Future Tactics - The War Games

by TheFullCrumb

Chapter 2 - What Dwells in the Dark

The sky darkened over the Hegemony, a box-like shape blocking the sun as it descended, great bursts of fire shooting from tubes on the side. Alien letters scrawled on the side meant nothing to the panicking populace below as the sheer force of air rendered many either unconscious, or a mere stain on the ground where they once stood. Beams of light shone forth, waving back and forth across the capitol, seemingly looking for something.

--------//|0|\\--------

“We're way off course, lieutenant! We were never cleared to do a planetary landing, let alone hover within a planetary gravity well! Our inertial dampeners will give out if we keep this up for too long!” A man shouted into his wrist, pointing other people clad in grey armor to their stations. Soldiers marching in heavy combat gear stopped to salute the man, continuing on their way as he walked from the large, expansive bridge towards the sealed doors at the end of the large corridor he stood in. Grime-streaked walls greeted him at every turn, the weariness of his crew always evident as he continued on his way, the doors hissing open as he walked. Adjusting his armor, he stepped into a secondary alcove, his hand running across a glass panel, various keys lighting up in response. With a whir, a screen flipped down, a single beam of light covering his face as a door opened in the wall.

“Unit 27! Report!” A camera swiveled to meet the man's face.

“Online and recording, Captain Jeremy Brightstone. How may I be of-” Brightstone slammed his fist down on the operating console, snarling.

“Unit 27, just how in the hell did we manage to get so damned far from our destination?” Whirring and clunking issued forth from the aging computer, a single slide of glass popping up. Brightstone, picking it up, tapped several places, bringing up an interstellar drift chart. He had to zoom in and out several times before he could even see the drift scale.

“Calculating drift records, we have not veered from our assigned destination, Captain Brightstone. We have arrived.” Brightstone set the glass back into the slot it had come from, leaving the Artificial Intelligence control room as the ship began to shake.

--------//|0|\\--------

Below, far below, thousands began to panic as the sky above began to burn red, the air seeming to ignite as feather caught fire. Many were saved from the scalding air that began to take lives, but the cost of it was high.

High Talon Silas Stoneclaw, the hereditary head of the Stoneclaw Clan, sat on his throne, watching the great metal ironclad vessel hover, as if magic itself took it into its talon, and held it aloft. Motioning to a guard, he leaned in closely.

“Have the armed forces ready with our prototypes,” he ordered. “Something must be able to crack that steel beast.” He waved the guard away, clacking his talons towards his servants, calling them forth with platters of small fish and cheeses, smiling slightly as the ponies he kept in his court backed away slowly. He waved, letting the doors open.

“Go free, if you wish. However, that great ironclad in the sky will most likely burn your fur to a cinder, reducing your flesh and bone to naught but ash! If,” he stated, “you wish to continue this foolhardy journey of yours, by all means, go. I have no need for ashes and blood.” He laughed, the ponies galloping for all they were worth out the door. He sighed, the smirk leaving his face. Turning to his left, he frowned.

“High Talon Stoneclaw-”

“Save it, Princess Luna. We understand about the ironclad,” he whispered to Luna, who backed away slowly. Luna lowered her head, sighing as she looked at the vessel in the sky. She knew what he did not, and felt afraid that he refused to listen to her advice. As she watched, her saddlebags began to buzz. Retrieving a glass tablet with her magic, she let it glow to life, displaying Star Swirls' augmented face.

“Princess. We've been able to get a positive identification on that vessel. Wait... you checked this, right? That can't be right.”

“Star Swirl?”

“Luna, that ship is known as the Janus Planetary Accord Cruiser Indomitable. The identification algorithms match the ones used on the Kepler. They're from the same star system.” Star Swirl finished, pressing buttons on the control panel nearest him. Silas Stoneclaw leaned in close, looking at Star Swirl.

“If you will pardon my interrupting, the Indomitable? Doesn't appear very formidable or indomitable from where I sit. My soldiers are already deploying their prototype weapons as we speak.” Stoneclaw crossed his talons, shifting in his seat as he looked out at the various flights of griffons, ropes tethering them to massive bombards that would dwarf their normal cannon. The color drained from Luna's face as she witnessed the griffons beginning their attack, shells flying towards the Indomitable. Arcs of lightning jumped off the surface, bouncing between the projectiles. Every single piece of ordinance detonated in the air, shrapnel screeching as it shredded the griffons caught in the open.

“Call back your forces, High Talon,” Luna ordered, the High Talon leaning forward and smirking.

“Oh, is the pony princess worried for my forces? I assure you-”

“Call them back now!” Luna let her voice boom, the Royal Canterlot Voice echoing in the ears of all present. Her wings were flared, emphasizing the gravity of the situation. Stoneclaw turned back to the Indomitable, the truth dawning on him as he watched large plates of metal sliding out of place, massive barrels coming to bear. Covering his eyes, he awaited the inevitable shockwave of blasts, but nothing came. Instead, echoing voices could be heard wafting in over the wind.

“Attention, hostile forces! You have fired upon this vessel. Any further acts of hostility will be met with decisive force. This is your only warning.” Stoneclaw frowned, looking up at the vessel as the speech finished. He turned to Luna, his talons clicking on the ground as he stood up from his throne. Luna backed away, her eyes on the Indomitable as the barrels began to glow. Without her second-in-command beside her, she felt naked as a young newborn, her first instinct to gallop away and hide from the inevitable firestorm that would erupt if the griffons did not cease firing. Stoneclaw followed Luna, his face suddenly a mask of worry and panic.

