//------------------------------// // Arc: Precedence // Story: A Circle Has No End: Volume I // by Gladi Writes //------------------------------// Flash Sentry stared at the new machine on his desk, absentmindedly wondering if it would ever be of any use. His phone was connected to that new machine, which looked like a standard binary typewriter. Unlike a typewriter, however, this machine printed messages recieved along the phone line to thin paper tape that ran along the top. The keyboard, in turn, sent messages down the line to wherever the machines counterpart lie. This one was connected to the Changeling Hive, which would have been incredibly odd only a few months go. Beside it was the manual, which Flash had flipped through a few times in boredom. Most if it was trivial information, but there was one page all guards were required to read. Message Precedence. Amusingly, FLASH was top precedence and overrode all other communication. Which he found highly ironic considering his own career seemed to have come to an early end when he was reassigned to the Castle Guard, after a brief but promising stint in the Crystal Imperial Legion. Now he was little more then a glorified secretary, his only real action was the patrol schedules. He had a little fun with that, ensuring that there was a checkerboard pattern of white and black coated stallions throughout the patrols. Anybody with an otherwise coloured coat was on air patrol, or away from the populated areas. It had the humorous effect of causing anypony that came to Canterlot thinking the guard was entirely made up of stallions of those two colours. Tomorrow was the Parliament, and he had ensured that the room would be a rainbow of colours representing the guard, it would be hilarious were that parliament not such a serious event. Flash sighed and sat back in his chair, throwing his hooves up on the desk. Had his career really come to this- micromanaging coat colours? The most excitement he had in the last week was somebody reporting a stolen machine from the guard, which had probably just been lost in the chaos to re-organize. He rubbed his forehead when the machine started to buzz. Watching it with an expression of mild confusion the buzz became a humm, and then then the paper started to move, slowly printing letters. ---PRECEDENCE: FLASH--- HIVE ATTACK--- NEW WEAPON--- SCRAMBLE RESPONSE--- He picked up the phone, and slammed the red button beside it. "Air Martial Spitfire, what is it?" Another line came along the screen ---PARATROOPS INBOUND---TOTAL ROUT INEVITABLE--- "Sergeant Flash Sentry here ma'am, I uh.. I got a message up on the machine here... I think you better get the fleet moving south- fast," "What's going on sergeant?" Spitfire asked, an alarm klaxon could be heard behind her. "It's the Griffons ma'am, they're attacking." Another buzz heralded more information, Flash began to feel sweat beading on his forehead. The day had finally come. ---ALERT THE PRINCESS--- "We're on the way," Spitfire said, and with a click she disconnected. Flash put it down and leapt of the chair, tearing off the message tape, and bucking open the door a ways behind. Inside was his superior- General Massé. He was startled to attention by the sudden entrance. "Sir, hive reports contact," Flash said. Massé responded with a look of horror, and slammed a large red button on his desk. High above Canterlot the fleet was called into action. Sirens blared and hundreds of Pegasi ran to and fro getting to their stations. The Wonderbolts had ballooned over the last month, sweeping up almost all of the pegasi in the guard and bolstered by the reservists on top of that. Those that couldn't fly well manned the ships, those that could became the first line of defense. The largest of these ships was the H.M.S Magnificent, and it was truly magnificent indeed. Nearly a kilometer long, with an enormous central fuselage that seemed like a great elongated balloon. Painted on the gleaming armour was the Equestrian Flag, specifically the war time flag bordered in a red/gold lining- and beside it ran the Wonderbolts Crest. Attached below the great central mass was what from a distance looked like a town. Running along the side were great cannons, and at the front stood the bridge. At the rear four great engines propelled the enormous vehicle with such power that the ship was able to kick up a storm of dirt when it flew below the clouds. The bridge of the H.M.S Magnificent was almost a fortress in itself, towering over the other structures. The stallions and mares that crewed the bridge were the best and the brightest, the very elite of the Wonderbolts. Each of them knew their place, their station, and the ship like the back of their hand. As elite as they were however, the ship had only been brought out from mothball a month previous. The great machinery that powered it was decades old, and most of that time had been spent in a feverish flurry of activity as it was checked and tested. Only time would tell for sure if the great ship could live up to it's name in practice as well as image. The alarm klaxon blared and the bridge lighting came on, nearly blinding the crew that had been relaxing in the evening light. The crew came to attention, dropping whatever they had been doing (In quite a few cases this meant tossing aside perfectly good food), and powering on the machines that were their connections to the ship. This was the brain, and at the front before a great glass window the a grey coated mare powered on her machine, possibly the most important of them all. She was Captain Northstar, helms mare. When Air Martial Spitfire wasn't around, the ship was hers. The klaxons stopped, and the door slammed shut with a clank. Protocol called for the crew to stand at attention, but they were far too busy readying their stations. "Helm! Set course south- Changeling Hive!" Air Marshall Spitfire said, taking her seat