//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 (Awaken) // Story: The Shatter Realm // by keithsterling //------------------------------// "Dammit, we knew that Princess Twilight Sparkle and her Friendship Kingdom army would abandon their post," Aurora exclaimed furiously as the alarm sounds in the command center cause all the ponies in the command center to don the combat body armor and activate the main holographic view screen in the center. Suddenly the detection sensors around the outpost base sound an alarm causing the small Solar Guard squad to quickly deploy; within second several Pegasus elite scouts spread out across the battlefield looking for the reason for the alarm going off. A moment later, artillery shell arc overhead and strike the communications tower behind the post walls. Shards fly into the air as the tower is destroyed; a Pegasus scout quickly relays the Crystal army mobile artillery unit's coordinates just north of the post. Quickly five Solar Guard mare troopers man the single M119A3 howitzer, quickly one of the mares begin relays target coordinates from the Pegasus scout in the field to her artillery crew. Who quickly load the shell into the howitzer and start lining up target coordinates; a moment later, they fire. The Pegasus scout relays to the artillery crew that they were off by a few feet; they load the next shell and adjust target coordinates. They fire again; this time, the Crystal army mobile artillery unit crew quickly abandoned the unit as the projectile strikes the unit destroying it. With the threat neutralized, all the Pegasus elite scouts are recalled back to the post. In the command center, Colonel Emerald Luster begins to assess the communication tower's damage with the Solar Guard combat engineer's help on the roof of the command center. The Solar Guard combat engineer reports that the communication tower would take several hours to fully repair it. But she can get the tower partially functioning with limited sensor contact and no long-range communication. All communication is limited to build-in helmet radios and portable units. "Understood Corporal, set to work repairing the Con tower, Colonel Luster out," Emerald said vie her build-in helmet radio to the combat engineer on the roof. "Attention all personnel communication is limited to helmet radios and portable units. Sniper teams take a position in the four guard towers. This post is on orange alert until further notice." Emerald said over the PA systems inside the post. Quickly the limited Solar Guard personnel begin taking position around the base, trying to cover as much as possible. Meanwhile, in the Crystal Palace's Throne room, Princess Flurry Heart Sparkle and Royal Advisor Rose Eventide watch the video feed from a Crystal Empire army scout of the unauthorized attack on the Friendship Kingdom outpost base by a Crystal Empire mobile artillery unit. "The post didn't respond to the attack right away! Maybe what that recon bike scout say was true my Aunt Twilight and her friendship kingdom army abandoned the post." Flurry heart comments as she scratches her chin with her gloved hand a few times. "If whoever is in control of the post is small like I think they are, let take that post. If we can take that post, we could bring in materials much quicker from Equestria to help us." Flurry Heart explains as Rose's eyes narrowed with suspicion about attacking the post. 'It took only two shells to destroy the Mobile artillery unit; the first shot was off by few feet. The second shot hit the target; even the best artillery team takes at the most three shots to hit a mobile target.' Rose thought, watching the replay of the video feed went the mobile artillery unit was hit. At that same time, at the Royal Division of Solar Guard's main military base in Equestria, the Solar Guard Rapid Deployment force of two platoons begins to form; it will take 48 hours for the Rapid Deployment Force to deploy to the Crystal Empire. In the meantime, two squads of Solar Guard paratroopers in 'shire horse' troop transport plane speeds to Crystal Empire to reinforce the Solar Guard squad at the outpost base. Emerald receives constant clear reports from the elite scouts from 100 miles away and garbled, static reports from 300 miles away in the command center. Suddenly 300 miles away in the north, an elite scout spots Crystal Empire platoon heading straight to the outpost base. Before she can send a warning, an energy weapon is fired toward her forcing her to dodge the incoming fire. A moment later, her wing is hit, and she crash lands; she quickly gets to her feet and makes a dead run into a nearby light forest why being pursued by 'Arabian' hover military jeep from the Crystal Empire. At 200 miles point, sitting in tree branches was master scout Major Anita Stormchaser; she just finished her 200 miles patrol area and was about to head back to the base. Unlike the elite scout at a 300-mile point, Anita quickly shoots into a cloud bank she set up for an emergency. The Crystal Empire platoon passes just under her cloud bank, continuing on its way to post. She stays hidden in the cloud bank until the Crystal empire platoon's last pass under her position. Quickly Anita relays the message to the 100-mile point elite scout, who relays the post's message. Before the Crystal Empire platoon could arrive, Emerald put the post on red alert. The limited Solar Guard personnel quickly take up the best defensive position around the base and wait for the Crystal Empire Platoon's arrival. In the guard towers, Captain Jewel Luster and her mother, Major Ruby Luster, begin getting comfortable in their sniper nest; before initiating their Special Forces Combat body armor, both mares say a silent prayer. At the end of the silent prayer, both the shooters and rifles cloak to wait. Behind one of the wall sections, Captain Carine Stormchaser and two other solar guard mare troopers check their pulse assault rifle and grenade launcher a few times. All three mares’ stomachs flutter with anxiety because of this first real combat for this new generation of Solar Guard troopers. But like the old Solar Guard troopers, these mares are incredibly patients cool under fire. The mood in the post is heavy with tension as Colonel Emerald Luster, attired in her heavy combat body armor, walks from wall section to wall section calming the jittery nature of this new generation of Solar guard troopers. Suddenly a lookout spotted three crystal empire army recon bike heading toward the post. Emerald quickly orders the snipers in guard towers to track the recon bikes, why troopers in the wall section stay out of sight. The three recon bikes begin driving around the post, one cycle clockwise and two other bikes counter-clockwise shining a small