//------------------------------// // Prolog // Story: Hearthfire The Sands of Time: Part 2 // by Predman1227 //------------------------------// (Heartland/Canterlot) (Agent Zero) "If first you don't succeed, try, try again." It was a lovely moonlit night in the streets of Canterlot. 24 hour shops were full of late night commerce buying the latest in fashion from clothe stores or trying all new treats and cakes from the bakers. Pubs bustling with Ponies of all races, laughing and cheering in a blissful drunken haze, stumbling around and dancing with one another. Lovers roamed a nearby park, sitting on benches and embracing in affection and longful gazes. And there was a Gala going on in the streets, as Ponies yelped and cheers as giant sized balloons shaped into many forms of creatures, all cute and cuddly, were paraded around town. All of this, helped Agent Zero blend in, as she made her way through the streets and toward the one place that was completely silent. Canterlot Castle. This was her first visit in months to the castle and she wasn't looking forward to it. Agent Zero was a middle aged, Earth Pony Mare, who wore a black trench coat over her grey, silver body. Her long blue Mane, hid one side of her face, allowing only one, bright sapphire eye to peer out to the world around her. She narrowed that eye as she neared the castle and looked to the armed and armoured Royal Guard standing at attention on the path to the main entrance. They, were not like the old Royal Guard that used to patrol the castle grounds. These new Royal Guard had new bulkier grey and gold armour that left no spot uncovered, not even their faces and they were armed with heavy staffs that at one end was a stun pike and at the other a deadly energy weapon that would melt a hole in Zero's chest, if she gave them reason to. One of them looked in Zero's direction as she approached and nodded to one of his own to move and block her path. They towered over her, their eyes the only thing that showed through a single slit in their massive slopping helms. They glared at her, unmoving. "Come no further!" One of them stated in a gruff, hollow voice and crossed their staffs with a loud clank. "No one is permitted on the castle grounds at this hour. Turn back now, or we will force you back." She didn't flinch at their display, as she lightly smiled at them and calmly placed her left hoof in her coat pocket and showed them a sheet of paper. "I am here by order of Princess Cadence. If you would like to confirm this with your Commander, I'd highly advise it." One of them took the paper and read it, while the other didn't take his eyes off her. The one with the paper scanned it for a long moment, then gave it to his partner to let him read it. "This is a little on short notice, Miss..." He glanced at the paper again as the other kept reading. "Purple Heart?" He shook his head, as if forgetting what he read and gave her a skeptical scowl. "I'm sorry, but I still can't let you onto castle grounds. Strict orders to keep anypony or anyone out." He sparked the stun pike of his staff on the ground for effect. "Now back up, before we are made to use our weapons." "Stand down, soldier!" A new regal voice called and they all looked up the path past the guards to the newcomer. She was beautiful, with many jewels and a fine red silk dress draped over her pink body. Her pink and purple mane, was pinned back into a ponytail, while she wore a silver crown with blue gems on her head. It was Princess Cadence herself and her light ruby eyes regarded Zero with a welcoming expression. "She, will be permitted to join me in the castle grounds. She will be with me at all times and we are not to be disturbed while we converse. Is that understood?" There was no bite in her words, instead they were like honey, that flowed with liquid grace. The guards nodded and parted to let Zero through. "As you say, your grace." They said as one and bowed their heads. Zero nodded in thanks to the Princess and made her way past the guards and up to Cadence, who's see through dress blew in the wind gently. "Princess, it's good to see you again. I bring news you will want to hear." "Let's then, take this news to a more quiet location." With a hoof outstretched she led Zero to a lone part of the castle grounds garden and stood by a low wall that overlooked the dark valley below. They stood in silence for a moment, just taking in the breath taking view of the mountains cloaked in the moons glow and shadows of the drifting clouds. "Wonderful sight, isn't it?" Cadence asked, in her calm and smooth tone. "Sometimes , I can spend hours out here, just watching as the clouds pass over the mountains and the how the breeze just settles my weary soul." Zero, wasn't in the mood for this, as her soul was getting wearier by the minute without a cigarette in her mouth. "Ma'am, my I?" She gestured to her coat pocket and Cadence knew by know what she was asking. With a soft sigh, she nodded. "Yes, you may, but