> Marching Back In...
>  by The Boss
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The green pine trees in the hills surrounding Pike’s Peak were accustomed to peaceful nothingness, the snow of winter generally meant that their limbs would bend under the weight of heavy snow, the days would get shorter, and the animals would roam freely and safely without fear of being hunted. The chilly night air was accented by a slight fog and the shining moon still seemed to cut through the thick clouds. The peaceful scene would’ve been worthy of a poem or a painting, but that peacefulness was soon broken.

On an abandoned stretch of road there was a slight flash of light, nothing of note at first, just a slight flash of light. After a few seconds that light grew blindingly bright, illuminating the forest for miles around. A massive vertical disk of energy cut through the fabric of existence itself, and from within five metal behemoths emerged. They were lined up straight and unmoving, and as the humming noise of the glowing disc dissipated it was clear they were silent. The disk of energy faded to an extremely small size, so small it was almost unnoticeable.

The five vehicles sat in silence for several minutes and the falling snow began to accumulate on them, after a while however, the first tank’s hatch popped open. From within emerged a man who’s peaked cap was askew, his uniform was ruffled, and his jacket was wrinkled. Dominic Occisor, Warrior of the Night, President of the New United States, and survivor of the end of the world. He was tall, muscled, and had the look of a warrior in his eyes.

As Dominic took in his surroundings he couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief at being alive, minutes before he had been in an entirely different dimension, and now he had returned to his homeworld to save what remained of humanity. He could see his breath as it was carried away in the wind, in the distance he could only hear the creaking of timber. It was hauntingly silent, a silence that Dominic both welcomed and despised. After another minute or so, the hatch on the third tank in the column opened, prompting Dominic to turn around.

“You alive, commander?” A familiar male voice called out, Major Rolling Thunder, a muscled thestral soldier and a close friend of the president.

“Yeah, I’m alright… My crew’s unconscious though.” Dominic replied before he paused. “Switch to radios, we don’t know who or what is out here with us yet.” The thud of metal signalled that the thestral had gotten back into his tank, Dominic pulled the hatch on his own vehicle closed and latched it shut before he fiddled with the radio equipment that rested near his head. “Rolling, you copy?”

”Yes, sir.” The bat pony responded, Dominic let out a sigh of relief that the radios still seemed to work. ”My crew’s out cold though, and I don’t know if this is bad or not, but my head's killin’ me.”

“Just sit tight and try to wake ‘em up, as for the others, we’ll have to wait and see.” Dominic said before he set the radio down and sighed quietly, outside he could hear the howl of wind and snow against the metal plating. The man leaned forwards and turned on the combat lighting, filling the tank with an eerie red glow and letting him see his unconscious crew. His gunner, Sergeant Avos, was passed out beside the main cannon. The griffon’s feathers were ruffled and her uniform looked a bit upset, but nothing else seemed wrong. 

His driver was also unconscious in his seat. Gear Grinder was another thestral, like many soldiers in the New American army. His head was leaned against the wall, Dominic could see his chest rising and falling. The last pony in the tank wasn’t even a soldier, he was a reporter, and he’d passed out in an open seat with his pen and paper at his hooves.  Dominic quietly sighed as he sat there by himself, leaning back in his own seat and resting his head against the back of the turret.

He began to hum a soft tune to himself as he reached over and turned off the light to conserve battery power, and so the only source of light became the view slits for the driver, gunner, and commander. It was starting to settle in on him, he was back on Earth, a planet that had been decimated by an outbreak of disease. A place that had forced him to live like an animal for three years, and as he continued to listen to the winds outside, he couldn’t help but remember the bitter winter’s he’d endured.

“You ain’t nothin but a hound dog… Mhmm mmm hmmm…” Dominic mumbled quietly as he continued sitting there, silently he was waiting for someone else to wake up and call over the radio. Once or twice he’d peek through the command view slits, just to see what was outside, but all he could see was dark forest and snow. Normally he wouldn’t dream of just sitting in an environment like that, but having a tank helped.

“You sure you saw it this way?” A voice in the distance caught his ear, as quietly as he could he picked up his radio and cleared his throat.

“Rolling… Sounds like there’s someone out there…” He whispered, the man quietly creeped up to the right facing view slot and peeked out.

“Damn, man… Look at those things. Looks like something out of an old movie or somethin’.” Came another voice, Dominic could hear boots crunching the snow just outside his vehicle. “Hey, I bet we could get one of them runnin’, then we’d be pimpin’ man. This one upfront looks pretty tight.”

Dominic’s hand went for his revolver, he quietly drew back the handle and pointed it towards the hatch.

”I hear ‘em, Night Eagle. What’s the plan?” Rolling whispered back, Dominic remained absolutely silent as he heard boots clanging against the metal roof. There was a tug at the hatch, but it held tight.

“Damn, this one’s locked… Try the next one.” The second voice said from above, Dominic could tell it was a female. The man readied his weapon as he heard the person climb down off the vehicle, several seconds later he heard the sound of a hatch popping open.

“Shit, looks like there’s still folks in this one.” The second voice called out, Dominic’s eyes widened, they’d opened Jen’s tank. Without hesitating he unlocked the hatch and popped up, his revolver at the ready. The hatch slammed open with a loud bang, and Dominic could see the two figures staring at him with wide eyes. The man leveled his revolver at them.

“S-Shit…” The female muttered, Dominic silently gestured for them to close the hatch to Jen’s tank and come over. They looked towards the woods, perhaps debating on if they could run, Dominic would’ve let them. However, they didn’t think he would, and so they closed the hatch and nervously approached the tank. “Uh… We, uh… We didn’t know… We were just…”

“Calm down.” Dominic said as he lowered his revolver, keeping it within eyesight of the two folks. A man in and a woman, he couldn’t see their faces as they wore ski masks and scarves for warmth. “We’re looking for Colorado National Guard territory, is that somewhere around here?”

“Y-You’re just on the outskirts.” The man said before he pointed towards the mountain that loomed in the distance, barely visible in the dim moonlight. “That’s where you want to go if you’re looking for them.” Dominic nodded silently and looked the two of them over.

“What’s the infected activity look like out here?” Dominic asked, the two of them looked at eachother for a moment.

“It’s… Pretty clear, actually, we don’t really see them that often in the winter.” The woman said, Dominic hummed for a moment before he spoke into his radio once more.

“Rolling, keep me covered, I’m hopping out.” He said before removing the headset and climbing out of the turret, the two people looked at him with a bit of worry as he closed the hatch and jumped down onto the snowy roadway. “You look pretty cold, my troops and I are here to help, we’ve got a place to evacuate to. It’s warm, there’s plenty of food and clothes.” The man holstered his revolver and paused momentarily to look under the tank for any infected.

“We’ll… Uh… We’ll pass.” The man said as he started to tug on the woman’s arm, Dominic frowned and began to speak up, but sighed as they ran off into the forest, away from the mountain. He climbed back up onto the turret and climbed back into the tank, shivering slightly from the cold before he put his headset back on. He’d need to work on his approach, hopefully he’d meet the couple again some day. It was odd, talking to another actual person for once, and he was surprised at how calm he seemed to be.

”Ugh… My fucking head…” Jen’s voice cut through the static, she was one of the only other humans that Dominic knew from the other world, she was in charge of the tank directly behind his. ”Comm check, who’s out there?”

“Rolling and me.” Dominic said quietly as he continued to listen to the howling wind and snow that buffeted the tank. “Just missed two folks checking out the tanks, I tried talking to ‘em but they ran off into the trees. By the way, lock your hatch.”

”Ah, sorry I wasn’t awake, I might’ve been able to help.” The woman replied, Dominic could hear her hatch lock closed in the distance. ”How are we situated? Are we close to where we need to be?”

“Yeah, the two ‘em said we’re on the outskirts of CNG territory. The peak is due south of our position.” Dominic stated, he quietly fidgeted in his tank and gently moved his gunner away from the tank’s cannon. The man leaned forward and looked through the gun sight, ahead of him he could see a couple abandoned cars that had been covered in snow. He began humming to himself again, occasionally mumbling lyrics to himself. “...ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog…”

”I just realized it’s fuckin’ snowing outside.” Jen said over the radio, Dominic adjusted his cap and twisted a knob on the gunsight, causing it to zoom out a tad. ”If it’s winter we should be doing alright, that’s normally when the CNG and the Empire of Light take a break from the fighting. Dominic quietly paused at the mention of the Empire of Light, they were a faction that had risen from the ashes of internet culture, conceived in the bleakest womb and unleashed upon the earth for the purpose of evil.

”I don’t like just sitting here.” Rolling Thunder cut in over the frequency, Dominic took his eye away from the gunsight and activated the radio again.

“Well we don’t have much of a choice until at least the drivers wake up. See if you can get yours up, once you’ve done that we’ll try and get the drivers and Visigoth and Mirage up as well.” Dominic commanded, referring to the last two tanks in the column by their callsigns. The man leaned forwards and put his hand on Gear Grinder’s shoulder, then gave a firm shake. “Gear, wake up.” The stallion didn’t respond. “Avos is shaving her head.”

“What!? I wanna get pictures!” Gear bolted upright and clonked his head against the wall, then groaned and looked around with a bit of a pained expression. “Son of a bitch, my head…” The stallion looked at Dominic for a moment, then peeked out his view slit. “Holy shit… Are we here…?”

“Yeah.” Dominic responded as he leaned back in his own seat. “And the engine cut out on us, see if you can restart it before we end up freezing in here.” Gear nodded and pushed a few buttons, after a few seconds he pulled a lever and there was pop, then a bang, before the engine rumbled to life. A puff of black smoke floated off in the wind as the engine got into a steady rhythm. The noise seemed to stir Avos from her slumber, and the griffon groggily sat up straight and rubbed her head.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, Sergeant.” Dominic commented, he watched the sergeant blink a few moments before moving her eye to the gunsight. “We’re here, don’t worry, and we’re all in one piece.”

”Mirage checking in, we’re wakin’ up over here… Anyone else out there? The voice came from the final tank in the column, crewed entirely by changelings and commanded by one that went by the name of Otto. Dominic and the others responded, but not in too much detail, as they were busy getting their crew’s to wake up. The president sighed quietly and leaned back as his crew went over their checklists for cold weather operations, he was glad that they’d practiced before coming through.

A pair of bangs from behind indicated that at least Jen and Rolling had gotten their tanks started, Dominic momentarily looked through the rear view slit and caught sight of a glimmer hovering behind the last tank. That was the portal, Discord had shrunken it to keep anything from coming through while it was unguarded.

”Visigoth is checking in, sounds like we’re the last ones to the party.” The second to last tank finally called out, its engine turned over with a similar bang and another puff of smoke was carried away. ”Reporting all crew members are awake and alert, ready to move out. That statement was followed by three more that confirmed it among the other tanks, this prompted Dominic to straighten up and look through the front view slit. As he opened his mouth to give the order to move, a pair of agonized screams echoed through the forest. A male and a female, shrieking in terror, at what Dominic didn’t know.

“The fuck…” He mumbled as he moved to a side view slit and peeked out.

”Night Eagle, this is Midnight Special.” Jen’s voice cut over the radio, Dominic paused to listen to her carefully. ”I have eyes on five… Make that six unknown foot mobiles, at your nine.” Dominic turned to look into the woods, he could certainly see movement out there. They seemed to be walking in a line, a row of shadowy figures that moved in unison. ”Don’t look like infected, and sir… They’re coming from the east.”

“Roger that.” Dominic replied as he tapped Avos on the shoulder. “Crank the turret around to two-seven-zero, see if you can get a look at what their packing through the gunsight.” The sergeant nodded and the turret let out a slight whine as he began rotating to face the figures.

”Figures have stopped.” Jen advised.

“I have eyes on six unknowns, looks like they have small arms… and swords.” Avos commented as she adjusted several knobs and lined up the crosshairs of the sight on the center of the group. She could see most of them had their faces covered, but one in the center didn’t. He had pale skin and blonde hair, and his ears looked as if they’d been cut to look pointy. “Looks like knife ears, sir.”

”Those are EOL troops, should we engage?” Jen’s voice cut in over the radio, Dominic looking out the view slit once more, then shook his head. He had enough problems already without opening fire, as it stood the EOL had yet to overtly attack his group, and they had to make contact with the CNG as soon as possible. Even if those screams had been the people from earlier, Dominic couldn’t do anything to help them, he’d already tried.

“Negative. All units, let’s move on down the road and see if we can make contact with the CNG.” The man ordered, there was a chorus of affirmatives before Gear Grinder shifted the vehicle into drive. The tracks squeaked and whined as they began rolling through the snow, Avos rotated the turret back to face frontwards, and Dominic watched as the abandoned cars got closer. “We should go around them if possible… Avos, try and get Scribs awake.”

“Yes, sir.” Sergeant Avos replied dutifully as she turned to the still unconcious reporter and started to gently push on his shoulders.

”Sir, requesting permission to try and contact CNG via radio on channel one-niner.” Jen said, Dominic quietly leaned back in his seat and straightened his cap before activating his headset once more.

“Roger that. Go ahead, switching to one-niner.” Dominic replied before he reached out and turned the dial on his CB radio to nineteen. The tank meanwhile had veered off the road and was driving past the abandoned cars, the bumpiness was just what it took for Scribs to wake up. He confusedly looked around before relaxing and leaning his head against the wall, the stallion was about to speak but Dominic held up a finger to silence him.

”Breaker. Breaker. This is Mother Goose, requesting contact with CNG radio personnel. Anyone out there on this wave? Jen said as Dominic listened closely, there were several moments of silence. The man could feel his heart beating in his chest, this was it, they were going to make contact, he was one step closer to Maria. ”I say again. Mother Goose to any CNG personnel. Does anyone copy?”

”Mother Goose… Sergeant Poplawski, is that you?!” A young male voice responded over the airwaves, whoever it was sounded very happy and very confused. Dominic was meanwhile smiling from ear to ear, it was all going according to plan.

”Yeah, it’s me. Back from the dead, heh.” Jen responded with a bit of a chuckle, Dominic could hear a bit of joy in her voice. ”You wouldn’t believe what I’ve been doing for the past half a year or so, but I can finally come back in, if Commander Markus’ll have me.”

”... Sorry, ma’am… Commander Markus isn’t in charge anymore. I’ve got our new CO in the room with me though, he’s standing right next to me if you want to talk to him.”

”Sure, put him on.” Jen said, though this time she sounded a bit less joyful. Dominic meanwhile popped the hatch of his tank and peeked out, the tank was veering back on the road after passing the abandoned cars, and behind him he could see the other tanks were following suit. The man momentarily considered leaving the hatch open, but considering how cold it was, he figured that would be bad for his troops. Just as he closed the hatch he heard a new, deep male voice come over the radio.

”This is Colonel Baxter, to whom am I speaking?” The voice asked, once again Jen introduced herself as ‘Sergeant Poplawski’.

”I’ve been out for a very long time, and you wouldn’t believe the stuff that’s happened, sir. I’d really like to come home, I’ve got a lot of people with me that need a place to hunker down.”Jen explained, there was a pause on the other end of the radio. Dominic hoped that the Colonel would see fit to let them come in without any trouble, after several minutes the radio returned to life.

”Alright, but make sure we can see you when you come up to the gate, so we know it’s you.”

”Trust me, sir. You’ll hear us a lot sooner than you see us. Mother Goose, out.” Jen’s voice spoke with finality before the radio went dead again, Dominic quietly sighed and changed back to the regular communication channel.

“Jen, I want you to take point, I’m sure you know where you’re going better than I do.” Dominic said over the radio before he looked to gear. “Clear some room so she can move ahead.” Gear nodded and pulled the tank a little more to the side, this allowed the tank behind them to roll past freely before the column became straight again. The crew lapsed into a bit of silence afterwards as they rolled along down the road.

“Hey, Commander?” Gear spoke, getting the man’s attention. “What’s with all those metal things we drove past, were those the ‘cars’ you told us about.” Dominic nodded and leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed. Meanwhile Scribs had picked up his pad and pen and was once again writing.

“Yeah, haven’t seen any like those in a while though.” Dominic replied with a bit of a nostalgic hum. “It’s kind of weird being back here after so long, especially since I don’t really remember this part of the state so well.”

“Well, we’re in the same boat then, because we’ve never been here before either.” Gear said as he adjusted his stance in his seat. “Man, look at all that snow, it’s gotta be something like two feet deep at least.” Avos chuckled quietly as she stopped looking through the gunsight and leaned back in her own seat, relaxing a bit after the rather interesting ordeal they’d all gone through.

“This snow doesn’t look so bad, in my homeland this would be rather average.” She said quietly as she crossed her talons over her chest, her tail swished back and forth lazily while her attention turned to the reporter that had yet to speak up the entire time. “Scribble Pen, you’ve been rather quiet this whole time.

“Yeah, we’re in a whole new world, what gives?” Gear added, the reporter paused his writing and set his notebook down to address the group.

“I haven’t fully woken up from… Whatever that was.” Scribs replied tiredly, he sat up in his seat and looked through his own view slit. “On top of that, I haven’t really seen anything of note, it’s just snow and wilderness… We have plenty of that in Equestria, the weather ponies make it all the time.”

“This is naturally occurring.” Dominic said as he looked out at all the snow that surrounded their tanks and was beginning to accumulate on the top of the vehicle. Scribs looked a bit surprised by that, then looked outside again. “Yeah, this is frozen water that evaporated naturally…”

“I’ve never seen real snow…” Scribs mumbled, Dominic was about to speak up again, but shook his head and leaned back against the wall. Meanwhile the tanks continued rolling along, passing by more ruined cars on the side of the road and the occasional abandoned gas station or general store, until finally they came to a crossroads.

Jen sighed as she looked through her own view slit, occasionally glancing down at her crew. Her driver was an earth pony mare by the name of Banana muffin, she had yellow fur and a white mane, and of course her cutie mark was one of the delicious pastries for which she was named. She, like her other crewmember, was looking out their view slits for any sign of trouble. The other pony in the tank was the gunner, a stallion by the name of Rocky Road. He was from trottingham, his coat a mix of chocolate brown and white, while his cutie mark depicted a pair of boxing gloves.

“Turn right up ahead, Bans.” Jen said quietly as they reached the crossroads, she ran a hand over her recently shaved head and sighed as the tank took a right. Her normally long black hair had been trimmed away in preparation for the journey, as long hair would make her much easier for one of the infected monsters to grab. It was haunting how familiar everything around her looked, before she’d been pulled to Equestria she was often the one sent out to lead patrols through these very woods.

The road they were on was one she was familiar with, it would lead them to a train station. The train station was normally under the most protection, as it was one of the easiest ways to move up and down the mountain. The Cog Railroad, specially designed to move up and down Pikes Peak, it was also near the road that would lead to the top. Most likely they would be taking that road, as the tanks wouldn’t be able to make the train ride. Jen was a bit worried however, as they would be rolling up to the checkpoint in tanks, and she wasn’t sure how the guards there would take that.

As they drove along in silence she thought about the world she’d left through the portal, her life there, her fiance. She briefly looked at the ring on her finger, the rose gold and emerald had only just been given to her the night before. The woman shook her head and stiffened her jaw, they were on a mission, she couldn’t afford to get sentimental.

“Hey, captain?” Asked Banana Muffin, Jen hummed in response as she continued watching the road ahead. “How high up this mountain are we going again?” The woman paused and leaned back from her view slit so she could see her driver.

“The mountain’s over fourteen thousand feet tall, but the last time I was here we’d constructed a bit of a shanty town at just below six thousand.” Jen explained before she scratched her head and coughed, the cold wind howled a bit louder outside, somewhat drowning out the rumble of the engine. “At six thousand feet there’s less chance of breathing problems and such, and the EOL doesn’t have anything strong enough to hit that high.”

“Ah, that makes sense I guess…” Banana hummed before she turned the tank to go around an a truck that had blocked both lanes of the road. “My sister lives in cloudsdale, ya know? But that’s only about three thousand.” Jen nodded while Rocky Road turned his head to look at the driver with a raised eyebrow.

“Your sister lives in Cloudsdale?” The earth pony asked, his accent was only slight, it was far better now than it had been at the beginning of training when neither the mare or the woman could understand him. Banana Muffin nodded and turned back onto the road, the tank treads let out out little squeals as they ran through the snow and over the asphalt. “But you’re an earth pony…”

“Point…” Banana said with a bit of a shrug. “Mom always did have a bit of an… Active social life.” Jen listened in as she continued to scan the treeline that surrounded either side of the road for anything of note, soon enough she spotted lights up the road.

“Cut the chatter… Eyes on lights up ahead.” Jen said, the two crew members quieted down and sat ready as the tanks got closer. The woman was pretty sure she knew what they were, but she’d have to get a good look in order to be sure. She unlatched the hatch above her and pushed it open, allowing the cold air to enter the tank as she stood up and looked ahead. The woman picked up her headset and pulled it on. “Night Eagle, this is Midnight Special, eyes on possible survivor encampment ahead. How do you want us to proceed?” The woman turned back to face the tank behind her, a few moments later the hatch popped open and Dominic made himself visible with a pair of binoculars. She watched him bring them up to his eyes.

”I’d love to say stop, but your friends are waiting on us, and I’d very much like to get started on that front.” Dominic replied as he lowered his binoculars, the woman nodded and gave him a thumbs up as they got closer to the lights. The two of them continued to stand in their turrets, they wanted to get a look at the encampment for themselves. Jen recognized the place, it was an old garage that had been turned into a sort of bar and inn by an enterprising young mechanic. She’d spent a couple nights there herself, though she couldn’t really remember them all that well.

As the tanks drove passed Jen could see at least ten people walking to the road to see the source of the noise, each of them stared at the armored column with a bit of awe and surprise. The building itself was rather simple brick construction, with strings of lights on the outside. The garage doors had been boarded up to keep the warmth inside, and Jen could faintly hear music when her tank was right next to it.

”All units, turn on your headlights, we want these guys to know we’re coming.” Dominic said over the radio before Jen saw him disappear once again into his turret with the hatch closed. One by one the lights mounted on the fronts of the tanks flicked on, illuminating the road ahead much better, and easily being spotted from far away. Jen quietly slipped down into her tank and closed the hatch, she rubbed her head and flicked off the snow that had accumulated there.

”Night Eagle. Mirage. Interrogative.” The voice of Otto cut through the airwaves as the tanks continued on down the road, Jen knew it wouldn’t be long before they got to the gate outside the train station.

”Go ahead.” Dominic replied, there was a bit of static in his voice, but it quickly cleared up after a moment or two.

”You really wanna let ‘em know we’re coming, you could blast some of that music out the PA system.” Otto said, Jen could here a couple chuckles over the radio. The woman expected Dominic to reply jokingly, but a few moments later she heard the pop and crackle of PA speakers behind her. The speakers had been mounted to the tanks in case they ended up running into survivors that liked to shoot first and ask questions later, so they’d have some way of communicating.

The music that started playing over the speakers was certainly something Jen hadn’t expected, she’d never pictured Dominic as an Elvis fan. ‘You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog’ began to echo through the woods around them as the tanks continued driving along at a decent clip of speed as the road was relatively straight. Eventually the flatness tapered off into an incline and a bit of a ravine began to form on the left side of the road, but the tanks were sticking to the right side of the road.

Jen peeked through the view slit once again, quietly humming along with the music as she saw the tanks were coming around a curve.

“Ma’am.” Banana Muffin cut in. “I’ve been listenin’ in on channel nine-teen, there’s some guy asking for ya.” Jen nodded and cleared her throat before reaching towards the radio, then pausing and activating her headset.

“Switching to channel nineteen.” She informed before making the switch, she knew a few seconds later that Dominic and the other tanks had switched over when she heard a four faint pops. The voice of ‘Colonel Baxter’ greeted her ears.

”..-say again, Mother Goose. Is that music coming from you?” The Colonel asked.

“Negative, that’s one of the vehicles behind me, sir. We wanted to let you know we were coming.” Jen explained as the tank began to come around a bend, she could see the glow of lights ahead and she could tell they were just about to come into view for the guards at the gate. “You should be seeing us… just about… Now.” Sure enough she saw the gate up ahead, it was the same as she had left it.

Two train cars had been pushed up on either side of the road and sured up with destroyed cars, barbed wire, and a pair of machine gun nests. The ‘Gate’ was actually nothing more than an earth mover with a massive metal plate welded to the bucket that blocked the gap between the two train cars. Spot lights quickly focussed on the tanks as the music began to fade out.

“We’re stopping now.” Jen said, opting not to change channels as she knew the others were listening in. There was another chorus of affirmatives and the column slowed to a halt, the PA speakers went silent, and a hush fell over the area. The tanks rumbled as they idled there, meanwhile the guards in the machine gun nest were loading their fifty cals as best they could, even though they doubted it would do much. “Rocky, rotate turret to nine-zero degrees.”

“Aye, ma’am. Nine-zero degrees.” The gunner responded before hitting a switch and causing the turret to begin rotating. After a couple seconds it was pointing away from the gate and at the hill beside the road. Jen watched quietly through her view slit before the earth mover stirred to life and slowly the gate was moved aside.

“Move! Move! Move!” A voice shouted as a squad of soldiers ran out with their rifles raised, only to stop as they saw the tanks.

”Sergeant… Please tell me that’s you in the tanks.” The Colonel’s voice cut in.

“It’s us, sir.” Jen replied, after a few moments Jen could see another man walk out past the nervous looking soldiers. He held out his hand and gestured for them to lower their rifles before walking towards the tank and putting his hands on his hips. He was an older man with grey hair and a bushy walrus mustache, and eyebrows to match. He wore a heavy wool coat adorned with his rank insignia, over what appeared to be normal fatigues.

“Sergeant!” The man yelled. “I would appreciate if you’d come out so we can talk, this certainly isn’t what I was expecting.” Jen nodded and popped the hatch, several seconds later she stood up and looked around, adjusting her olive green uniform quietly. She wished she had her jacket, but the fabric was still relatively warm. Moments later she heard the heavy metal hatch of Dominic’s tank pop open as well, the Colonel’s eyes shifted to the young man as he climbed out of his tank and adjusted his jacket.

“All units, button up!” He yelled as he started walking forwards, then he gestured to Jen. “Captain Poplawski, dismount.” Jen blinked for a moment before she climbed out of the tank and closed the hatch behind her, the Colonel watched with a bit of surprise as the two of them walked forwards in what appeared to be matching uniforms. Of course, the man beside her was tall and muscular, with a leather jacket that seemed befitting of an officer, as well as what looked like a West German officer’s cap.

The soldiers behind Baxter fidgeted nervously as the two walked up to their commanding officer, when they stopped in front of the Colonel it gave the older man an opportunity to examine them both closely. Their clothes looked clean, the man with the officer’s cap seemed to have a sword on his belt, and Jen had a ring on her finger.

“Colonel Baxter.” Jen said as she saluted the officer, Baxter returned the salute, though he was a bit suspicious of what he was seeing. “I realize this may appear strange, because it is, but I assure you I can explain.”

“I’m sure you can…” Baxter said as he narrowed his eyes at the young man. “She’s Poplawski, I know that much, but who are you. Come on, son. Name and rank.”

“Dominic Occisor. Commander of the New American Expeditionary Force.” The man replied firmly, this caused the older man’s bushy eyebrows to rise. “Colonel Baxter, I realize this is an unusual situation, and I would be more than happy to explain it to you, but as you’ve noticed it is very cold out here. With your permission, I ask that our vehicles be let inside, where we can discuss this in more detail.”

The Colonel leaned forwards and squinted, looking Dominic in the eyes and trying to get a read on him. To his surprise, the young ‘Commander’ never once blinked or looked away, Baxter could see just how serious those eyes were.

“Have your crews rotate their turrets facing backwards, then bring them through the gates…” Baxter said after several moments of thought, Dominic nodded and turned to Poplawski.

“Captain, notify all crews to rotate their turrets behind them, then guide them through the gate…” Dominic ordered, Jen paused and after a moment, she saluted and walked off to begin organizing the vehicles. Dominic turned back to the colonel and adjusted his jacket, then pulled on his leather gloves just a bit tighter. “Lead on, Colonel.” Baxter grunted and turned on his heel, then began walking back towards the gate, the soldiers watched Dominic follow behind him with a bit of surprise and suspicion. The fell in behind the group, keeping their weapons at the ready in case they had to perforate the ‘Commander’.

Baxter lead the man behind him towards a structure that had been fortified and boarded up, the old cog railway station, which had been turned into a bit of a forwards command post since the fall of society. Dominic paused just outside the building, taking a moment to read the lettering on the outside, before he followed the colonel inside. It was much warmer than it was outside, but it was still bitterly cold.

Benches had been converted into cots and numerous national guardsmen watched the newcomer with a bit of surprise. Baxter lead Dominic past several bulletin boards that had pictures on them, his boots echoed on the wooden floor and off the stoney walls, until finally they reached what at one point had been a ticket office. It was now boarded off from the rest of the station and bad been converted into a regular office, the light inside was provided by a dimly burning propane lantern that rested on a metal desk.

“Alright, Commander… You wanted to explain, so explain.” Baxter said as he took a seat in the desk chair, behind him Dominic heard two soldiers enter the room while the others closed the door. The president nodded and began to pace back and forth as he thought of a way to explain what was happening.

“Do you believe in god, Colonel?” He asked, the Colonel raised an eyebrow at him but nodded. “Perhaps divine intervention?”

“I do, but I fail to see what that has to do with you.” The Colonel said with a hint of annoyance, Dominic paused and cleared his throat.

“I’ll get to the point. I was born on this planet, I lived in Evergreen, and up until about a year ago I had been living in a dump of a bar, waiting to die.” Dominic explained as he began to pace once more, moving his hands as he talked. “Then, by some miracle, when I was out looking for food I happened across a… A sort of door…” The man stopped and looked the colonel in the eyes. “A door between our world and another one…”

“Are you saying you come from some sort of alien planet?” Baxter asked in an unamused tone, Dominic sighed and took a breath.

“For all intents and purposes… Yes.” He said, the Colonel grumbled and was about to call for the soldiers to take Dominic into custody. “If you seek proof, you need only take a look at my soldiers.” That got the Colonel’s attention, he always loved seeing what nutjobs came wandering in from the wastes, and he needed a bit of a laugh. For that reason he stood up and put his hands on his hips.

“Alright… Prove it to me.” He said with a firm tone, Dominic nodded and gestured for him to follow. “While we walk, why don’t you tell me more about this ‘Alien world’.”

“Alright.” Dominic said with a shrug, figuring he’d be vindicated as soon as he opened the hatch to one of his tanks. “In this world I’ve refounded the United States, built a decent military and economy, and negotiated peace with several local inhabitants. Captain Poplawski found herself in that world as well, with her now fiance.” Dominic walked past the national guardsmen once again, though now they were following just so they could get a look at whatever was about to happen.

“Is that so?” Baxter asked with false belief, Dominic frowned slightly as he stepped outside and saw the last of the tanks was parking. The engines shut off, as did the headlights, but still the crews remained in side.

“All units! Dismount!” Dominic commanded loudly moments later the hatches popped open, what Baxter and the others saw caused their jaws to drop. From within the tanks came ponies, odd strange looking alien ponies, all but one of them in the same uniform Jen and Dominic wore, and all but one of them standing at attention in front of their vehicles. The lone outlier seemed to be scribbling something down on a notepad. Dominic turned to face the Colonel with a neutral expression. “Enough proof for you, Colonel?”

“Y-You could say that again…” The Colonel mumbled before he quickly shook his head and refocused. “Alright, so you’re from an alien planet and you have an army… Why the fuck did you come back here?”

“I felt guilty...” Dominic said simply, Baxter raised an eyebrow. “For survivors… People deserve a second chance, I intend to give it to them… Starting with a girl that I haven’t seen in almost four years.” The Colonel was at a loss for words, as were most of the national guard troops standing behind him in the bitter cold. Not only had they just realized they weren’t alone in the universe, they had also met a man who claimed to have built a new home for them in another world. “I… Realize this all may be a bit difficult to comprehend, Colonel… Lord knows I nearly lost my head myself when I first woke up there.”

“I… I need a drink.” Baxter said quietly before he looked at Dominic and shook his head. “I don’t trust you, son. Hell, if it weren’t for that display I’d’ve had you and Poplawski tossed in a cell…” The man looked at the ground as he heard a couple mumbles from the soldiers standing behind him.  His mind turned to the soldiers he’d been leading since Commander Markus had been killed nearly a year ago, all the pain they’d suffered at the hands of not only the infected but also the EOL’s ruthless attacks on the surrounding area. This young man had just come out of the blue, a bolt from beyond, and with him he brought a glimmer of hope… Colonel Baxter was a tough old man, but he wasn’t heartless… Any glimmer of hope was better than no hope at all.

“These people need something to hold onto though, so, it doesn’t look like I have much choice but to hear you out…” Baxter finally relented, bringing his hand to his forehead and sighing. “We can talk more about this in the morning, a couple hours or so from now, for now though…  I suppose you and yours can take the train up the mountain and hunker down…” The Colonel’s eyes shifted to the changelings, he felt a bit of a chill go down his spine as he looked them in the eye. “Keep them out of trouble though.”

“You have my word, no trouble.” Dominic extended his hand out to the Colonel, after a hesitant moment, the Colonel reached out and grabbed the hand, the both of them shared a firm shake that seemed to cement just how serious Dominic was in the Colonel’s mind. The man turned back to the tank crews and cleared his throat. “Alright, we’re going up the mountain, no matter what happens you’re all to behave yourselves like the gentle folk I know you to be.”

“Yes, sir!” The group replied before they broke from attention and began walking towards the station. The group of national guards parted for them with looks of surprise in their eyes, watching the ponies, changelings, and griffon march along like a professional army. Jen walked along with them, pausing to salute both Dominic and Baxter before following the soldiers. The president let out a somewhat nervous sigh and started to walk with them, then stopped and quietly turned to face Baxter.

“Colonel…” He said quietly, the mustached man raised an eyebrow. “Thank you.” Baxter nodded and watched Dominic disappear back into the station, several moments later he emerged once more. “I almost forgot. On our way in we spotted six or so EOL foot mobiles on the outskirts of your territory…”

“Thanks for the heads up.” Baxter said, feeling a bit more at ease at hearing the statement. Of course, it could’ve been a lie, but Baxter deep down hoped that Dominic was an honest man. He waited until after the train started up the mountain before he addressed his troops, the national guards had all begun chattering and trying to talk at once.

“Everyone shut up for a minute.” Baxter said loudly, causing the crowd to quiet down. “I know this all seems a bit sudden, but honestly is there anyway we can argue with what we’ve just seen?” The group of soldiers was silent as Baxter began to pace back and forth. “I don’t know for sure what this man’s intentions really are, but if there’s even a chance that he’s telling the truth… It could mean an end to all of this.” The soldiers all had their eyes on the Colonel now, the weight of his words was starting to sink in. 

“We’ll be able to put an end to the EOL… We could all have a chance for normal lives again.” The Colonel cleared his throat and stood up straight. “So, until further notice, we will be living with these… people… As if they were our allies. That means we’re going to keep their equipment secure down here, and we’re not going to hassle them with questions like a bunch of jibbering school children. Pass that along when you get the chance. Sound good?”

“Yes, sir!” The soldiers yelled back, the Colonel gestured for them to go back to their normal duties, and so they did. A couple of them went over and stood next to the tanks, occasionally putting their hands over the engines for a little bit of warmth. Even though they were turned off they still were better than nothing. Baxter let out a sigh and watched as the train continued up the mountain, he knew that already the shanty town had been made aware of their newest arrivals by radio.

Meanwhile, Dominic was standing at the front of the train beside Jen, the operator was occasionally looking over his shoulder at the two strange newcomers, as well as their equally strange subordinates. Dominic had his hands clasped behind his back as he looked up the darkened tracks, the train was traveling much faster than it would with tourists, and would reach six thousand feet in twenty minutes. He couldn’t believe it. Twenty minutes and he was one step closer to his goal. He supposed that was why Jen insisted upon standing next to him.

“The men are excited…” She commented as she looked over her shoulder at the soldiers in the train car, they were chatting rapidly amongst themselves. Dominic just nodded silently as he reached into his jacket and withdrew his black bandanna, silently he pulled it on over his face to help shield him from the cold. “I thought you’d be excited too…”

“I am…” Dominic replied quietly as he looked off the side of the train for a moment. “We’re one step close to preserving our species… One step closer to putting an end to this…” His hand shifted to the patch on his jacket, the one that his dear friend Maria had given him all those years ago. “One step closer to her…”

“Then why do you sound so glum?” Jen asked, Dominic and looked at her quietly for a moment, she could see regret for the first time in his eyes.

“What if I’ve made a terrible mistake…” The man closed his eyes and shook his head. “Three years is a long time… Three years here is even longer… It’s almost four now…” Dominic straightened up and adjusted his cap so that it was properly seated on his head. “This is not where I pictured myself at twenty years old…”

“I thought you were nineteen.” Jen replied, Dominic shook his head and kept his gaze out on the tracks ahead.

“Twenty as of two months ago… More or less… I worked out the math on a napkin in my office.” He replied honestly, the two of them lapsed into a bit of silence. “That’s odd…”

“What?” Jen asked.

“You didn’t ask why I didn’t tell anyone.” Dominic said, looking at Jen with a bit of a curious expression. “Most people insist on a party or something when they hear something like that.” Jen just shrugged and crossed her arms.

“You’re twenty years old, if you want a party you’ll ask for one.” Jen said simply, the man hummed and went back to looking out the window, he could see the glow of lights up ahead. “For whatever it’s worth, Dominic… Happy Birthday.” The man looked at her, she couldn’t see his mouth because of his bandanna, but there was a sad smile in his eyes. As he turned back to watch the glowing lights of the shanty town, Jen took note of the new patch on his arm. It depicted Luna’s cutie mark, perhaps to signify his completion of his training.

“You’re returning home, aren’t you?” Dominic asked as the town got closer, Jen paused and nodded silently.

“I bet they’ve already sold my stuff off by now.” She replied with a bit of a grim chuckle. “Damn shame too, I had a lot of magazines… Hell, that was how I traded off guard duty back then.” Dominic quietly laughed and shook his head. “You would be such an easy sell too, you know? I bet I know your type. Girls with glasses?”

“Stop it.” Dominic said good naturedly, Jen poked him in the shoulder.

“Oh. I know, how about redheads?” She asked, Dominic shook his head again and looked at the operator of the train.

“Is there any way you could hurry this up?” He asked, the operator looked at him with a sympathetic expression but shook his head, causing Dominic to groan.

“Redheaded girls in glasses.” Jen continued, Dominic shook his head again.

“No.” He said firmly, Jen sighed quietly, once again silence reigned as the shanty town was practically right next to them. Already the two of them could see a slight crowd forming around the station that had been cobbled together from old railway ties and a portable shed. As the train pulled into the station Dominic adjusted his belt and turned to walk towards the side doors, Jen followed behind him. “Brunettes.” He said simply and quietly. “I like brunettes.” The doors opened and he stepped out onto the platform, Jen stepping out behind him as the rest of the tank crews stepped out through different doorways.

The shanty town was just as Dominic had pictured it, rundown and odd looking, everything seemed to be at an angle, and it was all made up of junk. There seemed to be a few temp buildings, some buildings were made from old shipping containers, and they all seemed to lit either by propane lanterns or strings of light. The crowd that had formed was a mix of uniformed national guards, civilians in as many layers as they could carry, and a combination of the first two. It was small though, undoubtedly the rest of the inhabitants didn’t want to go out in the cold.

“You th-th-that c-c-commander guy?” Asked one of the soldiers who happened to be shivering, Dominic nodded and the man stepped forwards. “Told to expect you, s-sir… We knew y-you had a strange army, but this b-b-beats anything I ever saw…” The man offered a hand that Dominic readily shook. “We g-got you some space set away, b-b-but you may have to share with s-some of our personnel if we’re gonna f-fit your guys.”

“That’s alright… The men come first, I don’t mind sharing.” Dominic said with a nod before he looked to Jen. “Captain Poplawski, please… Escort the troops. I’d like to have a look around.” Jen only nodded and whistled to get the attention of the others, the tank crews nodded and began following her. A couple of the national guardsmen broke off to lead the odd group through the town while Dominic continued standing in front of the other troops. “Anything else?”

“N-No, sir.” The soldier replied as he rubbed his hands together for warmth, Dominic himself found that his gloves didn’t seem to be doing the job either. “T-There’s a c-couple facilities up here marked, l-like the infirmary and so on.”

“Thanks for the heads up.” Dominic said with a nod before he paused and looked at the crowd that had still assembled. Most of them looked cold, tired, and hungry. Their clothes were disheveled and old, and some of them had wrapped their shoes in cloth for extra warmth, he wished that he could help them immediately, but he knew first he would have to earn their trust. Dominic silently patted the soldier on the shoulder before he walked off the platform to catch up with his troops.

He could see many of them had pulled on their jackets, save for Sergeant Avos who seemed to be taking the cold air in stride. They were being lead to a collection of temporary buildings, the kind that would generally be seen at a construction site. Dominic walked alongside them until he’d caught up with Jen, the woman was chatting with the soldier that was leading the group. The commander opted to keep his mouth shut, he didn’t want to spoil the moment for Jen.

“So, yeah… Thanks to some weird alien stuff I got pulled through into another world.” Jen explained to the soldier who was looking at her with rapt attention. “And that’s where this guy turned me onto the idea of coming back here, we figured we’d be able to help you folks out, you know?”

“That’s great! I’m fuckin’ tired of this goddamn cold already, why aren’t we going right now?” The soldier asked, Jen sighed quietly. Dominic enjoyed seeing her talk with the others, she had knowledge of this place he didn’t have, and she always seemed to know how to make friends easily.

“Well, we only made contact with you guys an hour or so ago, so the trust level probably isn’t that high.” Jen replied, getting a nod from the soldier as Dominic continued to follow along with them to the first temp building. “Don’t worry, we’ll all get to go soon enough, isn’t that right Commander?”

“Yeah, once we’ve taken care of any threats on this side of the portal.” Dominic replied calmly as he looked around and pulled his gloves on a little tighter. “Reinforcements should come through tomorrow, if everything goes well here.” The soldier nodded quietly and stopped outside the front of the temp building.

“This should be enough for your guys, it’s been out of use for a while though, so the beds may need to be set up.” The soldier explained as he opened the door to the building and looked inside, Dominic and Jen peeked inside as well. It was a tad dark and numerous beds lined the walls on either side, it seemed some of the mattresses had been laid out while others were rolled up. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you two to where you’ll be bunking.”

As the crews filed into the building and began setting up their beds, the soldier lead Dominic and Jen off towards the second building. Both of them were glad that they’d be getting some sort of shelter from the cold, even if it wasn’t much more than a glorified mobile home.

“Just be careful of some of the folks in here, they can be a bit testy.” The soldier warned as rubbed his hands together once again before reaching for the handle. “Considering you’re… I dunno, space people, they might be wary of you as well.” He pushed the door open and stepped in, Dominic and Jen following close behind him before the soldier closed the door tightly. There were ten or so men already inside that Dominic could see, some of them were sitting around playing cards, others were on their beds.

When the cold wind hit them they looked to the door and spotted the newcomers, more than a few of them looked surprised. The soldier that had brought them in quickly walked to a wood stove and began holding his hands over it, meanwhile Dominic and Jen examined their surroundings. There were two beds open, both of them were closest to the door, the rest either had someone lying, sitting, or any other sort of object marking them as taken.

“Sergeant Poplawski?” A voice questioned from across the room, Jen looked over and her face brightened as she spotted a familiar pair of glasses. The young man she’d been friends with since The Fall, and a soldier that she’d been separated from for some time.

“Smalls!” Jen said cheerfully as the man stood up from his bunk and walked over to her. “I knew you’d make it.”

“Yeah, well, after that big flash of light grabbed you I ran like hell, just like you taught me.” Smalls said as he stopped in front of her and smiled. “Guess I know where you went now, at least somewhat… It’s good to see you, sarge!” Smalls looked over at Dominic, appearing a bit surprised by the man with the black bandanna. “Is this one of the aliens?”

“No, no… This actually another guy that got pulled through the big light ball, he’s the one that’s responsible for us coming through.” Jen explained, Dominic silently offered his hand to Smalls, he wasn’t really sure how to speak here. He’d never been the most social of people when it came to new folks, but he was so focussed on Smalls that he neglected to notice anyone else that was looking at him. Specifically a pair of eyes that had caught sight of the patch on his jacket. Smalls extended his hand and shook Dominic’s firmly.

“Name’s Jack, most people call me Smalls though.” Smalls said with a smile, Dominic was just about to respond before he was suddenly grabbed from the side and roughly thrown to the ground. “What the fuck, Major!?”

Dominic groaned as several punches rained down on his face, he did his best to fend them off, he didn’t even know who was attacking him.

“Where did you get that fucking jacket!?” A woman screamed at him, Jen quickly sprung into action and pushed his attacker away. Dominic stood up and felt the warm trickle of blood running from his nose, the entire room was watching in surprise as Jen did her best to keep the attacker at bay. “Where!?”

“Captain…” Dominic said quietly. “Stand down.” Jen looked at him with wide eyes, he just nodded and she stepped away from the woman who was panting and glaring at him. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing, it sent a line of chills down his back. It was her, Maria, the girl that this had all started for. Dominic’s quietly removed his gloves and put them in his jacket before running a hand over his head, feeling the short mohawk he sported before he untied the bandana. Afterwards he grabbed the fabric and pulled it away from his face, his heart was beating rapidly and his breath was short. Jen looked between him and the woman, then backed away as she recognized her. 

Maria looked different, with punk haircut replacing her once flowing locks and numerous defined muscles. She wore gritty faded fatigues and a couple scars were scattered about her face. Despite all that, Jen recognized her and recognized her well. Maria and Dominic stared at each other for several moments, the entire room had its eyes on them.

“This… This has to be some fuckin’ trick…” Maria said quietly as she pointed at Dominic, the man shook his head quietly as the blood continued to run down from his nose and stain his jacket. “Who the fuck are you!? You can’t be him!”

“Why not?” Dominic asked as he walked forwards, his voice shaking as he did his best to keep from stumbling in his steps.

“Because he’s… He’s… Dead…” Maria said quietly as she stared at him with wide eyes. “No one ever found him when they went into Evergreen… When they still could…” Dominic stepped closer to her and crouched just enough to look her in the eyes.

“It’s me, Maria.” Dominic said quietly as he adjusted his jacket, Maria continued to stare at him quietly, her breath coming quicker and quicker. “I can prove it…” Dominic hummed for a moment before speaking again. “Your favorite movie is Blazing Saddles, when we were kids you shot me in the face with a BB gun and, and you have an irrational fear of sea turtles…” Maria’s eyes went wide.

“Dominic… It is you!” She opened her arms wide and wrapped them around Dominic, the man eagerly returned the embrace. His bloody nose was staining her fatigues, but Maria didn’t care, it had been so long since she’d seen him, so long since she’d heard his voice and been near him. “I knew you were too stubborn to die!”

“Nah…” Dominic said with a bit of a catch in his voice. “I just promised I’d come get you, remember?” The two of them broke the hug and looked at each other silently, both of them smiling as their eyes watered. Jen and the others in the room didn’t dare make a sound, for two very different reasons. For Jen it was out of respect for the two of them, she knew just how much Dominic had thought of Maria, and visa versa. For the others, they had never seen Major Maria Valova smile. Ever.

“Let’s… Let’s sit down and talk. I want you to tell me everything.” Maria said with a bit more composure in her voice, Dominic responded with a warm smile and a nod. Dominic gestured to the bunk that he’d planned on taking and then sat down on the edge.

“Captain Poplawski, you can go…” Dominic said to Jen as Maria took a seat beside him, Jen blinked for a moment before nodding and looking at Smalls with a faint smile. The young man grabbed her hand and dragged her off to a group that was playing cards, asking many different questions along the way. Dominic reached down and picked up his hat and set it aside before he grabbed his bandana and put it against his nose to stop the bleeding. “I see you’ve been working on your right hook.”

“I’m sorry…” Maria said quietly as she tried to fuss over his nose, but he waved her hand away and eventually the bleeding stopped on its own. “I saw the jacket and I thought you were some scavenger or something…”

“That’s alright, I should’ve taken off my bandana before I came inside.” Dominic replied before he began to unbutton his jacket, meanwhile Maria took note of the belt he wore, specifically the revolver and the sword. Her eyes then went to the new patch on his jacket on the opposite side of the one she’d given him. “To be honest, I’ve had much worse over the last year.”

“What happened to you? Where’d you go? How did you get here?” Maria asked with genuine interest, Dominic chuckled quietly as he removed his jacket and set it aside with his belt.

“I got sucked through a portal in a refrigerator, then I got tossed into a brand new world where all manner of shit happened, and then I managed to bribe a deity into opening a portal back here so we could come and get you folks.” Dominic explained like it was nothing, he paused as Maria stared at him with a surprised expression. “You’ll never guess what world I ended up in, go ahead, guess.” Maria’s eyes shifted to the sword, taking note of the mark in the pommel, the mark of Princess Luna, just like the patch on his jacket.

“No fuckin’ way.” Maria said plainly, Dominic only nodded and leaned back a bit.

“Yup, princesses and all.” He said with a faint smile. “There were riots, a war or two broke out, I was almost eaten alive by a giant wooden dog after I was exiled, liberated a communist death camp.” Maria’s eyes only got wider as he continued to list the things that he’d seen on the other side. “All manner of shit that I don’t want to go into detail about, all leading up to me refounding our country, building an industry and a military, and coming here to save you, as well as our species…” The man reached into his jacket and withdrew a cigar, then paused and slipped it back in. For the first time he didn’t feel like he needed one. “So, yeah… It’s been a busy year.”

“Holy shit…” Maria said quietly as she rubbed her temples. “Did… Did you date any of the princesses there?” Dominic’s eyes widened at that question.

“After hearing all of that that’s the first thing you ask me?” His tone was certainly surprised, Maria nodded and sat up straight.

“Well, this is a happy occasion, I don’t want to ask about depressing shit.” Maria replied, Dominic blinked his eyes for a moment before looking at the floor in thought. “Is… Is this about what I said to you…? That day?” Dominic nodded quietly.

“I found out that you were alive the same day I found out Luna had feelings for me, and… I tried it for a while, but…” The man shook his head and looked at the floor. “She’s a pony, and as much as I care about her, she isn’t… Well… She isn’t you.”

“You turned down a princess for me?” Maria asked, Dominic was about to point out that it was for more reasons than that, but instead just nodded. Maria stared at him for a few moments before she leaned over and gave him a gentle hug. “That’s the sweetest thing I’ve heard in awhile.” Dominic just enjoyed the hug as he quietly sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“What about you?” The man finally asked as he looked over at her, Maria leaned back from the hug and puffed her cheeks before exhaling.

“Well, for the past four years I’ve been with these guys…” She gestured over her shoulder at the soldiers in the room. “At first we were clearing out the infected, then looking for survivors, and most recently we’ve been at war with the Empire of Light, there this nutjob group that’re trying to take over the whole state…”

“I heard about them from Capt-... Jen.” Dominic corrected himself as he looked over his shoulder at Jen, she was laughing and speaking with some of the other soldiers in the room. “We rolled in in tanks in case we ended up fighting them, among other things. We ran into them just after we came through the portal, actually, but they kept their distance.”

“I thought you did look a little like Rommel…” Maria commented as she examined the hat that she’d knocked off his head when she’d hit him. “It’s good to have you back, Dom… I was so sure you’d died. The EOL took over what’s left of Evergreen a couple months ago, and normally that means killing anyone living there.” The two of them lapsed into a bit of silence, Dominic wasn’t sure what else to say. He’d dreamed of this day, but never before had it actually seemed so possible. “What’s Luna like?” Maria’s question helped break the tension.

“She’s… Tough, and patient, and just a little mischievous…” Dominic hummed quietly as he looked up towards the ceiling. “She actually kinda reminds me of my mom.” He and Maria chuckled quietly at that. “And I was considering dating her… Paging Doctor Freud.”

“Dominic.” Maria said, her voice was a little more serious now, prompting the man to look at her with a raised eyebrow. “You and I… We never really got a chance to talk about what I said to you.” The man nodded silently and wiped his nose, clearing away some of the blood that had dried there. “I still feel that way about you, for our whole lives you were always there for me, and I stand by what I said. In the past four years I haven’t… Felt that way about anyone else.” Maria took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Do you feel that way about me? I mean, do you really feel that way?”

“The thing I’ve regretted most over the past four years is not realizing how you felt sooner…” Dominic said quietly as he slowly nodded. “So… Yes, I feel that way about you. I wouldn’t be sitting here if I didn’t.” Dominic straightened up and looked to the floor once again. “I’d toyed with the idea of coming here to save the rest of humanity, but I wasn’t sure if I’d do it or not… Knowing that I’d see you again was what made up my mind.” Maria leaned over once again and wrapped her arms around him, Dominic sighed quietly and contently at that warm embrace.

“Where do we go from here…?” Maria asked nervously, Dominic looked at her with a bit of uncertainty.

“I… I don’t know…” He admitted as he stared into her eyes, the shimmering pools filling him with a sense of calm he hadn’t had in a long time. They were beautiful, more gorgeous than he remembered them to be, they could rival the stars in Luna’s sky with their majesty. “I guess we just-” He was cut off as Maria pulled him closer, to his surprise he felt his lips pressed against hers. They were soft and warm and the act  itself seemed to have a calming effect. At first Dominic was a bit surprised, but after a moment he closed his eyes and let it play out until finally the two of them parted.

“Good start?” Maria asked with a smile as Dominic opened his eyes and looked at her with a bit of surprise, wordlessly he nodded. The two of them could tell the eyes of the soldiers in the room were on them once again, but they didn’t care. “Why don’t you tell me a little more, I’m curious, do they do herds in Equestria?” Dominic rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, but then began to speak.

Jen smiled faintly as she adjusted her uniform and watched Dominic and Maria from across the room. She was happy to see the man finally show a bit more of a sensitive side, even if it wasn’t with Princess Luna. The woman personally thought he and the princess would make a good pair as well, but she didn’t discount the possibility of a herd forming either, and she wondered what that would look like. Meanwhile, the Captain looked back to her former subordinate Smalls and his comrades.

“Holy shit… Did Major Valova just kiss that guy?” Asked one of the soldiers, a hispanic man that Jen realized was rather short. He had a big bushy black mustache and calloused hands. “Why can’t that ever happen to me, man?”

“Is that the guy she was pestering Baxter about finding?” Smalls mused, a couple eyes looked towards him. “Oh, right, some of you guys are new… The Major was a bit obsessive about this town she grew up in.”

“Evergreen.” Jen cut in, Smalls nodded and pointed at her. “To answer your question… Yes, that’s the guy we were looking for.”

“I can’t believe she just kissed him…” The hispanic man muttered. “A minute ago she was kicking his ass…”

“Dominic doesn’t kick ass unless he has to.” Jen corrected the man as she looked at the table in front of her. “He’s mellowed considerably since the first time I met him, if he’d really been fighting he probably would’ve put her in the hospital.” She paused and gestured for Smalls to deal her into the game of go fish. Without any real form of currency that was about the only game they could play. “To be honest, I’m pretty sure what we just saw is a couple years worth of repressed teenage hormones.”

“Makes sense…” The hispanic man commented before pausing. “Oh, by the way, name’s Miguel. New Mexico National Guard, managed to make it this far on foot after the the cartel’s schwacked our position.” Jen shook the man’s hand before she looked over her cards and hummed. “So, you came here with aliens? What’s their planet like? Do they have laser eyes or something?”

“You wouldn’t believe it.” Jen replied as she leaned back in her seat and set down a pair of cards on the table. “Their world is pretty much like ours, deserts, jungles, forests, and so on. Gems and gold are a lot more common there though, and they’ve got  what basically amounts to ‘magic’.” Jen began to explain more in detail about the ponies’ homeworld, doing her best to convince her present company that she wasn’t lying. Eventually most of the people in the room moved over to hear her better, save for Dominic and Maria. The two of them were chatting quietly, going a bit more into detail about what had happened since they’d been apart. After the somewhat awkward discussion about pony relationships that Dominic supposed was because Jen had always had a bit of a weird crush on Luna, they moved on to more serious matters.

The woman was enthralled by Dominic’s tales of his battle against the Red Wood Wolf that had nearly eaten him, of the battles he’d fought and the places he’d seen. He left out no detail, neither did he embellish anything. He told her all that had happened between him and Luna, how he’d trained, and through it all Maria listened honestly and attentively. When he’d finished his story the woman looked at him with a faint smile.

“And you said you’d never amount to anything.” She mused, Dominic shrugged quietly and rubbed the back of his neck. “Never thought I’d be playing soldier either, ya know?” Maria ran a hand over her head and felt her rather short hair. “I suppose it’s the least I can do since they saved me…” Maria noticed Dominic’s expression shift to one of quiet shame as he looked to the floor. “Stop that, there wasn’t anything you could’ve done… I survived, didn’t I? One way or another.” Dominic just nodded and sighed through his nose, Maria could tell from experience he’d be like that for a while if she didn’t do something to change the subject. “Hey, you remember that time we went to that carnival and those two kids came over?” Dominic looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Are you talking about the time we pretended to be German just to fuck with them?” He asked, Maria just nodded. Dominic looked at the floor and smiled faintly, then he chuckled and cleared his throat to throw on the cheesiest fake German accent he could fake. “Ja, of course I do, mein herr!” Dominic leaned back and chuckled. “And, they thought that gibberish we were speaking was spanish so they just kept saying ‘Si’.”

“Yeah!” Maria said as she pointed at him, both of them smiling once again. “Wasn’t that the day we got ditched?” Dominic paused and put a finger to his chin, then shook his head.

“Nah, that happened in junior high, when we went on that trip to San Diego.” He corrected, Maria hummed and shrugged before she saw that same sadness start to creep back into Dominic’s expression. “You ever wonder what happened to those kids?” Maria shrugged and leaned against the man’s shoulder.

“I assume they’re out there somewhere.” She said, Dominic nodded and ran a hand over his head. “Look, I get you were on your own for three years, that’s a lot of time to think about stuff that happened, and it generally ends up looking bad, but what’ve I always said?”

“The world won’t end if I relax a bit…” Dominic replied, Maria nodded with a smile and patted him on the back.

“We can’t change what’s already happened, and sometimes that hurts, but look at how far you’ve come now.” Maria saw him brighten a bit and she leaned up to give him a peck on the cheek, he paused and looked at her with that same sad smile of his. She’d grown to know that smile long before the outbreak, growing up Dominic had always been a bit of a sad soul, she supposed that was what had drawn Maria to him in the first place. He needed a friend, she needed someone to look out for her. “It’s… It’s nice to be able to do that, you know? I thought about it a lot over the years…”

“Not gonna lie, I kinda did too, a couple times…” Dominic admitted with a small blush before he looked at the floor again. The two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence before Dominic raised his arm and nervously put it over Maria’s shoulders, the woman sighed quietly and leaned her head further onto his shoulder, off in the corner he could hear hushed whispers. “I take it you’ve been yourself with these guys, they all seem shocked…”

“You could say I’ve been vocal…” Maria replied as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the close comfort. “Guess I have you to thank for that, with all those documentaries about Patton you made me sit through, guess I learned a thing or two after all.” She sighed once more. “They may hate my guts, but at least they respect me.” Another silence settled in, until after a couple minutes Dominic felt Maria trembling. He looked down at her and saw her quickly wipe her eyes. “S-Sorry… I’m just so happy, it’s all sinking in now…”

“Don’t worry about it.” Dominic replied softly before he let out a yawn, he was a bit surprised at how tired he was, but he supposed that interdimensional travel could really take it out of someone. “You tired?” Maria nodded silently, Dominic hummed before he kicked off his boots and left them near the side of the bed. “You wanna share my bunk? It’ll be like when you used to have those nightmares about the laser eyed sea turtles during our sleepovers.”

“Those turtles are vicious killing monsters…” Maria defended before she nodded. “And yes, I would love to… But, I’ve gotta play den mother to these guys you know?” Dominic just nodded again and turned his head, he hesitantly kissed the woman on the forehead before he relaxed his grip. “We’ll talk more tomorrow, I promise.” Maria stood up, pausing only to give the man a hug before walking towards her bunk across the room.

Dominic sighed quietly and laid down on the bunk, he began undoing his uniform shirt and once that was done he rested his head on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling as he normally did. Then his head turned to the side and he caught sight of Maria across the room, she was sitting on the edge of her bunk and working on a rifle. Dominic recognized it as Maria’s mother’s Mosin Nagant, with which he knew she was deadly accurate.

He couldn’t believe how much she’d changed, and yet, how much she’d stayed the same. His head turned back to face the ceiling and he closed his eyes, smiling faintly as he let sleep overtake him.

[♠]

The ruins of Denver were a far cry from the peaceful quiet of the mountains, in fact it was quite loud there. Thick smoke arose from numerous ‘factories’ that had been constructed in old buildings, factories intended to build terrifying weaponry and ammunition. In the streets old police cruisers patrolled the streets, each of them painted white and decorated with the sigil of the Empire of Light. They had been seized by the Empire two years before, when they had first purged the infected from the city, and they acted as an ever present reminder of just who was in charge.

The gold plated dome of what had once been the state capital building was illuminated by spotlights, and where once the state flag had flown, now flew the imperial banner of the truly righteous and superior faction. It was in that building that the Empress sat, looking out over the city with a smug smile as she adjusted her attire. The rather chunky blonde wore an ill fitting sailor uniform, one that she had acquired many years ago at an Anime convention, at her hip was a frighteningly flashy ‘katana’.

She had heard reports that her greatest foe, the ‘National Guard’, had just come into possession of some new form of vehicle. What it was she didn’t know, as her warriors had run off before they could be captured. Her name was Night Raven, at least, that was what she demanded her subjects address her as. Before the outbreak her name had been Amy Jackson, a boring and mundane name ill befitting a beautiful and radiant empress such as herself.

She turned away from the window of her office that had once belonged to the governor, pausing to stop at her desk and grab a pretzel from a bowl. She quickly ate it, and then another, and then another, before she brushed herself off and clapped her hands. The door to the office opened and a man in a black jacket and pants stepped inside, armed with an AK-47 and a sword of his own, he was the picture of one of her loyal footsoldiers.

“Your eminence.” The Imperial soldier said respectfully, Night Raven appreciated that for a moment before clearing her throat.

“How are our factories progressing? I have received word that the mundanes may be in possession of armored vehicles.” She said sternly, the soldier paused before reaching into his coat and withdrawing a sheet of paper.

“The thralls have been working far better now that we have offered them more rations, production of swords and ammunition has increased, and we’ve begun armoring the old earth movers.” The soldier stated as he read off the information, then handed it to the Empress. She read over it herself and hummed as she saw just how many rations the thralls were receiving. To her they were no more than animals, people she had had her forces steal from the wastes or buy from desperate families.

“These rations are too much.” The Empress declared, the man just nodded as she handed back the sheet of paper. “The threat of force will make them work just as hard and save us more resources. Order their masters to cut their rations, they must be equally distributed amongst the true citizens.”

“As you command, your eminence.” The soldier said with a bow before turning on his heel and walking to the door, only to pause. “I almost forgot, ma’am. A report from Lord Damneus has arrived for you, would you care to read it? It regards the… Creatures?” The Empress froze and turned to look at the soldier with a cold glare.

“Read it to me.” She demanded, the soldier nodded and reached into his coat once again to withdraw another sheet of paper.

“The creatures known as ‘The Colorado Kids’ have destroyed two of our armored units in the Evergreen territory and made off with a truck load of swords, which we believe they sunk in a lake…” The soldier read aloud, Night Raven reached to pretzel bowl on her desk and stuffed her face with a handful. “One of them left the following message… Partially by… Urinating in a snow bank, the rest it seemed he did with the blood of our dead.”

“What was his message?”

“Fuck you, you fat cunt, and the twinkie truck you rode in on.” The soldier read slowly, hearing those words caused the Empress to become triggered. She began eating the pretzels by the handful, all the while the soldier stood their quietly. In his mind he was furiously angry with his ‘supreme leader’ and her egotistical ways, but since she and her female followers had the ‘Empire of Light’ in a vice grip he could only stand there and take it. In a way the soldier was glad she forced her male soldiers to wear ski masks that hid their faces, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to hide his smile at reading the message to her.

“That… That… Insolent, misogynistic… SCUM!” The Empress shrieked, prompting the soldier to silently ponder just how the fuck she had come to power. “Order the thralls to focus on the armored units! We will flush that filthy pig out of the forest with a fist of iron.” The soldier nodded once again and quickly walked out of the room, making it look like he was going directly to the factory masters. 

In actuality he stopped to use the bathroom, get a snack, have a smoke, and then shoot the breeze with a couple other soldiers. Anything to delay the Empress’ ruling to the people toiling away in her deadly war machine. Unfortunately he had no choice but to eventually deliver the message, he had had many opportunities to eliminate the Empress. He knew that one of her followers would take her place, and that could prove even worse considering how extreme they all were.

The soldier let out another sigh as he went about his normal patrol of the city, walking past highrises that had been converted into luxurious housing for the ‘True Kin’. People who believed themselves to be some sort of deity trapped in human form, or spiritually a wolf or an elf or even a binary star. Mixed in among those buildings, of course, were the homes of the Empress’ followers. Nine in all, each more extreme than the last, and each supporting a rather large waistline while their citizens were barely fed.

And of course there were the small buildings, the ones that ‘regulars’ like him were allowed to enter, basically one step above living in slums. Then there were the underground garages, that was were the thralls were forced to live when they weren’t being used as forced labor or playthings for the sick and twisted upper class. The soldier hated how they were treated, but what could he do? He was one man in a world dominated by insane lunatics with guns and swords, part of him wished he could be sent out to find ‘The Colorado Kid’. He could atleast try to defect that way.

For the moment though, the nameless soldier went about his normal patrol, doing his best to overlook anything that the thralls did out of line and occasionally ‘misplacing’ some of his rations. The thralls knew who he was, and whenever they saw him they looked at him with thankful eyes, as they could never speak. That was why no matter how much he would’ve loved to defect, they were the reason that the soldier stayed. The Empire had perhaps a thousand people in it in total, fifteen hundred with the thralls, and they were all spread out over the state. Out of all those people, the soldier hoped that he wasn’t the only one doing what he did.

As the soldier continued along down his normal route he heard cries of anguish echoing from the window of a building. If it were any other building he would’ve investigated, but he recognized it as the officers club. Undoubtedly the cries were those of a thrall, no… A Woman. They were human beings, not animals. The foul practice of slavery that had been ended with a war hundreds of years ago had started anew, and it made the soldier sick to his stomach that he’d even thought of another human being as anything BUT a human being, even for a second.

He stopped outside the club and briefly gripped his AK-47 as he heard the cries get louder, sometimes he could hear begging for mercy. A tear rolled down his cheek as he contemplated busting into that building and shooting the bastards, but that wouldn’t solve the problem, it would only make things worse for the men and women being held in bondage. He closed his eyes and shook his head before he silently continued walking along. What else could he do?

[♠]

New Liberty bustled with activity in the wake of the first wave of expeditionary forces moving through the portal, reporters and foreign dignitaries were rushing about trying to get information for their respective bosses while the midday sun beat down upon them. The citizens that lived in the city had dispersed to go about doing their normal day’s work, though occasionally they would stop just to talk about what they had seen.

One man wasn’t letting the portal event get to him in the same ways as the others, as he was more concerned about one of the ones that had gone in rather than what could possibly come out. On earth he had been known by many names, ‘Jack Knife’ Johnny, the scrounger, and just plain Johnny. In New Liberty he carried a much different title, one that demanded the respect of his business rivals. Don Giovanni. 

Johnny quietly puffed on a cigar as he leaned back in his leather office chair, in front of him was his desk which had numerous papers and items strewn about it chaotically. It was oak and hoof crafted, he’d recently traded half a dozen cases of supplies to a pair of Equestrian Army doctors in return for the desk. He had to admit they’d had a bit of a sense of humor, they had taken the desk from their commanding officer.

At that moment everything was going swimmingly, his legitimate business in alcohol was booming, as was his bar, and he’d already been putting plans together to open a restaurant that sold authentic ‘human cuisine’. His other business was also going well, he’d gotten a new supplier of apples for his operation. They were far cheaper than getting them directly from the orchards and they had the same quality, mainly because they were stolen from said orchards.

His contacts in the town of Appleoosa had knocked over a supply train and offered him the apples that they really didn’t have a use for, they very well could’ve easily dumped them in the desert, but they respected him enough to offer him what he needed. The train cars had arrived earlier that day and his crew was going out there to inspect them, as he sat there he expected to hear his right hand stallion come in and tell him everything was going well in a minute or so.

Sure enough, there was a knock on the door a few minutes later, Johnny just hummed loudly as he puffed on his cigar. A moment later the door opened and two stallions entered, Oregano and Ball Peen. Ball Peen was Johnny’s second in command, and Oregano was a trusted enforcer. Johnny quickly noticed that there was more than them though, as they had a stallion with a bag over his head behind them.

“What the fuck?” Johnny asked quietly as the two stallions dragged the third inside and tossed him on the floor before Oregano closed the door. “Who the fuck is this?”

“Some mook that was hiding in the railcar, he say’s he’s a sheriff’s deputy and we’re ‘under arrest’.” Oregano said as he walked forwards, Johnny’s eyes widened at the mention of law enforcement. “Guess he was hiding in there to see who was borrowing the apples…”

“What should we do with him, boss?” Ball Peen asked, Johnny hummed quietly and walked around his desk, quietly adjusting his suit before crouching down to examine the stallion. He was light orange and had an apple cutie mark.

“He see your faces?” Johnny asked, the two stallions looked at each other for a moment before nodding. The man sighed quietly and pulled the bag off the deputy’s head, the stallion looked at him with wide eyes, his mouth was gagged by a bit of duct tape and Johnny could see that his legs had been bound similarly. “Damn shame… Looks like a good guy too…” The man stood up and straightened his suit once more. “So sad he got lost in the desert, doubt they’ll ever find him…” The stallion’s eyes went wide, meanwhile Oregano and Ball Peen looked at Johnny with stoic expressions. “Oregano, you know what to do…”

Oregano nodded and stepped forwards, grabbing the stallion and hoisting him over his shoulder and walking out of the office. Ball Peen lingered afterwards, it was clear he had more to say, Johnny just motioned for him to go ahead.

“Your supplier in Dodge Junction is coming for a visit tomorrow.” Ball Peen said, Johnny his finger as if to begin asking a question. “Remember you were thinking of expanding and using cherries as well as apples... She’s concerned about how we’re using her produce.” Johnny sighed and sat down in his seat, puffing on his cigar once more and shaking his head.

“She’s a business pony, the fuck should she care about how we use her product?” Johnny said with a scowl before he set his cigar down in an ashtray. “Fine… We’ll show her our operation, for now though… How’re things going with our contractor friend?”

“They’re going at contractor speed, what can you expect from those Canterlot creeps?” Ball Peen grumbled, Johnny shook his head. “I’ll get Anton to give them a little more incentive, after all, this is more than your house we’re talking about.”

“And you’re sure to pay them with proceeds from our legitimate business only, right?” Johnny asked, Ball Peen nodded. “Good. Alright, thanks Ball Peen, go help Oregano with our poor lost pony friend…” Ball Peen nodded and quietly walked out of the room, leaving Johnny to contemplate what was happening once again. The news he’d just heard was but a wrinkle in his plans to provide for his fiance.

His thoughts turned to Jen, the beautiful woman that he loved so dearly. She had gone through the portal earlier that morning, and now that his work had come to a lull, he was forced to confront the fears he felt for her. She was far away, in an entirely different world, and there wasn’t anything he could do to protect her. That was why he was instead preparing for her eventual return, he’d already picked out a beautiful spot of land where he planned to build a large house. The government had been more than happy to sell it to him considering just how much money he’d offered them.

Johnny sighed quietly as he thought more about what he was doing with his life, it almost felt like what he was doing was overkill. The criminal elements in this world were nowhere near as tough as the ones he’d encountered on earth, that was what had made it so easy for him to take over such a large portion of the underworld. He supposed that was the mark of a conqueror, but at the same time, he didn’t want to end up doing that forever. He had aspirations beyond power and money.

As he pursed his lips in thought he looked out the window, in the distance he could see the capitol, it seemed that the familiar face of Princess Luna was staring at him.

The mare was far more busy that the human she had spotted in the window for a few seconds, and it was for that reason that her gaze didn’t linger. Dominic’s departure had prompted many messages to flood her and her sister’s office, many of them amounting to using his absence to annex New Liberty back into Equestria. Others were trying to use her position as advisor to get the United States to enter into absolutely insane trade deals, it seemed that every company and several countries thought she had the authority to make such choices. Even if she did, she wouldn’t have.

She and Sonar, the pony chosen as ‘Vice President’, were going over more requests and demands than Luna thought possible. Surprisingly the quiet spectacled thestral mare was faring far better than Princess Luna, to the point where the Princess felt she was actually slowing the mare down. Occasionally Luna found herself drifting off into her own thoughts, despite all she did to try and focus, she had just watched the only person she had really cared about disappear into a dangerous violent world.

She had thought she’d be able to deal with his decision to try and court Maria over her, but the more that she thought of it, the more it began to hurt. She had played it off as her taking everything well, that it hadn’t bothered her, but deep down she couldn’t help but feel like her heart was broken. Luna would be willing to do anything to mend that feeling, even if it meant she had to share the man she loved, but she doubted that would ever happen. Still, she could dream, that was her normal job after all.

Her thoughts were cut short as another messenger entered the room, a diamond dog this time, she supposed it was because he had such large arms and could carry a much larger volume of paper than a normal pony or a changeling. Luna sighed as the soldier set down the papers and walked out of the room, undoubtedly to get more. Meanwhile a thestral stallion entered the room with an empty box to pick up the read papers and carry them out, just because they had to read them didn’t mean they had to respond to them. As such, a bonfire had been started outside for the sole purpose of burning pointless and stupid letters. Who knew crossing into another dimension could come with so much paperwork?

[♠]

The moonlight was obstructed by thick clouds as snow descended heavily upon the occupied town of Evergreen, it wasn’t like there was much to occupy, the EOL troops there were mainly focussing on not freezing to death more than anything else. Well, that and not being killed off by a pair of vicious hill folk that had a pentient for the macabre and a twisted sense of humor. The downtown area had been the first place purged of the infected, and now the EOL had set up their base of operations in the remains of a bar once called ‘Cactus Jacks’. It had been already prepared and supplied by whomever had been living there before they’d arrived.

They were currently waiting on a shipment of supplies that would help them try to flush out ‘The Colorado Kids’, the two vigilantes that had been targeting all of their supply trucks in the past weeks. As such, the EOL had put its soldiers out in force in the streets as they prepared for the incoming vehicle, thirteen in all. Losing trucks was very bad, as there was only so many of them, and fuel was scarce as it was.

“Looks like the fucks are lining the streets…” A man with a high and tight flat top muttered as he looked down on the town from a steep hill that was covered in trees, a pair of binoculars were pushed up against his eyes while beside him another man was readying his AK-47 and a remington hunting rifle. Both of them had been taken from dead EOL troops, and ammunition was in high supply after all that they had killed. “That shit pisses me off…”

“Everything pisses you off, Mike.” The man beside him replied quietly as he peeked through his scope down at the town. Both of them wore blue jeans, work boots, and heavy camouflage jackets. Mike wore an old stetson while his partner, a scruffy looking fellow by the name of Mark, wore an old leather cowboy hat.

“Not everything pisses me off, and it pisses me off when people say that.” Mike lowered the binoculars and looked over at Mark. “Hey, what do you wanna get for dinner?” Mark shrugged quietly as he lined up his sights on one of the officers, a fat man with a neckbeard. He wore a fedora, a suit, and an annoyingly decorated trench coat.

“I dunno, maybe we’ll have whatever Lord Neckbeard is having…” Mark mumbled as his finger eased over the trigger of his rifle, down the road he could hear the sound of a truck engine rumbling. “Speaking of dinner…” Mike knelt down and picked up the AK-47. “Go get ‘em.” Mike readied a round before he nodded and began to slide down the snowy hill. “And try to leave one alive this time, I’m tired of having to piss our messages in the snow.”

Mike just grunted and rolled as he reached the bottom of the hill, afterwards he stood up and approached the back of a pair of buildings with his rifle in his hand, his expression was one of annoyance as he straightened his hat on his head. It was cold out, and he was tired of having to deal with the EOL rather than relaxing with some good booze and his nudie mags in his hunting lodge. As he got closer to the edge of the building he paused and waited for the sound of the engine to get closer, he knew Mark would signal him when the time came.

Mike paused and quietly leaned out around the corner, he caught a glimpse of the officer who was wheezing from the cold and constantly adjusting his glasses. The truck came into view and a couple troops moved towards it, that was when there was a bang. The neckbeard’s leg burst into red mist as he fell down onto the snowy ground.

“Damn.” Mike said with a slight smirk before he popped out of his hiding place, the driver of the truck began to drive away but two quick shots from Mike’s rifle basically turned his chest into a fountain. The soldiers that had been scrambling at the shots began to fire at Mike, prompting the man to take cover behind the building once again. “You shoot like you look! Shitty!”

Three more bangs rang out from the forest, Mike poked his head out and saw that the three soldiers who were shooting at him were now laying flat in the snow, the man smirked and ran towards the truck, then took cover behind the front wheels as five guys opened up on him from a storefront on the opposite side of the street. He held his AK over the top and fired blindly, there was a groan that indicated that he’d at least hit one of them. Mike saw two muzzle flashes in the forest, afterwards there was a pair of screams and the shooting lessened.

Mike reloaded his rifle before popping up out of cover and taking several shots at his enemies in the storefront. Two more soldiers fell forwards through the window and landed in the snowy street, their blood stained the pure white snow as steam rose from the hot barrels of their rifles. 

“Forget hunting bears, this is a helluva lot more fun!” Mike shouted tauntingly as he took a mental count in his head, they’d only taken out nine of the original guys, plus the truck driver. That left four- there was another bang from the treeline- three to be dealt with.

Mike reloaded his rifle and carefully began moving down the street, his weapon at the ready as he looked for the last three. He passed by the screaming crying neckbeard that was laying in the street and clutching at his wounded leg, Mike ignored him and scanned several more storefronts.

“Come out you bastards! Fight like the pussy whipped men you are!” Mike yelled as he moved along, there was a yell from his left and an EOL troop burst out of a closed shop front door with a sword raised like some sort of banzai charge. Mike turned and stepped to the side, using the butt of his rifle to smack the attacker in the gut and send him sprawling to the ground. Before the EOL soldier could react Mike had popped two rounds in his face. “Don’t be afraid, you won’t trigger me! I know those bitches in charge have you all on a short leash, but we’re all guys here!”

“Pig!” A soldier shouted as he popped out from around a corner, Mike opened up on him while a bang from the woods echoed over the area. The soldier was perforated with more holes than a siv and fell to the ground in a bloody heap. Mike quickly swapped magazines once again, this time picking up one of the magazines on one of the dead soldiers by his feet.

“I got that one!” Mike called over his shoulder to the forest before walking a bit further along, he paused as he could hear nervous breathing off to his right, coming from within an alleyway that Mike was rather close to. “Come on, I won’t hurt you, I need you alive.” He quietly walked towards the alley way and paused before the last soldier revealed themselves. They walked out with their hands up and completely unarmed. “Son of a bitch…” Mike mused. He had yet to see a female EOL soldier, but now that he did it was a bit of a surprise.

“P-Please…” The woman said with a bit of a shiver in her voice, Mike lowered his weapon and gestured for her to move towards the truck with it. She nodded nervously and started walking, meanwhile Mike could see Mark making his way down the hill towards the wounded officer that was desperately trying to crawl away. “Wh-What are you going to do to me?”

“Well first I figured we’d start with the fingernail pulling and acid drips, then we’ll go from there.” Mike said with a bit of a shrug before shaking his head. “I’m kidding.” That didn’t help dissuade the woman’s fears as she got closer to her wounded commander and the sniper that had obliterated her comrades.

“Holy shit. Is that a fuckin’ girl?” Mark asked as he caught sight of the female troop, Mike nodded before he forcefully pushed the woman down on her knees beside the wounded commander who was now staring up at the two monsters of the forest. Mark sniffed the air for a moment, then paused and looked over at Mike. “Fuck man, did this guy shit himself?”

“‘course he did, he’s a good little bitch like that fat cunt wants him to be.” Mike replied cruelly as he readied a round in his rifle and pointed it at the neckbeard’s head. “What’d she tell you, huh? That you’re some sort of special snowflake? You’re a werewolf or something? That gives you the fuckin’ right to screw with other people’s lives?”

“Easy, Mike…” Mark said as he pushed his compatriot’s weapon away from the wounded man, the sniper pulled off his leather cowboy hat and ran a hand over his messy brown hair. “He’s an officer, could mean he’s got intel.” Mark knelt down in front of the guy who looked like he was pouting and in pain. “Come on, kid, spill it before my buddy here gets real mad.”

“Y-You think I’ll tell you anything, you… You mundane pigs! I am Lord Damneus, high elf commander!” ‘Lord Damneus’ cried out, even in the excruciating pain of his wounded leg. The woman soldier stared at him quietly, a bit surprised by his declaration. “Th-The Empress will make you suffer when her armored vehicles get here to slaughter you!”

“Armored vehicles you say?” Mark said as he tilted his head to the side, Damneus smiled smugly.

“Yeah! Two of them! You’ll never know what… Oh, shit…” The man mumbled as Mark stood up straight and adjusted his hat once more. He gestured to Mike and nodded, the other man smirked and grabbed the neckbeard by the collar of his jacket “L-Look, can’t we just talk about this?” He began to plead as Mike began dragging him away, whistling a quiet tune that was hauntingly joyful.

Mark meanwhile looked down at their female prisoner who was nervously watching Mike as he disappeared around the corner of a building with her former commander. The man cleared his throat and knelt down in front of her, and she looked at him fearfully as she imagined what horrible things his comrade was doing to Damneus.

“So, you’re a first.” Mark admitted as he wiped his somewhat dripping nose. “Normally Mike ends up killing everyone before I get a chance to chat with them.” His tone was friendly, with just a hint of intimidating monotone. “See, Mike really hates the EOL. I’m not too crazy about you myself, but him… Nevermind, I’m more interested in how well you can remember things.”

“I’m really good at it!” The woman said quickly and nervously. “I swear! I’ll do whatever you want and remember to do it!” Mark chuckled quietly and shook his head. “Please! I don’t want to die! I’ll do anything!”

“Why do they always say that…?” Mark mused for a moment before he shook his head. “Don’t worry, unlike you, we’re not accustomed to shooting prisoners…” There was the echo of a gunshot. “Most of the time.” The woman flinched nervously and looked around the corner where she heard the sickening whistle as Mike came back into view, without Damneus. “See, he was someone we’ve wanted to kill for a long time, since he was important to your chubby Empress.” Mark reached into his jacket and withdrew a pack of cigarettes, the paused and offered one to the woman. “You, on the other hand, are completely safe, so relax. Do you smoke?” The woman shook her head nervously.

“Alright then. I’ve got a simple task for you.” Mark lit his cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke into the cold wind, meanwhile the woman was watching as Mike began dragging the bodies of her dead friends and comrades towards the a spot a five feet behind the truck and rifling through their pockets for anything of value. She looked away when she saw him go into the back of the truck and withdraw a can of gasoline. “Go and tell your Empress we want her out of our mountains, and we’re tired of eating spam and beans, ask her if she can supply the next batch with something a bit more palatable. Easy enough, right?”

“Y-Yes!” The woman replied nervously before she heard a happy cheer from the back of the truck.

“Holy fuck, man! They sent actual meat this time!” Mike said as he looked over at Mark and the woman before he went back to going through the truck.

“Go on then, I’m sure there’s some way you can get out of here…” Mark said before he paused and frowned. “Of course, if you go to her looking completely fine she’ll think you talked, and then she’ll kill you. So, forgive me for doing this, but…” Mark reeled back and punched the woman in the face as hard as he could, causing her eye to swell and her nose to bleed. “Again, really sorry to do that to a woman, but it’s for your own good… Now, I’m just gonna turn around and leave you completely unguarded, I hope you don’t escape…” Mark turned around and crossed his arms quietly, the woman scrambled to her feet and ran off, crying loudly as tears of fear and anguish ran down her cheeks.

Mark turned around once again and shrugged before walking to the truck and helping Mike unload several bundles of supplies, including jugs of gasoline they intended to use against the Empress’ armored units. They’d seen one such unit before, it was basically a bulldozer with metal welded to either side and no real way of defending itself. Once they had gotten what they needed from the truck, the two men doused it and the bodies in gasoline before setting them on fire and taking their newfound supplies back with them into the forest. Behind them they left a path of fire, death, and destruction. The flames eventually hit the fuel tank of the truck, resulting in a large explosion that spread fire to a couple of the surrounding buildings and caught them ablaze as well.

As the fires burned into the night, it was clear the wastelands of Colorado were still a very dangerous place, even with the infected threat substantially reduced by both weather and efforts to exterminate them. For all those involved, the coming months would prove to be hard fought and many lives would be lost in their course. All they could do was hope they wouldn’t be counted among the dead.

> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dominic twisted and turned on his bunk as the morning light began to filter through the windows of the building, on top of the cold he was also having some rather intense nightmares that couldn’t quite be quantified. Images of the people he loved in great suffering, cities burning, and general disaster haunted his tired mind. That was, until his mind had had enough. The man sat upright, breathing heavily as he shook off the nightmares and looked around the room.

The others were asleep, including Maria and Jen, and for the first time Dominic felt like he was truly on his own again. The man silently pulled on his boots and jacket, then set his cap atop his head and walked to the door. As he went he tightened his belt and rested a gloved hand on the hilt of his blade for some sense of security, at the door he paused and looked over his shoulder at the soldiers behind him. With a sigh the man quickly stepped outside and reached to his pocket to withdraw a cigar, he was quick to bite off the cap and light then with a wood match as he began walking out into the shanty town.

The clouds had cleared over the night and a familiar blue sky just seemed to stretch on for miles and miles, Dominic faintly smiled as he made his way through the snow until he’d reached a bit of an overlook. He put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath as he looked out over the snow covered fields and woods that surrounded Pikes Peak, the beauty of his homeland was something he had missed for a long while. The man’s expression shifted to one of melancholy as he thought of all the suffering that was happening out in that vast beautiful expanse.

Dominic exhaled a puff of smoke from his cigar as he turned away from the view and started walking back towards the town. It seemed that almost everyone was asleep, there wasn’t even a soldier on patrol, and as Dominic stuffed his free hand in his pocket he felt a familiar lonesome ache settle into his chilly bones. He paused as he walked past a rather shaky looking building made of corrugated tin and pallet wood, the soft sound of someone picking a guitar echoed through the wall.

The man quietly walked towards the building and took note that it seemed to be some sort of bar, if the sign was anything to go by. He pushed the front door open and stepped inside, momentarily looking around. It was small, and even as he removed his hat his head was still no more than an inch or so from the ceiling. There were no more than three tables spread out about the small square room, each of them had a pair of mismatched chairs, and the bar wasn’t anything more than a couple crates lined up sideways.

A single man was sitting in one of the chairs with a couple empty beer bottles on his table, he was strumming away quietly at a six string without any rhyme or reason. Dressed in fatigues, he was a soldier for sure. As Dominic got closer he soon realized that it was none other than Colonel Baxter, the older man looked at him with a raised eyebrow before gesturing for Dominic to sit down.

“You have some sort of alien psychic powers…?” Baxter said quietly as Dominic sat down and adjusted his seat. “Just as I was about to get up and grab you, you just walk in.” Dominic set his hat on the table and puffed on his cigar quietly.

“Couldn’t sleep.” The younger man replied, Baxter set his guitar down and turned to face his newest visitor with an appraising eye. “I take it that’s why you’re here too?” The Colonel nodded in response.

“Been thinking on what you said about ‘saving’ our people…” Baxter said as he interlocked his fingers and looked Dominic in the eye. “What would we have to do in order for that to happen?” Dominic paused for a moment as he puffed on his cigar and looked off as if thinking for a moment, when he exhaled he began to speak.

“Well, first we’d send them through the portal, on the other side we’ve got a hospital and other places where we can check them out, get them fed, clean clothing, and so on.” Dominic began to explain, Baxter continued to look him in the eyes. “From there they’d be set up in a refugee housing block, or some other form of structure, where we’d give them a decent amount of currency.” The man paused and looked at the table for the moment. “There’s one thing though, and that has to do with weaponry.”

“What about weaponry?” Baxter asked, his mustache hair bristling in anticipation.

“Some folk on the other side were concerned about human weaponry being brought through and left unsecure, what we’d need to do is examine anything going through.” Dominic explained as he puffed on his cigar and continued to stare Baxter in the eyes. “Basically like a normal gun registration and so on, I’ve already set up the forms and channels…”

“That sounds reasonable, Mister Occisor.” Baxter said as he leaned back in his seat and stopped his intense stare. “We’ve got a lot of civilians here that we could do very well without, that’s not to sound cruel, but every one of them is one more person to worry about feeding or taking care of.” Dominic nodded in understanding as he too leaned back in his seat and puffed on his cigar, the smoke rose into the air in little wisps of grey. “With the EOL breathing down our necks, I’d feel a lot better knowing they were some place safe.”

“You have my word as an officer, no harm will come to them while in my care.” Dominic said seriously, Baxter stared him in the eye for a moment or two before nodding quietly. “Speaking of the EOL-” Before Dominic could continue the door to the bar burst open and a tired looking man ran in with a slip of paper in his hand.

“Colonel, sir!” The soldier said as he offered the paper to his commander. “The Colorado Kids torched downtown Evergreen last night.” Dominic sat up straight in his seat at the mention of his home town. “Only building to survive was that bar by the river, it looks like they took out another supply truck and thirteen troops.”

“Fucking brilliant.” Baxter said as he looked over the paper, a slight smirk crossing his lips. The Colonel gestured for the soldier to leave and slid the paper across the table to Dominic “I don’t know who the hell these guys are, but I wanna give ‘em both medals.” The younger man picked up the paper and silently read about how the downtown portion of his hometown had been destroyed, at least the residential areas had survived as fully intended on returning to his home one day. “They’ve got Empress Raven in such a fit, she’s focusing more on killing them than on killing us.”

“Us.” Dominic said quietly as he set the paper down. “I assume that means we’re getting somewhere?” Baxter nodded and offered his hand to Dominic, the man nodded and shook it firmly. “If my General was here, he’d say we should hit their closest base with everything we had, but I don’t know what their base even looks like.” The man shrugged quietly and puffed on his cigar again. “Then again, we may have a way of finding out.”

“That shouldn’t be necessary yet.” Baxter said as he picked up his guitar again and began to tune it quietly. “We’ve got an opening to start moving the civies out and your troops in, I suggest we take it.” Dominic paused for a moment before nodding, he’d differ to Baxter’s judgement here, as Baxter was far more experienced in fighting the EOL.

“The portal should appear in a couple hours, give or take a few…” Dominic said as he tapped the ashes of his cigar into an empty beer bottle. “We should have five more tanks coming through, plus a hundred or so ground troops.” Baxter hummed for a moment as he examined Dominic’s cigar, after a moment the young man took note and reached into his pocket to withdraw another one. The colonel took it and bit off the cap, Dominic lit it for him and after a few puffs his eyes widened.

“Damn…” The colonel said as he exhaled. “What is that, cuban?” Dominic shook his head and leaned back in his seat once again.

“Equestrian.” He said simply, Baxter hummed and looked at the cigar for a moment. After a couple silent minutes the Colonel cleared his throat and leaned forwards, Dominic leaned forwards as well to better look his new ally in the eyes.

“So, I heard tell from a couple sentries you and Major Valova seemed to hit it off last night.” The Colonel said evenly, Dominic puffed on his cigar but didn’t say anything. “Now, what the Major does in her own time is her own business, but I want to know what makes you so goddamn special.” The Colonel looked the man right in the eyes, Dominic’s own gaze was unwavering. “Not that I’m interested, but she’s sent at least five guys to the infirmary for trying to make a move on her.”

“I told you this was all for a girl, right?” Dominic said simply, he leaned back in his seat and sighed. “We grew up together, and when Evergreen fell I pulled her out of a burning building, I’d promised her I’d come and get her if anything happened. Kind of hard to break a bond like that I guess.” Baxter just hummed and smirked quietly.

“Well that helps put my fears to rest a tad, seems you’ve made good on your promise to her. Just don’t let your feelings get in the way, son, that’s a sure way of getting killed.” He commented before he leaned back in his seat and reached into one of his pockets, from within he pulled the bottom portion of a can with a couple rungs cut into it. He set it on the table and set his cigar in one of the rungs, Dominic got the idea and put his own in the makeshift ashtray as well. “You a music man, Dominic?”

“You could say that… To be honest I’m a bit of a Johnny Cash fan.” Dominic replied, Baxter chuckled and grabbed his guitar and gave it a few strums of the guitar. “Is that Man in Black?” Baxter nodded and Dominic smiled a bit. “That’s pretty good, wish I could play like that.”

“Meh, maybe I’ll teach you, hell half the guys around here don’t even know who Cash was, damn shame if you ask me.” Baxter set his guitar down and picked up his cigar once again, the smoke was a bit thick and that was something that he liked. “If you’re looking for something to do while we wait for everyone to wake up, I was gonna go out and do some supply gathering, wanna tag along?”

“Isn’t that a bit dangerous considering you’re the commanding officer?” Dominic asked, Baxter shrugged and puffed on his cigar.

“You’re right, but it’s something that helps me relax. If I want something right, I generally like to do it myself.” The Colonel replied, Dominic paused at his explanation before he shrugged and stood up.

“Alright then, why don’t we take one of my tanks then? We’ll be able to carry more stuff.” The younger man suggested, Baxter chuckled as he rose out of his seat and began walking to the door with Dominic behind him.

“I like the way you think.” Baxter commented as the two of them stepped out into the cool morning light and closed the door behind them. Dominic took a moment to enjoy the fresh air once more before he continued following Baxter towards the train station. “Normally Major Valova comes with me on these trips, so she may be waiting for us when we get there. If she is I don’t want you making googoo eyes the whole damn time, I’m too old to put up with that shit.”

“I’ll do my best, Colonel.” Dominic replied as he put his cap atop his head and puffed on his cigar, Baxter meanwhile extinguished the cigar and slipped it into his jacket pocket for later use. Dominic hadn’t seen just how shoddy the town looked the night before, but as he walked through it he couldn’t believe that it was inhabited by people. Now that more time had passed he could see that there was some activity in the windows, occasionally he’d spot someone looking out at him.

Soon the pair had arrived at the station where the cog train was parked and waiting, sure enough Dominic caught sight of Maria standing on the platform in a brown cloak that looked like it had been decorated to be somewhat camouflaging. She had her mosin over one shoulder and as the sun passed over her Dominic could see her somewhat pale skin giving off an almost angelic glow. The woman caught sight of him quickly and smiled as he stepped onto the platform with Baxter, Maria gave the Colonel a salute before she walked forwards and hugged Dominic.

“What’re you doing here? I didn’t see you when I woke up, I figured you’d gone to the bathroom or something.” She said as she let go of him, Dominic shook his head and smirked.

“Colonel wanted to go for supplies, I offered to let him use my tank.” He said, Maria hummed in thought, she hadn’t seen the fabled tanks that Dominic had told her about. Part of her worried about bringing Dominic along with her and the Colonel, mainly because she didn’t want to put him at risk. On the other side, he was going to be in a tank.

“Sounds fun, I call shotgun!” Maria said with a smile, Dominic nodded with a good natured look in his eyes before the three of them stepped onto the train. Baxter walked to the control box and pushed a few buttons, allowing the train to start down the tracks towards the bottom of the hill. Dominic walked to one of the windows and looked out once again at the vast landscape, his hands clasped behind his back. Maria walked up beside him and hummed as she too looked out at the snow covered fields. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Dominic replied quietly as he took a final puff on his cigar before he tossed it out the window into the snow. “That’s your mom’s Mosin, right?” Maria nodded silently. “The fire didn’t get it? I was sure it would’ve burned up…”

“She had it with her when she and dad ran out to get some last minute supplies, I found it a while ago when I went scouting up by the old Safeway, before the EOL took over Evergreen.” Maria replied quietly, Dominic looked at her for a moment before he put his arm over her shoulder. He could hear the hurt in her voice, there was certainly more to that story than she let on, but Dominic knew that if she wanted him to know she’d tell him. “Thanks, Dom…”

“No problem.” Dominic replied, after a few minutes he hummed quietly. Maria looked at him with a raised eyebrow, considering she was a head shorter than him Dominic couldn’t help but find it a bit cute, after a few seconds she realized what song he was humming and her eyes widened.

“Stop it.” She said with a bit of a blush. “I mean it! You know how that song gets stuck in my head.” Dominic’s smile only grew wider as he continued humming and tapping his foot, then he began nodding his head. “C’mon, Dominic! Stoooop.” It was a Swedish song that Dominic had downloaded so many years ago just to mess with Maria and cheer her up. She tried to deny that she liked it, but Dominic had stopped believing that the time he’d walked in on her dancing to it.

“Fine. We’ll just listen to it in the car… Tank… Whatever.” Dominic said as he stopped humming before he pulled Maria a little closer. The man paused and looked down at the woman for a moment. “Hey, did any radio stations survive? Like, is there some guy like ‘Three Dog’ out there or something?” Maria chuckled for a moment before she nodded, the train was getting closer to the ground now, and Colonel Baxter had resigned himself to watching the two of them from the control console.

“There’s Ghost Peak Radio, it’s run by this lady named Andreina out somewhere in the foothills, my money is on her being near the Mother Cabrini shrine on that big hill top overlooking I-Seventy.” Maria mused as she slipped out from Dominic’s arm in order to begin looking over her rifle, Dominic hummed quietly and leaned against a handrailing installed in the wall of the train. “You wouldn’t like it though, she only plays electronic stuff, no metal.”

“Darn…” Dominic said as he looked over at her with a slight smile. “Guess we’ll just have to sit and talk like normal people.”

“Guess so.” Maria hummed as she slipped a round into the rifle’s chamber and slung it over her shoulder again. “Oh, hey, did you hear what happened in Evergreen last night?” Dominic nodded and quietly cast a quick look over at Colonel Baxter. The older man was still watching them as he puffed on his cigar. “I really hope our neighborhood survived, it’d suck if we couldn’t go back there now that you’re here.”

“The report I saw said the residential areas were safe.” Dominic said with a shrug as the train started passing by a couple trees. “I wonder if my dirt bike is still there…” Maria gave a bit of a laugh, the lyrical sound caused Dominic to smile a bit wider.

“You hardly ever rode it.” Maria replied as she looked at him with a smile. “Why the hell do you care if it’s still there?” Dominic shrugged again.

“Because I miss it.” He said simply. “I didn’t get to ride it because at the time there wasn’t anywhere I could ride it. Now there’s no silly laws about ‘Private Property’, I could ride it wherever I wanted.” The man sighed quietly as he reached into his pocket, his fingers brushed against Luna’s feather for a moment, a bit of guilt went through him as he thought of her. After a second thought he continued to feel around, unfortunately it seemed he was out of cigars. “It was also a piece of shit, if you recall.”

“Yeah, how many times did you have to fix that damn thing?” Maria asked, Dominic shrugged and looked out the window again. It seemed the train was pulling into the station now, several soldiers were waiting to board it and head back up the mountain. Maria adjusted her grip on her Mosin once again before she brushed a bit of her hair out of her eyes. Dominic and her walked towards the door as the train came to a stop, they were soon joined by Baxter.

“I prefer to think of it as a learning experience.” Dominic said with a shrug as the doors opened and he stepped out before offering his hand to Maria, she smiled faintly and took it while the other soldiers boarded and Baxter stepped off behind them. “I learned that any dirt bike selling for a hundred dollars online is probably a piece of junk. Now, two hundred dollars, that’s a different story…”

“Dominic, what did I say earlier? Enough of that mushy talk, get your head in the game, soldier.”  Baxter cut in as he walked ahead of them through the station, passing by a couple troops sleeping on the benches that had been converted to cots. They paused momentarily as Baxter went to his office to give word to get the civilians ready for transport, and to notify the radio operators that the newcomers had become allies. It was an awkward wait, but Baxter returned soon enough. Dominic rubbed the back of his neck quietly as the three of them stepped outside, for the first time Maria could see the tanks. They reminded her of the old Stuart tanks she’d seen in all those documentaries that Dominic had made her sit through years ago.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding about them…” Maria mused as Dominic began walking towards the first tank in the line, the two others followed behind him as his boots crunched the snow underfoot. “What’s the max speed you can get out of these guys?”

“On a flat surface we managed to get it up to forty miles an hour.” Dominic said as he pulled himself up the grey behemoth and opened the hatch, Maria followed him, and then Baxter. “I’ll drive.” The commander climbed into the tank and shimmied down to the driver’s seat, adjusting it to better fit him as he was much larger than Gear Grinder. Maria slid in next and slipped her mosin into a gap beside Dominic, she took the gunner’s seat and looked around with a bit of awe as Colonel Baxter climbed in and looked around.

“Huh, dunno why I expected it to be weird and glowy.” The man mumbled, Dominic removed his officer’s cap and reached under the command seat to withdraw his old steel pot.

“Alright folks, put on your headsets.” Dominic said as he pulled on a pair of ear cuffs that had been designed to fit under a helmet, said helmet was quickly put on his head. Maria and Baxter slipped on their headsets while Dominic hooked up his music player, he wouldn’t play anything yet, but it helped to be safe. The man leaned forwards and pulled the starter switch, the engine rumbled to life as the vehicle began to vibrate. “Alright, we’re about to head out, Maria do me a favor and hit the right facing arrow in front of you, hold it until I tell you to stop.” Maria nodded and pushed the button, there was a slight lurch as the turret rotated forwards, when it was all the way forwards Dominic held up his hand. “Beautiful. Alright, Colonel. Where to?”

“Take us out of the compound, I’ll guide you to it.” Baxter replied as he stood up out of the turret and signaled the gate guards to open the gate. Dominic pushed open the driver’s hatch to let in a bit of fresh air and get a better look at the road ahead. The gate was opened quickly and Dominic began rolling forwards, the tank tracks squeaked and snow that had accumulated the night before was shaking loose of the vehicle. “Happened to notice you don’t have any MGs mounted on this thing.”

“Don’t have the know how to make ‘em yet, sir. Kinda had to start from the beginning again, you know?” Dominic replied as the rolled past the gate and started down the snowy road, the Colonel hummed at the revelation and Maria could see him rubbing his chin in thought. Dominic hummed quietly to himself, once again interjecting a couple lyrics as he did so. “... On the road again… Goin’ places that I never been…”

“Dominic, please, no country music.” Maria cut in, Dominic shrugged quietly and stopped his humming. The woman meanwhile leaned back in the gunner seat and looked around, the tank certainly was interesting, especially since it had been pretty much by her sort-of-boyfriend. She wasn’t sure where their relationship was, but so far things seemed to be going well. “You didn’t have to stop entirely, but you know I don’t like country.”

“What’s wrong with country, Major?” Baxter asked as he momentarily looked down from his place in the turret, Maria shrugged and rubbed her shoulders as she was a tad chilly.

“I dunno, guess I never caught the bug like he did.” She retorted, the Colonel shrugged and leaned back against the hatch of the tank. It felt oddly empowering to be riding high in a tank with the wind in his hair, the closest he’d ever gotten to it was when he’d used to drive his convertible.

“I know what music you like, don’t worry.” Dominic said with a grin, he laughed heartily as he felt Maria give him a swift kick. The tank continued rolling down the road for a few minutes, occasionally Dominic would drive past abandoned vehicles in the road, up ahead he could see a familiar looking sight. The bar that they had driven past the night before, it seemed there were a couple drunk patrons stumbling off in various directions while a couple were overlooking six bodies in the snow.

Dominic slowed the tank down as they got closer and eventually came to a complete stop next to the bodies and their overlookers, Colonel Baxter didn’t seem to protest. The two guys standing there raised an eyebrow at the vehicle before walking over and leaning against the front of the armored vehicle.

“What’s the story?” Baxter asked as he gestured to the six dead guys in the snow, Dominic recognized at least one of them as one of the EOL soldiers he’d seen in the woods the night before. The two guys that had been standing over them cleared their throats before the first one started talking.

“These EOL fucks came in and tried to shoot up the place, we took care of ‘em though.” The man, an older fellow like the Colonel with mutton chops and a blue wool peacoat, explained before he kicked one of the dead bodies with one of his boots. Dominic noted a couple AK-47s lined up beside the bodies, something that wasn’t lost on the second man.

“You lookin’ to buy?” He said as he walked towards the driver’s hatch while Colonel Baxter and the first man started talking more in detail about the previous night’s incident. Dominic shrugged before he felt a tap on his shoulder, the man looked over his shoulder and spotted Maria who quietly gestured for him to lean back. Once he did she leaned forwards and whispered into his ear.

“Ask him to see the real guns, this guy’s been selling junk guns for years.” She warned, Dominic nodded quietly and reached into his jacket to withdraw a couple gold bits. The man outside saw the flashy metal and his eyes widened, mainly because gold was still somewhat valuable in the post apocalypse economy. There was always some jerk looking to gold plate a gun or something along those lines.

“Show me the actual pieces and I’ll consider it.” Dominic said as he adjusted his helmet and shut down the tank’s engine to conserve fuel. The man outside quickly nodded and walked behind the pile of bodies to pick up a very clean looking rifle, it looked far better than the ones laid out in the snow. He walked to the tank and held it up for Dominic to view and the commander leaned out of the driver’s hatch and looked over the gun for any minute damage, he also checked that the cleaning kit was present. “What’s the ammo cost with this?”

“If you’re paying in gold, I’ll give you eight magazines free! Of course, the gun will be more expensive!” The man replied with a cheeky smirk, Dominic just gave him a somewhat annoyed expression before reaching into his jacket and withdrawing several other pieces of gold.

“That’s about all I’ve got on me.” He said as he offered them to the man, the man with the AK examined them carefully and raised an eyebrow at the strange language and pictures. He didn’t know gold from pyrite, so as far as he knew they looked legitimate. On the other side, Dominic actually had many more pieces like that in his bag and in his jacket. “Will you throw in a second one for free?”

“Eh… You’ve got an honest face. Alright, but that’s it!” The man said as he slipped Dominic the first rifle through the driver’s hatch, Dominic set it down beside him before he took the magazines from the gun merchant, and finally the second rifle. “Why do you want two of them?”

“I have my reasons.” Dominic said simply before he smiled and closed the driver’s hatch, after a couple seconds he felt another tap on his shoulder and Maria looked at him with an expression that was asking the same question. “One’s for me, the other I’m sending back to my R and D guys.” Dominic took the second rifle and a magazine and stashed them back under the commander seat, leaving his own rifle beside him.

“Think that’s really a good idea?” Maria asked, Dominic leaned back in his seat and sighed.

“Well, it’s either that or we come through with single shot crossbows and swords and no back up. Our magic based weapons are useless against humans.” He explained as he looked at the rifle beside him and picked it up, he’d only seen an AK up close once before when he’d visited a gun show with Maria for her sixteenth birthday. This one appeared to be of the Soviet era, if the hammer and sickle engraving and russian text was anything to go by. Maria hummed quietly as she heard Dominic’s explanation, she hated to admit he had a bit of a point.

“Well, when we stop next I’ll get out and show you how to use that thing, it’s not like shooting a shotgun.” Maria said as she leaned back in her seat and looked over at the Colonel’s legs, he was still chatting with the man outside about the dead EOL troops. “You want to put on some music or something? He’s gonna be up there for a while, these two guys love to chat.” Dominic shrugged and picked up his music player before adjusting his headset, he flicked through a couple of the saved songs and settled on one what he’d taken a liking to. 

Dominic leaned his head back and listened to the music, Maria quietly watched him for a moment before she too began paying attention to the song. It was a rather interesting song about tanks oddly enough, Sabaton if she remembered the bands he liked correctly, Maria could see why perhaps Dominic connected with it. She chuckled quietly as she saw him start to air guitar as if he wasn’t being watched, when he heard her giggling he blushed and stopped, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

“Now who’s the cute one, eh?” Maria asked as she leaned forwards and patted his helmet, the man just sighed and shook his head as he leaned forwards to look outside. “You’re such a silly willy.”

“A silly willy?” Dominic asked as he looked over his shoulder. “What, are we in first grade?” Maria laughed and gave him a raspberry, Dominic responded by making his silly face, and that continued for about twenty seconds.

“I know you are but what am I!” Maria said in a nasally tone before Colonel Baxter crouched down in the turret and gave both of them the look of an annoyed parent. Dominic and Maria quickly quieted down and awkwardly looked at the floor, the Colonel popped back up and quickly said his goodbyes to the fellow he’d been speaking with before he cleared his throat and put his headset back on.

“Alright you lovebirds, time to roll out.” The Colonel said, Dominic pulled the starter and the engine rumbled to life once more. “Take us down to the crossroads, from there turn right.” Dominic nodded and began driving down the road once again, this time pouring on a bit more speed as he listened to his metal music. The tracks continued to squeal and squeak as they tore through the snow that covered the ground, Dominic didn’t let that bother him though as he pushed his hatch open again and let the chilly cold breeze hit his cheeks.

A comfortable silence settled over the vehicle, Maria took that time to go over her rifle once again while Baxter enjoyed the feeling of commanding from a vehicle. He would have to see about getting one of these tanks for himself, but for now he was focused on the scavenging mission. Dominic was a bit more focused on what those six dead EOL troops seemed to indicate, the Empire was getting frisky, and that perhaps meant an attack would come soon. He reached to the radio and changed channels from the internal intercom to channel nineteen.

“Night Eagle calling CNG Control.” He said, that got the attention of Maria and Baxter.

”Go ahead, Commander.” A voice replied.

“Notify the crews of Visigoth and Mirage they’re on guard duty down by the gate, with their vehicles.” Dominic ordered, there was a simple ‘Affirmative’ and Dominic switched back to the internal comms. “Something about those dead guys didn’t sit right with me, better safe than sorry, right?” Baxter nodded silently while Maria shrugged and went back to her rifle, Dominic added a bit more speed as a different metal song began playing over the sound system.

Eventually the crossroads came into view and Dominic prepared to make the turn, the sun was higher in the sky now and it reflected off the snow. It was nearly impossible for Dominic to see the road ahead without squinting, so he reached forwards and lowered the driver’s hatch with a bit of a thud. That made it a bit easier on his eyes as he turned right, on the right side of the road was a large amount of trees while on the left he could see an old ranch house, a barn and a wide expanse of farmland.

“Hey, Dominic?” Maria called out, the man hummed and looked over his shoulder. “You ever wonder about pumpkins? Like, are they a vegetable or a fruit?” Dominic shrugged and went back to looking out the view slit.

“I assume they’re some sort of fruit, they’ve got seeds in ‘em.” He replied with a somewhat curious tone, after a few seconds he looked over his shoulder again. “Why’d you ask?”

“Just something I’ve always wondered about is all, and you always seemed to know that stuff better than me.” Maria replied, Dominic shrugged again and went back to driving the tank, his vision occasionally shifted over to the barn until it had disappeared out of sight. “Hey, Dominic?” The man hummed once again. “Do you think Luna would like me?”

“Yeah, she’s really nice once you get past the whole ‘I can move the stars and moon’ thing.” Dominic replied, Maria got quiet after that. “Or, did you mean something else.” He looked over his shoulder once again, he could see the woman looking at the floor quietly. “Come on, Maria. What’s on your mind?”

“I dunno, it’s just… Look, can we talk about it later?” Maria asked as she gestured with her head towards Colonel Baxter who was still standing in the turret and watching the trees as they drove along. Dominic caught the hint and nodded before he leaned forwards and looked out the view slit, the group continued driving along, passing a couple ruined buildings and a bus that had seemed to have been burned to nothing but a skeleton some time ago. Dominic could see more than a few bones among the metal wreckage, though all of them were covered in a dusting of snow.

The drive lasted for another half an hour before Colonel Baxter cleared his throat, Dominic could see there was a rather large building come up with a fence outside of it. It was clear that this building was a Costco, one of the largest stores to buy in bulk from before the Fall of Society. The parking lot was filled with cars and other vehicles that had been left abandoned, Dominic didn’t see them as much of an obstacle though. He dropped the speed of the vehicle down a bit as he approached a car, which began to groan and crunch as Dominic drove over it in the tank. The movement jostled him and the others around, but it sure beat having to look for a way around.

He repeated the action several times until he’d finally reached the front of the store, the sliding doors were wide open and numerous boxes were strewn about inside, it seemed there was snow inside as well, and the only light he could see was coming from holes in the roof where skylights had failed and fallen inward. Dominic killed the engine and looked behind him at Maria and Colonel Baxter.

“Well, we’re here.” He said simply before he pulled the operator key from the tank’s control panel, that would ensure any passing schmuck couldn’t make off with fifty thousand bits in military equipment. Afterwards he pushed open the driver hatch and wriggled out into the snow, once he was outside he reached through the hatch and grabbed his new rifle as well as three magazines. Colonel Baxter and Maria meanwhile climbed out of the turret and landed in the snow with a couple soft thuds, the two of them brushed themselves off  and Colonel Baxter began walking ahead.

“Let’s head inside, I doubt we’ll find anything really important, but you never know with places like this.” He said as he walked through the doors, reaching to his belt and withdrawing his service pistol, Dominic and Maria watched him disappear in the dark for a moment before shrugging and following behind him. The two of them stuck close to each other, partly for warmth in the cold air, and partly because the Costco was very spooky. It was very large, very dark, and Maria had heard tales of a doomsday cult that liked to carry out rituals on the roof.

The two of them could hear Colonel Baxter off in one part of the store, and assumed that since he hadn’t told them to follow that they were on their own. Dominic fumbled with one of the magazines and started to slip it into the rifle, he managed to get it set and looked it over for a moment. Maria reached over and grabbed the bolt, pulling it back and racking a round in the chamber.

“Thanks…” Dominic said as he held the rifle towards the floor, throw the darkness of the building Dominic could hear something dripping, the echo of it sent chills down his spine. The drops sounded too heavy, not like water, more like oil or blood. He hated to admit it, but he found himself shaking, he played it off as the cold though. He and Maria walked down an aisle that used to be filled with televisions, some of them remained, others lay on the floor in shattered ruins.

“Spooky, huh…?” Maria asked as they stepped past a couple of the ruined screens, Dominic nodded quietly. The woman paused and looked at some of the prices listed, then shook her head and sighed. “Three hundred dollars for this, now it’s just worthless junk. Can you believe people used to go for things like this?”

“People used to not have to worry about their neighbors trying to eat their face off.” Dominic replied as the two of them left the television aisle, Maria adjusted her cloak and pulled a brown bit of fabric from underneath. She wrapped it around her head in a manner similar to that of a babushka, Dominic assumed it was because of how cold the building seemed to be. “So, anything weird about this place I should know? Werewolves? Vampires? Doomsday cults?”

“Actually, yeah, on the last one.” Maria replied, Dominic raised an eyebrow for a moment before Maria heard the click of his rifle, it clicked twice, indicating he’d probably switched it into single fire mode. “Did you push that all the way down?” Dominic nodded. “That’s single fire.”

“I know…” Dominic held his rifle a little higher, but paused as he felt his foot step in something squishy. “The fuck…?” He looked down and found that there seemed to be an open jar of peanut butter on the floor, in fact there were a lot of them, the scary thing was they were all open. “Is that… Writing?.” Maria hummed quietly and reached under her cloak again, this time she withdrew a flashlight and flicked it on.

“Whoa…” She mumbled, someone had smeared peanut butter all over the floor, forming the word ‘Sale!’ over and over again. Maria and Dominic backed up, the man occasionally dragging his foot to get the peanut butter off his boot. “That stuff hasn’t dried, it’s fresh. Keep your head on a swivel, Dom…” They went back down the aisle of fallen television's and turned left, heading a bit deeper into the building and even closer to the dripping noise. The passed by a freezer section, some bulk paper towels, and a paint aisle, until finally they found themselves standing in a large area with numerous tables laid out.

Dominic walked forwards to one of them and picked up a soft stuffed animal, he stared at it for a few moments before he set it down and looked around. Aside from the TVs and the peanut butter, everything seemed too clean, too neat and tidy. Maria was quietly picking through the remains of a jewelry display, she held up a ring and looked at it closer with her flashlight. 

Normally such a ring was advertised at two hundred dollars, and yet here she was, holding it like it was nothing. No one would be the wiser if she took it, and she was about to, until the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

“Maria…” Dominic’s voice caught her attention and she set the ring down on the counter, quietly she walked over to the place Dominic was standing and saw he was in front of a mop bucket. It was full, there was soapy water, and steam was rising off of it in the cold air. “That’s not normal, is it?” Maria silently shook her head. “We should get out of here, shouldn’t we?” She nodded, both of them froze as they heard a pair of footsteps behind them.

“Welcome to Costco, can I see your membership cards?” An all too cheery, horrifyingly high pitched voice asked from behind them. Dominic and Maria slowly turned around to see a hobbled old man, covered in blood and smelling of cleaning fluids. He wore filthy rags, including what remained of a red vest, and most disturbing of all was that he had a badge reading ‘Manager’ pinned to his chest. Not to the vest, it was literally sticking out of his chest. Maria was more focused on the machete in his grip, the one dripping with blood.

Dominic quietly reached to his back pocket, keeping a very calm face as he grabbed his duct tape wallet. Maria was staring at him with wide eyes, but the calmness in his actions told her that things would be alright.

“I don’t have the card on me, sir, but my mother is a member here. Perhaps you could look her up in your system?” Dominic said as if he were holding a normal conversation, the old man smiled and revealed gnarled black teeth that made Maria cringe. Dominic opened his wallet and reached in before he withdrew a crumpled old driving permit. “The name on it would be Occisor.”

“Y-Yes, I can check, young man… One second.” The old man rasped and looked at the ID, then he turned around and started to walk away. Before Maria could react, Dominic had grabbed her by the arm and started dragging her towards the light of the doors. She didn’t protest and the two of them broke out into full on sprints, behind them they could hear the cackle of the old man, screaming at them. “System’s down! System’s DOWN! I can’t let you in my store! GET BACK HERE!”

Ahead of them they could see Colonel Baxter, he was walking towards them, but the two of them signaled for him to head towards the doors. He got the hint when he saw the old man behind the two of them, wildly swinging his machete and moving with a speed that didn’t seem possible. The Colonel raised his side arm, Dominic’s eyes went wide.

“Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!” He yelled, several seconds later he dove to the floor and pulled Maria with him. “Shoot!” Three bangs rang out through the store, followed by the sound of brass bouncing across the floor. There was a thud behind Dominic and Maria, they both looked behind them to see the blade of the old man’s machete inches from their feet.  The old man in question was on the floor, dead, the same twisted smile on his face as his dead eyes seemed to bug out of their sockets. “Jesus, Mary and Joseph…”

“Holy fuck…” Maria said as she panted, the two of them quietly got to their feet and brushed themselves off. Dominic picked up his rifle while Maria looked over hers, it seemed fine, as did her flashlight. “Thanks, Colonel.” She looked over at Dominic with a questioning expression. “‘Can you check the system?’? What the fuck was that about!?” The man wiped his nose as he caught his breath before speaking.

“I figured he still thought the store was open… It made sense to play to that crazy mindset so we could get the hell away from him.” Dominic replied as he looked down at the dead old man. “Tell him to check my family’s membership, he’ll go off looking for a computer, that means he’s a good enough distance away for us to run…” The man shrugged and rolled his shoulders. “It worked, didn’t it?”

“Point…” Maria replied as she too looked down at the dead old man. “Poor guy… How long do you think he’s been here?” Dominic shrugged and gestured to the clothes.

“Probably since the outbreak.” He said, the Colonel cleared his throat and both of them looked at him.

“We came here for supplies, now that we’ve got the drama out of the way, let’s get back to work.” The Colonel said, his bushy mustache bristled as he did so. Dominic took a moment to calm his nerves before nodding, Maria took a few deep breaths of her own. “Next time, don’t hesitate to shoot first. You bought that rifle for a reason, didn’t you?”

“Right…” Dominic said quietly as he looked down at his weapon, the Colonel began walking down another aisle, leaving the two of them once again.

“Try to find something useful, like blankets or towels, or anything cloth really.” The Colonel said over his shoulder as he continued walking. “I’ll be over here looking for fuel.” Dominic and Maria watched him disappear around a corner, then looked at each other quietly.

“Does he always leave you by yourself when you go with him? Even after shit like that?” He asked as the two of them began walking back towards the tables, Maria shrugged and slung her rifle over her shoulder on its strap.

“He says it builds character.” She replied, it was clear her tone was a tad annoyed. The two of them continued walking in silence until they reached the tables once more and began to look around them. “Thanks, by the way… I know he was just an old man, but I don’t know if I could’ve gotten away as quick without your help.” Dominic shook his head and patted her on the shoulder.

“Don’t mention it.” He said as the two of them continued looking over the tables, occasionally Dominic would stop and looked at the banners that hung from the rafters. They swayed slowly in the breeze that howled through the building, their faded messages advertised everything that had been on sale just before the fall. “Hey, shine your light up there.” Maria lit up one of the banners and Dominic’s face broke out into a smile, he began chuckling quietly as he saw an advertisement for gas masks, filters, and other ‘Survival Necessities’. “Holy shit, these guys were fast..”

“Wanna check it out?” Maria asked, Dominic shrugged and the two of them began walking towards the indicated aisle. “I never understood that, why did everyone assume an apocalypse automatically warrants a gas mask?” Dominic held his weapon in one hand by the front grip as he hummed and put his hand on his chin.

“Well, I suppose if it’s a nuclear war they’d help with fallout, if it was a chemical war they’d help with chemicals, like they’re meant to…” Dominic’s expression faded a bit as they passed by a  selection of dolls and other toys, toys that would never reach the hands of a child. “And in the end, I suppose with all those dead bodies, it’d help with the smell.”

“And if I remember correctly, you said they help with cutting onions too.” Maria said, it was clear she was trying to lighten the mood, Dominic just nodded and his expression somewhat brightened. “You know, I hear they used to sell mattresses here…” Maria sidled up a little closer and looked at Dominic, fluttering her eyelashes a little bit. “Want to try them out?” Dominic nervously tugged at his collar as he blushed and looked away, Maria began laughing loudly. “That still gets you after all these years! Yes!” She fist pumped the air as she reveled in another joke played on her ever bashful companion.

“What would you have done if I said yes?” Dominic asked as he tried to hide the red tint in his cheeks, Maria just continued to chuckle quietly.

“You wouldn’t.” Maria replied simply, Dominic looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “You’re too much of a gentleman, you’d want to make sure everything leading up to… that… was romantic and special.” Maria smiled faintly. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.” Dominic held up a single finger as he walked along beside Maria.

“I can be spontaneous if I want to be.” He said, trying to defend himself before he lowered his finger quietly. “I’ve just never… Well, you know… I’d want that particular moment to be special is all.” Maria put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a tender squeeze.

“I understand… I’m kind of in the same boat, you know?” She said in a comforting tone before she brought her hand back to her side. “I’ll try to keep the jokes to a minimum.” Dominic smiled at her for a moment before he leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, just a quick peck, nothing fancy. “What was that for?”

“Me being spontaneous.” Dominic said with a grin, Maria just sighed and rubbed her temples.

“You just had to go and ruin the moment, you silly willy.” She said with mock annoyance, Dominic just smiled a bit wider as Maria used her flashlight to illuminate an aisle in front of them. The displays were oddly well stocked, but considering that the old man from earlier had thought the store was still open for the last couple years, he was probably responsible for that. Gas masks, filters, and other survival items were lined up on the shelves in orderly fashions. “Looks like we’re here…”

“Yeah…” Dominic said quietly as he walked towards one of the displays and picked up a black backpack, he unzipped it and walked towards a display of gasmasks. “It’s a one stop doomsday shop, Maria. Go ahead and get something to compliment that beautiful rustic cloak of yours.” He said in an over the top announcer's voice as he removed his helmet and picked up a gas mask, Maria giggled before she stepped towards a display of black wool watch caps. Dominic pulled on the gas mask, it made his face feel a lot warmer than the bandanna he usually wore, and he could see in a conveniently placed display mirror that it made him look a bit more intimidating.

He picked up a couple masks and slipped them into the backpack, followed by as many filters as he could stuff into the main pouch. Dominic then put his helmet back on his head and swapped out one of the filters just to be sure it was fresh, with that he turned towards Maria and patted himself on the chest.

“Hey.” He said, the woman paused her browsing and looked at him, she rapidly started to snicker at him. Dominic smiled beneath the mask and got his voice to go as low and gravelly as it could. “War. War never changes.” The man reached behind him and picked up another mask, then tossed it to her. “Here, let’s see how it looks on you.” The woman chuckled quietly and pulled down the brown babushka, then pulled on the gas mask.

“Luke, I am your mother.” She said, doing her best to imitate Darth Vader. Dominic chuckled again as he watched her remove the mask and toss it back to him. “Hang onto that for me.” The man caught it and slipped it into the bag before opening the smaller compartment and walking further down the aisle. He began humming to himself, tapping his foot as he held his rifle in one hand and the bag in the other.

“Let’s see… Axes, fire extinguishers, camping stoves but no propane…” He mumbled to himself as he looked over the items out on display in the abandoned store, pausing as he saw a couple books. “Russian to English phrasebooks… Chinese to English dictionary… What this suggests is just un-American.” The man picked up one of the Russian books and slipped it into the bag, figuring it could come in handy with his new Russian gun. He looked up on the shelves that seemed to stretch towards the ceiling, up high it seemed there was a rather soft looking package. “Hey, Maria. I need that light again.”

The woman nodded as she pulled on a black watch cap and walked over with the light, Dominic pointed up to the top of the large shelf and soon the light was settled on a big metal cage filled with rolled sleeping bags. At first glance there had to be at least ten of them, and Dominic supposed they had been left untouched because they were up so high.

“Huh…” Maria said, Dominic nodded as his newfound gas mask wheezed. The woman looked at him for a moment before she pulled off her cloak and unslung her rifle, she pushed them into his arms before she rolled her neck and did a few quick stretches. “Hold those, I’ll be right back.” Maria hoisted herself up on a shelf before Dominic could protest, the man’s eyes widened as he nervously watched her climb.

“Be careful!” He called out, Maria looked over his shoulder at him.

“Oh really? I was thinking I’d do a couple back flips and then a swan dive into a Dixie cup.” She replied sarcastically as she nimbly ascended the shelves with practiced ease. “I’d move away from there if I was you.” Dominic gradually began walking backwards and off to the side as Maria got higher and higher up until she was on the top shelf next to the cage of sleeping bags. She briefly disappeared from Dominic’s view as she walked around to the back of the container and gave a hard shove. “Look out below!” She called before she gave another hard push, with that the cage slid forwards and fell towards the floor.

Dominic jumped back on instinct as it landed with a tremendously loud crash, to his surprise the cage didn’t collapse in on itself or explode, it didn’t break at all, meaning the sleeping bags were still stuck inside. Quietly the man began to approach the crate, only to hear another loud yell. He had just enough time to jump back again as Maria shoved another big box from the top shelf, this time it landed and exploded open, revealing the contents were numerous boxes of cheese crackers. Dominic’s eyes widened at the sight, he hadn’t had those delicious little morsels in years.

“You’re welcome!” Maria called from the shelf as she began climbing down, Dominic pulled off his gas mask and approached an undamaged box. He picked it up and opened it, then took a cracker from inside and bit into it. It was a bit stale, that sort of thing was to be expected after sitting in a warehouse for three years past it’s expiration date, but it was still better than nothing. As he idly munched on a few more crackers he looked at the cage filled with sleeping bags, the more accurate count now as more like ten or twenty. As Maria finished climbing down she walked up beside him. “So, what should we do now?” Dominic finished chewing his snack, which he was grateful for since he hadn’t eaten breakfast yet, before he reached into his pocket and withdrew the tank’s operator key.

“I’ve got a pretty good idea… Wait here.”

[♠]

Jen sat quietly in the train station at the bottom of the mountain, the cap of a pen in her teeth as she scribbled feverishly on a sheet of paper in front of her. It was her first letter to Johnny from beyond the other side, and she wanted to make sure it was just right. So far things had been going better than expected, the other soldiers were warming up to her and the ponies nicely, and the kids were having a full on blast. She chuckled as she remembered the look on Banana Muffin’s face as three or four girls tried to comb her very short mane.

Of course, a few people were wary of the otherworldly woman, and Jen could understand why. They had tanks, they had industry, and they could easily steamroll the CNG if they put their minds to it. However, Jen also happened to know that Dominic wasn’t in the business of conquest. If anyone had anything to fear, it was the EOL. Jen continued her writing, looking around quietly every couple minutes as soldiers would walk by. As she finished up her letter she set the pen down and folded up the paper in her uniform pocket.

The woman stood up from her seat and felt a rumble in her stomach, she quietly walked to the door of the station and looked outside at her tank. It was still parked where it was meant to be, Dominic’s tank was missing, and two of the tanks had been moved out by the gate for security purposes. Jen was happy it wasn’t her tank, otherwise she might have had to find some way of trading for food. The woman quickly walked across the road to her tank and climbed up into the turret, wordlessly she slipped down to her command seat and looked around the empty vehicle. It was nearly pitch dark, save for the light provided by the view slits and the currently open turret.

She began to look through the supplies stored around the walls until her eyes settled on a simple cardboard box marked ‘Field Ration’. Jen smiled and reached out to grab it, as she grabbed the box she heard her stomach rumble once again. The woman sighed as she opened the box and sat back in her chair, enjoying the bit of silence that the slumbering metal giant provided. She pulled the food from within the ration box and smiled as she saw it was a protein box rather than a vegetarian box. There was some spam, canned cheese, a roll, and a couple other items. Jen packed it all away again and tucked it under her arm before she climbed out of the tank and closed the hatch.

Jen sighed as she thought of Johnny again, smiling sadly as she thought back to the time he’d tried to cheer her up with Monty Python and other breakfast jokes. She walked back towards the train station, humming quietly as she looked down at the ring on her finger. The engraving in the rose gold was so well done she would’ve sworn the leaves were real, well, if it weren’t for the fact they were obviously carved into gold.

The woman entered the station and looked around, someone had started a fire in a big metal drum and a couple soldiers were huddled around it. Jen walked over to a bench near the fire herself and sat down to eat her ration there, she put the cold spam on the roll and put some of the cheese on it. Normally she would’ve cooked it, but she didn’t want the smell to attract a crowd. As much as she’d love to share, she knew she didn’t have enough for everyone in one ration pack, and she couldn’t give out other rations. Those were for her troops after all.

Jen quickly ate her cold sandwich and sighed once she’d done so, even if it hadn’t been the most appetizing, she was happy to have some food in her belly. She slipped the rest of the snacks into her pocket before crushing the box and approaching the fire, she tossed it into the barrel and added a bit more warmth, much to the happiness of the soldiers standing there.

“Hey, Sarge… Or is it Captain now?” Asked one of the National Guards standing there, Jen smiled faintly as she held her chilly hands out to warm them by the fire.

“Either’s fine, it’s a bit complicated.” The woman replied, there were a couple nods among the group. Word had spread quickly about her, and the new alliance, and so far she hadn’t received any trouble. Up in the shanty town she knew that the ponies were doing alright, and now that she’d eaten, she was fully ready to relax.

“So, what’s it like on the other side?” Asked another soldier, Jen looked at him with a bit of a shrug. She’d been asked that question at least a dozen times, and each time she tried to explain it as best she could.

“It’s warm, mainly because it’s in a desert. There’s a city and a refugee center, my fiance owns the only bar in town, and a big military base off to the side.” Jen said, she had never been the best at describing things before. A chuckle went up from one of the soldiers, he’d been standing there silently the entire time. “What’s so funny?”

“You having a fiance.” The man replied harshly, all eyes turned to him and Jen felt a bit of her self worth perish. “Come on, guys. We all know why we remember the dear Sergeant here, it’s my favorite story, how she and Commander Markus-”

“You’re out of line, corporal.” The first man, a sergeant, said harshly. The corporal just chuckled and reached into his pocket to withdraw a cigarette, meanwhile Jen was staring down into the barrel fire. The heat helped to hide the tears forming in her eyes, but she quickly beat those emotions down and shook her head. Johnny knew about what had happened between her and her old Commander, she’d told him long ago, and still he loved her enough to ask her to marry him. “The Captain doesn’t need your shit.”

“No.” Jen cut in, looking up from the fire and towards the Corporal with a stoic expression. “It’s alright, sergeant. I was thinking it was getting a bit crowded over here anyway.” The woman turned and began to walk away, she was an officer, not some little schoolgirl that could be hurt by words.

“Has he taken it up the ass yet?” The corporal’s voice cut through the air like a knife, Jen froze mid step. “You know, like Markus?” Her fists clenched and unclenched and she slowly turned around, in a display of her patience that would go on to be known as nigh saintly, she shook her head.

“Corporal. If you have a problem with me, for whatever reason, bring it up with me directly.” Her tone was calm and even, and the other soldiers around the barrel fire were surprised that she hadn’t stormed over and kicked the corporal’s teeth in. “Do not drag my family into it. Do I make myself clear?”

“C-Crystal, ma’am.” The corporal said nervously, because though her body had been calm, she had been looking him directly in the eyes. The look he’d seen in those eyes conveyed certain doom should the corporal continue his current choice of dialogue. Jen just nodded and walked away, leaving a very shaken corporal and a very impressed group of troops.

“What the fuck is your problem, Kowalski?” Asked the sergeant of the group, the corporal looked at him nervously. “Do you have any fucking idea what she could do to you?” The group leaned in a little closer so they could hear the sergeant better. “I heard she trained their special forces… She probably learned some sort of alien super fighting style that could turn you inside out or something!” The group looked over to the woman who had taken a seat across the room and was writing on a piece of paper once again. “More importantly. What happened between her and Markus in the bedroom is their own goddamn business, if I hear you brought that shit up again I’m going straight to Baxter. Read me?”

“Yes, sir.” Kowalski said quietly, his eyes going back to the fire.

“It’s getting about that time, Baxter wants us to start gathering the civies down here.” The sergeant said as he put his hands in his pocket. “Kowalski, head up the mountain and start bringing them down, O’Keefe you go with him.” The two of them nodded and walked off towards the cog train, meanwhile the Sergeant looked towards Jen who had now put her head in her hands. He silently walked over to her, noting she was sitting on one of the benches and reading over the paper in her hands. “Captain, I’m sorry about Corporal Kowalski.”

“It’s fine…” Jen said quietly as she leaned back in her seat. “I was kind of used to it back when it happened anyway.” The woman pinched the bridge of her nose and chuckled grimly. “Hell, if it hadn’t happened, Markus wouldn’t’ve sent me out that day, I may have never met my fiance. If a little shit talk is the price for that… I’d say it’s worth it.”

“All the same, ma’am, I won’t let it happen again.” The sergeant said, Jen looked at him and extended her hand. The man firmly shook it before sitting down. “I’m Connor, by the way, most people call me ‘Con Air’.”

“Nice to meet you, Sergeant Connor.” Jen said as she folded up her letter and looked at the sergeant beside her. He was just under six feet tall with auburn hair, auburn eyes, and a 5 o’clock shadow. “Mind if I ask where the name came from?” Connor nodded and leaned forwards to speak.

“Did three years for Aggravated Robbery.” He admitted with a bit of nervousness, Jen looked at him for a moment before she shrugged and leaned back in her seat. “What? You’re not gonna ask or anything?”

“My fiance did four years for armed robbery and currently runs what could loosely be called a mafia family.” Jen said as she looked at him with a bit of a friendly smile, Connor blinked a couple times in surprise. “So, yes, I’ve learned not to ask questions about stuff like that. I won’t judge you either, since it seems you’re a competent officer.”

“And you won’t call me Con Air?” Connor asked as he stared at her.

“Do you want me to?” She asked, the man shook his head. “Then I won’t.” The woman looked over towards the train that was heading up the mountain, then back at Connor. “So, I take it we’re gonna be sending people through soon.”

“Yeah, I’m still not sure how that’s going to work though.” Jen began to open her mouth to speak, but a sudden flash of light in the room cut her off. Both Connor and Jen looked to the source, the woman let out a sigh of relief while the sergeant looked confused.

“Oh captain, my captain!” Discord said as he stood there in a sailor uniform, of course he was in his human form, a mix between Alan Rickman and John De Lancie. “If it isn’t Captain Poplawski, soon to be Mrs. John… What is that guy’s last name anyway? I forgot.”

“You know he said the same thing…? We just settled on Gambino. After the whole escape thing he kinda lost some of his memory.” Jen said with a bit of an annoyed huff before she leaned in her seat. “You’re a bit early, aren’t you?” The draconequus in human form chuckled and walked forwards, snapping his fingers and changing his attire to something a bit more conservative. A pinstripe suit, to be specific.

“A chaos god can neither be late or early.” Discord explained, meanwhile Connor was pointing at Discord with wide eyes and a nervous expression. “Yes, I’m an ‘alien’, before you ask. And more than that!” Another snap, and now Discord was dressed as a train conductor. “I’m the one that punches your ticket to a better world! All aboard the Pony Express!” Discord pulled a cord that wasn’t there, nonetheless there was the sound of a train whistle.

“Connor. Meet Discord, lord of chaos in the other world and all around pain in the ass.” Jen said, patting the nervous sergeant on the shoulder and speaking with a warm, almost motherly, tone. “Discord meet Connor, Sergeant in the Colorado National Guard.” Discord offered his hand to the sergeant, and Connor reached out to shake it, only to draw his hand back with alarm as he felt a slight shock. The chaos god chuckled and held up his hand, revealing a hand buzzer. “See? Told you he was a pain in the ass.”

“Oh you’re no fun.” Discord said as he poofed the hand buzzer out of existence. “Speaking of no fun, where’s tall dark and brooding?”

“You’re a chaos god, don’t you already know?” Jen asked, Discord shook his head and pulled a comically over sized pocket watch from his pocket and looked it over, winding it a couple times before using his entire forearm to wipe the watch face.

“In Equestria I’m a chaos god, in this world I’m about as omniscient as a fortune cookie.” The chaos god replied with a bit of annoyance. “I need to talk to him though, there’s been a little bit of a wrinkle in this venture of ours.” Jen’s eyes went a bit wide, as did Connor’s. “Oh, don’t worry, we’ll be able to send all those people through.”

“Good.” Jen said as she relaxed back into her seat. “Dominic went out looking for some extra supplies, just in case we end up needed more when our troops come through.” Discord seemed to brighten at that, he discreetly began to ring his hands before slipping the large pocket watch back into his pocket. “Actually, he should be coming back anytime now.”

“Excellent!” Discord rubbed his hands together as Connor continued to stare at him wordlessly. The chaos god awkwardly began to pace around, Jen and Connor watched him with a bit of curiosity. Neither of them wanted to interrupt whatever it was Discord was doing, but as the minutes ticked by it became the only thing either of them could focus on. By the twenty minute mark the chaos god had taken to starting to peek outside, until finally the rumble of an engine filled the courtyard accompanied by a few cheers.

Discord peeked outside once again, this time Jen and Connor had stood up as well. The two of them stepped outside fully to see what the commotion was about, to their surprise they saw a tank hauling a large metal cage of sleeping bags on the back. Dominic was in the driver’s seat while Maria was sitting on the cage and Baxter was standing in the turret. As soon as the tank came to a stop several of the guards on the barricade climbed down to help unload the much needed warm sleeping bags. Dominic killed the engine and climbed out with an AK-47 strapped across his back, in his hands was a large bag that seemed to hold another rifle and miscellaneous other items.

“I”d say that went pretty well.” Dominic said as Baxter and Maria climbed down off the vehicle and into the snow. “We got stuff for R and D, we got blankets, and we didn’t get hacked to bits by a machete wielding madman.”

“Yeah, all in all, good trip.” Maria added, Baxter just shrugged and the three of them began walking towards Jen and Connor, mainly because that was where the main door was. Dominic reached up and removed his helmet, showing off his mohawk and smiling triumphantly.

“It’s about time to start sending people through, the sooner we get started the better.” Baxter said as they got to the doors. “Captain Poplawski, I see you’ve met Sergeant McCall.” Jen figured that was Connor’s last name and nodded, before she could speak the door opened and Discord stepped out in his pinstripe suit. “The hell?”

“This is the guy in charge of the portal.” Dominic said simply, Discord took a bow as if he’d just completed a play. “Though I’m a bit curious what it is he’s doing here, he normally just works his magic from behind the scenes.”

“I need to talk to you.” Discord said simply. “It’s about the fresh water condenser.” Dominic stared at him for a moment before his mind put the pieces together and he nodded.

“Oh, right… If you’ll excuse me, Colonel. Maria.” Dominic set the bag down on the ground. “Everything in that bag goes through to R and D, I’ve secured all our other gear in the tank.” Jen nodded but Dominic was already walking towards the parked tanks with Discord beside him. He lead the chaos god behind the tanks, out of sight from the others. “Fresh water condenser… Clever ruse.”

“Worked on the Japanese.” Discord said with a shrug before he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “So… There’s a wrinkle in the plan.” Dominic raised an eyebrow at him and gestured for Discord to go on. “Well, you see, magic in this universe is different from our universe. So, it has to work a bit harder than in our universe because of that.”

“Spit it out already.” Dominic said as he put his hands on his hips.

“What it boils down to is there’s sort of a cool down period for portals and what not. The longer they’re open, the longer it takes for them to cool down. I didn’t take this into account while I was doing this, which was dumb on my part, and I left the original portal open for too long. Meaning after we move the people through today… It’s gonna take some time to open another one.”

“How long?” Dominic asked as his disposition rapidly shifted.

“Well, I’m not one hundred percent-”

“How. Long.” Dominic said slowly, Discord bit his lip before speaking.

“Six months?” He said nervously, Dominic’s eyes went wide and he reached out and grabbed the chaos god by the collar, then pushed him up against the back of the take. “At most! It could be as little as two!”

“You’ve been planning this for how fucking long!?” Dominic hissed as he looked into Discord’s eyes. “How the fuck do you miss something like this?”

“Well it’s not like opening a hole between space and time is an exact science, especially between two specific spaces and time!” Discord said with a bit more of a Scottish accent than perhaps he meant, he sounded a bit like Scotty from Star Trek. “It’s like trying to hit a bullet with a smaller bullet while wearing a blindfold and riding a horse!” Dominic paused for a moment before he let go of Discord’s suit and brushed it off, sighing and quietly rubbing the back of his neck, Luna’s teachings on patience were kicking in.

“I understand… Sorry about that…” Dominic said quietly before he looked at Discord again. “What about supplies? What about troops? If we account for them, how long would the wait be?”

“A year, maybe two…” Discord replied, Dominic took a few moments to rub the back of his neck and pace back and forth before he stopped and nodded.

“Just fuel, food and cannon ammunition? If they just shoved a couple barrels and crates through?”

“You’d tack on a couple extra days, but I think you could swing it.” Discord admitted, Dominic looked at the ground for a few minutes, his breath being carried away in the wind as he tried to work it out in his head. Being an introvert, he liked to plan things out as best he could before making any decisions, but the more that he thought about it the more he hated the choices. He’d have less supplies than he’d need for all of his troops, no troops and no supplies at all, or not open the portal at all and just let the clock run down. As he heard the sound of the cog train pulling into the station and the hushed words of civilians, the man took a deep breath and made his choice.

“See if you can get the tank crews down here, as well as Jen and Colonel Baxter, I need to go over a few things with them.” Dominic said quietly, Discord nodded and disappeared in a flash of light. Dominic reached into his pocket and withdrew Luna’s feather, looking at it quietly for a few seconds before slipping it back in. “Sorry, Lu…”

[♠]

Princess Luna and Sonar stood patiently at the edge of the refugee center, ponies from across the globe had come to volunteer to help the first batch of human survivors.  Surprisingly, the order for more troops hadn’t come through yet, but Luna could guess why that was. Surprisingly enough, a large amount of fuel, food, and ammunition had been wheeled into position, but it was only to be sent through after everyone had cleared the area. Standing beside the Princess and the Vice-President was Twilight Sparkle, she had begged Celestia to let her go and see the human world, even though she knew how dangerous it could be. 

The chance to see human architecture and read human books had proven too much to pass up for the bookish former librarian, she’d been emboldened by events like the first battle of New Liberty and her experience as a ruler in Equestria. Unfortunately, Celestia hadn’t agreed to let her friends go with her, but she would be sure to pick up some souvenirs for them.

“How do you think he’s handling the news?” Sonar asked Luna, prompting Twilight to look over at the two of them.

“Not well.” Luna replied quietly. “Undoubtedly he will probably view this as a failure, when he returns we’ll need to make sure he understands this is not his fault.” Sonar nodded and adjusted her suit, the hot sun was making it a bit difficult on her to breathe. Ever since her experience at the hooves of Starlight Glimmer and her cronies Sonar had suffered from breathing problems and heat flashes, a steady growth of dislike for dictatorships had been growing as well, and that extended to the EOL on the other side. Every wheezing breath, every aching joint, it was all a reminder of the cruelty of evil, no matter what species.

“What if he doesn’t come back through?” Twilight asked, Luna and Sonar looked at her with a bit of surprise. “Well, you’ve trained him to be a warrior, right? What’s the one thing warriors don’t do?” Luna and Sonar looked at each other, both of them were surprised that they hadn’t thought of that themselves. They had been sure that Dominic would want to come through and handle things on the home front, but perhaps the supplies going through wasn’t for anyone he would be leaving behind, but rather for him to use himself.

The three leaders lapsed into a bit of silence as they began walking towards the staging grounds, passing by tents that were being set up with medical supplies and some catering that had been sent on behalf of businesses in Equestria. The changelings had expedited the construction of refugee housing as best they could, there was room enough for at least five hundred now. Meanwhile the area was being patrolled by coalition forces. With the outpouring of support had also come a flood of anger, and several credible threats had been made against the operation already.

“I’ll keep an eye on him, if he stays.” Twilight said as she and the other two got to the portal, they could already see Johnny was standing their with several of his associates, pacing back and forth nervously as he too awaited the first letter from his fiance. Just to see her handwriting would be enough for him, knowing that that paper had been in her loving warm hands would fill him with some form of relief.

“Thank you, Twilight.” Luna said as she took her place beside the pacing mob boss, zero hour was growing closer and closer. “Try to keep yourself safe as well, I’d hate to have to tell Celestia something had happened to you.” Twilight just nodded as her wings ruffled in the mild desert wind, on her back were saddlebags that had been loaded down with scrolls, papers, and other writing tools. The soldiers and other personnel quickly got into their positions as their gaze turned to the designated portal location. “It should start any second now…”

Silence settled over the area, only to be broken as an air raid siren began to blare in the distance.

”Attention all personnel it is now sixty seconds to zero time. Put on goggles or turn away. Do not remove goggles or face first until ten seconds after the first light.” The voice of General Bulwark announced over a set of PA speakers, those with goggles pulled them on while most of the ponies and other species turned away. The siren continued to echo over the area as the countdown continued, until finally the siren began to die down. ”Five. Four. Three. Two. One.”

On cue there was a bright flash of light, even with their backs turned Luna and the others still felt the need to close their eyes. There was a tremendous blast of blisteringly cold wind that kicked up the desert sand, and as Luna and the others turned to face the portal, they could see snow flying out of the portal before it quickly melted or evaporated in the desert heat. Several murmurs went through the crowd, and then…

Someone came through the portal, it wasn’t Dominic or Jen, it was a completely different person. A woman garbed in heavy winter clothing looked around nervously as a group of thestrals moved forwards, she stared at them nervously and looked back at the portal. After a few seconds of silence the lead thestral in the group offered a hoof out to her, she carefully shook it.

“Welcome.” The thestral said with a warm smile. “Please, come with us, we’ll get you some food and clean clothes.” The entire crowd watched with silent baited breath, this was truly it, this was the first real refugee, it wasn’t just a plan on paper anymore. The woman smiled faintly and began following the thestral while the rest of the group remained by the portal, afterwards a steady stream of humans came through the portal. Some were smaller, most likely children, some were older, men and women, black and white, all of whom looked like they hadn’t had a real meal or a real bed in years.

They each were cautious at first, but the more they saw their friends on the other side, the more they began to trust that something good was actually happening. Along the path to the food and clothes a steadily growing pile of heavy winter clothing and other personal belongings appeared, these items were rapidly gathered to be washed and disinfected. Anyone who wanted them back would get them, but those that went unclaimed were destined to be a part of ‘Human History Museums’ in Canterlot and New Liberty.

“I can’t believe it…” Sonar said quietly as she looked at the new comers and removed her glasses. “They… They all look so frail.” It was quite true, as they shed their winter layers many ponies could see just how thin the humans were. What had started out as a bit of a happy moment quickly grew into one of sadness, for Luna it was like revisiting Starlight Glimmer’s village. It soon became apparent that there were many children in the group that didn’t seem to have parents, almost all of them flocked close to a single tired looking young woman who did her best to care for them in the line.

Sonar quietly wiped at her eyes before she put her glasses back on, that was what had truly gotten to her more than anything else. Knowing that someone so young had suffered so much hit her hard. Even Twilight was getting misty eyed, she watched as one young woman approached a thestral and got on her knees. She was crying and pulled the somewhat surprised soldier into a hug, the stallion returned the hug and patted her on the back, doing his best to comfort her.

Reporters from around the globe were jotting down what was happening minute by minute, some of them snapping pictures, those that had access to relatively new ‘Film Cameras’ were recording what would likely be shown for generations to come. There had been a group of protesters just outside of the area, but their picket signs and chanting had come to a halt as they looked into the sunken, miserable faces that passed through the portal.

After a while the people coming through seemed less and less firm, some of them limping along, and it seemed others had amputated arms or feet, most likely from the intensely cold winter’s they’d endured for four years. It had been anticipated, but still it hit those designated to help them along like a freight train. The last to come through wore odd uniforms and carried rifles with them, there weren’t many of them, and most that came through soon went to join loved ones in the line for food, clothes, and medical care.

One of them, a young man wearing corporal stripes, came through with a bag slung over his shoulder. He looked around for a moment or so before spotting Luna and the others, rather than go to the line he began walking towards them. A couple thestrals moved to stop him, but he ignored them and came to a stop in front of the princesses. The man wordlessly dropped the bag on the ground in front of them, then unzipped it to reveal numerous odd devices. One was a rifle, but the others Luna wasn’t sure about.

“For R and D, from Commander Occisor…” The man said quietly. “He apologizes he can’t be here in person, says he has unfinished business to attend to but he knows you’ll understand.” Johnny pushed past the princesses and towards the corporal.

“Do you have anything from Captain Jennifer Poplawski?” He asked quickly, the corporal nodded and reached into his coat to withdraw a folded piece of paper. Johnny quickly snatched it and walked back to his associates. At that moment several changelings emerged through the portal, Luna recognized them as one of the tank crews.

“He ordered the changelings back through, ma’am.” The corporal continued. “Since they would require more physical food than rations could allow for.” Luna nodded as the changelings began walking towards the crates and barrels of supplies, their magic ignited and they levitated the boxes and such through the portal. “He says he’s sorry he’s gonna be a little late getting back, but six months isn’t that long of a wait.”

“Thank you, Corporal. Is there anything else?” Luna asked, she felt split between emotions. On one side she was proud that Dominic had chosen to stand his ground, on the other, she was concerned for his safety on a deep, almost maternal level.

“No, ma’am.” The corporal gave a salute before he turned and began walking back towards the portal, there was a group of other soldiers waiting there as well. Twilight took this as her cue to go and looked  at Luna.

“I guess I’ll see you in six months too.” She said with a bit of trepidation, Luna began to speak but by then Twilight had hefted her bags up onto her back and was walking towards the portal. The princess looked to Sonar, but the mare seemed more focused on the portal than anything else. Twilight reached the portal as the last of the supplies was tossed through, she spoke for a few seconds to the corporal, and after a confused shrug he nodded.

Luna felt her breath catch in her throat as she saw Twilight and the other soldiers jump back into the portal, seconds later the glowing light condensed inward until it had become nothingness.

[♠]

Night Raven paced back and forth in her imperial office, constantly munching away on pretzels as she looked out the window towards the foothills. A plume of smoke indicated just how abysmally poor her take over of the small town of Evergreen was going. She couldn’t believe that two hill folk had somehow bested the military of her empire, and to make matters worse, there was the message she’d been given by the poor traumatized female soldier that had managed to escape. The message demanding she send her soldiers to the front with better rations for the sole purpose of feeding her enemies.

Perhaps the most upsetting part of the entire affair was the death of Lord Damneus, one of her more skilled field commanders and a very close follower of hers. As Empress Raven walked to her window once again she cleared her throat and spoke loudly.

“Eugene!” She called, the doors opened and a familiar soldier stepped in. He was her most trusted guard, the one that she had told the night before to deliver the orders about. “I feel I’ve been devoting too much time to the dogs in the hills, please summon Lady Moonbeam. I wish to know the latest on the pigs in the mountains.” The soldier nodded silently and left the room, closing the doors respectfully and leaving the Empress to wallow in her loathing of those she deemed inferior.

Night Raven looked down to the courtyard in front of her where the thralls had been building a statue of her glorious image, all those working were white males, the worst of the worst in her eyes. A wicked smile played across her lips as she watched some of them be whipped as they moved stone and metal around. The first time they had completed a statue she had thought it made her appear too fat, and thus she’d forced them to tear it down and start again, by now they had been working for two years and completed five statues, each worse than the last, all of which had been torn down.

The door to her office opened but she didn’t turn to look, far too enthralled with watching the struggling men below. There was a polite cough and Night Raven sighed before turning to look at who had entered. Lady Moonbeam was certainly one of the Empress’ more attractive followers, and as normal she was garbed in the attire of her true self. A navy blue dress, accented by a white crescent moon pattern, with ‘fake’ wings and a horn. Moonbeam believed that she was the embodiment of ‘Princess Luna’, trapped in a simple human body after a misfired spell. As such, Empress Night Raven had seen fit to put her in charge of her spy ring, specifically the one responsible for spying on the CNG Pigs.

“You wished to see me, Empress?” Moonbeam asked, Night Raven nodded with a smile and gave a slight bow to the woman she believed to be a Pony Princess.

“I have been so caught up with the hill creatures I have neglected our campaign to rid the land of the filthy old government.” Night Raven said, Moonbeam nodded and took a seat in a chair in front of the Empress’ desk. “Tell me, are they struggling through the winter as they normally do?


“Surprisingly, it seems their position has improved.” Moonbeam admitted, this caught Night Raven’s attention. “As you’ve most likely heard, they’ve come into possession of new vehicles. My agents inform me that these vehicles are infact tanks. Actual tanks.” Night Raven froze and turned to look at her chief spy with mild alarm, the spy reached into her dress and withdrew several polaroids. She set them on the desk for the Empress to see, sure enough the images revealed the vehicles were tanks. One of them depicted a man in a peaked cap standing atop one of them. The way he stood reminded Night Raven of a Roman soldier, the wide shoulders and bulging muscles, the chiseled jaw and roman nose…

“Who’s this?” She asked, looking at the picture closely.

“That would be the National Guard’s newest ally, our listening post has determined they refer to him as ‘Night Eagle’.” Moonbeam said as the Empress continued to stare at the picture, Night Eagle was a picture perfect image of everything she despised. An aggressive looking white male that bore an air of imperial strength, but the more she looked at his picture the more she couldn’t look away. “It’s unclear where he came from, but we know that he arrived at the same time the tanks did. What’s more unnerving is that we haven’t been able to get any view of the crews, they’re either up on the mountain or in the tanks when our spies are in position.”

“I want to know more about him, Moonbeam. He could be dangerous.” Night Raven said as she set the picture down on her desk once again. “I’d like you to handle this for me, get as many pictures as you can.” Moonbeam paused for a moment perhaps unsure of if she could carry out such a task, or why she would need to do so considering she already had competent spies in position. Then again, she supposed the Empress wanted her best on the job.

“As you command, Empress.” Moonbeam said with a nod before she adjusted the horn atop her head. Night Raven nodded as she thought more about the odd fellow standing atop the tank once again, she somewhat wished she could have him on her side. He looked like a competent officer, and she continually told herself that was the only reason. “The factories have reported four of our tanks been completed, may I suggest we dispatch them to deal with this new threat?”

“A good idea.” Night Raven agreed as she paced back and forth. “Have them loaded onto a truck and driven there, you can go with them.” Moonbeam nodded again and stood up, leaving the pictures on the Empress’ desk. “You can go.” The spy nodded and quickly walked out of the office, closing the door firmly behind her. She walked past the soldier standing guard outside the door, a peculiar fellow by the name of Eugene Carter.

Moonbeam knew that he’d lived in the city before the EOL came to power and had been ‘Persuaded’ to join, some of her spies had reported he seemed to get lost in thought on patrol, as evidenced by some missed infractions. She honestly found something like that somewhat endearing, and she flashed him an awkward smile as she walked past. Eugene was a bit put off by the smile, he hated Lady Moonbeam almost as much as he hated the Empress.

Eugene looked down at his rifle once again, then over at the door beside him. For what felt like the fiftieth time he contemplated just kicking that door open and spraying the room with gunfire, there’d be no way for the woman inside to hide. However Eugene recognized that perhaps that would be stooping to the EOL’s level, something he’d never do if he could help it. Instead he remained silent, not very vigilant, but certainly silent. Outside he could hear the sound of engines starting up, it was undoubtedly the unlucky replacements chosen to go and root out ‘The Colorado Kids’.

Evergreen had become akin to ‘The Russian Front’ of the second world war in terms of its mortality rate, it was used as a way to punish officers and soldiers that stepped out of line or were just a thorn in the wrong side. Eugene found it hard to believe that just two men had managed to stop an entire army. Then again, considering how ‘Well trained’ the EOL was, it wasn’t really a surprise. Many of them had never fired a rifle before, but joining the army was the only way to get any real food rations, and often times the training officers were too drunk or incompetent. Eugene speculated that the EOL had only survived so long because of superior numbers and resources.

As the man continued to stand guard, Lady Moon Beam was walking through the once hallowed halls of the former capital building. The guards she passed by saluted, but she didn’t acknowledge them, she was far too focused on her latest assignment. The examination of an entirely new player in the wasteland arena, and from the looks of it, a very powerful one at that. Lady Moonbeam exited the capital with dignity and grace, then descended down the stone steps and past laboring thralls towards the main road out of the city. Already she could see truck loads of soldiers being sent out, she knew most of them were destined for Evergreen, others she doubted would even make it that far before they were picked off by the other thorn in the Empress’ side. The Native Confederacy.

Moonbeam watched with a bit of remorse as the trucks disappeared from sight, she knew very well what awaited them in the foothills of the once peaceful town. On top of the snipers that had turned the town into a killing field, the Native Confederacy had set up their own defensive positions in those hills. The Native American tribes had taken to raiding EOL convoys and running off to who knew where, but they seemed to be in cahoots with the woman behind the ever annoying ‘Ghost Peak Radio’. Once again, no one in the EOL had any idea where she was broadcasting from.

After a few seconds of silent contemplation Moonbeam began walking towards the factories with the full intention of getting onto a truck with the EOL’s tanks. She wouldn’t dare to ride in one of the armored vehicles, as much as the Empress boasted their supremacy Moonbeam could see the writing on the wall. These ‘tanks’ wouldn’t stand a chance against the armored behemoths that awaited them. They were slow, had no radios, and they didn’t have anything more than machine guns as an offensive or defensive weapon. To top it all off their armor was nothing more than re-purposed metal from old cars and scrap from abandoned construction sites.

Moonbeam just hoped that she could somehow infiltrate the CNG’s lines, she’d need to look like a convincing mundane to do that, that wouldn’t be too hard though. She’d made her current outfit, who was to say the ‘Princess of the Night’ couldn’t create a commoner’s clothing.
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dominic paced back and forth as he looked over the unconscious alicorn laying on the ground in front of him, a mix between anger and worry was building to dangerous levels. On top of being stuck on the other side for six months, now he’d have to worry about keeping an eye on a princess and getting her supplies. Maria had never seen her friend look so upset, and Colonel Baxter was somewhat impressed at the stream of obscenities that had been leaving Dominic’s mouth for the past five minutes.

After a few more minutes of pacing he came to a halt and took several deep breaths, his facial expression relaxed, as did his posture. Maria, Baxter, and Jen all stared at him for a few minutes as the other soldiers were rapidly moving to secure their new supplies. It was just after twelve in the afternoon, and the midday sun had started to melt the snow that had fallen the night before. It had always amazed Dominic how fast it could go from blistering cold to mild and warm in Colorado, and it was that beautiful transformation that had helped to calm him down. Things happened, he couldn’t stop that, there wasn’t any sense getting upset over small things.

“Okay…” Dominic mumbled as he knelt down and hefted the alicorn over his shoulder, saddlebags and all. “It’s not the end of the world, she’s mainly an herbivore after all, I’m sure there’s a couple farms around here that have hay or something. We can supplement our supplies with that, right?” He turned to Baxter and Maria, after a couple seconds the Colonel nodded.

“Yes, there’s that farm down by the crossroads, it should have a supply of hay, though if it’s any good is another question.” Baxter said, Dominic nodded and let out a calm deep breath. Maria was honestly surprised to see her friend so relaxed after what normally would have sent him into a very vocal swearing fit, at least, one that was far worse than the one she’d seen. She supposed being a commander meant he had to handle crisis a bit differently now.

“Alright, we can take a tank down there tomorrow and get as much as we can.” Dominic concluded as he adjusted the unconscious pony over his shoulder, he let out a stressed sigh and looked at Colonel Baxter. “For now though, I think it would be prudent for us to hunker down, that flash of light probably got someone’s attention.”

“I’ll have more guards posted on the barricade, for now though, I suspect you want to take care of your little friend there?” Baxter gestured to Twilight Sparkle.

“She’s my friend, but she’s also a Princess from one of our supporters on the other side.” Dominic replied, he took note of some of the contents that had spilled out of the saddle bag. “So, yeah, I’d say we should get her some place warm.” Baxter nodded once again as he ran a hand over his bushy mustache.

“Alright, you and Major Valova can handle that. There are a couple things I’d like to go over with Captain Poplawski.” Baxter said as he turned to Jen. “Do you think you could train a couple troops to drive that open tank we’ve got now?” Jen nodded and the two of them began walking off towards the barricade, leaving Dominic and Maria to look at each other with a pair of awkward smiles.

“Well, let’s go, I’m sure she’s gonna want to meet you when she wakes up.” Dominic said as he began walking towards the train station, Maria silently rushed to catch up with him as she adjusted the rifle in her grip. “It’s weird, you know? Sometimes the portal knocks people out, other times it keeps people awake.”

“I wouldn’t be able to tell you.” Maria said with a shrug as the two of them walked through the somewhat quieter station to the cog train. Dominic set Twilight down on a bench inside the train before the operator began moving the train back up the mountain, occasionally the soldier would stop and look at the strange new alien pony, but his main focus was the train. Meanwhile, Maria and Dominic were sitting silently across from one another. It had been an eventful day already, with numerous survivors evacuated, a near death experience with a machete wielding old man, and now a pony princess. A moment of silence was what the two of them needed.

Dominic turned in his seat and looked out the window as the train began to pass numerous trees and bushes, the snow was starting to melt once again, but at the same time Dominic worried it would get rapidly cold. If that happened there would be skids of ice all over the place, including on the train tracks. Even if it was driven by locking cogs, there was a good chance something bad could happen. At the same time, the bright sunlight and melting snow sent a bit of nostalgic ache through his chest, it was a beautiful scene from his childhood that he’d missed for many years.

The next six months would prove to be some of the most difficult ones in his life, but Dominic had Maria, Jen, and all manner of other allies behind him. He had done it alone for three years, he could do six months standing on his head. At the same time he was looking out over the landscape, Maria was looking at him with a bit of curiosity. She could tell he was thinking about something mainly by the looks on his face, he was very poor at hiding them, and from what she saw it was quite a doozy of a conundrum he was working on in that brain of his. Perhaps what shook her the most was the occasional expressions of worry that crossed his face.

“Hey.” Maria called out as the train continued up the mountain, Dominic paused and looked at her with a somewhat stoic expression. “Come here.” The man raised an eyebrow before he silently stood up and walked over to her, Maria patted the seat beside her. “Come on, ya big lug, sit with me.” Dominic faintly smiled and took a seat beside her. “Whatcha thinkin’ about?”

“Just… Working out some stuff in my head.” Dominic admitted as he unstrapped the AK-47 from his back and set it on the seat beside him. “I’m not sure I have what it takes to do this, no matter how many times I tell myself in my head.” The man put his head in his hands and sighed, Maria put a comforting hand on his back and rubbed up and down his back. “And I worry about us, I mean, everything’s alright now, but four years is a long time and what if we end up hating each other? I don’t want that to happen, not after everything-” Maria put a finger on his lips as the man began to speak frantically fast.

“Calm down, sweetie.” Maria said quietly, Dominic looked at her for a few seconds. “You’re getting all worked up when you need to be calm.” She pulled the man up against her side, she was certainly much stronger than Dominic remembered. “It’s okay if we’ve changed a little, because I know deep down you’re still the same paranoid dork I came to love.” Dominic looked at Maria with a slight smile, his eyes watered and he quickly wiped them. The two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence, the two of them leaning against each other and watching the trees and landscape pass by.

“Hey, Maria?” Dominic asked, breaking the silence and looking at the woman beside him. “What was it you wanted to talk about earlier in the tank?” Maria’s expression shifted for a moment into one of slight worry, she looked Dominic in the eyes before looking to the floor.

“Do you think Luna would like me?” Maria asked in a quiet voice, Dominic raised an eyebrow at her. “I… I don’t know how to say it exactly, I’m worried how you’ll take it.” Dominic gave Maria a gentle squeeze and kissed her on the forehead.

“Maria, please… Just tell me.” Dominic said faintly, Maria took a deep breath.

“I dunno, it’s just, you said she had feelings for you, and I kinda feel like I got in the way of things.” Maria admitted, Dominic’s eyes widened and he pulled the woman into a bit of a tight hug. “I don’t want her to hate me, and in turn hate you, especially after all-”

“Shh…” Dominic said as he rocked her back and forth. “It’s your turn to calm down, because you shouldn’t worry about that.” Maria looked him in the eyes, the man could see that beneath her normal facade of confidence was a fear of loss so deep it could utterly destroy her. “Regardless of what happens between her and I, it isn’t your fault for feeling the way you feel.” The man obviously had a bit of emotion in his voice, he couldn’t stand to see that hurt in Maria’s eyes. “I know Luna well enough to know she won’t hate me or you, she’s far beyond letting jealousy get to her like that anymore.” Maria quietly rested her head on Dominic’s shoulder and a frown began to spread across her face.

“I’m sorry…” She whispered, Dominic squeezed her once again.

“Stop that. You don’t have anything to be sorry about.” Dominic said with a light sternness to his tone, it was agony to see her feel so upset, especially when there was no reason for it. For that reason alone, he decided that he would do something he hadn’t done in a while. “Would you feel better if I sang that little song you like?” Maria perked up a bit and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“But you hate that song.” Maria said with a bit of surprise, Dominic just nodded and a small smile crept across his face.

“But I know you love it, and it’s been a long time since I sang on a train to someone I cared about. Almost half a year.” The man said simply as he stood up and grabbed his rifle, then he took his helmet off his head. “Here, look, I’ll even do the whole act. You’re gonna have to bear with me though, I haven’t done this in five odd years.” Maria teared up a little as she smiled and wiped her eyes. “No tears, come on.” Dominic cleared his throat and pounded on his chest for a moment.

“You’re such a goof…” Maria said quietly.

“And now, performing for your viewing pleasure, live from the illustrious Cog Car Casino in Bumblefuck Colorado!” Dominic began speaking in an over the top vaudeville announcer’s voice as he held his rifle like a cane and his helmet like a top hat. “The One Man Paluka Choir will be singing a timeless classic, straight from the Public Domain! I’m a yankee doodle dandy!” Maria began to giggle as the normally stone faced commander descended into a bit of silliness she hadn’t seen in four years. “But first, let’s get to know our audience folks! What about you miss? Where are you from?” Dominic pointed at the still unconscious Twilight Sparkle, unsurprisingly she didn’t say much of anything. “Huh, I heard they have nice weather out there.”

“Come on, Dominic, you don’t have to do this.” Maria said as she couldn’t help but smile now, Dominic looked at her and smiled warmly.

“Oh, you know I do.” He said simply. “The show must go on!” Maria put her hands on her face. “Say, you there sir, I haven’t seen you in a while. Where’ve you been?” Dominic was talking to the empty space right next to him, a few seconds later he had filled that space himself and responded to his own question. “I’ve been abroad!”

“I always had my suspicions, but now there’s no doubt…” The car operator cut in, Dominic looked at him with a bit of an over the top annoyed expression while Maria began giggling.

“You’re both jerks.” Maria said good naturedly as she continued laughing, Dominic just shrugged it off and tapped his ‘cane’ against the floor. She remembered the first time that she’d made him sing this song, it was for a school talent show and she needed help doing a duet. Dominic had begrudgingly offered to help her, and it wasn’t that he had a bad singing voice, it was just that he wasn’t used to singing on stage. The performance had gone fine, all things considered, but Dominic had sworn he’d never do that dance number again.

“Well, it seems it’s time for the main attraction! The One Man Paluka Choir will now sing that timeless classic, straight from the public domain, I’m a yankee doodle dandy!” Maria held up a hand, she’d already been cheered up enough, but Dominic wasn’t satisfied. He began singing and using his rifle like some sort of cane. “I’m a yankee doodle dandy! Yankee doodle do or die!” The noise was certainly enough to start to stir the unconscious alicorn from her slumber, she blearily opened her eyes to see Dominic was up and dancing about. “A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam! Born on the fourth of July!”

“You’ve got a yankee doodle sweetheart!” Maria suddenly joined in as she sat on the sidelines.

“She’s my yankee doodle joy!” Dominic finished, smiling and pointing at Maria. Meanwhile Twilight Sparkle was very confused, and she didn’t dare move for fear of interrupting some sort of bizarre human ritual. “Yankee Doodle came to town, just to ride the ponies!”

“He is that yankee doodle boy!” Maria finished before Dominic hummed and whistled the tune. “Got a yankee doodle sweetheart! He’s my yankee doodle joy!” Dominic reached out and pulled Maria to her feet. “Yankee doodle came to town, just to ride the ponies!”

“I am that yankee doodle boy!” Dominic finished, before he set his rifle and helmet down on the bench and grabbed Maria in a very big hug, the woman returned it for several moments before they both separated with a couple of big smiles on their faces. “Feel better?”

“A little…” Maria said with a fake frown, Dominic leaned down and kissed her. When he’d pulled away the woman was smiling a lot wider. “Okay, I feel better.” It was at this point they noticed the train had stopped moving and there was giggling from across the car, both of them turned to see the train’s operator was doing his best not to break out into all out guffaws. Maria glared at him for a moment but a comforting hand on her shoulder from Dominic told her to just relax. “Why’d the train stop, Private?”

“We’ve been at the station for the past couple minutes or so, I just didn’t want to interrupt your little moment.” The operator said with a shrug, Maria and Dominic began to giggle at that as they stepped back from one another to grab their items. The commander turned towards Twilight Sparkle, expecting her to be fully unconscious. To his surprise, the mare was staring at him and Maria with somewhat wide eyes.

“Hey, look who’s up.” Dominic said as he slung his rifle over his shoulder and set his helmet on his head. “That’s good, I was worried I’d have to carry you all the way. Twilight groggily got to her hooves and rubbed her head, she looked around and shivered as she realized it was certainly a lot chillier than she’d been expecting. Maria was still a bit surprised at seeing the alicorn for the first time, mainly because she hadn’t expected the mare to be so gosh darn adorable.

“You’re a lot less angry than I thought you’d be.” Twilight said as she caught her balance and looked up at the man. “I had a whole speech ready and everything.” Dominic just patted her on the head.

“Oh, I was angry, but you were unconscious for that bit.” He said before pausing and gesturing to Maria. “Twilight Sparkle, this is Maria Valova. Maria, you know who this is.” Maria smiled faintly as Twilight looked at her, her eyes going a bit wide. The mare supposed that explained the kissing. She smiled at the woman and offered her hoof in a greeting, to her surprise Maria seemed to smile even wider before she reached out with a hoof and bumped it against Twilight’s. 

“Nice to meet you!” Twilight said with a bit of a friendly smile as the group disembarked from the train and out onto the impromptu train station, Maria was staring at her hand for a moment as she seemed to fidget back and forth on her feet, a big smile growing across her face. “Uh… Dominic?”

“She’s just fangirling, give her a minute.” Dominic said casually as the group began walking through the shanty town, Twilight looked around with a bit of surprise at just how small and rickety it looked. She had imagined it would look slightly better than this, but now she truly realized just how hard many of them had had it. Many of the buildings had been abandoned, their doors left open and giving a clear view of the discarded items inside, Dominic was also looking about the evacuated town with a neutral expression. “You okay now, Maria?” He asked over his shoulder.

“Yeah…” Maria replied as she looked at Twilight and waved at her. “Hi, nice to meet you, really sorry about that. It’s just, I’m kind of a fan.” Twilight just nodded and smiled, it was odd to know she had fans in an entirely different plain of existence. With her introduction completed, Maria took a moment to look around the town. “Jeez… It’s really a ghost town now.” The silence of the area was broken by the occasional creaky door hinge or the bang of wooden shutters against a corrugated wall.

“At least it’s empty for a good reason.” Dominic said as he walked towards one of the abandoned houses and peeked inside, it was a one room shack with a sleeping bag, a workbench that doubled as a table, and what looked like a door to an area behind it. “Do you think the Colonel will mind if I took possession of this shack? It’d open up some more space in the barracks.”

“You’d end up freezing out here by yourself, you’d need someone to stay with you for warmth.” Maria replied as she ran a hand up the corrugated metal. “That’s alright though, I don’t mind bunking with you.” She smiled at him as Dominic blushed a bit and looked at the floor. “Actually, the Colonel had offered me a shack a while ago, since I was the only female officer in the barracks. I’m sure he won’t mind if you share with me.” Twilight was a bit surprised at just how forwards both of them were being.

The princess had never known Dominic to be so open about things, and on top of it, the display on the train car was still fresh in her mind. Perhaps he was better off with Maria, they seemed to feed off of each other’s positive emotions. In fact Twilight had never seen a smile on Dominic’s face that many times in the span of an hour before.

“Well, if you want to, I mean…” Dominic said as he rubbed the back of his neck and stepped out of the shack. “We should get Twilight situated though, I’m sure she’s a bit tired from the whole portal experience.”

“I’ll help her get to her bunk, why don’t you go chat with Baxter. He gets a bit testy around this time of day.” Maria said, Dominic paused and just nodded. He’d dealt with testier people than a Colonel, and he didn’t want Maria had to do it.

“Alright, see you in a bit then.” He said with a smile before he started wandering back to the train station. “Just… Gonna go back to the train. That I just got off. And go back down the mountain…” Maria just chuckled at him as he played off an air of phony annoyance, Twilight was a bit surprised at that, and a bit nervous. She didn’t know Maria like she knew Dominic, but she supposed that anyone that could capture the man’s heart was someone worth talking to. “All by myself! Completely alone!” He called as he got further away.

“Just go, silly willy!” Maria called out, Dominic chuckled and turned to get back on the train. Maria smiled faintly before she looked down at Twilight. “So, let me show you where you’ll be sleeping.” Twilight shivered a bit as she walked through the cold snow on the ground, it wasn’t melting as quickly on the mountain as it was on the lower hills.

“Thank you…” Twilight said a little awkwardly, she looked at the train was just starting to depart the station before following behind Maria. “He’s certainly a lot happier than I remember him, a lot calmer too.”

“Who, Dom?” Maria asked as she continued walking through the shanty town, Twilight nodded. “Yeah, he was a bit intense back in the day too. If it weren’t for me, he’d probably have ended up like one of the ‘Colorado Kids’.”

“The what?” Twilight asked.

“Basically gun slinging hill folk that shoot EOL troops for sport, they’re kind of like cowboys, hence the name ‘Colorado Kid’.” Maria explained, Twilight just nodded before looking at the departing train again. “He was always paranoid growing up, about all sorts of stuff. Nuclear weapons, Russian invasion, chemical wars, industrial accidents, hell that jacket he wears is something he bought in case there was ever a dirty bomb. Said ‘It would help minimize skin contact’.”

“Really? He said you’d given it to him.” Twilight replied, Maria shook her head.

“I gave him the patch on the shoulder, one that ought to look familiar to you.” The woman adjusted her rifle and pulled down the hood from her head, revealing she was wearing a wool cap. “It feels weird talking about him without him here, wanna talk about something else… Like, where you’re from?”

“You know where I’m from.” Twilight said as they got closer to a couple temporary looking buildings. “Canterlot’s a pretty nice city, or it was until the riots, it still sort of smells like tear gas.” The mare adjusted her saddlebags with a bit of a grunt, the air was a bit thinner than she was used to. “But there’s a big library, stores, restaurants, oh and my favorite place to go is the museum!”

“No kidding?” Maria said with a smirk. “I liked the museum myself, Dominic always dragged me with him whenever he went, it was fun seeing all the ancient artifacts and the exhibit on space flight was cool too.”

“I wish I could’ve seen it.” Twilight remarked as they continued to walk, Maria sighed quietly and looked at the ground.

“It’s probably been burned down, unfortunately, along with the libraries. EOL hates anything that doesn’t support their agenda.” She said, Twilight stopped mid step. “What’s wrong, you hurt or something?”

“No… I just… I can’t believe someone would burn down a library or a museum because it disagreed with them.” Twilight said as she began walking again, already her hopes of finding some sort of human literature were falling. “What is it the EOL even stands for, anyway?”

“They want everyone that ever disagreed with them on the internet to suffer, yet they say they stand for supporting equality and happiness.” Maria said with a bit of a bitter tone. “For instance they denounce torture and abuse of women, and yet I’ve liberated EOL captives that endured those same acts because they were seen as inferior.” Twilight began to open her mouth. “The hypocrisy isn’t lost on any of us, but there’s not a helluva lot we can do right now.”

“Why don’t their own people stop them?” Twilight asked, Maria sighed as they stopped just outside the Temp buildings.

“For all of Empress Night Raven’s idiocy, she is a master manipulator when it comes to the disenfranchised.” Maria explained, she looked at Twilight as if she were some sort of teacher. “She tells people that they can be whatever they want without fear of judgement, they begin to believe they’re werewolves, vampires, some even think they’re ponies in human form.” Twilight felt a bit disturbed by that, that there could be someone out there impersonating her, doing horrible unspeakable things to someone, it made her want to vomit. “It’s an ingenious way of keeping people in line. Tearing her down would destroy their identity, a form of metaphorical suicide.” Maria paused. “At least, that’s my opinion on it.”

“I see…” Twilight said as she levitated a quill and some paper from her bag and began to scribble what she’d heard so far. She noted that on Earth it took a bit more magic to do a normal task, as if her magic became weaker than it actually was. “Is this where I’m staying?”

“Yeah. It’s a lot warmer than the rest of the other places, we mostly put our troops in here because they need to be ready for combat as best they can.” Maria said with a bit of a shrug. “We would’ve put the civilians in here, but they wouldn’t all be able to fit. Twilight nodded and walked towards the door with Maria behind her. “You want me to come in with you or are you good on your own?”

“I’m alright, thanks for the chat!” Twilight said with a bit of a smile, Maria nodded and turned to walk towards the other temp building. She was going to grab her personal belongings in preparation, she knew that Baxter would say yes, he always did when it came to requests like that. Especially now that most of the women had been evacuated. Maria knew that her boys wouldn’t do anything to her, but Baxter was always cautious about that nonetheless. The woman silently opened the door to the second barracks and stepped inside,  Smalls and his compatriots Corporal’s Kowalski and O’Keefe were seated at the rickety card table. When they saw her enter they quickly snapped to attention.

“At ease, boys.” Maria said as she walked towards her bunk and knelt down in front of her foot locker. The woman set her rifle on the floor and pulled off her cloak, leaving her in just her fatigues. Maria popped open the latch on her foot locker and looked inside, what greeted her first was just some run of the mill junk. She sifted through it until her fingers brushed up against a rather thick booklet, the woman picked up the booklet and looked it over. A smile formed on her face as she recognized it as a photo album, her photo album.

She’d put it in a fireproof box for safe keeping, and on one of her journeys to Evergreen she had stumbled upon the charred remains of her home, of course she found the box as well. Maria sighed and opened the album, smiling faintly at the first picture. It was of her mother and father, standing at the edge of the Evergreen lake. Her dad had a funny looking mustache, both of them were wearing sunglasses, and both of them were waving at the camera.

Maria flipped to the next page and her smile remained, though her eyes began to water. The picture was of a lot of people at a picnic table, in the back she could see her parents again, across from them were Dominic’s parents. In the foreground she could see Dominic sitting with a very small smile while his sister was making a goofy face. Maria remembered that day well, the last day of summer vacation, she’d taken that picture because she knew that Dominic would join the military some day, and she wanted to have some sort of reminder of him, incase she never got his picture again.

As she flipped through the rest of the pages she was greeted by a numerous other pictures of the big lug, a couple made her giggle. For instance, the photo of Dominic dressed as Uncle Sam for the talent show, or the one where he’d ripped his pants while working on his dirt bike, the look of surprise on his face was priceless. Maria’s smile faded a bit as she looked through a couple other pictures, these were ones that she’d taken when Dominic wasn’t looking. One was of the man looking out over the lake, that same look of contemplation on his face. She remembered that day as well.

Dominic had been working in one of his shop classes on something for his mom’s birthday, but at the last minute a couple of jocks had come in and smashed it to pieces, they’d called him names, and Dominic insisted that he was fine. Maria could see in that picture though, despite the stoic exterior, the man was doubting himself and his self worth. Maria had taken the picture, as well as the others, because she felt that it was good to remember someone’s lows as well as their highs. Looking through the album though, she had started to notice there seemed to be more lows than highs.

Maria took a deep breath and shook her head, subduing her emotions and setting the album down in the foot locker. She looked through several more items before closing the locker and standing up, the woman turned to face the men at the card table. A couple of them glanced at her for a moment before going back to their cards.

“I’m going to be moving out of here.” She said as she took a seat on her bunk, the soldiers turned and looked at her with raised eyebrows.

“You are?” Smalls asked, Maria nodded. “Is this because of that guy? Did he do something to piss you off? Because, we’ll kick his ass if he did!”

“Yeah!” O’Keefe said, Maria shook her head before she stood off her bunk and walked over to the table. The woman put her hands on her hips and looked them over quietly.

“Actually he’s moving out with me.” Maria admitted, the troops continued to look at her quietly. “I figure it’s about time we let some of the guys down the mountain have a chance up here, you know? On actual beds.” The woman took at look at Smalls’ cards for a moment, then faintly shook her head and went back to standing there. “Corporal Kowalski.” The woman turned and looked at the man. “Before you make any remarks regarding why Dominic and I are ‘really’ moving out, let me remind you of who’s in charge of the promotion board.”

“Understood, ma’am.” The soldier said nervously, he’d learned his lesson from messing with Captain Poplawski. There was a faint knock on the door, seconds later the door had opened and Dominic walked in with a bit of a bashful expression.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Maria said after turning and seeing him, the man silently gestured for her to come over and she did.

“He said sure, as long as we don’t keep him up at night…” Dominic said, rubbing the back of his neck quietly, Maria chuckled and looked at the floor.

“He’s a funny guy, isn’t he? Crude, but funny.” She hummed before looking over her shoulder over at the foot locker, Dominic caught sight of it as well and cracked his knuckles. “I’m capable of carrying my own foot locker, Dominic.”

“I know, but I want to do it anyway.” Dominic said as he walked past her and knelt down, grabbing the locker by the handles on the side and lifting it with a grunt. “You already climbed a big shelf and pushed a crate of sleeping bags today.” Smalls and the others raised an eyebrow at the conversation, some of them taking note that the man now had an AK-47 over his back. Dominic walked to the door as Maria crossed her arms across her chest and gave him a look that was a mix between annoyance and appreciation. “You could get the door though, that would be helpful.”

Maria smiled and opened the door to the temp building and Dominic stepped outside with her foot locker in hand. The woman walked back to her bunk and threw on her cloak, then picked up her rifle and looked at Smalls and the others.

“I’ll see you guys later.” She said with a slight wave, they nodded before going back to their card game. Maria sighed as she walked to the door and closed it behind her with a gentle thud. It was proving to be a very busy day, but at least she was going through it in good company.

[♠]

Mike chewed quietly on a bit of beef jerky as he peered through his binoculars down at the road coming into Evergreen, he and Mark had set up in a different hunting ground in anticipation of the Empress’ armored units. They had moved more onto the outskirts and both of them had taken to using the Remington rifles, beside Mike were two radios. A CB to listen in on EOL radio chatter, and a regular radio, which was currently playing a bit of techno music.

“Do you think she ever gets tired of that stuff?” Mark asked as sat against a tree and sifted through the personal effects of several dead EOL soldiers for anything of interest. Mike shrugged and lowered his binoculars, adjusting his hat and letting his binoculars hang on their strap.

“Andie hates this stuff, but she also knows that the Empress hates this stuff.” Mike replied simply, Mark nodded quietly. “Besides, it kind of grows on you after a while.” The two men had been sitting on the ridge overlooking the main highway into the town, they were in clear view of an old supermarket, a gas station, and off in the distance as a church. “You ever met her?”

“Who? Andreina?” Mark asked, Mike nodded and chewed on some more beef jerky. “Once, after we killed that lady that insisted she was an ancient Nordic battle maiden.” The man pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. “You know, for the bounty?”

“Oh, yeah…” Mike responded as he thought back to the kill in question. “Was she hot?” Mark gave Mike an annoyed look before he nodded. “Did ya fuck her?” Mark took a few seconds to think, then held up a finger. “Holy shit, you did!”

“Well… That’s how she pays her bounties…” Mark said with a shrug, Mike’s eyes bulged and he looked at his friend.

“She pays her bounties in sex and you’re just telling me this now!?” The man practically roared, Mark slowly nodded. “Fuck, man, if I’d known that before we would’ve won the war by now.” Mike grunted and looked back towards the road, shaking his head and putting his binoculars up to his eyes. “That’s a dick thing to do man, I’ve been looking at the same Playboy mags for three years and you go off to fuck the hot radio queen.”

“It’s not a normal thing, Mike.” Mark defended himself as he took a drag on his cigarette and discarded another stupid ‘letter from home’ in his pile of personal effects. “It’s not like I take weekly trips out to her station for a quickie while you’re out gathering supplies.”

“You saying that makes me think that’s exactly what happens.” Mike said as he continued scanning the road. “Whatever man, just be considerate next time, alright?”

“You’re taking this far better than I’d expected.” Mark mused as he exhaled a puff of smoke, Mike shrugged quietly.

“After all the shit I make you put up with, I can take a little shit now and then.” Mike said before his eyes froze on something on the horizon, Mark didn’t seem to notice his friend’s sudden freeze and instead began to recite one of the letters in a wimpy sounding tone.

“Dear Death Slayer, we’re so glad you’ll be coming home soon, Empress knows you-”

“Shut up.” Mike said abruptly as he reached over and turned off the radio, then got into a prone position and picked up his rifle. Mark looked at him with a bit of surprise, a wicked smile was starting to form on the young man’s face. “Oh baby… That is a beautiful thing. Mark. Mark Mark Mark!”

“What?” Mark said as he looked off towards the horizon.

“Fuckin’ convoy, man! Three pick ups, no armor on the cabs either!” Mike readied his rifle as he put his cross hairs on the driver of the lead truck in the convoy rolling down the road. Mark quickly set his items down and grabbed his rifle, he crawled up next to Mike and looked through his scope. Sure enough three pickup trucks loaded down with troops and supplies were rolling down the highway, passing by the occasional destroyed car or overturned bus. “You hit the last truck, I’ll hit the first one. The middle guy will be stuck long enough for you to tack him.”

“Look at you being all tactical.” Mark mused as he took aim at the last truck in the convoy, the driver was looking off to the passenger side, conversing with another soldier. “You know, these guys probably thought they wouldn’t have to worry about us until they got into town. What’s left of it, that is.”

“Almost feel bad for them.” Mike said as he lined up his own shot and started to slow down his breathing, he was still chewing slowly on the beef jerky, it helped to calm his nerves as he began to hear his heart in his ears. “Here we go…” Mike’s finger flexed over the trigger and he slowly squeezed the trigger. The rifle kicked against his shoulder and a bang resonated over the area, almost instantly the man could see the cab of the first truck was painted red. The driver slumped over the wheel with his foot on the gas, sending the truck careening into a wrecked car and tossing the soldiers in the back out like rag dolls onto the hard pavement.

Mark pulled the trigger a moment later, opening a bloody chest wound in the driver of the third truck. For a few moments the soldier in question maintained control of his vehicle, but ended up slamming into the back of middle vehicle. The supplies in the third truck spilled out onto the road while the soldiers in the second truck hopped out to try and aid their wounded comrades.

“It’s a good ol’ fashion turkey shoot.” Mark mused as he began picking off those that were trying to aid their comrades, Mike meanwhile took a moment to look around them. It was just a reflex he’d developed, even in winter the infected could still be out there, and it was easy for them to sneak up on snipers. Sure enough the area was clear, and with that notion the man went back to his scope and chuckled as he watched the EOL troops scramble for cover.

“What’re you so scared for! I’m sure you werewolves and vampires can take out two lowly snipers!” Mike called in a mocking tone before he pulled the trigger once again, watching with glee as one of the EOL troop’s head exploded into a cloud of red mist. Mark paused for a moment and looked over at his compatriot, the expression of hatred on Mike’s face scared him. More and more Mike had become crueler and crueler to the EOL, to the point it was starting to worry Mark. “Not so fun now when someone puts the fear of god into you, huh!”

By this point a contingent of twenty five or so soldiers had been reduced to ten and the survivors were starting to turn tail, Mark stopped firing as the EOL troops turned their backs, but Mike didn’t, he continued to reload and fire away. He shot them in the back, he shot them as they threw down their weapons in surrender, all he could see was red. He hated them. Every last one of them. He could hear screaming in his head, a woman’s screams, each time the rifle kicked against his shoulder they seemed to get louder and louder. Someone crying out to him, pleading for him to save her.

“No good!” Mike muttered as he fired and another fell. “Rapist!” And another. “BASTARDS!” The weapon clicked empty, and Mike found himself watching the last of the group running away. The man reached over for Mark’s gun, but his compatriot pulled it away just as the EOL survivor disappeared from view over the horizon. “You let him get away!”

“Mike!” Mark yelled, Mike was panting heavily as he looked down at his own rifle and the brass scattered about him. “Get ahold of yourself, goddamn it! You’re losing focus!”

“Fuck… I…” Mike mumbled, somewhat shocked at himself as he stood up. “I’ll be back…” The man left his rifle on the ground as he quietly walked off into the woods, Mark watched him with concern as he disappeared in the trees. As he walked along Mike could still hear the screaming and pleading, no matter how much he tried to shut it out. The man descended the ridge and began walking towards the ruined vehicles and dead EOL troops, he know that Mark could see him from the hill.

As he walked Mike removed his stetson and surveyed the damage, there were bodies strewn about the area. Some of them twisted in odd poses from the truck crash while others were clutching at wounds or laying flat with a hole in their head. Blood and tissue were splattered along the ground and forming into one large pool of red, the pool was running off the side of the road into the snow, staining the pure white with the horrors of war.

Mike continued walking along and picked up a discarded AK-47, occasionally he would nudge one of the bodies with his boot, but nothing would happen. He stopped at the crashed trucks, the middle one and the rear one. The man pulled open the cab door on the middle one, expecting to find it empty. Instead he found an EOL soldier hiding low in the seat, staring at him with terrified eyes. Mike raised his AK-47 and took aim, watching his mortal foe close her eyes in fearful anticipation. Mike’s finger moved over the trigger and he started to squeeze, but his grip began to shake.

Mike quietly lowered the AK-47 leaving the soldier to stare at him in confusion, without a word they looked each other in the eyes. The man put his stetson back on his head and walked away, leaving an absolutely terrified EOL troop in his wake. Said soldier didn’t dare get out of the truck, she wanted to wait until the ‘Colorado Kids’ had left the area before that. She’d been left with a bit of surprise, everything she’d been told about them said they were ruthless merciless killers, and yet there she was. Alive.

Mike walked to the last truck, the one containing the supplies. The boxes had fallen out onto the ground after the truck had crashed, the man could see it was most ammunition, but there were also the customary rations and various other things. Mike knelt down quietly and picked up one of the ration packs, examining it for a few seconds. Moments later he heard a bang off in the distance, a stinging pain opened up in his left shoulder as he fell to the ground.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Mike yelled as he pushed himself under the truck, several more bangs echoed through the area, bullets kicked up asphalt and cement. “Mark! Sniper!” He put as much pressure as he could on his wound, hissing in pain as blood oozed through his fingers. “Clever sons of bitches… I stepped right into that one.” He could tell the bullet had passed clean through, as made evident by the exit wound in his shoulder that he was currently clutching at.

There was another bang, this one was far closer, Mike could tell it was Mark just by that alone. He began crawling under the truck towards the ridge, only for a bullet to wing one of the tires on the truck. It deflated with a hiss and pinned Mike’s leg, the pain wasn’t as bad as he’d expected it would be, but adrenaline was coursing through his body. It was in that moment that he truly began to doubt his chances of surviving, he closed his eyes and started to pray for some sort of miracle. He doubted that god would listen though, Mike had done numerous horrendous things, and he was most likely on the big man’s ‘Do not call’ list.

“Hey!” A voice called out in front of him, it was warm and had the slightest of Polish accents. Mike looked up and saw the EOL soldier he’d spared minutes before, only it seemed she’d pulled off her mask and was reaching out to him. “Come on! Before he get’s you!”

“Leg’s pinned!” Mike yelled back as he struggled, the woman looked a bit surprised. “Get out of here before my partner takes a shot at you!” She shook her head before rushing off, with a bit of a nervous huff she ran towards the damaged second truck, bullets were flying from both sides of the sniper battle so she had to be fast.

Her name was Wiktoria, she’d come to America two years before the outbreak, and in all the confusion she’d been swept up into the EOL. It was either fight for them or be turned into one of their thralls, and after a while she’d started to believe what the Empress was screaming. However, a very recent run in with an AK-47 had changed that outlook, and as such she began to rifle through the truck for tire repair kit. A bullet struck the passenger window sending glass flying into the vehicle, she did her best to ignore it and finally managed to find the tire jack.

With the jack in hand she ran back towards the collapsed truck and looked beneath, sure enough Mike was still there and he was starting to look pale.

“I will lift the truck! When I do you have to get out!” She yelled, Mike started to yell at her but she didn’t listen and rushed around to the other side of the truck, an open target for the EOL sniper. At first her actions went unnoticed and she managed to slip the jack beneath the truck, still Mike was yelling at her but she couldn’t understand his muffled words. When she began cranking the jack the EOL sniper took note, Wiktoria let out a yelp of fear as a bullet hit the ground beside her, still she continued to crank the jack. “Almost there!”

“Just leave! Run god damn it! I didn’t let you live so you could die here!” Mike finally made his voice heard under the truck, but Wiktoria ignored it. A bullet impacted the truck, inches from her head. Her heart was pounding heavily in her chest as she gave two last cranks of the jack, Mike was able to scramble out from underneath. Wiktoria turned to face the sniper, taking gulps of air and closing her eyes, knowing full well that it was the end.

In the distance she heard a bang, several seconds passed. She opened her eyes as she heard limping footsteps, she turned to her right and saw the Colorado Kid from under the truck, holding a wound in his shoulder and barely standing on what was probably a sprained ankle. Wordlessly he gestured for her to come over with his head, she nervously stood up and walked towards him, in the distance she could see another man walking down from a ridge with a rifle in hand.

“Let me do the talking… I’m Mike, by the way.” Mike said tiredly as he began to limp towards his compatriot, Wiktoria looked at him curiously before following him. As far as she knew the EOL probably would know what she’d done, so there wasn’t any real chance of her going back. Even if she could, she didn’t want to, her eyes had been opened. Mike continued limping along with her lagging behind him, until finally the two of them were standing across from the sniper. “Hey, Mark.”

“‘Hey, Mark?’?” Mark said as he walked forwards and examined the wound in his friend’s shoulder. “You’re a fucking piece of work, you know that?” Mike shrugged, only to wince a few seconds later. “Welp, looks like you’re gonna need a doctor for this one.”

“Yeah, I figured.” Mike winced as Mark ripped a bit of his jacket off and tied it over the wound in a makeshift tourniquet. “That lady with me saved my ass…” Mark cast a quick glance over to Wiktora who was shifting around nervously, then he went back looking at the wound. “We need a doc, I don’t suppose you have one in your back pocket, do you?”

“Nope, but I know someone that can patch you up.” Mark replied, only to pause and look at Wiktoria again. “Thing is, I don’t think she’ll take kindly to us bringing an EOL trooper with us.”

“Ex EOL.” Wiktoria corrected as she started to pull off her black uniform jacket. “This man spared my life, I want to help him.” She cast a look over her shoulder at the hills where the sniper had been. “Besides, I have a feeling after what I’ve done I won’t be welcome in the ranks.” Mark looked her over for a moment, then back at Mike.

“Twenty minutes ago you were killing EOL left and right, now you want to take one with us.” Mark muttered, Mike opened his mouth to protest bug Mark held up a hand. “Whatever, as long as you keep an eye on her, I don’t care. I think you really are going nuckin’ futs though.” Mark turned and looked at Wiktoria, then pointed to the only truck that hadn’t been totally destroyed or damaged beyond repair. The middle one. “You can drive that truck, right?” She nodded. “Great, get in, I’ll tell you where to go.”

Mike warily watched the woman as she walked to the truck with Mark, he didn’t trust her much, but running out into the path of a sniper counted for something in his book. Even if she was EOL, Mike had had enough of killing for that day. As he climbed into the somewhat cramped cab of the truck with the others he found himself feeling lightheaded, before long he’d passed out.

[♠]

Moonbeam stepped off the truck trailer as it came to a halt outside of the gate to the EOL’s camp just on the outskirts of CNG territory, the building was a sight to behold, a true marvel of the EOL’s ingenuity. At least, that was what the Empress called it. More accurately it was just a large warehouse complex that the EOL had surrounded with a wall of destroyed cars, sandbags, and barbed wire. Three hundred and fifty soldiers were currently stationed there, as well as the tanks that had just arrived.

The ‘princess’ took in the sight with a slight smirk, the base was certainly much stronger than she’d imagined it would be. It would only be a matter of time before they would crush the CNG forces through superior forces, at least, if her mission was successful. Moonbeam intended to use her feminine wiles to seduce the man known as ‘Night Eagle’, then she would use that leverage to force him to turn on his allies. If that failed she would instead gather as much information as she could, perhaps even steal one of the tanks.

For now though, Moonbeam was concerned with actually infiltrating the CNG lines. Getting there would be simple enough, but she needed a convincing disguise. Already she had discarded her gown, wings, and horn in favor of more common attire. A denim jacket and sweater, some cargo pants, and worn out sneakers. Along the way she had pulled them from an old abandoned house when the truck had stopped for some minor repairs. Despite her mundane attire, she knew that she would come off as too clean if she went as is. They’d spot her as an infiltrator quickly, and she didn’t want to think what would happen.

Moonbeam decided her best course of action would be to get dirty,but not too dirty. She didn’t want to look like she was trying to hard either, she just needed the perfect mix of dirt and clean to sell that she was a mundane survivor and not the beautiful princess of the night she knew she was. As the truck continued on through the gate, Moonbeam removed the Polaroid camera she wore on a strap over her shoulder and set it on the ground, followed by a sword she’d commandeered off of one of the troops on the truck.

The woman knelt down and reached into the melting snow until she felt the cold mud beneath it, with a slight grimace she took a handful of it and smeared it on her pants, as well as a small amount on her jacket, and for good measure she begrudgingly smudged some on her face. She was sure now that she looked like a survivor, and a quick self portrait with the Polaroid removed any remaining doubt. With that she cast a quick look at the gate guards, both of whom were staring at her with raised eyebrows. After a while they shrugged and went back to standing guard. Moonbeam sighed and knelt down to pick up her camera and her sword, attaching each a bit lopsided before she began walking down the road towards the mountain in the distance.

It would be a somewhat long walk, perhaps an hour or so, before she’d arrive there. As she strolled along she had more time to think about what she had done once she’d infiltrated the CNG lines. The Empress had only said to learn more about Night Eagle, beyond that she hadn’t given instructions, so Moonbeam assumed she’d be going for a long, deep cover. She had yet to come up with an alias, her true name would give her away in an instant, so she needed something simple and boring. She settled on Melissa, her old name. Easy to remember, easy to answer to, and she had a decent cover story.

Her sneakers crunched the snow beneath them, and she started to shiver as her feet became wet. The base got further and further behind her as she walked deeper into the wooded area that surrounded the road, she could hear the faint sound of woodpeckers in the distance, as well as the occasional deer. It was peaceful and calm, and it reminded her of the time before the infection had ravaged the land, when she had walked through her backyard. Melissa paused and shook her head. It wasn’t her backyard, it was the backyard of a human that she was trapped inside.

The more she told herself that, the more she felt better about herself. Melissa had been insecure and scared, but Empress Raven had helped her see that she wasn’t really Melissa. She was a princess, a princess that could move the moon and stars themselves, what did she have to be scared of? Moonbeam sighed quietly as she thought back to the days before the infection, it was just to get into character, at least that was what she told herself. She had been rather popular in school, got good grades, but she was always worried that people only saw her for her looks rather than her brain. Being a princess allowed her to have both smarts and looks, because there had never been an ugly princess.

Moonbeam paused as she thought back to one of the mundanes she’d been friends with before the fall, the two of them had been girl scouts in the same troop and gone hiking in the mountains, and Moonbeam could still remember how they’d stick their heads out of car windows and scream the lyrics to the songs on the radio. Moonbeam stopped in her tracks as she felt her throat tighten up, she had to stop thinking of herself as a pony princess if only for the mission’s sake, and that meant letting in the pain. For the foreseeable future, she would have to be Melissa.

The woman stopped as she reached a crossroads, she could see tank tracks in the snow on a couple of the roads, the sound of a rumbling engine in the distance got her attention. She began walking down that road, close and closer to the mountain. Melissa could see the shanty town on the side of the landmass and she had to admit it reminded her a bit of Canterlot, if Canterlot was built by hobos instead of the obviously superior ponies.

Melissa shook her head, she had to remind herself that she had to act like a mundane now that she was so close to the mission’s start. Her feet felt numb and the jacket wasn’t doing much against the cold, she could see her breath as the sky began to darken. The clouds were rolling in again, and she knew soon it would begin to snow. 

The rumble of the engine was even closer now, so close in fact she was expecting to see a tank rolling down the road at any second. Melissa shoved her hands into her jacket pockets, it wouldn’t be long until she reached the CNG gate, the incline on the side of the road was increasing and there were some familiar destroyed cars she recognized from previous reconnaissance pictures. Her numb feet carried her onward through the now miserably cold snow, she regretted that she only had sneakers as opposed to boots, but she hadn’t had much choice in the way of footwear.

Melissa buckled down and continued walking onward, gritting her teeth as she pushed through the growing feeling of cold pain in her skin. The wet mud she’d smeared on her clothes had rapidly accelerated the cold, and her pants were absolutely soaked. Finally she caught sight of the tank as she rounded a final corner, it was bigger than she’d expected. Dark grey, like a German tank, and yet it looked American in design. There were a couple soldiers riding on the sides as a woman seemed to be directing it from the turret.

Melissa stopped in the cold snow to watch the tank as it drove through the fields surrounding the CNG gate, a picture of martial strength that put fear in the woman’s heart. There was no way the Empire could stand up to such a weapon, and if Night Eagle had a way to get more of them… She didn’t want to think about that, but visions of tanks rolling through Denver as the EOL fell to National Guard forces blooded her mind nonetheless. It took her a couple moments to compose herself before she began walking towards the gate again, doing her best to ignore the military hardware that seemed to be getting a good exercise.

She could see there was another tank parked outside the gate with its hatches open, but she couldn’t see the crew try as she might. Melissa came to a stop just in front of the gate, by now the guards there had taken note of her and become far more alert. She drew upon the well of fear and sadness within her and tears came to her eyes, then she sunk to her knees. The gate began to slide open and five national guardsmen stepped out with rifles in hand.

“Everything alright, ma’am?” One of them asked as they got closer to her, by now the tank was moving closer to the gate, most likely to park in a spot that very obviously belonged to it. Melissa looked at the soldier and reached out towards him.

“I… Is it safe here?” She asked, the soldiers walked closer and the lead man took a knee in front of her. “I… I was out there with my friend, and this group of infected just came out of nowhere, and… and…” She started crying again, the story she told was no lie, she had seen her friends swept away in a tide of grey flesh on more than one occasion.

“You’re safe here, ma’am.” The soldier said as he offered her his hand. “You’re lucky you found us before an EOL slave party did, come on, let’s get you inside and warmed up.” Melissa mentally raised an eyebrow at the term ‘slave party’, she assumed that the soldier was referring to the thralls, but the Empress had assured her that they were just infected people that had yet to turn. The Empress continued to say they were volunteers for the Empire, and Melissa was sure that was the case, the soldier must’ve been told lies.

“Th-Thank you…” Melissa said as she was helped up, the soldier smiled at her faintly before he turned and towards the parked tank with the hatches open.

“Major Draco!” He shouted, Melissa turned her head towards the tank. What she saw pop out of the turret sent her scampering back across the ground.

“Ja, Herr Small’s!” A thestral, a real live bat pony. It stared at her for a few moments as the soldier she’d been talking to, Smalls, reached out to her again.

“Please, don’t freak out, they’re not here to hurt you!” He said, Melissa’s heart was racing. A mysterious tank commander was one thing, but ponies in tanks was another thing entirely. She took deep breaths, but seeing the look of sincerity on the soldier’s face seemed to put her at ease. Melissa often found herself wondering why the CNG and the EOL couldn’t get along, these soldiers seemed like nice enough people. “They’re a little odd I know, but, well, we have a guy that can explain it pretty well. Come inside, you can meet with a couple of them, talk to the guy. You have my word, they won’t hurt you.”

“O-Okay…” Melissa said as she took Smalls hand again and stood up straight, the thestral was watching her with an expression. She couldn’t quite place it, but it almost looked like pity.

“As I was saying, Major Draco, would you kindly send word up the mountain there’s a new arrival.” Smalls said, Major Draco gave a quick salute before disappearing back into the tank. Melissa stared at the vehicle the entire way as she was lead inside by the soldiers, she froze once again as she caught sight of a couple ponies and even a griffon working on a tank alongside other thestrals. A few of them looked at her for a moment, then shrugged and went back to their work. Their conversation was muffled by distance alone, but she could tell the discussion was about her.

The soldiers walked Melissa towards a train station, she was familiar with the outside of the building, but not the inside. Many times the Empress had said controlling it would be the key to ending the war with the CNG, but the cost of capturing it and holding it always seemed to be too great. Yet here she was, being lead inside one of the best defended buildings in the state like she owned the place. 

Melissa looked around in slight awe at the inside, there were bunks and a couple fires, and it seemed generally cozy. It wasn’t like her apartment, obviously, but she could see herself staying there if need be. It was nowhere near what the Empress had told it would look like, there weren’t hanging animal carcasses or drugs or anything. Then again, the Empress hadn’t seen inside of it herself, it was okay for her to make a mistake.

“So, Smalls, I hear the Major is moving out of the barracks. Is it because of the new guy?” Asked one of the soldiers walking Melissa along, Smalls looked over his shoulder and gave a slight nod. “Did he say something to her to piss her off that much?”

“Nah man, you saw how they were making out last night, she’s moving out WITH him.” Smalls said as they led Melissa onto the cog train where a waiting operator was standing by to begin taking them up the mountain. “Personally I’m kinda glad she’s getting a place of her own, and not just because that means the nudie mag ban is lifted.”

“Yeah, she has a bit of a temper.” Mumbled another one of the soldiers, Smalls shook his head.

“You see, she had a temper because she didn’t have new guy for three or four years.” He explained as he let his weapon hang on its strap and turned towards his compatriots, meanwhile Melissa took a seat on a bench and watched them as the train began up the mountain. “It’s like some Shakespearean shit or something, man. This guy saves her life and she doesn’t get to say thanks, then all of a sudden four years later he comes rolling in on a tank and says ‘I promised I’d come back, didn’t I?’.” Smalls adjusted his gloves as Melissa’s eyes went wide, was it possible the major they were talking about knew Night Eagle, it seemed likely. “I’m glad for her because in all those years did any of you see her smile? Even once?”

“Come to think of it…” A couple of them hummed, there were four in total, and the furthest back of the group had removed his helmet to scratch his head.

“Let’s just hope the EOL doesn’t fuck it up.” The man said bitterly, getting a couple nods from his compatriots. “You hear those fucks hit an NC supply train last night? Dragged off at least eight or nine women and kids to Golden.”

“Fuckin’ vultures.” Smalls spat, Melissa suddenly didn’t feel so good. She had known that her nation was disliked by the CNG, but to her it sounded like they downright reviled everything she stood for. “How many sex slaves and meat laborers are enough for them? I swear man, they’re fuckin’ Nazis, just pencil a little Hitler mustache on Raven’s lip.”

“Heh, you don’t even need to use a pencil I bet, bitch probably has to have that lip of hers waxed daily.” The soldier furthers back added, getting a couple laughs from the rest of the soldiers. Melissa looked quietly at the ground and an awkward silence settled over the train car. Smalls sighed and sat down beside the woman, looking at her with a somewhat apologetic look.

“Sorry about that, ma’am. We didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, but you know how things are out there.” He said, Melissa looked at him with a bit of nervousness. The revelation that there were ponies on Earth, not to mention those ponies seemed to be lead by the mysterious Night Eagle, and that the CNG’s real hatred of her faction ran deeper than she imagined, was all proving to be a bit much for the young woman.

“I thought I did…” She mumbled, a cloud of doubt was starting to form over her head. Melissa took a moment to remember who she really was, she was a princess, she could handle the stress just fine. The CNG were just misguided, the Empress surely couldn’t be as evil as the soldiers in front of her seemed to think. “My feet hurt…” Smalls looked down at her soaking wet sneakers, there was ice starting to form on them. Without a word the man knelt down and untied his boots, then untied her shoes and pulled them off, followed by her soaking wet socks.

“Sorry if this is a bit uncomfortable, but at least they’ll be warm and dry.” Smalls said as he stepped out of his boots and slipped them onto Melissa’s feet, she stared at him with a bit of confusion. “Frostbite is a danger up here, ma’am.” The boots were warm, and dry, and Melissa was already starting to be able to feel her toes again.

“What about you?” She asked, Smalls shrugged and looked down at his sock covered feet.

“I got you, Smalls.” Said one of the soldiers, Smalls nodded as the train reached the station for the shanty town. The soldier in question walked over and hefted Smalls up over his shoulder as if he were wounded.

“Thank you.” Melissa said, Smalls gave a thumbs up as he was carried out of the train. Melissa followed after them and out onto the makeshift platform. A cold wind blew against her cheek, and she froze as she saw two people standing there, the soldiers saluting as they walked past them. Smalls briefly told his comrade to stop, then she saw him say a couple hushed things to the two of them before he was carried off again.The first one, a woman with short brunette hair and a brown camouflage cloak, she didn’t recognize. However, the man she saw was a completely different story.

The very picture of a conqueror, he loomed over Melissa’s petite form. There was a confident smile on his face as he adjusted his peaked cap, a sword hung from his belt and there were several patches on his jacket that Melissa recognized. There was no doubt in her mind, she was looking upon the face of Night Eagle. He and the dark haired woman looked at each other for a moment, then she whispered a few words into his ear.  He nodded and let his arms relax at his sides, meanwhile the woman walked towards Melissa and smiled faintly.

“Hello.” She said, Melissa looked at her with uncertainty. The cloak she was wearing reminded her of some of the pictures she’d seen of the hill folk snipers, Melissa didn’t think this woman was one of them, but it still unsettled her. “My name is Maria, this is my good friend Dominic, we’re here to get you settled in.”

“Oh, uh… Thank you.” Melissa said, the spy was genuinely confused with what was going on, how could a man like Night Eagle stand a mundane name like Dominic. She mentally shook herself back into the conversation and smiled at Maria. “I’m Melissa.” She looked around nervously, somewhat wondering what they were going to do with her.

“Well, come on, let’s get out of the cold.” Maria said said with a warm smile before putting a hand on Melissa’s shoulder. The woman’s hand was gentle and calming, and the spy felt genuinely safe in her care. The group of three departed through the shanty town, eventually they ended up at a small shack, Maria and Dominic’s shack to be exact. The man was surprisingly quiet, but the thoughtful look in his eye said that something was stirring in that brain of his. Melissa was a bit surprised that she was invited in with open arms, she’d never thought the CNG was so accepting.

The woman shook herself once again, she had to remember the CNG was the enemy.

“So, you hungry?” Dominic finally spoke up, she was a bit surprised at just how deep his voice was. Melissa looked at him and raised an eyebrow, somewhat worried he was going to make some sort of bullheaded demand. “We just got fresh rations, you’re welcome to mine.”

“Are you kidding?” Maria suddenly said, looking at him with a bit of concern. “You can’t just go without eating, the only thing you had today was stale cheese crackers.” Dominic put up a hand and shook his head resolutely.

“Maria, I’ve gone longer without food. She’s gonna be our guest, it’s not right that she goes hungry.” The man said with a firm tone, Maria started to open her mouth again. “And no, I won’t take your food either. You guys are the ones who need it more than me.” Melissa and Maria stared at him with a bit of shock. Maria couldn’t believe how he could do something like that, sure Melissa was a survivor, but she didn’t look like she was starving to death. Melissa was just as stunned, but perhaps more because of how selfless Dominic seemed.

“Fine…” Maria said with a bit of a sigh. “Go out back and try that stove thing you found, I hate cold spam.” Dominic just smiled and gave the woman a quick kiss on the cheek as he walked through a door in the back of the shack, stopping to grab a couple boxes from a makeshift shelf and leaving Melissa and Maria alone. “I can’t believe it, still as stubborn as ever…” Maria mumbled before she looked at Melissa with a faint smile. “Sorry if it’s a bit messy here, we only just moved in an hour or so ago.” The woman began to tidy up, picking up a couple pits of paper that had been scattered on the floor.

“It’s fine.” Melissa said as she helped to pick up the paper, Maria took it from her and set it in a small bag near the back door. “I’m not really worried about dirt…” Melissa briefly looked out the window, taking note that a couple ponies were talking outside, both of them wore odd uniforms that seemed to match Dominic’s attire. “I’m more worried about the ponies…”

“Don’t be.” Maria said as she pulled a workbench away from the wall out into the center of the room, followed by three of the four chairs that had been pushed up around it. “They’re actually Dominic’s soldiers, part of the evacuation mission.”

“Evacuation?” Melissa asked, Maria nodded as she took note of Melissa’s dirty clothes. She briefly hummed as she tried to think of a way to get the poor girl a set of fresh clothes.

“You actually missed it by a couple hours. We opened a portal to Equestria and sent a hundred or so of our civilian survivors through, as well as a couple of troops.” Maria said as she took a seat at the bench turned table, Melissa took that as her cue to also sit down. “Sorry about that, you could’ve gotten out of here.” Melissa shook her head as she adjusted the sword on her belt, it was a bit uncomfortable and so she unhooked it and set it on the floor, followed by her Polaroid camera. “He’s got a whole country on the other side, clean water, warm beds…”

“What’s he want in return?” Melissa asked, looking towards the back door where she could hear a faint sound, almost like singing. “Servitude? Soldiers…? Women?” Maria actually chuckled and shook her head, much to Melissa’s surprise.

“He just wants to help.” Maria said simply as she leaned back in her seat. “He’s seen some shit, on this side of the portal and on the other. In some ways it’s a bit worse than here, because he feels responsible for stuff on the other side that honestly… He had no control over.” She sighed and looked back to the door. “Don’t let his rough exterior fool you, he’s actually a pretty gentle guy. As long as you don’t piss him off.”

“Well, if they all evacuated, why are you still here?” Melissa asked, Maria crossed her arms and glanced briefly towards the sword on the ground. It was very obviously an EOL sword, the simple design and somewhat rough finish made it clear. Melissa’s heart froze, had she been found out?

“We’re still here because of swords like that.” Maria said as she pointed at the blade. “Swords created in abhorrent work conditions to serve a freedom hating bitch that would see you, me and every other woman under our banner turned into concubines.” Melissa turned in her seat again as she heard the faint singing from outside, she waited for a few moments before shrugging and turning back to the table.

“But I heard the EOL only had volunteers working those jobs…” Melissa said, the question wasn’t concerned with the mission, but she was curious what the CNG believed what was going on. Maria’s expression shifted to one of pity as she shook her head, Melissa grew confused.

“Don’t believe everything you hear, Melissa.” Maria said simply, she briefly paused to remove her cloak and drape it over the back of her seat. Melissa was a bit surprised by just how much the cloth had had hidden, for the first time in years she felt threatened by the looks of another woman. Then again, she had always been a bit self conscious. “In fact, don’t even take my word for it. If you want definitive proof you should talk to some of the folks we’ve liberated, that is, if they were still here. They were the first ones through the gate. Then again, they wander in from time to time as well.”

Melissa nodded as she looked at the table and contemplated what her next move would be, realistically it wouldn’t be a good idea to go and start snapping pictures of the tanks just yet. On top of that, she’d only just got there and she wanted to learn more about Dominic and Maria. The man in question was still outside cooking the rations, she could hear him still humming.

“Tell me more about the ponies…” Melissa hoped to change the subject, and it seemed that Maria was all to happy to oblige. “I was kind of a fan of a show awhile back, and they look sort of like them… Are they the same?” Maria nodded and leaned back in her seat once more, the old bit of furniture creaked.

“Pretty much.” Maria said simply, she looked over her shoulder at the door once again, it was clear that Dominic was somewhat enjoying his role of cooking. Perhaps it was because the previous owners had left behind a rather nice rocket stove constructed from cinder blocks and things like that always seemed to appeal to him. Maria brought her thoughts back to the conversation at hand. “Dom’s probably the one you’d want to talk to about it though, he’s the one that lived there the longest.”

“Really?” Melissa asked. “Did he meet the princesses?” Maria nodded as she looked back to her guest with a smile.

“Yup, all four of ‘em.” The woman’s smirk shrunk for a moment. “Almost ended up dating one of them too. To be honest, I’m not so sure how I feel about that…” She shook her head and leaned forwards on the table. “From what I heard things are pretty harsh there too, there was a war with the changelings, a war between zebras and minotaurs, there was a communist town that was basically a death camp.” Maria paused and looked back at the door again, then to the table, then the door. “To be honest, way he described that last bit, almost seems like he was fighting the EOL. Minus all that ‘vampire and werewolf’ stuff.”

Melissa was beyond surprised to hear there was war and death in the world of the ponies, her assumption had been that all was right with the world there. Yet hours ago she had seen ponies driving tanks and wearing uniforms, now she heard that there had been a faction like the EOL in Equestria… And they were the bad guys. Maria grew a bit concerned as she saw a look of panic starting to wash over Melissa’s face, the mud covered woman brought a hand to her chest as she breathed heavily.

“Calm down, deary…” Maria said as she stood up and walked over to Melissa, she knelt down beside her and started to rub her shoulders. “At this altitude breathing like that will put you out like a light. Come on now. Slow deep breaths.” The soothing calming tone helped to put Melissa off the verge of a nervous breakdown, it did nothing to quell the feelings of uncertainty in her gut. Deep down inside her, somewhere, a small part was screaming at her that there was something incredibly, inescapably wrong. In a matter of hours everything she had believed seemed to be unraveling. She shook herself and breathed deeply and slowly. She couldn’t take Maria’s word for it, the short haired woman had said so herself, she’d have to talk to Dominic about it. “Better?”

“Better…” Melissa replied quietly as she rubbed her temples. “It’s just… A lot to take in, is all.” Maria stood up and walked back to her seat, looking at the woman in front of her with warm caring eyes. “Finding out we aren’t alone in the universe, trudging for hours in the snow, hearing that things are all screwy with the aliens that, oh by the way, are from a kids show….”

“A real mind fuck, isn’t it?” A familiar baritone voice said from the doorway, both Maria and Melissa turned their gaze to Dominic who was walking in with two sandwiches on paper plates. They were hot and steam rose off the melted cheese, pan fried spam, and toasted bread, Melissa had to admit that for mundane food it smelled very good. The man set both plates down on the table before closing the back door and taking a seat among the women. “You’ll get used to it after about a month or so.”

Dominic removed his cap and set it on the table as he watched Melissa and Maria with a good natured smile, Melissa quickly began to dig into her sandwich while Maria looked at hers quietly. After a few seconds she ripped it in half and handed one of the halves to Dominic, he prepared to protest but Maria just gave him a look. Reluctantly he took the sandwich and took a bite, almost against his will he wolfed it down as his hungry stomach took over.

“I was just telling her about Equestria, you know?” Maria said as she ate her half of the sandwich, Dominic looked at Melissa with a raised eyebrow. “We were on the topic of the Glimmer Village and how it was sort of like the EOL.” Melissa couldn’t believe what she saw at the mention of those words, the towering pillar of martial strength known as Dominic shuddered. A haunted look entered his eyes and his gaze rapidly moved to the table.

“Oh…” He said quietly, his fingers nervously drummed against the wood. “I suppose they’re kind of similar, I guess.” Melissa had seen that look countless times before, on the faces of some of her friends in the EOL when they discussed The Fall, or the loss of their family. Yet there was something more to it. “I haven’t seen what the EOL does first hand yet, but if it’s anything like the Glimmer Village…” There was another shudder before he looked at Maria. “You remember those videos we watched in world history? About the Nuremberg trials? The part where they showed that camp with all the bodies lined up outside it?”

Dominic took a deep breath and shook his head as Melissa tried to contemplate what he was talking about, Maria watched the man close his eyes for a few seconds before he stood up from his chair.

“I’m gonna go see if there’s anything to do out there, you guys want me to grab anything?” He asked, Melissa and Maria shook their heads. They silently watched the man grab his hat and walk out of the shack, the silence lingered for a few minutes as they pondered just what had happened.

“Way to go, Maria…” Maria muttered to herself, she rubbed her temples and let out an annoyed breath. “Sorry about that, I shouldn’t have brought that up with him, it’s still a bit of a sore subject.” Melissa silently nodded as she watched the door for a few more minutes, the next couple hours passed with some small talk and a couple laughs, and Melissa found herself coming to like Maria more and more. Her original mission was on the back burner, for now she was enjoying an actual conversation where she didn’t have to worry about preferred pronouns or offending some high elf with her pony-ness.

After a while it grew dark and Melissa found herself somewhat sleepy, she decided that since she was the guest she would sleep off to the side and allow Maria and Dominic more access to the sleeping bags. At first she fell asleep easily, but after what could’ve been hours she awoke to the sensation of Maria laying down on the bags, followed by the sound of Dominic laying down as well. She could hear some hushed talk between the two of them, talk she chose to ignore despite her being a spy.

As the night went on she awoke once again to whimpering, she opened her eyes and risked raising her head to see who it was. She didn’t know what she expected to see, but it certainly wasn’t Dominic curled up in a ball beside Maria with the woman doing her best to keep him calm. She shushed him and ran her hand over his back until eventually he seemed to calm down, after that Maria went to sleep again, but Melissa didn’t. She turned onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, everything felt numb as she tried to process what she had heard and seen during the day.

She wasn’t a professional spy, she hadn’t been trained to put her mission against her personal feelings, she’d been chosen as head spy for purely political reasons. As such, she was struggling to cope with two realities. One, her ideal world where she believed herself to be from existed and it was just as screwed up as Earth had been. Two, whatever Glimmer’s Village was, it was apparently similar to the EOL and it had reduced a six foot four warrior to tears. Her faith had been shaken, but being ever the persevering soul she was, she decided she would continue trying to find out more. Not for the EOL or the Empress, but for herself.

She just prayed that no matter how it turned out, she could still call herself a good person in the end.
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the first time in a long time, Princess Luna was out of her element. She was currently walking through the New Liberty Weapon Works, the newest factory to be constructed in America. Beside her was Fortress Wall and General Bulwark, they were overlooking the factory to ensure it was up to standards. Some stallions yelled to each other as sparks fell from welding torches, heavy hammers banged away across the building, and conveyer belts carried pieces of hardware all about the floor.

Luna had seen large blacksmith shops before, that was where Equestria got most of its weaponry from. The closest thing it had to a weapon’s factory were ammunition factories like the one in Ponyville, and even then it was a stretch. What she was seeing was the face of industrialized warfare. The tactician in her was impressed, the Princess in her was terrified. It had been several days since the refugees had come through, and with them had come weaponry, weaponry that was being broken down and studied. Soon things like them would be rolling through that factory and out onto the battlefield.

“We’ve just started work on a new line of tanks.” Fortress Wall said as he pointed to a rather large chassis that was being worked on. The group stopped to admire the work, it was certainly larger than the current tanks. “Thicker armor, a bigger gun, a bigger engine, faster hydraulic speed. We’re keeping the control scheme though, so we won’t have to retrain our crews as much.” Luna could see there were a few humans near the tank, they wore lab coats and normal clothing, each of them carried a clipboard. “With those guy’s help we’ll be able to reduce our reliance on the bulldozer approach, we’ll be making actual tanks from scratch.”

“Very good.” Bulwark said with a nod, meanwhile Luna was a bit surprised to see the looks on the human’s faces. They were paid volunteers, three or four engineering students and history majors that had finally found something to do with their college courses. The pride and joy she saw in those eyes filled her with a bit of happiness, even if they were creating weapons of war, it seemed they were doing what they loved. “Will they be ready by the time the portal opens again?”

“We should just be starting mass production, sir.” Fortress Wall replied, he looked over at Bulwark and away from the masterpiece of death being constructed several feet away. “After we do, we’ll need two classifications of tanks. Our current fleet is faster and lightly armored. We call them light tanks, simple enough.” Bulwark nodded, Luna continued to stare at the tank, part of it looked rather familiar.

“Where did the idea for this vehicle come from?” She asked, Fortress Wall simply pointed at the fellows in lab coats.

“They came up with it, said it was based off a human tank.” Fortress said with a shrug, Luna nodded and noted the angular size of the vehicle, not to mention its size. It looked like a roving pillbox. “However, I was hoping perhaps we could move along to the ammunition portion of the factory.” Luna and Bulwark nodded and followed the thestral, the one time tinkerer and now head of American R&D lead them onward. The tour went briskly after that, occasionally they’d stop to admire some of the artifacts that were being looked over, but eventually they were finished and exited the factory.

Luna watched the General and Fortress Wall walk off to discuss other matters, leaving her to her own devices. Normally she would’ve returned directly to the capitol building, but Luna wanted to get to know more of the refugees. Her wings opened and with a mighty flap she’d taken to the air, coasting along on an updraft towards the refugee center. She could see there was a decent crowd of people meandering around, Luna angled her wings towards the front entrance where a tank had been parked for security purposes.

The Princess landed outside with a quiet thud, her wings curled up against her back and the tank commander nodded his head towards her before gesturing for her to go on by. Luna walked through the entrance and past the chain link fence, taking note that there were several people staring at her and whispering. A couple children ran past, laughing and putting a faint smile on Luna’s face.

“Don’t run out there, you’ll get run over by a tank!” A woman called, Luna turned to see a woman was chasing after the children. She recognized her as Svetlana Adler, a woman that had basically become the woman in charge of the orphans of the wastes. She had auburn hair and blue eyes and wore a very conservative skirt and shirt, of course that didn’t make chasing her unruly children any easier. “Please, you’re going to fall and get hurt!” Her voice was laced with a rather thick Baltic accent, Luna wasn’t exactly sure where she was from though. The concern was also rather evident, it was clear that Svetlana was high strung, but that came from having ten adopted children.

“Children!” Luna heard another voice call, a male this time. The princess stopped in her tracks and watched another man rush out behind Svetlana, he was tall and stocky and wore a mix between jeans and a fatigue jacket. Stephan Adler was Svetlana’s husband and now that he’d come through the portal he was a former member of the Colorado National Guard. He was German, Luna had no doubts about that. “Listen to your mother!”

The pair of children turned towards Luna and started running at her, she blinked and cleared her throat as they got closer and closer. At the last second she put her wings out and caught them both, much to their annoyance, and much to their parent's relief. As if to prove Svetlana’s earlier fears, a tank happened to rumble by with a commander that looked preoccupied with other things. He would’ve easily not seen a child running about in the open.

“Thank you, Miss Luna.” Svetlana said as she came over and grabbed the two kids in her arms, she hugged them tightly. Stephan nodded towards the princess, he didn’t speak much in the way of English, then again German was very similar to the language of Thestrals.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m happy to help.” Luna said with a faint smile, Svetlana and Stephan began walking the children back to their assigned refugee housing. She continued walking along through the large area, listening to muffled conversations and the occasional laugh or cry. The human’s had a resilience to them that Luna rarely saw in ponies, but the princess supposed that came with the territory. She stopped mid step as she heard the familiar sound of a guitar off to her left, she looked towards an area surrounded by camouflage netting, the occasional gunshot echoed from that direction. It was the shooting range, a place for the refugees to let off some steam.

Curious about the song, Luna trotted closer to the guitar and listened in as she heard someone singing in a rather odd fashion, occasionally she’d hear a laugh go up as well. The princess took a seat by the camo net and listened closer, it sounded like a song Dominic had called ‘The Colonel Bogey March’.

“Raven has got some hairy balls! Ingred had two but her’s were small! Lady Shackle, lost hers in battle! And Moonbeam's got no balls at all!” The singer sang rather off key, Luna’s eyes widened a bit at the crudeness of it all. “Yes, Raven has got some hairy balls! She hides them up near her fat face hole! Her mother, the dirty fucker, musta dropped her when she was small!” Luna decided that was enough music for one day and didn’t stick around to hear the rest of the verse. She knew a couple of the names in the song, they were high profile members of the EOL’s government.

Ingred had been a field commander that believed she was an ancient norse god, only she had been shot by a hill folk sniper on a routine patrol. Lady shackle had been a commander in the first offensive against the CNG and rode in a makeshift tank, said tank was blown to kingdom come in a matter of minutes. The last one, Moonbeam, was someone Luna was particularly disturbed by. A woman that claimed to be Princess Luna, such a thing had never happened before. If it had happened in Equestria, she would’ve dispatched Dominic to deal with such a usurper. As her Warrior of the Night, that would fall under the purview of his duties.

