Pony Gear Solid: Daisy Eater

by AstroTrain

Chapter 1: A Hero Without Virtue

At the end of the Luna’s banishment, the world was split into two.
East, and West.
This marked the beginning of the era called the Colt War.

---

The lavender clouds, set against the starry skies of Equestria, were pushed aside as a powerful force shot through them, splitting them apart. Wind turbines circulated the moist air, and large fans kept the machine aloft. The sky ship raced through the clouds, pushing itself through them like a boat in the ocean waves. A small light began to peer over the horizon, rising slowly and illuminating the ship. The wooden craft was purple with a gold metal trim around the corners and displayed no logo or insignia on it’s sides.

Inside the ship, the hum of steam engines crackled along the scent of herbs and spices. The scent led away from the machinery, into a slanted room in the back of the craft. In the room, a purple unicorn wearing green fatigues sat beside a small table, contently sipping a warm cup of tea. Her mane and tail were both a dark purple with a pink streak, and her lavender eyes showcased her relaxation. She looked around the room after setting her cup down, and again saw another figure standing in the corner.

“Are you sure you don’t want some? It’s really quite delicious, and you don’t look exactly relaxed.” she beckoned. The other pony, decked out in goggles and a pilot's helmet, waved his hoof down at her. She returned to her drink as he left the room. The pilot then traveled up a long series of wooden stairs, leading up to the command room for the ship. In it were several ponies, some gazing out of a skylight positioned at the center floor of the room, others talking quietly with each other. The stallion ran over to one of them, a tall slender alicorn with a majestically flowing mane that looked like it was made of tiny stars. Her black crown displayed her royalty, and her dark blue coat contrasted against the floor of clouds, which were slowly beginning to turn a vivid white.

“Not to er--question your logic Princess Luna, but are you sure she knows what she’s doing?” he asked.

“Believe me soldier, she’s the one. I hoof-picked her for this mission myself. She’s one of the most powerful and intelligent unicorns we have, and she’s also one of Celestia’s.” she replied. He blushed in questioning, and turned away to focus on something else. Princess Luna stared down at the beautiful sky below her, and smiled.

“Alright, you ready to go?” she said, but no one around her reacted or responded.

“Yes. It looks like cloud cover and visibility won’t be an issue this time.” the purple unicorn’s voice responded inside Luna’s head. “It’s weird not having the pegasi dictate the weather, but I’ll have to get used to it. We’re not exactly in Equestria anymore, are we?”

“Not at all. We’re going to be nearing the drop-off point soon, so you might want to prepare yourself.” Luna projected back.

“Roger.”

---

“Twilight, I have some very important news for you. My sister and I have finally decided to approve the Virtuous Mission together. The future of Equestria depend on it. If we succeed, harmony and peace will reign for generations to come.”

“And if we don’t?”

“We may be a step closer to unleashing armageddon.”

“Sounds great. When’s my welcoming party going to take place?”

“Don’t get cocky Twilight. Things have changed a lot since you’ve been here.”

“...”

“Right. Well, two years ago... a certain scientist came to us requesting asylum is Equestria. His name is Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov. He was a part of the Griffon Kingdom’s Weapons and Power Source Design Bereau, and the East’s foremost expert on weapons development.”

“I know him. He’s the most famous experimenter in rocket powered vehicles. Ponies all over say he’s going to change the way we look at flying.”

“They are right. Five months before he contacted us, the Griffon Kingdom was able to almost send one of their own out of the atmosphere before a fatal crash killed their pilot.”

“Out of the atmosphere? That would mean that he’s close to achieving actual space flight, something only you’ve done.”

“Exactly. That’s why he’s so important.”

“So why is he coming to us?”

“It seems he’s become afraid of his own creations.”

“Elaborate.”

“A crisis of conscience, if you will.”

“And for that, he left his family and friends behind and came over here?”

“Not exactly. One of his conditions was that his family be moved out first before he came over. Soon after, we got him out. I was the one who organized the entire operation.”

“Good for him. How does that effect us now?”

“You know why. The Hoofington Air Crisis.”

