The Harmony Initiative

by Madame Hellspawn

Chapter 7: Scientific Pursuits

“Oh, I hope she’s okay,” the mare muttered to herself. “I knew she should have taken a spot in the medical bay, I knew it!”

Sky Lance watched the violet mare fidget and whisper to herself with a cocked head and a raised brow. Were the hangar not a simple and mundane place, Sky Lance would not have stared as much as she did. The way she slowly rocked and impatiently tapped her hoof on the metal floor did not attract Sky’s attention. Rather, it was her cutie mark: a yellow eye above a golden crescent moon.

She had been watching every pony’s flanks, more than she would have liked to admit. The reports of blank flanks spread through the Biology Division for hours, remaining something of a 'secret' between the ponies in the division, as if anypony outside were conspiring with the aliens. It was ironic, seeing as most of the ponies outside of the research labs had learned about these new creatures the aliens were deploying.

A vast majority of the ponies under Sky Lance’s command even accused a small group of changeling scientists as traitors, but Sky Lance shut that down the moment to accusations cropped up. Cooperation was a major key in defeating the alien threat and Sky Lance would not tolerate any anarchy among her division.

Unfortunately, the talks of alien spies had, indeed, made Sky Lance a little more cautious about the ponies she worked with.

“Are you okay?” Sky Lance cursed herself once the words left her lips. The mare gave a shy grin.

“M-my daughter was on that last mission,” she explained, slowly setting her rump on the ground. Sky Lance cocked her head. She had not known about families being brought into The Initiative. As far as she knew, families were left behind up on the surface. Maybe if she filed a request to the commander, Sky Lance could bring her family inside the base? “O-Overnight Vigil ma’am.”

“Sky Lance. I’m sure your daughter is fine,” Sky Lance said. “I didn’t get to see the squad in action, but from what I hear, they had a pretty good haul.”

The mare tilted her head quizzically.

“Alien bodies.” No response. “I dissect and examine the bodies of the aliens for hopes to better understand how to defeat our adversaries.”

“Biology Division?”

“Biology Division.”

The violet unicorn looked uncomfortable sitting beside Sky Lance, but she remained in her spot. She had not noticed Sky still casting the occasional glance at her cutie mark. She tried to ponder its meaning, her special talent and a whole slew of information a simple observation would not be able to grant her.

The hangar bay doors slid open, Commander Sparkle trotting her way in, flanked by four ponies from the medical bay. Her wings were spread stiffly and she moved rigidly down the metal path, griffons and ponies casting salutes if they were able, while others nodded. She stopped short just beside Sky Lance and stared blankly forward.

“Finally!” The mare gasped once the carriage teetered in. Sky Lance could not help but to share the same level of excitement, although for different reasons assuredly. Night Glider lowered herself and the carriage rapidly and swiftly, avoiding the jagged edges of the cavern and motioning for other pegasi to get out of the way.

She landed with a rough clunk against the metal and swiftly unstrapped herself from the carriage and headed for the back.

“Stretchers!” The Commander ordered. The medical ponies all bolted for the rear of the carriage, taking two ponies out with their magic; a blue mare and a charcoal black stallion.

“Solemn!” The mare gave her best trot over to who Sky Lance assumed to be her daughter, hobbling and wincing with every other step. The blue unicorn let the ponies put her down gently on the stretcher before being hoisted up by the two ponies. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Solemn slumped her head. “We cleaned it up pretty good out there. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” Overnight ignored her daughter’s initial calmness. Her eyes darted from pony to pony hoping someone had the answers. She set her sights on a massive, bulky grey earth pony, approaching as best she could in her modest condition. The white highlights among the blue of the earth pony’s mane shone brightly under the flourescent lights. “Rime?”

“She’ll be fine,” Rime answered. She cast a scowl behind her to a tan stallion, who hung his head low. "If you wanna know what happened, you can ask him."

Uh-oh.

“You,” Overnight breathed. The stallion recoiled at Vigil’s rage, sinking lower and lower as she approached. “You! What did you do!”

“I-I-I didn’t mean t—”

“Vigil!” The Commander shouted. The violet unicorn turned as fast as she could in her meek state ears dropping and face turning pale. The rage was still built up on her face, but she held her tongue. “Don’t worry about him. I’ll take care of it.”

“But—” The tan stallion raised his hoof, but lowered it in defeat, ears dropping. “Nevermind.”

“My office if you will, Cherry,” Twilight looked down towards Captain Aegis. “You too.”

“Yes ma’am.” He answered without so much as a hint of frustration or disappointment in his face. Twilight watched as the two stallions left, releasing a sigh once they vanished behind the hangar bay doors.

