//------------------------------// // Act II, Chapter 8: The Turning Points // Story: Of Starships and Golden Armors // by Devona //------------------------------// Dimension [YET UNCATALOGUED] Equis, Equis system [NOTICE: TEMPORARY DESIGNATION]; more precise location - Canterlot, Kingdom of Equestria Capital Universal Time (CUT) - June 15th, 6193; 0843 hours Local Operational Time - 0412 hours, day cycle 170/362 One day after arrival. Cloud Haze pushed his way through the sea of ponies in an attempt to keep up with his new companion, but to say the task was difficult would be a massive understatement; despite such an ungodly hour, the Inn was flooded with customers and more seemed to be coming every passing minute, further and further restricting the small remaining breathing space. Such, however, was the beautiful nature of Cloudy Goblet, and there was hardly any better way to experience it than witnessing this nighttime fervor, so different from the rest of the quiet, now-sleeping Canterlot. And so, Cloud Haze navigated through the gigantic mob, as if it was a maze; gently, like a vessel's captain on a stormy day, but in all honesty, not without drowning once every often. His companion, Bright Flower, was obviously much more experienced in this specific lifestyle, as although surely slowed down by the pony flock, he pushed forward like an unrelenting timberwolf would, leaving Cloud Haze behind on a regular basis. For every time the former guard caught sight of the bright, orange coat, there were easily five minutes of aimless wandering, only somewhat in the proper direction. After a solid quarter of struggles however, just as another wall of the expansive Inn rapidly approached, the crowd began, at last, thinning. A dozen more hoofsteps, and Cloud Haze could easily breath once again, before suddenly falling into a completely abandoned, small strip on the room's very side. Narrowly avoiding a bump, Cloud Haze shook his head. Looking left, he noticed Bright Flower's orange-black silhouette along with a straight, impatient frown. "At last!" the unicorn sighed, rolling his eyes. "What took you so long?" "Listen..." Cloud Haze began with an annoyed grunt, but decided he'd rather not start a new, even more pointless conversation. "Okay, you know what? Nevermind. Can you just tell me what's it all about already? Because I'm not going back throught that mess once again," Bright Flower's face immediately lit up, everything else forgotten, as he cast a wide, a little unsettling smile. "Aha! Of course, I knew you'd ask!" "I've already-" "For here, beware! The Lair... of Knowledge!" the unicorn exclaimed, loud enough to even - although briefly - attract the attention of a few ponies from the main crowd. With his front hooves, Bright Flower pointed at the Inn's nearest wall. Following his companion, Cloud Haze looked right; indeed, embedded into the dark, old fashioned wallpaper was a single doorframe, nearby himself, camouflaged by the not-so-great lighting and the blending-together, plain color schemes. Glancing at Bright Flower, Cloud Haze raised an eyebrow. "The what?" "The Lair of Knowledge!" "Alright, okay, but... what?" "You'll see. Come!" Bright Flower instructed with a glimmer of excitement in his eyes as he levitated a small key up from his saddlebags. "I can't believe it's still happening... they're still coming... and you've seen it! Remarkable!" he rambled as he opened the door. "Oh, and, yeah... as for the Lair, we've been renting it from the Inn for quite some time already... a hundred bits a month... and it's been suiting us well!" the unicorn explained as the keyhole let out a faint crack, shooting the opener out and propelling the door forward just enough for them to leave their cranky doorframe. "Wait... 'we'?" Cloud Haze asked, huffing; the sorrounding secrecy didn't please him at all. "If you want me to take a hoofstep more, just tell me what's going on, for Celestia's sake!" Bright Flower glanced at the former guard with the same, unending excitement, before letting out a short, unfitting, troubled sigh. "You will see... okay? You'll see everything! Now... come!" he ushered, disappearing behind the open door. Cloud Haze hesitated. Should he follow this guy? For all he knows, he might just be making himself a hostage for one of the ever-troubling nightmare cults; hay, maybe even the Darknight Cult itself? After the last incursion into the Royal Castle, everything was possible, wasn't it? The damage they'd done to the guards had already seemed to have made these madponies more cocky, after all. On the other hand, Bright Flower didn't look like a cultist at all; Cloud Haze had never supposed he'd get to such a conclusion, but the tinge of positive insanity was actually very much a calming factor here. "You coming?" an excited voice pulled Cloud Haze out of his thoughts. The unicorn took one more slow glance at the black-maned, orange head sticking out from behind the open doors. What could he lose, anyway? There was nowhere to go and hardly anypony to help. So... why not? Maybe just... try? The Lair's door gently closed, illuminated from the outside by the few dim lamps, as both unicorns vanished from the Cloudy Goblet Inn's main hall without a trace. As the worn out doors closed, they sent echoes through the vast silence of the dim corridor, a sharp contrast to the booming laughter and overall fervor dominating the Inn's main hall. While Bright Flower was busy sealing the lock, Cloud Haze took in the new environment. Contrary to the big drinking room, this passage had little decorations, even the brick walls barely painted at all. Everything felt more like a theatre's backstage than part of an actual bar. Just a few hoofsteps ahead the hallway took a sharp turn left, after which - presumably - it merged with some bigger chamber, its existence betrayed by the escaping light and shadows dancing on the curve itself. Cracks of a burning fireplace filled everything with a warm feeling. "Who's there?" a deep voice suddenly called from around the corner, as a head-shaped shadow perked up on one of the visible walls. Bright Flower glanced over his shoulder, finishing the tedious task of sealing the door's multiple locks. "Relax, Flier! It's just me!" "I am not deaf, you old imbecile! Who else?" Bright Flower sighed. "Oh, come on, don't be paranoid! You... you'll see! Good news!" he shouted, before ushering Cloud Haze forward. The unicorn hesitated. Was he stupid? Why did he even agree to this mess in the first place? Did he not value his life...? Well, not the new life, anyway. There was no way to flee now regardless; no turning back at all. Hoof after hoof, Cloud Haze slowly trotted forward along his orange companion, until he eventually reached the hallway's corner. ...only for his head to be immediately jotted sideways with a sharp, stinging pain resonating under his left eye. "Who are you and whatever you seek here, you!?" the same deep voice shouted right into Cloud Haze's ear, shocking the unicorn to no end. Seems he was being taken hostage, after all. Whaddya know. Meanwhile however, Bright Flower was not idle, as he immediately rushed in to save the situation, separating the two ponies. "Whoa, Forest Flier, I told you not to be paranoid!" he exclaimed to the aspiring boxer. "He's with me! Right, Cloud Haze?" The former guard looked up hesitantly, rubbing his bruised eye. "Eh... I'm not sure yet. Listen, where even are we? Who is this?" Bright Flower's face filled up with a huge smile once again. "Oh, right! We still need to make introductions! Come inside!" he ushered, trotting straight into the spacious chamber up front. Forest Flier took one last, long glance at Cloud Haze, before following in the unicorn's steps. As he entered the room, Cloud Haze could not help but gasp with amazement. Not amazement at how beautiful or extraordinary the inside was, but at the sheer passion and effort these ponies must've put into whatever they were doing. Firstly, the chamber itself wasn't anything unusual; if at all, then negatively so. It had no windows whatsoever, and the high brick walls were only disturbed by a wide chimney directly opposite the only entrance the room possessed. This