The Light Behind the Veil

by Gunner59524


Diplomacy is a Bitch

Lemme just say that some politicians are complete assholes, especially ones from warlike nations. I'll say this much. The Minotaur Tribes may end up being a problem.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Equestria, Equis. February 24th, 0800 Hours

The sound of an alarm clock was the first thing to strike my waking ears. Okay no biggie, I've heard this sound before. The next sound to reach my ears, AND BEFORE I WAS EVEN FULLY AWAKE, made me jump in my pilot's chair: the sound of a ship doing a VERY close range flyby, no doubt to drop off Richard who had decided to return to his ship for sleep during the night.

"BAAAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHHAAAAAA!" I heard Sparks' laughter at my expense and I immediately shot him the bird.

"Good morning to you too asshole," I said.

"I couldn't help it, that was too hilarious!"

I simply sighed and smiled lightly. "Well I guess we should head outside to meet up with Richard."

Sparks nodded and phased us both outside. I immediately stretched out my arms and let off a loud yawn.

"Hey careful man, you know those are contagious," Richard chuckled. "Good morning by the way."

"Good morning to you too. So first thing is first, recap. Repair progress?"

Sparks materialized in front of me. "The fabricator has been repaired enough to fix and deploy the Sparrow, however remains partially damaged, preventing or slowing more major repairs to the rest of the ship. All stabilizers are functional but the primary port side engine remains nonfunctional."

Spectre materialized next to Sparks. "Resources are sufficient enough to complete the most critical repairs, though superficial damage will remain unless we can acquire a larger stockpile of resources. According to scans of the rest of the system made by Sparks and I, a particularly large desert world has materials resembling relic iron in ample supply. Scans continue to show that the world has no hostile presence but that is likely to change very soon if the sensors aren't already missing something. Repairs to the Valkyrie should be very simple as long as things continue to work in our favor."

I nodded with satisfaction. "So what's the ETA on the repair time?"

"Optimal projections show about a week give or take a day or two," Sparks said.

Richard smiled. "I'd say we're making great progress then. Don't we have a meeting at the nearest castle though?"

"OH SHIT!" I had nearly forgotten. I connected to my ship and ordered the Sparrow deployed. It materialized next to me. "We better get going!"

Sparks simply laughed, earning a glare from me. "Relax Tiberius, a messenger is being sent our way once it's time."

I chuckled sheepishly upon hearing that. "Uh.. heh... oh."

Richard could only chuckle. "Well it gives me time to bring down my Sparrow. Why don't we just chill out for a while till the messenger gets here?"

I couldn't help nodding in agreement. "Alright. Sounds good to me. Besides, I'd like to make sure the Sparrow is fully functional before it's time to go."

The Awoken Hunter nodded and had his ship do one more flyby to drop his own Sparrow off. We spent a good amount of time making repairs and calibrations. Our ghosts kept working on the Valkyrie. It wasn't till I had finished up with my Sparrow and started working with the Ghosts on the Valkyrie that the messenger finally arrived. Lo and behold, our messenger was none other than the loud and boisterous Rainbow Dash.

"GERONIMO!" we heard a female voice yell.

I took cover and prepped my rifle, completely freaked out by the sudden interruption. Richard took it in stride and even laughed at how on edge I was acting even as Rainbow Dash made a very quick and precision landing on the nose of the Valkyrie.

"Nailed it! Hey Tiberius, hey Sparks."

I let off a sigh of relief and gave Richard a smack upside the head before responding. "Hello Rainbow Dash. I take it it's time to head to the meeting?"

"Yup! Oh hey.... another Ghost? And who's the blue guy?"

Richard smirked. "Name's Richard. The second Ghost there is Spectre."

"Name's Rainbow Dash, nice to meet ya," the Pegasus replied.

"Likewise. Nice landing by the way."

"Hah ya noticed that huh?"

"Oh good god." I sighed and facepalmed, "Here we go."

"I am the best flyer in Equestria you know. Can do a Sonic Rainboom and everything!" she boasted.

"A what now?" Both Richard and I raised eyebrows at her.

"Oh right, new on this planet. Eh no time for a demonstration now but I'll show you later. We're gonna be late!"

We both nodded and boarded our Sparrows. Something that confused her till the bikes lifted off the ground on their own. Her jaw dropped at that, eliciting a chuckle from Richard. "We got our own surprises too you know."

"Heh, right. Anyways, think you can keep up?"

Richard and I shared a smirk before I looked up at the now floating pegasus. "You're on."

"THREETWOONE GO!" and she took off like a fucking bullet.