“Ponies,” Sky Lance nodded her head towards the carriage’s newly installed storage compartment. The four unicorns trotted forward, opening up the side compartments. The Commander grimaced and wrinkled her nose and turned away in disgust. “Save one of the bodies and prep it for an autopsy. I’m going to see what secrets lie within our new friend.”

She took note of the disapproving look from Twilight. “Commander, we need this. They are not ponies at all.”

“I understand,” she said. “I just...Write up a report when you and your division have enough adequate information for me.”

“Understood ma’am.”

***

“Are you sure about this?” Starlight asked. Sky Lance had to admit, her superior’s ethical views seemed a bit too...simple. The body of the subject lay on the operating table limp and naked. The subject, dubbed Lily by the ponies of Fireteam Valor, looked about as pony as a pony could be. The spots of dark marks and lack of a cutie mark was all it took for the emerald mare to feel okay with the autopsy.

“It’s no Equestrian,” Sky Lance asserted. “You don’t have to watch if you don’t want to.”

Starlight bit her lip. “What if it’s a changeling?”

“Then I cut open a changeling,” Sky Lance answered, annoyed. “I wouldn’t think you’d care too much. Didn’t they kidnap your friends a few years back? That's not to say I don't like them. They happen to be some of my best workers.”

Starlight remained silent. Sky Lance donned her favorite uniform, taking off her cap and slipping on the hood of the hazard suit. Through the visor of her mask, Sky Lance took note of Starlight’s grimacing face. She would be lying if she said she did not understand the mare’s discomfort. Not every pony was exposed to the idea of autopsies or anything of the sort, but for the sake of advancing Equestria’s understanding of alien biology, there could be no room for what was morally right and unjust.

“Maybe we should start with Project Eldritch first?” Starlight offered.

“The body is already prepped.” Sky Lance allowed the R.A.A.G.S. to adjust themselves around her torso, the graspers flexing and extending before collapsing back at her sides. “With respect ma’am, if you can’t handle the autopsy, then I would recommend leaving. My team and I will work towards finding out whatever we can about these aliens.”

“Is this even morally right?”

“Is kidnapping ponies, zebras, griffons and anything else capable of sentient thought morally correct?”

“N-no, but...” Starlight stopped herself. “It’s bad enough our soldiers on the field riddle them with bullets. They might as well be killing actual ponies! Now we’re prodding around in their bodies, just to ‘further understand them’?”

“If my time in the Royal Guard has taught me anything,” Sky Lance turned and faced her colleague. “It’s that some enemies are more deserving of mercy than others. Those with blatant disregard for civilian lives deserve none. What is in that room is a crude bastardization of anything Equestrian. It may look like a pony, act like one, maybe even believe it is one, but in the end it is nothing more than a carbon copy of something that was once so kind and loving for those around it now made for the sole purpose of killing and abducting the very beings they were made to mimic.”

Again, Starlight paused and pursed her lips. Her eyes flicked from Sky Lance to the door leading to the operating room several times, screaming the same thing over and over again. There has to be another way.

Unfortunately for her, there was no other way. At least no other way that Sky Lance could think of. Ripping open and extracting the bits and pieces unaffected by the soldiers’ bullets and examining those bits and pieces was as good a way as any to learn about their alien adversaries. It was not like they would just waltz into the base and happily explain themselves to the ponies. Everypony had already known that.

No. Sky Lance tapped her hoof against the door panel and with a loud thunk, the door itself slid open. The subject’s body lay elegantly on its side. There is no door number 2. Not one that I can see.

She looked out of the windows, only a small set of individuals from the Biology Division watching with clipboards ready. She smiled under the visor of the hazard suit, only seeing one pony out of the seven grimacing and turning an odd shade of green before the first cut was even made. These were the same people who had taken the copious notes and led examinations of their own on the Sectoids in the passing weeks.

The group consisted of two changelings, two griffons, two unicorns and an earth pony. Sky Lance had not gotten to know them personally, but she at least had the decency to learn their names.

They each lifted their pens and Sky Lance began the procedure.

She checked the scale, recording the weight of the being. 275 kilograms. She had expected as much from the being. She jot down the weight into her notes and placed the pen down gently on top of the paper.

The lifeless reptilian eyes of the blank flank stared endlessly into Sky Lance as she took a scalpel into her mechanical grip. The first cut is always the most anxious. Sky Lance pressed the blade against the pony—no, the alien’s—upper leg joint and started cutting down towards the lower leg. She felt relieved at the sight of green and white underneath the coat of fur.

Well, there’s all the confirmation I need. Sky Lance momentarily paused in the middle of her incision, taking note of her initial observation. “Well, we can all rest easy knowing this isn’t actually a pony.”

