> Your Human and You: Solace in Silence > by Winter Rosario > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Do you believe in second chances? To have the ability to restart life all over again? To undo all the mistakes of your past to build a better future for yourself and all those you've wronged? I once believed in second chances, that is, until, I woke up in Equestria, being dragged towards a cage filled with other Humans. I'm not sure how it happened, one moment I was sleeping in my tent after a long day of hunting, the next, I was being carted off by colorful mini-horses to be sold and bred into slavery. Now, most women react the same way when being dragged off by an unknown assailant. As part of our flight or fight response, screaming at the top of our lungs for help is how we're most likely to react, however. I'm not like most women, so my first response was to take stock of my surroundings, determine the primary threat, make a plan, and execute it with extreme prejudice. All the while not alerting my captors of my consciousness. After all, behind-enemy-lines reconnaissance is my specialty. Cracking an eye open, I saw who was dragging me; suffice to say, a cute, dark-grey, mini-stallion was not what I was expecting. The last time I was dragged off to god-knows-where, it was back during my time in the military. I was aiming down my scope of my rifle, providing over-watch on a ridge for my squad. The operation (if you could call it that), was a simple snatch-and-grab. We were tasked with acquiring a Terran Scientist being held against his will in a modified Nuclear Missile Silo located on Phobos. Just as my team reached the silos secondary entrance for insertion, I felt a small prick on the back of my neck. At the time, I thought it was nothing, but a few hours later... I felt that my legs and arms were bound, and I had gained an itchy rash from being dragged against the edgy rocky floor on my back. Nicholas Vel'sona—My squad Captain at the time—saved my ass a few minutes later whilst in the company of our target. It was not the most embarrassing thing to happen to me during a mission. That title belongs to Operation: CONDOM, and I will take the details of that little event with me to the grave. Even the information why the operation was called what it was. Coming back to the present, I noticed that the mini-stallion had been joined by two others, both of which were carrying my stuff. Walking next to the dark-grey stallion had to be the very definition of a little girl's wet dream. She was the prettiest, most colorful, light-pink mini-mare that I have ever seen! Her long, flowing, curly, sky-blue mane would make every model back home dead with envy. Yes, I mean dead, mostly because they would have had a heart-attack from how adorable the mare was. The other mini-horse, however, was the most fucking ugly thing I've ever seen. He was green with a short, red mane, with scars and missing fur all over his wrinkly hide. I honestly felt like puking just at the sight of him. He was that gross! As for the reason on how I knew what the genders of the mini-horses were? Well, I had a front row seat looking towards their backside, and I got to say: I thought the stallions would be bigger, at most fourteen-inches in length, but judging from the size of the stallions. They couldn't be bigger than six-inches, and as a person who has raised horses in the past. I felt sorry for all the straight mares in... whatever location I've woken up in, had to look forward to in bed. Setting aside the puny sizes of the stallions in front of me away, I notice a few peculiar details that I've forgotten to mention: The mare had wings, the stallion that was dragging me had a horn that glowed, and the third bastard had neither. Knowing these three crucial anecdotes helped me determine the order of execution for when it was time to break free from my bonds, and they are as followed: Unicorn first, Pegasus second, and regular mini-horse last. The reason I chose this order is simple because of the Unicorns ability to utilize Neurological Quantum Energy Manipulation with the catalyst being their horns. I would call it magic, but ever since science has proven that the laws of physics can be fucked over with Quantum Energy: Magic, as an abstract term for the otherworldly abuse of mystical power, quickly became obsolete once scientists figured out how to manipulate Quantum Energy with special Catalysts, Formulae, and regular Physics! Want to light someone on fire? Just press a button that was programmed in a catalyst, aim, and fire at the asshole that deserved to burn alive. What I'm seeing the Unicorn doing in front of me is not magic, and I will forever refuse to call it such! He is simply using a naturally evolved organ capable of manipulating the Quantum Field with his mind! It's not magic no matter what you say, Sergeant Veronica! Not! Magic! Even if you aren't here with me, I'll still disagree with you! Ahem, where was I? Ah, yes. The mini-horses. They appear to be taking me and my stuff to a group of cages sitting next to a fire where three others are waiting, and judging from my angle. I could see other Humans were stuck in the cages, naked, very, very naked. I made a conscious look to make sure I still had my clothes on. Thankfully, they were, but I felt that wasn't going to be the case for very long. Time to make a plan. “Oi, Storm Chaser! I see you found another one, and from where I'm sitting, I like what I see!” one of the mini-horses sitting by the fire said. 'Wait, wut? The mini-horses can talk? And what does he mean that he likes what he sees!?' I thought dumbly while quickly looking over at my competition in the cages, and one word came to mind: Mediocre. Well, that's not fair to those gorillas that the mini-horses call female Humans. I've undergone Genetic Modification when I was a baby, and it gave me a perfect body in almost every aspect, though that's to be expected in the modern era in the twenty-third century. I'm sporting an athletically curvy hourglass body, with a firm rump with a little plump to grab, squeeze, and spank from my military training. They were accented by my perfectly sculpted thighs for maximum strength and thickness. My hair was snow white (same as my mom's and my dads), but I had my moms dark violet eyes. I had a reasonably large bust as well, though not as large as some women have. Some of which that I've seen on Mars looked like they required cranes to hold up just to walk let alone stand comfortably. Plus, I think I'm taller than all of their caged Humans, even the men, and I'm only 5'8''! Makes me wonder what they'll say when I stand up and take off my sports bra, or if they managed to take it from me. Will they compliment me? Insult me? Or insinuate inter-species coitus with me to prove their dominance in front of the culled crowed? In any case, they will all die once I acquire a weapon. Slavery is to be met with the immediate extermination of the slavers and the freeing of slaves according to Mars Invictus Doctrine of 12,298 H.E. That, and as a soldier and citizen of the Mars, being taken as a prisoner, no matter the country, planet or colony, is never an option! After a few more moments of being dragged, I saw a large dagger resting next to one of the mini-horse by the fire. I also noticed that the mini-horses by the fire were talking about what they were going to do with all the Humans that they have captured, and I don't like what they were talking about it. Mostly about the selling and breeding of the females, mainly: Me. "Yeah, once we take off these clothes, we'll make a pretty Bit at the market," said the mini-horse that was dragging me, "and we don't need to worry about her previous owner either." 