//------------------------------// // Chapter 22: Specter // Story: Into the Black: A Mare's Tale // by shirotora //------------------------------// “Well, well, well,” a familiar voice woke Twilight up about an hour after sunrise, “I've missed seeing these.” Twilight peeked out of her book fort at her teacher and chuckled, “Yeah, I missed making them. They’re always so much fun.” “I take it you enjoyed yourself,” Celestia observed as she aided her student in dismantling the stronghold of knowledge, returning the books to their proper place. “Oh yes, Princess,” replied the unicorn, “I missed actual books, especially ones on magic. Do you know how hard it is to go a year without books on magic?” “I'm sure,” Celestia chuckled, “Goodness knows I couldn't have gone so long when I was your age.” “Well, I had books on Alliance technology,” Twilight shrugged, “It's pretty magical itself.” “Yes, I spoke to Professor Charm about some of the things you gave her,” Celestia said, “She's excited about the advancements we could get from them. Walk with me,” The princess placed the last scroll on its shelf and the two made their way out of the sacred temple of knowledge, “I'm quite surprised that the Alliance would be willing to share their technology with a race they know almost nothing about.” “Well... Okay, I have a bit of a confession to make,” Twilight began. “When can I expect him?” Celestia preempted her student. “What?” Twilight said oh so eloquently. “The representative from the Alliance,” The royal shot Twilight a knowing grin, laughing a little at her dumbfounded expression, “Did you think I didn't know? Really, Twilight, I thought you knew me better than that. Why would they pass up an opportunity to begin relations with a friendly race of magic users?” Twilight giggled with an amused grin, “Why do I still underestimate you after all these years? I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I wanted to make sure you saw them for who they are. As for when he'll arrive, because we aren't a space faring race, Admiral Gibson has to get approval from the counsel before he can approach us. I'm just waiting for him to send word, probably by Hammer Wave, an extremely powerful long range communication signal. My Ax will pick it up and send it to the computer in my leg.” “And when will your friends be visiting?” asked the diarch. “Hopefully soon. I miss them already,” Twilight sighed. “Well, you can continue telling us your story while we wait for them,” Celestia stated, “I must say, I'm excited to hear all about this secret mission of yours.” --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- As before, they met in the garden after breakfast. Rainbow Dash was running a little late as she had to go back to Ponyville the day before to approve the new weather schedule as well as interview three applicants to fill Cloud Chaser's spot. She and her new husband moved to Manehattan and her vacancy needed to be filled. Luckily, they didn't have to wait long for Equestria's fastest flier to get there, and her prismatic contrail soon made its way to the garden. “What's up, Rider?” said the pegasus, “How it goin' Twitch?” “It's all good,” Pinkie said, “How about you, Spectrum?” “Can't complain,” replied Dash. “Twitch? Spectrum?” Twilight smirked, “You gave each other callsigns?” “Hay yeah!” Rainbow said, “If you got one, shouldn't we? And before you ask, Rarity is Stitch, Applejack is Hogtie, Fluttershy is Whisper, Spike is Mailman, Shining is Bubble, Cadence is Empress, Princess Luna is Shadow, and Princess Celestia is Flare. Oh, and Derpy's Goose. I don't know why, it just fits for some reason.” The faces of the ponies and dragon displayed varying levels of admiration for their newly assigned names. “Moving on,” Twilight changed the subject before Applejack and Rarity could let the weather mare know exactly how much they liked their callsigns, “The month between Christmas and our reassignment was boring. The only thing to happen was a little skirmish against a couple frigates. We didn't even go out, cause it was over in less than ten minutes. That was cool though because things were about to get very interesting for us...” --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Twilight, her squad mates, and the Admiral barreled down the tramway of the Serenity Industries Shipyard in a car much like those of the Pony Express only smaller. The unicorn looked out the window as they sped across the rugged Martian landscape. When Twilight heard they would be going to the Sol system, she was hoping to see Earth, but unfortunately Mars was going to be the closest she was going to get. Curt promised he would take her some day, but they had a mission at the moment. They were heading to a top secret facility where their new ship was waiting. They were all excited to see it, and to find out exactly what they were going to be doing. Seth, for obvious reasons, was nervous. To be given command of a prototype vessel was huge, especially for a first command. “Alright, I'll go ahead and start your briefing now,” Admiral Gibson began, “Researchers found the location of two thousand year old ruins with information on what the race that built it called the 'Ancestors'.” “This is starting to sound like the plot of some crappy video game,” Curt stated. “No, those always have some overpowered protagonist that can... oh I don't know, take down a massive warship single handedly,” The Admiral looked at Twilight with a smirk, “Or would that be 'hoofedly'?” “Ha ha, you're so funny,” Twilight deadpanned. “Back on track,” Gibson returned to the original topic, “These 'Ancestors' are believed to have unbelievably strong magical capabilities, and, considering Lt. Sparkle's stories of her home world, may refer to her race. If it does, it may hold the key to getting her home... and getting us a powerful ally.” “I don't know,” Twilight interrupted, “I doubt that the princesses would want to bring Equestria into this war. Perhaps you could appeal to Queen Chrysalis. The changelings have far more experience with conflict than Equestria.” “We'll deal with that when the time comes,” he replied, “The biggest problem is the location. The ruin is located on RSD-1104, a planet deep in Dratali space. You'll be going deeper behind enemy lines than anyone had ever gone before, and that's why we're here.” The tram entered a heavily fortified hangar, a massive door closing behind them. They came to a stop in a very utilitarian