spotlight through gun slits in the wall. Suddenly one of the recon bikes stops and reaches into a small metal box; he brings out a small canister. Ruby quickly identifies the small canister as a harmless smoke grenade. The rider tosses the smoke grenade into the base, and mares quickly activate their helmet gas mask. Purple smoke begins to billow from the canister inside the post. A moment later, another sniper in one of the other guard towers reports that one of the other recon bikes uses his radio. Soon the rest of the Crystal Empire Platoon arrives at the post. In that very second, the outpost base is lit up with energy weapon fire from the troops inside, catching the Crystal Empire platoon by surprise. The Crystal Empire platoon quickly became hard-pressed as the snipers took out the troop's heavy weapon soldiers with relative ease. As the sun slowly rose in the sky over the battlefield, the Crystal Empire platoon was finally able to get into a relatively good defensive position to return fire. But the quick attack by the post's defenders has neutralized the siege of the post by taking out the heavy weapon personnel. Meanwhile, in the Crystal City, rumors began to circulate that the Royal Division of Solar Guard thought disbanded went Prince Justice Silverlight passed, wasn't. This has to giving the Crystal ponies population of the Crystal City some hope of the crystal war ending. But they know the only way for the Crystal war to truly end is for Princess Celestia and Princess Luna Silverlight to return. If those two powerful Alicorns returned, it would give the Crystal ponies population the courage to take back their city from Princess Flurry Heart Sparkle. In the Psychic Dimension, the spirits of Princess Celestia Silverlight and Princess Luna Silverlight stand upon large bare feet in the cave with their energy bubbles. Suddenly the bodies inside the bubble begin to stir to life. The two Alicorn spirits sense their real bodies are trying to wake up from the deep sleep spell on them. Quickly Luna's spirit returns to her real body as a hole in the dimensional fabric begins to absorb her sleeping body bubble. Celestia's eyes are haunted by some inner anxiety watching her sleeping body bubble get adsorb by the hole; if her spirit doesn't return to her real body, it will never wake up. Suddenly Justice's spirit appears; she quickly hugs and kisses him and promptly returns to her real body. Justice's watches as the two holes close went both bubbles pass through them into the waking world. His anthro spirit form is soon joined by his simple Royal Alicorn stallion constellation form. "Are you ready, Lord Justice Silverlight spirit, to merge with your real Royal Alicorn stallion constellation form to be reborn?" The royal alicorn stallion constellation asked as Justice shook his head. "Are you ready, Royal Shogun Justice Silverlight, to merge with this anthro spirit and fulfill my promise to reunite with my Terran Alicorn wife?" Lord Justice Silverlight asked as royal alicorn stallion constellation shook his head. With that, the two spirits touch a hand to the frog of a hoof; in the next instance, their bright flash, the two spirits form one being. The constellation marking became even brighter across his black pelt body. His mane and tail become fuller as cosmic rays fill in the empty area of cosmic dust. His hoofs become burn red with bright giant stars. The spiral horn on top of his head grows a bit longer, increasing his eternal magic ability. With the increase in his eternal magic ability, the surrounding dimension begins to morph and change, crushing the nearby floating rocks to dust. Soon the large Royal Alicorn stallion constellation form begins to shrink and compress into a small star and shoot out of the Psychic Dimension into the awaking world of space. It begins to pulsate a powerful energy wave throughout space, attracting an Imperator Alicorn collection vessel. Aboard this vessel was everlasting and captivating light blue imperator alicorn mare with imperial red mane and tail, she locks onto the pulsating star directing the collection vessel toward it. Her perfect 6ft 12in equine figure was attired in a mineral green spacesuit, and on her perfect shaped light blue bare feet were mineral green form-fitting boots. On top of her head, behind her horn, was magnificent jewel-studded diadem. Why folded on her back were jeweled bio-mechanical gold metal bird wings. This Imperator Alicorn mare was Empress Galaxy Cosmos, the supreme creator of the Imperator Alicorn species and supreme ruler of all Imperator Alicorn Space. Galaxy makes her way down a line of vertical glass tubes filled with special chemicals; in each tube is single star from the star collection event. As she passes each star in the tubes, they blink once, reacting to her tremendous eternal magic ability, but soon stop. As she reaches the last glass tube, the star into that tube being to blink and continues to blink as she stands in front of the tube. "So, my little star, you want me to raise you?" Galaxy asked as the star blinks in response to her question. 'Great grandmother,' a stallion voice said telepathically in Galaxy's head as tears streak her cheeks as she rests the palm of her gloved hand against the glass. "Quickly take this star to the warrior's regeneration tube, stat!" Galaxy orders as the medical team quickly transfer the star from the collection tube to a small transport tube to take it to a regeneration tube. "Your Imperial Majesty, the star has been placed in the regeneration tube as you ordered." The medical mare explains to the Empress as she once again rests her hand on the glass. "May I ask why your imperial majesty?" The medical mare asked. "This star spoke to me and called me great grandmother. In the voice of my great-grandson Justice. If there any chance that this star is my great-grandson Justice. I'll finely learn what happen to my royal family on that mission to the M-class planet." Galaxy explains tears streak her cheek again. "Yes, your imperial majesty. But remember the special chemicals in the regeneration tube might block some of his memories." The medical mare explains as Galaxy shook her head a few times. "I know that doctor, but still, I'll have at least one of my royal families back with me. And I can help to restore some of his lost memories." Galaxy explains to the mare doctor. "We will transfer the regeneration tube to infinity palace medical deck for continuing to recover and reforming." The medical mare explains as she left to get the paperwork for transfer the tube to Infinity Palace going. 'Welcome home, my dear great-grandson Justice Silverlight. Your great grandmother Empress Galaxy Cosmos will take care of you now.' Galaxy said telepathically as the star blinked.