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// 3. Hostile Motives 
// Story: Battalion of Harmony 
// by mcb893 
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A/N To make this story as good as it can be, I've gotten two editors to check out each chapter of this story before I upload it. One of which is actually current Military Police. Hope you guys enjoy. Shout outs to DatMerc and Sgt. Sporky. Thank you so much guys.

Moore proceeded slowly, trying to avoid the stares of all of the ponies around him. All of them had been staring at the SAS soldiers that had come with them into town, searching for medical assistance. Of course, they were a lot different than the Rangers, and were in fact the same color the Chaos Bringers had been. This didn't mean they couldn't be trusted, of course, but chances were the ponies would be a little cautious about welcoming the new humans to Equestria. Moore could hear various murmurs and whispers throughout the crowd, almost all of them having something to do with what these humans were doing here. Although some had to do with the injuries from Frank and Jack.

"How much farther? I don't like the looks these ponies are givin' me." Predator said from behind. Looking back, Moore could see the SAS soldiers looking around with confusion, no doubt pondering what they were doing in a land of talking ponies.

"Not much farther. The castle is just up ahead." Moore said as he came up on the gate to the castle. Several guards stood posted in front, their stoic expressions changing very little as they laid eyes on Moore and his team. They offered their greetings, but quickly took notice of the SAS troops that were behind them. Surely enough, the guards seemed suspicious of them, and asked whether or not they were friendly.

"They're friendly soldier, don't worry." Moore said with a reassuring tone. The guards observed them for a few more minutes, then nodded and opened the gates. Predator entered along side Moore, although he was in a position that indicated alertness, rather than relief.

"Stay sharp." He said, most likely talking to his troops. Moore frowned and shook his head. These SAS troops didn't seem to get that there was nothing to fear from the ponies. They were allies, not threats. Rainbow flew ahead, making her way to the main door of the castle along with her squad. As they landed, Moore broke into a slow jog, trying to get to the entrance as soon as he could. The matter of the aliens had to be discussed, and the sooner that the matter could be dealt with, the better. The doors gently opened, revealing the majestic halls inside of the castle. Several guards were walking through the main lobby, patrolling and inspecting various areas to make sure everything was in order. By this point they had learned to ignore the numerous comings and goings of Moore and the others, so they didn't even so much as look their way. At the top of the stair way was Twilight, who instantly sprung up and rushed over to the approaching soldiers.

"You're back! How did it go?" She asked as she came to a halt in front of him.

"Some things happened that need to be discussed right away. Can you get the Princesses?" Moore asked as he stepped aside, revealing an injured Jack and Frank along with the SAS troops. Upon seeing the unconscious Bloodhound on what looked like Kestrel's shoulders, Twilight's eyes grew wide, shocked by what she was seeing. Moore had to get her attention by calling her name before she gave him an answer. As she went to get the princesses, the rest of Moore's team and the SAS stepped inside of the castle.

"Where can we set Bloodhound?" Kestrel asked as he stepped inside. Predator and Swift kept their guns at the ready, looking around the castle as though something would jump out at them at any moment. Moore shook his head.

"Don't worry about it Archer. Just make sure he's breathin' and he'll be fine." Predator said as he looked at one of the decorative windows on the side of the castle. Moore looked up towards the stairwell as he made a mental note of what Archer sounded like, so he wouldn't mix up and Kestrel again. The guards noticed the new sounding voices, and turned to face Moore's direction. Their stares ranged from confusion to mistrust, and all seemed unsure about the soldiers.

"At ease, they're friendlies." Moore said with a raised hand. Some of the guards continued staring cautiously, but went back to patrolling. Looking up, he saw Princess Celestia walking down the stairs, with Princess Luna right behind her. Celestia looked over to Moore and smiled, while Luna seemed to be focused on the new SAS members.

"Greetings Staff Sergeant. I see you have returned." The Princess said as she came to a halt at the top of the stairway. Looking behind him, the Princess noticed the new humans, and smiled at them as well.

"You have found the new arrivals. Are they members of your team as well?" She asked calmly. Moore shook his head.

"No. Now... I have some troubling news..." He started to say, but was interrupted when Luna asked where the missing guards and soldiers were.

"That's what it's about. I'm pretty sure I know what happened to them." Moore said calmly. There was a very dark, almost grim tone to his voice, and this alone made Luna worried. She stepped forward, now right next to her elder sister. Princess Celestia's smile had vanished, now replaced with a concerned frown.

"Alright... I hate to be the one to break this little meeting, but what's going on here?" Predator asked as he lowered his weapon, no longer at a battle ready stance. Instead, he gave off the sense of being annoyed, and somewhat irritated that he wasn't being informed of what was going on.

