May 22nd, 2559
//Begin Personal Log
//
//May 22nd, 2559
//
//19:38 Local Time
Oh boy, where to start... The interrogations. So today we finally made progress with our bombers. I had asked Celestia if I could take a crack at them with Spotlight’s help. She was hesitant, but eventually agreed to let me try. I can happily say that we got results, all thanks to Spotlight and his awesome ability to read emotions. I will say, we came up with some creative methods to get them to talk. Anyway, more details on that can be found in after action report 52259-09-EQ.
So we also have our meeting with the other national leaders in two days, so that should be fun. Celestia said there would be a representative from the deer, dragons, crystal ponies, zebra, gryphons, and even the minotaurs. Now, in terms of tech, it sounds like the deer are the most advanced since they have little to no magical ability. Then we get to the ponies, they seem to have less technological progress, but have supplemented that with incredible magical ability. Next are the dragons. Celestia said that they place little value in technology, seeming to rely on magic and raw brute strength. Strangely enough, the zebras seem to be more like shamans than anything else. They are kinda like the Amish from Earth. Set in their traditional ways to the point of almost shunning anything new from the outside world. Finally we come to the gryphons and minotaurs. Both have very little magical ability and only basic technology. They seem to favor brute strength, much like the dragons.
Anyway, I should get some sleep. It will be a long day tomorrow.
//End Log
It was raining when Daniel woke up. The steady sound of rain against his window was a welcome change from the glaring sunlight of the post-dawn hours. Once again, Daniel went about his normal morning routine of a shower, shave, and breakfast. There was nothing special planned for the day, leading the Captain to enjoy an actual breakfast in the galley.
Inside the galley were the usual morning crowd of sailors and marines. However, two pony figures stood out from the sea of humans. Princess Luna was sitting alone at a table with a cup of coffee and a newspaper. Spotlight was sitting a few tables away with a cup of hot chocolate and a datapad. With a tray of pancakes and tea in hand, the Captain made his way to Luna’s table.
“Morning.” Daniel said as he sat across from the lunar princess.
“Morning.” She said with a yawn.
“Let me guess. Night court?”
Luna only offered a slow nod in response.
“Long night?”
“Yes. Celestia asked me to talk to our bombers. She hoped that I might be able to get them to talk.”
“And?”
“And nothing. They still refuse to say anything.”
“Want me to take a stab at them?”
Luna raised an eyebrow as she eyed Daniel. “You want to try questioning them?”
“Sure. After all, I command an information gathering starship and work for the Office of Naval Intelligence. I think I can gather intel from a less than cooperative unicorn.” He said with a grin.
“Fine with me. You want to waste your time with them, be my guest.”
“I’ll bet I can get one of them to talk.” Daniel said smugly.
“Oh really now? Willing to put a wager on that?”
“Sure. What are your terms?”
“Hmmm.” Luna tapped a hoof against her chin. “If you fail, and you probably will, you have to attend the night court in full drag.” She said with a mischievous grin.
“How the hell do you know about drag?”
“Saw it in a movie.”
“Which one?”
“Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
Daniel’s face paled. “Oh god why...?”
“Deal?”
“...Fine. But if I win, you have to hold night court after dying your mane and tail pink. Like, bright pink.”
“Hmmm... deal. You have until midnight. Oh I am so looking forward to seeing you in a dress.”
“One day? Fine, but I get to use one team member.”
Luna brought a hoof to her chin as she thought on it.
“Fine with me.” She replied
Daniel then turned around to face the changeling in the room.
“Spotlight!” Daniel yelled across the room. “Get over here!”
Spotlight picked up his mug and datapad and trotted over to the table.
“Morning Princess. What’s up Captain?”
“You still interested in doing some work for ONI?”
“Sure. Sounds like something I could get behind.” Spotlight said with enthusiasm.
“Sweet. you’re coming with me to an interrogation.”
“Wait, really?”
“Yeah, I don’t want to end up in drag.”
Spotlight blinked in confusion.
“Uhh, okay.”