chimney, connected to a burning fireplace, was the only source of light present inside, if one omits the few, barely significant lightbuld hanging poorly from the ceiling. In the center, a few couches and chairs, one of wich currently occupied by some unknown pegasus mare, surrounded a low, crude, wooden table. That, however, wasn't impressive at all; what was in turn, was the whole surrounding. On all the walls, far too high to reach without flight or active magic, enormous boards, both cork and wooden, were hung, each adorned woth hundred upon hundreds of notes and photos, crambled so much that many ended up not fitting on the displays themselves, instead taking permanent refuge outside their boundaries. Between the boards, and hung from the ceiling as well, were a multitude of other weird items connected by strings, bright tape or many, many marker colors. There were maps, some recognizable, like a modern parchment covered entirely with notes and arrows, as well as others, less so - like the one on which the Crystal Empire controlled half of Equestria. Then, there were things like the replicas of the Elements of Harmony, joined together with the convenient use of flex tape into some unspecified mass... Cloud Haze could go on and on. It was a miracle that at least the floor itself remained clean and passable. While Cloud Haze gazed at his surroundings, trying to take in all that he was seeing, Bright Flower coughed a few times, positioning himself in the 'Lair's' center. "Alright! Alright, everypony! Please, meet our new mem-... uh, guest - Cloud Haze! Cloud Haze, meet Forest Flier," he gestured at the aggressor, who, quite ironically, despite his name was an earth pony. "And, of course, Majestic Will," the mare just kept looking Cloud Haze over, silently scrutinizing the unicorn. What she concluded, the former guard could only speculate. "Together, we are what makes the Lair of Knowledge great! We are the seekers of hidden truth!" Bright Flower finished proudly, lifting his front hooves in the air for a short second. Unsure how to react, Cloud Haze simply remained in place, waving dumbly at his new companions. Was this... it? If so... what's next? Why did the madpony bring him here? Luckily, Cloud Haze didn't have to wait long for answers, as the uncomfortable was soon broken by non other than Forest Flier himself. "Care to explain why you bringing random ponies inside?" he practically shouted with a lifted eyebrow, annoyance well heard in his voice. For a moment, Bright Flower's face went uneasy. "He... he's not random, you'll see! He's... he's seen things! Like we did!" Hm. Looks like I do am in an asylum after all... "He knows, without... ugh, Cloud Haze! Could you tell them what you saw? Short version, if you can... it's important, believe me!" asked Bright Flower with an exaggerately begging frown, taking Cloud Haze aback. Does he tell them? Actually, to hay with this; there's nothing to even consider, what cpuld he possibly lose? Cloud Haze sighed. "Oh, I... I mean, sure, I guess... first of all though, hello, I'm Cloud Haze, nice to meet you," recited the unicorn with a fake smile, in an attempt to illustrate a proper, personal introduction. All he was met with however was an eye roll. "Yeah, we know, dude," spat out Forest Flier. "Could you not find someone saner, Bright?" he continued, to Majestic Will's apparent amusement, as he desperately tried to stifle a chuckle. Cloud Haze sighed once again. Time to accept some of the ponies here were... not necessarily the brightest in the world. "I realize that, I just... okay, you know what? Nevermind. You wanna know what I saw? Here you go, just don't get too excited," Cloud Haze responded, rolling his eyes. "Yesterday night, me and my squad were taken, alongside the Lunar Guard, on an expedition to the Everfree-" "You and your what!?" Forest Flier suddenly cut him, shputing so loudly it sent shivers down Cloud Haze's spine. The earth pony turned to Bright Flower, practically bumping into his face. "You got a Guard in here!? Are you out of your mind, moron!? Why would you alert the government!?" Bright Flower recoiled a bit, as he stuttered with an answer. "I-I... He..." "Relax," Cloud Haze chimmed in, trying to calm the confusing situation. "I got fired. Like, gotten rid of. Just a few hours ago." Forest Flier immediately turned his head. "So you're not Royal anymore?" "No." "Are you sure?" "Yes, pretty... pretty much." "Absolutely?" "Absolutely." "Then you're good with me!" Forest Flier suddenly shouted as he jerked forward, enveloping Cloud Haze in a brief hug. "Anypony shunned by those... those lying bastards must be trustworthy! You heard that, Majestic? This guy's an outcast!" the earth pony asked, turning to the stoic mare still resting on one of the couches. The pegasus blinked a few times before making an answer. "I did," Majestic Will replied simply as she maintained her stoic pokerface, with the most incredibly stunning voice Cloud Haze had ever heard; absolutely beautiful, but at the same time weirdly unsettling... unfitting. Somehow, unfitting. "That you did!" laughed meanwhile Forest Flier as he turned back to the former guard. "Say, what did they fire you for? Why? Were you too good for their standards?" "I... well, I... I knew too much," attempted Cloud Haze, deducing this would likely please the three the most. "Ah," nodded Forest Flier understandingly. "Of course. They do things like that, you see. There were many like you, who gained just a little too much information. Like that one person who learned first-hoof that the whole coup against Discord a millennium ago was actually a scheme by him and the sisters to keep Equestria stable but remain in power! Or the commander whom had Luna confessed to that the Sombra thing was in fact a Royal plan to subjugate the crystal ponies under a puppet regime, but it backfired. And was it not for griffon masons, he may not have been sealed away in the first place. I'm sure you've heard about that one? It was quite loud when it got out!" the earth pony lectured quickly, excited yet suspicious at the same time. Cloud Haze raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I... did, I mean... what?" he stuttered, careful not to say something stupid. Instead of Forest Flier, Bright Flower now took the conversation over. "What he said!" he exclaimed. "Granted, none of these guys was ever seen... but we've got proof! Irrefutable proof, somewhere in here, actually... and besides that, the fact all these ponies are nowhere to be found is a proof in and of itself! A proof that our government did something horrible to them all!" Bright Flower continued, energetically waving his front left hoof in the air as he spoke. Cloud Haze bit his lip in hesitation. "Okay, uhh... sure, I guess." "How did they not wipe your memory, thought?" chimmed in Forest Flier, tilting his head. "I... have no idea. Maybe I just... got lucky?" "Right, now come on, continue!" Bright Flower ushered Cloud Haze with a wild smile, everything else suddenly forgotten. Cloud Haze left out another sigh of resignation. "Okay, so, we were taken to the Everfree, to some weird meadow, and there was this... how should I put this... a creature... bipedal, I think... all black, somehow... irregular... blending with the surroundings and even itself... but strangely meterial as well, unlike a spirit or phantom, no... a living being, like all of us, but still supernatural... maybe... I don't know how to put this..." Cloud Haze explained, once again finding it almost pleasant once he already began; perhaps someone to genuinely listen in these difficult times was what he had needed? "Tell them about the box!" said Bright Flower from the side. Cloud Haze looked at him in confusion. "What?... oh, right, the machine... you see, there was this weird machine, which looked quite advanced and was casting some type of magical rays... and... and I attacked the creature when it threatened the Princesses, and then our guys restrained me, they talked with the being and took it with them... and..." Cloud Haze trailed off as he noticed none of the three was paying any attention anymore, instead locking their gazes with each other. "See...?" whispered