//------------------------------// // A brave new world // Story: Of War and Friendship // by DocDelray //------------------------------// With the last of Deathwatch’s ships forced from the system, the Neo Protector fleet moved to create a protective line around the planet. From the larger craft, handfuls of smaller shuttles began to launch in a descent towards the planet’s surface. Packed inside the lead craft, Mandalore Shaysa Fett and her personal guard led the charge. A holodisc in the palm of her hand contained the image of flagship’s second in command, “I still wish you’d reconsider this, Mand’alor.” “A Mand’alor’s place in battle is leading her people from the front line, Corso,” She was quick to remind him, “Now, what do we know?” The image shifted to that of the city’s layout, “It would appear that Deathwatch is gradually letting go of what we believe is the capital city. Scans show less and less blaster fire, and they have also picked up Neo Protector armor tags.” “Epsilon squad?” She asked as she examined the image of the city. “If I had to judge based on destruction alone, no contest. This is the work of Kad Skirata and his boys.” A playful smile etched across her face, “And what about that jamming signal?” “We’ve cut through it; if any of them have their ears on, they’ll hear you.” Nodding in conformation, Fett switched her helmet’s main comlink to an open channel, “This is Mand’alor Fett calling any and all Neo Protectors on this frequency; report in, over.” To her surprise, rather than the familiar voices of her favorite team of screw-ups, she was greeted with a feminine yet gravelly voice, “Whoa, you mean these things are working again? Erm, I mean, uh, over.” Fett shared a look with her body guards. Despite the lack of emotion that their visors showed, you could easily taste the confusion in the air, “I say again, this is Mand’alor Shaysa Fett of the Neo Protectors. Identify yourself immediately, over.” “Oh. Uhm, this is Cadet Rainbow Dash,” She stated proudly, “Nice to meet ya. Over.” “Whom are you attached with, Cadet Dash? Over.” “Epsilon squad. So you’re with the Neo Protectors, huh? What took you guys so long? You’ve missed almost all the excitement, over.” “Cadet Dash, that’s quite enough!” Torb’s voice cut in over the com, “Mand’alor, I apologize. She’s uh, well she’s still learning, over.” As amusing as the conversation was, she was glad to hear the Chiss’ voice again, “Quite alright, Lieutenant,” She assured him, “What is your status, over?” “We’ve formed a rather tenacious militia out of some of the locals and have begun taking the city back piece by piece. However, I am not certain they can last much longer without some much needed support, over.” “Support is on its way; what about Kad Skirata? Over.” “Last report from the scouting team placed him entering the palace, over.” Fett looked to her men, then the craft’s pilot, “Then that’s where we’re going. Cadet Dash, you still got your ears on, over?” “I do, over,” Came the mystery girl’s reply. “Good, I want you to meet us there; I’ll need a local guide, after all. Mand’alor out.” With that out of the way, she set her com to a private channel to speak only with Torb, “So what exactly are we dealing with as far as these locals go?” “They’re… Very unique,” He answered as he struggled to find the words to sum it up, “You’ll know them when you see them, that’s for sure.” As the drop-ships descended through the cloud cover towards the city, one of the pilots happened to catch a glimpse of something that made him do a double-take. Flying alongside their ship was a strange, four-legged creature with wings like that of a bird, but its main body was covered in grey fur. Its mane and tail were a bright blonde that looked to be regularly teased by the wind. Nudging his co-pilot, the pair found themselves staring at this oddity. It gave them both a happy wave, to which they both reluctantly waved back. Smiling from ear to ear, it banked to the side and made a sharp dive towards the city. The co-pilot shook his head with a sigh as he returned to his instruments, “Great, it’s gonna be one of THOSE planets.” The troop ship made its way over the battered cityscape towards the broken remains of the palace courtyard. Carefully, it hovered over the edge of the sizable blackened crater. As she disembarked, Fett scanned the area, “Now, where is this ‘Rainbow Dash’?” As if on an unseen cue, Rainbow Dash’s armored form glided towards the ground from the rooftops. She came to a sudden stop a few feet away from Fett and her men, “Cadet Dash, reporting for duty!” She stated happily as her chest puffed out in pride. The sudden appearance caused a few troopers to ready their weapons in surprise until Fett’s hand rested on their sights, forcing the blasters to lower, “Don’t get trigger-happy boys, check the armor. She’s one of ours.” “Apologies, Mand’alor…” The pair stated shamefully. Stepping forward, the leader of the Neo Protectors began to look the young speedster over, “So, you’re Skirata’s newest recruit, then?” Rainbow Dash eyed the pair of Protectors that had nearly raised their weapons on her before returning to the one addressing her, “Yeah, he made me and two of my friends members of Epsilon squad. So what’s a Mandalore, anyways?” Behind her visor Fett tried not to snicker at the seemingly silly question, “Well, to put it simply, it means I’m both his and now your boss,” Fett casually stated. This bit of information seemed to leave the mare at a loss for words. Striding past her, Shaysa made her way towards the dully glowing door, and her hand glided over the rippling layer of energy keeping her away from it, “So you know your way around this place, correct?” Snapping out of her daze, Dash quickly stumbled for an answer, “Oh, uh, yeah. I’ve been to the palace more than a few times, sir, ma’am, uh…” “Just Mand’alor is fine, Cadet.” “Right, well, the door’s been magically sealed and I have no idea how to get it open. I’ve been looking for another way in bu-“ Ignoring most of Dash’s words, Shaysa reached for the war maul strapped to her back. Once in hand, the head of the weapon began to spark bitterly to life before being raised up and slammed into the wall adjacent to the