Millennia: Eye of the Storm

by Thunderblast

34. Some Time For Him

It had not been a full twenty-four hours after making port until I was on the second train to Canterlot for post-deployment leave. Having not received much rest after getting off the ship, I spent what was left of the night packing a few things, and throughout the first leg of the trip, I slept cuddled up to my little backpack that I have owned since long before the Marines. Anypony who knew better would make that judgement with a single glance.

After a short layover in Whitetail Woods, the much shorter portion of the trip, the steep and partially dark ascent from passing through so many tunnels went unperturbed. The book Night had gifted me back when I first got to Officer School, The Life of a Lunar Marine, had gone neglected for so long after that horrible time, so this provided the prime opportunity to get caught up, even if it meant making it through only three short chapters in that time span.

Once on the platform in Canterlot, I paused to take in a deep whiff of the becoming-afternoon air. There was a hint of dampness, one that varied greatly day by day. Some days it can be prominent, which is accompanied by high humidity levels, a sign of recent rainfall, or simply lingering morning dew. To me, it smelled like home.

As to be expected on a warm, cloudless July day, ponies packed the streets every which way. Not to the point where passage is hindered, but what small town folk might consider chaotic. In my case, this was nothing compared to the hustle and bustle of Manehattan.

Some decorations left over from the Summer Sun Celebration a couple of weeks prior were still being taken down from storefronts and light poles. Man, just one more thing I missed while I was away. Even though, I'm fairly certain that this year's celebration didn't take place in Canterlot. Regardless, every city held their own festivities for the national holiday.

My journey took me to the far north part of town to a three-story flower shop on the corner of a four-way intersection, roughly a block from the edge of the city bordering the upper portion of the mountain. I strolled up along the right side of the building to a metal staircase and made my way up to the second-story door with my keys out and ready.

As I was about to slip the key into the lock, a voice from my right and above caught my attention. "Hey, Star."

I glanced up to the staircase landing, where a tan unicorn mare with a curled auburn dressed in a rather warm-looking grey button-up coat. "Hey... Rose," I smiled as genuine as I could muster. How do we always bump into each other with impeccable timing? "Long time no see."

"Well, that's to be expected. You're a Marine, you're busy in Manehattan doing what ever it is you do," the tan mare said as she made her way down and pulled up short. She grinned and poked gently at my nose.

I furrowed a brow at that, smirking. "You mean the talented, manipulative-in-a-good-way spy Rose Shine does not have a clue of what this stallion does for a living?"

Rose huffed, poking at my chest now. "Oh, quiet you! While it's part of my job to know everything about every pony I associate with, I chose to respect your space from now on."

"Thank you," I nodded. "Not too much space, though. We are still friends."

"A mare can hope," she laughed sheepishly. "What I did back then, it was... wrong. I'll apologize for it every chance I get."

I waved my hoof. "One apology is enough. Looking back now, I see you only doing your job. We both have ours to do, I understand that now."

She nodded slowly in acknowledgement. In that instance, the two of us embraced cordially. Above all else, Rose and I remained close, even if contact between one another was a rarity nowadays.

"It's good to see you again, Star Shooter," she said.

"Likewise," I responded, releasing her and smiling.

"What brings you back home? Leave?"

I nodded. "Yeah, post-deployment. Got off the ship last night, actually."

"Well, isn't that obvious," she half-smirked. "Your eyes are bagging a little. Tell me you slept on the train at least?"

I shrugged, head dancing a little. "As much as I could on the first leg. I should be fine for the rest of the day." I couldn't be so sure about that.

The mare's eyebrow cocked, likely questioning the validity of my statement, but she proceeded no further on the topic. "That's good to hear at least." She then drew in a breath and sighed it off in a content manner. "Well, hey, it was good seeing you. Sorry I can't stick around a bit longer, I've got to be at the train depot in a half hour."

"Oh really? Where are you heading?"