“...”

“On one peaceful morning, griffon air ships were moved dangerously close to Equestrian borders in the Hoofington Bay. My sister immediately had her royal guards patrol the waters, to make sure that no attacks were made on the nearby city, and contacted the Griffon Kingdom’s president. He only agreed to let his forces dissipate after Celestia signed an official peace treaty between the two countries. So she did.”

“And that was the end of it?”

“No. What he was really after was Sokolov. We reluctantly gave him back to them to avoid an international incident.”

“So where is he now?”

“Being forced to operate under the Kingdom’s demands. They’re having him work on a top secret weapon involving his rocket technology.”

“So what do you want me to do?”

“We need you to infiltrate the facility he is being held in, secure him, and bring him back over to us. Whoever is in possession of his rocket technology will decide the future of both our nations. Will you do it?”

“I---I’ll think about it.”

---

Twilight Sparkle’s mane flew past her face in the open wind. The slanted part of the room she was in now was open, showing many glorious clouds sputtering past the ship. A voice came into her head as she looked upon the land below her.

“You’ll be falling at about 180 miles per hour, so try not to get frost-bitten from the wind chill.” Luna jokingly suggested.

Twilight gave one last gaze before she let herself go. Her body took the full force of the wind as she rapidly descended, briefly knocking the breath out of her. She soon returned to her full composure, and let the air currents direct her body. The moisture in her eyes and tongue chilled while she feel further and further, her mane flowing in many different directions at once. As the ground gradually approached her, she saw the many bright green trees and rock formations. Twilight surveyed the landscape below, and spotted a open cliff side with lush foliage. She grimaced, and focused all her energy into her horn, causing it to glow a vivid purple. It sparked, and suddenly Twilight was surrounded by a purple bubble, drastically halting her descent. The bubble twirled around the air above the trees until she directed it in the direction of a small green plateau. It popped immediately upon landing, and Twilight rolled along the grass until she came to a complete stop in momentum. She stood up, and glanced at the luscious forest around her. She crouched behind a tree overlooking the side of the plateau and pressed a button on her jacket, attached by a long cord made of different metals leading up to her ear.. A buzzing sounded. Princess Luna’s voice came through.

“Can you hear me? Good. I’m glad this thing can actually work for long distances. This thing is a fairly recent invention, and we a hard time procuring it. I’ll sure to thank whoever made it when you get back. Anyway, you are in enemy territory now, and they could be listening to our conversations at any moment. So, we will use code-names to identify ourselves and to secure the secrecy of the mission. You are not to mention your real name to anyone. I will now refer to you as ‘Snake’.”

“...Snake?” Twilight shakily said.

“What’s the matter? You don’t like snakes?”

“It--it’s fine. What am I to call you?”

“Hrm... I haven’t actually thought of it yet. Let’s go with.... Major Zero.”

“Sounds important.”

“Perfect for me then. It’s from this play I saw a couple of nights ago.” Luna said. Twilight gave a little giggle. “What? There’s nothing wrong about that. Anyway, this will be a sneaking mission. You are to leave no trace of your presence, no way for the enemy to track you back to the Equestrian government. Stealth should be your primary concern at all times. Do not let the enemy see you. You are already in violation of several codes and treaties between Equestria and the Griffon Kingdom. If you are captured, there will be no one to come save you. The mission rests entirely in your hooves.”

“Got it.”

“However, do not let that fool you into thinking you are alone. You have me and a support team to help you out in any way we can. Firstly, let me introduce Para-Medic.”

A spry and energetic voice was projected from the ear-piece.

“Hey Twi! I’m so glad I could help you out with this!”

“Lyra?” Twilight said with shock.

“Para-Medic, meet Snake.” Luna reminded her in frustration.

“Yeah We got to use code-names and stuff while you’re out there. Isn’t it cool? It’s like we’re in a secret society...” Lyra vigorously explained. Luna sighed.

“Para-Medic, can you please try to act with a little more composure? This is a serious mission.”