Bright Flower after a while. "They're coming! They're still coming! He saw it, just yesterday! It hasn't stopped! Of course it wouldn't stop!" he continued, rising his voice with every spoken word. "Of course," agreed Forest Flier as a bright glimmer appeared in his eyes to accompany one already present in Bright Flower's. Cloud Haze meanwhile, remained dumbfounded. "What hasn't stopped? Who? What do you mean?" he asked in confusion, inwardly a little tired of constantly waiting for at least some meaningful answer. "Okay, good find, Bright Flower, I give you that, after all!" Forest Flier said, still ignoring the unicorn's topic, before turning to the former guard. "You'll see, we'll tell you! You don't know how big, how important this is, you! Take a sit and listen... welcome to the Lair," the earth pony encouraged, sending Cloud Haze what he could sware was a brief, smug smile. "Yes!" quickly added Bright Flower from the left, still with immeasurable excitement as he dashed to Cloud Haze's side once again. "Welcome... to the Keepers of the Knowledge's Lair!" Dimension 000-000-001a "Oh-One" Sazana, Ckarflox system, Defense Line Epsilon; more precise location [UNKNOWN] - roughly 80 klicks north-west of Devon One-Two's dropsite. Capital Universal Time (CUT) - June 18th, 6193; 0851 hours Local Operational Time - 0959 hours, day cycle 214/601 59th day of the Defense of Sazana 7th day of the counteroffensive Four days after deployment. "Admiral, The Core has relayed its answers." "So it has. What do they say?" "We're going in." "I... Roger. Establish a link with Master General Lopez, have him prepare further landings across the 56th parallel. We need to hurry, lest we lose dominance in the upper atmosphere..." "But sir, we still haven't breached the lower perimeter, we have no idea if-" "I know we may not even control any beachheads, but it seems it's worth the risk. You know how Absolute Priority works, my friend. We don't argue with The Core..." Clouds of dust lifted off the hot, desert streets of Sazana as the remnants of Devon Team One traversed its unending metropolises, each passed square and alley the same, every cleared house flat-roofed, low with five stories at the most. The team had decided to head north-west in hopes of finding any scattered Allied forces along the way to the - likely - big cluster of strategic objectives - so far, to no avail. With every kilometer travelled, more and more buildings checked and marked, hope persisted however, even if the whole sector seemed to be nothing more than a ghost town - after fifteen hours, the men had been able to intercept only two friendly transmissions, each muffled beyond comprehension and cutting off after mere minutes. The Swarm similarly was barely ever seen, with just a couple patrols encountered along the entire way. Noone however would've guessed, looking at the broad, sand-covered Alpha Centauri Victory Square and the very narrow, intersecting it Brusilov Alley, that this would be exactly when the persisting sameness would finally end. As soon as the team entered the open space, keeping close to the walls for maximum safety, the few lights still on vanished in unison. Then more, behind them. Down the alley. Then further. And further. And further, until no glow was visible anywhere at all. The horizon drowned in darkness, only the dim sunlight left to illuminate it. "Continental Blackout," Jonathan declared, cursing quietly. Staying low, Jasvant sent him a quick glance. "Ours? Or theirs?" "Hell if I know, unless the comms come back." "Alright, fair enough," Jasvant nodded to himself. "One-Five, see that house on one o'clock? If I get it right, it only has one exit. We two move in and clear it. One-Four, guard the door, I'll join you when we're done. One-Five, you get on the rooftop and see what you can... clear?" "Clear!" "Clear as hell." "Alright. On me," Jasvant called, pointing at their target. As quietly as possible, the team neared the sole sandstone doorframe. The lack of any windows caused little problems, as a single flashbang proved more than enough to safely enter the bungalow. Once inside, Jonathan and Jasvant quickly checked the only two rooms, before splitting up according to the plan. Barely did Jasvant reach the doorframe however as the sniper's voice resonated over the comms. "I think you two should freaking see this," he said gravely. Exchanging a quiet look with Werner, Jasvant answered. "Uhh... okay? What do you have?" "Transmitting visual." A small, rectangular display lit up on the soldier's HUD, and after a second of loading, the view materialized. Down from the team's position, a huge valley stretched out to the horizon, its bottom covered in an unending net of small bungalows, just like everything else on this part of the planet. Far ahead, at least a few dozen kilometers, a giant, greenish cloud floated low above the ground, slowly shifting west. "Holy shit..." whispered Jasvant. "A goddamn poison gas. Was wondering why we haven't seen it yet," replied Jonathan as his visor zoomed in on the area in question. "Yeah, I know, no kidding... but once again: ours, or theirs?" "Well, whaddya know, I might just have an answer for that," Jonathan declared, focusing the binocular-like view on a location just ahead of the green cloud's current position. Around it, slowly but surely, another blur, this time all grey, became afloat, standing up to its poisonous kin one meter at a time. "Seems we're countering. A nanobot swarm." Jasvant's eyes involuntarily widened briefly. "So, wait... allies?" "Looks like it." "Orders?" chimmed in Werner from the side. Jasvant hesitated. "I... Alright, we're coming in. The most effective way to provide support would be to link up, so we need to circle the entire area. Stay double frosty, we don't know the situation, but our guys must be taking a heavy beating if they still haven't boosted any comm arrays." "Aye, but they're deploying bots. A chance of effective resistance if they prevail, which they may," noted Werner. Jasvant nodded. "My thoughts exactly. Alright, on me; One-Four, get down here ASAP," he ordered, before being abruptly cut off. "Negative," answered Jonathan. Before he could be interrupted, the sniper focused his gaze on the skies above. "Take a look at that. Seems someone already got the idea." On Jona's visual, just above the lethal poison, a few streaks broke throught the concentrated clouds, some at sharp angles, others more gently, hoping for a stable approach. "They're... they're landing? We control nothing, whoever gave the order must be almost as incompetent as me," Jasvant exclaimed over the comms "They don't know a thing," added Werner, shaking his head. "Ayay, the party's about to get massacred." "Right on cue," Jonathan said as he focused the view on the descending pods and dropships. From the ground, a few streaks of light raced upwards, competing for a clean hit, until most ultimately made their marks. The Swarm's anti-air was online, and firing like there was no tomorrow. "If the comms are down planetwide, the fuckers must be jamming from low atmo. It's a miracle these here people even made it through that. Unless..." The sinper didn't get to finish though, as several, bright glowing objects broke through the clouds, chasing the first wave of deployments. Several fiery, burning pieces of debris. "Okay, well, yeah, there's no 'unless'. They've already gotten shredded," chimmed in Jasvant, cutting all speculation off. Meanwhile, Werner focused his gaze on the descending army. Something was not right at all. "Look closer. Just a few pieces of debris. Much more made it through," he eventually said looking down at the team's leader, menacingly due to the trooper's towering posture. Jasvant glanced back at the transmitted visual, before breaking the silence once again. "Yeah, well, it's Abolute Strategic up there, after all. Something caused The Core to make such a decision." "Man, maybe the blockade isn't as strong as we thought. Hell, maybe comms will even freakin' come back," Jonathan forced a chuckle. "Alright, coming down to you, doesn't seem to be a way to move through the roofs anyway. Stand by." Before he could move a muscle however, a