//------------------------------// // 31 -- Interlude (Part Three) // Story: Mente Materia // by Arad //------------------------------// “...and when he came face to face with his enemy, Starswirl did not shrink away from what had to be done. He did what was necessary, and his only concern was the future of his people.” --Princess Celestia, speaking on Starswirl the Bearded. 09:00, 12/14/2015, GUARD BARRACKS I suppose I should be thankful for the faith that the Princesses have placed in me, Firecracker thought as she trotted from her room towards the mess hall. She made note of the ponies that were standing guard and patrolling the hallways, and it wasn’t long before she caught an earth pony wearing a Guard casual uniform marked with a small green patch affixed to his uniform. The moment the two locked eyes, both of them knew the true nature of the other… and they passed by as though nothing had happened. The secret of Chrysalis’s involvement (and by extension, the changeling hive) had been known by only the highest representatives in the alliance of free races. That had changed abruptly when the changeling queen had been rushed to medical after being shot. Word had spread like wildfire through the castle, and Princess Luna made a public address to stamp out the building panic before it could go any further. The statement, while technically the truth, grated at Firecracker. ‘Queen Chrysalis acted in defense of Princess Luna and the others at her side to thwart a dastardly assassination attempt by the aliens’? She was likely too slow in taking cover behind Princess Luna, which got her shot, the disguised changeling thought to herself with a grumble. Firecracker tried to hold on to the antagonism she felt towards Chrysalis, but her thoughts kept coming back to the all-too-brief conversation she had while delivering condolences on Earth. Will had said I should try and reconcile with Chrysalis, but what does he know about her? About what she’s done? Nothing. She stopped and shook her head of the bitter thoughts. Is a terrible parent better than a dead one? At least Chrysalis can improve while she’s alive, though I don’t have much hope of that. She was jolted out of her thoughts when she took a moment to get her bearings and realised her wandering hooves had taken her to the medical wings. Two guards with green patches, a stallion and a mare, stood outside the doorway at the end of the hall. Both didn’t stop staring at Firecracker as she turned and walked in the opposite direction. Her thoughts weren’t nearly as easy to leave behind, but they could at least be set aside as a suitable distraction made itself apparent. “Firecracker! There you are!” Came the shout from down the hall, and a second later the voice’s owner appeared. Sweetie Belle, the mare who was far from home, wove her way through the crowd like a leaf on the wind before stopping beside her target. “You’re just the mare I wanted to see!” “Oh? What’s up?” Firecracker asked with a smile, her bad mood quickly buried under the chipper attitude that radiated from the other mare. “The sky, despite my best efforts to bring it crashing down,” Sweetie replied, a not inconsiderable amount of cheekiness in her tone. “I was actually hoping you could do Twilight and me a favor.” For Twilight? That’s… surprising, Firecracker thought as she recalled the seemingly bottomless pit of despair and guilt that had radiated from the chamber that the princess had locked herself in. Even being within a dozen body lengths of that room had nearly sapped the changeling’s strength, and she had been so distracted this morning that she hadn’t noticed the emotional gloom had lifted from the castle. “So long as your favor doesn’t involve me as an accomplice in your plot to bring down the sky, I’ll do what I can.” “Great! So, Twilight and I were thinking that it might be healthy for us to get out of the castle for a bit, and the subject of Ponyville came up. Twilight hasn’t been there since all this craziness started, and I haven’t been to this Ponyville ever, so we thought it might be fun!” Sweetie explained in a rush, though she glanced to one of the guards in the hallway as she trailed off. “But…” “You’d rather keep things small and fun rather than have Captain Armor deploy a platoon for protection?” Firecracker guessed, which was confirmed when Sweetie nodded. “Well, Ponyville is relatively close by so support wouldn’t take long to muster if something happened. I could probably convince Shining Armor to approve it if I go along with Twilight’s guard.” A curious spike of annoyance flared from Sweetie before it was paved over by what could only be practiced control. “That’s actually the second thing I wanted to talk to you about. Another reason for this little trip was to get away from the guard that Shining’s assigned to her. From what Twilight has told me, he may be overstepping what he believes is his authority.” “Is that so?” Firecracker asked as much to herself as Sweetie, and she raked her memories for any sort of impressions that she had gotten from the guard. Corporal Flash Sentry… scored above average in all of the physical tests of the Guard as well as the written exams. He wasn’t a part of the Earth Volunteers… if I recall correctly he was assigned to Twilight when Shining Armor left for Earth, she recalled, though no specifics of the stallion in question came to mind. I wonder what she means by ‘overstepping his authority’? I do hope he’s just being an overprotective dunderhead, because if he’s acting inappropriately toward Twilight then Shining would be… displeased. Again there was the flash of annoyance but none of it made it to Sweetie’s face. “Yep, I’m afraid so.” “I’ll pitch the idea to Shining, though I can’t give any guarantees. If you and the princess want to wait near the ready areas, I’ll track you down to deliver the news,” Firecracker offered before turning and trotting down the hallway. You know, maybe she’s right. Going out for a little daytrip with those two might be just what I need to get my mind off of other things. I’d much rather convince Shining Armor of the necessity of this trip than visit the one creature on this world I don’t want to see. Firecracker’s trot lasted less than ten minutes before she caught sight of Shining Armor in one of the corridors heading to the command center. “Excuse me, Captain? I hoped that I might borrow a moment of your time to talk to you about Princess Twilight.” And with the mention of his sister, Firecracker had his full attention. Now to frame this in a way that won’t immediately be shot down. “It seems that she’s feeling a bit better but wishes to go on a short trip to Ponyville with myself and our mysterious new guest. I felt it best to let you know.” Shining Armor responded with a wary look, before looking away and nodding. “That might be good for her