“What did they say, Luna? What did they say?!” He shouted in her face, forcing her to her haunches as she sat on the ground. He gripped a nearby railing, the reality dawning on him that he followed her out to the balcony. His vision swam as he, in silence, witnessed bright blasts as large explosions impacted the immediate area underneath the vessel, the forces of the detonations enough to ripple the ground underneath. Luna worked her jaw as she saw the pressure wave descending upon them, the bombards wrestled from their perches as the wall of air slammed into her, throwing her into the wall of the Griffon Palace. She could feel the bones in her right wing break in several places, many of her primaries ripped from their roots as the wave passed. High Talon Stoneclaw braced himself, various broken timbers shooting past like improvised missiles. He watched Princess Luna take the brunt of the blast, blood pouring from where the bone had pierced the skin, and where her primaries had been torn from.

“Go... High Talon. Find... help.” Luna passed out from the pain, her bleeding slowed somewhat as her broken body lay underneath a pile of debris. Stoneclaw, without even hesitating, began to dig her out, her hooves barely visible. Griffon guards from the lower levels broke into the room, moving to their liege's aid as they continued to move Luna from the rubble. His advisor, Talon Guard Captain Julius Sharp, began to pull him away from the rubble, Stoneclaw fighting the whole time.

“No! I can get her out! We can't leave the princess behind! She... she saved my life!” He pushed Sharp off, returning to the side of his soldiers. Most of Luna's body had been uncovered, the guards working continuously. Stoneclaw was about to make a request when a loud noise overhead startled him. The barrels retracted into the vessel, the metal plates sliding into place. A high-pitched whine filled the air as the ship slowly descended, the High Talon only then getting his first look at the area underneath the Indomitable. The entire city had been flattened, only charred ground where homes had once stood. Not even skeletons remained in the area underneath. With a resounding crash, the bottom of the vessel touched ground, panels sliding up to reveal massive legs. Eight in all on the one side slid out, extending to balance the ship.

--------//|0|\\--------

A piercing shriek filled the air as Luna woke once more, the pain filling her entire being as guards of the High Talon held her down, letting the medical griffons work on her wing. Each bone was set, a binding placed to keep the wing from moving. A wooden dowel was placed in her mouth, a griffon slowly rubbing her head.

“Please don't squirm so much, your Highness. My griffons are doing what they can for you,” the medical griffon whispered. “We'll be alerting Canterlot of this grievous injury. Your sister would be most pleased that we've assisted in keeping you alive. Though... there is some bad news.” Luna turned her head, her teeth clamping down on the dowel as the griffons continued to work on her wing. Her eyes were ablaze with pain and anger, asking silently what they were meaning. Another griffon entered, more medical supplies dropping to the floor as some griffons left for other duties. Spitting out the dowel, Luna fixed her eyes on the chief medical griffon in the room, staring.

“What... do you mean, 'bad news?” Luna was breathing heavily, trying to keep her focus under the duress as the griffon looked away, shame on her face as she took a deep breath.

“Luna, the injuries you took to your wing, well, they may never heal properly. While that remains to be seen, you could quite possibly lose the ability to fly.”

“But-” Luna was interrupted by another griffon putting a second dowel in her mouth, letting her bite down hard before they secured another binding. She looked at her side, where her once-beautiful wing was slowly being forced back into a relatively wing-shaped package, except strapped to her side. She stared straight ahead, watching her primaries float off into the wind. A single tear escaped her eye as the High Talon stepped in front of her.

“Princess Luna, I cannot apologize more for not listening to your advice earlier. Had I not fired upon it-” He closed his mouth, preferring not to finish his sentence as he looked upon the princess. He stood still as the medical griffons helped her up to her hooves, making sure the bindings were strapped tightly to her barrel. She grimaced, her teeth a light shade of pink from her own blood.

“T-there was nothing you could have done. Even I could not have fathomed that they would have taken such offense to your rather ineffective assault,” Luna admitted, her eyes downcast as she looked out towards the Indomitable. Grimacing as she swallowed quietly, she watched as small figures descended from the bottom of the Indomitable, beams of light shining in every direction.

--------//|0|\\--------

“Alpha Squad, take point! Bravo and Charlie, follow Brightstone! Try and find that beacon!” Twenty masks nodded in unison, the single point of light that served as the eye shining around as they scanned the area. Captain Brightstone checked his ammunition as he slid on his Command Helm, a variant of his soldier's helmets. With a scowl, he looked up, infra-red scanning revealing a massive city of creatures he could not yet determine, but yet brought a trickle of the primal fear that most humans were keen to feel in moments of self-doubt. Unit 27, the Indomitable's SIP, knelt down, examining a skeleton.

“Captain, these are very primitive organics. Quadripedal in nature, though these skeletons affirm that some are of a rather mythological persuasion, of ancient Greek legend, in fact.”

“What do you mean? What did we just land on?”

“The Kepler's Interstellar Distress Beacon activated two months ago, and that means that it is somewhere on this planet. The creatures, though? That one is equivalent to an old Earth equine, the 'pony,' if I am correct, and that one is equivalent to the old Earth myth of the Gryphons of Greece. I would advise caution, however, Captain.” Unit 27's arm opened, revealing a light-caliber assault rifle barrel, a strip of ammunition stretching from inside its back, its eyes darting back and forth as it counted the creatures.

“Why is that? What's-”

“That would be the Gryphons opening fire on us with their small cannon. Recommend evasive-”

“Shield wall, now!” With a burst and shimmer, a massive wall of energy sprang to life, the shells from the cannon detonating harmlessly several meters away from their intended targets. Brightstone let his eyes switch to normal view, zooming as he watched the enemy forces.