As it stood though, she was here, and Moonbeam was there. The thought of someone doing evil deeds in her name disgusted her, but she couldn’t send Dominic to take care of it. For one thing he would need more than the forces he had to even get near her, and for another thing Luna wasn’t entirely sure what she would have him do once she got near her. She realized that the woman probably didn’t know Luna was actually real when she’d chosen her persona, it could’ve just as easily been another popular figure.

Still, the thought made Luna feel icky, and as she continued to walk through the refugee center she couldn’t shake the feeling that ‘Moonbeam’ would prove to be a thorn in her side over time. The princess turned her thoughts back to Dominic, word had come through that he’d reunited with Maria, and it seemed they were already closer than Luna and Dominic had been. She sighed at that thought and took flight once more, this time in the direction of Johnny’s bar. She arrived in a similar fashion, this time it was the bouncer outside that nodded and opened the door for her.

As she entered the bar she was greeted by the sweet smell of ‘American Hard Apple’, mixing with the smell of freshly cooked food and smoke from cigars and pipes. The bar wasn’t fully packed, most of the patrons were human refugees. Johnny had instituted a policy of reduced prices as well as a drink limit for refugees. He didn’t want people to spend all of their relief funds on booze. As Luna walked towards the counter she caught sight of a couple stares, she supposed that was to be expected considering her human counterpart’s infamous misuse of her image. To her surprise Johnny was actually working the bar rather than undoubtedly conducting shady business deals from his upstairs office.

“Hey, Luna.” Johnny said as he washed out a glass and adjusted his white button down shirt, Luna took a seat at the bar and sighed. “Give me a minute to get the water boiling, I’ll get your usual.”

“I need a drink.” Luna said simply, Johnny paused his washing of the glass. “The hardest drink you have.” The mob boss looked at her with a slight bit of curiosity before he shrugged and picked up a glass. That was followed by a brown bottle with a red label and an odd image on the front, he set the bottle down in front of the princess, followed by the glass. 

That gave Luna time to get a look at the picture. It was a gold colored sketch of Jen, blindfolded and holding a scale in one hand and a sword in the other. One scale held an apple, the other held a bag of money. Luna recognized it as a sort of take on another symbol of America. Lady Justice, if she remembered correctly. The words ‘Gambino and Co. Spirits’ were scrolled across the top, while ‘American Hard Apple’ was plainly printed along the bottom.

“New bottle?” Luna asked as she took note of the red label and somewhat flashy design, Johnny nodded as he gave a slight smirk and poured her a glass.

“Yeah, we’re trying out something that’ll catch a customer’s eye. All the other companies have that plain text stuff, not us.” Johnny said with a bit of pride, he turned the bottle so he could get a look at the sketch up front. “And it’s like having a bunch of pictures of her, you know?” The man poured himself a glass before quickly downing the shot. “Besides, we’re starting out a new product line soon. Midnight Special Cherry.” The man reached below the counter and set down a dark brown bottle with an olive drab label, this one depicted a familiar tank in grey. “What’s got you so down? It’s normally tea when you come in.”

“I’ve been thinking more about Dominic and Maria.” Luna admitted as she took a sip of her own sweet, yet tart, apple beverage. “From what I’ve heard it sounds like they’re getting on well, and I’m not sure how to feel.” Johnny hummed and leaned back, drumming his fingers on the bar in thought.

“Well, herds are a popular thing around here, or so I’ve heard.” He said with a shrug, his eyes shifted over the room to a group at a table, two women and two men. “Take those folks over there for example, if I went into how complex their story is we’d be here all day, but suffice to say that is a prime example of a human ‘herd’.” Luna looked at the group, they all seemed to be getting along okay, with a bit of confusion she looked back to Johnny. “People get separated, some move on, then they reunite and it’s too painful to let someone go after all that shit happened. I wouldn’t be surprised if monogamy becomes the new ‘odd’ thing.”

“What’s that got to do with how I feel about Maria and Dominic?” Luna asked, Johnny poured her another glass as the rumble of conversation continued to drone on in the background.

“It may be that Maria is open to a ‘herd’, she’s been living in an environment where it’s pretty well accepted for the past four years.” Johnny said with a shrug, he leaned back against the wall. “I mean, I’m a pretty old fashion guy when it comes to stuff like that, but what can you expect? My Mom was pretty die hard about it.”

“Dominic’s an ‘Old fashion’ guy too, that’s what worries me actually.” Luna said as she knocked back her second drink, it would take a lot to get her drunk but just the act seemed to calm her down. “Speaking of significant others… How’s Jen? I saw you got a letter a couple days ago.”

“She’s doing well from what I read, caught a little static from some of the guys there about some stuff she did a while ago, but aside from that they’re being pretty nice.” Johnny replied, smiling as he thought of the beautiful maiden that had basically brought out the sappy side of him. He left out the part of the letter where Jen had talked about how ‘Absolutely adorable Dominic and Maria look together’. Johnny figured that wasn’t the best thing to say to an alicorn that could turn his entire business into a crater if she was drunk and angry.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Luna said, after a few seconds Johnny poured her another drink that again she quickly knocked back. “Can I ask you something?” The man shrugged. “The Appleoosa Sheriff’s Department found one of their deputies roaming the desert… You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

“Do I need a lawyer?” Johnny asked, Luna gave him a look that basically amounted to ‘Spit it out’. “Yes, because you just told me about it.” The princess sighed quietly and poured her own drink. Johnny meanwhile was doing his best to mask the annoyance he was feeling. 

Somehow Ball Peen and Oregano had gotten jumped by Buffalo. In the confusion the deputy had escaped. Of course, the buffalo had let his guys go once they realized they weren’t out to plant apple seeds on their sacred ground or whatever it was they were upset about. All Johnny really knew was that he’d let his two best stallions have the rest of the week off. He’d assumed the deputy would up and die in the desert, but apparently not.

“I’ll be right back.” He said, Luna just nodded and kept the bottle close to her. Johnny adjusted his shirt and walked to the door that lead up to his office, when he got up there he found Anton, Oregano, and his latest enforcer, a diamond dog named ‘Curly’, sitting around what at one point had been the kitchen table. They were playing cards and smoking cigars, at least until they saw their boss enter. “Our Deputy friend didn’t die in the sandbox, they picked him up in Appleoosa. From what I’ve seen so far he hasn’t talked yet, but you know me, I get paranoid.”

“I’ll clip ‘im, boss.” Oregano said, standing up from his seat and wincing slightly.

“Are you kidding?” Curly asked with a bit of annoyance, Johnny gestured for Oregano to sit down.

“He’s right, Oregano. I know that shit wasn’t your fault, but I need someone that can get the job done. With your shoulder fucked up like it is I can’t take a chance.” Johnny said, Oregano sighed but slowly nodded. The man’s eyes turned to Anton, the burly griffon’s feathers rustled. “Anton, it’s up to you.” The griffon silently nodded. “We’ll talk more about it later, right now I’ve got things to take care of.”

Johnny turned and closed the door and returned down the steps to the bar, Luna was still there and had gone through half a bottle by now. She still looked steady as a rock, but just to be on the safe side Johnny snatched up the bottle and set it under the bar. Luna looked at him with a bit of annoyance but eventually shook her head.

“Thanks…” She mumbled, Johnny shrugged again and leaned on the bar. “I’ve got to take care of a few things, put this on my tab, alright?” The man nodded silently and watched the Princess stand up and walk out of the bar, once again steady as a rock. He quietly began to wash the glasses, he didn’t deny he felt a bit concerned about Luna. He played it off as her being his connection in the Equestrian government, but in actuality it was because he was starting to see her as a bit of a friend. He’d not had many friends in the time before the fall, and barely any in the harsh society of Newark.

Deep down he hoped things would work out for her in the end.

[♠]

Melissa sat quietly behind the shack, watching Dominic and Maria as they trained each other. The woman was showing Dominic how to properly fire a rifle, in return he was showing her how to properly wield a sword. The snow had fallen and was relatively high, but they had cleared enough of it away to have a decent area in which to train. 

The past few days had been spent getting her settled in the shack, as there weren’t any other people she could really share a room with. Melissa hadn’t seen many of the ponies, but that was due to how busy she had been. Now that she was fully settled she hoped to meet with a couple of them, for now though she adjusted the cloak she wore. It had been a gift from Maria to help her in the cold until they could find her some warmer clothes.

“Alright… You’re doing well so far.” Dominic said as he held a stick out in front of him, Maria held a similar one. Melissa watched in awe as the man moved with the grace of water, swinging his stick with what looked like lightning speed. There was a thwack as Maria caught it, followed by several more as they traded quick assaults and parries. “See? You’re almost as good as you look.”

“You know how cheesy that sounded?” Maria asked as she brushed a bit of her punk cut hair out of her eyes.

“That’s why I said it.” Dominic said with a grin as he lowered the stick to his side and walked forwards, Maria smirked as well and tossed hers aside. “I think that’s about enough for today, what do you want to do next?” Maria shrugged, then looked over at Melissa with a bit of a smile.

“Hey, Melissa!” She called, Melissa looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Wanna meet the ponies?” Melissa’s eyes widened as she nodded ecstatically, she’d been waiting for so long to talk to the ponies more than just a couple passing words. She’d known a couple ‘ponies’ in the EOL, most notable of them was ‘Princess Twilight Sparkle’, but now she had a chance to meet her actual brethren. Melissa was up on her feet and ready in no time as Maria and Dominic walked towards her, the man had his AK slung over his back and his helmet perched on his head.

“Try not to fangirl too much, okay?” Dominic said with a bit of a cautious tone. “They hate it when you stare.” Melissa nodded as she walked through shack with her two companions and out into the snow, she was practically bouncing back and forth on her heels. Finally she’d be able to prove she was who she believed she was, surely the ponies would recognize a princess once they spoke with her. At least she’d be able to prove that some of what the Empress had told her was true. “Hey, Maria?”

“Mmm?” Maria replied as the three of them walked out of the shack and started trudging towards the temp buildings at the edge of town, Dominic reached down and grabbed a handful of snow.

“What’s the weather look like?” He asked, Maria paused mid step and turned to look at him, he quickly dropped the snow and smiled sheepishly. The woman grabbed a handful of snow and flung it at him, rolling her eyes as she heard him start laughing. Melissa smiled faintly at their antics, she hadn’t seen acts like that in the EOL before. The Empress had put a ban on throwing snow because it could cause someone to get upset.

They walked for a couple minutes, Maria and Dominic fell in step beside each other and eventually clasped their hands together. Dominic had turned beet red at first and ended up looking at the ground, all the while Maria was giggling as she tried to hide her own blush. Neither of them had held hands before and it felt a bit weird, not bad, just weird. Once again Melissa was surprised, public displays of affection were banned in the EOL because they could make lonely people sad.

“So… When we get in there just talk to them like you’d talk to Dominic or me.” Maria said, quickly doing her best to hide her bashfulness. “They’re pretty normal folks, you know?”

“For the most part.” Dominic said with a nod, Melissa raised an eyebrow at that. “You’ll see when we get in there, I don’t want to ruin the surprise.” The man turned his gaze off to the horizon, not matter how many times he saw it it sent a feeling of nostalgia through him. Part of him wished he could stay on Earth forever, but that seemed unlikely considering what was happening as it stood. Perhaps if the war came to an end he could recolonize. Dominic shook his head internally, one ambitious project at a time.

The group eventually came upon the first temporary building, Melissa was still giddy as ever as she tried to think of what the surprise could be. Perhaps one of the main six had come, like Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash. She watched Dominic walked up to the door and push it inwards, there was a sudden shout from inside.

“Commander on deck!” A male voice called out, Melissa could see that numerous ponies and thestrals had snapped to attention inside the building, Dominic shook his head quietly.

“As you were, gents.” He said before gesturing for Melissa to walk up beside him. “Now, I’ve got a friend here who’s a bit curious about you all, I figured I’d bring her by.” There were a couple mumbles from inside and Melissa couldn’t believe what she was seeing, there were thestrals, earth ponies, and even a unicorn. Then at the back of the room she caught sight of someone she hadn’t expected to see. Princess Twilight Sparkle, in all her alicorn glory, was looking at her with a curious expression.

“Come on in, we don’t bite!” Called one of the thestrals as he quietly seemed to be looking over a sabre, Melissa nervously stepped inside with Dominic and Maria close behind her. She had expected someone she didn’t know, or at least someone she thought she didn’t know. If Twilight was right in front her, it seemed to make sense that the woman calling herself Twilight wasn’t really Twilight. Melissa felt a bit of a pit form in her stomach, but she steeled her resolve and walked further into the building.

“Um… Hi.” She said nervously, a couple of the thestrals smiled and waved while the others just gave a few quick glances. It seemed they were a bit focused on maintaining their swords and other equipment, Melissa could understand. Twilight Sparkle stood up from the cot she was resting on and trotted over, smiling warmly and offering out a hoof.

“Hi there! I’m Twilight Sparkle.” She said with a friendly smile, Melissa shook the hoof carefully as she suppressed her worries and excitement. Twilight could see that the woman seemed a bit nervous about meeting her, but she supposed that came with being an alien on this planet.

“I’m Melissa…” Melissa said in a somewhat quiet voice, she was doing her best to keep her cover and her cool. She had been denying that what she’d heard about who she thought she was, but it was impossible to look past the facts in front of her. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Dominic and Maria watched as Twilight and Melissa talked among themselves for a couple minutes until, Maria tugged at the man’s hand and gestured for him to step outside with her. With a bit of confusion Dominic complied and the two of them stepped back out into the cold daylight, he flipped up his collar as a particularly cold wind met his skin.

“What’s up?” He asked, Maria glanced towards the door for a moment before she nervously gestured for them to start walking again.

“I’m a little worried about Melissa…” Maria said as they walked along, her gaze slipping over her shoulder for the moment. “I don’t know what or why, but I’m getting a bit of a strange vibe off of her. Like, she’s hiding something…”

“Lot’s of people hide things out here.” Dominic countered, Maria nodded. “We’ll keep an eye on her, don’t worry. Once we’ve got everything settled in we can try and find out what it is. We’ve got six months to kill, after all.” The two of them continued walking, the silence eventually growing a tad comfortable. After a couple minutes Dominic caught sight the bushy mustache of Colonel Baxter, Maria and Dominic quickly separated their hands as the man got closer. Baxter was normally one to make a wisecrack or two when he stumbled upon the couple, but his lack of comment this time caught both of them by surprise.

“Commander. We need to talk.” Baxter said in a serious tone, Dominic straightened up and nodded. He looked to Maria with a slight frown before giving her a kiss on the cheek and following behind the Colonel. The Commander quickly was walking alongside Baxter, though he wasn’t sure where they were walking to, it seemed they were headed towards the train station. 

“What seems to be the problem, Colonel?” Dominic asked as he straightened his helmet, Baxter let out an annoyed sigh as they got closer to the station.

“Talk spread that we somehow evacuated our civies, and as such we’ve been preparing for an influx of survivors. Normally in the winter it wouldn’t be an issue.” Baxter explained as they walked along, his gruff voice conveying the seriousness of whatever was bothering him. “We’ve been so busy making biomass briquettes and such that I had to pull some shifts from our observation post on top of the mountain.” Dominic raised an eyebrow as they got closer to the station. “Well, now they’re back up there and they see something.”

“They do?” Dominic asked, Baxter nodded. “What did they see? We due for some bad weather?” The Colonel shook his head as the stepped up onto the makeshift train platform and walked into the train car, Baxter walked directly to the control panel and took command. The train lurched upwards.

“You could call it that.” Baxter said with a grunt, Dominic looked out the window as the cog car began to go further up the mountain. “The EOL’s just moved four or five tanks, and I use the word lightly, to their position just south of us.”

“They have tanks, Colonel?” Dominic asked, Baxter shook his head and leaned against the window.

“They call them tanks, they basically take old construction equipment and poorly attach scrap metal to the sides, then mount a couple machine guns.” Baxter explained, Dominic hummed as he thought back to how his tanks had been built. Except he had a budget and a competent design team. “Slow as hell, but they’re surprisingly resistant to small arms, so the EOL uses them to cover troop advances.”

“Oh…” Dominic said as it clicked in his mind what a sudden influx of tanks like that meant. “How many did they already have there?”

“Four, and they can squeeze about ten troops behind them before we can get a shot on ‘em.” Baxter said as the cog car continued up the tracks at a rather high speed, Dominic looked out the window at the passing landscape. He could faintly see buildings off in the distance, but nothing out of the ordinary. “They have either eight or nine tanks, that’s ninety troops they can ferry at a time, and they have about three hundred assault troops at the base. As opposed to our five hundred total.”

“It sounds like they’re gearing up for a winter offensive, sir.” Dominic said as he straightened his helmet, Baxter nodded firmly.

“Exactly what I was thinking.” He said as the car continued along, Dominic adjusted the AK strapped over his shoulder, followed by his gloves. “They’re coming our way, no doubt about it, but there’s not a helluva lot we’ll be able to do if they roll up to our gates like that.”

“You seem to be forgetting that we have five tanks of our own, five tanks with very big guns that can outrun and outmaneuver theirs.” Dominic said, Baxter looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “With all due respect sir, the time for defending is over. The EOL is growing in size because no one is challenging them.” Dominic stepped forwards and pointed towards the base of the mountain. “You have a tremendous force multiplier at your disposal.”

“I suppose I do…” Baxter said, smirking faintly at Dominic’s tenacity. “What do you propose, Commander?” The man turned to look out the window quietly, humming quietly in thought.

“I’d need to see a map sir, but I believe that if we hit them hard enough they’ll fold.” Dominic said, his mind was racing with ideas for a possible battle plan. “They’re so used to being told they’re invincible, crushing their forces here would put a real bee in Night Raven’s bonnet. That being said, I normally would consult with my head general…” Baxter shrugged as the train continued up the mountain, silence reigned as the minutes ticked by until finally the train reached the top and the doors opened. “I’d also send some troops on air recon, but I can’t risk any of them.”

“We’ll get it sorted out, for now though let’s get you up to speed on what you need to know.” Baxter said as they walked towards a rather large stone building with radio equipment and other antennas sticking off the roof. There also seemed to be watchtowers, each seemed to have some form of binoculars or telescope. Baxter lead Dominic towards the building, a pair of guards straightened to attention at the sight of the two approaching officers. It occurred to Dominic this would be the first battle plan he’d be masterminding.

On top of that, if he ended up failing, it was curtains for the CNG and his armored vehicles. He doubted that if the attack failed they would be able to recover, they’d have to scatter and run and hide for six months until they could get reinforcements. By then the EOL would probably have scooped up any remaining people willing to help the CNG’s cause. Dominic took a deep breath and beat down the worries of failure, it would work, it had to work. He prayed to god for the knowledge to defeat his enemy, and hoped that the warriors of his family would aid him to victory.

Baxter and Dominic walked into the building, it was filled with computers and television monitors. Some of them were on but most of them had been turned off, the sound of a generator outside told him where the energy for them was coming from. Silently the pair made their way to a room with a large map laid out on a ping pong table. The table’s size was barely enough for the massive piece of paper, plastic soldier figures were laid out on it in numerous places.

“Commander, welcome to the war room.” Baxter said as he walked around the table and turned on an overhead lamp, Dominic took note that the map was of Colorado and had markings on it that indicated where certain armies were. Baxter gestured to an area and Dominic took note that it was in fact the area they were currently operating in. The map was more like a model than anything, with peaks and valleys and even tiny little cities and towns. “We recovered this map from a Library a couple years ago, it’s the closest thing we have to a three dimensional look at the battlefield.

Dominic leaned forwards and examined their particular part of the world, then paused as he saw something else. There was what looked like a United Nations flag placed near the city of Boulder, as well as a couple army figures that had been painted blue. The man was about to inquire but Baxter shook his head.

“Don’t worry about that right now, we’ll deal with that soon enough.” Baxter pointed to the section of the map where the EOL’s base was located. Dominic hummed quietly and moved his focus to that part of the map in question, the detail certainly was commendable. “The EOL’s constructed a ten foot high wall out of old cars, concrete road dividers and sandbags around this warehouse complex here, the only ways we’d be able to get in is through the two main gates.”

“Or we could destroy the wall.” Dominic said as he stood up straight, Baxter looked at him with a bit of a skeptical expression. “Our last shipment of ammunition came with a couple crates of high explosive shells, they’re still somewhat experimental though.”

“You’d need something like an ol’ kraut eighty eight to even put a dent in the wall.” Baxter said, Dominic hummed quietly. “On top of that, that’s where they keep their slave pens… They know we won’t attack the walls if it risks killing innocents.” Dominic let out a slight sigh as he looked to a rather small window, storm clouds were rolling in once again, dark grey like those of a thunderstorm.

“I need to know more, I need to actually see this place…” Dominic said as he stepped away from the table and to the window. “If I’m going to lead an attack, I’ve got to know what they’re doing.”

“I can’t spare any soldiers to take you out there.” Baxter said sternly, Dominic nodded as he looked to the ground.

“I have an experienced black operator, but he’s essential as well.” Dominic turned his gaze skywards, he could practically hear his ancestors calling to him, telling him that it could work if he had the chance. “What about Major Valova, from what I’ve seen she’s a capable sniper.”

“She also happens to be your girlfriend, and trust me son, mixing combat and romance isn’t the best idea.” Baxter said, Dominic nodded as he remembered all too well what that could lead to.

“Do they have any heavy weaponry? Cannons, RPGs, stuff like that?” Dominic asked, the Colonel shook his head. The younger commander looked at the map for a few seconds, it seemed that the EOL was using a triangle type of wall around their base rather than a normal square, meaning there were three gates at each point. 

“I propose we hit their main gate’s here and here.” Dominic said as he pointed to the map. “Spearheading the first prong will be myself and Captain Poplawski, the second prong will be made up of Major Thunder and Major Draco. You can bring up troops behind them.” The colonel watched the man carefully. “But even then, they still outnumber us. So I suggest that before the attack we commence a five minute bombardment with high explosive shells, after that we wait fifteen minutes, and then begin another volley, this one lasting twenty minutes.”

“What about the fifth tank with my men acting as the crew?” Baxter asked, Dominic pointed to the third gate. 

“They’ll lay in wait here, we can mount a heavy machinegun to the turret.” Dominic could feel it coming to him, all the lessons that Luna had taught him were starting to come through, for the first time he felt like an actual commander. “Coupled with grapeshot and help from units on the ground they should be able to stop most of the enemy soldiers from escaping through that gate.” The man looked at Baxter for a moment. “The enemy won’t even be able to use their tanks, their slow speed would be too much of a hinderance. If they try to use them escape we’ll easily be able to destroy them.”

“What if they surrender?” Baxter asked in a very serious tone. “We don’t have the resources to keep them locked up here, nor do we have the food or water, and it’s going to be six months until we get another supply shipment from your side.” Dominic got quiet after that, taking a step back and rubbing his temples. “This is war, son. That means you may have to do things you’re not proud of.”

“I… I know…” Dominic said quietly as he turned back to the window, the thick clouds had pretty much blotted out the sun in the sky. “Hopefully they won’t surrender.” He cursed himself for saying those words, it felt rotten inside to even think of it, but he was a soldier now, a commander, and that meant making very tough, very cold decisions. “What do you think, Colonel? This is the biggest plan I’ve ever laid.” In fact it was the only plan he’d ever made as well.

“It’s a pretty sound concept, I doubt they’ll know what hit ‘em either way.” Baxter rubbed his mustache quietly and leaned on the map, looking at the area closely before moving several of the plastic figures to their proper positions. “What should we call it?”

“Operation… Meat Grinder.” Dominic said as he turned back to the map, he gestured to the fifth tank that was taking the gate at the longest point of the triangle. “We’ll be pushing all of their forces to one place for a slaughter, it seems fitting…” Baxter nodded quietly, the wind began to buffet the window and snow began to fly fast. 

“We can go over the further details later, right now it looks like there’s a big storm on the way.” The Colonel said as he flicked off the light, the two of them walked out of the building and back to the cog car. Baxter took command of the car once again and pushed it to go faster, he didn’t want to get caught on the summit in such a storm. “Hunker down close together when you get to your shack, this is gonna be a cold one.”

“Right…” Dominic said as he looked at the massive storm, the wind was pushing against the windows as snow flew past at high speed. The cog car continued down the tracks, clicking and clacking while Baxter nervously tapped his foot. Dominic straightened his helmet and took a seat, closing his eyes as he thought of the operation he had just planned. It was risky, even with tanks there was a chance the EOL could force the attack back. The man firmly shook his head, the plan was sound, the Colonel would’ve stopped him if it wasn’t. The train lurched to a stop, prompting Dominic to open his eyes.

“Get goin’, see you when it’s over.” Baxter said as the doors to the car slid open, Dominic stood up and nodded before he walked out onto the shanty town platform. Snow whipped past him and the bitter cold chilled him to the bone, with a bit of a grunt he began trudging his way to his shack in the hopes that Melissa and Maria were already inside. His jacket fluttered in the breeze, even with it fully buttoned he could feel the cold wind pushing against his chest. Somewhere in the distance he could hear a door swinging freely in the wind, but the snow was becoming so thick that Dominic could barely see three feet in front of him.

The man spotted the familiar shack and it seemed there was a light on, Dominic picked up the pace and moved as fast as he could to get there. He pushed the door open and entered with a shiver before he quickly closed the door behind him, then he turned to see who was in the shack with him. To his relief he saw Maria was sitting underneath every blanket they had, but his concern grew when he noticed a lack of Melissa.

“Hey…” Maria said as she shivered under the blankets. “What was so important?” Dominic stepped further into the room and did his best to shake off the snow that had accumulated on his boots and pants.

“Battle plans.” Dominic said simply, Maria only nodded. “Where’s Melissa?”

“I… I don’t know, for some reason I thought she was with you.” Maria’s voice became concerned, she started to stand up but Dominic held out a hand.

“I’ll go find her, you just stay here and keep the blankets warm for us, alright?” He spoke in a somewhat comforting tone, Maria nodded and pulled the blankets closer before Dominic turned and walked back outside. The wind and snow was painful to walk through, the tiny flakes of ice felt like razor blades against Dominic’s skin. “Melissa!” He called out, but no one called back. His own sense of worry was starting to grow, he could see the lights of the temporary buildings in the distance and made that his destination. All the while the man called out the woman’s name in the faint hopes of hearing her.

He arrived at the door of the ponies’ building, then stepped inside as quick as he could. To his growing worry all he saw there were ponies, he didn’t even stop to speak as he rushed back outside and closed the door. The man rushed down the steps and made his way over to the second temp building, but a quick look inside yielded the same results. Panic was growing in his chest, he had to find her before it was too late.

“Melissa!” He called again, cupping his hands over his mouth for maximum volume. Once again there was no response, just the howl of the blizzard. Dominic let out a nervous groan and walked back towards the ponies’ building. Maybe she was there but he hadn’t seen her, she could’ve been hidden in a jumble of ponies trying to stay warm. Once again he pushed the door open and stepped inside. “Is Melissa in here?” After a few seconds the man felt his fear subside, the girl’s head popped up out of the mass of ponies. “We were just worried where you were.” Dominic said.

“I’m here.” Melissa said with a shrug, she seemed a bit sadder than Dominic expected. Then again, perhaps something had happened during the day while he was of planning the battle. “I’m gonna hang here for the blizzard, okay?”

“Alright.” Dominic said with a nod, he gave a slight wave and stepped back out into the snow. With his fears successfully put at ease, the man began trudging back to his shack, he shivered and rubbed his shoulders and hands for warmth. The boots he wore did their best to fight back the cold, but even they couldn’t keep his feet from feeling the freezing wrath of winter. For what felt like half an hour the man trudged through the freezing snow and wind, until finally he caught sight of what he sought. With as much energy as he could muster the man approached the door to his shack and pushed it open, he rushed inside and slammed the door behind him.

“Did you find her?!” Maria called out as soon as she saw him, Dominic nodded as he removed his helmet, belt, rifle and jacket.

“She’s staying with the ponies.” Dominic said calmly as he walked towards Maria, pausing to pull off his snow covered boots before getting onto the floor and crawling up beside the punky brunette. The woman snuggled up next to him and threw the blankets over his shoulders which effectively encapsulated the both of them under the same cloth. Dominic let out a comfortable sigh as he felt the warmth of the blankets around him, he put his arm around Maria’s shoulders and leaned his head against hers. “You know you’re really warm.”

“You’re just very cold…” Maria replied as she continued to snuggle against the man, the wind blew loudly outside their humble shack and the two of them sat in the dark, staring out the crude windows at the storm. “And your clothes are wet, so there’s that.”

“I didn’t want to make things weird by taking them off.” Dominic said, Maria gave him a bit of an annoyed look.

“You know we’re in a relationship, right? I’m going to see you without clothes eventually.” She said in a deadpanned tone, Dominic blushed with a bit of bashful nervousness and looked at the floor. “Besides, it’s not like you’re getting naked, I assume you’re wearing underwear.”

“Fine.” Dominic said as he reached his hand up to his uniform shirt and began to unbutton it, Maria smirked and started humming a rather raunchy tune. Dominic froze and looked at her with a slight scowl. When she stopped humming Dominic finished removing his damp uniform shirt, leaving him in just a tank top. After a couple seconds of contemplation he undid the buttons on his pants and slipped them off as well, leaving him in his socks and boxers. “There, happy?”

“Yup.” Maria replied as she snuggled up closer against him, Dominic put his arm around her again. The two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence that left the sound of the blizzard outside as the only noise they could hear. Dominic gained a bit of a smirk as he looked over at Maria.

“Hey, Maria.” He said, she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “I just realised we’re gonna be here all night, together, alone…” The woman suddenly went bright crimson, prompting Dominic to start laughing. “It’s not so funny now, is it?”

“No.” Maria replied with a bit of a pout. “I guess you can make that joke too.” Dominic smiled and gave her a kiss, the blush on her face grew deeper. She leaned into the act, bringing one of her hands up to Dominic’s cheek. The kiss lasted for a couple seconds, but it felt much longer, and when the two of them broke it off their body heat had grown considerably. “Do… Do you want to…?”

“I…” Dominic looked at her and sighed, his nerves taking over his thoughts once again. “I would love to, but… It just seems so… Fast. You know?” Maria nodded and gave him a kiss on the cheek, smiling faintly as she rested her head on his shoulder.

“I know…” She replied, Dominic leaned his head against hers and sighed as he pulled the blankets up to better cover her. “Hey, Dominic?” The man hummed quietly. “Can you tell me a story?” The man looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Come on, like you used to at the sleepovers.”

“Alright…” Dominic hummed in thought as he leaned his head back against the wall. “Once upon a time there was a powerful young wizard, a wizard that could do tremendous things with a snap of his fingers.” Maria closed her eyes as she listened to the man’s voice, sighing quietly and nuzzling into his shoulder. “He lived in a mysterious place, shrouded in secrecy, hiding himself from the world. You see, the wizard didn’t know how powerful he really was, he worried people would laugh at him.” Dominic leaned his head against Maria’s as he looked out the window, watching the snow flying against it. “Until one day a beautiful battle maiden accidentally wounded him, she felt so upset by this that she stayed by his side for many years to come, until a great calamity struck the world…”

Maria let out a yawn as she continued listening to the words, tearing up a bit as she started to realize what the story was about.

“The wizard was forced to cast a spell and leave his friend behind, for many years he wandered in sadness, until a powerful magic transported him to a strange land.” Dominic’s voice had a tiny tremble to it, a small smile played across Maria’s face. “There he made numerous new friends, but he never forgot how much the battle maiden had cared for him, or how much he cared for her.” The man closed his own eyes and rested his head against Maria’s. “And one day he returned to his homeland, where to his unending joy… He found her.” Afterwards Dominic became quiet.

“How does the story end?” Maria asked quietly, Dominic didn’t open his eyes as he stopped to give her a kiss on the top of her head before going back to resting.

“I haven’t gotten that far yet, but I hope they live happily ever after...” He replied, Maria put her arms around him and sighed. “Good night, Maria… I love you.”

“I love you too…” The woman replied as the two of them leaned against each other for warmth, and gradually Maria drifted off to sleep. Dominic kept his eyes closed, his ears trained on the door and his brunette companion. Hours passed by with the only noise being the sound of the wind and snow, until Dominic felt Maria’s grip on him tighten. She let out a quiet whimper, it was obvious she was having a nightmare. Dominic put his arms around her and patted her back, quietly holding her against his chest to try and provide her some comfort.

His motives for the coming attack became much clearer in that moment, so that future generations would not have to suffer such a horrendous existence and the constant plague of nightmares. For his children and his children’s children, for Maria and Jen and everyone else, for even the faintest hope that humanity could be whole again. He would fight, and if necessary, lay down his life. As Maria’s cries and whimpers faded off Dominic felt his grip on consciousness slipping away, until finally he too had slipped into a restless sleep.

[♠]

At the foot of the mountain Jen was having a far less happy experience with the cold, she had drawn the short straw and was now freezing her ass off on guard duty. Of course misery loves company, and so she was sitting with Smalls, Kowalski, Rocky Road, and Sergeant Avos. Of all of them Sergeant Avos seemed to be struggling the most with the sudden blizzard, that was something that surprised most of her comrades in arms. She’d boasted of how mild Colorado was in terms of weather not five days ago, and now she’d grabbed up every spare jacket she could.

“B-B-By the gods! H-How do you live here!?” She said with a shiver as she did her best to warm herself beside the barrel fire, her talons and wings were extended for warmth while the others had set up a small table and were playing a game of blackjack. They’d gone the route of using spent shell casings as betting tokens, and so far it seemed that Rocky was up by a lot.

“You get used to it.” Smalls said with a shrug as he looked at his cards, a cigarette hanging from his lips. He momentarily paused to adjusted a plaid scarf he’d wrapped around his neck before tapping his ashes into a soup can turned ashtray. “Come on Captain, hit or stay?”

“Stay.” Jen said as she looked over her cards carefully. “You know if we were back home you’d be complaining it’s too hot.” She looked over her shoulder at the griffon that was doing her best to preserve the warmth in her wings. “Rocky’s perfectly fine with the cold, aren’t you Rocky?”

“Oh, y-y-yeah… Bloody excellent.” The painted stallion replied with a slight scowl, his expression remained rather passive as not to give away his cards. After a couple seconds a faint smile played across his lips. “I’ll stay as well.”

“You know what would make this more interesting?” Kowalski but in, Jen and the others looked at him curiously. “Strip poker, that’d give some real incentive not to lose.”

“Goddamn it, Kowalski. How many times do we have to go over this?” Smalls said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “No one wants to see you naked, furthermore, no one here wants to be naked.” Jen looked off to the side. “...Most everyone here doesn’t want to be naked. So cut that shit out.”

“Just saying…” Kowalski shrugged quietly, the group lapsed into a bit of a lull, making occasional conversation between hands. All in all though, it was just a quiet night, and Jen appreciated that more than any of them could tell. She missed nights like this back with Johnny, sometimes they would have people over or just hang around, and sometimes mess around too. As her thoughts turned back to her fiance her eyes focused more on her ring, the intricate designs and little details truly made it something she could cherish.

After a couple moments of staring at it the woman excused herself from the table and went off to a corner of the room, from her pocket she withdrew a blank piece of paper and a pen. She dabbed the pen on her tongue to wet the ink before putting it to the paper, Jen always hesitated with how to start her letters. Starting them out ‘Dear John’ just didn’t feel right, even if that was his name, still she supposed she couldn’t start calling him anything else.

Dear John,

This is my second letter to you, but you already knew that. I guess I’m just telling myself for the sake of telling myself, reminding myself that I’m still in contact with you. It’s bitterly cold here, you know? Like. You’d hate it. Smalls and the others are playing blackjack, and Rocky’s been cleaning up alright, but I know you’d have them all beat if you were here. Dominic’s been keeping us alright, he’s even taken to housing a new refugee in his shack here. He got a shack by the way, moved in with Maria, and now this new lady as well. She’s alright, a bit timid, but alright.

Jen paused as she read over the letter, momentarily looking over towards her comrades again, they were all chatting up one another and didn’t seem to take note of her, which was fine, she didn’t like being the center of attention. With another quiet sigh Jen turned back to her letter and bit her lip in concentration.

I know you’re probably worried about me going into battle, that I could get hurt, but… These people out here really need my help, by now I’m sure you’ve seen just what we’re dealing with. I need only think of you to restore my strength, and you need only think of me to know I love you. Don’t be afraid, and don’t lose your way, and try to have a little fun while I’m not there.

The woman stopped her writing, she could feel a bit of a lump forming in her throat. Jen longed to hear his voice, to see his face, to touch his skin. She was separated from him by more than distance, but by the fabric of reality itself. Nonetheless she buckled down and kept a stiff upper lip, she couldn’t let him see just how much she missed him, if she did that he might go and do something stupid like join the army.

When all this is over and I’m home I hope we’ll be able to see the fruits of our labor, get a little house, maybe have a couple kids. I know you’ll probably freak out when you read that, but I have to give you a heart attack somehow, don’t I? It’s something we should talk about in person, not over letters, and I look forward to doing just that. No matter the outcome. Again, a discussion for a later date… I think I’m just rambling now. Speaking of relationships, my latest ship seems to be going along alright. I know you think it’s weird for me to ship people we know, but come on, you have to admit it’s kind of fun.

Jen smiled faintly as she stopped her writing, looking over towards Sergeant Avos and Rocky Road.

I christen this ship the mighty… name pending. Avos and Rocky Road don’t really go together in name, but I sometimes see them glancing at eachother. Wouldn’t that be adorable? It would almost be as cute as Dominic and Maria. I got a look at them actually holding hands earlier! It was so cute! They were all blushy and bashful and I just wanted to pinch their cheeks, but Colonel Baxter pulled Dominic away before I could even say ‘hi’, and I had to head down the mountain before I could say anything to Maria. Wish them luck, but also wish them some luck with Luna, I think they’d make a great threesome. That came out wrong. Oh well, I’m to lazy to cross it out, so nyah.

Jen yawned quietly, a bit of exhaustion coming over her. Soon she’d take a nap between her next shift, but for now she had to remain awake.

In all seriousness though, I really miss you, and I really love you. You’re the first thing I think of when I wake up, and the last I think of before I go to sleep. I can’t wait to see you again, and I’m counting the days until it happens. Just remember that old Vera Lynn song from that movie you like, you know the one with Slim Pickens and the atomic bomb? Pretty sure you and Dominic are alike in that regard, but again I’m rambling again. We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when. I know it’ll happen someday.

Faithfully and lovingly yours forever, Jennifer Poplawski, soon to be Jennifer Gambino.

Jen looked up as she heard the faint noise of laughter from the table, with a slight sigh she folded up the letter and slipped it into her breast pocket before standing and walking back to the game.

[♠]

Mike quietly sighed as he stared at the ceiling of a rather interesting building on a tall hill in the middle of the woods. Said building had at one time been a part of the Emergency Broadcast Network, it was now the home of ‘Ghost Peak Radio’. It was fairly large, and thanks to it’s location, fairly hidden as well. It was no wonder the EOL hadn’t been able to find it, and on top of that, it had some of the best security Mike had seen in awhile. Of course, he couldn’t go out and get a look at it further. His shoulder was bandaged up and his doctor, a rather good looking Canadian woman, was very strict in keeping him in bed.

The worst part of it all was that they were piping through the radio music nonstop, and after a while, electronic music began to grate on his ears. Overall his stay in the mysterious radio station was actually proving to be very boring. What was worse was that he had heard there were musical instruments on hand, his fingers longed for the sound of an electric guitar and the mighty boom of metal. Mike sighed as he sat up in the bed, wearing only a pair of jeans and some socks. He ran a hand over his abdomen and looked around his quarters for what felt like the eighth time.

It was little more than a cubicle with his gear stashed off in one corner and a mirror on one of the walls. There were at least ten cubicles in the room, each of them had something similar as a set up. Mike paused to take a look at himself in the mirror, smirking as he saw numerous images of ink across his torso, ranging from battleships and tanks to a woman’s face on his undamaged shoulder. He decided that he’d had enough of the room, and more importantly the music, and he wasn’t going to let his doctor tell him to stay in bed again.

The man stood up and wobbled on his feet for a moment before he walked over to his equipment and slipped into his boots, it took a bit of effort to bend down and tie the laces with only just one hand. He adjusted the sling that held his arm in place before walking to the door of the cubicle, he could see the doctor was across the room speaking with some of the men and women that had taken to acting as nurses. She was distracted, and that gave him time to turn and start walking down a corridor towards the main part of the station.

He passed by numerous boarded up windows, the sound of wind blowing outside made it clear there was a blizzard on. Thankfully the building had been outfitted with solar panels, so there was some form of light and heat. He passed by a couple doors to other offices, some had been made into relaxation or eating areas, but most were just used to store an ever growing surplus of supplies. Mike grunted quietly as he passed a couple of the guards, they mainly comprised of Native Confederates, though some of them were former Colorado Kids like Mike and Mark.

Mike heard the guards mumble something to each other as they passed him, he shrugged it off, and immediately regretted doing so as pain lanced through his shoulder. He gritted his teeth and rubbed at his wound before sighing. He could see the door to the actual radio station ahead, there were two guards standing outside. They raised eyebrows at him as he got closer to the door, a shirtless tattooed wounded man certainly wasn’t on the list of people to let through.

“I’m here to see Mark.” Mike said simply, the guards looked at each other for a moment before one of them opened the door and leaned inside to look. “Goddamn it, Mark! Zip up your pants and let me in!” He yelled, he could hear a rather loud sigh from inside before the guard stepped back and stared at him. Mark opened the door and stared at him.

“The fuck are you doing, Mike? Doctor Patterson’s gonna kill you if she finds out you’re out of bed.” Mark said, Mike shrugged, once again wincing, before he pushed past his friend and into the station.

“What the doc doesn’t know won’t kill me, I figure they’re gonna keep me laid up for a couple weeks anyway.” Mike mused as he looked around the station, there were dials and knobs and buttons. Some were flashing, others beeped, and of course there was the microphone next to an old CD player. A pair of women were staring at him as he walked towards them, one he recognized as the Polish girl that had saved him. The other was a bombshell, a redheaded curvy fox that could make just about any man bend to her will. Mike thought she was alright looking, he wasn’t into sex symbols like that. In all honesty he preferred Wiktoria to whoever that woman was. “Where’s the fuckin’ off button on that electronic crap, it’s driving me insane.”

“You can’t be serious…” Mark said as he tried to rush and stop Mike, the larger man looked down at his unwounded scruffy comrade. “I get it, you’re not big on that type of music, but you can’t just barge in and take over the music selection! Andie would kill you!”

“Death would be preferred to the headache that noise is giving me.” Mike countered, the redhead across the room cleared her throat and both men turned to look at her. She was clad in rather baggy winter wear, a mix of browns, greens, and greys. Her piercing blue eyes caught Mike off guard, but only for a second. “Mark, is that her?” Mark nodded. “Huh… Not what I was expecting.”

“What exactly were you expecting?” The woman asked as she sauntered over, her arms still crossed beneath her bosom to accentuate her body.

“A small chested raver.” Mike replied honestly as he turned fully to face the redhead. “Or something along those lines, you know? Short hair dyed blue, maybe some body piercings. You look more like you belong on the nose art of a fight plane than in a radio station.” The woman stared at him for a few seconds before she looked over at Mark.

“Mark, is this your charming friend I’ve heard so much about?” She asked, Mark nervously rubbed the back of his neck and nodded. A faint smile played across the woman’s lips as she looked back at Mike. “Andreina Brunilda, better known as the Queen of the Wastes. You can call me Andie.” She offered out her hand, Mike stared for a moment before he offered his unwounded arm.

“Mike. Just Mike.” He said as he gave a somewhat firm shake, to his surprise the woman’s grip was somewhat painful in strength. He opened and closed his hands a couple times after the shake to ward off the somewhat numb feeling.

“Well, ‘Just Mike’, it’s nice to have you here. Though I’m sorry it took a bullet to get Marky Bear to invite you.” Andie said, she and Mike turned and looked at Mark. The scruffy man once again appeared a little nervous. “Really, you should know I’m made out of tougher stuff than I look.” 

Wiktoria muttered something in Polish as she overheard the conversation, then she walked towards Mike. The Doctor had only let her see him twice since he’d come in, and she hadn’t really been able to tell how well he was doing. He looked alright now, but the tattoos that adorned his chest and upper body had Wiktoria curious. She took a moment to start examining the one on his shoulder, it depicted a woman with blonde hair dressed as a valkyrie.

“Nice to meet you too.” Mike said with a shrug before he looked at the radio equipment. “Now, can you please change the music?” Andie chuckled faintly and strolled over to a computer screen, watching the audio levels jump up and down for a few seconds.

“Well, I suppose since you guys brought me that tip about the EOL armor…” She said as she typed away on a keyboard, her the click clack of her fingers on the keys echoed through the room. “What is it you want to listen to?”

“I’m feeling nostalgic. How about some Sabaton?” Mike said with confidence, Andie smiled and nodded before she went back to typing on the keyboard. Mark walked over towards the woman to speak with her in a hushed voice, Mike figured it had something to do with him, not that he cared. His attention shifted to Wiktoria. She was currently staring at the tattoo on his arm, an old relic of his previous career. 

The polish woman was far different up close than she had looked during the skirmish. Her silky auburn hair was bobbed just above her shoulders, and aside from her black fatigue pants and boots, she was completely void of any marks of the EOL. She had intense brown eyes and a round face that complimented her rather bulky muscled build, she wore a tight crimson long sleeved shirt and a pair of fingerless gloves. Mike cleared his throat and the woman quickly averted her eyes from his tattoos.

“See something you like… Slugger?” He asked with a raised eyebrow, smirking faintly as the Wiktoria crossed her arms and looked at him with an expression bordering on a frown. “What? I’m not allowed to make a joke?”

“You can’t if you don’t know my name.” Wiktoria said faintly, the Ex EOL soldier had her eyes locked firmly on Mike’s. “It’s Wiktoria, spelled with a ‘W’ but pronounced with a ‘V’.” The burly woman honestly intimidated the man with her muscular size, he likened her to a bear or the image of a valkyrie that was tattooed on his shoulder.

“Okay… Jeez, you don’t need to bite my head off.” Mike said with an upset expression, he supposed that he had that coming. He’d only just met this woman after all, and she’d recently been his enemy. “Are all you EOL people so touchy?”

“Ex EOL!” Wiktoria corrected rapidly and somewhat angrily “Do not toss me in with them, I didn’t have a choice!” She took a step forwards, getting into Mike’s face. Normally he would’ve decked her, but a quiet clearing of the throat from across the room caught both of their attention.

“Both of you need to calm down.” Andie said as she hit the enter button on the keyboard, Mark turned with her to cross his arms. “I won’t have any fighting in here, is that understood?” Mike just grunted and wiped his nose, Wiktoria muttered several obscenities in Polish as she walked away from the tattooed man. She went to a couple control panels and examined them just as the song ‘Panzer Battalion’ began to play over the radio. The man sighed quietly as he heard the familiar sound of Doctor Paterson’s voice outside the door to the room.

“Welp… This was fun while it lasted.” He muttered to himself as he turned and walked out of the room, he ignored the rant that the Doctor was going on, leaving the room in a bit of an odd silence. Wiktoria stepped away from the control panel and watched Mike leave, sighing quietly before she looked at Mark and Andie. The redhead had offered to take her under her wing, but the Polish woman believed it was actually to keep an eye on her. She could understand that to a point, she had been an enemy soldier days ago, but she absolutely hated being locked up in one place.

Wiktoria was hoping that soon her time of probation would be over so she could get back to doing things, even if she didn’t know what those things were yet. As she continued to listen to the radio and watch Mark and Andie she adjusted her shirt, she was naturally curious about what it was the two of them were discussing in such hushed tones. Whatever it was, she was sure it had something to do with something big, that was always how it went. Little did the two of them know, but they were actually some of the most powerful people in the wastes. The Colorado Kids had grown an odd sort of cult following within the Empire, and more than a few Imperial officials were guilty of listening to Andie’s ‘forbidden’ radio station.

With another dejected grunt Wiktoria took a seat in one of the swivel chairs that littered the building, she leaned back and put her feet up on one of the numerous tables. She was certain that big things were just around the corner, and somehow she was going to get herself stuck square in the middle.
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morning had come relatively fast for Dominic and Maria, they had slept through the worst of the blizzard and were awoken to the sound of Melissa entering the shack. After that they had had a quick breakfast, at which Melissa had seemed withdrawn. Maria had signaled Dominic to leave it be and so he did, for everyone in the CNG camp it was very much a normal morning, plus a little extra snow shoveling. It also turned out that it was Maria’s turn to go out on patrol, and it was for that reason that she and Dominic were walking through the woods outside of the CNG’s gates.

Dominic wore his helmet and gasmask, his AK was in his grasp as Maria lead him through the trees with her cloak on and mosin at the ready. The wind blew dustings of sand past their legs as they trudged through the knee high snowfall, they past by a couple abandoned and shredded tents. Maria didn’t comment on them, and so Dominic didn’t ask, but it looked like at one point they had been home to survivors. Wisps of steam floated away from his mask, the device was actually far better at keeping his face warm than the cloth bandanna he was so used to.

Maria was a bit glad to have some company on her trip out into the wastes, especially since it was Dominic. Most of the time she wandered for hours with nothing to do or say, and while she liked the solitude on some occasions, on others she would always wish for some sort of company. She adjusted her cloak, keeping one of her wool gloved hands firmly clasped on her mother’s rifle. The woods around her were home to the ruins of many survivor camps, they had either been killed by wolves or taken by the EOL, but that was many years ago. All that remained were shredded remains of tents and the occasional flutter of a long abandoned plastic bag.

Four cold winters, three warm summers, Maria didn’t dare to think where those poor people were after all that time. As she continued walking through the woods she realized she was getting close to another familiar landmark, the destroyed wreckage of a chinook helicopter. It had crashed during the early days of the outbreak, thankfully the crew had managed to escape with minor injuries. Dominic caught sight of the wreckage soon enough, she heard him stop to stare at it.

“Hey, Maria?” She heard him ask, his voice muffled by his gasmask. She turned and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, he pointed one of his fingers at the wreckage, the leather of his black glove squeaked in the cold. “Wanna check it out?”

“If you want.” Maria said with a shrug as she began walking towards the wreckage, Dominic followed behind her with his rifle at the ready. The aircraft was in relatively good condition all things considered, the glass of the windows was shattered and the rear cargo door was open while shards of the rotors were scattered about the area. Dominic peered through the wreckage for a few seconds before he took a step inside. “Be careful in there.”

“Alright…” Dominic said as he walked through the wrecked airframe towards the cockpit, the seats along the sides were ruined from years of sitting in the elements. The man entered the cockpit and looked around, he silently adjusted the backpack slung over his shoulder as he walked forwards and took note of the destroyed instrument panel. The sunlight streamed through the shattered canopy, and Dominic tapped a couple of the glass gauges with a finger before stepping back.

The man paused to leave, but stopped as he caught sight of something rather interesting. It seemed that the crew had abandoned their flight helmets years ago, somehow they still were laying around in rather good condition. Dominic knelt down and picked one up, then slipped it into his backpack, taking yet another relic of a dead world to one day wear as his own. He didn’t find it odd that he was collecting hats, they were a great way to represent changing times. Dominic sighed quietly and walked out of the cockpit, adjusting his grip on his rifle as he stepped back out into the snow.

“See everything you wanted to see?” Maria asked, Dominic nodded as he walked closer to her. The two of them began walking through the snow once again, overhead the two of them could hear the cry of an eagle. They couldn’t deny that despite all of the destruction that surrounded them the landscape itself was still home to numerous natural and beautiful elements. Maria sighed quietly as she thought of all those animals, she wondered if they were aware of what was truly happening in the world around them. Did their children know of humanity as a mighty hunting race or just another species that roamed around them.

The two of them continued walking through the woods, occasionally walking over an abandoned dirt road or snow covered railroad tracks. It was peaceful and calm, much to both their happiness. Maria took note of some signs on the trees, they were simple ‘X’s spray painted onto the wood in red. They had most likely been slated for demolition, but obviously they remained standing. The woman turned around and looked at Dominic, the gas mask wearing man was looking around and humming to himself.

“Hey, Dominic?” Maria asked, Dominic looked at her. “Do your Pyro impression for me.” Dominic chuckled for a moment before holding his rifle up over his head and laughing loudly.

“Mmmmph Mmmmm!” Dominic mumbled loudly, Maria giggled. “Pretty good, eh? I was wondering when you’d ask for my impressions.” The woman patted him on the shoulder and the man reached up to his gasmask, he removed his impromptu face warmer and slipped it into his backpack.

“Oh! Oh! Do Soldier!” Maria said giddily as she fell in step beside Dominic, the man smiled and took his helmet off, momentarily removing the liner so that the helmet came down and covered his eyes.

“This is my world, you are not welcome in my world!” Dominic said in a gruff voice, it didn’t take much effort to imitate the Soldier, as he was already rather spot on. “You are all weak! You are all bleeders!” Maria chuckled again as Dominic put the liner back in his helmet and straightened it on his head. “Happy?”

“Yeah.” Maria replied as she leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek, Dominic blushed faintly. “I’m glad I convinced the Colonel to let you come along, it gets so lonely out here and I worry that I’ll get lost or worse.” 

“I doubt that you could get lost, you’re practically part homing pigeon.” Dominic adjusted his grip on his rifle, relaxing a tad and slinging the weapon over his shoulder. “Speaking of being lost, do you happen to have any special destination in mind or are we just wandering around? Either’s fine with me, I’m just curious.”

“You’ll just have to see.” Maria said with a slight smirk as she paused and took note of where they were, as it turned out they were actually on the outskirts of CNG territory, she could tell by several blue lines sprayed on numerous trees. “We’re just about done with our patrol, afterwards I was thinking I’d take you to see that bar we passed when we went to Costco, they make pretty good deer steak and eggs if you get there soon enough.”

“Alright then.” Dominic replied as he adjusted his gloves, his legs were starting to get cold from the deep snow, and yet his feet were comfortably warm. Maria stopped and looked around, sighing quietly as it seemed it was all quiet on the Eastern front. She smiled and patted Dominic on the shoulder as she started walking off in a seemingly random direction. “We going for breakfast?”

“Yeah, if I can find my way there, we should be about a half hour hike from a road, and from there it’s smooth sailing.” Maria said with a grin as she adjusted her cloak, she gripped a small handheld radio on her belt and turned it on, flipping through a couple channels until Dominic heard a familiar sound. “Oh, cool, it’s not techno anymore!”

“That’s Sabaton!” Dominic said with a smile as he started walking alongside her, his feet seeming to fall in time with the music. “Carolean’s Prayer, I think.” Maria shrugged, she’d never been big into Swedish Metal, she was more of a Five Finger Death Punch type of girl. “Man, this day is going great.” The man paused to knock his knuckles on a passing tree, on cue several clumps of snow fell on his head. “Fricken’ cold!”

Maria giggled as she watched the man flail around, some snow had obviously slipped down his back. She also noticed that the man seemed to be using a lot more tame language, which was a bit odd for her. Not that she minded, but it certainly was something she wasn’t used to. Dominic smiled sheepishly after flailing for a few moments more, the two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence, well, for the most part. As they walked along Maria found it increasingly difficult to ignore the sound of Dominic singing along with the radio behind her, and failing miserably at trying to hide his voice. Every song that came on seemed to be one he knew by heart.

The woman contemplated turning off the radio, but she couldn’t help but admit she enjoyed hearing his voice, it was a constant reminder that she was no longer alone in the world. They eventually reached the dirt road Maria had mentioned, it was lined with a couple abandoned cars and trucks. The two of them walked past the destroyed vehicles, Dominic’s singing quieted down to moderate hums as he caught sight of a couple frozen forms a couple of the cars. In the end they just let the natural beauty of the landscape take their minds off the frozen and most likely infected corpses in the cars.

“So, tell me a bit more about this place we’re going.” Dominic said as he looked around once again, adjusting his rifle strap on his shoulder and listening to the radio. Maria shrugged quietly, her boots quietly crunching through the snow as they walked along. “Jen said it’s kind of the local watering hole for survivors in the area.”

“Well, it sort of is.” Maria replied, she turned down the radio so that she could hear herself think. “The owner and the CNG have an arrangement, he provides us a place to relax and we keep the EOL off his back.”

“Ah, that makes sense I guess.” Dominic shrugged, the trees began to thin out and ahead of them they could see the familiar bar that Dominic had seen on his first night through the portal, as well as the place he had purchased his kalashnikov. “Anything special that I should know?”

“Not really, just try not to get upset.” Maria said cryptically, Dominic raised an eyebrow at her. “A lot of the guys there have been trying to get with me for the past four years, you’re probably gonna hear some stuff.”

“I’ll keep the ass kicking to a minimum.” Dominic said with a grunt, Maria turned off the radio on her belt as they crossed the road and got closer to the bar. There were a couple guys outside the dilapidated mechanic-shop-turned-tavern smoking cigarettes, one of them was leaning on an old looking shotgun while the other had a glock holstered at his side. The two of them didn’t notice Dominic and Maria at first, but when they did Dominic could hear a couple whistles. He subconsciously stepped in front of Maria, puffing out his chest and scowling.

“Down, boy.” Maria said in a joking tone, it was obvious she was trying to calm him down. Dominic sighed, he supposed he would have to get used to people harassing Maria, that didn’t mean he had to like it. “Those two are just the normal guards around here, don’t worry about them.” The two of them finally reached the bar, and Dominic took advantage of his forwards position by opening the door for Maria. “Thank you.”

“Bark bark.” Dominic replied with a somewhat snarky tone, he closed the door behind him and followed Maria into the bar. The man straightened his helmet, followed by his jacket, then looked around the room. It was just what he’d expected, a mix between a mechanic shop and an old fashioned saloon. There were at least twenty or so people, most of them looked like civilians while two bore the fatigues of the CNG. Maria approached a rather flimsy looking counter at the center of the room, there were several wooden stools set up along it, most of which were unoccupied.

Maria lead Dominic to the stools and took a seat, she pulled down the hood on her cloak and Dominic took the hint to remove his helmet. He set it, as well as his backpack, onto the floor. An odd latino looking gentleman poked his head out from a doorway marked office, then smiled faintly at Maria.

“Ah, the Mosin Maiden! She returns!” He said cheerfully as he stepped out behind the counter, his angular features and greasy jumpsuit indicated to Dominic that at one point this man had been a mechanic. “And what’s this? With her comes a tall dark stranger… With that sword, methinks he looks like Ex EOL?” The room went quiet, all eyes turning to Dominic.

“Do not associate me with those brash and idiotic thugs.” Dominic said calmly as he removed his scabbard from his belt and set it on the counter, his tone was smooth, yet authoritative. It seemed to Maria he was attempting to establish some form of dominance. “I am Commander Dominic Occisor, commanding officer of the New American Expeditionary Force.”

“Oh, I see, a commander. Well, excuse me big bad bandito.” The mechanic said with a chuckle as he looked at the scabbard on the counter.

“It’s no shit, Jose.” Maria said as she adjusted her rifle, letting it rest against the counter. “This is my ol’ pal Dom, he’s in charge of those tanks you’ve been seeing lately.” Jose looked at Dominic with a bit of surprise, narrowing his eyes for a moment and muttering something in spanish. “He’s also… Kinda my boyfriend.” Dominic had thought it was quiet before, but now he would swear it was so silent he could hear the rats humping in the walls.

“Boyfriend, eh?” Jose mused, chuckling for a moment before he smiled and leaned forwards, patting Dominic on the cheek a couple times. “He’s so serious, Maria, does he have that stoic face in bed too?” Maria caught sight of Dominic’s fist clenching and unclenching, perhaps taking him to the land of sex jokes was a bad idea, especially since she was involved in most of those jokes. “I kid, I kid… It’s good to see you with someone, amiga. Besides, now I finally get to close out that pool we’ve been running for three years!”

“That’s right, what’s it up to anyway?” Maria asked, Jose chuckled and shook his head.

“I’d tell you, but it seems the commander is trying to make my had explode with his mind.” Jose gestured to the scowl on Dominic’s face. Maria sighed and patted her boyfriend, it still felt weird thinking of him like that, on the shoulder. “I’ll get two of your usuals.”

“Thanks, Jose.” Maria said and the latino walked off into the back room, she looked over at Dominic with a somewhat even expression. “Chill, alright?” The man looked at her quietly, he sighed and nodded. Maria could see he was trying, but she knew just how much of an old fashioned guy he was. Dominic gripped his sword and slipped it back onto his belt, sighing quietly and removing his helmet to rub his head. “What’s with the mohawk anyway? I thought you hated stuff like that.”

“Part of the sword training.” Dominic replied as he set his helmet on the counter and yawned. “Besides, it’s kinda growing on me.” Maria nodded, then she noticed that the man was giggling to himself. “Get it? Growing on me? Because it’s hair?” Maria rolled her eyes and smiled before she reached over and pinched his cheek.

“Silly. Willy.” She said with a cheer to her voice, Dominic smiled blushed faintly and looked off to the side. Maria figured now that he was in a more relaxed mood, maybe she could get a bit more information about the ‘Battle Plans’ he’d told her about. “Can you tell me more about that meeting you had with Baxter? I’m kind of curious what had him so nervous as to let me take you with on my patrol.” The man looked at her for a few seconds, then around the room, then back at Maria.

“I would love to, but you know I can’t.” Dominic solemnly said, his tone indicated that there was a true wish to tell her everything. Maria just nodded, she understood Dominic was under the burden of command, and what a burden it was. Not only an entire military, but an entire world, was looking at him, scrutinizing every move he made. “Don’t worry about it though, it’s nothing to get concerned over.”

“Alright…” Maria said as she looked back to the counter, she reached over and picked up Dominic’s helmet, noting that it seemed to have numerous scratches and dents in it that she recognized. It had been Dominic’s grandfather’s helmet World War Two, she recalled many times he had worn while riding bikes or playing in the backyards as kids. “I’m surprised this thing is still in such good shape.”

“American steel, man.” Dominic said with a smirk, Maria rolled her eyes again and put the helmet atop her head. It slipped down past her eyes, obviously too large for her head, she giggled and looked over at Dominic.

“You will help me cap this point!” She said, doing her best to imitate Dominic’s impression of the Soldier. The man chuckled and took the helmet off of her head, then set it on the counter once more.

“Just fuck already!” Shouted a voice from across the room, Maria and Dominic looked over to the source and spotted a couple of guys working on various tasks. One was playing solitaire, another was smoking a cigarette and playing with a paddle ball.

“Eat me, Jeb!” Maria replied before she turned back to the counter, Dominic kept his eyes locked on the two men for a moment before he too returned his attention to the counter in front of him. “We’re probably going to hear a lot of that soon, just so you know.”

“I’ll do my best to stay calm.” Dominic said quietly, the smell of eggs and cooking meat wafted through the the open door to the backroom and moments later Jose came out with two plates. They had scrambled eggs and strips of deer meat, steam billowed up in the somewhat cold air of the building. Maria smiled as Jose set down the plates in front of them, then reached into her cloak and withdrew a couple grey briquettes, afterwards she pulled two more and slid them forwards. They were made of old paper that had been shredded up and pressed together and held some significant value in winter trade due to their heating properties.

“Thank’s for the tip.” Jose said as he set out a couple forks and knives, he took the briquettes and slipped them into his stained coveralls. Dominic waited for Maria to start eating her eggs, pausing out of habit to sift through his eggs for any sign of Poison Joke. It had been a habit he’d formed a year ago, just after his arrival in Equestria, and one he had no interest in breaking. “It’s eggs.”

“I know, I’m just used to checking my food for drugs.” Dominic replied before he took a bite, Jose looked over at Maria with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s a long story.” The woman explained simply as she removed her radio from her belt and set it on the counter, tuning it to the normal radio channel just in case any calls came up for her. “Thanks for the food, we’ve been out there for a while.”

“Lookin’ for anything special?” The latino asked, Maria shrugged her shoulders. “Well, I’ll let you know if anything big comes up, but so far aside from those EOL punks we killed a couple days ago we haven’t had anything going on here.” Dominic paid brief attention to Jose and Maria as he was too engrossed in his meal, he’d had little to eat lately due to the ration restrictions he’d placed on himself. 

He hoped that when the portal opened in six months they’d be able to rig up a way to keep it open, that way rations wouldn’t be that much of an issue. It would be the perfect way to wage war, as all of his industry and important infrastructure would be in an entirely unattackable position. He doubted that after toppling the EOL’s forces near the CNG that he would be able to follow up with any big attack, but hopefully they would capture enough supplies to aid them through the remains of winter.

The man paused as he saw his plate faintly shaking, the chatter around him gradually faded away as he leaned towards the plate and watched it vibrate up and down. In the distance outside he could hear a rumbling noise, the sound of a very large and stressed engine. It was too low in pitch to be one of his tanks, but too large to be any sort of truck or jeep.

A few moments later he was shaken from his thoughts as two men burst in the door, all eyes snapped to them. They were pale fear, and Dominic recognized them as the guards from outside. One of them opened his mouth to speak as he pointed towards the door, but a sudden loud burst of machinegun fire outside cut him off. Dominic dove to the floor with Maria beside him as bullets tore through the plywood barricade and perforated the two men in front of it.

“Fuck!” Dominic yelled, he looked over his shoulder at the counter, then groaned as he saw the radio had been shot up as well. Maria’s eyes were locked beyond the radio on a rather shocked looking Jose, the man brought a hand up to his chest where a splotch of red was forming before he collapsed with a thud.

“Jose!” Maria shouted as she crawled across the floor and around the corner, Dominic grabbed his helmet and tightened the straps before readying his AK and combat crawling towards the door where he heard the rumble of the engine. He peeked through one of the bullet holes and let out a surprised curse.

“That’s a goddamn tank!” He called out as he watched ten or so heavily armed and armored EOL troops step out from behind the EOL’s ‘Tank’, in actuality it was a bulldozer that had numerous steel plates welded to it and a minigun mounted to the top on a crude looking turret. Unlike the other EOL soldiers he had seen, these men looked organized, well trained, and most importantly, armored. “Maria!” Dominic turned around and scuttled across the floor to the counter, meanwhile the other people in the room were arming themselves as best they could.

Maria was crouched over Jose with her hand pressed firmly on the wound in his chest, still Dominic could see blood spurting through her fingers as the latino man gasped for breath.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Maria stammered as she tried her best to stop the bleeding, Dominic was tempted to help her, but even he knew that it was no use.

“Maria!” Dominic shouted again, the woman didn’t seem to respond. Dominic heard a familiar sound of a death rattle, still Maria continued to help her friend. The blood had stopped spurting through her fingers, in fact it had stopped flowing altogether. “Major Valova!” He yelled, Maria looked at him with surprise. “He’s done! Get your head in the game!”

“Attention Mundane Cowards!” A snide voice echoed from outside, it sounded as though it came through a bullhorn. ”This is the superior army of the Empire of Light speaking to you! Surrender now and you will not be harmed!” Maria took a deep breath, as much as she hated to admit it, Jose was dead. She looked at Dominic with a serious expression, knowing full well that she needed to fight too. It was either fight or be turned into one of the EOL’s playthings, and she would rather die than have that happen.

“What do you need me to do?” Maria asked, Dominic looked around for a moment.

“Get on the roof, see if you can get a line on their turret gunner.” Dominic said as he stood up and looked around the room, several of the other patrons to the bar had gathered up their rifles and pistols, most of them were meant for hunting and wouldn’t do much good against an enemy force armed with assault rifles. “You folks, do your best to hold them off, I’ll see about destroying that tank.”

“You’re going to take on a tank alone!?” Maria asked as she stood up and grabbed her rifle, Dominic shook his head.

“‘Course not. I’ve got a guardian angel.” He patted her on the shoulder before moving towards the door, Maria stared at him for a few moments before she bit her lip and ran into the backroom towards a ladder that would take her to the roof. Dominic peeked out of the door and spotted the ten troops were forming a line to try and surround the front of the building, the man took cover behind the concrete brick wall and readied his weapon to the automatic setting.

”Hiding will only make your suffering last longer! Give up now and I will spare some of your precious females!”

“Maybe we should listen…” One of the men across the room said.

“Coward!” Dominic shouted, he turned and stuck his rifle out the door and fired several shots. “We’re committed now! Fight or die!” The sound of a gun spinning up outside signaled the coming fire of the minigun, once again bullets tore through the air near Dominic. They kicked up concrete and splinters of wood as streams of light appeared through the bullet holes. “Keep them occupied!” The others stared at him as he ran through the shredded storefront towards a side entrance, they gulped and began firing through gaps in the barricades before taking cover behind concrete pillars.

Dominic pushed open the side entrance and stepped out into the snow, gritting his teeth as he took deep breaths. He snuck around the side of the building towards the front, then caught sight of one of the enemy soldiers. Dominic raised his rifle just as Maria had shown him and fired a short burst, the first round caught the enemy in the chest armor while the other two turned his face to bloody mush. Gunshots rang out from inside as well as outside as the EOL troops dropped to prone positions and began firing as well. Dominic took several more breaths as he watched his foe collapse in the snow, then peeked around the side to catch a glimpse of the turret gunner.

The man leaned out and took several shots at the gunner, the enemy appeared surprised and rapidly wheeled around to spin up his gun in Dominic’s direction. Before he could fire there was a thunderous bang from the roof and the gunner fell from his perch onto the ground.

“They’re trying to flank us!” He heard someone shout out in the open, Dominic leaned out and let off another burst. One of the rounds tore into an EOL troopers unarmored leg while another hit a second troop in the knee.

Maria took a deep breath as she watched two more soldiers fall wounded in the snow, her heart was racing in her chest even as she did her best to keep it low and slow. She readied another round in her sniper rifle and scanned over the enemies lying prone in the snow, her crosshairs settled on one that was starting to crawl towards the building. The woman took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as she squeezed the trigger, her Mosin boomed once more and kicked against her shoulder. Blood splattered the snow as her target ceased to be.

The woman didn’t stop there as she saw several of the EOL troopers trying to aid their growing number of wounded comrades, she racked another round in her weapon and laid her crosshairs on an enemy that was trying to pull his wounded friend to safety. Another bang echoed over the area, yet another life had been taken. 

“The Mosin Maiden! She’s on the roof!” One of the EOL troopers shouted from behind the tank. Maria actually smirked as she heard the fearful cry, she hadn’t earned the nickname ‘Mosin Maiden’ for nothing, she had grown up with her rifle, she knew it like she knew her own soul.

“Get on the gun you fool!” Another man shouted, a nervous looking soldier began to climb up to take the position of the minigun operator. Maria lined up her crosshairs, but stopped when she heard a burst of gunfire to her left. Dominic was moving forward with his rifle raised as the would-be-gunner toppled to his death. She’d been subconsciously counting his shots, and she realized something unnerving.

“Reload!” She bellowed, Dominic did just that before firing two short bursts at one of the enemy troops that had poked out from behind the tank. He ignored the foes behind the tank and instead focused on hoisting himself up one of the armored plates, he could see a very nervous looking man in the cab of the bulldozer turned armored vehicle. It seemed they had neglected to armor the front portion of the tank with anything more than some scrap metal. There was a large gap that Dominic assumed was used to look out, it also gave him an excellent line of sight on the driver. He raised his rifle and depressed the trigger, he held it down and peppered the driver with twenty rounds from his AK.

Dominic ran forwards and grabbed the top of the cab, with another grunt he pulled himself up to where the Minigun was located. He momentarily debated taking it as his own, but shook his head and raised his AK once again. This time he bashed the weapon mount with the rifle butt. After several hard hits the minigun toppled down onto the front of the tank with a heavy thud, Dominic turned and watched several armored figures running away from the tank. The man raised his rifle and took aim at one of the stragglers, he switched it into semi-automatic as he tracked the trooper further and further along. However, he didn’t pull the trigger. As much as he wanted to, Luna would be very upset with him if he shot someone in the back.

Of course, that didn’t stop Maria from firing three rapid and well placed shots. The Mosin Maiden had claimed three more unlucky victims, two with headshots and one to the chest. Dominic lowered his weapon and turned to look at her, the woman was standing up with her rifle resting over her shoulder. She briefly looked around before gesturing for Dominic to get down off the tank and come inside. The man watched her disappear down a ladder before he too climbed down from the top of the cab. The engine of the bulldozer tank continued to rumble away, even as the driver lay dead and bloody inside.

Dominic knocked out some of the shattered glass with the end of his rifle before reaching in and turning off the engine, once that was done he hopped down off the tank and walked towards the bullet riddled remains of the bar’s front door. Blood stained the snow from the numerous dead bodies that littered the ground, as Dominic reached the door at least ten or so people flooded out and began sprinting towards the woods, many of them looking shaken and scared. Dominic stepped through the door and looked around, it was now that he could see the aftermath of the battle fully.

Several people had been killed in the gunfight, they lay in crumpled heaps near the damaged barricades. The two guards that had rushed in first were also there on the floor, each lying in a pool of blood and staring blankly up at the ceiling with fear in their dead eyes. Maria was standing behind the counter, and Dominic noticed she was no longer wearing her brown cloak. It was draped over the body of Jose, and Dominic could tell that she was doing her best to hold back tears.

The man walked around behind the counter, respectfully stepping around Jose and coming up beside Maria.

“He was probably the closest thing I had to a friend here…” The woman said quietly as she dabbed her eyes, Dominic wordlessly removed his jacket and placed it on her shoulders. The woman grabbed it and pulled it tight, the momentarily looked down at her hands, they were still red with blood. “I… I always thought he’d make it…” Dominic didn’t know what to say, he quietly put his arm around Maria’s shoulder and began walking her to the door. The other people still in the bar began to file out as well, a couple eyed the now open EOL tank, but none dared to claim it as their own.

Dominic and Maria sat down outside the building, and eventually the man went inside to salvage some of the food, as well as grab their bags. An hour or so passed before the first sound of engines graced their ears, an hour that was spent in tired and uneasy silence. Finally four familiar dark grey tanks rolled into view, each of them loaded down with soldiers ready for a fight. However, as the tanks came to a stop and the soldiers disembarked, it was clear to them that the battle had already ended.

“Secure their weapons for transport! Set up a defensive perimeter! Go! Go! Go!” A lieutenant shouted as the soldiers fanned out over the area, Dominic stood up quietly, then helped Maria to her feet. Jen popped out of her tank as she saw her friends approaching, she was followed by numerous other ponies. Dominic noticed that Scribs had climbed out of the lead tank, his pen and notebook simply floating in front of him, as if he couldn’t comprehend the carnage that surrounded him.

Twilight Sparkle was also among those on the ground, though she had arrived in the last tank in the column. She was walking through the snow towards one of the dead EOL soldiers, she stopped a foot or so away from the corpse, staring at it with somewhat haunted eyes. Many times she had thought back to the time she had witnessed Dominic’s nightmares, she thought that she would be prepared to see such a thing first hand, especially after the battle of New Liberty. Yet again she felt her stomach knotting up, the face of the trooper at her hooves was unrecognizable, as two bullets had turned his face to paste.

“Get a tanker down here! We’ll siphon some of the fuel from this fat bastard!” One of the other CNG officers bellowed as he patted the side of the tank, Dominic and Maria passed by him silently until they finally reached Jen.

“You guy’s hurt?!” She called down from her tank, Maria wordlessly shook her head. Jen looked to Dominic, the man also shook his head and gestured for the captain to move along. Jen shrugged and signalled to her driver to keep moving, the four tanks fanned out over the area to secure it while the ground forces moved to clear the surrounding area. Dominic and Maria stopped on the edge of the perimeter and watched the soldiers move about, down the road they could hear a truck engine and could see an old tanker truck rolling down the highway.

Dominic pulled Maria close, the two of them sharing a tight embrace as the soldiers continued to secure the area. Dominic could feel Maria shudder, and then begin to weep against him as a cold wind blew over the area. It was more than Dominic could stand to see her in such a state, all he could do was hold her close and comfort her. She was a sniper and used to fighting from a distance, when someone she knew died it generally happened while she was far away, she hadn’t been prepared to watch the life drain away from her friend’s eyes.

The man narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth, his apprehension about killing was rapidly fading. The EOL had to be destroyed, one way or another, it just had to die. He would be the one to kill it.

[♠]

A pair of leather shoes walked briskly down a dimly lit windowless hallway, they belonged to a tall and imposing man with a stoic expression. Adorned in a black suit and tie, he held a briefcase in one hand and wore an earpiece. As he continued down the grey walkway the fluorescent lights flickered and buzzed, illuminating his destination ahead of him. A metal doorway, flanked on both sides by uniformed men with rifles, their helmets were painted sky blue and depicted the letters ‘UN’ at the front. They snapped to attention as the man drew closer, one of them leaning over and unlocking the door.

The man nodded and pushed the door open, the room he entered housed a large meeting table. Seated around it were men in varying uniforms and suits, and at the head of it all was a figure hidden by shadows. The suited man adjusted his tie and walked to an open seat at the opposite head of the table, there he set down his briefcase and silently looked around the room. All eyes had focussed on him.

“Agent Hinkman.” The hidden figure said in a rather slow tone, his voice laced with an unmistakable Russian accent. “So good of you to join us, we were worried we would have to begin without you.” The agent nodded in response as he opened his briefcase.

“I wouldn’t miss a meeting with you, sir. You sign my pay stub, after all.” Hinkman said, running a hand over his black crew cut hair. The figure at the end of the table chuckled quietly.

“You Americans… Always quick with a joke…” The figure said, steepling his fingers and tapping them together. “Perhaps your quickness is why you’ve fared so well these past years, eh?” The figure trailed off and sighed, then turned to look at one of the larger walls in the room. “Turn it on, let’s begin.” The wall began brightly, revealing a map of the globe that fizzed and buzzed.

“As all of you know, North Korea has been making moves in Asia. Thirteen hours ago they attempted to launch ICBMs at the west coast of the United States, Australia, and India.” Hinkman said as he pulled several documents from his briefcase and set them on the table, many of the others in the room mumbled amongst themselves. “Of course, as we all know, they’re missile program is laughable at best. As such, all thirty ICBMs impacted what’s left of Beijing, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and even Pyongyang, among other targets along those lines.”

More mumbling went up through the room, meanwhile the figure in the shadows was clenching his fist tightly. Hinkman waited until the commotion had died down before clearing his throat and speaking once more.

“Needless to say, North Korea has ceased to exist as of eleven hours ago.” The Agent flipped through his files. “That being said, unfortunately most of China and Russia are also void of life. More so than they had been. I don’t need to tell you what this means.”

“We’re all that’s left.” The shadowy figure said quietly, Hinkman nodded. “And you came here late for what purpose? Why was this information not brought to our attention sooner!?”

“It only came in an hour ago, sir, and despite my skills, I am one man.” Hinman defended sternly, the room became quiet as the two figures at the heads of the table glared at each other before a sigh emanated from the shadowy man.

“And so our only hope of defeating that trollop in Denver, the Cartels to the south, and the Mafia’s to the east lies with the remnants of the Colorado National Guard.” The figure mumbled, quietly rubbing at his temples as the others began to grow restless. Many of them began to speak loudly, arguing for dominance in the conversation much as they had before society had fallen. The shadowy man pounded his hand on the desk several times. “Enough! All of you settle down, they aren't incompetent, they're simply under supplied."

“That’s my next topic, sir.” Hinkman spoke up, all eyes turned to him once more and he gestured to the screen. The image shimmered and shifted to an aerial photograph of the CNG compound, immediately more mumbles filled the room. “A week or so ago there was a mysterious energy anomaly near their compound, now it appears they have amassed a force of five Stuart tanks.” The image shifted to one that had obviously been taken at a long distance, better displaying the grey vehicles parked outside the gates.

“Are you suggesting they somehow developed some sort of time travel?” Asked a British officer, Hinkman looked at him with a deadpanned expression.

“I’m suggesting that perhaps there is a force far greater than any of us assumed possible at play here.” Hinkman said simply, he looked to the shadowy figure who simply gestured for him to continue. The image shifted to a photograph of a young muscled man wearing a long leather coat, olive drab fatigues, and wearing what appeared to be a West German officer’s cap. “With the tanks came this man, radio chatter we’ve intercepted indicates he’s referred to as Commander or Night Eagle. We assume that’s some sort of code.”

“Son of a bitch.” An older American General said, pointing at the picture with slight shock. The man wore a faded Marine uniform with numerous campaign pins and medals pinned to the breast. “I know him!” Hinkman and the others stared at the General with wide eyes. “That’s Tom’s boy!”

“Who?” The shadowy figure inquired, the General took a moment to compose himself before speaking once again.

“Thomas Occisor, he was one of the best damn operators I ever had under my command.” The General said, Hinkman and the other continued to stare. “He was also a really macabre son of a bitch, had this weird thing about warrior bloodlines, tried to get me to admit his son into an experimental pre-military training program when he was two or three.” The shadowy figure cleared their throat, the General nodded and got back to the point. “Dominic Occisor, that’s his name.”

“What can you tell us about him?” Hinkman asked, the General hummed.

“A couple things. Firstly, he didn’t get take part in the program, it got quashed before it could get off the ground.” The General sat up in his seat as every man in the room listened carefully. “Secondly, Tom was trying to recreate the program on his own. Had his son watch all sorts of documentaries about war and weapons, taught him how to shoot and clean a weapon and so on.” The General paused, as he could see some faces were skeptical. “We had all of our ex-operators under tabs back in the day, knew everything about their families, but… That’s not important right now. What is important is that this guy could be serious bad news if he’s in charge of these tanks.”

“Why do you say that?” The shadowy figure said, sitting up straight and leaning forwards. “Did the training turn him into some sort of warmonger? Do we have another ‘Empress’ to worry about?” The general shook his head and leaned back in his seat.

“One of the things about this kid was he was very resourceful, very ambitious, and cunning as hell. The thing was he didn’t seem to be aware of any of that.” The General adjusted his jacket as he continued to speak. “If he came here from the past or the future or wherever he was with five tanks, you can be damn sure he’s probably got at least twenty more wherever they came from.” The General stood up and pointed to the picture. “Gentlemen, if we’re not careful, he could be the very architect of a new blitzkrieg.”

“We noticed a second energy spike a couple days later, afterwards it looked like the entire civilian populace in the CNG vanished. Is it possible they’re wherever the tanks came from?” The British officer said as he was looking over one of Hinkman’s reports. The mumbles began to go around the room once more, this time the shadowy figure pounded his fist.

“It appears to me that Commander Occisor is working with the CNG, that indicates to me he is an ally until proven otherwise.” The figure declared, the room went silent. “General Hillard is correct, this young man could very well be the author of our destruction, but I put forth that he may also be the one to topple the Empire of Light. As it stands, he is closer to them than he is to us.”

“I concur.” Hinkman added, many of the others nodded. The remainder of the briefing was spent discussing everything they could about the latest developments, most prominent was the new and unknown man that continued to be displayed on the screens. Over time the room emptied until finally it was only Hinkman and the shadowy figure that remained.

“Hinkman.” The figure said slowly, the agent nodded as he packed his papers into his briefcase. “Find out everything you can about Occisor.” The agent nodded silently and stood up. The shadowy figure watched the agent leave the room, then turned in his seat to look at the screen that depicted the man. The figure stood and walked towards the screens, he ran a hand over his balding head as his light blue eyes took in the young face. A smirk passed over his face as he clasped his hands behind his back.

The figure could see the confidence in the young man’s face, the resolve and strength that he gave off was commendable. It reminded him of himself as a much younger member of the Soviet Union, and even if Occisor turned out to be an enemy, the figure was certain that dealing with the man would be a rare pleasure in the relative tedium that had settled in over the past four years. 

With a final adjustment of his tie, Vladimir Putin turned off the screen and walked out of the room.
> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The desert around New Liberty was vast and empty, but that didn’t take away the fact that it was owned by the New United States. Since the end of the changeling war that vast emptiness had expanded much further, and with that expansion came a need to mark out the new territory. Enter the post planters, ponies, changelings, human refugees and other races that had been hired to do nothing but plant wooden posts in the desert along the border. Their task wasn’t gruelling, but it certainly was intense, but it was made easier with rather new technology.

A crew of planters, consisting of two men and a changeling, were currently cruising through the desert at about forty miles an hour in what had been designated the Mark Two Gun Carriage. Essentially one of the United State’s tanks that had been stripped of its turret and armor and modified for speed rather than combat. It was lovingly referred to as ‘The Desert Rabbit’ The crew was currently sitting in silence as they bounced along, passing by dozens of posts that had been placed in the past. A carriage being towed behind them was bouncing along as well, it was loaded down with thirty or forty posts that had been painted blue.

The crew had been riding along for nearly three hours, occasionally stopping to adjust a crooked post or perform other maintenance. However as they continued on through the desert it was clear they were getting closer to their destination. This was made apparent by the numerous buildings and apple trees that could be seen off in the distance. 

The engine rumbled and grumbled as they left a cloud of dust in their wake, making their location known for miles in every direction. The changeling in the driver’s seat began slowing down as the end of the posts came into view. Of course, there were eight or nine posts that had been pulled out of their holes and thrown aside by the locals in the town ahead, but that was the norm. The planters did not care for the inhabitants of Appleloosa in the slightest, as the ponies had a habit of making their job exceedingly difficult. It wasn’t the planter’s fault that the ponies had expanded into land that didn’t belong to them, yet they insisted on messing with their posts.

“God damn it…” Muttered one of the men, a rather tall muscular fellow with tanned skin, long brown hair and a scruffy beard. He adjusted his green short sleeve workshirt as the vehicle came to a stop, the cloud of dust behind them floating past and dissipating in the wind. The man looked at his comrade, another tan fellow with auburn hair and wearing a similar work shirt.

“I’ll help ya set it up, mate.” The second man, someone of australian descent, said as he hopped out of the speedy Desert Rabbit. As the first man hopped out with him the second man looked to the changeling driver. “Go on ahead, we’ll catch up.”

“You got it, chief.” The changeling replied before beginning to roll further along to the end of the post holes, it took the two men an hour or so to repair the posts that had been uprooted, until eventually they had made their way over to their vehicle. The three of them grabbed a couple tools from the Rabbit, including a portable auger and some shovels. They had had a lot of practice with the shovels over the past couple days and gotten the act down pretty well. They were just about to start digging their first hole for the day when they heard a familiar noise off in the distance.

The three of them looked up to see the source, which happened to be a crowd of ponies from the town thundering across the land with the usual assortment of improvised weapons. The first man sighed quietly and wordlessly climbed up into the rabbit as his two comrades continued digging the hole, the man picked up the radio and cleared his throat.

“Liberty Control, Rabbit Two-Actual.” He said, there was a brief moment of silence before a static laced voice replied.

“Go ahead Rabbit Two-Actual.” The radio crackled.

“Locals are out in force again, advise on strategy.” The man said tiredly as he looked out over the landscape at the approaching cloud of dust. His name was Danny, his human comrade’s name was Winston, and their changeling compadre was fittingly nicknamed Shifty. Danny leaned back in the radio operator seat as he waited for a response, his hand coming to rest on a gun rack that had been installed on the starboard side of the Rabbit.

”We have two assets on station about twenty miles south of your position, we can have them make a pass over.” The radio crackled once again as the crowd got closer, Danny sighed and shook his head.

“Roger, Liberty Control, send them over. Advise for immediate action?” The man asked, pausing for a moment as he heard Winston grunting with the auger beside the Rabbit.

”They’re civilians first and foremost, however, if they take action against you use of non-lethal force is authorized. Use your best judgement Rabbit Two-Actual, copy?” The radio crackled once again, Danny was a tad surprised at the authorization, but he supposed that the United States had to take a hardline to border security now more than ever.

“Copy. Rabbit Two-Actual out.” Danny mumbled before standing up and adjusting his blue jeans and then reaching to the gun rack and picking up a scoped remington rifle. “Keep at it, guys. I’ll keep an eye on the riff raff.”

“Right.” Winston said as he grunted and pulled the auger from the hole in the ground. “Let’s get the bloomin pole in the hole, eh?” Shifty nodded and the two started walking towards the trailer that hauled the posts. Danny watched the crowd getting closer and closer and reached under his seat to withdraw a green baseball cap with a patch sewn to the front. The patch depicted an eagle holding a sniper rifle in one claw and a sword in the other, the words ‘United States Border Control’ were stitched in bold letters around the patch. Danny pulled on the hat and slung his rifle over his shoulder, by now the crowd was slowing down and their yells could be heard.

At least a quarter of the town was there to jeer and taunt them, but so far that was all they had been doing, and so Danny relaxed and sat down in his seat to keep an eye on them. For an hour and a half the same routine played out, the ponies were yelling and telling them to get off their land, and the planters gleefully ignored them. Fifteen posts later the Rabbit had been moved forwards and was now on the very edge of a rather large orchard, it looked like they were going to cut the massive ocean of trees in half. This was something not lost on the the ponies, who were now stepping up their efforts to stop the planters. Danny was tense as he heard several apples splat against the outside of the rabbit.

“Fuckin’ jerks.” He muttered as he looked out at the ponies, some of whom were now holding pitchforks and scythes. His grip on his rifle shifted and he found himself standing more than sitting, as a veteran of the Empire War he was no stranger to mounting tension. Danny picked up the radio microphone and switched it over to the PA system  mounted to the front of the Rabbit, then he cleared his throat. “You! With the pitchforks! Back away and lower your weapons!” An apple soared past his head in response, Danny switched back to the radio. “Liberty Control.”

“Go ahead.”

“It’s getting hairy down here, we need- Fuck!” Danny began, only for a rock to sail inches from his face. “We need some fucking back up!” The man walked to the edge of the Rabbit and looked at Winston and Shifty, the two of them were being pelted with random objects. “Where’s our fucking air support!?”

”Two minutes out, switch to channel five for them.” Liberty control replied, Danny quickly changed channels and cleared his throat.

“Rabbit Two-Actual.” He said nervously as he gripped his rifle.

”Reaper One-One and One-Two on station Rabbit Two-Actual. Establishing orbit overhead.” The radio crackled in response, Danny looked over head and quickly spotted the two thestrals against the blue sky, each seemed armed and each seemed ready. More rocks began to bounce off the Rabbit, and it was at that time that Winston and Shifty had enough and got back in.

“Reaper flight, we’re sustaining heavy ground resistance from civilians. Backing out. Cover our move.” Danny said as Shifty got in the driver’s seat and started the engine. There was a whining noise as the trailer behind them fishtailed and stopped their movement.

“Fuck! The trailer!” Winston shouted, Danny looked around for a moment then handed his australian comrade the microphone. Without a word the man hopped out of the back and unlatched the trailer, then he grunted and began to lift the hitch. The ponies were closing in, emboldened by the seeming retreat, even more rocks bounced around the area as Danny finally got the trailer undone. He began to climb back into the Rabbit when a particularly heavy rock smashed into the back of his head and everything went black.

“Fuck!” Winston yelled as he watched his friend fall face first into the vehicle. “Go go go!” Shifty complied and punched the gas, tearing off and turning around to drive back to New Liberty. The ponies were in hot pursuit. “Reaper flight! Man down! I say again! Man down! Keep those bastards off of us!”

”Roger that.” The radio replied briskly, overhead Winston could see the two thestrals dropping low and readying their weapons. They screamed overhead, the man could’ve reached up and touched them if he wanted to. ”Guns. Guns. Guns.” Several bolts of blue energy erupted from the spellbows that each thestral carried, they kicked up dust in front of the charging group of ponies that quickly turned tail and ran. ”We’ve got them on the-” The radio suddenly cut out and Winston looked into the sky in shock. ”These fuckers wanna dogfight! Rabbit Two-Actual, you’re on your own for now, we’ll catch up. We’re calling in medicals for your man down.”

Winston watched as the two thestrals began circling around towards two pegasi that were armed with improvised weapons, the man shook his head and ran towards his downed comrade who was laying face down in a pool of blood. The australian rolled his friend onto his back and checked his pulse, finding that the source of the blood was from a broken nose. To the australian's horror he didn’t feel a pulse, it looked like the blow to the head had been strong enough to end his friend’s life. Winston silently reached up and closed his friends eyes, silently looking up towards the dogfight in the sky and picking up the radio.

“He’s dead. Call off the medicals.” The silence that followed was heavy, overhead the fight ended quickly and the two ponies limped off nursing stun wounds across their bodies until finally the flight of Thestrals flew overhead. The drive continued on in silence, leaving Winston with nothing to do but look down upon his fallen comrade.

In New Liberty the news was just being placed on Sonar’s desk, but it was quickly making the rounds through the entire city. Princess Luna was just as shocked to see the report, and she could feel a bit of a lump forming in her throat. Celestia had said she would handle the ponies of Appleloosa, obviously she hadn’t, and a man was now dead because of it. Both Sonar and the Princess knew there would be a crowd of angry citizens on their doorstep soon, many of them would be demanding blood. The news was just as soon relayed to Princess Celestia in Canterlot.

Celestia gulped as she shakily set down the report, her tea shaking in her magical grasp as several guards stood in front of her. She had never thought her ponies would be capable of such an act, she’d honestly hoped that her subjects had left behind their violent reactionism after the Canterlot riots. It was obvious that hope was misplaced. It was very obvious that the ponies of Appleloosa were in the wrong, but Celestia faced another grim reality, a great deal of Equestria’s apple exports came from Appleloosa. If America took control of half of the apple orchard it would be comparable dropping a bomb on the country's economy.

Once again, Celestia and Luna were at odds with each other, and this time Celestia couldn’t just make the problem go away. The solar diarch closed her eyes and set her tea down, looking to the guards in front of her.

“Prepare to send troops to Appleloosa.” Celestia said in an even voice, she cleared her throat as she did her best to sure up her resolve. “Protect the orchard at all costs.”

[♠]

Dominic quietly paced back and forth in his shack as he looked over the report that had just been delivered to him by Discord, the chaos god hadn’t made any jokes or costume changes, he barely even spoke. Maria had never seen Dominic so upset in her life. He hadn’t uttered a word, he just continued looking over the paper until finally setting it on the table.

“Those bastards…” Dominic finally said with venom. “Fucking goddamn xenophobic sons of bitches.” Maria stood up and quietly walked to the table, then looked at the paper, of course it was in Equestrian so she couldn’t read it. “A bunch of rednecks in Appleloosa attacked a border control team, killed one of the guys on the crew with a rock…” Maria looked back at the paper, then at Dominic as he took a deep breath and shook his head. “I can’t do a damn thing, I have to trust Luna and Sonar to figure this one out…”

“You said Luna’s pretty smart, right?” Maria asked as she put her hands on Dominic’s shoulders and started to squeeze, it was an impromptu massage, but it was all she could think to do for her stressed boyfriend. The man didn’t reject the act, he let out a sigh and nodded to Maria’s question.

“Yeah, but her sister’s a dolt.” Dominic said grimly. “Sooner or later someone somewhere is going to something stupid.” He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, running a hand over his head before leaning on his elbows. “It can never be easy, everything has to have some shit tossed in.” Maria gave a few more squeezes before taking a seat beside Dominic and resting her hand on his shoulder. “Your friend died, people are dying at home, we’re days away from a full on war. It’s all going to hell in a handbasket and it’s all my fault.”

“How do you figure that?” Maria asked with honest curiosity, she could see the stress was weighing Dominic’s shoulders down even further.

“Because I’m the man at the wheel, Maria.” Dominic said simply as he shook his head tiredly. “It’s all my responsibility, the buck stops with me.” Maria sighed quietly and stood up, she couldn’t stand seeing the defeated look in Dominic’s eyes anymore. The woman grabbed his cheeks and turned him to face her, Dominic looked into her eyes for several seconds.

“You are literally a universe away from them, Dominic. Focus on the problems here.” Maria said softly, she ran a hand over Dominic’s hair. “I don’t blame you for Jose, there was literally nothing you could’ve done.” The man stared into Maria’s eyes for a few more seconds before quietly nodding. “Now, is there anything I can do to help you relax a bit?” A blush spread across Dominic’s face and he quickly looked aside. “Okay, that came out wrong…”

“I’m alright, Maria, but thanks…” Dominic replied as he leaned up and gave her a kiss, Maria blushed herself as she held his head in place for a few moments until their lips finally parted. “That helped, actually. Can I have another?” Maria smirked and gave a slight shrug, then pulled him closer again. Before their lips could meet the door opened quickly and Melissa waltzed in, both Dominic and Maria froze in place.

“Whoa…” Melissa mumbled as she caught sight of her two roommates inches away from what surely would’ve been a passionate kiss. “Get a room, you two!”

“We did! This is our room!” Maria said as she turned to look at the newcomer, Dominic just sighed and shook his head as he leaned back in his seat. Melissa was dressed differently than normal, her feet were now adorned in boots taken from the dead EOL elite troopers and a red military beret was perched atop her head. Her flowing hair had been tied up into a bun and an AK-47 was slung over her shoulder. “I see you helped yourself to some of the spoils.”

“Well I have to have a way to defend myself.” Melissa replied simply as she walked into the shack and closed the door behind her, her eyes fell on the piece of paper on the table and the odd lettering on it. Momentarily she picked it up but Dominic grabbed it and folded it into a square before putting it into his pocket. “Something top secret I assume?”

“You could say that.” Dominic replied as he finished tucking the paper away, he took a deep breath and compartmentalized the worries for later reflection. Melissa stared at the pocket he’d stuffed it in discreetly, her spy instincts telling her to obtain the document. She mentally shook her head, she wasn’t going to be a bad guy anymore. The woman adjusted her beret as she walked to the table and started to take a seat.

“Oh, hey, Melissa could you help me with dinner before you sit down?” Maria asked as she patted Dominic on the shoulder and started walking towards the back door, Melissa looked a little surprised but shrugged and stopped herself. Dominic watched the two with a bit of curiosity as they both stepped outside, the man shrugged and picked up his AK, then began to field strip it to try and clear his head.

Maria adjusted her fatigues in the chilly mountain cold, it was very odd not having her cloak over her to keep her warm, but it had been used as a shroud for her friend. She was very quick to start up the rocket stove outside with some kindling and biomass briquettes. The woman opened a small crate beside the stove and dug around for some rations while Melissa looked at her with uncertainty.

“What can I do to help?” She asked, Maria shrugged as she stood up and set a frying pan on the chimney of the stove. “Then why did you call me out here?”

“Dominic has enough to worry about without me talking about this in front of him.” Maria said in a serious tone as she sliced some spam and set it in the pan to fry, Melissa gulped as the sniper turned to look at her with a rather cold expression. “I know there’s something you aren’t telling us, which is fine if it’s nothing, but I can’t help but think it’s something that could put him in danger.”

“I…” Melissa blinked quietly, looking Maria in the eyes, the same eyes that had laid crosshairs on more than a hundred EOL soldiers and taken their lives. The woman shuddered nervously in the sniper’s gaze, then took a breath and sighed. She had worried something would happen, she just wished it hadn’t happened so soon. “You have to promise not to get upset.”

“You know I can’t do that…” Maria said sternly, Melissa gulped faintly and rubbed the back of her neck.

“Before I came here I was part of the EOL…” The woman finally admitted, she looked at the ground as Maria continued to stare at her. “They wanted me to spy on Dominic and his forces-”

“You bitch!” Maria hissed angrily, she growled and before Melissa could say anything else she felt the sniper’s hands around her throat. “How much do they know?! What did you tell them!?”

“N-Nothing! I swear! P-Please, let me finish!” Melissa pleaded as she felt Maria’s hands tightening around her throat, the former spy knew very well she wouldn’t be able to win against Maria’s strength, even still she instinctively tried to pull Maria’s hands from her throat. Maria stared at her for several seconds before her face shifted and her grip relaxed, Melissa gasped for breath as Maria took a step away, her eyes still wide and angry. “I-I-I thought the CNG were the bad guys, until I actually met you! Until I realized the empress had been lying to me!” Melissa collapsed to her knees, her eyes welling up with tears as she looked at Maria. “Until I realized I wasn’t special…”

Maria felt her heart pounding her chest as she watched Melissa sobbing on the ground, the young woman was curling up in a ball as if she was some sort of beaten child. Maria was a sniper, she was used to taking lives from a distance, all the fear and remorse in Melissa’s eyes was something she never saw on the battlefield. Anger gave way to confusion, as Maria had always believed in the good of humanity, that people could change. That belief was overshadowed by fear of what Melissa could do, the damage she could inflict on everything and everyone Maria loved.

“I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry…” Melissa continued to mumble as Maria looked down at her quietly, every part of Maria told her to turn her in then and there, to tell everyone that there was a spy in their midst. The crying look on Melissa’s face is what stopped her, that look of fear and uncertainty haunted her, she’d seen it many times on the faces of the people rescued from the clutches of the EOL. She supposed not all of the EOL was evil, and naive as she was, she believed Melissa could be a part of that small minority. Maria crouched down, her breath shaky and uncertain, and held out her hand to the trembling young woman.

“C-Calm down...” She said, patting Melissa on the shoulder. The former spy looked at her with a bit of surprise. “I… I won’t tell anyone… But, don’t expect me to trust you outright… I’ve got my eye on you.” Melissa took Maria’s hand nervously and the sniper pulled her to her feet, then brushed off the snow on her coat. 

“I won’t let you down…” Melissa said as she looked off to the side, Maria took a deep breath and rubbed the bridge of her nose as she went back to the stove. A silence settled over the pair, it seemed both of them were processing just how quickly the situation had been resolved. Maria wasn’t one to dwell on emotions, as they made her aim poor in the field. As such, she was able to get herself looking just as normal as before. Melissa wasn’t as skilled, and a frown was present on her face as she wiped her eyes and looked around.

“What made you decide we’re the good guys?” Maria asked as she flipped the frying piece of spam, part of it had been burned, but it was still edible. Melissa was a bit taken aback by the question, she took a moment to think before clearing her throat.

“You and Dominic, I think… I’ve never seen such genuine happiness in the EOL.” She admitted quietly, Maria paused for a few seconds before shrugging and going back to the cooking meat.

“Head inside, we’ll talk about this more later…” The woman commanded, Melissa nodded and walked to the door, leaving Maria to her own thoughts.

[♠]

Eugene had never seen the Empress so angry before, an entire unit of her Elite assault troops had been utterly wiped out by the mysterious Night Eagle and Mosin Maiden. The fight had lasted less than an hour and ended with a tank in enemy hands, this had left the Empress pacing back and forth her office with an absolutely furious expression. She adjusted her sailor outfit to better fit her gut while she fumed, meanwhile the chief general of the army was standing there silently. Eugene could tell from the sweat on the man’s forehead that he was absolutely terrified, men had been sent to the Western Front for far less.

“An entire unit has been absolutely destroyed! Near the end they attempted to flee!?” The Empress asked angrilly, prompting the general to nod. “Cowards! The lot of them!”

“They would have been killed either way, your-” The General began.

“Silence!” The Empress demanded, the General quieted down and the Empress approached Eugene. “Look at Eugene here. A model soldier, loyal and willing to fight for the Empire! Your soldiers should aspire to be like him!”

“Thank you, Empress!” Eugene shouted as he stood at attention, mentally groaning at the praise from the psychotic woman. The Empress nodded and walked back to her desk.

“You will find a way to eliminate the CNG once and for all, General. I will not tolerate failure!” The Empress pounded on her desk, sending a thud through the room. “With those filthy mundanes working in our factories and relaxation houses we will be able to set our sights on our true goal.” The Empress walked towards the window and looked to the east, she clasped her hands behind her and grunted. “We stand on the precipice, gentlemen. Glory awaits our great equal and tolerant nation! A kingdom to last a thousand years!” The Empress turned on her hail and placed a clenched fist over her heart. “You are dismissed, General. Hail Raven.”

“Hail Raven!” Eugene and the general shouted as they copied the gesture, the general nervously ran out of the room leaving the Empress to walk back to her desk while Eugene watched her and lowered his arm to his side. Night Raven pushed several papers aside and adjusted her clothes once again, she cast a look to Eugene and hummed to herself. The enigma of a man fascinated her, and she loved whiling away the hours attempting to learn about him. She’d had a couple of her agents following him in recent days, but they’d turned up nothing, he didn’t even visit relaxation houses.

Night Raven pushed a couple more papers around her desk before sighing and looking outside her window once again, her thoughts turned to the mysterious Night Eagle. He was more than just an imposing face now, he was a legitimate threat to the Empire. At least she could worry less about the Colorado Kids now, it seemed that her snipers had finally done their jobs and wiped them out from the area, as efforts to set up a base of operations in the burnt out town were going well. With that positive thought she began to look out the window once again, staring off towards Pikes Peak once again and narrowing her eyes.

“Has word come from Lady Moonbeam?” She asked, she didn’t look over her shoulder at Eugene.

“No, Empress.” Eugene replied, Night Raven hummed and turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. “We’ve received reports from field agents that they keep their vehicles under heavy guard, it’s very likely she hasn’t had time to observe them properly.”

“I pray that she gets it done soon… We must know all we can before we destroy the CNG.” The Empress said sternly, Eugene nodded firmly. “Perhaps she requires help. Eugene, be a dear and summon Lady Nocturne. I have a feeling her services will prove useful.”

“An assassin, Empress?” Eugene questioned, the Empress nodded and turned back towards the window. “At once, Empress.” Eugene clicked his heels and stepped through the office door, once it was closed the man looked around, then reached into his coat and withdrew a folded piece of paper. It was a field report from one of the Empress’ agents, Eugene had already read it and it seemed that it portrayed Lady Moonbeam as some sort of traitor. The man pulled a lighter from his pocket and it the paper’s corners, he held it as it burned until he dropped it into an empty waste basket.

Eugene wordlessly picked up a cup of water on a table outside the doors and poured it into the waste basket before walking away with a strict measure to his steps. The man rubbed his neck as he walked through the capitol building, he passed by many other soldiers and various paintings on the walls until he reached a staircase that lead to the sub basement. Without pausing to reflect he started down the steps into the dim and dark underground, he knew very well who would be waiting for him at the bottom. Many times he’d needed to fetch the assassin for the Empress, the ‘Vampire Maiden’ insisted on claiming the sub basement for herself and her ‘children of the night’. 

The soldier stopped on the last step and stared into the nearly pitch black abyss that was lit only by a few candles scattered about, with a sigh he took three steps forwards and waited patiently. Sure enough, as he had felt many times upon visiting this part of the capitol building, a pale pair of hands rested upon his shoulders.

“My my… What have I here? Has a fly gotten lost in the spider’s web?” A familiar voice asked, Eugene sighed as he recognized it as none other than Lady Nocturne. She had nothing better to do other than hide in the corner when she heard someone coming down the steps and approach behind to try and seem spooky.

“The Empress has requested your presence.” Eugene said with a sigh, the hands didn’t leave his shoulders.

“Oh, it’s you.” The voice said with a bit of a sigh, after a couple seconds the owner of the hands walked around in front of him. She was extremely pale with black hair and wore extremely gothic clothes, with a flat chest and a collar around her neck she looked more like some sort of hooker than a ‘Queen of the Vampires’. “Must you ruin the fun always?”

“It stopped being fun after the fifth time.” Eugene said flatly, Nocturne groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. “As I was saying, the Empress has requested your presence regarding something to do with the CNG.”

“Those old fuddy duddies are still around?” Nocturne asked, Eugene nodded and watched as the vampire bit her lip. “What has the Empress so concerned then? Why send me? Or anyone at all?”

“We’ve lost contact with Lady Moonbeam.” Eugene said simply, Nocturne’s eyebrow rose for a moment before she chuckled and shook her head. “She was sent to obtain information about their new allies, allies with tanks and all manner of other weaponry.”

“New allies, hmm?” Nocturne asked, leaning a bit too close for Eugene’s comfort. “Who could they be? The Native Confederacy? The UN? The Cartels?”

“We don’t know that, all we know is that their leader is a man known only as ‘Night Eagle.” Eugene said, Nocturne hummed again before she leaned forwards and gave Eugene a peck on the cheek, something that he rapidly pushed her away from. “Do not touch me.”

“I could have you shot for that!” Nocturne said loudly, Eugene ignored her. “Why is it I only see you when you’re in such a terrible mood? I could easily relax you, if you don’t wish to use one of those filthy common thralls.”

“You have your orders.” Eugene said sternly. “Do not dilly dally, Lady Nocturne. The Empress is not in a forgiving mood!”

“She never is.” Nocturne said bitterly as she picked up a black robe and pulled it on over herself. “You should stay here with us, Eugene. We could transform you into something greater, you are already an impressive specimen.”

“Go. Now.” Was all that Eugene said, Nocturne appeared annoyed that the man had once again ignored her advances. She hadn’t seen anyone like him before, and she supposed that was the case with the Empress as well. The Empress probably wanted Eugene all to herself, but Nocturne could tell Night Raven wasn’t right for him. “I have matters to attend to, if there’s nothing else you want to push on me.”

“Of course there’s nothing else I want to push on you. Baka.” Nocturne said, Eugene sighed at the butchered Japanese and shook his head before turning to walk away. Nocturne watched his slouching shoulders and bit her lip, once he had disappeared from sight she looked towards her hand. In it was a rank insignia she had taken from Eugene’s coat when she’d grabbed him, she stared for a few seconds before walking to a far off corner of the room. She opened a small cabinet and looked inside, there was a shrine within with a picture of Eugene and numerous other items scattered about. A spent shell casing, an empty ration packet, and a leather glove were set about in seemingly random order. Nocturne set the insignia down near the glove.

“One day…” She said as she looked at the picture of the man, still wearing his balaclava as usual. “One day he’ll be mine.”

[♠]

Agent Hinkman adjusted his suit as he sat in front of a computer screen, he was pouring over numerous pieces of government information and other items, all pertaining to one man. What he was seeing was painting a somewhat horrifying picture, if only because it seemed there was something sinister about how the man had been raised. Numerous gun purchases, numerous excursions to private military training facilities at such a young age. Hinkman felt a couple chills go down his spine, mysteriously it had all stopped when Dominic reached the age of four years old.

After that it was rather normal stuff that came up, but those first four years of life made Hinkman more than uncomfortable. Whatever Thomas Occisor had been doing to his son in that time, it was well within a window where Dominic would block it out later on in life. Hinkman sighed and leaned back in his office chair, it had been several years since he’d ever had to do such a rigorous background on anyone. The agent stood up and looked around his simply decorated office, the white walls were shrouded in darkness as he had yet to change the lightbulb for his desk lamp.

Hinkman turned to the door and walked outside, he needed to take a break from the mysterious background search. The fact that almost every server in the world had been functionally destroyed was no help, even the servers in what was left of NORAD were just about shot. Hinkman walked down the hallway towards a door that would take him outside of the dorm rooms that had been turned into offices, being set up on a college campus had more than a few perks.

The man passed numerous posters and signs on the wall that spoke of school events that had never happened, they remained as solemn reminders that the world had once been a much simpler place. In fact, that was somewhat why the UN was so interested in Boulder, the university had the largest library available in the state, only because all others had been bombed or burned by the EOL. It housed the closest thing to the sum of all human knowledge that the UN could get its hands on, and that made it far more important to defend than NORAD or any other facility.

Hinkman stepped outside and leaned against the side of the dorm, in the distance he could see the wind farm that provided the town’s electricity. With a sigh the man pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit up, after a couple seconds he exhaled a cloud of smoke. He reflected on the man he was researching now, wondering if he truly was an ally or rather the beginning of a new and bloody chapter in human history. Hinkman knew very well the EOL was already bad news, but the UN was in no position to stand against them, many of the remaining generals wanted nothing to do with the outside world in general. Hinkman and Putin knew very well that would never happen.

Hinkman shivered for a moment in the cold air, the door beside him opened outwards and a woman stepped out with several coats on. She was one of the few Japanese Defense Force members to have escaped to the US before Tokyo and the rest of Japan had succumb to the infection. She didn’t speak much English, but she did her best, and Hinkman was glad to have someone to at least talk to. She quickly caught sight of him and waved before silently walking over and adjusting the glasses that were perched atop her nose.

“Hello, Hinkam-sama.” She said, somewhat butchering his last name, not that he minded.

“Hey, Naomi.” Hinkman replied before raising his hand to wave. “You don’t need to use that ‘sama’ stuff with me, I understand it’s rude in your country, but here it’s kinda… Weird.” Naomi blinked for a moment, as if trying to process what he was saying before simply nodding. “What’s up? I thought you were busy handling that business in the west.”

“Many different sides, too many to handle at once.” Naomi replied with a groan, Hinkman offered her a cigarette which she graciously took. “What of you, Hinkam? Putin has you working on some new threat too?” Hinkman nodded and took a drag on his cigarette, then lit Naomi’s with his lighter.

“Some guy popped up with the CNG. He’s got tanks, real ones.” Hinkman said, Naomi looked at him with a bit of surprise. “Yeah, and what’s more, I’m not sure he’s really the kind of stable person that should be in charge of tanks. Putin says trust him for now, but the more I look up his history the more antsy I get.”

“Stability in our world is increasingly rare, Hinkam. Perhaps he is just the right type of, how do you say…” Naomi trailed off for a moment. “Oddball? The right type of oddball to match the Empire of Light.” Hinkman shrugged once again, not nearly as chilly as Naomi seemed. “If you need help, ask me, please? I am very interested.”

“I’ll be sure to let you know if…” Hinkman paused, then looked over at Naomi. “Can you hack a secure network for me?” The woman smiled and nodded, Hinkman hummed as he thought back to his research. A new server had popped up recently, off towards the mountains, it was simply named ‘ARK’ and had somehow been exceedingly hard to hack into. Mainly because most of the characters it used were Japanese, Hinkman thought there might have been a chance that some more information could be on it. More importantly, he wanted to know just who it was that had activated the odd new contact. “Meet me in my office after your shift is over, I’ll tell you what I know and how you can help.”

“Okay.” Naomi said with another nod, Hinkman took a finally puff on his cigarette before tossing it off into the snow and walking back inside. Part of the man knew that he’d need to get some boots on the ground in order to really learn about Dominic Occisor as he currently was. As Hinkman returned to his office he took a seat at his computer and opened the command window, like lightning his fingers flew over the keys and text appeared on the screen that read ‘Activate Phantoms? Y/N’. After a couple seconds Hinkman pressed the ‘Y’ key.

Meanwhile, far off in the distant reaches of the Colorado Wastes, Mark sat up straight as he heard a beep off to his left in the radio room, a beep he hadn’t been expecting. As quick as a flash the man stood from his chair and walked towards the computer terminal, he knelt down where he saw the familiar text belonging to his old handler and somewhat friend Agent Hinkman. He cautiously opened the message and read over the message inside, as he read over it he heard the door to the room open and looked over his shoulder. Sure enough it was Andie.

“Hey, come here.” He said, the woman raised an eyebrow and walked towards him. She knelt down and read over the message, the woman blinked a couple times before looking at Mark. “There’s a chance this could be it, we could help put an end to the EOL once and for all… Then it’d just be you and me.”

“What about your friend?” Andie asked in a hushed voice, Mark quieted down for a couple seconds.

“Mike’s a tough guy, and who knows, this could prove to help him too.” Mark finally said, Andie took a second to stare at him. “Come on, we can do this, one last mission.” The radio operator finally nodded with a sigh, she stood up and looked around.

“It would be nice to go back to Boulder…” She said quietly, with that she turned and started walking out of the room. Mark turned back to the message on the screen, staring at the picture of their intelligence target. He was a tank of a man that bore a striking resemblance to Rommel or some sort of Roman soldier. Mark took a couple more seconds before he hovered his hand over the ‘Y’ key and brought it down with a sense of finality.
> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The relations between the New United States and Equestria had always been a tad shaky, generally good, but still shaky. At least, it had been up until the word had gotten out that Equestrian’s had taken the life of an American Border Enforcement Agent, and a human at that. A crowd had formed outside the capitol building in the day that had followed the incident, some were humans concerned about their safety while others were ponies absolutely incensed that their borders had been questioned.

Princess Luna and Sonar were honestly at a loss for what they could do, they had already demanded those responsible for the crime be turned over for trial, but of course Celestia had refused their request. What was more, it seemed that the Solar Diarch had ordered troops into the disputed territory, effectively making the issue a powder keg. It involved more than just the United State’s claim to territory, but the rights to that territory that had belonged to the Changeling kingdom. 

Technically the land had never belonged to Equestria, but since the changelings lacked the force to defend it from encroaching Equestrians they had been unable to assert their claim. Still maintained it was their land, and offered it up in the peace treaty with the United States, and so Equestria was now interfering in the affairs of two foreign countries. Celestia’s go to response for such a thing had been to put some troops in the area to sure it up until interest in the issue died down, generally there was no way anyone could contest the Equestrian army.

Celestia had made one miscalculation however, and that was that the United States was essentially eclipsing them on the battlefield even despite their small numbers. Competent officers from around the world, ever advancing weaponry, and fiercely loyal soldiers easily outweighed the reservists that Celestia generally sent. On top of that there had been a surge of volunteers from the human refugees, all of whom were packing enough firepower to start World War Three.

It had finally been decided to call Celestia’s bluff and ten tanks and two rabbits rolled through the gates of Fort Errant Military Base, each tank had a couple soldiers riding on the top while the rabbits carried a couple more and supplies. Luna watched from the window of the capitol building as the tanks drove off onto the horizon, after a couple moments she turned to Sonar who was sitting in front of a radio set that was being tended to by Fortress Wall.

“We’re just about ready, Madam President.” Fortress said as he turned a couple knobs, Luna walked over as Sonar adjusted her suit and glasses. The thestral mare coughed once or twice, wincing in pain before setting her face with a stoic resolve. After a couple more seconds the radio static stopped and was replaced by near silence. “Canterlot, this is New Liberty.”

”Reading you, New Liberty. Ready for traffic.” A voice responded, Fortress Wall stepped back from the radio and offered the microphone to Sonar. Luna sat beside the acting president, she knew that very soon her sister’s voice would come through the radio. It would be the first use of a radio in a political dealing, she just wished it hadn’t had to come from such a situation.

“Princess Celestia.” Sonar said firmly, she sat up in her seat. “We had already agreed that this land would be turned over to the United States, now an American is dead and you refuse to uphold your end.”

”Things have changed, you have to understand that the ponies there are very resistant to change.” Celestia’s voice replied over the radio, static laced her transmission. ”I can’t give you the land, it would damage their economy-”

“Their economy isn’t of concern to us.” Sonar cut off the Princess, much to Luna’s surprise. “Not only did they take that land from the Changelings illegally, they now intend to kill American’s in order to hold onto it! You refuse to enforce your laws, it is just as good as endorsing this behavior!” Silence followed the outburst, Luna could tell that Celestia was attempting to gather her thoughts for a response. She knew that Celestia had never been on the receiving end of a border dispute before, she was used to playing a third party negotiator.

”I understand your concern, Madam President.”

“I don’t think you do.” Sonar said firmly. “An army is amassing on our borders, your army. It is occupying American territory. Wars have started this way, Princess.” The poniente words brought the very real possibility of conflict into view, war was staring both leaders in the face. Sonar was no stranger to war, unlike Celestia. “I will say this once and only once, Princess. We will not fold, nor will we compromise. Withdraw your forces from our territory or we will do so by force.”

“You had best listen to her, sister. They are most serious.” Luna added, the radio remained silent for a couple seconds.

”I’m sorry…” Celestia’s voice quietly spoke. ”Sister, surely you can-”

“Do not ask me for help, Celestia. This is your mess.” Luna replied. “I am here as an advisor only, I have no authority over the armed forces, if I did I would respond the same way.”

”I… I see…” Celestia’s voice came through, the tension in the room could be cut with a knife. ”Please… Give me some time to come up with an answer.”

“You have two hours and ten minutes.” Sonar said as she looked at the clock on the wall, their forces would arrive in two hours. Once they arrived they would call for orders, Celestia would see the force that had been sent against hers, she’d know that her forces would be utterly slaughtered against armor and machine guns, Luna knew she’d fold. The radio went quiet, leaving those in the room to assume that the Princess had left to think. Meanwhile other aids were receiving messages from nations around the world, the Zebras were offering their services as mediators, the Minotaurs were offering to aid the American’s in an invasion, the Griffons wanted to cede into the Union.

Celestia had opened Pandora’s box.

Discord sighed quietly as he observed everything from his pocket dimension, rubbing his forehead as he saw more and more chaos starting to rise in the world. It had been holding at safe levels for such a long time, and now it was nearing a dangerous level. The chaos god hated interfering with the affairs of the world, but he feared that if things continued to go poorly he’d have no choice. His omnipotence was constantly blurred by the changing world, and so he didn’t know just how bad things would get, but he could tell it would be on par with the Nightmare Uprising.

In the desert, riding atop one of the tanks, was a young man wearing national guard fatigues and holding an M4 carbine. He adjusted his kevlar as they drove on through the desert, he and his comrades were ready for a fight. They had come to the new world for a peaceful start, now it seemed that second chance was being threatened by a pushy, over privileged princess. Overhead the soldier could see several thestrals, changelings, and pegasi flying in formation. They were lagging slightly behind the ground column which was absolutely screaming across the flat desert with great speed

[♠]

Celestia paced back and forth in her office, she nervously bit her lip and looked towards the radio set that had been placed on her desk. Numerous officers and generals surrounded her, many of them trying to come up with plans. Outside the window she could see her subjects going about their lives, many of them barely aware of just what was unfolding to the south. She had seen the American’s handiwork on the battlefield, and she knew very well that any conflict with the small nation would be costly.

“Princess, we can’t let them win.” One of her Generals said sternly, Celestia turned to look at him. “They’ll start with the orchard, then all of Appleloosa, and then next thing you know they’ll be marching into Canterlot!” The earth pony adjusted his uniform, it was clear that he was unaware of just how costly it would be to fight the United States, even in the short term.

“I agree, they’ve had their fun, but it’s time those traitors return to the fold!” A unicorn general demanded, he pounded his hoof on the floor. “They abandoned their posts in the Equestrian Army, they should all be arrested and tried for it!”

“You are all fools.” A voice cut in from across the room, all eyes turned to the source. General Eventide, of Luna’s personal military staff. “The action was sanctioned by their commander in chief, are you forgetting that? Unless you all admit Luna is not a princess and wish to contest her, which would be an act of treason.” The generals all quieted down, Celestia’s eyes stayed locked on Eventide. He was extremely loyal to Luna and ruthless in all of his work, it was rumored there was icewater in his veins. “May I, Princess?” Celestia nodded and Eventide stepped forwards towards her desk.

“The fault lies with us here, Princess. We, or more specifically you, are to blame for the lack of discipline in Appleloosa.” Eventide declared, much to the shock of those assembled in the room. “These idiots will tell you to invade the United States, to destroy them and take over, but you won’t do that. We both know that.” Celestia stared at him even more intently, his words lancing into her. “I have visited the United States, unlike these imbeciles… Their military might is awe inspiring.” The stallion stopped and put his hoof on a map. “If they invaded us right now, they would penetrate as far as Ponyville before we could stop them.”

“So you’re saying we should give up our territory and our citizens to a nation that has only one city?!” A general shouted, Eventide nodded and looked at Celestia expectantly. “Princess, this bat pony obviously cares more about Luna than-” Before the stallion could say anymore Celestia raised her hoof.

“Order the guards to withdraw to the agreed border, but not an inch more. Track down whoever was responsible for the American’s death and have them turned over at once…” Celestia ordered, the generals looked at her with a bit of surprise before a stomp of Eventide’s hoof sent the scrambling. The room was quickly empty, save for Eventide and Celestia. “Field Marshal, it’s nice to see your loyalty extends to me as well…”

“It doesn’t.” Eventide said simply as he adjusted his black uniform, Celestia stared at him. “Princess Luna is my sole commander in chief, I only came as a courtesy to her. The Lunar Corps has become Luna’s private military, since it seems you can’t keep your own soldiers in check.” Celestia was a bit shocked at how blunt he was being, perhaps that was why Luna had made the young thestral a Field Marshal. The solar princess made her way back to the radio and cleared her throat before speaking.

“We’re pulling our forces out, those responsible will be brought to justice.” Celestia said with a pent up voice, several tense seconds passed before the response came.

”See to it they are gone by the time our forces arrive.” The acting president said, Celestia sighed and looked up to address Eventide, but the thestral had already turned and made his way out of the room.

[♠]

Dominic adjusted his binoculars as he stood in the turret of his tank, looking down on the EOL’s base from the vehicle’s place on an overlooking hill. The chill of winter seemed to be ever present, forcing him to wear his armor and jacket for maximum warmth. Today was the day of days, when the New United States Army would go up against the EOL for the first time in open combat. His tank and Jen’s were already in position, he was waiting on the others to take their places before the assault. Dominic briefly scanned over the trees, searching for any sign of Maria, but as he expected of a brilliant sniper like her, he didn’t see a thing.

Little did he know, he himself was being watched carefully from above, Colonel Baxter had decided to sit the battle out up on the top of Pikes Peak, and the CNG commander was watching his younger counterpart carefully. Dominic shrugged it off, he knew very well that the battle would be won, somehow he knew. It was as if god himself had come down and bestowed his blessing on him, for the first time in his life he wanted honor and glory. The past days had been rough, as Melissa and Maria seemed to be a bit more snippy around one another, but he’d somehow managed to keep his head down.

The stress of the coming battle had inspired many under his command to let out their tension in different ways, for Dominic it had been practicing with his rifle and sword, for Jen it had been her letters home, and for a particularly talented griffon it had been painting. However, since there had been no canvas to paint on, Sergeant Avos had resorted to using the tanks as her canvas. Dominic’s vehicle now sported a scantily clad brunette with an uncanny resemblance to his girlfriend on the front of the right side that was armed, of course, with a scoped Mosin rifle.

Dominic had allowed it because he knew how conscious the EOL were of ‘Objectification’ and he wanted to embody everything they hated. It was his mission to become the most hated man in the EOL, to be public enemy number one. Through his infamy he would gather support and recruits for his army, and with that, he would survive the remaining sixth months until the portal could open again.

Sergeant Avos hadn’t been the only one to decorate her tank, the newly trained human crew had marked up their vehicle with something far simpler, just three numbers in crimson red. 666. Dominic, being a bit of a metal head, was very familiar with the reference to Ghost Rider. He had to admit, he was jealous he hadn’t thought of it first. Furthermore, Six Six Six had been outfitted with a fifty caliber machine gun and the captured minigun in preparation for its role as a ‘Meat grinder’. Dominic sighed quietly and shook his head, he just wanted the battle to be over already. As he scanned over the enemy compound in the early morning light he could see cages along the walls, large pens of people that seemed to huddle together or mill about.

Dominic lowered his binoculars and checked a stopwatch he’d been given by Colonel Baxter, the barrage was set to begin in five minutes and still the other tanks hadn’t radioed in yet. He knew that even his and Jen’s tank would probably make a big impact, but timing would be critical in the mission to come, at least from an infantry position. Hidden in the trees behind Dominic’s tank were at least fifty soldiers, all of whom were more than ready to shed the blood of the EOL.

“Commander, radio traffic from Talon-Two.” Gear Grinder called up through the hatch, Dominic looked down and picked up his headset.

“Are you in position?” Dominic asked immediately.

”All set, sir. We just ran into a runner from Talon-Three, they’ve got some radio trouble, but they’re in position.” Replied Rolling Thunder, Dominic hummed quietly and looked off towards the fort in the distance.

“Wunderbar, carry out the orders on schedule.” Dominic said with finality, tossing a bit of German in. He was attempting to learn the language of the Thestrals, as they were a very big part of New Liberty. The minutes continued to tick by and Dominic felt a heavy weight on his shoulders as he knew what was to come, his eyes were glued to his watch, the second hand ticking by quicker and quicker and quicker. “Initiate psych warfare!” The PA speakers on his tank and the others turned on, bellowing the sound of rolling steel and an eerie siren horn. The sounds were similar to those of the Reapers, Dominic had found the sound files on his MP3 player oddly enough, most likely as a result of Discord’s tampering.

In the distant base the birds began to flee from their trees in a massive swarm of flapping terrified wings, the guards there had no idea what was going on, but the menacing sounds in the distance had put the entire base on full alert. Troopers nervously ran back and forth, it was winter after all, and that normally meant the fighting slowed down. Somehow though it sounded as if the CNG had gotten its hands on an armada of metal monstrosities. The rumors that had been spreading played through all of their minds, vicious killing machines that were commanded by an equally vicious man.

Dominic watched the panic spreading through the base, a slight smile forming on his face. All of them were out in the open, a perfect target for the coming barrage.

“Feuer frei!” Dominic ordered loudly as he adjusted his headset, moments later his tank lurched as the main gun erupted like a volcano. Seconds later he heard Jen’s tank send a similar salute, followed by other explosions from miles around. The tanks continued firing like clock work, all the while Dominic kept his eyes on the enemy base. High explosive shells detonated all throughout the compound, some of the warehouses were struck and their roof’s collapsed inwards or they suffered a blown out wall. Shattered glass and rubble became bits of shrapnel that eagerly tore into the panicking EOL troopers.

“Cease fire!” Dominic bellowed after several minutes, slowly the explosions tapered off and pillars of smoke and fire rose into the air. The man drew his sword from its scabbard and directed it towards the enemy base. “Initiate phase two! Forwards!”

”Roger that! Let’s fuck ‘em up!” Gear Grinder shouted over the radio as the tank lurched forwards, the tracks kicking up snow in its wake as it thundered through the trees like a bat out of hell. The adrenaline was pumping rapidly as Dominic’s vehicle drew closer and closer to the tree line, Jen’s tank wasn’t far behind him. Finally the vehicle burst free of the trees and Gear Grinder opened up the throttle, pushing the tank to nearly thirty miles an hour. Dominic could see the terror on the enemy’s faces, even at such a far distance.

”Tank Six Six Six is in position, radio back online! We’re ready to cut ‘em down, Commander!” The voice of the human tank’s commander cut in over the radio. Bullets pinged off the armor, Dominic ignored them and continued to point his blade at the enemy’s gate. The tank busted through a chainlink fence on the outskirts like wet tissue paper, leaving only a twisted hulk of metal in its wake. There was nothing between the gun and the EOL gate now, and so Sergeant Avos lowered the barrel of the cannon and loaded a high explosive shell.

“Feuer!” Dominic shouted, the gun belched fire and the gate exploded into shreds of steel shrapnel. Dominic sheathed his blade and ducked down into his tank, this time closing the hatch as the tank trundled over the feeble remains of the gate and whatever soldiers had been there to guard it. Jen’s tank rolled in behind him, her gun was also lowered and ready to unleash hell on anyone in sight. “Load grape shot!”

“Loading!” Sergeant Avos responded loudly as she slipped a new shell into the cannon, Dominic leaned forwards and looked through his view slit at the carnage around them. A squad of EOL soldiers were rushing towards the tanks with what looked like molotovs. “Gun ready!”

“Target at zero-eight-zero!” Dominic bellowed, the turret turned and Dominic could see fear spreading across the enemies’ faces. “Feuer!” The gun boomed and a cloud of ball bearings turned the squad of troopers into a pile of red paste. Dominic could tell that the battle was only just beginning.

[♠]

Maria adjusted her scope as she watched the battle unfolding in front of her, the explosions of the artillery still rung somewhat in her ears. The tree line she took cover in was oddly quiet compared to the rest of the area, so quiet that she almost didn’t remember she had company. Melissa was laying beside her in the snow, holding a pair of binoculars as she shivered in the cold. Tension between the two of them had been high since Melissa had revealed herself, but Maria was doing her best to look past it.

The woman turned a knob on the scope as she lined up her crosshairs on some of the EOL defenders that were standing along the defensive wall, the black lines lined up on the enemy’s center mass and Maria began to exhale. Her rifle let off a crack, kicking back into her shoulder as she squeezed the trigger. Melissa watched the trooper’s chest explode into crimson past before he toppled over the edge, Maria pulled back the bolt and sent the spent shell sprawling onto the ground before she chambered the next round.

Melissa assumed this was some sort of loyalty test, something to prove she truly was on the CNG’s side. She had to admit she found it odd watching people she had once called allies through the binoculars, and it felt like a kick to the stomach in some cases, but she knew that her decision had to be certain, she had to be committed.

“Melissa.” Maria said quietly as she lined her rifle up once again, Melissa looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Keep an eye out for enemy snipers, they like to creep around in battles like these. I’ve got a good enough fix on the wall.”

“What should I look for?” Melissa asked as she started to scan the treeline ahead of them.

“A glint of a scope, rustling bushes. I don’t care if you’re wrong, if you see something say something.” Maria said, once again she squeezed the trigger and the rifle cracked loudly. The woman briefly caught sight of Dominic’s tank, pausing as she saw a new picture painted on the side of it, one that looked an awful lot like her. “Oh… Wow…” Melissa caught a faint blush on the sniper’s cheeks, but she quickly went back to scanning the tree lines and listening to the methodical bang of Maria’s rifle.

The distant gunfire and explosions occasionally caused snow to fall from the trees, but both Maria and Melissa didn’t let it phase them. Melissa could see another tank rolling in on the third gate, armed with machine guns and cannons it was obvious its sole purpose was to kill. She forced herself to watch as her former EOL comrades pushed open the gate, only to be faced with the menacing tank six six six. There was a brief moment of surprise, she could see the horror forming on the troopers faces before the whirring minigun roared to life.

Coupled with cannon and fifty caliber fire, the throngs of fleeing EOL soldiers were cut to ribbons in the face of American lead. Maria eventually stopped firing, her own scope transfixed on the scene that was unfolding. The plan was unfolding just as it was meant to, with the enemy force being squeezed out of their base and into a merciless slaughter. Blood spewed from fallen corpses, forming a grisly river of red that stained the snow as it flowed. Maria closed her eyes to try and block out the screaming that somehow could be heard over the constant gunfire.

A battle cry arose from the forests as the CNG infantry rushed across the fields, they received no resistance from the obliterated EOL defenses. Maria quietly stood up and walked a few steps forwards so that she was standing atop the birm that they had taken cover behind, her new white cloak flapping in the wind as she stared at the carnage. Choking black smoke rose into the sky, so thick that it cast a shadow over the surrounding area as the sun could not hope to penetrate it.

“So… This is what it feels like to win…” Maria said quietly as Melissa walked up beside her, both of them watched as the infantry forces began to round up what few EOL troops remained. “Part of me is happy, but…” She paused as she could hear a faint buzz in the air. “The blood hasn’t even stopped flowing and already the flies are on their way.”

“It’ll end, Maria…” Melissa said quietly.

“I know.” The sniper replied as she started walking towards the fort. “Well, let’s get in there, they’re going to need help with all the freed slaves.” Melissa gulped and nodded before she began tagging along beside Maria, she was unsure of what to expect when they entered the newly captured base, but she knew it would most likely not be pretty.

[♠]

Dominic pushed open the hatch of his tank and looked around, the sickeningly familiar scent of smoke and blood entered his nose immediately. Momentarily he removed his peaked cap to pull on his gasmask, it at least stopped the smell. He set his cap atop his head once again and climbed out of the turret to survey the battleground, his tank was now stopped twenty yards from the third gate where a mass of dead bodies had formed. Dominic climbed down off of his tank and landed in some mud, he momentarily looked down and realized that the mud had a reddish tint to it.

Off to his left was one of the warehouses, it had been thouroughly bombed and was in flames. The ruined structure belched black smoke into the sky, the flames emitted a low rumble as they continued to consume whatever had been inside the building. Dominic took a few steps forwards towards the oncoming CNG forces that were starting to flood through the third gate, he stopped at the edge of the field of dead bodies. The bloody mud caked his boots, and he was certain the smell of it would’ve been enough to shake him. Chunks of flesh and even several limbs were scattered about like toys, adding yet another level to the hell that Dominic was witnessing.

Across the compound Dominic could hear the sound of small arms fire, most likely the EOL making a final stand in one of the undamaged warehouses. Already Dominic could see Rolling Thunder’s tank making its way in that direction, the man turned and started walking back to his own vehicle. Parked behind it was Jen’s tank, she too was climbing out and eventually down onto the muddy ground. She looked around for a moment or two before looking towards the defensive wall on the right, Dominic followed her gaze and spotted what she was staring at immediately.

“Jesus…” He mumbled to himself before pounding on the side of his tank, the driver’s hatch popped open and Gear Grinder looked at him. “Follow me in reverse, I need to get some of the chain off the back.” The driver raised an eyebrow but nodded and began to back up the tank, Dominic started walking towards the wall. More specifically he started walking towards the massive cage that ran along the wall, he could hear his heart pounding in his chest. The mist floated away from his gasmask, his boots squelching in the mud.

Dozens of people were huddled away from the edge of cage, Dominic realized many of them were women and even children. He had seen them through binoculars, he’d known that it would be bad, but nothing could’ve prepared him for the sight before his eyes. In the back of his mind he could hear the screams of ponies in Starlight Glimmer’s village, the smell of burning buildings. Before him he saw the people barely had any clothes, covered in mud and things that Dominic didn’t want to think about. He could see their ribs, their sunken eyes and scarred backs.

“Commander.” Jen’s voice called from his side, he didn’t seem to respond at first. “Commander?” The man flinched for a moment and turned to look at her, the woman adjusted her uniform and he could see she’d tied a makeshift bandanna over her face, most likely for the smell. “Radio from the CNG medicals says we can open the cages, but we have to keep them in the compound for a couple days until they can eat real food again.”

“If they stay they’re staying in one of the buildings.” Dominic said firmly, doing his best to hide the shake in his voice. Meanwhile his tank came to a halt a few feet behind him, Jen watched him turn and grab a length of hooked chain from the supply rack. He quickly hooked one end to the bars of the cage while the other was attached to the tank. “Go!” Gear Grinder must’ve heard him as the tank lurched forwards, taking the length of cage with him. It fell into the mud with a heavy clang, splattering the red tinted liquid on Dominic and Jen’s fatigue pants.

“I’ll have them set aside room for them, we’ll need a headcount though…” Jen said as she watched Dominic take a couple steps closer to the now open cage, the commander only nodded as he stopped on the very edge of the cave. With that Jen walked off to begin setting up for the coming night. Slowly the huddled people in the cage were turning to look at what was happening, by now numerous CNG troops were approaching the cage. One of the women in the cage stood up and weakly hobbled towards Dominic, she was hunched over and her black hair was ratty.

Dominic was about to say something but the woman instead grabbed him in a weak hug, crying into his chest as Dominic stood their in surprise. Up close he could see lash marks on her back, a bruised eye, and numerous burns and scars along her arms.

“I-It’s okay…” Dominic said, unsure of what else to say. He was about to rest a hand on the woman’s shoulder, but she flinched away and he withdrew it. Slowly the others in the cage began to stagger out towards the waiting CNG, as well as some of the tank crews. They were hesitant at seeing the ponies, but eventually they realized that they were there to help as well. Still, Dominic had the woman crying into his chest, she didn’t even speak, all she did was sob.

That seemed to be a lot of what was happening, many of the now free people rushing towards their rescuers in tears, some of the helping the others along. Dominic could see it all, even with his gasmask. Said mask was starting to fog up, as Dominic was breathing a lot heavier than before. The man did his best to comfort her, but he was far out of his element. Thankfully a pair of medics approached and escorted the woman away, leaving Dominic standing there like a statue. It took him nearly a minute to snap back into reality, when he did he realized he was standing in front of an empty cage.

The man slowly turned around and started walking towards the burning building, the radiating heat warmed him like nothing he’d ever felt before as the light glinted off of the lenses in his gasmask. He stared silently at the raging flames, clasping his hands behind him as he was silhouetted against the fire. Something was stirring in him he hadn’t felt before, in the years prior he had thought he’d known hate very well. As the screams continued to echo about the area, he came to a sudden realization that he had only barely scratched the surface of contempt.

“Commander.” Jen’s voice said to his right, Dominic just hummed as he continued to watch the flames. “We’ve captured the commander of the base, sir. He was attempting to commit seppuku.” The man turned towards Jen and inclined his head to the side, the woman was a bit taken aback by the intense look in the eyes beyond the gasmask.

“Bring him here.” Dominic said simply, Jen could see him clenching and unclenching his gloved hands into fists. “I want to meet the monster behind this… this… place.” Jen clicked her boots and saluted before she briskly walked away, somewhat surprised at the anger that had seeped into Dominic’s voice. Several more minutes passed, Dominic continued to somewhat enjoy the warmth of the flames. Over his shoulder he could hear shouts and hisses, undoubtedly the base commander was being walked towards him.

“Commander.” Jen said again, Dominic turned slowly to face her and the new comer. He did his best to hide his surprise, as he saw that it was in fact a woman that had been in charge of the base. It made a little sense to him, the EOL wanted to put more women into power. She was short and tubby with black hair, and she wore an absolutely guady outfit that looked like a mix something out of a japanese cartoon and an edgy video game. “The commander of the enemy forces, sir.” Dominic stared at the woman for a few seconds, his gasmask hissing menacingly.

“So… You are the purveyor of misery here…” Dominic said in a neutral tone, Jen subconsciously took a step back. The man wasn’t one to use large words unless he was beyond his boiling point, and considering that he now had access to a sword, Jen didn’t want to be too close. The enemy commander didn’t respond, it was likely she had never expected the tables to be turned on her so rapidly. “Speak!” It seemed that Dominic was perhaps channeling Luna in that moment.

“I-I am the commander! Yes!” The woman stammered, trying to take a step back.

“Here I thought I had seen it all…” Dominic said quietly as he walked towards her, the enemy commander yelped when she felt the cold leather of his gloved hand on her throat. “An entire town full of the enslaved, monsters you couldn’t possibly fathom, and yet… Here you stand, the penultimate of it all.” The man leaned in close, his mask inches away from the now terrified enemy commander. “A miserable, incompetent worm with no backbone and yet somehow she’s been the cause of so much suffering. It boggles the mind!” The enemy cowered backwards, nearly falling into the mud as Dominic loomed over her like the shadow of death itself. “I should put you to the sword.”

“No! Please! I’ll do anything!” The woman pleaded, Dominic shook his head and stood to his full height.

“Disappointing.” He said simply before he began to adjust his gloves. “Captain Poplawski, take this prisoner of war back to the others, see to it she is treated according to our standards, but absolutely no special privileges.” Jen stepped back forwards and grabbed the enemy commander by the arm, somewhat surprised no one had died.

“Yes, sir.” Jen said before pulling the woman away wit her, Dominic sighed and walked away from the burning building. His nerves were frayed, his patience all but spent, and he couldn’t help but feel a dull ache in his chest as he thought of Maria. He missed her, and he hoped she would soon return so he would atleast have some form of relief. Dominic made his way back to his tank and climbed up onto the turret, then opened the hatch.

“Gear Grinder, move the tank forwards and help secure the gates, the EOL is bound to try and take this place back soon.” Dominic ordered, Gear Grinder responded by shifting the tank into drive. The commander meanwhile sat atop the turret, taking his binoculars from inside the tank and looking towards the horizon once more.

[♠]

Empress Night Raven stared in shock at the report in her trembling hands, she was seated behind her desk with several of her inner circle members standing before her. Not a single one of them spoke, she had dismissed Eugene as she didn’t want him to be present for the tirade she was about to unleash. She could see the cloud of smoke rising in the distance, there had nearly been riots in the streets when the news had been broken over the radio.

“These past few months I have been telling you to destroy the CNG, especially when they received a new ally!” Night Raven bellowed as she threw the paper down on her desk. “Nocturne, you assured me you would destabilize their command structure, yet they coordinated an attack flawlessly!” The woman in question shrunk away from the Empress’ desk. “And you, General Swift Blade, had promised me they could never defeat your appointee!”

“Your highness, we had never anticipated the CNG would have armored support!” The General in question retorted, Night Raven stood up and furiously pounded her desk, that shut the general up very quickly.

“She folded like a house of cards! Your incompetence has left our defensive ring jeopardy!” Night Raven screamed, a lock of her blonde hair falling in front of her face. “I have had enough failures from my commanders, from this point onwards, anyone that fails me may as well die in combat, because it will be the firing squad should they return!”

“You’re high-” The general began again.

“Eugene!” Night Raven shouted, the door burst open and the quiet man entered with his AK-47 at the ready. He was more than ready to unleash lead on whoever the Empress commanded, mainly because it would make it that much easier for him to eliminate her inner circle and eventually her. Several of the inner circle members stared at him quietly, more than a few in slight fear. “As all of you know, this is my bodyguard Eugene, as of now he is also taking on the role of chief agent of a new branch. The Overseers. Do I need to explain their reason for existing to you, or is it self evident!?”

Eugene was inwardly panicking, he wanted nothing to do with the Empress, let alone to be one of her enforcers, but his mind quickly realized it could very well be the break he had been hoping for. He was in a position of power, if he could eliminate the other members of the inner circle he could seize power for himself and finally end the war with the CNG, the UN, and the NC. With that in mind he snapped his heels and saluted.

“Thank you, your eminence!” He shouted, Night Raven nodded before looking back at her gathered staff.

“I want that base back under our control in two days! Now get out of my sight!” She ordered, the inner circle nervously nodded and filed out. “Not you, Nocturne.” The vampiress stopped and watched her fellow commanders leave the room until Eugene closed the door and remained in with her and the Empress. “Why haven’t I heard anything from you about Night Eagle?”

“My agents haven’t been able to get close to him, Empress.” Nocturne admitted. “He’s too well guarded.” The Empress leveled an even expression at Nocturne, steepling her fingers and humming quietly.

“So I trust you will be going personally?” The Empress stated, Nocturne gulped and slowly nodded. “Good, I’m sure it shouldn’t be too difficult for a vampire of your talent.” Nocturne nodded once again, Eugene watched her for a couple seconds before he sighed and cleared his throat. “You had something to add, Eugene?”

“Lady Nocturne should have some sort of security escort, Empress. We sent Lady Moonbeam out alone and haven’t heard from her, for all we know she could’ve been captured.” Eugene said, the Empress looked at him for a few seconds before nodding.

“Fine, go with her.” Night Raven ordered, Eugene clicked his heels and saluted once again. Nocturne stared at him for a couple seconds surprised by his sudden offer, and more than a bit touched by it. She had been admiring him for some time, and now it seemed the chance to spend extended periods of time was arriving. “You are both dismissed.” Eugene and Nocturne nodded and walked out of the room, leaving the Empress to do her daily duties.

“Thank you for your offer, Eugene.” Nocturne said as she walked beside the man.

“Don’t think too much of it.” Eugene said sternly, looking at her as he continued walking. “You aren’t the only one with private agendas.” Nocturne raised an eyebrow at him, she’d known him to be quite the cunning one, but she had never expected him to be blunt as well.

“I’ll try to keep that in mind…” Nocturne said simply. Despite knowing he had an ulterior motive for his offer, she still was excited as ever for the possibility of spending more time with him, possibly in a sleeping bag, at night, alone. That caused her to sway back and forth happily as she walked along, much to Eugene’s annoyance.

[♠]

Mark and Andie watched the former EOL base from the woods that surrounded it with slight shock, the fire had finally burned itself out just as the sun was starting to set. Already the dead had been piled up outside the wall, stripped of anything of value by the CNG and the former slaves. Mark had never thought he’d see the day when an EOL base would be in ruins, but there it was before him. The man looked through his sniper scope while Andie looked with her binoculars, both of them were dressed in light grey fatigues and coats to better blend into the snowy ground.

They had been forced to leave their truck behind in order not to be spotted, as the two of them weren’t sure if they wanted to be caught by the newest player on the field. As the two of them looked over the compound they rested their eyes upon one of the tanks that was parked at the gates, it was far different from what they had expected. Painted on the side was a scantily clad woman, and seated on the turret was a familiar looking man.

“I’ve got eyes on the target.” Andie said as she looked closer, using her high powered binoculars to zoom in closer and get a good look at the man. He appeared tired, his boots were tinted red, and he occsionally would look over his shoulder for something. “He’s certainly a big kid.”
“Command says he’s twenty.” Mark replied as he adjusted his scope, wincing slightly at just how much glare he was getting from the setting sun. “Right now they just want us to observe him, just in case he’s a nut.” Andie hummed and kept looking through the binoculars, watching the man as he turned and talked to someone, then reached behind him. To both their surprise they saw him help a woman up onto the tank, she had two plates of steaming food with her.

“Looks like he’s got a friend.” Andie said, pausing as she watched the pair share a brief kiss. “Correction, girlfriend.” The woman watched as their target and his girlfriend seemed to have a brief chat, surprisingly the target was frowning a lot. “Wonder what’s got him so upset.”

“Probably the whole big battle that just happened?” Mark mumbled sarcastically, Andie only grunted in response and continued watching the pair. The target and the mysterious girlfriend hugged for a couple seconds and that seemed to cause the target to lighten up. “So far he seems pretty normal.”

“Mark…” Andie said as she watched one of the hatches on the tank pop up, after a couple seconds it opened fully to reveal the driver of the vehicle. “Mark, look at that.” Mark shifted his scope to the driver, his eyes widened and he quickly rubbed his eyes. “Is that…?”

“Y-Yeah…” The man replied in shock as he watched an odd pony with bat wings climb out of the driver hatch and start walking away, almost as if he was trying not to be noticed by the couple on top of the tank. “What the fuck is that?” The two of them froze as they watched the bat pony open its wings and actually take flight. “They can fly!?”

“Yes. Yes we can.” A voice said from behind them, both Andie and Mark froze. “We can also hear very well, EOL dogs.” The two of them turned onto their backs and spotted a very imposing bat pony with a sword resting at his side. “It would not be advisable to run.” Seconds later a dozen CNG troopers stepped into view and took aim at Mark and Andie.

“W-We aren’t EOL!” Andie said loudly.

“We’ll see about that, fraulein.” The bat pony said with an even tone, his wing twitched and one of the soldiers walked forwards. “Lieutenant, if you wouldn’t mind escorting these two into the base for questioning.”

“It would be a pleasure, Major Draco.” The soldier said before he snapped his fingers and the rest of the soldiers moved in to capture and cuff Andie and Mark. “Take these EOL scuzzbags to lock up until we can get them interviewed!”

“Yes, sir!” The soldiers replied, Mark and Andie did their best to not resist, they knew that sooner or later they would be exonerated as UN agents. On top of that, there wasn’t much they could do when they had so many assault rifles trained on them.

“Holy shit, sir! It looks like they were going to try and take out Commander Occisor!” One of the soldiers commented as he took note of the sniper rifle in a very compromising position. Andie and Mark looked at each other nervously, it was very likely that they had just been sent up a creek without a paddle.

“Still not EOL, eh?” The bat pony said with slight disgust. “I will inform the commander at once.”

“Roger that, we’ll bring these guys in.” The Lieutenant replied.

“Andie! Remind me never to return Hinkman’s calls ever again!” Mark said as he started struggling against his bindings, not that it did him much good. The two of them were dragged off down the slight hill as Draco flew ahead to tell his commanding officer, much to said commanding officer’s annoyance. Mark and Andie could tell, their mission was going to be anything but easy.
> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning light shown through the window of the command quarters of the former EOL base, now dubbed Fort Kablooey. Dominic had been given the rather chilly room, much to his surprise, but he supposed it was better than a shack on the side of a mountain. Of course, it was only temporary, as the plan was to absolutely level the facility with four five thousand pound charges of ANFO set in the remaining buildings and on the walls. The chemical had been taken from an abandoned quarry, and there was much more where it came from. 

Currently Dominic was laying on the rather firm queen sized mattress with Maria beside him, he was listening to the chirping birds outside that intermingled with the occasional shouting of soldiers that were raiding the base of its fuel, food, and weapon caches. Aside from the bed near the window there was a desk off in the corner, the walls were rusted corrugated tin and a wooden door was at the very center of the eastern wall. The EOL had been so arrogant in their belief the base was unconquerable they’d left it all out in the open, along with at least five trucks and one police cruiser, all in working condition. Dominic had laid claim to the cruiser already. 

Maria was still asleep, but it was clear that it was a restless slumber. The young commander looked at the sniper as he heard her whimper, his hand slipped to her waist and he pulled her closer. It had been going on regularly for the past couple nights, Dominic didn’t know why, but Maria was having more and more horrible nightmares. She hadn’t wanted to talk to him about it, but he knew sooner or later she’d open up.

“Shh… It’s okay…” He said quietly as the woman continued her whimpers, occasionally mumbling some incoherent words. Dominic rested his head beside Maria’s, doing his best to comfort the woman from her nightmare. Part of him wished he had some sort of control over magic, some sort of power, if only so he could use it to end her suffering sleep.

“M-Mom… P-Please, no.” Maria mumbled again, Dominic looked at her and listened closely. “I-I-I don’t want to…” She suddenly began to cry and move around, that was more than the commander could stand. He put his hands on her shoulder and gave a slight shake.

“Maria, honey, wake up.” He said in a normal voice, Maria gasped and sat up, panting heavily. Dominic sat up beside her, resting his hand on her shoulder and prompting her to look at him with a somewhat scared expression. “You okay?” The woman paused, then shook her head slowly. “Want to talk about it?”

“I… I lied to you, about my parents…” Maria said quietly, Dominic raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t find the rifle, I took it from them.” Maria quietly curled up and leaned against Dominic for support, support he offered fully. “They were alive, Dominic, and when I found them I was so happy…” The pain in Maria’s voice cut through Dominic like a knife, he hated hearing that voice in pain, he hated even more knowing that there was nothing he could do to stop it. “Then they wanted me to come live with them… They had Tyler living with them… You remember him?”

“The guy who gave you a black eye?” Dominic asked, Maria nodded.

“They wanted me to… To… You know, with him… ‘To keep the family alive’.” Maria said with embarrassment and shame, Dominic felt like he’d been hit by a ton of bricks. He kept his hand on Maria’s shoulder, doing his best to quell the feeling of disgust and anger rising in his chest. It wasn’t directed at Maria, he would never direct such a feeling at her. The thought that her parents would want her to do something so wrong for the sake of bloodlines was absolutely revolting, but for Maria he hid his raging fury. “I didn’t do it, Dominic! Honest, I didn’t!”

“I know…” Dominic said gently, turning Maria’s head to face him. “I know, Maria…” The woman rested her head on his shoulder with a shuddering sigh, and Dominic could feel a few moist droplets on his skin. Dressed in only an undershirt and boxers, it was easy to feel just how hurt Maria felt. “It’s okay… You’re okay…”

“I… I took the gun, Dominic… I took it and I… I killed them!” Maria finally said quietly, breaking down into sobs. Dominic felt a pang run through his chest, images of his own family lying dead at his own hands because of his hesitation to put a bullet in the head of his infected sister caused him to shake. Even still, he remained strong and continued cradling Maria in his arms.

“Let it out, honey… I know… Don’t you think I know?” Dominic said, it felt odd to him to speak in such tones, but there he was saying it nonetheless. Maria continued to cry for what felt like an eternity, not that Dominic would ever complain. Like a mountain he stood resolute, willing to hold his beautiful mosin maiden all day if he had to. Then there came a knock on the door. “Don’t disturb us.”

“I apologize, herr commander, but their are two prisoners that are demanding you speak with them!” Draco’s voice called from the other side of the door. “The snipers from last night, herr commander!”

“They can wait!” Dominic shouted loudly, but felt a soft hand on his chest. He looked at Maria who was looking up at him with a faint frown. “I can stay here, Maria. They’re prisoners, where are they going to go?” The woman shook her head quietly and gave him a slightly stern glare.

“Go… Win the war for me.” Maria said simply. “I… Think I need a little time to myself anyway, please…” Dominic opened his mouth to speak, but simply nodded and stood up. The man pulled on his green fatigue pants, followed by his jackets and shined black boots. He finally rested his peaked cap at an angle on his head before slipping on his gun and sabre belt.

“I’ll come back if you call.” Dominic said as he walked to the bed, Maria gave a faint smile.

“I know… You big softy.” The woman leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Now go, I’ll be alright, I’ve dealt with this on my own before.” Dominic paused, then kissed her full on, taking her by a bit of surprise. When he pulled away he stood up straight.

“I love you.” He said in a quiet voice.

“I love you too, now quit stalling.” Maria replied, the man nodded and walked to the door. His face shifted into a scowl as he pulled it open and stepped outside. The commander found himself face to face with Draco, the thestral snapped to a salute. Dominic returned it and looked around, he was standing on a catwalk overlooking the third warehouse that had been turned into a temporary motor pool. The captured vehicles were being loaded down with supplies, the stench of the outside permeated the room and prompted Dominic to reach for his gasmask on his belt. Once it was pulled on he looked to Draco, the thestral still standing at attention.

“Take me to the prisoners.” Dominic said, Draco nodded and began walking down the steps of the catwalk with the commander behind him. Their boots echoed on the metal stairway until they met the cold hard concrete and shifted into deliberate clicks. “What is it that made you think this couldn’t wait, herr Major?”

“They claimed to be members of some sort of peacekeeping association, herr Commander.” Draco informed as he marched along beside Dominic, the two of them pushed open a pair of metal doors and stepped outside. The pair could see some of the freed slaves were still huddling together while others were already walking around in new uniforms, of course they had been marked with different markings. There had been no shortage of recruits, but not for the CNG. Surprisingly they had all been for the New American Army, which had been a bit of a surprise, not that Dominic was complaining.

Still many of them were too weak to be of any help as it stood, but Dominic wasn’t interested in doing anything that would require their service any time soon. They threw him a couple weak salutes as he walked past, all of which he returned respectfully. The man’s attention returned to Draco once they had passed by the new recruits, he grasped his hands behind him in thought.

“What association, Draco?” He asked with an even tone, his voice slightly muffled by his mask.

“The United Nations, herr Commander.” Draco replied, Dominic stopped mid step for a moment before scowling and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Is that bad, sir?” Dominic nodded as he walked along, his boots crunching the dirt beneath them.

“Bunch of limp dicked, pussy footing, indecisive fuck heads…” Dominic muttered bitterly, Draco caught sight of his commander pulling on his black leather gloves. The gasmask continued to wheeze, puffs of breath being carried away in the chilly morning air. It was bad enough he had to leave Maria when she was upset, but it was because of two people who claimed to be from an organization he thoroughly disliked, two people that had the night before been caught watching him through the scope of a sniper rifle.

“If these assholes want to talk it’s probably to save their own skin.” Dominic continued as he walked towards one of the warehouses, it had been turned into a makeshift interrogation center as it had more rooms than the other buildings. “It doesn’t matter if they’re EOL or UN, either way they piss me off.” Draco nodded quietly, sensing that something was deeply bothering his commanding officer, something that went far beyond the captured snipers. “Speaking of prisoners, anything to report on the EOL troops?”

“We’ve been keeping them in one of the former slave pens, herr Commander. They’ve given us nothing but trouble, especially their commander.” Draco responded, Dominic muttered a few annoyed curses under his breath before looking at the building ahead of him once again. “They’re demanding odd things as well.”

“Such as?” Dominic inquired with a raised eyebrow, Draco cleared his throat.

“Firstly, they demand you release us.” The stallion said with a bit of a chuckle, Dominic’s eyebrow only rose further. “They seem to be under the impression that you’re forcing us to fight for you. Secondly, they demand we give them more rations for their… er… Special cases.”

“We’ve issued them the same rations we receive.” Dominic said firmly, smacking a fist into his palm. “Their delusion of being special snowflakes may have worked on their old commander, but we are going to show them there’s nothing special about them. They’re humans, nothing else.”

“All due respect, herr Commander, but that seems like a harsh thing to say…” Draco commented, Dominic shook his head and continued his walk.

“This planet is harsh, herr Major.” The man said as he finally reached the building, the commander stopped outside the doors and looked down at his thestral subordinate. “These are people who enslave and torture, many of them like to pretend they are something else so that they can shirk off their responsibility in it all. Some of them even pretend they are thestrals, and I highly doubt you would like to be associated with them.”

“Nein, herr Commander!” Draco said sternly and snapping to attention. “They dare to take the name of our species as their own, they misrepresent our race? I withdraw my previous comment, herr Commander!” Dominic nodded and gave the stallion a brief salute.

“Dismissed, herr Major. See to it the EOL prisoners are aware of our new policy.” The commander ordered, Draco returned the salute before walking away to carry out the new command. Dominic turned back to the doors of the building and pushed the heavy metal slab open, it squealed on its hinges as it was forced inwards. The man entered the warehouse and found himself standing in a dimly lit hallway, several CNG soldiers were standing by numerous doors that lined the hallway. Each snapped to attention when they spotted Dominic, the man nodded to them as he walked past, occasionally peeking through the windows in the doors at numerous prisoners being interrogated.

Dominic came to a stop at the last door, inside he could see Jen sitting across from the two captured snipers. The captain was facing the door and snapped to attention at the sight of the commander, the two snipers looked around in confusion before Dominic pushed the door open and stepped inside. He closed the door slowly and methodically as the two snipers quickly spotted him, both of them looked at eachother for a moment. Dominic quietly took in the room’s decor, it had been an office before the CNG had taken the building. There were several empty filing cabinets in the far corner and an old cheap desk acting as a table between interrogator and interrogatee.

“At ease, Captain Poplawski.” Dominic said as he walked around the desk and beside Jen, his gasmask wheezing faintly. He reached up and removed his cap, then set it on the table to assert that his dominance. After a couple seconds he removed his gasmask and sighed, the mask found itself in a pouch on his belt. Jen sat back down as her commander continued to stand beside her, the man crossed his arms and looked at the two UN interlopers with a neutral scowl.

“Commander Occisor, these are the prisoners that were captured last night.” Jen said, Dominic hummed and looked down at the desk. Jen had a small pad of paper and pen, the paper was blank. “They refuse to speak with anyone but you, sir.”

“It is urgent that we-” The man sitting across from Jen started, but Dominic held out a hand to silence him. “Mister Occisor, please let me explain-”

“Nein.” Dominic said firmly, his hand briefly moved to his head and massaged his temple. “Let me explain, whoever you are. I have no interest in hearing what you have to say, nor will I pretend like I do.” The commander leaned forwards and rested his hands on the table, his face a couple inches from the scruffy looking man. “The woman I love is in a very vulnerable state and I am here having to deal with a pair of failed assassins!”

“We weren’t trying to assassinate you!” The woman, a rather well built red head, shouted. Dominic’s head pivoted to look at her in a way not dissimilar to that of an angry cobra, the woman didn’t flinch even as she stared into the angry green eyes of the American commander. “We were observing you, yes, but we weren’t going to kill you!”

“So you aren’t assassins… You’re spies.” Dominic said without a hint of relenting in his tone. “We shoot spies, you know? Are you sure that’s the route you want to go?”

“Please, contact our commander! He’ll straighten everything out!” The woman pleaded, Dominic stood up straight and looked at Jen. The Captain didn’t look impressed, she’d leaned back in her seat and had her arms folded neatly against her chest. “Mark, say something!”

“What should I say?” The man, Mark, asked as he looked at the woman beside him. “He’s wrong? They got us dead to rights, Andie. I don’t see what calling Putin would do.” The room became very quiet as both Dominic and Jen’s eyes widened at the mention of the Russian President. “Look, Dominic we-”

“How do you know his name?” Jen suddenly asked, Mark’s face fell as Dominic stood up straight. “Sir, I think it’s safe to say there’s a spy in our midst.”

“We have all sorts of personal papers on him! That’s how we know!” The woman, Andie, suddenly stuttered. “Check our truck! We have copies of them!” Dominic’s face was one of contemplation, even if they were telling the truth, he had to still consider the possibility there was a spy in the ranks. Someone who knew him well enough to… Dominic shook his head, mentally filing that information away for later.

“You mentioned Putin would be able to clear this up?” Dominic asked, both of the snipers nodded quickly. “Even if I believed you, which I don’t, why would I trust an ex-KGB ruskie like Putin?” Both of them looked at eachother for a couple seconds before Andie snapped her fingers and held up a finger.

“How about… General Hillard? Would you trust him?” She asked, Dominic froze at the mention of the name. Several memories of past fourth of July barbeques and christmases passed through his mind, Jen watched with rapt attention as her Commander adjusted his coat and cleared his throat.

“Uncle Hillard is still alive?” Dominic finally asked, he rubbed his forehead in shock. “Jesus, Dad told me he died when I was eleven…” The man looked at Andie and Mark for several seconds, then to Jen. “Get me a radio.”

[♠]

Hinkman watched the satellite feed with sweat forming on his brow, seated beside him was Vladimir Putin and General Hillard. They were watching in the meeting room as the odd creatures circled over the captured base like bloodthirsty vultures, as well as the recording footage of his two best assets being captured and hauled off into the base. The footage was twelve hours old, and not a single UN agent dared approach the area to find out of the two captured agents were okay.

“This proves one thing.” Putin finally said as he watched in stunned amazement, he leaned forwards and paused the video on the flying figures. “Wherever he came from, it wasn’t earth… At least not as we know it. For all intents and purposes, we should treat this like a first contact situation.” There were several hushed mumbles of agreement as Putin looked to Hinkman with a neutral expression. “Have you uncovered anything further about Occisor?”

“The feeds I’ve been watching show he has some sort of honor complex…” Hinkman stated, all eyes turned to look at him with confusion. “In the footage taken of his combat with the EOL tank unit, he clearly had shots on two fleeing soldiers. He didn’t take them though.” The agent leaned forwards and ran a hand over his head. “If he was in another world, it would make sense that perhaps he adopted some of their customs. He may be far easier to speak with than first thought.”

“So it seems…” Putin said with a hum, then he paused and looked closer at the creatures in the air. “Any idea what those are? What they could be compared to?” Hinkman hummed in thought, but eventually shook his head. “Hillard, what would you say the likelihood of success a strike team would have if they tried to get our agents out.”

“Not good, they’d have to get past those flying creatures, tanks, snipers and who knows what else is in that place.” Hillard replied with a bit of hesitation, continuing to stare at the screen in a bit of surprise at the revelation. “It would be best to just cut our losses here-”

“No.” Hinkman said firmly, both Putin and Hillard looked at him with raised eyebrows. “We still don’t know what Occisor is capable of, he could very well be interrogating them for information to use in an attack on us.” In actuality Hinkman knew that neither Mark or Andie knew anything about the UN’s defenses, but he was willing to say anything to help his friends. Putin seemed to see through his ruse however, and Hinkman knew Putin very well.

“That’s a risk we will have to take, Agent Hinkman.” The Russian said in a much firmer, sterner tone than Hinkman thought possible. “We will not jeopardize our forces in order to save two agents that knew what they were getting into. You’re dismissed.” Hinkman was about to speak, but a glare from Putin made it very clear that would be unwise. As the agent began to stand the door to the meeting room was pushed open by a frantic looking guard.

“General Hillard, there’s a radio call for you!” The soldier said loudly, Hillard raised an eyebrow before turning to a phone that sat on the table. It rarely ever saw use, but it seemed that the communications officer had already put the radio call through. Hinkman stayed seated as Hillard and Putin turned to look at the phone with hesitation. “They said it was ‘Night Eagle’ calling.” 

“Thank you, Sergeant.” Putin said as Hillard reached to the phone, the soldier at the door closed it and left the trio in waiting silence. The General’s finger pushed the speakerphone button and the man cleared his throat to speak.

“Hello?” Putin cut in, his voice masked uncertainty.

”Who the hell is this?” A young male voice replied, it was a deep baritone with the faintest hint of a German accent.

“This is President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation.” Putin replied, Hillard and Hinkman listened carefully as they heard an annoyed sigh on the other end of the call.

”They put the fuckin’ commie on the line… What did I tell you?” The voice on the other end seemed to be speaking with someone else, Putin was certainly surprised at the bluntness he received at the mention of his name. Then again, it was likely whoever was on the other end didn’t know about his recent work with the UN. ”This is President Dominic Occisor of the New United States of America. Commander of the New American expeditionary force. I currently have sitting with me two agents of your organization who were caught with sniper rifles and believed to be assassins.”

“You idiots! I told you no sniper rifles!” Hinkman practically shouted before Putin glared him into silence, there was another annoyed huff from the other end of the line.

“Now I have heard two voices, neither of whom is the person I wished to speak to… It does not look like things are going well for you.” Dominic’s voice rang through the speakerphone once again, in the background there was the sound of hushed whispers. ”President Putin, I wish to speak with General Hillard. I trust that will be difficult, as I was told he died some time ago.”

“What idiot said I was dead?” Hillard suddenly spoke up, the room went silent. A soft chuckle emanated from the other side of the radio call, almost as if in disbelief.

“Uncle Hillard… And here I was thinking I would get some rushed imposter.” The mysterious commander replied, all three men in the room were looking at eachother with some sort of surprise. Truly none of them had any real idea of how to respond, Occisor sounded like he was either annoyed or shocked. ”These agents I have in my custody, I assume they were sent here to gather intelligence on my forces. What surprises me is that they also seemed to be here to observe me, did you think I was some sort of savage warlord?”

“We were uncertain of your intentions, Dominic. You just showed up out of nowhere with aliens and tanks, we can’t let that go unobserved.” Hillard countered, a couple seconds of silence passed over the room. “Dominic?”

”I appologize, herr General. I was preoccupied. It seems one of these agents of yours had slipped out of his cuffs.” Dominic finally spoke, causing the trio to exhale in slight relief. ”As for your observations, it is understandable, and I would have done it myself. However… I now find myself with two snipers that I cannot keep locked up with the rest of my EOL prisoners of war.”

“We’ll gladly take them back!” Hinkman chimed up, once again there was an annoyed groan on the other side of the radio. Putin remained silent, eyeing up Hinkman as they waited for some sort of response. The Russian President didn’t want to let on that Dominic probably held the upper hand in the way of military forces, but it was becoming difficult with constant interruptions.

”I assume that was Agent Hinkman that Fraulein Andreina is so fond of talking about for the past ten minutes.” Dominic said with a bit of a grunt. ”Releasing them to you is out of the question, the resources it would take cannot be justified. Furthermore, I will not release them on their own. For all I know they could be captured and interrogated by the EOL, and considering they have been observing our forces closely…”

“President Occisor…” Putin said, using the title with utmost seriousness. As far as Putin knew, Occisor could be the Emperor of some distant planet and he didn’t wish to offend him. “Surely, there must be something we can work out? Perhaps a trade in order to soften the loss in resources?”

“Ja… Ja… That could work.” Dominic replied hesitantly, a couple moments passed before he spoke up again. ”Medical supplies and blankets would be a good start, we have liberated many of the EOL’s forced laborers. We can have our logistical personnel work out the details later. There are a couple, shall we say unusual, items I would like to request.”

“What would those be?” Putin asked, part of him was somewhat excited. It had been years since he’d actually worked out a political deal with someone, even if they seemed like a bit of a novice.

”Detailed blueprints for the Fokker D Seven fighter airplane of the First World War, twenty books on basic engineering, a polaroid camera, styrofoam, and… Two boxes of cigars.” The room fell silent several seconds, they truly were unusual items and Putin was having trouble wrapping his head around why they would need blueprints to a biplane. It struck him that perhaps the age of fly by wire fighter aircraft was done, and that the old designs would be far better for the new world that they lived in. ”Do we have a deal?”

“Yes, Mister President. We have a deal.”
> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mike lay quietly on his back, staring up at the ceiling with an annoyed expression. The former Colorado Kid now turned gunshot wound victim had run out of things to do aside from lay there and listen to the radio that constantly played through the building. He didn’t mind though, his mind was reeling from a rather intense blow. His longtime friend and companion Mark had left without even so much as a goodbye, as did Andie, the owner of Ghost Peak radio. 

Mike could withstand physical wounds and loss easily, he had been doing so long before the outbreak, but emotional wounds were another matter entirely. He played himself off as being fine, but that was anything but the truth. On top of that, he had heard of some news involving the EOL and the war in general. That had offset his internal conflict, as it seemed that for once something was going right in the wastes.

”Good evening, and thank you for tuning in to Ghost Peak radio. For those of you just joining us, we’re continuing our coverage on the latest from the war with the EOL.” A familiar polish accented voice echoed over the radio, Wiktoria had proven to be quite the radio spokeswoman, even for an ex-EOL trooper. 

”As many of you, a strange new faction working in tandem with the Colorado National Guard has ousted the enemy from their largest base to the west. Wiktoria continued, sounding confident as ever. “Reports on this new faction are spotty at best, but their leader is believed to go by the moniker ‘Night Eagle’. Witnesses claim to have seen him lead the attack himself, with a sword leveled at the enemy position.”

Mike sighed quietly and rolled over onto his good side, wincing slightly as he felt his healing shoulder jostle from the movement. He’d heard everything in the report before, about the battle and the strange commander as well as the mysterious hidden tank crews. He continued lying there, silently staring at the wall for what felt like half an hour. There was a knock on the wall beside the door, since he didn’t have an actual door.

“Go away.” Mike said flatly.

“Sure, after you lay down on your back.” The familiar voice of Doctor Patterson echoed in his ear, while normally her voice would be considered possibly seductive, Mike found it absolutely unbearable. Like a mother hen she always seemed to come in and bother him when he just wanted to be alone, he was getting rather sick of it, and his patience was running thin.

“Fuck off.” Mike said flatly once more, glaring at the wall as he heard footsteps coming closer to his cot. “Lay one hand on me and I’ll break your arm.” The steps stopped, after a couple seconds he felt a hand on his shoulder and he started to turn angrily. “I said fuck off!” To his surprise, the Doctor was looking down at him with an almost sad smile. “What the fuck do you want? Huh!? Leave me alone!” The Canadian-Asian woman gave his shoulder a tender squeeze, then sighed and stood up to walk away.

“I’m sorry… I just want you to heal right.” Patterson said in a slight whisper, as if something was bothering her. Mike reached out on instinct, he had been raised and taught to care about family, and Patterson was one of the only people he had left that cared. “What? Is something hurting?”

“No, I wanted to apologize.” Mike mumbled before letting go. “I’m sorry I give you so much shit, Doc.” Patterson smiled faintly at him and nodded, before she quickly turned her head and wiped at her eye. “You alright?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah… Just something in my eye.” Patterson said, she cleared her throat and patted down her white doctor’s coat. “I was originally coming to tell you that the NC is serving bison burgers tonight, and if you wanted, you’re far enough along that you could walk there if you wanted.”

“Alright, thanks for letting me know.” Mike said with a bit of an awkward tone, Patterson nodded and walked out of the cubicle like room. Mike took a couple seconds to gather his thoughts before he sat up and slid off of the cot. With a grunt he was standing straight, his arm still in a sling. The man took a couple steps towards the door and peeked outside, Patterson was nowhere to be seen, but he could hear her.

With some curiosity Mike followed the sound of her voice, she sounded a lot happier than a few moments before. The man hobbled close to the door to another room and peeked in, there were some stuffed animals inside and Patterson was sitting beside a cot with a smiling little boy. Mike immediately noticed that the boy had bandages covering part of his shoulder and there was a distinct lack of an arm. There was also a distinct lack of parents.

“How have you been feeling lately, Sebastian?” Patterson asked, neither she or the boy realized they were being watched.

“Tired. My shoulder really hurts, but I feel good otherwise!” Sebastian replied, looking down at his shoulder for a moment. “Do you think I can get a cool new arm like Robocop?” Patterson smiled, but Mike noticed her rub the back of her neck.

“We’ll see, I hear Robocop is pretty busy these days.” Patterson leaned forwards and put a hand on the boy’s shoulder, then kissed him on the forehead. “For now though, you should get some rest, I hear the broccoli cart is making its rounds around here, and if you're awake you’re sure to get a lot.” Sebastian made an exaggerated disgusted face and rolled over to pretend he was asleep, Mike watched as Doctor Patterson pulled the covers up over the boy. The man quickly stepped away from the door before Patterson left the room, the bed had been set up in an actual room with a door, one that the doctor closed quietly.

After a couple seconds, Mike watched in shock as Patterson put her head in her hands and started silently sobbing. The man watched her for what felt like an eternity, unsure of what to do or say, until finally he decided to turn and make his way towards the building’s makeshift cafeteria. Mike quietly thought about what he had seen, it mixed into all the turmoil in his mind that only continued to make him angry. He couldn’t do anything about it, his arm was still in a sling, but he wished there was a way he could. The EOL needed to pay for everything it had done, but that had already been established.

The man continued walking until he reached the door to a stairwell that would take him down to the lobby where they had set up the food and other common amenities. The man pushed the door open and descended the dimly lit steps, occasionally he would wince at a rather sharp pain in his arm caused by the jostling movement. Mike pushed open the door at the bottom, outside he found an equally dimly lit lobby. It seemed that the building had been some sort of news station, or some other large building, as it had enough room for a bizarre to open up in its lobby.

Mike adjusted his arm sling and began walking through the area with a bit of uncertainty, there were numerous stalls set up with vendors mainly from the Native Confederacy. Mike didn’t pay them much mind, he was mainly hungry for a bison burger. The man adjusted his jeans before patting down his t-shirt and walking onwards, he occasionally heard people talking off to the side, sometimes in hushed whispers.

He finally came upon the place where they were serving food, the Native Confederacy had set up a makeshift food line that Mike quickly joined. He grabbed a plastic tray that had once belonged to a fast food restaurant and stood in line, his eyes scanned over the numerous people eating off on gathered chairs and tables. Many of them were Native Americans of some kind, with a few latinos and even a couple people from the middle east. Mike felt a tad outnumbered, and with his bum arm, out gunned. The man shook his head as he was served a couple different canned vegetables, then one of the bison burgers he had heard so much about.

With only one arm he found himself struggling to lift the tray, it wobbled back and forth as he gritted his teeth. Just as it was about to fall to the floor a hand reached out and took hold of it, Mike turned his head to see the face of a familiar Polish woman. It seemed that the newly crowned radio hostess had taken some time to get a meal herself, and Mike was glad that she’d come along when she did.

“Thank you…” Mike said, Wiktoria smiled faintly.

“It’s not a problem, I’m surprised no one stepped in sooner.” The woman said as she turned and looked around the room, after a couple seconds she set Mike’s tray down on a nearby table. “I’m going to get something to eat, perhaps you want to join me? We can eat up in the station room if you want.”

“Uh… Sure?” Mike replied as he watched the woman walk to the back of the line and get her own tray, the man rubbed the back of his neck in confusion, at least he’d get to talk to someone new, even if she was an ex-EOL trooper. The man waited for a couple minutes before Wiktoria returned and the two of them went up to the station room. Along the way they didn’t talk, Wiktoria carried both trays on one of her muscled forearms. When they entered the room Mike could hear the music that had been put on to cover his companion’s momentary move to get something to eat.

“Is that Tchaikovsky?” Mike asked as he heard the familiar sound of violins playing the soft beginning of the 1812 Overture, Wiktora smiled faintly as she set the trays down on a desk in the station room.

“Yes. It was outlawed in the EOL, since they thought it was too ‘Traumatizing’.” Wiktoria replied, she sat down and gestured for Mike to do the same. As the man did so he noticed a rather imposing M60 machine gun had been moved off to the side. Wiktoria caught his glance and quietly rubbed the back of her neck. “I apologize for the mess, but Miss Andreina left so abruptly I’ve been having trouble keeping pace.”

“It’s alright…” Mike said quietly as he stared down at his plate, then he looked at Wiktoria with a thoughtful expression. “You ever notice that every time we seem to have a serious discussion it’s over food?” Wiktoria paused, then hummed and nodded.

“It’s almost as if god really likes dinner scenes.” The woman added, Mike chuckled quietly and leaned back in his seat. “Anyway, yes, I’ve been having some trouble keeping pace with all the things Miss Andreina did.”

“Like the sex contracts?” Mike asked bluntly, Wiktoria’s eyes went wide and she nearly spat out her food. “I’m sorry, but Mark told me that Andie did that, and I assumed-”

“No! No no no!” Wiktoria said quickly as she blushed, it was a rather odd sight seeing such a burly muscled woman reduced to a blushing schoolgirl. “I’m committed to destroying the EOL, but not that kind of committed.” Mike did his best to hide his own embarrassment, he wasn’t sure why he had said such a thing to Wiktoria. “Believe me, I have had plenty of people offer their services, but I can’t foresee myself doing that. Which is actually kinda bad, since the NC only guards this place, they don’t supply it.” Wiktoria sighed and leaned forwards on the table, listening once again to the music in the background. “I wasn’t a whore for the EOL, I’m not about to be one for this station, but I need someone to help me.”

“Why not me?” Mike said as he leaned back in his seat, a sudden bitterness rising up in his throat. Mark and Andie had left him and Wiktoria high and dry with the bill, his best friend and Wiktoria’s best friend just left them flat. The uncertainty and grief from earlier had shifted to vengeful anger, Mike felt betrayed, and he figured the best way to get back at Mark was to show him he could get along on his own.

“Have you forgotten your busted wing?” Wiktoria asked as she pointed to Mike’s arm in a sling, the man looked down himself and clenched his fingers a couple times. Honestly the pain had abated since the initial injury, as soon as the stitches were out he’d be able to put up with the pain just fine.

“I don’t intend to let this stop me, just tell me what you need and I’ll see what I can scrape together.” Mike said with a shrug, Wiktoria raised an eyebrow at him. “What?”

“What do you want in return?” She asked hesitantly.

“A spot on the show? I dunno, something.” Mike said with a shrug, Wiktoria was a bit surprised by how simple his request was. As the music began to pick up in the background Wiktoria nodded and extended her hand across the desk, Mike smirked and shook it with his good hand. Like that a new partnership had been forged. The rest of the night went on well, occasionally Wiktoria and Mike would talk with each other when she put an extra long song on, but for the most part it was quiet.

[♠]

Luna bolted upright in her bed as she heard a siren blaring in the distance, the mare rubbed her forehead and walked towards the window of her hotel room. In the sky she could see searchlights scanning the clouds while thestrals and pegasi darted to and fro. On the ground numerous tank crews were getting their weapons loaded and ready, many of the human members of the American Army had come out onto the streets with rifles and side arms. Luna sighed quietly, she was watching a drill that she hoped would never need to be real. 

The Princess hoped beyond hope that Celestia wouldn’t be the one to trigger such a response, and that such measures were simply unneeded. However, support for the United States in Equestria was waning, and many ponies questioned Luna’s loyalty. Luna herself was among them. She very much cared for her sister and Equestria, but the country had never fully accepted her after her return. In America she was treated with respect, her honor was defended, and she didn’t need to look far for a friendly face.

As the drill began to subside Luna ran a hoof over her mane, straightening the starry flowing hairs. Once again she felt herself at odds with her sister, and undoubtedly Celestia was having to assure everyone that she wasn’t turning into Nightmare Moon again. To that thought Luna scowled, she would always be suspected by the public no matter what she did. As the soldiers and tanks continued to patrol in the street Luna could feel a shift in the breeze that wafted through her mane. The familiar tug of nightmares told her there were many in the refugee center that hadn’t taken the drill well, many of whom were children.

Luna pushed open her window and flapped her wings, she was in the air in no time and made sure to fly low so that the anti-aircraft gunners could determine she was friendly. The mare passed over the heads of numerous soldiers and tanks, weaving through the numerous buildings in the growing city. Eventually she made her way to the refugee camp, there she landed and tucked her wings to her side. The guards, a mix of American soldiers and well armed volunteers, nodded or tipped their hats. They knew very well that Luna came when children were in need, and that put her on their list of ‘Good people’.

“Evening, Miss Luna.” One of the men said in a familiar German accent, Stephan Adler adjusted an old leather pilots cap that was seated on his head. The Princess looked at him and noted he also seemed to be wearing a weathered leather jacket, a pair of wings were present on the left breast.

“Hey, Miss Luna!” Said another, his voice was far more of a Southern accent. Dusty, if Luna remembered correctly, he was dressed similarly. Luna then noticed there were a couple others with similar outfits, she recalled that Dusty and Adler had been pilots before the outbreak and before joining the CNG, perhaps there were others with similar backgrounds. Either way, Luna had important people to take care of. Silently Luna assumed a regal posture, her horn gaining a soft glow as she neared one of the buildings in the camp.

The guards standing at the door opened it for her, nodding as she passed by her. She could sense the terror in many of the young minds that lived in the building, and during her time in the New United States, she had seen many of the things they feared. The first one she would visit was on the first floor, a rather familiar teenaged boy by the name of Jacob Running Bear. He was one of many Native Confederacy orphans that had been taken in by other survivors, his parents had been killed in front of him by the EOL during a particularly bloody convoy raid.

Luna stopped outside the boys door and sighed as she heard an all too familiar sound of squeals and groans through the thin wood, the mare’s horn glowed and the door was pushed open. The human’s natural resistance to magic made accessing their nightmares impossible without direct contact of the horn, that meant that Luna was forced to watch them twist and turn in their sleep up close every time she came to help. She momentarily stood there, thinking about how all of their nightmares had increased with the tension on the border. Her sister’s stubbornness, and the stubbornness of her subjects, was having a drastic effect on the children of America.

The Princess approached Running Bear’s bed, his pseudo-parents had already okayed her visits to quell his nightmares. Luna watched the teens face contort into ones of fear and anger, her horn glowed softly once again and she lowered her horn to the boy’s head. A familiar sting ran through her as the magic was practically ripped out of her, another side effect of human magic immunity. The teen’s face shifted to one of calm neutrality and Luna lifted her horn, she levitated the blankets further up over Running Bear and turned to walk away. As she did she felt another nightmare tug at her mane, it was starting to tax her magic and her sanity to see so much suffering so regularly.

Luna walked out of the room and closed the door, silently she resolved to herself that she would put an end to the tension on the border, one way or another. It was easier said than done, undoubtedly there would be more vigilantes and border spats, but the Princess was determined to protect the children of America from any more horrors that could befall them.

[♠]

Dominic quietly watched the transfer from afar, the white UN Humvee had arrived right on time at the designated place, and only after a truck had delivered the agreed upon supplies to the CNG compound near Pikes Peak. The truck had also dropped off two ‘Ambassadors’ for the UN, though Dominic had yet to meet them. The commander stood atop one of the captured warehouses with Maria standing beside him, she had her sniper rifle in hand just in case something happened. She’d never seen Dominic so tense before, or aggressive, part of her supposed that to survive in the wasteland his values had shifted. Even if he didn’t realize it. A warm spring breeze blew across the land as the sun began to set, Maria could see Dominic’s hands clenching and unclenching.

“Dominic…” Maria said as she took a step towards him, the woman placed a hand on his shoulder. “You need to calm down, honey. You’re starting to worry me…” Dominic looked at her with a raised eyebrow, the woman gave him a tender squeeze and she saw him visibly relax.

“I… I’m sorry…” Dominic said quietly as he looked back out towards the white humvee, he sighed and ran a hand over his head. “What the hell am I doing, Maria? It’s absolute insanity, negotiating deals with the UN, worrying about two wars on two separate planes of existence…” The President sat down on the roof of the warehouse and leaned against a railing that ran along the side, Maria looked at him quietly. “I look in the mirror and I see a stranger.” Maria sat down beside him, prompting him to look over at her. “I’m sorry… My problems are probably kind of trivial to you.”

“Trivial? Trivial would be if you were complaining that we didn’t have coffee or bagels.” Maria replied, she leaned her rifle against the railing and looked over at Dominic. The man had removed his peaked cap and set it in his lap, he was looking it over quietly. “I don’t think anyone on this planet has problems like yours.”

“I shouldn’t burden you with them. I need to be stronger.” Dominic said firmly, once again Maria shook her head and leaned against his shoulder.

“You’re thinking like a commander, not a person.” Maria said, the man looked at her quietly before he looked back at the hat in his hands. “I know it may be hard, but you need to lighten up a bit, alright?”

“I’ll… I’ll try…” Dominic said faintly as he enjoyed the warmth of Maria leaning against him, it gave him a familiar feeling of calm. A year ago it had been as simple as looking at an old document to tell himself he was still a human being, that he wasn’t some sort of killing machine. It was far from that simple now, he couldn’t deny the blood on his hands as easily. A year ago he had believed that being compassionate and easygoing would be the secret to success, but that belief had been shattered by the vicious battles in Equestria and on Earth. For Maria’s sake he was trying to force himself to believe that pacified democracy could work in the wasteland. “When this is all over I think I’m going to resign…”

“What?” Maria asked, she looked at him with a bit of concern.

“I… I can’t handle this much responsibility, Maria. I’m a soldier, not a politician, and deluding myself into thinking I can be a politician will only hurt the people I care about…” Dominic leaned his head back and let out a sigh, Maria continued to watch him. “I want to know the man in the mirror again, Maria. I… I just want to be me again, I’m tired of this bullshit ‘strong leader’ charade.”

“Well, I hate to say it, but you’ll still be in this position for a long time. There’s more to the world than the EOL, there’s the Cartels down in South America, the Mafia to the east, the Native Confederacy to the west, and countless bands of heavily armed ex-soldiers.” Maria stated, Dominic looked a bit saddened by her words, mainly because he knew that she was right. There was no end in sight, a small voice in the back of his head screamed at him to eat his gun and just put himself out of his misery, but it was quickly quashed like a bug.

“I’ll take them all on if I have to.” Dominic said quietly as he set his cap atop his head, the man reached to his jacket pocket and withdrew several papers he’d recently acquired. Very important papers that he only trusted himself and Discord to carry. “Hopefully these will at least make it easier to relax about things on the homefront.” Maria eyed the papers quietly, a bit surprised to see they looked like some sort of blueprints. “Hey, Discord?”

A couple seconds past before a pop of light appeared in front of the two of them, Maria jumped a little when she saw the odd, foreboding form of the chaos god. The draconequus was wearing what looked like a western union outfit, complete with courier bag and hat.

“At your service, Mister President.” Discord said with a flourishing bow, Dominic just sighed and handed the papers to the chaos god.

“These papers go directly to General Bulwark.” Dominic said simply, Discord nodded and began to snap his fingers. “Wait…” The chaos god paused and looked at the human with a raised eyebrow. “The portal, any change in the waiting time?”

“I’ve been shooting the breeze with a couple of my colleagues, they said we might be able to speed things along if we connect to a proxy universe with a lot of similar energy as Equestria’s.” Discord said as he tucked the blueprints and orders into his courier bag. “Most likely another Equestria, but that has a couple risks. Don’t worry though, I’m working on it. Faust knows I’m tired of having to pop back and forth like this. Speaking of.” Discord snapped his fingers and disappeared in a flash of light, Dominic sighed quietly and stood up. He turned and offered his hand to Maria, the woman took his hand and stood up.

“Whatever happens, Dominic, I’ll do my best to help.” Maria said, Dominic gave her a light hug before he began walking towards a door that would take him down into the warehouse. Maria grabbed her rifle and followed him, occasionally watching as the man clenched and unclenched his hands some more.

“I’m hungry, want to grab a couple rations and eat in?” Dominic asked as he opened the door and started down the steps, Maria hummed for a moment before a faint smile crossed her lips.

“How about we go to that little kitchen they set up outside? I hear they’ve got some decent music there, and some actual food.” Maria replied, she closed the door behind her and followed Dominic down the steps into the warehouse. “You and I can dance for a bit maybe? It’s been awhile since I last went dancing.”

“Alright, we can do that.” Dominic replied as he rubbed the back of his neck, in actuality he was extremely nervous about going out in general, let alone dancing. He didn’t have a lot of experience in social settings, and when he did end up in a social setting, he was often too surly or angry looking for other people’s liking. “Don’t expect me to dance well…”

“Just use some of your fancy sword fighting moves, that’s kind of like dancing.” Maria said, Dominic shrugged to himself as he continued down the steps and eventually reached the ground floor. The commander briefly looked over his shoulder at Maria, she was looking at the floor intently for what felt like ten seconds before she looked up and met his eyes. “Hey, Dominic, I just wanted to say thanks… For listening this morning. A lot of old stuff has been stirred up lately, you know?”

“Yeah…” Dominic replied faintly as he walked towards one of the doors to the outside, he pulled it open and gestured for Maria to step out first. “After you, please.” Maria smiled and stepped out into the rather warm air once again, Dominic followed her and began walking beside her as she lead him to one of the gates in the captured base. There were more than a few people, and even a couple ponies, heading that way. The sound of spanish guitar music echoed through the air and Dominic could see a warm glow of lights ahead.

The pair passed by a tank that had been parked to keep the gate secure, the turret decorated with three big red sixes. Dominic briefly looked at it for a couple seconds before Maria took hold of his arm, he looked to the woman who was giving him a bit of a smile. Beyond the gate Dominic could see a large RV had been parked, and it seemed to have been turned into some sort of rolling bar and grill. A crowd had formed around it, many of them were drinking or eating or just having a generally good time. Dominic became a bit more rattled as he got closer, but Maria squeezed his hand and gave him the boost in courage to continue.

As several people noticed Dominic walking over the atmosphere generally changed, he could already hear hushed whispers in the background. Dominic did his best to ignore them as he felt Maria tugging him along towards the RV, he could smell something cooking that practically called out for him. Part of his mind told him to put his head on a swivel, the last time he had gone out for something to eat with Maria it had ended in a very bloody gunfight. The pair eventually reached the vehicle where he found a couple people standing by a grill, cooking up ground meat, what kind of meat it was Dominic didn’t dare ask.

“Hello!” Maria said cheerfully, Dominic did his best to fake a smile as the people running the RV grill returned the smile. “What’s on the menu here?”

“Burritos!” A woman behind the counter said with a smile, it seemed she was hispanic, another reminder of the previous gunfight. “There’s a reason we’re so stereotyped for them, you know? We make the best this side of the divide!”

“How much?” Dominic asked, the hispanic woman began to speak before a man beside her leaned over and whispered into her ear. The woman’s eyes widened and she smiled faintly.

“For you, Commander? No charge.” She said, Dominic opened his mouth to protest but Maria gave his arm another squeeze. “So, is that two for here or to go?”

“For here, please.” Maria said, the hispanic woman nodded and began putting the order together. Dominic meanwhile had his head scanning over the crowd, he could see several of his soldiers sitting with Melissa and Twilight Sparkle. Both of whom were blind drunk. “Go find us a seat, sweetie. I’ll be right along.”

“Alright…” Dominic replied as he felt Maria let go of his arm, the man hesitantly walked away and into the crowd of people until he found an oddly empty table for two. Numerous people brushed past him, either too drunk or too happy to care. Occasionally he’d catch sight of a couple surprised New American troops, but they quickly vanished into the crowd. For many of the people it was a celebration to commemorate the first victory against the EOL in a long time, and for many others it was to celebrate their liberation from the grip of tyranny.

Dominic took a seat at the table and set his hat down, he leaned back in the seat and listened to the music that was playing from somewhere in the crowd. He occasionally picked up on hushed whispers around him, but brushed them off as his mind playing tricks on him. The sun had set in the distance and the stars were beginning to twinkle above the landscape, Dominic sighed and hunched his shoulders as he felt a familiar dreaded weight come down on him. As he looked at all the smiling faces he couldn’t help himself from thinking about how many people had died to get there, and how many more would die along the way.

He closed his eyes and sighed, the dread and dismay were bearing down on him in full force. The more Dominic fought it off the more he felt himself slipping further and further down a path of darkness, from peaceful democracy to authoritarianism. The man shook his head and forced those thoughts away, he could see Maria’s smiling face in the crowd. He genuinely felt a little warmth come up in his chest, the man did his best to disguise the depression from her. She had a couple silvery objects in her hands, as well as some paper plates and what looked like two beers.

“Glad to see you got an open table!” She said as she sat down, Dominic nodded and forced a smile. Maria set the paper plates down on the table, then the two objects that Dominic recognized as burritos wrapped in tinfoil. Maria set the two bottles down next, they were actually bottles of Rootbeer. Dominic smiled a bit more genuinely at that, he wasn’t much of a beer guy anyway. “This is nice, and… Kinda feels like our first real ‘Date’.”

“Well, technically isn’t it?” Dominic inquired as he reached for his food and began to unwrap it, once he’d done so he looked at it for a couple seconds, as if deciding whether he wanted to eat or not. Maria was already tearing into her burrito though, and after a couple seconds noticed Dominic’s hesitation.

“What’s up?” She asked, Dominic looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “You’re not touching your food.”

“I’m… Not hungry.” Dominic replied, looking off to the side at a couple of the other people. Maria didn’t buy his excuse for a second, she knew very well that he had been so busy he hadn’t eaten since lunch of the previous day. “Look… I’m fine, just… Working some things out in my head.” To try and assuage Maria’s worries he reached out and opened the burrito, then took a bite out of it. Maria watched him for a couple seconds before sighing and setting her food down. “What? I’m eating.”

“You’re doing that thing again.” Maria said as she crossed her arms under her breasts. “You used to do it all the time whenever something was really bugging you, remember?” Dominic shook his head, staring at Maria with a bit of a surprise. “Well I do. So what’s up, aside from the obvious?” The man looked around for a couple seconds, then looked at the table.

“I want this…” Dominic said as he pointed at Maria, then himself. “I want to be able to sit down and eat like a normal jackoff, I want to live life without worrying about the fucking Equestrians or the fucking EOL or whatever fucking asshole faction is gonna pop up next in this stupid fucking game of whack a dictator.” Anger laced the words as he took another bite out of his burrito.

“Well, here you are, eating like a normal jackoff.” Maria replied evenly, Dominic sighed and shook his head.

“I’m sorry… Guess I fucked up date night…” The commander mumbled tiredly. “I’m trying my best.” Maria reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tighter than he thought possible and forcing him to look up at her.

“Hey, the dinner part may be a little rocky, but there’s still the dancing part, and walking me home, and relaxing together.” Maria said in a warm tone, for the first time that night Dominic’s smile was completely real. “Who knows? You might even get lucky tonight.”

“Maybe.” Dominic said with a shrug, this time it seemed that he had turned the tables. Maria blushed faintly at the confidence in his tone, even if he himself was actually barely keeping his cool. The man eventually finished his food and drink, the couple sat there in comfortable silence as the celebration went on around them. Then suddenly Dominic stood up and removed his coat, the man hung it over his chair and walked towards Maria. The woman was a bit surprised to see him offer her his hand, and even more surprised by the look of confidence on his face.

“Shall we dance?” He asked, Maria felt her heart flutter as she reached out and took hold of his hand. He could’ve been the worst dancer out there, but to Maria that moment was something she had been waiting for since she was a little girl. She stood up and let her rifle lean against the table, as she did she could hear whoever was playing the music start something a little fast paced. Maria thought perhaps Dominic would wait for a slower song, but the fast sounding latin guitar seemed to be calling out to him.

With all the finesse of a skilled swordsman Dominic began to dance with Maria, it was quick and intense, and several times Maria felt her head spinning. Of course, Dominic wasn’t sure what he was doing. In fact his dancing was based on the combat moves Luna had taught him to use against Diamond dogs, only he wasn’t following it to completion. The several times he twirled Maria, and several times the crowd parted to allow him the space to do so. As the song came to an end Dominic decided to try and end with a dip, and thankfully succeeded. He and Maria ended up looking eachother in the eyes, panting and smiling with uncertainty.

After a couple seconds Dominic stood Maria up, their moment completely unnoticed by the sea of people. The man brushed himself off awkwardly as Maria adjusted her hair, which had become a little mussed up.

“Um… That went better than I expected.” Dominic admitted, Maria smiled and hugged him. As the music around them turned into a slower song, Dominic could see more than a few couples were in similar positions. “Want to do some more?”

“I would love-” Maria began.

“Commander Occisor!” A private interupted her mid sentence, Dominic turned around as the CNG trooper gave the man a salute. “Sir, it’s Colonel Baxter!”

“Can’t it wait?” Dominic asked, the soldier shook his head urgently and then leaned up and whispered something into Dominic’s ear. Maria watched the man’s eyes go wide and his face go pale, it only lasted for a couple seconds before he cleared his throat. “Take me to him.” Dominic looked at Maria and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “We’ll have to do it another time… Duty calls.”

“Alright… Be careful.” Maria replied, she watched as the man walked away with the young private. He grabbed his coat and hat from the table, letting the cap rest at an angle as he marched off into the former EOL base. Dominic’s chest was pounding as he continued walking, the news that had been delivered to him was far beyond shocking. The trip to Pikes Peak went by in a flash, as did the slow ascent to the top of the mountain on the cog train. Not a word was spoken between Dominic or the private that had come to get him, until finally they were atop the mountain.

Dominic followed the Private into the CNG command center, past several guards that were talking amongst themselves. The door to the war room was closed and two guards stood outside of it with light machine guns, when they saw Dominic they snapped to attention and stood aside for him to enter. The Private leading him stayed outside, watching as the commander entered the war room and closed the door behind him.

Inside the room were two medics that stood by the large map, on the floor there was a third tending to Colonel Baxter. The Colonel looked like he’d been hit by a freight train, his eyes were bloodshot and he had an oxygen mask over his face. When he caught sight of Dominic the Colonel gave the medic an annoyed shooing wave, then gestured for Dominic come over to him.

“What happened?” Dominic asked as he knelt down and looked over the older man.

“Nothing, these doctors overreacted.” The Colonel said with a somewhat annoyed expression though it didn’t seem like he was okay to take the oxygen mask off yet.

“He almost had a heart attack, Commander.” The medic that had been tending to the Colonel said, Dominic raised an eyebrow at the medic before turning to the Colonel.

“You realize that if you croak we’re up shit’s creek, right?” Dominic said flatly. “You and I both know there’s no one in the CNG that can replace you, and without a leader it’s gonna fold like a deck of cards.” Colonel Baxter shook his head and patted Dominic on the shoulder, he certainly seemed a lot weaker than someone who was ‘fine’.

“Why the hell do you think I had you brought here?” Baxter said before he coughed and sat up against the nearby wall. “You’re right, we need someone that can hold a military unit together. And again, you’re right there’s no one in the CNG that can replace me.” The Colonel relaxed and adjusted his oxygen mask. “The National Guard was meant to serve the United States, for the past couple years we had to serve ourselves. Now I know you’ve got a New United States, I don’t see why the National Guard couldn’t serve that country.”

“What are you saying, herr Colonel?” Dominic asked, though part of him knew what the Colonel was saying.

“The past four years we’ve been on the ropes, but now here we are, kicking the EOL’s ass again. A lot of people believe in you, and your leadership.” Baxter said with another cough, he pounded on his chest for a couple seconds before relaxing. “That’s why I’m going to fold the CNG into the New United States.”

“.....What?” Dominic asked in sudden shock, he’d been expecting the words but actually hearing them was still beyond his comprehension. “Y-You want me to just… Take the CNG?”

“Sir, you’re ill, perhaps you shouldn’t-” One of the medics began to speak, but Baxter shook his head.

“I’m damn sure of what I’m doing. This thing has outgrown me.” Baxter said firmly, he coughed a couple times as the lights flickered overhead. “So, what do you say, Mister President? Got room for a few more recruits?” Dominic looked at Baxter for a couple seconds, he rubbed the back of his neck a couple times. Perhaps it was blind ambition, perhaps it was his confidence in himself as a commander, or perhaps even god and Dominic’s warrior ancestors were reaching out and bestowing a blessing upon his shoulders. For whatever reason it was, Dominic felt himself swelling with courage. Gone were the fears of future wars, gone was the uncertainty. Dominic stood up straight, straightened his cap, and nodded.

“Welcome to the New United States Army, herr General Baxter.” The Commander said firmly, he looked around the room at the Medics. All of them stared blankly for a couple seconds before they snapped into salutes for their new Commander in Chief. Dominic felt a weight lift from his shoulders, outside one of the windows he caught a glimpse of a full moon. For the first time in his life, Dominic felt fulfilled. He was what he’d been bred and raised for, what he had always been destined to be. He was a soldier, a commander, a conquering hero.

“I will arrange a meeting with our new UN delegates, and see if we can get in touch with the Native Confederacy.” Dominic said as he looked towards the map, glaring squarely at the enemy city of Denver. Between him and Denver were numerous small towns controlled by the EOL and over one hundred miles of open country. “The time for being on the defensive has come to an end. The EOL is a rabid dog, and we will be the ones to put it down. And after that… Any faction that dares threaten the New United States.”

The man paused for a moment then looked at the medics and Colonel, now General, Baxter. They were looking at him with mixture of awe and respect, the new General stood to his feet and adjusted the oxygen mask.

“Before any of that though, I believe our nation needs something…” Dominic mumbled to himself as he looked back to the table, then back to the men in the room. “A new flag. Old glory is wonderful as a celebratory banner, but we must differentiate ourselves from the other National Guard groups that may be spread around the country.” Dominic turned back to the map. “All in due time though… General Baxter, I order you to return to your quarters and accept treatment.”

“Yes, sir…” Baxter said with a bit of hesitation, perhaps he wasn’t used to being given orders, especially by such a young man. He and the medics left the room, leaving Dominic to contemplate his new position in the world. The commander in him told him to continue with no mercy, but the leader in him told him to be discrete. On the Equestrian front he would need to show such discretion, be just intimidating enough to dissuade attack without being scary enough to warrant a preemptive strike. On Earth, Dominic intended fully to topple the EOL to rubble and crush it under his boot treads. If they stood for the EOL, they died for the EOL.

“Savor what time you have left, Fraulein Empress…” Dominic said as he looked at Denver, the man reached into his pocket for one of his newly arrived cigars. He paused when he felt the soft feather from Luna, a faint smile crossed his lip as he grabbed his cigar and bit off the cap, then lit it with a wood match. After a couple puffs he looked at the closest EOL outpost now that they had toppled the threatening base, it was twenty miles away. Dominic knew that his tanks could travel fifty miles without dipping into their reserve fuel, but that was in a straight line.

Dominic leaned down and examined the map closer, there were little buildings set up on it, most likely the result of reconnaissance work. One building caught his attention, a liquor store. The tanks had been designed to run on just about anything, as gasoline wasn’t widely used in Equestria. The commander momentarily considered an attack on the town to capture the liquor store and any other fuel assets that might be there, but it seemed far too risky. Waiting would give the enemy time to build up their defenses, but he too needed to dig in until reinforcements arrived.

Part of him was glad that perhaps it would take a while to get the portal open, it would give his soldiers time to enact his newest ambition. Operation Sky Sabre.
> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Discord idly flipped through the numerous universes that surrounded his own, he sat reclined in a lazy boy and wore boxers and a tank top with a bored expression. The draconequus was facing something that only humans seemed to suffer from in the multiverse, even as he was surrounded by a maelstrom of swirling colors and energy in his domain.

“Literally an infinite number of channels and all of them have nothing good on.” He mumbled before looking to a pad of paper sitting on the arm of his recliner. “Let’s see what universe twentyfour-eighty-C has on, maybe they’ve figured a way around that pesky portal problem.” He snapped his fingers and a large plasma screen tv appeared in front of him, it displayed one of the universes that neighbored Dominic’s Equestria. Of course, it was also Equestria with a human in it. However it was far different from Dominic’s, it was one where they had ‘Destroyed’ him and wiped out the changelings.

“Bunch of dunces…” He muttered as he watched the human of that universe flirt with literally all of the alicorns, even Faust, or whatever she was calling herself in that universe. The man appeared to be some sort of jet pilot, and from the looks of it, he was leading Equestria to even more chaos than he could’ve hoped without even knowing it. “Gotta love a rookie that does well… Guess there’s nothing in this one either.” He was about to change the channel when he noticed something odd about the universe he was viewing, there appeared to be numerous holes in it. “Hey, those look like…”

The Draconequus smiled and sat up straight in his recliner, it felt like he had perhaps fixed Dominic’s portal problem. Of course, if he failed, there’d likely be a war between the universes, but that was a slim chance. It all had to do with the fact that Dominic had, for lack of a better term, allied with the changelings and Discord. Unlike universe twentyfour-eighty-C, which had destroyed both of them using a nuclear weapon. If he succeeded though, he’d be able to discretely power Dominic’s portal without trouble, and the other universe would be none the wiser. At least, as long as their version of Faust was as much of a dunce as the rest of the multiverses made her out to be.

“I should go and tell that guy I found a way, as long as that egomaniac Faust doesn’t do something stupid like summon an eldritch monster or something.” Discord started to get up, but then he knocked the remote and the image on the screen shifted to one of his favorite human shows. “Meh, it can wait until after MacGyver.” Discord leaned back in his seat and scratched his belly while the main theme began to play, he was supposed to have time off anyway, and he knew that things were at least somewhat going well for Dominic. If he was in any real trouble he’d be able to tell. For Discord only a few seconds had passed, but on Earth it was more like a couple days.

[♠]

Dominic quietly looked up at the ceiling of the old Costco, the newest American military base on the Earth front. It had been quickly modified to accommodate the needs of the expeditionary force, this giving Dominic the ability to finally demolish the EOL’s former base. The man was currently laying in a bed as the morning sunlight made itself visible through the store’s recently repaired skylights, the bed had been set up in one of the aisle that had been turned into a sort of officer’s quarters. It had a couple plywood walls set up for privacy, as well as a door and a couple other amenities like a rather plush couch and even an electric stove. Dominic didn’t care for that, he thought that his troops deserved them more, but refusing them would be a sign of disrespect to his soldiers.

The man adjusted the blankets that covered his chest and looked over at Maria, the woman was sleeping peacefully on her side of the bed with an arm draped across Dominic’s chest. Her punk hair cut was starting to grow out a bit, but she would most likely insist on keeping it short to reduce the threat of an infected grabbing her hair. Dominic was surprised to think that that didn’t seem likely, as from what he’d heard from his UN liaison the infected were far less numerous than the hordes he had faced in his youth.

The United States military had used extremely powerful speakers to draw in a good portion of the infected to the Mojave desert before decimating them with a combination of artillery strikes and air strikes. That had burned up the national guard’s ability to fuel their own aircraft and even lead to them losing most of their vehicles, thus putting them at the disadvantage when the EOL finally reached its full strength. It had been a similar tactic used all over the world that had essentially been resource suicide in the hopes of destroying the undead hordes. It was why the UN was in Colorado, it had some of the very few remaining fracking facility in the world. Of course, the EOL had gummed up the works.

Dominic looked over at Maria, momentarily wondering what it would be like to finally settle down. Outside the thin walls of his quarters he could hear the rumble of engines and chatter of soldiers, a constant reminder that his life had become a battlefield. Almost of every part of him yearned for something tranquil, perhaps a flight in the air. A small part of him, deep down in his darkest blackest thoughts, was actually enjoying the war. He hated to admit that leading soldiers into battle held some appeal, and he loathed himself for actually revelling in trying to end the EOL, to see an entire nation burned to cinders.

The man quietly shook his head and frowned, even Maria’s comforting embrace couldn’t stem the tide of thoughts that plagued his mind. His eyes turned to the skylights once again, he could see birds flying about overhead, they were free. Dominic was fighting for the freedom of others, he didn’t understand why he couldn’t have a small measure for himself. Several more quiet minutes of unsure thoughts for the future passed, it seemed the only things that were certain in his life was his feelings for both Maria and Luna, and that the EOL needed to be destroyed. It drove him crazy that he couldn’t do anything about that evil empire, his assault was stalled out far from his goal. Luna’s teachings had told him that tempo was everything in combat, and right now he wasn’t keeping up that tempo. His mind paused and shifted back onto Luna, the man looked over to his jacket that was hanging over the arm of the couch. He could see Luna’s feather peeking out from the pocket.

It had been a long night of thinking, he had barely gotten any decent amount of sleep, all he could do was keep thinking about how things would be when the battles were over and he could finally go home. Dominic rolled over onto his side, facing away from Maria and staring at one of the impromptu wall. He knew very soon someone would come to his door with a morning report and at least a dozen more problems, and with that thought in mind he slipped out of the bed and walked over to his folded uniform. Slipping into the olive drab outfit didn’t take him long, nor did tying his boots, and soon enough he was sitting on the couch with his hand beneath his chin in thought.

Out of annoyance the man then stood up and walked to a collection of rolled maps that sat beside his bed, the man picked one up and made his way to the table that had been set up near the electric stove. He rolled it out and secured the corners with a couple stones he had laying around, the map was of the surrounding area, including his next objective. The small town’s name had been lost to the infection, but it had been nicknamed ‘Objective: Echo’. It had a small garrison of EOL soldiers according to his latest intelligence report, it could easily be taken by his newly acquired former CNG forces with the support of two tanks.

The man noted there were a couple roads running in and out of the town, even in the dimly lit room it was clear there was a means for the enemy to possibly escape. The man reached into his breast pocket and removed a notepad, making a note that one of the tanks in the support group would have to be Tank Triple Six. The human crewed tank had been modified with more than enough machineguns and stripped of some of its heavy side armor for added speed. It was lovingly referred to as an interceptor on steroids, and Dominic fully intended to use its speed to his advantage. He made a couple more notes, totally absorbed with his latest planning and not noticing that Maria had woken up.

She flicked a switch that lead to a couple rigged up lights, causing Dominic to jump in surprise and look around. He quickly spotted Maria standing beside the bed in her nightly attire, a T-shirt and some old sweat pants. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes before smiling and waving at him.

“Morning…” She said as she approached him, Dominic smiled in reply and turned to face her. The woman had already caught sight of the map, she’d grown used to waking up to her boyfriend standing over that map. “Plotting global domination again?”

“Only a little…” Dominic replied as he approached her and put his hands on her shoulders, he gave a couple tender squeezes. “I have to keep the pressure up somehow, you know? Hopefully Discord can work out a way to open that portal again, then we’d be able to really put the hurt on ‘em. At least, hopefully…” The man then glanced to another map that was laying beside the bed, that one had writing along its rolled up edges, the letters spelling out ‘Operation: Fallen Sun’. “Hopefully I won’t have to start working with that map… Ever.”

Maria looked at the map in question, she had only ever seen it once for a short while, but she had a good idea of what it was for. Considering how much tensions between the New United States and Equestria were rising she had seen Dominic working on it more and more, part of her feared for what would happen, but she knew Dominic was smart enough to figure it all out.

“This war with the EOL may be good for us, actually… It’ll battle harden the rookie troops.” Dominic said quietly before shaking his head. “But we shouldn’t talk about war, eh? It’s morning, and you made breakfast yesterday. My turn.” Maria watched the man turn and walk towards the stove, she followed him silently and put a hand on his shoulder, she could sense just how much all the planning was bothering him.

“Hey, you’re doing that thing again. Where you talk to yourself.” She said, Dominic shrugged quietly as he turned on the stove and reached for one of the pans that rested on a shelf beside it. “I get it, you’re stressed out, but your entire army is gonna think you’re nuts if you keep doing that.” The man nodded quietly as he reached for a can of Spam and pulled open the top. “Now, come on, where’s that smile I love?”

“Hiding, maybe you can get it to come out though.” Dominic replied playfully, Maria hummed for a moment before leaning up and kissing Dominic’s cheek. The man smiled in turn, his entire demeanor seeming to brighten up.

“There it is!” Maria said as she watched the man begin cooking the spam in the pan, Dominic smiled even wider as he heard her happy words. For a brief moment it felt like his life was somewhat normal again, it was just him and Maria making breakfast. Then there came a knock on the door.

“Commander, the POWs are rioting!” A voice shouted from the other side, Dominic’s smile faded as he looked over at Maria. The woman could swear she saw his eyes watering, a great deal of pain was present in the expressive green orbs.

“I… I’ll be back.” He said quietly as he started walking away from the stove, he then turned around and grabbed Maria by the waist. She let out a surprised yelp before she was suddenly pulled into a very tight embrace, the man let go of her and said with a slightly pained voice. “I love you.” With that the man grabbed his jacket and officer’s cap before rushing out the door, Maria watched him leave with a sigh of her own before she turned back to the stove and began cooking the spam for herself. She frowned faintly, her anger at the EOL growing ever stronger.

Dominic scowled deeply and adjusted his cap to an angle, his boots clicking against the floor of the Costco as he and numerous other soldiers rushed towards the area where the POWs had been placed. It was an area of the store that had been walled off and surrounded with barbed wire, the sound of angry yelling was echoing its way through the rest of the building. Dominic walked through the only way to access the area which was now being guarded by soldiers with LMGs, ahead of him he could see prisoners and liberated slaves being forcefully separated by thestrals and humans alike. The commander could also see that Melissa was being shielded by a couple of the liberated, more than a few EOL prisoners were trying to get at her.

Dominic had seen such actions from ponies in Equestria, and seeing another riot like that made him angrier than before. Somehow an EOL prisoner had gotten hold of a two by four and was making a charge at Melissa, in response Dominic drew his revolver. He wasn’t about to let someone else relive what he’d gone through himself. Without hesitating he leveled the weapon and pulled the trigger, seconds later the prisoner hit the floor with blood gushing from his chest. The prisoners suddenly retreated back as far as they could while the liberated slaves and guards made their way in the opposite direction.

The man walked towards the downed prisoner and examined him, nudging him onto his back with his boot. Dominic could tell that he was dead by the sheer amount of blood staining the prisoner’s clothes, for a moment the image of the former Prince Blueblood ran through his mind. Lying bloody and beaten on the floor, Dominic had to admit he regretted that part of his life, but he didn’t regret stopping another two by four assault. The man slipped his revolver into his holster and glared at the stunned POWs.

“What is this all about!? Who’s responsible!?” He shouted sternly, stepping over the  body on the floor. His eyes shifted over the prisoners, eventually landing on a very guilty looking woman. The EOL’s former base commander was staring at the deadman, then at Dominic, then at the deadman again. “You. You must know, ja? What is this all about?”

“That traitor!” The woman said angrily before pointing accusingly at Melissa, Melissa was standing a good distance away but it was clear she could see she was being pointed at. “She has the gall to come here and talk to us about changing sides!” Dominic hid his confusion through a stern mask as he looked over to Melissa, then back at the former EOL commander.

“What makes her a traitor?” He asked plainly.

“She’s Lady Moonbeam! Head of the Imperial Intelligence Staff!” The commander shrieked, Dominic felt a bit of a knot form in his gut. Melissa hadn’t been really vetted or examined when she’d first come in, for all he knew she could very well have been an EOL spy. The man hid these thoughts beneath his stoic mask and glared at the Commander.

“Keep your soldiers in line, Fraulein Commander. I expect this to be our last riot.” Dominic sternly commanded before walking away and signalling for a couple of soldiers to come and dispose of the deadman. His path was right for Melissa, she gulped but nonetheless remained where she was. The man stopped in front of her, looming over her like the shadow of death himself. “We need to talk.”

[♠]

Celestia quietly looked over numerous documents and reports she had received on her desk, her room was dimly lit by candles, she didn’t feel like lighting it with her sun. Most of the reports were on the fledgling nation-state on her border that had become a threat almost overnight, she supposed she had herself to blame for that. More and more ponies were flocking to the New United States, adults without cutiemarks, griffons, thestrals, even a surprising number of earth ponies. There were also another side to the coin, as a lot of border towns were having trouble keeping their citizens from turning into roving bands of vigilantes.

They were forcing her to put more troops on the border to keep them out, and ironically, fanning the flames of her world’s first Cold War. There was more and more call from her citizens for the New United States to be annexed, these calls were also coming from her generals and even her throne room guards. Celestia examined yet another report, and as she did, she found herself starting to agree more with those generals. Her intelligence agents in America had uncovered numerous scary bits of information. Firstly, the Americans were preparing to begin testing a new prototype tank. The only detail that they had was its name: T-34-85. The very name made Celestia shiver.

Secondly, and far more worryingly, was that they were developing odd flying machines. Her agents didn’t know what they were, but Celestia did. Airplanes had been the dominant force on Dominic’s world, she doubted her own ponies would be able to stand a chance against such frightful war machines. The mare briefly looked down at her reports again, then sighed and rubbed her temples. She needed something to counter the Americans’ air power, and as she thought more on it, she recalled a plan that had been put forwards by one of her generals several years prior to Dominic’s arrival.

The plan had called for a fleet of airships, armed heavily with ballistas and catapults. Celestia hadn’t had any need for such a fleet in the past, but now there seemed to be one. However she knew that arming it with ballistas and catapults would be ineffective. The mare hated to admit it, but she needed American weapons to prepare for a war against the Americans. Celestia stood up from her desk and walked to the door of her office, her horn glowed and opened the twin wood panels before she stepped out. The guard’s flanking either side of the door snapped to attention as they watched their leader walk past them before they both pushed the doors closed.

Celestia walked past more than a few other guards and petitioners through the grand halls of Canterlot Castle, they spoke in hushed whispers as she made her way along. The most common word she heard among them was ‘Attack’, once again reinforcing her fears that she had let the New United States get too big. The only reason there was any real peace in the world was because Equestria was able to keep it through diplomacy, backed up with military force. The battle between the minotaurs and zebras nearly half a year prior was because of Equestria’s inability to solve a problem peacefully, and if she had intervened with force the death toll might not have been as high.

These thoughts were what drove her down a hallway she rarely traveled, and one she despised she had to keep. Security in this hallway was much tighter, the guards armored and armed for a full on conflict rather than ceremonial purposes. Ahead of her was a single door, the plaque identifying it was faded and worn from years of neglect. She sighed as she read the words ‘War Room’, then slowly pushed the door inwards. The door squealed on its hinges, revealing a rather dusty room beyond the threshold, a table was laid out with maps and charts, and a single pony sat poised facing the door. This surprised Celestia, especially considering who the pony was.

“Princess.” Field Marshal Eventide said evenly, it seemed that he had been using the room for his own purposes. The maps laid out were well marked and carefully adjusted to include the United States and the Changeling Kingdom, to Celestia’s surprise it seemed that Appleoosa was seated just on the border with the Changelings and the Americans. Most worryingly, it was on the American side of the border. “I was taking the liberty of updating your military’s maps.”

“It seems you’ve made an error, Appleloosa is in Changeling territory.” Celestia said, she didn’t want to ask how the stallion had gotten in, even though technically thestrals were barred from the War Room. It was a bit of racism left over in the Equestrian military from the days of the Nightmare Rebellion. Eventide chuckled faintly and smirked, steepling his hooves together before shaking his head.

“I have made no error, Princess.” He said, adjusting his black uniform, his silver rank insignia gleaming brilliantly on the indigo epaulets. “There is a reason I have made this rank, Celestia. I am nothing if not precise. It is your survey teams that have made the error.” The thestrals smirk widened into a smile revealing the predatory canines. “Then again it is easy to claim someone’s land when they cannot defend themselves, but I’m sure you’re aware of that. As is every thestral in Equestria.”

“Stay your tongue, Field Marshal.” Celestia said sternly, but Eventide’s expression never faltered. “I will not argue the politics of a thousand years ago with somepony like you, you are a soldier of Equestria-”

“I am a soldier of Thestra!” Eventide suddenly snapped as he stood up and pointed a hoof angrilly at Celestia. The mare was shocked at the use of the name, she hadn’t heard that name in nearly a century. “I have told you before, I will say it again, I am loyal to Luna. As are my fellow officers. Not you, and not this dump you call a country.”

“You are overstepping your boundaries, Field Marshal!” Celestia snapped, her hair whipping back and forth. “Leave this room! You are forbidden from entering here!” Eventide stared at her for a couple seconds before smiling and adjusting his uniform. Celestia felt her skin crawling, Eventide was Luna’s protege, more so than Dominic in a sense. The stallion had ice water in his veins and a very poor view of Equestria, a view that was a bit more understood now that Celestia knew that Eventide was aware of the lost country of ‘Thestra’. Known in modern Equestria as ‘The Everfree Forest’.

Celestia’s armies had run a bit rampant in the final days of the Nightmare Rebellion, communication lines were poor, and by the time word reached her army to stop fighting they had already conquered Thestra. The Thestrals’ homeland had gradually been wiped from the history books, the Everfree Forest was more a solution than a hinderance. It wiped away almost all physical reminders of the former country. Celestia had hoped that it would stay that way, that she would never hear that name again, or remember what had become of its original Anti-Celestia government.

“It’s coming back to you, isn’t it?” Eventide said as he walked towards the door, pausing for a moment to glare up at Celestia. “You had best tell your ‘Elites’ to send their best, I will not be so easy for you to assassinate as unarmed mares!” He hissed, the smile remaining on his face. The stallion only smiled when he was beyond angry, or extremely satisfied, and Celestia was having trouble determining what his reason was. With that the stallion left, Celestia quietly gulped. It was likely Luna had told him of what had happened to Thestra, and what had happened to its government. Another thing stuck out in her mind, Eventide mentioning his ‘fellow officers’ put her on edge.

She didn’t have time to worry though, she instead walked to the door and leaned out to address a couple of the guards there.

“Call Colonel Swift Wind to the War Room… I have something I must discuss with her at once.” Celestia ordered, one of the guards nodded and trotted away to gather the general. Celestia closed the door and looked back at the maps on the table, she approached cautiously and glared down at the border that seemed to continue expanding further north every time she turned her back. A small voice in the back of her head was nagging at her, telling her that such a thing shouldn’t stand. The Princess angrily glared at the American capitol on the map, some of her generals had a point, it had once been Equestrian soil.

The mare shook her head to try and dislodge the thoughts of all out war, only partly because she thought it was wrong. After so much had happened, including what seemed like her sister’s second betrayal, Celestia was very angry. She wasn’t used to another country telling her to leave them alone, it made her feel similar to when she had dealt with the country Thestra. She couldn’t really argue with the results though, barely anyone remembered them. Celestia shook her head again, more vigorously. She was Celestia, she wasn’t a war monger, she was supposed to find a peaceful solution.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t realize that a pegasus mare in a Wonderbolt Colonel’s uniform had entered the room and was standing behind her. The pegasus cleared her throat, Celestia jumped at the sudden noise but calmed down and turned to face the Colonel. Swift Wind was a rather muscled, a fast flyer with numerous special missions under her belt, she was Celestia’s go to pony when she needed something clandestine done. Especially when it involved another country.

“Colonel Wind, good to see you…” Celestia said, the Colonel nodded and turned to face the maps on the table that Celestia had been viewing. “This regards the American’s, it appears that our maps were wrong, Appleloosa is in American Territory. Don’t worry about that though, your mission is far more important.”

“What sort of mission? A raid on the changelings?” Swift Wind asked as she took note of the Changeling border, Celestia shook her head and placed her hoof over New Liberty. “America? Are we invading, ma’am!?”

“No.” Celestia said quietly, she tapped the map again. “The American’s have the most formidable army on the planet due to their technology, we need some of that technology if we’re to…” Celestia paused, she had almost said ‘Invade’. “Keep our border secure. I don’t think the Americans are too willing to share military secrets with us though, that’s where you come in.”

“What’s the objective?” Swift Wind asked.

“Capture the plans to their latest tank’s main weapon. The ‘eighty five millimeter gun’, its ammunition, and any other information you can get.” Celestia ordered, Swift Wind nodded quietly. “I’ll have someone in intelligence give you all the information you need, and leave the planning up to you. You always do good work.”

“Thank you, Princess.” Swift Wind said as she continued looking down at the map, the pegasus and the Princess eventually left the room, leaving it in somber silence once again. Celestia didn’t want to think it, but it was very likely she would be spending more time in that room. Colonel Swift Wind adjusted her uniform as she walked down one of the castle hallways, her eyes darting back and forth over the numerous solar guards that stood on either side of her. She had no doubt that she could pull off the mission, but the thought of what could happen if she failed still hung over her head. Imprisonment in nation that was on increasingly rocky ground with Equestria, and worse, an all out war.

She was a soldier though, so she would carry out her orders like a soldier. Already she was selecting her team for the operation in her mind, she had a couple favorites she liked to bring along, but something told her she would need an edge. One name came to mind. Rainbow Dash. She had fought on America’s side during their war with the Changelings, but Swift Wind didn’t doubt the mare’s willingness. She was the element of loyalty, afterall.

Celestia, meanwhile, was pacing about her office once again. She hoped she was making the right choices, at least to maintain Equestria’s place as the strongest peaceful nation in the world.

[♠]

Fortress Wall hated diversions from his work on the latest line of American tanks, but he had to admit that examining actual human blueprints was a fitting reason. He had never seen such a machine before, it was far more advanced than the zeppelins and airships of Equestria. Even more shocking was that the machine was considered ‘obsolete’ by many of the humans he had talked to. As the stallion lowered the blueprints he took around the factory floor, on either side of him were five prototypes that had been built according to the blueprint. They bore one striking difference though, they all had American built ‘Hearty’ Engines. Similar to those used in tanks, meaning they had a lot of power behind them. The airframes had been reinforced as such.

It hadn’t taken long to construct the aircraft, they were far simpler to build than tanks, in fact they had been made from scrap materials. He smiled faintly as the door to the factory floor opened and a pair of thestral MPs entered, they were accompanied by five humans. Three males and two females. Fortress wall noted they all seemed to have a certain swagger in their steps, cocky smirks, and leather jackets of varying types. 

At the head of the group was a man with an aristocratic look about him, he was tall and skinny with the squinting eyes of a hawk. Fortress Wall immediately recognized him from a dossier he had been given when the blueprints had come in, Stephan Adler was a highly skilled airline pilot with thousands of logged flight hours. Behind him were the two other young males, another one Fortress recognized from his dossier. Though it was for an unsavory reason. 

Jack Rossiano, better known by his fellow refugees as ‘Ghoul’, was another pilot that had come up in the search. He had experience in biplanes as he had spent a good portion of his youth and adult life trying to bring back ‘Barnstorming’. Fortress Wall had been told it was an almost suicidal sport involving an aircraft flying through a barn, and considering Jack’s checkered history of unstable outbursts, Fortress worried that allowing the man into a cockpit was a bad idea. General Bulwark had overridden him. Jack was a portly fellow with a shaved head, though it was clear that he had a full head of black hair. Shaved heads were just a common fashion among refugees. The man also had brilliantly bright blue eyes, his jacket had a fur collar unlike the others, and he had a slight limp in his gate. A pair of shiny mirrored aviators were perched on his nose.

The other male had a similar backstory in biplanes, though he was a crop duster pilot rather than a suicidal mad man. Fittingly going by the name Dusty, Fortress had heard good things about him from the others, at least in terms of flying skills. Once again though, there were problems, as it was rumored Dusty had accidentally dusted an entire mess hall. Blonde hair and brown eyes set him apart from his compatriots.

Fortress looked to the women that walked among the pilots, a pair of oddballs if Fortress had ever seen one. The first, a red head of Irish descent by the name of Sarah, walked with a limp of her own and sported an old looking pair of glasses. She and her friend Tally, the second female pilot with dark brown hair, were the only ones of the group with a clean safety record and mental evaluation. Though it had been reported MPs had had to drag them back to the refugee center on more than one occasion for making inappropriate gestures at Equestrian tourists. It was also rumored that Sarah acted as sort of a guiding figure for Jack, though Fortress doubted anyone could guide a person that deliberately tried crashing planes into barns.

Fortress Wall looked to the aircraft once again, they had been painted tan, with sky blue under the wings. Since the New United States didn’t have an official marking for its aerial forces yet, the fuselages were free of any roundels or symbols other than numbers. They were also free of weaponry, that had been the only safety precaution that Bulwark had agreed over. When the five pilots saw the aircraft there was a mix of shock, hesitation, and pure excitement among their faces. Dusty and Jack almost ran straight for the pilot seats, Stephan rubbed at his eyes, and Fortress could see Tally and Sarah take a couple steps back.

“You’re kidding, right?” Tally asked as she looked over at Fortress Wall. “These things belong in a museum, I was trained to fly jets!”

“Interesting…” Adler mumbled as he walked towards one of the aircraft and ran his hand over the wing. “I saw a Fokker Seven in a museum in Germany, I’d always wanted to try flying one, they’re supposed to be excellent dogfighters.” He inspected the plane like it was some sort of thoroughbred, pausing to run his fingers over the wooden propeller.