“All righty then! Anyway Twi, I’m here to help if you ever get grievously hurt or perhaps even maimed! I’ll be like a medic who comes in by parachute, except not. Let’s hope I don’t have to ever do that, right?”

“Um, Major, why exactly did you choose Ly--err--Para-Medic to provide medical assistance? She’s only a nurse at Ponyville hospital.” Twilight questioned.

“Don’t worry, she has most of the Canterlot medical staff with her. It was decided by my sister and I that you would need a friendly voice like hers when dealing with pain or injury. Speaking of her... she’s on this mission too.”

“...what?” Twilight Sparkle shyly whispered. Suddenly, a soothing and authoritative voice came on.

“Hello, Snake.” she said.

“Princess Celestia?” Twilight shouted. Luna went to speak, but she was cut off by her elder sibling.

“Yes my student, it’s me.”

“...”

“Talk to me, please. How many years has it been?”

“...five years, 72 days, and 18 hours.”

“You counted.” she said warmly. “Where have you been?”

“Learning.” Twilight simplified.

“I see. It is good to hear your voice again, my pupil.”

“...”

“You didn’t need me anymore.”

“No! Of course I needed you! I still had so much to learn!” she wistfully said.

“I taught you everything that I knew. It is only natural that you would seek out more. It is nothing to be ashamed of. The rest you needed to learn on your own.”

“But--”

“Listen to me Snake. You need to understand that what was and what is right now isn’t always what will be. Allegiances, loyalties, even relationships are not fixed things. The techniques I taught you are nothing compared to the spirit you have inside. Without the spirit to guide your motives and will, a pony is nothing more than a tool. Tell me, have you grown in spirit since we’ve last met?”

“...”

“No, you haven’t. You’ve diminished.”

“I’ve grown stronger!” Twilight yelled, small tears welling up in her eyes.

“In body, but not in spirit.... the times we live in now. A pony’s values change over time, and so do leaders they follow. Nothing is in absolutes. As long as we are loyal to one thing and one thing only, we are out-dated. Obsolete. If there is only blind faith, what is the point of believing?”

“...”

“You will know when the time comes. For now Snake, we must focus all our attention on the important task at hand. My code name for this mission will be ‘The Boss’. If you need to reach me, I will be available at any time with the others. Good luck.”

“Wait,” Twilight hesitantly said.

“What is it?” Celestia asked.

“It’s... it’s good to hear your voice again too, Princess.”

---

Twilight arranged her gear inside her saddlebags and pockets before setting out into the wilderness. She threw her backpack over onto her back before she received another contact.

“Sokolov is being held in an abandoned factory north of your position. Avoid as much conflict with any Griffon soldiers in the area and you should be fine. Remember, this is a stealth mission. Good luck.” Princess Luna reassured.

The lavender unicorn levitated a grey bandanna from out of her bags to in front of her head, and slid it over her bangs, situating it just above her eyes.

“I’ve read that headbands like these are usful if you’re going to be doing any sweating, and in temperate weather like this, it’s sure to come in handy.” she explained to herself. Twilight then smiled confidently and said, “Commencing Virtuous Mission: Now!” The unicorn galloped further into the lush below the great green canopy. She gazed around the area as she trotted alongside a slightly worn dirt path that zig-zagged between the trees. The bright morning sun came out in rays out of the many branches. Insects of kinds she had never seen before crawled and flew among the bushes and long, untouched grass. A family of furry squirrels climbed atop a particularly large tree and into one of it’s many holes.