"Up north," she replied with a smile.

"How vague," I grinned smugly. By now I was well accustomed to the fact that my upstairs neighbor works for an unbeknownst-to-the-public intelligence organization. "Assignment?"

She nodded firmly. "Small one, but yes. Should only take a few days."

"I take it that's what the coat is for?" I gestured toward it with my hoof.

"Hmph, clever stallion." Rose winked. "Catch you around, Star Shooter."

"You, too. Stay safe, you hear?"

"You know I will," she responded, puffing her chest out a bit. "Hope you'll be here when I get back."

"We'll see." I hugged her once more, a lot more brief this time. After that, she walked around and headed downstairs, giving one last glance before she disappeared around the corner.

Well, she was right about one thing. I could use the sleep. In fact, that is precisely what I planned to do as soon as I stepped hoof inside my uncomfortably warm, pistachio green-painted home. Time to kick on the air conditioning and hit the sack for the afternoon.

***

As it turned out, that 'nap' I had in mind ended up becoming a full slumber. Only once near eleven that night did I wake briefly to hunt down some food before passing out again for the remainder of the night, and it took me until morning to fully comprehend just how much I had slept.

After a couple more hours of laziness on the couch watching television, the urge to unpack my bag took hold and I soon found myself in the bedroom, folding and re-folding my clothes, especially the ones still in my dresser.

Then, I found something of mine I had completely neglected for a year—my own personal laptop. Not one lent by the Marines for work use only, one I had owned for roughly three years at this point. Some dust had collected on the back of it while it sat in my dresser, all of which burst in a cloud of grey particles that had me sneezing for a couple of minutes afterward.

How I had managed to forget about my own computer was beyond me. Though, I suppose that is what work and sleep deprivation over a long period of time can do to a pony. Needless to say, finding it made my somewhat decent start of a day better. The memory hit me that I had contemplated bringing it along for boot camp last year, and thank the heavens that I didn't. Who knows what the military would do with it. They could send it back like they do with clothes on the first night, but what if somepony stole it from my doorstep?

By evening, following an extensive search for the power cord in order to boot up the device after thirteen months of overall neglect, thoughts of dinner came to mind and what I should have. At some point it would serve me best to head out and buy some groceries for the week and not rely on takeout, which would surely leave me with far less money to venture back to Manehattan with.

After showering, preparing to head out for a last minute trip to the store, my phone started vibrating loudly against my nightstand. The noise in itself was startling at first, and my hoof clapped the wooden floor of my bedroom out of reflex. It eventually stopped, and upon picking the little tap-screen device up in one hoof, I read the notification on the lock screen. It was a message from Ray, reading, "Hey. What are you doing?"

A small smile grew on my muzzle. I sat upright and began tapping the screen to respond. "Chilling at home, just took a shower. What about you?"

Almost instantly, he was typing back. It wasn't even a minute before his reply came through. "Manehattan or Canterlot?"

"Canterlot," was my first reply, followed by, "Why do you ask?"

"Can I come over? Like, now?"

That raised my eyebrow a bit. Something wasn't right with him.

"Sure, I'll get ready. What's up?"

"We'll talk when I get there."

My lips curled into a glower as mild concern took hold. While excited to be seeing him again so soon, his demeanor as suggested by his curt text messages were worrying to say the least, seeing how collected or joyous of a pegasus he can be most of the time when he isn't anxious about me deploying.

It wasn't more than around seven minutes when a knock came on my door. Trotting straight from the bathroom, my hoof took the lock and the knob and twisted, opening the door wide for the gold pegasus stallion stood on the outside.

A welcoming smile grew on my muzzle to hide apparent my nervousness of being in his presence. "Hey, Ray."

"Hey!" he returned the smile, albeit meekly. If mine was considered nervous, what would his be? "May I come in?"

"Of course!" I fell back a few paces, making room in the narrow doorway for him to enter, closing the door behind him. "What are you doing in Canterlot?"

