Chapter 6: Memories And Emotions
Marcus found himself in the unusual position of standing before a god. Well, goddess really, but semantics were the last thing on the soldier’s mind. He was unnerved at the relative coldness in Celestia’s last statement compared to the warmth he had felt radiating from her when she spoke to the ponies. The stark contrast put Marcus on guard, but at least Applejack and the others were present to help smooth things over.
The Princess turned to the ponies, once again donning a tone of sunshine, she bade, “Twilight, girls, please leave us. I wish to talk to our guests alone.”
‘Shit.’ Marcus cursed internally.
"Come on Princess, let us stay! We..." Rainbow Dash began, but was cut short by Celestia.
"I must insist. Girls, I'm sure you can find plenty to occupy yourselves with while I get to know your friends."
The Princess' unusually decisive tone caught the ponies off-guard. Reluctantly, they left the hall, the heavy ornate doors shutting tightly behind them.
“There now, we can speak in private. Twilight Sparkle has informed me of the basics of your situation. However, before we begin to attempt to unravel this problem, I believe that introductions are in order. I am Princess Celestia, Sovereign of the Day, and Elder Ruler of Equestria."
Marcus stood at attention while he introduced himself and his team. He had grown up learning upper-class etiquette, and he was now hoping that what he remembered of it applied in Equestria.
“Ma’am, Sergeant Marcus Fenix, Coalition of Ordered Governments Army, 26th Infantry Division, Delta Squad. These are Corporal Dominic Santiago, Corporal Damon Baird, and Private Augustus Cole."
Christ, he hoped he wouldn’t have to keep up the formal attitude. Most Gears didn’t bother with it back home, officers were often familiar enough with their troops that it seemed unnecessary, unless you were talking to someone who significantly outranked you, which seemed to apply here.
"Thank you Sergeant Fenix." The pale alicorn bid the COG warriors to step forward, and with a flash of magic from her horn, four comfortable looking chairs of human size materialized before her throne. As the Gears sat, the monarch continued. “I must admit, your situation is an unprecedented one, and therefore, I must require that unprecedented precautions be made to ensure that your intentions are pure and that no harm will befall my little ponies."
“And just what does that mean?”
“Well Sergeant Fenix, if you wouldn’t mind, there is something I wish to do. I know you told your tale to my student already, but I would like to see it for myself.”
“It’s kind of a long story, but if you’ve got the time-”
“You misunderstand me.” Celestia interjected. “With my magic, I could view your entire life in a matter of seconds. It would allow me to see the truth of your account, unfiltered by biased storytelling. I find it polite to ask permission, as you will be unable to lie or hide anything from me. It is rather a gross invasion of privacy, but it would be the quickest and surest way to determine your intentions.”
Marcus hesitated. War was a hideous thing, and he had lived a lifetime of it. He had done terrible things in the name of his government, and had seen far worse. Not to mention all of the classified information that would be exposed should he agree to this. ‘Ah, screw it’, he resolved to himself. ‘If we don’t make it home, classifications won’t mean a damn thing anyway.’
“Marcus…” Dom started.
He waved away his friend’s concerns. “It’ll be alright Dom.” Turning to Celestia, he said with a hint of uncertainty in his voice, “Let‘s get this over with.”
The glorious alicorn stepped down from her throne, and strode gracefully towards the Sergeant. Her lengthy horn began to shimmer with an aura of power, and ever so gently she touched it to Marcus’ forehead. In that moment, his gaze was locked into hers, and he was unable to look away. Deeply he stared into her eyes, and what he saw astonished him. Each was a pool of timeless wisdom, and behind her gaze was a well of depth and knowledge spanning across infinite ages. Suddenly, Marcus was thrown back into his chair, as his life literally flashed before his eyes. Familiar images began to strobe in his vision, some only for an instant, while other scenes played out for what felt like minutes, or even hours.
He saw his parents - he watched his mother, the deliberate motions of her practiced hands weeding through her garden, as she taught him about the many beautiful plants growing there. He looked up at his father, sitting in his favorite chair in the library telling him what it meant to be a soldier. He spoke of honor, glory, camaraderie.