now. Being cooped up any more would probably do more harm than… is there something wrong?” “Not really, sir,” Firecracker replied, and try as she might, she couldn’t keep the shock out of her voice. “I was just expecting more… resistance to the idea.” “Contrary to popular belief, I’m not entirely overprotective of my sister when situations allow for it,” Shining answered with more than a little self-deprecation in his tone. “I actually spoke with the mare that was found on Earth earlier today, and she’s one of the reasons why I’m entertaining the idea. I heard that she’s been spending a lot of time talking with my sister and the Element Bearers since she left the memory chamber, which speaks well for her character. Having met her personally, though, I am more than confident in her other abilities.” A wry smile crossed the stallion’s face as he let out a sigh. “Firecracker, did you ever have the misfortune of encountering Lieutenant De Sel?” The odd question put Firecracker on the back hoof. Her eyes closed briefly as she raked her memories for any relevant information. “Lieutenant… Fleur De Sel. If I recall, she was considered the frontrunner for the Captain of the Guard after your father retired before she was swept off her hooves by a noblepony in the court. I hear she makes appearances at the barracks during training, though I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her.” “I met her more than once during my training and career, and I’ve yet to derive any pleasure from it,” Shining explained before nervously looking over his shoulder. “I’ve never seen a mare walk all over the best of the Solar Guard before or since without breaking a sweat. Literally.” The admission was rewarded with arched eyebrows from Firecracker. “As surprising as that is, I can’t say I understand the relevance of this pony with our current conversation…” “I only bring her up because I recognized some of her hoof-work in that mare you brought back from Earth. If she’s half as proficient as Fleur De Sel, then I’m willing to put some faith in her abilities should she have to defend Twilight,” Shining explained. His expression slowly fell from whatever nostalgic place the discussion had taken him to as he looked back to Firecracker. “I also know that you’re more than proficient in a fight, but I want to be certain that Twilight will be safe. I must insist that Twilight’s guard go with you. It would make me a bit more comfortable with the situation if there’s a Solar Guard ready if problems arise…” Firecracker mimicked the sour expression that Sweetie had shown her when the guard was mentioned, and she waited just long enough to suggest hesitation. “I understand, sir. However, I don’t know if Princess Twilight would find that agreeable. I can only speculate on the cause, but Sweetie Belle stated that your sister’s discomfort with the guard may be less about her own insecurities and more about his behavior.” Shining had opened his mouth to dismiss the protest, but quickly closed it as he listened to the changeling’s words. His eyes held Firecracker’s gaze as they narrowed. “Explain,” he ordered. “I am not aware of any specifics, personally. I just thought that I would bring it to your attention.” “I see,” Shining said, and he held Firecracker’s gaze for a moment longer before looking away. “I’ll agree to your trip, though I have conditions which are not negotiable. I am placing you in command, and Flash Sentry will be joining you. Observe his behavior and my sisters. I want to know if this is just Twilight being dramatic or if I’ve done her a disservice in assuming so up until now.” “I understand, sir. I’ll inform the princess and we’ll be on our way,” Firecracker acknowledged before giving a salute and turning back down the corridor. Well, this isn’t quite what those two had hoped for. But at least we’ll get Princess Twilight out of the castle for a bit to stretch her legs. Now, if Sweetie’s anything like Rarity, it shouldn’t be too much trouble to steer the conversation away from recent events and toward Matt. Twilight will feel better, and so will I. She radiates sugary happiness whenever she thinks of— Thoughts of soaking up all of the excess emotion from the princess was distracting enough for Firecracker to not pay attention to where she was going, which caused her to nearly get tangled up in the armored legs of an XCOM soldier marching down the hallway. She started to apologize, but nearly laughed when she recognized just who she had collided with. “You okay? You seem kinda zoned out,” Matt said as he stepped to the side so that traffic could pass while they talked. He offered a fake smile that did nothing to hide his grief as he continued, “I suppose I should offer you an apology for what happened on Earth. That was the first time I’ve ever had to give notification to a family and I barely kept it together. I imagine you had a far worse time of it.” You’re doing nothing to help at the moment… Firecracker thought grumpily as her mood began to dip in the captain’s presence. Wait, I think I can turn this around! “Think nothing of it, but if you really feel bad then you can make it up to me now. Princess Twilight and a few other ponies are going to visit Ponyville for a bit. I know that she would love to have you with, and Captain Armor wouldn’t argue against another soldier to protect his sister.” A blend of anxiety and nervousness radiated from the human, and he didn’t try and hide it from his face. “I’m going down to the ready room for my shift, so I’ll have to decline.” Matt chewed his lip before glancing away from Firecracker. “Who all is going?” “Princess Twilight and me, plus Sweetie Belle. You remember that mare that ended up on Earth?” she explained, and the temptation was palpable on Matt’s mind. “Oh, and her guard is coming along too.” Just like that, Matt’s emotional output switched to annoyance and aggravation. “This guard. Pegasus, tan coat, blue mane?” When Firecracker nodded in confirmation, the two emotions grew even more. “Perhaps it’s best if I don’t come along, then. I doubt you girls would like it if the two guards with you are glaring death at each other.” “Why would you be glaring at each other?” Firecracker asked, now thoroughly perplexed as to just what the guard in question had done to apparently earn the ire of both Twilight and Matt. “It really isn’t my place to say. Say hello to Twilight for me, alright?” Matt said with an abrupt nod as he turned to leave. I wonder what that’s about…? Firecracker's disappointment at her failure to tempt Matt into joining them was overpowered by that question. With no apparent answers, she shrugged and went to track down Sweetie and Twilight. ------ 10:00, 12/14/2015, PONYVILLE OUTSKIRTS Look at the bright side, at least you’re outside the stuffy castle with friends. It’s just a nice break from my