The Harmony Initiative

by Madame Hellspawn

Chapter 9: Blade and Shield

Cherry’s hooves burned and ached, as if the pits of hell were opening and trying to consume him. Given the week he has been through, that did not seem so far fetched at the moment.

“Keep it up!” Aegis shouted, briskly galloping ahead of the group. He turned his head slightly, curving his path to follow the path of the track. “One more minute!”

Cherry felt the giant maws of death clamping down behind him, plucking out strands of his tail, forcing him to gallop faster, shutting his eyes and breathe heavier. His breaths were ragged, and his lungs felt like they were being pierced by daggers. Growls only forced him to go faster, but Cherry knew his legs would give out at any minute.

The beating of hooves on the ground, the desperate gasps for air and the roar of the beast behind him shook the stallion to the core. He was sure that older ponies would be having heart attacks had this been a real life or death situation.

“Shitshitshitshitshitshit!” Cherry willed himself to keep going. He confused his own heavy breathing with the one coming up behind him. His tail brushed as the claws swiped at him. He knew it was not real, but sweet Celestia, did it feel real. The desperate clawing at his tail, the desperate look in the other recruit’s eyes as they helmed forward, and the desperate manner in which Cherry’s hooves carried him all added to the possible realism to being chased down.

“Longest...Minute...Ever!” Sour Marmalade shouted. She galloped faster, her tongue sticking out of the left side of her mouth. Cherry cursed under his breath as his body continued to burn.

“Time!” Aegis brought himself to a smooth halt, transitioning from a gallop to a light canter and stopping. He turned, stone faced as the other three recruits continued past him. The illusory manticore fizzled as it swiped and its claws went through Aegis’s steadfast form.

When he was certain that the illusion had faded completely, Cherry let himself fall onto the grass with an audible thump. His muscles relaxed, aching with every rise and fall of his body. He did not care if staring into the lights would cause him to go blind. From what he heard, the eggheads figured out a way to cure almost anything. Maybe it was true, maybe it was not, either way, Cherry would take this moment to relax and drink some water. He crawled to his canteen, heart dropping when he felt the weight. Or lack thereof.

Beside him Sour Marmalade fell on her stomach, crawling to her canteen desperately.

She gulped down greedily, breathing heavily when she was done. She cast Cherry a glance, then another at her canteen before drinking again. Cherry could feel the hope fading as she surely finished the rest of the water.

“Sorry there buck,” she said with a sly grin. “Shouldn’t have downed all o’ yours after the old man’s first trial.”

“You are a mercenary, no?” Midnight Spice asked. Her Prance accent was oddly alluring. Her voice moved through the air, smoother than the calmest waters and innocent like a filly. Cherry wondered how a mare like her made it into The Initiative. They were probably getting desperate. “Shouldn’t you be...used to this conditioning?”

“Yeah, well,” Cherry sighed. There was no trace of exhaustion on her, save for sweat gathering and glistening from the lights above. “We ran pretty hectic jobs, but my place was usually setting up the ambush.”

“Should’ve told me that before last mission,” Aegis said standing over Cherry. Like Midnight, there were just a few beads of sweat on his forehead. “Definitely would have changed my approach.”

Cherry released his breath, hoping to gain the feeling of another days work off his shoulders.

“Well,” Aegis said again, levitating another canteen to Cherry, who grabbed it and twisted off the cap. “I suppose I’ll give you guys a bit of a break. Five minutes and we’ll get back to it. Then we’ll call it a day.”

Aegis trotted away, the soft hoofbeats on the grass fading and replaced with the heavy steps against the metal floors.

“That stallion’s gonna be the end of me,” Cherry groaned, savoring every little drop of water.

“Agreed,” Marmalade said, weakly getting up onto her hooves. “All my time raiding tombs and going through ancient ruins and I’ve never had a workout regimen as brutal as this.”