above the helm. From there she had a commanding view of the entire bridge. "Aye Aye!" Northstar shouted, turning a large wheel with one hoof while powering on a machine with the other. Both magic and technology were inter-meshed through the ship, and that machine was able to provide the helm with an interactive map of the entire world. It's glass display came on, and the great ship pitched to the side as it turned to face south. "Engineering, we're going to need 100%, so make sure those engines don't quit on us! Weaponry, make sure all cannons are loaded. Flight control, get the alert Wonderbolts on deck! Communications, hail the rest of the fleet and have them form up!" The room was filled with a chorus of 'ayes', as the crew set to their tasks. They had long since prepared for this day, they had drilled and practiced. But there was still fear in the air, the Equestrians had not seen war for generations, beyond living memory. The plan of action for this event had been set weeks ago: Send everything they had at the first new Griffon attack, in the hopes that the overwhelming force would dissuade any further aggression. The last time they had split their forces, only for the griffons to simply drive through the weakest point. A token force was to be left in Canterlot- a pair of smaller cruisers- while the rest would go wherever the griffons first showed themselves. It was a compromise between the two princesses, Luna wanted to take the fleet out immediately and destroy the griffon's ability to fight, Celestia wanted only defensive measures. The response would be fast, hard, and if they were lucky the idea that this fleet could be anywhere on the continent in less than six hours would dissuade the griffons from further attacks. Overwhelming defensive force was the order of the day. "Engineering is a go!" "Fleet reports ready!" "Wonderbolts are armed and ready!" "Cannons are loaded!" The ship leveled out a again, Northstar allowed the wheel to swing itself flat. "Course set!" She shouted. Spitfire got up from her chair, and gestured forward at the mountain range ahead. "Flank speed!" she shouted, Northstar hammered a lever forward and the crew was almost thrown backwards as the ship blasted away the clouds around it as it powered forward. The Cavalry was coming. --------------- Wildcard dashed out of the office, leaving his superior behind frantically yelling into his phone. He was sure the ponies would honor their alliance, and help would be on the way. For now, however, they were on their own. The fortress shook and Wildcard leapt back to dodge a shower of debris falling from the ceiling, Quickly adjusting his course he dashed down another hallway, dodging through some confused changeling warriors. The hive was on fire, but down in the courtyard was something far more important to him, First Class- the mare he had fallen in love with. Another explosion rocked the fortress, Wildcard barely managing to keep his footing. Rounding the next corner he found a great hole in the wall, and for the first time he gazed upon the scale of the attack. The entire hive was on fire, and objects fell from the sky to add to it. They landed with the a furious force that sent debris flying, and then a sphere of fire bloomed to overtake everything around. The fire remained long after the shell had landed. The objects were barely even visible before they landed, the only warning being a shrill shriek from the sky. Wildcard leapt out of the hole and swooped down towards the courtyard below, screams of terror and surprise echoing through the courtyard. Glancing up at the sky he noticed a swarm of objects approaching from the east. He had known the Griffons were coming, and now they were here, heralded by that new weapon that had burnt Baltimare to the ground a few weeks previous. Landing on the courtyard he glanced to and fro as he dashed through the chaotic scene. Fire was everywhere, and ponies ran for cover in the buildings while the changelings took to the sky. To his enormous relief he found First Class with an injured pony under her wingm helping him get to shelter. "Wildcard!" She shouted over the din, struggling to pull the injured stallion forward. Wildcard encircled him in a green field, lightening the load, "First Class!" He shouted as a massive green shield began to cover the Hive, "Get to shelter!" Glancing back he saw Eta-Alpha standing on the throne room overlook, Ambassador Pike of Equestria beside him. They repeated the same 'shield of friendship' that had saved them more then a month past. Behind them was Queen Chrysalis. Pike, being an earth pony, couldn't control magic on his own. He was, however, able to 'donate' it to the two changelings, and their crooked alicorns shone bright to shield the Hive. "I can handle myself, Wildcard," She said, pointed hefting the unconscious figure over herself. She brushed past Wildcard, leaving him to follow. "But you're..." he was interrupted by a harsh glare. Her blue eyes mirrored Wildcards own- with the exception of her having a proper iris. "A mare?" She demanded. "I served with the Wonderbolts you know, once I'm done here I'll see about heading up with your patrols." "..pregnant," Wildcard finished. "Four weeks!" First Class shouted. Wildcard decided to drop the argument, he had seen her buck a door right off it's hinges and judged it stupid to anger her needlessly. "Fine. Just stay safe and I'll come find you once I've got my orders," Wildcard said. First Class passed the stallion on to another pony, who nodded and dragged him inside one of the buildings. "I'll be safest in the sky, and like tartarus I'm going to let those griffons get away without having... a word with them," she said, and winked at Wildcard before swooping up into the sky. He sighed. Her spirit was why he loved her, but it would surely cause him no end of worry going into the future. Buzzing his wings he took to the air