“You’ll all get a chance to train in them if you haven’t flown a biplane before, you five have been selected because you’re the most experienced or best skilled pilots we can find.” Fortress Wall explained as he walked towards the five pilots, Jack and Dusty were more focused on the aircraft, it was as if they were staring at beautiful women more than machines. “You’ll be helping us optimize this aircraft for combat in the Equestrian theatre, and afterwards, training our first generation of fighter pilots, and so on.”

“Yeah yeah yeah, when do we get to fly?” Jack said impatiently as he removed his sunglasses and tucked them into his jacket. “Come on, lil’ pony dude! I’ve been on a dry spell for four years! I gotta fly!”

“Patience, please. You’ll get to fly in a couple minutes, but first let me tell you more about what we’ll be doing today.” Fortress explained as he gestured back to the aircraft, he then whistled loudly and a couple thestrals stepped into the factory room from an office. They were garbed similarly to their human counterparts. “You’ll note the planes don’t have guns, but they do have gun sights. The objective is to get the target in your gunsight for one to ten seconds.These are the best thestral flyers we have, the goal of today’s test is to find out how to out maneuver them. If you can out maneuver our best, you can out maneuver the enemy.”

“This has to do with that big country up north, right? The one that has all them murderers in it?” Dusty asked as he adjusted his jacket, Fortress nodded and the pilot seemed to chew on his cheek for a moment. “Alright, guess I don’ mind killin’ terrorists. Let’s do it!” Fortress sighed, it seemed he was getting nowhere with either of the biplane pilots. To his surprise Sarah stepped over to him and knelt down to whisper in his ear.

“Just send the two of them up, they’re better fliers than they are talkers.” She said, Fortress wall watched the woman stand up. He took a moment to collect his thoughts, the aircrafts had been built out of scrap, so there wasn’t much of a financial risk. As far as he knew there weren’t any barns nearby either, with a sigh he nodded.

“Alright, Dusty and Jack, get in the cockpits.” Fortress watched the two men sprint to the aircraft and scramble in, both of them pulled leather caps from their jackets that Fortress had heard called ‘Snoopy hats’. They also seemed to have a pair of goggles, both men were quick to get ready as a couple factory workers pushed the aircraft outside onto the flat desert floor. Fortress, the three pilots, and the thestral flyers followed the aircraft and watched with rapt attention.

“Don’t hold back, let’s see what they can do.” Fortress ordered the flyers as he pulled a pen and notepad from his lab coat, the thestrals nodded and flexed their wings. “And stay away from the propellers, key safety tip.”

“Contact!” Shouted Jack as he pulled his goggles down over his eyes, the factory workers had been informed that meant give the propeller a good turn. That’s what they did and like a racehorse the engine snorted to life, it sputtered and coughed black smoke for a moment before settling into a steady rhythm. Seconds later Dusty’s aircraft had a similar start up, both engines loudly turning the propellers and kicking up dust behind the aircraft. Fortress gave the nod to the pair of thestral flyers, they extended their wings and took off into the sky.

The two biplane pilots throttled up, their winged warmachines trundled over the dry desert dirt until they finally reached take off speed. Fortress gulped as he watched Jack’s aircraft pitch back at a steep angle, but apparently that was intentional as he seemed to recover alright. The soldier stallion turned scientist continued to watch nervously as the two men tested out their aircraft, it was the first time that he had seen humans use their own technology, and to him it turned into a sort of artful display. That was until Jack’s plane suddenly turned and got very low to the ground, Fortress tensed as he saw it flying towards him, and more importantly the large open door into the factory.

“Shit.” He mumbled as he watched the madman get closer and closer, ducking low to the ground in preparation. Just as the airplane buzzed overhead he thought he could hear a disturbing laugh, almost like some sort of gargoyle or another creature of the dark. He supposed that was where Jack had gotten the nickname Ghoul, thankfully though, the madman pulled up before he got close to the factory doors. After a couple more minutes of aerial acrobatics the two biplanes stabilized their flight and formed up on one another.

“Finger four… They’ve got that down at least.” Tally mumbled as she crossed her arms and watched the two aircraft continue to fly in formation, then she caught a glimpse of something closing from above. “Come on you schmucks, check six… I know Sarah at least taught that nut case that much.” As if on cue the two biplanes broke formation and pulled up into reversed turns, they were turning into the thestrals’ attack run.

“Ghoul isn’t a schmuck, Tal. He’s not a nut case either.” Sarah chided as she watched the simulated dogfight, she was surprised at how well the two pilots were doing considering they never had any training in combat roles. Then again, she knew Ghoul fancied himself to be a historian, he probably had some basic grasp of dogfighting down. In fact, she’d be surprised if he didn’t, considering how much of a nut case he was. The assembled group watched the thestrals overshoot the biplanes and begin to turn around, the biplanes followed suit and soon a turning fight ensued.

Jack chuckled to himself, that mad disturbing laugh made almost unheard by buffeting wind. Everything he had read about the dogfights of the first world war told him that the true test of a dogfighter’s skill wasn’t the first pass but the first turn. His eyes narrowed on one of the thestrals flying towards him, a grin spreading across his face as he pushed the throttle up. The two of them passed each other with feet between them, Jack chopped back the power and hit the rudder. The maneuverable biplane responded with a sharp sliding one eighty before the throttle was pushed up again. Jack was on the thestrals six, the crosshairs for the guns lined up on the thestral for a moment before the man adjusted his aim so that it was just in front of his target. It seemed the ponies didn’t know about leading targets.

Dusty watched his compatriot pilot for a couple seconds, spotting one of the other thestrals dropping in on his tail. The crop duster jerked the stick to the side, the aircraft performing a barrel roll onto the thestrals six o’clock. The thestral nervously looked over his shoulder and broke off of Jack’s tail, Dusty gave chase. The thestral dove low, simulating a common Equestrian defensive maneuver. The biplane stuck to him like glue, closing in menacingly as they flew closer and closer to the ground. Dusty kept lining up the sights on the thestral, so far everything was going well.

The thestral leveled off twenty feet from the ground, Dusty followed suit as they screamed over the desert sand. The propwash from the biplane kicked up dust behind the aircraft as it easily kept pace with the thestral, the bat pony suddenly began climbing steeply. Once again, Dusty gave chase, the powerful engine easily pulling him higher and higher into the sky. It seemed he was closing on the thestral, and for fear of catching him with his prop, Dusty pulled off to the side before flying up along side the thestral and looking over. The thestral looked at him wide eyed right before Dusty gave him a quick salute and dove away.

On the ground Fortress Wall watched with the other pilots standing beside him, Tally and Adler were slack jawed while Sarah was vocally cheering for Jack and Dusty. Fortress continued taking notes on the aircraft’s handling, so far everything seemed to be working out well. It was a spectacle for sure, more than a few civilians throughout the city were watching with their own shock and surprise. Sarah smiled as she watched Jack drop lower in the sky, now flying after a thestral that was heading right towards them.

“He’s certainly a lot better than I thought he’d be.” Tally mumbled as the aircraft flew overhead, she instinctively ducked down even though it hadn’t come so close. “And, yes Sarah, he’s a nutjob. I’ve never seen people fly that low before. Still don’t know why you took him in.”

“I’m not having this conversation now.” Sarah replied with a slight scowl before she watched Jack pull alongside the thestral for a couple seconds. It seemed that the other thestrals were all starting to run out of steam, they had to fly a lot faster and think a lot quicker to try and out maneuver the biplane, burning up their stamina far faster than they would against Equestrian opponents. The thestrals eventually left the sky, landing next to Fortress with exhausted expressions. The two biplanes soared overhead, forming up on one another again. There was still plenty of work to be done, but Fortress at least had a sort of baseline.

[♠]

Luna quietly sighed as she sat in Dominic’s office, looking over the numerous things he’d left behind on his desk and on the walls. That was the hardest thing about him being in an entirely different dimension, the familiar feeling she sensed in her mane was gone, leaving an odd sense of emptiness to take its place. The mare shook off her feelings of lonliness and worry, she knew very well that it was likely in vain. From what she had gathered it seemed Dominic was happier with Maria, why wouldn’t he be, they were the same species. Still, a small part of her hoped there would be a place for her with them.

The mare sat up in the office chair, she was essentially filling in for Sonar while the spectacled bat pony dealt with some personal matters. Luna silently fiddled with some of Dominic’s old desk toys, then began to go through some of his old papers that had been left precisely where he’d placed them. Most of them were simple documents or requests for supplies, but one stuck out to her. It was accompanied by a map with a couple marks on it, she realized that it was a map for possible new cities. Dominic had been planning ahead, but things seemingly got in the way.

Luna read over the documents closely, struggling to read Dominic’s sloppy Equestrian handwriting. From what she could tell he’d had the top minds he could get his hands on go over them as well, it was a far different approach to how towns were founded in Equestria. Many of them just sprouted up out of nowhere or were some bold venture into the unknown, but Dominic had calculated how much water and food they would need to support a town and chosen locations accordingly. His notes were meticulous and minute, Luna gave herself some credit for that, she’d taught him the importance of attention to detail.

The mare paused as she felt an odd surge in her mane, she sighed and smiled faintly, it was the familiar feeling of someone trying to contact her through their dreams. The mare closed her eyes and concentrated her magic, seconds later she was asleep on the desk.

The Princess of Dreams looked around for a moment, taking in the sights around her for a couple moments. It was night time, she was standing in the courtyard of her old castle, and standing in front of her was a familiar looking stallion. Field Marshal Eventide in his clean pressed uniform. The stallion dropped into a bow at the sight of the Princess, Luna chuckled softly and placed her hoof beneath his chin so that he’d look up at her.

“How many times must we tell thee, Eventide? Such formalities are not needed here.” Luna said, the stallion momentarily blinked for a moment before standing up and adjusting his uniform. “It is rare of thee to contact me during the day, especially this way, we hath not met like this since we first swore thee in.”

“I understand, Princess… But this is something I felt you should know as soon as possible.” Eventide said dutifully, Luna raised an eyebrow at him and gestured for him to speak. “I ran into your sister earlier, in the war room. I was adjusting the maps there, as you requested.” Luna nodded slowly, she noted Eventide seemed a bit hesitant. “I… I had an outburst.”

“An outburst?” Luna asked quietly, Eventide nodded slowly. “Thou didn’t… Hurt her, did thee?” The stallion rapidly shook his head.

“No! No! Of course not, Princess. It was verbal.” The stallion said rapidly, Luna approached him and sat down so that she could be on eye level with him. “My thoughts are clouded though, the more I stand this post the more I fear I will fail you.”

“Eventide, since thou were a foal thou hath never failed us.” Luna said calmly. “Thou hath not succeeded in some cases, but thou hath never failed us. Nor will thee.” The mare extended a wing over the stallion’s shoulder to help calm him down. “Coming to us now is proof of that. Continue thy meditation and training, the clouds shall pass.”

“Thank you, Princess.” Eventide said with a slight bow of his head before he looked back up. “I am fearful that your sister is plotting against you.” Luna’s eyebrow rose once again. “She entered the war room earlier, as I said, and I fear it was to meet with her favorite interloper. Should I go ahead with our plans or take steps to stop her?”

“Allow us to stop the interloper, continue with the plans.” Luna said in a commanding tone, Eventide nodded slowly. “All of our work will pay off eventually...Thestra may be gone, but we feel we hath found a good home for those of us who enjoy the night here in America.” Eventide once again bowed and the world around them shimmered. “Until we meet again, Eventide.”

[♠]

Dominic paced back and forth in his quarters, Melissa sitting on the couch with a nervous expression and Maria beside her. She had told him everything, every vile thing she had done as a member of the the inner circle, as a spy, her missions. He had stopped asking questions halfway through, becoming very quiet and simply pacing with an increasingly deep scowl. Melissa had stopped crying at around the same time, mainly because she couldn’t cry anymore. Maria had played moderator, keeping both parties from going too far.

It had taken more than a few hours to get everything out in the open, now Dominic was silently pondering what to do. His anger had abated somewhat, after all Maria had told him she was keeping an eye on Melissa, but that left him thinking that she’d kept such a large secret from him. His mind was reeling with all sorts of conflicting thoughts, coupled with the worry of how much the EOL could know. Luna’s training dictated that he needed to get a grip of everything, but there were still so many things he needed to work out. It was liable to be a PR nightmare if word got out that he didn’t know there was a spy living with him, and unlike Equestria, he had to worry about people’s support on Earth.

“I… I can’t believe it…” Dominic finally muttered as he stopped pacing and looked at Maria and Melissa. “When the hell were you planning on telling me we had been sharing our house with  spy?” Maria looked at him, feeling a bit nervous herself.

“A-After the war…” She admitted, Dominic’s eyes went a bit wide. “Look, I couldn’t just out her, okay!? The colonel would’ve shot her!”

“I have half a mind to do that myself!” Dominic shouted, pointing a trembling finger at Melissa. The woman flinched for a moment, but Maria put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. The commander took a couple deep breaths before sighing and turning to walk towards the door. “I need to think…  Please… I’ll tell you when I need you.” He opened the door and gestured for the two of them to leave, awkwardly and nervously Maria and Melissa left. With that the man ran a hand over his mohawk before pausing and grabbing something else hanging on the wall, Melissa’s polaroid camera.

Dominic suddenly turned and walked towards his maps that were sprawled out on the table, he looked at the one planning out the attack of Objective Echo. The man pushed it aside and began scribbling on a blank map, making all sorts of notes and changes, each number was cut in half and officer names were completely made up. The entire plan was inverted, it would take a longer time to get into position and was an all out stupid idea. The man lifted the camera and snapped two pictures of the fake attack plans, the camera spitting them out a couple seconds later. Dominic waved the photos a couple times before they came into focus, then began working on a couple other fake plans and taking similar pictures.

When the pictures were taken and developed Dominic grabbed up all the fake plans and crumpled them into a large ball, save for one. The ball was chucked into a trash can, leaving just the fake Objective Echo plan in his hands. The best way to play off having a spy in his house was to say he had known the whole time, that she was a double agent, that she was feeding the enemy bad information. That meant risking Melissa’s life, but Dominic still wasn’t sure about her, and it was the price that had to be paid.

The man sighed quietly as he continued to think about what he was going to do, he had to somehow get Melissa and the photos to the EOL without them knowing he was involved. That involved a bit of help from the spy herself, Dominic walked to the door and peeked out. Sure enough Melissa and Maria were standing outside nervously, the man silently pointed at Melissa and gestured for her to come inside. The woman gulped and entered the room, half expecting to be executed as soon as she did.

“You and I are in a bit of a situation here…” He said stoically as he closed the door behind her and walked back to the table with the photos and the remaining fake plan. “I have to worry about how I am viewed politically, you have to worry about a firing squad. Neither of these things are things we want, correct?” Melissa rapidly nodded as she watched the man pick up the pictures and the plan, she was surprised to see him walk towards her with them and even more surprised when he held them out to her. “I assume you have a way to make a drop, so what you’re going to do is feed this bogus information to the EOL. We’ll play it off that we both knew from the beginning who you are and helped us secure another foothold, and you don’t get shot for espionage.”

“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” Melissa asked, Dominic shook his head. “Alright, I’ll do it. The woman took the documents and photographs in her arms. “I’ll have to prepare them before I make the drop, I don’t suppose privacy is an option?” Once again Dominic shook his head. “What if I have Maria watch me.”

“Alright.” Dominic said after a moment of thought, he began walking to the door.

“And, Dominic?” The man paused and looked over his shoulder at Melissa. “Please, don’t take it out on her, she was only trying to protect you.”

“Don’t worry… I won’t.” Dominic replied before he stepped outside and looked at Maria, the woman gulped for a moment. “Melissa needs someone watching her, I’ve got some more work to take care of.” Maria nodded and scrambled inside, closing the door rapidly behind Dominic. The man slowly shook his head and began walking off in a seemingly random direction, his boots echoing through the eerily quiet massive store.
> Chapter 11
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The EOL soldiers stationed in the small town were very much on edge as the morning sun rose on the horizon, they had received intelligence that there was going to be an attack from the east, an attack that would involve tanks. Many of the soldiers, fifty in total, were on rooftops while others took cover in the numerous small buildings that at one point in the past had been stores. They were mainly single story structures with large glass front windows, in the street the EOL troopers had had their small group of ten thralls push old vehicles to slow the advance of the tanks. Parked in the main intersection of the town was their lone tank, a bulldozer covered in trench plate and scrap metal, and armed with a crude front facing cannon, as well as a fifty caliber machine gun on the top.

As the sun continued to rise in the sky the soldiers remained quiet, nervously watching the tree line for what was to come. In the distance they could hear the sound of groaning metal and rumbling engines. It seemed to echo from all around them as their radios buzzed with static and silence. Over the noise came a rather interesting sound, it sounded like music, oddly calming music. It grew louder and louder, until to their surprise the trees on the other side of the town began to shake.

“They’re coming from the other side!” Shouted one of the soldiers into his radio, that was until the trees in front of them and to the side began to tremble as well.

“We’re surrounded!? How!?” Asked a more nervous soldier, he didn’t get a response from anyone as he was drowned out by orders to scramble to other defensive positions. The fifty soldiers rushed through out the town, spreading themselves thinner than before as they prepared for the coming onslaught. As the music hit its climax the trees to the west fell, revealing five tanks, the east came next, revealing five more, and then the others fell. Twenty tanks in total, all of them coming straight towards the town.

“Fall back to the Sheriff’s Office!” Shouted one of the officers, but over the noise their order went unheard. Unsurprisingly the tanks opened fire, shells rained down and began exploding throughout the streets. One shell fell into a cluster of running EOL troops, it exploded in a massive ball of fire and shrapnel. Those closest to the blast absorbed most of the shock wave, but were blown to pieces. Shards of fractured bone joined the metal shrapnel that shredded through the other troopers nearby.

The tanks continued rolling onward, a single man visible in one of the turrets with a sword lowered menacingly at those that stood in his way. The EOL’s tank shuddered and shook as it started turning towards that tank, as they assumed it was the tank of whomever was leading the attack. The crude cannon slowly came to bare, the crew of the poorly built vehicle were forced to use the barrel as their only aiming guide. Since the EOL lacked munitions factories they were forced to improvise. In this case they opted to use a bowling ball as a projectile after loading the muzzle loading cannon with a black powder charge.

The machine gunner on the fifty cal began peppering the lead tank, forcing the man with the sword to duck for cover in his turret. It was a light show unlike any the EOL tankers had ever seen, bullets and tracers pinged off the armor in brilliant sparks but it just kept coming. The crew on the cannon lit the fuse, seconds later their bulldozer tank shuddered as the cannon boomed. The bowling ball soared through the air slowly, then hit the lead tank with a resounding thud before it fractured into tiny pieces, not even leaving a scratch in the grey paint. The crew was somewhat trained and began preparing to reload, but it was time for the enemy tank to fired back.

The machine gunner barely had time to leap off the top of the bulldozer when he saw the puff of smoke and fire appear from the cannon. The shell hit the bulldozer and exploded before he even heard the bang of the cannon, hot shrapnel and burning fuel quickly ended his life. Meanwhile the tanks continued their onslaught into the weakly defended town, the calming music still playing eerily over the carnage. Plumes of smoke began to rise into the air as the American infantry began entering the town, many of them rushing to clear the storefronts.

Dominic sheathed his sword as he smirked and looked through the slits in the turret, he couldn’t be happier that Discord had come through with the portal, even if he had taken his time in telling Dominic that he’d solved the problem. In a relatively short time they had managed to move twenty light tanks through the portal, as well as supplies and troops. It had also been a boon in the way of offloading POWs and liberated slaves alike, opening up more space for soldiers and machines. The attack of Objective Echo wasn’t really necessary for supply as it was for moral and to give his newly arrived tank crews some experience in combat. His gamble with Melissa had paid off perfectly, the enemy was completely disorganized.

”Got some guys giving us trouble in a building on the main drag.” An infantry commander called over the radio. Dominic looked towards the building in question, it had at one point been a consignment store. It most likely still had a lot of clothes and other knick knacks inside.

“Avos! Put some Willy Pete in that window!” Dominic ordered, Sergeant Avos nodded and cranked the turret around. The gun lowered on one of the large panes of glass before the griffon slipped a shell into the cannon and pulled the trigger, the gun boomed and seconds later the storefront was flooded with white smoke, while burning chunks of phosphorus skittered out onto the street. EOL troopers emerged from within, many running and flailing as they tried to put out burning clothes while a few simply shambled out. Dominic winced as he saw just how much damage the phosphorus had done, the looked more like charred kebabs than human beings. “Keep us moving, Gear.”

”They’re pulling back to the Sheriff’s office at the center of town, we’ve got reports that they’ve got slaves in there with them.” Jen’s voice echoed over the radio as Gear Grinder began driving the tank through the streets towards the Sheriff’s office in question. Outside Dominic could see more than a few regular looking people poking their heads out of doorways or hanging white sheets out of their windows.

“All units, hold outside the building.” Dominic ordered as a couple tanks set up a perimeter around the Sheriff’s office, meanwhile the remaining force began to encircle the town in a ring of defensive steel. Dominic’s tank rolled past the blockade of armor towards the front door of the Sheriff’s office, it stopped just a few feet from a row of parked police vehicles that had been defaced with the EOL’s symbol. Minutes passed, Dominic and his crew waiting tensely while they watched the door. Infantry began closing as well, some even hitching rides from Thestrals up onto the roof, all of them waiting for the go to breach and clear. “Hold.”

From inside Dominic could see a man approaching the door with a white pillowcase over his head, the Commander opened the hatch to his tank and stood up just as the man exited the building. Dominic eyed him carefully as he cautiously approached Dominic’s tank, every fiber told Dominic to shoot him, but he was bound by honor to heed the white flag.

“I come on behalf of my commanding officer!” The soldier said loudly as he continued to hold the fabric over his head. “H-He wants to speak with the-” The man was cut off as gunshots and screaming echoed from inside the Sheriff’s office, Dominic went for his revolver but the man dropped to the ground and covered his head in an attempt to hide under the white fabric.

“All units move in!” Dominic ordered, the infantry wasted no time in kicking in the doors, the soldiers on the roof pulled open the roof access and began filtering down the top steps.

“Flashbang!” Someone shouted inside before there was a loud bang, followed by assault rifle fire. “Main office clear!” Dominic climbed out of his turret and made his way down onto the ground beside the hiding EOL trooper, there was more gunfire from inside, followed by eerie silence. Dominic drew his revolver from his holster and looked down at the man on the ground.

“Don’t move, by now there’s a sniper with a shot on you.” He said simply before he started approaching the front door, he took cover on the edge and cleared his throat. “What’s going on in there!? Report!”

“All clear!” Shouted a voice from inside as a couple soldiers walked out. “Need medics… It’s a mess in there.” One of them said, a couple seconds later a pair if soldiers passed with one of their comrades using them to support his walking. Dominic looked at the other tanks and waved the signal for medics before turning to enter the building. He slipped his revolver into the holster as he entered the dark building, he passed a few more wounded being helped out before finally stopping in a large room that had been at one point the main office. It had been converted into a dormitory for the EOL troops with cots and sleeping bags spread about. To the side was the jail cells, that’s where more than a few soldiers seemed to be standing.

Dominic approached them, stepping over numerous dead EOL soldiers. He didn’t really notice at first, but it looked like they had been shooting at each other. Once he arrived at the jail cell he realized what had drawn so much attention, inside were at least ten corpses. They were thin and poorly dressed, their hands had been tied behind their back and they’d been blindfolded. The EOL’s slaves had been executed, that had been the initial screaming, and the rest had been the EOL forces turning on one another.

The man shook his head quietly before clearing his throat, the soldiers looked at him with a bit of surprise.

“Get them out of there… No, on second thought, have whatever civilians we’ve captured get them out of there, and dig their graves.” Dominic ordered sternly as he continued looking at the dead bodies. “Let them see what their Empire has built itself on.” One of the soldiers saluted before Dominic left the building, outside he found at least two platoon leaders waiting for him. “Report.”

“We’ve secured Objective Echo, sir. Minimal casualties were sustained, two dead, one wounded.” The first said after snapping to attention. “The building’s stock of liquors is surprisingly intact, we’re having them placed under guard for now.”

“Good.” Dominic said quietly as he looked platoon leader up and down, a stocky young man with glasses and freckles. “I want eyes on the civilians at all times, you never know what kind of plans they have for us.” The platoon leader nodded and saluted before rushing off, Dominic looked to the second one. “Report.”

“We’ve picked up fifteen prisoners of war, sir. They’re demanding to speak with you.” The platoon leader reported, Dominic rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Process them and evacuate them through the portal as usual.” He commanded, the platoon leader nodded and rushed off to carry out the orders as well. Dominic somewhat envied the POWs, they were going to get to see the world that he had come to call home while he was stuck in the wasteland that was the place of his birth. The next couple meetings went similarly, reports continued flooding in even after he had gotten into his tank and was on his way back to the new base. A group of four tanks and fifty soldiers had been left to guard the town, considering they had a force multiplier of better tanks Dominic figured they would fare far better than the EOL had.

Dominic reclined against the back of the turret, switching channels on the radio to the now familiar ‘Ghost Peak Radio’. To his surprise it seemed that news of the sudden arrival of tanks had already made its way to the anchor, as well as the fact that most of the crews and New American forces were ponies, diamond dogs, changelings, or griffons.

”-continue our coverage of the latest faction to make itself known in the wasteland. Known now as the New American Expeditionary Force, we’ve learned that this strange well equipped military group is from an entirely different dimension! Furthermore it seems that this dimension contains some of the things the EOL claims are real, however, it’s believed they aren’t happy how they’ve been portrayed here.” The familiar polish accent of the woman on the radio announced, Dominic sighed faintly as he enjoyed the broadcast, her voice was somewhat soothing considering how bloody the battle had been.

”Hold on one second… I’ve just been informed the New American’s have just retaken a town in their area of control, it’s speculated that this attack was a practice assault for what could possibly be an invasion of Denver or Golden!” Dominic sighed again, this time in annoyance, it seemed everyone and their brother were able to relay his every move to that radio station, and then it was practically gift wrapped and delivered to the enemy.  ”I hope that whoever is command is listening to this. A lot of people are counting on you, whoever you are. My friends here in the NC have selected a little song, this one’s dedicated to all the EOL bullies about to learn just how much power they really have.” The song came on a few seconds later, Dominic found himself oddly smiling at it.

“You humans have weird music.” Scribs commented from the front of the tank, the reporter had been very quiet for the most part ever since they had come through the portal, constantly writing away in his numerous notebooks. Dominic had forgotten he was there half the time with how quiet he was.

“We’ve been around a long time, we’d have to stray into weird territory eventually.” Dominic said with a shrug as he continued listening to the song. “Besides, this isn’t even close to weird. You want weird you should listen to that ‘Avant garde’ shit, it’s fucking stupid.”

“We have avant garde stuff in Equestria.” Scribs replied without looking up from his notebook. “I wouldn’t call it stupid, just… Different.” Dominic scowled and rolled his eyes. “You care to offer a rebuttal?”

“I do.” Dominic said as he continued listening to the radio, then after a while turned it down so he could better speak with Scribs. “I personally think the word avant garde was made up by the people producing that talentless dreck so that they could be viewed as unique and different.” Dominic turned the radio off completely as he continued his mini rant, Gear Grinder and Avos did their best to stifle their giggles at how intense the man seemed to get. “It drew attention away from traditional forms of art and music such as paintings, line art, and don’t even get me started on the masterpieces of music that have been forgotten in favor of things that are ‘hip’ and ‘with it’.”

“You never had a lot of friends when you were a child, did you?” Avos asked, Dominic looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “You sound like my grandfather.” Gear Grinder began laughing again, until Dominic cleared his throat and looked over at Scribs again.

“It’s not that I hate art, far from it. I love it. That’s why I hate seeing some asshole vomit paint onto a canvas and call it art.” Dominic crossed his arms and leaned against the back of the turret again, all the while Scribs kept writing his notes and papers. “Equestria has some nice art. I mean, I don’t like Celestia, but whoever did the paintings in her office was a talented motherfucker.”

“Sir, hate to break up your critique, but there’s more reports for you on the radio.” Gear Grinder cut in, Dominic sighed and reached up to change frequencies once again. It was the same sort of reporting and information giving as before, vital to the war effort but boring nonetheless. There was one thing he looked forwards to, and that was getting home to see Maria. He was going to take her on the most romantic date he could in the wastes, as going to New Liberty through the portal would be a misuse of military equipment. There wasn’t going to be a damn thing anyone could do to stop him.

“Hit the gas, Gear. I want to get home sometime this month.” Dominic said quietly as he looked out one of the view slits.

[♠]

Luna had been busy once again, and for once it had nothing to do with the border tension. The portal had been opened two days ago and through it had come a litany of refugees and POWs, Luna was swamped with a sea of paperwork. Sonar, oddly enough, was having more and more trouble performing her duties as Acting President. She’d been home more and more often, and Luna suspected it had something to do with the wounds inflicted by Starlight Glimmer. Whatever the reason, it left Luna a very busy mare. She’d dealt with large amounts of paperwork before, she had centuries of practice, but these documents all required her to read them carefully which began eating up her time.

When she had started that morning the sun had barely risen into the sky, now it was hanging midway in the air. The first wave of paperwork was simple enough, they were all refugee documents for the large amount of liberated former slaves. Reading through what they had endured on those pages had made Luna’s skin crawl, and it was the second wave of paperwork that introduced her to those responsible. The POWs needed to be put somewhere, that meant a quick construction of a POW camp. They needed to be guarded, that had forced Luna to cut a deal with the local Mafioso-turned-Pinkerton, Johnny Gambino.

The third wave of paperwork was everything that had been set aside to deal with the first to, normal housekeeping paperwork. Luna didn’t know how many times she’d read the line in front of her, but for the life of her she couldn’t get it to stick in her brain. Considering how much she was juggling she figured that perhaps it was time to take a break, the mare pushed her chair back and stood up. Her joints popped, they felt tight from the extended period of sitting. She stretched and walked to the door and started down the steps, she passed by the desk that had been set up on the bottom floor where a diamond dog had taken the position of secretary.

The dog gave her a slight wave that she returned with a smile before stepping outside the capitol building, the bright sun caused her to flinch and raise a wing over her eyes. After a couple seconds of adjusting to the light she started walking towards the refugee center, she’d found herself drawn in by a couple of odd people there, one of whom was involved in the new fighter plane program. As she walked past a couple storefronts she could hear the whistle on the train echoing in the distance, meanwhile there were more than a few Equestrian tour groups. Even with all the tension ponies still came, Luna didn’t mind as long as they contributed to the economy. Lately there had been an increase of teenagers and high schools coming to New Liberty for class trips.

As she got closer to the edge of town she could hear yelling from one of the stores ahead of her, a door suddenly burst open and two teenaged unicorns ran out with numerous items in their magic and an absolutely furious human male chasing them with a machete in hand.

“Thieves!” He shouted menacingly, Luna’s horn glowed and plucked the items out of the two teen’s magic. They paused only for a moment to see what had happened, and upon seeing the princess, ran off without a fight. Luna briefly looked over the stolen items, they were records by the look of it, and well cared for too. She couldn’t really read some of the faded names, but it was clear that the store owner had been hoarding them for a very long time. The man approached her, panting and with his machete lax in his grip. “Thank you, Miss Luna… I normally have better security, but they’re kinda busy with the POW camp.”

“Think nothing of it, I’m sorry that you had to endure that.” Luna replied as she neatly organized the records and set them down in the man’s hands. “Say, how much are you charging for these records?” The man smiled at her faintly.

“Considering you just saved me a ton of money, have one on the house.” He said, Luna returned the smile and quietly hummed.

“I shall have to return later then, I’m a bit preoccupied at the moment.” Luna said, the man shrugged and started walking back towards his shop. Luna sighed as her thoughts turned to the two young stallions that had been involved, she couldn’t help but wonder what Equestria’s youth were becoming. With that sad thought she started walking towards the refugee center once again, everything seemed to be business as usual with regard to the other tourist groups. Luna found herself smirking as she saw the familiar tank guarding the gate to the large center, more than a few tourists were gathered around it as well.

Luna could see the guards were rather tense, as well as the armed humans that acted as a supplementary force inside the compound. Luna hoped to get past the gate without much incident, she was practically family on the other side of that gate, she’d never felt more welcome than she had when the people of Earth invited her into their homes to share a meal or to look at something they had created.

“Come on! Let us through!” Whined one of the tourists as Luna discreetly snuck around behind the group, the thestral guard on duty shook his head firmly.

“No.” He said sternly, the tourist didn’t seem to like that answer though. Luna sighed just as she was about to pass through the gate, the people on the other side already making ready to cover her entrance if the crowd spotted her. Once she was past the gate she turned and looked back at the scene, a couple of the human guards moving to stand next to her.

“They’ve been at it all day.” One of them said with a scowl as a tourist picked up a camera and snapped a couple shots of them. “I’m surprised that guy hasn’t decked any of ‘em yet. I know I would’ve.”

“It would be an international incident if he did it, and if you did it the newspapers in Equestria would love to use it as a way to portray you as savages.” Luna said with an equally annoyed tone, it thinly hid her utter contempt for how sensationalist Equestria’s news had gotten. “Is Jack here? I was hoping to talk with him.”

“Ghoul’s where he always is when he isn’t next to Sarah.” Another one of the human guards said before jerking a thumb over at the common area of the compound. Luna nodded and started walking in that direction, she could hear more yelling from the tourist but it rapidly faded into the background noise. She passed by more than a few humans doing various tasks, one had set up a makeshift blacksmith forge while another was knitting a rifle cozy. Luna didn’t question that last one. She spotted the man she was seeking, he sat at a table by himself with a chessboard in front of him, from the look of it he was losing.

“Hello, Jack.” Luna said faintly, the man briefly looked over at her for a moment and smiled faintly before going back to his chess game. “Practicing?” The man quietly nodded again as he stared closely at the board, with a sudden bit of speed the man had made numerous moves, all culminating into a victory for himself. Luna was impressed, she hadn’t seen such a skilled chess player in a century. “Mind if I play?”

“Go ahead…” Jack said quietly as he began setting up the board again, briefly looking over his shoulder for someone but sighing when he failed to see them. Luna knew just who he was looking for, the woman that had basically kept him from losing his mind, Sarah. The few words that Jack ever shared with Luna were about her, she had taken him in and cared for him at great cost to herself, even when he made mistakes. That was about all she got out of him normally, and as Luna watched him finish setting up the board, she briefly caught a glimpse of what could’ve been in his eyes. He was intelligent, he could’ve been a composer or a professor, but he’d chosen a radical life of stunts and death defying.

The man slowly rotated the board so that the white pieces were on Luna’s side, she smiled faintly and attempted to lift one with her magic. It didn’t work, it was a human chess board. Luna carefully brought her hoof up and moved one of her pawns forwards, in the distance there was the faint sound of the city but it was barely audible. Jack moved his own piece, a knight, onto the board.

“Did you know there are four hundred and eighty eight billion moves possible on a chess board after each of us has moved four times?” Jack suddenly asked, Luna shook her head with a bit of surprise before she moved another pawn. “It’s insane, isn’t it? I couldn’t believe it when I first learned.” The man moved his knight once again, placing it in position to capture one of the pawns Luna had moved. “Why did you come here?”

“I like talking with you.” Luna replied, Jack shook his head as he continued watching the board. Luna moved her bishop out onto the board, poising it to capture Jack’s knight.

“I mean what has you so fascinated by me specifically.” The man asked as he surveyed the board once again. “You talk to me most often out of all the others that I see you talk about.” Luna began to contest him. “I’ve counted, you’ve come to speak with me nine times, as opposed to the others, which is more of an average between four and four and a half.” Luna blinked a couple times as she tried to think of an answer, eventually she found it in the form of her work in the dream realm.

“I suppose you remind me of myself.” Luna replied finally, Jack was reaching to make a move, but stopped and looked at her curiously. “I used to do crazy things all the time, and it got me in a lot of trouble. I didn’t have a woman like Sarah to guide me though… I suppose I’m just curious about what could’ve been if I had.”

“Interesting…” Jack said quietly before he reached for his king and knocked it over, forfeiting the game to Luna. “I’d like a bit of time to think myself, if you don’t mind…” Luna nodded quietly and stood up, she began to walk away from the man and looked over her shoulder to see him packing up the board and tucking it under his arm. When he had that board in front of him he became an almost entirely different person, his rash abrasive tendencies seemed to disappear, replaced by a very quiet young man with seemingly a lot on his mind.

Rather than end her excursion there she decided to take a walk near the military base, the crowd at the gate of the refugee center had thinned out substantially by the time she reached it, there weren’t any tourists pestering the guards to get in either. The guards gave her their customary farewells, she returned them with a smile and a nod before setting her sights on the large military complex that had been steadily become more and more advanced. She skirted around the outskirts of the city, it gave her a far more beautiful view of the vast empty desert. Somewhere across that seemingly endless void of sand and sky was her sister, in an entirely different country.

Luna’s thoughts were shaken by the sudden sound of gunshots, she whipped her head around to find the source and realized just how long she had been walking. She was now walking past the base’s firing range, thankfully she hadn’t walked onto it. She could see thestrals, changelings, diamond dogs, griffons, and more than a few humans taking aim at targets. The Diamond dogs were armed with American made AK-47s, renamed as the ‘Standard Rifle-47, while the quadrupeds of the group had been given a modified version that afforded them maximum mobility and accuracy via a special harness.

It was a far cry from the swords and spears Luna had known as a child, and even the spellbows that had only been around for a year or so. She knew that they were preparing to make a variant of harness for aerial combat, meaning that even in the sky the menacing weapons would begin to dominate. Luna knew that it was inevitable, progress lead to change, but she couldn’t help but somewhat miss the days of her youth where she and her guards would train together. Back when her order of knights didn’t consist of a single human, and almost every stallion in the country attempted to be her suitor.

Luna sighed and shook her head, she had once again started thinking about the handsome young man beyond the portal, the one that made her heart throb even though she told herself it was wrong. She felt like she was in some sort of cheesy romance novel written by some lonely guy sitting in a cheap office chair. That was a ridiculous thought however, she stopped watching the soldiers and their guns and started walking back towards the capitol building. She momentarily paused to wonder if the latest security measures had been taken, the base and military factories had been made aware of possible espionage, but she knew very well how dedicated Chipped Blade was about military security. Luna decided to just make her way back to the office, cutting through a section of town with a lot of cafes.

Overhead the sound of droning engines let the people of the city know there was one more thing to protect them from an increasingly hostile northern neighbor. Luna had to admit the aircraft were rather sleek looking, and she was impressed to see how well they handled in simulated aerial combat. The pegasi of Equestria’s guard force were limited by their armor, weaponry, and physical endurance all at once, the airplane allowed the pilot to compartmentalize and prioritize things simpler without compromising safety. The princess was so lost in her thoughts she nearly stepped out onto the road, but she caught herself just in time to stop before an American military vehicle made its presence known. It turned out to be leading a small convoy.

Luna watched the vehicle carefully, unlike many Equestrian military vehicles, almost every American military vehicle was built to run on tracks. The reason was one of resources, metal was a lot easier to procure than rubber, especially in the American held territory. In the first vehicle she could see a couple diamond dogs armed with rifles, the second and third had very shocked humans in black uniforms looking around in awe. The final vehicle had a pair of humans in back, each standing on a mounted machine gun. Luna remembered the first day that EOL prisoners of war had come through the portal, there had nearly been a riot as human survivors tried to exact retribution. Little did the prisoners know the heavy guard was there for their own protection. Luna sighed and shook her head, with that she made her way back to her office.

Meanwhile the convoy continued its route through the city, passing by a couple more streets before turning on a road that would take them further out into the desert. The destination was around five miles outside of the city, a new complex with sprawling barbed wire fences and machine gun towers. The tracked vehicles kicked up dirt and dust as they made their way along, the prisoners got a good look at the sign that proclaimed their new home for the foreseeable future. It was officially known as POW Camp One, but the guards and commander had come up with a far more sinister and ironic name. Camp Four Chan, the literal bane of the EOL.

The convoy began to slow as it approached the gates, a mix of soldiers and individuals in suits stood there. The Camp’s guard force was supplemented by members of Johnny Gambino’s organization, which was becoming more like Pinkertons than an organized crime ring. Some of the prisoners gulped as they spotted the organized patrols and armed guards, overhead a couple griffons circled like birds of prey. Others weren’t so quick to be intimidated, even as the gates closed behind them. They had survived the battle with the American’s and their processing then been tossed through a portal, it served to boost their confidence.

“Prisoners! Dismount!” One of the diamond dogs ordered as the engines to the vehicles were cut, a couple prisoners began climbing down as a suit wearing earth pony approached with a clipboard. He waited until they had all lined up before he began the headcount, then a recount, before settling on the correct number. Fifteen had been captured, fifteen had gone through the portal, and fifteen had come to the camp. In front of the prisoners was a wooden building with a couple guards posted outside of it, the door was pushed open by a man in a suit and mirrored sunglasses. Johnny Gambino, the legendary mobster and entrepreneur, at least on this side of the portal.

“Oregano!” The man shouted as he walked towards the pony and adjusted his tie. “What’s the count?”

“All here, boss!” Oregano replied as he looked back at the prisoners, Johnny adjusted his sunglasses as he got closer before he himself walked up and down the ranks. A slight smirk played across his lips, he could understand why some cops really liked their jobs, as his position of power in the prison made him feel a tad more satisfied than what came from instilling fear into other criminal enterprises.

“Gentlemen, welcome to Camp Four Chan!” Johnny said cheerfully as he stood in front of the prisoners. “This little slice of desert paradise has been set aside just for you, courtesy of the New United States Government.” The man gestured to buildings of the prison, a couple prisoners could catch sight of some barracks located within the barbed wire, as well as what looked like a shower building, a mess hall, and various other buildings. “Let me reiterate. We are in a desert! You are surrounded by it, meaning any escape attempt would be fruitless because you’d either be eaten by wild animals, die of heatstroke, or be captured and brought back here! Or shot!”

“The war is over for you. Enjoy the time that you have left, it won’t be long until war crime tribunals are held!” Johnny pointed to the desert outside, then at the prisoners once again. “You will be assigned barracks according to rank and gender, your senior Prisoner of War officer is Commander Lynx, speak to her if you have any further questions, or if you want a nice view.”

“That’s sexist!” Shouted one of the more die hard believers among the prisoners, Johnny smiled and walked over to said prisoner.

“No, it’s my opinion.” He said simply. “That’s the beautiful thing about our country, we can say whatever the hell we want. I can call your Empress an overeating, over privileged land whale if I want, and no one can put me in prison.” The prisoner’s eyes went wide at the insult to the Empress, Johnny’s smirk only increasing. “Now… If there aren’t any more objections from the peanut gallery! Dismissed!”

Johnny pulled a cigar from his pocket and bit off the cap, then lifted it to his mouth and lit it while the guards escorted the POWs away. He puffed on it a couple times, chuckling as they got further and further away. Oregano walked up beside him and watched as well, a bit curious about what he was looking at.

“Oregano, can I confide something in you?” Johnny asked with a smirk, Oregano nodded loyally. “I love this job.”

“I like it too.” Oregano said.

“Should we get badges?” Johnny asked, he looked down at the stallion with a raised eyebrow. Oregano shrugged and the man took another puff on his cigar, the feeling of a badge did seem enticing to him, and he assumed to a number of his subordinates. It was a symbol of authority, and he knew that a symbol of authority was a hard thing to pass up. “I’ll take it up with the feds, if they say no I’ll make my own.” Oregano just nodded. “Come on, look busy, they’re paying us to guard these jokers not stand around.” Oregano nodded again and went off to find something to do, leaving Johnny to puff on his cigar. The more he saw the prisoners the more he felt an odd tingling in the back of his neck, as if by keeping them secure he was keeping Jen safe on the other side of the portal. With that motivation it would be difficult to stop him.

[♠]

Celestia quietly sat in her throne as the parade of petitioners came and went, some of them had legitimate worries. For instance her last petitioner had come to ask her for help in starting a new business, she had been happy to assist, as compared to her other petitioners they had been rather respectful. She missed them, as she was being forced to listen to another xenophobic jingoistic proclamation. Her guards had taken to stuffing their helmets with cotton balls whenever one of the petitioners would enter, she envied them greatly. Even the beautiful sunlight filtering through the stain glass windows couldn’t ease her nerves, it seemed that more and more of her subjects were hopping on a very dangerous bandwagon.

“We should not be standing for some small, unimportant, alien nation telling us what to do!” Shouted the petitioner as Celestia was forced to hear more and more of the annoying drek, he was a unicorn with a rather long mane. There had been a lot of them lately, it was their form of protesting the United States as the people there generally shaved their heads. “Princess, I demand that you do something to curtail this evil country with obvious aggressive expansionist policies! Furthermore-!”

“Enough!” Celestia finally shouted, so loud that the guards were actually able to hear her. The petitioner took a step back as the princess rose to her hooves. “For the past month I have heard nothing but ‘calls for action’ against a nation whose entire population equates to that of Manehattan!” The princess descended the steps towards the still nervous looking unicorn. “Every one of them has been filled with contradictions, racism, and outright falsehoods! Yours is no different!” The unicorn gulped as the princess stopped in front of him. “It seems that my subjects have forgotten what this forum is for. Peaceful cordial discussion of ideas and concerns.”

“I was-” The unicorn said in a small voice.

“Wasting my time!” Celestia cut him off, her nostrils flaring in annoyance. “I have had quite enough of these constant proclamations stealing away my court’s time. Get out of my sight!” The unicorn bolted out of the room as Celestia panted heavily, her guards staring at her with uncertainty. The Princess took numerous deep breaths, reigning in her anger and realizing that she had just blown up on one of her subjects. The mare shook her head at herself and looked over to her guards. “Guards-”

“Yes, Ma’am!” They all say quickly with a bit of nervousness, Celestia sighed.

“I apologize for my outburst…” She said, watching them somewhat relax. “Please… Inform any more petitioners we have that I will not be fielding any more petitions for action against the United States. Also, I’m taking a thirty minute recess.” The guards nodded, all four of them leaving the room while Celestia made her way back to her throne and sat down with a thoughtful expression. Her thoughts turned to what she was going to do about America once again, she had already made plans to construct a dozen aerial warships. Her plan to capture American weapons plans was set to go off in a week’s time, meanwhile construction of larger spellbow based weapons had commenced. The American tanks and planes were built from Equestrian native material, meaning they’d be vulnerable to magic.

“Si vis pacem, para bellum…” She said bitterly to herself, recalling the words her sister had told her all that time ago. Human words from one of Earth’s greatest fallen Empires, yet they still rang true with her. “I guess to combat a human I have to think like a human. I’d rather not have to though, perhaps if I could just… Talk with Dominic.” Celestia quietly hummed and looked towards one of the throne room’s stain glass windows, it had been installed to commemorate Luna and Celestia’s reunification. Guilt rose up in her chest, she and her sister had used to be so close, and he wasn’t about to let those years drift away.

Celestia made up her mind that she would go to New Liberty personally, even through the portal if necessary. She would see Dominic’s world, and while there, attempt to secure a peace between the two countries. She’d continue the effort to build a better military, just in case things continued to grow worse between them. With a minor bit of a plan she felt a lot better, and as the rest of her recess ticked by, she found herself relaxing back into her chair. She was actually looking forwards to the next petitioner.

[♠]

Maria quietly looked through a pair of binoculars from her prone position in the woods overlooking an unsuspecting twelve point buck. Beside her was Melissa, she was holding a captured EOL Remington hunting rifle and peering through the scope at the large elk. They had been laying prone for some time, Maria had taken the former EOL spy on as her protege and was currently teaching her the importance of patience. The woman briefly lowered her binoculars and looked over at Melissa, her breathing was slow and measured, her finger resting near, but not on, the trigger.

The woman briefly looked away from the scope to Maria, Maria gave a slow nod and Melissa took a deep breath before returning her aim to the buck. It was standing unsuspecting, leaning its head down to sip at a little stream that was swelled with the water of the spring thaw. Maria waited for the bang, her eyes watching Melissa’s finger as it twitched to and from the trigger. To her surprise Melissa’s finger left the trigger and the woman shook her head, she then proceeded to stand up. Maria’s eyes widened as the elk looked towards her protege, Melissa stared right back. After a couple seconds the elk turned and started trotting off into the woods, when it was gone Maria stood up. Melissa looked over at her apologetically.

“I’m sorry… I couldn’t…” She said quietly, looking at the ground with a bit of shame. Maria reached out and put her hand on Melissa’s shoulder.

“It’s okay…” She said as she looked around them, she let out a bit of a choked sigh. “I’ve gotten so used to looking down a scope I kinda forgot how pretty it is here.” She smiled faintly at Melissa before pulling the woman into an almost sisterly hug. “I know that when you really need to you’ll take the shot, this just wasn’t that day.” She broke off the hug and picked up her binoculars before adjusting the Mosin she had strapped across her back. “Let’s head back, they probably finished the attack by now.”

Melissa nodded and slipped her rifle over her shoulder, the two of them began walking through the woods towards where they had hidden their means of transportation. The pair was relatively silent, it was a comfortable one that didn’t feel out of place. The trees creaked in the wind, birds chirped in the distance, the whole world felt at peace. Maria hoped that there were places just like it on the other side of the portal, otherwise she’d have to get Dominic to open a portal just for her to come and visit, though she supposed Equestria would have plenty of its own pretty places.

Her mind drifted to Princess Luna, a slight pit forming in her stomach, she knew very much that the Princess still had feelings for Dominic. That was fine, Maria had accepted the possibility that a monogamous relationship was pretty much obsolete in the post infection world. She couldn’t help but admit she fantasized about the princess herself, in her very deep, private thoughts. Now it seemed that it was closer to becoming more of a reality than ever before.

Melissa was off in her own world, much like Maria, she was thinking of the things to come now that the portal had opened again. She too was fascinated by Princess Luna, she had tried to be like her for the past four years of her life. It was likely the Princess wouldn’t think so highly of her, she had after all been impersonating her for a while. She at least hoped Luna was as forgiving as she tried to be. Melissa and Maria continued walking, not really paying too much attention to their surroundings. If there were any infected around they’d be able to hear them before they saw them, Maria for a brief moment thought she caught a different sound on the wind. Hooves kicking up dirt, seconds later the two of them were surrounded by war cry’s.

“Shit!” Melissa said nervously as she started going for her rifle, Maria put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her, calmly scanning the trees as she spotted several figures mounted on horse back. After a couple seconds the shouting stopped and the horsemen approached, they wore rather tribal looking garb over their faded regular clothes. Bows and arrow quivers were set over their backs, and each of them had some form of fur garment on their head. Maria straightened up and put herself between the lead rider and Melissa.

Melissa was surprised when she heard Maria say something in a different language, it sounded very strange to her, but the man on horseback seemed to understand. He spoke in the same language to the others around them, the riders seemed to relax and become far less intimidating.

“I should have recognized you sooner, Mosin Maiden.” The man on the lead horse said, appraising both of them for a moment. “I was under the impression you hunted these woods alone, we had worried someone had encroached your territory.” Maria shook her head and gestured to Melissa, smiling faintly.

“No, Standing Bear. This is just my… Student.” Maria replied, the man raised an eyebrow before shrugging. “I appreciate you coming though, I’m glad to see the EOL hasn’t driven all of the Native Confederacy out of here.”

“After we’ve only just reclaimed our land? They would have to try harder than to send poorly trained thugs.” ‘Standing Bear’ announced proudly, he smiled and waved at Melissa before looking back at Maria. “From what the radio says, you fellows are making headway in the fight as well, though I’m not sure about the portals and the aliens…”

“It’s true.” Maria said simply, Standing Bear hummed again. “It’s very complicated to explain.”

“I suppose so.” The man nodded before whistling and gesturing to his colleagues, Melissa watched them begin to trot away. “Perhaps another time, when Denver is liberated? You can tell me then.” Maria nodded, then paused.

“It’s a deal, but I need your help.” She said, Standing Bear smiled and leaned forwards. “I need you to get in touch with the chiefs of the NC, we’ve been trying to the conventional way, but you know how stubborn they are.”

“Aye, don’t worry. I’ll be happy to contact them. Until we meet again, Mosin Maiden.” The man flicked the reigns on his horse and shouted before he rode it off to join his fellows. Maria sighed and rubbed the back of her neck, then looked over at Melissa who was very much on edge.

“With a reputation like me, I tend to get some perks from the NC.” Maria said quietly as she began walking again, acting as if nothing had just happened. “We’re technically in their territory, but I’ve killed so many EOL they gave me this little strip of land for myself.” Melissa just nodded, still stunned by what had just happened. “That being said, the NC isn’t very receptive of messages from the CNG if they don’t involve trade agreements. Ironically.” The two women continued their trek through the woods, Melissa found herself growing a bit more uneasy at the possibility that they could be being watched from a distance.

Eventually the two of them happened upon a familiar bit of trees beside a rather old road, there was a camouflage net covering something and hiding it from anyone that happened to pass by. Maria approached the net and pulled it back, revealing a rather old looking Ford pick up truck. It had been captured from the EOL, and Maria had borrowed it for the sake of the trip. Though now that the EOL was on the run she supposed she would need it to keep pace with them. She had a reputation to live up to, after all. Melissa walked around the side of the truck to the passenger door while Maria tossed the camouflage net into the bed of the truck.

After the net was secured Maria secured her rifle in the truck’s gun rack and climbed into the cab beside Melissa before she pulled the keys from her pocket, she slipped them into the ignition and turned them. The engine turned over and rumbled to life, the lights on the dashboard flashed for a couple seconds while the CD player turned on and picked up playing where it had left off earlier that day. Maria and Melissa had both agreed that Pink Floyd was awesome, and thankfully they’d been able to find a bootlegged CD with there best songs on it.

The soft sound of ‘Echoes’ played in the background as Maria pulled out onto the road, which had started to become overgrown from years of disuse, before she rolled down the windows for the coming ride. She smiled faintly and turned up the music while Melissa looked out her own window. They passed by a couple cars on the side of the road, the occasional rotting corpse, and numerous green trees. It was oddly serene, all things considered. Maria, out of habit, flicked the turn signal on as they came close to an intersection.

Maria made the turn down the road, quietly humming along to herself as they continued on in silence, Melissa’s thoughts began drifting once again to the portal that had been opened. She couldn’t get over just how many tanks and soldiers had come through it, and more importantly, she couldn’t comprehend how the EOL could hope to stand up against them. At the same time she sensed there was a reason so many of them had been ordered through, as well as numerous other ones that would come soon that went beyond simply destroying the EOL.

The woman looked over at Maria, the sniper’s own eyes seemed to show she was thinking deeply as well. Oddly enough it was about the same thing Melissa had in mind, though her thoughts were more informed. She’d taken the occasional peek at Dominic’s ‘War Plan Pink’, and she’d learned that by bringing the tanks and soldiers through the portal Dominic was protecting them against Equestrian Attack. A war with Equestria would be hard fought, they had a much larger army and budget, it would need to be waged sparingly. Meaning that the army would need to make a tactical withdrawal from New Liberty and regroup in Changeling territory before it could do anything.

The rest of the drive went on in a rather chilled out silence, both Maria and Melissa relaxing with their own turbulent thoughts for the future. For neither of them was it a new sensation, and neither of them had any illusions that it would be the last time. After nearly an hour of driving and silently listening to the music the gates to the New American base came into view. A tank was parked blocking the road, the crew of which was obviously changelings. Maria slowed down as she approached the tank, one of the changelings came forwards and examined her for a moment.

“Scorpio.” Maria said neutrally, it was a special code word that indicated to the guards who she was. The changeling nodded and turned to another changeling sitting in the tank’s driver seat with the hatch open. The two spoke a language that sounded very similar to japanese before the driver started up the engine and backed the tank out of the way. As the tank moved out of the way Maria could see the full scope of the new base, it had changed a lot in a short time. The parking lot had been emptied of its abandoned cars and replaced with a bit of a shanty town much like the one that resided on Pikes Peak.

Survivors and traders had started to set up shop, after being cleared by security personnel, and the building was becoming a bit of a hub for survivors in the area. The RV that had once roamed the wastes to sell food had parked in a corner of the parking lot that was particularly well guarded by sniper cover. Of course half of the lot had been allocated to American military vehicles, and there were plenty of them. Some were tanks and transports built on the other side of the portal, others were human vehicles that had been captured or donated and were gradually being painted olive drab.

What was more, it seemed that people had taken a new flag for their new bastion, it was rather complex looking from a distance, and bore more than three colors. Dominic hadn’t ordered it be taken down, though he did make sure that the stars and stripes flew higher than it. Maria knew he was looking for a way to increase the legitimacy of his government, and that would probably mean a new flag, though she suspected he still held a lot of love for the old one. The woman pulled the truck into the military section of the parking lot, parking on the very end before turning off the engine and stepping out. She grabbed her gear from within, Melissa did the same before she too got out and closed her door.

“I’m going to go and see Twilight Sparkle, I hear she’s going back through the portal today.” Melissa said as she started walking alongside Maria on their way to the front door of the base, Maria nodded quietly as she adjusted the rifle slung over her shoulder.

“Hopefully Dominic isn’t too tired out from the mission, I was hoping to get a little alone time with him myself.” Maria added, Melissa giggled faintly which caused Maria to look at her with an eyebrow. “What? I mean so we can just… You know, be together.”

“Sure you do.” Melissa said, still smirking like a cheshire cat. “I’m sure you’re ‘together’ all the time.” Maria gave her protege a smack on the shoulder and shook her head.

“Why is everyone so interested in our sex life? Did Jen put you up to this?” Maria asked with a bit of annoyance, Melissa shook her head. “Look, we just… Haven’t yet. Okay? Is that alright with you miss ‘Lunar sex goddess’?”

“Promise you’ll tell me when you do?” Melissa asked, Maria blushed furiously and shook her head in annoyance. The two of them were closer to the front door, passing by a couple vendors that attempted to sell them varying knick knacks in trade or in American gold coin that had become a new form of super currency. “Come on!”

“You realize I’ve killed over three hundred people with this rifle, Melissa. Right?” Maria simply said, Melissa instantly shut up afterwards. The guards standing in front of the building opened the door for the two familiar faces, they stepped into the large store complex and started to separate. “I’ll catch you later, ya nut.” Melissa just waved before she disappeared on her own path to meet up with the pony princess one last time.

Maria went her own way, walking past more than a few new recruits. She could tell because unlike her they were wearing olive drab uniforms similar to those of the thestrals, changelings, and now diamond dogs that were coming through the portal. They all gave her snappy salutes, obviously very jazzed to be a part of the ‘good guys’. She returned the salutes with a faint smile, it just went to show just how confident people were in Dominic. Maria eventually came upon the door that lead to their makeshift apartment, beyond which she could smell the faint scent of old paper and could hear the soft sound of music.

She pushed the door open, expecting to see the man still in his battle fatigues and pouring over the maps for ‘War Plan Pink’ as he usually was. To her surprise he was reclined on the couch, wearing a rather tight t-shirt and fatigue pants, as well as muddy combat boots. A pair of speakers had been set up on the table beside him, running off the base generator and playing the soft tones of what sounded like Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll meet again’. The man turned and looked at her with a bit of surprise.

“Hey! Back already?” He asked as he stood up and smiled, Maria nodded as she entered and set her gear down. Dominic walked towards her as she finished putting down her gear, meeting her just as she turned to face him. “I’m glad you are… I was worried someone would come and grab me with another crisis before you got back.” Maria leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, both of them smiling faintly at one another.

“Well fret no more, I’m here, for the next ten minutes until you’re inevitably called away for some urgent meeting.” Maria replied, Dominic shook his head and frowned quietly at that remark. “I’m… Sorry. That came out wrong.”

“Don’t worry about it. You’re right, I get pulled away too much, and it’s not fair to you.” Dominic rubbed the back of his neck before he smiled at her. “That why I’m exercising a bit of my power that a rarely use, and I’m going to let other people take care of things unless it’s an absolute disaster.”

“Oh? What’s the occasion?” Maria asked with a bit of surprise as a smile crept up over her own lips, Dominic just shrugged.

“I can’t make big decisions if I’m overburdened, and considering I just secured a town today, I’d say I’ve earned a tiny bit of a break.” The man wandered over to the table and rolled up ‘War Plan Pink’. “Which means no worrying about sunny butt, no worrying about the EOL, and a wonderfully romantic dinner with my lovely femme fatale sniper girlfriend.” Maria watched him secure the map in a very safe spot under the bed before he walked back over to her. “That is, if she’ll have me?”

“You’re not as smooth as you think you are… You don’t need to sound all fancy.” Maria said with a faint smirk before she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “You just have to say ‘Hey, let’s go do something romantic later’ and I’ll probably say yes.”

“Hey, let’s go do something romantic later.” Dominic replied, Maria smiled even wider and kissed him full on the lips. The man put a hand behind her head, pulling her closer to him in the process before hesitantly breaking it off. “Is that a yes?”

“Let me double check.” Maria said quickly before kissing him again, this time Dominic began to chuckle.

“And you say I’m not smooth.” The two of them separated from one another, each staring into the others eyes for a couple seconds before Dominic nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “So what should we do? It’s still a little early in the day for us to go anywhere.” Maria shrugged and walked over to the couch, she then sat down and patted the place beside her with a warm smile.

“Why don’t we do nothing? Why don’t we just sit here together.” She suggested, Dominic smiled faintly and sat where she’d patted, putting an arm around her and pulling her a bit closer. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed quietly, the combined warmth of their bodies gave them both a comfortable feeling as they sat in silence. The music had come to an end, and so the only noise was the normal hushed hustle and bustle of the military base around them. Dominic felt his eyes slowly getting heavier, and before he knew it he’d started quietly napping.

Maria looked at him with a smile, cuddling a bit closer into his chest and feeling the toned muscles that lay beneath the tight shirt he wore. She blushed faintly at how firm they felt, it was obvious he had been training for months to come through the portal, and his swordsmanship training had toned him in all the right ways. The woman watched his chest slowly move up and down for a few minutes, she enjoyed the feeling of his arm around her even if he was asleep. Her thoughts turned to what was to come later, there weren’t a lot of ‘Romantic’ places in the wastes. To her sitting on the couch with him, even if he was napping, was romantic enough.

Before she knew it her own eyes were starting to get heavy, the rhythmic rise and fall of Dominic’s was lulling her into a nap of her own. Maria faintly smiled and embraced the feeling of sleep, eventually letting her own eyes close. The room became silent as the two of them embraced on the couch, their heads eventually resting together. It was a peaceful slumber, a natural one spurred on by an overwhelming amount of comfort and a small amount of fatigue. The other times they had fallen asleep together it had been nice, but those had been out of necessity to rest for the coming trials of the next day.

The two of them curled up against one another, eventually ending up laying on the couch with Dominic behind Maria and his hands on her hips. Both of them smiled faintly, even as the base bustled around them. Thankfully it seemed that the normal problems had abated to grant Dominic and Maria a small respite. As hours went by Maria and Dominic continued laying there, snoozing peacefully until the sun began to set. It was at that point that Maria and Dominic awoke within a couple minutes of each other, a faint blush sudden spread across both their faces. Maria could feel something poking her, and it wasn’t Dominic’s sword.

“Is that…?” Maria asked softly, Dominic could only nod through his embarrassment.

“S-Sorry… It just… Happened.” He said quickly as he nervously started to get up, Maria was blushing furiously once again. Dominic got off the couch nervously and walked towards the table. “I’m really sorry… I didn’t realize…”

“It’s okay, Dominic…” Maria said as she sat up, still blushing like a tomato. “I mean, it was bound to happen, right?” Dominic slowly nodded and looked back at her, doing his best to not make it anymore awkward than it already was. “Come on, let’s move past it, alright?”

“Yeah…” The man nervously moved back to the couch and sat down. “I just had this whole romantic thing planned out and I worried I ruined it.” Maria shook her head and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.

“Well I’m still here, obviously, so…” She said with a reassuring smile, Dominic seemed to lighten up after that. “What’s your plan?” The commander hummed for a moment before he leaned back against the couch.

“Well, I don’t know if you’re aware or not, but a couple of the boys set up an officer’s club in the store’s old main office.” Dominic said, he looked over at Maria with a bit of an odd expression. “I hear it’s pretty snappy, dress uniforms and everything.”

“You haven’t been there?” Maria asked with a bit of surprise, she hadn’t even known such a place existed, but she was even more surprised Dominic hadn’t gone.

“I’m not really an officer.” Dominic replied, Maria gave him a flat look. “Okay, so I am, but I never saw myself as one. However, I heard it’s pretty nice, and figured we’d make a date of it.” Maria shrugged and rubbed the back of her head, her short hair not even long enough to move through the gaps between her fingers.

“It sounds alright enough, but what would I wear? I don’t have anything fancy, just my fatigues.” Maria replied, Dominic hummed quietly. “Did you do something?”

“I may have traded a box of cigars for something else…” Dominic said with a small smile, Maria felt a bit of happiness well up inside her. “It’s over by the bed, under the pillows.” The woman quickly stood up and walked over to the bed, she pulled the pillows aside and gasped. She held up a rather simple looking gown, it was a sort of raspberry red and a faint floral pattern. “Not necessarily high fashion, but it’s the best I could do…”

“I don’t care about fashion, Dominic…” Maria said quietly as she took in the gift, she set it down and walked over to give him a tight hug. “No one’s given me a gift like this in years… Thank you.” Dominic returned the hug with a smile, he was glad to give someone he cared about a reason to smile. It helped put the thoughts of the gruesome battle earlier in the day to bed, leaving him feeling a bit more fulfilled. “I’m going to get ready, do you mind waiting outside?”

“Not at all…” The man finished the hug before he turned and started walking to the door. “I’m going to need the room next, I’ve gotta get in my dress uniform.” Maria just nodded and went back to the bed, Dominic opened the door and stepped outside. He leaned against the wall that had been set up for privacy sake and watched as soldiers and mechanics wandered to and fro in front of him. As he stood there alone he felt the thoughts of the day creeping back to him, the memory of the dead bodies was still fresh. He could faintly recall the smell of phosphorus burning and screams of agony as the minutes continued to tick by, spindly burning people with charred flesh staring right back at him.

Dominic shook his head rapidly before taking a couple deep breaths, the thoughts receded into obscurity once again. The man turned and looked at the door, wondering just how long he had zoned out and if Maria was close to finishing with her preparations. Soon enough the door opened, Dominic took that as his cue to step inside. To his stunned surprise Maria looked like she had had full access to makeup, though in actuality she had picked up a thing or two from a couple of the less reputable women in the camp. The dress complimented her quite nicely, it wasn’t an exact fit but it was pretty damn close.

“Holy shit…” Dominic said quietly, Maria just smirked and used her finger to lift his chin.

“My eyes are up here, Dominic.” She said simply, Dominic chuckled faintly.

“I know.” He said cheekily, Maria gave him a playful swat on the shoulder before she walked to the door.

“I’ll wait for you to get in your dress uniform. Don’t keep me waiting too long, I might end up going with one of those cute new recruits.” Maria said snarkily, Dominic just nodded before he watched her close the door behind her. The man walked over to a wooden trunk that was seated at the end of the bed, his footlocker. He flipped it open and reached inside to pull a very clean forest green uniform from within, it was still wrapped in the plastic protective wrapper. He’d never worn it before, in fact he was one of few to even be issued a dress uniform. They were going to be issued as soon as there was sufficient stockpile of regular uniforms.

Dominic removed the uniform from the wrapper and examined it closely, the buttons were silver and the color and trim were mocha brown. The man undid his boots and slipped out of his current pants before quickly pulling on the uniform pants, an indigo stripe ran down the pants leg. He buttoned it up and slipped into a pair of black jackboots that were shined properly, the man then put on his dress shirt, the same mocha color as the trim which he promptly tucked into his pants, and a black tie. Finally came the green jacket, it had a couple pins on the collar indicating his rank as well as two campaign pins over the left breast pocket.

The man ran a hand down to smooth out and wrinkles in his jacket before looking back to his footlocker, there was one more piece that he’d been somewhat neglecting. A peaked officer’s cap that was the same color as his uniform, unlike the one Discord had given him this one was an official American cap. Dominic reached down and picked it up before he dusted it off and set it on his head. He took a deep breath to build his confidence before walking to the door and stepping outside, Maria was still there waiting for him. She looked him up and down for a moment before smiling.

“You look good in that.” She said as she walked up and adjusted his tie. “Very official, like a big bear.” Dominic smirked quietly at the compliment before he looked towards the front of the Costco-turned-military complex. “Now, come on. I’m sure you’re not too happy to be wearing that. Let’s go.”

“Alright.” Dominic offered her his arm in a gentlemanly fashion, Maria accepted it with a smile and the two of them began walking towards the front of the store. Many of the soldiers they passed snapped to attention, whether they were in recruit uniform or not, they hadn’t ever seen their commander in chief wearing that uniform before, meaning it was probably an important occasion. 

Dominic had to admit that made him feel good, but he knew to keep that feeling in check. The jackboots were a thestral tradition, Dominic found that they were very much like the Austro-Hungarians or Prussians in that regard. On more than one occasion they had tried to make the ‘goosestep’ the official march of the American military. Granted, Dominic knew it wasn’t the Nazis that invented it, but he still doubted it was a good idea.

Maria was happy to see the look of confidence on Dominic’s face, years ago she had been afraid of what the military would do to him when he joined, but seeing him now she had to admit she might have put her money on the wrong outcome. Of course, Dominic was in charge of an entire country rather than a normal foot soldier, she supposed some of what she was seeing was a front to increase morale. As the two of them continued walking she could hear Dominic humming a soft tune to himself, one she recognized and started to giggle at.

“Is that that Swedish song that had the weird animated girls dancing?” Maria asked with a bit of a surprised chuckle. Dominic looked at her with a raised eyebrow as he continued humming it. “Oh my god! It is! That’s that carmel song, right!?”

“I can neither confirm nor deny that.” Dominic said quietly as they got closer to the door to the officers club, atleast, if the sign on it was anything to go by. “Besides, I figure they probably won’t have any good music playing in there, may as well prepare myself with something stuck in my head.” Maria just shook her head quietly as Dominic paused in front of the door and opened it for Maria, she stepped inside and he followed after her. The two of them walked down a short hallway and then up a flight of steps where they found a thestral lieutenant standing in front of another door, he sudden snapped to full attention as he spotted the man approaching.

“C-C-Commander, sir!” He said nervously, Dominic gave a dismissive wave of his hand.

“As you were, soldier.” The commander ordered, the thestral nodded. “I take it this is the officer’s club, yes?” Once again the thestral nodded, nervously looking Dominic up and down before his eye’s shifted over to Maria. He, like many of his comrades, were fascinated by the human female form, and seeing a woman not wearing fatigues was a rarity. “Lieutenant.” The thestral took a bit too long to respond. “Lieutenant, are you eying up my girlfriend?!”

“Nein, herr commander!” The soldier snapped to attention once again, Dominic was giving him a rather scathing glare. Maria was honestly a tad flattered, it wasn’t often that a person of an entirely different species found her attractive enough to risk being caught staring in front of his highest commanding officer.

“Good. Please, open the door.” Dominic said as he felt a reassuring pat on his arm from Maria, the lieutenant rapidly reached open and opened the door as ordered. Dominic and Maria stepped in, leaving the stallion to worry that perhaps his time was just about up. He closed the door behind them, leaving Dominic and Maria to take in the officer’s club. 

There was a billiards table in the center of the room, as well as a couple tables that had been set up along the sides. A two way mirror looked out over the internals of the base, and a bar had been set up out of the wood from numerous old pallets. Inside there were two thestrals, a diamond dog, three griffons, and two changelings, as well as a trio of humans sitting at one table by themselves. There were a couple seconds where no one noticed Dominic had entered, then a changeling turned their head and their eyes went wide. Before they could speak Dominic brought a finger to his lips, the changeling nodded and went back to his game of cards with his friend.

Dominic could make out the faint sound of upbeat music playing, his head turned to the bar where someone had set up a record player designed to look like an old radio. The man walked over to an open table with Maria and sat down, the room was dimly lit with strings of christmas lights while small tea candles were set up on the individual tables. Dominic removed his officer’s cap and set it down on the table, his hand running over his short mohawk. The lights reminded him of the bar where he had hidden for so long, it felt so long ago that he was scavenging the ruins of his hometown for food.

“This is nice…” Maria said quietly as she looked around, Dominic nodded and leaned back in his seat. As he did so the man behind the bar walked over, still not realizing that the president was sitting at the table, he pulled a pen and pad of paper from his pocket.

“Good evening, miss and…” The man began, nearly dropping his pen as he saw Dominic looking at him quietly. The barkeep wore mostly normal fatigues, though he wore a Hawaiian shirt rather than the olive drab blouse. “S-Sir. Wh-What can I get for you?”

“Could we get a look at some sort of menu? This is the first time I’ve been here.” Dominic said in a genuinely curious voice, the man nodded quickly before taking off to grab a couple menus. He returned quickly and set them down before wandering back to the bar to let them have some time to choose. “I’m surprised how well these menus look, they almost seem professional… Leather backing and everything.”

“I think they might’ve taken them from a local restaurant and just taped their stuff over the old stuff.” Maria replied as she skimmed through hers, there was actually quite a bit available, of course it was all paid for in trade of some kind. “Still, it’s a nice change of pace from the other restaurants out in the wastes. I think I’ll try the… Elk steak.”

“Sounds good, I’ll have that too…” Dominic replied as he set his menu down, Maria hummed a couple more seconds as she continued looking over the menu before she too set it down on top of Dominic’s. The barkeep came back over and quickly took their orders, once he had left the two of them remained comfortably quiet. That was, until Dominic sighed quietly. “I can’t stop thinking about the battle plans, this is supposed to be our night but those stupid plans just…”

“It’s alright, Dominic. I get it.” Maria replied with a faint smile, she reached over and gently squeezed his hand. “The fact that you put so much effort into making this a nice night isn’t lost on me.” Dominic nodded slowly, then looked off to the side. “Hey, I was thinking maybe you and I could talk a little more about what’s on the other side of the portal.”

“Sure, what do you want to know?” Dominic asked, his attention rapidly shifting back to Maria. The woman bit her lip for a moment, then hummed.

“Well, I’m curious about Luna. I know, that’s all I ask about, but I’m just curious about her.” Maria stated, Dominic paused in thought. Maria had certainly been interested in the Lunar Princess, and for reasons that Dominic was rather unsure of. The more she asked about Luna the more he thought that perhaps there was some underlying feeling or motive, not that he had a problem with that, whatever made them happy was alright with him.

“I’ve pretty much told you all I know about her myself, honestly.” Dominic admitted with sincerity, Maria seemed a bit surprised by that. The man nervously rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what else he could say. “Perhaps you want to hear a bit more about New Liberty? It’s where we’re going to be living when all this is over.” Maria nodded. “Well, it’s got a beautiful view of the desert, I’ve made sure that view is preserved that’s how beautiful it is. You can just see for miles and miles, it’s peaceful…”

“I was never one for deserts myself.” Maria said quietly. “It’s easier to camouflage myself in a forest than it is in a desert.” She paused quietly as she thought more about what Dominic had said. “Then again, I probably won’t need to be hiding. The war will be over… I could maybe start a little garden.” Maria hummed softly, smiling even wider as she thought of a world where the war with the EOL had ended. “Do you think we could have a barbecue too?”

“We can have a whole damn restaurant if you want.” Dominic said, a smile crossing his face as well. “As for me, I think I’m gonna take up being a pilot… They won’t need me commanding tanks forever.” Maria giggled softly at the thought of Dominic in an airplane, she knew that that would be no easy feet, as he had a rather strong fear of falling. “Maybe I’ll start with motorcycles and work my way up the ladder of dangerous vehicles.”

“That’s a better idea, I could get one too.” Maria said, she and Dominic continued smiling as they looked at one another. A creeping thought entered Dominic’s mind, one that made his smile a little more forced than genuine. Equestria was becoming more and more of a threat, deep down he feared that a world without war would have to wait. Even with America’s great military technology, the numbers didn’t stack up. Equestria could fund a longer war, it could field a larger force, and even with the force multiplier of technology and training America would have to defeat a demigod on top of all the other forces.

Seeing the hope in Maria’s eyes gave him a reason to make sure that there was never a time where she, or any other American, would fear the northern nation. Whether by peace or strength, he would see to it the United States was safe, even if it meant laying down his own life. Before he could say anything more the barkeeper returned with two plates and set them down, revealing some very good looking venison steaks. The aroma of which made Maria’s mouth water, Dominic had to admit he was looking forward to something that wasn’t a spam ration.

“Say, how come you can serve this stuff to us, but not the other people?” Maria suddenly asked, the barkeeper paused for a moment before smiling.

“See, whatever people pay here goes towards trading for blankets and other basic survival supplies. It’s an idea that I’m happy to say I came up with.” The barkeeper replied, Dominic smirked quietly before picking up his fork and knife. “Of course, since you two are pretty well known, you don’t have to pay.”

“Nonsense.” Dominic said as he cut a bit of the steak off with his knife. “I’ve had so many people offer me free food I’m surprised my uniform hasn’t gotten tighter. I’m paying.” The barkeeper smiled faintly before nodding and excusing himself, Maria began to eat her own meal as well. She hummed happily at the taste, ever since the EOL had put an end to her breakfast outtings she had been dying for fresh food. “It’s good, ja?”

“Yeah.” Maria replied between bites of her food, the rest of their date went rather well, occasionally they’d comment on the decor of the room or other topics of interest. After an hour or so they stood up to leave, Dominic was sure to leave some gold coinage as payment, before he and Maria exited the club and began making their way home. Dominic was feeling pretty good about how things had went, especially if the way Maria was squeezing his hand was any indication. The skylights overhead indicated that the sun had set and night had descended across the land, there were far less people wandering about.

When they reached their apartment Dominic opened the door for Maria and stepped in behind her, the man tossed his officer’s cap onto the couch and began undoing his jacket’s buttons. Maria watched him for a couple seconds before she cleared her throat, the man paused and looked over at her. Before he knew it she had approached him and pulled him into a tight kiss, one that she wouldn’t relent in. To his surprise he felt her hand slip up his abdomen, it began undoing the rest of the buttons. Once they had been undone Dominic shed the jacket, once again he was surprised to feel her hands starting to untuck his shirt. Realization hit him like a ton of bricks and he put his hands on her waist, pulling her close against his body.

The kiss grew more passionate with each passing second, the two of them slowly making their way to the bed, all the while bits of clothing were being tossed aside. Maria felt Dominic’s grip shift as the two of them laid down on the bed, still kissing as their bodies grew warmer and more excited.
> Chapter 12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sound of tank engines echoed through the trees, the rumble was enough to scare off roosting birds and shake the morning dew from the pine needles. The sky was red as the sun crested the mountainous horizon, wispy clouds extended in numerous directions and bore silent witness to the grey stream of armor that was winding its way through the deserted roadways. At the head of the column was the familiar ‘Red Maiden’, named so for the scantily clad woman painted on the front, her only covering being a Mosin sniper rifle and some crimson ribbons.

Dominic adjusted his helmet as they rolled further into EOL territory, the time had come for the fight to be taken to the enemy once and for all. As the trees thinned out, Dominic found himself looking at more and more abandoned houses from his seat in the turret. Some of them had been ransacked, some had been burned to cinders, and some had barricades over the doors and windows. A couple of the roofs had stones and other objects spelling out ‘SOS’ to helicopters that would never come.

The green forest land was rapidly being replaced with red dirt and clay, and Dominic found himself reading faded road signs indicating they were driving near the Garden of the Gods. He had visited the area once when he was younger, on a class field trip, even at his young age he had been awed by the sheer natural beauty. To some extent it was still present, even when markers of desolation literally passed by him on both sides. Red rocks reminded him of New Liberty, and as his tank rolled past an abandoned public pool he found himself longing for the days simpler things. That was, of course, until a bullet pinged off the turret and forced him to duck down.

“Sniper! All tanks, halt!” He called out over the radio, the column came to a stop as Dominic caught his breath quietly. The column couldn’t make a move until the sniper was dealt with, as he fully intended to march troops through this area. A sniper would make that a far more difficult task. “Major Valova, see if you can take out that sniper. You read me?”

”Loud and clear, sir.” Maria’s voice replied over the radio, she was riding on the third tank in the column. ”I didn’t get a chance to see a muzzle flash, I’m scanning over the buildings now.” The woman quietly looked through her scope at the buildings with a clear line of sight towards the tank, they were adobe like structures painted to match the surrounding red rockfaces. However, near the pool, there was an old looking RV. The front windshield was missing and the inside of it was rather dark.

Maria quietly adjusted the scope of her sniper rifle, using the turret of the tank she was riding on as cover for most of her body. Her breaths were slow and measured as she continued focussing on the RV, she could hear her heart beating in her chest over the sound of rumbling engines. There was a sudden muzzle flash as a bullet pinged off the turret, Maria squeezed the trigger and fired a round back. She quickly took cover as more bullets plinked off the turret, breathing heavily as she felt her heart racing.

“Load high explosive! Bring the gun around to two-five-zero, depression four degrees.” Dominic ordered to Sergeant Avos as he watched the exchange between the RV and the third tank. As it stood, he was closest to the target, Avos nodded as she slipped a round into the tank’s main gun. The tank’s turret whined as it spun around to take aim at the RV, the sniper must’ve noticed this as Dominic spotted the door on the side burst open. To his surprise though he didn’t see an EOL soldier run out. “Hold fire! Hold fire!”

There was a woman and two children fleeing the RV towards a house in the distance, Dominic spotted a man in the doorway of the RV staring at the tank with a nervous expression. He held an old hunting rifle in his hands, though he quickly tossed it to the ground and raised his hands over his head. Dominic stood up in the turret and adjusted his helmet, looking towards the man with an unsure expression of his own. The man was older, most likely forty or so, and he had a scraggly beard. His clothes were baggy and dirty, indicating to Dominic he probably hadn’t eaten properly in some time.

The young man quietly shook his head and looked down into the turret, he just shook his head at Avos and the griffon returned the turret to its normal position with the same quiet whine. Dominic quietly sighed as he sat back down in the tank.

“Drive on.” He ordered, Gear Grinder nodded and the tank began moving down the road again. The column started up again as well and began rolling behind the lead tank, as they did so a couple more people emerged from houses in the surrounding area and approached the older man. They watched quietly as the tanks rolled by, unsure of what was happening. As it continued to roll, one of the tanks in the column happened to have the American flag flying from a small pole on the back. The survivors started walking towards the column, Dominic hated that he couldn’t stop to help them himself. “The last two tanks in the column stop here until proper evacuation can take place.”


He received a pair of rogers over the radio as his tank kept driving through the small town, passing by several more buildings before he spotted a gas station off on the side of the road. Cars were crammed into it, many of them were burned out hulks, as the gas station was little more than a charred skeleton. The smell of burnt plastic and gasoline still hung in the air, even though the fire had been so long ago. Beyond the gas station Dominic spotted an onramp to a highway, I-25, it would be a straight shot on that to Denver.

The man sat down in his tank and sighed quietly, then smirked faintly to himself. They were on the road to victory, he’d laid out the plans already, things were starting to look up. He left the hatch open, allowing him to feel a cool breeze as the tank started rolling up the onramp. The man looked down into the tank and spotted Scribs, the someone quiet reporter that never seemed to stop looking up from his notebook.

“Hey! Scribs!” He said loudly, the reporter looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “How’s your report coming along? I saw you shipped at least ten notebooks back last night.” The stallion lowered his notepad and rubbed the back of his neck as he thought quietly.

“Well, as far as facts are concerned, pretty good. As far as reader reception… I’m not so sure.” Scribs replied as he looked out his own vision hatch. “I’m getting more pressure from Canterlot to find something that paints you as a diabolical war monger.”

“Joy.” Dominic said flatly as he continued leaning back against the turret wall, he paused for a moment and reached into his uniform pocket to withdraw a piece of paper. It was a sealed letter from General Bulwark in New Liberty, he hadn’t opened it since it wasn’t marked urgent, but now that he was in for a long ride he figured it was as good a time as any. “Let’s see… What’s going on in Equestria today?” The man opened the seal and read over it, his eyes widened about half way down. “Hey, we’re ahead of schedule with the T-34s! We’re going to be the first combat unit to get an upgrade.”

“Fucking finally!” Gear grinder announced from the driver’s seat. “I was starting to get tired of this tin can.”

“It also means we’re getting two new crew members.” Dominic reminded him as he continued reading over the letter. “Machine gunner and a loader, hasn’t told me who they are yet.” Dominic’s eyes scanned further down the page, it was generally a normal situation report and nothing really seemed out of place. That was until he got to the bottom line. “Son of a bitch.”

“What?” Avos asked, she looked at her commander with a raised eyebrow as Dominic gained an annoyed grin, it was one of his ways of hiding anger. The man took a couple seconds to respond as he slipped the paper back into his jacket, then he looked at Avos with that same annoyed smirk.

“Princess Celestia is coming through the portal to meet with me… Tomorrow.” Dominic said with a bit of an incredulous tone. “That’s on me for not reading the letter sooner, but fuck… Talk about entitlement. Didn’t even check if it was okay, just going to waltz through the portal like a jackass.” Gear Grinder sighed quietly in the front seat as Scribs began writing more down in his notebook.

“You gotta learn to let that shit go, sir. She can’t help her sister got the brains and the looks.” Gear said over the intercom, Dominic shrugged silently as he kept looking over the paper, there weren’t anymore bombshells hiding in it, but he knew that dealing with Celestia while trying to win a war was going to be a pain.

“Whatever, it’s not like I’m going to send her a car.” Dominic replied cheekily as he leaned back in his seat, that smirk still plastered across his face. “She wants to talk so damn much she can fly her ass here herself.” That got a couple grunts of approval from the crew, and Scribs. “Let’s keep on our toes, now… Never know what they have waiting out here for us.”

[♠]

Lord Oxford of the high elf special guard qiuetly stood vigil atop a ruined car, his trenchcoat flapping in the wind as he looked down the highway for any sign of the enemy. Behind him was the might of his special guard, eighty of his best trained elves supported by two bulldozer tanks. They had forced their thralls to arrange ruined cars in an interspaced pattern on the highway, it would force the enemy tanks to move slower in order to navigate them. Meanwhile he had set up a defensive line behind a couple more ruined cars, each of them weighted down by sandbags.

It would finally prove the supremacy of elves over humans, and then perhaps even Empress Night Raven would convert herself. Oxford smiled faintly as he continued scanning the road ahead, the red rocks of the landscape were fitting considering the blood that would soon be spilled. As he continued scanning the hills he paused, four horsemen were watching from a ridge above. They wore black masks as they looked down on the elven lines, Oxford lowered his binoculars and blinked. They were there, and seconds later they took off on their horses, galloping in a random direction, letting out loud war cries that indicated they were soldiers of the Native Confederacy. He didn’t bother having his soldiers fire at them, they would only be wasting ammunition at such a range.

Lord Oxford returned his attention to the coming battle, further down the road he could see the occasional puff of black smoke, he could hear the echo of squeaking steel tracks as they rumbled down the highway. He turned and whistled loudly, getting the attention of his soldiers who were ready with their rifles, molotovs, and swords.

“My fellow elves, the enemy approaches! Today we will win for the Empire and our race, we will drive these mundanes back to their holes!” He announced as he drew his sword from its scabbard and held it above his head, the soldiers cheered loudly and raised their own weapons in triumph. “Now take your positions, my blade hungers for blood!” The soldiers nodded and rushed to their positions in the defensive line, the area grew silent as they waited for the enemy to come into view. The bulldozer tanks revved their engines as their gun crews readied their crude cannons and mounted machineguns.

Oxford gulped quietly as the noise grew louder and louder, and then he spotted the first one. A tank with a scantily clad, objectified woman on the front. He felt a fire stir up in his belly at the sight, the mundanes had no respect for women. The elf could see the commander of the first tank in the turret, watching the area ahead quietly as he adjusted his helmet. The tank suddenly came to a stop and the man disappeared into the turret, the turret rotated for a couple seconds before the gun lowered. Oxford watched the angle, then looked behind him, they had spotted the bulldozer tanks.

“GET DOW-” He started shouting to the crew, the enemy tank fired before he could speak. The bulldozer erupted in flames as the crew scrambled to get away. “Attack! Attack! Attack!” Oxford ordered before standing up and taking aim with his rifle at the tank, his soldiers began firing at the tank with predictable results. The tank rotated its turret again and fired, this time eliminating the second bulldozer tank in a similar gout of flame.

The tank began rolling forwards, crushing the car that had been meant to slow its advance, allowing a second tank to come into view. This one was armed to the gills, the numbers ‘666’ painted on the turret. The tank’s machine guns began to roar, taking out at least five of Oxfords troops.

“Molotovs ready!” Oxford shouted over the noise to three of the soldiers beside him, the elves nodded dutifully and readied their molotovs. The cloth burned menacingly as Oxford took a moment to wait, the machine guns died down in order to reload. “Now!” The elves stood up and tossed their molotovs at the enemy tanks, the first molotov struck the ground in front of the first tank, as did the second. The third managed to get near the tank’s track, but it quickly rolled forwards and the flames burned themselves out. “First wave! Swords ready! They can’t take us all down!”

Oxford drew his sword as he watched the third and fourth tank in the column bust down the concrete divider that had one kept cars from crashing into oncoming traffic, Oxford had anticipated this as his defensive line extended across the entire highway, however there was a lot more open ground on that side. The elf commander had no other recourse but to go ahead with his plan and hope he somehow managed to take out or take control of one of the enemy tanks.

“Charge!” He ordered as he stood up, twenty other soldiers stood with him, swords ready as they started running headlong into the teeth of the American war machine. The machineguns started up again, bullets kicking up concrete and asphalt as they tore up the ground around the charging elves. Ten of them fell in the first fifteen feet, Oxford didn’t have time to think about them though, as he leveled his sword towards the first tank. As he got closer the tank fired, he could feel the gust of wind from the shell as it sored over his head and hit the defensive line.

The elf reached the tank alive somehow and clambered up the hull towards the turret, as he got to the top the turret hatch popped open and the commander emerged. Oxford groaned as he was hit in the face by a punch, he then heard the sound of a sword being drawn. He looked at the commander and spotted him holding a blade of his own, he was a tall muscular fellow with brilliant green eyes. As the battle raged Oxford jumped down onto the ground, the commander followed him, sword still at the ready.

“You’re a brave one… I’ll give you that. Toss down that sword, I don’t want to kill you.” The commander said as he held his sword in a ready position, Oxford shook his head and took a swing. The commander parried the blow and shoved Oxford back with a grunt, Oxford was surprised at his opponents skill. The two of them went at one another again, their blades clashing loudly as bullets whizzed past from both sides. Sparks flew as one particularly hard strike caught Oxfords sword. “Skilled too, that’s a nice change.”

“Champion fencer.” Oxford replied at the compliment before taking another swing at the commander, every move he made was parried or blocked with ease, as if his opponent could read his tiniest of movements. The commander suddenly growled and went on the offensive, Oxford felt himself tiring as the man forced him to use every ounce of skill he had. He’d never had a bout last so long, an unrelenting force had met an immovable object. The strikes grew harsher and harsher, until finally something gave way. Oxford flinched as his blade shattered, it hadn’t been forged properly, the brittle steel flying away in shards.

He looked down at the hilt of his blade for a moment before tossing it to the ground, his opponents sword was placed at his neck as the bullets continued to blow past them. Oxford looked at the commander with a bit of surprise, the bright green eyes stared back at him with a serious expression.

“Yield.” The enemy ordered, Oxford knew that he had been beaten, but he still had his duty to the Empress.

“I am a warrior of my nation, I cannot.” Oxford said softly, the enemy commander stared at him for a couple seconds, Oxford closed his eyes as the sword was drawn back. To his surprise he found himself hit hard in the face again, he saw stars and fell to the ground unconscious.

Dominic looked at his foe quietly and dragged him behind the tank where a couple infantrymen were taking cover, he wordlessly left the enemy with them before climbing back up into his tank. By now his forces were outflanking the enemy defenders, and unknown to Dominic, a good portion of them had seen their commander defeated. Demoralized, outgunned, and outnumbered they began to withdraw. Unlike before, they were quiet measured in their retreat, firing all the while as the moved to their escape vehicles. They had been encircled before they could reach them however. Despite the odds the enemy continued fighting.

“Roll forwards!” Dominic ordered as he settled back into his tank commanding roll, his sword now resting on his belt where it belonged. “They won’t surrender.” The tank continued rolling forwards as the enemy gradually was chipped away at, their bullets pinging harmlessly off the tank’s armor. Their charge had failed the first time, and now Dominic could see all of them preparing for a final one. “Load grapeshot!”

“Loading grapeshot!” Avos replied as she slipped a new shell into the tank’s gun, she locked down the breach and looked through the gunsight. “Gun ready!” There was a loud yell as the elves began running towards the tanks, swords raised and screaming.

“Fire!” Dominic shouted, the gun boomed and sprayed its deadly payload on the nearest enemies, the rest of the tanks followed suit, and the charge ended as one would expect. The guns went quiet as the pained groans of wounded enemy soldiers began to echo over the field, Dominic sighed quietly and opened the hatch of his tank. He saw a squad of infantry approaching the eleven defenses, the man sighed quietly and sunk back down into the turret. A couple minutes later he started hearing gunshots, singular ones, coupled with a couple yells.

The wounded that couldn’t move on their own would take too much time to treat and move off the battlefield, it was a decision Dominic regretted having to make, but for the sake of winning the war he made it. When the shots died down Dominic pushed the hatch open again, he watched the squad of infantry marching ten wounded elves past the tank. With that out of the way he adjusted his headset and cleared his throat. 

“We’ll continue taking up both sides on the highway until we get to something that could really divide our forces.” Dominic ordered as his tank started rolling forwards over the battlements and past the burning bulldozer tanks. “Everyone get a list of what ammunition you need ready. Let’s keep moving.” There was a chorus of affirmatives from the other tanks and they began driving along once again, rolling over or around abandoned cars when they could. They stopped only to bust open a bus that was being used to hold EOL slaves, but even then they didn’t stick around for long. They had a war to win.

[♠]

Luna quietly looked around her as she walked through the darkened, dingy cave, green bioluminescent mushrooms were her only source of illumination as her ears swiveled cautiously. Ahead of her was a large stone throne, the sound of dripping water echoed above. The princess’ breaths were slow, her fur on end, until finally she heard something. A soft buzz of magic, her eyes glowed as she summoned her own spell and a staff of energy appeared. There was a flash of light as a green staff crashed into her indigo one, she grunted and the two staffs began to clash and deflect off of one another.

Her wings opened and she pushed herself away with a gust of air, staff floating out in front of her. Another sound caught her ear and she brought the staff around to her side as a second green staff appeared. Luna gritted her teeth as the ethereal staffs of magic clashed, using all of her skill and strength to keep from being struck. After several hard clashes the second green staff evaporated, Luna grunted and put all of her force into a strike on the remaining staff, as did her opponent. There was a massive flash of light as both staffs disappeared. Silence reigned for a couple seconds before Luna started chuckling.

“Another draw.” She said as she watched the shadows, from within two changelings emerged. Chrysalis and Mizu. Chrysalis had a smirk of her own, whilst Mizu had a small frown. “Mizu, don’t frown, your skills are improving. Give the endurance time.”

“I’ve been telling her that. There are few that could last so long against an alicorn.” Chrysalis said as she approached Luna, the two of them shared an almost sisterly hug. “What brings you here, Luna? Not that I’m saying I don’t want you here, but it’s a bit ahead of schedule. Our tea date isn’t for another week.”

“My sister is coming to New Liberty, from there she is going through the portal to speak with the President.” Luna said, she looked around the room quietly as the group began walking towards the large stone throne. “I will be accompanying her, if only to keep Dominic from saying something rash. However, there is a slight… Problem.”

“You mean other than the two of them meeting in a warzone?” Mizu asked sarcastically, Chrysalis gave her a slight bop on the back of the head.

“My sister has dispatched her ever so wonderful interlopers, they will attempt to steal military secrets.” Luna explained, Chrysalis raised an eyebrow at her as she sat quietly down on her throne. “I’ve alerted the American military to it, but should news of the espionage team be made public…”

“Our world will have its first actual war in centuries.” Chrysalis said quietly, Luna nodded. “What can I do to help?” The lunar princess quietly looked around the room for a moment debating on what to ask, then she steeled her nerves.

“At the moment… Nothing.” Luna said quietly, Chrysalis and Mizu raised an eyebrow at her again. “I came here to warn you because if things take a turn for the worse, there’s a good chance a large number of American’s are going to be running for your borders. Not just civilians, soldiers too.”

“You have the kingdom’s support.” Chrysalis said with a nod, she sighed lightly as she contemplated her own position on Equestrian-American relations. “Negotiations with Equestria have been bogged down anyway, I doubt their ambassadors care to hear my grievances anymore. Or that anything will be done about them if they did.” Luna watched her friend look over at her daughter, Chrysalis patted the young heir in training on the head. “You wished to see how we do business with the American, Mizu? Princess Luna is a perfect example of an American, she has no time for, as they are fond of saying, bullshit.”

“She’s right you know…” Luna replied with a slight chuckle, she smiled warmly at Chrysalis. The stress of the entire situation was not lost on her, but she figured that getting worried over it wouldn’t help stop it. She had another idea for that. “Care to push that tea date up?” The queen raised an eyebrow at her, a small smile crossing over her lips.

“That depends, did you bring the ‘tea’?” Chrysalis asked, Luna’s horn glowed once again. There was a flash of light and seconds later there was a bottle of red wine floating in Luna’s magic. Mizu blinked at it quietly, unsure of what was going on, Chrysalis licked her lips however. “It’s nice to have friends that bring me wine.”

“It’s nice to have friends to share it with.” Luna replied with an equally happy smile. “What about Mizu?” She gestured to the young heir, Chrysalis paused for a moment, then looked down at her daughter.

“I think she can stand one glass.”

[♠]

Rainbow Dash sat at attention in Spitfire’s office, her eyes locked forwards at the window as her commanding officer paced back and forth in front of her. The prismatic pegasus had been summoned for disciplinary action, her offense? Refusing to accept orders that would make her fly a mission into America with the intentions of stealing military secrets. She was ready to face any punishment, even if it meant losing her chances at joining the wonderbolts, she wouldn’t betray the ponies she had fought and killed for.

“Insubordination… Disrespecting a senior officer of the Princesses’ staff… Conduct unbecoming of a wonderbolt recruit…” Spitfire read aloud as she looked over the list of charges filed against her admittedly most talented pupil, Rainbow Dash continued staring ahead of her. Spitfire quietly paused to brush a bit of her mane out of her eyes, part of her protest against the Americans. She could tell by Rainbow Dash’s mane and the charges against her where she stood on the issue, Rainbow Dash’s mane was nearly non-existent in its shortness. “What do you have to say for yourself, Recruit Dash?”

“I will not betray my brothers in arms, ma’am.” Rainbow Dash said firmly, Spitfire set her clipboard down on her desk and approached the student with a slight scowl.

“We are your brothers in arms, don’t you remember that?” She said just as firmly, Rainbow Dash remained silent. “What I want to know is why you insist on supporting a nation that hates our own, we’ll get back to the possibility of court martial in a moment.”

“Permission to speak freely, ma’am?” Rainbow Dash asked, Spitfire nodded. “You have no fucking idea what you’re talking about.” The mare turned and looked at Spitfire with a cold expression, one that caused the wonderbolt commander to take a step back. “I haven’t killed for you, you haven’t killed for me. My true brothers in arms are in America, ma’am. Court martial me if you must, I will not compromise my loyalty to them.”

“You’d toss your whole future away for them?” Spitfire retorted, doing her best to get into Rainbow Dash’s face.

“I was prepared to die for them, ma’am!” The pegasus shouted back, Spitfire backed off again as she saw a rather fear inducing fire in Rainbow Dash’s eyes. The mare returned to her attention stance, waiting for Spitfire to say something to her, anything. She had often wondered why she was so loyal to an entirely different country, but she had come to realize that it wasn’t the country she was fond of, it was the people there. She had friends in Equestria, but she had brothers and sisters in America.

“I’ll have someone clear out your locker.” Spitfire said quietly as she returned to her desk, Rainbow Dash remained silent. “You aren’t being court martialed.” The commander sighed and looked down at her paperwork. “I tell all of my students stay true to themselves, you’re doing that, I respect it… But I can’t continue to teach you here anymore. Your expelled. Dismissed.” Rainbow Dash saluted quietly before standing up and turning to walk outside, as she opened the door she was greeted by two royal guards.

“Miss Dash.” One of them said. “You need to come with us.” Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder at Spitfire, the mare was quietly looking down at her desk. Rainbow looked back at the two guards and quietly began walking out with them. “We’re relocating you for the next two weeks, it would be best if you complied…” Rainbow Dash understood why instantly, she knew about the mission, they thought she would fly off to warn the Americans. They weren’t wrong. 

A plan began to form in her head as she continued walking with the guards towards the door, her eyes briefly scanning over them. They weren’t armed, they wore old gold armor, so they were encumbered by weight. She had no doubt, however, there was something waiting for her as soon as they got outside. Her time was rapidly beginning to run short, as she passed by a display case of trophies she paused. The guards stopped and looked at her with scowls as she quietly leaned forwards and pretended to squint at one of the trophies.

“Hey, what’s that say? I can’t read it…” She said quietly, one of the guards out of force of habit leaned closer to read what she was reading. That was when she made her move, with a grunt she grabbed hold of the back of his head and slammed it into the glass, shattering it and causing him to yell in pain. The other guard turned and tried to punch her, but Rainbow Dash quickly ducked low. She had speed and agility on him, and she used it to her advantage, delivering a series of quick jabs to his chest and neck. The guard fell over unconscious as she unintentionally hit a pressure point. Rainbow Dash had a brief second to look over what she had done, and in that second, channeled her hero Daring Doo. “Pretty sure it said gullible.”

With that witty one liner out of the way she opened her wings while the guard with glass in his face started to get up, then she heard Spitfire’s office door open. She didn’t wait to hear any command to halt, her wings gave a mighty flap and she was hurtling towards the doors of the wondercolt academy administration building. The sudden boost created a shockwave in its wake, shattering more glass as she burst out the front door and started flying full throttle towards the edge of the school grounds that lead to a steep cliff face. Altitude was not her friend here, the wonderbolts were good flyers at altitude, but they were very poor at dodging obstacles like trees and buildings. She had no doubt her former teachers would soon join the pursuit.

Sure enough there was a squad of guards waiting for her, they gave chase as soon as they shook off their shock. Rainbow Dash dodged students and instructors as she zoomed through the training area, two of the guards ended up slamming into training equipment while the remaining three managed to keep pace. Rainbow Dash kept up the speed as she got closer and closer to the edge of the cliff, already she could see Soarin and another instructor starting to give chase in her peripherals.

Rainbow closed her eyes for a brief seconds, thinking of all the people that were relying on her, for all she knew she could be the difference between peace and an all out war. Her eyes opened, her pupils focussed, she could practically feel the air around her. Suddenly the green grass vanished and she nosed forwards, hugging the rock face of the cliff, her wings barely open save only to offer minute course adjustments. She could feel her heart beating in her chest, the wind was blowing her short mane like mad.

At the last second she opened her wings, she groaned in exertion at the sudden drag on her wings as she pulled out of the dive, inches from the ground. She chanced a brief look over her shoulder, the royal guards were all but specks in the sky, but three streaks of blue told her she was being pursued by the true threat. Rainbow Dash spotted a road ahead, she banked onto it and flew just a few feet off the ground. There were trees on either side of her, she was threading a needle. Overhead she heard two pairs of wings, while a third was daring enough to follow her into the tunnel of trees.

Ahead of her she saw a pony pulling a carriage along, her eyes narrowed as she realized she’d have to either fly over him or to the left. In a split second she folded her wings to her sides and buzzed over his head with only forward speed, she immediately opened her wings and began flapping again. Her pursuer slowed as they didn’t have the guts to imitate her stunt and had to slow down to go around the carriage. 

The adrenaline was coursing through her veins, acting as an afterburner as she continued building speed. She could feel the air getting harder and harder to push against, nonetheless she pushed onwards. As the trees started to thin out she broke off the road and turned south, towards her ultimate destination. She gradually began to gain altitude, she was sensing the familiar barrier that she had broken twice before. The three pursuers were gaining on her, she looked over her shoulder at them to see who they were. Soarin, Fleetfoot, and Blaze. They were good high speed flyers, she’d have to be better if she wanted to beat them.

Rainbow Dash angled herself upwards a little, she was going to use her trajectory to her advantage. A familiar glowing cone began to form in front of her, her wings continued flapping with all their might as her pursuers got even closer. She could feel the burn in her wings, even though the adrenaline, normally she had to practice before even attempting what she was about to do. The mare gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes against the fierce winds, she could feel the three of them getting closer and closer.

The mare closed her eyes again, summoning all of her faith and courage, repeating to herself over and over again that she could do it. Her heart pounded even harder, time felt like it was slowing down, and then with one mighty flap of her wings it happened. There was a tremendous boom as she was catapulted forwards at ludicrous speed, folding her wings against her as she flew threw the air at her angled trajectory. Like an artillery shell she soared through the air, leaving a massive shockwave of sound and energy in her wake.

She managed to open her eyes as she continued coasting on her speed, watching the ground flying past her at insane velocity. As she arched higher and higher she caught sight of Canterlot, even at that speed she could make out dots of ponies in the sky and on the ground before she passed into the clouds. The higher she went the more airspeed she bled off, until finally she was forced to open her aching wings once more. At that speed she glided for tens of miles before starting to lose altitude, eventually catching glimpses of the ground below her.

Rainbow Dash took a couple seconds to collect her thoughts as she soared through the air, in the last hour she had been expelled from her dream school and most likely been put on some sort of watch list after beating two guards and evading several more. Part of her wondered if it was really worth it, but the other part of her knew it was too late to go back. Rainbow shook her head quietly as she looked down at Ponyville passing below her while she continued flying at her lofty altitude. A gleam of gold on the outskirts told her the guards were already at her house, she frowned slightly.

“Sorry Tank… I know they’ll find someone to take care of you…” She mumbled as a couple tears rolled down her face, the mare wiped her eyes quickly and turned her gaze southward. Thoughts of her pet Tank ran through her mind, he was the only one she told her deepest secrets too, and it hurt to leave him behind. However as the wind picked up and aided in her glide she knew what she had to do, her first actions had been spur of the moment, based on what her heart told her to do. Now she had to follow up those actions appropriately, her eyes narrowed as her resolve stiffened.

The sun continued to move overhead as she flew further and further south at her high altitude, no guard could reach her at that height in armor. It was for that reason she was surprised as she looked over her shoulder and spotted four white specks rising from below her, she looked down and realized there was a guard outpost below her as she flew even further south. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes once more, she was running on fumes as it was, but she had to dig even deeper. The guards were unarmored and fresh with endurance, she had to outlast them though, somehow.

Rainbow began flapping again as the guards closed in on her, then dropped down into the clouds, leaving a small furrow for them to follow. They remained above the clouds watching the furrow continue along, and then suddenly it stopped. The guards dove down through the clouds, expecting to find Rainbow Dash flying below them. To their surprise she was nowhere to be seen, they looked below them at the now rather arid ground, but none could spot the bright mane and coat.

The guards flew back towards where they had emerged, expecting to find the mare hiding there, but to their surprise she wasn’t there either. The guards flew in a wide loop, unaware that their target was far above them. Rainbow Dash did her best to breathe deeply, the oxygen was very thin at that altitude. She was using the sun against her back as camouflage, the guards below never suspected a thing.

She knew that she’d need to make her move soon before she succumb to the lack of oxygen, with a quiet grunt of determination Rainbow Dash nosed over into another dive. The circling guards didn’t catch sight of her until she had flown right through them, they immediately gave chase. Rainbow found herself flying close to the deck once more, arid shrubs and the occasional cactus replacing the green grass she was so familiar with. She was getting closer and closer to her destination, she had been flying for hours on end, and the sun was starting to set.

Rainbow gritted her teeth as she looked over her shoulder, the guards were closing on her in a V formation. If Rainbow had been at her normal condition she could’ve outrun them no problem, but she was running on fumes. Despite that she did her best to dodge them as best she could, her lung heaving as she left a cloud of dust in her wake. Ahead of her she could see apple trees, it wouldn’t be long before she came upon the American border. Of course, however, that meant there were more guards waiting for her.

The guards on her tail backed off, it was clear to her they were only the hounds to drive her towards the hunters. The real fight was up ahead of her, Rainbow Dash did her best to become ready for anything that could be thrown her way. The apple trees grew even closer, and with them came the guards patrolling them. She could see Appleloosa off to her left as she flew over the desert landscape, in the sky she could specks of gold as the Equestrian guards prepared their trap.

The mare poured on what little speed she could muster, fighting back tears of pain as her wings ached under the strain. Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth in preparation for more pain to come, the apple trees were now starting to pass under her. The Equestrian guards began firing at her with blue bolts of magic, stun bolts if what she remembered of her weapons training was accurate. The mare dodged them as best she could, banking and weaving as she got closer and closer to a wall of armored individuals waiting to catch her. She had to take a gamble, that they were expecting her to stop before she crashed into them. They didn’t know Rainbow Dash if that was the case.

Rainbow Dash grit her teeth so hard she feared she’d break a tooth as she dug as deep as she could, gaining as much speed as possible. The line of hovering guards was getting closer and closer, bolts flew faster and faster past her. At the last second she was able to see the eyes of the guard directly in in front of her, they went wide as he realized she wasn’t going to stop. Pain greeted Rainbow Dash as her shoulder met the metal armor, barreling through the line of guards like a freight train. She lost control of her flight, tumbling through the air like a ricocheted slug until she slammed into the sand. She rolled several yards before coming to a stop, laying on the ground and groaning in pain as she looked up weakly. 

She smiled faintly as she spotted her tail laying inches beyond an American border post, already American forces were moving to shoo the Equestrian forces away while a squad approached Rainbow with their weapons ready. She raised her hooves quietly, wincing as she realized one of her hooves didn’t move. She looked down and saw that her right hoof was limp, her shoulder was swelling like a beach ball.

“What do you think you’re doing!?” One of the soldiers, a diamond dog, shouted at her with a rifle pointed at her.

“D-Defecting…” Rainbow Dash said weakly, the American’s eyes widened as she laid down on the ground. The sun was just starting to set, she could hear the diamond dog literally barking orders for a medic. The tired mare closed her eyes, nearly succumbing to her exhaustion. She felt herself being moved onto a stretcher, with that she passed out.

[♠]

Dominic sat quietly in front of a fireplace in an abandoned house, the column had come to a stop in an abandoned gated community and the crews were making themselves at home in the houses. Maria was off gathering something to eat that wasn’t spam, leaving Dominic to quietly watch the fire burn on its own. He adjusted his stance and sat cross legged, resting both his hands firmly on his knees. The man closed his eyes and let out a slow breath, something he had done before in his training with Luna. The man felt the world slipping away from him, wiping his slate clean of worries for the time being.

The minutes ticked by as the fire continued to crackle and pop, Dominic found himself stuck on the battle the day had held. It had certainly been a hairy one, especially with the sword fight. The commander had no doubt that he would need all the new tanks he could get. The EOL was getting sporty in its tactics, it was getting to the point he would need scouting reports far more often than he was getting them now. That left him three options, increase the amount of scout teams and snipers he sent ahead of the the column, sent vehicles in their stead and lose the element of surprise, or watch from the air. Of course, his air force wasn’t ready yet, he wouldn’t risk any of his five pilots and he was unsure of sending thestrals or other ponies. That left Putin and his satellites.

Dominic was hesitant to trust him, as he continued to sit in silence he found himself growing wary of the Russian president. Putin was a relic of the Cold War, a KGB operative, even if he had turned over a new left Dominic wasn’t ready to believe him. His thoughts paused as he heard a wood board creak behind him, the man opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder. Maria was standing there with a curious look on her face.

“Did I interrupt something?” She asked, Dominic shook his head quickly and stood up to walk towards her.

“No, I was just thinking.” He said quietly as he reached the woman and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Any luck finding something?” Maria shook her head with a slight frown, but Dominic shrugged it off. “Spam’s alright, and when the new supply shipment comes tomorrow they’ll be sending some better stuff.”

“I did find something you’d like though.” Maria said with a slight smile, she reached into her jacket and withdrew an odd metal case. “One of the houses had tons of old movies in it, and since we’re getting closer to having sustained power, I snagged this for when we can actually use a DVD player.” She handed it to Dominic, he looked it over for a moment as his eyes widened and a smile crossed his lips.

“Hogan’s Heroes had a box set?” He asked with a bit of a smirk, Maria nodded and soon found herself in a very tight hug. The woman returned it quietly before the two of them relaxed and let go of one another, Maria grabbed a can of spam and a nearby mess tin before walking towards the fireplace. “You know tomorrow we’re getting a visitor, right?”

“Hmm? Who?” Maria asked as she began to heat the Spam in the pan, Dominic wandered over to her and sat beside her. His rather high frame eclipsed hers but she didn’t mind looking up up him, her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“Princess Celestia, as far as my latest report has told me.” Dominic said, he watched the flames dancing as Maria continued to cook their meal for the night. The woman’s eyebrow raised in curiosity, she had only heard stories from the other ponies about Celestia. However, she was one for finding out about people for herself, she was actually looking forwards to meeting the princess. “I’m gonna have her fly herself here, I can’t spare any vehicles to carry her.”

“Why not have her ride along on one of the new tanks you told me about?” Maria suggested, Dominic looked at her with a bit of a smirk. “It never entered your mind did it?”

“This is why you were in all those honors classes and I was in remedial.” Dominic said as he reached into his pocket and withdrew a notebook to begin drafting a new set of orders. Maria chuckled quietly and leaned against him, listening to the sizzling spam in the pan.

“You just never applied yourself.” Maria said with a snarky tone. “If you spent half the time you spent on over analyzing movies as you did on school you’d have gone to West Point. That is… If not for obvious reasons.” Dominic hummed quietly and looked at the flames with a small smile. “Try to be civil, okay? I’m sure she’s just as worried about a war as you are.”

“Yes, dear.” Dominic said in a sarcastic tone, Maria punched him in the arm. “Maybe you should come, I’m sure you’d be good at mediating for us. Plus a little added security wouldn’t hurt.” The woman raised an eyebrow at him at the mention of security, she had assumed that the meeting would be held in the gated community the column was residing in at the moment. “We’re going to be shelling that EOL pillbox we saw on the captured maps tomorrow, I was gonna meet with her on the ridge overlooking the place.”

“You sure that’s a good idea? It might not send the right message.” Maria suggested, Dominic shrugged quietly and looked at her with a neutral expression.

“The key to our advance comes down to three words. Tempo. Tempo. Tempo. The faster we move the less time we give the enemy to think of a way to stop us. We can’t afford to stop, even for a day.” He explained, Maria nodded slowly as his words made some amount of sense to her. She pulled the spam from the fire and began preparing a couple sandwiches for them. “I’ll explain why to her, don’t worry… For now we should eat and get to sleep, big day tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” Maria replied quietly, she paused for a moment and fidgeted. “I’m still upset at you, by the way.” Dominic raised an eyebrow at her. “My insides still feel like mushy pasta.” The man suddenly blushed fiercely and looked to the side, effectively reined in by Maria’s comment. The ate their sandwiches in silence and eventually fell asleep on a mattress they had pulled onto the floor. The fire died down in the fireplace, offering a warm glow to the two sleeping warriors.

[♠]

Eugene quietly looked through his binoculars down at the gated community, Lady Nocturne resting beside him with a curious expression. There were a couple campfires lit, and at least five tanks out in the open, the rest were hidden too well for him to spot at night. The hill afforded him and the lady a nice vantage point, the man was glad that Colorado had such hilly terrain. As he continued watching the encampment below he felt Lady Nocturne shiver against him.

“Look at all those tanks…” She mumbled quietly at the five tanks she could see, as well as the soldiers patrolling back and forth. “Are those things even human?” Eugene quietly adjusted the binoculars and zoomed in on a pair of odd looking bipeds. He gulped audibly, they looked like anthropomorphic dogs. Unlike the otherkin that identified and dressed that way, they looked real, and as he continued looking he saw winged bat ponies and even insect creatures. “Eugene…?”

“I don’t know what they are… Maybe you could tell me.” Eugene handed the binoculars to Nocturne and adjusted his balaclava, the woman put the binoculars up to her eyes and looked over the camp below. Her jaw dropped in shock, she knew exactly what she was looking at, but she was unable to speak. All she could do was make a fearful mewling tone, Eugene shook her before she became to loud.

“Th-Th-Those are thestrals…” She said finally, Eugene looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Bat ponies, from an old show. I knew people identified as them, but… These are really real. We need to be careful.” The woman lowered the binoculars and handed them back to Eugene. “They’re supposed to have really good hearing, and night vision.” Eugene was inclined to believe Nocturne, she knew more about them than he did. He tucked the binoculars into his backpack and stood up into a crouched position.

“Let’s get out of here. Quickly.” He said in a low tone, Nocturne nodded and got up as quietly as she could. The two of them were adorned in EOL attire, if caught they’d most likely be shot on sight. The two of them stuck to the darkest parts of the grassy hillside that they could find, moving with slow and measured steps. They eventually managed to get a mile away under the cover of darkness, only then did they relax enough to stand up and talk at a normal volume. “Tell me more about what you saw…” Eugene stated firmly.

“Creatures that shouldn’t exist on this world, or any world.” Nocturne said cryptically, Eugene glowered at her. “It’s true! They’re fictional! Cartoon characters!” The man quietly looked over his shoulder at the distant glow of campfires, then back at Nocturne, his features once again hidden from her view by his balaclava. “We should alert the Empress!”

“No.” Eugene countered, the woman looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “It took us days to get this far, it will take even longer to get back and convince them.” The man actually was more curious about the creatures and their mysterious commander than the Empire’s intelligence. “We should shadow them as long as we can, it’s riskier, but we’ll be much more informed.” The man quietly began walking down the road towards where they had hidden their transportation that doubled as a shelter. A black utility van with a mattress and other supplies in the back, Nocturne followed him quietly. True, she was the ranking officer, but Eugene seemed far more intelligent on what to do.

“What’s our next move?” She asked as they got closer to the bushes where they had hidden the van, Eugene quietly hummed in thought before replying.

“We won’t be able to infiltrate them, they’re a combat unit, if we posed as civilians they would most likely evacuate us to their forward operating base.” Eugene said as he approached the driver’s side door. “We’ll have to camouflage ourselves and watch from the sidelines, which means we’ve got some driving to do. There’s an EOL outpost not far from here, they’ll have proper camouflage.” Eugene started the engine of the van as Nocturne strapped herself in, the assassin actually felt nervous. She was used to the mission being over by that point, but it seemed she was in for a long haul.

The van pulled out onto the road and made its way back to the highway, Eugene had to use the light of the moon to guide him, as he didn’t dare turn on his headlights. He was even hesitant to use the brakes, as he feared the red glow would catch the eye of an American spotter. The atmosphere didn’t really necessitate conversation, but Nocturne was far too curious to let the matter go.

“Eugene… You know a lot about this sort of thing… More than most regular soldiers. How come?” Nocturne asked, Eugene didn’t take his eyes off the road, and he remained silently. The woman looked out the window quietly, watching the landscape illuminated by the moonlight.

“What I tell you stays between us.” Eugene said quietly, Nocturne looked at him with a curious expression. “Before I became a part of the EOL… I was one of those people the Empire has dubbed ‘The Colorado Kids’.” Nocturne quietly gaped at him, unsure of what to say. “I was the reason the EOL could never get close to Vail or the continental divide. Lots of mining up that way, lots of dynamite, lots of avalanches.”

“B-But, if you were anti-EOL why’d you join?” Nocturne asked, more shocked than anything else. Eugene scowled quietly, though it was hidden by his mask,  and took his left hand off the wheel. He slipped it into his pocket and withdrew a photograph, it was old and faded, and he quietly handed it to Nocturne. The woman looked it over and blinked in surprise, there was a tall young man whose face had been blacked out standing next to a young woman who was smiling at the camera, both of them were posing next to a dead twelve point buck.

“That’s my sister Elise…” Eugene said quietly as he kept his eyes on the road. “An EOL ‘recruiter’ found our house and put a gun to her head, told me either I came with him or he blew her brains out.” Nocturne blinked quietly as she stared at the picture, unsure of what to say. “I axed him off about two miles down the highway, but I still had to go. If I didn’t they’d send a death squad.” Nocturne looked at his hands, they were tightly gripping the steering wheel as his eyes were locked on the road. “I guess it didn’t matter in the end though, because a slave, I’m sorry, thrall capturing party found the house a month later.”

“Did they…?” Nocturne asked, to her surprise Eugene shook his head.

“They’re buried under fourteen feet of snow and ice.” He said grimly as he looked over at Nocturne, she could see there was a deep hatred in his eyes. “If you tell anyone what I told you, you’ll join them.” Nocturne gulped silently and nodded, quickly looking back out the window at the passing dark scenery. Her attraction to Eugene remained, oddly enough, even after learning of his past and how he most likely felt about her. There had to be some portion of him that trusted her enough to the point he would tell her all this, she just hat to show him that she cared. “Go get some rest.”

The woman nodded quietly and got out of her seat, pausing to return Eugene’s picture, before moving into the back of the van and laying down on the mattress. She pulled up the sparse blanketing they had been provided and snuggled into it, and eventually she had passed on into the land of dreams. After a couple minutes Eugene began humming to himself, eventually breaking out into low monotone singing.

“Oh I’m a good ‘ol rebel, now that’s just what I am. An’ for the Lighty nation I do not give a damn, I’m glad I fight against her, I know the war’ll be won. My freedom won’t be taken, and neither will my gun…”
> Chapter 13
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestia blinked quietly as she shakily stood up on the other side of the portal, her eyes darting around to try and give her an idea of where she was. Before she knew it she was grabbed and pulled away from the portal just as her sister came through. As she finally regained full control of her faculties she found herself standing in an odd large room with more than a few humans and other American soldiers moving around. The building was bustling with activity and reeked of exhaust smoke, more than a few of the soldiers were riding on new tanks that Celestia could only guess were the new ‘T-34s’.

She looked towards the portal and spotted her sister stepping regally away from the portal, she seemed almost unphased by the disorienting trip. As her sister approached her she saw two of her golden armored guards tumble through the portal, a pair of Americans moved them out of the way just as another tank rolled through the portal. The Americans had set up a well oiled machine of portal warfare, yet another thing for Celestia to worry about. They had only been on earth for just over a month and already they had established themselves.

They got a couple stares from the more curious human soldiers around them, but most of them seemed far too busy to pay attention to the new ponies on the block. Luna approached Celestia, escorting the two disoriented solar guards along with her wings. The Lunar Princess was looking around with a curious expression of her own, though it was a partial mask for worry. She had yet to tell Celestia that Rainbow Dash had just defected to America, as she was sure the Equestrian soldiers on the border hadn’t told her yet either. Whoever told her that would just as well kiss their military career goodbye.

“Certainly a hive of activity, sister… These humans could teach the changelings a thing or two.” Luna commented as yet another tank rolled past, the ground trembling as the engine belched out black smoke. The smoke was quickly sucked upwards where large industrial fans were mounted in the roof, the smell lingered however. “Celestia, you haven’t spoken more than three words since you arrived in New Liberty… Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, Luna… I’m fine. I’m just nervous is all, we are the second Equestrian princesses to venture to Earth.” Celestia replied quietly as she looked to her two guards, the two of them were standing at attention, though they looked disgusted by the smell of the engines and the loud noise. “There was supposed to be someone waiting for us here, right?” Luna nodded as she continued looking around, she paused as she spotted a young man in digital camouflage fatigues approaching with two more soldiers behind him.

“I thought there was only one coming…” He said quietly, most likely to himself before he snapped to attention. “You must be the princesses, yes?” Celestia nodded, as did Luna. The man turned and saluted Luna, as she was a bit of a figure in the American military. “Ma’am. We had not heard you would be coming.”

“I’m her plus one.” Luna said in a joking tone, a couple of the soldiers behind the young man chuckled. “I was hoping to see the commander as well, if that’s alright.”

“It can be arranged.” The soldiers said before he stood at ease and pushed back a pair of glasses that were perched on his nose. “I am Sergeant Smalls, my men and I have been assigned as your security detail.” The man looked over at the two ponies in golden armor, they remained at attention, then back at Celestia. He then snapped his fingers and the two soldiers behind him stepped forwards, each holding an odd looking vest and a helmet. “These are kevlar vests and helmets, we had two ready in case one was too big. We had to make some adjustments obviously, they aren’t designed for ponies yet. Please put them on.”

“Why?” One of the guards suddenly asked, Smalls cleared his throat for a moment before speaking.

“In case people start shooting at us.” He said simply, the guard raised an eyebrow at him. “We’re going into a warzone, what do you expect us to be fighting with? Pie? Pumpkins fired from catapults?” The man looked back at Celestia who was eying the vest, reluctantly she slipped it on, one of the soldiers put the odd helmet on her head. Luna had a much easier time with hers, as hers was smaller and fit her slender frame better. The two guards were out of luck, and both of them knew it. “Thank you, please come with us, we’re on a rather tight schedule.”

Celestia and the group followed the sergeant and his men towards one of the new tanks, the mare blinked in surprise at a rather odd image on the front. A scantily clad human female wearing nothing more than red ribbons and holding an odd rifle to cover her modesty.

“Come on! Get the lead out! We’ve gotta get this tank to the commander on the double!” Shouted a soldier in a blue boiler suit that climbed into the tank, Luna and Celestia climbed up onto the side while the two guards took sat behind them. Smalls stopped and looked at them, waving for a moment.

“Aren’t you coming with us?” Celestia asked, the man nodded and gestured to a large four wheeled vehicle that was moving up behind the tank. She thought it was called a truck. “Oh good, our security man is riding in that thing while we ride on this… Thing.”

“You’re the one that wanted to come into an active warzone.” Luna said flatly as the engine started to rumble beneath them, a second person in a blue boilersuit appeared in the turret and pulled the hatch closed. That was the only warning the ponies got before the tank lurched forwards and began rolling towards the front of the building, Celestia watched as it rolled past aisles filled with soldiers and supplies. She was forced to shield her eyes as the tank rolled out the front door into an oddly large expanse. 

The sight that greeted her reminded her of a Saddle Arabian bazaar, numerous shacks and stalls were set up while hundreds of people milled about to sell their wares. Some were selling odd bits of clothing, others had random mechanical devices. The tanks, painted olive drab to match the surrounding flora, continued rolling through the odd bazaar until they reached the gate at the edge of the lot which was being guarded by two smaller tanks.

Luna was fascinated by everything she was seeing, the wide open blue skies and trees of an entirely alien planet. The tanks rolled along down the road, the thick trees eventually beginning to thin out and giving way to a small town. Celestia watched the town carefully, there were soldiers patrolling up and down the streets while an odd flag was flying from a tall pole in the center street. It wasn’t the normal American flag, but she supposed Dominic was starting to change the banners to be more unique to his government.

As the tanks rolled through the town the two princesses could see the marks of conflict in the form of burned a out bulldozer tank that had been unceremoniously shoved aside and the bulletholes that pocked the buildings. One of the storefronts was completely burned out, and Luna thought she spotted a couple charred corpses inside. She grimaced and looked away as the tank continued rolling along, eventually coming to another crossroads where it turned onto a much larger paved road.

The other side of the road was full of abandoned vehicles of varying shapes and sizes, there were a couple soldiers moving through them while ponies and changelings picked at them for parts and other items of interest to American research and development teams. The two guards still weren’t impressed, so far all they had seen was the aftermath, for all the knew half of the things that had happened happened long ago. After all, they knew just how long Earth had been in bad shape, four years was plenty of time for things to happen.

“Look! Look!” Luna said loudly over the sound of the engine, she pointed off to the side at several human children waving at the tanks and the trucks following behind them. The soldiers were waving back as they kept driving along, yelling and cheering at their younger compatriots. “See, not all doom and gloom!” Luna couldn’t help but join the waving, the sight of happy children was something she always loved, in some ways more than her sister. Celestia was more focussed on the buildings that dotted the landscape, there were hundreds of them, more than enough to house every resident of Ponyville in their own spacious abode. The mare was humbled by the knowledge that now many of them were empty and abandoned, the letters ‘SOS’ were a common sight.

The tank jostled for a moment as it started rolling up a ramp onto an even larger road, a massive stretch of concrete and asphalt that stretched on into the horizon. There were at least four lanes, and most of them were being occupied by vehicles on their way to the front. It was amazing to think that America was able to field such a large force and still keep its presence in New Liberty known, but then again, hundreds upon hundreds of humans, thestrals, griffons, and diamond dogs were flocking to the growing nation state by the week. There were even rumors that the Griffons were making a bid to cede into the United States, but they were very hushed, and Celestia didn’t think of them as much more than that.

“It’s huge… I’ll give it that.” One of the guards mused as he looked out over the vast expanse of plains and grassland. Even with all the buildings there were still immense stretches of open spaces and clear blue sky. The group lapsed into silence as the ride carried on, miles passed before they passed the next sign of conflict. The still smoldering hulks of two bulldozer tanks had shoved off into a patch of dirt and there was a grim pile of corpses, that were being watched over by Americans in gas masks. A couple of them were dousing the pile in liquid kept in small red and blue jugs, Celestia and Luna were both grateful that the plume of black smoke that soon followed only started when they were a good distance away.

Luna began to grow more nervous as the trip went on, it was clear that Earth was a very grim place and she feared that Dominic had returned to his grim ways. Her heart yearned to see him again, to feel his arms around her, to hear his soft voice telling her of his world. As the column continued down the road Luna found herself watching a group of ten or so people walking down the road with their hands on their head, they wore black uniforms and had their heads looking towards the ground. There were four soldiers walking with them, Americans by the looks of the uniforms.

“Yeah! Where’s your Empress now!?” Shouted one of the soldiers in the truck behind the tank, it was accompanied by numerous other insults and downright hateful words. 

“Fucking EOL pussies, go cry to your mommy about your ‘wolf self’ you Social Justice Fascists!”

“Fuck you!”

“Have fun in Four Chan, you cunts!”

Celestia shook her head quietly, there was a great amount of hate in the soldiers riding behind them directed at the ‘EOL’. The Princess knew of their atrocities through reports and memos, but she had yet to see them upfront. She couldn’t grasp how much they had done, but she could see how much hatred they had fostered. She adjusted her ill fitting helmet and looked around, blanching for a moment as she spotted four figures on the hills overlooking the road. They were mounted on large figures, Celestia knew that there were horses on Earth, but she hadn’t comprehended their size until seeing them in person. They were as large as her, perhaps larger.

The four figures continued watching without moving, Celestia grew increasingly unsettled by their presence until, with a mighty yell, the four of them rode out of sight. She looked forwards at the other vehicles on the road and was surprised to see them slowing down, until eventually they came to a stop. The ponies leaned out over the sides of the tank to get a good look at what was causing the stoppage, to their surprise it was a black and white vehicle hurtling towards the tanks with flashing red and blue lights.

“Car bomb!” One of the soldiers at the front of the column shouted as the tanks in the lead turned their guns on the vehicle. “Back up! Back up! Move move move!” The two pegasi guards pulled Celestia down, but left Luna exposed. The princess watched as machine guns began to chop away, the black and white vehicle was no match for the hail of bullets and quickly spun out of control and off of the road. A second later one of the tanks fired its main gun at it, effectively destroying the explosives inside. There were a couple more yells before the tanks began rolling along again, as if nothing had happened, leaving the burning hulk on the side of the road. Luna could see a pair of yellow swords had been painted on the side of the vehicle, she knew that was the symbol of the EOL.

Celestia sat up and sighed in relief that the danger had passed, the hatch to the tank opened and one of the men in blue boiler suits emerged. He looked at the four ponies before chuckling opting to sit in the turret with the wind blowing against his face. There was no real sense of urgency in any of the soldiers, even after having faced down a ‘car bomb’. Celestia found herself relaxing at that, if the soldiers were relaxed she could relax too. That wasn’t the case for her guards, the two pegasi stallions were watching the hills nervously.

“We’re about an hour or so from the front!” The man in the boiler suit shouted over his shoulder, he adjusted the greasy bandana that covered his hair. “So long as there aren’t any more desperate snowflakes out there we should be in good shape!”

“Great!” Celestia replied uncertainly over the gusting wind. “When do we get to ride inside of the tank where it’s really safe!?” The man in the boiler suit looked over at her with a raised eyebrow, then chuckled and picked up his radio. A couple seconds later the hatch on a T-34 next to theres opened and a man wearing a leather jacket popped up, they shared a couple words before the tank got closer.

“They said they’ll let you ride along in theirs! Hop on over!” The man in the turret shouted, Celestia gulped but nonetheless hopped over onto the other tank with the grace of a princess. She moved up and managed to shimmy down into the turret, looking quite funny with the rest of her protective armor. “Fuck, she got stuck!”

“I told her to lay off the cake before the trip!” Luna shouted back, the man laughed for a moment before he tapped her on the shoulder and gestured to the turret. “Realy? Me too?!” The man nodded before he disappeared down the hatch. Luna shrugged and climbed into the turret, fitting a bit better but keeping her upper part out in order to watch her sister. The boiler suit man offered Luna a headset, and it seemed Celestia received one as well.

“This certainly feels strange…” Luna commented, Celestia looked over at her with a small smile. Luna recognized that smile very well, but she was unsure of their human hosts would be up for what was in mind. “Hey, I think she wants to race us!” The two pegasi guards on the back grew a bit nervous as they watched their princess and her sister looking at each other.

“I don’t think the commander would object to getting his tank early!” Shouted the other man inside the tank, the tank lurched for a moment before it began to pick up speed. The vehicles ahead made way for the tank as it pulled ahead of them, Celestia’s tank followed suit and soon the two of them had left the column behind. Celestia and Luna were grinning like school fillies, there was just something special about racing military equipment through a warzone that spoke to their inner child. Luna momentarily paused and wondered if she should see someone about that, but shrugged it off and tapped the tank turret.

The tanks were evenly matched for speed as they were the same model, however every now and then one tank would edge out in front of the other. Their race lasted for half an hour before the rest of the column caught up with them at full speed, a couple of the trucks even managing to pull out ahead of the tanks. Luna looked off to the side and spotted a gated community of sorts, a couple tanks were parked outside the gates as was expected and another odd flag was fluttering over them. Many of the trucks and other vehicles were exiting there, leaving five T-34s and the troop truck as the only vehicles on the massive road.

Celestia was finally relaxing, as the tank continued to roll along she couldn’t help but think that she needed to get one of them for herself. Even if she wasn’t in charge of the vehicle it was a power trip to feel all that armor around her with such a destructive weapon at the ready, and yet she was fearful to know it belonged to someone with whom she didn’t have the best of relationships. The armored vest and helmet reminded her that there was more to humanity than just tanks, she couldn’t believe that such a light vest was considered armor, there had to be some sort of special design to it.

As the tanks drove on she began to hear what sounded like thunder over the wind and rumbling engine, however as the tanks began to thin out she realized it was too meticulous to be thunder. The tanks rolled off the road and began driving up a grassy hill with obvious tracks in it, as Celestia’s view crested the horizon she spotted five smaller tanks with their guns angled upwards, firing steadily at something in the distance. There was a tent set up behind them, and she could see piles of spent shell casings laying next to each of them.

The tanks came to a stop behind their smaller counterparts, it was then that Celestia and Luna could spot the man they’d come to see. He did not look pleased. Dominic was looking down from the hill with a pair of binoculars, his teeth bared in annoyance. Luna, Celestia, and the two guards dismounted their tanks and began approaching him. Only to stop as they spotted a soldier rushing up to him with a piece of paper.

“God damn it! We’ve been shelling that bunker for the past three hours and we haven’t put a dent in it!” They heard Dominic shout as he crumpled up the paper and tossed it at the ground. “These pea shooters aren’t gonna cut it! When the hell are the eighty-fives scheduled to get here?!”

“Sir, they just pulled up!” The soldier replied.

“‘Bout goddamn’ time!” Dominic said as he turned around to face the tanks, seemingly not noticing the ponies quite yet. “Alright! All batteries cease fire, crews assigned to T-34-85s dismount your current vehicle and take command of your new one, drivers roll these tin cans back to Camp Golf! Double time! Move it!” The guns came to a stop, and the crews quickly dismounted their vehicles, it was clear they had been practicing the maneuver as they quickly slipped into their T-34s with ease.

A couple of the tanks had new crew members surprisingly enough Dominic’s hadn’t come with any, most likely a clerical error, not that he had time to worry about that. Already Gear Grinder was rolling the tank forwards to the firing line whilst Avos readied the main gun. Scribs, being the lovable fellow that he was, took on the role of loader for the time being. Celestia and Luna walked towards Dominic as he began walking back to the front of the line with a pair of binoculars. 

As they came up along side him they found themselves in awe. A massive fortification was set up ahead of them, constructed from old cars, dirt, and concrete and bristling with grenade launchers and machine guns captured from a National Guard armory. There was no way the lighter tanks would’ve been able to assault it without taking high casualties, but now the tide had changed.

“All batteries prepare to fire!” Dominic shouted, it was at that point Luna cleared her throat. “Oh, what now-” The man turned on his heel to face the source of the noise, only to freeze when he saw Luna standing there, with Celestia and her two guards standing next to her. “Luna? The fuck are you doing here?!”

“Visiting you.” Luna said quietly, Dominic paused for a moment, compartmentalizing his feelings for the time being, all of it culminating in him raising a single finger to signal her to wait a moment. The man cleared his throat and pointed at the fortification in the distance.

“Fuck it up!” With his simple orders given the tanks began firing, their cannons booming much louder than their smaller counterparts. Dominic gestured for the two princesses to follow him towards the tent, they did so quietly, though the two pony guards lagged behind a bit. Gawking at the large clouds of smoke that continued to erupt down range. The group eventually entered the tent, where the booming sound of artillery was quiet enough for normal conversation.

Luna looked around the simple canvas structure, there was a table with a couple chairs set up around it in the center, a radio set and a map, and several people Luna didn’t really recognize. However, there was one that stuck out in her mind, a face she had seen in Dominic’s dreams and nightmares. The woman was leaning against the radio table, looking down at the map and pointing to certain spots with another woman nodding beside her.

“Alright, company’s here!” Dominic announced as he approached his seat, the numerous people in the room turned to see who he was talking about. “Introductions first…” Dominic gestured to a man wearing fatigues and an oddly painted blue helmet, marked with the letters ‘UN’. “Agent Hinkman, our UN liaison.” Dominic pointed to an asian woman dressed similarly. “Agent Naomi, our other UN liaison.” The man shifted his hand over to an older man in digital fatigues. “Colonel Baxter, my head military advisor on the Terran Front.” The man nodded to Celestia and Luna as Dominic gestured to the woman Luna was most curious about. “Major Maria Valova, in charge of scouting operations, and her executive officer Lieutenant Melissa… Just Melissa.”

“These people aren’t going to talk much, just a heads up. This isn’t a social visit, they have jobs to do.” Dominic said firmly as the people in the room gradually went back to their tasks, though Maria moved to stand quietly closer to Dominic. Celestia nodded quietly and took her own seat across from the man, fidgeting slightly in the rather uncomfortable metal folding chair. “So, what was so urgent you needed to visit me in an active warzone?”

“Tensions on the border are growing…” Celestia said in a serious tone, doing her best to put up a neutral poker face. “We both know a war would be costly for both of us, and Equestria is committed to trying to keep the peace.” The mare sighed quietly as she watched Dominic’s face remain just as neutral as before, he’d learned a thing or two from her sister. “We’ve already launched an investigation to find the ponies responsible for the border incident.”

“So I’ve been told.” Dominic said with a slight nod, his face remaining neutral. “However, that doesn’t mean much to my people, and it doesn’t mean much to me either.” Dominic leaned forwards and adjusted his uniform. “What you must see, Princess, is that your assurances mean little to my people, they mean even less to me.” Outside a particularly loud cannon shot caused the tent to shake for a moment, and most of the people in the room had stopped working to watch the meeting in progress.

“My word as a Princess isn’t good enough for you?” Celestia asked curiously, Dominic nodded. “I understand we’ve had our problems, Dominic.”

“I seem to recall you bursting into my office in anger and unknowingly levitating a knife off my desk.” Dominic said flatly, Celestia’s poker face broke for a moment as she winced at the memory of almost losing complete control of her temper. “However, I try not to let personal issues cloud the waters. What I’m more concerned about is under that helmet you’re wearing…” Dominic pointed at her horn quietly, the mare followed his gesture, then looked at him with rather surprised eyes. “That’s the closest thing Equestria has to a nuclear arsenal. As one zebrican ambassador mentioned in a communique, you once threatened to use it to destroy an entire Island. New Liberty is much smaller than an island.”

“I will never use the power of the sun in a war with America.” Celestia said loudly, Dominic’s face remained neutral as ever. Luna quietly looked at her sister with an unsettled expression, mainly because she knew that Celestia’s statement was very specific. There was a reason so few Thestrian ruins remained. Dominic didn’t know what Luna was thinking, but from the look on her face, he knew he’d struck upon some sort of nerve.

“I have had so many reports of the things you would never do, I’m wondering if there is anything you would do.” Dominic said as he sat up again, he quietly looked off to the side for a moment before he adjusted his uniform. “However… I try to be a reasonable man, and I try to consider things. You were willing to come into an active warzone to speak to me about peace, that says more to me than your words.” He looked at the table quietly in thought, then spoke again. “I’d be amenable to a compromise… We both withdraw the bulk of our forces from the border, on the same day at the same time. Say… A week from now?” Celestia nodded quietly.

“Acceptable. Is there anything else you wished to discuss?” Celestia asked, Dominic nodded and straightened up in his seat.

“The matter of the ongoing conflict between Equestria and the Changeling kingdom.” The man said bluntly, Celestia’s expression turned to one of a slight scowl. “It’s odd to me is all, they did far more damage to my country than they did to yours. Why persist in a war against them, especially since Equestrian and Changeling forces haven’t engaged each other in nearly a year.”

“There are deeper issues besides property damage and loss of life. As you know, they attacked on my niece’s wedding day.” Celestia replied with her normal poker face, Dominic leaned back in his seat quietly.

“Be that as it may, it’s odd to me that the nation that’s so interested in keeping the peace is still openly at war with a country that hasn’t even launched a probing attack against your borders in ages.” Dominic countered, the eyes of the room were upon him and Celestia now, Luna didn’t dare interject. “What it boils down to is my next topic of concern. Maintaining the sovereignty of the Changeling Kingdom’s borders, as dictated in the treaty of New Liberty.” There was another loud cannon burst from outside, and once again the tent shuddered and the ground shook.

“We haven’t made any moves into Changeling territory either.” Celestia replied quietly, Dominic shook his head. “You disagree?”

“The first thing I did when this border conflict started was have a survey team re-verify our borders for the sake of due diligence. As well as those of our allies, the Changelings, and at the time, Equestria.” Dominic said in an even tone as he sat up straight, exuding an aura of dominance over the table despite his stoic expression. “What it found was, surprisingly enough, there are two Equestrian towns lying either in American or Changeling territory. Appleloosa and Dodge Junction, though to be fair that last one is a bit of a grey area. The point is Equestria may not have entered these territories with force of arms, but it did, nonetheless, enter them and effectively annex them.” Celestia’s composure broke, the words of Fieldmarshal Eventide echoed through her mind.

“I’ll see to it that no more towns are founded that way.” Celestia said, her eyes looking down at the table. “I… Apologize. I’ll make arrangements for my forces to withdraw from the border.” Dominic nodded quietly before he stood up and walked towards her, skirting around the table until he was beside her. The man slowly offered his hand to the mare, Celestia placed her hand in it. She froze as she felt his grip tighten and looked at him, there was an intense predatory glint in his eyes.

“Fool me once… Poor you.” He declared simply before shaking her hoof and letting go, Celestia felt a bit offended by his statement. She hid it under her demeanor, but part of her was outraged that such a young leader was able to gain the upperhand on her. That aside, however, the atmosphere in the tent brightened considerably. “Now, that we’ve got all that boring stuff out of the way…” The man looked at his watch for a moment, the meeting had taken longer than expected. “Damn, we’re just about at the cut off point.” The man walked to the door of the tent and peeked outside, sure enough the sun was starting to set in the distance. The tank guns had slowed down in their firing. “Shall we step outside? Get some fresh air?”

Luna nodded quickly and stood up, trotting towards the door to step outside. Celestia and her guards followed, leaving Dominic to quietly look around the room at his advisors and officers. He gestured for them to go about whatever it was they had been doing, but Maria walked towards him and the pair walked outside.

“Well, all things considered, it went better than I’d predicted.” Maria mused as the two of them began walking to catch up to the ponies who were now moving to the front of the firing line. Dominic looked over at the woman with a raised eyebrow as he tucked his hands into his pockets.

“What, if I may ask, did you predict?” He said in a slightly curious tone, Maria smiled for a moment and patted him on the shoulder.

“Remember that time I accidentally slammed your fingers in the car door and the door stayed shut?” Maria asked faintly, Dominic nodded firmly and winced as he felt a phantom pain run up his right hand from the fingertips. “Worse than that.” Dominic shook his head quietly as he and Maria reached the group, looking down at the enemy fortification. Or what was left of it. Unlike the smaller guns, the new eighty five millimeter guns had ripped the once mighty bunker open like a can of sardines. The tattered remains of the EOL banner continued to flutter in the wind as shells continued to rain down at a slowing pace, the firing would stop once the sun had set, allowing enough time for the tanks to resupply and the spent casings to be collected and hauled off for recycling.

“Certainly an impressive feat… It would take a team of mages at close range to even make a dent if we were in Equestria.” Luna commented as she watched a destroyed car hulk fly through the air like a toy. She had never seen the tanks in battle before, even with the car bomb earlier in their trip, it had mainly been machine guns that dealt with the threat. Of course, she hadn’t seen them in an assault yet either, but she had a feeling she would get that chance the following morning.

“Do we need to watch this?” Celestia asked quietly, Dominic shrugged and shook his head. The mare turned to walk behind the tanks, leaving the rest of the group to watch the destruction. Maria quietly placed herself between Luna and Dominic, an act of dominance that was not lost on the lunar princess.

“Perhaps my sister is right, I am rather hungry, and I’m sure you’re tired as well.” Luna suggested, Dominic nodded but continued watching the unfolding destruction. “Would you care to show me where I can get something to eat?”

“I’d love to, but I’ve got to be here to command my tank, and I won’t weaken the battery by removing a fifth of its firepower especially since we’re down at least one crewmember.” Dominic replied as he turned his attention to the mare, she could see in his eyes that she’d trained him well. The mission came before social interaction, and while she was disappointed she wouldn’t get to talk to him, she understood his position. “Major Valova can show you to the mess hall, if you don’t mind?”

“Not at all.” Luna said as she looked to Maria, the woman was shorter than her by a couple inches, even so Luna knew that she wasn’t to be trifled with. Maria smiled faintly and looked over at Luna, there was a spark of curiosity in the sniper’s eye.

“I don’t mind showing her around.” The woman said cheerfully. “She can ride back to Golf with me and Melissa.” Luna was about to correct her grammar, but decided against it. After all, neither Dominic or Maria, or a good portion of the young folks in the American army, had finished school due to the outbreak. Granted training had made up for some of that lost education, but Luna knew there was still a considerable margin for improvement.

“Great!” Dominic said as he looked at the two solar guards that were continuing to watch the dwindling barrage. “Mind taking these two with you as well? They’re bright armor could be a bit of a problem.” Dominic’s point was made as a bullet kicked up dirt a couple inches in front of the guards. “Snipers love a shiny target.” The guards rushed back behind Dominic, and even Luna took a step back, but Maria and Dominic remained rooted to their spots. “Don’t worry, most EOL sniper’s can’t hit shit.”

“Half of them don’t know how to adjust their scopes.” Maria quipped with a slight chuckle before patting Luna on the shoulder. She paused for a moment, Luna’s fur was extremely soft, but she didn’t have time to dwell on that. “Come on, it’s about time to head back to the ranch. Melissa hate’s missing the burrito express.” Luna raised an eyebrow at the woman. “This RV that goes around and sells burritos, about the only decent thing you can buy from a non-military source.”

“Oh… Well, okay then, lead on.” Luna said, Maria nodded before she turned to Dominic and put her hands on his shoulders. The woman turned him towards her before leaning forwards and kissing him on the cheek.

“Stay safe, okay? Don’t do anything crazy like rolling a burning truck of gasoline down the hill at them.” She commanded, Dominic paused and put his hand to his chin.

“There’s an idea…” The man chuckled when he felt Maria smack his shoulder. “Alright… Nothing too crazy. Drive safe.” He hugged the woman, then turned and hugged Luna. “You be sure to buckle up, she drives like a maniac when she’s hungry.” Luna chuckled quietly and returned the long awaited hug, holding Dominic tightly against her chest for nearly a minute before letting go. “See you both tomorrow when we finally crack this nut.”

“Sounds good.” Maria said before gesturing for Luna and the guards to follow her, they began walking towards the tent again. “Where’s your sister? She was back here a minute ago.”

“I’m not sure…” Luna paused for a moment, then looked over her shoulder at Dominic who was back to surveying the bunker with his binoculars. “Excuse me for a moment, there’s something I need to talk to Dominic about. I almost forgot how important it was.” Maria shrugged and continued her search for the missing white princess, leaving Luna to wander back over to the young commander in chief. “Dominic, I have something I need to report.” Luna said quietly. “I hate to say it now that things are starting to look up, but…”

“What’s wrong?” Dominic asked as he lowered his binoculars, the cannons had all but stopped now as the sun was setting beyond the horizon and painting the sky with beautiful pinks and reds.

“I’ve received a rather troubling intelligence report from a very trusted source in Canterlot.” Luna said in a hushed tone as she looked around. “Two weeks ago Celestia is believed to have ordered a covert operation against us… To steal blueprints, to what specifically we’re still not sure.” Luna had his full attention as he was staring at her with serious, calculating eyes. “Yesterday Rainbow Dash defected because she was one of the ponies ordered to go on the mission, she only barely managed to make it to us. She said they wanted to hold her for two weeks, which leads me to believe…”

“The operation will be carried out sometime between now and two weeks from now.” Dominic finished for her in an even tone, one of the tanks roared again. “Have you alerted our forces to the threat? Of course you have, you’re smart.” Luna nodded silently. “We can only wait then, calling Celestia on it now would give her a platform to deny it and build more opposition in Equestria.”

“You’re remarkably calm about this…” Luna said, Dominic nodded and tapped the side of his head.

“Compartmentalizing.” He said simply, another one of Luna’s tricks to keeping a cool head on the battlefield. “If we can keep it quiet, I’ll let it slide… We’ve only just started making peace with Equestria, and as long as we halt the threat that won’t change.”

“And if it escalates?” Luna asked quietly, somewhat nervously in fact. She almost jumped out of her skin when another blast of cannon fire echoed from behind her. Dominic only turned to look at the eviscerated bunker that lay burning in the distance, lighting up the area around it as portions of it burned into the darkening sky.

“Civus Romanus…” Dominic said quietly, watching the smoke and flames climbing higher into the night. “During the time of Rome a citizen of the Empire could walk anywhere in the world without fear. Simply saying they were a citizen of Rome was enough, because everyone knew how fiercely the Romans protected their own. Killing a Roman was akin to an act of war.”

“I heard that in an episode of West Wing when I was growing up, it stuck with me because my dad always told me we were descended from the centurions of Rome.” Dominic continued, Luna watched him as he reached into his pocket and withdrew a cigar. “If an American is harmed grievously... If it escalates, it escalates. It’s something I’ve been preparing for for some time. Remember. Fool me once, poor you.”

“You mean it isn’t a rumor? There really is a War Plan Pink?” Luna asked, Dominic nodded and lit his cigar, puffing on it quietly as the lost shot of the barrage was fired from his own tank. Luna couldn’t help but feel unnerved at just how well she had trained Dominic, he sounded more battle hardened than her generals in the Nightmare Rebellion, some of the greatest military minds of their century. “Let’s hope we never have to use it then. I should go, your mare- girlfriend is waiting for me.”

“She likes you, I can tell, even if she hasn’t gotten to know you yet.” Dominic said, smirking quietly around his cigar as smoke drifted up into the sky. “She can be abrasive at times, but honestly, who can blame her?” Luna nodded quietly, then hugged him tightly again, even after their previous conversation he was still the man she loved, and now seeing him again, she knew that her notion of it being platonic was rapidly fading. “You really should get going though, she hates keeping Melissa from that burrito bus. I swear, the woman’s obsessed or something.”

“I’ll hurry along then.” Luna said as she broke the hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow!” Dominic smiled and gave a slight wave as Luna started trotting back to join the group, she fidgeted in her armored vest and did her best to stretch despite it. Celestia was standing with the group while Maria  and Melissa were helping the two pegasus guards up into the bed of a matte olive drab pick up truck. Celestia managed to push herself up into the bed on her own, and was soon joined by Melissa. Maria closed the tailgate just as Luna reached the vehicle.

“You’re riding up front with me.” Maria said as she climbed into the driver’s seat, Luna shrugged and approached the passenger side. Maria opened the door for her before she started up the truck, Luna climbed into the truck and adjusted her helmet as her horn bumped against the roof. The princess pulled the door closed and put on the odd seatbelt, mimicking what Maria was doing to figure out how the odd contraption worked. “You all comfy?”

“Yes, thank you.” Luna replied, Maria nodded and shifted the truck into drive. The headlights popped on automatically and with that they were driving down the hill back towards the highway. In the back Luna and Maria could hear the ponies and Melissa chatting, but it was still relatively quiet up front. “So… You’re the one I’ve heard so much about.” Maria nodded silently as her eyes stuck to the road.

“I could say the same about you.” Maria replied, her expression remaining rather stoic. “Dominic’s told me all about what you’ve done for him, and that thing you had for him.” Luna nodded, somewhat worried about what Maria would say next. She knew that the woman had displayed a rather dominant position earlier, but she still held out a hope that perhaps there was some room for her. “I get it… I really do. He just has that aura to him, you know? Even if he doesn’t realize it.” Luna nodded quietly, still unsure of the ground she stood on with Maria. “I’ve been nervous about meeting you, I was worried you’d not like me.”

“I had the same worry about myself.” Luna replied as they continued driving down the highway, passing a couple other trucks on their way to deliver supplies to the front. “Call it silly, but I wanted to make a good impression on you.” The mare removed her helmet and set it on the seat beside her, Maria looked at her for a moment with a curious expression. “You’re the woman in Dominic’s life, but, I still want to be a part of his life too.”

“Who said you couldn’t be?” Maria asked, Luna was a tad surprised. “Did he tell you that, because I’ll kick his ass if he did.” The princess quickly shook her head, honestly a bit surprised at just how ready Maria was to defend her. “Dom before the outbreak was like being friends with a hermit crab, fun the play with and hang out with, but very reclusive and cynical.” Maria’s expression softened. “Dominic after being friends, and perhaps more, with you…? He’s starting to believe in himself. Of course you can still be in his life, I’d be sad if you weren’t.”

“That’s better than what I had hoped.” Luna said with a smile, briefly her eyes drifted out the window at a pale white orb that had floated into view in the sky. “That’s Earth’s moon?” Maria nodded. “Where are all the stars?”

“Light pollution from the convoy…” Maria said as she pointed to the passing supply trucks, the woman paused as she spotted something in the road ahead. A small service road. “Hold on.” The woman turned down the road, much to the confusion of her passengers in the truck bed, they drove for twenty minutes or so before coming to a stop. Maria turned off the engine and killed the headlights. “Come on.” Luna unbuckled herself and stepped out of the passenger side while Maria made her way out of the driver’s side.

“What’s going on?” Celestia asked with a bit of worry, Maria simply pointed to the sky. Celestia looked up at the sky, and to her surprise, was greeted by an awe inspiring sight.

“It’s… It’s breathtaking.” Luna said as she stared at the night sky, it was beautiful, elagent, and it made the Lunar princess feel very small in a way she had never felt before. In Equestria she controlled the stars and the moon, but on Earth she was but an observer. Everything she saw was at it was naturally, the laws of the universe guiding it rather than the whim of a simple pony mind. So beautiful in its simplicity, yet beyond comprehension in the distant beauties and wonders the complex cosmos held.

Celestia was having a bit of a moment herself, for a millennium she had believed that only through magic could beauty appear in the heavens. And yet, she was staring at an untampered sky, and it in and of itself was magical. The regent of the sun, arguably the most powerful pony in the entire Equestrian universe, a mare who had seen eons of progress and conflict, felt very insignificant.

“Billions of years old.” Melissa commented as she looked up at the sky quietly, she didn’t hold the same heavy feelings that the princesses held, but she couldn’t deny she too felt humbled by the grand complexity of it all. The pegasi guards, for their part in it all, were beyond words. Pegasi were so very used to flying fast, many of them never stopped to look at what they were missing. “All these dots of light, they started their journey millions of years ago. Entire civilizations have probably risen and fallen out amongst them in the time it took them to reach us here.”

The group remained there for another ten minutes, all of them silently taking in the sight of the brilliant stars. There were too many to count, but Luna was trying to anyway. Part of her felt like there was so much more she could do to make her own sky even a fraction of as nice as Earth’s, and that started with one of the hardest lessons she had tried to abide by. Learning to let go of control. Eventually it became time to leave, and so they all piled back into the pick up truck and made their way back to the highway.

“Thank you…” Luna said quietly, Maria only nodded in response. The silence persisted for a couple minutes, it wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable, but Luna was unsure again of how to proceed. “Can I ask you some questions?” Maria shrugged as she continued driving along the highway, her eyes scanning the distant road ahead for possible threats. “I happen to know you were a fan of that TV show, could you tell me… Between you and I…  Were you a fan of me or my sister?” Maria snorted and started chuckling, Luna remained quiet as the woman settled down.

“You, by far, were the most interesting.” Maria said with a grin. “Mainly because you had cooler back story, Celestia just seemed too ‘perfect’. Dominic always said ‘It’s because she’s secretly plotting to take over the world!’, but I think that was just him being paranoid.” Luna chuckled faintly at Maria’s imitation of the normally serious man, her voice had slipped into an octave that more resembled an opera singer than the normal measured baritone.

“I see…” Luna said quietly, her mind drifting back to the conversation she had had with Dominic less than an hour before. “My sister’s methods are questionable, but she means well.” Maria shrugged and continued watching the road ahead of her, occasionally moving the wheel to drive around abandoned cars that hadn’t been hauled off for repairs or salvage. “However, I must be honest with you, Maria. There are storm clouds on the horizon that are far closer to us than you think.” The woman looked at the Princess with an unsure expression. “Dominic may need us both much more very soon, in fact our entire country may be in such need.”

“War Plan Pink?” The woman asked quietly, Luna only nodded and the woman scowled. “How soon? We’re so close to victory here in the EOL?” Luna quietly ignited her magic, something she found much more difficult to do in Earth’s natural anti-magic atmosphere. With it she displayed the words ‘Two Weeks’. It was to minimize the possibility of Celestia overhearing their discussion in the back of the truck. Maria sighed and looked to the road once more, the two of them sitting in contemplative silence. “Our country, eh?” The question caught Luna off guard, but the mare nodded nonetheless. “Does your sister know you’ve… Changed your view?”

“No… Not yet, but I suspect she won’t be surprised.” Luna admitted quietly, she looked at the floor of the truck silently. “This will be the second time I’ve been against her, so soon after my return, so soon after I learned to control my anger.”

“Sometimes families fight… In some cases it can be worse than others…” Maria shivered as she thought of her own parents attempting to marry her off to someone she thoroughly loathed and the ensuing gun battle that followed her refusal. “This time you’re going into it with a clear head though, right? It’s all you, not so much your emotions.” Luna nodded quietly, in some way it was her loyalty to Dominic, but most notably it was her loyalty to her subjects. The thestrals and other creatures of the night that were so readily persecuted and mistreated  in Equestria even after a thousand years.

“Thank you, Maria… I can see why Dominic cares about you so much.” Luna said, Maria just smiled quietly as she turned the wheel and pulled off the highway towards the gated Community Luna had seen earlier. A sign had been painted and hung on the guard house that controlled the gate reading ‘Camp Golf’, with a golf club painted above it.

“Don’t worry about it…” Maria said simply, she parked the truck in front of a rather normal looking house. “Okay, everyone out.”

[♠]

Empress Night Raven paced nervously back and forth in her office, for the first time in a long time there was a threat to everything she and her inner circle had worked for. Her ring of steel was buckling, even her most hopeful of estimates put the enemy at the gates of Denver within the week. Nearly a third of her forces had been wiped out or captured, and she couldn’t spare to send any more without risking an uprising in Golden. The city of thralls would surely succumb to anarchy and violence if she pulled troops from it in order to combat the threat, and yet it was very likely that would be the case anyway.

They could always get more thralls, one way or another, whether by capturing them or breeding their own. Night Raven looked out her window at the laboring retches that wandered the streets, they were at least contributing to the war effort. The city of Golden was little more than a glorified holding pen, containing the unneeded and untrained thralls for later use. A twisted thought entered her mind, they were expendable, undesirable, a drain on society. No one in the EOL would bat an eye if they simply ceased to be.

Somewhere deep in Night Raven’s mind she heard a voice screaming at her, telling her that it was wrong, that she had already taken things too far. The woman stopped in front of the window of her office and stared out over the city, watching plumes of smoke from the foundries rising into the sky. The woman, in a brief moment of clarity, felt utterly despicable. However, it passed just as quickly as it came. The nation was in despair, she couldn’t ignore her subjects, she had to stay the course. In her moment of desperation Night Raven approached her desk and picked up a pen, if her forces in Golden didn’t have to guard the thralls they could defend Denver.

Her pen scrawled over the page a ghastly order, a solution to their problems that would finally put an end to the war. The Empress’ heart pounded heavily in her chest, yet her hand remained firm as she detailed every despicable, deplorable act that would transpire. The death warrant of untold numbers went on for nearly two pages before she stopped and looked at the bottom, staring at the place where her signature would be placed, where she would forever condemn herself to the deepest of hatred.

“The American’s brought this about.” She said to herself, trying to force her hand to scrawl her name. “If they weren’t so close… I wouldn’t have to… To…” Night Raven closed her eyes tightly, trying with all her might to will her hand to sign the orders. “What… What am I doing?” A spark of humanity entered the Empress’ eyes, her heart pounding even harder than before. The woman stood up, wobbling around on her feet as she felt her left arm go numb. “I’ve… I’ve got to stop this… This…” Before she could finish her sentence the Empress collapsed to the floor, spilling a bowl of pretzels all over her in the process.

It was ten minutes before an aide discovered her on the floor, any hope of reason or diplomacy died with her. An emergency session of the inner circle was called to establish the new leader of the failing Empire, a task that had once been the ultimate goal of many of them was now treated as a suicide mission. Hours of deliberation passed, fingers were pointed, votes were cast, and names were called. In the end, it was all about a fall guy, someone to brave the fires of an infuriated enemy army. For that reason a relatively unknown member of the inner circle was chosen, a short woman that was only identified by her old fur suit. Her name was Ingrid, an aspiring inner circle member who didn’t care that the war seemed hopeless.

Before Night Raven’s body had even cooled down, Ingrid entered her office. Such was the cold political machine that was the Empire of Light. Ingrid, of course, had very little experience leading anything more than protests for furry rights. Figuring there was something to be learned from whatever papers lay on the desk, she began to look through them. It was there that tragedy was found, if Ingrid’s fursuit had had slightly smaller eyeholes. If Night Raven had lived just five more minutes. What came next could’ve very well been avoided.

“It seems she had plans even to the end.” Ingrid mumbled as she looked over the orders that lacked a signature, without a second thought the woman picked up a pen and scrawled her signature across the bottom. “Hail Raven.” She said to herself before walking to the door with her first act as Empress in hand, it would take only an hour for the orders to be relayed by encrypted radio, and then the defense of Denver and the future of nearly a thousand people would be set in stone.

[♠]

Smoke drifted lazily up into the sky through a small hole in a rather large teepee situated at the base of the Rocky mountains. The quaint structure was surrounded by four pickup trucks, painted black with machine guns mounted in the back. White arrowheads had been painted on the hoods and doors, indicating just who they belonged to. Within the teepee were four old men, one from each tribe that made up the Native Confederacy. For a long time they had abstained from war with the EOL, fearing that their forces would easily be defeated by the better equipped Empire.

Families had been torn apart, trade had been disrupted, and confidence in the confederacy was teetering on an ever steepening cliff. So it was now that all four of them had seen the tide of battle turn with their own eyes that they sat to discuss their next move.

“The strange ones come from a place that is not of this earth, or perhaps even this plain of existence… We have no idea of their true capabilities.” Chief Deer Swiftly Running of the Shoshone tribe said as he looked at the fire, his expression was one of grim concern that managed to push through the wrinkles in his old skin, his white hair swayed in a light breeze that continued to feed the fire. “Even their leader is a mystery to us… From what my scouts have observed, he is a conqueror, and we all know how that could end for us.”

“I disagree…” Replied Chief Red Sparrow of the Apache nation, he was the youngest of the group, only fifty seven, and he still had a good portion of his thick black hair. “He is aggressive, this is true, but we would be as well if in his place.” The man straightened up as he continued to feel the warmth of the fire against his skin. “He is not the white man who comes to steal our people and take our land. That title has belonged to the Empire for as long as I have sat on this council.”

“You have only sat on this council for two years, Chief Sparrow.” Countered Broken Antlers of the Cheyenne nation, the two men looked at each other quietly, as if sizing one another up. “I concur with Chief Running Swiftly, these strange creatures are unknown to us. For all we know they are here to wipe out our entire race. If we are to go to war it should be with these strange ones that have taken over the CNG.” The three men began to bicker and argue amongst one another, their voices starting to grow in volume as minutes ticked by.

“Enough.” A quiet rasping voice pierced the conversation, bringing all arguments to a screeching halt. All eyes turned to the fourth man seated beside the fire, his skin was wrinkled and leathery, dark from exposure to the sun. His eyes squinted heavily and his hair was grey and well kept, the man looked over his compatriots as they stared back at him. And then, in the same rasping tone, ninety five year old Watchful Bear of the Ute nation spoke. “We have come here because our policy of neutrality is no longer effective… We can no longer allow factions to operate without becoming involved.”

All those present watched him quietly as he began to scrawl things in the dirt with a stick, at first they didn’t seem like much of anything.

“What we have seen is something I had not thought I would live to see.” Watchful Bear said as he continued to draw in the soil. “He is called an eagle, but they are wrong… This man is no eagle, he is the wolf.” Watchful Bear finished his drawing, depicting a figure of a man cloaked in the pelt of a wolf. “The hero of the Ute tribe.”

“Hero?” Broken Antlers asked incredulously, Watchful Bear nodded. “This ‘hero’ is barely old enough to be considered a man. I do agree with you on one point, however. He is a wolf, a ruthless hunter that will rip our tribes apart.”

“Yee of such little faith.” Watchful Bear said with a shake of his head. “In the battle we witnessed where he dismounted his tank, did you see how he fought the elf commander?” Once again all eyes were focussed on Watchful Bear, true to his name he was better at paying attention than most, even at his age he had eyes like a hawk. “He spared his opponent out of respect, and it is that same respect that will protect us from his armies.”

“Respect, for an elf?!” Running Swiftly said with a bit of shock, Watchful Bear shook his head slowly and took in a deep breath of the smoky air.

“The soldiers of the EOL carry swords, very seldom are they skilled.” Watchful Bear continued, he pointed to the figure he had sketched in the dirt. “The Elf earned his respect through skill, and that is the same way we will earn the respect of the wolf. The time for isolation is over, the wolf has come to deliver us from this world into a better one. Let us show him respect by meeting him as friends, not as fearful children.”

“I hear word he is involved with the maiden of the woods…” Red Sparrow said quietly, Watchful Bear smiled faintly and raised an eyebrow.

“Maria trusts him? What other proof do you need… Such a nice girl.” Watchful Bear said with a nod, reluctantly the others nodded. The maiden of the woods was the popular name in the NC’s territory in Wyoming and Utah for the woman known in Colorado as ‘The Mosin Maiden’. She was a bit of a hero in the Native Confederacy, as the story went, she protected a caravan with numerous pregnant women from a horde of ruthless EOL slavers with nothing but her aging rifle. Of course, the story had been embellished, but many of the tribal leaders had to admit they respected the normally reclusive sniper.

“It seems we’ve come to a decision then…” Broken Antlers said reluctantly, there were several nods from around the room. “We will make contact with this… Wolf. Hopefully he is as respectful as Chief Watchful Bear says he is.” The men nodded quietly and added a bit more wood to the fire, the rest of the night was filled with talk of internal affairs in the confederacy, some of which pertaining to the radio station that they protected. Ghost Peak Radio was probably their best asset, and so far things seemed to be working well enough, even if the original hosts had seemingly vanished into thin air.

[♠]

Putin sat quietly in his chair, watching a satellite feed of the city of Golden with his fingers interlocked. There had been a frightening uptick in activity from the EOL forces there, and rumors were already being picked up that Empress Night Raven had died. The more Putin heard the more he believed them, and the more he believed them the more he began to feel uncertain of the new Empress, whoever she was. So far his opinion was being shaped by the events unfolding before his aging eyes, that opinion was rapidly becoming one of fear.

As he sipped from a cup of coffee an aide would occasionally enter and set a scouting report on the table beside him. Each one relayed a more grisly and disturbing message than the last, it seemed the first act of the new Empress had been to purge the slaves being kept in Golden. It was a number estimated to be near eight hundred at its smallest, and as the large bonfires continued to grow in size Putin couldn’t help but wonder where the promising commander was. He silently pushed a switch on his table and another screen turned on, depicting the aerial image of T-34s parked on a hill overlooking a burning, but still functioning, bunker.

There was no way Occisor would be able to make it to Golden in time to do anything, even if he found out. That put Putin in a rather odd spot, contrary to popular belief he truly had turned over a new leaf. All the power in Russia doesn’t mean as much when the majority of Russians are eating each other's faces off, and with his humbled heart he had grown to want to do the right thing. The UN in boulder had remained isolated out of desperation, they lacked the forces to carry on a war against the EOL on their own, but with the aid of an ally… Putin looked at the growing bonfires, the echoing, nightmare inducing screams of the day Moscow fell ran through his mind.

“Summon the generals.” Putin said as he heard his aide enter the room, the aide nodded and left silently, leaving the Russian to sip his coffee and continue to watch the fires burn. In his mind he knew the war was rapidly coming to an end, and afterwards there would still be struggle on earth. His ultimate goal was to preserve humanity’s culture and accumulated knowledge, so far he had safeguarded it in the form of the best scientists and researches he could evacuate, and in the form of books and documents. Still, books and documents meant very little, he hadn’t been able to save actual artifacts. They were deep in EOL territory, and most likely had been destroyed or desecrated.

He would have to give the matter further thought, as it was likely that staying on Earth would be a viable option. As he sipped his coffee the door to the room opened and four generals entered, one from France, one from Japan, one from America, and one from England. They confusedly looked at the screen, unsure of why they had been summoned.

“Gentlemen.” Putin said quietly before pointing to the screen. “The Empress has died, her replacement is purging the slaves in Golden.” The generals looked at each other quietly, unsure of what that had to do with them. “We have sat here for too long, our fear has made us complacent of the atrocities that are happening just to the south of us.” Putin stood up and looked at them with a determined expression. “The time for that has ended! Ready the APCs and other vehicles at once! The time for waiting has ended.”

“Yes, sir!” The generals shouted, one of them left to issue the orders while two pulled a map up from beneath the table and rolled it out. They had been waiting a very long time to use such a map, their tactical minds going to work as they determined how they would take the city. The final General, General Hillard of the United States, approached Putin to await his next order.

“Advise me of what we know so far about Commander Occisor and his nation.” Putin said as he continued watching the screen, meanwhile he could hear an alarm echoing overhead, the ball was in motion.

“The New United States is a Martial Democracy, at least, that’s the name our PollySci boys have given their government.” Hillard said dutifully, he had been working rather close to the research being put into the New United States. “Power is held mainly by the Commander and the military. The people vote on a bill and he can either veto it or pass it, if he vetoes it the bill is voted on again, three times. If it passes two out of three times it’s put into law regardless of the veto. Of course, the Commander has the power to issue an executive order.”

“Interesting. No congress or senate?” Putin asked, Hillard nodded.

“It’s still a city state, there’s no need for a congress or senate. At least, according to the information we’ve been given. We estimate their population to be near ten thousand and growing rapidly through immigration.” Hillard continued as he watched the fires on the screen, he was rather unsure why Putin was asking about the nation, and feared perhaps the leader was going to go to war with the New United States. “There’s no term limit either, and we’re hearing rumors there’s a bill making the rounds that could put Occisor into power permanently.”

“I take it he’s been supporting it?” Putin asked, Hillard shook his head.

“I think he’s rather busy with the task at hand, from what I hear about him though, he’ll most likely veto it. Our psycho analysts think he has a problem with being an authority figure.” Hillard said as he stood at ease beside Putin, Putin quietly rubbed his chin in thought and looked back to the video feed of Occisor’s forces. “Of course, given how popular he is, it’s likely to pass in the rebuttal phase.”

“A Martial Democracy… Would you live there?” Putin asked quietly, turning his seat to face the general with a bit of a raised eyebrow. “If given the opportunity?”

“If I wasn’t busy here I would’ve already left, sir.” Hillard said with an equally curious expression. “We’re not as young as we used to be, it’d be nice to retire some place that wasn’t crawling with nutjobs or flesh eating monsters.” Putin nodded quietly and looked back at the screens, a third image appeared, this one of the UN forces getting ready in white APCs and other vehicles, with no tanks to speak of it would be a nerve racking approach. “Why do you ask, sir?”

“The war is in its closing days, General. I too am ready to retire, the question is where.” Putin stood up quietly and adjusted his tie as he continued looking at the pictures on the screen. “Since the Soviet Union I have seen pictures like this, been in situation rooms like this. The time has come for a new breed to take up the leadership positions in the world, and I believe this… Commander may be that new breed.”

“Then let’s get to work on bringing the end even closer, sir. It’s about time we pick up our gold watches.” Hillard said with a bit of a grim chuckle, Putin nodded and turned to join the other generals at the table that were planning out their advance on the EOL city of Golden. “We should start by notifying Occisor of what’s going on, psych profile on him says it’ll get his blood in a boil. What he needs right now is aggression, there’s very little between him and Denver right now, but he doesn’t know that.”

“I’ll get our liaison’s on it right away.” Putin said as he looked over the map on the table, already the generals were carrying out calculations on how many wounded or dead there could be on either side. The satellites had shown a consistent number of EOL forces in the town of Golden holding at around four hundred, fluctuating by a hundred or so every month. The UN was evenly matched in that regard, but they held the upper hand in training and actionable intelligence while the EOL held the defender’s advantage. Putin had a rather cunning thought in his mind, in all the confusion of battle the enraged slaves of Golden would become his allies against a common enemy.

The next day was bound to be an interesting one.

[♠]

Fortress Wall looked out over the field that had been set aside for Operation Sky Sabre, the stars shined in the sky overhead, and the moon faintly illuminated what he had been spending the majority of his time constructing. Five airplanes had rapidly turned to twenty now that they had worked out the bugs, and already there were promising cadets entering the pilot training program. The soldier turned scientist looked away from his window and went back to his papers, he had taken a break from the aviation sector to instead focus on something a bit more personal.

He loved tanks, they were his favorite thing to build and study, and with the added knowledge of human armor he had been formulating a new design, one that was completely his own. It was a pet project, something that he would fund himself. He was more interested in seeing if it could work rather than seeing it put into action. The current tanks fired shells using chemical propellants, which was essential on a world like Earth where magic was muted heavily. Fortress had a different idea, however, one that was more at home in his own universe. Magic charged crystals held an immense amount of energy, in some ways more than gunpowder.

Small scale tests had exceeded expectations, but scaling it up had been a problem. The recoil given off by the larger the reactions would violently shear the gun mount on even the strongest of tank turrets. On top of that, the projectiles moved at such speed that it grew increasingly hard to study them, as they shattered on impact or flew too far away after punching through the target. The heat was also too much, the barrel tended to melt down after consistent firing. Fortress Wall sighed and rubbed his temples, trying to figure out a way to incorporate his new design into something that could work. A smaller gun would be able to not damage the gun mount, but it wouldn’t do much good in battle.

Fortress Wall began to swivel around in his office chair, sighing and trying to think of something to help his plans along. His hooves pushed him along as he watched the ceiling fan spin slowly above him, if it had been going a little faster it might have offered a cool breeze, but as it stood it was going slow to keep from blowing his papers around the room. The design area was filled with easels and drafting tables often used by his human coworkers, Fortress recalled how they sometimes needed to rotate between positions in order to get anything done, due to the height difference.

“Whoa!” Fortress cried out as the centrifugal force of his swiveling chair grew too much and hurled him out of his seat, the stallion groaned quietly as he clocked his head against his desk. “Fucking cheaply made stupid spinning piece of…” Fortress stopped and stared at the chair that was spinning slowly to a stop. “Light bulb.” He said quietly as he smiled at the chair, chuckling as he got up and rubbed his head. The stallion quickly wrote down his notes on his research paper, contemplating the implications it could have for his pet project with glee.

The stallion stopped when he’d finished his note taking, then looked back outside at the airplanes that had been spaced out and were being guarded by numerous roving guard patrols. Security had been rather high lately, but then again, they were working on technology that could dramatically shift the balance of power in the world. Fortress sighed tiredly and folded up his papers for what he would be doing the next day. The stallion slipped them into a leather briefcase and locked it before slipping it over his shoulder and walking towards the door.

He briefly paused to look over the room, then trotted out to make his way home. His head ached, but at least he had made some progress on a subject he was quite interested in. The physics of armor and projectile were interesting in their own right, they just so happened to coincide with the interests of the military as well, which was fine in Fortress’ book. Things were starting to look up, hopefully.
> Chapter 14
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dominic quietly stood in front of the mirror in the abandoned house’s bathroom, adorned only in his undershirt, fatigue pants, and boots. He had just finished shaving his head, leaving only the mohawk he had taken on when he had completed Luna’s training. Outside of the house he could hear the sound of tanks preparing for what was to come that day, the New American Army was only hours away from Denver, and hours from its first major ground offensive. Shaving his head was his way of preparing himself for the horrors he would face when his forces rolled into the city. Word of the purge in Golden had already been conveyed to him by his UN liaisons, and thought the UN was in the process of trying to stop it, it still meant that his forces would be the only ones to enter the city of Denver.

Dominic had pulled out all the stops and ordered his three best pilots and their planes through the portal, and he was glad that he had. Initial reconnaissance flights showed great plumes of dust and smoke obscuring the outskirts of the city centre. As time had passed, it became clear that those plumes had been the result of large scale demolition. The EOL was collapsing buildings in order to force Dominic’s forces to enter through the most heavily defended parts of the city.

As Dominic continued to stare at himself in the mirror he felt his heart beating fast in his chest, there was a good chance that the battle would cost many American lives. Dominic’s original plan had been to send small teams to infiltrate the city over the course of a week, relying on them to destabilize the EOL defenses long enough for him to mount a blitz. Of course, that plan had gone out the window, there was no way to enter the city with the massive unstable piles of debris.

As the commander pulled on his olive drab fatigue shirt and began to button it he realized he would need to risk his thestrals and changelings more than anything. They were the only ones that would be able to infiltrate the city with flight, but it was likely there would be a great loss of life on their part. Dominic finished buttoning his uniform and looked to the door of the bathroom, a kevlar vest hung there quietly, as well as a black kevlar helmet. The man debated wearing his steel pot instead, but there was no room for taking chances. The man strapped on his armor and looked at himself in the mirror, he could see his chest rising and falling from nervousness.

Dominic’s eyes rested finally on his leather jacket, the two patches on the shoulders reminded him just who was counting on him that day. Solemnly he slipped into it, with it buttoned halfway he looked at himself in the mirror one final time. He barely recognized the face that stared back at him, and yet, it was so hauntingly familiar he couldn’t deny it was him. Every moment in his life had seemed to lead up to his moment, all the speeches his father had given him, all the reading, all the training, every moment would determine whether he was breathing at the end of the day.

“I won’t let you down, dad… I won’t hesitate.” He said quietly before he straightened his helmet and walking out of the bathroom, his boots echoed through the house as he descended the steps. He pulled on his belt, tightening it and adjusting both the holster and the scabbard, before finally slinging his AK-47 over his shoulder. The man stood in the living room, taking a final look around the place where he and Maria had slept the night before, where he had shared a laugh with Luna, where he had been given the news that the EOL threat had only grown.

“Excuse me…” A voice said from behind him, it was old and rasping with an odd accent. Dominic turned around quietly, unsure of who was addressing him. He was surprised to see an old man in odd clothing standing in the hallway that lead to the living room. He walked fowards, his face decorated with odd paint. “Are you the commander?” Dominic nodded slowly, watching the man carefully. The elder walked forwards quietly and offered his hand. “I am Chief Watchful Bear of the Native Confederacy. Your soldiers said I could find you here.” Dominic shook the man’s hand firmly, unsure of why Watchful Bear stood before him.

“Chief… I’m sorry to say now isn’t a good time.” Dominic said as he looked out the window at a couple tanks rolling past, Watchful Bear nodded slowly as he followed the commander’s eyes.

“I know, word of the Empire’s actions have spread to my people…” Watchful Bear said, his rasping voice thinly veiling anger at the EOL. “Many of those in Golden are my people, but I know it is you and your warriors that shall save them.” Dominic was a bit surprised to see the old man withdraw a small wooden bowl from his pocket, covered with leather to keep whatever was inside from spilling. “I am afraid we can barely spare soldiers to defend ourselves, we cannot aid you in battle, save for the few braves that I suspect will go for revenge. I have come here to bestow upon you the only aid I can offer, that of the spirits that inhabit this land.”

“You know I’m a catholic, right?” Dominic asked, it was a dumb question, but he had a lot more on his mind and it happened to slip out. To his surprise Watchful Bear chuckled and opened the the wooden bowl, revealing a fine red powder.

“No one’s perfect.” Watchful Bear said with a shrug, he gestured for Dominic to lean a bit closer. “The correct way to do this was unfortunately lost to the infection, but I have a feeling the spirits will understand.” Dominic watched uncertainly as the old man closed his eyes and began to mumble words he could never hope to understand, after a couple seconds the chief picked up a handful of the red powder and tossed it into the air above Dominic. The commander found himself coated lightly by the powder as the chief continued his chanting, occasionally adding more of the powder, until the powder was gone entirely from the bowl.

Watchful bear reached out and placed his dusty thumb on Dominic’s forehead, then moved it quietly, resulting in a crude depiction of a wolf’s head. When the chief finally lowered his arm and opened his eyes Dominic felt somewhat strange, he looked himself over, covered in the red powder, as if he had rolled around in the desert sand.

“That should do it.” Watchful Bear said with a nod, Dominic stood up at his full height, towering over the old chief by nearly a foot. “The wolf is the hero of the Ute, I believe that you will live up to his name. Now do not let me keep you any longer, Commander. We shall be watching.”

“I’ll do my best.” Dominic said before slowly turning and walking towards the door, feeling somewhat disarmed by the man that had just marked him. He reminded him more of his grandfather than anything else, quiet and to the point. Dominic stepped outside, the breeze instantly blew most of the loose powder from his clothes, and more of it fell away with the vibrations of his steps. He instantly spotted his tank parked in the yard outside the house, standing beside it was Luna, Maria, and his trusty crew. They looked at him with varying degrees of curiosity, but none commented on the marking.

“You ready to go, boss?” Asked Gear Grinder as he adjusted his uniform, Dominic looked at Luna and Maria quietly. He wasn’t sure what he should say to them, thankfully they spoke for him. Both of them approached him and hugged him tightly, he quickly returned the embrace as the sound of engines continued to echo through the air around them. When the hug was broken the man looked at them both again, opening his mouth to speak.

“Well… It’s just about time.” He said, the two of them nodded quietly. “I suppose I’ll see you both when it’s all over?”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Luna said, doing her best to keep her composure, though internally she was beyond fearful. Dominic was well trained, but the risk was still there, as evidenced by his attention to his armor and weaponry. “There’s so much I wanted to say… But, for the life of me I can’t think of a way to say it.”

“I think I know what you want to say.” Maria said with a small smile, running a hand along Luna’s neck as she looked at Dominic. “I’ll say it for you.” She leaned in and kissed him strongly on the lips, holding him in place for a couple seconds before pulling away. “I love you… Stay safe.”

“You too…” Dominic replied, the trio stood in silence before Dominic straightened his helmet and cleared his throat. “I’ll be back, don’t you worry… Too stubborn to die, remember?” Maria chuckled grimly, it was all she could do to keep from breaking down into a ball of nerves. Dominic looked over his crew, pausing as he noticed Scribs wearing a blue boilersuit with a red bandana tied around his head. “What do you think you’re doing dressed like that?”

“I’m your loader and gunner, Commander.” Scribs said, Dominic smiled for a moment before shaking his head and pointing to the ground beside Luna.

“Not today, pal. You’re a reporter, I can’t ask you to fight in a battle like this.” Dominic said, Scribs smirked quietly and pulled a cigarette down from behind his ear with his magic. His horn ignited the end as he took a drag on the white tobacco tube before exhaling.

“All due respect, sir, but you couldn’t drag me away.” The stallion said, Dominic smirked for a moment before looking at Avos and Gear Grinder. They nodded quietly, conveying their consent. Dominic didn’t waste anymore time and climbed up onto the tank, pulling the hatch open and gesturing for the crew to enter their vehicle.

“Mount up, then. We’ve got a war to win.” Scribs and Avos climbed in through the turret hatch while Gear Grinder made his way around to the front drivers hatch, once they had entered Dominic climbed into the tank himself and looked down at Luna and Maria. He paused for a moment, then reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a pair of cigars. The commander tossed one to both Maria and Luna before patting his pocket quietly. “We’re gonna share those when all this is over, and not a moment before.” Dominic pulled on his headset. “Start us up, Gear.”

The engine rumbled to life, and within seconds the tank was rolling away. Maria and Luna watched for a whole of thirty seconds before the sniper tried to rush after the vehicle. She was stopped by a large wing, the woman turned to look at Luna with tears starting to form in her eyes. Luna wrapped her wing around the sniper, hugging her tightly, just long enough for Maria to rein in her emotions.

“I… I have to go too. Melissa and I are going to be providing overwatch for combat medics.” Maria said, Luna nodded quietly as the woman emerged from her wing. The two stared at eachother for a couple seconds before Maria silently walked off to find her pick up truck and her sister in arms. Luna was left to stand alone in front of the house, watching the warmachines roll on their way to an unknown destiny in a city very far away.

“Greetings, strange one.” A rasping voice said from behind Luna, the princess turned and watched an elderly man wander up beside her, watching Dominic’s tank quietly get further and further away. “The soldiers here call you Luna, Queen of the night.” Luna nodded quietly before the man gave a slight bow, the princess returned the bow just as respectfully. “I am Chief Watchful Bear of the Native Confederacy… I’m told you are the one that trained the commander.”

“I am…” Luna said as her eyes went back to the T-34-85 that was gradually getting further and further away. “He was an interesting pupil… So full of talent, and yet lacking in confidence. I can only pray he keeps his humility now that he’s realized how much he can do.”

“He will.” Watchful Bear said with a small smile. “I know someone who was very much like him when he was younger.”

[♠]

Jack stood quietly by his aircraft as he looked out over the plains of Colorado, smelling the air that he had left behind for Equestria. He wore his jacket and aviator cap, his gloves were tucked in his pocket and ready for the order to take to the sky. Beside his aircraft were two more, belonging to Dusty and Sarah. Dusty was currently attempting to woo one of the pony mares responsible for fueling the aircraft while Sarah was leaning against her aircraft. Jack watched her for a couple seconds, recalling just how well she had taken to flying biplanes, despite her fighter jet background.

Jack’s aircraft was adorned with a ghoulish face painted on the front, updated to include a pilot’s cap riddled with bullet holes. He was already contemplating how he would defend Sarah if things started to go south, he knew that she had trouble turning due to a bit of knee trouble, but he doubted she would be dogfighting. Still, there was always the risk. Jack began to pace back and forth, running over the possibilities in his mind over and over again, each one playing out like a chess game. He became so immersed in his thoughts that he didn’t realize Sarah had walked over to him until she placed her hand on his shoulder, the man flinched and looked at her.

“Hey, kiddo. You alright?” She asked as she looked the young daredevil up and down, Jack looked back at her for a couple seconds before slowly shaking his head. “What’s up?”

“Worried about what could happen today… I don’t want to lose anyone else.” Jack said quietly, his eyes turned to the rumble of engines in the distance. He could see the armored column rolling down the highway, it wouldn’t be long before they were sent up. Jack was surprised when Sarah pulled him into a rather comforting hug, patting him on the back a couple times before letting go.

“It’s going to be fine, alright? You’re going to be fine, I’m going to be fine, we’ll all be fine.” Sarah said firmly, Jack nodded silently as the woman patted him on the shoulder. “Proud of you.” With that she started walking back to her own aircraft, Jack felt a bit more confident in the battle that was to come. He tightened the straps on his pilots cap before he heard the familiar sound of someone shouting ‘Scramble! Scramble! Scramble!’ coming from the radio tent that had been set up a couple yards away.

The three pilots climbed up into their aircrafts with practiced ease, slipping into their harnesses and plugging their headsets into the radios. Jack checked over all his dials before looking over at Sarah and Dusty’s aircraft. They were just as focussed as he was, a couple stallions ran out of the tents and up towards the front of the aircraft, Jack knew what would happen next and did a quick sign of the cross over himself.

“Contact!” He shouted before the stallion gave a hard turn of the propeller, coupled with him hitting the starter switch. The engine sputtered for a moment before it roared into full life, Jack reached up to his cap and pulled down a pair of goggles over his eyes, then he buttoned up the fur collar on his jacket. The other engines weren’t far behind, and soon all three of them were chomping at the bit to get into the air.

”Take us up, kiddo!” Sarah called over the radio, Jack gulped quietly and looked over the side at the front wheels of his plane. His first ever combat mission would begin as the chocks were pulled away, he steeled his nerves quietly and cleared his throat.

“Chocks away!” The man ordered, the stallion who had started the engine rushed forwards and pulled the chocks free from the wheel, causing the aircraft to begin rolling forwards across the flat plains. Jack turned his attention back to flying his aircraft, his hand tightening around the stick as he pushed the throttle up. The engine snarled like a wild beast as he began thundering forwards, the tail of the plane bounced up and down on the rough surface before finally lifting up completely. Jack eased back on the stick and his aircraft lifted into the air, he climbed to a not so high altitude of four thousand feet and waited for the others to catch up.

Eventually he saw Sarah’s aircraft edge out in front of him, she took the lead in the formation while Jack was on her right wing and Dusty joined up on her left. Jack adjusted his throttle back from take off settings and settled in for the flight as the cold wind buffeted against his exposed skin, then he adjusted his radio to the proper combat channel, he could instantly hear more chatter between ground units. The flight gradually made its way to the column on the ground, they would occasionally have to bleed off airspeed to keep up with the slower moving tanks, but the plan was to keep them close until the fighting started. If they needed fuel or repairs they could quickly land and get the help they needed.

Sarah looked down from her aircraft at the lead tank, one of the newer T-34 models that had started coming through in mass a couple days ago. To her amazement she could see with surprisingly clarity just who it was riding in the turret, occasionally the man would look up at the aircraft, then back at the road ahead. There was no question about who it was, the scantily clad woman on the front indicated that it was indeed the Commander’s tank. 

Sarah couldn’t help but wonder what was going through his head, but as she saw him pointing something out to someone in his tank, she got a good idea. The woman looked forwards quietly and spotted a plume of black smoke rising up into the distant clear blue sky ahead. It was possible for her to see Denver as well, just as it was when she had finished her earlier recon flight. They were still a good distance away, but she knew that within an hour the first shots would be fired.

Time ticked by for the pilots and the soldiers on the ground below, each passing second was another moment closer to destiny, another moment closer to what could very well be their imminent demise. As an hour ticked down to a half hour and everyone’s eyes were shifting to their watches, there seemed to be a growing mix of feelings, confidence and dread.

”Compatriots of the New American Expeditionary Force, rogue members of the Native Confederacy, and whatever other independant allies may be out there. Today we are going to be engaging in a battle that could determine the destiny of survivors for generations to come.” Commander Occisor’s voice came over the radio, everyone turned up their headsets and listened closely. ”The enemy is ill trained and ill equipped, but he is well entrenched, and unlike us he has no regard for the lives of his fellow man. When he needs allies most he will stand alone, as he does now. We will not be deterred when he carries out his next unspeakable act. We will march into his capital city, we will topple his regime, and in the end free a suffering humanity from the chains of slavery! We will not settle for anything but complete and total victory!”

Sarah quietly tightened up her cap’s straps and adjusted her scarf before reaching forwards and pulling the charging handle on her machine guns, a round racked in the chambers of the two weapons that were remarkably similar to old fashioned 50. Cals in their design. By now Denver was dead ahead, she could spot EOL banners dancing in the wind above numerous buildings. It must’ve been a humbling sight in those towers, at least, she hoped it was. To see so many armored vehicles and soldiers coming for them would’ve been heart wrenching, the woman looked to the side as she spotted a rather impressive amount of thestrals and changelings rising into the air. Some were armed with sabres and gun platforms, other’s carried just sabres, a few were armed with spellbow platforms. It was clear that there was going to be blood running through the streets of Denver soon enough.

[♠]

Eugene and Nocturne had run out of gas a short distance from Denver, they had been running from the Americans that had destroyed the EOL outpost that had been in the road. Now they were walking through abandoned suburbs and watching over their shoulders for the occasional infected that still roamed the neighborhoods. In the distance they could see a massive plume of smoke rising into the sky, but none of them cared to guess what the source of it was. Besides, there was bigger things to worry about, mainly the sound of engines from the South.

“What do you think is happening?” Nocturne asked as she looked around them, noting a couple shadows passing overhead.

“Something big.” Eugene said quietly as he looked himself over, still adorned in his EOL uniform. “We need to get off the streets and out of these clothes.” Nocturne raised an eyebrow at him, unsure of what he meant by that. However, as the engines grew louder she found herself growing more and more fearful. She nearly screamed when Eugene grabbed her wrist and began running towards a house on the corner, just as they managed to get inside the engines overhead became apparent.

“They have airplanes?!” Nocturne said as she watched through the door of the house, she ducked back as she spotted a swarm of thestrals and changelings following the aircraft towards denver. “Eugene, what do we do!?” Nocturne turned and spotted Eugene stripping out of his uniform down to his undershirt and boxers, leaving only his balaclava to hide his face. “What are you doing?!” Eugene pulled on a pair of jeans that had been left on the couch of the abandoned living room, then put his boots back on.

“Surviving.” He said as he tightened his boots, the man pointed to a pile of clothes resting on the arm of the couch. “Get out of that stuff, if they catch you in that garb they’ll try you as a war criminal.” Eugene picked up his rifle and moved towards the door, Nocturne nervously approached the couch while the man watched outside. The ground began to rumble, the sound of engines was getting even louder. It was so loud he saw a couple infected sprinting down the street towards the source, their tattered flesh and exposed bones barely held together after so much decomposition.

A loud chattering of gunfire indicated that the infected had been dealt with, Eugene leaned out the doorway and looked down the street. A few seconds passed before his eyes widened, T-34s were rolling down the street with soldiers riding on the sides. At the head of the column was one decorated with a scantily clad woman with red ribbon, the commander of which was looking around quietly. Eugene slipped back through the door, holding his rifle tightly and breathing heavily as the tanks began rolling past.

Down the street he could hear gunfire again, this time from the other direction, the first shots of the battle for Denver had been fired. He looked over at Nocturne, the woman had just finished slipping into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and was working on tying up her boots. Eugene peeked outside again, his heart racing as he saw the soldiers dismounting the tanks and rushing towards nearby buildings.

“We need to go! Now!” He shouted frantically as he spotted a four soldiers rushing towards the door, Nocturne managed to finish tying her boots just in time to get up. The two of them began running towards the back door of the house, only to stop as a tank rolled its way through the back yard. It was smaller than the other ones, but still just as intimidating up close. Eugene grabbed Nocturne by the wrist again and dragged her through the hole it had made in a fence, he let go when she caught on to following him. The man climbed over another fence and helped Nocturne along. Now they were on another street, and more tanks were rolling past, this time they had troop trucks with them.

“This way!” Nocturne shouted and pointed towards an alleyway, the pair darted between the trucks of soldiers and into the dark back street. They ran along the cramped dirty roadway until reaching another street, Eugene peeked out and darted back into cover as he spotted a fighter plane coming in low.

“Set up a perimeter! Fight for the Empire!” Shouted a voice from down the road, EOL troops were setting up a defensive position in wait for the incoming American troops. Nocturne began to run out of cover, but Eugene grabbed her and pulled her back just as the airplane engine was getting louder and louder. “Take cov-” The sound of machine guns cut through the air as bullets kicked up the asphalt and concrete out in the open. Only after the plane had banked away did Eugene grabbed Nocturne’s wrist again and begin pulling her towards a brick building.

“We can’t go out there, both sides are likely to shoot us!” Eugene said as he let go of Nocturne and looked around the inside of the structure. It was an old highschool, if the lockers were any indication. “We’ll have to wait it out in here.” Eugene pointed to one of the classrooms, Nocturne nodded quietly and followed him inside, both of them ended up taking cover together in the corner furthest away from the doors and windows. It was going to be a long day.

[♠]

Dominic looked through the command view slit in the turret as bullets pinged off the armor of the T-34, he had taken his forces right into the teeth of the enemy defenses, but he hadn’t had a choice, there was no way he would’ve been able to get in any other way. The EOL had bottlenecked the routes into downtown Denver, and a good amount of them were taking cover in the high rises that hadn’t been knocked over yet, firing with impunity from a high angle.

His ground forces were taking cover among the houses and small structures on the outskirts while his airborne thestrals and changelings were working out a strategy to take on the enemy in the towers above. Already reports of wounded were pouring in over the radio, Dominic couldn’t afford to be bogged down, but he couldn’t just destroy the building. It could fall over and block the only way into the city, and the EOL soldiers there seemed to know that. The commander looked up through the view slit at a squad of thestrals armed with gun platforms, they were dodging the defensive fire from the EOL troopers on the top floors relatively well.

“Support that squad!” Dominic ordered over the radio, the tanks further back were able to get better angles on the enemy and began firing bursts of machine gun fire at the EOL troopers on the top floor to try and force them to take cover. “Come on! Pull it off and I’ll give you all a medal!”

In the air above the thestral squad opened fire on the top floor windows, busting out the remaining windows and perforating a couple EOL defenders. They were the First Recon Squad of the Globe Corps, Captain Poplawski’s chosen cream of the crop. They landed in the highrise and looked around, adjusting their helmets as the EOL soldiers took cover behind overturned desks and filing cabinets. Moving as one the squad began moving towards the enemy, taking cover behind other desks and flipping a couple tables.

Bullets flew past them from the frantic defenders, a couple second later the gunfire stopped as the EOL troops began to reload. That was when the squad struck out, popping up and taking down targets as a well oiled military machine. Within minutes they had secured the top floor and gathered up ammunition and explosives from the dead EOL troopers.

”We’ve secured the top floor! Send in the rest!” The radio announced as Dominic smiled, watching more of the thestrals and changelings moving to the top floor. His joy was short lived as he spotted seven bulldozer tanks rolling down the street ahead, unlike their predecessors they were armed with grenade launchers rather than machine guns, as well as their crude front mounted cannons.

“Incoming armor!” Dominic shouted over the radio, watching as Scribs and Avos began to load the gun. “Gear, take us to the right, fan out!” Gear Grinder nodded and drove the tank forwards and to the right, allowing the other T-34s and smaller tanks to fan out better. Dominic watched one of the tanks fire its grenade launcher, three grenades rained down near the tank. Two of them hit home, but the sloped armor did its job. The tank shuddered as the grenades exploded, Dominic nearly banged his head against the side of the turret. “Take it out!”

Avos rotated the cannon around towards the fourth bulldozer tank, the gun was already ready to fire thanks to Scribs help. The griffon gritted her beak and pulled up on the trigger, the gun boomed and kicked back on its mountings. Dominic watched the enemy tank burst into flames, two T-34s and a light tank followed suit. With three tanks burning the EOL armor began to back up, still firing away with their grenade launchers.

“Scribs! Get on the machine gun and waste those gunners!” Dominic ordered as he moved away from the command slit to help Avos load another shell into the gun. The reporter turned tank crewman hesitated for a moment, then quickly moved to the machine gunner seat beside Gear Grinder.

”Those grenades are doing a hell of a job on us!” Shouted a frantic voice over the radio as several more grenades exploded on the hull of one of the light tanks. ”Shit! It looks like one of them took out our turret controls, and the welds are starting to-” Another grenade exploded on the hull, this time Dominic was shocked to see one of his own tanks burst into flames. The hatch burst open and a couple diamond dogs tried to scramble out, but they were cut down by EOL machine gun fire before they could get away.

“This is Night Eagle, I need a strafing run…. Fifty  meters ahead of my position! Target will be marked with white smoke! Danger close!” Dominic shouted into his radio as Avos fired another round at the retreating armor, the shell exploded close to one of the tanks but the damage was superficial. “Load willy pete!” Dominic once again began helping Avos as Scribs fired the machine gun, trying to suppress the enemy grenadiers.

”Copy, this is Ghoul, sixty seconds out, due south of your position!” A male voice replied over the radio, Avos pulled up on the trigger again and a cloud of white smoke exploded down range, easily visible from the air. Dominic held onto the sides of the turret as he waited for the strafing run to take place. He expected to see the fighter coming in from an angle, as flying between the two buildings would be dangerous. ”Guns! Guns! Guns!” Dominic was shocked to see a biplane zoom over his tank, guns blazing as it strafed the retreating armor. The aircraft suddenly entered a high angle climb as it careened towards a building, to Dominic’s relief the aircraft didn’t crash and instead banked away.

“Forwards!” Dominic ordered, the tanks rolled forwards, getting closer to the two buildings that the EOL had set up the bulk of their defenses in.

”This is first recon, be advised, have discovered EOL forces have access to man portable anti-tank weaponry!” The voice of a thestral called over the radio, Dominic moved rapidly to his view slit and peeked outside. One building was rapidly being secured by his forces, the other was still offering up a good bit of resistance. His eyes widened as he spotted movement in one of the windows.

“Left! Left! Left!” He said frantically, Gear Grinder complied and the tank rapidly began moving left, but not before a trail of white smoke emerged from the window and streaked towards the tank. The tank was rocked by an explosion as the rocket hit the sloped armor and deflected into the ground before exploding. “Fuck! Get us out of here! Full ahead!” The tank began rolling ahead at full speed just as a second rocket slammed into the ground where it had been. Dominic was joined by the other T-34s that were leading the charge, many of them surviving similar encounters with EOL rocketeers.

Dominic’s tank rolled over a couple of old cars before returning to the road, ahead of him he could see the three remaining enemy tanks. The one furthest to the right fired its crude cannon, Dominic heard a metal clang as the projectile bounced off the armor that had already taken a decent punishing. Avos rotated the turret around, as Dominic hefted up an eighty-five millimeter shell and slipped it into the gun breach. As soon as he locked it shut Avos pulled the trigger and the gun bucked backwards, the shell blew the enemy bulldozer tank to pieces.

“What’s the status on the two high rises?!” Dominic shouted into the radio as he heard more radio, bullets pinged off the armor again, and he found himself gaining a head ache from the constant noise. Scribs was doing his best to keep the enemy suppressed while Dominic and Avos moved to load another shell into the gun, the smell of burnt powder had rapidly filled the tank as the onslaught continued.

”We’re working on clearing out the second one, taking minor casualties! We found a stash of grenades, they’ve been helping!” Was the reply, Dominic let out a small sigh of relief as it most likely meant that the less armored rear of his tank was less likely to be struck by an enemy missile. Another tank fired, taking out the enemy tank on the left, Dominic looked through the command slit at the final tank as it continued trying to back out of the way. Avos saw to it that didn’t happen, yet another cloud of smoke and flames erupted into the sky.

“Alright, their armor’s history!” Dominic said as Gear Grinder began driving the tank forwards. “All vehicles not designated to support ground forces are to make a push towards the capitol building. I don’t want to hear those damn bastards escaped because we were too slow!” The vehicle pushed a burning car out of the way, Dominic for the first time since the battle started wasn’t able to hear the sound of bullets pinging off the side of the tank. He slipped back into his commanding position fully, to the point where he pushed the hatch up a tad to get a better look of the battlefield. “Keep your eyes open, you never know what these nuts will try next…”

[♠]

Jack held his breath as he circled the city, looking down at the fighting that was advancing through the streets below. Occasionally the enemy would fire small arms at him from their places in the high rises, but so far they hadn’t come even close. His two compatriots were off on their own missions, supporting the ground offensive and covering evacuating wounded soldiers. Jack was still waiting for tasking, his nerves growing more and more tingly with every passing second.

”This is Major Valova, pinned down on the sixteenth street mall, wounded are pinned as well! Anyway we can get armor here?!” A voice shouted over the radio, Jack listened closely but was already turning his aircraft in the direction of the enemy position.

”We’re working as fast as we can, got reports the bastards rigged up explosives in that sector! Stay in cover! We’re coming!” The voice of the Commander replied, he sounded rather distressed, more so than usual. ”Any asset that can provide assistance do so now!”

“Copy that, Ghoul inbound.” Jack said as he started nosing his aircraft down, the buildings on either side were close, but he had flown in much tighter spots than that before. The streets offered him just enough room to fly and maneuver slightly, and it gave him a perfect attack run on his target. As he flew closer to his target he readied the charging handle on his machine guns, then put both his hands back on the throttle and control stick.

The machine gun emplacement was rather large, but nothing a couple strafing runs wouldn’t handle. It seemed the roar of his engine got the attention of the soldiers in the emplacement as he could see more than a few of them diving to cover or starting to wheel their machine guns around to face him. Jack tightened his finger around the trigger, then pulled it back completely, bullets arched forward from his machine guns into the enemy soldiers below.

The pilot pulled back on his stick and gained altitude until it was time for him to turn around and repeat the process, this time he would strafe them from the opposite side. He dove back down between the buildings, engine still thundering away and announcing the coming hail of lead. Jack pulled the trigger once again, raking gunfire through the enemy position before pulling off once again. He was about to repeat the process again, but a rather relieved voice echoed over the airwaves.

”They just raised a white flag! Great job, Ghoul!” Major Valova declared, Jack relaxed quietly back in his seat and continued looking around for targets of opportunity. The pilot paused for a moment, something felt a bit off about the sky, and out of instinct he checked over his shoulder. To his surprise there was another aircraft diving on him from above, it looked like it was barely under control.

“What the hell…?” He said as he rolled right, the aircraft leveled off alongside him. It was a cessna, and while it didn’t have machine guns mounted to the front it did have a pair of yellow crossed swords on the door. The door was pushed open by someone inside, an EOL trooper with an LMG. Jack pulled back on the stick hard, climbing just as the trooper opened fire. “Fucking knew it! I knew it!” He rolled back over and onto the tail of the cessna. “Dusty, Sarah, be advised the EOL has an air force! A shitty one, but an air force nonetheless! I’m about to shoot down a cessna with a door gunner!”

Jack lined up his lead on the cessna as it attempted to shake him, but the pilot wouldn’t be dissuaded so easily. He saw the gunner lean out the side, firing bursts wildly in the direction of Jack’s aircraft. The ghoul found himself smirking quietly, his gunsight leading perfectly over the poorly trained pilot in front of him. He pulled the trigger, peppering the cessna with machine gun fire. It burst into flames and belched black smoke as it went spiralling out of control, flinging the gunner out the door to fall to his demise.

“Splash one!” Jack shouted loudly as he watched the aircraft slam into the ground, his eyes scanned the horizon for any other surprises that could’ve been out there for him. He had a good idea of where the enemy plane had come from, Denver airport wasn’t too far away, and there was bound to be a few still functional aircraft there. However, he doubted they would be much of a threat in a dogfight. He turned his attention back to the search for targets of opportunity, sighing as he readied his guns once more.

[♠]

Maria and Melissa rushed through the shredded EOL machine gun line, ignoring the soldiers there that were raising their hands in surrender. After all, there were plenty of ground forces coming up behind them that would take care of that. The two snipers had taken care of their original mission, ensuring that the combat medics would be safe until reinforcements arrived. Now the pair was moving on to take care of something a tad more personal, and it was located deeper into the city, but only a couple blocks away. They wanted to be the team to put a bullet in the Empress’ head, and hopefully save that much more time at the war crime tribunal. The tanks were on their way there already, but Maria and Melissa figured they would get there sooner.

They cut through back alleys and ruined store fronts, occasionally stopping as they heard yells from EOL forces in the floors above them. Maria gripped her Mosin tightly, looking around her as she made her way through a storefront that once had been a cupcake bakery, Melissa was close behind her with her own rifle at the ready. She seemed to be spacing out, as if she was seeing a ghost. Maria paused and took cover behind a wall, out of sight from the main road, and gestured for Melissa to get beside her. Her protoge did just that, taking position beside her with a curious expression.

“You okay?” Maria asked quietly, Melissa nodded. “I get this is probably not the best trip down memory lane… If you don’t want to come with I understand.” Melissa shook her head and looked around the storefront again, remembering once or twice she had come there with her fellow ponykin. However, what she was more concerned about was the thralls… slaves that she had seen mistreated in that very room.

“I… I’m worried about the slaves in this part of the city.” Melissa admitted, Maria briefly glanced outside the window at the street, it was still clear of traffic. “They’ve kept in an underground parking garage, and the EOL is bringing buildings down…” Maria’s eyes flicked to Melissa again, her heart deciding what was more important faster than her mind could argue. “They’ve already suffered so much.”

“Then fuck bagging the Empress.” Maria said firmly, leaning out to look at the street again. “Lead the way, Melissa. Let’s go get those people.” Melissa nodded and ran out, leading Maria down a familiar street, both of them sticking to the shadows and cover whenever they could. Maria noticed that a rather pungent odor was starting to fill the air, and as they covered more ground she found herself wondering if perhaps they were already too late. The scent of decaying bodies was something that was rather familiar to Maria, and she feared the worst.

“Hold up.” Melissa said quietly as she took cover behind an abandoned car, Maria joined her and readied her rifle. Melissa peeked through one of the car windows, down the road to where numerous EOL vehicles were parked. There were ten soldiers there, all of them attempting to herd numerous people down into the parking garage underground. “This could go really bad.”

“Shut up and shoot.” Maria replied as she leveled her gun at one of the EOL troopers, Melissa nodded and followed suit. There was no verbal command to fire, Maria simply squeezed the trigger and watched her target fall to the ground. The slaves ducked to the ground in fear while the EOL soldiers looked for the source of the gunshot. Melissa fired next, dropping another one of the troopers. The troops spotted the muzzle flash and raised their weapons at the two snipers, firing at them wildly.

“Come on! Fight back!” Melissa shouted over the car, hoping that the slaves would realize the back of the EOL had been broken. The two snipers leaned out to fire again, Maria cursed under her breath as her shot missed. Melissa gulped as the troopers started running towards them, there was no way they would be able to hold them off. “Maria! Run! I’ll hold them off!”

“Don’t be stupid!” Maria replied as she fired another shot, striking the target this time. “I’ve been in worse spots than this!” Maria gritted her teeth and dropped her rifle, reaching into her holster and drawing her handgun. One of the EOL troopers rounded the corner, rifle raised. Maria leveled her handgun at him and fired, his head exploded as the sniper sprung up and grabbed his corpse. She grunted as she held the body, using it as a shield as she continued firing her gun, dropping two more of the oncoming enemy soldiers. Melissa watched her mentor drop the corpse, seamlessly grabbing the AK-47 off the falling corpse and racking a round.

Maria rolled to the side as one of the remaining four troopers fired at her, the roll her behind a concrete divider as more bullets pelted the asphalt. Melissa gulped as she one of the EOL troopers trying to flank Maria, she raised her sniper rifle and lined up the shot. It was the fastest shot she ever made, she was surprised to see the target fall considering how quickly she had moved. Of course, now the troopers had turned their attention to her. Melissa watched the soldiers turning with their rifles raised, only for Maria to spring up and fire three shots.

Melissa watched the three enemy soldiers fall to the ground, blood oozing from bullet holes in their backs. Maria tossed the AK on the ground and walked over to her dropped Mosin, she picked up the rifle and slung it over her shoulder before offering her hand to Melissa. The woman took her hand and was pulled up onto her feet, looking around at the ten dead troopers.

“Remind me not to piss you off…” Melissa mumbled quietly, Maria just shrugged and started walking towards the underground parking lot. Melissa followed her, pausing to sling her rifle over her shoulder and pick up one of the discarded AKs. The stench was even stronger than before now that the two of them stood in front of the entrance, over the entryway someone had painted the words ‘The Pit’ in red. Maria and Melissa walked cautiously into the garage and looked around the dark space, but for the life of them they couldn’t see a thing, despite knowing there was a large number of people down there.

“Hello!? United States Army!” Maria shouted into the darkness, there was no reply from the deep black void. “Please, we’re not here to hurt you!” Again, silence reigned, in the distant underground Maria could make out the frantic scared breaths of fearful people. She was about to speak again, but stopped as she heard two more vehicles pull up behind them. She and Melissa turned as EOL troops stepped out of a pair of SUVs, armed to the teeth. Maria and Melissa looked at eachother, then at the enemy soldiers.

“You mundanes think you can defeat the EOL so easily!?” One of them declared, adjusting a stupid looking crown that was seated atop his head. Melissa quietly racked a fresh round into the AK, knowing that the prospect of getting out of the situation was slim. However, as they stared at the men that would most likely kill them, something strange happened. A very large man pushed between Maria and Melissa, his back was scarred with whip lashes and he wore the tattered remains of a police uniform. His black hair was mangy and dirty, and a beard covered his chin.

“Get back down there, thrall!” Ordered another one, more and more burly men emerged from the dark below, all of them pushing past Maria and Melissa, forming a wall with their bodies. Gradually more and more people, men and women allike, emerged from the dark underground. Their muscles were large and toned from years of forced labor, and all of them bore hateful expressions. “Get back down there! All of you! Now!”

“No.” The first man declared in a booming gravelly voice. “I have lived on my knees for four years, I will die on my feet!” He pointed a trembling finger at the EOL troopers with such speed that they took a couple steps back. The two snipers took aim, that coupled with the growing horde of angry people prompted the EOL troops to scramble back for their SUVs. The horde ran forward at them, yelling furiously as years of repressed rage were unleashed. Maria and Melissa looked away as the crowd of slaves reached the EOL troopers and pulled them from their vehicles. Maria was sure she heard someone shout ‘I’ll rip your arm off and beat you with the wet end!’, that statement was followed shortly by loud pained screaming.

It was like witnessing the infection all over again, though unlike the infected the freed slaves ran past them like a river parting for a rock. Eventually the screaming died down, after minutes of roaring cheers and cries of anger the noise was reduced to a dull roar. Through the crowd emerged the man in the tattered police uniform, approaching Melissa and Maria in a way that made them rather fearful. In the distance there was the sound of machine guns, engines, and cannon fire, but it was getting much closer.

“You are with the army?” The man asked in his gravelly voice, Maria and Melissa nodded simultaneously, doing their best to hide their fear. “Night Eagle’s army? The one we heard about on the radio with the aliens?” Once again there was another nervous nod. “Well then, tell us what to do until the rest of you arrive! We can’t just stand out here!”

“Arm yourselves and secure this perimeter, then raise a plain white banner. We’ll keep you covered until it’s all set up.” Maria replied as she snapped out of her daze, she tapped Melissa on the shoulder before rushing towards a nearby fire escape that would provide them with a good vantage point going down both directions of the street. Once they were in position Maria pulled her radio from her belt. “We’ve liberated a nucleus of slaves about two blocks from the capitol!”

”We just snagged a dozen or so women from a forced brothel a block south of you.” The voice of Jen said, thinly veiling disgust at the situation. ”Mind if we move them up with you? We’re burning this place to the ground.”

“Go ahead, Captain.” Maria replied, looking down as the slaves that could arm themselves did so, the two snipers did their best to ignore the mangled bodies of the EOL troopers, one of whom was missing an arm. It was clear there were a hundred or so more hiding in the pit, but the twenty out in the open were able to arm themselves in one way or another. Maria looked in the direction of the capital, wondering just how well it was going.

[♠]

“Fuck!” Dominic shouted as he popped up out of the turret with his revolver and fired at a man running full tilt towards his tank, dynamite strapped across his chest. Scribs was doing his best with the front machine gun while Avos was laying into the horde of suicide bombers with the machine gun mounted alongside the cannon. That still wasn’t enough, they seemed to be pouring out of every building. So far the tanks were able to keep them from crawling under the tanks, though there had been a few close calls. “Where’s Six Six Six, damn it?!”

“I don’t know, but fuck them, wherever they are!” Gear Grinder declared as he pushed open the driver’s hatch and began firing with his own AK weapon platform. Things were getting awfully sporty, that was for damn sure. Another bomber came screaming towards the tank, this one wearing a ridiculous dragon costume. Dominic didn’t chance shooting him in the head and missing due to the size of the mask, and instead opted to pop him in the chest. There was a tremendous boom as the bomber squeezed the detonator from pain.

“Fuck! It got in my mouth!” Dominic groaned before holstering his revolver and pulling his AK from inside the tank, he began firing away at the continuing onslaught. More and more of them were exploding, and more and more of them were getting closer and closer. Dominic wouldn’t let himself be stopped so close to the capital though, he could see the building right in front of him. His rifle continued kicking against his shoulder as he continued frantically taking down targets, counting down the rounds in his head and reloading as accurately as he could. “Scribs!”

“Yeah?!” Scribs yelled up from inside the tank.

“Under your seat is a black bag! Toss it to my feet!” Dominic shouted back as he slipped a fresh magazine into the rifle and readied the action. He felt the bag hit near his feet, but didn’t react, continuing to lay into the oncoming horde wherever his machine gunners couldn’t. Over head he heard the buzz of engines, as well as a small explosion. He chanced a quick glance upwards and watched a yellow piper cub spiralling towards the ground on fire. It slammed into the earth twenty yards from Dominic’s tank while the fighter planes above dueled with the occasional incompetent pilot in a cessna.

One of the bombers managed to make it under one of the light tanks, to Dominic’s surprise there was no explosion and the tank backed up to expose the enemy soldier desperately slamming his hand on the detonator.

“Fuckin’ idiots can’t even wire bombs together right!” Dominic shouted before firing at the bomber and taking him down, then going back dealing with the rushing horde. It looked like they were thinning out, and running out of explosive vests, as many of them were now charging forwards with only their poorly made swords. Dominic’s rifle clicked empty, he dropped it into the tank unceremoniously and reached down to his black bag. With a grunt he pulled an old grey shotgun from within, his shotgun that had been with him since the very beginning, his most trusty firearm.

Dominic shouldered the weapon, it felt like hugging an old friend, and with a yell he began firing buckshot at the charging enemy. Many of them fell with one shot, clutching at their wounds as they writhed on the ground. Dominic would’ve ordered the tank to roll forwards at that point, but there were so many explosive vests in the way he wasn’t sure that would be wise until after the enemy had stopped charging his tanks. He continued firing at the charging enemy, now all of them were lacking the vests, just rushing with their swords. Dominic’s shotgun clicked empty as well, forcing him to tuck it away. Rather than give up the fight he hopped up out of the turret and drew his sword, standing atop his tank at the ready. He slammed the hatch shut, ensuring no one could get in.

The first challenger was a scrawny man that looked more like a girl than anything else, perhaps it was the pig tails. He took a wild swing at Dominic, it was easily countered and Dominic ran him through before shoving him off the tank. The sword chargers kept coming, swinging wildly and unskillfully, Dominic felt more like he was in the beginning stages of his sword training than anything else. A ring of corpses was forming around the tank, many of them filled with stab or slash wounds as Dominic’s sword was coated in blood.

Another attacker hopped up onto the tank, a woman wearing rather surprisingly good looking battle armor and wielding a large sword. Dominic took a swing at her, but she parried the strike and actually managed to put him on the defensive for a couple seconds. The warrior of the night bounced back, striking her blade with tremendous force and causing the brittle steel to shatter. His sword continued onwards, passing through a gap in her armor and piercing her lung. Dominic shoved her off the tank like all the others, he was panting heavily as sweat ran down his forehead, coating his face in red from the marking that had adorned his head earlier that day.

The next challengers fell so quickly Dominic was actually starting to contemplate holding back to at least offer his opponents a sporting chance. After a grueling ten minutes the attackers stopped running, corpses littered the green field in front of the capitol building, and loud groaning could be heard from numerous wounded. Dominic quietly shook some of the blood from his sword, then wiped the rest on his jacket before sheathing it. The man turned and looked down at the open driver’s hatch, Gear Grinder was staring at him with rather wide eyes. Dominic silently turned to the hatch to the turret and opened it, climbing inside and sitting down in his command chair.

“Avos… Clear a path for us.” He commanded quietly, leaning his head back against the turret wall. The griffon nodded and fired a burst of machine gun fire ahead of them at any body adorned in an explosive vest. Once that had been done, Dominic tapped Gear Grinder on the shoulder and gestured for him to drive forwards. The tank lurched ahead, and Dominic stood up in the turret once again. The other tanks followed his example, clearing paths for themselves before rolling forwards. Numerous bodies were crushed under their tracks, but the crews didn’t have much sympathy for those that had tried to kill them minutes earlier.

Dominic’s tank stopped just short of the steps, the commander pushed open the hatch and adjusted his helmet before he climbed out of the armored beast once more. By now ground forces were arriving on the scene, mainly comprised of griffons and diamond dogs. Dominic looked down into the tank at his crew.

“Avos, you have the con. I’m going to finish this.” He said simply, they nodded silently before he closed the hatch and descended the front of the tank. He was only armed with his sword, as he had used all his other munitions. “I am completely out of ammo… That’s never happened to me before.” The man drew his blade as his soldiers started rushing up the chest, pointing it towards the doors of the capitol building. “Through the heart of the Empire! Charge!”

“Ura!” Shouted the Griffons, Dominic supposed it was because they were similar in Russian culture. To be fair rather liked the sound of that as opposed to anything else. The commander rushed up the steps and pushed the doors open while his soldiers simply broke them down. Dominic rushed into the atrium and took cover behind an overturned bench as machine gun fire sparked up from above him. The building was still surprisingly intact, with many of the paintings and gold leaf on the walls still hanging straight. Of course, the furniture had been overturned and the defenders seemed to be fighting to the last man.

Dominic watched his soldiers rush in wincing as a couple of them were struck by the enemy fire, the commander bolted out of his cover and rushed up a set of nearby stairs onto the second floor of the atrium. He could see the gunners were busy trying to stem the tide of soldiers, they didn’t notice one man coming at them from the side. There were only two of them, oddly enough, meaning the EOL was probably just about out of soldiers. Dominic charged the two machine gunners silently, his sword raised and ready.

Dominic brought his sword down on the man reloading the machine gun, leaving a sizable gash in his neck. The gunner turned in shock and started to go for a handgun, but Dominic ran him through with his sword. The man slipped his sword back into its scabbard and picked up the handgun, a Colt 1911. He looked down at his soldiers who were rushing up the steps, yelling cries of battle as they went. Dominic began running as well, charging down numerous hallways until he came to a single door. The man pushed it for a moment and took a step to the side, seconds later bullets riddled the door with holes.

The commander turned and kicked the door hard sending it off its hinges, the handgun was raised and ready. Two EOL soldiers stood in front of him, each of them mid reload, he didn’t hesitate. Two shots rang out, both soldiers collapsed to the floor. Dominic tucked the handgun into his belt and approached the two dead soldiers and grabbed one of their rifles, then finished reloading it. He shouldered the weapon and prepared to push the door open, but stopped and took cover as three gunshots echoed through the other room. To his surprise bullets didn’t come through the door, prompting him to carefully nudge the door open.

The office of the Empress had three EOL soldiers lying on the floor, and an odd woman in a wolf mask was about to join them with a gun to her head. Dominic fired a shot at the gun itself, there was a spark and the gun shattered, the woman clutching her hand in shock. Dominic rushed forwards and hit her in the head with the butt of his captured rifle, sending her to the floor with a groan. His soldiers rushed in a couple moments later to begin cuffing her, Dominic sighed quietly and tossed the rifle down onto the floor before walking out.

As the commander walked he spotted someone approaching him with a message in their hands, he quickly took it and looked it over. A soft smile passed his lips, the EOL forces in Golden had been crushed by a slave rebellion and the UN’s attack. And now that the head of the Empire was being taken into custody, it seemed things were going to be better off. Of course, there was a small thing that still needed to be done.

It took Dominic ten minutes to return to his tank and grab what he needed from his bag, it was tucked firmly under his arm as he made his way back up through the capitol building. He followed a couple signs and then climbed numerous sets of stairs until finally he had reached the roof access. The man walked out across the roof towards the gold dome of the Denver capitol building, the tattered remains of the EOL banner was still flying above it. Dominic climbed up the side of the dome using a service ladder, stopping at the base of the flagpole. He undid the knots and let the flag fall, then unclipped it from the line. The tattered banner fell to the ground where it belonged, then Dominic clipped what he had tucked under his arm onto the line. With a grunt he pulled the line up, the flag unfurling and whipping in the wind. The man tied off the flag and looked out over the city.

”The Empire is defeated! The war is over! Glory to the New United States!” Someone started shouting over the radio, Dominic smiled faintly as he heard cheers starting to go up through the city. The man watched his troops clearing out the explosives that lay in the streets, making way for hundreds of beleaguered free slaves and EOL civilians. The two groups were separated pretty quickly, as the slaves were understandably vengeance happy. Dominic climbed down the dome and made his way back into the capitol, passing by numerous soldiers that were cheering loudly.

Eventually he made his way outside, climbing up onto his tank and looking out over the cheering crowds. Somewhere out in that swirling mass of bodies someone began to chant ‘USA!’, it grew louder and louder, and Dominic couldn’t help but admit he felt his eyes tearing up. He had done what he had come to Earth to do, to save the people of his home and to free a suffering humanity. As the chanting went on it began to change, and soon enough, he heard them cheering his last name. Dominic felt an odd feeling filling his chest, as if he could conquer the entire world if he wanted to, but as the chanting eventually evolved into singing the feeling passed.

Through the crowd Dominic saw Maria rushing towards his tank, Dominic hopped down off the vehicle as she reached it. The woman pulled him into a strong kiss, one that the man returned just as strongly. They held it for what felt like an eternity before eventually breaking away from one another, they were both smiling widely and looked back to the cheering crowd.

“What happens now?” Maria asked over the noise, Dominic remained quiet for a couple seconds before looking to the flag that was now fluttering over the capitol building.

“Our next job? We evacuate those that want to evacuate and save as much of the human culture that we can...” Dominic replied as he looked towards the mountains in the distance. “There’s something that I want to do though… You and Luna welcome to come with me.” Maria followed his gaze towards the mountains, understanding just where he was looking.

“Back to Evergreen?” Maria asked, Dominic nodded slowly. “When do we leave?”

“Tomorrow. I’ll prep the Crown Vic we captured a couple weeks ago, then we’ll go.” Dominic quietly unstrapped his helmet as he heard the people around them starting to sing the American national anthem. “Then after that… We go home.” Maria hugged his arm quietly, resting her head against his shoulder. “For now though, let’s relax and celebrate!”

“Oh, we’re going to celebrate alright. All night if necessary.” Maria squeezed his arm tightly, the man found himself blushing at that. “Now come on, I hear they captured a warehouse filled with whiskey on the outskirts of town!”

“Alright, let’s go-”

“Commander!” Shouted a soldier who pushed his way through the crowd, Dominic looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “They need you in the situation room, sir! It’s Putin!”

“God damn it!” Dominic cursed loudly before looking at Maria, the woman kissed him on the cheek.

“I’ll save you a bottle of the good stuff, don’t worry.” She said, Dominic smiled weakly before following the soldier through the cheering crowd. He did his best not to get caught up in large clusters, even though more than a few women had tried to drag him into the circles, he supposed they didn’t know he had a girlfriend that could put a round up a fly’s ass at a hundred yards. Eventually they pushed their way back into the capitol building where a temporary command center was being set up. Dominic made his way to the radio table and sat down in a rickety office chair before putting the headset on.

“Putin?” He asked.

”Commander! I had worried you had been hurt in the fighting!” Putin’s surprisingly happy sounding voice cut through the radio. ”I’m sorry to pull you out of the celebration, especially since you earned it. However, I have a bit of a problem here in Golden and I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind assisting me?”.

“What’s the problem?” Dominic asked tiredly as he leaned on the table.

”The EOL didn’t really get far in their purging operations, the bonfires were prepatory. I’m glad to say a good portion of their soldiers weren’t so crazy as to start shooting innocent people. That isn’t the problem though, just an update. We’ll assist in moving the POWs to your holding camp, wherever that is.” Putin’s voice trailed off for a moment, Dominic rubbed his temples in preparation for the actual problem. ”We’ve stumbled across a stockpile of spirits and we don’t have anywhere to put them.”

“Good thing the people here are going to be getting plastered.” Dominic said tiredly as he leaned back in the chair and listened to the cheers continuing outside. “Send it over…” The man looked at his watch, hoping that the discussion would pass quickly.

”I figured you’d say that… We’ll be there shortly, I look forward to meeting you.”

“Good luck finding me, I’m going to be busy for the next couple hours… I’ve got an appointment with a very enthusiastic brunette.” Dominic spoke, he heard Putin chuckling on the other end before the line went dead. The commander stood up and looked at the soldiers in the situation room. “Hold my calls, unless it’s New Liberty calling I don’t want to be disturbed.” They nodded, Dominic took a deep breath and stepped back outside, smiling faintly as he thought of Maria again.

[♠]

Celestia looked out the window of her hotel room in New Liberty as she heard cheering going up through the streets, she could see crowds forming as people started waving flags. Her guards looked nervous across the room, but as she opened the window she could hear just what was being cheered over. The Princess had come back through the portal when she had heard that the EOL was engaging in an extremely despicable act.

“The war is over! The Empire has been destroyed!” She could hear some people shouting as the celebrations began to spread through the city. Celestia felt a flood of mixed feelings run through her, on the one hand she was glad that the war on earth had ended, as it meant the Empire’s tyranny had been put to an end. At the same time it meant that an army of battle hardened soldiers and tank commanders would return to New America with possibly thousands of refugees. Well armed refugees. The princess could feel the reins beginning to slip through her grasp, if she didn’t do something soon America would be the power to beat on the global stage.