'Owner? What owner? I don't have an owner...! Well, the Mars Imperial Special Forces did own me in a way, but other than that. I ain't no one's bitch!' With those thoughts in mind, I watched the ugly one move towards the cage while the pink one joined the mini-horses by the fire. I quietly watched the ugly one begin to feed the Humans in the cage, and as for the mini-horse, that was dragging me? He brought me right next to the dagger, and while they weren't looking, I swiped the dagger for my own. "What happened to her owner?" asked the dark blue mini-horse rubbing up against the pink pegasus. "Frozen in stone. Probably from a local cockatrice and fresh too," the dark mini-horse replied with a sigh. "Poor mare, she looked like she didn't see it coming." "Dang, well, at least her Human will find a new home, and pay us a bunch of Bits while we're at it." 'Really? Is that all you think of? Money? Fucking slaving mini-horse cunt-waffle,' I thought bitterly. 'In any case, I will be long gone, and you all will be dead, as my survival is paramount until I can return to Mars... If I can return to Mars.' I gripped the dagger tightly. It was almost time to make my move. I just needed to wait for the sun finish its descent and for the shadows to cloak my escape. I began to mark my targets, making sure to kill the three Unicorns first, the two Pegasi second, and the four regular mini-horses last. Speaking of which, the ugly one is coming towards me with a very creepy smirk on his face. A grin that sent shivers down my spine with my mind screaming "STRANGER DANGER!" "Hey, we should probably check our newest capture breed. Her snow-white hair is quite rare, not to mention her body-type and size," the ugly one chirped happily, adding to my disgust factor on the bastard. In the corner of my eye, I saw that a brown Unicorn mini-horse stood up from the fire and began walking up towards me. Right as the sun vanishes behind the horizon. 'Good, come closer to the dark mini-horse and the pervert. I can take down two major threats right off the bat.' "Yeah, yeah, yeah, let me handle that little detail, Leather Whip. This girl doesn't look like she needs your expertise of study," the brown one said with a hint of distaste. 'Huh, I like him. I'll keep him around for information... if he doesn't get grabby.' "If she gets violent, then you will, Oak Vale," the ugly one replied with a huff. I had to stop myself from gagging at that statement. "Just get out of the way. I don't want this Alpha waking up because of your sadistic fetish," the brown one spat. 'Alpha, huh? That's a detail I'll hold onto.' "Alright, girl. Let's see what you're worth," the brown one said sadly. He stopped right next to me, his horn glowing for a moment to lift my shirt. I had to force myself from tensing up. If I did, he would know that I was awake. It was times like these that I hated not being able to do anything while letting the enemy touch me wherever they want. Playing dead was something I hated doing as a sniper, but c'est la vie. Brownie talks once more while gripping my shirt with his Quantum Manipulation Organ. "Storm, if she wakes up, hold her down. Alpha's are notorious for being rather aggressive. Especially females." "Right," was Storms reply. While the mini-horse began lifting up my shirt, humming a soothing tune all the while, I quickly took one last look at the camp: The third Unicorn is taking a piss, the Pegasi are eating by the fire, and the plain-mini-horses aren't paying attention to anything but themselves, well, all except ugly. He's watching the brown mini-horse lift up my shirt with perverted fascination. I made sure to cut off his balls first before I kill him. Slowly. I returned my attention to the brown mini-horse for the moment, waiting for the right time to make up move. Brownie let out a whistle. "Wow, this is the first female I've seen to have such large breasts and so perfectly formed as well, although. That wrapping around them must be compressing her bust quite a bit. Hiding her true size from view, " he paused to wave his Quantum Field over my chest, causing an odd tingling sensation to occur for a moment. I could practically feel his eyes go wide. "Virtually no sag and completely natural. They must be the size of cantaloupes without the wrapping covering them up. Not to mention her hip-to-waist ratio is also perfect for her size. Whoever bred her must have some stunning Humans in their stock." 'Thank you, but not the largest. I assure you,' I thanked in my head while feeling his Quantum Energy move from my torso and up to my face. 'Shit, don't move Lieutenant Luna Duskfeather. Don't break your cover like last time. And yes, my name is Luna Duskfeather, Veronica. Fantasy names were quite popular on Mars when my parents decided to have me.' "Her complexion is superb, though her eyes are a little small, and her forehead is less pronounced than your average Human. Nothing majorly different that would deter breeders," he paused again too open one of my eyes. "Dark violet eyes. That's an extremely rare eye-color. And not naturally found in Humans. Strange, but worth looking into." 'It's called genetic modification my friend. We, Humans of the Sol System, have the technology to have whatever eye-color we want; even pupil and sclera,' I answered silently while the mini-horse moved from my face and proceeded down to my crotch. Storm Chaser also decided to move into my vision, and right next to the arm holding the dagger. 'Good, everyone is in position. Once Brownie starts poking my pussy, that's when I'll make my move.' "So, what do you think she is worth, Oak?" Storm asked as said mini-horse began undoing my belt. "So far, she's an Alpha Albino Lupus Purpura. She is possibly one of the rarest breeds of Human in Equestria. The only thing I need to check is if she was spayed to give an accurate estimate of what her price would be. That, and she is around five years old. Perfect age to start breeding her." 'Wait? Five? I'm 23 years old! And I have three-hundred years before I start aging again! And if I wanted too, I could go through a medical procedure that would extend my life another three-hundred years! Just how long do these Humans live for?!' Just as those thoughts entered my mind, I felt my pants dropping a bit, followed up by a choking sound. The must be seeing my black lace underwear. Thankfully, my military tattoo is on my back. I don't want to hear what they would say about that. "W-Well, she definitely wasn't spayed," Brownie said while quickly pulling up my pants. "But why is she wearing such... lewd undergarments?" Storm asked hesitantly. "The mare probably was a fancier," was Brownies reply. "Probably." "Anyway, the girl will be worth around fifty-thousand to a hundred-thousand Bits. Cage her, and let's get something to eat." 'Huh? I knew there were some sick fucks amongst the mini-horses from the looks ugly was giving me, but one that has a Human Fetish? I'm done. Get me off this planet. I want my Tentacle VR back.' In any case, Brownie and Stormie looked away from me just as a few clouds drifted in front of the moon, cloaking the entire clearing in shadow with only the firepit providing any lumination. My eyes narrowed, all the mini-horses were looking away from me. Two of the three Unicorns were in range for immediate execution for the slavery of a sentient and sapient race. I altered my plan to keep Brownie alive as he seemed to know a thing or two about dealing with the local Humans. 