Chapter XLIX: Plan of Insertion
The others, awoken by the sound of laughter, piled out of the car. They stretched and looked around. Cora and Lightning we just picking themselves off the ground, huge smiles on their faces. Nopony spoke for a few moments. Then Rainbow spoke up.
“Are we almost there? I hate sitting in that thing.”
Lightning nodded. “Another couple hours, I think. We should be there soon.”
Rainbow sighed. “Would anypony care if I flew? I need to stretch my wing.”
“No, Rainbow.” Rarity said. “If it will stop your complaining, then do it.” Rainbow smiled and jumped into the air, metal wing glinting in the sun.
“Shall we go then?” Twilight asked. “We should probably be early.” Rainbow laughed from above.
“Wow, really Twilight? We are heading off to a possible war, and you want to arrive ON TIME?! You never change.” Twilight blushed when she said this.
“Well, still....” her voice trailed off.
“I agree.” Lightning said. “We should probably get there soon. I really don’t want her to get angry at us.” The others nodded and headed back towards the Buggy. Lightning was just opening the door when a bright blue nimbus appeared next to him. Almost not even caring anymore, he bent down and picked up the letter it dropped.
Dear Lightning,
Wise choice. I am looking forward to seeing you again. We will have much to discuss.
Your queen,
Luna
Feeling slightly self conscious, he turned and looked over his shoulder. But all he could see were the ashes from the fire. He shook his head and got into the Buggy. Phoenix pulled out of their campsite and was at speed in a minute.
The plains passed by in a blur. Soon, small trees were popping up. Eventually, they were back in the forest, the plants pressing in on them. The others stared out the window, mesmerized by the life. And Lightning knew the feeling. Seeing real life for the first time in eleven years was an incredible feeling. A mountain was rising in front of them, and Lightning knew what was waiting for them. He leaned out the window and waved Rainbow down into the car. She dropped down and flew in, landing on Lightning’s lap. She cocked an eyebrow at him, and he shoved her off, laughing all the same. They rolled up the mountain, finally reaching the top. Then they dropped down, facing the valley.
An audible gasp filled the car. The Bastion rose from the trees proud and beautiful, just as it had before. But something has changed. No ponies trained in the field. In fact, no ponies walked on the streets. It seemed deserted. The Buggy rolled down the hill. Just as it reached the bottom, a loud siren sounded. Several ponies, all wearing the dark blue armor, appeared on the top of the wall. They dropped to the ground, wings spreading as they did. Phoenix pulled up just as they touched the ground. They got out and formed a line in front of the car.
“Welcome, Lightning Storm.” They said as one. One of the ponies walked up and removed his helmet, silver-white eyes shining.
“Good to see you again.” he said, face serious. The his face broke into a grin. Lightning smiled as well, embracing him. The others just stared at him.
“Oh, sorry.” Lightning said. “These are my friends.” He introduced them one by one. “Guys, this is Lunar Glow. He was the one that...umm...talked me into the Midnight army.” Lunar laughed at this.
“That is one way to put it.” he said, smiling. “Anyway, we have a lot to do, so we can talk later.” He started to walk towards the gate. “Follow me, please.” The gate opened, and they walked in.
Lightning turned, smiling at the others expressions. Had he looked like that the first time he had been here? He hoped not. Looking around, it turned out he was right. There were no ponies in the streets or in the shops. It was completely empty.
“Where is everypony?” Lightning asked.
“All civilians have been evacuated to a safe location.” Lunar answered. “As for the army, we have been moved to our camp more west of here. The other officers, I, and Queen Luna are the only ones that are left here.”
“Why the move?” Lightning asked. “Are you afraid they will attack here?”
“Yes.” was all that Lunar said. Silence fell as they walked through the empty streets. Finally, they reached the Temple. The stained glass throwing magnificent colors onto the ground. The normally bustling square stood empty. The Temple stood like an abandoned home.
“She is inside.” Lunar said, pointing. “Take the stairs to the left down. You will know when to stop.” he said, smirking. Lightning nodded and walked up the steps, followed by the others. But he was stopped by Lunar’s voice.
“Hey, where is your armor, Soldier?” he asked. “Are you going to disgrace us by not showing your pride?”
“Oh shit, sorry.” he said, turning to Twilight. “Can you get it for me? It is in the back in a black case.” She nodded, teleporting back. A moment later, she appeared holding his dark blue armor and a M4. She handed it to him, and he put on the armor and slung the M4 over his shoulder. Lunar nodded at him.
“Much better.” he said, smiling. “You can go now.” Lightning nodded and continued to walk up the stairs. He reached the top and looked around. What seemed to be a new set of stairs had appeared to the let of the doorway, and he followed them down. As he went, the air seemed to grow colder. Dark blue lights were embedded in the walls, casting an eerie glow on them. The stairs finally reached a stop, and they emerged into a large chamber.
It was almost two stories tall, with several columns supporting the roof. A large table rested in the center, ten chairs surrounding it. A soft carpet, emblazoned with Luna’s mark, sat beneath the table. But the most stunning feature of all, was the floating model of the moon and sun. The sun and moon intertwined, turning in a never ending dance. A blur of yellow and white light flowed over every corner of the room, illuminating everything.
