//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 Sun and Shadow 
// Story: Eye of the storm 
// by Bronycommander 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 2: Sun and Shadow




Opening their eyes, the children strange found themselves in a city similar to Ponyville, flinching as they heard gunshots and a yell. “There are too many of them!”

They gasped as they realized they knew that voice. Shadowplay.

Blinking, they saw him and Tybalt holding positions near a house wall, firing at what seemed to be enemies out of their view. “We need help! I try to-“

Shadow was cut off mid-sentence as a bullet hit him right into his eye, blood sprayed like a fountain as he stumbled and hit the ground, causing the children to gasp again but their bodies were locked up, unable to move.

“Shadow, no!” Tybalt exclaimed in horror. Looking at the dead body, “Holy-“

But he dared too far out of cover and in a flash, his chest got perforated by bullets, thrown to the ground on his back with a cry.

As he groaned, trying to stop the bleeding, the children saw a human like silhouette stepping towards him, dressed in a grey uniform and helmet, raising a pistol on the injured stallion.

Tybalt looked at him, his head slightly shaking as if to beg for his life.

Blood sprayed from his head as the human fired. None of the children could believe what they just saw before the human turned towards them.

Red glowing googles were focused on them.





In that moment, they shot up gasping, cold sweat running down their faces, breathing heavily as they looked around. It had just been a dream.

“Phew…” Tungsten took a deep breath as the others looked at him with worry. “I am okay.”

Nodding, they all fell asleep again.





In the morning, their noses sniffed at a good smell. Sleepy, they opened their eyes and the door opened. “Good morning!” It were Miranda and Axel, bringing in breakfast boards with toast and juice.

“Thank you.” Tungsten smiled, taking it gladly with the others.

It tasted very fresh, Dinky enjoyed every bite.” That was good. So, what have you in mind for today?”

“Well, Ana has to work today, so I thought show you the city?” Cooper offered as he stepped in with a weak smile.

But, wouldn’t we stand out?” The older colt asked with concern, only to get a reassuring smile from Dinky.

“Don’t worry, we were fine before, pretending to be kids on costumes, why should it not work here?”

“Fair point.”

With that, Cooper and the 2 human kids took the lead outside. Dinky, Tungsten, Katja and Blau could see many apartment buildings in the city as well as businesses and shops as they were led around. The citizens greeted friendly, commenting how good the “costumes” of the ponies looked.

They also took notice of a stadium in the west of the capital, with a series of slum housing south of it. A sad realization formed in their heads.

Poverty was apparently not uncommon, like in many other South American countries.

Yet before they could say anything, their eyes fell on a statue right at the stadium. It depicted a soldier in the same uniform Cooper wore, in a pose where he's walking in a combat situation and signaling other soldiers to stop and lower themselves for cover and/or to be vigilant here, because he spotted something. There was text under the pedestal.

BLACKHAND

Whose courage, dedication, and traditions make them the world’s finest fighting soldiers".

“Black Hand? What kind of name is this?” Blau wondered and the man chuckled nervously.

“It’s a private military organization and also the military and police of Solis. As far as I know, the Black Hand has a decades-long contract with the government, having also replaced the original normal military and ever since, became one of the most powerful private armies in the world, similar to the Harmonious Guard.”

None of his guests could process or believe what they just heard. A PMC replacing an entire military?

Yet one thing woke Dinky’s interest. “You mentioned the Harmonious Guard. What do you mean?” She was curious.

“Well, at first, the Black Hand were only a local force, before they were turned into an internationally known force by the current ruler of the country, Oscar Espinosa. The Harmonious Guard, if I remember correctly, were a local West German militia at their foundation in early 1984. However, in late March the same year, the coastal regions of Germany suffered from a flood disaster and the military was one of the first responders, saving many lives. This got them international attention, becoming an international known force, still having a contract with Germany.”

Dinky’s eyes went wide, she could not believe the creator of her uncle to have started that way or having gone on such an aid mission to became what he was today.

Surely, James had gone through a lot but…it was hard to believe he achieved such a change in organization.

“I wish I had joined them back then…” Robison mumbled with regret.

“What do you mean?” Katja asked confused, causing him to sigh.