“Great. I’m giving you a field commision. Congratulations, you are now Intern Agent Spotlight.”
“Woah, that quick?”
Daniel nodded. “It’s just a title for now. Let’s see how this goes and we can talk about making it official.”
“Won’t you need the Director’s authorization to do that?”
“Yeah, but it would help if I had a reason to offer him.” The captain said with a shrug.
“Wait a sec. Are you turning him into some kind of secret agent?” Luna asked.
“Pretty much.” Daniel said with a grin.
~~~
It was two in the afternoon and Daniel had just finished interrogating the third bomber, deep within the castle dungeon. So far nothing had been gained. Spotlight had sat next to him the entire time, reading the emotions of the pony in question to discern truth from lie. However, the last three ponies had all been tight lipped. It was time for a change in strategy.
A thought crossed the Captain’s mind as he looked at the file of the fourth bomber. This unicorn was the youngest of the six. Perhaps with a bit of motivation he could be broken easier. Daniel began to grin as he formulated his plan. Spotlight noticed this and sensed his change in emotion.
“You okay there Captain?”
“Yeah, I just had an idea.” Daniel then looked to the hallway door as it swung open, revealing Princess Celestia and Captain Silverlight.
“Captain Ryan. Have you had any luck yet?” Celestia asked warmly.
“Nah, they’re all staying silent. Though I did just come up with a plan for our number four.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. He’s the youngest of the group, and therefore the most inexperienced and more impressionable.” Daniel looked to the interrogation room door and then to the holding cell door. “I’m going to need a few things.” He said, looking to Celestia.
“Such as?”
“A sack of potatoes, a bucket of water, a box of cornstarch, some red food dye, a wood spoon, a unicorn volunteer, and a handgun.”
Celestia looked at Daniel with a confused look. “That’s... an odd list. How will this help us gather information?”
“I want to try and scare this kid into talking. Make it seem as though I got mad at the last guy and killed him.”
“And how do you plan on doing that?”
“Well, the water, starch, and dye are the ingredients to making a cheap fake blood. The potatoes will sound like a body hitting the ground. While the gun will be our source of execution.”
Celestia nodded to a nearby guard who promptly left to gather the necessary materials. “What about the volunteer?”
“Well I need this kid to see my ‘victim’. Here’s how we do this. We hold the kid out here while I scream and yell inside the interrogation room with our volunteer. Things get heated and I pull my gun and shoot him. Really I will be firing a training round into the air. Then the bag of potatoes falls off the chair, acting as our dead body. Next the volunteer is dragged out of the room, trailing fake blood.”
“That’s... morbid.”
“All it needs to do is scare him. I really don’t care if he thinks I’m some kind of killer. In fact, that would be wonderful.”
“Still. This seems a bit extreme.”
“I suppose.”
The guard soon returned with all the supplies in his magical aura.
“Sir, here are the items you requested. Though I was only able to get strawberry syrup instead of red dye.”
Daniel’s hand began reaching around his hip before freezing. “I also need a gun.”
“I’ll get one. Training rounds?” Spotlight asked.
“Yeah. Just tell Chief Carlson that it’s for an interrogation, he’ll understand.”
Spotlight nodded before quickly trotting off.
“Now... I just need a volunteer.” Daniel said as he tapped his chin. “What color are our prisoner’s coats?”
~~~
Private Orange Glow stood in the hallway outside the interrogation room. His escorts stood stoically at his side. To say he was nervous would be an understatement. He had done his best to hold off from saying anything to his interrogators up to this point. However, from the way he had been retrieved from his cell he could tell something was different. His mind instantly went to the worst case scenario. Perhaps Princess Celestia would interrogate him personally. If that was indeed the case then he would have little hope of holding up against her.
Standing in the hallway, Orange Glow could hear yelling coming from the room. It was a male voice, one he did not instantly recognize. The voice quickly became louder, allowing Orange Glow to hear what was being said.
“Alright. Here’s how this is going to work! I have four more of you shitbags in detention cells, all of which I can squeeze for answers! So quite frankly if you don’t want to cooperate then I might as well just move on to the next one!”
