“Don’t you trust me?” Celestia asked her sister as the sound of gunfire continued to ring out through the forest.
“…Yes, but you can understand why I’m a little hesitant right? This seems like one of your crazier plans,” Luna shuffled her hooves, not convinced of her sister’s guarantees that the scheme will work.
“Yes, but it’s just like the unicorn warp troopers, except I’m the one teleporting you in.”
“No, the difference sister is that they have an idea where they are teleporting to, you don’t. For all I know you’ll teleport my flank into a wall of another pony.”
“As long as you keep your shield up you should be fine, even if you are teleported into an object the shield will make sure the wall takes the brunt of it. Plus you’re the only one of us who can pull it off,” I’m sure it will be fine…pretty sure, Celestia finished to herself.
Luna sighed and slumped her shoulders in defeat, “Fine, but only because you aced that teleportation theory test Doctor Star gave us. ”
Celestia and Luna looked from their defended position as the battle for the farmhouse was in full swing. A pegasus recon chariot circled above, the gunner operating the heavy turret from the rear of the craft rained a firestorm of bullets down. The trio of earth ponies next to Luna and Celestia watched the battle from afar, accepting their orders to stay back and watch for enemy reinforcements. The ammo carrier had shook off his saddle bags of ammunition belts and was keeping watch over the other two. The gunner of the team watched through the scope mounted on the heavy caliber gun that was attached to the back of the bored looking gun carrier who lay down in the dirt, him and the gunner positioned in a seemingly uncomfortable and awkward position.
(Pow pow pow pow)
The gunner let off a single burst at the farmhouse, keeping the embattled ponies inside from returning fire under threat of losing their heads to the hail of fire.
“So you know the plan right?’ Celestia asked, ‘find the head pony, and teleport him to me, I’ll have a shield ready.”
“Are you sure I can’t just cast a ‘want it need it’ spell on a few grenades and have you warp them in like my original plan?” Luna asked rhetorically.
“Don’t worry sis-“
“Here take some of these,” Candice interrupted tossing a satchel of medical supplies that hit the unsuspecting Luna in the face.
“Eugh! Hey!" Luna cried out, "…aren’t you supposed to be treating the wounded?”
“All the wounded are on the enemy’s side, Luna. So the quicker you get a move on the better, no doubt they have a hurt ponies over there,” Candice replied as she threw a hoof towards the enemy position as she turned and began picking herbs from a bush nearby.
“And remember Luna," Sapphire added as she trotted up, "soon as yall get in too deep, flash out and we’ll charge in. I would prefer to do this quietly and take Periwinkle alive, but I’m not trading one of ours for him.”
Celestia began to feel even more anxious about her plan than she did before seeing the concern the others seemed to show, “are…are you sure you don’t want to have me go instead?”
Luna glared at her sister, “I can do this Celestia," she said sternly, "…plus you’re too gangly, you might trip over your own hooves,” she finished with a smile as a magical shield clung to her contours with the flash of her horn.
“Go get ‘em!" Cloudsoar yelled as he landed on his back legs and thrust a few quick air punches into a nonexistent opponent, "I can see the look on their faces now, blam, pow.”
-------
“How was your flight doctor?” the yellow unicorn mare asked as she trotted up to the powering down aircraft.
“Very good councilor,” Shining Star responded drearily placing the pair of dog tags she was gifted into the duffle she floated beside her as she set her hooves on the fine cut grass of Unicorn Military Research Academy.
“My goodness dear," Daisy began with a tone sincere concern, "you look like you have been crying.”
“Oh I-“
"Don’t worry dear, your job here won’t be that bad," Daisy said with a comforting smile, "plus you are free of the pegasi. I’m sure you’ll appreciate the more refined luxuries and mental stimulation of home in no time at all.”
“Yes…of course.”
“I would love to chat more, but unfortunately I have a council meeting later, and an academy to run so I’ll have to make it quick. Please come follow me, there’s plenty of ponies who are looking forward to hearing about your work,” the Councilor said as she trotted off, throwing her yellow mane back to address Shining Star.