"Last minute work stuff, visiting a friend. Today is my last full day here," he replied, spinning to face me.

The look on my face turned mildly suspicious. "Who's this 'friend'?"

Ray rolled his eyes, scoffing amiably amid the weight he was discernibly carrying. "Coworker of mine, or a former one. We aren't dating."

"Uh huh." I nodded, and we exchanged a hoof around each others' necks. "You don't look so good. Is everything okay?"

After our quick embrace, Ray shuddered a sigh and pressed a hoof to his forehead in distress. "No, I'm..." he groaned. "There's a lot on my mind right now, and I wanted to talk to you about it."

I nodded comprehensively. "Of course. You know I'm open to talk about whatever if it helps."

"I've been chosen for auditions to be the next co-host of Equestria Today! They... I guess, somehow, had my name in a lottery and they chose ten names."

I suddenly beamed for him. "That's great! But, what's Equestria Today?"

He spun to look me dead in the eye with a look of utter shock. "You don't know what Equestria Today is?" I shook my head, and he gasped. "They're the biggest radio talk show in the country! They talk about everything, you name it! They have shows in the morning and afternoon, sometimes evening when it's hoofball season."

"And they're looking for a new co-host? What happened to the old one?"

"Retired. The auditions are next month, in Manehattan at their main studio. I... I'm just... I'm nervous!" Ray sputtered, pacing in circles in front of the coffee table, before he plopped himself down on the couch. "Oh god, Star. Do you know how big of an opportunity this is?"

"I would say your pacing a moment ago and the anxiety you're expressing says enough," I said, smiling warmly, heading to the kitchen and bringing him a glass of water.

Ray took the glass rather swiftly and downed half of its contents in just a few seconds and four enormous gulps, before he planted it on the table with a small thud and exhaled. His emerald cores lifted slowly and met my gaze. "This is big, Star. This could be exactly what I was looking for! The career of a lifetime, the co-host of Equestria Today!"

"I'd tune in just to hear your voice if I ever get my hooves on a radio," I grinned, that causing him to blush just a tad.

"But, what if I... screw it up?" his look of worry turned grave. "I'm sure they look for a lot in their list of ponies to choose from. What if I'm not good enough for the show?"

I chuckled a little at that, sitting rather close beside Ray. "Would they have your name on the docket if you were incapable of being a part of the biggest radio conglomerate in Equestria? Clearly they are aware of your work in the past to know you have potential."

"I... guess so," he looked down, frowning. He drew in a sharp breath and relaxed his posture. "Perhaps I am being a bit melodramatic."

"Maybe just a bit. Everypony gets nervous over something some time in their lives. Besides, this could be precisely what you have been looking for career-wise."

"It is. It really is!" Ray shifted a bit, mainly to scoot against my side. He muttered a curse under his breath, looking over at me. "It's a month away, there's so much I have to do before then. I... I have to buy a suit, I have to make hotel arrangements, I have to—"

"Hey, hey. Shhh..." I gently pressed my hoof to his lips, stopping him. I removed it when he went quiet and proceeded to speak. "How's about we go out, hit the town, get your mind off of it?" I offered, setting a hoof on his opposite shoulder with my arm around his back.

The gold pegasus' ear twitched. "And do what...?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Walk around, have dinner somewhere, watch a movie, I dunno. Anything to put your mind elsewhere so you don't stress yourself into sickness, and to get us both out of this stuffy apartment."

"Are you... are you sure you want to do that, Star? I mean, last time we watched a movie..."

"I'll be fine. Trust me." I offered a genuine smile, waving my hoof. If I'm to overcome these habits of randomized panic attacks, I might as well go right to the source and face it.

"Okay," he said skeptically, heading for the door. I followed him out, locking up behind us, before we ventured out onto the near-empty street.

