//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Something Different // Story: Peace Through Power // by est-hal //------------------------------// Chapter 6: Something Different “The demons attack primary in massive hordes. There’s no real organization among them. They simply amass and charge, attacking anything in their path.” “This wouldn’t normally be a problem, but their seemingly endless numbers can wear down our troops and overwhelm them over time. A sustained assault could eventually overrun us.” Lightning Strike and Low Flight were briefing Alexander on the demons, giving him a quick rundown on what they would be facing soon. They were inside the tent, shadows obscuring much of their features, making the three look like an ominous cabal of military leaders plotting a coup d’état. Alexander brought a hand to his chin. “I see… I trust they’re vulnerable to conventional weaponry, yes?” he asked, slightly nervous of the answer he might receive. Lightning Strike nodded, earning a silent sigh of relief from the confessor, “Yes. Again, the main problem they pose are their numbers.” “So, is there anything you can tell me in particular about these demons? Abilities, capabilities as a whole, peculiar characteristics?” Alexander asked. “Well, there are the Husk Hooves, undead pony warriors of old. They wield weapons similar to our own and the unicorns among their numbers are capable of offensive magic. They comprise the bulk of most of the hordes we’ve faced.” Lightning Strike started explaining. “So like you, but emaciated and rotting?” “… I suppose.” Lightning Strike said slowly, not really enjoying being compared to the unholy resurrected corpses he fought. “… And did you say magic? Really?” Alexander asked after a pause, just catching up with the word. “Yes. Magic is present in all life in Equestria, but unicorns can directly manipulate it through their horns. Mostly to help with daily tasks and their special talent, but it can also be used for more martial purposes: magic bolts, telekinesis to lob heavy projectiles, and such.” Lightning Strike explained, inwardly enjoying being able to astonish the confessor for once. ‘That explains all the horned ponies.’ Alexander realized. “And these Husk Hooves are capable of that? As are the unicorns among your Guards?” he continued asking. “Yes. All Royal Guard unicorns are trained in a whole range of offensive magic, learning to use a variety of techniques, magic bolts being the most prominent among them.” Lightning Strike elaborated. Alexander nodded, taking in the reality of magic and magical unicorns being real. A thought occurred to him, “Can your unicorns cast area-of-effect bolts or spells?” “Area-of-effect?” Lightning Strike asked, making a mental note to ask the confessor for a glossary of all the strange terms he regularly uses. “Like an explosion, affecting a wide area.” “Well, yes, but those aren’t really utilized that much for fear of accidently hitting a fellow Guard.” “I think we can change that, but let’s continue with the demons. What else?” “Unholy abominations and unnatural creatures of all kinds. The Horned Faceless, perversions of minotaurs wielding giant weapons. Shifting Beasts, who take the form of natural beasts but constantly morph their features, growing wings, extra heads, spikes, and such.” Low Flight said, continuing the briefing. “Rings, collections of giant circular metal bands configured in a spherical shape, each ring constantly turning and threatening to slice apart anypony unfortunate enough to get caught among them. Fire Golems, made of burning rock and towering over even your war machines, I’m afraid. They are rare, though.” Lightning Strike added. “And lastly, Dark Conjurers, undead unicorn mages. They’re probably the most dangerous, utilizing forbidden spells of terrible power.” Lightning Strike finished, his words causing a chill in the sergeant and himself. Alexander fixed the two ponies with an inquisitive look. “How’s their appearance differentiated from unicorn Husk Hooves?” he asked. “Instead of armor, they’re clad in black hooded robes, reflecting their necromancer origins.” Low Flight answered. ‘Watch for these, then.’ Alexander sat back in his chair, deciding on something, “Well then, if what you’re telling me is true, then I’m afraid our current forces aren’t enough to hold back these demons. We’re going to have to establish a base and bring in additional reinforcements.” Both ponies exchanged confused looks. “You can do that?” Low Flight asked. “Yes. The largest of our vehicles? Looks like a misshapen box on wheels? Perhaps you saw it?” “It was hard not to. You can create a base from that?” Lightning Strike asked, wondering what other unknown capabilities his human allies possessed. “Yes! I just need your permission as the ranking officer around here and a location to build.” “Uh, very well. Granted. The fields to the north of Ponyville, along the road to Canterlot, our capital, should work. They’re pretty flat and are away from the demons’ usual attack paths.” “Great! And what are the demons’ usual attack paths, perchance?” Alexander asked as he looked over the indicated area on his laptop. “Mostly from the east, from the Everfree Forest. The uncontrolled ambient magic of the forest allows them to more easily manifest in our world. They appear in a smoky fog and pillars of Tartarus’ fire.” the lieutenant answered. ‘Highly visible entrance, how forthcoming of them.’ Alexander nodded, “So harden the eastern approach to town, then.” Receiving agreements from both of them, he set about finding a suitable deployment spot for the MCV that would provide ample ground control. Finding it, he ordered the massive vehicle to the location and gave the order to deploy… ---- “Wow! You see that thing? It, like, burped fire and thunder!” an excited orange pegasus filly exclaimed. Her two friends nodded vigorously in agreement. “Good golly, that thing’s like a juggernaut! Unrivaled! Unstoppable!” the yellow earth pony filly remarked, sharing in her friend’s excitement. “You said it, Applebloom! Those demons don’t stand a chance!” the while unicorn filly squeaked, still wide-eyed at the armored fighting vehicles as they slowly filtered into town. The three friends had witnessed the Abrams’ demonstration shot and were completely smitten with its display of firepower, explosions being a shared passion of theirs. They were tailing the human soldiers and vehicles as they moved around Ponyville, setting up positions from which they would fight the demons. Their shadowing of the humans eventually led them to the northern edge of town where they were greeted by a familiar zebra herbalist, “Hello my little fillies! What has you in such a tizzy?” “Hey Zecora! We’re watchin’ the humans n’ Royal Guards gettin’ ready for the demons! Did ya’ see their big ol’ war machine blast that huge boulder? It just blew it to smithereens!” Applebloom said, still in awe of the tank’s power. “Though I did not see, I certainly heard. And quite a passion in you three it seems to have spurred.” Zecora noted, amused at the three friends’ excitability. “It was just so amazing! I’ve never seen anything like it!” Sweetie Belle said while hopping a little. “I truly doubt anypony has seen such a thing. One cannot help but wonder what else these humans will bring.” “You said it!” Scootaloo agreed. As Zecora watched the three chatter excitedly about the humans’ hardware, a distant rumbling caught her ear. The ground beneath them began to vibrate, causing their conversation to trail off. “Hush, little ones! Do you not hear? Something very, VERY big draws near!” Zecora declared as she raised a hoof to quiet the three. They all looked in the direction of the noise and were met with an incredible sight. A vehicle of immense size was slowly moving towards the wide open field to the north of town, crushing random brush beneath its massive wheels. Reaching the middle of the field, it came to a full stop, the hiss of venting fumes sounding all around it. For a moment the vehicle was completely still, making no movements or sounds. Suddenly the larger rear section of it began whirring, its securing mechanisms disengaging and its hydraulic systems coming to life. It unfolded as concrete pavement began extending from beneath the vehicle, overtaking and completely covering the grass and soil beneath it. After covering a sizable area, the pavement stopped spreading, having produced a square shape with rounded edges. In the middle was a rectangular gridded metal surface edged with black and yellow hazard stripes. The forward section of the vehicle rolled back onto the metal surface before suddenly being lowered into the ground. The elevator rose back up, bringing a number of prefabricated building component modules with it, the vehicle’s forward section nowhere to be seen. The modules began sliding around on the pavement, locking in place as they found their intended positions. The modules unfolded into blocks and sections of concrete, metal, and wiring. Sections of building began rising, extending, and inflating, eventually forming a structure resembling a large warehouse. The elevator lowered and came back up once more, this time bringing a large crane. The crane slid to the front of the structure, its cylindrical concrete base fitting snuggly into a concaved outer corner. The front wall raised from the ground as the roof extended from the structure’s sides in a curvature, completely concealing the interior. The air intake fans began spinning, creating ventilation throughout the entire building. Engineers and technicians wearing black hardhats with red full-face visors, utility belts, and urban fatigues exited from the finished construction yard carrying toolboxes and began walking around its exterior, inspecting its construction and overall structural soundness. The three fillies and one zebra gawked at the building, unbelieving at how quickly it was constructed and without human or pony labor. They were not the only ones to witness the MCV’s speedy deployment into a construction yard. Ponies had come to see what was causing all the noise and found themselves staring in amazement and wonderment at the large structure. Scootaloo was the first to break out of her reverie. “Whoa… That, was, AWESOME!” she exclaimed. “That thing turned into a building! And so fast! That must be some powerful magic to be able to do that.” Sweetie Belle said, glancing up at her own horn. Applebloom was staring unfailingly at the engineers and technicians as they meandered around the construction yard, ensuring that no bolt or nut was out of place. “Ah’ wonder if they’d lend me their tools…” she wondered aloud. “Hey, yeah! Who knows what kind of improvements we could make to the clubhouse with their tools.” Scootaloo added. Zecora blinked a few times before bringing herself out of her stupor, “That was quite a spectacular sight! Such a display of their machines’ might.” Applebloom nodded in agreement, “You said it, Zecora. Ah’ wonder what it’s for?” Just as she finished her question, the lower half of the construction yard’s front wall folded up. A prefabricated building module was brought outside by a conveyor belt embedded within the yard’s foundation. The crane whirred to life, lowering itself towards the module as its claw grabbed it. Lifting it up, the crane placed the module atop a slightly raised metal surface designated by black and yellow hazard stripes. The module sunk into the ground, completely disappearing. A few moments later, a structure literally erupted from the ground, earning more than a few startled gasps from the