“You’ll get nothing from me and like it!” A second voice said in defiance.
“Fine! I don’t need your bullshit anyway!” A metallic click was heard followed by a loud bang. A dull thump later and everything went silent.
A few seconds later the door opened as Captain Ryan exited the room, followed by Spotlight and a Royal Guard who was dragging the dead body of a unicorn. Orange Glow looked at the white unicorn and at the single gunshot wound to his head as it left a trail of blood on the floor. The group walked around a corner before the human and changeling returned.
“Take him inside. I just need to deal with this fucking mess first.” Daniel said with irritation.
Orange Glow was on the verge of hyperventilating as he sat in the room. The interrogation chamber was spartan, save for a single metal table and two chairs. A large one way mirror was set into the wall directly across from Orange Glow. He could only guess at who might be behind it, if anypony.
Soon Daniel and Spotlight entered the room. Both looked incredibly irritated. Daniel took the seat directly across from Orange Glow while Spotlight sat by the door, watching the pony in question all while sensing his emotions. Currently the pony in question was experiencing fear, bordering on sheer terror.
“So, Private Orange Glow, do you have any idea why you are here?” Daniel asked with a glare.
“N-n-no.” He replied quietly.
Daniel slammed his fist on the table, making the pony jump. “Bullshit you don’t! You know exactly why you’re here! You and your little buddies tried to blow up the fucking castle! Remember that part?!”
Orange Glow gulped but remained silent. Daniel leaned forward in his seat.
“Let me spell this out to you. You’re fucked. Like, really fucked. Attempted assassination of a government official and foreign dignitaries, domestic terrorism, and high treason are each their own death sentence from my world. And you managed to get all three in a single day.”
The dark orange unicorn said nothing but look down at the table.
“Hey Spotlight! What do they do to terrorists, assassins, and traitors here in Equestria?”
Spotlight remained neutral as he answered. “Thrown into Tartarus if I’m not mistaken.”
“And how well do you think this pudgy little fuck would hold up in a place like that?”
“I’d give him about three minutes before Cerberus turned him into a new chew toy.”
“Lovely.” Daniel turned back to Orange Glow. “So, I’m gonna be nice and give you some choices. Option one, you stay silent and die in Tartarus to some massive three headed dog. Option two, you cooperate with me and I put in a good word with Celestia.”
“...I’ll never talk.”
“Are you sure about that? All I want is some simple information.” Daniel said with a mischievous grin. “Kid, I don’t think you really grasp the severity of your situation. No one but the Princesses knows you’re here. That means I can do whatever I want to you and no one will be the wiser.”
“Like how you killed that last pony?”
“Exactly. Now, if you want to join your friend in the bullet-to-the-brain club, they by all means keep this up.”
The unicorn remained silent.
“Look, I’ve had a long day so far. Just tell me what I want to know and then I can be on my way. Hell, I might even arrange for you to get a hot meal tonight.”
“I-I’ll die with my knowledge. Y-y-you’ll get nothing from me.”
Daniel began to chuckle. “I bet you practiced that in the mirror. Spotlight, does this kid seem like the martyr type to you?”
“Not in the slightest. He’s just a scared kid who’s in way over his head.”
“I-I’m not afraid of you.”
“Mhm...” Daniel quickly stood up and pulled the unicorn’s head down to the table. He quickly unholstered his handgun and pressed it to the side of Orange Glow’s head. “What about now! Are you fucking scared now!”
Orange Glow closed his eyes tight as he clenched his teeth.
“Who hired you?!”
Again, nothing. Daniel then pulled the slide back on his gun.
“I’ve got two more ponies who can be squeezed for information! Right now you are about as disposable as a used condom! So start talking before I have a second kill for the day!” Daniel shouted into the unicorn’s ear.
A slight trickle of tears began flowing from Orange Glow’s closed eyes. His breathing was erratic as his heart raced. His focus was on the cold metal of the weapon pressed to the side of his head.