The further into Canterlot we moved, the busier every turn and plaza were. Ponies bumbled about the post-dusk city while street lights illuminated on cue in a simultaneous manner. A lukewarm breeze gently rustled trees and bushes that impeccably divided two sides of the cobble roads that spanned throughout modern Canterlot, and the moderately darkened, narrow paths riddled with old shops now considered alleyways to many Canterlotians went traveled by a bare few.

Some of the higher end restaurants bustled with noise, consisting of classical music performed by bands of one or three, along with the energetic chatter of ponies gossiping and confabulating over their meals. Stores kept their doors wide open to evening shoppers, and to freshen up their establishments from fumes of new clothing pervading the air within.

"So... where are you taking us?" he questioned, sporting a small smile that hinted of his curiosity.

I glanced over my shoulder, simpering warmly. "Somewhere I myself have not been in three years."

We rolled up to the central plaza, a mere three and a half blocks from the Canterlot Palace. It was a wide open space, prominently circular in shape, lined with building after building, shop after shop, and so forth. In center lie a park-like space with patches of grass and trimmed trees of all shapes and sizes, complete with a giant rounded fountain topped off by a statue roughly two stories in height, a rather new addition to the city only four years prior.

It was an immaculate marble carving of the two alicorn sisters, each with their respective celestial body encompassed in their individual magical auras. Both the granite-made sun and moon levitated above their commanding alicorn, a feature praised by thousands as an advanced form of perfected permanent enchantment. Between the two alicorns, shared in both of their hooves, rested a third body—a symbol of their unified, unwavering protection of the world, a hallmark of their light to guide ponykind to a future of peace and harmony.

The water inside the fountain glowed a bluish white, brightened by the bulbs installed asymmetrically at the bottom of the pool. The pedestal on which the sisters stood upon trickled a steady, thin waterfall with smaller jets shooting out the sides of the circular podium that landed in the pool below. Even against the noise of crowds, the ambience of the fountain created a relaxing atmosphere around the entire square. Which reminds me—why call it a square if the place is particularly in the shape of a decagon?

We stopped closer to the fountain so Ray could take in the scene. He was beaming from ear to ear, studying the plaza and its every gorgeous detail. "Wow, Star."

It brought a smile to my muzzle, hearing him at a loss for words. "Mmhmm?"

"I've seen this place on, like, pictures and in newspapers, but never in person," he said, glancing my way.

"Do you like it?" my head cocked, retaining the smile I had.

"It's gorgeous," was his reply, looking around again, then up at the sky, dotted everywhere with twinkling stars, unperturbed by the faint light pollution of the city.

I gently tapped his arm to grab his attention after letting him gawk for a few seconds. "Hey, I see the place. Want me to get us a table while you soak up the moon?"

Ray brought his gaze down to me, blinking, then laughing. "No, let's go."

At that, I led him toward a bistro on the east side of the plaza, to the left of where we came from. It sat on the corner of another cobble road, one of four every 90 degrees around the square. Roll-up walls lined the outside for comfortable nights such as tonight, and a black canopy now stretched along the outside for a waiting area and more tables as compared to the simple tables with umbrellas that it once had.

We took a seat at an outdoor table, beneath the canopy, and our waitress took drink orders while we checked out the menu, long revised since I was last here. More dinner selections had been added, namely in the pasta and sandwich sections.

Their famed manticore burgers continued to hold the top spot on the menu, though it seemed out of the few dining tonight that nopony had interest for it. Neither did I, quite honestly. Too greasy for my liking. Plus, burgers were more of a lunch dish.

"What are you having?" Ray lowered his menu a bit to look across at me. I didn't hear him somehow and thus didn't reply. "Star?" Again, no response. "Yoohoo! Star?"

"Hmm?" I glanced up, blinking a couple of times, unaware that I was zoning out.

"What are you having?"

"Oh, uh..." my eyes darted between him and the menu. "I'm not sure yet."

