//------------------------------// // The Rainbow Child // Story: Cryo-7 // by Metal Pony Fan //------------------------------// "Shut up!" Mac stared down at Astral and Twilight, dripping mad. They both sat in conjoined chairs in the back of the passenger compartment. Theirs were the only seats there, as the rest had yet to be unfolded from their storage positions. "Now, Ah want the two a' ya ta just sit there and think abut what ya done. Got that? Ah don't want ta hear another word outta either on a' ya, unless'n its an explanation or an apology." "Yes, sir," the unicorns mumbled, refusing to look at Mac or each other. "Good!" Mac bellowed. He jutted a hoof at the pudding splattered imprint of his face on the shuttle wall. "Now, one a' ya clean that up." Astral scoffed. "I thought you wanted us to just sit here. Now, you're telling us to get up and clean? Make up your mind." Mac wiped at his face. He was covered in chocolate pudding, absolutely covered, all because these two couldn't stop fighting. "That's it! Ah'm takin' command. Silver told me Ah might have to, and she was right. Until we get back ta Canterlot, the two a' ya do what Ah say, and leave each other alone." "Be-be-beep! Be-be-beep!" Mac groaned as the insistent chime of the communications system issued from the pilot's cabin. He fixed the other two ponies in one last icy stare. "Is it too much to ask for ya ta behave for a minute or two?" Mac waited for them to grudgingly shake their heads before walking away, muttering under his breath, "Honestly, full grown unicorns, and they act like a pair a' pegasus foals." "Be-be-beep! Be-be-beep!" He entered the pilot's cabin and closed the door behind him. He gave it about a minute before those two started up again, but this compartment was pretty well soundproofed. Now, he just had to figure out how to answer the com. "Be-be-beep! Be-be-beep!" The red pony scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, computer? Answer incoming call?" He wasn't expecting that to work, but- A large holographic display sprung to life in front of the main viewport, showing a life-sized view of a uniformed pegasus sitting behind a desk. He was wearing a helmet with the vizor pulled down. From the side of the helmet, a small headset microphone stuck out near his mouth. "This is Furian North Port Authority, to unidentified civilian shuttle. Your flight plans are not in our records. Please identify and state your business in this system." The Pegasus slowly leaned forward, raising his visor to squint at Mac. "Is that pudding?" "Eeyup," the big pony responded with a sigh. He pulled an index card out of his shirt pocket. Silver had given it to him before they left Canterlot. It was one of several that Silver had given him with directions for specific situations. This particular one was less instructions, and more of a script. "This is a Civilian Oversight Committee Official Shuttle," Mac read, "Relay code, Delta-Delta-four-zero-two. Is this a secure channel?" The pegasus reached under his desk and manipulated a hidden control. "It is now. Are the aircars ready?" Mac flipped the card over and continued reading the large, looping letters of Silver's impeccable hoofwriting. "No, they still need paint." "What color?" the Pegasus asked. "Big, bold, red," Mac answered with a smirk. "Huh, so, you're the mysterious Oversight Committee." The flight-controller scratched his cheek. "The code checks out, so we'll be routing you to the Dawnspire Military Base as requested. You can turn off the magnification now." Mac blinked. "Magnification?" "Yeah, it looks like your picture's showing up at about double size." The Pegasus shrugged. "I was told that a large, red pony would be on the COC shuttle, but this is ridiculous." Mac looked around the cabin, looking for the com-controls. "Um, computer, disable magnification?" A soft, synthetic voice answered. "Magnification reset from point-eight, to one-point-zero." "Eh, you got bigger," the pegasus mumbled. He then cleared his throat and spoke up, "I've uploaded landing coordinates, and alerted our orbital defense to stand down. You are clear for landing." The holographic display flickered away when the Pegasus signed off. Mac smiled and gave a satisfied grunt. It looked like bureaucracy hadn't changed much. Now, he just had to get Astral to land the ship, and they could start their mission. Mac opened the door to the passenger compartment. "How's that?" Twilight shouted as she rubbed her pudding coated hoof in Astral's face. She had him pinned on the ground and he was flailing about, trying to dislodge the angry alicorn. "I bet you don't feel so clever now, do you?" Mac sighed and shut the door. "Computer? Set the autopilot to land at last received coordinates." Furia was an unusual planet. For one, it was bright. Days there were sunny, but not overly hot. It was like early summer throughout the year. Its winter was the equivalent of any other planets autumn. That alone may not be odd, but it was even bright at night. Furia had no moon to explain this, nor did its atmosphere trap light. The sky was always blue, with light clouds drifting lazily away. The reason for the bright nights was clear. As in, the planet itself was clear. Technically, Furia wasn't even a planet. It was designated as a semiplanetary cluster. Usually, that term referred to conglomerations of asteroids and space debris, but Furia was a little more special than that. The original Furia was a rough planet of rock and dirt, molten core like most planets, but almost no oceans. It had a single moon, made of solid crystal, pointed and spired like some galactic sea urchin or snowflake.Somehow, the ponies of Furia were forced to live on their moon instead, and brought the dirt with them. Old Furia was now a dead lump of rock, around which, the modified crystal moon, New Furia, often just called Furia, orbited. On the surface, most of Furia looked like grassland or prairie. Given that the dirt was only a few meters deep anywhere, trees were rare. A good chunk of the planet was dedicated to the cultivation of wheat and other grains. The areas that were inhabited looked like sparse suburbs, as buildings were limited to by their foundations and could only rise a few stories, usually maxing out at three. The most striking feature though, were the crystal spires. They were scattered at random across the entire planet. Ranging from small enough to sit on, to large enough to reach past the atmosphere, there wasn't a yard, park, or farm without at least one of these spires. During the day, these spires reflected and refracted the sunlight, scattering bright spots and rainbows like glitter across every surface. At night, the spires glowed with the light captured by spires on the other side of the planet and transmitted through the translucent core. It was mid-morning now, as the shuttle craft carrying Mac and and the dueling unicorns made its descent towards the Dawnspire Orbital Defense Base. From above, it was a flat sprawl nestled between crystalline mountains, kilometers of flexcrete pads and nondescript bunkers interspersed with clusters of recreational areas, barracks, and homes. A few laser turrets and missile systems were visible, but there were probably more hidden away. There were also several ships parked on some of the landing pads. They ranged from groups of small, identical fighters, to larger destroyers and support ships. Most of them were support ships though, cargo vessels, maintenance craft, and the like. For the largest military base on the planet, it seemed rather small. That only made it much more likely that there was some sort of secret hidden beneath its appearance. Several ponies watched the shuttle as it wove its way between between the crystal spires, making its final approach. Several pegasi watched from the spires themselves as the shuttle passed them. Before long, the shuttle was hovering over the landing pad where the largest of the fighter wings rested. It landed gently, and the ponies inside prepared to exit. Mac had been able to break up the fight, and somehow, keep the two unicorns civil enough to clean up in the somewhat cramped facilities available on the small craft. Right now, Twilight was sitting on one of