“There are approximately 1,425,379 creatures in this city, Captain. 75% are of the Gryphon variety. I would advise against making war. While their weapons are ineffective when the Electro-Adaptive Shielding is online, they could easily overwhelm the defenses when the Indomitable is landed as she is right now.” Unit 27 whirred as it spun around to face behind the squads, aiming at whatever it had detected.

“Squads, form up on the SIP! Enemy forces nearing our defences!” The creatures they were facing were similar to some of the skeletons they had discovered, but metal framing criss-crossed over their bodies, long-barreled rifles strapped to the side as their mouths hovered over what looked like the bits used for horses long before their time, but modified to be used as a trigger mechanism.

“Sir-” A single shot rang out, the squads panicking as they attempted to discover who had fired the first shot. With a yelp, a soldier was picked up and tossed aside as Captain Brightstone watched, blue fields of energy enveloping every one of his troopers. Flipping around, he watched as a rather tall 'pony' approached him, the expression on its face a mask of anger and pain.

“We speak your language, human. Yes, we know what you are.” Its eyes flashed, the irises taking on a vastly different colour as something grabbed it, even the Gryphons backing away as a black swirl of energy gathered around it, Brightstone tightening his grip on his rifle. With a loud noise, snapping echoed as the energy settled, Brightstone's men falling to the ground with their heads at odd angles. Black fire radiated out from every step the pony took, as its face took on a monstrous appearance, pure darkness radiating out.

“'We speak your language.' Speak the language of war. Indomitable-” Brightstone's radio was ripped from his helmet, the helmet itself also being ripped to shreds as Brightstone was brought up to the pony's face, its face twisting into a snarl.

“Speak the language that will not end your pathetic excuse for existence.” Brightstone smiled, looking down as his bald head began to bleed from various scratches across the scalp.

“Checkmate. Always disarm your opponent.” A burst of rifle fire erupted from his weapon, shredding into the pony before him. With a laugh, he landed on his feet as he watched the pony collapse, though it was short lived as every creature shouted at him in unison, their eyes wide with fear.

--------//|0|\\--------

“It shot the Princess! It shot Princess Luna!” Guards were scrambling as Cradle soldiers entered the Hegemony, Gryphon forces nodding as Cradle forces dropped off crates of weapon harnesses, the rifles high-caliber prototypes running expensive magic ammunition.

“All Cradle forces, retrieve the Princess! Kill the biped if it interferes!” The High Talon could hear the radio chatter from Luna's communicator. Frowning, he picked the radio up, pressing what he assumed was a communication button.

“Cradle forces, this is High Talon Silas Stoneclaw, of the Gryphon Hegemony. Princess Luna is down in the ruins of the Castle Courtyard. Some of your forces are already here, though they do not seem happy with Gryphon involvement. I do not intend your Princess harm. A life for a life.” He looked down at the Princess, his expression turning dark and sour as he glared at the bipedal being in front of him.

“She saved my life, and now, I'll save hers, and in retribution, I will kill that which tried to kill-” With a wave of a massive wing, he was swept back, Luna standing up as darkness radiated from her body. Staring the being down, her voice echoed with the cacophony of evil, her very tone drastically different from the Lunar Princess he had been speaking with earlier.

“I do so very love it when no pony comes to help. Not even my dear sister could be bothered to come along when a crisis of this magnitude comes along. Anything dealing with outer space and everything beyond had to be pushed off on me, didn't it, Celestia?! Didn't it?!”

“Princess Luna-”

“Luna is dead, High Talon. I am everything she is not, everything she pushed aside for the sake of her precious Cradle. Celestia wants everything we have worked for hidden, and the ponies who have toiled for Luna to rebuild the great star vessel. Now we suffer no more, and the name Nightmare Moon will bring terror to the light as the darkness comes forth, and the light of Celestia's destruction fades out of memory forever! We will live in the Long Dark, and we will fly, oh, we will fly!” Nightmare Moon snarled as she watched the sky, a streak of sunlight speeding towards her.

“Does anypony else see that?”

“Blasted wretch! The Solar Princess deems it-” The wind was knocked out of her as Princess Celestia, the Solar Diarch, slammed into the side of Nightmare Moon, darkness fading as light shone from her body.

“I deem it necessary to contain the greatest evil ever to be discovered anywhere, here, or in the farthest reaches of space. Every gryphon and pony in this area, leave immediately! This is for your own safety!” Ponies and Gryphons scrambled, galloping or flying away as Celestia stared down the former visage of her sister, the bullet wound visibly bleeding inky black darkness.

“You dream to control the world, preventing the spread of everything Luna accomplished! Everything that was to remake this world, turn our primitive world into a world of pure power and science! You deemed it necessary to begin rewriting history! The landing of the Kepler! The Seven Day War! This glorious vessel! With it, I shall rain down fire upon every one of your subjects, until they realize that you cannot protect them, and that only I can-”

“Enough!”

“You dare-”

“I dare nothing, and you are but a nightmare of the sister I once had, her fears and negativity personified. You dare to dream that you can control everything, that this science must be spread, but if the spread of advanced science becomes this,” she motioned at Nightmare Moon for emphasis, “then it is better that everypony forgets that such science is even possible! You may think that the time is now for such expansion, but with everything happening now, you will damage everything, destroy countless lives-”

“All for nothing, Celestia!” Nightmare Moon spread her wings, flapping as she cackled, taking to the sky.