They would have the rights to demand their accurate borders and the force to back it up, even if Celestia had numbers and money on the Americans. As Celestia looked at the city breaking out into celebration she realized that the best way to maintain Equestria’s place on the global stage was to attempt to build up Dominic’s opinion of her government. If she could get him under her control she wouldn’t have to worry about anything else.

Celestia sighed and shook her head, realizing just how wrong her thoughts were starting to sound. The princess couldn’t believe she had even considered making Dominic her friend just to control him, she should’ve been striving for his friendship because it was the right thing to do. The solar princess watched with slight fear as an impromptu military parade began in the streets, complete with martial marching music. So many people in America were connected to the military in one way or another, that sort of display of jingoism was just the sort of thing that got Celestia’s dander up.

“Gather your belongings, we’re going back to Canterlot.” Celestia ordered as she looked away from the window, the two guards nodded and went about grabbing their clothes and armor that they had brought for the trip. Celestia, meanwhile, was contemplating just how to start making a friendship with Dominic. The first order of business would be to cancel the mission to steal military secrets, word had spread that Rainbow Dash had defected and most likely warned them of everything. Celestia felt hurt that one of the elements of harmony had felt the need to leave Equestria, but at the same time, she knew she had herself to blame for allowing the element to be chosen for the mission in the first place.

The mare paused as she looked to a calendar hanging on one of the rather sparsely decorated walls. Her eyes widened slightly as she realized just what month it was, the Grand Galloping Gala was only two weeks away. The invites had already been sent, if everything was still going according to plan, Twilight had been put in charge of that festivity this year, but Celestia had written up the guest list. She had forgotten, perhaps on purpose, to include Dominic. That was something that she would need to rectify as soon as she got back to Canterlot, right after she called off the espionage mission and arranged for her forces to back off of the American border.

“We’re ready, your highness.” One of the guards announced, Celestia nodded and levitated her own packed saddle bags over her back. The group walked to the door and descended down to the lobby, Celestia left the key on the desk, as the clerk was nowhere to be seen. The guards pushed open the door and stepped out into the crowded streets, the parade had devolved into a massive party, with more than a few citizens wandering around with open bottles of alcohol. Celestia opened her wings and took to the sky, the two guards joining her quickly, it was at that altitude that she could see just how widespread the celebrations had gone. Nearly every street in the city was packed, and even the refugee center had dancing in the courtyard.

[♠]

Johnny watched the princess flying away from New Liberty through his binoculars, unsure of what was going on, he could see a lot of activity in the city from outside the fence of the Prisoner of War camp far outside of the town. However, he could see a large convoy of vehicles making its way towards the camp, to his surprise some of them weren’t American. Some were trucks, others were APCs, some were painted white with the letters UN on the side.

“What the hell?” He said quietly before whistling and looking up at a guard tower, the soldiers there were already readying their weapons. “Get the prisoners back into the barracks! Hold your fire!” He could make out that the light tank at the front of the column was American, that was a good sign, he could probably get an explanation from them. As the column rolled closer he could see that it seemed to be hauling the most POWs he had ever seen.

Johnny walked towards a guard house outside the gate as the column got closer and closer, he adjusted his tie and leaned against the small structure as an MP stepped out of the guard house to look at him with a raised eyebrow.

“The hell’s going on?” The MP asked, Johnny shrugged and reached into his pocket, withdrawing a green apple and dusting it off on his jacket before taking a bite out of it, eating it from the bottom rather than the sides. Johnny didn’t care that it made him look more like an asshole, he liked apples. “The radio’s been out all day, but they would’ve sent a runner if we were getting prisoners, right?”

“I don’t know…” Johnny said, taking another bite of his apple while the tanks rolled closer and closer, until finally they came to a stop. “Have the dogs ready, just in case.” The MP nodded, being a thestral he opened his wings and flew over the fence, leaving Johnny to approach the tank on his own. The top hatch slowly opened, and to his surprise, he saw a familiar face emerge. “Jen?! What’re you doing here?!”

“The war is over!” Jen said happily as she climbed up out of the tank. “We’ve got a batch of war criminals here, Dominic said I could come home early if I brought them!” Johnny smiled widely and looked over at the gate, signalling rapidly for the guards to open the gates. Jen hopped down off her tank as it drove to the side, making room for the column of trucks and UN vehicles to enter the camp. Johnny rushed towards his fiance and wrapped her in the tightest hug he could, burying his face into her shoulder and catching a whiff of her usual perfume, a smell that he had missed for what felt like an eternity.

“Okay, big guy, come on! Let go! You’re gonna make me blush in front of my men!” Jen said as she tried to wriggle out of his grasp, Johnny shook his head and looked at her.

“So what? I can’t hug the love of my life when I’ve been worried about her for so long? Nah, I don’t think so.” Johnny hugged her tighter, lifting her up off the ground before finally letting go. “You wanna help me deal with these new prisoners?”

“I’d love to, and then we can do some celebrating afterwards!” Jen said cheerfully before turning to look at the crew of her tank who was watching her with big smiles on their faces. She just chuckled before walking with Johnny through the gate, she was very happy that her driver had managed to hide the worst of the battle damage by angling the tank a certain way. If Johnny had seen just how much of a pounding the armor had taken he would’ve had a conniption. Johnny, meanwhile, was a bit surprised by the appearance of UN soldiers in trucks and APCs. Tires were a rare luxury in New Liberty, as petroleum was rather hard to come by, hence most of the vehicles ran on ethanol. Of course, R and D were already on working out a way to make tires without oil, but Johnny didn’t have contacts going high enough to learn that much.

His mind snapped off the oil demands of his country and instead turned to the prisoners being disembarked by UN and American troops. The UN soldiers were looking around in astonishment, most likely still coming to terms with being on an entirely different plain of existence. None the less Johnny could see they were taking their job seriously, and as he approached the group of assembled prisoners he was glad to have them there. There were more than a few angry faces among the prisoners, not the normal looks of broken morale, more like rage that their delusion had been destroyed.

“Welcome to camp Four Chan!” Johnny said in his normal cheerful tone, accentuating his words by moving his hands. “As many of you know, the war is over! That being said, you are being held over for processing, as there is going to be a tribunal.” Johnny and Jen walked along in front of the assembled group, a hundred or so in all, looking them over for markings of rank. To his surprise there were four that stood out, and he looked to Jen with a raised eyebrow. “What rank do these four hold?”

“They’re members of the inner circle.” Jen explained as she looked over the four prisoners, three women and a feminine looking man. Johnny raised an eyebrow as he noticed they were still wearing handcuffs. “The others committed suicide before they could be apprehended.” Johnny found himself grinning slightly before looking over to yet another outlier, a woman wearing an odd dog costume, minus the mask of course. “And that is the Empress.”

“Oh, is that so? She go on a diet?” Johnny asked as he looked over the dog lady, Jen shook her head.

“Night Raven died, she’s the replacement, the one that wanted to purge the slaves before we could liberate them.” Jen explained again, Johnny rubbed his chin quietly before taking another bite of his apple. The man looked over the angry inner circle members closely, smirking faintly at the thought that such high profile prisoners would be locked in his capable custody.

“So we have the infamous inner circle in our midst? Good.” Johnny’s expression became serious as he stepped back. “As I’ve dictated to you, you will be held here until processing! Considering we’ve got such high profile guests here, I’ve decided to add a bit of extra security! The guards patrolling the fences will, all of them have permission to shoot on sight, and shoot to kill!” Johnny adjusted his suit again. “There has never been a successful escape from Camp Four Chan, but please, feel free to try. It’s so rare that the guards get to shoot anything that isn’t a clay pigeon! If you do manage to get past the fences you won’t get far though, with attack dogs, deadly wild animals… Guards that can sense your fear and other emotions…”

“My advice to you is simple. Don’t try to run, you’ll only die tired.” Johnny concluded his speech by referring the prisoners to their barracks and the senior POW officer. As he and Jen began to walk away, he began to hear shouting amongst the prisoners. The man shrugged it off and instead put his hand firmly on Jen’s rump, just to fuck with the trigger warning, safe space, social justice prisoners of war. Sure enough shouts of misogynist and sexist began to go up through the crowd, Jen smirked faintly. She didn’t mind Johnny doing that in public, especially if it got a rise out of the EOL.

The guards began herding the prisoners into their barracks, ignoring the shouting and angry protesting coming from many of them. Of course, the four inner circle members and the Empress were held over to be placed in separate barracks that were being stripped of anything that could aid in suicide. One of the inner circle members, the feminine looking man wearing a ridiculous elf costume, took it upon himself to do something drastic.

“Fuck you! You overseer to the cis-gendered mundane patriarchy!” He shouted as he punched one of the guards in the face, the guard was a griffon however. Griffons abhorred slavery in ways that couldn’t truly be described, it stemmed from a period of time where their race had been nearly enslaved by Sombra. They weren’t vocal about it often, but it was certainly an ingrained hatred. It took every bit of self control he had to keep from tearing the prisoner’s throat out with his talons.

The tribunals were sure to be a nightmare with so many war criminals ascribing to the same ideology, and so many of the MPs being griffons.

[♠]

Rainbow Dash quietly looked out the window of her second story room in New Liberty General, her shoulder was bandaged and her muscles ached. The sound of partying in the streets had drawn her attention, and more than a few of the nurses had gone out to join in the festivities, but there was a new sound that had drawn the mare’s attention. Odd vehicles with round wheels rather than tracks, marked with red crosses, were rolling up to the front door of the hospital in mass. Rainbow Dash shimmied over in her bed, watching as soldiers began to be unloaded from the back on stretchers. Some of them were human, others were griffons, thestrals, or changelings.

Of course, some of them she couldn’t tell, because they had sheets covering their faces. Rainbow Dash’s feelings mixed at that sight, knowing that some of those dancing out in the streets would soon realize their loved ones wouldn’t be coming home. Rainbow turned her attention to the hallway outside, doctors and nurses were rushing past, many of them wheeling along carts of medical supplies. There was most likely an overflow at the military base hospital, and it was being moved over to the civilian one. Rainbow Dash continued watching the soldiers being unloaded, as time went on the time between vehicles slowed down.

The mare turned her attention back to the hallway outside, then the bed that occupied the room with hers. It was very likely she’d be getting a roommate, she hoped it wasn’t some sort of nutjob. Rainbow leaned her head back against the pillow, her mind racing with thoughts on what her life had become. She didn’t really have a home, or any friends, or any idea what she would do now that she was in a place that didn’t really use a weather team. Her most obvious choice would be to enlist, but she doubted they would trust her given she was a defector.

At least she had been able to warn the American’s of the impending threat, she had conveyed the news to Princess Luna herself. Her mind shifted to those odd flying machines she occasionally spotted in the air above the military base, they seemed to be trying to outfly thestrals. She figured maybe they’d let her be one of those types of ponies, after all, she had nearly been a wonderbolt. She’d be able to help with whatever it was they were trying to do, of course that was after she got out of the hospital.

Rainbow Dash listened to the sound of soldiers being rolled past her door, wondering just how many casualties had been sustained. It was a good ten minutes before anyone came to her room, and sure enough, it was a nurse wheeling in a soldier. Rainbow couldn’t really get a good look at them, but their were putting up a heck of a fight with the large diamond dog orderly. Finally they were plopped down in the bed, muttering curses under their breath. Rainbow could atleast make out they were a griffon, but the orderly was still in the way.

“Now you’re gonna stay here until the doctor says otherwise.” The diamond dog said sternly, after a couple more mutters the dog walked out. Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened as she realized just who it was in the bed beside her, the griffon’s uniform was ruffled and torn and she had a bandage wrapped around her head. Despite that, she looked just as she always did.

“Gilda?” Rainbow asked in shock, the griffon looked at her before a look of realization passed over her face.

“Holy shit! Dash, what the fuck are you doing here?!” Gilda replied as she sat up in the bed, Dash gestured to her shoulder quietly. “I get your hurt, but what the hell are you doing in this neck of the woods?”

“I defected.” Rainbow Dash admitted, Gilda seemed a bit surprised by that as Rainbow Dash looked down at the floor. “How’ve you been? We haven’t talked since that thing in Ponyville…”

“Well, our economy tanked, so I lost pretty much everything… Then I came here, and things are actually starting to look up again.” Gilda admitted as she leaned back in her bed, running a claw over her head. “Fucking pussy hit me in the head with a stapler of all things, my CO sent me back just in case.”

“Must be really bad if they’re sending people here.” Rainbow Dash mumbled, Gilda shook her head and looked at the ceiling.

“They’re sending military casualties here because the civilian hospital has more doctors that specialize in thestrals, griffons and so on.” Gilda explained, sighing as she began undoing the buttons on her uniform. “The base hospital is mainly human docs, and they’re all working full time on the really badly injured the the human refugees, they sent all the light injuries here.”

“Ah…” Rainbow Dash said quietly, the two of them lapsed into a rather awkward silence while Gilda scratched her fur under her uniform jacket. “Hey, Gilda?” The griffon hummed quietly. “I’m… Really sorry about what happened in Ponyville.”

“What do you have to apologize for? I was the one making an ass of themselves.” Gilda replied, the two of them continued laying on the beds quietly. “I was actually just about to apologize myself, I treated you and your friends like shit. I had a lot of anger back then, the economy was just started to tank and I was on the brink of bankruptcy, not that it excuses my actions…”

“Who are you and what have you done with Gilda?” Rainbow Dash asked in a joking tone.

“It’s still me, just with less vinegar.” Gilda replied, chuckling slightly. “You learn real quick not to mouth off to your superiors here, nothing like the Griffon army. A lot less politics and a lot more push ups.” Rainbow Dash watched her roommate rub at her bandages again, she could see a wince cross the griffon’s beak. The door to the room opened and a griffon in a doctor coat walked in, looking at Gilda with a raised eyebrow. “Looks like they’re taking me for another examination, talk to you later, Dash.”

“Yeah, see ya!” Rainbow Dash replied as she watched her friend walk out with the doctor, once again she was alone in her room, left with only her thoughts. Her thoughts drifted back to her friends in Equestria, if they even still thought of her as a friend. Rainbow looked down at the floor again, sighing quietly as she imagined there was likely a lot of anger among the five remaining elements of harmony. The mare leaned back and closed her eyes, trying to get a little sleep, but every time she closed her eyes she could only imagine what the future held. There was cheering in the streets now, but she felt there was something far more grim on the horizon.
> Chapter 15
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dominic quietly adjusted a pair of mirrored sunglasses resting on his nose as he drove along the highway towards his home town of Evergreen. His uniform shirt was unbuttoned and the window was rolled down to allow for some cool air and cross ventilation. Sitting beside him was Maria, adorned in far less normal attire. At least, for Maria, it was far from normal. A t-shirt and jeans had replaced her fatigues, though the combat boots remained the same. In the back seat of the comfortable Police Interceptor was Luna, who couldn’t help but stick her head out the window.

The commander looked more like a mercenary than a soldier, but at the moment he didn’t care. His mind was on his destination as he drove further away from Denver, now much closer to the mountains than to the city. The road was surprisingly clear of abandoned vehicles, making for easy driving. Then again, most of the aging traffic he saw was on the other side of the highway, driving away from Evergreen. Dominic quietly sighed and looked at the radio in the dashboard of the Crown Vic, somewhat annoyed that it lacked a CD player. Then again, the car was a police cruiser, it wouldn’t make sense to have a CD player in such a vehicle. The man was glad that the vehicle had been repainted with American colors, he was sure there were some snipers up the road that would love to take shots at an EOL car.

Dominic reached over and flicked the radio on, Ghost Peak Radio had started broadcasting from an FM transmitter now that the threat of the EOL had passed. The music they were playing was mainly celebratory, something Dominic couldn’t really stand, so just as quickly as it had been turned on the radio was turned off. The trio had been quiet for most of the trip, leaving Dominic to ponder things about what he would find once he returned to the place where it had all started. He’d heard there was a large fire that had damaged or destroyed a good portion of the buildings in the downtown area, but held out hope that the important parts of the city remained.

Maria was lost in her own thoughts as well, she had her own share of closure that she needed from the town that had changed her life. Dominic was going see his home and to bury his family, or at least to try, but Maria was going to prove that she could. That the past hadn’t beaten her. She could still vividly remember every kick of the rifle against her shoulder, her mother and father screaming at her as tears rolled down her cheeks. Maria shook her mind of the thoughts, her eyes scanning over numerous cars.

Luna’s eyes were taking in all that she could of the alien landscape, her eyes being drawn up one of the mountains towards a large statue that had been built at the top of the mountain. She had heard that it was a statue of Jesus, the religious figure that Maria and Dominic happened to believe in. The princess wondered just what sort of person ‘Jesus’ had been, Dominic had never really gone into what his religion was like. Nonetheless, the statue was another marker of human progress.

The car passed by numerous red rocks and stones before entering a large canyon, the road was curving slowly and calmly. Luna’s eyes shifted to the other side of the car and she found herself watching a trio of deer watching the vehicle drive past. A doe, a deer, and a fawn. The princess was entranced by the nature, a stark contrast against the large swath of concrete that cut through the landscape like a sword. She was a bit surprised as she felt the car slowing down, her eyes shifting to the front of the car. Luna’s eyes widened as she spotted a massive herd of buffalo crossing the road, they were far from the ones she knew of in Equestria.

The car had stopped just at the crest of a rather large hill, and the trio watched nearly three dozen buffalo roaming across the road freely. They had cleared away destroyed cars to make way for their movements, most likely over the years. Ten minutes passed before the creatures wandered out of the way, Dominic drove forwards again and crested the hill. Luna’s eyes widened as she saw what the hill had hidden, a beautiful massive mountain range in the distance. As they drove down the hill Luna saw that even that impressive view of nature was not untouched, humanity had been able to cut a swath through them as well, as Luna could see a distant highway far off.

Dominic tapped his fingers against the steering wheel as he navigated his way down the road, passing by numerous abandoned stores and the occasional large house. They had at one point been a point of controversy in Evergreen, the large sprawling estates of people from the west coast that many thought were coming to gentrify the small blue collar town. Of course, that wasn’t a problem anymore, as most of those west coast folks had been killed during the initial outbreak. Dominic spotted a couple wild dogs rushing through the abandoned vehicles on the other side of the road, there were also numerous bones laying bleached in the sun, some of them still clutching onto suitcases.

As they continued driving along Dominic heard the shortwave radio on the dashboard occasionally buzz with military chatter from his forces, but aside from that and the wind there was no real sound in the car. Luna continued watching the trees and rocks as the road they were on continued to wind through the mountains until finally they had leveled out. Luna recognized what she was seeing from Dominic’s dreams, she knew they were very close the place where his family’s remains were most likely located. Maria watched as they drove past the Elk Meadow park, spotting a large herd of elk resting in the tall grass, watching the vehicle as it drove past them.

Dominic hit the brakes as he approached a familiar intersection and turned right, heading up a curving road before coming to a complete halt at a faded sign. Maria and Luna watched the man’s eyes as he stared at the sign marking the building ahead as an evacuation center. Abandoned cars were scattered around the area, and more than a few skeletons and rotted bodies in clothing laid about the area. The man killed the engine and slipped the keys into his pocket, then removed his sunglasses.

“I’m… I’m going to go up ahead for a bit…” He said quietly, it was clear he was doing his best to keep his emotions in check. “Give me ten minutes or so…” Maria and Luna nodded quietly before watching the man step out of the car, he quickly buttoned his uniform and straightened it, then took his officer’s cap from inside the car and started walking up the hill. His boots carried him past the numerous dead, the silence was eerie and sent chills up the man’s back.

As Dominic passed an old police cruiser he found himself thinking back to the day he had taken his shotgun from that very car, he shook his head quietly and continued walking through the abandoned evacuation station. Continuing along past the front doors of the nursing home turned mass grave, he occasionally would pick up the quiet tweeting of birds and the buzz of insects. The man kept his hat tucked under his arm, his eyes scanning the ground for the bodies he had come to see, and hopefully bury.

His boots stopped as he found himself standing in front of three very rotted corpses, despite that he could tell by their clothing just who they were. His mother, father, and sister. Dominic stood there, trembling quietly as he felt his eyes begin to water. He didn’t stave off tears for long, standing there silently as tears began to run down his cheeks. The scene played out so vividly in his mind, his sister turning, biting his mother and father, him firing off those three shots from the shotgun. If he hadn’t hesitated, if he’d just followed his dad’s orders, if he’d been a better son…

“I’m sorry…” He said quietly as he continued to stand there, his final bits of resistance dissolving rapidly. The man dropped to his knees, holding his hands against his eyes as he continued crying loudly. “I’m so sorry… I didn’t do enough, I didn’t say enough… I wasn’t fast enough…” The commander clenched his eyes tightly, putting his head in his hands as he continued to sob. “I wasn’t good enough to save you…”

The minutes ticked by, Dominic continued to cry over the dead bodies, gritting his teeth and starting to curl up. Eventually Dominic felt a hand on his shoulder, it rapidly turned him away from the bodies in front of him. He opened his eyes and looked up, Maria crouched down beside him while Luna began to approach. The mare and the woman wrapped their arms and wings around Dominic, holding him tightly as he continued to cry, until twenty minutes later his tears abated. The man stood up, bringing his two companions with him, wiping his eyes and looking up towards the sky. A couple clouds had rolled in, and there was the sound of thunder in the distance.

The next few hours were spent solemnly burying the three bodies on a hill overlooking the large meadow, Dominic did all of the work himself, while Maria and Luna watched from a distance in the car. By the end of it the rain had started falling, soaking Dominic from head to toe as he looked over the freshly dug graves for what would likely be the final time. Luna watched him do a sign of the cross over himself before he turned and started walking back towards the car, when he entered Maria and Luna remained silent. The man silently turned the key and started the car, then began driving back to the road.

“Dominic, you with us?” Maria asked quietly, noting that his expression seemed rather blank. The man nodded quietly and wiped at his eyes.

“Yeah… Just… It’s hard to explain.” Dominic continued driving as the rain continued to come down on the car, though Luna wasn’t sure where they were off to. Maria had a good idea, but she wasn’t going to say anything. “I don’t know why… But I feel better knowing that they’ve been taken care of. I still feel sad, but… Not as sad.” Dominic turned down a road, passing by a couple familiar buildings for both him and Maria. “I bet you know where we’re off to next.”

“You sure you want to go there?” Maria asked, Dominic nodded as he made another turn onto a residential street. The grass in the lawns of the houses was overgrown and tall, there was the occasional abandoned truck, but other than that nothing else blocked the streets. Luna raised an eyebrow as the car came to a stop in front of a modest looking two story house, it had a couple vines snaking up the side and a large overgrown yard, but aside from that there was no real sign it had been abandoned. It was another building Luna recognized from Dominic’s nightmares and dreams, his home.

Dominic turned off the engine and stepped out of the car into the rain, then walked up to the front door and turned the handle. Sure enough it was open, the man gave a couple hard knocks on the wood to be sure there weren’t any infected hiding inside. When no response came Dominic signaled that it was safe, Luna and Maria quickly hurried out of the car and to the front door. The commander pushed the door open and stepped inside, a wave of nostalgia running over him as he took in the familiar sight of his home, just as it had been left four years before. It was so perfect that Dominic almost knelt down to take his boots off out of habit for not getting the floor dirty, but seeing as no one lived there anymore, he stopped himself.

“Welp… It’s gonna be raining a while, make yourselves at home.” Dominic said quietly as he walked forwards, approaching the hallway that lead to his room. Maria and Luna looked around for a moment, the woman wandered to the couch and sat down whilst Luna followed after Dominic. The mare looked along the walls of the house, noting that they had a couple paintings and pictures of the family. She stopped outside Dominic’s doorway, looking in to see what he was doing. Of course, there was a layer of dust on everything, but Dominic didn’t seem concerned by that. He was holding an odd electronic device in his hand, staring at it quietly as if it held some sort of deeper meaning.

Dominic set the phone down and walked towards his closet, there was a Civil Defense barrel sitting out in front of it, opened and practically empty. It had been where he had stored his jacket and other survival gear as a joke before the outbreak, but now that he had used that gear for so long he couldn’t even think about laughing over it.

“Four years ago I was standing right in this spot.” He said quietly as he stared into the void of the barrel. “Four years ago, when I was standing here, my family was still alive, there was still hope…” Luna jumped back as she watched the man reel back his foot and deliver an angry kick to the barrel. It shuddered loudly as he let out an absolutely blood curtling roar of anger. “Four fucking years! Not once did I ever come back! Ever! I stayed in that goddamn bar down town, why!? I don’t know! I bet I thought I knew back then, but fuck if I remember now! The key to my survival has been lost to me, how fucked up is that?!”

Luna watched the man pace back and forth in the room, his eyes running with tears again as his breathing increased in speed. It was like watching a caged bull before a rodeo, Luna was witnessing the rage and anger that she had seen in Dominic’s mind all those months ago, only this time it was in the real world.

“I could’ve come back! Fuck, I might’ve even run into Maria if I had!” Dominic continued to rant, as if he couldn’t tell Luna was behind him. “I… I could’ve never put on this stupid uniform, I could’ve lived out my days scrounging for food…” The princess of dreams watched the man begin to simmer down. “I would’ve been happier, I think… Life is so much simpler when you’re on your own, people don’t look to you for orders and advice, you don’t have to care about things like casualty rates and statistics or right and wrong!”

“You wouldn’t have found me, Dominic.” Luna said quietly, the man froze and turned to look at her. “You would’ve gone on living in fear and anguish, you would’ve likely been killed by the EOL, or worse… And no one would’ve come to save you.” Dominic moved over to his bed, his real bed, and sat down. His clothes had already dried, thankfully. “Dominic, you and I are very much alike, in some ways that’s not a good thing.” The mare approached him and sat down, getting on his eye level, the kind of stance that was normal between student and teacher. “I made a very similar speech a thousand years ago…”

“I was young and being given even more responsibility, and when I thought I was doing so much right, and yet everyone shunned what I did…” Luna trailed off before she put a hoof on Dominic’s chest, right over his heart. “For you it’s the opposite, everyone looks to your for leadership and orders, something you were raised as a soldier to follow is now what you’re giving. However, where we differ, is here.” The mare tapped Dominic’s chest. “You’re angry, you’re impulsive on occasion, and you have a tendancy to self destruct… But all that aside, you still give a hundred percent for everyone else.”

“What defines us isn’t the bad decisions we made a four years ago or a thousand years ago, it’s the good decisions we make after learning from those bad ones.” Luna explained quietly, Dominic quietly wiped his nose before Luna pulled him into a hug. The man began crying into her shoulder, clutching onto her for dear life. “It’s okay… It’s okay… Let it all out.” Luna continued holding Dominic close to her, her ears twitching as she heard footsteps near the door.

Maria leaned in the doorway, watching the scene unfold with a lump growing in her throat. The woman quietly left the two of them to be alone, instead leaning against the wall in the hallway and staring at the wall ahead of her. She was doing her best to stay strong, to not crack under pressure, she was a Major in the army after all. A sniper, one of the best, said to be the most feared markswoman west of the Rockies. She had broken down before, but for some reason she felt like she couldn’t now. Evergreen was supposed to be her greatest triumph, the point where she said that she could move on with life.

Her eyes suddenly became hot with tears, the woman slid down the wall and pulled her knees up against her chest. Maria buried her face into her arms, trying to hide the obvious tears running down her cheeks as that lump in her throat grew more and more painful. Then she felt something warm wrap around her, she looked over to the source and found Luna had come out into the hallway and put a wing over her shoulder. The mare gestured into the room with her horn, Maria couldn’t refuse, and she quietly entered to see Dominic sitting on the floor in a similar position to what she had just been in. Luna sat down next to Dominic and put one wing over him, then gestured for Maria to take the other.

Luna quietly nestled both of the sobbing humans against her with her wings, she herself was having trouble keeping from crying as rain continued to pitter patter against the window outside. Now that things had calmed down, Luna took a moment to take in Dominic’s room more closely. The bed was a normal size with a red blanket, there was a desk off in the corner with an odd contraption seated beside it on the floor. Numerous posters were on the wall, Luna was a bit surprised to see one of herself standing rather imperiously in front of rows of thestrals. The poster looked like an enlistment poster for something called ‘The NLR’.

Luna made a point to ask just what that was, but her current job was to calm down the two young adult humans under her wings. After what felt like an hour they quieted down, Dominic and Maria eventually relaxed and Luna retracted her wings. The princess had to admit she was starting to grow fond of Maria, she could see why Dominic was so attracted to her.

“Feel better?” Luna asked, Maria and Dominic nodded, causing the lunar princess to smile. “Good…” Dominic sat up and rubbed his eyes, quietly looking around the room again, then sighing. “What’s wrong? Besides the obvious…”

“Nothing…” Dominic said quietly, Luna gave him a slight nudge on the shoulder. “It’s just been a long day, filled with a lot of upsetting things… I’m trying to find a way to take my mind off them.” Maria sat up as well, then quietly stood to walk to the window. Dominic paused as he heard a buzzing call of a radio, then looked to his belt where he kept a hand held. The man turned down the volume.

“Why don’t you tell me about that poster up there?” Luna asked, pointing towards the poster she had seen earlier. Dominic looked at it and paused, he knew that Luna was always curious about the show, he hadn’t really gone into too much detail in regard to what sort of alignment he had had when the show had been in its heyday.

“Oh, that’s a recruitment poster for the New Lunar Republic.” Maria answered for Dominic, Luna raised an eyebrow at that. “Basically the faction of the fandom that liked you a lot.”

“Anti-monarchists…” Dominic added, Luna seemed a bit surprised by that. “We didn’t know you were real, so a lot of people thought you were more of a rebel than you actually are.” He stood up and approached his closet, pausing for a moment as if unsure about lay beyond the door. “I was kinda among them.” The man pulled the closet door open and began rifling through his old clothes. “Is it where I left it? I hope it is…” Luna watched the man withdraw a dust covered plastic bin from the bottom. “If you’re really curious about the show I can open this box, but I know Celly gets kinda wigged out when it’s brought up, and I don’t want to wig you out either.”

“I’m very curious, Dominic.” Luna said with a genuine smile, Dominic looked at the picture for a moment. The man shrugged and pulled open the lid, then peeked inside. He shook his head and sighed, Luna stood up and looked in the box. There were several yellow electrical devices with wands and odd symbols on the side.

“Wait, this is the Cold War collection.” Dominic slid it across the floor and pulled out a second box, this one turned out to be right. As Dominic began to go through his box of merchandise, Maria wandered over to his box of Cold War memorabilia. “I’m fixing on taking this stuff back with us, by the way. It’s about time I have some of my stuff back, especially now that I’m getting an actual house with actual rooms and beds.” Dominic’s eyes glanced over to his desk. “And the computer’s coming too, we’re going to need it for Operation Cortex.”

“Alright…” Luna said as she began looking over the contents of the box, momentarily her thoughts went to Operation Cortex. It was one of Dominic’s ultimate goals in his return to Earth, gathering up as much of humanity’s technology as possible for research in New America. Luna had to admit it seemed rather scary to her, but she supposed that to survive against super states like Equestria or even the Minotaur Republic the New United States had to be second to none.

“Hey, Dominic, can I ask you a question?” Maria asked as she looked through the box of Cold War items, the man looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. “What’s the plan now that the EOL has been taken care of, you know there’s still the cartels and the crime leaders to the east, right?” Dominic’s face shifted for a moment into a slight frown, Maria hadn’t intended to make him upset, but she was legitimately curious.

“They’re too dangerous for us to go to war with, and even more dangerous to integrate.” Dominic said quietly, sighing as he leaned against the wall of the room. “The reason that our nation is so secure now is because we’ve been screening refugees carefully, but cartels and mafiosos make their living by fooling our screenings.”

“So all the people that live there are stuck? We let the criminals inherit the earth?” Maria asked, seeming rather upset. Dominic scowled quietly, continuing to look at the floor as he crossed his arms across his chest. “Not all of them are bad people.”

“And not all Germans were Nazis, but in World War Two those people were pretty damn irrelevant.” Dominic retorted quietly, he looked at Maria with a tired expression. “You think I haven’t thought about this? It kills me that we can’t do more, but as it stands they’re better equipped with RPGs and even armored vehicles and they have more manpower, and I have a bigger obligation to the people already on the homefront.”

“There’s nothing we can do?” Maria asked quietly, Dominic shook his head for a moment.

“Not until we’re further along in technology and resources. As it stands they don’t have the resources to build better bombs, we do but it will take time.” Dominic said as he paced from one corner of his room to another. “That being said… I’m not about to kickstart an even bigger arms race in our new home to save the old one… I love Earth, but humanity was always destined to colonize the stars and leave it behind.”

“I… I realize that… It’s just, I never thought I’d live to see a day like that.” Maria replied as she pulled a model rocket from the box of Cold War relics. It was a Saturn V, a model of the Apollo Eleven rocket. She looked it over for a couple seconds before putting it back into the box, meanwhile Luna was picking through the box of pony items. She had tuned out most of the previous conversation, as she had had it with Dominic many times before. He had at one point been so ambitious to believe that he could retake control of Earth in its entirety, but that would’ve been a logistical, resource nightmare that Luna had talked him out of.

Luna lifted a small stuffed figure of herself out of the box and looked it over, it was absolutely adorable and she gave it a little squeeze. Dominic began to slip some of his belongings into the open barrel that he had kicked earlier. Old clothes, even the posters off the wall, he paused as the last poster pulled down and slipped into the barrel. Maria abandoned the box of Cold War objects and stood up straight, wondering what else to do. Dominic seemed to share her sentiment as he stood up and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I’m going to look in the garage and see if my dirt bike is still there.” Dominic said as he walked towards the door, Luna and Maria watched him walk out of the room before Maria shrugged and walked over to his bed. The woman knelt down and gave an experimental push on the old mattress, to her surprise as she pushed it something became visible, a glossy magazine cover.

“Oh my…” Maria said quietly as she reached under the mattress and pulled out five magazines, her eyes widening as a wry grin passed over her lips. “Oh, Dominic, you’re a naughty boy.” Luna raised an eyebrow at Maria’s comment, the woman was all to happy to turn over one of the magazines. A slight blush crossed Luna’s face as she opened the magazine, it grew even deeper as she went further.

“Y-You’re species certainly is flexible…” She mumbled, Maria reached over and pried the magazine from her hooves. “Is it possible to do all that with just your tongue?!”

“I’ve never tried, but I’m going to now.” Maria replied snarkily as she stood up and walked over to Dominic’s barrel of stuff, she placed them right on the top before putting lid on and pounding it into place. “Sorry…” Maria trailed off quietly. “I forgot how you felt about him for a couple seconds…”

“It’s… It’s okay.” Luna said with a sigh, rubbing the back of her neck. “I’ve always sort of figured he’d go for a member of his own species…” Maria walked over to Luna and sat down beside her, pulling the alicorn into a hug.

“I’m still sorry.” She said before breaking off the hug. The two of them sat in silence for a couple minutes, occasionally hearing Dominic cursing in the garage. “You know… It doesn’t have to be just me and him.” Maria looked over at Luna with a genuine expression, Luna was a bit surprised by those words, especially coming from Maria. “We’ve talked about it once or twice…”

“I… I don’t know what to say.” Luna said quietly, looking over at one of the windows in the old house. “Perhaps here isn’t the best place to talk about this, we should come back to it when we’re in New Liberty.” Maria nodded quietly, pausing as she heard a sudden sound of an engine echo through the house. “What is that?”

“Dominic got his bike to work.” Maria said as she stood up and rubbed her temples. “He’s going to be insufferable for the next couple days, he fucking loves that thing.” Luna smiled quietly and stood up, approaching Maria and patting her on the shoulder.

“How do you feel about wine?”

[♠]

Nocturne quietly made her way towards the Denver Capitol building, surrounded on both sides by tired looking citizens of the fallen Empire. Many of them had bags or suitcases dragging behind them, occasionally she could hear them muttering amongst themselves. Eugene had sent her on ahead of him, he was returning to the mountains to get his sister, but he would be coming through the portal to help her once he was done. At least, that was what he had told her. Nocturne nervously kept her eyes on the soldiers that watched from atop tanks, some of them were diamond dogs, others were thestrals and changelings, overhead the griffons were circling like birds of prey.

The woman suddenly found herself stopping behind a large former slave, she had finally reached the line for refugee processing. There was a glowing white portal ahead of her, right in front of the capitol building, under heavy guard by tanks and snipers to prevent anyone that hadn’t been processed from getting through.

“Achtung! Achtung! Please remember to have any identifying documents ready! Do not argue with the processing agents, we have to keep the line moving!” A thestral announced through a bullhorn, Nocturne paused and patted herself down for any sort of ID that wasn’t EOL issued. Of course, she hadn’t held onto her wallet in four years, but she supposed that the soldiers ahead of her would understand that. Nocturne would need to come up with a new name for herself, she couldn’t just tell them her actual name, they’d drag her away for being a member of the inner circle.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt someone grab onto her shoulder, the woman turned around and paused only to realize it wasn’t a grab, it was simply a diamond dog moving through the crowd, his nose up in the air and sniffing away.

“Please submit any firearms or other weapons you are carrying for processing! Failing to do so will result in confiscation or denial of entry!” Another thestral shouted from atop a tank, Nocturne quietly ducked her head down and adjusted her clothes to appear less conspicuous. As the line continued to move, Nocturne began to run through the possible names that she could give herself. She had been so caught up in that name she had forgotten all by the vaguest of memories of her old name.

As the time went on and the line continued moving forwards, she could hear music playing ahead of her, celebratory music that was most likely playing from Ghost Peak Radio. It was polka, by the sound of it. The thestrals were big fans of it, oddly enough. It was yet another sign that the EOL had been in the wrong for all those years, Nocturne could hear a couple people starting to cry behind her as they continued walking. Up ahead the woman heard some singing, she leaned out of line and spotted a group of thestrals and former slaves were the source, they were all singing in what sounded like German.

Nocturne became so entranced by the displays of jubilation that she didn’t realize she had finally reached the front of the line.

“Papiere, bitte.” A voice cut through her thoughts, the woman looked over and found herself looking at a thestral in an officer’s uniform with a peaked cap and oak leaves on his collar. He was seated behind a large table with ten other officers like him looking over papers and other documents. “I’m sorry… Papers, please.”

“Um… I don’t have any…” Nocturne said quietly, the stallion shrugged quietly and pulled a sheet of paper from a box by his seat. He gave her a slight smile before he clicked a pen against the table and held it above the paper.

“Name?” He asked.

“Nova… Just Nova.” The stallion nodded and wrote it down on the paper, Nocturne was glad she’d at least come up with something fast. In actuality, it was because one of the vehicles parked near the portal was a Chevy Nova.

“Age?”

“Twenty one…” Nocturne replied, who was going to know if she told the truth or not. The stallion nodded again and wrote down her information, Nocturne looked ahead of her at the large pulsing portal.

“Alright…” The stallion filled out numerous other boxes on the paper, Nocturne awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck as she watched him. The woman froze when she felt someone tapping her on the side, she looked over and found herself looking at a changeling. “This is Sergeant Enigma, he’s a changeling, they’re basically like living lie detectors. I’m going to ask you some questions, okay?” Nocturne nodded nervously. “Have you ever been involved in the buying, selling, or trading of slaves, thralls, or mundanes?”

“No.” Nocturne said nervously, looking over at the changeling. It was true, Nocturne was never really into buying, selling or trading. When the changeling nodded the thestral wrote down some more information on the paper in front of him.

“Will you swear an oath of citizenship to the New United States of America honestly?” The thestral asked.

“Yes.” Nocturne replied, there was a nod from the changeling and the thestral added another bit of information to the paper.

“Have you ever been charged or convicted of a crime, before or after the outbreak, that would make you a possible threat to public safety? For example aggravated assault, armed robbery, and so on.” The stallion looked at her quietly, waiting for her to reply. She gulped, there had been a time in her life where she had stolen a car, but that had been a long time ago.

“I stole a car when I was a teenager.” Nocturne admitted, the stallion looked at the changeling again and got the same nod. To her surprise the stallion just wrote something down on her paper instead of dismissing her.

“Okay, here’s the big one.” The thestral stated before he looked at her closely. “To your knowledge, have you ever been directly exposed to the Living Corpse Virus. Blood spatter, saliva, and so on.”

“No.” Nocturne said calmly, she hadn’t ever been directly exposed by that way. The only way to get it was to be bitten, but she supposed it was there way of applying better border security. The infection had entered the United States because the refugees were never properly vetted. The changeling nodded quietly and let go of her arm, the thestral wrote a couple more words on the paper before picking up a stamp and bring it down on the page.

“Alright, present this to the guards in front of the portal, your Identification card will be issued to you sometime this week, they will give you more information once you’re on the other side.” The thestral gave Nocturne, now Nova, her entry visa.

“Um… I’m waiting for someone actually, my friend is getting his sister.” Nova said quietly, the thestral raised an eyebrow at her for a moment before gesturing to a small crowd of people who already had their visas.

“You can wait over there until they get here.” The thestral said with a small smile, Nova nodded and walked over to the group. There were a couple soldiers walking among them, keeping their eyes on the line of people who had yet to be processed. The woman couldn’t help but spot a bit of hope in the eyes of those in the line, there Empress had lied to them, and now that they had a place to go it seemed things were looking up. Of course, there were those that were making trouble, as a Nova soon realized.

She watched as a pair of burly former slaves in New American MP uniforms dragged a man out of the line, it was apparent to Nova that the man had been attempting to sneakily pass off a slave as his ‘girlfriend’. How ever the collar and her fearful eyes, and her lack of intervening, was more than enough for the soldiers to put it together. Nova watched the man disappear from view, several minutes later she heard a solitary gunshot. There were signs that had been posted all over the city reading ‘Anyone keeping will be shot!’. Nova quietly sighed and began to hope that Eugene would hurry up and get to her already.

[♠]

Twilight quietly sighed as she sat in her office in Canterlot, her workload had dropped substantially since Celestia had resumed her duties to their fullest. The former student had finally finished off her backlog of paperwork, her desk was completely empty. Twilight smirked quietly, it hadn’t been done fast, but it had been done. The mare looked over at a photo on her desk, her smirk grew smaller. It was one where she and her friends had taken a picture to show her progress in making friends, spike and her six other friends all smiled widely at the camera.

Word of Rainbow Dash’s escapade had spread over Equestria like wildfire, many ponies were wondering how the element of loyalty even had the word ‘Defect’ in her vocabulary. Twilight found herself continuing to smile as she thought of the chase Rainbow must’ve put the wonderbolts through, they were probably regretting not making her a member when they could. The alicorn knew that there was a complex network of shadowy government issues that had lead to Rainbow’s departure, not a lack of loyalty.

Still, for some of the more sensitive people in their circle of friends, it had proven a difficult pill to swallow. Applejack was upset that her main competitive comrade was gone, but she’d show respect for Rainbow’s decision. Rarity and Pinkie Pie had thought similarly. The jury was still out on Fluttershy, she hadn’t really left her home since she’d heard the news, and Twilight was just about ready to order a group of guards to enter her home to check on her if she didn’t show her face soon. The mare shook her head, guards weren’t what she needed, what Fluttershy needed was someone to talk to.

The elements of harmony were still good friends, despite one of them moving so very far away. That was all Twilight was concerned about, that they would remain friends. With all her regular work done and her normal worrying about her friendship out of the way Twilight lit up her horn, her desk drawer opened and from within she pulled a bulky notebook. As the princess looked it over she could hear the birds chirping outside as the sun marked midday through her window, illuminating the numerous bookshelves of her office.

Twilight set the notebook down on her desk and opened it to its first page, looking over the inscription she had made just over a year ago. When Dominic had first come to Equestria she had used the notebook as a sort of chronicle of events, however as time went on it had become more of a story. Twilight flipped to the last page, she had filled the book from cover to cover, but she enjoyed taking a moment to look back at just how far things had gone in the short time the world had learned it wasn’t alone in the multiverse.

The mare set the book aside and levitated another notebook from her desk, she set it down and flipped close to the end. One page had been filled with writing while the other was only halfway finished, Twilight levitated a quill and some ink and began writing in the notebook. This one was far different from her first writings, it was more of an actual book than notes, but that was the idea. It would be Twilight’s first foray into the publishing world, her first contribution to ponies reading for centuries to come. The title was a little something that Dominic had given her the inspiration for, and what could be more fitting for a story about her friend the controversial leader of an equally controversial nation. ‘No Hesitation: A deeper look into human history from an outsider’s perspective. By Twilight Sparkle.’

Twilight had been fascinated by the culture of humanity in all its forms and with all its faults, an entire alien race that was so varied and yet so similar in its depictions of god, government, and art. Twilight conveyed these thoughts onto the paper with a mixture of articulation and flow, at the moment she was writing about humanity as it was in its current form. From what she had seen on Earth, even in times of strife the human species seemed indomitable. Rising from the ashes of their former empires to survive and build a new home for themselves on an entirely different planet.

The alicorn even speculated that some time in the near future the entire name of their nation would change to something more fitting than ‘The New United States’, she continued by giving a few possible changes. Twilight smiled as she filled more of the pages, her thoughts spilling onto the paper with stunning clarity. At the rate she was going her book would be complete soon, as she recounted her meetings with American soldiers on both sides of the portal and the refugees that she had met, she did her best to portray them as a noble species.

Hours passed, day began to turn to dusk, and finally Twilight reached the final page. The mare stared at the final line, unsure of of what her final words should be. She settled upon a set of simple questions that had been at the root of all her curiosity over the small nation. ‘What secrets will they unlock? What will they share with the world? What will their nation stand for?’ Twilight smiled as she looked over her final draft, she had already checked and rechecked it with her usual scrutiny. It was only a matter of time before it hit the shelves.

[♠]

Dominic quietly wiped a bit of sweat from his head as he continued looking over the old dirt bike in his garage, standing next to him was Discord in human form, dressed in greasy mechanic clothes and leaning against the wall. The room was rather cool thanks to the rain outside, though it was still hot enough to make Dominic remove his uniform jacket.

“This shit hasn’t been run in four years, I didn’t expect it to even fucking start. I’m surprised the tires haven’t dry rotted…” Dominic mumbled as he wiped his oil covered hands on his t-shirt. Discord wandered over and leaned in to get a better look at the inner workings of Dominic’s dirt bike. “Doesn’t help that I haven’t touched an engine in just as long.”

“You’ve refounded a country and been to three different dimensions, this shouldn’t be a problem.” Discord mused before he snapped his fingers and a cold can of beer appeared in his hand. Dominic sighed and pulled the battery from inside and set it on the ground. “Now, if we were talking about Luna and Maria, I’d say you might be in trouble.”

“Why?” Dominic asked, looking over his shoulder at the chaos god that was sipping his beer.

“I dunno, you just seem like the kind of guy that’s a little too high strung.” Discord mused, the chaos god knelt down to get a closer look at the engine then at the tires, before taking another sip of his beer.

“What I’m really concerned about is finding a place for Maria, Luna and myself to live.” Dominic admitted as he cleaned some of the corosion off of the battery leads, his expression growing a bit grim. “I don’t want to use government funds to build a house, and I usually put most of my paycheck back into the government till.”

“What’s wrong with this one?” Discord asked, Dominic gave him a deadpanned look. “I can open a portal between time and space, moving a house like this would be a snap, literally.”

“Why the hell would you do that?” Dominic asked, not taking his eyes off of Discord for a single second. The chaos god sipped his beer again, a slight frown crossing his lips before he made a rather sweeping gesture.

“You’re my friend.” Discord said simply. “I talk to Fluttershy when I need a confidant, but you’re the kinda guy that I can just bullshit with.” Dominic was a bit struck by that, he hadn’t even thought of it like that, but he supposed he had the same problem, almost all of his friends were female, which was fine, but occasionally he just needed a good bullshit session. “Besides, it’s a defensive measure. It’s made of earth material, so you know, no magic attacks.”

“I… I guess… Just wait until we’re out of here first.” Dominic said with a bit of surprised gratitude, things were starting to look up. He would have a bit of his family to hold onto in Equestria, something that he could share with the people he cared about. Discord nodded and Dominic went back to looking over his bike, smirking quietly as he ran a hand up the side of the engine. “Today’s been pretty shitty… But it’s the little things that make it better.” Dominic picked up the battery and slipped it back into the engine, reconnecting the wires and putting on the cover. “Let’s see if that did it.”

Dominic stood up and swung his leg over the dirt bike, then turned the key in the ignition and extended the kickstarter. With a grunt he gave a strong kick, the engine sputtered as smoke appeared from the tailpipe, but afterwards nothing. Discord watched the man give another strong kick, more smoke appeared but again the engine came to a halt. He was contemplative about simply snapping his fingers to start the bike, but he figured that it was a moment Dominic wanted to achieve himself. Dominic gave one final hard kick, this time pulling back on the throttle at the same time. The engine roared to life, belching grey smoke from the tailpipe that quickly filled the garage to the point he had to kill the engine.

“There it is!” Dominic said as he clapped his hands together, sighing quietly a couple seconds later. It was hard to feel good about anything after the day that he had had, the man pulled the key from the ignition and tucked it into his pants pocket before swinging his leg back over the bike. “Ugh… I’m tired…”

“I’ll let you go get some rest then… Good talk.” Discord replied, Dominic nodded quietly before the chaos god snapped his fingers and vanished. Dominic quietly looked around the garage, the smoke was starting clear under the garage door, but it was still quite thick. Dominic noticed an olive drab wooden box beneath a work bench across the room, his head tilted to the side. His father had always told him never to open that box, though Dominic really didn’t know why, but he wasn’t about to open it now.

Dominic picked up his jacket and pulled it on, then walked inside and ran a hand over his mohawk. His boots were soft on the carpeted floor, allowing him to silently approach his room again. He paused outside the door as he heard Maria and Luna talking inside, they were chuckling and Dominic could tell both of them were happy. He didn’t want to interrupt them, and so he walked back towards the garage, stopping to turn and start walking up the stairs. As he reached the top floor he found himself looking at three familiar doors, one lead to his sister’s room, one to his parents’, and one to a bathroom.

The man tiredly walked towards the door to his mom and dad’s room, stopping outside it for a moment before pushing the door inward. Unsurprisingly the room had been untouched in four years, just as neat and orderly as it ever was. There was a window off to the far side of the room, a king sized bed took up most of the space, but there was a dresser and bedside tables on either side. The closet was closed as usual, though Dominic knew that inside there was a gun safe and numerous other clothes.

The commander walked to the window and opened the blinds, looking out the window at the house directly next to his. His eyes scanned over the equally abandoned looking house, after a couple minutes he spotted the rain outside beginning to break up. The sun cut through the clouds like a knife, Dominic felt the warm light on his skin. After a couple more minutes Dominic reached up and buttoned his uniform, then tucked his shirt into his pants. His expression became stoic, then it shifted into a slight scowl.

Dominic turned around and walked back to the hallway, exhaling deeply and running a clean hand over his head again. The man descended the steps to the first floor and walked back to his room, as he looked in he was greeted with a rather odd scene. Luna and Maria were sitting in front of each other on the floor with two wine glasses and a dusty bottle of red. Dominic was stunned it hadn’t turned to vinegar after so many years, he was more stunned by what the two mares were talking over. A photo album was laid out on the floor in front of them, one that Dominic knew very well, even after so many years.

“He was so cute as a baby!” Luna cooed as she looked at the pictures, Maria giggled and took a sip of her red wine. “What happened?” Maria snorted, her eyes going wide as red wine ran down ran down from her nose.

“Hardy har har.” Dominic said sarcastically, both Maria and Luna looked up when he spoke. The man walked into the room and took a seat beside the two of them, adjusting his clothes quietly. He leaned forward and looked at the baby picture, then he chuckled to himself. “I still think I’m adorable.”

“In different ways, yes.” Luna said, humming softly as she closed the photo album.

“Yeah… Very different ways.” Maria added, the woman looked over at the window quietly. “Huh, it stopped raining.” Dominic nodded quietly as Maria took her glass of wine and gulped down what remained. “Probably should start loading the stuff into the car then, huh?”

“Nah…” Dominic replied as he stood up with a grunt. “Discord’s decided to be a pal and is moving the whole damn house for us, so we have a place to live that doesn’t require us to share a really small cot.” Luna and Maria seemed a bit surprised by that, but considering what Discord had done for them so far, it wasn’t that unreasonable to believe. Dominic offered his hands to both of them, looking to lift them up off the floor. “I am gonna ride the bike back though, if you don’t mind driving, Maria?”

“I don’t mind! It’ll give Luna and me a chance to talk more!” Maria said with a bit of a smile while she and Luna grabbed the man’s hands and were pulled up, Dominic was actually glad that she had said that for more than one reason. He wanted a chance to ride alone, he was so used to riding with others a little time to himself seemed appealing. “Go ahead and start up the bike, me and Luna will get ourselves combobulated.”

Dominic nodded and turned to walk out of the room, as soon as he was gone Maria went to the barrel of things and pulled it open, withdrawing all the magazines she had slipped inside. The sniper was a bit of a kinky minx at heart, and she wanted to know what sort of things Dominic was into. Of course, the man had no knowledge of this as he entered the garage and manually opened the garage door. Outside the smell of fresh rain greeted his nose, and he could see the sun was rapidly drying up the rain.

Dominic walked out to the parked Police Interceptor and opened the door, from within he grabbed his kevlar helmet and aviators from inside. The man pulled on his helmet and undid the buttons in his shirt, exposing his oil stained shirt. With a slight smile he approached the dirt bike parked in the garage, he swung his leg over it and put on his sunglasses before taking the keys from his pocket and slipping them into the ignition. He turned the key and then prepared the kickstarter, waiting until he saw Luna and Maria exit the house and enter the car. Dominic wheeled the bike forwards, stopping to get off the bike and close the garage door before getting back on.

He delivered a firm kick to the starter and turned the throttle, the engine thundered to life again, Dominic smiled a bit more. Even with the day he had had there was something extremely satisfying about sitting right on the engine, he jokingly thought his next public works effort would be for better paved roads so he could ride a chopper instead of a dirt bike. With everything set, Dominic pulled back on the clutch and kicked down into first before hitting the gas and releasing the clutch slowly. The bike rolled forwards, and once he was on the road, he kicked up into second, before eventually speeding away.

Maria and Luna watched him zoom off as they themselves began driving down the road, Luna’s eyes were closed because she ‘didn’t want to watch him wipe out and break his neck’. Maria could understand that, but the poor mare had yet to learn that Maria drove just about as fast as Dominic when she didn’t have to worry about being leisurely. It was bound to be a difficult experience for Luna to get used to.
> Chapter 16
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Days passed, during that time the majority of the American and UN assault force had withdrawn through the portal, leaving a sizable occupation force in Denver. General Hillard was placed in charge of the occupation, Dominic, Luna and Maria were finally able to go through the portal. The first day back had been filled with speeches, the commemoration of a memorial for those that had been killed, and generally other political duties that they were bound to take care of. It had all blurred together for Maria, she hadn’t really taken a moment to think that she was in another dimension entirely.

Now, after all the speeches had been said and the ceremonies held, she reclined in an armchair located in the living room of Dominic’s house. Discord had brought it over as he’d said he would, placing it on a hill that looked out over the desert and gave a good view of the sunset. Maria was finally letting herself relax, for the first time in four years she felt like there was no need to keep her rifle close at hand. Dominic, meanwhile, was laying on couch beside her. Unlike her, however, he was asleep. Snoring softly as he lay on his side, dressed only in his fatigue pants and a t-shirt.

Maria had taken to dressing in a more punk fashion, after all, she pulled it off quite well with her very short hair. Jeans and t-shirts had replaced her sniper fatigues, her fingers drummed against the arm of the chair as she listened to Dominic resting. A soft smile crossed her lips as she looked over at him, she supposed that it had been the first real sleep he had had in some time. Maria quietly stood up and walked towards the window, looking out over the desert landscape with a discerning eye. It was certainly a nice view, and it provided plenty of angles to defend the house if need arose. The woman shook her head at that thought, there would be no need for that kind of thinking, New Liberty was safe.

Maria walked away from the window, making her way to the kitchen to fix herself something to eat. Thankfully Discord had been nice enough to hook up a gas, water, and power supply to the house. How he had done it was a bit of a magical mystery that Dominic had determined was a common practice in Equestria, it accounted for the lack of power lines that would be needed to run many of the technologies Equestria employed. Maria shook her thoughts of the infrastructure away, she just wanted to make a simple sandwich. The woman began making her sandwich as many people begin, looking in the fringe for lunch meat. She sighed, however, when she realized that there wasn’t any lunch meat to speak of.

“Fuck…” She muttered quietly before closing the fridge, she quietly thought for a moment. It would be a chance for her to go into town and really meet some of the people there, of course she didn’t really know where she would find a deli, as Luna or Dominic mainly did the shopping. She figured the best course of action would be to ask, but seeing as Dominic was asleep, Maria would need to ask Luna. The woman walked out of the kitchen and to the stairs, she quietly ascended them and stopped at the top. Dominic’s sister’s room had been converted to Luna’s, something that held a bit of significance to Maria. It showed her that Dominic had finally moved on, and she was glad to see that.

Maria wandered up to Luna’s door and knocked on it quietly, not wanting to interrupt the alicorn mid meditation or something else that was private. There was a soft hum from the other side of the door and Maria pushed the door open, as she entered she took a moment to examine the room closer. The walls were navy blue, the shades were drawn, and numerous stellar diagrams were pinned or taped to the ceiling and walls. The bed rarely saw use, as Luna often joined Maria and Dominic in bed over the past couple days. Luna was seated at her desk, looking over numerous papers by the light of her mane.

“Hey, Luna?” Maria asked quietly, the mare looked over with a slight smile.

“Maria, what can I do for you?” Luna replied, her horn briefly glowing and shifting the papers around her desk.

“I was going to go into town and get some sandwich stuff, but I don’t know where the deli is. I just need a vague idea, I’ll find it from there.” Maria explained, Luna nodded quietly and hummed, putting her hoof up to her chin to think of a way to explain where the deli was. 

“It’s closer to the southern hills, in the griffon district.” Luna said quietly, Maria nodded and closed the door. She quickly descended the steps and entered the garage, part of her knew it would probably be better to take the Crown Vic, but her eyes quickly drifted over to Dominic’s dirt bike. She smirked and took his helmet from its hook on the wall before opening the garage door and rolling the bike outside. On the couch inside Dominic rolled over, he had sensed a disturbance in the force. Maria grabbed a weathered denim jacket off the wall, decorated with numerous patches from her old uniform. She pulled it on, then the helmet, before closing the garage door and looking down at the town in the distance.

With a smile Maria tossed her leg over the bike, turned the key, and hit the kickstarter. The engine roared to life, she was no stranger to Dominic’s dirt bike, she had practically taught him how to ride it. With a grin she tore off down the hill, kicking up dust and sand as she made her way towards the growing town. Within a couple minutes she was coasting past a couple buildings being erected on the outskirts, the construction crews were varied and diverse, working together to build new homes for those who had come from Earth.

Maria slowed down as she approached an intersection further up ahead, the smell of new paint and fresh lumber still lingered as she looked at the buildings that had been completed. Small shops, apartments, even a playground with children playing and laughing. The woman found herself becoming a bit misty eyed, to see and hear children playing so innocently was something she had dreamed of since the infection had ravaged the world. Maria wiped her eyes and continued slowly riding along through the streets, she weaved from side to side to avoid hitting the numerous carriages and shop carts out in the road.

The woman came to a stop at a stop sign, checking both directions quietly. She was glad that she had, as a column of vehicles rolled past. Many of them were former UN vehicles that had been repainted with American colors, that was how many of the civilian vehicles that had been captured were being treated as well. Their engines were steadily being replaced with ‘Hearty’ engines that could run off the extremely available ethanol, something that was becoming even cheaper with the aid of UN scientistific help. Maria sighed quietly as she watched the vehicles pass, finally able to pull out onto the street and get back to her search for the deli.

Part of her felt out of her element, she was a skilled scout sniper with over three hundred confirmed kills and the adoration of most of the male, and some of the female, populace. Yet as she was searching through a peaceful town with plenty of people for a deli to make herself a sandwich, she couldn’t help but feel that perhaps she had reached her peak in life. With no more targets to prosecute or recon missions to run what really was there for Maria to occupy herself with? She supposed there was Dominic and Luna, she really did care about them, but she couldn’t very well sit at home all day. That wasn’t fair to them, especially with all the work they were still putting in.

Maria looked around quietly as she continued rolling down the streets, she could tell by the architecture and increase in Griffon’s that she had entered the Griffon district. More than a few heads turned to look towards the woman on the motorbike, many of the soldiers and former soldiers among them recognized her right off the bat, if the waves were anything to go by. The woman smiled faintly before her eyes locked onto a sign that she roughly translated from Griffish as ‘Delicatessen’. Maria pulled over and flicked the kickstand down, then pulled her helmet off and let it hang from the handlebars.

With a grunt Maria swung her leg over the bike and turned off the engine, then put the keys into her jacket pocket. The woman walked towards the deli with her hands tucked into her jacket pockets, noting that there was a nice display of meat hanging in the store window. It was clear that this place took it’s work very seriously. Maria wandered in and placed her order, once it was finished she returned to the dirt bike and took off again. She drove around for an hour or so, just taking in the numerous sights and familiarizing herself with the city that was now her home. When she did return home she found Luna sitting downstairs in the armchair with one of Dominic’s ‘private’ magazines in her grasp, the two of them had taken to reading them out in the open, just to mess with Dominic a bit. They cared about him deeply, but Luna had to admit it was rather adorable to see him squirm embarrassedly.

[♠]

Fortress Wall quietly adjusted his lab coat as he examined the latest group of scientists to enter his lab. Unlike his normal colleagues, who were only mere students of science, he now had some of the top human minds in the world at his disposal, courtesy of the UN. Many of their qualifications boggled his minds, they were in fields that he had never even heard of before. Of course, some of them had abstained from weapons development, but that was an acceptable loss. Fortress wasn’t out to build weapons at any cost, he himself pondered if what he was doing was really ethical. He’d started out as a tinkerer after all, but then again, the current Commander of the entire United States Military had never finished High School and that seemed to be working out alright.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for lending your services to the New American Government.” Fortress said with a genuine smile as he stopped in front of his three original assistants. “These three have assisted me since we built our first real tank, our first airplane, and our first rifles. They know where everything is, they know how everything works, and even if they aren’t as well educated as you are I expect you’ll treat them with the respect they deserve.” There was a collective nod from the group of eight scientists, who seemed far more interested in the laboratory that they had been brought to.

Fortress himself was a bit awed by it, clean and sterile, located fifty feet underneath the American military base. It had been dug out by diamond dogs and constructed from a mix of changeling and human based plans. There were all sorts of gadgets and tools, but Fortress still held onto his original drafting board.

“If you have any questions, feel free to ask.” Fortress continued, pausing in front of a man in a wheelchair before continuing back to his normal pacing. Thankfully the lab had a freight elevator strong enough to lift two T-34s thanks to magic reinforcement. “Forgive my pacing, it helps me keep a clear head… Now, please, do as you will. The government has given us the first month as a time to brainstorm, so test whatever pet projects you want. We will try to accommodate your needs, but remember we don’t have access to a particle collider or a ‘Nuclear Reactor’.”

“Fascinating.” Was a rather common response as the group of scientists dispersed to numerous tables and devices, Fortress Wall smiled quietly as he leaned against his drafting table with his three assistants. The first government think tank in the New American universe had been born.

“What do you think of them so far, sir?” One of Fortress’ assistants asked, a tall blonde haired blue eyed fellow with a mustache. Fortress winced as he watched one of the new scientists fumbling with one of his best inventions, a contraption of tubes and glass that was crucial to the operation of the entire department. A coffee machine.

“For geniuses they seem-” There was a shatter, Fortress sighed quietly and pinched the bridge of his nose. The person speaking was another one of the assistants, an equally tall man with black hair so thick Fortress was surprised he could get a comb through it. “Incompetent.”

“Lars… Get the schnapps.” Fortress said, the blonde man nodded and made his way towards a counter on the far side of the room. “We’re going to be here a while, if you need me I’ll be working on that special project.” The others nodded as Fortress walked away from his drafting table towards an object on a counter that was covered with a white cloth, two of the new scientists were examining it with their hands on their chins. Fortress silently pulled the cloth back, revealing the item beneath without any real flare. It looked like a rifle, save for the barrels. There were three of them on a spinning axis, connected to a small rather powerful motor, the scientists gawked at it with a bit of surprise.

“Is that a gatling assault rifle?” One of them, an asian woman with grey hair asked. Fortress looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Gatling what? No…” Fortress replied, momentarily pressing down on the trigger lightly. The barrels span rapidly into a blur. “It’s a project of mine… I’ve combined the immense power of charged crystals with the accuracy and range of ballistic weaponry, simply to see if it can be done.” The scientists nodded quietly, still looking over the weapon with a bit of intrigue. “Of course it’s not very practical, but it’s getting somewhere. I’m thinking perhaps of scaling it up and creating some sort of air and ground defense platform. That’s only after I finish my work on petroleum free tires, because people are starting to complain about all the tracked vehicles.” Fortress paused as Lars came over and gave him a glass of schnapps, the stallion quickly drank it down. The scientists raised an eyebrow at him. “What? Do you have some sort of miracle solution that’s renewable?”

[♠]

Celestia inwardly groaned as she found herself sitting in a boring meeting with her heads of the military, she had forgotten all about the event, but she supposed that it had to happen if she was going to increase the size of Equestria’s military. As it stood, they were still going over the basics of what the average soldier in Equestria was trained in, how he was equipped, and how much it cost to equip him. Indiscreetly, they were being compared to what the average American soldier was equipped with.

“Our forces cost more money to equip and train than theirs.” Said General Powder Keg of the Equestrian Army. “Even with composite armor and spell bows it costs us twenty times what it costs for an American infantryman.” Celestia watched a slide appear on the wall of the dingy meeting room, quietly sipping her cup of tea. The slide displayed a picture of an Equestrian Soldier next to an American soldier. For best comparison, both of them were Pegasi.

“They’re fighting without armor, of course it costs less to equip one of their soldiers.” Added one of the generals seated around the meeting table. “Look at our soldier, he’s covered from head to hoof in light plate and chainmail. All they have are those silly green shirts and pants, what next? Frilly green berets?.”

“Actually…” Powder Keg said with a slight scowl, clicking a button and causing another slide to appear. The American pony depicted wore a green beret, the Equestrian wore armor of the Solar Elites. “Their special forces wear green berets, they’re called the Globe Corps.” There was a mix of quiet rumbling amongst the generals, but Celestia had sat up to pay attention. “They’re trained to deploy anywhere on the globe, hence the name. We don’t know how much it costs to train them, but we assume it’s about equal to our Solar Elites.”

“And still no armor? I fail to see how they’re at threat.” Chimed the General in charge of Pegasi. Powder Keg silently clicked the clicker again, a new image appeared on the screen, one that quieted every voice in the room. It was big, green, angular and intimidating. Beside it was an Equestrian armored carriage.

“The American built T-34-85 tank.” Powder Keg said forebodingly. “This is the armor that really matters, with the American military it’s about speed. During their mission on earth the keywords to success were ‘Tempo. Tempo. Tempo.’.” Celestia leaned forwards as she stared at the monstrosity on the screen, it would easily destroy the carriage next to it simply by running it over. “This… Thing… Is only one of their ways of waging rapid warfare. If we went to war with them at this moment, using these tanks and other weaponry they would penetrate as far as Ponyville by the end of the first forty eight hours, and most likely be marching into Canterlot by the end of the day.” Celestia gulped quietly, she had seen the T-34 in action, albeit briefly. She knew that if her subjects went up against them unprepared they would certainly be destroyed.

“We have mages working on making spells powerful enough to penetrate and destroy their armor, but at the moment it’s not looking good.” Powder Keg said with a sigh, he clicked the button once again. “The next item on the agenda is their aerial combat, Colonel Swift Wind, if you wouldn’t mind coming up here.” He left the area to sit down, allowing the true leader of the Wonderbolts to take up her position beside the slide projector. She clicked the button once again, displaying one of the human flying machines next to an average pegasus soldier. The picture of the aircraft had been drawn by hoof, as it had been difficult to get a clear photo of the machine.

“What you are seeing here is the American’s latest aerial weapon, our observations in the field show us just what sort of predator this thing is.” Swift Wind said in a stern tone, Celestia watched her closely. “During a recon mission we saw these aircraft outfly and outlast a squad of American thestral troopers, and I needn’t tell you of their biological superiority in the air.” The mare gestured to General Powder Keg. “He wasn’t kidding about the American’s obsession with speed in battle, with squadrons of these things in the air even the wonderbolts would have a problem staving them off. If we allow them to build these… Contraptions… We’ll be in an arms gap that we just can’t hope to close, even with increased military airship numbers.”

“Enough fear mongering.” Celestia said, all eyes turned to her. “Perhaps we should be asking ourselves why we used the word ‘allow’.” Swift Wind looked at Celestia with a curious expression, Celestia adjusted her crown for a moment. “The New Americans have just completed a bloody campaign on the human’s home planet, before that they were at war with the Changelings. I would think that building up our military would be something important to us if we had survived those to situations.”

“True, but our military is already large enough. We outnumber the American’s ten to one, if we wish to maintain military superiority in the world we have to put an end to their production of arms.” Countered Swift Wind, Celestia narrowed her eyes quietly. “You aren’t suggesting that we just let them become a bigger threat? May I remind you that’s how Nightmare Moon, Discord, and Sombra occurred.”

“Unlike them, the New American’s aren’t lead by a power hungry dictator.” Celestia said with a scowl, leaning back in her seat as her generals continued to watch the discussion in silence. “At every step, President Occisor has tried to limit his own power, it’s not his fault that his citizens continue to vote him more. Even with our personal differences, I would sooner see Yakyakistan as an instigator than New America.”

“Instigator? No. Retaliator? There’s a different story.” Powder Keg spoke up, Celestia turned her gaze to the earth pony general. “I’ve studied their retaliation on the Changelings, it was absolutely brutal. They cut down enemy soldiers in droves before the battle ended.” Celestia sighed at the mention of the Changeling-American war, it was because of that that she was having to try and convince ponies not to settle in the southern desert where previously it had been okay. “We have to face facts here, there are forces beyond our control at play on the border. Just this week we’ve captured three groups of ponies with firebombs and crossbows trying to cross the border.”

“If they manage to slip past the Royal Guard and the American border patrol, they could easily be to New Liberty within hours.” Spoke up a familiar accented voice, Celestia inwardly scowled as she laid eyes on Field Marshal Eventide, flanked on both sides by a pair of Lunar Guards with extremely short manes. There was a quiet murmuring among the Generals in the room, none of them had invited Eventide, and neither had Celestia. “Given the average Equestrian’s quickness to form an angry mob, it wouldn’t be long until they used their firebombs and crossbows on the civilian populace.”

Celestia found herself scowling even more as she watched the thestral pull a cigar from his uniform jacket, bite off the cap, and light it. More and more murmuring went up from the generals, but Celestia remained silent. Eventide had somehow known of the meeting, how else would he have been able to know it was being held. It was clear from looking at the young Field Marshal’s eyes he was determined, though Celestia could only guess what his final goal was.

“Just something you might want to consider when you are holding your secret meetings.” Eventide added, puffing quietly on his cigar. “I would say I was surprised you didn’t send for me, but I suppose ‘we’ can’t be trusted, after all… We don’t serve the solar crown.” The stallion turned and spoke in Thestralese to his two colleagues, the nodded and followed him as he walked out of the room. Celestia sighed as the lingering smell of his cigar remained in the air, a constant reminder that she had alienated a massive portion of the Equestrian military. Even if they technically only served Luna, most of the time that meant Equestria at large, but now Celestia was fearful that status quo had changed.

The rest of the meeting carried on as well as it could be expected, orders were to continue construction of the airships while at the same time increasing education efforts for the ponies on the borders. Celestia hoped that perhaps showing them that New America wasn’t out to get them would keep them from doing something horrific, as the meeting came to a close two hours later she could still smell the smoke from Eventide’s cigar. She knew that she had to do something to counteract whatever it was he was doing, but she wasn’t sure what. Her confidence in her military was shaken, nearly every operation they had tried to take part in ended in failure.

She supposed the best thing to do would be to let him make a slip up rather than anything else, with that Celestia left the meeting room to return to her office. The mare passed numerous ponies waving petitions and demands in her face, but she was far too annoyed to field any of their questions or concerned. On top of that, she had promised to listen to Equestria’s first radio show, and it would be featuring Twilight Sparkle talking about her book. Celestia was glad to admit that she was proud of her former student, having read one of the copies that had already been printed.

Celestia made her way over to her desk and sat down, then flicked on the radio that had been set up in her office. They were becoming more and more available in houses around the country, as it stood there was likely two thousand households that had one, as well as numerous small towns that would play the radio over loudspeakers for ponies that couldn’t afford a radio. At the moment the radio was just playing music, Celestia had to admit that that was a nice touch on top of being used to communicate over great distances.

She reclined in her seat, sighing and turning to look out the window at the city of Canterlot below. Part of her wondered just how many of the ponies in that city were for a war against the New United States, she doubted many of them could fathom just how destructive a war of that magnitude would be. Hopefully Twilight’s book and interview would help lessen that number of ponies before the Grand Galloping Gala, she feared there would be protests even if the President didn’t come. There was a reason that the guard garrison in the city had invested in more riot gear, it was rumored that some of them were even considering building a bulldozer tank.

Celestia’s thoughts were stopped as she heard the music trail off, replaced by much more succinct music that seemed to be the prelude to something.

”Good evening, Equestria! This is our first broadcast tonight, I’m your host Shortwave and I will be interviewing one of the Princesses about her new book.” An oddly high pitched male voice spoke over the crackling radio, he sounded a bit nervously, but then again no one had ever really done what he had done before, at least not in Equestria. Music and interviews were commonplace in New America. ”Princess Twilight Sparkle is here to tell us about her book ‘No Hesitation: A deeper look into human history from an outsider’s perspective.’. It’s rather clear what the book is about, I’ve read the first couple chapters today.”

”Actually the first couple chapters don’t really go into what the book is about.” Twilight Sparkle’s voice joined the host’s, Celestia smiled and leaned back in her seat again, looking out the window at the distant southern horizon. ”It’s all a sort of basis for what the book is about, we get to see what human civilization evolved from. The first two chapters only cover up to the human’s ‘Digital Era’.”

”Oh? Well, please, tell me what the book is about.” The announcer spoke up, Celestia could hear the glow of magic as she assumed her student was levitating a copy of her book.

”The book is more about how they’ve been portrayed by Equestrian media. When the first human came to Equestria there were riots in the streets, he was nearly killed at least three times.” Twilight explained in her normal calm, but firm, lecturing tone. ”All over remarks he made about the Equestrian government, remarks that would’ve simply been shrugged off if a pony had said them. What’s more… The outright lies that have been told about the human race are dangerous!”

”You’re referring to the previous tension on the border, correct?” The host, Shortwave, asked.

”Yes, a lot of ponies in Equestria didn’t even know why it had escalated.” Twilight explained in an even tone, Celestia looked over to her radio and turned up the volume. ”An Equestrian protest on the American border grew so out of hand that an American border enforcement agent was killed by a thrown rock.

”Are you sure that’s how it happened?” Asked the host, there was a quiet pause.

”I would think so, considering I’m one of the princesses and a matter of national security like that wouldn’t just be passed along the grapevine.” Twilight said in a somewhat flat tone, there was an awkward silence that followed after that. ”I appologize for my tone, but you have to understand that the entire New American country is made up of species that are viewed unfavorably in our society, and as such they’re treated rather poorly. Even in their own borders Equestrian tourists harass them ceaselessly.”

”I guess we’d never really been told about things like that…” Replied the radio host, Celestia smiled even wider. There was hope for her subjects after all. ”It seems you have really strong feelings for the New United States, the humans in particular. Is that covered further in your book?”

”Yes, I spent a while with the New American Expeditionary Force when they went through the portal to Earth.” Twilight’s tone was extremely serious, Celestia could practically see the look on Twilight’s face even through the radio. ”What many Equestrians fail to understand is just… Just how immense the cataclysm of their world was. That’s where the book gets its title. On Earth, a single moment of hesitation could lead to a family literally being torn apart.” Celestia paused as she heard Twilight blow her nose, it was clear that talking about what she had seen on Earth was rather difficult for her. ”They’ve suffered so much over the past four years, they shouldn’t have to suffer here too.”

”I’m sorry if I touched on something a little too sensitive there, let’s move on to the other chapters…” Celestia sighed quietly and leaned back in her seat, looking up at the ceiling and stretching. Things were going better, it seemed, but still she could make out the scent of Eventide’s cigar lingering in her nose, another reminder that she may very well have enemies in her own country.

[♠]

Dominic quietly sat up on the couch, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly and looking around the room. It was starting to get dark and there weren’t any lights on or candles lit, however Dominic didn’t mind that. The view of the sunset was incredible, like watching the entire sky on fire in a beautiful glow of pinks and reds. The man stood up and walked towards the window, sighing happily as he saw that somewhat familiar view. It was a nice reminder that he was home, where he belonged, where he could do the most good for his people. He froze as he spotted a glow in the window reflection, then turned around to see Luna sitting in an armchair with a magazine in her hooves.

“Is that one of my…?” Dominic asked quietly, a bit embarrassed by what Luna was reading. “I completely forgot I had any of those!” He started walking towards her, reaching out to try and take the magazine from her, but she smirked and moved it away from his grip. “You’re how old?” Luna smiled faintly, giggling as she turned the magazine at an odd angle, as if trying to see something more clearly.

“Good morning, sleepy head.” Maria’s voice called from the kitchen, Dominic turned and looked towards the doorway as Maria emerged. With the way she had spoken he would’ve thought she would be dressed in something risque.

“How many of these did you find?” Dominic asked as he tried, and failed, to take the magazine from Luna’s magic again. “This is the third one!” Maria chuckled quietly and walked over to the couch.

“That’s for me to know and you to find out.” She sat down and adjusted her t-shirt, smirking over at Luna who was still holding the magazine out of Dominic’s reach. “Come on, I think looking into what makes you happy is very healthy for a relationship.”

“You just get off on making me blush.” Dominic said with a sigh before walking back over to the couch and sitting down next to Maria, the woman shrugged and made a gesture that equated to ‘a little of both’. “I expect this kind of stuff from you, Maria, but e tu Luna?”

“I’m simply curious what sort of things human couples do.” Luna said simply before she went back to browsing through the magazine. “Unless I’m truly making you uncomfortable, I wouldn’t want to harm your opinion of me.” Dominic sighed quietly and rubbed his temples, then looked out the window again.

“It’s… Fine. I guess… I mean, as Maria is so fond of saying, it was bound to happen eventually.” He mumbled, the blush still present on his face. “I just kinda worry you’ll think less of me, is all.” Maria leaned over and put an arm around him, pulling him over into a hug in an odd display of strength. He paused as Luna stood up from the arm chair and then moved over to the couch, leaving Dominic sandwiched between the two of them awkwardly.

“I wouldn’t say that.” Luna said with a warm, non-judging tone. “I’m over a thousand years old, do you honestly think I’m going to be surprised by anything?” Maria and Dominic both looked at her with somewhat uncertain blushes. “Oh, don’t worry, I’ll teach you all my secrets.”

“W-Wow, Luna… I’ve never seen this side of you before.” Dominic said quietly, Luna smirked softly and nuzzled against him.

“Well how would you feel if you’d been banished to the moon for a thousand years?” Luna countered, she opened her wings and hugged the two humans with them. “Now that I’ve finally found a herd, I can let my mane down, so to speak.” Dominic gulped quietly at the mention of a herd, he’d accepted the idea, but it was still something he was trying to ease himself into. “Speaking of… Maria, isn’t there something you wanted to do?” Maria gasped quietly, then Dominic let out a surprised yelp as he was pushed out of the way so Maria could scooch over.

“Really!?” Maria asked in an excited tone, Dominic stood up and rubbed the back of his head. Luna nodded with a smile before her horn glowed, seconds later a brush floated down from Luna’s room upstairs.

“What the…?” Dominic asked in shock, Maria giddily took the brush from Luna’s magic and quietly began to brush Luna’s mane. “Uh… Okay… I’m going to go make something to eat…” Dominic awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and walked out of the room, appearing rather confused and somewhat uncertain as to what was going on. A couple seconds after he’d left Maria and Luna stopped, then looked at each other quietly.

“I think maybe we took the whole ‘We’re getting along’ thing too far.” Maria said quietly, Luna nodded and rubbed her temples. “I mean, I’m glad you let me brush your mane, but… He’s always been sort of slow to accept things on a relationship level.”

“Perhaps we should talk to him…” Luna said, Maria nodded quietly and set the brush down on the couch. The mare and the woman stood up, walking quietly towards the kitchen where they heard Dominic moving around. They peeked in and saw him rummaging through the refrigerator, his eyes roved over the contents before he sighed and simply stood back. He crossed his arms in deep thought, unaware that he was being watched as he stared into the fridge. “Dominic?”

“Huh?” The man looked over at Maria and Luna with a raised eyebrow. “Oh, hey, what’s up?”

“We were worried maybe we came off a little too strong.” Maria said as she leaned against the wall. “I know you’re still kind of getting used to relationships, especially one like this… We were just trying to show you we were getting along.”

“Oh? Good, that’s good…” Dominic said quietly before he closed the refrigerator, looking a bit awkward as he leaned against the kitchen counter and glanced to the floor. “I mean, it was kind of a weird experience, but I appreciate what you were doing.” Maria and Luna smiled faintly and walked forwards, taking up places on either side of Dominic. “Something else you wanted to talk about?”

“Well, we were hoping maybe after dinner, you’d like to go upstairs for a bit?” Maria said, fluttering her eyelashes. Dominic gulped quietly, glancing between Luna and Maria, unsure of what to do. Ever since that first night Maria had been insatiable, not that he minded, but it would certainly be the first time that Luna was added into the mix. “It’s okay, if you’re uncomfortable it can wait.” Dominic looked at the two of them quietly, a blush rising up through his face, before he silently resolved to himself that it was time to man up and stop worrying.

“No… I’m alright…” He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “Maybe we should just skip dinner?” Maria and Luna found themselves in a rather embarrassed position as Dominic suddenly put an arm around both of them. The man smirked and began walking towards the stairs, somewhat happy that he’d evened up the score and made them squirm a bit. Luna and Maria shook off their surprise and quickly went to follow the man, the Princess of the night was glad that she’d finally get to spend a night with her herd that was more than just snuggling. She’d finally get to delve into a well of knowledge that had been untapped for a thousand years.
> Chapter 17
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash smiled faintly as she found herself being wheeled out of the hospital in a wheelchair, the bandages on her shoulder had been removed and she honestly felt better than she had in a long time. Of course she wasn’t sure where she would go or what she would do for money, her hospital fees had been paid for by Princess Luna, but they had yet to really tell her what to do now that she had left the hospital. As the nurse pushed her past the threshold and out into the hot desert sun she found herself covering her eyes, the hustle and bustle of the city was a stark contrast to the relative quiet inside the building.

The mare blinked her eyes a couple times, clearing away the spots that had come from the bright early morning sun. She could see human vehicles driving along in the streets of the city, many of the buildings were made of tan clay like material, with the exception of a few wooden buildings that had been standing when the town had first been established.

“Hey, Dash!” A voice shouted from the right, Rainbow turned and was surprised to see Gilda walking towards her. She wore a black leather flight jacket adorned with a couple patches and was missing the bandages that had been wrapped around her head the last time they’d met. The nurse stopped the wheelchair, allowing Rainbow Dash to stand up and give a nod of goodbye. The nurse quietly entered the hospital again, leaving the griffon and the pegasus to look each other over. “Was wondering when you’d get out, they said some time today, but…”

“What’re you doing here, G?” Rainbow Dash asked as she walked towards her friend, Gilda shrugged for a moment. It was the traditional shit eating grin that completed the picture, Gilda was Gilda, and Rainbow Dash was more than happy to see that.

“Oh, you know, I was in the neighborhood.” Gilda said jokingly before she adjusted her jacket. “Actually, I’m here to pick you up. Orders and all that.” The griffon seemed a bit annoyed that that had to be her reason to go see her friend. “You said when you defected you wanted to be military, it’s time we get you training and earning those wings.” Rainbow Dash smirked quietly, she hadn’t imagined they’d actually accept her request considering she’d been a defector. She and Gilda began walking along the streets, passing by a couple human businesses as human vehicles moved back and forth on the road. “So, how’s the shoulder feeling?”

“Fine, a little tight, but some training should clear that up.” Rainbow Dash replied, Gilda smirked at that. Rainbow meanwhile was amazed at how much New Liberty had grown, from a small town to a bustling city. The shops were all rather interesting, some of them were Griffon butchers, Changeling couples therapy, and even a couple thestral owned restaurants. She hadn’t seen such diversity in Equestria, that was for sure. “Sure is big, eh?”

“It’s decent.” Gilda said with a shrug as they came to a crosswalk, Rainbow stopped and waited for the passing traffic to clear up before she and Gilda began walking again. “Let’s talk a bit about what you’re going to be doing, because the NUS doesn’t really have a military acrobatics team.” Rainbow looked over at Gilda attentively, displaying with her eyes that she was ready to hear what the griffon had to say. “From what I hear you’re into that exploring stuff, so Luna pulled a few strings and got you into my outfit.” The griffon tapped a patch on her shoulder, an eagle clutching a sword and a telescope in in its talons.

“What sort of outfit is that?” Rainbow asked with a raised eyebrow, Gilda smirked and flexed her powerful wing muscles. The pegasus was stunned, whatever Gilda had been doing to train was working, because her muscles looked like they had muscles of their own.

“Forward Aerial Scout Team Alpha.”  Gilda said proudly, her wings retracted to their normal position on her back. “Fast Alpha for short. We’re going to be getting some action soon, word is they’re looking to colonize some unclaimed land to the north. Mostly mountain and thick forest.” Rainbow Dash found herself a bit surprised by the revelation, then again, she supposed that Gilda wouldn’t be telling her if she didn’t trust her implicitly. “We basically fly in, map the area, mark any hostile threats, and so on.”

“Sounds boring.” Rainbow Dash said with a shrug, Gilda shook her head. “It does! What, you just fly in, make a map, and leave?”

“Of course not, Dash. There’s way more to it than that, we could encounter some sort of undiscovered hostile tribe, or maybe there’s hostile wildlife, then we get to use the guns.” Gilda explained, Rainbow Dash shrugged quietly. She supposed that was a bit of a plus, Gilda smirked as she saw her friend thinking over the options. “Oh, and we also would be the first troops to respond if Equestria invaded.”

“Wait, what?!” Rainbow Dash said with a bit of shock, Gilda adjusted her jacket again as they passed by another storefront.

“If Equestria invades, or there’s a threat along the Northern Border, we would be the ones to respond to it first.” Gilda said simply, Rainbow Dash was a bit surprised by just how much information she was getting. “The chances of a war with Equestria are actually kinda slim, but the chances of Equestrian criminals coming to New Liberty and causing trouble is much higher, especially now that they’ve withdrawn a good number of our forces from the border.” Gilda sighed quietly and looked over at Rainbow Dash with a serious expression. “They aren’t just petty criminals either, they’re intent on hurting the people of this city, and any future cities that we plan to build.”

“Alright… I just, hope it doesn’t come to actual war.” Rainbow Dash said, she smirked quietly as she looked towards the gate of the military base that was now just ahead of them. “So, what’s our CO like?”

“Total bitch. I mean, she’s alright every once in awhile, but...” Gilda said with a slight scowl, Rainbow Dash looked at her with a raised eyebrow. A couple seconds later the griffon’s face contorted into a wide grin. “It’s me, Dash.” The look on Gilda’s face was one of pure excitement, Rainbow could tell that she was extremely proud of her position. “Those jerks in flight school said I’d never amount to anything, but look at me now! Kickass special operations unit commander!” Rainbow Dash caught a glimpse of a pair of captain’s bars on Gilda’s collar, the mare couldn’t help but feel a little jealous that her friend was so far ahead of her in rank.

Gilda straightened up as they reached the gate, the sound of a song echoed from the guard house as a human MP stepped out. He was a bit on the heavy side, with a shaved head and squinting blue eyes. He adjusted his belt and walked over to the two newcomers, pausing to salute Gilda before speaking.

“Papiere, bitte.” He said in german, it was becoming more and more popular in the military, mainly because Equestrians had a bitch of a time translating it, especially over the radio. Gilda fished into her jacket and withdrew a pair of ID cards, one had Gilda’s face on it, the other had Rainbow Dash’s. The MP took a moment to look over the cards before he turned to Rainbow Dash and saluted, then he handed the IDs back to Gilda and walked into the guard house.

“What just happened?” Rainbow Dash asked quietly as she watched the large man speaking to someone over a radio. Gilda smiled before she handed one of the cards over to Rainbow Dash, letting her get a look for herself.

“He’s just saluting an officer, Lieutenant Dash.” Gilda said with a cheshire grin, Rainbow Dash found her chest swelling with pride at the mention of her new rank. She supposed she’d earned it in the battle with the changelings, not just because she had defected. The chainlink gate began opening, allowing the griffon and the pegasus to walk through. It closed behind them and a second gate opened, once they had passed that they were in the base. “Come on, we’ll get you outfitted, then we’ll hit the obstacle course. Once you’re up to speed we’ll go meet the rest of the team.”

“Alright.” Rainbow said with a smile.

“Just know I’m not going to go easy on you, I’m gonna go a lot harder actually. I need to know you can watch my six.” Gilda said in that same mature tone as they began walking towards an almost unmarked building. Rainbow Dash nodded determinedly, she wasn’t about to let her friend Gilda down, especially after she had done so much to help get her on her hooves. “After that we’ll head over to my place, you can crash their until you get set up.”

“Thanks, G.” Rainbow Dash said warmly, Gilda just gave her a sisterly smile before grabbing Rainbow around the neck and pulling her close for a noogie. In the distance the sound of the train from Equestria’s whistle echoed, undoubtedly signaling a new flood of Equestrian tourists that would certainly make for another full day for the MPs on patrol through the city.

[♠]

Octavia Melody stepped off the train into the hot desert sun, the cellist immediately found herself covering her eyes until they adjusted to the brightness. Her roommate had convinced her to come down to the odd country of New Liberty, under the guise that she could be some sort of cultural enlightenment to the refugees. Speaking of her roommate, Octavia turned and looked over her shoulder at the DJ that stepped off the train with her trademark sunglasses and electric blue mane. Octavia sighed quietly, feeling truly out of place amongst the natives of the odd town.

Thestrals, changelings, diamond dogs and numerous other races were going about their daily business outside of the train station. The buildings were a mix of wood and some sort of clay adobe structure, off to the right was a walled off section of housing with two large metal machines parked outside.

“Come on, Tavi! Lighten up!” Vinyl Scratch said as she patted Octavia on the back, the two of them began walking away from the train and towards the city. As they walked they spotted a group of humans with a dog walking along the train, they wore tan uniforms with light blue berets and mirrored sunglasses. Octavia was a bit surprised to see them, mainly because she had never really seen a human up close. She still technically hadn’t, but so far that was her first experience with them, it seemed the dog was sniffing the train for some odd reason.

“I’d lighten up if I hadn’t been shanghaied here, there’s no way I could improve the culture here.” Octavia replied as they began walking towards the main street, passing by numerous odd shops that had their signs in an odd language that they could only suppose was English. “Listen to me, I almost sound as snobbish as those unicorns in Canterlot…”

“Don’t worry about it… Hey, let’s see if we can find a bunch of humans! I’ve been dying to meet real life aliens!” Vinyl said excitedly, Octavia was about to object, but she had to admit she had a bit of a curiosity for the mysterious race that had started taking refuge in their dimension. The two mares began walking further into the city, passing by a couple more stores that seemed to be run by thestrals. Octavia was surprised to see meat being openly advertised in some of the windows, she supposed that was the ‘culture shock’ she’d heard so much about.

“Alright… We’ll look for humans, but there has to be something else you want to do besides meet a human. We’ve got two days for our vacation, it can’t all be spent talking to humans.” Octavia inquired, she probably should’ve asked about the itinerary sooner, there wasn’t really an excuse for it. She could say that maybe she had been busy thinking about trying for the first chair in the Canterlot ochestra, but honestly it had just slipped her mind. “Why don’t we see what passes for…” Octavia stopped herself, she hated that she immediately assumed the worst about the small country. She’d been trying to break her snobbish habits for a while, but she still had her weak days. “Why don’t we see what sort of music is down here? Check out a music hall, I suppose even a bar would be a good glimpse into it.

“We should totally go to a bar!” Vinyl cheered, Octavia just rubbed the bridge of her nose and continued following Vinyl on her odd aimless quest. After about half an hour Vinyl and Octavia found themselves wandering towards a large fenced off area on the edge of town, in the distance they could hear what sounded like fire crackers popping off one after another. It was clear to them that it was some sort of military installation, judging by the fact that there was a guard standing by the gates. “There’s one!”

“Vinyl, I don’t think it would be…” Octavia began, she trailed off as the unicorn’s horn ignited and she found herself teleported right in front of the gates. “Wise.” The guard was a human alright, certainly rounder than she’d expected, but still amazingly fast. As soon as the flash had faded Octavia and Vinyl found themselves staring at a shiny piece of metal.

“State your business!” Ordered the guard, adjusting his helmet as he continued holding the metal device in his right hand. Octavia assumed that was some sort of weapon and quickly clamped a hoof over Vinyl’s mouth before she could get them both killed.

“I’m really sorry for my friend, she’s just really excited to be here and she wanted to meet a human.” Octavia explained, she heard the human mumble something before he slipped the metal device into a holster on his belt.

“This area is restricted to military personnel only, sorry.” He said sternly as he put his hands on his hips, Vinyl seemed a little crest fallen, but she supposed that was what one could expect from any sort of military officer. “Please, step out of the way…” Vinyl and Octavia watched the man walk past them, stepping back a bit as they spotted a vehicle rolling up to the gate.

“Come on, Vinyl, we’ll find somewhere else with humans. There’s bound to be tons of them here somewhere.” Octavia said in a cheery voice, Vinyl shrugged and adjusted her sunglasses as they began walking away.

“Maybe we could sneak in on one of those vehicles and get a look at their cool military stuff.” Vinyl said in a hushed tone, Octavia looked at her with serious concern. “I’m kidding! Yeesh! Let’s try getting something to eat , I’m starving.”

“Well, we’ll have to look for something that caters to Equestrian pallets, I don’t think I could stomach meat.” Octavia replied, Vinyl shrugged and once again they were off, wandering through the foreign city. The architecture began to change a tad, becoming less gothic and more of a type of Equestrian-Griffon mix. Octavia’s ears perked up as they entered that strange district that was closer to the train station than the military base. She thought that perhaps they were deceiving her, but to her shock it sounded like an actual quartet. Without thinking she grabbed Vinyl and began dragging her through the crowded street towards the source of the music, drawn in as if by a siren as her friend protested.

Suddenly she emerged through a crowd of people who were watching four humans sitting on a stoop in front of a four story apartment building with a hat placed out in front of them. Octavia found herself tuning out the background noise of the city and Vinyl’s questions, watching the four musicians play. The music was so alien to her ears, and yet it was just as somber. After a couple seconds she shook herself from her revery and looked over at Vinyl.

“You okay?” The unicorn asked over the noise of the crowd, Octavia nodded and went back to watching the quartet. They weren’t like many of the quartets that the mare saw in Canterlot, they didn’t wear fancy tuxedos and dresses. Three of them wore old clothes that looked clean, but threadbare nonetheless, the fourth wore an olive drab uniform. Octavia assumed it was a human male due to the short hair and muscular build, he was playing a cello while his compatriots played violins.

“I didn’t think they had cellos…” Octavia said with a bit of surprise, watching the people as they continued playing their music. She supposed that given all their species had been through, a bit of sad music was fitting. “Let’s meet that one, the one with the cello.”

“Of course…” Vinyl said with a snarky smile, the two of them stood there quietly and listened to the song through its entirety, Octavia found herself drawn in even more by the music. She watched the young man play the cello with skill that obviously came from years of practice, the way his fingers danced across the strings was like watching poetry in motion. When the song finally came to an end there was a wave of applause from the crowd, the quartet stood up as a couple ponies stepped forwards from the crowd to put money in the hat that had been placed on the ground. Octavia was about to join them until shouting erupted from the crowd, to her shock a couple seconds later an Equestrian teenager burst out of the throng of onlookers with a rock in hoof.

Before anyone could stop him he chucked it hard at the cello, Octavia watched in abject horror as the instrument was smashed. She could see the look on the man’s face shift from one of surprise, to fear, to down right sadness. Vinyl could hear her friend’s teeth grinding as the teen began laughing and pointing at the ruined instrument, without warning Octavia charged out at the teen. Screaming obscenities that she herself had never dared utter before, she grabbed the teen and delivered a slap so loud that numerous ponies covered their ears.

“How dare you!” She bellowed at the teen who was staring at her in shock, Octavia was beyond words. The teen took off running through the crowd, in turn many people in the crowd took off running after the teen. Octavia was panting with fury, turning rapidly and angrily as she felt a hoof on her shoulder. “What!?”

“Tavi, remember what the judge said about keeping your temper in check?” Vinyl said calmly, Octavia took a moment to collect herself, knowing that she had taken a huge step back in her anger management courses. She fixed her mane and looked around, quickly spotting the young man who was staring at his ruined instrument while the other members of the quartet looked on with equally sullen expressions. Octavia quietly approached, unsure of why they all seemed so transfixed on the ruined cello. Granted, she was upset it had been destroyed, but cellos weren’t that expensive of an instrument in Equestria.

“Um… Excuse me?” Octavia finally said as she got the courage to speak up, the young man adjusted his uniform before turning to look at her. “Are you okay?” He nodded, but Octavia could see that there was a deep sadness in his eyes.

“Just… Upset. Obviously.” He said in a somber tone, looking back at the remains of his instrument. “This was from Earth, you know? My sister kept it in good shape for four years, now it’s… Just…” Octavia found herself struggling to hold back another surge of anger, she was staring at a piece of human culture that had been destroyed by a teenager with an axe to grind.

“I… I’m sorry…” Octavia said, she paused for a moment. “I play the cello myself, and the way you played was beautiful…” The man just nodded quietly, still staring at the remains of his instrument. “I happen to know a rather good repair shop, perhaps I could put you in contact with them?” The mare looked at the man a bit closer, he had auburn hair and blue starburst eyes, a rather pronounced jaw and a grizzly pink scar running down the length of his cheek. Octavia could only imagine what had happened to cause such a wound. “What’s your name?”

“Eugene.” The man said quietly, seeming to brighten up at the possibility of getting his instrument fixed. “My name’s Eugene.”

[♠]

Johnny let out a content sigh as he and Jen sat side by side in a booth in his bar, laid out in front of them was a big binder filled with ideas. In the background a record was playing opera softly through the establishment, the crowd was rather light, and Johnny wasn’t needed at the POW camp. That gave him and Jen time to actually begin planning their wedding, though he was having trouble staying focussed. Every time he tried to say his thoughts he’d get lost in Jen’s gorgeous eyes, but that was okay with him. She deserved anything she wanted, it was her special day after all.

The man adjusted his suit while he looked over Jen once again, her hair was growing longer now that she could let it grow out. She wore jeans that hid her combat boots and a light grey T-shirt with a picture of a dolphin on the front. The woman was excitedly pouring over the possibilities in the binder, withdrawing a couple cards of information and setting them aside. The binder had been a pet project of Johnny’s while Jen had been through the portal, there was bound to be a couple things that Jen would want to change.

“Oh, honey, I’m so glad you came up with this…” Jen said as she nuzzled against the man, causing him to blush and smile a bit more. “You thought of just about everything, but I’ve noticed you forgot something rather important…” The man only hummed in response. “What day?”

“That’s up to you, I didn’t want to deprive you of the right to pick your wedding day.” Johnny replied in a warm tone, Jen let out a tiny happy squeal and looked back at the binder. The man was just happy to see her safe and sound, but hearing that familiar squeal of delight had completely made his day. He paused for a moment to look around the bar, at the moment it was a couple regulars and an Equestrian tourist that looked like he’d be right at home in the ranks of the EOL. He had a hat pulled down over his face as he reclined in his seat in the corner, appearing very edgy for a pony.

Johnny did his best to ignore him, he wasn’t about to interrupt Jen’s happiness on a wild feeling that perhaps there was something up. Despite that his eyes continued flicking back and forth towards the pony, he shook his head quietly and forced himself to pay attention to Jen.

“How about a couple weeks from now?” Jen said with a big smile. “I mean, it’s not likely we’d be able to get all the fancy stuff in the binder, but a simple wedding is something I wouldn’t mind either?” Johnny leaned back in his seat and rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of two weeks was even enough time to find a venue. Despite that, he gave a slow nod. “Yay! As long as we’re together I’m happy!” Johnny grinned widely as Jen put her arms around him and hugged him tightly, the man turned and started to hug Jen as well. However, as he was doing that he spotted something in the reflection of the window. The man turned his body so that his back was facing the pony he’d spotted earlier, now revealed to be a unicorn with a glowing horn.

“Get under the table!” The man groaned as he felt five bolts of magic slam into his back, it stung like a taser, but aside from that he knew he’d be okay. By that point Jen had spotted the would be assassin, something in her mind snapped. Someone had the unmitigated gall to attack her fiance right as they had made plans for their wedding, that wasn’t going to fly with her. The unicorn seemed surprised that his attack hadn’t had some sort of effect beyond inflicting great pain, during that time of surprise Jen slipped under the table and crawled out. 

Before Jen could inflict a rampage of epic proportions on the assassin she spotted the stallion behind the bar, Oregano, jumping over the counter and slamming into the unicorn with his shoulder. Jen ran over as the pair tumbled to the ground, to Oregano’s surprise he was pushed aside. He watched as the tank commander bride-to-be grabbed the unicorn by his mane and slammed his head against the floor, growling like an animal. Oregano knew that if there was any chance of finding out who had sent the assassin he would need to be taken alive, but it seemed that Jen had other plans. With a sigh, Oregano shoved the woman off of the unicorn and punched the attacker, effectively knocking him out.

“Check on the big guy, I’ll take care of this mook.” Oregano said with an angry expression, the other patrons in the bar had all stood up and watched what had happened. Jen realized that she had left Johnny in the booth, her anger quickly changed to concern as she turned and rushed to his side. Oregano hoisted the assassin over his shoulder and looked at the patrons. “You didn’t see nothin’.” With that he carried the unicorn behind the bar and to a stairway that would lead him to the upstairs office.

Johnny, in the meantime, was wincing as he stood up from the seat. His suit was ruined, but from the looks of him he was okay otherwise.

“That fucking son of a cocksucking whore…” He cursed loudly due to the pain and the anger that was running through him, he turned to see Jen and grabbed her in his arms. “You’re okay, right?! You’re not hurt?!”

“O-Of course, I’m okay! Are you okay!?” Jen replied, sounding on the verge of tears.

“Obviously…A little sore, but I’m okay.” Johnny said as he patted her back and held her close, his eyes roved over the room and settled on Oregano who was signalling him that he had the unicorn upstairs. “Get Anton to take her home, make sure she’s safe, get these people out of here.” Johnny ordered, Oregano nodded and began making motions for the regular customers to leave. “Jen, sweetie, I gotta take care of this… Just, go home and stay away from the windows.” The woman looked at him and was about to argue, but she could see just how serious he was, she could hear Anton was already coming down the steps.

“Be careful.” Was all she could manage, doing her best to calm herself down. She wiped her eyes and began walking out with Anton, the hulking griffon held the door open for her before stepping out. As soon as she was out of earshot Johnny began cursing under his breath, intense pain radiated off of his back and deep rooted anger had taken hold of his mind.

“Oregano, get me a car battery, jumper cables and… call it five lemons.” Johnny said through gritted teeth as he walked towards the stairs, Oregano blinked quietly at the order. “Oh, and some speakers. Loud ones.” The earth pony quickly rushed out of the bar, being sure to flip the ‘Open’ sign to ‘Closed’. Johnny wandered up the stairs, shedding his ruined suit jacket and shirt into a trash can. In his office he saw the unicorn tied to a chair, laid out beneath him was a plastic tarp. Already Oregano was thinking ahead.

Johnny slowly made his way to his liquor cabinet and pulled a bottle of Griffon scotch from within, followed by a glass. He poured himself a glass and took a sip before walking over to his desk and leaning against it, taking up a position that put him face to face with the pony that had tried to kill him. The pain was starting to fade, it felt more like he’d been winged by a fastball now than anything else. He took a moment to look the unicorn up and down, they were light blue with a yellow mane, obviously a stallion. Their cutiemark was some sort of yellow and blue swirly shape that Johnny didn’t feel inclined to examine further.

The mob boss wandered behind his desk and pulled open the drawer, from within he drew a black Colt 1911 with polished wood handles. Johnny checked the magazine before resting it on the desk and walking back to his position in the front of the still unconscious unicorn. He sipped his drink, waiting for either the assassin to wake up or for Oregano to get back. As Johnny watched the clock he heard a soft groan, shifting his attention to the unconscious fellow in front of him. Twenty minutes had passed by that point.

“Wha? What the?” Mumbled the unicorn as he tried to get out of the ropes that kept him tied to the chair, his head lifted up as he blinked wearily. His vision cleared and he found himself staring at a very angry looking man, Johnny took a sip of his glass silently before he rested it on the desk. “H-How are you still alive?”

“I could ask you the same question, dipshit.” Johnny said harshly as his fingers drummed across his desk near his handgun. “You fuckin’ piece of shit, you got the balls to come to my fuckin’ bar and try to whack me in front of the woman I love!?” The unicorn’s horn began to glow, Johnny grabbed his gun and leveled it at the pony’s head. “Not so fast, fuckface!”

“You’re not gonna-” The unicorn began, only to be cut off as a bang echoed through the office. The unicorn’s ears were ringing loudly and he felt a great deal of pain from his horn, what was left of it at least.

“I’m sorry, what am I not gonna do?” Johnny asked before he set the handgun down on the desk again. The unicorn blinked as his ears stopped ringing, pain still radiating down from his horn as he tried to comprehend just what had happened. “You’re in a lot of trouble, so I suggest you start talking before my boys get back with the battery and jumper cables that I will gladly hook up to your balls.” The unicorn’s eyes went wide, even if he wasn’t sure what those things would do to him. “Who the fuck sent you? Those fucks in Manehattan trying to muscle in on my territory?”

“Your mother!” The unicorn replied defiantely, Johnny hummed for a moment before he picked up the gun again. He wordlessly approached the stallion and pressed the barrel of the gun up against one of his kneecaps, then quietly drew back the handle.

“Now, you know very well I’ll pull the trigger, so…” Johnny said as he looked the stallion in the eyes. “Who sent you?” The unicorn responded by spitting in Johnny’s face, and Johnny responded by pulling the trigger and putting a bullet in the stallion’s kneecap. He howled in pain and tried to get out of the chair, but despite his protests he remained stuck. Johnny wiped his face and stood up straight, looking at his gun with an annoyed expression. “I just cleaned this, you know? That was rude of you, making me get it dirty.” The pain in his back was feeding his actions, even as it grew duller and duller. He paused as he heard the door to the office open, Oregano and a man entered carrying the items he’d requested.

Johnny recognized the man as another promising member of his under the table business, a tall Italian American with a shaved head and a big belly. His face was rather round, and handsome despite his weight, stark blue eyes helped in that regard. He wore jeans, a white tank top, and boots covered by rubber slip overs, he also had a plastic apron on. The man’s name was ‘Big John’, Johnny’s latest trigger man. With him in the room dressed like he was, there was a good chance the assassin would be talking within the hour. Without needing to ask Oregano turned on the speakers and plugged them into a CD player that Johnny kept in his desk, loud classical music began blaring through the room as Johnny pointed to Big John.

“Here’s your job for the day.” He said over the music, the unicorn looked over at the man in the apron who was pulling on a blue surgical mask, a wild look had entered his eyes as he walked over, his six foot frame towering over the unicorn.

“Thank you…” He said simply, Johnny and Oregano walked out of the room and closed the door. As they descended the steps they could still make out the faint sound of screaming over the music that had started to blast, perhaps it would take more than an hour. Big John was known to be very thorough.

[♠]

Rainbow Dash gasped as she crawled under the barbed wire in the obstacle course, doing her best to hold her breath in the process. Animal carcasses had been scattered about, rotting in the hot sun. On top of that there was a machine gunner firing live rounds over her head, despite all that she fell back on her experience in the battle for New Liberty. She did her best to shut out the gunfire and the smell, putting all her attention on completing the obstacle course. In the beginning she had done extremely well, as it wasn’t that different from the one at the Wonderbolt Academy. The difference was that in New America she was wearing a uniform and gear, as opposed to just wearing her training uniform at the WA.

“Grenade!” She heard a male voice shout from the side, seconds later an explosion went off ten feet ahead of her. It was mainly for loud noise, despite the flash and boom Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth and continued crawling. Finally she reached the edge of the barbed wire and crawled out, then began galloping towards the next obstacle. There was a log suspended over a pit of mud that she would have to move across rapidly and carefully without the use of her wings. Soon enough she did just that, rushing past it towards the next obstacle. It was more of a who than a what, four large human males in olive drab football armor started charging at her. Rainbow knew from experience that hitting them with her shoulder would be bad, so instead she pulled her wings in tight and tucked herself as small as possible at the last second, sure enough she passed between their legs.

Rainbow grunted loudly and began galloping again, ahead of her she could see Gilda waiting with a wooden training sword. The pegasus gulped as she spotted another training sword resting on the ground in front of the griffon, she knew that Gilda wasn’t going to go easy on her, she was in for the fight of her life. Rainbow scooped up the training sword and rolled just as Gilda made a swing at her, she came out of the roll and raised the sword up to catch another blow. With another grunt she brought the sword around to try and whack Gilda’s side, the griffon caught it with a grunt.

“Come on! You can do better than this!” Gilda said through a clenched beak, Rainbow Dash decided to use her speed to her advantage and used her wings to push her to the side. She hadn’t flown, just used it as a boosted jump, that gave her the edge to land a blow on Gilda’s  side. “Fuck! You learn fast! Now back through the course, go go go!” Gilda ordered, Rainbow Dash gulped and turned around as Gilda took to the air. She knew that she could do it, she had outrun the wonderbolts after all. With a grunt she took off running again, this time using the same jump boost to catapult herself over the charging humans and the mud pit. Dash dropped to the ground and began combat crawling through the barbed wire as machine gun fire began flying overhead again. She held her breath as she passed particularly close to a rotting animal carcass until finally she’d cleared the obstacle.

Minutes ticked by as she ran through every obstacle she had just overcome, panting and sweating as she was covered from head to hoof in mud, dirt, and rotted pig intestines. The mare was nearly ready to pass out by the time she reached the other end of the course, Gilda was waiting there for her with her eye on her watch.

“Time!” She called out as Rainbow went past her, then looked at her friend who was catching her breath. “Well, you did about as well as any of us, but considering you’ve never run the course before and you just got out of the hospital…” Rainbow Dash smiled faintly, pausing as she saw Gilda pull a red bandana from her coat. “Now let’s see you do it blindfolded!” Gilda began laughing loudly as she saw Rainbow Dash’s eyes widen, the griffon quickly tossed the mare the bandanna. “I’m kidding, just wipe your face off, then we’ll go meet the rest of the team.”

“Preferably someplace that’s cool?” Rainbow asked as she wiped her face with bandanna, Gilda nodded and began leading her towards other buildings in the complex. “You know, this place isn’t that bad… Granted, I’ve never been shot at before.”

“Yeah, Globe Corps training is a bitch.” Gilda remarked, unzipping her jacket in the desert heat. “I see you keep the mane short now, that’s good to keep you cool, but I’d recommend wearing a hat or something.” The griffon gestured up to the shining bright sun. “Liable to get a sunburn otherwise.” Rainbow Dash paused and looked at the bandanna, then used her wings to tie it up over her head. The two of them walked past a group of humans walking towards the obstacle course, some of them wore odd digital camouflage while others wore the more common olive or tan. Now that the fight on earth had been finished it seemed that tan would become the standard uniform color, the jury was still out on digital camouflage.

“What’s with those blue helmets they have?” Rainbow asked as she noted more than a few of them wore the odd helmets, Gilda chuckled quietly.

“Those are UN guys that are going over there for Globe Corps certification, since the UN folded into the New United States they’ve gotta adhere to American training protocols.” Gilda explained, watching the group march past. Some of them had the flags of France or England on their uniforms, others had Russian or Japanese patches. “They’ve also been bringing in a lot of their VIPs, they’re a strange bunch though… A couple human celebrities, mainly scientists and professors, not a lot of politicians thankfully.”

“Why do you say that?” Rainbow asked, looking over her shoulder at the soldiers that they had just passed.

“Because they piss a lot of the guys off, self entitled assholes who keep trying to make waves.” Gilda explained, looking off towards the refugee center across town. “Unlike President Occisor, they care more about reestablishing their status, that’s why the refugee center refuses to let them in.” Rainbow Dash was a bit surprised to hear that. “A lot of humans blame the old politicians for what happened to their planet, and after seeing it, can’t say I blame ‘em.” The griffon sighed and brushed a bit of mud off of Rainbow’s shoulder. “By the way, those three team members I told you about. Two are thestrals and there’s one human, and he’s a UN VIP.”

“Politician?” Rainbow asked, Gilda shook her head with a bit of a smile.

“You’re gonna love him, he’s the son of some scientist, surprisingly laid back…” Gilda said with a smirk, the griffon began leading Rainbow towards a building on the edge of the military complex, right next to a hanger where a couple mechanics were working on a pair of aircraft. They were slightly different from the normal fighter planes that Rainbow Dash had seen from her hospital room, they had hook attachments on the tops wings and seemed to have a pair of smaller machine guns mounted on the noses.

The two of them walked into small building, Rainbow Dash was glad to feel the air inside was cool. There were five cots at the end of the room, as well as a weapon’s locker with some weapons that Rainbow Dash didn’t really recognize. The rest of the room had a small card table set up, with numerous chairs set up around it. The walls were unpainted wood, and Rainbow could see up into the rafters while a couple windows allowed natural light to fill the room. 

Seated on a windowsill was a radio, Rainbow could hear odd accordion music playing from it. Hanging from the rafters were two silhouettes tucked up in leathery wings, meanwhile there was a young man seated at the card table. He had his boots resting on the table while he lounged back in his chair. She could see there was a checkerboard set up on the table as well.

“Hey, she’s back!” He called out tiredly in what sounded similar to a griffon accent before bringing his feet down off of the table and standing up. As he walked towards Rainbow and Gilda the two thestrals dropped down from the rafters and stood at attention. Gilda just gestured for the three of them to relax. “Is that the new LT?”

“Yup.” Gilda said, giving Rainbow a hard slap on the back. “Lieutenant Dash, this is Corporal Boris Petrovich our pilot, corporals Hans and Wolfgang are our fellow troopers.” Rainbow Dash smiled and waved at the three of them, thought she was a bit surprised they had need of a pilot, considering they all had wings. Perhaps reading her confusion Boris spoke up, he had a buzzed crop of brown hair and bright hazel eyes, as well as a rather pronounced jaw.

“I fly you guys over the drop zone on the wings of the plane, then you guys unhook and I provide air support, and then I fly you guys home!” He said proudly, Rainbow Dash caught on pretty quickly after that. They were drop troops, she’d heard of them in some of her sci-fi comic books, she had to admit that made her feel pretty badass. “Anyway, as she said, I’m Boris…” The man looked over at Gilda. “We’re going to continue our game, da?”

“Da…” Gilda replied with a nod, Rainbow Dash rarely ever heard Gilda speak in her native tongue, and she was surprised that there were humans that spoke it so well. From what she had heard most of that had to do with them being refugees from a country named ‘Russia’, meaning that Boris was likely a double refugee. “Anyway, Hans and Wolfgang will give you a quick course on our weapons, they’re a lot different from those peashooters the Equestrians have.”

“Ja, much better!” Hans said with a hissing chuckle, Rainbow Dash followed the two of them to the weapons locker as Gilda made her way over to the checkerboard with Boris. “Humans know how to make weapon, zhat is for sure.” Wolfgang nodded as he grinned from ear to ear, then pulled open the weapon’s locker revealing the weapons inside. Rainbow Dash had heard of human rifles, but the ones she was seeing looked different. “And weapon platform isn’t that bad either. Thestral engineering.”

Wolfgang pulled one of them from the locker and slipped the self tightening straps over his barrel, on his right side was the actual weapon and a large metal box with an odd metal rectangle bent up to the bottom. The stallion slipped two horseshoe type items onto his hooves, they had wires running up from them to the weapon as well.

“Large box holds ammunition, these shoes work the safety mechanism, clear weapon jams, and fire the weapon.” Wolfgang explained as he depressed one of the buttons, Rainbow could hear clicks repeating from inside the weapon. “This one is not loaded, obviously.” The mare was somewhat grateful to hear the radio across the room change to a bit of classical waltz, she wasn’t the biggest fan of accordion. Rainbow Dash internally berated herself for a second, she should be more focussed on the deadly weapon than the music. She watched as Wolfgang withdrew a flight helmet from inside, he pulled it on and pinned the rubber face mask in place before flicking down a darkly tinted visor.

“Helmet is plugged into weapon platform like so.” Hans said as Wolfgang plugged a cord from the helmet into a box on the weapon platform. “And now he can speak on radio and there is even aiming crosshair.” Rainbow Dash watched the stallion adjust the straps across his barrel, noting they were more like a harness for a backpack than anything else, and there was an odd short strap with a loop on the end that was most likely meant to hook onto the plane. “Very advanced gear, much better than Equestrians. Doubt they even know it exists…”

“Anuu cheeki breeki iv damke!” The thestrals and Rainbow Dash turned to look at Boris who had his hands up in the air triumphantly while Gilda was forced to king one of his checkers. Wolfgang and Hans chuckled before the thestral in the gear began taking it off and putting it back into the weapon’s locker.

“I am sure you know how to fall off of a blimp, ja?” Hans asked as Wolfgang began closing the weapons locker, Rainbow had mild experience with that, both from Twilight Sparkle’s balloon and some stunts she had done in the Wonderbolts Academy. She nodded, earning a smile from the thestral. “Good, ve don’t need to tell you how release from zhe plane zhen. Volfgang, fetch the schapps!”

“No drinking on duty!” Gilda shouted, earning a groan from Wolfgang and Hans. The two thestrals wandered off towards the card table, leaving Rainbow Dash to stare at the locker full of weapons and wonder just what she had gotten herself into. With a sigh she too wandered over to the table to sit down and watch the checkers game play out, she supposed things could’ve been worse, she could be up to her ears in paperwork.

[♠]

“Shoot me.” Dominic said quietly as he looked over the enormous amount of papers that had piled up on his desk. So far there were reports of Equestrian youths vandalizing and destroying human instruments, pony civilians nearly teleporting into the military base, and numerous other reports regarding his latest measure to help keep the border safe. “Maria, get your Mosin and fucking shoot me.” He looked up from his desk and looked across the room at Maria, she was currently sitting by the window and looking out at the city. It was a far different view inside the capitol building as opposed to the one they got from their home.

“Come on, sweetie, you can do it.” Maria said reassuringly as she looked over at him with half lidded eyes. “If you get through that pile today I’ll do something really special.”

“You’re starting to sound like Jen…” Dominic said flatly as he adjusted his uniform jacket, Maria was still neglecting to wear her fatigues, though that was okay. Dominic was just about ready to write her a discharge anyway. Maria’s smirk grew mischievous as she adjusted her tank top, it was far tighter than it needed to be.

“Nah, I just never knew how much of a motivator I was to you.” Maria said jokingly, Dominic blushed quietly and went back to sifting through his paperwork with that same tired scowl of his. Thankfully the radio was playing something nice a waltz by strauss, it sounded like the Kaiser Waltz by the sound of it. “Come on, Dominic… You know I’m kidding.”

“Yeah… I know, it’s just… This is kinda what I was talking about when I said I might resign.” Dominic said with a tired expression as he held up a paper that had landed on his desk once before, one that he had vetoed. “They’re insisting on electing me to serve at least a hundred years, or until I die… Whichever comes first, if they don’t extend it before that.”

“So?” Maria asked as she looked over at the man, he returned her gaze with a slightly unsure expression. “They like you, they want you to lead them for a long time, why don’t you?” Dominic was about to speak up, but Maria cut him off. “Bear in mind term limits were not instituted until the nineteen forties and fifties, meaning that you can’t use that ‘It’s not what the founders would want.’ argument.” Dominic was surprised by just how much she remembered of their American history class, though he was unsure on the accuracy of it. “Also bear in mind that this is New America, with a new identity and a new view on the world.”

“I realize that… But, seriously, Maria… I have other things I want to do with my life.” Dominic said in a rather quiet tone, Maria raised an eyebrow at him. “I want to spend time with you and Luna, I want to work on my military career and training… Maybe one day, I don’t know, have a family…” He sighed quietly and looked at the legislation in his hand. “If I let this pass that likely won’t happen, or it’ll be very different from what it would be if I just… Step down.”

“Who would take over for you?” Maria asked, her tone becoming serious. “Luna? Sonar? Putin? Some other nut off the street?” Dominic remained quiet as her words hit home with him, she had the chops to tell it as it needed to be when things were really serious. “You’ve never been a quitter, Dominic. You’re too god damn stubborn, me sitting here is a direct result of that… That’s the kind of dedication that people need now more than ever.” Dominic quietly sighed and looked back to his paperwork. “I’ll support you either way, you know that… So will Luna.”

“I know…” Dominic said softly as he looked over the paper in his hands, similar bills had passed in front of him, he’d vetoed them and brushed them off as jokes. It was now clear that the people of the country wanted him around for a long time, and with the knowledge that Maria thought it was right, Dominic signed his name at the bottom. “Guess I better get used to this paperwork.”

“You’ll figure it out.” Maria said cheerfully, Dominic only nodded as he continued reading over the reports and papers. “So, what was that you said about a family?” Dominic froze and looked up at Maria, she had a warm smile on her face.

“I… Uh… Isn’t it a bit soon to, you know…? Talk about that?” Dominic said nervously, Maria shrugged. “Well, if you really want to know… I wouldn’t mind a family, but… That’s a couple years down the road.” Maria nodded respectfully, then paused and cleared her throat before pretending to toss her hair to the side. With a bit of a gasp she held up a finger and opened her mouth to speak. “I swear if you make a My Cousin Vinny joke… I’ll… I don’t know.”

“Why not?” Maria asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Because I fucking love that movie.” Dominic said as he looked at her. “After Blazing Saddles, Spaceballs and Doctor Strangelove it’s my favorite comedy.” Maria raised her finger to speak again. “Yes, for the tenth time, Doctor Strangelove is a comedy!” Maria continued holding her finger up, Dominic continued to stare at her. “The part at the end where Peter Sellers stands up out of the wheelchair, that’s not fucking hysterical?”

“I mean, I giggled, but… It was meh…” Maria said with a shrug, Dominic stayed quiet for a couple seconds before he smiled and looked at his desk again. “What’s that grin for?”

“Nothing…” Dominic said, the smile didn’t leave his face. “It’s just nice having these chats again, is all.” Maria smiled as well, remembering days gone by where they had had more than a few conversations like the one they had just had. “Is there any word from Luna, she said she was getting things ready for when we go to Equestria for that big dance party… Which I’m still against, by the way.”

“You’re not the only one having second thoughts, I’m kinda afraid of what will happen…” Maria said as she looked back to the window. “Riots? Protests?”

“We’ve got the best security team in the world, Maria…” Dominic said reassuringly, the man quietly shifted a few more papers over to one side of his desk, as he had read them already and was hoping to get to the bottom of the papers. “Besides, Luna’s going to have her guards on standby as well.” Maria just hummed quietly, continuing to look out the window at the people in the streets below.

“I know… It’s just… Remember that night we were watching the news, I had a very bad feeling that things would go wrong…?” Maria said quietly, Dominic looked up as he heard a bit of fear in her voice. “Even with things on the border calmed down, I have that feeling again and I’m afraid something could happen to you, to us… To everyone and everything you’ve built here.” Dominic quietly stood up and walked towards her, standing behind her as she looked out the window the man placed his hands on her shoulder and began giving her a slight massage. “O-Oh… I didn’t know those big hands of yours could do that…”

“Just relax… Things are going to be fine…” Dominic said in a soft voice as Maria leaned her head back with her eyes closed, she felt like she was melting into Dominic’s fingers. “It’s going to be okay.” Despite his optimism, Dominic couldn’t help but hide a deep notion that what Maria had said held some merit. They were one rogue general or one crazy hillbilly faction away from an all out war, and considering how tenuously the Equestria populace held onto rational thought, it wasn’t really a matter of if, but when. Somewhere, someone would do something stupid. As if to accent his point there was a knock on his door, the man paused his massage and looked towards the doorway. “It’s open.”

A changeling private entered the room with a dossier in his magical grasp, without a word he gave it to Dominic and left. The man looked at it quietly, noting the emblem on the front. It was a pyramid with an eye inside it, the words ‘Videmus Omnia’ were printed in latin beneath it. The man quickly tucked it under his arm and looked at Maria, she was still looking out the window.

“Hey, would you mind going and getting some coffee for me? I’m probably going to be at this all day.” Dominic said quietly, the woman nodded and stood up. With a small wave she left, Dominic could tell that she didn’t like having to leave. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her, far from it, but one less person knowing was better. Dominic walked to his desk and set the dossier down on it, pushing his other paperwork aside. He rarely ever got dossiers with that emblem located on the front, mainly because there was never something important enough that it made it up to him. The Dossier was from a part of the New American Government that was relatively unknown, an agency simply known as ‘Providentia’.

An agency originally set up as a framework for counter intelligence against agents of Equestria and other nations around the world, it’s ranks had increased to include ponies, changelings, thestrals, and just about every other race living in New Liberty. They were also in charge of managing reports that came through the mirror portal, though those were few and far between, and they also were a part of the covert border monitoring stations that had been disguised as clouds and mounds of sand. As Dominic looked at the dossier cover he momentarily wondered what could be inside of it, what earth shattering news could be contained on its humble paper pages.

With a stoic nod the man opened the dossier and was greeted with numerous pictures of what looked like dry docks, that seemed odd as New Liberty was a landlocked state. There were items circled in red, he took a closer look at those. It seemed there was a ship being built, but the bottom looked odd, it was flat. It had wheels. Dominic’s eyes glanced to another picture, there was a ship that looked far more complete. This one had an odd pair of poles running upwards to something, it was then that Dominic looked at a third photo that he realized just what it was. Airships, at least half a dozen of them, perhaps more, with armor plating being set up on their hulls, and places that were obviously meant for weapons. Large weapons.

Dominic set the photos down and picked up a briefing, his eyes quickly reading over every word as he felt a lump growing deep in his chest.

“...Conclusions indicate they are not intended for long distance use, as the rigging and construction method suggests they are meant to be…” Dominic stopped, his hands shaking quietly. “Mein gott…” He felt goosebumps spring up over his body, as he looked at his reflection in a nearby mirror on the wall he could see he’d become quite pale. “An invasion fleet…” The assumption had always been that if an invasion were to come it would come from the ground, tanks and soldiers could take care of them with ease. An invasion from the air, with ships and heavy weapons, was a situation that hadn’t been given much thought.

The man quietly took a moment to catch his breath, his mind clearing up as he continued reading over the papers. The report indicated it would take the Equestrians another six weeks to complete their fleet, plenty of time to come up with a solution, just in case worst came to worst. He knew they had T-34 guns rolling off the assembly line and being stockpiled, in case the factory were to be taken out in an air raid, slapping a one of those onto reinforced rabbit carriages could make for an effective weapon, but he’d leave that up to Fortress Wall and his think tank to decide. As he heard footsteps outside his office door he quickly closed the file and slipped it into his desk, one of the drawers that had a heavy duty lock installed, time had passed rather quickly. Maria entered with a smile and a couple cups of coffee.

“Lucky you got the last of the hazelnut!” She said as she set the coffee down on his desk, Dominic looked at her and did his best to smile. “I got stuck with boring regular.”

“You can take mine, I don’t mind.” Dominic said as he started working on his regular paperwork again, he could tell that Maria knew he was rattled by something, but she knew he wouldn’t tell her for one reason or another. Despite that they still lapsed into their semi normal routine of conversation and paperwork, Maria happily sipping away on her cup of hazelnut coffee that Dominic had freely offered up. It was calm, peaceful even, but despite that Dominic’s eyes occasionally found themselves drawn to his locked desk drawer. That was just another one of the burdens of command he had to face.
> Chapter 18
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maria softly exhaled as she looked down from her perch in the sandy desert hills, she was laying under a soft tan cloth that she had stitched a fake shrub and some other foliage into. She held her mosin gently as she looked through the scope, keeping her breath slow and calm. The woman had taken up a new job now that the war had ended, aiding the border patrol. In the days since Dominic had received the mysterious report she had noticed a notable uptick in orders that dealt with ranged weaponry and guerilla tactics. Many of the soldiers on the border had been recalled for training, Maria and others like her had volunteered to take their place.

As she lay out in the desert sun with only her thoughts to keep her company she decided to pull her gun into her small burrow and instead resort to simply watching the horizon with just her eyes. The fabric did a nice job of keeping her cool from the sun and concealing her position, not that anyone was looking for her. Maria sighed softly, adjusting her new tan fatigues that matched the sand very accurately. Thoughts about Dominic and Luna rattled around her brain. She knew that Luna liked her, if her actions a couple nights ago were anything to go by, however Maria feared the princess of dreams still only did that for Dominic’s sake.

Truth be told, Maria wasn’t sure it was a bad thing either. What had the woman so out of her element was the conversation that she and Dominic had shared the same day that the odd report had peeked his interest in guerilla tactics. She had always toyed with the thought of having a family one day, and hearing that Dominic shared that sentiment was good, but it also opened up a new line of thinking. As she had thought on the subject more and more she found herself fearing that perhaps that dream was something of the past, that she wasn’t fit to be a mother given all the things she had done.

After all, Maria was the second most deadly female sniper in human history, according to the UN records and Vladimir Putin’s personal knowledge. She was second only to a Soviet Sniper, Lyudmila Pavilchenko. Pavilchenko had three hundred and nine kills to her name, Maria had three hundred and eight. She assumed that Palivchenko had lived a normal life after the second world war, but Maria didn’t think that was possible for a survivor like her. She feared that her colder traits would be passed down, that she would poison her child with her own murderous genes.

”Queen of Spades, are you receiving? You missed your check in, over.” The soft buzz of Maria’s radio pulled her out of her darker thoughts, she quickly pulled the radio from her belt and brought it to her lips.

“Sorry, control. I didn’t check my watch… Over. It’s all clear, as usual.” Maria said into the radio before putting it back on her belt and looking back out over the sandy dunes in the distance, lying just beyond the border marking posts. The wind gusted past her, causing her fabric covering to flutter ever so slightly, she didn’t pay it much mind as her thoughts drifted back to her deeper fears. What scared her most of all was all the pressure that would possibly be placed on her child, having to prominent war heroes and the leader of the country as a parent would leave them with big shoes to fill.

Maria stopped herself quietly when she noticed that her breathing had accelerated past acceptable levels. She sighed, doing her best to compartmentalize the fears and doubts before tucking them away into the back of her mind. To put them truly behind her she decided to focus more on the dusty desert that she lay in, quietly she watched the wind blow small clouds of sand over the dunes. More than a little of it was starting to come into her small burrow, still she remained motionless and watched the dunes in the distance. For a brief second she thought she’d spotted something and readied her rifle, peering down range at the source. The sand was empty as it had been before, no tracks of visible signs of life.

As she peered through her scope she found herself inundated with memories, Maria forced her eyes shut and pulled herself back into the burrow. The quickness she had moved with reminded her just how her career as a sniper had started, and who her first kills were. She could remember the kick of the rifle against her shoulder, the smell of the smoke and the taste of copper, over the wind of the desert she could hear the screaming and yelling of her parents. The only bits that weren’t a memory were the tears running down her cheeks. Maria had always thought that she would break down under fire, and yet there she was bawling like a child in the calm desert.

She stayed like that for a couple minutes before she managed to rein in her tears, she wiped her eyes before any sand could stick to her cheeks. Maria turned to look back out of her burrow, the border post in the distance sat unaccosted as usual. The woman sighed quietly, wishing that she was back with Dominic and Luna, even though she knew that she had to stay. She wasn’t about to quit because she was lonely, and part of her knew that Luna and Dominic were having their own problems. The war crime tribunals were being convened that day, and Dominic and the other leaders of the factions that fought against the EOL were likely to be busy for a long time.

Maria scowled quietly at the thought of the war criminals, in her mind they didn’t deserve a trial, then again she supposed that not all of the EOL troops had partaken in the acts. Melissa was an excellent example of that, the tribunals were why Maria was sitting alone at the moment. She was a key witness, but Maria knew that once the trials were over her sister in arms would be back on her side. Maria softly smiled as she thought of Melissa, she’d come a long way in her training, and she was the only one that could manage to keep up with Maria when she was in a rush.

Maria reached to her backpack, resting near her feet in the burrow, and withdrew a canteen of water. She took a couple sips before going back to watching the area ahead of her, she’d wait there for another hour or so before packing up and moving to another spot in her area of patrol. Briefly she closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the desert, it was a luxury she had come to adore after spending so many years on a chilly mountain peek. When she opened her eyes again she looked to the post in the distance, watching the sand dance around once again. She couldn’t help but wonder what it was like at the tribunals, knowing Dominic, he was probably just about ready to stand up and start shooting. Maria sighed and settled in for another hour of sand watching, something she could certainly get used to.

[♠]

The court had been set up in an empty building in the POW camp, it minimized the risk of prisoners escaping. The room was lit brightly, at the back of it was the desks of the tribunal holders, the heads of state from the UN, the Native Confederacy, the New United States, and a representative of the freed slaves. Sitting in front of them was a table with the surviving inner circle members seated at it, next to them was another table with the prosecutors. The furniture was dingy and old, the walls were bare wood with only a coat of brown paint, and papers littered the tables and desks.

The inner circle members, including the Empress, were all shackled tightly and wearing striped jumpsuits as a pair of MPs stood behind them with rifles at the ready. Their earlier objections and grandstanding had faded away, without their army of followers in the room they had no one to back them up. Gradually they were losing support, as most of the die hard supporters of their regime had been killed in the suicide charge against American tanks. The papers that were lying about consisted of photographs of the conditions the EOL had kept slaves in, brutal and torturous ‘punishments’, and mass graves filled with young boys that were deemed ‘too white’ by the EOL. Some of them were little more than infants, and their discovery had only come after the war had ended.

There was very little doubt in anyone’s mind about the guilt of the defendants, but it was important that all of the evidence be entered into the record. Every sickening detail, ever gruesome image, it was all being catalogued and in the process it was building up more and more hate towards the EOL. Vladimir Putin had gone from his normal stoic demeanor to one of absolute disgusted rage, as had the remaining leaders of the UN. Chief Watchful Bear had shut his eyes halfway through, as if attempting to put himself in some sort of trance, and all the while Dominic sat there quietly, glaring hatefully at the defendant's as the other leaders conversed in hushed whispers.

“The last of the physical evidence has been presented, sirs.” Stated the prosecutor, a thestral in a suit and tie. “If it would please the court, may I bring in our chief witness?” There was a collective nod before the prosecutor walked to the door that lead to an outer room and poked his head outside. A couple hushed words were spoken before he returned, with a young woman in tow. Melissa, just Melissa, as she had taken it as a mononym. To many of the UN leaders she was the protege of the most lethal sniper of the conflict and a former member of the inner circle, but Dominic knew her a bit more personally, he knew she’d give the full story, especially since she had already been granted immunity for her efforts during the Battle of Denver.

She quietly approached a chair set up near the tribunal, adjusting her New American uniform quietly. It was tan, as many of the other uniforms were being set aside for more desert appropriate attire. Melissa stood in front of it quietly as one of the MPs approached her.

“Raise your right hand.” The MP said quietly, Melissa complied. “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

“I do.” Melissa said in a serious tone, the MP nodded and walked back to his post behind the defendants, leaving Melissa to take her seat on the witness stand. The inner circle members looked at her, each of them gaining angry expressions.

“Melissa, you were affiliated with the EOL’s government, correct?” Putin asked quietly, Melissa nodded with a look of shame crossing her face. “The defendants here are charged with attempting a mass murder of hundreds of innocent civilians, was such an act commonly discussed?”

“It was, there were at least three other occasions where a purge was initiated against the slaves in Denver, it was generally used to quell dissent. However, it was proposed at least fourteen times during my time. Empress Night Raven dismissed them all.” The sound of The three I mentioned were instituted in the early days of the Empire, our leaders couldn’t keep up basic food supplies.” Melissa said quietly, looking towards the defendants with defiance in her eyes. “It also gave them reason to round up more slaves.”

There were several quiet and angry grumbles from the defendants, but they were ignored as Melissa continued telling the tribunal about every sickening detail she could recall. There had been times when the Empire had wanted to mutilate young boys, times when so called vampires would kill slaves at random to drink their blood, and yet they never would drink any of it, it was only a meaningless slaughter. Perhaps the most disturbing was the EOL’s treatment of women that they captured, they were either forced to be soldiers or to serve in the forced brothels that littered EOL territory. Every word was substantiated by the documents and pictures that had already been submitted. All the hypocrisy had been exposed over the course of two hours, by then it had come time for the ruling. Of course it was unsurprisingly guilty, leaving only the sentence to be handed down.

“Before we make our sentencing decision, I would like to say something for the record.” Putin said quietly as he looked at the defendants with an expression of stoic anger. “There’s perhaps one crime that we cannot convict you of… That is what you did to the English language, or all language in general. Words like correctness and justice became weapons of your regime because your perverted them with words like ‘Political’ and ‘Social’.” Putin quietly adjusted his tie as the defendants stared at him quietly, defiant to the end. “These words will be seen as evil for generations because of your actions… Because of that, you have harmed our culture irreparably. That’s all I have to say…” Putin looked to the others. “I vote death… By firing squad.”

“There are many methods my people could use… But they would be too good for these dogs…” Chief Watchful Bear said with a scowl, the old man had lost any semblance of leniency after viewing all that the EOL had done to his people. “I second your vote, Mister Putin.” There were several nods from the other delegates, all eyes fell on Dominic, the man quietly adjusted his uniform and cleared his throat.

“I abhor the death penalty… The last time I witnessed an execution I nearly lost my mind…” Dominic said quietly before he looked to the defendants, he bore a stony expression of cold anger, as if he was doing his best to hold back from leaping across the table and throttling the guilty with his bare hands. “That being said, it is the judgement of this tribunal that you are guilty, and that the crimes you are guilty of are so deranged we have no choice but to remove you from the realm of the living.” The commander looked to one of the MPs standing in the room. “Convene a firing squad.”

“Ja, herr commander!” The MP said, Dominic watched him walk out of the room as the other MP stood the prisoners up onto their feet. The other tribunal members stood up as well, Dominic stood with them, putting on his peaked cap. The inner circle members looked stunned, they had assumed they would have some time in their cells to prepare, but they had shown no mercy in their rule, and they would receive none during their execution. Melissa stood up quietly as she watched the tribunal funnel out of the room, she soon joined them as they stepped outside into the sun. The other prisoners of the camp were gathered outside, being held back by guards with assault rifles and machines trained on them.

It took all of five minutes for the soldiers to convene a firing squad, every member of the eight man group was a former slave under the EOL. The prisoners were marched to a concrete wall that had been constructed as part of a planned concrete bunker, the project had been abandoned when the compound became a POW, but the wall remained. The tribunal members stopped and watched as the convicted criminals were marched out in front of the wall and turned towards the firing squad. Normally they would’ve been offered blindfolds, that was, if they hadn’t been convicted as the worst war criminals since the Nuremberg trials.
Dominic sighed quietly as he adjusted the tan dress uniform he wore, his boots sinking slightly into the sand as he stood in line with the other tribunal members, knowing full well that this was the only execution he would have to walk. After this tribunal ended they would put the duty of judging war criminals in the hands of someone else, someone with a stronger stomach and less of a bias. Everyone knew the trial of the inner circle was going to be short and that the intricate details of future trials would need to be gone over by better lawyers.

The man pulled his peaked cap down over his eyes, hiding his view from the prisoners, letting him only see the firing squad as they took up a position in front of the concrete wall. Dominic took a deep breath, feeling a familiar heaviness on his chest. The faint memory of ringing bells and marching boots echoed through his mind, but he forced himself to stand strong, he couldn’t afford to show himself being weak at the sight of judgement, no matter how much he hated it. Part of him wished that Luna and Maria were with him, at the same time he knew that he didn’t want them to see an execution, they had seen their own share of death.

“Ready!” Shouted the leader of the firing squad, the soldiers readied their rifles and stood to wait for more orders. “Aim!” The firing squad took aim, Dominic readied himself for the bangs that would come soon, he could hear a couple whimpers from the defendants. In that moment however, he found himself filling with hate. He remembered whimpers like that from children that he had liberated from the EOL’s grasp, almost without his own knowledge he reached up and pushed his peaked cap back, giving him a good view of the prisoner’s fearful faces. “Fire!”

The guns barked loudly as the members of the firing squad unloaded, emptying entire magazines into the remnants of a regime that had tormented and tortured them for four long and bloody years. Dominic remained stone faced as the prisoners were perforated with round after round, some of the blood spurted very far. Flecks of the red liquid landed on Dominic’s cheek as the corpses crumpled to the ground, he stared for a couple seconds, the hate that had overtaken him before rapidly fading, leaving him with only a hollow feeling in his chest. Once again the world became a blur, he didn’t stick around to talk to the other delegates, he didn’t stop to examine the bodies or take photographs, he just walked out of the camp with his hands tucked in his pockets. 

Making his way down the very long road back to New Liberty, it gave him a lot of time to reflect on the day, and what a day it had been.

[♠]

Luna’s day had been rather slow, she had done some paperwork in the morning but it had slowed down to a crawl after lunch time had come, leaving her time to wander the streets of New Liberty as she saw fit. She was infatuated with the American culture, both old and new, as she had never seen such a mixture of ideas and architectures in her long life. Where once her room had been filled with star charts, she now had a new hobby of decorating it with whatever interesting trinket she happened across.

Many of the citizens were inside as the day had been declared a day of mourning while the tribunal was being held, but there were still a couple stragglers that wandered around almost just as aimlessly as Luna. A soft desert wind blew through her mane, putting a bit of sand in her fur, something she had grown accustomed to over her time in the odd city-state. Luna’s hooves clicked against the sidewalk, another thing that she found rather odd. In Equestria sidewalks were generally cobblestone, but in America they were concrete, much smoother for her to walk on. Infact many of the old dirt and cobblestone roads were being replaced by asphalt and concrete, with the exception of those leading out of the city to the small communities that were sprouting up further away, one of the many reports she had read over during the day.

Luna sighed as she shook her head, tired of thinking about work and the numerous paperwork items she had worked on. After a couple more minutes of walking she found herself coming to a stop outside of an odd looking bookstore. It was definitely of human origin, Luna could tell by the signage and window dressings. Ever the scholar, Luna pushed open the door and stepped inside. She looked around for a moment, realizing that many of the books had pictures on the cover rather than normal leatherbound items.

Luna’s understanding of human language was good, but still she had some trouble understanding a couple of the titles. However, from what she recalled of Equestria’s own culture, the books were likely ‘Comic books’. She had never really gotten into the craze, and even as she spotted a couple comics with ponies on the cover she didn’t find herself very appealed. She wandered down one of the small aisles the store had to offer, looking at all the artwork in the warm light provided by the sun outside. The smell of old paper and ink mixing with new was something that Luna had only smelled in Canterlot’s massive library, and it made her heart ache to be in Equestria again, if only to see her sister and the few friends she had there.

Her thinking on home came to a screeching halt as she spotted a familiar face on one of the comic books, though it was drawn rather oddly, with large expressive eyes and odd line work, far different from the other comic books. The face she saw was that of Maria, adorned in sniper clothing and standing in the desert. With a bit of curiosity Luna used her magic to lift the odd book, that told her it had been printed on the American side of the portal. She examined the tile quietly, scrunching up her muzzle in concentration as she tried to read the title. It suddenly clicked as to what the name was, though she still thought it was rather odd. ‘The Queen of Death’.

Curiously she opened the cover and looked over the comic panels, they were rather odd in that she had to read them in the opposite direction for them to make any sense. It was about a character known as ‘The Queen of Death’, a sniper in the desert who was unsubtly based off of Maria. As she read on it seemed that the sniper had spotted a pony on the other side of the border, they were always too far away to talk, but they still seemed to be able to communicate with signal mirrors.

Luna hummed quietly and walked to the store counter with the book still in her grasp, she spotted a rather big man sitting at the counter with tired eyes. He had a shaved head, as many humans did, and though he looked young he still had plenty of visible wrinkles. His belly jiggled slightly as he turned in his seat to look at Luna, his grey t-shirt stained with ink. His eyes bulged at the sight of the princess and quickly he moved to hide something under the counter, a book that he seemed to be reading. It was out of sight before Luna could get a look at it, but she was more interested in the comic she had found.

“May I ask who wrote this?” She asked as she set the comic down on the counter, the man paused and picked it up, looking it over for a couple seconds before setting it down and looking over his shoulder.

“Hey! Jed! Who wrote Queen of Death!?” His voice was gravelly with just a bit of a nasally tone, in fact it sounded rather goofy. A couple seconds later a door behind the counter opened and a man poked his head out, he wore big glasses and had a scruffy beard.

“Uh… I wanna say that UN chick. Naomi! Yeah, she was really big on that sniper lady.” The scruffy man adjusted his glasses as he spotted an indigo blur near the store counter. “Then again, a lot of people are… Why?”

“Someone asked!” The man behind the counter replied before looking at Luna again. “It’s actually a pretty big seller, which is odd, because a lot of people don’t really like the japanese style… EOL was real big on it back in the day.” The man looked over the comic book again, then at Luna. “You wanna buy it?”

“It’s a good story, I mean, up until the end when the Equestrians bomb-” The scruffy man started before the larger man chucked a pen at him. The scruffy man just grumbled quietly and slunk back into the back room, adjusting his glasses as he did so.

“I’d like to purchase this copy… If that’s alright?” Luna asked, doing her best to ignore what the other guy had said. The large man behind the counter cleared his throat quietly as he sat up and pulled a metal box from under the counter. Luna noted that the price on book was actually rather reasonable, with her magic she summoned several gold coins from her purse that she had left on her desk. The man took them and looked them over, smirking quietly as he took them and put them in the metal box. “If I may ask… Are there any stores here about D- President Occisor?”

“Officially? Not really… But, there’s been tons of fan submitted stuff that Jed illustrates, like this.” The man said as he slid the comic forward to Luna. “You might enjoy some of the stuff Jed does, he puts a lot of work into it.”

“I’ll keep it in mind, Mister…?” Luna said, the man just gave a shrug and leaned back in his seat.

“Name’s not important.” The man paused as he heard a brief ding from the backroom. “But lunch is… Would you mind flipping the sign on your way out?” Luna shrugged quietly, somewhat surprised by the man’s apparent apathy. She turned and started walking out as the man stood up and stretched, scratching his belly and walking towards the back room. Luna stepped out of the store, stopping to flip the sign as she had been asked before starting to walk down the street again.

Luna began wandering through the streets again, only occasionally seeing citizens wandering the streets. The MP patrols were probably the most active of them all, but even they seemed to be off in their own thoughts. Luna could see that there were also Equestrian tourists, many of them seemed annoyed that so many of the shops were closed. The princess quickly tucked her wings to her side and ignited her horn, in a brief burst of light she had hidden her wings from view. Her mane lost its starry texture and became light indigo, she hoped it would be enough to hide her from the less attentive ponies. She then returned her attention to hovering the comic she had purchased as she continued walking, Luna had a feeling that it would be rare to see the streets so calm and quiet, and because of that she made sure to take in the sights and sounds.

After a couple more minutes of wandering Luna decided that it would be prudent to head home and perhaps have a glass of iced tea, the sun was proving to be rather hot. She hoped that Maria was alright, knowing that the woman was out in the desert gave Luna a bit of worry. As the princess started walking down a familiar street she couldn’t help but have her thoughts on Maria, the woman had certainly captured Luna’s attention, and she could see why Dominic was so infatuated. Luna blushed faintly as she recalled that she too found herself becoming more attracted to the sniper, more than a few dreams often contained Dominic and Maria.

Luna continued wandering down the streets she normally took to get home, her attention occasionally turning back to the comic she held in her magic. It seemed that the citizens of New Liberty saw Maria as a heroine, and Luna was glad to see her getting some sort of recognition from the people. In Luna’s time, such acts would have been worthy of a bard’s song and numerous tapestries. In fact, Luna felt that she should take it upon herself to commission such a tapestry. She then stopped herself, knowing that Maria wasn’t one to celebrate all that much, especially the things she had done during the war.

As the wind picked up from the north Luna found herself looking out into the vast sandy wastes, wondering softly just what sort of things Maria was facing on her own.

[♠]

Twilight Sparkle sighed softly as she watched a troop formation from her balloon, she had come to the southern border as part of her duties. Celestia had put her in front of military logistics, and while her organizational skills had certainly improved supply lines she couldn’t get used to being addressed as some sort of battle princess. As she oversaw the formation on the ground she found herself struggling to ignore the very real reason that she had been called to the south. The southern guard units were at the most risk and their supply lines would be critical in the event of a war with America.

Dominic had spoke of human tactics before, they included strategic bombing. Twilight hated using what he had told her against him, but at the same time, she knew that he was all for duty and commitment to one’s country. He would likely do the same if in the same position. Twilight knew that if the war broke out, the first few hours would be critical. It was likely the United States aircraft would start by bombing strategic targets, those targets were likely to be military supply depots and barracks.

As the wind blew through Twilight’s face she realized that she was starting to drift over the formation, giving her a good view of the troops below marched and readied themselves in different defensive stances. Twilight had warned the generals of the dangers of such formations, knowing full well that large clustered groups made American Artillery spotters giddy. There was a small crowd that had formed in a set of bleachers below, as it turned out that the formation below was a graduating class of recruits.

The guard base had a name, though Twilight only recalled it as ‘Installation Seven’. It had several small barracks, an armored chariot and carriage motor pool, and for the most part the walls were constructed out of brick and mortar. There wasn’t anything that set it apart from the other seven bases built along the border, as Twilight turned away from the formation she used her magic to adjust the air balloon’s course. As it stood it was starting to get close to the American border, that was just how close the base had been built to the southern neighbors.

Twilight would’ve used her wings, that is, if she weren’t still getting used to flying and magic. On earth her power had been reduced, and doing things there required more effort. It seemed that using magic was similar to training a muscle, as Twilight had noted her magic was much stronger than it had been when she’d left. The princess knew that there were plenty of unicorns in the American army that had served and were still serving on Earth, that meant there was likely to be more powerful unicorns than Equestria could scrape together.

Perhaps, Twilight thought, that the fears of the Equestrian Generals and citizens in general were not totally unfounded. Being so closely tied to Equestria’s recent military modernization efforts had given Twilight a very deep look into just how prepared the country was for war. If the United States declared war the Equestrian military would be nearly powerless to stop them from marching on Canterlot, but if Equestria declared war first…

Twilight shook her head, the thought was sickening to her, she had been spending far too much time with the generals. As she floated there above the base, so very close to the border, she could see small dots off in the distance American sky. They were far too big to be pegasi, so she deduced they were likely airplanes on patrol. She envied the pilots more than she cared to admit, being able to work with technology far beyond Equestrian understanding was her goal, and she was being kept from it by a simple line in the sand.

Twilight watched the dots dance around in the sky for a few more minutes, pretending to look over the military base as she did so. As she was turning away she spotted a rainbow descending from one of the dots, but knowing how unlikely it would be for a rainbow to form naturally in a desert, that meant that….

“Rainbow Dash…?” Twilight said quietly, feeling a nostalgic loneliness in her heart. She levitated a pair of binoculars to her eyes from her bag in the basket and looked towards the rainbow, sure enough, she spotted a pegasus with a rainbow tail. It was extremely short however, a far cry from its normal length. Twilight couldn’t see their face, it was hidden by a helmet and facemask, and their fur was hidden by a tan uniform. The princess could also see and odd contraption on the mare’s side, but despite all that she knew it had to be her friend.

She watched as Rainbow and several other specks came closer to the border, a pair of thestrals and a griffon hovered with them. The griffon raised a pair of binoculars, staring back at Twilight’s balloon for a couple seconds before handing the binoculars over to Rainbow Dash. Twilight waved instinctively, the pegasus waved back, albeit slightly reluctantly. The two parties stared at eachother for a couple minutes before Twilight saw Rainbow hand the binoculars back to the griffon.

They turned back towards one of the aircraft, Twilight watched them get further and further away, until all she could see was the tell tale trail of Rainbow’s tail. Twilight sighed quietly, wishing that she could at least say hello to one of her most loyal friends. Part of her wondered if there was something else at play, if something had brought the two of them so close to each other, and yet kept them so far away.

The sun was starting to set, casting a beautiful display of pinks and reds off in the distance. Twilight watched the two aircraft circle a couple times before one began descending towards the ground. She grew worried it was going to crash, but it leveled off and came in under control, bouncing along the mostly flat desert soil. Twilight watched it for a couple seconds, then spotted a figure on the ground walking towards it. The princess amplified her binoculars range with her magic, she could hear the lenses groan under the new pressure. She could see a human female walking up to the aircraft, which had an open seat in the back, the woman had a rifle strapped over her shoulder.

The woman climbed up into the empty seat, she wore a bit of tan fabric around her, hiding her from the heat and prying eyes. At least, until she pushed back the fabric covering her head. Twilight found herself staring at Maria, better known in Equestria as The Queen of Death, as there was already a rather popular comic series spreading like wildfire. The woman seemed more tired than Twilight remembered, but then she realized that perhaps the woman had been out in the sun all day… Watching the border. Twilight froze, wondering just how many snipers the American’s had watching their borders.

As the aircraft took to the sky again Twilight found herself forced to put down her binoculars, they were likely going to break considering how much magical strain she had put them under. The princess of friendship felt pretty useless with all things considered, as she moved to look back out of balloon basket she found herself looking at the formation. They had all arranged themselves into a message she could see from the air, welcoming her to their base. She was touched by that, the mare compartelized her inner turmoil as best she could as she waved back at the eager crowd below.

[♠]

It was dark by the time that Maria approached the door to the house, her feet ached and her skin still felt hot. The heat of the sun had been so harsh that when her patrol time had reached an end she had needed to call for a plane to get her rather than walk to the normal meeting point. She had all of her gear in a bach hoisted over her shoulder, though she was otherwise dressed only in her sweat stained tank top and dusty fatigue pants. She tiredly turned the handle to the door and pushed it inward, the downstairs was dark and only illuminated by the moonlight shining through the windows.

She set her pack down near the door before kicking the sand off of her boots and closing the door behind her, as quietly as she could she walked through the downstairs towards the kitchen. She passed by the couch and a couple recliners facing the window, pausing when she spotted someone’s chest rising and falling on the couch. She slowly approached and knelt down beside them, she quickly realised that it was Dominic, his dress uniform jacket was unbuttoned while an empty glass sat on the table beside the couch that smelled of scotch.

She silently leaned down and planted a soft kiss on his forehead, patting him softly before standing back up and quietly walking to the kitchen. She pulled open the fridge, wincing slightly at the bright light that emanated from within. She pulled a small plate of leftover lasagna from inside, it looked like there was a note next to it as well. She picked up the note as she set her plate on the counter, then used the light of the fridge to read it.

‘Luna and I ate without you… Sorry. I made sure to put extra ricotta cheese in yours, I know you like that. -Dominic’

Maria quietly wiped her eyes and set the note on the counter, honestly she felt rather bad that she had missed a meal with her herd mates. A bit more doubt crept into her mind, all the thoughts that she had repressed in the field were starting to return as she closed the fridge and took a fork from one of the drawers. She sat down at the dining room table, lit only by the moon coming through the window, and began to eat the cold dish by herself. After a couple minutes she heard the creaking of the wood floor behind her, then a hand rested softly on her shoulder.

“Hey…” Dominic said groggily, Maria looked up at him and could tell even in the dimly lit room that he was smiling. “Want me to heat that up for you?”

“No… It’s alright… Go back to bed.” Maria replied, the man stared for a couple seconds before he crouched down and wrapped her in a tight hug. The woman was a bit surprised at first, but returned it just as tightly. After a couple seconds the two let go and Dominic returned to his usual height.

“I’ll try to wait for you upstairs…” Dominic said, still resting his hand on her shoulder, as if he feared letting go would cause her to disappear. He wasn’t going to admit it, but she could tell that he had been worried sick about her, and likely a great deal of other things that the day had held. “I love you, Mary Berry…”

“Pet names now?” Maria asked, hoping to lighten the mood. She saw Dominic’s smile widen for a flicker of a second. “I love you too… Shit… Nothing really rhymes with Dominic…” Dominic quietly chuckled and turned, walking off into the darkness and leaving Maria once again by herself. Her own smile faded as she continued eating her dinner by the light of the moon, knowing that she had put Dominic in such a worried state felt like a knife to the gut. She resolved that perhaps border duty wasn’t for her anymore, but she still wasn’t about to give it up. She’d stick it out until the normal troops could resume their duties, she owed them that much.

Maria set her finished plate in the sink when she was finished, then made her way upstairs to the bedroom that all three herd mates shared. She entered, stopping in the doorway as she heard a pair of snores echoing through the room. It seemed Dominic hadn’t been able to stay awake, not that Maria minded. She quickly undressed down to her undergarments, then crawled into bed on the right side, putting Dominic between her and Luna. The woman turned onto her side, looking out the window at the stars above, so crisp and clear without the glare of city lights to pollute them. A shooting star passed by, as it did she closed her eyes and made a wish. She wished so hard that she felt her eyes tearing up, wishing with all her might that there would be some hope in the future, that her hopes and dreams wouldn’t be dashed as they had been before. She wished that god would show her some sort of sign, even a small one, that her wishes and prayers had been heard.

Seconds later she felt Dominic put his arm around her waist and hug her tightly, still sleeping away. Maria smiled quietly and turned to face him, putting her own arms around him and holding him close as she felt sleep gradually begin to overtake her.

“Thank you…” She whispered softly before finally passing into the realm of dreams.

> Chapter 19
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time had always had a tendency to sneak up on Dominic, he had been so focused on running the country over the past couple weeks that he had forgotten almost completely about the Equestrian ‘Grand Galloping Gala’. He sincerely would’ve preferred to stay in New Liberty and oversee the construction of four military bases near the Equestrian border, and perhaps if he didn’t know how much Luna wanted to go, he would’ve sent an ambassador instead. As it stood though, it was Luna’s chance to see her sister, and it wasn’t like he’d send her alone. It was for that reason the man was sitting in a carriage with Luna and Maria, dressed in his drab dress uniform.

Maria wore her own tan dress uniform, it was very similar to that of the pre-outbreak American female uniform. She had done her make up rather plainly as well, choosing a more utilitarian look than anything else. Princess Luna was meanwhile wearing shined silver regalia and an ornate looking crown, they had been waiting in Luna’s suitcases for a long time, but they gave her the look of a queen rather than a princess. She also had a regal gown that matched her fur and eyes, with an onyx broche near her chest. The carriage was simply designed and not flashy, the Equestrian border patrol had refused to allow any armored cars on the train. That had meant there was a significant change to security. There were four armed guards clinging to the outside of the carriage.

Dominic was glad they were there, as the arrivals of the American’s had drawn quite a crowd. Many of the ponies lining the streets were content to just watch, though some were shouting, and some held signs. It seemed that even with Twilight Sparkle’s book and the efforts to educate the public about their neighbor to the south, there were still many ponies that saw Dominic and his species as evil, some even called humanity an abomination. The man did his best to hide the anger he felt, he knew there would always be stupid people in the world. Even still, the crowd brought back very bitter memories of his time living in Canterlot.

Maria was a bit shocked by all that was happening outside the carriage, and had a far more difficult time hiding it. All the ponies she knew in New Liberty were relatively easy going, and yet here she was seeing a large mob of ponies outside the carriage waving signs that were downright cruel. Royal guards in riot gear held the masses back as the carriage kept moving, lit only by the light of the setting sun in the distance.

“I should have expected such a crowd to appear…” Luna said quietly as she watched out the window, she then looked to Dominic. “I don’t think we’ll have much to fear in the castle, but while we’re still moving through the city we should expect it to be nuts like this.” The man only nodded quietly as he leaned back in his seat, adjusting his jacket in the process. “You really didn’t need to come.”

“It would’ve been bad form not too, wouldn’t it?” Dominic asked with a raised eyebrow. “Besides, you think I’d let you face the Canterlot nobility alone?” Luna paused, then chuckled softly. Dominic looked out the window again, off in the distance at a part of the city that overlooked a cliff. Airship dry docks were located there, he knew that was also where Celestia was building her fleet of airships. It had occurred to him that perhaps he would need to fight fire with fire, but he had no means of constructing airships, even with humanity’s advanced fabrication technology the research just wasn’t there.

The man shook his head, not wishing to think of war planning and rather wanting to focus on Maria. She hadn’t said a word since they had hit the crowds, but her face was a mix of anger and astonishment. The man could understand what she was feeling, and he knew enough to let her figure out her feelings on her own. Dominic leaned against the window, as the carriage moved closer to the castle he noticed a subtle change in the crowd. The hateful signs were thinning out, the ponies had much shorter manes, and some were even holding welcoming signs.

“Well, would you look at that?” He mumbled quietly, smiling softly. It was nice to see there was actually some support in Canterlot, and as he could see more and more smiling faces he felt a knot in his stomach begin to unwind itself. It was a foothold, and even that tiny mile stone gave him the strength to smile proudly and confidently. It seemed that as they got closer and closer to the castle the support grew, until finally they reached the gates. After a couple seconds of waiting the carriage rolled through the gates, it was pulled further along until it finally reached the front of the castle.

The American guards, comprised of thestrals, let go of the sides and took up a perimeter around the carriage as an Equestrian guard approached the carriage door. The door was opened and a stepping stool was placed beneath it, Dominic stood first and made his way out of the carriage. Once outside he offered his hand to Maria, she took it and stepped out before moving beside him.

“Bereiten Sie zu begrüßen!” A voice shouted off to the side, Dominic looked over and was a bit surprised to spot a cadre of Lunar guards lining a red carpet that lead up to the castle door. Luna’s hoof exited the carriage, greeted by Dominic’s hand as he helped her down. Once she was fully out her wings extended to their fullest wingspan, her mane flowed freely, and her eyes sparkled like stars. “Achtung!” The cadre of guards snapped to attention, turning their attention to Luna. “Hagel Prinzessin Luna!”

“Immer loyal zur Krone der Nacht!” The thestrals shouted in a resounding baritone, each of them placing their hoof over the heart as they continued looking towards Luna. Dominic watched Luna smiled widely, she almost had tears in her eyes. He was still learning but he had a rough Idea of what was being said. For the first time he heard her speak in Thestralese.

“Und die nacht ist dir treu, meine kinder.” She said softly, smirking at the Lunar guards that puffed out their chests in pride. The regular royal guards seemed confused, and Dominic noticed that even his thestral guards were at attention. He felt a tad compelled to join them, after all, he was considered one of Luna’s soldiers. However, he was also a head of state, and that meant he was more obligated to maintain an air of sovereignty. “Please… Stand at ease.” The thestrals relaxed as Luna began walking down the carpet, Maria and Dominic following behind her with far more respect for her than they had. Something they collectively hadn’t thought possible.

“I am touched you all came to greet me. It has been far too long since I have seen your faces…” Luna said as she continued walking past the cadre, Dominic could see faint smiles on the faces of the thestrals. Luna paused quietly and looked at one of the guards. “Hans… So good to see you again, how is your wife?”

“She is doing well, your majesty. We have had a son!” The guard replied proudly, Luna smiled a bit wider at that. “Hans junior! He has her eyes, but my looks!”

“The mothers of Canterlot will surely have to hide their daughters if that’s the case.” Luna said with a slight chuckle, the guard smiled even wider.

“Danke meine Königin!” The guard replied, Luna nodded respectfully. “Do not keep yourself waiting on my behalf.” Dominic raised an eyebrow, understanding the last word in the stallion’s sentence quite clearly.

“It was good to see you again, Hans. Farewell.” Luna said before they began walking again, Luna would occasionally stop for a quick word or two with the thestrals before they finally reached the doors and entered the castle. “So good to be back… If only for a visit. I had missed my soldiers…”

“Did he call you ‘Queen’?” Dominic asked quietly as they walked through the castle’s main hall, Maria quietly observed her surroundings. The sniper’s natural instinct was to remain quiet in unknown territory, and she was sticking to that instinct subconsciously. There were many vertical hiding places in the castle, plenty of places for a sniper to hide. She knew because she would be there if she were a sniper.

“Yes.” Luna replied, looking over to Dominic. “Though it is not many who call me by that title, I am technically a Queen…” Dominic raised an eyebrow at her quizzically. “Apparently one of my field marshals has been bringing my guards to light on that.” As they walked Dominic noted that the halls were very quiet, lacking in guards, maids, or even party guests. “A thousand years ago, before my banishment, the area now known as ‘The Everfree Forest’ was a nation known as ‘Thestra’.”

“No shit?” Dominic asked, this information quickly grabbed Maria’s attention as well. Luna nodded softly as they continued walking towards the main entrance to the ballroom.

“It was an odd nation, much like yours… A republic sometimes, and sometimes… A monarchy. Depending on the decade. It was always peaceful…” Luna seemed a bit hesitant to speak about the country, but Dominic and Maria had put the dots together well enough.

“And you were the monarch?” Maria finally spoke, Luna nodded again, sighing softly.

“Now is as good a time as any to tell you, it will shed more light on why Celestia is acting the way she is.” Luna admitted, they began ascending a large staircase, passing the gilded marble walls and paintings. “The thestrals needed someone to protect them, and they chose me. I served as Queen to them, and Princess to Equestria, and we shared the capital in the castle of the two sisters…”

“I assume that since it isn’t around anymore that something happened, something to do with your banishment?” Dominic asked, by now all three had stopped to look at one another. Luna sighed softly, appearing rather upset.

“They fought for me, and when I was defeated they refused to submit to Equestrian rule… They had far more advanced technology, they invented the crossbow...” Luna shook her head softly, clearing her head of emotion. “So Celestia had no choice but to wipe the nation from the map, in a very literal sense.”

“I’m sorry…” Maria said as she placed a hand on Luna’s side, the mare smiled faintly.

“It’s not your fault, nor is it Celestia’s… My chi- Subjects had become too loyal to me.” Luna sighed and began walking back towards the doors to the party. “When I returned and saw the evidence of what had been done, what Celestia had told me, who else could I blame but myself?” The mare paused just outside the doors, her expression stiffening. “That is why America has my loyalty, Dominic… That is why I will defend it. Because it can be a home for my people’s descendants, a place where their culture can flourish again… That is why I love your species, thestrals and humans are very similar in that regard.”

“Thank you…” Dominic said softly, unsure of how else to respond. He and Maria watched as Luna adjusted her mane, then straightened her crown, then took a deep breath.

“Now… Smiles everyone! Smiles!” She said, looking at them with a smile that looked so real they almost believed it was. Dominic did his best to smile as well, but only managed a slight scowl. Maria didn’t smile immediately, instead Luna was surprised by a tight hug around the neck. Maria squeezed the mare tightly, very much touched by the story they had just been told. “Come now, Maria… I’m okay.”

“I know…” Maria said softly as she broke off the hug, then quietly reached for the handle on the door. All three could hear music and laughter on the other side. The two humans did their best to smile, only managing slight scowls, before finally Maria pushed the door open. The sound of music and conversation hit them like a tidal wave, but as they stood there and stared into the vast sea of noble ponies and foreign delegates, a slight hush began to settle on the room. Gradually Dominic saw the eyes of the room shift to them, the once loud discussion now becoming hushed whispers.

“Luna!” Celestia’s voice called out from across the room, in only a couple seconds the white alicorn had crossed the room. She wrapped Luna in a tight hug, one that Luna returned honestly and lovingly. Dominic could see that the Lunar princess really loved her sister, despite what had happened between them. Family was family, after all. Dominic was a firm believer in the saying that blood was thicker than water. That being said, he knew there was a darker side beneath Celestia’s mask of benevolence. Gradually the party goers returned to their usual partying, trusting that Celestia would keep the humans and her sister in check. Maria quietly closed the door behind the trio, looking at Dominic and Luna with a cautious eye.

“I’m so glad to see you, sister!” Luna said with a smile as she broke off the hug, Celestia smiled as well as the two sisters were reunited for what had felt like a long time. “I’m sorry I haven’t been here as often as I used to be, but… You know… My herd needed me.” Luna gestured to Maria and Dominic, Celestia looked at them with a rather critical eye. She knew Dominic pretty well, and read in his face that he was at least attempting to contain himself. Maria on the other hand had the greatest poker face Celestia had ever seen, the sniper looked like complete blank slate as her eyes met Celestia’s.

“Celestia…” Dominic said with a quiet nod, adjusting his uniform jacket as he stood there. Celestia took that to mean that he was greeting her out of respect for Luna, which she appreciated more than she cared to admit.

“Hello, Dominic.” Celestia replied, sharing the same respect before her attention fully shifted to Maria. “And hello to you as well, Maria… I’m glad we’ll get to spend a bit more time getting to know each other.”

“I look forward to it.” Maria said as her blank slate was replaced by a rather warm smile, Celestia smiled as well. Either the woman was genuinely happy or Celestia was dealing with a master poker player, someone that would easily dominate if she were to enter the political field.

“Well, let me help you to your table! The others are eager to see you, with… A few exceptions.” Celestia replied as they began walking through the crowds of ponies and other creatures, some were dancing on the dance floor to an odd Equestrian waltz while others were eating various dishes. “The Zebra delegation didn’t seem enthused to know you would be joining us, Dominic…”

“The same Zebras that refuse to acknowledge the NUS as a country?” Dominic asked, Celestia nodded as she put on a neutral expression. “What if I were to say I didn’t acknowledge them?” Luna gave him a slight jab. “I’m kidding… It would be fun to see the looks on their faces though.” The man adjusted his uniform’s tie, then tucked his peaked cap under his arm as he walked. The man had shaved off the remainder of his hair, mainly because it had started to turn grey, unbeknownst to Maria and Luna. As the group finally reached a table of numerous delegates Celestia could see just who was present. Of course there were the zebras in their ceremonial garb, griffon’s and minotaurs in uniforms, and ponies of varying shapes and sizes that seemed to represent different quasi-Equestrian nation-states.

Shining Armor and Cadence were also present, sitting with Twilight beside them, the table was massive and more resembled a conference table than anything else. There were three seats open beside a large chair that was obviously Celestia’s, Dominic approached the one closest to Celestia and pulled it out for Luna. Once she was seated he repeated the process for Maria, then moved to sit himself furthest from Celestia. He found himself about to take a seat next to a large minotaur, right across from the Zebras. The man sat down, hanging his hat on the chair before steepling his fingers.

From there the night went about as well as Dominic expected, the delegates all talked amongst one another, with the Zebras ignoring anything that he or Maria said. After about an hour the table lost some of its members, some went off to dance to the waltz music while others simply wished to mingle with other members of the Canterlot Elite. Cadence and Shining armor were among them, as Twilight had excused herself to go and be with her friends. All in all, the only group of delegates that remained aside from the American’s and Equestrians were the griffons and Minotaurs, with the Zebra’s joining reluctantly.

By now Dominic had gotten to know the delegates well enough, representing the minotaurs was General Bullhorn. He was escorting a minotaur cow named Toris, the wife of the Minotaur’s head of state. Bullhorn was burly with grey fur and massive muscles, compared to Dominic he was a head taller and his horns were sharpened to points. They matched his light brown uniform nicely. Toris, meanwhile, was only about as tall as Dominic. She wore a simple blue and white dress, and her fur was pristine white, her horns were short with blunt points and her eyes were light red.

Sitting across from the minotaurs were the griffons, two generals that looked extremely old, their chests decorated with dozens of medals. In fact, the oldest of them wore a monocle, and had so many medals that it seemed they’d been forced to pin some to his shirt collar. It reminded Dominic of an old uniform of the Russian Empire before the first World War. The younger of them was named Greyfeather while the elder was Albas. Albas, in Dominic’s opinion, sounded remarkably like Colonel Klink from ‘Hogan’s Heroes’.

Finally there were the zebras, a pair of stallions with rather nasally voices. Issa and Juma were their names, and they had thoroughly attempted to push Dominic’s buttons in as subtle a way they could. Issa was the son of a Zebra tribal leader and Juma was his brother, and they seemed to be very adamant about stating their status whenever they chance arose. That didn’t stop Maria from leaving her shell and venturing into the social field, is it stood the griffons were becoming more and more enamored by her stories of battle.

“So Melissa and I ended up taking out the guys guarding the entrance to the underground prison, but as we were trying to get the people out at least ten more showed up.” Maria said, recounting her time in the battle of Denver. The griffons, as well as Luna and Celestia, listened with bated breath. Meanwhile Dominic was quietly sitting, remembering his own moments in the great battle, moments that he looked back on with mixed feelings. Most prominent in his mind was when the EOL had employed RPGs and other rocket launchers, that had been the only time he had felt fear for his safety during the battle.

As Maria continued her story Dominic felt the two minotaurs swap places, and Toris was sitting beside him rather than the burly general. He briefly cast his eyes over then went back to glaring at the two Zebras, both of whom were far from interested in Maria’s story.

“May I ask you a question?” Toris suddenly asked, Dominic turned and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Your herd mate is telling of her exploits, why don’t you talk of yours?”

“I don’t think you’d want to hear about them.” Dominic replied, his eyes roving over Toris’ face. “The war isn’t something I like to think about, I’m surprised Maria’s being so talkative on it either, considering…” The man sighed and shook his head, Toris frowned softly and put one of her furry hands on the table.

“You remind me of my son.” She said with a slight sigh. “He was killed on Twin Island, when the supply depot’s were sabotaged.” Dominic felt a bit of guilt lance through his gut, his forces had done that, and seeing how the zebras treated the minotaurs, he felt like he’d made the wrong choice. “I understand if you don’t want to talk about it, he wasn’t very vocal about it either, and truth be told I don’t like it myself. My husband however…”

“I must’ve killed at least fifty people during the final charge…” Dominic said quietly, however it managed to get the attention of the zebras. “First I used my revolver… Six shots, six kills… Then the rifle, then the shotgun…” Dominic quietly leaned back in his seat, staring at the table as his fist clenched and unclenched. “They just wouldn’t stop running, and when I ran out of ammunition I jumped out of my tank and fought them with my sword…” He could hear the crazed screaming in his mind, Toris and Bullhorn stared at him while the Zebras also seemed enthralled. “Then… It got quiet… Deafeningly quiet. For a brief two seconds there was nothing.”

“And then I charged the capital, like an idiot…” Dominic said, gritting his teeth for a second before shaking his head and sitting up straight. “That’s all I care to talk about, it was a stupid war, because of stupid people being given godlike power over other people’s lives. Executing the people responsible won’t bring them back… But I suppose it’s the thing to do...” The man looked at Toris, she seemed to be conflicted with emotion. Bullhorn became stoic, and Issa and Juma had gone back to their normal scowls. “See, this is why they don’t let me go to parties. I’m a bit of a downer.” Dominic chuckled dryly before looking back to Maria, she was finishing up her own story.

“Certainly different from my time in the air corps!” General Albas said cheerfully, before pausing and frowning. “Before they started selling off our airships like hotcakes.” That got Dominic’s attention, he had heard the griffon’s had the most airships in the world, and if they were selling them off he could probably fill the airship gap.

“Too be fair, with the way our economy is…” Grey Feather said, Albas shot the other general a rather dirty look. “It sounds like your military is certainly flourishing, but who can be surprised? After all, you have some of the best Griffon and Thestral soldiers in your ranks!”

“They only needed a little bit of retraining to use our weapons.” Dominic said, offering a compliment on the Griffon army’s training regimen. He was legitimately impressed by it, and had grafted parts of it into the American training courses as a result. “Your welcome to visit if you wish to see.”

“Our government is sufficiently impressed with the United States as it is.” Grey Feather said with a bit of a chuckle, looking at Dominic with a smirk. “As I’m sure you’re aware.” Dominic was very much aware, they often received messages from griffon settlements and even the griffon government, asking to join the United States. That was a slippery slope though, as the griffon economy was still struggling to recover, and Dominic was wary of taking on a proverbial money pit.

“I’m quite aware, but my offer still stands.” Dominic said before he looked to Luna and Celestia, they had started talking amongst themselves. “Perhaps you could visit for other purposes? Trade deals come to mind.” The two griffon’s looked at each other for a couple seconds before leaning over and talking to one another. After a couple seconds they returned their gaze to the man, Dominic adjusted his uniform.

“We’ll certainly speak to the ‘king’ about it.” Albas said, putting an odd emphasis on the title of the griffon’s leader. It was clear that there was a lot of animosity towards their leader, a reminder that Dominic had to keep from screwing up. Dominic inwardly sighed, wishing to be back in New Liberty.

[♠]

The lab of Fortress Wall was empty for the most part, dimly lit by a solitary desk lamp that had been welded to a wall above a cluttered workbench. Two humans and Fortress Wall were standing around the bench, their lab coats discarded across the room while their sleeves were rolled up. On the bench was their latest project, and the current cause of their sleepless night. All three of them had come to the lab on their own, not expecting to find the others. Their current goal was to build a bomber that could strike targets over a fifteen hundred miles away, as well as something that could escort those bombers.

The problem wasn’t funding or materials, but rather finding some sort of medium ground. The reason the American Air Command used biplanes was because of their low stall speed and maximum airspeed. They were able to outpace pegasi and thestrals without being too fast and overshooting their targets. However, that came at a price, the biplanes only had a range of five hundred when loaded down. Even with pegasus escorts helping them along they could only manage to reach the border with enough fuel for a patrol.

The solution to the bombing problem already seemed straightforward, humanity had solved the problem once before, and Fortress saw no reason to reinvent the wheel. Especially if that wheel bore his name. The bomber in question was the B-17 Flying Fortress, it was perfect for what had been asked. It could strike targets as far away as Manehattan with ease, but finding a fighter that could keep up with the bombers and take out enemy interceptors was difficult.

“Perhaps we should look at this from scratch…” One of the scientists, a british fellow with a ponytail and glasses said. Fortress and the other scientist, a young japanese aerospace engineer with a bobbed haircut, looked at their british colleague quietly. “Design our own aircraft, instead of relying on existing technology?”

“Or…” The Japanese woman said softly. “Adapt native technology into our design. Fortress Wall has already shown it’s possible with his latest gatling-weapon.” The woman was referring to Fortress’ ‘Reaper Cannon’, a vehicle mounted multi-barreled weapon system that fired cartridges filled with ground of energy crystal as opposed to conventional propellant. Perfect for taking on swarms of pegasi, or Equestrian battle formations. The japanese woman looked around for a moment, humming in thought. After a moment she quietly picked up a model of a the Fokker D.VII fighter, then looked it over. “I have seen flying chariots, they have no propellers or wings, how do they fly?”

“A spell in the wheels, when they turn they generate lift. That’s why they have to start out on the ground.” Fortress Wall explained, the japanese woman quietly pointed to the propeller of the aircraft.

“We could put a wheel between the prop and the engine.” The woman quietly set the model down as Fortress Wall rubbed his chin.

“From what I’ve seen, in order to generate sufficient lift the spell has to be precise, we couldn’t mass produce wheels.” Fortress wall said, then paused. “But… It wouldn’t need to lift the aircraft, that’s why it’s an aircraft… So, what would be the point?”

“Reduce fuel consumption.” The british man said in a bit of a stunned voice. “If we could generate even a small amount of lift, we could drastically increase the range, speed and service ceiling without compromising the maneuverability and stall speed…”

“It would actually reduce the stall speed...But in that case we could use a stronger fighter…” Fortress Wall said as he looked through a couple more blueprints before holding one up. “Something with a bit more bite, as I believe one of the pilots put it.” The Japanese and British scientists looked at the blueprint for a couple seconds. The P-38 Lightning, followed by the P-47 Thunderbolt was just above the threshold for maximum stall speed, but with a wheel-prop modification, it was likely to fall within acceptable range.

“Let’s begin work on prototypes for these modifications, we can use an existing plane to see if the concept is even feasible.” The British man said, rubbing his neck as he began looking for a pen and paper. Fortress Wall quietly made his way over to another work table to start working, knowing that such modifications could also be applied to bombers and possibly even larger aircraft. With those changes the United States could possibly strike targets as far away as Trottingham, at least, in theory. There was a lot of work to be done, as it was clear the Equestrian’s were gearing up for a fight. Fortress didn’t know what else to make of eight military bases on the border other than that.

[♠]

Luna sighed quietly as she sat next to Celestia, looking out at the dance floor of the ballroom and watching Dominic and Maria share a rather awkward dance. Truth be told she wanted to dance with Dominic, but as it stood, she needed a private word with Celestia. The other delegates had gone off to mingle, leaving Celestia and Luna alone at the table. The lunar princess turned to her sister, Celestia was taking a sip from a glass of red wine that was levitated in her magic. Luna waited for her to set the glass down before she spoke, still rather unsure of how to convey her thoughts.

“Celestia…” Luna said, her sister looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “I want to talk to you about something.” Celestia turned in her seat to look at Luna fully, the lunar mare almost felt a bit uncomfortable as a result. “Before Dominic went through the portal… Discord told me what magic was doing to Dominic, and his species.” Celestia raised an eyebrow, but remained quiet as to not interrupt her sister. “They will be extremely long lived, like us.”

“Really?” Celestia asked as she leaned forward to close the gap between her and Luna. “Does he… Do they know?” Luna shook her head quietly, looking out to the dance floor again. “Why haven’t you told them?”

“I fear what will happen when I do.” Luna said quietly, displaying an amount of worry that Celestia rarely ever saw. “Faced with an eternity of nightmares and terror, I… I know Dominic and Maria won’t do anything, but…” Luna leaned back in her seat and levitated Celestia’s glass of wine to her lips, she gulped it down rapidly. “They are like the thestrals, Celestia. I feel I am duty bound to watch over them. I fear telling them this will cause some to do things drastically.”

“Unfortunately we cannot control the actions of others, I’ve learned that the hard way. Perhaps all you need to do is have faith that they’re tougher than you give them credit for.” Celestia replied, she watched her sister set the empty glass of wine down on the table. She was growing more concerned about the American’s now more than ever. Knowing that Luna was assuming a role of guardian that she hadn’t taken in a thousand years filled her with dread, with the princess of the night protecting them the American’s were set to become as powerful as Equestria. Even more powerful, in fact.

Seeing the discussion Dominic had had with the griffons about trade deals made Celestia realize that even if the man didn’t have the resources to build his own fleet, he had the resources to buy one. Griffons were known to have the fastest and best armored airships in the world, and imagining one of them with human weaponry was enough to push Celestia’s fears closer to a prospect she had thought unthinkable. What was more, for both princesses, it felt as though history was repeating itself.

Celestia was forced to recall the Queendom of Thestra, and how she had used her power to wipe it from the planet, much to her regret. Luna was thinking the same thing, but unlike a thousand years ago, she wasn’t going to fail. The two sister’s hated thinking they would have to square off in battle once again, but secretly neither of them were completely surprised. The two of them simultaneously forced the thoughts out of their heads and relaxed, the conversation rapidly moving to the two humans out on the dance floor.

“So, how have things been going?” Celestia asked, watching Dominic and Maria awkwardly dance to a waltz. Luna smiled faintly at their embarrassed blushes, then turned to look at Celestia. “Have the rumors been true? Are you three really a herd?”

“Yes.” Luna replied, Celestia seemed a bit uncertain about her sister’s answer. “It’s not official, we haven’t had any ceremonies… They’re still getting to know each other on a romantic and sexual level…” Celestia’s face went blank at the last part of the sentence, followed by a faint blush that spread across her white cheeks. “Come now sister, we both know that neither of us are as ‘Pure and untouched’ as our subjects believe. I happen to recall a certain bearded wizard…”

“Shhh!” Celestia said, her blush becoming far brighter than before. Luna only chuckled and leaned back in her seat. “I… I know that, but… I don’t really think the Grand Galloping Gala is the time or place to discuss it.” Luna gave her a rather flat look, then began to open her mouth, before stopping and just smiling a shit eating grin. “But while we’re on the subject… Should I have an aid send your collection?”

“No… They aren’t anywhere near ready to see my collection.” Luna said, her own blush starting to creep across her face. “Besides, at the moment there’s no need to spice things up.” Luna watched Maria and Dominic some more, sighing softly. “It’s odd, isn’t it? Here we are, thousands of years old, and yet we’re talking about the subject like teenagers.”

“Well, when we were teenagers everyone and their brother was trying to woo us.” Celestia said as she poured herself another glass of red wine, then a larger glass for Luna. “Now I think ponies are too afraid to approach us, or, me at least.” The two sisters sipped their glasses, still watching the humans as they started to get better at dancing with practice. “Perhaps I should be the one to go looking.” Luna shrugged and went back to watching her herd mates, wondering just what they were talking about.

Dominic and Maria were actually enjoying themselves more than either of them had expected, the dirty looks had abated on the dance floor, and both of them enjoyed being so close to one another. The music was waltz, as it usually was, and thought neither of them really knew how to waltz they were able to pick up on a few techniques from the other ponies on the dance floor.

“I’ve been thinking about that bill I signed…” Dominic said as he held Maria close. “The one that’s basically putting me in office for the foreseeable future…” Maria leaned her head against his shoulder as she listened to his talk. “I think I can maybe do this for another five years at maximum, by then they’ll probably be tired of me.”

“Why’d you bring it up?” Maria asked as they continued to glide around the dance floor, she pulled her head back to look at him. Being so close to him made it possible to see more than a few worry lines, and though he had shaved his head she knew that his hair had started to grey.

“I just thought you’d want to know when you’d have me all to yourself… Well, Luna and you…” Dominic said with a shrug, Maria responded by squeezing his hand.

“I waited four years without you, Dominic. I can wait five years with you.” She smiled and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. “I’ve been doing some thinking myself… About my own future.” Dominic raised an eyebrow at her as they continued to waltz around the room. “I’m hoping to get assigned to the base in New Liberty when the four new bases are complete… I heard rumors they’re building a sniper school.”

“Well they’re true.” Dominic said with a bit of a smile, he brought his hand to Maria’s waist and pulled her a bit closer. “You wouldn’t be averse to leading a platoon, would you Major Valova?” Maria leaned in again, nuzzling Dominic’s cheek with a bit of a smile on her face.

“Of course not, you big dope.” She kissed him again, then went back to her normal stance as they continued to dance. “I can’t believe I’m a Major… I’d always thought that would be your schtick.”

“Well, say the word and you can stop being one.” Dominic said softly, his face briefly conveying worry as he lost step and nearly tripped. “I know the military wasn’t your calling…”

“I thought it wasn’t.” Maria said softly, gently placing her hand on Dominic’s shoulder as they continued to waltz. “But, after what happened with my parents, and losing you… It became the only thing that made sense to me. I see now why you’re so fond of it.” Maria stopped dancing as they were near the edge of the dance floor. “I admit I have options now that I didn’t have in the past, perhaps in five years… I’ll do something else too.” Maria tugged Dominic off the dance floor and off towards a darker corner of the ballroom, there were less guests there and it was quieter. “Dominic…? D-Do you think I’m dangerous?”

“Well, you’re a sniper…” Dominic said with a bit of uncertainty. “But off the battlefield you’re the most loving person I know, next to Luna. You don’t take the shot unless you absolutely have to, I personally think that makes you less dangerous.” The man paused quietly as the two of them leaned against the wall of the ballroom. “Why do you ask?”

“I know you want a family, and… I want one too… But I just get so worried that I’ll… I’ll…” Maria started to shiver, but Dominic quickly pulled her into a tight embrace. “I’m sorry… It’s just, now that the war is over and the infection is so far away… I’ve been overthinking things.”

“You don’t need to worry about anything, Maria…” Dominic said quietly as he let go of her, smiling softly as he exhaled through his nose. “Whenever the time comes I know you’ll be a great mother.” Maria smiled a bit wider and visibly relaxed, the two of them began walking to a nearby door and stepped out onto a balcony that was empty of any other guests. Down below them they could see the lights of Canterlot glowing, Dominic rested his hand on Maria’s shoulder and held her closer. The night had had its problems, but things were starting to look better. Dominic knew that the next day would be filled with work, and so he decided that he’d do his best to enjoy the time with Maria and Luna that he had.

> Chapter 20
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two months had passed since the Grand Galloping Gala, and there was increased tension along the American-Equestrian border. More and more protests were becoming violent, and more troops were being stationed in the numerous bases that lined either side of the border. As had been predicted, the United States had acquired seven Griffon Airships. Five cruisers and two battleships. Their old weaponry was being stripped away and replaced with normal cannons and what were now being called ‘Augmented Tech’ weapons. Fusions of human technology and pony magic.

The experiments on the aircraft engines proved successful, and as a result the United States focussed on building planes like the B-17, the P-47 and the P-38. Though they maintained their biplanes for close air support and search and rescue. Four military bases were constructed along the border, corresponding with four Sectors of Defense. Two of them were strictly ground operations, while two more doubled as air and ground facilities. All of it was making people on both sides of the border uneasy, but neither one was going to allow the other to have an advantage over the other.

For Dominic, it was all something he hoped he was wasting his time on. As time had gone by he had managed to find people to delegate various tasks to, his workload had lessened considerably, but at his heart he would much rather have been marching with his brothers in arms than working in a political field. His office gave him a good view of Fort Errant’s sniper school, and he had taken to keeping a pair of binoculars near the window. As he would watch the sunset he would pick them up and look out, and sure enough he would find himself looking out at the beautiful face of Maria. She had taken to letting her hair grow long again, meanwhile he had continued to keep his head shaved.

Dominic had also started using more of his free time to start learning about airplanes, his father had always insisted that he lead by example, and what better example was their than for him to be up in the sky with his men. It was a principle that had driven him to be a tank commander, and now he was learning to be a pilot. Maria meanwhile was teaching young men and women the keys to performing as a sniper, her platoon had started out hating her for her ruthlessness, but had come to love her for her devotion to them.

Luna, for her part, was just happy that things were going alright in terms of the country and the refugees from Earth. A steady stream of them was coming through the portal, and with them came more and more technology to be reverse engineered and studied. Already there were planes that had advancements lightyears ahead of their time thanks to a mix of magic and human knowledge. Things seemed alright, generally speaking, at least on the American side of the border. Meanwhile, in Canterlot, things were far from alright.

Princess Celestia sat in quiet amazement as she looked at pictures that had been taken by her agents in the New United States, her worst fear had been realized, the Americans now had access to airships. What was more, they were mounting them with the most powerful weapons in their arsenal, the Equestrian high command had dubbed them ‘City Killers’. Her office was quiet, save for the sound of a ticking clock on the wall, three nervous Equestrian generals stood in front of her with silent concern etched across their faces.

“Your highness, we’re growing continually further behind them technologically speaking, and from how it looks…” One of the generals began to say, watching Celestia quietly look over the pictures again. “They’re set to overtake us in military strength within the next year.” Celestia was faced with a scary proposition. Equestria had been the world's foremost military power for over a thousand years, through it’s sheer size the nation was able to influence politics without resorting to force of arms. Celestia had hoped that would be the same case with the NUS, that Luna would intervene before they got too big.

“With all due respect, Princess, it’s time to face facts.” Said another one of the generals in the room, the bravest one of them if Celestia had to guess. She knew what he was about to say, but she let him say it anyway. “Discord, Sombra, Nightmare Moon… All of them happened because you neglected to intervene before it was too late. We were able to stop them, but only barely. I am not as confident we can stop the American’s.” Celestia’s eyes shifted over to the final general, the stallion she trusted most highly of her command. General Powderkeg, while hot tempered, was a realist.

“What say you, General?” She asked quietly, almost afraid to hear his answer. The general walked closer to the desk, adjusted the tie of his uniform, and then cleared his throat.

“Your highness, they’re right. We need to understand that this isn’t like the Zebras and Minotaurs where we can sit them down and threaten to sanction them, they aren’t reliant on us for trade, and we aren’t separated by an ocean..” Powder Keg said with a solemn tone in his voice. “We need to get out in front of this thing. Even if you think their President is a good man, he’s also the president. He has to put the good of his citizens ahead of ours. We need to do the same.”

“What would be the ultimate goal, General? If we did what you’re suggesting...” Celestia asked as she leaned back in her seat, her heart fluttering quietly. Powder Keg looked to the two generals beside him, then back at the Princess, his face had a seriousness to it that she’d never seen on the stallion’s face before.

“Ma’am we should strive for nothing less than the complete occupation and integration of the New United States, their industrial and technological might would make us the most powerful nation in the world for the next thousand years.” The General said quietly, Celestia looked at the three of them, then at her desk, then back at the generals. Her heart was racing rapidly in her chest, she knew that her airships were already at anchor in Canterlot, they could mobilize and be on their way in a matter of hours.

“Leave me… I must think.” Celestia finally muttered, the generals nodded and left the room. When Celestia heard the door close she relaxed, seconds later she began crying. It was more than a war over land, or ideology, she knew that if she went to war with the American’s she would be alienating her sister once again. At the same time, she had no idea what kind of things were running through Dominic’s head. For all she knew he was having the same conversation with his generals, and as much as she thought he was good for Luna, she also knew that he had ambitions and the means to make those ambitions reality.

Celestia shook her head quietly, with her heart of hearts she wanted to believe that Dominic wasn’t a threat. Realistically though, he was the youngest head of state in the world, and he hadn’t ever finished high school. Though he made no attempt to hide those facts, it still concerned Celestia. At the same time she worried that perhaps she was subconsciously fearful of something else, the United States was set to dominate the global political stage, even with it’s small size. Already the Minotaurs and Griffons were starting to divert more and more of their trade to the United States, the Equestrian economy was starting to stumble.

The solar princess stood up from her chair and walked to the window, she looked to the south and sighed. It fascinated and terrified her to know that the American’s had an aircraft that could very well fly to Canterlot and back without stopping, and that that aircraft could do great harm to the ponies in the city. That was a power she felt shouldn’t be held by one nation, it was wrong to use fear as a weapon, the human tactic of ‘Shock and Awe’ was one such tactic that Celestia couldn’t wrap her head around. Ironically though, it would take such tactics to win a war with the New United States. She’d seen preliminary plans, a surprise attack with airships bombarding New Liberty.

Celestia was beginning to lose her hold on the world, she would be unable to influence it and keep the peace if her nation was replaced by the New United States as the world’s strongest super power. She hated to admit it, but she was also angry. She had taken thousands of years to build her country up to its status as the strongest, and yet a micro nation with only one major city was usurping that position. It felt like the only two allies she had left were the Zebras and the Crystal Empire. Meanwhile America had the Changelings, the Griffons, and quite soon they would even possibly have the Minotaurs on their side.

The princess sighed quietly, then turned back to her desk and looked over the documents that the generals had left. The airships she saw were just as terrifying as she had imagined, heavily armored, with rotating turrets, the picture depicted them being fitted with American engines, something that would make them faster than her own ships. As she sat in her seat she rubbed her temples, it would take her a long time to sort out all the thoughts in her head.

[♠]

The Occisor house was quiet, very quiet, not even the sound of a clock ticking dared to break the peacefulness that reigned over the residence. Despite that quietness, the house was not unoccupied. The light smell of incense filled the air, the drapes over the windows were closed, and not a single light was on. Seated on the floor of the living room was Dominic, Maria and Luna. Each of them had their eyes closed, though Maria seemed a bit more antsy than her two companions. Luna lacked her regalia, and both Dominic and Maria were dressed simply in fatigue pants, boots, and undershirts.

Maria had started to join Luna and Dominic in their meditation sessions, she had expressed interest in following the path of the Lunar Warrior that both Dominic and Luna followed, and part of that was training her mind to be completely calm. It was easier said than done, but having the one’s she loved walking the path with her made it less scary. Dominic, for his part, was glad to have someone to share his meditation time with other than Luna. It felt like they were all starting to come together, and in a way they were. Luna could sense the energy of Maria and Dominic next to her far better than she had before, even with their magic resistant bodies she could still see glimpses of their spirits and mind.

Luna had tried on numerous occasions to extend her magic during the meditation, to link their minds together in a way that had never been thought possible before. The glimpses of their spirits that she saw were incredible, powerful masses of energy that swirled with a light an intensity that only a mind’s eye could see. She could see that despite all that had happened to them, all they had endured, they were still far more powerful in spirit than most ponies. In her younger days she would have been jealous, but now all she felt was awe.

Dominic’s mind was more focussed on the things he dealt with in life, the stress of his job often times became the subject of every meditation, he did his best to work through what his waking mind couldn’t. Despite that effort, he just couldn’t purge the stress completely, it proved to be far too much for him to compartmentalize. However, as time went on and his meditation went deeper he could feel Luna’s presence. It had been an odd sensation at first, seeing Luna’s magic and spirit through meditation often left him with fleeting glimpses of her own thoughts.

As time moved onwards and the silent contemplation continued, Dominic felt a bit of confidence in himself. As he continued to meditate he felt himself tapping more into the area around him, it was always a head rush, but he assumed that it was happening because of practice. If he exercised his perceptive abilities then they were bound to become stronger, though he also supposed that maybe he body was starting to finally acclimate to Equestria. Whatever the cause, it gave him comfort to know that there seemed to be something bigger than himself in the vast void of the universe.

“Students…” Luna’s voice cut through the silence like a sword, neither Dominic or Maria spoke. “Begin.” Without saying a word Dominic and Maria’s eyes opened, the two of them stood up and took up a combative stance across from one another. The living room had been cleared of any furniture, there was nothing to be broken, still Luna kept her eyes closed. Both Maria and Dominic approached each other quietly, Maria was the first to throw a jab. Dominic ducked to the side and returned with a restrained punch to Maria’s chest, it was sparring after all, he wasn’t about to hit her full force.

As Luna heard them grunt and swing at each other she could feel their thoughts radiating, a soft smile crossed her lips as the two of them suddenly came to a draw. They panted softly, as Luna opened her eyes she could see both of them had their hands inches from the other’s throat. The two of them looked at Luna once more, then slowly lowered their hands. Luna stood from her spot on the floor, both Maria and Dominic looked at her in anticipation. Seconds later she lashed out, once again restraining herself for the sake of sparring, the two of them ducked. What ensued next was impressive to the mare, both Dominic and Maria silently dodging and moving in tandem as they had been trained, before finally it all came to a halt. Another draw, this time with both Maria and Dominic’s hands close to Luna’s throat while her hooves were inches from theirs.

“Impressive…” Luna said softly, smiling as she looked at Maria. “Most impressive.” The three of them relaxed, the smoke of the incense whirling around the room due to the amount of wind that had been generated by their rapid movements. “You’re learning quickly, Maria…”

“Thank you, Luna.” Maria replied quietly as she watched Luna’s horn glow, the drapes quickly opened and the room was bathed in the sunlight of the outdoors. “I really appreciate you teaching me, I feel so much better now…” Luna smiled faintly as she approached both Dominic and Maria, her wings extending to wrap around both of them.

“Anything for you, dear…” Luna said softly as she hugged them with her wings. “It is time that I begin to rebuild the order of Lunar Knights, so far Dominic is the only member, but soon you will join him, and then… Others that seem promising.” The three of them quietly looked out the window at the growing city in the distance, in the sky it was possible to see the looming shapes of the newly acquired airships. Their crew’s were primarily made up of griffons, as many griffon’s knew how to operate airships of that design. Dominic smiled quietly as he saw the two battleships, they were currently being outfitted with the largest cannons the NUS had ever built. Nothing too heavy, because they were airships after all, but they certainly weren’t popguns either.

The two battleships had been dubbed the ‘Colossus’ and the ‘Cyclops’, Dominic hadn’t had anything to do with it, but the newly formed Naval Air Corps had figured that would be a nice touch. They had been assigned the prefix ‘USS’ to keep the tradition alive, Dominic was glad that things were starting to look up in the world. For once he felt the threat of invasion was behind him.

“Nice view, isn’t it?” Dominic finally said, he had taken to being more silent during the training sessions. Luna and Maria looked at him for a couple seconds before nodding, he could see the sparks of welders in the distance as the twelve inch guns were being put in place. Unlike normal cannons, they would fire using augmented magic-propellent charges to reduce the risk of an explosion if the powder magazine was hit. “I actually prefer the view from the back porch…”

It took them a couple minutes to move all the furniture back where it belonged, once that was done Dominic made his way through the kitchen to the back porch. He only paused briefly to grab a  beer from the fridge, then went to the back porch by himself. Luna and Maria had noticed he’d been spending a great deal of time there, looking out over the vast and untouched desert that made up his proverbial backyard. In fact it was the nation’s first and only state park, not that many people visited it.

“Is he okay?” Maria asked Luna as they sat on the couch, she couldn’t take her eyes off the back door. Luna paused for a couple seconds, then slowly shook her head.

“He’s been under more pressure than ever lately. It’s easy to run a country when everything is already built and set up, but when you have to do it from scratch…” Luna trailed off, looking back to Maria with a slight smile. “I take it you’ve never seen him act this way before?”

“Well… Once.” Maria admitted as she leaned against the soft fur of Luna, bringing her feet up onto the couch to relax as best she could. “His mom and dad were on pretty rough terms, they almost split.” Maria looked to the back door again, she couldn’t see Dominic through the window, but she could guess what he was doing. “That’s… Actually the first time I ever saw him break down. It was scary, he just sort of crumpled to the floor and started blaming himself.”

“He takes far too much onto his shoulders.” Luna said softly, she extended a wing over Maria and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “You do too, Maria.” The woman looked at Luna with a raised eyebrow, uncertain of what the alicorn meant. “You don’t think I notice how late it is when you sneak into bed?”

“I know…” Maria said with a bit of guilt in her voice. “I just want my guys to make it, the skills I train them to use are what’s supposed to keep them alive in the field.” Luna sighed softly, relaxing her wing as Maria nuzzled into her side. “You’re right though, I should start coming home sooner.” Maria watched Luna’s face for a couple seconds, noticing a rather nervous look to the mare’s eyes. “What’s up with you?”

“I… I’m not sure.” She replied, placing a hoof to her temple. “I occasionally sense the emotions of the other alicorns, and, one of them seems to be lamenting something. I can’t tell who it is though.” The mare relaxed after a couple seconds, then looked back at Maria. “They must truly be thinking of something difficult if I can sense it from so far away.”

“I hope it’s nothing to worry about…” Maria said quietly, relaxing against the mare as she tried to think of ways to make Dominic feel better. There were obvious ways, but she wanted something long term as opposed to short term.

[♠]

Johnny quietly sighed as he sat behind his desk, shining his handgun as his associates stood quietly throughout his office. He had come to a decision, for the sake of Jen and for their future family he would give up his life of crime. He would commit fully to being a man who enforced the law rather than broke it, but before he could do that there was a tiny matter that needed to be attended to. At the moment, that matter was trembling and tied up on the floor of the office, a plastic tarp laid out underneath them. Don Minestrone of the Manehattan crime family, and due to the attempt on Johnny’s life, the only remaining member of said family.

“You know… It didn’t have to be like this, Minestrone.” Johnny said as he stood up from his chair and walked around his desk, the gagged unicorn looking up at him with fear as he held the shiny handgun casually. “You could’ve just gone your own way, I could’ve gone mine, and my fiance wouldn’t have had to see your hamfisted attempt on my life.” Johnny knelt down and rested the gun against the stallion’s head, his expression cold and unmerciful. “Even then, if she hadn’t seen it, it probably wouldn’t have escalated to this point. Fifteen enforcers, three under bosses, two capos, all four of your sons.” The man watched the dark green stallion begin to cry as the gun was placed against his head with a bit more force. “But you made her fear for her life, and that I cannot forgive. You understand why I had to do this now?”

“Look, the cocksucker pissed himself!” One of the men standing in the shadows said, causing the other’s to chuckle. Johnny remained stone faced as he stared deep into the eyes of Minestrone.

“This is just a message to every other crew out there that thinks they can fuck with Johnny Gambino.” Johnny said firmly. “Think they’ll get it?” Minestrone began to nod rapidly, the man frowned softly before he pulled the trigger. The tarp did its job, catching the blood, among other things, before it could seep into the carpet. Johnny stood up and commenced to wiping down the gun one final time, he proceeded to toss the shiny weapon down with the corpse. “Bury him out in the desert…”

“Sure thing, boss.” Oregano said as he started walking towards the body, Johnny quietly took off his suit jacket and tossed it into a trash bin, his associates watched in silence as he also took off his pants and shoes.

“And have those chucked in the incinerator.” Johnny ordered before taking a seat in his office chair, clad only in his boxers and undershirt. As the others quietly went about carrying out his orders, Johnny thought more about Jen, his muse and his guide to a better path in life. He had finally thrown down his gun, and soon his ‘organization’ would be folded into the New United States Government. Dominic had laid down the law relatively clear in a meeting that neither of them would ever acknowledge happened. The mafioso could recall the President’s words very clearly.

”Finish whatever feud you’re having, or I’ll finish it for you.” Johnny could still hear the serious tone echo through his mind, and unlike many other politicians, Dominic was untouchable. Now that the feud had ended, Johnny and his organization would become the first Civil Police Force of New Liberty. It was either become the law, or be hunted by the law, and thankfully all those under his command saw fit to join him in his endeavor. What scared Johnny was that somehow Dominic knew about the feud with Manehattan when it seemed that no one in Equestria’s government seemed to be even aware of it.

Johnny sighed as his office became empty, he looked to a letter that had been sitting on his desk since the conversation. He knew once he opened it he’d be under the jurisdiction of the government, and so he would have to wait until Minestrone had been taken care of before he opened it. Still, it opened up a door that Johnny was willing to enter, for Jen he would do anything. She’d already convinced him to give up smoking and drinking, and now it seemed she’d gotten him to give up killing for money. The date of their wedding was only a couple days away, it had been delayed since the feud had started, but finally he and Jen would be joined in the eyes of the church.

Of course, before then he’d have to visit a priest to give confession, he wanted to go into the marriage with a clean slate. Johnny didn’t doubt for a second that he could be absolved, after all, he was taking an honorable path. Oddly enough he didn’t feel bad for killing so many criminals, or perhaps it just hadn’t sunken in yet. Whatever the reason, he had a feeling he would be getting a visit from his conscience fairly soon. Overhead he could hear the drone of planes, most likely P-38s or P-47s, they’d been rushed into service as soon as they could be produced. He didn’t like to think about them ever seeing action, but something told him that the Equestrians were far more dangerous than many gave them credit for. 

A thousand years was a long time to bottle up warlike tendancies.



D4
> Chapter 21
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

General Powderkeg of the Princess’ high command quietly dismounted a military chariot, his desert uniform already beginning to be covered in sand. He had been sent to Fort Hurricane on the border of the New United States, sealed in his saddlebags was a briefcase that had been locked with a special spell. The base was the largest of the eight that had been constructed, and had a large compliment of nearly a ten thousand Royal Guards. Many of them were Solar Elites, and they had very few doubts about why they had been assigned to the base.

Not twenty miles away was Doolittle Aerodrome, an American military base, and one of the largest ones on the border. Powderkeg was cautious when he heard faint buzzing in the distance, his eyes turning to the southwest. Sure enough there was an airplane skirting the border, he could see figures hanging from the wings, and judging by the brief flare of a lense it appeared at least one of them had binoculars. The general sighed, it seemed the American’s were unwavering in their observation of the Equestrian military. Without paying the plane any more thought he began trotting towards the building of the base commander, he was glad to see the soldiers were going about their usual business as he passed the numerous barracks.

The olive drab stallion quietly reached the office without much incident, totally aware that the documents he carried with him were likely the most important pieces of paper he had ever laid his hooves on. Meanwhile, as the general made his way to the commander’s office, the  aircraft on the border began to make a second pass.

Rainbow Dash didn’t like what she was seeing as the camera clicked once again, she had caught pictures of an Equestrian general entering the base unannounced. What was more, it seemed that he was more interested in getting to the commander’s office than enforcing normal  standards. Half the stallions he had walked past failed to salute, those that did had done so lethargically. Anything that kept a general from chewing out that many insubordinate soldiers was something to be concerned about, at least in the opinion of the young American Lieutenant.

Things had been growing more and more tense on the border, despite Princess Celestia stating that she would reduce the number of troops on the border. Then again, she had at first, but now they were slowly being brought back. It didn’t take a genius to guess that something was stirring, and that had been why so many recon flights had been ordered. Unbeknownst to the Equestrians,Rainbow Dash and regular American’s in general, there had even been B-17’s that flew over the border. Hidden by their sheer altitude, they were able to catch snapshots of growing troop numbers, equipment depots, and training exercises.

In response, the American’s had also been stepping up their drills and arms production. Rainbow Dash was finding herself seeing Equestria in a different light, and it was starting to scare her. Gone was the innocent and naive thoughts that her homeland could do no wrong, watching the militarization of an entire border had thoroughly dashed that notion. More and more she saw the soldiers in the Equestrian base as potential enemies.

“Fuck, look at all those queasies.” Gilda said over the helmet comms, she was hanging from the same wing as Rainbow Dash and had originally called out the General when she sighted him through her binoculars. There were hundreds of Equestrian regulars, known more commonly as Queasies, going about workout exercises and weapons drills on the base in the distance. ”Command isn’t gonna like this.”

“I don’t like it either.” Rainbow Dash replied with a scowl as she snapped another photo. “At least they were stupid enough to build their base so close to our border.”

”Perhaps that was the point, Lieutenant?” Boris said as he looked over from the cockpit, the human’s accent was a bit lighter than it had been in the past. Rainbow and Gilda looked towards their pilot for a couple seconds, then back to the base in the distance. ”We are focussing so strongly on these eight bases, da? What if that is what they want us to do?”

”Why would they want that?” Gilda asked, there was a grim chuckle from the Russian as he leveled off to give them a better view. Rainbow Dash didn’t like the sound of his chuckle, and she had a feeling neither did Gilda, he was probably going to lay down some sort of human story.

”Operation Fortitude. It was ruse by the allies during great patrio- I mean second world war.” Boris explained as the Rainbow Dash and Gilda’s attention was drawn away from the base, both of them looking towards the pilot. ”To convince Nazis that D-Day invasion was to come from Pas de Calais, allies station fake armies in view for the enemy to see… And now there is a big general arriving, much like General Patton did in Fortitude…” The young man quietly looked at his instruments, adjusting his flight cap in the process. ”Those that do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, or so I hear.”

“You’re startin’ to scare me, Boris.” Rainbow Dash said, watching through her binoculars at the Equestrians down on the ground. They obviously were real, they weren’t ‘fake’, but then again, Equestria had Royal Guards to spare. It was possible that the soldiers massing on the border were just reservists, that the real army was somewhere else, but Rainbow couldn’t think of any possible place. “Do you think the big man knows what’s going on?”

”He is not so dumb as Equestrian’s think, that is for sure.” Boris said quietly as he leaned back in the seat of the aircraft, the biplane turned and began coming around for another pass by the military base. ”Equestrian’s are not so dumb either, and I think he knows this as well. There will be something soon, of this I am certain.”

“You gotta speak so cryptically?” Rainbow Dash asked incredulously, Boris chuckled softly but said nothing.

[♠]

Luna giggled softly as she sat at the dining room table with Dominic and Maria, they had a pair of Thestral children’s books out in front of them. The room was warm from the desert sun outside, despite a couple spells that Luna had used to cool the air. The faint smell of garlic hung in the air, the product of the night’s previous meal of spaghetti. Dominic was reading the book with a bit more ease than Maria was, but then again, he had been learning and using Thestralese a lot more than the sniper had. The Princess was glad to teach her herd mates the language of the thestrals, it was one of many chances that she got to bond with them.

Dominic was onto novels for young adults, in Thestralese he had reached an eighth grade level. Maria was a bit further behind, still reading books for younger colts and fillies. She wasn’t complaining though, even if she stumbled over a couple words here or there, Luna was there to guide her through the parts she didn’t understand.

“Dieses Geheimnis ist wirklich schlecht.” Dominic said, doing his best to stick to Thestralese. Luna had made it clear that using English during their teaching sessions was forbidden. “Es ist offensichtlich, dass der Butler den Herzog getötet.” The story he was reading was rather predictable, he had figured it would be the butler from the beginning of the book, just off the top of his head.

“Luna, what is… Wait! Sorry.” Maria began, only to pause and clear her throat. “Was ist ein ‘Kaniiinchenbau’?” Maria asked, looking to Luna and gesturing to the book. Luna looked at the book for a moment, then she quietly laughed.

“Das ist ein Druckfehler.” Luna said, clarifying the word was infact a misprint. Maria smiled faintly, glad that she had only messed up because of a misprint. Truth be told, she prefered Thestralese to English, it made her feel like she had more of a cultural identity. Of course, mentioning things about identity in Post-EOL America was frowned upon. “Es ist ein Loch für ein Kaninchen.” The lunar princess sighed quietly as she watched the two of them, despite their differences as a species, Luna found them adorable in a sense. They were young, and despite their history, naive in the ways of relationships. Even so many months after starting their herd.

Luna was about to speak when there was a frantic knock on the door, Dominic stood up and walked out of the room to answer it. Maria and Luna could hear him speaking with someone for a couple seconds, followed by a sigh, before they heard him walking back to the dining room. The man had grabbed his peaked cap and was tightening his sword belt, Luna and Maria could already tell he would be departing, likely for some reason regarding their neighbors to the north.

“I have to go und deal with a problem, shouldn’t take me too long… Set a plate for me, bitte.” He said, Luna could see the tired look on his face despite him trying to hide it. What was more, his accent had become a bit more pronounced, indicating he wasn’t as focussed on correcting it as he usually was. “Auf wiedersehen, die meine lieben.”

“Auf wiedersehen.” Maria and Luna said simultaneously, smiling faintly and waving as Dominic gave them both a peck on the cheek. As he moved out of sight once more Luna heard Maria sigh, she closed her book and rubbed her temples as the front door close.

“Ugh… I wish your sister would stop.” Maria said quietly, choosing to drop the use of Thestralese to better convey her thoughts. “I hate seeing him so tired…” Luna nodded as she extended a wing to pat Maria on the shoulder, she used her magic to levitate the books they’d been reading into a neat pile before leaning back in her seat. “Guess our lesson’s over for the day, what do you want to do? It’s just you and me it seems, I don’t have to be at the base for a while.”

“Hmm…” Luna hummed, smiling at Maria with a glint in her eye. “We could talk a bit more about your dreams?” Maria looked a bit perplexed, only causing Luna to smile a bit more. “Come now, you and I both know that not every dream you have is a nightmare. It’s just as important to talk about good dreams as it is to talk about bad ones.” Maria nodded and leaned back in her seat, looking towards one of the windows out at the sandy desert behind the house.

“Well, lately I’ve been getting chased a lot less in them, and… Sometimes I actually have a pretty hot one, which is nice…” Maria said, she blushed faintly as she looked toward the table. “To be honest, I’m kinda nervous to talk about those though, I don’t want people to think I’m a perv.” Luna giggled softly as she steepled her hooves.

“Maria, I am over a thousand years old. You know well enough if anyone in this herd is a perv it’s me.” Luna boasted, leaning against the table to watch the human grin softly. Once again Luna found the blushing human adorable, and as Maria twirled a bit hair with her finger she could only continue to feel that affection. “How about this? You tell me what you’re curious about, and I’ll share one of my secrets with you.” Luna and Maria had had similar conversations in the past, usually Maria opted to just stop, and they rarely ever delved into the woman’s curiosity. This time, however, Luna noticed a bit more confidence in Maria’s eyes.

“Well, okay…” The woman mused, she adjusted her tank top and leaned her elbows on the table. “You remember the first time all three of us… You know?” Maria asked, Luna nodded and smiled faintly. “Well, every time we’ve done that since you’ve always been kinda… Incharge. The dreams I’ve had are a bit different.” Maria blushed deeply as Luna began to grin like a cheshire cat. “When I’m in the bedroom I never seem to have the confidence I have when I’m in the field.”

“You want to be a bit more dominant?” Luna asked, Maria nodded quietly. “Understandable, you’ve had so much of your life controlled in the past five years, it makes sense you would want to take a bit of that control back.” Luna extended a wing over Maria and used it to slide her, and her chair, closer. “I think you’re also still worried about me, right? That I’m only in this herd for Dominic?” Maria hesitated for several brief seconds, then nodded slowly. “In the beginning, maybe that was so…” Luna nuzzled Maria and held her a bit tighter. “That was before I got to know you better, and before I learned to see what Dominic sees in you. You and I love him, but I love you too. That’s what a herd is about, after all. Mutual love.”

“I love you too, Luna.” Maria said, leaning up and kissing the alicorn on the muzzle before blushing and pulling away. The woman was far more hesitant to show her affection towards Luna, perhaps because she was nervous. “I’m sorry if I don’t show it as much, it’s just weird since we’re both… You know… Girls. I never really thought of myself that way before, liking other girls, I mean… Sorry… I’m rambling.”

“And looking absolutely adorable in the process.” Luna said good naturedly, she gave Maria a kiss of her own before relaxing her wing. “If you’re really curious, I perhaps could teach you a few things I’ve picked up over the centuries.” Maria blushed brighter than a tomato at that, then giggled nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. “I’ll let you have some time to think, but if you decide you want to assert yourself more… Well, you know where my room is.”

Luna stood up quietly and walked away, leaving the blushing Maria to herself. She sat in her chair for what felt like an eternity, tapping her fingers against the wood of the table as her mind raced with thoughts and possibilities. Finally Maria stood up and made herself out of the dining room, up the steps to Luna’s room.

[♠]

Dominic quietly groaned as he stood in the War Room of Fort Errant, rubbing his stubbly chin as he looked at a map on the table. The latest reports put at least twenty thousand troops massing on the border, and a high ranking general in the largest military base. Not just any General either, intelligence reports indicated it was none other than General Powderkeg. Dominic had read the stallion’s works when he first started trying to modernize Equestria’s military, and he knew the General to be an aggressive risk taker. That wasn’t what had him worried though, the Equestrians had at least thirty thousand more troops available to them, and so far he couldn’t seem to find them anywhere.

There were worries that perhaps the border massing was a ruse, that the attack would come from somewhere else. For instance, the Changeling-American border. Changelings maintained their land with the aid of the American Military, but there border was nowhere near as ready to stop an invading army as the New United States was. Dominic could see a chance for a possible flanking maneuver, with Equestria steamrolling over Changeling defenders and marching in from the western border.

The man had been pushing his scientists lately to find a way to move troops rapidly if that was the case, but as it stood he knew they were busy with something that could prove just as important. Augmented weaponry was the wave of the future, they were working on a vehicle mounted weapon that could suppress Equestrian battle formations as well as clear the skies of enemy flyers. Now that they had built up their numbers of more modern aircraft, Fort Errant had installed a runway. The other military installations had followed suit, creating their landing surfaces with rapid efficiency. Even with fighters and bombers, Dominic knew there would also be a need for a different kind of aircraft. He had placed an order with one of the aircraft manufacturers to begin construction of regular Huey helicopters and Huey gunships to support them.

As the American population continued to grow into the hundreds of thousands so to did its military, more and more Thestrals were pouring into the country and enlisting. For the moment  Dominic was more focussed on keeping an eye on his flanks. As the officers in the War Room continued on their daily business Dominic’s fingers nervously drummed against the map table, he was trying to figure out just where the Equestrians could be keeping their other soldiers. The man quietly turned away from the table and walked towards a screen that was displaying information from the border, they had managed to construct a crude sort of radar based off of magic rather than regular radio waves.

“We’ve been focussed on the Equestrian’s this whole time, it’s time we also start looking at their allies.” General Bulwark’s voice caught Dominic’s attention, he looked over at the thestral stallion. There were a couple other UN officers there, though they had started wearing NUS uniforms rather than their old Earth uniforms. “Providentia reports the Crystal Empire’s military has been running more drills lately, but nothing to indicate that they would be gearing up for invasion.”

“Perhaps that’s because they wouldn’t be invading.” One of the Generals, a Frenchman by the name of Labeau, commented. Dominic walked back to the map where the Generals had started to lay out their thoughts. “The Crystal Empire is a puppet state, correct?” Bulwark and Dominic nodded. “They wouldn’t need to be part of the invading army, they could be brought in to serve as an occupation force.”

“What’s our worst case scenario look like?” Dominic asked as his eyes looked over the map, remaining focussed on the numerous Equestrian troops mustered along the border.

“If they were able to penetrate past the four bases we’d be in trouble.” Bulwark explained, Dominic quietly rubbed his chin in thought. “That is, if they could get ground forces past them. Air forces are a different story.” The man watched Bulwark gesture to a couple points on the map, he had had this conversation before, but he wanted to be sure he had covered as many angles of attack as possible. “Our heavy airships are still being fitted with new weapons and engines, as well as one of the cruisers. That leaves the Equestrian’s with six heavy vessels, to our four medium ones. Granted, we have them outgunned and outpaced, but they’re slower and more maneuverable.”

“If they could manage to slip past our bases they would be likely to come directly to New Liberty.” Bulwark continued as Dominic watched his hoof move over the map, his expression was stoic though internally he was screaming. “From there they could bombard our factories and fuel storage, and if we lose that fuel stockpile we lose our ability for a counter offensive.” Dominic quietly looked at the Generals, then back at the map.

“What would we have to fear from the Zebras?” Dominic asked as he looked at the Zebrican nation. Bulwark quietly looked at the map before he picked up a dossier off a nearby desk and opened it.

“If we shared a border with them they would be one of the first places we would retaliate against.” General Lebeau said darkly as he looked at the file in Bulwark’s possession, Dominic was giving his generals his undivided attention. “The Equestrians have been supplying them with weapons for years, it’s helped keep their economy afloat and the zebras see it as a way of being quasi-Equestrian.” The general laid the file out on the table for Dominic to see. “They can supply the Equestrians with the food to feed an army, that would cut down on the Equestrian need to ration food, and therefore more public support for a war.”

Dominic quietly sighed, his eyes drifting from the file on the Zebras to Canterlot on the map. The man picked up the file and looked it over, then set it aside and rubbed his head.

“Notify Fortress Wall to cease work on his current transport dilemma, I want his full focus on the Reaper Cannon.” Dominic ordered as he rubbed his chin. “See the UN Blueprint archive and recover the designs for…” The man paused as he closed his eyes in thought, he couldn’t recall the name. “Fuck, I almost had it… General Labeau, what was the plane the allies used to drop paratroopers in Normandy?”

“Douglas C-47 Skytrain.” Labeau replied, Dominic let out a sigh as he realised how close he had been in his thoughts.

“Thanks. As I was saying to General Bulwark, have the archivists drag up the designs for the C-47 and have our factories start building them. Not too many, two hundred outta do it.” Dominic ordered, Bulwark nodded again as he wrote the orders down on a sheet of paper. “If they can land troops behind our lines, I want to be able to land troops behind theirs. General Labeau, see if you can find any sky divers or anyone with experience parachuting. They don’t need to be military, they just need to know enough to train people.” The generals nodded quietly as they got their orders, making their way out of the war room.

Dominic quietly looked to the map again, then sighed as he rubbed his eyes. His hopes for peace were being dashed, and he wasn’t about to watch his nation fall again. He wouldn’t watch another one of his cities burn, he would not stand idly by as everything he had built was destroyed. If Equestria wanted a war, he would give it a war. He would dictate the terms of peace in Canterlot Castle or not at all. The man shook his head and walked to a radio that had been set up in the War Room, he quietly adjusted the knobs to a frequency that only a handful of people knew. A direct link to Princess Celestia’s office in Canterlot, he only hoped there was someone listening.

“Mountain Palace, this is November Lima.” Dominic said quietly as he looked at a couple more screens, there was still nothing of note being detected by the arcane sensors. A couple seconds passed before Dominic heard the click of a radio on the other side of the frequency.

”Receiving you, November Lima.” Celestia’s voice replied, Dominic sighed softly at that and leaned against the desk. ”To what occasion do I owe this talk, Mister President?” The princess said in a diplomatic tone, Dominic supposed that was a good start. He cleared his throat before clicking the microphone down.

“I’m calling to ask why you have thirty thousand troops on my border.” Dominic said plainly, figuring it would be best to get right to the point. “A lot of people here are getting antsy about that, I know Luna’s one of them.” There was a pause on the other side of the radio, Dominic’s eyes continued flicking over the screens, still nothing of note.

“We’re just trying to reduce the number of incidents between protesters and your border patrol, unfortunately there’s just been more than we could handle with our agreed upon guard numbers.” Celestia replied, she sounded honest enough, but Dominic hadn’t survived the Outbreak because he took everything with a grain of salt. Celestia was a politician, as much as she denied it, and Dominic absolutely hated politicians.

“That’s the official line?” Dominic asked flatly, once again their was a pause on the other end of the radio. “Look, Princess Celestia, I’ve been upholding our deal the best I can. The max amount of bases was four, the max number of troops was ten thousand. I’ve had to increase our presence there because of your increased presence.” There wasn’t a reply from the other end once again. “Damn it, Celestia! Having so many weapons in a place like that is inherently dangerous! Wars have started that way!”

”I understand your concern, Mister President.” Celestia said in an all too calm voice, as if she was trying to conceal something else. Dominic thought he heard dread in her tone, but he didn’t call her on it. She was Luna’s sister after all, he could trust her enough to know she wouldn’t lie to him. Couldn’t he? ”Goodbye. The hurried response caused Dominic to scowl and set the radio microphone down on the desk. The man turned and walked back to the map, meanwhile numerous other lower ranking officers continued to look over the screens and readouts from the Arcane sensors.

[♠]

Jack quietly smiled as he looked over his new aircraft, the P-38 Lightning was painted in the usual desert tan with light blue under the wings. It depicted his victory marks against the few EOL pilots he had squared off with during the war, as well as a picture of a ghoulish figure wearing a black robe and carrying a scythe. The words ‘Crypt Keeper’ were painted in a similar ghoulish fashion below the image. Parked next to his aircraft was Sarah’s own P-38, the woman was a tad busy polishing one of the machine guns mounted in the nose. The five pilots that had started the Air Corps with Operation Sky Sabre had been formed into a Squadron that now had twenty pilots in its ranks. Half flew P-38s, the other half flew P-47s.

For Jack it felt like his ship had finally come in, there were more people around, and he found himself feeling more at home. He and his squadron had been reassigned to Doolittle Aerodrome, as well as a couple FASTs and even two airships. The sun was shining brightly as he climbed up onto one of the wings and laid down, basking in the sun like a reptile and enjoying the noise of the air base. Not too far away he could see the airships that had already been refitted with human technology, resting on the ground with their engines off. 

They looked like ships of the first world war, with propellers mounted on the side like a helicopter would have. There lift was the result of Griffon flight runes that drew energy from the engines. The griffon engines had been steam powered, but they had also been extremely consumptive of fuel and left a black cloud of smoke in their wake. There was a gas bladder, but it was only to be inflated in case of emergency or when the ship was at anchor.

Jack wouldn’t have minded being assigned to escort one of those big behemoths, but that would mean leaving his squadron behind. He wasn’t about to abandon the family that he had grown to know, the 51st Strike Squadron. He was a bit annoyed about sewing patches to his bomber jacket.. Then again, Jack was enamored by the idea of being a part of something bigger than himself. The man slid off the wing and stood up, watching as a biplane began to descend from the air towards the Air Base’s runway.

“Hey, Sarah!” Jack called out as he walked around the front of his aircraft to watch the plane dropping lower in the sky. It was a FAST plane, judging by the smaller machine guns and straps on the wings. The flyers had probably already disembarked from the wings so that the pilot would have an easier time landing the aircraft, Jack quietly envied the pilot of the biplane. Sure the P-38 was a better aircraft, but he still enjoyed the sting of wind against his face. “Who took the FAST guys out today? That ruskie, right?”

“I think so! Why?” Sarah called from the step ladder she was standing on, not turning to look at the aircraft touching down. Jack put his hands on his hips as he watched the plane taxi down the runway towards one of the barracks.

“Just curious…” Jack replied, he wandered over towards Sarah’s plane and put a hand on the ladder to keep it steady. “Want to take a break? I can take over for you.” Sarah looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “I know your knee hurts when you stand for too long…”

“Alright.” She said before quietly stepping down the ladder, wincing for a second on the last step. Jack grabbed the the tool box near the ladder and climbed up onto the ladder, Sarah sat on the ground to rest her leg while she watched the young man begin working on the guns. “Hey, Jack? When was the last time you asked for leave?”

“Never.” Jack replied plainly as he began cleaning and looking over the other guns. “I don’t leave the base unless I’m off duty.” Sarah was a bit surprised by that, considering she had had leave at least three times since she had been commissioned. “Why do you ask?”

“I worry about you not socializing.” Sarah replied as she massaged her knee, doing her best to conceal just how much it was actually starting to hurt. Jack looked at her with a slight smile as he began polishing one of the gun barrels.

“I don’t need to socialize, Sarah. I’ve kinda accepted I’m gonna be lonely for a long time.” The man turned back to the aircraft, focussing on his work. “I’m more interested in just being the best pilot I can be… Maybe they’ll even put me on a stamp!” As Jack continued working on the gun Sarah frowned, it was sad to see someone she cared about seem so conceited to a life of loneliness, especially when she knew that behind his odd mannerisms he was a generally nice guy. “Oh, hey, I swapped shifts with Adler tonight so he can visit his wife in New Liberty. I forgot to tell you earlier.”

“Alright, I’ll have the mechanics swap your planes out.” Sarah replied, she knew it was more than Jack being a friend. He would likely have done it anyway, but with how he had been acting lately, she knew there was something else going on. However, she respected his privacy enough to let him sort things out. If things got out of control she could step in. “Did you know it’s going to be winter soon?”

“Really? It still feels really warm.” Jack replied as he finished polishing off the last machine gun, he began to put the tools and cloth away in the toolbox. “Then again we’re in a desert.” The man shrugged and walked down the step ladder, then set the toolbox down on the ground. He reclined on one of the steps and wiped his hand on his greasy flightsuit. “Do you think they do hanukkah here?”

“I… Don’t know.”Sarah said with a puzzled tone before she looked at Jack. “Wait, why do you ask?” The man paused for a moment, then rubbed the back of his head.

“I’m Jewish.” He said simply. “I know you can’t tell, but do you have any idea how hard it is to find a quality kippah in a zombie apocalypse?” Sarah scratched her head, staring at him still with a bit of surprise. “The little hats we wear on the back of our head.” Sarah made an ‘Oh!’ face as she continued sitting on the tarmac. After a couple moments she stood up, wincing once again, Jack was quickly by her side to help her stand. “You want me to call you a jeep back to the barracks?”

