//------------------------------//
// (Chapter 5) Chevron One Encoded. 
// Story: SE-1: Awakening 
// by Metro A-5 
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	KNOCK* KNOCK* KNOCK*

"Who in the world could be at the door?" Flash thought as he rubbed his eyes and looked at his alarm clock. It read three in the morning. "This better be damn important." grumbled Flash as he slipped out of bed while trying not to wake Athena. She moved around a bit but didn't wake up. He tip toed to the door and opened it. A Wonder-Bolt officer wearing a heavy coat and hat greeted him. 


"Mr. Flyer?" the officer asked. 

"That's me, now what in the world do you want?"

The officer took his hat off. "We understand that General Luna contacted you yesterday, is that true?"

"So what? You're my ride?" Flash inquired.

"Partially. I'm actually here to escort you to the train station. And from there you will make contact with the General."

Flash looked around his porch then back at the officer. "Do any of you Wonder-Bolt guys know that regular ponies sleep during the night, right?" The Wonder-Bolt moved a hoof toward a black car.

"If you please, Mr. Flyer."

Flash approached the car door and let himself in and was accompanied by the officer. "Would be so kind as to tell me why we need to get to the train station?"

The officer knocked on the window towards the driver seat and the car began to move. He sat down and looked at Flash. "We've added a train line to the Stargate command center. It's mainly used for moving supplies of heavy loads, but the General specifically wanted you and a 2nd Lieutenant Lightning Dust to meet her there."

"Who's this Lightning Dust?"

"Think of her as Colonel Sandburn." the officer replied with a smile.

"Alright." Flash chuckled. "Who are you?"

"Sergeant Haze. I work in the control center for the Stargate. You may not remember me but I dial the Stargate and call out the chevron order."

Flash, who was still a little groggy smiled. "You're that pony!? Well then it's honor to finally meet you in person." He stuck out his hoof to shake the Sergeant's, but the officer shook his head.

"No please don't, I'm not that important." Haze shook his head trying to avoid the topic. 

"Its just that I thought I would never see you. I mean I always heard your voice but I've never really seen you in person. I just think that this is interesting."

"Are you half asleep Mr. Flyer?" Haze asked.

"Yeah! Can I sleep till we get there?"

The Sergeant looked around the car. "I....guess...so..."

But Flash was already asleep with the side of his face smothering the back of the seat in front of him.


Minutes later at a station on the outskirts of Ponyville
    

"Um General?" asked Lightning Dust as she paced around the station knocking around a stone she found on the ground. 

The General responded without looking up from the book she was reading. "What is it Lightning?"

"Why did we have to do this briefing so early in the morning?" Lightning Dust gave the stone she was moving one good kicked it and knocked it on the tracks. She was used to waking up early from all the training at the Academy and never once had a problem with it. But here she had to wait instead of doing her daily exorcises and it started to bug her. "And just who is this Flash Flyer person? I've never seen him at the Academy."

"Well Lightning its just that time is of the essence and we would like to have things rolling." Luna then tried thinking about how to describe Flash. "As far as records go," Luna replied. "Mr. Flyer is a regular citizen from Ponyville that has three 20 year old outstanding  flying-speeding tickets. Owns a house in the center of town. And pays his taxes on time. He also has a medical disability in his wings."

"Okay so what are me and Mr. Flyer exactly doing then?"

"I will give you a brief explanation when the train arrives, and when Flash is dropped off." 

A train whistle rang off in the distance.


Some time later back at sleep central....


"Mr. Flyer please wake up!" Sergeant Haze begged Flash as he moved him back and forth trying to wake him up. "We're at the station and the train is already here. Please wake up!"

Flash shifted in his seat and started talking in a dazed tone. "Not.....now Athena.....I'll get you a muffin later...." 

Haze rolled his eyes. "Alright Mr. Flyer that's enough the General is waiting." 

A quick smile dashed across Flash's face. "Alright you got me. I'll get a move on." Flash stepped out of the car expecting to be in the middle of a forest, but to his surprise he was in one Ponyville's station. Although it was a tad distant from the main part of town. The Wonder-Bolts on occasion used the station to send supplies for expeditions into the Ever-Free Forest with out having to hold up the town's main train station. Flash soon connected the pieces together. "I bet that this station has a track that leads to the Stargate command center."

"Flash if you're done thinking over there we'd like to get things started." Luna was all by herself on the platform next to a train, to which Flash noted that it was unmarked.