A short murmur sounded from outside the chamber. The cut continued and she peeled back the skin, taking a closer look at the tissue. “Besides, coloration, the muscle tissue closely resembles that of an actual pony. Strange.”

Admittedly, Sky Lance was eager to start poking her head inside the being. She wanted to know if the aliens had stayed true to pony anatomy. Or at least find the source of the cloud of poison that erupted when it expired. There was much to learn from the mimic.

“Alright everypony,” Sky Lance raised her blade. “Let’s see what she’s got for us.”

***

Project Codename>>>Mimic

Research Notes

>>>Initial Observations:

It would appear that this being acts as an infiltrator of sorts, gaining entrance to our cities and possibly even military outposts. However, it is clear that the creature cannot replicate a pony’s cutie mark(1) and, as was shown when encountering ‘Lily’ attempt to cover this with a dress or take the guise of a young blank flank child. The question remains as to how the aliens were able to create a carbon copy of a pony.

>>>Initial Findings:

From what my teams can tell, there is no distinct pattern in which the aliens choose the forms of the ponies(2). From what we have seen so far, it is clear that the aliens kept the idea of Equestrian diversity in mind, allowing for each subject to take form of a mare, stallion, colt, or filly. As of now, only one distinction remains between each subject: subjects later in age appear to have mottled hazel or green spots along their flanks and upper hooves while the younger subject can easily pass off as a normal colt or filly.

There were an interesting amount of discoveries made from Silver Scalpel and Domara, both of whom have taken the liberty of assessing the alien’s organ structures. While alien in nature, it would seem that the aliens have ‘remodelled’ almost all internal organs to closer resemble pony organ systems, there are some organs that interestingly serve no actual purpose. I have found that the subject’s skeletal structures are segmented, much like a serpent’s. I have reason to believe this can grant the creature a diverse range of flexibility and maneuverability should it need to engage any of our soldiers in combat.

We have also found that enormous glands found in the thoracic cavity produce a potent toxin and is capable of being expelled through ducts with what we could assume to be considerable force. First Aid, after a chemical analysis, believes she can ‘enhance’ our medical sprays by using the venom as a kind of disinfectant. With your approval of the experiments, we can potentially work with The Flim Flam Brothers and Applejack to integrate the substance into our medical supply.

(1)—Some ponies in the research teams theorize that the aliens have no access to the magical qualities of ponies. Because the aliens genetically manipulate themselves to resemble ponies, they have a kind of ‘Newborn’ effect. Similar to how foals are born without a cutie mark, these aliens have no special talent of their own, therefore their flanks remain blank.

(2)—Could it be that the ponies, zebras, and griffons that were abducted were used as a ‘template’ for these creatures’ physical makeup? There is no way to come to a reasonable conclusion at the moment, but that is the leading theory among the Biology Division.

Sky Lance Personal Note:

Please refrain from thinking of these beings as anything Equestrian in nature. They are, in fact, alien creatures designed for the sole purpose of infiltrating our cities and psychological warfare against our soldiers. I understand that these creatures look as though they are ponies, but I stress, our soldiers should feel no remorse for killing them on the field.

Furthermore, I believe that the gas emitted from the bodies can be synthesized and used against the aliens in the field. With your approval, Commander Sparkle, I can have part of my team work on such a project with a few ponies from engineering.

***

Felix sat in the farthest corner of the workshop, away from the droning machines and the socializing workers. The low level workshop was always the quietest, and that was the way he liked it. Crammed in the lowest denizens of Harmony’s base of operations and able to do his work with hardly any interruptions and almost no noise to bother him. The low constant hum of the power flowing through the facility had even been numb to his senses, hardly ever noticing it unless brought up by the other workers passing by the small space Felix would have called his office.

The black griffon sat around several cabinets and drawers full of small components and tools behind an shining white smooth surfaced desk and a computer screen which was left off most of the time. His talons searched for a flaw in the brace he held with delicate care; a mix of ornate griffon metalwork and rune imbued purifying tanks.

The reports of aliens capable of spitting out a poisonous cloud and even puffing some of the poison out after getting killed was troubling among the ponies and other staff working in the base. The brace held in Felix’s talons would have no doubt changed the game in that field.

In theory, the brace would wrap around the wearer’s throat and the two small tanks imbued with runes would have allowed them to pass through the cloud of poison unaffected. The only problem was that it was all theoretical and yet to be tested.

A knock came from the far end of the room, against the plated metal doorway. Given the rhythmic nature of the knocks, he let out a disgruntled sigh. Looking up, peering through the darkness were a set of pink eyes. Felix could make out the white and black (or was it black and white?) striped form of Zeldamar, leaning against the doorframe. Truth be told, Felix may have mistook her for another zebra, were it not the lack of jewelery, save for the lone earring on her left ear, and the relaxed state at which she stood idle.

