“This damn weather…” one of the soldiers grumbled under his breath as he continuously banged two stones together, trying to create sparks at the base of a literal mountain of firewood. “How does the Commander expect us to get this started!?”
“Simple.” Commander Zimmerman said, catching the soldier who had his back to him off guard, and sending him flailing to his feet so he could stand at attention and give the Wings’ salute. “But don't worry,” Ezekiel continued with a chuckle. “it took me and my brother a while to reach the same conclusion to a similar problem.” He then grabbed numerous tiny twigs and bundled them all around a single piece of firewood, then grabbed the two stones his subordinate had so he could strike them together. “Fire is a natural process. And when it comes to nature, I've learned that there's always a rule to new things sprouting from it. Literally, in some cases. From small beginnings…” Suddenly, Ezekiel's efforts bore fruit, and some of the twigs started burning. “...come great displays of power. Keep your eye on it. The flames should reach the rest of the twigs, and that circle of fire should start engulfing the piece of firewood. Like a sapling growing into a tree, or a stream carving out a river--”
“Or a filly growing up into a big, strong pony?” Ivy asked as she brought more firewood for the other side of the pile.
“Yeah.” Ezekiel chuckled. “Or an emo weeaboo starting a rebellion. But this pile isn't gonna be enough to warm either. I'm afraid we're gonna need more.”
“On it.” Ivy said as she started galloping through Everfree's snow towards some trees, hoping to find some more sticks.
“And bring the Lieutenants!” Ezekiel called out. “If not for help, then at least for protection!” He then turned back to his subordinate. “I trust the special uniforms are ready for tonight's operation?”
“And kept under lock and key so a certain somepony doesn't find out.”
“And the specialized instruments?”
“With the uniforms. Captain Redfield is guarding them as we speak.”
“Very good. Get some soldiers together and relay my earlier instructions. Tell them to do the same with every firewood piece here.”
“Sir.” The soldier said before beginning to walk off. Before he got too far, however, he turned to face his Commander again. “Permission to speak freely?”
“Granted.”
“In my opinion sir, this latest mission of yours is one of your craziest… and by far my favorite.” Having shared his approval, the soldier went to find his comrades, and Ezekiel simply stared at the massive pile of wood soon to be ablaze.
Let's hope it'll go over better than past attempts. This isn't exactly the kind of thing we normally do…
Meanwhile, Ivory was about to head into a more densely packed section of the forest, until a tiny human woman dropped down in front of her face, hanging from the trees on each of her sides.
“Don't even think about it, chica!” Teresa said. “We got very clear and specific instructions from the Commander. No wandering where there's no clear path.”
“Sorry, never got those instructions. Thought I saw some branches that could be broken up in there, though.”
Teresa boosted into the air and returned to her fellow Lieutenants on the filly's back. “Maybe, but we don't know what else could be in there. I remember the story of how you and Zimmerman found each other, and from what I heard about this forest before the Wings, there's more dangerous things in here than baby Hydras.” She then anchored herself to Ivory’s back, and grabbed onto Seraphine's poncho before she tried boosting off, resulting in the blonde soldier yanking herself out from under her own feet. “...besides, those orders go for all of us, not just you.”
Seraphine rolled over on Ivory’s back, laughing as she cried “Killjoy!”, and earning a chuckle from Ivory before she continued onward through the clear area. Though Ezekiel was the only one she gave any familial title, she really did love all of the Wings as if they were her family. If she had to give them all similar titles though, some would be cousins and siblings in a similar fashion to Kiyoshi Sanada, some would be aunts and uncles like Teresa Cortez and Adio Oderasak… and some would bounce between the two, like Seraphine Scheinwitz. The closest thing to a mother for her would definitely be Lieutenant Cortez, not too surprising considering her reputation as “everyone's big sister”. According to her, she had a lot of siblings in Mexico, a nation in the world humanity was brought to Equestria from. As the oldest, she had to help her mother a lot to the point of being a secondary mother, and those instincts never seemed to truly go away.
“When we get back to camp,” she scolded Seraphine. “You're getting back on your meds.”