and flew towards the top of the fortress. The scene below had settled down, the screams of terror silenced by the protection the shield afforded. Flying past a few of his comrades putting out fires they glanced at him, it always took them a second to realize who he was before going back to their work. Wildcard wasn't entirely like his comrades. For one thing he lacked the many holes that dotted the body of the regular changelings- having lost them to an allergic reaction to one of the many vaccinations he had been given to get him up to the standards of Equestrian healthcare. Secondly, he had a cutie mark- a dotted red line with three playing cards overlaid covered his flank. The cards changed based on the angle an observer was looking at them- wildcards. It had been explained to him that his time in Equestria, surrounded by more magic then the average changeling would enjoy in a lifetime of spying, had resulted in it's natural development. He landed softly before the trio on the balcony, Eta-Alpha- his superior, spared him a glance before focusing back on his work. Flashes of light from above heralded the impact of more of those missiles, and Pike cringed with each. He seemed to bear it well enough though, and he had done this for close to ten hours before. Wildcard also noticed his Queen seemed.. heavier. "Eta-Delta, we're going to need you to manage the Equestrian response- there's one of those machines back there we had installed, a sergeant 'Flash Sentry' is on the other end," His superior said. Wildcard suppressed a sigh. His commander wasn't exactly pleased with his performance as a changeling lately, although he had begrudgingly accepted how well he had managed the relationship with Equestria as Ambassdor. He trotted off behind the others, his Queen seemingly not even noticing him. Just as Eta-Alpha had said there was a desk in the corner, a machine mirroring the one Flash had in Canterlot sat ontop, a small cable running from it into the dark stone wall where a hole had been drilled haphazardly. A message had been printed out and awaited reading. ---PRECEDENCE: FLASH---CALVARY COMING---HOLD ON---REPORT STATUS--- Wildcard began to type his reply, as the sun lowered below the mountain range and the room became lit by the dual lights of the green shield outside and the yellow screen before him. With every press of the pedals the machine buzzed and sent his reply down, printing a duplicate as well. ---SHIELD IN PLACE---NO FATALITIES---AWAIT CALVARY--- He paused for a second. ---SEND CIDER-- Perfect. Flash laughed, and sat back in his chair. He had moved to a building outside the castle that the guard had converted into the nerve centre of the signals portion of the Equestrian Legion. Rows upon rows of the same machine were staffed by guards, and all around him there was a buzz of activity as units were activated, orders given, and reports reported. From what he could gather the entire legion was being mobilized. General Massé sat at the front of the room with his own, markedly larger, machine. It received copies of everything being sent or received in the room, and could override any of them. ---CHANGELINGS REQUEST CIDER--- He heard a laugh from the front of the room, and grinned on seeing the reply, sent to all in the room ---FLASH FLEET---CHANGELINGS REQUEST CIDER--- To the south, the fleet was on the move. Above the clouds the H.M.S Magnificent was able to barely see the green shield that encircled the changeling hive on the horizon. Around it smaller ships buzzed around like insects around a hive, and pegasi encircled those as well. The Magnificent pushed the clouds themselves to the side as it cruised through the evening sky. Spitfire sat forward in her chair, gazing ahead while she considered her plan. There wasn't much that was known, other then the fact that the changelings were under massive attack from the new griffon weapon, and faced a horde of them incoming from the sky as well. The plan then was to deploy the fleet following a simple intercept and protect vector. The Magnificent would unleash a barrage of fire before falling back, and allowing it's companion vessels to chase off the griffons. Shock and awe was the plan, in essence. The power of Equestria was objectified below her, and she could feel the humm of the great machines engines. Once the battle was done, the fleet would leave a carrier behind and return home, victorious. "Ma'am, there's a flash coming in," A voice said to her side. She spun her chair to see her communications officer- Leftenant Morse, gesturing at his machine. Slightly different then the others, it connected to a large dish outside the bridge that pointed north. "I hope it's good news," Spitfire commented. "Says the Changelings.... want... cider?" Morse said, cocking her head at the screen. Spitfire laughed and spun her chair to the other side towards the engineering officer- Leftenant Stiff Wing -Whom was intently keeping watch of a series of lights, dials, and switches. Occasionally in his watch he would flip one, or grab a nearby microphone to send an order belowdecks. "Stiff, I know you keep a few barrels of cider below, have them brought to the hanger," Spitfire ordered. He seemed crushed, bowing his head before he turned to respond to the order. "I'll see it done," he glanced back and replied, grabbing the microphone to carry his order out. Spitfire grinned, and spun forward to watch the fleet coming up on the changeling hive. In a few minutes they would arrive. "Order the fleet to split- the Valiant and Luna's Fire will cover the rear while the rest will move up with us to assault this force head on- standard formation." Spitfire ordered. "Yes Ma'am," Lt. Morse said, and clicked away as she sent the order. Ahead two of the smaller ships slowed and split off, quickly disappearing behind the flagship. Spitfire wore a great grin on her face. One idea burned in her mind like