sharp answer came. "Negative!" ordered Jasvant, quickly relaying data from his personal drone currently hovering invisible overhead. The readings left no doubt - a large Swarm host was approaching. Approaching rapidly. And with heavy armor as well. If the team was to take up a fight, they were already trapped between the hostiles and a steep slide. Wasting no time, Jonathan changed his position to face the new threat, as Jasvant gave out his orders. "One-Four, activate Intelligent Patterns; we're going inside, find a dark corner. One-Five, stay where you are; keep an eye out, but do not engage, repeat: do not engage. We're gonna let them pass, must be reinforcements for that brawl down there. Everyone, cool your suits down, thermo invis." "Roger One-Prime, got you covered," responded Jonathan, smirking. Werner in turn simply nodded. "Roger." The team took their planned positions, blending in with the dark, yellowish walls. Thermal signatures obscured by cooling systems, the RSU were practically impossible to notice. And so, time went by, minute by minute. "I've got visual on the enemy. Passing by point two clicks north-west," reported Jonathan after a significant while. Jasvant nodded to himself. "Roger, continue." Another minute. And another. "Enemy out of sight. Recommend caution... and patience. Readings still far from accurate," the sniper eventually stated. Jasvant let out a held breath. Only for a small fraction of a second, though. "Uhh... One-Five, I'm reading new contacts, ten o'clock, Swarm signatures. I need you to confirm, over," Jasvant requested perplexed as his marine helmet suddenly bristled with new data, glancing at Werner who only offered the trooper a shrug. It wasn't long before Jonathan answered. "Okay, yeah, I see them, moving in inbetween the houses from... what the...," the sniper stuttered briefly. "Prep for combat, they're going straight at us, motherfuckers!" he eventually shouted, quickly checking his rifle. "What? How!?" asked Jasvant as he ran towards the well-defensible doorframe. "Hell if I know, dammit!" Jonathan answered as he fired the opening round, slicing the head clean off the first hostile who dared enter the Square's open space. Immediately though, he was forced to cower as simultaneous hails of bullets zoomed on his position from a multitude of points all around the plaza, curving mid-flight to hit their target. "They have our signatures!" shouted Jonathan through clenched teeth from behind the short wall. "Full camo, still knew where the fuck I was from the goddamn start!" As soon as he had finished, one of the rounds hit his small cover, exploding upon impact. In an instant, the whole thing was no more, and Jonathan was left with nowhere to hide. "No cover, they've pinned us down! Give me suppresive, I'm coming downstairs. We need to get the hell out of this house!" "Agreed!" shouted Jasvant. "Smoke out!" One smoke cover, then a hail of bullets, and like so, it was now the Swarm who was on the defensive. The team, already regrouped, used the opportunity to try and dash out of their positions, hoping to, through shock and awe, break through the enemy siege - that is, they would try to, was it not for another explosive which brought the house's entire front wall down, crushing Jasvant and exposing the other two to a whole series of clean hits, absolutely draining their armors' nanobot populations before they could retreat to the safer rooftop. From there, another hail of bullets dropped down several of the more cocky Swarm troopers who had already ventures into the middle of the Square, causing the others to halt their advance and allowing Jasvant to push the collapsed wall off and free himself. Hostile positions, however, were still far superior. Every time one of the three peeked out to take a shot, a new, before unseen Swarm trooper would pin him down from somewhere around, no matter the efforts undertaken to prevent that. In the face of such odds, after half an hour of fierce firefight, the team was forced to make a choice: either jump down the valley hoping for personal shields to hold and save their lives, or stay here and die, thus further crippling Allied resources. Abolute Strategic Priority dictated to always take the route which suplemented the overall war effort best. Usually, it was somewhat possible to determine even on micro level due to the abundance of data regarding virtually everything provided by the various satellites and cooridnating AIs. Now, though? There was none of that. If they survived the jump, their further efforts would have a sufficient probability of causing much more harm to the Swarm than they would cause staying here. But if they didn't? Killing a few more advancing hostiles before demise would obviously create more substantial damage, than... well, nothing. Luckily however, soon enough another series of explosive bullets hit the house, sparing the three the difficult choice as the entire construction rapidly collapsed, bringing the team down with itself. Jasvant blinked again and again as his head kept slamming against the rocky floor under the onslaught of bigger or smaller parts of the collapsed walls. The faintest cracking sound alerted the soldier that his replacement helmet had, at last, given in - a fact only confirmed by the escaping air, clearly meaning depressurization, and thus unsealing. Fully opening his eyes, Jasvant discovered, that - despite being damaged beyond belief and displaying no HUD at all anymore - the temporary faceplate had actually almost fully held, sparing the soldier the more annoying injuries. Unfortunately however, that was about it when it came to good news. All around him, Jasvant could hear stones rustling and falling, but any more extensive movement from his team was beyond recognition; for now, he had to assume the worst. Adding to that, booming pawsteps from the plaza and elongated shadows moving ever closer to his position didn't leave a doubt. Jasvant tried to free his hands, but to no avail - it must've been an entire building collapsed just on him. The trooper pulled again and again, limiting his movements not to attract too much attention, each time more successfully, each time just a tad bit closer to triumph. Eventually, as the shadows were already but a few meters from Jasvant, one small shift made his left arm free, dropping the seas of debris in its former place. A single glance was enough to see that the holes and gaps created in the soldier's armor back during the drop were now all but obscured, and even his hands ran utterly crimson with blood. For Jasvant, however... he needed no more. A quick gesture later, and the soldier was already completely free, with the use of all available strength. Like an antelope, Jasvant sprung up, grabbing a small handgun lying right next to his position, and aimed at the head of the nearest Swarm soldier - one of only two nearby and paying any attention to him at all. Jasvant smiled under his breath. Drop the two down, and running away may not even be that unreal. Not thinking much, the trooper pulled the trigger. An echoing boom resonated through the valley. Jasvant's head hit the sharp rocks once again, almost knocking him out cold. The faceplate still somewhat held, but a large cavity on the side signaled everyone that this piece of equipment was practically no more. Through the thin streaks of blood, Jasvant saw a large, towering biped materialise right in the center of his view, lifting in its hand a small, brownish pistol, wired up, like all other equipment, to its yellow-grey vest. Overgrown, thick skin, abundance of supporting limbs and irregular facial features were enough to recognise it as one of the Swarm, but its enormous size and generally sturdier look gave reasons to doubt that. Jasvant had seen his fair share of the enemies during his decades of service, none of them however came even close to this. The Swarm was known for its apparent love of creating new genetic versions of themselves, at least for military deployment, none of them however, no matter how extensively changed, affected the individual's appearance; they had simply been too... discreet. Now, in turn, it wasn't the case at all. Nothing in the