“As you probably already guessed from my accent, I am not native but from Australia, Sydney to be exact. Back in 2014, my mother was injured in a traffic accident shortly after I turned 17. My father died before I was born and I had no job yet when my mother got injured.” The man told them, sadness in his voice as he lowered his head.

“Having only my mother, I was desperate, not knowing how I could pay for her bills or supply myself. A man noticed my desperation and asked what was wrong. Turns out, this man was a recruiter of the Black Hand. He told me the Black Hand stood for family, discipline, strength, order and service. So, young, naive and desperate as I was, I jumped at this opportunity, able to pay for my mother. At first, I had a desk job, doing paper work but then…I was taken to the training camps to become a soldier. It was shorty after that…” His voice cracked, ”My mother succumbed to her injuries.”

Dinky and her friends gasped at this. But before they could form any reply, Miranda and Axel hugged him.

“Shh, Cooper, it’s okay, we are here for you, remember?” The boy smiled weakly, which he returned.

“Yeah…”

“I am so sorry.” Dinky lowered her head, she got a weak smile in response.

“It's okay, how should you have known? Frankly, I look forward for my contract to end but at the same time, I don’t know what to do afterwards. I have lost contact with most of my friends back home and in Solis, you are either training to become a soldier, or you are working at a factory.”

This reminded the Trottingham colt of something he had not noticed that his hosts had a father. “If you don’t mind me asking, Miranda and Axel, what happened to your father?” He asked with slight unease, hoping not to wake bad memories.

The boy sighed. “He died 10 years ago, when the capital was hit by a tornado. The large white tower you see, Torre Espinosa, was dedicated to the victims of that disaster. After Cooper enlisted, and arrived, he noticed our mother’s depression and tried to cheer her up, living with us. And we couldn’t be happier.” Axel smiled with his sister at the young man, who returned it.

“So, what now?” Tungsten asked and the two siblings thought about it.

“We got a ball back home, how about that?” Miranda suggested, the others smiled.

“Good idea.”

And so, they got said ball and walked to a park, passing it to each other while laughing, Dinky was careful of her horn. Copper watched with a smile, happy to see his guests were enjoying themselves.

“Glad to see they are doing well.” Ana’s voice sounded behind the man, startling him slightly.

“Back so soon?”

She chuckled. “Well, yes, today, there was not so much to do.”

“Okay then.” They both watched for a while until the children took a break, with Tungsten smiling.

“That was fun!”

“Meow?” He turned surprised around to see a cat facing him, its green eyes focused on him with curiosity. Its coat was similar to a tiger, black stripes and a cream/white color.

“Oh, hello there.” He kneeled down to pet the cat, who purred in affection. Then it titled its head and raised a paw.

It used its claw as a hook, grabbing the left temple of his glasses in an attempt to lift it up, causing him to chuckle as he pressed it down with a hoof. “No, I need those.”

“That is Chilly, the neighbor cat, always eager to snuggle.” Miranda smiled as Dinky and the siblings petted the cat as well.

“Almost like Medici…” Cooper mumbled, getting the attention of his hosts.

“Medici?” The unicorn asked and he sighed.

“A nation in the Mediterranean Sea, located west of Italy and east of Spain, I had my first deployment here in 2015. It was the prettiest place I have ever seen, I thought I could immigrate there, after my contract is over…”A weak smile formed before lowering his head. “But it was also where I questioned my decision. I was part of a routine prisoner transport, nothing special I thought…”

“W-what happened?” Dinky asked with dread, her eyes small, not liking where this was going.

“C-children were among the prisoners. One of the adult prisoners, their father, collapsed and his wife tried to help him but…A fellow of my comrades executed both, right in front of their children…”

His hosts gasped in shock, not able to believe what they just heard as he added, “One of the other prisoners asked, no, begged me to be allowed to comfort the kids, which I allowed out of pity.”

They stayed silent, trying to process everything. It seemed like hours until Dinky’s mouth opened. “This is horrible!”

“And sad.” Katja added, her brother nodded.

“But,” the ginger colt spoke up with a weak smile. “It honors you that you allowed the children to be comforted.”

