//------------------------------//
// The Raid 
// Story: More Dreams 
// by totallynotabrony 
//------------------------------//

	“Two minutes to the LZ.”
“Roger,” Soarin’ replied.  He looked around the tactical carriage.  He, and the other guards, were outfitted with all the latest gear.  A lot of upgrades had been coming to them recently, and they were all itching to try them out.  As Royal Guard Captain, he’d decided to mount a raid.
The so-called Sorrel Order of Sorrel had appeared suddenly, and was clearly anti-government.  If nothing else, they were anti-alicorn.  Either way, they had to be stopped.  The Princesses had given Soarin’ their blessing to carry out the mission.  They, too, seemed interested to see the performance of the new equipment.  
The armor Soarin’ and his team wore was black and soft, much better for stealth than their usual polished metal armor.  Unfortunately, it gave up a little protection, which would continue to be a problem until better materials were formulated.
While they weren’t able to access it without bulky equipment that couldn’t be carried on missions, Soarin’ had learned about a new capability to listen in on conversations nearly anywhere.  The Princesses were keeping it close to the vest, but he’d seen the intel it could produce.  That was part of how they’d learned about the SOS hideout.
The intel had indicated that it wouldn’t be occupied at the moment, but the team packed along their weapons just in case.  Here too, there had been improvements.  They still carried the standard spears and bows, but with technological improvements.  Just little things – they weren’t reinventing the wheel after all – but they made a noticeable difference.  The archers had new bows with cams that made the draw easier.  The shields were of a new design that saved weight.  Soarin’ himself had a backup weapon in the form of a spring-loaded knife, stowed in the pocket of his uniform.
That had been another innovation, pockets.
“Brace for landing.”  The carriage bumped down onto the ground and the team ran out.  They breached the door and entered the SOS building.
Fanning out, the Guards moved deeper into the building, announcing “clear” as they found rooms empty.  Soarin’ walked through, scanning for anything useful.
In a desk, he found a binder marked Alicornized Immune Deficiency Syndrome.  Flipping a few pages, his eyebrows went up.  They thought alicorns were a disease?  This should probably go with him.  He put it in the evidence bag.
He glanced around the room.  Colorful banners displayed slogans such as #Valiantknowsbest  and #Valiantknowsall.
There was a call through his magical communicator.  “Sir, we have a prisoner!”
“I’m on my way!”
Soarin’ rushed in the direction of the communication.  A couple of guards had encountered a lone SOS member and were holding her at spearpoint when he arrived.
The mare wore a strange suit, like a metal cage of wire.  It didn’t look heavy.  It just surrounded her body, leaving a few inches of clearance all the way around.
“She tried to fight,” said one guard.  He smirked.  “It didn’t work.”
From what he had heard, the SOS wasn’t that tough.  The Element Bearers had had an even easier time than usual defeating them.  Still, Soarin’ was pretty good at his job, and didn’t take anything for granted.  Best to keep treating them as a potential threat.
“What’s your name?” Soarin’ asked the prisoner.
“Bacon Strips.”
Did she know anything about the large container of bacon that had recently appeared at the Ponyville Hospital?  Soarin’ didn’t know much about bacon other than apparently being some sort of processed pig meat.  The container had been taken away by unknown parties, but he’d read reports about it.
“Where are your friends?” Soarin’ asked.
“Fighting for freedom and democracy.”
“I was hoping for a location,” he said.
“I was hoping for an elected government,” she retorted.
“A what?” another guard asked, confused.
“She thinks we should vote for leaders,” said Soarin’.
“Why?”
Bacon Strips sputtered in consternation.  “Because Valiant said so!  He is the Alpha and Omega, he is the whiz in the cheese, he is the perfectly paired socks in the drawer.”
“What are socks?” another guard asked.
“Like stockings, but not lingerie,” said Soarin’.
“What in the world’s the purpose of that?”
“Valiant doesn’t need a purpose!” Bacon Strips interjected.  “He has a plan for Equestria, for us all!  A Valiantocracy will be established in his name.  Praise Valiant!”
You’re welcome.
A disembodied voice vibrated through the building.  The guards looked up, startled.  Bacon Strips smirked.
“Put her in the wagon,” said Soarin’.  “Sweep for anything else valuable.”
The guards made one more trip through the building.  In a breathless voice, one of them called through the communicator, “We’ve got something big!”
“What is it?” Soarin’ asked.
“It’s a cryogenic stasis pod with Valiant in it.”
A moment passed.  A sheepish voice corrected, “Um, it’s actually a cardboard cutout of a cryogenic stasis pod with Valiant in it.”
Soarin’ let out an extended sigh.
It had turned out to be a rather disappointing raid.  One easily-captured prisoner who probably didn’t know anything of value.  One book of probably made-up details about alicorns.  One cardboard cutout.
Outside, the guards made ready to leave.  Two unicorns flanked Bacon Strips, waiting to load her into the carriage parked beside the building.  Most of the rest of the guards were already aboard.
Soarin’ was last out of the building.  As he stepped up, Bacon Strips shoved against the guards and made a break for it.  The unicorns shot spells after her, but her metal cage suit grounded the spells before they touched her.
Soarin’ was the closest pegasus and took off after her.  He caught up seconds later, pouncing from the air and knocking her to the ground.
“Why did you run?” he asked.  “You know we’d catch you.”
“I was just trying to get away from the explosion,” she said.
“What explo-”
The building blew up, knocking Soarin’ off his hooves even though he was standing a distance away.
Bacon Strips smirked.  “Valiant did nothing wrong.”