“Wow, what an amazing environment! If I wasn’t just visiting here, I would love to take catalog of all the many animals that live in this place.” she said before suddenly coming to a halt. She stared wide-eyed at two intimidating griffon guards, dressed in combat armor made of hard, cold steel. They were patrolling a long, rickety wooden bridge. The bridge sat between two opposing cliffs, and between them, a river lay at the bottom of a deep canyon. Twilight quietly hid behind one of the rocks jutting out of the earth. “Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have been talking to myself loudly on a mission that emphasizes stealth and quietness. Darn it, I’m doing it again!” she realized before placing one of her hoofs over her mouth. She turned quickly to see the guards strutting about, spreading their wings in obvious boredom. Her gaze then moved upward, to see a low-hanging branch from one of the trees, with a buzzing bee-hive attached to it. “I’ve got it!” she whispered. The horn on her head glowed, and her magic stretched out silently from it. It reached the stem that the bee-hive was attached to, and swiped through it. The hive fell through the other branches below it before crashing on top of one of the griffon’s heads. The guard yelped as he stumbled around in a panic. His comrade moved to help him, but avoided direct contact out of fear. She used her wings, flapping them in an attempt to brush away the bees stinging him, but ended up only pushing him instead. He tripped over the edge of the cliff, plummeting down deeper into the canyon. The female griffon dived down after him, swatting away the bees left behind. Twilight wiped the sweat from her forehead, which was contained by her bandanna. “Hey, this thing really does work!” she stated triumphantly.

Twilight walked across the wooden bridge, barely keeping on top as the wind pushed it up and down. “I’m surprised this bridge could hold those two guards in the first place. It can barely support me alone!” Once she got on solid ground, she set off in a gallop along the path. The trees grew less condensed, spacing apart until Twilight found herself looking straight at her objective. A rusty red factory, obviously having seen much better days, sat inside a gated area. Several parts of the facility were missing entire walls, much less bricks. Papers, dirt, and brown barrels were strewn about the place. Twilight soon saw that there were several griffon sentries guarding the building, and promptly ducked from their view behind a nearby tree. She crouched down and pressed the contact button on her jacket, careful to keep her actions as quiet as possible. A buzzing soon followed.

“What’s the situation, Snake?” Luna answered.

“Major, I have about 4 sentries guarding the old factory. This place is in need of a good broom.” Twilight said with disdain in her voice.

“You’re here to rescue Sokolov, not to tell the griffons on how to properly maintain a residence. Now, according to what we know, he should be in the room situated to the north-east. Do you see it?” Twilight looked up from her position, and saw the only fully intact room in the facility was in that exact direction. Smoke was coming out of the chimney top, billowing into the sky above.

“Yes, I see it. I’m beginning my approach now.” she finished. Twilight began to stand before another buzz sounded. “What is it?” she asked in surprise.

“Snake!” Lyra shouted. “That’s your code-name right? I forgot... okay, thanks Princess. That is your code-name. Well, I just called to tell you that you’re doing a great job so far! Taking out those two guards with the bee-hive was awesome!”

“Wait, how did you know I did that?” Twilight said in confusion.

“That doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you keep a good state of mind in this mission. Positive feedback like I just gave you will help you do just that. Physical healing and treatment isn’t the only thing a doctor should be good at. I think that healing starts with the mind. That’s the most important part, don’t you agree? You see, I imagine that being alone in a foreign forest, dealing with dangerous enemies, breaking international law, rescuing a VIP, and just generally surviving in a tough environment like that is kind of a tough thing to deal with. So if you ever need a buddy to talk to, I’m here to help!”

“...thanks Para-Medic. I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.” Twilight exasperatedly replied. She then finally stood up, and looked around the bend of the tree. Two of the griffons were talking on the far side of the area, away from the room Sokolov was in. The other two were standing just outside of the door to the room, giving each other approving glances every few seconds and vigilantly surveying the space in front of them. “Alright, I don’t have to worry about the duo away from Sokolov. However, the two right in front of my target will definitely be a problem. If I take them out, the others are sure to come running after. Perhaps there is another way in...” Twilight Sparkle looked around the bottom of the building, seeing that there was a wooden ventilation gate broken off from it’s vent. “Ah ha! I think I can fit inside there if I crawl.”

Twilight tumbled over to one of the dilapidated brick piles and pressed her body against it. After seeing that none of them had noticed her, she advanced slowly to a crate beside the vent. She crouched into a crawling position, and entered through the vent. The dusty, filthy insides did not sit well with her, but she continued on despite it. The vent went through a few twists and turns before ending at a ventilation cover, blocked by a number of wooden planks. Twilight’s horn glowed and moved the planks away, allowing her to open the cover.