gathered crowds of watching ponies. A conical tower in shape with a wide base, the building was adorned with pipes that ran along its structure at various points. It produced an electrical hum as steam began emitting from a number of vents near the top of the tower. Soon after, an identical structure rose from the ground alongside the first and began humming and venting steam as well. “… Wow…” the three fillies uttered. Several similar coos of wonder sounded behind them, the other ponies sharing in their amazement. Before Zecora could speak a rhyming couplet to give voice to her own astonishment at the magically appearing buildings, something else rose from the ground. Shaped like a giant human hand and colored pitch black with red lines crisscrossing its surface, the structure rose to its full length into the air and stayed there, reaching out into the sky. The ponies watching did not take this latest eruption from the ground as well as the previous ones, evident from their unbridled screams of terror, “GIANT LAVA CLAW MONSTER! EVERYPONY RUN!” With that, they all turned tail and fled from the half deployed structure they thought to be a monster. Soon after, the hand fell forward, pavement spreading out past the fingertips as a radio mast rose from behind the wrist. It became apparent to the remaining three fillies and one zebra that the giant hand was actually another structure. While Zecora would have preferred a less dramatic appearance so as to not have frightened the ponies so much, the three fillies had a different opinion… “Man, that would’ve been great on Nightmare Night.” “You said it.” “Mhmm.” Zecora shook her head at that, “Oh, your collective mental state I dread. You three are not quite right in the head.” ---- Inside the construction yard’s control room, an engineer sat in front of a multitude of monitors, bearing a magnificent troll face on his features that was unfortunately hidden beneath the red visor of his hardhat as he watched the ponies outside scream in terror and flee from the giant hand. After a hearty laugh, he resumed the barrack’s deployment. ---- “So since meeting the demons head on is out, how’re we supposed to fight them? Angrily shake our hooves at them and shout harsh language?” Low Flight asked, sharing his commander’s distaste at the idea. Alexander suppressed his mirth at the sergeant’s pride as a frontline warrior, “Not at all. Here’s what I propose. Your unicorns and all others armed with crossbows hunker down with my men in firing positions and attack the enemy from afar. The remainder shall act as our ‘close-in’ defense, engaging the enemy when they get within melee range and keep them from overrunning our firing lines. If the enemy’s numbers are what you say they are, there shouldn’t be a shortage of targets for anyone.” Lightning Strike considered the confessor’s plan, bringing a hoof up to his chin. After a moment, he nodded in agreement, “Very well. We’ll set our rangers with your soldiers and the rest will stand ready to hold back the demons when they get too close.” He turned to Low Flight, “Sergeant, disseminate the orders to the troops.” “Yes sir.” With a salute, Low Flight exited the tent and was off. As he left, Lightning Strike recalled something Alexander asked about his unicorns’ magic, “You asked about ‘area-of-effect’ spells, so I’m guessing you have something in mind.” Alexander nodded, “Indeed I do. How many of your unicorns would you say are adept at area-of-effect spells?” Lightning Strike thought for a moment before replying, “I’d say about a few dozen are pretty good at them, if only to show off from time to time.” “That’ll do for now. Here’s what I’m thinking, lieutenant. Let’s have about three teams of six unicorns each mount the Hinds, our flying vehicles, and they will bombard the enemy from up high with their spells. The helicopters can perform flybys over the enemy’s ranks where there’s no need to fear possible friendly fire.” Alexander explained. Lightning Strike found the idea sensible enough, “Sounds good. I’ll assemble them. Where should they meet with your Hinds?” “I’ll have them set down at the northern edge of town by the base, which should be underway by now.” As the two commanders wrapped up their strategizing session, the driver suddenly entered the tent. “Sirs? There’s a Twilight Sparkle and her friends here to see you. She said Lieutenant Lightning Strike would understand.” he told them. Not knowing what to make of it, Alexander gave Lightning Strike an inquisitive look, hoping he would know who the driver was talking about. “She’s my liaison to Princess Celestia, one of the rulers of Equestria. She probably wants to pepper you with questions. It’s alright.” Lightning Strike said. ‘I suppose it couldn’t hurt to play 20 questions with this Twilight Sparkle for a bit.’ Alexander nodded, gesturing to the driver to allow them in, “Very well. Send them in.” The driver nodded before stepping back outside. A moment later, a sextet of pastel-colored mares walked in, wide-eyed at the beeping and whirring equipment and the humans manning them. Alexander returned their curious gazes, though for a reason different from theirs. ‘A pink pony. I can just feel the onset of diabetes…’ ---- The six were met with the darkened interior of the command tent, the overhead lamps casting shadows on the human soldiers in an unsettling manner, their glowing red visors piercing the darkness. They turned their gaze to the confessor, who was seated at the other end of a table in the center of the tent with the lieutenant standing by him. His peaked cap casted a shadow that obscured much of his face while the blue feathers of the lieutenant’s helmet had a similar effect on his own robust features. Together they gave an air of conspiracy and intrigue. Alexander stood up and walked over to them with the lieutenant. His hands behind his back, he tipped his cap and bowed, “Greetings. Confessor Alexander Andric, at your service. And you are?” Twilight was the first to speak. Clearing her throat, she introduced herself and her friends. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville’s librarian. And these are my friends.” she said, indicating the other ponies accompanying her with her hoof. “And she’s also Princess Celestia’s personal protégé.” Lightning Striking added, grinning at Twilight’s sudden embarrassment at the revelation. “Yes, well…” she trailed off, an embarrassed smile on her face as she rubbed her foreleg. “Howdy! Ah’m Applejack. Ah’ run Sweet Apple Acres.” Applejack greeted. Her tone seemed a little wary. Rainbow stepped up next. “Name’s Rainbow Dash! Captain of the weather patrol and the fastest flyer in ALL of Equestria. Pretty cool stuff you’re bringing in to help us.” she said, wasting no time to showboat and opine on the humans’ hardware. “Why, thank you.” Alexander replied. Before either of them could get another word out, his vision was suddenly filled with huge, bright blue eyes, quite possibly the widest smile he has ever seen, and an obscene amount of pink, “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! I’ve never met a hyoo-man before, so this is sooo exciting! Welcome to Ponyville! Thank you sooo much for helping us! I mean, everypony has been sooo sad for sooo long now, but now they’re probably the happiest I’ve ever seen them! I-“ Pinkie had been hopping up and down, trying to keep at eyelevel with him. Before she could let out another word, he put a finger to her lips, silencing her as well as causing her to freeze in midair, gravity having momentarily failed. “You’re quite welcome, my dear.” he said with a smile, hoping it would be enough to sate her for the moment. Another smile formed on Pinkie’s face but before anything could come of it, she was suddenly yanked away, Applejack having taken Pinkie’s tail in her mouth and pulling the pink pony back in line. Rarity came forward next, primping her purple mane before speaking. “Hello Confessor Andric. My name is Rarity. I’m the proprietor of Carousel Boutique, the finest clothing shop in all of Ponyville. I must say, I do admire your ensemble, very clean and sharp. Was it custom tailored?” she asked, her friends snickering at her going straight to the topic of the confessor’s clothes. “Yes, actually, by some fine local talent in Kiev, Ukraine, a locale back in our world. Though now I can’t help but wonder of the possibilities if you had shop there, Miss Rarity.” Alexander replied, earning a noblewoman’s laugh from the fashionista and a roll of the eyes from Applejack and Rainbow. “Oh, why thank you, confessor. You’re quite the flatterer.” she said, pawing a hoof at him. As she stepped back, all eyes turned towards the yellow pegasus that had yet to introduce herself. Mustering the courage to meet the human, Fluttershy took a few steps forward and gave a shaky smile. “M-my name’s Fluttershy. I’m the animal caretaker here in Ponyville. T-thank you for helping us. We really appreciate it.” she said, looking up at him with dewy eyes and an unbearably cute and nerve-wracked smile. Alexander returned her smile, hoping to put her at ease, “You’re very welcome. A pleasure to meet you all.” Twilight beamed, appreciating his affability, “Thank you, confessor. Like Lieutenant Lightning Strike said, I’m Princess Celestia’s personal student, and as such, I have a direct line of communication with her. I was just hoping to ask you some questions about yourself and your group so I can send a letter to the Princess and inform her of what’s going on here in Ponyville.” “Of course. Go right ahead.” he said before walking back to his seat and motioning to the six to follow him. “I’m sorry we don’t have any seats for you.” he apologized. “Oh, it’s quite alright, darling. We’re used to standing.” Rarity assured him. Lightning Strike began making for the exit, “I’m going to get our unicorn teams ready for your Hinds. If you’ll excuse me.” As the lieutenant left, Twilight began her interview of the confessor, her excitement palpable, “So Confessor Andric, let’s start, shall we? Could you tell me about yourself and your Brotherhood?” Alexander nodded, preparing to deliver a highly edited history of the Brotherhood of Nod and what he had done as a member of it, “Well, the Brotherhood of Nod has a long and storied history, dating back thousands of years in humankind’s history. Founded by the Great Prophet Kane, it was born from the great pain and suffering endured by the nations of the world and our Prophet’s desire to alleviate that pain and suffering. In a world filled with struggle and tribulation brought about from the merciless assaults of nature, the exhausting toils of everyday life, and senseless conflict deriving from men’s greed, hatred, and callousness for their fellow man, Kane envisioned a better world. A world where all people would live in perfect harmony with each other, kind, caring, and just in all their dealings. A world of peace, unity, and eternal brotherhood…” ---- Low Flight watched the human infantry as they continued to fortify their “foxholes” at the eastern approach into Ponyville. They were reinforcing their fighting holes with sandbags and metal sheets brought over from the newly deployed construction yard, creating makeshift pillboxes. Guards were busily digging trenches to complement the humans’ foxholes into an elaborate trench system. Thunder and Flash were helping some of the infantrymen reinforce one of their foxholes, propping up metal sheets while they were secured in place. They had struck up a conversation with one of the human soldiers, mostly about their unusual weapons. “So what kind of