door. Upon contact, the weapon produced a concentrated pulse of gravity with a loud “THUMP” which crumbled the wall with ease, “That’s quite alright, Dash, I think I found a way inside.” On the corner of Mane Street, there sat a café. During its hay day, it was celebrated as being quite the hot spot for anyone to grab a piping hot cup of caffeinated beverage. Now its main purpose was to be a safe haven to rest a spell between fire fights for a small collection of Deathwatch defectors and their pair of pony comrades. The fighting continued just outside the now-barricaded doors and windows. Tolik closely examined and cleaned his rifle while he kept his back pressed to a solid chunk of wall. Gallant carefully followed his motions, trying to learn as quickly as he possibly could how to care for and clean one of these weapons in the field. In a corner of the café, Mackers sat, taking a long draw from his canteen. Black, burnt flesh could be seen peeking from the edges of gauze that had been held to his wounded eyes by a strip of blue and gold fabric. Beside him, a tired Spitfire did her best not to give in to the fatigue gnawing at her mind while Yazan kept a close lookout near the doorway. “Hey Sarge,” The Twi’lek called out. “Told you already tail-head, we ain’t Deathwatch anymore so I ain’t your Sergeant,” He gruffly replied from his work. “Fine then; hey, boss,” He sarcastically corrected himself, “Looks like we’ve got drop ships touching down, Neo Protectors finally showed up.” An awkward pause held the room for a moment, “Well… Ain’t that just great…” “This isn’t a good thing?” Gallant questioned. “For you lot it is,” Tolik pointed out, “For us, well, they won’t exactly be giving us a friendly welcome with arms wide open.” Mackers chuckled at this, “Yeah, more than likely we’re gonna end up in chains and shipped off to some penal station.” Spitfire furrowed her brow in annoyance at this statement, “But you guys aren’t with Deathwatch. Hay, you’ve been helping us take back the city from them.” “But they were members,” Gallant chimed in as the full weight of this information dawned on him; “They willingly participated in a terrorist organization, that makes them criminals.” Tolik smiled teasingly at Gallant’s words, “Yeah, that’s the sad truth; we were terrorists before we became stand-up gents.” “So that’s it?” Spitfire felt herself teetering on the edge of another wave of blinding rage, “When this is all over, they’re just gonna arrest you? Even after everything you did to help?” Her back stiffened at the feel a hand resting against it, “It’s all the good we’ve done that’s probably going to keep us from getting executed on the spot,” Mackers pointed out, “Sides, if you’re going to miss me that much, you could always come visit. I’ll be right there waiting for ya, after all.” Spitfire gave him a wry grin before shaking her head, “Geez, you just don’t give up, do you?” A faint aura surrounded the spear as it swung through the air. The thick metal of the weapon’s body slammed into the knees of an offending Deathwatch trooper, toppling him over in pain. Before the soldier could react, the sharpened tip forced itself into through the alien’s side and pierced his lung. Breathing heavily in exhaustion, Shining Armor glared in defiance at the remaining two Deathwatch troopers. With a quick telekinetic wrench, he pulled the weapon from his latest victim and leveled it with them, “Well, come on then!” The troopers shared a look behind their visors before looking back to the Unicorn. What had started as seven men had been cut down to just these two. Shining Armor’s prowess in defensive magic had protected him from their blaster bolts and given him the openings he needed to tear into their numbers. But now that his strength had been nearly depleted, the survivors took their chances, leveling their blasters with him. The brave stallion charged forth with a battle cry which was answered in turn by a hail of blaster bolts. His barriers shone brightly as they sprang forth to meet the attack, but this time his body began to buckle under the force. Stumbling, he lost his mental grip on his weapon before a bolt of energy pierced his magical field and bit deeply into his back leg. With a pained cry, Shining Armor fell to the ground. His mind fought desperately to keep his barriers strengthened under the constant waves of blaster fire. “Hah, look at the big brave horn-head now,” One of his attackers sneered at him over the volley. “Told ya man, just gotta lay on the pressure to bring these ones down,” His comrade stated between bolts of energy, “They’re a real drain on the ammo, but they can’t keep the ray shield act up for long.” Unfortunately for theses troopers, the sounds of blaster fire drowned out the sounds of foot falls on the marble floor and the crackle of energy. Fett closed the gap between herself and the unsuspecting troopers with practiced speed. The head of her maul slammed into the side of one with a dull “THUMP” of gravitational energy coupled with the bending of metal and breaking of bones from the fatal blow. Using the momentum and garnered surprise, she continued through with the swing, letting it pull her back around to strike the remaining trooper in the gut with an upwards arc. She watched with no shortage of satisfaction as his body limply rag-dolled through the air and skipped off the ceiling before falling in a heap on the floor several yards down the hallway. She took a moment to observe the look of dumbfounded confusion on the stallion’s face before offering him a hand up, “Five out of seven, all armed with blasters and you with just a spear. You, good sir, are a warrior worth knowing. Mand’alor Shaysa Fett, leader of the Mandalorian people and head of the Neo Protectors.” Shining Armor hesitated a moment before looping his hoof with her hand and pulling himself back up, “Thanks. Shining Armor, Captain of the royal Canterlot Guards.” “Whoa,” His gaze moved past his savior to the armored Pegasus and collection of aliens behind her, “Shining Armor, you did all of this on your own?” He gave a tired smirk in response to Rainbow Dash’s shock and surprise, “What, did you think all they taught us in the guard was how to look smart