//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7 - A Grim Surprise 
// Story: For the New Lunar Republic 
// by Moxypony 
//------------------------------//


Several Days Later


Luna called Moxi and Dreamcatcher to the war room to discuss the findings of their mission, and when the pair arrived they found the princess in a less than stellar mood. “The data you recovered,” she said, her voice lined with anger, “is useless.”
The two Spec Ops ponies blanched at these words. “What do you mean?” Moxi cried out. Luna shook her head, “the lab ponies have just gotten back to me with word on their analysis. All of the files recovered from the Fillydelphia lab were filler information; fake files intended to throw us off. We already knew they were aware of our coming strike, so I suppose it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they would do a bit of cleaning beforehand to keep us getting our hands on anything valuable.” 
Dreamcatcher swore loudly, “All of that, for nothing! Empty night…” Moxi blinked in shock, but then a thought occurred to her, “What about the one I sent ahead of us?” Luna eyed her in confusion, and Moxi explained, “When Dreamcatcher was hurt I sent in an SOS using dragonfire gel, but I wrote it on the back of a piece of parchment I found in the hoof of a dead researcher, was that one fake as well?” 
Luna stared at Moxi with wide eyes, “I didn’t know about any other parchment, we must speak with dispatch!” 

Moxi and Dreamcatcher reported to the dispatch officer, himself in the midst of using the gel to send out orders to units in the field. “Agents Moxi and Dreamcatcher,” He spoke without turning to face them, “finally being put back on active duty, are we?”
“Not yet, sir,” Moxi said, breathing slightly heavier from the run down from the war room, “listen, back on our last mission I sent in an SOS, do you still have the parchment I sent it in on?”
The officer eyed them suspiciously, but dug into a pile of old notes and discarded orders, digging for a few moments before emerging with the blood stained SOS. “Here it is,” he said, passing it over to Moxi, “what do you need it for?” 
Moxi beamed at the ratty old paper, before turning shining eyes on the dispatch officer, “To complete our mission!”

Luna’s lab techs looked over the diagram on the paper, though it seemed the scientist who had copied it down only had a vague inkling as to what it truly meant, if the scrawl above it was to be believed:
“We received word from head office today that the entire research branch is being moved to Salt Lick City, I didn’t even know we had a facility out there. I suppose it was only a matter of time, with how hard the revolution has hit this area, but those new researchers, I don’t know if I trust them. They keep to themselves and I managed to get a look at the blueprints for their project, they don’t make any sense. Celestia claims the project is of the utmost importance, but I’m not sure. With all the rumors circulating around, I don’t know if Celestia will keep us around once we’ve outlived our usefulness. Maybe I should join the New Lunar Republic, I could probably buy my safety with this sketch of the blueprints, I just have to wait for that alicorn, ‘Radiant Sol’ to leave, the guy is creepy, seems like he doesn’t have any emotions at all, maybe the NLR is right about the aristocracy…” 


“Salt Lick City,” Luna sighed, after sending the sketched blueprints off to be analyzed by the lab ponies, “I never would have believed Celestia would have slipped so far as to establish a functioning laboratory in Salt Lick City.”
“Ma’am?” Moxi said, eying the princess in confusion, she had expected to see excitement on Luna’s face for the new lead, or at least relief that their mission hadn’t been a complete waste of pony life, but the mingled look of disappointment and shock on the princess’ face caught her by surprise, “What’s so bad about Salt Lick City?”
“Salt Lick City,” Luna spoke, her head in her hooves, “is a filthy slum. The ponies there have all but completely fallen into the darkest excesses of life, things exist in Salt Lick City you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else in Equestria. It’s of little strategic importance, so thus far we’ve kept our soldiers out of the area entirely. I suppose that makes it perfect for Celestia’s private research, the entire region is still firmly in the grasp of the Solar Empire.” Luna looked up from her hooves and looked them directly in the face, “Anyone I send to investigate will be walking into the lion’s den…”
“I volunteer, princess,” Dreamcatcher exclaimed, stepping forward immediately, “I will take this risk upon myself for the good of the Republic. That is,” he added, turning to face Moxi, “if my partner is willing to join me?”
Moxi considered the option before her. “An enemy controlled city, filled with hostile guards, neverending daylight, and populated with ponies who live as the pony embodiment of excess?” She turned to face them, a devil-may-care grin on her face, “sign me up right now.”
Luna grimaced at the pair of them, each grinning wickedly back at her, and spoke in solemn tones, “I wish I didn’t have to send you, and it is my sincere hope that I still won’t have to, but if the suspicions of Dr Grym are valid, and his hypotheses have very rarely been proven false, then it is of the utmost importance that we find this research facility as soon as possible.”
She stood and approached them. “Barring any unforeseen revalations in the next few hours, you will depart for Salt Lick City in the morning,” she nuzzled both agents’ necks, “please take care, my friends.” 

Moxi lay in her bunk that night, sleepless for the thoughts rushing through her head, anxious for her first mission in over a month. “Hey, Catch,” she said aloud, “you asleep?”
“No,” came the flat toned response from the bunk beneath her.
“Are,” Moxi hesitated, “are you worried at all? I mean… about going back out into the field?” There was a pause before Moxi heard any acknowledgement from Catcher, “Always, Moxi, I’ve been nervous for every assignment I’ve ever been sent on. Honestly, if you aren’t nervous, you aren’t paying close enough attention, this is war, we risk our lives every time we go out there. We risk our lives every time we step out the door. Hell, one could argue we risk our lives simply sleeping in our beds.”