The two of us went quiet again as we pondered. A minute or two was spent thoroughly reading over every meal listed in my mind. When I settled with a decision, I closed the booklet and set it down in front of me, looking up to see Ray with his hooves neatly together on the table and those emerald irides of his meeting mine. I stared back in silence for a lengthy moment, puzzled. "What?"

The gold pegasus stared, sporting a mien of consternation. "Hey, you alright? You seem a little... off," he mentioned, examining me briefly.

I again blinked. "Define off?"

"Different than your norm. Or the norm that I am familiar with."

I leaned my elbow on the table and tipped my chin downward, smirking faintly. "Heh. If only you knew me before Manehattan, I was a completely different pony then."

My response might have just been a bit unsettling for him, as he gave me a weird look after that, only to glance over at our waitress as she brought our drinks on a metallic tray.

It wasn't long after she left when a casual question from Ray emerged. "So, how was... deployment?"

I waited to take a long, refreshing swig of my fizzy beverage. "It was... alright, I suppose," I said, waving my hoof. "Stressful, but like... not in a bad way." Perhaps that was a question that is best left unasked.

The pegasus gave me a questionable look. "'Stressful'? How so?"

"Just demanding work. Twelve, thirteen, sometimes fourteen hour shifts. I'm used to them every day, but, we sort of had a surplus of sailors, so I got a bit of a break this time around."

"So, we... aren't at war?"

My ears stood up attentively and I paused before I could take another sip of my drink, looking at him directly. "What?"

"I read a couple of days ago in Empire Equine that there was an incident at sea that involved a close call with the A... Aj... Ajerstan?" He stopped to ponder the pronunciation. "Yeah, Ajerstan. Their navy. Did that happen?"

I had definitely been caught off guard here, and there was only myself to blame for that. Taking a glance at the glass in front of me, for a moment did I consider ordering a hard cider as a second, because I would need it from this point forward.

"Isn't Empire Equine a gossip magazine?" I retorted, a temporary dodge to gather my thoughts and consider my options.

"It is, but they have small news articles in weekly issues, and that was on the second page." His look of intuition became more prominent, sending a nervous chill cascading to my chest. "Is everything all right?"

"As things can be," I replied, sighing and rubbing my forehead. "I'm not at liberty to tell you everything that happened, but I will say that things could have been much worse."

Ray nodded comprehensively, taking immediate notice of the reluctance I displayed on the matter. "I understand. I won't pressure you. As long as you are okay, that is what matters to me," he offered a thin smile.

I let off a low exhale, a sign of relief on my part to him, and I lifted my head a little bit to repay a meek simper. "I'll wait for things to cool down a bit. I have a hunch that we're not done with each other."

"If what I read is true, then yeah," he nodded again, this time in agreement. "The word 'war' would send everypony into a total tailspin."

That I could concur with. History shows Equestrians don't take well to news of conflict, especially if it involves our own country. The last major war that we have taken part in was one against the griffons in 1987, years before my time. My father's father—my grandfather whom I have never met—served in that one. Equestria's forces suffered enormous losses, totaling up to roughly 2,600 soldier fatalities and well over 25,000 casualties, both military and civilian, and threw the Griffon Empire into the economic spiral it has yet to recover from.

"Excuse me," a male voice came from my right, hinted with the timbre of a pompous Canterlot elite. "Pardon me, I could not help overhearing, but, are you two... dating?"

I glanced up promptly at the vest-wearing unicorn, mane combed back as neatly as one could imagine. The edge of his tone in his last words caused the fur on the back of my neck to bristle. "What would you call dating?"

"The two of you—a stallion and another stallion, both pegasi, having dinner at an adorned establishment. Ponies do not dine here on a regular basis, you know."

That compelled my eyebrow to arch suspiciously. "They sell burgers here as a main course. What about this place could possibly make it 'adorned'?"