while standing at attention?” He asked her sarcastically. In the rubble-scattered remains of the throne room, Kad Skirata carefully hoisted the tired body of Twilight Sparkle into his arms as he trudged towards the dais. No longer pulling on the Force, his body began to wrack him with pain and fatigue. He quietly cursed his age and the detriments that came with it every step he took. Eventually, the tired warrior reached the top of the seemingly endless stairs. Once his ascension was finished, he placed the young mare beside her mentor before letting himself slump down beside his employer. He gave Luna a tired smirk, “Sorry the rescue took so long ma’am, had to stop an’ ask for directions.” A labored chuckle escaped the Princess of the Night as she shook her head, “T’was a fine display of skill and prowess my Captain,” She assured him, “The men of Mandalore art truly worth their heavy price.” He let himself lean lazily back against the throne behind him. Kad withheld the urge to discuss the payment he and his men were owed. The dirty business of what they deserved could wait after all, for now they deserved to soak in the happy glow of victory. His gaze shifted to the larger, white Alicorn to his right, a soft smile crept onto his withered face as he watched her nuzzle his wounded comrade, “So, you must be this Princess Celestia I’ve heard tell about.” The elder sister looked to the human and nodded in confirmation, “And you must be this Captain Skirata I’d heard Teth lamenting over.” She gave the human a wry smile, “I would stand to greet you, but I’ve just gotten ever so comfortable.” Her hoof tapped the collar around her neck for emphasis. Kad grinned at her biting comment, a royal with a sharp sense of humor was always entertaining, “Aye, that’s fine ma’am, didn’t feel like standin’ up either,” He retorted, “Kad Skirata, Knight of Mandalore, head of Epsilon squad in the employ of the Mandalorian Neo Protectors and now member of the Lunar Guard.” “My, that is quite a lot of responsibility,” She stated softly, “It must be tiring to serve so many masters, Captain Skirata,” She commented. After dealing with Torb for so many years, Kad had a feel for when casual conversation was something more. He could only assume she was politely digging for information and possibly leverage to use if needed. Just another thing to admire about this woman, “Brings in a hefty paycheck at least; that certainly keeps the wife happy.” The sounds of hooves and boots against the marble drew their collected attentions towards the shattered remains of the doorway. Kad felt his spirits lift greatly at the sight of a very familiarly crimson-clad warrior brandishing a gravity maul. “Speaking of masters,” he snickered under his breath. The ponies in Fett’s care darted past her and the group upon seeing their beloved friend and monarchs. Rainbow Dash quickly made the jog across the throne room, nearly tackling Twilight Sparkle as she threw her forelimbs around her friend’s neck in a tight hug. Behind her, Shining Armor limped his way to his sister, forcing the pain in his back leg out of his mind to keep him from stopping. Shaysa motioned to her body guards. “See to the wounded,” she quickly barked at them, “and get those damned collars off of them.” Kad cautiously made his way down the steps to the ground floor, waving off one of the troopers as he passed. As he approached, Fett removed her helm and hooked it to her belt before throwing her arms around the grizzled warrior in a tight embrace before pulling away and looking him over, “Kad, you look like osik.” “An’ you look almost presentable, Mand’alor.” He shot back at her teasingly. Beneath the torn streets of Canterlot, a broken and battered Earth pony colt carried his Pegasus comrade’s limp body through the maze of tunnels. Blinding pain coursed through his body with every step, but he refused to give in. Two things drove him: saving his friend and the one thing that could, rumors of a medical center thrown together under the streets. He could hear in the distance the sounds of others talking and the sounds of hooves rushing about. Turning the corner, he found himself freezing in shock and surprise. In the large antechamber, several cots and makeshift gurneys had been set up where ponies of just about every walk of life were laid out and being treated. Doctors, nurses, anypony with so much as a medical degree and/or first aid training was hard at work saving lives. But that wasn’t what had caused him to stop in his tracks; it was the red and white armored alien busily tending to a young mare’s wounds. Zex’s gaze shifted to the beaten stallion and the friend on his back, “You there, don’t just stand around gawking, put your friend on that empty cot in the corner. Hurry up!” He found himself flinching on reflex at the sound of his commanding voice. Without a second thought, the colt quickly made his way to the cot and gently deposited his friend. He couldn’t stop staring, though. He’d heard that a number of aliens had come to help them with this fight; he even heard the speech the blue-skinned one gave. But now he was seeing it first hand, them making good on their word. Zex shot the colt a glare, “Are you critically injured?” “I, uhm, I mean, I got beat pretty bad but-” He managed to stammer out under the stressful gaze. “Then get out,” Zex snapped at him while moving to the next patient, “Unless you have any kind of medical training or are in critical condition, you’re just taking up space and wasting our time. Leave.” This lit a fire in the young colt’s chest as he began to glare daggers at the Zabrak. His mouth had barely opened to issue his own protest before Zex motioned to one of the nurses resting against the far wall, “Nurse, get him out of here.” “Yes, doctor,” She politely obeyed despite the pain shooting through her legs. She quickly made for the colt’s side and guided him out of the room despite his protests to be left alone. Over his shoulder, Zex could hear the angry protests of the young boy. He began to judge the inflection, the use of catch phrases and idioms, figuring the colt to be well into his teen years. Quietly, he cursed Torb under his breath, “You don’t care how old or young your