile and said, “Who knew you were so into psychology.”

“It comes with the territory.  Plus…I have some experience having trouble letting go of the past.”

“Then I guess I should return the favor.”

Luna smiled and said. “Thank you, but I got over it a long time ago, but if you want to hear that story, I’ll let Twilight tell it.”

Raiden chuckled and said, “Sure.Maybe a story will keep my mind off the pain.”

Luna nodded, and said. “Okay then, Twilight…”

“Thank you, Princess.” Twilight said.“Okay Raiden, this is the story of the Elements of Harmony.Ready?”

“Go for it.” Raiden said

“Okay.  Thousands of years ago, a sapling, made of pure, protective, Magic was planted.  We are not sure, yet, who planted it, but it grew into a mighty Tree of Harmony.Five gems became the fruit of the tree, each a manifestation of the bonds that links us together.  Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Kindness, and Laughter.  And the sap that links them all together, was the sixth.  Magic.  These gems, became known as the Elements of Harmony.

“Years later, the spirit of Chaos himself, Discord, appeared in Equestria. He turned the peace and harmony of the land, into absolute madness.  Without any other options, the Royal Princesses, found the Tree of Harmony, and picked the Elements off the branches.  They used the Elements on Discord, turning him to stone.  The elements were sealed beneath the castle, and the Princesses took their rightful place as Rulers of Equestria.

“The two regal sisters, maintained piece in the land.  The eldest sister used her magic to raise the sun at dawn, and her younger sister would raise the moon to begin the night.  After a while, the younger sister grew jealous and resentful.The ponies would enjoy and relish the day but would simply sleep through her beautiful night.  Her negative emotions transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness, Nightmare Moon.  She refused to lower the moon and attempted to destroy her sister.The elder sister was forced to use the Elements of Harmony and banished her to the moon.

“One thousand years later, I became a student of the Princess of Equestria, Celestia. She sent me to Ponyville, where I met five ponies, who would become my best friends.  That was her intention.At the time, all I cared about were my studies, and she wanted me to make friends.

“It was then, that Nightmare Moon returned.

“She captured Celestia and sent the world into an eternal night.  My friends and I learned of the Elements of Harmony, and journeyed to the Castle of the Two Sisters, where Celestia and Luna use to live.  Along the way, each of my friends displayed attributes that represented each of the elements.  When we finally confronted Nightmare Moon, the elements bonded themselves to us, and we used them to transform Nightmare Moon, back into her true form.  Princess Luna.

“After that, the elements became a key tool in defending Equestria from threats.  But eventually we had to give them up. The Tree of Harmony began to weaken, and the enchanted forest, where it was rooted, began to overtake the land.  The only way to stop it, was to give the Elements back.  They now wait for the day that we may need them again.”

“They sound powerful.” Raiden said. “But why aren’t you using them now?  If they are such a powerful weapon against threats, then shouldn’t you be using them here?”

Twilight sulked her head and said.  “That was plan.  But when Celestia was captured, we were threatened that if we went within a hundred yards of the tree, they would kill Celestia.”

“So, they waited until Equestria’s greatest defense was unreachable, then they made their move.” Raiden said, “Typical.”

“I don’t know how they would even know that.”Twilight said.

“These are Changelings we are talking about.” Raiden said, “Chrysalis probably has spies all over the kingdom.”

“That sounds quite plausible, actually.” Shining Armor said. “Just like that spy that was in our camp.”

Raiden’s transmission was then cut off by another call.  “Spitfire here.I think I found it.  They have all your items and weapons, conveniently in a bag.  I’ll have to carry your sword on my back.”

“Good,” Raiden said.“Be careful not to touch the blade.  Hurry back here. Raiden out.”

Raiden closed his eyes, and rested while he waited for Spitfire, but it was short lived.  The barricaded door started to shake. 
Bruno was awake, he was mad, and he was trying to get through the door.  He started banging against the door as hard as he could.

“You better hurry Spitfire.” Raiden said to himself.

As the banging grew more intense, Raiden attempted to stand up.He griped the wall he was leaning against, and slowly pushed up.  He felt extremely weak, but he knew that if he didn’t move, he was as good as dead.

He managed to get a leg under him. He pushed up, but it took a lot of effort.  Raiden noticed that the bolder began to move. Bruno was almost through the door.

“Raiden!” A voice called out.It was Spitfire.  She had Raiden’s sword on her back, and hanging off her foreleg, was a string of Electrolyte Canisters.

“Throw it!” Raiden called out.

Spitfire obeyed and threw the canisters with her hoof.  Raiden caught it in his right hand, and his body immediately began to absorb the electrolytes.  Raiden gained the strength to stand up completely.With his right arm, he prepared to throw a punch.