“Who! Hired! You!” Daniel said as he flipped the safety off with an audible click.
Orange Glow was now shaking as the end seemed to loom over him.
“Last fucking chance before I blow your pathetic fucking brain all over this table!”
Still nothing.
“Fine.” Daniel said with a deadly calm.
“Wait!” Orange cried out. “Windscar! His name... his name is Domri Windscar!”
The Captain kept the gun to his head for a moment longer before returning the weapon to his holster. He then let go of the unicorn as he sat back in his chair.
“See. Was that so hard?” Daniel said as he looked over his shoulder and grinned at the mirror, knowing full well who was on the other side.
“Tell me about this Domri Windscar.”
~~~
It was hard for Celestia to watch the opening part of the interrogation. To see the young stallion so terrified and scared, even if he had been a part of the plot to kill her and Luna. Luna on the other hand was fascinated at what was happening. Daniel seemed to be trying to break down any confidence left in the pony before going and showing him just how helpless he was.
Celestia had wanted to outright reject Daniel’s proposed plan, but conceded quickly. In the time that her guards had been questioning the ponies, they had gained nothing. The human however, had gotten the name and was currently getting the personal details of the leader behind the attack. All after just a few minutes. She couldn’t deny that Daniel’s method was effective; brutal and unforgiving, but effective. Celestia looked to her sister and was a bit surprised at her expression.
“Luna, are you alright?”
“Fine.” Luna huffed.
“It’s fine if you want to take a break from this.”
“What? Oh, not at all. This is utterly fascinating. The elegance and ease that he used to break Orange Glow. I’m mad because I lost a bet.”
“A bet?”
Luna sighed. “Yeah. I bet him that he wouldn’t be able to get any of the ponies to give information. If he failed then he would have to attend the night court in full drag.”
Celestia just looked at her with confusion.
“It’s when a human male dresses in clothing designed for a female. It’s rare cultural thing. Anyway, if I lost though, then I would have to dye my mane and tail bright pink for night court.”
Celestia had to bring a hoof to her mouth to stifle a bout of laughter.
“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up.”
~~~
Daniel and Spotlight exited the room after thirty minutes of taking notes and asking more questions. They had managed to get a virtual goldmine of information from the young unicorn. Things like who had arranged the attack, the location of their handlers, how much money was offered, and a few other details. In exchange for his cooperation, Orange Glow was to be moved to a regular holding cell as opposed to solitary confinement. This way he would at least have an actual bed and even a small window to the outside world.
The human and changeling walked in to the observation room where Celesita, Luna, and Silverlight were all sitting. Silverlight was still trying to get the remains of the fake blood from his mane.
“So, how’d I do?” Daniel asked smugly.
“I know, I know. You win.” Luna said with a roll of her eyes.
“Not only that, but you gathered some very interesting bits of information.” Celestia added.
“He knows more, but I’m gonna give him some time to recover before we press him again. He’s already broken, so getting the rest should be simple.” Daniel then turned to the Captain Silverlight. “Nice job by the way. He thought you really were dead.”
“Glad to hear it. This stuff is a pain to get out of my coat and mane.”
“Warm water and soap. Of you could just lick it off. It is strawberry flavored after all.” Daniel said with a grin.
Silverlight just rolled his eyes. “So he had no idea who I was?”
“Not a clue. He was probably too scared to connect the dots about your identity.” Daniel then turned to the one way mirror. “I’m just glad he didn’t look up.” He said as he looked to the pink spot on the ceiling where the training round had hit.
“Well, I’m just glad that’s over.” Celestia said with a sigh.
“Same. Anyway, I’m gonna head back to the ship.” Daniel and Spotlight turned and made their way out of the lower dungeon.
~~~
The two eventually made their way through the rain and back aboard the Tuscany. They were going over their findings with Commander Zerom and Dior.
“So a quarter of a million bits?” Zerom asked with shock.
“Yup. I guess each one was getting paid that for their roles in the bombings.” Daniel said with a nod.