“You ponies are strange,” Izetta scoffed. She sat stoic and inquisitive beside the downed stallion who was still, disappointingly enough, catching his breath. She offered a frail, thin hoof, an obsidian shoe gathering dirt and grime on the base. Cherry accepted and brought himself up. He noticed the glistening sheen on her silver forehead, bringing a faint bit of color on the swirling black markings on the left side of her face. “You complain of too much physical work, yet you joined this initiative as if you did not know it was a military force of some kind. Of course there would be physical training. I would think they would not have to spell it out for you.”

“Well,” Marmalade waved a hoof egregiously. “If anything, I should be the one complaining more than Sweet Cher over here. I mean, technically he’s not a recruit. How the hay are you back here anyway?”

“Because I’m an idiot,” Cherry said crossly. He knew that much to be true. “And plus, Aegis actually checks to see that all trainees are present in the facility. Shale doesn’t exactly do the best reports to the commander. I wish Aegis was more like Shale.”

“Hmmm. Serves you right then.”

“Yeah.”

A part of him welcomed the intense training regimen. He knew, from what Aegis had said would be involved, the trials would be arduous and brutal at best. He would be fighting an uphill battle to prove, not only to himself, but to the rest of Valor that he had worth.

And that was where the other part of him wanted to drop out like he did back in high school. It was not the training, nor working with the recruits that constantly seemed to tease him. It was a certain steely gray mare with a long blue mane. Cherry wanted to believe Rime would come around by the time he was finished with whatever else Aegis had planned. He knew better than that however. Mares like her; with devotion and dedication to the cause she fought for? They don’t handle ponies like Cherry very well. He was a careless mercenary at best, because his past approaches to dealing with problems often did not lead to somepony getting anything more than a broken limb. That did not exactly lead to death. Getting shot by an alien weapon? That was a different story.

At least Cherry would feel a bit better if he would be able to prove her wrong whether she liked it or not. He would see his way through Aegis's insane workout and team-building regimen.

The steel double doors slid open, Aegis walking out, tall and stiff.

“Alright, settle down!” He shouted, waiting a fraction of a second before all the talking stopped and the recruits stood rigid and quiet. “I figured I tortured you guys enough in here. I had more planned for the morning workout, but, well, we’ve gotta move on. Follow me. Cherry, up here.”

Crap. The stallion trotted clumsily to the grizzled Royal Guard’s side.

The corridor was dark compared to the bigger section of the Proving Grounds facility. To Cherry, and most of the other recruits, it screamed ‘keep going! Evil lair ahead!’. Despite the soft blue glow, it was the fog forming from pressurized pipes underneath the grated floors that gave such an illusion.

“You’re doing a lot better.” Aegis said simply

“Really?”

“What, don’t believe me?” Aegis tried his best to sound offended. Must have been an old man thing to do. “For what it’s worth, you lasted a solid ten minutes longer than last time.”

“That’s because there wasn’t a fake monster trying to kill us.”

“Ha! If you knew it was fake, why didn’t you slack off like you usually do? Not like it could actually kill you.”

“I…” Cherry thought, slowing his pace. For once, Aegis slowed and met Cherry’s lax speed and kept an ear open for the answer. “I’m pretty scared of manticores.”

Most ponies may call it an irrational fear, something akin to finding a shark in any body of water or a fear of heights, no matter the height itself, but Cherry hated monsters. Griffonstone had its fair share of freak shows and circus acts of strange animal amalgams, but each one made a knot form in his stomach. A huge one. It was not quite something he would consider himself proud of.

“Well if it keeps you up and running, I’m not complaining.” Aegis paused. “I think the squad will be better with you back.”

“Now you’re just trying to make me feel better,” Cherry laughed. “Rime would surely disagree. Solemn would too now that I think about it. Maybe Lone…”

“Rime’s a tough nut to crack, but she’ll come around. I’m...sure of it. Solemn? I don’t know, girl doesn’t seem to care about it too much. Sort’ve an introvert, so it’s kinda hard to tell what’s going on in that head. Lone would sooner crack a joke at you than get pissed, I think. Regardless, Swift and I didn’t just cram those team-building exercises for nothing.”

Cherry looked at the grizzled stallion. He seemed confident in his words, like all of Cherry’s efforts in the last two weeks would really pay off.

