Mass Equestria

by HappySalesman

Chapter 2

Chapter 02:

Unconsciousness. Quite possibly the most blissful sleep you ever receive.

Seriously, you feel like you’re floating on a cloud or something.

Beep.

That is, if you aren’t plagued with recurring nightmares.

Beep beep.

Kra-KOOM!

I curled up in a ball on the ground; crying out as white-hot shards of metal pierced my armor and embedded itself into my body. Vaguely, I was aware that I was also covered in pieces of the Buck Private. The one who had tried to throw the grenade.

“The Commander’s down! She’s hit!”

“N-no,” I croaked, finding it difficult to acquire the air needed to speak. Vaguely, I wondered if this was what dying felt like. “I’m f-“

“Doctor! Doctor Hooves? I think she’s waking up.”

Doctor Hooves? Why is she on the battlefield?

Suddenly, an explosion of pain burst inside my head, eradicating the images of the nightmare and replacing them with the information from the beacon. Slowly, I opened my eyes, and found that I was in the medical bay of the Normanedy. I glanced around, able to make out the slightly blurry shape of Doctor Hooves and Sweet Breeze in the corner. I laid my head back down as Doctor Hooves walked in my field of vision. Standing just a bit taller than I, Doctor Hooves had an interesting grey coat, with a bright yellow mane and yellow eyes.

“Ah, Commander, glad to see you’re still among us. Gave us quite a fright you know. How do you feel?”

I groaned and placed a hoof on my temple, attempting to hold my splitting brain in one piece. “Like a Mack Carriage just ran my head over. What happened?”

“It’s my fault Commander,” Sweet Breeze said stepping forward, “I must have triggered it somehow, and you had to save me.”
I waved my hoof at her, “Don’t worry about it Gunny. You had no way of knowing what it would do.”

Doctor Hooves shrugged, “Actually, we don’t know what set if off. Likely never will, either.”

I shot a glance at her, “What do you mean?”

“The beacon exploded. Some kind of malfunction, or overload we think. The Lieutenant and I carried you back to the ship.”

“Thanks,” I said as I gingerly set my hooves on the floor. “Am I allowed to return to duty?”

“Physically, you’re fit as a filly. But I did detect some unusual brain activity, and an increase in rapid eye movement. Signs typically associated with intense dreams.”

“You could say that again,” I muttered, placing my full weight on my hooves.

“What was that?”

“I said it was intense. I don’t really know what it was, everything… whatever that beacon did, it did it so fast I couldn’t understand it. It was like… I don’t know what it was like.”

Behind me, I heard the hiss of the door opening, and felt Sweet Breeze shift as she snapped to attention.

“Captain Runner sir.”

“How’s the Commander holding up Doctor?”

“She’s fine. A few bumps and bruises, but nothing major.”

“Good. If you don’t mind, I’d like to speak to her alone.”

“Aye sir,” Sweet Breeze said, throwing him a salute. Together, her and Doctor Hooves left the med-bay, leaving me and the Captain alone.

“How are you feeling Streak?”

“Like a balefire bomb went off in my head.”

Runner chuckled, “What happened down there?”

I shrugged, which sent my head spinning. “I don’t know sir. The beacon just sort of… activated, next thing I know I’m seeing things, and then I passed out.”

“Seeing things?”

“Like… visions. Or… memories. A lot of pain and suffering.”

“Hmmm.”

“You think I’m crazy, don’t you.”

Runner chuckled again. “No, don’t worry. We’re en route to Canterdel right now, should be there within a half an hour. Plenty of time for you to rest up, you’re going to need it.”

I cocked an eyebrow at him, “Sir?”

“I won’t lie. Things are bad. The beacon is gone, Servius is dead, reports of the geth. The council is not going to be happy.”

I whinnied, “Are they ever? We haven’t done anything wrong captain.”

“I know. But that report about Apache… that’s going to be difficult.”

“Why?”

“Apache is a Spectre, the best, actually. Saying that he’s gone bad will be like convincing the Council the sky is green.”
I nodded. The Council was notorious for being extremely closed minded and unwilling to listen to anyone but their own. It didn’t help that ponies didn’t have a spot on the council, so we had to bitch extra to get anything done.

“Anyway, I’ll let you rest up. Be ready for anything.”

I gingerly saluted him, “Aye sir.”

*** *** ***

“This is ridiculous! If any other species had been attacked, the Council would take action!”

“Other species don’t found colonies on the edge of Council space, Ambassador. Ponies knew the risks when they started New Appleloosa.”