Spotlight was happily sipping on a cup of hot chocolate through a straw. He was also using one of the holes in his hoof as a makeshift cupholder. He gave a content purring noise as he enjoyed his drink. “I’m just glad we got something concrete from him.” Spotlight then looked to Daniel. “So, I done good today?”
“Ya done good, Spotty.”
Spotlight smiled as he continued enjoying his drink.
“So, what’s the next step?” Dior asked.
“Well, I suspect Celestia will act on the information gained from our little talk with Orange Glow. I’ll probably go back in a few days to squeeze him for more info.”
“What are your thoughts given everything that’s happened over the last few weeks?” Zerom asked.
“I think this has two possibilities. One being that this whole gryphon uprising will just fizzle and die before anything can really escalate. The other possibility is that this turns into all out war.” Daniel paused and glanced out the window. “I really hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“If it were to come to a war, do you think the Director would let us get involved?”
“Doubtful. It would take something serious for us to get involved in a combat role.”
“What would qualify as serious?” Spotlight asked.
“If we were directly attacked and sustained significant damage.” Dior replied for the Captain.
“Exactly. So unless the gryphons decide to shoot us down, don’t expect us to see combat. Again, this is all assuming the gryphons are going to start a war with someone we’re involved with.”
“So Captain, what’s next for us?” Zerom asked.
“We have a meeting with various other national leaders. After that? No clue.”
The table sat in silence as the rain continued to softly patter against the window. Spotlight was almost done with his drink as he looked into the mug despondently. To his surprise, someone reached over his shoulder and poured more of the delectable chocolate drink into his mug. His eyes widened when the same unknown figure topped off the drink with a hearty cover of whipped cream. The changeling quickly turned around to see Chef standing behind him with a bottle of whipped cream and a silver pitcher of hot chocolate. Spotlight turned back to his drink and quickly buried his nose in the whipped cream mound in his mug.
Everyone at the table could only watch as the changeling practically inhaled the whipped cream. After a few seconds though, he was forced to come up for air. His entire muzzle was completely white, pieces of whipped cream were slowly dripping down his fangs which he quickly cleaned off with a wipe of his tongue. All four spectating humans began laughing.
“What? What’s so funny?” Spotlight asked.
“You. Well more specifically, your face.” Daniel replied between bouts of laughter.
“Oh god why am I laughing this hard? Why is this even funny?!” Zerom said as tears flowed from the corners of his eyes. Even Dior’s face was beginning to turn red.
“It hurts to breath.” The SPARTAN said.
Spotlight turned to look at Chef who only offered a shrug and a smile.
~~~
Later that night, Spotlight had just gotten out of a nice hot shower when he noticed the computer in his quarters had an unread message for him. He pulled himself up on the chair and used his magic to use the mouse and open the message. It was a mass email to every person on the ship. Most often these types of messages included weekly schedules and other important pieces of information.
This one was different. It had an “URGENT” subject line followed by a single sentence.
Please view the following attachment.
Spotlight shrugged and clicked the attachment. His jaw hit nearly hit the desk as an image popped up.
It was a picture of him grinning with his face covered in whipped cream. Someone had then gone and added a caption at the bottom.
This is the face of true evil.
He was certain he could hear someone laughing through the bulkhead.
~~~
It was the next morning as the crew of the Tuscany arose to a sunny day. The weather reports had pointed to the next three days being clear and sunny before a second storm would be moving in. Of course it was always helpful to have an actual weather schedule to reference. Captain Ryan had decided to give the crew three days of shore leave. He had even cleared it with Celestia and Captain Silverlight to allow small groups of the crew to explore Canterlot. This news was met with thunderous cheering that echoed through every passageway.
One group in particular was excited to be heading into the city. Ahmad Anas and his group of five had planned on visiting one of the mountain city’s best tourist points; an observation platform that offered a magnificent view of the valley below.
Ahmad was met by a few others as he entered the main launch bay where their Falcon waited. Staff Sergeant Kelly Verrez and Gunnery Sergeant Philip Ballas sat with Lieutenant Victor- 913, one of the SPARTANs of Chevron team. He was a monster of a Russian, standing at six foot seven. The three sat in the cabin of the Falcon as they waited for the others. Even though they were on shore leave, everyone was still wearing their armor and carried a sidearm.