'Don't worry my fellow man. I'll get you out of those cages in a jiffy. Just give me a minute to get rid of the mini-horses.' Slowing my breathing down to optimal levels of operation, I aimed at my closest target: Storm Chaser, whilst slowly standing up behind the pair, and once I was within striking distance. I lunged at the mini-horse with the dagger. He died before he hit the ground. > Chapter 2. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Moonlight shines upon a small lake, the light causing each ripple in the water to sparkle like the stars above. A calm wind lovingly caresses my skin like a mother to her child; giving the babe a warmth like no other. Trees, so green, so full of life could be seen bordering the lake. Its nocturnal animals could be heard scurrying around in the darkness of the forest. This night was beautif— "Let me go! Somepony! Anypony! Help!" —Well, almost beautiful. Looking over my shoulder, I could see what bumps in my night, and his name is Oak Vale. He is currently tied to a tree with a few of the Equestrian Humans being a nuisance until he becomes cooperative again. I should provide some context, shouldn't I? Well, after Storm Chaser died, everything went to shit. As the dagger pierced the spine of the dark-grey mini-horse, a bright light erupted from above. What followed the light could only be described as pandemonium as mini-horses in gold armor descended from the sky, swords drawn and arrows knocked. My first reaction to the sudden group of heavily armed individuals was to get the fuck out of dodge while making sure none of my equipment falls into enemy hands, or in the case: Hooves. "Subdue these ponies and don't let Leather Whip escape!" one of the armored mini-horses shouted out an order. I let out a hiss of annoyance before bolting towards the cages with the Humans locked inside them. "Hey! One of the Humans is making a run for it!" a female armored mini-horse exclaimed just as I made it to the cages. Ignoring her, I found the lock and saw that it required a key, a key that I don't have time to acquire. Groaning in annoyance, I reached into my boot, pulled out my lockpick and began working on the lock. I couldn't allow these Humans to be taken in by the more heavily armed mini-horses. A small-time slave group, sure, they would be far more easily freed if I had to fall back, but the military on an alien planet? No fucking chance, at least, not without a team and a base of operations. "Leave her and capture Leather! He is more important than that animal!" the leader growled back. 'Thank you,' I thought darkly. 'Not sure why you wouldn't subdue the free Human. That's just a liability waiting to happen. Good to know that the commander is incompetent, but how incompetent is something I can't gage accurately without more research on the commander.' Setting that aside, I made quick work of the lock, while my initial captors were holding back the armored mini-horses at bay. I still needed my gear, and I did see the pink Pegasus place it in one of the carts by the cages, but at the moment. Acquiring my gear would require me to engage the armored mini-horses guarding them, and that's not an option right now. I need to wait for an opening. "Captain! Leather Whip is making a break for it into the forest!" shouted an armored mini-horse hovering by the carts. I didn't pay them much attention as I was making sure all the Humans were out of the cage and running as far away from the mini-horses as possible. 'One down, two to go.' "Well, go after him!" "Sir! Two of the Human cages have been open, and all the Humans are running away!" another said as I was making it to the third and final cage. The one of which was filled with nothing but females meant for breeding. Looking into the cage, I saw that all the women were trembling with fear. None of them looked like they have eaten anything in days and judging by the smell. I don't think they had a bath for weeks either. 'Don't worry. None of you are going to be used as breeding stock. Just give me a few moments to get you out.' "Forget the Humans! All soldiers, sweep the forest. If Leather Whip gets away, we'll lose our only lead against Black Crystal!" the commander ordered before he, himself, flew into the forest with half of his company close behind. "CLICK!" 'Finally!' Finishing up the final lock, I opened the cage and pointed towards the direction that the other Humans ran, however, something was wrong. Frowning at their lack of movement, I looked into their eyes and saw that they were all looking at something behind me. 'Fuck.' Turning around, very slowly mind you, with my dagger in my left hand, I saw the reason why the girls weren't running: Oak Vale. With a quick glance at the mini-horse, I noticed that his eyes were wide in shock, jaw wide open and frozen in place. Looking behind him, I saw that his friends were all bound and gagged by the firepit with a few armored mini-horses keeping watch. 'Double Fuck.' Taking a slight step back, my eyes glanced the carts once more, (which were now unguarded thankfully), then back to Oak Vale. He also looked towards the carts, with sweat dripping from his brow. I could even hear the audible "gulp!" that came from his throat. He knew what was there, and who it belonged too, and I even think he doesn't want me to get it. 'Wait, wait, wait a minute. Why is Brownie the only mini-horse not in chains?' Frowning slightly at this thought, the only way that Oak could be walking about freely is...is if he was working with the armored mini-horses! 'Triple fuck.' With that little bit of information at the forefront of my mind, letting him go after freeing the Humans would come to bite me in the ass in the long-run, however. I also can't just kill him and run off. I still need information that I am lacking, and I know my instincts are telling me that Oak Vale knows what I need to know. I need to make my next move carefully. 'What's that!' I shouted in my mind while pointing in a random direction. The mini-horse, lost a bit of my respect when he turned his head to look at whatever I was pointing at, giving me enough time to slam the pommel of the dagger against the back of his skull. He fell like a lopsided sac of space potatoes with a welt forming where I struck. 'Moron.' With the current threat out of the question and the rest none the wiser, I quickly picked up the surprisingly light mini-horse and made my way the carts where my gear was being held. Staying out of the light and in the shadows, I arrived at four medieval-looking wagons with the brown mini-horse slung over my shoulder. They were completely made out of wood and poorly forged iron. Not only that, but they looked like they were supposed to be attached and pulled by the mini-horses, themselves. 'That's some kinky bondage shit right there.' Looking back towards the armored mini-horses, I realized that I was still out in the open and they were starting to get antsy. As fast as I could without making a sound, I stalked around to the wagon holding my stuff. "Psst, Raven. Where's the Sergeant?" whisper-shouted one of the guards by the firepit. 'Oh, for fuck sakes!' "I saw him by the cages with the albino Human, why?" Raven, the mini-horse replied. "Cause' he's no longer there, same with the albino," he answered quietly, followed up with the sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath. Picking up the pace, I made it to the final cart and with a quick peek, found my stuff. Taking a gander over the edge of the wagon, I saw all the armored mini-horses watching the group of slavers was now armed and surveying the area without leaving formation for their missing Sergeant. Shaking my head, I grabbed my hiking pack from the wagon, followed by arming myself with my cloaking device I tucked away in the upper-right pocket. 