“Come on, kid. Let’s teach these idiots how to shoot.”

The group of recruits entered the Proving Grounds shooting range. Multiple lanes were set up, one for each of the twenty ponies, deer, griffon and changelings which stood behind Cherry and Aegis. Black walls separated each lane, each one outfitted with a rack full of all sorts of weapons and a set of R.A.A.G.S. besides them. The two-toned, black and orange walls were home to large, bold, angular letters, elegantly labelling the room Shooting Range 01.

Once all the recruits were lined up, Aegis explained, in extreme, meticulous detail, the Robotic Arm Assisted Grasping System to the non-griffon recruits. Unfortunately, Cherry had to be the guinea pig and slipped one onto his torso and feeling his body tingle as they sparked to life. He showed the proper way of equipping the system, most recruits shuddering as the arms themselves sprang to life and followed the will of each user. He had to admit, his reaction was very much the same. Once Aegis gave the word, Cherry picked up a rifle, R.A.A.G.S. clutching it close to his chest and ensuring the safety was on.

“I’m gonna ask that everypony pick a lane and pick up a rifle,” Aegis said. “This thing is not a toy. You don't point it at each other, and most importantly, if you are not engaged, safety on. Cherry, if you would demonstrate for us how to shoot.”

“Think of it as...a game of sorts.” Cherry said with a smug grin. He turned and raised his rifle. “Aim down the sight and start pickin’ ‘em off.”

“Disregard that statement. War is not a game. He’s right about one thing; what you want is to aim down the sights,” Aegis explained, breaking his glower from Cherry. “Those are not just paper thin targets down the lane. Those are the soulless bastards that are trying to threaten every stallion, mare, and foal on the surface! Don’t worry, the robotic arm systems will keep the weapon stabilized. Find your target and pick ‘em off.”

Cherry did exactly that. He drew in a breath and brought his head closer to the sights and stared down the range.

Bratatatat!

Cherry looked up, frowning.

“Really?” Aegis shook his head. The target stood, bulletless. Cherry’s ear twitched as the soft chuckles and nickers of recruits met his ears. “Seriously? That one was at least fifteen meters away, kid and you missed.”

“I...uh...use a shotgun for a reason.”

Cherry put down the rifle before sliding out of his R.A.A.G.S. and placed it in the enclosure built into the wall. Once Aegis ordered for the recruits to take their weapons, the two stallions walked past the lanes and up on an overarching platform overlooking all the lanes from behind.

“On my mark!” Aegis shouted. The whistle around his neck floated to his mouth and the recruits tensed, each one aiming down their respective lanes. Cherry watched intently each one intently, waiting for Aegis’s signal. He blew, deafening Cherry's right ear.

Bratat! Bratatatatat! Bratatatatatatat!

The recruits lifted their heads, looking around. The fourth lane from the middle plumed with smoke. Down that lane and many others, the targets were riddled with holes, most of which penetrated in the chest and head area. Cherry whistled as he glanced down at each recruit looking at one another with confusion and trying to find their sharpshooter.

“Hahaha!” Izetta shouted. She lifted her head, a smile beaming on her face, probably the most emotion Cherry had ever seen on her face. The end of her rifle steamed, the smoke trailing off down the range while casings lay at her slender hooves. “I did it! How was that?”

***

Medical Report<<<Psychiatric Report

The zebra (Named Abeni) found by Private Ethan during Operation Red Star is making great strides in both physical and psychological aspects. Fluttershy and Zecora both reported that she still suffers nightmares most nights, but after what she has been through, that is to be expected. When she is awake, she is often paranoid, although not as bad as when she had first arrived here. She has decided to eat willingly now, not rejecting the food so long as she sees us making it in front of her. According to Zecora, she initially thought that we were ‘servants of the star devils’. Because of this, we have decided not to use such an intrusive approach next time we have a civilian in the medical bay.