the flame on her flank. Rue. The griffons would rue the day they decided to pick a fight with Equestria- or it's new friends. She leaned forward to peer at the enormous cannons that flanked the deck below. Rue. Wildcard continued typing at his machine, but the buzzing stopped as he did so. Confused, he leaned back to look outside- nothing seemed to have changed. A thought occurred to him- the wire. He saw the wire go into the wall, and logically it must run all the way to Equestria in a network, probably as part of the telephone network that ran along the new rail line. The griffons had cut it. Without the ability to continue his task Wildcard found himself relieved, and trotted out to the overlook. The missiles had stopped raining some time ago, the griffons apparently wising up to the fact it was a waste. Eta-Alpha glanced at him. "Don't you have work to do?" he asked. "Griffons cut the connection, but there wasn't much to do anyway," Wildcard replied. "Very well, go see if you can help the fire crews or something, just make yourself useful," Eta-Alpha ordered. Wildcard nodded and leapt off the balcony, taking wing to look around the Hive for some way to make himself useful. First Class came to his side in the air, pecking him on the cheek. "Good to see you, everything alright up there?" She asked. "Griffons cut the telephone line, but the calvary is coming. If Canterlot is right, the entire fleet is on the way," Wildcard replied, taking her hoof in his. "Fantastic, we can show these jokers what happens when you mess with us," She said. Wildcard smiled, they certainly would. He led her up to near the top of the shield dome and they both looked north, in the distance a black object was rapidly approaching with a cloud of smaller objects around it. They grinned at each other, and awaited the arrival. Flash sat back in his seat, the last message he received was rather confusing. ---PRECEDENCE: FLASH---FALSE ALARM--- It couldn't possibly be legitimate, he knew the changeling ambassador personally and he would never do such a thing. Something strange was going on in the south. ---REPEAT LAST--- CLARIFY--- He beckoned his commander over with a flailing hoof once he had sent that. "What is it, Flash?" Captain Massé asked, leaning in behind Flash to leer at the machine, buzzy already printing the reply. ---FALSE ALARM---FLEET REPORTS ALL CLEAR---CHANGELING TREACHERY--- "I don't get it, sir. For one thing this is entirely out of protocol, and for another the changelings would never try and pull this- why bring the fleet over their own heads on a false alarm? That's like kicking a wild dog," Flash said. General Massé put a hoof to his chin and thought. "You're right, something is up down there. As you were until we know more, I'll get in touch with the fleet," The general said, and lifted his head to bellow an order. "Who's on comm with the fleet? Give me a sit rep!" He ordered. "I am sir! Fleet reports target in sight, engagement soon!" Came the reply. He leaned back in beside flash. "Keep them on the line, this is some sort of trick and I want to get to bottom of it," General Massé ordered. "Tech officer! Up front!" He ordered, returning to his desk as a pony came in beside him. Flash rubbed his hooves together, he could have some fun with this. ---REQUEST SITREP ON CHANGELINGS---HOW MUCH CIDER DO THEY HAVE---- The response came surprisingly quickly. ---LOTS--- Flash laughed, whoever was on the other end had absolutely no idea what they were doing. ---STEAL IT--- He could hear the general laughing at the front of the room, all of this visible to him. ---WILL DO--- The machine paused for a moment as it switched lines, the command line recognizable by it's bolding. ---TRACKING TO SOMEWHERE ON THE RAIL LINE--- THEY'VE CUT IN----CONTINUE AT OWN DISCRETION---- Flash grinned, perhaps his job wasn't too bad after all, he typed the next response south. ---WHO IS BEST PRINCESS--- ---LUNA--- Flash was slightly disappointed, he always had a thing for Twilight even if she was out of league by a few dozen social classes. ---WE'RE SENDING LUNA TO PICK YOU UP, SIT TIGHT--- He leaned back in his chair, the responses stopped. The machine hummed quietly to itself. "Fleet reports contact!" Came a shout beside him. "Fire!" Spitfire yelled, and the ship shook as the order was carried out. The cannons flashed as they dumped their payloads in a line from bow to stern, firing east towards the griffons. A few seconds of silence later vast explosions tore through the sky, scattering them all. "Launch the alert Wonderbolts, and move the Zephyr and Sun Spirit to engage directly!" She ordered. Two of the smaller ships tore off from the fleet with their smaller chain cannons blazing away, followed by a cloud of armed pegasi tossing enough crossbow bolts to shade the sky. The griffons were in full retreat, and she could see below the shield covering the changeling hive was dropped. Unexpected, but not un-prepared for, a trio of griffon airships came through the clouds directly towards them. The lead fired a barrage of shot that made a cacophony as it clanged against the steel hull of the Magnificent. "Engineering?" Spitfire spun over to see Swift Wing laughing at his station. "Not a scratch!" He exclaimed. Spitifre spun back forward and grinned, flicking on a pair of sunglasses she kept entirely for looking cool. "Engage at will." As soon as the shield dropped Wildcard and First Class were off like a shot towards the oncoming griffons. A roar from the cannons on the Magnificent sent them scattering behind a wall of fire. Wildcard encircled himself and his wingmate in an invisible shield and flew right through the fire straight at a pair of griffons that was desperately fleeing in the opposite direction. Glancing back Wildcard saw two ships split from the fleet, followed by a cloud of angry pegasi. He grinned and doubled his speed. "Hold up!" First Class