"It can not be stressed enough, some of Equestria's most influential members will be observing today's operation. We wish you all the best of fortunes, dismissed."
Luna's briefing was long and meticulous for what essentially boiled down to 'we will figure it out once we get there'. Rapid Fire had nearly lost her mind waiting for it to be over and was now thankful the ship had a gally. After the last few days, she needed a stiff drink. The aftermaths of the attack on Canterlot had left large chunks of the city in ruin, with most of the enlisted pegasi on search and rescue. Between volunteering on and off duty to help, as well as filling out reports, this was the first real break she had since the day before yesterday.
The gally had a couple of faces familiar to her, as well as a good few that weren't. Not being in a social mood, Rapid Fire chose the table with the one pony she knew that always had a pole stuck up his tail hole. Sitting there nursing a wooden mug, Battle Bowler looked up as Rapid Fire approached the table.
"Anything strong on tap?" Rapid Fire asked as she sat down opposite the Stallion in his metal hat.
"Nope." Battle Bowler
"Nothing?" Rapid Fire had not expected that response.
"Warehouse was levelled. The only stuff left was the reserve, which is for the VIPs, and whatever was left at the on-base bar. What was left of the normal stuff went in about a day, and somepony else took off with the contraband booze. No pony thought to find alternatives for the cloud cutter and so come take off, no liquor was brought aboard." Battle Bowler took a swig from his mug once he finished.
"But, then what are you having?" Rapid Fire gestured to the mug.
"Apple juice. Toss it in a barrel with some yeast for a month and you might make a half-decent cider."
Rapid Fire groaned, dropping her head on the table.
"First watching verbal paint dry and now this," Rapid Fire whined.
"It's not that bad." Battle Bowler told her.
"She practically spent an hour telling us nothing! She may as well have said we'll figure it out when we get there."
Rapid Fire scrapped her head off the table and got up to go grab a mug of apple juice.
"It's not like it was a normal briefing, she was trying to look good in front of the minted lot. Gotta impress the snobs if you want their dosh," Battle Bowler stated.
Rapid Fire pulled the keg tap up and waited as her mug filled with juice.
"Speaking of, what happened on the main deck before? Saw everyone crowded around the princess when I was on the lookout."
"I thought fliers had sharp sense." Battle Bowler commented.
"Sharp eyes, not ears. Besides, that's horse feathers. I know plenty who couldn't see a mountain in their way. So what happened?" Rapid Fire pushed, hovering over gently with a mug in her front hooves.
"Brasshorn publicly questioned the Princess's decision to entrust the Ministry to Levee, Bastard. Just cause we're not born here, he thinks we're less Equestrian than the rest of em."
"Wait, you're not from Equestria?" Rapid Fire asked. She had no idea both of her peers were not from Equestria.
"No, I'm from Trottingham!" Battle Bowler snapped, slamming his hooves on the table and causing his mug to jump.
The room's ambience lowered as ponies turned to find the source of the commotion. Rapid Fire looked past Battle Bowler to see some of the crew staring at the two. Battle Bowler's ear flicked, picking up on whispering from the ponies behind them. He zipped around in anger.
"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT!" He roared.
Heads quickly turned away, with casual conversation resuming.
"Tossers..." Battle Bowler muttered as he turned back around.
"Hey Bowler, Cool it, They're civilians. How do you expect them to react, they don't know you," Rapid Fire said.
"You don't know me!" Battle Bowler jabbed at Rapid Fire, pointing at her.
"Three months of joint operations and you don't even know where I'm from?! I don't even speak the same way you do!"
Rapid Fire threw up her hooves, nearly knocking over her mug.
"In my defence, I don't know a thing about places and ponies. Cloudsdale isn't really known for its outsiders, the whole being in the sky issue."
Rapid Fire began tapping on the tabletop, unsure what to say next.
"So, How did you end up in the Equestrian Guard? Did you buy into the posters?" Rapid Fire settled on asking.