She immediately found herself within a small, if surprisingly comely room. A well-made bed was set in the corner, with a small desk lit by candle-light. The main source of light in the room came from the medium-sized fireplace, which was currently burning papers thrown in it by a very proper looking grey pony. His reflective monocle was in front of his right eye, and he was wearing a slightly dirtied suit and hat. Twilight had come in unnoticed by him through a vent in the floor.

“Um, hello sir.” she whispered. The pony was startled by her. “You must be Sokolov.” she continued.

“Of course! You--you must be one of Thunderbolt’s soldiers. Well, you’ll never get it from me!” Sokolov said, throwing the rest of his papers into the flames.

“No no, I’m an Equestrian agent. I’ve been sent here to rescue you on behalf of the Princesses.” Sokolov’s face lit up.

“Oh thank heavens! I thought I’d been left here to die. But, we have no time for this. Soon some of Thunderbolt’s goons will be here.” he worriedly said.

“Who is this ‘Thunderbolt” you’re so worried about?” she questioned.

“Thunderbolt is one of the top colonels in the Kingdom’s army. She’s after my work! You’ve got to get me out of here!”

“Look, I need some information first. Why is she after you?”

“Thunderbolt has been eying my operations ever since I joined the WPSDB. She’s head of a subsection of the Griffon army. After my close failure with the first rocket, she’s seen the potential my work has. She wants to use it to further her own political stance, and try to take control of the Griffon Kingdom. The current president is rapidly loosing support after his peculiar action lately, and she wants to take advantage of that. Those guards outside are a part of the national army, but a few spies have been tipped off to our location. Soon her and her soldiers will be here to take me away! Thunderbolt is a cruel and treacherous mare. She will stop at nothing to be above everypony else. We must leave immediately!”

“I understand. Okay, there are guards outside this room, and I don’t think you’ll fit inside the vent, so I’m going to try to teleport us both out there. Are you okay with that?” Sokolov nodded nervously. “Alright, here we go...” she spoke as her horn crackled with magic. Sparks flew around her and Sokolov, growing steadily in pace until the two were blurs. Sokolov pulled his hat over his eyes, and Twilight gritted her teeth. Then, with a snap, they were gone.

---

Twilight awoke to have her face firmly implanted in tree bark. She repeatedly tried to pull her face back, but it gave no results. Finally, her horn glowed brightly and the bark peeled away by force. She shook her head to get rid of her dizziness, and then noticed where she was. The tree was planted right outside of the dilapidated factory. Sokolov was on the ground, eyes rolling in his head.

“Well, that could have gone a lot worse. Come on, we’ve got to--” she said before glancing around the area. The entire facility looked deserted. Mysteriously, the guards were not at their posts. “--hide?”

“Perhaps Thunderbolt has already gotten to them!” he said in panic.

“No, look, we’ve got to get out of here. Follow me.” Twilight hurriedly said. She ran to the corner of the building and peaked around the bend. Sokolov scampered after her, trying to be stealthy but horribly failing. “The coast is clear. Let’s move on.” she told him. Her horn pointed forward, Twilight advanced to the middle of the facility, with Sokolov in hot pursuit. Suddenly, multiple griffon guards surrounded them. Twilight’s horn twitched with magic, but she held her ground near Sokolov.

“Freeze!” one of them yelled out of his beak. Twilight searched around for a possible hole in their perimeter, but to no avail. The griffons closed in on them slowly.

A metal clinging sound echoed off the walls of the facility. The griffons looked wildly in every direction, until they saw the source of the sound. A lone unicorn stood in the entrance. Her light blue coat shined almost as much as her silvery-white mane, which was short but curled slightly. Her outfit consisted of black battle fatigues, a red beret on her head, and brown cowpony boots with glistening spurs on the backs. She looked over the griffons before focusing on Twilight and Sokolov. Her eye gave a little twitch as she approached them.

“Oh, she’s just a Ocelot soldier.” one of the griffons said. The others relaxed.