pawns are, do you?” He asked no one in particular with a strong hint of bitterness in his voice. Glancing to his side, he noticed the approach of a middle aged Pegasus stallion he’d come to know as having the unfortunate name of Flatline. Zex felt as though this poor choice in name on his parent’s part and his own, as far as line of work was concerned, seemed like some kind of comedy. He possessed a cream-colored coat; one could only guess what his mane and tail looked like before completely succumbing to the onset of grey and age, “A bit harsh, don’t you think Zex?” He fought to keep himself in line, this man was his better in the field of pony medicine, and he deserved respect, “Perhaps. I think I’m just getting grumpy from withdrawal, been a good six hours since my last cup of caf.” “Maybe it’s time you took a rest then, son.” The older pony suggested. “I can still work, believe it or not being mad keeps me focused.” “Alright then, but if you keep this up I’m gonna have to take that shooter from you for all our sakes.” Flatline chided him while motioning to the blaster holstered on Zex’s hip. Zex gave him a teasing grin, “Don’t worry; I’d never shoot a patient. Their annoying family, that’s another thing, though.” “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Zex,” He cautioned him. “Oh, and why not?” “Because then they go from being annoying friends and family members of patients to being annoying patients themselves.” Far beyond the walls of Canterlot proper and far below the mountain it rested upon, at the edge of the woods beneath it, Fluttershy rested in the grass beside Arkanna. The pair had watched the ships descend upon the city as the sounds of battle continued to die down. The feeling of the cool summer breeze and the whistle it made through the soft grass made her body beg her for sleep. With half-lidded eyes, she gazed upon the once-perfect city overhead as plumes of smoke wafted through the air to mix with the thick clouds above. Beside her laid her cracked visor beside Arkanna’s helmet. Arkanna on the other hand was more fixated on the shy mare beside him. His mind replayed the moments from this morning, the words she spoke to him in perfect mando’a, Ni kar'taylir darasuum gar ti an ner kar'rta. His mind kept playing it over and over for him, alongside his conversation with Kell on the mountainside. He took a deep breath as he steadied himself; he had to tell her. If not now, then when? His mouth went bone-dry as he forced himself to speak to her, “Fluttershy,” She turned her unhindered teal eye towards him with a disarmingly soft smile, “Yes, Arkanna?” He felt his cheeks suddenly flush up as she smiled up at him. The words froze in his throat and refused to budge one inch as he struggled with them. He couldn’t understand this, why was he having such a hard time talking to her? Granted, she was extremely unique compared to the other alien races in the galaxy, but he knew that wasn’t what set her apart from other girls he’d met. His mind traveled back further to that night in the mountain valley. How he poured his sob story out to her like he’d done to other women before. How he had expected her to follow suit with them and pity the young man, but instead, he could almost feel the softness of her fur against the side of his neck again, the warmth of her smile and eyes burning into his soul and chest, her words gently trickling into his mind, It doesn’t have to hurt anymore. Arkanna could feel his heart racing rapidly as he tried to keep himself cool and collected. Taking a deep breath he refocused himself, “There’s something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about,” He managed to force out as he carefully constructed the conversation, in fear she might be frightened off. Arkanna reminded himself she was the one who confessed herself to him first, “See, thing is-” His words fell flat as the sounds of a drop-ship’s engines drowned him out. Cursing himself for being so slow on the trigger, he looked up at the descending ship before looking back to the mare beside him, “Ya know what, I’ll tell ya later!” He called out to her over the roar. With time and effort the unnamed Protector was able to deactivate the locking mechanism of the inhibitor collar. Behind his mask, he couldn’t help but smirk in triumph at his handiwork before carefully removing the device, “You may feel a bit groggy, your highness, but that’s just the drugs and poisons leaving your system.” Celestia let out a sigh of relief as she adjusted to the sore feeling in her neck. Her head was still spinning, but she could feel her body fighting back against the detrimental substances in her bloodstream. As a breed, Alicorns possessed a hearty immune system and constitution that dwarfed most others, but the alien material would take longer than dealing with the poisons native to her world. With a kind smile, she bowed her head in thanks to the trooper. “Thank you, it feels so good to be rid of that accursed thing.” Luna eyed her own former collar with no small hint of disgust, “What would warrant such devices be built?” “Not every Force user out there’s got good intentions, ma’am,” Kad replied, “The collars were designed with rogue Jedi an’ Sith in mind, keep ‘em from tappin’ into the Force as well as keepin’ ‘em disoriented an’ such.” The Knight’s attention shifted to the Protector seeing to Twilight’s wounds, “How’s my girl lookin’?” “Her shoulder’s looking pretty messed up, not to mention everything else that saber hit.” He stated flatly, “I’ve done all I can with these med-packs, but we need to get her to the ship’s medical bay.” The young mare weakly protested, “No, I’m fine, really, I wanna stay and help…” “Ya got a strong will, Sparkle,” Kad complimented her, “But I’m more inclined to listen to the fella with medical trainin’ on this one. Prep ‘er for medivac.” Shining Armor had taken up a post beside his sister to keep a close eye on her while his own wound was patched up. At the mention of ships and medivacs, he quickly focused on Kad, “What is it you’re planning to do with my sister now?” “Get her the medical treatment she needs,” Kad snarled at the stallion, “Lest ya’d rather she lose the limb?” With a great deal of