Luna sat at the head of the table, a soft smile on her lips. She was cloaked in armor as black as night. The armor covered almost every inch of her body, from the tip of her horn to the bottom of her hooves. A lone, pure white moon shone from her chest plate. Her mane and tail, normally so beautiful and free, was tied back in a braid. Her face was the only thing that was exposed.
As one, they dropped down into a bow. Lightning heard the sound of a chair scraping stone, then heavy metal hoof falls coming towards him. He raised his head and looked into the aquamarine eyes of the queen.
“Lightning Storm.” she purred. “It is good to see you again.” she said, holding out her hoof. He took it and laid a small kiss on the tip of the hoof.
“As it is to see you, Luna.” he said, standing at his full height. “We have come, as you asked us to. What is it that you require of us?”
“Yes, of course. If you could, take a seat around the battlefield.” She said in a cocky tone of voice. She directed their attention to the table. Inlaid in the surface, was what seemed to be a map of the immediate area.
“‘The Battlefield’? Are you really planning for a war, Queen Luna?” Twilight said, scepticism and questioning emotions swept across her face.
“Yes, Twilight Sparkle. I may understand if doesn’t sound like the best option to you, but we don’t see any other logical option of ending this everlasting fight.” Luna said, loud and commanding, almost demanding to have all questions silenced.
“If you could all please, hold questions when they are appropriate and direct your attention to the western side of the ridge over here.” Luna commanded, this time giving more intimidation then in her previous words.
On the battle map, where Luna was pointing was a foresty area right next to a ridge. But in the center of the forest was a un-natural circle in the middle of the forest, supposedly meant to resemble it was pony-made. Soon as everypony pointed their attention towards her point, a small flash of light suprised the seven of them. When they regained attention, sitting where she was pointing was a glowing spectrum of Luna’s magic. It seemed to somewhat resemble a tall building, just barely peeking over the Ridge.
“I’m... Guessing that’s the Bastion?” Lightning inferred, looking back at Luna for confirmation, but who wasn’t paying much attention to his question.
“That, is the Bastion. Our sole sector in this, soon to be, war. Everything west of this ridge is our territory.” Luna said. Soon after, more flashes popped in between every few seconds. Every flash embedded more glowing spectrums of her magic. These looked more of a flag, waving on it was the moon, all sitting along the top side of the ridge.
“These are our watch towers. They, as you would guess, take anything that is suspected to be an enemy from the east, down with lead.” She smirked in a eerie voice, giving off strange, chilly, vibes through everyponies spine.
Luna began to move her hoof more towards the center of the board. Almost as if everypony was now used it, they weren’t at all shocked by the new sudden flash of light. This time, it looked more like a Bunker. Just like the one Lightning lived under. This one was caught right in the middle of something that could potentially turn into another nuclear fallout.
“Bunker 26, we are uncertain if they have gone under the influence of the Death Hunters just yet, our recon has yet to go this far out from the Bastion. This is why you are here, Lightning Storm.” Luna turned her gaze towards Lightning, whom held a serious emotion throughout the entire briefing, looked right back.
“We need you, Phoenix Fire, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle, all to scout out the eastern side of the ridge. We are almost completely blind beyond this line.” Again, a few feet away from the Bunker, which most have resembled miles, appeared a flash that showed a stretching line across the battlefield.
“Do you think you can flank the enemy lines and feed us intel?” Luna asked calmly, for once, actually waiting for a response.
Lightning peeled away from her strong gaze, and looked back towards Phoenix and the rest. Mouthing them a question that could change their fate; Yes, or No?
“Yes.” Phoenix, being the first to speak loud and clear, he pushed his chest high to show his pride. Leaving Lightning in a trance of both relief and confusion.
“Yes.” Rainbow Dash, the second. Impersonating Phoenix.
“Yes.” Even Twilight spoke and agreed.
“Yes.” Rarity, the last. He gaze was determined, and held a small amount of contempt. She had not forgotten what they had done to her.
Lightning, letting a small sigh, and gave his answer: “Yes. Queen Luna, we will help our best in the war.”
“It is settled then. Thank you, thank you all for giving your part in our aid to push against the relentless rebellion. Lunar Glow will return here shortly and will show you, your armor and weaponry. You will depart tomorrow night, at O-one-hundred hours. If you do not have any further questions: Dismissed.”
With that, all seven emerged from their seats and turned away from Luna. Lightning and Twilight turned a quick wave to say good bye, the others kept on their way. Leaving Luna in the debriefing room, alone.
Leaving behind the Temple, they continued to trace back their steps to the Buggy. Hopefully to again meet Lunar. As they did, Lunar sat up leaning against the Buggy with his helmet slung over his eyes, probably napping on the watch. But as they lost distance between each other, the seven’s hoofsteps on the pavement gave off a loud chatter that snapped Lunar from his quick power nap.