“I only came due to an error in our own agreements to the Gryphons, and yet, here we are, fighting like children, Luna! Come out of the darkness, and let light fill your heart-”

“Let the stars curse your light, that no pony may ever forgive you if you do exactly what it is you plan to do to me!” Her horn flared, a massive ball of energy forming as Celestia snarled, looking behind her.

“Elements, now.” With a quick motion, the first soldiers on the scene opened the massive chest that had just been dropped off by Gryphon forces, the six magical stones floating in front of her as she closed her eyes, tears beginning to fall as she faced the darkness that wore her sister like a suit.

“Y-you can't! You would be destroying-”

“Not destroying, you nightmare.” Energy swirling around Celestia, lifting her into the air. With a shout, soldiers retreated quickly, stepping to a safe distance and watching from behind cover. Inversely, the bipedal watched with curious intent as he sat down on the ground, the wave of energy taking his energy as he stared with reckless curiosity. The energy began spinning faster and faster as Celestia floated upwards, a bubble of sheer force forming around her.

“I will not allow this-”

“You will allow nothing, Nightmare Moon. In the name of harmony itself, I banish your darkness to the skies above, where you may remain. Let the stars themselves weep at your passing.” With a massive burst of energy, Celestia appeared to explode, a wave of undiluted magic washing over everything, a rainbow array of power that slammed into the Nightmare, the screams she let loose evident of her fear. A beam of pure rainbow light struck out like a lance, slamming into the Nightmare, sending her skywards. As she flew towards the celestial object associated with the sister she now possessed, she cackled, her horn lighting up and blasting towards a distant object. With that, energy swirled around her, the visible moon marked with the face of the mare of darkness. Celestia descended to the ground, her effervescent ethereal mane shifting to a more pink colour as she began to collapse.

--------//|0|\\--------

Brightstone could only sit and watch the entire scene in front of him. He barely even registered that the Gryphons were grabbing him, slapping shackles onto his limbs; it did not matter, only what he had just witnessed did. He had thought humanity, with its energy weapons, its fusion reactors and intergalactic travel, had been the most advanced species in that sector of the universe.

However, just like any person witness to what could only be called a miracle, he cried. In front of his face, literal magic had washed over him. Memories of the horrible things he had done to protect his crew came to the surface as the dams burst, and tears streamed down his face. Whatever had washed through him had removed the blocks he had on his own conscience.

“Unit 27, if you're still alive, take a note. If the Union of Earth's Colonies ever discovers this planet after we're gone, leave a beacon that states what I have seen, what I have witnessed. Magic exists, an energy unlike anything I have ever seen before, and I have seen wormholes, black holes, and white holes. I have seen stars being born, and yet, those do not compare to what I have just witnessed. I am Captain Brightstone of the UEC starship Indomitable, and I have witnessed the miracle that humanity sought long ago when it took to the stars, when Earth could no longer sustain us. I suspect that no person, no human alive who could witness anything like this could not be moved. Magic is real, not the stuff of fantasy anymore. Lock down the Indomitable. Don't let them in. Don't... don't let me in.”

--------//|0|\\--------

Celestia awoke to medic ponies peering over her, testing her muscles and her magical aptitude. With a snort, she drew their attention, her mane having since regained its ethereal effervescence.

“H-How long w-was I-”

“Two weeks, Princess Celestia. Two weeks you were out. It's a very fortunate thing my mother allowed me to come as quickly as I did.” Princess Chrysalis stepped out from behind a number of doctors, two Changelings in flak armour flanking her. She bowed to the older regent, smiling with sincerity as she stood up.

“C-Chrysalis? B-But-”

“Not really much of a concern of mine, but we do have much to talk about. Advanced science, mostly. My mother would not like to speak on such matters, but she knows how much they mean to the country, the Coalition at large.” She seated herself in a nearby chair, her guards taking up customary positions by the door as she leaned closer to Celestia.

“L-Luna i-is-”

“Gone, yes, but not long. We do know a particular about the spell the Elements used. Oh, don't look at me like that! I can't cast it, but that does not mean I can't read about it. It functions like a form of hypersleep, but she will be in there for a long time.”

“How long, Chrysalis? H-How long?!” Celestia demanded, her bloodshot eyes evident of the tears that still flowed. Chrysalis chuckled, looking to the side as Celestia lay back down, staring up at the ceiling.

“Best estimates? Around a millenium, a thousand years, give or take a few months due to leap years and such. I watched my best friend get sent to the moon, Celestia. I read everything I could. The spell was very cryptic, only stating that 'the stars will aid in escape when a millenium has been reached.' That's all I can say for now.” She stood up, turning to leave before Celestia's hoof caught her leg.

“Hmm?”

“C-Chrysalis, I-”

“I am afraid you can't go home just yet. They're still estimating the damage caused by her last ditch effort to kill you.” Celestia lay back in the bed, staring up at the ceiling as it all sank in, Chrysalis excusing herself to leave. Her home, the one she and Luna had grown up in, had ruled from, destroyed in a mere instant by a disagreement. Her mind ran through the options, through the variables, and only one path forward seemed viable.

“D-doctor... Doctor!” A medical pony galloped in, staring around.

“Princess, what can I do for-”

“Take a note. Write down everything I am about to tell you. It is of great importance.” The doctor quietly nodded, his horn lighting up as he levitated over pencils and stacks of paper.

“In the beginning, there were two royal pony sisters, who ruled with kindness and fairness. The older sister would raise the sun for the day, and the younger would raise the moon for the night...”