"Sure, let's go with that," Battle Bowler replied.
Rapid Fire frowned at Battle Bowler. As the stallion reached for his mug, Rapid Fire Swiped it from his side of the table.
"Nuh ah, talk." Rapid Fire insisted.
"Ok, first off, rude." Battle Bowler responded with a jab towards Her.
"What do you even care about why I signed up?" Battle Bowler followed up.
"You're the one who pointed out I barely know you, so spill." Rapid Fire answered, leaning forward.
Rapid Fire watched as Battle Bowler mulled it over. Letting out a grown, he conceded.
"Fine, can I have it back now?" He asked, gesturing to the mug.
Rapid Fire slowly pushed the mug back over, never breaking eye contact. She watched as Battle Bowler pulled the mug over and started tapping the side with one hoof.
"Right, well, I guess I should start with how I ended up here. As I said before, I was born in Trottingham. Not the city mind you, One of the mining towns. My Pa was a miner, go figure, and my mum was a Bit counter for the mine. I spent my time learning both trades and getting into scruffs. One day, I'm down by the stream, trying my luck with panning when I hear the news. Something went wrong in the mine, a cave-in at the new shaft. Long story short, By the time they got through, no one had survived."
Rapid Fire watched Battle Bowler as he unearthed old scars, his eyes locked on the content of his mug rather than her.
"By Celestia... I'm sorry," She told him.
"Thanks... The Mine Owners paid out the families of the dead, including mum and me. Between that and most of the skilled miners' dead, the mine closed. With Pa gone and no work, mum moved us across the straight onto Equestria. The ferry is still there as far as I know."
"Wait, you took a ferry? I thought it wasn't a part of Equestria?" Rapid Fire Interjected.
"It isn't, Trottingham sits between Equestria and the Griffon Lands. But they sit closer to the Equestrian side of the island chain. Anyway, So Mum gets a job at an accounting firm in Outer Manehatten. We go from the only home I've known since I can remember to a dingy apartment room. Like any Ill-adjusted teen, I was pissed."
From the beginning, Battle Bowle's face had been a mix of frustration and hesitation. Just then Rapid Fire spotted something new, Nostalgia.
"One of the guards for our constabulary used to keep an eye on me. I think after the first time he dragged me back home, my Mum told him what had happened. Somehow, every scuffle ended up with him pulling me out before things went south. More than once I should have been in the iron pen, but he kept me out. One day, after getting jumped by two back ally thugs, he comes in to help get me home. Normally on the way, he would drop some Horseradish about how if I don't straighten out, I'll ruin my life. But this time?"
Battle Bowler took a swig from his mug, If she didn't know better, Rapid Fire would have thought it was intentional timing.
"This time he takes me downtown, The kinda place you don't visit. We end up down at the precinct, it was a mess. Everypony looked like they hadn't slept in weeks, and the queue for the reception was outside the door. I had just assumed the Urban Guard didn't care since everyone talked about how bad our area's precinct was, turns out they cared a lot. My neighbourhood was one of the roughest in the outer Manehatten area, and I'd been part of that problem. After a good look at everything, he takes me to his office and shows me a picture on his desk. The first thing I learn is the idiot showing me around is the superintendent, and I've been wasting his already limited free time. The second thing I learnt was the reason he cared so much was that the guy was my father's friend, the old man would take the ferry and go for a beer and chat every other weekend. They would talk about me and how things were going, how proud he was. Afterwards, he learnt of the accident and that mum and I were moving into the area. He had gone out of his way to make sure his friend's son stayed out of trouble, but it wasn't getting through. So After talking about him and my father, he takes me by the shoulder, and he says."
Battle Bowler then attempted to make his voice as deep as possible, sounding more like a two-bit version of the Luna Night Guard Captain.