reluctance, Shining Armor backed down from his protest, “Fine then, Captain…” “Shining Armor…” Twilight called him back to her side. “What is it, Twilee?” “Mom and Dad, someone still needs to find them,” She pointed out in a shaky tone. The Captain of the Guard smiled warmly to his sister as he ran a reassuring hoof through her mane, “Don’t worry about it Twilee, I’ll find them. You just get yourself fixed up alright.” Kad cursed himself under his breath for coming off so short with the boy. He knew all too well how he was feeling first-hand. After Kell lost his leg, he had flown into a blind rage, tearing into the enemy line. It took five strong men to hold him down and drag him back to camp. It didn’t help either that he was picking up on Fett’s own heavy agitation. The Mandalore had received a transmission from the ships in orbit and recused herself from the others. Since the message had started, Kad could feel his friend and leader’s emotions become far more sullen as it progressed. With an annoyed sigh she shut off the device and turned her attention back to the rest of the throne room, “Your highnesses, there seems to have been an incident.” “And what incident would that be, Mandalore Fett?” Celestia inquired cautiously. “It would appear that a number of ships have just dropped out of hyperspace into your star system,” She began informing them, “Fleets of warships from both the Fel Empire, Galactic Alliance, even the private militaries of both the Czerka Corporation and the Hutt Cartels, and an envoy from the Jedi Order. Your planet has just caught the entire galaxy’s attention, Princesses.” Everyone in the room looked frozen in shock as this information began to sink in. With a tired grumble Twilight let her head practically slam into the trooper’s arm that had been supporting her, “UGH, why can’t anything with you guys ever be simple?” “Forgive my ignorance,” The solar sister chimed in, mostly hoping to draw attentions away from her student’s outburst, “But what could we have possibly done to garner such attention?” “Probably the same thing that lead us here,” Fett informed her, “A few days ago there was a massive ripple through the Force that went from one end of the galaxy to the next. The shock wave it created could be tracked all the way back here to this planet.” “Huh, wonder how that could’a happened…” Kad asked himself while trying not to draw attention. “Either way, your solar system just got really crowded and not many of them are exactly happy to see a fleet of Mandalorian ships here guarding the planet. Your highnesses, I need your help to defuse this situation.” Shaysa pleaded with them both. Celestia looked more than a little taken aback by the earnest words of the leader of an entire interplanetary force, “It would seem things are as dire as ever,” She stated hanging her head dourly, “But I fail to see what good we can do in this situation.” Rising to her hooves, Celestia made her way to a shattered window that looked out over her smoldering city, “Furthermore, our city is still gripped by chaos and conflict. Our people need their monarchs now more than ever.” “And that is exactly why WE need you right now as well your highness,” Fett stated, “The Mandalorians cannot speak for your world, it would appear as just a land grab to expand our territory and lead to needless conflict. In the end, this star system would be turned into a graveyard.” “Then I shall go.” All eyes quickly shifted to behold Luna standing proudly, her wings spread wide to add finality to her position, “My sister, you are right. Our people need the assurance that their princesses still care for them. Though if what the Mandalore says is true, then at least one of us must see to these savages at our door.” “Luna…” Before Celestia could protest, she found her sister’s forelimbs wrapped tightly around her neck in a strong embrace. “Thou hath always been the beacon of hope to our people and I their protector in the night,” She softly reassured her before stepping away. The setting sun glinting off her ebony armor created an otherworldly glow about her, “I shall face this as I have all our nation’s foes.” Reluctantly, Celestia bowed her head as she gave in to her sister, “Good luck, my sister. You carry the pride and authority of all of Equestria.” With every bit of this authority, Luna turned to Kad, “Captain Skirata, it would appear thine contract doth still stand.” “Aye, milady,” He stated returning to the world behind his helmet’s HUD, “Epsilon squad has your back.” Over his shoulder he shot an order at the young speedster, “Cadet Dash, fall in for escort duty.” Rainbow quickly stiffened herself into attention before snapping off a salute, “Aye, Cap!” From the collapsed hole in the side of the palace came the roar of a drop ship’s engines. The metallic hulk hovered with surprising grace just inches from the hole itself as the side doors slid open to reveal the empty belly. With no hesitation, Luna strode into the waiting ship, flanked on either side by Skirata and Rainbow Dash. The trooper that had been treating Twilight carefully hefted her onto a hover gurney, loading the injured mare on as well. Shaysa could see the unease in Celestia’s eyes as she watched her sister and student board the craft. Stepping to her side, she placed a hand upon the Princess’s shoulder. “No harm will come to them under my care, I swear it. In the meantime, I ask that you take my personal guard for protection.” She stated before boarding the vessel herself. As the ship pulled away from the side of the palace, one of newly gifted bodyguards approached the Princess of the sun, “What are your orders my lady?” Celestia sadly watched the craft ascend out of sight before turning to the trooper. “We take to the streets. The citizens of Canterlot will know their princess still protects them.” She stated boldly as she strode for the balcony, spreading her wings wide to soften her descent to the ruined streets below. Risking a glance over her shoulder, she found her protectors quickly following suit, their jetpacks making up for the limitations of not being born with wings. Shining Armor found himself left alone in the broken throne room. His eyes still fixated on the path the ship