Shining quickly raced after Councilor Daisy as fast as she could in the morning dew covered lawn beneath her hooves. She closed the distance across the landing field as Daisy began to speak again, stopping to let a gaggle of academy students run past on their morning jog.
“Unfortunately you will need to attend a few council meetings as part of your official job,” Daisy said eyeing the bustling ponies that continued their morning physical training.
Official job? Shining thought quietly to herself, you only have an “official” job when –
“However, I didn’t call on you to explain magic to a bunch of politicians," Daisy said as she continued forward to the doorway of the administration building, "once I show you your lab, I’ll explain more. But first let me show you your new office and introduce you to your assistants.”
After many hoof shakes, greetings, and a private elevator ride down to the subbasement Doctor Star got to see her new lab. The cargo lift left the confined walls of the shaft as it began to lower through the roof of a massive crystal lined cavern beneath the academy.
“Wow…” Shining whispered to herself as the light from the buildings that dotted the cavern glinted of the roof like a perfect mimic of the night sky.
Daisy gave a sideways smile as she looked at the bedazzled unicorn mare, “I figured you would wipe off that frown you had on your face when I told you that your office would be in the subbasement.”
“I heard about the crystal caves beneath Canterlot, but…wow. How were they formed?” Shining asked still gaping as the lift stopped.
“Always the scientist…the crystal caves were formed from underground magma chambers from the volcano Canterlot is part of," Daisy explained as she led Doctor Star through the alleys of prefabricated buildings beneath the surface, "this is the largest chamber, more akin to a giant geode than a cave really. It is home to our most important projects including the Circle of the Sun.”
Daisy hoofed the keypad that allowed access to one of the underground structures. Shining squinted her eyes as she entered, the sharp fluorescents and shining walls providing a sharp and painful contrast to faint light of the cave.
“This will be your lab, for safety, we ask that you don’t cast any spells unless you inform the other staff here, the crystals of the cave amplify magic. Since we share space down here, we don’t want other spells being interrupted and ending the day early because of an accident caused by trying to float a coffee cup over,” Daisy smiled, leading Shining further into the lab.
“This is quite the facility. What exactly am I going to be working on? Does it involve the Circle?” Shining asked as she tried to get her bearing in what would be her new office.
“…Sort of, but I’ll spare you having interface with them directly. We recently, and by recently I’m going by scientific standards,” Daisy said before coming to a halt in front of a large metal blast door.
Scientific standards, so a couple years, Shining took notice of the heavy doors in front of her, only the best science occurs inside protected bunkers….Uh, I’ve spent too much time in that pegasus bunker.The doors opened into the main laboratory, the fixture of the building. Consoles and equipment were wrapped around the room, with two stone objects making up the center of the room.
Daisy strode to the artifacts in the room and took position next to them preparing her presentation, “A few years ago, a team of archeologists were excavating old Griffon ruins and came across the second artifact here. The other one has been in the possession of unicorns forever but it never did anything impressive until the second was placed with it. Each seems to be a totem to values and traits. Originally we thought they were just decorative, however, this no longer seems the case. Some of the ponies here have taken to calling them, the elements, but as to the elements of what we are unsure until we find the rest.”
-------
The basement of the fortified farm home was filled with metal shelves now stripped bare of the weapons they once held. With a sudden flash one of the shelves exploded and ripped apart as Luna teleported into its metal skeleton. The dark alicorn dropped four hoof lengths to the floor as she was warped into thin air above the ground. Luna looked around the dim basement that was illuminated by her skin clinging shield and the bits of metal turned to slag from her magical entry.
Luna had hoped that with the battle occurring in the home above that nopony would be lurking here. However the pony impaled by a metal piece of debris and the pair of ponies dazed and confused from the flash showed that this was not the case. Luna moved quickly to get the upper hoof of the situation, as the unfortunate passersby in front slumped to the floor from a stunning bolt as Luna charged the other. The last earth pony fell with a bone breaking crack from the alicorn’s hooves.