“I’ll be alright to walk. Why, aren’t you coming with me?” Sarah asked, Jack shook his head and gestured to his own aircraft.

“I still have to polish my own guns.” He said simply, Sarah nodded and began walking towards the barracks, they weren’t too far away, but still Jack worried about his pseudo-mother. Once she had gotten a bit away from him, the man ran a hand over his shiny shaved head and walked towards the front of his aircraft. The man set up the step stool in front of his plane and kicked the toolbox over into position, humming to himself as he did so. For half an hour he went about his work, occasionally stopping to wipe the sweat from his brow. Once again his attention was drawn by the sound of something out of place, it wasn’t a plane though. He looked up and around, but by then the source had disappeared. “The hell?”

“Hey!” A slightly raspy voice called out, Jack turned quietly towards the source. It was an earth pony mare in olive drab mechanic coveralls. She had a crop of brown mane that had been cut to a rather attractive, but still regulation, style. Her fur matched her coveralls almost perfectly, and her big beautiful green eyes were staring right at him. “The Major said you swapped with Adler, right?”

“Y-Yeah!” Jack said rapidly, his voice squeaking unintentionally as he wiped his brow again. Meanwhile he thought he could hear ‘Cherry Pie’ by Warrant playing in the back of his mind. The mare didn’t seem to notice as she produced a clipboard from her coveralls and began writing something on it with a pen. Once she had finished she put the clipboard back into the coveralls and looked at the aircraft again.

“Man, you’re lucky…” The mare mused, she approached the aircraft and put a hoof on the side of one of the engine cowlings. “I wanted to be a pilot, but my eyesight wasn’t good enough. I wish they’d let me fly at once...” Jack was at a crossroads, for the first time he had a topic that he knew something about, and a willing audience. Mentally he berated himself not to do it, that he’d blow it, that he’d make another person think he was some sort of weirdo.

“I-It’s actually really liberating.” Jack said nervously as he descended the ladder and walked towards the mare to lean against the wing. “I mean, I’ve been doing it since I was a kid, so maybe I take it for granted, but…” The man trailed off. “Sorry, where are my manners? I’m Jack.” The man offered out his hand, then remembered it was more customary to make it a fist for ponies to bump with their hooves.

“Tig.” She replied, Jack raised an eyebrow at the name. “I’m mainly a welder!” That made a bit more sense, the mare bumped his fist with her hoof. “So, you said you’ve been flying things since you were a kid? Must’ve been pretty fun!”

“Yeah…” Jack said wistfully. “It was. Wanna talk a bit more later? That is, if you don’t have any other duties?”

“Sure! First I’ve gotta run a couple reports, we’re getting another flight of B-17s in this evening.” Tig replied, Jack nodded and smiled as the mare waved at him. “Talk to you later, Jack!” Jack smiled a bit more once she was further away, then paused and rubbed the back of his neck, it felt oddly weird that he had been attracted to a pony. Granted she seemed nice enough, but something about it just felt weird to him. That being said, it wasn’t like that was unheard of now that so many humans and ponies were living together. The young man was a bit more confused than he cared to admit, but he was happy all the same.

[♠]

Dominic quietly walked up the steps of the porch to his house, it had been a couple hours and things had calmed down enough for him to go home. The sun was started to set, but it hadn’t reached the horizon yet. He smiled faintly as he caught the smell of sauteeing garlic wafting through the wind, undoubtedly Maria was cooking up something that would hit the spot after such a stressful day. He cleared his throat as he reached the front door, then turned the doorknob and pushed his way into the house. Everything seemed normal as ever, he could hear Luna and Maria giggling in the kitchen, another good sign that things were going well.

The man walked through the house, undoing his uniform shirt and taking it off, leaving only his undershirt to cover his torso. He reached the kitchen and peeked in, sure enough Maria and Luna were sipping glasses of wine while something was cooking in the oven. Maria was the first to spot him and smile.

“Look who’s back!” She said cheerfully as she sipped another sip from her glass. Luna smiled as well, Dominic walked over to them with a grin and gave them both a kiss and a hug, doing his best to hide the stress that he had endured during the day. “Have a good day?”

“Yeah… It was alright.” Dominic said, still trying to keep his calm. “What about you?” The man paused, noting what he thought was a red mark just under the collar of Maria’s shirt, but he supposed it was nothing of great importance. Luna and Maria giggled and looked at each other, then shrugged simultaneously. “Okay, so good you laugh and creepily move in synchronization. I don’t suppose you’ll let me know what happened?”

“When you’re ready.” Luna and Maria said simultaneously again, they began to giggle once more at how they had synced up. Dominic quietly rubbed the back of his neck, he wasn’t some control freak, they were allowed to have their little secrets. Especially if it made them happy.

“Alright, creepy Shining twins… I’m gonna go take a quick shower. Be back in a few.” Dominic said tiredly, he could feel his eyelids drooping with each passing second. The others nodded and he walked out of the kitchen. If they had been hinting at something he hadn’t gotten it, and he was too tired to partake in any… other activities for the night. The man knew that whatever happened it was likely for the best, Luna and Maria wouldn’t do anything to hurt him, he trusted them that much. He cared so much about them that he walked into the bathroom door on accident, as he was too deep in thought. With a groan the man rubbed his nose and stepped into the bathroom, once again thinking about just how much he cared about Maria and Luna.

The man shook his head as he began to get ready for his shower. He had enough big decisions to make and think about, he didn’t need another.



D3
> Chapter 22
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dominic awoke to the feeling of Maria and Luna hugging him, he was sandwiched between the two of them as morning light streamed in through a window on the side of the house. That was fine with him, he enjoyed being the subject of cooperative cuddles, but as it stood he was sure that he would be getting called in to work soon. The man sighed softly, deciding to take a bit of personal time. He could stay and snuggle the two snugglers a bit. With a faint smile Dominic nuzzled against Maria’s chest, he could hear her sigh happily as he did so.

The man closed his eyes as he felt Maria put a hand on his head that pulled him closer, he blushed as he realized the woman had pulled his face relatively close to her chest. The man put one of his arms around Maria’s waist, holding her softly and gently as they continued to snuggle in the morning hours. After a couple minutes Dominic opened his eyes, he heard a faint tapping noise on the door downstairs. With a slight sigh the man carefully removed himself from the tangle of arms and hooves, leaving Maria and Luna to cuddle on their own. Meanwhile Dominic pulled on his robe and walked down the steps to see who was at the door, with all likeliness it was someone from the War Room with another report.

His barefeet felt cold on the floor as Dominic approached the door, he quietly unlocked the deadbolt and pulled the door open. The sunlight blinded him for a couple seconds, causing him to cover his eyes before he could see who was at his door. Once his eyes adjusted he lowered his arm and looked at whoever had been knocking on his door, to his surprise it wasn’t a uniformed officer. Vladimir Putin stood there in a suit and tie, he held a briefcase in one hand while the other hand adjusted his tie.

“Mister President.” Putin said, Dominic stepped back to allow the man inside. Putin stepped in and Dominic closed the door behind him. “I apologize for interrupting your sleep, but there’s something we need to discuss. Something that has me quite concerned.”

“Right… Take a seat at the dining room table.” Dominic said groggily as he walked to the kitchen, Putin nodded and walked to the table where he set down the briefcase and began taking files from within. Dominic meanwhile took a moment to begin making a cup of coffee. “Coffee?” Dominic looked over his shoulder, Putin shook his head. “When Providentia gets me up in the morning, it can only mean something serious… Let’s not beat around the bush, Putin.” Dominic let the coffee begin to brew before he walked to the table and sat down across from Putin. The former Russian President, now head of Providentia, adjusted his tie nervously once more.

“We’ve lost track of the Equestrian airship fleet.” Putin said as he quietly slid a couple photographs over to Dominic, the president quickly picked them up and looked them over. One had been taken two days prior, the other had been taken one day prior. In the oldest picture the fleet was at anchor, the next morning they had all vanished. “What’s more, our agent in the Cloudsdale weather factory has noted something out of place.” Dominic remained quiet as a couple more pictures were slid his way, they were of the weather factory. Dark grey stormclouds were being churned out and pushed away with special safety gear.

“What are we looking at here?” Dominic asked quietly, setting the pictures down on the table and looking at Putin. The Russian nervously withdrew a file from the briefcase and slid it towards Dominic, the man picked it up and read the cover. “The effects of Equestrian Weather on Aircraft…?”

“The Equestrians don’t have the means to take our air force head on…” Putin said simply, Dominic quietly opened the file and looked over its contents. “However, if they can keep our planes from flying…”

“Are you trying to scare me, Mister Putin?” Dominic asked as he continued reading over the report, his palms became sweaty. “If so… It’s working.” Putin nodded quietly as Dominic set the report down on the table and ran a hand over his head. “Contact the Kirov and the Washington in Sector Four… I want Kirov to patrol sector’s one and two in tandem with the Reliant. Washington should take three and four with the Peregrine. See if you can expedite the refit on the Enterprise as well.”

“Not the battleships, sir?” Putin asked, Dominic shook his head quietly.

“Griffon Cruisers are faster and more maneuverable than battleships, and I want the Colossus and the Cyclops to stay above New Liberty. They have all their Anti-Air weapons online already, they can provide more air cover.” The commander explained, Putin nodded and stood up. He gathered his files and put them back into his briefcase. “I’ll be along shortly, just let me get dressed…” Putin nodded again and walked out, leaving Dominic to stand and pour himself a cup of coffee. He had taken to leaving his clothes for the next day on the couch downstairs, as it made it easier for him to get dressed without fear of waking Luna and Maria.

He sipped his coffee for a moment or two before moving to the living room, the man set his cup down on the coffee table before taking off his robe and starting to get dressed in his desert fatigues as he usually did. Outside the living room window he could see the city of New Liberty was already bustling with activity, giving him a sense that he was actually running late despite the fact that it was only just after the crack of dawn. As he began to pull on his gunbelt he heard the steps creaking, Maria came into view through the doorframe, dressed in her own fatigues. She had her hair tied up in a bun that made her look like some sort of assassin-librarian. Dominic would never say it aloud, but it was damn sexy.

“Hey…” Dominic said with a small smile as he clicked the gunbelt’s buckle into place, but despite his expression he felt a familiar turmoil rising in his stomach. “I’ve gotta go into the office for a bit, so I’ll probably be home late.”

“Okay, we’ll see you when you get back!” Maria replied cheerfully, though she could also tell that the man was far from okay. The two of them stood there quietly, both of them sizing up the other, as if trying to determine if they were up to the task of asking what was wrong. Finally Dominic broke off the silence by walking over to Maria and giving her the tightest hug he could, without another word he had walked out of the house, his head swimming with thoughts on what was happening. Maria watched him walk towards the garage with his hands tucked in his pockets, butterflies swirled around in her stomach.

For Dominic, it was more than a fear of war. It was the risk that came with a war, the great equalizer between rich and poor. He would have to fight, he wouldn’t be able to justify sending soldiers to die if he didn’t take the same risk they were taking. As he opened the garage he did his best not to think about what could happen to him if war broke out, but it was an exercise in futility. Many thought his greatest fear was losing someone else, and to an extent it was true. Deep down, however, was something he had never spoken to anyone about, something so terrifying that it could grip his heart and soul in its icy black hand and refuse to let go.

As Dominic got into his car, the Police Interceptor he had taken from Earth, he had a moment to think. Every time he closed his eyes, every time he fell asleep, practically every time he blinked he was faced with the terror. It hadn’t come to the surface before, but recent events had driven it out of its deep slumber. The man thought it made him weak, only children were afraid of the dark, and yet he had fallen for someone who loved the dark. Dominic knew it was a different kind of darkness, the darkness of the unknown.

He turned the key and started the engine, pausing to briefly close his eyes and try to force the fear out of his mind. The fear of not knowing what, if anything, was on the other side. Dominic shook his head firmly and put the car into gear, driving out of the garage a bit faster than he usually did as he finally was able to rein in the encroaching panic. The man took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, repeating that method for a couple minutes before he was able to get his thoughts in order. It was bound to be a long day.

[♠]

Eugene and Nova had settled into a new life beyond the portal to earth, the man had taken Nova in despite her former position as one of the EOL’s inner circle. She and his sister Elise had been at odds at first, but they had both learned to deal with one another relatively early on. It was Eugene’s hope that they would continue to get along in his absence, as it had turned out he had been assigned to the USS Kirov which had been anchored at Doolittle Aerodrome since its retrofitting had been completed a month before. Of course, that wouldn’t be for much longer, as the ship had been given orders to begin a patrol of two sectors of the American border.

The man adjusted his tan uniform as he moved through the airship, his boots clicking against the metal floor. The sound of the engines revving to life outside was telling him that soon the airship would take to the air, and as a Launch Security Officer it was his duty to ensure the ship was clear of any nonessential personnel like ground crew or stowaways looking to desert their posts. Thankfully so far he hadn’t come across anyone and his sidearm had remained stowed in its holster.

Eugene finally emerged onto the deck through a door that put him near the rear facing gun turret, the man closed the door behind him as he walked to the edge of the ship and peered over the edge at the ground below. Seeing that his patrol sector was clear, he quietly reached for a radio on his belt and brought it to his mouth.

“Sector Seven is clear, ready to cast off.” He reported dutifully as other crew members moved about the deck, a pair of griffons were removing the caps from the ends of the four eighty five millimeter cannons mounted in the turret. The engine closest to him sputtered for a moment, then began to spin steadily as it came online.

”Engines are reporting green! All hands, prepare for gasbag deflation!” A voice announced over the ship loudspeakers, Eugene turned his attention to the gasbag floating over the ship and watched as it began to vent a purple fog. It was an Equestrian invention that had originally been used to rapidly inflate party balloons, the Griffons had seen the military potential however. Considering it’s magical properties, it could rapidly inflate the gasbag in case of an emergency, provided the vessel was high enough in the sky.

Eugene watched the fog be carried away in the wind as the gasbag folded in on itself and was stowed in a large pipe that resembled a smokestack. There were three similar pipes to make it harder for the enemy to target the one that held the ship’s only means over surviving a fall. The vessel was officially floating on its own power now, and it was holding up nicely. Eugene began walking towards the front of the ship as the engines began to angle themselves forward to pull the airship through the air.

On the ground the man could see the ground crews and pilots waving them off as they began to head away from the airbase, their sister ship Washington had already departed for their patrol. Unlike the Washington, however, the Kirov was moving further away to sector one and two. Some of the crew had expressed annoyance that they would be ‘away from any action’, but Eugene could see why they had been sent there. He knew that the Equestrians could easily be trying to bait the American military into thinking an invasion would start in sector three or four.

As Eugene reached the front of the ship the crew had settled into their normal routine of duties, and since his job was essentially that of an MP, his schedule looked rather light for the day. He was assigned to one of the forward batteries if the ship entered combat, but as it stood it was shaping up to be a leisure cruise. The Airship’s angle changed as it began rising in altitude, it passed through a layer of thin clouds before leveling off. The air had become considerably colder, but they were still at an altitude safe enough for humans to breathe at without need for oxygen masks.

Laid out in front of Eugene was an entirely new and alien world, one that he had dreamed of since he had been a small boy watching movies like ‘Treasure Planet’ and ‘Atlantis’. He smiled faintly and began walking towards the bridge of the ship, that was his normal post for the day and he looked forwards to a quiet shift. The man ascended the steps, passing a couple griffons on the way before he entered the warmer interior of the ship’s bridge. The grey metal paint that covered most of the ship was right where it was, the bridge officers were all at their stations, and the captain was in her chair.

Her name was Petra, an older female griffon with a background in airships. Her feathers were done up in a military fashion, flecks of grey could be seen in her fur and her black primaries, and her uniform had more than a few decorations on it. The American military allowed medals awarded in other militaries to be worn on uniforms, something that made many of the decorated officers and soldiers coming from other countries feel good to know. Equestria would’ve forced them to only wear Equestrian decorations, while the NUS acknowledged accolades in all their forms. Petra’s beak had a slight crack in it, and a jagged scar ran down the side of her face that was nearly identical to the one on Eugene’s face.

“Ah! My twin, he has arrived!” She said with a chuckle as she spotted the man, Eugene snapped into a respectful salute before moving to take up his position near the captain’s chair. “It’s good that we’ve been given the order to patrol, I was getting impatient waiting for something to happen.”

“Certainly gives us a chance to put the new engines through their paces, ma’am.” Eugene replied respectfully, Petra smiled and adjusted her position in her seat, her talons tapping against the armrest as she watched her helmsmare keep the ship straight and steady.

“Hopefully not the weapons systems.” Petra said with a bit more of a subdued expression. “It’s different commanding a warship than it is a merchant ship, you know?” Eugene quietly paused, as he had no experience whatsoever when it came to commanding airships. “Anyway, enough chit chat. Mister Chitatelya, what is the approximate time to our first scheduled navigational turn?”

“Sixty minutes, Ma’am!” A male griffon replied from a table with a map and compass set up on it, there was also a radio set up beside him with numerous dials, numbers, and a much more accurate compass. The radio was emitting a soft beeping noise that was only interspaced with occasional garbled interference. “We will turn fifty degrees to starboard and follow the navigation radio beacon at Fort Goliath in sector one.”

“Very good.” Petra said as she leaned back in her command chair, she looked over at Eugene. “Go ahead and take a walk, Ensign. If I have need of your security I’ll call.” The man nodded quietly and walked away from the chair, back to the steps that would lead him down to the deck. He found it rather odd that she had dismissed him so early, then again, this was the first mission they were going on where the guns were unmuzzled and ready for combat. Eugene quickly made his way around the deck to the large metal door that lead to the front turret, he pushed it open and stepped inside.

The room was illuminated dimly by red lights, just enough light for Eugene to see where he was going. His eyes scanned the room for a couple seconds before he spotted what he had come for, a leather flight jacket that he’d forgotten to take back to his bunk. The man quickly walked over and pulled it on, zipping it up most of the way and pulling his balaclava from the internal pocket. With how cold the deck of the ship got there were more than a few crewmen who had similar face masks. With his warmer garments on Eugene turned and walked out of the gun turret, being sure to close the door firmly behind him.

He wandered to the front of the ship, the wind gusting around him as the ship cut through the sky at a decent speed of forty miles an hour. There was nothing for miles save for open sky and the sandy ground below. Eugene took a seat on a nearby bench that was situated near one of the two forward anti-air emplacements. As the ship continued on its course the sun began to inch across the sky, minutes became hours, and Eugene entertained himself by fiddling with nearby doodads. Most of the crew was done with their duties for the day anyway, but many of them were below deck where it was warmer.

Eugene looked up when he heard someone walking towards him, the man stood up at attention as he spotted a griffon lieutenant walking towards him. The griffon held a bag in their talons, one that Eugene recognized as a binocular case.

“Captain says she wants you to start scanning the horizon! Possible report of unauthorized Equestrian airships in the area.” The griffon said over the gusting wind, Eugene nodded quietly and reached out to take the binoculars. With the case hung from his neck the man raised the binoculars and began scanning over the skies in the distance. The griffon wandered back towards the bridge, leaving the human to his newest duty. The afternoon sun continued to shine brightly, giving Eugene a great field of visibility, but despite that he couldn’t find anything of note. Still, it gave him something to do.

[♠]

Maria quietly adjusted her tan headscarf as she walked through the sand dunes on the Equestrian-American border, her rifle slung over her shoulder while Melissa along behind her. It was part of their more private training exercises, she was hoping to get Melissa used to walking long distances. They had originally been dropped off by biplanes, but the hope was that in the future they would have helicopters. The woman’s clothes were already covered in sand and dust, but that was something she had grown used to over her numerous months working in such brutal conditions.

The usual training period for ground troops was seven weeks, but Maria was devoting months of her time to create one of the greatest snipers the world had ever seen. Loyal to their country and willing to do whatever it took to defend it, Maria had made that clear to Melissa early on. It was the same devotion that she brought to training the rest of her platoon.  The challenge had been an unusual experience for the young woman, she had experience commanding small squads but she never thought she would be selected for such an important task as training the next generation of snipers. For the sake of border patrol Maria had set her Mosin Nagant aside for a much more modern weapon, the McMillan Tac-50. 

It had about the same amount of kick as her Mosin, but it gave Maria a far greater reach on the battlefield. If it came to war, it would be the perfect weapon for taking out Equestrian officers from a long distance, and considering the Equestrians still relied on battle formations that aspect would be a top priority. That was another reason she had brought her troops to the border of Sector Four, as they approached a border marking post she unslung her backpack and opened it. From within she took a red strip of fabric, the woman quietly began tying it around the post. As expected, it began to flutter in the wind. She had been setting them every ten posts they came across, they gave her a much better idea of how the turbulent desert wind was blowing. There was a grand total of four fabric strips, equivalent to four miles. That number was now about to rise to five.

Melissa walked up beside her, watching the area around them carefully, they were practically a stone’s throw away from Fort Harmony. A thousand yards away loomed the Equestrian citadel, and it seemed that the two humans had gotten the attention of more than a few sentries. As she kept quiet guard over Maria, she found herself smiling faintly as she felt she would soon have a chance to prove that she was a loyal American. A war would be awful, but at the same time, it would give her a chance to redeem herself for her actions in the service of the EOL.

“Looks like they’re getting antsy.” Melissa noted as she saw more than a few of the Equestrian guards standing on the walls of their base. Maria only hummed quietly as she adjusted her headscarf after finishing with the fabric on the post, she slipped her backpack over her shoulder again and looked to Melissa. She was dressed almost identically, though she was armed with her Remington rifle. “Want to break for lunch?”

“Sure… Let’s do it here on the border so they don’t think we went off to hide in the dunes and watch them.” Maria replied as she unsling her rifle and set it gently on the ground, being sure to keep the muzzle away from the sand. The woman removed her backpack once again and sat down, Melissa joined her soon after with a soft sigh. “Things are getting tenser, you know? I wasn’t ordered to do this…”

“I heard they’re going to start putting the air bases on heightened alert, ready to scramble in fifteen minutes.” Melissa replied as she unslung her own backpack and opened it to begin looking through it for their rations, Maria was doing the same, though she knew there was bound to be something extra with her meal. Luna often times slipped a small treat in without Maria’s knowledge, but she chose to just eat the ration first. It was a simple matter of warming up the meal, ‘buffalo chicken’ was what the package said. Whoever produced the ration must’ve been into spicy food, because many people found that particular dish to be ‘Atomic’. Maria didn’t find it half bad.

“It’s been getting tenser on the homefront too. You know Luna’s able to telepathically talk with other alicorns, right?” Maria asked, occasionally glancing at the glint of a pair of binoculars on the wall of the Equestrian fort. She pulled down the scarf in front of her face in preparation to eat. Melissa nodded and began warming her own meal, ‘Spaghetti and Meatballs’, with the chemical heating bag. “Luna’s been trying to talk with Celestia, but she keeps telling me she can’t get through. It’s got me spooked.”

“The official line on all this is to keep people like us safe from protesters.” Melissa said as she quickly began to eat her meal, Maria joining her as she began eating the spicy chicken without much care for how it felt like it set her mouth on fire. She was building up a tolerance to heat, both externally and internally. “Yes, because we’re the ones that would need protection.” The two of them ate rather quickly, not really continuing their conversation beyond that point. They tucked their empty tins into their bags to eliminate any real trace they had stopped there.

Once they were back on their feet and had gathered their gear, Melissa pulled her scarf back up to hide her face from the harsh desert sun. Maria, on the other hand, decided to be a bit more cheeky. Knowing that the Equestrians were watching, she turned towards the fort and blew a kiss, chuckling to herself before she pulled the scarf back up and began walking again.

“You know I bet half of those guys read that silly comic about me?” Maria said as they began walking along the posts again. She giggled faintly as she thought about the comic that Luna had shown her, whomever the illustrator was had gotten her likeness down pretty well. However, she had found the storyline to be rather goofy. “I bet a bunch of them are fanboying.” The woman quieted down as she continued wandering, thinking about what she’d just said. “Whoa… That felt really…”

“Good?” Melissa asked.

“Arrogant.” Maria replied with a bit of a sigh. “I gotta keep an eye on that, I hate arrogant people.” Melissa shrugged as they continued walking, meanwhile Maria cast a brief look over her shoulder at the Equestrian fort. She desperately wished to say that things were going to be alright, but the increasing tension from Equestria was starting to take its toll on her. The woman slipped her hands into her pockets, her gaze locked on the sandy earth beneath her. They still had two more miles to cover before they called for their ride back to New Liberty.




D2
> Chapter 23: Cocked Pistol
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dominic tiredly wiped his eyes as he sat in the War Room, he hadn’t gone home as he had originally planned. Tensions were getting higher and higher, and he couldn’t get through to Canterlot via Radio or Luna’s telepathy. What was more, he was too scared to try and send a messenger, for all he knew they would snag him as soon as he crossed the border. They had already raised the alert status of the air force, the ground forces would be next to go on alert. So far the airship patrols hadn’t spotted anything, though there had been a few false alarms aboard the Kirov in regards to an Equestrian weather balloon.

The War Room was quiet, the ponies manning their stations were far too busy keeping an eye out for anything to make idle chit chat, Dominic meanwhile stared at the screen displaying the readings from the Arcane Sensors. If there was anything to come on the screen he would be the first to know, and the first to act. It had been agreed that in the event of an attack, he would coordinate the defensive and retaliatory measures from the bunker. He would, however, lead the army into Equestria if it came to it. His eye rested on a red button that had been installed near the table, it had a clear plastic box covering it and a pair of key slots. Dominic looked to the solitary key that he held in his possession, flipping it over and over again his his fingers. Bulwark had the other key, the button would put War Plan Pink into effect.

The man quietly looked to a clock on the wall, it was just starting to become morning on the surface, Luna and Maria probably hadn’t finished breakfast yet. They probably already knew the answer to where he was, he had had a runner leave a message on the dining room table earlier that morning. Canterlot was in the same time zone as New Liberty, meaning that Celestia had to be awake in order to raise the sun. Dominic eyed the radio seated at the table a few feet away, he stood from his chair and made his way towards it. With a tired yawn he picked up the microphone and brought it to his lips.

“Mountain Palace, this is November Lima. Respond, please.” He said in an exhausted tone. “Damn it, Celestia! Pick up the damn mic!” A couple ponies glanced at him as he raised his voice, then quickly went back to their screens. There was no response from the radio, Dominic felt a fresh patch of sweat crop up along his neck. The man began pacing back and forth, one hand on his hip while the other rubbed his chin. After a couple seconds he paused and snapped his fingers. “I need a runner.”

“Yes, sir!” A griffon corporal said from across the room as he snapped to attention. Dominic approached him with swiftly, his heart pounding from exhaustion.

“Go to my house and get Princess Luna! Ask her to see if she can get in touch with Princess Twilight Sparkle on the way here!” Dominic ordered, the griffon saluted and rushed out of the room, still not fast enough for the on edge commander. “Schnell! Schnell!” He yelled, it wasn’t like the fate of Equestrian-American peace hinged on that griffon’s speed. Except Dominic wasn’t sure if that truly was the case. 

He went back to pacing, adjusting his uniform every couple minutes or so out of nervousness as his eyes flicked back and forth between the radio and the Arcane Sensor screen. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes felt like hours, and all the while he found himself sweating. There was nothing else for Dominic to do but wait, and he was too nervous to even attempt to sleep on one of the cots in the bunker that contained the War Room. It felt like the walls were closing in on him, he took several deep breaths and beat back the panic once again. His shaved, hairless head, gleamed with nervous sweat under the lights that dimly illuminated the room.

Dominic’s eyes flicked to the clock again, only seven minutes had passed since the runner had left. To his surprise he heard the sound of the elevator that descended into the bunker, the commander turned and looked to the source. When the sound came to an end the griffon emerged, looking like he’d run a marathon, while Luna was standing beside him rubbing her horn. Dominic could tell that she had used her teleportation magic hastily, the more planned her jump, the less taxing it would’ve been on her horn. Dominic quickly approached her as she stepped out of the elevator.

“Luna. I need your help.” He said as he pointed towards the map, Luna was about to speak, but hearing the urgency in his voice instead decided to walk towards the map with him. “Did you get in touch with Twilight? Did she say anything?”

“Nay, we hath not gotten in contact with her.” Luna replied, pausing as her horn glowed softly. There was a brief pop before a soft glow enveloped her. Dominic recognized it as her ‘Modern Speak’ spell, she often cast it in the morning as part of her morning ritual, that told Dominic he had grabbed her before she was ready to face the day. He shook his head, he could worry about disturbing one of his herd mates later. “Much better…” She said quickly. “I must try again, over such great distance perhaps she isn’t feeling the nudge of the spell… I don’t think she’s ever used telepathy before.”

“Please, keep trying.” Dominic said as he began pacing again, much to Luna’s concern. However, she too knew that worrying about his pacing was something for a later time, she closed her eyes and began to reach out with her spirit, searching for the tell tale signature of Twilight Sparkle’s own spirit. The swirling void of the world around her began to fade as she pushed herself deeper into a trance like state, hoping to boost the reach of her telepathic connection to her fellow alicorns. Finally she found her, just at the edge of Luna’s range she could see the familiar lavender glow. She was in Ponyville from the looks of it.

[♠]

Twilight Sparkle quietly looked over her books, desperately trying to figure out what Celestia was having her search for. She had never heard of any reference to a creature called a Snipe, she had heard of Snipers, but never a Snipe. The Princess was still very much a student in her mind, and she wasn’t about to let her princess down by not learning about the elusive Snipe. She was so tired that she was barely able to keep her eyes open, she hadn’t realized that the morning light was starting to filter in through the curtains of her treehouse home.

As she started to nod off she felt an odd sensation in her mind, she kept reading over the page in front of her over and over again, but never seemed to remember a single word. The mare quietly rubbed her eyes and leaned back on her haunches, wondering if perhaps she had pushed herself too hard. Then she heard a faint voice, Luna’s voice, but from within her own mind.

”Twilight… Please, answer me!” The voice said in her head, Twilight nervously looked around. Had she started to hallucinate. ”Twilight, it’s me, Luna! I’m speaking to you telepathically!” Twilight’s eyes widened at the revelation, unsure of how to respond, she did the first thing she could think of. Which was think of what she would say.

”Fascinating…” She mumbled internally, she sat down and tried to focus more on the odd sensation that was filling her mind. ”What’s wrong, Princess Luna? You sound worried.”

”I am worried!” Luna replied swiftly, Twilight flinched as she felt a pang of fear run through her chest. Not her fear, it was entirely alien to her, until she realized that perhaps it was Luna’s fear. ”Dearest Twilight, Dominic and I have been trying to contact Celestia for the past two days! She won’t answer by radio or telepathically! Have you any idea what’s going on?”

“No!” Twilight said aloud, pausing before she concentrated again. ”No. Princess Celestia has had me trying to research something called a ‘Snipe’ for the past couple days, I can’t seem to find any reference to it in biological texts…” Twilight trailed off as she felt a faint annoyance begin to spill over the telepathic link. “What’s going on?! Is Celestia in danger?!”

”Twilight… Please, look outside your window and tell me what you see.” Luna asked softly, Twilight nodded to herself and stood up, then shakily made her way over to the window and moved a curtain to peek outside. To her surprise there were stallions moving through the street with concern, they all seemed to be holding slips of paper.

”Hold on, Princess! There are a bunch of stallions moving through the street, they’ve got small pieces of paper, some have bags over their backs.” Twilight thought nervously, continuing to watch the stallions walking along. There was a frantic knock on her door, it surprised her so much she nearly lost her connection to Luna. ”There’s someone at the door, give me a moment!” The young princess walked away from the window and to the front door, she quickly pulled it open and was greeted by a rather distraught looking Applejack.

“Applejack? What’s wrong?!” She asked, Applejack was quiet for a few seconds as she tried to compose herself. Twilight had never seen her friend so scared or upset before, and added with the odd happenings and message from Luna, she was getting a very deep pit in her stomach.

“It’s awful, Twilight!” Applejack finally said as she walked into the library and closed the door behind her, her voice was shaking with fear. “Big Mac went to get the mail today, you know? And normally we only get mail from family, you know?” The mare began to hyperventilate, then shook her head and forced herself to remain calm. “There was this letter on the top of the pile, was all official looking! From the ‘Equestrian Department of the Army’!” Twilight gulped as she heard that, knowing full well that Big Mac wasn’t a member of the army, nor was he a reservist or even a national guard. “He’s been drafted, Twilight! Half of Ponyville has!”

“W-What?!” Twilight shrieked as she looked out the window at the nervous looking ponies. “I can fix this! I can get him out-!”

“He won’t listen! I already told him and he said he’s gotta ‘Do his duty’, but I don’t understand why it’s happened all of a sudden! It makes no sense!” Applejack began to nervously pace, the thought of her brother in harms way was enough to shake her normally confident demeanor away. “Do you have any idea why?”

”Twilight? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Luna said through the link, Twilight nervously wiped sweat from her brow as she began thinking.

“I… I… Dear faust, no…” She mumbled as she started to rub her head, Applejack looked at her with concern. “Celestia can only institute a draft in times of war, or preparation for war…” Applejack’s face went pale, a couple seconds later there was a knock on the door, this time much more frantic than before. Twilight’s horn glowed and the door opened, this time Fluttershy burst in with a stallion poorly disguised as a bear behind her.

“Twilight! You have to help!” Fluttershy said frantically, looking at the poorly disguised pony that was standing behind her. Twilight recognized him faintly as Fluttershy’s brother, the pit in her stomach was growing deeper and deeper. “The Royal Guards are trying to catch him! You have to hide him, or tell them to leave him alone, or something! Please!”

”Twilight?! Please! Answer me!” Luna’s voice echoed through Twilight’s rapidly clouded mind, she found herself breathing even more heavily as the realization hit her. Celestia had played her like a violin, there was no such thing as a Snipe, it had been a ruse to keep her from discovering what her mentor was going to do. Celestia had known Twilight would do anything to be a good student, tirelessly working through the night to find an elusive snipe… Twilight felt her stomach tighten into knots as she heaved, clutching at her abdomen as a feeling of nausea washed over her.

”C-Celestia… She… Instituted a draft…” Twilight managed to communicate before she vomited on the floor, tears formed in her eyes as the link between her and Luna broke. There was a third knock on the door, but Twilight was too weak to look up to see who it was. Applejack, Fluttershy, and her brother all backed away when they saw just who it was though. They knew well enough to know that something serious was about to happen, standing with a solemn expression in the doorway was none other than Princess Celestia herself.

“Twilight?” She said in a pained voice, Twilight weakly looked up at her mentor as she wiped her chin. “I… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but… This is for the best. We have to maintain the peace of our world, even if it means reining in the chaos of another-”

“Spare me…” Twilight said as her grief rapidly shifted to anger, Celestia blinked as she watched her student stand from the floor. “D-Don’t lie to me, not again.” The normally stoic princess of the sun visibly flinched as Twilight’s words cut into her, the tone she heard was one of betrayal, one that she had heard a thousand years before. When she had addressed her sister on the night of their battle, she had used that tone. “I… I trusted you, Princess… You said I had just as much a say in the country as you, or Luna, or Cadence does… But that was a lie too, wasn’t it?!”

“Twilight, I didn’t think you were ready for a conversation that was so-” Celestia began to reply, but she was cut off once again.

“Were you going to say wrong?! Immoral?! Unethical?!” Twilight shouted, Applejack and the others watched as tears began to stream down Celestia’s face. Her stoic expression was starting to crack.

“You’ll understand when you’re-”

“Get out.” Twilight said swiftly, Celestia flinched once again but lingered in the doorway. “Get out!” The lavender alicorn was crying fully now, her tone laced with anger and sadness, Celestia continued to stare at her, as if stunned. “Go away! Leave me alone! I… I hate you!” Twilight’s horn glowed, flinging a book straight from the shelf at Celestia’s head. Celestia could’ve easily caught it or deflected it, but she didn’t. It struck her muzzle with considerable force and sent a stinging pain up her face, Celestia watched her student crumple to the ground in tears. For the first time Applejack and Fluttershy were staring at her with anger in their eyes. The solar princess turned away and closed the door as she began to walk away.

Applejack moved to Twilight’s side while Fluttershy quickly moved her brother to the basement until they could find him somewhere else to hide. Twilight began sobbing into Applejack’s fur as her friend held her, a deep hole left in her heart. The commotion had gotten the attention of spike who was still asleep upstairs, the dragon descended the steps, being sure to duck his head when he got to a shorter part of the steps. Whatever was going on, he didn’t like it.

[♠]

The sound of breaking glass awoke Field Marshal Eventide from his slumber, the thestral rapidly looked around his room for the source as he hopped out of bed and grabbed a dagger he kept on his bedside table. Someone was in his apartment, they were yelling commands to someone, more than one pony. Eventide’s eyes widened and he rapidly flapped his wings, catapulting him to the ceiling where he hung in wait. The stallion didn’t need to wait long as the door to his room burst open and two Solar Elites in gold armor pushed their way in.

“Field Marshal Eventide, by order of Princess Celestia you are…” The first one trailed off as he looked around the room, then he slowly looked up towards the high ceiling. Eventide hissed at him as he dove, his dagger poised for the kill. He didn’t hesitate, the blade went clean through the older gold armor the guard was wearing and sliced his jugular. The second solar elite raised his crossbow, but Eventide grabbed the dead guard just as he fired, using the corpse as a shield. Eventide pulled the dagger from the neck of the dead guard and hurled it at the guard with the crossbow who was starting to reload instead of drawing his sword, it sliced through the chinstrap of his helmet and embedded itself in his throat.

Eventide let the body drop and moved towards the door, ready for any other attack that would come. The rest of his apartment was trashed, the window had been broken inward, but aside from that there was no one else. Not wishing to waste any time, the stallion quickly peeked out the window, there was a contingent of guards that seemed to be patrolling the sky. Eventide rolled his neck before he dove out the window, immediately catching the attention of the guards. They gave chase, but the thestral was a superior flyer to a pegasus, and he rapidly outran them.

It was as he feared, the Equestrians had turned on the thestrals, he knew that other members of his command would be realizing the same thing soon enough. As he began flying south he spotted a dark swarm beginning to take shape beneath him, not a swarm of locust or a swarm of changelings, but a swarm of frantic thestrals and Lunar guards alike. They were all making a run for the border, it seemed, even though numerous pegasi guards started trying to stop them. Eventide gritted his teeth and dove into the swarm, numerous others stayed behind to fight off the pegasus resistance. Eventide wished he could’ve joined them, but he knew that his place in that moment was at Luna’s side.

The event would later become known as ‘The Great Exodus’.



D1
> Chapter 24: Baptised In Blood
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

”Achtung! Achtung! This is not a drill! General Quarters! General Quarters! All hands man your battle stations!” Eugene bolted upright in his bed as klaxons began blaring through the airship, he swung his legs over the side of his bed and landed right in his boots. He quickly tied them and grabbed his jacket while other crew members rushed through the large crew quarters, some of them wearing nothing more than their pants and a t-shirt as they rushed to get to their battle stations. The alert kept repeating as Eugene rushed towards a nearby stairway that lead to the deck, numerous crew of all races were rushing up that ladder as quickly as they could.

His heart was pounding as he ascended the steps two at a time, the cold morning air hit him like a wall but he didn’t stop for a second. He slipped his uniform jacket on, neglecting the buttons as he charged towards the front of the ship from his position in the middle. As he ran he saw humans, thestrals, griffons, diamond dogs and changelings alike were manning the machine guns and anti-air batteries that lined the side of the ship. The alarm continued ringing through his ears as he finally reached the front turret and climbed inside, the dim red light from his previous visit had been replaced by bright regular lights as the gun crew began readying the four eighty-five millimeters for combat.

Eugene took up his position near a viewport in the front of the turret as his fellow gun crew began loading shells into the cannons. He was a loader as well, but he was also a lookout, and that meant looking through the viewport to try and get an idea what the panic was about.

“Crank it around! Bearing two-seven-zero! Standard elevation!” Shouted one of the weapon’s officers, a woman of Mexican descent with her black hair tied back in a ponytail. Eugene pulled on a radio headset to block out the inevitable noise of the guns while maintaining communication with his fellow gun crew. The turret groaned as it began turning to the port, as it turned Eugene spotted something out of place. A large front of storm clouds was approaching the ship from across the border. The USS Reliant, one of the Kirov’s sister ships, was also briefly visible before it began to descend in altitude, it too had its weapons pointed towards the storm front. “Turret one to bridge! All weapons ready!”

Captain Petra watched the storm front cooly from the bridge of the Kirov, her talons tapping against a metal railing set up near the window. The orders had come through directly from the President himself, engage and destroy any vessel entering American airspace. It had been conveyed that the Equestrians could be using the storm front as a shield against fighter attack, but that wouldn’t discourage the grumpy griffon captain from completing her orders. The airships had taken up positions ten miles from the border, giving them room enough to maneuver if the need arose. For several minutes the American ships remained at the ready, the clouds rumbled closer and closer.

“Weapons control! Set timed fuse on first volley for ten miles!” Petra ordered through the intercom to the two main turrets, the gun crews complied and began adjusting the fuses. With the aid of augmented propellant the shell would fly more than that if it didn’t detonate. If her gut was wrong, the shells would explode harmlessly on the American side of the border rather than landing on the Equestrian side of the border.

”Weapon’s set!” Came the reply from the turrets.

“Fire first volley.” Petra ordered as she raised a pair of binoculars to her eyes and watched the storm clouds. There was a brief delay before the turrets of the Kirov roared to life, firing their first shots in anger. Bright flashes of purple fire exited the barrels as Petra watched the vapor trails of the shells zoom towards the stormfront. The shells detonated right as they entered the clouds, blasting the Equestrian built storm system apart. Petra’s eyes widened in shock as she watched the clouds begin to vanish in a chain reaction of lightning, revealing a fleet of six Equestrian airships.

“Visual contact! Bearing Two-seven-five! Equestrian flags!” Shouted one of the lookouts that had a stronger pair of binoculars. “Mare-of-war class frigates!” Petra watched the vessels through her binoculars, they had officially crossed the border. The hulls were made out of iron and they had flat bottoms, most likely intended for landing on sand. Large gasbags were what suspended them in the air. Large sails were mounted on the sides, as well as a fin on the back to act as a rudder.

“All batteries! Fire at will!” Petra ordered as she watched a swarm of pegasi start to take off from the decks of the airships in the distance. The guns began firing full force, slinging shells at the Equestrian warships like there was no tomorrow. “Ahead flank! Prepare for evasive maneuvers!”

“Ahead flank, aye!” Shouted the stallion at the helm, signalling the engines for more power as they angled forward.

Aboard the Equestrian Airship ‘Sapphire’ there was complete chaos as shells from the American vessels began to strike their ship as well as the other ships in their formation. The captain was trying to get more speed out of his ship’s sails, only to watch in horror as an American shell exploded and blew one of the sails clean off the ship.

“Come on, lads! We can do this! There are only two of them!” He shouted as the fleet of six airships charged onwards towards the two cruisers, he was certain that the boarding parties would be able to subdue any resistance and put the fight to an end before they could sustain too much damage. As the swarm of pegasi got closer to the American ships he started seeing flashes of light streaking across the sky, lots of them. To his horror he could see Royal Guards dropping from the sky like flies to the withering fire.

The animosity for the NUS amongst many of the Equestrian crew was palpable, many of them had let their manes grow long to show support to their nation and princess. That hatred was what was driving them onwards towards the teeth of the American’s frantic defense, little did they know that there problems were only just getting started. After several minutes of struggle the Equestrian ships had closed the gap from ten miles to two, their boarding parties were constantly being picked off by the American defenders who were starting to turn their smaller weapons on the Equestrian airships.

“Prepare for broadside!” The captain of the Sapphire ordered, the helmspony began turning the wheel and turning the ship to bring its weapons to bare. Unlike the Americans, the Equestrians were using large ballista based weapons that fired powerful magic bolts. The captain raised a spyglass to get a look at the target of his ships wrath, he could see the bridge and whom he assumed to be the captain. To his surprise, she was smiling. Through all the confusion he could see her point a talon above him as she barked orders.

The turrets on the American ship began to spin, their cannons going higher in angle as the ship began to circle the Sapphire. The captain was hit with a sudden realization, the broadside had been exactly what the enemy captain had wanted.

“Emergency descend-!” The captain began to yell, but he was drowned out as the cannons roared to life. The gasbag of his ship was hit with a punishing volley, and unlike ballista bolts, the holes that were left behind were massive. The outer skin of the gasbag caught fire as the ship began to fall from the sky, many of the crew were thrown clear as it plummeted to the desert floor below.

“Ura!” Captain Petra shouted as she watched the enemy vessel plummet from the sky and crash to the ground in flames. “The Reliant is drawing the fire from the other five! Let’s give them a hand! Load incendiary rounds!”

Eugene slammed another shell into the breach as the ship turned to engage the other five Equestrian airships that were chasing the USS Reliant. The turret rotated with a whine as it lined up with the gasbag of one of the other ships, the gunnery officers hit the firing mechanism, the guns fired and ejected the shells in the process. A cheer went up through the turret as they watched yet another gasbag burst open and another ship plummet to its demise. The Reliant was taking fire from unicorns and the occasional shot from the Equestrian’s forward facing cannons, but it was holding its own as its rear turret fired on one of its pursuers.

The explosion that filled the sky was extremely bright, and Eugene saw the Equestrian airship splinter into twisted metal whilst its gasbag began to float away on the wind. He didn’t have time to celebrate however, as he went back to ramming more rounds into the gun. The shells continued to fly as the remaining three Equestrian ships did their best to win a losing battle. They had flown far too inland of the American border, and the Kirov was blocking their means of escape.

On the horizon Eugene could see specks zooming towards the battle, from within the American homeland.

“Hey! Our fighters are here! Let’s not let ‘em take the credit!” He shouted, there was a cheer from the crew as the continued with their duties.

[♠]

Jack gritted his teeth as he pushed the throttle forwards on his P-38, the engine was roaring in anger as he closed on the aerial battle ahead. His heart was pounding as the sun began to rise higher and higher into the sky, on his wings were his squadron mates while his wingwoman was Sarah. The radio chatter was already flooding his headset, calling out targets of opportunity like the fleeing ponies from the ships that had already been destroyed. He wasn’t going to go after them, it would be a waste of effort more than an issue of honor.

“Sarah! You set?” He called over the radio, he looked over to Sarah’s P-38 and saw her giving him a thumbs up.

”I’m set.” She said coldly, she had been oddly quiet since they had been scrambled. Jack shook his head softly as he pulled back the throttle, they were close enough that he didn’t need it going as fast. He selected one of the airships that was making an attack run on the Reliant from the starboard side, Jack smirked quietly as he lined up his own attack vector. Slung beneath each P-38 was a single two-hundred-and-fifty pound bomb, and Jack intended to deliver his to that airship’s gasbag.

He depressed the trigger, the aircraft shuddered as the machineguns in the nose boomed and sent streaks of hot lead at the Equestrian aggressor. Jack pulled out of his dive and hit the release on the bomb, it fell away from the plane as he and Sarah banked away from the airship. To his surprise there wasn’t any explosion, at least not at first. The bomb had hit the gasbag and punched clean through it, tumbling down onto the deck of the Equestrian airship before it exploded. Jack looked over his shoulder and chuckled his usual ghoulish chuckle as he watched the airship begin to list, several of the ropes keeping it attached to the gasbag had snapped. The man brought his aircraft around for another pass, firing his guns once again at the deck of the listing vessel. The strain of it all proved too much for the remaining ropes, and the ship completely detached from the gasbag.

The ship fell to the ground like a stone, crumpling into twisted wreckage as it slammed into the sandy desert floor with almost all hands lost. Jack prepared to line up another attack on one of the remaining airships, but the Kirov and Reliant fired at almost the same time. Both enemy ship’s were struck in the gasbags, suffering similar fates to their other fallen comrades as the Equestrian crews attempted to flee over the border. Jack watched a swarm fly off the deck of the Kirov, no doubt they were crew members that were seeking out the survivors to take as prisoners or something along those lines.

“Did you see that? Took out an airship by myself!” Jack said cheerfully over the radio, there were a couple comments from the other pilots congratulating him, one even imitating Gimli from the ‘Lord of the Rings’ by saying ‘It still only counts as one!’. Sarah, however was surprisingly silent. “Alright… Let’s head back to Doolittle.” Jack pushed up the throttle as they squadron got back into formation, for some people it had seemed odd to have their squadron respond to a fight in Sector Two when they were stationed in Sector Four. However, Jack knew it was because they were the best of the best. Even if the airships had been able to keep things under control, he knew the President had chosen his unit to defend America’s sky.

”Reliant here… We’re pretty banged up, but we’re still in the air. Need to return to base.” The radio buzzed, Jack looked out the window at the airship. It looked worse for wear than he had originally thought, the front turret appeared jammed, there were magic burn holes along the side of the vessel, each side had an engine that was either seized up or completely gone, and there were numerous injured or dead crew that he could see on the deck. ”Hell of a fight though, eh Petra?”

”Da.” The captain of the Kirov replied, Jack changed channels to one that only he and Sarah shared, then reduced the speed so that he was flying next to her. The young man looked over at her cockpit, hoping to at least catch a glimpse of her doing what she normally did when she flew. She’d either sway back and forth in her seat, or move her head to some song she was humming, but she wasn’t doing either. She was sitting stock still, her eyes fixated on the instrument panel.

“Sarah… You alright?” Jack asked, the woman looked over at him for a couple seconds, he could hear her breathing heavily over the radio. “Are you hit?”

”No… I’m fine, Jack.” Sarah replied in a distant tone as she leaned back in her seat, Jack frowned quietly and began to speak again. ”Look, not all of us can be excited about killing people like you, okay Ghoul!” Sarah stopped herself, but it was too late. Even from her plane she could see the look of hurt that spread through the young man’s eyes. ”Jack, I’m sorry I called you-”

“We should cut the chatter.” Jack cut her off, doing his best to hide the tremble in his voice. It was very rare that the two of them ever were at odds, but Jack couldn’t let his personal feelings interfere with the mission. They were at war, he had to prove himself to be worthy to himself as well as his country. “Focus on the mission, right Major?”

”Right…” Sarah replied with a sigh before she flipped back over to the normal channel, she could hear more chatter from Doolittle Aerodrome that seemed to say they were holding their own. She just hoped that they could last until the cavalry arrived. Over the radio from the Kirov, she could hear the occasional message to the Reliant. In the background she could hear singing, prompting her to wonder just who could be singing at such a terrible time.

[♠]

Eugene stood on the deck, looking down at the smoldering wreckage on the desert floor. He was smiling from ear to ear, mainly because he was alive and they weren’t. The mood on board was one of victory, music was playing from over the loudspeakers. The Equestrians had six airships, they had sunken six airships. The victory had gotten so many crew members excited they had started singing, it was pretty catchy all things considered. Eugene thought that was just there way of coping with being at war once again, his expression turning dower for a couple seconds before he turned and started walking towards the bridge.

The ship was changing course to continue its patrol, just in case the Equestrians had anything else up their sleeves.

[♠]

Luna stood in silence as she watched Dominic and his generals look at the map on the table, they were pointing things out and talking rapidly, but the Princess couldn’t make any of it out. A great sorrow had formed in her heart, the weight of the world felt like it was pushing down on her chest. The mare knew that what they were discussing would mean the destruction of so much that she loved, and yet she knew that it would need to be done. Tears ran down her cheeks, even as she kept her face as calm as she could, it wasn’t enough to fool the young President. He quietly walked away from the map table and approached her, she wrapped her hooves around him tightly as he patted her neck.

“It’s going to be alright, Luna… I promise.” Dominic said softly as Luna let go of him, she could see that the tired expression was gone, the exhaustion in his eyes had turned to anger. “Why don’t you head on home, okay? I’ll be along soon enough.” Luna nodded, if she had opened her mouth she would’ve lost her composure and broken down on the floor of the War Room. Dominic signaled a thestral to come over and escort the Princess out, the President watched her for a couple moments before turning back to his Generals. He walked back to the map and looked it over.

“Kirov reports six ships destroyed, sir. They were coming down from Baltimare, from the looks of it.” General Bulwark said as he pointed a pin marking the first real battle of the war, Dominic nodded quietly. “Estimates are they were going to try and sneak around the heavily defended areas and move to bombard New Liberty.” Dominic sighed quietly as he looked around, knowing fully well that if he was going to retaliate, it could have a devastating effect on Equestrian civilians. The man shook his head, it was war now, it had to be done.

“Has Doolittle or any of the other Bases come under attack?” Dominic asked, Bulwark shook his head as Dominic rubbed his chin. “Let’s not waste time waiting for them to try. Scramble our long range bombers at Doolittle. Target… Canterlot. Go for military and industrial targets only. Have the rest of our bomber bases on standby.” Bulwark nodded quietly as Dominic watched one of the other generals begin moving a couple pins across the map, one of them he recognized as representing a Sniper team. Sniper Team ‘QD’, or ‘Queen of Death’, had been deployed to the front as per protocol.

Dominic frowned slightly, realizing that Maria was once again in danger. A sense of anger filled him at the thought of her being hurt, there hadn’t even been a formal declaration of war and the Equestrians were already making his life hell. He hoped that the retaliatory bombing raid would be enough to knock some sense into the Equestrians, but he doubted that would be the case. The Equestrians were xenophobes through and through, and though a small amount of them supported the United States he knew the overwhelming majority hated the NUS and his species in general.

“Mister President.” A soldier too the side stated, Dominic looked over with a raised eyebrow. “Radio, sir. It’s Canterlot.” Dominic gritted his teeth and walked away from the map table, adjusting his uniform before he reached the microphone and picked it up. He became aware that a good portion of his generals were watching, as well as other ponies. Bulwark used the moment to deliver the orders for the bombing raid to a radio operator who promptly sent them.

“Celestia.” He said flatly into the radio, listening for the response.

”Dominic… Listen to me. You can’t win this, don’t you understand?” Celestia’s voice came sternly through the radio, Dominic remained quiet. ”The only way to keep the rest of the world at peace is if Equestria is at the helm. Just give up before more lives are lost.”

“Odd hearing nationalist propaganda from you.” Dominic said bitterly, the radio remained quiet for a couple seconds. “If you want a war, I’ll give you a war. You’ve sown the wind, Celestia… Prepare to reap the whirlwind.” The man set the microphone down, ignoring any further words from the Princess of the Sun. “How long until our bombers are in the air?”

“Ten minutes, sir. They’ve been sitting ready on the tarmac as per your orders.” General Labeau replied, Dominic nodded quietly as he looked to the map once more. “It will take them four hours to get over the target. We’re sending them out with P-47s as escorts.” Dominic nodded again, looking back at the map where he saw the Sniper Team marker. It had been moved closer to Doolittle Aerodrome, he knew that he couldn’t call Maria back, even if he could she wouldn’t have come. She was committed to her duty, one of the things that Dominic loved so much about her. 

He only wished he had had an opportunity to say goodbye.
> Chapter 25: Steel Rain
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mike quietly adjusted his bomber jacket as he looked out over the wing of the B-17, the former ‘Colorado Kid’ had always had a fascination with World War Two aircraft and now he was taking part in the first bombing raid of a new war. He didn’t know much about the Equestrians, only that they had launched an attack on two American airships that had ended in miserable failure. Mike wasn’t one to treat things like that lightly, as were many of his fellow airmen and women. As a waist gunner on right side of the B-17 he was ready for any sort of action that could arise, they had been flying for nearly four hours and there hadn’t been a single spot of flak or enemy interceptors.

The droning engines were calming to his nerves as he looked around, the other members of the crew were all on the same readiness level. The tail gunner was a griffon, the other waist gunner as well as the ball turret gunners were thestrals, the navigator was a changeling, and the pilots and bombardier were human. There were plenty of crews made up of similar strange compositions, and all of them seemed to work well together in training. However, this was their first mission over an actual target, and no one knew what it would be truly like until they were in the thick of it.

The terrain beneath the plane had gone from the usual desert to brown and reds of fall, fields and forests were adorned with the signs that it was getting closer to winter. In the distance he could see a collection of clouds and rainbows that seemed to be constantly in flux. Seeing that odd sight made him flip the safety on his weapon, the hair on the back of his neck stood up. The other planes in the formation were flying along on course, he could see a couple other waist gunners were readying themselves as well while the ball turret on the bottoms and tops of the aircraft swiveled in search of enemy combatants.

”We should be coming up over the targets in about ten minutes.” The pilot, a woman by the name of Athena, announced over the headsets that all the crewmembers wore. The biting cold of fifteen thousand feet made every bit of exposed skin tingle in pain, thankfully Mike and the others had such warm clothes and oxygen masks on. Mike and the other gunners completed their readiness by racking a round into their weapons. The man tapped his foot quietly and nervously as he scanned the sky further.

His eyes widened as a streak of purple energy shot up from the ground, narrowly missing the wing. It wasn’t alone, soon there were bolts of magic flying up through the clouds, off all varying colors and sizes. If he hadn’t been so scared he would’ve thought they were beautiful. One of the bolts slammed into the wing of the B-17 next to his, it punched clean through the outboard engine and ripped the wing off the side of the aircraft. The plane began spiralling out of control in a ball of flames.

“Come on… Come on… Just one chute!” He said to himself, but he didn’t see any parachutes open before it slammed into the farmland below. The bolts kept coming, some of them striking wings or engines or occasionally striking the cockpit itself. Of the two hundred plane flight, they had lost twenty aircraft by the time the fire lightened up. Only ten parachutes had been spotted during the entire ordeal, after five minutes the fire stopped, that put Mike even more on edge. “Why’d they stop shooting?!”

”Bandits! Bandits! Twelve o’clock low! Sweet jesus hundreds of ‘em!” One of the escort fighters declared, Mike watched the P-47s zoom ahead to engage the pegasi that were undoubtedly coming to wreak havoc on flight of bombers. He bit his lip as the seconds ticked by, then he caught a glimpse of gold armor, it seemed a small amount of pegasi had slipped past the escort planes.

”Open bomb bay doors!” Athena called out over the radio, Mike heard the doors open and watched other aircraft carry out the order at around the same time. The man spotted a pegasus zooming towards his plane with a spear at the ready, he didn’t waste any time and brought the fifty cal to bear. The trigger was depressed and a steam of lead flew out towards the pegasus, all that he saw afterwards was a puff of red mist and twisted golden armor falling from the sky. ”Sixty seconds to target! Keep ‘em off of us a bit longer!”

The pegasi were coming in greater number, Mike began firing as accurately as he could, but still they were getting closer with each attempt. Two more planes fell as pegasi jammed spears into their engines or control surfaces, there was one case where the pegasi had attempt to hijack the aircraft. The guns popped and banged as shell casings clattered to the floor, Mike was losing his cool as they got closer and closer to his aircraft. Unlike fighter planes the bombers couldn’t change course if they wanted to complete their mission, making them easier targets for the Equestrian’s spearing attacks.

”Almost there…! Ten seconds!” Athena announced once again, Mike tightened his grip on his weapon and began yelling as he kept firing at the enemy. One of them got close enough to chuck their spear into the propeller of the outboard engine, the weapon was chopped to pieces by the speed of the engine but the aircraft began to wobble due to damage to the blade. Blasts of magic began to fly up from the ground again, the Equestrians seemed to be getting desperate. Several bolts struck the wing, Mike could see glowing metal rings left where they had punched through as the aircraft shuddered once again. ”Bombs away!”

Mike grinned behind his oxygen mask as he heard the squeal of bombs falling, he could see the explosive packages falling from the underbellies of the remaining B-17s and began chuckling loudly as he continued firing at the Equestrians. The mission was accomplished in his mind, now he could relax a bit and actually take the time to enjoy being back in the firing line.

“Get some! Come on and get some you queasy bastards!” Mike screamed as he unloaded on a pegasus trying to get closer to the aircraft. Meanwhile the whistle of bombs became apparent to ponies on the ground in Canterlot, many of them hadn’t known where to go to shelter or in some cases hadn’t heeded the air raid sirens. Several bombs fell on numerous arms manufacturing factories and warehouses, blasting holes in the roofs and reducing a good portion of them to rubble. Ponies scrambled around in panic as several bombs exploded in city streets or punched through the roofs of stores next to the actual targets. What was more horrifying were the corpses of royal guards that had started raining down from the sky and splattering across the sidewalks and streets.

Celestia watched the scene unfolding from her office, she was in shock at first, but it quickly was pushed aside for stoic resolve. She had made her bed and now she had to lie in it. That being said, she wasn’t about to sit back and let her ponies suffer on their own. With a glow of her horn she had teleported out the window and opened her wings, she began flapping and flying towards the aerial battle as fast as she could. She couldn’t see much through cloud cover that had obscured her view, but she was sure she could handle whatever was up there.

Mike gritted his teeth as he reloaded the his machine gun, rapidly getting back into the habit of targeting and eliminating pegasi. His instinct drew him towards a flash of gold passing through a cloud, prompting him to open fire. The bullets streaked towards the target but missed, Mike spotted the target quickly and blinked in shock.

“Alicorn! Two o’clock!” He called out as he began firing at the alicorn hatefully, it was Princess Celestia by the looks of her. She was flying erratically, her horn glowing as she began shooting bolts of magic back at his aircraft. “Brace! Brace!” The spells punched through the fuselage, tearing a large hole in the side as Mike dove for cover. He felt cold wind on his back as he turned over and looked around, the upper fuselage above him was gone. His gun had melted, and he couldn’t see any sign of the other waist gunner.

Mike grabbed his sidearm from his holster as he shakily stood up against the bitter wind, blood streaking down from a gash on the side of his head as the aircraft groaned and shook. The man leveled his handgun at the alicorn and started firing until the magazine was empty, his headset had been blown off in the impact and he doubted anyone else could hear him over the wind. The ball turret gunner on the top of the aircraft turned and began firing at Celestia, bullets streaked past her and Mike could see the mare flinch as several shots struck her. She dove down through the sky as the bombers began to turn around to head back to base, Mike wiped his eye and staggered towards the tail of the plane.

The griffon on the tail gun, a male by the name of Dimitri, was slumped to the side with blood splattered around the glass that hadn’t been shattered by enemy spears. Mike wandered towards him and put a hand on his neck to check for a pulse, there wasn’t one. He grabbed the griffon’s headseat and pulled it on over his aviator’s cap.

“Captain! You hear me?!” He called as he began limping towards the front of the aircraft, passing by the machine gun that had been melted and cooled into a pile of slag. There was no response over the headset, as he walked he noticed a spear jutting up out of the hatch to the ball turret, dripping with blood. “Captain!” The man carefully crossed over a catwalk in the bomb bay that shuddered under his weight, he could see straight down to the ground below as the bomb bay doors had sheared off. After his harrowing catwalk crossing he found himself in the radio and navigation room.

Insecta, the changeling navigator, was tending to the top turret gunner’s eye. The thestral gunner, a mare by the name of Dusky, was also clutching her side where she appeared to have suffered some sort of blunt force trauma. Both of them looked at Mike for a second or so before going back to what they were doing, Mike wiped the blood from his eye again as he continued up into the cockpit. He winced as he saw shattered glass in the nose of the plane, as well as a limp hand laying on the floor. The rest of his view was obscured by a small staircase that lead up to the two pilots.

“Captain!” Mike called out as he approached the pilot’s seats, he paused as he saw more broken glass and blood dripping from the co-pilot’s chair. Once again Mike could see the end of a spear jutting out through the back of the chair, Mike carefully approached the woman pilot who was clutching the control stick with all her might. “Cap! You alright?!” He shouted over the wind, the woman looked at him and gestured with her head to the co-pilot’s headset. Jenkins, a young blonde guy that had wanted to be a painter. Mike carefully removed the headset from Jenkin’s corpse and discarded the one he’d taken from Dimitri, he pulled it on and looked at the captain again. “Cap! Dimitri, Argon, and Night Eye are gone! Celestia blew a hole in us the size of a volkswagen! She fucking melted the waist guns!”

”Did you or Dusk get a piece of her!?” Athena replied with a grunt as she fought the controls of the aircraft, Mike nodded in response to her question as he looked around the cockpit at all the damaged instruments. ”Jenkin’s foot is stuck on the rudder! You gotta get him out of that seat! I can’t keep fighting it!” Mike nodded quietly and turned to his dead comrade, he gritted his teeth and grabbed the spear. Rather than pull, he pushed it all the way through with his his eyes clenched shut. The spear clattered to the floor behind the co-pilot’s seat and Mike pulled Jenkins out of the seat with a grunt, he set the body on the floor as gently as he could and looked back at Athena.

”They knocked out one of our engines, I can get us home on three… Hopefully.” Athena said as she relaxed her grip somewhat, the aircraft groaned under the stress of flying. Mike looked out the cockpit window and spotted a P-47 fly past them, the rest of the formation was already out in front of them and getting further away. ”How about Insecta and Dusky? They okay?”

“Dusky caught some shrapnel to her eye, Insecta looked okay…” Mike replied as he took a deep breath. “My O2 is fucked… Try and keep me awake!” The man wiped his eye again, thankfully it seemed the blood had coagulated on its own and stopped bleeding beyond that.

”I’m dropping us down to eight thousand. My O2 is fucked too.” Athena replied as the aircraft began to descend at a moderate pace, Mike pulled off his mask and tossed it aside out of annoyance. ”Hop on Dusky’s turret, you and me are the only able bodies left!” Mike nodded and walked out of the cockpit to the turret between the flight deck and the navigation room. He stepped up into the turret and took hold of the machine guns. The cold air blew against his exposed skin as he pulled on a spare set of goggles he kept in his jacket. Off in the distance he spotted three  thunder clouds that seemed to be streaking towards the aircraft.

They maintained a far distance as the aircraft continued flying along, for ten minutes Mike watched them with his finger hovering over the trigger.

“Cap! Eyes on three thunder trails! Seven o’clock!” Mike said loudly, the trails began to start moving closer. Mike didn’t hesitate to depress the trigger, the weapon fired two rounds before it stopped. It was out of ammunition, and the thunder trails were getting closer. With nothing else he could do, Mike pulled his handgun from its holster and loaded a fresh magazine. Fighting the cold wind from the large gash in the aircraft, he made his way out into the open tear with the handgun at the ready.

The trails split up, two taking the right side of the aircraft while one took the left side. As they got closer Mike could see the uniforms of the Wonderbolts, supposedly the heavy hitters of the Equestrian Air Force. The three of them formed up on the aircraft’s wings tips, as if sizing up the plane. Mike leveled his handgun at the one on the right and began firing, but with how much the aircraft was moving the bullets missed. The pegasus didn’t seem to flinch, staying right where they had been until Mike was out of ammunition once again. Out of both bullets and patience, Mike resorted to chucking his side arm at the pegasus. Predictably it was blasted away by the wind before it got too far away, Mike and the pegasus stared at one another.

It was a mare from the look of it, with a light orange coat and a fiery orange mane. The numerous briefings he had been given told him that she was likely Spitfire, the captain of the Wonderbolts and supposedly one of the most aggressive commanders out there. The two of them continued to stare at eachother for a couple minutes before the pegasus shook her head, the pegasus flew up closer to the aircraft and landed on the wing just outside of what remained of the waist gunner position. Mike looked around for a second, trying to find some sort of weapon to fend off what he assumed would be an attempted hijacking.

To his surprise the mare just stared at him, her eyes  obscured by her flight goggles, the man pointed away from the wing and tried to shoo her off. After a couple seconds he saw a faint smile cross the mare’s lips before she opened her wings and leapt back into the air. She and her cohorts flew forward, trailing thunder clouds as they did so. Mike rushed through the aircraft back to the cockpit and watched the pegasus mare pull up to see into the cockpit. She must’ve seen the body in the nose of the plane, because she winced.

“What the hell?” Athena asked in surprise as she looked at the pegasi, the mare began pointing down at the ground, as if telling them to land.

“Turret’s out of ammo, Cap!” Mike replied as he watched the pegasus continue making the gestures, Athena quietly shook her head and started pushing the throttle forward to try and outrun the pegasi, but with only three engines the lead didn’t last long. The mare shook her head again, then surprised the two airmen by tipping her wings and breaking off. The other pegasi followed suit, leaving the B-17 alone in the air once again. “I’m gonna go see if I can scavenge any ammo from the rear gun! I doubt they’re the only ones we’re going to be seeing!” Athena nodded as she continued holding the controls, the aircraft continued to shudder and shake as the metal groaned under the strain.

Mike passed by Insecta in the navigation room, the changeling had balled up on her chair and was staring quietly at the limp form of Dusky on the floor. The mare’s flight suit had been pulled open, revealing a large bruise along her side, most likely the result of internal bleeding. Mike shook his head quietly and continued through the windy fuselage, his steps uncertain against the metal floor. He collected the ammunition, but it wasn’t much more than a belt and a half. The man loaded the turret guns and waited in anticipation, watching the skies above for enemies while the plane trundled along through the sky.

Hours passed, Mike’s legs began to grow weary from the strain of constantly standing and watching the sky. The odd configuration of the turret controls had been configured for a pony to use, and so whenever he wasn’t preoccupied, he would spend time adjusting it until he could properly pull himself up onto the turret foot rests and get a better look. The ground was starting to go from lush with plant life to more arid and desert covered, still the skies remained clear. Mike dropped out of the turret and walked to the bomb bay, feeling rather nervous that there could be something flying up under them. He peeked down through the hole and blinked, there was a swarm of thestrals under the aircraft. They were shaking off shrubbery and dust and dirt, as if they had been hiding under the foliage on the ground.

“C-Captain!” He called out nervously, this was nothing like he had faced during his time in Colorado. “W-We’ve got a lot of thestrals flying up beneath us!” The man looked towards the gash in the fuselage when he heard the sound of hooves on metal, taking a step back as he spotted a thestral had landed inside the aircraft. “Captain! There’s one on board!” The man looked around, noting a metal tool used to manually lower the landing gear, he grabbed it and held it tightly in case the thestral attacked. The thestral advanced, appearing rather calm and non-threatening. The stallion opened his mouth and said something, but Mike couldn’t hear him over the sound of the rushing wind. Against his better judgement he leaned down closer to the thestral and put his hand up against his ear.

“We wish to defect!” The stallion yelled, Mike barely heard him. He stepped back and rubbed his neck in confusion, then hesitantly signaled Insecta over. The changeling moved over, horn glowing and ready. Mike just pointed at the thestral and then pointed at the floor, Insecta understood what he meant and kept an eye on the thestral. Mike meanwhile began making his way back to the cockpit, it was going to be an interesting flight home.

[♠]

Maria and Melissa quietly crawled along the sand dunes, their faces covered by their headscarves while they carried their weapons on their backs. The Equestrian base wasn’t too far away, and they had been tasked with reconnoitering the area before tanks and other ground forces moved in to take it out. Both of them had been rather quiet since the news had spread, the world was officially at war, and they would be part of the counter attack. It was a lot of pressure, but Maria had been under far worse pressure with far less support, still she felt an odd hollowness forming in her chest.

The pair crested the final dune that separated them from the target, the largest Equestrian fort on the border. Immediately they noticed something wrong, there was a massive army staging on the outside of the fort and it looked like it was just about ready to march. There were pegasi in the sky, watching the immediate area, there was no way the two women could get closer. Maria silently signalled Melissa to set up the spotter binoculars while she carefully unslung her Tac-50 from her back and set up the bipod in the sand. She adjusted the scope and looked down range at the large group, searching for the officers that were in charge of the numerous battle formations.

“Target… Fifteen hundred yards. Bearing three-five-zero.” Melissa said quietly as she looked through the binoculars at the battle formation, she watched an Equestrian battle banner flutter in the breeze ten feet in front of the target. However, one of the fabric strips Maria had tied earlier was blowing in the opposite direction. “Slight crosswind from the west closest to us, wind is to the east near the target.” Maria nodded quietly and adjusted her scope before she quietly looked over at Melissa.

“Call in what we’ve got here, see what they want us to do.” She asked, looking back through her scope at a unicorn officer with a large plume atop his helmet. Melissa nodded and quietly whispered her message into her radio, the wind was starting to blow sand on top of them, naturally concealing them somewhat from the air. Maria began taking deep breaths and slowing her heartbeat, lining up her point of aim as best she could with the knowledge she had. The Equestrians were so closely packed together, she knew that even if she missed her target she’d hit one of the soldiers behind him.

“Armor is on its way, they’re also sending aircraft, ETA is ten minutes.” Melissa replied after getting a faint transmission over her earpiece. “They said prosecute targets as we see fit.” Maria nodded quietly as she kept her eye looking down range, the sun was starting to dip further into afternoon. Maria slowed her breathing, her finger quietly resting itself on the trigger of the Tac-50, her eye focussed on her target. “Send it.” Maria squeezed the trigger, the weapon barked as it kicked back into her shoulder. Melissa watched the vapor trail for the brief second it was visible before she spotted a spray of red burst from the target’s neck. “Target down.”

Immediately the guards started looking around frantically, unsure of where the shot had come from, the howling wind had hidden the distant gunshot. Maria wasted no time in racking another round, knowing she had about three seconds to capitalize on their surprise. Without waiting for Melissa’s advice she adjusted her aim to another officer that was starting to pull his sword, the weapon bucked against her shoulder as another round flew down range. Melissa flinched as she watched the stallion fall to the ground, clutching at a gushing wound in his chest. 

In less than three seconds Maria had become the most lethal female sniper in human history, racking up her three hundred and ninth and three hundred and tenth kills. She wasn’t about to stop though, she was going to run up the score. Maria racked another round as the Equestrians scrambled to form some sort of defense, but they had no idea where the shots were coming from. Melissa set the binoculars aside and pulled her sniper rifle off of her back, it wouldn’t be as accurate at such a distance, but it would increase the fear factor.

“I’m going left.” Melissa said as she rolled down the sand dune and moved in a crouched run to the left. Maria focussed her scope on the officers scrambling around the field army, the large group of soldiers had no idea how to run from a sniper and so they were trying to put their shields up in a futile attempt to stop the fifty caliber rifle shots. Maria focussed on yet another officer, her pupils shrinking as adrenaline hit her bloodstream. She squeezed the trigger once again, the rifle kicked against her shoulder, the officer and the two ponies behind him fell to the ground.

Maria heard a bang from her left, as one of the regulars took a round to the head. The woman continued firing until her five round magazine was empty, the woman reached to her belt and grabbed three fresh ones. She set the two magazines out in the sun  before she slammed the third into the gun and readied a fresh round. By now the pegasi were starting to fly through the air in search of the snipers, Maria could also hear the rumble of tanks off in the distance behind her. The woman lined up a shot on one of the officers that had a very large plume on his helmet, an olive drab earth pony. He looked unique, she discerned that made him important. He was pointing towards the sand dunes, as if trying to order his army to charge.

Maria exhaled slowly as her finger closed around the trigger, but before she could pull the trigger her sight was obscured by white fur. Without waiting she pulled the trigger, the weapon kicked like a mule as it blew a hole in the chest of a pegasus guard that had landed in front of her sniper nest. She left the rifle on the ground and pushed herself onto her feet, grabbing her side arm as three more pegasi landed around her. A shot to the left rang out, felling one of the pegasi before he could make a move.

Maria raised the Colt 1911 into a firing position and fired two rounds at the nearest guard, he fell to the ground with a groan while the remaining guard rushed at her with a sword clasped in his wing. Maria jumped to the left and fired two more rounds at the guard’s neck. One hit home while the other kicked up sand and dust, Maria wiped her nose quickly as she looked around for any other incoming hostiles. The tank engines were far closer now, but so were three more pegasus guards. Maria fired at one of them while he was still in the air, striking the target in the eye and sending him to the ground with a thud. The other two landed and bum rushed her, as they hadn’t had time to draw their swords. Maria grunted as she fired the remaining rounds at them, striking one in the hoof and missing the other completely.

She dropped the weapon as the unwounded guard was about to barrel into her, widening her stance and opening her arms as if she were about to push a car. She and the guard collided violently, rolling in the sand for several seconds before the guard ended up coming out on top. The stallion started to squeeze her neck, but faltered, Maria could see he didn’t have the mettle in his eye. It was too bad for him that she did. She grunted and shoved him to the side, reaching to her belt and pulling out her combat knife.

As the guard started to push himself up Maria pounced, embedding the knife deep into the stallion’s neck and unintentionally growling like a predator. The engines were almost on top of her by this point, as she stood up over the dead guard’s body the American armor crested the dune behind her. The machine gunners standing in the T-34 turrets recognized her almost instantly as the ‘Queen of Death’, cheering loudly at her as she wiped her nose again. Maria quickly rushed to her equipment and gathered it up, slinging her rifle over her shoulder as the tanks went rolling down the dune towards the Equestrian army. One of the tanks came to a stop next to her, decorated with a familiar picture on the front.

Dominic pushed the hatch open and signalled for Maria to quickly climb up onto the tank, he wore a kevlar helmet and vest over his usual uniform and appeared to be running on a mix of adrenaline and coffee. The tanks that had started rolling down the hill had started firing on the Equestrian Solar Elites,meanwhile Dominic was giving Maria a quick look over.

“You alright? You’re not hurt, are you?” He said in a protective tone, Maria shook her head quickly. “Alright, start heading back through the armor. There’s a humvee waiting to take you and Melissa back to Doolittle!”

“Roger that!” Maria replied as she hopped off the tank to go search for her sniper partner, Dominic watched her go for several seconds before he pointed towards the battle unfolding ahead. The disorganized formations were being laid into by the machine gunners, as well as the main guns of the tanks.

“Alright, Gear! Let’s give ‘em hell!” Dominic shouted into his radio, the tank lurched forwards and began rolling down the hill as the Equestrians formed up their lines as best as they could. The Pegasi were starting to dart towards the tanks, but the turret gunners had been instructed to take them out over anything else. As a result many wounded and dead Equestrians fell in front of the tanks as they charged forwards, those that weren’t shot down were very ineffective against the armor. Their headbutting attacks would’ve worked on a Changeling brute, but against cold hard American steel they only served to knock the survivors unconscious.

Overhead the pegasi turned their attention to the sound of aircraft that had started to swarm the Equestrian fort, the enemy number advantage of nearly ten thousand soldiers was being diminished rapidly. Dominic gritted his teeth as the tanks rolled forwards, the Equestrian unicorns began firing spells at the tanks. Some of them struck, but didn’t penetrate, others were deflected by the sloped angle of the T-34’s armor. Dominic was almost sickened by how easy it was to mow down the Equestrian army, he watched as numerous untested Equestrians began to run from the ranks for the hills or the safety of the fort’s walls.

General Powder Keg watched in shock as his army began to devolve into chaos, the American military had acted just as he had predicted, only his soldiers hadn’t been ready to stand against them. The stallion waved his flag several times before calling loudly.

“Fall back! Fall back to the fortress!” He ordered, seconds later an American shell exploded ten feet away from him. It decimated one of the few formations that was still intact and sprayed him with red mist that fell from the sky like rain. The soldiers began rushing back to the gates of the fort in droves, by the hundreds they began pushing their way through, some of them discarding their armor for a chance to survive. 

The pegasi guards landed on the ramparts and began firing crossbows at the advancing tanks to try and and buy their comrades time. Once Powder Keg had passed the gate the guards began pushing it shut, locking many guards outside in the interest of keeping the fort secure. The wall of the fort became an anvil, the American tanks became a hammer. The tanks stopped a hundred yards from the wall, having crushed numerous bodies in their advance they were covered in blood and gore.

The three hundred guards left standing outside the wall stared down the barrels of machine guns and cannons, some of them started to try and climb the wall, others gritted their teeth, and some decided to pick up their spears and charge at the tanks with loud battlecries. The tanks opened fire, unleashing a hail of machinegun and cannon fire. Explosions rocked the concrete walls of the fort as the three hundred were torn to shreds by withering fire, the pegasi on the walls had stopped firing as they had realized it was futile.

Overhead the sound of engines tore through the once peaceful skies as three American P-47s began to dive on the fort, their guns clattered away as swaths of lead tore through the guards that had just narrowly made it into the fort. As they began to pull away they each released two five hundred pound bombs, the royal guards and solar elites didn’t have anywhere to hide as they exploded throughout the fort. One of them blaster the top portion of the wall facing the American’s down, crushing guards under the rubble and rocks as it fell.

The guards managed to organize themselves, moving to their defensive positions as shell and shot continued to pepper their position. Powder Keg knew that there had to be a way to beat the enemy back, the stallion pulled off his helmet and ran up onto one of the ramparts, signalling for any unicorn he could get.

“Come on! I need fire power up on the wall! Move it!” He ordered as he gritted his teeth, the stallion grabbed a pair of binoculars from a supply crate on the rampart. The general peeked over the wall and looked out towards the enemy tanks, there were dozens more vehicles arriving. They lacked turrets other than machine guns and looked like large blocks on tank tracks, overhead there were more engines buzzing furiously. As the tanks concentrated their fire on the already damaged portions of the wall, Powder Keg managed to gather four unicorns. “All of you focus your fire on a single target!” Powder Keg pointed towards one of the tanks that was blasting away at the wall.

The guards nodded and charged their horns with their strongest spell, almost simultaneously they fired a beam of multicolored energy at the tank. Powder Keg let out a cheer as he watched the armored vehicle glow red for a couple seconds before the turret exploded off the top and flew several feet to the left. It landed in the sand as the guards on the wall started cheering, to Powder Keg’s surprise the tanks began backing up towards the more blocky looking vehicles. They stopped firing as well, Powder Keg felt the hair on his neck stand up as the aircraft started darting away from the fort.

Then, in the distance, he heard what sounded like thunder, the other guards looked around with uncertainty as the rumble lasted several seconds before coming to a stop. Powder Keg looked up as he heard a strange whistling noise overhead, as if the very air was being ripped to pieces and it was getting closer. Seconds later explosions began to ring out over the large fort. Rock and concrete were tossed through the air like toys, shockwaves sent several stallions to the ground in heaps. The concussion of the large blasts had turned their insides to gelatin, Powder Keg hunkered on the wall as he watched his soldiers rushing for cover.

The unicorns he had gathered fell for cover as well, Powder Keg could see on of them curled up and screaming. The stallion couldn’t believe their foe had such long reaching artillery pieces, and what was more, he couldn’t believe the damage that they were inflicting. Powder Keg jumped away from the wall as part of the bricks were knocked away, he looked at the damage and spotted a smoking artillery shell had failed to detonate inches away from him. What caught him off guard was that there was writing on the side of the shell. ‘To: Celestabitch From: Eighth Arty’. The stallion turned to the unicorns and screamed for them to run, but they couldn’t hear him over the shelling. With a grunt the stallion grabbed two of them in headlocks and jumped to the ground, he groaned as he hit the ground after the ten foot fall.

The stallion rolled onto his back to signal the others to get away from the unexploded shell, as he knew that it could go at any time, but the shell exploded before they could move. Brick and concrete rained down on Powder Keg and the two unicorns he had grabbed off the wall. The general struggled to move after the fall, he had at least broken two of his legs, but he had managed to live to fight. Several minutes passed before Powder Keg felt someone hefting the rocks off of him, he couldn’t tell who it was because he was currently face down on the ground. The shells were still falling with their same intensity, Powder Keg was helpless to lead his army.

Dominic quietly watched the shells exploding in the fort, his expression was a stoic scowl. The corpses that littered the ground ahead of them were mangled by all the fire they had endured, the strongest army in the world was being reduced to hamburger. Brilliant gold armor, stained with blood and gore, as shattered spears and swords were littered along the ground. The APCs parked alongside the tanks were loaded with troops ready to storm the fort, once the wall or gate was destroyed they’d be able to roll in and mop up any resistance that remained. Dominic took a bite of an apple that he had packed before leaving New Liberty as he watched the shells continue to decimate the enemy, the man looked at it for a moment in thought.

The tension had all started due to apple tries, Dominic couldn’t help but grimly chuckle at the prospect. His army was destroying the largest army in the world over apples. Dominic took another bite as he watched the walls of the fort continue to crumble under the intense artillery barrage, it hadn’t even been a day and the United States was close to defeating the enemy’s strongest fort. Dominic didn’t want to get cocky, but he had faith that War Plan Pink was working well. The strike had been timed to simultaneously start when units from other bases began attacking the Equestrian’s seven other forts, at least four enemy bases were under American control, two were being hit by airstrikes, and the one in front of him was about to fall to its knees.

From there, the NUS Army would begin Operation Fast Lance, a four pronged drive for the heart of Equestria. The Changelings would aid the NUS Army in advancing on Las Pegasus and Applewood, they would also raid Equestrian and Zebrican shipping in the South Luna Sea to cut off the Equestrian’s source of foreign food and medical aid. Dominic finished off the apple and tossed it into the sand next to the tank as he watched a large portion of the wall crumble in on itself. The man narrowed his eyes, as much as he hated war, Celestia had brought it upon herself and he couldn’t afford to let his personal feelings interfere. With the wall sufficiently crumbled, Dominic activated his radio microphone.

“Cease fire on the artillery.” He ordered, the shells began to taper off, until finally the last explosion echoed over the field. “Alright, fan out and roll over the rubble. Ninth infantry, move up behind us, we’ll set up a ring for you to disembark.” Dominic drew his sword from his belt and pointed it towards the fort, it had become a bit of a tradition for the leader of an attack to do so, and he was glad to take part in it. The tanks rolled forward towards the large Equestrian fort, the sand caked onto their blood tracks and under bellies as they steamrolled dead bodies.

The tanks trundled up the brick rubble, Dominic sheathed his blade and took hold of the fifty cal machine gun mounted to the turret. He could hear the ponies rushing around and giving orders, he had to admire their tenacity. The tanks crested the rubble and passed through a thick cloud of dust and smoke that lingered over the fort in the wake of the artillery barrage. Dominic readied his finger over the trigger, Avos readied the main gun, Gear Grinder watched sternly through the driver’s periscope. The secondary machine gunner’s position hadn’t been filled yet, meaning the tank was done one defensive countermeasure. However, there was a new member of the crew that had taken up the position of loader.

Her name was Fire Breeze, a unicorn mare with a blood orange fur and a yellow mane, her cutie mark was a ball of fire. The crew hadn’t really gotten to know her all that well, but she seemed to be handling her duties alright considering they were at war with her country of birth. Her horn glowed softly, enveloping a fresh shell with her magic in preparation. The tanks fanned out as they passed over the rubble, Dominic’s tank was more to the right of the formation as the APCs followed them over the fallen wall and into fort.

Standing out in front of the tanks were one thousand Equestrians, beleaguered and battered, somehow they had gotten into formation. Their banners waved proudly over head as they lowered their pole arms at the tanks. Dominic felt a deep stirring in his soul, Luna would’ve been proud to see such devoted soldiers in the service of her sister. The commander would give them a true warrior’s death.

“Make ready to fire!” He ordered loudly, the tank turrets rotated towards the Equestrians as the turret gunners readied their weapons. The Equestrians began charging towards the tanks, their swords and spears lowered despite the futility of it all. The APCs were unloading the troops, the soldiers were quickly moving up beside the tanks and taking aim at the advancing enemy. Dominic raised his hand in the air, signalling his forces to be ready to fire as the enemy got closer and closer. The Equestrians were yelling loudly, rushing head on, undaunted by the prospect of certain death. “Fire!”

The cannons and machine guns roared to life, shells exploding near the Equestrians and blasting numerous bodies into the sky. Despite the losses and withering fire, the soldiers continued charging forwards. The American soldiers next to the tank began firing with their rifles, adding to the hail of lead that continued to mow down the dwindling wave of Equestrian soldiers. Dominic held his fire, even as Avos laid on the shells, he remained calm and serene. The Equestrians stumbled over one another, one with two broken legs continued trying to crawl onwards but was quickly cut down.

The last Equestrian fell twenty yards in front of the line of tanks and soldiers, he had been a unicorn that was carrying an Equestrian battle banner. A banner now covered in blood. The tanks rolled forwards with soldiers to start securing the fort, Dominic quietly climbed out of the turret and walked towards the last soldier to fall. A peaceful silence had fallen over the battlefield, despite the noise of engines and barking orders, there was something tranquil. The man looked down at the dead unicorn, sighing quietly at the waste of life, but at the same time he was glad to see that his enemy had some semblance of honor, even if their ruler didn’t.

One of the tanks, outfitted with loudspeakers, began to blast music loudly to celebrate the victory. For many of the Thestrals, German immigrants, and even some American nationals in the NUS Army, it was a familiar tune. Dominic turned away from the dead body and walked back to his tank, he climbed back up into the turret.

“Where to now, sir?” Gear Grinder asked as the man took a seat in the turret and pulled the hatch closed, Dominic thoughtfully rubbed his chin in thought, then smiled faintly as he continued listening to the martial music that was playing outside.

“Unser nächstes ziel ist Canterlot, meine landsmänner.” Dominic said quietly, Gear Grinder grinned a bit wider as he heard that in his own tongue whilst Avos and Fire Breeze looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Canterlot. Our next, and only, goal ist Canterlot.” The man removed his helmet and ran a hand over his shaved head. In a way he was relieved that the war had broken out, it meant he could stop worrying about how to prevent it, perhaps his hair would start to grow in its much more handsome black instead of the sorrowful grey he had come to be accustomed to. “But first, a stop in Appleloosa! Schnell!”

“Ja, herr kommandant!” Gear Grinder said enthusiastically as he put the tank into drive.
> Chapter 26: Tide of Iron
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Luna looked out over the tarmac of Doolittle Aerodrome, watching as a fire crew sprayed a B-17 that had crashed when the surviving crew had been forced to bail out. That wasn’t why she had been called to the base though, neither was the sound of fighting in the distance. No, the Ruler of the Night had come to see what had to be one of the strangest migrations she had ever seen. It wasn’t so much a migration as it was a mass exodus of thestrals, many of them had carried their young with them while others had done their best to carry their armor and weaponry.

The base commander was clearing space in an aircraft hangar for the six hundred or so thestrals to get out of sun, for the moment though they had started setting up tents for the younger ones to sit under. Luna was being escorted towards them from the plane she had just stepped off of by a pair of thestrals in American uniforms, the princess looked at them quietly, hoping that there would be some sort of familiar face. The thestrals that were in the Lunar guard snapped to salutes while the civilians bowed as she passed by them, seeing how tired and hot they were, Luna was almost brought to tears for the second time that day.

She came to a full stop when she had reached the center of the group, the thestrals stared at her silently, waiting for her to say something. Luna’s horn glowed with magic, she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as she fired off a blast of magic into the sky. The spell drew a lot of energy out of her, but it was well worth it to see a light blue dome form over the crowd. The air began to cool off considerably, Luna panted heavily as her head began to ache. One of the thestrals escorting her was quick to help her keep her balance while the immigrants mumbled among themselves.

“M-My dear subjects…” Luna said as loudly as she could, shaking her head several times before forcing herself to stand up straight. She was glad that so many had made it to her, and yet, there were still so few. Of the ten thousand thestrals still living in Equestria, only six hundred seemed to have escaped. “It… It brings me such joy to see you here safely, and yet… There are so few.” The mare looked at the ground and wiped her eyes. “I have failed so many of you… All I can hope to do is offer you shelter in this new land…”

“We came to fight for you, my queen!” A voice called out from the air, Luna’s eyes widened as she looked up to spot who had spoken. Moving above the crowd of thestrals was the familiar sight of Field Marshal Eventide, he looked like he’d just jumped out of an aircraft. Though, judging by the burning aircraft that was now under control, that would explain why he hadn’t come to her sooner. The stallion landed in front of her and saluted, Luna’s heart fluttered at the sight of the familiar face. She had feared she had lost one of the few ponies that she called friend, nearly family. “Isn’t that right?!”

“A’oo! A’oo! A’oo!” The thestrals gathered around Luna chanted dutifully, Luna watched as Eventide took to hovering off the ground once again. 

“We have flown this far to aid you, my Queen! We have come to serve as your soldiers! Three hundred Lunar Legionaries and their families, ready to fight for the glory of you and your nation!” Eventide shouted, there were numerous cheers from the tired looking crowd. Luna felt a bit of pride welling up in her chest, despite all that had happened  that day, she still held the hearts and minds of the ponies she had sworn to care for and protect. Even though she had failed them so many times,  they still stood with her. “For the glory of the night! For the glory of our fallen homeland, and our new home! We stand as one to serve you, your majesty!”

Luna stood up straighter as she heard the impassioned speech of her most faithful officer, there had been a reason she had chosen him to lead her army beyond his skill on the battlefield. War with her sister was unavoidable now, and if she had learned anything from her time with the humans, it was to roll with the punches and make do with what she could. Dominic had given her the authority to form her own military divisions, so long as they answered to the NUS Government. It was part of her authority as a provisional government official.

“And so you shall, my children of the night.” Luna said with a nod. “And so you shall…” The mare looked to the two thestrals that had escorted her across the base, they were standing at attention and looking at her with waiting expressions. “Please, see to it the civilians are given shelter until we can find them somewhere in New Liberty.” The thestrals nodded quietly. “Those of you who are going to fight, I know you have flown far, but you will need to fly further. Eat, drink, and prepare yourselves!”

“A’oo!” Three hundred of the six hundred refugees shouted, thrusting their hooves into the air as a form of salute. The other military personnel on the base began escorting the warriors towards the mess hall while the civilians chose to stay within the doom of cool air that Luna had summoned for them. The Princess of the night gestured for Eventide to follow her as she began walking towards the edge of the base, the thestral dutifully fell in step beside her. In silence they approached one of the gates that was closest to the sound of fighting in the distance, clouds of smoke were visible in the distance.

“How bad was it…?” Luna asked quietly, Eventide looked at her with an uncertain expression. “How many were lost trying to get here…?” Eventide looked at her for several seconds, his expression becoming a frown as he rubbed the back of his neck and tried to think of a way to answer his Queen. He didn’t like hiding things from her, but he wasn’t sure he could tell her just how many had been killed or captured.

“Not nearly as many as-” He began.

“How. Many.” Luna said sternly, not taking her eyes off the horizon. In the distance she could see a humvee driving towards the base, she assumed it had to be some sort of messenger or something along those lines. Eventide sighed and looked at the ground.

“Four hundred… Most of them died fighting off the Solar goons, protecting the mares and foals…” Eventide admitted, he watched as Luna closed her eyes. The Field Marshal was stunned to see a couple tears run down her cheeks, in all his time in her service he had never seen her break down in tears.

“My sister is a fool…” Luna said bitterly as she kept her eyes closed, listening as the distant sound of artillery subsided. “So used to the rule of Equestria above all others, she thinks that by taking over this land it will maintain her position in the spotlight of the global spotlight… With the intention of maintaining peace…” Eventide jumped back as he watched Luna slam her hoof against the concrete tarmac they stood on, the impact left cracks in its wake. “What a cruel irony this is… Now it is I that must stop her. All the while lives will be lost…”

The humvee driving towards the base slowed as it approached the gate, Luna looked towards it and noticed that Maria was sitting in the passenger seat. The guards in the guard house opened the gate, allowing the humvee to pass through. It stopped as it passed through the gate, Maria stepped out of the vehicle and said a quick word to someone in the back before patting the side. The humvee drove off, leaving Maria to turn and start walking towards Luna. Eventide raised an eyebrow at the newcomer, watching as the woman removed the scarf from her head and slipped it into her backpack. Luna flinched as she noticed a couple bruises and scratches, especially around the woman’s throat.

“Maria… Are you alright?! Your neck!” Luna said as Maria got closer, the woman nodded quietly as she stopped and looked at Eventide. The thestral was more muscular than most, and he had an almost aristocratic nose. Eventide had heard stories that ponies found human female’s marginally attractive, he was still on the fence about it, though he had to admit the woman’s apparent ruggedness was appealing.

“I’m fine, Luna… Just a little scuffle.” Maria replied as she got closer to Luna, Eventide was surprised to watch as the woman and the alicorn embraced before sharing a kiss. “Dominic’s fine too, word came through on the radio that they just took the fort.”

“Good…” Luna said before she stepped back from Maria to gesture to Eventide. “Maria, this is my friend, Field Marshal Eventide. Commander of my private guard.” Maria turned and looked at him with a bit more appraisal, then nodded as if satisfied with whatever she had found. “Eventide, this is Maria, one of my herd mates…” Eventide nodded quietly and bowed his head, as it was customary. When he rose he decided to take a closer look at the woman, she had an odd human weapon over her shoulder, and she was covered in dust. “What are you doing back here? Aren’t you advancing with Dominic?”

“He sent me back here to catch my breath… In about an hour Melissa and I are moving back to the front.” Maria explained, the woman rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly as she looked at Eventide, then at Luna. The Field Marshal quickly picked up on the cue.

“I’m going to see to the soldiers preparing to go to New Liberty…” Eventide said before clicking his hooves together and bowing to Luna, then opened his wings and took off. Maria and Luna were left alone as the wind began to pick up, the sand of the desert started blow across the tarmac.

“I killed at least five ponies today…” Maria said quietly as she walked over to Luna and stood next to her, looking out towards where the fighting had taken place. “Five years ago I thought they were the cutest things on the planet, and now I’m killing them…” The woman wiped her eyes tiredly, the sand on her cheeks made it evident that there were tear streaks. “What’s worse, I don’t feel anything… I used to feel something when I’d take out the EOL, but… Now it’s all numb. Am I some sort of monster for that?”

“No, my dear sweet Maria…” Luna said as she opened her wing and draped it over the woman’s shoulder. “You’re just in shock, in time you’ll feel something… I can tell you I’m having that same feeling right now…” Maria sighed and hugged Luna tightly, rubbing her head against the mare’s fur. “You should get some food and water if you’re going back to the front… Come on, I’ll join you.”

“Okay…” Maria replied softly, the two of them began walking towards the Mess hall. Luna cast a brief look over her shoulder at the clearing cloud of smoke in the distance, she didn’t want to say goodbye to either of the ones she loved, but she knew that they had to go and fight. She would join them soon enough, with her loyal subjects at her side, she would do her part.

[♠]

“Suppressing fire! Suppressing fire!” Dominic shouted as he fired away from the machine gun of the turret, the ground offensive to take Appleloosa was just beginning and the royal guards garrisoned there were putting up just as much a bitter fight as their comrades had in the fort. The commander watched as his soldiers advanced on foot, feeling upset with himself that he was armored in a tank while they were taking a far greater risk. “Keep those fuckers suppressed, goddamn it!”

Arrows deflected off the tank’s armor as the guards gave it everything they had, more than a few soldiers were being carted off the field on stretchers as a result of their lack of armor. The Equestrians had learned to combine their spells against the tanks, making it significantly harder for the tanks to advance. Appleloosa was an earth pony town, but their guard force was comprised mostly of unicorns. Speaking of the residents of the town, they too were taking part in the battle. Ineffectively tossing pies and apples at the soldiers or building up barricades, the order had been given that if they threw in the enemy they would be treated as the enemy.

“Gear! Get this hunk of steel moving, damn it! Support our men on the ground!” Dominic ordered, the tank lurched forwards and began to charge the town, leading an example for the other tanks that had stopped to suppress the city from a distance. “Move your asses! Get the lead out, come on!” The tank began passing troops that had taken cover on the ground, they quickly stood up and began following the tank as it moved in.

”Unicorn team in the bell tower! Put some rounds up there, chief!” Someone shouted over the radio, Dominic turned the aim of the fifty cal to the bell tower in question. He depressed the trigger, sending tracers and other rounds into the bell tower, knocking brick and glass away as best he could until the weapon clicked empty.

“Reloading!” He shouted as he grabbed a fresh box of munitions and began to slip it into the heavy machine gun.

”Firing!” Announced the voice of Jen from the tank next to his, she was on the turret and began to fire on the bell tower while Dominic’s turret swiveled. The hyrdaulics whined as it moved, the tracks of the tank clanking like the bells of the almighty come to reap the souls of the enemy.

”Target locked in! Weapon set!” Fire Breeze announced over the intercom as the cannon’s elevation rose.

”On the way!” Avos quickly followed up, the cannon roared as it sent a shell towards the clock tower. There was a massive ringing noise as the shell exploded, sending twisted wreckage of a brass bell and brick debris to the ground around the base of the tower. ”Fire mechanism reset! Load it!”

“Target destroyed!” Dominic announced as the tank got even closer to the town, arrows were still pinging off the armor. He finished loading the fifty and focussed his aim on a block house on the furthest edge of town. “Echo Company! Set up a foot hold on that block house! Follow my tracers!” The man fired several rounds towards the house in question, the soldiers behind the tank prepared themselves to leave the safety of the armored shield that had spearheaded their advance across a field of sand and dust with hardly any cover. “Keep that defensive line suppressed!” Dominic gritted his teeth, the sound of popping rounds was dragging him back to his time on Earth, and the battle for Denver.

He began firing on the defenses of the western themed town, hay bales did little against fifty caliber rounds, especially tracer rounds. One of the bales of hay burst into flames, choking black smoke began to rise from it as the ponies behind it rushed to find new cover. The soldiers behind the tank moved and took cover behind the blockhouse, unfortunately they hadn’t been able to use APCs as they were being filled with supplies to continue the advance. Once the American’s set up a foothold in Appleloosa, they could air drop supplies there and use the Equestrian road system for supplies. That kept running through Dominic’s mind, at the same time, if a couple roads had to be cratered to take the town it was alright.

The tanks were advancing once again, helping to cover the advance of the infantry, even as unicorns began to fire spells out of windows. Dominic watched a mare in guard armor poke her head out the window of the sheriff’s office and turned his aim towards the building, however he held his finger over the trigger as he watched a white flag appear from the doorway. It was rapidly being waved, frantically trying to get the attention of the American’s.

“Cease fire!” Dominic shouted into the radio, he could hear the order being echoed through the units behind him as he examined the pony mare that poked her head out of the office again. “Gear, advance on the Sherrif’s office. Avos…”

”One false move and it’ll be rubble, sir!” The griffon replied rapidly, Dominic nodded as an eerie silence fell over the town. The tank rolled passed buildings, some had been reduced to splinters in the fight, others were almost completely untouched. The howling wind began to carry smoke away from the burning bale of hay, as well as several other small fires that had sprouted up during the fighting. The cannon lowered towards the door of the sheriff’s office, the tank stopped just a couple feet from it. Dominic quietly climbed out of the turret as other tanks moved into the town, capitalizing on the cease fire.

The man climbed down from the tank and approached the mare, the engine of his vehicle rumbling as his boots left noticeable imprints in the sandy soil. The mare’s helmet was missing, but she was wearing the armor of the royal guard, Dominic could see numerous dead guards and ponies lying about the street, and he could hear pained groaning from inside the sheriff’s office. The mare’s mane was long and disheveled from her helmet.

“As highest ranking officer of the remaining royal guard in this town… I… I…” The mare began, quietly looking over her shoulder, then back at Dominic. The man’s face was stoic and unyielding, his right hand rested on his hip, near his side arm, while his left was used to lean against the tank. All he lacked was a cowboy hat and a duster, he would’ve been a dead ringer for a cowboy of a spaghetti western. Fitting, considering the setting they found themselves standing in. “I surrender the town, and our forces… On the condition they get proper medical care…” The mare quietly levitated her sword from her belt and held it horrizontally, presenting it to the commander with a scowl.

“I accept your surrender.” Dominic said as he took the sword from her and set it on the tank beside him. “Have your wounded brought here, they’ll be tended to.” The mare nodded quietly and turned to walk back inside, Dominic took the sword and climbed back up to the turret. With a sigh he set it down next to the machine gun and took the radio from inside. “Alright, they’re giving up. Move in, secure the town, have a couple pony doctors brought up for their wounded.” The commander looked to the sky, watching as the sun began to set. It had been twelve hours since the war had begun, and nearly two days since he had had a good night sleep. “Pass the word along that we’re going to fortify here for the night.”

Dominic quietly sighed as the town came under American control, soldiers rushed about as they cleared buildings of Royal Guards. American pegasi soldiers pushed a couple nearby clouds over the town and began using them to douse the fires that had started, American tanks began setting up positions around the northern part of the town as soldiers began digging foxholes and constructing tents. Dominic adjusted his helmet and climbed back into the tank, resting quietly in the chair as he looked over the sword that he had taken from the mare.

“What a fucking day…” He muttered softly as he looked at the crew of his tank, they looked at him with similar expressions of exhaustion. “Let’s form up on the defensive line, after that…” The man leaned his head back against the metal turret of the tank and pulled the hatch closed. “One quarter watch, I’ll take the first shift…”

“I’ll take it, sir.” Gear Grinder said over the intercom, Dominic was going to refuse, but decided to nod his head simply as he felt his eyelids were starting to get heavier. The tank started moving once again as Dominic had already closed his eyes, he was going on nearly forty eight hours without sleep. The bumps of the tank felt like gentle rocking as he rested his weary eyes, smiling softly even though he couldn’t fall asleep with the sound of the engine running. The tank eventually joined its twenty other compatriots on the ring of steel that was surrounding the town, night was quickly starting to settle over the land. For some it was the end of the day, but for others, it was only the beginning.

[♠]

Rainbow Dash adjusted her black fatigues as she clung to the wing of the biplane, her weapon was cocked and loaded, her helmet was ready for the coming night operation. The stars shined brightly overhead as the plane flew over the Equestrian border. It was at a high altitude with its engine in idle, gliding quietly over the landscape as the four soldiers prepared for their first actual combat mission. Their objective was a railroad bridge over the Ghastly Gorge, it was strong enough for tanks to cross and would be critical to taking Ponyville as rapidly as possible.

The mare sighed softly as she watched the ground beneath her, it had been lit up by a dim moon that had been specially provided by Luna to give them the best chance of success. Rainbow was unsure she’d be able to face off against Equestrian soldiers, but at the same time, she knew that it would likely be inevitable. To take her mind off of the issue, she instead tried to focus her attention on getting herself ready for the mission. She had a feeling her team had been chosen for the mission because of her familiarity with the area, which made sense to her. Her officer training course had taught her the importance of intelligence, she just hoped that she remembered enough about the area to be of any help.

”Two minutes to drop.” Boris announced over the radio as he watched the sky around him, in the distance he could make out three more biplanes. They were carrying FAST Bravo, FAST Charlie, and FAST Delta, the squads that would be taking the bridge with  FAST Alpha. Eight sixteen soldiers dropped deep into enemy lines with no real way of knowing when relief would come, Boris honestly could say he didn’t envy them. Unlike so many missions that they had trained for, he wouldn’t be there to provide extraction for them, he’d have to leave them behind.

”Alright, last chance to check your magazines, keep your head on a swivel and hoof on the trigger.” Gilda said commandingly as she looked at Rainbow Dash, Rainbow nodded quietly and looked back to the ground. ”Let’s go over the objective one last time, so we’re all clear.” Rainbow turned her attention back to her commander, her mind sharpening and focussing on what was about to be said. ”We drop in, take out any security present at the bridge, and hold it until the main force arrives. Under no circumstances do we let the bridge be destroyed. We all clear on that?”

”Yes, ma’am.” Wolfgang and Hans said from the other side of the aircraft, they sounded just about as ready as Gilda was. Rainbow Dash nodded her agreement, doing her best to clear her mind of thoughts about what she was doing. She had defected to stop the war, and yet it had still started. Part of her wished she’d stayed with the Wonderbolts, but the rest of her knew that her place was with the ones she had killed for.

”Dash…” Gilda’s voice grabbed Rainbow out of her thoughts, she looked over at the griffon and adjusted her helmet to see her better. ”I know this is gonna be tough on you, but think about all the lives we’re saving by bringing this war to a quicker end.” Rainbow Dash nodded silently once more, having trouble coming up with anything to say at the moment other than simple acknowledgment.

”Thirty seconds!” Boris stated quickly as he started to push the throttle forwards, Rainbow Dash felt the wind begin to brush against her wings. The mare opened them and began gliding on the air coming over the wings, the others followed suit as Rainbow’s heart began to beat faster in her chest. She could see faint lights in the distance, Ponyville was so close, and yet so far away. ”Go! Go! Go!” Rainbow Dash and the others unhooked from the wings of the biplanes, gliding silently away as the engine began to pick up speed.

Boris watched them fall away, then turned his gaze back towards the town ahead. To his surprise he saw a burst of light come from that direction, seconds later his wing was clipped by a burst of energy. It caught fire and the aircraft began to shudder, the man gritted his teeth and pushed the throttle forwards. If he bailed out so close to the drop zone he could blow the entire operation, he’d have to take the aircraft at least as far as the town ahead before he could think about getting out of the aircraft.

Rainbow Dash and the others watched in horror as the aircraft started to lose altitude, burning more and more out of control as bursts of magic began to fill the sky to try and down the damaged aircraft once and for all. On instinct Rainbow started to fly towards the aircraft, but she stopped as she realized she had a mission to carry out. The aircraft got within a hundred yards of Ponyville, and was completely engulfed in flames as it slammed into a grassy field and exploded.

“Wolfgang! Hans! Did you see a chute?!” Gilda asked, no longer speaking over the radio, she was relying on her two thestral teammates for aid as they had much better night vision than she did. The two thestrals looked at one another, then at the burning wreckage in the distance. “Answer me, damn it!”

“I didn’t…” Wolfgang said quietly.

“Neither did I.” Hans added, Gilda hissed through her teeth before she shook her head rapidly and gritted her beak.

“Fuck…” She muttered angrily, looking towards the bridge that was below them, barely lit by the light of a guard house. “This fucking bridge had better be worth it. Let’s move.” Rainbow Dash stared at the flaming wreckage for a couple more seconds before she began diving on the bridge with her team, tears ran down her cheek as it finally set in on her. It was war, and people she cared about were going to die. The team landed on the southern side of the bridge as quiet as the night, their weapons fitted with the appropriate silencers. Rainbow Dash quietly flicked a switch on her helmet, activating the on screen retical. She couldn’t see hide or hair of FAST Delta, but they would have to move on without them.

The guard house on the south side of the bridge was dimly lit with oil lamps, two unicorns and an earth pony were pointing towards the sky. The four Americans moved into the bushes along the railway tracks, using the foliage to cover their advance on the guard house. As they got closer to the building Rainbow Dash could hear the guards talking amongst themselves, one of them began laughing before they all went back to talking at a normal volume. The four stopped just behind the guard house and looked through the bushes at the relatively simple, small, two roomed structure. There was a window facing the south, the inside was lit by more oil lanterns.

Gilda quietly tapped Rainbow Dash on the shoulder and gestured for her to move up and take cover behind the outer wall, then cupped a hand to her ear to simulate listening. Rainbow Dash nodded and used her wings to give her a boost over the rocky railway grading, she landed delicately next to the guardhouse and leaned her ear out just a tad.

“...we’ll have those apes beat before the month is out, no doubt about it!” One of the guards inside said, he sounded nasally and fresh out of college. “Biggest army in the world, we’ll clobber the pipsqueaks!”

“Yeah, I mean they can’t even fly properly at night. Did you see that loser that crashed and burned just now?” Rainbow gritted her teeth at the sound of the second guard that was bad mouthing Boris, she wanted to unload into them as they called the man a loser. He hadn’t been the most social person, but he had been a part of her team.

“Sucks we won’t get to see any action though. ‘What did you do in the great human war?’ ‘I stood on a bridge, freezing my ass off waiting for winter.’.” The third guard quipped, Rainbow was thoroughly convinced that they had no idea the American teams had landed. She glanced down at Gilda and the others and signalled that it was okay to go, the others nodded and used the same wing boost trick to get up onto her level. Rainbow watched Gilda reach to her combat vest and withdraw a metal item that almost looked like a pineapple, Rainbow quickly shook her head and gestured to their ‘Silenced’ weapons. Gilda paused, then nodded and held up a claw. The three others watched as she counted down to one, when she did she moved out into the open with her gun ready. “What the-!?”

“Waste the motherfuckers!” Gilda ordered as she fired her rifle, the others moved up beside her and fired several controlled bursts at the three surprised guards. “Clear!” She announced, on the other end of the bridge she could see a few flashes of light, indicating the other teams had taken their side of the bridge. “Alright, get rid of the bodies, look around for any sort of code book or documents… If they’re half as smart as us they have shout outs.” Rainbow and the others nodded, as Hans and Wolfgang began pushing the bodies off the bridge and into the abyss Rainbow began looking through the guard house for information. The sound of hooves to the side of the bridge put the griffon on edge, until she heard a voice call out quietly.

“Star!”

“Texas!” Gilda replied, she watched as two changelings and two griffons emerged from the brush on the other side of the railway track. “Where the hell were you!?” She said in a quiet yell, one of the changelings pointed over to a particularly rough portion of the forest.

“We dropped too low, got hung up in the trees over there! Plan caught the tree tops and got caught in the thick of it, pilot killed the engine before it could explode thankfully. So they won’t come looking.” The changeling explained, Gilda raised an eyebrow at the mention of a pilot. One of the griffons whistled, Gilda could hear rustling from the other side of the tracks as a woman poked her head out of the plants with a gun in her hand. She was asian and had her hair pulled back in a ponytail, her expression was stoic despite having just survived a plane crash. If Gilda had been more well versed in human history, and not under an immense amount of pressure, she would’ve made a joke there. “Wanted to make sure it was safe before we brought her up.”

“Whatever… Help Bravo and Charlie get set up on the other side of the bridge.” Gilda ordered before looking at the human. “You, pick up one of the dead guard’s swords for now.” The woman nodded wordlessly as the others moved to reinforce the other side of the bridge. The woman picked up a sword that had been left on the ground and looked it over before slipping it through her belt and adjusting her flight jacket. Gilda shook her head, it wasn’t like she could do anything about it, and truth be told she was glad to have an extra set of hands. The commander moved to the center of the bridge, listening to the peaceful sounds of an Equestrian night as the stars twinkled in the sky.

Gilda quietly sighed as she looked over the bridge, she looked out over it at the north side, knowing that not too far away was Ponyville. They were deep in Equestrian territory, the odds of their survival was small, but Gilda had volunteered them anyway. She knew she had the best team out there, and as she thought about the memory of the burning wreckage she felt a hollowness fill her chest. Boris had been the only one that spoke Griffish with, he’d been the only one that enjoyed a good game of checkers, and he was the only one that could drink her under the table. She chuckled briefly as she thought of a time the two of them had drunk Hans’ schnapps on accident, the thestral still hadn’t forgiven them for it.

Her chuckle quickly fell silent as she frowned, the griffon turned and looked to the city of Canterlot on the side of the mountain in the distance. It was arrogantly lit, even despite the bombings it had taken earlier that day, as if daring the American’s to bomb it again. Gilda desperately wished to hear the sound of B-17s overhead, to hear the sound of Equestria’s reckoning for Boris and for every other life they had taken. To her surprise, that’s what she began to hear after a couple of minutes. The droning sound of engines, lots of them, she had to guess at least eight hundred of them. It was as if the entire American Air Force was flying overhead, she couldn’t wait to watch the fireworks.

[♠]

Canterlot was picking up the pieces from the earlier bombing, but many ponies were still hopeful that the war was going to be quick and that the attack had been a one off. After all, the American’s had lost many planes in the attack, the ponies were sure that they wouldn’t risk another attack after one had been so costly. It was for that reason that the sound of bombers overhead was almost completely ignored, at least, until the air raid sirens began to blare loudly. Ponies in the streets rushed and ran for cover as unicorns began to fire upwards, trying to take out some of the enemy planes.

It worked in some cases, there were at least ten bombers that started to burn, but surprisingly only two of them actually spiraled out of control. The unicorn guards had been so drained by their defense earlier that day that their spells were barely strong enough to reach the planes, let alone damage them. The pegasi were too few in number to risk sending them up, and it was for that reason that a wounded Princess Celestia was forced to watch yet again as her city devolved into panic. She had been lucky enough to be only wounded in the wing and fore hooves, anywhere else would’ve likely ended her life. Unfortunately, that made it impossible for her to defend the city from the tormentors in the sky.

She could hear the screams of falling bombs mixing with the screams of her terrified subjects as the ground began to shake, explosion after explosion rocked the city, warehouses were set ablaze, businesses reduced to rubble. Housing complexes, mansions, schools, all were laid to waste under the might of a wrathful American Air Force. Even the castle grounds were not untouched as explosions tore through the front entry way, smashing brick and concrete walkways and destroying the hard work of generations of groundskeepers. It was all more evidence that she had made a horrible mistake, and as she watched her city crumbling and burning she had no one else to blame but herself.

Her armies on the borders had been utterly wiped out, news was coming in that they had taken Appleloosa. Part of Celestia thought that perhaps that was a message from Dominic, he had told her that the town laid within American territory, and now he had taken it as American territory. As much as it hurt though, Celestia had seen death and destruction before, even if not on such a grand scale. What was worming its way around her mind more than the sound of exploding bombs was the sound of Twilight’s voice, the betrayed confidence in her tone had cut Celestia far more than any sword or bullet could.

As the city began to burn before her, she felt explosions begin rocking the main part of the castle. Windows in hallways that had stood for hundreds of centuries were shattered, roofs caved in on maids, guards, and nobles alike. All Celestia could think of was Twilight, all she could ponder over was where she had gone wrong, what had she done that had brought her to such a low point in her life? What could she have done differently?

“You could’ve stopped trying to control everything.” A familiar male voice echoed from behind her, the mare turned and saw none other than Discord floating above the floor with a flat expression on his face. Celestia scowled at him as he floated up next to her and sat on the floor beside her, staring out the window of her office. “Instead of letting things go naturally, you decided you had to control the world.”

“Go away, Discord.” Celestia said bitterly as she watched the chaos god quietly watch the destruction through the window. “You’re probably loving this right now! All this death and chaos is what you’ve always wanted!”

“No, it isn’t.” Discord said with that same flat expression, his tone was a hundred percent serious. “I play jokes, Celestia. I trick ponies, I cause mischief and social unrest to cause change peacefully.” The castle shuddered as a bomb exploded relatively close to the Princess’ room. “Does this look like a joke to you?” Celestia remained quiet, as much as she wanted to argue with him, she couldn’t. He had never killed anyone as a result of his pranks, they were often better for ponies than she thought. “This, Celestia…. This is what complacency gets you.”

“What would you have me do to stop this then, Discord? What scheme have you hatched?” Celestia asked, Discord remained quiet as he watched the city burning for a bit longer, then he turned to look at her.

“I’m not going to do anything… You started this, you’re going to see the consequences through to the end.” Discord said simply, Celestia was about to speak again but the chaos god snapped his fingers and vanished. The Princess looked out the window as the sound of bombers began to fade, bomb explosions became less and less common. It was Celestia’s fault and she knew it, all she could do was try to win, and failing that… Take the consequences of her actions. She looked towards the moon as it was starting to become obscured by smoke, finally she realized how her sister had felt all those centuries ago.

As she watched ponies rushing to put fires out she narrowed her eyes and looked to the south, never before had she felt so angry, and yet she knew that anger was directed at herself. She needed to cast off that doubt, Equestria could still win the war, it had only been a day and nothing was set in stone. Soon reinforcements from the Crystal Empire would arrive, then she would have more than enough soldiers to throw into an invasion of the NUS. The Zebras would soon be sending troops and supplies as well. Celestia just needed to hold out until they could arrive, and since the NUS had no seafaring navy to stop them, she knew the would arrive on schedule. .

[♠]

The sounds of the Everfree Forest were surprisingly calming, nothing like ponies in New Liberty had described. That was the first thing that Boris realized as he awoke, hanging from the branches of a large tree in the harness of his parachute. The man rubbed his head and looked around in an attempt to get his bearings, he could hear explosions in the distance and through the tree branches he could see a glow of fire on the mountain. It could only be Canterlot, meaning that had to be north of him.

The man reached to the harness release as he grabbed hold of a nearby branch, with a grunt he pulled the release and nearly fell. He would’ve hit the ground like a stone if he hadn’t grabbed the branch, but thankfully he was able to control his descent and land with only a mild burst of pain in his ankle. Boris reached to his belt and withdrew his side arm, his mother's Soviet made Tokarev. He began walking west, knowing that was the closest way to get out of the forest. From there he would need to sneak back to the American lines, but for the moment his goal was to simply get out of the oddly normal looking forest.

Boris unzipped his flight jacket as he continued moving through the woods, his boots snapping twigs as he looked around him cautiously. Normal forest or not, there were still animals out there, and Equestrian patrols undoubtedly looking for him. The stars and moon were hidden by the dense forest canopy, making navigation almost impossible. The only light he had was given off by a town in the distance that silhouetted the trees in front of him enough so he could void walking into them. That had to mean he was getting close to the edge, but he wasn’t sure if that was such a good thing.

The sound of voices in the distance was another reminder that he had to hurry, Boris could see beams of light roving around through the forest a hundred yards away. His first thought was to try to make his way to the railway bridge that he knew had friendly forces guarding it, but if the Equestrian’s employed dogs they would follow his scent right to the bridge and blow the entire operation. The man figured his best bet would be to move towards the town, at least that way of he was captured they wouldn’t have any reason to search the bridge.

Boris stepped out of the bushes and began moving towards a house sitting on the outskirts of town, the lights were dim and it seemed that no one was home or the owners were asleep. He kept his breathing slow and measured, occasionally looking over his shoulder at the forest to see the progress of the beams of light that were searching for him. The pilot stopped outside the fence of the cottage and looked around, there were odd animals sleeping in the backyard that made him wonder what sort of laws existed in Equestria to allow someone to own a bear. The man did a double take and quietly backed away from the fence, instead moving around the side of the house and peeking around to see the front.

Thankfully there weren’t any attack dogs sleeping on the porch, just a simple white bunny. Boris quietly sighed and creeped around the front of the house, his goal was to follow the path to the town and move from there. Guards wouldn’t expect him to use a main thoroughfare, and if they were he could leap into the lush bushes that seemed to line the path. The man began walking towards the past, doing his best to step lightly and quietly. Boris stopped as he felt something hit his back, like a rock that had been tossed lazily. The man turned around and looked for someone, but all he could see was the bunny sleeping on the porch.

The man sighed and began walking again, he only managed to get about five feet before he felt another rock hit his back. The man looked back again, this time the bunny was missing from the porch and was instead standing on the ground with its little bunny arms crossed while it tapped its foot. Boris stared at it for a second before it picked up a tiny rock and kicked it at him, it actually stung a bit. The man growled and leveled his handgun at the rabbit.

“Eto vredno chtoby podtolknut' menya, tovarishch.” Boris muttered quietly in his native tongue, the rabbit seemed to understand him well enough as it scampered off. The pilot turned and began walking down the path again, keeping his ears and eyes open for any sign of activity on the road. Minutes passed in silence before he actually heard something, Boris hopped down into the bushes and did his best to hide himself as he listened. Footsteps, he counted two separate pairs of bipedal steps. 

Unlike ponies, the steps were spaced out more, and they sounded like they were coming up the path in front of him. He paused as he heard a quadruped among them, Boris peaked out of the bushes and watched as two humans were being lead up the road by a unicorn. A man and a woman in bomber jackets with patches that indicated they were part of a bomber crew as well as backpacks over their shoulders, the unicorn wasn’t wearing armor and was looking around quietly. Boris gritted his teeth, he wasn’t about to let two of his fellow flyers be captured.

As the three of them passed he stood up out of the bush and drew back the hammer on the handgun, the noise was enough to get the three of them to stop. All three of them turned nervously as Boris leveled the Tokarev at the unicorn, his expression barely readable in the darkness.

“Wait!” The woman said quickly, Boris held his fire and watched with a bit of surprise as the unicorn was enveloped in a flash of fire. A changeling appeared in its place, Boris lowered the hammer on the gun and holstered it. He looked around quietly before approaching the group. “Bomber or fighter?”

“FAST Deployment.” Boris replied quietly, the revelation was a bit of a surprise to the three other fliers in front of him. “Damn bastards took out my wing, had to bail out way too close to the ground…”

“We managed to survive an attack from Celestia herself earlier today, they gave us a new crew and a new airplane and we end up having to bail because one of them hit our fuel tank.” The woman replied as she extended her hand to the man, Boris shook it gently. “I’m Athena, this is Insecta and Mike.”

“Boris.” Boris replied before looking at the changeling. “Sneaky trick you were pulling.” The changeling nodded quietly, its horn glowing faintly as it resumed its disguise as a unicorn. “You just walk out of here with this one pretending he’s our escort, da?”

“That’s the plan, you’re welcome to tag along.” Athena said, Boris nodded quietly. “Saw a railroad bridge not too far from here, figure we can make it there before the dogs catch our scent.” Boris quickly shook his head, causing the woman to look annoyed.

“Bridge is being taken by FAST in preparation for the invasion, if we lead dogs to it the Equestrians will attempt to destroy it.” Boris explained,  the others looked at him for a couple seconds, then at the burning ruins on the mountain side. “We just have to hide until our forces arrive, da?”

“Right…” Mike said hesitantly, looking towards the town of Ponyville in the distance. There were beams of light searching high and low there was no way they’d be able to get in and hide in plain sight.

“There’s a cottage down this road, but it has a bear in the backyard, no joke!” Boris exclaimed, Athena and the others seemed to believe his claim. “Forest is crawling with ponies looking for me, and I assume people like you…” The man paused quietly, looking at the group as he rubbed the back of his head. “Perhaps Sweet Apple Acres?” The others looked at him with raised eyebrows. “What, you never watched the show in training? They stressed using the show as a sort of guide!”

“We kinda… Skipped that part. Ponies aren’t our thing, especially now.” Athena said sheepishly, Boris sighed and pointed to the east.

“There’s a massive apple orchard to the west of here, you couldn’t have missed it from the air.” Boris said with a bit of exasperation, the others looked at one another for a couple seconds and nodded as if they were understanding without speaking. “It would take them forever to search for us there, we just need to get there and get as deep as we can.” 

He had studied the show rather well, even beyond the mandatory viewing for training purposes. Boris knew the mannerisms of the ponies living in the orchard, he was confident he could outsmart them. Athena, Insecta, and Mike looked at one another and began whispering in a sort of huddle, Boris rolled his eyes and went back to watching their surroundings. They chatted for a tense minute before breaking from their huddle and looking at Boris.

“Alright, let’s go.” Athena stated, Boris nodded and began walking up a hill that lined the eastern side of the path, the others began following him into the dark unknown. To the south he could hear the distant sound of artillery, it was likely that the Equestrians were attempting some sort of counter attack, but Boris knew they wouldn’t fare very long. It hadn’t even been twenty four hours since the war had begun, already it seemed like it would be finished. If there was one thing that Boris had learned from humanity however, it was that nothing was over until it was truly over.

[♠]

Throughout the city of New Liberty there was fear, fear of what was happening, of what the next day would bring. The human refugees had turned their refugee center into a virtual fortress in a matter of hours, aircraft patrolled the sky as the two battleships ‘Colossus’ and ‘Cyclops’ waited for a possible enemy air attack. The USS Reliant was at anchor on the military base, repair crews were rapidly working to get her back into shape. Equestrians that had been captured during the air battle and the battles for other bases along the border were gradually being marched to the POW camp on the edge of town. Search lights roved the night sky as families sat huddled around radios, listening to music and hoping for any sort of news. A peaceful sounding melody tapered off into silence, there was a static sounding noise of a microphone being plugged in. Families turned up their radios in preparation.

”Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the New United States.” An unfamiliar voice spoke over the radio, seconds later the citizens of New Liberty could hear someone clear their throat.

”My fellow Americans… In this dark hour I speak to you far from the peaceful streets of New Liberty, far from the warmth of home. Today has been spoken of and spoken of, and yet nothing new is known… Well, I’m here to change that.” The voice of President Occisor’s voice said over the radio, groups of people who hadn’t been paying attention were starting to move to their radios, even some soldiers who were watching the sky. ”This morning the Equestrians hurled the might of their airships at us. They failed. They tried to stop our forces crossing the border. They failed. They tried to demand our surrender. They failed.”

”What we must do now is show them the true spirit of our nation, that we will not be pushed around by anyone simply because of their size or their so called seniority on the world stage.” In Equestria, Celestia and countless others had tuned in to listen to the static laced broadcast out of curiosity, or in Twilight Sparkle’s case, hope for a peaceful tomorrow. ”Through our strength as a nation, we will overcome the so called superior enemy force. We will dictate the terms of peace in Canterlot Castle, or not at all! We shall never surrender!” Celestia could hear the sound of artillery in the background of the broadcast. The booming sound was becoming like a bell, tolling away to mark yet another bloody chapter in the world’s recent history.
> Chapter 27: Day of days.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As dawn broke over a new day, Dominic quietly pushed the hatch of his tank open. He felt much more refreshed now that he had gotten some sleep, and now that they were underway, he could focus on putting an end to Celestia’s war once and for all. The tank bounced and shook as it trundled alongside the railway tracks, ahead of him were two more tanks. Columns had formed on either side of the tracks, made up of tanks, APCs, supply trucks, mobile artillery and mobile anti-air. 

Overhead he could hear the engines of bombers and fighters on their way to Applewood and Las Pegasus to support the changeling ground offensive or to Canterlot to continue the bombing. It wasn’t for the purpose of hitting targets, but to drain the unicorns that defended the city of their magic. If they spent all their energy trying to down bombers, they’d have nothing left to use against tanks and APCs. They weren’t the only source of engine noise in the sky however, the shadow of the USS Kirov loomed not too far behind the column.

The airship was riding low in the air, it had been loaded down with Globe Corps troops that would take part in the taking of Ponyville. Such a tactical city was bound to have defenses set up, and Dominic was set to siege the town if it came to it. It was essential to the next step towards victory, from it they could bombard Canterlot directly and cut off trade between the nation’s capital and the rest of the country. Ponyville’s central location made it the nerve center of Equestria’s commerce and military logistics, it would cripple Equestria to lose it.

They had run into sporadic resistance, but so far it seemed the Equestrians were unorganized and unable to form a decent counter attack. The small towns along the railway were often seized without a fight. Dominic looked at the surroundings, the desert had been left behind, and they were now going through thicker trees and brush. They were set to take the bridge within the next hour or so, and there was a sense of calm among the soldiers, even as their eyes darted through the trees for possible assailants. All in all, nearly a hundred thousand troops were taking place in the invasion of Equestria. On paper it looked like it wouldn’t work, as the Equestrians had at least two times that, but that supremacy had been whittled down over the last day.

Dominic sighed quietly when he thought back to the night before, he had been asleep when Maria had come to visit him and she hadn’t wanted to wake him. She was out in the field ahead, somewhere, most likely putting the fear of god into the Equestrians. The man knew she could take care of herself, but the nagging fear still lingered in his mind. He leaned back in the turret, relaxing and trying to at least somewhat enjoy the sunrise in the distance.

”Commander?” A voice from inside the tank asked, it was Fire Breeze. The normally quiet pony rarely spoke unless she was engaged in combat, Dominic slid down into the turret and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. ”Are we going to have to fire on Ponyville, sir?”

“I certainly hope not, but it’s a possibility…” Dominic replied quietly, the unicorn quietly sighed before nodding. “Got family there?” There was another nod from the mare, Dominic felt a pit form in his stomach. “You just point out where they live, I’ll make sure you don’t have to fire anything that way…”

”Thank you, sir…” Fire Breeze said meekly, Dominic sighed and stood back up in the turret, dawning his peaked officer's cap as opposed to the kevlar helmet he had been wearing the day before. The trees were turning brown and red for winter, and the rumbling of the tanks was starting to force the leaves to fall. Dominic took a moment to look at the other tanks, their tan desert paint clashed with the more vibrant colors of the surrounding area. The man took his cap from his head and looked it over, he had noticed a trend in the uniform styles. They were a mix of Prussian, German, and Polish styles. He slipped the hat onto his head once again, doing his best to clear his thoughts before the battle.

It was truly beautiful country they were rolling through, very much different from the forests and woods of Colorado in regards that these trees were much more colorful. The trees in Colorado had pine needles, save for the aspens that normally turned gold. There was a nip in the air, another indication that it was getting close to fall, and then the snow would come. Dominic had already made sure that winter supplies was being readied, just in case the war dragged into the winter months, taking a lesson from the failings of Napoleon and the Wehrmacht in Russia.

He felt more in his element as a commander than a president, thankfully the people he had left in charge were competent, and also afraid of pissing him off. He didn’t like people being afraid of him often, but it helped to know that they were conscious of what weight their actions held. Many of them were former members of government from Earth, as much as he hated politicians. Dominic shook his head and went back to the moment, watching the tree line for signs of possible insurgents or snipers.

Dominic turned his attention back to his tank, patting it softly as he noted numerous scratches in the paint from arrowheads and slight burn marks from spells that had impacted the side. He had no doubt the tank would take more punishment as the day dragged on, he only hoped that the railway bridge was being held. If anyone could pull of that mission, it was the FAST teams. Though they didn’t have much of a service record, their members were known to be some of the toughest soldiers in the American military, some argued they could give the Globe Corps a run for their money. Dominic watched a couple P-38s fly overhead, he had never in his wildest dreams would’ve thought he would ever be in such a position.

[♠]

Maria and Melissa crawled softly through the underbrush of the Everfree Forest, they had traded their tan fatigues for a more tactical grey look. Both had pulled masks and hoods up to hide their faces while their exposed skin was painted grey, allowing them to blend with the grey, decomposing leaves and refuse that lined the stinking forest. Their mission had been assigned by one of the planners for the invasion of Ponyville, to insert themselves near the town before the attack began and ‘Raise hell.’. Maria didn’t like the idea, neither did Melissa, but they weren’t about to disregard an order.

The sounds of the forest were gone as a result of the two newcomers, their presence had scared off any of the normal animals that would’ve been roving the woods at that time. Even the larger creatures had strayed away, as if they could sense the lethality that both women held. Thankfully, Maria and Melissa weren’t alone. They knew there were at least four other sniper teams from their platoon moving in around the town, surprisingly they hadn’t run into patrols or guards. It was as if the Equestrians had never fought a war before.

However, as she and her spotter continued crawling towards the edge of the forest, she heard a twig snap to her right. The woman quietly tapped Melissa’s shoulder and signalled for her to remain perfectly still, Maria quietly tossed some leaves over them and slipped her rifle off her back to prevent it from possibly glinting in the light. The sound of a quadruped approaching caused them both to hold their breath, seconds ticked by tensely as the two snipers waited for whomever or whatever was near them to move along.

Maria watched a pair of dainty hooves wander past, her eyes shifting up to see that it was a deer and a fawn. They quietly stared around them for a couple moments before they wandered past, Melissa and Maria exhaled quietly and got up from their prone position.

“That was too damn close…” Maria whispered as they came closer to the edge of the forest, looking around cautiously for any sign of gold armor. The trees were thinning out, they could see Ponyville ahead, they also began looking for the right place to make a sniper’s nest. Maria paused as she felt something dangling touch her shoulder, she looked up and blinked for a moment. “Looks like we’re not the only ones to come through here… Probably got shot down last night.” Melissa looked up and saw there was a parachute caught in the branches of the tree, thankfully whoever had used it wasn’t also dangling there.

“Might be why it’s so empty… They already searched this area.” Melissa added, Maria nodded and the two of them began walking towards the edge of the forest once again. Their hearts beat quickly in their chests, they knew that wherever they chose as a nest they would need moderate shelter from the elements. No one expected the battle for Ponyville to be a short one. As they finally reached the edge of the forest they dropped back to their bellies and began scoping out the area in front of them. Fortifications were being constructed around the city, even as aircraft buzzed overhead and antagonized the ponies building them.

Melissa pulled her binoculars from her kit bag and brought them to her eyes, getting a better look at the town than before. It was much bigger than she had imagined, many more houses with narrow streets and windows in high places. A sniper’s delight. The ponies building the fortifications were royal guards, Melissa could see a train chugging its way up the mountain in the distance, most likely evacuating the last of the residents. There were tons of guards getting ready for the attack, some were  sharpening spears and swords, others were taking practice shots with bows and arrows. There were ballistas, trebuchets, and even six crude brass cannons.

“They have field artillery.” Melissa said calmly, Maria took the binoculars from her partner and looked at them for herself. “I think we should set up in that school bell tower, gives us a good field of view on those artillery pieces, and there other defenses.” Maria hummed softly as she looked at the bell tower in question, it was certainly a good position. She noted a cottage closer to them though, a familiar looking cottage with obvious animal homes on the outside. While the thought of seeing inside that house was tempting, she still had to concur with Melissa’s thoughts. Trebuchets, cannons, ballistas were specialized weapons systems that took trained personnel, eliminating those personnel would be just as good as eliminating the weapon.

“Only problem is it’s across a hundred yards of open ground…” Maria said hesitantly, watching a couple pegasi ponies fly over the area as if searching for something. “Let’s sit tight for a second, time their patrols before we make a move.” The woman glanced to her tactical watch on her wrist and pressed a button, with a soft beep the timer started. In tense silence the pair watched and waited for the patrol to return, seconds turned to minutes, time seemed to drag on and on, until finally the patrol returned on the same course heading. Maria stopped the timer and looked at it. “Fifteen minutes… That means we only have about ten before they see us from the air.” Maria announced.

“Lets wait for the next patrol to pass, then we’ll make our move.” Melissa said, Maria nodded once again. The sound of aircraft diving on the town and dropping bombs echoed in the distance, Maria and Melissa watched quietly as a building was demolished in the wake of the blast. Maria kept an eye on her watch, sweat beading on her brow as the minutes ticked by. Melissa readied herself to move, her heartbeat rising faster and faster, until finally the patrol passed again. “Go.” The pair took off running across the field, their boots thudding against the ground as their gear and weapons clanked on their backs.

The run felt like it was dragging on and on, their breathing grew a haggard as they sprinted and put great deal of energy into reaching the schoolhouse. Maria’s eyes darted across the sky, watching for any surprise patrols that could possibly catch them out in the open. Thankfully the sky remained empty, the pair skidded to a stop outside the school and moved up against the side door near the playground tactically. Both of them panted heavily and took a couple seconds to catch their breath, they didn’t hear any yelling or other noise to indicate they had been spotted.

Maria pulled her handgun from its holster and quietly nudged the door open, moving into the one roomed schoolhouse and sweeping the area. The desks had chairs stacked on top of them and the walls were bare of any paper or decoration, as if the entire building had been abandoned for some time. There were shades closed over the windows, thankfully hiding them from any eyes peering in from the outside.

“Clear…” Maria said softly as Melissa moved in behind her and closed the door, she then proceeded to lock it as Maria moved towards a supply closet with her weapon still ready. Quietly she pulled it open and peered inside, there were books and coloring materials, as well as children’s snacks like graham crackers and juice boxes. “Closet’s clear too.” The woman grabbed two juice boxes as she holstered her side arm, then tossed one to Melissa who caught it gracefully.

“Thanks…” She replied as she took the straw off of the box and pushed it through the straw hole. “I haven’t had one of these in years…” She sipped it, sighing quietly at the nostalgic memories that the apple juice brought back. “Let’s find the ladder up to the bell tower.”

“Right.” Maria replied as she slipped her own juice box into her pocket and closed the door, the pair of snipers moved to the front door and looked up above them, sure enough the bell was there. There was a ladder folded up near the top that looked like it would extend down if pulled on, most likely to keep children from climbing up into the bell tower. Maria hopped up and grabbed the bottom rung, the ladder extended down as she came back to the floor. Melissa moved up the ladder first, once she was up Maria followed her. She paused and opened her bag, from within she pulled a length of paracord and tied one end around the bottom rung. Once she climbed up the ladder she pulled the cord, folding the ladder back into its original state.

As Melissa set up the nest Maria tied the paracord to a nail protruding from the wooden floor of the bell tower. Maria unslung her rifle and set it on the floor using its bipod, she then set her backpack down and fished through it until she found what she was looking for. A long grey cylinder, painted to match her fatigues and her rifle. A silencer. She set about putting it on the end of her Tac-50 while Melissa began to look over the town with her binoculars. It had been good they moved when they did, as she could see a formation of at least two hundred Equestrian unicorns and earth ponies marching out onto the field, towards a set or railway tracks. Melissa pulled a radio from her bag and spoke quietly into it.

“This is Eagle Eye… Got eyes on a formation of two hundred plus hostile foot mobiles. We’re situated in the school bell tower, and they’re on their way to Objective Pegasus.” She said quietly, the sound of thunder echoed over the area as clouds from the Everfree forest began to roll in. Several flags on the town hall began to move as the wind started to pick up

”Fast Alpha copies. Possible to call an airstrike in before the storm hits?” The voice of the griffon in command of the mission responded, Melissa quietly hummed before nodding to herself.

“Copy, Fast Alpha.” Melissa replied before she changed frequencies and put her binoculars on target of the two hundred soldier strong attack group. “Eagle Eye to Sturmgeist, requesting airstrike on large group of hostile foot mobiles at grid location Alpha Seven… Range to target zero five zero. Danger close.”

“Roger that. Zero five zero. Sturmgeist inbound.” The sound of a german accented voice replied over the radio, Melissa lowered her binoculars. She and Maria watched the formation from the bell tower as the sound of two P-47s and a P-38 became audible in the distance. The first aircraft to make a pass was the P-38, firing its nose machine guns at the tightly packed enemy force before dropping two two hundred and fifty pound bombs. There was a pair of loud booms as the bombs exploded, as the guards started to panic the P-47s arrived. Their machineguns chopping away loudly at the Equestrians, Maria watched them each drop two five hundred pound bombs. The pair of explosions was much louder, and the bell swayed slightly when the ground shook.

“Good effect on target, Sturmgeist.” Melissa said quietly as the planes banked off, the storm rumbled once again as a bolt of lightning came down in front of the fifty or so guards that remained. They took that as a sign that they had best turn around, as Melissa and Maria watched them rush back to the safety of their fortifications. “Storm’s gonna be a bitch…”

“Yeah, but we can use it to our advantage.” Maria replied softly as she finished attaching the silencer and put the weapon into position. Thunder roared loudly due to the close proximity of the lightning strike. “Then again, I really don’t like being up in such a high building during a lightning storm… Especially with a bit metal bell next to us.”

“We’ll be fine…” Melissa said reassuringly, Maria shrugged and looked through the scope of her rifle as the sound of rain starting to fall reached her ears. “For now let’s go to work.” The woman raised the binoculars to her eyes as the noon sun was obscured by the thick storm clouds and rain began falling harder and faster. She watched the stallions working on the fortifications start to leave for the cover and safety of the abandoned buildings that filled the town. The wind began blowing rain water all over her and Melissa, soaking them in the cold fall rain, but they remained right where they were despite it.

Melissa’s eyes roved over the still working guards ponies, he could see a particularly burly unicorn shouting orders at a group of earth ponies who were pushing a large log into place. She cleared her throat and examined the nearby area and saw that the closest landmark was a house with a poster for some sort of dance club, she ran a couple calculations in her head before she finally felt confident to call out the target.

“Looks like a unicorn officer near that house with the poster on the side, I make that…. Eight hundred yards.” Melissa said quietly, Maria nodded and moved her scope to take a look at the target in question. She watched as the earth ponies began lashing the logs together, all the while the officer was watching them and shouting, the plume of his helmet fluttering in the howling wind of the storm. “Wind down there looks a bit intense…”

“Compensating.” Maria said as she adjusted the knobs on her scope, the cold water was soaking every part of her she could think of, and despite that she still summoned the wherewithal to keep a steady hand. “Set.”

“Send it.” Melissa said simply, Maria exhaled slowly and squeezed the trigger. The weapon kicked back against her shoulder as the suppressor did its job. The rain helped to cover the muffled bang, and Melissa watched as the bullet streaked through the air and struck its mark. The Unicorn’s chest imploded before he toppled to the ground, the Earth ponies panicked and dropped to the ground at the urging of one large red earth pony. “Holy shit…”

“What?” Maria asked as she ejected the spent casing and placed it carefully away from the opening in the floor before closing the breach and chambering another round.

“The red stallion that’s giving the orders there, isn’t that Big Mac?” Melissa asked, Maria put her scope over the area and examined him. He certainly looked like Big Mac, but his rear was covered by gold armor. “I hope not… That would suck.”

“We can’t let our like for them get the better of us, Melissa… This is war, he’s the enemy.” Maria said coldly, a little too coldly. Melissa could tell that the woman was doing her best to keep her emotions in check, mainly because Melissa was having her own trouble keeping her emotions in check. “That being said, I don’t want to waste a shot on a grunt… Find me another officer.” Melissa nodded quietly and looked through the binoculars, scanning over the guards that were still out in the streets.

She spotted a squad of guards moving towards the scene of their first target, headed by what looked like a captain. Melissa was about to call out the target before she saw the captain’s head blow apart. He’d been hit by another sniper team, and his squad dove for cover. Melissa didn’t comment on the sight, despite how gruesome it had been, instead looking over the city for more targets. It seemed they were having an effect on the Equestrians, as many of them had taken to hiding in the buildings and not working on their fortifications. Lightning struck in the distance, followed by a rumble of thunder as Melissa continued watching for targets. Occasionally she’d watch a guard peek through a window, then duck back down to hide.

The woman paused as she noticed a squad of guards moving towards the school house on a path, they didn’t appear ready for a fight as they were wearing raincoats and looking at the ground. She noted that they had bags over their shoulders and lowered her binoculars before tapping Maria on the shoulder and indicating for her to take cover. The sniper collapsed the bipod on her weapon and brought it out of sight, then slid down behind the short wall in the bell tower.

“Small squad… Looks like they're going to set up in the school for the night.” Melissa said in a somewhat uncertain voice, Maria looked at her for a couple seconds, her eyes darting back and forth as water dripped from her sniper hood.

“Fuck it. Let’s take ‘em out.” Maria said quietly as she popped back up with the Tac-50, Melissa set the binoculars down and picked up her Remington, she had thought to attach her silencer before they’d set out. “Start from the back, take them out before they can get a fix on our position.” Melissa nodded as she too popped up with her rifle, watching the unsuspecting squad of eight as they got closer. 

Maria took a deep breath as she lined up a shot on the last pony in the single file column, her finger tensed on the trigger before the rifle kicked in her shoulder. The target went down, hitting the muddy earth with a thud. Melissa fired next, taking advantage of the ponies surprise to down the seventh pony. They alternated fire quickly and efficiently as the guards did their best to take cover, when it was all over the guard’s blood was mixing with the rain water. They had yelled for help, but they’d never known where the fire was coming from due to the rain and wind.

The two women’s hearts were racing, Melissa scanned the town with her scope, searching for any sign that their position had been spotted while Maria found her hand shaking as she slipped a fresh magazine into her rifle. She was doing her best to play it off as the cold rain that soaked her skin and dripped from the end of her rifle, but as a loud crack of thunder echoed over the field she flinched. Ever since she had been a child she had been afraid of thunderstorms, the pure undiluted power of mother nature’s wrath that could destroy houses and lives. She found it more terrifying than the fight they had just endured.

“No one saw us…” Melissa said quietly, watching as the rest of the ponies in the streets rushed to take shelter from the rain and the snipers. Maria took a couple deep breaths to calm her nerves, closing her eyes as she tried to think of something calming and relaxing. “They’re all hunkered inside, we should move for a better position. That clock tower looks good.”

“R-Right…” Maria replied as she began packing her gear up, Melissa followed suit while occasionally checking back to see if there was anyone out in the street. The women dismantled their sniper nest in a matter of minutes, leaving neatly policed brass in the corner as the only sign that they had ever been there. Maria undid the paracord and pushed the folding ladder down, the two of them descended into the school house which now had a floor covered in rain water.

“All Hunter teams… Queen of Death and Eagle Eye are moving.” Melissa said into the radio before turning it off to prevent it from making noise, she slipped it into her bag as the two women approached the front door of the school. Maria unlocked it as she slung her rifle over her shoulder, then peeked out as she drew her M9 from its holster once again. Thankfully she had remembered to silence the weapon before the mission, when she saw that the coast was clear she pushed the door open slowly and moved outside with Melissa covering her six o’clock.

They moved down the path, passing by the dead squad of Equestrians whose blood had turned the muddy ground red. Thunder and lightning continued to crack in the distance and close, Maria bit her lip and forced herself to keep moving. As they went further along the path turned from muddy dirty to cobblestone, they didn’t have time to get rid of the tracks that they left as they transitioned. The rain did, however, washing away their tracks as it pelted them in the howling wind.

When they were close enough to the town the two of them hugged the side of a building, the roof extended off the side somewhat and gave them mild shelter from the rain. Each step was calculated and tactical, minimizing their noise to the best of their ability. 

In a building to the left of them, unbeknownst to the snipers, was a daring young guard recruit that decided to peek out his window. A flash of lightning illuminated the area, his eyes went wide as he saw two horrifying figures skulking through the storm. One second later there was another flash, by now it seemed the figures had spotted him as one of them had turned, it raised a finger to where it’s mouth would be if it hadn’t been hidden behind cloth. As if shushing him. The other hand leveled a frightening black weapon, the guard recruit began to open his mouth. Seconds later the glass in front of him shattered and he fell dead, his comrades had no idea where the bullet came from. When they peeked out the window for themselves, they could see nothing.

Maria and Melissa quietly panted as they hid around a corner, Maria clutched her handgun as if it was her only chance at life. They stood in the shadows, listening quietly for anyone that would be coming for them. Again, it remained quiet, and hesitantly they resumed their trek across the city. Crouching low beneath windows, moving fast whenever exposed, sneaking straight into the maw of the Equestrian defenders. Finally the two of them ended up by the clock tower, the rain was coming down even harder than it had been before. Maria pushed the door open and peeked inside, the tower was empty. The pair slipped inside, breathing softly as they felt the cold starting to beat past their adrenaline.

Maria saw a couple crates near the door and pushed them in front of it, keeping any curious Equestrians from being able to get inside. Now that they had entered the tower, the two of them began climbing up the ladder to the top most floor. The muffled sound of rain and thunder was a nice change of pace for Maria, even as she was stuck wearing her soaking wet fatigues. They reached the top of the clock tower, which had stopped working apparently, and found a window overlooking what was likely to become the field of battle. It was the highest point in the city, the best sniper position they could ask for, they could see the artillery, the battlements, and so much more.

They set up their rifles and equipment, creating their new nest before Maria took a moment to count her remaining magazines. She had eight in her bag, Melissa had also packed four in her bag. It was at that point Maria decided to take the juice box from her pocket, she stuck the straw in and drank it quickly while Melissa looked out over the field with her binoculars and turned on her radio.

“Eagle Eye and Queen of Death are in the clock tower…” She announced, glad that now the clock tower wouldn’t be targeted for an artillery barrage. Tension was high, Maria set down the empty juice box and looked at her watch.

“We made it just in the nick… Two minutes to the hour.” Maria said as she held her rifle and began watching the area below. Melissa nodded quietly as she began searching for possible targets again, but even the ponies that had been hiding from them had managed to get back into safe buildings. A particularly loud clap of thunder rang out, Maria closed her eyes and thought of something calming. The feel of Dominic’s arms around her, Luna’s soft fur, her warm bed. She opened her eyes and looked at her watch again.

In the distance she thought she heard another sound of thunder, but then she heard the sound of the air whistling, as if it was ripping apart. Seconds later a shell exploded off in the distant city, more bangs and ripping noises. Maria and Melissa watched as the city came under heavy fire, buildings collapsed, some were knocked clear off their foundations as shells rained down and pummeled the city. Both snipers could hear shouting and yelling from throughout the city as the guards started to hunker down. 

The shelling went on for nearly ten minutes, lighting up the sky like the fourth of july as the rain continued to pour through the streets. As it began to subside, the rain began to stop as well. The clouds were starting to break up, just as soon as they had formed they seemed to leave. The sun broke through in what would’ve been a beautiful sight, if it weren’t punctuated by the sound of engines in the distance and the sky. Maria and Melissa were surprised to see an Airship moving into position, all of its guns pointed at the city as it began to fire more shells.

Maria watched as the American tanks began pouring up from the south along the railway, their wide tracks afforded them better maneuverability through the muddy earth as they charged towards Ponyville. Maria readied herself as she saw ponies rushing to take up their positions, many of them taking to the defensive fortifications while others moved towards the field artillery. Melissa brought her binoculars to her eyes and looked towards the crude cannons, as they required the most training to operate.

“Target the first cannon to our left.” Melissa said quietly, Maria turned her scope towards the landmark in preparation. “Range, eighteen hundred yards….” Maria adjusted her scope as the sound of battle began to pour across the field, APCs and tanks were charging through the muddy field towards the city. “The captain shouting orders, see him?” Maria nodded quietly, not taking her eyes off of the scope as she began adjusting her aim for bullet drop. “Wind looks pretty calm after the storm… Send it.”

“On the way.” Maria replied before she squeezed the trigger, the rifle kicked back into a familiar sore spot on her shoulder. The sniper watched her bullet’s vapor trail rapidly vanish before the round slammed into the captain’s neck and sent him sprawling to the ground. Maria pulled back the bolt and ejected the shell, it landed on the floor with a soft clang before she closed the breach once again.

“Target to the right of the last, a cunt hair over eighteen hundred.” Melissa said calmly, Maria adjusted her aim once again. “Windage is the same. Send it.” Maria didn’t responded verbally this time, inseast simply pulling the trigger. Melissa watched as the bullet caught a gust of wind at the last second and went wide. The round hit the cannon in a flash of sparks, sending the crew to the ground for cover.  The sniper gritted her teeth in annoyance as she ejected the spent round and chambered a fresh one. “Wind is from the east from the looks of the plume on their helmets.” Maria remained wordless as she adjusted her aim and took another shot, the round flew down range with the same speed as ever. The top of the target’s head became a thin red mist, the gruesome sight caused Maria to grimace and turn her aim to the next cannon.

[♠]

Dominic stood in his tank turret, sword leveled at the city with a scowl on his face. The tanks were charging towards the city at full tilt, APCs driving along behind them as spells and ballista bolts began raining down on the field. Cannons roared, machine guns chattered, and the soldiers and crews were yelling angrily at the Equestrians. Several tanks had mounted American flags to their backs, they blew strongly in the wind as they moved towards the city, their crews were trying to ‘out nationalist’ the Equestrians. The Equestrians seemed to have their own cannons, large plumes of smoke appeared across the field as three of them opened fire.

Dominic ducked down into the turret of the tank seconds before a cannon ball slammed into the armor. The angled armor sent the ball ricocheting into the ground, Dominic emerged from the turret once again as magic bolts continued flying in vain. It seemed they hadn’t learned to combine their magic yet, the commander was a bit surprised. The battle was progressing a lot faster than he had thought, as there seemed to be a lot less defenders than anticipated. Avos fired a shell from the cannon, it streaked down the field towards one of the trebuchets and blew it to splinters. Snapping tensioned lines whipped around and injured some of the crew while others were crushed under the sheer weight of some of the wooden beams.

”Blitzkrieg!” Shouted one of the more enthusiastic tank commanders as they charged towards the town, overhead Dominic could see the USS Kirov was moving into position directly over the city. Pegasi began to fly up to engage it, but they got more than they bargained for as the Globe Corps made their debut appearance on Equestrian soil. Hundreds of shock troops tore through the feeble Equestrian defense like wet tissue paper before they landed in the city, the Equestrian dead were starting to pile up in the streets or on the roofs of houses. The trebuchets and ballistas continued firing, but by the time they had zeroed in a position the tanks and APCs had already moved past it.

By now Dominic could see the ponies faces, he slipped his sword into its scabbard and took control of the machine gun. The defenders began firing crossbow bolts at the tanks and their commanders on the machine gun. Dominic wasn’t afraid though, he began firing with the machine gun into the trenches that the Equestrians had constructed. It resulted in a bloody mess as numerous corpses began to pile up, others began taking after his example and began to lay into the Equestrian defenders full bore. Shells exploded and kicked up dirt while the Equestrians began to retreat from their fortifications into the city.

The tanks rolled over their positions, their cannons and other heavy weaponry abandoned. Dominic took note that many of the dead defenders were rather scrawny or weak looking, most likely conscripted into the army very recently. Some of them didn’t even have armor, or were sharing spears. The man shook his head quietly as the tank moved up a street. Meanwhile the APCs stopped behind them and began to unload the soldiers they were carrying while Rabbit vehicles armed with artillery pieces and anti-air weapons moved onto the field they had charged across to set up their operations.

All in all, the city’s defense had crumbled in less than an hour, many of the conscripts were quick to surrender while the more professional soldiers opted to stand and fight or to try and retreat towards Canterlot. Dominic supposed that perhaps Canterlot’s such close proximity to Ponyville had contributed to the rapid loss of morale, as it was clear that the once shining capitol of Equestria was in ruins. The only structure that seemed mildly undamaged was the Castle, and even it had bombed out sections. Of course, Dominic had his own worries about the city. It was for that reason he had asked Luna and her new unit of Lunar Marines to come up. Once the city had been secured they could move in and set up camp, but he wanted Luna on hand just in case Celestia tried to glass the city. It had been reported that she had been wounded by the crew of a B-17, but Dominic wasn’t about to take any chances.

With Ponyville now firmly under his thumb, he raised his binoculars and looked towards the city on the mountain. He had a contingency if Celestia tried any thing, in the form of high powered artillery that could reach the base of the city with ease. He didn’t believe in the destruction of cities, he hated the idea of a doomsday strategy, but he had no choice when it came to a pony wielding the power of the sun. If Celestia made any move to obliterate Ponyville, Dominic’s artillery would obliterate Canterlot by blasting it off the mountain and sending it careening to the ground. The man quietly recalled a quote from Revelations in the bible, about the seven seals.

“And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, and the moon became as blood…” He said softly as his tank came to a stop on the other side of the town, he was surprised that they had made it so far in such a short time. What was more surprising was the low amount of casualties the army seemed to receive.

[♠]

Celestia stared down from the edge of Canterlot in quiet shock, Ponyville had been completely conquered and she had watched it happen in less than an afternoon. Even the unpredictable weather of the Everfree Forest hadn’t been able to stop the tide of iron from washing away her soldiers. Canterlot was being evacuated of all high ranking government officials, minus the nobles, and Celestia knew that soon she would be told that she needed to leave. She was in no condition to fight, it hurt just to stand on her hooves and watch the carnage, and her wing was bandaged to her side.

The Princess sighed as she heard a pony moving up behind her, then turned to see who it was. One of her generals had approached, looking extremely pale, which was a feat in and of itself considering he had white fur. The unicorn held in his magic three separate papers, Celestia assumed there was only more bad news. The stallion saluted shakily before he offered her the three reports, as she read over them she found herself gripped by more panic than she thought possible.

Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Baltimare, Applewood, and Las Pegasus had surrendered to the invading armies of the United States and the Changeling Kingdom, and what was more there was a communique from the Griffon Kingdom. A declaration of war. The only thing keeping her from having an all out melt down was the fact that her general was standing beside her. She needed to look strong for the sake of all her soldiers, but that was growing even more difficult as she could see American planes and tanks were already on the move towards Canterlot. The Airship they had brought with them had also raised its altitude and was moving towards the city, Celestia could only assume to destroy whatever fortifications had still managed to survive the punishing bombings.

“We have to go, your highness. The chariot is ready to take you to the Crystal Empire.” The General insisted, Celestia nodded quietly, unable to speak for fear of sounding weak. She began limping along behind the general as they walked through the ruins of Canterlot, the once bustling seat of class and government had been reduced rapidly to rubble. Many ponies had died, and it looked like that was going to happen once again when the Americans marched on the city gates. What was left of the gates, at least. Despite the destruction there was still a sense of hope among the citizens whose homes had survived the bombings and the evacuees from Ponyville.

Celestia wished that she could share their optimism. As she thought about those from ponyville she found herself thinking about Twilight Sparkle, her heart tightened and she stumbled when she took a step. Her most faithful student had trusted her and she couldn’t believe she had betrayed that trust, she had been blinded by her devotion to the status quo and… Honestly, she didn’t fully see Twilight as a princess yet. She was still young, still untested, and yet Celestia had denied her a chance to grow her skills. Part of the solar princess wished she had had Twilight in the meeting with her Generals, the alicorn could have talked her out of going to war, and so many more soldiers would be alive.

As the Princess and the General arrived at the castle Celestia could see numerous tents set up on the palace grounds, housing the evacuees and ponies that had lost their homes. Many of them stopped to bow to Celestia as she passed, for the princess it felt like they were twisting a knife in her heart. They were still willing to fight and follow her, even after what had happened over the course of two days. Forty eight hours, her generals had told her the Americans would reach Ponyville in forty eight hours if they were the ones to attack first. She had attacked first, and yet they had still made their time.

As the princess approached the last chariot that would leave the city she saw Twilight and her friends were standing off to the side and talking. They cast brief glances over at the princess, they were the only ones that seemed angry at her, that made her feel even worse. They refused to get on the chariot, and Celestia doubted that they would listen to her pleading one last time. She and the general stepped up onto the chariot, Celestia wanted to call out to Twilight, to tell her how sorry she was one final time. It hadn’t helped the first twenty times, she doubted it would work the twenty first.

The pain she felt for Twilight was not nearly as strong as what she felt for her sister, Celestia’s love for Luna had felt so strong, and yet Luna had fallen in with another militaristic species. The princess was angry with herself that she couldn’t keep her sister for falling such thing again, and what was worse was that she had fallen in love. Celestia had regretted having to destroy Thestra, but Luna seemed to have gotten over the loss. The princess knew that if she attempted the same tactic with the NUS, she would not only be forced to fight her sister again, she would lose.

With a resigned sigh Celestia gave the signal for the chariot to take off, the stallions pulling it grunted and took to the sky, leaving behind so many civilians and whatever guards could be spared to try and defend the city long enough for the Princess to escape. They had been given orders to surrender when she was far enough away, Celestia watched as the airship leveled off above Canterlot and directed its guns down towards the city. The princess watched as it began to fire, but to her surprise, it wasn’t indiscriminate. The shells exploded on targets that were far from the tent city, and even as the planes began to attack they neglected the small bastion of survivors.

With their princess gone, the guards of the city waited tensely, listening to the sound of shelling that pounded their remaining positions mercilessly. Many of them lost the will to fight within minutes of the city's fourth baptism of fire, still they stood fast in their positions until they could see that Princess Celestia’s chariot had gotten far enough away. When it was not more than a speck on the horizon, a brave stallion hoisted a large pole with a large white bedsheet tied around it and stepped out into the maelstrom of cannon fire. Shells exploded around him as he waved the banner feverishly, his heart pounding in his chest as he saw one of the turrets on the ship aim directly for him. The makeshift flag caught a gust of wind, unfurling fully and becoming quite brightly lit in the light of the afternoon sun. The cannons held their fire, the sound of shelling stopped, and every pony in the city breathed a sigh of relief.

[♠]

The ponies of Canterlot stood on the sides of their once pristine streets, watching as the American army marched through their city. The clicking of boots and hooves against the streets echoed through the decimated urban center while engines of tanks, trucks, APCs and other vehicles added to the cacophony of war. Equestria had fallen. Vanhoover had been the last city to surrender to the Changeling army without a shot fired, the green of the castle grounds was still covered by the tent city while American troops marched onto the ground. These soldiers weren’t heavily armed though, they were instead carrying medical bags and other humanitarian aid.

Many of the soldiers marching in the streets came to a halt, startling many of the Equestrian civilians that had watched them enter the city. The civilians became nervous when they heard the sound of a bugle playing ‘To the color’ playing through loudspeakers on the USS Kirov. The soldiers turned towards the castle’s tallest spire where the Equestrian flag had once flown, as they did they snapped into salutes. The Equestrian flag had been replaced by the American flag which fluttered victoriously in the breeze.

“Ura!” Shouted the griffons and Russian immigrants in the American ranks, they were soon joined by the thestrals, diamond dogs, changelings, and then the entire army. Shouting over and over again as the flag continued waving, for them it seemed that the war was over. From the loudspeakers of the Kirov came the sound of the Griffon National Anthem, considering that it was captain by a Griffon, it made sense. The song had gained popularity throughout the NUS, more and more people associated it with their Griffon allies as opposed to NATO of Earth.

As Dominic looked down from the throne room he almost wished that he was one of the soldiers in the streets below, thinking that the fight had ended. However, he knew that it was anything but finished. Not until Celestia had been brought to account for what she had done. Standing beside him was Luna and Maria, looking down over the city with mixes of relief and resignation. The Crystal Empire would undoubtedly attempt to join the war, and there were bound to be resistance groups that would make things difficult for the NUS.

For Luna, getting Celestia wasn’t just a matter of ensuring the war ended properly, it was a matter of holding her accountable for the numerous thestrals that had been mistreated in the Forty Eight Hour War. Almost all of the Thestrals that hadn’t escaped had been locked in jails around the country for fear that they would start a rebellion as they had a thousand years before, thankfully they hadn’t been treated too poorly. Still Luna needed closure with her sister, she needed to know why she had done what she’d done.

Maria was glad that finally it seemed she’d be able to put her sniper rifle up for good, she felt there was actually hope for a better tomorrow with how fast the war had gone. The only cities to be truly damaged were Canterlot, Ponyville, and Appleloosa. The others had given up without much more than a strategic bombing run as a show of force. They all could be rebuilt, but unfortunately the lives lost during the Forty Eight Hour War could not. Maria sighed as she remembered the ponies she had taken the lives of less than a day before, already the sun was starting to set in the distance.

Dominic quietly turned to look over the throne room, there were three large stone thrones set up. One depicted Luna’s mark, one depicted Celestias, and the final depicted Twilight Sparkle’s. Dominic approached them as Luna and Maria continued looking out the window, his boots echoing quietly through the large hallway. The man rubbed his chin as he looked at Celestia’s throne, once again he felt something welling up in his chest. It pushed past his feelings of doubt and anger, past his thoughts on the troubles that would come from the end of the Forty Eight Hour War. He had built a nation that had defeated the world's largest military, a nation that had brought a superpower to its knees in a matter of days. In two days he had expanded the borders of his country to consist of almost an entire continent, and it was set to increase further if he let the Griffon’s have their way. Infact he would need the griffons and the changelings to help keep control of the NUS vast new land holdings.

Dominic quietly ascended the steps to the throne, adjusting his officer’s cap as he reached the top step and looked at Celestia’s chair. A new super state was poised to form on the world stage, he had already taken in the NC, the CNG, the Diamond Dog confederacy, he could convince Chrysalis and the Griffon kingdom to join him as well. The ambition that filled him felt like it stemmed from his very blood, he was an Italian, a descendant of Rome, and now it seemed that every ancestor in his family was resting their hand on his shoulder. The man knew that ambition was dangerous, but he also knew that it would be best to strike while the iron was hot. He wouldn’t force the others to join him, it would be completely voluntary.

The man quietly ran a hand across one of the armrests on Celestia’s throne, shivering in anticipation as he felt the cold marble against his skin. As he stood there he could hear more chanting from outside, chanting that he had heard after the Battle of Denver, chanting that he had heard at the end of the Changeling-American war. The soldiers were chanting his last name, in that moment he felt a weight become lifted from his shoulders. All his life he had worried about what legacy he would leave behind, and now he knew it would be one of greatness. A twenty year old who hadn’t even finished high school now controlled a nation of such power. He could do anything. 

The man quietly paused, thinking back on his history and knowing that absolute power would corrupt him, he would need to oversee the creation of a congress to better handle day to day issues. He would also make Luna his equal, with her experience she could guide him through the new political landscape and keep him in check if his ambitions ever blinded him. 

The man paused and looked at the throne, taking a mild step back from it as he silently thought once more. Did he really want to take such a daunting task? Did he want to put the ones he loved through such turmoil, was that what he really wanted for his life? Dominic shook his head softly and took another step away from Celestia’s throne, the man paused as he felt himself bump into something soft. The man turned to find the source, and found it was none other than Luna’s wing. She looked at him with a faintly sad smile.

“Frightening… Isn’t it?” Luna asked as she took a seat on the floor, Maria was watching from afar down the steps, most likely worried about him. “To know you wield such power you could rule with impunity…” Dominic nodded quietly as he looked back at the throne, he heard Luna sigh softly before she gestured for Maria to come closer. The woman walked up the steps and stood beside Dominic and the alicorn. “I… I have something I need to tell you both.” Dominic and Maria looked at her with raised eyebrows. “Discord and I have discovered how your species truly reacts to magic… It’s fascinating, and for some it may be... terrifying…”

“Why are you telling me this now?” Dominic asked, Luna quietly gestured to the throne in front of him.

“Because before you make any choice, you must have all the facts. We, Maria and I, shall support you either way, right?” Luna continued, Maria nodded quietly, though she seemed rather confused. “Your species absorbs magic like a battery… Your bodies take it and turn it inwards… In words you may better understand, you have a ‘healing factor’.” Dominic and Maria remained quietly, partially stunned, hanging on Luna’s every syllable. “You aren’t invincible by any means, but… You are destined to live as long as I or my sister, or any other alicorn. You will stop aging when you reach full maturity.”

“Y-You’re saying…. Barring any sort of external factor, like getting shot or stabbed…. Humans on this planet will live forever?” Dominic asked in a rather stunned tone, Luna nodded quietly. “This is hardly the time for joke’s, Luna…”

“It is no joke, Dominic…” Luna said in a serious tone, Maria stared at her quietly as Dominic rubbed his chin again as he tried to comprehend what was happening. Luna was surprised that they were both still standing, honestly. She had worried that they would faint at the revelation, but she could see she had trained them both well to keep their calm, as hard as it seemed. “Now that you know… I hope you aren’t angry with me for keeping it from you for so long. I was unsure how you would react.”

“I’m unsure how to react.” Maria said quietly as she rubbed her head and took a couple deep breaths. “I’m even less sure how the rest of our species will react.” Dominic tuned them out as his head span with more and more possibilities, if it was the case that they would live for so long, a hundred years of serving as head of state would be very much possible. He’d have much more time to work things out, much more time to think things through. More time to spend with Luna and Maria, more time to create a future that didn’t rely on his skill as a leader or a soldier. The daunting task before him seemed far less daunting. In the turbulent times that would come from the war that seemed to be brewing with the Crystal Empire and what the revelation of the Human Healing Factor, Dominic knew that his nation would need a guiding hand.

Dominic quietly set his hand on the throne’s armrest one final time before he finally gulped and took the plunge. Luna and Maria watched as he sat on Celestia’s throne, symbolically claiming it, and by extension Equestria, as his. He was a bit surprised to see Luna smile a bit more. Little did he know she was smiling as she witnessed the culmination of her teachings, Dominic’s self doubt had all but been eliminated, and as a result he was ready to take on something he never would’ve thought possible when he had come to Equestria little over a year and a half before.

The NUS had outgrown its humble beginnings and its name, from a ghost town in the middle of the desert to a super power, it was deserving of a name that fit its new culture. The United States of America would forever be remembered, that had been Dominic’s goal since the beginning, and now that it was completed he felt it was time for a change. It was there that he resolved that from henceforth, citizens of the nation he had built would be known as ‘Onorussians’. Dominic derived it from the name Onorus, a hero of Thestral myth, a battle maiden that stood guard over thestrals during Luna’s banishment.

“We have much work to do...” Dominic said simply as he looked to one of the windows, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “First and foremost is to convince Cadence and Shining Armor that is in their best interest not to send troops here.” The man sighed quietly as he stood up out of Celestia’s old throne. “For now though… Let’s take a moment of rest.”
> Chapter 28: The New World Order
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Zebras had finally raised an army worthy of liberating the Equestrian mainland, fifty thousand of their finest warriors waited aboard their ships as they sailed in secret towards the Changeling Kingdom. Their forces had baited the changelings into thinking they would launch some sort of invasion with the intention of taking an Equestrian port, in actuality they would go straight through the Changeling's country towards New Liberty. They would prove their worth to Celestia and the world as the truly superior warriors.

Under the cover of darkness their ships drew closer to the coast in the distance, every warrior remained quiet as a mouse as they attempted to move to the shore without detection. The moonless night had been planned on in advance, they would surely be able to take the enemy by surprise. The water lapped against the wooden hulls of their frigates and schooners, old Equestrian vessels that had been sold to the Zebras for a fair price. They were some of the fastest out there, thanks to numerous enchantments placed on the sails and rudder. Little did they know that their fastest ships would be the downfall of their operation, as they had been detected by American Arcane Sensors aboard an Airship. The Battleship USS Cyclops to be precise.

The Airship sat in darkness over the coast, engines humming and echoing over the water as the downdraft pelted the ocean below. Floating beside the Cyclops was the USS Enterprise, USS Colossus, and the USS Washington. Their humming engines creating the sound of an angry swarm of hornets, one that was beginning to reach the ears of the eager Zebra soldiers. Their captains looked around in uncertainty, thinking perhaps that they had been discovered by the Changelings. Then came a series of rather unnerving sounds, accompanied by several flashes of light. Bright lights appeared over the zebra ships, seemingly suspended by parachutes.

Aboard the Cyclops the captain, a human with a stern expression, pushed play on a CD player hooked up to the PA system. The song that played was the signal to attack. The Zebras looked up as the song began echoing loudly over the water, before they could react the twelve inch cannons on the Cyclops roared to life. Shells from the airships rained down on the Zebra armada, accompanied by withering fire from the machine guns and anti-aircraft batteries mounted to the ship’s side. Zebras ran around on the decks of their ships as they tried to turn their ships around, shells continued raining down on them without mercy. Wood splintered into shrapnel, blood began to spill into the water of South Luna Ocean at an alarming rate. The order had been given that there was to be no doubt as to who one the engagement, it as to serve as an example to any nation intending to go to war with the NUS.

Ships caught fire, illuminating even more of the armada than the flares overhead could’ve. Shells continued raining into the water or tearing holes through the wooden hulls of several Zebra built ships, a good portion of ships began to turn back, as so far only about a third of the fleet was under fire. The cruisers Washington and Enterprise moved through the air, firing all the while, and cut off their means of escaping back to the Zebra mainland. The zebras that had jumped into the water began trying to swim towards the shore, only to be cut down by the machine gunners on the other side of the Cyclops and Colossus

It was as if the entire ocean was on fire, flaming hulks of ships began to slip beneath the waves while bits of wood and fabric floated on the surface. Survivors of the ships tried to cling to the wood for life, but they met the same fate as their swimming comrades. Search lights on the ships flicked on, scanning over the water for more targets as they had no fear of retaliation from the flightless zebras. On and on the firing went until finally there was only one ship left. Surprisingly it wasn’t blown out of the water on sight, instead the captain of the Cyclops ordered his Globe Corps soldiers to board the ship.

The thestrals and griffons landed on the deck of the airship, killing any of the crew and soldiers that dared put up a fight. Eventually they had culled those who refused to surrender, and when the few that did surrender thought they would be taken prisoner, they were instead given a written message and ordered to return to Zebrica. It was simple and short. ‘Our ships can cross the ocean too.’.

[♠]

Mike quietly adjusted his flight jacket as the wind buffeted against him, shivering as he saw his breath through his oxygen mask. He had thought it was cold at fifteen thousand feet? He wished he was at fifteen thousand feet. After he and his remaining crew had been picked up by the American army they had been given a few weeks to recoup, the ruskie that had helped them hide had gone back to his own unit. 

Now they were on a mission towards the ‘Crystal Empire’ to deliver an odd type of weapon. It wasn’t a weapon that would explode, it wouldn’t kill people or start fire or anything of that sort. The bombay of his and eight hundred other B-17s was filled with bundles of leaflets. They were flying at an altitude that pegasi ponies wouldn’t be able to fly at in optimal weather, let alone the freezing cold and clouds that made their home at twenty thousand feet. Despite that he kept his eyes on the horizon, just in case an alicorn decided to make an appearance. If their mission was successful they would be one step closer to victory. The word had been spreading that the griffons would soon be ceding into the New United States, as would the Changelings, and when they did they would gain a new name.

Onorus sounded like a decent enough name, certainly was a lot easier to say than New United States of America. Mike shrugged and sighed as he rubbed his hands together, the man hadn’t even bothered to try and learn the names of his new crew. As far as he knew they’d get shot down again, and then it would just be him, Athena, and Insecta again. Below the plane he could see nothing but snow and ice, so if they went down it was likely they wouldn’t be coming back at all. He began humming to himself, just to pass the time until their target was below them. Mike couldn’t believe it was finally over, at least with Equestria. As far as most people were concerned it was over.

The Forty Eight Hour War, that’s what people were calling it. Many ponies still couldn’t believe it was over, at least the ones in the cities that had been taken over. They still believed their Princess would come to save them, which wasn’t very likely as they really didn’t need saving. They weren’t being mistreated, they were being given aid as their buildings were being repaired. Mike supposed they were still getting over the fact that their entire country had been so rapidly conquered, he knew he’d be pretty well pissed if that happened to him. As the plane continued flying along Mike could see the clouds were thinning out and things were actually starting to brighten up. The man could see what looked like a dome ahead, inside it everything was green and lush.

“Who the hell decided to settle an empire all the way out here?” He asked aloud, mainly to himself as he saw the crystal buildings start to come in view. “Like, how would someone even get out here in the first place?”

”Cut the chatter, Mike. We’re on final approach.” Athena said sternly over the intercom, Mike shrugged and quieted down. He instead looked out at the bombers in the formation, they hadn’t even been repainted, that was how fast the war had ended. They were still tan with blue underbellies, perfect camouflage for a desert theatre. Not so much for the snowy frozen north, still Mike figured it didn’t matter since they were so high up. ”Sixty seconds to target.”

The man quietly watched as a couple magic bolts arched up out of the dome, but they dissipated before they came even close the flight. Mike readied the machine gun just in case as he became a fully alert waist gunner, the bombers began spreading into a proper formation as they got closer to the city in the distance. The dome was closer than ever, the first couple planes had already passed through it.

”Opening bombay doors.” Athena said once again as Mike heard the bombay doors open, once again he saw the other planes follow suit almost simultaneously. Mike smirked quietly as he saw the dome loom closer, suddenly the plane was flying through warm air and blue skies. ”Thirty seconds.”

On the ground Celestia watched in sheer horror as the aircraft began to blot out the sun, shadows loomed over the city as she, her generals, Cadence, and Shining Armor watched in anticipation of the coming squeals and screams of bombs. The ponies in the street were running for cover in anticipation of the same punishment that befell Canterlot. To everyone’s surprise there was no screaming of bombs, now earth shattering explosions. Bursts of what looked like confetti were the only things to fall from the bellies of the horrifying aircraft. The papers floated down from the high altitude, scattering all over the city as the aircraft simply passed by without so much as a single damaged plane.

“What just happened?” Cadence asked in surprise as she watched the papers fall further and further, eventually they became close enough that she could snatch one with her hoof. The others snatched some for their own, Celestia took one and looked at what it said. It was one word, in big black letters with a period at the end. ‘BOOM.’. To her generals it made no sense, but to Celestia and Cadence the message was all too clear. It was a warning. They could’ve easily dropped just as many bombs as they had leaflets, and if the Crystal Empire didn’t back down from the fight those planes would return with something much heavier than paper.

“Aunt Celestia…” Cadence said as she looked to her aunt as she held the paper in her magic. “I can’t help you, it’s very clear to me that these Americans are willing to let us be if we return the favor.” Celestia was a bit surprised to hear her niece say that to her, but she had already lost two people close to her, she wasn’t about to lose the last one she had by arguing.

“What am I to do?” Celestia asked as she listened to the plane’s engines as they got more distant, the citizens of the Crystal Empire were meanwhile looking at the pieces of paper with confusion in the streets below. “My kingdom has been taken from me… This is what I had hoped to stop.” The Princess looked to one of her Generals who was staring at the paper with a bit of surprise. “Tell me, General Wind Breaker, how this came to pass…?” The General, a pegasus with white fur, looked at her with an uncertain expression.

“They used our tactics against us…” The General said in a bit of surprise. “Their machines don’t need to eat or sleep, all they need is fuel which the American’s have plenty of… They were too efficient for our military to hope to stop them.” The General looked out over the Crystal Empire with a grim expression, noting that the small micro nation was far behind Equestria in terms of technology and soldiers. He concurred with Princess Cadence’s decision, sending them into battle would be mindless suicide.

“You know you are welcome to stay with us, Aunt Celestia…” Cadence said, interrupting the Generals inner thoughts. “But once you are fully healed, I urge you to please try and reconcile with Aunt Luna… It’s what you would tell me and Twilight to do if we had a spat.” Celestia was about to point out that a war was a lot larger than a spat, but the point still remained. For beings like Luna and Celestia time was on their side, perhaps in a century the wounds would’ve healed enough for them to return to being at least friends, if not sisters.

[♠]

Jack sat quietly in the hangar that had been rapidly constructed in the fields outside of Ponyville, part of an airbase that was being put in place. The runway had been poured quickly and efficiently using techniques based on Changeling construction tactics, already it was capable of launching fighters and bombers. The young man didn’t give two shits about the runway though, as he had more pressing things on his mind. It had started during the beginning Forty Eight Hour War, when Sarah had called him by his nickname ‘Ghoul’. Not a lot of people knew how much that truly bothered him, and Sarah was one of them.

Unlike most normal people, he had a much stronger connection to matronly figures as he had lost his during the outbreak. Hearing a name like that from someone he genuinely loved was like a stab in the heart, and he still hadn’t gotten over the thoughts. His eyes glanced towards his P-38, the side near the cockpit was decorated with his EOL and now Equestrian kills. There had even been a special one painted to symbolize the airship he had sunk. All in all, he was a triple ace, and the ace of aces for the Forty Eight Hour War.

The aircraft’s tan paint job had been replaced by olive drab, while the underbelly was still sky blue. Jack had to admit he was glad for the change, but not nearly glad as he was to know that he wouldn’t have to be flying so many combat missions anymore. At least, he hoped. Rumors were spreading that they’d be shipped out to the west coast to harass Zebrican ships. There was a radio playing soft, calming music in the hangar that echoed through the metal building.

Jack stood from his seat on an ammunition crate and walked towards his plane, humming along to the song softly. He ran his hand along the leading edge of the left wing, the cool of the metal sent shivers up his spine. The sound of engines overhead told him that the bombers were back from their run over the Crystal Empire, Jack supposed that either meant he would get an order to scramble to bomb the city or nothing would happen as the Crystal Empire backed down. As much as he wanted some Crystal Empire victory marks, he wasn’t in the mood to take any more pegasi down.

Jack quietly walked to the ammo crates where he had been sitting and picked up his flight jacket in preparation for the call to scramble. He slipped the jacket on and looked out the hangar doors at the bombers that were coming in for a landing on the runway, in the distance he could see the city of Ponyville was bustling again. Many of the ponies that had been evacuated had returned after the country fell under American, soon to be Onorussian, occupation were returning, even some of the former nobles of Canterlot.

Jack was glad they had done away with nobility, it seemed to win a lot of hearts and minds from the common ponies who very much outnumbered the former nobles and were often treated poorly by them. There were other goodwill missions being carried out throughout the country, from dropping candy bars with parachutes from a bomber to building better schools. Jack felt a sense of pride in being one of the ‘Conquerors’, and he felt even better that as a result better things were happening around the country.

The man sighed as he heard a familiar pair of boots against the floor of the hangar, a couple moments later Sarah had walked around the plane and moved next to him. They were still on rather uncertain terms, but she was hoping that she could so something to cheer him up. In her pocket was a small felt box and a plastic bag with a couple rank insignias in it. She didn’t speak right away, joining Jack in watching the B-17s land and taxi to their respective hangars and parking area. The woman finally cleared her throat.

“Lieutenant.” Jack said quietly, Sarah sighed and turned to face him head on.The young man was hesitant to move, but eventually turned to meet her. She was, after all, his superior. He was a second lieutenant, she was a first. “Something you wanted to talk about? I thought we’d be going up again.”

“Nah, the Crysti’s are pulling back. The message got across pretty well.” Sarah replied with a faint smile, Jack stared at her with an uncertain expression, as if unsure what else there was to talk about. “I needed to find you, I’ve got to give you something.” Jack raised an eyebrow in surprise as he watched Sarah reach into her coat and withdraw a black felt box. “Now, I need you to do me a favor and stand at attention.” 

Jack stood at attention as asked, he was shaping up to be a good soldier. Sarah smiled as she opened the felt box and brushed his jacket out of the way so she could see his tan pilot’s uniform. Inside the box was a medal that looked similar to a German Iron Cross, there was a pair of thestral wings suspending it from a red ribbon with a single white stripe and a silver star at the center of the cross. He recognized the medal as the ’Errant’s Cross’, one of the most coveted medals in the American armed forces. Named for Lieutenant Colonel Errant who had died during the Changeling-American war, it was for those that ‘Dealt a significant blow to the war effort of the enemy.’. Generally it was awarded posthumously.

“Second Lieutenant Jack Rossiano, for your actions on the first day of the Forty Eight Hour War, in sinking the Equestrian Airship Sunlight, you are being awarded the Errant’s Cross.” Sarah said, making no effort to hide how proud she was as she pinned the medal to his chest. Jack felt himself swelling with even more pride, part of him wished that his family could’ve been there with him. His father would’ve been so proud, his birth mother might have even hugged him. He realized he was with his family, the only family he had left. As Sarah finished pinning the medal to him he wanted to reach out and hug her, but stopped as he saw her reach into her coat again. “Command has seen fit to give you a promotion as well. May I?”

“Y-Yeah.” Jack said with a bit of surprise as the woman pulled a bag from her jacket and opened it, she reached up and removed the brass lieutenant’s bars from Jack’s collar before replacing them with silver Captain’s bars.

“I wanted to be the one to tell you finally outrank me… At least in the army air corps.” Sarah said with a bit of a smirk as Jack reached up and felt the captain’s bars. “I know it’s still not-” The woman was cut off as the man hugged her tightly, she smiled softly and returned the hug as the sound of B-17s landing began to taper off. Only about forty of them were stationed in the new Ponyville air base, the rest were spread around the country at other airbases that had been constructed or were leapfrogging back to New Liberty.

“Thanks…” Jack said before he broke the hug. “For everything you’ve done for me.” Sarah smiled and pinched his cheek.

“You’re welcome kiddo. Now come on, let’s put that medal some place safe, then we can show off those captain’s bars.” Sarah said, Jack nodded as the two began walking out of the hangar only for Jack to pause.

“Wait… I, uh… I actually have a sort of… Kinda… Date?” He said, Sarah looked at him with genuine surprise. “Otherwise you know I’d love to go, but… You know… This is kind of a first time thing for me…” Sarah put her hands on her hips and smiled knowingly.

“A date, eh? Who’s the lucky lady?” She asked, Jack rubbed the back of his neck as he looked around the hangar. He hoped for some sort of way out of talking about it, as he wasn’t sure how Sarah would react to his choice of date for that evening. The man paused, he knew Sarah wouldn’t do anything outright crazy, he could handle it.

“T-Tig…” He said nervously, Sarah raised an eyebrow as if she didn’t understand. “She’s one of the mechanics that works on the P-38s.” Sarah rubbed her neck as she thought about who she knew in the mechanics, they were primarily ponies and humans, but most of them were men. “Earth pony, green fur?”

“A pony?” Sarah said with a bit of surprise, Jack braced for some sort of reprisal. “Wait… Tig! I remember her, nice girl…” Sarah had recalled the mechanic Jack had mentioned, for a pony she seemed well rounded and kind, certainly nothing to get upset about. “Okay then, I’ll… Uh… I’ll go hang out with Dusty and Adler then. You enjoy your date.” Sarah turned and walked away, Jack just turned back to the plane and looked it over once more. The man rubbed the back of his neck and approached the plane again, patting it on the side as he did so.

[♠]

Maria quietly sighed as she walked through downtown Ponyville, she and Melissa had been sent to the town to keep an eye on the POWs that were clearing away debris. It had all been done voluntarily, and the POWs were being compensated monetarily for their time of course. It felt odd for the two snipers to so freely move about the city, especially when they had been skulking around it weeks before. Dominic and Luna were hard at work with their political meetings in Canterlot, working to establish an entirely new government from three different systems. Maria left political stuff to them, as they had a better understanding of it than her.

As they walked along the rubble strewn streets Maria caught sight of a couple familiar faces from the show, it was oddly haunting to see them after such an experience. Some of them were POWs, some of them were civilians hoping to see their businesses and homes intact. Overhead the sound of planes reigned supreme where once there had only been clear blue skies, the chill of winter was starting to set in once again. Throughout the city Maria could hear the sound of engines while occupation forces would occasionally walk by. The sound of music echoed through the streets, most likely from one of the record players that the soldiers had found in the abandoned houses.

The bodies of the dead, Equestrian and American alike, had been taken away for burial in the local cemetery. Maria was glad for that, she didn’t like thinking that some of them had been put in the ground by her hands, even though she knew it to be true. She kept telling herself once the war was really over, once the threat of Zebra or Minotaur invasion or even Dragon intervention had passed she would get out of the military. Part of her wanted to believe that was the truth, but the other part kept telling her that seemed to be all she was good at. The two snipers walked down a street lined with quaint cottages, it was so pristine that neither of them would’ve believed it had been involved in a war.

Bittersweet memories flooded Maria’s mind as she looked at the buildings, thinking back to all the time that she and Dominic had spent watching the show. Nearly five years it had been, she still remembered most of it, enough that she had been able to use her knowledge of it in combat. She sighed softly as she passed by a building that looked like a gingerbread house, it had survived the shelling unscathed, and its owners were already hard at work getting it up and running again. Maria almost felt like stopping in, as she and Melissa still had time before they had to be on duty, but she stopped herself. They likely wouldn’t have wanted a human in their store.

Maria watched as a couple foals ran out of an alley, they looked to be playing with one another until they spotted the two humans. As soon as they did they stopped playing and stared, a couple of them even appeared curious. Maria sighed and swung her rifle around to her other shoulder, out of their view. The two women just waved awkwardly and continued walking, ignoring the odd feelings that the children’s eyes brought up.

“Hey, Melissa?” Maria asked once they were out of earshot of the children, her partner looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. “What would you think if I had a kid?” Melissa’s expression changed to one of surprise and curiosity. “I’m gonna leave the army soon, you know? Dominic, Luna and I have talked about it a couple times…”

“I think you can do anything you set your mind to.” Melissa said with an honest tone as she adjusted the boonie cap she wore in addition to her grey urban uniform. “You put up with me, even with all the shit I’ve done… You’ve certainly got the patience for it.” Maria smiled faintly as she heard that before she pulled her scarf up over her face to hide her nose from the chilly fall air. “Did Dominic finally pop the question?”

“Not yet, but he’s had a lot of stuff on his mind lately.” Maria said with a bit of a sigh. “Once everything is finalized tonight we’ll have time to… Discuss it further.” Melissa raised an eyebrow at her before she caught the faint blush on Maria’s face. She giggled softly and adjusted the rifle slung over her shoulder, Maria had taken to carrying her AK-47 while Melissa had taken to using the Tac-50. The pair turned down another street and walked for a couple more minutes before they finally came upon the group of POWs that had volunteered to fill in a crater in the road, two FAST troops, a pegasus and a thestral, were standing guard over them. She recognized one of them pretty quickly as Rainbow Dash, the lieutenant was chatting with one of the prisoners. Maria smiled faintly as she saw that it was Big Macintosh, she was glad to see that the stallion had survived the battle.

“Lieutenant.” Maria said as the got closer, the mare turned towards her and snapped to a salute. Maria returned it before gesturing for the mare to stand at ease. “Here to relieve you.”

“Thank you, Major Valova.” Rainbow Dash said as she read the name patch sewn to Maria’s uniform, looking at the group of stallions that had a shovels and a carriage filled with a large pile of dirt. “I was just chatting with a friend, ma’am. Turns out he saw some pretty hairy stuff before the battle.” Maria felt a bit guilty as she saw Big Macintosh nod. “Anyway, Hans and I will be off.”

“Have a good one.” Melissa said as the two FAST soldiers began walking away, Melissa leaned against a nearby cart while Maria stood closer to the group. The stallions began shoveling the dirt into the hole, from the looks of it they were already halfway done. Maria adjusted her scarf once again, this time covering most of her head and face save for her eyes. The sound of humvee engines would occasionally become audible to her and the work detail, but Maria knew they were only part of the occupation force on patrol until an appropriate police force could be put into place.

Maria wandered to one side of the hole, watching the stallions casually as she was pretty sure they wouldn’t try anything. She paused as she noticed one of them seemed to be slacking, only casually tossing dirt into the hole while the other five stallions worked hard. The woman quietly walked towards him, noting that his mane was rather long while the others had shorter manes. Maria had heard of stallions and mares letting their mane’s grow long, often times they were fanatic Equestrian loyalists. As Maria continued silently watching the group she noted that occasionally the stallion with the long mane would look at his shovel, then at her, then back to the hole.

“Zephyr, get the lead out.” One of the stallions said sternly, the stallion gulped and quickly started shoveling at a more decent pace. “Fuckin’ tries to dodge everything.” Maria quietly leaned against the carriage filled with dirt, sighing as she listened to more of the music that was echoing through the streets. The woman paused and as she looked at Melissa, figuring it would be good to get some small talk going.

“Hey, Melissa… You ever go to college?” She asked, Maria quietly pulled a bit of beef jerky from her breast pocket and took a bite before responding, chewing the jerky as she spoke.

“Yeah… Studied literature, and a couple Pro-EOL things. That was when I was young and stupid.” Melissa replied, wandering a bit and leaning against another one of the buildings.

“As opposed to now?” Maria asked with a chuckle, Melissa gave her a slight grin before flipping her the bird. “I was gonna go and be a mechanic, or maybe a teacher… Or a gunsmith.” Maria continued as she walked around the hole again, looking at the ponies for a couple seconds before settling on Big Macintosh, she was honestly curious about him. “What about you guys? Any of you go to college?” Most of them shook their head, including Big Mac, the only one who didn’t was the long haired stallion named Zephyr.

“I was gonna be a mane therapist.” He said, Maria raised an eyebrow at him as he tossed another shovel full of dirt into the hole. “I was gonna be a stylist to the stars!” Maria hummed softly as she heard the stallion’s voice fill with optimism for a brief second. “Then you people attacked us.”

“Back up a second there.” Melissa said sternly. “Your airships were the ones to cross into our borders! Without a formal declaration of war, I might add!” The stallion wheeled around with his shovel, but stopped as he heard Maria rack a round into her kalashnikov.

“Take a walk, Mel.” Maria said sternly, Melissa looked at her and began to open her mouth to speak. “Go. Take. A walk.” Melissa sighed and started walking towards another one of the buildings as silence fell over the group again. Maria’s expression turned to a slight frown as she looked down at her rifle, tensions were still high despite the war being pretty much over. She could understand why, during the conflict nearly a hundred and fifty thousand Equestrian Soldiers were killed, as well as eight hundred civilians. Compared to the United States low number of only two thousand combat deaths it was a stark realization at just how much each side had over and underestimated their foe.

A couple hours passed, eventually Melissa and the others had begun talking again, Maria had remained quiet for most of it though. Occasionally she found herself looking longingly up at Canterlot, knowing that Dominic and Luna were up there and that their future as a country was on the line. She had faith that they would prevail, but still she was fearful of what could happen. The woman quietly adjusted her grip on her rifle as she looked away from Canterlot down to the south where New Liberty was, clouds were starting to roll in again, overcasting the blue sky as the work detail finished packing down the dirt in the hole. Another crew would come along and put cobblestone in place later, for the moment it was up to Maria and Melissa to walk prisoners back to the POW camp.

As they walked Maria watched a couple flakes of snow begin to fall from the sky, she could see her breath and shivered slightly as she pulled her fatigues a bit tighter. In the distance she could hear the sound of helicopter blades, the first hueys had rolled off the assembly line a week before and were being flown by former News and Military pilots that were training the next generation. The helicopters got closer, briefly whizzing over the town in a rough formation before banking and turning back to the south. Truly, a new age had begun.

[♠]

Dominic stood from the conference table and adjusted his tie as he looked the Griffon Delegation and Chrysalis, the changeling queen had also brought her daughter Mizu with her. The conference room had survived the bombing raids intact, unlike some of the less important portions of the castle. Still there were paintings knocked askew and a couple broken lamps on tables that lined the marble walls. The deliberation and discussions had lasted nearly two weeks, the terms were now crystal clear. The Griffon Kingdom would fully dissolve and cede into the current American government while the Changelings would maintain minor autonomy in regards to local policy. On the conference table was the document that would make it all official and would officially create ‘The Military Republic of Onorus’.

The people could elect congressmen and women as they saw fit while the focus of the government would be on national defense rather than national expansion. Luna had recommended that they keep the focus on the military temporarily until everything was secure, then they could gradually reduce it to a secondary objective. It seemed like a good plan, and the delegations had certainly thought so. Much of the constitution was based off of the American constitution, with several changes made to accommodate the new species that had joined and any that would possibly join in the future.

For the most part Dominic had been quiet, choosing rather to observe the dealings of the older and more experienced Griffon and Changeling politicians. He had learned much from watching both of them. The Griffons, for instance, were eager to join a much more powerful nation as their own national ideals had been muddled by numerous weak kings and it had lead to economic ruin. Now that Dominic had the considerable coffers of Equestria within his possession, he could afford to invest in making the Griffon lands much more economically viable.

As Dominic stood near the table, listening to the two delegations speaking once more with Luna at his side, he could almost hear the new anthem of Onorus playing in his mind. Though the Star Spangled Banner held a special place in his heart, he didn’t want to exclude the people of Equis culturally. After all, culture and art were meant for sharing, not hoarding. The EOL had tried to separate art by restricting the people’s culture, and Dominic wasn’t about to do something like that. Besides, the song was almost identical to a songfrom Earth, even if it wasn’t the United States of America’s anthem.

“So we are all in agreement then?” Dominic said as he looked towards the paper sitting on the table, the griffons and changelings looked towards him quietly. “All that remains to be done is put what we have said on paper into practice.”

“Right.” The griffon’s said as they turned towards the paper, looking very sure of their decision. Chrysalis and Mizu looked equally sure, they knew from experience that Dominic was a man of his word. He had helped them reclaim their original territory, and now offered them even more protection. Luna watched proudly as she watched Dominic becoming ever more the statesman, despite his muscular bulk the suit he wore still made him appear formal. She knew how much he hated it, but certain exceptions had to be made.

Dominic quietly looked to an inkwell, within which were three quills. He picked one up and handed it to the griffons, then he handed the second to Chrysalis before taking the last for himself. The man leaned forwards and quietly signed his name to the document, dubbed ‘The Unification Treaty’. The griffons followed shortly afterwards, followed by Chrysalis and Mizu. As the ink began to dry a new experiment had begun, a brave new world lay before the newly formed nation of Onorus. There were a couple sighs of relief as Luna levitated the document and took the quill from Dominic’s hand. As Celestia had fled the country, Luna was officially the most senior head of state in Equestria. Despite that, she wasn’t signing on behalf of Equestria alone. She set the paper down, letting the others read her signature. ‘Queen Luna of Thestra’. Her title as an Equestrian was beneath that in smaller print.

“Not nearly as scary as I thought it was going to be…” Dominic said as he rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling as he felt the stress of the meeting leave his shoulders. The griffons nodded before snapping to a salute to their new commander in chief. The title ‘President’ had been altered, at request of the griffons, to something with a bit more gusto. They were, after all, birds that liked to display power. Whether it be through title or feathers, they liked to be seen, and they wanted their leader to be seen. He had convinced them to go with the word ‘Imperator’, as it referred to Republican Rome as opposed to Imperial Rome.

“The Griffon race thanks you, Imperator Occisor… We have been waiting so long for the Equestrians to help us, and they just kept saying ‘We’re working on it. We’re working on it.’” The griffon said, Dominic nodded quietly as he accepted their thanks. “I know you will send us the aid we so desperately need, da?”

“Of course, but your people must remember it is not something that will always be there. They must learn to stand on their own again.” Dominic reminded them, the griffon’s nodded. “We will be dispatching the airship Colossus with the things you have requested soon, I apologize it is a warship, but we have no civilian craft ready at this time.”

“It’s fine. It will be nice to see an airship coming INTO our airspace for once.” The griffons said, pausing for a moment as they adjusted their clothes. “We shall leave you to your work, sir. Glory to Onorus.” The griffons turned and walked out of the conference room, Dominic and Luna turned to look at Mizu and Chrysalis. The two changelings were dressed in traditional changeling robes, very similar to kimonos, and each appeared to have a faint smile on their faces.

“It’s nice to have friends again. I had forgotten the importance of allies until now.” Chrysalis said with a slight bow. “Unlike the griffons who must take your word, I can sense your honesty, even with your species resistance. I know that this is the best choice I can make for my children.” Mizu nodded quietly at that, she had been more of an observer than anything else, but Dominic supposed she had a bit more of a motive for coming to Canterlot than just political matters. A certain stallion, Fortress Wall, had asked to move his lab to Canterlot as it offered much more space than the bunker he had in New Liberty.

“It was nice having you… Now get out!” Dominic said in a joking tone, Chrysalis had to admit the man had a bit of a warped sense of humor. Then again, she had learned that most people, and ponies, did as well. Even if they weren’t aware of it. “In all seriousness I wanted to thank you for your help, I didn’t get a chance to say it before. We’d be bogged down with the Zebras and the cities on the west coast without your assistance on the ground.”

“I wanted to thank you as well… Your open borders policy and the way your citizens are so accepting of us… We’ve stopped having to scrounge for affection.” Chrysalis said, pausing as she sensed a bit of affection stemming from Luna towards Dominic. She smiled faintly, then hid a blush with her chittin as she felt that affection become borderline lust. The Queen cleared her throat and looked to Mizu, who hadn’t had the fortitude to hide her blush as her mother had. “Come along, Mizu… We have much work to do as well.”

“R-Right.” Mizu said as she and Chrysalis hastily made their way to the door. Dominic and Luna were left alone, looking at the paper that had rung the final death knell of the Equestrian Kingdom. The man quietly turned towards a window that overlooked the city and a good portion of the horizon, he walked towards it quietly as Luna walked up behind him. With a bit of a sigh he rubbed his chin.

“So… What do we do now?” He asked, both to himself and to Luna. The former Equestrian Princess quietly placed her wing over his shoulder as she stood next to him, watching the sun begin to set in the distance.

“Anything that needs to be done.” She said simply as she used her magic to push the window open, news of the treaty being signed was already moving quickly through the city. Dominic could hear cheering and even some celebratory gunfire from the city below. Mainly from the occupation force, as well as numerous Pro-Human supporters. “The future is yours, Dominic.” She tightened the grip of her wing for a moment. Already the New Flagof Onorus was being hoisted throughout the city. “The future is yours.”

Dominic smiled faintly before walking towards the window and waving to the crowd below.
> Chapter 29
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dominic sighed as he woke to the sound of Maria getting out of the bed, it had been three weeks since the founding of Onorus and their night of passion together. Maria had been sleeping a lot, and yet she was still too tired for her patrol schedule. Dominic had also noticed her getting up a lot during the middle of the night to use the bathroom. The man was no fool, as evidenced his position of power in the world, and he had gained that power by researching what he didn’t understand. Luna had caught on a lot sooner than he had, but she was a light sleeper, it was hard to get out of bed without her knowing. It came as no surprise to him that Maria was experiencing fatigue and using the bathroom so often, and he wasn’t sure how to handle that realization.

The man sat up quietly in bed as the morning light began to stream through the window, Luna was on the balcony of the room overlooking Canterlot, working her magic on bringing an end to the night and allowing her sister to bring her day. The clouds were thicker outside, as winter was just around the corner, but Dominic didn’t mind the cold and neither did most Onorussians. As he got out of bed he heard Maria in the bathroom heaving heavily and groaning, before he could stop himself he had ticked off morning sickness on the mental checklist in his head. The man adjusted his undershirt and boxers quietly, moving to stand outside the bathroom and wait for his turn to use it.

After a couple minutes of hearing Maria upchuck again and again, the door opened and the tired looking sniper emerged in her bathrobe with her long black hair pulled back into a bun. Dominic was going to say something, but she froze and bolted back into the bathroom, closing the door behind her before Dominic heard her heaving yet again. The man decided that he could forgo a shower until he had some free time later that day, he walked to the dresser that had been put in the room and pulled it open. From within he pulled his usual uniform, he slipped into it with efficiency that came from months of practice. The man was tying his boots when Maria finally emerged from the bathroom, looking even more worse for wear than she had the first time.

“Dominic…” She said in a groggy voice, the man looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. “You did this to me.” She spoke in a lightly joking tone, though Dominic honestly felt a bit bad for her. The woman wandered over to him and gave him a tight hug. “I’m pretty sure what the answer is going to be, but just to be safe I’m going to see Doctor Patterson today…” The man stood to his full height and returned the hug gently, not wanting to crush Maria, he didn’t know his own strength half the time.

“I’ve got that discharge paper on my desk, all I have to do is sign it.” He said after he broke the hug, Maria smirked at him and patted him on the cheek. Both of them knew she wouldn’t take a discharge until it was official, until it was determined that she could no longer be of service to her country’s military by an actual doctor. The door to the balcony opened and Luna stepped in, shaking a couple times to regain her body heat from the colder weather outside.

“Good to see you’re both up.” She said as she approached them, noting the rather groggy looking Maria. “How are you feeling this morning, dear…?” Maria smiled faintly and hugged Luna just as tightly as she had Dominic.

“I’m fine, guys… I was just telling Dominic here that I’m going to see Doctor Pat later today, so no worries.” Maria said calmly, Luna nodded quietly before she looked to Dominic with a neutral expression.

“We should probably get going, you have your morning briefing soon.” Luna said in a reminding tone, Dominic nodded before he leaned in and gave Maria a kiss on the cheek. The alicorn followed suit, causing the woman to smile faintly. “Take care, Maria…”

“I will.” Maria replied with a faint smile, Dominic and Luna walked to the door and stepped out into the hallway. Before he closed the door, Dominic stopped to blow Maria another kiss. The man sighed softly as he walked away from the door and tucked his hands into his pockets. Luna could sympathize with him, for the most part. She was worried about what would happen as she was going to be one of the parents, but she suspected it went to a deeper level with Dominic. He hand known Maria since they were children, he had loved her without knowing it for a good portion of his life, and now it was very likely she was carrying his child. The alicorn opened her wing and draped it over Dominic’s shoulder, the man looked at her for a brief moment before smiling his thanks.

Dominic’s mind was racing with all sorts of worries, chief among them was Maria’s well being. However, the other issues were very important, as he had the future of his entire species resting on his shoulders and how he handled the issue. It had been top secret, no one outside of the chiefs of staff and the project head knew about it, and Providentia was keeping a close eye on them to make sure it stayed that way. The issue in question had to do with children, it was a very sensitive one that had to be addressed quickly as time was of the essence.

“How have your observation’s been going?” Dominic asked, trying to get his mind off of Maria. Luna looked at him quietly before humming, her eyes flicked around the area of the hallway and she even went so far as to scan the area for any sign of life with her magic before answering.

“Alpha and Beta seem promising. Provided we had the right tools, the mission could be completed within forty years. Ten years per stage.” She said quietly, Dominic nodded quietly as he continued walking along. “Given our window of eighty years, I would say that’s pretty good.”

“Not good enough. It will take us at least forty years using augmented technology to get the right tools, it’s too close of a shave for my liking.” Dominic responded, Luna could tell he was rather nervous about the prospect, as it went against some very strong beliefs that he and many Onorussian’s held. The right to bare children and have a family was something no one wanted to take away, but the revelation that humans would be sticking around indefinitely made that difficult. Onorus was large and relatively under populated, meaning there was plenty of room to expand within its borders, for the moment.

The worst case scenario was that the country would reach its maximum sustainable population within eighty years, and since Dominic was a glass half empty kind of guy, that was the time table they chose. Even if it took longer, it would be better to have a plan ready rather than being blindsided like the politicians on Earth had been during the outbreak. The main objective was to recolonize Earth, but Dominic liked having contingency plans. The man and Luna walked through the halls of the castle towards the meeting room where they would receive the daily briefing, so far things had been calm throughout the world.

The Crystal Empire had withdrawn its support for a liberation of Equestria, the Zebrican tribes were reeling from such a tremendous defeat, the minotaurs had retaken Twin Island, and the smaller nation states that had once looked to Equestria were now being forced to accept the Onorussian Republic as the world’s foremost superpower. As Dominic and Luna entered the meeting room they were greeted by the familiar faces of the generals and advisors of various different parts of the government.

“Atten-hut!” Said a Lunar Marine standing near the door, the generals and other military officials snapped to attention until Dominic signalled them to return to their seats. The man made his way to his seat while Luna took up a position beside him, at his right side.

“Gentlemen… Let’s not dilly dally. Anything new to report?” Dominic asked as he looked to them, the advisors looked among each other quietly. “Come now, are you telling me that over the course of last night absolutely NOTHING happened? No coups? No threats? Nothing?” One mare, a unicorn in a lab coat with thick rimmed glasses, cream colored fur, and a red and purple mane, stood up with a file floating in her magic. Dominic recognized her as Moon Dancer, one of the chief researchers from the CIMC, the Chaos Intervention and Monitoring Command. Tasked with maintaining and the portal that lead to Earth and the mirror portal that lead to the alternate ‘Human Equestria Timeline’. “The floor is yours, Miss Dancer.”

“Last night we received an odd message from one of our agents in the HET, my superiors didn’t want to bother you with it, but I figured you would still be interested.” Moon Dancer floated the file over to Dominic, the Imperator quietly reached out and looked it over as the unicorn floated copies to the other advisors and chiefs of staff.  “Agent Shimmer has been on time with her monthly reports since you first went through the mirror, sir. As have our other agents. With the exception of one.”

Dominic quietly opened the file and looked it over, leafing through technical logs that pertained to the portals stability and other items that weren’t important at that particular moment, he stopped as he reached a picture of the agent in question. A Terran Born woman with a nice looking face, she was oddly familiar to Dominic.

“Andreina Brunilda, one of the UNs former assets.” Moon Dancer said as she used her magic to set several pieces of paper and a cassette player out onto the table. “Her communication was as follows.” The unicorn hit play on the cassette player, silence settled over the room as they listened.

”Minor Anomaly… From your end. Almost unnoticeable.” The recording was quick, far too quick to be acceptable as a report, and yet that was all there was. Dominic quietly rubbed his chin as he looked at the tape player, then to Moon Dancer.

“Have you ascertained the anomaly she’s talking about?” He asked, the unicorn shook her head slowly.

“My superiors said it wasn’t worth looking into.” Moon Dancer said, looking a little upset. “I know I shouldn’t have gone over their heads, but…”

“Nothing to apologize for.” Dominic said evenly before he stood up and pointed at Moon Dancer, turning his attention to his advisors. “You see this sort of initiative here? You see this attention to detail? That’s what I want to see more of.” The other advisors nodded while Luna looked over the documents she had been handed. “Miss Dancer, I want this anomaly investigated fully. I want to know why Agent Brunilda had to cut her transmission short… If your superiors refuse, tell them it’s a direct order from me.”

“Yes, sir!” Moon Dancer said dutifully, Dominic quietly looked around the room as if waiting for any more ‘Minor’ problems to be brought to light. There were a few, the Griffon’s had reported a minor outbreak of disease confined to a small section of the griffon kingdom, the changelings were still finding Zebra bodies washing up on their shores, but aside from that everything seemed calm. The briefing ended  after orders to dispatch a medical team to research the disease in the griffon lands.T gradually the advisors and chiefs of staff left the conference room to return to their duties, leaving Luna, Dominic, and a lone human Doctor behind. Dominic sighed as he took a seat on the edge of the conference table and untucked his uniform shirt, then unbuttoned it and set it aside.

“Alright, Doc… Let’s get it over with.” Dominic said as he slipped his undershirt off and set it on the table with the uniform jacket. The doctor was a woman who had worked with the NC on Earth before the NC and the UN had folded into Onorus, Doctor Patterson, she was one of the best doctors out there and as such had been called upon to act as personal physician to the Imperator. As much as Dominic had fought against it, Luna had managed to supersede him.

“As always you look healthy, but let me give the old ticker a listen, eh?” The woman asked, she spoke with a Canadian accent as she took her stethoscope from around her neck and put the ends in her ears. She took a moment to breathe warm air onto the end of the scope before pressing it against Dominic’s chest. “Hmm… Sounds normal.” Patterson moved the scope to the right side of his chest, by now Dominic had learned to take a deep breath in, then exhale slowly. “Good, good…” She repeated the process with the rest of his chest, then she peeked in his throat, his ears, his eyes and even his nose. It was poking and prodding that Dominic hated, it worked in conjunction with his fear of hospitals. “Well… As usual, everything is right where it should be, no wheezing or congestion… But I’ve noticed your eyes are bloodshot again.”

“I know… But you try running a country and getting eight hours a night!” Dominic responded, Luna giggled softly.

“I could do it and get twelve if I really wanted.” She said, Dominic looked at her with a slight scowl before shaking his head.

“Well, aside from a lack of sleep he’s healthy as a horse, eh.” Patterson said with that same cheerful smile of hers, she made the same corny joke every day, and Dominic couldn’t help but chuckle at just how enthused she seemed to be. “Care for a lollipop?”

“Nah…” Dominic said as he pulled his undershirt back on, tiredly rubbing his eyes as he looked around the conference room once again. The man couldn’t believe how boring life had become now that he was so high on the totem pole, part of him yearned to return to New Liberty, to his old house and his simple life. In a hundred years, he told himself, in a hundred years he could do that. “Then I’d have to hire a dentist.” Patterson nodded quietly and gathered her things while Dominic tucked his uniform shirt back into his pants. “Have a good one, doc.” The woman nodded again and walked out, leaving Dominic and Luna behind. “Welp… Guess it’s time to hit the books.”

Luna only nodded, still somewhat unsure of why Dominic was so insistant about what he was doing. Onorus had instituted an Education Equivalency Exam for many people that never got to finish High School, Dominic and Maria were among them. She supposed it would’ve been the easy solution to just give himself one, but she supposed that perhaps that wasn’t the point. As she and Dominic made their way to his office, she couldn’t help but think that the EEE was rather pointless for him. It was just a slip of paper saying he had done something, but the man had literally conquered a continent in under two days, what more could he need to say he had done something?

Luna realized that perhaps for Dominic it was about going the distance, conquering something that had been bothering him for so long that he really could do nothing about, and doing it on the proper terms. The alicorn supposed that for Dominic, it would be the final loose end in the chapter of Dominic’s life that was connected to the apocalyptic Earth. As they entered Dominic’s office Luna could see the Math and English textbooks were still open on the man’s desk, there had been nights over the past couple weeks where he had come to bed late and said that he was working on some difficult problems. Luna had assumed he meant governmental problems, but it clicked in her head that he was in fact referring to the textbooks.

In silence she watched him sit behind his desk and pour over the books, reading them intently in minute detail, highlighting passages of importance, taking notes regularly. He almost reminded Luna of Twilight Sparkle in his dedication, but she knew better. The truth was that Dominic was very poor at math and writing, at least by his standards. As she continued to watch the man she began to think about Twilight Sparkle, the former Equestrian Princess had returned to Ponyville and was acting as its representative in the Onorussian congress. She had given an impassioned speech demanding the construction of a monument to those who had died in the Forty Eight Hour War on both sides, and was well liked among her peers as a result.

The Element Bearers had returned to their lives, and much was like it had been before the war, with the exception of Rainbow Dash of course. Luna was glad to see some semblance of normalcy returning to the world, even if it came at the expense of her sister’s exile. There was a gaping emptiness in Luna’s heart, one that she couldn’t seem to fill, it came from knowing that she wouldn’t be able to see her sister again for a very long time. She was doing her best to ignore it though, much like Dominic she found herself throwing herself into her work as advisor and spiritual leader of the Thestral population.

All in all, it seemed that things were going as planned, and they looked set to go on as planned. The Onorussians were gradually phasing out their older technology, whether by selling it as surplus or scrapping it, in favor of more advanced technology. Planes like the biplane were still heavily employed for troop deployment and dogfighting with more skilled flyers, but the newest threat to Onorus militarily was the Dragon Dominion to the south. Much faster and much bigger than ponies, the Onorussian military would need something stronger if ever the dragons decided to invade, or one were to go rogue.

Helicopters were becoming more common, as were paratroopers, and the first F4 Phantom had rolled off the assembly line a week before. Patton and Abrams Tanks were going to replace the T-34 as the big dogs of the American military, though the T-34 would still have a place as an infantry supporter. Luna supposed they would also become useful if ever the cold war between the Zebras or the Crystal Empire ever spiraled out of control. She doubted they would ever really be needed against a magical threat such as Discord or King Sombra, as Dominic had already dispatched the Globe Corps to ‘Clean up’ whatever magical artifacts had been left irresponsibly unsecure. The CIMC was also tasked with keeping an eye on them in a top secret facility in the middle of the desert.

Dominic quietly wished that he could do something more than study and, once he passed the test, paperwork. It felt so odd to him not to be out there commanding his troops, but there were just too many troops for him to command effectively on his own. He had trusted generals take his place, but it just didn’t feel right to him. He hoped that Maria was having a better day than he was.

[♠]

Maria sat in the waiting room of Doctor Patterson’s office in the castle’s medical ward, the doctor had chosen to run a battery of tests and was currently performing them personally in the lab. All Maria could do was wait patiently, but she already knew the answer. The woman softly patted her belly and looked down at herself, smiling faintly as she felt herself becoming excited. So many possibilities would be open to her child, and she had done more than her share to make sure that their future would be safe. Part of her was terrified about what kind of future the child would have, after all their parents would be very powerful people and they would be subject to all sorts of different threats on top of the regular ones.

“I won’t let them get within a mile of you…” Maria said quietly as she adjusted her sweater, having forgone her usual uniform for something a bit more comfortable. The woman turned her head quickly as she heard the door to the doctor’s office open, Patterson stepped out with a clipboard in hand. Maria found herself standing faster than she thought possible, looking at the Doctor with anticipation. “Well…? What did it say?”

“I don’t get to say this often enough...” Patterson said, smiling faintly as she looked through the papers. “Congratulations, Miss Valova. You’re pregnant.” Maria let out a sigh of relief, knowing that it was real was a great weight off of her shoulders. “You’re going to need to come in a bit later so we can do a few more tests, but as it stands you’re both healthy.” The doctor quietly flipped through her clipboard and removed a blue sheet of paper, signed and sealed with an official raised seal. “As per the new protocols, I’m compelled to give you this.” She handed the paper to Maria, the woman already knew what it was. “You’re discharged, Major. I’ll notify your commanding officer.”

“Thank you, Doctor…” Maria replied quietly as she looked over the paper she had been given, Patterson followed it up with a couple lists of things to avoid eating, things to avoid doing, and many other things that would need to be done to ensure a safe pregnancy. With a slight smile the doctor bid farewell, leaving Maria to quietly walk away from the medical ward. The woman couldn’t help but keep smiling, resting a hand on her abdomen again. Finally, after five years of fighting, she could lay her rifle down. The world seemed a tad brighter than it had before, and Maria couldn’t wait to tell her herd mates the good news.

She had the rest of the day to herself, well, in a sense. She decided that the first thing she should do was tell Dominic and Luna that it was finally official, the woman was so excited she almost started running towards the office. She stopped herself however, she was still very fatigued, and she didn’t feel like she could stand running. On top of that, she didn’t know if Dominic and Luna were still even in his office or if they had started their ‘Throne room’ period of the day. Maria supposed it wouldn’t hurt to check the throne room first, as she was closest to that part of the castle.

She walked through the large palace, noting that it still had a lot of damage to it from the bombing during the war. Dominic hadn’t wanted a thing touched until the rest of Canterlot was rebuilt, he didn’t want the citizens to think he was putting the new government building ahead of their homes and businesses. Even in disrepair, the building was still gorgeously constructed, the architecture was indicative of a golden age that had seemingly long passed for Equestria. Even without her uniform or any other marking of rank, soldiers stopped and saluted her. She supposed that even though they would soon be informed she was no longer in the military they would still salute her.

Maria eventually reached the hall outside of the throne room, there were mostly ponies lined up outside with various pieces of paper. They looked like former nobles if the indignant scowls were anything to go by, the woman had to give them credit, they were a persistent bunch. She quietly approached the Lunar Marines stationed outside the throne room, some in the line groaned but she ignored them. The Lunar Marines saluted her silently.

“Are they busy?” She asked, the two soldiers looked at one another before looking at the line.

“Nah… It’s pretty light today.” One of the thestrals replied, adjusting his navy blue uniform. “Need to get in, ma’am?” Maria quietly looked at the line, normally she would’ve waited, but for something of such great importance she felt it would be acceptable to push ahead of them.

“Yes… It’s rather important.” Maria said, the two thestrals nodded and grunted as they pushed one of the doors to the throne room open. The woman slipped through the door quietly before the thestrals pulled it shut, the throne room stretched out in front of Maria and looked far more good looking now that it had been given a quick once over by the palace cleaning staff. Down the long walk to the thrones Maria could see several ponies standing in front of the throne, she could also see Dominic and Luna seated in their respective thrones. Maria quietly approached, sticking closer to the marble pillars that lined the long room. She stopped a decent distance back, only barely able to hear the discussion going on.

“...but it isn’t fair! I demand you reinstate our title at once!” Shouted one of the unicorns, a grey stallion with a dark grey mane and pair of glasses perched on his face. The other unicorn was a mare with light yellow fur and greyish mane, both wore polo shirts with sweaters tied around their backs.

“You demand?” Dominic asked from his throne, briefly looking over at Luna for a moment. “He demands, you hear this? He demands.” The man turned back to the stallion with a very annoyed glare, drumming his fingers quietly against the armrest of the thorne. “What reason would I have to give you your title back?”

“It has been in our family for generations!” The mare shouted, Dominic was quiet for a few seconds before Maria saw a small smile claw its way onto his face. He leaned back in his seat and steepled his fingers.

“That must be why you’ve both developed such weak chins.” He said simply, the two unicorns’ jaws dropped. “You people must think I’m some sort of pushover if you think you can barge in here and demand power for yourselves. Power is earned, not given. That is why every time you come here I’m going to give you the same answer.” The unicorns stared at him. “Petition denied. Y’all come back now, ya hear?” The two unicorns huffed and turned, walking past Maria with annoyed expressions on their faces. Once they were far enough away Maria began making her way towards the two occupied thrones. “Hey! There she is!” The man stood from his chair as Maria ascended the steps, as did Luna. “How’d it go?”

“It went great…” Maria said as she took the papers from under her arm, presenting the blue discharge slip to Dominic with a beaming smile. “It’s official now. Dominic, Luna… We’re gonna have a little baby.” Maria found herself in a sudden tight hug as Dominic wrapped his arms around her, she patted him on the shoulder as a signal that he was going a bit overboard. The man relaxed his grip somewhat, by then Luna had joined the group hug. Maria felt very close to tears at the displays of affection, it was another sign that she had found her new home.

“I mean… We kinda knew but… Just… Knowing it’s for real…” Dominic said quietly as he let go of Maria and rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes darting around the room seemingly at random. “It’s… Exciting, terrifying too, but… Exciting. You know?” Maria nodded as she continued to smile, Luna draped her wings over the two of them. She was doing her best to keep her own emotions in check, as there were a lot of conflicting ones. For the first point she was still very upset about her sister, and at the same time, overjoyed to hear that she was going to get the chance to do something she had once thought impossible. Being a mother, in a literal sense. Even if it wasn’t her that was giving birth, she would help raise them, tell them stories, show them the stars… She couldn’t contain it anymore and began to sniffle. Emotions were running very high at that point. A pair of Lunar Marines poked their heads in to see if Dominic was ready for another petitioner, but seeing the state of their leader, decided it would be prudent to instead postpone any further petitions for the time being.

[♠]

Jack quietly grumbled as he stepped off of the C-47 transport plane that had landed at the New Liberty air strip. The man adjusted the duffle bag slung over his shoulder and adjusted his aviators as he turned and offered a hand to Sarah as she stepped down out of the aircraft in a similar fashion. Both of them were dressed in green flight suits, the patches for their squadron sewed to their shoulders. They had been recalled to New Liberty for a couple months with the purpose of retraining them to fly jets like the F4E and F-105 Thunderchief. The sound of helicopters flying overhead seemed ever present as the two of them began walking towards the administration building near the edge of the air strip.

Sarah was a lot more excited about the chance to fly a jet once again then Jack was, mainly because it gave her inner speed junky the chance to break the sound barrier once again. She could see why Jack would be adverse to the idea though, after all, it meant he would be assigned a Radar Intercept Officer and she knew just how much he disliked sharing the cockpit with anyone. Especially new people. Still, she knew that wouldn’t stop him from flying the jets, after all he had volunteered to go into the training.

“So, what should I expect when they hook me into that G suit thingy…?” Jack asked as he looked over at Sarah, the woman adjusted her bag and hummed, rubbing her chin with her free hand.

“Ever been in a bar fight?” She asked, Jack nodded hesitantly. “At first it’s kinda like someone is punching the shit out of you, but you get used to it after a while.” She chuckled as she saw the man rub the back of his neck nervously. “Don’t worry about it, kid. You already know how to fly, you just have to retime your reactions to deal with going faster than the speed of sound.”

“Yeah… Easy.” Jack said as the two of them reached the administration, overhead a pair of jets screamed past, causing the two of them to look up briefly. The two pilots entered the nice air conditioned administration building and began walking towards the office of the base commander, he was already aware that they would be coming, so they weren’t worried about interrupting anything particularly important.

“...and I want those fucking hot shots NJP’d so hard their heads spin!” A gruff voice shouted from within the office, Jack and Sarah looked at each other quietly as they removed their sunglasses and approached the door with a bit more caution. Jack quietly knocked on the door, reading the name ‘Commander O'Malley’ on the door. “Come in!” The gruff voice ordered, Jack pushed the door open and he and Sarah entered. They snapped to attention and saluted as they saw an older man with greying hair standing behind a desk piled high with paperwork.

“Captain Jack Rossiano and Lieutenant Sarah O’Connor reporting for duty, sir.” Jack said dutifully, the older man paused at the woman’s last mine, as if wondering if it was some sort of joke. She hated when people did that.

“Ah… Yes. You’re the aces that volunteered for jet training, right?” O’Malley asked, Sarah and Jack nodded quietly. “Good to get some experienced airmen here for a change, you can set a good example for those kids that keep buzzing the tower with military equipment.” The commander picked up a pair of files from his desk and flipped through them for a second, pausing as he looked at Jack with a stoic expression. “No barnstorming, captain.”

“Wasn’t planning on it, sir.” Jack replied quickly, the commander set one file on the desk and walked to the window, looking out over the airbase as he watched a couple training biplanes take off.

“Report to hangar seven for your briefing, your instructor will be Major Petrov. He may be a ruskie but he’s also a damn good fighter pilot.” The commander said as he turned back to the two pilots, adjusting his fatigues as he approached his desk one more time. “He’s waiting with your two rios. Better hurry, he has a training exercise planned in about half an hour. I’ll have a jeep waiting.”

“Yes, sir.” The two pilots said simultaneously, the commander gestured towards the door and sat back at his desk, picking up the phone that sat on the edge. Sarah and Jack left the office, looking around them as they exited the administration. They stood outside for several minutes before a brand new tan Willy’s jeep pulled up outside with an MP sitting at the driver’s seat. Sarah and Jack tossed their bags in the back, and Jack climbed in with them while Sarah took the passenger seat.

“Think they’re gonna be cool?” Jack asked as the MP put the car into drive and began moving past the numerous hangars that lined the area. Sarah shrugged quietly as she felt the wind blowing through her hair, the sun continued beating down on the tarmac.

“I assume we’ll get enough time to get to know them, it’s a two month course.” The lieutenant replied as she looked back at her friend, Jack was reclining against the two dufflebags. “Hey, careful with that, I don’t want all my stuff getting wrinkled.” Jack just shrugged and adjusted his position in the back seat, they were passing by hangars that had B-17s and fighter planes parked inside or around them. Jack sighed as he spotted a couple ground crew working on a P-38, thinking about the little earth pony that could make such a utilitarian outfit look cute.

The man hoped he could get his training done as fast as possible, he wanted to get back to Baxter Air Base as soon as possible. He missed Tig, the adorable pony mechanic was one of the few people that Jack could actually say he legitimately cared about, and the only one where the relationship wasn’t platonic. The young man was snapped out of his thoughts when the jeep came to a stop outside of a large hanger marked with a big white seven. Jack and Sarah hopped out of the jeep and nodded to the MP before grabbing their bags and walking towards the open hangar doors.

Parked inside was a pair of F4E Phantoms, painted in the usual desert color scheme. Three people were standing in a group, talking amongst themselves as the two pilots made their way over to them. Jack quietly looked over the F4s, they certainly looked intimidating, and he had to admit they looked a lot cooler than his P-38. The pair of them finally reached the group of people, earning the attention of the group.

“You must be the aces.” An older looking man with a thick Stallin-esque mustache said, Jack and Sarah nodded. “I’m am Major Petrov, these two are your rios.” The man gestured to the two people standing with him, two young men who looked like they’d just earned their wings. One of them was taller than the other, he had short but thick black hair and almost pale skin. The other was about as tall as Sarah with a more tan complexion and similar black hair. He also had a thick mustache, and looked like he was of latino descent. “Lieutenants Chavez and Baker.”

“Nice to meet you.” Sarah said as she offered her hand to both of them, they smiled and shook her hand politely. Jack simply waved, choosing to remain quiet.

“Chavez will be flying with Captain Rossiano, Baker’s flying with you Lieutenant O’Connor.” Petrov said, the two pilots nodded again, after all it wasn’t like they had much choice in the matter. “Now, before we get off the ground I want you to get into your flight suits and sit in the cockpit, I’ll walk you through all the stuff you need to know about the F4. If you catch on quick enough, we might be able to squeeze a flight in today.”

“Sounds good.” Jack said as he looked towards the aircraft again, then back at Petrov. It was going to be a long day, as far as he could tell.

[♠]

Rainbow Dash quietly sighed as she walked through Ponyville, dressed in mildly warm clothes as she examined the city around her. They had started returning to a normal police force in the small town, but they still had the occasional special patrol going out to ensure everything was running smoothly. At the moment the prismatic pegasus wasn’t one of those special patrols, instead she was just wandering through her former home. Over the past weeks the town had been rebuilt and the POWs had been released and sent home to their families. Aside from the Onorussian flag flying over the town hall, nothing about the town seemed different.

The mare wandered past the familiar building of Sugarcube Corner, she would’ve stopped in and said hello, that was, if she know what to say when she went in. All of her friends were near her, and yet she hadn’t spoken to any of them since she had defected. She wasn’t sure of what she would say, what she would tell them. She was part of the conquering army, and she couldn’t help but feel guilty for leaving them behind without so much as a goodbye. Rainbow Dash stopped and looked at the building, emotions clashed in her heart. She was brave enough to jump off of a perfectly good airplane into a combat zone but she wasn’t able to face her past? She shook her head quickly and gritted her teeth, she was no coward.

The lieutenant straightened up and forced herself to walk towards the bakery, she adjusted her leather jacket as she ascended the steps to the door and caught the scent of cinnamon rolls. The familiar smell gave her a bit more confidence as she pushed the door open and stepped inside the bakery, she closed the door behind her and awkwardly turned towards the counter. Oddly enough the counter was unmanned and most of the tables were empty, save for a couple ponies that were eating across the room. Rainbow Dash walked towards the counter where she saw a silver bell, she quietly tapped it a couple times and waited as she heard some noise from the back.