4308 AD – 1000 ANMM (AFTER NIGHTMARE MOON)

“Elements of Harmony? Now where have I heard about those before?” Two sets of eyes watched the lavender unicorn as she read about the whole situation that had occurred two thousand years before. With a whisper, they vanished from sight, leaving her to her galloping as she left to go write a letter to her dear Princess Celestia.

“Are you sure it is wise we continue to observe this pony, Star Swirl?” A man stretched out his legs, rubbing the knees as his armor chafed. His helmet's visor lit up, detailing out various creatures around the area.

“The one known as Twilight Sparkle will be very important, I know it. We need to observe her interactions. However, if this is the night that our benefactor returns, it unfortunately means that the spell's time limit is over, and Chrysalis' hive is not within our contact range. The Cradle is also outside of our contact range. We will keep observing her, but we need to keep quiet. Luna also has to remain quiet, remember? Our agreement with Celestia means no advanced science until the appropriate time. None of these ponies, as evidenced by their choice of architecture, understand the more advanced sciences, nor do they understand basic mixtures for concrete. We will simply wait for the report from Units 3 and 27, Brightstone.” The human shifted as Star Swirl lectured him, frowning as he nodded in agreement.

“Doesn't mean I have to like it. Come on, she's moving- That's a royal chariot. Celestia-” A slate of glass attached to his side began to vibrate, an incoming call from Celestia displaying.

“You two are still scouting?”

“What assignment did you give your student, Commodore?” Celestia snorted, chuckling at her nickname. She let her smile fall, though, as she thought deeply.

“She is overseeing the 'Summer Sun Celebration' to be held in Ponyville this year. The eve of a millenium is on hand. I know the Cradle is eager to fire up those advanced machines and churn out their weapons, but we do not need the weapons. She is going down there to make friends.”

“Make friends? I'm sorry if that sounds like a lot of garbage to me, but-”

“Think of the Elements of Harmony.”

“Ah, that explains that. Five virtues, right? Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, and a 'spark' reveals the sixth?” Brightstone intoned through a throat microphone, keeping his voice low.

“Yes, actually. You've kept up on my version of history.”

“Only because I lived through the truth, Commodore. Anyways, we'll be heading down to Ponyville to keep an eye on her. Our synth-mesh camouflage should keep us protected from any prying eyes for now. Brightstone out.”

--------//|0|\\--------

The group of two following Twilight were relatively unnoticed, even when Brightstone accidentally knocked over a cabbage cart following an almost massive misstep in direction. With a chuckle, he right himself, continuing to scan the area for any signs of the unicorn.

When the scans were inconclusive, however, he was rather curious as to why. He- he stopped himself before he completed a thought that would be detrimental to their mission. He had been brought out of his stasis aboard the Indomitable early, by almost a century, to assist Star Swirl in watching and observing pony culture of their so-called 'modern age.' To him, it was a load of hogwash meant to tide him over until he actually got to do something.

His ears tuned into the beeping from his helmet as he saw his motion tracker pick up his target again – Twilight Sparkle had just been slammed into by a rather flashy pegasus, though the name escaped him. Creeping forwards, he gingerly stepped around a pink pony he had been especially warned about. Previous attempts at scouting the general populace had somehow earned the ire of that pink mare, and it terrified any scout not worth their salt. Their more – ahem – advanced camouflage allowed them more leeway, as they were very unlikely to be spotted.

The pegasus flew off, leaving Brightstone, Star Swirl, Twilight, and her assistant – Spike, a baby dragon, if he remembered correctly – standing in the square. Shaking his head, Brightstone turned to Star Swirl, unfortunately not being able to see the unicorn, even on his sensors.

--------//|0|\\--------

Star Swirl crept along the ground quietly, keeping out of sight of Brightstone. He knew that Brightstone would try something irrational when Nightmare Moon reappeared, and he was desperate to prevent him from doing so.

However, he surmised, if he was to reveal himself, he would end up having to explain a lot more than he was prepared to answer for. Sighing, he continued to creep along, his eyes continuously watching the skies. He was expecting an early night, which would give him some rather interesting data, though he would be more concerned if the Cradle moved to escort their Benefactor away before her 'purification' could commence. Sighing once more, he moved towards the outside of town, where his form outside of his synth-mesh camouflage would not be noticed.

“Brightstone, come in Captain Brightstone. How goes the scouting mission?”

“Perfect, you little four-legged bastard. How'd you disappear like that? I know your cybernetics prevent your use of magic, but you disappeared from my sensors altogether.”

“Cybernetics interfaced with the synth-mesh. Can't be helped.” Star Swirl could hear Brightstone sigh from the other side, cracking his neck.

“I've been sitting still too long. You've got a good vantage point?”

“Yes. I'm on a hill outside of town. I'd rather be in the Cradle researching, but Hollow Point's descendant intrigues me. She shows promise.”

“Promise of what?” Brightstone's question was valid, though Star Swirl was loathe to reveal the proper reason.

“We uncovered something a while ago, probably around one hundred years, that indicated the Kepler was known as a 'Battle Fortress.' We're still investigating what it means, but we've been granted access to the lower areas.”

“Which means, Beardy?” Star Swirl cursed under his breath. The humans knew he hated that nickname, yet continued to refer to him by it. It infuriated him very much.

“Most of the Kepler is intact. While, yes, we appropriated some systems for the Cradle, with some hard work, she just might fly, Captain.” He could hear Brightstone choking on the other end as he came to terms with the knowledge he had just been given.