'Huh? They had the courtesy to pack up all my gear. Hmm, but it looks like they couldn't figure out my tent. I'll have to fix that later,' I blinked in surprise. 'Aaand' my cloak is out of juice. Great.' Putting the hexagonal piece of metal back in its pocket, I put Oak down for a moment in order to secure my pack to my person. "Gem, is that the Sergeant's hooves over there?" ‘No, he is not the mini-horse that you’re looking… fuck I hate putting this backpack on!’ “Sir, there is also a Human crouched down beside the Sergeant, and it looks like she is doing something to him. Should we do something?” "Approach, very slowly." It took me a few more seconds to put on the backpack and secure all the straps to keep it from swinging around while running. The fucking huge-ass bag was filled with all the crap that I brought along with me for my hunting trip on Earth, but I don't have the time to go through it all at the moment. If I did, then taking my bow out of its armored case would be the first thing that I equip myself with, that, or my dildo. Don't judge me! A girl has needs too ya' know! "That's right, stay right where you are, girl. No pony is here to hurt you," whispered a voice from behind. 'Fuck, I forgot about them.' Turning around, oh so very slowly, an armored -mini-horse holding a cute little gladius in his mouth, was reaching for Brownie. 'Oh, aren't you a cutie? Here, let me show you why you should not touch a wolf's food.' It didn't take long for him to notice that I was glaring at him, and he made the mistake of looking up and directly into my eyes. And when he did, I gave him the largest, toothy smile I could make, followed up with a hungry licking of my lips. "Thump!" 'He fainted... well, that's not what I was expecting. I figured he would scream first. Welp, time to go!' With that thought in mind, and a little poke to make sure the armored mini-horse was alive... and just to poke him for poking reason. I threw Brownie over my shoulder and charged into the forest, ignoring all the shouts and screams all the while. In the darkness of the forest, the armored mini-horses couldn't give chase. I lost them half-way to a river I found after an hour of non-stop running, even with the weight that I was carrying. Sometime during the chase, all the Humans joined me in the forest, causing a few of the mini-horses to catch the wrong person. I'll remember their sacrifice. Now, as for the "weight," I was carrying? He couldn't be heavier than a hundred-fifty pounds! My standard kit back on mars was a hundred-twenty at most. Plus, as a soldier, I was expected to carry that amount of weight, as well as a two-hundred pound male with his own kit! For a minimum of ten miles! Oh, goddess, if the mini-horses were all this light. I could kill them with a single punch! Especially with all the augments done to my bone and muscle structure. They would be fucking devastating in unarmed combat on this planet! There is a reason why all females in the military were called "Hell's Angels." We're all fucking sexy, but the lack of pronounced muscle doesn't mean we can't bench five-hundred pounds without breaking a sweat. Not to mention all the DNA alterations, optical augments, cardio enhancements, and a bunch of other stuff that just help with dealing with the environment. We brought Heaven to the battlefield, (in very form-fitting armor), one bullet at a time. I know what you are thinking: Do you have cybernetics? Or is it all biological? To answer those questions, the answer is yes to the latter and no to the former. Cybernetics, albeit quite useful, quickly becomes a hindrance in a high electromagnetic field. So fighting on the hull of a ship in low-orbit next to a gas giant like Jupiter, or on a planet with an insane magnetic field like Aurora, (where the fucking mountains float in the sky!), having a metal leg is a bad idea; mostly because the electronics in the leg would just die. We do have a form of shielding for cybernetics, yet with all the technological advancement in recent centuries, it's not a viable option. Another question most commonly asked back on Mars when dealing with militaristic augmentation is: Are you still Human? Sadly, no, well, not completely. The DNA alterations done to us is mostly to give immunity to certain diseases on alien worlds that will kill the average Human in seconds, muscle and bone structure changes, ocular, taste, smell, and touch alterations. Want to know where this different DNA comes from? It comes from the Faunari, a Humanoid race of anthropomorphic animals created as an experiment for another alien race called: The Praedatos. Want to know why? Well, because they wanted to see our reaction to the Faunari since they were placed on the closest habitable world outside the solar system. I'm not joking. I was there guarding one of their diplomats when they revealed that little detail. They just wanted to see how we would react to animals native to Earth that were spliced with Human genetics to create twentieth-century Furries. Not the strangest experiment they did, I learned what that was during Operation: CONDOM. Never again. Never, again. On a side note, I had a Faunari fox girlfriend during high school. She was amazing to cuddle with! Where was I? 'Let see, I'm 85% Human, 10% Wolf Faunari, (for my muscle, bone, smell, and hearing augmentations), 5% Hawk Faunari, (for my optical and touch augmentations), my DNA and RNA has special instructions that repair genetic damage, remove cancer cells, dead cells, and foreign cells; giving me a lifespan of three-hundred and sixty years, which also stops me from aging at twenty one until three-hundred years of age. What else—?' "Please! I'm being held captive by a demonically possessed Human female! Can anypony hear me!? HELP!" '—Oh, right. Him. Well, let's go and see if he will be cooperative instead of bitting my arm and shouting at the top of his lungs the second he wakes up. Fucking horse-face ass-muncher.' Did I mention my mind tends to wonder? It's the only thing you are allowed to do while being a sniper. Not being able to move for days unless risk alerting the enemy of your presence gets really boring after a few missions. "Somepony! Please, save me... I need to pee," he said from shouting at the top of his lungs into a pitiful whisper. 'Alright, alright. I'm coming already! Jeez. It usually doesn't take too long....' Taking one final look in the lake, I let out a sigh and scratched my throat where a scar should be, but isn't anymore due to my request. 'It's only been six months without a voice, Luna. Get over it.' Standing up, I sauntered towards the mini-horse tied to the tree where the "totally-not-humans" were also sleeping around. 'Equestrian Human, that's what he called them. He said they aren't intelligent, mindless, animals, and watching them do there thing really hammers those words true,' I frowned. 