"Bowler, you've got a fighting spirit. Your Pa loved that you stood up for yourself, but what are you standing up for? You have the potential to do great things, but you need to consider what you want out of life. I can give you a chance to do something meaningful, to help make your new home a safer place. I could pull some strings and get you into a Cadet squad for our local forces."
Battle Bowler's poor impersonation ended, Rapid Fire holding back a giggle at how silly he looked.
"So, I took a good long look at where I was headed. I didn't have any better option, so I went along with it. A few years later and suddenly I'm nothing short of an employee of the month. My time mingling with the street gangs apparently made me invaluable, since I knew where they got their dosh. After a couple of raids, the worst of them scattered. Of course, then the mayor pushed for the gentrification of the outer boroughs and the problem was pushed out alongside it. With nothing but paperwork and the occasional patrol, it all started to feel pointless again. So I had two options, move myself to one of the new hotspots, or pack up and go for the big league. My record guaranteed me a good post once I'd gone through training, then it was just a matter of where to go." Battle Bowler finished, emptying his mug to the last drop.
"There you go, story time over." He told Rapid Fire, preparing to leave.
"No, Wait, what about Levee? When did you meet her? What about boot camp? come on, don't leave me hanging." Rapid Fire begged.
"I don't really see how that's your business. besides, my apple juice is over." Battle Bowler said decisively.
Rapid Fire responded by sliding her mug over in one push. Battle Bowler looked down at it and back to her.
"Seriously..."
Rapid Fire stared expectingly at Battle Bowler, resolute in her curiosity. He again looked down at her mug and back up, giving an eye roll response. Sitting back down he swiped the mug of apple juice, humouring her.
"So... you and Levee?" Rapid Fire pushed.
"We didn't actually meet at the camp, but at the nearby pub. I don't remember what caused it, but we had a confrontation. I think that's when I learned she was prench because I remember calling her something along the lines of a baguette munching tosspot. Anyway, we throw hooves. Here I was thinking it was gonna be clean tight, right up until she used magic to drop a chair on me. I wake up in the MP cell, she's there alongside me. I call her a cheat, she calls herself the winner, and the MP who dragged us in calls us both idiots. Stuck in a cell for the night, we begin talking. Eventually, we realise were not that different. We were both outsiders struggling to make it to a place where we can help others. From that day onward we stuck together to make it through the training. I helped her prepare for the physical test and she helped me study for the paper test. After training, we both took to being the best damn guards you can find. We stayed in touch by mail, and then a few months ago she tells me of this new initiative to deal with the ongoing monster crisis. So, Now here I am, part of a new dawn in Equestrian military thinking right alongside her. And yet..."
Battle Bowler's words died off.
Rapid Fire intervened before his mood dropped further.
"Hey, it's not your fault. Besides, we all know the risks."
"Yeah yeah, I know, Rapid Fire, " Battle Bowler responded dismissively.
Rapid Fire wanted to say more, but Battle Bowler clearly had had enough of it.
"Excuse me."
A shadow covered Rapid Fire. Confused Rapid Fire looked up, then around as her eyes settled on the griffon standing behind her.
"You are the SpitFire, are you not?" The griffon stated more than asked.
"Sorry beakface, you've got the wrong pony." Rapid Fire
If the scornful look was anything to judge by, the Griffon didn't seem to take too kindly to her nickname, but she went back to looking at Battle Bowler anyway.
"He said you are the Spitfire, just now. You are WonderBolt Leader Spitfire."
Rapid Fire took the opportunity to swivel around on her bench.
" Sorry to burst your bubbles, but that would be my sister. I'm Rapid Fire, Ra-Pid." She emphasised her name, growing annoyed.
"The Spitfire has a sibling? Are you a Wonderbolt too?" He asked.
"NO, I am not! I am not my sister and never will be!" Rapid Fire stressed and she hammered her hoof on the table.
There was a pause before the griffon asked another unwanted question.
"Can you get me her autograph?"
Rapid Fire's right hook left the room stunned, Battle Bowler embarrassed, feathers in the air and the griffon's lights out after a squawk.