the bunks, digging around in her luggage. "Hey," Astral called back from near the hatch, "are you gonna be much longer?" He headed back to see what she was doing, earning a wary glance from Mac. The grey unicorn held up a hoof in a placating gesture, letting the red pony know he wouldn't start anything. He walked into the back just in time to dodge a swirl of dark, maroon cloth. "Watch it!" Twilight let out a loud, "hmph," as she threw her Luna Academy Scholar's robe on, fastening it with a large, decorative broach. "Maybe you should give other ponies a bit of privacy when they're getting dressed." "Maybe you should let other ponies know, or at least close the door when you want privacy." Astral stopped for a moment and stared at the other unicorn. After staring just long enough to make the purple mare uncomfortable, he sighed and shook his head. "You can't be serious.". He pointed at the long, flowing, maroonish-purple robe. "That is going to have every pony on the planet staring at us." Twilight looked down at her clothes. "What's wrong with this?" she asked with an irritated, indignant squeak. "I'll have you know that these robes are a symbol of heritage and tradition back on Canterlot. Wearing them is almost a status symbol." Astral raised his eyebrows and plastered a fake smile on his face. "Really? That's great... for everyone on Canterlot." He let his face slouch back to his previous, unamused expression before taking his jacket off and tossing it over her head. "We're stopping in at the next clothing store we see." Astral headed back to the hatch before Twilight could take a verbal jab of revenge, leaving her to mumble her displeasure while she changed. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Her scholarly vestments might draw some attention, especially on a world that was only recently allied to Canterlot. But, these were the only clothes she owned. Once she was finished changing into the supplied jacket, she headed up to the hatch, where Mac and Astral were waiting. Astral immediately greeted her with a question. "Now that we're here, can you tell me what our mission is? You've been tight-lipped about it until now, but I won't be much help if I don't know what I'm supposed to do." Twilight glanced at Mac, hesitant to answer. "We're... looking for somepony." Astral nodded. "Ok, who?" "A friend of mine," Twilight answered. "Okay," Astral said slowly. "Did this pony go missing or something?" "Well, not really." Twilight scratched at her neck. "Look, this may seem crazy, but Mac thinks one of the missing ponies from Cryo Ship Seven is on this planet. And, that she was somehow freed from her stasis pod." Astral raised an eyebrow. "You're right, that does sound crazy." He glanced back at Mac. "But I'm standing here talking to two five-thousand year old ponies, so it isn't crazy enough to dismiss. Who is this pony, what does he or she look like, and what makes you think she's out and about?" Twilight sighed in relief. She shouldn't have been so worried. Despite their incompatible personalities, he did agree to help after all. "Her name is Rainbow Dash. As for how she looks, think Ribbon Dancer, but a Pegasus. Also, um, Mac thinks that Ribbon is Rainbow's daughter." Astral's mouth pulled to the side as he looked back and forth between Mac and Twilight. "Any reason you didn't just ask Ribbon about this while were on Delta?" "Ah did," Mac spoke up. "She got really nervous when Ah asked, and Ah think she lied ta me." Astral crossed his hooves in front of him. "What? Are you a telepath too?" Mac blinked. "A telepath? Ya mean, like a mind-reader? Those exist?" "Yes, and Ribbon is one of them," Twilight interjected. "Astral, if Mac says somepony lied, I believe him. His sister was-" She winced and looked over at the red pony. "Is, sorry, is the element of honesty. And he has some of its power too." Astral shook his head. "I was with you until you got to elements and powers. Every time I get caught up, you throw something new at me." "Sorry," Twilight chuckled, "it's just that there's so much to explain. Anyway, the elements of harmony were a set of powerful artifact sthat were used to fight evil. There were six of them, and six bearers, each of whom held one of the elements. Sometimes, the element bearers were referred to as the elements themselves. This was mostly because it was hard to determine where the element's power ended, and the pony's power began. For example, I was the element of magic. The element itself boosted my magical abilities, but I was already one of the strongest unicorns in Equestria." "Well, aren't you humble?" Astral quipped. "So, does the phrase, 'Harmony sleeps here,' mean anything?" Twilight went silent. She stared at Astral for a moment, before shaking her head. "Not that I know of. But, where did you hear that? It sounds ominous." Astral shrugged it off. "Yeah, it does, but don't worry about it. It was just something I heard a long time ago. I'm pretty sure it can't have anything to do with those elements you were talking about." Twilight mulled it over for a little before responding. "You may be right, but I'd still like to hear more about it." "Maybe later." Astral sighed. " For now, let's focus on finding this Rainbow Dash pony. What are we looking for? I think we should start by checking some sort of public records. Maybe we can find some sort of city hall or police station." "We can try that, but official channels take time." Twilight hit the control for the hatch, letting it open while she continued. "Knowing Rainbow, all we have to do is find some sort of speed or stunt related sport. Mac, what do you think?" Mac stared out of the open hatch, squinting against the bright sunlight that streamed into the shuttle. "Ah think... Ah found her." He pointed to the fighters parked nearby, each just a little smaller than their shuttle. A group of jacketed ponies and humans loitered about among them, presumably the pilots. "What?" Twilight stepped out onto the shuttle's stairs. She lifted a hoof, shading her eyes from the sunlight so she could get a better view. Among the pilots, isolated from the others and leaning against a fighter, there was a cyan, rainbow-maned Pegasus. "It's her! Good work, Mac!" Twilight ran down the steps, and almost ran over the pony standing there. The drab green Pegasus stepped out of her way with ease, then cleared his throat to grab her attention. "You seem to be in quite the hurry." Twilight was reluctant to stop, but did so anyway. She turned and nodded to the uniformed stallion. His uniform was dotted and speckled with bars and ribbons of all colors, denoting a rather distinguished service. "I'm sorry, you must be Colonel Drench, our liaison." She gestured to the two stallions still in the shuttle. "If it's not too much trouble, could you speak with one of my associates? I saw somepony I know, an old friend I haven't seen in a while, and would like to go speak with them." The Colonel shook his head. "I'm afraid my orders were clear that I deal directly with you." A slow smile formed on his face. "That said, I won't be keeping you long. I just need to inform you of a few ground rules for your visit." He waved Astral and Mac down to join them. "As you are all no doubt aware, this is a military base. Furia has a recent history of being on the defensive side of several wars. As such, we have many military secrets that must be protected. That being said, this landing pad, and the buildings connected to it, have been cleared of any such secrets. You are free to wander this area as you see fit, and may recruit any of our personnel to serve as your guide. You also have unrestricted access to the residential areas, should you wish to speak to the civilians and family members who support our soldiers. Also, as per our agreement with Canterlot, you have access to classified area theta- two until such time as President Jones concludes his business there." Drench cleared his throat again. "All other locations on base are restricted, and you must contact either myself, My Lieutenant, Long Pass, or somepony higher up in order to gain access." He bounced his head back and forth a bit, mentally replaying what he just said. "That should cover everything." He nodded to each of