responsibilities… right? Twilight told herself, and she tried her hardest to believe it as the chariot descended from the cloudy skies to set down outside of the town she called home for the past two years. Large puffs of snow fell lazily from the wild weather in the sky onto the already covered landscape, which did an amazing job of transforming the month-old battlefield into something more tranquil. “Corporal!” Firecracker barked suddenly, addressing that annoying guard that guided the chariot down. “I counted one extra ship more than what was reported as destroyed during the attack here. Has there been recent activity?” “Weather teams reported a ship participating in the attack on Canterlot was winged and went down in this area. A scout wing was sent to investigate the day after the attack and saw no movement from surviving crew. Nopony has looked into the wreck yet to confirm but it’s been marked as secure for now.” Firecracker’s gaze was hidden behind the goggles she wore as she stared out at the closest of the crashed ships. “I don’t like surprises like this, but if there were any survivors from the crash, they would have moved into the countryside by now looking for targets. I want you both to keep your ears up and your eyes open for anything out of the ordinary, and for the love of love, don’t wander off.” "We'll be careful,” Sweetie said with a confident smile. “I'm pretty good at keeping unnoticed and noticing discrepancies. I'll signal you if I notice anything." Firecracker nodded before looking out over the railing again. “Excellent. Five seconds to landing.” A few moments passed, and the chariot touched down with a slight bump on the outskirts of Ponyville. Firecracker hopped out of the chariot first and slowly scanned the area. Apparently satisfied with her findings, she turned back towards the chariot. “We’re clear. Corporal, I want you in the air on overwatch. If you see anything out of the ordinary, send a message,” Firecracker ordered, and she tapped the earpiece built into her goggles. “And if I spot enemies?” “Observe and report. If there are enemies here, we shouldn’t engage without reinforcements,” Firecracker explained. “Understood,” the stallion said as he freed himself from the chariot harness. He spread his wings and shot into the air without another word. Once the guard was high enough in the sky, Firecracker turned to the others. “Well, now that the ‘baggage’ is out of the way, where did you two want to go?” "I think Twilight wanted to get some of her books back, right?” Sweetie asked, and she placed a supporting hoof on the alicorn’s shoulder. “We could go through, and I could check on the Boutique on the way. Maybe there's something salvageable there that I could take to Rarity." The touch on the shoulder nearly caused Twilight to jump in surprise before she collected herself and hopped off of the chariot. The light coat of snow crunched beneath her hooves as she turned and offered a hoof to help Sweetie down. “That sounds like the best course. Are you sure that’s the only place you want to go?” "Yeah, I... I was in Ponyville just a few months ago, you know?” Sweetie said, her eyes unfocused as she lost herself in a memory. “Not mine but... identical to this one. What happened here is just horrible. Let's get those things and go." A sad smile crossed Twilight’s features before she caught sight of the last mare in the trio hefting a large spear. “Firecracker, where did you get THAT?” “Cargo compartment on the side of the chariot,” the changeling explained as she flipped the weapon up onto her shoulder where it clacked against the black metal plates of her armor. “Like I said earlier, I don’t want to get caught unprepared out here,” she explained before tilting her head towards the two mares. “Why are you staring at me? I don’t know this town. I’ll follow you two.” The silence of the town was surreal given how still and quiet everything was. The only thing that could be heard was the hooves of the three mares as they weaved in between the buildings in the direction of the library. Odd snow-covered lumps could be seen occasionally littering the avenues, and Twilight struggled for several moments to recall what the town had looked like before the snow had fallen. What are they? The wind hasn’t been blowing enough to form snow drifts, but the mounds are too pronounced for there not to be anything beneath-- Twilight’s puzzling on the issue ended full stop when the trio passed near one of the larger mounds and she realised the truth. They were the snow-covered bodies of Mutons in varying states of destruction and decay. That feeling that had clawed at her mind from within the memory chamber began to resurface, and she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the corpses. This isn’t my fault. I-I didn’t kill them. I didn’t destroy Ponyville. This isn’t my fault, she repeated to herself to try and hold her guilt at bay. It took a comforting hoof tap on her shoulder from Sweetie to snap her out of the cycle, and she cleared her throat. “R-right. Let’s check out the boutique,” she said firmly, and she forcefully kept her eyes off of the ground long enough to spot their first destination. The Carousel Boutique appeared to have been mostly spared from the onslaught that had struck Ponyville. The inside of the building was cold and dusty from lack of care, but that didn’t stop Sweetie from retrieving a small ball from one of the boxes on the far side of the room. After a brief cursory inspection of the rest of the boutique, they decided to move on. Firecracker led the way out of the boutique and after a quick scan she gave the all clear signal. From there, Twilight led the trio almost on autopilot through the avenues in the direction of the library. Several detours had to be made as the damage became far more severe in the surrounding buildings. Despite this, Twilight would not be deterred. “The library should be just around— no…” Twilight breathed, and she fell back onto her rump in shock. The Golden Oak library had been as much a home to Twilight as any place she had ever stayed in her life. There had been enough books to keep her busy with a setting she was comfortable with so soon after her move from Canterlot, and it was centrally located within Ponyville so that her new friends could visit her without too much trouble. It was her safe place, her stronghold, the place she could go when the world no longer made sense. As much as Twilight wanted to deny it, the Golden Oak library was no more. The great tree that it had been built into was little more than a hollowed and burned husk. The foliage and thick branches had been reduced to ash along with the second story of the structure, and the majority of the walls had been burned into little more than cinders. "Oh no, this is horrible!" Sweetie gasped, her words a pale shadow of what Twilight