"You've got to stop doing that." Battle Bowler moaned.
Nate passed through the doors of the main meeting hall, its opulence upon every wall. Gold-lined mirrors and crystal chandeliers demonstrated the wealth of a powerful nation. Princess Celestia lay upon what Nate could only describe as a royal couch, Layden with silk on a brass frame. Even her regalia was gold with purple gemstones, the colours of her regalia and her hair being accentuated by her snow-white coat. The scene felt like it had been pulled straight from an old European painting. The one thing that seemed out of place was the book the Princess was reading, the book was old. The brown leather was peeling and dull, and the brass binding and emblem had lost their shine. The only colour that stood out was the green gem that made the eye of the Unicorn emblem on the front.
As Nate walked closer, he realised she was not reading the book, merely staring at a single page. Celestia's eyes flicked up for a moment.
"Enjoying the view?" She asked.
Nate took a moment to register what she had said.
"Pardon?"
"The room, While the extravagance awes most, I have yet to hear how it compares to your world's receptions.
Nate let out a huff of relief and humour.
"Yes. It's a bit much, don't you think?"
"Privately, I find it distasteful. One must keep up appearances, however. Everything must look shiny and new for the public." Celestia clarified with a disarming smile.
"Except that" Nate pointed at the book.
Celestia looked at the book laying on her forehooves, then back up to Nate. She then stared into nothingness as she pondered something, then looked back to Nate properly.
"Please take a seat."
Nate sat on one of the other lounges that curved around her one. Once he was comfortable, The Princess held the book up with magic.
"This book is more important than most ponies could ever know. It's called the Legendarium, although young Twilight knows it by many other names. Take a look."
Celestia levitated the book over to Nate. Once the book was in his hands, he looked at the spine to see the name, Only to see random symbols.
"I can't read it, it's gibberish," Nate told Celestia.
One of Celestia's eyebrows became raised.
"You can't read Equish? Has this problem occurred before?" Celestia asked.
"I don't know, I don't recall reading anything from here," Nate answered truthfully.
"Curious, may I see it?" Celestia requested.
Nate was confused by the request but attempted to hand the book back over.
"Hold on to it, I guess an explanation is needed," Celestia told Nate, who pulled the book back in.
"The Legendarium is very old, only slightly younger than the elements of Harmony themselves. It's what you might even call a projection of the Elements. The Legendarium shows what the reader needs most to bring harmony. It has led me, my sister and Twilight to the Elements of Harmony. It has even on occasion informed us of potentially dangerous individuals before they arrive."
Nate looked at the book in his hands.
" So it tells you the future?"
Celestia shook her head softly.
"No, it only shows you just enough of what you need to set you on your path, usually in the form of the past. What is revealed is ultimately up to the book. When you hold the book, it chooses what is revealed."
Nate felt the book's cover with his free hand, Her wording concerned him.
"chooses? you mean it's alive?" He asked for clarity.
"In a way, much like the Elements, the book has a will of its own. It chooses who it will reveal itself to and what is shown. When I grew suspicious, I attempted to make the book show me what I thought I needed. The book punished me by no longer showing me anything new, only what has been shown before. Even then, it does not guide me through its pages. In my hooves, it's a book, nothing more."
Nate's eyes shot up to Celestia.
"Wait, it punished you. Were you looking for lottery numbers?"
Celestia didn't answer initially, instead, she lightly levitated the book. When Nate let the book go, it slowly levitated over to Celestia. She open the book as it spun around, opening on a certain page.
"After Luna's banishment, I made some brash choices. Choices made out of desperation, many that I would come to regret. The transition was not easy for my ponies, or me. It didn't matter what happened, only that it gave me what I needed. I was going to make it tell me"
"But why, why was it so important?" Nate asked.