What in the hay were these ponies up to? Luna gasped as she took the basement in. Although it was an apple cellar at one point, the massive hole in the concrete foundation that led into a long, dimly lit tunnel that snaked off into the darkness betrayed its benign origins. Luna looked down at the compass strapped to her foreleg to get the bearings of where the tunnel went. Off east away from town, Luna tried to remember the map as she began to tap the buttons on the radio clutched to her chest before deciding against it, I’m not going to risk underestimating these guys, if their leader had military experience he would be listening in, at least that’s what I would do.
She floated out and placed a satchel charge at the doorway of the tunnel, taking care to hide it behind one of the many wooden supports lining the passage. Fifteen minutes, should be long enough. The dark alicorn stepped past the unconscious earth ponies on her way up top to find their VIP. Luna felt a confident smile cross her face before she stopped short. She felt a sticky wetness as she stepped over the ponies, looking down she could see that her hoof was covered in the dark red ooze of blood. The once severely injured soldier that was the unfortunate recipient of the teleport induced debris laid dead, his crimson blood pooled around his fallen friends and left a sticky spot on Luna’s hooves.
Luna starred at the cold expression on the deceased earth pony’s blood matted face, I-I didn’t mean to…Luna stop he’s an enemy, he would have killed you, it was you or him, she argued with herself, mentally changing the scene to allow her to apply first aid then dash off. Luna looked down at the pony with a mix of shame and anger before turning and leaving her first kill behind to wallow in his own gore, taking the mental image of his final agonized expression with her.
The stairs creaked slightly as she trotted up them, however as her ears met the bursts of gunfire from the living room beyond she felt confident that the embattled enemy would hear a thing, them seeing her however, was a different matter. Despite the small squad rebels firing from the window, there was still a room full of others patching up the wounded that would see her if she tried to trot by.
“Damn it!” the blood covered medic cried above the screams of his patient. The frustrated earth pony tried his best to apply his obviously limited first aid knowledge to his far gone friend. The buck applied a tourniquet with his mouth, leaving a streak of his friend’s gore across his muzzle as the dying pony squirmed in agony as he continued to yell, “Do we have any more morphine? Anyone?”
Luna felt ill, not just at the realization that the Equestrian soldiers outside killed the colt, or that the shot that tore through his thigh and femoral artery could have come from an alicorn or even Celestia, but it was the “what if?” Luna hadn’t played through her mind with the pony below. Luna was trapped at the moment, which left her plenty of time to ponder. Could I do it? Try and save an enemy, could I do that after condemning them to death, could I sit and watch as they bled to death? Luna began to delve deeper into her morality as another flash lit up the room.
(clink clink clink)
A trio of grenades teleported into the room and rolled across the floor. Damn it no! Luna screamed silently in anger at her ally’s devious attack, not like this, they deserve better. The grenade went off, filling the room in a thick cloud of expanding smoke. Luna sighed in relief as she felt a slight burn tickling her throat and nose. The mare scrambled with her magic to close the visor on her combat helmet and place the breather mask on. Tear gas, Candice must have found the ingredients while picking flowers…how could I even think Celestia could do that? She’s not…me, Luna felt a jab of shame as she remembered her plan of doing exactly what had just disgusted her.
“Fuck, I can’t see a thing *cough* *cough*,” was all Luna cared to hear as she snuck past in her protective gear to head upstairs.
-------
Celestia stood ridged in anxious anticipation. She looked out at the farm home as it seemed to turn eerily silent in the middle of the standoff. Damn it Luna where are you? The captured unicorn Periwinkle continued to swear and berate his captors as Celestia felt a heavy lump of fear and worry swell in her gut.
“What the hell are you freak?” Periwinkle barked insultingly at Crystal who buzzed her armored body about on her insect wings, filling the air with a malicious humming. The insecticorn was “sweet as sugar” as Sapphire put it, but could easily be a terrifying thing of nightmares when she wanted to, as long as she didn’t start talking.
“I’ll let that slide, but don’t test mah patience especially when it comes to my friends. Do you want some water? Yall’ve been through a lot,” Sapphire asked taking her part in the "good cop, bad cop" routine, removing her helmet and floating a canteen over to the bound pony.