them, ending with Twilight whom he also saluted. "Enjoy your visit. And enjoy your reunion with your friend." Twilight nodded deeply, just short of a bow. "Thank you, Colonel. I am sure I will." Drench gave one last nod before walking off. Twilight waited patiently as he did so, maintaining a dignified pose as the Colonel headed towards the largest of the nearby buildings. Once he was far enough away, she threw dignity to the wind and broke into a flat out run towards the fighters. Mac and Astral followed behind at a steady gallop, but Twilight quickly pulled ahead of them. Rainbow was still in the same spot, leaned up against the sleek, angular starfighters. But, the other pilots were now standing around her in a loose circle. As Twilight approached, one of the pilots walked up to her and said something. Twilight was a bit too far away to make it out, but she did hear the response. "Go soak your head, Soaker." Twilight almost collapsed on the spot. It was Rainbow's voice, the same husky waver she remembered. It was a bit deep, like she just woke up from a nap, but it was, without a doubt, Rainbow Dash's voice. "Maybe you ought to go soak your hooves!" The other pony yelled back. He was a Pegasus too. A young stallion with a warm tan coat and a mane the same color as Colonel Drench. By the time Twilight reached the outside of the ring of pilots, Soaker was standing snout-to-snout with Rainbow. "Or maybe," the sandy stallion said in a quiet suggestive voice, "I should go soak your sister's?" Twilight stared in shock as the pony she thought was Rainbow Dash swung her hoof at Soaker's face. The pony's whole body swung with it, creating one giant motion just slow enough to see, but way too fast to react to. The strike connected with a meaty thud, flooring, then rolling the tan stallion across the flexcrete. "What did I tell you about staying away from Ribbon?" The standing Pegasus screamed at his fallen opponent. Twilight stared at him. Him! It was a colt! The mane, the coat, and even the voice should have belonged to her friend, but here was this young stallion instead. He was the same size as Rainbow too, and his cutie mark was a tri-tone lightning bolt, just like hers, but without the cloud, and with a red cross shape behind it. The rainbow colt advanced on Soaker, only stopping when he was standing over the other stallion. "Harass me if you have to, but leave my sister out of it!" Now that they were close, Twilight realized that this colt was the smallest pony here. He was wearing the same uniform as the rest, but he was younger than anypony around him by at least a few years. Even the stallion that had been knocked down had several centimeters, and more than a few kilograms over him. If a fight broke out, his odds didn't look good. The grounded Pegasus propped himself up on one front hoof, and motion to his fellow pilots with the other. "Get him!" As they all rushed forward, the brightly colored colt stomped on the sand-colored stallion's leg like he was stepping on a twig. The bone inside snapped with a plain, simple cracking noise that stopped the other pilots in their tracks. It took Soaker a second to realize what happened, to register the pain that suddenly appeared. But when it did, he started screaming, clutching at the injured limb and writhing on the ground. The other pilots backed away, just as an alarm klaxon sounded, most likely reacting to the screaming. A harsh voice sounded over a loudspeaker. "MP's responding to fighter wing zero's ready area. All personnel remain where you are. Attempting to leave will result in mandatory three day confinement." "Aw man," the rainbow Pegasus groaned, sounding almost bored. "Don't they have anything better to do than micro-manage us? I would have patched him up eventually." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked around at the nervous faces of the other pilots. "Hey, don't get scared now. You guys started it." One of the human pilots took half a step forward, pointing at the colt. "You aren't even supposed to be here! You're not a pilot!" "Yeah, you freak!" One of the other pilots, a unicorn, added. "You're barely even a pony!" "One of these days..." The human crossed his arms. "A weapon you can't control isn't worth keeping around." "Ha!" The colt shrugged. "You mean me? I guess I shouldn't bother patching you guys up then. I'll let one of the other doctors take care of all those injuries you have." The human and the unicorn exchanged confused glances. "But, we're not-" The colt launched himself forward, headbutting the human in the stomach and knocking him back. As soon as the human hit the ground, the colt was on top of him, swinging at his pointy, weak-looking nose. The human's left hand knocked the hoof off target as his right hand clenched around the pony's throat. Then, he used his left to grab the colt's mane and twisted, pulling him off and forcing him to the ground. The situation was quickly reversed, with the human pilot kneeling over the colt and raining down punches. His hands may not have been as hard as hooves, but his fists made up for it with dexterity and speed, easily slipping past any attempt the colt made at defense. Giving up on protecting his face, the colt grabbed the human by midsection. He then pushed against the ground with one of his wings, knocking them both sideways. As soon as the Human's weight was off of him, he curled his hind legs under him and kicked out, shoving the other pilot away. The colt scrambled to his hooves just in time to see a bright light fly towards his head. He blindly jerked away from it, reacting on instinct, and it flew past him. The fireball impacted the nearest fighter with a clang, leaving a small circular scorch mark in the paint. Still off balance, the colt wasn't able to dodge the second fireball the unicorn launched. Rather than take the hit, the colt smacked at it with his wing, deflecting the fireball up and over him for the price of a few scorched feathers. But, that knocked him even more of balance, and he fell over. Before he could get up, a third fireball was launched by the triumphant looking unicorn. The colt threw a hoof over his face and braced himself for an impact that never came. After a few seconds, he looked up. The unicorn was staring in horror at his own fireball. It hovered in place, growing larger, hotter, and angrier as a purple mare in a tattered jacket stomped into the middle of the fight. "All of you, cut this out now!" She stopped next to the fireball, which was now burning blue and white, instead of its original orange and red. "What the hay are you even fighting about?" The human stood up. "None of your business, bi-" A small glob of flame, barely larger than a spitball, broke off from the main fireball and shot itself at the ground in front him. When it hit, it exploded into a typhoon of oppressive heat that blasted his hair back and tore at his clothes. "Don't finish that," the mare said calmly. The fireball beside her glowed white now, almost too bright too look at. It radiated an intense heat that pushed the pilots back. The only pony that dared approach her was a red earth pony that none of the pilots recognized. "Twi?" He shouted over the now howling heat wind surrounding her. "Don't ya think yer overdoin' it a little?" "No," she shouted back, "why?" Another pony walked towards her, a grey unicorn. "Why?" He asked incredulously. "This is a military base, you moron! This could be considered an act of war!" He shielded his face as the fireball drifted towards him. "Will you get rid of that thing?" The purple mare snorted and flicked her head away from the unicorn. At the same time, the fireball shattered into a swirl of embers that slowly faded. "Happy?" she asked in a mocking tone. The grey unicorn pointed over his shoulder at an open top hovercar that was screaming towards them. "Why don't you ask them?" The military vehicle was painted in a streaked camo pattern befitting the grassland that covered most of Furia. Light greens and tans scratched on with lots of vertical lines. The uniforms of the ponies and people riding it were similar in color, but with the addition of bold letters marking, "Internal Security," across their helmets and body armor. The hovercar pulled