shouted, pulling on Wildcards grey tail. He yelped and came to a hover while she steadied a crossbow she had managed to procure. Squinting her eyes she took aim at one of the pair, and then let loose the projectile. Wildcard followed it's path through the air and watched as, to his astonishment, she nailed her moving, flying, half a kilometre away, target dead on. The bolt simply bounced off the enemies armour however, only scaring him away even faster. "Impressive!" Wildcard yelled as the pair were overtaken by the Wonderbolts, the roar of the chain guns firing from the smaller ships adding to the din. "Academy second year, first in my class at marksmareship!" The two started forward again, joining the rear of the pegasi, but were flung backwards as an enormous projective flew past them, barely missing the tip of Wildcards nose. Righting themselves they turned to see it hit the Magnificent. It bounced off. "Magnificent," Wildcard said, and turned to face the origin of the projectile. Three small griffon ships were coming out of the clouds at the fleet, one of them had a series of cylinders on it's deck, while the lead one had a single large cannon welded to it's deck. The rear ship seemed to only be a launching platform. "They brought ships! Now it's a prop-" First Class exclaimed but was drowned out by the huge noise as the cylinders on the deck of the rear ship took off from it, just as a volley from the fleet sent it down in flames. Wildcard intently watched the missiles as they flew directly towards the gunships pursuing the retreating griffons. "On me!" Wildcard yelled, and flew off towards them at an incredible pace. First Class tailed him closely, allowing him to spark his alicorn into action. It glowed with the power of magic, and then he pointed it downrange towards the missile. The glow became a blinding shine, and a beam of energy cut through the air, cleaning slicing the missile in half. The rear spiralled to the ground harmlessly, while the front exploded in the air. Looking for the second, he was terrified to see he was too late. Before he could fire another beam he saw it smash into it's target, burying itself into the ship before exploding, forcing it down in flames. The crew could be seen abandoning it before it fell to the ground in a fiery explosion. Wildcard was mad, and he turned his attention to the gunship, watching it darting through oncoming fire from the fleet while the other retreated back smoking. He looked to First Class, and they shared a wide grin. Spitfire stood up, her eyes reflecting the flames that marked the end of Sun Spirit's career. "Comms, did the crew make it out?" Spitfire asked, clearly worried. "Observers say they did, martial. Looks like the only loss was the ship," Morse replied. Spitfire fell back in her seat, relieved. She would have to commend the gunner that stopped that other missile too, they would have lost two ships otherwise. "Flight Control officer, inform the Phoenix One they are clear to go," Spitfire ordered. There was a pause of all activity on the bridge, for a moment it was nothing but silence. "Aye Aye," was the reply. "And for Celestia's sake hole that other corvette!" Spitfire shouted, the crew startled back into attention. Wildcard came up behind it, First Class on his wing. They stuck to it like glue, and the griffons on the deck apparently noticed them. A porthole swung open and two of them waved a fire weapon out, throwing an arc of flame behind at their pursuers. It impacted harmlessly, bending around the shield Wildcard had extended. When the flames stopped the two griffons looked at each other incredulously. First Class grinned and sent a bolt at them, knocking the helmet off one into the air, and sending them scrambling back inside. Wildcard caught the helmet in a green field and threw it inside the porthole, smacking it's owner on the back of the head. Once again charging his alicorn Wildcard aimed it into that hole, and filled it with energy, soon breaching the ship and melting right through the bow. Griffons started leaping off the side of the vessel in a frantic escape as it burst into flames and fell towards the ground. Wildcard stopped and watched it fall, landing with an explosion that felled a few trees. "Impressive," First Class noted. Wildcard smiled, and turned to her. He kissed her, and glowed with green energy as dozens of griffon projectiles bounced harmlessly off the sphere surrounding the two. Soon he that they had stopped he turned his head to the retreating griffons, noting that the pursuing pegasi were returning. Before he could think on it more he was blown back by the force of a huge black object passing overhead at incredible speed. "What the buck was that?!" First Class exclaimed. Wildcard watched intently as the object, which appeared like a black wing with blue fire propelling it somehow from the rear. It quickly came up on the remaining Griffon ship, which was badly leaning on it's starboard side. With a flash from concealed cannons, the black vessel made sure that was the least of it's problems, and blew the rear right off before veering upwards and turning back towards the fleet. "Beautiful," Wildcard breathed. Flash, and most of the other signallers in the room, had been fiddling with their machines trying to pass the time. All ears were pointed towards the one connected to the fleet, there had been no reports since making contact five minutes ago. It had seemed like an eternity. Flash spent the time finding a way to make it rapidly print an image, using a line of letters to make the appearance of a small pegasus darting through clouds. "Flash coming in!" an officer shouted. He bolted upright in his chair and spun it to face the other aisle, the general quickly dashed over and stood behind the officer. "Fleet... reports... VICTORY,!" He exclaimed. The room was filled with cheers, Flash was startled as the officer beside him grabbed