"HEY! THAT AINT FAIR!" I hit the boost and gave chase, Richard right behind me and our Ghosts safely phased away into our armor.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight was nervous that much was certain. Today's meeting could possibly make or break the fate of Equis. She sat on the balcony high above the entrance to her castle. Within, Celestia and Luna were busy keeping the other politicians pacified. The Gryphons proved a little difficult but it wasn't impossible. The Minotaurs were the real problem. The Deer Nations representative, Zebra Nomads shaman, and Dragon Skymasters and Skylords were of little issue though as all of these groups respected Equestria's leaders and their decisions greatly.

Her train of thought was suddenly interrupted as she soon heard a strange sound not unlike the mild churning of energy. She looked outward to see Rainbow Dash being followed to the castle by something that made her jaw drop.

Both Guardians were ridding in on bikes that seemed to hover above the ground, skimming across it like a hovercraft just above water at speeds Rainbow could only barely manage at very low altitudes. The two bikes looked as though they were about to ram into the castle proper when they came to a complete stop almost on a dime. Talk about impressive.

"HAH! WE SO WON!" she suddenly heard Richard yell.

"NO WAY I WON!" Rainbow argued back.

"HAH IN YOUR DR....!" ZAP! "OW Spectre you little fucker!"

"Stay focused dunderhead," came Spectre's response.

Twilight could only raise an eyebrow and giggle a bit at the silly antics, where as Rainbow, Sparks, and Tiberius were throwing a complete fit of laughter as Richard and Spectre continued bickering.

"Good god are you two love birds like this all the time!?" Tiberius barely got out between laughs.

"It's like they're a married couple!" Rainbow snarked.

"We do not argue that badly..... do we?" Richard asked, somewhat unsure.

Spectre sighed. "If you weren't so insufferably immature maybe it wouldn't be so bad."

"Oh fuck you too you stuck up asshole!"

Aaaand the laughter continued.

Twilight rolled her eyes and glided down on her wings. "If you guys are done, we have a meeting to get to."

Tiberius calmed down enough to acknowledge her. "Ah hello Princess. Hey guys, you heard her. Time to go inside."

Spectre and Richard stared each other down for just another second. "To be continued," Richard snarked.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, I've seen some pretty impressive stuff in my time. Massive Land Tanks, Fallen Skiffs, The City, The Tower, The Awoken Queen's Kingdom in the Rift, so many things both scary and downright awesome, but the grandeur of this castle was... well... it's a fucking giant tree of crystal with a very well decorated and architecturally spectacular interior. What's not to like right? I didn't even notice Twilight's giggle at how goofy I looked as I gawked at it all. Richard even reached over to shut my mouth for me.

"Careful," he said, "Don't wanna eat a bug."

Even then I simply had no words. That's when the younger of the high diarchs of Equestria approached, snapping me out of my stupor. "Ah, Tiberius, Sparks. I'm glad you made it," Princess Luna greeted. "I assume these other two are Richard and Spectre?" she asked as she gestured to the pair.

Richard nodded. "I am. I can't help but wonder who it is that asks though."

"Oh my where are my manners, I am Princess Luna of the Night. My sister Celestia is currently keeping our other guests entertained. Small talk can only get one so far however as the Minotaur Chieftain proves..... less than patient. I must stress the importance of haste."

I frowned. "Will the Minotaurs be a problem Princess?"

"Hopefully not too much of one, but I wouldn't hold out hope. They're aggressive and warlike in nature. To be honest, I believe it is nothing short of a miracle that they haven't entered a war in almost the entirety of the past millennium. However that hasn't stopped them from becoming violent at diplomatic gatherings before," the indigo alicorn explained.

"Sheesh, that bad huh? I think I'm gonna keep my helmet on for this one guys," Richard joked.

"That.... isn't a bad idea. You two may wanna be prepared for anything," Luna sighed.

I blanched and gave her a deadpan look. "You aren't kidding are you?"

Luna smirked. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying your reaction. That said, no, unfortunately I'm not."

Richard and I shared a concerned look before equipping our helmets to ensure our armor sets were sealed and ready to protect us on a moment's notice. I noticed Twilight's apprehensive expression after that. I couldn't help but get a feeling that things were about to turn sour. All the same, I gestured for Luna to lead the way. She nodded and we all began making our way to the meeting room, Twilight and Rainbow Dash following up the rear and striking up silent conversation as we went.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To say that the world of politics is a living hell would be a monumental understatement sometimes. For Celestia, this was very true as a certain Minotaur Chieftain grew more and more impatient.

"Princess, this had better be very important for you to have called us here. I have pressing concerns back among the minotaur clans." the Chieftain known as Steel Bull ranted.

"Like what, running a terrorist insurrection against your own people?" The male gryphon ambassador Ironwing snarked.

"Watch your tongue you deformed poultry! You know full well the Minotaur clans do not tolerate weak leadership among us!"

"Leaders that seek peace and advancement are NOT weak you mindless animal!"