“The hell I am.” Seraphine rebelled with a laugh. “It's not even close to 4:20!”
“Rgh, loco!” Teresa exclaimed as she frustratingly clutched at her head with both hands and fell face up on Ivory's back. “Fine, then! I'll just--”
“Seriously!?” Seraphine interrupted, as if hearing the punchline to a joke. “Sneaking them into my rations? It completely sucks out the flavor! And besides, better psychiatrists than you have tried.”
Teresa released her face, revealing an expression that appeared empty, but still communicated her irritation. She was clearly done with this. “I was going to say 'report this to the Commander’.”
Seraphine's demeanor changed drastically. “Alright, alright. No need to bring the big guy into this…”
Meanwhile, Adio grappled onto Ivy’s ear, and reeled himself onto her head. “For what it's worth, I agree with you about the branch. Leave no resource behind.”
Adio was always like this. He wasn't afraid to challenge those around him, but he was always loyal no matter what happened. It was easy to see why Ezekiel made him his right hand.
“No, dad's right.” Ivory responded. “I ran into here randomly once, and immediately regretted it.”
“Besides,” Teresa chimed in. “the last time we saw anything outside of the camp was Canterlot. I don't know about you, but I wanna stop and smell the roses.”
“Yeah, maybe we could find something that bites!” Seraphine said. “Like a Venus Fly Trap!”
“Uh, I don't think those things would let you out later.” Ivory quipped.
“I wouldn't throw myself into one, just tease it a bit!” Seraphine retorted. “Besides, they're plants. Easy to bust out of, easier to slice out of.”
Teresa facepalmed as she let out a massive groan. “Ivy, if you ever feel like you need to be seen as more grown up, just stand next to Seraphine.”
The filly and the psycho shared a laugh at the exchange they shared with Teresa, but then Ivory noticed someone huddled up in a ball.
“You okay, Yoshi?” she asked. “You've been awfully quiet.”
“Huh? Oh, I was… just… getting used to my new position.”
“You mean as a Lieutenant? Dad wouldn't have welcomed you onto his squad if he didn't know you belonged.”
“I thought he was used to the higher title by n--” Teresa began to say, until she thought of what he must be concerned about. “Seraphine…”
“One time!” Seraphine protested. “I wasn't gonna have another chance to establish any kind of initiation!”
“You hid his ODM gear in the zebra’s hut and told him to go get it.”
“And promised him that after that he was a true elite forever and a second initiation wouldn't be necessary!”
“That was kinda mean Sera,” Ivory said. “but she does have a point.”
“I'm right here, you know!” Kiyoshi exclaimed.
“I'm just saying,” Ivory continued. “after that you seemed more confident, but you've been like this since--” Suddenly, her eyes widened, as if coming to a realization. “...since the night I got sick… Yoshi, listen. You guys are my family, I'd never eat you without permission. And even with permission, it'll take some convincing. Don't believe me, ask dad.”
“She's right, Yoshi.” Teresa said as she laid a hand on the rookie's shoulder. “If ever she was gonna act like every other pony, it would've been that night, and that night only. But even then, she kept control of herself. She's still Ivy, nothing's changed.”
“I know that, it's just… it's just tha--”
Before he could finish, a small branch broke above them, forcing Ivory to dodge. Which had the Lieutenants fall off her back. Most of them were able to engage their gear and right themselves, but Kiyoshi rolled through the snow, under another branch about to break under the weight of the weather.
Ivory ran to stand above him as a shield, wings spread. But Teresa and Oderasak had already began slicing at the thin parts of the branch so less would fall on them. The good news is that Ivory was only hit with a small portion of the falling branch, not even a scratch. The bad news…
“Thanks guys, but I don't think Yoshi fared as well.” Ivory said as she moved out from above the soldier, now covered in snow thanks to the impact of the branch pieces on each side of him. Everyone gathered around him to make sure he's alright, with Teresa inspecting his body the closest.
“His temperature's dropped.” she said. “We’ve gotta warm him up, now.”
“Don't you have any of those emergency warmth packets?” Ivory asked.
“Used them up at camp.” Teresa said as the other two Lieutenants shook their heads. “That fire better be waiting for us when we return!”