weapon is that? I’ve never seen anything like it before.” Flash asked, eyeing the rifle strapped to the infantryman’s back. “Well comrade, this weapon is a firearm, this particular one an assault rifle. It fires bullets, shaped pieces of metal, at extremely high speeds.” the infantryman answered as he welded the sheets together, his voice filtered by his helmet’s radio. Thunder let out a whistle, “Impressive. So it’s like a crossbow?” The infantryman thought for a moment, “You could say that. Your crossbows are the closest analogues you have to firearms.” “Huh.” Thunder and Flash simply said. As they continued to work, a humvee truck with an enlarged rear canopy towing a power generator trailer pulled up a distance away from them inside the town. The humvee’s driver and passengers disembarked the vehicle and began setting up the generator and a small tent. A radio mast came up besides the tent as bundles of heavy-duty data cables and power cords emerged from it and the back of the humvee before burrowing into the ground. “Say, what’s going on over there?” Thunder asked, pointing at the setup on the road. The infantryman looked to where he was pointing, “Ah, that’s a ground control humvee. The confessor’s probably looking to do some building around town.” Thunder and Flash exchanged confused looks, unsure of what their human allies were planning to build. “Build what, exactly?” Thunder asked. “Defenses and fortifications, most likely. You know, to help us stave off these demons.” “Really? What kinds?” Flash asked, intrigued. “I’d guess guard towers, laser turrets, and maybe even those new hub-based turret configurations!” the infantryman rattled off, renewing the two’s confusion. “Uh huh.” they both said, deciding to settle for the unfamiliar words without elaboration. Just as they were about to resume fortifying the foxholes and trenches, a triangular metal base emerged from the ground behind their trench, coaxing a startled yelp from Flash, “Gah! The buck!?” A long protrusion of black titanium suddenly extended from the base at an angle. Reaching its full length, the top half of it folded down, angling itself in parallel with the ground. Red lights at various points along the base and mount of the laser turret lit up as the internal capacitor came to life, producing an eerie red glow. The finished turret resembled a scorpion’s tail in shape, poised to sting the enemy with a weapons-grade high-intensity laser. Thunder and Flash gawked at the turret that had literally grown from the ground. The infantryman stepped up from behind them, looking over the turret’s construction, “Just as I thought, a laser turret.” “How does it work?” Thunder asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. “It fires an intense laser beam, cutting through armor and setting flesh alight. Certainly not something too pleasant to be on the receiving end of.” he answered, chuckling at the wide-eyed expressions of his pony compatriots. Before they could say anything, a number of additional laser turrets sprouted from the ground behind the other trenches, catching nearby ponies by surprise. Another defensive structure burst forth from the ground behind them, this time an angled three-sided pyramid bearing Nod’s emblem on each side. Power cords emerged from its base and burrowed into the ground a distance away. Moments later, three turrets sprang up from where the cords buried themselves. Unlike the single laser cannon mounted on the laser turrets, these turrets sported twin clusters of barrels. “Ah, the new ‘shredder’ turrets, I think they’re called. These will definitely do a number on the enemy.” the infantryman noted. Thunder and Flash responded by gaping at it. A distance away, Low Flight had watched the turrets grow from the ground like rapidly sprouting weeds that shot lasers and grapeshot. He was more than a little impressed. ‘Not bad…’ ---- Eighteen Royal Guard unicorns were meandering around the northern edge of town, gawking at the continually expanding base that was not there a few hours prior. They had received orders to assemble by the humans’ base and await the lieutenant for further orders. Why they had been singled out for this “special assignment,” they did not know. As they watched additional human troops and war machines emerge from the barracks and the newly built weapons factory before making for the defensive lines that now surrounded Ponyville, Lightning Strike approached from behind. “Guards! About face!” he shouted, gaining their attention. At once, all eighteen Guards spun around and saluted their commander. Seeing that all of them were accounted for, Lightning Strike began briefing them on why they were called out, “You all have been selected for your aptitude for casting explosive bolts. You’ll be mounting the humans’ flying machines and take to the sky. When the demons next attack, you shall cast your most powerful explosive bolts down upon them from up high.” The Guards looked at each other, excitement at their orders evident on their faces. They were finally going to be able to utilize their most powerful spells in anger. From the air. They all were suddenly overcome with the urge to find their nearest Guard pegasi comrades and rub their assignment in their faces, excluding the lieutenant and his second-in-command. Lightning Strike continued, “You’ll be split into three teams of six. Each team will board a ‘Hind,’ as they are called, and be at the ready.” Behind them, the sound of propellers chopping through the air drew their attention. The Hinds were returning from their patrol and making a descent towards the ponies, kicking up dust all around them. Landing, the gunships’ side doors slid open, waiting for their passengers. “All aboard, our brothers in arms!” the lead pilot spoke through the helicopter’s external megaphone. Seeing his Guards caught in a reverie, Lightning Strike called them to attention. “Hut!” he shouted, his voice cracking like a whip. They all snapped to attention as he gave them a slightly amused look, “Well? What’re you waiting for? Your rides are here! Guards, move out!” “Sir, yes sir!” all eighteen Guards shouted over the noise of the helicopters before splitting into their teams and boarding the waiting helicopters. As the Hinds took to the air with their complement of unicorn bombardiers, an inane thought crossed the lieutenant’s mind… ‘Does this make them the first alicorn Royal Guards?’ ---- “… So from the shadows Nod has attempted to steer the world towards the correct path to righteousness and utopia.” Alexander had told the six Nod’s history right up until the First Tiberium War, electing to stop there. He decided that there really was no need to tell them about the two wars with GDI and that EVA could explain tiberium much better than he could hope to should the topic of the holy green crystal come up somehow. The ponies for the most part had completely bought into his portrayal of Nod, believing the Brotherhood to be a moral and righteous populist movement committed to peace and social equity. All but one… “Pardon me, confessor, but if y’all are about peace and unity and brotherhood and all that, then why do you have so many weapons?” Applejack asked, doubt and suspicion evident in her voice. Her friends looked at her, realizing her point. It DID seem rather incongruous to preach such a positive message as the Brotherhood’s and posses enough troops to forcibly seize a small country. “That’s a good point, actually. Why do you need all these weapons?” Twilight asked, no longer sure of the confessor’s good intent. There was a murmur of agreements from the others and they looked at him, expecting an explanation. ‘That hick pony is more perceptive than I thought.’ Luckily for him, years of recruiting and delivering sermons had honed Alexander’s ability to turn around such a situation. He took on a solemn expression, “As sad as it is, there are those in our world who are not very receptive to our message, sometimes to the point of violence. Those who lord over others and oppress entire nations for their own gain, these tyrants and warlords, they are threatened by our message, for the people they exploit would see that the tyranny over them is unjust, illegitimate, and needless, that there is a better way of life.” He paused for breath, “Since coming out into the open in recent times, we’ve always strived for a peaceful outcome, speaking to those in power and showing them the light. Some listen, but many don’t and even attack us, hoping to silence our message and safeguard their own power. Those who take up our message and even those who don’t, simply wishing to remain neutral, very often suffer the wrath of these tyrants. I’ve seen terrible atrocities, the torture and murder of innocents, the forced deportation of families, mass graves, entire towns and villages razed to the ground, sometimes for nothing more than refusing to take up arms and carry out the local warlord’s vendetta against his neighbor.” Fluttershy gasped, shocked at the notion that some could be capable of such flagrant disregard of life. “Oh, that’s just awful! How could anypony do something like that!?” she nearly shouted with tears in her eyes, clearly distraught at the idea. Alexander only shrugged, “I’ve asked myself that question many times. The Brotherhood of Nod believes firmly in the power of the pen, in the power of words, but we understand that as hard as we try with words, sometimes they do fail, and sometimes there’s no recourse but to defend ourselves. And when things come to blows, we become the sword and shield, standing ready to defend the innocents who would otherwise be caught in the crossfire.” Their expressions softened, Applejack included. ‘Hook, line, sinker.’ he thought with satisfaction. “Oh, you poor dear! Having seen such terrible things!” Rarity said, completely taken by his words. Applejack nodded in agreement as she rubbed her foreleg, slightly embarrassed at having taken an accusatory tone with him earlier. “Goodness me, that’s some real heavy stuff there, confessor. Ah’ see why you’d need all those weapons.” she admitted. Pinkie’s mane had deflated somewhat. “Oh, wow… That’s awful. But, but you fight back against it, right? Protecting innocent ponies and showing those bad guys what for, right?” she asked, her gloom fading as fast as it came as she started to shadowbox to accentuate her point. Amused at her quick rebound, Alexander nodded, “Indeed we do. We must. There’s a saying, perhaps you’re familiar with it? Evil prevails when good fails to act. Hence, we act lest evil prevails.” “Hay yeah! That’s what I’m talking about! Action! Taking the fight to the enemy! Taking names and kicking flank!” Rainbow said, her bravado taking over as she punched the air with her forelegs. Twilight had not said anything, only staring forward with a distant look on her face, deep in thought. As she considered the confessor’s justification for the more martial aspects of his Brotherhood, she felt something very scaly suddenly wrap itself around her hind legs, then her body, then her neck. She froze at the alien touch, a number of thoughts as to what was currently coiling around her, the most prominent among them being… ‘Ss-snake…’ She craned her neck to look over herself and was confirmed of her worst fear. “(Well, aren’t you a pretty little pony…)” ---- Twilight could only stare at the giant brown cobra that had coiled itself around her entire body, its head mere inches away from her face. It let out a drawn hiss, its forked tongue flicking her snout. The others shared her look of dumbfounded horror at the absurdly long snake