Bruno burst through the door, throwing the boulder toward Spitfire, who managed to dodge it in time.  In the moment after Bruno showed himself, Raiden slammed his fist into Bruno’s forehead, crushing the canisters at the same time.

Bruno fell to the floor, limp.  Spitfire walked over to Raiden and looked at the large Changeling on the floor.

“Is he dead?”  She asked, before gripping Raiden’s sword in her mouth, by the hilt.

“No” Raiden said as he took it from her.  “He’s just out cold.  Come on, we need to move.”

“Right.” Spitfire said.

Meanwhile, the two Changelings guarding the door to Bruno’s room, saw the other two return.

“Did you find him?”  One of them asked.

“No.” The leader said, disgruntled. “Resume your patrols, and if he comes back, send him to…”

The Changeling was interrupted by the sound of the door, to Bruno’s room, opening.

Raiden kicked the door open and dashed into the room.The patrol leader didn’t have any time to react before Raiden cut down the two Changelings near the door, with two swings of his sword.  Raiden dashed forward and sliced the leader clean in half, leaving only one Changeling left.

The poor Changeling was cowering in the far corner.  Raiden walked over to him and grabbed him by the back of neck.  The cyborg brought the Changeling to eye level and asked him a question.

“What’s your name?” Raiden asked, threating the Changeling.

“Th…Thorax!” He said.

“Where is Princess Celestia?”

“S…She’s at the bottom of the mountain core! Please don’t hurt me!”

Raiden stared into the poor Changeling’s eyes and said. “If you want to live, you’ll get out of here.”

Raiden threw the Changeling to the ground.

“Yes sir!” He said as he dashed out the door leading to the core

Spitfire walked into the room, and said, “Why did you let him go?”

“I saw something in his eyes.  Call it a hunch, but I felt it was important to let him go.  I don’t know why.”Raiden said.

“Uh huh.” The Wonderbolt said, as the two of them stepped out onto the platform overlooking the core.

Raiden looked down and prepared himself to jump.

“So, what’s the plan?” Spitfire asked.

Raiden looked up, and said, “Those prisoners need to escape.I’ll leave that to you.  Get them to safety.  You should be able to use the train that brought them here.”

“Got it.  What are you going to do?” She asked.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m going back down there, so I can rescue your Princess.” He said.

“Right.  Good luck Raiden.”  Spitfire said, as she flew off.

“You too.” Raiden said as he dove into the depths of the core.

As Raiden continued to free fall, he said. “I feel like I just did this.”

“You did” Twilight said over the Codec. “Just be careful you don’t run into Lavan again.”

“He caught me off guard.  I’ll be ready for him next time.  Any luck finding out who he is?”

“Nothing.  I’ve searched my whole library, and there is no mention of who or what he is”

“Same with me.” Luna chimed in. “I can’t find anything in the Canterlot Castle Library.  I’m going to try the restricted section. 
Maybe there’s something there.”

“I’ll send a message to my wife.” Shining Armor said. “Maybe there is something in the Crystal Empire Library.”

“Okay.I remember him mentioning something about being a Lava Demon, maybe try that.  Keep me posted.”  Raiden said.

“Maybe Princess Celestia will know something.” Twilight said.“You’re almost to the bottom.”

“Right.”

Raiden pulled out his sword, and stabbed it into the wall, slowing his descent.  He landed softly on the ground, careful not to aggravate the magma underneath.  He did a quick scan of the room and saw no sign of Lavan.  He approached the metal door on the other side of the large room.The heat caused the door to glow a dark red.

Raiden approached the door, and with a swift kick, knocked the door off its hinges.He walked into the pitch-dark room and activated his Augmented Reality visor.He couldn’t see Celestia anywhere, but he could hear a faint creaking noise.Raiden looked up, and saw a stone cage, hanging from the ceiling.

“That’s got to be her.” he said.

The cyborg ran to the other side of the room as fast as he could and dug his clawed feet into the side of the wall.He ran up the wall and kicked off it.  Raiden then reached under his arm and threw a small knife at the chain holding the cage.

Raiden landed back on the ground and caught the heavy cage before it hit the ground.  He placed the cage down, and ripped open the door, breaking the lock in the process.

Laying on the floor of the cage, was a large, unconscious, white Alicorn, with a mane and tail that shown with all the colors of the day sky, and a cutie mark of the sun.

“No doubt about it, I found you.”  Raiden said, but the Princess did not respond.

Raiden stepped into the cage and said. “Hey, are you alive?”

He then lightly padded her on the cheek, and Celestia grimaced in pain.He could also see her abdomen moving up and down, indicating that she was breathing.

Raiden, sat down on the floor, and called Twilight.

“Twilight, I found her.  And she’s alive.”