From my spot on the balcony, I cringed. The Buffalo Councilor had a point. I risked a glance over my shoulder at the earth pony standing in front of a holographic representation of the three Councilors. With a dark brown coat, and a salt and pepper mane, Ambassador Autumn Rein seemed just at the perfect age for a politician. Not too old to be thought of as infirm, and not too young to be considered inexperienced. Not that I liked him, I didn’t like any politicians. Too mired in their feelings of self-importance and bureaucratic red tape to get anything done.

I turned my attention back in time to hear the Griffin Councilor finish saying “-we will discuss this at the hearing. Not before,” before ending the transmission. Shaking his head, the ambassador turned towards us, a very displeased expression on his face.

“Captain Runner, I assume this is the ground team?”

“Yes Ambassador. This is Commander Silver Streak, Lieutenant White Cloud, and Gunnery Sergeant Sweet Breeze.”
Ambassador Rein ignored the other two ponies, and focused specifically on me. “Do you know just how much trouble you’ve put ponies in? You nearly caused an intergalactic war! Again! Now Servius is dead, the beacon is destroyed, and you’re pressing charges on Apache Greybeak?”

I shook my head, “What happened on New Appleloosa was out of my control. I followed my orders as the situation called. As for Apache, he killed Servius, and brought the attack on New Appleloosa.”

“The council doesn’t like this Commander. Apache is their top agent; they aren’t going to like his name being slandered.”

“That doesn’t matter sir, what matters is that we stop whatever Apache is planning. With, or without Council support.”

“I don’t think so Commander. Canterdel Security is investigating your accusations, you, are going to do nothing but pray that this doesn’t keep you out of the Spectres. Now, Captain, there are a few things we need to go over before the hearing. Commander, you and your team can meet us in the Council hall, top floor of the Presidium tower.” With that, he and the Captain took their leave, leaving White Cloud, Sweet Breeze and I alone on his office. I raised my leg and activated my omni-tool, tapping a button with my nose and bringing up the council itinerary.

“Looks like we’re up in two hours, you both have an hour of liberty, but I want you up at the top of that tower at exactly 1400. Understand?”

Both of the ponies smartly snapped to attention and gave a quick “aye ma’am” before trotting out the door. Now that I finally had a moment alone, I sat down, and with one hoof rubbing my temple, I closed my eyes.

In my head swam tons of indecipherable information. Flashes of images, a word here, a thought there, but what made the least sense were the emotions. I could feel the anger, the fear, and the sadness, of whatever this was. But the worst part, the biggest stake being driven into my mind, was the lack of understanding. Like something I should know and remember, but couldn’t. I gave my head a quick shake, attempting to unscramble the flashes of thought that permeated my brain.

“Feeling alright, Commander?”

I turned and saw Captain Runner standing in the doorway, looking slightly amused.

I blushed, “Yeah-er, yes sir.”

“Why don’t we take a walk?”

I nodded, and together we left Rein’s office and towards the elevator.

“Hell of a mission, huh?”

“You could say that again.”

We entered the elevator and rode it down to the Presidium. Stepping out, I took a moment to relish the simple beauty of Canterdel. Unlike the ambassador’s office, which was painted the standard equestrian blue, the Presidium was a soft white color, punctuated with patches of trees or bushes, and even a simulated sky. Overhead, pegasi and griffins flitted about, dodging the sleek autochariots that were used for species without wings.

The Captain and I walked in silence for a bit, leaving the Embassies behind and walking across the large bridge that spanned the river that cut through the center of the Presidium. In the center, sat a small bench, which the Captain promptly sat on, joining him, I sat back and watched intergalactic life occur around me, taking in the serenity of this place.

“Sir, may I ask something?” I asked, uncomfortably breaking the silence.

“Of course Commander, ask away.”

“What’s got you so upset over Apache?”

The Captain sighed and dropped his head. “Apache… is very dangerous. He’s volatile, unpredictable, and he absolutely hates ponies.”

“Why?”

“Have you ever heard of General Gilda?”

I nodded, “Yeah. She was the griffin navies most renowned general. Mostly known for shooting down a hundred civilian pony transports.”

“Do you know her last name?”

I frowned, getting a sinking feeling I knew where this was going. “No sir.”

“Greybeak.”

I paused, digesting the information. “Well… that explains a lot. But how do you know Apache?”

“We were on a mission together. He defied orders, broke off from the plan, and killed a city full of civilians.”

I sat and brooded in silence over this new information, tumbling the thoughts around, hoping a theory would roll out to explain Apache’s actions. Before anything could come forward, my omni-tool beeped, signaling I had a few minutes before I needed to be in the Council Chambers.