had taken to leave the planet. He could feel his heart begin to sink as he watched his sister being whisked away to who knows where. Forcing himself to pull away, he kept reminding himself of what he had to do. Their parents were still lost out there in the chaos; no matter what, he would find them. The air inside the drop-ship was thick and uncomfortable as it made the long climb back into orbit. They all found themselves sitting in an uncomfortable silence until one armored Unicorn began muttering incoherently about “giggling at ghosties”. Kad’s attention was immediately on the young medic that had been seeing to her, “Dear lord son, what’d ya give her?” The medic looked back and forth between Kad and the yammering Twilight, “I… I just gave her a light sedative, something to help with the pain; it shouldn’t be affecting her this much.” He stammered out in confusion. Rainbow Dash cleared her throat with a playful chuckle, “Yeeeeeeah, Twilight is what you’d call a “Light Weight”. When we go drinking, one of us usually gets designated to keep an eye on her.” “I’m fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine,” She managed to slur out with a wave of her good hoof in dismissal. As the vessel came to a stop, the side doors slid open to reveal the crowded and extremely active hanger bay. Other drop-ships were being prepped as well as a number of fighter craft. Teams of engineers scrambled from one task to another as fire teams assembled for combat duty. Dash found herself in awe as she watched this busied scene play out. The sheer mixture of species and armor styles caused her to realize something: just how small her world and scope of the universe had always been. Up until this moment, she’d been able to focus on something. An opponent, a goal, anything to keep her mind from wandering. Now she could see firsthoof just how vast the galaxy truly was. Kad took the young medic by the shoulder to stop him mid stride, “Take care’a that girl for me, will ya?” “Don’t worry sir; I won’t let her out of my sight.” The medic stated. To this, Twilight let lose a stream of frantic giggles, “Can’t blame ‘im with a sweet flank like mine,” She teased the medic before prodding him with her good hoof, “Heeeeeeeeeeeeey, are you single? Cause you sound really cute under that mask.” Rainbow withheld the urge to laugh at this, though several fits of giggles escaped her. She sincerely wished she knew how to record things with the visor she was given. A hard jab to her side drew her attention back to her duty and the less than happy Mandalorian standing over her. “Mind on the job, Dash,” Kad reminded her sharply. “Sorry, Cap,” The cyan Pegasus quickly blurted out before falling in line alongside her commanding officer as they followed closely behind Mandalore Fett and Princess Luna. The Equestrian Princess did her best not to show the shock and awe she felt as they moved through the massive capital ship, “Tell me, Mandalore Fett, what dost thou know of those I shall be facing?” “I won’t lie to you, your highness, probably the only one who won’t,” Fett stated, “Your world is ripe with potential and resources, they will greet you happily while plotting ways to take everything away from you. They’ll offer you alliances under the guise of friendship to get what they want. Then when all of that fails, they’ll just start trying to intimidate you with the sheer force of their military.” Luna couldn’t help but chuckle at this information, “Tis good to know politics are exactly the same on other worlds.” “Hah, I guess some things just never change despite other differences,” Fett stated with a wide smile. As they passed a large window, Dash couldn’t help but stop and take in her second trip into space. This time, however, she found herself less in awe at what she saw. Warships far larger than the one frigate she and her comrades had brought down littered the blackness as far as her eyes could see. She could feel the fear clawing its way along her spine as she saw the metallic hulks crowd their way into position. What’s more, she could see far off in the distance vague shapes moving through the black, silhouetted by the lights along their hulls but too far away to fully recognize. The ones farthest away seemed to conjure the more nightmarish images of what could be stalking her world. Kad could feel the terror the mare tried to subdue inside herself. His hand rested upon her shoulder, bringing her a little closer to his side. His heart sank a bit as she looked up at him pleadingly from behind her visor. Through the Force, he could feel her emotions lapping at him. He had always disliked this aspect of his abilities, but at this moment he hated his rank all the more. The father figure in him wanted to hug her tightly and tell her everything would be okay, that she’d be safe. An action that would be viewed as unbecoming of a Captain, let alone a Knight. “Things are still really bad, aren’t they, Cap?” Dash did everything she could to keep her voice from shaking. Kad took a knee beside her as he fought to find the right words to calm her with, “No point in tellin’ ya any other way, Dash. Lotta folks out there are lookin’ to take your world an’ pump it dry, regardless of who they hurt in the process.” He could feel the turmoil inside her overflowing. With a sigh, he began to give in to the emotions flowing out of her, “No matter what happens here, Dash’ika, never forget you have your aliit, your family, an’ we will protect you.” With no hesitations or restraint the young athlete threw her hooves around her Captain’s neck squeezing tightly, “Thanks, Cap.” She whispered weakly to him. Kad was hesitant at first, but the parent in him slowly took over and brought his arms around her as well, hugging her tightly, “Promised you girls we’d see ya to the end of this, an’ Mandalorians never break their promises.” Unbeknownst to the pair, Luna had stopped to watch this display of affections. A soft smile graced her muzzle as she watched one of her subjects and this alien sharing a bond forged in the recent conflict. It was heartening to see, with such heavy odds stacked against them. She in turn, though, was unaware of Fett closely watching her reaction. For a fraction of