BOOM!

The entire palace shook under the concussion, and Moxi and Catcher were on the ground and moving before the shaking had ceased. They charged down the hallway, rushing to the palace exit and seeing all the other personnel doing the same, rushing to respond to the unknown strike. “What, by the night,” Moxi shouted, “was that!?” 
“I have no idea,” Dreamcatcher yelled in reply, “but I can guarantee you this, it’s nothing good!”
Moxi and Dreamcatcher rushed out of the palace doors just in time to catch the second and third blasts, caused by heavy explosions striking in the midst of the camp. “Incoming!” they heard someone calling, “Solar war machines to the east and west, it’s a pincer strike!” 
“Every available soldier,” shouted another officer, “return fire!”
“Moxi,” Dreamcatcher called out, “give me a lift!” Moxi nodded and took to the air, wrapping her hooves around Dreamcatcher before taking to the skies and flying directly for the source of the offending blasts. What they saw before them was like nothing they’d ever seen, Celestia’s war machines were solid metal vehicles, equipped with long cannons, belching fire in rhythm with the explosions rocking the camp. “I think” Catcher called over the roar of the wind, “we’ve found the enemy troops.” 
“Well,” Moxi shouted back, “what say you and I get in there and wreak some havoc?” Without waiting for a response, Moxi plunged down toward the war machines, swinging down to drop Dreamcatcher beside the nearest machine before flying off to take on the second. She found the things to be a fairly simple two pony operation, one loading the explosives into the cannon while the other adjusted its trajectory and kicked a device which sent the projectile on its way. The unicorn loading the cannon never knew what hit him, Moxi landed on his back with such force that the whiplash snapped his neck, dropping him dead to the ground instantly. The earth pony firing the cannon was surprised by the sudden arrival, but recovered quickly, drawing a knife and charging at the young pegasus, but Moxi was able to avoid the pony and with a well placed kick, she shattered the earth pony’s jaw, sending the knife skittering away as the earth pony dropped motionless to the ground.
Moxi eyed the controls of the cannon; they were simple, simple enough that Moxi herself would probably be able to control them fairly easily. Moxi grinned a wicked grin, and immediately set about adjusting the cannon’s trajectory so that its barrel faced the nearest cannon to her, and with a quick kick at the firing mechanism and a loud blast from the cannon, the other war machine was silenced forever.
Moxi turned back to the machine she’d left Dreamcatcher on, and saw that he had clearly been successful in his endeavor as well. What caught her eye, however, was not the war machine, but the red streak flying through the air toward it. “Oh shit,” Moxi swore, immediately taking flight and rocketing to Dreamcatcher, “no, no, no no no no no! Not again!”
Moxi arrived at the war machine’s platform to find Dreamcatcher locked in combat with the alicorn assassin from Fillydelphia. The two were matching one another blow for blow. “Give in now,” the alicorn shouted, “and I promise I will make a case to my princess for a clean death!” 
“Nice try, Radiant Sol,” Dreamcatcher shouted, “as if I would ever take the word of an aristocrat, filthy noble scum!” The alicorn was taken aback by the realization that Dreamcatcher knew his name, and he reeled just long enough for Dreamcatcher to get in a good hit with his knife, the blade biting deep into the alicorn’s flesh. Radiant Sol screamed in pain, and was so distracted that he didn’t even notice Moxi approach from behind him and struck him from behind. The alicorn fell to the ground, gasping for breath and entirely at Dreamcatcher and Moxi’s mercy. Dreamcatcher held his knife firmly and stood over the fallen alicorn, but just as he prepared to drive the blade down in a finishing blow, his body was wreathed in the unmistakable glow of unicorn magic and he was pinned against the wall of the war machine behind him. 
Moxi turned to face the new attacker, but felt her body leave her control. Her wings seized up, every muscle suddenly ceasing to obey her commands and straining under the power of magic. She looked up to face her attacker and saw a lone unicorn approaching them, she wore an eyepatch and her purple coat was adorned with medals and betrayed her status as a general, while her deeper purple mane was streaked with silver strands, identifying her as a pony of decent years.
“Dreamcatcher,” she spoke calmly as she approached them, “it’s so good to see you again, it’s a pity this will be the last time. I would take you alive, I’m sure Celestia would love to see you as well, I’m sure she’d love to hang you and your little friends for treason, but alas, I’m here to put an end to this pathetic farce you call a ‘revolution.’” 
“If anyone needs to pay for their crimes, Sparkle,” he growled, barely able to move his lips against the raw force of her magic, “it’s you and your ilk. You’ve betrayed the people of Equestria, and sooner or later, you will pay for your crimes!” General Sparkle smirked at the trapped earth pony, “Oh, I think not, Dreamcatcher, after today, princess Luna will be back in Celestia’s custody, and this time I’m afraid she’s gone too far. I don’t think any punishment so lenient as a millennium long banishment to the moon is going to be a fitting response this time.”
“You bitch!” Dreamcatcher snarled, “I’ll cut your throat myself! I’ll kill you, you fucking traitor!”
“Tsk Tsk,” Sparkle shook her head, “such language. Regardless, Dreamcatcher, I’ve got much work to do, disassembling this little ‘army’ you’ve assembled here, so I think I’ll have to cut to the chase. Goodbye, Catcher.”