“So what do we do?” Kiyoshi asked in a panic.
“We could huddle around you as Ivy carries us on her back, but that would leave you exposed.” Teresa explained.
“She's right.” Adio spoke up. “There is a more practical solution, and you know what it is.” They all then looked to Ivory, who returned their gazes with a shocked expression.
“No. I'm not everypony else. If he doesn't wanna do it, I won't put him through it.”
“Ivy…” Kiyoshi tried to say.
“These branches should be more than enough, and I can carry it all at once with my magic. You guys can do what Teresa said and huddle around him as you ride me, practicality be--”
“Ivy, listen!” Kiyoshi shouted. “I… I want to go through with it.”
Now they were all looking at him in shock.
“I've wanted to… ever since you had your first taste… So that you wouldn't flip out…”
“I think I know what's going on.” Seraphine interrupted. “I've heard of these guys all the time back in the villages. Turns out, when they swallow us, it's actually enjoyable for us too. Instinct's the only reason we're so afraid, apparently. There have been people that actually look to be eaten, but they're seen as weirder than--”
“That's not it!” Kiyoshi spoke up. “Truth is… I've never been eaten… was always too afraid, and… well, that's why.”
Ivory was still reluctant. Not because of her own reservations, but because she was afraid he was saying something he'd regret. “...and you're sure?”
“Positive… after all, there's definitely… worse bellies to be in…”
“...guys?”
“He told us what he wants.” Adio said. “And honestly, I agree with his logic. If he conquers this now, it's one less thing to freeze him up in future missions.”
“And when Adio Oderasak agrees with you, you know it's the right way to go.” Teresa assured the filly.
Seraphine just looked off in the distance, smirking as if she was watching some funny scene on a cartoon play out, until she turned her attention to the white alicorn. “...why are you looking at me? Even if I say no, that's still 3 to 2 even if we count your vote. It's decided.”
“...alright, bring him onto here.” Ivory said as she held her hoof out, flat surface up. “I'm gonna taste you a bit, try and get the frost off. Hope that's alright.”
“It's fine…” Kiyoshi said as he was brought onto the child's hoof. “It'll help me get used to… all parts of it…”
“Just keep in mind, you're never in any danger.” Ivory said as she brought her hoof up. “Try and think of it as a wet hu--” Suddenly, she noticed something else on her hoof. “Uh… guys?”
“Someone has to keep him under control if he loses his nerve.” Adio explained.
“And honestly, why should he get all the extra warmth?” Teresa asked.
“Not to mention, this is probably gonna be my best chance at some real fun since Canterlot, and I don't wanna miss out!” Seraphine exclaimed.
“...if you're sure. Like I was saying, just try and think of it as a wet hug.” Ivory said as she rolled out her tongue to where the tip touched the hoof, exposing her fleshy cave of a maw.
“I said fun!” Seraphine protested. “Come on big girl, show some assertiveness!”
“It would be less traumatic for him if we didn't drag him on there.” Teresa added.
Ivory turned her head for a sigh, then returned her head and tongue to their previous position, but also slowly tilted her hoof to spill the Lieutenants onto her tongue. She still wanted to take it slow, mainly because she didn't wanna appear too ravenous for Kiyoshi’s sake, but also because she still had her own reservations on eating humans.
One they were all on her tongue, she gently rolled her tongue back into her mouth, and trapped them in the pink cavern with the orange floor.
Of course they'd taste like ice cream. Of course. After all, they were just in the freezing cold. I know dad said this actually felt good for him, but I can't help but feel like I'm… torturing them somehow.
But in her mouth, the closest thing the soldiers felt to torture were Ivy’s breath and the clothes sticking to their skin from the saliva. All well worth it, as the warmth washed over them. Even the tongue bouncing them around was fun, like some kind of amusement park ride.
Kiyoshi was the most appreciative. The saliva really did help melt the snow away, and he couldn't help but relax as the warm, powerful muscle cradled him across the cave. …well, maybe he was less enthusiastic than Seraphine, who probably wished Ivory was also gargling mouthwash, but Teresa certainly looked like she was enjoying this. Even Adio cracked a smile.