The engine let off a whoosh of steam and Flash ran over to the train and boarded with Luna. The cars jerked as the train began to move forward. Luna opened a door and let Flash enter first. His first impressions were rather unimpressed. It was just a plain passenger car. Nothing but booths up and down the isles. The General pointed her hoof at a booth with a table. Flash moved in, sat down and folded his hooves on top the table. 

"One second Flash." said Luna as she went down to the end of the car. She quickly came back with a Wonder-Bolt Flash had never met before. "Flash let me introduce you to 2nd Lieutenant Lightning Dust."

Lightning-Dust came to attention and saluted. "Pleasure to meet you sir." 

Flash was a little taken back. Nopony ever saluted him before and with an unsure look he wrapped his hoof around the Lieutenant's and lowered it slowly. "You don't have to really do that."

"Um anyway..." the General interrupted. "Lets get right down to business. Lieutenant please take a seat next to Mr. Flyer." They all sat down and shifted a little as the train accelerated. Luna reached behind the booth and pulled out a briefcase. She opened it up and handed files to Flash and Lightning-Dust. Flash shrugged his shoulders and began flipping through pages. Most of the information he was already familiar with. Lightning-Dust on the other hand did not believe what she was reading. It mentioned explicit details about first hostile encounters, Pegasus space flight protocol, and how to identify changelings posing as allies or other Wonder-Bolts. Lightning wanted to believe this was still all a joke but somehow she'd gone too far for this to be a complicated prank. And on another note. What were changelings? 

"Uh General?" Flash began to ask. "Has this document been updated since the Stargate was reactivated? Because all of this seems extremely familiar" 

"What do you mean?" Lightning asked.

"I practically wrote this file.....although some things about the Changelings I mentioned aren't in here."

Luna rolled her eyes. "Sorry Flash you can't assume all Changelings are trained in the art of seduction."

"You weren't locked up in one of their interrogation rooms!" exclaimed Flash as he closed his file and slid it across the table. "They do stuff to you, practically anything in hopes of getting information!" Flash slammed his hooves on the table getting in the moment. He looked around and was embarrassed when Lightning-Dust looked like she just hit a deer with a car. He dropped his head. "Sorry for interruption General please continue."

The General's mouth hung open. It was always a blue moon night whenever Flash raised his voice for anything. She didn't know what to say until the train hit a bump in the tracks and shook the car. ".....Anyway this will be a standard recon mission on the changeling home world. You are to only determine if the changelings still posses a threat, but if possible try to find out if they tried to contact us-"

Flash interrupted. "What a minute! The changelings tried to contact Equestria!?"

"When I made an inspection around the base the Stargate activated. And the computers calculated the dialer's location came from the changeling's Stargate." the General leaned in her seat. "Remember that's not the priority objective. We just want you two to get a solid analysis on wither we should be concerned or not." 

Lightning-Dust raised a hoof. "Ma'am? Just the two of us? I don't understand. Is that a safe number for a foreign recon mission?"

"Well....you see Lieutenant....it's just....politics."

Flash slapped the table again. "You gotta be bucking kidding me! Are you serious!?"

"Look Flash I didn't want to send in only two of you, but for at least this mission it's just gonna have to be like that. So in regards to leadership," Luna turned toward Lightning-Dust. "It doesn't matter that you're a Wonder-Bolt and that Flash is a civilian. Both of you are to work as partners. Do you understand Lieutenant?" 

Lightning gave a quick nod. Then Luna looked at Flash. "You can fill in Lightning-Dust along the way in regards to any questions she asks." Luna then closed her file and continued with details about the mission. "Anyway the two of you will have 24 hours to observe and note anything in regards to the main objective. If you do not return or make contact via the Stargate within that time limit the computer will not recognize you gate codes and will keep the iris shut." 

"Excuse me Ma'am?" asked Lightning-Dust as she raised her hoof. "What are our defense options?"

"Due to the sensitivity of this mission you will only be allowed a jaw knife. We don't want you walking around the enemy home-world with Equestrian weapons, it might anger them. So we also encourage you to avoid all possible contact."

"So was that good news or the bad news?" Flash ran a hoof through his mane. He never was good with a jaw knife. Several tiny scars were slashed across the edges of his mouth from all the failed attempts to quickly draw the knife from his belt. ".....Actually never mind when do we start?"

A loud screeching noise came from ahead the train and their speed decreased. The General stood up from the table. "The mission starts in 40 minutes. I'll have someone escort the both of you to a place where we can get you suited up. But for now welcome to Equestria's Stargate Command Center."