world however could've prepared Jasvant for what was to come. For right there, the towering, gigantic alien in front of him, grinning wildly, slowly lowered the gun it held in its hand, pointing it straight at Jasvant's faceplate. Then, just then, the towering giant spoke to him. "Good play, human." Dimension [YET UNCATALOGUED] Equis, Equis system [NOTICE: TEMPORARY DESIGNATION]; more precise location - Canterlot, Kingdom of Equestria Capital Universal Time (CUT) - June 19th, 6193; 1745 hours Local Operational Time - 1302 hours, day cycle 174/362 Five days after 'deployment'. Four days after initial 'talks'. "So, okay, I'm putting the safety off. Obviously, be very careful," Stanley advised, demonstrating the Lunar monarch the workings of advanced firearms. Around him, the Canterlot Castle's training grounds shone empty, only those few guards aware of Stanley's existence allowed in - as per the Princess' personal decree. "We... think we'll manage," Luna replied after a chuckle, sitting next to the trooper's own position Stanley glanced at her with an unimpressed look. "Yeah, well, I'm dead if something happens to you, so I won't take chances." Luna raised an eyebrow, before rolling her eyes and standing up, ready to oblige. "Where shall we watch from, then?" she asked with a little sarcastic undertone. Stanley sighed. "Just... move a few steps back, so that I can say I ensured safety measures. Clear?" "'Okay'," Luna replied, sitting in the exact same spot as before. Stanley rolled his eyes once again. "Oh, come on, at least move a bit," he pleaded, shaking his head. "Selina can check the point then and we're good to go." "You know the whole thing's going to Command anyway, right?" a fimiliar AI voice immediately responded, accompanied by a deep chuckle. ...a deep chuckle to make the whole thing seem like a joke. Stanley however knew it was none. Within a split second, he switched his speakers to interior. "Good relations, impressions. Can shoot. No danger. Alpha Papa," Stanley spat his explanation out like a machine gun, before just as quickly setting back to exterior speakers, to give the 'public' answer Luna would actually hear. "That's why I'm keeping to regulations. Didn't you hear?" he asked Selina loudly without a tinge of seriousness in his voice. Stanley might've gotten along very well with the Lunar diarch over the course of the last week, entering into pretty much friendly terms with the Princess, but that didn't matter in the slightest, as orders overrode everything anyway. "Sure I did. Bravo for that. I'll remember to recommend a promotion," Selina played along, keeping her half-serious demeanor. "Not sure I want it," Stanley murmured, before once more turning to Luna. "So, deal? Move a meter and I'll stop being annoying. Everybody happy." "Hah! Perhaps we shall bargain more with thine race, if such is the nature of thine deals," the Princess said, standing up again. "For once we can say it fortunate our sister tends not to join us." "Maybe," replied Stanley, still rather unwilling to risk insulting any of the monarchs, given the stakes at place. It was true, though; ever since the original talks, state-running duties like the Day Court largely retracted Celestia from interacting with the 'alien', leaving only one Princess to spend entire days with. "Alright, get ready for the show," Stanley quickly moved on to change the topic, resting his head on his rifle's barrel, thoughts of wasting amunition purged in a blink given the importance of the current mission. All the human's nerves were now focused on the other side of the EUP's training range. The trooper didn't remain like that for long however, nor did he push the trigger, as just one longer evaluation proved enough to notice a serious problem. "I need another target," Stanley turned around. "Hay bales and planks aren't gonna hold. We need something stronger." Luna tilted her with curiosity, but said nothing as she ordered the few surrounding guards to swap the practice targets. Not long later, the new substitutes were already in place - large bricks and full cargo crates. Stanley sighed quietly. "Alright, that'll do. Let's hope so, at least," he chuckled, resting his head back on the the gun. He quickly retracted it though, deciding a bit more explanations should follow. "Okay, so this gun is an AR-v441, which stands for 'All-purpose rifle, version 441st' - long story short, a state-of-the-art weapon. You can say you're lucky to see pecisely this model in action. It never fails, but production's not the fastest, so it's far from common. I'm setting the thing to caliber .223, fully automatic," Stanley explained, adjusting a few, barely visible switches. "It's basically the standard mode I use, to... well, just the mode I use most frequently. Ready?" "I believe so." "Great. Here we go, then," Stanley replied, at last preparing for the demonstration poper. He carefully pointed his rifle at the exact centre of the makeshift target, before exclaiming once again in order to allow the guards around to observe as well. "HERE WE GO! STAY BACK, COVER YOUR EARS! By the way, that concerns you as well, Your Highness," the trooper added, taking a glance at Luna, who offered another eye roll in response. "Tis' alright, simply continue," the Princess said slowly, huffing at the human jokingly. Stanley shook his head. "However you want it." The soldier took one more aim, before gently but firmly pressing the trigger. The resulting bang sent shivers down Luna's spine, but not as much as the sudden and unexpected collapse of the whole hastily assembled construction, all but shattered by the impact of just a single bullet, which left loads of ash floating above the far side of the range. A few guards galloped racing towards the target in an effort to prevent the remnants from falling, but to no avail. Meanwhile, Stanley lifted his rifle upwards, taking a long, humorous sigh. "Yeah, as I feared," he chuckled. Shaken by the caused destruction, Luna blinked a few times before answering the trooper. "Tis'... does you fight like so? Normally?" "Yeah, although standard ammunition explodes upon hitting a live target," Stanley clarified. "Also, that's just one mode. There are a multitude of calibers I can utilise, and a few more hefty additions, like a grenade launcher and so. Remember the tanks Selina's showed you?" "I do," replied Luna as she recalled the mighty war machines charging across light pictures hung in the air by the human during one of their many, many previous talks. "Okay, so larger ARs can even imitate their automatic defences, - you know, those rapid firearms facing sideways you mistook for common cannons." "Ugh, yes..." "This one here is too small, but just to give you an idea of their nature." "That is impressive. I wish we possessed such weapons in the Guards, that the symbol of Harmony itself would... pose just a tad more inspiration, you know?" Luna confided, stopping herself just in time not to reveal her real opinion regarding the EUP, but not in time fool the guards themselves, who promptly sent her short but easy-to-read glances. Trust or not, this was still a diplomatic mission, and with an empire which from what Luna had heard could very well already have all the aces up its sleeves. There was no need at all to sink even deeper, despite Stanley himself not looking like a front guard of something bad, even considering the long and grueling war the aliens were apparently engaged in. If everything went well, maybe the ponies would even be spared the cons of extraequusian contact, so feared by the Princesses at the very beginning...? In the meantime, Stanley let out a huff. "Is that your common stance in the diarchy?" he said with a small smile. Taken aback, Luna instinctively broke eye contact with trooper. "We... I..." "No worries, leave it out. I was being half-serious," Stanley reassured, turning to face the range once again. On it, the guards were just finishing the substitution of the destroyed target with a new one - assembled the exact same way, and so bound to break again. As Stanley sighed exaggerately, Luna covertly released a breath she hadn't even realised she'd been holding. Close to another mistake... at least