Eventually, she laid them all across the flat portion of the tongue, and went still. “You're so soft…” Seraphine muttered before shouting “We're ready!”.
Ivory’s tongue remained still.
“I sai--”
“She knows that the one who would just as easily feed us to mice doesn't speak for the rest of us.” Teresa explained. “But she's right, Ivy. Send us down so you can get us to base.”
This time, Ivory tilted her tongue up, and guided them toward the pulsing tube. “Don't worry, I'm bringing the branches. They should help.” she said, levitating the fallen limbs with her magic as she ran back to base.
Meanwhile, all the soldiers splashed down in Ivy’s acids.
“Woo!” Seraphine shouted as she emerged from the glowing fluids. “Ten out of ten, would feed again! Ivy, think your dad's open to some roomies?”
“I don't know about him,” Ivy's voice boomed around them. “but it's me you've gotta worry about. I'm still not feeling too good about swallowing just him every night, let alone more than one.”
“Aw, come on! I'll split my meds with you twenty to eighty in my favor!”
Adio simply shook his head as he watched Seraphine argue and bargain with their loving predator. Meanwhile, Teresa was checking up on Kiyoshi.
“You alright, Yosh?”
“Yeah, the saliva and the acids are working wonders. I'm definitely not freezing today.”
“That's not what I meant. I meant… are you alright?”
“...yeah. I am.”
“Glad to hear it, Yoshi.” Teresa said, slapping him on the back.
“Same here, Yoshi!” Ivy interrupted her argument to say. “Now, it's gonna be a long way to camp, and I hear it's easy to sleep in there. Why don't you all take a nap? I'll try and have you all out before you wake up.”
“60/40! Come on, I already have it in your favor!”
“...seriously, I'll share my pony sized rations with you if you shut her up!”
“Aha! Now I can interpret that as an offer to hide in your rations, take you up on it, and keep my meds!”
“Wha-- that's not what I said!”
Seraphine let out a massive yawn as she flopped down into a fold in the stomach lining. “Maybe, but I'm crazy. Who knows what I hear?”
“Teresa?”
“Sorry, chica.” Teresa said, feeling groggy herself. “Can't keep track of her forever. Looks like you'll have to watch what you eat.”
As she and Adio were about to each take a nap themselves, Kiyoshi was about to do the same, when he decided to speak up. “...Ivy?”
“Yes? You need anything?”
“No, it's just… I wanted to say thanks. I could tell you were being careful, and Seraphine wasn't completely nuts when she started negotiating.”
“You mean when she started offering drugs to a minor?”
“'Wasn’t completely nuts’ doesn't mean ‘completely sane’!” Kiyoshi said with a chuckle. “What I mean is, I could understand her wanting to do it again. The experience was surprisingly pleasant. I'm glad I was able to conquer the fear, so for giving me the chance… thank you.”
“Uh… you're very welcome!” Ivy said, her voice communicating the blush he couldn't see on her cheeks. “Would it… scare you if I said you were delicious?”
Kiyoshi nervously laughed a little. “I guess if this is gonna happen more often, I'll need to get used to hearing that…”
“Oh! Sorry, I shouldn't ha--”
“Don't worry about it.” Kiyoshi said in an effort to calm her down. “I'm glad I tasted good to you.”
The blush in Ivy's cheeks had grown hotter. “...uh, camp is still a ways off. How about you get some shut-eye? I promise, you'll be out as soon as possible.”
Kiyoshi settled in. “Take your time. But seriously, thank you.”
Meanwhile, in the outside world, Ivory was making a beeline straight for the center of camp with the branches. Though she was careful to not step on anything she shouldn't, as always.
“Ivy!” Ezekiel exclaimed before turning back to the soldier he was addressing. “Get some men here with a ton of extra sharpened blades. We're gonna need to divide this up.”
“Sir!” the soldier acknowledged before running off.
Ezekiel then devoted his full attention to Ivory. “I though I told you, we needed this stuff broken up before it was haul--”
“Dad.” Ivory said. “Lieutenant Sanada nearly caught frostbite, and… we had to engage Ninevah Protocol.”