“We’d better get going.”

Captain Runner nodded, and stood up with a slight groan.

“Old age hits hard, doesn’t it sir?”

Runner rolled his eyes, “Careful Commander, I wouldn’t hesitate to bust you.”

I chuckled in response, “What, and lose your illustrious Executive Officer? I don’t think so.” Runner rolled his eyes again and gave a small grumble, expression his further distaste by jabbing the elevator call button roughly. It wasn’t until the elevator arrived and we stepped in that I started to feel the pangs of nervousness in my gut.

“So,” I said nonchalantly, “how do you think it will go?”

“Well, Commander, as Rein said, the Council isn’t happy. I don’t think you’ve done anything wrong, so they can’t really charge you, but I’m sure ponies aren’t high on their favorites list now.”

I felt a pang of guilt, and replayed the mission over in my head. Had I made any mistakes? Was there anything I could’ve done differently? Had a minor detail I’d overlooked cause ponies to fall out of favor with the Council? We were already on shaky ground. Ambassador Rein had been vying to get ponies a seat on the Council, but they felt that we were too new to the galaxy. We had, after all, only discovered these other races and technology a mere 30 years ago, other races had been around for thousands of years and never even been considered.

Captain Runner must have seen the look on my face, because he said, “Don’t worry about it Streak. You did everything you could. I couldn’t have asked for any better from a Marine.”

I gave a small smile that quickly vanished as the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Taking a deep breath, I strode forward to where Cloud and Breeze were standing. All around us, ponies, griffins, and buffalo milled about, all taking care of their political business. Just up ahead, in front of a large, plate glass window that overlooked the nebula that Canterdel was nestled in, stood the council. In front of them was a small raised dais, where Ambassador Rein was currently speaking to the council on. With a nod of Runner’s head, my team and I ascended the stairs to stand quietly next to Rein.

“The attack on New Appleloosa is of some concern, but there is no substantial evidence, to suggest that Apache was somehow involved.”

“An eyewitness saw him murder Servius in cold blood!” Rein retorted. To the left of us, a hologram flickered to life, and there stood a griffin, his face contorted into a sneer as he stared down at us. A mechanical leg had replaced his left bird-leg, and a host of wires crossed their way up his body, attaching at various nerve points, with a large one inserting into the base of his skull.

“Frankly, Ambassador, the testimonial of one traumatized dock worker is hardly substantial.” The donkey ambassador replied.

“Councilors, does it seem odd to you that every time ponies make an accusation against me, Captain Runner is involved?” Apache asked, his sneer turning into a disgusting grin, “Servius was a fellow Spectre, and a close friend of mine.”

“That just allowed you to catch him off guard!” I yelled, bristling at the griffin’s cocky attitude.

“And Commander Streak, the infamous pony who allowed the beacon to be destroyed. Glad to see ponies are still producing the same quality of officer.”

I resisted the urge to draw my pistol and shoot the projector, to sit there and openly insult me in a public hearing-!

“We are not here to instigate anything Servius.” The griffin councilor said placidly. Servius just rolled his eyes in response.

"Councilor this hearing is a waste of my time, and yours.”

“The Council can’t hide you forever Servius. When I find you, I’ll kill you.”

Servius chuckled, “You may try Commander, you may try.”

The buffalo councilor cleared her throat, bringing our attention back to her. “Given the lack of substantial evidence, we must declare that Servius had no involvement with the attack on New Appleloosa. Ambassador Rein, your request to have him disbarred from the Spectres is denied.”

“Thank you for your time, Councilors.” Rein said tactfully, shooting a dark look at Servius, who reached up and tapped an unseen button before the hologram flickered and died. “Let’s go.”

*** *** ***

“Argh!” A griffin cried as I put a three round burst in his chest. I ducked back behind cover, searching desperately for the zebra that had been ambushed in this dank alleyway.

“I thought this was supposed to be shore leave!” Yelled White Cloud as he blind fired at the remaining griffin, most of his shots going wild, or just bouncing off of its armor, but one managed to find a weak point and took out one of the griffin’s hind legs, dropping him. I dashed around the wall I was using for cover and fired another burst, killing the griffin. Distantly, I heard sirens of approaching C-sec autochariots.

“We need to get out of here,” I said grabbing the zebra’s hoof and dragging her along behind us.

Breathlessly, we burst into Ambassador Rein’s office, where he and Captain Runner were busy discussing something near the balcony.

“What is the meaning of this Commander!?” Rein demanded.

“W-“

“I just got a report that you were involved in a shootout in the lower wards! I thought we asked you to find evidence against Apache, not further destroy the galactic pony reputation! What happened?”