“Starlight called for you,” Zeldamar said in a sweet and soft tone. Felix could not help but to frown at her words. “What’s the matter? You look like you could use the company anyway.”

“Kinda busy here,” Felix said, bringing her attention to the metal brace in his talons. He lowered his head, continuing his work, making sure the fittings would not be too tight for anypony or griffon or zebra wearing it. “What’s it for anyway?”

“Commander gave the clearance to examine the alien alloys,” the zebra explained, stepping into the room and closer to Felix’s corner workstation. “Hamza asked Starlight if there was anyone who could assist, so she asked The Brothers and now they're allowing for a small team of engineers to help the other eggheads in R and AT.”

“Last time I checked, you were part of Combat Technology,” Felix set the brace down on the desk. “Why’d she send you?”

“She didn’t.” Felix cocked his head. “I’m technically on break, but since they’re fixin’ up the lounge and I’m not a fan of the jocks in the rec room and I overheard The Brothers asking for engineers from W2L1, I decided I’d let the only person I knew who worked here know that he’d be needed.”

“Thanks for that I guess,” Felix sighed. Zeldamar held an odd grin on her face. She sat on her haunches, patiently. “Now?”

“Now.”

Damn. Felix brought himself up from his seat. “Fine. Let’s go then.”

The griffon uprooted himself from the seat and headed for the door, Zeldamar catching up with a prance behind him. The roars of the machines echoed down the hall and Felix thanked whatever higher power he could that he had not needed to move through the central facility. He immediately redacted that thanks however when he gave some thought about where he would be headed.

Felix tapped a talon against the door panel, waiting for the doors to slide open before setting foot inside the elevator. The annoyingly orange floor and endless mirrored walls forced an unsettling shudder to permeate through Felix’s body. He wished a stairwell was available to the lower facilities. He found it strange that The Initiative would readily build an elevator unit that could crap out at any given point rather than start with building stairs. Not that it mattered to much for him, being that he was a griffon and could easily just fly up the shaft.

“So,” Zeldamar spoke over the music. “What were you working on?”

“Rebreathing unit to combat the poison cloud the Blank Flanks produce,” Felix explained, staring forward at the door. “Simple rune magic to purify the lungs, triggered by chemical sensors that detect an imbalance in the air.”

“Right.” The zebra feigned understanding.

The rest of the elevator ride was silent, save for the annoying polka-themed music playing on a loop. Their respite came not only a minute later, Felix overwhelmed with a sense of gratefulness as the elevator slowed and jerked to a stop.

“I’m gonna head over to—”

“Felix!” Benjamin cut off. “Talk about coincidence huh? You free for the moment? Hamza is arranging for a team to examine some of the alien materials found from the crashed—Zeldamar told you already didn’t she?”

“You know it!” The zebra giggled. “Sorry to pop your bubble there. I’ll see you two later, I’m gonna head to the mess. A zebra has to eat after all!”

She galloped down the hall, dodging and weaving between the various inhabitants either on break or on the way to their respective facilities. Felix could not help but to let a small grin spread on his face as she crashed into a pony carrying several binders, sending papers flying and garnering unparalleled rage from the pony.

“She needs a damn off switch,” Felix commented. Benjamin stifled a giggle. “I’ll go down to the crazy Arabian.”

"Yeah," Benjamin slid past Felix and entered the elevator. "I gotta get the rest of the guys."

***

Initially, Felix had not liked Hamza. Primarily, it was the way in which the slender equine carried himself and gave off the impression that he had all the right answers. His chocolate brown coat and shining teal mane were groomed with the utmost care and lacked any of the fine Saddle Arabian attire his people normally wore. If his height and slenderness was any indication of his nationality and ethnicity, then his lack of a cutie mark would distinguish him from the rest of the ponies that worked in the facility.

“This stuff took the impact of the pegasi Windigo Missiles?” Felix held the iridescent plate of metal in his talons, examining it curiously and meticulously. He slowly rotated and inspected every angle of the clean sheet sliced from the craft’s exterior hull.

Hamza nodded. “I could scarcely believe it myself. To think that The Invaders have created something so…strong and yet retain such a light weight is unbelieveable.”

Felix placed the plate of foreign material back down on the table, as did the others in the secluded section of the Robotics and Alien Technology division. They all could not help but to look down at the separated plates of alien metal whilst trying to listen to Hamza speak.