not a big one this time - the fact Celestia wasn't fond of a Guard reform must've been obvious by this point. Luna in turn, had a slightly different approach to the ideas of peace and harmony - ideas she thoroughly and honestly shared, just not in a va bank style that basically shied away from any backups. An approach which quite frequently clashed with the reintegration efforts Luna had been undertaking for the past four years, causing more than one internal conflict. Meanwhile though, Stanley continued, presenting his next idea. "Okay, now, I'm going to show you one more thing. Something I've... well, left out until now, a surprise if you want," he declared as a small, green light flared up on the AR-v441 for the brieft moment. "Ready?" Curious, Luna nodded, moving away from Stanley's side once again. Surprisingly though, the soldier did not even attempt to aim, instead leaning the gun sideways in a way it basically faced the Castle's outer walls. "STAY BACK, COVER YOUR EARS!" Stanley's voice bounced over the courtyard once again, before getting eclipsed by a short bang. Luna's heart skipped a beat as the 'destructive' weapon fired at an open area, wreaking havoc on the... ...on the makeshift target? Confused, Luna glanced between the collapsed bricks - this time abandoned by the resigned guardponies - and Stanley, who simply grinned at her ear to ear. After a few seconds of failed attempts at comprehension, Luna only managed to respond with a question. "Wha... what just happened?" Stanley let out a deep chuckle. "Trajectory support," he explained, lowering his gun as he turned to fully face the Princess. "Actually, it was double important now that you stayed back, for the gun not to lock on you - ugh, for the record, yes, that's a joke, the computer's got regulations to prevent friendly fire. Plus, Selina's far more than enough to ensure safety in that regard. As for the system itself, the bullets can adjust their trajectory mid-air to hit their target... so, yeah, they turn. Talk about precision," the soldier finished with another chuckle. Luna, however, had long ceased to listen. Instead the Princess was, whether she liked it or not, focusing on something else: Stanley's turn was enough to expose a dark burnmark adorning his armor just short of the human's right shoulder. Adorning, or perhaps disfiguring. This burnmark, the second one Stanley got in just his first week in Equestria, momentarily reminded Luna of the less optimistic implications for the future, bringing the Princess out of her current bliss. With the implications however, came a sharp string of memories. Two days earlier Three days after 'deployment' Accompanied by their alien visitor, Luna strolled the warm alleys of Canterlot's Royal Gardens, bathed in the bright sunlight. Just like the previous day, it had befallen solely on her to accompany the guest - whose name she had by now remembered was, quite exotically, Stanley Martin. Luna did not mind, though, as it was always an opportunity to escape the Royal Halls, avoiding being called in to accompany her sister in her Court, or something equally fruitless. Not to bash Celestia, of course; her intentions were surely noble, and any help with changing Luna's image was a gift beyond appreciated - too bad these joint sessions usually boiled down to ponies virtually stabbing Luna with their sight alone, not even speaking about... other ways they'd demonstrate their opinions. No, that Luna would've given much to avoid any time, thank you very much. Especially if she didn't really have to give anything at all, instead just getting to spend fifteen hours a day with an alien ambassador, which only gave her more time to inquire. Not inquire about Stanley's oh-so-exotic realities though, no, no. Not directly at least, not usually. "So, wait, why did thou not try to face them directly, if so? It seems like the odds were entirely in your favor," Luna asked in the middle of one of the stories Stanley would share when they decided enough plain explanations was enough - whether the human's or sometimes, more reliably, Selina's. Stanley smiled under his breath, but kept facing forward anyway. "Two words: armored warfare. Their tanks would have shredded us with their sheer numbers, and what were we to do? We didn't even control the skies anymore," he elaborated, optimistically enough for Luna to conclude the whole battle ended in human favor. Something about the explanation however sounded rather weird. "'Tanks?'" Luna asked, tilting her head. "Thou mean their... liquid... containers... posed a threat?" Stanley remained idle for a short while, before bursting into chuckle. "That's what you get if you translate literally, ha, I should've predicted that! No, tanks are what we call heavy armored vehicles, which... you know what? I'll show you a... an image later, my projector should do fine." "As you say. I'd like that very much," Luna agreed, before prompting Stanley to continue. "So... what did you do, then?" "Nothing," Stanley sighed. "With RSU Battallions in the lead, we attempted to encircle the advancing force, forcing them to withdraw and slowing down the offensive, but without air we could do little. Our salients got cut off, and like that we had no choice but to retreat. Me and a couple hundred other elites sneaked back behind the main line - the others, I don't know. It would be a few months before general Khine reclaimed the area in our new offensive. The Hezel Campaign got pushed back once more." Luna nodded gravely, realizing the beeming optimism must've simply been a sign of nothing more than acceptance. "That's... unfortunate. But interesting," she said. "Did thou win the Campaign, at least?" "After a few more decades, yes." "That sounds tragically long. Perhaps thou lacked power, or did thine strategies fail you?" Luna drilled the topic more and more, if a little instinctively. The day before - the naturally more awkward one as Luna's first full day spent with the trooper - the Princess' main aim was simply to learn how Stanley operated like she supposed he must've. How he kept going without a tinge of remorse, despite being commanded without respect for anything, told who to be according to someone else's expectations, his true self never appreciated, instead forced to change in a pre-existing image of... somepony else. Not appreciated besides a single nod after presumably immense, even successful struggles. In short, how she could operate herself...? In their long talks however, Luna quickly learned getting deeper to that precise information would not be easy; Stanley simply never seemed to acknowledge something could be wrong, even if suggested in the slightest, least invasive way. In the meantime however, Luna discovered a different tendency - almost every conversation focused less on their respective realities and more on life itself drifted towards the military, towards combat, towards war - and conversations like so there were many as the Princess desperately tried to achieve her initial goal. Every direction the talk took, it turned to battle. Every turn it tried to escape, blazing guns followed. Stanley made sure they did. Luna didn't like to admit it, but in casual talks... he failed at other things. He redirected every topic to combat, even if subconsciously. And so, cannons and shots followed everywhere. Battles, campaigns and wars. At first, Luna was taken aback by this tendency, as everything her entire reconciliation efforts focused on clashed with its very core, but she had chosen to tolerate it and go along both out of respect, caution and her own, deep desire to learn more about Stanley's fate, so tragically similar to her own. In time, though, she stopped minding. War was brutal and one of the biggest evils there were, there was no doubt about this, and although Stanley's monologues didn't reflect that at all, they did uncover something else. Battles in the stars and between steel behemoths on the seas and oceans. Compact flying machines carrying soldiers armed with weapons delivering destruction from kilometers away. Great contraptions supporting the troops, who charged alongside their own reflections, only made out of metel and plastic. Then