“Jeeze Ahmad, what was taking you so long?” Kelly asked with a grin.
“Oh you know, muslim things. Praying to Allah for the death of all the infadels. The usual.” Ahmad said with a shrug.
“Wait, isn’t your name arabic for ‘Very Commendable Friendship’?” Philip asked.
“Ironic right?” Ahmad said with a grin as Kelly and Victor began laughing.
“I’m not sure if I should be worried or if I should be laughing too.”
“Da, it is funny.” Victor said with a thick accent.
“Speaking of infidels, where’s our pilot?”
It was then that Junior Lieutenant Gary Stokes jogged into the launch bay with his helmet under one arm.
“Sorry I’m late. We all ready?”
“Yup. Let’s go.” Kelly said as everyone took their seats in the aircraft. The clearance out the front of the ship was only a few hundred feet. While the distance would normally be a problem for any aircraft trying to take off or land, the Falcon was able to navigate the turn with ease.
Soon the entirety of Canterlot came into view as the small aircraft passed the castle. It would be the first time humans had set foot in the actual city of this world. A few pegasi in the air did double takes as the aircraft sped toward its destination. Some of the braver ones even flew alongside the Falcon, but still gave it plenty of room due to the spinning rotors. Kelly was happily sitting at one of the door guns, waving to any pegasi they passed. Victor only gave a chuckle at her enthusiasm.
Soon the ride was over as the Falcon touched down at the overlook. Most ponies watched in awe as the aircraft gently touched down on a large grassy field next to the actual structure. The five humans eagerly disembarked their aircraft as they prepared to begin their day in the city. The crowd of ponies had diminished slightly as some began to go back to enjoying their own day.
“Wow. This is... incredible.” Ahmad said as he looked around in awe. The large park was bustling with activity as ponies from around the city enjoyed the sunny day. “So then. Shall we head over to the overlook?”
“Let’s go! That’s why we’re here after all.” Kelly said with bustling enthusiasm.
“You go ahead. I’m going to find a nice tree to meditate under.” Victor replied.
“You not coming big guy?” Philip asked.
“Hет; no. It’s not that I don’t trust pony construction, but I am not sure they had someone like me in mind when they built it.”
“Dude... they built it to hold numerous people. All of which add up to weigh more that you. You’ll be fine.” Gary said.
“All the same. I would rather just relax.”
“Alright. Suit yourself.” Ahmad said as the three ODSTs and Marine made their way to the overlook.
Victor made his way to a large oak tree before sitting cross legged with his helmet on the grass next to him. He closed his eyes and began taking slow deep breaths, allowing his mind to take in every sound, smell, and feel.
The rest of the group was happily moving through the overlook. It was much larger than they had anticipated. Rather than just being a platform hanging off the side of the mountain, it was almost like a museum. There were numerous info plaques along the massive windows that stretched across the entire face of the building. There doors on either side of the main observation room that led to a pair of balconies that wrapped along the exterior of the building.
The platform was filled with numerous ponies all out to enjoy the day as the humans entered. They got a few glances and nervous looks, but those were quickly forgotten as everyone went about their business. Ahmad and Kelly were reading a plaque that described the original founding of Canterlot when Kelly began furiously tapping Ahmad’s shoulder. She was discreetly pointing to a group of schoolkids on a field trip.
“That has to be the most adorable thing I have seen.” She whispered.
Ahmad gave a smile and a chuckle as he returned to his reading.
~~~
Victor was enjoying the small breeze that ran through his short brown hair. His eyes were still closed as he continued to meditate on the events of the past few weeks. He had seen and heard things that existed only in fantasy books and stories. Yet here he was, living those same fantasy stories. His concentration was soon interrupted by a small voice.
“Umm, excuse me. Mister?”