“As of now, all the staff in R and AT are devoted to finding out what we can about the inner workings of the crashed alien vessel.” Hamza explained. “To make it easier, I have divided the division into several parts, each with the task to study various parts of the alien ship. I’ll not bother you with the details of the other teams, but know that all of our roles here are equally as important. The Commander wishes to understand how these alloys work and if we can replicate them in some way.”

“Will we be reporting our findings to you directly?” A stout emerald earth pony asked.

“You will be reporting to Bronze Sprocket for the duration of the research project.”

The aptly named Bronze Sprocket stepped up, standing beside the Saddle Arabian. Contrary to his namesake, Felix almost chuckled at the sight of the dirty blonde earth pony. As if to further cement the irony of his appearance, Sprocket’s mane was an even brighter shade of yellow than his coat. There was a twinkle in his bright blue eyes, gazing around the table and examining the entirety of his little division.

“It’ll be a pleasure working with you all, I hope,” the stallion spoke modestly. “As you already know, The Commander wants to know more about the alien materials. Now, I’m not asking for miracles here and I know we won’t be able to completely understand what we’re working with here. But if we can at least...find some use for these alloys, I’d consider it a job well done.”

“Should we start with a durability test?” Somepony asked.

Felix scoffed. “Seriously? What’s the point in that. The damn thing already took a direct hit from a Windigo Missile and survived a high speed collision with several buildings and Vanhoover streets. If anything, that was our durability test.”

“Agreed, although you have my clearance to conduct such tests if it please you.” Sprocket walked to the head of a table and prodded a sheet of the metal with his hooves. “How about something that will yield more fruit, so to speak?”

The stallion picked up the sheet of metal, rearing up on his hind-legs and examining every angle he possibly could. “A little metallography wouldn’t hurt I think.”

“Um, sir?” Felix raised a talon. “I don’t mean to disappoint or anything, but I think this may be a little out of my field. I’m more of a machines and building type of griffon. Not saying I can’t do this, it just might take a while to figure all this stuff out.”

“And you’ll be able to put that knowledge of yours to use in the coming days,” Sprocket brought the sheet of metal on the table. “For now, get to know the ones you’ll be working with for the duration of this project. Everyone will have their time to shine, believe me.”

***

Zeldamar loved the noise of the Combat Technology facility. Her hooves clopping silently on the glossy white floors among all the ruckus surrounding her as she trotted past ponies trotting past her.

Ponies discussing new gadgets and tech the soldiers can use on the field and the sound of distant machines crafting new weapons and the assembly of weapons by griffon talons. To her left, ponies were zipping themselves up in experimental armor and the heavy thunk of hoofsteps of ponies clad in dense aerial combat suits reached her ears; a sound that would bother and annoy any other pony or zebra. Desks were spaced evenly to allow ponies to conduct their tests while others recorded the results.

To her right, Zeldamar’s ear flicked as griffons clicked weapon pieces into place and fiddled with small electronics. Beyond them, a changeling strapping some kind of device around a shaking pony while a group of people watched intently for...something to happen. Zeldamar turned away. She had no interest in their debacle.

Arguably the best sound she had heard whenever she entered the facility was from the far side, where the orange painted walls ended and glass panels of the firing range began.

Bratatatatat!

It was like music to her ears. The rapid fire of assault rifles and weapons in their experimental stages. She lived for this part of the day. A table was set with the blueprints and even printed out models of several of what could be The Initiative’s new standard issue rifle. It overlooked the firing range through the glass, down below where she could watch and listen to the rhythmic and meticulous workings of the weapons. Sure, they were muffled through the glass, but they were still there nonetheless.

A charcoal unicorn watched the latest weapon testing, levitating a small datapad in her golden aura. Her slender frame seemed as though she would topple over just from a small breeze, swaying slight in her still position. Her teal mane was tied into a short ponytail, although hastily tied from the looks of it. A few strands popped out here and there while her bangs remained unkempt and short, stopping just above her brow.

She turned once the firing had stopped, granting Zeldamar a friendly grin. “What took you so long?”

“Zebra’s gotta eat, Kirin.” Zeldamar looked down at the olive crate sitting beside her friend. “What’s going on there?”

“Got a pretty nice present for you.” The unicorn gestured towards the crate beside the table. “Commander wants to know more about these things. Starlight figured she could spare a few workers to see what they can find out from the alien weapons.”

Zeldamar’s face lit up. “Alien weapons? Seriously? I get to play with them?”

“Well,” Kirin rubbed the back of her neck. “Play is not the word I’d use for it.”

“Lemme see!” Zeldamar jumped up and tossed open the crate. Her beaming smile was overshadowed by a growing frown. “The hell is this?”