'Where am I?' "H-Hey now, I-I'm not sure what I did to you evil empress of Tartarus, b-but I assure you that any harm done to me will look poorly in Celestia's eyes! Y-You don't want to incur her wrath," the mini-horse squeaked. I looked down at the mini-horse and saw that he was trembling. His mane and tail were a knotted mess, his fur matted and covered in sweat. I tied him up in the most compromising position I could, showing his "stallion-hood" front and center with his hind-legs spread apart with bungee-rope, and his forehooves tied behind the tree. What little detail that I failed to see on the mini-horse was the little tattoo on both his flanks. The Human hand emblazoned on a silver beveled shield looked cute... for a manly tramp-stamp. I also failed to realize that while I was glaring at him during my analysis, I couldn't respond in time when a yellow stream made contact with my custom made, black-leather, steel-toed, Baby Seal hiking boots. My eye twitched, he gulped. My boot raised up, his ears flattened against his skull. I smiled, he shook his head. I stomped— "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" —he screamed. > Chapter 3. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I don't believe this," Oak Vale said for the thousandth time this morning. He's been in this loop of denial for hours after proving that I could understand and respond to him by writing on a notepad. It's like brain refused to accept that out there, in the universe, there is intelligent life amongst the stars. Just the mere thought of not being alone in the Universe brings such omnipresent fear from deep within him. It's fucking annoying. We Humans never had that kind of fear. Sure we were scared back when we couldn't leave the inner ring of the solar system with our limited technology during the millennial era, but our curiosity and love of the unknown brought us to wonder. Wonder about who is out there? Are they like us? Could we be friends or are we enemies? Hell, back then our first response to an alien threat was to nuke it until its dead. Which, depending on the type of kinetic, electromagnetic, or radioactive shielding the aliens had, nukes would be useless against them. Nowadays, we have anti-matter weaponry! Screw nukes! They are only good for glassing a planet infected with The Red Plague, but that's a story for another day. "Please tell me I'm dreaming? If there are Humans that are intelligent, then what's happening to them? Why aren't they trying to gain freedom? Slavery is wrong!" Rolling my eyes, I went back to eating my MRE while watching the sunrise bathe a cornucopia of color in reds, oranges, and pinks across the lake. Meanwhile, the Equestrian Humans had left back to...wherever the hell they went, leaving me and the swollen balls mini-horse to our own devices. 'I don't know,' I tried to say, which led to my throat making a broken mismatch amalgamation of sound similar to a dying fox-dog-cat thing. Poor Oak Vale skin attempted to leave the body from the fright my voice caused. And when he looked my way to try and figure out what the fuck that was. I glared pure death at him. He whimpered and shied away...or tried too, as he was still tied to the tree. 'Arg, I hate it when people talk about my voice, or mention it, or asked to hear it. It's not like I have feelings or anything. I only have to wait eight months for my surgery to get my voice back. So why does everyone have to act like I was a cripple? Whatever, I'll deal with my doctor later when I return to the Sol System.' Finishing up my apocalypse proof bacon, eggs, and coffee in a bag, I began digging through my stuff. 'Alright, let's see; clothes, hatchet, two climbing picks, my eight-inch combat knife, (should use that instead of the four-inch gold dagger), Med-kit, solar charger, wallet, one-person tent, (packed up properly), sleeping bag, cell phone, Tac-Visor, Ghost Cloak, my "toy," and my bow with a quiver of arrows.' With all those things out of the backpack and laid in front of me, I equipped what I needed and repacked everything else away. "W-What are you up to now?" Professor Oak inquired. "And what are those things?" he continued, pointing at my visor, cloak, bow case, and cell phone. Letting out a sigh, I grabbed my notepad and wrote my response. ["My Tac Visor connects to my phone. It also displays map data created by its internal echolocation device, a compass, thermal imaging, a regular camera, important tactical information, internet, and it has a night vision feature, though I hardly use that one."] "I have no idea what half those things are." I shrugged and continued. ["My Ghost Cloak—the little hexagonal piece of metal—makes me invisible by refracting light around me. Works wonders in the shadows, but in the light? It faintly shimmers like a pool of water."] Pausing, I grabbed the case and opened it up, revealing an arctic-camo tritanium compound bow. I pulled it out and checked to make sure the tension on the pullies were the correct and quickly found that it was a little loose. Frowning, I grabbed a tension wrench from within the case and fixed that problem. Once done, all the while Oak Vale watching in awe, I gave him a close up of my weapon. ["This is my bow. It's has a draw strength of 120 pounds, and shoots out an arrow at 640fps. It's made from Tritanium, carbon fiber, and a meta-crystalline plastic with similar properties to wood and diamond. It's perfect for hunting, or killing creatures from afar, and in silence."] I could see his eyes go wide in shock at all the information about my bow. I know he probably doesn't know half of what I wrote about it. I think he only understands the pound part or the height part. I'm not sure which. My brief observation of the tech-level of the mini-horses showed that they weren't all that advanced. So I think he understands the base power of how the draw strength of the bow creates. Either than that, this bow is as long as my torso from groin to the top of my head, and it's sexy. Not as sexy as my rifle, but still sexy nonetheless. Putting the bow aside for later, I picked up my cell phone, turned it on and with a swipe of my thumb, activated my text-to-speech app. That's when I hear the dumbest question come from the mini-horse. "Wait, wait, wait...how do you understand me or what I'm saying? How does a space Human from another world know what I'm saying?!" 'Really, out of all the questions you could have asked, you had to choose that one?' I deadpanned at the mini-horse. 'Very well then.' Typing with the app on my phone, my voice, synthesized from the program on my phone, spoke all the words that I wrote. 'Still can't believe it sounds exactly like me. Was I always a tomboyishly silky tenor? No wonder all my boyfriends and girlfriends say my voice sounded "husky" all the time.' ["You are speaking Ea!o'ch!o, the primary language of the Praedatos. I know how to speak this tongue because I had to learn two languages in High School; one from Alliance Space, the other from Confederation Space. I learned Ea!o'cho!o, (which is Confederate), and Faunari, (which is Alliance). Does that answer your question?"] I replied. 