She has, however, requested to see the griffon who has rescued her from the research facility last month. Normally, ponies/zebras with this level of trauma require higher clearance for the patient to have visitors and guests. All I ask is your clearance that she be able to see the griffon, in hopes that we can further understand what happened the day of the attack. I do believe that your presence would help calm her as well, being that you are an alicorn. That status tends to have that effect on ponies.

-Doctor Redheart

***

“Any word from mom or dad?”

Twilight looked the letter over, re-reading over the details written in the neatest and most elegant calligraphy she had ever seen, courtesy of her mother. Twilight had learned the techniques of the quill strokes, but being that most of her letters were written through Spike, she had fallen out of practice. “They’re worried about us. Supposedly, Cadence is letting Flurry Heart stay with them for a week or two. They hardly ever spend time with each other, so I guess that that’s fitting.”

Shining Armor barely looked relieved. He slouched and let his ears fall, shifting his lips to the side and chewing on the inside of his cheek. His gaze was hollow, looking down at the holo-map a few hoofsteps away from him. The grand Crystal Palace stood tall and proud among the northern land before the Sea of Ice, defended by the city-wide Crystal Wall. It had taken a few years to complete and Cadence had always considered it an eyesore, but with what has happened in recent days, most would probably believed Shining Armor knew about the invasion.

Twilight often thought about debating the matter of Shining Armor’s family with Luna. On one hoof, the whole family would be safe under the facility’s walls. But on the other hoof, there needs to be somepony of alicorn status in The Crystal Empire. Ponies need a figure to rally to and what better figure than Cadence.

“Dad was asked if he could represent our family in court again,” Twilight said, hoping the change of topic would help clear her brother’s anxieties. “He’s been sitting on the decision, but I think time is running out. He has to pick a side soon.”

“He’s been sitting on it since Granddad passed away.” Shining said, not breaking his gaze from the table. “Nobody really has to represent our family though. The fact that I’m married to Cadence means we’re part of The Royal Family. Not just another bunch of nobles. I’d say he should keep his current job. Canterlot could use a bit more empathy.”

Twilight nodded, before her eyes went back down to the letter. “Mom got another job helping refugees from all over the place.”

“The aliens attacked again?”

“A village off the coast of Horseshoe Bay.” Twilight recoiled. “We weren’t notified of that attack.”

“There couldn’t have been one,” Shining said matter-of-factly. “We would have been notified. Right?”

Shining Armor looked down at the map, glowing its radiant blue. Twilight re-read the letter. There was not much details about it, aside from there being survivors who made it all the way to Canterlot, but the news was jarring. Allegedly, one of the survivors Twilight’s mother patched up was due to speak about the events in a few days. Twilight would keep her ears open for that report.

“They won’t be so bold as to attack Canterlot,” Shining said out of the blue. “Would they?”

Twilight’s eyes led themselves down to the glowing holo-map in the center of the room. Canterlot stood proud and majestic, towering over all as she hugged the mountainside. It would be an easy target. Demoralizing the ponies of Equestria would just need Canterlot to fall, Twilight was sure about that. But the chances of Celestia or Luna allowing such a thing to happen was highly unlikely.

“Celestia and Luna wouldn’t let them, right?” Spike voiced, as if reading Twilight’s mind. “If they were to try? They’d just blast the aliens out of the sky if they wanted to.”

“They won’t,” Twilight tried to sound sure about it. Her voice faltered. “Canterlot could have been their first target. It would have been a devastating blow to Equestria. Celestia and Luna may have been able to prevent anypony from getting hurt, but I guess we can’t really know for sure.”

“There has to be a reason none of the major capital cities in Equestria, The Savannahs or anywhere else weren’t hit yet.” Shining Armor approached the table, looking down and leaning against the steel frame. His eyes darted around, looking over all major cities. Again, his eyes met the Crystal Empire, forehead wrinkling and biting his lip. "They've been too quiet. They have to be planning something."

“Maybe Manehattan was just a test?” Spike suggested.

The thought of a race so powerful as to use a whole city as a test site for their invasion technology sickened Twilight. There was so much good that could have been done if that technology took a benevolent and less sinister direction. Should ponies have gained that level of technological prowess, surely, they would be put to greater use. Travelling the stars and unifying those who would accept their friendship. There would be no need for violence and no need to intrude on a primitive species’ lives, Twilight was certain of that.