up to the middle of the crowd, and the only unarmored pony in it, Colonel Drench, stepped out. He walked up to Twilight, giving her an icy stare as the security personnel filed out behind him and started rounding up the pilots. "For a Civilian, the Committee sure sent out a capable combat unicorn." Twilight stared back. "I'm just good with fire based spells. Lots of unicorns are, including the pilot who launched that fireball in the first place." The Colonel's eyes went wide and his lip twitched as he muttered a curse under his breath. "He launched it at you?" Twilight shook her head. She then pointed at the rainbow colored colt, whom she noticed was the only pony besides the three of them that the security guards were leaving alone. "He was the intended target." Drench let out a strangled sigh, somewhere between relief and frustration. "Well, I apologize for the behavior of these pilots. Fighter wing zero consists of the top talent, and sometimes it goes to their heads. They don't always consider the consequences of their off-duty actions." One of the security guards helped the injured pegasus pilot, Soaker, towards the Colonel. "Sir, this one wishes to speak to you." Drench looked down at the pilot and brought a hoof to his face. "Leave him," he said with a irritated sigh. The MP nodded and went back to work gathering the other pilots. This left Soaker to hobble towards the Colonel on three legs. "Dad-" "No!" Drench stomped his hoof. "Don't pull that routine on me now. What were you thinking? Picking another fight with him. They almost kicked you out last time. You may be the best fighter pilot we have, but that doesn't mean squat compared to June Bug. You'll be lucky to stay out of prison this time." The Colonel shot an angry look at the Rainbow colt. The young Pegasus hadn't gotten up since being knocked over and was just staring up at the sky. "And you! Stay in your designated area next time!" He gave a sloppy salute to the whispy clouds above. "Yes, sir. Whatever you say, sir. It will be my pleasure, sir." He rolled over and put his hooves under his head. "I'm gonna take a nap now." Colonel Drench grit his teeth to keep from growling at the brash Pegasus. "Get out of here! Go home, and stay there until you receive orders!" The colt stood up with pained groan. "Ok, I'll go." He wiped a hoof at his bloody nose, one of the many leftovers from his fight with the human pilot. "Beats staying here." Twilight watched in confusion as the colt started to walk stiffly away. "Wait, you're arresting them, but just letting him go?" The colt looked back with a laugh. "He doesn't have much of a choice. Trust me, if he had his way, I would have been thrown in the brig a long time ago." Mac walked over to Colonel Drench. "If ya don't mind mah askin’, what is June Bug? A unicorn named Ribbon Dancer told us it was her mother's name." The colt stopped walking and eyed the three Civilians carefully. "How do you know my sister?" Before they could answer, Drench started giving hoof signals to the MP's, signaling for them to take his son and the other pilots away. "Get them out of here!" He waited until the hovercar pulled away before speaking again. "Project June Bug is our orbital defense system. It's kept our planet safe for the last three decades, and the only reason I can tell you any of this is because the program is being retired in a few days. I was under the impression that was why the COC was here in the first place. To oversee cooperation between Furia and Canterlot during the installation of our new orbital defenses." "It seems my briefing was incomplete," Twilight said. "It sounds like the June Bug program was quite an effective one. Why is it being retired?" "Reliability issues," Drench said, staring at the colt. Twilight glanced back at the multi-hued Pegasus. "What is his connection to the program?" The colt started laughing. Connection, nothing." He gave a large introductory bow, sweeping his wing in front of him for a flourish. "Radio Dancer, June Bug Orbital Defense System, at your service." Drench let out a loud, weary sigh. "Thankfully, only for the next few days." He turned and started walking in the direction the aircar left in. "He can fill you in, and his father can tell you more about the project's history. Just remember that it is classified and not to be discussed with anypony besides your superiors." Left alone among the starfighters, Astral, Mac, and Twilight all stared at the battered Pegasus standing with them. "How is it?" Radio asked with a lopsided grin. "First time seeing a pony super weapon? Not what you'd expect, huh?" Twilight shook her head sadly. "No, I can't say it is. But I have seen ponies used as weapons before, and I've learned that it is rarely ever by choice." The Pegasus looked at the ground, letting his smile fade. "Aren't you a sharp one?" He sighed quietly. "You met my sister, right? Well, if I don't serve as the defense system, they revoke her passport. Her dream of becoming a doctor, seeing the galaxy, and becoming a worlds-class boxer all goes up in a puff of rainbow colored smoke. She'd probably end up a nurse at some dead-end military installation here on Furia." "That's terrible." Twilight moved a little closer to the colt. "Why would they do that?" "Why would they protect the fifty million ponies on this rock?" Radio shrugged. "The real question is why would they care about just one?" He looked up at Twilight. "And another question is why are you hiding your wings?" Twilight was taken aback, but Astral started laughing. "Who were you just saying was the sharp one here?" Radio pointed at the jacket. "That obviously belongs to you," he told Astral. "And this isn't the first time I've seen a winged unicorn. Or a horned Pegasus, whichever you want to call it." Astral stopped laughing rather suddenly. "Where did you see that?" If the colt was surprised by Astral's sudden change in expression, he didn't show it. "Maternity ward," he answered. "When I'm not knocking ships out of the sky, I'm a medic. I helped deliver the little guy." He snickered. "You should have seen the look on the parents' faces." He straightened up and looked each of the other ponies in the eye. "So, that's me, the teenaged superweapon. Who are all of you?" Twilight brought a hoof to her chest. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, and these two are Astral Plane and Big Macintosh." Radio smiled. "I can guess which one's which." Twilight nodded. "I'm sure. Anyway, I'm looking for a friend of mine. She happens to look a lot like you. Her name is Rainbow Dash." Radio went quiet. He stared off to the side for a while before he started walking away. "Come on. You're gonna want to talk to my dad." "S-so, you do know her?" Twilight asked cautiously. "Is she related to you?" The colt clenched his teeth. "Talk to my dad," he ground out. "I'll bring you, just talk to him." Twilight exchanged nervous glances with Mac before following the colt in silence. And, as she walked, she felt a cold pit of dread form in the bottom her stomach. After an hour's walk, the four ponies found themselves in a residential area. One and two story houses littered the roadways, scattered among small restaurants and shops. To Twilight, it was like walking through the past. Except for the tall grass that grew everywhere, it was like walking through Ponyville. The sight of happy families playing in their yards, the scent of fresh cakes and breads drifting from nearby bakeries, the feel of gravel road beneath her hooves, it was like a cruel joke at her her expense. She stopped when she felt something push on her shoulder. She looked over to see Astral resting a hoof on her shoulder. The unicorn was looking out at the peaceful neighborhood much like she was. "I bet this reminds you of what you lost. But you should try to remember every pony you see, me included, means that you were successful. Your Cryo ships saved the most important part of your planet." Astral started walking again. "Let's go, we're falling behind." Twilight wiped a tear from her face and started walking, muttering under her breath, "You idiot. Why do you have to know exactly what to say?" "I heard that." Astral chuckled. "Oh!" He pointed up ahead where Mac and Radio were