Ezekiel lowered his head and sighed. “I was wondering where he went...” He then turned back to his daughter. “What about the others?”
“They volunteered to go in with him. Actually, they all seemed to enjoy it.”
“Alright…” Ezekiel said with a sigh. “let's get them out. Come on, we'll head to the lake and give them a wash.”
As the two walked together, Ezekiel turned to ask the filly one last question. “...what about you? What did you think of the experience?”
“...I did what I had to do. If there was any other optio--”
“Ivy.” Ezekiel interrupted after another sigh. “It's good to see that you still care about humanity even after having had a taste, but the fact is that sometimes you'll be playing host to humans. Sometimes for their own good, sometimes because they ask you as a friend. Granted, no is always an option to the latter, but even then, if they enjoy it, there's no reason you shouldn't either.”
“I know that, it's jus--”
“Ivy, we trust you. Do you trust us when we say that?”
“Of course I trust you, bu--”
“Then there's nothing left to discuss. Now come on, let's get them cleaned. There's something special going on tonight.”
Wondering what her dad could mean by that, Ivy went on with him to the lake regardless.
Night fell in the Everfree Forest, and the Wings of Freedom were all gathered around one side of the fire on Commander Zimmerman's orders. The fire looked like an average campfire compared to Ivory, but next to the humans, it was a massive pillar of flames. And some distance away, though still in the warm glow, was a mysterious object under a tarp about as tall as seven humans standing on each other's shoulders to make a human ladder, and wide as the same number of people laying across the ground. Per the Commander’s orders, no one touched it. ...well, those that were by the fire anyway. There were a good number of absent soldiers.
Closer to the fire, the Lieutenants were all staying warm and drying off while a young white alicorn loomed over them.
“And you're sure there's nothing else I can get you?” Ivory asked nervously.
“Well now that you mention it Jeeves,” Seraphine sarcastically says in a fake aristocrat accent which sounds all the stranger coming through her normal German accent. “the Bentley could do with a wash and the silk sheets simply must be folded before the maid gets here with the silv--”
“She gets it.” Teresa interrupts, putting aside her annoyed tone to talk to Ivy. “She's not wrong, though. You have absolutely nothing to apologize for, so there's no need to wait on us. Even if you did handle us roughly, aren't we supposed to be the toughest of the tough?”
“I know,” Ivory said with a little shame. “I just feel guilty, is all.”
“And we're telling you, don't.” Ezekiel said as he joined his daughter and his squad. “For right now, let's just enjoy the--” Before he could finish, he found some of his experts arguing with the Baker brothers. “Ugh, you guys enjoy the fire. And save me a seat, I've got business to take care of.”
“Care to tell us what's under that tarp?” Adio asked.
“It's a device related to the Wings’ next operation. You'll all be briefed when the time comes.” Ezekiel said before rushing off. When he reached the argument, he could make some of it out.
“But this is a golden opportunity here!”
“We don't follow your orders, four eyes. We follow the Commander's, and he made it clear that we weren't to touch them.”
“Damn it, how many chances do you expect to be given for something like this!?”
“We're spies, not assassins. All we need opportunities for is to get in, learn, and get out without any evidence. Bodies are evidence.”
“Am I interrupting anything?” Commander Zimmerman asked when he arrived. The experts simply turned to face them, while the spies gave the Wings’ salute.
“Ah, Commander.” One of the experts said. “I was just explaining to your spies that when you have an opportunity to kill a high profile target, you should kill a high profile target.”
“He wants us to assassinate the targets of our Ponyville operation, sir. Per your orders, we haven't.”
“I see. Very good, but you've given us enough data already.”
“Commande--” one of the experts tried to protest, but Zimmerman spoke above him.
“You tell me, why are we going after the Princess and her friend?”
“To send a message, of course! To let them know that humanity shouldn't be treated this way!”