"Why, the architecture! The table you occupy!" He tapped his hoof along the edge of the cloth-covered table. "The chairs you sit in!" He gestured toward the wrought iron seats. "More importantly, the fact that this here restaurant is located in the capital of Equestria!"

Ray's skin between his wings crawled at that. I squinted slightly at this pony. "Is there a point here you are trying to make?" said Ray.

"You two are DATING!" the stallion addressed, grabbing the attention of everypony at the restaurant, and even a few outside who were walking by.

My expression formed into a faint scowl. "So what if we are? That is not any of your business."

"Of course it is!" he pressed his hooves onto the table and leaned his head down toward me. "I shall not settle with..." the unicorn scoffed haughtily, "A... homosexual couple, dining at my bistro!"

Hostility in my crimson gaze grew more apparent as I honed in on the haughty unicorn. The legs of my chair screeched against the stone ground as I slid back, rising to all fours. The snooty stallion might have retreated a bit when I stood at full height, still taller than him if I accounted his horn with his height.

My eyes momentarily darted to Ray, who was shaking his head slowly, a sign for me to stand down only a little. I drew in a breath to let myself calm. "Listen. I don't know who you are, or who who you think you are, but you have no right to interrupt and crash our evening simply because of your chauvinistic beliefs. So, I will say this once, and I will do so in a civilized manner."

I lifted my hoof, shoving it against the unicorn's vest, though not of sufficient force for him to be physically moved. "You are going to back up, turn those groomed flanks of yours a full one-eighty, and you are going to walk away without another word, and you will not stick your nose into other ponies' business from now on. Is that clear?"

A silence fell upon the restaurant after that. The unicorn and I were engaged in a staring contest of sorts, until he threw his head to the side and barked out annoyingly loud. "Security!"

Within just a few seconds time, a pair of royal guards galloped from around the corner of the building and on either side of me. I glanced at either of the white-coated, gold armor-donning unicorns, then at the third stallion in front of me. "What, did I hurt your fragile Canterlot-noble feelings?" I said in a mocking tone.

"You assaulted me with that... filthy little hoof of yours!" he retaliated, a look of pure disgust on his face as he hastily dusted off his vest and took a step backwards. "I will see to it that you are locked away for your putrid ways, and physically attacking me in front of my peers!"

Even the guards rolled their eyes at that. I wanted to lurch forward and knock this pony straight into the cobble and beat him until he bled from every orifice. Ray noticed immediately by the change of posture I took, leaping up behind. "Don't." He looked at me, wrapping his hoof around my arm. "It's not worth the trouble."

I glanced over my shoulder, softening my glare. He shook his head a second time. I responded with a single tip of my chin in acknowledgement and turned back to the fancy unicorn. "And just who are you supposed to be?"

"I am the bloody manager! I run this damned bistro!" the stallion wailed as he stomped his forehoof like a bratty colt.

My head recoiled slightly, then cocked to the left. "Is that so?" He turned his nose up, firmly nodding. With that, I turned to Ray. "Come on. We'll take our business elsewhere if this is how you treat your patrons."

The manager waved his hoof scornfully. "Goodbye! Never come back!"

"Thank you, we won't!" I responded with a discernibly plastic enthusiasm, bumping my shoulder into him intentionally to push past the guards and leading Ray out into the square. Away from the bistro, my ears pinned back completely, and a flame of fury blazed away, chewing at my aura.

As soon as we reached a suitable spot, I dropped straight onto a bench and ran a hoof through my mane. The gold pegasus accompanying me noted the stress mounting on my countenance and plopped himself down in front of the bench to rub my shoulder, an innocent attempt on his part to get me to relax somehow.

"Don't let it get to you. That pony is just another opinionated asshole. He won't ruin our night."

"He ruined it for me," I replied, swallowing heavily and staring at my hooves. I was ready to spill it all. "All I hoped for was a nice, relaxing evening with you. That is all I have longed for for weeks, because, you know what? I like you. I like you a lot."