stopped in front of a simple two-story house. "Looks like we made it." The Pegasus waited by the front door until everypony was together. Then, he put his hoof on the scanner below the doorknob, waited for the click, and opened the door. "Ah, Radio," called a voice from inside, "you're home early again. Should I get the first aid kit ready?" "Hey, I recognize that voice," Astral whispered to Twilight. "It's Ribbon's father, the doctor who patched me up back on Delta." "Who would have guessed?" Twilight asked sarcastically. "Her father just so happens to her brother's father too? How shocking." The grey unicorn groaned quietly. "I only pointed it out to let you know that he was being straightforward with us, and that this probably isn't a trick or a trap." At that moment, a Frisbee descended upon Astral, landing on his horn and spinning there until exhausting its momentum. A small earth pony foal, maybe four or five years old, called out to him from the next yard behind a white picket fence. "Sssorry, missster!" The young colt's words whistled through the gap of a missing tooth. "Can we have our frisssbee back?" A Pegasus colt, a few years older than the earth pony, called out from a low hanging cloud. "Yeah, we'll be more careful with it this time." While Astral sighed, Twilight picked up the plastic disc and tossed it up to the pegasus. This earned an enthusiastic shout of, "Nice throw, lady!" from each of the colts. Twilight shook her head at Astral. "I kind of got that it wasn't a trap." Radio stood just inside the door, staring at them. "Are you coming in? Or should I shut the door?" Astral and Twilight exchanged glance, muttered their apologies, and hurried in, all to the tune of the rainbow colt's laughter. "I can't blame you though. The weather's great as usual. If I could, I'd be out there playing with Mud and Cirrus right now." The house was as plain on the inside as it was on the outside. Hardwood floors and sparse furniture set the tone. There was a kitchen across from the entryway, and a sitting area off to the right, both connected to a large main room. A dark hallway led from the main room to the rest of the house. A single cloud chair sat in one of the corner of the main room, surrounded by large medical texts and a few data pads. Off to the left was a solid wall, even though the exterior of the house would suggest a room. "Radio? Who are you talking to?" Asked a voice from beyond the hallway. "Did you bring somepony home?" "Yeah, dad, I did." The colt scratched at his cheek, wincing at the pain from the bruises. "I should have told you we'd have guests, but some, uh, stuff happened on base, and I kind of had to leave." "Meaning, you got into another fight." The voice sighed. "So, who are the guests?" Radio shrugged. "I'm not sure, but they know about mom. And, I think-" "Get away from them!" There was a crash and the sound of frantic hooves scrambling down a flight of stairs. A faint glow appeared in the hallway, and it quickly grew brighter as the thunder of hooves grew louder. Rock Duster, the earth pony surgeon, charged into the main room, swirling with magic. It made Astral's coat stand on end. Pure, unrestrained magic, like static in the air. It rose off of the blue stallion like florescent steam, and his eyes shone pure white with it. Astral could feel the strength, the raw power, behind this magic. It was something he had experienced before. Most recently, when Twilight had gotten angry Celestia. For the first time, when similar power was used to decimate Serus. Radio leapt in front of him, hoping to stop his charge. "Dad! Wait!" Rock Duster jumped over his son with ease, brushing the ceiling and aiming his pounce for Twilight. Astral launched himself forward to tackle Twilight out of the way. Then, time itself seemed to slow down. Everypony was still moving, just at a fraction of the speed they were. The charging stallion fell from his leap at a snail's pace, as if he was suspended in liquid and sinking slowly. His son, caught mid-turn, pivoted at the same speed, barely fast enough to even notice the motion. Astral and Mac were the same, both pushing forward to protect Twilight, both caught in whatever temporal quicksand engulfed the room. Astral wanted to scream. Whatever was happening, it was only slowing down his body. His mind was still running at it's normal pace. He could register everything that was happening. He could hear Radio's molasses-like yell, see that Mac's aim was to intercept the attacking pony, and feel every muscle in his body refuse to respond to his commands. Twilight was the only one unaffected. She removed Astral's jacket and strode forward, taking flight to hover in front of the charged earth pony. She touched a hoof to his chest, and time seemed to speed up again. The magic that surrounded Rock Duster migrated to her, swirling violently with purpose now that it was under the command of somepony that could control it. Astral crashed to the ground where Twilight had been standing. Mac landed just a little in front of him. And Radio finished his turn, shout dying in his throat as he processed what happened. Rock Duster hung in the air in front of Twilight, suspended by what was now her magic. Glowing vapor no longer escaped him, and his eyes had returned to normal. Twilight let herself land, gently lowering him to the ground with her. "Please," she asked as the swirling energy faded, "will you hear us out?" "Dad," Radio said quietly, "I think it's them." He walked over to the cloud chair and dug a small, black box out from under it. After few seconds of rooting around in that box, he removed several pieces of paper. "Look, in mom's pictures. It's her, the red one too. The grey one isn't though." Astral climbed up off the floor and retrieved his jacket, tossing it over his shoulder. "You know, I have a name." Rock Duster backed away from Twilight. Without taking his eyes off of her, he made his way to his son. When he looked over at the pictures, his breath caught. With a shaky hoof, he took the old photos and looked through them. "It's been so long since I looked through these, I had almost forgotten. She always said you would come for her, that you would find her." He dumped the pictures back in the box and sat down on the floor, leaning against the cloud chair. "If only you'd come sooner..." He pulled something else out of the box, a thin chain, bearing a pair of dog tags. "If only..." He curled a hoof around the dog tags and brought his head down to meet it, choking out a pained sob. Radio took half a step towards his weeping father. "Dad, maybe they can help." He chewed his lip to keep his emotions in check. If he didn't, he knew he would break down even worse. "You remember what mom said about the princesses? How powerful they are?" The colt looked over at Twilight. "Couldn't they do something?" "Wait. S-slow down." Twilight swallowed dryly. It couldn't be, not now. "What happened to Rainbow Dash?" A single tear fell from Radio's eye as he walked to the wall. "Mom... She saved me." He kicked the baseboard and a section of the wall flickered. He kicked it again and a holographic section of it disappeared, revealing a doorway to an adjoining room. "Ten years ago, a ship appeared. It came out of slipstream and headed straight for Furia. It was disabled by our orbital defense, the prismatic ion dispersion system, what mom called a sonic rainboom. After that, it crashed into one of the spires high in the atmosphere." Radio walked into the room, motioning for Twilight to follow him. "Scans of it showed that there were no life signs on the ship, and that there weren't any since it entered the system. Mom and I were the only ones that could fly high enough to reach it. But, mom was tired from knocking out the ship, so I volunteered to go. She never would have let me do it, so she wasn't told. A General gave me some instructions, told me what to look for, and I was sent up alone. It was just a scouting mission, so all I had was a radio and a holorecorder." He walked over to another wall at the end of this room, and set his hoof against it. "When she found out, mom was furious. I heard she gave the General a black eye before coming up after me. When she got there, she was exhausted. I