“Done so quick? I was expecting it to last longer than that. I suspect you agreed to aid us then?” The serious face he had before was slowly returning, overshadowing his baggy eyes. Lightning looked him up and down.
“Something the matter?” he asked, walking over to him. Lunar shook his head, but then nodded.
“I have gotten about ten hours of sleep over the past week. All of my attention has been focused on protecting Luna, and planning this war.” He took a small, shuffling step away from them. “I assume you wants you dressed in out colors?” They nodded. “Alright, follow me.” Lightning stepped in front of him.
“I know where to go. If you want to rest, I can take them.” Lunar looked at him for a moment, then smiled.
“Thanks. Just make sure the armor fits, and they are given the correct weapons.” He looked back at the Buggy. “Are those seats comfortable?” Phoenix nodded. “OK, see you in a couple hours.” He walked over, opened the door, and hopped in. Pulling the helmet down over his eyes, he was snoring before they were twenty feet away. Cora smirked at Lightning, and he returned a smile.
He led them down the empty streets. Somehow, he knew them like that back of his hoof. He didn’t know why. Maybe it was because it was the only place where he had felt at home. But he led them straight to the armory where he had gotten his own armor. The pony that had been there was absent, so Lightning walked them into the back room. Inside were rows of shelves, all covered in dark blue fabric. He rifled through them, pulling out tunics he believed were the right sizes and throwing them to the others. Finally, they were all clad in the same armor he was. Rarity let out a small groan.
“The color matching is terrible!” she said, picking at the fabric. “I would have gone with a soft yellow to combat the dark blues. Maybe a...” she stopped when she realized everypony was staring at her. “But, nevermind.” she said, blushing. Lightning looked around. A small door was set into the back wall. He walked over to it and pulled the handle. When he did, stark white lights blinked on.
Rows upon rows of weapons hung on the walls. Lightning felt his jaw drop as he walked forward, almost magnetized to the guns. He took a Mk18 and slung it over his shoulder. He pulled a Glock 18 down and tested its weight. It was heavy, but not too heavy. He handed it to Phoenix, who took it with glee. He looked and saw that Cora was carrying her MP5 around her shoulder. The others began to meander down the rows. Lightning pointed out weapons that would complement them.
Twilight packed an old M1911, as she wouldn’t be on the front lines as much. Rainbow picked a RH Kriss with a rectile Aimpoint along the attachment rail. She would need the sight, as she would be fighting from above. Sense she would be fighting from a far distance, Fluttershy picked a Equestrian M110 SASS, 7.62x51 millimeter in caliber. The bigger the bullet, the faster the death she presumed. Rarity choose a TMP small machine gun as she had the least experience. Lightning also had changed in thought of his weapon of choice; A standard RH Mk18 with a red dot rectile, fixed with both a flashlight and a laser target. Underneath the barrel of the gun was a grip for more balanced shooting and accuracy.
“Yo’ guys, don’t forget your suppressors. We’re not going out guns blazing or anything, this is Recon. Vigilant and silent.” Phoenix redirected them back to the accessories cases spread along the wall
Once they were all equipped, he led them outside. The sun was just starting to sink in the sky. He told them to go wait by the Buggy, as he needed to talk with Luna.
He entered the briefing room, finding Luna in the same spot as she had been before. She looked up when she heard his hoof falls. “Is there something I can help you with?” she asked, that steel edge still in her voice. Lightning nodded.
“I want to know what you hope to accomplish by bringing us into this.” he said, walking towards the opposite end of the table. Luna nodded, front hooves resting on her upper lip. It was a moment before she spoke.
“Do you want the truth, or the story that will make you sleep better tonight?”
“The truth.” he answered. Luna nodded again.
“There are two reasons.” she said, standing up and walking towards him. “One, you are an excellent fight, as are most of your friends. We could use you here, both for the war and for morale.” She laid her wing over his back and directed him towards the stairs. “Second. I assume you know that the others share the same power that your wife does?” He nodded. “Well, there is somepony that I wish to see. One that I have not been able to in eleven years.”
“Who is that?” Lightning asked. They had reached the stairs and here beginning to climb.
“My sister.” Luna answered after a pause. “By having them fight in a battle, with the possibility of death, I hope to bring my sister out of wherever she has been.”
“Why do you want to do that?” Luna looked at him as if he had grown a horn.
“The first step in putting Equestria back together again, is erasing our enemies from the world.” she said, a hard look in her eyes. “The second, is uniting us together again. My sister and I can bring peace back to this shattered world.” They had reached the top of the stairs. Light from the setting sun filled the Temple, creating the illusion that everything was coated in fire.
“Is that all you wanted?” Luna asked, turning to face him.
“One more thing.” he said. “You said, that if we didn’t join you, that one of our friends would perish. Was that a threat, or just something to spur us on.” Luna cocked her head, a small, seductive smile spread across her face.
“You will have to wait and see, Lightning Storm.” she said. The she turned and flew off towards her bedchamber, leaving Lightning filled with dread and, annoyingly, more questions. She shook his head and walked out into the evening.