CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA
AUGUST THE SEVENTH, 1003
CANTERLOT CASTLE, WEST WING
11:24 AM
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Ghost spread his arms wide and twisted his head a few times, his mouth open wide as he let out a yawn. He couldn't remember the last time he slept so well, or when he hadn't been woken up by gunfire or by a Commanding Officer. He sat upward and twisted his torso, the sound of pops once more filling the air as his eyes adapted to the room. The British commando looked around and noticed several things, with one of them being a scroll at his feet. On a bed. With covers.
The soldier grabbed the scroll and broke the seal, scanning the contents of the message clearly addressed to him.
"Dear Restless Spirit,
I am glad to inform you that you are no longer a prisoner of the Equestrian government, but it is required for you to pay for your crime before your name is cleared. You have been given a room of your own free of charge along with access to a majority of Canterlot Castle, but due to how dangerous your equipment and weapons are they have been confiscated. You will be able to claim them once your debut has been paid. I am afraid that I was unable to persuade my sister from doing this, as I know what you have been through hasn't been easy to bear and the world around you is not your own.
Best of luck, Princess Celestia"
Ghost checked his pockets and sure enough all his equipment ranging from the leftover grenades to his back radio was gone. He tore off the covers and reached for his boot, hoping to find that his backup knife had made it but instead was met with emptiness.
"Son of a bitch!"
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CANTERLOT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT LABS, EQUESTRIA
AUGUST THE SEVENTH, 1003
LAB NINE-THREE-FIVE
11:34 AM
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Celestia felt a gush of air as the sealed door before her opened, the dark steel conflicting with the pure white walls. She stepped through the archway, her ethereal mane condensing itself into a more manageable form as she donned a lab coat. An access card poked out of her front pocket as she made her way to another sealed door, sliding it through the scanner and unlocking it. A bright sign near the door warned her about the possible dangers within the room, ranging from rogue spells to explosions and even sentient gas. Luna followed suit as the Goddess of the Sun approached a workstation where various ponies were investigating one of their newest items.
"Good morning gentlecolts. What have we learned about our guest's possessions so far?"
A light brown unicorn with aging grey hair levitated a clipboard over to the Sun Goddess, who quickly flipped through the many pages filled with what they had discovered so far. He spoke as she read the list, highlighting some of the more interesting bits.
"It is much more advanced than we initially thought, filled with various bits of equipment that we do not yet fully understand. It appears that it a much more sophisticated version of our, *ahem*, prototype cannons. We examined one of the ammunition types and when we took it apart, there was black powder stored in the rear of it. From what we currently know, I hypothesize that there is a mechanism inside the contraption that causes the powder to detonate and causes the loose piece of metal inside of the ammunition to go flying at high speeds. What I find odd, however, is that the weapon in question was loaded with non-lethal projectiles instead of these." Pocket Protector levitated two of the potentially deadly items towards the Celestia and Luna, with the younger alicorn eyeing it much more carefully then her elder.
"Have you tested out your hypothesis? It's a very interesting one."
"Are you kidding? Somepony could end up dead if we tried using it! We'd require somepony with the knowledge of how to properly use it before we tried anything like that. Of course, you could have that arranged Princess Luna."
Celestia noticed the look of conflict present on her sister's face, torn between her desire to see it tested and her want to keep the weapon out of Spirit's very-capable hands. She bit her lip in frustration and eventually she was able to choose. "I'm afraid the risk is too great. We shall be left pondering until the time comes for him to wield it once more."
The scientist nodded in an understanding manner. "Very well. Now, let's move on to the smaller devices we have acquired shall we? I believe we are about to make a breakthrough on one of them very soon!" He gestured them over to another table lined with small cylinder objects, though some were more round than others and had what looked like pins in them while a set of knives were also included.
She counted several different items (most with duplicates) along with a variety of other strange-looking items. One of cylinders was labeled 'SMOKE' in bold white letters, which happened to catch Luna's attention.
"Smoke? Why would anypony need a container full of smoke? It would do more harm than good and make it very confusing to see who you are fighting...."
"But that you’re Highness, is where you are wrong. As you know, we've been developing night-vision goggles for some time, and it seems that we are not the first to do so. Take a look through this."
Protector levitated an object that looked like somepony had taken the ends of a telescope and attached them to a black box with dozens of various dials and buttons on it over to Luna. She held it in her grasp for a while, trying to find out its use until she gave up and placed it to her eye. The smaller alicorn furrowed her brows when she saw nothing unusual but let out a yelp when a cloth abruptly covered the other end of the viewing device, allowing her to see its effects. "So that's how he was able to see so well.... I was wondering how he was able to take out my Night Guards."
"But that's not all! Turn the dial on the left side."
Celestia watched her sister turn the dial, a look of bewilderment visible on her face. "I-I can see your hoof! It's.... glowing!"
"Indeed you can! It appears to be able to detect thermal signatures somehow, but the components are yet again beyond our grasp. If we were able to understand even a fraction of the technology this... Spirit character has, it could change the course of history! We would be able to stop an invasion force long before they reached our boarder, end the slave raids of the Diamond Dogs, and get rid of those pesky Dragons harassing our troops on the eastern boarder!"