a second, a devious smirk crawled across Shaysa’s features before it was quickly quelled. “Princess,” she called her back to the task at hand, motioning towards a pair of doors, “If you’ll step this way, we have a room already set up for you to address them.” As the doors slid open upon her approach, Luna found herself in a large conference room. Scattered about the room were holographic images of aliens in various garb and regalia. She immediately recognized several of them as human but could not even begin to imagine who or what the more “unique” beings were. Try as she might, she could not help but stare at the massive, grotesque slug-like beast that proudly wore silken garb. “Mandalore Fett,” A human dressed in military sharpness angrily spoke out, “How long will you keep us waiting here?” “Gentlemen,” she began as she scanned the room, “and I use the term loosely, I thank you all for your patience. As eager as all of you might be to set up claim, however, this world is in fact inhabited and its occupants have something they would like to say.” Stepping aside, she allowed Luna to take the forefront as she summoned up every vestige of courage she could find in herself. Before she could speak, the massive slug beast began bellowing in anger as it motioned towards Luna. “I agree with Shuga,” The well-pressed militant chimed in, “This is more than a little insulting of you, Fett! Just what games are you trying to play here?” “Admiral, perhaps the most honorable Shuga and yourself should not be so quick to judge,” A lone robed figure spoke out in her defense. “Keep it to yourself, Jedi!” He bit back in anger, “You and your lot should’ve stayed to your damned cloisters.” Soon the room exploded into a shouting match. Luna watched the aliens argue back and forth. She soon remembered why she had always recused herself from politics and left it to Celestia. Her anger soon began to boil over as she slammed her hoof into the ground with force enough to bend the metal beneath it, “ENOUGH!” She bellowed forth with the Royal Canterlot Voice, Kad was sure the entire dreadnaught shook under its force. The room became a sea of shocked faces as all eyes turned to Luna, “I see that even across the stars, power doth not lead to sophistication and manners.” “How dare you! Do you know to whom you speak?” Her friend the militant snarled at her. “Nay, I do not,” She answered clearly and defiantly, “And clearly neither dost thou. You shall be silent alien, for you trespass in sovereign territory.” She could see the shade of his face becoming darker with anger, “I am Admiral Caleb Shaw, commanding officer of the Hyperion Fleet of the Fel Empire, under whom I have been given the authority to-” “That is enough, old man,” A much younger-sounding voice took him off-guard as a new figure pushed him aside to take his place. Rather than dressed in the dark grey uniform of the last human, this one appeared to be clad in red and black armor of a vastly different design than that of the Mandalorains. Crimson cloth was draped around his shoulder and tied off at the waist. His eyes shone a dark brown, his hair was a light auburn that was neatly kept, all brought together by a strong, handsome jaw line, “You overstep your boundaries, Shaw. You represent the Empire, but I AM the Empire.” Looking to Luna he bowed low to her, “A thousand pardons my lady, the good Admiral forgets his manners far too easily. I am Nero Alexander Fel, crowned prince of the Fel Empire. Please, continue.” The Alicorn found herself slightly taken aback by the sudden outpouring of kind words, but quickly regained herself and bowed her head to the human before returning to the rest of the crowd, “As I was saying,” her words came to her stern and strong, “I am Princess Luna, ruler of Equestria and keeper of the night. I speak with the authority of my people and our nation.” “For millennia, our people hath stood tall and resolute against any and all whom would visit harm upon us. Time and time again, our enemies have laid siege to our borders, seeking to claim the riches within. Time and time again, we have stood tall against the greatest of odds, emerging victorious. As I look around this room, I see the same greed and covetous shine in the eyes around me. Perhaps a paranoia born of the evils visited by one being of blackest heart, or perhaps merely a caution born of centuries of conflict.” “Know this: the proud, strong nation of Equestria will not bow its head in fear, nor allow itself to be trampled under heel. You have come to our world with weapons and might capable of wiping out all life within this solar system, thus I know it would be foalish to stand alone against this assembled might… But we shall not stand alone.” “Equestria has one other long-standing tradition beyond that of our independence, and that is our peaceful desire for friendship and co-existence. For too long, we have been ignorant not only of all that has transpired in the galaxy around us, but also of our neighbors across the sea of stars. In these past few days I hath played witness to the depths of kindness, courage and honor the Mandalorian people are capable of. Seen firsthoof the bonds that are formed and the families created from seemingly nothing at all. I have seen the heart that lay beneath the armor.” Luna’s gaze shifted to Shaysa, “Mandalore Shaysa Fett, I offer to you our allegiance as well as my friendship. Will you accept our friendship?” Moving to stand beside the Equestrian princess, Shaysa placed a hand upon her shoulder, “It would be my honor, your highness, to welcome you and your people to the ranks of the Mandalorians.” Her attention shifted to the various delegates, “As this is now Mandalorian space, I trust the lot of you will be able to find your own way out.” As several more arguments began to erupt from the assembled representatives, the young Fel prince broke through the chaos, “Perhaps, the lovely princess and Mandalore were not clear enough. As such, the Fel Empire stands ready to defend them both.” With a motion, he shouted to someone outside the hologram’s range, “All ships, move to join the Mandalorian fleet and ready all weapons.” True to his words, the massive collection of warships of the