“Fuck you-eughh!” Periwinkle squeaked as Celestia tightened the magical over-shield around him.Celestia continued her spell as the field interrogation went on, but stayed focused on the fear and concern she felt for her only family, who still hadn’t teleported back. It was clear that she had accomplished her mission by teleporting the VIP out, but whether she was magically drained, hurt or dead she hadn’t returned with her target leaving Celestia to run through the possibilities on her own.
“Please stay still so I can help you,” Candice said with a tone like honey as she tried to patch up their prisoner’s wounds.
The lavender unicorn relented and let the large mare apply the required herbal and medical treatments, “that other one was quite a fighter, shame,” he said with a wicked snarl.
Celestia perked her ears and stepped forward, jamming her armored muzzle against Periwinkle’s face, “what do you mean?”
“She had guts, but do you really think she can just pull that shit and walk out? I just hope I was worth it.”
Sapphire grabbed Celestia’s tail in her mouth and pulled her back, “if anypony can pull it off, it’s her. And she’s not alone, you’re going to help us Periwinkle.”
“And if you don’t we’ll get Crystal here to eat you,” Cloudsoar added with a chuckle before the unicorn could protest.
Sapphire raised an eyebrow to her companion before returning to her negotiation, “I tell yah what, you help us, and I’ll make sure the SNI goes easy on yah-“
“No way,” Periwinkle protested.
“Let me finish…and I’ll make sure those that surrender get the same. It’s over Periwinkle, don’t waste your life, or the lives of your friends because of your stubbornness,” Sapphire said hoping to appeal to the prisoner.
“I’m supposed to believe that?”
Crystal landed with a thud, and exposed a toothy smile that still seemed to offer the proper comfort, “I promise that they will be safe, you have my word, and their word too.”
She’s just going to wait for them to give up? Celestia turned away and tried to get some privacy with her leader out of ear shot from the others, “Sapphire we need to talk, now... ma’am,” she finished correcting tone.
“What is it? And since when have you called me ma’am?” Sapphire asked as she seemed to miss the seriousness of Celestia’s tone as she strode to meet her.
“We need to get my sister out of there.”
“We will as soon as we get Periwinkle to talk them down-“
“We can’t wait just for a chance of them to surrender, we need to attack now,” Celestia whispered stomping her two front hooves.
“The plan is to hold out until-“ Sapphire started.
“Luna doesn’t have time to hold out!” Celestia could feel tears in her eyes as she felt on the edge of dropping to her knees and begging.
“Celestia, I know how you feel girl but…I promised that pony I would wait.”
“Then lie," she hissed, "you also promised to protect our lives over theirs. We can’t risk one of us dying on our first mission just because we promised the enemy something they don’t deserve, what would Lollipop and Ironwing say?”
Sapphire seemed visibly wounded by the situation, “Lollipop would say the same thing, but…damn it yall are right. Ok, I’ll call the gunships in, hopefully we can muster enough for a final assault. Get Periwinkle out of here, I don’t want him to see this," Sapphire turned to the group of alicorns around the prisoner, "Cloudsoar come here, I need your flying skills.”
-------
Luna felt a painful sting against her abdomen as a rifle round impacted her side armor, her enemy’s shot going wild with the tear gas that still hung in the air. The mare dove around the corner as another round impacted behind her. The dark blue alicorn panted and winced as she touched her side before trying to teleport again. Damn it! Why can’t I do it? Celestia could do it.
Luna took the trigger bit in her mouth and rounded the gun barrel attached to her side around the doorway of the bedroom, returning bursts of automatic fire with greatly improved precision. She heard a yelp of pain from beyond as one of her three assailants thudded to the floor. A cacophony of hooves could be heard approaching below to replace the one pony down.
Luna had neutralized the few unarmed ponies that accompanied the unicorn, and managed to hold out in the upper level until it became clear the confusion had worn off and that the battle had moved inside the home. Luna looked around the spartanly decorated bedroom as the tacky purple wall paper glared back.Luna stared down at her hoof watch, a minute and a half, I can hold out until then. The thunder of gunfire from outside grew louder and soon the hurricane wind of bullets and other weaponry began to batter the house. What in the hay is going on out there?