was feeling. "Do you still want to go in?" Twilight didn’t respond immediately other than to take in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She rose to her hooves and said, “Yes, I have to. I don’t want to leave without at least seeing if there’s something I can salvage.” The alicorn took another breath to steady her nerves before leading the trio towards the wreckage of her home. The door was little more than charred kindling strewn about the doorway and did nothing to impede the three as they entered. When Twilight’s hoof connected with something underneath the snow, she stopped and brushed the precipitation aside. A half-burned book was revealed, and the pages that hadn’t been burned away were completely soaked and ruined by the weather. It took nearly all of Twilight’s willpower not to cry as she pulled the book from the ground and pushed the snow, then repeated the process with a second and third book. They were all little more than scorched covers and soggy pages, but she continued to dig through the snow to retrieve several more. The care of the books is the librarian’s responsibility. I have to fix this. I have to-- A comforting touch from Sweetie made Twilight pause, and the touch turned into a tight hug as the dam broke. Sweetie said something comforting that Twilight missed, but nothing else needed to be said between the two. The two mares separated and made their way to the ruined bookshelves, but they froze when Firecracker gave a hissed warning. The disguised changeling cast a quick glance at the others and dropped below the level of the destroyed library walls. Sweetie and Twilight followed suit, and they stayed put as Firecracker crept up to a small crack in the wall. Dragging and uneven steps could be heard crunching through the snow, followed by labored breathing as something passed near the ruined library. Firecracker readied her spear but kept it low as she crept along interior wall, freezing when the sounds of movement stopped. Seconds stretched into minutes as everyone held their positions. Please let it be nothing, please let it be nothing, Twilight repeated to herself again and again as she kept her head low, and she nearly cried out in alarm as Sweetie crept silently by to peek through a crack in the wall. A flicker of movement pulled Twilight’s eyes upward just in time to see the pegasus guard descending from on high with hoofblades extended. There was a muted crunch followed by the sounds of what could only be a body falling to the snow. Firecracker was the first to react as she hopped out from her hiding spot to hiss at the pegasus. “What are you doing, corporal? Your orders were for overwatch, not to attack enemies that haven’t seen us yet! Get back up in the air and signal Canterlot! If there’s one survivor here, there could be more!” “There aren’t any others from what I could see from the--” “I don’t care if you can see next week’s lotto numbers and the end to the Helping Hands series from up there!” Firecracker interrupted. “Follow your orders!” As Firecracker and the guard argued, Sweetie glared daggers at the stallion. Only Twilight’s eyes were watching the corpse of the alien that the guard had apparently killed. It had been a large muton in black armor, though the alien and its armor had apparently seen better days. While some of it was hard to see from the prone position, several gashes and fractures could be seen, some going as deep enough to reveal flesh, blood and bone. Twilight swallowed and was about to pull her eyes away from the corpse… but then the body moved. Crack! The sound of breaking bones sounded as loud as a thunder clap in the abandoned village, and both of the guards whirled towards the source. The body twitched as the armor began to bend and warp. One of the rends in the armor began to break even further as an insect-like pincer forced itself out. A second pincer appeared shortly after, and the sounds of twisting metal and tearing flesh filled the deserted town’s streets. It could only be described as a monster. It stood on two legs, but that was where the similarities to both the humans and mutons ended. Alien gore stained its black carapace shell, and bulging red muscles could be seen in the joints of its body. The two pincers at the ends of its arms raked themselves across the monsters face to wipe away the blood and flesh from its host as it turned to the ponies. Beady eyes locked on to them, and a wide lipless mouth gave its face the appearance of a child drawing an almost comical grin. And then it moved. In the blink of an eye, the monster had crossed the distance at a full sprint. The serrated claws opened wide as it came within reach of the pegasus, only for a flash of gold to connect squarely with the thing’s left eye. A flurry of flashes hammered the things face and it stumbled long enough for its prey to launch into the air. With its intended target out of reach, the monster let out a growl and turned to charge at the mares. Several more flashes of light hammered the thing but the fight was ended by a diamond aimed at the thing’s right eye. The force of the attack knocked the monster backwards, where it twitched before going still. "We need to get to the chariot, Twilight," Sweetie said as she came up beside Twilight, and all but the barest trace of the gossipy and good-hearted mare was gone. In her place was that emotion she saw on Matt and Lana’s faces just before everything had fallen to pieces on Earth. Twilight could only nod in response, and the trio began to run. Her heart hammered in her chest as she tried looking in all directions at once for any possible danger even as Sweetie and Firecracker speculated on the possible numbers of enemies that lurked in the abandoned village. A brief flicker of movement in the sky pulled her eyes upwards just in time to shout a warning. “Watch out!” Debris and wreckage of the town hurled over the rooftops from some distant location towards the three mares, and their hasty retreat turned onto one of the narrow alleyways to escape the bombardment. Firecracker held up a hoof then let out a low growl as she looked back at where they once stood. Among the impromptu projectiles were fence posts, two doors, a twisted lamp post… and several parts from their chariot that they had ridden in on. Without the chariot, Sweetie is stuck here. Firecracker might be able to change into a pegasus but she’d have to take off her armor first, Twilight realised, and she began to shake as her worst fears came back to her. They’re going to die, Twilight! They’re going to die because you’re too scared to save them! Sweetie moved beside Twilight and gave a comforting lean on the quaking alicorn, but her expression was still deadly serious. “How many more of those things are out there?” she whispered. “There can’t be more than a hooffull. Our air patrols