him in a great hug. He grinned ear to ear, the room was filled with relieved exuberance. They had met the griffons, and they had won. Spitfire stood from her chair, confident that the battle was over. Equestria had brought it's full power to bear and she had done her duty, seeing it directed at their enemies expertly. She adjusted her uniform, gleaming four star Wonderbolts crest on her lapel. Taking a quick glance around she was pleased by how well the crew had done in their first engagement, performing like a single organism, which was to be expected. Equestria was founded on one value: Friendship. Friends protected each other, and that's what she had done. The changelings could rest easy knowing the fleet was there to protect them, and the griffons would think twice before they tried anything like this again. As near as she could tell, neither side had suffered any loss of life, so it was still possible that a full scale war could be averted. Unlikely, but possible. In any case Spitfire was due in Canterlot tomorrow to cast her vote. The Magnificent would stay here with the fleet as a gesture of good will, and the Legion would arrive in the morning to help with any clean up. "Communications, have the fleet start heading back- order the Blazing Saddle and Zephyr to stay behind," She ordered, Morse nodded in reply. "Captain Northstar, you have the conn," She said, opening the door to leave the bridge. "Aye," Northstar replied. Spitfire trotted down the halls of the ship, making her way towards the hanger. Her yacht would be in docking, and it was her ride home. Coming from essentially nothing more then a civilian entertainment group to a proper military force had taken some adjustment, but Spitfire felt the role fit her like a glove. She was a force to be reckoned with in the skies by herself, but her real passion was more than that: command. She had risen through the ranks of the Wonderbolts with a speed that had made her the youngest captain in their history years ago, and had led it ever since then. Now she had a fleet, and a force of thousands of pegasi under her. The power she controlled now was more then the sum total of Equestria's a month previous. And it felt good. As she left the bridge, pleased to notice the guards outside coming to attention and saluting, she took a deep breath and beheld the deck of the Magnificent. A town in itself, two hundred pegasi made this their home now. Most of the outcroppings were crew quarters for these, and others were weapons storage or assorted machinery to support the great vessel. To think that all this time it had been right under their noses- the flight academy had actually rested on the top of the central mass. As she trotted along she noted the activity around her, pegasi gossiping to each other about how hard they had 'whooped' the griffons. The crew was celebrating their first victory, and rightly so. Ahead a door clanged open and a blue pegasus clambered up from below-decks, a mug of what was probably cider held aloft, and one of her comrades under her wing. Spitfire crossed her arms and stood, glaring. "Didya see them run? And that ship, it's almost as fast as me!" She exclaimed to her comrade, and then noticed the Air Martial standing before them, quickly hiding the mug behind herself and coming to attention. "Air Martial Spitfire!" She shouted, saluting. "At ease, Wing Commander Dash, and stop trying to hide that," Spitfire turned her glare into a grin, "You've earned it, take some shore leave tonight with your squadron," She suggested. "Yes ma'am! Thank you ma'am!" Rainbow Dash saluted, and led her comrade past Spitfire. "...ever had mango juice? I hear it's quite a thing..." Spitfire smiled and continued on her way. 'shore leave', it was an antique saying from an age when Equestria still sailed the seas, but it had stuck with the Wonderbolts and their pseudo-naval structure. Spitfire was just happy she wasn't called an admiral- she was an, or rather the, Air Martial. The Air Martial opened her wings and flew upwards, opening a door that led into the great superstructure that was the majority of the ships mass. Closing it behind he she turned to see the insides of the hanger. Everyone had assumed by it's firepower that the Magnifent was a battleship, but it wasn't- it was a battlecarrier, inside this vast room a dozen black vessels stood along the walls, in the middle a long runway that led to the end. They had been commissioned, like the vessel itself, by the Night Patrol thirty years ago. The plan was for the Magnificent to hang back, and launch these at the changeling hive in the dead of night. They would lay waste to the outlaying defences and then the ship itself would move in, blasting anything in the air with its cannons. Ground forces would deploy and sack it following this. The only thing Spitfire had never been clear on, denied the information by Celestia herself, was why they had felt the need to prepare such an attack. She knew her place though, and let the matter rest. She strode along the central path, unnoticed by the dozens of engineers going about their business, and turned to face her yacht at the front of all the other ships. Sure she could fly home by her own wings, but there was nothing quite like the feeling of flying such an elegant ship. The smooth contours hid a significant amount of weaponry behind hidden panels, and the rear engines were like those of the black ships. They could propel her to a magnificent speed and height that even Rainbow Dash would have difficulty emulating. Beside it was a pair of cider barrels. The ship had a name. Hurricane. Flash had remained at his desk, his machine having been re-routed by command to now connect him to a squadron of the Night Guard that was making its way up the rail line- looking for the saboteur that had tapped into the phone line. The connection relied on a portable radio, and was unreliable