"Indeed we could, but what would the other nations and their leaders say about that?"
Pocket's ears flattened, his smile now resembling more a frown. "O-oh, I didn't think about that...."
"They would wonder where we got this technology, how we learned how to use it, and more importantly why we are arming ourselves with it. The underpony doesn't raise his hooves unless he is willing to fight, does he not? Equestria has been a largely peaceful nation since me and my sister became rulers, and it will stay that way as long as possible. Is that understood?"
"Y-yes your Highness...."
"Good, but I see no harm in studying these if they are used for the betterment of equestrian kind. Magic can only do so much, and Spirit has demonstrated that we must not rely on it so strongly if we are to survive. I'll want a status report on your progress every week from now on. Got it?"
"Yes Ma'am! Also, may I have my clipboard back? It has most of my notes on it."
Celestia let out a small chuckle as she noticed that she indeed had his notes in her grasp, levitating the board over back to its rightful owner. He gave her a nod before departing, tapping his watch.
"Ah yes, I believe it is time for us to grab something to eat. Would you like to join me Luna?"
"Actually, I think I'll stay here for a bit. I'd like to see for myself just how advanced these weapons of his are."
Celestia rolled her eyes, although the action was hidden from view. "Alright then, suit yourself....."
The Sun Goddess walked out of the laboratory, hanging up her coat in its locker before leaving. She pondered for a moment as she thought about who she would eat with as she exited the building, finding the concept of eating alone was one she would not enjoy. However, a certain name popped into her head and a smile formed on her face. "Would that work out? Probably not.... But I'll never know if I don't try."
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CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA
AUGUST THE SEVENTH, 1003
CANTERLOT CASTLE, WEST WING
11:48 AM
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Ghost wiped his hands with a towel before throwing it on the sink counter, a disgruntled expression visible on his unmasked face. "Why are their toilets so damn long? Do they have to lay down to take a shit or something? At least it's not a hole in the ground...." The British commando walked over to a chair and sat down in it, a cup of tea nearby along with couple of magazines leftover from the room's previous occupant. They had covered a wide variety of subjects, from tax issues to the brewing tension between the Griffins and dragons to miniature profiles on the 'Bearers of the Elements of Harmony'. Ghost had heard that they had 'Saved Equestria' but never knew how they had saved the country more than three times (and in two cases the world) from what could've been total annihilation.
"A space bitch, some whacko with the power to warp reality, an army of shape shifters along with their powerful queen, and some ancient king with the ability to take away a unicorn's power who got their asses handed to them by six teenage girls? That's pretty sad. And somehow they turned love into a weapon? How the hell do you make weapons out of feelings? And wouldn't hate or greed be more powerful? Or is it something along the lines of 'purest intentions' bullshit? All this weird-ass shit is making me hungry. I wonder where the-" Ghost was interrupted mid-sentence by a flash of light, followed by a scroll appearing on his bed.
The disgruntled soldier got up and walked over to the bed, wondering if the ponies needed his help or one of them had set off a grenade. "Dear Restless Spirit, blah blah blah..... Would you like to join me for-" Ghost's expression turned to one of disbelief and mild surprise "Oh,you gotta be kidding me. Whatever; it's not like I’ve got much else to do...." Ghost once again donned his signature balaclava and tinted sunglasses; scroll in hand but neglecting to move. He stood there for a moment, feeling a bit awkward without all his equipment to weigh him down.
"Great, I'm unarmed and stuck in a building filled with over four hundred guards and my only defense is an invitation to lunch with the Princess. I guess it could be worse- I could be stuck sneaking around in a box of oranges looking like an idiot rather than a bad ass."
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CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA
AUGUST THE SEVENTH, 1003
CANTERLOT CASTLE, INFORMAL DINING ROOM
12:04 PM
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Celestia munched idly on her pizza, enjoying the taste of melted cheese and seasoned daises. She swallowed and found that the chef was still present, much to her dismay.
"Were you..... Expecting, somepony to be joining you today Princess? I thought your sister normally ate with you."
"Oh yes, though I don't know if he is coming. As for Luna, she was..... Occupied with, other things."
Iron Chef nodded. "Ah, I see. Well if you need anything else, just ring the bell. After all, I live to serve you."
The Sun Goddess faked a smile as the white unicorn departed from view, his comment reminding her that she could never get rid of the burden of ruling a country. It was much more taxing than most ponies thought, and there were very few moments when she could act like she was just like everypony else; just another pony who wanted nothing more than to relax and smell the metaphorical roses. Normally, lunch time with Luna was one of those moments but it appeared it would be one more in the thousands of days she spent eating alone. The Princess barely noticed the dinging of a bell and the sound of rushing hooves speeding towards her.
"You rang Princess?"
Celestia shook her head, her brows raised in confusion. "I didn't."
"Then who did?"
"I did."
The white alicorn, who moved the sun and had sealed her sister in the moon for a thousand years, almost literally flew out of her chair upon hearing the gruff voice at the other end of the table. Celestia put a hoof to her heart in an attempt to calm it down, letting out a sigh as well. "Oh Spirit, it's just you."