would have spotted the buildup if there were more,” Firecracker explained in a low hiss. “If the chariot is gone, then we should hide until reinforcements… wait.” The changeling’s train of thought trailed off as she crained her neck and twitched an ear. She rose up into a combat stance as a second Chrysalid burst from the storefront to their left. Its blindingly fast charge was met with a surgically precise stream of gold coins that severed one of its legs at the knee, followed by a spear thrust into its neck. Rather than stay to dispatch the creature, Firecracker shoved it aside, spear and all before continuing her sprint. “Don’t stop running!” Sweetie shouted back in response but her words never reached Twilight’s ears. Mortal fear lent her strength even as her legs burned from the chase and dominated her mind. In any other situation, she might have stopped long enough to use her talents to teleport all of them safely away from the deathtrap that Ponyville now was. With the potential of a bloody death around every corner and in every building, the animal part of her mind told her to keep running. Because of this, Twilight turned a blind corner and slid through the snow in a desperate attempt to stop as she caught sight of another of the monsters. It was similar to the previous two that they had encountered, but was head and shoulders taller. Assorted debris from the town littered the snow around it, and one of the town hall doors was held in its pincers as though to throw it. The door swung around as an impromptu shield as Firecracker rounded the corner and fired off a volley of gold coins at it. With the door’s protection, the monster rushed forward and caught the changeling in its free pincer. Firecracker cried out in pain as her armor began to crack under the pressure, and the only thing that saved her from death was the pegasus guard’s diving strike. The stallion let out a battle cry that distracted the enemy, though his attack was thwarted when the monster swatted him out of the sky with the door it carried. He collided hard with one of the buildings lining the street. He tried to rise, but was promptly hammered as the chrysalid flung the door at the dazed pegasus. Sweetie slid into position in front of Twilight, a diamond spinning out of a dimensional pocket and into position above her. Her retaliation was interrupted as the monster hurled Firecracker at the unicorn before turning to charge toward the alicorn. Time dilated for Twilight as the monster rushed forward, the terror of what was about to happen merging with all of the horrors that she had already survived. Firecracker’s unconscious form flying through the air. An aborted cry was all Joel could offer as Twilight’s nightmare tore him to pieces. Her guard shouted a wordless denial and struggled vainly against the door that pinned him in place. Kim’s scream ended abruptly as the bolt of plasma connected with her chest and reduced the woman to ash. Sweetie’s determined expression melted into horror as Firecracker collided with her and the monster ran past. “Time of death, 7:51 AM. Cause of death…” Every animal instinct within Twilight screamed for her to lash out, but another part of her (yellow ichor sprayed from the chrysalid as it was crushed by her magic) halted any attempt to launch an attack. The monster was less than two body lengths away with pincers extended, when another memory came to her. Matt’s eyes remained unfocused for several moments before he took a breath and gave Twilight a smile that was almost too painful to witness. “Had I not shot him, I would be dead. My friends would be dead. And that’s the only reason I shot him. I did it to defend myself and others. When we first found you, Twilight, you were defending yourself from imminent death and that thing you killed would have killed more people afterward. I know it will be hard, but every time you feel guilty about what you’ve done I want you to try and remember all the lives you saved because of this.” The human reached out and gave Twilight a gentle pat on her shoulders after a moment. “Starting with your life.” “STAY AWAY!” A wall of kinetic force struck the chrysalid and sent it tumbling down the street. It was quick to recover its footing, but a second wave of kinetic force came crashing down, forcing it to the ground. It rose and took a single step before the weight doubled, then tripled, pinning it in place. Twilight’s breaths came in short gasps as she forced herself to look into the eyes of the monster. “Fluttershy was right, wasn’t she? There really isn’t anything in you, is there?” she asked, her voice fragile and wavering as she continued to stare into the blank beady eyes. “You aren’t a creature with wants or needs. Nopony with a life to leave. You’re not even a wild monster, since they have families and a place in the world. She pulled in a ragged breath to steel herself as she summoned a spark of magical energy beside her. “You and your kind c-can’t be reasoned with. You’re never going to feel the magic of friendship; you simply don’t have the capacity to. I pity you for that. I’m sorry it took me so long to realise that, because a lot of my people might be alive if I had figured that out sooner. “I know now that if I want my friends to be safe, I’ll have to end you,” Twilight finished as she closed her eyes, and did what was necessary. ------ 10:00, 12/14/2015, READY ROOM, CANTERLOT Wasn’t there a story about something like this? ‘Waiting for Godot?’ Victor thought as he sat along with dozens of others in the ready room. Without any real distractions, it didn’t take long for his mind to take a turn toward the dark and self-deprecating. All they did in that story was just wait. No chance of being incinerated or getting minced by alien claws. Victor shook his head to try and shake himself free from those darker thoughts. What did Fluttershy and her friends say? Focus on something else. Focus on flying… His eyes closed and he took in a slow and steady breath. It had nearly four months since he had last been in the pilot seat, but flying aircraft had been his career before the aliens had arrived and wasn’t so easily forgotten. Transitioning from the National Guard F-16 Falcons to XCOM XFS-105 Ravens had been like upgrading from a tricycle to a superbike in terms of performance. It was hands down the best aircraft he had ever flown and even with it, humanity still struggled to meet the aliens in the air. You’re getting distracted. Focus on the flying. Victor could almost feel the flight harness against his shoulders as his Raven was secured onto the catapult. A slight sense of vertigo filled him as the catapult aimed upwards to the open hangar doors. A brief lament about the lack of a conventional runway crossed his mind as he throttled up his engines and waited for the countdown for launch. The moment the light