Victor slowly opened a single eye as he looked to the source of the voice. To his side stood three young ponies. Two young colts and a filly stood a few feet away from him, eyes filled with wonder and curiosity.
“We...uh... we were just wondering... why are you just sittin’ under this tree?” A pinto colt asked.
“A very good question.” The SPARTAN said with a warm smile. “It is called meditation. I use it for many things.”
“L-like what?” The filly asked sheepishly.
“Well, I can use it to calm myself if I get angry. Or I can even use it to think back on a past even to better understand it. In this case I am simply using it to better enjoy the world around me.” The three young ponies looked between each other and then back to the SPARTAN.
“Can... can we try?”
The SPARTAN chuckled and smiled. “Of course you can. Here,” Victor picked up his helmet and moved it to his other side, making room for the three ponies, “have a seat in the shade.”
The three ponies did as the human said. “Now. I want you to close your eyes and relax. Let your breathing slow to a nice comfortable rate and allow your mind to wander. Don’t necessarily think of anything, but rather focus on the sensations around you.”
The three ponies closed their eyes and followed his instructions. “Now try and focus on a single thing. Let’s say the feeling of wind blowing through your coat. Really focus on it.” The group sat in silence for a few minutes as the breeze continued to shift direction.
“Now, focus on the sounds around you. Pay attention to the sound of the wind moving through the leaves. Notice the soft sounds of the grass moving against the breeze.” The SPARTAN paused to let the ponies focus. “Now notice the birds. Listen to how they speak to one another. Their songs carry messages just the same as how I am speaking now.” Victor was particularly interested in the song of what sounded like a robin. “Now go further than that. Tell me what else you can hear.”
“I can hear someponies having a picnic.” The teal unicorn filly said. “One of them asked for another bread roll.”
“Very good.” Victor replied. “What else can you hear?”
“I can hear the tree branches moving.” The grey unicorn colt stated.
“Indeed. All around us the wind is moving through the tree branches, making a symphony of sound. A symphony that often goes unnoticed by many. Anything else?”
“I hear somepony walking.” The pinto colt answered.
“Pipsqueake! What are you doing?!” A voice called out from behind the group. Victor opened his eyes as he turned to see the source of the disturbance. A light red unicorn mare was approaching the group. “I am so sorry if they were bothering you, sir.” The mare said to Victor.
“Da, do not worry. They were simply curious about me.” The three young ponies seemed to shrink away from this newcomer. “May I ask your name?”
“Oh, I’m Garnet, their teacher.”
“A pleasure to meet you Mrs. Garnet. I take it you are a part of the school group that is here?”
The teacher looked at the human with surprise. “How did you know that?”
The SPARTAN let out a small chuckle. “I could hear the voices of many young children playing together, as well as a few older voices who seemed to have an air of authority to them. With this I was able to conclude that a school group was visiting today.”
“That’s quite impressive Mr...?”
“Victor. My name is Victor.”
“Well Mr. Victor, thank you for making sure these three didn’t get into trouble.”
“It was my pleasure. Really.” The human then turned to the three children. “Before you go, I want you to focus on one thing that you find interesting. It can be any sound, smell, or feeling.”
The three once again closed their eyes and began to observe everything around them. Garnet just sat there with a perplexed look. A few minutes passed before the filly spoke up.
“I can smell something kinda salty. Not like food... but something.”
“What led you to this smell?”
“The wind. I was focusing on the wind in my mane when I noticed a kind of salty smell. It’s gone now, but it was there for a moment.”
“Hmmm. What could it be then?”
“I dunno.”
“Don’t give up. Focus. What was it that made you notice that?”
“It reminds me of something...”
“Good. Follow that memory.”
A few seconds passed before the filly got up in excitement. “The ocean!”
“Very good.” Victor said with a smile. “The high altitude of this city exposes us to many higher air currents. Some of these can carry sea spray for many miles.” He then turned back to the other two and waited for their answers.
A minute later, the grey unicorn spoke up. “I can feel something strange. Like the mountain is moving. But its different.”
“Good. Focus on this feeling. Try to describe it.”