"Were you expecting someone else?"
Celestia shook her head, a smile forming on her face as she noticed her Chef's confounded expression. "No, not really. I had begun to think that I would dine alone today, as did Iron Chef. Iron Chef, this is Restless Spirit. Restless Spirit, meet Iron Chef, one of the best meal-makers in Equestria."
"Nice to meet you Iron." Ghost held out a hand, and she saw Chef visibly cringe at the action. When the shake wasn't accepted, he just shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, at least he didn't run away. So what's for lunch?"
Iron Chef blinked a few times, sweat visible on his forehead. "O-oh, well I had made cheese pizza with seasoned d-daises for Princess Celestia. W-would you like some? I can go make more."
Restless Spirit grabbed a chair and sat down, a grin barely detectable behind the mask of black fabric. “I'd like that, though if you could replace the daises with mushrooms that would be smashing.”
"A-anything you want sir!" And with that Iron Chef once again disappeared from Celestia's sight, though much faster than last time.
The Sun Goddess looked towards Restless Spirit, who was found for the first time with his mask off completely. His face had patches of grime and dirt on it, though she could tell that he had spent a good amount of time cleaning the majority of it off. What surprised her the most, however, was the color of his eyes. They were a deep sea blue, holding many mysteries and secrets in their depths while only hinting what was down below the surface. She had been expecting something more... fitting such as a dark red like his lenses or perhaps fiery orange but not blue. But somehow they still managed to fit, even with the torn clothing and his dirty face.
"Hey Princess, you there?"
Celestia shook her head, the action bringing her back to reality. "Oh yes, sorry. I got distracted. I have a lot of things on my mind."
"I apologize for interrupting then. I bet you have a lot to think about."
"I do, but this is one of the times I can forget about them." Iron Chef levitated a steaming hot pizza before the soldier, forcing Celestia to pause. She watched him flee from the room once more, a garbled 'Carefulit'shot!' coming from the end of the room where the kitchen was located. "Shall we eat?"
"Let's."
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CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA
AUGUST THE SEVENTH, 1003
CANTERLOT CASTLE, INFORMAL DINING ROOM
12:36 PM
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Ghost lifted up his cup, waiting for the desired liquid to pour into his mouth but found that it was once again empty. "Dammit, ran dry again. Anyways, where was I?"
"I believe you were talking how you infiltrated a Russian gulag in an attempt to rescue a designated prisoner I believe."
"Hey, he wasn't just some prisoner," The British commando pointed at Celestia. "He was my one of my commanding officers and one of the damn best too. Unlike that bastard Shepherd, he knew how to lead his men. Anyways, after we landed at the Gulag we had to fight wave of wave of guys armed with enough firepower to take this entire castle and hold it for a while, not to mention the anti-air missiles and RPGs they had everywhere. One of our birds almost got shot down by our own missiles, no thanks to those bloody yanks." Ghost took a break from telling his story and took a bite of his third slice of mushroom pizza, savoring the flavors that flooded his mouth.
"Why are they called birds?"
"It's a name thing. They're actually called Black Hawks but everyone finds it easier just to call them birds, besides you can only remember so much before you stop caring."
"I see." Celestia took a drink of her own, using her magic to wipe away the residual liquid; something Ghost still couldn't get used to seeing. "Well, I think I've had enough for now. Would you care to join me on the balcony for a view of the city? I haven't seen it in a while and I've heard that since they repaired the building the view is even more gorgeous then before."
"Eh, why the hell not? So where is the balcony anyways? I don't see one nearby." Ghost noticed the sly grin on Celestia's face and instantly knew something was going to happen that he would not enjoy. "Stop. Whatever you're-ACK!"
The British commando felt like he was everywhere and nowhere all at once, his senses unable to give him any feedback. It reminded Ghost eerily of how death had felt- powerless and useless. However, the unnerving feeling quickly ended once he felt solid stone beneath his feet. Ghost felt an angry comment forming on his tongue but it died as he saw the breath-taking view before him. The white and gold city shone like a masterpiece of art work, the sun at just the right position to make everything seem like it was from an amazing fantasy world.
"It's.... amazing."
Celestia smiled, happy with her work. "It is, and I am glad that all the structural damage has been repaired, though I fear that the country and all those who live in it may be discontent with security for a while. I can only hope that we may preserve what remains of it until then."
Ghost chuckled a bit, knowing that there are far worse things that could've happened. "Look at this way: Nopony got hurt in the end and the changelings got their asses kicked. Win-win right?"
"I suppose, though many of the Royal families have demanded that Captain Shining Armor be removed from his position for incompetence or that we have higher security measures for such a thing. I have been thinking about forming an Elite Guard , seeing that I was over-powered and defenseless when Chrysalis attacked."
"You'd need a team formed from the best of the best, a battle-hardened group of soldiers who'd lay down their life for their ruler and their country in an instant. People who know how to take someone out in less than ten seconds flat with nothing but their bare hands and how to kill without hesitation." Ghost looked away from the glamorous city to see Celestia's reaction and was met with a raised eyebrow.
"What?"