“Soldier?” she said with indignation. She pranced up and down the soldiers, giving them condescending looks. “That’s Major Ocelot to you. And don’t you forget it.” One of the griffons stood up to her.

“Sokolov is ours. Now get out of here.” she threatened. The pony smirked.

“An ocelot never lets her prey escape.”

“Wha--” was all the griffon could say before she flew backwards into the air, crashing into one of the others. She proceeded to blast one of the two remaining ones with her magic into a brick wall, making a large crunching sound. The last one charged at her, but instead of blasting him away, the unicorn smacked him in the face with her right hoof. He fell to the ground loudly as she walked over his unconscious body. She stared down Twilight Sparkle while Sokolov cowered behind.

“Sokolov, take cover!” Twilight shouted. Sokolov galloped away from the two in a hurry.

“It’s you.” she said to Twilight. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment.”

“Why Trixie? Why go with them?”

“Why not? You were constantly on the move for five years. I waited for the day we met again, and in that time I improved my skills. As you can see, I am much more than a mere magician now.” Trixie explained.

“It’s still all smoke and mirrors to me.” Twilight replied. A twinge of rage filled Trixie’s pupils, but her cool composure quickly returned. She chuckled to herself.

“Smoke and mirrors, huh? How about THIS?” she yelled furiously while shooting a magical blast at Twilight. Twilight jumped out of the way and retorted with a shot of her own. Trixie lifted one of the barrels nearby in front of her face with telekenisis to absorb the blow, and threw it at Twilight before she could retaliate. But Twilight wasn’t there. Trixie looked around the area quickly, but still could not find her.

“Hah! Run and hide, Sparkle! I’ll still find you anyway!” she shouted as she trotted among the waste and ruins. Trixie saw a bit of purple rush behind a wooden crate. She slowly approached the box, inch by inch, and threw it up it up via her telekinesis. Nothing was there. “Coward! Too scared to face me?” she said before something rammed into her, throwing her onto the ground and dirtying her clothes. Her hat, tossed off of her head, lay nearby. She quickly crawled over to it, and tried to grasp it with her hoof before it was stomped upon by a purple leg. Twilight rubbed it into the dirt before tossing it back in Trixie’s face. “You dare--” was all Trixie could manage to say before her hat was stuffed inside her mouth. She moved to get back up, but was restrained by several magical fields. Twilight levitated a long piece of rope out of her bags and tied it around all of Trixie’s legs.

“Something I learned from you.” she sarcastically said as she left the factory. Trixie said something but it was muffled by her beret. “Oh, I will say this: you did get a bit better.” Twilight finished.

Twilight galloped to the tree outside of the facility before crouching behind it. She pressed the button on her fatigues. A buzzing soon followed.

“Major, do you read me?”

“Yes Snake, what’s the situation?”

“I ran into a few snags. Nothing I couldn’t take care of though. Some other sect of the Kingdom’s army tried to take Sokolov. Run by somepony named Thunderbolt. Some sort of internal power struggle against the current president.”

“Thunderbolt? Oh no. This could get out of hand extremely fast. Snake, is Sokolov with you?”

“No, he’s run off. I’ll find him though. Leave it to me.”

“We’re counting on you Snake.”

---

Twilight galloped off towards the bridge overlooking the wide valley. Sokolov was shivering in front of it. He saw her and immediately looked more composed, but still frightened.

“Come! We must make haste before--” he said, but his words were unable to be heard. A sound exploded through the area and overtook his words. Both of them looked to the direction it came from, but only saw a rock on the cliffs.

“Wait...” Twilight pulled out her binoculars and peered through them at the rock. She discovered that it wasn’t a rock at all. A great steel golem, with drill-like arms, a dull head, and a turtle-like weight on it’s back appeared before her. On top of the weight was a colossal cannon, still smoking from firing. “What is that?” she asked.

“The Shagohod.” Sokolov grimly answered. “‘The Treading Behemoth’. A tank capable of launching rockets from any kind of terrain.”

“Any terrain? That’s what they were making you build?”

“Yes, but it’s far from finished. This is only Phase I. It won’t be completed until Phase 2; the weapons true form. If Thunderbolt gets her hooves on it by then, it will mean war.”