“Yes, I know. Something is kinda ironic about the Black Hand I noticed while serving. In Solis, we got our own weapons and vehicles, all being licensed copies of other countries but when deployed, we use the local equipment to save costs.”

“I guess it saves on logistics.” Blau commented.

“Suppose so. I am now, what they call Elite around here, which are the stable of our infantry during deployments. In Solis though, the bulk of the home guard are privates, like Bruno, having recently passed training.” He explained and Ana nodded.

“When I was your age, the local troops did not wear masks back then when they were serving domestically. In fact, they had been proud to have their identities locally known, because the people knew them and knew that they were there to protect them. The masks are a recent thing.” She told with slight unease. “But, as long as you obey the law, you don’t have to worry about them.”

With concern, Dinky, Blau Katja and Tungsten let sink it in. Would they truly be safe? Or could they get in trouble at any moment?

“Meow.” Chilly poked with great force Dinky into the chest, causing her to fall over.

“Oof!” She cried out, yet grinned. “Hey.” Her friends could not help but chuckle.

“She must have noticed your worry and tried to cheer you“ Cooper assumed with a grin.

“Oh, you.” The filly petted the cat in return, who purred in affection.

“Looks like you made another friend.” Robison smiled before his phone rang. “Yes?”

Everyone waited eagerly as he talked to the caller for a few minutes. “That was Bruno, he was supposed to come but his car got a breakdown, so he asked me if I could help him out.”

“Can we join you?” Dinky asked with a smile, “we could help you with repairs.”

Her host just shrugged. “If you want, I don’t mind.” The other nodded and they got into another armored Truck, which was just parked near the road.

“It’s quite…comfortable for an armored truck…” Blau mumbled slightly fascinated.

“Well, this is the Cavalry Armored Truck, designed to transport troops in urban areas where there is a high risk of mines and small arms fire, inspired by a similar project of the US forces.”

With awe, the children watched as the truck entered a highway, enjoying the view of the forests, grasslands and hills. Their eyes also took notice of several models of civilian cars passing by, from sedans, hatchbacks, subcompacts, muscle cars and even sport cars from time to time, roaring past the armored transport.

After around 15 minutes or, so, they saw smoke in the distance, originating from a military themed SUV that stood with warning lights on the hard shoulder as they got closer, next to a forest. Like the Cavalry, its color was black with some red bits.

Cooper pulled over and they got out. “I am here, Bruno, what’s the problem?” His friend asked, seeing him standing over the open hood.

In response, the South American looked up, smiling under his mask. “Glad you’re here. Got a flat one and the guys in the base forgot to mount the spare wheel, plus the engine gave up the ghost, as you see.” Then he spotted the kids, his eyes widening in surprise. “Oh, you again?”

“We wanted to give you a hoof too.” Dinky explained with a smile, her friends did too.

“If you want. “ Having his permission, the siblings grabbed a toolbox and jack, while Dinky and Tungsten grabbed the spare wheel from the back of the truck.

“Careful.” She warned her friend, both coordinating their attempt to grab each side, as it was a big heavy-duty tire.

Upon getting it down and rolling it towards the SUV, Cooper and Bruno took care of the rest, with them watching.

Twitching, Dinky’s ear got invaded by a faint but winching sound, turning to her friends with confusion. “Did you hear that?”

Before any could answer, there was it again. “Looks like it comes out of the forest.”

“I can hear it too but we should stay here.” Tungsten advised with slight worry, Blau shook his head.

“A quick look could not hurt, it sounds like someone is hurt.”

Looking over their caretaker, the ginger colt noticed they were still focused on the wheel, sighing. “Alright.”

The unicorn took the lead, the faint sound growing louder, meaning they got close, gasping when they spotted where it came from.

A monstrous black wolf with red eyes was whining in pain, its left hind leg stuck in a bear trap. It tried to pull itself free, only for the leg to bleed more.

“Oh no, we must help him!” Dinky exclaimed in horror and pity, her friends did not hesitate, careful approaching as she made a calming hush sound.

The wolf looked briefly up, whining before the kids grabbed the trap, using all their strength as they tried to pull it open. They groaned, the trap creaked in protest but slowly opened.