The image shifted, and he saw himself in the locker room of his old school on his first day, when those boys had decided that killing him at Thrashball wasn't torture enough. He and Carlos Santiago had chased the bullies off – it had been the first time he understood the word 'brotherhood'.
He saw himself with Carlos at the recruiter's station, signing their lives away for the greater cause. He watched as they struggled through those first missions under Bernie, the old lady teaching them to be proper Gears. He remembered the endless days spent sweltering under pounds and pounds of equipment in the extreme heat, the nights camped out with Carlos in hastily constructed foxholes under enemy fire.
He saw the dying faces of the many men he had killed in the Pendulum Wars, their final screams burned into his mind. He watched as Carlos was shot at Aspho, the blood gushing from his wounds as his innards spilled out. He saw his own face screaming as Carlos pulled the pin on the grenade that saved the mission but ended his life. The bright flash of light gave way to the funeral and the Embry Star awarded to his friend, given to his parents by Dom.
He saw the surrender of the UIR, and the beginnings of peace. People finally returning to some semblance of normalcy. He saw the hope rebuilding in the human race, people ready for the end of war.
In a burning flash, the scene changed again. He saw Emergence Day. He felt once more the horrific sense of loss of hope as the monstrous Locust first appeared, tunneling their way into human cities from below. He watched in helpless despair as they poured endlessly from the earth, slaughtering everyone with absolute disregard. His heart, hardened by the extreme life he lived, broke again at the sight of the mangled bodies littering the streets, at the sight of the tiny corpses of children whom the COG had failed to protect.
The memories began to flash faster and more intensely than they had before. He saw himself carving Grubs to pieces with his chainsaw with bitter joy, and in the same instant saw Kryll shred and devour his friends whole. He watched the choppy news feeds of the Hammer Strikes on Char, an attempt to drive the nightmares back into the bowels of Sera with humanity’s mightiest weapon. He saw the twisted forms of mutated Lambent Wretches forgo cover, closing the gap on COG soldiers until they were close enough to explode, tearing the humans apart in a volatile display of violent death. He saw the moment that he and Dom had slain the Locust General RAAM on the train delivering the light mass bomb. He relived the victory they felt at it's successful detonation, and felt familiar anguish as they realized that the bomb hadn't wiped the Locust out at all. He saw Tai Kailiso, the “Immortal Gear”, who had defied death at every turn, broken by Locust torture take a shotgun to his own face.
He saw the recording of his father on a Locust computer terminal, telling them his plan to cripple the Locust. By sinking Jacinto, by sacrificing humanities last mighty stronghold and final bastion of security, the Locust would suffer such devastating loss it would be nigh impossible for them to recover. He witnessed once more the tumultuous rumblings and quaking as Jacinto fell beneath the surface of Sera, and he felt again the uncertainty that tomorrow would bring.
All of the fear, and anger, all of the sorrow of these events surged through Marcus. The memories and emotions that he had longed worked so hard to suppress came rushing back, and he fell to the floor, powerless and overcome.
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Marcus felt his awareness returning, and the black shade of unconsciousness peeled back. He could hear the other Gears scrambling to his side. “I’m…I’m fine.” It took Marcus several minutes to even sit up again, his emotions had all boiled to the surface. Tears burned in his eyes as the pain of the loss of countless friends came flooding back in a tidal wave of heartache, and even the hardened veteran couldn’t suppress all of it at once. Attempting to recover, he dropped all pretense of courtesy and choked out, “Christ lady, you could have warned me abou-”
He couldn’t continue. He had been gazing in the Princess’ general direction, when he had noticed small wet stains on the floor before her. He turned his gaze up to Celestia’s face, and he saw the streaks of tears on her alabaster coat.
“You-” her voice cracked, “You have truly seen great pain in your lifetime. I hadn’t realized…it‘s been centuries since Equestria has last gone to war, but even in our darkest hours my people have never been subjected to anything as….brutal as what I have just witnessed.”