"ENOUGH!" Celestia had seen and heard it all but this was just plain ridiculous to put it mildly. "Ambassador Ironwing, you know full well you cannot control what happens on the other side of Minotaur borders. None of us can. Current treaties prevent our intervention. Unless they act against us, you are wasting breath."

"My apologies your eminence," Ironwing replied.

"As for you Steel Bull, I expect you to show respect to everyone in this room. A critical event has occurred in this entire planet's history. Your complaining does nothing to speed things up. Furthermore, I do expect you to ensure your little rebellion does not spill into other nations. I hope that I am clear on that matter."

"Hmph...."

Celestia rolled her eyes. Minotaurs truly were the most bullheaded of all the planet's species. Regardless, she sought to calm her mind immediately now that things were once again quieter. She looked to the female Zebra Shaman Feroza, the female Deer Representative named Yoshida, and the male Dragon Skymaster Blazewind (who currently took the form of a winged, humanoid, scaly, firebreathing lizard).

"I apologize for this.... less than agreeable atmosphere," she said to the three.

They all smiled though, some more than others, but they were all genuine at least.

"Worry not Princess, I am used to the ravings of the horned warmasters," Blazewind replied.

"Indeed we all are," Yoshida stated, "Though I wish they would leave their attitude behind, I suppose there is nothing to be done. They are who they are. Nothing we can do or say to change their nature."

Feroza nodded sagely, "Well said Representative."

Celestia smiled and looked to the four Elements of Harmony already in the room. Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie were all accounted for, though they were less than pleased with the behavior of a certain Minotaur Chief within their own friend's home.

"I apologize that you four had to see that as well...." Celestia sighed.

They all looked to her with sympathetic looks. While none of them wanted to voice it now, it was clear that they understood a little more just how hard Celestia and Luna had it being the leading diplomats in the nation thanks to the pigheadedness of other politicians and leaders.

Soon enough, the doors to the meeting room opened. The first to enter were Princess Twilight and Princess Luna, followed by Rainbow Dash who took a seat with the other Elements.

"Ah I see we're all assembled. Sister have you informed them of the reasons for their being here?" Luna asked.

"Not as of yet but now that we're all here, I suppose we should begin. Put simply, we are here to discuss a critical event in the history of Equis. This event began more than a week ago during a meteor shower gone awry. An object has entered our atmosphere and crash landed," Celestia explained.

"A cosmic phenomenon not of your doing I assume?" Ironwing asked the two diarchs.

They both nodded and Celestia continued. "We investigated the crashed object soon after. What we found was not a natural event. The object was artificial in nature."

This turned heads.

"Extraterrestrial?" Yoshida speculated out loud.

"That's ridiculous! I wasted my time for this? These lies!?" Steel Bull bellowed.

"I must admit this does seem rather absurd," Ironwing added, albeit reluctantly.

"Surely you have some evidence to put forth do you not?" Blazewind queried.

"We do," Celestia answered immediately.

Silence reigned for a few moments after that, so she continued.

"Shortly after investigating we were attacked. Manticores of unnatural strength attacked our scouting group, a concern that must be brought up later and is possibly tied to.... another event that occurred recently. We were just barely able to hold them off when something, or rather someone, saved us. That someone is the owner of our mystery object, later revealed to be a ship of some sort. His distress beacon attracted one other. We are playing host to two sentient aliens at this very moment, along with their rather unique companions. May I introduce Titan Tiberius and his Ghost, Sparks, along with Hunter Richard and his Ghost, Spectre."

Upon hearing their introduction, the two armored beings entered, followed by their Ghosts materializing on either side of the duo.

For what felt like hours, silence reigned supreme. Celestia grew nervous as the tension soon became thick enough to cut with a butter knife. The delegates all stared at the newcomers, each with confusion, apprehension, surprise, curiosity, or a mixture of the four. The tension shattered like glass when one of the delegates finally spoke.

"Remarkable....." was all Yoshida could say.

Celestia had to suppress a sigh of relief.

"They are..... like nothing I have ever seen. And you trust them?" Feroza asked skeptically?

"After Tiberius' recent actions, I trust them completely," Celestia affirmed, "He brought an offer of peace and protected Ponyville from an attack. Richard is here to further assist in that regard."

"They seem puny and weak to me."

One word came to Luna's mind after a moment of shock: "Buck."

Steel Bull was the one to speak. "How were they able to protect Ponyville from any kind of attack? They don't look capable of fitting the role."

"Excuse me?" Richard spoke up.

"Well isn't this a pleasant start....?" Sparks commented sarcastically.

"Honestly Steel Bull, must you constantly think with the warlike part of your brain? Do you even think about the consequences of what you say?" Yoshida asked.

"It's the only part of his brain that exists." Ironwing snarked. "A savage animal like all Minotaurs."