station; four walls, the track they came from, and a door. The only things adorning the room was the set of four auto turrets poised to eliminate any threat to whatever lay behind the door. “Halt,” a gruff, mechanical voice came from a black dome in the center of the turret formation, “This is a controlled area. Await scanning.” A green light passed over each of them one at a time. When it scanned Twilight it stopped, “Anomaly detected.” The beam narrowed and passed over the unicorn's prosthetic leg a couple times, “Registered modifications discovered. Awaiting approval... Modifications approved.” Twilight let out a sigh of relief as the scanner passed to Curt and finally Aden, “Clearance confirmed. Proceed to designated area.” The heavy steel door slid open, allowing them to proceed. Now that they were in a secure location, the admiral could speak about the most sensitive part. “For the past ten years, we've been developing a ship that can sneak into Dratali space and gather information,” the Admiral began, “Unlike ships like the White Wolf that has systems that cloak it from sensors, this ship has true stealth capabilities. It's not only invisible to sensors, but to eyes and ears as well. This isn't your typical situational camouflage, this is true invisibility. Instead of bending light around it, it is basically immune to light, as in it can pass straight through it. Don't ask me how it works because I don't know, it's way over my head.” The group passed through another set of doors and were met by a small ship. It looked like it would only take a crew of one or two hundred, and was shaped like an arrowhead, sleek and simple. Twilight couldn't make out any distinguishing features on the smooth, polished black surface. To a mare that likes the beauty of simplicity the thing was gorgeous. Twilight's scholar mind ran through equations judging the efficiency of its size and shape. It was passable. “Here she is,” Admiral Gibson gestured toward the ship, “The Alliance's first Specter class covert reconnaissance vessel, The Black Beast.” This was followed by fanfare and confetti shooting from unknown sources. “Oh, I'm sorry, was that too much?” James materialized from nothingness, “Then I guess a mariachi band is out of the question?” Gibson gave him a deadpanned stare. “Spoilsport. Hey, Twilight, heard you got laid, congrats.” The unicorn's face lit up with an embarrassed blush, “I-i-is there a reason you're here?” “Oops, did I embarrass you. I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you some day. How about when you're telling your friends about this?” The chaos lord raised his hand... --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- “... and snapped his fingers.” The moment the words left Twilight's mouth, a flash of light came from the center of the group of ponies. A spread of jerky, hot dogs, bacon, and various other meaty treats appeared. Every pony present had a look of surprise plastered on their faces. “Wow...” Twilight muttered, “That's an interesting way of doing it. Well, let's not let it go to waste.” Twilight levitated a few strips of bacon and resumed where she left off. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Everyone looked around for whatever James did, but saw nothing. “Nothing happened,” Twilight grumbled only to receive a grin in return. “Anyway, I just wanted to wish you girls a safe trip and tell Twilight that she's terrible with gifts.” He appeared beside her and draped an arm over her withers in a chummy fashion. “What?” Twilight raised an eyebrow at him. “The smaller box in the bigger box, duh,” he contorted his face in a way that made him look like he lacked more than just his sanity, “You have yet to open it. Of course I made you forget about it, but I'm still fake-hurt. Anyway, you'll find something that's kind of a riddle inside. Don't open it until you're in Dratali space though. Do svidaniya .” And he was gone in a flash. Gibson rubbed his temple, “Now that that's over, let's take a look at your ship.” “What about my crew?” asked Seth, “When do I meet them?” “Alright, meet your crew,” the Admiral waved a hand towards Twilight and the others. “Wait, just us?” Seth said in shock. “That's one of the things about the Specter class. It's almost fully automated,” Gibson stated, “A small crew means resources last longer. Being deep in Dratali space means you can't just resupply whenever you need to. There's a file in your office with more details. This mission is a gamble folks. The researchers data could very well be wrong, but the risk is worth the reward. The Dratali's magic is winning this war for them, and Twilight's people could very well hold the key to our survival. As cliché as it sounds, our future is your hands...and hooves. Godspeed.” Admiral Gibson gave a salute, which was promptly returned by the six soldiers before they boarded their vessel. --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- Seth rubbed a hand across the console of his chair. Twilight could practically feel the pride rolling off of him. She couldn't blame him. He looked up and saw everyone looking at him. Debby at the helm, Curt at tactical, Aden at engineering, Raak at communications, and Twilight at sensory control. “So Captain,” Curt emphasized the title, “What are your orders?” “Control, this is the Black Beast requesting clearance for launch,” Seth said into the comm. “Black Beast, this is control. You are authorized for deployment.” “Alright, Major Verdan,” the captain addressed Debby, “Take us out.” “Aye Captain.” The half Aviva worked the controls like a pro, guiding the ship from the dock. The ship quickly and smoothly left the atmosphere. “We're clear of martian orbit.” “Plot a course for Hilatia IV,” Lieutenant Colonel Vasiliev ordered, “We'll resupply there before moving into hostile territory.” “Course set, FTL ready,” Debby reported. Seth took a deep breath, “Engage.” --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- “So... are you going to try to recruit us?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Nope,” Twilight answered. “So you beat those Dratali guys,” Dash insinuated. “Not at all,” replied the lavender unicorn. The athletic pegasus narrowed her eyes, “I know you too well, Rider. You wouldn't just abandon your friends for no reason. Why'd you really come back?” Twilight laughed, “You're right, Spectrum. I am here for a reason.” Twilight took a big bite from a piece jerky. “I'm on vacation.”