I sighed, walking over to the plush blue couch and enjoying the feeling of getting my weight off my hooves. “Well..”

Earlier that day..

“Commander, it looks like our only option is to get some serious evidence against Apache. See if you can’t find out who the C-sec officer was that investigated Apache.”

I nodded, “Yes sir, done in a jiffy.”

I turned and left with Cloud and Breeze following me.

As we walked along the presidium towards the C-sec office, I noticed Sweet Breeze doing a lot of staring.

“First time on Canterdel, Gunny?” White Cloud asked.

“Yes sir.”

“Nothing quite like it in the entire galaxy.” Indeed, there wasn’t. It wasn’t even made by any race that had an embassy here. It was guessed that it was built by the Alicorns, an unknown race of super-intelligent beings that existed thousands of years ago. They were the ones who built the mass relays, Canterdel; half of the technology in the galaxy was thanks to them. Then they mysteriously vanished without a trace, leaving this all behind for us to discover.

“This way,” I indicated with a wave of my hoof. A short set of stairs later, and we were at the C-sec office.

“How can I help you Commander?” A small pony behind a desk asked.

“I’m looking for the C-sec officer who was assigned to the Apache investigation.”

“Uh.. Hang on one second Commander.” A few keystrokes later, she turned back to me and said “My captain will be out here in a moment.”

I frowned, and was about to say something, but was interrupted by the gruff sound of a griffin behind me.

“Commander?”

I spun around and came face to face with a very large griffin. Easily twice my height and bulk, he towered over me.

“I’m Captain Fenix. I hear you’re looking for one of my griffins.”

I nodded, “Yes sir. The one who was in charge of the Apache investigation.”

Fenix frowned, “Unfortunately Commander, he has been reassigned.”

“To what?”

“A classified assignment.”

My eyes narrowed, “And if I told you I was here on orders from the Pony Ambassador to speak with this griffin?”
Captain Fenix lazily inspected one of his talons, pretending to flick a piece of dirt off of it. “I would tell you that Pony matters do not supersede Council matters.”

I bristled with rage; the Council ordered his reassignment just to protect their prize griffin!? “Very well Captain,” I said acidly,

“Expect me back in a short time.”

Without waiting for a reply, I gestured to Cloud and Breeze and we left. Outside the door, I reached up and slammed my hoof against the wall, letting out a loud “Bucking hell!”

Turning to the two ponies near me, I jerked my head up the stairs. “Let’s go.”

“Where are we going Commander?”

“Where does anypony go when they want information? To get a drink.”

*** *** ***

Even from inside the elevator, I could feel the beat from the bar reverberating in my chest.

“Got earplugs, Commander?” Cloud quipped, throwing me a smirk. I rolled my eyes at him and jabbed the button to open the door. Immediately my ears were assaulted with an almost cripplingly loud blast of music.

“What in the hell!?” I yelled, “What is this?”

Cloud walked up next to me and yelled almost directly into my ear. “I think it’s uh… I think they call it dubstep!”

I stared at him, “It sounds like someone shot a monkey!” Cloud shrugged apologetically. I rolled my eyes and looked around. The bar, aptly named Chora’s Den was packed full of council races, all crammed onto tables around the circular bar. Above the bar, a pair of ponies spun around a pole, gyrating their hips in a suggestive fashion.

“I can see why the place is so popular! The view is uh… nice.”

I frowned at Cloud, who actually managed to look sheepish.

“I can’t believe it. Ponykind gets advanced by thousands of years, tens of thousands of years, in three decades, and every bar is still inhabited by stallions and colts drooling over mares dancing around a pole. I can’t decide if that’s funny or sad.”

I glanced up at the dancers just in time for one to turn and stick her flank out in my direction. I quickly averted my eyes, giving a snort of disgust. “Okay, it’s shore leave. You two go grab a drink. I’m going to mingle.”

Both marines stared at me incredulously. “Ma’am? You… what about Apache?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, “I’m being serious here. You both are on shore leave, enjoy it. Just be ready.” Still looking uncertain, they both slowly wandered off, shooting glances over their shoulders at me. I ignored them and wandered around, making my way halfway around the circuit before stopping one of the bartenders.

“What can I get for you, Commander?”

“Who’s the best person here to talk to for information?”

The pony frowned. “Ma’am, I can’t.. I just make drinks.”

I sighed and reached into one of my bags and pulled out a hoofful of bits. “There.”