There were no alien weapons per se. No, it was just charred fragments of them, laying in a messy pile on top of each other. Some of the pieces still burned with an orange hue, consuming the edges of the fragments along with black ash. The shining sheen of silver was reduced to a dull coat of grey and only a small portion of them looked like they were still capable of being fired.

“I figured I’d bring it to a mare who has a way with firearms,” Kirin said innocently. “I figured you could at least try to put it back together or something.”

“Shouldn’t R and AT be looking at this stuff?”

“They’ve got their hooves full with the alien ship,” Kirin levitated a piece of the alien weapon fragment. Despite being half destroyed, the green glow remained in the isolated chamber in the gun’s center. “Who cares though? Weapons are kind of our thing. We figure out how to get these things up and running again, maybe we can use them out on the field. C’mon Zel, at least give it a chance, some of the others are. Should be easy!”

“Well, where do we start?”

Kirin shrugged. “We could tear it open. See the inner workings. Y’know, for somepony with a knack for weapons, you’re the last person I thought would ask where to start.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Zeldamar rolled her eyes. “Should be easy enough. Alright, set it down, let’s see what we’ve got to work with.”

Zeldamar brought a lamp closer and cleared a section of the table, making space for her and Kirin to get to work. Her hooves reached out for a toolbox and Kirin floated the local robotic arm system, strapping it around Zeldamar’s torso. Immediately, the limp arms sprang to life and went to work, picking up a screwdriver and holding the almost intact weapon steady with the other hand.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Zeldamar shouted. Kirin scrambled back, eyes wide and darting around the table.

“What?”

“There’s no holes for a screwdriver,” Zeldamar said with a joking smile, stifling a giggle. "For a pony raised by griffons, I figure, you'd be used to a little bit of noise!"

“You scared me half to death!” Kirin released a long drawn out sigh and rolled her eyes. “Oh Luna,”

“Oh, relax.” Zeldamar put down the screwdriver. “Maybe I can pry it open. If there is a spot for me to do that.”

She looked around for any signs of a possible opening. Her eyes caught a small slit down the middle of the sights, or at least the equivalent of one. More like a small rip in the metal Gotcha.

Her R.A.A.G.S. grasped the gun’s exit and started to pull it apart to the best of her ability. The gun was sturdy, not even doing so much as groaning as Zeldamar pulled with as much intensity as her robotic hands would allow.

“Damn!” Zeldamar turned to Kirin, who watched with nervous apprehension, as if chaos could unfold at any given second. “Gimme a hand with this will ya? Take the two sides with your magic and pull when I give the word.”

“Alright.” Two formless blobs of gold enveloped the two sides of the weapon. “What about that green stuff?”

“It’ll be fine,” Zeldamar reassured. “Now pull!”

There was only a slight creak from the weapon as it shook vigorously. Zeldamar could just barely see it start to split apart, a grin forming on her face as the weapon snapped and crackled in several spots. Just a little more!

The green canister was starting to shake, as the metal ripped and warped around it. The tear was spreading a lot faster now. Just a little further and...

Dink!

The canister dropped on the table, landing perfectly on its head.

“Ha! Got—”

Boof!

The black cloud settled in a matter of seconds and Zeldamar opened her eyes, both of which burned as she looked around. She lowered her hooves and chuckled. “Glad I’m still alive!”

The green glass cylinder was gone, shards of the glass shooting out everywhere. The spot on the table was reduced to black and there was no trace of any of the green power source. Zeldamar turned to her left, staring at the mortified Kirin who stood still with her eyes closed. When her eyes opened, the instantly met Zeldamar’s, worry and pain apparent.

She raised her glass covered hoof at Kirin, blood slowly materializing on her fur. “Should be easy right?”

***

20 Minutes Before Arriving at Harmony Headquarters

Cherry hardly turned his head to see Aegis shuffling towards him in the cramped space of the carriage.

“You pissed off at me too?” Cherry asked. He already knew the answer.

“No.” Or not. “Not too much anyway.”

Cherry faced the floor.

“So what do you want?”

“Look kid—” Aegis set himself across from Cherry. “—I get that this whole thing is new to you. I’m sure in that mercenary band of yours, everything was just willy nilly, get the job done and collect the money type of crap. I read your file before The Commander assigned you to this fireteam. If I’m being honest with you, you’re not exactly cut out for this line of work.”

Cherry, honest to whatever god there was out there, could not agree more.

“Now,” Aegis continued, his expression softening slightly. “I’m not going to tell you to leave The Initiative or anything, but I can at least give you a few pointers. First; that attitude, the comedian thing and overall slight disregard for your teammates? That’s gotta go. We’re a team. You can joke every now and again, but I like my squad to have the mission in mind. Second; you see that?”