The Princess walked over to gaze out of an open window, surveying her kingdom, suddenly vastly more grateful for the peace and prosperity her land enjoyed. Marcus couldn't help but notice that the alicorn seemed much wearier, and somehow less radiant than mere moments ago. After taking a moment to compose herself before she continued.
“You have done horrible things….haven’t you. Despicable things. But never I think, without reason. I…I don’t believe you would harm my subjects.” As she spoke, her resolve(and color) began to return, “You may stay here in the castle until such time as arrangements can be made for you departure. However, I must impress on you the seriousness of the actions you made upon your arrival. Such violence has not happened in Equestria in ages.”
Marcus’ mind shot back to the forest, to the Theron Guards who’s throats the Gears had slit.
“We weren’t about to let those Grubs go free. If we had, they would be out there right now doing God knows what to your ponies.”
“Yes, I understand your reasons. These Locust, they do not show mercy, and they are certainly not to be trifled with. However, the intentional taking of a life isn’t something that I take lightly. At the very least, they should be given a proper burial. I will dispatch a contingent of my guard to take care of it.”
“I’m sorry,” Baird butted in, “But what the fuck? They’re Locust. These aren't fluffy bunnies from Hop-a-Long Corner, they are very literally bloodthirsty monsters. You can’t “love and tolerate” them away, the only thing they deserve is a bullet between the eyes.”
“I can certainly understand your feelings, but it is the decent thing to do. And from what I have seen, doing the decent thing seems to be what separate you humans from the Locust.”
“But-”
“Let it go Baird, it’s not like you have to go bury them yourself. Ma‘am, thanks for the hospitality.” Marcus said as the Gears rose to leave.
“One more thing, I will expect you to leave your weapons in your quarters for the duration of your stay.”
Marcus froze. It was unthinkable for a COG soldier leave his weapon behind. They had been trained to never be without their firearms. Hell, "trained" might not be the word for it. Thoroughly ingrained came a little closer to the mark. You ate with your gun, you slept with your gun, you took your gun with you to take a piss. Getting caught without your weapon was inexcusable when the enemy could appear literally at any time, anywhere. It was almost a god damned sin.
“That might be an issue.”
“I’m sorry, but while you remain in my kingdom, you will obey my laws. If you really feel that strongly, I will allow you to carry your…”she searched the memories she had gleaned from Marcus for the proper word, “Side arms? But your larger weapons will need to be kept away.”
Marcus wasn’t happy about it, but it was better than nothing. The Princess bid them farewell, and the Gears rejoined their pony friends in the foyer.
“So how'd it go?” Applejack inquired.
“Well, we're not being thrown in the stocks.” Marcus responded, still a little shaky from the ordeal of the memory spell. “We're being allowed to stay here until we can find a way home.”
“Excellent!” chirped Twilight, clapping her fore-hooves excitedly. “I'll get started right away, there are several rare reference tomes in the Royal Archives that-”
“They get the point Darling,” Rarity interposed, “I'm sure they don't wish to be bored with the details.”
Baird spoke up at this point. “I think I've nearly figured out where we are, astrologically speaking. I'm still working on finding Sera, but if you've got some high powered telescopes, it would help me get our bearings.”
“Oh boy, do we have telescopes! The Starswirl Memorial Observatory here in Canterlot is home to Equestria's Chetlin Space Telescope, the most advanced star gazing tool ponykind has to offer! And-”
“Yeah, we get it Twilight, you're an egghead!” Rainbow jested. “Anyways, the sooner we can send them home, the better. I'm a little worried that I won't be able to get Baird's smell out of my nose.”
“Oh, I'm just gonna miss you to death when we go, Sweetheart. I don't know how I've gone all these years without your shining personality to brighten my days. I may have to take up a journal to spell out the depths of my woes. 'Dear Diary, my days are SO lonely and incomplete without Rainbow Dash here to utterly humiliate herself...' ”
Everyone (except Rainbow Dash) laughed as a servant arrived to lead the Gears to their quarters. They soon found themselves in a luxurious penthouse, with beds large enough for their overgrown frames, and were treated to a great feast of various fruits and deserts. It was delicious fare, but Marcus couldn't help but sneak bites of beef jerky from his field rations when he could. That these ponies didn't eat meat was disappointing, if understandable. At any rate, their stay would be pleasant enough if they were to remain in such lavish accommodations. Baird and Twilight would begin their research in the morning, and God willing, they'd be home before they knew it.