“Its like... little pulses. Some bigger than others.”
“And what do you think could cause these pulses?”
“I... maybe... The train! The train to Canterlot!”
“The next train doesn’t arrive for another three hours though.” Garnet said with surprise.
“He could feel the slight vibrations of the train going through the tunnels near the base of the mountain.” Victor replied.
“How is all this possible?”
“They have learned to open their minds to the world around them. Be it the call of a songbird or the feeling of a train passing below.”
“Oh! I hear something!” Pipsqueak said with surprise. “It sounds like... rocks moving... and... metal?”
Victor looked at the colt with a perplexed look before he too began to notice the sound. It was the sound of small rocks falling and bouncing off larger rocks. This was accompanied by the very soft sound of metal groaning as if it were under great strain. Victor kept his eyes closed as he turned his head until he was facing the source of the noise. He slowly opened his eyes and was surprised at what he saw.
He was looking directly at the base of the observation platform. The sounds of rocks cracking had become a bit louder while the metallic gorans had also grown in volume. The SPARTAN silently got up while keeping his gaze on the overlook.
“Is... is everything alright?” Pipsqueak asked with worry.
“I’m not sure. Those are not good sounds.” Victor replied with a hint of worry.
There was an ear splitting crack as a large section of cliff beneath the overlook fell away from the mountain. Victor watched in horror as one of the three metal support struts was ripped from the bottom of the building and began to plummet to the valley below. The SPARTAN quickly turned around to face Garnet as he picked up his helmet.
“Mrs. Garnet, I need you to go and make sure all your students are out of that building.” The SPARTAN said as he slipped his helmet on. The school teacher was staring in shock as the entire building began to tilt and an awkward angle. “Mrs. Garnet!” Victor practically yelled.
“Oh, yes! Of course!” The school mare began to gallop toward the building. All around, ponies were trying to figure out what was going on. Their questions were soon answered as a flood of panicked ponies began to pour from the overlook.
The SPARTAN turned back to the three children at his feet. He crouched down as he spoke.
“I want the three of you to go sit by my aircraft until this is over. Alright?”
The three were clearly scared but nodded their understanding.
“Good.” The SPARTAN said as he began to run to the collapsing building.
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Big Russians aren't always great around kids.
Kill them all and let
Celestia sort them out
Interrogation
i find that Russians have the best accent IMO and this will get a lot more funnier if there was someone who can draw a picture of spotlight with whipped cream on his nose/muzzle
I sense sabotage.
Fanart of the characters in this fan fiction in hilarious poses or something would be the icing on the cake for this.
MOAAAAAAAAAAR!
Dear god he's training mini Spartans the horror!
On the bright side I sense a big action scene next chapter :D
Activates FTL while waiting for new chapter*
I keep getting the distinct feeling that Daniel is in Celestia's pocket.
Moarrrrrrr! Darn it. Moarrr!
2737290
Changelings with whipped cream on their grinning muzzle, "The face of true evil!"... now that sounds like some pony propaganda if I ever heard of it.
He's rabid, look out!
(The Dawww'abitus from that image is inevitable)
2737461
No obvious explosions this time which leads me to suspect something far harder to track down like acid on key support beams. Could have been left there days or weeks ago, slowly eating away at the support until gravity takes over.
is it just me, or does anyone else imagine Victor with Heavy Weapons Guy(from TF2)'s voice?
2741980 Jorge-052 was Hungarian. He was born in Viery on Reach, raised and trained in Viery on Reach, and died in orbit of Reach. S-II's were all trained and augmented on Reach, in both the Viery and Eposz territories.
Reach was established by Hungarian colonists in 2218 or so, after planetary confirmation of the Goldilocks Zone in 2024.
cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/33444657.jpg
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Pretty much everyone does, whenever a giant Russian is described.
Is Het a dialect or pure Russian for no, I thought it was Niet [nee-yet].
....if you know what i mean...
Meditation is actually quite refreshing. I do it whenever I feel the urge to shoot my smartass wingman (usaf).
Uh oh...