'That and I had to learn it for diplomatic missions with the Praedatos, but he doesn't need to know I'm military.' He just stared at me for a long, long time. I don't understand why. He was quite accepting that I was from the planet Mars of the Sol System in the Orion Arm of the Milkyway Galaxy. How does knowing an alien language make me the odd one? Does he know how impossible it is for a Human to speak Ea!o'ch!o? It's all clicks, snorts, whinnies, neighs, and slops in hyper-complex patterns that a Human can't replicate naturally with their throat or their mouths! Well, I suppose he doesn't know. They only way I could make those sounds was with a translator. I don't think the mindless apes he calls "Human" could make those sounds naturally either, now that I think about it. Weird. After a few minutes of silence, and packing most of my stuff away, Oak Vale decided to return to the land of the living. His filthy exterior, looked very fatigued like he hasn't slept for a few days. Could have been my fault due to how I tied him up to the tree. I made sure he was the most uncomfortable position possible for his quadrupedal stance. "If you are speaking an alien language, then what are the odds of two worlds—who have never met—know the same tongue? Wouldn't that be astronomically improbable?" he asked simply. ["Yep, it would be very improbable, however. It is widely believed that an ancient race called: The Nomads, planted seeds across the galaxy; giving all sapient races a way of communicating with each other if they should ever meet. It could be that the Nomads interacted with your race at one point, giving you a means to create Ea!o'cho!o somewhere down the line. They did it with the Praedatos, and the Cth!'lae!okh!th!lok. I wouldn't be surprised if they did it with you ponies too."] I explained. 'Goddess, C'th!'lae!o'kh!th!lo'k is such a fucking mouthful. Why can't those bugs have a shorter name for their race? Thank the Goddess that my translator doesn't automatically speak the meaning of that name. We would be waiting for hours just for it to finish talking.' "A-Are you saying that aliens invaded our world long ago?" Shaking my head, ["No, but it's a far better explanation than the insane number that goes behind "luck" with two races from different parts of the universe knowing the same language."] He went silent again. "C-Can you let me go?" he yawned. "I have family, friends, ponies that will come looking for me. I already told you everything I know. What more do you want from me?" Tapping my chin in thought, I did milk him for all he's worth. You can't garner much information from a mole planted in a sting operation on another world. I had what I needed to know; the world I'm on, country I'm in, all information about the "totally-not-humans," who ruled the country, religion, all races that lived on this planet, other countries and their outlook on Humans in general. There isn't much else I needed to know to begin my search for other Intelligent Humans in Equestria and save them from captivity. The only thing I lacked was a place where I can safely house those Intelligent Humans, and how to find them. 'Hmm, Oak Vale could be useful in that regard, but with the way I treated him. His loyalty could be compromised. I wonder....' Shaking my head, I had to turn my emotions off for this min-pony to protect who I am, and what I am. If word gets out that an Intelligent Human from outer-space was caught and treated as a common animal, then there will be hell to pay. Like seriously; this world would be fucking razed by the Alliance for how they treat these "totally-not-humans." Seriously! Human pit fighting rings to the death? Sex dungeons/brothels? Breeding farms? Even food! FOOD! Forget The Red Plague and the Alliances protocol for dealing with that problem. Equis was going to get glassed with whatever experimental doomsday weapon we had. Letting out a sigh, I narrowed my eyes and pulled out my combat knife from its sheath holstered behind my back. Oak Vale saw what I was holding, causing his eyes to turn to pinpricks. He looked up at me as I took a step forward, tears beginning to form in his eyes. It was moments like these that I hated being a soldier. With each kill, I removed a father or mother, a brother or sister, from the universe. As a soldier, I take and rip apart families from one another. Sometimes they were monsters that needed to be put down to bring peace, other times it was people who were just protecting their home. In any case, my mission is first and foremost, and I had to ensure it's success by any means necessary. This includes removing all witnesses who know too much information for their own good. "P-Please," he choked, tears now forming rivers down his matted cheeks. "I have a filly at home, a wife!" Stopping in front of the terrified stallion, I pulled out my cell and turned on the text-to-speech app one, last, time. ["I'm sorry, but my survival is more important than yours,"] the translator said. ["No hard feelings, love."] "I-I... I u-understand," he coughed, his head wilting in acceptance. "You know things, and you are an intelligent soldier from another world. If the wrong ponies capture you, then I don't think they would be able to stop what you could do to them. Just...just have kindness in your heart for when this world wrongs you." I rested my hand on his mane, kneeling down while I did so, and brought the dagger to his throat. A sharp, icy glare encased my face. I stopped my blade. ["How did you know?"] I quickly typed out. "Heh, I may not be the bravest stallion, but I do know a thing or two. Your movements are precise and silent. Your eyes are always moving, looking at places where enemies could use as cover. Plus, they know such a primal ferocity that no pony shall ever know. It's terrifying," he stopped to look directly into my eyes. He smiled, "And you ask questions that give you the best tactical advantages in an unknown environment. I would do the same. Not very subtle, are you?" 'Well, he has me there, but don't think I don't know what you are trying to do. I've seen it before, and it has killed my comrades months later,' I thought bitterly, for being found out so easily. Letting out a sigh, I typed out my final response. ["You think appealing to my inquisitive nature would give you a few more hours alive?"] His face lit up with hope. My eyes narrowed. ["You are wrong."] His fear returned just in time for my blade to make it's home in his throat. Blood vomited out of his mouth as he tried to say something else to appease my falsely merciful nature. I watched the life drain from his eyes as he squirmed in his bonds, trying desperately to break free in a vain attempt of defiance, however, in mere moments. His body went limp, his life extinguished. Was I making a mistake for ending his life? Probably. Was Oak Vale a liability? Majorly. He was too much of a risk to keep around for what I have planned until command finds this world, and rescue me and all those that I could set free. Did I want to kill him? No, but my training demands it. Pulling out my blade, I untied the rope binding the pony to the tree and where his body flopped down on the forest floor. I left the gold mini-horse dagger beside him, covered in his blood while I cleaned mine in the lake. Without missing a beat, I erased all my tracks by the body with a stick, and before leaving the area. I glanced at the body of Oak Vale one final time. 'May the ancestors watch over you and judge me for all that I've sinned. For I am a warrior of Mars.' 'A Daughter of War.' "Sir, we have secured the area, and we couldn't find any trail leading away from the body. What do we do now?" spoke a deep, gruff voice, standing at full attention beside a tall, purple-armored stallion. Shining Armor let out a sigh as he had nothing else for his subordinates to do in this situation. The murder of Master Sergeant Oak Vale was a mystery, and there were very few leads on who the murderer was. "Have you scanned for magical resonance or any form of magical tampering?" Shining Armor questioned. The stallion beside him was Second Lieutenant Silver Shield. He was a dark-gray Pegasus with a silvery-blue short mane from Cloudsdale. He was pulled into this investigation at Captain Armors request. Mostly, because Silver had an impressive record dealing with anything that the Royal Guard couldn't solve. His inquisitive mind and attention to detail were far above anything that Shining has ever seen. He would say even his sister, but Twilight had the tendency to be blinded by the larger picture and ignored the little details that mattered. The other reason Silver was brought into the investigation has to do with Oak Vale: His younger brother. Silver shook his head, "I had Lieutenant Mystic Script look for any magical tampering, but she couldn't find anything that would suggest sabotage of the crime scene. Not even Oak Vale's signature." Shining Armor frowned. He knew Oak Vale personally. That stallion was one hell of an escape artist, and no amount of rope, chain, or even some of the toughest sealing spells could hold him down. At least, not very long. 