“Yes, the machines!” a soldier shouted on the microphone as several others were also shouting commands with their own microphones as they are seated on a table full of computers inside the military's tent they have called their command center. The soldier, after sensing that he's going to receive a reply, adjusted his headphones on his ears. He nodded once or twice before removing his headphones and turned over his shoulder, where the chief of security, his daughter, and Jay were standing, eagerly waiting for information. “I'm sorry, sir,” the soldier shook his head slightly, “but the machines near Mount Comet has been completely destroyed by that giant wooden wolf not too long ago.”
“Tsk,” Jay grunted as he chewed on an apple. I knew it'll be destroyed... He then took his phone while the chief thanked the soldier.
“What should we do now?” Raziel, the chief's daughter, asked after she turned to Jay, who was texting his youngest brother about the information they just received.
“For starters,” Jay replied after swallowing and while typing on his phone, “you need to get outta here.” He then pressed the send button, but it failed, for he wasn't receiving any signal. “Tsk, darn it...” He took another bite on the apple he was holding with his other hand while sending the message again.
“Jagold is right,” the chief said suddenly, but his daughter ignored him, “you should go back to the city. I'll handle things here.”
At that, Raziel spun to face him with a surprised expression written all over her face while Jay cursed under his breath for another failed attempt of sending his text message.
“Y-you can't be serious!” Raziel exclaimed while Jay bothered one of the soldiers on the computer.
The chief smiled weakly at his daughter while putting his palm on her shoulder. “H-hey now, the people need me here.”
“B-but—”
“Hush now,” the chief gently interrupted her, “this is my job, after all.” He then removed his hand from her shoulder as he turned towards one of the soldiers who was standing near the exit of the tent. “You there,” one of them stood tall on attention, “prepare a chopper.”
The soldier saluted and he went out.
“Dad, I—” Raziel spoke, still not believing what she was hearing from her father, “—no, I can't leave you here!”
The chief took a deep breath and sighed through his nostrils. He then eyed his daughter will a sad yet gentle smile. His daughter's outburst earlier made him open his eyes, and he saw himself—he saw how cowardly and stupid he has become. If there's some way for him to change for the better, then forcing his daughter to come here was the first mistake he'll need to fix.
Jay has finished typing his brother's email address through the computer keyboard. Grabbing the mouse, he dragged the cursor and clicked on the send button. Less than three seconds later, the email was sent. Jay smiled, but he frowned as quick as his smile has appeared. Things are looking pretty serious, and he has no idea how he's going to fix it. Worse, he now has no idea how to help to fix everything.
“Sir!” one of the soldiers on the computers exclaimed. He quickly removed his headset and stood. He spun to face the others in the tent, his panic clouded his vision from spotting his commanding officer or the chief of national security. “We've received reports of our men suddenly...” he took a breath, “...our men in Selaro were no longer responsive!”
A large yet frowning soldier took a few steps towards the reporting soldier, his uniform clearly different from the rest. He is around his 40's, white mustache and beard matching his old-white hair, almost completely covered by his beret.
“Details, private!” he spoke with a dark and cold voice.
“Y-yes sir!” the soldier almost yelped in response, not expecting the high-ranking officer to be almost beside him. “Initial findings was that many of our men went through the black mists and they simply stood without moving.” He swallowed a lump in his throat. “Not only our men, sir, but also those monsters and ordinary animals that were within reach of the mist! A few of our men have already retreated from the town!”
While Jay was reading his newly-received email from his brother, he was also listening to the news the soldier brought up, and he cursed under his breath. But at least his youngest brother, in his email, has reminded him of what Sombra was capable of. Jay, after rereading the email, stood tall and faced everyone.
“Okay—!” Jay exclaimed, unknowingly cutting the high-ranking officer who was about to give a command. “So, uh, those mists are coming from a p—horse-like monster named Sombra.”
“Sombra?” Raziel echoed with a low voice, finding the name quite familiar.
“Sombra has the power to uh...” he went back to the monitor screen, and reading aloud the content of his brother's email. “...blah blah blah, okay here! Sombra has the power to manipulate the thoughts of living beings, making them show their greatest fears in their minds, while unknown to them that they're already moving under Sombra's control!” Is this information canon or fan-made? Jay shook his head.