In response, the wolf slowly got up, still whining and Dinky lit up her horn to cast a healing spell on it. To their surprise, the wolf seemed to give a grateful look and low growl before limping deeper into the forest.

“I hope he can recover.” She commented with worry, although she felt proud to have helped him.

“Let’s hope the wound won’t go bad.” Katja added before making their way back.

As they got out of the forest, they were happy to see the repairs were done. “You were lucky it was just a clogged fuel filter, or we might have had to call a tow truck.” Robison commented before turning towards the kids. “Let’s get back. This is the Warrior Offroader, a licensed copy of the Humvee of the US forces and our main patrol vehicle around here.” He explained quickly, pointing to the SUV before they got in.

The ride was mostly quiet, yet at one point, their eyes went wide to see a raging cyclone of powerful swirling winds in the distance to their left, a tornado.

While not uncommon in Equestria, the pegasus kept them in check, yet it was a sight to behold.

“Don’t worry, its way too far to be a danger to us and goes not toward us.” Their driver assured them. “Solis suffers from extreme weather for years but the government has a project under development to get this under control.

They let this sink in, a project to control weather? While weather control was a thing in Equestria, the pegasus made sure it would be used correctly but humanity…was it truly ready for this and safe?

Dinky opened her mouth to speak but the older cobalt blue colt spoke up first.. “If you don’t mind me asking, Cooper, you said you joined the Black Hand in 2014. Were you not too young to join?” He had a point, something they did not notice before.

“You are correct but things…” Cooper hesitated to find the right words, sounding unsure, “Were not as strict back then. You see, back in the 1980s, the concept of PMCs was spread through the world through the action of one famous man, known as Big Boss. With the end of the cold war in 1990, many postcolonial client states of the two superpowers collapsed into internal conflict with the absence of their former backers, especially in Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, creating new civil and ethnic conflicts.”

In surprise, Dinky and the siblings looked at each other at the mention of Big Boss. They could not imagine that a single man could cause such a big change. Could they have indirectly caused it too when they helped him in their last adventure? It also made them wonder what happened to Lovec.

“Also, with the cold war ending, both powers decommissioned a large scale of their forces, resulting in a global pool of newly unemployed individuals whose careers during the Cold War left them with a predominantly military-oriented skillset, which had nowhere left to go, finding work within PMCs.

And during the early 21st century, with the invention of an advanced battlefield control system, war turned into a lucrative business, State economies became solely dependent on war with an immediate need for private military companies.”

It was beyond their imagination, yet they did not interrupt him.

“About that system, I spare you the details but it allowed multiple members of a military unit to share each other's senses and work more efficiently as a team. As such, I gained the experience of veterans, despite having only been a rookie at the time and due to the war economy, it was not uncommon for teenagers to join PMCs, thinking it’s cool to fight like this. However, in 2014, this system got hacked and promptly shut down in response, crippling PMCs as well as state armies worldwide.

But due to their contract with Solis, the Black Hand recovered quickly, so did the Harmonious Guard.”

They stayed silent, unable to process what they just had been told.

“Sounds like you have been through a lot.” Dinky spoke up in awe and pity.

“Yeah, I did.” Her driver mumbled in slight awe.

The rest of the day was quiet, Dinky, Tungsten, Katja and Blau helped out in the house to repay for the hosting.

As evening approached and dinner was prepared, the kids played cards together. When it was stone, a stew, Copper spoke up, “I would like to stay but got the evening guard shift today, so I see you later.” They nodded in response.

With that, they went to the bathroom to brush their teeth. They started slightly as the doorbell rang and Miranda walked, in, a worried expression on her face. “You better stay out of sight.”

An expression of panic formed on the face of the cobalt colt but he nodded with his friends, going to the guest room.

Tensed, Ana opened the door to reveal 2 elite soldiers, led by a Black Hand soldier wearing stark white body armor and bright red balaclava, an officer she recognized, forcing a smile. “Si?”

“Good evening, Ma’am. We were informed about suspicious activity” the officer explained.

“That must be a misunderstanding, I am a law abiding citizen.” She replied nervous, not able to imagine how they got aware of the lost kids. A neighbor reporting them? Or had they tapped communications?