campaigns, battle expeditions waged not from a city to city, but between stars - her stars - themselves. Campaigns in which groups of vessels sailed in the howling void above, before launching smaller machines, which, built around a non-magical being, allowed flight. Most of all however, the conversations revealed another plane of war - one not in the face of violence and bloodshed, but above it. A plane of strategies and tactics, vicious planning, cunning tricks and impossibly compicated ways of outsmarting the opponent. The strategic field, which in time fascinated Luna thoroughly. It was like chess, just with much, much more rules and possibilities, and the board virtually infinite. And with everything Stanley said, although it was always vague, Luna couldn't help but feel she knew a way to improve what he described. When presented with it, Stanley would explain why it couldn't work, and so on, and so forth, as the Lunar Princess strived to learn more about this fascinating world of mind games unlike anything else, this world of plotting and scheming. Although she still knew almost nothing about human realities, not even many 'most basic foundations' of their combat, as Stanley had once put it, the thoughts of infinite possibilities were omnipresent. With so 'little known', even the danger a race (or races) so advanced in warfare could likely bring to Equestria didn't seem that bad at all... at least not yet, as the prospects always did always dance at the back of Luna's head. Among the sophisticated, imaginary 'battleplans', the other side of war was easy to forget. The one filled to the brim with a sea of blood, with ashes and ruins, with unending screams of suffering. This side - no, this side was barely visible. Barely, but still visible indeed. The conflict between the shiver-sending pain and a fascinating realm of wisdom and cunning, inscredible military mind games made Luna scold herself more than once, but while ideas clashed at the back of her head, Luna talked more, and more, and more, as the blood slowly but surely drifted away. Strategy and tactics themselves weren't violent in their idea, right? What accompanied them was, and that ponykind shall never descend into... but the concept of strategy itself was not bad to be interested in... was it? In time, after more futile attempts, Luna decided she could afford to take a break in her quest to get to know how Stanley operated while, just like her, so tragically shunned - there would be at least a couple more days, each with at least a dozen hours of talks, so there was time - especially as the Princess eventually realized the human slept no more than four hours every night, adding another time window of opportunity and promting Luna to, regretfully, abandon her Dreamscape watch duty the first night she found out. There was time. She would manage. For now, there was no need to flood the soldier in similar questions, in one form or another. Shaking her head and casting overflown thoughts away, Luna chuckled. "I... Does thou know, we... I never dared to think affairs violent like so might interest me... anymore, at least." Well, exclusively anymore, to tell the truth. We shall never agree with the entirety of modern Equestria... "Well, whaddya know," chuckled Stanley as, turning right by a lush fence, the two entered a new section of the gardens. "I got destined for it, so cannot say ever really took a thought." Again... why does thou accept thine forced-on nature so openly? Ugh, we shall possess the answer. For a while, silence took over, as Stanley and Luna strolled down the alley, passing by a small plaza guarded by a couple guards at each side. A silence broken, curiously, by none of the two. A silence broken by pattering hoofsteps of a EUP. Instinctively turning around, Luna discovered that a lone Solar Guard was busy galloping as hard as he could towards the center of the small plaza. Towards herself. First thoughts of a sudden report overriden by the confused, terrified expressions of the rogue's companions, Luna could only stand in shock and terror as the guard impaled his hooves into the sand, momentarily sending clouds of ash airborne, and lit his horn at lightning speed. "Doubum ereti'st helm!" 'The body belongs to the Prime' Luna's heart skipped a beat at the sound of the Darknight Cult's accursed phrase. Overcoming her growing confusion, the Princess quickly cast a defensive spell, however it was already too late. Or it would've been too late, was it not for a black shape charging, out of nowhere, right in front of Luna. And the concentrated magic beam lit the square aflame. And the black shape, Stanley, was thrusted back, colliding with Luna and falling down with her, as his state-of-the-art armor absorbed the attack in its entirety... "No!" a panicked shriek resonated through the gardens, as the rogue guard attempted to light his horn once again. However there was no use anymore. Alive and thus back on her hooves in a split second, it was now Luna's time to strike. With clenched teeth, the Princess fired a beam of her own, propelling the infiltrator cultist all the way across the plaza - and making the remaining guards actually have to turn around, having already mostly made it to the attacker's initial position. There was no need, though. Barely stopping herself from firing another beam, this time concentrated and thus likely lethal, Luna petrified the guard, lifting him once again above the plaza's centre. Only continued, painful grunts made her loosen her grip. Another incursion... Meanwhile though, Luna could not stop herself from glancing at her human companion once every often. Recovered even quicker than Luna herself, he had mostly let the ponies do the work themselves as it became apparent they had everything under control. That, however, was obviously not what bothered Luna, no... Instead, the very beginning occupied her mind. The very thought, that... quite abstractly... she might have not even been here right now, was it not... for... Whatever she did, Luna could not cast the image away. Why... why did he do this...? Did he... did he...? "Hey, are you there, L-... Your Highness?" Luna shook her head, suddenly brought out of her memories. Glancing up, the Princess found Stanley's waiting look. She turned her head as quickly as she could, but not quickly enough to avoid giving her thoughts away. Following Luna's gaze, Stanley quickly found the area of interest. "Oh, this?" he asked rhetorically, pointing at the burnmark. "I... well..." Stanley stuttered inwardly; what did Luna even expect him to say? Did she expect him to say anything at all? Even in such a casual moment, this simply had to be taken into account. Maybe she was worried another attack would spoil further relations? Well, worried she had no reason to be; nothing mattered for the relations, as this entire operation, this attempt to bring the hor-... ponies into the war was the Coalition's final gamble - but this, of course, Luna had no way of knowing. Nevertheless, a third party attack wouldn't be a major obstacle anyway. Unless the Republic needed an excuse for some reason. Wow, I'm thinking these things so casually, straight-up... I definitely need reeducation after this is over. Just... don't make it too long, damnit... The glancing hit obviously wasn't nice, and the damage it's done was... not pretty; unlike the first attack back on Stanley's dropsite, this one actually did break his personal shields, and damages it caused were... scary. For a single strike, very scary. At least Stanley had been lucky enough to shield Luna from the vicious attack, although he did already scold his reflexes for not reacting even sooner - still, it was a simple thought process. Situation? Attack. Assuming assassination. Target - VIP. Current mission? Ugh... Two options. Go in: Die - possible success. Live - success. Stay idle: Failure; VIP dead. War lost. It was trivial, like it should've been. But back to the topic at hand... what to say? Well... 