“It can fly?!” Star Swirl smiled. The Kepler's restoration had been his pet project, and as Unit 3 unlocked more and more systems, it became clear that Equestria, and by extension, Equus, was the site of a grand battle. He was silently glad that the Castle of the Royal Sisters had been damaged by a massive attack from Nightmare Moon – he would hate having to explain that one to Celestia, though he would have rather stayed back at the Cradle.

“Yes, Brightstone, it can fly. The Gryphon Engineering Divisions have agreed to assist, just as soon as they finish their ship-”

“The featherbrains have a ship?! What did I miss while I was in stasis?!”

“Apparently, quite a number of things. The Gryphon Hegemony has graciously agreed to hide any advanced technology from outside interests, as long as we continue to provide advanced medical technologies to their caretakers. High Talon Alvazar Stoneclaw is a rather interesting individual, much like Silas Stoneclaw of the time of our benefactor's imprisonment.” Star Swirl cut the connection, preferring not to hear the captain's foul language. He had heard it enough times to create a mental bingo game out of it. He had almost completed a row, too.

He could see a dark blip in the distance, what looked like a large bird, though, in his heart, he knew it was not a bird.

“Cradle Forces, you have been ordered strictly to remain outside of this operational area! Leave now or-”

“Sorry, Star Swirl, Brightstone. Testing out the synth-mesh on our new dropships. If we can land without drawing attention, we should be good.”

“The exhaust from your engines will be enough to alert anypony within a five mile radius, you idiots.” Brightstone had tapped into the channel, the malice in his voice prevalent.

“Twilight is heading to her library. I will be watching with the cameras I placed, Star Swirl. Suggest you link up to the network and monitor as well.” Star Swirl nodded to no one in particular, his eyes glowing with the various colours of images as the camera feeds popped up n his sight.

Ponies waited in Twilight's library, though he could not tell why. He could see that pink mare hiding in there, and he instantly felt a chill of cold slither down his neck. That mare was staring directly at his camera, smiling one of her most impish grins, as if she knew exactly who was watching.

--------//|0|\\--------

Celestia stared out of the window, her tablet on her lap as she watched the sky, the sun beginning to set. With a burst of her magic, the moon began to rise, an alarm beginning on the tablet's screen. Standing up, she lifted it to the side, trotting to her closet where she retrieved a suit of light combat armor, flexible synth-metal plates shifting into place as she slid it on. Her eyes narrowed as her horn lit up again, lifting a small, snub-nosed pistol from underneath her bed. She abhorred firearms, but in the current case, she was willing to sacrifice some dignity to protect herself.

The sun finally set, the moon in the apex of its arc in the sky. She had planned on an early night, with her two agents in the field, but she felt in her bones that she would not be getting any sleep that night. Stars began to move in towards the moon, her eyes drawing into pinpoints in fear. As she stood against the door, her pistol's slide locked back, a single bullet loaded into the chamber.

“Welcome back, sister.”

--------//|0|\\--------

Brightstone heard the entire conversation before a large blast of energy had destroyed the connection. He sighed, waving his hand to get the sensors in Star Swirl's motion tracker working.

“We've got a problem. Moony's gotten loose early. I don't think she'll appear quite so early, but we'd best hurry along anything we're planning. This whole thing has to go off perfectly, or Twilight won't make the friends she needs in order to save the day.” Star swirl looked up and nodded, silently pointing towards a small structure in the distance.

“With any good chance, we shall be able to observe any events in question. Avoid the pink one at all costs, though, Brightstone. Reports indicate she can see right through our camouflage.” Brightstone nodded, dropping a sensor node from his belt onto the ground. Tapping the top twice, it activated, giving a larger sensor area than his standard motion tracker. His hand almost immediately drifted towards his pistol as the tracker picked up a large blur of... something, cursing silently as he forced himself to keep it holstered.

“We'd best hope that Moony doesn't get any ideas about using that handgun we lent the Commodore against innocents. Otherwise, Star Swirl, we're going to have to act, regardless of how you feel about these ponies. A handgun would be considered advanced technology, and we will have to reveal ourselves too early if that happens.”

“Not necessarily. With the right timing, we can remain in our camouflaged states, and simply grab it from her etheric field. You do have an etheric destabilizer in your gauntlet, right?” Star Swirl watched as Brightstone tested the device. It shone white for a second before a field of white shone around his hand.

“Just remember, Star Swirl. This thing hasn't been tested yet, and I am not about to find out the side effects.”

--------//|0|\\--------

Star Swirl quietly followed the ponies into the nearby town hall, Brightstone keeping a close watch through the window as he dragged his rifle off of his shoulder. He did hate to admit it, but in the case of a breach of the contract with the Commodore, he graciously allowed Brightstone to prepare a back-up plan in case events did not unfold the way they were supposed to.

“Sensor beacon is in place- Code Pink, Code Pink, Brightstone!” Brightstone looked through the window as the pink devil herself was leaning on Star Swirl's back. Sighing, he turned away to see a black etheric cloud float over the town hall.

“Star Swirl? 'The fox is in the hen house,' copy?”

“Noted. Keep on watch. We want Nightmare Moon to stay alive this time, Brightstone. No shooting willy-nilly.” He mentally kicked himself as Star Swirl moved into position, drawing out what looked like a bullpup submachine gun and letting it connect itself to his hoof through his cybernetics.

As had been noted by Celestia, the celebration went off without a hitch, except for the pink devil still trying to find various subtle ways to show that somepony was there that was not. There went the curtains and- no one was there. Brightstone knew that was the way it had to happen, but- He turned around to the sound of a pistol slide clicking. He came face-to-face with a barrel, the grinning Nightmare Moon staring directly at him.