Rainbow Dash stiffened nervously as she stood there, the worry grew a bit stronger when she saw none other than Pinkie Pie emerge from the back room with a hairnet on over her puffy mane and an apron stained with numerous ingredients. The two of them looked at each other silently before Pinkie Pie gasped and rushed towards Rainbow Dash. The lieutenant nearly wheeled back for a counter punch out of instinct, but was surprised to feel Pinkie Pie grabbing her in an extremely tight hug.

“Dashie!” She said happily, nearly crushing Rainbow Dash with how strong her was. The prismatic mare responded with her own strong hug, knowing now that she had nothing to fear from her best friend. “It’s so good to see you again! We were all so worried you got hurt or something and I kept thinking that maybe you didn’t want to see us because I’d see you around town but you’d never wave at me or anything and it was just so worrying for me and the rest of us and-”

“Pinks! Air!” Rainbow Dash gasped, Pinkie Pie’s eyes widened and she quickly let go of her friend. Dash patted her chest and took a couple deep breaths, filling her lungs with much needed oxygen before she chuckled. “It’s good to see you too, Pinkie… I’m sorry I didn’t stop in sooner, but… I wasn’t sure how, you know?”

“Silly! All you had to do was walk through the door!” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully, though Rainbow could tell she was hinting that all had already been forgiven. “Twilight explained it pretty clear to us all why you left, and after all that’s happened, I can’t say I blame you. The others are gonna be so excited to see you again!”

“Yeah…” Rainbow Dash said hesitantly, looking around the room quietly before steadying her nerves. “So, how have things been lately? Everyone’s okay, I hope?”

“Yup yup yup! The Onorussians are helping my parents with their rock farm, paying them for all sorts of special rocks!” Pinkie said as she leaned against the counter, she couldn’t help but notice just how much her friend Dashie had changed in appearance. A short mane, large toned muscles, and a bit more confidence judging by how she had come in to talk. “And the cakes are good too! Sugarcube Corner took a minor hit from one of those biplane doohickeys and the Onorussians paid to put in a whole new kitchen and everything!” Pinkie paused as she sniffed the air, figuring she had about ten more minutes before the latest batch of cinnamon rolls was done. “How about you, Dashie? How’ve you been?”

“Oh, I don’t know, can’t really complain.” Rainbow Dash replied with a slight smile, feeling a bit more at ease now that she was talking to her friend. “My unit’s up for a citation of merit since we did such a dangerous mission in the war, might be a promotion in it for me… But I’m not sure I want that. Since I fought in the war they’re giving me the option to take a discharge.”

“Why not?” Pinkie asked.

“I’m not sure I want to make the military my career, and now that I’ve been trained to outfly the wonderbolts, I don’t really want to be one of them either.” Rainbow Dash said with a slight hum, she looked to the side for a moment before looking back at Pinkie. “It’s just a thought though, I’m not sure what I want…”

“Well, maybe we can help you?” Pinkie said with a bit of optimism in her voice. “The rest of the gang, I mean!” Rainbow Dash smiled quietly at that, looking to Pinkie with a much more hopeful expression.

“Yeah, maybe…” She said as she stood up from the counter, Pinkie Pie could tell that her estimate had been off earlier, the cinnamon rolls were closer to completion than she thought. “Look, Pinks, I gotta go… I’ve got some reports I need to file with my CO, I’ll be by later though, don’t worry.”

“Okay! Bye, Dashie!” Pinkie replied as she began walking back to the kitchen, Rainbow Dash turned and walked back out into the chilly evening air. The faint smell of a wood fire took her back to times when she and her friends would go on camping trips, her right cheek became a little colder as a solitary tear ran down it before it was quickly wiped away.
> Chapter 30
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maria and Luna sat quietly in one of the castle’s greenhouses, eyes closed and breath steady as they cleared their minds. It had been several months since the news had become official, and despite the cold weather that had settled in, the greenhouse was still warm enough for the two of them to spend time meditating. Maria found it comforting, especially now that there was no real way of hiding her expanding abdomen. She wasn’t ashamed or anything, but she did often worry about how her child would be treated upon their birth. Especially since he would essentially be a prince, according to Thestral customs anyway.

The revelation of humanity’s special attributes when it came to magic had gone about as well as could’ve been expected, with at least a couple riots breaking out. Thankfully the unrest had been quelled peacefully and quickly, and in the wake of it there had been numerous bills put forward to congress in regards to the power of the Imperator. Some, like Dominic, asked for more restrictions on power. However, many people seemed to think that the attributes were his doing, despite him constantly telling them that wasn’t the case. The Congress had the power to override his vetoes if enough people voted on them, and as a result they had  essentially made Dominic ‘Leader for Life’. The man was not pleased by this, especially since he had no way of vetoing their overruling of his vetoes. Even an executive order would be useless.

Maria quietly hummed as she tried to clear her thoughts of the worries that seemed to plague the people closest to her. She had to keep herself calm and collected, as any stress she felt could be translated to her growing child. Meanwhile Luna was quietly doing her best to channel some of her inner worries away from herself, the mare was focussing on the sound of running water from a nearby indoor koi pond that she had had installed. She had found much of human oriental and even changeling culture to fit rather well with her teachings of the warrior, she had been doing her best to better implement them into her training of Maria and Dominic. Even if Maria couldn’t take part in swordplay, she could still meditate.

The woman was dressed simply in attire very similar to that worn by the women of rome, it was a style that was becoming rather popular among humans that were migrating up from New Liberty into Canterlot, though many of them still preferred their utilitarian attire. Luna had found herself brought back to the golden age of Thestra, as such apparel had been commonplace in that time period as well. To the Queen of Dreams, Onorus had become a second chance, filled with far more people and ponies that she cared about. As she thought of those she cared for, she almost felt jarred out of her meditation. Once again she was made aware of the pain in her heart at the loss of her sister, she wanted desperately for her to return so that they could become a family again.

Despite that wish, she knew it was unlikely with how quickly the war had ended. What was more, Luna had a much more important family to worry about. Her herd had finally been made official, it had been a quiet ceremony, there hadn’t been more than a few people and it was announced quietly in a newspaper. It had mainly been for security reasons, but Luna also suspected that Maria wasn’t a big fan of large gatherings. As the sound of a helicopter in the distance became apparent, Luna was forced to open her eyes. She sighed softly as she caught sight of Maria sitting across from her, carrying a young life within her, someone that they all looked forward to meeting.

Luna had never seen Dominic more happy, save for when they had had the ceremony that created the ‘Occisor Herd’. There was a spring in his step that hadn’t been there since the war with the EOL, he laughed more warmly, smiled wider, and was much calmer in the face of adversity. Despite that, Luna could tell he was terrified. Mathematics and English textbooks had been replaced by books about what to expect as a first time parent, but then again, they had all taken to reading that material. The Queen of Dreams smiled softly as she saw Maria’s hand resting on her abdomen, as if protecting it from the unseen threats of the world.

The Alicorn closed her eyes as her face became stoic, she cleared her mind and began to set a new goal for herself. She wanted it to be crystal clear in her mind, in her deepest thoughts at night, when she was at her weakest points. She would not let any harm come to Maria’s child, to HER child. She would slay whatever foe dared even point a weapon in its direction, anyone that dared to use the child for their own gain. That was the mentality of many citizens of Onorus when they had heard the news that what was essentially one of the Queens of the country had become pregnant. It was a lot harder to keep that news quiet and under wraps, and as such Canterlot Castle had become a fortress.

The threat of the Zebras had not passed, it was still very possible for them to get a small team into the country. To most Onorussians the Zebras were viewed with disdain and mistrust, especially since their failed invasion attempt that had left so many of them dead. Maria didn’t really comprehend her importance to the nation, to many she was viewed as the mother of the nation, as none of what had happened would’ve come about if Dominic hadn’t been so driven to save her from Earth. Luna shared in being viewed in such a way, but not nearly as strongly among the humans and griffons.

Luna opened her eyes once again as the sound of helicopters became slightly louder, Maria heard it as well and opened her eyes. The two of them looked at each other quietly, both of them smiled faintly before Luna stood up and offered her hoof to help Maria to her feet.

“I wish they wouldn’t fly so low…” Luna said with a huff, Maria shook her head and gestured to the pond as she began making her way to the exit.

“It’s not them, it’s that pond thingy… I’m so glad you picked a green house close to a bathroom.” Maria replied as she quickly exited the greenhouse, Luna blinked in surprise for a couple seconds before shaking her head. The alicorn wandered out of the greenhouse, a pair of Lunar Marines stood at the ready near the door and simply pointed to a hallway that Luna knew contained a restroom. She sighed and made her way over, waiting for Maria as she thought about what Dominic was likely doing. When he wasn’t in meetings or seeing groups of petitioners, he was focussing on the Zebras, The Crystal Empire, and three other nation states still loyal to Celestia. On their own, none of them really stood a chance, but together they could cause problems. What was more, he had become increasingly worried about Celestia’s powers.

Luna knew she would likely defeat her sister in a battle if it ever came to that, and he sincerly hoped it didn’t. Still, knowing the full story of what had happened to Thestra hadn’t helped with Dominic’s sleeping habits.

[♠]

Celestia quietly looked out from the edge of the Crystal Empire, her wings hidden beneath a grey cloak whilst a pair of crystal guards stood beside her. Cadence hadn’t expressly said she couldn’t leave, but she hadn’t said she could leave either. Though the air was filled with only the sound of the wind, she could tell there was something out there, higher than she could see or hear. Undoubtedly it was an Onorussian aircraft, as she could sense the magic used to augment its technology as it flew overhead, but she couldn’t see or hear it, and she had no idea what it was doing there alone.

Cadence had already scrambled a pair of crystal pegasi to try and intercept the aircraft, but it was moving far too fast and far too high for them to even get close. Celestia had taken to standing on the edge of the Empire, looking southward at her former homeland and regretting everything that she had done. More and more she felt like leaving the Empire, it wasn’t like they had the power to stop her, but she knew it would torpedo the only half decent relationship she had left with Cadence. News had spread that Luna had made her herd official, and what was more, that Dominic’s human mate was pregnant.

Any attempt to reconcile with them would be viewed with suspicion that Celestia knew she rightfully deserved. Part of her was still angry that so much control had been taken from her, and as much as she wanted to leave she also wanted to fight. She wanted her kingdom back, she wanted her student back, she wanted her sister back… Though she knew that much of the blame rested on her shoulder, she also blamed Dominic. If Luna hadn’t become so enamored with him his nation never would’ve gotten off the ground, he’d likely still be sulking in his room, but hundreds of thousands of lives wouldn’t have been destroyed.

As the wind whipped past her fur Celestia closed her eyes, she sighed before she looked over to her escorts. Her wounds had healed, she had access to her wings, more importantly she could use her magic to the fullest of her capability. She could return to Equestria and attempt to reclaim her throne by force, but she wouldn’t, she couldn’t bear to dig the hole any deeper. The mare quietly looked up in the sky, towards where she could sense the dim arcane presence that was obviously some sort of advanced Onorussian aircraft. It obviously wasn’t on an attack run, so she could only wonder what it was doing up there. There had been a lot of them up there lately.

For Captain Mason it was just another normal flight over the Crystal Empire, the curvature of the planet laid out in front of him as he snapped pictures of the nation far below. The Onorussian government had become concerned when Saddle Arabia, one of the few nations still loyal to Celestia, had acquired tanks. Nothing too powerful, simple tanks that were barely as strong as the first bulldozer tanks employed by the former NUS. The thing was that Saddle Arabia was nowhere near developed enough to have produced fifty tanks in such a short period of time, the only nations capable of that sort of output were Onorus and the Crystal Empire. Even with their limited technology they still had an advantage that other nations didn’t, one of their leaders had spent time in the Human Equestria Timeline.

Mason’s pictures were certainly startling to him, as he assumed they were to military commanders in Canterlot. Rows and rows of tanks were parked far on the outskirts of the city, safe from the prying eyes of a spy on the ground, but not from the eye in the sky. Such a staggering output of weaponry either meant they were trying to make a quick buck on the arms market or they were preparing for war, and given their affiliation with Celestia, the latter was a very real possibility. The man quietly adjusted a couple dials, sighing as the sound of soothing music played through his flight helmet.

He wasn’t too worried about being over enemy territory, as he was so high up the ponies below couldn’t see him with the naked eye. Their magic could only go so high as well, so really the only threat came in the form of Princess Cadence and Princess Celestia who had enough power to reach such an altitude. For such an emergency, Mason could look to a red light on his control panel that had been labeled ‘Arcane Warning’. If the alarms began blaring and the light began flashing he knew he had five seconds to react and change course, as that was the travel time a spell would have before reaching him. He also had a missile warning system installed, just in case.

”Dragon Lady, this is Dojo. Got reports here of some shady stuff going down on the outskirts of that dome of theirs. Any chance there’s clear skies to the… South east?” A female’s voice echoed over his radio, the man briefly peeked out the window to the southeast, which was thankfully visible through his cockpit window. There was sparse cloud cover in that area, he could swing a few quick snapshots there.

“Roger, Dojo.” Mason replied as he turned the aircraft to the South East, he leaned forwards and flicked on the camera lenses. The man flipped a couple more switches before the camera began snapping pictures. The area was so small he really didn’t need a heading to find it, he could see more than a few odd sights in the snow below, but he didn’t know what they were for the life of him. He paused as he heard a soft alarm beeping to his left, the fuel indicator light was flashing. “Dojo, Dragon Lady is bingo on fuel. Capped the area like you requested. RTB. Over.”

”Copy Dragon Lady.” The female voice replied as Mason turned the aircraft to the south, leaning back in his seat as he turned up his music and began nodding his head along to the beat.

[♠]

Dominic stood in front of one of the mirrors in the throne room, looking out over the rebuilding Canterlot with his hands held behind his back. The sun was starting to sink in the sky, indicating the end of another stressful day as Imperator of a nation that revered him far more than they should’ve. He’d almost hoped to mess up something small, just so they would see he wasn’t the perfect, but at the same time he knew that Onorus was a young nation. It needed a stable government in such a crucial state, so he would play his part as best as he could, doing his best to fall into the traps that Celestia had fallen into during her rule.

Thankfully his workload in regards to the domestic portion of his job was light and he had finished rather early, still he figured it would be best to stay in the throne room in case any last minute petitioners came along. Some of them had genuine reasons, and he was willing to indulge them, even if it meant spending a bit less time with his wives Maria and Luna. The man had set up a radio near his throne, it was playing just loud enough for him to hear without it being too obvious to anyone waiting outside.

The first flakes of snow were beginning to fall outside, even despite the thick cloud cover he could still see the sun setting. He brought his hands around from his back and adjusted his uniform, thinking quietly about what he would do when he returned to Luna and Maria. He would stop in the castle kitchen on his way to the room, cook a meal for the three of them as he usually did, then take it back and hope that Maria could manage to stand it. Given her odd cravings he wasn’t sure anything he made would really sate her appetite, but he didn’t mind, she was eating for two. That sent a big smile across the man’s face as he walked back towards the throne, his boots echoing against the marble floor of the large room.

He didn’t care if it was a boy or a girl, though he secretly hoped it was a boy. He wasn’t sure he could stand being outnumbered three to one. As he took a seat in his throne he leaned his head back, listening as a new bit of music came on the radio. Dominic scowled quietly as he recognized the tune as ‘Cat’s In The Cradle’, it filled him with a good deal of worry. He was far more busy than the man in the song, what if he wasn’t able to be there for his kid? What if he ended up putting the nation over his family? The man looked to the floor, feeling a bit of fatigue tugging at his eyes.

“Nah…” Dominic said to himself as he looked at the radio. “I’ll be there… Hell or high water, I’ll be there…” The man kept repeating it to himself as the song continued playing. “I’ll teach ‘em how to play ball… If they want to play ball.” The man stopped and looked at himself quietly. “I’m not gonna teach them to talk to themselves… Because that’s just weird.” The man paused and rubbed his chin, chuckling softly. He trailed off, his expression becoming worried once again as the song continued playing. Without looking the man reached over and turned off the radio before he ran a hand over his head. His hair was growing back in again, thankfully just in time for winter. It still had the occasional grey speck or two, but for the most part it was back to its normal thick black color.

Dominic continued watching the window as the sun dipped lower and lower in the sky before it finally passed below the horizon. That was enough for him, Dominic stood out of his throne and began walking towards the large main doors. He straightened his peaked cap before he pushed the door to the hallway open, his expression molding into one of stoicism. The Lunar Marines standing near the door snapped to attention as he walked past them, for Dominic it still felt like everything was in slow motion.

Dominic quietly sighed as he continued walking towards the kitchen, for the most part the halls were empty save for the soldiers and other politicians that occasionally wandered them. The man occasionally glanced at the walls, he couldn’t help but feel like Charles Foster Kane, chuckling grimly before shook his head. He was better off than Kane, even if he wasn’t Imperator he would be happy. The man stopped as he reached the door to the kitchen, he removed his cap before stepping through the door. The palace staff had gotten used to the Imperator’s odd habits and had left some ingredients out for him.

For half an hour he silently put ingredients together, boiling water and chopping basil. The man had made sure that all the ingredients in the castle were fresh, free of any chemicals or other pollutants. Once he’d finished he had made several plates of rigatoni with marinara sauce, he’d become proficient at cooking to the point where he even added a little garnish of parsley on the sides of the plates. It took him another fifteen minutes to clean up before once again he was walking back to the room, carrying the food on a tray.

The two thestrals standing outside the room pushed the door open for him before saluting, he nodded back to them as be stepped through and pushed the door closed with his foot. Luna and Maria appeared to have been meditating once again, but they were looking up from their seats on the floor as they heard Dominic enter the room. The man walked to a coffee table near a couple sofas that had been brought into the large room, there he set the pasta down.

“Food’s ready!” Dominic said as he plopped down on the couch, Luna and Maria had already stood and were making their way over. They took their own seats on the couch, picking up their plates of food. “How was your day today?”

“It was okay, we mainly did meditation today, I think the little one likes it…” Maria replied with a smile as she patted her baby belly. She took a small bite of her pasta while reclining in the seat, Luna smirked as she too began to enjoy the dinner. “How about you? Anything interesting happen in the world?”

“Not really, I had a couple people petition me, but with the Congress most of the smaller tasks have been delegated.” Dominic replied as he ate his own food, he paused after a couple seconds and looked at Luna. “Oh, by the way, I got a letter today from some company called ‘Splinter and Splinter’? Some sort of woodworking company.”

“Oh, yes, that was for me.” Luna admitted as she looked at Maria’s belly. “I commissioned a couple items for the little one’s arrival. Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, I was hoping it would be a surprise…”

“You don’t need to apologize.” Maria said with a smile as she leaned over and gave Luna a kiss on the cheek. “I was actually going to say we need to start looking into things for them… I have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow, she s” Dominic nodded and took another bite of his pasta.

“I’ve already made preparations tomorrow, so I can come with you guys.” The man said with a bit of a smile. Maria paused as she felt an odd sensation in her belly, the woman put a hand on it and gasped softly.

“I can feel them kicking!” She said happily, Dominic and Luna set their plates down and scooched closer to Maria. The man rested his hand gently on the woman’s belly, it was an odd feeling when he felt the light kick against his hand. “Five weeks early…” Maria hummed, Dominic chuckled as Luna felt for herself. For Dominic it was a sign that all was well, and that Maria likely was going to have a very strong child. The man smiled and looked towards one of the nearby windows, watching the light of the moon piercing through the clouds.

The rest of the meal went by swimmingly, and eventually Maria and Luna retired to bed, leaving Dominic by himself once again. The man walked towards the window, staring out at the moon through the cloud as the snow continued to fall. He watched the city lights below, patrol cars and civilian cars alike were making their way through the rebuilding city. In a couple months it would be Hearthswarming Eve, or as most Onorussians had taken to calling it, Christmas. Dominic turned away from the window and walked to the side of the room, he pulled open the door to a closet and peeked inside. It contained numerous odds and ends, Luna’s star charts, Maria’s uniforms and rifles, and an old looking guitar case.

It had been a gift from Colonel Baxter on earth and held something that was ‘a bit more Dominic’s speed’. The man hadn’t been keeping up with his lessons, as so much had happened, but he hoped that perhaps he could become proficient by the time his kid was born. He wanted to be a ‘Cool dad’, one that could shred on a guitar and rode motorcycles, on top of other things. The man quietly closed the door to the closet behind him, thankfully Luna had cast a spell to keep the closet quiet just in case she wanted to surprise Dominic with something without alerting him to her presence. Why she would hide in there was a mystery to Dominic, but he supposed it had rather lewd implications at the time.

Dominic shrugged to himself as he pulled a nearby ammunition crate out, he sat on it and opened the guitar case. Inside was a black electric guitar, Dominic withdrew it from the case and looked around. He spotted an amplifier that had been stashed in the corner and quickly put it to use, plugging in the cord before cautiously adjusting the guitar strings. He had a guitar pick stashed in the case and slowly began to use it, it was far from perfect, but at least he’d learned how to play a basic chord.

“Kid’s gonna have the coolest dad ever…” Dominic said to himself. “Within reason… If they stay out late there’s gonna be an ass kicking…” With a nod the man resumed his practice, it was better than roaming the halls and worrying his soldiers with his insomnia.

[♠]

Rainbow Dash quietly sighed as she walked down the streets of Ponyville once again, unlike her last walk she was in uniform. She wore the uniform of the recently founded Ponyville Police Department, it was navy blue with a gold badge on the chest and a peaked cap. Rainbow had decided that she was done with war and the military, Gilda had been glad to sign her transfer orders into the civilian police force. The mare adjusted her wool coat as she walked through the snowy streets, her breath was visible in front of her as she kept a close eye on the area around her.

She and her friends were still on uncertain ground, with the exception of Pinkie Pie and Scootaloo. In fact, Scootaloo had taken to staying at Rainbow Dash’s house as opposed to her own. The mare wasn’t sure why, but she could guess. Scootaloo’s parents were a bit more intense than most others, mainly because of their daughter’s smaller wings. Far too restrictive by Rainbow Dash’s measurement, the only reason the parents put up with their daughter staying at another ponies house was because that pony was Rainbow Dash.

As the prismatic policemare walked past an alley with a bit of suspicion, then shrugged and turned her eyes towards the police station ahead of her. It had numerous Onorussian built Crown Victorias parked outside, marked clearly as Police cars. For Rainbow Dash that was her goal, she hated foot patrols when she could instead be riding around in a warm car, but she supposed they still hadn’t gotten the control modifications for quadrupeds installed yet. Thankfully her shift was over for the night, it had been a quiet patrol without much to worry about. All she had to do was go inside and clock out. Nothing could go wrong.

That was until a pegasus zoomed past overhead at nearly fifty miles an hour, considering the city's location near an active runway that was a big problem. Rainbow Dash scowled and pulled down a pair of goggles mounted to her peaked cap, the mare then pushed a switch on her coat that caused blue and red LED lights to begin flashing on the tips of her wings as she took to the air. It didn’t take her long to catch up to the pegasus, but she was not a happy camper, especially since she had been so close to clocking out. The pegasus was a stallion with grey fur and a white mane, he looked over his shoulder as he noticed the flashing lights.

“Come on and land, pal! I’m not in the mood for a flight through this soup!” Rainbow Dash shouted loudly over the wind, the stallion heard her clearly, he just wasn’t in the mood to be stopped by so called ‘Police’. He didn’t recognize their authority. What was more, he was drunker than a skunk. The stallion gave a rapid push of his wings, Rainbow Dash scowled. “God damn it…” The pegasus gritted her teeth and zoomed after the stallion, he had no idea who he was up against. The stallion, in his inebriated state, thought he was in the clear. “I told you to get your ass on the ground!”

The stallion was blindsided by a hundred and eighty pounds of discontented pegasus mare, before he could react she had dragged him to the ground. Once on the solid snowy soil Rainbow Dash didn’t hesitate to slap a pair of cuffs on the stallion’s hooves. She read him his rights and dragged his carcass back to the Police Station, grumbling annoyedly under her breath the entire time. The mare pushed open the door to the station and looked at the pony sitting at the desk front.

“Hey, Big Mac. Everything alright?” Rainbow Dash asked as she dragged the drunk stallion towards the cells.

“Eeyup.” The big red stallion replied before picking up a donut from a box next to him and dunking it in a cup of coffee, Rainbow Dash grunted as she passed by numerous empty desks and the occasional detective working a late night until finally she reached the jail cells. The stallion made a couple feeble attempts to beg his way out of it, but Rainbow Dash ignored him. She hated going home late, as most of the time that meant Scootaloo was there alone. Angrilly she sat at a desk and typed up a quick arrest report, just as quickly she had clocked out and rushed out the door.

The mare landed on the steps of her cloud home and walked up to the door, sighing as she noticed that a couple lights were on inside. Rainbow Dash pushed the door open and removed her coat before closing it behind her, on cue she heard excited hooves scampering across the floor.

“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo said excitedly as she rounded the corner from the living room, Rainbow smiled at the filly and knelt down to give her a little hug.

“Hey, squirt! Sorry I’m late, had to chase down one last bad guy…” Rainbow explained, Scootaloo smiled widely as the two of them began walking towards the living room. “You ate already, right?”

“Yup!” Scootaloo replied, Rainbow Dash nodded as she moved to the couch and sat down. Scootaloo hopped up next to her. “I was watching that TV thing earlier, I hope you don’t mind.” Rainbow Dash looked to the television that she had purchased and hung on her wall, at the moment all that she could use it for was watching old Human shows on DVD and VHS.

“No worries, kiddo. I was actually gonna suggest we watch some stuff, I’m kinda tired.” Rainbow said, Scootaloo nodded and curled up next to the cyan cop. The older mare smiled and picked up the remote, flicking the TV on and revealing that Scootaloo had been watching an old Noir film in black and white. “Heh… Cop show’s huh?”

“Yup!” Scootaloo replied, nuzzling in against Rainbow Dash’s side. The policemare smiled faintly and put her wing over the little filly, watching the TV with a rather tired smile. “Hey, Rainbow Dash?” The mare looked at Scootaloo with a raised eyebrow. “Can I… Can I stay with you all the time?”

“Why? Because I have a TV?” Rainbow asked, assuming that was the answer. Scootaloo shook her head and sighed.

“No… I just… I don’t want to live at home anymore.” Scootaloo said nervously, Rainbow Dash quietly used her wing so she could move Scootaloo’s face. She could see the filly looked genuinely upset, prompting the mare to turn down the volume on the television.

“Mom and dad are getting on you again?” Rainbow Dash asked, the filly nodded quietly. “What is it this time? Not studying enough?” Scootaloo shook her head.

“They want to get rid of me…” Scootaloo said quietly, appearing sadder than Rainbow Dash had ever seen her. Given their history together, that was saying a lot. “They said that since those human people came it’s not safe in Ponyville anymore, they want to send me to some place in the Crystal Empire…” Rainbow Dash was rather surprised by that, especially since travel to the Crystal Empire was expressly forbidden. That told Rainbow Dash there was something foul in the air, and that Scootaloo’s parents were in for a lot of trouble. The only way to get Scootaloo to the Crystal Empire would be to smuggle her, and Rainbow Dash wasn’t going to have any of that.

“Sure, kid… If they try to get rid of you you can stay with me…” Rainbow Dash said calmingly as she looked back at the TV, Scootaloo curled up closer to Rainbow Dash and watched the movie. Rainbow couldn’t pay attention, she was thinking on what she needed to do to protect the filly that she cared so much about.
> Chapter 31
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luna and Dominic stood beside Maria as she lay on a hospital bed in the castle Medical Ward, her belly was bare was Doctor Patterson stood with an ultrasound wand in one hand and a bottle of gel in the other. For two of the three expecting parents it would be the first chance they would get to see their little bundle of joy, and as Patterson rubbed the gel onto Maria’s belly she was also able to see that Dominic seemed to have bags under his eyes. The doctor shook her head subtly, knowing that he’d need all the sleep he could get when the baby arrived.

Maria gasped slightly from the cold feeling of the gel on her skin, but it quickly passed as she watched Patterson begin the ultrasound. After a couple seconds she was greeted with the familiar image on the screen of the machine, though she was surprised to see how much the little one had grown since the last time she had seen it. There was a brief moment of silence as they all watched the tiny form come into view. Little legs, little arms with little baby hands, it was like looking into a whole new world. Doctor Patterson silently looked over the screen for a couple moments before turning.

“So, did you want to know what they are?” She asked as she continued moving the wand over Maria’s stomach. Maria, Luna, and Dominic all looked at one another for a couple seconds, after a couple moments they nodded.

“Yes.” Maria said quietly, looking at the Doctor with a certain expression.

“Well then, say hello to your son.” Patterson said as she continued her examination, Maria and the others smiled as they looked at the screen. “He’s bigger than average, I reckon he’s gonna be a ten pounder when he’s born.” Dominic quietly moved towards the monitor and looked at the little form on the screen, smiling from ear to ear as he got a closer look. The man sighed softly as he thought once again about all the things that that little boy would get to do when he grew up, all the things that Dominic, Luna, and Maria wouldn’t be able to do.

Luna stood beside him with a similar expression as Maria and Patterson made idle chit chat, for her it was the first time seeing a human baby. She knew that humans had babies and even children, but she had never been able to think of Dominic as a baby, for some reason she pictured him hatching from a cannon ball and springing fully formed or something. Yet right in front of her was irrefutable proof that humans indeed had babies, and that they were adorable even before birth. The Queen of Dreams put a wing over Dominic’s shoulder as the two of them continued looking at the monitor for a couple seconds before eventually both of them snapped out of their awe.

“Okay, so you’ve been sticking to that list I gave you right?” The doctor asked as the two of them turned to look at Maria, the woman nodded with a slight smile. “That’s good to hear, glad to see you’re taking this so seriously.” The doctor turned to Dominic and Luna. “I’ve got some more things I need to do privately, if you wouldn’t mind stepping out?”

“Alright.” Dominic replied with a shrug as he Luna turned to walk out. “Call if you need us.” The two walked out of the room and closed the door behind them, the man sighed softly as he moved over and took a seat in one of the chairs next to the door. Luna sat beside him and watched as he reached into his uniform pocket, from within he withdrew a couple documents which he began looking over quietly.

“I thought you had all your work sorted out today?” Luna said with a bit of a raised eyebrow, Dominic nodded before he handed the documents over for Luna to look at. She glanced over them for a couple moments before gasping and looking at Dominic. “How is it they’ve managed to start building energy cannons? We’re only starting research on those…”

“Exactly. They’ve been mounting them to those new tanks of theirs. They’ve also been selling of entire battalions of armor to countries like Saddle Arabia, the Caribou Empire, hell even the zebras are getting in on the deal.” Dominic said in a slightly cautious tone as he looked around the hallway. “There’s more than just the Crystal Empire that has me concerned to day.” The man pulled another document from his pocket and handed it to Luna. “News from Earth, we’ve started expanding into Wyoming. General Hillard has uncovered at least a dozen underground silos that were supposed to have nuclear warheads in them. The problem is that there are five warheads unaccounted for, at least that we know of.”

“What of the ones that are accounted for?” Luna asked, Dominic remained quiet for a couple seconds as he rubbed his chin. “Dominic?”

“I’ve put them in the custody of the CIMC, they’re being moved to their facility in the desert.” Dominic said solemnly as he leaned his head back against the wall. “I desperately want to disarm them, but…” The man quietly looked at Luna with a nervous expression. “Your sister scares me, Luna. Scares me so much I feel that getting rid of them would be irresponsible.” 

Luna sighed softly as she rested a wing on Dominic’s shoulder, giving him a gentle squeeze even as she was unable to assuage his fears. She wanted to tell him that there was nothing to fear from her sister, that she wouldn’t use her power for such a purpose, but after what had happened she wasn’t sure what to think anymore. Dominic quietly looked at her, then to the floor, feeling more a pit form in his stomach even on such a happy day. There was more, but he couldn’t tell Luna. As he took the documents back from her and tucked them into his jacket he shook the worries from his mind. It was just a sign to show that his work was never really done.

[♠]

Shining Armor quietly sighed as he looked out over the central command room of the Crystal Empire’s Military, tensions on the border with Onorus had been notably rising with more and more of their odd solo aircraft flights over the city. No one could really decipher what was happening there, but that wasn’t the only thing that had the Crystal commander on edge. There were numerous radio frequencies being monitored in and out of the Empire, and one of them had cropped up that had a very notable source. The transmission was weak, but still detectable, and it brought with it a fear inducing possibility.

“Your highness, it’s starting again…” One of the Equestrian officers that had evacuated announced from a radio, Shining Armor signaled for them to put it on the speakers that lined the room. The stallion could hear the familiar tune of an old Thestral march, though it used human lyrics. That was what told him it was Onorussian in origin. As the song continued a couple stallions flicked on the recording devices while others prepared pens and pencils to transcribe whatever the broadcast was about to deliver.

Shining had figured there were spies among his Empire when the transmissions had begun, but they had never been able to root any of them out. He wasn’t sure how though, the only Equestrians in the Empire were all accounted for and definitely weren’t spies, and Changelings weren’t able to change into Crystal Ponies. He just knew that somehow the Onorussians were slipping spies into his city undetected, and it annoyed him greatly. As the music continued playing he began pacing back and forth, this was the fifth time they had intercepted the same transmission.

”Union. Nikolai. Dimitri. Eva. Robert.” A tired griffish voice said over the radio, just as they had the first four times. They repeated the code over and over again, and then came the incessant beeping noise. ”.-. -..- ..- .--- ..-. -.- .-.  ... ..- -.- .... --.-  --.- ..- -. .-.. ... ..- -... .-.  ..-. .-  -- .-.. --.- --.- ..-. -. .. .-.  ..- .-- ..- ..-. ...  ..-. -.- --.- ... .--. - -.. ... ..-. .-.. -.- --.-” Shining Armor knew about human tone based codes, but he had never been able to figure them out, even despite their closeness to Equestrian languages. As usual the code continued to repeat over and over again, Shining Armor scowled when it repeated the names one final time before returning to its normal broadcast, an odd tone that seemed to sound ever one and a quarter seconds.

“Any progress decoding the message?” Shining asked as he looked to his best decoders, but they all shook their heads and went back to working on decoding it. He quietly walked out of the room to get some air, the crystal guards saluting him as he walked through the castle until he reached the gardens. As he walked he tripped, with a scowl he looked to see his hoof had fallen into what looked like a gopher hole. “Damn rats…” He muttered before straightening up and walking away.

As he walked along Shining came across Princess Celestia, she was sitting quietly and looking up towards the sky with a neutral expression on her face. Her muzzle moving ever so slowly as she seemed to watch something moving around in the sky, no doubt it was the mysterious high altitude aircraft flying overhead. Her attention was so focussed that she didn’t notice Shining Armor approaching her until he was almost close enough to touch her. The clouds outside the empire were restless, despite the clear skies caused by the Crystal Empire’s dome.

“What brings you out here, Shining?” Celestia asked as she continued watching whatever it was she could see in the sky, her eyes occasionally straining as she did so. “Another transmission from that mysterious station?”

“Yes… I have no idea who they’re sending the messages to, or what they’re about, or even where they could be receiving them.” Shining said as he sat beside Celestia and looked up in the sky, trying to spot whatever it was that she was looking at. “How is it you know it’s up there? Our strongest mages can’t see that high…?”

“The sunlight helps mostly… That’s why I’m able to see it so much better.” Celestia said simply as she continued tracing the path with her nose. The mare paused and pointed for a second. “There it is, if you squint really hard you might be able to see it.” Shining Armor squinted and did his best to see, but couldn’t see the aircraft in question.

“Couldn’t you bring it down?” Shining asked nervously, Celestia shrugged quietly. “I don’t like it up in the air, I don’t know what it’s doing, and despite what Cadence says I think it’s a threat.” Celestia hummed softly as she continued tracing the aircraft with her horn, occasionally sighing as she did so. “Didn’t you say they have bombs that could wipe out an entire city?”

“Yes… Though I don’t know if they’ve built any of them.” Celestia said with a slight sigh, honestly she had become rather fond of the aircraft passing overhead, it was the only constant thing she could rely on besides the rising and setting of the sun. “If you wish for me to destroy the aircraft, I will… This is your nation after all.”

In the air above, Mason quietly adjusted his helmet and looked through the the scope of his camera as he snapped more photos of the tanks parked on the outskirts of the Crystal Empire. Once again their was soothing music playing through his helmet as he continued his usual flight. Occasionally he’d take his eyes away from the scope to look out the window at the little spot in the middle of the frozen north that somehow supported life. Honestly, looking out the window almost made him feel like he was in some sort of movie, like ‘Doctor Strangelove’ or ‘Failsafe’.

“Dojo, this is Dragon lady, I’ve completed my latest run. Should be able to do a couple more passes before I hit bingo fuel.” Mason said into the radio as he looked down at the Empire, humming softly as he waited for a response from his commanders. It was just him up there, not a soul for miles around, the beautiful curvature of the planet laid out in front of him while the sun hung overhead. It was peaceful and quiet, he could almost forget he was spying on people for a bit and enjoy the beauty of it all. After all, it was the closest anyone had ever gone to space on that planet.

The man leaned back and sighed contently, adjusting his bulky flight suit as he did so. Mason man waited for more instructions, but as he was waiting he was shocked to hear an alarm blaring through the cockpit. The Arcane Warning light was flashing, on instinct the man jerked the stick to the right violently. Moments later a bright blast of yellow magic flew past his left side, the alarm kept blaring as he jerked back to the left. The warning wouldn’t stop, a spell blazed past his right side, so close he could’ve reached out and touched it. Still the klaxons blared, he was panting heavily as his flight suit kept constricting on him to keep him from passing out.

“Come on! Come on!” He shouted as he strained to keep control of his aircraft and avoid the seemingly constant blasts of magic. Finally his luck ran out and a spell slammed into the right wing of his aircraft, the aircraft began tumbling out of the sky. Mason’s breathing became even more panicked as alarms blared throughout the cockpit, the aircraft spinning faster and faster. With all the changing G forces Mason struggled to reach for a button on the console marked ‘Destruct’, he grunted as he flicked the safety switch off and pushed the red button. He had twenty five seconds to punch out. “This is Dragon Lady! I’m punching out!”

The man reached down between his legs and yanked up on a yellow and black striped bar, the canopy blasted away seconds before Mason felt himself shot out of the aircraft like a bullet. After seconds of pure terror the man felt himself falling again, the seat fell away and he was suddenly hanging by a parachute. His breathing was heavy as he frantically looked around, watching as the aircraft exploded below him, effectively destroying any hope of it being salvaged or even recognizable. His flight suit was rapidly becoming cold in the thin air, and he realized he had to conserve oxygen. Minutes ticked by agonizingly slowly as he began floating down towards the earth below, after what felt like an eternity he found himself getting close to the dome.

He passed through it and into suddenly warm air, he felt it was safe enough to breathe normally as he drifted further down to the ground. Mason could already see crystal ponies scrambling around on the ground, his fists clenched around his parachute controls as he saw himself falling towards a grassy area with plants and bushes. Standing there he could see two Equestrians, from his briefings he knew they were none other than Shining Armor and Princess Celestia. Mason hit the ground with a thud, landing properly and ripping off his parachute harness. He scrambled out of the chute that was collapsing around him and went for his side arm, with a grunt he whipped the M9 from its holster and leveled it at the two Equestrians that had started approaching him.

“Drop your weapon!” Shouted numerous guards as they closed in, Mason glared at the Equestrians through his helmet. “Drop it!” The man briefly looked at the guards, armed with spears, swords, and bows, he could see most didn’t have the mettle in their eyes to kill him. It would only take one though. The pilot had been told in the event of such a situation, there was a cyanide pill in his pocket, but he couldn’t reach it fast enough. It had been stressed that there wasn’t to be another ‘Gary Powers’ incident, and Mason had been okay with that when he had taken the assignment. The man looked at his M9, then at Celestia and Shining Armor.

“For Mother Onorus!” He shouted loudly as he put the handgun under his chin.

“No-!” Celestia began to shout, but she was cut off by a bang that echoed over the courtyard. The guards stared in shock as the body tumbled to the ground, limp and unmoving. Celestia felt a pit form in her stomach as the guards moved in to secure the body, just in case somehow the pilot had survived. She didn’t realize that Shining Armor was talking to her until he had to shake her, she gasped quietly and looked at him with wide eyes. “W-What?”

“Are you okay?!” Shining shouted, Celestia nodded numbly as she looked back to the guards that were now starting to haul the body of the pilot of the mysterious airplane away. “Come with me, let’s get you inside before something else happens!” Celestia didn’t resist when Shining began tugging her inside, the stallion only stopped when he tripped in what looked like another gopher hole. He grunted and continued as if nothing had happened.

[♠]

Jack jolted out of his chair as he heard klaxons blaring throughout the base, the man had been lounging in a comfortable seat overlooking his F4 while his RIO, Chavez, was busy fiddling with something on the workbench. Both of them abandoned their down time projects and rushed towards the jet, with urgency they tugged on their flight helmets. Once they were in the aircraft they began going over their scramble pre-flight checks, within minutes the engines had rumbled to life and the aircraft was taxiing towards the tarmac.

“This is Alert One, making our way to runway Two Four Left.” He announced over the radio as he continued looking over his instruments. “Chavez, any idea what’s going on?”

“No, but I don’t like it.” The man in the back seat replied as he began scanning the radar screen for anything out of the ordinary, the skies were mercifully clear of any enemy fighters. It seemed they were only scrambling two jets, so it was most likely wasn’t anything big, but for an experienced pilot like Jack he knew that could change on a dime.

”Alert One this is Eagle Control, cleared for departure straight out. Your bearing is is zero-three-zero. North West.” Announced the tower control, Jack quietly gulped as he recognized the bearing quite well. As he saw Sarah’s jet moving up behind him through his canopy mirror he could tell she was probably having the same thoughts, the man did his best to bite down his worry and focus on getting the aircraft into full readiness. There was a reason that they were being deployed, they had more skill flying than closer jet pilots, and they would need all the skill they could get to brave the stormy clouds of the frozen north.

“Chavez, you set back there?” Jack asked, he got a glimpse of Chavez giving him a thumbs up just as they turned onto the runway. The man wasted no time in pushing the throttle up, the sudden burst of speed pushed him back in his seat as the aircraft thundered down the runway.

[♠]

Dominic quietly sighed as he stood in the situation room with numerous generals and higher ranking members of Providentia. There was a map on the wall and numerous phones were ringing away, the Imperator was not a happy man. At a time when he wanted to be home with his pregnant wife, he was instead dragged into the situation room with news they had lost a U2 spy plane over the Crystal Empire. He had no idea of he was facing a Gary Powers incident, especially since he didn’t know what he could use as a bargaining chip if he was. In this time of crisis Dominic had called upon Putin to act as an unofficial advisor, the former Russian Prime Minister had far more experience with the cold war than Dominic.

The two of them stood at the edge of the room, as there really wasn’t much they could do until they had more information. The two F4s had reported they saw the unrecognizable wreckage of the U2 being combed over, meaning that the pilot very well could’ve gone down with his aircraft when he destroyed it. He wouldn’t know for certain until his spies in the area reported back to him. The man looked over at Putin, the older man was quietly standing and adjusting his suit to look as official as possible. Dominic had a new bit of respect for Putin, after all, he hadn’t realized how taxing it was to run a country until he’d actually done it himself.

“When we get news, what do you think we should do?” Dominic asked quietly, watching the officers walk around and talking into phones. Putin looked over at Dominic with a stoic expression.

“If he’s alive we’ll find a way to get him out. If he’s dead…” Putin pulled a cigarette from his pocket, but paused when he spotted a new ‘No Smoking’ sign on the wall. They had been installed as soon as Maria had become pregnant, the man tucked it back into his pocket. “We need only worry about the political fallout.” Dominic nodded subtly as he continued looking at the map on the wall. “A man with your caliber of charisma should let this roll of his back. Tell the world you were sending the planes there only to ensure the security of your sovereign borders. Something like that.”

“Good thinking…” Dominic said as he tucked his hands into his pocket, Putin nodded simply and leaned from one foot to another. Several moments of silence passed between the two of them as they waited for information to come in. “You’re married, right?” Putin looked at Dominic with a raised eyebrow as he nodded. “You have kids too, right?” The Russian gave him another nod. “When you were expecting your first, how did you feel?”

“Scared, excited, but mostly scared.” Putin said with a slight shrug. “I found taking up a hobby helped with it though.” Dominic nodded and went back to watching the officers going about the room, his foot tapping nervously while his expression remained stoic like Putin’s. The Imperator watched as an officer picked up a phone and nodded a couple times as he wrote something down, the officer walked over to Dominic and handed him a note.

“Sir, our eyes on the ground confirmed it. The pilot self terminated.” The officer said as he handed Dominic the note, the Imperator took it quietly and looked it over. “The F4s have been recalled as well, sir. Intel reports the Crystal Empire has started moving several armored units on the border, but that’s to be expected.”

“Any communication with their government?” Dominic asked, the officer shook his head. “Carry on then, keep us at DEFCON Four until we make contact with their government.” The officer nodded and walked away, Putin nodded simply at the decision as the two of them continued looking at the screen on the wall. “They discovered some high powered arcane elements out in the desert, our chief mages say we could use it to make some pretty scary bombs. Given how much power Celestia and Cadence have though…”

“You know we’ve already got hold of some old Nuclear Warheads, but those are just about to hit their expiration date…” Putin mentioned, Dominic nodded quietly. “From what I hear Thermo-Arcane Weapons wouldn’t leave behind that nasty Fallout… They may be a better alternative.”

“What if they start doing the same thing? They’re sitting on a sheet of those elements themselves, as well as their big spells.” Dominic asked, Putin quietly hummed and rubbed his chin.

“I can’t make that decision, Mister Imperator… I would recommend taking a long while to think on it though.” The Russian stated, Dominic sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck and looked at his watch. It was getting late, but he couldn’t go home, he had too much work to do. With a tired sigh the man leaned back against the wall and ran a hand over his head. The second Cold War had officially begun.
> Chapter 32
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cadence was quietly pacing back and forth in a sterile white room beneath the crystal empire, pieces of wreckage had been laid out on tarps that lined the floor while the corpse of the pilot had been brought to the local morgue under heavy guard. She loved Shining Armor to death, but sometimes he could be such a bonehead. Unlike him, Cadence realized that upsetting the status quo was unwise with their new neighbor to the south. As her best scientists did their best to examine the wreckage, she was trying to figure out how to respond to the Onorussian’s. The mysterious transmission had stopped, save for that incessant buzzing noise.

As Cadence continued to survey the wreckage that had been recovered she was struck by something odd that had been uncovered by the scientists, a polaroid that was burned on the corners. The mare briefly looked at it and found that it depicted the pilot standing next to a woman while he had what looked like a human child on his shoulder. The mare frowned and looked away from the picture, sighing as she was forced to once again look at the wreckage lying on the ground. She was startled to hear a sigh behind her, and quickly looked over her shoulder to see a pair of yellow eyes staring at her from behind. Slowly Discord became fully visible, though he was in human form and wore a simple suit. Cadence scowled as her horn glowed, but the draconequus simply raised his hands and stood next to the mare.

“Sad thing, isn’t it?” Discord asked simply as he looked over the wrecked aircraft, Cadence nodded with an uncertain expression on her face. “You should know they won’t retaliate, they’re expecting you to.”

“Is that so?” Cadence asked, not taking her eyes off of the wreckage. “How should I respond when I don’t even know what was going on?” Discord shrugged as he watched Cadence rub her temples. “My husband is paranoid so he builds up the military, then these things start flying overhead, so, being paranoid, he has it shot down…” The mare looked at discord and chuckled darkly. “I can remember less than a year ago the biggest thing I had to worry about was offending a couple maretonian diplomats, or the occasional Yakistani child getting lost in our borders…” Cadence sounded bitter as Discord leaned against a nearby table, listening to her rant quietly. ”Now it’s raining fire and wreckage from the sky, humans with families blowing their brains out, and my Aunt alienating almost her entire family.”

“Yes, and you know what else is adding to all that chaos?” Discord said with a raised eyebrow as he looked at the carnage that had once been a high altitude spy plane. “Fear. Fear on both sides.” Cadence was a bit surprised by that and looked at Discord quizzically.

“What do the Onorussian’s have to fear from us? They have numbers, technology, resources…” The Princess asked with genuine curiosity, the chaos god simply reached out and tapped her horn. “They have unicorns and changelings.”

“But not Alicorns. At least, not Alicorns with as much power as you or Celestia.” Discord said simply, Cadence seemed a bit surprised by that. Discord supposed the best way to explain would be to physically show Cadence, and so he snapped his fingers. A sort of screen appeared in front of the two of them, depicting an ancient looking city moments before a blinding white flash filled the screen. The flash faded away and Cadence could see that the entire city had been basically obliterated, the distant silhouette of Celestia was floating in the sky. “You see why they’re afraid of you now?”

“I… I would never…” Cadence said with a bit of fear in her voice, Discord nodded quietly.

“You won’t, but what about your aunt? You think they’ll take her word for it, especially after what she’s done before?” Discord warned, Cadence nervously began pacing back and forth. “They already have access to weapons of equal power, it’s not long until they build more.” The chaos god rested his hands on Cadence’s shoulders. “With what your husband is doing to arm other countries, and your aunt’s clear power… I’m telling you this because despite what you may think, I’m not a fan of violent chaos. And if you all wipe each other out I’ll have failed at my job.”

“I… I can see what you mean, I’ll take what you’re saying under advisement.” Cadence sighed as the creature shifted to his normal form. “Thank you… I think?” Discord only smiled at her, with a wink he disappeared. She looked around the room, surprisingly it seemed time had frozen during her talk with Discord as the scientists hadn’t noticed him. Without wasting any time Cadence walked out of the room, passing by numerous guards that saluted her in the hallways. She trotted for a couple seconds before her horn glowed and she found herself teleported to the throne room where Shining Armor and Celestia were waiting.

“What’s happened? Anything new from the aircraft?” Shining asked as she shook off the odd feeling of teleporting while moving. The mare looked at Shining with a neutral expression, similar to the one that Celestia had been wearing since the incident with the pilot.

“Nothing new.” Cadence said as she took on a serious tone. “I have been thinking though, and after receiving some advice… I think it would be prudent to reach out to the Onorussian government as friends rather than foes.” Shining Armor appeared rather surprised by the revelation, every military bone in his body told him the right thing to do would be to do all they could to get ready for a fight. “ It’s clear that they know of our modernization efforts, and I think perhaps that makes them worried, with good reason.”

“I will be the one to make contact.” Celestia said from across the room, her expression one of stoic worry. “I must face them sooner or later, Cadence… I cannot stand the thought of being responsible for another death.” The mare looked at Cadence, but the younger alicorn shook her head.

“Shining Armor and I shall face them.” Cadence said simply, looking to her aunt quietly. “I fear that sending you could send the wrong message.” Celestia was about to protest, but she didn’t want to interfere with Cadence’s way of running things. Shining looked like he was going to say something as well, but bit his tongue when he saw the serious expression on his wife’s face. “Send word of our arrival, we must depart at once.”

[♠]

Dawn broke over the chilly northern border checkpoint between the Crystal Empire and the Onorussian Republic. Snow whipped around wildly as the wind howled violently, in the distance the border guards could see Crystal Empire tanks parked in formation. The Onorussian’s had their own T-34s lined up as well, their engines rumbled quietly as their crews hunkered inside for warmth. Security had been stepped up when the sudden announcement of Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor’s visit had reached the border officers. Their wool jackets barely kept their bodies warm while their ushankas and face masks did their best to heat their faces. It was mainly humans on the border, as they were most resistant to magic attacks.

On the horizon the guards could see the light of the Crystal Empire’s train as it neared the border, its whistle howling like a wolf over the wind as it got closer to the border. The Onorussian flag waved atop the border checkpoint, soft clinking noises rattling out whenever the metal lips banged against the pole. The soldiers quietly adjusted their grip on their AKs, none of them dared speak as they all wanted to be on full alert. Even the radio that quietly played warm hawaiian music had been turned off, creating an atmosphere of cold military efficiency. Among the soldiers was a young man by the name of Dimitri, the eldest adopted son of fighter pilot Stephan Adler.

The man had enlisted as soon as he was old enough, wanting to do his patriotic duty for his new found home. Of course, he hadn’t expected to be deployed to the middle of a frozen wasteland with no women and no booze, but he wasn’t going to complain. Border duty was exciting, there was always someone trying to sneak across from one side or another. Dimitri was of Russian descent, as were many of his fellow border guards. Since the griffons had joined the Onorussian’s, military personnel were learning Russian and German on top of English. Even Imperator Occisor in Canterlot, Dimitri had to admit he had a lot of respect for his commander in chief. Occisor was barely two years older than him and yet he had built an empire from practically nothing.

It was this respect that kept the guards attentive in their duties, they knew that their Imperator would be standing out there with them if he could. Just as he had during the battle of Appleloosa and the Battle of Ponyville. As the train got closer, Dimitri walked out onto the platform of the border checkpoint to get a better look at the engine. It was made of crystal, as were most of the cars, and it almost looked armored.

“Etot poyezd. Eto nekrasivo.” Dimitri muttered in russian as he looked at the ugly train getting closer and closer, his boots crunched snow beneath them as he walked down the platform. The train’s brakes squeaked as it got closer, the checkpoint had barbed wire running along the border, though it didn’t stretch the entire length, it was long enough to make an attempt to go around a death sentence without proper cold weather gear.

“Bud'te gotovy bol'she iskat'!” Shouted another one of the soldiers in russian, an officer. Dimitri got ready to search the train as per his orders, it was standard procedure after all, and no pony princess would get special treatment. The train eventually slowed to a crawl, slowly it moved past the markers that indicated the Crystal Empire’s borders, then it rolled past the barbed wire and came to a stop at the platform. Dimitri watched his commanding officer walk towards the engine and begin talking with the engineer while another officer blew into a whistle, Dimitri stepped onto the train and slung his rifle over his shoulder.

The man was blasted with warm air from inside as he entered the first car, it was empty save for a couple Crystal pony guards that eyed him nervously. They were unarmed, and only had their armor on, Dimitri gave them a pass as he moved onto the next car. His boots thudded against the floor, snow melted from where it had accumulated on his shoulder and coat collar, coating the skin of his neck with cold water that would likely freeze when he stepped back outside. This car was much more ornate than the first one, and he could see why. Two ponies were staring at him, both wore fancy clothes.

“Guten morgen.” He said in German as he looked high and low in the car, pausing as he noticed a pair of odd looking boxes on one of the luggage racks. The man pointed to and cleared his throat before asking in rather broken english. “What is in box?”

“Two cakes. One’s chocolate, the other is vanilla.” The pony princess said, Dimitri nodded quietly and opened one of the boxes to confirm it was in fact cake. “We were bringing them to give to your Imperator, but you’re welcome to take one if you like?” Dimitri was bit surprised by this, he quietly took his radio from his pocket and began mumbling into it.

Cadence was a bit surprised to see such an odd looking man aboard her train, then again, she supposed that border guards on the northern border would rather be bundled tightly than looking fancy for royalty. She hoped offering him and his cohorts a cake would brighten relations with guards on the border, and after a couple seconds the man got a response from his superior. He pulled down the mask over his face to smile.

“Spasibo.” He said simply before taking the box with the vanilla cake in it, he pulled the mask back up over his face and walked out the side door of the car, calling to his fellow guards. The princess of the Crystal Heart was already out of her comfort zone, but judging by the positive vibes she was sensing from the guard, things were going okay. Soon enough the engine let out a loud whistle, signifying that they were once again on their way. Cadence and Shining Armor looked out their window at several parked tanks that were facing towards their border.

The two royals took a moment to look at one another as the train continued heading away from the checkpoint. The whistle occasionally would blow loudly, but other than that the soft rumble of wheels over tracks was just the right amount of noise. Cadence finally cleared her throat, it seemed she would be the one to break the silence that had settled when the train had been boarded.

“Well, at least they aren’t completely hostile towards us.” She said hopefully, Shining Armor remained quiet as he hummed in thought. “What?”

“Just thinking about what to do once we arrive in Canterlot.” Shining replied, looking out the window once again as he continued trying to think about how the Onorussian’s were slipping spies into his country. “Do you think they’ll let me visit mom and Twilight?”

“I don’t see why not.” Cadence said, Shining hummed again and continued looking out the window.

[♠]

Dominic quietly stood on the platform of the Canterlot rail station, standing beside him was Luna and Twilight Sparkle. Maria had opted to stay home, as she had been having a bit more fatigue lately. A cadre of soldiers was keeping a close eye on the building while they waited for the arrival of the Crystal Empire’s leadership, and while the three on the platform stood in stoic silence. The Imperator quietly looked at his watch, as the sun rose higher into the sky, the Crystal ponies were scheduled to arrive soon. Dominic adjusted his tie, this time he had chosen to wear a suit rather than his usual uniform.

“What do you think they’ll want?” Dominic asked Twilight as he looked down at her, he adjusted the cuffs of his suit as he waited for her response. Twilight, for her part, had given up wearing her crown despite still being allowed to. As she looked out over the tracks she found herself at a loss for thoughts, truth be told she wasn’t sure why Cadence was making the journey, it wasn’t like her to be so proactive.

“I’m not sure.” Twilight said as she rubbed the back of her neck, she looked up at Dominic with a bit of an uncertain expression. However, despite all that had happened, she could still see he was her friend. The normal stoic expression had faint cracks in it that showed just out of his element that he felt, despite that he gritted his teeth and forced himself onwards. “I know that whatever the reason they’re coming here, it would be best to keep an open mind.”

“I’ll take that under advisement.” Dominic said as he looked at his watch again, Luna seemed to be focussed on the tracks more than anything else. “I’m sure they’re pretty freaked out, we’re basically like super advanced aliens.” The man paused. “No, that’s exactly what we are, at least by your world’s tech standards.” Twilight nodded quietly as she leaned to a different side, shivering slightly due to the cold winter temperatures that had settled over the area.

“Since we have time, I was wondering if I could ask you a question?” Twilight asked, Dominic nodded quietly. “I want to visit and study Terra, would that be alright?” The man quietly rubbed his chin before looking at Twilight with a faint smile.

“Let’s get this issue cleared up first, then we can talk about you visiting Terra.” He said, Twilight nodded as she realized he was likely going to say that she could. Dominic sighed softly as he thought about what he would bring up during the meeting, there were issues that needed to be discussed, and this meeting would be the best place to do that. The screeching sound of the crystal locomotive’s whistle alerted them to the coming arrival, the soldiers straightened up as they continued their patrols. Soon enough the locomotive came into view, its brakes squealing as it slowed to come into the station. Dominic, Luna, and Twilight stood ready to greet Cadence and Shining Armor.

Steam permeated through the station as the royal train car stopped directly in front of the Imperator. The door to the car began to open, steam formed as the warm air of the inside met the cold air of the outside. Dominic heard Luna chuckle softly beside him, he shot her a brief look but found no reason she would be laughing. Then a single dainty hoof extended from the billowing steam, Princess Cadence stepped into view with an odd looking box floating in her magic. Behind her came Shining Armor, wearing his ‘Captain of the Guard’ uniform and looking around suspiciously at the numerous armed guards patrolling the station.

“Princess Cadence. Prince Shining Armor.” Dominic said with a simple nod as he eyed the box, Cadence returned the nod courteously before levitating the box over to Dominic. The man took it out of the air and opened it. He hummed with a bit of surprise, then looked at Cadence.

“Imperator Occisor, I was hoping that we could discuss things between our two countries over a slice of that.” Cadence said in a diplomatic tone, Dominic gave a slight nod before gesturing through the station to a solitary black Crown Victoria Police Interceptor parked outside. The soldiers were careful to watch for any sudden movement from the alicorn, knowing fully well what the mare was capable of. Cadence stepped out of the station and looked around the once glorious city, many of the familiar shops were boarded up or completely gone while some groups of workers continued to rebuild large buildings.

Shining was stunned as well, seeing what destruction had been wrought by the human’s so called conventional bombs. It only served to up the fear factor of what their ‘Atomic’ weaponry could do. Cautiously they climbed into the sedan, it was much larger than Shining and Cadence had pictured. The driver, a young man wearing a dress uniform, didn’t wait for any command and instead began driving towards the castle. The normal chit chat that would’ve followed the reuniting of two siblings was forgone due to the serious nature of the visit. An uncomfortable silence settled over the car as it drove, Cadence was looking over Dominic for any sign of dishonesty. What she mostly sensed was uncertainty, and quite a bit of determination, though she wasn’t sure about what.

Eventually they arrived at the castle and stepped out of the car, Cadence was surprised to see buildings had been constructed on the once meticulously cared for lawn. They looked like a cafeteria and a medical clinic, she could tell they had probably been constructed for the ponies of Canterlot that needed food and aid.

“I wish to speak with the Imperator alone, if that’s alright?” Cadence asked to Luna and the others, they nodded quietly. A couple soldiers gestured for them to move to a waiting room inside the castle, Dominic and Cadence instead walked inside and made their way to the throne room. The man still held the cake box as they entered the large room, devoid of soldiers or guards, Cadence was glad to see that the decor of the room hadn’t changed much since her last visit. In silence they made their way to the thrones, and to Cadence’s surprise, Dominic took a seat on the steps leading up to them in a rather casual looking way. Cadence supposed it was better than him sitting on the throne while she stood, she nodded and sat on the same step as Dominic placed the box between them.

“So.” Dominic said simply, looking at her a waiting expression. Cadence hummed and ran a hoof through her mane, after that she cleared her throat to speak. The sound carried through the echo inducing hall.

“I suppose I cannot blame you for sending one of those planes, my aunt has wronged you.” Cadence said in a rather warm tone, Dominic maintained his stoic appearance. “I also understand you are concerned by the existence of our tanks.” The mare sighed softly and looked to the floor. “I don’t want a war with you, I don’t want my subjects to be harmed… I sense that you too are weary of war.”

“I am…” Dominic said with a nod, his expression remained calm. “I am also weary of attempted invasions from across the ocean, and I happen to know you have been selling your tanks to our enemy.” Cadence was a bit surprised the man had found out, she supposed that the Onorussian spies truly were good at their jobs. “Most concerning are the ones being sold to the Caribou Empire. A slaveholding despotic state.”

“But against your army the caribou wouldn’t stand a chance, even with tanks, what have you to fear from them?” Cadence asked, Dominic scowled as he stood up quietly and reached into his jacket. Cadence became uneasy until she saw the man pull an indigo primary feather from within, the man looked it over for a couple seconds before turning his eyes back to Cadence.

“You see this feather? Luna gave this to me before I returned to Terra…” The man said, Cadence could sense a hateful sadness enter the man as he looked back to the feather. “I fought a bitter foe to stomp out a grave injustice, a slaveholding nation, very much like the Caribou…” The man slipped the feather back into his jacket and looked back to Cadence, his expression stoic as usual. “The time of that nation is coming to an end, Princess Cadence. Everyday there are reports of their ships on the horizon, and when they attempt invasion, it will be with your tanks and your weapons.”

“What would you have me do? I have no other means of trade, you’ve given me no more options.” Cadence replied, she could still feel that hateful sadness emanating from the man, she had seen pictures of the EOL’s brutal treatment of slaves in numerous reports, and she knew it was most likely the case in the Caribou Empire. “I hate the Caribou, Imperator, but they’re willing to pay, I can’t afford to turn them away.”

“If we were to begin trade between your Empire and Onorus, I would accept your word that you would cease trade with them.” Dominic asked, Cadence looked thoughtful at the proposal. “Make no mistake, Princess. Any threat to this nation will be dealt with. This is your chance to back out.”

“Is that a threat? If I refuse to stop trade will those tanks on my border charge forward? Will my city be turned to glass?” Cadence asked sternly, Dominic shook his head quietly, his expression returning to a scowl.

“No. I don’t like making threats, Princess. I make promises, and when I make them I intend to keep them.” The man gestured to the room around them. “Us standing here and now is a direct result of that, my wife and unborn son are a direct result of that.” He sat back down on the step, being sure to remain on Cadence’s eye level. “What I am saying is that when the next nation thinks they can test Onorussian mettle, they will most likely do so with your weapons. We can eliminate those weapons ourselves, but if they should suddenly get replacements that they didn’t build on their own… Then I would have no choice but to destroy their point of origin. It’s only a logical military strategy.”

“I suppose you have a point…” Cadence said as she looked at the man, she could tell he wasn’t one to start a war, but he was certainly willing to finish one. “You were serious about opening up trade between our two countries?” Dominic nodded with an honest serious expression, Cadence sighed softly. “Alright… If we can work out a trade agreement, I will officially ban the sale of weapons to the Caribou Empire.” She was relieved to see the man faintly smile before he extended her his hand, she shook it firmly. They still had much to discuss about the agreement, but at least they were making progress.

[♠]

Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle had taken to walking around the castle, the stallion still couldn’t believe the shabby shape it was in. He supposed that it was right to rebuild the surrounding city first, but still it seemed that they could’ve at least cleared away some of the rubble. Onorussian flags had replaced the Equestrian flags that had once lined the halls, and soldiers with serious looking weaponry patrolled as opposed to the gold clad royal guards that Shining had commanded at one point.  The stallion scowled at that, knowing a good deal of his friends in the guard had most likely died in the war.

The silence between Twilight and Shining was awkward, as both had differing opinions on the war, and it was hard not to talk about it when the desolation surrounded them. Shining Armor stopped when he happened upon a hole in the roof, accompanied by a shattered stained glass window. Twilight stopped with him as he looked up through the hole at a bird that had perched on the edge, the creature tilted its head at the stallion curiously, in that moment he became aware that there were birds quietly chirping outside. Despite the destruction, for them, it was like nothing had happened.

“I’m glad they’re letting us walk around freely…” Shining said softly as he continued looking up at the bird, it flapped its wings and flew away. The stallion turned his attention to his sister, the alicorn was looking at him with an uncertain expression. For Shining this spot had a bit of significance, it was very close to the place where he had first met Cadence, not that Twilight knew that. “You’re probably pretty sore at me, huh? Letting Celestia stay with us….?”

“No…” Twilight said quietly as she looked at the floor, the once familiar red carpet now stained by rain and snow. “In the wake of what I’ve seen… I can’t be mad at family, we’re all we’ve got.” The mare sighed and wiped at her eyes. “I thought Celestia would never betray me, Shining… I know, however, that you won’t.” Shining was surprised as he was wrapped in his sister’s hooves and wings, he quickly reciprocated and patted her on the back. “I can assume you’re probably not mad at me, even though I kinda sided with the humans…?”

“Hey, I may not be pro-Onorus, that doesn’t mean I’m anti-human.” The stallion quietly gestured to the hole in the city. “You have to admit though, they’re very destructive.” Twilight nodded but gained a slight smirk.

“They also tend to rebuild things better than they were before.” She said as they began walking through the halls again, passing by numerous other signs of conflict along the way. Shining could see that most of the humans they passed gave Twilight slight nods, he supposed that came with her new position as a congressmare. Eventually they happened upon a doorway that Shining was familiar with, the door to Luna’s room. He had visited her a couple times with important news, but he had no idea what was beyond it. He gave a slight jump as it was pulled inwards, Twilight turned as she heard the hinges squeak. Shining was a bit surprised to see a human woman poke her head out, her hair was tied back and she looked rather tired.

“Oh… Sorry, I thought it was Luna.” She said groggily as she rubbed her eyes, blinking a couple times at Twilight and her brother. Shining was shocked to realize that the woman had apparently heard them walking by through such a heavy door, she looked oddly familiar, but he couldn’t tell why.

“It’s just me, Imperatrix Occisor.” Twilight said with a slight bow, the woman scowled for a brief moment and Twilight cleared her throat. “I mean… It’s just me, Maria.” The woman sighed softly and stepped fully into the doorway, Shining silently gulped as he saw her wearing attire that seemed fitting of some sort of ancient goddess from his ‘Castles and Creatures’ campaigns, though she looked tired and had a notable bulge to her belly.

“I was hoping it was Lu, I keep waking myself up with that god awful snoring…” She said before looking at Shining and rubbing the back of her neck, smiling with a matronly expression that gave the stallion a feeling of warmth. “I’m sorry, where are my manners…? I’m Maria Occisor…” The woman quietly extended her hand to the stallion, Shining shook it readily. “Anyway… If you happen to see Lu, tell her I need that sleeping thing she does.” The woman paused and quietly lost a bit of that warmth in her face. “Oh, and if you see Dominic…”

“I’ll send him as soon as I can.” Twilight said with a nod, it suddenly clicked in Shining’s head where he had seen the woman before. On top of his usual comics that he read from time to time, the Prince had also skimmed a couple newer Onorussian comics in secret. There was no mistaking that Maria was ‘The Queen of Death’, and yet she looked and acted so kindly. Maria noticed the rather odd look on Shining’s face before he could hide it, she raised an eyebrow at him curiously.

“Something wrong?” She asked, Twilight looked to her brother with a similar curious expression.

“I… Uh… I was starting to get into your comics, I hadn’t realized you were, you know, real?” Shining said sheepishly, Maria stared at him for a couple moments before she simply nodded quietly and looked at Twilight. The stallion caught the glimmer of her eyes watering before Twilight quickly tugged him away. Without another word the woman disappeared into her room. “What? What did I do? Did I start a war? Twilight please tell me I didn’t-”

“No… She’s just got some hormonal stuff going on.” Twilight said in a mildly assuring voice, the two of them resumed walking. “The Imperatrix doesn’t like talking about her exploits in that comic, the author really romanticizes it and that really bothers her.” Shining looked at the floor quietly, feeling rather bad even though Twilight had told him not to. “I won’t really go into detail, for her sake, but from my experience on Terra during the EOL war…” Twilight shivered. “Thirty days was brutal for me. I can’t imagine what four years of that and then the Forty Eight Hour War has been like for her, or other people like her.”

Shining Armor quietly sighed as he looked over his shoulder at the door to Luna’s room again, wishing he could go back and apologize to the woman. Honestly he felt bad for her, the comics he had read had always seemed so unreal that he hadn’t thought about the toll it would have on a real person. With a brief sigh the stallion adjusted his mane, hoping that the discussions between his wife and Dominic were going well.

[♠]

Rainbow Dash quietly sighed as she sat at the bar of a new human restaurant in Ponyville, slide blues played in the background as she sat by herself, her leather jacket hanging from a hook installed next to the stool she occupied. The lights were down, human memorabilia lined the walls, an old American flag was pinned up on the ceiling as a fan slowly circulated the dingy, smoky air. See as it was day time, there were few customers inside, but that hadn’t stopped her from coming in for a quick glass of beer. She had been given the day off after reporting what Scootaloo had told her to her captain, apparently Scootaloo’s parents had some other shady dealings being reported about them, and she had been given strict orders to go about her business as usual, with the exception of taking the day off.

The man standing behind the bar was quietly scrubbing the inside of a glass, he didn’t pay much attention to the mare aside from occasionally looking up to see if she needed a refill. Rainbow Dash leaned her head into her hooves, looking thoughtfully at the polished bar surface. The mare wished she could do more to help Scootaloo, but she was worried about the commitment she had made to the filly. Her time in the military told her not to go back on her word, and it was looking like soon Scootaloo would be in need of someone to take care of her, but Rainbow dash wasn’t sure she was ready for such a task.

The mare looked up quietly at a couple posters behind the bar counter, one of them was rather new, and depicted Imperatrix Maria Occisor watching over numerous children of varying races and ages. The war had left a lot of orphans, and the poster was part of a government program to try and find them qualified homes.  Rainbow stared at the woman on the poster, taking a sip of her beer as she did. By now pretty much everyone had heard the stories about her, and knowing that she was pregnant had given a lot of people hope for a new beginning. Rainbow Dash was one of them, but even she knew not to idolize someone to too great an extent. As she was thinking she heard the door to the bar open, she peeked over out of instinct and was surprised to see a mare wearing a big blue cape, glasses, and a floppy grey hat.

The mare looked oddly familiar, but Rainbow shrugged it off and went back to looking over at the poster. She paused when she felt someone sit on the stool next to her, her eyes shifting over from the poster to the mare as the bartender set the glass down and walked over to her. The portly man  leaned against the counter.

“I’m gonna need to see some ID.” He said in his usual gruff voice, the spectacled mare reached into her cape and withdrew an ID Card. The bartender quietly looked over the card and chuckled, then looked at Rainbow Dash. “Officer, care to take a gander at this?” Rainbow shrugged, she supposed getting asked questions was the price of her Police Officer’s discount. The bartender handed her the card, everything looked in order until she came upon the name.

“Archaic Kingdom Yearling…” She read aloud, looking at the mare who was staring at her expectantly. Rainbow Dash almost wrote it off as a fake, but held it at an angle and checked the reflective seals. To her utter astonishment, it was legitimate. “It checks out.” She slid the card back, doing her best to conceal her surprise. The man shrugged and took the mare’s order, leaving Rainbow Dash to her thoughts once again. After a couple moments the mare that was apparently A.K. Yearling had a beer sitting in front of her, her eyes were drawn to the mare staring at the poster across the counter.

“That’s kinda odd.” She said, getting Rainbow Dash’s attention. The prismatic mare turned to Yearling with a raised eyebrow. “Most ponies freak out when they find out my name. I take it you’re not a fan?”

“I am, I just didn’t want to intrude.” Rainbow dash replied, taking another sip of her beer and looking at the poster again. “And I have other things on my mind, no offense.” Yearling shrugged for a moment, smiling as she sipped her own drink while the bartender went back to his cleaning of the glasses. After a couple more minutes Rainbow turned to the author, but couldn’t really think of anything to ask, except the most obvious. “So, what brings you to Ponyville?”

“I’m doing some research for my next book, but the place I was going to didn’t have any information, so I’m here thinking of new ways to get in.” Yearling replied with a shrug, she leaned against the counter and looked back at Rainbow Dash. “What about you, ‘Officer’.”

“I’m just thinking on some things, I suppose.” Dash replied, taking a quick gulp of her glass. “Mostly job related, no job I’ve had has ever been easy, but this one’s kinda making me think more than the others.”

“Fair enough.” Yearling said, smirking as she looked around at the decor of the bar. “You know, I can’t believe they pin all this stuff up as decorations. I’d love to get my hooves on it just to study it, you know? There’s literally a whole nother world with tons of stories, and they pin stuff from it on the walls like junk.” The bartender quietly coughed, causing Yearling to quiet down a bit. “For instance, that thing there.” Yearling pointed to an old looking human device sitting on the liquor counter where the bartender was arranging bottles.

“That’s a coffee grinder.” The bartender said without looking away from his work.

“Still, it’s a HUMAN coffee grinder, conceived in entirely different conditions than a pony coffee grinder.” Yearling gushed, she quickly composed herself and sighed. “Hard to hide it, but I’m very interested in the human’s, if you haven’t guessed.” She trailed off. “Also, not the best in a social situation like this… I just can’t seem to stop talking lately.” She trailed off. “If you don’t mind me asking, I’ve noticed you’re looking at that poster quite a bit. Considering adopting?”

“Yes and no…” Rainbow Dash replied. “I know a filly whose parents aren’t the best, and I have a feeling I’m going to end up looking after her for a while. It’s going to be tough if it happens, but I promised her I’d be there for her.” Yearling seemed a bit surprised by the development, her expression becoming stoic in nature. “Whatever happens, I’ll be there for her. That’s all I can do now.”

“I see, sorry if I brought up some bad memories there.” Yearling said simply.

“That’s alright.” Rainbow Dash said, she briefly closed her eyes before looking back at the poster. “It’s been an off week for me too.” She looked back to Yearling. “You know, a year ago I would be asking you all sorts of questions right now, guess I’ve changed more than I thought.” She quickly finished off her beer and leaned against the counter, but stopped as she noticed the door to the bar open again. The music in the background seemed to fade out, and Rainbow Dash was surprised by just who she saw enter the bar. A stallion that looked similar in coloring to Daring Do, and surprisingly AK Yearling. He had a text bubble as his cutie mark and looked around quietly as he approached the bar. “That’s fucking weird…”

“Mhmm.” Yearling said simply, the stallion took a seat beside her and looked around the room until finally settling on the two mares next to him. He blinked a couple times, as if wondering what was going on, before shrugging and placing an order with the bartender. “Canterlot Central Station in here, it seems… I should probably shove off.”

“It was nice talking with you.” Rainbow Dash said with a smile, she chuckled for a second. “I better show up in the next book. Name’s Rainbow Dash.” To her surprise Yearling gave her a wink before she dropped a couple bits on the bar counter and walked out of the room, that left Rainbow and the odd new stallion sitting beside one stool over. He was drinking cola, oddly enough, and looking over something in a notebook marked ‘Illogical Logic’. To be honest, Rainbow found herself thinking less and less about the poster, and the fact she had just met one of her idols, and was more focussed on the stallion. He made her feel rather odd, as if butterflies were rising up in her stomach. She was Rainbow Dash though, she was one of the toughest, grittiest mares out there, she helped win a fucking war for pete sake. Why was she getting butterflies?

The stallion hadn’t noticed that he was being watched but looked over at her without trying to arouse suspicion, Rainbow Dash blushed and looked away, causing the stallion to do the same. After a couple more seconds Rainbow chanced another glance, smiling rather awkwardly at the stallion. She coughed, causing the stallion to return her awkward gaze. Suddenly Rainbow Dash saw the bartender approaching her spot and gesture to the seat closer to the stallion with a knowing smile.

“I’ve gotta clean this spot, mind moving over?” He asked, Rainbow Dash nodded and switched seats, now much closer to the stallion with the oddly familiar coloring.

“So… Who was that you were talking to?” The stallion asked, trying to make conversation, Rainbow Dash gulped before responding.

“Uh… She was an author.” The mare said simply, the stallion seemed rather intrigued. “I was just talking about a book I like with her.” The stallion smirked with a raised eyebrow, sipping his cola.

“What was it? The book, I mean.” He asked.

“Um… Daring Do?” Rainbow Dash said with a bit of hesitation, the stallion brightened, obviously a fan of the book as well. That made Rainbow relax and brush a bit of her mane out of her eye. “I’m, uh… Rainbow Dash.” She offered her hoof.

“Quibble Pants.” The stallion replied as he shook her hoof with a respectful smile.

> Chapter 33
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Equestrian Navy’s old wooden ships had been rapidly replaced by metal vessels, cruisers, destroyers, and any other ship that could be thought of were being churned out by griffon and equestrian shipyards. The Onorussian military was expanding its reach over the world’s oceans, creeping outward like an octopus, there was nowhere for pirates and smugglers to hide. Ships bound for the Crystal Empire had nothing to fear, as the navy had wiped out almost every pirate that had made the North Luna sea their hunting ground. Now that the domestic threats had been addressed, the navy had turned its attention outwards.

There were reports of unauthorized ships that would constantly violate American waters without hesitation, and the navy would be quick to drive them off. However, they couldn’t be everywhere, and so from time to time an illegal fishing vessel or undocumented cargo vessel would get through. They weren’t the main concern of the Onorussian Navy, no, that honor fell upon the unidentified Warships that would often cross into Onorusian waters. Vessels bearing the flag of the Caribou Empire or the Zebra Tribes were considered hostile, and regularly they were greeted with warning shots.

For Dominic, it was a sign that another conflict was inevitable. Even as the tension with the Crystal Empire had receded somewhat in the past month, there were still plenty of things to worry about. Maria was getting closer to her due date, and the Imperator had to juggle the tasks of helping her and planning with his generals on top of all his normal duties. Once again he had taken to shaving his head, as the grey hair had returned with a vengeance. The Caribou and the Zebras presented a unique problem, as both of them were very much tribal and had inherently violent cultures.

Knowing how the Soviets and even the Americans had become bogged down in places like Afghanistan, Dominic was not fond of the prospect of an invasion of such a desolate landscape. The EOL had been at least civil enough that their former citizens had been able to assimilate with minor hiccups, their will to fight had been broken quickly. The Caribou and Zebras, however, were absolutely never going to surrender. Blinded by pride and arrogance, they’d rather see their cities burn than give up. As Dominic looked out his office window to the west, he sighed softly through his nose and shook his head.

He hated them… He never thought it would be possible, but he hated them, more than he hated Celestia. A pair of nations that enslaved, raped, pillaged, and slaughtered anyone in their path, he knew that Celestia had only let them exist because she faced the same dilemma he faced now. His fists clenched and unclenched as he did his best to reign in the worry weighing heavily on his shoulders, he felt almost as cold as the snow that fluttered past the window on its way to the rebuilding city below. Spy planes and agents had effectively identified all the military threats in the nation’s across the sea, as well as in the Crystal Empire.

Even with Celestia’s unpredictable nature, he was confident that she wouldn’t be much of a threat in regards to her Thermo-Arcane possibilities. Still, the construction of Thermo-Arcane weaponry had begun, and was set to finish when the Onorussian military had ten warheads in their possession. No more than that. It hadn’t been so hard to create them, they worked almost exactly like a regular atomic bomb. That had opened up new avenues of industry, electricity was becoming more and more available, and that was how Dominic justified it to himself.

After a couple more seconds of looking out over that distant foreboding horizon, Dominic turned away and adjusted his uniform jacket. He walked to the door of his office and outside, the sun was setting, and it was shaping up to be another cold night in the castle. Despite having minor repairs done to stop snow from piling up, it was still relatively cold due to the blown out windows and holes in the roofs. The marines standing outside the door to his office snapped to attention as he walked past them, he gave them a salute as he passed before continuing on his silent lonely walk.

He had resolved that when his son was old enough he wouldn’t let him go into the ‘Family business’, he wouldn’t let his child suffer the same fate that he had created for himself. With a global empire came a great deal of stress, and despite the pride Dominic took in his work, he also knew that it was going to be a difficult century of dealing with political tension on a planet that either loved or hated humanity. As Dominic’s boots echoed through the vast halls of Canterlot Castle he found himself looking at an Onorussian flag that was hanging from the rafters, the way it swayed on its mount filled him with determination.

Dominic tucked his hands into his pockets as he hunched over a bit, he could feel a familiar ache in his back. He knew it was psychosomatic, but that didn’t diminish the dull pain that radiated like a knife slowly, agonizingly, twisting round and round. He ascended the steps of the castle’s many stairways, leading him to the floor where Luna’s room resided. He nodded to a few more soldiers as he passed them, straightening up to give off his usual strong look, but even they could tell that there was less bravado in the way he moved. His only real reprieve was the thought of all the stuff he would do when he was a father, it would be rough at first, but it would all be worth it. He’d have one more reason to come home.

The man smiled at the thought of Luna and Maria waiting for him beyond the door at the end of the hallway, most likely meditating once again, as it was all Maria could do to keep from being bored. Thankfully Luna’s schedule was far looser than Dominic’s, and so Maria wasn’t alone if she didn’t want to be. The man adjusted his tie as he reached the door before quietly pushing it open and looking inside. To his surprise the room was empty, but he caught sight of a note next to the bed. Dominic approached the note and picked it up, his eyes flicked over the words that were clearly in Maria’s handwriting.

According to the note, Luna had taken Maria to see a play since they had assumed Dominic would be working late. Something about the note put a hollow feeling in the man’s chest, as he realized just how much time his job was taking away from his family. Quietly he set the note back down and closed the door, in the dark of the room he moved to the closet. The man stepped in and changed out of his uniform into a pair of olive drab mechanic’s coveralls. He needed something to take his mind off the day he had had, and he knew just the place to go for that.

Quietly he made his way out of the room, walking through the castle without much care for how he looked, wandering down the steps and the winding hallways until finally he happened upon what had once been the ballroom. It had been converted into a garage and motor pool, and Dominic kept a few of his personal projects in there. He entered the motor pool which was bustling with activity from other mechanics, in there he was just another guy, no salutes or demands for attention. He could pretend he was an average joe. The man walked past a line of tanks to a work bench with a roster of jobs that needed to be done, he was in luck and saw that a patrol vehicle had been brought in for a brake change.

Dominic filled out the work slip before walking through the smelly garage to the car that was to get the brake job, it was a Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. An o’six model from the looks of it, painted olive drab with Onorussian markings on the hood and a light bar on the top. Very much like the car that Dominic kept in New Liberty. He scowled for a moment, thinking about the home he’d rather be in. With a shake of the head the man tucked the work slip into his coveralls and got in the driver’s seat, the keys had been left on the dashboard and the engine started with a familiar rumble. Just a simple brake job, that was probably the most relaxing thing Dominic could think of at the time.

[♠]

Daring Do quietly looked around her as she moved through the thick trees and plants of the Everfree Forest, her wings helped carry her over the twigs that would normally snap or catch her off guard. The forest was not natural, not by her standards anyway. It was quiet, too quiet, prey tend to get quiet when there are predators afoot, and Daring Do was one of those prey animals. Out ahead of her she could make out beams of light occasionally criss crossing through the trees, most likely mounted to the castle of the Two Sisters, a secretive Onorussian military facility that contained the information that the adventurer sought.

The mare adjusted her pith helmet as she came upon a clearing between the trees, more accurately, it seemed to be a road heading into the base. Their guards couldn’t see her through all the thick trees, even with their night vision goggles. The mare leaned her head out of the tree line and peeked towards the facility in the distance, the lights of the guardhouse indicated that there were seven heavily armed humans standing there and beyond them was a massive gate that likely had tons of other soldiers behind it.

Before the war Daring hadn’t had to worry about exploring the old castle of the two sisters, but with the new owners came new obstacles. The mare ducked down into the bushes as a searchlight past by her, then felt her ears perk up as she heard footsteps and voices, as well as the panting of a dog.

“Thermal picked up an anomoly out here…” She heard one of the voices say as they got closer, the dog was sniffing loudly. “Odds are it’s just one of those damn bug bear things.”

“Wouldn’t be too sure.” Said another voice as the footsteps got closer to Daring. “They took down an insurrectionist cell in Ponyville a couple weeks ago, could be one of their lot trying to make trouble for us.” Daring gulped as she heard the two distinct sounds of assault rifles being readied, she peeked through the bushes quietly as she heard the dog sniffing around, much closer now. She gulped when a cold nose bumped up against her muzzle, there was a snarl and loud barking as she jumped back. “Someone’s out here!”

Daring Do knew she had wings and she put them to use, flapping her way up into the tree canopy, then climbing from branch to branch until she burst through the top. She could hear a siren begin blaring in the distance as search lights panned across the area, the mare breathed heavily as she bobbed and weaved to avoid the lights, but the sound of leathery wings replaced the fear of the lights with fear of the night itself. It seemed they were just shadowing her at the moment, as she got closer and closer to the edge of the forest. The mare ducked down through the canopy of the trees again, hoping to lose them, but they split up like a pack of wolves and began searching for her while one of them watched from above the canopy.

Daring came to a complete stop, hiding among the trees as the thestrals began searching through the area. She hadn’t expected to go into combat, and she had no idea how she would fair against Lunar Marines, but she knew that was her only chance at survival. As she looked to her right she spotted the silhouette of a thestral against the lights of Ponyville in the distance. As she had seen him, so too had the thestral seen her with its natural night vision. He wore the usual navy blue fatigues of Lunar Marines, with a command and combat helmet and a black rifle strapped to his side. Daring winced as the rifle cracked, several rounds whizzing past her wing as she leaped towards the Lunar Marine.

To her shock he caught her and slammed her to the ground, pointing the end of the rifle at her cheek, she could feel the heat radiating from the end of the barrel from his previous shots.

“Nicht bewegen!” He ordered, Daring scowled as she looked around for some sort of means of escaping. “Ich habe den Verdächtigen.” The thestral said into his radio, pushing the warm metal against Daring’s cheek, not giving her any real means of escaping. The radio replied softly, too softly for Daring to hear. “On your hooves.” The thestral ordered as more thestrals, now carrying flashlights arrived on the scene, Daring got up and the thestrals began nudging her back through the woods towards the road she had just run from.

She walked in silence as the thestral’s radios continued to buzz quietly, passing over bushes and snapping twigs until finally she had emerged in full view of a glaring white spotlight. Onorussian military vehicles were parked by the road, blocking her chance at escape. To her shock she saw a familiar face among the stallions and humans that made up the cadre of soldiers.  There, wearing the black uniform of the Onorussian intelligence service Providentia, was none other than Doctor Caballeron.

“Daring Do… And here I had thought you had been swallowed up by a jungle somewhere.” He said with genuine surprise, Daring Do scowled at him before pausing when she saw him gesture to the Marine’s holding her at gunpoint. “Those will not be necessary, Miss Do will not be a problem.” The marines nodded and lowered their weapons, their helmets hiding their expressions.

“What are you doing here?” Daring spat in confusion and annoyance. “In that uniform?” Caballeron chuckled quietly as he removed his peaked cap to wipe a bit of sweat from his brow, revealing his once slicked back mane had been shaved almost completely away.

“I am good at finding things, just like you…” Caballeron said with a smirk. “However, I have put that skill into finding rebels.” The stallion sighed softly. “Adventurers are a dying breed, Miss Do. The Onorussians are taking anything that could be of danger to them, including artifacts like those you sought in the castle.” Daring was surprised at the bit of sadness that leaked into one of her greatest foe’s voices, his normally confident demeanor was dampened for that brief instant. “However, I know you weren’t here for state secrets, so there’s no real reason to hold you. Even though I could if I wanted to.”

“I just have one question, if the artifacts aren’t here then where are they?” Daring asked, Caballeron quietly shook his head.

“No monologue this time, Miss Do. You will have to find out for yourself, if you can, that is.” Caballaron gestured to the soldiers to get back into the trucks and seated his cap upon his head again. “I am letting you go this time, hopefully you can find something better to do with your life now that artifact hunting is a thing of the past. Who knows! Perhaps the Onorussians will pay you, Miss Do!” The stallion quietly began to climb up into the cab of one of the trucks. “Or maybe focus on a new hobby? Have you ever thought about taking up writing?”

“This isn’t over!” Daring shouted angrilly, the stallion simply shook his head and tipped his cap.

“For me it is!” Caballaron replied out the window, waving lazily. “Driver, schnell!” With a growl the engine sent the truck down the road towards the Castle of the Two Sisters, kicking back dirt and gravel into Daring’s face. She knew she had to find out where the artifacts had been taken, they belonged in a museum, not in some dusty warehouse…

“What happened next?” Scootaloo asked excitedly, stifling a tired yawn that had attempted to push the filly to sleep. Rainbow Dash quietly set the book in her hoof down, shaking her head and pushing the covers up over her little dare devil. The book had oddly been able to recount the raid that had lead to Scootaloo’s parents being arrested, and as such, had put the filly under Rainbow Dash’s care.

“You have school tomorrow, squirt.” Rainbow Dash said with a gently tone, Scootaloo huffed quietly and crossed her hooves over her chest. “Come on, kiddo… You gotta go to bed, or else the tickle monster might come to get you.”

“Not the tickle monster!” Scootaloo said jokingly, she smiled for a couple seconds before sighing and looking to the side. Rainbow Dash recognized that look of sadness spreading across Scootaloo’s face and put her hooves around the filly. “Can you sing me the show me song?” Rainbow Dash nodded quietly as she broke the hug and reached over to shut the light next to Scootaloo’s bed, then she quietly cleared her throat. Scootaloo was referring to a human song that Rainbow Dash had learned during her time in the Military, a rather awesome song that made for a good lullaby for the daring young filly.

“Close your eyes, squirt.” Rainbow Dash said softly, Scootaloo nodded and closed her eyes. “Show me how to lie, you’re getting better all the time…” Rainbow Dash began singing, running a hoof over Scootaloo’s mane to brush some of it out of her mane. The filly curled up a bit more and hugged a wonderbolt plushy of Spitfire, her trouble expression starting to dissipate. As the prismatic mare continued to sing, she could tell that Scootaloo was going to have a rough night, as she usually did lately, and she would be sure to leave the door to her room open as usual. Within a couple minutes Rainbow Dash stopped singing, as  Scootaloo had lapsed into the land of dreams.

The mare stood up from beside Scootaloo’s bed and made her way out of the room, pausing and looking back in on the filly before quietly closing the door and walking through her house towards the living room. The TV was on, she could hear the familiar sound of phasers and torpedoes and the occasional soft gasp from a male voice, Rainbow Dash emerged into the living room and found Quibble Pants sitting on her couch. They had become friends, or a bit more than friends. The stallion was watching a human movie that had come out in two-thousand and nine about humans and aliens trekking through the stars.

“Thank’s for waiting for me.” Rainbow Dash said in a fake flat tone, the stallion looked over at her as she climbed up onto the couch next to him. “What’s going on?”

“Big ship came out of a space storm and is destroying that human spaceship.” Quibble said as he pointed to the screen, watching as tons of shuttle craft flew away from the ship whilst torpedoes flew at the larger ship. “How’s she doing?”

“Sleeping for now…” Rainbow replied as she cuddled up next to Quibble, watching the scene play out further. The human captain was talking with a human woman, apparently sacrificing himself to save her and the rest of the crew. Rainbow Dash was surprised to feel Quibble put his hoof around her shoulder as they watched the scene, not that she minded the contact.

[♠]

Jack smiled as he slammed his beer glass down on the bar of Ponyville’s local watering hole, the atmosphere was jovial as usual, and a band was playing Celtic Punk Rock on stage. Somewhere in the bar he knew there was Sarah, she and her friend Tally had been enjoying themselves in the sea of patrons, leaving Jack to his own devices. His nickname ‘Ghoul’ was gradually being replaced by a more acceptable monicker, he was simply known as Captain Jack. Chavez, his RIO was passed out on the bar beside him, the latino had drunk more than his fair share of booze for the night, but a night off duty was a rare thing.

Jack had only just finished his first beer, his eyes roving over the crowd in search of any familiar faces. Soon enough he was overjoyed to see one, a mare’s face. Tig pushed her way through the swaying mob, appearing to have a bit of a flush to her cheeks from her own intake of alcohol. This was made more evident by the fact that she hopped up onto Jack’s lap even when there was an open stool beside him, much to his surprise and mild discomfort.

“Jackie boy!” She shouted over the loud blasting music before nuzzling into Jack’s leather flight jacket. “It’s been so long since I saw ya!” Jack was about to point out that they had just talked before their shift had ended at the base, but Tig had a habit of refusing to accept things when she was impaired. “How’ve you been?!”

“Fine.” Jack replied evenly as he helped the mare sit in his lap, smiling when he felt her warm muzzle nuzzling up against his chest. “You look like you’ve had a good time too.” Tig laughed loudly and patted him on the shoulder a bit harder than she had intended. It wasn’t painful, as ponies were adorably cute when they were drunk, and Jack couldn’t help but give the mare a hug.

“Oh yeah! I had lots of fun trying to find you!” Tig replied as she finally rested her head on Jack’s shoulder. “You humans are really tall, did you know that?” Jack quietly chuckled as he held the Earth Pony like a small child in his arms, grunting at her slight muscular weight. “Can you take me home? I can’t walk…”

“Sure.” Jack said as he used his free hand to pull some money from his pocket and place it on the bar near his glass, he stood up and began carrying Tig through the partying crowd to the front door. The cold air of the outside washed over him and Tig, causing the pony to nuzzle more into his chest. It wasn’t that long of a walk to the air base and the gate guards were quick to open the gates as the silent pair passed by them, for Jack it was just another stroll, just with the added warmth of his marefriend’s fur. Once they were through the gate Jack looked down at Tig. “So, what’s the real reason you’re like this?”

“Oh, you know, a little of this… Little of that…” Tig said softly, trying to skirt the issue as they walked past the aircraft that sat silently on the tarmac. Jack shook his head quietly as he approached the barracks that Tig lived in, his boots crunching the fallen snow. “Got a letter from my mom today…” She was just coherent enough to hold a somewhat normal conversation, the cold air had managed to sober her up a bit. “Told her about you, she wasn’t happy…” Jack was a bit surprised, and felt guilty when he thought that it was his fault. “Fuck her… She’s a snob.”

“She’s still your mom.” Jack said quietly, Tig just nodded as they got closer to her barracks.

“Doesn’t mean I have to take her shit… Especially about you.” The mare said softly as they reached the door to her room, the man used his key to open it and carried the mare inside. The room was dark and smelled of ozone and burnt metal, Jack flicked the wall on and illuminated the area. It was like a small studio apartment, on the table there was a bunch of newspaper laid out while a model F4 was sitting on a stand with paint brushes next to it. “Thanks for the lift.” Jack chuckled quietly and set her on the floor, she wobbled for a bit before staggering towards her bed. Jack couldn’t say it aloud, but drunk ponies were some of the cutest things out there. “You’re welcome to stay the night, you know?” Jack looked over his shoulder, then shook his head.

“I can’t, they weren’t too happy about there being a relationship on the same base, and I doubt they’d be even happier if they found us together in the morning…” Jack said quietly, he walked to her bed and helped pull the blankets up over her. “That being said, you know I would if I could… So, just pretend I’m here instead.” Tig nodded and nuzzled Jack’s cheek before giving him a kiss.

“Nighty night.” She said with a smile after he returned the kiss, Jack waved as he walked to the door and flicked off the light, then closed the door and began walking to his own barracks with his hands tucked into his pockets. The chilly winter air made him him shiver, and despite knowing Tig was so close, he felt lonelier than ever.

[♠]

The wind blew harshly across the sandy beaches on the coast of the Caribou Empire, tall waves splashed against the shore and the moon cast a haunting white light down onto the nearly barren snowy planes that lead up to the water’s edge. Trees, laden heavily with snow, creaked and groaned under the strain of the wind. Nocturnal animals howled and growled in the chilling forest while a distant lighthouse rotated round and round, though there was no ships for it to signal, as seaborne trade had come to a stand still. It was this sight that greeted an aging caribou, his entorage looking at him quietly from behind. Emperor White Tuft, the leader that would take his people to global domination, was trembling from rage more than the cold.

He had come to the beach to watch the ships, as it often helped him fall asleep at night, but since the arms embargo there had been no outward or incoming trade. No nation would dare buy slaves from him, for fear of the Onorussian bear that lay just over the horizon. Such a peaceful night, too peaceful for the warrior king. The reindeer stood on the Donner straight, the shortest possible ocean crossing point between the Caribou Empire and the Crystal Empire and, by extension. the Onorussian’s.

He could see the distant beam of a lighthouse across the channel. White Tuft scowled, his antlers began to be covered in snow as he continued staring at his newest foe with contempt. The Onorussian’s were ‘Liberators’, and undoubtedly they would come for his nation and demand that he free their slaves, but he would do no such thing. Caribou were, after all, the most superior race on the planet. All others were meant to serve them, even the filthy humans that had come through from their disgusting planet. His alliance with the Zebras and Saddle Arabia were simply a means to an end, once he had destroyed Onorus he would set his sights on them, and then the rest of the world.

“Your highness.” A voice said from White Tuft’s side, the buck turned and glowered at the speaker, a younger buck with a smaller rack. Despite that glower, the buck stood firm and cleared his throat. “We must return to the palace, sir. There have been reports of the Onorussian’s odd metal ships on the sea.”

“I do not fear those beasts…” White Tuft said sternly in his gruff voice, looking back across the ocean. “Let them come, they will break against the horns of the caribou.” Across the sea, as if responding to his challenge, there was the sound of a mighty whistle. It’s scream put fear into many a young caribou, and sea faring bucks often spoke of it as ‘The Wail of the Damned’. In actuality, White Tuft knew it to be the USS Leviathan. A frighteningly large battleship that could supposedly hit targets from miles away, but White Tuft didn’t buy it. “It is chilly, however… For that reason we shall return to the palace.”

“Yes, your eminence.” The young buck replied as the two returned to the entourage and began walking back towards the tree line. Little did they know, that across the vast channel of water, they were being scrutinized and studied by minds far superior to theirs, as one would examine creatures under a microscope so too were they scrutinized through binoculars. Not a single caribou would suspect that their country was being watched with hateful eyes, eyes that searched for any weakness. Slowly, and surely, they drew their plans for invasion.
> Chapter 34
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The snow of winter had been cleared away as per the tradition of ‘Winter Wrap Up’, spring weather was already settling over the land, and just about every citizen in the country of Onorus was standing or sitting near their radio sets as news stations broadcast around the country. A tense excitement had settled over the nation, from coast to coast, on navy ships and in the cockpits and control towers of the air force, to the airships that patrolled and carried cargo. The news was coming from Canterlot, leaving the entire nation on edge. Even in the Crystal Empire, Celestia and her cabinet stood by the radio, listening for the latest update.

For Dominic, it was the tensest, most stressful moment of his entire life. More stressful than the battle for Denver, or the decision to create the Onorussian Republic. He paced back and forth in the waiting room of Canterlot General, Lunar Marines kept the press at bay while he could hear the distant sound of Maria crying out from the delivery room. The room had originally been meant for ponies, meaning it wasn’t big enough for Dominic or Luna to squeeze into, meaning they were forced to wait outside. Luna had her eyes closed in meditation, though Dominic could tell she was hiding the worry under her calm surface.

Sweat ran down Dominic’s face, the collar of his dress shirt was undone, his tie and coat sat discarded on a nearby seat. His  feet ached from the constant pacing, the baby wasn’t supposed to arrive for another two weeks, and Maria had been in labor for nearly seven hours. There was little he could do, and that made him more angry than he cared to admit. All his combat training, all his political power, useless in the face of his greatest challenge yet. He had said more than a hundred ‘Hail Marys’ and ‘Our Fathers’, as that was really the only thing he could do. He would’ve killed for a pack of cigarettes, but he didn’t want his son’s first smell of him to be an acrid scent.

“You’re going to wear through your shoes at that rate.” Luna spoke up quietly as she opened her eyes, breaking her meditative silence. Dominic looked at her without stopping his pacing, unsure of how to respond. “She will be fine, you know that…”

“What if something goes wrong? What if there’s something wrong with the baby? We didn’t have nearly enough tests done…” Dominic mumbled as he continued pacing, Luna stood up from her sitting position and stopped him with a wing. She quietly ushered him towards a seat and then sat beside him, his foot began tapping rapidly as he looked over at her.

“Close your eyes.” Luna said sternly, Dominic opened his mouth to protest. “Listen to your Insegnante.” The mare said, that titled caused Dominic to quietly sigh and close his eyes. She hadn’t used that title until she had finished training him, meaning she wasn’t kidding. “Now take breaths and repeat after me, keep repeating until I tell you to stop…” Dominic relaxed his shoulders and took several breaths, doing his best to blot out the sound echoing down the hall. “Maria will be fine. The baby will be fine. Everything will be fine.”

“Maria will be fine… The baby will be fine… Everything will be fine…” Dominic mumbled, repeating the words over and over again. Time seemed to blend together, the sound of his voice drowned out the distant voice, the repeating mantra kept his mind in a constant rhythm. It chugged along like a hardy locomotive, offering him a bit of respite from the stress. Luna meanwhile had taken to pacing back and forth, her hooves quietly echoing against the tile floor of the hospital waiting room.

Down the hall, in the delivery room, Doctor Patterson and her staff were preparing for what would be the most crucial part of the delivery. They had no choice but to carry it out naturally, as there weren’t sufficient tools to perform a C Section. Maria was being as much of a trooper as she could, sweat pouring down her face as she gritted her teeth in pain. Patterson could tell by looking that it wouldn’t be long now, seven hours of intense work would come to an end in a loud and chaotic moment. It had been years since Patterson had delivered a baby, but she had been studying like mad since Maria had come to her, now she had to hope that she hadn’t lost her touch.

“Okay, you’re doing great. Just a little more.” She said to Maria, the woman was pretty much at the end of her limit. “On my go, okay?” The woman nodded exhaustedly, her hair soaked with sweat. “One… Two… Three… Go.” Maria gritted her teeth and gave another push, never in her life had she felt such pain, Patterson got into position. “That’s it! That’s it! Almost there!”

“Fuck!” Maria shouted in pain, continuing to push.

“You don’t want the kid to hear you sayin-” One of the technicians chimed up.

“Shut the fuck up and get him out of me god damn it!” Maria shouted, leaning her head back and trying to control her breathing. Seconds later the room was filled with a new sound, it cut through the beeping of the heart monitors and the other noises associated with hospital equipment. Shrill and loud, and full of life. The cry of a newborn.

“It’s a boy!” Doctor Patterson said gladly, she and her staff went about the usual procedures of cutting the cord and drying the baby, then weighing him. Maria watched quietly, recovering from the ordeal as best she could. “And what a boy! Eleven pounds!” The baby was crying loudly as they finished their procedures, before finally wrapping him up in a warm blanket and putting a little knit cap on his head to preserve his body heat. Finally, Patterson walked him over to Maria. Tired and aching, the woman still managed to reach out and for the first time took her infant son into her arms. The baby quieted down as he felt the loving embrace around him, and Maria felt tears welling in her eyes. He was very pink, with expressive brown eyes and a scruffy head of black hair.

“H-Hey…” Maria said as she looked at him, the doctors were cleaning her up and adjusting the hospital bed while the little boy looked up at his mother curiously. “Welcome t-to the world, little guy.” The woman quietly looked at Doctor Patterson, appearing a bit uncertain. “C-Can Dominic and Luna see him?”

“We’re going to take him to get a more thorough check up while we move you to recovery, then they can see him.” Patterson replied in a gentle tone, Maria nodded quietly and looked back at the bouncing baby boy in her arms. “You can hold him a bit longer if you like.”

“I think I will…” Maria replied as she held the little baby’s head against her chest, she then paused as she felt a sudden wave of exhaustion crash over her. “A-Actually… I don’t know if I can stay awake much longer…” Patterson nodded and stepped forward, taking the baby from Maria as gently as she could.

“When you wake up he’ll be in a crib next to your bed.” The Doctor assured her, Maria nodded and laid her head back. Patterson handed the child off to one of the nurses in the room before removing her rather gruesome looking smock, she proceeded to step out into the hallway and walk towards the waiting room. It took her a couple minutes, allowing the nursing staff to move Maria out of the delivery room as well as the baby. When Patterson arrived she was surprised to see both Luna and Dominic pacing back and forth in step with one another. They stopped simultaneously when they saw patterson, worry starting to creep across their faces. “Mister and Misses Occisor, you have a son.” Relief washed over the two of them, somewhat. “Maria is doing fine as well, she’s just resting, and we’re checking on the baby to make sure there’s nothing we could’ve missed. Given his size though, I think he’s going to be okay.”

“How big is he?” Dominic asked, then paused, he wasn’t sure why he had blurted that out. Patterson chuckled softly.

“Eleven pounds.” Patterson revealed, Dominic’s smile grew wide as he slumped back into a seat, resting a hand on his shaved head. Luna was equally relieved to hear the news, and surprised to hear the weight of the child, considering that it was quite a large number. She supposed that was why he had come early, and why it had taken so long during labor. “If you’ll follow me, you can come to the recovery room.”

Luna and Dominic followed Patterson through the hallway, passing hallways that had been cordoned off by Lunar Marines to prevent paparazzi from getting inside. Hospital staff and patients still roamed the floor, but it was far less active than normal. The pair found themselves entering a rather nice looking room, Maria lay in a hospital bed with her head off to the side and her eyes closed. Patterson left them with a brief farewell, when she was gone Dominic approached Maria’s bedside and gripped her hand. To his surprise she squeezed it back weakly. With that Dominic turned and walked to one of the chairs set up beside Maria’s bed, Luna sat beside him and draped her wing over his shoulder.

As the news began to spread through the hospital it gradually made its way to the reporters and paparazzi waiting outside, of course it was only officially released by a spokesperson. The news spread through the country like wildfire, thanks in no small part to the availableness of radios. The country breathed a collective sigh of relief at knowing that the child had come safely and securely, even if they didn’t have a name for him yet. In some smaller towns there were celebrations, the larger cities saw people listening in bars and restaurants. Hours passed, for Dominic and Luna it was still tense, even as the sound of celebration began to echo through the city outside.

“Is this what it was like?” Dominic quietly asked as he looked over at Luna, the mare raised an eyebrow at him. “When I got banged up in that riot… You know? You were next to me when I woke up.” The man quietly looked towards Maria, her chest rose and fell softly as she rested from her ordeal. “Is this what it felt like?” Luna paused for a couple seconds, then she nodded and leaned her head back against the wall.

“In some ways yes, but… I think I’m far more worried now, mainly because of the baby.” The alicorn admitted, Dominic could understand that. He himself was growing rather impatient with the doctors, they kept telling him that his son would be brought into the room soon, but he hadn’t seen him. He hadn’t seen him once since he had been born, and his frayed temper was starting to flair.

“Where the fuck are they with him? Where the hell is my son?” Dominic said in frustration as he looked at the door, he stood from his seat and once again began to pace back and forth. “Hours after he’s been born and I haven’t seen him once. What the fuck kind of fly by night, shameful, disgusting operation is this? Huh? Where is my son!?” Luna would’ve quieted him down, but she shared his sentiment. The door to the room opened, and Dominic turned to face it, prepared to let whoever came through know just how he really felt. He pointed his finger, but stopped when he saw that it was a nurse pushing a plastic crib in front of her.

Dominic’s frustration melted away as he saw the crib moved next to Maria’s bed, with a very special eleven pound person inside it. The nurse, a white earth pony, simply nodded politely and left, only stating that the doctor would arrive shortly. Dominic and Luna approached the crib, peering down into it and getting their first good look at the new life among them. It was love at first sight, a maternal and paternal instinct to protect and care for the little one overcame them. For Luna he was the most adorable, loveable little bundle she had ever seen. He looked around confusedly at the two new people. Dominic smiled widely as he reached his finger down next to the child’s grasping hand, tiny little fingers wrapped around it tightly, causing the man to chuckle.

“You know… He looks just like me?” Dominic said proudly, his smile growing wider as he felt his son’s hand clasped around his finger. The man carefully reached into the crib and lifted his son with the most gentle movements he could muster, holding the swaddled baby in his arms as he smiled widely at Luna, the mare was smiling widely as well as the little guy stared at her flowing mane curiously. “Wouldn’t you agree? He looks just like me? He has his mother’s eyes, but my rugged good looks…” Luna rolled her eyes but continued to smile, the man quietly set the boy back in his crib and sighed. “I need a second to recalibrate… Do you mind if I step out?”

“Go ahead.” Luna said, Dominic nodded and walked out of the room. He stopped and pulled a box from his suit jacket, it was moderately sized and made of wood. As he walked he opened the box and looked inside, there were a dozen or so cigars inside. Just enough for the Lunar Marines that had been working so hard on that floor, he wandered through the hospital and gradually handed them to the thestrals and even some humans, until finally the box was empty. It had only taken him fiftee minutes, and during that time he had managed to go to the bathroom, before finally he returned to Maria’s recovery room.

Doctor Patterson was there, and she was going over the basics with Luna, all things that they had read through in their books. Of course, she was happy to explain that everything with the baby was fine, and that they had kept him for so long just to be sure. It was that kind of dedication that rapidly redeemed her in the eyes of Dominic and Luna. Eleven pounds of adorable baby boy, healthy as a horse, and strangely calm. He hadn’t cried all that much, preferring to sleep and look cute. The conversation was rather boring, and really didn’t cover anything of note. Once again Luna and Dominic were left to watch over Maria and their newest family member.

Dominic’s thoughts turned to his father and mother, bitter sweet memories of his family flooded his mind as he sat at Maria’s bed side. He watched as his little baby boy would occasionally fidget while he slept, every time he saw his son he couldn’t help but smile. Never in his life had he felt so happy, so fulfilled. The man quietly stood from his seat, catching Luna’s attention. He walked to the crib beside Maria’s bed and looked down at his boy, those expressive brown eyes stared back at him. Luna watched as the man placed his finger into the crib, allowing it to be grabbed by the strong tiny fingers.

“My son…” Dominic said softly as he continued looking down on his son. “What great things will you accomplish?” The man’s tone was warm, his baritone voice resonating through the voice. He took his finger from his son’s grasp and booped the baby on the nose. “Look at his strong Roman nose. Those tiny broad shoulders. I could never deny he was mine.” Luna could hear Dominic choke up on the last sentence, watching quietly as he wiped his eyes. “If Maria wakes up, I’ll be out in the hall… I have some things I need to think over.”

“Alright.” Luna replied as she watched Dominic walk away from the crib and out into the hall, Luna stood up and walked towards the crib to get a better look at the little boy. He seemed a little surprised by her, and Luna could sense perhaps he was afraid too. “Hello, little one.” Luna said softly as she sat beside the crib to look down into it. “I’m your mother… Or, your other mother. It will probably be confusing growing up in a family like ours, but you’re going to have so much more love…” The mare’s tone remained positive and loving, causing the baby to stare at her with a happy look. “You are absolutely adorable, you know that? Yes you are.” The slight bit of baby talk made the child smile more due to the tone alone. 

A couple seconds later he seemed to change, and then began to cry loudly. Luna was a bit surprised and worried as he began crying louder. Maria stirred in the bed and groggily sat up, looking around nervously as she heard her child crying. She looked over at the crib and sighed softly, Luna seemed relieved to see her awake.

“He just started crying, I don’t know why…” Luna said nervously, Maria rubbed her head before gesturing quietly for Luna to nudge the crib closer. Luna complied and moved the crib, allowing Maria to lean over and pick the baby up.

“Shhh… Shh…. It’s okay.” Maria said softly as she cradled him in her right arm while she used her left to undo a couple buttons on her hospital gown. It fell down, causing Luna to blush as she caught sight of Maria’s bare breast. The woman didn’t seem to mind and moved the crying baby close to her exposed chest, sighing softly as she felt him latch onto her nipple. She cradled him a bit more, letting him suckle as infants often do. “He was just hungry…” Maria said to Luna who had relaxed, she looked down at her son with a soft smile. “See? You’re okay, little one…”

“I was worried I’d frightened him, I know I can be a bit loud.” Luna said softly, Maria shook her head. “Dominic’s out in the hall, he’s been worried sick, but happy. If that makes sense.” The woman nodded and looked down at the babe on her breast, then to the door that lead to the outside hallway.

“I think maybe he’s a bit more scared of me.” Maria said with a slightly edgy tone, Luna raised an eyebrow at her. “All the books said to expect the mother, me, to basically become a full on bitch the first few days after giving birth.” Luna hadn’t read that part of the books, she’d been more fascinated by just how many different books there were in the first place. “I guess you aren’t afraid though, which is nice.” Maria looked down at herself and seemed to grimace. “Fuck… I look like the pillsbury doughboy, even with this little guy out of me.”

“You do not, you’ve just got a litt-”

“I’m fat, damn it!” Maria snapped, Luna realized what the books had apparently meant. The woman sighed softly and adjusted her grip on her son. “I’m sorry…” Luna only nodded, Maria looked down at the baby in her arms. “So, we’re certain it’s a boy now… We should name him. We can’t just keep calling him baby.”

“I believe Dominic was fond of the name Tiberius or Trajan…” Luna said as she looked to the door, Maria rolled her eyes quietly. “From what I’ve read of Rome’s history, both of them were actually very highly regarded leaders.”

“I think Dominic likes Tiberius because he’s a nerdy trekkie, even if he won’t admit it.” Maria said, brushing a bit of the child’s hair out of his eyes. “Truth be told… I do kind of like it. It’s bold… Powerful.”

“I’m rather fond of Altair or Bellatrix, but you can tell why I would like an astronomical name...” Luna replied with a bit of a smile, casting a brief look to her starry mane. The door to the room opened and Dominic cautiously poked his head in, after seeing that he wasn’t in any sort of real danger, he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He smiled at Maria, Luna, and his son. “Good timing, we were just talking about names.”

“I was thinking something maybe a bit more conventional… Michael… Jacob… Dominic.” Maria said with a slight smirk, Dominic looked up at the mention of his own name. To Luna and Maria’s surprise he shook his head.

“Don’t name him after me.” He said with a firm tone. “I don’t want him to think he has to live up to my name, and also… If you yell for one of us, we’ll both end up shouting ‘What?’ back, then you’ll get annoyed and it’ll get confusing.” Maria and Luna blinked a bit at his reasoning, and it made sense in both regards. “I don’t really mind Michael, but Jacob doesn’t really seem to fit him, especially now that we know how big he is.”

“I like Bellatrix or Altair…” Luna said again. “Maria, Dominic… I love you both very much, and I love my son as well…” She looked at both of them cautiously, even though she knew better. “That said, he has your hair, your eyes, and that oh so Roman nose…” Luna looked at the baby quietly, humming softly. “I’d like for him to have something of mine as well.” Dominic and Maria exchanged glances, both of them could tell that it was the right thing to do, it was Luna’s right as a mother to at least have some tie to her child.

“That… Seems fair.” Maria said softly as she looked at her son. “So… Altair Tiberius Occisor?” She asked, looking around the room for feedback, Luna smiled and nodded happily, as did Dominic. “Altair… My little Altair… I like it. It rolls off the tongue nicely, you know?” Maria looked at her husband and smiled faintly. “Go get the doctor so we can tell her.”

“Okay, while I’m out I can get something to-” Dominic began.

“Just go get the doctor!” Maria snapped in an almost demonic sounding voice, Dominic’s eyes widened and on instinct he gave her a quick salute before dashing out of the room. Luna blinked quietly, she’d never seen him act that way before, then again… Maria never really lost her temper before. At least, not all at once. Altair didn’t seem to notice, he was too busy gorging himself. It was going to be a difficult first couple of days, that was easy for everyone to tell. That being said, the nation of Onorus was more unified than before, as the diverse nation bonded over the birth of what was potentially the heir to the throne, so to speak.
> Chapter 35
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Earth it was just starting to become morning. The light from the sun covered the summer plains of the state of Wyoming with its warm glow, illuminating a complex of prefabricated structures surrounded by barbed wire and sandbags. An Onorussian flag flew high from a pole in the center of the compound, tanks were parked along the outer fence, protecting the buildings from anything that could possibly come at it. One of the buildings in the compound was a barracks for the several hundred troops stationed there, they were already awake and preparing for their daily tasks.

The compound was known as Outpost Juliet, a forward base for the advancing Onorussian forces that were gradually clearing and securing land and resources. That particular day was going to be nothing special, there would be helicopters moving out to map and search for survivor settlements, as well as ground patrols and air support. One of the women that would be going on a helicopter patrol was of polish descent, she had at one point been a radio operator, and before that a forced soldier of the EOL. Wiktoria adjusted her M-60 as she sat in the side of a Huey helicopter, the sleeves of her uniform were rolled up and a pair of aviators covered her eyes.

Since the war had ended with the EOL she had decided to remain on Earth to help with evacuation and relocation efforts, and gradually she had found her niche as a helicopter door gunner. The sound of the engine starting and the chopper blades rotating was soothing to the muscular Polish woman, the perfect start to a beautiful day. The pilot, a stocky black man by the name of Murphy, knew that she liked to listen to the engine. That was probably why he had started it up so early, all of the crew were very accepting of her, even despite her history. The co-pilot was also Polish, a rather handsome man by the name of Nicodemus, but everyone just called him Nico. Truth be told, Wiktoria found him rather attractive, though she’d never say it to his face. Finally there was Kim, the other door gunner. He was a new guy from Japan and mostly kept to himself.

“Alright, today’s objective is to perform a flyover of that settlement to the north that our ground teams spotted two days ago.” Nico announced over the headset, normally it was the job of the pilot, but it had become a bit of a running joke that Murphy’s word was law and they didn’t want to give themselves bad luck. ”Now, unlike we usually do, we’re going to be observing only. Our ground guys say they might have seen some heavy weapons in their compound, so we aren’t landing and making first contact.” Wiktoria adjusted her grip on her M-60 as the huey’s engines continued to spin the rotor up to speed. The downdraft began kicking up sand and dust, and many of the ground forces were looking at it with rather amused expressions. ”Everyone set?”

“Yeah.” Wiktoria replied, as did Kim. Murphy nodded silently before pushing the throttle up, Wiktoria adjusted her helmet and sunglasses as the ground began to fall away from the helicopter. Throught the speakers in her helmet she could hear the radio being changed, eventually the sound of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s ‘Fortunate Son’ was playing to lull the crew into relaxation for the beginning of the trip. Wiktoria watched the trees and plants on the ground begin whizzing by underneath the helicopter, the beautiful rising sun was brightly shining its orange glow over the land below. She felt like she was in some sort of Vietnam movie, even though she knew the reason they were fighting was for the right reasons.

In the distance she could see a pair of F4 phantoms streak by at a higher altitude, most likely on station in case any of the ground forces needed support. The olive drab helicopter continued on regardless of the planes in the distance, the chopping blades echoed through Wiktoria’s ears as she leaned her head back in the seat and looked up at the ceiling. She reached up to a knob on her helmet and tuned out the music, preferring to listen to the simple noise of what was basically a giant fan, the ultimate white noise. Occasionally Wiktoria would peer down at the ground, watching as the burned out ruins of houses and towns would occasionally pass into her view.

Wiktoria could see corpses of dead infected lining the roads, some of them were crawling weakly, but after five years of decay they were pretty much completely decomposed. The woman couldn’t help but ponder how absurd everything would seem to her five years in the past, and yet there she was, riding along in a helicopter built in another dimension full of mythical creatures. Wiktoria shrugged and smirked, leaning on her M-60 and listening to the occasional radio chatter between Murphy and Nico. Even in such destruction, the land held a very special beauty to her, one that she was glad would not be forgotten.

”Hey, Tori? What do you think these guys are gonna be like?” Kim asked from his position on the other side of the chopper, Wiktora sat up and rubbed her chin in thought. ”My money’s on them being a bunch of elmos, you know? Probably gonna flip the fuck out when they see us.”

“I’m hoping they aren’t those anti-government nuts that build compounds in the woods. Those are the worst.” Wiktoria replied casually, referring to the numerous times their patrols had come under fire by so called ‘Patriots’. Most of the time a show of force was enough to get them to fall in line, but they were still pains in the ass to deal with. “Actually, no… Doomsday cults are the worst, or they would be… If we didn’t have napalm.” That got a chuckle out of the rest of the crew, it had become common practice to treat cults as extensions of the EOL, as most of the time they employed slavery.

”Let’s just hope those heavy weapons don’t have any ammunition.” Murphy said, Nico and Wiktoria groaned.

“Damn it, Murphy! You just had to say that?! You have any idea how much I hate getting shot at?!” Wiktoria shouted, Murphy only chuckled over the comms before going quiet. The helicopter dropped down in altitude, now flying twenty feet or so above the trees below. Wiktoria and Kim could tell that meant they were getting close, both of them readied their M-60s. Wiktoria took a moment to remove her sunglasses and flick the visor down on her helmet, a HUD appeared and provided her with a reticle that was tied to her gun’s point of aim. She just loved modern technology, the helmet also came with a mask to shield her face from the harsh wind, which she also pulled on. She rolled down her sleeves and rested her gloved hands on the trigger of her weapon.

”Alright, we’re coming up over the settlement in about thirty seconds. Eyes ready everyone.” Nico informed while the helicopter began banking to one side, most likely to give them a better angle to circle around the compound of survivors. They hadn’t responded to any radio communications, but if they had heavy weapons it was likely because they were ignoring the messages. In the cockpit Nico had picked up binoculars and was peering through them at the compound up ahead, it was larger than they had expected, with fences running around the perimeter and numerous vehicles parked in a crude motor pool.

Wiktoria could see people rushing around on the ground as the helicopter flew past and began to circle, the many buildings down there looked like warehouses, and one of them had their doors being pushed open. To the surprise of the co-pilot, he saw a bulldozer roll out of the building. It was an older looking vehicle that had been armored up like an EOL tank, with two fifty calibers mounted on the top of the cab. Murphy turned on the auto-hover when they were at a safe enough distance, allowing Nico to get a better look at the compound. He could see a flag waving on a pole in the distance, the flag of Wyoming. On the ground he could also see the tank had seemingly stopped, and he could see people arguing and pointing at the helicopter.

”We’re gonna hold here for a bit, they’ve got a ground column moving in from the south.” Murphy said, he switched off auto hover and began to slowly circle the compound, Nico began relaying what he was seeing to the ground commander while Wiktoria was left to her thoughts. It must’ve been the shock of those survivor’s lives to see a helicopter with military markings circling overhead, she could only imagine the emotions that they were feeling. The sound of jets in the distance told them that if anything were to happen to the helicopter, retribution would be swift.

Hours passed, on the ground Wiktoria could see dust rising up from the road running towards the compound, that was Murphy’s signal to turn the helicopter back as it was in need of fuel. The helicopter passed over a column of armored humvees painted olive drab, bearing Onorussian markings as well as a white flag at the front of the convoy. Sitting in one of the humvees was one of the UNs former agents, now a simple grunt in the Onorussian military machine. Lieutenant Hinkman. His sleeves were rolled up as he sat in the passenger seat of the lead humvee, as usual his hair was buzzed short and he wore a pair of mirrored sunglasses. He looked like a CIA agent of some kind, but that made sense considering his previous job.

As the helicopter passed overhead Hinkman was listening to the radio communications between his driver and the six humvees following behind his. Trees passed by on either side of the road as they rolled along the nearly overgrown dirt path, kicking up dust and rocks as the war machines rolled on and on. In the turret of the humvee there was a private holding a poll with a white flag, it was assumed that since the helicopter hadn’t been shot at the survivors were moderately friendly, or at least sensible. Hinkman adjusted his kevlar and checked on the M-16 tucked between his legs, occasionally glancing over at the driver. The soldiers he was riding with were human, and relatively new recruits. He hadn’t even learned all their names yet, but somehow he had been put in charge of babysitting them.

“Take the left turn up ahead.” Hinkman said as he pointed to a road up ahead, the driver nodded and turned down that road. Ahead of them they could see the compound of survivors, as well as some signage that indicated it had once been a construction company. That would explain how well fortified it was, as the materials were most likely on hand. “Slow up. Watch the road ahead.” Hinkman advised, adjusting his seat nervously. It was logical to assume the survivors could’ve come up with some sort of spike strips, it wasn’t the first time that had happened.

”All Reaper victors this is Styx, victors two through seven will hold back as Reaper one-one makes contact with the foot mobiles.” The sound of the battalion commander said over the radio, Hinkman looked out the window behind the humvee and watched the other vehicles slow to a halt.

“Why’d they do that, lieutenant?” Asked one of the corporals in the back seat, Hinkman picked up his rifle and rested it in his lap.

“In case we get lit up, they don’t want the convoy to get hit as well.” The man said simply, he smirked faintly when he heard the faint sound of rounds racking into chambers. “Ease up, boys. I doubt they’re that dangerous. When we stop let me do the talking.” The others nodded quietly but Hinkman could tell they were watching every angle they could, which was good, because he was nervous on the inside. To ease his tension he began humming to himself, the humvee slowed as it approached the gate of the compound which had a fifty mounted behind numerous sandbags and was currently being guarded by ten men. They wore rather well maintained work clothes, half of them held shotguns or rifles while the rest had melee weapons like nail boards and clubs.

Hinkman took a deep breath before he opened his door and stepped out of the humvee, the recruits inside the vehicle watched with rapt attention, but they trusted his judgement enough to remain calm. He let his rifle hang on its strap across his chest as he began approaching the gate, biting his cheek to try and keep himself from shaking. The men ahead of him looked a bit surprised at his uniform, specifically the Onorussian flag patch on his shoulder. They parted after a few tense seconds, allowing an older man and a younger man to walk past them. The older man wore a flannel shirt and jeans, his boots were stained red with greying black hair. The younger man looked like a younger version of his counterpart, with a couple exceptions, obviously father and son.

“Who are you?” The older man asked as he got closer, Hinkman straightened up.

“Lieutenant Hinkman of the Onorussian Expeditionary Force.” Hinkman said simply, the two men didn’t change their expressions. “The United Nations folded into a new government, the details of which I’m afraid are hard to believe.” The men crossed their arms over their chest, almost in unison. “We are prepared to evacuate your people to a safe area south of here.”

“What if we don’t want to go?” Asked the older man, the younger man looked at him with a bit of surprise. “We’ve been doing fine on our own, why do we need some safe zone? What’s to keep us from staying here?”

“Nothing.” Hinkman said simply, putting his hands on his hips. “Unless you want schools, medical supplies, real beds, jobs, and so on.” He paused, catching a whiff of something. “Not to mention hot showers.” The older man didn’t look impressed, but his son did. Hinkman watched the younger man tug on his father’s shirt before whispering something up into the man’s ear. The older man scowled and looked down at his son, then back at Hinkman.

“No.” The man said simply.

“But dad, you said we were doing this until the government reached us!” The younger man shouted, Hinkman was prepared to see a full on fight ensue as the guards at the gate began to mumble to one another. “That’s the government dad, sorry if it isn’t what you expected.”

“Damn it, Zack! Not now!” The older man shouted back, Hinkman sighed and pulled a cigarette from his pocket, followed by his old zippo lighter. He lit up and took a drag on it, causing some of the smoke to waft towards the two bickering family members. They paused and looked at him and were surprised when he offered them a couple, which they each took.

“Look, sir. I understand you don’t believe us to be legitimate, I’m sure being skeptical of this sort of thing has kept you alive.” Hinkman said as he exhaled another cloud of smoke, before lighting the cigarettes of the other two men. “But believe me when I say we’re legitimate, and soon all of this land around you is going to be crawling with soldiers, tanks, trucks, and so on.” The older man looked around as he heard the faint sound of fighter jets in the distance, coupled with those of helicopters getting closer. “Even if you wish to stay, wouldn’t it be fair for you to ask your people if they care to come with us?”

“I… I suppose…” The older man said with a sigh, his decision was made mainly because he hadn’t heard engines like that in a long time. One helicopter and a couple humvees would be easy enough to get, he reasoned, but jets and multiple choppers. That didn’t seem feasible for anyone but a government. “Zack, stay here. I shall address the group.” The younger man nodded as his father walked back towards the gate, leaving Hinkman and Zack to themselves. For Hinkman it was just another day in the Onorussian expansion into Earth. For the people in that forboding fortress however, it was likely the start of a better life.

[♠]

Luna’s bedroom was quiet as the moonlight shined through the window, curtains open wide and illuminating the furniture with just enough light. Maria and Dominic lay in bed as Luna sat by the window, holding Altair in her hooves and gently rocking him back and forth. He had started crying earlier, and it was Luna’s turn to take care of him. Thankfully he hadn’t been hungry and she hadn’t needed to wake Maria, Luna had simply changed his diaper and he became cool as a cucumber. Now she was trying to get him back to sleep, her vision turned out into the night sky.

Altair was wrapped in a warm bundle of blankets, and his eyes roved over the night sky as well, Luna could tell he was fascinated by all the spots of light up above. He quietly babbled something, Luna smiled faintly and adjusted her position on the floor. She looked down at Altair, he’d wiggled one of his arms out of the blanket and was tugged softly on Luna’s mane with a look of curiosity across his face. The alicorn chuckled as her son stared at her mane, trying to figure it out as best he could, staring at the stars that lined her ethereal hair.

“That’s my mane, yes…” She said when Altair looked up at her, her voice quiet and her tone warm. “I bet you’re really curious about stars, huh? Of course you are…” Luna gestured with her hoof out the window, pointing to a very clear constellation. It was one that she had formed when she and Dominic had first started courting almost two years prior, depicting a human warrior in Roman Armor. “That one there? That’s ‘The Great Warrior’. I made that one just for your dad…” Altair looked at the very clear constellation with his babyish wonder. “I’ll make one for you and your mother soon… You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Altair only babbled quietly before yawning and relaxing into his bundle of blankets.

Luna lifted his blanket, and by extension him, with her magic. The mare walked him over to his crib and set him down, watching as he closed his eyes and drifted off to dreamland. As a baby, his dreams were relatively simple and Luna was glad to say so far in his month of life he had only had good ones. The mare turned to the bed and moved closer, then climbed in beside Dominic and pulled the covers up over herself. It was a peaceful night, there weren’t any nightmares she could sense within the dream realm, she hoped it would stay that way for the rest of the night. It was quiet and tranquil… For about three minutes. All three of them opened their eyes as Altair began crying again, before Luna could get up Dominic was already getting out of bed with a groan.

“You have that meeting tomorrow…” Luna said groggily, the man simply shook his head and approached the crib. She sighed and closed her eyes, listening to the man talking in a low tone to his son. The Imperator slipped on his robe and tied it closed before he lifted the crying Altair out of his crib and cradled him in his arms. 

“Oh quit being such a baby…” Dominic said tiredly as he walked to the door of the room, hoping to carry Altair out of earshot of the already tired Maria and Luna. The guards standing outside the room looked over with a bit of sympathy as Dominic walked past them and closed the door, Altair was still crying loudly. “Come on, kiddo. What’s wrong?” Dominic asked rhetorically, Altair replied with a wail. “You don’t say…?” The Imperator quietly leaned against a nearby wall and rocked Altair back and forth, eventually he managed to get the boy to calm down a bit. “It’s okay, buddy… You’re okay. I’m okay. Everything’s okay.”

Altair slowed his crying and looked up at his father, Dominic couldn’t tell what had him so upset, but he supposed that babies just like crying in the middle of the night. The commander rocked his son back and forth and walked back into the bedroom, watching as his son closed his eyes once again. Dominic sighed quietly and placed the now sleeping baby back in his crib before walking to the bed and laying down tiredly, it didn’t take him long to fall asleep, and this time thankfully Altair didn’t find anything to his dissatisfaction.

The rest of the night passed peacefully and quietly, in the morning the three herd mates awoke and prepared for their various days. Maria was glad to be staying home with her son, it was nice to have that time to herself. The EOL and all of its followers had made ‘Housewife’ a dirty word, which was one of the reasons so many families were returning to that sort of family setup, to spite the enemy. As for Dominic, he had meetings with his generals regarding plans to invade and annex the Caribou Empire and their allies whenever their newest nemesis decided to attack.

Dominic had no qualms with the idea of annexation, on Earth before the fall every nation was too afraid to take what they wanted, relying more on diplomacy and never really getting anything done. Putin had been doing his best to guide Dominic through the tricky workings of Empire building, as was Luna. Luna knew how to handle problems internally, and she was doing just that, helping the Onorussian congress to come up with compromises whenever they needed them. That was the usual day that they each had, and each of them had come to enjoy it in one form or another.

Maria fed Altair as Dominic dressed himself in his usual uniform, his sword and handgun hanging from his belt. Luna had taken to wearing a sort of toga rather than her regalia, a purple sash signified her rank. Maria’s was back to wearing her usual casual clothing, leaning back in a chair in front of a window that overlooked Canterlot with Altair suckling from her breast. There was no real alternative, as formula wasn’t widely available or used, and Maria didn’t believe in using it anyway.

They said their goodbyes, and just like that Maria was left alone in the room with her son. She sighed for a brief moment, as much as she enjoyed having time to herself, she also enjoyed Dominic and Luna’s company.

“Guess it’s just you and me, squishy.” Maria said to Altair as she looked down at him with a smile, the baby looked up at her with curious eyes. “You get cuter every day, yes you do!” She booped him gently on the nose as he let go of her breast, causing him to giggle and fidget. She held him up a bit and gave him a raspberry right on his little baby tummy, causing him to giggle more before she pulled back. “You’re the cutest little boy that ever lived, you know? Even cuter than your old man.” Maria giggled as she wrapped Altair in his blanket. “Don’t tell him I called him old, okay?” Altair replied with a babble, Maria smiled and stood up with him in her arms. “Want to go for a walk around the castle? We can go watch the workers fixing the roof!” 

Altair responded with a happy squeal, Maria knew he liked watching the people and ponies working to repair the damage from the war. It was finally being done now that Canterlot was pretty much rebuilt, and Altair had taken a shine to the crew of workers. Maria stood from the chair and adjusted her tank top with her free hand before she walked to the door and stepped out into the hallway, the guards standing beside the door snapped to attention as they usually did, but relaxed when they saw that Maria had Altair with her.

“Good morrow, Imperatrix Maria.” Said one of the guards, a man with a flair for medieval actions. Maria had learned he used to be a LARPer, and he was most likely living his dream as standing guard in a castle. The woman smiled back at him, and Altair babbled and tittered as he was one to do when he was happy. The other guard, a griffon female, gushed at the adorable child’s actions.

“Good morning, Imperatrix. And good morning to you too, nibblet!” The griffon said as she looked at the baby, of course Altair could only respond with his baby noises. Maria smiled at them both as she adjusted her grip on her son.

“Good morning, Clark. Good morning, Peregrine. We’re just going to see the workers this morning, after that I think we’ll take a walk through the market, in case anyone comes looking for us.” Maria explained, the two guards nodded and went back to their posts. “See you in a bit.” With that the woman began walking towards the sound of distant hammers, Altair seemed to pick up on the noise and began to babble excitedly. They passed numerous restored paintings on the wall, as well as a couple new ones. Maria noted one was of a thestral, it stood out against all the regular paintings because it was the only one to depict a thestral. The pony in question was depicted in a rather heroic position, Maria knew that it was a painting of Lieutenant Colonel Errant. She had heard plenty of stories from Dominic about the mare, and Maria was sad that she had been killed in the war with the Changelings.

Altair babbled again, picking up on his mother’s emotion through her body language, though he wasn’t really conscious of this because he was still a baby. Maria looked at him and straightened up as she walked further through the halls, it didn’t take them long to reach the workers that were putting up the new roof and clearing away the old debris. They had become accostumed to seeing the Imperatrix and her son in the morning, and many of them waved as she arrived. Maria couldn’t figure out why Altair enjoyed watching them move rubble so much, perhaps he was just curious about everything. Honestly, she hoped that was the case. Dominic had always devoted great passion to things that interested him, such as military history and strategy. If Altair had inherited that trait Maria knew that he could do anything.

They stood their quietly, and Maria enjoyed hearing the excited noises from her son. For half an hour they watched the work progress, listening to the workers shouting to each other from scaffolding. After a while Maria felt it was time to depart, and she waved happily before turning to walk away. Altair didn’t object, not that he could do much if he did, because he was a baby. Maria instead made her way back to her room where she set her son in his crib, only temporarily however, as she was dressing herself a bit more appropriately. The woman opted for her old Sniper’s cloak, it would help hide her face from the crowds. She didn’t like going out into the public, as she knew people would treat her differently because of her status.

With her disguised donned, she went back to the crib and gathered Altair, he tugged at her cloak as he usually did on their outings. Quietly the cloaked woman stepped out of her room once more, passing by her familiar guards and making her way through the winding hallways of Canterlot Castle. She passed more paintings and sculptures, some had been recovered from Earth, such as several Presidential portraits. Maria didn’t pay them much mind as she made her way to a back door, already there was a team of Lunar Marines in plain clothes waiting there. They knew the drill well enough, and she was glad to see they were just as ready as always. With a small purse of gold in her pocket, she and the marines began walking towards the local market.

The hustle and bustle of the city was a nice change of pace from the castle, which was usually almost as quiet as a monastery. In layman’s terms, it was a chance for Maria to relax and cut loose. Altair enjoyed the outings well enough, and Maria would be sure not to leave him out if she decided to make any interesting purchases.

[♠]

Dominic quietly sighed as he finished looking over the latest operational layout for a war with the Caribou and their allies that seemed innevitable. Dubbed War Plan Black, it accounted for the varying strategies that would be needed to take out the three allied nations of Saddle Arabia, Zebrica, and the Caribou Empire. The Zebras were a mainly agrarian society, and so wiping out the central government would be simple enough, with food supplements to keep the population in check. Of course there was a chance of uprising, but as far as Onorus was concerned they were throwing in with the enemy. For Saddle Arabia it would be a bit more simple, as they were more concerned with wealth than anything, and their military was notoriously corrupt. Enough money in the right places would give Onorus a corridor to their capital with minimal loss of life… And failing that, bombers would suffice to wipe out the ground based military units.

The Caribou were the real challenge, and Dominic likened them to the phanatical citizens of North Korea. That meant civilian casualties were likely to be high, but considering they were a slave keeping nation, that was not much of a concern to the Onorussian high command. Many would call them cruel, and to some extent that was true, but their orders were simple. Preserve Onorussian lives over those of Caribou. Dominic’s generals had proposed an aggressive strike on the nation’s ports and land trade routes, and to keep squeezing them until they capitulated or starved. To aid with these operations, the think tanks of the CIMC and Providentia had produced horrifyingly lethal fusions of human and Equestrian technology.

Dominic was most intrigued by the Onorussian’s first generation of battle suits, power armor using charged crystals as their source of energy, with Earth Made steel and kevlar being employed as armor over the crucial arcane components. There was also the new research being done in E-Mat Conversion, a process that could possibly permit the use of energy weapons in the Terran theatre. It was all very Sci-Fi, and Dominic liked it. A she stood in front of a table that projected a sort of holographic map of the Caribou Empire, he couldn’t help but feel like some sort of futuristic conqueror. The future was his for the taking, all he needed from the Caribou was a reason. In time he was certain he would have that reason, but for the moment he would bide his time and patiently wait for that day.
> Chapter 36
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dominic quietly sat in Luna’s greenhouse-turned-training room, it had only been a couple days since the final session for War Plan Black had been completed, and after reviewing it closer she said she had wanted to see him. Not as his wife, but as his teacher. Dominic knew well that she was never joking when she made a demand like that, it was one of the only things that still gave him a pit in his stomach. She had made him sit in that hot building, dressed in his uniform, for nearly three hours without so much as showing up. He knew, however, that she wouldn’t leave him there for no reason.

Sweat formed on his brow as fast as he could wipe it away, his clothes were practically soaked with the liquid, but he wasn’t about to give in to the exhaustion. She was testing his will, most likely, and he wasn’t going to fail her. The sound of the water in the pond near the corner was calming enough, the numerous plants that lined the walls and floor would occasionally list around, caught in some minute breeze that Dominic couldn’t feel. Aside from that, nothing seemed to move or thrive. The man would occasionally look around as he sat in the uncomfortable metal folding chair that he knew Luna had picked specifically for its lack of comfort.

The door to the greenhouse opened after what felt like an eternity more of waiting, through it stepped Luna in all her glory. She was frowning as she walked in front of Dominic, giving him cause for concern. Floating in her magic were documents that looked very familiar, copies of War Plan Black that she had been given to review. The mare set them on the dirty floor before sitting down herself, leveling a soft glare at the man. Dominic fidgeted uncomfortably as he met her glare, he was certain now that this wasn’t some sort of test. He was in the dog house, or… The greenhouse, as the case seemed to be.

“Dominic, you and I need to discuss these plans of yours.” Luna said quietly, Dominic raised an eyebrow at her, but he was too tired and too hot to do much else. “Your generals are certainly smart, these strategies would undoubtedly be successful. The nation would grow larger, with minimal loss of life on our side…” Dominic could sense a ‘But’ coming up. “However… I cannot believe you would approve of such measures.”

“Why not? Dominic asked as he tilted his head at her.

“Such tactics are cruel, they may be effective, but they will also bring a great many nightmares to the inhabitants.” Luna said solemnly as she looked over the papers, Dominic remained quiet to let her speak her piece. “As I am the protector of the dream realm, and you are Warrior of the Night… I am your superior in that regard.” The man was about to speak, but Luna would have none of it. “I love you, Dominic. I hate to pull rank on you, especially because I know how tough it is to be in your position. You know that these methods are wrong…”

“So is slavery.” Dominic replied as he looked down at the documents on the floor. “So is using rape as a weapon, selling women into bondage, slaughtering towns because they don’t worship the same god elk or whatever caribou believe in.” The man stood up quietly and adjusted his uniform, she could hear the seriousness in his voice. “Conventional tactics won’t work on that sort of evil, we’ve seen this with the EOL. They didn’t have half the will to fight that these caribou have, and still they fought to the bitter end.”

“I understand…” Luna said in her serious voice, Dominic could tell she was struggling to keep her composure. He was having a hard time himself, personally he didn’t care about the well being of the caribou, in his mind they were an enemy to be destroyed. At the same time he knew that he wasn’t perfect, that he was prone to holding a grudge. As hot and tired as he was, Luna had trained him well enough to keep his frustration in check. “Employing these tactics of scorched earth would make you no better than them.”

“What would you have me do, Luna? Risk more lives on the ground?” Dominic asked as he looked at her, the sweat pouring off his brow and dripping down his nose. “If we march in, topple their government then leave they will just install one that could possibly be worse.” Luna quietly looked to the door and ignited her horn, it swung inwards and Dominic caught sight of a thestral wearing the new uniform of a Lunar Marine officer. He recognized him as General Eventide. The stallion had been stationed in the Changeling Autonomous region during the planning, mainly because he had requested it.

“I spoke with my closest general about that, my love…” Luna said as Eventide stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He snapped to attention and saluted Dominic and Luna, Dominic returned it on instinct. “He has presented me with a solution that could minimize casualties, all I ask is that you hear him out.”

“If everyone’s thinking alike, someone isn’t thinking… Alright, General. Let’s hear it.” Dominic stated, Eventide nodded quietly and walked closer.

“I propose we used our strongest weapon against them, sir.” Eventide said simply, the man’s eyes widened and he looked at Luna with a bit of shock. “Not Thermo-Arcane Weapons, sir. Something far stronger… The true enemy that has been faced by every army to ever set foot on a battlefield.” Eventide said with a smile, Dominic’s shock turned to one of mild intrigue. “A human general, Sun Tzu I believe, said it best… To win without fighting is supreme excellence.”

“So we would use fear…?” Dominic said simply, Eventide nodded. “Are you proposing terrorism, General?” The thestral shook his head, giving the Imperator a bit more relief.

“I propose we give them a weapon’s demonstration, sir.” Eventide said dutifully as he stood at ease in front of his two commanders. “We have been working on the development of an arcane bomb based off the design of the Massive Ordnance Air Burst and Russian schematics from a prototype…” Dominic quietly watched the young general, intrigued by the plan, showing it clearly on his face. “I propose speeding along that weapon development, as well as delivery systems. Should it come to war, we would deploy three of these weapons. One in each country that declares war.”

“Why only one?” Dominic asked as he sat back down, Luna was smiling as she saw the gears turning in his head. More importantly, she was glad to see Eventide coming into his own with someone that understood his method of thinking without questioning him because he was a Thestral.

“Each would be deployed on the furthest target possible, preferably right on their opposite borders.” Eventide said with a smirk. “If we show them we can hit them in even the most remote parts of their countries, we show them we can strike them anywhere.” Dominic nodded quietly as he listened to the idea. “I suspect the Zebras and Saddle Arabians would lay down their arms shortly after, especially if they see more advanced weapons pointed at them. The caribou, however, may require more than one bomb to get the message.” The general looked towards the pond, humming softly as he watched the water flickering in the light. “After their surrender we occupy them for a time, show them just how hospitable the Republic is, to the point where they rely on us.. Then we annex those that wish to be annexed and leave those that refuse to fend for themselves, surrounded by angry nations that had just previously been conquered by them…”

“It’s… Diabolical.” Dominic said quietly as he rubbed his chin, Eventide seemed a bit put off by that statement. “Have you ever read the work of Machiavelli, General?” Eventide shook his head. “You should, I think you would find it interesting.” The man looked at Luna and chuckled lightly still sweating from the heat. “When you argue, you really argue… It’s true, this may not be the most upfront way of stabilizing a destabilized empire, but it sure as hell beats scorched earth. I’ll take it up with my staff. I expect to see you there, General.”

“Sir?” Eventide asked.

“This is your plan, you should be the one to deliver it.” Dominic said, Eventide was about to speak again, Luna could tell he was used to being put down in meetings, she had told Dominic about it when they had discussed Equestria’s military during the Forty Eight Hour War. “General, you will be listened to, you have my guarantee.” Eventide relaxed his stance a bit. “Besides, you’re being transferred to the planning staff. That idea was more creative than any of the stuff we came up with before, and we need people like you.”

“Thank you, sir.” Eventide said with a bit of surprise, he had been so used to being treated like an outside. Finally someone was giving him a chance to put his skills to use, all of the teachings Luna had given him were coming to fruition. The general saw Luna smiling a bit more as the mood in the room lightened, she always had that smile whenever she won an argument. Dominic was glad to have been proven wrong, but he knew he would still have to keep the original plan on the books in the event that the new plan failed.

“You’re dismissed, General.” Luna said, Eventide nodded quietly and left as he had been told to. Once again he closed the door behind him, leaving Dominic and Luna alone in the room and once again putting the Imperator on edge. “We’ve discussed a new plan, but there’s still something more we must talk about.” Dominic quietly sat down again, wiping his face again. The man removed his jacket and as much of his uniform as he could, granting him a bit of a reprieve from the heat. “I understood your wish to minimize casualties, however there is something I do not think you are aware of that has been driving your thoughts regarding the Caribou.”

“What would that be?” Dominic asked as he sat there, now down to simply his undershirt and fatigue pants. Luna approached him and sat right in front of his seat, with one hoof she reached out and placed a hoof on his chest.

“You are a fine warrior, Dominic.” Luna said simply, looking at her husband’s chest. “Your heart can be your greatest strength, or your greatest flaw.” The mare looked him in the eyes quietly and removed her hoof, as his wife she hated to keep him in such a warm room, but as his teacher she knew it was the only way to get him to understand. “You’ve walked a long road, and now that the world is at peace, the road has seemingly come to an end… You are afraid that without an enemy to fight you will lose what has made you so strong.”

Dominic looked to the floor, away from Luna’s eyes. The running water of the pond gave the room its soft ambience, and the young man knew there was no way he could escape without Luna’s say so. Her hoof brushed up against his cheek and turned his head back to face her, the eyes she bore were not ones of judgement, but of understanding.

“My sister ascribed to the same belief before the war, Dominic. It is a very dangerous way of thinking.” Luna said quietly, Dominic felt her words hit him like a freight train. “My dear, dear warrior. Your life is far longer than you could have imagined it would be.” The mare put both of her hooves on Dominic’s cheeks, so that all he could do was look at her. “There will be more enemies to fight in due time, it is time that you begin to understand what it means to be an eternal being.”

“I…” Dominic mumbled as he sat in the chair, sweltering in the heat. Luna had disarmed him perfectly, as he was too tired to argue, and his temper had remained calm enough for him to reason out what she was saying. “I understand, Luna… I will try.”

“Do, or do not. There is no try.” Luna said, smirking a bit. She hoped to brighten the mood a bit with a cheesy comment, and sure enough she caught sight of Dominic’s smile worming its way onto his face. She brought her hooves away from him and smiled back. “It’s going to be alright, dear. You just have to have a little faith. Now come on, I’ve got a very important meeting to get to, and you’re coming too.”

“What’s the meeting about?” Dominic asked as he stood up and grabbed his clothing. “Shouldn’t I shower first? I don’t want to go looking like this.”

“You’ll have plenty of time to do that when we get there.” Luna said with a smile, Dominic was mainly confused. “The meeting is most urgent, I never miss one.”

“What meeting, Luna?” Dominic repeated himself, he hated doing that.

“The one where Altair and I play peekaboo while Maria makes dinner!” Luna added with a smirk as she began walking back towards the castle, Dominic found himself smiling a bit as well at the prospect of seeing his son so early in the day. Usually he would be back at his desk at this point, but the day’s paperwork had been thankfully short lived. All in all, a productive day for him, he only hoped he was doing the right thing.

[♠]

Jack quietly adjusted his flight suit as he and Chavez flew along in their F4 that was being fueled in mid air over Jackson Airport in Wyoming, he was honestly looking forward to the mission for that day. Ever since he and his squadron had been deployed to the Terran Theater he had been getting the chance to fly more and more combat missions. Today was different however, as his aircraft was without a payload. The ever expanding area of Onorussian control was in need of support from the air, and that was the barnstorming ace’s specialty. However, his current mission was to fly as far as possible into Idaho and look for any possible city states that had formed.

The familiar rumble of jet engines echoed through the cockpit, Jack flicked a couple switches on the control panel. His eyes caught sight of a Polaroid stuck to the dash with a strip of tape, he smiled as he adjusted his oxygen mask. The image of a familiar loving mare gave him yearning for home, the military had reassigned Tig to a different unit when they had made their relationship known officially. It was standard procedure, since he was an officer and she was an enlisted mare. He knew she would be waiting for him when he got back, and so he focused back on the mission.

“Everything look alright back there, Chavez?” Jack asked over the intercom as he flicked his tinted visor down, there was a brief pause before he heard the familiar latino voice reply.

”All good back here, chief. Chavez replied as he looked over his head at the boom of the air tanker that was filling their aircraft with much needed fuel. Chavez could see the airport they were flying over below, it had yet to be restaffed and resupplied to support jets, hence the need for mid air refueling. Ahead of them laid the edge of Wyoming and the beginning of Idaho, uncharted territory for even the former Native Confederacy. For all they knew there could be aliens parked out there, or worse, people with Surface to Air Missiles.

Jack peeked out his starboard window and caught sight of his wingman, or woman in this case. Sarah was flying in her usual position just behind his wing, she had already been refueled and was making sure everything was going according to plan. The man looked back up at the aircraft in front of him, spotting the face of a tanker crew member waving to him to get his attention.

”Alert One, this is Leadbelly. Prepare to disengage.” The radio announced, Jack adjusted his grip on the control stick and readied himself.

“Alert One is ready to disengage on your mark.” He responded in his serious tone.

”Disengage in three. Two. One. Mark.” The tanker retracted the boom in Jack’s fuel tank and began to accelerate away once it had cleared. ”You’re good for another couple thousand, Alert One. Have fun out there.”

“Roger, wilco.” Jack responded before he flicked a switch, causing the fuel cover to close. “Alright, everyone’s topped off. In about…” He looked down at his watch. “Three minutes we will be the furthest Onorussian troops in the Terran theater.” The pilot sighed and leaned back in his seat, taking in the sights around his aircraft as it continued flying along. “Hey, Chavez?”

”Yeah?” Chavez replied as he checked the radar screen in front of him, as usual it was devoid of any contacts other than the tanker that was turning away and the jet flying along side them.

“I’ve been doing some thinking lately, because this could be a long flight, you know?” Jack replied as he looked out the window, spotting nothing unusual as they continued along. “Since we know that there are other universes out there, you think there are any where old cartoons and such are real? I mean… I guess I have my answer already, but you know what I mean?”

”I think it’s safe to assume that’s very possible, sir. Might I ask what got you thinking about it?” Chavez replied, Jack shrugged and continued scanning the horizon.

“I was watching one of those Japanese cartoon dealies, and they characters were so stupid…” Jack elaborated, looking down at the earth below, the beautiful landscape was changing as they flew further, eventually passing the three minute mark without much fanfare. “I was like ‘What the fuck is wrong with you! I could have this wrapped up in five minutes!” 

”And that got you thinking what if you were actually there.” Chavez said, Jack hummed in response. ”Honestly, as long as they don’t come here or to Onorus unannounced, I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“You’re probably right.” Jack said with a shrug, silence settled over the two of them for a couple moments before the pilot spoke again. “But if they really are out there… There are plenty of sexy women with giant tits that would be amenable to a herd…”

”God damn it, Jack! You left your fucking mic on!” Sarah’s voice suddenly shouted over the radio, Chavez started laughing as Jack felt his face going extremely red. The man quickly fixed the problem and began to chuckle to himself as well.

”You got a point, Cap. Exploring dimensions with slutty big titted Japanese women could be an immense recruiting tool. I’d sign on for another tour if there was a chance of that.” The two flyers chuckled a bit more before settling into their usual flight routine, below them Idaho seemed to be just as boring and bland as Wyoming. Jack adjusted the throttle, cutting off a bit of speed as small abandoned Idahoan towns passed below them. Their flight plan was to take a looping flight over areas that were likely to have survivor settlements, hence their need to refuel so recently.

Chavez wasn’t expecting to see much on his screen, but he supposed getting a free sightseeing flight wasn’t so bad. He was more focused on watching the outside of the aircraft, the abandoned towns on the ground looked interesting enough, they’d certainly seen some serious damage during the infection. He was surprised when he spotted something kicking up dust on the ground, from the looks of it it was a police car driving at high speed down a dirt road that paralleled the aircraft’s flight path. Soon enough the lights flicked on, as if trying to signal the aircraft.

”Cap, left side, looks like we found something.” Chavez announced before he looked down to his map. ”I make our position as just outside ofArco.” Jack looked over at the police vehicle that was struggling along on the road, he rapidly chopped back the power so that he could get a better look at it.

“Call it in, we’ll circle over head until they can get a team out here.” Jack ordered, he could tell it was certainly going to be an interesting day.

[♠]

Rainbow Dash grunted as she did push ups with her wings, the midday sun shined brightly outside of her cloud home as she continued her workout routine. She had the night shift, not that it was a problem, as Quibble had volunteered to babysit Scootaloo for her. He was a lifesaver, and honestly she felt like she could open up to him more than she could to her friends. The mare’s mane had fallen down in front of her eyes, short as it was she had still started letting it grow a bit more. Sweat dripped from her brow as her muscles burned, surrounded by the silence of her home. The burning sensation felt hauntingly familiar to her, and for a second she thought she had heard someone moving in her house.

Rainbow stopped her push ups and stood to her full height, looking around the quiet room as her wings began to recover from their exercise.

“Scoots?” She called out quietly as she walked towards the kitchen, leaving her open living room. Rainbow Dash peered into the kitchen, scanning her surroundings for anything out of the ordinary, her nerves were completely on edge. The sound of the refrigerator’s icebox turning on nearly made her jump out of her skin, the rumble reminded her of the distant sound of an explosion. Rainbow Dash ran her wing over her face, wiping a bit more sweat away as she backed out of the kitchen. She decided that perhaps she had done enough exercise for one day, and with that she made her way to the bathroom to take a shower. A very cold shower. Hopefully it would snap her out of whatever odd funk she found herself stuck in.

She walked down the hallway, out of the kitchen and passing by Scootaloo’s empty bedroom. The filly was off at school, something Rainbow was more than glad for, as the new Onorussian curriculum was teaching much needed physical fitness classes. Scootaloo’s flying was improving substantially, much to Rainbow’s relief. She smirked for a moment as she thought about the filly, so lost in thought was she that she accidentally bumped into the door of the bathroom.

”Thirty seconds!”

“Wolfgang! Hans! Did you see a chute?!”

“Waste the motherfuckers!”

Rainbow Dash panted heavily as she snapped out of what felt like some sort of trance, she was sweating much more heavily now. Images of the night they had dropped in near Ponyville had run through her mind, watching as Boris’ plane was shot down, thinking he had been killed, and watching Gilda take out the guards on the bridge. She couldn’t understand what had just happened to her, but she found herself trembling in front of the same door she had bumped into. Her shower was brief and quiet, her usual calm was shaken, and she preyed heavily that Quibble would get to her house before Scootaloo did. She didn’t want her daughter to see her so shaken.

She wound up waiting on the couch, watching the door quietly, the images constantly flitting through her mind. The sounds of bombers dropping their payloads, artillery pounding away, tank engines, all of it blending into a cacophony of noises that forced the normally brash and brave police mare to curl up into a quivering ball of fear. Explosions seemed to grow louder and louder, coming faster and faster, pounding away on her mind until finally it came to a crashing halt. The booms of cannons were replaced by the gentle knocking on the door.

“C-Come in…” Rainbow Dash said as she tried to regain her composure, she watched as Quibble Pants stepped through the door with his usual grin. It faded when he saw how Rainbow was sitting, and he trotted over to her after closing the door. “Hey, Quibs…” Rainbow Dash said weakly as she relaxed.

“Hey… You alright?” Quibble asked with great concern, Rainbow Dash was about to tell him a lie, that she was just tired, but once again she could hear the sound of bombs exploding through her mind.

“N-Not really…” Rainbow Dash said with a tired tone, she looked towards the floor as her coltfriend hopped up on the couch beside her. He always knew how to give her enough space without leaving her feeling alone. “I… I’ve been thinking a lot about the war today, and I don’t know why.” She looked to the stallion and could see a bit more concern cross his face. “They said I might feel… Something. You know, when it was over… But… I just…” The mare grunted with a bit of anger and scowled. “I hate not being able to, what’s the word, artichoke?”

“Articulate.” Quibble replied, he put his hoof on her shoulder and gave it a couple gentle rubs. “Maybe you should call out tonight? Take some sick days and go see someone.” The suggestion seemed reasonable enough, and Rainbow Dash had never taken a sick day in her life, even when she was on the weather team.

“M-Maybe…” Rainbow Dash said quietly as she inched closer to Quibble and rested her head against his side. “I… I think I want to be held...” The stallion obliged and put his forelegs around Rainbow Dash, letting her bury her head into his chest. He felt her start to sob, something he had never seen or heard before. She was always so strong, the stone that stood against the constant rages of the sea of life, and yet here she was crumbling in his grasp. The warmth of Quibble’s fur was what kept her away from the brink and helped to clear her mind of the memories.

“Let it out…” Quibble said, as he wasn’t sure what else there was for him to say. Rainbow Dash began to weep louder, her fur becoming stained with tears as she broke down. All the fear she had felt and suppressed during the war, the confliction of taking up arms against a country that had once been her home, every agonizing moment she spent thinking the people she cared about could be dead or dying was released in that instant. For nearly an hour she cried uncontrollably, until eventually she managed to reign the tears in. Quibble had remained quiet for most of it, only offering the occasional soothing noise or brush of her mane. She couldn’t expect him to know what to do, she didn’t know what to do herself, if there was anything to do.

“T-Thanks…” Rainbow said as she pulled away and wiped her nose, Quibble smiled at her softly and nodded. “I… I don’t know what happened to me there.” She wiped her nose again and looked at Quibble, noting that she had made quite a mess of his fur. “Oh, I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be.” Quibble said with a serious expression. “The war was scary just watching it happen, I can only imagine what it was like being a part of it.” He looked Rainbow Dash in the eye, staring into those beautiful orbs that were normally filled with such passion. “I have nightmares too, Dash. You aren’t alone in this.” Rainbow Dash quietly wiped her eyes as she began to tear up again, Quibble reached to the coffee table in front of the couch and retrieved a box of tissues kept there for whenever they would watch a sad human movie. “Do you want me to call out for you?”

“No… I’ll do it.” Rainbow Dash said quietly before she scooted across the couch to a phone that had recently been installed, modified for ponies larger hooves. Quietly she dialed the numbers to her police precinct and put the phone to her ear, there was a brief buzzing of the call going through before she heard the voice of the desk sergeant answer.

”Ponyville Police Department, Second Precinct, this is Sergeant Dust.”

“Hey, Dust… It’s Dash.” Rainbow Dash said quietly, she cleared her throat for a moment before speaking again. “I… Uh… I can’t come in tonight. I’m not feeling too good.”

”Yeah, you sound pretty easily! Have some chicken soup, that usually helps! Anyway, I’ll let the captain know you can’t make it. Feel better!” The sergeant responded, Rainbow Dash nodded quietly and simply hung up the phone without a farewell. She took a deep breath through her mouth and sighed it out through her nose, then scooted back over to Quibble Pants. She picked up one of the tissues and wiped his chest up, then took another to blow her nose.

“I don’t want Scootaloo to know, okay?” She said quietly, Quibble nodded quietly. “If she asks, I just… Watched a sad movie, or something.” Another nod. “Speaking of… I could really go for a distraction, care to finish watching that show about space cowboys?”

“Firefly or Cowboy Bebop?” Quibble replied, Rainbow Dash shrugged quietly.

“Firefly.” She said with a bit more energy, Quibble pants nodded and got up to put the show on the TV. They settled in and watched the characters, sighing as they knew the show would likely not get another season, what with the apocalypse and all that. Still, Rainbow Dash knew there was a movie as well, if only she could get her hooves on a copy of it. Watching the show helped put her mind off the thoughts of the war, and occasionally she found herself smiling a bit more often. Watching how free the captain of the ship seemed to be, well, it made Rainbow long for something similar. A space ship was a huge feat, but an airship would be possible. Rainbow would likely never do it, but she knew it was possible, and that was enough to give her hope. Even if she never did what she was thinking, it was a nice dream.

[♠]

Dominic quietly sat in his office, he had left Luna and Maria to their business in order to be alone. The sun was setting in the distance, and he was seated in an armchair facing the window. Below him was Canterlot, bustling as it had almost two years ago when he had first come to the strange new world that was Equestria. How many friends had he made? How many friends had he lost? How many people had he killed? He didn’t know, and what was more, he felt himself slipping away from who he used to be. Two years ago, would he have been so willing to approve a brutal strategy against an enemy? He knew the answer was yes. Would he have felt upset about it? That was a different matter.

Eventide had given him a way out, and he was grateful for that, his already heavy soul could probably not stand to bear anymore death on his conscience. Yet he knew that there was literally an eternity ahead of him, an eternity that could require him to kill again and again. Would he continue to feel as he felt, or would he become numb to it as he once was. He didn’t let Luna or Maria see how conflicted he felt, though he suspected the two of them had some notion that he wasn’t alright. There were people that claimed they had wanted to rule the world, and at one point Dominic might have been one of them, but it was dawning on him that such power came with great responsibility. Quietly he sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Discord, you there?” Dominic asked the empty room, after a couple seconds Discord appeared beside him with his usual suit and tie.

“What can I do for you, my friend?” Discord asked, Dominic quietly turned to look at him with a somber expression.

“There are infinite universes, right?” Dominic asked, Discord nodded. “Can you show me one?” The draconequus stared at Dominic for a couple seconds,as if trying to get a read on him. Humans were tough to predict, and he wasn’t sure what Dominic had in mind. “Can you show me what my life would be like if the infection had never happened?”

“Can I? Yes.” Discord said, his own expression becoming serious as he poofed up a chair next to Dominic’s and took a seat. “Will I? No.” Dominic looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “I could show you all the good things, all the bad things, all the changes that would occur. I could show you who you marry, who your children would be… What you end up doing with your life when the infection never happens.” The chaos god turned back to the window, looking out over the city. “But it is not your life to live, it never can be. For better or for worse, I will not show you what your life should have been because you do not need that burden weighing on your shoulders.”

“Can you at least tell me one thing?” Dominic asked, his eyes fixed on a distant part of the city. “Am I happier there than I am here?” Discord paused, then quietly shook his head.

“Not even close.” He said simply, he watched as Dominic closed his eyes and nodded slowly. “Is this your original destiny? Probably not. But is it the right one? Definitely. In time you will see, it may take thousands of years, but eventually you will see.” Dominic sighed through his nose and rubbed the back of his neck, then looked down at his hands. Calloused from his training with a sword, marred with scars and wrinkles from his numerous encounters with danger. Hands that had held weapons, food, clothes, his wives, and his son. Hands that had lifted burning timber and treated bullet wounds. Hands that had signaled the volleys that killed thousands of enemy troops. All that death, and all the pleasure that had come to him in life, had passed in one way or another through his hands. What worried him was how that made him feel.

“I love it…” Dominic muttered to himself as he opened and closed his hands. “Dear god help me, I love it so…” Discord rested a claw on the man’s shoulder, prompting him to look up at the chaos god. “Thank you, Discord… I don’t say it enough, but thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Dominic.” Discord said as he stood out of his chair and made it vanish with a snap of his finger. “Go home, spend some time with your son. It will help clear your head.” Dominic nodded quietly before Discord disappeared from the room, the man looked back out over the bustling city before he quietly stood up and adjusted his uniform. The man looked to his desk where he had left his revolver, the weapon that he had carried with him since the very beginning. Without a word or any sort of ceremony, Dominic turned to the door and walked out. He hesitated for only a moment before closing the door behind him, leaving the deadly instrument within the chamber, almost as if the office had become a tomb. The man wiped his eyes and began walking back to his room.
> Chapter 37
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dominic awoke to the sound of birds chirping outside in the gardens of Canterlot, he was hesitant to open his eyes as he wanted to sleep a bit more with the two familiar warm bodies lying next to him. However, there was little he could to to put himself back to sleep once he was awake, still, he revelled in enjoying some much appreciated snuggles from Luna and Maria. After a couple more minutes, Dominic slowly opened his eyes and stealthily slipped out from under the covers, leaving his two loving wives to sleep peacefully. He scratched his chest before carrying out his usual morning ritual, going to the bathroom, taking a shower, and emerging feeling refreshed and awake.

The man adjusted the towel wrapped around his waist as he walked to his closet and opened the wooden doors. He sighed as he grabbed his familiar uniform and began putting it on, the greyish green fabric felt comfortable against his skin. From his shirt to his scuffed boots, it all felt very… Right. The uniform hadn’t changed much in the eight years since the Forty Eight Hour War, it had been cleaned up a bit, and adjusted for the various branches of the armed forces, but the base uniform was almost unchanged. Dominic sighed as he thought about the day that lay ahead of him, a day of dealing with foreign threats that had stayed essentially the same. The Caribou were still constantly testing the Onorussian’s territory on the ocean, Saddle Arabia and Zebrica had been menacing their neighbors, and tensions with the Crystal Empire were at an all time low.

As Dominic finished pinning his marks of rank to his collar, his thoughts turned to what he had to look forward to that day. For one thing it was spaghetti night, Maria made the best pasta out there, even better than his mother’s had been. It was also the night that Luna had stated she wanted to try something new from her collection, and Dominic knew that could only mean good things. The thing that stood above that all was something far simpler, as Dominic looked at a clock on the wall he knew that it was just about that time. With his peaked cap tucked under his arm, Dominic walked over to Maria and Luna. He leaned down and kissed each of them on the forehead before he walked to the door. He knew they would be up in a couple minutes, and Maria was likely going to rush down to the kitchen to make something very special. As soon as he stepped out into the hallway he was greeted by the sound of the two guards standing outside snapping to attention.

“Morning, boys.” Dominic said with a bit of a smirk, the soldiers smiled back at the Imperator. “As you were.” They nodded and relaxed to their normal stance, Dominic began walking to the right of the room. He didn’t have to walk far, as he reached another familiar door. The guards there stood at attention as well, but the man simply waved his hand to get them to stand at ease. Dominic looked at his watch, humming quietly as he watched the clock tick right to seven o’clock in the morning. With that, the man reached out and pushed the door open before stepping in.

The room’s walls had numerous posters depicting heroes from video games, the floor had a couple toy tanks and army men scattered about, as well as large action figures wearing Onorussian uniforms. Model planes were hung from the ceiling, and numerous other toys were tossed about. There was a simple bed with a good view of the window, and in that bed was the subject of Dominic’s voice. A lump, curled up cutely with the covers. Dominic quietly made his way through the room, avoiding the toys like landmines, until finally he stood beside the bed. His son was clutching a Luna plushy tightly as he snored.

“Altair.” Dominic said quietly at first, the boy didn’t respond. “Altair! Guess what day it is.” The boy groaned and turned over, trying to ignore his dad’s voice. “Come on, get up!” Dominic sighed as Altair tugged the pillow over his head, then reached down and pulled the pillow away.

“I don’t wanna...” Altair mumbled quietly, trying to hide under his blanket.

“Altair, you’ve got to get up. You don’t want to be late for the first day of school.” Dominic said as he sat on the edge of the bed.

“Yes I do!” Altair replied tiredly, Dominic had to force himself not to chuckle aloud. The eight year old eventually pushed his blankets off and sat up in bed, adjusting his pajamas and rubbing his eyes.

“But if you don’t go to school, you don’t get to hang out with your friends.” Dominic said, Altair looked at him for a couple seconds before he sighed and got out of bed. The boy set his plushy on the bed and rubbed his eyes again, his black hair was a bit messed up from the night. “I’m gonna go get breakfast started, alright? You get ready.”

“Okay…” Altair said in a downcast voice. “Do I have to wear the stupid closet clothes this time?” Dominic stood and adjusted his uniform before smiling at his son, then he shook his head and chuckled.

“Nah, kiddo.” Dominic said in a cheery voice. “That’s your mother’s thing, I wouldn’t put you through that.” Altair seemed to sigh a sigh of relief, Dominic turned and walked out of the room, leaving his son to have his privacy. Unlike most people in government with children, Dominic and his wives didn’t send Altair to private academies. He had to learn about the world, not be sheltered and coddled, and the curriculum of both systems was almost identical. Dominic leaned against the wall, ignoring the guards as he found himself thinking back to the time when he was in his son’s shoes. Too groggy to get out of bed, fantasizing about busting out of school and going on wild adventures. He wouldn’t deny Altair that right.

After a couple minutes Dominic heard the familiar sound of hooves against marble, he looked over and sure enough spotted Luna walking towards the room. She stopped when she saw him, then looked at the door, then back at him.

“He’s already awake, just getting ready.” Dominic assured her, the mare sighed and sat beside him. “You know something? He looks just like me.” Luna chuckled quietly as she sat there, this was the start of their school year routine, every morning they would wake up and have that same first line. Dominic was a proud father, Luna could see he had fallen into the role with only a few missteps. Of course, he was flying blind, as he was still a first time dad and was playing by ear. All of them were first time parents, but so far things seemed to be going alright. “How did you sleep?”

“We slept fine.” Luna replied, Dominic looked at her with a smile. “Maria is off making him his special breakfast, I was coming to get him up and make sure he was dressed properly. I thought you’d be getting an early start.”

“I am.” Dominic said simply, looking at the door with that same smile. “Are you taking him to school today or do you want me to drive him?” Luna hummed and rubbed her chin, then looked at the floor.

“You should take him today, I think they’re still surprised I came last time.” Luna replied, Dominic shrugged and rested a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and smirked, then reached up and pulled him into a gentle kiss.

“Ew.” Altair’s voice cut through the hall, causing both Dominic and Luna to pull back, the man chuckling a bit more. “Why do you do that all the time?” The two of them looked at Altair, he wore jeans and a t-shirt, much like his father wore on his off days. Simple black sneakers were on his feet, and his hair was combed smartly with a part on the right side. Luna was going to say something about how he was dressed, as it seemed improper to her to wear such informal clothing on the first day of school, but Dominic’s hand on her shoulder reminder her she needed to relax a bit.

“It’s only because we love eachother so much.” Luna said with a smirk, watching her son shake his head and pout. “I wuv you spoopy koopy kins.” She cooed at Dominic, causing the man to start chuckling louder and put his hand on his stomach in a fashion that was very similar to the way his father had used to laugh, even the guards near the doors were struggling to keep their composure. “Fine… I see how it is. Hmmpf.” She said with mock indignation before she walked towards Altair and wrapped him in her wings, nuzzling him with a smile. “Good morning, Altair!”

“Good morning, Mother!” Altair replied just as warmly, losing his facade of annoyance as he felt the familiar warmth of Luna’s wings around him. He called Maria Mom and Luna Mother to distinguish between the two of them, but it was clear he loved them both just as much, even if he could be obstinate at times. Luna let go of him after a couple seconds.

“Come on, kiddo, times a-wastin’.” Dominic said as he started walking down the hallway, gesturing for Altair to follow him. The boy fell in beside him, followed by Luna, Dominic walked as he usually did, with the measured steps of a soldier. It was cute watching his son trying to mimic his actions, Luna couldn’t deny that. “So, are you excited for a new year?”

“No.” Altair said as he crossed his arms and pouted a bit more, Dominic shrugged as he continued walking. “Why do I have to go?”


“So you can get a good education.” Luna answered for him, Altair seemed to huff at that, but didn’t say much more as they made their way to the dining hall. Despite Altair’s protests the three of them were in relatively good moods, the young boy was watching as his father and mother would occasionally give each other small smiles. He didn’t understand why, but he supposed it had to do with them being all lovey dovey, adults were weird.

Altair found himself thinking more about school, he knew there was no way to talk his way out of it, so he decided to focus on the positives. There weren’t many people there that he could relate to, mainly because he was worried that people were trying to manipulate him. He knew that being the son of his dad was important, though he didn’t understand why. Thankfully, there were a few people that he really meshed with. He looked forward to seeing his friends, and not much more than that. As they arrived at the familiar doors to the dining room, Altair caught the familiar scent of pancakes, that instantly wiped thoughts of school from his mind. His mom made the best pancakes in the world, there was no question about it, especially on special days like this one.

Dominic and Luna watched as Altair rushed to the door and pulled it open, eager to get a seat. The dining room was much smaller than what had once been the royal dining room, it was decorated modestly and had a smaller table. Nothing extravagant to take one's attention away from their family. Maria was setting a plate of pancakes on the table, nearly big as Altair’s head. They were for everyone, and whatever they didn’t eat she would save for another time. Luna and Dominic smiled widely as they took took seats at the table, filling three of the four chairs. Maria was quick to sit down, taking the final seat for herself. She was smiling widely at her son, her long black hair pulled back in a ponytail that she let rest on her right shoulder.

“Good morning Altair! Good morning Dominic!” She said in a cheery voice as she and the others began to grab pancakes and put them on their respective plates.

“Good morning, mom!” Altair said as he piled his plate high with four of the pancakes, he took a bite out of one without even using a fork before moaning at the taste of it. It was light, fluffy, even a little creamy, but that wasn’t the best part. The familiar taste of milk chocolate hit the boy’s tongue like a tidal wave, causing him to start chowing down even faster.

“How is my little prince doing today?” Maria asked, hoping to slow her son’s eating without having to raise her voice.  Thankfully it worked, and the boy began to take more human bites in order to respond to her question.

“Alright, I guess. I forgot that it was back to school day though.” Altair admitted as he looked to his three parents, they all seemed happy, and that made him feel happy as well. “I don’t wanna go…” He hoped he could get a last minute reprieve from his mom, but as usual, she just shook her head and chuckled.

“You say that now, but just wait until you’re old and boring like me.” Dominic said as he leaned on the table, using a fork to cut up his own pancakes. “Then you’ll be wishing you never left.” Altair simply rolled his eyes and continued eating his breakfast. “Maria, Luna, do you want me to drop him off this morning?”

“I was going to take him.” Maria said with a bit of a raised eyebrow. “With the head scarf thing they don’t know who I am, a lot less drama that way.” Dominic nodded quietly, and went back to eating. Maria had a point, he was a lot more recognizable, and he didn’t want his son’s school life to be influenced by who his parents were.

“I think it would be cool to go with dad today.” Altair said with a smile, looking towards Dominic and causing the man to smirk a bit wider. “You always get to take me, it’s only fair.” Maria was about to protest, but stopped herself as she saw the smile on Dominic’s face. It was one that she always cherished. While seeing actual joy on the man’s face was more common, it was still a rare commodity in the trying career he currently possessed. Luna was enjoying watching her family’s discussion, it helped to keep her thoughts off of her growing longing to see her sister again.

“Well, alright.” Maria said before she leaned back in her chair, it creaked a bit but that didn’t bother her much. It reminded her of their vacation home in New Liberty, the house where Dominic had grown up. She knew that eventually they would return to live there permanently, even if it took a hundred years, for now she was doing her best to remain as humble as she could, as were Dominic and Luna. Altair couldn’t pick up on it entirely, but he could tell that each of them had a lot on their mind, even if he couldn’t quantify what he saw into words quite yet. “Hurry up, dear, you’ve got to be there by nine.” The four of them finished up their breakfasts quickly and at the end of it Dominic and Altair stood from their chairs.

“Have a good day at school!” Luna said as she set her plate at the center of the table, Altair found himself pulled into the familiar comforting embrace of her wings as she hugged him tightly. “I love you!” The boy returned it just as tightly, even if adults were weird, he loved his mother. Both of them. When he was released from the wings he made his way over to Maria and found himself hugged just as tightly, Altair always enjoyed the tightness of her hugs, it made him feel safe.

“Have a good day, sweetie.” Maria said with a bright smile, holding him a bit longer before letting go. “Don’t forget your bag, okay? I packed you a nice lunch too!” Altair nodded as he stepped away, before walking to his father. Dominic nodded and the pair walked to the door, when they stepped out into the hallway Dominic was sure to closed the door before looking at Altair. The two of them walked towards the motor pool, Altair found that was one of his favorite places in the castle. Tanks and trucks of different types, not to mention all the cool stuff they got to do there. Altair wished he could be like his father, one of those tank commanders that always seemed to be so cool whenever he watched them doing their drills.

“Can we take a tank, dad?” Altair asked in an innocent voice, Dominic looked at him with a slight smirk, then shook his head.

“Not today, it would be too slow.” Dominic replied, Altair was a bit upset, but he had known it was a longshot.

“Why are the tanks all angle-y?” Altair asked, figuring that he could get some more conversation out of his dad with talk of tanks. He was curious about the weapons, but he also liked the way his dad explained things, it made him feel like part of the crew.

“Well, that’s for if someone is shooting at the tank.” Dominic said simply, looking at his son with that same cheerful smile Altair had grown up with. He used one hand to simulate the armor while the other became the shell. “If the armor is angled like this, the shell is more likely to bounce off or do less damage. If it’s straight, like, say a Caribou tank, the shell is just gonna punch through the armor.”

“Oh.” Altair said with a bit of a hum, the two of them kept walking through the halls, Altair watched as a couple guards walking through the halls saluted his dad, and his dad saluted back. He always noted that the soldiers seemed to be wearing impressive uniforms, they had ribbons and medals on their chest. Altair had always wanted to be one of them, but his mother had already told him that such clothes had to be earned. His mind was brought back to the motor pool when he caught a whiff of the familiar smell of ethanol exhaust, that lead him to another question. “Hey dad?” Dominic hummed in response. “What’s war like? Why do we need tanks for it?” He got a little scared when he saw his dad stop walking, worried he had done something wrong. The man knelt down so he could get on eye level with his son, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“That’s something I hope you never have to find out.” His father said in an easy tone, causing the boy to relax a bit. “Are you writing a book? You’re asking a lot of questions this morning.” The man smiled at him, putting the boy at ease as they began walking again.

“No, I just like talking with you!” Altair said cheerfully. Dominic smiled at his son as he pushed the door to the motor pool open and let his son walk in. The maintenance crews were working on a couple tanks and an augmented humvee, they took a couple seconds to wave at Altair and Dominic before going back to their tasks. “Hey, Dad?” Dominic answered with another hum. “Can we watch a movie when I get back from school?”

“Sure, kiddo. What did you wanna watch?” Dominic asked as they approached a black Crown Victoria, an unmarked police interceptor that Dominic used whenever he, Luna, or Maria needed to go out discreetly. Altair’s bag had already been put in the car by some of the castle’s administrative staff, his lunch was there as well.

“The one with the big scary space ship. Star Trek!” Altair responded, Dominic nodded as he unlocked the driver’s side door and opened it, then pressed the button to unlock the rest of the doors. Altair climbed in as soon as he could, taking a seat in the back and buckling himself in.

“I don’t see why we can’t do that.” Dominic said with a grin as he got in the driver’s seat and closed the door, then buckled himself in. He started the engine, the V8 engine rumbling with a familiarity both Altair and Dominic were accustomed to. The man shifted the care into drive and took it to the gate, the guards there chekced Dominic’s ID just as they had been trained to do. Security in the castle was far superior to what it had been years before when occupied by the Equestrians. Of course the soldiers cleared him to proceed, Dominic drove away from the gate with a slight smile on his face.

“Hey, dad?” Altair asked, Dominic hummed as he kept his eyes on the freshly paved road. It was one of many roads that had been modernized since the war, and it couldn’t compare to the large highway being built across the country, half complete. “Will we ever get to use starships?”

“It’s very likely.” Dominic said simply as he continued watching the road. “But first we’ve got to get to the moon.” Altair looked to the sky, but he couldn’t see his mother’s beautiful pale moon,it was hidden by the pale blue sky. “Why the sudden interest in space?”

“I wanna go there.” Altair said simply, staring up at the sky for a couple more seconds before returning his attention to the seat in front of him. “Like Captain Kirk, or Captain Janeway!” Dominic smiled a bit brighter before taking a turn down one of the streets, then he sighed contently.

“Well, if you keep your grades up, and work really hard at what you want, you can do just about anything.” Dominic said proudly, both in his son’s interest in space but also because it felt nice to know his son shared that same fascination with going into the great unknown. Dominic’s greatest dream in life had always been to set foot on a planet other than his own. Though technically he had done so with Equestria, it didn’t feel like he had, they were far too similar. “But that is going to take a long time to accomplish, nonetheless I have faith in you.”

“Thanks, dad.” Altair replied, looking out the window as they passed by a couple buildings, watching ponies, humans, changelings, griffons, diamond dogs, and even a few minotaurs walking around. Altair didn’t much care for minotaurs, they were the ones that generally tried to push him around at school. They hadn’t touched him, but they did use mean words. Despite that, Altair didn’t let them get to him, and he knew that he had his parents to back him up if worst came to worst. It was a new year, so he hoped they would leave him alone, but just in case he had convinced one of his guards at the castle to teach him how to punch and block. He wasn’t very good, but maybe he could make himself look bigger than he actually was, like trying to stand up to a bear.

The car began to slow as Altair recognized the familiar street of his school, he checked that he had his bag and his lunch ready. His books were there, his pens and pencils, everything was in order. He imagined he was the member of some sort of space explorer, preparing to go down on a scouting mission of a hostile planet, that helped him build up his courage as the care came to a stop. He could see kids getting off of busses or being dropped off by their parents, and he knew that soon he would be on his own. No guards, no parents, just him, his friends and his wits versus a school that could be a dangerous place. At least in the eyes of a child. Little did he know that his school was probably the safest one in the country, there was a special unit of marines on standby in case anything should happen there, just to name one aspect.

“You ready?” Dominic asked as the car came to a stop at the curb. He wished he could go in with his boy, as many other parents were, but he couldn’t let his presence taint his son’s experience there. Altair slipped his bag on over his shoulders, then unbuckled his seat and moved to the door. Outside he could see some familiar faces, and a new excitement welled up in him.

“Yeah!” Altair said, Dominic smiled and hit the unlock button once again, popping up the locks that had gone down when the car had been put into drive.

“Alright, have a good day! I love you!” Dominic said as Altair opened the door and stepped outside, Altair just waved before he rushed off to a group of children about his age. The imperator recognized one of them as Sofia Gambino, the daughter of Brigadier General Jennifer Gambino. She was one of Dominic’s closest advisors after eight years, as well as one of his best friends in the military.  Dominic watched his son quietly, smiling faintly before putting the car into drive and pulling off into traffic. It was going to be a normal boring day at the office it seemed, that was a good thing, as any action would be a sign of things going wrong.

Altair walked towards his friends, one was a human like him, her name was Sofia. She had red hair and brown eyes, with pale skin that contrasted against Altair’s more tanned complexion. His other friend was a griffon with grey furth and white feathers, he was a bit on the large side and had a rather strange fascination with human culture. His name was Oscar, but everyone just called him Ozzy. Sofia and Ozzy smiled as Altair reached them, each of them carrying their own backpack.

“Hey, Alley Cat!” Sofia said warmly, she was leaning back and forth on the balls of her heels in obvious excitement. “How was your summer?”

“It was alright, I guess. So good I didn’t even realize it was over!” Altair replied as they started walking towards the school. “What about you guys? Anything fun?” Ozzy was first to speak up, talking in his usual scratchy accented voice.

“I got to visit my uncle Buzzard in Griffonstone! It was fun, we got to go rock climbing and he taught me how to fish with my beak.” The griffon said as they approached the school, the teachers were beckoning them closer from the front doors of the building. Altair recognized a couple of them, including his favorite, Mrs. Ramsey. She was a blonde woman, and according to his mom, a survivor of Evergreen. He didn’t know what that meant, but he did know that she was very nice. She was wearing a long light brown skirt and a light blue blouse, her hair was hanging freely at her shoulders.

“My summer was alright, I guess. Mom and Dad took me camping in the Everfree, aside from that there wasn’t much else.” Sofia said as they got to the doors, Altair smiled at Mrs. Ramsey as he walked past her and made his way inside with a mix of pony, human, and all manner of other species that were students at the school. He followed his friends to the classroom, there they hung up their backpacks and chose their desks. Altair chose the one furthest back near the window, as it was next to his friends and offered him a decent view of the playground. He had his notebook and pencil case out in front of him.

The classroom was cool thanks to the air conditioners, the walls were decorated with posters about old Earth authoris as well as Equestrian ones, there were also the usual ‘Believe in yourself!’ type posters that always made Altair a bit wary. At the head of the class was a white board, sitting in the corner was the teacher’s desk, and hanging above the board, in all its splendor, was the Onorussian flag. Altair had been taught that it symbolized every species in Onorus, and that made him proud to live under it. The seats were rapidly filled, the fluorescent lights flickered and buzzed overhead, and finally their teacher came into view. Altair was glad to see he was lucky enough to get Mrs. Ramsey, she closed the door behind her and made her way to the front of the class.

“Good morning, class!” She said as she clapped her hands together.

“Good morning, Mrs. Ramsey!” Altair and the others said back, they watched as she made her way over to her desk and leaned against it.

“I’m sure we’re going to have a lot of fun here this year, and we’ll start having it today, but first I’d like to start off with the pledge of allegiance.” Mrs. Ramsey said as she looked over the room, the children looked at each other, they each knew how important the pledge was. “Who wants to lead us in the pledge this morning?” Numerous hooves and hands shot up into the air, the teacher pointed to one in the back. She, unlike many of the teachers, knew the truth about who Altair’s parents were, and she liked to give him a little confidence push every now and then. Considering it was the first day of school, she figured it would be best to give him a shot. “Altair, you look eager.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Altair replied gladly, the teacher gestured for the students to stand up. They did so with smiles on their faces, though some were annoyed at going to school again, they were all very patriotic and proud of their country. Each of them placed a clenched fist over their hearts and stood up straight. “I pledge allegiance to the banner of the Military Republic of Onorus, and the principles on which it stands. One nation, above all, with freedom, justice, and security for all.” The other students followed his lead, once they were finished they returned to their seats and prepared for the first bit of learning.

“This year we have a couple new faces in the classroom.” The teacher said as she looked over the class, Altair looked around for the newcomers and paused as he spotted a diamond dog and a pony filly that he hadn’t seen before. “Why don’t you introduce yourselves and tell us a little about yourself, don’t be shy.” The first to stand up was the diamond dog, he had dark grey fur and pointy furry ears.

“I am Wolf, son of Mawg!” He announced proudly, that was something that Altair had come to expect from diamond dogs. Not many people in the class seemed uncomfortable with it, as diamond dogs had integrated well into Onorussian society. With the benefit of modern schools, or schools in general, the misconceptions about them being dull witted brutes had faded into obscurity. They were still rather blunt. The filly stood up next, she looked a little less confident than her previous classmate.

“Um, I’m Daffodil.” The filly said meekly, she had cream colored fur and light pink fur, with a cutiemark of a flower on her flank. “I, uh… I like drawing.” She awkwardly sat back down, Altair looked back to the teacher who was nodding quietly and began to write something on the whiteboard.

“Our first lesson is going to be on the topic of mathematics…” Mrs. Ramsey began, Altair paid attention to her as the hours ticked on, occasionally marking down notes in his notebook. Occasionally he would zone out, looking out the window at the playground, but his mother had taught him that his studies were important. At the same time, as he looked out the window more often, he found himself doodling a bit more in his book. He began drawing little tanks and fighter planes in the margins of his notebook, Onorussian tanks and Caribou tanks attacking one another. He paused his sketches and looked back at the board, noting several bullet points that he had missed. Altair shook off his imagination and scribbled them down, tapping his foot quietly, but his eyes kept being drawn to the window.

He imagined he was looking out at the harbor in Applewood, watching navy ships coming and going from the ocean. It had been one of his favorite trips during the summer, as he had spent hours with his dad pointing out the various ships and guessing their names. The boy sighed quietly and looked back to the whiteboard, scribbling down a few more notes. Mrs. Ramsey began passing out worksheets, worksheets that Altair completed rather quickly before going back to his day dreaming. Before he knew it, the bell rang, signifying it was time for lunch. The class began getting out of their seats, but Altair kept looking out the window.

“Hey, Alley Cat! You coming?” Sofia’s voice caught his attention, he looked at her and nodded quietly.

“Yeah, yeah I’m coming.” Altair stood up from his seat and walked to his backpack, he unzipped it and pulled out his lunchbox. It was an aluminum lunch box with designs from his favorite television show ‘Lunar Commandos’, his favorite part about it was the picture of the main character stomping on an alien’s head. The boy took the box and peeked inside, there was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a juice box, a cupcake, and a little enveloped sealed with a heart sticker. Ozzy and Sofia were already walking to the door with the rest of the class, they knew he would be along shortly. Altair always preferred to be the last one out of the classroom, he didn’t like people pushing him on his way to the playground.

Once the room was empty, with the exception of Mrs. Ramsey, Altair made his way to the door. He peeked out carefully, looking for the usual band of minotaur upperclassmen that liked to lurk the hallways in search of third grade stragglers like him. He was a bit surprised to hear someone clear their throat behind him, he turned around and saw Mrs. Ramsey looking at him with a serene smile.

“I’m going to go outside too, mind if I walk with you?” She asked, Altair shrugged and stepped out into the hallway with her. Internally he felt much better, as he essentially had a police escort through the halls, the minotaurs wouldn’t dare come close to him as long as there was a teacher around. The two of them began walking towards the door that would lead them outside. “So, how was your summer Altair? Do anything fun?”

“It was awesome!” Altair said quietly, smiling brightly. With Mrs. Ramsey there was an ability to talk about things that his friends normally didn’t find interesting, more importantly, she knew who his moms and dad were already so she wouldn’t freak out and treat him differently. “My dad took me to see the navy base in Applewood, we got to look at this new ship their building there, and I even got to sit in one of the jets.” Mrs. Ramsey smiled at him a bit more as they continued walking. “I mostly stayed home, me and mom watched a bunch of old Earth movies, and then mother taught me about constellations.”

“Sounds fun!” Mrs. Ramsey said as they reached the big heavy doors that lead outside, Altair looked up at her with questioning eyes.

“What about you? Did you do anything fun this summer?” He asked innocently, she paused, then nodded and held the door open for Altair to step out. He walked out and grabbed it with both of his hands, to hold it open for Mrs. Ramsey. She walked out with a smile, letting the boy close the heavy metal door. Altair didn’t realize that the reason it was so heavy was because it was meant to stop bullets, just another one of the safety precautions put in place at the school.

“I went to Las Pegasus to see some family, then I came back here and got ready for the school year.” Mrs. Ramsey said warmly, looking around the playground with a smile. It was rather large, there was a field for playing on as well as a jungle gym off to the side. “I was very excited to see I got to have you in my class again this year.”

“Really?” Altair asked, Ramsey nodded as they walked closer to a group of students eating their lunch.

“Yup!” The teacher replied before looking at the group of students. “Why don’t you go eat with your friends, I’ve got recess duty.” Altair simply nodded and waved before walking away from the teacher, he sat down next to Ozzy and Sofia and opened his lunch box. Ozzy and Sofia were chatting up the new kids, so they didn’t notice him at first. That was alright, Altair wanted to get settled. He picked up the envelope and peeled off the heart, sticking it to the inside part of his lunch box’s lid. The boy opened the envelope and removed a little note, his mom’s handwriting was clear as day. Mainly because it was barely legible. Well, to someone that hadn’t grown up reading it that is.

’I love you, honey! Have a good day, you’ll do great! - Mom’ The note was marked with a little drawing of a heart next to the word ‘Mom’, Altair smiled widely as he read the note. He tucked it into his pocket and picked up his sandwich, it was shaping up to be a relatively good day. He hoped his parents were doing alright as well.

[♠]

Ponyville had grown from its tiny hamlet status to a full fledged small city, tall buildings weren’t common despite the increase in size and population. The city council had done a decent job of preserving the farms on the outskirts as well as the Everfree exclusion zone that surrounded the secretive military fortress known to the locals as simply November Charlie. Numerous cloud homes were present above the city, among them was the home of one of the local police mares. Rainbow Dash adjusted her blue uniform as she cruised calmly down one of the city streets in her Police Interceptor with her partner beside her. Her partner was a German Shepherd named Hans, Rainbow Dash had rolled the window down for him to stick his head out while she continued on her rather boring patrol.

She had made lieutenant a year before, normally that meant she would be riding a desk more often than anything else, but they didn’t want to pull one of their best officers off the street. She had made the transition to K9 duty relatively smoothly, and Hans was a big ball of fluff when things were calm. As she drove through the ‘Old Town’ district of Ponyville she was once again reminded of how much things had changed in the last eight years, the newer buildings towered over the old ones by several stories. The city was far less peaceful than it had once been, a few of her friends had moved away as a result of that.

”All units in the area. Respond to a robbery in progress at Thirty Eight and Woodrow.” Her radio crackled, the noise shook her out of her thoughts and prompted her to pick up the radio.

“Roger! K9 Five Five responding!” She said into the radio before she flicked on her lights and siren, the car in front of her quickly moved to the side of the road as she pushed her hoof down on the accelerator. The quadruped control modifications to the car had made her life so much easier, even if she enjoyed flying on patrol from time to time. The interceptor’s engine roared to life as she poured on the gas, more cars moved out of her way and she noted that Hans had sat up straight at attention.

She peeled around one of the corners and spotted another black and white with its lights on driving in the same direction, like to shepherd dogs they herded numerous cars onto the side of the road in order to pass by them. There were several more turns, and the two cars made them almost in unison before finally squealing to a stop in front of a bank. Just as they stopped they saw several masked ponies and even a diamond dog getting into a black van parked on the street. Rainbow watched them peel out, leaving a bit of smoke from their tires, as well as the diamond dog that hadn’t gotten into the car fast enough. The officer from the other car had already gotten out of his car, meaning it was up to Rainbow Dash to pursue the criminals.

“Buckle up, Hans!” She shouted before mashing her hoof down on the gas, she took off after the van with her eyes narrowed on their license plate. She picked up the radio microphone and cleared her throat before speaking. “K9 Five-Five! I am in pursuit of suspects! Black van, license plate Romeo Seven Four Tango Sierra Foxtrot. On Woodrow!” The driver weaved through traffic rapidly, but Rainbow Dash had to keep up with him at least until they could get a chopper in the air to track the van. Thankfully Woodrow opened up and eventually lead to the recently constructed highway, meaning that soon she would have a chance to really maneuver in and take the van out.

It didn’t take long for more cars to join the chase, she also noted that the traffic authority had started changing lights from green to red, effectively constricting traffic flow to that part of the city and reducing the chance of an accident, all part of a well choreographed and practiced action plan for dealing with high speed pursuits in the urban setting. Overhead Rainbow Dash was glad to see that there was an olive drab helicopter flying along, it was marked with a white underbelly as well as a stripe around its tail. Military Police, most likely from the air base on the outskirts of the city.

The van grew more erratic in its driving as it continued driving along at high speeds, the red lights had created a wall of cars on either side of it, forcing them to drive along Woodrow without any sort of opportunity to escape onto another street. The buildings were thinning out by now, meaning they would hit the highway soon. Rainbow Dash picked up the radio again, as she saw there weren’t any other civilian cars around her.

“K9 Five-Five. Should I go in for a PIT?” She asked, Hans looked over at her as he recognized that term. He didn’t like it, things always got bumpy when it came into play.

”Negative. All units drop back, the MPs are setting up a roadblock ahead, they’ll catch ‘em.” The radio replied, Rainbow Dash nodded and hit the brakes. Once again she and her comrades were playing the hounds, driving the fox to the hunters. The highway was generally patrolled by Military Police, as it had specific lanes designated for Military Traffic, meant to aid the military in moving troops in the event of an enemy invasion. As they left the city and drove up a ramp onto the recently paved highway Rainbow Dash could see the flashing blue lights in the distance, olive drab humvees and jeeps with white stripes on their sides and blue light bars on the roofs. They were still closing some of the gaps, and Rainbow Dash made up her mind that if the van got through she would be going right after them.

The black van came to a halt a dozen yards in front of the roadblock, Rainbow Dash and the others stopped behind them. MPs stood at the ready with their rifles ready and pointed towards the van while the helicopter circled overhead, Rainbow looked over at Hans, the dog was staring at the van with intense eyes.

”This is the Military Police! Shut off your engine and put your hands out the window immediately!” Ordered one of the MPs through a loudspeaker, nothing happened for several seconds before their was a puff of smoke as the driver of the van floored the gas pedal. It started charging straight towards the roadblock, not showing any signs of stopping. The MPs opened fire, riddling the windows and driver seat with holes. Still it drove, forcing several MPs to jump out of the way as it smashed through a gap in the blockade. Rainbow Dash floored her own gas and began pursuing the vehicle again, she watched as someone pushed the body of a minotaur out of the driver’s side of the Van while smoke billowed from its engine.

Humvees and Police Interceptors followed her lead and began chasing down the van once again, Hans was growling angrily now as they got further on to the highway. The side of the road had become thick with trees and underbrush, and the van seemed to be taking advantage of that. It swerved towards the trees and came to a stop, its engine still billowing thick grey smoke. Rainbow Dash watched the side door the slide open followed by three ponies jumping out and rushing towards the trees. The mare pulled up behind the van and opened the door for Hans before she got out of the car and drew her weapon from its holster. A forty five caliber specifically designed for ponies like her, she and her partner began rushing into the trees as she spoke into her radio. 

“K9 Five-Five! Foot pursuit!” She shouted as she entered the trees, Hans was barking loudly. “Hans! Search!” She ordered, the dog began sniffing the air before barking and loudly rushing in one direction, by this time more officers had started moving through the trees. Rainbow followed her partner, doing her best to keep her breathing under control. Ahead of her she heard Hans barking loudly, followed by screaming from above. Rainbow emerged from several dense bushes to see her canine companion was barking up into a tree, Rainbow Dash could see an Earth Pony clutching a branch for dear life while Hans snarled at him from below. “Hans! Heel!” Hans stopped barking and sat at attention, still growling up at the earth pony. “Get on the ground! Now!”

The earth pony nervously let go of the branch and climbed down, then laid on the ground. Rainbow waisted no time in moving to cuff him, as she did so she spoke into her shoulder radio again.

“K9 Five-Five, I have one in cus-” She was cut off as she felt a stinging pain in her side, definitely a magic burn. She yelled in pain and fell to the ground, only having one of the hooves in custody. “F-Fuck!” Hans went ballistic as he spotted the attacker, a unicorn with a bag over his shoulder. The pony’s eyes widened just before Hans lept into the air and clamped his jaws down on the suspect’s hoof. He thrashed his head around, drawing blood from the pony before he was hit with a spell and yelped. “Hans!” Rainbow groaned as she started to get up, the earth pony was getting to his hooves. “Ten-thirteen! Officer down!” Rainbow shouted as loud as she could, knowing there were other police close by.

“Fuck! You shot a cop!” The Earth pony said in surprise, Rainbow couldn’t see his face as he was wearing a ski mask like his unicorn accomplice.

“And her dog bit me! I’d say we’re square!” The unicorn replied in a gravelly voice. “Now come on before-” The bushes rustled as half a dozen men and griffons in olive drab MP uniforms emerged with their rifles raised.

“Don’t you fucking move!” One of the men shouted, Rainbow Dash groaned as she felt herself fading out of consciousness. As the MPs began cuffing the criminals a medic rushed over to her and knelt down, but she shook her head.

“Help my partner.” She said tiredly, pointing to Hans, the medic shook his head back at her.

“I have to treat you first.”

“Help my fucking partner, damn it!” Rainbow Dash shouted, the medic winced and moved over to Hans. He wasn’t much of a vet, but from what he saw it seemed that the damage was only superficial. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, had suffered a stun wound to the side. The next couple minutes became a blur for the lieutenant, she recalled being lifted onto a stretcher and carried out of the forest. Hans was back on his feet, it seemed. She recalled the paramedics trying to wrestle him out of the ambulance, only to give up and let him ride along. Then they gave her morphine, and what happened after that was anyone’s guess.

Rainbow Dash found herself floating through the black abyss of unconsciousness, echoes of the war ran through her mind. Shouting, screaming, machinegun fire and artillery. The feeling of her wing muscles burning as she fled the Royal Guards, all of it came flooding to the forefront of her mind. Then, in an instant, it stopped. Her ears detected the sound of a beeping heart monitor, her nose picked up the smell of clean linens and bleach. She opened her eyes, the roof of the ambulance had been replaced by ugly ceiling tiles with bright fluorescent lights. She recognized those tiles, she had seen them plenty of times when she hurt herself doing a stunt. She was in Ponyville General.

“Fuck…” She mumbled quietly, then looked at her hoof. Yup, there was a hospital band around it. “Fucking fuck.” She hated hospitals, and if there was a band, it usually meant she was going to be there for at least a day. That was too much for her liking, she then looked around the room and spotted a familiar orange blur. She blinked a couple times to clear her vision, it was still a bit foggy from the morphine, before recognizing that blur. “Hey.” She said in her usual, if a bit tired, scratchy voice. This got the attention of a certain orange pegasus, Scootaloo looked up and stood from her seat before walking over with a look of relief.

“Mom!” She said in a glad voice, Rainbow Dash smiled at her and noted that she was wearing a grey Globe Corps Cadet uniform. She must’ve been pulled from her classes to be informed, that made Rainbow Dash a little upset. “The doctor said you wouldn’t be up for another two hours.”

“Well… You know me, always going faster than I should.” Rainbow Dash replied, wincing slightly from a stinging pain in her side. “What are you doing here? I thought you had that big drill today…”

“I did, but they sent me home when…” Scootaloo replied, the eighteen year old trailed off when she reached the end of her sentence. “I told them you would want me to stay, but they didn’t listen. Aunt Gilda was here a couple minutes ago, she’s out in the hall with dad though.” Rainbow Dash chuckled softly and leaned her head back, looking towards the ceiling again. “Mom, he was really worried about you… You want me to go get him?”

“Not yet.” Rainbow Dash said with a sigh. “I love him, but… You know how he gets when he’s nervous.” Scootaloo nodded, then adjusted her cadet uniform. “So… How was your day at school, aside from being pulled out of a drill…”


“Really? You want to talk about MY day?” Scootaloo asked with a bit of surprise, Rainbow Dash nodded. “But you’re hurt!”

“Which is why I want to hear all about how your day was, squirt!” Rainbow Dash said, Scootaloo stared at her for a couple seconds before simply wrapping her hooves around Rainbow and hugging her tightly. “E-Easy there, kid! You’re hugging me a bit tight. You’d think I got shot or something.” Scootaloo eased up as she heard that comment, knowing it was her mom’s way of trying to defuse a tense situation. “Come on, tell me all about it. Did you get to be in the same squad as Pavel?” Scootaloo blushed for a moment as she looked away.

“Yeah, we had to take cover in the same foxhole…” Scootaloo said, Rainbow Dash smirked quietly. “But it was a usual drill, the instructor screamed at us, we captured objectives, nothing really to write home about.” Rainbow Dash nodded quietly, then rubbed her forehead and took a deep breath.

“How’s Hans?” Rainbow Dash asked, her tone becoming a bit more concerned.

“He’s fine, from what I hear. Took a couple officers and an orderly to get him out of the ambulance and into the a squad car. He was pissed…” Scootaloo replied, Rainbow nodded again as she lay there.

“Alright…” She looked to the door of the hospital room and cleared her throat. “Call your dad in.” Scootaloo nodded and walked to the door, then leaned her head out to talk to someone. A couple moments later the door opened and allowed Quibble Pants to walk into the room, Gilda was behind him. Quibble looked like a nervous wreck, but he seemed to relax when he saw that Rainbow Dash was awake. Gilda looked calmer, but Rainbow knew how she internalized her own worries. “Hey, honey.”

“Hey…” Quibble said as he walked over to her and hugged her, she hugged him back before giving him a weak noogie. That got Gilda and Scootaloo to chuckle before Quibble pulled back and seemed to relax a bit more. “I was so worried, the doctor wouldn’t tell me anything other than you were going to be out for a bit! All those police officers kept telling me you’d be fine but none of them went to medical school, how are they supposed to know my wife is going to be fine if they don’t know the difference between a-” Rainbow Dash put a hoof on the stallion’s lip, causing him to quiet down. She simply leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek before laying back down.

“Chill for me, alright babe?” Rainbow Dash said, doing her best to sound casual. “I just need a little time to rest, then you can tell me all about it.” Quibble nodded quietly, blushing faintly from the kiss on the cheek. Seven years of marriage and still that got to him. The mare looked over to Gilda, the griffon looked like she was doing her best to remain calm. “Hey there, Cap.” Rainbow called to her, the griffon seemed to shake herself out of a daze. “Don’t look so worried, I’ve had worse, you know that.”

“Yeah…” Gilda said as she moved closer and took a seat beside the hospital bed. “Shouldn’t get too concerned, after all, I’m sure it hurt worse whenever I’d get you into a headlock back when you were still training.”

“I seem to remember getting you into more headlocks, Captain.” Rainbow replied with a snarky smirk, she saw Gilda relax, which was her goal. Even if Gilda wasn’t really her captain anymore, the prismatic pegasus still respected her as such. She also felt a wave of exhaustion rushing over her. “I’d love to talk a bit more, but… Really tired.”

“Your friends are out there waiting to see you.” Quibble said, Rainbow quietly sighed.

“Have a nurse wake me up in an hour or so, okay? I just need a little sleep before I see them.” Rainbow said, Quibble nodded and leaned in to give her a kiss on the forehead. After that the three visitors left the room and shut the lights, once the door was closed Rainbow Dash let out a long sigh and winced in pain. It had taken a lot of her willpower to keep from crying out in front of her loved ones, but now that she was alone she could think to herself. She began running over the events in her mind. How had she been so stupid as to let herself be flanked? What did she do wrong that had lead her to be where she was now? What if the shot hadn’t been a stun spell…? 

Rainbow Dash heard her heart monitor beeping more rapidly as the thoughts swirled around in her head, but she quickly shook her mind free of the doubts and closed her eyes. She attempted to roll on her side, but winced when she was reminded that there was a wound there. She chose the other side, breathing slowly and calmly, trying to force the nagging thoughts out of her mind, until finally she fell into a restless sleep.

[♠]

“Son of a cussing cuss word!” Dominic shouted loudly before sticking his finger into his mouth and sucking on it, he had been making himself a cup of coffee and accidentally touched the pot of boiling water. He was standing in the situation room with his commanders, all of whom were staring at him with concern. “I didn’t say stop talking, gentlemen.” He said, still keeping his finger in his mouth for a couple seconds before wiping it off with a napkin. “What’s the latest report on the Caribou? Last I heard they were stirring up something on the Saddle Arabian border?”

“Yes, sir. They seem to be massing for an attack.” Putin said as he leaned back in his chair, watching as the Imperator began pouring the boiling water into a pot to start brewing the coffee. “The Saddle Arabians seem to know something is up, we’ve seen increased numbers of recruiting in smaller towns. The Zebras have been surprisingly quiet.” The older man looked over a couple documents. “My guess is they’re waiting it out, Saddle Arabia is the only thing between them and the Caribou, we could be seeing the beginnings of their alliance collapsing.”

“General Gambino, what are the odds the Saddle Arabians can hold off the Caribou? Worst case scenario.” Dominic asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee and made his way to his own seat. The man looked to Brigadier General Gambino, the woman quietly picked up a document and looked it over.

“The caribou would dominate in the northern portion of Saddle Arabia, it’s just barely cool enough for them to survive. With tanks they would overrun Saddle Arabian positions within the first week.” Jen said in a professional tone before setting down the document and looking at the other officers. “After that they’d be hitting desert, and it’s likely it would become a war of attrition similar to the Korean conflict. Those tanks of theirs get hotter than hell, they’d be battling heat stroke as well as the Saddle Arabians.”

“I concur, sir. The Saddle Arabians would be able to push them back to their original border, and likely hold them there until winter, at which point the lines would likely be pushed back.” Field Marshal Errant chimed in, Dominic nodded quietly. The Field Marshal had proven to be a good choice for Chief of Staff for the Lunar Marines. His predictions were often very accurate. “This would likely continue until one side ran out of troops and supplies, and from the looks of it that would be the Saddle Arabians. By a slim margin.”

“We should keep an eye on this then. Agreed?” Dominic asked, the others nodded quietly and began sifting through their papers. Dominic sipped his coffee, occasionally wincing from the burn sustained to his finger. “We discussed the griffon proposal for new airships, the latest reports on the transcontinental highway, the Saddle Arabians… Is there anything else that needs to be discussed at this time?” The officials looked at one another quietly before one of them stuck their hands up, it was a Colonel from the CIMC. “Yes?”

“Doctor Fortress Wall wanted me to inform you that progress on the latest line of ATW rifles is coming along as scheduled.” The Colonel said, Dominic smiled faintly and took another sip of coffee, he had test fired a couple of the prototypes and they were certainly a force to be reckoned with. “We’re ready to move them to mass production and begin retrofitting older models, with your permission, sir.”

“Permission granted.” Dominic said simply, the Colonel nodded. “Is there isn’t anything else that needs discussion or my permission.” No one else spoke up, leading Dominic to down the rest of his coffee in one gulp. It was his fourth cup of the day. “We’re adjourned.” The group of officers stood from their seats and made their way out of the meeting room, Dominic lagged behind. He didn’t like people walking behind him, as he didn’t want to get bumped into. It had been something he had done since he was a kid in school. The man stepped out into the hall and watched as the officers made their way to their various departments. Just as he was about to walk to his office he spotted a soldier with a courier satchel walking towards him, the man pulled a report from his satchel and handed it to the Imperator.

“Message from Ponyville, sir. They had a bank robbery there, one officer injured, four suspects in custody. One dead.” The courier announced, Dominic sighed quietly and flipped through the report to ensure that there wasn’t anything that had been overlooked.

“Not much that can be done at the moment, but keep me informed.” Dominic ordered, the courier nodded and walked away, leaving Dominic to his wandering. His boots echoed through the halls as he made his way to his office, though he wasn’t sure what he would do once he got there. His daily work load had been completed as of that last meeting, meaning he would be sitting in his office for the next couple hours with nothing to do. At least Maria got the chance to go out and do things, as head scarves had become fashionable after reports circulated that she wore one.

Dominic rubbed his chin as he walked past a couple paintings, as well as the door to a utility closet. He passed a couple guards on patrol, they saluted him and he saluted them, both went on their way through the halls, like two ships passing in the night. Finally the Imperator reached his office, guarded by two familiar guards who saluted as usual. It seemed things were business as usual, the man quietly pushed his office door open and stepped in before closing it. The lights were out, which wasn’t unusual, as he liked his office to be lit by the light from the window. However, he hadn’t recalled turning them off before he left. What was more, his office chair was facing away from the door, something that only one person ever did.

Sure enough, the person in the chair spun around to face him. Well, not so much a person as it was a sexy, moon princess. Luna was smirking at him with a set of eyes that were usually reserved for the bedroom. Dominic quietly adjusted his uniform, appearing a bit surprised and a little uncomfortable for some reason.

“Uh… Luna?” Dominic said in a questioning voice. “What are you doing in my chair…? Why are you looking at me like that?” Luna remained quiet as she got out of the chair and sauntered up to him, the man’s cheeks flushed red. “L-Luna…?” She was very close now, pressing his back up against the door. She held her muzzle inches from his face, then suddenly, stuck her tongue out at him and backed away.

“Oh my gosh! Maria! You were right!” Luna said loudly, Dominic blinked in surprise before he saw Maria poke her head up from under the desk. “He gets so red! I didn’t ever notice until now!” Dominic realized what this was, this was what Maria usually did, just to shake up his day. She would show up somewhere quiet and secluded and just give him those advances, knowing full well he would be too bashful to do anything unless they were in their bedroom. Now Luna had gotten in on the fun.

“I know, right?! He’s so cute when he gets like that!” Maria cooed as she walked up to Luna, they shared a hoof bump while Dominic quietly put his hands on his hips.

“I am not cute.” Dominic said flatly. “I’m a six foot tall, zombie slaying, tank commanding warrior of the night.” Luna hummed and nodded before she booped him on the nose with her horn.

“Yes, a cute six foot tall, zombie slaying, tank commanding warrior of the night.” She said simply, causing the man to blush even brighter. He was surprised to be smiling, his day had been a rather serious one, but he supposed he had to put his own happiness first some of the time, even if he wasn’t aware. Or maybe it was just that he was in the presence of his two lovely companions, that was more likely, as they always seemed to find a way to put a smile on his face.

“Dare I say… Absolutely adorable?” Maria chimed in, Dominic sighed quietly and gave them both a kiss before walking to his chair and sitting down. “Not as adorable as our darling son, obviously.”

“Still pretty adorable.” Dominic said under his breath, doing his best to appear he was sulking. And failing. The man turned towards the two of them and raised an eyebrow. “As much as I love a distraction like this, especially when it's at my expense… I sense there’s something else you wanted to discuss?” Luna and Maria looked at one another, then back at Dominic, then back at one another, before finally speaking.

“We’ve been talking about doing something for Altair, something soft and fuzzy…” Maria said in a cheerful tone, Dominic quietly leaned back in his seat, sensing he was about to be tag teamed once again on an issue he had already heard half a dozen times.

“With four legs and a cute nose.” Luna added.

“No hamsters.” Dominic said bluntly. “God forbid it gets out of the cage and into the walls…” Maria and Luna shook their heads.

“No, bigger than a hamster.” Luna said with a smile.

“No rodents of any kind!” Dominic said a bit louder this time, Maria and Luna both knew the real reason was that Dominic hated rats. So much, in fact, that he would sometimes leave apple slices out in the hallway and watch them through the scope of a pellet gun, waiting for a mouse or a rat to move into the open.

“No rodents. We know.” Maria said in an easy tone as she sat on the desk and folded one leg over the other, Dominic looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. “We’ve been talking about getting Altair a puppy.” The man stared at them for a couple seconds, then looked at his desk and rubbed his temples. “Pwetty pwease, Dominic? Have I mentioned how handsome you look today?” Maria gave him those eyes, those beautiful brown eyes.

“You’re just trying to butter me up… And it’s working, damn it.” Dominic said as he looked at the eyes before he quietly nodded. “Fine… A puppy. As long as he remembers to walk it and so on…” Maria smiled and gave him a big kiss on the forehead, the man quietly sighed as he looked back to his desk and noticed a couple files that needed to be looked over. “Let’s talk about this over dinner, okay? I’ve got a few more things to complete… Then, barring a Caribou invasion of Saddle Arabia, I’ll be able to cut out early.”

“Alright, dear.” Luna said with a smile as she sauntered up next to Maria. “I know you’re going to enjoy what I have planned for tonight…” Dominic blushed a bit more as the mare winked at him, Maria smirked before she and Luna stepped out of the room, leaving Dominic to go and pick up the papers on his desk. They were reports from Terra, regarding the reclamation efforts. Los Angeles was now completely under Onorussian control, as was most of Ohio and several other Eastern states. Many of the mafia families had turned tail and fled when faced by disciplined soldiers. Of course the fact that the Onorussians had, airships, power armor and energy weapons probably had a hand in it as well. They were withdrawing into New Jersey and New York, but the fight was just about out of them… At least, according to the reports. 

The commanding general in Los Angeles had reported a sizable amount of survivors had made a settlement in the downtown portion of the city. Early estimates put their numbers at nearly two thousand, to ensure that Onorussian military power was not to be disputed, the general had ordered a military parade. Tanks, soldiers, airships, the works… It seemed to be working. Dominic had no qualms with making a show of force, he had learned over the past decade that being polite and compromising all the time didn’t work on some cultures. It was that sort of weak leadership that had allowed the influx of refugees, and by extension, the infection and destruction of everything he held dear.

Dominic set down the reports and sat in his chair, leaning back before picking them up again and deciding to give them a more in depth look

[♠]

Jack quietly sighed as he looked out over the Pacific ocean, adjusting his flight suit as the water lapped up against the sand. The Military Parade had ended a couple hours ago, and the survivors in the city were starting to embrace their new government. For Jack, now a Full Bird Colonel, the display flight he had flown would likely be one of his last. At least, on the Terran front. He had already put off returning home by volunteering for more and more deployments, but he had reached the sea, and that meant he couldn’t run anymore. The pilot quietly took a faded polaroid from his pocket and looked at it with a sad frown.

Tig, the mare that had taken his heart all those years ago, he had been running from her. Or, at least, the memory of her. She was likely waiting for him on the other side, that was her way, she continued to send him letters even though he didn’t write back. It had started on his first return to Onorus, things had been fine at first. Then there was one night, nightmare night to be precise. Some highschool kids and rowdy ponies decided it would be funny to dress up as zombies and chase people. No one thought it was funny. Jack had lost control and ended up locking himself in the bathroom, pointing his handgun towards the door. He could still remember Tig pushing it open, he had nearly shot her. The man signed up for another tour the next day, fearing that he would possibly hurt her if he stayed near her.

Every letter reassured him that she wasn’t afraid, but every night he slept he knew that she didn’t know what she was talking about. The man took a seat on a nearby bench and continued looking at the picture, he looked up as a couple kids rushed out into the surf to play, then looked back to the picture. Eight years… She was persistent, he gave her that. The man tensed up for a moment as he heard footsteps behind him, but relaxed as he saw it was Sarah. She had risen through the ranks a lot more than he had, she was more of an officer anyway. A full on two star general, with her red hair pulled back in a regulation bun and her uniform adorned with her numerous decorations.

“Hey there…” She said as she sat down, Jack looked at her for a couple seconds, then back out over the ocean. “They give you your orders yet?”

“Nah…” Jack replied before tucking the photo back into his pocket. “I’m hoping they’d hear me out, let me at least make the push to Hawaii, maybe even Japan. Doubt it will come through though.” Sarah sighed quietly and looked back out over the ocean, then she looked at the kids playing in the water.

“Eight years is a long time, Jack.” Sarah said in a tired tone. “I’m glad to be heading back to the Republic, you should be too.” The pilot looked to the sky as he heard jet engines overhead, they were running drills in preparation for carrier operations. He watched a couple contrails before looking back at the ground. “She’s waited eight years for you, Jack. Unlike you or me, she isn’t going to be around forever…”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Jack said bluntly, his boot tapping against the sandy ground beneath the bench. “I… I love her too much to tell her it’s over, but… I don’t want to watch her grow old and die. Or, god forbid I have another episode… Worse than the one I had before.”

“I know you wouldn’t hurt her, she know’s that too…” Sarah said, Jack quietly shook his head and looked down at his hands.

“You say that, but remember the day you found me?” He looked over at Sarah with eyes that shimmered on the verge of tears. “I remember… I remember how you washed my family's blood off of every inch of me… How… How you had to shave my head because of how stuck together it was…” Jack looked back at the sky. “I just want to fly, Sarah… I don’t want these damned eagles on my neck, and I don’t want to hurt the people I care about.”

“Damn it, Jack!” Sarah said with a bit of annoyance, Jack looked over at her. “I couldn’t say it in eight years because of how badly we needed you, but now I can. You’re being a selfish jackass and it’s about damn time you go home!” The man stared at her for a couple seconds, then quietly looked to the ground. “You’re right, it sucks that we get to live so long and she doesn’t, but she has just as much a right to you as a life! If you’re so god damned convinced you don’t want to see her get old then let her go! Let her find someone else! Go off and charge across the Pacific! Hell, I’ll sign the orders myself! Just do something!”

“Fine!” Jack shouted back, standing up from the bench. Sarah blinked in a bit of astonishment. “Fine, I’ll tell her to just stop! I’ll tell her to leave me alone! While I’m at it, why don’t you go and tell her too, since you’re so god damned eager to get back there!” The Colonel panted for several seconds, then put his hands on his hips and looked at the ground. “I don’t deserve her anyway… I don’t deserve you in my life either.”

“Jack I-”

“No. No more ‘Jack I understand’. No more.” Jack said in a quiet tone as he sat back on the bench. “How can you even defend me? How can you even say you’re my friend! You know what I’ve done! You saw what I did to all those people…”

“No.” Sarah said as she put a hand on his trembling shoulder. “I saw the actions of a panicked, cornered young boy.” Jack turned and looked at her quietly. “The same scared young boy I see sitting next to me right now.” The woman sighed and adjusted her collar. “The Pacific is a wall, Jack. Your back is up against it, just like all those years ago. Cornered animals lash out the most, I know because I used to be like that.” Sarah got off the bench and crouched on his eye level. “Jack… I very much understand.” The man stared at her silently. “For over ten years I’ve been looking out for you, giving you advice, helping you when you stumble… You may not think of me this way, but I’ve come to see you as a son. So… Whatever choice you make here, I may not like it, but I’ll accept it.”

“W-What truck are you leaving on?” Jack asked, Sarah raised an eyebrow at him. “I want to know which one I should send my bag too.” He spoke with a bit of a choke in his voice, Sarah rubbed his shoulders softly and hugged him tightly. “I… I just wanna go home…”

“I know, honey… I do too.” Sarah patted him on the back as she sat beside him, the palm trees swayed behind them as the waves continued to lap against the beach. Children played and laughed, unaware of the emotions that ran through many people that would be returning through the portal. “I’m actually flying through a portal in one of the fighters… Not sure which one yet.”

“I don’t think Chavez would mind giving up his seat.” Jack said as he wiped his eyes, the two of them stood up and shared a nervous chuckle. They began walking towards a jeep marked with a flag that signified it was a General’s vehicle. Jack took a seat in back while Sarah sat up front. Her driver started the jeep and began driving towards the airport as ordered. Jack had subconsciously known his choice, having packed his bag the night before, though he’d told himself it was in preparation to go to Hawaii. The drive was pretty quiet, and soon enough they were on the tarmac. From there, Jack received words that he had in fact been ordered to return home.

There was little time spent discussing or saying goodbyes, Jack and Sarah simply climbed into their specified aircraft and began their preflight work. For Sarah, it was an interesting experience to see her pseudo-... No… Her son- in action. They would be joining at least a dozen aircraft and crew returning to Onorus, and there was little time for fanfare before they were taxiing down to the runway. Jack looked out his cockpit canopy towards the hangar that housed his squadron, Sarah looked as well. Every member was standing in front of it, saluting the aircraft as it rolled passed. The Colonel saluted them back before looking towards the runway ahead.

Homeward One-Twelve. Cleared for departure straight out. Have a safe trip, Colonel.” The radio announced, Jack nodded quietly as he stopped on the end of the runway. With a quiet sigh he looked over his shoulder and spoke.

“Let’s go home.” He said simply before looking forward and pushing the throttle forwards, the Phantom thundered down the runway at blistering speed before it climbed into the air and joined the other eleven aircraft that were flying towards the designated portal site. Quietly Jack began to whistle over the comms, some song from an old video game he had played in his youth. To his surprise, other people began to join in. It was soothing to listen to, and at the same time, Jack felt goosebumps rising up along his arms. Only time would tell what the future would hold...
> Chapter 38
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The waters of the North Luna Ocean lapped gently against the shores of Saddle Arabia, the sun was setting in the distance and painted the clouds with beautiful pinks and reds. The tranquil sound of a summer breeze was overcome by the sound of a distant foghorn. The sound emanated from a port in the distance, the rather mountainous portion of Saddle Arabia was sparsely populated with farmers and fur traders. Things had been calm and simple in those rolling hills for thousands of years, the animals and the ponies lived in a sort of harmony. The Saddle Arabians that called this region home were peaceful ponies, stallions and mares who had left the bustling city life for a simpler, more peaceful existence.

The peacefulness of it all seemed so wrong, for it seemed there was a storm gathering to the north of this peaceful land. A storm of steel and iron, thousands of Caribou soldiers, outfitted with weapons reverse engineered from the tanks they had received eight years before. They were far superior to the weapons of Saddle Arabia, and had a far crueller agenda. It appeared Saddle Arabia was merely a stepping stone to them, and  that stone was about to be stepped on. The Saddle Arabians had advanced enough to have biplanes, the Caribou had triplanes. The Saddle Arabians had tanks with experimental energy cannons, the Caribou had perfected that technology as best they could. The water began to clash against the shore with more ferocity as thunder echoed in the distance.

On the high seas, a fleet of wood vessels sailed towards the shore without any sort of attempt to hide. Arrogantly, Caribou flags flew overhead and soldiers could be heard chanting loudly from within the ships. Through the fog that hung over the ocean, a spotter aboard the Onorussian submarine known as O-579 watched them through a pair of binoculars. The Type VIIC U-Boat was running its usual patrol through the Saddle Arabian peninsula, and now served as a forward observer for the Onorussian Military. This ship was captained by a man named Eugene, a former Air Ship first officer.

Eugene stood on the conning tower with his watch officers, the spray of the ocean mist splashing against his bearded face as he continued looking through the binoculars at the Caribou convoy. The deck’s and sides of the ships seemed to be defended by energy cannons, some were turrets, some were mounted like old cannons. There had to be at least seventy ships, possibly even a hundred. In a way, the Caribou reminded Eugene of the Changelings when they had been at their peak military power. Using overwhelming forces in the first attack, throwing a wall of flesh at their enemy like a virus.

“Sir, we’ve radioed the Leviathan. She’s put our message through to the high command.” A crewman announced in Thestralese from the hatch, Eugene nodded quietly as he continued watching the ships. “They haven’t responded to your request to engage the fleet, sir.”

“I don’t expect them too…” Eugene said as he lowered his binoculars and looked to the crewman, a changeling wearing the uniform of an ensign. “We’re at the edge of our observation distance, any closer and we would be violating orders. I put the request forward so that they would take the report more seriously.” The captain let the binoculars hang on the strap around his neck, the submarine rocked from side to side as the waves batted against its sides. ”I will return to my quarters, notify me if anything changes.” The others nodded and Eugene made his way down into the conning tower, passing the ensign who was now checking over some circuits on a landing inside.

Eugene stepped onto the floor of the main control room of the sub, his crew was hard at work as they usually were. It reminded him of his time serving on airships, but submarines offered more of a challenge than an airship. That had been why Eugene had switched his position, he patted his tactical officer on the shoulder as he walked past. The woman looked up for a moment before looking back to the map which had several plots for the ships in the convoy. Eugene walked through the ship, passing by the radio room and the sonar operator before managing to reach his quarters. He closed the door to his small room and sat on his bed, briefly he glanced over to a picture frame beside his bed. It depicted him and his sister Elise standing together with him in his dress uniform.

The Captain sighed and reached down to the collar of his navy blue uniform, from around his neck he withdrew a locket and opened it. He found himself staring at two different faces, one was of his wife Nova. They had actually fallen in love, even after what had happened between the two of them and their time in the EOL. The other picture was of a baby girl, sleeping peacefully with her eyes closed. Eugene leaned back on his bunk and looked up at the pictures, it was very likely that he was witnessing the beginning of another war, and at a time like that he wished he had his loved ones with him. The man quietly closed the locket and slipped it back under his shirt, then wiped his eyes and looked back up at the ceiling.

Half an hour passed, just him and his thoughts, occasionally he could hear the engines switch on in order to keep pace with the convoy. If the word came down that he was to fire on that convoy, there had to be no doubt in his mind that it would be the right thing to do. He knew what the Caribou were, and despite knowing just how brutal the Saddle Arabians could be, they didn’t hold a candle to the Caribou, and they didn’t deserve the kind of suffering that would come from Caribou rule. There came a knock on his door, he responded with a loud hum and looked over to see an ensign stepping in with a paper in his hands.

”Sir. A response from the high command has arrived.” The ensign stated, Eugene stood up and looked to the young man standing in his doorway. ”The Imperator has said we are not to interfere with the actions of the Caribou and Saddle Arabians. He does, however, want us to continue observing them, even if that means crossing the patrol line.” The Captain took the note from the ensign and looked it over, then nodded quietly.

”Very well… Let’s make ourselves as inconspicuous as possible. Take us the periscope depth.” Eugene ordered, the ensign nodded and rushed to the control room to pass along the orders. The captain stepped out of her room and closed the door, then gently patted his chest to feel his locket before following the lead of the ensign. 