“I just hope the ponies down in R and AT and Combat Tech get something out soon if that’s the case.” Twilight said. Her eyes drifted, finding the window to her office/quarters just above the communications control room. The files the ponies had sent to her were not lacking in detail, and she would not be surprised if the projects finished within the week. “I want my soldiers to be protected, but that extra bite could definitely give them an edge. When we’re sure the new armor works out, I think we’ll devote our resources towards weapons development. Maybe that'll hold the aliens off for a while.”

“Have you given any thought to the Interceptor proposal?” Shining Armor asked. Twilight tried to keep herself from allowing her lips to drop.

“It’s a fantastic idea,” she admitted. “But it lies in the choice of our interceptors themselves. I won’t force anypony to go through with such a procedure, but if there were volunteers, then I’d very well grant them that option.”

Twilight flexed her wings, as if to take a moment to make sure they were still bone, flesh and feathers. She had grown accustom to them, very easily adapting to life as an alicorn and relying on her wings in the years following her ascension. While they may not have been there her whole life, the fact remained that they were a part of her now. To lose them and replace them with cybernetics? The idea seemed foreign.

“Regardless of what I do,” Twilight continued. “We have to be ready. The aliens have been quiet for too long. They won’t just sit back and leave so soon. We’ll have to be ready for anything. I want all fireteams on standby, ready for operations.”

***

“...Several cases of ponies going missing may be related to the alien threat The Regal Sisters spoke about. The town of Sapling is nothing more than a ghost town now. Royal Guards have been dispatched to investigate the area along with The Equestrian Bureau of Defense.”

The reports on the radio were disconcerting at most. What was worse, they were not even the first set of disappearances since Equestria announced she was at war. Moondancer, under Administrator Blueblood’s request, dispatched several agents across the country to investigate these new disappearances. It was unlike the others; no reports of flying objects and no green canisters to suck ponies up. These were ominously covert in nature. Aliens did not seem to do stealthy for abductions. That was not their way. They may have stealth units made to look like ponies, but as far as Moondancer knew, that was the extent of their covert operations.

As if being a blank flank was not already hard enough for fillies and colts. When the public catches wind of such an alien threat, Moondancer was sure to see bullying rates going through the roof. From the limited information Princess Luna divulged to the high ranking Bureau members, they should be more focused looking for grown ponies to persecute and accuse of being alien spies. Even then, the act of doing something so brash left a sour taste in Moondancer’s mouth.

The view of a rain-soaked Canterlot from the EBD tower was something to behold in Moondancer’s eyes. As the pink-orange horizon slowly gave way to the darkening blue skies, the clouds continued to roll over, bringing down pouring rain, like the souls of those Equestria had lost wept for those who had found the strength to live under the threat of war. The cream-coated unicorn wished she could see the stars behind the thick blanket of clouds.

“Is everything alright?” Rarity asked. Moondancer’s ears flicked, swivelling on their own as the white unicorn’s hoofsteps came closer. “You look troubled.”

Lights from carriage lanterns flowed down the streets like ants, navigating through the maze that was her home. She liked to imagine these ponies were trying to lead their lives as if Princess Luna’s announcement had not shaken them down to the core. But Moondancer knew Canterlot ponies better than most. They would pretend as best they could and crack the moment the doors to their homes shut behind them.

“I’m just taking a break,” Moondancer answered. It was a partial truth. She felt burdened; a weight dropped on her shoulders that may have amounted to the weight of the mountain which held Canterlot. “I need some time to think.”

Rarity remained silent. The scent of coffee wafted through the office space, far more powerful than the dimming candle kept on the dark lacquered maple table. She liked the mixing aromas, although she could not quite picture herself in Saddle Arabia anymore. Perhaps it was for the best.

“I’ve always admired Canterlot from the safety of my office.” Rarity said softly, stepping towards the window besides Moondancer. “I envy them. They live such simple lives and help to make Equestria a better place. They are not ready for what will be coming.”