Celestia returned the book to his hands, open on a page. The illuminated manuscript was accompanied by a picture. An Alicorn surrounded by darkness, with a black coat and midnight blue mane. The Alicorn was being attacked by another Alicorn, with a white coat and a pink mane.
"Because I believed it owed me."
Celestia's response was blunt and vindictive. It didn't take long or Nate to figure out who the two alicorns were supposed to be.
"I'm sorry."
The stern look faded into subtle relief.
"In the end, it was another that was destined to save her. years before Nightmare Moon's escape, I had left the book in Twilight's observatory. When she found the book, it revealed to her the Nightmare Moon's escape and the Element's role in her banishment. When she sent me a letter about Nightmare moons return, I knew she had found the book. Knowing the Elelemtns were involved once more, I left Twilight instructions to go to Ponyville and make some friends. On my arrival, I left the book in the library she was staying at. On the millennium of her return, Nightmare Moon Escaped and Imprisoned me to the sun as I had her to the moon. I placed my hope in Twilight and the Elements. I have Luna back. It took me centuries to understand, but now I place my trust in Harmony; I put my trust in Twilight and her frie-"
While Celestia gave her heartfelt speech, Nate tried to fathom what she meant by to the moon, or to the sun. It was in that moment of reflection that the book slipped from his fingers. Slamming onto the floor on a new set of pages. Celestia stopped at the distraction and watched him pick it back up. When he tried to reopen the book to the page he was on, he stopped at a strange-looking creature. It was long and serpent-like, but with mismatching arms and legs. its head had two mismatched horns as well.
"What is that?" Nate asked.
Looking up, Nate saw an unsettling visage. Celestia was glaring with hostility and intensity he had yet to see in his short time. Yet her death glare was towards the book, more specifically the picture it now showed.
"Discord... How could HE be a part of this?!" Celestia hissed.
"wait...Discord?" Nate told Celestia.
"Discord is a being of pure chaos and unfathomable power. Before we overthrew him, he ruled over Equestria, imposing his insanity upon all. We used the Elements to turn him to stone when we faced him. Not long ago he broke free once more, Twilight and her friends once again used the Elements to reimprison him in stone. He's currently residing in a vault made just for him, so he could never break free... However..."
Celestia's mood cooled, getting out of the chair and over to Nate. She walked over and looked over his shoulder. Nate Waited as She read the foreign script.
"Princess, what exactly is going on?" Nate enquired.
Celestia chewed the inside of her cheek, contemplating something.
"Before the first attack reports came in, I was considering a test of sorts for Twilight. Discord has always been a considerable threat to Equestria, but if he could be redeemed he would be quite the ally. I was forced to put the idea on hold once things started getting out of hoof with the incursions. Yet if anypony could know what is causing this, Discord would be a good bet."
"Well... Maybe 'Harmony' didn't want you to stop?" Nate threw it out there.
Celestia dismissed the idea outright.
"I can't take the risk. If Discord is behind this, then I can risk letting him out. Even if he isn't, He's unpredictable, there's no telling what he would do. No, until I know more, I won't."
Celestia walked back to her seat. With nothing more to be said on the matter, Nate flipped the page over to see what showed up. Landing on one with a picture of someone familiar.
"Princess, I think this one is about you," Nate announced, holding up the book in front of him.
Celestia stopped mid-stride, her ears flicked at the mention. Nate had to let go suddenly of the book as her magic yoinked it out of his grasp and in front of her. Celestia began as she scanned the page, Then looked back at Nate.
"It's my history... But why would this appear for you?" She pondered aloud.
After a moment of deep thought, She closed the book.
"Thank you for your company, General. I'm afraid it must be cut short, but I must consult with my sister. And I do believe that you need to stop by the armoury before we arrive, you don't intend to fight unarmed do you?"
Nate took the hint and began to leave, looking back to see Celestia opening the book once more as she took a different exit.