[♠]

Dominic sighed as he stepped out of his office, he looked to his watch and saw that it was already hour past the time he had expected to be back for dinner with his family. He hoped that the Caribou weren’t about to invade, mainly because that would drag him away from his family even more. As it stood there was nothing more he could do at the moment, and he hoped that Maria had put aside some pasta for him. The walk to the dining room felt like it took far longer than it usually did, his boots echoed through the large marble halls of the castle. The man turned one corridor after another until finally stopping in front of the door to the dining room.

The man pushed it open and looked inside, unsurprisingly there was no one sitting at the table, no smiles or stories about each other’s day. Of course his family had probably gone on without him, he wouldn’t want to keep them waiting very long with how busy his work could make him. Of course there was a plate set out for him, covered with plastic wrap to keep it moderately fresh. Dominic quietly sat down at his seat and uncovered the pasta, he took a deep breath and caught the familiar lovely scent of the sauce that Maria made so well. He picked up a fork from beside the plate and began eating, leaning one elbow against the table and resting his hand against his cheek. The solitude of the dining room gave him time to reflect on his day, he almost didn’t even pay attention to the taste of the food as he zoned out.

The day hadn’t been as uneventful as he had hoped, but at least the world wasn’t completely on fire. Yet. He had been considering intervening in the conflict, but he knew that the smart move was to let them wear each other down. At least at first. He would wait for the Saddle Arabians to see just how deeply they were in trouble, then step in and play the part of heroic savior. That would get the Saddle Arabians on his side, at least that was the plan. Of course, if it turned out that this wasn’t what it seemed, he would need to adjust his plan accordingly. Unfortunately slipping agents into any of the enemy countries was proving difficult, even changelings that had years of shapeshifting experience could only barely mimic Saddle Arabians or Caribou, they hadn’t had enough experience with their physiology. Zebras were more common in Equestria, but there was no information of note coming out of Zebrica at the moment.

Dominic paused as he heard his fork clink against an empty plate, he shook himself out of his thoughts and stood up. With the empty plate in hand he walked to a nearby cart and set it down for the castle staff to take, then he walked out of the room and began making his way to his own bedroom. It was likely he would find Maria, Luna and Altair there, undoubtedly watching Star Trek without him. He passed by numerous guards, saluting them as he did so, until finally he had reached the familiar wooden doors that lead to his quarters. The man paused quietly outside the door for a couple seconds, adjusting his uniform and taking a few deep breaths to put on a face of calm for his son and wives to see. With a slight grunt he pushed the doors open and stepped inside, then closed the door.

Sure enough he saw Luna and Maria sitting on a couch facing the innermost wall, a large TV was playing the Sci-Fi epic that Dominic wouldn’t deny he loved. He had always been more partial to Captain Kirk rather than Picard, Kirk’s gunslinger attitude really spoke to the Imperator as a child. He was glad to pass the torch onto his son. Altair was surely more focussed on the action on the screen, as he hadn’t noticed his dad walking into the room. Dominic removed his cap and made his way over to the couch. Luna and Maria smiled at him and scooched apart, it gave him just enough space to sit between them. Of course as soon as he sat down they had scooched closer and rested their head against him, using him as a big muscled pillow.

As the movie continued playing, Dominic felt Maria tracing her hand up and down his chest in a very discreet fashion. Altair was more focussed on the movie, so he didn’t really notice anything happening behind him as he was sitting on the floor. Dominic stiffened and straightened up when he felt Maria’s touch, his eyes glanced over to her with a bit of surprise, but he saw her smirking back at him with that usual playful look in her eyes. He glanced back over to Luna, but she was a bit more interested in the movie, she always enjoyed a good movie that took place in space, especially ones like Star Trek. Dominic looked back to the television screen, smiling softly and placing a hand on Maria’s finger. He gave her hand a soft squeeze before letting go, she leaned her head against his shoulder with a soft sigh.

[♠]

Jack quietly adjusted the duffle bag over his shoulder as he walked out of the warehouse where his bag had been transferred. The cargo aircraft had gotten mixed up on the way back and as such he had been dragged all around the airbase, now that he had his bag he could make his way off of the base and meet up with Tig. Personally he was a bit disappointed that his search for the bag had ended, as it had given him time to prolong his meeting. Now that he had his bag over his shoulder there was nothing to keep him from leaving. He had changed out of his flight suit and into his tan officer’s uniform, he had his leather bomber jacket on as well, decorated with numerous patches. The sun was almost completely set, with only a few rays of sunlight shining off in the distance that would soon be overcome by the night. The man sighed and began walking towards the gate where he had told Tig he would meet her, a pit formed in his stomach. He loved her, he wouldn’t deny that, but he wasn’t sure how he could face her after such a long time.

Jets roared overhead, Jack would’ve given anything to be flying one of them, but that was not his fate. His boots echoed against the cooling tarmac, the gate was getting closer and closer. There was a crowd waiting there, families preparing to receive all the other pilots that were coming home from their deployment. The Colonel could hear the happy chattering from a hundred yards away, he paused mid step and did his best to compose himself once again. Every instinct he had told him that he didn’t belong there, that life wasn’t meant for him, and yet he knew he had to keep moving forward. With a hesitant sigh he began walking again, the sunlight grew even dimmer. By the time he had reached the gate it was completely gone, the chattering was louder than ever, and he could see his fellow pilots mingling with the crowd, some of them had found their families and were sharing hugs all around.

Jack took a deep breath as he approached the gate, the MPs there wasted no time in opening it for him. He silently stared through the opening in the chain link fence. Beyond the gate he could see the happy faces, an alien environment that he wasn’t sure would help him. He tried to think back to the last time he was truly happy, when Tig’s face flashed through his mind he knew what he had to do. The man nodded to the MPs before taking a single step through the gate, he walked further away from the familiar razor wire and security perimeters and out into the unknown. The man adjusted his jacket before reaching into the internal pocket and withdrawing his garrison cap, he slipped it onto his head and began walking through the crowd in search of Tig.

The Colonel walked through several groups of people until finally he stepped out of the crowd entirely. He looked around quietly, searching the open space beyond the crowd for any sign of the mare he loved. After a couple moments he spotted an earth pony mare with her color of fur standing near the road that ran along the base, but she turned and revealed that she actually had a horn. It wasn’t Tig, leaving Jack with a rather uncertain feeling in his gut. The man spotted a bus stop ahead, he figured that he could take a bus to the house he had bought on the outskirts of Ponyville. Jack began walking towards the bus stop, adjusting his dufflebag once again before sighing.

The man leaned against the sign and reached into his jacket pocket, withdrawing an MP3 player and putting in his earbuds. He frowned as he flicked through his music before settling on a rather melancholy selection of noir jazz. The light that illuminated the bus stop occasionally flickered, gnats and moths swarmed around the bulb overhead. Jack felt odd being the only person at the bus stop, was he the only one that didn’t have someone waiting for him? The man sighed and closed his eyes, then leaned his head back against the pole and listened to the jazz, the only sound that seemed to penetrate his bubble of seclusion was the distant sound of jet engines. He stood there for ten minutes, but for the lonely ten minutes can tend to feel like an eternity. Finally he opened his eyes when he heard the engine of the bus approaching, the Colonel stood up straight as the headlights washed over him.

With a hiss of the air brakes the bus came to a halt, the doors opened with a creak and Jack stood up straight. As he began to step onto the bus he noticed a couple ponies stepping off of the vehicle, the man stopped and looked at them. Two pegasi and another unicorn, no Tig. Jack sighed and handed a couple coins to the busdriver before making his way over to one of the rickety seats that lined the windows of the grey metal vehicle. The bus was empty, Jack was the only passenger, and so he opted to seat his bag next to him rather than in the luggage rack. His jazz continued to play, the sad saxophone echoed through his mind as the doors closed and the bus began to drive once again.

Jack leaned his face against the window and stared out with that same frown he had worn for eight years. His eyes watered a bit as he watched the city lights through the glass, the cold night air was starting to chill his cheek. The ride around the city went by without much trouble, no one really ran the route that Jack took, and that made for sparse conversation partners. After half an hour of silence Jack recognized the signs for his stop and reached up to a string that ran from the back to a bell at the front of the bus. He tugged it a couple times, signalling the bus driver to slow to a stop. The brakes squealed and hissed once again, Jack stood up and grabbed his bag before walking to the front of the bus and nodding to the driver. With that he stepped off the bus and onto the street corner, part of a quiet rural piece of land.

The bus drove off, leaving him there alone. Several houses lined the street, spaced out with decent sized yards and places for planting gardens. Jack’s only source of light now was the street lamps that lined the road, he tucked his hands into his pocket and turned off his MP3 player. His footsteps became the only sound he heard as he wrapped up his earbuds and tucked them into his pocket with the music player. He passed by a couple houses, most of them were dark. This was generally a neighborhood that was used by people who were rarely home, whether they were off on business or vacation, Jack had never met a single neighbor of his, he took some perverse pride in that fact.

Jack stopped in front of a familiar house, the grass in the yard was overgrown and tall. The driveway was cracked and had grass growing around it, the porch lights were off and the windows were shuttered. The man walked to the front gate and pushed it open, the metal of the hinges whined loudly. He walked down the overgrown path, closing the gate behind him as he approached the porch. The Colonel stopped at the front door and looked at his mailbox, it was empty, as he had expected. The man spotted several notices on his door from the HOA, complaining about his grass and driveway. Jack crumpled them up and tucked them into his coat before unlocking the door and pushing it open. The door creaked as well, spilling light into the dark home.

He stepped inside and closed the door behind him, the familiar smell of mothballs and old paper greeted his nose. Jack ran a hand along the banister of the staircase that ran upstairs, unsurprisingly he found it to be covered in dust. The man blinked a couple times, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness. To his surprise there was a faint glow in the living room to his right that originated from the kitchen, Jack knew there wasn’t supposed to be anyone there. He reached down to his belt and drew his handgun from the holster, cautiously he began clearing the living room. There wasn’t anyone there, which lead him to the kitchen itself. He peeked through the doorway and was surprised to see the dining room table had been set and a pair of candles had been set up and lit.

The man stepped into the kitchen, holding his handgun at the ready as he approached the table and examined it. To places had been set out, the entire kitchen had been dusted, and he could see a glass pan sitting on the stove. He knew for a fact he didn’t own anything like it, it was far too colorful for his taste. Jack approached the pan and removed the lid, he was greeted by the smell of baked ziti. Chills ran down his body and goosebumps sprouted up along his arms, slowly he returned his handgun to its holster. There was a creak in the wood floor behind him that was followed by a gasp, and with caution he turned to face the source.

Tig was standing there with a look of surprise, obviously she hadn’t expected him to come home as late as he had. Then again, he supposed he was technically supposed to arrive two hours later, but that was only a technicality caused by the fluctuations of the wormholes between Terra and Terra Nova. In retrospect he should’ve expected that to be the cause of Tig not showing up at the airbase, but his thoughts had been elsewhere that that period of time. She looked just as beautiful as the day he had left her all those years ago, her mane had grown longer and was done up in a french braid. To Tig, Jack had certainly changed. His eyes were more sunken and had a sadness that ran deep, his shoulders were slouched and his face seemed to be a mix of neutral stoicism and suppressed emotional agony.

The mare walked towards him quietly, both of them were unable to think of words. Jack was surprised when Tig hugged him tightly around the waist, her warm fur and embrace sent shockwaves through his body. He felt his knees wobble, slowly he slid down through her hooves until he was eye level with her. Jack wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in her neck, silently forcing his emotions back into check. All his life he had wished for someone to love, someone to hold. They continued to hold each other quietly, the only light that filled the room was the candles, and in the distance all that could be heard was the sound of chirping crickets.

[♠]

Celestia quietly sighed as she looked out the window of her room, staring out at the city lights of the Crystal Empire. The distant storm clouds rumbled as they usually did, the shield that surrounded the city kept them at bay. Eight years had passed and not once had the city experienced an unscheduled cold period, it was all so routine and mundane that Celestia often felt like she had returned to Pre-War Equestria. There was hardly anything that gave her pause, hardly anything that made her surprised, and that made Celestia wary. For the generals and soldiers that had escaped to the Crystal Empire with her, the war was very far from over, but the Princess was unsure of that.

Her former subjects were enjoying a period of technological revolution, more importantly they seemed very happy with their new government. Celestia had seen her nephew grow up through snapshots from the newspapers, and even those were limited. Eight years old, not once had she even said hello to him. The former Princess sighed and looked around her room, it was well decorated with relatively fancy furniture, a fitting gilded cage. The alicorn had stopped wearing her crown and regalia, keeping it locked in a chest beneath her bed. With a quiet groan she stood from her resting place near the window and walked towards a television on the wall. It was one of the many wonders that human technology had brought, and it was growing far more popular in the Crystal Empire than expected.

The mare sat down on a cushion in front of the screen and flicked it on with her magic, her eyes stung as the blinding light emanated from the device before dimming to a more acceptable and comfortable level. The volume was down, but the television was displaying the familiar setup of an Onorussian based news program. It wasn’t anything really interesting, nothing sensational or frivolous, as Celestia had come to expect from the Onorussians. News was news to them, nothing more. The familiar male thestral anchor was speaking in his usual monotone voice, his expression was stoic and rhythmic, it was the perfect program for falling asleep to if Celestia wanted. The Princess shook her head quietly and flicked through the channels, passing by cartoons and cooking shows before stopping when she happened upon a program depicting tanks.

”...the war five years ago is still being felt around the globe. Those who fought on both sides of the conflict are still very much against one another, despite large scale civilian support of the Onorussian government.” The narrator said with a trottingham accent, Celestia watched as rather shaky footage played on the screen.Someone was holding a camera and recording, running across a field with a group of Onorussian soldiers as spells and arrows rained down around them. The screen cut to a picture of a woman that Celestia recognized, none other than Maria Occisor. She was seated in a dark room, wearing her usual robes. The caption displayed her name, as well as her former rank of Major.

”It was one of the scariest parts of my life. The worst part was slipping through the lines before the battle at Ponyville…” The woman said, it was obviously a pre recorded video, as she looked a tad more tense than she had in recent pictures. ”One of the hardest things about being a soldier is taking a life… You don’t know if they’re someone’s brother, if they like the kind of music you like… The more you kill the more you start to wonder that. Ponyville was the hardest for me because I knew so much about it, and yet so little…” Celestia sighed as she leaned back on her cushion and continued to watch the documentary unfolding, more footage of artillery smashing houses to splinters was shown.

The alicorn continued watching, sighing a bit more heavily. The documentary was three years old, she had seen it more than once, it didn’t stop her from feeling upset whenever confronted by what had happened. The mare changed channels and was surprised to see more gun play, but it was accented by dramatic music, Celestia recognized it as a trailer for a movie. The camera was focused on a pair of women in a bell tower as rain fell in buckets around them, the view cut to an image of their sniper scopes roving over trenches with Royal guards in them before rapidly changing to a shot of one of their fingers tightening around the trigger. Just as the weapon went off it cut to a title screen, as well as a date at which the film would be released. The film was also about the Forty Eight hour war and the events that had lead up to it, a biographical picture about Maria Occisor. She was regarded highly in Onorus, and it was  not only because she was Imperatrix. Without much thought she flicked the television off, continuing to sit in silence and look at the TV, her mind running with ideas that never seemed to leave her alone.

Celestia quietly stood up from her cushion and looked out the window once again, the lights of the city below gave her room just enough glow for her to walk to her bed. The mare adjusted her mane before she walked to her comfy blankets and slipped beneath them. She looked up at the ceiling as she lay in her bed, as usual there was nothing of much note there. It had been more and more difficult for her to fall asleep lately, and yet she spent most of her time during the day asleep. The waking world had become more and more unbearable, and so she retreated into her dreams for some sort of escape. Her horn glowed as she cast a spell upon herself, her eyes closed and she was propelled into a world of numb bliss, a world that she knew she might see her sister in. Even if it had been so long since they had spoken to one another, she still held out some faint hope...
> Chapter 39
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Space. The final frontier. Since her birth, Luna had always been fascinated by the stars that she played guardian to. They had played such an immense part in her life, and yet she knew very little about them. She, like many, shared in fantasies of going to the heavens and exploring or even colonizing other worlds. Even her son had expressed a desire to walk among her constellations, to seek out new life forms and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one had gone before. Unlike most regular citizens, however, she was far closer to this goal than anyone on her planet had been before.

For the last Eight years she had been tasked with seeking out a solution to the overpopulation problem, at first she and her team of scientists had experimented with model rockets and remote controlled aircraft. They had spent many hours studying the work of Werner Von Braun, a man said to be the father of human space flight. The Apollo and Mercury Programs had been blueprints for the first Onorussian Space Command test flights. As Luna stood in her office on the floor of the Castle that had been set aside solely for her project, she found herself thinking back to their first steps into space. Already a pony had been put in orbit for nearly a day, and plans to launch their first satellite were under way. To Luna these were simply Proof of Concept acts, and despite their achievements, they weren’t nearly close enough to her ultimate goal.

Her office was filled with maps on the wall, diagrams of space vessels and lists of goals were held up by tacks. A design table was set up near the glass wall that lead out into the hallway, on it were blueprints for another possible vessel that was being designed. Luna looked up at the largest item on her wall, her office was tall enough that it could be very large. A picture of a rust colored planet with ice caps at the surface, it was the closest neighbor of their world. Luna and her team had dubbed it Nova Paradisum, and it was her ultimate goal see a colony established there, and then, perhaps to see the expansion of Onorus into an interstellar power.

Warp fields and hyperspace travel weren’t much of an option, such technology would take far longer than she had to solve the problem put before her. It had been decided to focus on creating a viable wormhole drive, or at least land a team on the surface of Nova Paradisum in order to set up a portal arch. It would work in a similar fashion to the portal between Terra and Equis, allowing for the construction of a colony to take place for far less time and resources. Overshadowing the picture on her wall was a much smaller poster, one depicting the moon. The Portal Arch would be tested there, the construction of a test colony on the moon would be yet another proof of concept.

Luna sighed quietly and trotted out of her office, passing by a couple ponies and human scientists working in a lab. It was the robotics lab, nothing of much note happened there, at least not by Luna’s standards. She didn’t like robots, despite their value as space exploration tools and military assets, Luna found them to be rather dull and boring. There were more labs throughout her level of the castle, ranging from aeronautics to propulsion and even weapon design. The floor had been nicknamed ‘The White Wing’ by castle staff, a reference to the clean white floors, white walls, white ceilings, and often times the white clean suits the scientists wore in their labs. Luna wouldn’t have ever expected such a floor to exist eight years ago, the floor had used to be filled with apartments for nobles, but since there were no longer nobles it had been completely remodeled.

The alicorn hummed to herself as she made her way through the halls, occasionally she could hear scientists talking in the other rooms. Some of them were from the CIMC, as the military considered interdimensional travel and space travel to be rather similar, the two agencies often shared resources and staff. Luna turned down a hallway and entered a door on her right, the wormhole lab. As usual the scientists there were hard at work, some of them were standing in front of a whiteboard with equations scrawled along its surface, others were fiddling with small doodads, and Luna could see the two department heads were standing in a thick metal ring that was secure in a metal frame that stood upright on one of the white lab tables.

“You ready?” One of the men asked the other as he made a couple adjustments with his screwdriver, the other nodded and walked to an identical metal ring that was facing a different part of the room. “Alright, Dexter! Pray this works.” Luna remained quiet as she watched the two department heads from a reasonable distance, allowing them to work without interrupting. She watched as the first man picked up a glowing purple crystal, Luna recognized it as a simple Arcane Battery, a basic universal power storage device. The man placed the crystal into a device with wires that ran up to the first metal ring, then flipped a couple switches and slowly began to turn a knob.

“Reading stable dimensional emissions from my end.” Dexter reported from the other side of the room, the other scientists briefly looked over before shaking their heads and going back to their discussions. The two department heads had attempted the experiment thirty times, each try had failed, no matter what variables they changed. “Holding steady, increase power to… Seven Kilo-Arcs.” Luna smirked as she watched the first scientist turn the knob a bit more, the two rings began to glow a soft purple light. “We’re at one hundred units of dimensional rift…on this end.”

“Alright, let’s give it a shot.” The first department head said as he pulled on a pair of safety goggles, Luna recalled his name was Pavlov. A Russian physicist whose son was a rather accomplished airforce pilot. He ran a hand over his scraggly grey and black hair before picking up a baseball from the table and attempting to toss it through the ring. There was a bright spark, as well as a pop and a puff of smoke. The Arcane Battery shattered and the baseball bounced back and clocked Pavlov in the chest. “Damn it! What are we missing!”

“Perhaps I can help?” Luna asked, catching both scientists by surprise. They looked at her nervously, noting that she had probably seen yet another failure. The alicorn approached the lab table and examined the metal ring that had been wrapped up with wires and other devices, some of which hadn’t even existed a month ago. Despite all the technology she knew there were runes carved into the metal, a basic portal enchantment, but powering it would take concentration from a unicorn. Whenever a magic user activated the runes the spell worked like a charm, but take away that concentration and it failed miserably.

“We don’t know where we’re going wrong, Miss Luna. We’ve followed every step of the spell to the letter, infused it with enough technology to land a space shuttle… What are we missing?” Pavlov asked as he picked bits of broken crystal out of the device. Luna looked at the metal rings, her horn glowing softly as she probed them for any sort of arcane impurities. To her surprise the runes were the most perfect ones she had ever seen, and considering she had helped write the book on portal spells, that was saying something. By all accounts the device should have been working, but perhaps there was something that science couldn’t account for. Among other things, magic took concentration and passion to work, the most powerful mages were often very passionate in one aspect of their lives or another.

“Maybe it’s a focal point issue?” Dexter asked as he walked back over the Pavlov, he looked at his finger for a moment. “We’re trying to poke a hole in between two points, maybe we need some sort of hole punch?” Pavlov hummed quietly and rubbed his beard before looking at Luna, she nodded.

“Possible. Early portal spells would sometimes require a pony to pierce the event horizon.” The alicorn mused as she sat on the cold, sterile floor of the lab. The walls of the room, much like her office, were covered in numerous sketches and equations, as well as a calendar depicting a human woman in scant clothing. By most accounts she was beautiful, still, not as beautiful as Maria. At least according to Luna. The mare couldn’t help but think about her wife, so homely and pleasant on the outside, and yet she knew there was a sea of passion beneath that calm demeanor. Luna shook herself from those thoughts and looked back to the lab table. “Often they used their horn.”

“So, organic matter may be the key?” Dexter said before pausing and looking at the baseball that had landed on the table.  “But the baseball is covered in leather and other organic matter, why didn’t it work?” Pavlov picked up the baseball and looked it over closely, he scratched at his chin which was covered in an itchy looking beard.

“Passion...” Pavlov mumbled to himself. “Passion…” The man picked up another Arcane battery and put it into the machine, then began flipping the switches and turning the knob.

“What’re you doing?” Dexter asked with a bit of surprise, Pavlov didn’t respond right away as he continued to make adjustments.

“Science has always failed to catalogue one part of human existence, Dexter…” The Russian man said as he stood up straight and looked at the metal ring. “Once again. Pray this works.” Luna and Dexter were shocked to see the man reach out a hand and slip a finger into the ring. There were sparks and a soft pop, but to everyone’s surprise Pavlov was still on his feet, his hand had disappeared into a swirling purple vortex. Luna and the others stared in shock as the man smiled widely. “I think it was missing a human element.” Slowly the man withdrew his hand through the vortex and looked over his fingers, quietly he opened and closed them, then picked up the baseball and tossed it through the swirling light. It emerged from the other ring and clattered to the floor.

“Gentlemen…” Luna said as she used her magic to levitate the baseball from the floor, then set it into the palm of Pavlov. “I expect we have much work to do now that we’ve figured this out, shall we begin?” The others looked at one another, then nodded and began to gather up their devices and measuring equipment. Luna felt pride welling up in her chest, she had just witnessed the beginning of wormhole technology. There was still a long way to go, but she was excited about the prospects.

[♠]

Minnesota, Hinkman hated Minnesota. The secret agent turned Liutenant Colonel had always hated the cold, whether it was in Colorado or Wyoming, or most recently Minnesota. He had a feeling he had been assigned to the middle of nowhere as punishment, though for what he had no idea. It was Fall, but that didn’t stop him from shivering under his greyish white heavy wool coat. He could see his breath as he road along in one of the humvees that were a part of the battalion under his command. The 808th Exploratory Infantry Battalion, better known as ‘The Snow Wolves’. Tasked with searching the very, very chilly parts of Minnesota for any sign of survivors that hadn’t already been evacuated, it was a big state after all.

The man scowled as he rubbed his thick black beard, his kevlar helmet resting crookedly on his head. The driver of the humvee, a young Corporal, had the luxury of a scarf his mother had sent him, though it was little comfort considering his mother wasn’t the best at knitting. It was more like a glorified hankerchief than a scarf. Hinkman looked out the window at some of the passing buildings that had already been cleared, they had been occupied by his troops relatively quickly afterwards. His communications officer was playing Christmas Music over the radio, acting as a sort of beacon in case any of the other units got lost and needed to triangulate their position.

“How come I’m here…?” The driver mumbled to himself as he kept his hands on the wheel, meanwhile Hinkman tucked his hands under his armpits for warmth. “I could be shipping off to Hawaii, or hell, the UK, but no I had to get the ‘Fun’ assignment. Canada! That’s where the action is!”

“What do you want to bet there are two schmucks who wanted this assignment going to Hawaii?” Hinkman asked with a dry chuckle, the Corporal chuckled back as the Humvee drove along through the snow. There were two more Humvees ahead of them, loaded down with troops. The gun hatches had been closed in the interest of conserving heat in the poorly heated humvees, Hinkman didn’t blame command for the lack of heat, all things considered the military took exemplary care of its vehicles. The problem was with Minnesota, it was just so damn cold that the heaters may as well have been turned off.

“Colonel, you know anything about this town we’re heading towards? Think there’s a settlement there?” The corporal asked, the rest of the humvee was empty save for the extra blankets and goods that would be used for trade with any settlements they ran across. Hinkman leaned back in his seat and adjusted his helmet, then exhaled slowly.

“It’s some place called Littlefork, real close to the Canadian border.” Hinkman explained as he tried to tighten the collar of his wool coat. “Chopper said there’s supposed to be some basic fortifications there, even signs of vehicle activity.” The man looked out onto the front of the humvee, watching as snow blew off of the greyish-white hood. All the vehicles shared a similar color pattern, thankfully helping to camouflage the vehicles among the snow. “They didn’t shoot at the chopper, actually the crew saw a couple people firing off flares.”

“So no shooting this time?” The Corporal asked, Hinkman nodded and began rubbing his hands together again. “Great. I can barely feel my fingers, even with the gloves.” Hinkman looked over at his driver, a man by the name of Schmidt. He was from New Liberty, back on the Mainland, he’d been ten when he came through the portal, eight years later he was seeing his first deployment back on Terra. Brown hair, blue eyes, and he didn’t drink. Hinkman found him to be quite an interesting companion.

”Yeti Two-One to Yeti Two-Actual. Coming up on the town ahead, half a click down the road. Eyes on three police vehicles parked in barricade formation just in front of the bridge crossing the river, ten plus foot mobiles, armed with small arms and… Two MGs.” The radio buzzed, Hinkman cursed quietly as he was forced to stop rubbing his hands together in order to pick up the microphone to respond.

“Copy that Two-One, keep a passive posture but be ready to go in guns blazing if they open up on us.” Hinkman responded as he used his free hand to strap his helmet into position, he saw one humvee pull off into the snow to allow his vehicle to pass before getting back in the column behind him. ”Snowball wants this route to the border secure by hook or by crook. Follow?”

”Follow. Ready to nullify if necessary.” The lead humvee replied, Hinkman watched the hatch to the turret of the front vehicle pop open as an unlucky fellow stood up into the cold air to man the fifty. Hinkman took a couple seconds to go over his plan of action in his head a few more times, first contact with survivors was extremely important. He had made more than his fair share over the years, but it was still a crapshoot when it came to certain settlements. One time he had seen a group of cannibals, there was another time where his men had been worshipped as gods because they had radios… Very strange people inhabited the wastes. ”Yeti Two-One to all Yeti Victors, slowing to stop outside the barricade.”

“Here we go.” Schmidt said as he tapped the brakes to match the slowing pace of the humvee ahead, there were soft squeaking noises as the vehicles came to a stop.

The militia of Littlefork looked at the humvees with surprise, they bore marks and flags that weren’t consistent with the United States Government despite the fact that they used American equipment. The militia was small and barely able to hold off the groups of raiders that tended to roam the wastes, they had run out of ammunition for their heavy machine guns nearly a week before, and now only used them for intimidation purposes. Cautiously a couple snipers watched the gunner in the first humvee from across the river that seperated their town from the unknown vehicles on the other side of the bridge, though the gunner seemed to be more focused on keeping himself warm than manning his weapon. After a couple moments of uneasy silence, the first humvee flashed its lights a couple times.

Citizens of the small town watched from their homes as the town’s sheriff approached the first humvee with caution. He was a portly fellow, wearing a brown leather jacket that bore the gold star of his department. His boots crunched the fresh snow as he approached the driver’s side of the humvee, he was a bit surprised to see the uniform of the woman driving it. It didn’t read ‘US ARMY’ as he had been expecting, instead it bore ‘OGEC’. The woman rolled down the window to the car and looked at him quietly.

“Hello.” She said in a neutral tone, the Sheriff stared at her. “Um… I assume you want to talk to our commanding officer?”

“That’s about right…” The Sheriff said as he put his hands on his hip, he watched the woman pick up a radio mic in the humvee and mumble a few words. The radio buzzed with a response before the Sheriff heard the passenger side door of the second humvee open and then slam shut, the idling engines obscured the sound of footsteps but it wasn’t long before the person responsible appeared. He was tall, muscular, and had a rather bushy black beard, the Sheriff was a redhead, and had a beard of his own. The two bearded men stopped at about five paces from one another, each sized the other up quietly, before the Sheriff cleared his throat. “Might I ask who you boys are with? I haven’t ever seen US vehicles with markings like this.”

“We’re the Eight-O’-Eight. Onorussian Global Expeditionary Corps.” Hinkman responded in an honest tone. “The UN folded into our government eight years ago, we’ve been gradually reclaiming the Northern US and evacuating people to a safe location.” The Sheriff raised an eyebrow at him, then walked a bit closer. “The details of how our government came to be, and where people are evacuated to, can be discussed in a more private setting.”

“I’ve heard tell that there have been people impersonating military personnel to take supplies from settlements, among other things.” The Sheriff said with a bit of skepticism in his voice, Hinkman didn’t change much about his body language. “From the looks of things though, and the fact we had a chopper fly past here a couple days ago, I’m inclined to believe you’re the real McCoy.” The man put his hands on his belt. “Begs the question, what can we do for you?”

“Onorus is expanding into Canada, at the behest of what remained of the Canadian government before it folded into the Onorussian Republic.” Hinkman explained, he quietly took a map from his pocket and unfolded it before pressing it up against the humvee and gesturing to a route leading up into Canada. “Your town resides on a key route into Ontario, we’re prepared to evacuate your people and once that’s done we’ll be able to move into Canada.”

“And… What if my people don’t want to leave?” The Sheriff asked, Hinkman paused and sighed quietly, then tucked the map back into his jacket. “Where would you be sending them if they did?”

“Either Onorus, or other reclaimed territory in the North Americas. Our forces actually just liberated California, from what I hear it’s great this time of year.” Hinkman explained further, but he could tell that the Sheriff wasn’t all that convinced. “Listen, there is some very sensitive information that I need to share with whomever is in charge of the entire settlement. Would that happen to be you?”

“Yes, I suppose it would be.” The Sheriff said, Hinkman nodded quietly before leaning against the humvee. “Suppose it can wait though? My people are getting nervous, and I’m sure you and yours are in need of a hot meal.” Hinkman nodded again. “Have your boys pull up onto the main drag, the citizens will likely want to get a good look at all of you.”

“That could be a problem…” Hinkman said quietly, the Sheriff raised an eyebrow at him. “Some of my troops are… Well… it has to do with that sensitive topic. You’re going to have to look for yourself.” The man began walking to the final humvee with the Sheriff cautiously following him, by all accounts it seemed to be normal, until he realized that there seemed to be a bird sitting in the driver’s seat, and a pony in the passenger seat. The Sheriff stared, absolutely stunned, before looking at Hinkman. “Lieutenant Peregrine and Sergeant Firewater. A griffon and a thestral.”

“A-Aliens?” The Sheriff asked.

“Technically Interdimensional beings.” Hinkman clarified, he put his hands on his hips. “About a decade ago someone in their world accidentally opened a portal into ours, a guy got pulled through and rallied support to come back here and start rescuing folk.” The Sheriff didn’t speak, allowing Hinkman to go into further detail. “They’re good people, their world is a helluva lot nicer than ours, if you don’t mind bright colors.”

“W-Well… I seen stranger things.” The Sheriff mumbled as he walked up to the driver side window of the humvee and reached inside, poking Peregrine several times to ensure she was real. She was used to that happening on first contact missions, it didn’t bother her that much. “A-Alright… How about I warn my people first, then you pull on up the main drag anyway, we’ll get all this sorted out.” Hinkman nodded quietly and watched as the Sheriff walked back to the bridge. There were trees that lined both sides of the river, and Hinkman could tell there were snipers watching him from the other side. There weren’t any birds chirping across the river, and that generally meant something had scared them into silence. Discretely the Lieutenant Colonel got back into his humvee, taking some comfort behind the armored door.

Nearly an hour passed, no one in the convoy dared to speak a word beyond their usual communication checks. They were all very tense as there had been cases where first contact had gone less than flawlessly, it was for that reason that there were fighter planes and medical helicopters on standby. Eventually Hinkman heard Schmidt humming, as if his nerves had subsided somewhat. The older man recognized the tune and faintly smiled before looking over at the Corporal.

“Statler Brothers?” He asked, Schmidt nodded and continued humming. Hinkman began humming along as well, then started to sing the lyrics he could remember. “...Countin’ flowers on the wall, that don’t bother me at all…” The man reached into his pocket and withdrew a cigarette, then rolled down the window and lit the end with his zippo. “Playin’ solitaire ‘til dawn, with a deck of fifty one…”

“Smokin’ cigarettes and watchin’ Captain Kangaroo…” Scmidt chimed in quietly, Hinkman exhaled a puff of smoke out the window. “Now don’t tell me I’ve nothin’ to do~!” Schmidt trailed off and leaned back in his seat, then scratched at his chin. “Fucking hell, I wish they would just shoot at us or something. It would beat sitting here in the cold.”

“Calm down, Corporal. They’re just finding out that aliens exist, give them some time.” Hinkman said tiredly as he looked at the settlement across the frozen river. “For all we know they’re getting ready to throw a big welcoming party.” The man quietly sighed and took another drag on his cigarette, then picked up a leather bound binder from the console and opened it. He just wanted to confirm his orders and take a look at anything he might have missed in his earlier briefing. The man paused as he saw something he had overlooked before, a personal note on the very last page. “Son of a bitch…”

“What?” Schmidt asked, Hinkman tapped the ashes of his cigarette on the window, letting them fall outside the humvee.

“This town could have VIPs in it.” Hinkman mumbled as he continued looking over the paper. “There’s a note here from Providentia, apparently they have some files on people that could be up this way.” Schmidt gestured for the man to go on, Hinkman shook his head quietly. “Nothing I can tell you, Schmidt. I already said too much.”

“Fine, I can wait.” Schmidt said with a shrug, he leaned out the window on his side of the humvee and watched three figures walking across the bridge. One was the sheriff, the other two looked like they were wearing military gear and carrying assault rifles. The gunner in the humvee ahead of them noticed them as well, perking up out of his attempts to warm himself and gripping the weapon tightly. “Shit…”

”Heads up! Three foot mobiles moving across the bridge, two of them are armed and wearing body armor.” The voice of the driver in the first humvee announced, Hinkman took the radio in his hand and cleared his throat.

“Hold fire.” The man ordered as he tossed his ciggarette out onto the snow. “If they raise their weapons… Nullify. Follow?”

”Follow.” The other humvee responded, Hinkman straightened his helmet and discretely drew his sidearm from his holster. He proceeded to rest it in his lap and watched the windshield for the three men. His heart was pounding a bit faster, this was very close to going sideways for him. If they turned out to be hostile he could have a very real problem on his hand, especially considering who the VIPs mentioned in the dossier were. A couple seconds passed before the Sheriff appeared, beside him were two men in SWAT outfits. That explained the hardware they were packing, but it didn’t make Hinkman feel any more relaxed.

“You’re clear to move up onto the main road.” The Sheriff said when he got to the window, he noticed the two occupants of the humvee looking towards the two armed men. “Don’t worry about them, my wife had me take them along for ‘My protection’.” Hinkman nodded slowly before picking up the radio.

“All Yeti Victors, clear to advance into the town.” He ordered, the drivers started their engines and began rolling across the bridge. They passed by several militiamen waving them along onto the main road that ran through the town, the police vehicles had been moved out of the way to allow them passage. Sure enough there were people lining the streets, at least seventy five from what Hinkman could estimate. The humvees came to a stop once they were sufficiently past the bridge, as there were no other cars on the road they didn’t bother to pull over to park. Hinkman knew that he was about to begin the most annoying part of his job, dealing with uncontacted locals. He stepped out of the humvee and adjusted his wool coat as the crowd got closer to him, once everyone had gathered around him he cleared his throat and began to explain in greater detail what had happened.

As always, there were always the skeptics, but they were quieted as soon as the people got a look at the members of the convoy that had driven the last humvee. Overall the contact went as well as expected, at the end of the briefing there were already at least fifty people wanting to get out of their town as soon as possible. Hinkman left his troops to talk with them, then grabbed his binder out of the humvee and went off in search of the Sheriff. He found him soon enough, as the Sheriff was busy talking with a couple people wearing deputy uniforms.

“... and make sure to keep our people away from their trucks at night, the last thing we need are looters pulling parts.” Hinkman overheard the Sheriff saying as he got closer, one of the deputies raised an arm and pointed at the approaching soldier. “Colonel, what can I do for you? I trust everyone is excited.”

“They are.” Hinkman said before he opened the binder and withdrew the piece of paper with the VIP names on it. “I’m looking for some people in this town though, their names came up on the briefing dossier I recieved.” The Sheriff raised an eyebrow at the man as he was handed the paper. “Jacob and Julia Valova. Ever heard of them?” The sheriff hummed quietly, then looked at his deputies.

“Jake, come here for a second.” The Sheriff said, a man in his mid twenties stepped forward. He had dark brown hair and blue eyes, as well as a rather scrawny build and an honest looking face. The Deputy approached Hinkman and the Sheriff with a bit of hesitation.

“Do you know a woman named Maria?” Hinkman asked, Jacob seemed a bit surprised by the name before nodding quickly. Hinkman withdrew his wallet and pulled an Onorussian Dollar from within, the paper was blue with a white outline, and there was a portrait of Imperatrix Occisor on the front. “Is that her?”

“Yeah… She’s my cousin.” The man said as Hinkman tucked the dollar back into his wallet and returned it to his pocket. “What’s she doing on your money?” The Sheriff and the others looked at Hinkman expectantly, the Colonel adjusted his coat before clearing his throat once again.

“She’s the Imperatrix of the Onorussian Republic.” Hinkman said bluntly, they all looked at him like he had lobsters coming out of his ears. “She’s married to the Imperator. Our head of state.” Hinkman took the paper back and tucked it into his binder. “I’m looking for Julia Valova as well, I assume you know her?”

“She’s my mom.” Jacob said with a bit of surprise, then shook off his shock. “Wait, what does this mean for us?”

“You’ve been designated VIPs by our intelegence office, that means we’ll be escorting you and your mother back to Onorus.” Hinkman explained as he straightened his helmet once again, sighing as the cold air continued to nip at his skin. “If you have any other family we’ll take them along with us as well.” Jacob seemed a bit surprised, then quietly nodded and looked around at the other deputies, and then over to the Sheriff.

“I should go get my mom, sir…” He said, the Sheriff nodded and Hinkman watched Jacob rush off in a random direction. The Colonel looked back to the Sheriff and crossed his arms across the chest.

“I suppose it makes sense there would be survivors of her family around the country.” He said with a bit of a stoic expression. He had a great deal of respect for the Imperatrix, she had been responsible for the backing of numerous charitable organizations that offered counseling for survivors. It had proven to be a life saver for Hinkman, as well as the people he cared about. “Anyway, our forces will be moving up later, so we’ll need the main road cleared of any obstructions.”

“We can talk about that over something to eat, I suppose you guys are rather hungry?” The Sheriff asked, Hinkman nodded and followed the portly lawman towards a bar that was buzzing with activity. He looked over his shoulder in the direction that Jacob had left in, then back to the bar. Something told him good things were coming.

[♠]

Altair sighed quietly as he walked out of the classroom with his lunchbox in hand, it had been a rough day for him. Mrs. Ramsey had gotten sick, so they had a substitute teacher that was rather old and mean. On top of that, they had been given a math quiz on fractions, and Altair had always had problems with that particular field. The halls of the school were just another reminder that sometimes school felt more like a prison than anything else. He had already formulated several escape plans, but hadn’t put any of them into action as of yet. For the moment all he wanted to do was eat his lunch, his mom always sent him with a little note that never failed to cheer him up.

They had said they were going to give him a surprise soon, honestly he didn’t know what to expect, but if his Mother and Mom were involved he knew it could only be something good. The boy pushed the heavy door open, grunting slightly from the weight of it. The afternoon sunlight fell across his face as he stepped out onto the playground where his fellow classmates were eating their lunch and playing. Altair’s eyes scanned the faces for any sign of Ozzy or Sofia, but he remembered soon enough that both of them had gotten sick. For griffon’s that wasn’t much of a surprise, but for humans it was. He had been told that humans had developed an extremely strong ‘Immune system’, which fought off germs, at least as far as he understood. Sofia must’ve really been sick.

Without his inner circle Altair felt rather alone, the boy made his way over to his usual spot near the edge of the playground. Out of sight of the research monitor. He didn’t like people watching him while he ate, and it was far quieter there. There were a couple trees set up near some picnic tables there, and Altair set his lunchbox down without much emotion. He sat down and eagerly opened the box, digging past the sandwich and juice box before finding what he was looking for. His face brightened as he found his mom’s note, it was just as nice as always, and it filled his chest with a warmth that he hadn’t felt much of that day.

“Looks like you’re by yourself today.” A voice said from behind him, Altair tucked his note hastily into his jean pocket before turning around. Three minotaur upper classmen were standing there, smirking smugly. “That griffon isn’t around to protect you now.”

“I don’t need him to protect me.” Altair said simply, not understanding that the Minotaur had meant his statement as a threat. “What do you want, Lars?”

“Your lunch, and your lunchbox.” The minotaur said bluntly, Altair quietly stood up and turned towards his lunchbox. He felt a new feeling welling up inside him, one he didn’t quite understand, but he could practically hear his father’s voice in his head. ‘Don’t be afraid to defend yourself.’. Altair turned back to the minotaur, panting quietly as the new emotion coursed through him without control. “What? Are you gonna cry now? Mrs. Ramsey isn’t here to hear it either!”

“Go away, Lars.” Altair said, trying to sound as intimidating as he could. “Leave me alone.” The minotaur advanced on Altair, his two friends simply watching. Altair didn’t take a step back, even though Lars was a head taller than him. He didn’t know why, by all accounts he should’ve been taking cover, but his day had been so bad he wasn’t about to let it get worse, not without a fight. Lars just smirked at him and put his hand on Altair’s shoulder, fully intending to push him aside without resistance. The boy recalled something else his father had told him. ‘Don’t warn ‘em. Don’t threatenin ‘em. Just haul off and hit ‘em.’ The minotaur was surprised when Altair resisted, without any sort of warning Altair cocked his arm back and fired off a punch directly at the Lars’ stomach. Lars groaned and hunched over as he was struck, not expecting to be hit with such force. He didn’t have much time to react though, as Altair sprang at him angrily. Months of suppressed emotion had exploded to the surface, and Lars had the misfortune of being the one to light the fuse.

The other minotaurs watched as Lars was tackled by the human boy, he was shouting obscenities in Thestralese as he bombarded the minotaur’s face with blow after emotion filled blow. Lars managed shake off his surprise and pulled back his arm, he launched his own punch towards Altair’s face. It landed with great force and knocked Altair off of him, Lars managed to get to his feet and back away afterwards. Altair stood up, his nose bleeding as he glared at the minotaur. He had had enough, and he wasn’t going to stand there and take it anymore. He was filled with… With… Rage. That was the emotion, that’s what his mother had called it.

“Get him!” Lars shouted, the three minotaurs rushed the lone Altair, but still the boy refused to back down. There was no way he was going to be able to stand up to the minotaurs all at once, but he wasn’t thinking logically, and so he stood and fought. He managed to land a couple good shots on the other two minotaurs before they pulled his arms back, offering lars the opportunity beat on Altair’s stomach. He didn’t get the chance to do too serious damage, as the sound of whistles from behind them indicated they had been caught by the recess monitors. The four fighting children were pulled apart by the adults and dragged off towards the school, undoubtedly to end up in the Principal's office, where undoubtedly they would have their parents called.

For Lars and the other minotaurs, it was something they were familiar with, but for Altair this was his first trip into the lion’s den. Rumors were abound about the principal of the school, some said that she was a harsh mare, others said she was a changeling or even an alien. Altair didn’t now what to think, all he knew was that after the nurse got done with him he’d likely be meeting the principal for the first time, and not on the best terms.

[♠]

Dominic and Maria stepped out of the staff car, it was parked on the street just outside the school’s front door. Maria had her face hidden behind her headscarf, disguising her identity from anyone that happened to be watching. Dominic had taken a similar approach, wearing a mask that hid the lower portion of his face. Normally affairs at the school were handled by an agent of Providentia, but Dominic knew that this was one call that he would have to respond to in person. Neither he, Luna, or Maria knew what to expect, but Dominic was determined to get to the bottom of it. The man adjusted his peaked cap as he and Maria approached the front doors, unfortunately Luna had pressing matters to attend to, otherwise she would’ve accompanied them as well.

Dominic pulled the door open with relative ease and held it for Maria, she walked through it quietly before Dominic followed, letting the heavy metal barricade slam shut. The noise caught the attention of one of the desk clerks in the main office, it was off to the left and had a glass wall allowing the staff inside to see who had just come in. The man in the office perked up at the sight of the two masked figures, but Maria and Dominic didn’t seem phased. Slowly they approached the office.

“We are here about our son Altair.” Maria said quietly as she adjusted her scarf, the clerk coughed quietly and looked through a couple files on his desk before looking back at them.

“I’m going to need to see some ID.” He said, Dominic simply reached up to his mask and pulled it down. The clerk took a couple seconds to stare at him before his eyes went wide and he stiffened to attention on instinct, he remembered quickly that he was no longer a soldier and so he relaxed. “I’m sorry, Imperator. I didn’t realize it was you.”

“That was the idea.” Dominic said as he withdrew his ID from his breast pocket and offered it to the clerk. “I expect you won’t tell anyone about this. My son must remain unaccosted.” He remained very serious, prompting the clerk to nod rapidly. Dominic put his ID back into his pocket as he approached the counter that separated the rather cramped office space from the waiting room portion of the main office.

“Where is my son?” Maria asked as she looked around the room, the clerk gestured to the room marked with the word Principal. Dominic pulled his mask up over his face again, the black fabric concealed his recognizable mug once more. “Is he okay? They said he got in a fight, but they wouldn’t tell me anymore than that.” She spoke as calmly as she could given the situation, she was quite protective of Altair, and to hear he had been involved with violence had rapidly put her on edge.

“I…” The Clerk began, then nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not allowed to say.” Maria stared at him quietly, her eyes narrowing considerably as she fixed him with the deathly glare of a sniper.

“Maria.” Dominic spoke up from across the room. “We have our protocols, they have theirs… Please.” Maria huffed quietly and walked over to where Dominic was standing. There were a couple chairs where she sat herself down, Dominic opted to stand and shot an apologetic look to the clerk who looked like his life had flashed before his eyes. “If it was anything serious they would have told us right away, he’s probably fine.” The man sighed quietly and looked towards the principal’s office, the door handle turned and was pulled inward. Two young minotaurs stepped out, accompanied by a cadre of adult minotaur, all wearing various expressions of anger. They were dressed in blue collar clothes, it seemed they had been pulled out of work to gather their sons.

Dominic took note that one of them had a black eye while the other had a swollen lip, it seemed that Altair hadn’t held back. Some would call it controversial to be proud, but Dominic was proud of his boy, he knew Altair was gentle unless provoked. Whatever happened to the minotaur, well, they had it coming as far as Altair’s old man was concerned. Dominic and Maria stood up as the minotaurs got closer, one of the females was pinching the ear of one of the boys. They walked by quietly, not making eye contact with the two humans, Dominic looked to the principal’s office and saw a mare with cream colored fur, her mane was red and purple and a pair of glasses was perched on her nose. She wore professional looking attire, and had an equally professional look to her.

“Altair’s parents?” She asked, Dominic and Maria nodded. “Please, come in.” The two of them approached the door and stepped into the well lit office of the principal. It was decorated with numerous diplomas and plaques, as well as a couple bookcases. Dominic closed the door behind him and looked around at the dreary dark blue paint, his eyes finally settled on a pair of adult minotaur sitting on a couch beside a young minotaur that looked like he had came face to face with the business end of a freight train. His eye was swollen and black and blue, as was his lip, and he looked like he was about to cry. Seated on the opposite side of the room was Altair, on a couch by himself. Dominic heard Maria gasp before she rushed to his side, nearly beside herself as she saw that Altair’s eye was also black and blue, and from the looks of it his stomach wasn’t doing that well either.

Dominic slowly walked over to the couch and sat down, looking directly at the father of the minotaur. Both fathers sized one another up, before sharing an oh so subtle nod of understanding. Their attention turned to the mare that was in charge of the school, Dominic knew her as a former CIMC researcher, he had dealt with her on a couple occasions, but not since she had left the military.

“So… We have to very different stories.” The mare, Principal Moondancer, said as she rubbed her hooves together. “Lars claims that Altair came at him unprovoked, his friends have corroborated this, but…” Moondancer looked over to Altair. “Altair says that Lars and his friends accosted him, and attempted to take his property by force.” The mare sighed and leaned back in her seat. “Lars and his friends have been in my office fifteen times, Altair has been here just once, and that was today.” Moondancer looked at both children. “This is the first time I’ve had to deal with a fight here, honestly I’m very disappointed in both of you. You know violence is wrong, so I have to implement the best policy I can think of… Both of you are suspended for a week.”

“Whoa, back up…” Dominic said, the Minotaur’s father grunted in agreement. “You’re saying that even though my son defended himself he’s getting punished?” Moondancer looked at him and nodded quietly. “That’s bullshit.”

“I agree!” The minotaur chimed in, speaking with a resonating voice. “When I was growing up we fought many times to solve our quarrels. It is wrong to punish those that only were defending themselves.”

“But father-” The minotaur child, whom Dominic assumed was Lars, said, but he was cut off when his father glared at him.

“Do not intterupt, you are already in enough trouble.”

“Honestly I don’t care who started it, violence is wrong no matter what.” Moondancer said bluntly, looking at both families. “We have a zero tolerance policy for that very reason.”

“Bullshit again.” Dominic said just as bluntly, glaring at the mare, Altair and Maria watched him. “I know the policies on matters like this very well, I helped write them. There is no Zero Tolerance policy.” Moondancer gulped quietly, she wasn’t one of the people privy to the truth about Altair, at least not the whole truth. She knew that Altair’s parents were important, and the uniform Dominic wore helped to continue that thought, but she had started noticing a rather familiar pattern to the man’s voice.

“The ruling stands.” Moondancer said as firmly as she could, Dominic was about to protest again, but Maria put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head. The man sighed and stood up. “Perhaps you should talk with your son about proper control of his temper, I have plenty of books you can borrow.”

“Excuse me?” Everyone froze as Maria’s voice cut through the air like a sabre, it was full of anger and indignance. “What did you just say?” Moondancer was about to repeat herself but Maria stopped her again. “I don’t need your damn books and I don’t need your damn help, I know how to talk to my son!”

“Maria, let’s just-” Dominic said nervously as he took Altair’s hand, he quickly pulled him a bit closer.

“Shut up!” The woman shouted back at him, both minotaurs stared in shock as well. “You’ve got a lot of nerve punishing my boy after what they did to him, and ever more nerve to be saying I should be the one telling him not to fight back, you.. You…!” Altair fidgeted quietly as his father covered his ears, muffling his mother's voice. He could hear her yelling angrily, then he saw both minotaurs faces turn whiter than a sheet as they put their hands over Lars’ ears. He looked up at his father, and was surprised to see that the man was slack jawed as his mother continued to pour on her tirade. Finally the boy looked back to Principal Moondancer, who had taken several steps back and looked like she was on the verge of tears. Finally Dominic let go of his son’s ears, allowing him to hear the final phrases of a category seven shitstorm. “... over educated, worm eyed, swaggering, overbearing dictator with delusions of godhood!”

“H-Honey…?” Dominic said in a bit of a nervous voice, Maria turned and looked at him. “I think a simple ‘That’s none of your business.’ would’ve sufficed…” The woman blinked a couple times, then looked back at the principal, then back at Dominic before she quietly huffed and walked out of the office. Dominic tugged at his collar quietly and looked at the Principal. “Sorry… She’s very… Protective.” Dominic awkwardly ushered his son out of the room, leaving the stunned parents and confused minotaur boy behind. Principal Moondancer had been verbally slashed in ways she had never known possible, Lars’ mother was impressed at the ferocity that had gone into Maria’s defense of her son, and Lars’ father was… Well… Minotaur aren’t known for their self control.

Unfortunately for Maria and the rest of them, it wouldn’t be the only bombshell to fall on her doorstep that day, as the daily reports from the Terran front were due in that afternoon, and with them would come news that she had never expected to hear.

> Chapter 40
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Altair nervously looked up at his father as they walked through the halls of the castle, his dad had a rather thoughtful expression on his face, almost as if he wasn’t completely paying attention. They were entering a part of the castle that Altair had never been too before, there were more guards and people carrying folders. They had been moving in silence since they had gotten home from school, Altair had seen his mom go off to ‘let off some steam’... At least, that’s what she had said. He didn’t know what that meant, but he supposed it had to do with whatever had happened at the school.

Altair turned with his dad as they approached a door that was protected by two guards that stood on either side. They saluted as usual, and his dad saluted back before he pushed the door open and stepped inside. He gestured for Altair to follow him, the boy gulped quietly before he stepped into the new room and looked around. The guards closed the door for him, sealing him and his father in the strange room. There was a large desk, it looked brand new, a large mahogany piece that was almost as tall as Altair was, as well as a new looking leather couch. There were a couple items scattered around the room, a long leather coat hung from a hook on the wall. It looked like it had been sewn together a dozen times, and there were faded patches on the shoulders.

“Take a seat, son.” Altair heard his dad say as he pointed to the couch, Altair nodded quietly and sat on the large couch. His dad walked behind the desk and pulled a chair with a tall back from behind it, then rolled it across the floor so that it was across from Altair. His dad sat down and sighed quietly, the laced his fingers together. “I want to start off by saying that I’m not mad at you, okay? Don’t think I’m mad.”

“But mom… She was.” Altair said meekly, his dad shook his head quietly.

“She isn’t mad at you though, understand that. She’s mad at the school, and I can’t say I blame her.” His dad trailed off for a couple moments, then rubbed the back of his neck and took a deep breath. “You defended yourself, I want you to know I’m proud of you for that, even if you didn’t win the fight.” Altair raised an eyebrow at his father, a bit confused by the statement. “When I was a kid, I had a plenty of fights, lost a few of them…” The man chuckled for a couple moments, then shook his head. “But, I remember very clearly this guy named Josh. I was putting up with him when I was about your age, nasty little kid, just a straight up bully.”

“What happened?” Altair asked with a bit of hesitance, he was still worried he would get in trouble.

“One day he pushed me just a little too hard, so I turned on him and drew back my arm.” His father went on, leaning back in his chair. “Hit him so hard he just went straight to the ground, but he had friends, and they decided to get involved.” Altair scooched a bit closer to the edge of the couch, appearing nervous. “I got pretty banged up, but from that point on they didn’t bother me anymore. They knew not to fu-... Mess with me anymore.” Altair was a bit comforted when he saw his father reach out and rest a hand on his shoulder. “I’m not saying to go out looking for a fight, but If these punks keep messing with you, don’t be afraid to remind them of who they’re dealing with.”

“Okay…” Altair said, nodding as he felt his fears ease, the look on his dad’s face told him that he wasn’t about to get into trouble. “But… I got suspended from school for defending myself, I don’t want to get into more trouble… Maybe I should just let it happen and go to the teachers like they told me to…”

“If they told you to jump off a bridge, would you?” Dad asked, Altair shook his head as he leaned back on the couch. “School is there to teach you the basics of life, how to read, and write, how to do math and so on…” The man stood up quietly, adjusting his uniform. “It’s up to your mom, your mother, and I to teach you good morals, not the school.” He knelt down in front of his son and gripped his hand, giving it a firm squeeze as he looked into Altair’s eyes. “That principal of yours is thinking like an old style Equestrian, and we can’t really blame her.” Altair nodded quietly, feeling even more at ease. “If you want to go back to school, I’m sure I can get you back in early. If you want to stay home for a week, that’s okay too. I know your mom has been missing you since school started.”

“I was hoping I could hang out with you more often, you’re always so busy…” Altair said, he saw his dad frown for a moment before he nodded.

“Alright, kiddo. We’ll hang out more, all you’ve gotta do is ask.” The man stood up quietly and gestured for Altair to follow him, he walked to a window in the room that was a little too high up for Altair to see over. It wasn’t much of a problem, as he found himself picked up in order to see outside. The afternoon sun was casting its glow down on the city, windows and glass roofs reflected brightly and Altair could see cars and people wandering on the streets below, there were bars on the window though, but that didn’t really take away from the view. “This is my office, where I run all of that, and then some.”

Dominic looked over to his son, Altair was staring out the window in a bit of awe. The boy slowly extended his hand and placed it on the cool glass, Dominic felt like he was looking in a mirror when he looked at Altair. All he could do was hope he could stack up to be half the man that his father had been, if he could pull that off he knew Altair would turn out alright. Dominic put his son back down after a couple minutes, Altair looked up at him with a more relaxed expression than before. Even with his black eye. Altair felt himself swelling with another odd emotion, one that he vaguely recognized as admiration.

“How about we go watch some ‘Lunar Commandos’?” Dominic said as he started walking towards the door of his office, Altair followed him excitedly. They stepped out of the office and Dominic looked to one of the guards standing outside the office. “I’m going to be in my quarters, don’t disturb me unless it’s absolutely necessary.” The guard nodded before Dominic and Altair began making their way through the hallways that lead to the part of the castle where their rooms were. It didn’t take them long to get to Dominic’s room, the guards outside saluted as usual, and as usual Dominic returned it. He and Altair stepped into the room and looked around, the TV was already on, and Maria was sitting on the couch in front of it. She was curled up under a blanket with Luna sitting beside her, Altair had never seen his mom so frazzled before. Her hair was frizzy and her expression still told him that she was upset.

He moved over towards her and climbed up onto the couch next to Maria and Luna, Dominic saw that Luna was having trouble restraining herself when she saw that Altair had a black eye. Dominic joined them and gave Luna a disarming look, the mare shook her head softly and went back to watching the screen. She was upset, but Dominic had managed to calm Altair down, and she didn’t want to put the boy back on edge. Instead she put her wing over him, holding him protectively against her barrel.

[♠]

Jacob adjusted his duffle bag over his shoulder and looked over at his mother, she had her fingers firmly gripping her chair. They were riding in a helicopter, flying southbound over numerous military installations, below they would occasionally pass over tank depots or bunkers. It was certainly proof that the Onorussians had as much power over the region that they claimed to have, perhaps a bit more. His mother hadn’t hesitated to jump at the chance to see Cousin Maria, and Jacob couldn’t blame her, their life in Littlefork hadn’t been the most glamourous or comfortable. Still, he wished that they had spent a bit more time packing, then again, it wasn’t like there was much to pack.

Honestly Jacob wasn’t sure what to expect, but he had met plenty of people who had claimed to have seen the other side, and from what they had said it was actually very nice. They had already been given clean clothes to wear, and a nice warm meal hadn’t hurt either. Jacob looked back to his mom, the woman hated flying, but despite that fear she looked a lot more relaxed. Her hair had become considerably grey over the course of the past ten years, she had a lot of worry lines and despite her assurances she had taken up a few bad habits. Now it seemed that the nightmare was over, for that reason Jacob kept his mouth shut about his concerns. He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen her so… hopeful.

“Initiate portal construction sequence beta seven.” The pilot said over the intercom that was linked to their headsets, Jacob raised an eyebrow and looked out the side of the helicopter. ”Arcane modulators on the ground are reading optimal, prepare the resonance pulse.”

”Resonance pulse charged, ground control is reading nominal.” The copilot replied, Jacob stood up from his seat and approached the cockpit. He looked ahead through the forward canopy as two beams of purple energy shot up from the ground and met midair, the pilots flicked a couple switches. ”Resonance pulse… Engaged.” Jacob watched the sky ahead of them for a few moments, the beams of energy swirled in on one another until a swirling vortex had been formed. After a couple more seconds the helicopter was just about to cross the lip of the vortex, Jacob returned to his seat and gripped the edges tightly.

He felt like he had been pulled into a warm shower, tingles of comforting energy washed over his skin for several moments. Everything outside the helicopter was replaced by an endless void of white, he looked over to his mother. She seemed surprised, but wasn’t panicking. For Julia the sensation was one she hadn’t felt in a long time, very comforting and warm, she wished she could stay in that place forever. Unfortunately the void vanished, replaced by an almost alien landscape. Desert replaced fields of snow and ice, a glistening city was off in the distance, but to Jacob’s surprise they didn’t start flying towards it.

”Portal jump complete. Laying in a heading for Doolittle AFB.” The pilot said over the intercom as the helicopter flew out into the desert, Jacob could see cars and trucks moving along roads and even a highway. There were several large vessels that floated in the sky, they looked dreadnoughts of the second world war, one seemed to be based off of an Iowa class battleship. There were other floating ships moving to and from the city, they looked more like cargo vessels than warships. It was an impressive sight to say the least, capturing both newcomers attention. The helicopter turned and flew a bit further out, briefly it passed over an area that had barbed wire fences surrounding it, as well as people milling around and wearing orange jumpsuits.

“Hey, what’s with that camp down there?” He asked as he pointed out the side of the helicopter, one of the pilots looked over his shoulder at the camp, then back into the cabin of the blackhawk.

”That’s a camp for war criminals, those guys down there are in there for slaving, rape, pillaging, murder, or a combination of all those.” The pilot explained as he went back to flying the helicopter, Jacob looked down at the camp again as they flew further into the desert. “Most of them have death penalties.” The camp disappeared as it moved out of view, leaving Jacob with a rather odd feeling of satisfaction. Littlefork had never really been one for the death penalty, often times they just cast their criminals out into the wilderness with basic supplies to fend for themselves, something Jacob found to be a stupid waste of resources.

The helicopter continued flying for half an hour before it landed at an air force base in the middle of the desert, with only a small town sitting on the edge. From there he and his mother were moved onto a plane, a B-17 of all things. Their weren’t any guns or gunners, just sacks of mail and other cargo. Jacob adjusted his deputy attire, now covered by a heated flight suit and oxygen mask, then ended up leaning back against a sack of mail to take a nap. His mother, Julia, didn’t feel inclined to sleep. The engines sputtered to life before the plane began to taxi down to one of the runways, Julia moved to one of the waist gunner positions and looked out the window at the buildings and aircraft that lined the tarmac.

She sighed quietly and adjusted her own oxygen mask, the wind began to blow against her skin as the plane moved down the runway at faster speeds, until finally it lifted off the ground. She hated flying, but she had never thought she would fly again, and now seeing the sky seemed like a dream come true. Puffy white clouds, clear blue sky, and a desert landscape that stretched out beneath the plane as far as the eye could see. The aircraft moved a bit higher into the sky, passing through the sparse cloud cover. Julia adjusted the oxygen mask they had given her as she thought about where she was going, she had always had a soft spot for her niece in Colorado. To know that there was another member of her family alive was a true hope builder, and from the looks of things, Julia had missed a lot of her niece’s life.

The woman sat near the window for an hour or so, then turned when she heard movement near the front of the aircraft. One of the crew had emerged from the nose of the aircraft and was hefting two bags of mail onto the the bomb bay doors, Julia watched for several seconds before the man returned to the nose of the plane. When he had gone she moved towards the bomb bay doors and looked at the sacks of mail, they had large pouches on the outside that she didn’t quite recognize. She moved onto the catwalk that moved through the bomb bay to get a better look, then paused as she heard a couple shouts from the nose of the aircraft.

To her surprise and brief terror, the bomb bay doors opened and the two sacks of mail dissapeared out the bottom of the aircraft. She moved to the tail of the aircraft quickly, just in time to see parachutes open on the bags of mail as they fell near a moderately sized town. She wandered back to the waist gunner position and looked out at the wing, relaxing for the flight that she knew would take several hours to complete. It would give her time to think about what she was going to say when she met Maria, and most likely her husband.

As she flew along further, she was treated to a rather odd sight in the middle of the desert below, massive hulks of metal that were rusting away and half covered in sand. They looked like the skeletons of ships, tatter remnants of fabric flapped lazily in the wind. They looked like the remains of sails, and perhaps even gas bags, Julia realized they were likely airships like she had seen over that other city. With a bit of uncertainty, she clicked the microphone on her oxygen mask and spoke.

“Um… Excuse me. Could you tell me what those ships are doing out here?” She spoke, her voice was soft, with a faint rasp at the tail end of her question. A couple seconds she heard the commline flick back on.

”That’s the Skeleton Coast.” A man’s voice responded simply, Julia continued watching the ships on the ground in the distance. ”Those were Equestrian vessels, part of their first attack wave at the beginning of the Forty Eight Hour War.” Julia raised an eyebrow, she wasn’t familiar with the history of this world’s history yet. By her silence, the man speaking judged she didn’t fully understand. ”The Equestrians were worried about our technology outpacing theirs so they tried to take over to maintain their status as a global superpower. You can guess who won, and how long it took by the name alone.”

“Oh…” She mumbled quietly, continuing to stare at the remains in the distance. She could only imagine what the battle had been like, to leave such great metal behemoths at the floor of the desert in shattered ruins.

”Whole site is a historical landmark, and a cemetery.” Another voice cut in, it didn’t need to be stated that most of the remains that had been found at the sight hadn’t been in one pace. The sheer height of the fall and force of the impact had meant that only twenty out of nearly seven hundred bodies had been found intact. Julia looked away from the distressing sight and moved to the other side of the plane, on that side she could make out a line of posts in the sand that seemed to stretch for miles. It was some sort of border, perhaps the very border that had lead to such destruction in the aptly named ‘Skeleton Coast’.

”Captain, I’m picking up radio from Canterlot, want me to patch it through?” A third voice spoke up, Julia moved away from the waist gunner positions and went to lean against the mail bags.

”Sure, I could do with some music. Go ahead and lock in on that signal, we’ll follow it in.” The first male voice said, Julia was a bit surprised to hear fifes and drums playing through her headset. Soon enough it transitioned to a martial sounding military march, very bold and powerful. Ah! Der Koniggratzer Marsch! Good choice!” Julia wasn’t going to lie, the music and focus on military strength was a tad unnerving, but she supposed that it was necessary if they were to retake Earth. With the music still playing she closed her eyes, perhaps a nap wouldn’t hurt.

[♠]

As if Maria’s day couldn’t have gotten any more stressful, she had just received a report from the Terran front informing her that she had two family members on their way to see her. That added to the stress that came with her son getting in a fight at school was just about enough to push her to the breaking point. Thankfully Luna had taken Altair to see a few new constellations in her room, so Maria was free to vent her frustration in as colorful a fashion she wanted. Dominic could only sit and watch as his wife paced back and forth.

“Honey?” Dominic asked quietly, the woman looked over at him with a very intense glare. “Please, calm down…”

“Calm down?! How can I calm down?!” Maria shouted as she put her hands on her temples. “My son has a black eye and got suspended, I can’t even tell you how angry I am about that, and now I have family coming to visit. Family I haven’t seen in over ten years! I don’t even know what they’ll think of me, what do I tell them about my parents? What do I say when they ask how they...” She threw her arms down in frustration, prompting Dominic to stand up and move towards her. “I hate this day! These things always come in threes!” Maria picked up a pillow off the couch and held it against her face, Dominic heard her screaming into it angrily before before she lowered it and panted heavily. After a couple seconds she sat back on the couch, Dominic moved behind her and leaned down, resting his hands on her shoulders. “I… I don’t know what to do… I just want this day to be over…”

“Shh… Just relax.” Dominic said as he started to massage her shoulders, Maria closed her eyes and took a couple deep breaths. “Reeeelax. In through the nose, out through the mouth…” Maria nodded and followed his instructions. “Feel better?”

“No…” Maria said quietly before quietly moving her hand up to her face and wiping her eyes, then sniffling. Tears started to roll down her cheeks, and she took a couple deep lungs of air again. “I… I don’t know why I’m crying… I’m angry, not sad…”

“You’re emotions are running high.” Dominic said quietly as he moved around the couch and sat next to her, she leaned against him and nuzzled against his chest. The man put his arms around her and gave her a tender squeeze. “Just let it out, Luna should be along shortly, then she can help you with some meditation exercises… You know she’s better at that than I am.” Maria nodded quietly and continued to cry into his chest.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you…” Maria said in a quiet voice, Dominic responded by kissing the top of her head. She wiped her eyes and took a couple more deep breaths, then sat up straight and straightened her hair. She redid her ponytail, resting the hair on her right shoulder, providing a bit of asymmetry to her features. “I… I should get ready to meet them, they’ll be landing soon, no doubt.” Maria stood up, Dominic followed her lead. “Do you mind staying with Altair? I… I think I’m gonna need Luna’s special brand of support for this…”

“Whatever you need.” Dominic said with a nod. “I’ll go get him, we’ll watch some movies, and I’ll explain to him what’s got you so worried.” Maria nodded, she hugged Dominic and gave him a tender kiss on the lips before watching him walk to the door and out into the hallway. The woman sighed and walked over to the wardrobe on the wall, she pulled it open and looked through the available garments before deciding on a long coffee colored skirt and a light navy blue shirt. Maria quickly changed outfits and adjusted her hair, from then on it was a matter of waiting for Luna to arrive. She adjusted the long sleeves of her shirt in a vain attempt to try and force down the thoughts that continued to run through her mind.

The woman walked to the closet and pulled the door open, then looked inside, it didn’t take her long to find what she sought. A scabbard containing a sword forged from Lunar steel, it had been some time since she had carried it openly, but she found that practicing helped to bring her mind back to its center. Maria drew the blade from the scabbard as she moved away from the furniture and took up her usual fighting stance, she closed her eyes and focussed on nothing but the sword. Luna’s voice echoed through her mind, the sword became an extension of her body, she was in control of her body, she was in control of the sword. Slowly she changed the position of the sword, letting her stress melt away as she took control of the sword, and by extension, her body and mind.

Time was meaningless, there were no hours, no minutes, no seconds, only Maria and the sword. She could practically sense the edge of the blade, the point stretching out into infinity as she saw it within her mind. For all she knew she stood like that for an hour, or only a minute, in the end the result was the same. She opened her eyes and exhaled a deep breath, then slipped the sword back into the scabbard and leaned it against the wall. With her emotions in check the woman straightened her hair once more. There was a knock on the door, Maria simply hummed loudly and watched Luna enter.

“Dominic said you were in need of my support.” Luna said simply as she approached her wife, she extended a wing around Maria and pulled her into a tender kiss. “Given the circumstances, I can understand why…”

“I need that… That analytical tone of yours to keep be grounded…” Maria said as she returned Luna’s embrace. After a couple more seconds she broke off the contact and looked to the door. “I can’t put it off any longer, it’s likely they’ll be landing soon, if they haven’t already. Thank you for coming with me… And keeping me from chickening out.”

“I’m sure you won’t, regardless of whether I’m there or not.” Luna said warmly as the two of them walked out of the room and into the hallway. “I can guess that you have just completed a session of the Lunar Sight… It was wise of you to do so.” Maria smiled faintly at the praise, but despite her mental discipline, she could still feel the emotions of the day nagging away at her from the fringes of her mind. “If I am to be completely honest… I had to perform the same trial when I saw Altair’s bruises earlier today, it wouldn’t have been good to have an alicorn lose her temper, even if…” The alicorn trailed off. “I shouldn’t talk about it, it will undo the meditation I’ve already completed…”

“We can talk about it tonight, in bed… When all of this is over.” Maria mumbled as the passed by a couple guards on their way down a stairway  to the motorpool. Luna nodded and adjusted her own mane, the flowing stars in that beautiful hair acted a lighthouse to Maria, keeping her from smashing aground against the rocky emotions that permeated her consciousness.

[♠]

Two officers stepped out of an olive drab Jeep parked next to the main runway of Baxter Air Force Base, several troop trucks were parked there as well, and the soldiers that had ridden in them were setting up a defensive perimeter around a solitary black Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. Overhead there were a couple fighter jets circling, all in preparation for the B-17 that was five minutes from touching down. In the distance the ground crew could see it, and the Air Traffic Control tower had cleared all other airspace in preparation for the arrival of the VIPs from Terra.

The two people in question were staring out the waist gunner port at the cities of Canterlot and Ponyville on either side of them. Neither Jacob or Julia could pick which one looked more appealing, all they knew was that soon they would be going to one of them. Jacob was actually happy to see that so far things seemed to be working out, and a smile played widely across his lips. Julia shared her son’s expression of awe and excitement, her eyes were locked on the city that dominated the mountainside. It glistened brightly with glass and gold, like a precious crown jewel. She could see a castle there, and she assumed that was where her niece was waiting to meet her. Nearly ten hours of travelling and she still hadn’t thought of what she was going to say, Julia supposed it would just have to come from the heart. To know that her sister’s daughter was alive was wonderful enough, yes, she could think of something.

Gradually they saw the ground getting closer, rushing up to meet the aircraft as it dropped lower and lower in the air. Green trees that were just starting to turn to fall, grass that was unmarred by burn marks or destroyed vehicles, a veritable paradise that was both Julia and Jacob’s to explore. The two of them waited patiently, the plane seemed to take forever to descend, until finally they heard the squeal of rubber and felt a lurch as they landing gear made contact with the runway. The aircraft rapidly began slowing down, there was a rather hard jolt as the tail wheel touched down. The B-17 coasted a bit longer before it began taxiing towards the trucks and other security forces. Julia and Jacob stood up and gathered their things when the plane came to a complete stop, the engines began to shut off one by one.

“What do you think she’s going to be like?” Jacob asked as he removed the oxygen mask that he had been forced to wear for the duration of the flight. “I don’t remember much about Cousin Maria.”

“As I recall she was a very nice girl last I saw her, I expect you to be on your best behavior.” Julia replied as she pulled her suitcase out from under a pile of mailbags. The crew of the aircraft was meanwhile opening a hatch in the side of the aircraft for them to get out through. Jacob rolled his eyes at his mother’s comment, he knew to be on his best behavior, he wasn’t eleven anymore. With his duffle bag over one shoulder and his deputy hat atop his head, he made his way to the hatch that had been put in the modified Cargo B-17. His mother wasn’t long behind him, he handed the crew of the aircraft back the jacket and headset they had given him before stepping down out of the aircraft. Julia followed with her flowery luggage, like her son she returned the headset and jacket, even if it was a nice looking jacket.

She joined Jacob in leaving the aircraft, when she set foot on the tarmac she could see numerous soldiers surrounding the plane. Unlike the ones she had seen on earth, they wore grey uniforms and stood in strategic points around the plane. There was also a black car ten feet or so from the plane, after a couple moments of uncertain silence both Julia and her son saw the back passenger door pop open. The door was pushed open fully, and a foot adorned with a flat soled shoe appeared. The woman that emerged wore a blue long sleeve shirt and a coffee colored skirt, her hair was off in a rather cute side ponytail.

“Achtung!” Shouted one of the soldiers near the car, Jacob and Julia jumped slightly as every soldier snapped to attention and turned to face the vehicle. To their surprise they saw an indigo hoof step out of the car as well, a regal looking mare with a horn atop her head and wings on her side stepped out beside the woman. Julia could see the resemblance of the woman to her own sister, that told her that this was likely Maria, come to meet her in person. She didn’t know who the odd mare was, but her flowing mane seemed to denote that she was rather important. The mare closed the door before the two of them began walking towards Julia and Jacob.

The two pairs stared at one another for a couple moments, silently sizing one another up. Julia could see that the woman she believed to be her niece was wearing a necklace with a silver crescent moon. She had eyes that glistened with emotion and womanly features that only served to remind Julia more of her sister. Jacob found himself looking at the pony instead of the woman, her eyes were intense, her expression was stoic, and the constant movement of her mane proved to be a bit of a distraction. It felt like an eternity passed before the woman cleared her throat and stood up a bit straighter.

“A-Aunt Julia?” She asked with a bit of nervousness, Julia nodded with a smile. “I’m Maria… This is my herd mate, Luna.” Maria gestured to Luna, the mare gave a slight bow of her head. “It’s… Been a long time, I didn’t think you’d recognize me.”

“Oh, I recognize you alright, dear.” Julia said before she wrapped Maria in a tight hug, the woman was a bit surprised, but after a couple seconds she returned it. “You’ve just grown up a lot since our last christmas together, still, you have your mother’s good looks.” The two of them let go and Julia offered her hand to Luna, the mare shook it softly. “I’m Julia, this is my son Jacob.” Luna nodded to the young man and offered him her hoof, he gave it an awkward but firm shake.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Luna said with a smile. “Both of you.” The mare looked to Maria with a neutral expression. “We should be heading back to the castle, I don’t want to be away from Altair for too long.” Maria nodded quietly and gestured for Julia and Jacob to follow her towards the car, Luna walked ahead of the group and opened the rear door of the car.

“Altair? Might I ask who that is?” Julia asked as she got in the car, Maria slid in next to her and adjusted her skirt. Jacob sat next to Maria, admittedly the backseat was a bit cramped. Luna decided to move up and sit in the passenger seat next to the driver.

“My son.” Maria said with a bit of an uncertain expression. “We’ve had a bit of a rough day with him, he got in a fight at school.” Julia hummed in response as the engine started and the car began driving back towards Canterlot. The security personnel gradually dispersed and a motorcade that had been parked at the gates of the air base began driving along with their vehicle.

“Oh, I understand.” Julia said with a nod. “I’m glad you could take the time to greet us, you didn’t need to come personally.” Maria shook her head and leaned back in her seat.

“That just isn’t my way.” She said quietly, she looked forward at Luna, then looked at the others in the car. “Once we get to the castle the staff will take you to your rooms, we can speak more tomorrow. You can meet Altair and my husband then.” Julia gave another nod and looked out the window as they drove up a winding mountain road towards the city on the side of the mountain. She was certainly in awe of all that had been constructed, it seemed that Onorus was a veritable garden of eden. Jacob shared that sentiment, though he let himself be a bit more skeptical, he still had yet to see what this new world had to offer that Earth didn’t. Even still, it was warm, that was a plus in his book.
> Chapter 41
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sound of marching hooves echoed down a road that cut through the open plains of the Zebra Tribal Lands as a massive army of Zebras, Saddle Arabians and Caribou made their way to the coastal city of Rhymista. Their marching caused the ground to shake, the soldiers were armored up with magic resistant gold-steel composite armor and carried arcane rifles. Tanks and artillery armed with similar arcane weaponry, their banners unfurled in the wind, declaring their nationality to anyone that happened to watch them. In total the army consisted of three hundred thousand Caribou, two hundred and fifty Saddle Arabians, and half a million Zebra warriors. They outnumbered the entire Onorussian Military by a ratio of two-to-one, and despite their limited air and naval production capacity, they still had managed to build and buy enough ships to carry the whole kit and caboodle across the South Luna Sea.

It had been expensive, very expensive, but many of the ships had been built by slave labor. Most of them had been commissioned as civilian vessels, to throw off suspicion of the Onorussian spies that littered the three allied countries. The forces had been quietly built up in secret, weapons mass produced by the more industrialized nations that had been dominated by the Axis of Evil that tormented the western hemisphere of Equus. Factories had been disguised as schools, granaries, farms, and even temples. The high command had planned cunningly, running fleet operations in the North Luna Sea to draw the attention of the Onorussian interlopers. Little did they know that the naval ships were little more than old merchant vessels that had been painted with military colors and armed with fake cannons.

For eight long years the three allied nations had toiled to prepare to defeat their greatest opponent on the global stage, to eliminate the Onorussians would be to eliminate any doubt in the superiority of their collective races. Each soldier of the Zebra and Caribou armies had been filled with countless calls for violence, they were to show no mercy, to be as cruel and ruthless as they would be to snakes or other vermin. The Saddle Arabians were the only ones that viewed the Onorussians as their equals on the battlefield, but despite that distinction they harbored great resentment. Over one million hate filled, well armed, well trained soldiers marching on to destiny, a staging area where they would await the order to begin the largest amphibious invasion in their world’s history.

[♠]

Maria sighed quietly as she looked out over the South Luna Ocean, the chilly winter air made her breath visible, but she didn’t mind. She had decided to take Julia and Jacob to see the coast, of course they had also brought Altair along. Unfortunately Luna and Dominic were busy with work, but Maria always jumped at the opportunity to leave the palace and get back to enjoying the simple things in life. For instance, the ‘Vacation Home’ that she had rented for dirt cheap, as it was the off season. Even during fall the coast of the South Luna Ocean had plenty to do, her aunt and cousin were just enjoying the chance to explore as much as they could. Maria adjusted her grey jacket as the cold wind blew across her cheek.

The woman stood on the beach that lead right up to the vacation house, her boots sinking lightly in the sand as she did her best to keep her hands warm. As it turned out hunting season had just started in the province of Cobrastan, the part of Onorus that she had decided to visit with her newly found family. She had brought along her Tac 50 and her Mosin Nagant in preparation. Altair had always expressed an interest in hunting, and it seemed the right opportunity to teach him about gun safety, as well as hunting. She wasn’t going to give him a gun, that would be absurd, but she would take him with her to track animals and so on… But that was for a couple days in the future. For now, Maria simply wanted to enjoy the chilly air and the pleasant view of an ocean dotted with white caps.

Maria sighed quietly and tucked her hands into her pockets before closing her eyes, she still hadn’t told Julia or Jacob about what had happened to her parents, and she was hoping that keeping them busy would give her time to come up with something, but once again her mind was drawing a blank. The woman quietly eased herself down onto the cold white sand of the beach while watching the chilling grey clouds that stretched out onto the horizon. In the distance she heard the sound of a foghorn, most likely from a naval ship making its way towards the base in the coastal city of New Murmansk. She sat in silence, closing her eyes and listening to the sound of nature around her for what felt like hours, though in actuality it was only thirty minutes.

To her surprise she heard the door to the house open behind her, Maria opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder to see that Altair had come out of the house wearing his wool coat and fluffy fur ushanka. Maria stood up as he got closer, a bit surprised to see her son out of the house, he normally liked to stay inside when they visited during the winter, especially on days when new episodes of ‘Lunar Commandos’ aired on the television. The boy quietly adjusted his wool gloves as he reached Maria, his expression looked a bit uncertain.

“What is it, sweetie?” Maria asked as she knelt down to get on his eye level, Altair rubbed the back of his neck for a couple seconds.

“Mommy? Why do people call you the Queen of Death?” He asked bluntly, and he sounded almost afraid to speak. Maria stared at him for a couple seconds, feeling a tightness forming in her chest. “T-The television had a commercial for one of those new movies and it called you the Queen of Death…” Maria put her hands on Altair’s shoulder, squeezing him gently as she looked at the ground. There was no way she could talk her way out of this one…

“W-Well, honey… Before you were born there was a lot of fighting.” Maria admitted quietly, she looked back at her son, who still seemed to be rather uncertain. “I was a sniper, like… Like Sergeant Oslo on Lunar Commandos.” Altair raised an eyebrow at his mom. “People call me ‘The Queen of Death’ because… Well… I was the best at what I did.” The woman quietly rubbed her eyes. “I… I… It isn’t a name I’m proud of, but I had to earn it… So you and your friends could have a better life than your father or I…”

“So… You aren’t going to kill me?” Altair asked, Maria stared at him, she could feel her heart crumpling in on itself as she shook her head.

“N-No… No no no…” Maria said in a shaking voice as she hugged Altair tightly against her. “I would never hurt you, Altair… My sweet little baby, no…” Altair quietly wrapped his arms around her, he could feel warm drops landing on his neck, and now he was the one that felt like a complete jerk. He didn’t like when his mom cried, and now it seemed that he had been the one that made her cry. “I can’t explain to you just how much I would do to keep you safe, baby…”

“O-Okay, mom…” Altair said, doing his best to make sense of the emotions that he himself was feeling. “Please, don’t cry…” Maria rubbed his back a couple times before pulling away from him and looking at him, she wiped her eyes and sniffled. “I don’t want you to be sad…”

“I’m not sad, sweetie…” Maria said as she gripped his shoulders again. “I just… Love you… So much.” The woman stood up and looked over her shoulder at the ocean, watching the waves as they crashed against the shore, the cold winter wind had picked up, causing the tears on her face to chill and begin to freeze. “Let’s head inside and get some hot cocoa, okay?” The woman had become adept at putting up fronts of calm around her son, if she was calm he was calm. Altair saw that she didn’t seem upset anymore, and nodded at her suggestion.

“Okay, mom.” Altair replied, he was still doing his best to make heads and tails of the emotions he felt. Maria ushered him towards the rented house, they ascended the creaky steps of the one story ranch style building. Once inside, Maria removed her coat, leaving her in a light grey turtleneck. The inside was just warm enough without being uncomfortable, and when she closed the door behind her she could feel the icy grip of winter loosen its grasp. Altair made his way to the living room and sat down on the floor in front of the television while Maria went to the kitchen and began to prepare the cocoa. As she took the milk from the rather old fridge she felt her composure begin to break, in an instant she felt tears streaming down her face again. The woman made sure to face the wall so that Altair couldn’t see.

The woman wiped her tears further as she poured the milk into a small pot which she set on the stove and began to heat. She was quick to gather the other ingredients before returning her attention solely on the pot, all the while she did her best to cry as quietly as possible. After a couple minutes she wiped her eyes again and shook her head, with a slight grunt she forced herself to compartmentalize as much as she could. That managed to put her tears to an end, but internally it was like putting a bandaid on a broken leg. She became so focussed on controlling her emotions that she nearly let the milk boil over, she managed to catch it before it got too out of hand.

Maria finished making the hot cocoa and walked to the couch near the TV, handing one mug of the warm liquid to her son. She had taken the hotter cup so Altair didn’t burn himself on accident, she leaned back in the couch and watched the TV. There was a movie on with samurai charging towards thousands of soldier with rifles and gatling guns, Altair seemed to be enjoying it. After a couple minutes he stood up and moved to the couch, silently stitting next to his mom and sipping his hot cocoa.

“Mom? Why are they still fighting?” Altair asked as he watched the samurai on the screen, Maria looked at her son with a raised eyebrow. “They can’t win, the soldiers have guns…” The woman set her cup down on a table near the couch and hummed.

“They don’t want to surrender because it would be dishonorable.” Maria said as she put her arm around her son to hug him gently. “They would rather go down fighting instead of admitting defeat.”

“Like dad?” Altair asked, Maria chuckled quietly.

“Your father certainly is stubborn, that’s for sure. When he puts his mind to something, there’s little anyone can do to stop him.” The mother said, watching as the samurai on the screen charged towards a line of gatling guns, countless members of their numbers were cut down in the process. “He’s a warrior at heart, as much as he refuses to say it…”

“I wanna be a warrior too.” Altair said as he looked at his mom, Maria rubbed his head quietly and sighed.

“Well…” She said, unsure of how to respond. “Whatever you end up wanting to be in life, I know you’ll do the best you can to be the best you can be…” Altair smiled, he was glad to see that his mother was in a better mood as he continued watching the screen.

[♠]

Dominic sighed as he looked over a couple pictures that had come in from his spy planes, he was sitting in the war room with his generals. The Caribou ships in the north had been startling at first, their presence had caused the Onorussians to launch all of their spy planes to patrol the ocean. The ships in the north were starting to look more and more like a diversion for something far more sinister. Almost overnight millions of males from all three allied powers, now dubbed the New Axis, had seemingly vanished. Considering that the New Axis nations only allowed males to serve in the military, it made sense that they were building up some sort of force.

The lights were dim as the generals and other officials mumbled to one another and looked over numerous maps. Some were of Equus, others were of Terra, the plans to begin reclaiming Europe and Asia were set to begin, but they would require a massive amount of troops and resources. Doing so would leave Onorus vulnerable. Dominic sighed and rubbed his temples as he looked to the generals for any sort of input, it was likely that they would end up facing a force of over a million soldiers, the question was where was it going to land. For a technologically inferior alliance, the New Axis had managed to hide their troop movements well.

“We will have to put off Operation Zephyr and Operation Big Ben until we’re sure we’ve dealt with the New Axis.” Dominic said as he looked over a map of the Onorussian coastal defences, they hadn’t completed nearly as many of their defensive positions as he would’ve liked, there were only sparse pillboxes along the southern ocean, as it had been assumed the Zebras wouldn’t be able to field a large army after their numerous defeats, the northern shore was in more danger. “General Bulwark, you know the most about our defenses in the South Luna Sea, what do you suggest we do to prepare, in case they decide to attack there?”

“Well, our forces there are mainly troopers fresh out of training. The area normally acts as a sort of secondary training ground, letting them get used to actual operations.” Bulwark explained as he walked towards the map and looked it over. “We’ve got seven light forts along the coast, all former Equestrian, we’ve upgraded them as best we can. There are also two fortresses, one in New Murmansk and one in New Normandy.” The general pointed to several forts and fortresses on the map. “And a hundred or so pillboxes, one third of them are armed with anti air weapons and coastal guns, another third has just the ack ack, and the rest are coastal batteries only.”

“What about Changeling defenders?” Dominic asked, Bulwark gestured to several places on the map.

“We’ve alerted every Changeling Defense Force unit we have, they’ve already begun preparing to evacuate civilians.” Bulwark responded, Dominic quietly took a cigar from a nearby box and bit the cap off before lighting it. “We should also consider calling up some of the troops on Terra to aid in a defense of the mainland.” Dominic nodded quietly as he took a puff on his cigar and looked at the map. “I also recommend that we recall the Imperatrix from her visit there…”

“Right… Begin sending reservists to the Southern coast.” Dominic said as he rubbed his chin and bit down on his cigar, the man put his hands on the map table and leaned against it, looking down at the map of the southern coast. He turned his attention to Field Marshal Eventide, the stallion in charge of the Onorussian Missile Defense Command. “Put our missile silos on alert. Take us to Defense Condition Three.” The man sighed quietly as he exhaled a puff of smoke and took the cigar from his mouth. “Make the immediate targets military and industrial targets, moderate yield… We’ll use the missiles as a last resort.”

“Yes, sir.” Eventide said with a salute, Dominic looked off to the side.

“Summon the Caribou Ambassador to my office at once, I want to have a chat with him.” The Imperator ordered as he took another puff of his cigar and began making his way to the door. “If anything else comes up, alert me immediately. Have someone pick up my wife and son, as well as the two VIPs.” The others nodded and went about preparing to give the new orders, all of their papers had the current date stamped on top. November 6th, 2026.

[♠]

A Caribou Captain looked out over the ocean as his ship sailed out of the harbor of Rhymista loaded with troops and vehicles, it was riding low in the water from the added weight. The ship was one of many that was sailing to the East, they had set sail the moment the ship was loaded, joining an ongoing convoy of ships. The sound of singing and war chants echoed from the deck of the ship, much to the captain’s annoyance. Even if the Onorussians discovered the convoy there would be little they could do to stop it, the bulk of their naval fleet was in the North, by the time it could be brought in the Caribou would already have a foothold in Onorussian territory.

The sound of engines echoed in the sky above, causing the captain to look up, the midday sun made it easy for him to see the silhouettes of hundreds of biplanes and bombers flying to the east. Loaded down with cluster bombs and fire canisters, they would be the first to draw the blood of their enemy. The trip across the channel took less than three hours by ship, the aircraft would be their even sooner.

Little did the invaders know that beneath the waves of the ocean lay a group of silent sentinels, four submerged Onorussian U-Boats. They had been deployed as part of a training cruise for the recruits of the Onorussian Naval Academy. Some of their crew were no older than seventeen, the senior officers were the only ones with real experience. In any other situation, the orders would’ve been to return to base, as going into combat with a crew of recruits was considered to be insane… As it turned out Captain Eugene was just a little bit crazy. He looked through the periscope as his training crew rushed about behind him, preparing the submarine for combat.

“Sir! We’ve alerted Southern Naval Command. They’re sending as many ships as they can, the closest vessel is a destroyer patrol pod.” One of the recruits that had been put in charge of the communications room announced over the intercom. “It’s being lead by the Trotzig, they’ll be coming in with a couple more destroyers and cruisers!”

“Understood!” Eugene replied as he watched the large convoy on the surface, his heart was racing as he looked at his watch. The other submarines had been dispatched to set up in other positions around the convoy, a textbook wolfpack attack. “All vessels, target the ones riding low in the water.” Eugene set his periscope on one of the lead ships, taking note of the bearing and speed. “Target vessel, bearing zero-one-seven. Distance, one kilometer. Speed… Fifteen knots.”

“Targeted.” Replied the tactical officer, Eugene took a deep breath before speaking again.

“Flood tubes one and two.” He ordered, he could hear the water rush into the forward tubes. “Open tubes one and two.” Once again the sound of whirring machinery echoed through the submarine. “Fire one!” There was a whoosh of compressed air as the torpedo was ejected out into the water and began its journey towards the enemy ship.

“Torpedo in the water! Impact in sixty seconds!” The tactical officer shouted as Eugene clicked a stopwatch and watched the second hand begin ticking. He set it aside and went back to watching targeted ship, his hands clenched and unclenched as the seconds ticked by. His eyes occasionally flicked over to the stopwatch, it was the longest sixty seconds of his life. He looked back to the target just as the minute finished ticking by, there was a mighty spout of water as the torpedo detonated beneath the ship. The explosion of water caused the ship to be tossed out of the water as it was split in half. Timber and fabric were torn to shreds by the explosion, tons of military equipment and soldiers spilled into the ocean.

Eugene watched as more of the convoy was struck by torpedoes from the other subs, but despite the effectiveness of their attack the convoy was still far too massive for them to put any sort of dent in their numbers. The man gritted his teeth as he called out another target, the next torpedo was fired, but he doubted that even if he fired every torpedo he had he would be able to stop the enemy convoy.

”Sir! Sir! I have the reinforcements on sonar, sir! It’s Trotzig! She’s alone, sir!” The recruit manning the sonar station shouted over the intercom.

”The other ships have engage the enemy aircraft we spotted earlier, Trotzig is on her own!” The communications officer shouted, Eugene cursed under his breath and said a quiet prayer as the latest torpedo slammed into one of the ships. There were ships of shapes and sizes scattered out on the water, a solitary grey destroyer facing nearly a thousand vessels. The invaders must’ve seen her as they rampaged along, standing firm between them and the Onorussian coast, the solitary destroyer gave a deafening blast of its horn. The sound echoed over the water for miles.

Slowly it moved towards the invaders, then with a deafening roar and whoosh of spray it swung about and charged towards the invading Caribou. Moving swiftly through the waters, cannons blazing as she came, the destroyer sent shell after shell towards the lead ships of the Axis invasion force. Eugene watched as shell after shell impacted the wooden ships of the invaders, blasting massive holes in their sides and sending them spinning in the water. From the flotilla came seven Man O Wars, their forward cannons firing at the lone destroyer.

Captain Stahlflügel, a grizzled Thestral female, pointed her swagger stick towards one of the Man O Wars as the Trotzig charged onwards. Shots from the enemy ships had started to impact the ship, and even with their Earth Material Armor the arcane weapons were still having a damaging effect.

“Fire on their forward powder compartment! Keep us moving, don’t let them line up a broadside!” She ordered as alarms blared through the bridge, the crew of the vessel was untested but so far they hadn’t let her down. The cannons roared once more as shells fell on the Man O War, unfortunately the enemy was keeping Trotzig from her job, which was stopping the invading convoy.

The Man O War that had been targeted suffered severely as shells from the Onorussian ship punched through her armor below the waterline, she began to list to starboard, offering the gunners on the Trotzig to fire on the deck. It didn’t take long to destroy the enemy ship by detonating its powder magazine, the explosion was bright and loud, but there were still six Man O Wars to contend with. Trotzig lurched heavily to port as an enemy shot struck her stern, where the E-Mat armor was weakest. Captain Stahlflügel grunted as she steadied herself, her mane falling into her eyes.

“Report!” She shouted as another shot of arcane energy slammed into the ship, this time striking the lone smoke stack.

“Our engines are at seventy percent, ma’am! That last hit took something out of us!” An ensign shouted as he looked over a console displaying information from around the ship. “Our rudder is damaged, we’ve lost twenty percent rotation to starboard and thirty to port!”

“Verdammt! Put as many crews as it takes on getting our rudder back to work! We can’t afford to get caught in a broadside!” Stahlflügel ordered sternly as she watched the sea, more enemy shots impacted the deck, sending some of the crew flying and damaging several of the anti-aircraft emplacements on the deck. “We must hold them off until their air attack has been dealt with! Sure up the line! No surrender!” She was tossed back as a blast of energy impacted the forward turret, she was shocked to see one of the cannons was melting.

“Forward turret is jammed, ma’am!” The ensign shouted as smoke and flames began to rise up out of the ruined turret, the thestral gritted her teeth as she looked towards one of the Man O Wars.

“Perhaps today is a good day to die!” She shouted angrily as she moved to the control panel. “Give me ramming speed!” The ensign stared at her with surprise, so she pushed him out of the way and gave the order herself. “Sound collision!” The ensign shook himself out of his stupor and pushed the alarm, bells rang through the ship as Stahlflügel took control of the helm, steering her damaged ship straight towards one of the Man O Wars that had lined itself up for a broadside. The ship's siren began to blare loudly as it got closer and closer to the Man O War, catching the attention of the Caribou crew. Some of them stopped in shock as the Trotzig, travelling at nearly twenty knots, slammed into the side of their ship.

Both vessels shuddered at the massive impact, the Man O War buckled and split in two as the Destroyer cut through it like a knife through butter. Caribou sailors jumped overboard as their ship was ruined, to their shock the Onorussian Destroyer continued sailing through. The bow of the vessel was dented and bruised, but aside from that it seemed that it was fine. Several survivors of the Man O War crew found themselves lying on the deck of the metal war beast. They stood up and readied their swords as Onorussian crew members spilled out onto the deck. Rifle shots joined the cacophony of sounds as the Trotzig’s sailors began to repel the boarders.

Captain Stahlflügel shook herself off and wiped blood that was dripping down her vision as she continued to control her ship. The only turret still functioning was the rear facing cannon, forcing her to control her ship in reverse in order to maximize its effectiveness. The emergency bulkheads in the front of the ship had held up to the impact, she still had a ship, meaning she still had a chance. The turret continued firing away at one of the five remaining Man O Wars, shell after shell arched across the ocean and slammed into the enemy vessel. The destroyed Man O Wars had become floating wrecks, drastically reducing the visibility of the enemy gunners.

Eugene watched through the periscope as the battle raged on the surface, he had just fired off the last of his torpedoes, but still the massive convoy still carried onwards. It was as if they didn’t care how many ships they lost, an unstoppable horde of hateful invaders. The man adjusted his cap as he pulled down the periscope and looked at his crew.

“The other subs are returning to New Murmansk to rearm, we and O-391 are remaining behind to pick up any survivors, should the Trotzig go down….” He said solemnly, knowing that such a mission would be extremely risky. “Anyone not helping with ships operations… Arm yourselves.” The crew nodded and began moving towards the armory, Eugene turned back to the periscope and pulled it down to watch the rest of the battle unfolding on the surface.

Trotzig had lost one of its engines and the starboard side of the ship was listing lower in the water as holes of melting metal pocked its sides. Captain Stahlflügel struggled to steady herself, her bridge crew as dead, and the last turret had been blown open like a tin can. With a tired grunt she gave the order for more speed before  picked up the ship’s intercom.

“All hands… Abandon ship.” She said as she began steering the ship towards the convoy, ignoring the Man O Wars. She held it on a course that would cause it to slam into at least three enemy ships. Along the sides of the ship the remaining crew began to jump into the sea, Stahlflügel stood up straight as the Trotzig and her got closer and closer to their targets. The blasts of energy continued to rock the ship, more and more water began to flood in, but it soldiered on through the fire and the flames. Stahlflügel closed her eyes and began to sing loudly. “Ich hatte einen Kameraden! Einen bessern findst du nit!” The vessel steamed closer and closer, picking up more and more speed as the fire and smoke began to flood the bridge. “Die Trommel schlug zum Streite! Er ging an meiner Seite! In gleichem Schritt und Tritt!”

Eugene watched in stunned silence as the Trotzig smashed into another vessel, ripping it apart before slamming into another, and then another, in a diagonal line. The indomitable vessel continued on for several seconds, giving Eugene a vague bit of hope that perhaps it was still seaworthy. That hope was dashed when he saw the defiant destroyer explode in a magnificent fashion. Lashing ropes and smashing timber, fire and Arcane bolts pierced the deck. With the smoke of battle clearing, over waves and graves defiled, the valiant little vessel was slowly disappearing. Eugene said his final farewell to Trotzig. That was the signal to surface the ship and begin the arduous task of a rescue mission.

[♠]

Maria and Altair stood on the steps of the rented home, looking out over the ocean as explosions and weapons fire echoed over the water. Plumes of smoke rose high into the sky as jet fighters and bombers screamed overhead towards the fight, still Maria could make out faint shapes that seemed to be getting closer and closer to the coast. Altair quietly stood behind his mom, watching the fire and brimstone on the horizon, feeling a level of fear he had never felt before. His mother looked at him quietly and picked him up, then carried him inside.

“Start packing everything, okay sweetie? My clothes and yours, and then your aunt and cousin’s.” She said in a rather shaky voice, Altair nodded and rushed to his bedroom to begin packing his things. Meanwhile Maria went to the gun safe that she kept her rifles in and put in the combination faster than she had ever thought possible. There was a swift knock on the door before a group of Lunar Marines entered, they wore full body armor and carried rifles.

“Madame Imperatrix, we’re here to escort you and the Nova Imperator to the evacuation helicopter!” Said the lead soldier as the others set up a perimeter, Maria nodded quietly and set her rifles down on the counter.

“I’ll be right back.” She said before making her way to the room where Altair was packing their things. “Sweetie, go wait in the living room. There’s a bunch of Lunar Marines there that are here to protect us.” Altair stopped packing and hugged Maria’s leg, he looked up at her with tears in his eyes.

“Mommy, I’m scared…” The boy said, Maria knelt down and put her hands on his shoulders, smiling as best she could.

“It’s okay to be scared…” Maria said as she looked over her shoulder at the door that lead to the living room. “Take a deep breath and count to four, then exhale…” Altair hesitantly nodded and took a deep breath, four seconds later her exhaled. “Again.” Once again her son followed her instructions, as he did he felt himself calming down. “Now, go out there and keep calm. I’ll be with you shortly.” Altair nodded quietly and exited the room, leaving Maria to pick up the task of packing. She had hoped that giving Altair the task would take some of his stress away, but now that the marines had arrived she had to get the job done quickly.

She had practiced and practiced, as the threat of something happening like this on one of her excursions was always high. In less than fifteen minutes she had packed the bags and dragged them out into the living room where she saw one of the soldiers was crouched down and talking to Altair. Maria wasn’t about to have the soldiers carry her bags for her, so she slipped the duffle bag over her back before doing the same with Altairs. It was heavy, but she had carried heavier in her life. That left the two wheeled bags that she could pull. The woman moved to the counter and slipped her rifle straps around her, now the weight was starting to get to her. She grunted and took the two rolling bags.

“Captain, let’s not tarry any longer.” She said as she began making for the door, the marine officer nodded and signaled his troops. The group of thestrals moved outside first, clearing it before signalling Altair and Maria to come out. The two of them stepped out onto the sandy soil as the wind picked up, they wasted no time in rushing through the sand towards a black armored car parked on the side of the house. Maria looked out to the sea and was shocked to see dozens of white sails approaching the beach while smoke rose higher in the distant sky. Just as they reached the car she spotted flashes of light from the lead ships as they started turning to line up broadsides.

Blasts of energy slammed down into the water, causing spouts of hot steam to rise into the air. Altair covered his ears as the marines helped him into the armored car, Maria tossed her bags into the back, and was midway through putting her rifles away when the first blast landed near the car. The ground shook and rocks rattled down around them, it seemed that these arcane weapons were far more accurate than normal artillery. Maria shouted loudly as she finished tossing her Tac 50 into the back of the car, another blast exploded near them, far closer.

“They’ve got us zeroed!” One of the soldiers shouted from inside the armored car, Maria gripped her Mosin tightly and closed her eyes. In the time it would take her to get in the car they could be hit.

“Go!” She shouted, the marines in the back of the car looked at her with surprise as she grabbed her bag out of the car. “That’s an order! Get my son out of here!” She closed the back of the car as Altair began shouting, the car’s tires screeched as it tore off down the road. Maria hefted her bag over her shoulder as she ran across the road past several houses and into a wooded area behind them. More and more explosions echoed from the beaches ahead of her, her heart was pounding heavily as she dropped her bag and her rifle. As it stood, her clothes were too bright. The woman unzipped her bag and looked through it before pulling out her grey battle fatigues, still bearing the patches of her days in the service. She had intended to use them for hunting, but now it was all about survival again.

The woman swapped her light clothes her fatigues, she tightened her boots and reached into the bag once again. From within she pulled several magazines of ammunition she tucked into her breast pocket, then she grabbed the boxes of ammo she would need to replenish those magazines when they went dry. The explosions grew louder and more frequent, but she kept her nerves as calm as she could. With her equipment ready, she slipped her Mosin Nagant over her shoulder and put a hand over a necklace she wore. 

Maria ran her hands over the crescent moon shaped pendant as she looked to the sky where the moon would normally be. Maria closed her eyes. The screaming sound of jet fighters roared overhead, but Maria ignored it as she took a moment to pray for her son. Several seconds had passed before she opened her eyes and covered her bag in branches and leaves, afterwards she began to trek through the wooded area. Her object was simple at the moment, see if she could get to an evacuation center, and failing that, resist the invaders.
> Chapter 42
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The fighting had been intense, hour long battles raged for inches of ground. Despite their weakened defenses, the Onorussians put up a fierce resistance. The invasion had lasted into the night, and news that the Imperatrix had gone missing was spreading like wildfire through both sides of the conflict. As the morning light began to shine over the southern coast the sound of screeching jet engines echoed across the water. The caribou had designed their ships to run aground in order to unload their troops and equipment, it had made securing a beachhead much easier. Despite the success of the landings, the Onorussian Air Force was pounding away at the enemy naval convoy day and night.

Use of Thermo-Arcane weaponry against the Zebra port of Rhymista was out of the question, it was so close to Onorus that residual arcane particles could drift across the Ocean and render the use of any Arcane weaponry or other technology impossible. For aircraft, that would mean a loss of augmented flight controls, for ground troops, the loss of power armor and heavy weapons that were keeping the invaders at bay. The Onorussians had been caught napping, but that didn’t mean they were out of the fight yet. It was true that they could employ Thermo-Arcane weaponry on other cities, but those warheads were being held in reserve for the counter invasion.

For Maria Occisor, it was just like being back on Earth during the EOL war. Over the course of the night she had tried to reach several evacuation stations, but they had been closed or overrun before she could get close. On more than one occasion she had encountered enemy soldiers and managed to sneak past them without much trouble, she was cold, tired, and hungry. She had pulled her hair back in a tight ponytail, and as she crawled through the muddy underbrush of the forest she could hear the sound of machine guns in the distance.

The woman had yet to fire her rifle, but at the moment she was more concerned with keeping her body heat up. It was true that the South was warmer than the  North, but during Fall and Winter it became almost just as bitter and cold along the coast as the Frozen North. Her fatigues were alright, but they were no substitute for a wool coat. As she imagined herself getting cozied up in a warm jacket she nearly lost track of her surroundings. She stopped just as she heard a twig snap to the right of her, it was close, far closer than she wanted it to be. Maria sat stock still on the ground, keeping her breath as slow as possible as she listened to the movement off to her right.

She watched quietly as a mare and three teenage boys moved into view holding AK-47s. They wore olive green fatigues and black combat boots, as well as old green metal helmets. Each of the teens wore a purple strip of cloth tied around their upper right arms while the mare of the group had lieutenant bars. Maria let out a relieved sigh before taking a breath. The mare was a pegasus with orange fur and a purple mane, she looked vaguely familiar.

“Hey!” She called out quietly, they turned around with their rifles ready, Maria cautiously pushed herself up onto her knees and held her rifle off to the side. After a couple seconds the group lowered their weapons, allowing Maria to stand up and approach them.

“Madame Imperatrix?” The mare, and likely leader of the group asked, she was in her early twenties by the look of her. Maria stopped in front of them and quietly looked at their armbands, then at the pegasus. “It’s wonderful to see you’re okay, the invaders had been broadcasting you were killed.”

“The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” Maria replied with an almost casual tone, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. The teens moved to set up a perimeter while Maria and the Lieutenant conversed. The boys couldn’t have been older than sixteen or seventeen, likely members of ‘The Young Bloods’, the Onorussian version of a militarised ‘Boy Scouts’. “What news can you give me? How far have they penetrated?”

“Last we saw, they’ve set up a foothold on the beaches…” The lieutenant said in a hushed tone as she looked around the area, Maria found herself being brought back to the teens. Two of them were average sized, one was a bean pole, the thinnest one had a red nose that seemed to be running in the cold air, and all three had messy short black hair. “Our lines are three miles east of here. They made me an acting lieutenant for the exercise, didn’t think I’d actually take them into combat. I’m trying to get them back to our lines. ”

“We don’t need to get out.” One of the older teens said, likely just over seventeen from the looks of him. “Right, Imperatrix? Shouldn’t we be staying and fighting?! It’s our duty!” Maria looked at the boy, as did the lieutenant. The mare had an annoyed expression on her face, it was obvious they had had this conversation before.

“Perhaps it is, but your Lieutenant’s duty is to keep you safe, and since she outranks you…” Maria said in her ‘Officer’ tone, she found it did wonders when Altair became uncooperative. The boy ran a hand over his brown hair, appearing somewhat surprised by the answer Maria had given him. Gone was the kind hearted, quiet spoken ‘Mother of Onorus’, she had been replaced by Major Maria Occisor. The Queen of Death. “Three miles isn’t that far, how long have you been travelling?”

“Since last night, the damn zebras have every major road locked down, and the Saddle Arabians have been patrolling the woods looking for troops like us.” The lieutenant said in the same hushed voice, she adjusted the strap of her AK-47. “The Caribou are supervising all of that, they’ve got snipers out in the woods as well.” Maria rubbed her chin quietly, then shivered as the cold air ran across her skin. “We’ve been considering hunkering down for a bit, but I worry that the lines will get further away if we do.”

“I’d say hunker down wherever you can, warm up, get some food, get your bearings.” Maria suggested as she let her rifle hang on the strap over her shoulder, she paused as she heard something odd in the distance. It caught the attention of the Lieutenant, as well as the others. A wailing siren screaming down from the sky. A jericho trumpet, most likely mounted to a Stuka dive bomber. 

That could mean only one thing to Maria, her husband had called in the heavy hitters. A division of the Lunar Marines designated as The 88th Assault Division, better known as ‘The Lunar Legion’. Whenever there was a particular position that proved difficult to conquer on the Terran Front, The Lunar Legion was the division called upon. They had cowed the Cartels, crushed the Mafia, and steamrolled a particularly ornery group of slavers in Washington State. Equipped with power armor, heavy tanks, their own mobile artillery pieces and aircraft, they were considered to be the very best. A soldier could train hard for years in preparation for his entrance examination and still fail, even Dominic himself had barely managed to pass the physical strength test.

Maria looked over to the mare and cleared her throat, the pegasus and her squad were listening to the wailing sirens in the distance with uncertainty. When the pegasus didn’t respond Maria put her hand on her shoulder, shaking her out of her trance.

“Lieutenant.” She said, the mare nodded and quickly adjusted her uniform. “I’d recommend we start moving now, rather than wait for their patrols to find us?” The mare nodded quickly and gestured with her wing to her squad to get ready to move.

“With all due respect, Ma’am… I think you should be the one to lead us.” The mare said quietly, looking Maria in the eye. “You’re a major, and you’re well… You.” Maria looked at her own fatigues, noting that she still had her rank insignia pinned to the collar. “Please…”

“Alright.” Maria said as she walked forward. “Let’s head east then, if I recall how far I’ve travelled correctly, there should be a hunting lodge near here.” The boys and the mare gripped their rifles and began moving with Maria in a single column. The woman paused and looked over her shoulder at the mare. “What are your names, anyway?” The pegasus was the first to answer, keeping her ears on a swivel.

“I’m Scootaloo.” The mare said, Maria was quiet for a couple seconds before nodding. “The hot head is Vincent, the quiet guy is Carlos, and the guy with the runny nose is Victor, but we call him Snotty.” Maria looked at the boys, recognizing ‘The Hot Head’ as the one that had insisted on staying behind. Carlos was obviously the one that hadn’t spoken at all, and Victor was wiping his nose on his sleeve with an annoyed expression.

“Victor is fine.” Victor said in an annoyed voice, obviously not fond of his nickname. Maria quietly took a look around their surroundings, the sound of gunfire and artillery bombardment in the distance. They were keeping the chatter to a minimum, which Maria was glad for, she wasn’t sure how she would relate to people like these recruits. More importantly, it showed that these recruits were following their training. As they walked Maria noticed that the sound of Jericho Trumpets was getting less and less frequent and the clouds were getting darker overhead. The chill was getting worse, she could see her breath, and she could feel her toes starting to get numb. Knowing that there were snipers in the woods, she fell behind the group and began brushing over their tracks with a tree branch.

Even as it began to snow the five of them soldiered on, through the trees and up the rugged rocky hills. An hour or so passed before they happened upon the lodge that Maria had been searching for, she had stayed there once or twice over the years when on hunting trips by herself. It was a log cabin with a winding driveway that lead off for miles before reaching any major road. A pair of elk antlers were mounted over the front door and the main windows were covered by blinds. Maria rubbed her hands together as she spotted it, knowing it would be warmer inside. Cautiously they approached the lodge, Maria gripped her rifle in her nearly numb hands as they stacked up near the door.

The woman reached towards the door and knocked quickly, pulling her hand away as she stood to the side of the door. After a couple more seconds she knocked again, there was no response. Cautiously Maria turned the knob and pushed the door in, but again nothing happened. When no shots rang out she peeked around, sure enough the lodge was empty and dark. She silently gestured for Scootaloo and her squad to enter, they did so, leaving Maria to cover their tracks before she joined them in the slightly warmer interior.

“Vincent, Carlos, you’re on the first guard shift.” Maria ordered as she moved closer to the group, the cabin was one main room with a kitchen off to the side and an outhouse rather than a regular toilet. The furniture was old, two couches were set up around an old fireplace and covered in blankets. The dining area had a wooden table and two chairs, as well as a vase with dead flowers resting at the center. “Everyone take a blanket and warm up, Victor you take whatever blankets don’t get used, I don’t want that runny nose turning into something else.”

“I’m fine-” Victor began to protest.

“That’s an order, cadet.” Maria said sternly, the boy sighed and grabbed himself two extra blankets before laying down on one of the couches. Maria sat down on a separate couch and undid her boots, then pulled them, as well as her socks, off. Even in the dim light she could see her toes were in need of warming, or she risked frostbite. Her eyes looked over to Scootaloo. “Can you check the drawers in the kitchen for any of those hand warmers? The portable things you keep in a jacket? I also need you to look for a sponge, some water, and pain meds...”

“Yes, ma’am.” Scootaloo said, Maria watched her walk away before taking her blanket and wrapping it around her feet. They weren’t completely numb, but they were getting there. The woman looked at the cadets, Vincent and Carlos had taken the chairs from the dining area and were sitting near the window at the front of the cabin. Each had their rifle leaned against the the wall as they kept an eye on the driveway. The woman’s attention shifted to Victor, who was curled up under the blankets and shivering, his rifle lying on the floor beside the couch. They could’ve started a fire in the fireplace, but smoke might’ve drawn attention from the Caribou.

Scootaloo returned a couple minutes later with ten or so of the heating packs and a bottle of painkillers. Maria supposed that she would have to make do in this case and took the warming packs from Scootaloo.

“Thanks.” Maria said as she activated the first and second packs, then stuffed them down in the blanket near her feet. The woman set the rest of the heating packs on the floor before she began to rub her hands together for warmth once again, Scootaloo let out a tired sigh and sat on the couch beside Maria. “Rest up, Lieutenant. We’ll stick around here for a couple hours, maybe by then our lines will be closer.”

“I’ll try, ma’am.” Scootaloo said as she curled up on the couch and pulled a blanket over her, the room descended into silence as the small group did their best to conserve body heat and rest. Two hours passed, and .he more time they spent there the more it began to really warm up, taking the fierce bite out of the bitter icy chill. The sound of gunfire still echoed in the distance as snow continued to fall faster and faster. Maria’s feet warmed up nicely, allowing her to put her boots back on, of course she slipped a couple heating packs in her boots before sharing the rest with the others.

“M-Major…” Victor said in a shaking voice, breaking the silence. Maria stood up and walked towards the young boy, then took a knee beside him as he huddled under his blanket for warmth. “S-So cold… M-My bones feel like they’re on fire.” Maria rested a hand on his head, her expression remaining as stoic as she could. Humans had gained a very strong immune system, both from the infection and their natural healing factor on Equus. When one of them got sick, they really got sick.

“You’ve got a bit of a fever, sweetie… I’ll get you some ibuprofen and an ice pack, okay?” Maria watched the boy nod before she stood up and moved towards the painkillers she had left on the couch next to the now sleeping Scootaloo. The woman took the pills and went to the kitchen, there were a couple plastic water bottles near the window, but they were frozen and undrinkable. Maria still grabbed one and moved back towards Victor, resting the frozen bottle on his forehead while giving him two of the pills. “Gotta take these without anything to drink, alright?” 

Victor nodded and did his best to swallow the meds, Maria was forced to remember that these weren’t true soldiers. In situation like hers, kid gloves were somewhat necessary. The woman left the bottle on his head to go and grab her blanket, when she returned she put it over Victor. The wool blanket would’ve been enough to get a normal person sweating, but Victor considered to shiver under it.

“Major! Movement on the road!” Vincent shouted from the front of the house, Maria took Victor’s hand and rested it on the bottle.

“Hold that there, alright?” She asked, Victor nodded weakly. Maria stood up and walked to the front of the house, grabbing her rifle along the way. She stopped next to Vincent and Carlos and peeked out the window, sure enough there was movement on the road. The snow was at least six inches deep after only two hours, the trees loomed and creaked overhead. Maria raised her rifle and looked through the scope at the road. “Fuck…” A group of three caribou were coming up the road. “Carlos, wake the lieutenant.” The boy nodded and rushed off to get Scootaloo, meanwhile Maria watched the group get closer. 

Maria lowered her rifle and then lowered the blinds to the front of the house, then made sure the other blinds were closed. Thankfully they were, she and Vincent continued watching through a gap in the blinds while the three caribou stopped in front of the lodge and looked around.

“Why don’t we open up on them?” Vincent asked quietly, Maria shook her head.

“Because once we take them down they’ll send more looking…” She whispered back, her eyes glancing over to the couch where Victor was hold the bottle against his head. “We can’t move him, not in this weather… Not safely, at least.” Vincent nodded quietly and looked back out at the three Caribou, they were conversing as they looked around the clearing. The antlers over the door seemed to be a point of conversation, Maria could see one of them rubbing his antlers out of sympathy with the long dead elk. Maria gripped her rifle tightly as Carlos and Scootaloo returned with their own weapons, watching as the three Caribou began to walk towards the door. “Please…. Please… Turn around… Leave…” Maria whispered under her breath as she readied her rifle and pointed it towards the door.

“Come on, Gral. It’s colder here than North Barley.” She heard one of the Caribou complain outside, Maria watched through the gap in the window as the group of three stopped to converse once again. “The Prefect is going to be pissed as it is that we went sight seeing!”

“Aren’t you the least bit curious to see what’s inside?” Asked another Caribou who turned his eyes towards the cabin. “This is a great chance to see their culture before it gets purged.”

“No! I don’t want to go into the death house!” The third Caribou said nervously, rubbing his antlers as he looked up once again at the antlers mounted over the door. “What if there’s some sort of axe murderer in there that’s going to chop our heads off and mount our antlers like that!?”

“Fine…” The curious caribou said begrudgingly, Maria watched as the three of them turned around and began walking back down the road. Once they were out of sight the group let out a relieved sigh, the peace was not to last though, as Maria heard the waterbottle fall to the floor. She stood up and looked towards Victor, her heart pounding faster as she saw him shaking uncontrollably.

“S-S-S-So c-c-c-cold!” She heard Victor whine weakly, Maria and Scootaloo moved towards him, leaving Vincent and Carlos to resume their watch. The woman knelt beside the boy and put a hand on his head.

“He’s burning up!” She said as she looked around the room before turning her attention to Scootaloo. “Open the window in the kitchen, then try and see if you can collect some snow or ice.” Scootaloo nodded quickly and made her way to the kitchen, Maria reached to the wool blankets and pulled them off, causing Victor’s teeth to start chattering louder. “I’m sorry, Victor! We’ve gotta get your temperature down.”

“M-Mom?” Victor said shakily as he reached out aimlessly, Maria gulped down a lump in her throat before she reached out and took his hand. “Mom, I’m scared…” It was clear he was hallucinating, but Maria wasn’t about to let him sit there thinking he was alone.

“You’re gonna be okay…” Maria said, struggling to keep her composure. “You just need to keep being a good trooper, alright? You can do that, can’t you?” Victor nodded weakly, Maria sighed and looked off to the side. It was clear they were going to be in for a rough time.

[♠]

Celestia watched her television in silence, the footage of intense firefights on the ground had been going on for some time. More than a few news helicopters had been shot at or warded away by military aircraft, but that didn’t stop the constant footage from pouring in. The news anchors had been going into detail about how Caribou slavers were rounding all manner of Onorussian citizens and using them as shields against the air force. It was truly disgusting to watch, innocent families being treated as little more than meat shields.

The Crystal Empire was on high alert, tanks were ready to roll at a moment’s notice. The normally chatty Onorussian border guards had become dead silent, locked in their guard houses and watching the snowy wastes for any sign of their latest foe. Celestia felt herself becoming especially heartbroken to see that Maria had seemingly disappeared and was presumed either dead or captured. Footage of the ‘88th Assault Division’ was becoming more and more popular, they had been mobilized all the way from New Liberty and moved across a hundred miles of desert over night, and now it seemed they were ripping the New Axis apart. News that the Caribou had broadcast about the fate of the Imperatrix had only strengthened the resolve of the Onorussian defenders.

Celestia watched more news footage as wounded soldiers limped past a camera woman, bloody bandages covering parts of their eyes or arms. One pegasus carried on a stretcher was desperately clutching his remaining wing while a stump twitched sickeningly on his back. Already the Onorussians had lost more soldiers than the Forty Eight Hour War, numbering somewhere near nine thousand both on the land and sea. The alabaster alicorn closed her eyes, trying to block out the troubling news. As she did, she felt an odd presence in her mind, something she hadn’t felt in nearly eight years.

”L-Luna?” She thought, hoping to get some sort of response. At first there was nothing, but then she heard the faint voice of her sister responding. ”A-Any news?”

”Tia?” Luna’s voice called back, Celestia nodded to herself as she listened. ”Sister… They haven’t found my herdmate, Maria is still missing.”

”Th-That’s… I’m sorry to hear it.” Celestia thought back, her wing reached out and picked up the remote to turn off the television. All that remained was the sound of the wind against the window of her room and her own slow breathing. In the darkness of her closed eyes, Celestia could almost make out her sister’s face.

”I… I am going to do something… I do not want you to interfere.” Luna’s voice said, she sounded a lot less sure of herself. It was as if the news about Maria had been some sort of cushion in order to soften the even harder blow of whatever Luna was going to say next. ”I am going to defend my subjects with my magic, sister.” Celestia froze, memories of their fight all those years ago raced through her mind. And yet, Celestia knew that she would be doing the same thing if she were in her sister’s place. She quietly ran over her memories of discord and sombra, she hadn’t acted quickly enough. The same could’ve been said for the Onorussians, the only thing was the Onorussians had turned out not to be bad guys.

Do you need my help?” Celestia asked over her mental link, Luna was quiet for nearly a minute, and the alabaster alicorn was worried she had lost the connection.

”Y-You would help us?” Luna’s voice asked in an almost unhearable whisper, Celestia felt her eyes tearing up at the faint glimmer of hope in her sister’s voice.

”As… Everyone has pointed out. I am usually late to act.” Celestia admitted as she laid on the couch in her room, eyes still closed, thoughts still on her sister. ”The cycle has to end here and now… Of course I will help you, Luna. You’re my sister. I love you…”

”I… I love you too, Tia.” Luna sounded on the verge of tears, prompting Celestia to start crying herself. ”We are going to cut off their convoy once and for all… I will see you soon.”

With a gasp, Luna opened her eyes and looked around her room. Altair was still curled up next to her, clutching her tightly as he held his head against her fur. It had been a difficult day for him, and the news that Maria wasn’t coming home yet had lead to him becoming extra clingy. Luna supposed that in Maria’s mind, sacrificing herself like that was the right thing to do, but for a seasoned Princess it was far too bold. Dominic had certainly been beside himself, and now that it turned out things were far from okay he had thrown himself entirely into repelling the enemy invaders. He had ordered his tank be prepared, and undoubtedly had already boarded the freight train that would carry him and his crew to the front.

Luna sighed softly and leaned down to give Altair a kiss on the forehead, this prompted the boy to look up at her with his bloodshot eyes. There were tear stains on his cheeks, and on Luna’s fur, but despite that he was doing his best to remain calm and stoic.

“Are you going to fight too, Mother?” Altair asked as he leaned his head back down against Luna’s side, the alicorn bit her tongue and took a deep breath. She hated having to choose between comforting her son and defeating the enemy, but that was one of the many burdens of her position. The night before had been rough for her, Altair had had many nightmares about Maria and the Caribou, and oddly enough that had been what had pushed her over the edge. She knew that there were many children that would be having nightmares because of the Caribou, as Guardian of Dreams, it was her duty to put an end to that.

“Yes… Sweetie… I am.” Luna finally admitted, she felt Altair’s grip get tighter on her. “If I don’t, the Caribou could keep hurting people and taking them away from their families…”

“I want to come with.” Altair said as he looked up from Luna’s side again, his eyes were tearing up again. Luna shook her head slowly, but that didn’t loosen Altair’s grip. “I want to stop them too! I want them to leave us alone! I can help!”

“You’re too young for this sort of thing, Altair.” Luna said firmly, but Altair refused to let go of Luna and he refused to look away. “I can’t subject you to any more danger.”

“I hate them!” Altair shouted, surprising Luna with how much volume he had managed. What was more, she could see in her son’s eyes that this wasn’t an idle declaration.”I want to help get rid of them! They made mommy have to leave!” Luna sighed quietly and put her wing over Altair, the boy slowly released his grip and buried his head against her neck.

“Shh… Shh…” Luna hushed as she leaned down and gave him a nuzzle, Altair was trembling and it made the alicorn’s blood boil to know that the Caribou had wounded him on an emotional level. “The best thing you can do to help get rid of them is to stay safe…” Luna felt Altair’s grip on her loosen, he sniffled and wiped his nose. “Keep calm, my child…”

“I… I’ll try.” Altair said quietly, Luna sat up and got off of her bed.

“Your Great Aunt Julia will look after you until I get back, okay?” Luna explained, Altair nodded quietly. “I have to go put a stop to this madness…” The mare stood up quietly and hugged Altair, the young boy hugged her tightly.

“Please, can’t you wait a little longer?” Altair said in a needy tone, Luna felt herself conflicted once again. She had to choose between spending time with her son, and spending time flying to the battleground. Reluctantly, the mare sat back down on the bed and nuzzled Altair once again. “Why did she tell them to go without her?”

“She… She was afraid that it would’ve taken too much time…” Luna explained, that was how the soldiers had put it when they had reported the original incident. “She was worried that you would’ve gotten hurt if they had waited any longer. We love you so much, we don’t want to see you hurt, in her mind I’m sure she thought it was the right thing to do…” Altair hugged Luna tighter, burrowing his head against her side.

“W-Why did dad have to go?” Altair asked, his voice muffled by Luna’s fur. The alicorn quietly sighed and rubbed her temples with her wings.

“Your father is the commander of all our soldiers.” Luna explained softly, returning her wing to rest over Altair’s shoulders. “He feels it’s his duty to lead from the front, he won’t order his soldiers to do anything he wouldn’t do himself…” The mare looked to the floor, sighing as she thought that perhaps she was partially responsible for that sense of duty. Perhaps she had taught Dominic too well. “It helps make the soldiers feel better, so they fight better.”

“Are you sure I can’t go with you?” Altair asked as he looked up from Luna’s fur, the mare looked back at him. “I… I want to do my duty too.” Luna shook her head quietly before leaning in and giving him a kiss on the forehead, she pulled away and sighed.

“When you are older… If you really want to follow that path… Then we will teach you.” Luna admitted, she saw a look of determination spread across her son’s face. “But only when you’re older.”

“Okay…” Altair stated softly before resting his head against Luna once again, the alicorn curled up around him to give him a bit more comfort. His trembling had come to a halt, and Luna could tell the worst of his fears had been put at ease. Her eyes flicked towards the window, watching as an airship passed the balcony, bound for the Southern Coast. It let out a low howl from its horn as it sailed through the air.

[♠]

Dominic jolted up in his command seat as the whistle of the train engine pierced the air, the brakes were squealing loudly and the distant sound of artillery had become similar to a sort of white noise machine. Eight years had brought a lot of changes to tanks in the Onorussian military. Though T-34-85s were still used as infantry support vehicles, the backbone of the Onorussian’s assault tank divisions was the M60A1 Patton. Dominic had always been partial to it, it got back to a four man crew as opposed to five. The man rubbed his head quietly and looked at his comrades in the tank, they were in varying states of readiness.

The man silently sat up and peaked out the viewfinder, the train was starting to pull into a freight yard where the tanks could be unloaded. From the looks of the overcast sky, it was getting near four in the afternoon. Dominic looked to his watch, confirming his suspicions. He had been notified earlier that Maria hadn’t been found, a load he was unhappy to have on his mind. He couldn’t wrap his head around her staying behind, he supposed in the heat of the moment mistakes could’ve been made. His attention also went towards her even being near the coast, in that regard… He had thought the bulk of the New Axis fleet was in the northern ocean, far away from the southern coast. In theory, Maria and Altair, as well as her newly discovered family members, should’ve been safe… In theory.

Dominic gave himself a hard slap across the face, he was getting sloppy, careless. This attack was eerily reminiscent of Pearl Harbor, he and his staff had thought the Caribou and their allies inferior, both technologically and tactically. Just as America had underestimated the Japanese at the start of the Second World War. If the Caribou were anything near as fanatical as the Japanese, the conflict could stretch out for years. That was prospect that Dominic didn’t want to linger on, the main goal at the moment was to repel the invaders. It could be argued that perhaps him coming to the front was also a poor choice, but Dominic felt it was his duty to lead by example from the front. He also would be damned if he didn’t do everything in his power to find Maria, still keeping that promise he had made all those years ago on Earth.

“Gear, Avos, Scribs…” Dominic mumbled as he ran a hand down his face and looked at his crew, Scribs was sitting next to Avos in the Loader’s position. The reporter had found that military life suited him, and as thanks for his service, Dominic had brought him on as part of his tank crew. “What’s our estimated unloading time?” The man steadied himself as the train lurched to a stop.

“We should be one of the first ones unloaded…” Gear said as he looked out the driver’s periscope, watching as soldiers outside moved rapidly to begin unloading the tanks. Dominic stood up and checked over the fifty caliber machine gun that was part of a smaller turret resting atop the main. It was standard in all tanks of that build, providing a better way of suppressing ground troops. He ensured that it was ready before relaxing back into his seat. “Looks like word spread that you were coming, sir. There’s a bunch of guys out there.”

“Well, that’s to be expected.” Dominic said with a nod, he reached over and picked up his peaked officer’s cap. The man placed it squarely on his head. “Wish me luck.” The others nodded as they went about their work, Dominic pushed open the hatch of the tank, allowing the full sound of the outside to pour into the tank. He stood up and looked to the right where the crowd was gathering, then climbed out of the tank and stood atop the turret. “Achtung!” The soldiers snapped to attention, Dominic cleared his throat and stood up straight. “It is good to see you here today!” The man paused, watching the soldiers reaction. “And it will be even better to see you soon breaking through their lines!”

“Ura! Ura! Ura!” The soldiers chanted back loudly.

“We will teach those Axis pigs how to fight!” Dominic shouted louder, doing his best to inspire the troops as more of the tanks were unloaded from the train. He adjusted his stance atop the tank, trying to make himself look even bigger. “They thought they could bully us into submission! They thought we would give way and fall!” The man pointed to the west, towards the front lines. “Today, we will show them that our nation bows to no one!” Dominic drew his sabre from his belt and pointed it towards the sky. “Today, we show them the might of the Onorussian Republic!” Dominic reached down and opened the hatch of his tank as he slipped his sword back into its scabbard. “Get to your vehicles! We go to war!” The assembled soldiers shouted loudly, Dominic sunk back into his seat and closed the hatch.

“Helluva speech, sir… Sounded really good.” Scribs said from his seat, Dominic rubbed his forehead and clenched his eyes for a moment.

“And unoriginal…” The man mumbled. “I needed to say something, so I modified some speech I heard in a video game.” The others shrugged and continued readying the tank to be unloaded from the train. “Forgive me if I’m not in my best improvisational mindset.”

“Still seems to have worked, regardless.” Avos said as she finished sorting the shells one final time, Dominic pulled on his headset over his peaked cap. The others followed suit as they heard the chains holding their tank to the train being undone. Gear reached forward and pulled the starter, causing the engine to rumble to life. Several more minutes passed before Dominic felt the tank rumbling down a ramp and onto the solid earth beside the train, Gear began following signs that pointed to the route tanks for the 88th Assault Division were supposed to take. The area around the road was heavily wooded, and there were reports of Caribou snipers and Hunter-Killer RPG teams lurking about.

Dominic sighed as they continued driving along, looking over his AK-47 that leaned against his seat. It was the same one he had bought on Earth the day after finding Maria, his eternal reminder of his vow to keep fighting until she was safe. With the aid of the 88th Division the Onorussians were staving off the enemy advance and forcing the Caribou into a stalemate, Dominic would be glad to fight alongside the 88th, they followed the way of the Night Warrior as he did. 

As the drive dragged on, Dominic found himself thinking more and more about the strategy to win the war. The ultimate goal for repelling the invasion was to destroy the Caribou’s naval capability, the bulk of the Onorussian Naval fleet would arrive within the next two forty eight hours, and Luna had expressed she would be taking up the fight as well. Even the airships that usually patrolled the border of the Frozen North were being brought down to the south, acting as a shield against a possible dragon invasion. Once the Caribou were driven out, Dominic would issue an ultimatum to the individual nations of the New Axis. Surrender or face the brunt of the Onorussian’s Thermo-Arcane Arsenal.

The commander hated to think in absolutes, but he had to remember that the good of his people and his soldiers came before the good of his enemy. If the New Axis refused to yield, it was them that had condemned their people to death, not him. At least, that’s how Dominic justified it to himself. There was likely to be backlash about the decision, but the reporters could be damned, he’d defy them to do better. Before Dominic’s mind could continue to wander much further, he heard the sound of his radio buzzing.

”Sounds like we’re getting closer, sir.” Gear said, Dominic snapped out of his thoughts. The shelling was louder and more violent, nearly half an hour had passed since they had gotten off the train. Dominic stood up in the turret and pushed open the hatch, looking around as they passed a group of four burning Caribou tanks in a field. There were also three destroyed T-34s that belched black smoke into the sky as they burned, melting the snow around them. The chilly air bit at Dominic’s skin, prompting him to slip back down into the tank.

”Their beams are cutting through the armor like butter! We must withdraw!” Shouted a frantic voice over the radio, Dominic felt himself transported back to the Battle for Denver, watching as a tank was destroyed by an Anti-Tank rocket while the crew cried out for help. He shook his head and steadied himself.

”This is Sturmgeist Power Armor Drop Troops will deploy in two minutes. Another voice said over the radio, Dominic could hear the engines of an C-130 overhead, likely belonging to the 88th Division. The man had tested Power Armor before, and while it was certainly strong, he wasn’t sure he would have the fortitude to jump out of a perfectly good airplane with only a drag chute to slow his fall. Dare muttered a couple things into the radio, notifying the front that they had arrived in the combat area.

”Commander, they’ve given us orders to join a group of tanks preparing to charge their lines.” Gear said over the internal comms, Dominic removed his headset and peaked cap and picked up a helmet resting beside his seat. The man pulled it on and plugged into the internal communications, then switched on to the radio channels, listening to the chatter from the numerous tanks preparing for the assault. 

Avos reached over and flicked the combat lighting on, illuminating the inside of the tank with a ghostly red glow. Dominic closed his eyes as the tank continued driving, doing his best to psych himself up for the coming conflict. He thought of all that he stood to lose, his family, his country, everything he had worked for. The man opened his eyes and leaned forward, looking through his command periscope with the vision of a predator.

The line of tanks was ahead, parked near an embankment on the edge of a farmer's field. Their headlights were off, but their outlines were silhouetted against the fires in the distance. The sun was going lower, and with the snow and cloud cover, it was difficult to see.

“Halt.” Dominic ordered, Gear stopped the tank between two other Pattons. Like the Imperator’s tank, they were painted dark grey with a light grey elongated hexagon on the turrets. Dominic activated the radio. “This is Night Eagle. In position.”

“Roger, sir.” The voice of Colonel Iron Eye, an experienced griffon officer, replied over the radio, Dominic continued peeking through his pariscope at the field ahead. ”Across the field is the enemy held village of Little Brook, the Caribou must hold this village in order to maintain their supply routes to their units north and south of here. Are we going to let them keep it?”

”No, sir!” Was the rousing reply from the other members of the 88th, Dominic remained silent as he continued watching the horizon.

”Then let’s begin! Comrades, we will bring glory to Mother Onorus!” Iron Eye shouted over the radio, Dominic could hear the engines of the other tanks revving outside. The sound of three C-130s went almost unheard. Almost.

”This is Sturmgeist. Power Armored Units have deployed!” The radio buzzed, Dominic knew that the caribou were in for a very bad time. He sat up straight as he watched the sky, scanning for those familiar hulking bodies of steel. Sure enough he saw them as they passed through the clouds, each of them being slowed by a solitary crimson drag chute. They were painted black, with thick silver and light blue stripes going up their legs and arms.

Across the field, hunkered down in their foxholes and captured buildings, the combined forces of the New Axis watched in stunned amazement as hulking beasts of steel fell from the sky. The very ground shook when they landed, cracking the snow covered earth. Loud pops echoed from their backs, allowing their crimson red shrouds to fall away. Whirring gears and hissing steam greeted the ears of the Caribou invaders as the eyes of these metal monstrosities glowed red with fury. These hulking behemoths of metal were armed with massive looking weapons, some with more than one barrel. An eerie silence fell over the battlefield, pierced only by the sound of battle in the distance. In an instant, it was shattered by a droning mechanical voice from the largest of the metal monsters.

“We are the guards of the New World Order! While the enemies of the Imperator still draw breath, there can be no peace!” It declared loudly before lowering its multi barreled weapon, the others followed suit, prompting the New Axis troops to snap out of their shock and begin firing their Arcane weapons at the behemoths. To their stunned amazement, the bolts deflected off the armor without leaving much of a scratch. Unlike other power armor suits, the suits of the 88th Division were made of almost completely pure Earth materials and much heavier. Designed for a single purpose. To destroy. Armed with heavy shotguns and gatling guns, they began to tear into the enemy forces.

That was the signal for the tanks to begin their charge, Gear grinder slammed the engine into maximum gear as they tore across the snowy field. Avos and Scribs worked in tandem to fire the main gun relentlessly at the entrenched New Axis forces. Unsurprisingly, the Saddle Arabians were already starting to route from the field. Meanwhile, the Zebras took a different approach. They rushed out towards the power armored forces holding bags filled with explosives, but were cut down before they got very far. The Caribou seemed to be the only ones holding the line, overhead the sound of jet engines signaled that the fighters were on schedule. Dominic was nearly blinded by bright light as a pair of F4 Phantoms streaked down through the clouds and released ethanol bombs over the enemy position. 

Her flinched as he saw some of the houses catching fire, for all he knew the Caribou could be holding Maria in one of them. That well of uncertainty just could not be capped as the tank charged onwards, bolts of energy pinged off of the tank. Dominic knew that there were stronger ones in store though, he watched as an enemy arcane cannon fired a bolt towards the tank next to his. The arcane energy discharged on the Earth Material Armor, but the heat of the discharge was what did the damage. 

The paint was stripped clean, and a piece of spare track that had been laid on the turret as extra armor was glowing. Of course the T-34s Dominic had seen in that field had stood no chance against such a weapon. Dominic was silently uncertain about his own prospects, but there was no time to back out. Even if there was, Dominic would’ve stayed regardless. The tanks continued until they caught up with the power armored troops that were moving towards town. The troops had taken several losses to the Arcane cannons, but now that the tanks were there the attention would hopefully be off them.

The flames of the ethanol bombs burned brightly, sending Caribou crawling out of their foxholes and rolling on the ground. Their fur was soaked in the flaming liquid which was burning with an eerie blue light, the Power Armored troops marched towards the city. Their guns continued to chop away, spewing large spent casings onto the ground. Dominic focussed his periscope on the closest Arcane cannon, a rather angular, almost futuristic looking, contraption.

“Traverse left three hundred and thirty degrees! Angle ten degrees! Range eighty yards!” Dominic ordered, Avos responded by hitting the rotation switch. The turret whined as it rotated, meanwhile Scribs began turning a crank to get the cannon to its appropriate angle. “Load Armor Piercing!” Gear slowed the tank as the other tanks began to roll over scorched Caribou bodies. The Arcane Cannon rotated towards the tank next to Dominic’s. “Fire!”

”On the way!” Avos shouted, the tank cannon boomed and kicked back, sending a round of armor piercing towards the Arcane cannon. Dominic watched through the periscope as the round came in a bit too low and ricocheted off into the air.

”Too low! Bring it up five degrees!” Dominic ordered, the Arcane Cannon glowed blue for a second before a bolt of magic shot out and struck the tank next to Dominic’s a gout of flame erupted as the heat from the impact ignited the ammunition rack. Dominic felt his head smack against the periscope as the explosion rocked his tank. Meanwhile Scirbs slammed another shell into the gun and closed the breach.

”Gun ready!” Avos announced.

“Fire!” Dominic ordered again.

”On the way!” Avos responded, once again firing the gun. The cannon kicked back into the turret as a burst of purple arcane flames erupted from the muzzle. Dominic watched the shell streak towards the Arcane cannon before impacting. The ground shook as the cannon exploded, sending exploded shells and burning body parts cartwheeling along the ground. The man nearly jumped out of his skin as a rather disfigured zebra head landed on the tank in front of his periscope. The tank went over a bump, causing the head to fall off to the side, but Dominic still could feel its eyes boring into him. The man closed his eyes and shook his head, the Caribou were putting up a hell of a fight to maintain control of the village, but Dominic was confident the Onorussian assault would prevail. He just hoped he could keep his composure that long.

[♠]

Jack gritted his teeth as he held the control stick of his P-38 in his hands, he was on the tail of an enemy tri-wing looking to score another kill. The Colonel had been put on the duty of clearing the sky of enemy fighters, and jets were too fast to take on biplanes. It felt good to be back in the seat of his old P-38, the twin engines howling on either side of him as he boomed and zoomed through a furball of confusion in the cloudy skies above New Murmansk. Snow was whizzing past his canopy as he chased his prey through the clouds, other planes would zoom past as well. The pilot of the tri-wing had maneuverability on their side, and unlike the other New Axis flyers, they seemed to be somewhat skilled in the art of flying.

The tri-wing ducked into a thick bank of clouds, Jack decided to not risk going in, he had more speed and it would be difficult to evade if the two clashing pilots chanced a collision. He narrowed his eyes on the clouds, watching for any sign of the other plane. Just as he was about to chance entering the cloud he caught sight of something coming out of the cloud just to his right. The sound of machine guns reached his ears, the plane was certainly close. Jack’s P-38 shuttered as it was raked with bullets, the tri-wing didn’t have to worry about overshooting the P-38 and managed to squeeze off a few more bursts, peppering Jack’s right vertical stabilizer and putting holes in the rear  horizontal strut.

The man pulled right on the stick, rolling over and bleeding off airspeed. He leveled off behind the tri-wing and pulled the trigger, bullets streaked forward from his guns and cannons, punishing the enemy plane. Jack’s eyes went wide as he watched the top wing of the tri-wing sheer off and begin flying back at him. The man yanked back on his stick just as the wing scraped the bottom of his fuselage. The man was panting, quickly scanning the skies for the enemy. 

Once again he spotted the now biplane, somehow still in tact after losing a third of its lift. Jack rolled back onto its tail, his finger tightening around the trigger. In that instant, he saw the pilot of the enemy plane glance over his shoulder. Fighting in a jet had gotten Jack used to not seeing the face of his opponent, but now he found himself staring into the eyes of the Saddle Arabian, and the Saddle Arabian was staring right back at him. Jack throttled up and pulled up alongside the enemy plane, still staring at the pilot. He was young, with grey fur and a flowing black mane.

Jack noticed that the plane he was flying next to was orange, he hadn’t noticed before. However, he also noticed something else on the side of the plane. Like the skull painted on the nose of his P-38, the Saddle Arabian had an emblem of his own. A chained collar around a pony’s neck. The man’s eyes narrowed, his teeth gritting, for some reason the pony in the Emblem just looked too much like Tig. He throttled back suddenly, catching the Saddle Arabian by surprise. His engines roared like bengal tigers, his blood raced through his veins, even as chunks of the airframe flapped in the wind from the damage. He pulled the trigger, laying down a punishing volley on the enemy plane, wood and canvas caught fire as tracer rounds punched through the cockpit, slaying the young pilot.

Jack found himself laughing as he watched the plane go spiralling out of control, the same eerie ghoulish laugh that had earned him his first nickname. He was smiling too, and he didn’t know why, but for some reason he felt completely fine with himself. The Colonel circled back towards the furball, his eyes shrunk to pinpricks as he sought out his next prey, that eerie chuckle continuing to echo through the cockpit. He locked onto a pair of biplanes trying to evade a P-47, his heart rate shot up higher as he gritted his teeth and zoomed in on his prey. The pilot of the P-47 watched the shot up P-38 get closer, its guns blazing brightly as it sent a flurry of hot lead towards the two biplanes.

Jack panted as he watched the two planes spiralling down through the clouds, his eyes felt heavy, he hadn’t slept properly for two nights. The fight was taking its toll on his mind and body, his eyes quietly flicked down to his ammunition counter. He had downed seven planes so far and burned through almost all of his ammo, next to the ammo counter was a picture of Tig that had been taped to the dashboard. Jack quietly sighed and began rolling his plane back towards the fight once again, he was alone in the sky for the first time in a long time. No Sarah, none of his old squadron mates… Just him, his plane, and that picture. A couple biplanes emerged from the clouds beneath and behind his plane, their guns began firing as soon as they spotted him.

Jack was so zoned out he didn’t notice the bullets pinging off of his wings at first, as soon as he did he took evasive action, but oil and fuel were leaking from the right engine and the ailerons were sluggish. Just as he was assessing the damage, another burst of fire came from the distance, raking his cockpit with bullets. He gasped as freezing cold air burst in through the shattered canopy, shards of broken glass lodged themselves in his legs, and a burning sensation in his thigh was almost unbearable.

“T-This is.. Alert One… Wounded and shot up… RTB.” He said, trying to keep himself awake as he began nursing his limping P-38 back towards Onorussian lines. The world around him felt like it was getting more blurry, the spinning dials on his dashboard didn’t seem to make as much sense. One of them was covered in something, the pilot quietly reached out and wiped it away, then looked at his gloved finger to see what it was. Crimson blood stared back at him, he could tell he was cut up pretty bad. Jack’s eyes darted to a mirror he used to check his six o’clock, he could see his face was paler than usual.

For ten agonizing minutes he flew, the clouds were devoid of planes, beautiful and vast, hiding the battle that raged below as the sunset gave its last rays in the distance. Jack took slow deep breaths as he tried to keep his eyes open, his instruments were one step below unreadable, his ears were ringing. The last daylight faded away, and it was only at that point that Jack could see what was going on beneath him. Flashes of light from artillery shells lit up below the clouds, occasionally he could see tracer rounds flying up through the darkness. Snow and freezing air continued to pour into the cockpit, it was the only thing keeping Jack from passing out. Something was buzzing in his ear, he couldn’t quite make it out.

”...One... run...two three… vehicles… by?” A voice spoke into his ear, Jack sat up and focussed, trying to get a fix on what they were saying. ”Say again! Alert One! Runway Two Three is open! Do you need emergency vehicles on standby!”

“Y-Yeah…” Jack said tiredly, looking up through the canopy at the stars, then back down to his dimly lit instruments. The man began to descend, both out of necessity and because he was starting to lean forward on the stick.

”We have you Alert One… Keep coming in like that.” The voice said over the radio, it was the tower, Jack remembered it now. His eyes ached, he just wanted to sleep, for five minutes, that’s all. But the cold snow and air forced him awake once again. Weakly the man reached out and extended his flaps as he dropped through the clouds, doing his best to run over his landing checklist in his head. ”You’re coming in a little hot, Alert One!” Jack throttled back, one of his engines sputtering and shaking as the oil was starting to run low. Ahead of him he could see the landing strip, lit up like a christmas tree while flashing emergency vehicle lights sat at the end of one of the runways.

“Alert… One… Coming in…” Jack said as he gripped the stick with all his might, there was frantic chatter in his ear, but it was blocked once again by the ringing noise. He got lower and lower, his engines protesting as they neared the ground. Jack looked towards the picture of Tig and smiled, he’d be seeing her soon, just as soon as he landed. The man watched spotlights flick on, lighting up troops on the ground, they were waving at him. It was odd they would do that, he didn’t think now was the best time for them to say hello. Then, like a bolt of lightning, the frantic chatter and waving began to make more sense. Unfortunately, Jack was already at the foot of the runway.

”Your gear isn’t down! Wave off! Wave off!” The tower shouted, Jack didn’t have time to comprehend. ”Power! Power Power! Eject! Eject! Eject!” The aircraft landed belly first at almost full speed, skidding along the runway and leaving a trail of sparks and metal in its wake. The leaking fuel and oil found a source of ignition rapidly as the right wing and engine were torn off of the aircraft in a fiery explosion, Jack was bounced around as his plane cartwheeled down the runway before coming to a stop.

Sirens echoed over the tarmac as firetrucks and medics rushed towards the flaming wreckage, the commander of the base was also sprinting towards the crash. Sarah felt her heart pounding harder in her chest than it ever had before, even with her hurt leg she still covered the distance in record time. She arrived at the crash just as they were dousing the flames in foam, medics were rushing a stretcher towards a waiting ambulance. The General rushed towards the ambulance and looked in, watching in stunned shock as the medics worked over… Something. She couldn’t believe that it was Jack, charred black skin, twitching fingers, rubber boot soles melted to its feet… No… That couldn’t be Jack.

Sarah looked back at the crash, but there was no body in the cockpit, her eyes turned back to the ambulance as it took off down the runway with its sirens blaring. The woman put her hands on her head, doing her best to hold her composure. She had been the one to pressure him to come back to Onorus, and even though she couldn’t have predicted such a thing would happen, it didn’t stop her from blaming herself. Sarah quietly turned and looked towards the front lines, watching Artillery flashes in the distance as the ground crews began clearing the runway. It was dark, and cold, and so no one could see the tears rolling down her cheeks. They lasted for only a couple minutes before she wiped her eyes and forced herself to choke back her emotions… She had a military base to run, and no matter how much she wanted to curl up and cry, she had obligations to meet. With a stiff upper lip she began walking back towards the control tower to prepare for the next planes that would need to land. 

And so the war went on.
> Chapter 43
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luna felt the sting of the cold air against her cheeks as she soared through the snowy night sky, below her she could hear the sound of gunfire and artillery pieces booming away. Her heart ached, knowing that somewhere down in that place of horror were two people she loved dearly. The mare wanted to join in the search for Maria, or to help Dominic on the front lines, but she knew she had a bigger obligation. The mare had been preparing herself to use a great deal of magic over the past couple hours, but even as she flew towards the place where she would make her contribution to the war effort she felt uncertain. She hadn’t used such spells in over a thousand years, she feared that she would do more harm than good if one of her spells happened to backfire.


The alicorn knew, however, that she had no choice. Ready or not, she would be aiding her fellow Onorussians in what would likely become one of the fiercest naval exchanges in the history of both Terra and Equus. Despite that though, she knew that her sister would be there, for the first time since the war nearly a decade ago they would be side by side, on common ground, and it felt good to know that despite everything that had happened family still meant something between the two of them. Maybe, just maybe, this would be enough to bring them together as a family once again.


Luna snapped out of her thoughts as she watched the glow of explosions vanish from beneath her, she was now flying over the ocean. The salty air was just as bone chilling, but the alicorn would not be stopped by mere wind or snow. On the ocean below she could see lanterns mounted to the endless convoy of Caribou ships, carrying their soldiers and supplies to the Onorussian coast. Luna narrowed her eyes, feeling the anger welling up in her, those were soldiers that had every intention of harming her family and everything she held dear. For half an hour she flew, watching the lanterns flicker below, before she caught sight of another form in the air.


“Sister!” Luna called out as she saw Celestia flying towards her, the two of them began flying next to one another. “I’m glad you could make it, I had worried you had changed your mind.”


“I would not leave you in your time of need, Luna.” Celestia replied, the two of them awkwardly smiled as they continued flying. “Might I ask where it is we’re flying to?” Luna’s horn glowed softly as they approached a large mass of cloud, with little effort she used her magic and parted the cloud. Celestia was surprised to see a massive Onorussian airship floating where the clouds had been, and by massive she meant dreadnought sized. It bristled with cannons and other weapons, many of which lined its belly and faced the ground. “W-What is that…?”


“That, dear sister.. Is where we are going.” Luna said simply, as they flew closer Celestia could see at least a half a dozen other airships of varying size, not a one compared to the massive monstrosity. “We created it as a contingency plan, as you know we have possession of the mirror portal… If any massive threat were to come through from the other side…” Luna and Celestia continued flying alongside the massive ship, Celestia saw it had a very gothic aesthetic to it. “This… Is the ONV Exterminatus. Usually it patrols remote parts of the frozen north, to keep its existence as secret as possible” The name was painted across the bow in bold white lettering, covered slightly by the clouds. Luna flew towards a portion of the deck and landed, Celestia following suit.


“What are we doing here?” Celestia asked as she looked over the edge of the airship, down at the water below. In the distance she could still see the lanterns flickering, as if daring the Onorussians to come and get them. Luna looked to the sky and pointed with a hoof.


“Turning the tide of battle… In a very literal sense.” Luna said simply, Celestia was shocked to see her sister close her eyes and ignite her horn. Her wings spread outwards as she began levitating off the deck of the massive airship, Celestia’s eyes turned to the sky as the wind began to howl louder and louder. The clouds began to swirl away, revealing even more airships parked in a battle line. On the ocean below Celestia could see dozens of ships, cruises, destroyers, battleships and so on. Celestia felt her bones begin to chill as powerful magic began to arc off of Luna’s horn, the mare watched in awe as her sister’s magic took on an almost crimson tint.


The night sky, which had up to that point been moonless, was suddenly bathed in a blood red glow. Celestia looked up to see that the moon had risen, now glowing bright and red, the alicorn of the day heard hissing off to her right and left and watched as dozens of Thestrals in Lunar Marine uniforms were drawn to the edge the ship. Celestia realized what Luna was attempting, sending nervous chills through her spine, such magic had been lost since the banishment of Nightmare Moon. In a booming voice that made even Celestia cover her ears, Luna began to speak, her voice carrying over the distance to the convoy of Caribou ships.


“Foul demons that hide under the cover of my night! The blood moon has risen, and with it, the thirst for blood! Tremble in fear, and know that for thine wicked deeds you shall be punished by the full fury of the night you so wrongly abused!” Luna announced, still levitating as her horn continued its eerie glow. Celestia watched in amazed silence as tendrils of red magic began to swirl around Luna’s body. Enveloping her in a cocoon of energy, Celestia was shocked to feel the signature it gave off, it was very familiar for some reason, but not exactly like Luna’s. Celestia’s speculation was cut short as the cocoon vanished, revealing Luna.


The mare was a spitting image for Nightmare Moon, though every part of her seemed to have the same crimson tint, and her mane looked like it contained an entire nebula rather than the usual few stars. Celestia heard the thestrals hissing as they flapped their wings in anticipation, on the surface of the ocean below the Caribou ships were slowing and scrambling to get into battle formation.


Luna felt her heart racing, even a thousand years ago she had never felt this powerful, but then again she had never fully summoned a blood moon. Despite the darkness of the night, she could see every enemy vessel as if it was lit up with a spotlight. She looked over at Celestia, only to flinch away, her sister was extremely bright in her eyes.


“Sister. Let us not tarry.” She said, glaring down at the Caribou. “I am unsure of how long I will be able to maintain this form.” With that, Luna flexed her wings and began flying towards the enemy convoy, Celestia nodded and followed suit. To her surprise it was almost impossible for her to keep up with her sister, but she did her best to speed along. “I will take the ships to the west, you target the east. The ships will attack the center.”


“Understood!” Celestia said as she began banking back towards the mainland, Luna gritted her teeth as she flew east towards the Zebra homeland and the port of Rhymista. It was so close to Onorus that they couldn’t risk hitting it with Thermo-Arcane weaponry, but Luna was determined to see the city in ruins before the night was through. The Alicorn had never felt such power before, and yet, at the same time she felt an odd numbness, as if she were wearing a suit of armor rather actually containing the energy. Once she had traveled for a couple minutes she spotted a cluster of Caribou ships, her horn crackled and glowed with red energy.


The crew of the Caribou supply ships looked up in awe as a glow filled the sky, their captain was shouting orders at them, but it transfixed them with its terrible fearsome beauty. The wind whipped and howled, blowing their hats from their heads and pushing their sails roughly. Seconds later there was a tremendous roar as a beam of red energy struck like a bolt of lightning, the crew of one ship barely had time to shout before the beam cut through their ship like butter. The others watched as Imperatrix Luna dove on them, her horn glowing and firing off shot after shot. Ships were sliced in two with surgical precision, or set aflame and left to burn.


Luna began flying over the ships at blistering speed, blasting away at whatever ship she could as she passed over, she was starting to feel the power course through her, the numbness was fading. A line of ships burned in her wake as she followed their convoy to its source, ahead of her she could see the lights of Rhymista. The citizen of Rhymista could see her to as she left her trail of destruction, her mane also left a glowing trail of red in the sky. She continued destroying ships all the way up until she got to the harbor, then there were no more ships to destroy. The power was stronger now, she could practically feel it gripping her heart. The mare circled overhead, glaring down at the port city.


To her left she heard the engines of biplanes, she looked over and spotted a group of five Caribou biplanes. A swift motion of her horn sent a wide beam of magic at them, incinerating the aircraft and their pilots, like hitting a fly with a sledgehammer. The mare flew higher into the sky, hovering over the port city as search lights flicked on to find her. She closed her eyes, the energy of her Blood Moon form started to fill her mind. On the ground the Lunar Imperatrix was visible to the ground forces and citizens of the city. Their anti-aircraft guns began firing, but a sphere of energy had formed around Luna that vaporized the shells and bullets on contact. Such power, such unstoppable energy, Luna had never felt anything like it. She continued holding her eyes closed, trying to summon as much energy as she could so that she could wipe the entire town from the planet. Just as she was about to reach the critical point, a thought entered her mind.


Her horn changed its target at the last second, taking aim at the port area and harbor. With a cry of anger, Luna unleashed the energy. The sky lit up brighter than a thousand suns, visible from even across the channel and in parts of Saddle Arabia. A massive blue beam of energy struck the harbor and port area, subjecting the area to the icy cold of space and the moon. The water flash froze down to the seabed, soldiers and sailors became rooted to the spot, frozen in their last actions, massive icicles formed on buildings, ship’s hulls buckled, and the ground became as ice.


Luna opened her eyes, the gunfire had stopped, as the entire city was in shock of what had just happened. Plumes of steam rose up from the frozen area of the town, the air around the newly created iceball still hadn’t adjusted to its sudden change in temperature. The mare panted as she over the city, her heart racing in her chest. After a couple seconds she shook herself out of her shock and began flying back towards Onorus, once again she followed the remaining ships of the convoy, or the flaming wreckage that hadn’t sunk yet.


Celestia, for her part, had been hesitant at first to attack the ships she had been assigned, but she knew that it was for the best. She had been laying waste to the New Axis beachhead, even as the night sky was illuminated with a second sun across the channel. The fires below were blazing brightly, Celestia could see the enemy troops on the ground rushing to put out the fires. She looked back to sea and could see the Onorussian Armada was laying waste to the ships that Celestia and Luna had missed, the alabaster alicorn began flying back towards them, watching as beams of energy arched down from the belly of the ‘Exterminatus’ and struck the enemy ships. The massive propellers that held the large ship in the air hummed intimidatingly, louder than they had been when Celestia had first seen them.


It seemed that the operation had been a success, many enemy ships had been destroyed and the enemy port had been rendered unusable. But there was always a sense of doubt, both Luna and Celestia had their own slight fears that the invasion would somehow continue, that somehow their actions would prove to be for nothing. Celestia landed on the deck, next to Luna, her sister was staring down at the fires in the distance.


Luna felt the odd numbness return, a small wave of light passed over her, returning her to her usual appearance. The moon’s red glow began to fade, the alicorn of the night looked up to the sky and closed her eyes before sitting on the deck of the ship. Celestia moved next to her and sat down, watching her sister’s features closely. Luna felt an odd presence in her mind, almost like her sister was trying to communicate telepathically, but she knew that wasn’t the case. The mare looked up at the moon itself, then blinked for a few seconds, for a moment she thought she’d seen a mare’s face looking back at her. As soon as it disappeared, so too did the presence in her mind.


Celestia extended her wing quietly, putting it around her sister and pulling her into a hug. She could tell that her younger sibling was in a bit of an odd place, Celestia could relate, it had been so long since either of them had actually fought, had actually killed. Luna closed her eyes again and leaned against Celestia’s neck, the alabaster alicorn felt a warm liquid begin to trickle down her fur and felt Luna shaking against her. Celestia closed her own eyes and hugged Luna tightly, her own tears beginning to fall from her eyes. In the distance the sound of artillery echoed, but in that brief moment, in that small part of existence, the two sisters shared each other's pain in silence.


[♠]


Maria and Scootaloo sat near the front window, listening as the sound of fighting grew louder and louder in the distance. The snow was so deep that they couldn’t hope to move Victor, and what was worse was that it didn’t show signs of letting up. There had been flashes in the distance, bright lights that Maria had at first feared were the detonation of Thermo-Arcane weapons. The woman and the mare could only wait with baited breath as the rest of their group rested on the couches, huddled together for warmth, as the fireplace was still likely to draw unwanted attention.


Scootaloo’s eyes flicked over to Victor, the boy was under a mountain of blankets and still shivering. At least his fever had broken, and they had been able to close the windows. The mare looked back to Maria and adjusted her grip on her AK-47, feeling a bit uncertain of if she should say anything. Scootaloo knew that the Imperatrix was relatively easy to talk to, at least that’s how she seemed in her interviews. It had never even occurred to Scootaloo that she would meet the ‘Queen of Death’ one day. She supposed that it was as good a time as any to shake off her fear and clear her throat, Maria looked over at her quietly with a raised eyebrow.


“Um… Ma’am?” Scootaloo asked, Maria nodded as she looked back to the window. “I wanted to thank you… I don’t think we would’ve made it out there on our own.” Scootaloo hated to admit it, but if they hadn’t found the lodge it was likely that at the very least Victor wouldn’t be breathing any longer.


“You would’ve made it work, Lieutenant.” Maria replied in a calm voice as she continued watching the road for any sign of enemy activity. “I got my first command as a corporal… You know?” Scootaloo raised an eyebrow at the woman, watching her rather than the road. “EOL sniper took out our captain, the next in command lost his nerve, had a squad of their heavy hitters breathing down our necks… So, I took charge.” Maria looked down at her rifle and sighed, running her hands over the wood of it. “Ordered my guys to slip out through the underbrush, that left me and the lieutenant with the wobbly knees.”


Maria reached to her breast pocket and withdrew a cigarette from within, she had found a couple packs laying around the cabin and since she hadn’t been pregnant for eight years she figured it was okay. The woman perched the cigarette on her lips and lit it quickly with a match, Scootaloo watched as she took a long drag, the glowing end getting slightly more orange. Maria exhaled after a couple seconds, feeling the nicotine taking its effect and smoothing out her nerves.


“Managed to slap some sense into him before the EOL guys got close.” Maria said simply, rubbing the back of her neck. “I nearly got shot in the ass on the way out, but aside for our CO we all got home.” Maria looked to Scootaloo and took another drag on her cigarette. “War is a nasty business, Lieutenant. People die… Whatever decisions you make out there, you have to make it with the interest of everyone in mind.” The woman exhaled a cloud of smoke which rose into the air. “I know you would do what you thought best…” Scootaloo wasn’t sure how to respond, remaining rather quiet. Maria sighed and rubbed her eyes. “I’m sorry… I’m not so good at giving ‘soldier’ advice, you’d be better off talking to my husband for that.”


The two of them lapsed into silence, watching as tracer rounds streaked into the sky from a distance, as it got later and later the sound of artillery and rifle fire began to taper off. The deafening roar had dwindled to a dull echo as the snow fell faster and the clouds got thicker. Maria occasionally took another drag or two from her cigarette, her eyes scanning the forest in the distance. Maybe ten minutes passed, perhaps more, before Maria’s eyes shifted over to Victor laying on the couch.


“How old is he?” Maria asked, keeping an eye on the boy as he shivered under the blankets. Scootaloo looked as well, wincing as she saw just how sick he really was.


“Just turned sixteen a week ago.” Scootaloo replied before looking back outside, her voice shaking a bit. “I didn’t know what they expected me to do when they pulled my name for this assignment, I mean, I’m two years older than him… He’s… He’s more like a little brother to us than a soldier.”


“He have a family?” The sniper followed up as she dropped her cigarette to the floor and crushed it under her boot, Scootaloo hummed for a moment and looked back at Victor, then back out the window with an uncertain grunt.


“I assume as much, but… I don’t think they’re really close.” The lieutenant admitted, her wings stretched for a couple moments before resting back at her sides. “He’s a good soldier though, always volunteers for the tough assignments.” Maria nodded quietly as she continued watching the trees, sighing softly.


“You know… I think that the infection on Earth might have been a blessing, in some twisted way…” The woman said in an almost bitter tone, watching as the flames of battle glowed against the clouds in the distance. “Earth before the infection… I’m not sure Victor or even these other kids would’ve survived ‘The real world’.”


“What do you mean?” Scootaloo said as she looked at her squad, a bit surprised. They were young, sure, but they had all proven themselves to be of good moral quality.


“It was just… People whined and complained, groups that would later form the EOL were taking control of the government.” Maria said in an annoyed voice. “Politicians were politicians, never to be trusted… The freedoms and liberties were gradually being stripped away to make way for ‘Safe Spaces’.” Maria looked at the three boys, then back out the window, sighing as she thought of Altair. “No fun allowed. No best friends, because someone could feel left out. No tag, ‘cause someone would have to be ‘it’. And dodgeball? Don’t get me started…” The woman leaned back in her chair and ran a hand over her head. “If I was there right now, and had to raise my son in that sort of environment… I’d homeschool him.”


“It couldn’t have been all bad.” Scootaloo said, she glanced down at her rifle and held it up. “I mean, you had the technology to make stuff like this, and computer games, and TVs and movies and all sorts of other neat stuff! You went to the moon!” Maria nodded quietly and reached to her neck, clasping the crescent moon necklace that hung there. Luna had given it to her when she had been made a part of Luna’s ‘Order of the Night’, the alicorn’s personal cadre of soldiers.


“Yeah… Technologically we’re pretty badass!” Maria said in a faintly chipper tone. “But, for all our technological splendor, for every scrap of motherboard and every sliver of gears… I don’t know, I felt more like a machine than a person.” Maria looked over at Scootaloo, getting the sense that the mare could kind of sense where she was coming from. “Now, we don’t worry about offending people, we don’t worry about people’s ‘feelings’. Feelings were what lead to the politicians opening the floodgates to hundreds of thousands of refugees, at least half of them were infected.”


“But… Doesn’t that make us more like machines? If we stop caring about people’s feelings, I mean.” The orange pegasus asked, outside there was the sound of gunfire that was slightly closer, but it didn’t seem to pose much of a threat.




“There has to be a cut off point. I assume you’ve heard of the term ‘Church and State’?” Maria asked, Scootaloo nodded as Maria leaned agaisnt the window, looking up at the snowy dark sky as her breath fogged up the glass. “When the rights of the individual are reduced in order to make someone feel better, that’s when you have to say ‘No.’. That’s why you can say ‘Fuck’ on television now, why you can say whatever you want without fear of getting beaten over the head by people like the ADL or the ACLU.” The woman paused and looked over at Scootaloo. “But at the same time, I don’t expect you to take that as the god’s gospel truth. I expect you to look into what I said, see both sides of the argument, and come back to me with your own thoughts. Even if your opinion differs, I’m not gonna go off on you. Follow?”


“I follow.” Scoots said as she leaned back in her seat, listening to the sound of pounding guns and roaring engines in silence once again. The mare quietly ruminated on Maria’s words, in some regards the Imperatrix had a point. Censorship for the sake of feelings was bad, at least, to her. Seeing as bad was all relative. Scootaloo hadn’t expected so much introspection during her guard shift. The Imperatrix had really gotten her thinking about various things, some things that scared her, others that relieved nagging questions that had bugged her for a long time. As if a dozen doors had been closed, only for another dozen to open.


Maria sighed, looking to the sky as the night continued on. She didn’t like talking politics, mainly because she didn’t want people thinking she was trying to influence them, but at the same time she felt obligated to show someone a different view into thinking. Maria’s eyes glanced back over the the three boys that were resting deeper in the cabin, she wondered what they would be doing if the infection had never started. She could speculate. 


Victor seemed rather mousy and skittish, likely a social outcast in a way she could relate. He likely had a few friends that were close to him, but it was very possible that on ‘Old Earth’ he would be hiding away somewhere. Miserable and lonely, too afraid to approach anyone for fear of getting an earful about what a bad person he was. Carlos seemed to be the most normal of the group, at least, in Old Earth terms. Maria guessed that he had played football, had more friends, maybe even a couple girlfriends. He would do alright in the world, at least, as long as he kept his nose clean.


That left Vincent, Maria found it almost like looking at a younger version of Dominic. Hot headed, angry at the world, and in some cases narrow minded. Maria had managed to get her husband to mellow a bit more, not by force, but rather by doing her best to understand and deconstruct his emotions and actions. With Vincent, she could see the markings of great potential, as she could in all three of the boys, but Vincent… Well, there was a darker side to that potential, Maria could recall a time where she had been very worried about Dominic.


The woman closed her eyes for a couple seconds, trying to force the memory out of her head, but the more she thought about getting rid of it the more it stayed. It was something she had never shared with a soul other than Luna. One night she had gone over to Dominic’s house to surprise him, she hadn’t expected him to be home, or to find him in his room fitting a belt to a metal bar in his closet, or to see a note on his desk that essentially was saying goodbye. She quickly wiped her eyes, remembering how he had explained himself. His parents had been fighting again, his grades were plummeting, his social life was in the gutter…


“Ma’am? Are you okay?” Scootaloo asked, Maria nodded quietly and opened her eyes.


“Y-Yeah, just… Uh… Just thinking about home, is all.” Maria said, doing her best to sound convincing. Scootaloo nodded, allowing Maria to close her eyes once again. The images flashed through her mind vividly. Other than the her first night with the National Guard, that had been the scariest night of her life. Even more than a decade later she could still remember the fear that had coursed through her veins when she imagined what could’ve happened if she hadn’t come to his house early. She hadn’t read the note, simply tearing it up and tossing it into her fireplace at home. After that, Maria remembered Dominic was quieter in school for a month or so, until one day it was like nothing had happened at all. Maria opened her eyes and wiped them, as they had started to tear up. She looked back to Vincent, knowing that with proper guidance he could do great things but fearing the worst. The woman looked back outside, watching another flash in the sky, wondering just where her husband was.


[♠]


Dominic gripped his belt tightly as he pulled up his pants, they had started to sag as the tank jostled around. With the aid of Luna and oddly enough Celestia, the Caribou’s stranglehold had been broken. Saddle Arabians were surrendering in droves, the Zebra were being gunned down as they tried desperate suicide charges, and the Caribou were retreating in any boat or ship they could find. Now Dominic stood in the turret of the tank, the cold air biting against his cheeks as the snow continued to fall. The man sighed quietly as they rolled past a field filled with dead Zebra, knowing full well that the invasion would likely end with a similar gruesome image.


Helicopters buzzed overhead, airlifting wounded and dropping in shock troops to deal with the small pockets of resistance that remained. The enemy beach head was just a half mile away, ruined and pillaged houses lined the streets and the stench of burning wood and flesh permeated the area like some sort of twisted barbeque. Dominic adjusted his peaked cap as the tank continued rolling past entire platoons of surrendering Saddle Arabians and captured Caribou or Zebra. The latest casualty reports had put the number of dead Onorussian troops at nearly ten thousand, and there were thousands of civilians that were unaccounted for as well. On top of that all was the great unanswered question of where his wife was.


Dominic pushed himself up out of the tank and sat on the edge of the turret as it continued rolling along the road, he could see walking wounded being helped along while reinforcements moved in to take their place. The engineers had managed to get the street lights back online, illuminating the area around them in tandem with the fires that continued to blaze out of control in the remains of homes. The Imperator knew that rebuilding those homes would undoubtedly be difficult with the war going on, but hopefully most were just summer homes. The man grunted as the tank rolled onto a sandy area and came to a halt, he reached down into the tank and grabbed his AK-47 before hopping off the vehicle and looking around. 


The tank had stopped near the road that the reinforcements were marching along, their boots echoing loudly for miles as they continued on their way. The tent of the commander of the operation was a couple feet away from the tank, but Dominic stopped to watch the soldiers as they continued their march to reclaim the other parts of Onorus that were filled with pockets of resistance. After several minutes, Dominic slung his rifle over his shoulder and began walking towards the tent. His boots squelched in the cold mud, his expression stoic and neutral. He passed the guards outside and pushed the flap of the tent open.


“Achtung!” Shouted one of guards as he entered, catching the attention of the officers in the tent. They stopped and looked at the newcomer and, upon realizing it was the Imperator himself, snapped to attention. Dominic silently looked them over, as well as the room. There were radios, a couple smaller tables with combat laptops resting on them, and a large table with a map laid out over it. The large tent was lit by electric lanterns hanging from the walls.


“As you were.” Dominic said in his stoic tone, the officers went back to work on their various projects. The Imperator approached the griffon in charge of the 88th division that had masterminded the assault that had helped break the New Axis beachhead. “Colonel Iron Eye. Report.” The Colonel turned and saluted before clearing his throat to speak.


“We’ve cut their escape with our navy, sir. The Saddle Arabian units have been surrendering in droves, the Zebra and Caribou units are starting to merge together to try and hang onto the smaller fishing villages and other small towns.” Iron Eye said as he looked the map and pointed to several of the locations that were still under enemy control. “Their putting up a helluva fight, sir. We’ll have them wiped out by morning.”


“Excellent.” Dominic said stoically as he looked over the map. “Colonel. Has there been any reports on the whereabouts of my wife? Has she been captured?” Dominic looked to Iron Eye. “Killed?”


“No, sir.” Iron Eye said quickly, noting that the Imperator’s face had become far more intimidating when he mentioned his wife’s safety. “We’ve debunked plenty of their claims that she was captured, one of our squads to the north came across her luggage in the woods. It was missing her fatigues and ammo, according to the manifest you sent us.”


“I see… Show me where on the map?” Dominic said as he looked over the map, Iron Eye pointed to the place where the bag had been recovered in the woods. Dominic looked around the area, noting there were several red markers in that area, Caribou units that had refused to surrender. “On foot she could’ve covered a good distance, she knows her way around here, at least a little…” The man leaned closer and examined the map, looking at an area with a small clearing and a solitary structure. “Here… Here is where she would go.” Dominic tapped his finger on a hunting lodge. “At least, if she knew that it was going to snow. If she didn’t, she might have headed north towards Applewood.” An aide approached Iron Eye and handed him a paper, the griffon looked it over and grunted


“Either way we would need to move immediately, sir.” Iron Eye said as he handed the paper to Dominic, a report that three of the caribou units were moving towards one another. They were dangerously close to both the hunting lodge and the route to Applewood. “I hate to say this sir, but we’re so spread out I can’t spare troops to fight this group and look for the Imperatrix… The convoy is destroyed, and the Saddle Arabians seem to have given up, but there’s still a lot of Caribou and Zebra that won’t quit. I can’t even spare your tank, sir.”


“Then get me on a transport heading this way.” Dominic said flatly.


“Sir, all due respect, but I can’t do that. I can’t put you at risk as well.” Iron Eye said cautiously, Dominic glared at the map. “We need to pick one front, sir. We can engage this unit in one of the areas you think your wife is, that way we can multi-task.”


“Sir! The enemy is moving on Applewood!” Shouted a radio operator, Iron Eye looked at the map, then at Dominic.


“Looks like they made the choice for you, sir. I’m sorry.” The Colonel moved towards the radio to start getting more information, Dominic stared at the hunting lodge on the map, a ringing presented itself to his ears and his fists clenched and unclenched. The Imperator looked to the Colonel, then back at the map, without a word he walked out of the tent. The Colonel looked back and saw that the Imperator had left, he felt a bit of a knot forming in his stomach. He knew that the Imperator wasn’t one to sit idly by, he just hoped that whatever the Imperator was doing it wasn’t going to get him killed. “Contact the Exterminatus, see if they can get Imperatrix Luna here. Quickly.” The Colonel said to the Radio operator.


Dominic walked out of the tent and made his way towards the remains of a beachhouse, the garage was still intact. The soldiers marching along the road watched with interest as their Imperator shot the lock off the door and hefted the garage door up. He went inside and looked around, there wasn’t a car but there was an old looking dirt bike. The man crouched beside it and began looking it over, it needed work, but he could get it running quick enough. As he gathered the tools and began going about working on the dirtbike he felt his blood pumping faster, he had to get it working, he had to find his wife. If the Colonel couldn’t spare troops or a transport he’d find his own way. Seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours.


“Socket wrench… Socket wrench…” Dominic muttered as he looked for the appropriate tool, he spotted it on the floor. Just as he reached for it it was encompassed in a familiar indigo glow and pulled away, the man looked to the source and saw that Luna had  appeared in front of the garage door. Her wings twitched on her side, telling Dominic that she had flown there very rapidly. “What’re you doing?” The man tried to take the tool.


“You aren’t thinking clearly, Dominic!” Luna said as she tossed the tool away, Dominic sighed and stood up to go after it. Luna moved towards him and blocked his path, much to her surprise he gave her a hard shove, but she stood her ground. “Stop!”


“No!” Dominic shouted, Luna grunted and shoved him back. “Luna, move! I need that tool!”


“You need to stop and think!” Luna shouted at him, the man stared at her quietly, panting as his emotions ran high. “You can’t afford to put yourself in harm’s way anymore, not with the position you hold! Riding in a tank among a battalion is one thing, but charging head first into an enemy infested war zone on a dirt bike alone is stupid!”


“I can’t lose her, Luna! Not again!” Dominic shouted. “I promised her I would always come back for her! I haven’t broken that promise once! I’m not about to start now!” Luna put her hooves on his shoulders and looked into his eyes.


“Dominic… I know how you feel.” Luna said, Dominic couldn’t argue with her there. “It eats me up that we can’t do anything, but…” The mare’s voice cracked. “Gods forbid something happens to you, I couldn’t handle losing you and Maria… And Altair… He would be beside himself.” Dominic looked at the floor, doing his best to control his feelings. Luna caught a glimpse of a tear running down his cheek, and had this been a more private setting, she knew it would likely have been more than a single tear. “When you took up this position, you had to take up this responsibility as well… You can’t charge off to save the day alone anymore… Onorus needs you. I need you.”


Dominic stood up straight and adjusted the peaked cap on his head, silently he walked out of the garage. Luna followed him, standing beside him while looking out at the aftermath of the battle and the marching reinforcements.


“They will regret the day they ever set foot in Onorus…” Dominic said hatefully as he watched a squad of guards marching a group of surrendered troops. “Tomorrow I will order our Vulcans and B-52s to strike the Caribou mainland… By the end of this, the Caribou Empire will be spoken of only in hell.”

> Chapter 44
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sound of an alarm echoed through the cavernous facility located on the outskirts of Appleloosa, two thestrals snapped up in their seats and looked over their control panels. It was morning on the surface, but they were deep underground by themselves. The sound of the siren was one that they had dreaded ever hearing. Their jobs were relatively simple, as Missile Command Officers they just had to be ready to launch at a moments notice. Even with the war raging, neither had imagined that they would receive the call to act. They weren’t the only ones to be surprised, as across the western coast Vulcan and B-52 bombers were being rolled out of their hangers loaded down with Thermo-Arcane warheads.


The crews of these aircraft, as well as the ground workers, were all stunned to know that they would be employing the deadliest weapons ever constructed by man in a vast quantity. Despite that, they had very little qualms with actually using them. The Caribou had started the war and tried to invade, and it was well known among the public that an invasion of the Caribou Mainland would be a costly and pointless endeavor. The Caribou would not be brought to heel by conventional means, and for those that had lost loved ones to the war, the bombs couldn’t fall soon enough. Dominic quietly sighed as he looked out over the ocean, Luna standing beside him as a flock of seagulls flew through the air.


Dominic’s anger had subsided, but the task had not. The Caribou had made their bed, and now they would have to lay in it. Hopefully the strike would serve as a warning to the Zebras and Saddle Arabians to lay down their arms and surrender. It was likely, however, that only the Saddle Arabians would heed the warning. The man watched the waves as he heard guns pounding in the distance, the pocket of New Axis Troops were dug in like ticks. It made searching for Maria impossible, and had spoiled an otherwise peaceful morning. Luna and Dominic stood there silently, watching the waves crash against the shore. Bits of wood and dead bodies had washed up on the beach for miles from the battle the night before, but despite that there was still a calmness to the ocean.


“Luna…” Dominic said quietly, the mare looked over at him. “I…” He trailed off, he didn’t know what to say. He had never dreamed he would have to give the order to actually use Thermo-Arcane weapons, he had hoped that the New Axis would’ve surrendered when their invasion force was beaten back, but that was a pipe dream. They were far more resistant than the Equestrians, perhaps even more so than the North Koreans, they only understood force. Dominic hoped that the Onorussian’s message would be very clearly conveyed. The distant sound of guns gradually was joined by another sound, a howling noise that echoed on the wind like the cry of a demon.


Dominic and Luna both turned to face the source slowly, in the sky above them were a dozen airplanes. Half of them were B-52s, the other half were Vulcan bombers. The Vulcans were the source of the screaming wail, their targets would be closest to the Caribou Coast, the B-52s would hit targets in the middle of the country, and the ICBMs would target the very far reaches of the Caribou’s territory. They would wipe any major city off of the map, including the Caribou’s capitol. At the same time, the remaining Vulcans and ICBMs would target cities in Saddle Arabia and the Zebra lands. They would each have two hours to surrender. Tombstone Diplomacy, that was what the chief’s of staff had called it, though it’s official name was ‘Operation: Icarus’. Dominic couldn’t help but feel guilty as to what would happen. At the same time, he had to think of what was best for his people, for his soldiers. Cutting the head off of the snake would at least make a land invasion of the other two Axis countries easier.


At least… That was how he justified it to himself. Dominic watched the aircraft as they gained altitude and flew further into the distance, after a few minutes their deathly cries were gone to the wind, and it seemed that even the pounding of the artillery had become quieter.


In one of the Vulcan bombers above, a young Air Force Pilot was watching his compass vigilantly, Captain Jake Hewitt couldn’t help feeling the butterflies in his chest. The man had flown all sorts of missions in his life, from evacuating the remaining British UN delegates to the US to a sortie over Manehattan during the Forty Eight Hour War. He had never carried such a deadly payload before, neither had his crew. He glanced over his shoulder into the back of the plane, towards the bomb bay. He couldn’t help thinking about the weapons that sat back there, two thirty five megaton Thermo-Arcane bombs. He would be dropping both of them on the Caribou capital city. There were two, just in case one of them malfunctioned.


The flight to their target would take five hours, a lot of time for the men of the bomber to ruminate on their mission. The bombardier, a unicorn mare, didn’t seem to have any qualms with the idea of dropping the weapons, but he supposed that was because she rarely talked unless spoken too. Captain Hewitt hadn’t quite made up his mind whether he was okay with the mission or not, but he did know he would complete it regardless of his personal feelings. The weapons themselves didn’t look very menacing, they looked like large conventional bombs, but their noses were painted bright purple for identification purposes.


Hours ticked by as the plane made its way towards the Caribou Capital, flying at an altitude that was beyond the capabilities of their primitive air force. The ocean beneath the aircraft eventually become an alpine plain, tiny villages dotted the area, and the landscape was unarguably beautiful. Hewitt couldn’t help but wish the purpose of his mission wasn’t as destructive, but at the same time he knew that that beautiful country below was being worked by a slave labor force. After witnessing what the EOL had done first hand, he couldn’t in good conscience let it continue to go on. The captain narrowed his eyes and looked over at his co-pilot, the diamond dog in the seat beside him had the same determined look in his eyes. The Caribou had occupied countless diamond dog tribes over the years, the animosity had come to a head when the war began.


Finally the call came over the radio from their navigator that they were approaching the target, Hewitt reached town to a pouch between the seats and withdrew a pair of tinted goggles. The rest of the crew followed suit and pulled them on in preparation. Ahead of them was the Caribou  Capital of Donnerstal, a sprawling metropolis with spires of black smoke rising up from the numerous factories there. At the very center of it all was a massive castle with gold plated guard towers that gleamed in the bright midday sun. Hewitt looked to his watch and noted the time, then quietly gave the order to open the bomb bay doors as they got closer to the castle.


On the ground below, a deafening howl had filled the air that had never been present before, in one of Donnerstal’s numerous parks a female Caribou child looked up and watched as a dove took off from one of the trees into an otherwise clear blue sky. Her mother was standing next to her, and had seemed to take note of the new howling noise that had filled the air. The younger caribou looked up as the dove flew higher, until something else caught her attention. She pointed up and looked at her mother.


“Look, mummy! There’s an airplane up in the sky!” She said excitedly, before her mother could respond there were two blinding flashes of light. It suddenly became very hot, and then… Nothing. The child and her mother never knew what hit them, vaporized in seconds as a wave of purple arcane energy swept over the city and turned whatever it touched to ashes. The Emperor himself was on the distant edges of the city, and had turned to speak to one of his advisors. Within that brief moment of looking away, his entire castle and seven million of his citizens had been vaporized. As he turned back to watch the rising twin fireballs at the center of the city he was struck by seering heat, and once again there was nothingness.


A massive wave of air was streaking through the city. It tore houses from their foundations, hurled carriages and tanks like toys, and turned anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in its path to a bloody paste. There was a tremendous short boom, followed by a droning roar of thunder that seemed to get louder and louder. Buildings that had stood since the founding of the Empire were reduced to rubble. After fifteen hellish seconds of fire and brimstone the noise came to a halt, a haunting specter began to rise over the ruins of the city. The two warheads, each with a yield of thirty five megatons, had combined into one massive mushroom cloud that grew higher and higher into the sky, slowly blotting out the sun as it stretched miles upward into the heavens. For those that had somehow survived the ordeal, their terror was not over, as more flashes appeared on the horizon and white streaks could be seen up in the sky, streaking towards the very fringes of the Caribou mainland. 


Along the Saddle Arabian border the flashes could be seen in the distance and the ground could be felt shaking for nearly a full minute, the Caribou soldiers that had been training with their Saddle Arabian comrades watched in shock as their homeland was being wiped from the map. The message from the Onorussians was more than clear to the leaders of the Saddle Arabian government, unlike their fanatic neighbors to the north and south, they had a sense of self preservation for themselves and their citizens. Hours passed before the Zebras were hearing tell of the strikes from the Saddle Arabians, and it wasn’t long before the Onorussian ultimatum arrived over the radio.


”Citizens of Saddle Arabia and the Zebra Tribal Lands. This is Imperator Dominic Occisor of the Military Republic of Onorus.” The authoritative voice echoed through every radio set in the two remaining countries, catching the attention of both populations. ”By now the news of our Thermo-Arcane Strikes against the Caribou Empire has reached you. You can avoid their fate by throwing down your arms and surrendering unconditionally to the Onorussian government. You will be treated fairly, and there will be no need for any further loss of life.” Though the tone was commanding, it was clear that the man giving the speech was very somber and sincere. 


”It is the decision of this government that a conventional invasion of your nations would be costly for both sides, in both lives and resources.” The Imperator went on in his stern, authoritative voice. “I, for one, am not about to order millions of my people to die because of your obstinance. To the civilians of both your nations, I urge you to evacuate your major cities as fast as you can. To your governments… You have three hours to submit your formal response to our ultimatum, at which time if you have not surrendered… I will order every one of your major cities and military installations destroyed.” There was a long pause. ”You have seen the might of the Onorussian Bear. If you test us again, you will fail.”


There was panic in the streets of every major Saddle Arabian city as frantic civilians began to flood the streets, some were rushing home to get their families, others were on their own. Rapidly the already undermanned police force became overrun, many of their officers soon joined the fray of panicking civilians. In the castle of the Saddle Arabian kingdom’s capital, the king was sitting on his throne with a calm expression. He had been convinced that the Caribou were unstoppable, and he still held that belief. He wasn’t going to surrender, surely the Onorussian’s didn’t have the resources to use such destructive magic again.


Sitting beside the king’s throne was his daughter, Princess Dunai, she had a much more concerned expression on her face, and occasionally she looked down at her sword which hung around her waist. She watched as the numerous advisors begged and pleaded with her father to surrender, but he sent them all away. It took nearly an hour before the staff calmed down, one hour closer to annihilation. It was at that point that they heard a terrible howling noise from outside, it shook the windows of the illustrious palace. 


This got the king to his hooves, he trotted to the window. Dunai, being ever curious, followed and looked out the window as well. She gasped as she saw three alien craft over the city, two Onorussian fighters and a third plane that seemed to be emitting the howling noise. They were circling over the city, Dunai watched as half a dozen triplanes rose from the distant airfield, but they were quickly dispatched by the two fighters. Flaming hulks of wood and metal slammed to the ground, and the engines seemed to howl in exaltation. Crowds of civilians stampeded through the streets below, panicked screams echoed through the city.


“Father! This is madness!” Dunai shouted, watching the planes with panicked eyes. Once again fighters rose to fight, only to be downed in flames as their comrades had been before. One of the fighters broke off and zoomed towards the airfield, it dropped two bombs from its wings which impacted the runway and left massive craters, ensuring no further planes would be able to take off. “We must surrender!”


“No!” Her father said sternly, even as he watched the alien aircraft rejoin the pack of circling sky wolves. The humans and their alien technology didn’t scare him, he wouldn’t be bullied into submission by a nation that would have him give up all his servants that he’d won in combat. “I will not have my kingdom desecrated by their emancipationist ideology.” Princess Dunai felt a pit in her stomach, her father turned to look at her with tired eyes. “If you fear death, I understand, you are a mare… Leave now, run with the stampede. I shall face my destiny here and now.”


“I will not…” Dunai said, watching the aliens circle overhead once again, then looking to a clock on the wall. There was an hour and a half left. “Father, if the Zebra’s surrender, we will be destroyed alone… Please! Surrender!” The King looked at her and walked to the nearby radio, he turned it on and tuned it to a signal broadcast out of the Zebra lands.


“If they surrender, I will consider it.” The king said, though Dunai hardly believed him. She moved towards the radio and listened hopefully, praying to the divines that the Zebra tribal council would see past their pigheadedness for once and actually surrender. It was a long shot, but Dunai hoped it would be the way to change her father’s mind. Minutes ticked by, silence continued to reign in the room, and soon an hour and a half became simply an hour. Through the crackled static of the radio, the voice of the Zebra tribal head rang clear.


”We do not fear the Bear! Strike us down, if you dare!” Dunai gasped at the response, several minutes later there was a flash of light to the south, then another, and another and another. She and her father rushed to the window and watched in awe as mushroom clouds appeared on the horizon, Dunai looked to her father with a nervous expression and pointed to the clouds.


“Don’t you see, father!? They’re more than capable!” She shouted, her father glared at her and pushed her aside.


“I will not back down!” He said through gritted teeth. “Learn your place, daughter!” Dunai glared right back at him, in her mind she had run out of options. She couldn’t let her people be destroyed because of her father’s stubborn old ways, her glare turned to a look of sorrow as a couple tears came to her eyes.


“I’m sorry for what I must do now, father!” She shouted in a hoarse voice, her father looked at her in surprise. “I challenge your right to the throne by combat!” Her father’s eyes widened as Dunai drew her sword and twirled it, the clock on the wall told her she had only forty five minutes to act. Her father went for his sword and drew it with a loud grunt, the two of them went at it, their blades clanging together as both of them fought. Each had tears running down their cheeks, each shouted loudly as they traded blows, each felt that their way of life was on the line. Dunai’s father was old by far, and not very strong, but he still fought tooth and nail. For half an hour they traded their blows, each one’s hesitance drew out the conflict, but as the clock got closer Dunai knew she had to get it over with. With a final grunt and hard shove, she broke her father’s defense. Her sword plunged through his robes and into his chest, she let go and stared in shock as her father collapsed to his knees.


Within seconds she had moved to catch him, holding him against her chest as she felt more tears running down her cheek.


“I-I am sorry, father!” She cried out as she held him, he didn’t speak and simply closed his eyes before nuzzling against her neck as if to say he forgave her… Even in death, even after their final battle, he showed her that he wasn’t all bad. “I promise you, Father… I will let this be our people’s last battlefield…” Princess Dunai, now Queen Dunai by Right of Combat, laid her father gently on the floor and cleared her throat. “Guards!” A pair of guards entered the room and stared, shocked, at the body of their dead king. “I have won the right to the throne by combat!”


“We recognize your right, your highness!” The guards said in unison, bowing their heads, even though they were still surprised by the turn of events. “We are yours to command!”


“Bring me a radio with a microphone! Hurry!” Dunai shouted, looking at the clock, there were ten minutes left. She was cutting this close. The guards nodded and rushed out of the room, shouting the news of their new leader to anyone they happened to pass.


In the air above the Saddle Arabian Capital, the crew of the Vulcan bomber checked their watches like hawks. The aircraft was painted with traditional Onorussian colors, sky blue on the underbelly and olive drab on the top. There was also a picture of a an ancient Earth Crusader, the words ‘Deus Vult!’ were painted in gothic letters beneath it. It seemed fitting considering the mission the plane was designed for, and even more ironic that it was going to be used against the Saddle Arabians. They all waited patiently, the pilot spent almost as much time flying as he did watching his watch, ten minutes became five, and then became two.


The Pilot looked to his bombardier and nodded, the sound of hydraulics echoed through the aircraft as the bomb bay doors inched open, exposing the two thirty five megaton Thermo-Arcane warheads to the ground below, their fighter escort began to bank away as the Vulcan moved onto a course with the palace. Each man on the crew continued checking their watches, they were in the final countdown.


Princess Dunai couldn’t wait any longer, in a panic she pulled down a white drape and curtain rod before she rushed out onto the balcony of the palace and began to wave the makeshift white flag as hard and high as she could, the jet was right ahead of her, flying straight towards her. She hoped that they would spot her before they dropped the bomb, or that one of the other aircraft would see her and radio it in. Her heart pounded in her chest as the howl of the engines got louder and louder, a horrifying noise that filled her ears and drowned out the panicked screams that still echoed from the city below.


“Crusader One!” Shouted the pilot of one of the F4 Phantoms to the pilot of the Vulcan, pointing out the window just as the clock reached zero. “White flag! White flag! Wave off! Wave off!” Everyone took a collective deep breath as the Vulcan rapidly jerked away, as if it had released its payload. Seconds passed, everyone in the city took a second to collect themselves, and when the Vulcan began circling around once again everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. No mushroom cloud rose, no tremendous flash of light, now loss of life… Other than the King who had fought so hard to protect the ways of old.


Unfortunately, the news of the surrender or bombings had no way of being communicated to the forces still waging war on the Onorussian mainland. One last pocket of resistance was proving to be difficult, even as it was encircled by the Onorussian military.


[♠]


Maria gritted her teeth as she fired her rifle out of the window at a squad of Caribou troops that were moving towards the cabin, the weapon kicked against her shoulder as an enemy soldier fell to the ground. She dropped to cover in order to rack another round, Scootaloo and Vincent popped up with their AKs and began peppering the enemy with suppressing fire. They had to make each shot count, as ammunition was running low. The squad of enemy troops lost two more soldiers before retreating to cover. Maria squeezed off another round on them as they ran for cover, dropping her target like a sack of potatoes. The snow around the cabin was soaked with blood from scattered dead bodies, the winter chill was running through the building and making Maria’s teeth chatter, even with adrenaline she found herself struggling to stay warm.


Off to the left she heard more clacking rifles, Onorussian AKs from the sound of them, but they were still too far away to be of much help other than keeping the pressure up on the advancing squads. Scootaloo and Vincent ducked back down, panting as they looked to Maria for strength, the woman was steady as a rock even as she battled the cold. Carlos could be heard firing from a different window of the house, it was easily defendable. They had stacked the couches in a sort of barricade over Victor, the pillows and blankets helped to keep him warm even with the freezing snow that blew in through the shattered windows.


Maria could tell that ammunition wasn’t the only thing running low, despite her calm appearance she could tell that morale was a big issue. She peeked up over the windowsill and looked out at the enemy troops, zebras could be seen moving against the snow, most likely some sort of special operation’s team or suicide squad. Maria looked to Scootaloo and the others, doing her best to think of something that could boost their spirits.


“Scootaloo! Are you scared?!” Maria shouted over the noise, Scootaloo looked at her with a raised eyebrow but nodded. “Don’t be! You hear those rifle shots!? We just need to hold out a bit longer!” Several bolts of energy flew through the window from the Zebra squad outside, Maria put her sniper rifle down and picked up Victors AK-47. “Fix bayonets!” She reached to the sheath for the bayonet and pulled the sharpened blade from within, then she affixed it to her rifle. Scootaloo and the others did so, still bearing nervous expressions. She had to think of something simple, something to repeat over and over again, and for once watching all those historical documentaries with her husband paid off in the form of an easy one. “Now! I want you to repeat after me, alright?!” The bolts continued to whiz overhead. “Gott mit uns!” The others looked at her like she was crazy. “Do it!”


“Gott mit uns!” Scootaloo and the others shouted, Maria nodded and stood up, firing a couple rounds towards the advancing zebars.


“Louder! You are Onorussians! Let them know who they’re facing!” Maria ordered as she dropped back to cover, Scootaloo and Vincent looked at one another before gaining determined expressions.


“Gott mit uns!” They shouted, their voices echoing over the field, they continued shouting loudly as they would pop up to fire at the approaching Zebras. Two of the enemy squad fell to the ground, still they charged.


“Gott mit uns! All together! Gott mit uns!” Maria bellowed, the rifle shots were getting louder, she could tell her forces were closing on their position. They just needed to hold out longer, their shouting was starting to have an effect on the Zebras. In the culture of the Zebras, warriors that yelled in such a fashion indicated that they would die before they surrendered. For the first time, a squad of Onorussian’s had earned their respect on the battlefield. Maria kept firing, dropping another one of the enemy soldiers, but two of the remaining squad reached the front door. Maria readied herself, pointing her bayonet out as the door was pushed inward. She charged forwards, shouting loudly as she buried the bayonet into the chest of the first Zebra. Vincent fired a single round at the second intruder, striking him point blank in the temple.


Maria dislodged her weapon and pushed the two bodies out the door, then closed it. She looked towards the dining area and moved over, then grabbed a chair and pulled it back to the door. She wedged it between the door and the floor, she hadn’t had time to earlier as the first attack had come quickly. The woman set the AK-47 aside and picked up her Mosin once again, she begrudgingly removed the scope and set it aside as well, the enemy was so close at this point it was more of a hinderance. The woman felt like some sort of character in a world war two film, fighting off the hordes of the axis with her trusty Mosin. Even without her scope she was still lethal, picking off any Caribou or Zebras that poked their heads out from behind the trees.


In the distance there was a sound like thunder, something that caught Maria’s attention right off the bat. She looked towards Scootaloo and the others, and pointed towards the floor. For all the other Onorussian’s knew, she and her troops could’ve been dead, they had no way of communicating or telling them where they were, that meant they were in serious danger from both sides.


“Incoming artillery! Take cover!” She ordered, the cadets hit the deck before Maria did. Outside of the house she could hear explosions, through the window she saw trees splintering and exploding as artillery shells detonated on their trunks. Chunks of dirt and rock rattled down on the roof of the cabin as the artillery punished the area in front of the building, each blast felt like it was going to knock the building off of its foundation. Everything shook, Maria kept her mouth held open to keep from biting her tongue off or blowing out her eardrums. She watched as Vincent curled up into a ball across the room, Scootaloo was looking around in a panic, and Carlos was scrambling away from the window and towards the couch barricade. A tree branch punched a hole through the roof and sent snow and wood crashing down on the dining area, causing Maria to get as small as possible. The barrage lasted for an agonizing two minutes before subsiding, replaced by the sound of shouting and hollering.


Maria poked her head up cautiously, expecting to see a flood of Caribou and Zebra’s charging their position. Her breath hitched in her throat as she saw hundreds of Onorussian soldiers of varying races charging through the snow and trees, whistles were blowing loudly and helicopters chopped the air overhead. Maria stood up quietly, lowering her rifle and moving to unblock the door. She tossed the chair aside and pulled the door open, it squealed on its hinges. The first wave of soldiers had seemed to abate, and the gunfire was ahead of her in the distance now, more whistles blew and a second wave of troops began rushing forward past the house. Maria wandered out into the snow as a squad of soldiers moved towards her, though her attention was more on the bodies strewn about the ground.


Maria quietly let her rifle drop to the ground, feeling exhaustion washing over her, the squad of soldiers stopped in front of her. They were very much stunned to find themselves standing in the presence of the Imperatrix, the woman looked to the cabin and silently gestured for the others to come out. After a couple seconds, Maria gathered her faculties enough to speak.


“We have a boy who is very sick, and these cadets need food and care…” She said tiredly to the sergeant in front of her.


“We’ll get to them, ma’am!” The soldier shouted as a helicopter began to hover overhead, a chinook by the looks of the twin rotors. On the bottom of it was a red cross, indicating it was a medical transport. The side door opened and a crewmember leaned out, hooking a metal basket to a winch before beginning to lower it. “Please, come with me! We need to get you to the command tent!”


“No, they go first!” Maria shouted back, looking to the cabin as Carlos and Vincent helped carry Victor out into the open. Snow whipped around them as the basket got lower and lower, the Sergeant looked rather apprehensive, but he wasn’t about to talk back to the Imperatrix. The basket finally reached the ground, allowing Vincent and Carlos to load Victor in. Maria moved towards the sick boy and looked him over, he had his eyes open and was looking around. Shakily he leaned up and gave a weak salute to Maria, the woman returned it with a gentle nod before the basket began to be pulled back up into the helicopter. She and the cadets had fought tooth and nail to keep him alive, by force of medicine or force of arms. There was no way to accurately describe the gratification of watching Victor get pulled into the medical helicopter.


The soldiers set up a perimeter as one by one the cadets were loaded into the helicopter via the basket, first to go was Carlos, then Vincent. Scootaloo looked at the helicopter for a couple seconds as the basket began to lower back down towards her, after a moment she looked back to Maria and slung her rifle over her back. The helicopter blades made it impossible to hear, but Maria could see the mare mouth the words ‘Thank you.’ The woman nodded back, the two of them shared a respectful salute before Scootaloo climbed into the now lowered basket. Maria watched as the mare was lifted back into the air, and eventually pulled into the helicopter. The door closed, and the helicopter began to fly away, only for a smaller huey to come in and take its place.


The clearing around the cabin left it just enough room to actually come down for a landing, it kicked up more snow and dirt as it got lower. When it finally set down, Maria saw a squad of Lunar Marines jump off and set up their own perimeter. The sergeant of the first group gestured for her to go, the woman nodded before briefly returning to the cabin to take her scope. The others had taken their own gear, and she wasn’t going to leave hers behind either. With all of her equipment in hand, the tired Imperatrix approached the helicopter and climbed inside. The Marines climbed in with her and the helicopter took off, climbing rapidly into the sky. A medic began looking her over, but her eyes stayed transfixed out the side of the aircraft as it began flying south along the coast.


Houses beneath the aircraft were in ruins, pillars of smoke and fire rose up into the sky, destroyed ships and dead bodies were washing up on the shore and corpses littered the streets below. Overhead she watched a white streak in the atmosphere, far higher than any jet could fly, it was moving towards the south part of the Zebra lands if its trajectory was anything to go by. She watched it streaking along as the helicopter continued flying south, the chilly winter air cutting against her skin. Eventually the trail faded, but several minutes later she spotted a bright flash on the distant horizon. Far to distant to be of any danger to the helicopter, but bright enough to tell her exactly the cause.


Maria looked down off of the edge of the helicopter at the destroyed houses and villages below, the helicopter passed over a medical facility with large areas set aside for the dead. They were lined up under white sheets that flapped in the wind that blew in from the coast, the Imperatrix bit her lip softly to keep her emotions in check. It wasn’t much use however, as she felt the familiar warmth of tears on her cheek. Just when she had thought the world was at peace, when it was safe to let her guard down, this great calamity had come like a bolt from beyond. What was worse, she knew that this was only the beginning. Onorus would likely invade and occupy every New Axis country or what was left of them, and unlike Equestria she doubted they would go quietly. Perhaps it was for the best though, even if the moral implications were a firm shade of grey.


At the end of the day eleven million zebras were killed, over two thirds of their population. The Caribou had lost twenty million, accounting for three quarters of their population. Usually operating under a herd mentality meant safety in numbers, but it had only clustered civilians and military personnel so closely that there was no alternative but almost complete annihilation. Compared to the projected fifty million Onorussian casualties that would’ve come from a conventional invasion, the Imperator had made good on his word to put Onorussian lives first. There was no way the Caribou or Zebra would be able to rebuild on their own, and with their military in complete disarray… They had no hope to stop the Onorussian invasion, no way to stop the foreboding force of alien technology and tactics. Every nation they had occupied was now in complete uproar as well, oppressed peoples finally rising up to overthrow the New Axis Regime… Onorus certainly had their work cut out for them.
> Chapter 45
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dominic quietly paced back and forth in his tent, a map of the remaining Caribou Empire laid out on a table in the room. Even though Maria had been recovered safely, the man still felt a burning hatred in his blood. The Caribou that had survived were still clinging to their guns, still refusing to yield. Their pride, their stubborn unyielding pride, from the young Caribou child playing in the ruins to the resistance fighter skulking through the woods. They all wore their pride like it was some kind of twisted badge of honor. Dominic stopped pacing and walked up to the table, looking down at it with that same hateful glare that had formed over his years fighting the Infected on Earth.


The flap to his tent opened, and Luna entered with an expression of concern. The man hadn’t left the southern shores of Onorus since the bombs had been dropped a week before, he hadn’t slept, he rarely ate, and his patience seemed to be running shorter and shorter. Dominic almost didn’t even notice his wife had entered, he didn’t speak and went back to glaring at the map. A good deal of stubble was forming on his face, his eyes were glassy and bloodshot.


“Dominic…” Luna said as she approached him, the man grunted in response as he continued to stare angrily down at the paper in front of him. “Dominic, please… Share your thoughts with me, we’re all worried about you…” The man sighed softly and shook his head, continuing to silently glare at the page in front of him. “Dominic… As a Warrior of the Night… You are honor bound to speak your thoughts.” The man stopped moving altogether, his eyes seemingly transfixed on the very core of the planet.


“I do not think it would be wise for me to do so…” Dominic said in a low gravelly voice, Luna still walked closer. “You may not like what it is I am thinking…”


“If I do not like it, so be it. Now talk.” Luna said sternly, she hated pulling rank on her husband, especially since she hated forcing people to speak their minds, but she had to be sure that he was still all there.


“When I first came to this world, I was angry… Hateful… I let those emotions guide my actions, with Blueblood, with the nobles, with Celestia…” Dominic muttered as he looked at the map in front of him, Luna remained quiet and let him continue, knowing that there were some serious emotions at play. “I thought, that with your training, I had put those feelings of hate and anger behind me… That I had ‘matured’...” Dominic sighed through his nose, not looking up from the map for a second. “Now I’m not so sure.” The man clenched and unclenched his fist. “I hate these Caribou like I’ve never hated before… Possibly more than the infected.”


“There are many who share that sentiment, I do not see the reason for you to sulk in your tent like Achilles.” Luna replied in an even tone, Dominic shook his head quietly.


“I doubt it… I doubt many people would be willing to kill so many people.” Dominic said, his tone became a bit more harsh. “And even after I have killed so many, even after their cities lay in ruins, they still hold out. They hang on bitterly, like the survivors of Earth…” Dominic straightened up, pounding his hand on the table much to the surprise of Luna. “I hate them so much, Luna! The infected were mindless creatures, but these… These Caribou, they enslave and brutalize because they chose to!” Luna stared at him as he panted, after a couple more seconds be ponded a clenched fist on the table. “They continue to fight like their way of life is some sort of noble profession, but we both know that such an irrational way of thinking must not be allowed to survive!”


“So why not show them with kindness and compassion, Dominic?” Luna said as she approached him, now getting a look at the map. “I still fail to see what has been bothering you so greatly this past week.” Dominic looked at her for a couple seconds, then back at the map, then back at Luna.


“I have thoughts I know I shouldn’t be having… They’re wrong, by all accounts of what I believe in…” The man trailed off, it was clear he was a bit on edge and was trying to gather his thoughts again. “What I thought I believed in…” Luna looked at him questioningly, her silent signal for him to continue on. “What I feel… It’s evil, it isn’t right… No sane person should think this way, right?” His voice caught in his throat. “I think that their culture is an abomination… That it should be erased completely from existence… That I didn’t go far enough.” Dominic glared at the map again. “I feel like I should have vaporized every square inch of their country! I had the means to do it, the power to destroy an entire civilization, an entire species, at the push of a button! I feel like I should have turned their country into the largest graveyard this planet has ever seen!”


“I have never had such… Evil thoughts in my life.” Dominic continued as he wandered over to his cot and sat down, putting his head in his hands. “I try to justify it to myself, but how can I justify genocide? Why would I try?” The man looked over to Luna. “My parents didn’t raise me to be this way, I know that much… How, Luna… How did I get to this point…?” The mare walked over to him and sat down in front of him, Dominic could see her eyes were tearing up, and he felt himself fear what sort of tirade would follow. He wanted her to yell at him, to tell him it was wrong, to tell her that he should stop thinking such things…


“You grew up.” Luna said in a rather shaky voice. “Your childhood, everything you loved and cared for in the world, was violently ripped away from you.” Luna appeared to be having a hard time grasping her head around it, but she knew that Dominic wasn’t perfect. He had darkness in him, just as she did. There had been times in her life where she had had similar thoughts when it came to her sister, where thoughts she believed to be evil would come to the surface. “You had to survive, by any means necessary. You choose efficiency over morality because it presents the greatest chance for survival…” Luna cleared her throat quietly before speaking once again. “You say you ‘Should have killed them all’, and you know that you could’ve… The fact that you didn’t tells me that you are not evil, just conflicted… Just as everyone is in life.”


“You’re… Oddly calm about this, Luna…” Dominic said tiredly as he looked at her, his expression still tired. The bags under his eyes could attest to the small amount of sleep he had recieved in recent days. Luna reached out and put her hooves on his shoulders, straightening him up so that she could look into his eyes.


“You are not the only one to have dark thoughts, Dominic.” Luna said softly, the mare leaned forward and wrapped him in a hug, then patted his back. The man slowly returned the hug, his eyes closing as he did his best to fight back the growing tide of emotion that had formed since the very beginning of the conflict. “I wish you would remember you don’t have to face such things alone.” Dominic buried his head into Luna’s fur, the mare sighing and leaning her head down against his shoulder. The fabric of his uniform was rough and uncomfortable, she could only imagine the discomfort it was causing Dominic on top of all of his stress.


“I know… I’m not alone.” Dominic said quietly as he pulled away from Luna, his voice cracking slightly. “But my burden… It cannot become yours, or Maria’s, or Altair’s…” Luna raised an eyebrow at him, the man swallowed and looked towards the floor. “I think… Maybe… It’s time I consider seeking professional help…” Luna looked at Dominic with a bit of surprise, she and Maria had floated the idea of professional psychiatric help by the man a couple times. He was stubborn on that issue, as usual, and had given an emphatic ‘No.’. He didn’t want to become ‘another person with a victim complex’, for fear he would begin to act like someone from the EOL. If he was even considering seeing a psychiatrist or psychologist, Luna knew that it was far beyond her capabilities.


The man stood up quietly and walked back to the map, looking it over quietly once again. There were markers set up on the coast of the New Axis countries, ships of various sizes. Saddle Arabia had been the easiest to land troops in, and fighting there was minimal. Two carrier groups were parked off the shores of the Zebra Wasteland and the Caribou Wasteland, the magic disturbance from the thermo-arcane weaponry had yet to full disperse, and so only conventional equipment was functioning properly there. As much as he knew that he needed to seek help from a therapist, he also felt duty bound to join his soldiers on the front lines once again. Perhaps there was more to it than that though, on the battlefield was the only place he really felt at peace anymore, oddly enough. Even with the risk of death, no, especially with the risk of death.


“Dominic…” Luna said as she spotted that familiar glint in his eyes, she approached him and looked at the map. “Please, don’t do what I know you’re thinking of doing. Let your generals fight the war.” Dominic looked to his wife, the tired look still firmly in his eyes. “Come home…”


“I want to, Luna…” Dominic said quietly, his eyes flicking back to the map. “I desperately want to, I want to be home with you, and Maria, and Altair…” The man leaned against the table again, wiping his eyes. “I just worry that, maybe… Maybe I don’t belong there anymore.” Dominic felt Luna come over and put her wing around him, but he kept his eyes firmly on the map. “Maybe I don’t belong anywhere anymore, maybe I’ve just…” He trailed off.


“Dominic…” Luna said in a shaking voice, her husband turned to look at her. She leaned her head against his chest, her horn making contact with his forehead. “I’m sorry… This is for your own good.” Before he could respond her horned glowed, despite the human’s aversion to magic, direct contact of the horn was always effective. Luna sighed as her husband fell limp to the ground, she had to get him home, she knew that he would just keep putting it off. Not because he was lazy, but because Luna knew there were only four things Dominic feared in life. Heights, bees, dying alone, and his own dark thoughts. Luna knelt down and hefted Dominic up onto her back, positioning him so that he wouldn’t fall. She had already told Dominic’s guards that one way or another he would be leaving, so they wouldn’t stop her. Deep down, she thought perhaps they were just as worried.


Luna walked to the door, wiping her eyes with a wing, doing her best to hold back her own emotions. She pushed the flap aside, exposing herself to the chilly winter air outside. Her wings spread open before she gave a heavy flap and took to the sky, carrying her unconscious loved one across her back. Her destination was Canterlot, she hoped that getting Dominic back there would at least buy her and Maria some time to talk some sense into him.


[♠]


The smell of bleach and clean linen had been a smell that Tig always hated, ever since she had been a little filly, Hospitals and their distinctive odor had been synonymous with the worst parts of her life. Whether it was the death of her grandmother, her appendectomy, or most recently to visit the love of her life. There was another part of hospitals that she was gradually growing to hate though, and that was the yellow disposable gowns and blue disposable masks and hair nets that they gave to family members entering the burn unit to visit their loved ones. As Tig made her way past the various rooms, she could see family members talking with loved ones face to face, standing by their bedsides. Some had been wounded when their tanks were destroyed, others had been scalded by jets of steam generated when magic bolts hit snow.


But at the end of the hallway, there was a solitary steel door. Unlike the other burn ward rooms, it had a keypad for entry. Beyond that steel door was a decontamination booth, and beyond that… Well, Tig didn’t like to think about it. She spotted a changeling patient limping along with his family, a fresh graft of chitton on the side of his face and hooves. Tig did her best not to think of how these people had come to be wounded, or to think of fire in general, she had become so upset to see fire that she had stopped working with welding torches altogether and had had the gas stove replaced with an electric one.


Tig stopped outside the metal door and pushed the code that she had been given into the keypad, the sound of the seal popping was familiar. The metal door swung outwards, allowing her to step in. The mare waited for the door to close behind her, then closed her eyes as the decontamination booth kicked on. A mist of chemicals sprayed around her, lasting for several seconds before coming to a halt, she opened her eyes and looked to the door ahead of her. The lock buzzed, prompting her to push it open and step into a completely white room. There were medical monitors beeping and chirping, all set up around a solitary hospital bed. Laying in that bed, wrapped up like a mummy with bandages and casts, was none other than Jack…


The mare approached the bedside cautiously, looking over the man’s form. There hadn’t been much change since she had last seen him, gradually the grafts were being put on, and thanks to advances made over the past eight years they were holding. Still, Tig knew there was a long period of recovery ahead. The mare stopped and looked at Jack’s head, his eyes and mouth were exposed, thankfully most of the severe burns had been to his lower body. The man quietly moved his eyes to look at Tig, she could see a faint smile form.


“H-Hey…” Tig said, her mask muffling her voice somewhat. “How’re you feeling today…?”


“L-Like shit, but… What else is new?” Jack responded with a gravelly voice, he coughed a couple seconds later. His lungs and throat had been harmed by the toxic smoke that had come from his plane crash, but despite that he still managed to try and put on a chipper attitude for Tig, even if they both knew it was veiling agony. “How are you?” Tig sat a bit closer to him, being sure to stay within his range of view.


“I’m... F-Fine…” Tig said quietly, Jack smirked briefly.


“H-Hi, Fine. I’m Jack.” The man began to chuckle only to break out into a fit of coughing, Tig felt a tear form in her eye. Even when he was still in such a lousy condition, he was trying to cheer her up.


“D-Don’t be such a butt, you butt…” Tig said meekly, trying to keep up the vibe that things were okay. “S-Sarah wanted me t-to say ‘Hello’ for her… S-She’s being reassigned to Saddle Arabia.” Jack nodded quietly, as much as he could, though it caused him to wince. “The d-doctors told me that they think you’ll be out of here in a couple months…?”


“Y-Yeah?” Jack said with a bit of a questioning tone. “What about when I get to fly again?” Tig got quiet after that, the mare looking off to the side and adjusting her mask. “I can’t stay grounded, honey… I just can’t.”


“Why not?” Tig asked as she looked back at him, doing her best to keep from crying, she’d have to go through decontamination again if she started crying. “I’m on the ground, it can’t be all that bad, right?” Jack looked at her for a couple seconds before closing his eyes, after a couple seconds he opened them again and let out a slow sigh.


“E-Ever since I can remember… I was flying.” Jack said quietly, looking down at himself. “If I lose that, I lose part of myself…” Tig looked to the floor, feeling her emotions continue to well up. She could never understand why humans were so interested in flying, she had lost her taste for it years ago, why want something you weren’t supposed to have? “And… I’m already short a couple toes and my good looks, I don’t want to lose anymore than I already have…”


“Do you have to make a joke of everything?” Tig asked, sounding almost bitter as she looked back to Jack. “C-Can’t you take my feelings into account for once?” Jack looked at her quietly, taking in her features before sighing again.


“I… I know, I’m not the best at that…” The man admitted, looking back towards his laid up body. “I love you, Tig…” The man got quiet for a couple seconds, long enough for Tig to worry he had passed out, but he was still conscious. “If… If me g-giving up flying will make you f-feel better… I’ll give you my wings…” Tig moved over to his side so that her head was hear his hand, she nuzzled the bandaged appendage.


“I won’t ask you to give that up…” She said softly, looking up at him. “I just wish you would take this a bit more seriously…” Tig looked up as she felt the fingers of his hand running over her head, patting her softly. It was the only way that Jack could show her he cared, and she knew it must’ve been excruciating. The mare pulled her head away gently and looked up at him, waiting for him to speak again. “Is there anything I can do…?”


“If you could get the docs to hook up a TV or a radio or something…” Jack said, it wasn’t like he had much to do other than sitting in the same position, and if he had to sit like that for the next couple months he would go nuts. Tig nodded quietly and made a mental note of it, looking for any place that she might put a radio or television. “Oh, something else, super important.” Tig looked up, it sounded urgent, she moved a bit closer to be sure not to miss anything. “Could you scratch my nose…?” Tig looked at him funny before carefully reaching up and scratching the bandage over his nose, Jack let out a sigh of relief. “Fuck… I love you, you know that? That was killing me for the past four hours.”


“You butt…” Tig said with a soft blush as she sat back by the side of his bed. “I was thinking… Your house has that nice big yard in the front that’s all overgrown…” Jack looked at her with what would be a raised eyebrow, if his eyebrow hadn’t been burned off. “Would you mind if I made a little garden there?”


“Sure, just no sweet potatoes…” Jack said, Tig raised her own eyebrow at him, obviously intrigued by his odd caveat. “Nothing could be as sweet as you.” Jack began grinning widely as Tig groaned and leaned her head against the bed, maybe he wasn’t as bad off as she had thought, at least his cheesy lines seemed genuine. “H-Hey… Knock knock…”


“No, no one’s home!” Tig said.


“Knock. Knock.” Jack repeated it slowly, Tig groaned again and shook her head, humming as if she wasn’t gonna answer. “Knock knock! Come on!” The mare finally caved and looked at him with a flat expression.


“Who’s there?” She asked flatly, Jack grinned just as widely.


“Ayewuv.” He said in that raspy voice.


“Ayewuv who?” Tig responded.


“I wuv you!” Jack said, Tig groaned even louder and leaned against the bed once again, it was getting extremely hard for her not to cry again. She hated being cheered up, especially seeing her coltfriend in such a bad state, but she couldn’t stay sad when he seemed to cheerful and happy. Before Tig could respond, there was a buzz at the door, meaning that her visiting time had to be coming to an end. She straightened up and looked at him, adjusting her mask to speak clearly.


“I wuv you too…” She gave one final nuzzle before she walked to the door, looking over her shoulder at Jack. The man watched her go, then saw her pass through the decontamination door, then listened to the sequence before the seal popped open. There was a heavy thud, meaning that Tig was officially out of earshot. Only then did Jack begin to scream in pain, gutteral moans and cries that echoed through the room as he screwed his eyes shut. Every inch of skin still felt like it was in the seering heat of the wreck, his broken and fractured bones sent lances of agony up to his brain, it was almost unbearable… 


For Tig, he would bear it. For the short amount of time that he could see her each day, he bit his tongue and played court jester… She had worried about him for eight years, that was enough… He didn’t want her remembering him as someone in agony, he didn’t want that in her dreams or in her thoughts of the future. The truth was, the chances of him walking out of the hospital were still slim, and if the worst came to pass... Tig deserved at least somewhat happy final memories to make up for the eight years of waiting she had endured.


[♠]


The snowy wastes of the Crystal Empire were one of it’s greatest resources, they provided a natural defense against invading armies and even held valuable arcane minerals that were just ripe for mining. Despite this value, the wastes were still relatively uninhabitable, at least in the conventional sense. Since the Empire required a magical shield to protect it from the elements, settling out in the wastes was considered to be near suicide, and only the toughest of the tough left the comfort of the Imperial City to work in the mines. But, over the last eight years, a patch of the frozen north had become home to a an unlikely group of crystal ponies, and two Onorussian unicorns.


With the attention of the Onorussian government on the New Axis, and the relatively cordial relationship between the Crystal Empire and the Onorussian Republic, this portion of the frozen wastes had been overlooked by their spy planes, and the thick cloud cover naturally protected the area from satellite images. Hidden beneath the dense cover of clouds, built upon sheets of ice and rock, was a collection of metal huts and military buildings. Known only to Shining Armor and his Military Commanders as ‘Omega Alpha’, this facility housed the greatest mechanical and magical minds in the Crystal Empire, and two Onorussian Thermo-Arcane Scientists. In actuality, they were former nobles that wanted to see their titles restored, and were willing to pay any price for that goal.


The housing facility was small, most of the complex was made up of labs and fabrication warehouses. And far off in the distance, miles away, was a solitary bunker buried in the frozen soil. Only a small part of it was above the ground, allowing for thick viewing windows to look out over the vast expanse of snowy wasteland. The war between the Onorussians and the New Axis had brought a renewed fear to Shining Armor, their southern neighbors had the ability to wipe out his entire country in an instant… That sort of power couldn’t go unchecked, and so, without his wife’s knowledge, he had commissioned the project. The addition of the Onorussian scientists had sped progress along nicely, and the urgency that had had come from seeing the power of Onorussian weapons against the Caribou and Zebras had pushed it even faster.


It was for this reason that the inhabitants of Omega Alpha were gathered in that small cramped bunker, staring out at a distant tower that was barely a speck on the snowy horizon. The room was filled with all sorts of scientific tools, from force measuring devices to earthquake sensors to arcane interference and radiation meters. A clock on the wall was counting down, the moment that all the scientist’s hard work would come down to. The moment that would change not only the balance of power, but also the reputation of the Crystal Empire. Standing among these scientists and the guards that protected them was none other than Shining Armor himself, his mane was a tad bit greyer from the recent stress he had come under. The Yaks to the north had been making more and more bold moves towards the border, and he hoped that the test he was about to witness would help ensure the security of that border.


“Sir, we’re in the final two minutes.” A scientist said to Shining Armor, the stallion simply nodded in reply as the guards began to pass the audience darkly tinted goggles. Shining sighed softly as he pulled on his goggles and looked out the window once again, though now it was practically impossible to make out the speck of the tower in the distance. “Beginning detonation sequence… Arcane dampeners… Off.” The scientists began to flip various switches on their control panels, Shining did his best to follow along in his head. “Crystal amplifiers are armed, activate reactive catalyst configuration.” Shining looked to the clock, there were sixty seconds left until the detonation. “Yield set to maximum…” The scientists adjusted their goggles as they continued to activate the device. “Safeties… Off. Ready to detonate.”


An air raid siren began to blare across the wastes, signalling the observing guards in their foxholes and trenches to put on their own goggles and take cover. The commanding officer of the project activated the PA system and spoke into the microphone.


”All personnel, it is now  sixty seconds to zero time. Put on goggles or turn away. Do not remove goggles or face first until ten seconds after the first light.” The Commander said, his voice echoing over the vast empty fields. The sirens and voices could be heard all the way out near the tower, suspended from its moderate height with wires and cables was a solitary metal sphere. The metal creaked as the wind caused it to sway, back and forth the silent deadly device swung like a mighty pendulum. The siren had caused birds that had roosted on the device to take flight in fear, arctic rabbits and foxes poked their heads out of their various homes to get a look at the alien monstrosity. ”Minus thirty seconds.”


Shining Armor bit his lip, wishing that the time would just pass already. Half of him wanted it to work, he wanted to be able to say that he could stand up to the Onorussian Bear, but the other half… The other half prayed that it would fizzle out, that it wouldn’t detonate, that the entire project would be a wash. If it worked, he would be able to harness the power of an Alicorn and with a push of a button wipe entire cities from existence. He wasn’t sure he was ready for that sort of responsibility.


”Minus Ten Seconds. Nine. Eight. Seven.” The Commander continued to drone, Shining Armor made sure his goggles were tight, his lips felt dry, his heart raced faster and faster in his chest. Every scientist and soldier in the bunker watched the horizon like they never had before. ”Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.” The countdown continued, the Commander’s hoof hovered over the detonate button. ”Detonate.” The button was pressed, in the distance half a dozen small mortars fired, sending up long spires of white smoke. They would be used to judge the size of the mushroom cloud on the recorded footage. There was a massive flash of bright blue light, brighter than a thousand suns, the earth trembled as the bunker was lit brightly.


A massive ball of fire began to rise into the air, and the scientists could see a tremendous shockwave rumbling towards them. It took several seconds before it hit, when it did the thick plexiglass window spiderwebbed and cracked. A thunderous roar filled the ears of everyone watching, followed by a deathly howl that chilled the blood of all those that could hear it. A flurry of snow flew past the bunker and began to fill in the foxholes and trenches outside, until finally it came to a stop. A massive fiery mushroom cloud was rising up into the clouds, bathing the landscape in its deathly blue light… 


Shining Armor removed his goggles and looked around the room, half of the attendees stared out in stunned silence, their jaws hanging open slightly. Some of them let out slow laughs, as if the absurdity of the size and magnitude of the explosion had struck them as funny… The commander, as well as several of the scientists had tears rolling down their cheeks as the cloud rose higher and higher, piercing the shroud of thick cloud cover that had hidden it since it’s conception. It took Shining several seconds to realize that he too was among the ones crying, a somber pit forming in his stomach. 


In the trenches and foxholes outside, the soldiers working security were having similar reactions. The flash had been bright enough to be seen briefly from the Crystal Empire, and it was certainly now visible from the heavens above. There was no question in Shining Armor’s mind, the Onorussian’s knew what he had done, and soon his wife and the rest of the world would know too. He suspected that tensions between the Onorussians and the Crystal Empire would flare up again, but it would be worth it if he could better defend his citizens. After all, that was why the Onorussians had developed their Thermo-Arcane weaponry in the first place. Now that Celestia had left the Crystal Empire, the need to close the Thermo-Arcane gap was more pressing than ever.