"This is Princess Celestia. She rules over Equestria, the land you are in." Moore said calmly.

"The pony next to her is Princess Luna, her sister. She rules alongside her." He said as he turned back to face the Princesses, who were still awaiting his news. Moore hesitated a moment, looking down at the ground. He wasn't sure how he was going to word the information. The tiled floor beneath him sparkled in from the light of the chandelier, almost a complete contrast to the mood of his news. Sighing, Moore looked back up and eyed the Princesses. At this time, Twilight had come down as well, and was standing next to Princess Celestia.

"Chances are they have been killed." He said with a serious tone, causing Celestia to become wide eyed, while Luna seemed to become slightly distraught. Twilight was shocked as well, as she gasped quietly. Shaking her head, Celestia stepped forward.

"How? They have been trained to take down even the most ferocious of manticores, how could they have been defeated?" The Princess asked. Derek stepped up, now right beside Moore.

"It's not the manticores that got to them." He said with a slow, cautious tone. "Or any wildlife for that matter." The Princesses looked at each other, Celestia carrying worry while Luna had concern on her face. Twilight stepped forward, gently walking down the steps as to get to Moore.

"So... What got them?" She asked with a fearful tone. Looking down, Moore could see Twilight with a genuinely concerned face, clearly frightened by what he was telling them. Looking over to Derek, he non-verbally asked him if he should tell them about what was happening back on Earth. His second in command nodded, and Moore looked behind him to the rest of his squad. Each one nodded gave their agreements.

"They need to know." Jacob said reassuringly.

"Know what?" Princess Celestia asked. Moore looked back over to the Princesses, and took in a deep breath as he prepared to tell their story.

"Before we were teleported here three years ago, our world was under attack by alien invaders. That's why we were equipped with our weapons and gear when we got here. We were already fighting for the survival of our own home." He explained. Princess Celestia nodded, and placed her hoof to her chin. Luna nervously stepped forward, although she appeared conflicted.

"And... You think that THEY are the ones that killed our guards? And the task force?" She asked, her voice trembling slightly. Moore paused for a moment, but nodded nonetheless. Luna shook her head, mumbling something to herself. Celestia lowered her hoof, and stared at Moore as she asked her next question.

"Why are they here? What reason do they have for coming to Equestria?" Before Moore could answer, Predator stepped forward.

"Same reason they're attacking Earth. To colonize." He said with a grim tone. Celestia stepped back, shocked by what he said. Luna gasped, and looked to her sister with worry in her eyes. Twilight also took the news badly, as she backed away and began to shake her head. Before anyone could speak again, Predator continued.

"During our years of combat against em', we collected intel on their strategies, their soldiers, their armor, their weapons... but most importantly, their motives." He said. Moore couldn't believe it. Back when he was still fighting, they knew absolutely nothing about the aliens, except that all the movies and books were completely wrong about them. Their tech was the same as the human's in a way, bullets, rockets, grenades, etc., but in a way, it was more advanced. Predator continued.

"Their world is overcrowded, there's too many of them to sustain life there anymore. They don't have the resources, nor the land to keep them alive. So now they're looking for more planets to move their race to. And when you colonize an area... You wipe out anything that's already there." He said. Celestia shook her head, horrified by what Predator had just told her. Moore simply stood there, his head staring down at his now folded arms.

"But... How did they get here without us noticing? We've been monitoring for new humans, wouldn't these aliens have shown up too?" Twilight asked, with genuine horror on her face.

"Same way they got to Earth without us noticing. They used stealth fighters. Strange planes that can completely vanish, go invisible to the naked eye." He said, as he crossed his arms as well. His weapon now dangled from his side, like Moore's.

"But that doesn't make any sense... How could that be true? They have no idea where Equestria is. Heck, I don't even know where it is in relation to Earth!" Moore demanded, his voice genuine with anger. Moore couldn't stand the thought of losing another world to these monsters, and the idea itself was to horrifying to think about.

"New tech. They created a weapon that can scan and detect any hostile forces. Even ships that were flying around in space were equipped with it. The yanks must have picked up your trail and landed here." Apex said as he stepped forward, standing right beside his leader.

"That's when we really started taking heavy losses. You think what you saw was bad? You should see the body count now." Archer said from across the way. Looking over, Moore could see that he had placed Bloodhound on one of the couches along the edge of the castle, and was now administering first aid. Moore turned back to the Princesses, and saw that Predator had now stepped up even closer to the Princesses, who were staring wide eyed at the SAS troop.

"Whether you like it or not, those aliens are here now. And they will be looking for blood. They will kill, and kill, and kill until nothing is left. War is coming, and you will need to be ready when it happens."