'So why didn't he teleport out if he was only tied to the tree? Something is wrong here.' Turning to the Lieutenant, he asked, "What do you think happened here? You knew Oak as much as I do, so why didn't he escape if only rope held him down?" Silver's brow furrowed, eyes narrowed, wings twitching in frustration. He took a step closer to the body of his dead brother, careful not to ruin the circle of tape surrounding him. With a closer look at all the bruises, scabs, his swollen stallion-hood, cuts, and burns, he began painting a picture of what happened to the stallion. "Bruising of the back and neck shows signs of struggling, against a larger opponent. The burns are from the friction caused by the rope—" he paused for a moment, tapping his hoof against his chin. He didn't know where some of the scabs came from, but they looked older, probably from a few days ago before his capture. 'Maybe from the Humans he was supposed to diagnose as part of his cover? They do look like bite and scratch marks from Humans.' "—Scabs are too old to be relevant, and the cuts are too jagged and small to match the dagger by the body. Those must've been made by running through a few bushes." Shining took in all the information, seeing the same picture going through Silver's head, however. Most of what he said doesn't explain why Oak couldn't use his magic or tried another method of escape. 'Did he chose to stay captured? Did he learn something that would require him to risk his life? You knew something, but what?' Pulling himself from his reverie, he saw Silver staring at Oak's horn intensely. Finding this rather odd, he walked over to check what has Silvers attention. What he saw answered some of his questions. "His horn is cracked down the middle, which explains why he couldn't escape," Silver pointed out. "The fracture looks like it was created from some form of extreme compression, likely from being crushed on against a hard surface. Whoever did this didn't want to take any chances fighting against a Unicorn, but to severely cripple his magic? That's not a tactic used by other ponies, not even the worst of scum would do such a thing. It also explains why we can't find any evidence. We could be dealing with a Griffin mercenary hired to cover Leather Whips tracks. They are known to be grossly efficient when dealing with threats." "A Griffin 'merc? Then what are those strange hoofprints we found in the forest and around the lake? They couldn't be Griffin," Shining added. "Those look like Human bootprints. Expensive too. It's not often that you see such a design, but it's clear they are meant for extremely rough terrain that would originally shred a Human's bare feet into ribbons," Silver replied, taking a step away from his fallen brother to rejoin the Captain on the other side of the dividing tape. "On a side note, those prints also belong to a very heavy female. She was carrying something, but no idea what. And why was she here? I have no clue either. Could have seen the body while doing whatever she was trained to do, but it looks like she avoided it altogether." Shining groaned in annoyance. He realized with this information. He could be dealing a Griffin mercenary group hired by Leather Whip to gather information and tie up loose ends. Knowing this, moving forward with his original plan for dealing with the Zebra crimelord, Zodiac—and his second in command, Black Crystal—was no longer a viable option. Their only card against them is long gone, and most likely already hunkered down in a location where the Royal Guard couldn't enter without severe casualties. Not only that, but his primary mole was dead after being tortured for whatever information the Griffin could gather. His options were limited, and his next move against Zodiac and Black Crystal could spell disaster. "Sir, if I may ask. Can I pick up the slack where Master Sergeant Oak Vale left behind?" Silver asked with a firm voice, filled with a mixture of pride, anger, and conviction. Shining Armor looked at the stallion with a calculating eye for a moment, thinking of role Silver Shield could possibly play in this operation. Sure, he was a brilliant detective and fighter, but his teamwork is lacking. The only thing Silver would be useful in this operation would be chasing down the mercenary group, and that would leave him on his own without backup. 'No, he is smarter than that. Silver wouldn't blindly risk himself like Oak on a slim chance for an advantage. I guess that's all I can do at the moment until I can meet up with the other Captains back in Canterlot. I just hope it's the right call.' Letting out a long exhale, he looked right into Silver's fiery steel-blue eyes and gave him his orders. "Lieutenant, figure out who killed Oak Vale, who they work for, and try to find where Leather Whip is hiding. I believe figuring out your first two objectives will help with the third. You have full access to all materials in the armory that you deem necessary for this mission. I'll expect a weekly report, and any missing reports will be seen as you going M.I.A. until proven otherwise. Is that understood?" "Sir!" Silver saluted proudly before jumping into the air and flying off into the direction of Canterlot to gather what he needs. All the while, Shining Armor is wondering one little detail that's been bugging him ever since Silver pointed it out. 'Why was there a trained female Human in the forest?' > Chapter 4. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Three Weeks Later... The sky echoed the war drums of the heavens to the tune of whipping light clawing the land below. Tears fell from the angels in waves, weeping in sorrow for the lost and the damned. It was cold, oh so very cold. No matter what one wore to protect themselves from the icy wind blowing from the north, the arctic water pierced through the armor and straight to the bone. A lone figure huddled underneath rusty metal, gripping her leather coat vehemently. And she was very annoyed. 'Fuck, I hate rain. Why does the fucking Pegasi of this fucking backward's world have to make it rain on a fucking Friday?' I grumbled in silence. 'Well, at least I found a rundown shack outside Vanhoover to stay dry. Still, fuck those pencil-dick cunt-waffles with wings. I hate rain.' I sat there for a few hours, glaring pure death at the dark clouds above through a broken window. I could have done more productive things like hunting or scouting the city of Vanhoover or trying to shoot down the Pegasi causing the rain in the first place. After three weeks of traveling through the Smokey Mountains, planing of infiltrating the Human Pit-fighting ring in the city, the only thing to stop me was one word: Rain. I let out a sigh, a long, bored sigh. Over the last three weeks, I've had more action than a virgin Shinto priestess on public orgy day. All those days were spent walking, hunting, gathering, and avoiding the odd pony enjoying the great outdoors. There was no danger, no conflict, no armed guards looking for me! Hell, when I was a Shinto Shrine Maiden for Amaterasu back home, I was getting into fights almost on a daily basis! Mom, of course, didn't like that I got into fights when we were supposed to be pacifists. I think I spent more time praying for forgiveness at the family shrine than doing something more productive. It's not my fault those cunt-waffles chose to pick on me and my little sister for our "outdated views." Someone had to protect Aurora! She was just too damn shy and innocent. 