Ray drew his head back, swiveling his ears as his cheeks persistently showed signs of heat. After a moment of quiet, likely to collect his thoughts, he responded with, "I'm flattered."

But I wasn't done yet."I think about you almost non-stop. I think about you at night when I lay in bed. Hell, I... I catch glimpses of you in my dreams sometimes, whenever I have a good dream."

I turned over my right shoulder to look him directly in the eye now. He was still flustered, and even under the dark of night I could make that out. "Look, we met back in January, and we have seen each other roughly five or six times physically, and talked another three or four. There's a lot we still don't know about each other, and like, I can't help these feelings."

After a deep breath, closing my eyes and pausing to question whether or not to advance, I did just that.

"Ray, I..." my teeth bit into my bottom lip. "I want to earn this. I want... to earn... how I feel."

The gold pegasus blinked, puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"

"I don't know anymore... I-I guess I'm still confused about a lot of things. I don't know. Do you think we are jumping the gun a little?"

He gave a small look of bewilderment, disagreeing with a simple shake of his head. "Do you?"

I looked steadily at my hooves with my maw parted, then briefly chuckled, mainly at my own foolishness. "I can't say I would know. I know nothing about relationships, about love, or frankly anything about... this..."

"What? Dating another stallion?" Ray curled his lips into a gentle smile as I lay my head on the bench between my forehooves. "Star, there is virtually no difference between a stallion and a mare, and two stallions, other than how it is viewed by some. And that's okay. Nopony naturally knows anything about love or relationships, do you know why?"

"Why?" my half-lidded eyes shifted over.

"Because it takes a couple to figure that out on their own, and sometimes it takes more than one partner to realize what it is you want. Nopony finds their soulmate first try." He stopped, smile flickering with a tad of hurt. "This is advice for the future, in case you find somepony better, or you just want to be friends. Which I am cool with all the way around."

I lifted my head, opening my mouth to speak, though the words never mustered. Hearing the faintly pained edge of his tone, along with the brief falter of his appearance, any proper response might not have been the best for the situation. Rather, I chose to keep quiet and nod comprehensively.

With that, Ray gave a little nuzzle of my cheek, somewhat returning a poor excuse of a smile, the best effort I could assemble in my current mood. He rose, offering a hoof. "How about we go see what's at the theater, get your mind off of it?" he winked.

It warmed my heart a little to hear him reuse my earlier words. Without a moment of hesitation, I took his presented limb and pressed myself upright, hopping down from the bench. Exchanging glances with one another, Ray and I started off to find the Canterlot Screens. There, after insisting along the short journey, he paid for our tickets, though I sneakily bought our snacks and beverages, much to his disapproval. It didn't matter after we sat down in the theater. So much for a healthy dinner under a starry sky, not that either of us truly cared.

Toward the middle of the movie, I felt my heart rate pick up. My breaths were shallow and my hooves felt numb. Ray glanced over to check on how I was handling and noticed my respiratory patterns, and in turn placed his hoof with mine. I glanced to the right slowly, chest still gently heaving, and I was met with one of the most soothing smiles, possibly the most had I not included my mother during my colthood. I felt a sense of security, and relief. I calmed down at the touch of his hoof.

As presumptuous as it might have been in that instance, my mind was far set. This was the pony I have lacked in my life for so long.

***

Pained wails echoed throughout the soundproofed room. Pieces of armor shed like scales lay splayed out across the floor, removed one by one from the magnetic fiber suit. Intended to absorb the effects of an impact big or small, the suit's sensors were tampered by the central computer to instead enhance the damage done by shock batons wielded by a pair of sentries ordered to beat the captured Marine into submission.

An electric charge through the wiring that penetrated his mind via his temples numbed the stallion's nerves to paralyze him where he stood. After so many hits, he fell, and would make feeble attempts to regain his hoofing, only to be struck once more by energized sticks that left burn marks on his neck and cheeks, and electrocuted him with non-fatal levels of static discharge.