John had gone straight for the armoury to keep himself busy. When he arrived, he was thoroughly unimpressed. Most of the equipment was crude and antiquated. Once you moved past the shiny finishes and elaborate designs, they were blades and pointed sticks. He had seen some of the Locals using crossbows during his stay, but even that was limited in power and availability. If they didn't catch up to the wasteland's equipment, these ponies were screwed. His personal saving grace was that along with the functional guns, they had brought a collection of barely functioning energy weapons on board. Soon he had settled into taking apart the cases of laser guns and salvaging the best parts. A rust-free screw here, an intact crystal array lens there, piece by piece he had assembled a functional weapon. As John used the Equestrian screwdriver to realign a lens, it baffled him that he was using one at all. These Ponies had the means to build machines and even some limited electronics, yet they still used spears and shields. How had the sisters stayed in power for so long?
John put down the Screwdriver and picked up the laser rifle. he breathed out slowly as he squeezed the trigger as he looked down the sight. The rifle jolted as John reacted to the sudden burst of high-intensity heat and light. It was annoying, even with no recoil on paper, the human condition and the expanding air in front of the rifle created much of the recoil the rifle was designed to avoid. Even more annoying, the suit of armour he had been using as a test dummy showed little improvement from his last realignment. The metal was turning black, but the damage was superficial.
"Damn it..." John muttered to himself as he put the laser rifle back down on its side and picked up the screwdriver.
inserting it into the case, he notched it against the pin holding the lens and slowly turned it. His concentration was broken by the heavy armoury door being opened, allowing the screwdriver to slip. As the screwdriver clattered to the floor, John
searched for the interloper. Nate stepped into the armoury, to John's annoyance. The self-described General looked around the room before setting his eyes on John.
" Hiding down here, one might think you were avoiding everyone," Nate commented.
"That was the plan," John answered as he bent over and picked up the screwdriver.
John could only inwardly groan as he heard Nate approach.
"Are you... Building a Laser rifle?" Nate asked, yet John couldn't quite place if he was hearing surprise or concern.
John began to once again realign the lens, not looking up as Nate appeared in front of him.
" None of this stuff is any better than a laser pointer, if it works at all, So I'm improvising," John explained.
He stopped working on his rifle to look up temporarily. Nate had picked up one of the discarded lenses that were scratched or cracked.
"You know, maintaining energy weapons is pretty rare in the wasteland. You said you did some work for the Brotherhood?" Nate asked John.
"I did some contract work for them" John answered as he started working on the next lens.
"And what kind of contract work requires an in-depth knowledge of energy weapons?" Nate pressed.
"The kind that's none of your business." John jabbed.
John carefully turned the screwdriver, rotating the lens ever so slightly to concentrate the beam more when the rile was fired.
"It's ok if your Ex brotherhood, One of my friends was a Paladin before he-" Nate started.
He was cut off as John took the screwdriver out and slammed it on the table and shot up at Nate.
"Why the hell does this matter to you?!" John Snapped, finally over Nate not getting the hint.
Nate was leaning on a nearby wall his arms crossed.
"Whether you like it or not, We're going to be fighting together. I need to trust you and I can't do that while you're hiding things. Besides, who knows how long this whole conflict could take? We're going to have to find a way to get along eventually, and getting to know each other would go a long way to finding some common ground," Nate explained.
John used both hands on the table to stabilize himself as he stood up, pushing his chair back with his legs.
"We may have to work together, but I damn well don't have to like you. You need to trust me, Trust me to do my job. I'll pay my part, just make sure you're doing yours."
John Watched as Nate listened to what he had said and then casually leave the same way he entered. After a brief reflection and disregard of the prior conversation, John scoffed. Picking up the rifle, he closed the exposed case. He held it in his hands as he looked down at it. After a moment, he aimed it at the Suit of Armour and squeezed. The Red Laser reduced the Armour to slag. Satisfied with the result, John slapped the Fusion Cell ejector lever. The Spent cell shot out the side and clacked on the floor as it bounced away.