'go with your gut' it was, right? "I... well... I've already told you it's nothing, don't worry," Stanley said, forcing a chuckle. Luna sent back a weak smile. "It is not, but as you wish." "It really is," the trooper replied holstering his rifle, having turned its safety on. "I was just going over the AR's other modes, but I think we're good for now. So... when do you plan to make it public? My existence, that is?" the soldier continued, trying to change the topic. Thankfully, Luna didn't seem to mind. "Our sister had planned to set a conference in order tomorrow midday, however this may yet be subject to shifts. I-... likely we should not mention it, although I do not believe it to be a state secret that Ti-... ugh, 'our fellow diarch' was not particularly content with your acquintances' projected date of arrival." Stanley smiled. "I wouldn't think to blame her. It's not much time to plan for an event, which... I, well... would imagine is going to be quite important." "Very," Luna replied immediately. Stanley let out an unnoticeable huff. "And as our sister had stated before, it is true our subjects have a worrying tendency of... overreacting... certain occurances. Alright, most occurances, and so handling the affair appropriately is of highest priority. As to my knowledge however, preparations are already far underway, and the circle of initiates has grown whilst remaining possibly small," the Princess stated, before letting out a chuckle. "When our sister informed her student about what had transpired, we were almost forced to make a personal visit to stop her from coming at a moment's notice. That alone forced further steps to be more... discreet." "O...kay? Why the student's importance?" asked Stanley, slowly walking away fron the training range. The motif of this 'personal student', or however else she was often called, had already appeared in conversations at least a few times. "Twilight Sparkle... has her deeds, some more important than others, as it is. This matters not, however... she is..." Luna bit her tongue; should she say anything about the Elements? Omitting the topic would be hard, as it was in fact them which were the most principal cause for such a quick lift of the information ban Twilight had earlier been one of the subjects of, likely moreso even than the official Princess title. Aside from the close relations with Celestia, that is, although to be fair, this was not without reason. The Elements however were probably the most formidable force ponykind had at its disposal; their existence was public, sure, but... "She is... she possesses certain... functions... it is more complicated," Luna eventually stuttered, deciding to keep the topic vague just in case; after all, ruling duties did of course overrule any relations or trust, however good they might've been. Through his faceplate, Stanley could be seen raising an eyebrow. "Alright... I suppose that does it, then," he sighed, respecting Luna's visible will to drop the topic. "It... it looks you're mostly good, then. Good luck tomorrow. And to me," the human chuckled. "If I have to appear in person, well, don't expect anything better than plain report, the most public thing I've ever done. The most peace-focused public thing, at least..." "Worry not, you shall do fine," replied Luna, joining in on the chuckle. "At present, we are only hoping thine associates would not arrive until after we are done." "I understand. Can't say I share it, though: the sooner the Corps arrive, the better that means we're doing," Stanley joked. "Yeah, but you did the best you could, sometimes things will be left to chance... denying it is simply ineffective; instead you have to adapt the best you're able to." The Princess offered Stanley a quiet nod, before joining the trooper on his way out of the training grounds. Crossing the inner hedges, the two soon reentered the more casual parts of the gardens comprising the barracks' courtyard. "Thou knows... thou almost sounded akin to our sister... for a while," Luna told Stanley quietly, once most guards were left out of earshot. The trooper turned his head in slight confusion. Before he could answer anything, however... Without warning, a bright light from above obscured all view, while the majestic blue skies were ripped asunder. From all eye-corners, a flash like nothing ever before resonated, which even though gone in a split second, left its aura behind, obscuring sight for anyone. Not wasting a moment, Luna glanced upwards, ready to take to the skies at once. What she saw, however, petrified her. There, at the center of the sunlit sky, a huge stain was plastered against the mighty azure, its shape or shade impossible to describe. The inside - dark, black almost, or a little brown perhaps, but still lit up, as if on fire, and somehow bright like sun itself. Not as bright however as the stain's very border, constantly shifting, barely albeit noticeably, once filling the entire view, and then shrinking to nothing, against - all the while very visible - nature, which said that the stain remained firmly in place. The border, whenever it was, was bright beyond the brightness of the Sun. It was bright beyond understanding, beyond the very comprehension... and yet not blinding at all, not in the slightest. Despite differences... akin to the Sun. Still akin. Around the stain, even the azure sky itself was lit brighter than it should, a huge, mysterious aura covering much of it, alongside multiple shades and colours - all of which subtle, yet visible, contrasting which each other in a beautiful display. The sky itself likewise fluctuated, its very existence, its very form locked in perpetual, small shifts. "Y-Your Highness! T-t-there-..." a guard's voice acompanying a set of echoing hoofsteps came rumbling towards Luna, but stopped mid-sentece, seeing the Princess already gazing at the sky with worry, but amazed, as if in a trance. Meanwhile though, the stain's inside momentarily blackened fully, purging its bright sheath. From there, a salient began forming, small, but sure, taking over more and more of the sky with every passing second. It wasn't long however until Luna determined it was no salient - in fact, it wasn't part of the ominous stain at all. It was something else, something equally black. Something glistering, now and then, with silver, grey, white, or even yellow sparks. Suddenly, without any warning at all, when the 'salient' separated itself from the stain itself, the stain collapsed, confirming Luna's suspicions. Collapsed. It was no more. Almost in an instant all the blackness, brightness, the sun-like border, the auras... all of these wonders retreated into nothingness, imploding into one another, the fabric of the sky itself shifting with them, until even it was returned its normal nature. The sky was back. Just adorned by a small, black shape. Actually, more like a few shapes, their count hard to determine. As Luna folded her spread wings, those shapes too momentarily faded from view, and the sky was back to its normal self. Completely, utterly back... Shocked, Luna turned to Stanley with a confused frown. "What... what was that?" she inquired, before realising that the human - quite weirdly - remained staring at the sky with a small, unsure smile visible through his transparent faceplate. "We're here." EARTH / TERRA / SOLRIA - CAPITAL OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOL TIME (CUT) - [UNKNOWN; IRRELEVANT] [[FURTHER INFORMATION RESTRICTED]] "Secretary of State... there are news. I'm sure however you're already familiar with them, sir." "I don't make a habit of checking reports every minute of my life, my dear. There are other, more urgent matters to attend to. In the war, Intelligence is... quite a lacking ingredient... in our efforts. And one that needs much supervision, AI-superminds or not. So! What do you bring?" "S-sir! We have an update on the Cyanosian Empire." "If the bastards wasted our time and immense resources to simply hang up after-" "Not to interrupt you, sir, but on the contrary. Talks have been scheduled. We believe more... proper contact is about to be, at last, reestablished." "Huh! So an end to this weird confusion... good. I was losing hope in you, Communications. Oh, well - congratulate your boys, and hold the line hot. Tell them the Secretary of State for Intelligence will make arrangements to tap in. Await further updates." "Sir! Yes, sir!"