turned green, the Raven shot out of the underground hangar and slammed Victor back into the seat. Once the shock of the acceleration had worn off, he flipped the aircraft over to fall into formation with Skull squadron before engaging the afterburners. “Victor?” The question came from one of the few familiar voices that Victor knew from within XCOM. Come to think of it, he’s technically the first member of XCOM I spoke with, if you consider threats to shoot my head off as ‘speaking’, he thought, the darker trains of thought coming quickly after the interruption. “What can I do for you, Captain Harris?” Harris took a seat next to Victor after setting his helmet down beside him. He took in a breath and rubbed his eyes, then turned to face the former pilot. “Finch will be promoted to fill in for Lana, and with the rest of the Mente Materia group coming from Earth, we’re going to have a lot more civilians playing soldier than just Annette. I know that joining XCOM wasn’t exactly your choice, but I’m hoping I can count on you to keep them out of trouble. You’ve surpassed all expectations over the past few months, so I’m confident you’ll be able to help them hit the ground running once they’re here.” The words were unexpected, and Victor waited for an inevitable ‘but’ following the praise. When it didn’t come, he met his superior’s eyes. “I’ll do what I can for as long as this war goes on, but there’s one thing I need to know.” If he's being so open about the future now, then I have to ask. I have to know for sure... Victor told himself, and his voice dropped to a harsh whisper. “Captain… Matt, how is this going to end for me? I don’t know if you’ve been made aware of the finer points of my recruitment, but I was told that the only way I would be able to go home would be in a pine box. I’ll keep fighting until the end, Captain, but I need to know if there’s any hope.” Color drained from Matt’s face and he couldn’t maintain eye contact with Victor. “I hadn’t been told that particular detail, no. All I was informed of was the potential security risk due to the nature of your recruitment.” His jaw clenched before he looked back to the airman. “Now that XCOM’s public, it’s not like you can spoil that particular secret anymore. Hell, they’ve given us uniforms, for God’s sake.” He forced a laugh before looking down at his left hand. “I’ll send a message along to Commander Bradford requesting that your contract be renegotiated. Technically, we are a multinational PMC and you’re an operator under our employ.” The worry that had been hanging over Victor lessened, and he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He can’t guarantee me anything at this point, but it feels good to at least talk to someone about it. I know Fluttershy and her friends mean well, but if I told them all the details, they might try and help. They don’t need to get involved in the mess I’ve made. “Thank you, sir,” he finally managed, and was surprised by a heavy slap on the shoulder in response. “Don’t get your hopes up quite yet, Vic. I think I can leverage a better deal for you… but I think your days with the National Guard are done. It’s the same with everyone else in Mente Materia. I have a sneaking suspicion that humans with the Gift are going to start cropping up more regularly in the future, and we both know that the powers that be won’t let folks like us just wander off once the war is done,” Matt explained. A smile was on his face, but the expression never made it to his eyes. “Best case scenario, it’s job security.” Victor forced himself to not entertain what the worst case scenario was, and he took in another breath. “If you’re going to be sending a message up the chain regarding me, then you should probably also inform them that Princess Luna and others are aware of the circumstances of my recruitment.” “Oh?” Matt asked, and his eyes widened as he made the connection. “Oh. Well… I’m assuming that if there was going to be consequences, I would have been made aware of them before now. Right?” Victor started to explain, but the words caught in his throat. I don’t know how much of my conversation with Luna might be considered private. I don’t want to betray her trust— Any further contemplation on the subject was interrupted by shouting from the entrance to the ready room. “Fire teams! Fire teams, front and center!” Captain Song boomed, and all eyes turned toward the earth pony officer. “Chrysalid outbreak has been confirmed! All fire teams are to make ready for immediate deployment in thirty seconds!” “We’ll talk about this when we get back, Vic. I promise,” Matt said as he slipped his helmet on and locked the seals before heading towards the teleport areas. The pad itself was almost filled to capacity as Captain Song’s squad was joined by a grab bag of Equestrians and griffons, Morikawa’s Beowulf, and Matt last of all. The exact direction of his gaze was hidden beneath the golden glass of his helmet but the nod he directed at Victor was easily seen just before the group vanished in a flash. The moment the light had vanished, the next group marched into position. Victor pulled his helmet on and IFF markers immediately sprung up around him. A quick scan of the assembled soldiers was enough to tell Victor who was in command. “Lieutenant Colson? Specialist Spiegel, I’m with your team for the moment,” he said through the squad channel, and was rewarded with a thumbs up from the man in question. Light engulfed the group, and the ready room vanished. Snow crunched beneath Victor’s boots as he widened his stance and got his bearings. The half-burned buildings and snow-covered scenery didn’t hold his attention for more than a moment as he caught sight of the first signs of combat. A gout of flame leapt from the flamethrower on Beowulf’s arm towards a thrashing target in the snow while a ring of Equestrians stood guard around Twilight Sparkle and a handful of other ponies. More than a few weapons were levelled at a corpse of something that was definitely not a Chryssalid. Black chitin and an almost ‘stag beetle’ appearance was all that Victor could make out, given that the thing was cut cleanly in two from the crown of its head down to its groin. Victor couldn’t spare any more time to stare at the corpse as Colson’s group moved to sweep the buildings around their teleport location. The first thirty seconds of their sweep passed by with a frenzied attempt to look in all directions at once for the skittering horrors that had nearly killed Victor in the forest a month earlier… which never appeared. The next minute revealed the eviscerated remains of a Muton that certainly looked like it had housed a Chryssalid as well as a more intact ‘stag beetle’ in the burned-out ruins of what might have been a library. Nearly five minutes had passed with no enemy contact until Victor’s group was about