“Here to kill innocents? I remember you... somehow.” She could barely react as Brightstone swung into action, raising his fist quickly into her jaw as he grabbed the handgun, sprinting away as he left the Town Hall behind.

“Star Swirl, target is in the area. She is disarmed and we are clear to proceed. Cradle Dropship, do you read?”

“Never stopped keeping tabs. Let me know, you need a pickup at the outskirts of town?” Brightstone looked back to see that Nightmare Moon was looking at her hooves in confusion, but it did not matter to him. Escaping without being detected was more important.

“Affirmative. Set her down in that apple farm. Should be quiet enough. Star Swirl, you're on your own. As long as none of my- dammit!”

“Please repeat, Captain?”

“My personal sidearm! She stole my handgun! Find a way to disarm her. She remembers me, and if I stay, things will get very, very bad for you!” Star Swirl cursed under his breath, an unfortunate habit he had picked up from working with the good Captain on many occasions. Looking around, he could see a black cloud of mist floating through the window, attempting to bring the weapon through the window. He sighed as it clattered to the ground harmlessly, the safety still on. As he watched, everything began to fall into place as Celestia had hoped it would. Nightmare Moon appeared, shouting about how she would bring about eternal night, and show the truth of the sun to the ponies.

“That last part... is that a jab about the Hegemony? She was the reason they agreed to our proposals anyways. Without access to unicorns, the Griffon's own claws were more than capable of the advanced engineering.” He snuck towards the back as Royal Guards were tossed away, her maniacal laughter echoing as he slipped out the door. However, as he exited, the mist followed, slipping the handgun away from him just before he grabbed it.

“No... no, no, no. This is not good. Captain, please tell me you have an extraction plan ready!” A rope descending from seemingly nowhere answered his question. Praying silently to the God that the humans would pray to commonly, he grasped it tightly, getting dragged up into the sky before Twilight and five other ponies galloped outside.

“Welcome aboard the Vigilant, Star Swirl. That's Sergeant Silent Violet. It's probably a good thing that we didn't send them away before. I mean, yes, the exhaust, if anyone looks up, will make us visible for five miles around, but the synth-mesh on this dropship is a little more sosphisticated than our own, Beardy.” Brightstone knelt down in front of Star Swirl, holding up his gauntlet. He sighed, staring out into the distance. Star Swirl noticed, bringing it up as he followed his gaze.

“Worried about the Princess, Captain? I thought you hated all of them.”

“I don't hate you, per se. My ship was in the middle of a war when we came here. The enemy we were fighting, well, they would be beyond your most terrifying nightmares. I'd rather focus on the mission, than how much those things scare me.” He hid his gauntlet, muting the beeping as quickly as possible. Star Swirl watched as Brightstone spoke quietly to the secondary pilot, another human from his crew. The dropship lurched as the engines shifted, flying out towards what remained of the Castle of the Royal Sisters.

--------//|0|\\--------

As they flew overhead, Star Swirl watched as Twilight and her friends passed the challenges that their Benefactor had set out before them, easily proving their very own virtues. As they hit the final obstacle, the dropship's instruments began beeping, signalling a large problem in their vessel.

“Brightstone, Star Swirl, we're getting an overload cascade in all systems. Etheric signature masking is down! Synth-mesh is completely disabled! We're visible-” Brightstone placed his hand on the human pilot's shoulder, silencing him.

“We got this far without them noticing the exhaust from our engines, so I would say we're fairly safe. Put us down outside the perimeter. We'll need to be as invisible as we can without our advanced stealth tech.” With a nod, the pilot motioned at his pony compatriot, the dropship quietly flying over the heads of Twilight and her new friends as they entered what little remained of the old castle.

“With luck, Brightstone, they shouldn't. However, we still have a problem.” Brightstone looked out at the castle as the dropship touched down, the engines whining as they shut down.

“I know she still has my sidearm. With luck, she hasn't-” They paused as a loud gunshot rang out, spurring them into action.

“Apparently, she has! Forget any previous orders about stealth, Brightstone! Get in there, and stop her from killing Twilight and her friends!” Brightstone nodded, taking off at a dead sprint in the direction of the castle.

--------//|0|\\--------

“I-Impossible! H-How can one pony hope to s-stop me?!” Nightmare Moon began to shriek as Brightstone entered the room, keeping his back against the wall as he lifted a small stun bomb from a pouch on his hip. Pressing a button on the side, he kept his thumb pressed, priming it as he watched Twilight and her friends duck down as bullets whizzed overhead.

“Well, we can kiss Celestia's suppression of advanced tech goodbye, Star Swirl. Alert the Cradle. If they can't purify Moony in time, we'll need a full-scale containment team.” Almost as soon as he said that, the pink devil herself turned, shook her head as if to tell him not to toss the stun bomb. He relented, reactivating its safety. Twilight raised a field of energy to protect her and her friends, her shouting barely audible from the outside as wind rushed through the room, fields of etheric energy surrounding her and her friends.

“Cancel that, Star Swirl. I hope to whatever God you believe in that you're seeing this. I mean, Celestia said it would be incredible, but it's beyond amazing! Pinkie Pie appears to know something we don't, as well.”

“What do you mean, Captain?”

“She shook her head directly at me, as if to tell me to not toss my stun bomb.”

“Brightstone, that's not a stun bomb. That's a miniature satchel charge. She probably just saved all of you from your own stupidity.” Brightstone looked down at his hand, nearly dropping the charge in shock. He was pretty certain he had selected a stun bomb from the armory, but the grenades looked almost entirely the same to him.