that had appeared without warning with the exception of Fluttershy, who seemed intrigued at the large reptile. “S-sna- ss- s-naa- ss-sna-…” Twilight stuttered, unable to fully speak the word. As she stared into the snake’s beady black eyes, she swore she saw a ravenous appetite mixed with lustful desire. “(Such a delectable backside. I could just gobble it up.)” Just as she was about to freak out and drop to and roll on the ground in a frantic attempt to get it off her, Alexander stood up and walked over to her, snapping his fingers before holding out a hand towards the snake. Hiss let out a dissatisfied sound at having its fun cut short before reaching itself over towards his hand. Working its way up to his shoulders, it draped itself around his neck and made itself comfortable, casting a very interested look at Twilight, who shuddered under its gaze. “(I’ll be feeling your lavender coat beneath my scales soon enough. Don’t you worry, my little pony.)” Suppressing a sigh at the snake’s antics, Alexander decided to introduce Hiss to the six mares, “Madams, this is Hiss. It’s a giant spitting cobra. I assure you it’s perfectly harmless. Coiling around you like that is just a sign of affection.” ‘Whatever deity you ponies are bothered with help you if Hiss takes a liking to you.’ The ponies save Fluttershy did not seem to believe him. “Ah, your pet snake, is it?” Rarity asked nervously, her perception of the confessor now somewhat blighted by his keeping such a monstrous creature as a pet. “You could say that.” he replied. ‘Someone’s the pet…’ Fluttershy walked up to him and Hiss, unfazed by the snake’s imposing size and perverse and predatory disposition. “I’ve never seen such a large snake before. What species is it? If you don’t mind me asking.” she finished, her timid demeanor returning in force. “Naja ashei, the largest species of spitting cobra.” he answered. “Oh, I’ve never heard of that species. How long have you had it?” she asked, her curiosity piqued. “Around ten years now.” he replied. ‘Ten long, grueling years…’ “Oh my! That’s quite a long time! What does it feed on?” ‘Its own schadenfreude from causing me anguish and discomfort in my every waking hour…’ he thought. “Whatever it catches during nocturnal hunts, which is quite a lot.” “Oh, it must be quite the hunter.” “Indeed.” Before the two could go on about Hiss’ particulars, the subject of their conversation quite enjoying the attention, Pinkie began shaking uncontrollably, “OooOOoooohh! M-mmy P-ppiinkiee ss-sense i-is gg-goiiinng oo-offf! Aannd i-iit’ss aAa dd-ddoooozzyy!” “Pinkie… sense?” Alexander asked, completely at a loss at the sight of the incessantly vibrating pony. Before any of the others could answer him, the soldier at the communications terminal interrupted, “Sir! Eastern line is reporting strange phenomena coming from the forest. Something about fog and columns of fire. The ponies there are saying this is the prelude to an attack by the demons.” Alexander suddenly became intrigued with Pinkie’s apparent sixth sense, ‘Perhaps we can use her as an advance warning system.’ The six mares became wide-eyed at the news while he merely drew a breath, readying himself for his first battle in this world. “Keep me updated.” he ordered. Receiving an affirmation from the soldier, he turned towards the six, “So sorry, Miss Sparkle and friends, but we’re going to have to cut this short… Miss Sparkle?” Twilight remained silent, only continuing to stare straight ahead, her eyes the size of pinpricks, apparently having gone into shock. Applejack sighed before spinning her around and began shoving her out of the tent. “Don’t you worry any, confessor. She’ll be fine. We’ll take care of her.” she assured him. “We’ll get out of your hair. Good luck, confessor! Give those demons a good thrashing for me!” Rarity said. “Get ‘em good!” Rainbow added. “Give those meanie meanie-pants demons the good ol’ one-two!” Pinkie exclaimed as she threw a jab and an uppercut, nearly clocking Rainbow in the process. “Stay safe!” Fluttershy wished him. “We certainly will! Thank you!” Alexander said. As they exited the tent with their catatonic friend in tow, he returned to his laptop with Hiss on his shoulders and set himself for a fight. “(I quite like that purple one. I wonder where she lives…)” Alexander suddenly felt quite bad for the lavender unicorn. Then a thought crossed his mind… ‘Misery loves company.’ He didn’t feel so bad anymore. ---- “(You certainly pulled the wool over their eyes. Bravo.)” “Years of practice.” Alexander intoned, a satisfied smirk crossing his lips. Hiss suddenly became amused, “(You’ve seen the torture and murder of innocents? Deportations? Mass graves and towns and villages being razed? Only because you ordered them.)” “Hey. I’m only guilty of half of those.” he said in mock defense. “(And you almost brought that cute yellow one to tears with that.)” “Huh, so I did.” he simply remarked. “(You really have no problem with speaking such boldfaced lies as truth and toying with the emotions of pastel-colored ponies like that, do you?)” He shrugged, “Not particularly.” “(So shameless… I love that about you.)” “… I know.” An awkward silence overcame them, Alexander reminded once more of the unclean serpent that had attached itself to him. After a moment, Hiss broke the silence, “(So… here we are, about to take on the forces of hell to protect a storybook town of ponies. We’re really going to do this?)” He sighed, the absurdity of their situation made anew to him, “Yes, we are. As I said, we’re pretty much stranded here, so I don’t see what’s wrong with making good with the locals and helping them against a common threat. I mean, hell, it worked for Slavik.” “(Fair enough. And then what?)” “We get comfortable, because I have a feeling that we’re going to be