“Non-cooperation will result in the detainment of your entire family, do you really want that?” Now, the officer sounded slightly threatening.

Dinky and her friends heard this threat, looking unsure at each other. If they would not give themselves up, their hoists would get into trouble but what would happen to them if the Black Hand takes them?

Without a word, they seemed to make a decision, looking at each other.

Ava was about to reply as she heard a voice behind her. “Don’t harm them, we’ll go with you.” She turned around to see Dinky and her friends, putting up brave expressions.

She was about to protest as the officer commented, “Smart choice.” He made a gesture to follow and they did without a word.

They got led towards an armored truck, seeing out of the corner of their eyes how their hosts watched after them with worry.

None of them said a word during the trip, afraid of where they got taken or what would happen to them, the soldiers in the back keeping a watchful eye on them as the truck entered a rainforest region.

Through the windows, they noticed how the sky filled with dark clouds, a thunderstorm was coming and it started to rain. “We better hurry, those thunderstorms are vicious here.” They heard the driver commenting with worry as they were about to pass a bridge.

Bang!

With a loud thunder, a lightning strike hit the ground near the truck, causing the driver to startle, losing control.

The children screamed as the truck grinded against the guard rail, threatening to break through and falling into the abyss below, while the driver fought to regain control.

He swerved violently, the truck tipping slightly over, his passengers screaming and trying to hold on as they got thrown around before it got thrown over, rolling around a few times.

Dinky screamed in pain, and so did her friends before they hit the ground hard, moaning as they were dazed.

Out of instinct, they opened the door and stumbled out, barely seeing how the soldiers did not move, the guard rail was dented, the truck stood in the middle of the bridge.

“We were lucky that the guard rail did hold, or…” Tungsten shivered at the thought before with a creak, the guard rail broke apart.

“Are you hurt?” a male voice asked worried, seeing a man walking towards them but it was too dark to make out any details. They shook their heads and he gestured them to follow for shelter, seeing how other people checked on the soldiers.

They got led to a house, it was simple in furnishings, with the man getting towels. As he returned, they got a good look at him. Dressed in colorful clothing, an average build, his brown eyes had relief in them, his brown hair short. “You can rest the night here, call me Miguel.”

Nodding, the children dried themselves from the rain, then got led to a guest room, the siblings took the bed, Dinky and Tungsten a sleeping bag, glad to be still alive.





After having finished his shift, Cooper only had a few hours’ sleep before being woken up, being told that the facility of the weather project had been attacked and he was part of a retaliation squad, boarding a transport chopper.

A feeling of unease overcame him as it flew towards a bridge settlement and he was ordered to scout ahead as it landed.

As morning approached, yawns escaped the children, covering their faces from the sun as the door opened and their helper walked in with toast and juice.

“Good morning, I made you breakfast.” He smiled and they gladly took it.

“Thank you.” Dinky took a bite, then remembered something. “Where are we and are the soldiers alright?”

In response, Miguel sighed. “Sadly, you are the only survivors, the Black Hand members had their necks broken from the accident. As to where you are, it's called El Abismo, a place for the poor and criminals. Me, I ended up here after losing my house in a tornado.”

A feeling of pity flowed through the kids but before they could answer, their ears heard a loud sound, like that of a chopper. Going to the window, they saw a transport chopper in Black Hand colors landing on the bridge. 6 Elite soldiers stepped out, led by a blond woman, dressed in a black outfit with a red stripe, the colors of the Black Hand they recognized but could not make out anything else at this distance.

Her expression was cold as he walked back and forth, speaking into a megaphone.

“Your actions in the next few minutes may determine the fate of this community. I am Commander Morales.” Her voice was cold and emotionless. “I have tolerated El Abismo for years. To maintain order and justice in Solis, I’ve allowed this place as a refuge for the criminal and disenfranchised. But last night, a terrorist attack was launched against the Project Illapa Facility. The culprit was abetted by a conspirator from this village.” She explained, pausing for a moment.

“If Mira Morales is not surrendered to me immediately, I will be forced to conduct an exhaustive investigation. Every home will be searched. Every citizens’ identity will be checked. And all transgressions will be harshly prosecuted.”