“How do we stop this Somber then?” the commander asked while scratching his chin.
How in the world am I to explain to them that Sombra can only be defeated by the light of the Crystal Ponies and the Crystal Heart!? Jay thought to himself while rubbing his forehead. His train of thought however, was interrupted by another soldier on the computers.
“Sir! We've received reports that the mists are quickly spreading towards the bridge to the mainland!”
“What!?” the commander exclaimed, turning his attention at the soldier. “Send word to lift the bridge!”
“B-but sir!” the soldier spoke in doubt, whether he should just follow orders or speak his mind out about the obvious. He swallowed a lump as he decided to take the latter. “Aren't the mists...air-borne?”
“If this Somber can control that mist, and if it is air-borne, then why would it go to the bridge, like you have reported, if it could just fly there in the air?” He allowed a few seconds to let his words sink into the mind of everyone in the tent. “Now, raise the bridge!” He shouted, making the soldier rush to do what he was told. “Let's just hope it's not water-borne as well...” he mumbled with a low voice.
While Jay admitted that the commander was right, he asked his brother about it anyway. A few more seconds later, he received his reply.
“I'm not sure. But I do think Sombra can mix himself with his own mist. At least, according to the show, he was. Though his mists are still on land. It wasn't told whether he nor his mists were able to travel by air or water. I doubt the air though, but not sure about the water. I'll do some research, and try to ask Hasbro or Faust herself.”
“Sir—!” spoke a soldier who just came inside the tent. He then saluted at the chief, who returned the gesture. “A chopper is ready for take-off. I apologize for the delay. The, uh, dragon, took its time examining the chopper.”
The chief nodded while the high-ranking officer asked Jay how to defeat Somber. As the chief faced his daughter, who was looking away from him, Jay scratched his head, having no idea how to explain the the officer that his information are all coming from a little girl show.
“Raziel,” the chief spoke, making his daughter cringe slightly. “Time for you to go.” He nodded as soon as he saw his daughter was giving him a side-glance. “Don't worry. When I get back, I'll take you and Cynthia to the beach,” and he finished it with a smile.
Raziel stared at the ground as she bit her lip, and soon, she slowly nodded her head. She wanted to hug him, but she couldn't. Not yet. She sighed, nodded her understanding, and slowly walked towards the soldier that will escort her to the chopper. Before she could step out from the tent, however, she turned and stared at her father for a while.
Raziel, after taking a breath, glared at him. “You better get back. Or else—!” She flashed him a weak smile, contrasting her father's confused frown, and then she walked out of the tent, escorted by the soldier, shielding her from the rain with an umbrella.
“Give me a moment...” Jay said while reading Spike's second message.
“Make it quick, kid,” the officer said. “We're running out of time.”
“I know that!” Jay snarled while replying to Spike's message, which only contained questions of his well-being.
“Spike, I'm kinda in a pretty darn big mess right now. If the Crystal Kingdom is empty, could you ask Twilight to send another squadron of pegasi there and retrieve the Crystal Heart at the top of the Crystal Castle?”
I mean, seriously, Jay thought after he pressed the send button on his phone, the heart was on top of the castle all along? He shook his head slightly, not paying attention to how long the sending message animation was taking. So...now what? The machines that were suppose to close the portals are already destroyed... Even if Spike and the others could retrieve the heart, how are we suppose to close it so we humans couldn't waltz into their world...?
Message sending failed. It was the message written on Jay's phone, and he cursed under his breath. He was about to press the resend button when the letters on his phone's screen jumbled and scrambled, until everything became black. Jay blinked in confusion, and after several seconds, two purple lines appeared on the screen, and opened like eyes, revealing red and green evil eyes, with purple mists that emanate from them.
Jay yelped in fear, throwing his phone forward in the process while taking a few steps away from his phone, making those around him eye him in curiosity.
“Sir—!” one of the soldiers yelled, who just went inside the tent, “the mists are heading straight towards this town!”