please have the wind blow away from me as you do." Zero shrugged. "Will do. I know how much you hate these." She took out a small pack of Samwood's Smokes and popped one out. "But, this weary one needs her fix, right now before I really loose my calm demeanor. You understand this, right?" She pulled out a flip open lighter and flicked it once to make a flame. Then she lit her Smoke and drew in a long breath, letting it hang in her lungs for a moment. As she exhaled with her eyes closed, a gust of smoke left through her nose and she felt her body relax. "Ok, you can ask me what I know." Cadence leaned on the low wall with one of her elbows and gave Zero a half smile. "We can drop the formal act now, Zero. You can be plain with me while no ears are near. What do you have to report?" Zero took her Smoke out her mouth with her hoof and blow into the wind as she said in a deadpan tone. "It's a real fucking shit show out there. We're nowhere near finding the source of the enemy's stronghold and while we waste our time waving our dicks in the wind, the Infection roams the Barrierland unchecked and unchallenged." She looked Cadence in the eye and narrowed her own. "Good Agents of mine died today, and for what? A scrap of fucking info that we knew already?" She sighed heavily, looking back out to the dark valley below with a sake of her head. "I don't know if I can keep doing this, we're getting nowhere with our current strategy. We should be bringing the fight right to the Infected, not leaving them to gather in numbers. How can we..." Cadence put up a hoof and Zero stopped talking. The Princess had a look of distaste on her face and she didn't look none-too happy. "I understand your frustration, but the fact of the matter is, and it pains me to say...but the Barrierland is lost, has been for a long time now." She put her hoof to her head and rubbed her temple, closing her eyes. "We can't waste resources on trying to take it back by force, the Legion already tried that and failed within a year. We need to start thinking about attacking the enemy at their source." "That's why you formed the EHC, to combat the Infection in a more indirect way, to study it, learn its weaknesses and if possible, find a cure." She scowled and the Princess was taken aback. Zero tapped her Smoke angrily, making glowing embers blow away in the cool breeze. "Now you tell me that it's useless, that we're wasting our time trying to save what's left of the Ponies that still live beyond the Great Barrier, in the Quarantine Zone, you read my reports, you know there are still pockets of survivors out there. If only you would let us try to..." "I'm going to stop you right there." Cadence stated, with her hoof now pointed at Zero. "I get where you're coming from, I respect that you want nothing more than to save them, but the fact of the matter is, things have changed." Zero wanted to retort but Cadence didn't let her have it. "I'm sorry, Zero...but my hooves are tied. From now on, all operations in saving survivors from the Barrierland is hear by cancelled, by order of...Princess Celestia, do to risk of spreading the Epidemic to the Heartland. I wish I could grant you your request to mount a rescue operation to bring the survivors back here, to the Heartland, but I can't. There's more at stake here." "More important than saving lives, Ma'am?" Zero cut in, a hint of resentment in her tone. Cadence was silent for a moment, as she just stared in shock at Zero, though she hid it well in the expression, but her eyes gave it away. She composed herself and gave Zero a soft yet firm look in her eye. "We've known each other for awhile now and I feel that we can speak freely to one another, even see us as friends." Her eyes hardened. "But you over step, Zero. You are important to the EHC, you practically made it, but that dose not put you above the word of Celestia herself." Zero bit her lip to hold back all she wanted to blurt out. She took a long drag of her Smoke and then let it out slowly, as she said. "Yes, Ma'am, pardon my...over eagerness. I stepped out of line." Cadence's hard expression softened, and her kind warmth returned to her eyes, as she put a hoof on Zero's shoulder. "I can't start to imagine what it feels like, what you lost, the efforts toward finding a cure. I want nothing more than to give you what you want. But again, I can't." She then moved closer to Zero and gave her a small hug. She respected the gesture, but it did little to make her feel better. They parted and Zero saw the pain in the Princesses eyes. Zero took one last drag of her Smoke and then flicked it over the wall. "Will that be all, Ma'am?" She asked Cadence, her tone flat and even. Cadence nodded, her formal composure back. "Your orders are the same, find out where Black Sun are hiding and what their plans are, so the Legion can move in and destroy them for what they have done." Zero nodded with little emotion in her expression. "As you say, your grace." She turned and made her