As he looked down at his hands, a wave of pure energy slammed into him, lifting him into the wall as he watched a waterfall of bright rainbow energy slam into Nightmare Moon. The energy surrounded her like a tornado, pieces of pure darkness peeling off like layers of an onion. Almost all at once, it was all over. He looked at Pinkie Pie, her head turning around to give him a genuine smile that almost made him forget that she was also the one that nearly broke the concealment of Cradle agents multiple times over the past year.

As they all stood staring at the now purified Princess Luna, a flash of white filled the room, Celestia appearing as the sun began to rise once more. She knelt down in front of her sister, Twilight and her friends bowing before her. Pinkie pretended to slip, knocking the forgotten sidearm back towards Brightstone, who quickly holstered it as he watched her very closely.

“I guess I have to thank her later for that- oh no.” Suddenly all eyes were on him as he realized he had spoken a little too loud for his mission of stealth. He felt smaller than a church mouse, as if he was being scrutinized once more by Fleet Admirals in his time with the UEC Navy. Sliding to a sitting position, he stared at them, his mask fortunately protecting his face from all of them seeing the sheer look of panic on his face as he realized what he had just done. Celestia stared directly at him, her eyes seeming to bore a hole in him as Luna began to shrink back, the scars from his weapon still bright blue against her coat.

“Brightstone, for the love of Celestia, please tell me they didn't see you.” He tentatively held a hand up to his ear, his eyes going even wider as he realized he could not let Twilight know who he was speaking to.

“Beardy, if I told you that, I would be lying. Currently, I've got two very angry ponies ready to stomp me, three who want to hide from me, one who seems to want to take me apart to see what I am, and one who is simply in a pure state of shock.” Putting his hand on the floor, he pushed himself to his feet, standing up as he backed towards the door.

Almost as soon as he turned around, a wall of yellow energy surrounded his only exit, showing him that Celestia intended for him to stay. Turning back around, a very lavender unicorn was staring at him with a curiosity he had only seen from the unicorns who had their version of first contact with him and his crew. Celestia motioned to her student, Luna staring at her in shock.

“You know what? I think I have to prove a point.” They stepped back in shock as Brightstone spoke, his hand gripping Celestia's sidearm as he smiled underneath his helmet. With a quick flick of his wrist, he tossed it at Celestia, who gripped it quickly, aiming at the human who was also aiming at her with his own sidearm.

“You knew everything would happen like this, Commodore. All of it, from the Elements, to Twilight and her friends. History just had to unfold your way, but sometimes, history has a way of changing itself.” He primed his gauntlet's etheric field, frowning as he looked at Luna.

“By the way, Celestia, you really should never have had a firearm. This whole situation was brought about because you were scared of Luna.”

“Wait, Luna, as in Princess Luna? The younger sister?” With a bow, Twilight and her friends knelt in front of the second Princess, Celestia glared at Brightstone as he made a quick exit, his gauntlet dissipating the etheric field over the door. Sprinting, he dove into the dropship, the vehicle quickly engaging as its synth-mesh came online once more.

“Brightstone, please tell me you did not tell them anything.”

“Don't worry. If what I said did anything, we won't have to tell them anything. However, I think Celestia might actually kill me this time. Either her or Luna.”

“Thanks for not killing us, Mr. Human!” Brightstone nearly fell out of the dropship when Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared, scaring him almost to hyperventilating. Star Swirl stepped between them, sighing.

“Pinkamena Diane Pie, what have you been told about using the tech we gave you to bounce around without our approval?” Pinkie Pie's face of happiness shifted to one of neutrality.

“Look, Star Swirl, without using it, I can't keep my cover going. Twilight and the others, including myself, we are linked in more incredible ways than most realize, but I-”

“Wait a minute. She's a Cradle agent?!” Brightstone stood up, looking at Pinkie Pie as he removed his helmet. Tossing it to the side, he scowled at Star Swirl.

“Yes, she is.”

“Then me going with you was utterly-”

“No it was not. Captain.” Brightstone stopped, wondering where Star Swirl was going with it. Pinkie piped up, her high-pitched voice more a normal volume as he watched her turn from the hyper, sugar-imbibing party pony he had been told she was into a serious member of the Cradle military.

“Captain, if I had joined with Star Swirl in reconnaissance, I wouldn't have been present at the moment of purification. All of the Commodore's plans would have gone completely off the rails. As they would have as well if you had tossed that satchel charge at us.” Almost immediately, her demeanour changed as her happy exterior returned.

“What-”

“Well, this is my stop! Bye Mr. Human! I! Will! Make! You! A-” Pinkie's voice faded as she dove out of the dropship, barely even a blur on the landscape as she sped away faster than Brightstone could even recognize. Looking at Star Swirl, his only response was a shrug.

“Sirs, we've got a little... issue.” The two of them turned towards the human pilot, noticing that the view screen for comms had just warmed up. The two faces on the screen reminded him that there was something he had forgotten.

“Captain Jeremy Brightstone, bring yourself and your compatriots to the Palace Landing Pad. We have some things to... discuss.”

Author's Note:

God... The amount of times I TRIED to continue this chapter, only to get caught up in my myriad of projects that I'm currently involved in is astonishing.

Honestly, the last bit with Celestia and Luna, well, I did want to have Brightstone all along be the one that accidentally reveals advanced technology to the ponies. I mean, Nightmare Moon DID steal his sidearm.

Anyways, as always, if I missed something while writing, please point it out and I'll fix it ASAP. As I don't have an editor, and constantly self-edit, sometimes I get blind to some of the problems.

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.