Aegis pointed his hoof down the carriage. Rime sat across from Solemn, worry in her eyes. She had not noticed Aegis pointing at her, nor did she see Cherry swallow on the spot. Prior to entering the carriage for extraction, she had some less than exemplary things to say and a menacing hoof almost broke Cherry’s chest, and all it did was point at him to emphasize the point.

To say the least, Cherry was probably her least favorite pony right now. Solemn was a little hard to figure out. In some ways she seemed grateful that Cherry was safe, but in others she seemed to let Rime do the talking for her.

“She’s gonna kill me whenever you and The Commander aren’t looking you know.” Cherry said with a frown. His lips shifted to the side and he gave Aegis a weary stare.

“No,” he said simply. “As much as I’m sure she’d like to, she won’t. She’s a good soldier. Haven’t seen her in action before all this, but I at least read her record and Solemn says nothing but good things about her. Now, my issue is, I can’t have this conflict between you two. We are a unit. We have to act like it. This is the closest thing to family you will have besides those ponies and griffons back at base.”

Cherry glanced over at Rime, rapidly turning and facing the wall when he noticed her giving him the death glare. “Yeah, that’s not exactly going to go very well.”

“She might be stubborn,” Aegis said. “But she’ll come around. I’m not asking for miracles here. I can tell that what she said is getting to you. Take it as you will, but let me tell you: I think you know you’re out of your element here.”

“She didn’t have to come in to help me.”

“Uhh, yeah she did. I gave the order.”

Cherry sat straight, brow furrowed. “So why is Rime pissed off at me and not at you? I didn’t order Solemn to come in after me.”

“Because if you didn’t blindly run into the enemy ship without us to back you up, I wouldn’t have had to give the order.” Aegis stated sternly. Cherry sank back down into his seat. “I take full responsibility for what you did. I ordered you to get inside the ship, which you did. However, I should have been a little more clear. I wanted you to take point and we would follow soon after. I wasn’t willing to risk passing through that cloud the Blank Flanks made when you killed them.

“All I’m trying to say is I don’t want this fireteam to fall apart. You’ve got potential in you. The others might not see it, hell I even doubt it sometimes, but you’ve got something. I could be wrong, but either way, consider us an extension of your family. We need to ensure each other’s safety and we need to trust each other and have each other’s back.”

Cherry nodded. With nothing more to say, Aegis settled into his seat and rested his head against the cool walls of the carriage.

“By the way,” he added. “Chances are, Solemn’s mom is going to have some words for you when we get back, so be ready for that.”

***

Twilight looked down at the two ponies with nothing more than sympathy.

Aegis held a proud and stoic composure, back as straight as can be and face unwavering from any emotion.He still wore his combat worn armor, covered in concrete dust and ash. His R.A.A.G.S. folded up at his sides and remained motionless. Twilight had the urge to wave a hoof in front of his face, just to make sure he was still alive.

Cherry, on the other hoof, was a little worse for wear. He had long since abandoned his R.A.A.G.S. and blood had caked his muzzle. She had half a mind to send him to the medical bay and have him returned once he was better. But this meeting would be brief and his life, fortunately, was not on the line at the moment.

“Cherry,” Twilight began. The stallion cringed at the sound of his name. “I understand you come from a...different background than the rest of the ponies in your group. Regardless of this, has it ever occurred to you that certain actions will often yield poor results?”

Cherry raised his head only slightly.

“If I may,” Aegis raised a hoof. Twilight nodded. “Don’t be too hard on Cherry ma’am. I gave the order for him to enter the craft. I should have told him to wait until the poison cloud cleared or at least have him flank around with one of the others. I even ordered Vigil to enter and assess the situation. I should have had better control of the situation.”

Twilight paused. She tried to imagine herself in the stallion’s shoes. It did not take her long to realize that she was far too excited to see the inside of the ship to even think about ordering Cherry to hold his ground and wait for Aegis’s orders. The lives of her ponies were in danger and she was more interested with seeing the inside of an alien ship; something she would have seen regardless of how the situation was handled.

She found it slightly hard to be mad at the stallion for that reason.

“I’m not going to punish Cherry,” Twilight said. Cherry hardly reacted to the words. “Not much anyway. It’s quite clear that he could use a bit more patience and discipline. I think a little more time in the Proving Grounds facility will do the trick.”

“Seriously?” Cherry shot up, eyes wide after he realized what he had said. “S-sorry.”

“I like to believe there is goodness in everypony.” Twilight leaned back in her seat. “You may have gotten off on the wrong hoof with your squad, but given enough proper training and teambuilding, we can make a proper soldier out of you. It’ll be rigorous and it’ll be rough, but in the end, it will all be worth it. The training will be harder than what you may be used to, but I have faith in my soldiers.”