at best. ---NO-T-HING----ET--- The command engaged, simultaneously on all the machines. All the officers leaned it at once- this was going to be important. ---PRECEDENCE: FLASH---LUNA IS COMING---NIGHT GUARD TAKES COMMAND--- Flash sighed as the machine switched back, the Night Guard had a right to usurp command from the regular forces during the night, and his body was quite tired, but his mind was on fire with the excitement of the day. He wanted more then anything to see it through to the very end. A short while of reading messages that amounted to variants on 'we're bored out here', the door swung open and the entire room stood at attention at once. "Princess Luna!" General Massé addressed. He and all the others saluted. "At ease, General. You and your men stand relieved," She gestured towards the general and a bat pony brushed past him to take his station. "I stand relieved," General Massé said, and marched right out the door. The others followed in a stream, being replaced at their stations by the bats quickly. Flash remained at his, wanting to stay to the very end. His replacement arrived, and she knocked the back his chair. "Hold on, I'm j-" Flash spun himself around and then nearly fell over. She was beautiful. The way her deep blue- almost like the night sky- coloured mane flowed down her grey coat, her yellow eyes that almost seemed to glow in the dull light of the room, split by a lateral bat pupil and orange iris. The way her ears ended in tufts of fur that stood out from them, her silky bat wings almost shimmering in the light... ...and those fangs... Flash was called to attention as his name was shouted at the head of the room, he stood and the bat quickly took his chair. "Sergeant Sentry, you stand relieved, pay attention," Luna scolded "You're highness I would uh.. like to stay and.. observe," Flash said. She considered it for a moment, glancing across at the bat pony leader that had taken the generals position, he nodded. "Very well, just don't get in the way. We do things differently at night," Luna said, departing the room with another of the bats on her tail. Flash took the station beside his own, and powered on the machine. "Hold on, let me help you there," The officer beside him said, leaning over she quickly flicked an array of switched on the back, and the machine started printing messages from other machines. "Its the command line, you can watch everything here," She explained. Flash was stunned, how did she know how to work this so well? He stared at her like she was a god of technology. "How did you do that?" He asked. She laughed, turning back to her own station. "We've used these for years, Twilight apparently made the first as a school project and Mezza Luna- our old commander- quickly saw the tactical value," She explained. "The postal service did too, but most people think they're too complicated," she added, "I think they're just lazy." And she was a genius too. Flash had a sudden thought, Luna had somehow known his name despite him being basically nopony, just a minor desk jockey of the castle guard... "Hey uhh.." He didn't know her name, and now he sounded like a fool. "...officer?" He tried. "Echo, We don't really have ranks in the Night Guard," she said. "Well, Echo- how did Luna know who I was?" Flash asked. His immediate response was a fit of laughter from beside him, while in the aisle behind him a few snorts of more subtle humour were heard. He ducked his head and leaned in to stare at the tape, pretending to be interested in it. "Sergeant Sentry, Flash Sentry, The textbook example of how not to respond to intruders, and loose lips. We all had to study what had happened in the Crystal Empire after the fact.. well done," She gave him a sideways smirk. Flash groaned and slumped into his chair. When a pony jumps out of a mirror, kicks you in the face, and demands to know where the elements of harmony are, it's difficult to keep your mind at any sort of stability. So he told her, he told her that Princess Twilight Sparkle had one, and was in the palace at the time. He even told her the room number. The next day he found himself in Canterlot. "Oh don't worry about it too much, we all screw up," Echo said. "You just screwed up really badly." she added. He sighed, and watched the paper. Most of the bats were apparently keeping track of border patrols, his companion apparently still tracking the rail-line search. 056---LUNA HAS JOINED---CONTACT PROBABLE--- He leaned back, and wished he had some popcorn. His wish came true when he remembered the vending machines in the hallway outside. Wildcard and First Class watched from the courtyard- which had been cleared of debris by the worker drones that set to work repairing the damaged buildings of the hive, as Spitfire's yacht descended from the sky. It was almost entirely silent in its approach, and sent on the ground as gently as a feather. It landed with the glass of its cockpit pointed towards them, Spitfire visible sitting at the pilots seat. A whine could be heard as the rear opened up, and she gestured them forward. "Well, our ride is here," Wildcard said, greatly thankful he wouldn't have to fly back to Canterlot. His wings were markedly smaller then even a pegsus filly, which meant the same amount of flying the pegasi got up to left him exhausted, and he certainly was. "Looks like we get the VIP treatment," First Class said as they walked towards the back of the vessel. She ran her hoof along the gleaming white metal, the twilight sky reflected in it. Spitfire stood at the top of the boarding ramp, looking down on them, a pair of cider barrels rolled past and the courtyard was filled with cheers as a few dozen ponies and changelings brushed past after them. "Hurry up you two, you're due in Canterlot for the vote in..." she paused and glanced to the side,"... seven hours," she said, disappearing back into the ship. Wildcard and First Class