“And if we simply kill them in cold blood, what other messages does that send? That we hate any and all ponies? That if they don't bow to our will, we'll cut them down? If we do this that way, the ponies will naturally rebel against humanity, and both will eventually go extinct. Our methods may be extreme, but we're aiming for coexistence, not dominance. If we assassinate them out of the blue, it's a declaration of war. But if we make our intentions clear, and then defeat them, be it by luring them into a trap or taking them on in a head-on fight, then we've established our strength and set our boundaries. Later on we can get humanity used to the idea of being eaten so that a culture of fear doesn't fester. But for now, we focus on the ponies. We'll strike down our targets, but we do it this way, not by jumping the gun.”
“You can't keep letting sentime--”
“Professor… it's Christmas. Let’s just sit by the fire, and warm up.”
The experts walked away, plainly furious. The spies, however, stayed.
“Well put sir, but there's actually some more relevant data to share.” One of them said. “News of Canterlot had traveled fast. The good news is that instances of consumption without consent have gone down by 40 percent.”
“We're scaring them straight.” Zimmerman said. “It's a start.”
“The bad news…” the other brother said. “is that Princess Celestia has organized a special human army of Knights. We've heard that they've already taken down a snatcher without lethal methods, and a dragon at that. This would suggest that they're geared towards larger targets, but the timing is too perfect. In my opinion, sir--”
“They're meant for us.” Zimmerman interrupted. “And if Celestia thinks the ponies that started all this are in danger, we can expect them in Ponyville very soon. Alright, tomorrow you mobilize for deep Everfree, there's a Changeling hive that would make for a valuable alliance. Meanwhile, I'll make for dragon country alone and negotiate with the dragon lord. Maybe we can entice them with Ponyville's riches. If we hurry, we can beat these Knights there, but in case we don't…”
“We'll move ahead of the others, and find out just what these Knights are packing.”
“Very good. And I should reunite with you before you arrive at the hive. Dismissed.”
“Sir!” they exclaimed before taking their seats. Meanwhile, Ezekiel took his own seat just in time for one of the other soldiers to start addressing the others.
“As many of you are aware, today is a very special holiday. Though some among us recognize it as Hearth’s Warming Day, those of us that come from Earth recognize it as Christmas. Even back then, there were many other holidays taking place around that time. Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice. But all were centered around certain core themes such as thankfulness for what we have, and a celebration of those in our lives. While some holiday traditions from Earth can't be performed at our size, and we're ignorant of typical Hearth's Warming traditions, there is one event that's become a holiday tradition on Earth in recent years, that our Commander saw fit to try and replicate here, especially given some of our members.”
He looked to Ivy for that last part.
“What does he--” she began to ask.
“Just let him finish.” Ezekiel interrupted.
Suddenly, the tarp fell, revealing a stage for some sort of play.
“For your entertainment and morale,” the soldier continued. “and in the spirit of the holiday, we present to you the following production.” He then walked behind the stage.
“A play?” Seraphine asked Ezekiel. “Really?”
“Actually, I don't think it's that bad an idea.” Teresa said. “Question is, which story did you go fo--”
She was then cut off by the same soldier from earlier.
“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…”
Suddenly, the crowd stirred and then cheered in an uproar, including the Lieutenants, while the narrator continued reciting the old text crawl. Ivory, meanwhile, sat silently with tears beginning to form in her eyes, as if she had just been told “I love you”.
“I remembered your stories about the Chambers family.” Ezekiel explained after the beginning narration. “Figured it'd be nice if you knew the story they were such big fans of, or at least the father was. Anyway, there are some elements we just can't do justice, but we're trying our best. Just be grateful that a certain character will shoot first in a certain scene, and that you're not getting any CGI lizar--”
Suddenly, he was cut off as he was lifted high in the air by magic, and pressed firmly against a white, fuzzy cheek by a couple of massive feathers, all while Ivory kept repeating “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou…!!”
“Okay, okay, thank you!” Ezekiel protested, as her hug was strong enough to squeeze the air out of even him. He looked down at his soldiers, who had stopped paying attention to the space opera in favor of the real show (including the actors), but simply rolled his eyes and said “As you were! ...happy holidays, Ivy.”
The filly let go of her father, and used her magic to levitate him to the top of her head. “Happy holidays, dad.”
The rest of the night was spent next to the fire, watching the adventures of scoundrels, droids, and Jedi.