Cherry grimaced.

“Don’t think of this as a punishment Cherry,” Twilight asserted. “Think of this as a way to improve yourself and better the relationship between you and your squad.”

“What about Solemn’s mom?”

“She’ll…” Twilight tapped her hoof against her chin. Admittedly, there was probably no real saving that relationship. “She’ll come around eventually.”

Cherry seemed less than pleased to hear that, like he saw through the lie.

“Commander,” Aegis spoke up. “I’d like to personally oversee Cherry’s...re-training.”

“Of course. You're dismissed. Cherry will report to the Proving Grounds after resting up and getting that nose looked at."

Aegis stood with a salute before turning around and walking out. Cherry followed his motions sullenly and less rigid before disappearing behind the door. Twilight released a tired sigh. As much as she would dread it, she needed sleep.

***

The moonlit field surrounding Twilight would have been beautiful on any other night. However, the glare from Princess Luna detracted from any calm she would have found that night. The oily shadows of the other council members surrounded her, coiled in the center of land that remained the moment The Dragon appeared and circled around them. She felt trapped, not only because of The Dragon, but because Luna had her locked in the dream until she ended the spell that brought them all there.

“What happened in Vanhoover was unavoidable Commander,” The Stag said. Truth be told, Twilight was only slightly relieved he had spoken those words. On the other hoof, it was not Princess Celestia nor Luna who spoke the words.

“However,” Celestia spoke, Twilight’s heart dropping. “The damage done was more than we could have anticipated.”

“Tell me, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said, a sharpness to her voice. “How do you expect we cover this up? At least if this had occurred in a forest or an unpopulated area, we could have had some kind of explanation. Instead, hundreds of ponies, if not more, end up dead and the threat of alien invasion is known all around Equestria and Beyond!”

Twilight trembled. She pursed her lips, trying to find the right words to say. What could she say? The mission was, in fact, a disaster, and there was no real recovering from it.

“That situation was out of her control, dear princess.” The Griffon defended. “You saw the recorded footage of the aerial fight. There was no way those ponies could have avoided that kind of a crash landing.”

“Those ponies could have led the ship away.”

“The speed of The Invaders’ ship heavily outweighs the speed of a few mere pegasi,” The Stag chimed in. “Even a pegasus with the highest end technology substituting her wings. What happened in Vanhoover was out of anyone's control.”

“It would appear that this little war of ours is no secret anymore,” The Dragon rumbled. “Perhaps it is time everyone know what we are dealing with. Those with the courage to fight should be granted the option.”

"I agree," The Pony nodded his head. "The Initiative needs soldiers."

Luna and Celestia both sighed.

“We did not wish for the populace to learn of what we are dealing with.” Luna spoke lowly. “But it seems that this was unavoidable. The civilians of the world deserve to know what we face. I do not, however, agree with the notion of allowing anyone to join The Initiative. The lives of our ponies are of utmost importance to us.”

“Sacrifices must be made.” The Stag voiced. “They will be made, regardless of what you do.”

“We shall contemplate our next move with the populace,” Celestia continued. “For now, Twilight, remain vigilant. These aliens will not give up so easily. Have your troops ready to report for duty.”

“I will.” Twilight bowed.

The image faded and Twilight was back in her quarters. Spike looked up curiously at her from the base of the bed. His beady emerald eyes scanned her tired face worriedly, searching for signs of distress. If there was one thing Princess Celestia taught her well, it was feigning comfort.

“How’d it go?”

“Y’know Spike,” Twilight sighed, pawing at her weary eyes. “Can you send a message to The Brothers? We need a garden facility down here.”

Author's Note:

I hope you guys like this chapter! If you point out any errors, feel free to point them out!

Comments

[Ze1a7in]

Awesome chapter!

You portrayed Felix and Zeldamar exactly how I imagined them to be. Know that this also means I expect more alien weaponry to blow up in the Zebra's face.
I also like that they have some interactions due to their fields.

I wonder what how the populace will react to the announcement... Particularly one blond-maned snobby royal nephew... Is Blueblood's mane blond? I can't remember.

[Madame Hellspawn]

8016076
That's great ! I honestly wasn't sure if I did a good job with the two. I mean glad I've got your approval there though !

[Anzir]

What a pleasant way to end the weekend; A update from the one fanfic I await updates for the most. Love(d?) it.

[Madame Hellspawn]

8016173
I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far !

[Solemn Vigil]

Ah, that odd moment when you find your teammate's mother more threatening than the alien invaders.

The perfect start to my week. Keep it up!