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Scryed prowled the wooded terrain with masterful stealth and guile, his presence went undetected by even the most alert of the forest’s denizens. After crossing the portal, he had been greeted by Sanguine's pathetic pack of simpering creatures. Their weakness disgusted him, but he had paid them no heed as he began his mission. It had taken nearly the full day, and the sun was beginning to set by the time he eventually caught the scent of the humans. He followed the trail deftly, never allowing himself to leave the shadows, and soon he was rewarded with the sounds of activity in a clearing ahead. He scaled a strong tree and glared out into the murky twilight. There in the dell were a number of armored ponies, digging trenches and moving large bags about. The assassin quietly circled the clearing, making note of the positions of the various guards. Then he saw what they were loading into the sacks.
A Theron Guard lay against a tree, his weapons gone and his throat slit, and two of the ponies were hiking a cloth bag past his legs. The reek of the humans lingered in the air, and Scryed could easily piece together what had happened. Those miserable fools, to be defeated by a mere handful of the humans' fighters, it sickened him to his core. Not only had they failed their mission, but they had inexcusably failed the Queen. The anger brewed to a full rage within the deadly Locust's gut, and soon he could hold himself back no longer. Someone had to pay for this display of weakness.
Slowly, he reached for the blade he carried on his back. Longer than the weapons of the Cleavers, it was both crude and predatory in appearance. Shifting his weight, he let loose his battle roar and leaped upon the unsuspecting equines. He cleaved one as he fell, then used the momentum to spin around and catch a second before he was even aware of what had happened to the first. In moments, the half dozen remaining armored equines were facing the assassin, woefully unprepared for his wrath. One stepped forward and addressed the dark warrior in a voice that trembled with a mixture of overwhelming anger and fear.
“H-halt! In the name of Celestia, y-y-you are under arre-”
Before he could finish, Scryed had dashed forward, his blade making a single stroke through the pony's form. The golden-clad guard collapsed as his crimson life-fluids erupted from the gaping wound in his chest. Before the others could retaliate, the assassin jumped and whirled, cutting down a pegasus from the air. One pony, who lacked both wing and horn, attempted to buck the shadowy knight, but his armored leg was snatched mid-kick and he found himself being hurled into one of the other guards. Before the two could pick themselves from the ground, Scryed impaled them together, pinning them to a tree with a leaping stab of his cruel blade. Only two guards remained, both of them unicorns, their horns charged with luminescent magic. Not even bothering to retrieve his weapon, Scryed charged the closest one, locking the steel bands of his arms around the diminutive pony. He could feel the desperation in the unicorn's struggles, it's horn radiating a singeing heat while his small form writhed in a feeble attempt to escape. With a sharp jerk, the assassin snapped the pathetic creature's neck and dropped the limp corpse to the cold ground. Slowly, he turned to the other unicorn, who was screaming and backing slowly away, his mind lost in utter terror. Scryed advanced on the weak creature, ready to slaughter this creature like the rest, but in a blinding flash, the unicorn was enveloped in light, and he disappeared.
After a moment of initial shock, Scryed cursed himself. He had been warned that unicorns were capable of magic, and for the first time in years, he had let a victim escape. He drew from his belt a wickedly curved knife, and ran it sharply against the back of his arm, a blood offering to his Queen. He bore many such marks, they were his way of chastising himself for failures.
Now that he had sated his blood lust, his mind returned to his mission. He retrieved his sword from the bodies of the two ponies under the tree, and re-sheathing it, he turned he nose to the wind. He could pick up on the strong scent of COG warriors, their foul stink blazed a clear road for Scryed to follow. Though the small pony had escaped his wrath, the humans would not be so lucky. Now that he had their trail, it was simply a matter of time.