'I bet she reached the rank of Priestess while I was away. She was always the pure one of our family, while I swam in blood.' Looking back on my life, I recalled the event that eventually led me to be kicked out of the shrine and banned from being a Priestess. It wasn't all the notable. I had two choices to pick from; one led to the rape and murder of my sister, and the other... ended up me breaking my oath as a Shrine Maiden. And breaking the oath we take was akin to breaking the heart and soul of whatever Kami we chose to follow, and spread the teachings of to the unenlightened. Now, back on Terra where Shinto came from, taking the life of another was very frowned upon, but usually didn't end up causing said person expulsion from being a preacher. On Mars and certain other colonies, this was a strictly enforced rule. Mostly because of what happened during the Colonial Wars when the Islamic State of Europe destroyed the Moon. We didn't want to be seen as a war-like religion. Even the few Gods of War in Shinto were...not erased. Just ignored, for the most part. So, the first part of our oath basically says: Thou shalt not take the life of another. For all life is sacred and deserves love and respect. Even the impure and evil, for they have lost their way, and need guidance back into the light. I broke the first and most important rule of my oath as a Shrine Maiden when I stabbed that old, sick fuck thirty-six times in the chest. The sight of seeing my beautiful baby sister tied down to a bench in the locker room, gagged, and sobbing filled my heart with such an intense fury. The police had to chain me down to keep me from making sure Couch Rabloc was in, pieces. All I remember was the stabbings. I forgot how I ripped his throat out, pulled out his organs, and cut off his dick in my rage. When I finally calmed down enough to think clearly. I thought Mom would be proud of me, but when she came to pick me up from the station? She was anything but proud, and when I saw my sister back home? Her eyes were filled with more fear of me than for her attempted rapist. After a night of praying at Dads orders, an officer from Mars Imperial Military Academy came to pick me up to help "control" my anger. Once I left for the Academy, I never heard from my family again. I did keep tabs on them...every now and again. It is quite clear that I'm no longer welcome back home, even when I heard Mom had a baby boy. I tried sending my baby brother a present every year despite each one being destroyed after being opened. I won't lie. It...hurts. A lot. I still love them, but I don't think the feeling is mutual. 'I hope they are doing alright.' Tears kissed my cheeks like the rain above on a dark, cloudy day. Heartache soon pierced my very being with its uncaring pain not long after. Anger would have followed next, same with betrayal, but I don't have any left of either to express. Years ago, I would have yelled and screamed in anguish. Crying out; "I protected you! I was there for you!" and, "Why don't you love me?" My years at the Academy really mellowed me out. Talking with the counselor also helped, however, every now and again. My anger does release under heavy amounts of emotional strain, and when it does? They had a room dedicated to holding me, and others like me, down. Why they did this is quite simple to explain since a few soldiers who had gone underneath genetic augmentation gain a sort of "bleed-over" from whatever animal they were merged with. Giving them a few instincts that weren't originally there, affecting their emotions in noticeable or subtle ways. To be honest, I don't care all that much about what "bleed-over" I got from my augmentation. What I do care about is that, at the time, I thought by going to the Academy would heal the wounds I made. It didn't. It only added salt when I showed just how effective I could be, as a Soldier, and not a Priestess. 'Hmpf, there was one good thing that came out of the Academy. Yoko was such a sweetheart. I hope she is doing well as a nurse. I hope all my friends are doing well.' I smiled weakly before wiping the tears from my eyes. Then that smile quickly morphed back into a frown when another thought entered my mind. 'Fuck, I'm lonely.' I lamented on my life until the rain stopped and the sun fell beneath the horizon, telling me it was time to go. My current objective was to scout out the city of Vanhoover for a base of operations, and once I find a good place to set up shop. I'll begin my search for intelligent Humans held within the city. Standing up from the floor, I reached for my backpack and put it on, even though it would weigh me down if I had to run for my life. 'Alright, Luna. Let's get to work!' With a quick stretch of my neck and a few punches into the air, I left the shack with the look of determination plastered on my face. Silver Shield was not a happy camper. Not a trace of joy could be found on his soaking wet muzzle nor his slow, dragging movements. After a nice, dry, train ride from Canterlot, he had to suffer through the rain while he looked for an Inn to rent. So far, his luck at finding an empty room has proved to be a fruitless effort as each Inn, Hotel, Motel, or Lodge he visited. Each one was either closed, under renovation, or completely booked. How this came to be was beyond his understanding, but one thing was for certain! He hated this city. Slumping his head in defeat, letting out a sigh as he did so, he turned down a particularly quiet street near the residential district. The buildings around him, he noticed, were an assortment of apartment complexes and condos. Most of them were under renovation judging by all the construction equipment, fences, and tools strewn about a few of the buildings. He noted that because there were so many construction projects going on, that the reason there was no place to rent a room for the duration of his investigation; was due to the fact that all the construction ponies from out of town were to blame. Groaning in annoyance, he continued on his path towards the one place he knew could provide temporary shelter. On the edge of town between the Industrial District and the Residential District, there was a small group of condemned office buildings. Those buildings went out of use a few decades ago once ponies found an illegal foalcon ring being practiced there. No one would use nor destroy those buildings after the Guard found fifty fillies and colts being used as sex slaves. The liabilities and red tape that came from that event made those buildings a "red-zone" for all construction companies looking for an easy job. Now though, it's used as a little shanty town for homeless ponies, especially in all the sewer tunnels hidden below. For Silver, it will serve as a temporary hideout until he can acquire something much more, viable, place to use as a base of operations. Until then, it will serve its purpose for his mission. A small discomfort is a small price to pay for finding his brother's killer and bringing them the Warden of Tartarus!