to link up with Matt’s group. The IFF tags had clearly marked the other team on Victor’s display and because of this it was no surprise when he saw Beowulf stomp around the corner while acting as point for his squad. They halted immediately when the MEC froze and turned towards the closest building. The barrels of the gatling rifle spun up as the massive weapon swept slowly across the street. The attack came just as Beowulf’s gaze crossed a partially destroyed building with a flowery sign hanging near the front door. A very much alive ‘stag beetle’ burst through the front windows of the structure with blinding speed towards Beowulf, and one of its massive pincers latched onto and crushed the gatling rifle’s barrels before a single shot could be fired. The second claw struck with the same speed and severed the MEC’s left arm at the elbow before recoiling for another strike. That preparation became a backward stumble as Beowulf retaliated. The moment the first claw had latched onto the rifle, he had released it and cocked his right fist back. There was no kinetic strike module behind the punch but it was enough to send the stag beetle reeling. That stumble became a fall when the grenade launcher on Beowulf’s back snapped into position and fired at point blank range. The shell’s safeties prevented a fratricidal explosion but it connected dead center with the alien’s face. The stag beetle’s vulnerability wasn’t long-lived as it scrambled back onto its clawed legs to try and launch a second attack. A deluge of projectiles—laser, ballistic, plasma and magical—flew out to stop it. Pock marks and melted wounds dotted the stag beetle as it slowly succumbed to the torrent. Its charge was reduced to a crawl through the snow, and it couldn’t muster a defense as Beowulf brought one foot down on its skull. The radio was flooded with reports and check-ins from all of the deployed forces as Victor slowly made his way to the flower shop. He kept his rifle trained on the storefront that the stag beetle had emerged from, and he continued to advance despite his every instinct telling him not to. As he approached he could see more damage to the building, a similar hole in the far wall and-- “Shit!” Princess Luna’s scouring of Everfree Forest had been thorough in the extreme, with the entire area being burned to the ground to drive the Chryssalids that had been there to the kill zones of troops lying in wait. Despite the resounding success of this operation, a few had asked if it had been possible that any Chryssalids had escaped the purge before the infestation had been discovered. As a month had passed without any more reports of the alien terror weapons, it was assumed that the mission had been a complete success. What Victor saw within the flower shop thoroughly proved the folly of that assumption. The corpse inside the flower shop was most definitely a Chryssalid of the type that Victor was all too familiar with, though the size of it was horrifying. The corpse was mutilated to a shocking degree but it wasn’t hard to see that it would have stood over twice as tall as most humans. The most incongruous detail that Victor noted, however, was the small blue flowers that covered every inch of it. “Spiegel, Colson. What’s the problem?” “Nothing. Confirm one dead Chryssalid Queen inside the flower shop--” Victor started to explain, but a small flicker of movement from the corpse demanded his attention. The sense of horror that the corpse inspired intensified when a pincher claw emerged from one of the gaping wounds, and a stag beetle’s grinning face emerged. “Chryssalid hive confirmed, flower shop at my position!” he shouted as the turned and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Victor’s sprint from the flower shop turned into a dive as nearly every weapon and spell being wielded by the strike teams was levelled in his direction. He didn’t dare move or lift his head from where his dive dumped him as the roar of weapons fire and spell detonations made it past his helmet’s audio filters. Eight seconds ticked off of Victor’s HUD timer before the fire began to taper off. Another ten seconds passed before he felt safe enough to raise his head and look around, and the first thing he spotted was Matt offering an ichor-stained hand to help him up. The Mente Materia captain’s hand wasn’t the only thing covered in alien blood. His once pristine white armor was now splattered with alien blood and scorch marks. As soon as Victor was pulled onto his feet, Matt turned turned to the now blazing wreckage of the flower shop and the two new stag beetle corpses that hadn't escaped in time. “Y’see, Vic?” Matt said as he waved a hand at the destruction, his voice holding just a hint of sarcasm. “Job security.” In spite of the everything, Victor couldn’t help but laugh. ------ 3:00, 12/14/2015, READY ROOM, CANTERLOT Nothing gets the blood pumping like a Chryssalid hunt, Matt thought wryly as he stepped off of the chariot that touched down at the balconies to the Ready Room. He was far from alone as dozens of soldiers from the varied races unloaded from the air transports. All of the returning troops were met with an oncoming flood of medics to triage any injuries which, miraculously, were few and far between. The one who had suffered the worst was Beowulf, and Matt waited in silence as the MEC dismounted from the chariot and followed the traffic further into the castle. “Morikawa, how are you doing?” he asked once Beowulf was close enough, making a point of using his real name. The gold-visored head turned to regard Matt for a moment, then raised what was left of his left arm. The Stag Chryssalid (as Victor had coined it) had struck in the relatively unarmored elbow joint of the robotic limb and severed it cleanly, and if it wasn’t for the leaking fluids and occasional sparks it would be an easy assumption to make that the limb had been removed by a mechanic. “I’m starting to believe that some higher power has a bias against left hands,” Beowulf observed. It took Matt a moment to make the connection, and he let out a sharp laugh once he did. “It does seem that way, doesn’t it?” he replied as he glanced down to his own left hand. “You know that’s not what I meant, right?” Beowulf’s steps slowed before finally coming to a stop and stepping to the side to get out of traffic. Again that gold-visored head turned to face Matt and stared down at him. “Have you ever worn something that you know someone else died in?” The MEC’s right hand slowly rose to eye level and closed into a fist before relaxing. “It feels like I’m trespassing, even though she was only borrowing this body for a bit.” A moment of silence passed between the two before either spoke. “Thanks for checking on me, though. If I have any problems, I’ll let you know.” Matt dismissed the MEC with a nod and fell in with the rest