“No! We can’t let that happen!” she yelled.

“Then hurry! If we are quick enough, we may be able to destroy it before then!”

“Alright. Let’s go.” Twilight backed Sokolov behind her as they carefully went across the bridge. The other end was surprisingly foggy. Sokolov glanced down below and yelped. The two made it across until Twilight stopped. She saw a tall figure in the fog, oddly familiar but still alien. Levitating next to each of it’s sides were two long boxes. Twilight looked harder into the fog, but as the figure stepped out, she could not believe what she saw.

---

Princess Celestia casually walked onto the rickety bridge. The alicorn wore a grim expression on her face. Her white coat was almost blinding in the afternoon sun, as was her aurora-colored mane, flowing in the wind. She did not bear her usual royal attire. Twilight backed away slightly in her presence.

“P-p-princess?” she stuttered.

“Good work Twilight.” she said. The two levitating cases suddenly dropped, swaying the bridge from side to side.

“W-what are you doing here?”

“Sokolov comes with me.” she solemnly stated. The wind picked up as a huge extension of magic enveloped Sokolov. Twilight tried to pull him back, but he was carried away from her by the levitating force. They pulled him onto a hot air balloon that had risen up from the valley, inside it carrying several passengers. Twilight gasped in horror as she saw who they were. Her old friends; Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie stared at her without expressions. Something was wrong with them though. Their normally bright colors were faded grey, and their eyes held no compassion. Twilight shrunk from their soul-piercing gaze.

“My subjects, I have waited long for this day.” Celestia said.

“We will serve you once more.” Pinkie responded.

“Welcome back.” spoke Rarity.

“Ah’m honored to see you again.” said Applejack.

Fluttershy did not say anything. Sokolov was kicking and screaming, but the four subdued him aboard the balloon. Another figure stepped out of the fog, but this one was smaller and more athletic. Twilight herself did not know what to feel when she saw the figure trot onto the bridge.

“Oolatoocs, Oolatoocs...” the dark but shrill voice said. Rainbow Dash walked into view, but it was not only by her voice that Twilight recognized her. Her rainbow mane, tail, wings and coat were still bright, but more ragged and coarse. The most distinguishing new feature of hers, however, was a scar that ran across her left cheek. Her cold eyes looked over the situation, and she turned to Celestia.

“Thunderbolt.” Celestia stated.

“Welcome to this country... and to my unit!” Rainbow said, lifting her wings up. They were very large, almost the size of the Princess’s, but a lot more sharp and edged. She gave a chilling laugh. Twilight could not suppress her need for answers any longer.

“Princess Celestia, what is this?” she asked naively.

“I’m defecting to the Griffon Kingdom. Sokolov and these are a little gift for my new hosts.”

Rainbow Dash picked up the two boxes and hoisted them onto her back.

“Newly-developed Equestrian portable rockets... these will make a fine gift.” she confidently told herself. She then looked to Twilight, and showed the slightest bit of recognition. “Heh... another one of your disciples?” she sarcastically said.

“That can’t be happening! What are you talking about?” Twilight Sparkle shouted at them. She defensively pointed her horn at the pair. Rainbow Dash scoffed, but Celestia advanced on her student.

“Think you can actually do it?” she questioned. Twilight backed away, but was then violently shoved to the ground by Celestia’s magic prowess. Rainbow Dash laughed once more. “She’s seen too much here. We can’t let her live.”

“She’s my student. I’ll take care of it.” Celestia declared. Twilight held the side of her stomach, panting on the wooden planks. Celestia extended her hoof to the unicorn. Twilight looked at it for a second, and pulled herself up to touch it. As soon as she did, Celestia lifted her up with her magic. Twilight helplessly looked into her former-mentor’s eyes as she tumbled over the side of the bridge. One of Celestia’s eyes shed a tear, but she quickly wiped it away.

“Are we done here?” Rainbow asked in boredom. Celestia silently nodded.

“Drift away. My place is with them now.” she whispered into the canyon.

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