had never seen her so tired before. That was when we found out that the scans were wrong." A scanner embedded under the wall beeped in response to Radio's presence, and the wall slid down, revealing a storage space. Inside, there were two Cryo storage chambers. "There was some sort of monster on that ship. It attacked us." Radio walked up to one of the chambers and rested a clenched hoof against it. "Mom shot it so many times, but it just wouldn't stop. We had no choice but to run. While we were running, we found this Cryo chamber. It was empty at the time, so mom wanted to seal me in it, said it would protect me. But, before we could do anything, that monster was on us again." Radio was crying as he ran a hoof over the chamber. "I don't know how she did it, but she fought and killed that thing. Only, she sacrificed herself to do it.". The colt squeezed his eyes shut. "She was so hurt. Her blood was everywhere. I don't know how she even stayed standing." His eyes snapped open, and he pulled his hoof away from the chamber like he was pulling himself out of a memory. "She was dying. I knew it. No pony could survive what happened to her, so I sealed her in here." He backed away from it and fell into a sitting position. "I didn't know if it would work, but there was nothing else I could do. She was still talking to me as I was closing the lid. 'You know I'll always...'" Radio shook his head. "That was as far as she got. It sealed before she could finish." He gestured to a pile of pads and, papers and computer chips nearby. "It worked. She's still alive, and those are the catalogues of all her injuries and exactly what needs to be done for her to survive." He slammed his hoof on the floor. "But we can't do any of it. According to the data collected when mom was unfrozen the first time, she wouldn't survive being thawed, never mind the surgery." Twilight said nothing throughout the colt's explanation. She just stared at the storage chamber. She had failed. She promised to find her friends, and she had already failed. The purple mare walked up to the chamber and leaned up against it. She stared at nothing, too shocked to even cry. "I'm sorry," she whispered into the cold, hard metal shell, "I'm so sorry." She sat there, head against the chamber for nearly a minute before Radio said, "That's why, we have to do the surgery first." "What?" Twilight lifted her head to look at the colt. "You can do that? Y-you can save her?" "No." A slightly more composed Rock Duster walked into the room wearing Rainbow's dog tags. He walked up to Twilight and transferred them to her. "Not yet, anyway." He sat down next to the storage chamber. "Using my wife's original storage chamber, we've been running experiments, trying to figure a way to perform surgery inside these things. Obviously, we haven't gotten it to work. Once you disable the pod's security system, you can teleport things into the chamber. But you can't teleport things out without disrupting the power system. The same thing happens if you try to magically manipulate objects inside. The only thing that hasn't caused problems is using a very specific radio frequency to control electromechanical surgical tools. But the technology just doesn't fit. These chambers are too small, and the tools we need are too large." The stallion sighed and looked over at his son. "We've been working on it, but it may be years, even decades before we can get the equipment down to the right size... if at all." As Twilight turned the dog tags over in her hoof, a sobering realization hit her. "The pod. You said it was empty." "Yes," Rock Duster answered. "Rainbow told me about Equestria, and what happened there, so I assumed the same thing you are now. That there was somepony from Equestria on that ship." He picked up one of the data pads. "This is a set of records from the forensic examination of that ship. Using my position at the time, I was able to examine all of the remains found. I secretly scanned everything, including blood stains and the creature's stomach contents for the unique trace radiation we found on Rainbow. The only place I found any was on a few hairs caught in the hinge of the Cryo storage chamber." Twilight nearly threw herself at the blue stallion, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Please," she nearly shouted, "you have to tell me everything you can. I already failed Rainbow, I can't let down any more of my friends. I can't-" Something pulled her back. "Twi, calm down." Astral let go of her and addressed the earth pony. "Any chance I can get my hooves on that ship's navigation logs?" Rock Duster offered Astral the pad he held. "It's all on there. Computer records, crew and cargo manifests, navigation, even the contents of the black box. Though, most of the information is cryptic at best. The ship seemed to belong to a Curaxxan smuggling group. They only kept records of the last three planets they visited." The grey unicorn took the pad. "Thanks. If nothing else, this will give us a place to start looking." "Good. I always wanted to go check out those planets myself, but Furia is an isolated planet that isn't affiliated with the galactic assembly or the dragon lords. It's hard to go anywhere besides Canterlot or Klagh on civilian authorization. That, and trying to get military authorization to recon some random planet on the off chance that one of my wife's friends are there almost got me put on psych leave." Astral nodded and looked down at the pad. "I can see how that might not make sense to some ponies." "Well, here's something that doesn't make sense to me." Rock duster picked up a small chrome-colored device from among the pads and ran it over Astral's hoof. "What's your stake in all this?" Astral dropped the pad and pulled his hoof back, thoroughly checking it over. "What did you do?" The doctor checked the tiny, circular readout on the device's end. "I just scanned you. You don't share rainbow's trace radiation marker." He held the device out towards Twilight. "May I?" The purple alicorn lifted her hoof and nodded. "Go ahead." "Oh, sure." Astral rolled his eyes while he smoothed out the ruffled fur on his hoof. "You ask her." After checking the readout, Rock Duster set the scanner down. "She shares the radiation trace. And, I'm willing to bet that the earth pony out there does as well." Astral crossed his hooves in front of him. "Yeah, they're both from an ancient civilization that no longer exists, like your wife. If you would have asked, I could have told you that I'm from a modern civilization that no longer exists." Rock Duster mirrored Astral's pose. "Again, I ask, what is your stake in all this?" With a sigh, the unicorn uncrossed his legs and waved a hoof at Twilight. "I'm a freelancer, a pilot-for-hire. I'm helping her find her friends because she doesn't know anypony that can fly the state of the art luxury shuttle she somehow owns. I don't know why. I don't know for how long. And, I don't even know if I'm going to get paid for any of it." He glanced over at Twilight and saw that she was smiling at him. He smiled back. "I should also mention that I'm doing all this despite the fact that she tried to kill me." As Twilight's smile disappeared, Astral slowly added, "Repeatedly," enunciating every syllable. With a smug grin on his face, Astral looked back at Rock Duster. He was then tossed across the room by a lavender wave of energy. He ended up upside down against a bookshelf. He laughed, looked over at the confused father and son, and pointed at Twilight. "See?" To Radio's surprise, Rock Duster started laughing. "You two remind me of me and Rainbow, back when we first met." "What?" Astral was still propped wrong way up against the bookcase. "She tried to kill you too?" The blue stallion shrugged. "Maybe not kill, but by the time we got hitched, she had knocked out four of my teeth." He smiled wide, pointing at what seemed to be a full set of teeth. "Luckily, they keep growing back, cause she took out two more on our honeymoon night. By accident, of course, but it still hurt." He sighed, still smiling at the memories, and looked down at the cryo-chamber. His smile slowly faded. "Say, could you two do me a favor? Not just me, but Rainbow too." Astral flipped