This caused the children to gulp, knowing if this would happen, they would be right back into the custody of the private force.

“You.” The commander pointed at a man in the same colorful clothes as Miguel, with 2 Elites approaching him at gunpoint and bringing him towards her, he looked around in surprise and fear as she asked in a slightly raised tone, “Where is Mira?” He did not react, so she leaned slightly forward to be face to face with him. “Where.” The elites trained their weapons at him.

With pounding hearts, the children watched in worry and fear, afraid what would happen next.

Would they witness a massacre and be victim of it?

“GABRIELLA!” a female voice shouted, the soldiers turned around in alt, their weapons trained on a woman with brown hair, dressed in a blue overall, like a mechanic would wear. “Let him go, cousin.” She demanded.

Two soldiers approached her, while her cousin calmly pushed the man aside, making him fall to the ground. “At least you aren’t a coward.” She commented emotionless, only for her prisoner to counter with hate,

“Your father would be disgusted with the monster you’ve become.”

“You two traitors can discuss your disappointment together in prison.” Her cousin stated calmly, earning a surprised and shocked expression as she ordered, “Load her into my chopper.”

But as they approached, the man that had been pushed down, pulled out what looked like an SMG with other residents. “Mira!” He aimed nervous between the soldiers, who aimed at him instead, the kids held their breath.

Cooper carefully looked around the back buildings, finding nothing to see until he noticed the shadow of a man in an alleyway. “Ey! Freeze!” He shouted and got closer.

He wore a red T-shirt, a black zip-up leather jacket and black jeans, nothing special but something about this man made the young soldier unease.

His eyes fell on a grappling device the man wore on his left arm and went small.

He had seen this before.

N-no way…

Then the man fired it at him, making Cooper scream as he got thrown back.

Dinky flinched at the scream, her eyes wide as she recognized the voice. Cooper!

In a flash, the standout turned violent, the soldiers opened fire, killing residents left and right, with Miguel quickly pulling the kids to the ground as stray bullets shattered the window.

With horror, they noticed an attack chopper rising above the bridge, its miniguns spinning and perforating two more residents, coming around to aim at the beforehand interrogated man, who took cover behind a pickup.

But suddenly, something hit the rotator and the chopper spun out of control, crashing into the ground with a giant fireball.

Everyone looked in shock at it and the commander reached for a radio. “We need re-“

She could not finish, as in a flash, a cable hit her out of nowhere, throwing her to the ground, with Mira running out of harm’s way. The soldiers looked at her in suppose before turning around in shock to see a man in red T-shirt, a black zip-up leather jacket and black jeans, having a beard and brown hair. He was armed with an assault rifle, his hazel eyes foxed o the soldiers with a serious expression.

Before any of the soldiers could react, the man slowly advanced and fired his rifle.

The Elites aimed in what seemed panic and shock at him, unable to pull the trigger as they slowly backed up before one got hit and fell dead to the ground.

Then another.

And another.

The last one was about to pull the trigger but was too slow Blood splattered from his head, a hole in his helmet and he collapsed

Their commander barely managed to jump into the chopper, it took a few stray bullets as it took off and flew away.

Breathing heavily, trying to process everything, the kids saw how Mira walked up to the man who had single-handedly pushed Gabriella back. “I think we just started a rebellion.” She commented ad he replied with what seemed worry.

“We didn’t have to drag these people into this.”

“They are what we need to put down Project Illapa.” She pointed out.

“Well, they’ll need more guns.” The man added calmly.

“Eso, there’s a factory down the road here. Abandoned.” Mira’s apparent second ally pointed down the road.

“Casquillos Vacíos. It used to manufacture Black Hand weapons, years ago.” Mira explained and the bearded man nodded.

“Let’s check it out.” He looked at Mira’s ally, “Luis, right? Organize these people. Anyone who wants to fight the Black Hand gest to fight. You up for it, Sargento?”

“Si, señor.”

“Mira. I need to make sure my gear is working. I’ll meet you at the factory.

With that, the man walked down the road, but the children could only watch it shock, their minds all having the same thought.

What did we get ourselves into?