Shining Armor zoned out, ignoring the readings being read aloud by the scientists now that their shock had worn off. The stallion walked passed the two Onorussians that had made it all possible, then out the door and out into the snow. He stopped beside the bunker and looked towards the detonation sight. The sky had been cleared by the blast, and through the massive hole in the clouds Shining Armor could see the stars.


“Perhaps it will be a brave new world…” He mumbled. “Or maybe just foolhardy…”
> Chapter 46
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dominic sighed quietly as he looked around his surroundings, there room he sat in was rather small, a light orange coat of paint gave it an all too friendly and sunny appearance, a coffee table was filled with old magazines, and a painting hung on the wall. It depicted a farm, simple enough, but Dominic noticed that the farmer seemed to look very tired, almost sad… Of course, he suspecting it was some sort of mind game, after all, that’s all therapists were about. There was a tiny book case with numerous books on varying subjects, from parenting and friendship to marriage and hostile work environments. Perhaps most annoying of all was the white noise machine set up right next to the comfy leather couch, as if Dominic didn’t have enough of a headache as it was…

Outside the heavy door to the hall were two Lunar Legionaries, unfortunately Luna had gotten to them before Dominic could. She had given them explicit orders not to let him leave the waiting room until his session was over, and Dominic knew that they were very willing to use their tasers if need be. He looked to the other door in the room, the one that lead to the therapist’s office. The man stood up and began pacing back and forth, adjusting his leather jacket and patting down his jeans. Even in the winter he tried to keep things casual, and a rather fashionable black turtleneck hugged his throat just right. There were other things he could’ve been spending his time on, the Crystal Empire for one thing. Queen Cadence, who had finally taken her proper title, had disavowed the entire project, but that was little comfort to Dominic.

As he was about to start biting his nails he heard the door to the therapist’s office open, the man turned to get a good look at his new ‘Shrink’. A changeling mare with her mane done up in a bun and thick rimmed glasses perched on her muzzle. The two of them sized one another up for a brief second.

“Hello!” The changeling said in a chipper tone. “You’re Dominic, right?” She asked, Dominic nodded quietly and rubbed his chin, it was still stubbly. He was considering growing a beard, but that wasn’t important. What struck him as odd was that this mare didn’t seem to recognize him, or maybe she just didn’t want to make him uncomfortable with pomp and circumstance. If that was the case, maybe she wasn’t so bad after all. “I’m Empath, but you can call me Em if you like! Nice to meet you!” Dominic offered his hand, and the mare shook it vigorously. “Please, come in! I’m sorry to have kept you waiting!”

“It’s alright.” Dominic replied simply as he entered the room, unlike the waiting room the office was a nice forest green, with obvious changeling decor, as well as some artifacts from Earth, and even a statue from the Griffon Kingdom placed against a large window that looked out over Canterlot. The midday sun was shining through the glass, there was a desk piled high with papers and folders off in the far corner, a big grey couch against the back wall, and a single pony sized pillow seat on the floor in front of that. “So, do I…?” The man gestured to the couch, Em nodded. Dominic walked to the couch and sat down, relaxing on the oddly comfortable chair while Em grabbed a notepad and pen before sitting on the cushion in front of the couch.

“Do you have any questions before we start?” Em asked, Dominic paused and looked around the room again. There were a couple certificates and diplomas set up over the desk, including a PhD from West Applewood University. Dominic knew that to have the best psychiatric professors in the country, he’d given a speech there four years prior for their graduation. Dominic looked back at Em and cleared his throat, there were some things he was concerned about.

“Are you connected to the hivemind?” Dominic asked cautiously, Em shook her head. “So… Whatever I say here, it stays here?”

“I wouldn’t have been able to get a license if I had stayed connected to the hivemind, everything you say here is between you, me, and the four walls.” Em chirped, Dominic nodded and looked around again, then shrugged and adjusted his coat. “I’m sorry, am I making you nervous, you seem a bit tense.”

“Well… Yes, I mean, no…” Dominic said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck and looking to the side. “You yourself don’t make me nervous, but the fact that I’m sitting in a psychologist’s office is making me nervous.” Em nodded with a look of understanding in her eyes before her horn glowed and her pen clicked, she wrote down a couple notes on her pad of paper. “If you didn’t know already, not the most trusting of ‘psycho analysis’...”

“Your wife mentioned you were worried it would give you a victim complex.” Em said bluntly, Dominic nodded quietly and looked to a table beside the couch. There were a couple desk toys, tissues and a clock… It had only been a minute and he wanted to get out of there, he didn’t want to spend another hour and a half in that room. “Now…” Em picked up a folder and looked through the contents, then stopped and pulled out a piece of paper with writing Dominic couldn’t read from his distance. “I see you took the test I sent, don’t worry, I won’t hold you back a grade!” She joked. “I just wanted to see what sort of personality you have…”

“Lemme guess… Power hungry axe murderer?” Dominic replied sarcastically, Em chuckled faintly as she looked over the paper once again.

“No, no, nothing like that.” She answered, the changeling lowered the page and focused her attention solely on Dominic now. “Your what some people would call a Logician. Obviously, you try to be as logical as you can... Not the best at expressing your feelings, but very passionate despite that.” The mare leaned back in her chair, she adjusted her glasses and sighed. “I won’t lie, you’ve got some serious work cut out for you. If half of what I’ve heard about you is true, you and I are going to be seeing a lot of each other. However, don’t think that makes you some sort of nut or ‘Victim’. It’s just… Logical, considering the sort of mental trauma that comes from this much… Well… Trauma.”

“Right…” Dominic said cautiously, rubbing the back of his neck again and looking towards the window. In the distance he could see the castle, practically even the balcony outside his bedroom, if only he could’ve blinked and transported away. “Where do you want to begin, doc?”

“The beginning, I suppose…” Em said with a shrug, her pen levitating over the pad. “Why don’t you tell me about your earliest memory, was it a good one? A bad one? Somewhere between?” Dominic paused for a moment, thinking back over his life, rubbing his chin in deep thought before finally answering.

“When I first met my wife… Well, before she was my wife.” Dominic said quietly. “We were… At least, in second grade? My mom and her mom were in a yoga class together, they’d drop us off at the playground outside the gym before heading inside for their class.” Em nodded and began writing things down on her paper again, her horn moving the pen while she kept her attention on Dominic. “Man… I hadn’t thought about it, but.. Back then I almost hated her! She always put bugs down my shirt, or stole my seat on the swings…”

“Well, opposites attract.” Em chimed in, Dominic shrugged but Em could sense that there was a bit more of a calmness in his mind. In all honesty, the questions were half to see what sort of foundation he had and half to try and ease him into the idea of having a therapist. “Let’s move a little further into the future, tell me when you first started feeling depressed.” Dominic looked at her with a blank expression. “Maria told me you’ve been depressed since before the outbreak, Dominic… She implied some pretty dark things…”

“Second or third grade…” Dominic said with a bit less confidence than before, his eyes shooting back to the clock. “I don’t know why, just, one day I woke up and felt like shit…” Em’s pen almost lost its magical grip, Em had clients that had been depressed since they were very young, but she had never imagined that… The mare stopped those thoughts, she had to be as objective as possible. “I think it might’ve had something to do with my parents? I don’t want to sound like I’m blaming my parents for anything, but… A happy marriage it was not, at least, not all the time. And my sister and I damn well knew it.”

“Your sister?” Em asked, Dominic nodded. “I didn’t know you had a sister.”

“Well, we weren’t exactly close growing up. She tended to side with mom when there were arguments, I sided with dad.” Dominic admitted, looking at the floor with a bit of guilt in his eyes. “I should’ve been nicer to her, or gotten to know her better, half the time it felt like we were just strangers.” Again, his eyes went to the clock, only ten minutes had passed, it felt as if someone had just made the clock go slower. “Getting back on topic though, yeah… Second or third grade, around the second time they reconciled… That’s when I started feeling ‘Depressed’, or whatever…”

“You disagree?” Em asked, Dominic nodded quickly.

“Everyone gets sad. So I get sad a little more often than others, what’s the big deal?” Dominic said callously, trying to pretend that the question didn’t run pretty deep with him. “I’m literally the leader of the entire world, I have two smoking hot wives, a son that’s smart as a tack, all the money I could ever want, and did I mention I’m the leader of a superpower?” A picture was starting to form for Em, and as she wrote more and more down Dominic found himself launching into a sort of rant. “There are plenty of people who have it worse off than me, why should I be the one sitting here spilling my heart out, huh? I should be paying for them to come see people like you, they’re the ones that need help, not me.”

“When you were fifteen you were going to hang yourself in your closet with a belt.” Em said flatly, Dominic froze and stared at the changeling silently. “Your wife did a little more than imply, actually.” She noticed his body language change, his fingers drumming against the arm of the couch, his eyes darting back and forth, his emotions were sporadic and raw. Uncertainty, panic, and a tiny bit of betrayal… “Now, you say there are plenty of people who need help more than you, but does that mean you’re completely fine?” Dominic kept his eyes glued to the floor. “You said it yourself, you’re in charge of a global superpower. You can’t afford to let your emotions cloud your judgement, especially now that we’re in such trying times.”

“This is going to be a fun hour and a half, isn’t it…?” Dominic said flatly as he leaned back in his seat, Em just shrugged and looked back at her notepad.

“Let’s talk about middle school, did you like your teachers?” Em asked, Dominic sighed and rubbed his temples, knowing fully well that this was going to feel like the longest hour and a half of his life.

[♠]

Rainbow Dash quietly sighed as she sat in her black unmarked police cruiser, it was promotion time and she had been promoted from her position as a K9 officer to a detective. She hadn’t been assigned a partner yet, but she was hoping whoever it was had a bit more experience than she did. Being a detective had always seemed very glamorous, and the pay was far better than a normal beat cop, but she knew the workload would also increase. The mare looked over to her passenger seat and smiled briefly, they had at least let her adopt Hans. The German Shepherd had been re-domesticated, but he still had the glint of a police dog in his eye.

It was a time of many changes for the grizzled veteran officer, for one thing her daughter had been given her commission as an officer after her actions in the New Axis War. What was more, Rainbow Dash and Quibble had moved out of her cloud house. One night Quibble had forgotten to drink his cloud walking potion and nearly fell through the floor, it had been the deciding factor for Rainbow Dash to concede the point that it was time for a new house. As it happened, Detective Dash was driving through town to drop Hans off at the kennel where he was finishing up his domestication training. After that she would go to the station and begin her shift, and then after she had done all that she’d get to go home and see Quibble. Hopefully they’d get to spend some romantic time together.

There was a storm front moving in from the everfree forest, giving the normally sunny day a dreary overcast feeling. Rain fell lazily from the clouds, and a sad jazz song played on the radio of the cruiser. Hans wanted to put his head out the window, but Dash was already getting the car dirty with his shedding fur, she didn’t want to add rain water to the list. The detective hit the blinker, then made a left down one of the city streets. By now Ponyville was the size of Old Denver on Earth, with highrises and skyscrapers that could contend with those in Manehattan.

A good portion of the original residents had moved away, but all of Dash’s friends had remained. Rarity had turned Ponyville into the fashion capital of the world, Applejack and the farmers had made it clear that they didn’t want any expansion towards them. Unfortunately, that meant that expanding into the Whitetail Woods. Fluttershy had been brought in numerous times on public nuisance charges for protests where she obstructed workers clearing trees, something that Rainbow Dash had come to regret.  Pinkie Pie had become the manager of the Cakes second bakery, and Twilight… Well… Twilight had become a bit of a local hero with her impassioned speeches as a member of the Onorussian Congress.

Rainbow Dash sighed again, Hans looked over from his seat and gave her a nuzzle. The mare didn’t mind the companionship, it helped to take the edge off. It felt like a long time since Ponyville had been an innocent small hamlet, and yet over the course of nearly a decade the little town had become a bustling urban center. The world had been different all those years ago, the world seemed so much bigger, so full of mystery and wonder. Mainstreet didn’t feel like mainstreet anymore, and the bright neon lights shined a lot brighter than the quaint little lanterns that had once hung in the streets. Rainbow couldn’t help but wonder if maybe she had made a horrible decision all those years ago, when she had defected and told of Celestia’s plans.

The mare slowed to a stop at a stop light, watching as more cars drove past in the other lanes. If she hadn’t defected, if she had just kept her mouth shut, Ponyville might have stayed a quiet little village, Scootaloo’s parents wouldn’t have been arrested, and maybe the wars wouldn’t have been so bloody. At the same time, if she hadn’t gone over to the other side, she would never have met her husband, she never would’ve had all the joyous memories she had shared with Scootaloo, and there might have been just as much bloodshed on Earth because they had never been contacted.

It was an odd moral tightrope that Rainbow Dash found herself constantly walking back and forth, as she pulled into the parking lot of the kennels the mare did her best to shove those thoughts into the back of her mind. Dash parked the car and got out, grabbing Hans’ leash from the glove compartment before walking around to his side of the car and letting the dog out. She hooked his leash to the leather collar around his neck and walked with him to the front door. The building was unassuming, but it did have the emblem of the Ponyville Police Department on the front door. Rainbow Dash pushed the door open and walked in with Hans, the dog began sniffing around the area as he was walked to the front desk.

“Detective! Good to see you again!” The young man behind the desk said in a cheerful voice, he wore a police cadet’s uniform. Most of the time the kennel was run by cadets, supervised by senior officers, to help familiarize them with the workings of a police station. “Is Hans ready for his training session today?”

“Sure is.” Rainbow Dash replied before looking down at Hans, the dog was sitting beside her and looking up with his head tilted to one side. “You be good, okay?” Hans barked quietly and hopped up, licking Dash’s face. The mare giggled for a second before pushing him back down. “I’ll see you soon!” Dash looked to the desk clerk and nodded, the clerk came around the desk and took hold of Hans’ collar. “See you soon!” With that she moved outside and made her way to the cruiser, she climbed in and secured her belt before reaching over and turning on the police radio. The mare began driving back through town, towards her precinct. She had been assigned to the homicide desk, a part of the precinct that had a reputation for having a low caseload.

It didn’t take Rainbow Dash long to get to the precinct, she parked on the side of the brick building beside numerous other squad cars. After a couple seconds she turned off the car and stepped out, locking the doors before making her way to the front door. She didn’t dilly dally out in the cold air of the city, pushing her way in and signing in with the desk clerk. The mare adjusted her coat, the black wool jacket had helped to shield her from the wind. She ascended the steps, passing numerous posters about safety and protocol, as well as a couple wanted posters that had become the targets of numerous darts. Finally Rainbow Dash reached the third floor of the precinct, the large single room space had six desks set out in various locations, with an office to the side for the captain and a door that lead to the interrogation rooms and holding cells.

Rainbow Dash hung her coat on the coat rack near the door before trotting towards her desk, immediately she noticed that there was an empty box on the desk next to hers. Seeing as she was a detective her natural instinct to snoop got the better of her, she looked at the desk a bit more closer and noted that it now also had pens, pencils, a mailbox and even a name tag. Rainbow was about to stand and get a better look, but stopped as an odd sound echoed through the normally quiet office. A haunting harmonica, which was soon accompanied by the sound of hooves against the floor. Rainbow Dash looked up and spotted an Earth Pony leaning against the door into the office area, wearing an old leather duster and a stetson pulled down over his eyes. He looked oddly familiar, though there were scars where ever Rainbow could see exposed fur.

The stallion continued playing the haunting sounding harmonica as he slowly made his way over to the desk, until finally he set the instrument down next to the empty box. Then to Rainbow Dash’s surprise, the stallion removed his hat. The mare gasped in slight surprise as a stallion with a scar on his cheek turned to look at her, he was grizzled and looked like he belonged in some sort of Spaghetti Western, he also looked familiar. The stallion continued to remove his jacket, hanging it on the back of his chair. That was when the identity of the stallion clicked.

“B-Braeburn?” Rainbow Dash asked with a bit of surprise, the stallion maintained a flinty look in his eyes. Rainbow noted that he had a gunbelt that was far different from her ‘modern’ style, it too was leather with a winding sort of pattern. A revolver was holstered there, a far cry from Rainbow Dash’s Glock. “Wh-... You’re alive?”

“Seems that way…” Braeburn said in his gravelly voice as he sat down in the chair at the desk and looked over his space, he moved the empty box to the floor. “Miss Dash, seems you're alive as well.” Rainbow Dash nodded, recomposing herself in the presence of the grizzled law pony that seemed to have been transferred to her office. There were a couple other ponies in the room, some were getting coffee or working at their desks, but all had stopped to look at the two ponies that had just come in. It didn’t take long for the office of the captain to open.

“Alright, back to work.” The captain ordered, he was a tall Diamond Dog by the name of Rosco, and he had been on the force of law since the Diamond Dog confederacy had joined the New American’s a decade ago. “Dash, I see you’ve met your new partner. He’s been transferred here out of Appleloosa, so play nice.”

“I’ve met him before, Captain.” Rainbow Dash replied, Rosco hummed for a second before he nodded. “Nice to see you again, Braeburn.”

“Likewise.” The stallion replied simply as he leaned back in his seat, Rosco seemed to take that to mean that everything was going alright. The Diamond Dog, who happened to look a bit like a bloodhound, returned to his office and closed the door. “So, how’ve you been, Dash? With the war on and all, could’a swore you’d’ve reenlisted.”

“Oh, I’ve been fine… My daughter’s in the army already though, didn’t want to leave my husband alone.” Rainbow Dash replied promptly as she looked to her own desk. Unlike Braeburns hers had a couple photos on the edges as well as a glass case that held her good conduct medal with a clasp, something that only an enlisted mare could get. It also had a couple sealed envelopes in the ‘Out Box’, she was hoping that nothing would come ‘In’. Her day was normally quiet, even with the town getting so large. “She was the one that found the Imperatrix.”

“Ah…” Braeburn nodded simply, the two lapsed into a sort of quiet uncertainty, at least for Rainbow Dash it was uncertainty. Braeburn on the other hand had a poker face that could give the Imperator and his stony exterior a run for his money. Just as she was about to say something, the phone beside her began to ring. The mare sighed and picked it up, pressing the receiver against her ear.

“Dash. Homicide.” She said in a professional tone, Braeburn watched as she took notes down on a piece of paper. “Eighty eight… West… Plaza… How many bodies?” There was another pause and Rainbow Dash wrote a number down on the paper. “Alright… We’ll be right over.” Dash hung up the phone and looked over the paper, then got up out of her chair and walked to the door to Rosco’s office. Braeburn watched her lean her head in, there were a few words exchanged before Dash returned and began walking towards the coat rack. “Picked a helluva day to start, Braeburn. Double homicide down on West Plaza.” Braeburn stood up and donned his coat, then his hat, before following Rainbow Dash to the door. Truly it was going to be an interesting day for both of them, Dash just hoped Braeburn was up to the task.

[♠]

Altair sighed quietly as he sat in the classroom, looking out the window as storm clouds were starting to roll in. The clock on the wall indicated that it was two o’clock, he had another hour to go before he could go home. It was study period though, which was nice for him since he had finished his homework during class. The other students were doing their work in silence, but Altair was staring up at the sky as a pair of fighter jets zoomed past bound for the west coast. The boy opened his notebook and began sketching, at first he wasn’t really paying attention to what he was doodling, but soon enough he found himself drawing his mom.

He couldn’t wrap his head around why she had done what she’d done, despite what his parents had told him he still couldn’t believe that his mom had done something so dangerous because she thought that it would protect him. The boy stared at his sketch for a second, he felt awful thinking that something could’ve happened to his mom because of him. They kept telling him it wasn’t his fault, but the boy didn’t believe them, he knew they told him stories to try and protect him. Altair felt his heart racing as he remembered the feeling of the soldiers holding him back while the truck was driving away, the helplessness that had permeated his heart when he knew there was nothing he could do to help his mommy…

Altair turned to a different page in his notebook, once again he began sketching, his emotions switching to ones of anger. His lines were darker, more intense than before, the eight year old imagined himself as some sort of soldier. Like his father, or his heroes on the television and in the movies. Even for someone of his age he was adept at drawing, and it didn’t take him long to draw a simple looking soldier. Altair began to add a bit more detail, but soon felt a presence looming next to him. He looked over and noted that it was a familiar minotaur, the students were allowed to visit different teacher’s rooms for homework help and it seemed that Lars had slipped in under that pretense.

Mrs. Ramsey was busy with other students in the back of the room, and hadn’t noticed Lar’s presence. Altair noticed though, and he felt his grip on his pencil loosen as he and Lars sized one another up. Altair narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists, his expression souring even more than it already was. Lars’ expression shifted to one of surprise, it seemed that he hadn’t expected the angry look in his normal victim’s eyes. Lars was about to say something, but he recalled the painful blows he had taken during the last altercation with Altair. What was more, he was on his own. They would be one on one, and it was likely whoever landed the first hit would be the winner as the teacher would intervene.

“What did you get for number fifteen on the vocabulary?” Lars finally asked in a surprisingly nervous tone, Altair stared at him for a couple seconds before he reached down to his bag and removed his finished homework. The boy flipped a couple pages before setting the paper down on the desk without a word, pointing his finger simply at Number Fifteen. Lars looked at the answer for a couple seconds before Altair closed the packet and set it aside. “Hey! I didn’t-” Lars began to protest, but froze as he saw Altair roll his neck which elicited several popping noise. “I… I didn’t get to thank you for the help.”

Altair quietly nodded, then gave a dismissive wave of his hand. The minotaur began walking away, tugging at the collar of his shirt nervously. Meanwhile the son of the Imperator leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers watching Lars walk away, Sofia looked over from her seat with a bit of surprise.

“Holy crow, Alley Cat… H-He just….” She said, Altair nodded quietly as he closed his notebook, the boy reached to his homework packet again and opened it again, looking over number fifteen for a couple seconds. “What was the answer?”

“Imperator.” Altair said plainly as he went back to steepling his fingers, the sound of thunder in the distance echoed as it began to rain. The boy never took his eyes off of Lars until the minotaur had exited the classroom, Sofia didn’t seem to notice as she wrote in the answer. Altair couldn’t understand what he was feeling at the moment, for the first time Lars had backed down from an opportunity to pick on him. For the first time it seemed that Lars had learned not to test the son of the Imperator, and it felt so very good to know that his mortal enemy had capitulated at the thought of another altercation. On an unrelated note, Altair was glad that they had been focussing so heavily on vocabulary, as he enjoyed being able to expand his vernacular.

Altair went back to his sketch, adding something else to the sketch of the soldier that he had drawn. It was something that he saw his father wear on his uniform, a gold elongated hexagon with a red gem in the center, pinned to his collar. It was something that Altair had been told was meant for the leader of the Onorussian Republic. The boy finished adding the hexagon to the collar of the soldier’s uniform. The time passed quickly until there was only half an hour left until the end of school. 

By that point Altair had packed all of his belongings and was waiting patiently for the time to run out, Sofia had finished her homework as well and was messing with her pencils and pens. Altair’s attention turned to Ozzy, the griffon was staring out the window as the rain continued to fall. The boy assumed that his mom was probably waiting for him outside by now, he hoped so, he couldn’t wait to get out of the dingy classroom and back to seeing his mom again. The teacher was getting ready for class to be other, sending her group of students back to their seats while she made her way to the front of the class.

“Alright, Class. Tomorrow we’re going to be having a test on history. Don’t worry, it’s nothing big, just something to let me see where you all are.” Mrs. Ramsey said, Altair watched her as she wrote a couple things down on the whiteboard. “Now, we’re going to finish up class today with a little movie, but first I have a special person I want you to meet!” Altair raised an eyebrow as the teacher looked to the door to the classroom. “We’re ready for you, Mister Conelrad.” The class watched as a man entered, he wore a long coat with an armband that read ‘CD’ in a blue elongated hexagon. He had a warm smile on his face, and his  brown hair was cut with a flat top and flecks of grey were biting at the edges. He had fierce blue eyes, and he looked just about as old as Uncle Putin.

“Howdy, kids!” He said as he reached the center of the room while Mrs. Ramsey went back to her seat. “I’m Mister Conelrad, your friendly neighborhood safety officer! It’s my job to make sure you all know what to do in the case of a big emergency.” Altair and the others looked at him with a bit of surprise, but nonetheless they were all paying attention now. “Now, how many of you know what a Thermo-Arcane weapon is?” Altair lifted his hand, as well as a couple of the kids through the room. “Very good, go ahead and lower your hands. Well, for those of you that don’t know, a Thermo-Arcane weapon is a big bomb. It can make a big explosion and can hurt a lot of people, and so we’ve all got to be ready, just in case it’s ever used against us.”

The man began walking through the aisles of desks, his boots softly tapping against the floor while he examined the students.

“I’m an agent of the Onorussian Office of Civil Defense, and it’s my job to get you ready. Can any of you tell me what to do if you see a bright flash in the distance? I don’t mean like a teleportation flash or a firework, something much brighter than those.” The man continued as he moved back towards the front of the room, Altair’s hand was the first and only to go into the air. “Yes, young man?”

“Get under your desk and cover as much exposed skin as possible.” Altair replied, the man nodded and seemed genuinely impressed.

“Very good, very good indeed.” Mister Conelrad stated before he turned to address the rest of the class. “Thermo-Arcane weapons make a lot of heat, and they can give you a very bad burn if you aren’t covered up. That’s why it’s important to learn how to do something we call ‘Duck and Cover!’.” The other kids all seemed a bit nervous now that they knew they could get hurt, but Mister Conelrad’s cheery demeanor put them mostly at ease. Altair didn’t understand why he had to sit through the presentation though, he knew all about how to protect himself. “We’re going to watch a little film now, it’s an old one but a good one, I hope you’ll bear with us. This will teach you more about Duck and Cover, and it will give you other helpful tips on how to be prepared for if the bomb drops.”

Altair leaned back in his seat as a couple AV students pushed a TV into the room before turning off the lights, they turned on the screen and put a VHS tape into the VCR hooked up beneath the television. Sure enough Altair was greeted by a familiar looking turtle as a happy song played in the background, he wondered if the other children had already seen it though. Judging by their reactions he guessed not. At least it would be a fun way to pass the remaining time in school.
> Chapter 47
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Atlantic Ocean was something that Eugene had never expected to see as an Onorussian Naval Officer, he had been convinced that he would serve exclusively in the North and South Luna Seas. However, now that the war at sea was over the distinguished captain and his submarine had been reassigned to Operation: Big Ben. His submarine was part of a pod of patrol subs that would accompany the carrier group and scout ahead for signs of activity ahead of the assault force. 


There was no sugar coating it, the Onorussians were landing on the British Isles. Eugene didn’t have any reservations about it, years of serving with the Onorussian military had taught him that some measures had to be taken that were morally questionable for the good of Onorus. After all, that was the official motto of the republic. ‘Onorus prima! Onorus in Gloria!’ Which translated to ‘Onorus First! Onorus in Glory!’. Those that couldn’t handle that reality were either naive, stupid, or a mixture of the two.


As the man stood atop the conning tower of his submarine he felt the salty spray of the water against his bearded face. Eugene’s hands rested on the railing, the gold of his wedding band and class ring glinting in the sun, in the distance he could see the shore line of Britain. So far neither his submarine or any of the other scout packs had encountered signs of life in the form of naval activity of any kind. Of course, the subs had far better range than Onorussian scout fighters, so air contact had yet to be determined. It was for that reason that he was running on the surface, no naval activity mean no need for hiding and allowed for better fuel economy.


Eugene looked to the sky as his sub cut through the water on its way towards the British coastline, in the faint distance, just over the sound of the ocean. He could make out a sound he hadn’t heard before, the captain looked around the conning tower before settling his gaze at his other watch officer. The two of them seemed to have noticed the same noise, both of them turning their eyes skyward. It sounded like jet engines, getting much closer, and the pitch was far too high for it to be a Phantom or Thunder Chief. Eugene didn’t like the idea of being exposed on the surface, but his orders were to make contact with any native inhabitants… Reluctantly he withheld the order to dive.


“Captain… It’s too low to be a civilian aircraft.” The Watch Officer said as the two of them focused their attention on a bank of clouds in the distance. “No howl… Not a Vulcan.” Eugene nodded cautiously, rubbing his beard as he continued watching the heavens. “Flight plan didn’t indicate any of our planes would be out this way, not even the AWACS.”


“Which leaves one conclusion…” Eugene muttered before walking to the hatch that lead down into the bridge, he cleared his throat. “Ahead flank!” There was a call of confirmation from below and the submarine began cutting even faster through the foam and spray. “That aircraft isn’t one of ours. Give the order to be ready to dive at a moment’s notice, I will remain here and keep an eye out.” The Watch Officer nodded and climbed down into the hatch, leaving Eugene on his own.


The engines flew closer and closer, Eugene could feel his heart beating faster in his chest as he picked up his binoculars and looked to the clouds. The breeze against his PEA Coat was blunted by the wool, giving him more attention to focus on the source of the sound. It was with sudden speed that the source appeared, a fast moving jet with British markings on the wings. Eugene lowered the binoculars, watching the jet zoom overhead. The captain narrowed his eyes as the aircraft turned and circled around, it was at that point that he realized it was a Harrier. More importantly, he could identify it as a Sea Harrier with Naval Markings.


The jump jet began to slow, and Eugene could see it angling itself into a VTOL configuration. The pilot moved the hovering aircraft closer to the submarine that was steaming towards the coast at blistering speed, the pilot looking in surprise at the design. An old German U-Boat had no business existing, and yet it was right there in front of him. However, the pilot noted the purple-ish blue flag with an elongated silver hexagon painted on the conning tower. As he radioed in the strange sighting he saw the lone man on the tower hurry down into the sub, the submarine began to dive beneath the waves with urgent speed.


It was at that point that the Jump Jet Pilot became aware of five radar contacts coming from the Western Atlantic, as well as numerous surface contacts. From the looks of things, there was an entire fleet of ships out there, making their way towards the British coast. The pilot was curious, certainly, but he had only been out on a routine patrol. He hadn’t expected to encounter an unknown submarine, or dozens of ships and jet fighters.


”Attention Unidentified Aircraft! This is the ONV Independance. Identify yourself.” An authoritative woman’s voice announced over the radio. The pilot of the jump jet didn’t feel like finding out just who was on the horizon, but as he switched back into regular flight mode he spotted five fast moving specks emerging from a cloud. Five F4 Phantoms turned towards his aircraft, though no alarms signaled that they had locked onto him. The planes quickly formed up on either side of the jump jet, giving the pilot a chance to see the silver elongated hexagon painted on their tails and wings.


The pilot of the harrier looked around his aircraft for a place he could possibly escape, the five F4s had cut off pretty much every avenue of retreat. On the Ocean below there were more signs of activity, the ships finally began to become visible. A massive fleet of warships, all of them bearing the flag that the pilot had seen on the submarine. From carriers to destroyers to even a couple battleships, and what was more, the pilot could see the ships coming about while some began to lower what looked like landing craft into the water. There could be no mistake about it, someone was landing on the shores of Great Britain, but the pilot knew that it would not happen uncontested. Already the alarm was being sounded among the British Militias and Army units along the coast, whoever was landing would be in for a helluva fight. 


Onboard one of the landing craft below, Colonel Hinkman and his men were waiting with baited breath for the chance to storm the beaches. They were loaded in their armored humvees, ready to roll ashore as soon as the front gate dropped. Tanks and other vehicles were loaded in various other landing craft, every soldier knew they were charging into unknown territory, as recon flights had proved to be inconclusive about the strength of other opposing forces. They reached the beaches without incident, the gates dropped, and the landings began. Hinkman gave the signal to his driver to roll out, the humvee’s engine rumbled as it roared to life and pushed the vehicle down the ramp and onto the sandy shores of England. A brand new chapter in the glorious history of the Republic had begun.


[♠]


Dominic sat in his arm chair, the morning light washing over the city of Canterlot, bags under his bloodshot, exhausted eyes. Another night had gone by, another night of watching the lights of distant cars and trains in the streets and distant hills. The man’s eyes briefly flicked to the revolver resting in his hand on the armrest. Salty tear stains remained on his cheeks, as usual, another night of silent contemplation. Luna and Maria were no more than five feet away, and yet he had never felt more alone in his life. The Republic was certain to stand, the people were happy, technology was booming. Dominic had a lot to be proud of, a lot to be happy about, but that didn’t seem to matter… He still felt miserable.


He knew it wasn’t rational, there was no logic to the soul crushing depression that weighed on his shoulders every day of his miserable life. It was a little genetic curse he had inherited from his father, as he had found out after numerous sessions with Em. Clinical Depression, of all the things that he couldn’t beat, it was ironic that it was his own sick brain. What was more, it was likely he had passed it on to his own son as well, that was the real kicker. His son was so happy and naive, and Dominic knew he would eventually grow up to be just as miserable and depressed as his father. The man sighed and stood from his seat, walking to his bedside table and tucking his revolver back into the drawer. Wordlessly he climbed onto the bed, laying down between Luna and Maria, closing his eyes and pretending to sleep.


Of course, it didn’t fool Luna for a second. The mare opened her eyes almost immediately and stared at Dominic, noting how he seemed to curl up on himself, as if closing himself off from the entire world. It was behavior she hadn’t seen since Dominic had first appeared in Equestria, the emotional wall it had taken so long to dismantle was gradually going back up. His back was to her, she could see the slow rise and fall of his chest occasionally be interrupted by him fidgeting. Luna quietly extended her wing over her husband, the man froze as the warm feathery blanket made contact. He wore only a t-shirt and boxers, and unlike Luna and Maria, hadn’t gotten under the covers. Now that the wing was there, he felt a bit safer, but he also knew that Luna was aware he was very much awake.


“Dominic…” Luna said quietly, the man quietly rolled over to look at her. She felt a pang of strong emotion run through her as she saw the bloodshot eyes that stared back at her. “You know you can’t keep going on like this…”


“I know…” Dominic mumbled as he curled up a bit more under Luna’s wing. “I’m trying, Luna. I really am, but…” The alicorn leaned over and nuzzled her husband’s cheek, afterwards she pulled back and looked back into his tired eyes.


“I want you to rest and meditate today.” Luna said in her stern but loving tone, Dominic began to shake his head. “I will handle things when it comes to the landings on Terra, you are in no condition to take up that burden today.” Dominic was about to protest, but stopped himself and instead moved to put himself under the covers. Luna meanwhile climbed out of the bed and levitated both her crown and regalia to her body, one addition to her regalia since the founding of the Republic was a red sash that she wore around her barrel.


The mare walked to her mirror and straightened her crown, it always seemed to lean to one side or the other unless she took express care to adjust it in the morning. Dominic watched her from the bed before he closed his eyes and rolled back over, it didn’t take him long to fall back to sleep. It was just as restless as ever, he didn’t dream or even think, he was just dead to the world. During his period of rest Maria woke and went about her own business, but Dominic remained right where his head had hit the pillow. Morning light gradually turned to midday sun, and it was only when a ray of light hit Dominic’s face that the man opened his eyes and looked around.


As expected, the room was completely empty. Dominic tiredly rolled out of the bed and stood up, rubbing his tired eyes as he went about his daily routine, starting with the bathroom and a shower and ending with him putting on his clothes. Dominic decided to forgo his uniform and instead donned one of the training robes he kept in his closet, the smooth fabric against his skin felt quite nice, he had almost forgotten what it felt like to wear comfortable clothes. The man tightened the belt of his robe and made his way to the door, quietly he stepped out into the hallway and nodded to the guards outside his door.


The man made his way through the halls, past doorways and down winding stair cases, until finally he had somehow ended up in the gardens. In the winter it was still beautiful, Luna had had trees from earth planted near her greenhouse. Cherry blossoms were her favorite, and Dominic could understand why, even in winter they were lovely marvels to look at. Dominic stared at them for a couple minutes before making his way to the greenhouse, once inside it was like he had entered an entirely different world. The cold of winter was replaced by the comfortable warmth of the greenhouse, plants of varrying types were strewn about, and as usual the sound of running water near Luna’s Koi pond was soothing. Wooden training swords were set on a rack near the wall, but Dominic didn’t pay them any mind. He approached the center of the room, at the edge of the pond, and sat down on the floor.


Wordlessly he adjusted his position until he was good and proper, Dominic stared at the pond in quiet thought. He saw the fish swimming around at their own pace, the white and orange stripes on their bodies reflecting softly in the light. Dominic felt a ghost of a smile dance on his face for a moment or two, remembering the times that he, Maria, and Luna had all shared in the quaint little green house. The man closed his eyes and let out a long sigh, he adjusted his hands and focussed on the sound of running water and only that sound. His breath slowed down, the weight on his shoulders seemed to lift. Sitting there in that quiet untouched room, it felt as if a great fog had been blown away, every thought was crisp and clear, it moved with the speed of lightening. It was something he had never experienced before, flashes of things and faces he had never seen in his life.


In a flash of light, Dominic felt as if he had been transported countless millions of miles. Surrounded by a white empty void, he had only experienced such a sensation when he joined his dreams with Luna. The feel of the robe against his skin was so odd, so strange, so different from what he was used to. In the great void, Dominic felt more at peace than he ever had in his life, as if every problem had solved itself, as if he was safe and sound somewhere far far away. The man felt himself standing, rather than sitting, he began to walk in a random direction. A sense of uncertainty filled his heart, but it was quickly suppressed by the white void. Dominic walked, time seemed to drag on, and he wasn’t even sure he was going anywhere.


Then, the void was completely replaced by a massive field of tall green grass, cherry blossoms floated on the wind like snow. In the distance, shrouded in mist and covered with moss, was a massive stone structure. The air was humid, the sky was overcast, and a soft breeze blew across Dominic’s cheek. The man felt drawn to the structure, something about it called out to his very soul, wrapping gently around his heart and guiding it forward. Dominic approached the massive structure, it was in disrepair, but Dominic could see familiar tattered banners staked in the ground. They were Ancient Changeling Flags, he could tell by the colors and age. Dominic ascended the steps of the large structure, which now appeared to be some sort of temple, his heart still guided by that odd sensation in his chest.


He stopped after passing the first pillars, the sensation had vanished, leaving him uncertain once more. From within the structure came the sound of numerous footsteps, but they all came to a halt. Three sets set themselves apart, Dominic watched the inside of the dark Changeling Temple cautiously, until three figures emerged. Dominic recognized only one of them, and he was surprised at just who it was.


“F-Father…?” He said in shock, his father was standing on the right in full battle dress. The others were similar, on the far left was a soldier wearing armor of a Roman Centurion, and in the center was a young man who looked like he had stepped out of a World War One movie. Dominic stared at the three of them, all three of them stared back at him. Out of nowhere the warrior on the left drew his sword and wordlessly charged forward, Dominic ducked to the side and caught the man with his shoulder. He used his momentum to help lift the Centurion, with a loud shout he slammed him to the ground.


Dominic’s eyes snapped open, he was still sitting in the greenhouse in front of the pond, the sound of running water was all that he could hear. The man sighed softly and closed his eyes once more, hoping to plunge himself back into meditation.


[♠]


Jack grunted quietly as he took several steps down the hallway, his treatment had gone along far better than they had planned and he was finally ready to go home. He was dressed in his uniform, he limped along with a cane made of hickory and topped with the silver head of an eagle. Tig was standing right beside him as he slowly made his way to the front door, while his doctors followed behind with annoyed expressions. They were pushing an empty wheelchair, one that had been intended for the stubborn colonel, but of course he refused to use it. He was determined to walk out of the hospital on his own two feet.


Word was spreading that the famed ‘Ace of Spades’ was leaving, Jack noticed more than a few members of the the hospital staff were beginning to line the halls, as well as more wounded troops. Ahead of him he could see the door to the outside, the bright sunlight was shining through the glass and bathing the floor in a warm glow. Jack looked to his fellow wounded warriors, they were all watching with surprise and respect as the Colonel soldiered on. He was short a finger and a couple toes, his skin was badly scarred, and he occasionally wheezed, but he was going home. It gave a lot of the wounded hope that they too would be going home, and Jack could see that in their eyes.


He held his head high, gaining a look of determination as he approached the front desk, the nurses there had already filled out his paperwork for him and were waiting for him when he arrived. Jack leaned against the desk and picked up a pen, silently he put pen to paper and signed his name. It was a firm and steady pen stroke, and once he had finished he turned to the door and once again began to walk. The man stopped at the door and quietly reached out his hand, missing his pinkie finger, and pushed the door open. The sound of the city outside greeted his ears as he hobbled out of the hospital, looking over his shoulder for a brief moment at the others. Tig held the door for him as he walked further from the hospital, she gave a brief thanks to the doctor before going to join the man.


“So nice to be out of there…” Jack said in his raspy voice, a slight smile gracing his lips. Tig nodded and smiled as well, looking at the buildings around them. He had been transfered to Ponyville General for the last bit of his treatment, and it was nice to see the old stomping ground was just as he remembered it. “How’s about we go get some lunch?” Tig was surprised by that, looking at the man with a raised eyebrow.


“Are you sure? I would’ve thought you’d want to head home and rest.” Tig responded, Jack just shook his head and walked to the sidewalk and watching a couple of the taxis going by.


“Three months of eating hospital food and shitty mint jello just came to an end, I need a cheeseburger, and I need it now.” Jack said with a slight smirk, Tig could see the spark of life had returned to his eyes. The mare smiled and nodded.


“Alright, ya big lug. With bacon?” Tig asked, Jack shook his head and looked at her.


“Nah, no more pork for me… I made a couple promises to a certain fellow upstairs, I intend to keep them.” Jack said as he held out his hand to hail a cab while leaning against his cane, Tig supposed she could understand his reasoning. He hadn’t been the most devout Jew before his accident, and considering his rather speedy recovery, she supposed it could be considered an act of divine intervention. It didn’t take long for a cab to pull over, Tig stepped forward and opened the door for Jack, allowing him the time he needed to limp over and climb into the back. Tig climbed in after him and closed the door.


“Where to, bud?” Asked the man behind the wheel of the cab, he looked back and did a double take at the numerous scars that lined Jack’s face.


“Big Bubba’s Bar and Grill on Spur Street.” Jack said as he adjusted his can and removed his peaked cap, the driver nodded and began the fare. His double take hadn’t gone unnoticed by Jack or Tig, Jack supposed that was something else he’d have to get to used to. It was unusually quiet for a cab ride, but Jack was thankful for it. He didn’t think he could stand any more small talk or questions about how he was doing. The day was shaping up to be one of mixed emotions, he was happy to be going home, but couldn’t help feeling upset at how differently people looked at him after his crash. At least Tig didn’t view him differently, at least, as far as he could tell. Just another testament to how much she cared about him, and just another reason that he loved her so much.


It was likely he would be getting his newest orders soon, he had declined a discharge, as the possibility of him being able to fly again was still on the table. He would only need the cane for the next couple months of rehabilitation, then he could get back into the pilot’s seat. Of course, it was likely the Air Force had other plans. He could end up in charge of an air base sitting behind a desk, though he hoped that if anything he would be able to train pilots. First things first though, he needed to get himself something to eat. The man sighed softly and continued watching the buildings going by, Jack could only hope the day would get better.


[♠]


Chrysalis sipped her tea quietly as she looked out over the city of Metamo, the capital of the Changeling Autonomous Region. Traditional changeling architecture was spread out in all directions, and the flags of the Changeling Kingdom flew beside the banners of the Onorussian republic. Her place of residence was a palace that had been constructed in very similar fashion to those of the Ancient Japanese, and currently she was resting on a balcony on the second floor. The coast in the distance still bore the scars of the Axis War, destroyed Caribou ships were still beached, having yet to be dismantled or repurposed.


It had been a difficult day for the Queen, she had been forced to deal with a couple other Changeling hives that had yet to fully accept integration into Onorus. All in all, things had worked out for the best though. Now she was enjoying a chance to have some tea and close her eyes in thought, her mind began to drift towards her daughter. Mizu had grown into her body very well over the ten years it had been since the Changeling-American war, already there were plenty of changelings and ponies alike that wished to be her suitor. Oddly enough, her daughter had turned all of them down, and Chrysalis had an idea about why that was.


Her daughter was a bit of a romantic, and she had long carried a torch for the head of the Onorussian weapons development program, a thestral named Fortress Wall. The Queen could only hope that Mizu would move on sooner or later, as Chrysalis knew that ruling alone was a very lonely and unfulfilling prospect. The mare adjusted her mane as she sipped more of her tea, looking at the snow covered city out ahead of her while her steamy breath was carried away on the breeze. The calm of it all prompted a smile on the Queen’s face, it was as if she were staring out at a beautiful postcard. Of course, that peace was not to last, as she soon sensed a presence approaching. The emotions were that of a human, she could tell because they felt dulled and muffled.


The door to the balcony slid open, prompting the Queen to look over with a raised eyebrow. There was indeed a man standing there, dressed in the armor of the Queen’s guard, which was very similar to those of the samurai. The man bowed briefly before approaching, holding a scroll in his hand.


“Your highness. This has come for you from Canterlot.” The guard said as he offered the paper to Chrysalis, the mare set her tea down and took the scroll. She unfurled the scroll and chuckled softly as she recognized the rather abysmal handwriting that could only come from the desk of the Imperator. Her eyes ran over the letter quietly, and as they did, she felt a bit of an odd sensation in the back of her throat. The message spoke of an experience while in meditation, the Imperator had witnessed a great Changeling temple, inside it sounded as though there hundreds or thousands of people were waiting in the wings, but only three came forward… Among them was the Imperator’s father.


“Contact my daughter at once, please inform her to come here.” Chrysalis said, the guard gave another nod and walked away. The Queen looked back to the letter, reading over it again and again. Her tea began to go cold in the chilly air, but Chrysalis was far more interested in the letter than the tea. It took Mizu only fifteen minutes to arrive, but Chrysalis was certain she had read the letter a dozen times over. The young Changeling Heir stepped out onto the balcony with her mother, appearing rather nervous, normally her mother came to get her directly.


“Mother.” Mizu said as she approached Chrysalis’ side, the Queen looked over at her and lowered the letter. “The guard said it was quite urgent, is something wrong? Have the hives rebelled?”


“No… Nothing so urgent.” Chrysalis said quietly, the wind picking up in speed. “In your time of meditation, have you experienced a vision of an ancient temple…” Mizu paused for a moment, appearing rather nervous. After several seconds of hesitation the heir nodded her head.


“Yes, mother. A week ago… You were there, as were two other queens I didn’t recognize. We were… Playing that human game. Mojang, I think.” Mizu admitted, Chrysalis stood from her seat and approached her daughter. “W-Why? Is it a bad omen?”


“No, my child.” Chrysalis said softly, approaching the edge of the balcony and leaning against the railing. “It means that you must go on a journey, to the place where all life springs from.” Mizu raised an eyebrow and followed her mother’s lead, moving to the edge of the balcony. “This world is unique, unlike Terra, we know that those who created our planet are still watching over us. When all life began eons ago, it was in one valley far to the south, a place where the species and cultures of our world once lived in harmony.” Chrysalis looked to her daughter. “It was there we constructed our first temples and honed our ability to change shape. It is said that at one point we were so in tune with our abilities that we could become inanimate objects or even create shapes at random…”


“What does this have to do with my vision, mother?” Mizu asked with a bit of uncertainty in her voice, wondering why she had never been told of this place. Chrysalis sighed and adjusted her mane, the wind once again blowing a bit of it into her eyes.


“As Queens, we have access to all of the hivemind… And for those who are worthy, we can access the memories and even minds of those that have long since passed.” Chrysalis looked over to Mizu and smiled softly. “The creators of this world tell us we are worthy by way of a vision, in which we meet the first Queen, her Heir, and our mother… What is done in this vision varies, from what my mother told me. I was never worthy of such a vision.”


“I… I…” Mizu looked very overwhelmed. “T-Then how did you know I had had one? Surely there must have been some sign.” Chrysalis shook her head and gestured to the letter resting next to her seat and her tea. “A letter? The gods sent you a letter?”


“The Imperator sent me a letter, asking for my guidance.” Chrysalis said as she looked back to Mizu. “He too has had a vision, though it has varied from ours. In his vision, he met his father and the first in his family line, as well as a third that could not be the firsts heir… The first in his family challenged him to combat.” The Queen watched as snowflakes began to fall from the sky, dancing about in the cold winter air. “These visions indicate that a great journey must be undertook, a journey to the source of all life.” Chrysalis looked over to Mizu, her eyes tearing up as she leaned down and gave her daughter a hug. “You have surpassed me, my child… You and the Imperator must undergo this journey together, when you return… You will succeed me.”


“B-But… But mother… I… I’m not ready!” Mizu said nervously, Chrysalis eased off of her embrace and looked her daughter in the eyes.


“You will be…” The Queen said softly. “You must go and prepare, I will send word of what must be done to the Imperator… With any luck you will be able to leave tomorrow.” Mizu hesitated for several moments, but Chrysalis was still her mother, and so she reluctantly complied. Chrysalis watched her daughter leave before her horn glowed with energy, she levitated a pen and paper from her nearby paper and began composing a letter in response to the Imperator, she only hoped that he would take the news as well as Mizu had...
> Chapter 48
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Captain George McGavin stood quietly in the control room of the HMS Astute, red combat lighting illuminating the deck as his crew manned their stations. Every single one of them was waiting silently, their engines cut to a stop, even their breathing was measured. The cause of their statuesque appearance cut through the air like a knife, a shrill ping reverberated through the hull while the sub’s sonar sensors detected at least three of the unidentified warships sailing overhead. They almost had the signature’s of Russian vessels, but there was something off about them and the noise their engine’s produced.

“Captain… I can hear… Splashes?” One of the Sonar operators announced, the young captain raised an eyebrow. He had inherited the command from an old captain that had never prepared him for actual combat operations, the Astute was mainly used for its nuclear power and its considerable intimidation factor. None of the other factions dared to go up against the Crown for fear of having the submarine park off their shore, but these newcomers didn’t seem afraid. “S-Sounds like, what were they called? Depth charges?”

“No one make a sound…” McGavin ordered as he looked up towards the ceiling, the muffled sounds of explosions began to echo, it seemed that the charges were still too high to do any real damage. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife, the Sonar operator’s eyes widened as the splashes grew more and more frequent, the ping of the enemy sonar echoed through the hull once again. Overhead, aboard the ONV Republic, Captain Sergio Ivanovich stood on the rear deck of his Sub Hunting destroyer. He watched his crew dropping depth charges over the rear, it was a tactic used to keep the enemy in place, surrounding them with an ever changing minefield while the real weapon of choice was being prepared.

The sound of a helicopter’s blades cut through the water, reaching the ever more panicked ears of the Sonar Operator’s ears. He still remained quiet, not wanting to disobey the orders of his captain, but something about those foreboding blades told him that the worst was yet to come. The splashes were suddenly halted, leaving only the sound of the muffled explosions and helicopter blades in the headphones. Then, there was one final splash.

“T-T-Torpedo in the water!” The Sonar Operator announced as the shrill pings began once again, then there was another splash. “T-Two torpedoes in the water!”

“Ahead full! Deploy countermeasures!” McGavin ordered loudly as the pings began more frequent, the submarine began to move through the water as fast as it could while the head engineer deployed the only countermeasures onboard. The Sonar officer listened intently as the torpedoes acquired the submarine as a target, they began homing in, but one of them veered off and dove towards the countermeasures. There was another muffled explosion, but one torpedo remained.

“Torpedo is still pursuing! It’s in our baffles!” The Sonar officer shouted nervously. “Torpedo is closing! Impact in thirty seconds!” McGavin nervously held on to a nearby console while the Torpedo’s shrill cry echoed louder and louder in his ears. “Twenty seconds!”

“Depth control! Surface the boat! Emergency blow!” McGavin ordered with sweat dripping from his brow, his officers stared at him for a couple seconds before repeating his orders. There was a tremendous groan from the ship’s hull, several pips buckled and water began spraying into the command deck. There was no time to address those problems though, the torpedo was still hot on the tail of the submarine, pinging away with reckless abandon. However, as the submarine rose higher through the water, the torpedo seemed to have trouble determining what target it was going to pursue. There were Enemy ships on the surface that were now attracting the guiding mechanism.

Captain Ivanovich watched as the British submarine burst out of the water, bobbing like a cork in the surf and spray of the Atlantic. Off to his aft he caught sight of a spray of water, the torpedo had detonated thanks to the safety mechanism, and now the enemy submarine was helpless on the surface. In all honesty, the torpedo hadn’t been armed with enough charge to seriously damage the enemy submarine, only enough to force it to surface. The Onorussians didn’t have much intention to destroy technology they could use to their benefit, and this tactic had worked twice before on other British submarines. As Onorussian Marine vessels closed on the floating submarine, Ivanovich adjusted his cap and began walking back to the bridge. It was imperative to the entire operation that the British submarine’s be neutralized and he had more than a few grids to search.

[♠]

Hinkman adjusted his jacket as he and his first officer walked through the streets of one of the recently reclaimed English towns. Fighting had subsided relatively quickly, many of the defenders were simply misinformed civilians, though some were members of the British Armed Forces, at least what was left of them. There had been some casualties, but the battle hadn’t last all that long all things considered. The town they were currently in was just off the coast from a small island called the Island of Wight, the people there were friendly enough, and hadn’t really objected to Onorussian tanks rolling through the streets when they were given fresh blankets, warm food, and medical supplies.

The Colonel and his second in command were approaching a pub that had recently been reopened when the Onorussians had set up their generators, it was only a temporary solution until the Onorussian Corps of Engineers could get the power flowing from existing electricity sources and power plants. The temperatures were starting to warm up, but there was still a nip in the air. Overhead there was the sound of helicopters, mostly chinooks marked with red crosses, they were flying the more seriously ill and injured to the waiting Onorussian hospital ships off the coast.

“Interesting country these British people have…” Said Hinkman’s second in command, a Captain by the name of Holtz. He took note of a couple british flags still flying, faded and frayed, from the town’s flag poles. Holtz had only been eighteen when he had gone to Onorus for the first time, one of the first survivors to go through the portal nearly a decade before. He had never seen another country, and as a young man had become quite fond of Onorus.  “I don’t know what to say about their fighters, but certainly interesting…”

“Don’t count their troops out just yet…” Hinkman advised as they walked past a boarded up storefront. “So far we’ve only gone up against militia troops and under equipped regulars, we’ve yet to go up against their Special Forces yet.” The Colonel reached to his pocket and withdrew a cigarette, followed by a lighter, he quickly lit his cigarette to take the edge off. “Besides, we aren’t here to fight them… At least, not if we don’t have to.” The man exhaled a cloud of smoke and gestured to numerous civilians walking around with warm clean clothes. “Think of it as Aggressive Foreign Aid.”

“It’s likely the ruling body won’t appreciate us being here.” Holtz noted as they came upon the pub, but stopped outside to watch the streets closely. “I don’t expect them all to welcome us with open arms, anyone that stands in the way of the Republic will be dealt with.”

“You’re starting to sound like a recruiter.” Hinkman cautioned, Holtz looked at his commander for a second, then looked back to the town around them. It was small, much smaller than anything in Onorus.

“I’m simply speaking from what I’ve observed…” Holtz said, sounding rather harsh. The young man had intense blue eyes and short black hair hidden beneath his helmet. “Terra and Equis will eventually be under one flag, and who knows, perhaps even more worlds? That’s just nature.”

“Perhaps, but I’m hoping that those changes won’t come about through force of arms…” Hinkman said as he took another puff of his cigarette, watching as a couple tanks rolled past, soldiers rode on the sides with their rifles in hand. “That being said, a little sabre rattling can be just as effective as a fountain pen.” Hinkman crushed his cigarette under his boot, the two of them walked into the pub to get out of the nippy air and perhaps get something to drink.

[♠]

Luna and Maria stood across from Dominic, both of them appearing rather concerned as they each had taken the time to read Chrysalis’ response letter. Their bedroom was lit by the midday sun coming in from the window, as usual every part of it was kept immaculate by both the staff and the occupants. There was really nothing there to distract from the elephant in the room, the recommendation that Dominic should undertake some sort of ‘Spiritual Journey’. Dominic appeared just as concerned as his wives, the looks of uncertainty they shared would never have been acceptable if they were in a public place.

“Well… What do you think?” Dominic said as he crossed his arms, adjusting his shirt as he waited for Luna and Maria to respond. “You’ve been saying I should consider taking a vacation, this could be a good opportunity.”

“I wouldn’t call cutting my way through thick rainforest or crossing deserts a vacation.” Luna replied in her usual reserved fashion, it was clear she was not fond of the idea of her husband disappearing for any amount of time. When she had suggested a vacation, she had meant something a bit more romantic, where the three of them could spend time together. That being said, the Garden of Creation was something she knew of… In fact, it held quite a place in her memory, it was where she last remembered seeing her parents.

“I don’t think this has to do with vacation.” Maria said as she put a hand to her chin, looking over the paper in her hands once again. “Dominic has been unhappy for a long time, Luna, we can’t ignore that this might prove good for him. For all we know, this ‘Garden of Creation’ could be the key to finally resolving a lot of things.” Maria looked back to her husband, for her this represented a chance for Dominic to put an end to the depression and anxiety that had hounded her husband since he was a boy. She knew first hand just how devastating those conditions had been, she wasn’t about to stand in the way of a possible cure.

“Luna…” Dominic said as he looked over to the Alicorn, the man walked towards her and made sure he could see into her eyes. “For the past eight years I’ve sat behind a desk or fought in a tank. Now… If either of you don’t want me to go I won’t go, but I have this… Feeling.” The man quietly put a gentle hand on Luna’s side. “I haven’t felt it since the day you first said you would train me to fight with a sword, to better control my emotions.” Luna paused for a couple seconds, quietly she moved her head over and rested it on Dominic’s shoulder.

“Promise me you’ll be careful.” The Alicorn said softly, Dominic nodded and hugged her gently. “I suppose I will take the reigns while you are on your journey?”

“Yes, but it wouldn’t hurt to have Maria aid you.” Dominic said as the two of them pulled away from one another. “Only if it doesn’t interfere with her activities though, I don’t want to make her miss out.” The man looked to Maria, the woman was doing her best to put on a brave face. Dominic walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly to comfort her emotions. “I’ll come back as soon as I can… I promise.”

“That’s all I need to hear…” Maria said against Dominic’s chest, giving him a nuzzle before pulling away to look into his eyes. “You’re going to have to leave today, from what the letter said… I-I should pack you something for the journey, and for Mizu…” The woman wiped her eyes and stood up straight. “You should start packing as well.” Dominic nodded and began to walk towards his dresser, but Maria stopped him with a hand on his arm. The man looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “When you get back, all three of us are going to find a nice secluded island where we can relax… And I won’t take no for an answer.”

“I agree, after this we’re going to relax even if I have to have the MPs taser you again.” Luna said firmly, Dominic sighed but nodded nonetheless, knowing fully well that Luna was serious about calling in the MPs. “Now let me help you pack, the journey will likely be very difficult.” Dominic was about to protest, but stopped himself. “And I hope you know what you’re going to tell Altair, you can’t just leave without saying anything to him…”

“I’ll talk with him, don’t worry…” Dominic said quietly as he pulled out the drawer of his dresser and began going through it, taking his more rugged clothing from inside and setting it aside. Maria left the room, leaving Luna and her husband to their packing. The room was silent, awkwardly so, and Dominic knew that if someone didn’t say something the tension would only continue to mount.

“Dominic…” Luna said quietly, the man looked over at her. “I believe when you return, it will be prudent to discuss the Phase Seven Initiative.” Dominic stopped mid motion, his clothes still held in his hands. The man’s eyes turned to his wife, she had a serious expression on her face. “I believe, given the news from Terra, that we may not be able to fully retake the planet. My teams have determined Alpha to be the best choice…”

“What about the Moon test?” Dominic asked as he put the clothes in his bag, then turned to look at Luna. “This would be a tremendous undertaking, Luna. You’re right, we will need to discuss this when I return. Until then… I suggest we leave it as it is.” Luna nodded and went back to her task, meanwhile Dominic was running the words through his head. Onorus was a global power, that was true, but even still it didn’t have all the resources for what Luna had proposed. In any case, he wasn’t concerned with that at the moment, he was more concerned about being drawn into some sort of vision quest.

The two of them finished packing, and soon enough Maria had returned with a bag filled with food for the beginning of the journey. Dominic added that to his bag of clothes, then looked to the window. It was a beautiful day, and the man would’ve preferred to spend it with his family, but something told me that duty was calling him. No, something more than duty, if that was even possible.

“I need to change before I leave, do you mind giving me a bit of privacy?” Dominic asked, Maria and Luna nodded before walking to the door. He could hear them murmuring to one another. The Imperator quietly walked to his dresser, unbutton his uniform shirt and setting it aside. His boots and pants came next, exposing his muscled chest and legs to the world. Dominic pulled the bottom drawer from the dresser and knelt down. From within he withdrew a pair of old jeans and an old t-shirt. He pulled the jeans on, they felt just as they had all those years ago, like slipping on a comfortable glove. The shirt came next, several brown stains were located on the chest, they had faded with time, but Dominic knew just what had made them.

He tied his boots tightly before he looked down into the drawer one final time, staring down at the final article of clothing that lay within. Without a word, the man knelt down and ran a hand over the smooth black leather, feeling every stitch, every scratch, every scar that marked the once pristine surface. The man slowly took the item and stood up, letting it fall open to its full glory. The long black leather jacket, adorned with two patches on the shoulders, was one that Dominic rarely wore anymore.

“It’s good to see you, old friend…” Dominic said under his breath before he slipped his arms into the sleeves of the jacket, the coat hugged his body perfectly. He reached to his chest and buttoned it shut. The man was about to turn away, but stopped as something else in the drawer caught his eye. He knelt down once again, reaching in and taking out the item. An old metal helmet, his helmet, the helmet he had worn when he had first arrived in Equestria. A flood of memories went through his mind as he stared at the helmet, with a determined expression the man put the helmet on his head and tightened the strap, then closed the drawer.

Without another word, the man took his sword and revolver from their respective places. He set them on his utility belt before buckling that as well, then he picked up his bags and walked to the door. Once he had stepped out into the hallway he knew that there could be no going back, he was going to see this journey through to the very end.

[♠]

Enoshima Beach had once been a thriving place for summer fun and enjoyment, and in some cases that was still true. The infection in Japan had come to an end when the dead had rotted away, leaving the once towering technological giant in a state of ruin. There were small communities along the coasts and in the mountainous regions, in some ways very similar to the early days of feudal Japan. Of course, there were some exceptions. Those that had solar panels at their disposal, or were lucky enough to have the protection of the numerous rogue units of Defense Force Soldiers held a far more superior grasp on the island than the simple fishing hamlets.

For the village on Enoshima Beach, it was just another day, the air was surprisingly warm and the clouds were clear. Spring was on the horizon, soon the country would bloom into all its beauty and splendor. This peacefulness was quickly disrupted however, as the sound of engines began to echo in the distance. The sound of F4 phantom engines struck some fear into the villagers, that distant wailing cry sent shivers through even the most stout hearted of the villages warriors.

It meant that the Japanese Defense Force faction to their north was mobilizing, most likely to expand their reach. The fishing village would be brought into the fold, and then it was a good possibility that the men of the village would be forced to enlist. However, as the defenders of the village began to mobilize, there came a different noise. Helicopter blades, the defenders knew that the northern faction only had two operational F4s and no helicopters to speak of. One of the villagers pointed out to the ocean and began to shout loudly, frantically calling attention to a formation of grey shapes that were steaming towards the coast at tremendous speed. Two F4s zoomed overhead, marked with the emblems of the JDF, streaking straight out towards the oncoming fleet.

Sergeant James ‘Cerberus’ Wysocki of the Onorussian Globe Corps looked out over the edge of the Blackhawk helicopter as it flew towards the beaches of Japan. By now, the swarm of choppers was likely visible from the beaches. Several F4s and a couple F-18s flew past, each of them seeming to be intent on shooting something down. Cerberus adjusted the sights on his assault rifle while his fellow soldiers prepared themselves. They would be the first boots on the ground in the Onorussian reclamation of Japan, the first men to take place in Operation Zephyr.

“Hey, Sergeant! Check it out!” One of the other soldiers, Corporal Malone, shouted as he pointed out the side of the helicopter at a pair of parachutes and floating wreckage of an F4, but from the markings it was clear it wasn’t Onorussian. “These guys aren’t a joke, are they?”

“No, corporal. No joke, at least these JDF guys.” Cerberus said, the older man was a California native, he had seen just how desperately some had fought to keep outsiders out, and he was sure that Japan would be even more like that. “That’s why they’re sending in the Globe Corps, the 88th, and the Lunar Marines before the army… This will be war, plain and bloody.” The beach was within sight now, an explosion ripped through the air as the second enemy fighter was blown apart by the Onorussian planes. There was only one parachute this time. “Ready up, we’re gonna touch down soon.”

“Yes, sir!” Malone said before he returned to his seat, Cerberus tightened his body armor, then reached over and gripped his helmet. It was a full face helmet, something new that had only been distributed to Zephyr troops so far. It was like a power armor helmet, in the way that it displayed combat data and waypoints to the wearer, though it was hardly as thick as a power armor helmet. Cerberus pulled the helmet over his head and attached it to his body armor, the visor displayed a swirling icon before the word ‘Synchronized’ flashed. His ammunition count, his heart rate, even his blood oxygen level. There were four other icons, each displaying a different designation for the men in his squad. All but one of them was flashing green.

“Malone! Ready up!” Cerberus shouted, the corporal quickly finished pulling on his helmet, moments later his name flashed green. The helicopter began to slow and drop lower in the sky, the Sergeant flipped off the safety right before the helicopter landed. The order to jump flashed across the screen, Cerberus jumped from the helicopter and landed in the sandy soil. Immediately machine gun fire began to ring out from the tree line, a waypoint appeared near a disguised bunker. “We need to take out that bunker!”

“Altair!” Atair’s mom’s voice snapped him back into reality, he quickly pushed the pause button on the controller. The boy had just sat down with the latest game for his GamCo Game Console, he had hoped to at least get past the first checkpoint without interruption, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Altair stood up off the couch in his room and looked to his mom, she was walking towards him, and he could see a familiar look of worry in her eyes. “I was calling you for at least a minute…”

“I’m sorry, mom.” Altair said as he set his controller down and started walking towards his mom. “I was just starting Hades Squad: Rising Sun, guess I kinda zoned out…” The boy stopped in front of his mom, looking up at her with a bit of concern. “What’s wrong? You look upset?”

“N-Nothing’s wrong, sweetie.” Mom said as she knelt down in front of Altair. “It’s just… Come with me, please, you dad needs to talk with you.” Altair nodded and followed as his mom lead him out of his room, out into the hallway where he could hear his dad and mother Luna chatting. The conversation trailed off as Altair came into view, and the boy was surprised to see his dad dressed in a long leather coat and an old helmet, his sword hanging on his belt. The man walked towards Altair. “We’ll leave you two alone…” With that, both his mom and his mother walked to a seperate room, leaving Altair alone with his dad.

“Altair.” His dad said as he knelt down in front of him and removed his helmet to get a better look at his boy. “I’ve got to go away for a bit…” Altair raised an eyebrow at his father, appearing a bit confused. “I could be gone a couple days, or for all I know a couple of months… I know how you feel when one of us leaves, but don’t worry, I’m coming back.”

“Can’t I come with you?” Altair asked, his dad shook his head and put a hand on his son’s shoulder.

“No, son… You can’t.” He said softly, Altair felt a bit of fear welling up in his chest, ever since his mother had forced him to leave without her the thought of his parent’s leaving always seemed to unnerve him. “I want you to know that however long I’m gone, I’ll be thinking about you and your mothers… And when I get back I expect we’ll be going on a bit of a vacation, so you have that to look forward to.”

“I don’t want that though, I want you to stay here…” Altair said with a bit of a shake in his voice, why couldn’t his dad understand that. “What if something happens? What if the Caribou attack, or-or-or aliens, or the Crystal Empire bombs us?! What if you die?”

“Those first things are not going to happen…” His father said as he put his other hand on his son’s other shoulder, making sure that Altair was looking right at him. “As for me dying, do I look like I’m going to die?” The man gave a flex of his muscles, hoping that would calm his son down. “And… If that does happen, however slim of a chance there is, you’ll always know that I love you, our family loves you, and I know no matter what you’re going to grow up to be a good man.” Altair walked forward and wrapped his arms around his dad, hugging him as tightly as he could. His dad put his own arms around him, hugging him just as tightly before leaning forward and planting a kiss on his forehead. “I’ll get back, then you and I are gonna play a round of that new game you got.”

“Can we also go and watch the soldiers marching?” Atair asked, his father nodded. “Promise?” His dad leaned back and looked him square in the eyes with a seriousness that Altair rarely saw.

“I promise.” Dominic said as he looked at his son, he stood up and tousled the boy’s hair. The man went to put his helmet back on his head, but stopped and instead stopped and placed it on Altair’s head. The helmet was far too large for him, but he still looked good in it. Dominic knew that it was time to start letting go of the past, and one way of doing that would be to ‘pass the torch’ as it were, starting with the helmet. “Here, kid… Take care of that for me.” Altair nodded dutifully, causing the helmet to jostle around a bit. “Alright… I’ve gotta go. I love you, and I’ll be back as soon as possible… Go ahead back to your mom.” Altair gave his dad one last hug before turning and walking back to the door where he’d seen Luna and Maria go, Dominic sighed softly and began walking in the opposite direction. He’d already said his goodbyes to Luna and Maria, it would be best if he just got moving...
> Chapter 49
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dominic gritted his teeth as the wind blew against his cheeks, the scenery was blowing past at great speed while the engine of the motorcycle let out its loud droning tone. The man looked over beside him, spotting the Changeling Heir Mizu. She was flying alongside him, her wings buzzing like mad and emiting their own low hum, though it was drowned out by the engine. The motorcycle was really the only way that Dominic could keep up with her, and both knew that speed was of the essence. They tore down the Southbound highway at high speeds, the olive drab cycle and the grey Queen to be, moving past traffic in the official Military lane.

They hadn’t talked much since they had met, both of them wanting to get a head start, as such they had been moving nonstop. The sun was setting, and Canterlot was far away, but that didn’t stop Dominic from thinking about it. Flashes of Maria and Luna danced through his mind, he still couldn’t believe that once again he had been called away from them, this time by seemingly some unknown force. Dominic suspected Discord, he hadn’t been able to contact the Chaos God since he had had his vision. Even if they were friends, Discord was still an order keeper in his own special way, he had his own duties and agendas. Sometimes those agendas conflicted with Dominic’s.

Whatever awaited him and Mizu in the fabled ‘Garden of Creation’, if Discord was keeping it a secret, then it must’ve been important. Dominic checked his speedometer, he was at nearly seventy-five miles an hour, but that still didn’t seem fast enough. The speed was more than enough to move quickly, and it wasn’t like he had to worry about contending with traffic in the Military lane. His jacket fluttered in the whipping wind, his fingers tightly gripping the handlebars in the chilly air that continued to blow against his body. His mind began to wander as they went along, thoughts about Earth continued to enter his head. Most recently the Onorussian occupation of the British Isles had gathered his attention, they had met a bit of resistance since landing, but there was no way the fractured remnants of the country would be able to stand against Onorus.

The man was doing his best to see their side of the issue, that a large unknown force was coming in and occupying their country. At the same time, it could barely be called a country any more, and in the end they would get over it. It wasn’t like survivors were being rounded up and put into camps or lined up against a wall, the Terrans were simply overreacting. Dominic shifted gears on the bike, gaining a little more speed and bringing him back to the realm of reality for a couple seconds. There was always some doubt in his mind about whether what he was doing was right or not, but Dominic didn’t have the luxury of being able to flip flopping on issues.

The man snapped back to reality one more time, he needed to keep his attention on the road ahead, not his own personal moral dilemmas… Unless that was the entire point of this journey? Dominic shook his head a couple times, casting off those thoughts as he thundered down the highway. Meanwhile Mizu was mulling over her own options, she wasn’t sure she would ever be ready to take her mother’s place, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to do that either. It seemed both she and the Imperator were in the same boat, two leaders that never wanted to be in their positions of power, both bound by some personal obligation to do their jobs and ignore their own desires.

She didn’t want to say anything, but she could tell there was something deeply wrong with the man riding southbound on that motorcycle of his. For one thing, it wouldn’t have mattered to her if they had taken a car or not, he had been the one to suggest the motorcycle. She could see him spacing out, something that shouldn’t be done at such speed. Self destructive behavior was common in survivors of the infection, it was something Changelings knew very well considering their empathic abilities, but Mizu had never encountered someone with feelings buried as deeply as the Imperator’s… She could see why he had been given this vision quest, someone was looking out for him, trying to pull him back from a cliff that even he couldn’t see coming.

The changeling heir could only hope they would get wherever it was they were going before the Imperator took that final leap. It was hard to focus on flying, there was so much turmoil raging in the mind of the man beside her, a battle that had been waged for years and years. Humans were odd creatures, and some of the best liars Mizu had ever seen. They concealed the inner machinations and ruminations of their minds from non-empaths with great efficiency, that was why changelings made for such effective psychological care givers. Mizu could see through the tangled web of lies, many of which were directed inward, to see just how close to disaster a person like Dominic was. Death was on his mind, even if he didn’t acknowledge it… From the strength of those thoughts, Mizu could tell that he thought about self termination at least once a day.

She was no therapist, however, and so she was powerless to even bring up the subject. Instead she narrowed her eyes on the horizon and began flying slower, hoping to coax the Imperator to driving more safely. Sure enough the man began to slow down, matching her speed and looking over at her with an uncertain expression on his face. The sun was hanging lower in the sky, the clouds were starting to become a vibrant pink, and the landscape was gradually becoming more and more arid. Mizu quietly gestured towards an upcoming exit sign, Dominic shrugged before nodding and changing lanes in order to exit.

At their speed it only took them a couple minutes to come upon the exit, a ramp leading off the highway onto a lonely strip of asphalt that cut through the countryside. Dominic down shifted as he slowed the bike and exited the highway, Mizu was glad that she had managed to get him to slow down for a bit. It would give both of them time to clear their heads and perhaps get to know eachother better than they already did. Dominic stopped at the intersection that was right next to the underpass that lead under the highway, he looked both ways before shifting once again and pulling onto the road. He only road along for a couple minutes before pulling off onto the shoulder and killing the engine, the man lowered the kickstand and dismounted the bike.

“What’s wrong?” Dominic asked Mizu as she landed, running a hand over his head. Mizu moved next to him, her wings fluttering softly as she ran through what she was about to say. “Is it because I’m not wearing a helmet?”

“Partially…” Mizu said, maintaining a rather neutral tone. “I can sense something wrong with you, Imperator. You’re emotions are… Disturbing.” Dominic rubbed his chin and leaned against his bike, his jacket fluttering in the wind. “Very self destructive…”

“You sound like my shrink.” Dominic replied semi casually, reaching a hand to his breast pocket to withdraw a cigarette. “And go ahead and call me Dominic, no need to be so damn formal.” Mizu scowled as she watched him bring the cigarette to his lips, her horn glowed for a second and yanked the cigarette away. Dominic scowled and took another cigarette from his pocket. “You and I don’t know eachother that well, so I’ll assume you did that on accident.”

“Don’t.” Mizu said flatly, her horn glowing once again and pulling the next cigarette away. “This is exactly what I mean by self destructive behavior.”

“What? A cigarette? It takes the edge off.” Dominic said flatly, trying to take the cigarettes floating in the air, Mizu floated them away.

“No it doesn’t. You and I both know how your body works in this world, it filters out the nicotine before it can be processed.” Mizu said firmly, Dominic stopped trying to take the cigarettes and stared at her, his eyes narrowing while a scowl began to form on his face. “It’s why you can start or stop smoking on a whim without getting addicted, and it’s why you stopped in the first place, because you couldn’t take the edge off. Isn’t that also why you don’t think anything weaker than moonshine when you’re trying to get drunk?”

“H-How the fuck…?” Dominic took a step towards her.

“Queens can read more than emotions, when we’re this close to someone as emotionally unstable as you we can read even their memories.” Mizu said as the man towered over here, glaring daggers into her eyes as he clenched and unclenched his fists. “You’re family doesn’t even know how deep it runs, do they…”

“Shut up.” Dominic said firmly.

“The kid gloves are coming off, Dominic.” Mizu said flatly. “Have you told them just how many of those crumpled up papers in your trash basket started out meant for your wives to find?”

“Shut up!” Dominic shouted, cocking back a fist, trembling with anger. All the while Mizu continued staring into him, as if examining every inch of his soul. She wasn’t getting to know him verbally, but emotionally, another perk of her becoming an heir to the throne. It was far more effective than talking, and far more honest. He couldn’t lie or hide his thoughts when he was so agitated, it was only for that reason that Mizu was pushing so hard. “You and I are stuck together for however long this takes, why do you insist on making this harder!” Gradually he lowered his fist to his side, clenching and unclenching it. “Is this some sort of revenge, huh? For something that happened during the Changeling-American War?”

“No.” Mizu said sincerely, she sighed and looked at the floor. “I was confirming my initial assessment of your mental state, Imperator…” Dominic continued staring at her, the changeling mare turned and looked around them at the rather arid landscape, there were a couple trees and tall grass, but they were all brown and beige, like something from the plains of Africa. “I took no pleasure in any of that, emotional transference is a common side effect of being empathic. Especially for someone like me. It’s likely that calm you feel now is a side effect of it as well...”

“So… Pulling off the highway was for you to perform some sort of… Changeling Mind Meld?” Dominic asked, Mizu was right, he felt a lot less angry than he knew he should’ve been. Mizu nodded to answer his question, he noticed her shaking slightly. “What’s wrong…?”

“I… I sensed your emotions for longer than I should have…” Mizu said in a shaking voice. “They’re all hitting me now, just like that calm is hitting you…” Dominic felt his hand clenching and unclenching, but it gradually tapered off while Mizu seemed on the brink of collapsing. “I… I am a Changeling… I… Am in c-c-c…” Her voice caught in her throat and she wiped her eyes. “C-Control of my emotions…” Dominic scowled, he wanted to be angry at her, but he couldn’t… For some strange reason. “H-H-How d-do you survive… F-Feeling this…?”

The man sighed and ignored her, instead turning back to his bike and unstrapping one of his saddle bags. From within he took a paper bag that Maria had given him, the man reached into the bag and withdrew a sandwich wrapped in plastic wrap. The man opened the sandwich and sat down beside Mizu, looking towards highway and all the cars flying past on the southbound route.

“Years of practice.” Dominic said flatly as he took a bite out of the sandwich, it was cool from an icepack that had been in the bag, and from the taste he could tell it was turkey salad. “As you pointed out… I’ve thought about giving up more than once.” The man sighed quietly and leaned his head back, looking up at the sky which was illuminated by the setting sun, the air was still chilly as winter had decided to stick around longer this year. Still, the man could tell it would be spring soon, at least, he hoped that was the case. The snow had melted for the most part, save for the more shady parts of the country.

“I’ve… I’m sorry…” Mizu said, rubbing her neck as she did her best to reign in the emotions that she had inadvertently taken onto her shoulders. “That was out of line for me to say…”

“Not so sure it was…” Dominic spoke with a dry chuckle as he looked at his sandwich. “I’ve been asking myself a lot lately, just how much longer I can keep walking the tightrope between my emotions and my duties…” The man ran a hand over his head once again, feeling like the weight of the world was once again on his shoulders. “That’s why I’m doing this, I guess…” The man finished his sandwich and looked over at Mizu. “It’s starting to get dark, want to call it quits for the night?”

“Sure…” Mizu replied quietly as she did her best to relax. “Let’s… Find an inn or something.” Dominic nodded and stood up, tossing the remnants of the plastic wrap back into the paper bag and replacing it in his saddle bag. He straddled the bike and adjusted his jacket before sighing and looking at the ground, the engine bellowed to life as he pushed the starter. Mizu’s wings fluttered once again as she took to the sky, she began flying along the road back towards the highway with Dominic riding along behind her. The two of them were back on the massive strip of concrete within a few minutes, weaving through a couple cars before settling into the Military lane once again.

Dominic felt the cold air blowing against his cheeks as they sped down the highway, he flicked a switch that turned on the lights, the sun was getting even lower in the sky. For the first time in a long time, there was a feeling of excitement in his chest. His head felt clearer, his mind felt sharper, the danger of it all was stimulating his mind like some sort of drug. Being out on the open road with nothing between him and the asphalt but a beefed up chopper made the calamity raging in his head recede into obscurity like so many headlights on the cars he was flying past. 

Mizu turned her head as she heard something faintly over the engine, she could see the wild look in Dominic’s eyes. A massive, almost manic grin, was plastered across his face. She saw the man open his mouth, once again she heard the noise over the engine, he was screaming. It wasn’t out of pain or anger, if anything, it was… Excitement. Mizu just hoped that they managed to reach the Garden of Creation before those screams turned to something worse.

[♠]

Shining Armor quietly sighed as he stood beneath the cold fluorescent lights of a room deep beneath his castle, laid out before him were two tables with corpses laid out on top of them, covered by white sheets. The stallion was flanked on either side by one of his top generals and his top security advisor, his expression was markedly grim as the medical examiner in front of him drew back one of the sheets. Under the sheet was none other than one of his top weapons researchers, an Onorussian unicorn that had helped develop their first weapon of mass destruction, or Arcane Annihilators, as they had come to be known in the Crystal Empire.

It was clear that the death of this researcher had not been a pleasent one, the grisly bullet hole between the eyes was evidence of that. It was concluded that the wounds on both dead scientists had been caused by a single gunshot, a twenty two hollow point round. There was no doubt in Shining’s mind that this was the work of Providentia. The Onorussians had found out about the traitors and silenced them, Shining only wished that he had gotten more use out of the unicorns before their untimely dispatchment.

“Did you at least recover their research?” Shining asked as the medical examiner covered the body again, the security advisor beside him adjusted his tie with a florish of magic before levitating a file from within his jacket. He was orange in color, and shined as most crystal ponies did.

“The Providentia Agents that performed this execution were thorough, sir.” The stallion passed the folder to Shining Armor quietly. The prince opened the folder and looked through the pictures, his expression remaining stoic as he saw snapshots of ransacked filing cabinets and ashes in the bottom of a metal trash can. “They took whatever they could carry and burned the rest, but we managed to reconstruct some of the schematics from some of the larger pieces of ash.”

“Damn barbarians, they just killed two civilians in cold blood…” The general muttered as he shook his head, Shining Armor was about to concur, but then paused. The medical examiner, a blue crystal pegasus, was far less convinced.

“This was more than an assassination.” He said, all three government officials looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “I’ve examined a half dozen Providentia victims, their weapon of choice is far less… Messy.” He pulled the sheet back again and gestured to the bullet hole. “Most Providentia agents are rather noticeable, even changeling operatives can’t completely mimic our crystalline structure. Their agents usually kill using a poison known as botulinum toxin, it’s fast and difficult for us to treat, and it provides them ample time to escape.”

“That’s right…” The Security Advisor mumbled as he examined the body a bit closer, Shining Armor raised an eyebrow at the explanation. “This reads more as an insult… Most likely directed at our Inteligence agency.” The stallion frowned. “We… We were supposed to be protecting them. They got so close they were able to shoot these two at point blank range, stole their files and burned the rest, all while we had agents stationed outside their offices.”

“They’re reminding us who we’re dealing with.” Shining said with an ever growing scowl. “I am tired of being two steps behind these bastards, Agent Orange.” The stallion glared at his security advisor with a look that made the hardened intelligence operative flinch. “I want their listening posts rooted out, I want their agents eliminated, I don’t want a single Onorussian spy in our city by the end of this month. If you can’t get it done, I’ll find someone else who can. Is that perfectly clear to you?”

“Yes, sir.” Agent Orange said, Shining Armor nodded and gestured for him to leave. The orange spy nodded and walked out of the room, the medical examiner meanwhile began to go about his other duties, leaving Shining with his general.

“General Grab… What news have we received so far about the Onorussian’s movements in the Caribou and Zebrican ruins?” Shining asked as the two stallions turned and began walking out of the room, into a hall that was also lit by fluorescent lights, the walls were clean and white, sparsely decorated with safety posters. General Grab, a burly Crystal Earth Pony, grunted and adjusted his navy blue uniform.

“They’ve landed forces there, mainly reservists and volunteers.” Grab said in a gravely voice that echoed along the scuffed tiles that lined the floor. “They’re mopping up the token resistance that the Zebras and Caribou ‘vowed’ to put up, from what I’ve heard the Caribou lands are still covered in dangerous levels of arcane residue.” The stallion looked over to his superior with a neutral expression. “That said, they’ve already started hauling the iron and other resource stockpiles out of that wasteland. It’ll be a while before they can start actual mining operations, seeing as they can only send the Terrans in at the moment, what with their immunity to Arcane radiation…”

“And the Zebrican ruins?” Shining asked, retaining a neutral expression of concern. General Grab turned his attention to one of the safety posters for a couple seconds before adjusting his officer’s cap.

“It’s a black hole, to use an Onorussian phrase.” The General said bluntly. “They’re troops there are mainly sifting through wasted villages, you know how the Zebra were about actual cities.” Shining nodded quietly, appearing rather perturbed by the quickness the Onorussian’s had shown in claiming the spoils of war. “That said… Don’t expect to see any zebras any time soon, our estimations put their numbers at less than two thousand survivors, down from last month’s estimation by five hundred.”

“Damn…” Shining said with a slow shake of his head, but it was to be expected of their neighbor to the south. Onorus had been founded by a far more aggressive species, and from his personal experiences with Dominic Occisor, Shining knew just how seriously they valued their survival. “Without the scientists, our new delivery system for our arcane weapons will take longer to develop. Have Agent Orange look into finding us a replacement, the best teleportation mage we can get our hooves on.”

“I’ll pass it along, sir. For now, I should really get back to the front. Our Yakyakistan operation will be starting tomorrow.” General Grab said, Shining nodded as the two of them stopped in front of a pair of metal elevator doors. Shining pressed a button on the wall, prompting a light to flash on the ceiling. The elevator began descending to their floor, leaving both of them to sit in silence and wait. Shining thought more about the operation General Grab had mentioned, with the Onorussian’s to the south Shining Armor couldn’t afford to tolerate the equally dangerous Yakyakistani threat to the north. They would invade and pacify the local population, annex the territory, and take the resources to build up their forces against the Onorussians.

All around the world, the remaining large states had realized just how dangerous the super power had become. It wielded immense power and influence, it could choke off supply routes with a single fleet, blot out the sun with airships and planes, lay waste to entire civilizations. The writing was on the wall, and many citizens of the world had begun to think that perhaps Celestia had been right all those years ago. Even though the Onorussian government rarely made controversial statements about its neighbors, its sheer size instilled a clear message. Join, or die.

The doors opened, allowing both stallions to step into the elevator. General Grab pushed a couple more buttons before the ride upwards began, again it was spent in silent contemplation of the titan to the south. Tirelessly, as if driven by some supernatural force, the Onorussian industry marched along, churning out tanks and bombs, cars and trucks, and all manner of other incredible devices that a decade before would have only been found in science fiction. The Crystal Empire was closest to rivalling the super power in technology, if not in size, though Shining Armor hoped to change that soon enough. Eventually the elevator stopped at a floor, the General nodded to Shining Armor before stepping out onto a floor with walls painted in military markings.

Shining watched the doors close, at which point he sat down and let out a pent up sigh of frustration while the elevator continued rising through the castle, passing through the public and administration floors rather quickly. He closed his eyes, knowing it would take a bit longer to get to his floor. The wait gave him time to clear his head of the thoughts and worries, for the most part, letting him focus on the thought of seeing his loving wife once again. He just hoped her day had been better than his, she was the one that did most of the work when it came to foreign affairs, Shining handled most of the internal problems. The elevator let out another ding, prompting Shining to stand and adjust his mane. The door slowly slid open, allowing the stressed leader to step out on his floor.

[♠]

Altair quietly stared out of his bedroom window, in the distance he could hear a droning air raid siren echoing through the streets of Canterlot below. He knew it was only a test, it happened on the same day of every month, but he also knew that it existed for a very real reason. His parents tried to keep it from him, but there was very little that couldn’t be found out from a library or on the internet. They all told him that there was no plane that could make it to Onorus from a foreign country, but that the other countries of the world were developing rockets that could get there.

The boy wondered to himself if that was the real reason his dad had had to leave, if the man that he idolized as his hero had once again left to fulfill his duty to protect Onorus. He hoped so, because he knew that his dad always made good on his word, and that meant that one day there wouldn’t be any need for siren tests in the first place. Altair turned away from the window and looked around his room, it was a mess, as usual… He knew how much it bothered his mom and mother, but in all honesty he forgot to clean up most of the time. The boy walked towards his closet, a mirror was hanging from the door, allowing him to see himself. His shirt was untucked, his hair was messy, and his pants sagged.

Altair quietly straightened up, mimicking his father’s posture, his chest puffed out slightly. In his mind he could see himself dressed like his father, uniform pressed and straight, hair high and tight. After a couple of seconds he relaxed, pulled up his pants, tucked in his shirt, and did his best to straighten up his hair. The boy then began going around his room, tidying it up, hoping that by doing that simple task it would make his father all the more proud of him when he got home. He knew that it would be dinner time soon, they always tested the siren half an hour before it was time to eat, if he worked quick enough his room would probably be clean before his mom came to get him.

He put his toy soldiers in their box before tucking them under his bed, lined up his action figures up in parade formation on one of his shelves, and generally put the rest of his toys in more organized locations. The minutes ticked by as he continued cleaning, occasionally stopping to look in the mirror again. When he stood there, puffing his chest out, he could imagine his father standing behind him, giving him a pat on the back or tousling his hair. Eventually he came to his bedside table, there wasn’t much that needed tidying there, but he found himself looking at the helmet his father had given him. He picked it up with a grunt, as it was heavy for him, but despite that he set it on his head. The helmet leaned to one side, but it still felt like it belonged there, somehow… The boy removed it to look it over some more.

Maria quietly pushed the door to Altair’s room open, expecting to step on something strewn about the floor, but she was surprised when no pain lanced up from her foot. Last time she had come to get him his floor had been covered in small plastic blocks, and she had foolishly opted not to go barefoot. This time, however, the floor was clear of obstructions. A pleasent surprise to be sure, the woman smiled faintly before spotting Altair sitting on his bed, holding his father’s helmet in his hands and looking it over. The look of curiosity in his eyes was so familiar, almost identical to Dominic’s. Her smile faded slightly when she saw Altair put the helmet on his head, even though it was so big, she couldn’t stop seeing the similarities. Her boy looked so much like his father in that helmet, it made her worry about him… She had hopes for him to be a doctor or an artist, to be something that didn’t require him to experience what she had...

“Mom! I cleaned!” Altair said in an excited tone, Maria snapped out of her thoughts.

“I can see that, very well done!” Maria replied, walking towards him and sitting next to him on the bed. He had done a pretty good job, all things considered. “Dinner’s almost ready, so I figured I’d come and get you.” Altair nodded and removed the helmet from his head, placing it next to him on the bed. She could see him looking at the floor, a small frown present on his lips, she knew he was trying to hide it, but a mother knows… “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

“I… I don’t know…” Altair admitted quietly before he leaned against her side, the woman extended her arm to give him a hug. “I just… Feel weird, ever since dad left on his trip. It’s like… I feel sad, but… Not just sad?”

“You miss him.” Maria said in a comforting tone, rubbing her hand up and down Altair’s shoulder. “I know because I miss him too...” The woman leaned down and kissed his head, giving him an extra tight hug for good measure. “Don’t worry, honey. He’ll be back soon, you know that.”

“I hope so…” Altair said quietly, the boy looked up towards his mom with that small frown still tugging at his lips. “I just wish I didn’t feel this way…” Maria continued hugging him, doing her best to comfort her ailing son.
> Chapter 50
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dominic quietly stood atop a sandy hill, staring down over a massive stretch of desert, littered with the fallen hulks of airships and crashed old fighter planes. Several dozen yards to his rear was a large obelisk with three flag poles surrounding it. The center flag was Onorussian, the one to the right was American, and the one to the left was Equestrian. Carved on the obelisk were the names of those that had been killed in the battle that was fought there nearly a decade before, the bodies had been recovered, but the ships and fighters remained, a reminder of the deadly cost of war. Dominic crouched quietly in the sand, picking up a handful of sand and letting it fall through his fingers.

“Through the travail of ages, midst the pomp and toil of war…” Dominic muttered quietly as he watched some of the sand be carried away by the wind. “Have I fought and strove and perished, countless times upon this star…” The man quietly stood up, continuing to stare out at the destroyed ruins. The words were from a poem written by none other than General Patton, and he couldn’t help thinking they bore meaning in that context. Many a time he had stood on a battlefield, overlooking the destruction wrought by his armies, and deep down in his mind he had always felt an odd sense of belonging… He had been raised to be a soldier, fought like a soldier, even thought like a soldier. On the battlefield he felt… Whole. As ashamed as he was to admit it.

Mizu quietly walked up beside him, she had been near the monument reading the names and the inscription there. The changeling looked up at her human companion with curious eyes, even though she could easily get a read on his emotions with her senses, she prefered trying to read them in his face. The Imperator proved to be a difficult man to read, the stoic expression he bore as he stared out over the sea of desert gave her barely anything to work with. The man quietly clasped his hands behind his back, then let out a slow sigh.

“And when Alexander looked out over the breadth of his domain, he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer…” Dominic said in a hauntingly distant voice, the man’s eyes quietly looked over to Mizu, though his body and face remained facing the desert. “I trust things we say to each other will be kept in confidence…?” Mizu nodded quietly. “I never wanted any of this… Not at first. People dying in droves for me or my ideals… No… I was supposed to be the one that died for someone else…”

“At first…” Mizu repeated, Dominic nodded and sighed, letting his stoic mask slip to one of somber regret. “And now?”

“Now… I don’t know.” Dominic said, his eyes shifting back to the ruined vessels in the distance. “I love my wives, I love my son, and I love my country, but…” The man looked down to the sand at his feet, closing his eyes. “I’m thirty years old, and yet I feel like I’ve never really… You know… Lived.” The man turned towards Mizu, she could see a tiredness in his eyes. “I’ve tried, I work on cars and motorcycles, try learning guitar, hell, I tried blacksmithing once… But… This trip, getting to actually put some miles on my motorcycle, speeding along, taking risks that don’t affect the fate of an entire country…” Dominic honestly looked more ashamed. “I have a good life, so why is it only now that I actually feel… Alive?”

“I… I can’t say I understand.” Mizu admitted, looking back over the desert. “I never thought Mother would choose me to be her heir, but that didn’t mean I never wanted it. It was kind of why I did everything I did, worked as hard as I could.” The changeling mare sat down in the sand, sighing and looking at the ground and moving her hoof around in it. “That being said, I never thought I would take the reigns from my mother so soon. I guess… I was kind of hoping I could live a bit more of my life before I put on the crown.”

The two of them stood in silence, staring out of the ships in the distance, as if they somehow represented the what ifs and unfulfilled dreams that both of them carried. It felt shameful to be thinking about themselves, considering they were supposed to put the people under their rule above their own desires. Dominic quietly reached into his pocket and withdrew an old navy blue feather, Mizu watched him run his fingers over it while he closed his eyes, he relaxed visibly before slipping the feather back into his jacket pocket.

“Maybe this trip will help put these doubts of ours to rest…” Dominic said softly, leaning his head back to look up at the sky. “Maybe whatever’s waiting for us at this Garden of Creation will be the key to making us feel… Better. I can settle for ‘Better’.” The man licked his lips a couple times, then took a deep breath. “Anyway… We should probably get back on the road, I just wanted to come and pay my respects…” Mizu nodded, her wings twitching a couple times. They were certainly getting workout keeping up with the Imperator’s motorcycle, she wondered if by the end of the trip she would be faster than her own mother. The two of them began making their way back to the vehicle parked near the monument, knowing they had another long day of travel ahead of them.

[♠]

Hinkman adjusted his helmet as he and his soldiers ran through the streets of Folkestone, the city that served as the starting point of the Channel Tunnel between the British Isle and France. Bullets kicked up concrete and dust around them as they dodged between abandoned cars and trucks that lined the road, ahead of them was their foe, footsoldiers of the enemy faction known as the Brotherhood of the Crescent Moon. Comprised mostly of muslim extremists and refugees, they had been a blight to the struggling survivors in the areas under their command. This had already earned them a spot on the list of hostile factions, but what had really earned the ire of the Onorussian military was how they had brutally laid waste to a group of survivors that refused to join them.

The soldiers adjusted their weapons and body armor while bullets from AK-47s and other small arms continued to rain down around them, the smell of gunpowder and the sound of weapon’s fire was seemingly everpresent. Hinkman looked to his weapon and made sure it was loaded, his unit had recently been armed with the latest model of energy weapons, and he hoped that they would prove useful in the upcoming fight. He poked his head out from behind the truck that he had taken refuge behind, only for a couple seconds, doing his best to spot a route towards the enemy position.

“Holtz, you take your group and flank left through that front lawn over there! We’ll provide suppressing fire!” Hinkman ordered, his second officer nodded and readied his own weapon while the bullets continued to rain down. “Suppressing fire! Go go go!” Holtz and his men, a group of five, stood from their cover and began running towards the lawn to the left, there was a thick brick wall that would give them a better line of sight towards the enemy building there, as well as provide more cover. Hinkman meanwhile leaned out with the rest of his men, firing their weapons at the enemy that was hold up ahead of them.

Holtz and his men ran as fast as the could, the young officer feeling sweat running down his cheeks while he could hear bullets whizz past his head. He slid into cover as if he was some sort of baseball player, quickly moving to conceal as much of himself behind the wall. He turned to look a his men, thankfully all five of them had managed to make it to the wall safely.

“We’re set, Colonel!” He shouted while watching Hinkman and the others pulled back behind the overturned cars, Holtz looked to his left at one of his subordinates, a rather green private who was assigned to the radio. “Call in a helicopter fire mission on that structure!” The private nodded nervously and pulled the radio off his back, then put the headset to his ear and began calling in the fire mission. Holtz and the others would occasionally pop up over the wall, firing bursts at the building, bolts of red energy were charring the bricks and blasting windows apart, but still the Crescent forces returned fire.

From overhead Holtz could hear the sound of helicopter blades, the man looked up to see a beautiful sight, an Mi 24 bearing Onorussian colors. The Mi 24 had seen extensive use in recent years on the Terran front, mainly due to it’s versatility and the intimidation that came from seeing such a heavily armed aircraft. The machine gun fire from the enemy controlled house was suddenly drowned out by the tremendous roar of rockets launching from the pods mounted under the wings of the helicopter. Holtz leaned up over cover and got a chance to watch the missiles strike the enemy building, a large cloud of dust began flooding through the street as the front part of the building collapsed. The helicopter hovered overhead, opening up on the rest of the structure with the gatling gun mounted to the nose. Shells rained down on the street, clattering all around and adding to the cacophony of war.

After a couple minutes of this, the helicopter veered off, the downdraft from the rotors helping to disperse the smoke and dust that had erupted as a result of the collapse of the front face of the enemy structure. Holtz heard the order to move up and began moving out from behind the cover of the wall, approaching the now decimated target building. There were corpses buried under some of the rubble, as well as groans and screams of pain from deeper inside. Holtz and his men kept their wits about them as they moved into the remains of the building, passing destroyed furniture and broken light fixtures.

Holtz stepped through a doorway, weapon raised, scanning the dusty room for any sign of the enemy. There was a bed covered in dirt and grime, shattered picture frames that had fallen from the wall, and a broken window. Slumped in the corner was a limp form, wearing a ski mask and body armor that looked like it had been scavenged, as well as a green headband with arabic writing. Slowly the man lifted his head, blood soaking his mask, and raised his hands in the air. Holtz raised his rifle, narrowed his eyes, and fired two energy bolts into the wounded man’s chest. The Crescent’s were just as fanatical as the Caribou, they had already performed a dozen false surrenders, killing at least twenty Onorussian soldiers with hidden grenades and suicide bombs.

“Clear!” Holtz shouted, there similar calls from the others that were clearing the house. The man moved towards the blown out window, crouching and taking aim out the window. He could see a road on the other side, with signs warning drivers that they were nearing the Channel Tunnel. With the structure now secure, the final building needed to secure the route to the tunnel was now under Onorussian control. The mission from that point was up to the Corps of Engineers. Intelligence reported that the Crescents were using the tunnel to move supplies from their main base of operations in France, if there were defenses set up in the tunnel it would be too difficult to move Onorussian troops through. If that was the case, the tunnel would be collapsed by both the engineers and the Navy, and an amphibious landing would be required.

[♠]

Luna sat beside Altair’s bed, it was the weekend, so he had the day off. That meant he could sleep in, but Luna had been worried about him. Maria had told her just how upset the boy was, and she didn’t want him to be alone when he woke up. Unfortunately, Maria had been called away to deal with a group of petitioners. Luna could tell that Altair felt more comfortable around her, not that he didn’t love Luna too, but she knew that Maria was his birth mother… Luna felt a soft tug on her mane, a familiar tug that she had often felt many times when Dominic had a nightmare, but this one was different. Her attention towards her sleeping son, a frown crossing her lips as she realized it was him that was having the nightmare.

The mare quietly reached her wing out over the boy, her feathers brushing up against his cheek while he lay in his bed. Altair quietly opened his eyes as he felt the new warmth covering him, looking around for a couple seconds before seeing Luna. The boy quietly put his arms around Luna’s wing, hugging it gently.

“Good morrow, Altair.” Luna said quietly before she leaned in and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. Altair smiled faintly and nuzzled deeper into Luna’s wing.

“Good morning, Mother.” Altair said as he began to sit up, he referred to Maria as Mom and Luna as Mother, it just seemed easier to distinguish them. “I didn’t know you were home today, don’t the space ponies need you?” Luna shook her head and retracted her wing now that it seemed Altair was awake.

“Nay, I’ve taken a brief leave of absence to spend time with you. The space agency has all of my star charts and notes, there’s not much more I can give them at the moment.” Luna replied, she moved so that she was sitting on his bed. “I thought perhaps we could spend the day together, is there anything you wanted to do?” Altair rubbed his eyes and adjusted his pajama shirt, then hummed and shrugged his shoulders.

“Could we get breakfast? I’m a little hungry.” Altair asked, Luna smiled and nodded. “Great! Can we go to a diner?”

“I don’t see why not.” Luna said, still keeping that smile of hers. “I’ll let you get dressed, then we can get our day started, alright?” Altair nodded quietly and rubbed his eyes again, Luna leaned in and gave him another kiss on the forehead. “I love you.” With that Luna stood up off the bed and made her way out of her son’s room, in the hallway she began moving her horn around, adding a bit of magic as she did so. If Altair wanted to go out, she’d take him out, but she very well couldn’t go as her normal self. Her spell was cast within a couple seconds, her body shifting and becoming more like a normal mare’s. Her wings became cloaked, her fur became a few shades lighter, while her mane and tail lost their astral appearance. Her cutiemark changed as well, just a little, she still had her moon, but it was a more yellowish tone.

The guards in the castle knew this was her alter ego, as did Altair, so there wouldn’t be any panic if they suddenly saw a new unicorn wandering around. The mare sat on the floor, quietly mulling over potential activities for the day. Maybe they would go see a movie, or possibly even a play! There were so many different possibilities to chose from, but she also had another thought enter her mind. Altair seemed to be lonely without his dad, and as much as Luna and Maria wanted to, their duties kept them from giving him the attention that they wanted to. They had agreed a while ago to get Altair a dog for his birthday, but maybe it would be better to move the date up.

The door to Altair’s room opened, and the young boy stepped out dressed in jeans and a ‘Lunar Commandos’ T-Shirt. His cloth sneakers were tied sloppily, but effectively, the boy was getting better with practice. Luna could see his hair was still a little messy, but that was alright. Altair saw Luna and walked over, adjusting his shirt as he did so.

“Okay, I’m ready!” He said with a smile, Luna nodded and smiled as well before they began walking through the castle towards one of the elevators that had recently been installed. As they entered the elevator, Altair looked up at Luna and poked her side to get her attention. She used her magic to select the ground floor before looking over, she could see a questioning look on Altair’s face. “Mother, can I ask a question?”

“You just did, my dear…” Luna said with a chuckle before nodding. “I’m kidding, what’s your question, Altair?” Altair rubbed the back of his neck for a second, then stood up a bit straighter.

“Last night they did a siren test, right?” He asked, Luna nodded. “Next time… Can… Can I sleep in your room? I just worry that, you know… One night… It might not be a test anymore.” As the elevator continued going down through the floors, Luna knelt closer and hugged Altair with her hooves, holding him close against her furry chest.

“Of course, sweetie.” She said, doing her best to hide the surprise that had crept into her mind. Her boy, her precious son, was afraid to sleep in his own bed because of the threat from the bombs. “You know you don’t have to worry about that ever happening though, right? We’re safe here. We have all those soldiers and planes out there to protect us.” Luna let go of him and looked into his eyes, Altair nodded and wiped his eyes, he seemed to be doing okay. Luna could only wish that Dominic was there with her, somehow he knew just the right things to say. “Tell you what, we’ll get breakfast first, and then you and I are going to get a special surprise.”

“Is it ice cream?” Altair asked, Luna smiled and shook her head. “Are we gonna get to go to another opera like we did at Christmas?”

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it!” Luna said with a snarky tone, Altair huffed and crossed his arms. “Don’t worry, I know you’ll love it.” The elevator let out a soft ‘ding’ as it reached the ground floor, the doors opened slowly and Altair and Luna began to step out. The mare stopped as she saw a couple generals walking towards the elevator with Maria beside them, they had a very serious look on their faces.

“Imperatrix Luna, we have a situation.” One of the Generals said.

“That I am in the process of handling.” Maria added, appearing annoyed. Luna could tell that the Generals hadn’t been taking Maria seriously, there were some that didn’t believe she was as qualified for her position, but she was very well versed in the politics, enough that she was able to run the country by herself at times.

“As I recall, she and I have the same authority.” Luna said flatly, the Generals looked between one another. “My wife is capable of handling whatever this situation is, unless it involves Onorus directly it can wait until I return.” The Generals sighed, then stepped aside for both Luna and Altair. The mare stopped next to Maria and gave her a quick kiss, then continued walking along. She was going to have to issue formal reprimands to those Generals, it was unacceptable to question the authority of one Imperatrix over the other.

Altair followed along with her, surprised that she hadn’t gone with the generals, but also glad that he’d get to have his day with his Mother. The two of them continued walking through the castle, passing by the offices and facilities of various branches of government. It was always fascinating for Altair, watching ponies, humans, changelings, and all manner of strange races working together. Eventually he and his mother arrived at the door to one office, the Governmental Provisioner’s office.

“Wait here for a second, I need to get my purse.” Luna said softly, Altair nodded and leaned against the wall beside the door while Luna stepped inside. She and Maria kept their purses in the governmental offices, this office was under the care of a mare that adhered to protocol like it was gospel. There was no chance she would misuse the contents of the Imperatrix’s purse, and to top it off, Luna and Maria never worried about losing their purses when going about their daily routine. Thankfully, there wasn’t much paperwork that needed to be filled out, and Luna was back out the door and beside Altair within a matter of minutes, her purse in tow. “Alright, we can get going now. You said you wanted to go to a diner, right?”

“Yes, Mother!” Altair said cheerfully, Luna smiled and the two of them left the hall of bureaucracy, now making their way into the public wing of the castle. Luna was glad she’d be getting to spend time with her son, and even more excited to see the look of surprise on his face when he saw what surprise she had in store for him.

[♠]

Shining Armor sat back in his office chair, looking over the reports from the front lines, Yakyakistan had crumbled within hours, but that was to be expected. His day, aside from the status reports from his generals, had been uneventful. Cadence wasn’t looking to talk with him though, she hadn’t been pleased with his decision to move forward with the Yakyakistan operation. There had been hardly any news regarding the Onorussian spy ring, whenever his agents thought they had pinned them to a location they turned up empty handed. It was as if the spies were right under their nose.

Shining’s thoughts were interrupted as the door to his office was pushed open, the stallion raised an eyebrow as Agent Orange entered the room with another pony, a stallion wearing dark rags and a black hood. Shining raised an eyebrow and put his hooves together, looking at Agent Orange intensely.

“Is this one of the spies, Agent?” He asked, the agent shook his head. “Then who is it?”

“You asked for us to find you the best teleportation mage we could, as it turns out, we’ve found the best candidate for the job.” Agent Orange replied in a rather chipper tone, Shining looked to the hooded stallion, only able to make out matted and dirty white fur. “We managed to slip him out of Onorus undetected.”

“Good… But what makes him best for the job?” Shining asked before turning his attention to the pony.

“He has two degrees in Teleportation Spells, and a doctorate in Theoretical Long Range Teleportation Theory from Canterlot Institute of Arcane Studies… Graduated top of his class. All of this has been confirmed.” Agent Orange replied, the hooded stallion meanwhile adjusted his rags, but did not make his face known to the world.

“Very well…” Shining Armor said, his eyes continually searching the hooded stallion for any sort of identifying mark. “What is it you want in return for your services?” The hooded stallion coughed quietly, then chuckled before reaching a hoof up to push the hood back. Shining Armor’s eyes went wide at the stallion he saw, the jagged and broken horn, the menacing eyes, the hateful sneer and the missing teeth.

“You will use my research for weapons… Weapons to be used against those disgusting apes. That’s all the compensation I need.” Blueblood said in a rough voice, his eyes boring deep into Shining Armor. “Though… Since you offered… I want to be treated like a nobel ought to be treated, a nice house, nice clothes, and so on… Everything that disgusting creature stripped me of before his goons left me to rot in the middle of that Faust forsaken desert.”

“You can’t be serious.” Shining Armor said flatly.

“Oh, I’m dead serious…” Blueblood said in a just as flat tone. “A house, clothes, food, and respect… A small price to pay for a weapon’s system that could bypass the Onorussian Army, Navy, and Airforce. A weapons system capable of rendering their entire missile defense network obsolete… A weapons system that could make the Crystal Empire a force to be reckoned with…” Blueblood walked towards the disk, limping slightly as his rags swayed on his body. “Think about it, Cousin… Give me what I want, and once my work is complete, you will have turned the balance of power on it’s head overnight.” Shining armor took a deep breath, then closed his eyes. After a couple seconds, the stallion opened his eyes and leaned against the desk.

“Agent Orange… Show our new associate to the lab.” Shining said quietly, Agent Orange nodded and gestured for Blueblood to follow him.
> Chapter 51
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luna found herself giggling as she watched Altair digging into his breakfast, or more accurately, lunch. He was just like his father in that regard, it was only nine in the morning and the young boy had ordered a cheeseburger of all things. It was alright, he ate healthy for the most part, one burger wouldn’t hurt. What was really intriguing was that the boy put french fries on his burger, another quirk of his father, but something Altair had actually seen his dad do. Luna adjusted her own plate, which had been full of leafy greens and a nice Onorussian Dressing.

The diner they sat in was nothing special, a little mom and pop restaurant that had caught the eye of the young boy. The food had been good, the server had been nice, and the atmosphere was very warm. There were pictures on the walls, some were paintings, others were photo’s of the owners and their family. Luna also took note that there was a small red flag with three white stars at its center hung on the wall behind the counter. It was a ‘Service Flag’ meaning the owner’s had three sons or daughters serving in the armed forces.

“Mother, can I ask a question?” Altair asked, Luna looked back to him and gave him a very… motherly look. The kind that said ‘Why do you keep asking to ask a question?’. Altair caught on and cleared his throat, then wiped his lips with his napkin. “Can… Can I learn to use a sword?”

“A sword?” Luna asked with a raised eyebrow, Altair nodded. “Honey, swords aren’t toys. They’re like guns, they can hurt you really bad if you aren’t careful.”

“I know, but I promise I’d be really careful! I wouldn’t run with it or anything! Promise!” Altair said incessantly, Luna sighed and leaned against the table. The disguised alicorn rubbed her temples in a bit of annoyance, but only displayed an expression of thoughtfulness.

“Altair…” Luna said quietly. “I know you think you’re grown up, and in some ways you are, but… You’re still a little too young for sword training.” Altair began to frown, but Luna cut him off. “However… You’re almost nine. I’ll tell you what… If you are willing to wait until you’re thirteen, I’ll teach you to use a sword myself.” Altair was about to respond, but slowly his frown began to decrease.

“Alright…” He said in a low voice, the boy leaned forward and sipped on his straw, drinking some of his soda. Luna mentally sighed, she hated having to tell her son ‘No’, but she knew that was one of the burdens of being a parent. The door to the diner opened, prompting Luna to look up again. It wasn’t anything eventful, just a pony coming to deliver packages, at least from the looks of it. The mare looked back to Altair, who still looked crestfallen after their last conversation.

“Come on… Don’t frown. You know what I have to do if you frown.” Luna said, smirking quietly. Altair looked at her, but continued to have that frown on his face. “Fine… Time to call in the big guns.” Luna’s horn glowed, and suddenly a little figure glowed into existence. It was an arcane puppet, the magical equivalent of making a sock puppet. This puppet in particular looked like a human, dressed in a suit and a bowler hat. Luna cleared her throat and did her best to speak like a ventriloquist as she made the puppet ‘walk’ over to Altair’s plate. 

“What’s all this then?” ‘Said’ the Puppet in an astonishingly bad, almost racist, English accent. “A frowny face? On your day out? That won’t do! What say ol’ Taffington take’s care o’ that for ya, gov’!” Altair did his best to hide the smirk forming on his face, but no smirk could hide from Luna, or the puppet. Taffington. Luna’s horn continued to glow as the arcane puppet leaned against Altair’s soda like it was a lamp post. “‘Ow’s about a joke, huh? What does a duck eat when it’s got a load of cheese?”

“I don’t know… What?” Altair asked, unable to hide his grin now.

“Quackers!” Taffington ‘said’, once again in that terribly done accent. Luna snickered at her own admittedly terrible joke, but it got Altair to giggle. “There’s that smile! Alright, gov! Got to be off! Pip pip, cheerio, all that jazz!” With that the puppet tipped it’s hat, Luna’s horn stopped glowing and it vanished into a puff of sparkles. It was something she did every now and then, whenever she felt like she needed ‘Back up’ to cheer her son up.

“See? All better.” Luna said, Altair continued smiling and leaned back in his seat.

“Yeah… Thanks, Mom.” Altair said warmly, Luna raised an eyebrow at him. Normally it was ‘Mother’, but… ‘Mom’ made her feel a bit more warm and fuzzy inside. As Altair went back to eating his food, Luna leaned against the window that was beside their table, her disguise was still in full effect. The mare looked off to the south, at Ponyville in the distance. That was where she had spent most of her time working lately, consulting with the manufacturers that were fabricating the parts for the space agency. Nothing was official yet, but it looked like they were close to a working prototype…

Luna looked back to Altair, he had finished off the food on his plate and was also finishing off his soda. Luna signaled for the check while she levitated her purse onto the table, the server brought the bill over and began taking the plates, smiling as she did so. Luna levitated thirty-five Onorussian dollars out of her purse and left them on the table. Enough to cover the meal and the tip. She secured her purse once more afterwards.

“Alright, let’s head out.” Luna said as she slid out of the booth, Altair slid out of the seat as well and the two of them began walking to the front door. Luna felt compelled to open her wing to put over his shoulders, but she remembered that she was disguised, and doing that would certainly ruin her attempt at a normal day. “Now we just need to make our way to your surprise, let’s see if I can find a cab…”

“Why not fly, Mom?” Altair asked with a tilted head, Luna turned her head to look at him. “I mean… You could hide your horn and stop hiding your wings…? Maybe? I dunno…” Luna smiled and leaned down, nuzzling him while she giggled.

“When did you get so smart?” She said before her horn glowed, it faded from view as her wings dropped their cloak. “Alright, hop on up, and hold on tight… And don’t tell your Mom about this…” Altair nodded before climbing up onto Luna’s back and hugging her neck tightly. Not so tight as to cut off air, but enough that she was sure he wouldn’t fall off. Luna’s wings unfurled, and she gave them a couple test flaps before taking to the air. Altair smiled widely and giggled a bit, he had always loved flying with his mother, even if his other mother didn’t like the idea. As they flew along, Altair caught sight of several fighter jets in the distance, they were doing various maneuvers.

The feeling of the wind through his hair, the thrill of being so high in the sky, it was something that he could never get enough of. The boy leaned closer to Luna’s neck and rested his face against her mane, the flight never seemed to last long enough, so he wanted to enjoy it as much as he could. Luna was flying as level as she could, keeping an eye on the streets below, as well as the occasional markers that signaled safe air corridors above the city. She knew most of the city like the back of her hoof, as she had helped to set up the new police precincts that dotted the map.

Luna tilted her wings to begin her descent when she saw the destination below, a building that looked like a warehouse with a large fenced grass yard off to the side. There were a couple griffons and diamond dogs in military uniforms in the yard, as well as a man wearing a dark grey, thick padded suit. Altair looked down with curious eyes, watching as a black dog charged at the man wearing the padded suit and latched onto his arm. Luna’s horn glowed softly as she got lower in the sky, a wave of magic washing over her. Her disguise disappeared, and her astral mane returned as she landed gracefully on the grass. One of the griffons whistled, calling the black dog away from the man in the bite proof suit.

The soldiers stared in surprise as Imperatrix Luna trotted towards them with a boy on her back, most troops outside of the palace didn’t know what Altair looked like, much like the press, once again so the boy would be allowed to lead a semi-normal childhood. They saluted quickly, Luna nodded to them while Altair continued to ride along on her back.

“I made an appointment with Major Hugo, through the Governmental Provisioner’s Office.” Luna said simply and regally, one of the diamond dogs, an older fellow that looked like a doberman and Major’s oak leaves on his collar, blinked and shook his head rapidly before stepping forward.

“R-Right, your eminence. I had just expected you would arrive through the front door.” The Major said, he took a breath and almost instantly regained his composure. He turned to the other soldiers and cleared his throat. “Silver Beak, take your dog back to the kennel. The rest of you return to the instruction room, use the time I’m away to work on your command tone and hand signals. Dismissed.” The soldiers saluted before turning to walk towards the building, Altair watched with awe as the dog seemed to march along as well. “Lenny! Get out of that ridiculous thing.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice!” The man in the padded suit replied as he too began walking towards the building.

“Now… To what do I owe this odd, but not unwanted, visit?” Major Hugo asked as he looked back to Luna and the boy, his paws gently coming to rest against one another. Luna lowered herself a bit, allowing Altair to climb down from her back. He looked up at the Major quietly while Luna’s wings twitched, her feathers settling back to their normal positions.

“Firstly… If anyone asks who my boy is, you don’t know.” Luna said flatly and commandingly, the Major nodded. “Now… That said. This is my son, Nova-Imperator Altair.” The major seemed to lighten up a bit, he adjusted his fatigues and smiled at Altair. “Now, he and I are having a day out, and I wanted to surprise him… I recently saw that one of your dogs had puppies.”

“Yes, ma’am. A german shepherd had a rather large litter, I should mention most of them are slated for military service, they’re handlers have already imprinted on them.” Hugo said, meanwhile Altair had picked up on what they were talking about, and what it likely meant for him. Was he getting to join the dog handlers? Not his dream, but he’d take anything if it meant he could serve like his dad. “However, since it was such a large litter, we have a couple pups that are going to be put up for adoption… I assume that’s why you’re here?”

“It is.” Luna said with a smile, she looked over to Altair and gave him a pat on the head. “We decided we’d get you a dog when you were old enough, and now seems like as good a time as any.” Altair felt his heart skip a beat, this was almost better than being a dog handler, he was going to get his own puppy, and not just any puppy, a tough puppy from a cool military base!

“Awesome!” Altair said cheerfully, he looked at Major Hugo. “Can you give me a list of the stuff I need to do to take care of it? I want to do it right!” The Major nodded, smiling a bit more. The kid was certainly different from the other children that came in to adopt with their families, most of the time it would end up being the parents that would care for the dog, but here this little guy was asking for a list. He knew either way the puppy would be well taken care of, but if the Nova-Imperator wanted to take an active role, more power to him.

“I’ll have a binder readied, don’t worry.” Hugo said before gesturing for Luna and Altair to follow him, they walked across the grassy yard until they reached the metal door that served as the side entrance to the dog training facility. The Major held the door open while Luna and Altair passed him, then began walking alongside the alicorn in measured steps. There was muffled barking from the main kennel, the hallway they were currently walked through was comprised mainly of wooden doors that lead to various offices and lecture rooms. The walls were white, the standard color for military base interior walls, and as usual decorated with posters or the occasional bulletin board.

Eventually the three of them came upon another door, a thick wooden slab with a window that was obviously constructed from bullet resistant material. Hugo pushed a couple numbers into a keypad beside the door, the magnetic locks buzzed and the door swung outward. The three stepped into the new room, which was far less utilitarian than the rest of the facility. It was more open, and the floor was scattered with little chew toys, as well as a couple bowls of water and food. Altair’s eyes went wide as he saw half a dozen or so fuzzy little puppies running around, nipping at one another and playing with the toys.

“These are the puppies we’re going to be putting up for adoption, the other five have already been assigned handlers.” Hugo said, by this point the puppies had noticed the new comers and were curiously trotting over, some of them clumsily stumbling over one another. Luna smiled as she saw Altair’s face light up like a christmas tree, the excitement in his eyes was almost contagious. “Feel free to spend some time with them, see which one feels right.”

“Oh… I like all of them!” Altair said as the puppies crowded around him, their little tails wagging rapidly as they panted or let out little excited barks. Altair sat on the floor, and almost immediatly one of the pups hopped up into his lap, then stood on its hind legs and began licking his face. Altair giggled and tried to turn his head away, but the pup was persistent. Altair fell back as the pup continued trying to get at his face, still giggling as he began petting the persistent fuzzball. “I like this one especially!”

“She likes you too, it seems.” Hugo said, smirking at the sight, it wasn’t everyday that he had the pleasure of helping families adopt puppies. Luna looked around the room and noted that one of the little puppies hadn’t flocked to her son, it was quietly standing next to her, staring up at her with its head tilted to one side curiously. Luna felt like her heart was going to melt as the little puppy walked up to her and nuzzled her leg. She was normally able to keep her composure, but in the face of such cuteness, she was unable to let out a soft squee. Surely it wouldn’t hurt if she brought two puppies home instead of one, then they’d have someone to play with when Altair was at school… With that justification in mind, Luna turned to Hugo.

“I think I’ll take two home, actually… This little one here, and which ever one my son chooses.” Luna said as she sat and began petting the puppy that had started nuzzling her leg, Hugo was honestly shocked. Imperatrix Luna was the face of Onorussian Law, the highest judge in the entire country, she ruled resolutely and soundly… And here she was, petting a puppy and making soft cooing noises. Altair ended up spending half an hour with the pups, all the while his persistent friend kept hounding him. Ultimately, when it came time to choose, he chose the one that had made him giggle the most.

Luna, Major Hugo, and Altair all made their way to the front office with two very excited puppies in tow. Once they had arrived at the office, Luna and Hugo went to fill out some paperwork, leaving Altair and an aid to look after the pups. In actuality, Luna also needed to arrange a ride back to the castle, as well as see to it that the puppies had bowls, dog beds, and other necessities waiting for them when they arrived at the castle. Altair had already thought of a name for his puppy, dubbing her ‘Wolfy’. Luna also had a name for the puppy that had melted her heart, one that she had always liked. The pup would be named ‘Mars’.

While Altair waited for his mother to return, he found himself enjoying the time he was spending with his fluffy new companion. She had the usual coloring of a German Shepherd, but there was a tiny spot of white fur on the center of her forehead. Wolfy would occasionally try to lick his face again, but for the most part she was enjoying sitting in Altair’s lap as he rubbed her belly or scratched behind her ears. Mars, on the other hand, or paw, was curled up on the chair next to Altair, snoozing. Altair was pretty much happy, he had every reason to be, but something was nagging at him… Something deep down in his mind, in a place he didn’t even know existed, that let in a sliver of doubt and sadness… He couldn’t understand why though. So he decided to instead focus on Wolfy, who was loving the attention she was getting.

[♠]

Dominic could see by the way the sun hung in the sky that it was around three in the afternoon, he and Mizu had been riding almost nonstop since the morning, with the exception of stopping for gas or to use the bathroom. By now they were deep in the heart of the Onorussian desert territory, further south than New Liberty, in the very boondocks of Onorussian society. Buildings and towns here were few and far between, the once massive highway had gradually shrunk to a two lane stretch of road that barely passed as ‘paved’. Telephone poles ran along its length, their cables swaying in a soft breeze that went unnoticed as Dominic tore down the road, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

Mizu could sense… Something. As she flew along beside the Imperator on his motorcycle, it felt as if there were eyes on her. Down this far south, towns were so small and scattered that they didn’t have police departments, everything here was covered by the military police stationed at the outposts that lined the southern border. Mizu could tell that if anything happened here, they would be on their own, they were at least an hour or so from the nearest outpost. It was around this point in time that Mizu began noticing signs on the side of the road, the most notable read ‘End of Road: 5 Miles’.

Dominic began slowing down as he noticed the signs, his eyes narrowing as he could see the end of the road up ahead. Mizu nervously moved closer as they gradually rolled to a stop, the asphalt gradually ceasing, coalescing to a final sign that read ‘Mile Marker: 0’. Dominic’s engine idled for a couple minutes, echoing over the landscape before he turned the key. Just like that, the air became dead quiet. An eerie silence that sent shivers down Mizu’s spine, she watched Dominic swing his leg over the bike and walk forward a couple steps.

“This is the end of the road… I suppose we just… Walk out into the desert then, right?” He said, turning to face Mizu. The changeling blinked a couple times, then cleared her throat. Her mother had given her instructions, somehow the guardians of the garden would know when their journey had ended.

“I think we’re supposed to… Wait. For something.” Mizu replied, Dominic shrugged and began walking back towards the bike. He paused for a moment, Mizu saw his eyes dart towards a sand dune. Quietly, with more measured steps, Dominic approached the bike.

“Mizu.” He said quietly. “Stay calm. Act natural…” Mizu looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “I know it sounds crazy, but I… I just feel like something is watching us from that hill. Don’t ask how I know, it’s something I picked up over the years.” Mizu gulped but nodded, the Imperator had survived in far worse conditions, at least that’s what she told herself. Dominic, on the other hand, was far more on edge than he let on. His gut told him something was wrong, very wrong, there was something out in the sandy wastes. Quietly he slipped a hand into his pocket, running his fingers along Luna’s feather to try and gather strength. When he felt sufficiently psyched up, the man withdrew his hand from his pocket and slid it to the leather holster on his hip.

In a flash of movement, the Imperator drew his revolver and turned towards the hill. The fluid motion ensured that the weapon was cocked and ready by the time it came to bear on whoever was watching them. There was a flash of light, Dominic began to squeeze the trigger, but something… Some unseen, unnatural force, halted his finger. Halted every move in his body, he felt paralyzed, a living statue, he had no control over his body.

Mizu could feel the same crippling paralysis, she could see the Imperator’s eyes, wide with fear, something she had never seen in the man’s eyes since the day she had first met him. The two of them could only watch as there was another flash of light, this one blinding them, making them unable to see the world around them, save for the ever present bleached white glow that stole their vision. In a matter of seconds, both of them felt weightless, and then…

Dominic let out a loud gasp as he clenched his stomach, his knees going weak before he thudded down onto the ground. To his surprise, however, his face was not greeted by hot searing sand. Cool, almost comforting, grass brushed against his cheek. The man opened his eyes, the feeling of strangeness in his stomach had passed. With a racing heart he looked around for his revolver, but for the life of him he couldn’t find it. The man stood up and rolled his shoulders, looking around him for any sign of attackers, and Mizu for that matter. To his shock, he was no longer standing in the desert. He was surrounded by massive plants of different types, fountains, and stepping stones laid in the ground.

“Hello, Dominic.” A voice said from… Everywhere. A woman’s voice, it was as if she was everywhere, and nowhere at the same time. “I see you have many questions for me, well… Ask them, and then we will decide what to do with you.”

“Where is Mizu?” Dominic asked in an authoritative voice, glaring around him.

“She is where she needs to be.” The voice said simply. “Never fear, she is unharmed. She is having a similar meeting. The one she foresaw in her vision.” Dominic looked around for the source of the voice again, doing his best to keep his calm.

“Who are you? Where’s my father and the other’s I’m supposed to see?” Dominic asked, he walked towards a towering tree, thinking maybe there would be some clue there. Or maybe it was just for the shade, he couldn’t tell, and that scared him.

“Unfortunately they will not be appearing. They were a ruse, a tactic of ours to bring you here. We calculated that you would not come unless it had some chance of resolving the unfinished issues you had with your father.” The voice said, sounding apologetic, Dominic glared at a random bush, it was the only thing he could think to do, since he couldn’t find the speaker. “As for who we are… Who I am…” Dominic heard a rustle from the bush he was glaring at, to his shock, a woman emerged wearing a white gown and a crown. But not just any woman.

“M-Mom…?” Dominic asked in a stunned voice, the woman shook her head.

“I chose this form based on your thoughts.” The woman said, walking towards him. “You may call me Arc Whet.” Dominic glared at the imposter, and just like that, his mother’s form was replaced by a shimmering ball of light, a second later it reformed as his old English Teacher. The blonde woman still wore the white gown as she stopped a couple feet in front of the man, a serene smile on her face.

“Get out of my head.” Dominic growled, there couldn’t be a coincidence that a brief thought of how this ‘Arc Whet’ reminded him of his english teacher suddenly caused her to take that form, if it even was a ‘her’. “You lied to me, you poked around my head, you got me to come all this way… Why?”

“We are the result of a failed experiment from eons passed, when our race lived on this planet alone.” Arc Whet said quietly, adjusting her hair as she continued to stand before Dominic. “We had grown to such technological strength that we became bored with just ourselves, and so we began to create others. You know them as the griffons, the minotaurs, and so on. In your world they are myth, or simply animals, much like they were in ours before our meddling.”

“That hasn’t answered my question.” Dominic said flatly, the woman nodded quietly.

“Our civilization began searching for life outside of our world, and in order to do it, we crafted an arcane blueprint, or a spell as you would call it.” Arc Whet said as she got closer to Dominic, the man took a cautious step back. “It failed, and fractured our species into three, with magical power like the ones that we had created… Only two infants survived without being changed., those of us in the experiment gained almost limitless power… Those who were not became what you call unicorns, earth ponies, and pegasi.”

“You were alicorns…?” Dominic asked, anger and annoyance rapidly began to morph into curiousity. Arc Whet nodded quietly. “Then that means… Luna and Celestia… But, what about Cadence and Twilight?”

“Cadence was our first attempt to try and break free, but we soon learned that doing so had dire consequences. Not at first, at least, not for the inhabitants of the world.” Arc Whet said with a bit of a sigh, she held out her hand and a vision of a black mist swirled in her palm. “Years after our attempt, the unicorn warlock known as Sombra was released from his prison… It was our fault. We learned there is no escape, and so we had to adjust our methods, to try and recreate our species… At least in some small way, so that they could continue our work. To search for a world other than our own… To make all of this worthwhile.”

“So… Me coming here…” Dominic said with a bit of shock.

“Was no accident.” Arc Whet said plainly. “Of course, you were meant to be the catalyst, the one that would convince Celestia and the others to search for other worlds. However, your desire to help your people was not a part of our calculations.” The woman seemed a bit pleased to be wrong in that regard. “You have exceeded our expectations at every turn… We have no words to describe how gratifying it has been to see our cultures interact, in good times and bad. In war and in peace, it has fascinated us… We wished to meet the one responsible.”

“That’s why?” Dominic asked, sounding annoyed again. “I thought coming all this way would give me answers, that I could find some form of peace, but you just wanted a fucking meet and greet?!” Arc Whet stared at him for a couple seconds, then sighed and put a hand on his shoulder.

“You have overcome your fears time and time again, fought against uncountable odds, and yet you still do not feel at peace?” She asked, Dominic looked at her hand, the annoyed look on his face slowly shifting to a tired one before he nodded. “Your species is odd, to say the least. Resilient, and yet… So fragile.”

“I’m… I’m sorry I yelled, I just… Just thought that by coming here, I could finally feel… You know… Normal.” Dominic said quietly, he brought his hand to his pocket and felt Luna’s feather once again. “And… If I could find out how, then maybe my son… He wouldn’t have to go through this when he grows older.” The man looked at his hands. “I don’t want my boy to suffer on account of my rotten genes.” Arc Whet’s hand glowed, Dominic felt an odd sense of warmth spread through his shoulder.

“I see now…” She said as she moved her hand back to her side. “You have a chemical imbalance in your brain… A genetic disposition to depression and anxiety.” The woman looked him in the eyes. “Your father had this gene, as did his father, and his father… And yes, your son has it as well.” Dominic sighed and looked at the ground. “I am sorry to say, these diseases were far less common in our species, our technology and arcane abilities allowed us to fix the imbalance… But your species is resistant to magic, it takes a great deal more to have an affect on you.” The woman put both hands on Dominic’s cheeks, much to the man’s surprise, he was unable to move to stop her. “Close your eyes.”

The man hesitantly complied, he could feel a warmth spreading through his head, it gradually began to move through his body. Flashes of images moved through his mind, memories of times before the infection, times he was with his family, and the day that his son was born. All these images made him feel a sense of happiness, a sense of pride… He had lead a good life, as good as it could be, at least. There had been problems, certainly, but over all his life had turned out almost as he had expected to it before the infection. He served his country, he was married, and had a son… In that instant, it was like a switch had been flipped.

“M-My god…” Dominic said in a quiet whisper as he opened his eyes. “W-What… What did you do to me…?” His head felt clearer, as if a fog that had hung there for as long as he could remember had suddenly vanished.

“I have adjusted your brain chemistry to proper balance…” Arc Whet said simply, she brought her hands to her side. “It is temporary, but with proper medication, near identical effects can be achieved.” Dominic put a hand to his chest, rolling his shoulders as he tried to adjust to the strange new sensation that had suddenly covered his body. “The same can be said for your son, so do not fear for his future as you have.”

“T-Thanks… I think.” Dominic said quietly, it was such an alien feeling, but it wasn’t a bad one. It reminded him of when he had found Maria, but much crisper, concrete. “So… What happens now? I have a feeling you didn’t summon me simply to fix my head and say hello…”

“You are correct.” Arc Whet replied, she gestured for him to follow her as she began walking through the gardens. “The vision we showed you was meant to catch the attention of Chrysalis, and it seemed the easiest solution, since the template already existed, it was easier for us to project into your mind.” The garden seemed to stop suddenly, a cliff with a wooden railing sat at its edge. Arc Whet stopped at this railing, and Dominic stood beside her, looking out into a strange sight. There was no real horizon, nor was there any sign of the sun that lit the garden, it was instead a massive tapestry of stars and planets that stretched as far as Dominic could see.

“You’ve taken the first steps towards colonization of your home system, and even towards colonizing uninhabited dimensions.” Arc Whet said quietly, Dominic looked over at her with a raised eyebrow.

“With the issue of overpopulation, they seemed like logical solutions.” Dominic said, quietly leaning against the railing and looking back out at the stars. “I assume your are going to tell me ‘It’s too dangerous’?”

“Considering the alternatives, no.” Arc Whet said simply, her eyes looking out into that vast black sea of sparkling lights. “We summoned you here because our powers are waning after all this time, countless years of monitoring and influencing events on the world has left our collective consciousness fatigued and weakened.” The woman sighed and looked over at Dominic. “Soon, relatively, we will be able to nothing more than watch. This means that should you encounter a hostile dimension, we will not be able to offer direct aid… Only our messenger, the one you know as Discord, will be able to directly influence the realm.”

“So in other words… The training wheels are coming off.” Dominic said flatly, Arc Whet nodded. “I take it you’re the one that’s been helping us not blow each other to pieces in an all out nuclear conflict… And you’re going tell me now that you can’t help with that either, meaning the world just got a whole lot more dangerous.”

“Your powers of perception are impressive.” Arc Whet said, she sighed and adjusted her hair so that it flowed in a soft breeze that seemed ever present. “From now on we will need to ration our power, meaning we will only be able to make slight adjustments to the realm. Since your nation is the largest, we calculated it would be best to contact you directly.” The woman turned to him with a tired expression. “Neither of our civilizations ever reached this point, not yours, not ours, and certainly not the remnants that inherited the world. We hope that you can keep it all from annihilation.”

“Trust me, I feel the same way.” Dominic said, gaining his own tired expression. “Lemme just add ‘Prevent total nuclear armageddon’ to my todo list…” Arc Whet let out a slight chuckle at the grim bit of humor. “I have a feeling there’s more to this.”

“There is.” Arc Whet said with a nod. “This will be our only meeting in person, the energy it took to bring you here was considerable, even with you standing atop the largest concentration of arcane material on the continent.” Dominic paused and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Do not get any ideas, the vein of arcane crystal I speak of is hundreds of miles beneath the surface, your miners would die from the extreme pressure before they ever saw it.” The woman sighed. “But I digress… Any further communication you receive will be brought by our mutual friend, however infrequent that may be.”

“I see...” Dominic said quietly, he looked back out into the vast void of stars laid out in front of him. The man stared out into that dark abyss, and it seemed that the abyss stared back at him, with an almost shaking voice he spoke once more. “And… You’re sure I can’t see my Dad… Or, my Mom…? My real mom.” Arc Whet could see his eyes watering. “I-I just thought… Y’know… I could tell them about what had happened… T-That they had a grandson… I w-was hoping to ask i-if they were proud of me…”

“I… We are sorry to have gotten your hopes up with our deception, but it was the only way to ensure you would come in person.” Arc Whet said, Dominic shook his head and leaned more against the railing.

“I should’ve expected it… Ever since I first came to this world, the powers that be have manipulated me in one way or another…” Dominic said in a quiet and bitter tone, one tear rolling down his cheek as he ran a hand over his head. “I had thought that now that I was the powers that be, that sort of thing was behind me…” The man turned his head towards Arc Whet. “I… I’d like to be alone.” Arc Whet opened her mouth to speak, but stopped herself. There was a flash of light, an instant later she had vanished. Dominic quietly slid down onto his knees and leaned against the railing, this time making no effort to hide the tears running down his cheeks.

Since its inception, the Garden of Creation had known many sounds, from trees creaking and birds chirping, to soft wind and the rustle of branches. For the first time in its history, an alien sound echoed through the peaceful plains. It was here, far from the eyes of society, from the masses of people looking to him to be strong, in a space that no one could penetrate, that Dominic reached his breaking point. He had sobbed before, cried before, even wailed… But none could compare to the sadness and despair that filled his mournful cries, cries that would go unheard and unanswered, as if they had never existed. Even with the aid that Arc Whet had given him, the gift that had lifted the fog of depression, he felt his heart being clamped down on tightly. It was here, in this place of peace and light, that Dominic truly felt… Alone.
> Chapter 52
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun rose over the city of Tokyo, the peaceful calm of the morning broken up by the sound of helicopter blades chopping through the air. The Onorussian forces had set up at Narita Airport, and unlike their operations in Europe the mission in Japan was far more difficult. There had been several heavy earthquakes, roads and bridges had been destroyed or covered in rubble, dams had either broken or overflowed, and there were large cracks in pavement. For Dimitri Adler, who was on his first overseas deployment, it was a sight to see. The wind blew against the young man’s face as he sat in the huey helicopter as it flew at treetop level over the surrounding area, there was a formation of them following behind it.

Their mission today would be to make contact with a couple survivor settlements that had been spotted from the air, as well as bring in a group of Japanese Ground Defense Force troops that had been holding out at a base to the north. Dimitri had luckily been assigned to the mission to bring in the JGDF, they had made radio contact a few days ago, and from what they had said it sounded like they were just about out of supplies. What was more, there was heavy bandit activity around them, it would only be a matter of time before they were overrun. Dimitri watched as the helicopters split off once they reached the outskirts of Tokyo and the buildings became fewer and fewer, replaced by more trees and green plants.

Down below, Dimitri could see a column of trucks and APCs making its way along a road in one direction while refugees streamed towards the city. The young man felt truly bad for some of them, as the Onorussian government vetted refugees carefully. If they didn’t have documents or papers, they would need to be quarantined for half a year before they could be sent through to the otherside. That wasn’t to say they would be mistreated, they’d have access to all the amenities that Onorus could provide, but Dimitri knew that staying in this world was probably not what they wanted.

The helicopter continued flying, flanked on either side by its two companions for the flight. Ahead of them he could make out the silhouette of a chinook, which would be used to evacuate the Japanese defenders. Dimitri sighed quietly and leaned back in his seat, adjusting the ballistic vest that he wore. He looked at his fellow soldiers, some were doing their best to chat over the noise of the helicopter blades, others were checking over their rifles. Troops in Japan had been issued AK-47s, seeing as the climate and terrain were rough and muddy in the summer months that were coming up.

Japan was certainly different from his last posting on the Crystal Empire Border, he found himself enjoying all the green and other colors, and the fact that it wasn’t freezing was another plus. He wouldn’t mind living there once it was recolonized by Onorus. That being said, the man had noticed a lot of strange things here, but he had heard it was like that before the infection had struck. He had watched some of the cartoons that Japan was so famous for, Dimitri couldn’t believe that such shows had once existed. They were good, he would give them credit, but they were also very strange. The man leaned his head back and closed his eyes, listening to the radio chatter as the chinook met up with the three hueys and joined them on the flight north.

The flight lasted an hour and a half before things began to pick up, Dimitri had just managed to nod off when he heard the telltale sound of a bullet pinging off the side of the helicopter. He and the others all sat up, going tense as the pilots began adjusting their course, Dimitri didn’t dare look outside for fear of having his head shot off. Instead he tightened the strap on his kevlar helmet and readied his AK, much like the others were doing.

”We have a hot LZ! Heavy Bandit activity, they’re trying to take the JGDF outpost! You’re going to need to jump!” The pilot announced over the intercom, Dimitri felt a knot form in his stomach. This was his first taste of real combat, he’d been shot at before, but he had never returned fire. The helicopter began lowering its altitude, and Dimitri looked to his commanding officer for guidance. His CO, a captain by the name of Sloan, looked at him and nodded his head simply.

“I know this is going to be first combat for a lot of you, just remember two things. Remember your training, and most importantly… Remember you’re Onorussian Marines! And all the EOL soldiers in hell cannot overrun you! Gott mit uns!”

“GOTT MIT UNS!” Dimitri and the others shouted back, the man felt his blood pulsing faster and faster as he psyched himself up for his first taste of battle. The helicopter was getting even lower, approaching a fortified concrete building with a large grassy courtyard out front which was surrounded by sandbags and fences. Dimitri could see bandits running towards it, they were practically close enough to spit on. The door gunners took advantage of this, opening up on them with their M60s as the helicopter got closer to the ground. The huey stopped when it was just five feet from the ground.

“Go! Go! Go!” Sloan ordered loudly, Dimitri and the others leapt from the helicopter and landed with grunts on the ground, rolling to break their falls. The man looked around as the helicopter took off, he moved away as the second huey began lowering to let its own troops off. “First squad on me! Come on!” Dimitri stood up and rushed towards his CO, Sloan was moving towards the sandbags which were being used by a group of people that wore disheveled uniforms. The Onorussians took cover behind the sandbag as bullets flew past their heads and kicked up dust, Sloan looked towards one of the disheveled soldiers who looked like the ranking officer. “Hey! I’m Captain Sloan, Onorussian Globe Corps!” The soldier, a tired looking woman holding a battered rifle looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Do you speak English?!” She stared at him. “Fuck! Okay, Hastings, Jenson, go find their radio operator! They speak English!”

“Yes, sir!” Two of Dimitri’s squad mates replied before taking off down the line, Sloan looked to Dimitri and the others.

“The rest of you, return fire!” Sloan ordered before he popped up over the sandbag and began firing at the incoming horde of bandits, the enemy was armed with various makeshift weapons, as well as firearms that had been looted from police stations and other military bases. Dimitri flipped the fire selector to automatic and rose from behind cover, he took aim at one of the oncoming bandits. His heart was racing as he stared at the man down the sights, his grip was shaking. “Corporal Adler! Fire your weapon! That’s an order!” Adler narrowed his eyes and exhaled like he was taught in training, his finger squeezed the trigger and let fly a burst of fire. The bandit took two bullets to the gut and fell like a sack of potatoes, Dimitri gritted his teeth and began firing again. “That’s it, Corporal! Keep up the fire! You’re doin’ great!”

The bandits seemed to keep coming, rushing out of the trees and grass that surrounded the facility like mad, screaming and shouting in Japanese. Dimitri had been just a boy when the infected had ravaged the world, but he still remembered what the hordes looked like, very similar to these bandits. That’s how he began to see his enemy, and that made it easier for him to pull the trigger. Dimitri heard a pained groan to his left, he dropped behind cover and looked over. To his horror he found one of his squadmates, an earth pony by the name of Cabbage, laying on the ground. Or… What was left of him. His head was practically gone, all Dimitri could do was stare, unable to tear his eyes away from the sight.

“Corporal!” Sloan shouted, but Dimitri didn’t answer. Sloan moved closer and was about to start yelling when he saw the look on Dimitri’s face. “Dimitri!” The young man turned towards his commanding officer. “Stay with me, son. You’re keeping us alive! You forget about him for now, get your head back in the game!” Dimitri nodded slowly and turned his attention back to the bandits, holstering his rifle and zoning out. His body was on autopilot, taking shots at the bandits with lethal efficiency, all the while his eyes were wide and distant. The bloody mess burned itself into his mind until it was all that he could see. The howl of jet engines bored its way past the ringing in his ears, his eyes snapped to the horizon as a flight of F4s flew over the tropical tree tops that the Bandits were pouring out of.

Massive plumes of fire erupted as they passed overhead, setting the trees ablaze. Dimitri watched as bandits rushed out of the trees, their clothes and bodies ablaze from the mix of napalm and phosphorus that had been dropped on them. Dimitri could see the survivors beginning to retreat, while the flaming bandits continued staggering towards the firing line, holding their hands above their heads, hoping that surrender would result in some aid with their burns. Dimitri was going to fire at them, to put them out of their misery… But something in his mind snapped, and he lowered his weapon… He stood up, staring at them with a blank expression, watching them burn to charred husks… The smell, the disgusting smell of burning flesh, the crackle of skin and fat… The screams of agony… It surrounded him like a thick fog, penetrating his mind to its very core.

He wasn’t aware of Sloan’s voice at first, not until the man had put his hand on his shoulder and shook him a couple times. Dimitri blinked a couple times and turned to look at the Captain, Sloan could see in the young man’s eyes that he was doing his best to compartmentalize what had just happened. The Captain would’ve normally given Dimitri time to recoup his thoughts, but unfortunately they had a mission to carry out.

“Corporal, I need you to help the wounded JGDF to the chinook. Once you’re done there, help Jenson and the others sure up the defenses.” Sloan ordered, Dimitri nodded quietly, but his eyes were drawn over to the corpse that lay on the ground. “We have to hold this position until reinforcements from Narita arrive.” Sloan snapped his fingers a few times, catching Dimitri’s attention again. “Listen to me. What are you?”

“A Marine…” Dimitri replied.

“What are you!?” Sloan said louder, Dimitri took a deep breath and gritted his teeth.

“A Marine!” He shouted, even as he felt his eyes water. Sloan gave him a hard pat on the shoulder.

“Damn right! You are an Onorussian Globe Corps Marine! You’ll get past this, you can get past any damn thing! Gott mit uns!” Sloan said louder, Dimitri nodded, his face becoming more serious. “Now go… I’ll take care of our fallen brother.” Dimitri nodded and slung his rifle over his shoulders, taking off with a new purpose in his step, leaving Sloan and his fallen comrade to carry out his orders. Sloan looked down at Cabbage and knelt down, he pulled one of the dog tags from the stallion’s necklace and tucked it into his pocket. The Captain turned his attention to a nearby tarp and pulled it over, then gently draped it over the body as a sign of respect.

“You were good, son… Real good.” Sloan said as he watched a couple corpsmen coming over with a stretcher. “Rest easy…” The man stood up as the corpsmen began to load the body onto the stretcher, the captain watched around the rest of the field, as similar teams were coming to collect the bodies of the dead. At the end of the battle, a total of four Marines had lost their lives, as well as four JGDF troops. The captain walked towards the building, as he did so he spotted Jenson rushing towards him with a Japanese man in tow, he wore civilian clothes unlike the other soldiers.

“Captain!” Jenson shouted as they got closer. “Sir, I found the radio operator. He’s a civie, he stuck around when the others were evacuated eight years ago.” Sloan turned towards the radio operator and offered a brief bow, it had been part of their pre-deployment briefing to have a basic understanding of the local customs.

“I’m Captain Sloan, Onorussian Globe Corps… Can you interpret for us?” Sloan asked, the man nodded quickly. “Excellent, can you tell me which of the officers here is the commander?”

“My name is Asahi, as for the commander… She is. Her name is Lieutenant Colonel Kiryuin.” The man said as he pointed at the woman that Sloan had first seen, as it turned out she was walking towards the group with a mountain of a man beside her. He was almost as tall as Sloan, and just as muscled. He also appeared younger than the Lieutenant Colonel, leading the Captain to believe that he was the second in command. The two of them stopped in front of the Captain, and Asahi. Asahi spoke to the woman in japanese, gesturing to the Captain a couple times. From the looks of the Lieutenant Colonel’s very large and noticeable eyebrows, she seemed to be annoyed, and yet relieved. She spoke to Asahi, and the man turned to Sloan. “She says she thanks you for your assistance, asking for help from outsiders was not an easy thing to do.”

“Tell her our mission here is to aid survivors in any way we can, we’ll be sure that this facility remains secure.” Sloan replied in an even tone, he watched Asahi translate, and then watched the eyebrows nearly jump off the woman’s face in surprise. The large man grunted and took a step forward, seconds later Jenson had raised his rifle. “Nein!” Sloan ordered, Jenson lowered his weapon. Kiryuin spoke to Asahi in a very irritated voice.

“She says she has no intention of giving up her post.” Asahi said with a bit of a wary expression, Sloan could tell from his face that he knew Kiryuin wasn’t bluffing.

“Tell her that her dedication is admirable, but we’re under orders to take control of this facility as a processing checkpoint for northern refugees.” Sloan said flatly. “Refusing would force refugees to walk even further before they could be processed and carried by truck to safe areas.” Asahi’s eyes widened, he quickly turned to Kiryuin and was about to begin translating. “And tell her… She and her second in command can stay, but we will be evacuating the rest of her troops to Narita Airport.” Asahi nodded once again and translated the message again, Kiryuin’s face softened for a couple seconds before she sighed and spoke quietly.

“She accepts your proposal.” Asahi said with a grin, Sloan smiled and quietly offered his hand to the lieutenant Colonel. The woman stared at him for a few moments, then reluctantly shook it.

“Mister Asahi, it seems we’re going to need an interpreter…” Sloan said as he brought his hand back to his side, he looked at the older gentleman and spoke calmly. “I realize you very likely wish to be evacuated, but you have a rapport with the Lieutenant Colonel here. I would by no means keep you from being evacuated, but if you were to decide to stay, we would more than happily compensate you for your time.”

“I’d be happy to, Captain.” Asahi said, gaining a smile from the captain. Sloan turned to Jenson and cleared his throat.

“Jenson, radio command. Notify them we have secured the position, designate it… Firebase Luna.” The captain ordered, Jenson nodded and moved off to issue the radio message. Sloan looked to the two Japanese officers and looked to Asahi. “I need to ask them about their defenses, as well as what resources they have left.” Asahi nodded, this began a long day’s work of suring up defenses and reinforcing the position. Intelligence reports had made it clear there was a lot more bandits in this area, and they were organized. The odds of another attack that night were increasingly high.

As the sun’s rays began to fade on the horizon Dimitri sat in his newly dug foxhole, his hands trembled as he held a smoldering cigarette between his fingers. He could still hear some of the others digging foxholes, as well as the crunch of boots against dirt as some men patrolled the perimeter. With their reinforcements, they had three platoons in total protecting the Firebase, but Captain Sloan was still the commanding officer of the operation, as he had a better rapport with the former commander. Dimitri’s face was coated with grime, and he still felt like shit, but he was doing his best to continue doing his duty. He looked up when he heard footsteps near his foxhole and spotted one of the perimeter guards walking his intended route. Dimitri was about to return to his cigarette when he heard shouting from above him in the distance, the man dropped his cigarette and stood up.

“Movement on the treeline! At least a hundred plus hostile foot mobiles!” Someone shouted as he ran through the camp.

“Which direction!?” Another shouted.

“Every direction! We’re surrounded!” The man shouted as he continued running to alert the rest of the troops, Dimitri instinctively checked his magazine and found that it was fully loaded. He slipped it back into his rifle and closed his eyes, doing his best to summon up the courage to fight. When he opened his eyes he found himself drawn to the cigarette pack in his breast pocket, he removed it and went to take a fresh smoke, but stopped when he saw the label. The Brand was a popular one, ‘New Liberty Blues’. Pictured on the pack was none other than the Onorussian seal…

Dimitri slipped the pack back into his pocket and narrowed his eyes, flicking the safety off his rifle and taking aim at the tree line as he waited for the order to fire. He knew it would be a long and bloody fight, that much he could tell from his brush with combat earlier that day. Many more would die, but he would do his best to draw strength from his flag… The stories about the Imperator drawing strength from his own flag were well known in the military, and served as the inspiration a young man like Dimitri needed.

“Fix bayonets! Join the firing line!” Sloan shouted in the distance, the order began to be repeated by other officers. Dimitri climbed out of the foxhole and made his way to the perimeter, now secured by barbed wire and sandbags. There were still portions that needed suring up, only so much could be done in one day, but it was still better than nothing. Dimitri pulled his bayonet from his belt and slid it onto the end of his AK-47, securing it tightly and aiming out into the dark treeline. Behind him, near the main three story building of the compound, he heard the telltale thump of a mortar firing. The shell whistled through the air for a second or so before it exploded above the field in a flash of light, the flare hung in the sky, illuminating the massive enemy force that was creeping towards the Firebase. “Open fire!”

The soldiers began firing at the coming horde, shell casings clattered to the ground as bullets and tracer rounds zipped through the air at the bandits. The Bandits began to return fire, using their own varying guns to defend themselves from the Onorussian’s fire. Dimitri looked to his right for a couple seconds and spotted a Machinegun Team firing an M2 Machine Gun, the loud booms of the fifty caliber ammunition echoed for miles. Dimitri turned his attention back to the coming bandits, even as they were cut down they just seemed to keep coming, getting closer and closer to the Onorussian defenses. Dimitri watched as one wounded bandit threw himself onto the barbed wire, acting as a bridge for his comrades to run over.

“They’re about to breach the perimeter! Prepare for hand to hand combat!” Sloan shouted from his position in a nearby foxhole. More and more wounded bandits followed the example of the first, sacrificing themselves for the good of their brethren. Bandits began to rush towards the sandbags, machine gun fire continued to cut them down, and still they charged on. They screamed and yelled, bellowing out war cries as they swarmed closer and closer. Dimitri could see most of them were armed with crude swords or machetes, and now that they were so much closer, he could also see they all seemed to have green armbands.

Dimitri lowered his rifle’s bayonet in preparation, gritting his teeth as the bandits ran towards him and his comrades, until finally they were too close to be dealt with by firearms. The young man had always thought that bayonet training was a waste of time, but now, he found himself thanking the heavens that he paid attention. He thrust the bayonet forward into the gut of one of the bandits as they hit the firing line, it turned into a brutal melee within seconds. Dimitri pulled the bayonet from the now dead bandit and moved onto another, bashing this one in the face with the butt of his rifle as hard as he could. Sloan watched in awe for only a second or two as his men held the line before he turned to his radio operator.

“We need artillery support!” He shouted, lifting his binoculars and scanning the horizon. The night vision module within and the flare from earlier illuminated the enemy force massing on the horizon. “Radio command! Fire mission, three hundred yards from grid reference one five zero! Load anti-personnel rounds!”

“Roger that!” The Radio operator shouted before picking up the radio next to him. “Iron Rain! Iron Rain! This is Fire Base Luna! We are under siege! Request fire mission, three hundred yards from grid reference one five zero! Anti-Personnel rounds! Danger close!” The radio was filled with static for only a few seconds before a voice replied.

“Copy that Fire Base Luna. Firing for effect.” The voice on the other end announced, Sloan watched the horizon with a nervous expression. The closest artillery was twenty miles away, he hoped that they would be accurate at this distance, as it was nearing the edge of their effective range. He didn’t hear booms over the fighting, but the telltale whistle of artillery shells overhead told him that they weren’t wasting any time. Explosions began to erupt in the targeted area, while the other sides were holding their ground, the bandits seemed to be throwing everything they had at the one strained defensive wall. The Artillery began to have an effect almost immediately. Shards of metal from the steel artillery casings, accompanied by an assortment of small and large ball bearings, ripped through dozens of bandits in gruesome ways.

Dimitri was coated in blood now, he had tossed his rifle to the ground and picked up one of the bandit’s swords. It was less cumbersome than the rifle, and as such, he was able to more effectively defend himself. Even as the ground shook from the artillery and the bandit’s numbers began to thin out, it was an almost impossible task to keep pushing his body. Despite all that, he watched in the fading light of the flare as the bandits that weren’t already engaged began to pull back into the tree line. It felt like he had been slashing and bashing for an eternity, Dimitri’s arms felt like jello, it took all his willpower and strength to keep fighting the seemingly unending hordes. He didn’t dare look for his fellow soldiers, one second of distraction and he knew he would be a dead man.

The man cut down a bandit wielding a baseball bat, then raised the sword he’d taken in preparation for another attacker, only he found that no other attacker came. As the last of the artillery shells landed in the distance, Dimitri found himself standing in front of a pile of dead bandits, his uniform soaked with red, his face splattered, his nostrils overwhelmed by the smell of copper and spent ammunition…

“The enemy is falling back! Reinforce the northern wall and prepare for a counter attack!” Sloan shouted, but no counter attack would come… At least… Not that night. Dimitri eventually was rotated off the line, he carried his rifle over his shoulder as he walked towards an area the men had taken to calling ‘The Slaughterhouse’. It was a part of sidewalk outside the military building where they had brought buckets of water from a nearby stream, men were using them to wash the blood from their faces, hair, and clothes… The result of which left an almost sickening amount of red water on the ground. He stood in line for a chance to cleanse himself of the blood that covered him, it wasn’t until first light that he had his turn.

It was later that day when new intelligence reports were compiled, and with them came the name of the bandits that had assailed the Onorussian compound. A group known as ‘Shin Bakufu’ was to blame, it roughly translated to ‘The New Shogunate’. A powerful city state located in Aomori, to the North. They had been gradually advancing southward, and due to their knowledge of the land, they had been able to hide their movements from Onorussian aerial reconnaissance. They were a mystery, their leaders, their goals, even their actual size was unknown… At least, for the moment.

As more reinforcements arrived at Fire Base Luna, Dimitri and his fellows were finally allowed a chance to settle in and get some rest. They all knew that this was only the beginning of the fighting, some of them were uncertain about their mission, but others… Like Dimitri… Wanted to see things through to the very end. If Onorus could convince Shin Bakufu to halt its advance southward into Onorussian land claims, then there could hopefully be peace. As Dimitri lay in his cot, staring up at the ceiling of the newly erected tent serving as a barracks, he could hear the sound of huey helicopters flying in the distance, joined by the whine of F4 engines and the rumble of tank treads. A true symphony of destruction, and in all its twisted splendor… It lulled him to sleep.

[♠]

Hinkman sighed as he leaned back in his humvee seat, the fluorescent lights mounted in the ceiling of the Channel Tunnel were making it difficult for him to sleep. He looked out the front window at the convoy of other vehicles rolling through the tunnel, mainly humvees, trucks, and LAVs. The Corps of Engineers had pulled through in getting the power and ventilation systems back online, it was making the move into Europe a lot easier. Apparently, news of the Crescent’s defeat hadn’t reached the other side of the channel, as they were caught completely off guard when Power Armor Units had dropped on their positions. Perhaps they hadn’t taken the messages from their forces in London as seriously as they should’ve.

Whatever the reason, they had a foothold in mainland Europe now, and it wouldn’t be long before the Crescents were wiped out. Hinkman didn’t really care so much about helping the people in this region, at least, not people under the rule of the Crescents. In fact, a lot of people weren’t keen on helping them. Considering the knowledge of what Islamic Extremists had done in the past, and their adeptness at slipping past security personnel, it was no wonder that refugees from this area wouldn’t be relocated to Mainland Onorus, in fact, they wouldn’t be relocated at all. They would have their utilities and services restored, but there was no way that such a dangerous group would ever gain access to Onorus. Thankfully, a heavily guarded tunnel and thousands of miles of well patrolled ocean separated them from any portals with access to Onorus.

Hinkman honestly didn’t care that if it was so-called profiling, as long as it meant Onorus was safe. Onorus came first, always, and if that meant people had to be quarantined then so be it. The man had learned from his time as an intelligence agent that their was truly no ‘Right’ or ‘Wrong’, just varying shades of grey. This was something that the Onorussian High Command also realized, as did the citizens back home. He looked down at his rifle and checked the receiver, as usual it was clean and clear of blockages, but it was a good way to change his course of thinking. His mind was drawn mainly to the mission he and his team had been tasked with, more specifically, the lack of one. It seemed that his unit had exceeded the Unit Deployment Threshold, a period of time set by the Onorussian Command to help cut down on combat fatigue. They had logged over a week’s worth of hours in firefights and other combat situations… That meant they were being rotated to serve as security at a forward operating base for a month or so.

To be honest, Hinkman liked the idea of some time away from the front lines, it would save him the hassle of having to deal with false surrenders and suicide bombers. The man couldn’t understand why he felt so apathetic lately, but his theory had to do with a head injury of some kind, or perhaps he was just becoming cynical and cold as he got older. The man could see sunlight up ahead, telling him that they would soon be exiting the tunnel. He had been to Europe a couple times, but never this portion of France. He squinted his eyes as they finally exited the tunnel, revealing just what France looked like Post-Infection. Calais had housed a large concentration of Crescent supporters and soldiers, at least, before they had been wiped out.

As the humvee made its way towards the city, all he could see was destroyed buildings and concrete for miles. Islamic graffiti had stained the buildings that remained standing, the ruins of a church had been vandalized and nearly completely demolished. The Humvee rolled past a large field, in it rested a large pile of corpses. Several soldiers wearing gas masks stood guard while another drove a bulldozer, pushing more dead bodies onto the pile while several soldiers with flamethrowers stood off to the side, waiting. Pillars of smoke rose from a couple other fields, it seemed those piles had already been completed.

Hinkman looked away from the pile, finding it to be a rather dull sight. He and most of his fellows had no remorse about what was being done, after all, the Crescents and their beliefs were almost identical to those of the Caribou. They would never stop being a thorn in the side of the Onorussian people unless they were completely eradicated. Of course, it sounded cruel, downright diabolical, but it wasn’t like there were plans for mass extermination. At the same time, there weren’t plans to import their ideals either. As the humvee continued driving on it began approaching the old Refugee Relief Area, as well as an area that had once been called ‘The Jungle’.

Now that Onorussian troops had pacified the area, it was being used as the main forward operating base in France. It would be Hinkman’s job to guard this large facility, but since they would soon have hot water and working radios there, it didn’t seem like it would be a bad gig. The Colonel sat up as the vehicles drove through the main gates, passing by two tanks and soldiers in Power Armor. There was also a large plume of smoke on the outskirts, as the personal effects of the former owners were being disposed of. Hinkman caught sight of a body hanging from a light post, a couple of soldiers were looking up at it while two were in the process of cutting it down, there was a sign around the body’s neck written in arabic, one of the last relics of the former occupiers.

A large cloth banner, hand painted by the looks of it, hung from one of the buildings facing the entrance to the camp. Hinkman found himself intrigued by it, as the fabric was white while the paint was red. There were two crosses on the end, and the text in the center read ‘Deus Vult’. Hinkman wasn’t surprised to see a large group of soldiers standing in front of it as some snapped various pictures and photographs. The Humvee drove onwards, passing more buildings, including the Power Armor Depot. It seemed the troops there were also taken by the banner at the front, as the normally matte black armor was now being adorned with red crosses on the sides of the helmets. Hinkman supposed that it would take extremists to defeat extremists.

The humvee eventually came to a stop outside a couple barracks near the fence, a group of engineers were setting up guard towers along the fence, but for the most part it still seemed like the area was secure. Hinkman stepped out of his humvee with the rest of his men, they all stretched and grunted after the long drive. Hinkman didn’t need to give them orders, they knew the drill by now, and so they began unpacking the humvees and moving into their assigned barracks. The man felt compelled to pull on his gasmask as the smell of the local area reached his nose, something he noted many other soldiers doing as well. It gave the soldiers a more intimidating look as they went about their tasks. Unlike the operations taking place in Japan, there was no doubt that the Onorussians were dominating the European Theatre with their ruthless efficiency.

Overhead the sound of horns echoed through the clouds, Hinkman looked towards the sky to spot the source. Cutting through the clouds like the two swords of the Onorussian flag came the massive silhouettes of two airships. The large one Hinkman recognized right away as the ‘Exterminatus’, it’s smaller counterpart was still a force to be reckoned with. The most advanced aerial cruiser in the Onorussian arsenal, capable of launching helicopters, cruise missiles, and all manner of other nasty things… The Prydwyn was making her debut in the skies of Europe. Both ships bristled like porcupines, their very presence would hopefully be enough to help scare the Crescents into submission. Their droning engines were a cacophony that echoed over the landscape for miles,  a haunting fanfare for the coming New World Order.
> Chapter 53
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dominic quietly sat up and rubbed his head, his revolver lay in the sand next to him while the sunset danced on the horizon. He had no idea how long he had been out, but from the amount of sand that had bunched up around him, he had to guess it had been more than a couple days. Somehow he hadn’t been taken out by the elements, but he supposed that had to do with… Whatever the hell that was… The man quietly pushed himself up onto his feet, dusting himself off as he looked around. There was nothing for miles save for his motorcycle which was parked a dozen yards away. Dominic picked up his revolver and slipped it into the holster as he began looking around.

“Mizu!” He shouted loudly as he began looking around for the Changeling, his boots sank a couple inches in the sand with each step he took. “Mizu, where are you?!” The man heard a noise to his right, he turned rapidly expecting to see the mare in question. Instead he found himself looking at Discord, the chaos god was in his human form. “You… Discord, you have to know where Mizu is. I have to find her!”

“She’s fine… She’s just taking her time with her vision, that all.” Discord said, trying to sound disarming. Dominic sighed, he knew that Discord wasn’t one to lie to him… Unless... 

“Did you have something to do with this?” Dominic asked as he started walking towards the Chaos God, Discord raised an eyebrow. “Did you help those…  Those things? Did you fuck with my head?”

“No.” Discord said plainly, he looked to the side. “Personally, I wish they hadn’t drawn you in with images of your family.” Dominic took a couple deep breaths, accepting Discord’s answer as the truth. “Look… You’ve had a long couple of days, and I’m sure that you want to get back home as soon as possible. They had be stick around here, to offer you a ride back when you woke up.” Dominic stood there for a couple seconds, looking towards his motorcycle, then back at Discord.

“No…” Dominic said softly, he could feel a tightness in his chest as he was faced with numerous emotions. “Look… I haven’t taken a vacation in eight years… And, I’m going to go on one with my family when I get back, but…” The man looked at the ground as the sunset continued to cast shadows over the ground. “I’m going to drive back home… I just… Want to relax for a couple days.”

“Well, in that case.” Discord started walking towards Dominic, he snapped his fingers and a full face motorcycle helmet appeared in the air. He tossed it to Dominic, the man caught it barely, but managed to hold on. “Ride safe… And if you want someone to ride with, I’ve been meaning to try out those ‘motorcycles’ you’re so fond of.” Dominic looked at the helmet for a second, then back at Discord.

“I’ll let you know.” Dominic said as he began walking towards his bike. “I guess I’ll see you later then, Discord.” Discord nodded and snapped his fingers, once again the chaos god had vanished in a flash. Dominic stopped next to his bike and looked to the setting sky, then at the helmet. It reminded him of something out of an eighties movie, coupled with his long leather jacket and the revolver on his side, he felt like an almost entirely different person. The man pulled on the helmet and tightened the strap, then he slowly straddled his bike and pulled the keys from his pocket. He slipped them into the ignition and turned them, then hit the starter button. The engine turned over within a couple seconds, the rumble echoing across the barren desert wasteland for miles and miles.

Dominic’s breath fogged up against the plastic visor of the helmet at first, but he quickly shifted into gear and tore off down the dark dirt road. The wind made the fog disappear, and the bright headlight of the bike cut through the blackness of night like a sword. The roughness of the dirt road didn’t do much to sway Dominic’s comfort on the bike, his mind was more focused on what had happened to him when he had been… Wherever he was. Beings so powerful they had been keeping the world from going to hell, only now it seemed they were out of power, meaning the world was even closer to total war once again.

His mind continued to ponder and ponder as his ride went on, thoughts of how he could try and keep the peace, and what sort of weapons the Crystal Empire could’ve been developing. What was more, the words about reaching out to other dimensions resonated with him. What was more… The words about a hostile dimension struck a cord. There were preliminary plans for such an event, but nothing concrete… Dominic would be sure to make first contact protocols a priority when he returned to Canterlot. In the distance he could see the lights of the highway, and on either side of him he spotted the occasional porch light from a farm or shack.

Being out on the road by himself, with nothing but his thoughts and the sound of the engine for company, it felt like an entirely different world. There were no political struggles, no tensions, no briefings or intelligence dossiers. It was an odd thought, but he liked the thought of just… wandering. He wanted to go on, with no direction or destination in mind, wherever his heart fancied to go. At the same time, he knew he had a family that he loved, and responsibilities to attend to...But who knew, maybe one day when his term was finally up, he could just open up the throttle on his bike and explore the country that he worked so hard for.

As the highway got closer Dominic realized he had been riding for nearly two hours or so, but time had flown by so fast he hadn’t noticed. His eyes fell on his fuel gauge, the man cursed under his breath as he saw he was running low. It wasn’t much of a concern though, as he recalled there was a fuel station near the onramp for the highway. Sure enough, the lights of a gas station caught his eyes. Dominic shifted down as he turned into the gas station, his engine rumbling as he rolled to a stop next to a fuel pump. He turned off the engine and took the keys from the ignition, then pulled his helmet off and dismounted the bike. The man set the helmet on his seat and began walking towards the convenience store, he noted a couple cars parked in a side parking lot as well as an olive drab MP vehicle parked in front. He also noted there was a lit up payphone at the edge of the parking lot.

It was a Military Highway Patrol vehicle from the looks of it, Dominic just hoped that the people in the store wouldn’t recognize him, or wouldn’t believe it was him. He didn’t feel like having people calling him ‘Imperator’ or offering him discounts and so on, he just wanted gas and some smokes. Dominic pulled the door open and stepped inside, his boots softly thudding against the tiled floor. It was just like any other convenience store he visited, a couple aisles of junkfood, some roadside tools, and a wall of refrigerators filled with soda. There were also slushy machines, coffee pots, a soda fountain, and at the center of it all was a counter with a display case of donuts resting on one side. The clerk was leaning against the counter, watching something on a TV mounted on the wall. Dominic approached the counter and reached into his back pocket for his wallet.

“I need a dollar fifty on pump one…” Dominic said as he began going through his wallet, the man looked behind the clerk and noted a wall of short cigars and cigarettes. “Can I also get a pack of Yankee Sweets Reds?” The clerk looked up and raised an eyebrow at Dominic then pushed a couple buttons on the cash register, presumably to set up the fuel on the fuel pump.

“You have ID?” The clerk asked, a little louder than usual, but Dominic caught sight of the MP browsing the snack aisle so it made sense. Dominic handed the man his government ID, not thinking that it had his actual name on it. He usually had a ‘doppelganger’ ID that helped make his ruse more believable, but his head wasn’t fully with him. The clerk took the card and examined it, he stared at it a couple moments, then held it up to the light, changing the angles to get a look at the reflective seals embedded in the card. “Um… Joe! Could you come here a moment?”

“What’s up, Benny? This guy giving you trouble?” The MP asked as he walked out of the aisle over to the counter.

“Check this guys ID, it’s gotta be a fake, right?” The Clerk replied, handing Dominic’s ID to the MP. Dominic sighed and adjusted his jacket, then ran a hand over his head to flatten out his hair a bit more. The MP looked at the ID, held it up to the light like the clerk, then pulled a small ultraviolet flashlight from his pocket. The blacklight revealed that the card was indeed legitimate.

“Uh… It checks out.” The MP handed the card to Dominic, appearing very confused. “S-Sir…” The man said respectfully, Dominic nodded quietly in acknowledgement and turned back to the clerk, who was now hastily grabbing a red pack of short cigars with a white Minuteman emblem on the pack.

“So, what’cha watching?” Dominic asked, trying to get the attention off of himself. The clerk paused and looked at the TV, it was playing a western of sorts. Dominic could tell it was recent because it looked like it had been filmed just outside New Liberty.

“Oh, it’s a western called ‘It happened in the West’.” The Clerk said, Dominic paused as he recalled that name. He and Altair had watched it more than once, it was his son’s favorite western. “About this guy who carries around this gold watch that plays this chime, and this other guy who’s hunting for him because he has the same watch… I don’t want to ruin the ending.”

“I’ve seen it already, one of my favorites actually… It’s no ‘For a Few Dollars More’, but it’s still a classic.” Dominic said with a grin, both the clerk and the MP seemed surprise that he even watched movies. “Anyway… I gotta hit the road. What’s the damage?” The man gestured to the cash register.

“Oh, um, don’t worry about it.” The Clerk began to say.

“No no… I insist.” Dominic replied, the clerk paused, then nodded and punched in a couple more keys. Dominic picked up a lighter from a nearby rack and placed it on the counter. “Oh, I need that as well.” The clerk nodded again and added it on.

“Okay… Your total is seven thirty five.” The clerk said, Dominic nodded and withdrew ten Onorussian Dollars from his wallet. He set them on the counter, smiling slightly as he leaned against it.

“Could I get my change in coins for the pay phone?” Dominic asked, the Clerk nodded and began making the change. He handed Dominic a handful of gold colored coins, known as Lunulas. “Thanks, man… Have a good night.” The man turned to the MP and nodded, noting that the man was had the rank of sergeant. “Sergeant…” He said with a nod of his head before walking to the door with his pack of cigars, lighter, and coins. He slipped the items into his jacket pocket as he approached his bike, right where he had left it. This portion of the highway was quiet at night, only a few cars were on the road. Dominic unscrewed the gas cap and put the nozzle into the tank, then selected the mid-grade fuel.

He stood there quietly, watching the numbers tick by on the pump. It thudded as it had dispensed ten dollars worth of gas, Dominic looked in the tank and was grateful that it had stopped just short of overflowing. The man removed the nozzle and placed it back on the pump, then screwed the fuel cap back into place. Fuel in Onorus was cheap, mainly because Onorus had started out running on ethanol. Part of the Griffon territories made its living off of growing plants for use in ethanol and alcohol, there was a saying that there was no such thing as a ‘Dry County’ in the country.

With his bike now fueled, Dominic mounted it and pulled on his helmet. He didn’t bother securing it before starting the bike, the engine rumbled as he shifted into first and rode over to the pay phone on the edge of the parking lot. There he killed the engine and removed his helmet again, he dismounted the bike and set the helmet back on the seat. Dominic sighed and stood in front of the phone booth for a couple seconds, staring at the phone inside that was lit up by the dim fluorescent lights. After a couple minutes he stepped forward and opened the door to the booth, Dominic stepped up to the phone and took a couple Lunalas from his pocket. He slipped two of them into the phone and picked up the receiver. The man punched in the number for his private line in Canterlot.

”Please deposit one dollar for long distance.” The phone announced in an automated voice, Dominic sighed and reached into his pocket, fishing for more change before removing four more Lunalas and inserting them into the coin slot. ”One moment please.” The phone began to buzz, and Dominic could feel his breath hitching in his throat. He nearly let out a small cheer when he heard the phone pick up on the other end.

”Hello? Who is this?” Maria’s voice came through the reciever, Dominic sighed with a little bit of relief.

“Hey, Mary Bear.” Dominic replied with a detectable amount of joy in his voice. “It’s me.” There was a bit of a surprised gasp on the other end. “I just wanted to call and let you know I was doing okay, I’m on my way home.”

”Oh… Thank god, I was starting to worry!” Maria replied, she also sounded happy, which was even more of a relief to Dominic. ”Did things go okay…? Are you okay?” Dominic paused for a moment, then pinched the bridge of his nose while looking at the ground. ”Hon’?”

“Yeah… Yeah… Things went okay…” Dominic said quietly, he looked up and out towards the road. “It… Well, it wasn’t what I expected… But, you know how things go…” The man leaned against the wall of the booth. “I just… Well… I just needed to hear your voice.”

”Well, go ahead and take a listen then. I’ll tell you a story if you want!” Maria said warmly, Dominic smiled and felt his eyes water. He quickly wiped them and rubbed the back of his neck. ”Luna’s asleep, but if you want to talk with her too I can wake her.”

“Nah… Let her sleep.” Dominic felt himself relaxing a bit now that he could speak with Maria, her voice was one of the best things to listen to when he needed to unwind. “How’s the boy?”

”Oh, you know, rambunctious as ever. I think he gets it from his dad.” Maria said with an obvious grin, Dominic could hear it through the phone, even when she was so far away. ”You’re in for a surprise when you get back, just a heads up.” Dominic was about to ask for a hint, then he remembered this was Maria, she rarely gave hints if it was something relating to Altair and surprises.

“Can’t wait…” Dominic said with a smile, he closed his eyes, imagining Maria and Luna’s faces as he stood there in that dingy phone booth. “Anyway… I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to make a couple stops on the way home. Unless, y’know, there’s some crisis going on.”

”Take your time, honey! Luna and I have things covered so far, but we definitely will need to talk more when you get home.” Maria said, Dominic nodded to himself. Of course something was up, it wasn’t like the world stopped turning just because he was out of his office. ”Hey, can you do me a favor?”

“Sure, honey. Just name it.” Dominic said as he heard that warmth of hers again.

”I know you don’t like to hear the ‘F’ word, but… Try and have fun, okay? I know, we have the whole ‘vacation’ thing planned, but I also know you like your alone time… So, you know, enjoy yourself while you have it.” Maria said softly, Dominic paused quietly, then put his hand on the glass of the phone booth. ”Also… If you don’t mind, can you stop at the memorial in New Liberty? I’ve been meaning to stop and put some flowers there for mom and dad, but I’ve had my hands full.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it. I was gonna stop there too.” Dominic said, he paused as he heard a buzzing noise on the speaker. “Oh, hey, I gotta go. I’m sure the people in intelligence are freaking out because I’m using a payphone…” Dominic sighed and looked towards his bike outside. “I love you.”

“I love you more!”

“Well I love you most, so nyah!” Dominic said in a childish voice, Maria giggled on the other side of the phone, and just like that Dominic felt butterflies in his stomach. That lyrical warm sound, so beautiful that no recording could ever match it.

”We’ll see about that the night you get home… Goodbye… And ride safe.” Maria said in a playful and seductive tone, Dominic paused… He didn’t want to hang up, he didn’t want to stop hearing her voice… It took a great deal of willpower to summon the word.

“Goodbye…” Dominic said before he heard a soft click on the other end of the line, Dominic put the receiver back on the payphone, the sound of change being dispensed echoed through the phone booth. Dominic stared at the phone for several more minutes, closing his eyes and trying to remember Maria’s face in his head again. He hated being away from her and Luna. He loved them both immensely, but Maria had been by his side since he was a child… He couldn’t help thinking about her more often, the way she walked, the way she talked, her laugh, her eyes… Dominic could barely stand to be away from her. The man opened the door and stepped out to his bike, he pulled on his helmet and mounted the vehicle. The engine roared to life as he hit the starter and revved the engine, the tire kicked up a large plume of dirt as he peeled out and sped onto the highway.

The engine bellowed like a caged beast as Dominic felt himself shooting down the road like a bullet from a gun, his jacket flapped in the wind behind him while he kept an eye on the route ahead. There were no lights along the highway, and no headlights were coming from the opposite direction. Dominic occasionally looked up towards the sky at the stars, smiling at how peaceful it all looked… He would’ve stared at it all night, but he had to keep his eyes on the road ahead.

[♠]

Daring Do adjusted her pith helmet as she skirted the outer fence of a Top Secret Onorussian Military Base in the middle of the desert. She was moving along the fence closest to the main structure, a massive warehouse that housed untold treasures and magical artifacts. The mare had been nearly put out of a job since the rise of the super state, the government had seen to gathering any magic artifacts that could be considered a ‘threat’. Daring wasn’t about to take such a thing lying down though, no sir. She had spent weeks casing the facility, and now knew the routines with relative accuracy.

She stopped at a row of bushes and watched the dirt road that lead to the gate into the compound, the guard house was lit up with flourescent lights and she could see a griffon sitting in the office, nodding his head quietly as he listened to a radio. Daring had slipped it into the office when she had distracted the guards a week prior, no one had noticed the addition, each shift seemingly thinking it belonged to an earlier shift. It was part of her plan to get into the facility, as flying over the fence would trip the alarms. No, she needed a different way in, one that would use all of her cunning and skill to pull off. She heard the distant rumble of engines and turned her gaze down the road, watching as three sets of headlights flicked on.

Three supply trucks were driving down the dirt road, right on time as usual. Daring bit her lip as the trucks rolled past and began to slow near the gate, the noise of the engines, coupled with the distraction of the music, put the guard at the gate at ease. Daring slipped out of the bushes as the final truck rolled past, as it stopped she came up alongside it rather than behind it, knowing that there were always guards in the trucks. She slipped under the truck and took a moment to catch her breath, the engines turned off one by one, and Daring could see the talons of the griffon step out of the guard house.

“Dokumenty, pozhaluysta.” The griffon said as he stopped by the driver’s window of first truck, Daring felt the nerves stand up on the back of her neck as she realized just how close she was to him. “Khorosho, ty chist.” The Griffon began walking to the second truck, his talons kicking up a little bit of dirt with each step he took. He repeated his request to the second driver, and after several more tense seconds, began walking towards the third truck. Daring bit her lip once again, her heart racing as the griffon stopped a foot away from her, at the window of the third vehicle. “Dokumen-” The griffon stopped suddenly, Daring saw him snap to attention. “S vozvrashcheniyem, komandir!”

“Spokoyno, soldat.” Someone in the third truck said, Daring froze as she heard the familiar voice. It was none other than one of her enemies, though he was now a member of the Onorussian military. Caballeron was in the third truck, that likely meant that the vehicles were transporting artifacts rather than supplies. The griffon moved towards the gate, the sound of chain link fence moving became apparent as the gate opened. Daring gritted her teeth and latched onto the bottom of the truck, holding on tightly as the trucks started their engines. The three vehicles began rolling forward, and just like that, Daring found herself going past the gate. The dirt road changed to asphalt, and a new level of nervousness began to hit her.

Sure enough, the trucks began driving towards the warehouse that had been Daring’s target from the beginning. She heard the groan of metal as the massive doors began to open, the trucks didn’t even slow down, just managing to pass through the doors without hitting them. Daring looked around as she saw the inside of the warehouse for the first time, mountains of crates and boxes lined either side of the vehicles as they moved deeper into the structure. They travelled on for two minutes before eventually stopping, the engines were turned off, and the doors to the cabs were opened.

“Alright, let’s secure the artifact. Gas masks, everyone.” Caballeron’s voice echoed through the now quiet warehouse, Daring raised an eyebrow and slowly let herself down from the underside of the truck. Gradually she began to hear the wheezing noises of gas masks as soldiers walked towards the third truck, what was more unnerving was the fact that she could see the ends of their rifles. “Team one, unload the device from the truck. Team two and team three will cover you.”

Daring turned towards the rear of the truck, watching as the soldiers got into position. A team of four humans walked towards the back of the truck, she heard them unlatch the back and begin moving something. It sounded heavy, and from the way the truck gradually seemed to rise up when it was removed, it most likely was. Daring watched the four men lower the artifact to the ground, that was when she noticed the markings. It was a heavy black stone cylinder, and carved into it were ancient runes from ‘The Farlands’. The Farlands were a distant continent that had been untouched since ancient times, a land where science and magic blended life into macabre and dangerous mutations. The area was heavily influenced by arcane radiation, like that left behind after a Thermo-Arcane detonation, only hundreds of times as strong. Even Onorus stayed away from it, save for the scientific expeditions sent to find out why it was the way it was.

Daring had studied Farland Runes in her college days, and though she was still a little rusty, she could make out what the cylinder seemed to say. Roughly translated, they meant ‘Death Lives Inside’. Daring suddenly felt underdressed, as in, she wished she had a gas mask.

“Careful now… I don’t need to remind you all how potent this stuff is.” Caballeron said, his voice muffled by the gas mask. Even though Daring didn’t know what was in the cylinder, if it was from the Farlands, then it truly had to be something dangerous and possibly even evil. “Let’s get the teams from Biohazard Containment here, we need this thing sealed tightly.”

“Yes, sir.” One of the soldiers said, Daring watched as one broke off from the group. She took this as her chance to try and get out from under the truck, maybe she could get a better look at the cylinder and any other artifacts housed in this strange building. The mare slid forwards, crawling towards the second truck, and then the first. She stopped under the first truck and looked around, there was no sign of anyone around, so she slipped up and out from under the trucks. To her amazement there were rows and rows of crates, large and small, all of them were nailed shut and had various markings painted on them, the only marking they all had in common was a triangle with an Eye of Providence at the center. The mark of Providentia, Onorus’ shadowy intelligence service.

Daring stared for a second or two before moving towards one of the rows adjacent to her, with all the other guards preoccupied with the new arrival, it was easy for her to slip away undetected. She trotted quietly past more crates, wondering just what it was that was hidden inside each one. Daring Do then turned towards the wall of boxes to her right, she cautiously hopped up up onto them and managed to get a good view of the cylinder she had unknowingly ridden in with. Now that she was seeing it more clearly, she noticed that the top of the cylinder was pointed into a sort of pyramid, with a nozzle like hole at the very center of the pyramid. Daring hadn’t come for any particular artifact before, but now… She felt drawn to that cylinder. The mare turned and began to make her way down the boxes, when she was back on the floor she started to sneak back towards the original row.

“What the…?” She heard Caballeron’s voice from her left. “Something’s activated it! The device has imprinted on someone here! Find them before they can release the gas!” Daring heard frantic boots against the floor as the soldiers began to fan out, Daring felt a pit forming in her stomach as she continued moving. She was just about to round a corner when two humans wearing gas masks came into view, they leveled their rifles at her.

Eliminate them. The thought echoed through Daring’s mind, she suddenly felt ten times faster. She surprised herself as she covered the distance between her and the men with ease, bashing into the two soldiers before they had a chance to fire a shot. She felt drawn even more to the cylinder, rushing towards the row that she had seen it in. More soldiers were there, six of them in total, they began firing at her. Bullets whizzed past her as she dove for cover behind the front of the first truck, she gritted her teeth. Don’t hold back. Destroy them too! Daring was about to rush out and show those humans what she could really do, but suddenly she felt cold metal pressing up against the side of her head. No!

“Miss Do.” Caballeron’s voice said sternly, Daring turned towards the stallion with surprise. “Please… Put your hooves up.” Daring stared at him intensely, not realizing that the color of her eyes had changed to a dark crimson. Half of her wanted to surrender, as she normally would in this situation, but another half felt… More aggressive. It told her how she could disarm Caballeron, how she could take out everyone in the building. “There is no escape…” His voice was muffled by a wheeze from his gas mask. “Don’t make me destroy you.”

“I don’t know why… I… No… Kill… No… Please… Help me.” Daring said as her mind seemed more conflicted than ever, Caballeron looked her in the eyes. She could see something moving in the reflection of his gas mask goggles, before she could realize what it was she felt something close around her neck. She began thrashing around, turning to look at what had caused her discomfort. There was a human wearing a white rubber suit, gloves, and a gas mask. He held a long metal pole with a noose at the end, just tight enough to control her without killing her.

“Get her to containment, we need DeCon teams to go over this entire section.” Caballeron ordered as the man began dragging her away. “With how red her eyes are, we may be looking at a facility wide incident. Contain the canister as soon as you can, we must stop any more gas from escaping.” Daring heard the soldiers give affirmative answers as she was dragged away, more humans in white suits seemed to be flooding the warehouse. Some of them carrying clicking sensor devices while others carried blue tanks with rubber hoses on the end. A couple more came over to Daring, carrying what looked like stun sticks. Daring thrashed particularly hard, prompting one of the faceless goons to stick her in the side with the stick. Sure enough, pain lanced through her side. Whatever it was in that cylinder, it had messed her up… She had a brief moment of clarity, in it she pondered that perhaps the Onorussians had a point in gathering up the artifacts… Such dangerous things, left out for anyone to find, could be deadly in the wrong hooves. Who knew what other dangerous mysteries the Farlands could hold.

[♠]

A devastatingly strong wind blew sand and dust high into the air, a massive wave of air that seemed to stretch for miles. Splintered, carbonized logs and trees were strewn about the landscape like matchsticks, and barely visible above the sandy soil were the black stone rellics of a once vast city, destroyed eons ago in a tremendous explosion. Specks of purple and blue light floated on the breeze, winking in and out of existence like fire flies… The visible incarnation of Arcane Fallout. These were just a handful of the things that could be found at the center of the Farland Exclusion Zone, and they weren’t even the most interesting of them. That title, one would think, would belong to the dangerous and mutated creatures that called the barren wasteland home. However, even the monsters of the Farlands paled in comparison for sheer danger. The holder of that title was not a living thing, nor was it a destroyed structure or tree, or even a tremendous tornado of dirt that twisted in the distance like a serpent.

No… The most dangerous thing in the FEZ was no larger than a golf ball. At first glance, it would appear to be one of the glowing flecks of fallout, but a quick inspection would yield it was stationary… A pulsing beacon of light that stood out among the fog of dust. It was this pulsing light that had caught the attention of five shadowy figures as they wandered through the wastelands, three men and two women. Like the Wastelands of the Caribou War, only humans could dare to brave the Farlands, as the arcane fallout would kill any Equestrian native that came within close proximity. The group walked in a straight line, the men holding rifles while the women held scientific devices. Their rugged grey HAZMAT suits protected them from the wind and dust, barely, as well as the pockets of toxic gas that littered the landscape.

“It’s just up ahead!” One of the women shouted over the wind as the group trudged through the dust. Her Arcane Fallout Counter clicked wildly in protest, the needle was practically off the scale as they moved closer to the pulsing orb of light. It lit the surrounding area with an eerie, hauntingly beautiful blue glow. Giving some sort of wonderful view to the otherwise overcast and depressing location. “Tri-Alicornium levels are astonishing, I’m reading at least half a dozen proto-fractures and we aren’t even next to it yet!” The group stopped when they were no more than twenty feet from the orb. “It’s like it’s constantly fluctuating…”

“Opening and closing. Like a door.” The other woman said quietly, the two of them began walking towards the orb while their escort watched the surrounding area. The second woman reached into a pocket on her suit and withdrew a small device, so small it fit into the palm of her hand. “It would take a massive explosion of Alicornium to create a rift of even this size… Guess we figured out why the area is so irradiated.”

“How… Not why.” The first woman said as she watched her partner get even closer to the orb. “Alicornium doesn’t go critical on its own… Someone would have had to do this intentionally. Could this… Could this be the remnant of an ancient war? So ancient it predates the Equis Period?”

“I don’t think so… There wouldn’t have been any point to setting off a bomb of that size.” The second woman said as she held the device out near the orb, she slowly opened her hand. The device slipped out of it, drawn to the orb like a magnet, before vanishing completely. “It would take fifty alicorns at least to even have a chance of detonating that much alicornium… Could it have been some sort of experiment that went wrong? Like the old Castle Bravo test on Terra?”

“Maybe… We’ll have to do more archiology when the storms die down.” The first woman said, she watched her compatriot take a tablet from another pocket on her suit and begin examining it. “Has the probe’s analysis returned?” The woman watched her friend for a couple seconds, but got no response. “Doctor Dyatlov?” Still no response. “Doctor Dyatlov! What does it say?”

“The probe…” Dyatlov turned to her colleague. “It’s detecting… Atmosphere.” The first woman stared at Dyatlov with wide eyes, though they were hidden by her gas mask. “Seventy-Eight percent nitrogen, twenty-one percent oxygen… Plus other trace gasses… It’s nearly identical to Terra, and a dead ringer for Equis.”

“You mean… The orb, it leads to another Equis?” The other woman said in surprise, Dyatlov nodded.

“It does, Doctor Zewe.” Dyatlov turned to her associate. “We need to report this to the high command immediately, they’ll finally see fit to authorize a full expedition of the area! We’ll learn more than just where the orb goes! We’ll get to excavate more of the Farlands, learn what kind of people lived here!” Dyatlov and Zewe felt both excitement and caution as they began to back away from the orb, but in their minds they hoped that their discovery would lead to something possibly as important as the old world’s ‘Large Hadron Collider’.

> Chapter 54
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Birds chirped in the distance, accompanied by the faint sound of a city bustling on a sunny day. The desert surrounding New Liberty was peaceful, as usual, though the city itself was a hub of activity. However, far from the busy sounds of New Liberty was an area that had a wall around it, intended to reduce the noise to nothing. It was made of grey stone, surrounded with flags from every country of Earth that now flapped in the wind atop their poles. In the center of the circular wall was a large bronze statue, it depicted a man, a woman, a boy, and a girl. They wore simple clothing, and had simple haircuts, but they had no faces. They were intended to represent every one. The black stone base of the statue was marked with names, carved expertly into the surface in an easy to read font. The base was surrounded by a fountain, the bottom of which glistened with coins.

There were benches surrounding the monument, some families were seated there, others stood near the outer wall. More names were carved there, a testament to just how many had been lost during the Infection. It was mainly humans that were there, mothers and fathers taking their children to see what last remnant they had of their grandparents. There were also three soldiers in dress uniforms, standing at attention in three positions around the monument with their rifles in hand. However, one man stood out among the crowd. Tall, muscled, and alone… None other than Dominic Occisor, the Imperator.

Dominic stood at the edge of the fountain, two bouquets of flowers held in his hand while his eyes stared at a specific spot on the monument base. There was a certain form of etiquette to the monument, people let other people be, so Dominic didn’t worry about people hounding him for political reasons. The names that had drawn his attention bore his surname… His father, his mother, and his sister. For the first time he found himself in control of his emotions as he stood there, even as images of the past flashed through his mind. The images had faded over time, putting his fears that they would never go away at ease. It was dawning on him that he had a very long time ahead of him… He felt like he was letting go of the past, once and for all.

The man set one of the bouquets on the edge of the fountain and let out a slow sigh, Dominic quietly began walking towards a different part of the monument. This time he was drawn to a section bearing Maria’s maiden name, her father and mother. Dominic didn’t understand why she cared so much for them, considering they had tried to marry her off, and had forced her to kill them. He supposed that perhaps it was guilt, or maybe it was one of Maria’s best traits, that she was so forgiving. Whatever the reason, he would honor her wishes. Dominic set the second bouquet down, then ran a hand over his head, his fingers running through his hair. He turned away from the monument and began walking towards the exit, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket.

There was a building next to the monument, a large structure which was populated more by ponies and other species. It was the ‘Grey Infection History Museum’, a building dedicated to teaching the world about what had happened on Earth all those years ago. So far, nearly eight hundred million human survivors had been accounted for, but that was only a fraction of what had been lost. Dominic knew well that humanity, much like the species and races of Equis, would never return to what they had once had. His meeting in the Garden of Creation had assured him of that.

As Dominic strolled past the museum, he could hear the faint sound of fighter jets on the breeze. He looked to the horizon and could just barely make out the silhouettes of the two aircraft, a stern reminder that the world as he knew it was on the brink of war, and new threats were emerging every day. Dominic couldn’t help but be reminded of something he had heard in a video game a long time ago, he knew that it might’ve seemed cheesy to say… But that didn’t make it any less true. As he approached the parking lot and spotted his motorcycle, he mumbled them to himself.

“War…” Dominic said softly as he watched the jets continue to fly in the distance. “War never changes.” His son wanted to be a soldier, his son wanted to witness war. Dominic hated that idea, more than he would ever care to admit, but he also knew that his son would grow to be his own person. As he reached his bike, he reflected on his childhood, on everything his father had ever said to him, everything he had ever heard, all the stories about ‘Honor and glory’. Maybe they were true, and maybe his father had a point. Dominic was a soldier, and he would always be a soldier, but he didn’t do it for ‘Honor and glory’.

The man sighed as he mounted the bike, then looked back to the monument he had left behind. He wasn’t anti-war, far from it in fact, he had come to see all the progress and strides that a society could make when unified to face a common foe… But giving the order to extinguish millions upon millions of lives… Well… Dominic felt like he had finally had his fill of war. No longer did he thirst for a chance to set foot on the field of battle, no more nights were spent planning his next campaign, no… Not a second more would he spend of his free time on such a destructive endeavor. That was for the young bloods, the coming generation that would cut their teeth on Terra, and certainly on battlefields across Equis, and perhaps even beyond that.

Just as Dominic was about to put on his helmet, he heard footsteps rushing towards him from behind. He turned with a raised eyebrow and saw two soldiers in normal fatigues and wearing MP helmets.

“Mister Imperator!” One of them said, Dominic nodded. “Sir, urgent news has come from Canterlot. They said that you might be coming here today, sir! We were instructed to give this to you, I’m only glad we found you before you left!” The man offered Dominic a note, he took it and opened it. His eyes darted across the page, gradually widened, his grip faltering slightly. The man looked at the two MPs. “We’ve arranged for two squad cars to meet you at the gate, sir, they’ll escort you the rest of the way back.”

“I… I need to go.” Dominic said simply, the note of paper dropping from his hands as he turned and mounted his bike. He pulled his helmet on and secured it tightly, then hit the starter and revved the engine. The motor howled as he kicked the bike into gear, the rear tire screeching against the pavement as he began tearing out of the parking lot. The man reached to a switch on the side of the speedometer, one he rarely ever used. Blue lights began to flash on the handlebar and tail light, and a droning siren began to blare from its mount near the horn. Dominic spotted the two patrol cars as he neared the exit gate of the memorial sight, they flicked their lights on as well and began driving behind and ahead of him.

They drove through streets that normally were packed with cars, hopping up onto sidewalks and curbs wherever possible. Dominic’s heart was racing in his chest, his eyes narrowed only on the path ahead of him, his thoughts flew through his mind at a mile a minute. He had to get home, he had to get to his family, to his wives and son. Dominic was feeling something he rarely felt, and something he never expressed openly… Fear. The news wasn’t something Dominic had ever experienced before. It wasn’t some great new threat, or some dangerous scientific discovery… No, those he was all very familiar with. This was something that affected him on a deeper, paternal level.

[♠]

Altair had never felt so miserable in his entire life, his whole body ached, he felt hot and cold at the same time, and his throat felt so dry he could barely speak. The shivering boy was tucked under at least half a dozen blankets, a damp towel rested on his forehead, and both his mothers sat on either side of his bed. He had learned in class that humans like him had stronger immune systems than ever before, but they could still get sick, and when they did it was really bad… That scared him, but he didn’t want his family to worry, so he was putting on a brave face. Just like his father would’ve done.

Maria had never felt so afraid in all her life, not when she had been forced to kill her parents, not when she had nearly been caught by the EOL on numerous missions, not even when she and Dominic had first made love… The fear she felt as she saw her son, her perfect little angel, laying in his bed with a fever of nearly a hundred and three degrees was nearly paralysing, what was more, there was nothing she could do. The disease was one unique to humans, it had cropped up ever since the discovery of the healing factor. Known as ‘Immunity Overdrive Disorder’, the effects were extreme flu like symptoms, high fever, and extreme dizziness. It had a twenty five percent mortality rate, and there was no known effective treatment other than handling symptoms as they appeared.

It could hit slowly, or in most cases, it slammed into the victim like a freight train, just as it had with Altair. Overnight he had gone from fine to critical. Normally, it would last a week or two, until the body’s arcane healing factor adapted to the condition and cured itself. However, there could be lasting effects in extreme cases… Deafness, blindness, partial paralysis, even organ failure. Luna and Maria both felt powerless, fearing the future more than they ever had before. Luna saw Altair’s hand move to his stomach as he let out a low groan, her horn glowed and a bucket beside the bed was levitated upwards.

“Mommy… I think I’m gonna… Gonna…” Altair didn’t manage to finish, he instead rolled towards the bucket and wretched loudly. Maria held back a sob, doing her best to show no fear, she worried that showing how scared she was would make Altair scared as well. Altair’s body spasmed as he tried to vomit, but he had vomited so much already that all he could do was wretch and cough. After a minute or so, he lay back on the bed, his eyes watering slightly while he wiped his chin. “Mommy… It hurts!” Altair couldn’t keep a brave face any longer, he began to cry as he shivered under the blankets. “I-I’m sorry, mommy… I’m trying not to cry… Honest!”

“Shhh… Shhh…” Maria said as she brushed his hair back with her hand, her voice trembling as she felt just how hot his head was. “You cry all you want, sweetie.” She said softly, using all her strength to keep her loose grip on composure. “You’re going to be okay, honey. It won’t be like this forever! I promise!” Luna lowered the bucket and extended her wing, brushing it against Altair’s face.

“You are enduring something no child should, my child… You’re being very brave.” Luna added, it was hitting her hard to see the normally energetic boy reduced to a bedridden state. “Is there anything I can get you?” Altair looked at her for a couple moments.

“Anything?” He asked weakly, Luna nodded. “C-Can I have some Ice Cream? My throat really hurts…” Luna nodded again and stood from the bed, she trotted towards the door, stopping to look over her shoulder at Maria. Maria gave her a nod, and with that, Luna hesitantly left the room. Maria turned her full attention to her son, watching as he closed his eyes and shivered even more. The meds he had been given would hopefully get his fever to break soon, normally the doctors would’ve been trying to cool him with ice packs, but IOD fevers could turn into rapid declines in body heat if the blankets were removed to soon. Instead of burning up, Altair would start to feel colder than he ever had before, and the aching would only get worse.

Maria looked to an IV hanging beside the bed, that was how Altair was getting his nutrients, as it was difficult for him to keep food down. A soft food like Ice Cream would hopefully stay down, but it still made Maria upset to know her boy couldn’t eat. Altair quietly coughed, but still kept his eyes closed.

“Mom… Can you tell me a story?” He asked, Maria smiled faintly and nodded.

“What do you want to hear? King Arthur? Treasure Island?” Maria asked, Altair shook his head and opened his eyes to look at his mom.

“I wanna hear one about Terra, a real story, that really happened.” Altair said in a rough voice, Maria hummed and looked thoughtful for a couple moments. Then she put on a smile and cleared her throat.

“One that really happened, eh?” Maria said, Altair nodded again. “Well… There’s one that you might like.” The woman made sure that Altair was comfortable before she scooted closer to him, brushing his hair back once again. “Once, a long time ago, there was a place called ‘Rome’. It was very much like Onorus is today, and it spanned all over Terra. In fact, it created the language we used to base our language off of!” Altair watched his mother intently, he had heard about something called ‘Rome’, but he never knew it was like Onorus. “In this place called Rome, there was a Centurion, no one really knew his first name, it’s been lost to history. He was a strong warrior, and he became rich off the spoils of war, he took a wife and had a son…”

Maria was describing the Occisor lineage, it was the only story that she could think of off the top of her head. The look of interest in Altair’s eyes told her that he was enjoying it, hanging on every word as she recounted the stories of Occisors that had fought in the Crusades, Occisors that had lived during the renaissance, soldiers, artists, doctors. All the while, Altair found himself imagining what it was like in his head. When Luna returned, he ate his ice cream slowly, too enthralled by Maria’s story to wolf it down as he had originally planned. The story was amazing, he had no idea that one family could have so many different people in it. Maria knew that parts of the story were more theory than fact, after all, records from that far back were far from accurate, if they existed at all, at least up until they reached the story of Robert L. Occisor.

Maria told of how Robert was a Sergeant in the American Cavalry during the First World War, one of the first soldiers to operate a tank under the command of none other than George S. Patton. Altair found himself feeling less and less sick, mainly because he had something else to think about besides being sick. Then came the story of Robert A. Occisor, the son of Robert L., and Dominic’s Great Grandfather. Robert A. had been an infantryman in the First Division that had landed on Omaha Beach, and would eventually go on to serve as a Colonel during the Korean War before retiring at the start of the Vietnam war. Altair found himself feeling more and more warm under the blankets, he began to sweat in buckets. Maria stopped her story as he pushed his blankets off, but he had stopped shivering… His fever had broken.

“Maybe we should stop for now.” Maria said, looking at Luna with a bit of uncertainty, but Altair shook his head quickly.

“I want to hear more, please?” Maria looked over at the clock, she was surprised to see that nearly three hours had passed since she had started telling the chronicle. The sun was starting to set outside, but it was likely the aches would keep Altair up through the night.

“Alright…” Maria said, Altair let out a quiet cheer, followed by a groan as he was reminded of just how sick he really was. “As I was saying, Robert A. Occisor retired from the military at the start of the Vietnam war. He had two sons, but one died at a young age in a car accident… It was only late in his life that he had your grandfather, Joseph Occisor.” Maria paused as she thought about the man, she had known Joseph since she had been a child herself. “He served in both Gulf Wars, before retiring to take care of your dad a couple years after he was born.”

“Did he die in the plague?” Altair asked quietly, Maria nodded quietly. She knew the details, but she wasn’t about to tell Altair about them. “I wish I could’ve met him… Was he anything like dad?”

“Oh, in some ways they were almost identical.” Maria said with a slight chuckle. “Especially when your father was fifteen or so, a couple times I called and accidentally ended up talking to his dad instead of him, they sounded so similar!” Maria sighed and looked towards the window, her expression becoming a frown for a split second. “I think we should stop there, after all, your father has so much more cool stuff to do! We can’t tell that part of the story if it isn’t finished yet!”

“I guess…” Altair said, he looked around and found that Luna wasn’t in the room. She was likely out walking the puppies, he would’ve taken them, but his doctors wouldn’t let him… He didn’t care that he was achy, he had promised to take care of them, and it felt wrong not to do it… His father had told him how important promises were. “Do you think I’ll ever fight in battles like all those other Occisors?” Maria paused, Altair raised an eyebrow as he saw her wipe her eyes.

“I hope not…” Was all she said before standing up and moving one of the blankets back over him. “Now, how about you watch some TV. All that storytelling made my throat really dry, so I’ve gotta get a drink. If you need anything just push the button next to your bed.” Altair nodded slowly, his mom leaned down and kissed him on the forehead before standing up and walking to the door, where she stopped. “I love you… So very much.”

“I love you too, mom.” Altair said, Maria blew him a kiss before walking out the door and closing it. She left it just a smidge open, so that the guards outside could hear if Altair called for them. The boy leaned his head back against the pillow, he found himself staring up at the ceiling while his mind raced with thoughts about the story his mother had told him. War was in his blood, that’s what he had taken away from it, even if his parents told him he didn’t have to fight… For an eight year old wanting to be like his father, there was no alternative. He resolved to himself then and there that he would follow in his family’s footsteps, that he would be one of the best soldiers ever. Minutes ticked by as he thought of all the medals he’d eventually have pinned to his chest, all the cool stories he would have to tell. He was so preoccupied he felt like he could actually get some sleep.

Just as he was closing his eyes to try and get some rest, he felt a hot seering pain on his right cheek. More like in, actually. The boy opened his eyes wide and put a hand to his cheek, the pain was growing more and more unbearable, and he quickly reached to the button on the table beside him, mashing it repeatedly. The door burst open, Altair saw Doctor Patterson rush in behind the guard that had kicked the door open, it was at that point he could no longer keep quiet, and began to howl in agony.

“He’s got an Arcane Cyst forming in his cheek! Prep an OR in the medical wing! We need to get it out before it bursts!” Patterson shouted to the guard, the soldier rushed out of the room while two nurses pushed a gurney in. “You’re going to be okay, Altair. I just need you to stay calm, I know it hurts, but the more you cry out the worse it could get!” Altair did his best to heed the Doctor’s words as he was lifted up onto the gurney. “Someone inform the Imperatrixes, keep him moving! Have a team standing by!”

[♠]

Sterile white walls, piercingly bright fluorescent lights, and the smell of strong bleach. These were the sights and smells that greeted the weary eyes of A. K. Yearling as she awoke on a white cot, her ears were ringing and her head ached like someone had taken a jackhammer to her brain. The mare quietly pushed herself up and looked around, taking stock of her surroundings. There was a large metal door on the far side of the room, as well as a mirror that she assumed was made of two way glass. The floor was white tile, just as sterile as the rest of the small room.

“What the…” Yearling said quietly, feeling cold all across her body. She looked down at herself and found that she was completely naked, and more importantly, there was a metal band locked around her right hoof. It wasn’t very heavy, but it looked tough, and there was a slowly blinking red light on the outer portion. The mare felt strange without her pith helmet and clothes, she had grown so used to wearing them, or a cape of some kind. “Hello?!” The mare pushed herself up from the bed and slowly began walking around the room. It wasn’t nearly as large as she would’ve liked, and now that she had a chance to see, there was a camera pointed at her from each corner of the room. There was no doubt about it, this was a cell.

“Miss Doo… Or should I say, Miss Yearling.” Caballeron’s voice echoed through the cell from an intercom next to the mirror. “Why didn’t you take my advice when last we met. Why didn’t you give up on treasure hunting?”

“What’s it matter?” Yearling shot back.

“Because if you had listened, you wouldn’t be here.” Caballeron replied flatly, Yearling approached the mirror and sat in front of it. “My superiors were going to have you disappear, but I managed to talk them into a deal.”

“Why do they want me gone, huh?” Yearling asked in a suspicious tone. “Is it because I saw their latest chemical weapon? Do they think I’ll blab to the Crystal Empire or something?!”

“You broke into a secure military installation which houses some of the most dangerous items known to man or pony alike.” Caballeron replied once again. “The gas you inhaled wasn’t a chemical weapon, Miss Yearling. You’ve heard of wendigos, correct? Ice demons of the north?” Yearling nodded, but she didn’t see what that had to do with it. “That canister was damaged, it contained a powerful wendigo, so powerful it could survive without constant cold… Imagine of such a thing were to break loose.”

“Like that would ever happen…” Yearling grunted, she didn’t want to give this guy more than a few words at a time.

“You almost made it happen. If we hadn’t caught you in time, the spirit of that wendigo would’ve taken full control of your mind.” Caballeron said with a bit of an annoyed expression in his voice. “Treasure hunting is no longer a simple matter of ancient ruins and tombs, Miss Yearling. It’s a very real and dangerous occupation.” Yearling sighed and looked at the floor, thinking back to what she had been thinking before everything had gone black. “Now, as I said… I have a deal for you, one that lets you get out of this cell.”

“...I’m listening…” Yearling quietly sighed, knowing that she was likely not to escape. The Onorussians were far less careless than the goons and thugs that normally held her captive.

“You would come work with me.” Caballeron said simply, Yearling scoffed at first. “You would get a chance to continue treasure hunting, adventuring, all that good fun… You just wouldn’t write about it, obviously.” Yearling crossed her forelegs and looked at the floor. “Unless, you were only ever in it for the money?” Yearling flinched at the cutting words, Caballeron knew that she hated being thought of as a tomb raider… He had a point though… A chance to solve riddles again, to be a real archaeologist again… Most importantly, she wouldn’t be stuck in a cell or killed quietly, or whatever else could’ve happened if she refused.

“What is it you would have me doing?” Yearling asked as she looked back to the mirror.

“You would be helping me and my team on our missions into the Farlands. Part of a new Task Force known as SEDI.” Yearling raised an eyebrow as Caballeron explained. “It stands for ‘Search for Extra-Dimensional Intelligence’, think of it as searching for aliens, but on a different front.” Yearling sighed… Aliens weren’t her thing, but it would beat a life in the cell.

“Okay.” Yearling said quietly, she looked up as a buzzing noise came from the door. It opened inwards slightly before the buzzing stopped, Yearling stood up and walked towards the door. She pulled it open the rest of the way, grunting at just how heavy the metal was. She poked her head out the door and looked around, there was a hallway running along the door. To the right there looked like there were three or four more cells, but to the left Yearling spotted Caballeron stepping out of a door. He approached her with a bit of a smile, it wasn’t smug, more welcoming than anything else. “So… What happens now?”

“Now, we get you a uniform and I run you through our procedures. If you’re going to be a part of this branch of Providentia, you need to look the part.” Caballeron said simply, the stallion gestured for her to follow him. “Welcome to Nocturne.”

“Nocturne?” Yearling asked, Caballeron nodded as they began walking through the hallway.

“Arcane Artifacts fall under the authority of the Lunar Knight Order, as Imperatrix Luna is the most experienced when it comes to dangerous items. Nocturne seemed like an appropriate name.” Caballeron explained simply. “Now, obviously you won’t have full access right away, but you will be deploying with our unit when the Task Force is formalized…” Yearling sighed quietly, it seemed that she would be in for quite a different future than she had first planned for herself… At least she would get to work with archeology again, and truth be told, writing children’s books wasn’t nearly as exciting as it had first been. “Now, let’s get you settled in…”

[♠]

Dominic pushed the double doors to the medical wing of Canterlot Castle open, they smacked into the walls with loud thuds. The man’s chest was rising and falling rapidly as he panted, he had sprinted from the motor pool all the way to the medical wing. He looked around frantically for anyone that could tell him what his son’s condition was, all he had heard since arriving home was that Altair had needed emergency surgery. His ears were ringing as more fear spread through his body, fear that something had happened to his boy… Dominic began running towards the front desk, he saw a griffon in a nurse’s uniform sitting behind it, she had just looked up at the sound of the doors being opened so roughly.

“Mister Imperator-” The griffon began to say.

“Where’s my son?!” Dominic cut her off, the nurse paused for a moment, looking a bit unsure of what to say. “Damn it, where is he! All I know is that he went into surgery hours ago!” Once again, the Nurse was at a loss for words.

“I-I’m sorry, Mister Imperator… I don’t know anything about your son’s condition. Your wives should be in the waiting room, down the hall. They’ll probably know more.” The nurse said, Dominic didn’t say anything more, choosing instead to run to the waiting room in question. The man didn’t slow down for a second, skidding as he turned to enter the room. Sure enough, Maria and Luna were sitting in the room, each of them looking extremely nervous. They looked up as Dominic entered, noting the sweat forming on his brow as he panted. Maria stood up and walked towards him, rapidly grabbing him tightly and hugging him. Dominic returned the embrace, he was doing his best to give Maria strength, but it was difficult to do when he himself was suffering from an extreme amount of fear.

Luna joined the two of them in their embrace, her wings wrapping around both of her herd mates. It lasted for nearly a minute before they broke up the hug, each of them looking worried beyond belief.

“How is he? Have you heard anything?” Dominic asked as he walked with Maria and Luna over to one of the couches.

“He had an Arcane Cyst form in his cheek, it burned a good deal of the skin there, but it’s mostly cosmetic, they’re hoping that since he’s so young the scar will fade by the time he’s an adult…” Luna said, Dominic looked towards the floor while his foot began to tap rapidly, his way of channeling the nervous energy that filled his body. “Aside from that… His IOD is starting to reduce, the doctors think that the cyst drained some of the overdriven cells…” Dominic sighed and leaned his head back, resting it against the wall.

“I shouldn’t have left him…” Maria said quietly as she grasped the crescent moon necklace she wore around her neck. Luna draped a wing over the woman’s shoulder to try and calm her down. “I should’ve waited longer… I didn’t have to leave so soon… I… I…”

“Hush…” Luna said softly as she leaned her head against Maria. “You had no way of knowing this would happen, cysts like this are rare, you know that…” Maria nodded quietly, closing her eyes and still gripping her necklace. Dominic could see tear stains on her cheeks, a sight that made him realize just how hard it was hitting his wife. “Anyway… That’s all they’ve told us so far…”

“I’m sorry…” Dominic said quietly as he continued to look up at the ceiling. “I never should’ve left like I did… I had a feeling something would happen while I was gone, I just… Didn’t expect it to involve Altair.”

“Don’t go blaming yourself too.” Luna said firmly. “You and Maria are blaming this on your actions, but there was nothing you could’ve done to stop or change it. It’s biology that’s at fault, not you.” Dominic closed his eyes and sighed.

“Maybe… But that doesn’t make this feel any better…” He mumbled, the man did his best to calm himself, but it wasn’t going well. The three of them sat there in silent, each of them offering internal prayers and hopes for the well being of their child. Dominic’s foot continued to tap against the floor, it was the only noise in the room besides barely controlled breathing. Every second of waiting felt like an eternity, each tick of the clock on the wall seemed to carry an characteristically heavy weight to it. Dominic couldn’t stop himself from running through all the possibilities in his head, all the horrible things that could happen to Altair. If something went wrong, if there were complications, and what was worst of all… Dominic could do nothing but wait.

There was a slight cough from the doorway, causing all three worried parents to look up in unison. There was a man standing there in scrubs, a surgical mask was hanging around his neck, but his face was exposed. His name was Doctor Avec, one of the surgeons that worked in the castle’s medical ward, the highest ranked in fact.

“We’ve finished the operation, your son is resting comfortably in the recovery ward…” Avec said, it was like a weight had been lifted from the room. “Just in case, we’re going to recommend keeping him here until his IOD subsides, in case any other complications like this should arise. It’s extremely unlikely, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

“Oh… Thank the moon he’s okay.” Luna said as she let out a sigh of relief.

“Can we see him?” Maria asked, Avec paused for a moment, then nodded.

“You can see him for a couple minutes, but he really does need to rest.” The Doctor said, Dominic and the others stood up, walking towards the door. Avec gestured for them to follow him as he lead them further into the building. “Now, please bear in mind that the wound is still draining, so his bandage may seem bloody, but once we’ve changed the dressing there shouldn’t be any more problems.”

“Thank you, doctor.” Dominic said with a nod, the doctor stopped outside the recovery ward and held the door open for the three concerned parents. They entered the room and approached the only occupied bed, Dominic felt himself struggling to keep his composure at the sight of his son in such a weakened state… The boy turned his head as he heard people approaching, a large bandage was placed on his cheek, and there was a little red spot there.

“W-What happened?” He asked in a groggy voice, Maria moved next to his bed and hugged him gently.

“You had to go in for surgery, but you’re okay now.” She said, holding him close, she didn’t want to let go of her baby, not for one second. Dominic walked up beside his bed and rested a hand on his shoulder, causing Altair to look up at him with a surprised look.

“Dad…? What are you doing here?” He asked as he returned the hug that Maria was giving him. “I… I thought you had to be gone longer…”

“Things turned out to go quickly… But even if they hadn’t, I would’ve raced back here anyway.” The man leaned down and hugged his son, Maria finally building the strength to let go. Altair was surprised by how strong his dad was hugging him. “I couldn’t stay away once I found out you were sick, kiddo… You’re my boy!” Altair hugged his dad, smiling a bit as his dad tossled his hair. The man let go after a couple seconds, allowing Luna to come up and wrap her wings around her darling son, she nuzzled his unbandaged cheek and gave him a kiss.

“We were all so worried about you, sweetie… We’re so glad you’re okay.” She said as she continued to hug him, Altair hugged her as well, though he felt a little tired. The anhestetic was still heavy in his system, and he was fighting to keep his eyes open.

“D-Don’t worry, mom… I’m okay.” Altair said before yawning. “I’m really tired though… Can I close my sleep now?” Luna let go of him, nodding slightly as she tucked him in with her hooves. “Will… Will one of you stay with me, I don’t want to be alone here…”

“Sure, I’ll stay… I’d say your moms have earned some sleep as well.” Dominic said, looking to Luna and Maria. He knew just how tired they likely were, he’d be remiss not to let them take some time to decompress.

“We’ll be right upstairs if you need us.” Maria said, she looked at Dominic and nodded her thanks. Even if she wanted to stay, she knew there wasn’t much she could do, and she was barely able to stay awake with all the stress of the day. “I love you, pumpkin.” She leaned in and kissed Altair’s forehead a couple times.

“As do I…” Luna added, she nodded to Dominic as well. There would be time for talk when Altair was well, for now she needed to tend to Maria’s needs… She would aid the woman in sleeping, and try to rest herself as well. Tomorrow they would be a lot calmer, and the fears would hopeully subside with the knowledge that it seemed Altair was out of the woods when it came to severe symptoms. “Good night, sweetie.”

“Goodnight.” Altair said with a yawn, he paused for a moment. “Mom? Can Wolfy sleep in your bed tonight? I don’t want her to be alone.” Luna nodded quietly, Dominic raised an eyebrow at the mention of the name. He hadn’t been informed that Altair had gotten a puppy, or that Luna had gotten one as well for that matter. “Okay…” Altair pulled his blankets a little tighter and closed his eyes, Maria and Luna nodded to Dominic before they walked out. Dominic looked to Doctor Avec, the man simply smiled and showed himself out, closing the door behind him. Dominic pulled up a chair and sat beside Altair’s bed, leaning his head back and closing his eyes while the beep of hospital monitors echoed through the room. “Hey, Dad?”

“Yeah?” Dominic opened his eyes and looked towards Altair, the boy still had his eyes closed.

“I’m glad you’re home…” Altair yawned, Dominic felt his eyes get a little misty, but he didn’t care.

“Yeah… I’m glad I’m home too, kid… I’m glad too.” The father replied softly as he watched over his son. “Now get some sleep, your body needs it if it’s going to win the fight.” Altair smiled faintly and nuzzled deeper into his blankets, leaving Dominic alone with his thoughts once again. The man leaned his head back and sighed through his nose, a sense of realization rushing over his mind and body. He had just finished his last great adventure, it was likely that now he would be too busy with his job to ever go on such a trip again, at least, not on his own… The man opened his eyes and looked towards Altair, he smiled to himself. Even with the stress of the day, he knew his son would get right back up after this.

No… Dominic wouldn’t be the one to go on adventures around the world, he wouldn’t be the one to answer the call of the road, or the call of duty. Altair, on the other hand… His life was all laid out ahead of him, it would be his turn to take up the mantle of the Occisor name. He would be the one to lead a life that Dominic had never had, a life unlimited by the plague that had changed Dominic’s life. He could do anything, be anything… It gave Dominic hope for the future, despite everything that had happened to him. The man felt his grip on consciousness slipping, and soon he had drifted into sleep, much like his son. There were no nightmares, no terrors from the past, no haunting voices of his lost family… He had come out of the gates of hell, only to march right back in, and now… 

Now, he finally felt at peace.
> Chapter 60: Epilogue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Life in Onorus was finally returning to normal after the Caribou War, with new trade routes and deals being signed between the remaining states of the world. There was still the threat of Crystal Empire attack, but gradually people and ponies alike began to fall into a sense of security.

For Jack and Tig, the road to recovery would be a long one, but thankfully things seemed to be looking up. After being discharged from the military, the former fighter ace found a job as a professor at the newly formed Canterlot Aeronautics Institute. He married Tig soon after finishing a remodel of his home, specifically to add a nursery. In the years to come, he and Tig would adopt two orphaned children from Terra, and would go on to live a happy life together in the suburbs of Ponyville. Their children would grow up as well, one would become a carpenter and flip houses, while the other would go on to become a Colonel in the air force like his father. Jack, despite his numerous petitions to have his pilot’s license reinstated, would never fly again.

Twilight Sparkle continued to serve in the Onorussian Congress, and was integral to the passing of several bills that helped to expand the reach and effectiveness of the school system. She was voted back into office for two more terms, the maximum that any congress member could serve. Due to her distinction, the Congress voted to allow her to run for a fourth term, but she declined and instead left politics to pursue a career in historic literature. Her books became standard course materials in schools around the country due to their extreme accuracy to detail. After successfully publishing three non-fiction books, she found her true calling when she wrote her first fictional story. Titled ‘The Star Commander’, it’s main character was heavily influenced by her good friend Dominic Occisor, though it was set aboard a spaceship rather than on Equis.

Rainbow Dash and her partner Braeburn would go on to solve some of the most puzzling homicide cases the Ponyville Police Department ever faced, while her adopted daughter Scootaloo would become a well decorated sergeant in the Onorussian Army. Unfortunately, during a patrol of the Farlands, she was lost in a sandstorm and believed to have been killed in action. Shaken by the loss, Rainbow Dash retired from the Police Department to spend more time with her husband, Quibblepants. Braeburn would go on to be recruited by the Onorussian Bureau of Federal Inquiries, a government agency devoted to uncovering and prosecuting traffickers, smugglers, pedophiles, terrorists, and organized crime.

The rest of the Element Bearers would go on with their daily lives as best they could, Pinkie Pie continued to throw parties around the country, eventually her name became synonymous with good natured people who liked to have fun. Rarity would go on to open several new stores around the country, though she preferred to spend her time in her original shop in Ponyville. Fluttershy would go on to be arrested nineteen times for disturbing the peace, her protests of industrialization became more a nuisance than anything else. However, she was surprised to be offered a position in the Onorussian Environmental Enforcement Department. She accepted the position and helped to raise awareness about the importance of care for the environment. Applejack and her family continued to work the land of their orchard, eventually she found love in the form of a young man by the name of Adam. Despite the business of their lives, all six friends remained close and resolved to see each other at least four times a month.

Giovanni and Jenny Gambino divorced after details of Giovanni’s involvement with the old mafia of New Liberty were revealed to the public. The news of just how ruthless the man had been was what led to the divorce, despite numerous attempts to reconcile. Jenny focussed on caring for their daughter and furthering her military career, and eventually became the General in charge of operations in South America on Terra. Giovanni, disgraced by his past, resigned as the head of the OBFI and instead put his attention towards the production of ethanol fuel and spirits that had made him his money in the beginning. His company saw a large increase in profits as he capitalized on the bad press, re-branding itself as the official drink of organized crime.

Mizu eventually returned home to the Changeling Autonomous Region where she officially took the throne from her mother Chrysalis, unfortunately she was not fully aware of Changeling physiology, specifically that there could only be one Queen. This fact was something her mother kept from her up to the very end. Two days after the coronation of Queen Mizu, Chrysalis was found dead from natural causes in her bed. She had gone peacefully in her sleep, the region mourned for two weeks, with the entire Imperatorial Family attending the funeral. As a former head of state, Chrysalis received a full state funeral, complete with military honors.

After half a year of rigorous search, the Crystal Empire Intelligence Service finally uncovered the location of the Onorussian Spy Ring. Evidence found in their compound revealed that it was likely comprised primarily of Diamond Dogs which had burrowed under the castle and into the air vents, allowing them almost unlimited access to the Crystal Castle. The gopher holes that had plagued the castle gardens had actually been dug by the Diamond Dogs, an antenna would be fed up through the hole in order to broadcast messages, and a new hole would be dug every other week. Despite uncovering the location of the ring, the CEIS made no arrests. The spy complex had long since been abandoned. The only clue they uncovered was the code name of an informant, someone only known as ‘Dawnguard’.

Princess Celestia left the Crystal Empire two months before the unearthing of the spy tunnels, to ‘clear her head’. It is believed that she left around the same time as the spies, leading to numerous conspiracy theories regarding her possible involvement with the infamous Onorussian espionage. None of which have been confirmed or denied by the Crystal Empire. She was last seen flying out to sea, presumably to some form of tropical island to continue her self imposed exile.

Blueblood proved to be an invaluable asset to the Crystal Empire’s ‘Long Range Arcane Weapon’ project, providing the expertise to teleport Thermo-Arcane warheads vast distances without the need of aircraft or missiles, effectively cutting through any defenses of the targeted nation. Onorus, thanks to its spy network, learned of the new threat and began developing countermeasures to this devastating new weapon system, but nothing has been fully implemented yet. Despite renewed discussions between Onorus and the Crystal Empire tensions remain at an all time high, with the Crystal Empire annexing several smaller foreign states and growing consistently more militant. Princess Cadence gradually began to lose control of the Empire to her husband as his paranoia over the ‘Onorussian Menace’ became his main point of concern, something that earned him a positive reputation with the equally paranoid citizens of the Crystal Empire.

Research of the ‘Rift’ in the Farlands Exclusion Zone commenced two months after its discovery, present for the project were members of the Nocturne Agency and the SEDI task force, among them were Agents Caballeron and Yearling. Though at first the rift showed promise as a possibly colonizable dimension, further testing showed an increased level of Arcane Radiation on the other side. Speculations range from a mirrored explosion on the other side, to the remnants of a Thermo-Arcane war, to an alien civilization in the early stages of Arcane Industrialization. What the rift held would remain unknown for some time, as the technology needed to expand a naturally occurring portal was still in its infancy.

Yearling felt as if she had finally found her calling, working with the Nocturne Agency offered her the resources she could only dream of on her own. Despite the time it took to adapt to Onorussian procedures, the mare was ecstatic to work in The Zone, discovering remnants of what looked more and more like some sort of precursor race. Early examination of fossils revealed that these precursors could very well have been alicorns, though nothing was completely certain.

Fortress Wall became chief of the Onorussian Weapons and Armor Development program, though he much preferred to spend time with his newlywed wife, Queen Mizu. With the discovery of more Terran technological documents and the addition of numerous researchers, the stallion would go on to be known as ‘Doctor Death’. Despite this grim moniker, Fortress Wall took pride in his work and the challenge it provided. He took a specific interest in The Zone and the task of creating Power Armor that could function despite the high level of Arcane Radiation. Though the project is still ongoing.

The crew of the Imperator’s tank, ‘The Crimson Maiden’, would eventually be reassigned to various different vehicles. They excelled in their positions, and eventually were once again reassigned to help train new cadets in the art of armored warfare at Fort Errant in New Liberty.

Gilda eventually was promoted to the rank of Colonel, soon after, the Onorussian Military decided to disband the FAST units. She and her team volunteered for duty aboard the Onorussian Airship Exterminatus, and would continue to serve with distinction during the campaign to reclaim Germany and Italy. Unfortunately, by the end of the campaign, Gilda was the only original member of the unit still alive, with the exception of her former insertion pilot, Boris. The two remained good friends, and eventually opened a restaurant in downtown New Liberty that they lovingly named ‘The Fast Grill’.

Terra would eventually be reclaimed under the banner of Onorus and several other nations. The Australian Republic, the Democratic State of New Moscow, the Sovereign State of Madagascar, and the Federal Republic of South Africa, and lastly Israel would all come to share Terra. Though all states agreed to remain independent, they’ve started to rebuild the Old World as best they can… Some expressing a desire to merge their world with that of Equis, if such a feat were even possible. When asked about this possibility, the Onorussian Government replied uncharacteristically with ‘No Comment’. Discord has stated to the press it was possible in theory, though he did not go further into detail beyond that.

For the first time in a long time, the future was looking truly bright, and despite all the setbacks and threats that loomed on the horizon, many believed it to be the start of a braver, safer world.