"Hmph, at least we're capable in a fight. These 'aliens' look like nothing more than tin apes," Bull retorted.

"Says the one that looks like a bull and a monkey got together and had sex," Richard scoffed.

Silence reigned again as the shock caused by that comment sunk in.... Steel Bull looking more and more enraged by the second.

"HAAAAHAHAHAAHAHA!" Ironwing and Blazewind were both having a fit of laughter now.

"By the stars, Celestia where on Equis did you find these Aliens? They're BRILLIANT!" Ironwing got out between bouts of laughter.

"Insulting a minotaur, and a chieftain at that, and not even skipping a beat! Absolutely incredible!" Blazewind added.

Luna was laughing as well while Yoshida, Celestia, Feroza, Twilight, and the rest of the Elements (sans Pinkie and Rainbow who were also dying of laughter) all looked rather surprised, or in Rarity's case, absolutely MORTIFIED.

Tiberius simply let off a chuckle of course and folded his arms across his chest. "Should've seen that one coming Steel 'Butt.' You really need to stop letting your mouth run before your brain."

That drove the Gryphon ambassador and the Dragon Skymaster absolutely hysterical..... uuuuntil Steel Bull bellowed loudly and jumped up on the table to charge the two Guardians. Richard jumped higher than a sentient being without wings had any business doing while Tiberius literally caught the bull by the horns with his armored hands and threw him into the ground. Richard came down with an elbow to the belligerent chieftain's back.

That time, everyone in the room simply sat in absolute shock. Again silence lasted for what felt like hours. This went on until a slow clap was soon heard, from the Dragon Skymaster no less.

"Finally, the violence of the Minotaur is countered," he remarked. "About damn time."

"Indeed," Luna chuckled.

"LULU!" Celestia exclaimed.

"Oh don't tell me you don't agree. Steel Bull has always been a pain in the flank."

Celestia sighed. She had to give her that, and so did the other delegates.

"Well.... he's out cold. Maybe he'll learn his lesson?" Richard suggested as he stood back up.

"One can only hope," Twilight remarked with a shake of her head. "Though I kinda doubt it."

"Guards! Please remove Steel Bull from the meeting room and return him to his quarters," Celestia ordered. They did as they were told and left with Steel Bull dragged unceremoniously behind them.

"And I thought you were bad...." Spectre said to Richard.

"Oh shut up....."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

February 24th, 2000 Hours

Okay so after an incident with who I now call the Steel Jackass, things pretty much went off without a hitch. We were asked some questions and we socialized, which put the remaining delegates fully at ease.... or as close as possible to it at least. We told them about our arrival, our profession, our home, the Guardians, stuff like that. Then came the part of the warning and the story about just WHO or rather WHAT attacked Ponyville. This was met with some skepticism and disbelief until Twilight decided to project a memory straight out of her mind, from her horn, holographically onto the table, which quite frankly was one hell of a shock to Richard and I. Boy am I glad we wore those helmets. We looked like giddy children behind those masks, or at least I'm sure I did. Not sure about Richard's reaction to be honest. Upon seeing "the tip of the iceberg," so to speak, before their very eyes, the delegates couldn't hide from the truth of the matter. What came as a shock to us though were the reports of isolated "incidents" in gryphon territory, reports of "strange four-armed creatures" raiding remote tech labs and factories. The same was said for the deer. We told them about the Fallen and they weren't happy in the slightest. Still the description more or less proved that we weren't to blame for the forces of Darkness coming here. We extended the same offer we extended to Equestria: a pledge to aid and protect to the best of our ability as was the duty of the Guardians. Apparently we sounded sincere enough to win over the Deer and the Zebra with our pledge of support. The Dragon stated, "You definitely have Dragon support after that little show with Steel Bull." I like to think that part of the meeting was more of a win after hearing those words. Iron Wing said something similar too. Celestia, Luna, Twilight, and the Elements, after having seen and heard all there was to say, pledged support to a defense effort as well. It took ALOT of work, and I won't talk about all the boring technicalities but we've got a rough groundwork to go with now. The word is out, the leaders are aware, we will begin working on a defense. Much as I can call this a win, I will still say that it was one huge bitch to achieve this, considering the skepticism, technicalities, and one jackass politician we had to deal with.

In addition, tomorrow we see some of the delegates off so that they can prepare their nations, though I think the Zebra and Dragon delegates are staying for a little while longer, which is fine by me. I'd love to talk with them more. Steel Bull, the Minotaur delegate, left early of course, livid as hell too. Can't say I was sad to see him go. I heard that part about him being the leader of a terrorist insurrection. Traveler knows that will probably be a problem further down the road.

In any case, I'm gonna end the log here. There's alot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it. Can't say I'm happy about it setting back repair time on my ship but we gotta make due right? Anyways, this is Titan Tiberius signing off.