Sometimes I wonder why other ponies enjoy doing things that is related to their Cutie Marks, while mine just caused me to have stress. Sure, I might take some amusement at the ridiculous reactions my recruits have when facing my training exercises, but it doesn't really offset dealing with the training, the scientific development, and the politics that my 'destiny' had laden myself with. Hence, it was a relief when three months after my meeting with the princesses that I received word that my recruits were finally done with their officer training. This led to me having two of them as full-time drill instructors with me, while a few more serve those roles in other areas, such as bases set up near Las Pegasus, Manehatten, and the Crystal Empire. It also helped that I now have a griffon instructor that will be training recruits in the griffon kingdoms, while the changelings will have their own as well. This will hopefully led to massive growth for the Aegis Guard, along with it being seen as more of an international military force than it was right now.
The project to make Selene the front line for Equestria has started when it was deemed the right time to start setting up military operations on the planet. As a military outpost was being constructed, Discord arrived at the research base to do his part on the project. The initial results were sub-par based on the reports, though it was mostly due to Discord's antics, for half the time he was there, he just spent it messing around with the scientists. Thankfully he didn't touch any of the more dangerous research projects that was going on, and overall this project, now called Project Sinkhole, was a vital component of the plans for defending Equus. Henceforth, the scientists will just have to suck up to the mayhem Discord causes.
On the matter of the military outpost, it was being manned by equal portions of the Royal Guard, the Lunar Guard and the E.P.U., though Golden Sword was being assigned there to help oversee management of it. Since this was the first base that wasn't only being used to safeguard the gate, but as a potential testing site for Project Sinkhole, both princesses felt like assigning their own guards to keep a careful eye on what happens in the base. It was planned that as more recruits finished my training program, they would be sent over to replace the standard troops there. Even though all of the Equestrian military was starting to be trained with the use of guns and other new military equipment, my troops were the only ones properly trained to handle any interdimensional incursions.
Five months after the meeting over the colony matter, enough of Magus was explored, and had been tested enough to determine that there were no harmful contaminants in the air, that it was finally ready to be colonized. This led to the first wave of colonists, most being ponies, but a fair share of the other species came along as well. As a result, the guards that were sent to protect the colonists from any potential threats that we might have not discovered, were drawn upon all species to help foster unity. Celestia hoped that this colony would be a sign of the people of Equestria finally uniting as one people, but I wouldn't be surprised if in the future the colony ended up having different states that were just the extension of their original countries. Back from where I came from, alien species tend to gather with their own fellows, with the exceptions being those that are already dying out. Regardless, the portal to Magus was relocated to a neutral region, which resulted in a small town called Journey forming around it, due in part of the government contracts that attracted ponies and other species to Journey.
It was around this time that I finally learned that while there were many species inhabiting Equus, there was at least a two to one, or perhaps even a three to one ratio of ponies to other species in regards to overall population. It seems that when the three pony tribes had finally settled their differences, to a degree, this led to a massive spike in population growth that allowed Equestria to become one of the largest and most powerful nations, along with the rise of other pony nations that outnumbered their counterparts of the other species.
The researchers were making strides in their own work, as they kept coming across new ideas and concepts by studying the alien weaponry and equipment they had on hoof. Already, new experiment alloys were being used in conjunction with new magical enhancements for the personal armor of the Aegis Guard. Meanwhile, some new designs and enhancements were being passed onto the rest of the Equestrian military, as I observed the growing changes occurring to the gear of the Royal and Lunar Guards. Though on the mention of the two guards, there was a movement to change the name of the Royal Guard to the Solar Guard and just calling the two groups together the Royal Guard. The only reason this hasn't happened yet was due to the fact that the Lunar Guard was only brought back with Luna's return, hence it would take some time and training before that division could grow in enough size and skill to match the current Royal Guard. Thus the Royal Guard kept their name if only to make it seem like they follow both princesses instead of just Celestia.
As to the Aegis Guard, troop recruitment exploded after I finally finished with my current batch, a month after Magus was colonized. A third of them were sent to Selene while a tenth was assigned to Magus, the rest being sent to a military outpost that was built near the research base. This led to a new batch of recruits for me to train, though thankfully with my new drill instructors, I'll have some more free time to myself. That was until Celestia saw fit to start sending me more books on how to be an officer for me to study, as well as a request on how to adapt it to interdimensional warfare. Guess I will never get a break after all.
"To think, Anomaly 413 covers such a wide range of dimensions. Four system cycles have passed, and yet we have not found this mysterious species. How much of the target has Command Unit 841 covered?"
"By current estimates, seventeen percent sir."
"Such a disappointment, a shame that we cannot order more units to this search without attracting unwanted attention. Has there been any recent sightings of Species 3249?"
"No sir, but there has been an odd occurrence that some species have been noticing."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"According to gathered observations, the Nzugin have been less aggressive with their actions as of late. Some are speculating that they have finally worn themselves out, which could mea—"
"A bunch of fools they are if they think the Nzugin are spent."
"What do you mean sir?"
"The Nzugin have claimed too much territory to be lacking resources, and the odds of them running out of troops are unlikely, based on how much of a military presence they carry into every war they engage in. The only explanation for this odd behavior is that they are preparing for something... Were there any signs of them in the records of Species 3249?"
"No sir, there was no creature that resembled a Nzugin."
"Hmm... keep an eye on them nonetheless. We cannot allow them the opportunity of finding the homeworld of Species 3249 before us."
"Yes sir. However, there is one thing to mention sir."
"What is it?"
"During a planetary check of a planet that had sapient life within the target area, while we found no evidence of Species 3249 nor the unknown radiation linked to them, the probe was destroyed after mere moments of contact with the planetary surface."
"Interesting, was there any recording of what destroyed the probe?"
"Yes sir... it was destroyed by... another anomaly... specifically Anomaly 17."
"Anomaly 17? Are you certain?"
"Yes sir, Command Unit 814 was able to get a match on the eyes of the probe's assailant. It was a perfect match."
"...Mark that planet so we don't send anymore units to it. We don't want to attract its ire."