himself upright. "That depends on what it is." Rock Duster nodded towards his son. "Take him with you. When you go searching the galaxy for the rest of Ponyville, he can help. He's a trained soldier, a full-fledged doctor, and-" "Dad!" Radio shook his head. "I can't leave! You of all ponies should know that. What would happen to Ribbon? She's finally free, we can't risk that." "We don't have to, son." He gave a light smile. "While I was in the Canterlot system, I took some precautions. I didn't tell either of you, but there was a reason I pushed for Ribbon to take that internship on Canter Station Delta. I knew it would be hard for her to adjust to such a crowded place, but it was important for her to be there. Two days ago, without the knowledge of the Furian Government, I finalized the paperwork. Ribbon is now a political refugee." Radio stared at his dad in stunned silence for a moment. "A political... you mean..." The colt started laughing. "She doesn't have to come back? Ever? Dad, that's great!" He ran up and hugged his father. "Why didn't you tell me?" Rock Duster returned the hug, ruffling his son's mane with a hoof. "Because, I wanted to keep you from doing something stupid." Radio pulled back. "What do you mean?" The stallion left his hoof on his son's head. "Think about it. Ribbon's free, nothing you do can be used against her anymore. What are you going to tomorrow morning?" Radio blinked. There had been so many times he had thought about what he would do in this situation, but he never considered that it would actually happen. "I guess I'd report for duty like normal." A lopsided grin formed on the colt's face as he thought about it. "Then, when General Cube makes his inspection rounds, I'd salute that bastard for the first time and bash his teeth in with that stupid coffee mug he always carries around." Rock duster sighed and patted the colt on the head. "You are your mother's son." "Oh." Radio looked away. "That's why you didn't tell me." "It doesn't matter now." Rock Duster looked over at Astral and Twilight. "I filed paperwork for you, too. If these ponies will take you with them, you and Ribbon can both be free. As soon as you enter Canterlot, or an allied system, you'll be safe." Radio shook his dad's hoof off. "What about you? How will you get away?" Rock Duster shrugged. "I don't think I will." Radio nearly exploded. "What?!" He spun his father around by the shoulder, forcing the stallion to face him. "How can you be so calm about that?! This is treason just discussing it! If you stay here, they'll-" "They'll what?" Rock Duster shouted. "Kill me? Then they lose everything related to project June Bug, the Despereaux Initiative, and the Trifecta therapy." He pointed at the Cryo chamber. "Force me to open that? They know I'd rather die than put your mom at risk." He put his hooves on Radio's shoulders. "Listen, even during the worst of the war, Furia tried to keep it's honor. We had our dark spots, and I was in the middle of them. Even then, we didn't resort to the torture or other horrors that our enemy stooped to, so I don't think it'll start during times of peace. The worst thing they can do to me is lock me up. It's the same thing as now, just with a few less medical conferences and vacation days." Radio backed down, shaking his head as tears ran down his face. "No. Dad, if you do that, we'll never see you again. We already lost mom, we can't lose you, too. I-" The colt brought a hoof to his chest. "I can live with taking orders the rest of my life, if it means keeping the three of us together." "What else can I do?" Rock Duster asked. "Rainbow and I fought for Furia's freedom for years. We never dreamed that freedom would be denied to our children." With a sad smile, he added, "and we'll never get a better chance than this. With everypony focused on President Jones' visit, and the installation of the new defenses, you might be able to slip away." "Wait." Twilight started putting Astral's jacket on. "There might be another way. I need to use a com-panel, now." Astral walked over to her. "I saw one in the kitchen, but what are you planning?" "I'm not planning anything." Twilight winked at him before leaving the room. "I'm just making a call, or did you forget our cover mission?" "How could I forget?" He tossed a hoof up in frustration. "You haven't told me a damn thing about it." Astral shook his head and looked back at the tearful father and son. "I don't know what she's doing, but she must have some sort of idea. In the meantime, can you answer a few questions? Just for my own curiosity?" Rock Duster nodded slowly. "Yes, of course. Feel free to ask whatever you wish." "Three questions." Astral pointed at the storage chamber. "I was told those things were impossible to open without a code or a specific genetic signature. How did you get around that?" He shifted his hoof to Rock Duster himself. "How in the hell were you glowing earlier? That felt like unicorn magic going haywire, plus that cloud chair supported your weight when you leaned against it." The unicorn kept tracking across to Radio. "And, why do both your kids have minor superpowers?" The blue stallion took a relaxed breath before responding. "Three questions, but they all share the same answer. Those three military projects I mentioned earlier, June Bug, Despereaux, and Trifecta, are all related, and generally referred to as June Bug. It didn't start that way, though. June Bug was the code given to a project dedicated to understanding what we believed to be an ancient superweapon. Despereaux was a planetary shielding plan based on crystal resonance using magic and the spires that cover the planet. Trifecta was our super soldier program." Rock Duster shrugged. "That superweapon was just a Cryogenic storage chamber, but we didn't know that. I was lead medical specialist on Trifecta at the time, and one of the technicians on June Bug came to me with an analysis of the pod's locking mechanism. He wasn't able to directly bypass it, but he was able to find out what the scanner was looking for. Kind of like knowing what shape a key needs to be to open a lock." He ran a hoof back through his pale white mane as he continued. "As it turned out, the scanner was looking for a genetic signature, a very specific one. Combining that analysis with my own research allowed me to complete the gene therapy for the super soldier program. I'll give you one guess who patient zero was." Astral nodded. "You?" Rock Duster nodded back. "Yes. But, it nearly killed me. A forcible rewriting of my genetic structure, I guess you could say that it did kill me. I ceased to be the pony I was, and became this one. I am now, genetically at least, all three types of pony. I possess Unicorn and Pegasus magic and abilities, but I am limited by what I can control as an earth pony." The stallion flexed his hoof. "Despite what stories, movies, and games might tell you, one super soldier isn't enough to win a war. Make a dent, maybe. But we needed more." He gestured towards Rainbow's pod. "Fortunately, we still had June Bug. I was given a little time to recover, then I was transferred to that project, with Trifecta being shelved indefinitely." "Guys!" Twilight called from the other room, "Hurry up, get in here." All three ponies in the room exchanged glances before moving to obey the summons. As they left the room, Rock Duster walked up beside Astral. "Long story short, I'm a genetically engineered super soldier. I was able revive Rainbow because her chamber's lock responded to that. She posessed some sort of ancient magic which worked for our shields. As for the kids, super-soldierness seems to be hereditary, as was Rainbow's temper, excitability, and athleticism." He quietly added, "Luckily for the galaxy, Ribbon didn't get the temper." They walked into the other room and into the rather pitiful kitchen with Astral trying to imagine Ribbon, pissed and ready to take on the universe. As he stepped over empty ramen cups, he had to admit, it was way too easy. The unicorn shook himself from his musings and turned his attention to Twilight and the high quality holographic projection she was facing. Mac was off to the side, quietly watching the display in awe. It was a countertop projection, so