“We weren’t.”

“But there is hope for the ponies down there,” Rarity tried to reassure. “With The Initiative hard at work, we have a chance at winning.”

Moondancer tried to share the sentiment. After hearing Luna’s offer, not only was she the highest form of honored she could think of, but she was also sure that the ponies and other races that were a part of The Harmony Initiative were beginning to get desperate.

“How was your last meeting with Princess Luna?” Rarity asked, shifting the subject. “It seems that that may be the source of some of your troubles.”

Moondancer pursed her lips. “It went well. Definitely gave me something to think about, let me tell you. Or not. I don’t think I can tell you.”

Rarity chuckled sweetly. “Was it really that bad, dear? Or was it all classified information?”

“Classified, I’d say. It is regarding The Initiative, but besides that, I can’t really say.”

Moondancer ran through the scenario in her mind. So far, The Invaders have been ‘attacking’ places one at a time. Would Twilight be able to focus on two operations going on simultaneously? What about, when a city is besieged? Could Twilight’s forces contain an attack all on their own?

The more Moondancer thought about Princess Luna’s offer, the more it seemed necessary. She would have to pick out her leading personnel, similar to the way Twilight did. Unfortunately, Twilight had chosen all of the best and most of her friends. Moondancer tried to think of where her own friends would fit into her contingent of The Initiative. Each position seemed too...out of their league and she knew, without a doubt, Rarity would grant her the same answer she did with Twilight.

“I’ll not put myself in the safety of a metal tomb while ponies above suffer.”

“Moondancer, dear,” Rarity spoke softly. Moondancer turned, brow still upturned. “Things may seem grim now, but is it too much for us to just try and keep hope?”

“It’s not about losing hope, Rarity,” Moondancer replied. “It’s about our next move against the aliens. How much are we going to give up just to make sure we win this?”

“You’re sounding pretty hopeless to me,” Rarity said with a smirk.

“Moondancer?” Grace stepped into the doorway, three hooves planted on the ground and a single one clutching stacks of papers. Her mane was tied in a loose bun behind her head and she panted heavily, no doubt from the arduous climb up the stairs.

“Come in.” The unicorn sighed.

“News from Manehattan’s Lunar Memorial Hospital. They’ve gotten one of the pods from the initial invasion open!”

“They got it open?” Moondancer turned and trotted closer. “What did they find?”

Grace shuddered. “N-nothing ma’am.”

Moondancer tilted her head. Her eyes widened when she realized what she meant. All this time trying to get the pods open, we were hoping to find something inside.

“Grace, send word to Morning Glory. Tell her to prep a chariot for Manehattan, I want it ready in fifteen minutes.”

“What about Administrator Blueblood?”

“I’ll let him know what happened. He’ll understand.”

Author's Note:

Gonna be slightly busy with stuff for a while, so that may take my attention away from the fic. I try to go for a chapter a week, but with tests and allergies kicking my ass, that might not work out too much. I'll still have this fic among my top priorities

Comments

[Ze1a7in]

I...uh...use a shotgun for a reason

Too good!

[Betoran]

Damn, all that work for nothing... or was it? Camouflage? Could it be? Or was it something else... hmmm....

[Solemn Vigil]

I wonder what awaits for Moondancer in Manehatten.

And how will the interceptors react to the proposal? What does Rainbow think of it?

Medical Report<<<Psychiatric Report

The zebra (Named Abeni) found by Private Ethan during Operation Dragon’s Breath is making great strides in both physical and psychological aspects.

I think it's supposed to be Operation Red Star.

“You ponies are strange,” Izetta scoffed. She sat stoic and inquisitive beside the downed stallion who was still, disappointingly enough, catching his breath. She offered a frail, thin hoof, an obsidian shoe gathering dirt and grime on the base. Cherry accepted and brought himself up. He noticed the glistening sheen on her silver forehead, bringing a faint bit of color on the swwirling black markings on the left side of her face.

[Madame Hellspawn]

8084690 Yeah, that was my bad I had the latest operation in my head there.