Luna slid along the wall to get a better view of the outside as the battle began to move into an all-out attack. Earth pony Rangers laid down covering fire from the trees as shadows from the pegasi danced across the open field as they flew above. What are they doing? I’m still in here! Luna yelled silently to herself. The trapped alicorn felt an irrational burning anger well up in her, of course they know I’m in here, they’re trying to fucking rescue me! They don’t think I have this under control! Do you Luna? She asked herself. Well I sure as hell will, and I’ll prove it to them.
A loud bang, and a ground shaking rumble tore through the building as the insurgent outside the bedroom yelled down to his colleagues below, “what they fuck was that?”
“The tunnel, they destroyed the tunnel! We’re trapped” an unknown voice yelled running back down the stairs.
Luna decided that now was the time to strike while they were distracted, she flew out of the doorway and over the mezzanine of the upper stairway, angling her rifle to hit the pony that shared the upper level with her. Cries of panic shouted from below as she flew over the ponies in the living room. Luna acted automatically, with a flash of her horn she was gone, only to reappear below as her attackers fired at nothing.
Luna threw her head forward and speared the left most earth pony in the side, following it with a burst of telekinesis to worsen the wound and drop her target. Luna felt furious, not at her enemy but at her comrades who failed to trust her, and at herself as she delayed enough for them to do so. Luna struck out with her wing and made a light strike to a nerve cluster in trailing pony’s neck, staggering him long enough to aim her rifle and sending a trio of hot shells into him. The lead pony was the last to turn, the furious alicorn sent a magical punch to his mouth, knocking the firing bit and a hoof full of teeth out of the way.
(bang)
The last insurgent in the room fell at Luna’s hooves as she breathed heavy pants from under her helmet. The reality finally cut its way through the adrenalin as Luna viewed her work. This time, it was your fault, no doubt about it…it couldn’t have been helped. Yes it could have, you regained your magic, you could have just left. If you weren’t so damn stubborn you could have just radioed for help, Luna fought her nagging guilt in mental battle that was raging silently among the dying gunfire.
The dark alicorn stepped away when she began to feel like she was going to vomit in self-disgust. Luna tapped the call button on her chest radio, “this is operator Luna…the main building is clear, I’m coming out.”
-------
Celestia felt an unrelenting wave of relief as her small sister strode from the home’s doorway. Celestia slowed her trot as she noticed the red stains on Luna’s camouflage uniform. The realization that her sister shared in being a killer like her offered little comfort to the white alicorn. The memories of the bunker that became her enemy’s pyre returned to Celestia as she saw her sister standing there.
“Luna..I-“ Celestia tried to offer her best comforts to her kin who was no doubt feeling the same way she had at the beginning of the battle.
“Where’s Sapphire?” Luna said quivering behind her stoic helmet.
“She’s with the others…come on, we’re done here,” Celestia felt pained and depleted from the day, hoping the coming night would hide her memories along with the rest of the world. She gave a flap of her wings and returned to the tree line.
Celestia spotted Sapphires dark mane from the air and thudded to a halt next to her and Candice who were gathered around a patch of dirt. Celestia craned her neck to get a better look, a pair of earth pony rangers were laying on the ground receiving magical and medical treatment from the pair of alicorns. It took Celestia a moment to recognize the ponies, they were the machine gun carrier and gunner she saw earlier, both badly wounded from the assault.
“Is he going to be alright? Why won’t you tell me? Sunny are you ok?” the gun carrier shouted as Sapphire applied bandages to his wounds and kept him from thrashing about with a magical field. Candice worked on his partner, the pale yellow gunner laid silent, his blood coating Candice’s equipment and slicking down her coat as she tried to help. Celestia came to a realization as the blood blended into Candice’s fur; Our medic’s coat is the color of blood, that’s either macabre or fitting.
Celestia looked about for the ammo loader who should be with them and spotted the sheet covered pony shape at the far end of the clearing.
“Sunny!...please talk to me," the wounded ranger began to cry, his tears running down his face and soaking his bandages, "damn it, no.”
Sapphire gave a sniffle as she held back her own torrent of sadness. She looked away from the grizzly scene as she finished helping her patient, getting to her hooves and walking away. Celestia noticed her wipe her eyes and mouth the words, “I’m sorry…I’m so sorry.”