The pony deflated and jerked her head to one of the dimmer booths in the bar. “A dragon, by the name of Gurgle.”
I nodded my thanks and headed off toward the booth, which, as I got closer, saw that it was occupied by a short, fat dragon with yellow scales and a light orange belly.

“Ah, Commander Streak, please, have a seat.”

I frowned, slowly sitting down across from him. “How did you know my name?”

Gurgle snorted, sending out a small cloud of smoke. “It’s my job to know. Now, what can I help you with?”

“I’m looking for a griffin, the one wh-“

“The one who investigated Apache Greybeak. It was you who brought the charges against him, isn’t it?”

I nodded.

“Well Commander, as you know, the information business is a give and take. You give me something I want; I give you what you want.”

“I have plenty of bi-“

The dragon shook his head, “I don’t want bits. I’m 200 years old, I’ve hoarded enough riches to last anypony a few lifetimes worth of wealth. No, what I want is out.”

“Out?”

“Yes, out. I’ve been in this business for as long as I can remember, and I’m tired of it. Get me out, and the information is yours.”

“Give me the information now, and I’ll escort you out of here myself.”

The dragon eyed me curiously, slowly weighing his options. Finally, he settled down and nodded. “Alright Commander, the griffin you’re looking for i-“

A sharp crack filled the air, quickly followed by a spray of blood across my face as a bullet punctured the dragon’s head. I spun and dropped, crawling across the floor until I reached the bar. Around me, all manner of races were screaming and dashing for the door, trying to flee. I drew my pistol and peeked up, doing a quick sweep. There was another door, one that allowed a perfect shot into the booth I had just vacated. Hoping that Cloud and Breeze were covering me, I slowly stood up and made my way to the door, thanking the gods that everyone had fled, leaving just the three of us in the main bar.
As I reached the door, I noticed Cloud and Breeze stacking up against it on the opposite end. After a quick nod from them, I nudged the open button and ducked inside with Cloud and Breeze right behind me, sweeping to the left and right while I took the center. All that was there was a short hallway with a door at the end, one with a hefty security lock. I let out a small groan. I hated these. The only way to get past them was to put your weapon away and use your omni-tool, leaving you wide open for an attack from the rear. I sighed and put my pistol away, gesturing with my hoof to signal my team to cover me. Raising my leg, I nudged a few buttons with my nose, connecting it to the lock, which it began decrypting. I just knew someone was on the other side of the door with a minigun, waiting to mow us down as soon as the door opened.

“Be ready,” I whispered as the progress bar on my omni-tool slowly filled. After a few agonizing moments, it was done, and the door gave a soft click. Drawing my pistol again, I jabbed the door open button, then ducked back, expecting a hail of gunfire.

Only, there was nothing.

Curious, I took a small peek around the doorframe, to find the room devoid of traps or death-dealing guns. Instead there was one griffin, his rifle balanced on a desk he was hiding behind, pointed directly at the door. I drew my head back, fully prepared to a round to whiz past my head. Again, I was disappointed, as all I received was dead air.

“Commander Streak?”

I frowned, he knew who I was? “Who are you?”

“Come in here and I’ll tell you. I’m not going to announce it to the entire world.”

I frowned and looked over at White Cloud, who shook his head. I risked another peek inside the room and noticed he was wearing a suit of heavy black armor, emblazoned with a large red hoof on the shoulder.

“You work for Hoof! How can I trust you?”

“Because I don’t work for Hoof. If you come in here, I can explain everything, but there are too many eyes and ears out there.”

“There are only three of us,” White Cloud retorted as he slowly inched his rifle towards the door.

“Three of you, and about ten different surveillance cameras and five listening devices.”

I sighed, we were wasting time here, and neither of us were going to budge. “I’m coming out,” I said, “But my friends are coming with me, and they’re keeping their weapons.”

“Fine Commander, just hurry up, will you? You’re rather exposed out there.”

Slowly and deliberately, I stepped out into the doorway and walked forward, being sure to make my hooves visible. Behind me, White Cloud and Breeze stepped in, both their rifles trained on the griffin. Just as they cleared the door and started to fan out, I heard the hiss of the door from the other end of the hall.

“Get down!” The griffin roared, and I instinctively dropped to the floor as he fired two rounds down the hallway, both impacting something that made a disgusting splurch when they did. I looked over my shoulder in time to see the body of a headless pony wearing black armor fall to the ground, blood seeping out of its neck.

“Get the door, quick. That was just recon, they’re going to come in force soon.”

White Cloud looked to me, and I nodded before standing back up to face the griffin.

“Okay, the door is shut, now who the hay are you?”
---
Exp gained: 260. 20 until next level.