scrambled up the ramp after her, barely entering before it closed. The inside of the yacht was small, but comfortable. Behind the pilots seat two rows of benches lined the windowless walls. The thick armour and padded walls silenced the outside noise, the only audible thing being the soft humm of whatever powered it. Spitfire immediately pressed the ship into the air, throwing the two back into their seats. The ship turned to the north, and shot forward. "Should take us around two hours, you two mind if I turn the radio on?" Spitfire asked. Wildcard glanced at First Class, she shrugged and lay in his arms. "No, go for it," Wildcard replied. The rest of the journey the pair slept, sent to a dreamscape by the sound of smooth jazz. "We're almost to the end of the line, your Highness, they must be close," The bat pony leading Luna- whom she understood to be Midnight Blossom, said. "That's assuming they haven't already run," she said. Faking orders, it was the mark of a coward. She expected that sort of thing from the changelings, but from the griffons? It proved they were scared. The real question was why they were so militant in the first place: what did they have to gain? Equestria had brought its entire force to bear, in the hopes that it would scare them from pursuing any further aggression. If it failed, Equestria would be in for a long, hard, struggle. She was prepared, but she wasn't sure about her sister. She had ruled in an age of peace and light, Luna had only recently gotten back from a long exile after trying to take over the world. They saw everything differently. Both of them saw the crossroads where the nation stood, her sister would have it walk in the light as long as possible, regardless of what lay at the end. Luna chose to confront the dark, in the hopes of a brighter future. The hope was that this fleet response would, in essence 'cast a light on the dark', and ensure the griffons would be too afraid of the power seen that day to attack again. Luna knew better than that, they wouldn't have attacked in the first place if they weren't willing to use their whole force, which was massive. Why they were doing it still remained a question. Her eyes peered forward in the dim night sky, far overhead the rumble of a passing vehicle could be heard. The moon had been raised, as always, but it was yet to cast its soft glow inside the valley where the rail line lay. She lit her alicorn, casting a spotlight ahead and scanned around. She sighed, this work was quite dull even if it was important. "Anything from the border patrols?" She asked the trailing pony, whom had a strange machine attached to a harness. It was comparable to those in Canterlot, with the exception it had no paper- all received information was converted into sound tones that took an expert to decrypt, and a dish that sat on the carriers back, pointed north. "Nothing but the rain," She replied. "Hold up!" The lead shouted, causing the group to pause. Luna looked ahead and noticed that the telephone wire had been downed, they had finally found the point where the connection had been broken into. She swept here spotlight around, and found an object on the ground. She gestured forward and Midnight Blossom flew down to it, as her spotlight faded and the area was instead lit by the glow of her alicorn as it charged with magical energy. "Looks abandoned, it's still connected," Midnight noted. Luna sighed, the saboteur must have run long ago, so much for excitment. "Grab it and let us return home, this has become tiresome," Luna ordered. Midnight nodded, and typed something into the machine before ripping it free of the cables connecting it to the phone line. Flash remained at his station, having gotten himself a cup of coffee and some popcorn. The Night Guard was intense in how well it communicated, he watched as commands were sent and replied to in mere seconds, and noted that the room had less then half the amount of people in it then before. The Night Guard had certainly been at this far longer, so it shouldn't really be a surprise they were better at it, he thought. While he watched a reply came back from the hive channel that had been left alone since the earlier. ---HE ESCAPED--- Flash sighed, and slumped into his chair. It was expected, but left a dangling loose end to their victory. Griffons weren't known to use that sort of subterfuge, and the changelings were on their side- so who did it? He remained at his station through the night, the Night Guard reports had become quite boring, but he kept finding new things to do with that machine. He also kept stealing glances at the bat pony beside him, whom seemed too taken with her work to notice. Checking the time on his watch, he noticed it was almost time for the parliament. He was about to stand from his seat when he noticed something- the Crystal Empire line had sent a weird reply, which seemed like garbage noise: 055---INTE333--- He shook his head, it was probably nothing, or maybe it was some technical problem, he rose and left, there wasn't much for him to do today, all of the patrols were set and it was set to be an unremarkable day, for him anyway. For the nation it would be historic. Flash was too tired to care however, and glanced up at a high tower that rose from Canterlot Castle, he grinned and set off for his favourite spot to take a nap. The morning sun rose, trumpets blared, and government set to work while Flash went to sleep. Far and away to the north, Shining Armour would disagree with the hypothesis of one 'Flash Sentry' in Canterlot. He stood on the balcony of the Crystal Palace, looking east with his wife beside him. A shield overtook the city, remaining transparent to the outside. He glanced to the side, his wife staring ahead fraught with worry. Following her gaze he knew why. There was a fleet on the horizon, and help was half a day away. They didn't even know the Empire needed help.