the pony it displayed was rather tiny, only a few dozen centimeters tall. But the quality more than made up for the size, displaying every detail in full color with minimal flicker. "Who's this?" he asked, nodding to the old pegasus being displayed. His heavily decorated uniform was covered in medals and ribbons, some of which looked hoof-made. "Seems like some sort of big shot." The holographic pony stiffened, raising his nose in the air. "That must be your pilot. He seems to be a consummate professional." There was a long pause and the Pegasus reached a hoof beyond the range of his holocam. After a second, the projection substituted a flayed, rotting limb, like a zombie's, prompting snickers from a certain Pegasus colt. The computer-generated hoof disappeared when he brought his real hoof back within range holding a coffee mug. "He reminds me of somepony." "That's General Cube," Radio whispered to Astral. He then trotted over to Twilight and ducked his head in front of hers. "Yo, fatso, you know that coffee mug doesn't really fool anypony, right?" With a groan of disgust, the holographic pony backed up far enough to earn an undead flank. "Why do you have to be here?" "He does have a point though." The hologram expanded, adding a few other ponies, and one large, white gryphon to the countertop. Coriander Jones playfully poked at the old Pegasus's uniform, pulling his claw back in surprise when one of the medals popped off like a busted spring. "About the mug, not the fatso part. Whiskey still smells like whiskey, no matter the container." He thoughtfully scratched at his beak. "I should use that in my next speech." He looked back at one of the other ponies, a familiar Pegasus in a suit. " Jasper! When's my next speaking engagement?" With a sigh, holographic Jasper adjusted his glasses. "That depends. If you can focus long enough to conclude this treaty, you'll be addressing the ponies of Furia tomorrow evening. If not, you won't have a public appearance for nearly a month." Jones nodded sagely. "We better get this settled then." He stepped forward, his hologram stopping at the edge of the counter. "So, Cutie, how about you give us the COC's preliminary report? Any objections to them becoming an ally of Canterlot?" Twilight leveled her eyebrows at the regal gryphon. "How many times have I asked you to stop calling me that?" He shrugged in response. "Are you asking me to stop now?" "Yes," she responded quickly, barely letting him finish. "Seventeen." Jones laughed. "I'll stop calling you that when you stop being cute. But, we should probably get back to the matter at claw, hoof, hand, or whatever. What is the COC's recommendation?" Twilight sighed and straightened up. "There hasn't been enough time to conduct a full investigation. The schedule we were given barely makes it possible to investigate at all. In my opinion, the Furian leadership planned it that way." Jones glanced over at the General. "This whole process does seem sort of rushed. And where is Rock Duster? I was looking forward to meeting with him again." "Hold on." Radio adjusted a dial on the com-panel that was built into the counter. The holograms all looked right and left, apparently reacting to the appearance of other holograms on their end. "How's that? Can you see us all?" "Yes." General cube pointed off to the side. "But what is the deal with you and messing with holograms? Turn the magnification on that red pony down!" Jasper calmly walked over to the general. "Sir, there is no magnification. I can personally verify that the COC team is being displayed properly." Jones played them no mind as he waved to Rock Duster. "It's been a while, old friend. I heard you weren't able to make the treaty negotiations due to a family emergency. Has everything been resolved?" Twilight cut in before the blue stallion could answer. "Actually, that's part of what I'd like to report. In the limited time I've had, I've managed to learn a little about the previous orbital defense system. What I've learned brings up several questions, and casts serious doubt on whether or not we can trust the Furian government." "That's not exactly a glowing recommendation." The gryphon scratched his chest and sighed. "I was honestly expecting better. Cube? Care to explain? Take the chance to come clean before your planet's dirty laundry is laid out for you." The General drained his coffee mug. "She is most likely referring to the plan to keep Project June Bug active as a backup until the new system is successfully tested in a real-life situation." As he contemplated his now-empty glass, he added, "I should have known that would come back to bite us. Everything about that program does... damn colt had to take after his mother." Jones looked back and forth between Cube and Twilight."I must be missing something. Keeping a backup weapon is usually a good idea." Twilight shook her head. "Not when that weapon is a teenaged colt who is being controlled by threats against his family's freedom." The gryphon looked at Radio. "Are you the colt in question, son?" The colt nodded. "Yes, sir." With a nod in Twilight's direction, Jones asked, "Is what she said true?" The colt nodded again. The gryphon pulled general Cube to the side. "Care to explain this? Canterlot only extended this offer because we believed Furia to be a forthcoming and honest society, one which shared the values and belief in freedom that we hold dear. Now, we find out you've basically been holding an entire family hostage? Any other secrets I should know about?" Cube ground his teeth for a moment before answering quietly, "June Bug is not one of our proudest moments, but we were in the middle of losing a war when the original June Bug fell into our laps. We took advantage of the card we were dealt. What else could we have done?" The general glanced over at Radio and his dad. "We did our best to ensure that the mare could live a normal life, but-" Radio lunged at the counter, slamming a hoof right in front of Cube's projection. "She has a name, you cold-hearted bastard!" With a sigh, Cube amended his explanation. "The original June Bug was a mare by the name of Rainbow Dash. As I was explaining, we did our best to allow her to live as she wanted, to the point where she was able to raise a family. The only thing she was not allowed to do was leave Furia." Cube pointed at Radio. "That colt is her son, and the current June Bug. We tried to extend him the same courtesy we did his mother, but he always refused to follow orders. Unlike his mother, he doesn't seem to care about his own freedom, so his loyalty to his family was used against him. Since then, he has begrudgingly followed orders, but he is violent, ill-tempered, and starts fights at every opportunity." Jones glanced over at Radio. "Sounds like somepony I'd get along with." The gryphon started strolling around the area, staying within camera range a practiced ease befitting the best of actors. "If you keep somepony locked up, of course you won't be given any loyalty. If you threaten them, it's hard to gain trust afterwards. Likewise, going after someone's family is a good way to make a very dangerous enemy." "Yeah," Radio shouted in support, "you tell him!" With a chuckle, the gryphon continued, "As I was landing, my shuttle took a low pass over the base. I saw, quite clearly, the shiny little parade of ships you folks set up for my visit. Not one of them looked like they ever saw combat. Now, you may have an outstanding maintenance department, but I'm willing to bet that neither this colt, nor his mother ever let you down when it mattered." "That's right!" Radio brought a hoof to his chest and thumped it in pride. "I may have a bone to pick with the so-called leadership around here, but I've never let Furia down. Every time I needed to, I stood up to protect the ponies here. I fought for their freedom, so why isn't anypony fighting for mine? Or my family's?" Jones walked up to the holocam, moving his hologram to the very edge of the countertop. "You are, isn't that enough?" The gryphon spun around. "All right," he shouted at every pony assembled behind him, "Based on Twilicorn's report, I've decided on final payment conditions for this fancy weapons system we're giving you."