Hyperion fleet broke from the amassed wall of ships, falling in line alongside the Neo Protectors. With a proud smirk, the image of Nero Fel faced the rest of them, “Now, I suggest that you all take a moment to decide if war with both the Empire and the Mandalorians is truly worth saving face over.” Rainbow Dash’s stomach became a ball of ice as the apprehension within the room became all the more oppressive. She quietly thanked Celestia for the visor hiding the fear reflected in her eyes as she scanned the faces in the room. Stopping on Luna, she could see the rage and unwavering determination of her princess. It heartened her to see the fire of her monarch as her own spark of confidence returned to her. Time dragged on for what felt like an eternity until one by one the holographic images of the assembled delegates began to fade away. The com attached to Fett’s wrist suddenly chirped to life with the voice of one of the bridge crew, “Mand’alor, all ships are pulling out of the system.” Dash suddenly realized she had been holding her breath through the entire ordeal. With the sound of this good news, she let out a sigh of relief as her legs buckled a bit from the overwhelming stress. Unconsciously, she leaned into the armored legs of her CO. It wasn’t until she felt Kad’s hand pat the top of her head that she noticed. “My, that certainly was quite the standoff, wasn’t it?” Nero casually commented before looking back towards Luna, “I must apologize for my so-called peers, your highness. Far too many of them are lacking in common manners.” Luna felt a smile force the grim intensity from her face, “Tis quite alright, Prince Fel,” she stated, “I hath dealt with far worse barbarians. Though, I must thank thee for thine supportive stance.” “Indeed, perhaps when next we meet it will but under far more desirable circumstances, as I’m sure the holo-projector does your beauty little justice.” He stated fondly. A sudden heat filled Luna’s cheeks as his words forced her to become rather flushed, “I, uh, indeed, Prince Fel. I wish thee a safe journey, fare thee well.” She quickly forced herself to stammer out as her tongue tripped over the simplest of words, causing the red tint to push past her darkened fur all the more. With a bow, the image of the Imperial prince faded from existence. Luna felt herself nearly collapse in embarrassment at the thought of how foalish she must have seemed. A prodding at her side drew her attention to Shaysa and the wide grin she bore, “Why dost thou stare so?” “Oh nothing; that was just cute, is all.” Shaysa snickered. Kad and Rainbow Dash sat beside one another, staring out across the inky black as ships moved about the solar system. A makeshift bench had been put together with the use of a misplaced supply crate. Their head gear respectively had been left beside them to take in the view without the HUD readouts. The young mare couldn’t stop staring at her world just below them as apprehension still clung to her tired form, catching her Captain’s attention, “Got some’in on your mind there, Dash?” With a sigh she shifted a bit, “I was thinking, it’s kinda funny. From this far up, you can’t see any of the damage to Canterlot or Ponyville. Heck, you can’t even tell where they are from here.” “Certainly puts plenty into perspective, I ‘spose, but what’s really buggin’ ya kiddo?” “I know we saved the day and stuff, but… What happens now, Cap?” “Wish I knew, Rainbow, I really do,” Kad stated regretfully, “Thing is, you all know about what’s goin’ on out here now, an’ the rest of the galaxy is now very well aware you all exist. Can’t promise ya things’ll go back to the way they were. What I do know, is your world is forever changed, an’ you were there for it every step’a the way.” “But… Everypony that died in the fighting… Traycn…” Tears began to well up in the young mare’s eyes as this painful fact dawned on her. Kad rested his forehead against her own as he spoke softly, “Utrel'a gar sur'haai ner adiik. Dry your tears, Rainbow Dash. They died an’ you lived, so live for them.” With a sniffle, she wiped the tears from her eyes on the underlay between the armored plates of her forelimb. With a smile, Kad mussed her mane playfully, “Att’a girl. ‘Sides, ya won’t wanna be bawlin’ your eyes out when ya see what I got ya.” Her head canted curiously to the side as he produced a parcel wrapped in blue cloth. Gingerly, she took it in her hooves and looked it over for a moment, “What is it?” “Well, that there is a box,” Kad pointed out sarcastically, “Just a heads up though, the gift’s inside.” Rainbow rolled her eyes before pulling the cloth from the sleek, polished metallic box underneath it. Carefully, she unlatched the container to peer inside, her eyes lighting up as she did. Lying before her was a weapon she had become very accustomed to, a vibro-knife. Dash was anything but an expert on the weapon, but she could tell at first glance this was of far better quality than the one she had lost over Ponyville. Something beside the weapon drew her attention, an insignia of some kind made to be added onto any armor at any given notice. She had seen this symbol before though, mainly on Arkanna’s own armor. She turned her gaze curiously towards Kad, “I… I don’t understand.” “Rainbow Dash, you’ve proven yourself a true warrior an’ I feel you’d make a damn fine Mandalorian,” Kad stated proudly, “To put it plain an’ simple, I want you on my squad, Dash.” He could see the Pegasus was more than a little overwhelmed by this news, “But I ain’t gonna force it on ya, got plenty’a time to think on it. ‘Sides, Twilight should be gettin’ outta surgery pretty soon. Why don’t you run along an’ go fill ’er in on what she’s missed? I’m sure you’re just dying to tell’er.” She smiled from ear to ear as she took the weapon from its case and hooked it to her belt. Taking a moment, Dash admired how it looked hanging from her hip in a nearby reflective wall panel. The athletic mare embraced Kad in a quick hug before galloping off to find her friend. Kad watched the young warrior-to-be dart off as he smiled proudly to himself. The moment the mare was out of sight, his mood shifted and became dourer, “Ya won this battle kid, but the war’s just startin’.”