here for a good while, spatial and temporal anomalies being a touch beyond our understanding and capabilities. Besides, this is a new world for us. Opportunities…” he trailed off, finishing in a slightly singsong tone. “(Of course, the opportunistic vultures that we are.)” Alexander nodded, agreeing with Hiss’ description of themselves, “It’s certainly something different from the tiberium-infested rock we came from.” ---- Spike was resting in the living room, lounging on a beanbag chair. He had just finished washing the dishes and preparing dinner for the refugees staying in the library and was exhausted. Just as he was about to doze off, the front door slammed open, a catatonic Twilight and her exasperated friends filing into the library. Hopping off the chair, he went over to greet them, “Hey guys! Where’ve you… Geez, Twilight, are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something.” “Try a snake.” Rainbow answered for Twilight, her still being in shock. “A snake? Huh?” Spike asked, not having the context of Twilight’s encounter with Hiss. “Long story, Spike. So Twi’, about that letter? Twi’? Uh, Twi’?” Applejack waved a hoof in front of Twilight’s face, trying to coax a response from her. Rarity sighed before turning towards Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, could you be a dear and…” she trailed off. Fluttershy nodded knowingly before flying into the kitchen, returning moments later with a bucket filled with water. The others stepped away from the lavender unicorn, knowing what was coming next. Without warning Fluttershy dumped the water onto Twilight’s head, earning a pained yelp from her. “AAAH! What gives, Fluttershy!?” Twilight shouted before shaking off the water, Rarity taking the brunt of the liquid onto her pristine mane. Rainbow and Pinkie began snickering at Twilight’s and Rarity’s expense. Fluttershy immediately became apologetic, “Oh! I’m sorry! It’s just that you weren’t saying anything, and we were getting really worried, and…” Twilight raised a hoof, interrupting her. “It’s okay, Fluttershy. I’m sorry. It’s just… snake…” she finished with a shudder. Applejack cleared her throat, gaining their attention. “AHEM! If y’all are done horsin’ around, ah’ believe we’ve got a letter to write? Hmm?” she asked rhetorically, bringing her friends’ focus back to the matter at hoof. “Oh! That’s right! Spike!” Twilight called. At once her assistant was at her side, quill and parchment ready. Clearing her throat, Twilight began dictating to him, “Dear Princess Celestia…” ---- Princess Celestia stood in the balcony of the highest tower of Canterlot Castle, taking a deep breath and a sip of tea to calm her frazzled nerves. She had been cooped up in her throne room, coordinating relief convoys and troop movements all throughout Equestria and desperately wanted to get outside for some fresh air. She looked out into the dusk sky, hued a light purple from Shining Armor’s barrier spell that protected Canterlot. The barrier flickered slightly for a moment, indicating the captain’s recharging of the spell. She sighed, wondering why fate had deigned to strike such a terrible calamity as the demonic invasion out of Tartarus upon her little ponies. Many of her subjects had been killed, many more displaced from their homes when the evacuation of all small towns and villages was called. Making things worse was the criminal element of Equestria, these “bandit kingdoms” confounding refugee relocations and posing further threat to her subjects. The other nations could not help them, being besieged themselves, leaving Equestria on its own, and all they had to show for it was a mounting body count. While Celestia was lost in thought, a midnight blue alicorn with a flowing, starry mane and tail entered the balcony, casting a worried look at her. “A moment of reprieve, sister?” she asked, walking up alongside her. Celestia nodded, taking another sip of tea, “Very much, Luna.” Luna looked over her sister’s appearance, noting her drooped ears, tired eyes, and sagging posture. “You seem quite tired. Perhaps you could do with more sleep during my nights.” she advised. “I know, Luna, I know.” The two sisters came under a comfortable silence, simply enjoying each other’s company. It proved a pleasant diversion away from the nonstop chaos just inside the castle, Guards and bureaucrats constantly getting under each other’s hooves. As they looked out at the landscape, a scroll suddenly materialized in a blaze of green fire. “A letter from Twilight?” Luna asked, eyeing the rolled up parchment. “It would seem so.” Celestia replied as she unfurled the scroll and began reading it… Dear Princess Celestia, I am writing to inform you of an event most strange that has occurred here in Ponyville. A large group of humans have been displaced from their world to ours by a strange and powerful energy event, according to them. They are soldiers of an order called the Brotherhood of Nod. They posses strange and powerful weapons and war machines, the likes I have never seen before. They have been told of our country’s crisis and their leader, one Confessor Alexander Andric, has agreed to help us. As I write this letter, the humans are working with the Royal Guard garrison to fortify Ponyville against the demons. Their assistance really couldn’t be more timely, as signs of an imminent attack have been seen in the Everfree Forest. I have spoken to Confessor Andric personally and I believe we can trust these humans for at least the time being. I await your word on this matter. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle Luna’s hoofsteps drew Celestia’s attention away from Twilight’s letter. “What is it, Tia? What news from your student?” she asked. Celestia only looked at her, “Something different, Luna. Something very different.”