Even two months later, and dwindling on adequate sleep in order to ensure he does not fall to the hooves of GenTech, Arc Nobis had a breaking point. It was coming fast. His training provided every instinct of ensuring the enemy does not break him, although it had not been taken into account for eight weeks of captivity. Nonetheless, with what little resistance he had left in him, delaying the inevitable would allot a sufficient window for the impairment of Armet Mace's plans. At least, he hoped so.

"That's enough," came an ordering voice over speakers in the room. At that, the two guards disengaged their batons and stepped back. "It has been, what, fifty-nine days, and you still haven't let us upload you to the mainframe? Come on now."

Grunting, the grey earth pony, trembling with discernible weakness, rose to his hooves as the shock administered into his nervous system ceased. "I-I... won't let you," he replied, a notable pant to his voice. He himself knew desperation had long taken over, and could not be sure of how much longer he could put up for.

"How brazen of you, Second Lieutenant. It's a good thing, actually. You want to know why?"

"Do I h-have a choice?" Arc retorted.

"Mmm, no, of course not. So, why don't you take a seat?"

Arc glanced over his shoulder, looking at a strangely centered chair that sat a few feet behind. Upon brief inspection, he mentally noted the wiring that spanned up the rear of the chair, down the outside of the single leg and through the floor. Above it sat a panel that, while no different in appearance from the others that consisted of the ceiling and walls, was more than certainly one with function. Even in his weakened state he could tell what it was that Armet wanted.

"I think I will pass," the stallion huffed out, only to take a blow in the back of the head with a shock baton, one that sent him straight to the floor.

"Then perhaps I could interest you in some... pictures?"

The lights on the ceiling dimmed, and instantly after, a digital screen on the far front of the room lit up, casting a bluish glow across Arc and the two sentries. As he opened his eyes, lifting his head, the blood in his veins ran cold. His heart completely stopped in that instance as the display transitioned from the GenTech logo to a familiar image.

"Tell me, Nobis, what significance does this have to you?"

"No..." Arc mumbled, eyes wide as saucer pans.

"No?" The picture transitioned to another. "What about this one?"

This time, Arc was ultimately speechless. Again, the screen switched to show yet another familiar picture.

"Where did you get these?"

"From your hidden file, of course. Had to do some decrypting to unlock it, but nothing is too difficult for my assistant. What do you think?"

"Go. To. Hell!"

Just then, the door beneath the screen slid open. A unicorn silhouetted by the light behind sauntered into the room, becoming more visible the closer he came to Arc. "Perhaps another day." He tapped on his tablet screen, the light illuminating his face changing along with the larger screen behind.

Yet again, the debilitated Marine fell silent, dumbfounded and ultimately in a state of incredulity, unable to remove his eyes from the far wall. The maroon unicorn strolled up to his right and dipped his head, level to Arc's, saying in a near-whisper, "I want you to remember everything for the last time."

Without the instinct to fight back, the two sentries dragged Arc Nobis to the chair and strapped his hooves to it on Armet's word. The very panel from above to arouse his suspicion opened, and down lowered an arm that conformed to the helmet on his head. This snapped him out of his trance, albeit too late.

He arched his back as pain surged through his mind, grunting and clenching his teeth, but utterly powerless to prevent every last piece of his mind from flowing up that electronic pipe, replaced by a whole new set of mind.

The arm retracted into the ceiling after only a minute, and the clamps on his hooves released, allowing him to fall out of the chair. His chest heaved, lungs short of breath. Mere feet before him, the finely-dressed maroon unicorn and his two guards observed. The prior grew a sinister smirk on his muzzle, speaking only two words.

"Report, soldier."

Arc's purple gaze lifted gradually, practically glowing in the dark of the room and essentially illuminating the maroon unicorn stood before him as he straightened his stance to attention.

"Ready to comply, Commander Mace."