of the foot traffic. His mind began to wander to recent events as his feet carried him on auto pilot. So much had piled up over the last week: from the operation against EXALT, to the beating he had received from Vide, to Lana’s death and notifying her family. Each of those things ate at him, but what most urgently demanded his attention was what he wanted to avoid addressing the most. When the glow of the teleport had faded enough to focus on his surroundings, Matt didn’t immediately recognize the destination. Fresh snowfall, the daytime setting, and the distinct lack of burning buildings prevented him from connecting the dots. When he caught sight of Twilight sitting beside an unconscious Firecracker and that mare that was found on Earth, the connection was made… and immediately discarded. Any discomfort he might have felt at returning to the place where he had lost his arm took a distant second place to making sure that Twilight was alright. Twilight hadn’t reacted in any way to the troops that were teleporting into the town. Her eyes were wide and unfocused as they stared at a new alien type that had been bisected cleanly through the middle, from the crown of its head to the groin. “I had to do it. I had to…” she whispered repeatedly. “Twilight, are you alright? Are you injured?” When Twilight didn’t respond, Matt turned to the mare beside her and snapped. “Was she injured!?” The volume and urgency of his tone might have surprised him had he taken a moment to consider it, but that wasn’t a priority. What mattered now was that Twilight had to be safe. She had to be okay. Nothing else mattered. Matt shook his head, and another memory that had been weighing heavily came to replace the previous. After that odd experience in the Memoratorium, Matt had gone to speak with Shining Armor to make sure that Twilight was recovering somewhere, preferably with a friend. The stallion confirmed this with no small amount of relief, and Matt had taken the opportunity to indirectly question Shining about the room itself. ‘Everything that Twilight heard in that room was produced by her own mind, by the guilt she feels. It’s one reason why most ponies don’t enter without somepony with them. It’s too easy to get lost in one’s thoughts.’ That’s how Shining explained it. That means that whatever I had heard in that room was all in my head, Matt concluded, which opened up an entirely new flood of uncomfortable feelings. As much as I would hate to have Lana as a ghost hovering over my shoulder and teasing me for all eternity… it might have been nice to say goodbye at least. Matt nearly tripped and fell as his wandering thoughts applied Shining’s logic not just to the illusionary speaker but to the words that were said. You’re worried that if you help her, that you might come to need her back one day and that she’ll get taken away. If everything that I heard in that room wasn’t from an external source… then that came from me. The realisation struck Matt like a wave of cold water, and the meandering trains of thought that had been running through his mind derailed in spectacular fashion. In the ensuing silence, one thought emerged. You might come to need her back one day… What mattered now was that Twilight had to be safe. She had to be okay. Nothing else mattered. When it had looked like she had been hurt, Matt had forgotten everything else. He had forgotten that there were medical personnel that could have made sure that Twilight was uninjured far better than he. He had forgotten the very real possibility that there were enemies about. The only thing that mattered in the world had been Twilight. I did that because she’s too young and innocent to have to deal with things like this, part of him protested. The rebuttal was naturally given with Lana’s voice. Why did nothing else in the world matter right then, Matt? Is it because the rest of the world wasn’t her? “...and that’s when he kicked in the door and professed his undying love for her!” That comment brought Matt back down to earth as he whirled about with a use-worn curse ready to be fired. Instead of the grinning Jenkins that he had almost expected to be there, Firecracker sat on a gurney with a cheshire smile affixed to her face. A quick glance at his surroundings revealed just how far Matt had wandered while he was lost in thought. Instead of the expected armory and familiar corridors of the human compound, he found himself instead in the medical wings. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Matt said as he turned on his heel to march away. “Don’t you?” Firecracker responded, her tone more serious than jovial now. “You know what I am beneath this coat, so you know that I can tell what you’re feeling even if you don’t realise it just yet.” She lifted one hoof to point at the door that Matt had apparently been standing in front of just a moment earlier. “I can also tell that she wants to talk to you, Matt, and she isn't going to be the broken bird you expect. I won't argue that she's been through a crucible, but she's like steel. She's stronger for the experience.” He had every intention to continue walking, but Matt couldn’t force his legs to take the next step. A wary glance was cast towards the door… only for his internal struggle to be interrupted. “Excuse me, Captain Harris?” an older unicorn with a syringe and bandage cutie mark asked. “Have you seen anyone come down this corridor recently? I was treating a unicorn mare by the name of Firecracker, but the moment I looked away, she vanished.” A practiced smile graced the mare’s features, but it did little to hide the annoyance in her voice. “She may have changed her appearance, so any descriptions of passers-by would be appreciated.” “Uh… well…” Matt started, and he turned toward the gurney that Firecracker had occupied. The orange-maned unicorn was no longer there; in her place rested a hearty pegasus stallion who was apparently fast asleep. The unicorn, Dawn Triage if Matt remembered correctly, stomped over to the gurney and waited a moment before coughing politely. A moment passed before she banged against the gurney with one hoof. “If I have to paralyze and levitate you back to examination, I will, Firecracker,” she declared. “Backstabber!” Firecracker snapped as she reverted to her more familiar form in a puff of green flames. She shot Matt a not-entirely-fake glare as she hopped down from the gurney. “I give you some perfectly good advice and you sell me out the first chance you get! I’ll remember this betrayal!” the changeling huffed before stomping down the hallway with Dawn Triage close behind. With the two mares gone, Matt was left alone in the hallway. He cast a look towards the door where Twilight was apparently waiting, then down the corridor to the exit. A long, drawn-out sigh escaped him as he made his decision and reached for the door.