way to the stairs leading to the path out the castle grounds, but before she could put another hoof on the steps, Cadence called to her. "Martha?" Zero stopped at the sound of her real name and looked over her shoulder, back at the Princess. She looked regretful, looked to be finding it hard to find the right words. "For what it's worth...I'm sorry about your husband. I hear he was a good Stallion." Zero, or, Martha, just kept the same expression as before but gave her a respectful nod. "Goodnight, Ma'am." With that, she turned back to the stairs and made her way out of the garden, leaving Princess Cadence alone with a look of regret on her face. Zero made her way out of Canterlot toward the train station, where a large Earth Pony Stallion was waiting for her. He wore a similar trench coat to her, but his was a dark green and was much bulkier, as if there was something hidden underneath. He had a rust coloured body, with black spots dotting his scarred face, a silver-grey short-cut mane and his left eye was covered by an eyepatch. His one good eye, that was a smooth blue, glanced her way as she approached the bench he was sitting at, while smoking from a pipe. "Well, how'd it go?" He asked her, as she took a seat next to him. Before she could answer, he added. "From the death beams coming from your eyes, that I fear might melt me any second, I take it the meeting didny go so well?" Zero snorted and made an irritated smile. "Observant, as always, Buckwood." She bit her lower lip again and took out her pack of Smokes again, popping one out with a tap on her leg. She lit the Smoke and drew in a long drag before speaking again. "For lack of a better word, we're fucked." Buckwood took in his own drag from his pipe and let the smoke blow out his nose, keeping the pipe in his mouth as he spoke. "Well shit, don't say I didn't tell you so." Zero smiled but it wasn't the happy kind. "Your sarcasm is noted, Buckwood." Her expression was plain again and she blew smoke out her mouth, then said. "Our orders are the same, nothing's changed." Buckwood looked like he was thinking of throwing his pipe off the platform, but instead his just held it in his hoof, smoke wafting out of it. "Dose she have any idea what it is we face out there? How we've gotten nowhere since we turned our attention from those rotten faced bastards to this Black Sun? Why I'll give her a piece of my..." "That's enough." Zero stated sharply, but her tone was still even and level. " The Princess is unable to help us, that is true, but not without reason. Her hooves are tied, caught in the middle of a political struggle. She can't allow us to mount a rescue operation 'cause it will draw too much attention and besides, Celestia has stopped all further rescue operations." "So that's it, we're just giving up?" Buckwood looked like he was going to blow a gear, as a vein on his temple bulged slightly. "You said we would be able to save them, that this cloak and dagger shit would amount to something. Have I been used? Have you been..." "I'm not saying that." Zero stated, cutting his protest off. "That's what the politics say. However, we don't exist on official record, there for unofficially, no one can really stop us from conducting our own off the books mission." Buckwood looked impressed, taken aback really. "Are you suggesting, that we go Awall? Is that...wise? What of the Princess?" "Princess Cadence is only one Pony, an Alocorn at that, but still just one. What she dose not know, won't hurt her." Zero finished another Smoke and flicked the bud away, as she let out what was left in her lungs. "Get Agent 042's team ready for deployment at 0:500. I have a very important task for them." Buckwood smiled and stood up. "Now that's the Zero I know. What's the task?" Zero stood as well, and begun walking down the platform to the other end with Buckwood right behind her. "There are survivors out there, ones that have lived for 4 years in that hell hole. If anyone can aid us in finding out where our enemy might be, it's them." When they reached the end of the platform, a door opened up in mid-air and a dull blue light glowed outward. inside, was a Pony in a suit of sleek grey battle armour and they stood at the entrance waiting. "Welcome back, Agent Zero. Engines fired up and ready to move on your order." The armoured Pony had the voice of a Mare, but the helmet that covered her whole head and hid her eyes behind a silver visor, sounded electronic from a speaker on her helm. "Thank you,Airmen, we move out now, I got a mission to construct." The armoured Mare nodded and jumped into a waiting seat and gripped a control stick while flipping some switches. Zero and Buckwood took seats and strapped themselves in and as the door the came trough closed on its own, Zero felt the sensation of lifting off. As they left the train station and rowed their invisible aircraft high in the sky, Zero thought of her late-husband's favorite moto. "If first you don't succeed, try, try again."